Custom subfaction rules for your armies?

[Ganigumo]

Has anyone else done this? I find writing rules to suit some of my more narrative armies to be pretty fun. It could be fun to see how people would like to see their custom forces represented as rules.

My army (the short version)

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Hidden in the Icy tundras of ghur lurk the frostvenom spiders, white and blue spiders possessed of a cruel natural cunning. white webs strung across frozen snow covered lakes, skittering legs hidden under snowbanks, and a savage venom that sucks the heat out of its victims, freezing them within moments.

Being ever adaptable grots have come to live in coexistence with these beasts as well. Discovering that by mixing frostvenom with spider's blood, and diluting it they can create a potion which numbs them to the elements, and also to pain much like the spiders they ride upon. Their weapons are crafted with "iron-ice", a kind of ice which cannot be melted, but mysteriously when cooled by the venom of a frostfang arachnarok the material can be forged, much like iron when it is heated. Iron ice is forever cold and will sap the heat of anything it pierces.

The rules:

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Battle Trait:

Frostvenom Blood: The blood of the frostvenom spiders numb the spiders, and the grots who drink it, to pain, letting them shrug off blows and fight without concern for their safety.

Frostvenom spiderfang units get a 6+ ward, in addition if a frostvenom spiderfang model is slain in the combat phase, and it hasn't yet fought in that phase, it may pile in and fight.

Command Ability:

Numb to exhaustion: A frostvenom spiderfang unit may issue this command in the movement phase. Pick 1 frostvenom spiderfang unit within range, that unit can run and still shoot and/or charge.

Artefact:

Neckstumpa's Frozen Choppa, Scuttleboss only: Pick one of the bearer's weapons, on and unmodified roll of 6 it inflicts 3 mortal wounds on it's target and the attack sequence ends.

Command Trait:

Frigid Biology, Webspinner shaman only: The frostvenom coursing through the veins of the shaman puts their body in a near-frozen state at all times making their body as hard as ice. Add 1 to save rolls for that model.

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by Ganigumo
spelling mistake...

[NinthMusketeer]

I think you have a good set of rules there, I am generally prepared to cringe when reading custom fan rules but you did a good job keeping them functional and in line.

I do think they could be refined; I think the 'attack when they die' bit is strongly tied to a berserker aspect in AoS so isn't entirely appropriate here, but I get what your going for. Meanwhile a 6+ ward is a perfect adaption of concept to mechanic in line with how similar effects are done elsewhere in AoS. I would remove the attack-on-death bit but instead buff the ward to 5+ under the bad moon.

Weapon is solid, though I think 3 is fair it may result in a shock factor against other players leading to sentiment of OP house rules. The hazard of this sort of thing is they generally need to be weaker than normal to avoid that accordingly d3 instead of 3 would probably be a wise choice even if the nerf is underserved. That said... have you considered making it a mount trait?

The command trait amounts to the general always being a shaman on arachnarok--I think that's fine but do not know if that is your intent. You could make it a spell instead; cast on a 6 and target a friendly spiderfang wholly within 18" to be a longer-range counterpart to mystic shield.

 

Commentary on rules aside, I love the lore! It is very thematic and fitting to AoS as a setting. Great idea, great execution!

Edited January 17, 2022 by NinthMusketeer

[Ganigumo]

1 hour ago, NinthMusketeer said:

I think you have a good set of rules there, I am generally prepared to cringe when reading custom fan rules but you did a good job keeping them functional and in line.

I do think they could be refined; I think the 'attack when they die' bit is strongly tied to a berserker aspect in AoS so isn't entirely appropriate here, but I get what your going for. Meanwhile a 6+ ward is a perfect adaption of concept to mechanic in line with how similar effects are done elsewhere in AoS. I would remove the attack-on-death bit but instead buff the ward to 5+ under the bad moon.

Weapon is solid, though I think 3 is fair it may result in a shock factor against other players leading to sentiment of OP house rules. The hazard of this sort of thing is they generally need to be weaker than normal to avoid that accordingly d3 instead of 3 would probably be a wise choice even if the nerf is underserved. That said... have you considered making it a mount trait?

The command trait amounts to the general always being a shaman on arachnarok--I think that's fine but do not know if that is your intent. You could make it a spell instead; cast on a 6 and target a friendly spiderfang wholly within 18" to be a longer-range counterpart to mystic shield.

 

Commentary on rules aside, I love the lore! It is very thematic and fitting to AoS as a setting. Great idea, great execution!

Yeah maybe the ward is enough, I was imagining a grot/spider continuing to attack when it dies because it hasn't even registered its own death. Tying a bonus to being under the moon is a good idea though.
I made it 3 mortal wounds because it overrides the normal spider venom ability the scuttleboss has which has some amount of synergy in the army. even with current spiderfang rules you can get up to 4 mortals on a 5+ if you stack the buffs properly, and it also works on the mounts attacks so while it is powerful I think in that context its probably fine. I could make it d3 mortals on a wound roll of 6+ but I kind of like it overriding the venom from a flavor perspective.

The command trait is intentionally for the webspinner because they don't have access to command traits normally while scuttlebosses do, and if I made an ability that gave a casting bonus or was too useful you'd never want to bring a scuttleboss. Its something grimscuttle did as well but the grimscuttle one is too good to not have a webspinner general. 

[NinthMusketeer]

Technically all heroes have access to command traits via the core rules ones, but I see your point.

Good catch on the venom-rules interaction, I did not think of that. But it does have me thinking... what if it was a mount trait that added 1 to the number of MWs dealt by venom? Then it could be used by a scuttle boss or arachnarok shaman, and would be potent additional damage without causing absurd doubling exploits (since multipliers are applied before additions).

That is of course just an idea, the artifact certainly seems solid to me as it is.