<![CDATA[Latest posts for the thread "Index Astartes: Vol 1 (Updated Nov 16/13)"]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/16.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net Index Astartes: Vol 1 (Updated Nov 16/13)
These rules have not yet been playtested so any and all playtesting is very welcome. I'm also looking for more interesting chapters for future Index Astartes volumes.

Just a few rules before posting.

1) No roadblocking.
2) Please keep your replies civil and constructive.
3) No homebrew chapters please. While I may eventually start taking ideas for homebrew chapters, for the time being I'm only interested in Games-Workshop created chapters or chapters approved by Games-Workshop.


Also, apologies for the PDF document being so plain compared to my previous stuff, however I wanted to keep the document as printer friendly as possible. Additionally, I have put my Chapter Creator on hold for the time being as I've been having difficulties properly balancing the traits. However, even if I don't plan to continue my Chapter Creator I certainly still plan to create a Hero and Unit Creator so stay tuned for news on that.


UPDATE (11/16/13): Fixed some stuff and made some balancing changes.
UPDATE (11/03/13): Realized I didn't put the information in for the Emperor's Shadows. Now fixed. Also, just found some text issues so fixed them.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6214195.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6214195.page GMT Re:Index Astartes: Vol 1 (PDF Released! Updated)
"Place a token beside any units, including vehicles, in this detachment which are held in reserves (even though vehicles do not have Chapter Tactics). These units have the Preferred Enemy special rule."

This would replace the first sentence, the other sentences and paragraphs remaining intact.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6220205.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6220205.page GMT Index Astartes: Vol 1 (PDF Released! Updated)
Blood Ravens:

I prefer the rule where units held in reserve get preferred enemy.

Librarians as sergeants seems a little odd. I know the BR have lots of librarians, but I've never heard of them being squad leaders. Maybe allowing them to take multiple librarians per HQ choice or something would be more appropriate.

Black Dragons:

These guys have a lot of rules to represent one thing and together they seem quite powerful. I feel that there must be a simpler way of upgrading their close combat abilities. Maybe just +1 attack when using basic close combat weapons only.

Silver Skulls:

Prognosticators seem a little overpriced. I don't think I'd pay more than 40 points for the upgrade.

Overall, their chapter tactics seem a bit weak compared to the first founding chapters.

Hawk Lords:

Seem like a decent set of chapter tactics. My only objection is that the wording regarding dedicated transports seems a bit confusing – can infantry units without dedicated transports arrive by deep strike? Why do units with dedicated transports need to be dropped inside them, while other units can apparently just jump in with grav chutes or something?

Scythes of the Emperor:

I think you went a bit overboard on the anti-tyranid stuff. It's going to be useless most of the time and incredibly annoying to the Tyranid players. Go with one of Preferred Enemy, Hatred or the re-roll StI and give them a little something extra which can be useful against other forces.

Also, I don't understand why they can't be taken as allies.

Iron Snakes:

These guys are even tougher than Forge World's Red Scorpions. At least the RS have the drawback that they can't go to ground. Give them some kind of flaw to balance things out a bit.

Dark Hunters:

I don't understand why you gave the veteran scouts Outflank, since they already have that ability twice from Scout and Infiltrate. Did you mean for them to lose those rules, or just forget that they give outflank?

Emperor's Shadows:

No criticism here. Seem well balanced compared to the first founding.

Sons of Dorn:

Again, the free Narthecium is a fantastic deal and they don't balance it with a drawback like the Red Scorpions do.

Also not entirely convinced that exposure to disease should make someone more resistant to poison, especially when said poison still works fine against Great Unclean Ones and various inorganic targets.

Excoriators:

Seem fine.

Iron Fists:

Look OK to me.

Fire Lords:

The Blinding effect is pretty brutal. Significantly more effective than Fear. Maybe restrict it to only once per game or only when charged?
]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6250628.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6250628.page GMT Index Astartes: Vol 1 (PDF Released! Updated)

@ Blood Ravens
Yeah I'll be changing it to units held in reserves get Preferred Enemy. As for the Sergeant upgrades to Librarians, I had debated doing up to 5 Librarians as a single HQ choice, but after a long debate with another forum goer in another topic I created I decided upon the Sergeants being upgradable instead.

@ Black Dragons
Represent one thing? The rules represent multiple things, primarily their bone growths and their specialist Dragon Claws squads, hence why only certain squads count as having a pair of close combat weapons with the Rending and Shred special rules. Everything else represents those in the chapter with just normal, more minor bone growths. With that said, I may reduce the To Wound roll of 6 bit down to AP 4 instead of AP 2, as thinking about it now AP 2 seems a bit excessive. May also add Red Scorpions to a list of their Desperate Allies.

@ Hawk Lords
Wasn't confusing to me, but let me clarify: yes, units without transports can still use Deep Strike. The rule which refers to Transports only refers to units which take a Dedicated Transport (as stated in the chapter tactic's rules). They need to be dropped inside of them for fluff and realism reasons (are you really going to want to fall to the ground outside of something that could potentially land on and crush you?).

@ Scythes of the Emperor
I thought I did give them something against other forces in the form of Monster Hunter and most of the rules from their secondary Chapter Tactic. However you are right, there is a lot there that is anti-Tyranid and its something I've been thinking about but have been unable to come to a conclusion on. As for why they can't be taken as allies: because their chapter is barely two companies large, they don't have enough members to adequately perform missions on their own, let alone attempting to dispatch squads to help others (also it was done for balancing reasons, since you can completely ignore one of their downsides by just taking them as allies).

@ Iron Snakes
I wouldn't at all say they're tougher. Sure they can take upgrades, but in my opinion that is balanced out by the fact that they still have to pay points to do so (and not at any reduced cost either). However I was toying with the idea of having it so no models in the chapter benefit from Independent Character, meaning when you take something in the chapter with IC it has to be joined to a squad for the rest of the game. That might help a bit.

@ Dark Hunters
You may want to re-read the Outflank special rule in the rulebook again. Infiltrate and Scouts does not give the same benefits as Outflank. Outflank effects units coming in from reserves, so in this case it gives you more deployment options for the unit. You also have to remember that if they take a Land Speeder Storm they no longer benefit from Infiltrate, but will still benefit from Outflank.

@ Sons of Dorn
You have to remember that Red Scorpions can also re-roll failed Pinning tests. Them not being allowed to Go To Ground and not being allowed to take Camo Cloaks has more to do with their behavior in combat and not so much for the purposes of balancing. To be honest I personally think the Red Scorpions chapter tactics a wee bit underpowered/underwhelming compared to the First Founding chapter tactics.

As for the poison stuff it represents resistance to disease in an easy way without rules bloat. However, with that said, I am open to suggestions on how their disease resilience could be more accurately represented, so long as it doesn't create rules bloat.

@ Fire Lords
Once per game sounds good, will add it to a future update of Vol 1. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6251479.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6251479.page GMT Index Astartes: Vol 1 (PDF Released! Updated)
 Marik Law wrote:
@ Dark Hunters
You may want to re-read the Outflank special rule in the rulebook again. Infiltrate and Scouts does not give the same benefits as Outflank. Outflank effects units coming in from reserves, so in this case it gives you more deployment options for the unit. You also have to remember that if they take a Land Speeder Storm they no longer benefit from Infiltrate, but will still benefit from Outflank.


You may want to re-read the rules for Infiltrate and Scout...

'Having Infiltrate also confers the Outflank special rule to units of Infiltrators that are kept as Reserves...' Warhammer 40,000 Main Rulebook, 6th Edition, p. 38.

'This rule [Scout] also confers the Outflank special rule.' Ibid. p. 41.

If they are riding in a Land Speeder Storm they have the Outflank rule three times over; once for being infiltrators, once for riding in a transport with scout and once for having scout themselves.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6251569.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6251569.page GMT Index Astartes: Vol 1 (PDF Released! Updated)
Perfect Organism wrote:
 Marik Law wrote:
@ Dark Hunters
You may want to re-read the Outflank special rule in the rulebook again. Infiltrate and Scouts does not give the same benefits as Outflank. Outflank effects units coming in from reserves, so in this case it gives you more deployment options for the unit. You also have to remember that if they take a Land Speeder Storm they no longer benefit from Infiltrate, but will still benefit from Outflank.


You may want to re-read the rules for Infiltrate and Scout...

'Having Infiltrate also confers the Outflank special rule to units of Infiltrators that are kept as Reserves...' Warhammer 40,000 Main Rulebook, 6th Edition, p. 38.

'This rule [Scout] also confers the Outflank special rule.' Ibid. p. 41.

If they are riding in a Land Speeder Storm they have the Outflank rule three times over; once for being infiltrators, once for riding in a transport with scout and once for having scout themselves.


Huh, my bad then, may have been thinking of older rules interpretations from 5th Ed or something. My apologies.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6252294.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6252294.page GMT Index Astartes: Vol 1 (PDF Released! Updated) http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6252762.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6252762.page GMT Re:Index Astartes: Vol 1 (PDF Released! Updated)

Librarians as sergeants seems a little odd. I know the BR have lots of librarians, but I've never heard of them being squad leaders. Maybe allowing them to take multiple librarians per HQ choice or something would be more appropriate.


Well you can't give them a special unit of Librarian squad without it being too much, and the FFG books state that their squads have an innate bond with their librarian psykers so that they can work together far better on the battlefield. I guess you could state that the Librarians are taking over the duties of the Sargent for better precision in combat with their divination abilities.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6252797.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6252797.page GMT Re:Index Astartes: Vol 1 (Updated Nov 16/13)

File has been updated with some corrections and changes.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6257833.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/561299/6257833.page GMT