Mixed-Duardin Allegiance Abilities (Homebrew)

[NinthMusketeer]

Originally posted over in the Bristling Beard thread, I figured this would be easier for people to find and reference if it had its own thread. At any rate, let me hear your feedback!

Duardin War Throng

A Duardin War Throng army can include any unit with the Duardin keyword. These units gain the War Throng keyword.

By Grudge and Whisker: All Duardin respect the quest to settle a grudge, and perhaps more so an impressive beard. When gathered together on the battlefield differences of method fall aside in face of need and authority. Command abilities used by War Throng models that normally affect Dispossessed, Ironweld Arsenal, Fyreslayers, or Skyfarers can affect any unit(s) with the War Throng keyword. Additionally, the Old Grumblers ability from the Longbeards warscroll may affect any unit(s) with the War Throng keyword.

Contracted Transport: While a War Throng may travel by conventional means, even those unpracticed in airborne combat can appreciate the efficiency of skyvessel transport. Skyvessels may transport Dispossessed, Ironweld Asenal, and Fyreslayers units as if they had the Marine keyword. However, the range of abilities and command abilities used by such units are reduced by 6" (to a minimum of 1"). Monsters and War Machines do not benefit from Contracted Transport. Note that Gotrek Gurnisson cannot be transported due to his Avatar of Grimnir ability.

Palpable Disregard: Duardin disdain for spellcraft is legendary, to the point for spells cast against a War Throng may be overcome by sheer obstinacy. Once per enemy hero phase, a single War Throng unit may attempt to unbind a spell as if it were a Wizard. This rule ceases to function if there is a friendly Wizard on the battlefield.

Exchange of Brew: Rare is the union of Duardin forces from different stripes that does not involve an exchange of alcohol. Indeed, so much time and effort goes into perfecting recipes to impress and outshine rivals that the competition even extends to the battlefield! After territories have been chosen but before the first unit is deployed, choose a set of brews to have been imbibed (in the name of friendly competition, of course). All War Throng units receive the indicated benefit for the duration of the battle.

Potent Browraisers: You may re-roll battleshock checks for this unit, if the second result is lower than the first the check is automatically passed and no models flee.

Steambroth Gutwarmers: If this unit runs and the result of the dice roll is a 1, 2, or 3 change that result to 4 before applying any modifiers.

Numbskin Headthrobbers: Roll a dice each time you allocate a wound or mortal wound to this unit, on a 6+ that wound is negated. This rule does not apply if the unit already benefits from a similar ability (for example, the Duty Unto Death ability of Hearthguard Berzerkers).

 

Command Traits:

1 - Spirit of the Ancestors: Add 2 to the bravery characteristic of War Throng units wholly within 24" of this general.

2 - Stubborn Toughness: Add 2 to the wounds characteristic of this general.

3 - Greatbeard: This general can use the Old Grumblers ability from the Longbeards warscroll.

 

Runic Arms (Dispossessed, Ironweld Arsenal, or Fyreslayer models only)

1 - Rune of Might: Choose one of the bearer's weapons to possess a Rune of Might. Add 1 to wound rolls made with that weapon.

2 -  Rune of Fury: Choose one of the bearer's weapons to possess a Rune of Fury. Add 1 to the attacks characteristic of that weapon.

3 - Rune of Cleaving: Choose one of the bearer's weapons to possess a Rune of Cleaving. Improve the rend characteristic of that weapon by 1 (rend - becomes -1, etc).

 

Mastercraft Armour (Dispossessed, Ironweld Arsenal,  or Kharadron Overlords models only)

1 - Enduring Plate: You may re-roll save rolls of 1 for the bearer. The first time the bearer would be slain, he is instead set to 1 wound remaining and any wounds or mortal wounds yet to be allocated to him are negated.

2 - Spellbreaker Gauntlet: Roll a dice each time the bearer would be affected by a spell or endless spell, on a 5+ ignore the effects of that spell or endless spell on this model. If the roll is made against an endless spell within 3" and the result is a 6+ that endless spell is immediately dispelled (after resolving its effects on any other units).

3 - Longstep Legguards: Add 3" to the bearer's move characteristic. This bonus does not apply if the bearer makes a run move. 

 

Auxiliary Contracts (Fyreslayers or Kharadron Overlords models only)

1 - Behemocide Bounty: After deployment but before turn order is determined, pick one enemy Monster on the battlefield. You may re-roll hit rolls of 1 for the bearer against that unit or any other unit which shares its warscroll.

2 - Glintspotter Survey: After deployment but before turn order is determined, choose one terrain feature on the battlefield. Once per round, if this model is within 1" of that terrain feature it may use a command ability on its warscroll without spending a command point.

3 - Relentless Headhunt: After deployment but before turn order is determined, pick one enemy Hero on the battlefield. You may re-roll hit rolls for the bearer against that unit if he is within 3".
 

 

Allies: Stormcast Eternals, Ironweld Arsenal.

Additional Warscrolls:  The warscrolls for Freeguild Crossbowmen, Freeguild Handgunners, and Freeguild Guard may be used in a Duardin War Throng, with the changes listed below. This is to represent the legacy Dispossessed infantry while also benefiting from modern rule design and point updates.

-Change the units' Move characteristic to 4" and Bravery Characteristic to 6.

-Replace the Human keyword with Duardin and replace all instances of "Freeguild" (both in names and keywords) with Dispossessed.

-Dispossessed Guard may not be armed with spears.

Edited June 2, 2020 by NinthMusketeer

[Baron Klatz]

Quality work! Very fun flavorful names and sub-factions.

Are the Longstep Legguards armored leg-wear that somehow steadies their legs  for speed or is the long step referring to a extendable stilt mechanism that lets them walk that fast?

[Frowny]

Yes. Fun, flavorful, and importantly, very reasonable and playable. Generally, the more possible models in an allegience the weaker the abilities have to be to compensate for how strong all that variety is. You did an excellent job straddling that line of interesting, thematic and seemingly balanced. 

First, I would clarify whether the palpable disregard rule can be used for each unit or only once overall. I would lean toward once overall. 

2nd, on the Contracted Transport rules. Firstly, stipulate that it only affects infantry. Just for clarity. 2ndly, I would make the drawback bigger. deepstriking flying hearthguard bezerkers have the potential to be a bit much, as do flying deepstriking irondrakes. They are already very strong in appropriate cities lists, and being deliverable easily and safely at close range would be very very good. They are much more points efficient at shooting than grundstock thunderers. There is a reason that kharadron mostly have 8inch guns. I would stipulate that non-kharadron models cannot shoot while embarked and may not charge after disembarking. This seems like the most abuseable part of your rules. 

[NinthMusketeer]

Thanks for the compliments guys!

@ Longstep Legguards: I imagined leg armor that has enchantments which greatly enhance speed but only when the wearer maintains a stable pace (as in, the engine can start sputtering when you step on the gas too hard). But any fluff would be fine; the artifact was made from a rules-mechanic standpoint of enhancing the 'floor' speed of normally slow characters while not affecting the 'ceiling' speed.

@ Palpable Disregard: It is once overall, I will edit the rule to make that more clear. Good catch.

@ Contracted Transport: Those were major factors in my consideration. I felt that because units cannot leave after the skyvessel moves or deep strikes that prevents abuse of fyreslayer melee units, while the basic transport capacity limits the utility of the irondrake combo (only a 10-man unit can be loaded in without triggering the 'half move no deep strike' limitation). The tactic I see as a potential issue would be 20 irondrakes in an ironclad that runs 6", allowing them to move 11" before shooting while still getting the benefit of blaze away. That does have some drawbacks though (probable use of a command point to max the run move, exposure to enemy melee by going forward so far, a heck of a lot of points in one basket) and I ultimately do not feel it is enough to justify further restrictions that would nerf the multitude of non-gimmicky uses. However I am definitely keen to discuss the matter further.

As for the infantry deal, unfortunately Infantry is not a keyword so I had to go the method of making it not apply to Monsters and War Machines instead. 

[Televiper11]

Love it

[NinthMusketeer]

Edited with a slight wording change to Contracted Transport to make the rule more clear, and added the option to take certain Freeguild units as Dispossessed units, to represent the legacy infantry kits.

[Sttufe]

Gosh darn it I thought of an abuse of the rules, but I cannot for the life of me remember what it was. It was crazy though, like game breaking level stuff.

[NinthMusketeer]

I hope you know we have all been holding our breaths waiting for you to remember--it has now been three days and a significant drain on available respirators.

[AthelLoren]

Great idea, and excellently done. Reminds me of the whole Grand Alliance Aelves discussion - but of course, Aelves are quite a bit more splintered than Duardin, and Dwarves are known for their loyalty and sense of kinship.  Good work, my short-statured friends!

[Sttufe]

I can't remember at all. Something with gotrek and the Ironclad, but it was also something else. Them alone were scary but not nearly game breaking.

[NinthMusketeer]

As per Gotrek's own rule abilities that allow models to be set up again after the battle has begun cannot be used on him. The "flying transport" rule can be used to set up models as such, and thereby Gotrek cannot benefit from the rule at all.

Put more simply: Gotrek cannot be transported, even with this allegiance. I should definitely add a note on that though!