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Hey Dakka! I’m posting my homebrew faction Rift-Warherds (Chaos Beast-Kin). It’s a complete fan-made PDF with army rules, detachments, stratagems, and unit profiles.


What the army does

Ambush-heavy playstyle: pre-game units go into Ambush; they arrive from a battlefield edge with charge support.

Rituals of Ruin (Command phase) for flexible effects (damage / durability / melee boost).

4 detachments (objective-melee pressure; monster sustain; charge reliability; storm/ogor theme).

6 universal stratagems: reposition after being shot, extra move after ambush, double-ritual, charge debuff, anti-FNP tech, and a “returning infantry” effect.

Specific feedback requested

Any balance outliers (too efficient units / too strong detachment rule)?

Any unclear wording or missing restrictions?

Does the army have enough counterplay?

Disclaimer: Unofficial fan project, non-commercial, not affiliated with GW.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LWk68hctDWReJ4mfaqnZy1bRfbFwNaot/view?usp=drive_link

Thanks for the detailed feedback this is exactly the kind of critique I need.

For context, yes, the project is absolutely AoS-inspired (kits and a bit of rules DNA), but I agree the current draft sometimes reads like AoS wearing a 40K coat. I’m going to do a pass specifically to make the language and mechanics feel more 10th-edition 40K, and borrow existing GW wording where it helps consistency.

On the “Ogor” point… fair. Even if it’s partly taste, you’re right that it immediately screams AoS. I’m not married to that naming at all I’ll rename those units to something that sits better in 40K’s vibe.

You also caught a real miss, I forgot to add Enhancements. That’s just an oversight on my end, and I’ll add a proper set so the detachments have meaningful list-building texture beyond stratagems.

I get what you mean about detachments that only really reward one very specific unit package. I don’t mind theme detachments existing (10th does it constantly), but right now mine are probably too narrow, so the choice becomes “generic” or “only if you spam X”. I’ll widen the hooks so each detachment supports a playstyle without basically writing the army list for you.

The healing is the biggest “yeah, that’s too much” moment. Regaining up to 6 wounds per battle round is not something most factions can realistically play into, especially when it stacks with other sources. I still want the big beasts to feel hard to finish, but it needs to be more controlled something like a small, reliable heal in my Command phase, and then a more explosive heal only when you actually kill a unit in melee (and capped once per round). That keeps the fantasy without turning it into a regen engine.

Death Grip is another one where I see your point. A normal move that can effectively drag you into melee is very “rules smell” in 10th. The intention was a predatory lunge / repositioning pressure, but I can rework it so it stays shifty and threatening without functioning like a pseudo-charge. If anything, I’d rather lean them toward ambush, feints and punishing mistakes than locking the whole faction into berserker mode.

Same vibe for the “sometimes it just doesn’t work” mechanics, I agree that dead buttons feel bad. I’ll try to reframe those moments so a bad roll makes things go weird rather than simply fail weaker effect, backlash, risky upside, that kind of thing.

The CP point is fair too. Two 2CP stratagems can make the army rigid, especially in games where you’re already spending CP to stay alive or to force key plays. I’ll probably keep one “big moment” 2CP option, then pull the other down to 1CP with tighter limits (or make it once per game) so it doesn’t choke the army’s flexibility.

About the Gorelord and aura design, I’m torn, because I like the idea that apex leaders impose their will, but I also don’t want the faction to feel like a neat command-and-control army. Your read is valid if buffs feel too “ordered”, it undercuts the savage identity. I’m likely to tighten those effects so they’re more personal (self / own unit) rather than broad bubble discipline.

Modelling-wise, agreed on making them feel more credible in 40K. Even if they’re feral, adding scavenged tech, crude explosives, stolen weapons and improvised wargear would help sell them as a real threat in a galaxy full of bolters and tanks.

Layout and presentation is WIP and you’re right it’s messy I’ll reorder datasheets, fix the page/image sizing, and probably tone down the AI art or ditch it. A less harsh white background would help a lot too.

On points, that’s reassuring. I’m treating them as placeholders until the rules are actually fun and interactive. Once that’s in a good place, I’ll do the basic durability/efficiency sanity checks against Orks and similar profiles and start proper playtesting.

Seriously, appreciate the time you took I’ll come back with a revised draft after I’ve cleaned up the wording, detachments, healing, and the “feel-bad” rolls.

Update / revised draft posted (important): I’ve made a pretty substantial revision pass based on the feedback here.

Important note: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LWk68hctDWReJ4mfaqnZy1bRfbFwNaot/view?usp=drive_link

Big changes in this revision include:

a broader 40K wording/style pass (less AoS phrasing / naming bleed-through),

renames for some units/terms to better fit 40K tone,

reworked army rules / ambush package for clearer restrictions and counterplay,

toned-down / capped healing in the monster-focused detachment,

reworked Death-Grip (no more pseudo-charge behavior),

some stratagem rewrites and wording clean-up,

ongoing layout / presentation cleanup.

I’d really appreciate a fresh look on the new PDF version, especially for:

any remaining wording issues / rules ambiguities,

balance outliers after the changes,

whether the faction now has better counterplay and feels less “AoS in a 40K coat.”

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to critique the first draft it genuinely helped steer this revision.

Hey Dakka — quick update. I’ve pushed a new revision of my homebrew faction Rift-Warbands (Chaos Beast-Kin). It’s still a full fan-made PDF: army rules, 4 detachments, universal stratagems, and datasheets/points.


What changed in this revision (high-impact summary)

Core army rules / counterplay

Masters of the Dead Zones (Insertion) is now more tightly bounded: half your units (rounding down) and up to 50% of your points, plus a MONSTER cap by game size (1/2/3)

Dead-Zone Insertion is clearer and more “40K-timed”: arrive within 12" of an edge, get +1 to Charge (or +2 near a Rift-Pylon), gain Stealth near the edge/pylon, and there’s a small protection window vs being picked as a “Spotted/Marked” target after arriving.

Liturgies of Ruin

Liturgies are now 2 uses per Command phase (+1 if you have a Rift-Pylon on the table), with cleaner targeting (within 24" of a CHARACTER) and auto-apply near a Rift-Pylon, otherwise 2+.

New/expanded effects include tools for anti-reposition/reserves and anti-spotting/Guided style mechanics, plus the existing damage/defense/melee options.

Objective play

Savage Claim (“sticky”) is now BATTLELINE INFANTRY only, and only holds until the end of your next Command phase — intended to add counterplay and reduce snowballing.

Detachments (4) — rules updated

Arch-Despoilers is now more objective-centric: reroll Hit 1s in melee into enemies on objectives you control, plus Battleline-only AP boost on the charge and OC +1 for Battleline on your objectives.

Bloodgreed sustain package updated (select 2 units, 3 with a Pylon; heal D3+2; baseline FNP 6+ with conditional improvement).

Fiends of the Dead Zones now has a bit more charge agency: once per charge phase, change a die to 4 or 5 (but if arriving from Insertion, only to 4).

Raging Storm reworked into a more distinct “storm-engine” detachment (healing + mortal output keyed off Tempest Ogryn units/characters).

Universal stratagems — cleaned up & re-costed

Death-Grip is now 1CP, with a more controlled surge distance (D6", max 5") and a simpler charge bonus window.

Bestial Cunning is now a small post-arrival move (2") but removes charging that turn (to prevent “free extra threat range” spikes).

Propagate Ruin is now once per battle and Pylon-gated (within 9").

Hex-Rod of the Rift anti-FNP is narrowed: it only blanks FNP against attacks made by the CHARACTER model, not the whole led unit.

Warp-Vox Muster Signal returning-unit strat has clearer scaling (Battleline returns at 2/3, others at 1/2).

Datasheets/points pass (examples)

Bullhorn Brutes got a full tune pass (stats/role clarified), MW charge output capped lower, and points adjusted (125/250) with a new Bloodbull rider synergy.

Tempest Ogryns gained a 5++, Storm Surge mortal output is now capped (max 3 MW per target per phase), and points dropped to 130/260.

Beast-Kin Marauders are now 80 pts, with extra melee identity (Sustained + AP-1 on the charge).

Runt Stalkers got some quality-of-life tweaks (bow AP, Hidden Volley safety).

Feedback I’m looking for

Balance outliers after the changes (detachments, Liturgies, Insertion package, key datasheets).

Any remaining wording/timing ambiguity (especially around Insertion + “Spotted/Marked” interactions, Liturgies timing, and Savage Claim duration).

Counterplay / fun factor: does it feel interactive, or are there still “non-games” where the opponent can’t respond?

Disclaimer: Unofficial fan project, non-commercial, not affiliated with GW.

Hey vict0988 / Wyldhunt : thanks again for taking the time to do a real critique. I went back through both of your posts and I agree with the broad diagnosis: my last version was trying to do too many “clever” things at once (Pylon stack, Insertion stack, anti-Marked/Spotted subgame, charge reliability layered on top of itself, and a lot of micro-rules).

Also: yes, my table of contents still shows old headings in a couple places (Dead-Zone Insertion / Liturgies / old detachment names) : that’s on me and will be cleaned up next layout pass.

What I changed (and why) : point-by-point vs your feedback
1) “Rift Pylons do an insane amount of things / you barely get to play without them”

100% agreed. In my last version they were doing too many jobs at once: charge enabling, stealth enabling, ritual enabling, AP enabling, anti-spotting enabling… and it created exactly the problem you described: mandatory infrastructure + rules scattered everywhere.

Change in the new draft:

Rift-Pylons are no longer a rules centerpiece (they basically only exist as a narrative hook now).

The core faction engine is now Herdstones generated on objectives during the game.

Why Herdstones instead:

It anchors the army on the table, not in pregame bookkeeping.

It gives the opponent a straightforward interaction loop: contest objectives → deny Herdstone creation → deny buffs.

It consolidates “where the army is strong” into a single readable place (6" bubbles around Herdstones), instead of 10 different references.

2) “Spotted/Marked / anti-Guided stuff feels off in 40K”

Also agreed. Even if you can make it “technically” clean, it creates a weird parallel rules game that most armies don’t play.

Change:

The whole Spotted/Marked/Guided interaction package is gone.

Any “protection” effects are now expressed in much more standard 10th language (range-based targeting restrictions, or “cannot be targeted by Stratagems” in one specific place).

Example of what I kept (and why it’s narrower):

In Hunt in the Black Woods, Horn in the Fog can deny Stratagem targeting only on a failed Battle-shock test and only for the turn : so it’s a clear, bounded “gotcha” instead of a multi-layered anti-system.

3) “Dead Zone Insertion is super strong + charge buff stacking is out of control”

This was the other big “yep” moment. my last version was close to “best charges out of reserves in the game” territory because too many pieces stacked (edge insertion, +charge, die manipulation, characters adding more, etc.).

Change:

The old “edge insertion + charge stack” gameplay is not the default chassis anymore.

The new core engine is board control via Desecration/Herdstones, not “teleport → 9" charge with stacked math”.

What charge reliability looks like now:

Army Rule (Aura of Savagery): within 6" of a Herdstone you get re-roll charges + Sustained Hits 1 in melee.

That’s strong, yes : but it’s positional and tied to an objective you have to actually control.

No more “fix one die to a 4/5”, no more 3D6 drop lowest charge mechanics, etc.

Counterplay is much cleaner:

If you deny/flip the objective, you deny the aura.

If you back away from Herdstones, you reduce how often I get the “high reliability” charges.

4) “Detachments are too narrow / buffing individual units”

In my last version a couple detachments were basically “pick this if you spam X datasheet.” That’s not great for list variety.

Change: new draft detachments are broader and built around a theme that applies to many datasheets:

A) The Ocean of Beasts (horde pressure / recursion)

Detachment rule Unstoppable Proliferation: units within 6" of a Herdstone can either return D3 models (D3+1 if also on an objective) or gain +OC if at starting strength.

Each unit can benefit once per battle round → this is deliberately there to stop “regen spam” and keep it readable.

B) The Hunt in the Black Woods (ambush / terrain play)

Vanishing Paths: you put units in Shadows after deployment (no MONSTERS/VEHICLES), they gain Deep Strike, and when they arrive they must be within 6" of a terrain feature and >9" away (so it’s narrower than normal deep strike in terms of placement freedom).

This directly addresses your “long list of eligible units” complaint it’s a simple keyword restriction, not a datasheet roster.

C) Reality Warped (mutations / risky power)

Warp’s Devolution: in Command phase, units within 6" of Herdstones or below starting strength get one mutation (Lethal Hits / mobility bonus / FNP).

There’s an explicit Risk roll (1 = D3 mortals) so it’s not just free upside.

5) “Healing is broken in 1000pt games”

my last version monster sustain was doing too much work, too consistently, and it scaled nastily at low points.

Change:

The “heal 2–3 monsters for D3+2 every turn” structure is gone.

Sustain is now either:

tied to Herdstone proximity and capped per unit/battle round (Ocean of Beasts recursion), or

smaller and/or risky (Reality Warped risk mechanics), or

baked into specific units in a way that’s easier to price.

Example: Tempest Ogryns now regen D3 wounds across the unit only if within 6" of a Herdstone or led by Shaggoth, and once per battle they can return 1 model instead of healing. That’s much more bounded than my last version ’s broad “regen engine”.

6) “The max 5” surge move feels weird / why is it necessary?”

That was a fair “rules smell.” In the new draft, that exact kind of “D6 but capped at 5 for reasons” micro-rule is something I tried to cut back on.

Mobility is now framed more around:

Shadows / terrain placement (detachment B),

post-shooting skirmish moves (Runt Stalkers),

small tactical nudges triggered by Battle-shock failures (army rule),
rather than multiple bespoke “pseudo-move” mechanics that all do slightly different things.

7) “Bows with AP into tanks is silly”

Hard agree, and I fixed this directly.

Change:

Runt Stalkers’ Raider Bows are now AP 0.

Their identity is now: Scouts/Stealth + “shoot then reposition if you stayed at distance.” They’re utility/sabotage, not anti-armor.

8) “A lot of abilities are a stack of rules in a trench coat / too many fiddly clauses”

This was the overall theme, and I tried to attack it structurally, not just by shaving words.

Concrete examples where I streamlined based on Wyldhunt’s notes:

Gorelord: removed fiddly “conditional AP vs Characters” type logic; his kit is now more about a single coherent axis: Battle-shock pressure + hunting signal movement/accuracy. Still punchy, but less “if X then Y then Z.”

Rift Hounds: now 5 or 10 models instead of huge bricks : that’s literally a suggestion I took because it makes them easier to use and easier to balance.

Petrifier Drake: the “timing doesn’t work / super niche” issue is addressed by making its control effect a battle-round objective debuff (Statue Zone) and making Gaze inflict a defined PETRIFIED state until end of battle round (movement + overwatch + hit penalties).

9) “Mortal wounds show up everywhere”

I’ll be honest: I’m still calibrating this. I did move a bunch of “free MW pings” into either:

signature moments (like the Drake petrification), or

risk/backlash mechanics (Reality Warped, Tri-Maw instability),
but you’re right that the faction still leans on MW as a language for “Warp horror.”

If you feel it’s still too much, I’d specifically love guidance on which MW rules are the most disposable (i.e., highest bookkeeping / lowest payoff), because I’m happy to cut more.

New core rules in plain language (so you can judge counterplay quickly)
Army Rule: Unmake the World

Desecration: end of Command phase, an objective you control becomes a Herdstone (max 3).

Aura of Savagery: within 6" of Herdstone: re-roll charges + Sustained Hits 1 in melee.

Fear of the Wilds Beyond: end of opponent’s Command phase, enemy units within 6" of Herdstones take Battle-shock; each failure lets one of my nearby units do a 3" normal move (no engagement).

Counterplay knobs are intentional:

contesting objectives denies Herdstone creation and denies aura access

avoiding Herdstone proximity reduces the battle-shock/movement pressure

killing units on Herdstones collapses my “buff zones”

What I’d like you to look at now (specific questions)

Is Aura of Savagery (charge re-roll + Sustained 1) too much as a baseline, even with positional constraints?

Does Fear of the Wilds Beyond create annoying “can’t plan movement” feel, or is the 3" + “no engagement” cap enough?

I

n Hunt in the Black Woods, is “Deep Strike but must be within 6" of terrain” a healthy constraint, or still too abusable with certain boards?

In Reality Warped, does the Risk mechanic feel like fun chaos flavor, or does it still read as “randomly not working”?

Where should I trim mortal wounds further without gutting faction identity?

Again, genuinely appreciate the hard feedback my last version needed it. This new draft is me trying to get the faction into a place where it’s one coherent engine, not three engines stapled together.

(Usual disclaimer: unofficial, fan-made, non-commercial, not affiliated with GW.)