D&D 5E : Generalist Arcane Tradition

(The Wizard is always watching...)

Today I'm going to submit another D&D 5E Archetype, specifically one that I was genuinely a little surprised wasn't in the core rulebook. Much as I appreciate the effort to differentiate Wizards by splitting them into schools I've always personally been a fan of the generalist, the student of every school but master of none. Admittedly under 5E being forced to choose a school isn't the potential handicap it used to be due to not suffering any specialisation penalties, but even so I like to have the choice. As a result of this personal preference we have today's offering...

Generalist Arcane Tradition

Though most Wizards concentrate their studies on one school of magic, specialising in its use above all others and learning ways to manipulate magic that are impossible to those outside their tradition. Nevertheless there are some who instead devote themselves to the study of magic in all its forms, attaining a mastery of the arcane arts that few can comprehend, let alone equal.

Simply called Mages or Wizards, the followers of this tradition may be less focussed practitioners than their more specialised brethren, but their breadth of knowledge and magical versatility are strengths in and of themselves.

Student of All, Master of None
Beginning when you select this Tradition at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a spell into your spellbook is reduced by 25% (to 90 minutes and 37.5gp per level of the spell).

Arcana Expertise
Beginning at 2nd level your Proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability checks made using the Arcana skill, assuming you are proficient with it.

Arcane Power
Beginning at 6th level you may, when casting a spell, either gain advantage on a magic attack roll, or cause one creature affected by the spell to suffer from disadvantage on their saving throw.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long or short rest.

Spell Penetration
Starting at 10th level, your spells ignore resistance to the damage of spells. Additionally creatures that gain Advantage on saving throws against spells do not do so against spells that you cast.

Arcane Mastery
Beginning at 14th level, when you cast a spell that requires you to make an ability check as part of casting that spell (as in Counterspell and Telekinesis), you add your proficiency bonus to that ability check.

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I think this Archetype is pretty well balanced, with their abilities focussing on augmenting the Wizard's knowledge and spellcasting instead of granting benefits based on a specific school. As usual if anyone gives this a try I'd love to know what you think, though in all honesty I'm very likely to give it a whirl myself due to my love of Wizards (which, as we know, are the best Arcane spellcasting class).

Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael

D&D 5E : Ancestor Spirits Otherworldly Patron

(No! Your great-granddaughter had to be a cross-dresser!)

So, after writing up my rules for the Infernal Bloodline Sorcerous Origin I ended up chatting to the members of my gaming group about what other character archetypes they'd like to see for 5E. A few interesting ideas were raised, including the subject of today's post, and rather than sit around waiting to see what Wizards release next I decided to write up my own rules for them. The first of them being for the Warlock...

Otherworldly Patron : Ancestor Spirits

Rather than being a single entity your Patron is instead the collective spirits of your long dead ancestors, a collection of half real ghosts and immaterial spectres who watch over you and the rest of your bloodline from the spirit world. Although related to you by blood your goals are not necessarily aligned, with the spirits often being more concerned with the vicarious accomplishment of their living ambitions and the settling of grudges that no longer matter to anyone but themselves.

Expanded Spell List

Your Ancestor Spirits let you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a Warlock spell. The following spells are added to the Warlock spell list for you.

• 1st Level : Bless, Shield of Faith
• 2nd Level : Enhance Ability, Spiritual Weapon
• 3rd Level : Speak With Dead, Spirit Guardians
• 4th Level : Guardian of Faith, Mordenkainens Faithful Hound
• 5th Level : Commune, Geas

Note : These spells do not involve contact with or channelling the power of a Deity, instead drawing upon the strength and knowledge of the casters Ancestors.

Ancestors Knowledge
Starting at 1st level you may, whenever you complete a Long Rest select one extra proficiency from the following list. You gain the benefits of this proficiency until you choose a different one with this feature.

• One Armour Type (Leather, Chain mail etc.).
• One Language.
• One Tool (Including Musical Instruments, Vehicles and the like).
• One Skill. 
• One Weapon.

All of these proficiencies are subject to the approval of the Dungeon Master. For example they may veto the selection of a particular language if it is used by a culture or race your ancestors have never encountered.

Ancestors Guidance
Starting at 6th level, you can draw upon your ancestors collective experience and knowledge to guide you in your endeavours. When making an Attack Roll, Ability Check or Skill Check you may use this feature to gain Advantage on your roll.

Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you finish a long or short rest.

A Foot In Both Worlds
Starting at 10th level you begin to transform into a creature of both spirit and corporeal matter. You gain resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing damage, with damage from Magical or Silver weapons ignoring this resistance.

Wrath of the Ancestors
Starting at 14th level you gain the ability to unleash the long-denied wrath of your ancestors, granting them a semi-physical form that they may strike down your enemies. As an action choose a creature within 60ft of you, they must make a Wisdom Saving Throw against your Warlock Spell Save DC. On a failed save they are Restrained until the start of your next turn and suffer 10d10 Necrotic damage. At the DM's discretion this damage type may be changed for another upon the acquisition of this class feature, this change however is permanent.

Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

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Well, that's the second Archetype that I've written up for 5th edition and I'm pretty happy with it. In comparison to those in the PHB it's a little less sinister whilst remaining morally ambiguous, after all can you safely say that every single one of your ancestors was a nice person? Likewise in terms of game play it's far more defensive, with an emphasis on buffs, protection and information gathering which I think is appropriate to concept. As usual if anyone tries this Patron out, let me know and tell me how it ran. I'd love the feedback.

That's two classes down, and I've got plenty more ideas rattling around in my head. Once I've the concept and mechanics for another set in stone I'll write it up and add it to this burgeoning series of posts, maybe I'll end up with one for each class?

Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael

One Shots : Through The Breach - Recruitment Drive

 (Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; or close the walls up with our English dead...)

My usual gaming group, like most others I assume, enjoy a change of pace every now and then; the opportunity to take a break from the current campaign to play something different. Usually this takes the form of a one-shot adventure, whether for the current system or for another, this being something that my group and I do...sporadically. We've also decided recently that we should try to play one-shots on a more regular (preferably monthly) basis, both in order to try out other games and to give the current GM (in this case yours truly) the opportunity to get out from behind the screen and roll dice / flip cards with the rest of the party.

Over the past twelve months we've played one shots of Shadowrun, Only War, D&D 5E, and the subject of todays post, Malifaux : Through the Breach. We've plans for plenty more in the future too, with one of my players hopefully running a Dresden Files game for us next week, and me being ready to run Mutant Chronicles 2E once my kickstarter rulebook arrives and I've had the chance to do some fiddling. As we carry on with these side games I've decided that I'm going to take the opportunity both to regale you fine ladies and gentlemen with tales of my groups exploits, and to review and / or recommend the systems we play.

So, without further ado, lets kick this series off with Malifaux : Through the Breach, more specifically the sample adventure Recruitment Drive which I picked up on Free RPG Day earlier this year...

The Setting :

For those unaware I'll provide a brief overview of the setting. Through the Breach (and indeed the Malifaux setting as a whole) is set in an alternate universe where magic and the supernatural exist. Over the years however the power of magic has faded and its practitioners have grown weak. In desperation a cabal of arcane practitioners performed a ritual that tore open a rift, a Breach, to elsewhere, that elsewhere being the magic rich dimension of Malifaux.

The most important location in Malifaux is the city of the same name, built unknown ages ago by whatever race originally ruled that dimension. The city has been colonised by humanity and is ruled by The Guild, an authoritarian organisation that regulate the use of magic and the trade of the Soulstones so prized by magic users. However they are not the only power in Malifaux, the others being...

• The Arcanists : A loose organisation of magic users who chafe under the guilds restrictions. They are barely united and split into numerous sub factions such as the Miners and Steamfitters Union and the Cult of December, all with their own aims and ambitions.
• The Resurrectionists :  Necromancers and unregulated sorcerers fascinated by the powers of life and death. Their ranks include such infamous figures as the serial killer Seamus and the insane coroner Dr McMourning.
• The Ten Thunders : A shadowy faction with its origins in the far east who combine elements of the Triads and Yakuza with chinese and japanese mysticism. Having infiltrated every other faction (in the tabletop game many of their Master figures are dual faction) they have fingers in every pie and interests everywhere in Malifaux.
• The Neverborn : The dimension of Malifaux's original inhabitants, these Nephelim, Nightmares and innumerable other horrors resent humanities intrusion into their realm. An incredibly varied faction composed of everything from dreaming children and murderous teddies to cackling hags and winged demons.
• The Outcasts : A grab bag of characters and groups who retain their independence from the other factions, they are mostly mercenaries who will throw in with the highest bidder. Von Schills famed Freikorpsmen, the scavenger Leviticus and the deadly Victoria's are all counted amongst their number.
• The Gremlins : Malifaux's other native inhabitants, these cackling little horrors many not seem particularly menacing at first glance, but they possess a vicious cunning and the squealing of their pigs is often the last sound heard by those who dare trespass in their Bayou home.

The current campaign date is 1901, the guilds control is precarious and the balance of power in Malifaux rests on a knife edge. The setting is unashamedly pulpy with strong steampunk and spaghetti western influences as well as elements of cosmic horror and nightmarish fairy tale imagery.

In case you couldn't tell, I'm a fan.

The Mechanics :

The mechanics for Through the Breach are pretty straightforward, the core rules being based around the idea of Duels, with the players having to meet or exceed a set Target Number in order to succeed in a challenge, pretty straightforward right? That said it has a few major quirks that make it stand out, the most notable being the Fate Deck and the concepts of Cheating Fate and Triggers. Through the Breach replaces dice with cards, instead of rolling you instead take the top card from a face down, thoroughly shuffled deck. You can use a normal deck of cards if you want but there are plenty of official and unofficial fate decks available, some of which are frankly beautiful pieces of work. The Fate Deck consists of four suites, Crows, Masks, Rams and Tomes numbered from 1 to 13, as well as the Red and Black Jokers. For most randomised tests you flip a card, add the appropriate statistic, and compare that to a set target number. Nice and simple, right?

What makes this particular mechanic unique is the ability of players to Cheat Fate. Each player has a small hand of cards which, under the right circumstances, they may use to Cheat Fate, replacing the card they've flipped with one from their hand. This adds an extra level of tactical thinking to the game by giving the players the option to stack the deck (pun intended) in their favour by improving their flips and guaranteeing the activation of Triggers. What's a trigger? Well, many of the attacks and actions available to the player characters incorporate one or more Triggers, these are additional effects that activate so long as a card of the correct suite is used for that action (though I should make it clear that certain actions, especially those that involve spell casting, require a particular suite to be used as their activation card anyway). For example a common trigger is Critical Strike, which increases the damage of an attack by 1 for every Ram used for the ranged attack. Other triggers may inflict status ailments, increase healing, allow characters to move themselves or others, and so on and so forth.

The last interesting little quirk I want to make note of is that all flipping is done by the players. The Fatemaster (GM), never flips a single card. All flips made by NPC's against the party instead set a predetermined Target Number for their attempts to dodge, withstand, or otherwise react. Likewise the amount of damage dealt by NPC's (Malifaux and Through the Breach using scaling damage depending on the variance between an attacks Duel Total and Target Number) is derived from the players Dodge flips, it's an interesting little wrinkle that takes a bit of work off the FM's shoulders.

There's a few more interesting twists to the games rules system, but the Fate Deck and its uses are the most important and interesting of them. Overall it's a nice, solid system that takes a little while to get used to (especially to ardent dice throwers like myself), but once you do so it's very easy to use and gives the players a level of control that they lack under a dice based system. The overview in the booklet is more than sufficient for running the one shot, and I assume that the full system has plenty of overlap with the skirmish game, making it easier for players of one to pick up the nuances of the other.

The Characters :

Once we'd decided to play through this one shot we sat down with out copies of the adventure and took a look through the character section. Four pre-written characters are provided, each with their own stats, history, and reason to be waiting on the platform at Southgate Station (where the adventure begins). They are as follows...

• Olivia "Livvy" Madison, a shotgun wielding amateur bounty hunter. She's waiting at Southgate Station for one of her targets to arrive in the hope that his bounty will be the first step on improving her lot in life.
• Noel Charron, a New Orleans born magic user on the run from the guild. He's waiting at the station to meet a representative of the Arcanists to whom he must prove his worth.
• Kata Jensen, a young fist fighter with a pneumatic arm and a chip on her shoulder. She's come to Southgate to meet collect a package from a man named Yang, whether he wants to part with it or not.
• Doctor Fareed Nejem, an Egyptian physician employed (not entirely willingly) by the Guild to tend to their guards. He's waiting for rather special delivery, a pneumatic arm for his daughter who's limb he was forced to amputate due to a potentially deadly infection.

The Adventure :

With me in control of the good doctor the adventure began with all four characters waiting on the dismal, rain washed stones of Southgate Station for the 10:15 to Edge Point. Naturally the evening didn't go as planned, the spotlight on the approaching train illuminating a pack of twisted figures (partially formed of metal, partially of necrotic flesh) sabotaging the rails. As you'd expect this caused the rapidly approaching train to derail, crashing through the station and coming to a halt on its side. The undead saboteurs (who had climbed off the rails and onto the platforms) wasted no time in attacking the derailed train, breaking open the carriages to seize living and mechanical cargo alike. Unable to risk the valuables and contacts they'd been waiting for the party intervened, opening fire on the pair of Iron Zombies that had clambered up onto the same platform as them.

Whilst Noel's magic proved pretty ineffective Kata's pneumatic fist and Livvy's shotgun proved more than capable of taking down the twisted creatures assisted by a handful of tentative shots from Doctor Nejem. As soon as the creatures fell the party approached the train to search it... only to be interrupted by the sound of gunfire from the opposite platform. Running to investigate the party found a small, portly man struggling to reload a revolver as one of the Iron Zombies lumbered towards him. After putting the beast down the small man introduced himself as Travis Daley, an accountant working for the Guild. Terrified and excited in equal measure he told them how he'd been at the station to sign off on the delivery of some mining equipment, only to find himself hiding when the creatures attacked. He did however see them make their way into a nearby sewer entrance along with their (sometimes struggling) cargo.

Gameplay Notes, Combat : Combat seems to flow pretty well, with each characters attacks and abilities being clearly denoted on their sheets in the same manner as the tabletop game. This first skirmish probably took about half an hour to fight through with each of us being able to meaningfully contribute. The one exception to that was Noel, due to his spells requiring Tomes to activate (and him quickly burning through those in his hand) he didn't manage to do much other than briefly distract one of the Zombies. Kata's player on the other hand immediately fell in love with the Rabbit Punch trigger after punching a zombies head off with a single round of attacks... The one recommendation I would make is that you should probably use models and a tape measure for movement and attack ranges as opposed to the grid we were using.

In addition to Travis the party (more specifically Doctor Nejem, who had gone to check on the wounded) also came across a wounded guild guard named Brennus MacCrae, who Fareed saved with some swift needle work and the application of a few ointments and unguents from his doctors bag. As he worked the rest of the party carried on speaking to the accountant, who, though unauthorised to pay them for their assistance, implied that the mining equipment taken by the Iron Zombies was of considerable value, and that the Guild might be willing to offer a reward for their return.

Some thinking of the reward, others of the items and contacts denied to them by the Iron Zombies attack, the party agreed to head into the sewers, taking a few minutes to introduce themselves to each other and to allow Doctor Nejem to treat the injuries of those of them who'd been wounded. Taking a lantern from the station they descended into the darkness, Kata taking the lead. After a few minutes of searching through the channels and walkways of the cities sewer system the party eventually managed to track them to their lair, following the scuffed mosses, torn bits of rotten flesh, and scraps of ripped cloth that they'd left in their wake.

The party emerged from the sewer channels into an empty cistern, the interior of which had been converted into some sort of cross between a mechanists workshop and a jury rigged operating room. Strapped down to the guerneys were a number of passengers taken from the train, including Olivia's target, Noel's contact and Kata's Mr Yang, all fortunately still alive. The Iron Zombies who had taken them were, bizarrely, stood in a semi circle on the far side of the room around a radio-like Aethervox, listening intently to the insane ramblings of a long winded academic who's words they seemed to find utterly fascinating. The party took advantage of their distraction to attempt to sneak into position to ambush them, with Kata, Noel and Livvy moving through the maze of guerneys and spare parts whilst Dr Nejem stayed at the top of the stairs leading into the room, carefully drawing a bead on the closest Iron Zombie with his pistol.

Noel proved as equally capable at stealth as he had with magic, knocking a pile of tools from a rudimentary workbench and drawing the attention of the zombies. A vicious battle ensued, with Livvy making good use of both cover and the power of her shotgun to keep the Iron Zombies at arms length whilst Kata pummelled one of them to death with her pneumatic fist. Noel had the misfortune to be caught alone by one of the abominations and was partially eviscerated by them, being saved only by the intervention of Dr Nejem who had previously been taking potshots at the creatures whenever one of them presented itself. The third and final zombie fell to a mixture of buckshot and mechanically enhanced pugilism, leaving the cistern empty save for the whimpers of the captives and the unpleasantly fleshy noises of the doctor seeing to Noel's wounds.

Gameplay Notes, Skill Challenges : Our search through the sewer system for the Iron Zombies was a Skill Challenge, something that's become far more common in tabletop RPG's over the past few years, most notably perhaps in D&D 4E. Having taken a look at the rules in the book they're set out very clearly with a list of what skills are allowed to be used, the target number, how long each attempted skill test takes, and how many successes / failures can occur before the party succeed or fail on the challenge. My one minor complaint here is that I think the list of available skills is unnecessarily narrow, though with a clever players and an understanding GM you should be able to work around that little niggle. Interestingly the adventure added an additional layer of complexity to this particular challenge, aside from simply whether the party succeeded or not. With each test taking 5 minutes the amount of time taken by the party to succeed (should they do so) had a direct effect on whether or not any of the prisoners remained alive by their arrival at the cistern. In fact had the party taken over 120 minutes the cistern would have been empty, the Iron Zombies having moved on ahead of the players. That's a level of dynamism that I very much approve of.

With the Iron Zombies defeated the party claimed their prizes. Noel (once capable of walking) freed his contact from her restraints, hoping that saving her had made a good enough impression. Livvy partially freed her bounty, who proved only too eager to cooperate, preferring jail to unanaesthetised vivisection. Kata claimed the package that Mr Yang had been carrying (the man himself having been accidentally killed in the skirmish) and Dr Nejem managed to locate his daughters pneumatic arm in the piles of scrap and tools stolen by the Zombies. Freeing the rest of the prisoners the party herded them out of the cistern and back towards the surface, out of the dank sewer and into the wan, early morning light of Malifaux...

In Conclusion :

I very much enjoyed this one shot, the mechanics are solid, the story (basic as it was) was interesting, and I quite liked my character. I'd definitely be up for playing Through The Breach again in the future should any of my gaming group want to run it, one of them has purchased the core rulebook so it's within the realms of possibility. With regards to the complete game one of the most interesting aspects of it that I came across in my brief thumb through the book was that character generation is partially performed via a basic tarot spread. Now that's a thematic touch that I very much admire.

On the subject of playing this game again... I did have what I think to be a rather interesting idea during our game... a campaign where the party explore the Sea's of Malifaux... or should that be the Zee's?

Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael

My Thoughts On Age of Sigmar

(Oh come on, we know full well these are one of the inspirations for the Stormcast)

Over the last month or so a lot has been said about Games Workshop's reboot / re-release of the Warhammer Fantasy game line and setting, Age of Sigmar. From what I'm aware most of it isn't particularly complimentary either. After having spent a while looking into the game as well as reading through the rules and "War Scrolls" (unit stats) on the Games Workshop website I've decided to throw in my tuppenceworth.

My experience with Warhammer is limited compared to 40k. Although I've bought a few models over the years, played a few games, and done a few conversion I'm mostly familiar with the game through the novels, WHFRP, board games such as Warhammer Quest and video games like the classic Shadow of the Horned Rat and Dark Omen. Despite my lack of exposure to the game itself however I'm very fond of the Old World as a setting, as well as it's takes on the standard fantasy races and tropes. That's why I find myself disheartened by the changes Games Workshop have decided to make to the setting.

So, let's have a looksee... keep in mind that I'm aware there is now a proper rulebook, but I don't have it and have no intention of buying it anytime soon. If ever.

Rules :

First things first one of the most common complaints is that the game currently has no points values for units, there is no way to set up a balanced game. The rules literally just tell you to empty as much of your collection onto the table as you like. This is absolutely ridiculous and hopefully that'll be one of the first things to change as more books / rules are released. The only balancing factor is that if your army is outnumbered (on a purely numerical basis) you can choose a Sudden Death victory condition, so that if you wipe out a unit / character of your choice, seize a piece of terrain or simply survive 6 game turns you win. Apparently an army of 100 Chaos Warriors is equal (as far as the rules are concerned) to an army of 100 goblins.

The turn order has been changed up considerably. Players roll off at the start of each turn (or Battle Round as it's now called) to see who acts first and who second. This is done EVERY turn now which is...interesting, I'm not sure if I'm a fan or not. The turn order now runs as follows...

• Hero Phase : In this phase the player's cast spells and use special abilities such as the Inspiring Presence ability which is now universal to army generals. It allows one unit within 12" to ignore Battleshock (morale) tests for that turn. Spellcasting has been simplified, with Wizards all knowing the spells Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield as well as additional spells depending on their individual rules. In order to cast a spell (Wizards can also only cast 1 spell each turn now) they roll 2d6 and must equal or exceed the spells Casting Value. While I like the fact that heroes and generals can do more to buff their armies (something that's always bothered me in 40k and Fantasy) the spellcasting is far too simple in comparison to its previous iterations.
• Movement Phase : This too has been massively simplified, there are no rules for difficult terrain now, with units simply moving their full distance in any direction. Likewise unit formations have been removed with each model being moved individually. The only limitations being that each model in a unit must remain within 1" of at least one other model, and that units cannot move any closer to an enemy unit than 3" without charging. Unit's can still run, adding 1d6 to their movement range. This is far, far too simplified, stripping the game of both complexity and tactical options.
• Shooting Phase : Shooting units can now split their fire between multiple targets, which is a massive change. Furthermore weapon rules now include a set number of attacks, with weapons with multiple attacks being capable of splitting them between multiple targets. I'll go into the actual combat mechanics at the end of this section.
• Charge Phase : This has been split from the close combat rules, instead any unit that has not run or retreated and that is within 12" of an enemy unit can charge. Charging units move 2d6 and at least one unit must be able to end their charge within 1/2" of an enemy model, otherwise the charge fails and no models are moved. Charge responses have been completely eliminated too... again, where have the tactical options gone?
• Combat Phase : This is split into two segments now, first all models in the unit may make a 3" Pile In move, after which they make their attacks. Again I'll go into the details in my section on combat mechanics.
• Battleshock Phase : All the Psychology rules have now been rolled into the Battleshock roll, yes that's what they're calling it and yes it is a stupid name. Any unit that has taken any casualties at all over the course of the turn must make a Battleshock test, this is 2d6 + (number of models from that unit slain this turn). For each point by which this exceeds the units Bravery characteristic (the replacement for Leadership) an additional model is removed as they flee the battlefield. It's... certainly a simple and elegant mechanic, but again its far TOO simple.

As for the actual combat mechanics the good old WS/WS and S/T comparison tables for attack and to wound rolls have been replaced by simple "To Hit" and "To Wound" rolls for all models. To me this seems an unnecessary oversimplification, apart from with regard to shooting attacks which have always effectively been a "To Hit" roll. It's strange to me that a sword wielded by a normal human is just as likely to land a wounding hit on a dragon as it is on an orc, just as a goblin as just as capable of stabbing a lumbering ogre as they are an acrobatic Witch Elf. This makes absolutely no sense and is one of my biggest complaints about the rules.

Furthermore melee weapons now have a Range, just like Warmahordes / Malifaux, which is an interesting change that I actually approve of. Saving Throw Modifiers have been renamed Rend but they at least still work in the same way, with each weapon having its own Rend stat. Cover is a factor in both melee and ranged combat but it's only effect now is to add +1 to the saving throws of all models in cover. Another addition are Mortal Wounds, which are caused by some spells and the attacks of especially powerful models. Attacks that inflict Mortal Wounds do not roll to hit or wound, or allow saving throws, they simply inflict wounds directly onto a model.

Now, those are the basic rules, as for actual units their rules are now found on Warscrolls, which are similar to the current 1 page rules for Warhammer 40,000. The unit characteristics we're familiar with have been stripped down to the following stats...

• Move : How far the model can move, simple enough.
• Wounds : How many wounds the model can suffer before being destroyed. With the exception of basic infantry models seem to have far more wounds that in 8e. For example Imperial Witch Hunters and Warrior Priests have 5 each, whilst Knights and Outriders have 2.
• Save : Roll this number or better to ignore a wound, just like it's always been.
• Bravery : The replacement for Leadership, I've already described how it's used above.
• Attacks : Each weapon carried by a unit has its own set of statistics, these being Range (which as I mentioned is now applicable to melee weapons), Attacks (each weapon having its own number of attacks now, which is something I actually approve of), To Hit, To Wound (I've already mentioned my issues with these stats), Rend, and Damage. This system is similar to that used in Warmahordes and apart from the static To Hit/To Wound rolls I actually quite like it.
• Special Rules : These vary from unit to unit, and to be honest I actually quite like a lot of the ones I've seen, such as Greatswords getting a bonus to their To Hit rolls if close to a Hero. I approve of these as they make the units that bit more distinct from one another, again it's a step closer to Warmahordes, not a bad thing.
• Keywords : Each unit has a selection of keywords that are used to determine whether they are or are note effected by special abilities. For example Empire Knights have the Order, Human, Free People, Knightly Orders and Empire Knights keywords. This is something else that I like, and that I'd like to see made use of in other systems as it simply makes a lot of the more niggly rules far clearer.

A few little things to keep in mind are that cavalry models and characters mounted on monsters now have a single stat block, something that started to come into play during the End Times run of books. Likewise it's not just units that have Warscrolls, scenery items do too, seemingly part of Games Workshops current push to discourage people to make their own terrain and buy theirs instead. Or so the cynical (and realistic) part of my mind suggests.

Overall it seems a competent set of rules designed for an introductory skirmish game, and if it was for a side-game (ahh, I long for the days of the Specialist Games lines) then I'd have no real issue with them except for the lack of balancing factors. As a replacement for Warhammer Fantasy 8e though it simply fails to stack up. By 8th edition the Warhammer Fantasy rules were, in my opinion, solid, well thought out and well balanced, to replace them with this overly simplified system is...almost insulting.

Fluff :

Oh deary deary me, where to begin? I don't own the new book or starter set so my understanding of the setting is gleaned from conversations with those who have as well as some research online. If anything I've written here is wrong feel free to correct me.

So the old world has been destroyed and replaced by Nine Realms (someone's been getting into Norse myth recently, or decided the popularity of Thor in Marvel's films was something to capitalise on) linked by Realmgates. Eight of the realms are linked to the eight winds of magic and are known as the Mortal Realms, with the last being the Realm of Chaos. 

Despite Sigmar having been stated to be the only survivor of the End Times there were apparently a lot more, including Nagash, Tyrion, Malekith (now named Malerion, likely for copyright reasons, oh and he's now merged with his dragon...for some reason...) and basically every named character... I guess someone at GW doesn't know what "Sole Survivor" means.

After the eight Mortal Realms were formed and repopulated Sigmar, along with Nagash and the various other gods and near-gods that had survived, formed a new pantheon to oppose the Gods of Chaos (now joined by the Horned Rat after the disappearance of Slaanesh). Sigmar retreated to his realm and, with the aid of the dwarven gods, created the Stormcast Eternals, armoured warrior constructs imbued with the souls of the mightiest of warriors (whether human, dwarf, elf or otherwise) designed to be immune to the corruption of chaos. 

As you'd expect everything went to hell when the Chaos God's launched an assault on the Moral Realms, Nagash betrayed Sigmar (surprise surprise), and everything started going to hell in a hand basket. The current-day metaplot begins with Sigmar attempting to reunite the forces of order to stand against their enemies, with (as you'd expect) mixed success. There's obviously a lot more to it than that but this is the cliff notes version of everything I'm aware of.

There's some interesting stuff here but it really does seem like GW have mashed together Warhammer, Darksiders, Exalted, and lots of random influences for 40k (such as the Stormcast warrior-constructs, who totally aren't western fantasy Necrons). It's just a bit of a mess really and whilst I respect that they were trying to create a setting with a more distinct identity than The Old World it has been done in such a slapdash manner, and with so much disregard for the fan's love of the previous setting, that it just doesn't work. It would be a potentially interesting high-fantasy world... but it's not the Warhammer World, or even an evolution thereof. It's a new IP with a bunch of names slapped on after the fact.

I find this an expecially bizarre move considering that over the next year or so we've a number of computer games coming out set in the Old World, namely Mordheim (already in Early Access), Vermintide, and most notably Total Warhammer. It's very likely that these games will draw in people who've never played Warhammer and instil in them the desire to do so. They'll walk into a Games Workshop store, or check out the website, and the immediate reaction by the majority will simply be "...what? That's not the world and game I'm interested in."

The Models :

The only new models I've seen so far are those from the new starter set. These are the Stormcast Eternals and Khornate Chaos warriors. They're good quality, detailed, crisp models as you'd expect from Games Workshop, however I do have a few issues. As the picture and quote for this page make clear I really feel like someone in the design team had spent a lot of time playing Darksiders before going to work on Age of Sigmar. The Stormcast certainly look cool, but they don't look like they're part of the Warhammer universe, at least not the one we're all familiar with. That, I suppose, is the problem. Likewise I think the accusations of the Stormcast being Fantasy Space Marines are pretty damn valid, and in a moment of weakness I did find myself considering using some bits and pieces for a few character conversions...

That said I do like the Chaos Warrior models, especially the Chaos Lord and Khorgorath.

Final Thoughts :

As one of my friends very eloquently but it, Games Workshop have completely "4th Edition'd" Warhammer Fantasy. With regards to Dungeons and Dragons, at least after a few years we ended up with the far superior DnD 5th, I only hope that Games Workshop look at Age of Sigmar, realise that they've alienated a huge portion of their fanbase, and take steps to rectify what they've done.

The problem is (as Rick Priestly made clear in an interview shortly after he left GW) that the people in charge of the company are utterly disconnected from the wargames industry outside of their own company. Whilst Wyrd, Privateer and Mantic all pay attention both to their fans and each other the decision makers for GW seem to neither understand (nor wish to understand) anything outside of profit margins.

Don't get me wrong, I love 40k, I love Fantasy, and I think GW have the potential to (and over the years have) make excellent games and models. The problem is the executives, as always seems to be the case. Is Age of Sigmar the end of Warhammer Fantasy as a setting? I hope not, and to be honest doubt it, but it's certainly the end of an era.

We will just have to wait and see what comes next.

Until Next Time

Happy Gaming

Michael 

Codex Sisters of Battle : Repentia Deathseeker

(Are you looking at my chainsaw?)

Today we've got another independent character for the Adepta Sororitas, namely a character version of the always popular Sisters Repentia. In their current state the Adepta Sororitas only have access to two non-unique HQ options, the Cannoness and the Priest, I think that needs rectifying, don't you...?

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Repentia Deathseeker :

For the most part the ranks of the Sisters Repentia are made up of battle sisters who (whether in the eyes of their sisters or their own) have failed themselves, their order, and the Emperor in some respect. Out of shame for their weakness they give up their previous rank and position, devoting the rest of their lives to acts of penance, self mortification, and the destruction of the Emperors foes. Marching into battle clad in nothing but rags and prayer strips (often pinned to their very flesh by needles of blessed steel) they throw themselves into the thickest ranks of the enemy, howling prayers of absolution as they lay about themselves with their blessed Eviscerators in the hope that they will slay enough enemies to wash away their sins in a tide of tainted blood.

Even amongst the ranks of the Repentia however there are those who stand above their sisters. Though most of the blessed penitents are drawn from the rank and file of the Adepta Sororitas there are times when even the most experienced and faithful Palatines, Cannonesses or even (a handful of times in the Imperium's history) an Abbess Sanctorum will experience a crisis of faith that will lead to them surrendering themselves to the attentions of the Repentia Mistresses. Being almost always more skilled in the arts of battle than their sisters these heroes of the faith are expected to sell their lives just as dearly, but unlike them their mission is not to cut down the rank and file, but to slay heretic warlords, xenos abominations and daemonic monstrosities with the thrice-blessed Eviscerators chained to their chafed and bloodied wrists.

Repentia Deathseeker : 70pts

	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD	SV
Deathseeker	6	4	3	3	3	4	3	10	-

Unit Composition : 1 Repentia Deathseeker
Unit Type : Infantry (Character)
Wargear : Master Crafted Eviscerator
Special Rules : Act of Faith, Fearless, Feel No Pain (5+), Fleet, Independent Character, Rage, Shield of Faith
Act of Faith : Rapturous Slaughter.

Options :

•  The Repentia Deathseeker may replace her Eviscerator with The Blade of Admonition* : 30pts
• May take a Rosarius : 20pts

*Cannot be taken by any other model in the army

Special Rules and Equipment :

Rapturous Slaughter (Act of Faith) : Howling prayers of joyous hatred the Repentia Deathseeker hurls herself at the deadliest foe she can find. Her mind utterly consumed by self loathing and the need to spill as much blood as possible before falling she ignores all but the most devastating of wounds even as she wields her weapons with supernatural skill.

This Act of Faith is declared at the start of the controlling player's Assault Phase. For the duration of the Assault Phase this model benefits from the Eternal Warrior special rule and may re-roll any failed rolls To Hit and To Wound.

Pious Solitude (Special Rule) : The Repentia Deathseekers stand alone even in the midst of their sisters. Separated from them by their oaths of penance they may no longer lead their sisters, now may they find welcome amongst any but their fellow penitents.

The Repentia Deathseeker may not join any unit other than one of Sisters Repentia. They also may not be taken as a Battle Forged detatchments compulsory HQ choice.

Design Notes :

As far as gameplay goes the Repentia Deathseeker is a melee killing machine, capable of dishing out plenty of damage whilst still being pretty survivable. That said her low toughness and lack of Eternal Warrior (save for when she uses her Act of Faith) leave her frail when compared to other armies beatsticks. She's no replacement for a Cannoness or Priest with regards to augmenting the army she's part of, but accept no substitute when it comes to carving heretics to pieces in His holy name.

With regards to fluff I'm pretty pleased with what I've written, it's fairly basic (being an extension of the existing Repentia fluff), but then I honestly don't think it needs to be more than that.

As usual, if anyone gives these lethal ladies a whirl please let me know and how they performed. Likewise criticism and comments are welcome.

Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael