Excelsior Entertainment Forums
Chronopia => Official New Units for your Game => Topic started by: Horned Owl on December 10, 2012, 08:56:28 AM
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... Joshua wanted me to share the "house rule" units that I came up with during the course of my own steppe campaign. Most of those should be relatively easy to convert from existing miniatures. Note that those are far from official (but may of course be made so).
Please also note that the stats are First Edition (since I drew up most of the units when Warzone was still in full bloom). Especially the Armour stat would have to be converted if you are to use the units in Second Edition games.
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(http://imageshack.us/a/img842/7375/fblighthorse.jpg)
FIRSTBORN LIGHT HORSE
Highly mobile and versatile, Light Horsemen are the One King´s eyes and ears on the Burning Plains. They guard the flanks of marching armies, harry the enemy, patrol, forage, scout and carry messages. All Firstborn outposts in the grasslands have warbands of Light Horse in readiness. The hardy warriors of those bands pride themselves that they can ride a hundred and fifty miles a day for a week on minimal rations, and still fight at the end of the journey.
Light Horse wear similar armour to the foot knights, and are armed with straightswords and round shields. Their steeds are a smaller breed than the knights´ warhorses, but they have great endurance and are able to negotiate the most difficult terrain with little effort.
Light Horseman| | CC | MW | PW | Ld | Ac | W | St | MV | A | Def | S | Cost |
| Rider | 13 | 10 | - | 13 | 2 | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Horse | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Combined | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 6 | 21 | -1 | 2 | 46 |
Light Horseman Leader| | CC | MW | PW | Ld | Ac | W | St | MV | A | Def | S | Cost |
| Rider | 14 | 10 | - | 14 | 2 | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Horse | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Combined | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 6 | 21 | -1 | 2 | 50 |
Light Horseman Standard Bearer| | CC | MW | PW | Ld | Ac | W | St | MV | A | Def | S | Cost |
| Rider | 12 | 10 | - | 13 | 2 | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Horse | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Combined | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 6 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 50 |
Special Rules:
Firstborn Light Horse are Mounted models.
Firstborn Light Horse have the Leap Special Ability.
Structure:
3 to 6 Light Horsemen
Up to 1 Standard Bearer
1 Leader
Equipment:
Firstborn Light Horse and Leaders are armed with Straightswords and Shields. The Standard Bearer is armed with a Straightsword and carries the Light Horse Standard.
Straightsword
Single handed weapon
Light Horse Standard
All hidden models within 12" of the Light Horse Standard have to make a Leadership test at the start of their activation to remain hidden. A model that is not already hidden may not try to Hide inside the 12" radius.
Light Horse miniatures can be fashioned by cutting the legs and half the cloak off Firstborn Swordsmen Knights and attaching the torso to the leg assembly of a generic rider / knight model from a different range. Many mounted miniatures come in two or three parts (horse, legs and torso), so finding a suitable knight for the lower half should not be a problem. The sawn-off cloak is, though, and you´ll end up greenstuffing a new cloak to the miniature´s back. Getting the folds of a cloak billowing in the wind or draped over the horse´s rump right takes practice, of course.
Alternatively, one could use the top half of a Crossbowman Leader figure and leave off the crossbow that would be slung on its back. That way is less flashy, but easier. You would have to provide round shields from a different range, distinguish the leader somehow, and do some tweaking on the standard bearer.
(Rule 34P: Everything can be ponyfied. Alternatively: If it exists, there is pony of it.)
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(http://imageshack.us/a/img829/1828/elftradeguard.jpg)
ELVEN TRADE GUARD
(Generic Elven troops)
Trade is the lifeblood of the Elven realms: a steady stream of goods and merchandise that fills the coffers of the reigning Houses and ensures the prosperity of the domains. Each Elven city has ports and jetties to allow the Sky Barges to moor, vast storerooms, markets and trade houses where caravans are equipped. Mercantile Houses, often nominally affiliated with one or the other of the Great Houses, handle the bulk of the trade. While each House will go to lengths to present an honourable and fair facade at all times, the cutthroat nature of the competition means that illicit dealings behind the scenes are a practical necessity, and some cities are in a state of continuous, if hidden, war. Blackmail, bribery, sabotage, rigged bids, barratry and arson are the tools of the Elven traders; some (most notably the Obsidian House affiliates) might even resort to assassination to dispose of rivals and further their own profits.
The Trade Guard is administered by the Elven cities. They police the markets, root out smugglers, enforce taxes and tariffs and act as arbiters in trade matters. Warbands of Guardsmen also accompany caravans and Sky Barges to protect them against raiders. While they were originally created to fight the criminal trade practices, more often than not they are paid to look the other way; and many of the Mercantile Houses frequently use their own Trade Guard to spy and carry out sabotage missions against their competitors.
When escorting a caravan or patrolling the harbours, Guardsmen wear light armour similar to the city militia. They are armed with longswords and buckler shields that sport a short blade protruding out from the rim. While they rarely see real battle, most are experienced soldiers who have had their share of skirmishes with Orc and Firstborn raiders (and the occasional rogue Elven pirates), and are quite proficient with their arms.
Trade Guard| | CC | MW | PW | Ld | Ac | W | St | MV | A | Def | S | Cost |
| Guardsman | 14 | 10 | - | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16 | -2 | 1 | 26 |
| Leader | 15 | 10 | - | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16 | -2 | 1 | 28 |
Special Rules:
Trade Guardsmen and Leaders have the Secondary Attack special ability.
Structure:
4-8 Trade Guards
1 Trade Guard Leader
Equipment:
Trade Guardsmen and Leaders are armed with Longswords and Spiked Buckler Shields.
Longsword
Spiked Buckler
The Spiked Buckler confers -1 to damage in the same way that a shield does, but only against close combat attacks.
Trade Guards are basically Elven Militia with a different set of weapons. It´s possible to cut and scrape the halberds off a warband of Militia, and replace them with bucklers (domed buttons from your local needlework store might work) and swords. The weapons should cover up most of the ugly scratches where you had to scrape and file the shaft of the halberd away from the cloak, but some greenstuffery might be required if you want a smooth miniature. On the other hand, the Militia already come with a nice parrying pose if you glue the bucklers to the raised arm.
The Militia Leader is much easier to convert since he holds the halberd away from him. This means it´s also conceivable to just use a half score of Leader figures for the rank and file Guardsmen, and simply distinguish the warband´s leader by painting or other embellishments.
Edit: You could also use Ghamak´s pretty Ice Guard (Lotus Guard proxies):
http://www.ghamak.com/en/shop-en/ , cut off one sword and add a buckler shield.
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This is the stuff!! Great descriptive text to go along with the stats and modelling suggestions.
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Comments and suggestions are welcome. Especially about the points cost, which has worked as an ad hoc for us in friendly games, but may need a bit of professional tweaking for tournament play.
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*edit* Pictures.
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Beautiful work!
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Nice artwork. ;D
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(http://imageshack.us/a/img854/4311/bbcaravanmaster.jpg)
OGRE CARAVAN MASTER
Blackblood unit
While mighty armies clash on the Empire´s border with Firstborn Knights and Elven retainers, the trade routes see a peace that seems incongruous. Caravans, loaded with goods, cross the borders unhindered: the flow of goods, the tolls and tariffs enrich both sides, and without the trade, neither realm could exist. Pack animals and carts are searched diligently, it is true; travellers may be held up, and sometimes entire caravans will be detained. But on the whole, trade continues and shows no signs of slackening. At the trade ports, one may see Firstborn merchants sharing a table and cordially swapping news with Elven and Orc caravaneers, even though, mere miles away, their brethren fight and slay each other with unabating hatred.
Not wishing to disrupt the trade, all empires of Chronopia refrain from attacking caravans openly, but that does not mean that caravaning is an easy task. Devout Blood Hunters and other marauding troops harry the trade routes, plundering victuals to feed their ravenous horde. Many local tribes make their living stealing goods from under the pickets´ noses under cover of night. Treacherous guides may lead the caravans astray. And often, a lord will hire raiders or send disguised retainers to attack and pillage a rival caravan; those raids may be easily denied, and are accepted as part of the reality of trade. Unless there is blatant proof of involvement, no one will even take the trouble to file an official complaint.
Ogre Caravan Masters are in charge of the great trade caravans of Myrmadons, Kutara and pack slaves. Often, several clients will pool their resources to obtain a Caravan Master´s services to carry their goods along a trade trail. Theirs is a dangerous business; they have to plan routes, smell out traps and ambushes, hire guards to repel would-be raiders, organise the caravan´s defenses, keep the discipline, cajole the civilian passengers and dignitaries, avoid diplomatic blunders in enemy territory, judge the character of local guides, employ scouts to ride ahead and bring tidings. They have to decide where to rest, when to move ahead, which rumours to trust, which areas to avoid. All this calls for a shrewd tactical mind: A Caravan Master must be good judge of character, and a strategist rivalling the graduates of the Emperor´s Academy of War. And since trade posts abound with rumours, more often than not a Caravan Master is also a spy for his Emperor, cultivating a web of informants at every port and waystation.
The Ogre Caravan Master wears little in the way of armour. He is armed with a broad-bladed falchion (often a showpiece of his wealth, lavishly embossed and studded with jewels) and an alchemical hand rocket which is lit by a black-powder fuse. While notoriously inaccurate, this weapon´s loud whine and spectacular explosion serves to scare off raiders and hill tribes. Occasionally, the rocket is also used for signalling purposes.
Ogre Caravan Master| | CC | MW | PW | Ld | Ac | W | St | Mv | A | Def | S | Cost |
| Caravan Master | 14 | 10 | - | 16 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 20 | -2 | 2 | 62 |
Special Rules:
The Ogre Caravan Master is immune to Panic.
Structure:
INDIVIDUAL
Equipment:
The Ogre Caravan Master is armed with a Falchion and a single Hand Rocket. He may be bought more Hand Rockets at 12 points apiece.
Falchion
Hand Rocket
| CR | MX | RM | Dam |
| 6 | 18 | -4 | 12(x2) |
It takes 2 actions to fire the Hand Rocket.
The Hand Rocket may only be fired once and is then used up.
The Hand Rocket uses the Explosion template.
All models who are hit by the template, regardless if they make their Armour roll, are knocked down and must spend their next action standing up.
The Hand Rocket causes a Panic test to anyone within 6“ of the blast radius´edge.
The wielder of the Hand Rocket causes Fear to any unit that has already lost a model to the Rocket´s explosion or failed the Panic test, for the rest of the game.
On a fumble, the Rocket has misfired and ignited the entire bundle. Center the template on the firing model and work out damage for all remaining Hand Rockets. All Rockets are used up.
(http://www.tritex-games.co.uk/js/tinymce/plugins/imagemanager/files/products_minatures_dd/Ogre_Mage.jpg) http://tritex-games.co.uk/store/product.php?id=1222
This fellow may have the making of a good Caravan Master proxy. It is hard to judge a model´s size from a picture, but since it´s billeted as an Ogre Mage, it might be tall enough to be an Ogre. One would probably have to use a small needle file to get the teeth down to size, and cut off the horns, but otherwise the miniature needs little change.
If you insist on fitting the miniature to the look of your troops and don´t mind a bit of work, you might saw off the head and replace it with an Ogre Heavy Infantry Leader´s; maybe you can saw chunks off the right shoulder and use the Leader´s shoulder pad as well.
(http://www.miniature-giant.com/Images-Reaper-Miniatures/2486.jpg) http://www.miniature-giant.com/ogre-mage-Reaper-Dark-Heaven-Legends-DHL-sku-2486-pr-506.html
Alternatively this one might be a good one, though it looks a bit unkempt for a dignified Ogre trader of the Blackblood Empire. One would have to shorten the sword´s handle, file down the teeth, horns and ears, and maybe add robes or pantaloons with Green Stuff.
Since its arms are raised away from the torso, you could also cut it in two at the waist and mount the upper body on an Ogre Heavy Infantry Leader´s legs.
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Nice work. I like the suggested minis too.
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(http://www.tritex-games.co.uk/js/tinymce/plugins/imagemanager/files/products_minatures_dd/Ogre_Mage.jpg) http://tritex-games.co.uk/store/product.php?id=1222
This fellow may have the making of a good Caravan Master proxy. It is hard to judge a model´s size from a picture, but since it´s billeted as an Ogre Mage, it might be tall enough to be an Ogre. One would probably have to use a small needle file to get the teeth down to size, and cut off the horns, but otherwise the miniature needs little change.
If you insist on fitting the miniature to the look of your troops and don´t mind a bit of work, you might saw off the head and replace it with an Ogre Heavy Infantry Leader´s; maybe you can saw chunks off the right shoulder and use the Leader´s shoulder pad as well.
In BlackBlood terms that miniature is taller than the Chronopia Troll I think. I don't have a troll model assembled so I don't remember exactly how tall it is. The Ogre Mage is on a D&D miniatures large sized base. I don't remember when it was released, or in which expansion, but their large bases were two different sizes. When the D&D collectible miniatures were first released the large size bases were closer to 2" in diameter and in the later expansions they reduced the base size to about 1.5" in diameter. My D&D miniatures are all packed away, but I'm remembering that fig being about 2.5" tall.
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beautiful work.
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Also, I've gotta say, I love your concept art for the Firstborn Light Horsemen. You could also use the Firstborn Mounted Axeman for the conversion by cutting off the axe and giving him a sword and shield. Again less flashy without the cape, but the horse and fig would match the style and look of the army better.
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(http://www.tritex-games.co.uk/js/tinymce/plugins/imagemanager/files/products_minatures_dd/Ogre_Mage.jpg) http://tritex-games.co.uk/store/product.php?id=1222
In BlackBlood terms that miniature is taller than the Chronopia Troll I think. I don't have a troll model assembled so I don't remember exactly how tall it is. The Ogre Mage is on a D&D miniatures large sized base. I don't remember when it was released, or in which expansion, but their large bases were two different sizes. When the D&D collectible miniatures were first released the large size bases were closer to 2" in diameter and in the later expansions they reduced the base size to about 1.5" in diameter. My D&D miniatures are all packed away, but I'm remembering that fig being about 2.5" tall.
Oh! That would probably make it too tall. On the other hand, one has to allow for some leeway. The Ogre Heavy Infantry were about two inches if I remember correctly. Thanks, Delthos!
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(http://imageshack.us/a/img268/5688/bborcslavers.jpg)
ORC GUILD SLAVERS
Blackblood unit
The wealth of the Blackblood Empire is founded on the sweat of slaves; Firstborn, Elves, Dwarves, even Orcs and Goblins toil in bondage in the great mines. They harvest fields, carry loads, run errands and wait on their masters. A thousand slaves step on the auctioner´s block at Kharabad each day, and rare is the Orc household that does not have at least one or two footmen or serving-girls.
Not all slaves are treated ill. The mines of Qatuk have a well-deserved reputation as a place where men are broken in two days, and rarely survive the first week. But in the cities, slaves are usually kept well-groomed and fed, since they represent their master´s wealth – the same way that he may polish and emboss his prized falchion to show it off in public.
Professional guilds supervise the slave trade. They gauge prices, set quotas and maintain the great pens and schools where slaves are kept and trained until they are sold. They also equip caravans and slave trains; and like scavengers they follow the great hosts of the Emperor to battle, to collect the enemy wounded and to buy up the living spoils of war once the fighting is done.
Guild slavers are known to be canny and cruel. Like many Orcs, they delight in violence, and they actively enjoy breaking in their charges. They know better than to damage the goods, though; and most are careful not to leave disfiguring marks. The lords of the Blackblood Empire also employ them as strongmen, jailers and torturers. Guilders are universally hated and feared; Firstborn, with their long history of slavery and subjugation, especially despise them, and woe betide the slaver who falls into their hands.
A Slaver is usually armed with a weighted net and a long, sickle-bladed spear that is used to catch slaves and pin them to the ground. They wear little armour; often only a broad belt of bronze links and metal greaves, the better to show off their oiled, muscular arms and chests.
Orc Slavers| | CC | MW | PW | Ld | Ac | W | St | Mv | A | Def | S | Cost |
| Orc Slaver | 13 | 10 | - | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 16 | -2 | 1 | 25 |
Special Rules:
All Firstborn models get the Ferocity special ability against Orc Slavers.
Orc Slavers have the Group Attack special ability.
Structure:
4 Orc Slavers
Equipment:
Orc Slavers are armed with a Net and a Hooked Spear.
Net
Thrown weapon
| CR | MX | RM | Dam |
| Thrown | - | - | see below |
When you throw the Net you can add your Strength to the range. Roll to hit as normal. If the hit is successful, the opponent must make an Armour roll to avoid being netted. A Netted model may not do anything but attempt to Break Away. The Strength of the Net is 8. You get a +4 bonus to hit a model caught in a net.
As long as there is a model in the Net, the wielder may not make further attacks with it. Once the Netted model is dead or has struggled free, the wielder may use the Net again.
Hooked Spear
Polearm
Any model trying to Break Away from a model armed with a Hooked Spear has a -4 modifier to its Break Away roll.
The Orc Archers and Leader, with their bare torsos, make a good proxy for Slavers. You would have to file and scrape away the quiver and cut off the bow, then build a spear out of stout wire (drilling through the hand with a fine drill). The Net can be fashioned out of fine wire mesh (sold in model or terraristics stores) bent into a shape like a folded tent and glued to the hand. If you coat it with a layer of slightly watered-down wood glue, it will be easier to paint, as the glue will fill the mesh links but shrink somewhat upon drying. Then paint black and drybrush grey or light brown.
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(It would be good to have a conversion chart for Armour, CC and RC stats from 1st to 2nd edition Chronopia – Joshua?)
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Also, I've gotta say, I love your concept art for the Firstborn Light Horsemen. You could also use the Firstborn Mounted Axeman for the conversion by cutting off the axe and giving him a sword and shield. Again less flashy without the cape, but the horse and fig would match the style and look of the army better.
(http://www.chronopiaworld.com/img/armee/fb_011a.gif)
I hadn´t thought of this, but yes! The Mounted Axe would make a good proxy. It would seem to be easier to convert than most, since the axe appears to be a separate mould piece. Good one!
I got two more mounted Firstborn units, the Outrider (a mounted crossbowman) and the Thane (a light mounted commander with a straightsword). I´ll post them in good order...
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Liking these new units.
Not sure about a mounted crossbowman.Would be really hard to re-load when riding.
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I made some researching about mounted crossbow units. The problem to reload a crossbow on a horseback is a topic hotly discussed in some historical forums in Germany. I haven’t checked if the same discussion happens on some English sides, too.
Maybe it is interesting to know. In history mounted crossbow units existed. There are historical drawings and very few reports about them.
Overall the discussion in the forums are about if the crossbow units where fighting like dragoons (moving on horseback, fight on own legs) or if they were able to reload on horseback.
They could be used as scouts, hunters or maybe the crossbow was just a secondary weapon or the riding unit used the crossbow to make an initial attack and then changed to close combat weapons.
Anyway there should be a solution in a Fantasy world how to reload a crossbow on horseback ;)
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Weeeell..., the Firstborn crossbow is a repeating gadget. Similar to the Chinese (lever operated) zhuge-nu 諸葛弩, probably, which was actually used by cavalry. The Firstborn crossbow has a hopper-like magazine on top of its firing mechanism, and in Adrian Smith´s picture, the Crossbowman has two more magazines dangling from his belt. Rules-wise, the Crossbowmen have a similar rate of fire to the Longbowmen, which obviously wouldn´t be possible without some sort of quick-loading mechanism... and whatever happened to artistic license anyway? :D
In his memoirs, Götz von Berlichingen (of "kiss my ass" fame) describes having a (standard European) crossbow hung from his saddle. He fired at one landsknecht, missed, mentions that he did not have time to reload from the saddle (which, it follows, must have been possible if somewhat awkward) and just threw the crossbow at the knecht´s head instead.
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Looks like we have a solution ;D
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Anyway, those are just suggestions. They worked in my campaign, which does not mean they will work for everyone else. If the idea of a mounted crossbowman is adverse to you, just leave him out of your games. Note that none of these units are in any way official.
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There are a few thing that I do not like about Ors Slavers:
They should not have 3 str (a strength of and Ogre) - they would be the strongest Orcs in the game and could throw their nets at the same range as Stygian Embalmed his spears.
Even Orc Assault Warriors have only 2 strength and common orc should have only 1 str.
Their attacks are a bit overpowered (9 dam + 3 str + group attack?) - slavers are not intended to kill. They should immobilize and capture their targets alive.
One last comment. I do not understand their -4 to break away modifier.
It is much easier to kill them than try to run away.
I would see them aremed with:
Mace/Scimtar
One handed weapon
CR MX RM Dam
- - - 7
Hooked Spear
Polearm
CR MX RM Dam
- - - 9* (special)
Net - as you described.
If Hooked spear penetrates the armor, it doeas not inflict wounds - it tripps models over (one action required to stand up.
Model tripped and tangled with a net must first break the net and then stand up.
Additional: size is a number of slavers required for a first attemt to trip/net a target (2 slavers are required to trip/net size 2 model, 3 are required to net/trip 3 size model)
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Like I mentioned before I don't play Chronopia but I love the setting and I take a look into the interesting topics.
Anyway Raga you should give the Slavers some option then to knock the opponent final out (opponent removed from game or for some rounds let them be inactive and easy to kill).
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Micmellon:
Trip the model, and charge - Scimtar 7 dam + 1 str + charge - 10 dam.
Group attack - second model has 12 dam, third 14 dam, fourth 16 dam.
I think that is enough - or maybe an increase in squad size to 8 would be a good idea.
Remember that netted and tripped model looses 2 actions.
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Ah! Okay, this is how the Slavers worked in my scenarios:
I just realised that I upped their Strength from the usual 1 - 2 of the Orcs because I envisioned them to be like the Tippoo Sultan´s jettis in Cornwell´s book Sharpe´s Tiger – strongmen and fakirs who had spent their lives building up an impressive physique, who entertained the Sultan by bending iron bars and executed prisoners by driving nails into their skulls with their bare hands. Ogre Strength lies between 3 (Heavy Infantry) and 4 (Guard and Deathseekers). Personally I think it´s conceivable for an Orc "bodybuilder" to reach a tone similar to a weak Ogre. But I´m fine with the suggestion to cap their Strength at 2 – it won´t make a lasting difference to the style of the unit, after all.
The hooked spears are intended to catch runaway slaves. They are of little use except against panicked models trying to disengage and flee. Think of them as a "story element" – it´s there to add flavour to the model but will rarely ever crop up in play. We had a few scenarios – a slave revolt in a palace, Firstborn ambushing a slave train to free their brethren, a civilian hunt – where the spears actually came into their own. (In those scenarios, a "killed" model was actually supposed to be subdued, so there was no need for additional rules.)
As for tripping, that part is already amply played by the Nets. I don´t feel that there is need to duplicate or add to the Net´s effects by introducing a second way to hamper an enemy model. If the Slavers´ Strength of 3 stays in place, maybe it would be an option to lower the spears´ damage to 8 or even 7. They are slave-catchers, after all, not battle spears.
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Oh, please ignore my last post. I missed some details ::)
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I'll see if I can get some stat lines done for 2nd edition. It may take forever, but I'll do it. I'm wondering now about what these sculpts would look like????
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The hooked spears are intended to catch runaway slaves. They are of little use except against panicked models trying to disengage and flee.
Panicked models automatically break away and give their opponents a free close combat attack, so it is still useless.
Additionally:
I advice to modify the Net rules from the Rulebook. What is the reason?
The Net throw is affected by an armor. A dwarf should not be more resistant to net than a ie. size 3 Abyssal Crawler which is much bigger and stronger!
Tangling should be avoided by a free break-away roll (instead of an armor roll) – just like the existing rules for breaking-away after being caught.
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I advice to modify the Net rules from the Rulebook.
That would be worth a completely different thread. I went with the existing rules since everything else is asking for trouble without an established consensus between all the remaining Chronopia players.
For a different approach on how a Net works, one could look at the Swamp Goblin Webmasters in the Fallen Land supplement. One can assume that the nets used by the Swamp Goblins are smaller and less sturdy than the one thrown by the Troll.
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I'll see if I can get some stat lines done for 2nd edition. It may take forever, but I'll do it. I'm wondering now about what these sculpts would look like?
Hah! You got me. The sculpts and proxies mentioned are simply educated guesses (but I might scare up Björn for his old Trade Guard miniatures if he´s not too ashamed of them). I don´t do modelling and miniatures painting anymore. But I´m sure there is someone somewhere on this forum who does, and might want to try their hand at a Light Horseman or Slaver.
Stat conversions for 2nd edition would be great. Thanks, Joshua! I´m too old and set in my ways to change editions now...
Since you are the one who started me on this thread, I would of course like to have your opinion on the units. Feel free to be as frank as you like. :)
Edit: grammar.
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Hello, it's my first post on this forum :)
I really enjoy your ideas Horned Owl, but something need to be changed.
Compare Firstborn Light Horse with Goblin Lancer. They've got very similiar stats, but firstborn light horse is a little bit better ( 1 more LD, 1 more A). The main problem is that light horse is 17 points cheaper! Well, Im not playing Chronopia for many years, so I may be wrong, anyway IMO it should be fixed ;)
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I'm happy you posted these. I got some stuff done with the Heresy sculpts, but this thread is really better for Chronopia. Everything makes sense. I'll take some time to do the stat lines for 2nd edition, without the point costs, run it by the community to compare them to the other troops, and then go to Thom for the point costs. It will be better to get things down to something really accurate, and then get the cost.
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Hello, it's my first post on this forum :)
I really enjoy your ideas Horned Owl, but something need to be changed.
Compare Firstborn Light Horse with Goblin Lancer. They've got very similiar stats, but firstborn light horse is a little bit better ( 1 more LD, 1 more A). The main problem is that light horse is 17 points cheaper! Well, Im not playing Chronopia for many years, so I may be wrong, anyway IMO it should be fixed ;)
Hello Arqueek, and welcome! You´re right, maybe the points cost must be upped a bit. I kept it lower than the Ripper Beast Lancer´s, well, since the Goblin has a lance, giving him a first-round advantage, and the horse lacks the Ripper Beast´s beak attack. (The explanation for the lack of a kick attack, of course, is that it´s a small sturdy pathfinder pony-horse, and not a large, trained warhorse.)
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How about 54 points for the Light Horse, and 60 for the Leader and Standard?
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(http://imageshack.us/a/img69/5223/elfmaskedknights.jpg)
MASKED KNIGHTS
(Helios House / Golden Mask troops)
Guarding the mountain paths and secret passages of Sun-Peak are the Masked Knights, tall Elf warriors clad in golden armour and armed with long spears. They roam the arid mesas around the Order´s fortress and guard the trade passes, turning away trespassers into the Golden Mask´s territory politely but firmly.
How they survive their long sojourns under the blazing sun of the desert has been the wonder of other Elves. Some claim that they are simply masters of desert survival, rivalling the lizards that inhabit their sun-bleached rocky world – and as a fact, the Knights are known to be well versed in the ways of the desert. Others suppose magic; the Lotus Eaters of Sun-Peak are reputed to know the deepest secrets of the Red Lotus Flower. The Masked Knights themselves remain silent on the matter.
What is known is that the golden masks that the Knights wear on their faces are imbued with Lotus energy, warding off harmful fire. Their masters, the Warriors of the Golden Mask, use them to engage enemies, swirling great gouts of Lotus-fire over and around them into the enemy ranks from their lances.
Masked Knights| | CC | MW | PW | Ld | Ac | W | St | MV | A | Def | S | Cost |
| Knight | 12 | 10 | - | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 42 |
| Leader | 13 | 10 | - | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 22 | -1 | 1 | 46 |
Special Rules:
Masked Knights and Leader are immune to all harmful Red Lotus magic.
Masked Knights and Leader are immune to Fire-based attacks.
Masked Knights and Leader are immune to Desert Climate effects.
Structure:
4-8 Knights
1 Leader
Equipment:
Masked Knights and Leaders are armed with Oval Spears.
Oval Spear
Polearm
Masked Knights are basically spearmen without the Brace ability and without shields. The simplest way to represent them is to use standard spearmen, leave off the shields and paint their faces gold to represent the mask beneath the hood. You could maybe sculpt cloaks for them to distinguish them from the spearmen. Or you might use Militia, cut the sickle blades off their halberds and paint their faces golden. The Elven miniatures are rather blocky so their faces look a bit like masks anyway.
Alternatively, one could use Warriors of the Golden Mask and attach different spearheads to them (I like the old version miniature better, but there is no reason why you should not be able to use the new one as well).
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The points cost is quite high on those, but they have proved devastating in our games since they provide the Warriors of the Sun and Golden Mask with an escort that is invulnerable to their special attacks, and there are quite a few dirty tricks you can pull with spells like Ring of Fire as well. Feel free to experiment!
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(http://imageshack.us/a/img17/2503/sokcairnguard.jpg)
CAIRN GUARD
(Generic Sons of Kronos troops)
The mighty High-Fortresses of the Tribes and the great menhirs sacred to the cult of the Earth Goddess are protected by the grim warriors of the Cairn Guard. Like the Hearthguard, being chosen to serve in the Tribe´s Cairn Guard is a singular honour only bestowed on the strongest of warriors.
Cairn Guard wear nothing save the great full-faced helms that were forged in the mists of time for the Sons of the Goddess when the world was shaped in battle. They fight with short stabbing swords and carry large bronze warshields embossed with the image of the Goddess. In battle, they advance towards their enemies behind a solid wall of bronze before breaking ranks in a sudden and violent charge.
Cairn Guard| | CC | MW | PW | Ld | Ac | W | St | MV | A | Def | S | Cost |
| Cairn Guard | 15 | 13 | - | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 17 | -2 | 1 | 43 |
| Leader | 16 | 13 | - | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 17 | -2 | 1 | 48 |
| Hornblower | 15 | 13 | - | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 17 | -2 | 1 | 52 |
Special Rules:
Cairn Guard, Leaders and Hornblowers have the Shield Wall special ability.
Cairn Guard, Leaders and Hornblowers are Immune to Fear.
Cairn Guard and Leaders have the Ferocity special ability, but only if they are not currently forming a Shield Wall.
Structure:
4 to 6 Cairn Guard
Up to 1 Hornblower
1 Leader
Equipment:
Cairn Guard and Leaders are equipped with a Warshield and a Sword. The Cairn Guard Hornblower is equipped with a Warshield, a Sword, and also carries the Glacier Horn.
Sword
Single handed weapon
The Glacier Horn
As long as the Hornblower is alive, the Cairn Guard are immune to Panic. The Hornblower may spend an action to try and Rally a friendly unit as if he was an Individual.
The Cairn Guard are pretty much there to guard important models like a Wyrd, or to advance across those open areas of the battlefield where their brethren would be cut to pieces. They give a SOK player a different tactical option to the usual SOK duck-and-cover style.
Basically, any scantily clad barbarian figure would probably work for a proxy. One could use the sword-armed Hearthguard model, equip it with a shield and shorten the sword. Shields can be fashioned out of plastic card, carefully heated and bent into shape.
(http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/mainwebsite_html/gallery/images/miniatures/v_7401_male_barb_rs_p.jpg) http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/gallery/V_7401_malebarbarian.htm
This guy has a pretty good pose if you cut off the axe and mount the shield on the arm.
(http://ph.warpathgames.com/products/product_42518_thm.jpg) http://www.warpathgames.com/wholesale/warpath.php?m=detail&p=42518
Fenryll has a boxed set of barbarian warriors with replaceable weapons that might work.
(http://russian-alternative.ru/images/cms/data/the_barbarian_of_wasteland_hero_2_661.jpg) http://russian-alternative.ru/en/news_events/the_barbarian_of_wasteland_hero_2/
Yeah, it´s a grrrl. I love the muscular structure on this one. You don´t often see abs on a warrior woman miniature. Besides, who says girls can´t play in the Cairn Guards?
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(http://imageshack.us/a/img18/8619/fbthane.jpg)
FIRSTBORN THANE
(Firstborn troop)
Thanes are low-ranking noblemen with a small military fiefdom, educated in the art of war and strategy at the Academy of War in the capital. A Firstborn Earl may rely on the services of several Thanes, who act as his tactical advisors or are placed in command of groups of knights. In the grasslands, where the distances are vast and the lines of communication tenuous, Thanes are often granted a great deal of independence. They may be trusted with the coordination of several warhosts, or with the maintenance of an entire line of watchtowers. With their mobility and tactical expertise, they have proven indispensable for the One King´s plans on the Burning Plains.
Thanes are armoured in a similar way to Knights and ride strong warhorses. Reflecting their role as commanders and strategists, they seldom carry heavier weapons than the customary straightsword. Since they must be constantly on the move, many of them tend to travel light.
Firstborn Thane| | CC | MW | PW | Ld | Ac | W | St | MV | A | Def | S | Cost |
| Thane | 13 | 10 | - | 16 | 3 | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Warhorse | 10 | - | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Combined | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 6 | 23 | -1 | 2 | 72 |
Special Rules:
The Firstborn Thane is a Mounted model.
The Firstborn Thane has the Leap Special Ability.
The Firstborn Thane may Rally two units with one action.
The Firstborn Thane may Give Orders to more than one Firstborn Unit in one Turn. The units are activated one after the other, in the order that they are Given Orders to, after the Thane has finished his Turn.
The Warhorse has a Kick attack, Damage 8.
Structure:
INDIVIDUAL
You may only include one Thane for every 2000 points in your army.
Equipment:
The Firstborn Thane is armed with a Straightsword and a Shield.
Straightsword
Single handed weapon
The Thane is pretty weak on his own. But boy, can he roll up your line if he gets to activate several units to pounce on you in one fell swoop.
If you´ve already proxy-ed Light Horse, the Thane should be easy. Just add a decurion-style crest to the helm, or use the helmet of an Iron Guard miniature.
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(http://imageshack.us/a/img703/1513/bborcjemadar.jpg)
ORC JHEMADAR
(Blackblood troop)
The cream of the Emperor´s great War Schools are the proud Jhemadars: recruited from the ablest warriors, they are placed in command of the Orc and Goblin foot soldiery. A Jhemadar needs to be both resourceful and tough, and vicious enough to be universally loathed and respected by his subordinates – Blackbloods despise weakness, and only a strong leader can keep the unruly warriors of an Orc host in check.
In times of peace, a commander will be assigned to a garrison, and sets his personal pride in keeping his force in constant readiness. He will supervise drills, instill obedience and see to the maintenance of weapons and equipment, to present his Emperor or Satrap at all times with a finely honed host ready to march and fight at the shortest of notice.
Since the Jhemadars are also in charge of the soldiers´ pay and livery, embezzling money is a frequent and accepted way for them to add to their personal fortune. In addition, the Jhemadar and his lieutenants will often bully their soldiers out of the lion´s share of loot. Blackbloods´ tempers being what they are, a greedy Jhemadar must take care: His liege may literally ask for his head if he oversteps the line. And if soldiers successfully revolt against a hated officer, more often than not, the leader of the insurrection will be pardoned and given the loser´s post – Blackblood superiors tend to admire success and temerity.
In true Blackblood fashion, Orc Jhemadars are usually found at the fore of their troops, leading from the front. Many are accompanied by their personal banner bearers to proudly announce their presence to both friend and foe. In camp, the bannermen double as enforcers, aides and lieutenants to the Jhemadar, often carrying long Myrmadon-hide whips to punish insubordinate soldiers on the spot.
Orc Jhemadar| | CC | MW | PW | Ld | Ac | W | St | MV | A | Def | S | Cost |
| Jhemadar | 15 | 10 | - | 16 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 23 | -2 | 1 | 66 |
| Bannerman | 12 | 10 | - | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 21 | -1 | 1 | 28 |
Special Rules:
The Orc Jhemadar and Bannermen are immune to Panic and Fear.
The Orc Jhemadar has the Killing Stroke special ability.
As long as the Jhemadar is alive, any Orc or Goblin unit may re-roll all failed morale and fear tests as long as the Jhemadar or one of his bannermen is in line of sight, and closer to the closest (non-hidden) enemy model than they are.
As long as the Jhemadar is alive, any Orc or Goblin unit may re-roll all failed morale and fear tests as long as the Jhemadar or one of his bannermen is in line of sight and in close combat with the enemy.
Structure:
INDIVIDUAL*
Orc Jhemadars are bought as Individuals. They may be accompanied by up to two Bannermen, and in that case will move and fight as a warband. The Jhemadar retains all abilities of an Individual, though (including Giving Orders and Rallying troops).
Equipment:
The Orc Jhemadar is armed with a Falchion and a Shield. The Bannermen are armed with Falchions.
Falchion
Single handed weapon
The Jhemadar needs to strike a fine balance in combat. If he pitches in too soon, he will be killed. If he keeps back, the troops do not benefit from his example. Leading from the front has its issues.
The Jhemadar may be represented by an Assault Warrior Leader (maybe cutting and scraping off the quiver), and his bannermen by Orc Swordsman standard bearers. If you want to give them extra flair, you can mould cloaks or tiger skin tunics to them with Green Stuff, or add plumes to their helmets.