CHRONOMANCER
Aeonstave (melee): Range Melee; Type Melee; Strength User; AP -; Damage 1; Abilities: Enemy units hit by this weapon are slowed until the start of your next turn. Reduce the Movement characteristic of models in slowed units by 2" unless they move through Difficult Ground. Each time the bearer fights, it makes 3 additional attacks with this weapon.
Aeonstave (shooting): Range 36"; Type Assault D6; Strength 4; AP -; Damage 1; Abilities: Blast. Enemy units hit by this weapon are slowed until the start of your next turn. Reduce the Movement characteristic of models in slowed units by 2" unless they move through Difficult Ground.
Entropic lance (melee): Range Melee; Type Melee; Strength User; AP -3; Damage 3; Abilities: Invulnerable saving throws cannot be taken against attacks made by this weapon.
Entropic lance (shooting): Range 18"; Type Assault 1; Strength 8; AP -3; Damage 3; Abilities: Invulnerable saving throws cannot be taken against attacks made by this weapon.
Chronotendrils - removed.
PSYCHOMANCER
Abyssal staff (melee): Range Melee; Type Melee; Strength User; AP -3; Damage 1; Abilities: -.
Abyssal staff (shooting): Range 12"; Type Assault D6; Strength 4; AP -3; Damage 1; Abilities: Attacks made with this weapon automatically hit. Enemy units hit by this weapon cannot fire Overwatch or Set to Defend until the end of the turn.
Nightmare Shroud: In your Morale phase, you can select one enemy unit within 18" of this model that has not already been selected for this ability this turn, subtract 1 from Combat Attrition tests taken for that unit until the start of your next turn. In addition, roll
3D6: if the result is greater than the enemy unit's Leadership characteristic, the selected unit loses the Objective Secured ability and cannot perform actions (if that unit is currently performing an action, it immediately fails).
Harbinger of Despair: At the start of the Fight phase, you can select one enemy unit within 3" of this unit. That unit is not eligible to fight this phase until after all eligible units from your army have done so.
THE VANQUISHER’S MASK
SAUTEKH model only. Enemy units within 6" of the bearer cannot automatically pass Leadership or Combat Attrition tests. The bearer can re-roll failed hit rolls against CHARACTERS.
THE SOLAR STAFF
NEPHREKH model with a staff of light only. This Relic replaces a staff of light and has the following profile:
The Solar Staff (melee): Range Melee; Type Melee; Strength User; AP -2; Damage 1; Abilities:
The Solar Staff (shooting): Range 18"; Type Assault 3; Strength 5; AP -2; Damage 1; Abilities: Friendly NEPHREKH units can charge units hit by this weapon this turn even if they Advanced.
INFINITY MANTLE
NIHILAKH model only. Improve the bearer's
Sv to 2+. When the Techno-Oracular Targeting Stratagem is used for the bearer, it costs 0
CP.
SEMPITERNAL WEAVE
Increase the Toughness and Wounds characteristics of the bearer by 1. If the bearer Remains Stationary in your Movement phase increase the bearer's Toughness to 10 until the bearer moves instead of increasing the bearer's Toughness by 1.
THE ORB OF ETERNITY
Model with a resurrection orb only. The bearer can use their resurrection orb once per battle round instead of once per game.
DISCUSSION
The aeonstave and entropic lance were changed to have a more focussed role, one slowing and killing hordes and the other ageing anything to dust regardless of defences. Ignoring invulnerable saves with an
AP-2 weapon matters very rarely and Blast D3 is not much of an anti-horde weapon. Chronotendrils were removed because rolling their attacks separately is a waste of time.
I think the entropic lance is about as good as previously, doing D3 less damage at range and with 6" less range but ignoring invulnerables with shooting and in melee, the aeonstave seems a lot better, probably by about 10 points, which would put it on par with the entropic lance.
Psychomancers are too reliant on getting within 12" and not getting unlucky with the
3d6 roll to do anything or getting within 6" to morale bomb targets. I wanted to keep Psychomancers focussed on short ranged effects and bring back the old flamer they had, so their main weapon was changed to a flamer and their ability's range was increased to 18".
Instead of choosing from different options after rolling well on the
3d6, the options were rolled into their other ability and their weapon to make them more reliable and increasing the maximum benefit you can get from them in a single turn, a short ranged fight-last ability works decently as a defensive mechanism, a short-ranged morale bomb effect is just impossible to use on such a slow character, it could be argued that like Chronomancers Psychomancers should have M8 instead of M5, that might fix the issue as well. Overall Psychomancers would be getting a huge buff from these changes, I think they'd be worth 60-80 pts after the change, where as currently I would say they are worth 40-60.
The Vanquisher's Mask and The Solar Staff were changed to be more unique, fitting for Dynasty-locked Relics and because Psychomancers now can deliver the effects these relics previously had. The Solar Staff blocking Overwatch was also a little too niche to compete with the insane damage of the Voltaic Staff, I think Advance and Charge would give Nephrekh a reason to exist in the first place, because having mobility that cannot be used offensively is a little weird.
The Infinity Mantle and Sempiternal Weave are both pretty boring and I think the fluff for the Infinity Mantle is bad and should be replaced with the fluff for the old Nihilakh Stratagem. "Fashioned from unique cosmic materials amassed over aeons amidst the Nihilakh Dynasty's treasure horde, this regal battle armour resists hostile blows and energies by means even its creators do not fully comprehend, and could never recreate." -> "This glittering mantle is formed from slivers of crystallised time, and the bearer can expend the power of these shards to glimpse a matrix of potential futures." The Orb of Eternity needs the stars to align to be worth it and it makes sense for the Orb of Eternity to have an Eternity's worth of activations.
I thought about changing Cryptek Arkana rules, but I think they are probably fine, their points costs probably just needs to drop by 5-10 each.