vipoid wrote:
1) Archon

The current rules read like GW had a competition for who could design the most mind-numbingly boring HQ with the fewest relevant options and the least synergy with his own faction.

In terms of the improvements I'd like to make:
- Replace his useless aura with an ability that's actually worth a damn. Preferably something that affects the entire army.
Change the Shadowfield into something along the lines of 5++ with a -1 to hit.
- Bring back option for Clone Field in some form.
- Bring back options in general. e.g. Ghostplate Armour (4+/6++), Soul Trap (Each time the Archon kills a Character or Monster, he heals 1 wound and gains +1S and +1A for the remainder of the game), Combat Drugs, etc.
- Bring back option for a Blaster (without having to go into Legends)
- Add options for Wings, Skyboard and Jetbike.
- Make weapons - particularly melee weapons - actually worth a damn. e.g.:
- Blast Pistol: Increase range to 12"
- Venom Blade: S- AP-1 D2, Poison 2+
- Agoniser: S- AP-4 D1, Poison 3+
- Huskblade: S: User AP-2 Dd3, Wither: wound rolls of 5+ inflict d3 Mortal Wounds in place of normal damage.

The above are just possibilities but the overall idea is to both improve the DE melee weapons (they're supposed to be glass cannons, not wet socks), but also to differentiate them a bit. Above, I made the Agoniser more effective against multi-wound units, whilst the Huskblade is something of a wild-card, lacking the advantage of Poison but having the potential to deal a chunk of Mortal Wounds. Also, given that the Huskblade is unique to the Archon (implying that it's a good deal rarer), it seemed reasonable that it should have a more noteworthy effect.



2) Haemonculus

Whilst not quite as bad as the Archon the Haemonculus is still a very boring unit with abysmal weapon options.
- I'd like to see his aura adjusted somewhat. I'm not even sure he should have a conventional aura. Maybe instead something like "At the start of the game, if your army contains one or more Haemonculi, choose d3+1 non-Vehicle units and then 2 additional (non-Vehicle) unit for each Haemonculus after the first. The chosen units receive +1 to their Inured to Suffering rolls for the duration of the game.
Again, the details can be tweaked but the idea is that the units have been modified prior to the battle, so they don't need the Haemonculus to sit next to them the entire time.
- I'd give Haemonculi a heal ability similar to that of Apothecary-type units.
- As with Archons, I'd make various changes to their weapons:
- Hexrifle: Assault 1 S- AP-3 D2 Sniper, always wounds on a 2+
- Liquifier Gun: +1S
- Venom Blade: S- AP-1 D2, Poison 2+
- Agoniser: S- AP-4 D1, Poison 3+
(same as above)
- Electrocorrosive Whip: S+1 AP-1 D2, Haywire
- Mindphase Gauntlet: S8 AP-3 Dd3, Mental Onslaught: This weapon wounds against Ld instead of Toughness.
- Scissorhand: S+1, AP-3, D1 The user can make 2 additional attacks with this weapon. Reroll failed wound rolls with this weapon.

Again, just rough ideas but overall trying to make the weapons more useful and have them serve some different rolls, rather than all of them doing near enough the same thing but with different levels of aptitude.


Will think about unit #3.