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Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba






Hey all, just wanted to share the custom rules we made up for a ridiculous custom drukhari arena battle I recently played with a friend of mine. The rules were way off the beaten path, and ended up working out fantastic.

Both players brought Drukhari armies, non-battleforged so no traits and rules and stratagems because this mission was going to be zany as-is without worrying about that stuff. 1500pts, with 1000 deployed on the battlefield initially and 500 to arrive as reinforcements later.

New Terrain Traits:
Spoiler:


It would be laughable to compare the drukhari wych cult arenas to a simple fighting pit - they are all works of art designed to augment and maximise every act of violence, and as such, an arena battle typically takes place very differently to a traditional pitched battle.

Drukhari arena battles feature a few new terrain traits:


Arena Gate - A terrain feature with this trait has an overt or concealed entrance from the holding pens into the arena. When a neutral unit or a unit controlled by a player enters the arena during the Command Phase, typically they must be set up wholly within 3” of a terrain feature with the Arena Gate trait.

Drukhari Spectators - A terrain feature with this trait is occupied by the murderous denizens of Commorragh gathered to watch the arena match. Though they can provide useful cover, combatants will need to beware that when presented the opportunity the members of the audience will take the opportunity to join in the wanton violence. Any unit that ends its move wholly on or within a terrain piece with this trait must roll 1d6. On a 1-3, the unit suffers d6 automatic Poison 4+ AP- D1 hits.

Beast Pit - Holding cells for the ravening, maddened beasts the drukhari release into the arena. A terrain piece with this feature may be used as an Arena Gate but only for units with the BEASTS or MONSTROUS CREATURE keyword, and any unit without those keywords ending their move within 3” of the feature must roll a D6. On a 1, the unit suffers d3 mortal wounds.

Arena Battlefields


Combat Patrol arena battles should be played on a 24”x24” square battlefield, Incursion arena battles a 36” x 36” battlefield, and Strike Force a 48” x 48” square battlefield. Ringing around the outside of the arena battlefield should be area terrain features representing spectator stands, offering Light Cover, Heavy Cover, and the Drukhari Spectators trait, and small features representing Arena Gates should be placed on the inside of these stands - one per board edge for Combat Patrol and Incursion battles, two per board edge for Strike Force battles. Stands, towers and platforms for specatators with the DRUKHARI SPECTATORS, Obscuring, Light Cover, Defensible and Scaleable traits should be set up on the edges of the battlefield such that units cannot move outside of them. At least one Beast Pit terrain feature should be present towards the center of the battlefield, and the remaining terrain within the arena should be primarily split between Barricades and Small Ruin Walls tall enough to confer the Dense Cover trait.

Obscuring cover should not be present in the center of the battlefield - the Drukhari may use esoteric architecture to enhance the visuals of a battle or leave wreckage from previous matches in place, but they draw the line at anything that would block off the view from any of the spectator stands.


Rules for Neutral Units:

Spoiler:


Neutral Units

During arena battles, all manner of captives are released onto the field to provide the bloodthirsty Drukhari spectators with entertainment. Hidden arena gates spring open, disgorging berserk monstrosities tortured into a frenzy, or squads of captured warriors into the arena sands, their weapons returned and their ears filled with whispered lies about how they might fight their way to freedom.

Unless a mission specifies otherwise, each time a neutral unit is added to the Arena, players should randomly select an Arena Gate terrain feature and set up the models in that unit as close to that Arena Gate terrain feature as possible while staying outside of Engagement Range of any models. These units do not count as having arrived as Reinforcements.

Neutral units and which of the two behaviors those units will follow should be agreed upon by both players prior to the beginning of the battle. A neutral unit should have approximately a power level of 8 for Incursion and Strike Force battles, or 4 for Combat Patrol battles, and should not include the DAEMON or PSYKER keywords. As an additional guideline, note that the Drukhari specifically select units for the arenas that they believe will make for an entertaining spectacle - VEHICLE keyword units that are not WALKERS would be generally rarer, and close combat focused units like Orks or Tyranids or exotic units like Space Marines and Custodes would be prized more highly than common or shooting focused units like Imperial Guardsmen.

After each player takes their turn in a battle round and the results of the Arena Hazard table, all Neutral Units on the battlefield take a full turn, following the behavior agreed upon by the players before the game. To follow a behavior, players should start at the top bullet and travel down until they find a bullet that is applicable to the unit’s current situation. Any time a neutral unit could equally target more than 1 enemy unit during its turn, players should randomize which unit is targeted (for example, if a unit would move towards the closest enemy unit and two are equidistant, or if a unit is within engagement range of two enemy units and it would fight in the fight phase). Neutral units will never target other neutral units.

Neutral units do not participate during players’ Fight phases and player controlled units do not participate during the neutral units’ Fight phase (except to take saving throws when applicable). Players may use Stratagems, and declare Heroic Interventions during the neutral units’ turn.

Behaviors:

Rampage

-If this unit is within Engagement Range of one or more enemy units, it will shoot any ranged weapons it is able to in the Shooting Phase, pile in directly towards the closest enemy models while remaining in coherency, and then fight in the fight phase.

-If this unit is not within Engagement Range of one or more enemy units, it will move as quickly as possible directly towards the closest player controlled unit in the movement phase (making use of any special rules that still allow it to declare a charge in the charge phase, i.e. a unit that can still charge after advancing would advance rather than taking a normal move) and will take the shortest path around or over any intervening terrain. It will shoot all its ranged weapons at the closest visible player controlled unit in the shooting phase, declare a charge against the player controlled unit requiring the lowest charge roll in the Charge phase, and fight that unit in the Fight phase if able.

Survive

-If this unit is within Engagement range of one or more enemy units, roll 2d6. If the result is equal to or higher than the unit’s highest Leadership characteristic, it will declare a Fall Back move directly away from that unit. Any unit with a special ability to shoot even if it made a Fall Back move will automatically Fall Back. If the result is lower, it will shoot any ranged weapons it is able to in the Shooting phase, and pile in and fight in the Fight phase.

-If this unit is close enough to a terrain feature that would grant the unit the benefit of Cover if it made a normal move, then it makes a normal move towards that terrain feature in the Movement phase, and shoots with all ranged weapons at the closest visible player controlled unit in the Shooting phase.

-If neither of the above are applicable, then this unit makes a normal move directly away from the closest player controlled unit in the Movement phase, and shoots with all shooting weapons at the closest visible player controlled unit in the Shooting phase.


Special Rules for Arena Battles:

Spoiler:


Lightning Speed:
Already possessing of lightning reflexes, the deadly warriors of the Drukhari move nearly imperceptibly fast while high on the deluge of pain and suffering taking place on the arena sands.

All DRUKHARI units are treated as being under the effects of a Fight First effect during Arena battles.

Pain Tokens: Rather than power from pain granting a new rule each battle round, each unit gains a Pain token whenever:

-Destroying an enemy unit with a shooting attack within 3” or with melee attacks

-a Champion destroying an enemy Champion

Units count the turn number for the Power from Pain rule as equivalent to the number of Pain Tokens they have. At the end of the battle, tally up all the pain tokens earned by all units - the winner is the player who has earned more.

Grisly Finish: Any DRUKHARI unit may choose to start this action at the end of the movement phase on any turn in which that unit earned a pain token in the preceding battle round. That unit may not shoot or declare charges, but earns 1 additional pain token as they draw out the death of their unfortunate prey.

Contest of Champions: The drukhari crowds roar with approval when the blades of the strongest rivals clash, living for the moments when bitter rivals tear each other to pieces.

Any CHARACTER model or model with a name distinct from the remainder of the unit (e.g. Helliarch, Sybarite, Hekatrix) is considered a Champion. Before selecting any units to fight normally, any opposing Champion models within 3" of one another pile in and fight simultaneously.

-Any Pistol weapons not used in the previous controlling player’s shooting phase may be used in close combat during a Champion fight

-Any unsaved wounds that would be suffered by a Champion model may be blocked by unsaved wounds they would deal to the opposing Champion(s)

-If a Sybarite successfully destroys an Archon, a Hekatrix destroys a Succubus, or an Acothyst destroys a Haemonculus, they immediately gain the increased statline of that corresponding character unit but keep the same equipment they previously had.


Mission Special Events:

Spoiler:


Deployment: players roll off, and the winner chooses 1 Arena Gate feature, and their opponent must choose the furthest distance away. Starting with that player, players take turns setting up 1000pts or less of their army wholly within 9" of that Arena Gate feature.

Turn 1: Release The Prisoners!

Add 5 neutral units to the battlefield, setting them up wholly within 3" of randomly chosen Arena Gate or Beast Pit features.

Turn 2: Mercenary Contracts

Each player can add 1 premade Mercenary unit supplied to their army, setting them up within 3” of a neutral arena gate feature

We used 5 Scourges with 4 heavy weapons, 7 Incubi, 8 Mandrakes, a Harlequin Solitaire and 7 Harlequins with a variety of equipment, both of which counted as DRUKHARI for the purposes of the "Lightning Speed" rule.

Turn 3: Reinforcements

The remaining units in each player's army arrives via each side’s arena gate and 1 additional Neutral unit is added for each Neutral unit that was entirely destroyed.

Turn 4: Highborn Arrogance

A Venom and a Raider containing an archon and his Court plus a Retinue of Kabalite Trueborn arrives in the center of the battlefield. The Trueborn make 1 shooting attack against the closest unit of the player who currently has more pain tokens, and the Venom and Archon fire at the closest unit of the player with the least points. Destroying the neutral Archon grants 3 Pain Tokens.






"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"

"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"

"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"

"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"  
   
Made in gb
Lord of the Fleet






London

I like the concept. I would also put some restrictions in what you can and can't use, such as some vehicles.

Also, some more environmental effect would be good, such as getting an unsaved wound on a beast pin releases the monsters, and a few Clawed Fiends appear in the centre similar to the Neutral Units part.
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba






 Valkyrie wrote:
I like the concept. I would also put some restrictions in what you can and can't use, such as some vehicles.

Also, some more environmental effect would be good, such as getting an unsaved wound on a beast pin releases the monsters, and a few Clawed Fiends appear in the centre similar to the Neutral Units part.


We did have all the Drukhari Beasts in our stable of neutral units. We had:

-Kroot Carnivores

-Razorwings

-Khymerae

-Ur-Ghuls

-Clawed Fiends

-GSC Aberrants

-Genestealers

-Tyranid Carnifex

-Ork Boyz

-Deathwatch Veterans

-Eldar Storm Guardians

-Fenrisian Wolves


Automatically Appended Next Post:
we didnt disallow vehicles, but the mission rules purposefully made them generally less effective because it's a unit that can give up a Pain Token while not being particularly good at earning them itself. We did say we werent going to use Flyers. There ended up being one Raider on each side, neither did much of anything.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/10/26 13:00:37


"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"

"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"

"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"

"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"  
   
Made in gb
Lord of the Fleet






London

There used to be an article in an old WD about unique creatures to use in Kill Team/40k, and by old I mean 4th Edition. If you hunt it down you could make some new critters to have in the area as well.

Edit: Found a web version, some adaptation to 9th Ed needed:
https://web.archive.org/web/20070520081830/http://uk.games-workshop.com/warhammer40000/creature-feature/1/

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/10/26 15:39:56


 
   
 
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