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 Matt Swain wrote:
Crypteks gain an ability like MWBD that only affects canpoptek units and possibly vehicles.

Crypteks can employ some canoptek and possibly vehicle stategems on nearby units without a command point.

Scarabs near a tomb spyder gain a 5++ save.

Due to small size and rapid movement shooting at scarabs from 12"+ incurs a -1 to hit penalty.

Tomb spyders either get the character keyword or a save equal to wraiths.

A tomb spyder can cast the self destruct strategem on a unit of scarabs within 12" without a command point.

Cryptek MWBD, free Stratagems for Spyders and -1 to hit on Scarabs introduce too much bloat IMO, if it was an optionable specialist detachment it would be fine but I think adding this many extra rules to the datasheets would be overdoing it. I would like Crypteks to be cheap engineers, IMO they're overpriced the MWBD may or may not be too much, but it would almost certainly mean that their pts can't be drastically lowered as I think they currently should be, this clashes with the option of taking a large royal court while also having pts left over for the rest of your list.

Why would Spyders give Scarabs a 5++? Are they telling them how to jink better or giving them a forcefield? What is the intention? I feel like you are really pigeon-holing Spyders into being a Scarab support unit, the fact that they don't synergize too well with Scarabs means they can fulfil other roles about as well as they can supporting Scarabs, they don't do anything amazingly well because of the high-ish pts cost, but I think this ability should be an option of some kind, like if you had a Canoptek Specialist Detachment and you made Spyders into characters you could have a 5++ aura for Scarabs and Spyders as a WL trait that people could then pay 1CP to get.

Wyldhunt wrote:
* Move very quickly, charge after advancing (1CP strat), deal mortal wounds with a free strat (proposed spyder ability), and always wound on 5+ regardless of toughness.

It'd still cost a Scarab Swarm.

* I miss the old cryptek disciplines (I forget what they were called). Maybe the cryptek abilities you're describing could be a replacement ability for the +1 to RP rule. Similar to how exarchs and harlequin characters can swap out special abilities now. Give this one to crypteks specializing in canoptek constructs. Have another one for the old time/matter/electricity/etc. specialists.

Wow, that's an amazing idea, you could do the same for Lords to encourage taking more than one. I've only ever considered WL traits, but replacing abilities could work super well.