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Gellar Field

2016-01-15T23:21:31Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1:

The Gellar Field is a energy field that protects oneself and crew from getting a '''CLASS 10 CLUSTERFUCKING''' from [[Chaos]]. When traveling in the [[Warp]]. As everyone knows the ''only'' way to get ''anywhere'' without taking fucking forever is to use the Warp (unless you are an [[Eldar]], in which case you can go much faster with [[webway]]s as long as you don't get lost, or are [[Tyranid]]s and can use [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive gravitational Star Trek bullshit], or are [[Necron]]s and can screw the laws of physics seven ways till Sunday, or are Tau, who invent new less shitty then previous but still shitty non-Warp FTL drive like every 20-30 years), but as we all know all sorts of fucked up shit lives in the Warp whose '''ONLY''' goal is to fuck you up (both literally and metaphorically) in 57 (or more) different variations. The Gellar Field prevents this from happening so the Servants of the [[Imperium]] can go to your planet and kill your [[Cultist|Chaos-worshiping]] ass!

The Orks use a similar device that focuses the power of the WAAAGH! into an energy field to keep the Daemons and other warp monsters away.

It involves jamming [[Awesome|Really Big Teef]] onto the ship in an effort to frighten passing Warp-monsters. Hell yeah. Of course, if that doesn't work, the Orks will usually just give the unlucky daemons that tried to board their spacecraft a good stompin'. Either way, the Orks like both outcomes.

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]

MiniWarGaming

2016-01-15T22:35:51Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Former Members */

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[[Image:Miniwargaming.jpg|lright|thumb|300px|We play and call it work!]]

Co-founded by neckbeards Dave and Matt (although the later prefered glasses instead of facial hair), MiniWargaming is one of the best known gaming groups worldwide, hailing from glorious Canuckistan they originally had a gamestore as well as a cool Youtube channel but after [[That Guy]] [[Tom Kirby]] messed up with GW sales rules they switched to bringing a physical space for wargamers to play in very cool themed war-rooms at The Vault in exchange of a fair quote, the guys still make tons of videos which are very good for anyone who just wants to enjoy watching a good tabletop fight see them discussing about a wide array of news and topics about tabletop or get introduced to the hobbie, Dave and Matt had a team of employees who help them in their mission to do all the stuff needed to keep the business running, they are all very cool guys, each one with his own quirks (no, not Quirk, who is part of the team too) and backgrounds.
It is well known that if there was justice on this world these guys would be the headstaff of Games Workshop.

==The Team==
===Dave===
Co-founder and wearer of a badass beard and longhair, he is well known for being a chaos and blood angel player, runs the Shrine of Chaos commentary section as well as Life of a videogamer slice-of-life section, like any self-respecting melee-oriented gamer he hates with a passion the Tau, although he never takes it personally if someones plays such a faction (otherwise it wouldn't have been possible for him to be friends with Matt), as you may imagine he is the crazy red oni to calm blue oni Matt, not that Matt doesn't have his moments too. He usually has a very cheerful personality and likes to joke a lot, although he had had a few difficult times (he lost a brother from cancer, we are with you Dave!), he accepts challenges from anyone around the world to show the prowess of his Chaos and Blood Angels armies.
===Matt===
The other co-founder, a calm and soft-spoken guy (except when he is playing, but come on who hasn't get bumped up when rolling the die), he is in some ways the opposite to Dave, as he seems to be more ranged-oriented, also he is a long-time tyranid player, even during the period where they were having a bad time, which shows how he would prefer to actually have a fun game rather than curb-stomp your opponent, although he could easily do that too (thanks to his blue-themed necron army), he runs the Sit And Talk Q&A videoblog, and isn't afraid of talking about serious stuff like religion (like Dave he is mormon, unlike Anne Rice, we are totally ok about that), politics, society and some other off-topic stuff fans may like to ask. like Dave, he accepts challenged from all around the world and post the battlereports online.
===STEEEVEEEEE===
The mountain, an elegan/tg/entleman who likes to have a good fight, discussing the rules and helping with the videos. Steve helped creating some homebrew rules for playing a point based system for [[Age of Sigmar]].
===Josh===
Plays for Sandwiches.

===Quirk===

Is most know for playing orks and for playing with 2 wound lootas.

===Leland===
===Kris===
==Former Members==
===Dan===
A passionate and avid ork player who wears a quite epic beards able to rival many. He was a big part of the team until he sadly had to leave Miniwargaming, moving away. Dan is very excited and loved playing, getting into his role of an ork with the most impressive WAAA(Gh)s on the site (Even though he did also play Tau for a while). Dan was sort of a middleground between Matt and Dave, having a lot of entusiasm with the game but being a more calm person. Dave and Dan are were close friends and Dave sees Dan as his battle brother. Dan still makes videos on 40k and [[Warmachine]] on his own channel, Codex Dan.

===Jay===

==Links==

* [http://www.miniwargaming.com/ The official Miniwargaming site.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2mQ7x6K74NBfmxBoMwZCnw MiniWarGaming's youtube channel.]
* [https://m.youtube.com/user/CodexDan Codex Dan's youtube channel.]

Kit

2016-01-15T21:25:06Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: Added the Gladiator.

Kits are a mechanical function for classes introduced in [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]].

A kit can be summarized as a "sub-class" or a "class variant"; a way to take a specific class, such as a [[Fighter]], [[Wizard]] or [[Rogue]] and to redefine its skills abilities to better fit a specific archetype. For example, an Anatomist [[Necromancer]] who is capable of surgically healing living beings and crafting flesh & bone [[golem]]s, or a Blade [[Bard]] who fits the role of the [[Swashbuckler]] as defined by Eric Flynn.

Kits always have special, additional requirements in order to enter them. At the same time, they give special advantages and disadvantages that build onto those of the existing base class.

Kits were abandoned as a mechanic when [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition]] was released by [[Wizards of the Coast]]. Although [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition]] began to retouch upon their basic concept with the idea of built-in variant class features, the truest homage to the mechanic was done by [[Pathfinder]], which introduced the Archetype system for its classes. [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] followed in Pathfinder's footsteps and actually made kits core, to the extent all classes now have to choose from a number of kits that is slowly growing with the release of Unearthed Arcanas. They are now class features though, rather than specializations that lock out other options.

==List of Kits==

===Racial===

====Dwarf====
* Animal Master - A dwarven warrior kit, the animal master is basically the dwarven equivalent to a [[Ranger]]. A specialist in taming animals, an Animal Master gets to choose a specific kind of animal and gain drastically increased uses for the Animal Handling skill with those animals. The downside is that by dwarven standards, Animal Masters are a little creepy and antisocial, so they get a reaction roll penalty with other dwarves.

* Axe-for-Hire - A dwarven warrior kit, this represents a highly skilled dwarven mercenary, so they get a free weapon proficiency (any dwarven weapon) and their patron will generally cover most living expenses, but they get a severe penalty to reaction rolls with other dwarves outside of the military (that independent streak alienates their clannish kin) and, of course, they have to obey their patron's commands, since they're directly employed.

* Clansdwarf - A dwarven warrior kit, this represents your most basic/iconic dwarf fighter, a stalwart defender of the clan. This translates to a strong reaction roll bonus to members of their clan, and to a lesser extent other dwarves, and the support of their clan, but all that goes away if the clansdwarf alienates or embarrasses his clan.

* Hearth Guard - A dwarven warrior kit, this female-only kit depicts a member of the elite warrior-women orders responsible for defending dwarf clanholds. They get a free specialization in battle-axe, spear or light crossbow (though they can only specialize in those weapons and must have proficiency in them at 1st level) and bonuses to hit and damage rolls to protect her stronghold or young dwarves, but like the [[Amazon]] kit, she suffers a stiff reaction roll penalty amongst individuals who don't give credence to the idea of warrior women.

* Battlerager - A dwarven warrior kit, this is basically your dwarven [[Barbarian]] by way of the Berserker. Requiring Strength 15+ and 10 or less for Int and Wis, the battlerager is almost identical to the Berserker, including the aversion to missile weapons, except that it takes them 5 rounds to go berserk and they suffer a stiff reaction roll penalty (especially around other dwarves) due to the whole "gives off an air of being a psycho-killer" thing.

* Highborn - A dwarven warrior kit, this is basically the Noble Warrior class reflavored for dwarves. Requiring training in sword, hammer and light crossbow, they get a high reaction roll bonus with Lawful dwarves and can freely demand food and shelter from dwarves, but they have to "keep up standards" (increase all coss by +10% to +25%, suffer reaction penalty if they can't keep up this conspicuous consumption) and they irritate the ''fuck'' out of Chaotic dwarves and, to a (not much) lesser extent, other races, giving them reaction roll penalty.

* Outcast - A dwarven warrior kit, this represents a dwarf who has never managed to fit in with other dwarfs and has come to embrace their differences. They can choose to Move Silently as per a Ranger of equal fighter level (although this means they up their XP costs), but they suffer a severe reaction roll penalty with all dwarves other than Wayfinders and fellow Outcasts.

* Rapid-Response Rider - A dwarven warrior kit, this represents the dwarven equivalent of a cavalry expert. They must take proficiency in lance, but they start with a powerful, high quality and fully trained steed. The downside is that dwarves find their affinity for riding and beasts peculiar, so they suffer a reaction roll penalty with them.

* Sharpshooter - A dwarven warrior kit, this is an expert in the use of ranged weapons. Naturally, they must start out specialized in the use of a dwarven ranged weapon (crossbow or gun, if the latter [[Medieval Stasis|exists in the setting]]) and they cannot initially be specialized in the use of a hand weapon - also, because of their focus on ranged warfare, they cannot become proficient in any hand weapon other than short weapons, daggers and hand axes. A sharpshooter gains a +1 to hit with their ranged weapons, fires faster, and can personalize a weapon and its ammo for a damage bonus, though if this personalized gear is lost, they also lose the damage bonus.

* Crafts Priest - A dwarven priest kit, this kit represents a dwarven cleric of one of the many dwarven deitites of craftsmanship, meaning their focus is on tending to the workshops more than anything. This gives them a strong reaction roll bonus to dwarves of their own clan, and to a lesser extent dwarves devoted to the same craft.

* Pariah - A dwarven priest kit, this is a dwarven cleric expelled for his religious devotions, typically to a god of evil or chaos - even chaotic good dwarf priests aren't wanted in the Lawful society of typical dwarfdom. This gives the dwarf the option to increase their Exp cost by +10% to gain Move Silently as per a Ranger of equivalent class level, and the potential to be free of the need to report to superiors. The downside is that all official dwarf clergies will despise them; at worst the Pariah will be violently hunted or expelled, at best they have to put up with interminable religious debates intended to sway them away from their patron deity.

* Patrician - A dwarven priest kit, this is literally the priestly equivalent to the Highborn above, with the added "bonus" that you have a high priest likely to ask you to get shit done for them.

* Ritual Priest - A dwarven priest kit, this is the most common and beloved breed of dwarf cleric, giving them a +1 reaction roll bonus with dwarves and dwarven weapon proficiencies.

* Champion - A dwarven warrior/priest (multiclass fighter/cleric) kit, this is the closest thing dwarves have to a paladin, representing the holy arm of a dwarf church. Requiring Strength and Wisdom 15 and Charisma 14, Champions may specialize in one kind of weapon and they start play with a Blessed Weapon (a +1 weapon that may potentially have extra properties against specific enemies - a "+1 Mace, +2 vs. Undead" or an "+1 Axe of Gobbo Cleaving" that acts like a Vorpal Sword against goblins, for example) of the same kind they choose to specialize in, which they must send back if they decide to swap it for a more powerful weapon they find later. The downsides? If you lose your Blessed Weapon, you had better bloody well get it back! Also, you can only wield magical weapons of your specialization, you must obey your superiors, and you must always seek to defend your faith - failure to uphold your honor as Champion results in the lose of your weapon specialization and other Champions being sent to take the Blessed Weapon back from an unworthy wielder.

* Temple Guard - A dwarven warrior/priest (multiclass fighter/cleric) kit, this represents one of the militant defenders of a given dwarf church. This gives them a +2 bonus to their to hit rolls, damage rolls and saving throws when fighting to defend their temple or a holy place of their religion, but of course they have superiors they have to listen to.

* Vindicator - A dwarven warrior/priest (multiclass fighter/cleric) kit, this basically a slightly tweaked (max Wisdom 14, no reaction penalty against members of the church) priestly Battlerager.

* Diplomat - A dwarven thief kit, this character uses thief skills to better mingle with - and, if necessary, exploit or take advantage of - other races for the better good of the dwarven race. Requiring a minimum Charisma of 13, a Diplomat starts with four bonus languages, gets a +10% to Detect Noise and a +5% to Open Locks, as well as a +3 to reaction rolls (+1 against racial enemies), all for the price of suffering a -10% penalty to their Pick Pockets skill.

* Entertainer - A dwarven thief kit, this is roughly analogous to the Acrobat kit, or the idea of a dwarven [[Bard]]. They require a minimum Dex of 14 and get a +1 to Singing, Dancing, Juggling and Rope Use, but are generally laughed at by non-dwarven audiences. You can probably tell this was more for NPCs than PCs, right?

* Locksmith - A dwarven thief kit, these are actually law-abiding dwarves who specialize in testing locks so they can make even better ones, making them more adept at keeping real thieves ''out''. As you'd expect, they get a +10% bonus to Open Locks and to Detect & Remove Traps, but a -10% penalty to Climb Walls (they don't do a lot of clambering around) and a -5% penalty to Pick Pockets (they're dexterous, but they don't usually steal things).

* Pest Controller - A dwarven thief kit, these dwarves use their skill at stealth and traps to eliminate those nasty vermin that plague dwarven strongholds, like giant bugs, dire rats, [[kobold]]s and [[carrion crawler]]s. This translates to a +5% bonus to Move Silently and to Find/Remove Traps, but also a -10% penalty to Pick Pockets (they don't get much practice). Also, with typical dwarven arrogance, most dwarves look down on them as socially unacceptable; only other Vermin Slayers and Wayfinders are immune to their penalty to reaction rolls when interacting with other dwarves. Weirdly, even ''Outcasts'' are implied to look down on these poor bastards!

* Ghetto Fighter - A dwarven warrior/thief (multiclass fighter/rogue) kit, this represents one of the tough, hardscrabble dwarven thugs who grew up in the "dwarf ghettos" some races demand for their own cities. This gives them increased aptitude with daggers, a knack for two-weapon fighting, and +5% bonus to Pick Pockets and Hide in Shadows. The drawbacks are that law officials from a Ghetto Fighter's hometown hate them as gangbangers (-3 reaction roll penalty) and they suffer a -5% penalty to Find/Remove Traps, due to the lack of practice with that skill.

* Trader - A dwarven warrior/thief (multiclass fighter/rogue) kit, this grizzled merchant uses its skills to defend its goods and to get the best possible bargains. +1s to hit and damage rolls when defending your goods and to reaction rolls with other traders and merchants - unless they find out that you've been cheating them, stealing from them, etc, in which case that becomes a -2 penalty.

* Vermin Slayer - A dwarven warrior/thief (multiclass fighter/rogue) kit, this is a more elite version of the Pest Controller, specially trained in killing those small and annoying pests that plague dwarf strongholds; giant vermin, [[goblin]]s, [[kobold]]s, etc, to the extent of leaving the stronghold to take them down in their own lairs. Requiring minimums of 14 for Strength and Dexterity, as well as proficiency in the light crossbow and either the hammer, hand axe or dagger, Vermin Slayers are quicker than normal when fighting in cramped environs, more accurate and killy with a chosen weapon, and get a +5% bonus to Find/Remove Traps, Detect Noise and Move Silently. The downside is that this specialization means they're less adept at fighting big monsters like [[ogre]]s and [[giant]]s than normal dwarves are, and their Pick Pockets (-10%) and Read Languages (-5%) suffer.

* Wayfinder - A dwarven warrior/thief (multiclass fighter/rogue) kit, Wayfinders are elite dwarven explorers and spies, with some aspects of the core Ranger class - they even get Swimming as one of their non weapon proficiency options. Their job requires smarts (min Int 12), but their affinity for creeping around gives them a +10% bonus to Hide in Shadows and Move Silently, and their spying means they can learn new languages more easily. On the other hand, they suffer a -10% penalty to Pick Pockets (due to lack of practice) and Read Languages (which is weird when you think about it, same for Vermin Slayers). Also, their independence means that unless other dwarves actively want to employ a Wayfinder, they tend to look at them warily, translating to a reaction roll penalty.

* Dwarven Chanter

====Elf====

* Elven Minstrel

* Herbalist

* Archer

* Wilderness Runner

* Spellfilcher

* Bladesinger

* War Wizard

* Huntsman

* Collector

* Infiltrator

* Undead Slayer

====Gnome====

* Gnome Professor

* Breachgnome

* Goblin Sticker

* Mouseburglar

* Tumbler

* Imagemaker

* Vanisher

* Buffoon

* Stalker

* Rocktender

* Treetender

====Halfing====

* Halfling Whistler

* The Archer

* Forestwalker

* Homesteader

* Mercenary

* Sheriff

* Squire

* Tunnelrat

* Bandit

* Bilker

* Burglar

* Smuggler

* Urchin

* Cartographer

* Trader

* Traveler

* Healer

* Leaftender

* Oracle

====Humanoids====
These kits hail from the Complete Book of Humanoids, an AD&D splatbook aimed at making the various low-level humanoid and monstrous humanoids, like orcs, ogres, gnolls, etc into playable options or at least making them more flexible for DMs.

* Tribal Defender

* Mine Rowdy

* Pit Fighter

* Saurial Paladin

* Sellsword

* Wilderness Protector

* Hedge Wizard

* Humanoid Scholar

* Outlaw Mage

* Shaman

* Witch Doctor

* Oracle

* War Priest

* Wandering Mystic

* Scavenger

* Tramp

* Tunnelrat

* Shadow

* Humanoid Bard

===[[Barbarian]]===
Despite what you might think, these kits have nothing to do with your favorite raging class, which itself began as a Fighter kit (the Berserker) before developing into their own thing in 3rd edition. Instead, Barbarian kits are kits for Fighters and Clerics from "barbaric" (read "primitive or tribal") cultures.

* Brushrunner

* Brute

* Forestlord

* Islander

* Plainsrider

* Ravager

* Wizard Slayer

* Dreamwalker

* Flamespeaker

* Medicine Man/Woman

* Seer

* Spiritist

* Witchman

===[[Bard]]===

* True Bard

* Blade

* Charlatan

* Gallant

* Gypsy-bard

* Herald

* Jester

* Jongleur

* Loremaster

* Meistersinger

* Riddlemaster

* Skald

* Thespian

===[[Cleric]]===
* Amazon Priestess - Since [[Amazon]]s tend to be fairly devout to one or more patron deities, not to mention often shoehorned into being a "primitive" culture of the type often influenced/led by shamans and witch doctors, it's only natural they have a special kit to represent their holy women, just as the Amazon Warrior kit represents their fighting femme fatales. It basically functions exactly like the Amazon kit for Fighters, below, but the DM needs to figure out what deities the amazons actually worship and, also, if the Priestess's patron god is one that forbids her to wield the same weapons as the warriors, then she will almost certainly command less respect.

* Barbarian/Berserker Priest - As you might guess, this represents the priests of the same "uncivilized" cultures that Barbarians and Berserkers hail from. Because they look and act so intimidating, they get a minor positive bonus to reaction rolls - except against members of their own culture (who respect them more, obviously) or individuals in positions of power (who tend to be prejudiced against the priest's culture and react with more hostility). Berserker Priests in particular make it easier for Berserkers from their culture to fly into rage - if inciting berserk rage is actually part of their class powers, friendly berserkers can go berserk in 1 round, otherwise they just take 5 rounds.

* Fighting-Monk - The first mechanical appearance of the concept that became the [[Monk]] class in 3rd ed, these priests must have Dexterity 12 or greater and must belong to a priesthood that allows its members to start out with Medium or better Fighting Ability. In exchange for skill with unarmed combat, opening up all non-weapon proficiency groups and the ability to "save" weapon proficiency points for later use, the Fighting-Monk can't wear armor, drastically reduces its spellcasting ability, and takes a vow of poverty that prevents it from owning anything more than it can carry.

* Nobleman Priest - A former noble who sees no reason to let their priestly calling prevent them from enjoying the privileges of rank, which means they tend to have a special affinity for other nobles. This kit starts with more gold (though they have to buy a good suit of armor, a good weapon and a good horse to ride), has a better reaction from nobles, and can demand shelter amongst the nobility, but always has to buy the best stuff (so double all costs), loses this reaction bonus if it has to settle for cheaper goods, and has to give the same shelter to other nobles.

* Outlaw Priest - Inspired by Friar Tuck, this is a priest who considers it their duty to minister to those declared outlaws, even when their own priesthood disagrees. Barred to priests of Community, members of this kit are outcasts from their own priestly hierarchy, which is both advantageous and disadvantageous.

* Pacifist Priest - Intended for NPCs rather than PCs, this is a priest who is determined to avoid hurting anyone. Naturally, priests dedicated to the causes of Disease, Evil, Justice, Revenge and War can't belong to this kit. Forsaking the ability to wield weapons or wear armor - with the loss of spells for a month if they do - this priest gains increased affability, manifesting as +2 Charisma and a further +2 to reaction rolls against beings not opposed to their words of peace and tolerance.

* Peasant Priest - Counterpart to the Nobleman Priest, these priests dedicate themselves to ministering to the peasantry over the nobility, willingly taking a vow of poverty. Such a priest may only own a grand total of 75 gold pieces worth of goods at a time, and must give away everything in excess of this value, but is much loved by all peasantry; in their own country, peasants will take any risk to help, whilst beyond those lands, they gain a +2 bonus to reaction rolls with peasants.

* Prophet Priest - Those priests who are touched by the gods may develop prophetic insight. Requiring a minimum Wisdom of 15, this kit grants a priest the power to gain a prophetic vision once per day, but at the cost of suffering a penalty to reaction rolls, due to creeping out others.

* Savage Priest - Related to the Savage kit, this represents a medicine man or witch doctor from one of the most primitive and primal of tribal communities. Such priests cannot serve the Divinity of Mankind, Disease, Evil or Good deities; disease is an unholy and unclean force to savages, whilst the others represent concepts too cerebral for such "primitives". Hardened by the rigors of their lifestyle, Savage Priests always have a minimum Strength of 11 and a Constitution of 13. He has similar non-weapon proficiencies and weapon restrictions to the Savage. A Savage Priest can Detect Magic 1/day per character level, but suffers a reaction roll penalty against "civilized" NPCs.

* Scholar Priest - A theological researcher, belonging to this kit requires Int 13+. Because of its focus on learning, a Scholar Priest can "spend" weapon proficiency points on non-weapon proficiencies instead. Additionally, it gets a notable reaction roll bonus when encountering other scholars, admirers of scholastic concerns, writers, journalists, and people who imagine that they are scholars - however, there is a chance that a given scholar will instead have a severe reaction roll penalty instead, as this represents someone antagonized by the Scholar Priest's scholastic efforts.

* Planewalker Priest - When you live amongst the gods themselves and choose to worship them, you're expected to better represent them. Requiring points in History (patron deity's realm), these priests have learned to hone their bodies for when their magic fails, getting bonuses to attack on planes where their magic is less effective, and have webs of contacts that spread across at least three seperate planes. The downside, of course, is that they serve their patron deities ''directly'', which means they have one really powerful patron pulling their strings.

===[[Druid]]===

* Adviser

* Avenger

* Beastfriend

* Guardian

* Hivemaster

* Lost Druid

* Natural Philosopher

* Outlaw

* Pacifist

* Savage

* Shapeshifter

* Totemic Druid

* Village Druid

* Wanderer

===[[Fighter]]===

* [[Amazon]] - Because fuck you, it's the 80s and we're nerds, we want hot warrior-women as a playable class, that's why! Nearly a third of the kit actually goes towards pointing out that you don't ''have'' to be an amazon to be a female warrior, you take this kit to portray a very specific kind of female warrior. Needless to say, you have to be a female warrior to take this class, with proficiency in two weapons (recommended: Spear and Longbow for humans, elves and half-elves, Axe and Hammer for dwarves, Throwing Axe and Shortsword for gnomes, and Javelin and Sling for halflings) to qualify. You also need the Animal Handling non-weapon proficiency, on the justification that amazons are skilled animal trainers/mounted warriors. Amazons get a bonus to their first ever attack against a given male NPC - ''if'' they're not a skilled (level 5+) warrior themselves or haven't seen amazons fighting before, since "most men won't expect an amazon to know how to fight". They also suffer a -3 penalty to reaction rolls against NPCs from male-dominated societies.

* Barbarian - This is a pretty blatant [[Conan]] expy, and the book (Complete Fighter's Handbook) admits it. You need at least 15 strength and proficiency in Battleaxe and Bastard Sword (or two other weapons the DM judges "thematically appropriate" for a barbarian warrior). In exchange, you get "barbaric charisma", which increases the results on your reaction rolls - positive ''and'' negative.

* Beast-Rider - Essentially an analogue to the [[Cavalier]] with a little [[Barbarian]] flavoring, this is a warrior who specialises in riding into battle atop a mighty battle beast. Requires Charisma 13 and the Animal Handling proficiency, but the Beast-Rider gets to select a specific kind of animal that he or she is specifically adept at riding. He starts the game with a tamed mount and is better at handling them, even having a telepathic link with his current bonded steed. Drawback? A -3 penalty to reaction rolls outside his tribe, and a similar nasty effect to the death of his bonded mount as if he were a mage who lost his familiar; 2d6 damage and save vs. spells or spend the next 2d6 hours as if Feebleminded

* Berserker - Barbarians before the class got fully introduced. Requires a minimum of 15 Strength, +3 reaction to cultures that also respect berserkers, and can use a full-turn action to "Go Berserk" for a bunch of combat-related bonuses. The drawback? Other cultures don't like you, you can't use ranged weapons whilst berserk (and therefore can't start with proficiency in them), can't use cover, keep fighting until ''all'' enemies are dead, can potentially die after leaving the berserk state, can't be healed while berserk, and can't use any sort of strategy while berserk - talk about your two-edged swords!

* [[Cavalier]] - Your knight in shining armor, this kit is only available to [[Fighter]]s and [[Paladin]]s, must be a Good alignment, and must have the following minimum ability scores: Strength 15, Dexterity 15, Constitution 15, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 10. Only humans, elves and half-elves can be cavaliers, and you need the Animal Handling, Lance and Sword proficiencies to join the kit. You get a big bunch of combat-related bonuses; increasing attack roll bonuses with lances, swords and horseman's weapons, complete immunity to Fear ''and'' nullify Fear on allies within 10 feet, resistance to mind-altering effects, +3 to reaction rolls against NPCs from your culture (unless they're evil, of course), and you get a free noble steed AND the in-game right to demand shelter from lower caste members of your culture. The drawbacks? Oh, brother... you cannot use ranged weapons, must always go for the most impressive target, must always have the best grade of armor (ignoring magical bonuses - so, yes, you ''do'' have to forgo that powerful +5 chainmail for the shiny, totally mundane suit of plate armor), must follow "The Code of Chivalry" ''and'' can lose all your kit-benefits if you ignore these restrictions, just like a fucking paladin!

* Gladiator - Introduced before [[Dark Sun]] made this into a full-fledged class in its own right, this is a standard "showy" professional fighter, the bloodier equivalent to a pro-wrestler. You must have proficiency in shortswords, tridents and nets to join this class, and "the DM is within his rights to insist that the Gladiator learn one strange weapon proficiency (such as whip) for every "normal" proficiency (like sword, spear, etc.)." They get a free, bonus weapon specialization, but they are both more recognizable and likely to be harassed by sleazy would-be promoters and managers.

* Myrmidon - A highly trained combat professional, the kind of warrior who makes a living as a high-ranking soldier. Requires 12s or better for Strength and Constitution, gets a free weapon specialization and the benefits of a powerful patron, but is more memorable and, of course, has to ''obey'' that patron, since that represents their boss.

* Noble Warrior - If the Cavalier wasn't "knight in shining armor" enough for you, you got this palooka. Restricted to members of the "noble" caste of society with Str and Con 13+, Noble Warriors are expected to have proficiency in Animal Handling, and in the following weapon proficiencies (unless the DM rules the culture is different to medieval Europe): longsword OR bastard sword, lance, horseman's flail OR horseman's mace. A Noble Warrior starts with the highest amount of gold of any of the warrior kits, gets a +3 reaction bonus to "lower caste" members of his native culture, and is respected by those of equal or higher rank. The drawback? His costs of living increase sharply (+10% multiplied by character level to all costs) to reflect his demands for "the best of the best", with his reaction bonus changing to a penalty if he settles for less than he is "expected to". Also, he's got a powerful patron he's sworn loyalty to and has to obey.

* Peasant Hero - Your basic "local boy done good" type, this warrior originated from a rural background but hasn't forgotten their roots, meaning he can always count on help and loyalty from amongst the peasantry, but he's also expected to help them however he can, or lose their respect until he makes amends.

* Pirate/Outlaw - Two archetypes merged together due to their basic similarities, this kit doesn't have much going for it. You may get some nebulous DM mandated bonus, like belonging to the equivalent of Robin Hood's Merry Men or being able to fence your loot in a notorious pirate city, but you ''will'' be plagued by the lawful authorities.

* [[Samurai]] - Were you really surprised that this would show up? Your standard "Oriental noble warrior", you must have proficiency in the Scribe skill and your weapon proficiencies are pretty damn restricted; two specialization points in Katana and three in Daikyu (samurai greatbow), plus one point you can put in any other "samurai" type weapon. You gain the Kiai ability, letting you boost your Strength to 18/00 (the peak of human ability) for 1 round once per day per level. The drawback, of course, is that either you have sworn your loyalty to a master, who can command you ''kill yourself'' if they wish, or you're a ronin, and so you halve all your experience.

* Savage - This is similar to the Barbarian in that it represents a warrior from a particularly primitive culture. Naturally, you need to be strong (min Strength 11) and very tough (min Constitution 15) to have survived, and your initial weapons proficiency options are limited to what the DM considers appropriate for your culture, like spear and bow. You gain one special ability that mimics the effect of one of four specific spells (Alarm, Animal Friendship, Detect Magic, Detect Evil) but which is not magical and which can be used once per day per level. The drawback is that you don't like armor, so you can't wear it without giving yourself a penalty to attack, damage and skill rolls - a penalty the DM can increase if they judge you're just ignoring the roleplaying aspect of "you don't like civilized foolishness like armor".

* [[Swashbuckler]] - The witty, charming sword-flashing hero, a swashbuckler needs brains (Int 13+) and grace (Dex 13+) to succeed at their chosen role. You get free specialization-tier proficiency with either the stiletto, main-gauche, rapier or sabre, you get to take Rogue skills for their standard price, you improve your AC when unarmored or lightly armored, and you improve your reaction rolls with members of the opposite sex. Downside is that the DM has full authority to make your life "interesting", since swashbucklers are ''always'' in trouble.

* Wilderness Warrior - Not quite the Ranger, as you might expect, this is merely a warrior from a particularly tough and rugged environment, with a dash of "funny foreigner" for that extra 80s sleazy-charm. Requires a minimum Constitution of 13, a Wilderness Warrior receives a +5 bonus to Survival checks in their native environment, with the only penalty being that you should roleplay being a "fish out of water" early on in your career.

* Planewalker Warrior - Technically available to [[Ranger]]s and [[Paladin]]s as well, this represents a warrior who cut their teeth fighting the assorted magical monsters that throng the Outer and Inner Planes. Requiring Planar Sense to represent their extraplanar training, and with access to the Planar Survival skill, they gain the advantage that they're more familiar with the weakspots of magical monsters; to represent this, though they still need an actually enchanted weapon to harm them, they can successfully use weaker weapons than normal to pierce damage immunity (so, you only need a +2 weapon to hurt that "needs a +3 or better weapon to hurt" demon). The downside is that they're professional warriors, which undercuts which non-weapon proficiencies they can take.

* Abyssal Warrior - This kit represents those bashers stupid enough to get involved with the [[Tanar'ri]], be it serving as demonic mercenaries or actively fighting in the Blood War. Restricted to Chaotic Neutral and Chaotic Evil, Abyssal Warriors are super-hardy (+1 to all saves), but the tanari'ri taint lingers (non-tanarri suffer a -3 reaction roll penalty, [[Baatezu]] try to kill you on sight) and they suffer a slight penalty to attack rolls, ability checks and saving throws in bright sunlight, due to being unused to it.

====[[Gladiator]]====
A variant fighter class introduced in the [[Dark Sun]] setting, it got its own Complete Handbook splat and it introduced the following Kits for those willing to add even more power to it.

* Beast Trainer - Essentially a gladiator/ranger hybrid, this kit focuses on taming creatures and sending them into battle, or fighting alongside them, for the glory of a greater patron. They get a free specialization in a "beast tamer's weapon" (club, man-catcher, whip, scourge, polearm), a powerful patron and a bonus to animal taming efforts, but they can only specialize in polearms & blunt weapons, they risk going berserk if their pet monster gets killed, and of course the need to keep their patron happy.

* Blind Fighter - The name's pretty obvious; a gladiator who specialises in fighting blind, whether artificially blinded or just naturally unable to see. Special abilities relate to their ability to fight without penalty from blindness, but their hindrance is that they have to choose which "range" they learn to "see" in and they suffer penalties fighting outside of that range. For example, a blind archer specializing in "see" targets at a distance isn't so good at finding you if you get up close to him.

* Arena Champion - This is the best fighter in a given arena, although that usually doesn't mean much beyond their chosen territory and, of course, keeping the top dog position isn't easy.

* Convict - Requiring 15s in Strength and Dexterity, this kit is basically a gladiator/rogue hybrid, combining general gladiator fighting prowess with access to thieving skills. Of course, convicts are marked, usually start the game as slaves, and will always be blamed as criminals even if they win their freedom.

* Professional Gladiator - The very best of the best, these gladiators get much greater skill with weaponry, but risk interference from fanatical fans, gamblers, match-fixers and other unsavories.

* Jazst - Theatrical fighters who specialize in putting on shows, this kit requires Str 14 and Dex 16 and essentially becomes a sort of gladiator/bard hybrid. They have special agility-based combat skills in battle, but most "real" gladiators hate them.

* Montare - These gladiators are mounted combat experts, often competing in the Athasian equivalent of chariot races or horseback duels. They get a free mount, free proficiency with the whip and are better at attacking when mounted, but they gotta care for their mount, which is expensive.

* Reaver - These are the mad bastards who help animal trainers catch the Athasian monsters that go on to fight in the arenas. They're better at surviving in the wilderness and may choose to have a patron, but failure - or worse, dishonesty - has serious consequences.

* Gladatorial Slave - A slave specifically trained from birth to go into the arena and die at their master's whim. This gives them a free stat point and two free weapon specialties, but of course they aren't free and will be sure to be recognized if they escape.

===[[Paladin]]===

* True Paladin

* Chevalier

* Divinate

* Envoy

* Equerry

* Errant

* Expatriate

* Ghosthunter

* Inquisitor

* Medician

* Militarist

* Skyhunter

* Squire

* Votary

* Wyrmslayer

===[[Ranger]]===

* Beastmaster

* Explorer

* Falconer

* Feralan

* Forest Runner

* Giantkiller

* Greenwood Ranger

* Guardian

* Justifier

* Mountain Man

* Pathfinder

* Sea Ranger

* Seeker

* Stalker

* Warden

===[[Rogue]]===

* Acrobat - A traveling entertainer who finds a way to turn their physical adeptness towards larcenous means. Naturally, you need to be strong (Str 12+) and agile (Dex 14+) to make it as an acrobat, and their speciality is an increased proficiency with climbing, jumping, tumbling and tightrope walking. Since these are more effective when the acrobat is lightly to unarmored, which presents its own dangers, it has no other specific drawbacks.

* Adventurer - In contrast to your "basic" thief, this is a thief who has specifically trained with the idea of delving into dungeons and ruins to acquire that sweet, sweet loot. This doesn't even really count as a kit so much as notifications as to what kinds of skills and equipment a "professional" would take into the dungeon.

* Assassin - What really needs to be said? Requiring any Non-Good [[alignment]] and better than average Strength (12), Dexterity (12) and Intelligence (11), an assassin can learn all weapons and is uniquely adept at identifying poisons, even being capable of using Herbalism to craft antidotes. In return, their thieving skills advance more slowly (only 40 points to distribute at level 1, and only 20 new points each level) and, of course, non-evil NPCs tend to be horrified when they learn what the assassin's craft really is.

* Bandit - The hassles of surviving and thieving from travelers in the wilderness make these thieves particularly tough and hardy. They must take proficiency in a bludgeoning weapon and in dagger, but they get a free weapon proficiency slot for a third weapon, and can wield flails, maces, morningstars and daggers. Naturally, they need at least a 10 in both Strength and Constitution. They're more adept at surviving in the wilderness (giving them a bunch of appropriate skill options) and better at making ambushes in the wilderness, but on the downside, most people ''really'' hate bandits.

* Beggar - This represents the "professional" beggar, a perfectly healthy soul who has learned to pass unnoticed and to play on peoples' emotions. Their big advantage is the increased number of skills and skill points they get, but the downside is that A: people who aren't beggars look down on them, and B: they can't really use good stuff without giving themselves away.

* Bounty Hunter - Although this may seem more like a Ranger kit, this was a different time. The Bounty Hunter's only real difference to your ordinary thief is that they can learn to use any weapon, although it costs twice the normal proficiency points to do so.

* Buccaneer - A seafaring thief, the Buccaneer is more specialized than the basic pirate/outlaw kit mentioned above. Requiring a minimum Constitution of 10, they are experts at climbing ropes, which also makes them better at rope combat (that is, fighting whilst tied to/swinging from ropes), but worse at climbing without the use of a rope.

* Burglar - Requiring Strength 10, Dexterity 13, and points in the Alertness and Looting skills, the Burglar really isn't that different to your vanilla thief, save some tweaks in non-weapon proficiencies.

* Cutpurse - Perhaps the lowest tier of the active thieves, the cutpurse's dedication to observing its targets allows it to try and guess the class and level of other characters. Its only real drawback is roleplay based; DMs are encouraged to remind you that your character, in the company of thieves, ranks little higher than a beggar.

* Fence - Well, once the loot is swiped, you gotta hock it somewhere if you want to get the real value of it, right? The Fences are the thieves who make stolen goods disappear. Requiring a minimum Intelligence of 12, this kit is recommended more for NPCs than for PCs, since its focus is on doing business in a given area, with both its special ability and its special hindrance being based on being known in the criminal - and thusly the legal - social circles.

* Investigator - To catch a thief, set a thief. Or at least learn how to think like a thief. That is the basic premise of the investigator, who is pretty much your "great detective" type character. This is, like the Adventurer kit, another "fluff before crunch" kit. Yes, the thieves have quite a few kits that aren't really much, mechanically speaking.

* Scout - This can basically be summarized as being to the thief what the [[Ranger]] is to the [[Fighter]]; a specialist geared towards doing their work in the wilderness. They increase their Hide in Shadows and Move Silently skills in the wilderness, and increase their chance of surprising opponents in the same environment. However, being specialized in the woods makes them less adept in the cities; in an urban environment, a scout suffers a -5% penalty to all their thief skills.

* Smuggler - Specializing in transporting illicit goods and people who shouldn't be going where they should, the smuggler's only real difference to a regular thief is their +1 bonus to surprise rolls, as they're not easy to catch off-guard.

* Spy - Aside from its Int 11+ requirement, there's nothing really distinguishing a spy from a vanilla thief beyond some non-weapon proficiency choices.

* [[Swashbuckler]] - This is almost literally the same as the Warrior kit from The Complete Fighter's Handbook, and the game admits it. The only real difference is that the Thief version requires Charisma 13+ as well as trading the AC bonus for improved [[THAC0]] (Fighter grade) when wielding the iconic swashbuckler weapons, a unique Disarm combat maneuver, and the requirement that a thief-swashbuckler must devote half their weapon proficiency slots to the available weapon choices until they're proficient in all of them.

* Swindler - Again, this is a fluff before crunch kit, with a Cha 12+ requirement and a focus on smooth-talking and faking people out.

* Thug - Brutal and tough, thugs are great at hurting people, but less adept at the more delicate options a thief has. The only kit with a maximum ability score requirement (Int can't be greater than 12) as well as minimum ones (Str and Con 12), thugs get an extra weapon proficiency slot, can learn non-thief weapons (at double the proficiency points) and get a +1 to their To Hit rolls, but only have 40 points to distribute between their thieving skills at level 1.

* Troubleshooter - As with the Investigator, this is a thief kit to represent "law abiding thieves"; individuals who act as security consultants by testing security measures. Their unique trait is an annoying "DM's prerogative"... basically, anything that can go wrong when a troubleshooter is involved is very likely ''to'' go wrong. ''Especially'' if this personally disadvantages the troubleshooter, although it does say that DMs should try and balance this with advantageous mess-ups.

* Planewalker Rogue: These characters have honed their thieving skills to account for the vast array of natural hazards on the planes, making them more adept at getting around in even the weirdest environments; [[Bard]]s can take this kit as well, in which case they can trade the environmental maneuvering for the Planewalker Priest's web of contacts ability. The downside is that not only are planar law enforcers like the Harmonium or Guvners wise to the standard tricks of planar rogues (-10% to Hide in Shadows and Move Silently to get past such figures), but planar locks are likewise specifically designed to counter their efforts (-10% to Pick Locks).

* Hinterlands Bandit - This kit represents a member of the fearsome mounted bandit clans that roam the [[Outlands]], the plane of True Neutrality. They start play with a steed, are expert mounted fighters and particularly deadly in wide open spaces, but this also gives them crippling claustrophobia in truly cramped environments - they won't panic just from being indoors, but being underground or in [[Pandemonium]], that's another story.

====Ninja====
The AD&D [[Ninja]] was a variant [[Rogue]] introduced in its own sourcebook, the Complete Ninja's Handbook. Naturally, it came with its own kits in the bargain.

* Stealer-In

* Shadow Warrior

* Intruder

* Consort

* Pathfinder

* Lone Wolf

* Spirit Warrior

===[[Wizard]]===
* Academician - Even by wizard standards, these characters are loremasters and scholars. Requiring a minimum Int of 13 and Wisdom of 11, it grants an academician a reaction bonus to those who are correspondents or fans of their work and a bonus to Int and Wis checks. On the downside, they're awful combatants even by those same standards, suffering a -1 penalty to their To Hit rolls the first time they attack any given target. Also, they tend to be know-it-alls and braggarts.

* Amazon Sorceress - With [[Amazon]] warriors and priests, surely there have to be wizards to complete the mix, right? Amazon Sorceresses are prohibited the use of Necromancy and Illusion spells, can learn to use "amazon weapons" in addition to the normal wizard ones, and have access to the same advantages and hindrances as all amazons.

* Anagakok - A variant of the Savage Wizard or Witch kit who hails from a primitive culture native to an extremely hostile climate; the namesake of these wizards in the real world is the traditional Inuit shaman. They require Constitution 13+, cannot cast Illusion or Necromancy spells, and have access to altered weapon and non-weapon proficiency options, reflecting their tribal origins. They are incredibly adept at foraging for food, are immune to the environmental hazards of their native environment, and can cast a Good Fortune spell on themselves and their allies once per week. The downside is that they look freakish to those not familiar with the Anagakok's native culture (reaction roll penalty) and they are more vulnerable to the other end of the environmental spectrum (an Anagakok from a Frigid environment doesn't do too well in deserts, for example).

* Militant Wizard - An elite warrior wizard, the Militant Wizard combines enhanced prowess with melee combat (use fighter weapons, learn fighter non-weapon proficiencies) with reduced prowess in magic (can't learn Enchantment or Illusion spells, and DM can choose to apply any one or more of three additional hindrances; can't learn 8th or 9th level spells, treats Int as 2 points lower for learning spells, max spells, casting spells and spell immunity, loses access to three randomly determined schools). Militant Wizards need a Strength score of at least 13.

* Mystic - Seeking self-enlightenment through magic, Mystics require a minimum Wisdom of 13. They gain access to one of three spell-like abilities usable 1/week (Feign Death, Spirit Form, Levitate Self) at the cost of needing to meditate for 2 consecutive hours each day, or be treated as if they were 1 level lower for all spellcasting abilities and options. Mystics tend to be pacifistic, so while they can learn Necromancy, Evocation and Conjuration spells, they cannot become Specialist Wizards in those schools.

* Patrician - A wizard who hails from a noble background, giving him pretty much the same advantages and hindrances as the other "noble-origin kits" mentioned here. Patricians cannot specialize as [[Necromancer]]s, as such magic is seen as "uncouth" (read: disgusting).

* Peasant Wizard - Counterpart to the Patrician, a Peasant Wizard has the same advantages and hindrances as the Peasant Priest above.

* Savage Wizard - The witch doctor to the Savage Priest's medicine man, this is a wizard from a particularly feral and primitive tribal culture. They are barred from learning Enchantment or Abjuration magic, due to the relative subtlety and "civilized nature" of both schools. A Savage Wizard has one of the following special powers, each of which can be used once per week: can create an herbal talisman that grants Protection from Evil for a day, can create a voodoo doll to attack a foe with from afar, can seek an omen as to a planned event. On the downside, they suffer a reaction roll penalty against outsiders.

* [[Witch]] - The most extensive kit in the Complete Wizard's Handbook, this is practically an alternate class in disguise, reflecting a caster who draws their power from extraplanar forces and patrons. They get an increasing array of special abilities as they level (automatically knows detect magic and read magic, can Summon Familiar at 3rd level, can Brew Calmative at 5th level, can Brew Poison at 7th level, can Beguile a single victim at a time at 9th level, can Brew Flying Ointment at 11th level, and can place a Witch's Curse at 13th level). Downside? Any one (or more) of three ability penalties to reflect the meddling of the patrons at certain times, extremely negative reactions from the public, must have at least 13s in Int, Wis and Con, and gains no proficiency with any weapons whatsoever.

* [[Wu Jen]] - An Oriental flavored wizard. Although it lacks the elemental focus it'll get in later editions, it does get oriental weapon proficiencies and the ability to cast a maximised spell 1/day in exchange for an inability to be Lawful, requiring Int 13, and the need to obey one or more strange taboos or else lose all spellcasting power.

* Planewalker Wizard - Having honed their craft in realms where all beings are at least a little magical, something represented by their mandated Portal Sense proficiency points, these wizards are capable of piercing magic resistance, at the downside that there's one particular plane they just can't grok, meaning even spell keys won't work to get over the quirks of that plane in regards to magic.

* Floating Sorcerer - Endemic to the natives of the [[Element]]al Plane of Air, these mystics have trained extensively with the plane's native winged harnesses; they specialize in the use of throwing knives and darts, are adept at keeping their balance or ground, and have a unique ability to modify spells that move matter through the air, but they are used to travelling light (double penalties for encumbrance) and can't learn skills relating to working with the earth or water.

====[[Necromancer]]====
The Necromancer is such a strongly iconic form of wizardry that it got its own handbook for 2e, and with it came a selection of specialized necromancer kits.

* Archetypal Necromancer - This is your iconic evil necromancer, the degenerate wizard who masters the black arts for the sake of perversion and destruction. Naturally, it requires any Evil [[character alignment]], it has a slightly elevated affinity for weapons, and it taps into the otherwise optional rules about Dark Blessings (unique special powers like mundane weapon immunity, regeneration, shadow form, etc) and Fell Prices (curses, deformities, madness and incurable diseases) from the same handbook, gaining 1d3 Dark Blessings and at least as many Fell Prices.

* Anatomist - This kind of necromancer dabbles in the dark arts more for the opportunities it offers for understanding how the human body works. An anatomist is more lethal in melee with cutting implements, gaining free Specialization (Dagger) and the ability to wield cutlasses and shortswords. They are much more effective at surgery, which translates to increased proficiency with the Healing skill, and can use the unique Autopsy skill to examine bodies for information. As a drawback, they have to do at least one dissection of a humanoid corpse a month or lose their special surgical skills until they catch up on their practice.

* Deathslayer - Believing heavily in the adage "know thy enemy", the deathslayer is a warrior-wizard who studies necromancy solely for increased aptitude in killing the undead. Consequently, they need Strength 13 in addition to Intelligence 9 and Wisdom 16 to qualify for the kit, and have special traits that make them much more powerful against a specific kind of "higher" undead (ghost, vampire, spectre, mummy, lich or banshee). The drawback is that their compulsion to kill the undead is so strong it functions as an irreversible geas effect.

* Philosopher - The philosopher doesn't give a damn about the moral implications of necromancy and other black arts; their all-consuming hunger is to learn, study and understand dark magic, making them a theoretician of the occult and skilled, if unnerving, sages in the fields of dark lore. Consequently, philosopher-necromancers have a minimum Int requirement of 14 instead of 9, and must be a neutral and non-good (so [[Neutral Evil]] or L/T/C Neutral) alignment. Their advanced knowledge makes them potentially capable of instantly knowing anything relating to the topics of necromancy, necromantic items and the netherworlds (lower planes), advanced proficiency at learning necromantic skills, and an increased likelihood of having psionic wild talents. The drawback? Increased likelihood of being insane and a high penalty to learning any non-necromancy spells.

* Undead Master - The other sort of archetypal necromancer, this is a black mage whose obsession is with mastery and control, driving them to enslave the dead, the damned and the living for the sake of their own glory and ego. Restricted to the Neutral and Evil alignments, Undead Masters have access to the Enchantment school of spells (normally forbidden to necromancers) and can command and bind undead, fiends and extraplanar creatures as if they were clerics. The downside is that they're much less adept at defending themselves (restricted to proficiency in only ''one'' wizard weapon) and their proficiency with Necromancy, Conjuration and Enchantment prevents them from using the Alteration, Illusion and Divination schools of spellcraft.

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Dungeons & Dragons Classes]] [[Category: Dungeons & Dragons Mechanics]]

Fighter

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[[Image:tordek.jpg|thumb|right|[[Tordek]], The manliest of all the Fighters. He is in it for the bitches.]]
The '''Fighter''' is one of the basic classes in almost every [[RPG]] system ever made.

==Class role==
The fighter's primary role is serving as a meat shield and smashing things. Fighters can wear armor and use powerful weapons. They are also traditionally good at physical activities like jumping, riding animals, balancing, and drowning under the weight of their own armor. Without fighter(s), a party typically needs to replace them via summoning or enchantment, to ensure that the GM doesn't casually pick off at least one party member on any given day.

==Dungeons and Dragons==

In D&D the Fighter class has existed since the very first incarnations (then called "fighting-man").

===Basic/Advanced D&D===

In the 1st editions, the fighter's strength was endurance. His killing power lasted far longer than that of magic-users, as he could not run out of sword. Players who rolled 18 Strength at character creation got the benefit of an "exceptional Strength score", metered strangely in the format "18/nn", (where "nn" is the roll of a [[d100]]) could add as many as 6 points of damage to every hit for those who received the blessings of the dice gods. By rule, it was possible for a fighter to obtain a level of armor fairly early on that made him [[Drizzt|unhittable]] unless the attacker rolled a [[natural_20|natural 20]]. This even worked against touch attacks, as the rules granted them no bonus to hit. Fighters could also mass many hit points. Gear loss was not a problem in 1e, as the fighter could wear any armor and use any weapon that they found.

A little later, the Unearthed Arcana book first added weapon specialization (and weapon mastery, then named [[Derp|double]]-specialization), allowing fighters to improve their damage even further and attack more than once per round, further improved by level.

However, the fighter's "saving throw" defenses against special attacks were absolutely wretched, making him a sitting duck for paralysis, petrification, breath weapons, death magic, magic wands, spells, and most horribly, poison, which was everywhere in 1e and meant [[Rocks_fall,_everyone_dies|almost certain death]]. Many found playing a 1e fighter boring because every problem was solved in largely the same way, and found the extra dice rolling to be a chore rather than a pleasure.

===2nd edition===

Fighters in 2nd edition continued all of the trends from 1st edition. 2nd edition spellcasting was limited by onerous regulations, costly material components, and the likely permanent crippling of the caster, making fighters the kings of the 2e battlefield. They had the best "THAC0" chance of any class to hit enemies. In 2nd edition, fighters received bonus attacks based on their level, and these bonus attacks had no penalty to hit. With new 2e rules for bows allowing 2 shots per combat round at level 1, with the common sheaf arrow dealing an entire d10 "hit die" worth of damage, and with the advent of the "Odysseus-style" composite longbow adding Strength bonus to arrow damage, fighters were a serious threat at any range. The (optional) proficiency system meant that fighters couldn't quite achieve the "pick up anything they find and use it" levels of gear efficiency that they had in 1st edition, but since the fighter's penalty for using a weapon unskilled was only -2 to hit, and the nonweapon proficiencies were mostly worthless medieval fluff like Cobbling and Heraldry, Fighters still weren't particularly worried about Rust Monsters and Ethereal Filchers nicking all of their stuff.

Weapon specialization got added to the Player's Handbook and became a standard, further improving the fighter's combat ability. Around the end days of the edition, the notoriously unbalanced Player's Option line of books further developed this into weapon mastery, high mastery, and grandmastery, which allowed the fighter to swing his chosen weapon even faster, crit more often, and even increase the damage dice to the next highest. A grandmaster swordsman could swing his bastard sword four times in a round, dealing [[Powergaming|1d20 instead of 1d12 damage]] against an ogre or a dragon or something. Meanwhile, his buddy, the [[Baldur's Gate|fastest dart-thrower in the Sword Coast]], gets to throw [[Awesome|seven darts for 1d4+7 damage each and one out of four will crit, and only a natural 1 would miss]]. No high-level fighter with a DM stupid enough to allow him to use these rules was to be fucked with in 2nd edition.

===3rd edition===

In 3.x, the advent of [[Feats]] was supposed to make fighters more attractive to play. The fighter gets loads of feats, making it the only class that can take more than one full-size feat tree (Archery, Weapon Specialization, etc.) But feats brought a nerf in disguise. Fighters could no longer use the best weapons like the "spiked chain" without spending feats to do so, or taking a significant -4 penalty to hit. The only fighter feats really worth getting involved a horrible exploit in 3.0 called "the bag of rats" (the fighter dropped a bag full of rats in front of an enemy, then used Whirlwind Attack feat to attack all the rats in a single round, then used Great Cleave to get a free attack on the enemy for each rat killed. This was clobbered in 3.5.) There were other nerfs as well. Bonus attacks received hit penalties that made them nigh-worthless. Bow rate of fire and damage was nerfed, and crossbows, which any character could use, got a significant damage increase. The new skill system overtook things that any character could do in previous versions of the game, and with their tiny number of "skill points", fighters became helpless bumbling buffoons in just about everything.

Meanwhile, spells became so powerful that a single [[CoDzilla|caster]] could bring down entire armies in one or two rounds. The result was that your party was better off having any character with Summon Monster I than with a fighter. Fighter became something you multi-classed your rogue or cleric into for one or two levels, in order to get their level 1 automatic feats, Martial Weapons, Tower Shields, all armors, +d10 hp, full attack bonus, and a bonus feat. It was still a scrumptious dip class for those first few levels, but it was generally best left behind afterwards.

====Pathfinder====

Fighters are generally a little beefier and a lot better in [[Pathfinder]], with more unique passive benefits and fewer classes that can be described as "like a Fighter but better." They don't have the raw power of the spellcasting classes, but they're now actually very good at their actual jobs, namely, killing tons of dudes while shrugging off damage, while many martial and exotic weapons, particularly archery, are more attractive options. The archetype system also helps them a lot, sacrificing much of their versatility in terms of weapon use to make them even deadlier or tougher with a single combat style. (Two-handed weapon, sword-and-board, unarmed combat, etc.)

Unfortunately, with a pitiful dribble of skill points and limited skill selection anyway, they don't tend to be much use once things are actually being done out of combat, barring pure roleplaying or trait-use to gain one good skill. A lot of the time, if no fighting's going on, the fighter's player may as well just go off to use the restroom or crack open a soda for all the use he'll be. One way around this is to take the Tactician archetype, which gives them a lot more skill points and class skills, offers great bonuses and buffing capacity for having high mental stats, and barely reduces their combat effectiveness in the bargain. The only real price is a little bit of [[MAD]] trouble, but if you rolled well on your scores and want to make a character who can kick ass and still be the charismatic and intelligent party leader, consider it.

===4th edition===

In 4th edition, the Fighter is listed as a "Defender". His main purpose is to serve as a meatshield and prevent the enemies from getting close to the [[wizard|squishies]] behind them. Fighters do more single-target damage than any other class in the game that isn't a "Striker" (and in some cases can out-damage strikers, especially if they get a lot of opportunity attacks). They also make the squares around them a living hell for any marked foe who tries to move through them at all. They come in five flavors: "Great Weapon" (uses two-handed weapons, considered to be a striker "by the back door"), "Guardian" (the archetypical 4th Edition fighter, uses a one-hand weapon and a shield, has primary access to most of the best Fighter powers including the truly awesome Tide of Iron at-will), "Battlerager" (a berserker fighter build, lives on yummy, yummy, temporary hit points), "Tempest" (a two-weapon fighter build for those who feel like they cannot live without a two-weapon warrior who wears heavy armor), and "Brawler" (uses a one-handed weapon, but leaves the other hand open so they can grab people to use them as human shields, break faces, or snap necks).

===5th edition===

In 5th edition, the Fighter is the only class who hangs onto 4e's Healing Surge (called Second Wind, and usable once per short rest). He also has more feat opportunities, and since you can use those for either 2 stat points or 1 feat, fighters are likely to have 20s in any stats they want and still have slots left over for feats. They can go into one of four subclasses: the Champion, which gives him more sustain and tankiness with better crits and strength checks; the Battle Master, who can perform maneuvers in combat similar to the Warlord to debuff enemies and buff himself; the Eldritch Knight, who casts spells and swings swords, and eventually can cast and swing at the same time; and, as of the Sword Coast Adventures Guide, the Purple Dragon Knight (whose setting-neutral name is given as "Banneret"), whose gimmick is that he can give other party members fighter powers and so he basically serves as an option to play a [[Warlord]]. The Fighter also eventually gets four attacks (the highest of any class, and explicitly the only class whose extra attacks stack with those offered by other classes while [[multiclassing]]) and is capable of dealing tons and tonnes of damage.

The [[Kits]] of Old Unearthed Arcana added two new subclasses for the Fighter; the [[Cavalier]] (who's your same old useless gimmicky mounted warrior/[[knight]]) and the Scout (who's basically a better [[Ranger]] than the 5e Ranger).

{{D&D3-Classes}}
{{D&D4-Classes}}
{{D&D5-Classes}}
{{Pathfinder-Classes}}

Setting:Transformers

2016-01-15T19:45:05Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Relationship with Organics */

[[File:Transformers.jpeg|thumb|right|Optimus Prime and his Autobots on the left, and Megatron and his Decepticons on the right.]]
Since the time past written memory, the technological race known as the Transformers have always been a driving force in the galaxy. While not as ancient as the Eldar or Necrons, the Transformers have existed long before humanity had began to even crack rocks together to create fire. At the cusp of the 41st Millennium, however, they are scattered across the galaxy; fragmented and more divided than they have ever been. The lines between their original factions, Autobot and Decepticon, have been blurred and are probably nonexistent to some. The chief reason most Transformers fight is simply for survival. Ever since their Great War some 50,000 years ago, the entire race as a whole have scrounged across the galaxy in search of more of their lifeblood and energy source: Energon. It can be found either in its pure, natural form within a planet’s crust or refined from any type of energy, be it electricity or fossil fuels.

Transformers, like the Necrons, are living machinery composed of an almost “living metal.” However, unlike the Necrodermis of the Necrons, the biology of the Transformers is much more akin to that of normal organic beings. From their core structure of cybernucleic acid (CNA), to their robotic-skeletal structure, and even their mechanical parts similar to that of biological organs, the Transformers are like a strange, larger than life mimic of most sentient races. Despite that, the ability that serves as their namesake makes them far more different than any other race that has ever existed. All Transformers have an innate ability to to copy and transform into an alternative, typically vehicular, mode. Because of this they're often called “robots in disguise” due to their ability to mimic literally any kind of vehicle they set their optics on. Anything from an Ork Trukk to an Imperial Baneblade is within the realm of possibly as long as the size is appropriate to the Transformer. They are not limited to vehicular modes as mentioned before, however. Some are known to have alternative quadruped forms, usually an animal of some sort. Others can turn into lethal weapon platforms, signal arrays, and according to legend, entire cities. Imperial xenologists are unsure how a Transformer’s body adjusts when it acquires a new form.

Relations with the other races of the Milky Way galaxy are hesitant and strained at best. Overall the Transformers are on the defensive, only enacting a major campaign when they're very existence is threatened, like an oncoming Tyranid invasion or stealing energon from a forge world. Autobots are the only ones who may sometimes fight based on an ideology, typically derived from the ancient words of the great Optimus Prime himself. Decepticons may conquer in order to subjugate and enslave the local population, or wage war just for the sake of fighting similar to the barbaric Orks. Of course, age old rivalries may transcend quarrels with other species. Autobot and Decepticon are known to clash to this very day, mimicking their civil war all those centuries ago. Despite that, there have been a few occasions where the two band together against a greater threat, such as Transformers under the command of Ultra Magnus and Soundwave holding back the Ork WAAAGH! McSmasher on Sampson II. After the battle, despite simmering hatred between the two factions, both commanders withdrew their troops without haste.

==Factions==
[[File:Autobot.png|thumb|right|upright=0.56|225px|Autobot insignia.]]
*'''Autobots''': Eons ago, it was said that the Autobots were heralds of peace; bringing justice to all sentient races and defending the inhabitants of the galaxy from the Decepticons. While that may be true, that has fallen lower on their list of priorities. They fight a constant war of attrition with the galaxy, where simply staying alive is an achievement in of itself. After the disappearance of Optimus Prime during the Horus Heresy, Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus founded the Covenant of Primus; a coalition of the various Autobot subgroups and factions, similar to that of the Dark Angels and their various successor chapters. While having their own tactics and leaders, member groups of the Covenant are in constant contact with one another and often heed the call to aid another faction. Despite the name, they all proudly wear the Autobot insignia of old, in memory of Optimus Prime, wherever he might be.
**'''Wreckers''': Led by Ultra Magnus, the Wreckers are the most proactive group of the Covenant of Primus. They are always on the front lines, harassing or outright obliterating enemy scouting teams and armies. Currently they are in a hasty but mutually beneficial agreement with the Imperial Inquisition in sabotaging supply lines to Abaddon’s 13th Black Crusade.
**'''Grimlock''': Of all the senior Autobots, Grimlock was the only one that refused to join the Covenant of Primus. After the establishment of the Covenant, Grimlock when out on his own, obsessively searching for his team of Dinobots who had disappeared in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy. If there are any sightings of his teammates in a given system, one can be sure that Grimlock will be the first there, cutting bloody paths through whoever gets in his way. The most famous occurrence was on the moon of a dead world, where Grimlock dueled a Bloodthirster in order to find his comrade Slag. When Grimlock discovered he wasn't there, he proceeded to butcher every daemon on the moon, from the smallest Bloodletter to the lead Bloodthister. Rodimus Prime and other members of the Covenant worry that the Blood God is somehow manipulating Grimlock into falling to Chaos, but whether he has succeeded in doing so has yet to be seen. Over time he has developed a small retinue of Autobots who gather around the powerful Dinobot for protection and to help him in his quest of searching for his brethren.
[[File:Decepticon.png|thumb|right|upright=0.56|225px|Decepticon insignia.]]
*'''Decepticons''': Few things have changed about the Decepticons over the millennia, even after the disappearance of Megatron. They believe the Great War with the Autobots continues to this day, and any ordinary Decepticon would attack an Autobot on sight. After Megatron vanished the Decepticons fell into civil war, known to them as the Fracture. Unlike the Autobots who typically seek peace, the Decepticons see the other races of the galaxy as nothing more than target practice. If they can't outright annihilate their enemy they will try to manipulate or enslave them. The Decepticons overall split into three separate factions:
**'''Starscream''': Megatron’s former conniving lieutenant, his initial attempt to seize power led to the Fracture in the first place. The only Decepticon who advocates ending the Great War entirely arguing that the Cybertronians have allowed themselves to become too weak and scattered in this hostile galaxy. Though smallest of the major Decepticon factions, he is the most ready to ally with the Autobots and has even made tentative attempts at brokering peace. Starscream is determined to exploit any potential source of strength the galaxy offers, and whereas the other Decepticons ignore or despise organics, he recognizes their potential usefulness. To this end, as well as raiding, he makes heavy use of Pretenders, transformers imbued with the unique ability to disguise themselves as organics and walk amongst them, in order to infiltrate and subvert organic societies. Mostly this takes the form of Pretenders attaching themselves to positions of power in order to fund fuel and physical resources to Starscream's forces, but the ever-ambitious Decepticon warlord is more than willing to make use of cults and attempt to subvert organic societies to a near-religious reverence of Transformers, that he may use them. This has led to Starscream's forces controlling a small, but slowly increasing, number of colonies where humans and/or other aliens work for the service of Decepticon masters. All of this would be acceptable to the other Decepticons, but Starscream has gone beyond that; when the warlord recognizes an organic's potential, he takes them and places them under the cyber-conversion process, transforming them into near-Cybertronian mechanical entities that are partnered with other Decepticons, creating Targetmasters, Powermasters, and the rarest of all; Headmasters.
**'''Soundwave''': Megatron's former right-hand mech and unflinchingly loyal to his master. He still believes Megatron lives and is determined to find him, leading a small but hardcore faction of loyalists. Their goal is to find Megatron and lead him back to his rightful place. Constantly picks fights with Autobot groups, as their dedication is to winning the Autobot/Decepticon war. Loosely allied with Shockwave's faction, but looks down on him for his abandoning of the Great War; their relationship is based on Shockwave's need for Soundwave's fighting skills (his own hyper-logical processor often proving disadvantageous in the madness endemic to the 41st Millenium) and Soundwave's need for Shockwave's resources and strongholds. Soundwave is the most zealously anti-organic of the Decepticons, often unleashing his forces against organic targets for no reason but their destruction. Why this is remains unknown; he may simply enjoy using such rampages to keep his troops sated, but others have proposed alternative reasons - a grudge against all organics for interference when Megatron ruled the Decepticons, or that their presence pains this biomechanical pseudo-telepath.
**'''Shockwave''': Former chief strategist of Megatron, Shockwave is driven by logic. He has turned the Decepticons to the cause of surviving and rebuilding their power base, earning the loyalty of the vast majority of Decepticons. He holds an unsteady peace with Soundwave; he needs Soundwave's fighting skills, but he considers prosecuting the war at this current state of affairs to be illogical.
[[File:Cybertronian.png|thumb|right|upright=0.56|225px|Cyberform insignia.]]
*'''Cyberforms:''' Orginally a splinter group of Decepticons during the early stages of the Great War, they have evolved into their own fully competent faction. What differs them from the other Transformer groups is their discover of a new form of reproduction: bio-morphic reproduction, or "budding." The process is asexual, where a "bloodline" is formed via copying of the parent Transformer. The main downside to this is each generation is increasingly less sentient and emotional, making Cyberform society as a whole more logical and detached from other Transformers. They view themselves as the peak of all life, and have taken on a harsh expansionary policy similar to the Tau. Even though they abhore being associated with their Decepticon brethren they take the former's beliefs to the extreme; exterminating a planet's population and cyberforming it before colonization. They are at odds with quite literally every race in the galaxy and are considered the foremost threat among all Transformers.

==Relationship with Organics==
'''Imperium (General)''': In general, the Imperial/Transformer relationship is very similar to that of the Imperium and the Craftworld Eldar, with a little Imperium/Tau relationships thrown in for spice. The two races will collaborate on occasion, especially given that the Autobots claim to remember helping humanity in ages long past. However, Imperial doctrines of xenophobia, combined with Decepticon depredations and the occasional need for Autobots to interfere to try and prevent the Imperium from doing something too stupid (especially when it comes to messing around with things the Autobots are guarding for a reason), keep the two races well at arm's length. In general, an icy distrust that occasionally flares up into small conflicts is the norm.
*'''Adeptus Mechanicus''': The Transformers and the Tech-Priests of the Imperium are bitter enemies. The Adeptus Mechanicus loudly proclaims the Transformers to be Abominable Intelligences and seeks to destroy them on religious grounds, but even as they do so, many Tech-Priests, especially those of a more radical bent, eagerly seek to plunder the secrets of Cybertronic technology and bio-mechanics. Decepticons generally squash Tech-Priests and Skitarii on principle, though a surprising number of Hereteks have found their way into Starscream's forces, some even being promoted to the level of Headmaster. Autobots try to be more patient, in theory, but often end up brutally killing the Mechanicus in self-defense.
*'''Inquisition''': The primary interaction between the Transformers and the Inquisition comes with the Ordo Xenos, though of course firebrands of the Ordo Malleus are eager to justify Transformers as "mechanical daemons" as well. The Ordo Xenos is locked in a constant cold war with Transformers, constantly trying to understand their enemies. Many come to display intense paranoia as they learn more about the capabilities of their foes. Starscream's use of Pretenders to steal precious resources, subvert human civilizations and found Decepti-cults has made him a particular enemy of the Ordo Hereticus as well.
*'''Space Marines''': As the Imperium's elite warriors, it should be unsurprising that the Adeptus Astartes and the Transformers have battled frequently, and with far less success than the Imperium likes to admit. Though bitter enemies, as with all outsiders of the Imperium, some Chapters have developed the begrudging respect for Transformers that one may come to feel for a particularly skilled and dangerous foe. Autobots are known to sometimes profess a similar respect, even lamenting on how the Space Marines have fallen from the days of the Heresy; they might have been enemies all along, but when one's enemy has visibly declined over the centuries, and you've lived through it, that becomes mortifying. Decepticons usually don't show similar respect, except for the more honorable members of their ranks, but do delight in taunting the Astartes on how their prowess and technology has crumbled since the Heresy.
* '''Adeptus Soritas''': The Ordos Militant have a particular hatred for the Transformers, as much because their Cybertronian enemies often dismiss them as inferior compared to the Adeptus Astartes as because of their fanatical faith in the Imperium's xenophobic credo of manifest destiny. A number of sisters of the Ordo Dialogous are dedicated to studying the language of Transformers, and are often found in the entourages of the Ordo Xenos; some allow this to become an obsessive drive, to the extent that there have even been rare occasions where they have willingly worked with the Adeptus Mechanicus to mutual benefit.

'''Chaos:''' The Warp is something that terrifies all Transformers. While not as suceptable as humans, Cybertronians are still capable of being corrupted and falling to Chaos. If this were to happen, their link to Primus will be severed, meaning that their spark will travel to the Warp instead of becoming one with the Allspark after they die. The possibility of not joining the Allspark is nightmarish to even the most deviant of Transformers, but the offerings of the Dark Gods are sometimes so tantalizing it makes it hard to resist. When fallen to Chaos, Transformers are so thoroughly corrupted through spark and mind that it is impossible to reverse them to their old selves. For the most part they avoid anything Warp related since most Chaos forces are extremely dangerous to engage.
*'''Chaos Space Marines:''' The Traitor Astartes are some of the most dangerous enemies the Transformers have ever faced. Not only can they not see reason, their strength and firepower can rival most Cybertronian weaponry. And even then, they're still buffed with gifts from the blasphemous gods. Even though they generally stay away from them, there is only one group that most Transformers have a "kill on sight" policy towards: the Iron Warriors. Whenever the iron skull of the sons of Perturabo is seen, most Cybertronians are reminded of the horrific memories of the Horus Heresy, when the IVth Legion enmasse experimented on Transformers to turn them into daemon engines. The hatred for the is shared by every Transformer, and it is not unheard of for Autobot and Decepticon alike to rendezvous and join forces when an Iron Warriors warband is spotted.
*'''Daemons:''' The fear of daemons come from the fact that not only are they terrifying, but they are also a paradox of everything that is. Besides the worship of Primus, Cybertronian society is for the most part based on reason and science. So to see a literal embodiment of emotion and fear tearing at their sparks is far more terrifying than any Ork or Tyranid. Not only that, but anything from the rusty blade of a Plagebearer to the psychic hailstorm of a Lord of Change can rip most Cybertronians asunder. And that doesn't include the possibly of daemonic possession, turning their body into a mere host for an unworldly entity. If a daemonic summoning occurs on a world, they will work to immediately vacate the planet if there is any possibly to escape.
*'''Lost and the Damned:''' Besides heavy artillery and the occasional daemons, renegades aren't terribly dangerous to Cybertronians. Most are incompetent, violent warbands that fall into disarray when their leader is killed. Decepticons, however, aren't above hiring them to do their dirty work. Some have even pledged their devotion to them, usually called "Decepti-cults." On the flip side, individual Transformers might join some of these renegade groups, exchanging their services for energon and protection.

'''Orks''': Living to fight as they do, Orks particularly enjoy the chance to fight Transformers, who are "big, stompy and shooty - right proppa scrappin'!" Big Meks in particular enjoy the prospect of stripping down Transformer wrecks to rebuild them into machines for the Ork Waaagh! Needless to say, the Transformers do ''not'' appreciate the attention and make it their duty to exterminate Orks wherever they can. Orks are one of the few occasions where even Autobots will unleash their most powerful anti-biological weapons, capable of breaking the cycle of Ork reproduction. Some of the most common sightings of Autobots in Imperial territory have come when one or more emerged from hiding/dormancy to annihilate an invading Ork Waaagh! or to purge its adopted world of Feral Ork tribes.

'''Craftworld Eldar''': Though Eldar arrogance prevents them from ever truly allying with any race, if there is one species they can admit to holding some respect for, it is the Transformers. Cybertronians equal, if not surpass, Eldar in skill and longevity, and drastically exceed them in strength and durability, all without having to fear She-Who-Thirsts. Though no Eldar would ever admit it, deep down, most find Transformers a little intimidating... which, of course, infuriates them. Autobots and Eldar have one of the few relationships that can be considered relatively close, in the 41st Millennium.

'''Exodite Eldar''': More so than their Craftworld Kin, Exodites can admit to respecting the Transformers, most specifically the Autobots. Although they generally keep them at bay, this is because the Cybertronian ability to assume the form of labor-saving machines is against the codes their lives are built on. Transformers who assume the shape of beasts or weapons have been known to live alongside Exodites, and when under attack by superior forces, even war-machine-formed Autobots are welcome; Exodites are many things, but they are not stupid.

'''Dark Eldar''': If Autobots and Craftworld or Exodite Eldar can be said to be on good terms, that cannot be said to be the case for their dealings with the Dark Eldar. Even the Decepticons don't like the Dark Eldar. These vampiric degenerates disgust the Transformers, especially since there are elders who can remember the time before the Fall and see how the Dark Eldar have learned ''nothing''. Meanwhile, the existence of the Transformers offends the Dark Eldar to the depths of their shriveled, bleeding souls; by their very existence, Cybertronians put a lie to the Dark Eldar's claims to be the only race that really matters, diminishing the glory of their heritage. They eagerly seek the destruction of all Transformers, striving to draw them into their labs to be tormented; the soul-stuff of a Transformer is unimaginably potent, compared to that of a human or an ork.

'''Eldar Harlequins''': As a race on generally good terms with the Eldar, as much as that is possible between Eldar arrogance and the realities of the 41st Millennium, Transformers are amongst the very few individuals who can be said to have met Harlequins on peaceful terms. There are even accounts of Autobots, or more rarely Decepticons, who have seen the Harlequins perform.

'''Eldar Pirates''': Those Outcast Eldar who choose to plunder the galaxy have been known to attempt to raid Transformer ruins or colonies for the prestige that such plunder could award them. These reavers are rare and often held up as being half-crazed, because the Eldar are forced to accept the power of the Cybertronians and begrudgingly respect them, making such raids extremely risky.

'''Tyranids''': Although one might think that their artificial nature makes Transformers inedible to Tyranids, to do so is to underestimate their drive for raw material. They absorb minerals as readily as protein and calcium, but even beyond that, Transformers are organisms in their own right, with their own alien genetic materials to assimilate. The Transformers respond to the Tyranids with the same ferocity they show against the Orks, deploying their most powerful weapons and striving to burn them from the stars. The Decepticons and Autobots readily find common cause, as both races see the Tyranids as needing to be exterminated.

'''Tau Empire''': (insert text here)

'''Necrons''': (insert text here)

==See Also==
* [[Codex: Transformers]] - The official attempt to make a 40k codex to use with this fluff.

{{Template: Stub}}

Chapter serfs

2016-01-15T19:40:46Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: Redirected page to Chapter Serf

#REDIRECT [[Chapter Serf]]

Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Skitarii

2016-01-15T13:48:27Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Elite */ Redundant sentence 'Infiltrators AND a unit of Vanguard

Now when you take to the tabletop, do so in the name of the [[Adeptus Mechanicus|Quest for Knowledge]].
==Why Play Skitarii==
Revealing their hand in white dwarf, the Adeptus Mechanicus have been given a presence in core 40k in the form of the Skitarii (or "Tech Guard" for those of you not in the know). This is NOT the same as the Horus Heresy Mechanicum army or units -though if Forge World had half a brain they would start finding ways to add their 30k units into the 40k army in an upcoming Imperial Armour book. (It's Forgeworld, they do have half a brain, and sadly the other half belongs to GW. So fingers crossed.)

They completely lack transports, flyers, and general variety, but what they DO have is very impressive. Every infantry unit has Feel No Pain (6+ for the Troops, 5+ for the Elites), a BS of 4, very good leadership (8 for regulars, 9 for Alphas). Vanguard and Infiltrators even have a debuff aura around them, making any CQC fight THAT much easier. Their gear choices are among the best in the entire game (Arc Rifles, Transuranic Arquebus, Arc Maul, Mindscrambler Grenades, 5++ saves for the cost of one melta bomb, and The Omniscient Mask to name a few). Their Dunecrawlers are retardedly strong (if short-ranged), especially when taken in a group of three (can you say 4++ on a VEHICLE?) and even better than those are your warlord traits, with Emotionless Clarity being the bane of horde armies ([[Dark_Angels|Can you say BS4 on OVERWATCH?]]). However, there are some notable drawbacks; their infantry is only T3 with a 4+, so be ready for more than a few Instant Deaths. For all their good-quality and aggression-based abilities, they have a hard time capitalizing on them due to their lack of flamers and a notable lack of synergy; most of their anti-vehicle abilities are mid-range weapons, which no enemy commander worth their overpriced models would DARE get close enough to your steampunk soldiers to give them that opportunity. Here's hoping those Ruststalkers don't get shot up.

The Skitarii have a decently well-balanced army: There are four kits, making a total of 7 distinct models, including shooty radioactive infantry, shootier not-radioactive infantry, assassin men with knives, assassin men with cattle prods, shooty/stabby gimp-powered scout walkers, shootier gimp-powered scout walkers, and a spider-tank.

Currently, they have an interesting feel to them, in that you could probably play them as a solo army and do better than [[Sisters of Battle|certain]] [[Stormtroopers|other]] [[Harlequins|armies]], but they'd suffer from lack of flyers and transport. The alternative is to ally them with any other Imperial force for their nasty guns, because seriously, they have some NASTY guns.

===Reasons for playing Skitarii===
*You've wanted Adeptus Mechanicus units in 40K for a long time.
*Everything that shoots has Relentless, so no static gun lines for you.
*Funky-ass wargear that can't be found anywhere else.
*They look to be a middle ground between Astra Militarum and Astartes in terms of individual power level, on par with the Sisters of Battle or Tempestus Scions, while getting better support.
*You want to beat Tau at their own cover-ignoring game.
*Lots of Precision Shot going around. Fuck their characters. From 60", no less.
*Rerollable BS2 snap shots on walkers. Hells yeah.
*Reroll-Ones BS4 Overwatch on the Warlord's squad. Holy motherfucker. You see that Chaos player fielding Be'lakor and preparing himself to abuse invisibility? Ruin his day and drink his tears.
*Everything has Scout and Crusader USR. EVERYTHING. This is pretty fortunate, because they have no transports. At all.
*+3" to Movement/Run/Charge for the units that want to be doing this (Sicarians and Ironstriders, specifically).

==Skitarii Special Rules==

===Special Rules===

'''Dunestrider''': Units with this rule add 3" to movement in the Movement Phase, charges, and Run moves. Note that this is a flat boost, meaning that units with this rule likely still move through terrain faster than other units move across open ground. It also increases your danger radius exponentially by giving you potential 15" charges. Aw, no Rapid Fire during Overwatch for you. (Well, except those pesky Tau and other Skitarii...)

'''Crawler''': Units with this rule are not slowed by Difficult Terrain, and automatically pass all Dangerous Terrain tests, but cannot Run, not that you'd want to. If you ever find yourself in a position where you want to run instead of shoot with your Onager, you already fucked up.

====Doctrina Imperatives====
There are a total of 6 Doctrines. At the beginning of each of your (the Skitarii player's) movement phases you may select any one of them (one use only) to increase either the BS or WS of the entire Skitarii army, though this is sometimes at the expense of the other stat. They are split into '''Conqueror''' Imperatives (Which boost WS) and '''Protector''' Imperatives (Which boost BS)
*'''Hazard Optimization (Gamma)''' - +1 BS
*'''Mindstate Secutor (Gamma)''' - +1 WS
*'''Gundrill Symbiosis (Beta)''' - +2 BS / -1 WS
*'''Technomartyr Concords (Beta)''' - +2 WS / -1 BS
*'''Binharic Omniscience (Alpha)''' - +3 BS / -2 WS
*'''Hyperaction Protocols (Alpha)'''+3 WS / -2 BS

'''Doctrine Tip''': Only ever use Binharic Omniscience when you are certain nothing will charge you, on Turn 1 for example, because even Tau will be hitting your Skitarii on 3+. Similarly, Hyperaction Protocols can change the entire course of melee but at the expense of almost everything but melee. Just snap-shot as much as you can during that doctrine.

"'''Each Doctrina Imperative''' can only be used once during the game." This means that you can use Binharic Omniscience on the first turn, Gundrill Symbiosis on the second, Mindslate Secutor on the third, and so on. Keep that in mind and you can find yourself easily dominating the table as you tear chunks out of your enemy when they are playing the ranged game, then tear chunks out of him when your lines close. Do note that you don't have to use an imperative every turn and you probably won't need to either.

===Warlord Traits===
#'''Reinforced Exoskeleton''' - Grants the Warlord Eternal Warrior. On the one hand, this sounds really useful on an Infiltrator Princeps, but on the other, even with Eternal Warrior, your T3, 2W and 4+ armor Warlord is really fragile.
#'''Artificer Armament''' - One of the Warlord's weapons becomes Master-Crafted. This can't be applied to Relics. This is mostly superficial since your Warlord will almost certainly have Preferred Enemy.
#'''Masterwork Bionics''' - Reroll failed Feel No Pain rolls. Sounds great, but remember that a rerollable 6+ save is slightly worse than a 5+ save, so you won't be saving too much more. Is loads more effective on a Sicarian, since it becomes a little better than a 4+. Instant Death will still fuck you, though.
#'''Incense Generatorium''' - The Warlord and his unit get Shrouded. Probably the best trait, since it keeps you alive for much longer than your standard 4+ armor save alone will. Shame your Infiltrators cannot get this.
#'''Disciple of the Omnissiah''' - The Warlord and all friendly Skitarii within 12" reroll failed Morale checks, Pinning tests, and Fear tests. This is one of the better traits, since it's a surprisingly large bubble considering that you don't have transports.
#'''Emotionless Clarity''' - The Warlord and his unit fire Overwatch at BS4. This does not stack with Doctrina Imperatives. Remember, you fire ''Overwatch'' at BS4, not ''snap shots'' in general, so no Arc Rifleing Flyers to death. Still a decent trait, no one will dare charge you.

It should be noted that only Skitarii Ranger Alphas and Vanguard Alphas get to roll D6 for traits. Sicarians only roll D3. As long as you are in a Maniple detachment or Battle Maniple formation you also get a reroll.

===Skitarii Maniple Detachment===
Like many of the new 7E codices, the Skitarii have their own detachment with special rules. In particular, the Maniple (pronounced "Man Nipple"), is akin to the [[Harlequins]] and their Masque detachment, which also lacks an HQ. Unlike the Masque, however, you're not stuck with a whole bunch of taxes.

2 Compulsory Troops choices are what you need to start with, optional slots are 6 Troops, 2 Fast Attack, 4 Elites, 4 Heavy, & 1 Fortification.

The command benefits are pretty sweet: Your warlord gets the customary re-roll on the Skitarii Warlord table, but ALSO gets ''Preferred Enemy'' to boot. Did someone say plasma caliver squad?

Additionally, all models in the detachment get ''Crusader'' and ''Scout'' for free. Though under the condition that you cannot Outflank these scouting models, though if a model could Outflank via other means (like having ''Infiltrate''), then that's acceptable.

===Tactical Objectives===
;11 - A Victory for Logic
: 1 VP if you Deny the Witch. Probably a feat to do by yourself. Good thing, then, that you have the Imperium for allies, meaning Librarians with Hoods! [[Culexus|Assassins]]! [[Sisters of Battle|Nuns with guns and massive hateboners for psykers]]!

;12 - Survival is Nothing, Data is All
: 1 VP if a Skitarii unit either kills or is killed during your turn. Inevitable wins.

;13 - The Quest for Knowledge
: 1 VP for rolling a Mysterious Objective. Should be easy if you use the rules for them. It can be harder than you expect though. Except when you ally with Cult Mechanicus, because their Scryerskulls do literally just that, once per turn, anywhere on the table.

;14 - In Gloriam Mechanicus
: 1 VP if you kill a vehicle during your turn. d3 VP if you killed a Superheavy. You have the weapons, you can do this...well, maybe more the vehicle than the superheavy.

;15 - Rumours of Revelation.
: When you get this, roll a d6. You get 1 VP for controlling this objective, and it becomes d3 if your Warlord owns it.

;16 - Affronts to the Machine God
: 1 VP if you kill a vehicle, same as 14...except now you also gain d3 VP if you killed 3-4 vehicles, and d3+3 VP for killing over 5 vehicles.

==Skitarii Wargear==
===Melee Weapons===
*'''Arc Maul''' -A Haywire power maul. But, you know that unit of men you have marching and shooting that are relentless, well hey guess what? Now for 20 points they can destroy ALL KINDS of vehicles, bonus points if you use it with vanguard against low armor/low toughness opponents.It's too bad Infiltrators can't take this weapon, because it almost seems tailor-made for them.
*'''Taser Goad/Lance''' - A cool [[Necrons|tesla]]-type S+2 melee weapon that causes two extra hits for every 6 you roll to hit. The Lance version has a higher strength of +3 when charging and also doubles the initiative of the user (generally to six). Unfortunately neither version has any AP to speak of, though get enough of them together and you can overwhelm enemies with lots of hits or pulp just about any transport.
*'''Power Sword''' - The same old weapon seen throughout 40k. S: User AP3. Good for taking out MEQ, but your guys are S3. You wound them on 5s. However, This can be offset slightly if you give it to a Vanguard Alpha, which thanks to the -1 toughness penalty against enemies in Close combat, can give you a better chance at taking out power armored foes. The sword comes as the Infiltrators basic weapon and are S4.
*'''Transonic Razor/Blade''' The crazy sonic resonance weapons found on Ruststalkers. Both are AP 5 (Blade is +1 S), tying in with the rubbish AP on most Skitarii melee weapons. However, both come with the Transonic rule; To Wound rolls of 6's wound regardless of toughness and are AP2. In all subsequent rounds after the first, all attacks become AP 2 and still auto-wound on 6s To Wound. [[Awesome]].
*'''Chord Claw''' - Also standard on Ruststalkers, this is identical in stats and rules to a Transonic razor, but also has the Molecular Dissonance rule. This means that when a model attacks with a Chord Claw, it rolls a separate attack with Fleshbane. Note that this attack is taken out of your normal pool of attacks, it does ''not'' grant you an additional attack.
*'''Prehensile Dataspike''' - An AP5 specialist weapon with Haywire and an additional attack at Initiative 10, which you use regardless of which CCW you use for your default attacks. If you think of this as a weird mash between old school servo-arms and new school servo-arms that traded power for strikes at Int 10 and full Initiative, you wouldn't be wrong. The question you need to ask yourself is: "Do I really need more Haywire on a unit that already has Haywire grenades?" Unless, of course, you decided to take the Transonic Blades, which makes you lose the grenades. It does mean though that your Ruststalker Princeps will get 4 haywire attacks on the charge, along with his dataspike attack, making him better than the rest of his squad combined at wrecking vehicles. Note that you don't gain an attack for the additional CCWs, due to being a specialist weapon.

===Ranged Weapons===
*'''Arc Weapons''' - Haywire weapons; come in pistol or rapid fire format for your pleasure. Also has a nice S6 if you don't want to shoot at vehicles for some reason, though at AP5 you'll need some luck to do anything.
**'''Arc Pistol''' - It's a 12" Haywire pistol.
**'''Arc Rifle''' - Possibly the best-looking gun the Skitarii have. It's 24" Rapid Fire, which means it pairs well with its little brother. The only problem is that it doesn't really jive well with the vanguard and ranger's basic weapons.
*'''Stubcarbine''' - Half range heavy stubber which is also assault rather than heavy. No AP might look bad, but really, all things with Sv5+ or less should have cover or invulnerable saves anyway. It's distinctly not a pistol, so no extra attack if you take it.
*'''Flechette Blaster''' - Pistol available on the Infiltrators paired with a Taser Goad. It's got piss-poor strength at S2, but 5 (FIVE!) shots with shred means it pack more punch than a rapid-firing bolter against everything but T6/7 (which it cannot wound at all). Also grants that Pistol +1 Attack.
*'''Cognis Weapons''' - A regular Autocannon, Lascannon, or Heavy Stubber, but with the ability to make snapshot attacks at BS2.
*'''Galvanic Rifle''' - the "Basic" Skitarii Ranger weapon is pretty good - pretty much a bolter with Kraken rounds. 30" range rapid fire weapon with S4 AP4 and precision shots. Not bad at all when you compare it to the basic weapon of nearly every other Faction in the game. It also means a gun line of Skitarii COULD destroy a [[Tau|Fire Warrior]] gun line and laugh at their pulse rifles. Sure, they'll wound on 2+, but you'll have 4+ armor saves, they won't and wounding on 3+ isn't that bad either. Doctrina Imperatives for boosting BS are a pretty good equivalent to markerlights, too.
*'''Mindscrambler Grenades''' - Stock on Ruststalkers, they're AP4 Haywire Grenades that always wound on a 4+ (They become S3 when assaulting vehicles). This specifically isn't Poisoned, so you can screw with Monstrous/Gargantuan Creatures with that.
**These things are the best grenades in the game. If they were also Defensive grenades, they'd have everything. They count as assault grenades, make wounds-on-4+ AP4 blasts and can Haywire vehicles.
*'''Phosphor Weapons''' - Imagine firing a Tracer round from a Heavy Bolter and this is what you'll get. The same strength and AP, but only single shot. Any wounds or hull points caused on a target will light them up like a christmas tree and reduce their cover save for the rest of the turn. Also makes them easier to charge at by letting you re-roll the charge range.
**'''Important Note:''' Phosphor Luminagen rule quite explicitly doesn't mention that their effect can only be used by Skitarii, it doesn't even specify that only friendly units can use it. No matter what your Allies-status is, ''anything'' can use the effect of your Phosphor weapons. Yes, even the squad of Flayed Ones you sent at the squad your Skitarii shot holes into. Or your enemies.
**'''Phosphor Blast Pistol''' - Pistol format phosphor weapon. It's shorter-ranged than the Serpenta, but you can take it in an infantry squad. No actual blasts, sadly.
**'''Phosphor Serpenta''' - 18" Assault 1, essentially your squad's markerlight when you want to follow up the attack with more shooting and probably a charge later.
**'''Heavy Phosphor Blaster''' - A nice toy for the Onager at 15pts. 36" Twin Linked Heavy 3 S6 AP3 for fucking Marines over, and it pseudo-markerlights the unit. Probably the best Luminagen gun.
*'''Radium Weapons''' - Cancer guns for your Vanguards, have a low strength of 3 as basic, but a to-wound of 6 causes two (instead of one) auto-wounds which must be saved separately. Mathammer-wise this means when it fired en masse it deals ''exactly'' as much damage as your standard S4 AP5 guns against anything but T6 and T7, against which it's twice as good. "Auto-Wounds" means it can wound even if the enemy's Toughness should be too high, which is nice for piling the saves on big wraith constructs and Iron Arm-protected daemons. Wait a second - Martians using radium firearms? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barsoom#Weapons Where have we heard this befo-]GODDAMNIT GW!
**'''Radium Pistol''' - It's a pistol.
**'''Radium Carbine''' - 18" range and Assault 3, meaning lots of hits at short-mid range with the potential of cascading effect when they start causing additional wounds later. The [[Awesome|basic]] weapon of the Skitarii Vanguard.
**'''Radium Jezzail''' - possibly a nod to the Skaven warp weapons, particularly in appearance (or simply because both drew inspiration from their British-Indian namesake). It's a two shot sniper version as a weapon choice for the Dragoon, in place of its Taser Lance, for free. [[Awesome|To Wound 6's cause two ADDITIONAL AP2 wounds]] which, we will remind you, you get to allocate if you get a 6 on your To Hit. Basically, if you're going to be taking these on Dragoons, you will have to commit to it - as in they're all gonna be sniping. By and by, pretty good for close range heavy infantry/monstrous creature sniping. Could be fun against Riptides with a little luck.
*'''Plasma Caliver''' - An 18" range, 3-shot assault plasma gun. It still gets hot because the Mechanicum haven't figured out plasma like the Tau or Eldar have. (Rather, the Mechanicum knew how, but the Adeptus Mechanicus forgot how to make Phased Plasma Fusils.)
** If you want these, put them in your Warlord's unit, since just about everything Battleforged grants your Warlord Preferred Enemy. While this won't let the Calivers hit all ''that'' much harder, it lowers the chance of the gun blowing up from "very likely" to "are you sure Gets Hot is still a rule?" Also, using Doctrina Imperatives to boost your BS above 5 also lets you re-roll Gets Hot results (possibly into hits again). Rock on.
**Also Skitarii get two turns on reroll 1s via Doctrina Imperatives. So for the most part you get 3 turns of plasma shooting.
*'''Transuranic Arquebus''' - An AP3 ARMORBANE sniper rifle. Keep in mind, Armorbane means you roll an additional D6 to determine penetration. Sniper weapons are S4 against vehicles by default, so a roll of two 5s means you're glancing Baneblades from ANY side. However, this does require a fair bit of luck to achieve, so arc weapons are more reliable for bringing down Monoliths or Hammerheads. Transports (and whatever's in them)on the other hand will not be so hard to crack. There is literally no vehicle this anti-tank rifle is incapable of making go boom pretty much across the board. It has a ludicrous 60" range, so with enough of them you can bust open that [[Metal Boxes|METAL BAWKS]] and force those Mary Sues to foot slog their way through your fire lanes the rest of the game. Not to mention, anything that uses this gun has Relentless, so just walk sideways and get yourself a nice peek at some side armour if you're that worried. Two units of Rangers with 2 each camping both corners of your side should be able to ensure that at least one of them catches sight of side armor.
*'''Icarus Array''' - A fucking awesome anti-air platform that goes on your Onager Dunecrawler for 35 points. Everything is Heavy (so you can move), 48" range, and Skyfire. Do note that you can still snap-fire at ground targets if you've shot down all the flyers already. Don't forget Skyfire gives full BS to shots at FMC and Skimmers also. And yes, when this thing fires, it fires '''all three modes at once'''. Tears Dark Eldar and Eldar vehicles to little bits of rainbow confetti. Tau vehicles are a little tougher, but they'll go down pretty easily too with this much firepower directed their way.
**'''Daedalus Missile Launcher''' - S7 AP2 Heavy 1. It's a particularly badass Flakk missile.
**'''Gatling Rocket Launcher''' - S6 AP4 Heavy 5. Ignores Cover to boot - jink this, assholes! A machine gun with rockets. [[Dakka|Fuck yeah.]]
**'''Twin Icarus Autocannon''' - S7 AP4 Heavy 2 with Interceptor and Twin-linked.
*'''Eradication Beamer''' - It's an inverse Conversion Beamer, and is the default weapon for the Dunecrawler. S10 AP1 up to 9", S8 AP3 Blast between 9" and 18", S6 AP5 Large Blast between 18" and 36".
*'''Neutron Laser''' - The Eradication Beamer without the bullshit. A chunk of change at 25pts (though you get a Cognis Heavy Stubber as well), but 48" S10 AP1 3" Blast, with Concussive. Good-bye, TEQs.. and everything else.
----

===Special Issue Wargear & Armour===
*'''Skitarii Warplate''' - It's shiny multi-functional armor. Not as protective as Power Armor, but has all the cool environment-suit features of it, unlike Carapace Armor. Still a 4+ save, though.
*'''Sicarian Battle Armour''' - 4+/6++ Armour, which is weird considering that the Sicarians are even ganglier than the regular Skitarii. [[Heresy|Reverse-engineered Dark Eldar Ghostplate, maybe?]]
*'''Refractor Field''' - 5+ invulnerable, you've seen these before.
*'''Conversion Field''' - Like the Dark Angels get, a 4+ invulnerable that goes off like a flash grenade when hit. Friendly units can re-roll the blind test. So, it's awesome because it's a 10 point reliable Invuln save, but it's a crapshoot as to who will get the brunt of the blind effect though. Do note that since no one got hit by a weapon with the Blind Special Rule, all units (including friendly) within D6 have to test like they were hit with one. Also note that taken on an infiltrator princeps can be good due to it's ability to infiltrate and have a more reliable initiative than rangers and vanguard.
*'''Infoslave Skull''' - +1 Ld and Acute Senses, which goes very well with Infiltrators.
*'''Omnispex''' - Like an Auspex, but made ''Omni'', though it still does the job of reducing cover saves on target units. The owning model does not have to forgo his own ranged attack to get the benefit. Jury's deliberating if it stacks with the Luminagen effect.
*'''Enhanced Data Tether''' - Whenever the unit is affected by Doctrina Imperatives they add +1 Ld, ''starting'' next turn. Does not stack with Broad Spectrum Data Tether.
*'''Broad Spectrum Data Tether''' - Whenever a friendly Skitarii unit is within 6" of a model affected by Doctrina Imperatives they add +1 Ld, ''until'' next turn. Does not stack with Enhanced Data Tether.
*'''Digital Weapons''' - Re-roll one failed To-Wound in Assault.

===Relics of Mars===
*'''Arkhan's Divinator''' - A meta tool named after <s>[[Arkhan the Black|Nagash's most loyal servant]]</s> the man who invented [[Land Speeder]]s and [[Land Raider]]s, this allows you to re-roll mysterious objectives and mysterious terrain. Um...at least it's cheap.
*'''Phase Taser''' - It's almost the same as a normal Taser Goad, but an unsaved wound against it calls for an Initiative test, which if failed removes the target from play. Well it won't do shit against [[Chaos Daemons]] or [[Eldar]], and it's a crapshoot against [[Space Marines|Spess Mehreens]], but maybe against [[Necrons]] or [[Tau]] , it could be good. If you were already going to give someone a Taser Goad, might as well pay five points more for this. Also Phaser Taser. Phaser Taser Phaser Taser Phaser Taser Phaser {{BLAM}} =NOTE= Slap this on an Infiltrator Princeps and go monster hunting as Infiltrators REDUCE I within 6".
*'''Omniscient Mask''' - This unit now has [[Chaplain|Zealot]]. Take this. Always. Works especially on Sicarian squads.
*'''Phosphoenix''' - A phosphor pistol with AP2 and Poison (3+) that shoots once, but if successful, causes three hits. Combine with an Omnispex and some Plasma Calivers for cover-ignoring lulz. And only 25 points, too! Every fa/tg/uy was flipping his shit about this thing, until codex leaks showed that it only has a range of 6". Hmmph. Probably best suited to a Infiltrator Princeps due to their close proximity tactics.
*'''Pater Radium''' - If your unit's stuck in combat by Initiative Step 1, the units you're fighting must test Toughness or take d6 AP2 random unsaveable wounds. Now this is NASTY...provided you last that long to use it. Best combined with Vanguards, since they make those T tests more reliable, and it fits their theme.
*'''The Skull of Elder Nikola''' - It's Nicola Tesla's head... That should be reason enough... Actually, what it does is allow the unit carrying it to cause everything within d6 per Turn Number" take S1 AP- Haywire hits. If you use it against a tanky guardsmen/marine army, do find a bucket for the ensuing tears. Keep in mind, you can only use it once, so get this thing in close to a bunch of vehicles near end game, if you can.

==Unit Analysis==

===HQ===
Like the Harlequins, you don't have to take one. Thank the Omnissiah, because to make an effective one you'd wind up dumping several hundred points into wargear.

Fluffwise this is due to Skitarii being directed by Techpriests who have the good sense to send orders remotely from orbit instead of risking their neck(beard)s on the ground. Interestingly these orders are seen as guidance from the Omnissiah to the Skitarii instead of orders from a superior. And by this we mean they feel compelled to do, instead of follow orders.

===Troops===
*'''Skitarii Rangers''' - They have similar stat-lines to Tempestus Scions and have Move-Through-Cover, but also with Feel No Pain (6+) and Relentless which seems standard for Skitarii units. So they have comfortable staying power and decent move-and-shoot mobility. Since they all have Galvanic Rifles as standard, expect lots of precision hits over time, so they're excellent at removing troublesome characters or special weapon troopers from enemy units. Their range means that they can be used like more mobile Fire Warriors.
**This unit can also take up to 2 special weapons (3 if the squad is maxxed out), however the best option is the transuranic arquebus. Exceptional for removing MEQs from the board reliably, and as mentioned above, has a ridiculously long range and an anti-transport option but rather expensive. Also an omnispex to deny cover-campers some of their trolling isn't a bad idea.

*'''Skitarii Vanguard''' - Your "basic" unit. Cheaper than Rangers at 9 points a model for something almost straight out of [[Fallout]]. They are similar to Rangers in statline but get a Radium Carbine (and a bad-ass looking 15th century helmet) instead of a Galvanic Rifle, so they trade reliable longer range and sniping ability for more firepower at medium range (and style, don't forget style). Against anything but Sv4+ they bring roughly 50% more hurt for the same points as Rangers, going to 200% against T6 and higher, (given it's within 18" range). Additionally, since they are so saturated with radiation, ''anyone'' engaged in melee with them reduces their Toughness by one, making Vanguards not as terrible in CC as you could expect from the shooty stormtrooper-esque squad.
**Same options for special weapons as above, and they really should take some. Take Plasma Calivers if you want to vaporise MEQs and TEQs, and have balls-loads of points to spare. Is your opponent packing a [[Land Raider]] or a [[Monolith]]? No problem, Arc rifles will make toast out of them for half the price of a Caliver each. Phosphor blast pistol and Omnispex are a recommended combo for some [[Tau]] shenanigans
** Alternatively, you can take the Vanguard bare bones. They are pretty cheap for what they do and can generate a gigantic clusterfuck with three shots per model that auto-wound ''twice'' on 6s, which you'll be having quite a few of. Especially Chaos Daemons will hate your guts for spamming Vanguard, but even Terminators buckle under the amount of wounds they will need to save. And if faced with a charge, just throw your Vanguard at them, take away their charge bonuses and laugh as your puny tin-men wound the mighty Spess Muhreens on 4+.
**It looks at first like you can do some really cheesy stuff by stacking rad-induced toughness reduction, but, due to the specific line in the 'Rad Saturation' rule that states the rule can only be used to bring the enemy toughness to a minimum of 1, that won't work. You can reduce enemy toughness ''to'' 1, if you stack it up right (Dark Angels, Ordo Xenos Inquisitors, Imperial Knights), but abusing this will mark you as [[That Guy]]. Like most cheapness, it's fun to try once, but then hang it up and don't be a dickhat.

===Elite===
*'''Sicarian Ruststalkers''' - Fighty little metal men with Transonic Razors, Chordclaws and Mindscrambler Grenades, they benefit from both Dunestrider and Furious Charge, which add to make them a fast attack force. They're also very fragile with T3, even if they have 2 wounds each and Feel no Pain. They can exchange all their weapons for two Transonic Blades for free, which can ensure more of a hurt, but at the cost of utility and the chance for ID, while the Princeps can gain a Prehensile Dataspike for the cost of a melta and/or buy back the Chordclaw he traded away if he has double Transonic Blades.
** While the Transonic Blades seem tempting, it is better to stay away from them. One attack with Fleshbane and the uber-grenades are vastly superior to +1S on the other attacks, especially since Furious Charge already makes your attacks S5.
** Worth pointing out that on the charge you'll do more glancing hits against AV10 with razors than with haywire, so use razors on vehicles with AV10 rear armour.
** Also worth pointing out that Chordclaws and Mindscrambler grenade units are still S5 on the charge meaning you glance that same AV10 on a 5+ with the same amount of attacks while being more effective against high T (fleshbane) and vehicles who have AV11+ rear (haywire grenades). Blades are outclassed in all situations.
**Surprisingly, this is an excellent anti-tank unit. Your standard 5-man squad with a Dataspike will have 8 haywire attacks (4 from mindscrabler grenades, 4 from dataspike) on the charge. Against a vehicle, you would get a little over 4 glances and 1 pen on average regardless of armor, more than enough to take out just about anything. Comparable HP damage from say, BS4 meltas vs AV 12 would require 9 of them -- though to be fair, you'd get more pens. All while costing as much as melta-equipped sternguard. The only drawback is that they'd get shot off the board immediately afterwards.

*'''Sicarian Infiltrators''' - The bastard children of Alpha-5 of the Power Rangers, if he were built by a bunch of xenophobic men in red robes. Their loadouts are less impressive than the Ruststalkers with Stubcarbines and Power Swords and they're more expensive, but they get better rules: Dunestrider, Infiltrate, and Stealth means that they'll certainly reach reliable cover where they need it. However, they can be equally handy as walls as they make enemies within 6" take -1 WS/BS/I/Ld, which can lock them in for at least a round, and replacing their guns with Flechette Blasters and Taser Goads can make them irritating.
** In short, while their special rules are better and the fact that they actually have guns that shoot farther than grenades is good, their loadouts are less focused to specific tasks. A ton of Taser attacks are generally more useful than a few AP3 attacks, <s>but even those pale in comparison to the semi-instant AP2 shredding of Transonic Razors.</s> Scratch that, with a little Mathammer, the Infiltrators have a better statistical chance of killing more Terminators than Ruststalkers by their SHEER WEIGHT IN NUMBER OF ATTACKS, watch as your opponent weep when he loses three Terminators in one round of combat because he thought your Infiltrators were nothing more than robots with batons! However, unlike the Ruststalkers, the Taser/Flechette Infiltrators can force a lot of saves on (almost) anything, and over varying ranges as well. The Stub Carbine/Power Sword combo might sound great, but keep in mind that the Carbine, though a surprisingly strong gun, is not a pistol, which means that the amount of power sword attacks they can put out is very limited.
** However, getting an enemy into combat with Infiltrators AND a unit of Vanguard will almost certainly result in bloody murder, especially for the Taser Goad variant, since they suddenly hit most things' Instant Death threshold with -1T on them and S6 on you. Laugh and collect Tau tears as his 700 point Farsight Bomb gets shredded by a mere 300 points of your glorious tinfoil storm troopers.

===Fast Attack===
*'''Sydonian Dragoons''' - Cross Imperial Guard Sentinels with [[Bretonnia]]n knights and you get this. They come in squads of 1-6 and they are terrifyingly fast, open topped walkers with a Taser Lance designed for charging at people. It gets the ''"Dunestrider"'' rule which adds 3" to any move, run or charge it makes, in addition to having the ''Crusader'' special rule. It's also protected by it's cloud of incense, so gains a 5+ cover save while in the open, which benefits them as assaulters. The basic Dragoon has no ranged attack, but can replace its Lance with a Radium Jezzail ''(the sniper one)'' if you want them flanking up the side of the battlefield rather than charging things. But if you still want them charging, either version can purchase Phosphor Serpentas on top of their equipment, which can practically guarantee the charge if you manage to score a wound with them.
** <s>As a bonus, Phosphor Serpentas, being pistols, confer an extra attack. Because 5 s8 and hammer of wrath on a charge is *godly* for some 50pts.</s> The Phosphor Serpenta is Assault 1, not Pistol. This will not work.
** Be advised, that as melee attackers, they each have S8, I6, A4 (with the ability to generate 2 ''extra'' S8 hits with 6's) on the charge, but with no AP to speak of. They "might" be able to poke apart a Land Raider if you had a full squad of six and were lucky at rolling sixes to penetrate armour. Don't be disheartened though, that's not what Dragoons are for. With that speed they are perfect for flanking attacks and catching enemy light units or stationary artillery in the back-field. Also don't forget to claim a Hammer of Wrath when ending the charge move in BtB with enemy - while "only" S5 with no special rules, they hit automatically, so it's basically like two weaker extra attack on charge. Also they are pretty decent MC hunters, provided you take enough in a unit.
**As Dragoons are AV11, anything without S5 or krak/haywire grenades cannot do shit against them. Be prepared for those guardsmen or orks you just charged to retreat at the end of your assault phase, leaving you in the open at the mercy of your opponent's anti-tank guns. You may get lucky with a sweeping advance and wipe them out, but it still leaves you vulnerable afterwards. On the other hand daemons and fearless enemies are royally fucked if they cannot pierce AV11.
**Even if you give your Dragoons the Radium Jezzails, remember that they aren't too shabby at close combat even without the Taser Lance. 4 attacks + HoW at S5 and WS4 is very unpleasant. That's not to say they are amazing in CC without the Lances, but they can really hold their own if they need to.

===Heavy Support===
*'''Ironstrider Ballistarii''' - If you were thinking about using Dragoons for shooting, you might want to consider this as a superior alternative. They come with Twin-Linked Cognis Autocannons and the ''Precision Shots'' rule instead. You may replace the Autocannons with Cognis Lascannons if you want to go tank or TEQ hunting. Ballistarii are still blisteringly fast with Dunestrider and Crusader, but they don't have the incense cloud to protect them, so keep them at arms length from your opponent, preferably obscured behind their own cover.
**In a pinch these could be used as fast moving Anti-Aircraft platforms. With Twin-Linked Cognis weapons at BS2, they have a ~55% chance of landing a hit on an enemy flyer, which is better than anything with BS3 & Skyfire, and since you get Lascannons a single hit is far more likely to down a vehicle in one shot than the Autocannons or Flakk Missiles you'll find everywhere else. This also leads to very accurate overwatch, but how the fuck did you let the enemy get that close to you?
** The ballistarii are the weakest unit you have in terms of survivability (Coming from an army of T3 models). Tall, AV11 all around, no save of any kind, Open-topped, and your opponent WILL want them dead. If you use them, keep them as far back as you can. The Ironstrider Cavaliers formation negates this just a bit by allowing you to shoot through some Dragoons without giving your target cover and allowing your big guns some...but only a 5+ and a bad Outflank roll could leave you in a bad spot. Then again, that bad Outflank roll is very unlikely, since Acute Senses grant a reroll.

*'''Onager Dunecrawler''' - The bastard child of a Deff Dread and Defiler, the <s>Onager</s> Donkeytank is a big ugly heavy weapons platform above all else. They have a special ruleability in that they all have a 6++ save, which gets boosted by 1 up to a 4++ for every other Onager within 4" that is in the same unit. It can be kitted out with the following weapons/items:
**'''Eradication Beamer''' - Stock weapon on the Onager and overall, not a bad one. It basically gives you a range of effectiveness and most armies would want to back away their strong, expensive units from your death walker tanks so they don't get hit with S10 AP1 zaps. And if those nasty units are not getting close to your squishy metal humies, your dudes survive longer!
**'''Cognis Heavy Stubber''' - comes as a package deal with the Neutron Laser, as well as being a purchasable upgrade, and makes for a nice albeit milquetoast support gun. Snap-firing at BS2 is nothing to sneeze at, though.
**'''Icarus Anti-Air Array''' - Still decently effective against ground targets for a 125pt anti-air rape machine, you get ''all three'' of the guns described in the Icarus array above--aren't you so lucky? Priciest of the options, but fills a much-needed anti-air role otherwise absent from a stand-alone Skitarii list. Taking this means losing the ability to take Smoke Launchers, though, so at least pair up the Icarus Onagers for a 5++ Invul.
**'''Neutron Laser''' - Be wary of spending the 25pts for this upgrade because you're trading away the likelihood of reliable damage with the Eradication Beamer (if your opponent is insane or stupid enough to let it that close) for absolute murderous damage (and a heavy stubber!). Arguably deadliest of the Onager's guns because of that straight S10 AP1 48" punch; if you're taking these, you don't need Ballistarii with lascannons, except as makeshift Anti-Air.
**'''Phosphor Blaster''' - Facing a lot of MEQs? This is a great fire support tool for your gunline for a bargain. Additionally, as long as 3 are alive and close together, 3 AV12 walkers stomping towards you should survive well enough for the price. Tau players will hate you for bringing these and melting their little battle suits.
*** Really, leave the Phosphor Blaster at home. 15 points ''and'' giving up the Eradication Beamer already stings, but once you see that Cult Mechanicus Castelans do the Phosphor thing way better, the gun looks out of place on an otherwise very cost-effective model.
*** the Phosphor Blaster seems a weird choice at first but a possibly overlooked part is that it's twin linked and isnt a blast and so does not scatter, Combined with Imperatives it pulls it's weight since it's going to struggle to miss it's target already and even at lowered ballistic skill will still have a fair chance of hitting the target. It's argueably the most reliable weapon of all the onager guns and has the nice bonus of synergy with your other units (sicarian and dragoons re roll charges, rangers vanguard and ironstriders worry less about campin carls making their cover saves)
**'''Cognis Manipulator''' - It's like a servo-arm...except it's on giant spidertanks and grants IWND. Sx2 (so S10) and AP1 on a 1 attack model. It is godly, but seems tuned for solo Onagers where not having a 4++ from buddies makes IWND a nice option. Painfully expensive though.
**'''Mindscanner Probe''' - This pretty much covers your lack of krak grenades. if anyone charges within 6" of your spidertank, they no longer get bonus attacks on the charge.
*** While the ''War Convocation'' Formation is already godly, what it does to the Onagers is unbelievable. You know the comments about the Cognis Manipulator being way too expensive to justify? Well, now you can get them for free! On a full unit! So not only does your wall of AV12 Walkers have a 4++, they also all have IWND and charge with 6 S10 AP2 Attacks total. You know, just in case whatever you shot with those Neutron Lasers happens to still be alive. Also pairs well with the Conqueror Imperatives, since BS isn't too important for their Blasts and WS6 on these guys looks really terrifying.

==Formations==
* '''Battle Maniple''' - One of every unit ever, except the Dragoons/Ironstriders (which are either/or) which grants you a WT re-roll, anyone within 12" of the Onager gets Ld 10, and all models gain Crusader and Scout, with Outflank being barred.
** At first, it sounds like this one is not worth it. It's basically the same bonus rules as the normal Maniple detachment, except it settles you with a whole bunch of taxes. But then you remember that morale really is a serious issue for the tin men, which the Ld10 bubble of the Onager remedies very well.
** '''War Cohort''' - 3 Entire Battle Maniples. That's a lot of tin men. In addition to the rules of each Battle Maniple, you also get the ability to re-use one Doctrina Imperative you used earlier. Meh. Gamesworkshop's plan to make you broke.
** While the War Cohort provides you with some nice bonuses, it really isn't worth the trouble. A single War Cohort needs three units EACH of the overcosted Ruststalkers and Infiltrators. Even at minimum sizes, that's over a thousand points that will die to a stiff breeze. While these units are great as surgical tools, in these amounts, they are merely taxes for a rule that will be useful for a single turn at most.

* '''Ironstrider Cavaliers''' - 2 Units of Dragoons and 1 unit of Ballistarii (that's up to 18 walkers). Units gain Acute Senses and Outflank. All must come in from reserves and come in together, but you start your roll on your first turn. Also they can trace line of sight and shoot through other units in this formation without giving a cover save for intervening models. Also at the start of the first game turn you nominate an enemy character, models in this Formation get to re-roll To Wound on that character and its unit...for the rest of the game.(pair well with infiltrators being able to infiltrate and also having acute senses so helps get this formation on the table edge where their warlord is and closer to action.)

* '''Sicarian Killclade''' - 3 units of Ruststalkers and 1 unit of Infiltrators. Makes the Infiltrators aura of -1 WS/BS/I/Ld extend 12". Once per game you can run and charge (after the first turn) with the Ruststalkers in the formation. That's at least 18" of movement.
** If you were going to play that many Sicarians anyway, you can do much worse than to organize them this way. The range boost for the Infiltrators' fuck-you aura is ''huge'', since you went to a 24" circle in which your opponent is pretty helpless (less I and Ld lend themselves to several shenanigans, less BS is gorgeous and less WS, combined with Imperatives, could be enough to get the opponent down to the dreaded hitting-on-5+-threshold) and Run + Charge, even for just one turn, is amazing considering the Ruststalkers' bullshit speed. And that 24" fuck-you circle? That Infiltrates ''and'' Scouts.-actually you lose scout when taking this formation, so only infiltrate..

* '''Dominus Maniple''' - 1 unit of Vanguard (and Vanguard only, so no Rangers here), 1 unit of Dunecrawlers, 1 Tech-Priest Dominus. Pick a unit within 18" of the Dominus and within his LoS at the start of the shooting phase, all units from this formation gain twin-linked against that unit for that phase.
** A nice little formation that lets you get a Dominus without having to actually use the Cult Mechanicus formations. Works great with a vanguard unit kitted out with plasma calivers.

==Allies==
===Battle Brothers===
*'''Forces of the Imperium: '''Honestly, Skitarii are the sort of army that is being taken as an ally, not taking allies. Make a cheap Skitarii Maniple detachment so you can get some Rangers or Vanguard, make good use of your primary detachment's transports... It's the one thing this army could really use.
**'''[[Space Marines|Five]] [[Grey Knights|Flavors]] [[Dark Angels|Of]] [[Space Wolves|Power]] [[Blood Angels|Armor]]''':
***Ally Blood Angels or Space Wolves for [[METAL BOXES]] for your METAL men... Things. Ally Guard for even more [[Chimera|superior metal boxes]] and [[Valkyrie|flying metal boxes]]. Fluff-wise, the Iron Hands make sense, and they can provide you with (regenerating) metal boxes too, though only Storm Ravens and Land Raiders unless you want to go through the trouble of repurposing dedicated transports. (You can't deploy in someone else's dedicated transport, but you can embark turn 1.) But honestly, who doesn't want Storm Ravens?(Now rhinos razorbacks and pods are fast attack so go on and take some rhinos)
***Let's be honest, here. Until the new Space Marine Codex comes out, the best you can do is add a Flesh Tearers detachment. Cheap Divination-Librarian, a squad of Tacs with double Flamer in a Rhino and an additional fast Rhino for your tin men and you have a playable Flesh Tearers detachment. Season to taste with a Sanguinary Priest, Sternguard and MOAR metal bawkses and you're golden. If anyone asks what this means fluff-wise, just tell them your Iron Hands allies are having a really [[Rage|bad day]]. Actually, scrap the Rhinos. Just max out on Drop Pods and Arc Rifles/Plasma Calivers and watch your opponent cry trying to save his army from your alpha strike.
***Of course, if you want the cheapest of the cheap transports, then go for Space Wolves. The Company of the Great Wolf detachment from the Champions of Fenris supplement requires an HQ and 2 Elite choices. What is funny is that servitors are Elite choices in Space Wolves. So for 20 points you get to fill out both elite slots with the fluff of servitors in an Admech army instead of paying 35 points more for a minimum squad size of scouts from Blood Angels. Just get yourself a Divination Rune Priest and 3 drop pods and you're set! Just remember that though this method is cheaper, you do have access to a maximum of 3 drop pods from your fast attack choices.
**'''Inquisition''': An Inquisition ally would be a really easy way to get a few transports added to the army without compromising on your main Skitarii force, another bonus is that it usually leaves you enough space to take another ally. Also an easy way to get psykers and disposable backfield infantry in the form of both acolytes and servitors (which aren't in the main AdMech codex why?). For style points you could take an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor, give him a conversion beamer and servo skulls, and fluff him as a member of the Ordo Machinum (which is totally a thing look it up).
**'''Militarum Tempestus:''' The Militarum Tempstus's Scions don't offer much the Skitarii can't do themselves. What they do offer however is the Taurox Prime as a fast attack option. So when you take a CaD of Scions and have them deep strike, this leaves you with up to 3 Taurox Primes to cart around Vanguard(Choose these guys) and Rangers(Not these ones). With it's 10 man capacity you are talking about a lot of dakka potential being moved around, and you can get them to within 18" of their foes that much easier. Or you can use Valkyries, but then you may as well go with the Astra Militarum.
**'''Imperial Knights:''' If you feel like having a lovely fluffy alliance you should probably get an Imperial Knight and worry no more about your lack of a LoW. Take the Paladin to get some pie plates from a very long range that can deal with almost anything and before you start worrying about those annoying Riptides remember the destroyer chainsword strapped to the side (or, y'know, just a crapton of plasma calivers at BS7). Might be an idea to miss out the Errant though, you have plenty of haywire that will deal with those pesky land raiders, unless you are really craving anti-TEQ stuff. The new Crusader is a very appealing option, what with the option to take either the battlecannon or big melta alongside an AP3 Marine-mower in addition to yet another great AA gun on top. Seriously. If you have the points (and cash) to spare, there really is no excuse for not using a Crusader.
**'''Sisters of Battle:''' Another thing your Skitarii desperately need is flamers. Flamer templates give you reliable cover-ignoring Anti-Infantry, which you otherwise lack. This is made up somewhat by many walkers having access to BS2 and a number of spammy weapons (Assault 3 BS4 on overwatch is not pleasant to be hit by), but none of these are automatic hits. This suggests Sisters, perhaps - they have flamers and need anti-air, Skitarii have anti-air but need flamers.
**'''Imperial Guard:''' What do they give you? Bodies. Cheap, expendable blocks full of bodies holding Rapid Fire guns. And tanks with pie plates or templates. If you want any of this, they are your friends. Also, the bestest Metal Boxes to cart your tin men around.
**'''Cult Mechanicus:'''It doesn't get much fluffier than this, and everything is more durable than your flimsy T3 in this army. Kastelans are a way superior alternative to Phosphor-Onagers and Kataphron Destroyers give you the Anti-Riptide you don't really get. Also, Kastelans have Torrent Flamers as default equipment. See above as to why that's a godsend for you. Combining Sicarians and Electro Priests can also saturate your army with so many scary CC units that your opponent won't have time to bring them all down. And finally, a lot of their buffs are specifically meant to apply to you as well so they can support you more effectively than your other Battle Brothers. However, you're still gonna be badly hurting for transports.
**'''Officio Assassinorum:''' Need some infiltration and mind-fuckery? They got Callidus Assassins. Need some more '''RIP'N'TEAR'''? They got Eversor Assassins. Need some long-ranged firepower to take out vehicles and characters? They got Vindicare Assassins. Need to ruin a psyker's day? They got Culexus Assassins. If you don't have anything else to take, you can combine all of the above into one detachment. Assassins do not count as an allied detachment so you can still take whatever you want to go along with your tin men. The best choice though would be a Culexus Assassin since he can completely nullify psychic death stars to allow your tin men to rain death on them. Just make sure you keep him away from your own psykers, if you have any.

===Allies of Convenience===
*'''Eldar: ''' If you're looking outside the Imperium, Eldar are probably the least troublesome choice. Windriders provide plenty of mobile fire support and objective grabbing (shuriken cannons all around, of course). Of the aspect warriors, Dark Reapers, Shining Spears and Fire Dragons are probably the most useful to you. Wraithguard have stupidly insane destructive power (Hi, Titan! Five destroyer shots! Bye, Titan!) but are slow and expensive, so I wouldn't unless you really need the Big D. Oh, and don't forget Farseers, with their newly buffed Eldritch Storm, or maledictions like Misfortune and Doom that even help out non-BB allies.

===Desperate Allies===
*'''Tau:''' You might look at Tau, but outside of a few durable units (Riptides, Hammerheads) or possibly Crisis suits for drop-melta, they don't have a hell of a lot to offer. If you dislike Ironstriders, your Skitarii will have a distinct lack of anti-light vehicle since most of their Anti-Tank is Haywire-based. Tau have such weapons in spades and can also provide you with flamers and a bunch of durable bullshit.
*'''Dark Eldar:''' They don't really have much to offer you. They, too, rely on big guns on frail platforms. Only difference? They have CARDBOARD BAWKSES, teh cowards, teh fewls. But if you sincerely want those, you should just play Dark Eldar instead and forget mucking about with Desperate Allies.
*'''Orks:''' Polar opposite of Skitarii in every way. The differing army dynamics make them about as versatile a combination as you can get, but make it difficult to come up with anything like a specific army strategy. On the plus side, using Precision Shots to deal with combat-based Cs and ICs make killing stuff easier for Boyz when they get into combat, Orks have flamers and T4 tarpits, and Orks could really benefit from some reliable anti-armour shooting every now and again. Theoretically you could have a unit for every role you can imagine, but that would require nuance, and nuanced tactics go out of the window somewhere around turn 2.

===Come the Apocalypse===
*'''Chaos Space Marines''' If we're talking this, we're talking Flamer-Chosen, Daemon Princes, Plague Marines, Hell Turkeys and Defilers. Anything else, ''anything'' else, Space Wolves do better and they're Battle Brothers to boot.
*'''Chaos Daemons:''' Could be hilarious. They give you mountains of gribblies and some sledgehammers, you give them some more effective Anti-Air and a few guns to counter their almost utter lack of such.
*'''Necrons:''' If you want to try some outside-the-box fluff, consider Necron allies. Flayed Ones, Wraiths and Lychguard give you the durable assault you lack, Destroyers give you the AP3 you only get in small numbers otherwise and if you're feeling gutsy, combining Necron assault with Vanguard could lead to some hilarious rape.
*'''Tyranids:''' Maybe some Magos Biologis let something bio-engineered loose? Anyway, Tyranids are actually a great idea. They have some pretty impressive Flyers, massive tarpits and scary monsters to divert attention away from your impressively shooty but rather frail tin men. Also, you know, an answer or two to all the psychic bullshit flying around.

==Tactics==
* This army is composed entirely of Walkers and Infantry . Good thing they have Move Through Cover. The Rangers are a ranged force, and benefit from advancing behind a wall of Vanguard, in cover. Vanguard will be running quite a bit to get into range, but with 3 plasma calivers, an Omnispex and a Relic Pistol, you have forged a serious amount of [[rape]]. Infiltrators seem to quite good at disabling and murdering units. With Dunestrider, Infiltrate, Steath, and that stat reducing skill,they can screw over a unit of your choice in your opponents force. Ruststalkers excel at destroying units in CC, but suffer from AP5 (albeit with quasi-Rending) in the first round of combat, so beware! Will destroy termies if they survive the onslaught, whicch can be difficult. The Onagers appear to be your main source of anti-armor, be that flyers or tanks, what with their nasty weapons and magic "By our powers combined!" invuln save. Make a gunline of them, and pump out the dakka. The Ballistarii can hound light infantry or TEQs depending on your weapon choice and can be decent Anti Air in a pinch. The Dragoons could be a force in melee with their +3S Tesla hits and I6 on the charge, but don't underestimate a full squad of jezzails (made even more potent with the Ironstrider Cavaliers formation).

* The Battle Maniple has 1 optional Fortification available to it. An Aegis Defense Line with a Comms Relay seems like the best (and cheapest...70pts) choice, especially if you take the Ironstrider Cavaliers formation. An Imperial Bastion is always a nice LoS blocker and a few Transuranic Arquebus from up top/inside could be nasty for enemy transports. If you don't have anything in reserves, a Quad-gun can add to your AA. An ammunition dump can help negate the 3 Plasma Calivers Gets Hot shots. Never underestimate the power of a Void Shield Generator. Just stick it near the middle of the army and laugh as it blunts a few rounds of shooting. Going for the Relay option lets you get 9 void shields, but for a bucket of points.
[[Category: Warhammer Tactics]]

* Think Eradication Beamers are underwhelming guns? Use them for mind games instead! Three Onagers with Eradication Beamers can play merry hell with enemy movement. No sane player will risk putting expensive tanks within 9" of your Onager squad, while infantry blobs will love them dearly and get close to them to avoid the big pie plates. Combine that with some Vanguard to shoot down the infantry headed your way and some Cognis Lascannons to hunt down the tanks keeping their distance and you can easily dominate the game. Or combine with some allied Conversion Beamers to trap the opponent in a fuck-you field.

* Taser Lances can be made useful if you use them right, too. Sure, no AP seems bad, but you don't hear Tyranids complaining about the lack of AP on their Flyrants' Devourers, do you? Taser Lances, especially on large Dragoon blobs, can deal a lot of Glances and Pens to vehicles. Nothing short of a Land Raider / Monolith can comfortably deal with a fuckton of S8. And thanks to <s>''Dunestrider''</s> ''Trollspeed'', they could be charging on turn 2 if the enemy is too dumb to keep enough distance.

* Get yourself an allied <s>Librarian or two from the Blood Angels or Dark Angels</s> '''Space Marine Librarius Conclave''', that's three to five Psykers as one formation and they can pool their spells together to get better Warp Charge activation rates, roll everything on Divination. Prescience helps out with the Plasma Calivers' Gets Hot, Foreboding is pretty much your favorite Warlord Trait ''Emotionless Clarity'' dialed up to 11, but what you are looking for is Misfortune. Remember why Radium Jezzails are so awesome? Correct. Because Rad Poisoning and Rending stack to Auto-Wound twice with AP2. Use Misfortune, shoot at the afflicted unit with Vanguard and every single Rad Carbine becomes a three-shot version of that. Gigantic clusterfuck turned to gigantic ''armour-ignoring'' clusterfuck. Plus, you know, Psychic Hood saturation to the max.

* For any and all Allies shenanigans that don't involve stuffing the Skitarii into transports, remember that the Scout special rule works if ''at least one model in a unit has it''. Now, you don't have any ICs to give other armies the luxury of Scouts, but it does mean that you can Scout together with any allied ICs.

* Keeping tarpits as allies might help you get away with using Protector Imperatives more. Screening grots are cheap and the midgets let you fire over their heads without giving enemies cover, but they'll run like hell if someone slams a door nearby.

Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Skitarii

2016-01-15T07:03:05Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Tactics */

Now when you take to the tabletop, do so in the name of the [[Adeptus Mechanicus|Quest for Knowledge]].
==Why Play Skitarii==
Revealing their hand in white dwarf, the Adeptus Mechanicus have been given a presence in core 40k in the form of the Skitarii (or "Tech Guard" for those of you not in the know). This is NOT the same as the Horus Heresy Mechanicum army or units -though if Forge World had half a brain they would start finding ways to add their 30k units into the 40k army in an upcoming Imperial Armour book. (It's Forgeworld, they do have half a brain, and sadly the other half belongs to GW. So fingers crossed.)

They completely lack transports, flyers, and general variety, but what they DO have is very impressive. Every infantry unit has Feel No Pain (6+ for the Troops, 5+ for the Elites), a BS of 4, very good leadership (8 for regulars, 9 for Alphas). Vanguard and Infiltrators even have a debuff aura around them, making any CQC fight THAT much easier. Their gear choices are among the best in the entire game (Arc Rifles, Transuranic Arquebus, Arc Maul, Mindscrambler Grenades, 5++ saves for the cost of one melta bomb, and The Omniscient Mask to name a few). Their Dunecrawlers are retardedly strong (if short-ranged), especially when taken in a group of three (can you say 4++ on a VEHICLE?) and even better than those are your warlord traits, with Emotionless Clarity being the bane of horde armies ([[Dark_Angels|Can you say BS4 on OVERWATCH?]]). However, there are some notable drawbacks; their infantry is only T3 with a 4+, so be ready for more than a few Instant Deaths. For all their good-quality and aggression-based abilities, they have a hard time capitalizing on them due to their lack of flamers and a notable lack of synergy; most of their anti-vehicle abilities are mid-range weapons, which no enemy commander worth their overpriced models would DARE get close enough to your steampunk soldiers to give them that opportunity. Here's hoping those Ruststalkers don't get shot up.

The Skitarii have a decently well-balanced army: There are four kits, making a total of 7 distinct models, including shooty radioactive infantry, shootier not-radioactive infantry, assassin men with knives, assassin men with cattle prods, shooty/stabby gimp-powered scout walkers, shootier gimp-powered scout walkers, and a spider-tank.

Currently, they have an interesting feel to them, in that you could probably play them as a solo army and do better than [[Sisters of Battle|certain]] [[Stormtroopers|other]] [[Harlequins|armies]], but they'd suffer from lack of flyers and transport. The alternative is to ally them with any other Imperial force for their nasty guns, because seriously, they have some NASTY guns.

===Reasons for playing Skitarii===
*You've wanted Adeptus Mechanicus units in 40K for a long time.
*Everything that shoots has Relentless, so no static gun lines for you.
*Funky-ass wargear that can't be found anywhere else.
*They look to be a middle ground between Astra Militarum and Astartes in terms of individual power level, on par with the Sisters of Battle or Tempestus Scions, while getting better support.
*You want to beat Tau at their own cover-ignoring game.
*Lots of Precision Shot going around. Fuck their characters. From 60", no less.
*Rerollable BS2 snap shots on walkers. Hells yeah.
*Reroll-Ones BS4 Overwatch on the Warlord's squad. Holy motherfucker. You see that Chaos player fielding Be'lakor and preparing himself to abuse invisibility? Ruin his day and drink his tears.
*Everything has Scout and Crusader USR. EVERYTHING. This is pretty fortunate, because they have no transports. At all.
*+3" to Movement/Run/Charge for the units that want to be doing this (Sicarians and Ironstriders, specifically).

==Skitarii Special Rules==

===Special Rules===

'''Dunestrider''': Units with this rule add 3" to movement in the Movement Phase, charges, and Run moves. Note that this is a flat boost, meaning that units with this rule likely still move through terrain faster than other units move across open ground. It also increases your danger radius exponentially by giving you potential 15" charges. Aw, no Rapid Fire during Overwatch for you. (Well, except those pesky Tau and other Skitarii...)

'''Crawler''': Units with this rule are not slowed by Difficult Terrain, and automatically pass all Dangerous Terrain tests, but cannot Run, not that you'd want to. If you ever find yourself in a position where you want to run instead of shoot with your Onager, you already fucked up.

====Doctrina Imperatives====
There are a total of 6 Doctrines. At the beginning of each of your (the Skitarii player's) movement phases you may select any one of them (one use only) to increase either the BS or WS of the entire Skitarii army, though this is sometimes at the expense of the other stat. They are split into '''Conqueror''' Imperatives (Which boost WS) and '''Protector''' Imperatives (Which boost BS)
*'''Hazard Optimization (Gamma)''' - +1 BS
*'''Mindstate Secutor (Gamma)''' - +1 WS
*'''Gundrill Symbiosis (Beta)''' - +2 BS / -1 WS
*'''Technomartyr Concords (Beta)''' - +2 WS / -1 BS
*'''Binharic Omniscience (Alpha)''' - +3 BS / -2 WS
*'''Hyperaction Protocols (Alpha)'''+3 WS / -2 BS

'''Doctrine Tip''': Only ever use Binharic Omniscience when you are certain nothing will charge you, on Turn 1 for example, because even Tau will be hitting your Skitarii on 3+. Similarly, Hyperaction Protocols can change the entire course of melee but at the expense of almost everything but melee. Just snap-shot as much as you can during that doctrine.

"'''Each Doctrina Imperative''' can only be used once during the game." This means that you can use Binharic Omniscience on the first turn, Gundrill Symbiosis on the second, Mindslate Secutor on the third, and so on. Keep that in mind and you can find yourself easily dominating the table as you tear chunks out of your enemy when they are playing the ranged game, then tear chunks out of him when your lines close. Do note that you don't have to use an imperative every turn and you probably won't need to either.

===Warlord Traits===
#'''Reinforced Exoskeleton''' - Grants the Warlord Eternal Warrior. On the one hand, this sounds really useful on an Infiltrator Princeps, but on the other, even with Eternal Warrior, your T3, 2W and 4+ armor Warlord is really fragile.
#'''Artificer Armament''' - One of the Warlord's weapons becomes Master-Crafted. This can't be applied to Relics. This is mostly superficial since your Warlord will almost certainly have Preferred Enemy.
#'''Masterwork Bionics''' - Reroll failed Feel No Pain rolls. Sounds great, but remember that a rerollable 6+ save is slightly worse than a 5+ save, so you won't be saving too much more. Is loads more effective on a Sicarian, since it becomes a little better than a 4+. Instant Death will still fuck you, though.
#'''Incense Generatorium''' - The Warlord and his unit get Shrouded. Probably the best trait, since it keeps you alive for much longer than your standard 4+ armor save alone will. Shame your Infiltrators cannot get this.
#'''Disciple of the Omnissiah''' - The Warlord and all friendly Skitarii within 12" reroll failed Morale checks, Pinning tests, and Fear tests. This is one of the better traits, since it's a surprisingly large bubble considering that you don't have transports.
#'''Emotionless Clarity''' - The Warlord and his unit fire Overwatch at BS4. This does not stack with Doctrina Imperatives. Remember, you fire ''Overwatch'' at BS4, not ''snap shots'' in general, so no Arc Rifleing Flyers to death. Still a decent trait, no one will dare charge you.

It should be noted that only Skitarii Ranger Alphas and Vanguard Alphas get to roll D6 for traits. Sicarians only roll D3. As long as you are in a Maniple detachment or Battle Maniple formation you also get a reroll.

===Skitarii Maniple Detachment===
Like many of the new 7E codices, the Skitarii have their own detachment with special rules. In particular, the Maniple (pronounced "Man Nipple"), is akin to the [[Harlequins]] and their Masque detachment, which also lacks an HQ. Unlike the Masque, however, you're not stuck with a whole bunch of taxes.

2 Compulsory Troops choices are what you need to start with, optional slots are 6 Troops, 2 Fast Attack, 4 Elites, 4 Heavy, & 1 Fortification.

The command benefits are pretty sweet: Your warlord gets the customary re-roll on the Skitarii Warlord table, but ALSO gets ''Preferred Enemy'' to boot. Did someone say plasma caliver squad?

Additionally, all models in the detachment get ''Crusader'' and ''Scout'' for free. Though under the condition that you cannot Outflank these scouting models, though if a model could Outflank via other means (like having ''Infiltrate''), then that's acceptable.

===Tactical Objectives===
;11 - A Victory for Logic
: 1 VP if you Deny the Witch. Probably a feat to do by yourself. Good thing, then, that you have the Imperium for allies, meaning Librarians with Hoods! [[Culexus|Assassins]]! [[Sisters of Battle|Nuns with guns and massive hateboners for psykers]]!

;12 - Survival is Nothing, Data is All
: 1 VP if a Skitarii unit either kills or is killed during your turn. Inevitable wins.

;13 - The Quest for Knowledge
: 1 VP for rolling a Mysterious Objective. Should be easy if you use the rules for them. It can be harder than you expect though. Except when you ally with Cult Mechanicus, because their Scryerskulls do literally just that, once per turn, anywhere on the table.

;14 - In Gloriam Mechanicus
: 1 VP if you kill a vehicle during your turn. d3 VP if you killed a Superheavy. You have the weapons, you can do this...well, maybe more the vehicle than the superheavy.

;15 - Rumours of Revelation.
: When you get this, roll a d6. You get 1 VP for controlling this objective, and it becomes d3 if your Warlord owns it.

;16 - Affronts to the Machine God
: 1 VP if you kill a vehicle, same as 14...except now you also gain d3 VP if you killed 3-4 vehicles, and d3+3 VP for killing over 5 vehicles.

==Skitarii Wargear==
===Melee Weapons===
*'''Arc Maul''' -A Haywire power maul. But, you know that unit of men you have marching and shooting that are relentless, well hey guess what? Now for 20 points they can destroy ALL KINDS of vehicles, bonus points if you use it with vanguard against low armor/low toughness opponents.It's too bad Infiltrators can't take this weapon, because it almost seems tailor-made for them.
*'''Taser Goad/Lance''' - A cool [[Necrons|tesla]]-type S+2 melee weapon that causes two extra hits for every 6 you roll to hit. The Lance version has a higher strength of +3 when charging and also doubles the initiative of the user (generally to six). Unfortunately neither version has any AP to speak of, though get enough of them together and you can overwhelm enemies with lots of hits or pulp just about any transport.
*'''Power Sword''' - The same old weapon seen throughout 40k. S: User AP3. Good for taking out MEQ, but your guys are S3. You wound them on 5s. However, This can be offset slightly if you give it to a Vanguard Alpha, which thanks to the -1 toughness penalty against enemies in Close combat, can give you a better chance at taking out power armored foes. The sword comes as the Infiltrators basic weapon and are S4.
*'''Transonic Razor/Blade''' The crazy sonic resonance weapons found on Ruststalkers. Both are AP 5 (Blade is +1 S), tying in with the rubbish AP on most Skitarii melee weapons. However, both come with the Transonic rule; To Wound rolls of 6's wound regardless of toughness and are AP2. In all subsequent rounds after the first, all attacks become AP 2 and still auto-wound on 6s To Wound. [[Awesome]].
*'''Chord Claw''' - Also standard on Ruststalkers, this is identical in stats and rules to a Transonic razor, but also has the Molecular Dissonance rule. This means that when a model attacks with a Chord Claw, it rolls a separate attack with Fleshbane. Note that this attack is taken out of your normal pool of attacks, it does ''not'' grant you an additional attack.
*'''Prehensile Dataspike''' - An AP5 specialist weapon with Haywire and an additional attack at Initiative 10, which you use regardless of which CCW you use for your default attacks. If you think of this as a weird mash between old school servo-arms and new school servo-arms that traded power for strikes at Int 10 and full Initiative, you wouldn't be wrong. The question you need to ask yourself is: "Do I really need more Haywire on a unit that already has Haywire grenades?" Unless, of course, you decided to take the Transonic Blades, which makes you lose the grenades. It does mean though that your Ruststalker Princeps will get 4 haywire attacks on the charge, along with his dataspike attack, making him better than the rest of his squad combined at wrecking vehicles. Note that you don't gain an attack for the additional CCWs, due to being a specialist weapon.

===Ranged Weapons===
*'''Arc Weapons''' - Haywire weapons; come in pistol or rapid fire format for your pleasure. Also has a nice S6 if you don't want to shoot at vehicles for some reason, though at AP5 you'll need some luck to do anything.
**'''Arc Pistol''' - It's a 12" Haywire pistol.
**'''Arc Rifle''' - Possibly the best-looking gun the Skitarii have. It's 24" Rapid Fire, which means it pairs well with its little brother. The only problem is that it doesn't really jive well with the vanguard and ranger's basic weapons.
*'''Stubcarbine''' - Half range heavy stubber which is also assault rather than heavy. No AP might look bad, but really, all things with Sv5+ or less should have cover or invulnerable saves anyway. It's distinctly not a pistol, so no extra attack if you take it.
*'''Flechette Blaster''' - Pistol available on the Infiltrators paired with a Taser Goad. It's got piss-poor strength at S2, but 5 (FIVE!) shots with shred means it pack more punch than a rapid-firing bolter against everything but T6/7 (which it cannot wound at all). Also grants that Pistol +1 Attack.
*'''Cognis Weapons''' - A regular Autocannon, Lascannon, or Heavy Stubber, but with the ability to make snapshot attacks at BS2.
*'''Galvanic Rifle''' - the "Basic" Skitarii Ranger weapon is pretty good - pretty much a bolter with Kraken rounds. 30" range rapid fire weapon with S4 AP4 and precision shots. Not bad at all when you compare it to the basic weapon of nearly every other Faction in the game. It also means a gun line of Skitarii COULD destroy a [[Tau|Fire Warrior]] gun line and laugh at their pulse rifles. Sure, they'll wound on 2+, but you'll have 4+ armor saves, they won't and wounding on 3+ isn't that bad either. Doctrina Imperatives for boosting BS are a pretty good equivalent to markerlights, too.
*'''Mindscrambler Grenades''' - Stock on Ruststalkers, they're AP4 Haywire Grenades that always wound on a 4+ (They become S3 when assaulting vehicles). This specifically isn't Poisoned, so you can screw with Monstrous/Gargantuan Creatures with that.
**These things are the best grenades in the game. If they were also Defensive grenades, they'd have everything. They count as assault grenades, make wounds-on-4+ AP4 blasts and can Haywire vehicles.
*'''Phosphor Weapons''' - Imagine firing a Tracer round from a Heavy Bolter and this is what you'll get. The same strength and AP, but only single shot. Any wounds or hull points caused on a target will light them up like a christmas tree and reduce their cover save for the rest of the turn. Also makes them easier to charge at by letting you re-roll the charge range.
**'''Important Note:''' Phosphor Luminagen rule quite explicitly doesn't mention that their effect can only be used by Skitarii, it doesn't even specify that only friendly units can use it. No matter what your Allies-status is, ''anything'' can use the effect of your Phosphor weapons. Yes, even the squad of Flayed Ones you sent at the squad your Skitarii shot holes into. Or your enemies.
**'''Phosphor Blast Pistol''' - Pistol format phosphor weapon. It's shorter-ranged than the Serpenta, but you can take it in an infantry squad. No actual blasts, sadly.
**'''Phosphor Serpenta''' - 18" Assault 1, essentially your squad's markerlight when you want to follow up the attack with more shooting and probably a charge later.
**'''Heavy Phosphor Blaster''' - A nice toy for the Onager at 15pts. 36" Twin Linked Heavy 3 S6 AP3 for fucking Marines over, and it pseudo-markerlights the unit. Probably the best Luminagen gun.
*'''Radium Weapons''' - Cancer guns for your Vanguards, have a low strength of 3 as basic, but a to-wound of 6 causes two (instead of one) auto-wounds which must be saved separately. Mathammer-wise this means when it fired en masse it deals ''exactly'' as much damage as your standard S4 AP5 guns against anything but T6 and T7, against which it's twice as good. "Auto-Wounds" means it can wound even if the enemy's Toughness should be too high, which is nice for piling the saves on big wraith constructs and Iron Arm-protected daemons. Wait a second - Martians using radium firearms? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barsoom#Weapons Where have we heard this befo-]GODDAMNIT GW!
**'''Radium Pistol''' - It's a pistol.
**'''Radium Carbine''' - 18" range and Assault 3, meaning lots of hits at short-mid range with the potential of cascading effect when they start causing additional wounds later. The [[Awesome|basic]] weapon of the Skitarii Vanguard.
**'''Radium Jezzail''' - possibly a nod to the Skaven warp weapons, particularly in appearance (or simply because both drew inspiration from their British-Indian namesake). It's a two shot sniper version as a weapon choice for the Dragoon, in place of its Taser Lance, for free. [[Awesome|To Wound 6's cause two ADDITIONAL AP2 wounds]] which, we will remind you, you get to allocate if you get a 6 on your To Hit. Basically, if you're going to be taking these on Dragoons, you will have to commit to it - as in they're all gonna be sniping. By and by, pretty good for close range heavy infantry/monstrous creature sniping. Could be fun against Riptides with a little luck.
*'''Plasma Caliver''' - An 18" range, 3-shot assault plasma gun. It still gets hot because the Mechanicum haven't figured out plasma like the Tau or Eldar have. (Rather, the Mechanicum knew how, but the Adeptus Mechanicus forgot how to make Phased Plasma Fusils.)
** If you want these, put them in your Warlord's unit, since just about everything Battleforged grants your Warlord Preferred Enemy. While this won't let the Calivers hit all ''that'' much harder, it lowers the chance of the gun blowing up from "very likely" to "are you sure Gets Hot is still a rule?" Also, using Doctrina Imperatives to boost your BS above 5 also lets you re-roll Gets Hot results (possibly into hits again). Rock on.
**Also Skitarii get two turns on reroll 1s via Doctrina Imperatives. So for the most part you get 3 turns of plasma shooting.
*'''Transuranic Arquebus''' - An AP3 ARMORBANE sniper rifle. Keep in mind, Armorbane means you roll an additional D6 to determine penetration. Sniper weapons are S4 against vehicles by default, so a roll of two 5s means you're glancing Baneblades from ANY side. However, this does require a fair bit of luck to achieve, so arc weapons are more reliable for bringing down Monoliths or Hammerheads. Transports (and whatever's in them)on the other hand will not be so hard to crack. There is literally no vehicle this anti-tank rifle is incapable of making go boom pretty much across the board. It has a ludicrous 60" range, so with enough of them you can bust open that [[Metal Boxes|METAL BAWKS]] and force those Mary Sues to foot slog their way through your fire lanes the rest of the game. Not to mention, anything that uses this gun has Relentless, so just walk sideways and get yourself a nice peek at some side armour if you're that worried. Two units of Rangers with 2 each camping both corners of your side should be able to ensure that at least one of them catches sight of side armor.
*'''Icarus Array''' - A fucking awesome anti-air platform that goes on your Onager Dunecrawler for 35 points. Everything is Heavy (so you can move), 48" range, and Skyfire. Do note that you can still snap-fire at ground targets if you've shot down all the flyers already. Don't forget Skyfire gives full BS to shots at FMC and Skimmers also. And yes, when this thing fires, it fires '''all three modes at once'''. Tears Dark Eldar and Eldar vehicles to little bits of rainbow confetti. Tau vehicles are a little tougher, but they'll go down pretty easily too with this much firepower directed their way.
**'''Daedalus Missile Launcher''' - S7 AP2 Heavy 1. It's a particularly badass Flakk missile.
**'''Gatling Rocket Launcher''' - S6 AP4 Heavy 5. Ignores Cover to boot - jink this, assholes! A machine gun with rockets. [[Dakka|Fuck yeah.]]
**'''Twin Icarus Autocannon''' - S7 AP4 Heavy 2 with Interceptor and Twin-linked.
*'''Eradication Beamer''' - It's an inverse Conversion Beamer, and is the default weapon for the Dunecrawler. S10 AP1 up to 9", S8 AP3 Blast between 9" and 18", S6 AP5 Large Blast between 18" and 36".
*'''Neutron Laser''' - The Eradication Beamer without the bullshit. A chunk of change at 25pts (though you get a Cognis Heavy Stubber as well), but 48" S10 AP1 3" Blast, with Concussive. Good-bye, TEQs.. and everything else.
----

===Special Issue Wargear & Armour===
*'''Skitarii Warplate''' - It's shiny multi-functional armor. Not as protective as Power Armor, but has all the cool environment-suit features of it, unlike Carapace Armor. Still a 4+ save, though.
*'''Sicarian Battle Armour''' - 4+/6++ Armour, which is weird considering that the Sicarians are even ganglier than the regular Skitarii. [[Heresy|Reverse-engineered Dark Eldar Ghostplate, maybe?]]
*'''Refractor Field''' - 5+ invulnerable, you've seen these before.
*'''Conversion Field''' - Like the Dark Angels get, a 4+ invulnerable that goes off like a flash grenade when hit. Friendly units can re-roll the blind test. So, it's awesome because it's a 10 point reliable Invuln save, but it's a crapshoot as to who will get the brunt of the blind effect though. Do note that since no one got hit by a weapon with the Blind Special Rule, all units (including friendly) within D6 have to test like they were hit with one. Also note that taken on an infiltrator princeps can be good due to it's ability to infiltrate and have a more reliable initiative than rangers and vanguard.
*'''Infoslave Skull''' - +1 Ld and Acute Senses, which goes very well with Infiltrators.
*'''Omnispex''' - Like an Auspex, but made ''Omni'', though it still does the job of reducing cover saves on target units. The owning model does not have to forgo his own ranged attack to get the benefit. Jury's deliberating if it stacks with the Luminagen effect.
*'''Enhanced Data Tether''' - Whenever the unit is affected by Doctrina Imperatives they add +1 Ld, ''starting'' next turn. Does not stack with Broad Spectrum Data Tether.
*'''Broad Spectrum Data Tether''' - Whenever a friendly Skitarii unit is within 6" of a model affected by Doctrina Imperatives they add +1 Ld, ''until'' next turn. Does not stack with Enhanced Data Tether.
*'''Digital Weapons''' - Re-roll one failed To-Wound in Assault.

===Relics of Mars===
*'''Arkhan's Divinator''' - A meta tool named after <s>[[Arkhan the Black|Nagash's most loyal servant]]</s> the man who invented [[Land Speeder]]s and [[Land Raider]]s, this allows you to re-roll mysterious objectives and mysterious terrain. Um...at least it's cheap.
*'''Phase Taser''' - It's almost the same as a normal Taser Goad, but an unsaved wound against it calls for an Initiative test, which if failed removes the target from play. Well it won't do shit against [[Chaos Daemons]] or [[Eldar]], and it's a crapshoot against [[Space Marines|Spess Mehreens]], but maybe against [[Necrons]] or [[Tau]] , it could be good. If you were already going to give someone a Taser Goad, might as well pay five points more for this. Also Phaser Taser. Phaser Taser Phaser Taser Phaser Taser Phaser {{BLAM}} =NOTE= Slap this on an Infiltrator Princeps and go monster hunting as Infiltrators REDUCE I within 6".
*'''Omniscient Mask''' - Your team now has [[Chaplain|Zealot]]. Take this. Always. Works especially on Sicarian squads.
*'''Phosphoenix''' - A phosphor pistol with AP2 and Poison (3+) that shoots once, but if successful, causes three hits. Combine with an Omnispex and some Plasma Calivers for cover-ignoring lulz. And only 25 points, too! Every fa/tg/uy was flipping his shit about this thing, until codex leaks showed that it only has a range of 6". Hmmph. Probably best suited to a Infiltrator Princeps due to their close proximity tactics.
*'''Pater Radium''' - If your unit's stuck in combat by Initiative Step 1, the units you're fighting must test Toughness or take d6 AP2 random unsaveable wounds. Now this is NASTY...provided you last that long to use it. Best combined with Vanguards, since they make those T tests more reliable, and it fits their theme.
*'''The Skull of Elder Nikola''' - It's Nicola Tesla's head... That should be reason enough... Actually, what it does is allow the unit carrying it to cause everything within d6 per Turn Number" take S1 AP- Haywire hits. If you use it against a tanky guardsmen/marine army, do find a bucket for the ensuing tears. Keep in mind, you can only use it once, so get this thing in close to a bunch of vehicles near end game, if you can.

==Unit Analysis==

===HQ===
Like the Harlequins, you don't have to take one. Thank the Omnissiah, because to make an effective one you'd wind up dumping several hundred points into wargear.

Fluffwise this is due to Skitarii being directed by Techpriests who have the good sense to send orders remotely from orbit instead of risking their neck(beard)s on the ground. Interestingly these orders are seen as guidance from the Omnissiah to the Skitarii instead of orders from a superior. And by this we mean they feel compelled to do, instead of follow orders.

===Troops===
*'''Skitarii Rangers''' - They have similar stat-lines to Tempestus Scions and have Move-Through-Cover, but also with Feel No Pain (6+) and Relentless which seems standard for Skitarii units. So they have comfortable staying power and decent move-and-shoot mobility. Since they all have Galvanic Rifles as standard, expect lots of precision hits over time, so they're excellent at removing troublesome characters or special weapon troopers from enemy units. Their range means that they can be used like more mobile Fire Warriors.
**This unit can also take up to 2 special weapons (3 if the squad is maxxed out), however the best option is the transuranic arquebus. Exceptional for removing MEQs from the board reliably, and as mentioned above, has a ridiculously long range and an anti-transport option but rather expensive. Also an omnispex to deny cover-campers some of their trolling isn't a bad idea.

*'''Skitarii Vanguard''' - Your "basic" unit. Cheaper than Rangers at 9 points a model for something almost straight out of [[Fallout]]. They are similar to Rangers in statline but get a Radium Carbine (and a bad-ass looking 15th century helmet) instead of a Galvanic Rifle, so they trade reliable longer range and sniping ability for more firepower at medium range (and style, don't forget style). Against anything but Sv4+ they bring roughly 50% more hurt for the same points as Rangers, going to 200% against T6 and higher, (given it's within 18" range). Additionally, since they are so saturated with radiation, ''anyone'' engaged in melee with them reduces their Toughness by one, making Vanguards not as terrible in CC as you could expect from the shooty stormtrooper-esque squad.
**Same options for special weapons as above, and they really should take some. Take Plasma Calivers if you want to vaporise MEQs and TEQs, and have balls-loads of points to spare. Is your opponent packing a [[Land Raider]] or a [[Monolith]]? No problem, Arc rifles will make toast out of them for half the price of a Caliver each. Phosphor blast pistol and Omnispex are a recommended combo for some [[Tau]] shenanigans
** Alternatively, you can take the Vanguard bare bones. They are pretty cheap for what they do and can generate a gigantic clusterfuck with three shots per model that auto-wound ''twice'' on 6s, which you'll be having quite a few of. Especially Chaos Daemons will hate your guts for spamming Vanguard, but even Terminators buckle under the amount of wounds they will need to save. And if faced with a charge, just throw your Vanguard at them, take away their charge bonuses and laugh as your puny tin-men wound the mighty Spess Muhreens on 4+.
**It looks at first like you can do some really cheesy stuff by stacking rad-induced toughness reduction, but, due to the specific line in the 'Rad Saturation' rule that states the rule can only be used to bring the enemy toughness to a minimum of 1, that won't work. You can reduce enemy toughness ''to'' 1, if you stack it up right (Dark Angels, Ordo Xenos Inquisitors, Imperial Knights), but abusing this will mark you as [[That Guy]]. Like most cheapness, it's fun to try once, but then hang it up and don't be a dickhat.

===Elite===
*'''Sicarian Ruststalkers''' - Fighty little metal men with Transonic Razors, Chordclaws and Mindscrambler Grenades, they benefit from both Dunestrider and Furious Charge, which add to make them a fast attack force. They're also very fragile with T3, even if they have 2 wounds each and Feel no Pain. They can exchange all their weapons for two Transonic Blades for free, which can ensure more of a hurt, but at the cost of utility and the chance for ID, while the Princeps can gain a Prehensile Dataspike for the cost of a melta and/or buy back the Chordclaw he traded away if he has double Transonic Blades.
** While the Transonic Blades seem tempting, it is better to stay away from them. One attack with Fleshbane and the uber-grenades are vastly superior to +1S on the other attacks, especially since Furious Charge already makes your attacks S5.
** Worth pointing out that on the charge you'll do more glancing hits against AV10 with razors than with haywire, so use razors on vehicles with AV10 rear armour.
** Also worth pointing out that Chordclaws and Mindscrambler grenade units are still S5 on the charge meaning you glance that same AV10 on a 5+ with the same amount of attacks while being more effective against high T (fleshbane) and vehicles who have AV11+ rear (haywire grenades). Blades are outclassed in all situations.
**Surprisingly, this is an excellent anti-tank unit. Your standard 5-man squad with a Dataspike will have 8 haywire attacks (4 from mindscrabler grenades, 4 from dataspike) on the charge. Against a vehicle, you would get a little over 4 glances and 1 pen on average regardless of armor, more than enough to take out just about anything. Comparable HP damage from say, BS4 meltas vs AV 12 would require 9 of them -- though to be fair, you'd get more pens. All while costing as much as melta-equipped sternguard. The only drawback is that they'd get shot off the board immediately afterwards.

*'''Sicarian Infiltrators''' - The bastard children of Alpha-5 of the Power Rangers, if he were built by a bunch of xenophobic men in red robes. Their loadouts are less impressive than the Ruststalkers with Stubcarbines and Power Swords and they're more expensive, but they get better rules: Dunestrider, Infiltrate, and Stealth means that they'll certainly reach reliable cover where they need it. However, they can be equally handy as walls as they make enemies within 6" take -1 WS/BS/I/Ld, which can lock them in for at least a round, and replacing their guns with Flechette Blasters and Taser Goads can make them irritating.
** In short, while their special rules are better and the fact that they actually have guns that shoot farther than grenades is good, their loadouts are less focused to specific tasks. A ton of Taser attacks are generally more useful than a few AP3 attacks, <s>but even those pale in comparison to the semi-instant AP2 shredding of Transonic Razors.</s> Scratch that, with a little Mathammer, the Infiltrators have a better statistical chance of killing more Terminators than Ruststalkers by their SHEER WEIGHT IN NUMBER OF ATTACKS, watch as your opponent weep when he loses three Terminators in one round of combat because he thought your Infiltrators were nothing more than robots with batons! However, unlike the Ruststalkers, the Taser/Flechette Infiltrators can force a lot of saves on (almost) anything, and over varying ranges as well. The Stub Carbine/Power Sword combo might sound great, but keep in mind that the Carbine, though a surprisingly strong gun, is not a pistol, which means that the amount of power sword attacks they can put out is very limited.
** However, getting an enemy into combat with Infiltrators AND a unit of Vanguard will almost certainly result in bloody murder, especially for the Taser Goad variant, since they suddenly hit most things' Instant Death threshold with -1T on them and S6 on you.
** If you really feel like ruining someones day, get a unit of Infiltrators AND a unit of Vanguard into close combat with something. Laugh and collect Tau tears as his 700 point Farsight Bomb gets shredded by a mere 300 points of your glorious tinfoil storm troopers.

===Fast Attack===
*'''Sydonian Dragoons''' - Cross Imperial Guard Sentinels with [[Bretonnia]]n knights and you get this. They come in squads of 1-6 and they are terrifyingly fast, open topped walkers with a Taser Lance designed for charging at people. It gets the ''"Dunestrider"'' rule which adds 3" to any move, run or charge it makes, in addition to having the ''Crusader'' special rule. It's also protected by it's cloud of incense, so gains a 5+ cover save while in the open, which benefits them as assaulters. The basic Dragoon has no ranged attack, but can replace its Lance with a Radium Jezzail ''(the sniper one)'' if you want them flanking up the side of the battlefield rather than charging things. But if you still want them charging, either version can purchase Phosphor Serpentas on top of their equipment, which can practically guarantee the charge if you manage to score a wound with them.
** <s>As a bonus, Phosphor Serpentas, being pistols, confer an extra attack. Because 5 s8 and hammer of wrath on a charge is *godly* for some 50pts.</s> The Phosphor Serpenta is Assault 1, not Pistol. This will not work.
** Be advised, that as melee attackers, they each have S8, I6, A4 (with the ability to generate 2 ''extra'' S8 hits with 6's) on the charge, but with no AP to speak of. They "might" be able to poke apart a Land Raider if you had a full squad of six and were lucky at rolling sixes to penetrate armour. Don't be disheartened though, that's not what Dragoons are for. With that speed they are perfect for flanking attacks and catching enemy light units or stationary artillery in the back-field. Also don't forget to claim a Hammer of Wrath when ending the charge move in BtB with enemy - while "only" S5 with no special rules, they hit automatically, so it's basically like two weaker extra attack on charge. Also they are pretty decent MC hunters, provided you take enough in a unit.
**As Dragoons are AV11, anything without S5 or krak/haywire grenades cannot do shit against them. Be prepared for those guardsmen or orks you just charged to retreat at the end of your assault phase, leaving you in the open at the mercy of your opponent's anti-tank guns. You may get lucky with a sweeping advance and wipe them out, but it still leaves you vulnerable afterwards. On the other hand daemons and fearless enemies are royally fucked if they cannot pierce AV11.
**Even if you give your Dragoons the Radium Jezzails, remember that they aren't too shabby at close combat even without the Taser Lance. 4 attacks + HoW at S5 and WS4 is very unpleasant. That's not to say they are amazing in CC without the Lances, but they can really hold their own if they need to.

===Heavy Support===
*'''Ironstrider Ballistarii''' - If you were thinking about using Dragoons for shooting, you might want to consider this as a superior alternative. They come with Twin-Linked Cognis Autocannons and the ''Precision Shots'' rule instead. You may replace the Autocannons with Cognis Lascannons if you want to go tank or TEQ hunting. Ballistarii are still blisteringly fast with Dunestrider and Crusader, but they don't have the incense cloud to protect them, so keep them at arms length from your opponent, preferably obscured behind their own cover.
**In a pinch these could be used as fast moving Anti-Aircraft platforms. With Twin-Linked Cognis weapons at BS2, they have a ~55% chance of landing a hit on an enemy flyer, which is better than anything with BS3 & Skyfire, and since you get Lascannons a single hit is far more likely to down a vehicle in one shot than the Autocannons or Flakk Missiles you'll find everywhere else. This also leads to very accurate overwatch, but how the fuck did you let the enemy get that close to you?
** The ballistarii are the weakest unit you have in terms of survivability (Coming from an army of T3 models). Tall, AV11 all around, no save of any kind, Open-topped, and your opponent WILL want them dead. If you use them, keep them as far back as you can. The Ironstrider Cavaliers formation negates this just a bit by allowing you to shoot through some Dragoons without giving your target cover and allowing your big guns some...but only a 5+ and a bad Outflank roll could leave you in a bad spot. Then again, that bad Outflank roll is very unlikely, since Acute Senses grant a reroll.

*'''Onager Dunecrawler''' - The bastard child of a Deff Dread and Defiler, the <s>Onager</s> Donkeytank is a big ugly heavy weapons platform above all else. They have a special ruleability in that they all have a 6++ save, which gets boosted by 1 up to a 4++ for every other Onager within 4" that is in the same unit. It can be kitted out with the following weapons/items:
**'''Eradication Beamer''' - Stock weapon on the Onager and overall, not a bad one. It basically gives you a range of effectiveness and most armies would want to back away their strong, expensive units from your death walker tanks so they don't get hit with S10 AP1 zaps. And if those nasty units are not getting close to your squishy metal humies, your dudes survive longer!
**'''Cognis Heavy Stubber''' - comes as a package deal with the Neutron Laser, as well as being a purchasable upgrade, and makes for a nice albeit milquetoast support gun. Snap-firing at BS2 is nothing to sneeze at, though.
**'''Icarus Anti-Air Array''' - Still decently effective against ground targets for a 125pt anti-air rape machine, you get ''all three'' of the guns described in the Icarus array above--aren't you so lucky? Priciest of the options, but fills a much-needed anti-air role otherwise absent from a stand-alone Skitarii list. Taking this means losing the ability to take Smoke Launchers, though, so at least pair up the Icarus Onagers for a 5++ Invul.
**'''Neutron Laser''' - Be wary of spending the 25pts for this upgrade because you're trading away the likelihood of reliable damage with the Eradication Beamer (if your opponent is insane or stupid enough to let it that close) for absolute murderous damage (and a heavy stubber!). Arguably deadliest of the Onager's guns because of that straight S10 AP1 48" punch; if you're taking these, you don't need Ballistarii with lascannons, except as makeshift Anti-Air.
**'''Phosphor Blaster''' - Facing a lot of MEQs? This is a great fire support tool for your gunline for a bargain. Additionally, as long as 3 are alive and close together, 3 AV12 walkers stomping towards you should survive well enough for the price. Tau players will hate you for bringing these and melting their little battle suits.
*** Really, leave the Phosphor Blaster at home. 15 points ''and'' giving up the Eradication Beamer already stings, but once you see that Cult Mechanicus Castelans do the Phosphor thing way better, the gun looks out of place on an otherwise very cost-effective model.
*** the Phosphor Blaster seems a weird choice at first but a possibly overlooked part is that it's twin linked and isnt a blast and so does not scatter, Combined with Imperatives it pulls it's weight since it's going to struggle to miss it's target already and even at lowered ballistic skill will still have a fair chance of hitting the target. It's argueably the most reliable weapon of all the onager guns and has the nice bonus of synergy with your other units (sicarian and dragoons re roll charges, rangers vanguard and ironstriders worry less about campin carls making their cover saves)
**'''Cognis Manipulator''' - It's like a servo-arm...except it's on giant spidertanks and grants IWND. Sx2 (so S10) and AP1 on a 1 attack model. It is godly, but seems tuned for solo Onagers where not having a 4++ from buddies makes IWND a nice option. Painfully expensive though.
**'''Mindscanner Probe''' - This pretty much covers your lack of krak grenades. if anyone charges within 6" of your spidertank, they no longer get bonus attacks on the charge.
*** While the ''War Convocation'' Formation is already godly, what it does to the Onagers is unbelievable. You know the comments about the Cognis Manipulator being way too expensive to justify? Well, now you can get them for free! On a full unit! So not only does your wall of AV12 Walkers have a 4++, they also all have IWND and charge with 6 S10 AP2 Attacks total. You know, just in case whatever you shot with those Neutron Lasers happens to still be alive. Also pairs well with the Conqueror Imperatives, since BS isn't too important for their Blasts and WS6 on these guys looks really terrifying.

==Formations==
* '''Battle Maniple''' - One of every unit ever, except the Dragoons/Ironstriders (which are either/or) which grants you a WT re-roll, anyone within 12" of the Onager gets Ld 10, and all models gain Crusader and Scout, with Outflank being barred.
** At first, it sounds like this one is not worth it. It's basically the same bonus rules as the normal Maniple detachment, except it settles you with a whole bunch of taxes. But then you remember that morale really is a serious issue for the tin men, which the Ld10 bubble of the Onager remedies very well.
** '''War Cohort''' - 3 Entire Battle Maniples. That's a lot of tin men. In addition to the rules of each Battle Maniple, you also get the ability to re-use one Doctrina Imperative you used earlier. Meh. Gamesworkshop's plan to make you broke.
** While the War Cohort provides you with some nice bonuses, it really isn't worth the trouble. A single War Cohort needs three units EACH of the overcosted Ruststalkers and Infiltrators. Even at minimum sizes, that's over a thousand points that will die to a stiff breeze. While these units are great as surgical tools, in these amounts, they are merely taxes for a rule that will be useful for a single turn at most.

* '''Ironstrider Cavaliers''' - 2 Units of Dragoons and 1 unit of Ballistarii (that's up to 18 walkers). Units gain Acute Senses and Outflank. All must come in from reserves and come in together, but you start your roll on your first turn. Also they can trace line of sight and shoot through other units in this formation without giving a cover save for intervening models. Also at the start of the first game turn you nominate an enemy character, models in this Formation get to re-roll To Wound on that character and its unit...for the rest of the game.(pair well with infiltrators being able to infiltrate and also having acute senses so helps get this formation on the table edge where their warlord is and closer to action.)

* '''Sicarian Killclade''' - 3 units of Ruststalkers and 1 unit of Infiltrators. Makes the Infiltrators aura of -1 WS/BS/I/Ld extend 12". Once per game you can run and charge (after the first turn) with the Ruststalkers in the formation. That's at least 18" of movement.
** If you were going to play that many Sicarians anyway, you can do much worse than to organize them this way. The range boost for the Infiltrators' fuck-you aura is ''huge'', since you went to a 24" circle in which your opponent is pretty helpless (less I and Ld lend themselves to several shenanigans, less BS is gorgeous and less WS, combined with Imperatives, could be enough to get the opponent down to the dreaded hitting-on-5+-threshold) and Run + Charge, even for just one turn, is amazing considering the Ruststalkers' bullshit speed. And that 24" fuck-you circle? That Infiltrates ''and'' Scouts.-actually you lose scout when taking this formation, so only infiltrate..

* '''Dominus Maniple''' - 1 unit of Vanguard (and Vanguard only, so no Rangers here), 1 unit of Dunecrawlers, 1 Tech-Priest Dominus. Pick a unit within 18" of the Dominus and within his LoS at the start of the shooting phase, all units from this formation gain twin-linked against that unit for that phase.
** A nice little formation that lets you get a Dominus without having to actually use the Cult Mechanicus formations. Works great with a vanguard unit kitted out with plasma calivers.

==Allies==
===Battle Brothers===
*'''Forces of the Imperium: '''Honestly, Skitarii are the sort of army that is being taken as an ally, not taking allies. Make a cheap Skitarii Maniple detachment so you can get some Rangers or Vanguard, make good use of your primary detachment's transports... It's the one thing this army could really use.
**'''[[Space Marines|Five]] [[Grey Knights|Flavors]] [[Dark Angels|Of]] [[Space Wolves|Power]] [[Blood Angels|Armor]]''':
***Ally Blood Angels or Space Wolves for [[METAL BOXES]] for your METAL men... Things. Ally Guard for even more [[Chimera|superior metal boxes]] and [[Valkyrie|flying metal boxes]]. Fluff-wise, the Iron Hands make sense, and they can provide you with (regenerating) metal boxes too, though only Storm Ravens and Land Raiders unless you want to go through the trouble of repurposing dedicated transports. (You can't deploy in someone else's dedicated transport, but you can embark turn 1.) But honestly, who doesn't want Storm Ravens?(Now rhinos razorbacks and pods are fast attack so go on and take some rhinos)
***Let's be honest, here. Until the new Space Marine Codex comes out, the best you can do is add a Flesh Tearers detachment. Cheap Divination-Librarian, a squad of Tacs with double Flamer in a Rhino and an additional fast Rhino for your tin men and you have a playable Flesh Tearers detachment. Season to taste with a Sanguinary Priest, Sternguard and MOAR metal bawkses and you're golden. If anyone asks what this means fluff-wise, just tell them your Iron Hands allies are having a really [[Rage|bad day]]. Actually, scrap the Rhinos. Just max out on Drop Pods and Arc Rifles/Plasma Calivers and watch your opponent cry trying to save his army from your alpha strike.
***Of course, if you want the cheapest of the cheap transports, then go for Space Wolves. The Company of the Great Wolf detachment from the Champions of Fenris supplement requires an HQ and 2 Elite choices. What is funny is that servitors are Elite choices in Space Wolves. So for 20 points you get to fill out both elite slots with the fluff of servitors in an Admech army instead of paying 35 points more for a minimum squad size of scouts from Blood Angels. Just get yourself a Divination Rune Priest and 3 drop pods and you're set! Just remember that though this method is cheaper, you do have access to a maximum of 3 drop pods from your fast attack choices.
**'''Inquisition''': An Inquisition ally would be a really easy way to get a few transports added to the army without compromising on your main Skitarii force, another bonus is that it usually leaves you enough space to take another ally. Also an easy way to get psykers and disposable backfield infantry in the form of both acolytes and servitors (which aren't in the main AdMech codex why?). For style points you could take an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor, give him a conversion beamer and servo skulls, and fluff him as a member of the Ordo Machinum (which is totally a thing look it up).
**'''Militarum Tempestus:''' The Militarum Tempstus's Scions don't offer much the Skitarii can't do themselves. What they do offer however is the Taurox Prime as a fast attack option. So when you take a CaD of Scions and have them deep strike, this leaves you with up to 3 Taurox Primes to cart around Vanguard(Choose these guys) and Rangers(Not these ones). With it's 10 man capacity you are talking about a lot of dakka potential being moved around, and you can get them to within 18" of their foes that much easier. Or you can use Valkyries, but then you may as well go with the Astra Militarum.
**'''Imperial Knights:''' If you feel like having a lovely fluffy alliance you should probably get an Imperial Knight and worry no more about your lack of a LoW. Take the Paladin to get some pie plates from a very long range that can deal with almost anything and before you start worrying about those annoying Riptides remember the destroyer chainsword strapped to the side (or, y'know, just a crapton of plasma calivers at BS7). Might be an idea to miss out the Errant though, you have plenty of haywire that will deal with those pesky land raiders, unless you are really craving anti-TEQ stuff. The new Crusader is a very appealing option, what with the option to take either the battlecannon or big melta alongside an AP3 Marine-mower in addition to yet another great AA gun on top. Seriously. If you have the points (and cash) to spare, there really is no excuse for not using a Crusader.
**'''Sisters of Battle:''' Another thing your Skitarii desperately need is flamers. Flamer templates give you reliable cover-ignoring Anti-Infantry, which you otherwise lack. This is made up somewhat by many walkers having access to BS2 and a number of spammy weapons (Assault 3 BS4 on overwatch is not pleasant to be hit by), but none of these are automatic hits. This suggests Sisters, perhaps - they have flamers and need anti-air, Skitarii have anti-air but need flamers.
**'''Imperial Guard:''' What do they give you? Bodies. Cheap, expendable blocks full of bodies holding Rapid Fire guns. And tanks with pie plates or templates. If you want any of this, they are your friends. Also, the bestest Metal Boxes to cart your tin men around.
**'''Cult Mechanicus:'''It doesn't get much fluffier than this, and everything is more durable than your flimsy T3 in this army. Kastelans are a way superior alternative to Phosphor-Onagers and Kataphron Destroyers give you the Anti-Riptide you don't really get. Also, Kastelans have Torrent Flamers as default equipment. See above as to why that's a godsend for you. Combining Sicarians and Electro Priests can also saturate your army with so many scary CC units that your opponent won't have time to bring them all down. And finally, a lot of their buffs are specifically meant to apply to you as well so they can support you more effectively than your other Battle Brothers. However, you're still gonna be badly hurting for transports.
**'''Officio Assassinorum:''' Need some infiltration and mind-fuckery? They got Callidus Assassins. Need some more '''RIP'N'TEAR'''? They got Eversor Assassins. Need some long-ranged firepower to take out vehicles and characters? They got Vindicare Assassins. Need to ruin a psyker's day? They got Culexus Assassins. If you don't have anything else to take, you can combine all of the above into one detachment. Assassins do not count as an allied detachment so you can still take whatever you want to go along with your tin men. The best choice though would be a Culexus Assassin since he can completely nullify psychic death stars to allow your tin men to rain death on them. Just make sure you keep him away from your own psykers, if you have any.

===Allies of Convenience===
*'''Eldar: ''' If you're looking outside the Imperium, Eldar are probably the least troublesome choice. Windriders provide plenty of mobile fire support and objective grabbing (shuriken cannons all around, of course). Of the aspect warriors, Dark Reapers, Shining Spears and Fire Dragons are probably the most useful to you. Wraithguard have stupidly insane destructive power (Hi, Titan! Five destroyer shots! Bye, Titan!) but are slow and expensive, so I wouldn't unless you really need the Big D. Oh, and don't forget Farseers, with their newly buffed Eldritch Storm, or maledictions like Misfortune and Doom that even help out non-BB allies.

===Desperate Allies===
*'''Tau:''' You might look at Tau, but outside of a few durable units (Riptides, Hammerheads) or possibly Crisis suits for drop-melta, they don't have a hell of a lot to offer. If you dislike Ironstriders, your Skitarii will have a distinct lack of anti-light vehicle since most of their Anti-Tank is Haywire-based. Tau have such weapons in spades and can also provide you with flamers and a bunch of durable bullshit.
*'''Dark Eldar:''' They don't really have much to offer you. They, too, rely on big guns on frail platforms. Only difference? They have CARDBOARD BAWKSES, teh cowards, teh fewls. But if you sincerely want those, you should just play Dark Eldar instead and forget mucking about with Desperate Allies.
*'''Orks:''' Polar opposite of Skitarii in every way. The differing army dynamics make them about as versatile a combination as you can get, but make it difficult to come up with anything like a specific army strategy. On the plus side, using Precision Shots to deal with combat-based Cs and ICs make killing stuff easier for Boyz when they get into combat, Orks have flamers and T4 tarpits, and Orks could really benefit from some reliable anti-armour shooting every now and again. Theoretically you could have a unit for every role you can imagine, but that would require nuance, and nuanced tactics go out of the window somewhere around turn 2.

===Come the Apocalypse===
*'''Chaos Space Marines''' If we're talking this, we're talking Flamer-Chosen, Daemon Princes, Plague Marines, Hell Turkeys and Defilers. Anything else, ''anything'' else, Space Wolves do better and they're Battle Brothers to boot.
*'''Chaos Daemons:''' Could be hilarious. They give you mountains of gribblies and some sledgehammers, you give them some more effective Anti-Air and a few guns to counter their almost utter lack of such.
*'''Necrons:''' If you want to try some outside-the-box fluff, consider Necron allies. Flayed Ones, Wraiths and Lychguard give you the durable assault you lack, Destroyers give you the AP3 you only get in small numbers otherwise and if you're feeling gutsy, combining Necron assault with Vanguard could lead to some hilarious rape.
*'''Tyranids:''' Maybe some Magos Biologis let something bio-engineered loose? Anyway, Tyranids are actually a great idea. They have some pretty impressive Flyers, massive tarpits and scary monsters to divert attention away from your impressively shooty but rather frail tin men. Also, you know, an answer or two to all the psychic bullshit flying around.

==Tactics==
* This army is composed entirely of Walkers and Infantry . Good thing they have Move Through Cover. The Rangers are a ranged force, and benefit from advancing behind a wall of Vanguard, in cover. Vanguard will be running quite a bit to get into range, but with 3 plasma calivers, an Omnispex and a Relic Pistol, you have forged a serious amount of [[rape]]. Infiltrators seem to quite good at disabling and murdering units. With Dunestrider, Infiltrate, Steath, and that stat reducing skill,they can screw over a unit of your choice in your opponents force. Ruststalkers excel at destroying units in CC, but suffer from AP5 (albeit with quasi-Rending) in the first round of combat, so beware! Will destroy termies if they survive the onslaught, whicch can be difficult. The Onagers appear to be your main source of anti-armor, be that flyers or tanks, what with their nasty weapons and magic "By our powers combined!" invuln save. Make a gunline of them, and pump out the dakka. The Ballistarii can hound light infantry or TEQs depending on your weapon choice and can be decent Anti Air in a pinch. The Dragoons could be a force in melee with their +3S Tesla hits and I6 on the charge, but don't underestimate a full squad of jezzails (made even more potent with the Ironstrider Cavaliers formation).

* The Battle Maniple has 1 optional Fortification available to it. An Aegis Defense Line with a Comms Relay seems like the best (and cheapest...70pts) choice, especially if you take the Ironstrider Cavaliers formation. An Imperial Bastion is always a nice LoS blocker and a few Transuranic Arquebus from up top/inside could be nasty for enemy transports. If you don't have anything in reserves, a Quad-gun can add to your AA. An ammunition dump can help negate the 3 Plasma Calivers Gets Hot shots. Never underestimate the power of a Void Shield Generator. Just stick it near the middle of the army and laugh as it blunts a few rounds of shooting. Going for the Relay option lets you get 9 void shields, but for a bucket of points.
[[Category: Warhammer Tactics]]

* Think Eradication Beamers are underwhelming guns? Use them for mind games instead! Three Onagers with Eradication Beamers can play merry hell with enemy movement. No sane player will risk putting expensive tanks within 9" of your Onager squad, while infantry blobs will love them dearly and get close to them to avoid the big pie plates. Combine that with some Vanguard to shoot down the infantry headed your way and some Cognis Lascannons to hunt down the tanks keeping their distance and you can easily dominate the game. Or combine with some allied Conversion Beamers to trap the opponent in a fuck-you field.

* Taser Lances can be made useful if you use them right, too. Sure, no AP seems bad, but you don't hear Tyranids complaining about the lack of AP on their Flyrants' Devourers, do you? Taser Lances, especially on large Dragoon blobs, can deal a lot of Glances and Pens to vehicles. Nothing short of a Land Raider / Monolith can comfortably deal with a fuckton of S8. And thanks to <s>''Dunestrider''</s> ''Trollspeed'', they could be charging on turn 2 if the enemy is too dumb to keep enough distance.

* Get yourself an allied <s>Librarian or two from the Blood Angels or Dark Angels</s> '''Space Marine Librarius Conclave''', that's three to five Psykers as one formation and they can pool their spells together to get better Warp Charge activation rates, roll everything on Divination. Prescience helps out with the Plasma Calivers' Gets Hot, Foreboding is pretty much your favorite Warlord Trait ''Emotionless Clarity'' dialed up to 11, but what you are looking for is Misfortune. Remember why Radium Jezzails are so awesome? Correct. Because Rad Poisoning and Rending stack to Auto-Wound twice with AP2. Use Misfortune, shoot at the afflicted unit with Vanguard and every single Rad Carbine becomes a three-shot version of that. Gigantic clusterfuck turned to gigantic ''armour-ignoring'' clusterfuck. Plus, you know, Psychic Hood saturation to the max.

* For any and all Allies shenanigans that don't involve stuffing the Skitarii into transports, remember that the Scout special rule works if ''at least one model in a unit has it''. Now, you don't have any ICs to give other armies the luxury of Scouts, but it does mean that you can Scout together with any allied ICs.

* Keeping tarpits as allies might help you get away with using Protector Imperatives more. Screening grots are cheap and the midgets let you fire over their heads without giving enemies cover, but they'll run like hell if someone slams a door nearby.

/tg/ Custom L5R Minor Clans

2016-01-15T05:02:39Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* History */

The results of /tg having a crack at home-brewing minor clans, use at your own risk as these are untested.

=Butterfly Clan=
[[File:60755.png]]

''The souls of the dead''

''Float free with the void. They speak''

''And I kill my thought''

==History==

The Butterfly clan traces its history back to the actions of its founder, Tomomori Ageha, who was the retainer of a minor family that lived on the edge of Crane lands, with only a small estate and shrine complex near a grave of trees – the shrine simply being known as the “Tomomori Shrine”, its original name lost to the mists of time, though it was referred to generally as the “Shrine of Lost Souls.”

Tomomori Ageha was a, plainly speaking, remarkably samurai-ko, though she had great reverence for the kami and spirits, and most of her time was spent in keeping up the shrine for the Tomomori daimyo, the shrine complex being nearly as large as the estate, and filled with many graves, necessitating much respect. Ageha more than once considered becoming a nun, feeling it was a better suit for her, but continued to serve her daimyo out of loyalty.

All this would change with the arrival of a traveling monk who became a close adviser to her lord, and began to spend much of his time in the shrine complex. Ageha was uneasy with this man from the first – while he was polite in front of her daimyo, he adopted a crude and arrogant manner elsewhere. The butterflies of the Tomomori shrine, which flocked in great numbers and were said to be the spirits of the dead, fled from the monk and would never alight upon or even near him. At night Ageha would find the Kindly Monk, as he wished to be referred to, alone in the shrine gardens. The suspicious death of Ageha’s father and then mother, and many others in the small family, led her to investigate the Kindly Monk in his quarters – where she found him practicing maho. Enraged and distraught, realizing that those she had loved had been murdered without her being able to do anything, she sought her daimyo, apologizing profusely, warning him of the maho in the midst of his court, and begging to be allowed to commit seppuku after the maho was dealt with, to atone for her failure to see the threat before it was too late.

However, the situation was grimmer than she realized. As the Kindly Monk approached and spoke with the daimyo, she realized her master was under the blood sorcerer’s sway, and would not believe her, even as the maho openly mocked her. Eventually, in a desperate rage, she left to fetch her katana and returned, trying to cut down the maho – only for him to outdraw her with her daimyo’s own blade and wound her. Taking sick pleasure in watching the spirit of this samurai be crushed, the maho advised her daimyo to forbid her from committing seppuku, and banish her for her insolent actions – but not before having the rest of her family summoned, including the man who was to be her husband, and having them executed like common criminals before her eyes, as “accomplishes” to her attempted “assassination of a valuable retainer.”

And so Tomomori Ageha was cast out and made ronin. She struggled with her new existence, and the knowledge of her failure, and soon found herself contemplating seppuku in the room of the lowly inn she was staying at. As she prepared herself, a butterfly flew into the room and fluttered near her face. Enraged at the distraction and reminder of the home she had lost, she struck at it with her hand – but it easily fluttered around her clumsy blow, and came to rest on the hilt of her wakizashi. Ageha was ashamed at her momentary anger, and decided not to disturb the little creature. Eventually, a multitude of butterflies flew through her window, unafraid and alighting upon her. In a moment of epiphany, she realized that these must be the souls of her family, come to comfort her and remind her of her purpose. And so Ageha was humbled.

Tomomori Ageha began to work hard to improve her lax skills, and traveled from monastery to monastery, and up into the lands of the Dragon to learn from Taoist swordsmen. She sought calm and enlightenment, and used her sword as a method to contemplate the void, only drawing it to shed blood when necessary. She became as a butterfly – a lost soul wandering the Empire, swept along in the void. Fate was not finished with Ageha, however. For her travels eventually brought her back close to her home, where she saw a procession with the Imperial seal passing – a member of the Otomo family was on a sojourn visiting shrines, and wished to see the humble Tomomori shrine. This Otomo found himself well received at the estate of the daimyo, though the daimyo did not talk as much as the Kindly Monk who served him.

The pleasant dinner was interrupted, however, by the arrival of a ronin who made the shocking claim that the hosts of this place were all slaves of a maho sorcerer. It was an outrageous claim, but the ronin spoke with elegance and sincerity, and challenged the Kindly Monk as a maho sorcerer, letting him pick someone to duel her if he disputed her accusation. The Kindly Monk mocked her as insane and said he would happily thrash a madwoman ronin himself – though Ageha was not moved. This angered the Kindly Monk, who prided himself on his powers of manipulation, and he began to openly slander Ageha and her family, to the confusion of the Otomo dignitary watching the drama unfold. Ageha simply turned away and suggested they walk out into the gardens. Now enraged, the maho once again took the sword of his daimyo and attempted to strike Ageha down as her back was turned – but in one fluid motion she drew her katana from within the folds of her cloak, and beheaded the maho with a clean blow. She then bowed before the dignitary and apologized for bringing a katana into his presence. However, the dignitary wished to understand what had happened here, and Ageho told him, long into the night, her story, saying in the end that she could not let a member of the Imperial family be corrupted and potentially have the Empire be threatened, and offering to commit seppuku. Instead, she was requested to come to the Capital and demonstrate her techniques. And as they left, in the gloom, the dignitary saw from the shrine a swarm of butterflies circle into the twilight sky.

Ageha demonstrated her technique for the Emperor and, at his prompting, told her story to an enraptured court. The Emperor was impressed by both her skill and heroism – he ordered the Tomomori family extinguished and replaced with the new Ageha Family, who he permitted to form a minor clan, so that the swordsmanship of Ageha would not be lost, and that the Shrine could be protected from Maho. Ageha agreed, on the condition that the Shrine retained the Tomomori name. Soon Ageha attracted a following of interested students, including one whom she would go on to marry, and the Butterfly Clan was formed.

==Lands==

The lands of the Butterfly clan are rather small, located in the southern foothills of the Mountains of Regret. Their main holdings include the village and shrine of Tomomori, both named after the small nearby wood, which is known for its flowers, butterflies and ancient ruins from some forgotten war. Also included is the Ahega estate, which include a fortified manor somewhere between a house and a castle, and the Ahega dojo. Aside from substance agriculture, Tomomori Village is only noted for the quality of its handcrafted and decorated pottery.

==Customs==
The small Ageha clan spends most of their days devoted to studying the Kenjutsu style of their founder, and her teachings, with much time spent meditating to further a samurai's connection with the Void. The clan's duties also see them tending and guarding the Tomomori shrine and forest. An interesting development is the growing tradition of Ageha samurai becoming renown bonsai gardeners, with many seeing the methodological art as a connection to void just as strong as meditation. The placid appearance of the gardens and their tenders, however, considers hidden steel: the Ageha clan produces some of the most deadly duelists in the Emerald Empire. Secluded among the multitudes of butterfly and bonsai gardens that dot the Ageha lands is the Butterfly Clan dojo, which is always busy with clan samurai learning Kenjutsu, Kyujutsu, and Iajutsu. The Ageha clan tend to dress simply, if elegantly. Their clan colours usually tend towards black and orange, with white highlights being common, white being the colour of the dead. Many Ageha do their best to try and appear humble and unobtrusive, with many in the family tending to be slender and plain looking.

The dojo and shrine are often visited by those curious in either of them, and the Ageha do their best to become polite hosts. They often have to turn down those they feel seek the secret of the Swallowtail cut for the wrong reasons, which occasionally include violent ronin. The Tomomori Shrine gardens are quite extensive and are believed by many to be haunted, or to have some connection to the spirit realms - it is known that without proper respect and rituals, gaki have arisen here. This made the area, and still makes it, a place of interest for monks, shugenja and maho, and the Ageha tend to be circumspect regarding it, rarely letting any venture among the ruins, shrines and foliage without good reason.

The Ageha, despite having a tight knit community, are often taken to travel, and their daimyo are historically encouraging towards warrior pilgrimages. Most Ageha desire to, at least once, travel in the Dragon Mountains and to visit the monastic orders and shrines of Rokugan to increase their understanding of the Void. Ageha samurai are always interested in helping to restore and protect shrines and holy sites, and take interest in rumours of blood sorcery or displeased spirits. Sometimes on their travels they will meet a ronin or samurai with promise, and invite them to visit the Ageha estate, or even to join with the Clan.

==Families==

'''Ageha:''' +1 Awareness

When Ageha allowed her first recruits into her clan, she showed little interest in those who came to her seeking the secret of the Swallowtail Cut. She seemed more interested in those with respect for the spirits, or who wished to use her techniques for meditation, and investigated the artistic skill of the applicants as much as their swordsmanship. The current clan is descended from her initial followers and those who married into her family.

==Ageha Bushi [Bushi] (Untested)==

'''Benefit:''' +1 Void

'''Skills:''' Any Artisan skill, Etiquette, Kenjutsu (Katana), Kyujutsu, Iajutsu, Meditation, any other High skill

'''Honor:''' 5.5

'''Outfit:''' Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Kumi with 20 arrows, traveling pack, 5 koku.

---

'''Rank 1) Perfection In All Things'''
The Ageha Bushi chases the moment of perfection in all things. A number of times per day equal to your Void Ring, you can add your skill level in a Bugei Skill of your choice to any Artisan Check, or add your skill level in an Artisan Skill to any Bugei Skill. In a skirmish, you may only use this ability on an attack made after spending a turn in Center Stance.

'''Rank 2) Empty, and Become Wind'''
The Ageha Bushi can sense the flow and intent in all things, if they but find peace and listen. While in the Center Stance, increase your TN by your Void Ring. Additionally, you gain +2k0 to all Meditation rolls.

'''Rank 3) Read the Unwritten'''
An Ageha Bushi can easily read the world, for all things have the same emptiness. Whenever you enter the Center Stance you may select any one opponent you can see, and make an Iaijutsu (Assessment)/Awareness roll, rolling against the Target's Void Ring x 5. If you succeed, any maneuvers that target makes against you require an additional raise. For every raise you make on the Iajutsu roll, their maneuvers require an additional one raise. As well, you gain +2k0 to all Iaijutsu (Assessment) rolls, including duels and this technique.

'''Rank 4) Enter the Void'''
In a moment of nothingness, time vanishes. You may attack as a simple action with weapons that have the samurai keyword.

'''Rank 5) The Swallowtail Cut'''
The Ageha has mastered the attack of No Thought, striking without thinking. Whenever you are attacked in a skirmish while in Center Stance and equipped with a Sword once a turn, you may spend a Void Point to activate an attack of No Thought. You make an immediate single attack before the enemy does - they then continue with their attack. On your next round, you may still earn your bonuses from having spent this round in Center Stance. Note that if you are ambushed, you may still decide to have started in the Center Stance.

=Eel Clan=

[[File:Unagi_mon.png|300px]]

''Reeds bow in the wind''

''like courtiers before their lord''

''when our boats glide past.''

In progress

==History==
Most minor clans have their origins in time of turmoil, and the Eel Clan is no exception. During one of the frequent instance in history when the Lion and Crane were at each others throats, the heroic actions of Tsuruchi Funji and a band of fellows one moonless night on the Three Sides River earned them the right to create a new clan, and the responsibility that came with it. Tsuruchi Funji had long earned a name of himself in the longtime tradition of young Tsuruchi by wandering Rokugan as a bounty hunter. His habit of tenaciously hunting down his targets, and his prowess in surviving the worst ambushes and traps that the collective scum and villainy of the empire could throw at him earned him the nickname “Unagi” or The Eel. However, the deeds that led to the creation of the Eel Clan result not from when he was hunting a target, but when he missed his ferry across the Three Sides River due to a hangover.

Returning to the inn where he had spent the night before to pass the time till the next boat, he would overhear a conversation of much importance. Two Ronin, neither looking like the upstanding type, were in hurried debate over what to do with the Magistrate when he arrived, with the suggestions generally usually ending with a shallow grave for the man. Tsuruchi Funji, despite his head feeling like the inside of a prayer bell and being one man against two, lacked no time in marching up to the two men and introducing himself as the man who would be taking their heads to the magistrate for plotting to kill him. It was only after that the entire patronage of the inn stood to draw swords alongside Tsuruchi’s targets did it occur to him that he perhaps had spoken too loud. However, Tsuruchi Funji was not known as The Eel for no reason, and acted in fashion true to himself by throwing himself out the window and into the river below; surfacing only when well a way downstream and thoroughly covered in mud.

Pulling himself onto a passing boat, he was surprised to find that it was none other than the “Floating Blossom”, the most renown pleasure boat on any of Rokugan’s rivers. So famous it was it even claimed to have once hosted the Emperor himself for a night. But what intrigued Funji was what would such a boat being doing here, a small village which’s most interesting feature was the ferry that Funji had missed now twice. But as fate led him to overhear the conspirators so too would fate now lead Funji, for as he was still catching his breath a door to his left opened and let out none other than an Emerald Magistrate, one who Funji was much acquainted with as a Bounty Hunter. After introducing himself to the quite shocked man and receiving assurances that his soggy attire was acceptable considering the escape undertaken recently, Funji inquired to as why an Emerald Magistrate would visit such a quiet stretch of river, and in such a luxurious vessel. The Magistrate succulently explained that he was traveling upstream to broker a peace to end the recent hostilities between the Crane and Lion clans, and that this boat was to serve as neutral ground for negotiations. Alarmed at the enormous significance of that mission, Funji next asked if the Magistrate was aware of any plots against his life. Alarmed, the Magistrate stated that his death would cast suspicion upon the participating parties, and would likely lead to the dispute between Lion and Crane breaking out into open war.

'''To be continued'''

==Lands==

The Eel clan does not have much in the way of lands in the traditional sense. Many of their members live a nomadic existence on boats and can be found anywhere along the Drowned Merchant River, Three Sides River, Sleeping River, River of the Blind Monk, River of the Hour of the Wolf, the River of the Lost Valley and the Firefly River, and all their tributaries, allowing the clan to spread over almost all of Rokugan east of the Spine of the World Mountains. The only true holding they have is a small River Fort located where the Drowned Merchant River ends and joins with the convergence of the Firefly River - the fort is on a small island a little ways into the middle of the river.

==Customs==

The Eel clan differs from many other clans due to the diffusion of its members, and small amount of land ownership. The most obvious result of this is the fact that the clan divides itself into multiple family units that are based on sturdy river boats or groups of boats. The Eel clan therefore make most of their living from fishing and trade. The Eel have a relatively small ratio between the amount of samurai and peasants in their clan - often the peasant servants of the Eel operate their own rafts separate from the houseboats of their masters. This means that the Eel often have to engage in many duties Samurai would find rather distasteful, such as fishing and punting their boats. Whenever possible they use their peasant vassals to conduct trade, but the Eel are a practical people and will trade when needed to - however, they have managed to avert much commerce through an unofficial system of donations, where peasants and local daimyo will give them gifts in exchange for maintaining a presence along a stretch of river.

The protection of the waterways of the Empire is the main concern of the Eel, for they know how quickly and easily smugglers and bandits can use the rivers to escape retribution, moving from province to province ahead of interest in their apprehension. The Eel, however, are always on the alert and maintain a sophisticated level of communication among their dispersed clan, through both meeting of boats and messages left at river villages. Calligraphy is one of the most popular art forms among the Eel, to the surprise of outsiders who assume them to be rough and uncouth samurai - when two Eel groups meet, there is always a great deal of ceremony in the exchange of letters.

The Eel tend to dress more practically than other samurai, due to their livelihood - flowing kimonos are no help on an active boat where they can get tangled and soiled. Many Samurai consider the Eel uncouth due to, like the Unicorn, enjoying sleeveless wear and breeches - although it is a misconception that the Eel always dress like this, and they usually have more traditional wear for when the day is done, and when making official visitations. When the Eel have need of courtiers, they normally train with the Ide, who they see as honest or open, but the wealthiest Eels pride themselves in sending their children to train with the Doji.

The Eel tend to comport themselves practically in other ways - men usually wear the top-knot or other short hairstyles, and women either keep their hair short or find a way to secure it. The Eel often forgo armour or wear only the lightest - but many have been surprised at how powerful swimmers the Eel are, able to swim and wade in all but the heaviest armours. The Eel tend to avoid over ornamentation, not wanting accouterments that could be lost or become tangled. One aspect of their appearance where the Eel do allow for the artistic are tattoos - Eels are often heavily Tattooed, most usually on their arms, with a style particular to their clan. Most Eel tattoos, while not magical like the Dragon's, have deep personal meaning, and are considered a way to pay respect to the water spirits, and even as a way of directly communicating with them.

Most Eels practice the Bushi School of their clan, one that was developed over years of protection of River Boats, and assaults on Bandit Boats. The Eel quickly learned the advantage of being able to turn punts and oars into deadly jabbing weapons, as well as the use of spears and hooks in boat to boat combat, both for offense and defense. Like the Mantis, the Eel tend to be wary about using their Daisho where it could be lost. Some prefer the range of the Yari in fording off enemies, while others find the Nage-Yari more manageable in close quarters, and useful for throwing if need be.

==Families==

'''Unagi:''' +1 Reflexes

The Unagi are a hardy stock, taking their original members from a variety of clans and places along the rivers of the eastern Empire. They tend towards wiriness and swift movement. To many their appearance appears slightly crude, due to not making much use of the kimono on their river patrols, preferring to wear as simple clothing as possible for maximum ease of movement, similar in some ways to the style of the Yoritomo. They are known for heavily tattooing their bare arms, as a ritual to gain the favour of the water kami of the river.

'''Anago''': +1 Willpower

The Anago vassal family of the Unagi was founded by an Unagi Bushi who sought to extend the reach of the clan out into the shorelines of Rokugan to combat piracy near coastal towns. In his ambition, he then sought to capitalize on his success and expand operations into the River of Gold, known for its rampant piracy. While successful for a time, this eventually drew the ire of the Scorpion Clan, who organized a large ronin ambush that killed many of the Anago and severely curtailed their power - what remaining Anago there are live in small numbers along the coast near where the Three Sides river meets the ocean.

==Unagi Bushi [Bushi] (Untested)==

'''Benefit:''' +1 Strength

'''Skills:''' Athletics, Defense, Investigation, Jiujutsu, Sailing, Spears, any one Skill

'''Honor:''' 3.5

'''Outfit:''' Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Knife, Yari OR Nage-Yari, Traveling Pack, 6 koku

--

'''Rank 1: Way of the Eel''' - The Sasumata, Sodegarami and Bo Weapons may be used with the Spear Skill instead of their normal respective skills. Note when doing so, they may not benefit from their normal rank bonuses, but can benefit from any Spear Rank bonuses – you must pick at the start of each turn how you will uses these weapons. As well, when using a punting pole or oar to fight, count it as a Bo staff instead of an Improvised Weapon, including being able to roll attacks with it with the Spear skill. You also gain a +1k0 to Initiative rolls and suffer no penalties to movement due to being on an unstable surface, like a boat on the water.

'''Rank 2: The Eel Coils''' – You gain a bonus of twice your School Rank to your TN against Grappling Attacks and attacks with the Entanglement rule. You also gain +1k1 to the Contested Strength roll to resist Knockdown, and Light Amour no longer penalizes your Athletics Rolls.

'''Rank 3: Two Fangs in the Mouth''' – May make Attacks for a Simple Action with Spear weapons and weapons with the Samurai keyword. For the purpose of this rank, Spear weapons count as the weapons affected by Rank 1 when being used as a Spear.

'''Rank 4: The River Calls''' – Whenever you use a Knockdown on an enemy, you may add your Spear skill to your contested Strength Roll. When you do Knockdown the opponent, you may move them 3 feet plus a number of feet equal to your water ring in a direction of your choice.

'''Rank 5: Sink the Fangs''' – Whenever you make an attack, you may choose to make 2 Raises to make a strike that will be as painful and crippling as possible – you may make a Water Ring Roll contested by the enemy’s Earth Ring. If you succeed, the target is Dazed. This ability does nothing if used on an already Dazed Target.

===Alternate Rank: Eel Infiltrator===

'''Requires:''' Athletics 5, Knives 3, Stealth 3

'''Replaces:''' Unagi Bushi Rank 4

While you are swimming or wading in water, gain +1k1 to your Stealth rolls. As well, gain +2k0 to your Jiujitsu and Knives skills, and increase the damage you roll with Knives by +1k1 during the first round of any combat. Also, you no longer lose honour for ambushing or making sneak attacks, as long as they are against anyone with less than 3 points of honour.

=Octopus Clan=

[[File:tako.jpg]]

''The night city teems''

''Like the sea. Colour crashes''

''I reach for my brush''

==History==

The Octopus Clan is one of the least known clans of Rokugan, and one of the most bizarre – and they prefer both of these things to be true. Their motto has always been “nobility is art, but not all art is noble” – they are a clan that blends the roles of artisan and shinobi together in equal measure – like the Kasuga, Daidoji or Yasuki, they have deep roots amidst the more unsavoury parts of Rokugani culture.

The formation of the clan is cloaked in quite a bit of mystery. What is known is that their founder was Kakita Tako - though even this is uncertain, for Kakita Tako admitted himself to altering his name at least once to give himself a new identity. Tako was a Kakita Artisan who had nothing notable about him, except, perhaps, his lack of notability. He was constantly compared unfavourably to his classmates, and his sensei deemed him worthy of only a life of mediocrity. Disillusioned and wanting for money, Tako let his honour slip in order to make ends meet, killing his integrity as an artisan and happily making goods for rich merchants or upstart local magistrates, who were eager to gain “Authentic Kakita Artwork”. Usually such objects would only be obtainable through gift giving or large sums, but Tako made offers that were considered quite reasonable, at least by his new clientele. Tako soon found that his new contacts opened up a whole new, disreputable world for him which he took to with a gusto that surprised even himself – for the first time in his life, he no longer felt like he was useless. It was a dishonourable living – but it was a living! Tako was a flexible artist – one reason he had never really excelled at his studies was because he dabbled in many fields, a little interested in all of them. Now he found himself forging documents and artwork, inventing poems for merchants to impress their mistresses and even printing propaganda leaflets for people he never asked questions of.

To Tako’s surprise, his skills started to earn him work from higher and higher in the Rokugani social structure – while no one had wanted Tako the honourable artisan, now many people had need of the “Ronin Artist”. Tako realized there were certain things that Shiba and Kakita artisans simply would not do. Soon samurai patrons were requesting, very discreetly, for him to make wedding night manuals, portraits of their favourite geisha and personally commissioned pieces that regular society would find shocking. Tako was so useful because he would happily produce these pieces, while, at the same time, having a level of quality beyond the normal peasant artists who would usually create these sorts of things. It wasn’t long before Tako had to get help in meeting the demand – he scraped together some of the least prestigious members of the famous artisan schools, and began to tutor ronin samurai seeking a touch of refinement.

What is still vague is exactly what earned Tako the grandest prize of a Minor Clan, for whatever it was apparently it was sworn to secrecy. The records only state that he did a “Great Service to the Imperial Family”, without saying anything more on the matter. Tako took the Octopus as his symbol to represent how he was not the master of one focus, but of many, and as homage to one of his personal favourite works. The Octopus also represented the distribution of the clan – instead of having any central holdings, the clan instead established humbler bases in most major Rokugani cities. To this day the Tako Family, as they became known, provides a coarse, freewheeling, anarchic approach to art, existing in the shadows beyond the higher artisan families. This position never bothered Tako much – to him, all art served a purpose, in one way or another.

==Lands==

The Tako have no great holdings - like the octopus, their reach is everywhere, or at least in most major Rokugani cities. If they have anywhere that can be considered the Octopus's "Head", it could be an estate outside of Lonely Shore City, where the Clan Daimyo traditionally lives and manages his networks. Any who do know of the Octopus Clan usually think of this location - the Octopus Daimyo is by tradition open and friendly to travelers, and will usually happily tell a false history of his clan, where they were a minor family of the Crane elevated for their production of quality paints and inks, with which they won an important artistic challenge at an Imperial Winter Court.

==Customs==

The Tako exist in a sort of "art underworld" of their own creation. They undertake jobs requiring the hand of an artist with the skill level of a samurai, but with a sense of dishonour or secrecy attached. This can range from creating objectionable art, to forging documents, to spreading propaganda among the lower classes. The Tako also undertake the more prosaic task of producing artwork that is affordable and accessible by poorer samurai and ambitious merchants and ronin, who wish for a measure of quality but are unable to normally procure it from loftier artisans - many Tako artisans never make anything particularly beyond the norm, focusing on swiftly made and satisfactory pieces and imitations. The Tako are more willing to swallow pride in their work than most artisans as well, and for an extra fee, they will keep quiet about the true authorship of the skillful poem a ronin composed for his mistress. As well, much of their "objectionable" art serves a social purpose, however - these include their Wedding Night Manuals, pictures to help identify monstrous creatures, and detailed anatomy diagrams. Many Tako also work as tutors in art for ronin and merchants - the world of the Octopus is always a busy one.

Those Tako with less artistic skills aid their clans in other ways, often more criminal. The Tako are known to use art in the smuggling of information or even goods - secret codes worked into paintings, or messages hidden at the bottom of flower vases. Though it is not something they speak about, even among themselves, the Tako have, on occasion, fallen into the role of art thieves for patrons, stealing artwork and replacing it with a near identical forgery. The Tako are also often asked to produce particularly evocative prints for the purpose of advertisement and propaganda - unbeknownst to even the Tako themselves, their patrons for this are very often members of the Scorpion Clan or Daidoji or Yaskui families, who are fully aware of what the Toka do and consider them a useful tool.

The Tako spend most of their time honing and practicing their skills and most of their samurai have much leeway in the commissions they take - usually all Tako in a single city report to a senior member of the family who acts as an overseer. The Tako tend to dress plainly - indeed, if not for their mon, many would mistake them at first glance for ronin. The one exception to this is the Tako court at Lonely Shore City, where glamorous purple and black robes are generally the fashion.

To those not actively seeking the wide range of their services, the Octopus tend to assume a nature of humility - they present themselves as but a simple clan of minor artisans, not as lofty as a Great Clan, but ones who attempt their best, and will be happy to demonstrate the more mundane examples of their artwork. There are even a few samurai who honestly appreciate the Octopus's legitimate work, describing it as "quaintly urban, with a clear appreciation for the city and the sea." The rise and acceptance of the Mantis clan and their gaudier art forms has done much to help the Octopus clan gain a small and narrow niche of acceptability for there "mainstream" pieces.

==Families==

'''Tako:''' +1 Agility

The first Tako retainers were a combination of the fallen and the raised - Samurai artisans, mostly Kakita, who struggled to succeed or had been shamed in some way, and ambitious ronin who aspired to have at least some artistic training. This invariably led to a suspicious character among many of the new recruits. Kakita Tako did a remarkable job in giving such a disparate group of samurai training in such a disparate style some semblance of unity - unlike other artistic schools who attempt to instill a sense of beauty first, Tako believed in teaching practical technique as a priority, letting his students develop their own senses of beauty over time. As he enjoyed reminding his students "Unskilled hands on a brush are as disastrous as unskilled hands on a katana."

==Tako Artisan [Artisan] (Untested)==

'''Benefit:''' +1 Awareness

'''Starting Honor:''' 2.5

'''Skills:''' Commerce, Courtier [Manipulation], Forgery, Lore (Underworld), Temptation,
any two skills chosen from the following list: Artisan (Bonsai, Ikebana, Origami, Painting, Poetry, Sculpture or Tattooing), Calligraphy

'''Outfit:''' Simple Clothing, Wakizashi, Art Supplies, Calligraphy Set, Any 1 Weapon with the “Small” Keyword, Traveling Pack, 5 Koku

---

'''Rank 1: Eight Arms, Seven Virtues'''
When making opposed Artisan or Perform Skill Roll, as long as you possess more total Artisan and Perform skills (not ranks!) than any of your opponents, you gain a free raise. In addition, whenever you succeed in a contested Artisan or Perform Skill Roll against an opponent who has more ranks in that skill, you gain 1 point of Glory. You also do not lose Honour for using Merchant Skills.

'''Rank 2: Hidden in Color'''
You may add your Ranks in Forgery to the total of any Artisan or Crafting Skill Roll. When making a Forgery Skill Roll, you may spend a void point to add the sum of all ranks in Artisan, Crafting, and Perform Skills you possess to the total. Using this ability also increases the TN to determine the forgery by the same amount.

'''Rank 3: Floating Existence'''
Gain a +1k0 on all Low Skill Rolls, Perform Rolls and on Attack rolls made Unarmed and with weapons with the “Small” keyword. Gain a Free Raise on Social Skill rolls made with Actors, Merchants, Ronin, Geisha and Criminals. You also only lose half Honour, rounding down, for using Low Skills.

'''Rank 4: Arms That Give, Arms That Take'''
You gain a bonus of +2k0 to all Social Rolls against targets currently in ownership of a piece of your artwork. In addition, you may add your ranks in a single Artisan or Crafting Skill to the total of your Commerce Skill Rolls and you gain a free raise to your Commerce Skill Rolls against targets who have fewer total Artisan and Perform skills.

'''Rank 5: Reach All Corners'''
Whenever your artwork is commissioned and accepted by a target, you may spend a Void Point to gain them as an Ally at devotion 1 or to gain the Blackmail advantage against them. This benefit is lost in 30 days. In addition, you gain Fame equal to the difference in your Status.

=Other Minor Clans=

Cut Imperial Archives Minor Clan Rules [http://i.4cdn.org/tg/1452377277135.pdf]

[[category: roleplaying]] [[Category: Legend_of_the_Five_Rings]]

/tg/ Custom L5R Minor Clans

2016-01-15T04:59:40Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* History */

The results of /tg having a crack at home-brewing minor clans, use at your own risk as these are untested.

=Butterfly Clan=
[[File:60755.png]]

''The souls of the dead''

''Float free with the void. They speak''

''And I kill my thought''

==History==

The Butterfly clan traces its history back to the actions of its founder, Tomomori Ageha, who was the retainer of a minor family that lived on the edge of Crane lands, with only a small estate and shrine complex near a grave of trees – the shrine simply being known as the “Tomomori Shrine”, its original name lost to the mists of time, though it was referred to generally as the “Shrine of Lost Souls.”

Tomomori Ageha was a, plainly speaking, remarkably samurai-ko, though she had great reverence for the kami and spirits, and most of her time was spent in keeping up the shrine for the Tomomori daimyo, the shrine complex being nearly as large as the estate, and filled with many graves, necessitating much respect. Ageha more than once considered becoming a nun, feeling it was a better suit for her, but continued to serve her daimyo out of loyalty.

All this would change with the arrival of a traveling monk who became a close adviser to her lord, and began to spend much of his time in the shrine complex. Ageha was uneasy with this man from the first – while he was polite in front of her daimyo, he adopted a crude and arrogant manner elsewhere. The butterflies of the Tomomori shrine, which flocked in great numbers and were said to be the spirits of the dead, fled from the monk and would never alight upon or even near him. At night Ageha would find the Kindly Monk, as he wished to be referred to, alone in the shrine gardens. The suspicious death of Ageha’s father and then mother, and many others in the small family, led her to investigate the Kindly Monk in his quarters – where she found him practicing maho. Enraged and distraught, realizing that those she had loved had been murdered without her being able to do anything, she sought her daimyo, apologizing profusely, warning him of the maho in the midst of his court, and begging to be allowed to commit seppuku after the maho was dealt with, to atone for her failure to see the threat before it was too late.

However, the situation was grimmer than she realized. As the Kindly Monk approached and spoke with the daimyo, she realized her master was under the blood sorcerer’s sway, and would not believe her, even as the maho openly mocked her. Eventually, in a desperate rage, she left to fetch her katana and returned, trying to cut down the maho – only for him to outdraw her with her daimyo’s own blade and wound her. Taking sick pleasure in watching the spirit of this samurai be crushed, the maho advised her daimyo to forbid her from committing seppuku, and banish her for her insolent actions – but not before having the rest of her family summoned, including the man who was to be her husband, and having them executed like common criminals before her eyes, as “accomplishes” to her attempted “assassination of a valuable retainer.”

And so Tomomori Ageha was cast out and made ronin. She struggled with her new existence, and the knowledge of her failure, and soon found herself contemplating seppuku in the room of the lowly inn she was staying at. As she prepared herself, a butterfly flew into the room and fluttered near her face. Enraged at the distraction and reminder of the home she had lost, she struck at it with her hand – but it easily fluttered around her clumsy blow, and came to rest on the hilt of her wakizashi. Ageha was ashamed at her momentary anger, and decided not to disturb the little creature. Eventually, a multitude of butterflies flew through her window, unafraid and alighting upon her. In a moment of epiphany, she realized that these must be the souls of her family, come to comfort her and remind her of her purpose. And so Ageha was humbled.

Tomomori Ageha began to work hard to improve her lax skills, and traveled from monastery to monastery, and up into the lands of the Dragon to learn from Taoist swordsmen. She sought calm and enlightenment, and used her sword as a method to contemplate the void, only drawing it to shed blood when necessary. She became as a butterfly – a lost soul wandering the Empire, swept along in the void. Fate was not finished with Ageha, however. For her travels eventually brought her back close to her home, where she saw a procession with the Imperial seal passing – a member of the Otomo family was on a sojourn visiting shrines, and wished to see the humble Tomomori shrine. This Otomo found himself well received at the estate of the daimyo, though the daimyo did not talk as much as the Kindly Monk who served him.

The pleasant dinner was interrupted, however, by the arrival of a ronin who made the shocking claim that the hosts of this place were all slaves of a maho sorcerer. It was an outrageous claim, but the ronin spoke with elegance and sincerity, and challenged the Kindly Monk as a maho sorcerer, letting him pick someone to duel her if he disputed her accusation. The Kindly Monk mocked her as insane and said he would happily thrash a madwoman ronin himself – though Ageha was not moved. This angered the Kindly Monk, who prided himself on his powers of manipulation, and he began to openly slander Ageha and her family, to the confusion of the Otomo dignitary watching the drama unfold. Ageha simply turned away and suggested they walk out into the gardens. Now enraged, the maho once again took the sword of his daimyo and attempted to strike Ageha down as her back was turned – but in one fluid motion she drew her katana from within the folds of her cloak, and beheaded the maho with a clean blow. She then bowed before the dignitary and apologized for bringing a katana into his presence. However, the dignitary wished to understand what had happened here, and Ageho told him, long into the night, her story, saying in the end that she could not let a member of the Imperial family be corrupted and potentially have the Empire be threatened, and offering to commit seppuku. Instead, she was requested to come to the Capital and demonstrate her techniques. And as they left, in the gloom, the dignitary saw from the shrine a swarm of butterflies circle into the twilight sky.

Ageha demonstrated her technique for the Emperor and, at his prompting, told her story to an enraptured court. The Emperor was impressed by both her skill and heroism – he ordered the Tomomori family extinguished and replaced with the new Ageha Family, who he permitted to form a minor clan, so that the swordsmanship of Ageha would not be lost, and that the Shrine could be protected from Maho. Ageha agreed, on the condition that the Shrine retained the Tomomori name. Soon Ageha attracted a following of interested students, including one whom she would go on to marry, and the Butterfly Clan was formed.

==Lands==

The lands of the Butterfly clan are rather small, located in the southern foothills of the Mountains of Regret. Their main holdings include the village and shrine of Tomomori, both named after the small nearby wood, which is known for its flowers, butterflies and ancient ruins from some forgotten war. Also included is the Ahega estate, which include a fortified manor somewhere between a house and a castle, and the Ahega dojo. Aside from substance agriculture, Tomomori Village is only noted for the quality of its handcrafted and decorated pottery.

==Customs==
The small Ageha clan spends most of their days devoted to studying the Kenjutsu style of their founder, and her teachings, with much time spent meditating to further a samurai's connection with the Void. The clan's duties also see them tending and guarding the Tomomori shrine and forest. An interesting development is the growing tradition of Ageha samurai becoming renown bonsai gardeners, with many seeing the methodological art as a connection to void just as strong as meditation. The placid appearance of the gardens and their tenders, however, considers hidden steel: the Ageha clan produces some of the most deadly duelists in the Emerald Empire. Secluded among the multitudes of butterfly and bonsai gardens that dot the Ageha lands is the Butterfly Clan dojo, which is always busy with clan samurai learning Kenjutsu, Kyujutsu, and Iajutsu. The Ageha clan tend to dress simply, if elegantly. Their clan colours usually tend towards black and orange, with white highlights being common, white being the colour of the dead. Many Ageha do their best to try and appear humble and unobtrusive, with many in the family tending to be slender and plain looking.

The dojo and shrine are often visited by those curious in either of them, and the Ageha do their best to become polite hosts. They often have to turn down those they feel seek the secret of the Swallowtail cut for the wrong reasons, which occasionally include violent ronin. The Tomomori Shrine gardens are quite extensive and are believed by many to be haunted, or to have some connection to the spirit realms - it is known that without proper respect and rituals, gaki have arisen here. This made the area, and still makes it, a place of interest for monks, shugenja and maho, and the Ageha tend to be circumspect regarding it, rarely letting any venture among the ruins, shrines and foliage without good reason.

The Ageha, despite having a tight knit community, are often taken to travel, and their daimyo are historically encouraging towards warrior pilgrimages. Most Ageha desire to, at least once, travel in the Dragon Mountains and to visit the monastic orders and shrines of Rokugan to increase their understanding of the Void. Ageha samurai are always interested in helping to restore and protect shrines and holy sites, and take interest in rumours of blood sorcery or displeased spirits. Sometimes on their travels they will meet a ronin or samurai with promise, and invite them to visit the Ageha estate, or even to join with the Clan.

==Families==

'''Ageha:''' +1 Awareness

When Ageha allowed her first recruits into her clan, she showed little interest in those who came to her seeking the secret of the Swallowtail Cut. She seemed more interested in those with respect for the spirits, or who wished to use her techniques for meditation, and investigated the artistic skill of the applicants as much as their swordsmanship. The current clan is descended from her initial followers and those who married into her family.

==Ageha Bushi [Bushi] (Untested)==

'''Benefit:''' +1 Void

'''Skills:''' Any Artisan skill, Etiquette, Kenjutsu (Katana), Kyujutsu, Iajutsu, Meditation, any other High skill

'''Honor:''' 5.5

'''Outfit:''' Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Kumi with 20 arrows, traveling pack, 5 koku.

---

'''Rank 1) Perfection In All Things'''
The Ageha Bushi chases the moment of perfection in all things. A number of times per day equal to your Void Ring, you can add your skill level in a Bugei Skill of your choice to any Artisan Check, or add your skill level in an Artisan Skill to any Bugei Skill. In a skirmish, you may only use this ability on an attack made after spending a turn in Center Stance.

'''Rank 2) Empty, and Become Wind'''
The Ageha Bushi can sense the flow and intent in all things, if they but find peace and listen. While in the Center Stance, increase your TN by your Void Ring. Additionally, you gain +2k0 to all Meditation rolls.

'''Rank 3) Read the Unwritten'''
An Ageha Bushi can easily read the world, for all things have the same emptiness. Whenever you engter the Center Stance you may select any one opponent you can see, and make an Iaijutsu (Assessment)/Awareness roll, rolling against the Target's Void Ring x 5. If you succeed, any maneuvers that target makes against you require an additional raise. For every raise you make on the Iajutsu roll, their maneuvers require an additional one raise. As well, you gain +2k0 to all Iaijutsu (Assessment) rolls, including duels and this technique.

'''Rank 4) Enter the Void'''
In a moment of nothingness, time vanishes. You may attack as a simple action with weapons that have the samurai keyword.

'''Rank 5) The Swallowtail Cut'''
The Ageha has mastered the attack of No Thought, striking without thinking. Whenever you are attacked in a skirmish while in Center Stance and equipped with a Sword once a turn, you may spend a Void Point to activate an attack of No Thought. You make an immediate single attack before the enemy does - they then continue with their attack. On your next round, you may still earn your bonuses from having spent this round in Center Stance. Note that if you are ambushed, you may still decide to have started in the Center Stance.

=Eel Clan=

[[File:Unagi_mon.png|300px]]

''Reeds bow in the wind''

''like courtiers before their lord''

''when our boats glide past.''

In progress

==History==
Most minor clans have their origins in time of turmoil, and the Eel Clan is no exception. During one of the frequent instance in history when the Lion and Crane were at each others throats, the heroic actions of Tsuruchi Funji and a band of fellows one moonless night on the Three Sides River earned them the right to create a new clan, and the responsibility that came with it. Tsuruchi Funji had long earned a name of himself in the longtime tradition of young Tsuruchi by wandering Rokugan as a bounty hunter. His habit of tenaciously hunting down his targets, and his prowess in surviving the worst ambushes and traps that the collective scum and villainy of the empire could throw at him earned him the nickname “Unagi” or The Eel. However, the deeds that led to the creation of the Eel Clan result not from when he was hunting a target, but when he missed his ferry across the Three Sides River due to a hangover.

Returning to the inn where he had spent the night before to pass the time till the next boat, he would overhear a conversation of much importance. Two Ronin, neither looking like the upstanding type, were in hurried debate over what to do with the Magistrate when he arrived, with the suggestions generally usually ending with a shallow grave for the man. Tsuruchi Funji, despite his head feeling like the inside of a prayer bell and being one man against two, lacked no time in marching up to the two men and introducing himself as the man who would be taking their heads to the magistrate for plotting to kill him. It was only after that the entire patronage of the inn stood to draw swords alongside Tsuruchi’s targets did it occur to him that he perhaps had spoken too loud. However, Tsuruchi Funji was not known as The Eel for no reason, and acted in fashion true to himself by throwing himself out the window and into the river below; surfacing only when well a way downstream and thoroughly covered in mud.

Pulling himself onto a passing boat, he was surprised to find that it was none other than the “Floating Blossom”, the most renown pleasure boat on any of Rokugan’s rivers. So famous it was it even claimed to have once hosted the Emperor himself for a night. But what intrigued Funji was what would such a boat being doing here, a small village which’s most interesting feature was the ferry that Funji had missed now twice. But as fate led him to overhear the conspirators so too would fate now lead Funji, for as he was still catching his breath a door to his left opened and let out none other than an Emerald Magistrate, one who Funji was much acquainted with as a Bounty Hunter. After introducing himself to the quite shocked man and receiving assurances that his soggy attire was acceptable considering the escape undertaken recently, Funji inquired to as why an Emerald Magistrate would visit such a quiet stretch of river, and in such a luxurious vessel. The Magistrate succulently explained that he was traveling upstream to broker a peace to end the recent hostilities between the Crane and Lion clans, and that this boat was to serve as neutral ground for negotiations. Alarmed at the enormous significance of that mission, Funji next asked if the Magistrate was aware of any plots against his life. Alarmed, the Magistrate stated that his death would cast suspicion upon the participating parties, and would likely lead to the dispute between Lion and Crane breaking out into open war.

'''To be continued'''

==Lands==

The Eel clan does not have much in the way of lands in the traditional sense. Many of their members live a nomadic existence on boats and can be found anywhere along the Drowned Merchant River, Three Sides River, Sleeping River, River of the Blind Monk, River of the Hour of the Wolf, the River of the Lost Valley and the Firefly River, and all their tributaries, allowing the clan to spread over almost all of Rokugan east of the Spine of the World Mountains. The only true holding they have is a small River Fort located where the Drowned Merchant River ends and joins with the convergence of the Firefly River - the fort is on a small island a little ways into the middle of the river.

==Customs==

The Eel clan differs from many other clans due to the diffusion of its members, and small amount of land ownership. The most obvious result of this is the fact that the clan divides itself into multiple family units that are based on sturdy river boats or groups of boats. The Eel clan therefore make most of their living from fishing and trade. The Eel have a relatively small ratio between the amount of samurai and peasants in their clan - often the peasant servants of the Eel operate their own rafts separate from the houseboats of their masters. This means that the Eel often have to engage in many duties Samurai would find rather distasteful, such as fishing and punting their boats. Whenever possible they use their peasant vassals to conduct trade, but the Eel are a practical people and will trade when needed to - however, they have managed to avert much commerce through an unofficial system of donations, where peasants and local daimyo will give them gifts in exchange for maintaining a presence along a stretch of river.

The protection of the waterways of the Empire is the main concern of the Eel, for they know how quickly and easily smugglers and bandits can use the rivers to escape retribution, moving from province to province ahead of interest in their apprehension. The Eel, however, are always on the alert and maintain a sophisticated level of communication among their dispersed clan, through both meeting of boats and messages left at river villages. Calligraphy is one of the most popular art forms among the Eel, to the surprise of outsiders who assume them to be rough and uncouth samurai - when two Eel groups meet, there is always a great deal of ceremony in the exchange of letters.

The Eel tend to dress more practically than other samurai, due to their livelihood - flowing kimonos are no help on an active boat where they can get tangled and soiled. Many Samurai consider the Eel uncouth due to, like the Unicorn, enjoying sleeveless wear and breeches - although it is a misconception that the Eel always dress like this, and they usually have more traditional wear for when the day is done, and when making official visitations. When the Eel have need of courtiers, they normally train with the Ide, who they see as honest or open, but the wealthiest Eels pride themselves in sending their children to train with the Doji.

The Eel tend to comport themselves practically in other ways - men usually wear the top-knot or other short hairstyles, and women either keep their hair short or find a way to secure it. The Eel often forgo armour or wear only the lightest - but many have been surprised at how powerful swimmers the Eel are, able to swim and wade in all but the heaviest armours. The Eel tend to avoid over ornamentation, not wanting accouterments that could be lost or become tangled. One aspect of their appearance where the Eel do allow for the artistic are tattoos - Eels are often heavily Tattooed, most usually on their arms, with a style particular to their clan. Most Eel tattoos, while not magical like the Dragon's, have deep personal meaning, and are considered a way to pay respect to the water spirits, and even as a way of directly communicating with them.

Most Eels practice the Bushi School of their clan, one that was developed over years of protection of River Boats, and assaults on Bandit Boats. The Eel quickly learned the advantage of being able to turn punts and oars into deadly jabbing weapons, as well as the use of spears and hooks in boat to boat combat, both for offense and defense. Like the Mantis, the Eel tend to be wary about using their Daisho where it could be lost. Some prefer the range of the Yari in fording off enemies, while others find the Nage-Yari more manageable in close quarters, and useful for throwing if need be.

==Families==

'''Unagi:''' +1 Reflexes

The Unagi are a hardy stock, taking their original members from a variety of clans and places along the rivers of the eastern Empire. They tend towards wiriness and swift movement. To many their appearance appears slightly crude, due to not making much use of the kimono on their river patrols, preferring to wear as simple clothing as possible for maximum ease of movement, similar in some ways to the style of the Yoritomo. They are known for heavily tattooing their bare arms, as a ritual to gain the favour of the water kami of the river.

'''Anago''': +1 Willpower

The Anago vassal family of the Unagi was founded by an Unagi Bushi who sought to extend the reach of the clan out into the shorelines of Rokugan to combat piracy near coastal towns. In his ambition, he then sought to capitalize on his success and expand operations into the River of Gold, known for its rampant piracy. While successful for a time, this eventually drew the ire of the Scorpion Clan, who organized a large ronin ambush that killed many of the Anago and severely curtailed their power - what remaining Anago there are live in small numbers along the coast near where the Three Sides river meets the ocean.

==Unagi Bushi [Bushi] (Untested)==

'''Benefit:''' +1 Strength

'''Skills:''' Athletics, Defense, Investigation, Jiujutsu, Sailing, Spears, any one Skill

'''Honor:''' 3.5

'''Outfit:''' Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Knife, Yari OR Nage-Yari, Traveling Pack, 6 koku

--

'''Rank 1: Way of the Eel''' - The Sasumata, Sodegarami and Bo Weapons may be used with the Spear Skill instead of their normal respective skills. Note when doing so, they may not benefit from their normal rank bonuses, but can benefit from any Spear Rank bonuses – you must pick at the start of each turn how you will uses these weapons. As well, when using a punting pole or oar to fight, count it as a Bo staff instead of an Improvised Weapon, including being able to roll attacks with it with the Spear skill. You also gain a +1k0 to Initiative rolls and suffer no penalties to movement due to being on an unstable surface, like a boat on the water.

'''Rank 2: The Eel Coils''' – You gain a bonus of twice your School Rank to your TN against Grappling Attacks and attacks with the Entanglement rule. You also gain +1k1 to the Contested Strength roll to resist Knockdown, and Light Amour no longer penalizes your Athletics Rolls.

'''Rank 3: Two Fangs in the Mouth''' – May make Attacks for a Simple Action with Spear weapons and weapons with the Samurai keyword. For the purpose of this rank, Spear weapons count as the weapons affected by Rank 1 when being used as a Spear.

'''Rank 4: The River Calls''' – Whenever you use a Knockdown on an enemy, you may add your Spear skill to your contested Strength Roll. When you do Knockdown the opponent, you may move them 3 feet plus a number of feet equal to your water ring in a direction of your choice.

'''Rank 5: Sink the Fangs''' – Whenever you make an attack, you may choose to make 2 Raises to make a strike that will be as painful and crippling as possible – you may make a Water Ring Roll contested by the enemy’s Earth Ring. If you succeed, the target is Dazed. This ability does nothing if used on an already Dazed Target.

===Alternate Rank: Eel Infiltrator===

'''Requires:''' Athletics 5, Knives 3, Stealth 3

'''Replaces:''' Unagi Bushi Rank 4

While you are swimming or wading in water, gain +1k1 to your Stealth rolls. As well, gain +2k0 to your Jiujitsu and Knives skills, and increase the damage you roll with Knives by +1k1 during the first round of any combat. Also, you no longer lose honour for ambushing or making sneak attacks, as long as they are against anyone with less than 3 points of honour.

=Octopus Clan=

[[File:tako.jpg]]

''The night city teems''

''Like the sea. Colour crashes''

''I reach for my brush''

==History==

The Octopus Clan is one of the least known clans of Rokugan, and one of the most bizarre – and they prefer both of these things to be true. Their motto has always been “nobility is art, but not all art is noble” – they are a clan that blends the roles of artisan and shinobi together in equal measure – like the Kasuga, Daidoji or Yasuki, they have deep roots amidst the more unsavoury parts of Rokugani culture.

The formation of the clan is cloaked in quite a bit of mystery. What is known is that their founder was Kakita Tako - though even this is uncertain, for Kakita Tako admitted himself to altering his name at least once to give himself a new identity. Tako was a Kakita Artisan who had nothing notable about him, except, perhaps, his lack of notability. He was constantly compared unfavourably to his classmates, and his sensei deemed him worthy of only a life of mediocrity. Disillusioned and wanting for money, Tako let his honour slip in order to make ends meet, killing his integrity as an artisan and happily making goods for rich merchants or upstart local magistrates, who were eager to gain “Authentic Kakita Artwork”. Usually such objects would only be obtainable through gift giving or large sums, but Tako made offers that were considered quite reasonable, at least by his new clientele. Tako soon found that his new contacts opened up a whole new, disreputable world for him which he took to with a gusto that surprised even himself – for the first time in his life, he no longer felt like he was useless. It was a dishonourable living – but it was a living! Tako was a flexible artist – one reason he had never really excelled at his studies was because he dabbled in many fields, a little interested in all of them. Now he found himself forging documents and artwork, inventing poems for merchants to impress their mistresses and even printing propaganda leaflets for people he never asked questions of.

To Tako’s surprise, his skills started to earn him work from higher and higher in the Rokugani social structure – while no one had wanted Tako the honourable artisan, now many people had need of the “Ronin Artist”. Tako realized there were certain things that Shiba and Kakita artisans simply would not do. Soon samurai patrons were requesting, very discreetly, for him to make wedding night manuals, portraits of their favourite geisha and personally commissioned pieces that regular society would find shocking. Tako was so useful because he would happily produce these pieces, while, at the same time, having a level of quality beyond the normal peasant artists who would usually create these sorts of things. It wasn’t long before Tako had to get help in meeting the demand – he scraped together some of the least prestigious members of the famous artisan schools, and began to tutor ronin samurai seeking a touch of refinement.

What is still vague is exactly what earned Tako the grandest prize of a Minor Clan, for whatever it was apparently it was sworn to secrecy. The records only state that he did a “Great Service to the Imperial Family”, without saying anything more on the matter. Tako took the Octopus as his symbol to represent how he was not the master of one focus, but of many, and as homage to one of his personal favourite works. The Octopus also represented the distribution of the clan – instead of having any central holdings, the clan instead established humbler bases in most major Rokugani cities. To this day the Tako Family, as they became known, provides a coarse, freewheeling, anarchic approach to art, existing in the shadows beyond the higher artisan families. This position never bothered Tako much – to him, all art served a purpose, in one way or another.

==Lands==

The Tako have no great holdings - like the octopus, their reach is everywhere, or at least in most major Rokugani cities. If they have anywhere that can be considered the Octopus's "Head", it could be an estate outside of Lonely Shore City, where the Clan Daimyo traditionally lives and manages his networks. Any who do know of the Octopus Clan usually think of this location - the Octopus Daimyo is by tradition open and friendly to travelers, and will usually happily tell a false history of his clan, where they were a minor family of the Crane elevated for their production of quality paints and inks, with which they won an important artistic challenge at an Imperial Winter Court.

==Customs==

The Tako exist in a sort of "art underworld" of their own creation. They undertake jobs requiring the hand of an artist with the skill level of a samurai, but with a sense of dishonour or secrecy attached. This can range from creating objectionable art, to forging documents, to spreading propaganda among the lower classes. The Tako also undertake the more prosaic task of producing artwork that is affordable and accessible by poorer samurai and ambitious merchants and ronin, who wish for a measure of quality but are unable to normally procure it from loftier artisans - many Tako artisans never make anything particularly beyond the norm, focusing on swiftly made and satisfactory pieces and imitations. The Tako are more willing to swallow pride in their work than most artisans as well, and for an extra fee, they will keep quiet about the true authorship of the skillful poem a ronin composed for his mistress. As well, much of their "objectionable" art serves a social purpose, however - these include their Wedding Night Manuals, pictures to help identify monstrous creatures, and detailed anatomy diagrams. Many Tako also work as tutors in art for ronin and merchants - the world of the Octopus is always a busy one.

Those Tako with less artistic skills aid their clans in other ways, often more criminal. The Tako are known to use art in the smuggling of information or even goods - secret codes worked into paintings, or messages hidden at the bottom of flower vases. Though it is not something they speak about, even among themselves, the Tako have, on occasion, fallen into the role of art thieves for patrons, stealing artwork and replacing it with a near identical forgery. The Tako are also often asked to produce particularly evocative prints for the purpose of advertisement and propaganda - unbeknownst to even the Tako themselves, their patrons for this are very often members of the Scorpion Clan or Daidoji or Yaskui families, who are fully aware of what the Toka do and consider them a useful tool.

The Tako spend most of their time honing and practicing their skills and most of their samurai have much leeway in the commissions they take - usually all Tako in a single city report to a senior member of the family who acts as an overseer. The Tako tend to dress plainly - indeed, if not for their mon, many would mistake them at first glance for ronin. The one exception to this is the Tako court at Lonely Shore City, where glamorous purple and black robes are generally the fashion.

To those not actively seeking the wide range of their services, the Octopus tend to assume a nature of humility - they present themselves as but a simple clan of minor artisans, not as lofty as a Great Clan, but ones who attempt their best, and will be happy to demonstrate the more mundane examples of their artwork. There are even a few samurai who honestly appreciate the Octopus's legitimate work, describing it as "quaintly urban, with a clear appreciation for the city and the sea." The rise and acceptance of the Mantis clan and their gaudier art forms has done much to help the Octopus clan gain a small and narrow niche of acceptability for there "mainstream" pieces.

==Families==

'''Tako:''' +1 Agility

The first Tako retainers were a combination of the fallen and the raised - Samurai artisans, mostly Kakita, who struggled to succeed or had been shamed in some way, and ambitious ronin who aspired to have at least some artistic training. This invariably led to a suspicious character among many of the new recruits. Kakita Tako did a remarkable job in giving such a disparate group of samurai training in such a disparate style some semblance of unity - unlike other artistic schools who attempt to instill a sense of beauty first, Tako believed in teaching practical technique as a priority, letting his students develop their own senses of beauty over time. As he enjoyed reminding his students "Unskilled hands on a brush are as disastrous as unskilled hands on a katana."

==Tako Artisan [Artisan] (Untested)==

'''Benefit:''' +1 Awareness

'''Starting Honor:''' 2.5

'''Skills:''' Commerce, Courtier [Manipulation], Forgery, Lore (Underworld), Temptation,
any two skills chosen from the following list: Artisan (Bonsai, Ikebana, Origami, Painting, Poetry, Sculpture or Tattooing), Calligraphy

'''Outfit:''' Simple Clothing, Wakizashi, Art Supplies, Calligraphy Set, Any 1 Weapon with the “Small” Keyword, Traveling Pack, 5 Koku

---

'''Rank 1: Eight Arms, Seven Virtues'''
When making opposed Artisan or Perform Skill Roll, as long as you possess more total Artisan and Perform skills (not ranks!) than any of your opponents, you gain a free raise. In addition, whenever you succeed in a contested Artisan or Perform Skill Roll against an opponent who has more ranks in that skill, you gain 1 point of Glory. You also do not lose Honour for using Merchant Skills.

'''Rank 2: Hidden in Color'''
You may add your Ranks in Forgery to the total of any Artisan or Crafting Skill Roll. When making a Forgery Skill Roll, you may spend a void point to add the sum of all ranks in Artisan, Crafting, and Perform Skills you possess to the total. Using this ability also increases the TN to determine the forgery by the same amount.

'''Rank 3: Floating Existence'''
Gain a +1k0 on all Low Skill Rolls, Perform Rolls and on Attack rolls made Unarmed and with weapons with the “Small” keyword. Gain a Free Raise on Social Skill rolls made with Actors, Merchants, Ronin, Geisha and Criminals. You also only lose half Honour, rounding down, for using Low Skills.

'''Rank 4: Arms That Give, Arms That Take'''
You gain a bonus of +2k0 to all Social Rolls against targets currently in ownership of a piece of your artwork. In addition, you may add your ranks in a single Artisan or Crafting Skill to the total of your Commerce Skill Rolls and you gain a free raise to your Commerce Skill Rolls against targets who have fewer total Artisan and Perform skills.

'''Rank 5: Reach All Corners'''
Whenever your artwork is commissioned and accepted by a target, you may spend a Void Point to gain them as an Ally at devotion 1 or to gain the Blackmail advantage against them. This benefit is lost in 30 days. In addition, you gain Fame equal to the difference in your Status.

=Other Minor Clans=

Cut Imperial Archives Minor Clan Rules [http://i.4cdn.org/tg/1452377277135.pdf]

[[category: roleplaying]] [[Category: Legend_of_the_Five_Rings]]

Delta Green

2016-01-15T03:43:11Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Karotechia */

<blockquote>Now we're on to the question: "What does Delta Green want from you?" Nothing short of the rest of your life. Delta Green wants you to pick up where I left off: doing what I've been doing for the last ten years. I've falsified official reports. Lied under oath. Planted evidence. Stolen and destroyed evidence. Stolen and destroyed federal property. Run illegal wiretaps. Abused the power and authority of my office. Gone AWOL. Committed arson, burglary, grand larceny, aggravated assault, battery, and killed. On three of those occasions, what I did was nothing short of cold-blooded murder. And all in the name of doing the jobs nobody else can or will.</blockquote>

==Overview==
Delta Green is a horror PnPRPG based of off the [[Call of Cthulhu]] system. DG shares the Lovecraftian mythos with CoC, but most strongly differs in that it is specifically in modern times (where CoC was typically set in the jazz era).

Player Characters tend to be part of or somehow affiliated with government executive branch agencies (most typically law-enforcement or military) recruited into an officially disbanded clandestine group whose purposes was to investigate and neutralize occult and alien threats. DG is currently organized in a cell structure with 26 cells with three operators active at any one time.

So...basically, a bunch of the 'federales' grouped up to make a highly illegal terrorist organization to fuck up aliens and occultists.

Did I mention that there's a legit government agency called Majestic 12 who are in bed with what they think are aliens? So yeah, terrorists.

==Basics==
Go look at the information in [[Call of Cthulhu]], much is shared with some notable exceptions:
*Some skills differ to deal with updates to technology
*PCs are generally more capable at combat; but many many things in the DG universe will hand Operatives their ass
*PCs, to a certain extent, can also call upon the resources/influence of the organization they work for
**Depending on their creativity and ability to come up with "mundane" reasons (you've got to be hella good to divert a B-52 wing and convince them that the town filled with worshipers of the Deep Ones is just a mock city they're supposed to make practice bombing runs on)
**As a PC typically won't have official sanction, this typically involves a lot of lies, inventing evidence, intimidation, and other various tactics to make sure Deputy Fife doesn't make any calls to check your credentials.
==The Setting==
Essentially, the modern world, but where Cthulhu definitely dreams (as opposed to ours where it's only a distinct possibility). Add into that a boat load of secret cults, secret societies, secret governmental agencies, eldritch abominations, a lot of insanity, and you're almost there.

Oh yeah, notice how I didn't say anything about aliens? Yeah, so those "aliens" Majestic-12 are working with, they're just fungoid constructs by one of the many eldritch abominations floating around who are doing nasty things to humans for their own purposes.

==Recent Happenings==
After a 6 year drought of new rulebooks, Delta Green was relaunched with a highly-successful Kickstarter in late 2015. A new rulebook is coming out early in 2016, together with sourcebooks detailing everything from PISCES to the eventual fate of the Fate (apparently Alzis vanished and DG took back New York City).

The game will feature a new custom ruleset, designed to smooth over some of the things CoC never did particularly well (*cough* combat *cough*) and highlight setting themes (you can keep yourself sane by staying connected to thingo that matter personally, but of course the nature of DG work eats away at these relationships).

The setting is also significantly revised. Majestic 12 is no longer active, having at last been destroyed by Delta Green (although plenty of its splinter groups and factions are still embedded throughout the US government). Delta Green has been brought back into the government fold, given a budget and official standing, and now uses the War on Terror as a cover for its battles with the mythos (of course, lots of the old gaurd are utterly distrustful of the government and refuse to come in from the cold). All in all, it sounds pretty awesome.

==The Big Players==
===Delta Green===
As with any clandestine organization, their history is all kinds of jacked up. DG has existed in some capacity or another since 1928 as a response to the crazy crap found during a raid on a Deep One Cult located at Innsmouth, MA. It is interesting to note that the raid on Innsmouth ended with everything even remotely suspicious being thoroughly dynamited, which remains Delta Green SOP to this day. They changed names a few times and were handed around to various parts of government for a while before they finally coalesced as "Delta Green" which wasn't so much a name for them, but for the classification and access level required to actually know anything about them; however it eventually came to serve as a name, official or not.

During their later years as an official organization, they acted without much of a command structure with people who were in the know just calling each other up anytime they ran across something DG should handle, and then they handled it with little to no oversight. When they screwed up royally in Cambodia during a 1969 raid that resulted in most of the people who participated dying, they finally gave the likes of Majestic 12 and other political enemies an excuse to finally disband them.

This didn't sit well with some portions of DG who quietly got together and said we're going to keep at it. What little oversight and control there was before no longer existed, and as a result many DG operatives executed their self-appointed duties with extreme prejudice. Eventually, one of the DG leaders started looking into MJ-12, pissed them off to the point where they sent their own operatives, DELTA, to assassinate him. This then lead to the decision to reorganize DG into the cell structure used to this day.

===Majestic 12===
Majestic 12, or MJ-12, was formed in response to the highly publicized Roswell Incident where an alien craft crashed into the deserts of New Mexico. Beyond taking charge of the craft, bodies, and survivor, MJ-12 was responsible for covering the incident up and keeping knowledge of aliens from coming to the attention of the public. It was originally formed with some former members of Delta Green who did not necessarily agree with DG's policy of just destroying everything they came across, wanting to keep some for study and possible use against the USA's enemies. For the most part, DG and MJ-12's responsibilities did not seem to overlap, but from the beginning there was a basic and divisive difference in philosophies.

Over time, MJ-12 managed to finally ended up making contact with what it thought were alien life forms and agreed to cover up their activities on earth in exchange for technology which they slowly filter into the market (making themselves rich) and a vague promise on the part of the Greys (the "aliens") to be put in touch with other intelligent species throughout the galaxy.

The 12 of MJ-12 comes from the 12 members of the steering/oversight committee that runs all of the projects and subprojects that fall in MJ-12's jurisdiction. Each of the 12 members is head of a specific project that relates to either interaction with the Grays, covering up the Grays' activities on earth, and/or exploiting the technological revelations.

Over time, this relationship with the Greys has soured for some members of MJ-12, but they cooperate out of fear of the superior technology that humanity is essentially defenseless against (a nuclear weapon is unable to scratch the material they use to make the hulls of their craft). Other members are blinded by the technological opportunities and opportunities for personal gain.

As MJ-12 is a proper black governmental agency, they have nigh on unlimited access to various resources, be they the finest minds, money, research facilities, etc. They do maintain their own group of operators whose primary task is to use techniques first developed in the CIA's MK-ULTRA and further refined with the "alien" technology and practice to cover up any activity of the Greys. While strongly preferring non-violent means (which are generally less complicated to implement) they can call into play highly capable combat units.

MJ-12 is aware of DG's continued activities, but mostly does not fully consider them a threat. Some members of MJ-12 see DG as a possible way to strike at their enemies within MJ-12 or even possibly the Greys themselves.

===The Greys===
The Greys are the supposedly alien race who are exploiting the government of the United States of America. They are actually essentially puppets of the Mi-go (an extension of Yuggoth). Long story short, the Mi-go know that all hell is about to break loose because the foretold end times are just around the corner. Among other things, they have a goal to learn everything they can before the get they hell away from the earth (to where remains a question).

To these ends, they had to speed up the research they were doing on humans, but wanted to do such in a way that wouldn't get every government in the world looking for them to kill them. So, they made up the Greys who they control via a strange sort of telepathy and set things up in such a way that they now have the most powerful government on the planet cleaning up their messes willingly for a few trinkets.

===Karotechia===
Imagine lichs. Make them Nazis. Oh, and there's just three of them, but they've got a lot of underlings. Stick them in South America. You've now got the Karotechia.
One has to stay in a fridge, one is a merc who just enjoys being a merc, and one thinks the ghost of Hitler is telling him to start up the 'Fourth Reich', but this time base it off of occultism. The last one is crazy as fuck and the other two are scared to death of him, so they play along.

===Deep Ones===
Fish people that can breed with humans to make strange hybrids that look human until a certain age when they they change and turn into fish people and go off into the water to live with the greater Deep Ones. Ceremonies of worship are orgies of violence and well, orgies.
Due to shenanagins by Delta Green, namely setting up pillboxes and landmines, then casting Call Deep Ones, creating a scene that makes the D Day landings look like a drunken scuffle in the pub car pack. said spell no longer works.

===The Cult of Transcendence===
Essentially this setting's Illuminati. They started as an occult conspiracy dedicated to secretly ruling the world through magic. This failed repeatedly, so they reorganized as a dedicated cult of Nyarlathotep (who oversees the cult personally). They're run from an extradimensional mansion that's kind of located in Switzerland. They also maintain various front organizations throughout the world, secretly influencing mankind to bring about the return of Cthulhu. As people progress up the cult's ladder, they're initiated into more and more of its mysteries, gradually becoming less human, until they turn into generic tentacle monsters. Through its various front organizations, the cult has access to everything from stolen Yithian technology to a massive empire of nightmares carved out of the Earth's dreamlands. Possibly the most dangerous and evil organization in the DG world.
===Saucer Watch===
A UFO research group that actually has some respectability by both being well funded (by some rich heiress who thinks she was abducted) and actually seriously researching reports of UFO activity, with emphasis on the world 'research'. They sometimes stumble on things MJ-12 would rather they didn't.
===The Fate===
Occultists based in NYC. The Fate group of very powerful magic users who contract out to criminal organizations. To those criminal organizations, they are known as The Network (the arm that function as a sort of public face for The Fate). Mostly they do such to have access to professional thieves and other less than legal vectors for acquiring specialty items for their rituals, information and the like. Led by a dude named Stephen Alzis who is rumored to actually be Nyarlathotep. They have a lot of connection as well to a night club in NYC named Club Apocalypse.
===Other various cults===
At any point some other Cthulhu lore cult (such as the Cult of the Yellow Sign) may pop up and become a headache 'someone' had better deal with. All of the various eldricht powers will most likely make some sort of showing before the final curtain falls for some purpose, overt or not. I mention the cults and not the powers themselves, because mostly the PC interactions will be with the cults...well, anyone sane would hope this to be the case...

[[Category:Roleplaying]]

Feng Shui

2016-01-15T02:10:08Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: Expanding, mostly cribbed from TV Tropes.

{{stub}}

Feng Shui is the name of two separate things:

* A faggy new-age thing that allows neurotic control freaks to look spiritual.
* An RPG that is basically [[Exalted]] in the modern world. Or it would be, except that the title of "Exalted in the modern world" really belongs to [[Scion]]. Whatever. The point is, play Feng Shui.

The RPG is designed in homage to Hong Kong action movies, so expect Kung Fu everywhere and ludicrously over the top fight scenes. Gameplay-wise, it's a very early precursor to the [[FATE System]], using the "wilder curve" of rolling two differently-colored [[d6]]s and subtracting one from the other before adding skill modifiers that some FATE games use as an alternative rolling scheme. There were two versions of the first edition, one by Daedalus Entertainment in 1996, the second by Atlas Games in 1999, which kept the original text, added some extra archetypes from a supplement, and gave it new art and layout. A full second edition, ''Feng Shui 2'', came out in 2015, overhauling the mechanics and setting.

The game enlists characters in a Secret War all across time fighting bad guys who are trying to get their hands on sites that generate powerful chi, which are known as Feng Shui sites. If someone controls enough of these sites, he can literally change the course of history.

Time Travel is possible via a weird mystical realm called the "Inner Kingdom" or the Netherworld, home to all kinds of weird people and beings from a thousand shattered timelines. By traversing its loamy grey tunnels, one can access different portals to different points in time known as junctures. Our present day is one of those junctures.

Feng Shui is especially known for being one of the first role-playing games to implement rules for taking out mooks as opposed to important villains, and it encourages both players and Game Master to play the various tropes, clichés and the melodrama of the action genre to the hilt. In fact, Feng Shui is a unapologetic celebration of action movie tropes; it named and codified as many tropes as the author could think of.

==Feng Shui==

The main junctures in the original versions are:

'''69 AD:''' A juncture straight out of Hong Kong wuxia movies, the Hong Kong of this juncture is nominally ruled by the Han Dynasty, but officials have become corrupt, and a secret faction of evil eunuch sorcerers known as the '''Eaters of the Lotus''' have taken over the administration of the empire, quashing dissent with kung fu warriors, summoned demons and powerful sorcery.

'''1850 AD:''' A juncture straight out of period kung fu cinema, where the Chinese and the Western powers clash in Hong Kong. It's also the period for Victorian adventures and Wild West action. One of the groups seeking power is the '''Guiding Hand''', a group of Shaolin monks and other kung fu types who want to get rid of foreign influence in China and bring about a world of enlightenment, but who are very authoritarian, Sinocentric and Knight Templar-ish in their attitude and despise modern and Western technology and thinking in general.

'''Contemporary ("1996"):''' The modern day, such as it is in the Heroic Bloodshed genre. This juncture (as well as most of 1850) is controlled by the '''Ascended''', an Ancient Conspiracy made up of the descendants of animals who defied the natural order and transformed themselves into humans long ago. The only thing that can turn them back into their natural animal form is magic, and thus, the Ascended and their human agents, the Pledged, are actively involved in the suppression of magic and the discrediting or destruction of sorcerers. The Ascended control the government, the police, the military, and most of the major crime syndicates of the world.

2056 AD: A [[GrimDark]] Dystopian future, this juncture is ruled by a one-world government called the Bureau of Tactical Management (or "Buro" in short), monitoring its civilians by a sophisticated surveillance state that is equal parts the World State from Brave New World and Oceania from 1984. The group that was instrumental in bringing the Buro to power are the '''Architects of the Flesh''', a group of mad scientists who use arcanowave technology, an unholy fusion of magic and science that warps its users beyond recognition, and who capture monsters from 69 AD and alter them to create cyber-demonic commandos called Abominations, which the Buro uses to fight its wars.

In addition to the factions listed above, three more factions exist:

The '''Jammers''' are a group of Bomb-Throwing Anarchists who are among the few people born with immunity to the influence of chi. They started as rebels against the Buro and the Architects in 2056, and have developed their own brand of junkyard tech that doesn't rely on arcanowave science. Among their number are a good number of intelligent cybernetic apes, the results of the Architects' first experiments. The Jammers want nothing less than to destroy every Feng Shui site in existence so that humanity can be freed from the "tyranny" of chi, something which could have some very bad consequences for the world at large if they succeed.

The '''Four Monarchs''' are four siblings and powerful sorcerers who once ruled the world up until the 20th century, when the Ascended captured enough Feng Shui sites in the medieval era to trigger a Critical Shift in time that brought about the world we know and removed them from power. Each monarch has carved out his or her own little kingdom in the Netherworld, and they continually plot and scheme against each other and against the other factions.

The '''Dragons''' are the good guys, a collection of maverick cops, redeemed assassins, martial artists, [[Ninja]]s, big bruisers and other heroic types rising from among the humble and the outcasts of the world in order to fight for freedom, justice, and the right to look extremely cool. The Dragons rise again and again throughout time in order to help people and keep important Feng Shui sites from falling into the wrong hands, but like the heroes of many a Hong Kong action movie, the fate of anyone who takes on the mantle of the Dragons is often a tragic one.

==Feng Shui 2==

In Feng Shui 2, the detonation of a Chi Bomb triggers a major shake-up in the junctures. The main junctures now are:

'''Ancient (690 AD):''' The closure of their original era thanks to the bomb forced the Eaters of the Lotus to find refuge in this new juncture, during the time of the Tang Dynasty, where Empress Wu Zeitan, China's only official female ruler, has begun her reign. Unfortunately for the Lotus, the Empress is not about to tolerate any threats to her power, and has purged her court of sorcerers, so the Lotus seek to undermine her and claim power for themselves.

'''Past (1850 AD):''' Uniquely among the main junctures, this one remains attached to its original year, with the Guiding Hand seeking to remove foreign influence from China.

'''Contemporary:''' The contemporary juncture advances with the passing of time, so it's always the present day, and the Ascended continue to maintain their dominion over the world.

'''Future (2074 AD):''' Thanks to the Chi Bomb, this juncture has gone from a dystopia to a post-apocalyptic wasteland along the lines of Mad Max, with cyborgs, mutants and road warriors struggling to survive in a devastated world. In 2069, the '''Jammers''' detonated the bomb in an attempt to eradicate chi in all major junctures. Fortunately for the timestream - if not for those who survived - the worst effects were chiefly limited to their time period, killing 97% of the population, mutating many of the survivors, and laying waste to the environment. The Architects of the Flesh, as holders of most of the planet's chi sites, were wiped out. The Jammers, faced with the horrific disaster they'd brought about, split into two factions. The original Jammers now seek to claim sufficient chi sites in the past to Set Right What Once Went Wrong, no matter how many innocents have to die in the process. The '''New Simian Empire''', meanwhile, seeks the establishment of a new cyber-ape empire, whether in this era or the past.

In addition, the Chi Bomb's explosion has also triggered the creation of pop-up junctures, temporary portals leading to other time periods.

==Why You Should Play It==

It's an easy-to-earn, fast-paced system that encourages over-the-top action. Also, cyborg gorillas.

[[Category: Roleplaying]]

Endhammer

2016-01-15T01:12:11Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Beastmen */

[[File:Endhammer.png|300px|thumb|right|Endhammer]]
'''Endhammer''' (also known as “AU9” or “9th Edition AU”) is a community-driven project to create a campaign setting for [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]], [[Mordheim]], and [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] in the wake of the End Times. It is also an experiment to see how easily /tg/ can come up with a better story than Games Workshop.

With the aim of demonstrating that the plot can be “moved forward” without squatting the entire setting, '''Endhammer''' provides a broken and divided [[Warhammer Fantasy]] world, where brother fights brother, maps are redrawn, and the lizards didn't fuck off to space. In doing so, parts of [[The End Times]] are retconned and [[Age of Sigmar]] is entirely scrapped. The world isn't dead, but it's also not in good shape.

This is still a work in progress and comments/new ideas are welcome (especially if you're good at making up rules).

==What's Different?==
Three major points of divergence are responsible for the "Endhammer" setting:

[[Thanquol]], realizing that Screech Verminking and [[Archaon]] were getting all of the glory and credit for ending the world, decided to do his thing and cock it all up. With lots of warpdust. He annihilates a good third of the Hordes of Chaos after inhaling what some ratmen reported to be a slave's weight in warp snuff. At the moment, he's fled towards Khuresh with [[Clan Eshin]] assassins on his tail.

In general, the [[Skaven|Underempire's]] attack was not as successful, and some humans survived in [[Estalia]], [[Tilea]], [[Araby]], and [[Bretonnia]]. In fact, Bretonnia's doing pretty well.

[[Valten]] doesn't die via Verminlord killsteal. Instead, he and Archaon take each other out at the First Battle of Middenheim. After tanking a warpstone bullet from [[Brunner the Bountyhunter]] (who, let's be honest, was the real hero of the story), Archaon and Valten went toe to toe. The fight goes as it did in the End Times, but some Butterfly Effect bullshit causes the Verminlord's glaive to miss Valten and stun the Slayer of Kings instead. Ghal Maraz once more proves itself the bane of the Everchosen, and the armies of Chaos are scattered, but the Herald of Sigmar dies in the process.

==The Setting==
Set ten years after the End Times, the world of "Endhammer" is still a broken and bloody place. Archaon may be dead, but the largest Chaos invasion the world had ever seen still occurred. The apocalypse was only averted at the final hour. [[Lustria]] remains a cratered mess. [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire]] is burning and survivors squabble over the ashes. Refugees strike out to establish new nations and colonies, leaving their shattered homelands behind. And unto this, [[Conan the Barbarian|Grimgor]], destined to bear the jeweled crown of Cathay upon a troubled brow...

===[[Beastmen]]===
* Beastmen are the principle inheritors of the eastern Empire. After Archaon's hordes burned and killed their way to Altdorf and Middenheim, the massive herds moved in to pick up the spoils. Now, they hunt down errant survivors in the deep forests of Hochland and Talabecland and dance in the ruins of Bechafen and Wolfenburg. Yet, they are wary of a new power gathering in northern Ostland.
* With Kharazk the One Eye and Malagor the Dark Omen both dead, new chieftans are rising among the disparate herds of Beastmen.
* Moonclaw has Beastmen drag pieces of Morrsleib to set up a ritual circle to court the Chaos God's favor.
* In far-flung Ind, Arbaal the Undefeated personally took the heads of the thousand living gods. The human kingdoms were shattered and exotic beastmen of all kinds poured from the jungles. A kingdom of beasts is growing in the subcontinent, led by the engimatic "Raj," a man with a tiger's head. The mutated rule and pure-born humans work as slaves.
* Getting bored of the same forested ruins, Ghorros Warhoof heads east with a tribe of Centigors on a round-the-world bender.

===[[Bretonnia]]===
* Bretonnian Lore from the 6th Edition book is removed and deleted.
* Fair Bretonnia has fared far better than its eastern neighbor, as the Empire took the brunt of Archaon's invasion.
* This doesn't mean the situation is good. The north is covered in Norscan raiders, and Mousillon is becoming a petty kingdom of ghouls. The Civil War and the subsequent Battle of Altdorf have devastated the kingdom's population and robbed it of much of its knightly class.
* [[The Green Knight|Gilles le Breton]] has returned to Bretonnia as its King to right the ship.
* Gilles le Breton has kept the Lady of the Lake's true identity a secret. Better his knights think they continue to serve as champions of a human goddess rather than pawns of an elven one.
* With much of Bretonnia's knightly class lying dead at Altdorf or in Moursillon, leaders among the peasantry have been knighted by the country's new God-King.
* Errantry Wars were called to reclaim Tilea and Estalia from the Skaven hordes to much success.
* Men who had been petty hedge knights or peasant sergeants in Bretonnia now rule as Crusader Lords in Estalian and Tilean cities like Bilbali, Tobaro, Pavona, and Miragliano, much to the chagrin of the refugee locals.

===[[Chaos Dwarfs]]===
* The Plains of Zhar and the fortress at Zhar Nagrund were broken by the passing of the greenskin hordes. With their mightiest war engines and most skilled engineers busy taking the Great Bastion of Cathay or aiding Archaon's armies in the west, the tower of the Chaos Dwarfs was sundered by the Ironhide.
* Chaos Dwarfs regroup at the Tower of Gorgoth, the Black Fortress, and the Daemon Stump to the south and at the holdfast of Uzkulak in the north, cursing the Hung and Norscan for pulling them into their foolhardy wars and drawing their armies thin. Hashut is ascendant, venerated even more in the face of the failure of the Four. Those who question whether Hashut is merely an ''aspect'' of the Four are killed.
* The Fire Mouth's explosion caught the attention of newly dispossessed daemon-engineers. A great forgeworks/temple has been built over the abandoned home of the Firebelly ogres, its volcanic energy used to power the infernal machinations of the Chaos Dwarfs. Ogres attempting to retake their home and assault the new fortress are met with moats of magma.

===[[Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dwarfs]]===
* Ungrim Ironfist is once again denied the opportunity to fulfill his slayer oath as he is pulled between his twin duties of dying in battle and leading his people. With Thorgrim Grudgebearer dead by a cowardly Skaven's blade, and other leaders such as Thorek and Belegar having similarly kicked the bucket, Ungrim is ''de facto'' leader of the surviving Dwarfs.
* An exodus from the World's Edge Mountains occurred as the last holds were sundered. Dwarfs joined the host of Ungrim Ironfist making its way through the Empire, first to break the siege of Averheim, then to recover Nuln, and finally to find safety in Karak Norn, one the last surviving holds in the Grey Mountains.
* Many Dwarfs complain, either because the Grey Mountains are incredibly poor in resources compared to the World's Edge (“What? You're mining ''tin''?!”) or because they are Grey Mountain natives resentful of their insulting kinsmen (“Tin is used in many things! Such as cups! And pans!”)
* While no High King has been elected, Dwarfs naturally look to Ungrim Ironfist for guidance. A council of the surviving thanes is called to determine which of their holds should be recovered first: Karak Eight Peaks or the Everpeak. The Grey Mountain Dwarfs say they're quite happy where they are, thank you very much.

===Elves, [[Dark Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dark]], [[High Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|High]] and [[Wood Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Wood]]===
* Malekith is crowned as Phoenix King, ushering in a new era of greatness (or terror) for elfkind. With the end of the world averted, Alarielle abandons him, returning to Tyrion to lead the High Elves as the Everqueen.
* Tyrion and those High Elves unwilling to serve the Witch King leave Malekith's court and declare everlasting war on him and their turncoat brethren. They have fled to the surviving colonies and established new homes in what remains of northern Lustria.
* A council of Asur and Druchii is founded to advise the Phoenix King, made up of notable heroes and villains like Prince Imrik of Caledor, Lokhir Felheart, and even Teclis. Caradryan joins the ranks of Malekith's personal bodyguards.
* Teclis remains behind, wondering if his machinations to put the Witch King on the throne were worth it. For now, he wanders the world, hoping to re-establish the ley lines and keep the threat of Chaos at bay.
* Two factions arise among Malekith's council in Athel Loren. They debate how the elves should move forward. Some urge the Phoenix King to return to the cold ruins of Naggaroth, as the heirs of Asuryan need a home. Others prefer the warm coasts of Tilea, and a return to old colonies long abandoned to the humans... their current occupants notwithstanding.
* Ariel and Orion want their guests gone. Soon. Malekith needs to make a decision fast.
* Korhil sides with Tyrion, appointing himself Tyrion's main bodyguard.
* Though she sides with the Phoenix King, Hellebron's loyalty to Malekith dwindles and she keeps Shadowblade close while deciding whether to try and overthrow Tyrion or Maketith. However, the first target of Hellebron's wrath is Morathi, who is more vulnerable than she's been in ages.
* Ulthuan has been destroyed. The region it once occupied is now an expanse of ocean broken by a few rocky islands. Sailors claim that strange and chaotic events occur in the "Ulthuan Circle."

===[[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire]]===
* Sigmar's Empire is in shambles after Archaon's nearly successful conquest of the world. Ostland, Ostermark, Talabecland, and Hochland are blighted wastes, infested with beastmen and fouler things. Pockets of defenders persist in isolated forts and outposts, surviving by strength of arms and a healthy helping of luck.
* Altdorf, Jewel of the Empire, is a broken ruin and Talabheim Crater remains a lake of pus.
* Middenheim was spared when Archaon fell. Averheim was rescued by the one-two punch of a treacherous Thanquol and the host of Ungrim Ironfist. Nuln is reclaimed and Emmanuelle von Liebewitz returned to her palace.
* The sons of great men squabble over the ashes of the Empire. Heinrich Todbringer, the bastard son of the late Elector-Count of Middenheim, is legitimized by Ar-Ulric's decree and given the seat of Middenland. Ruling from Carroburg, Karl-Franz's son, Luitpold II, takes the seat of Reikland. Both assume they will be Emperor.
* Luthor Huss has been elected Grand Theogonist. It helps that most of Sigmar's clergy were killed in the fall of Altdorf. Being the only significant leader left to the church, and wrapping a conspicuous scarf around his neck, the radical priest is throwing his support behind Luitpold, not wanting some northern pagan like Todbringer to take the imperial throne.
* Balthasar Gelt, ''persona non grata'' in most of the Empire after his necromantic shenanigans were discovered, has secreted himself in the Court of Emmanuelle von Liebewitz, Elector-Countess of Nuln. Gelt wonders why the Empire should even be allowed to elect a leader? Why not assure the Emperor is someone with true ability and vision; someone like the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic?
* In Ostland, a mysterious Norscan has set himself up as Earl of Salkalten. Both errant raiders from the Everchosen's horde and what few survivors remain in Ostland flock to his banner as he cuts down the wicked beasts that prowl the eastern forests of the Empire and offers protection to those who will serve him. He and his huscarls cast aside the Dark Gods after witnessing Archaon's fall at Middenheim, and wonder which southern deity grants such power to the weaklings of the Empire. In addition, he seems to have a penchant for killing the living dead...
* Sylvania re-integrates itself into the Empire, since Vlad is now a legitimized Elector Count. This is controversial to say the least; simply voicing the idea that Vlad should be given a Runefang, as befits an Elector Count, sparks a fierce debate.

===Estalia===
* Most of Estalia got royally fucked by the Skaven invasion. Now, Bretonnians rule much of the eastern and northern parts of the peninsula.
* One bright light was Magritta, where the priestesses and guardians of the Temple of Myrmidia, Warrior-Goddess of the South, led the defense of the city. Being the gathering point of all of Estalia's surviving warriors, it presented the Skaven with the cream of the peninsula's crop.
* Magritta is now the only major, Estalian city still in the hands of Estalians. And they are ever more dedicated to their warlike goddess, who they see as responsible for saving their people from the rats. Like Tilea, the rest of the cities are in the hands of up-jumped, Bretonnian knights.
* Bloody priestesses of Myrmidia now roam the countryside, burning out Skaven and enforcing the goddess's will.
* Many disenfranchised Estalians are boarding ships and making way for Lustria, establishing colonies in the cratered archipelagos that once made up the southern continent. Great deposits of warpstone or “green gold” are making returning ''conquistadores'' rich, especially with so few lizards left to stop them.

===[[Kislev]]===
* Kislev was conquered when the End Times began, but the Tzarina Katerina, the Winter Queen, refused to give up. She leads a guerrilla resistance against the remaining forces of Chaos who despoil her country.
* Joining her is Valmir von Raukov, Elector-Count of Ostland who was trapped on the wrong side of the Auric Bastion when it fell, having led the defense of Erengrad. He knows little of what has happened to his province in the mean time, but Katerina promises him Praag if they ever prove victorious.
* Throgg's dreams of an intelligent troll race ruling over Kislev went up in smoke when a particular slayer got into the mix. Kurgans and Hung control the steppe-lands instead. Well, them and Chaos Spawn.
* Sigvald still decides to hole up in the ruins of Kislev. From there, he sends small armies to capture slaves, treasures or whatever catches his hedonistic eye. On his latest whim, he sent his army out, as he took a fancy to the Winter Queen and wants her as his personal plaything.

===[[Lizardmen]]===
* They didn't go to space.
* Instead, the flying pyramids of the Lizardmen landed in the northern jungles of the Southlands, joining Zlatlan and flattening trees and wildlife for miles (in addition to a Savage Orc Waaagh!).
* With their greatest Slann Mage Priests dead and their home a warpstone-cratered mess, the Lizardmen are trying desperately to recuperate. Tetto'eko works furiously as ''de facto'' leader, despite his extremely old age for a Skink.
* Kroq'Gar, still bitter over the loss of Grymloq, sets his eyes on the Skaven-infested ruins of Araby and the Lizardmen's new undead neighbors in Nehekhara.

===[[Ogre Kingdoms]]===
* Greasus Goldtooth gets his face krumped by Grimgor Ironhide, throwing the ogres into disarray, even as the world is cracking apart and falling around them.
* The Ogres settle in the mountain around the ruin of a Karak. There isn't much to eat until the next migratory season; which provides and abundance of deer and grass for the Rhinoxen. Though the local ecosystem undergoes a shift, soon the Ogres have carved themselves a new realm.
* The Tyrants start trying to give orders, but they find out that no tyrant is willing to concede to another. This sparks an eating contest (that is, eating each other) to determine who will be their next Overtyrant. So far Ghrak Ironskin is in the lead, as his opponents keep breaking their teeth on his armor and his large amount of Rhinoxen provide much of the Ogres food, along with his Rhinox riders making brutal enforcers that even the Mournfang Cavalry tread carefully around.
* Bragg the Gutsman is paid by Ghrak with useless (to Ghrak) gold to kill Golgfag, with the latter proving hard to find, and would be even harder to kill when actually found.
* Golgfag, the obvious favorite, is too busy bumming around Ind to participate.
* Skrag leads a group of ogre fanatics, both mutilated in body and mind, in a brutal gore pilgrimage to the Great Maw. The strong thrive, fending off hungry Gorgers as a form of flagellation. The weak are dragged down and eaten.

===[[Orcs & Goblins]]===
* As in the End Times, Grimgor's Waaagh! conquered its way across the Dark Lands, into Cathay, and took the Great Bastion from the Chaos Dwarfs that had conquered it from the puny humies of the east.
* Rather than being teleported to the Empire in skubtastic fashion by Teclis, Grimgor and his boyz realize that Cathay is something of a paradise. The massive populations of the east result in almost endless streams of men on which the greenskins can blunt their choppas. And the Dragon-Emperor, having retreated to the rice paddies of the south, doesn't disappoint.
* Grimgor is Warhammer's Kublai Khan, setting up shop in the Dragon-Emperor's Summer Palace in northern Cathay, cutting down wave after wave of weak, Cathayan soldiers with one hand. An abortive invasion of Nippon was ended by sabotage from Clan Eshin sinking most of his ships and many of his boyz.
* But Grimgor's getting bored of Cathayan blood and he's setting his sights back west.
* Skarsnik comes to despise the Skaven.
* Wuzzarg finds Skarsnik first. Declaring him the chosen of Mork (or Gork; the chosen of the kunnin' one), he anoints Skarsnik with sacred war paint, which saves his life against a Skaven assassin, who is turned into a squig by Wuzzarg and eaten by Skarsnik himself. Skarsnik uses this to consolidate his rule over the Night Goblins.

===[[Skaven]]===
* Disappointed in the Council of Thirteen's failure, the Horned Rat annihilated Skavenblight in a very Skaven-like huff. The surviving clans (sans Pestilens, which is recovering after the “moonshot”), are now fighting over who will make up the new Council of Thirteen.
* They are also squabbling over where to locate the “new” Skavenblight, and the plagued depths of the Slayer Keep have never seemed so homey.
* Knowledge of the Skaven is now commonplace in the Empire, but it hasn't amounted to anything productive. It has only made already paranoid villagers even more suspicious, seeing rat-things around every corner.
* Ikit Claw sends an army of Skaven to the ravaged Zharr-Naggrund to seek a weapon that will tip the power struggle in favor of Clan Skyre.

===[[Tilea]]===
* Trantio, Pavona, Tobaro and Verezzo fell in the initial Skaven attacks. All except Trantio are now ruled by Bretonnian lords.
* Remas is now ruled by an iron-fisted Ricco and his “Republican” Guard. The Marksmen of Miragliano serve him as roof-top sentries and hunters for errant ratmen.
* Lorenzo Lupo and Leopold of the Leopard Company died in the final battles for Tilea. With the scions of the Leopard twins dead, Luccini elected Roderigo Delmonte as its new prince. He rules as a benevolent ruler, and the Alcatani Fellows finally live like kings.
* The northern Tileans, refugees from the Skaven, return to find that Bretonnian crusaders have claimed their farms and palaces. The Tileans have three choices: fight for what is theirs, submit to their new overlords, or abandon their country for the west, following Pirazzo and his Lost Legion to steaming Lustria.

===[[Tomb Kings]]===
* ''Not getting a lot from TK-players either.''
* The lore breaks from GW's lore after Nagash entered the Black Pyramid. He doesn't conquer the Tomb Kings, Nehekhara is not destroyed, Settra does not get ripped apart or have any dealings with the Chaos Gods.
* Nagash underestimated the result of eating and taking the position of a god that oversaw a fundamental part of reality like Usirian/Morr, or that the other gods in the setting would sit back and allow this. While Nagash was recovering, weak after defeating Usirian, the trap was sprung. Tzeentch, seeing the threat that Nagash's ambitions represented to the Chaos Gods and personally despising Nagash's unchanging vision, decided to personally deal with the burgeoning death god, sending armies of daemons to invade the Underworld. Though the dead outnumbered the daemons, Nagash pitted his newfound power against that of the second-strongest Chaos God. There was a tremendous magical backlash between the realms. The ground shook hard enough that many of those fighting at Nehekhara were knocked off their feet, with the Black Pyramid at the epicenter. The stormclouds shrouding the battle flashed with purple and blue lightning. A bolt struck the Black Pyramid, which crumbled in on itself in a massive implosion. The final collapse sent out a shockwave that knocked many of the combatants off their feet. Sylvania glowed with magical auorae temporarily, as Death Magic bound to Sylvania burst free of the binding Nagash laid on it; Death Magic still flowed to the land, but it would inundate the earth now and could be used by anyone. In the Underworld the consequences were much worse (depending on whose perspective we're talking about). Tzeentch's forces had been pushed back temporarily, but while Nagash was able to avoid oblivion, Tzeentch had bound Nagash to the Underworld as a particularly pissed off Hades, trapped, hoping that his henchmen, Krell and Arkhan figure out a way to get him out of this job of 'overseeing the dead' (or at least bring him a Persephone to keep him company). If he burst his bindings; the Underworld would be destroyed and the souls not claimed by the remaining gods would be cast adrift; easy prey for the Chaos Gods. Abandoning plans for vengeance for the time being, Nagash seeks a way out of his imprisonment.
* Nagash's crown was stripped from his head and cast back to the material realm. Whoever wore it would be a vessel for Nagash. However, with the destruction of the Black Pyramid it was Nagash's only handhold in the material plane. If it was destroyed, things would be dire for the Undying King. It currently resides under the rubble that was once the Black Pyramid, waiting to be found...
* With Nagash's disappearance, the vampires are defeated by the triumphant Tomb Kings. A few vampires are slain by the vengeful Tomb Kings, some flee. Thinking quickly, Neferata takes leadership of the rest and offers a formal surrender to Settra. Despite having the view the vampires need to pay for daring to invade his land, and not trusting the vampires one bit, Settra knows the threat of Chaos and knows that while his forces can beat the Vampires, there won't be enough left afterwards to secure Nehekhara's borders. After much deliberation, Settra accepts Neferata's offer of alliance; with the magic inundating the land from Nagash's rebirth, the alliance between Neferata and Settra forms the new Undead Legion equivalent, the Undead Legion of Nehekhara. In the aftermath of the battle, Settra manages to have his herald, Nekaph, brought back from death's embrace to serve Settra again.
* After the battle, Settra commissioned Rahmotep the Visionary and the remaining Necrotects to rebuild the damage done to Nehekhara during Nagash's invasion.
* Khalida is enraged by Settra's alliance with Neferata; for her part Neferata is willing to put her grudge aside faced with the war. Settra promises a trial for Khalida's murder after the war is done. Seething, but lacking the might to challenge the Khermrikhara, Khalida accepts the terms. However, even afterwards she makes plans. Wars are devastating and dangerous. Neferata may not survive, and if she does, Khalida will be waiting...
* Apophas is now an agent of Nagash. Infused with power, he becomes the Charon to Nagash's Hades.
* King Phar, impressed by Settra's seeming defeat of Nagash, offers his support but not servitude. Mindful of the situation with a fragile alliance, Settra grudgingly accepts, planning to avenge himself on Phar at a later date.
* Arkhan survives the battle. Though Nagash no longer walks the world, Arkhan can still commune with him. Arkhan offers his support to Neferata as a silent partner, which Neferata accepts with a willingness that surprises both of them.
* The undead alliance form three massive armies. With the fate of the world at stake, the undead agree to ally temporarily with the living. With much of Zandri's fleet decimated, Harkon's ships serve as transport for one army. Khalida oversees Harkon to make sure he stays loyal to the plan. The second armies is mainly Tomb Kings, led by Settra to purge the Skaven from Araby; once that is done he plans to expand Nehekhara's borders by annexing and rebuilding the ruined realm. The third is led by Neferata, and are charged with taking the fight to Chaos directly in exchange for Neferata regaining Lahmia.
* After the battle for the world is something of a power-play between Settra and Neferata, she knows she can't defy or challenge him directly without violent results for both sides but she works hard to assert herself.
* A Skaven force tunnels into Mahrak and steals much from the kings there. With the help of vampires and their pet Dire Wolves, an army of undead tracks the Skaven to their fortress and destroys them before fortifying the invasion route; the zombified Skaven serving as its first guards.
* A skirmish occurs between the undead of Rasetra and the Lizardmen after an initial expansion attempt by the former. This brings the undead to the Lizardmen's attention, with their leaders deciding to study the undead civilization before determining a course of action.
* The Skaven try to bargain with Settra while at the same time sending assassins to kill him. This backfires horribly. The surviving Arabyans settle in Numas and become citizens, with their dead being inducted as undead. But not all the Sultan's subjects are willing for this to continue and some consider heading to the Empire or Tilea.
* Recently Settra had set his eyes on a greater task, a bastion of evil to destroy; Nagashizzar.

===[[Vampire Counts]]===
* Vlad and Isabella never died and the End Times were averted! How lovely! So, now we've got a Vampiric power-couple wondering why Vlad doesn't put his hat in for Emperor. Again. Vlad takes leadership of the Von Carsteins once more. As per an old agreement, Abhorash sends the Red Duke and a force of Blood Knights (with the ranks of the Drakenhof Templars severely depleted) as allies and reinforcements.
* Mannfred, that fucking weasel, realizes he's probably not going to be welcome at daddy's castle any time soon. He decides to, ironically follow Arkhan's earlier path, heads to what's left of the Border Princes and sets up his own realm, declaring himself a Duke instead of a Count. With the Princes he turned into vampires, he carves out a realm and keeps tight reign on the borders, lending his might and armies to those who can meet his price.
* Abhorash, having reached an accord with Gilles le Breton, has returned to the Blood Keep to reform and improve the order of the Blood Dragon. He also pledges his support to Giles.
* Ghouls continue to gather at Mousillon, loyal to a new king – no, not the Red Duke, but Ushoran, progenitor of the Strigoi. Even as Bretonnia expands into Tilea and Estalia, a darker threat awaits in the Haunted City. The unity of the undead falters as ghouls and the finest unliving knights of Bretonnian chivalry do battle.
* The uneasy truce between Neferata and Khalida is shattered and eternal vengeance is sworn once more, but now Neferata has collected a new ally: Arkhan the Black. Her hand is stayed only by common need during her alliance with Settra. Things will take a deadly turn between the two women once the forces of Chaos are dealt with.
* Bereft of guidance with the loss of Nagash, Krell strikes out on his own, though occasionally supplies unlooked-for aid to the Vampires.
* Nagash's human and lich followers at Nagashizzar ally with the vampires. They are planning an offensive against Chaos to purge their master's enemies and to figure out a way to free him.

===[[Warriors of Chaos]]===
* ''Needs more.''
* Arbaal the Undefeated killed the living gods of Ind and took their skulls for Khorne. He curses the failure of Archaon and his cohorts ("Here I am, doing my job, in the ass-end of nowhere, killing an entire pantheon of gods by myself, and these fuckers can't conquer one measly kingdom").
* "Troll Country" has expanded to encompass much of the Empire's eastern neighbor. The steppes of Kislev are ruled by Kurgan warlords who feast in the Winter Palace of Kislev, in the shadow of a mighty Dragon Ogre Shoggoth who sleeps in the grand ballroom. It is an object of worship for the Kurgan, representing the corrupting power of their gods, and the weakest of their war parties are sacrificed for its meals.
* With the Great Bastion sundered, the Hung harass the Orcs in northern Cathay. Unfortunately, the greenskins seem to enjoy it and don't flee in terror like the forces of the Dragon-Emperor. This draws the Khorne worshippers, who are happy to meet a foe as eager for battle as themselves. Valkia joins them, seeking out the worthy to follow Khorne, having deemed the increasingly redolent Chaos followers in the West unworthy.
* Many Norscans return to Norsca with spoils from the Empire. While the trade routes with Marienburg are now defunct, many warlords will find themselves temporarily wealthy due to Imperial gold and silver.
* A small group of Norscans have remained in the northern reaches of the Empire, settling in the decidedly warmer and fertile country. However Khornate lord, Torgast the Brass Storm, found out. Enraged at this departure from their warrior roots, last anyone heard he's taking his army to pound some sense into them; preferably with the business end of his axe. But alot lays between him and them; the Skaven of what used to be Karak Kadrin, roving bands of Orcs, Ogre tribes, and a large undead army with a certain Vampire Queen at its head...
* A new chaos lord Agrod the Inheritor decries Archeon as a failed weakling and begins the trials to prove himself the true everchosen.
* Nurgle sends Valnir the Reaper to whip his forces into shape after the failure of the Glottkin and Festus, calling the various Chaos Lords of Nurgle, including the Maggoth Riders, to a "Blightmoot" to determine who will lead them.
* Egrimm and his forces make a plan to have a permanent entrance to Tzeentch's Crystal Labyrinth in their citadel. If successful, Egrimm would be rewarded with daemonhood.

===Geography===
* '''Lustria''': The fall of Morrslieb broke Lustria into a series of archipelagos. Water has flooded in to cover the abandoned Temple Cities and cool the warpstone meteors that shattered its surface. There are very few survivors. However, an Age of Exploration has begun as refugees flee the burned and bloodied Old World, looking to make new lives for themselves in the remnants of Lustria, establishing colonies and engaging in dangerous recovery operations for Lizardman artifacts and the ever-valuable “green gold.” Myrmidian missionaries try to convert the surviving Amazons of Anaconda as Estalians and Tileans establish the first of the colonies, followed quickly by a party of Hochlanders and Talabeclanders putting their foresting skills to use.
* '''Naggaroth''': Overwhelmed by Chaos and its cities put to fire by their own residents prior to the Dark Elf exodus.
* '''Ulthuan''': A continent lost beneath the ocean.
* '''Albion''': Flooded and broken by the fall of Morrslieb. Old mountain-tops and highlands now make up island chains: the remnants of the mystic isle.
* '''The Southlands''': Not nearly as injured by the Skaven moonshot as Lustria, though the southern tip was broken to pieces. It is now full to the bursting with Saurian refugees from its western counterpart.
* '''The Badlands''': What few Strigany remained are making the pilgrimage to Mousillon, happy for the chaos of this post-End Times world as many leaders are too distracted to pay attention to their usual punching bags.
* '''Araby''': Few of the Arabyan cities survived, but Al Muktar's trek into the desert ended with his return to Copher at the head of a small army of refugees, ready to rebuild their culture. Next the plan is what they're going to do regarding the Tomb Kings next to them.
* '''World's Edge Mountains''': Most of the Dwarf holds were collapsed, flooded, or lost during the End Times. The World's Edge Mountains are now the lonely home to a few greenskins and Skaven.
* '''The Dark Lands''': The land of the Chaos Dwarfs and Hobgoblins has been thrown into anarchy by Grimgor's rampage.
* '''Mountains of Mourn''': Thoroughly wounded by volcanic eruption, the Ogre homeland is now a volatile place, where the ground could open and consume a platoon without warning, or else belch out sulfurous fumes that would fell an Indish elephant.
* '''Ind''': The thousand gods of Ind were culled by the ''Undefeated.'' Now, Beastmen play at kings in their place, enslaving what few humans remain.
* '''Cathay''': Split between an Orc-held north and a southern half loyal to the Dragon-Emperor. If not for Grimgor Ironhide, all of Cathay would have been enslaved or put to the sword by the forces of Chaos. Otherwise, its territory is intact.
* '''Nippon''': Nippon and the Dragon Isles survived the fall of Morrslieb unscathed. This is not to say the humans of Nippon were spared by Clan Eshin.

==Would You Like to Know More?==
There are some factions which have had considerably more contributed to their stories than others. As we get more information, this is likely to balance out. The above is shorthand. What you'll read below is for those who really want to get into the fluff.

===What's the Deal with the Empire?===
With the Everchosen dead and the Empire saved, Sigmar's spirit left Karl-Franz's body at Averheim. The Emperor seemed to age half a century in a day, his anatomy burned out by housing a god. The greatest Emperor since Magnus the Pious died bedridden and infirm in the moment of the Empire's triumph, leaving it leaderless and divided. Boris Todbringer, the next logical leader of the Empire and Karl-Franz's only rival during his election... died after completing his mad quest to kill [[Khazrak the One-Eye]]. His only acknowledged bastard, Heinrich Todbringer, was quickly legitimized by Ar-Ulric and (lest some weak, southern Sigmarite become the new Elector-Count of Middenland).

Who is Heinrich Todbringer? Champion rider. Warrior extraordinaire. Dark of hair and broad of shoulder, and already father to numerous bastards of his own. He is exactly the kind of leader Middeland needs in the anarchy of "Endhammer." He is also a cruelly efficient man, and all of his half-brothers have been assassinated since he took the throne of Middenland. Even now, he leads sortes out into the Drakwald to clear out what remains of Archaon's horde (and engage in the futile effort of recovering his father's remains). After promising Theoderic Gausser the ruined city of Marienburg, Nordland swore to support him in his bid for Emperor. Even now, Gausser capers madly in the ruined manors of Marienburg, wearing a mask filled with mint and other “protective herbs.” The Glottkin's plague made sure there are no more Marienburgers to make good on their promise to behead him. In addition, Heinrich has sent messengers to the Norscan of Salkalten, wondering if he can't win himself another supporter by offering him the Electorate of Ostland.

Todbringer's rival is Luitpold Holswig-Schliestein II (A.K.A. “Karl's Jr.”). He rules the remnants of Reikland with the support of Grand Theogonist Luthor Huss. The surviving Reiksguard have also sworn for Luitpold, and while Stirland is considering its options, they appear to be in the Sigmarite camp. Luitpold is not a ruthless warrior like Heinrich, having learned far more from his father's role as a statesman. The makeshift palace at Carroburg is abuzz with messengers and diplomats, looking for support in Wissenland, Averland, and even far-flung Bretonnia.

Balthasar Gelt thinks both of these young men are fools. He finds the entire Electoral system foolish. After all, if you wanted a bloody republic, why limit the candidates to a group of inbred, overly suspicious Elector-Counts? He hides in the court of Emmanuelle von Liebewitz, living by her good graces and his continues supply of zombie sentries for the vulnerable Nuln sewer system. Feelers are being sent out to his colleagues and former pupils in the magical community. Why let these noblemen decide who leads the Empire? A man like Karl-Franz or Magnus the Pious comes once every half-millenium. Far better if the Emperor was the best man for the job, and not just the man with the deepest pockets or biggest army. And who could claim to be more skilled or more intelligent than Balthasar Gelt?

Meanwhile, Stirland, Averland, and Wissenland are full to bursting with refugees from the east. Kislevites and Hochlanders mix with halflings of the Moot. Realizing they can never return home, some turn to the western horizon, looking for new opportunity.

The authorities of the Empire once tried to conceal the existence of Skaven from the public, but that is now impossible. The terrified survivors perceive Skaven schemes everywhere. Political agitators accuse their opponents of working with them. Peasants sometimes accuse people with buckteeth or large ears of being Skaven in disguise. Corrupt politicians blame all the shortcomings of their regimes on "Skaven saboteurs". Posters are pasted around cities by religious orders warning the public not to fall into vice, as this is "just what the corrupting ratmen want them to do". A paranoid "Rat Scare" has gripped the Empire.

===And What of Fair Bretonnia?===
Mallobaude's Civil War and the looming End Times took a heavy toll on the Kingdom of Bretonnia. Its king and the greatest of the kingdom's gallantry fell at Altdorf, but now a resurgent Bretonnia is led by its once and... present king, Gilles le Breton. Chilfroy of Artois, Adalhard of Lyonesse, and Huebald of Carcassone raised their banners for Mallobaude and were defeated by the forces of the Green Knight. It was revealed that Chilfroy had long been consorting with the beastmen of his province, finally explaining why the Duke seemed to enjoy such success against the followers of Chaos. He was promptly killed by Gilles le Breton. Adalhard, ashamed that he'd joined in the scheming and betrayal which he had long disdained, chose honorable death in combat and joined Louen's march to Altdorf. The Battle of Altdorf claimed the lives of most of Bretonnia's peerage and many of its Dukes, including mighty warriors like Adalhard. Duke Armand of Aquitaine's luck finally ran out. The bold (some might say reckless) paladin fell trying to recover his old charge, the Battle Standard of Bretonnia, as it collapsed amidst of mob of Plaguebearers. Duke Hagen of Gisoreaux refused to leave Leoncoeur's side and perished protecting the body of his closest friend. Adalhard regained his honor by taking a spear meant for Cassyon of Paravon, allowing the young Duke to be one of the few survivors of the End Times. Theodoric of Brionne and Folcard of Montfort were both wounded during the fight for the Empire. Theodoric, the warrior-poet, succumbed to infection and left his dukedom in a succession crisis among his many bastards.

''(There will be more, later. But I'd like input on the style)''

===Tilea During the End Times===
Of the fallen cities... Lucrezzia Belladona took poison as Pavona fell around her, and most of the city's nobility died, starving in their tall spires while listening to the screams of the peasantry in the streets below. Marco Colombo, Prince of Trantio, raided his hordes of Lustrian artifacts as Stormvermin battered down the doors of his palace, looking for something that would save him (and his city, of course). No one knows what he found, but the Prince's palace exploded in a flash of brilliant light that scattered Lizardman gold and jade across the ruined city. Positioned so close to Skavenblight, Tobaro's defenders were taken by surprise. The Birdmen of Catrazza were killed before they could leave the ground and Vespero's Vendetta was last seen retreating into the Temple of Morr. Verezzo's colorful political parties were unable to agree on the manner in which they would respond to the Skaven attack and died debating whether they should hire Braganza's Besiegers or flee the city.

And of the cities that survived... The Republic of Remas got its shit together and came up with a unique decision: abolishing itself. With “Ragged” Ricco elected as dictator, the Republican Guard and the Marksmen of Miragliano blunted the nose of the Skaven invasion. Realizing the city was too tough of a nut to crack, the ratmen put it to siege and moved on to Luccini. Lorenzo Lupo and the princes of southern Tilea, dressed in the best armor that money could buy, met the Skaven in the hills around Luccini. Having seen the Skaven's failure to take Remas, Lupo knew it was his time to shine and take the battle to the rats as the Champion of Tilea. He died, wishing he'd never fired Golgfag and his Maneaters. With Lupo dead, Leopold and the Leopard Company were invited back to the city. The Temple of the Leopard empties its treasury, fattened by years of donations, bought the services of Pirazzo's Lost Legion, Braganza's Besiegers, and Bronzino's Galloper Guns. Roderigo Delmonte and the Alcatani Fellowship volunteered to defend the last bastion of Tilea after shepherding the population of the countryside into the city walls. Even Asarnil the Dragonlord was in attendance, his pride not letting him ignore a battle joined by all of the most famous mercenaries of the Old World.

The Plain of Luccini had never been so colorful as mercenary companies and regiments of renown, paid at triple their going rates, prepared to die as heroes. Leopold, the newly elected Prince of Luccini, directed the battle from a hill behind the Tilean forces. Again and again, the Skaven hordes threw themselves against the pike walls, steadily battering down the Dogs of War and pushing them to the coast, making room for a column to strike for Luccini. Roderigo Delmonte and the Alcatani Fellowship led a fighting retreat towards the city, buying time for the population to board ships and flee into the sea while the Besiegers, the Leopard Company, and the Lost Legion died on the beach. Asarnil the Dragonlord was last seen fighting beside with his broken lance next to his felled, jezzail-riddled dragon. Ships came into view over the horizon, and explosive cannon fire surprised and shattered the Skaven horde. The pirates of Sartosa had come to the aid of their old rival. They still claim there is no truth to the rumors that Long Drong promised to skin them all alive if they didn't give them the opportunity for a proper doom. Leopold's gambit to steer the Skaven towards the coast had paid off. It was a pity he died in the process.

===Beastmen? Important? What?===
The Beastmen have come into their own in the broken world left by the End Times. Across the eastern half of the Empire, mighty herds roam over ruined cities and blighted countrysides, having finally conquered the civilization that scorned and hated them. Even now, as Heinrich, Luitpold, and Balthasar Gelt scheme for the Imperial throne and worry about the walking dead of Sylvania, the mighty herds remain on their mind. However, it is not in the Empire where the Beastmen are truly triumphant. In far-off Ind, a Kingdom of Beasts has arisen under the direction of the ruthless and mysterious Raj Bhagha. The tiger-headed king of the sub-continent took the throne of Ayodhya, the relic city, after God-King Darahma was killed by Arbaal the Undefeated. The great Khornite champion left Ind in ruins, letting the beasts of the jungle enjoy the spoils. Raj Bhagha has established a perverse hierarchy of classes into which all of his citizens fall. The untainted humans; the lowest of the low, work as servants and slaves, tilling fields and sweeping the streets before their bestial masters. Those Beastmen that resemble service creatures, such as goats and pigs and horses, are the bulk of the Raja's infantry and make up the land-owning class, overseeing their human slave labor. Twisted and feathered beastmen resembling birds and serpents make up the priestly class, devoted to divining the future and overseeing the proper sacrifices to the new gods of Ind. At the top of Bhagha's caste system are the mighty predators of Ind's jungles: panthers, leopards, and of course, tigers, making up the warrior class of the Indish Animal Kingdom.

Raj Bhagha is not stupid like many of his fellow Beastmen. Already, he has sent emissaries to faraway kingdoms, offering trade and access to the untouched resources of Ind. But the Beastman King is arrogant and prone to violence. It is well-known in Cathay that one should always send two dignitaries to Ind: one to parley with Bhagha, and the other to serve as his meal. The mighty Raj Bhagha of Ind looks down on humanity as little more than work-horses for his kingdom, possessing all of the failings of animals, but none of their talents and filling none of their niches. No claws or hooves or sharp teeth. Good for little other than slave-labor and the occasional snack. Those human babes which show signs of stigmata are taken from their families to be raised as mutants among their fellow beastmen.

Leaders in the Empire, Bretonnia, and Tilea are unsure what to do about the new King of Ind. On the one hand, his panther emissaries are clearly the spawn of Chaos. On the other, they offer access to enough gold and spices to make a man Emperor three times over. Witch Hunters, frothing at the mouth in fury, must be restrained lest they insult these foreign dignitaries with their accusations of demonic corruption.

===Ulthuan becomes Atlantis. The Elves aren't butchered.===
For starters, Teclis doesn't destroy Ulthuan because because he wants his capeshit fan fiction to become a reality, and Malekith isn't Darth Vader because he has anxiety issues. That being said, Teclis still helps Malekith become the Phoenix King, if only because he is the only person who can unite the Asur and Druchii under one banner to survive the apocalypse, which then causes the apocalypse.

As per End Times, Aliathra gets kidnapped by Mannfred and sacrificed to resurrect Nagash, and is revealed to be the daughter of Alarielle and Tyrion. However, <s>Eltharion gives a good account of himself in his duel against Arkhan and lives to fight another day</s>Eltharion still dies, as neither side backs down but Eltharion puts up a better fight than the last time. Tyrion's spiral into rage begins when he learns of his daughter's death.

Meanwhile in the New World, Malekith abandons Naggaroth to the hordes of barbarians and once again begins his invasion of Ulthuan, while the armies of Finnubar prepare to meet him. Unfortunately for him, <s>Teclis murders him and makes it look like a suicide</s> Finnubar commits suicide, starting a leadership crisis. Korhil suspects foul play, but Tyrion is too busy organizing the defense of Ulthuan to give his suspicions the necessary attention.

Unfortunately for Tyrion, Prince Imrik accepts an offer of allegiance to Malekith. Tyrion had humiliated and browbeat him enough when he tried to organize a new election to the Phoenix Throne. And considering that Ulthuan was most likely going to lose the war, it was probably the right decision. The armies of Malekith march through the Eagle Gate and Malekith makes a bee-line for the Shrine of Asuryan, where <s>Teclis wards Malekith as he walks through the Flames to become the "Phoenix King"</s> Malekith walks unharmed through the Flame of Asuryan, and reveals that he was the rightful Phoenix King all along (what doesn't kill you makes you stronger)! It is also revealed that those before him needed wards to keep themselves from being burned alive, and thus were cursed by Asuryan. This curse ultimately resulted to the despondency and ennui that led to Finubar's "suicide." Unwilling to serve the Witch King of Naggaroth, the Phoenix Guard abandon their King. Caradryan sails to the Old World, his goals unknown. Teclis becomes Malekith's favorite adviser, much to the jealousy and rage of Morathi.

The reaction to this is mixed, to say the least. Hellebron's loyalty begins to wain, and pretty much every High Elf in existence is enraged by this turn of events. This includes Alarielle, who soon confronts Teclis about his bullshit. Teclis is persistent, however, and convinces her that Malekith is needed to save Elvenkind. Reluctantly, she agrees to marry the new Phoenix King and soothe the tempers of some of the Princes, while igniting the anger of one: Tyrion.

Furious at these betrayals, Tyrion confronts his brother, calling him out on his bullshit. Tyrion claims that, together with Finubar, they could have defeated Malekith once and for all. Teclis replies that Malekith, despite being a dick, is the only real hope the Elves have to save their race (Tyrion might have brought up Alarielle cucking him, and Teclis might have brought up Aliathra in response....). At the end of the conversation, Tyrion, believing that everyone he loved is either dead or has betrayed him/elfkind (especially his brother), storms away and gathers a group of loyal high elves (along with their leaders, like Korhil and Prince Althran) to travel northward in the direction of the Widowmaker.

In the final battle between the Avatar of Khaine, and Malekith's forces, Orion, the Witch King, and Alith Anar combine arms to defeat Tyrion. But before the final blow was struck, Teclis teleported his brother to safety. Despite Tyrion's vow to wreak vengeance on Malekith and his traitorous brother, Teclis still felt a fraternal duty to save his twin. Unfortunately, it was not enough to quench the fires of civil war, and even now, Tyrion and his followers plot the ruination of the Phoenix King and establish new colonies on the remnants of Lustria, still wielding the Sword of Khaine.

===Grimgor the Barbarian===
Grimgor Ironhide's trek eastward first brought his Waaagh! to the fortress city of Zhar Naggrund. There, he broke the capital of the Chaos Dwarfs' cruel empire and brought the Greenskin slave legions into his horde. When he met the wolfriders of Hobgobla Khan, he quickly cowed the goblins into submission and servitude to his mighty, world-turning Waaagh! When he met the scattered ogres of the Mountains of Mourn, he absorbed their mightiest warriors and killed those of their chieftans who refused to serve him -- a mighty feat for any Orc, black or no, while his Immortulz watched and cheered. Wurzagh's words rung true. This was the "Once-And-Future-Git!" The largest Waaagh! to ever walk the Old World finally came to Cathay and Grimgor's wolf-rider vanguard witnessed the fall of the Great Bastion. Finally, the reason for Zhar Naggrund's easy conquest was discovered: the Chaos Dwarfs had committed their forces to cracking the most formidable holdfast humanity had ever created. To prove he was the biggest and the strongest, he waited for the Chaos Dwarf priest-engineers to secure the Great Bastion and settle in before he took it from them. The Dragon Emperor's Summer Palace was empty when the Immortulz rampaged through its golden halls. And now, Grimgor sits on the Dragon Emperor's throne, his great Waaagh! roiling across northern Cathay, killing waves upon waves of Cathayan soldiers each summer during the campaigning season. But Grimgor don't stay put for long... and now he wonders whether the west doesn't perhaps deserve a krumpin'.

===The Mist Shrouded Land===
Albion has been devastated by the End Times, suffering the same fate as many lands after the fall of the Morrslib. The highlands and mountains are the only true remnants of the mystic island. The druids foresaw the devastation and were able to save some of their savage people by bringing them to the high ground. Most were stubborn and remained in their villages to be overtaken by the sea. And now, the taint of Chaos has killed many of these survivors. In addition, the seas around Albion have become deadly and tainted with warpstone, attracting great and mutated sea beasts. Serpents and sharks are the least of these new monsters, making travel between the islands an ordeal.

Albion was once one of the focal points to tame the Winds of Magic. Now unbridled, Chaos and the essence of the arcane seep into the world. With many of the old ones ruins and Ogham Circles destroyed, it has become a task that is almost impossible to do with just the mystic knowledge of Albion soothsayers. It is rumored that Teclis has traveled among the druids, researching the ley-lines; visiting what few ruins of the Old Ones remain. A fury of work can be seen around the great Ogham as the druids begin their mystic undertaking to rebind the magic with what ancient mysteries they can still glean from the carved rock.

===What about the Undead?===

==The Rules==
===To be added to as we think of more stuff!===
* ''Rules for Age of Exploration?''
* Consider everything a work-in-progress until stated otherwise.

===Mordheim Scenario: Altdorf===
* '''Special Rules'''
** '''Wild Monster Appears!''' When Altdorf fell, most of the exotic animals of the Imperial zoo were eaten by the besieged or the besiegers or otherwise died in the mayhem of The Fall. However, certain creatures were big enough to do the eating, rather than be eaten. These monstrous, chaos-touched creatures now roam the ruins of Altdorf, feeding on each other and whatever foolish adventurers have wandered into the "Jewel of the Empire." After each Warband has had a turn, roll a D6. On a roll of 2-6, a monster is placed at the center of the map. Roll the artillery die to determine its movement after each turn. It fights whenever it comes into contact with a warband.
*** 1 = No monsters appear to be roaming in this part of the city.
*** 2 = Griffon.
*** 3 = Wyvern
*** 4 = Chimera
*** 5 = Thundertusk from the Mountains of Mourn
*** 6 = Something BIG (roll another D6. On 1-3, an Imperial Dragon appears, and on 4-6, the Drakwald Gibberbeast, the Abomination of Stirland, and the Spawn of Hochland (three Chaos Spawn) appear.

===Mordheim Scenario: Talabheim===
* ''To be decided. Stuff we need: rules for movement on skiffs on the Pus Lake of Talabheim crater, rules for monsters swimming in the Talabheim pus lake''

===Balthasar Gelt's Automatons===
*''These goods need a looksee from somebody who knows their crunch''
* Can be taken by Empire Faction: Nuln. From the clockwork depths of Nuln, new warriors march forth. Designed by the steady hands of Leonardo di Miragliano and imbued with life by the arcane magicks of Balthasar Gelt, the metal men have no fear and feel no pain as they strike down the enemies of the Patriarch. Each of them wears a metal face sculpted to the likeness of their masked master. ''(If you really want to use Sigmarine models)''
* M4 WS4 BS3 S5, T4, W2 I3 A3 LD8, 3+ armor save, 45 pts/model
* '''Special Rules''': '''Unbreakable''' '''Structural Integrity,''' '''Incendiary Artifice'''
** STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: Unstable, Immune to Poison, Immune to Psychology
** INCENDIARY ARTIFICE: Whenever you remove a model from play the unit takes D3 wounds. This may trigger this rule again.

===Vampire Bloodlines===
* As in 6th Edition, we will be returning to differentiating the various Vampire Counts armies by "bloodline" or "dynasty." Different Vampire bloodlines will have access to different rules, items, and army make-ups.
* ''Note: If we are going with 8th Ed as a base (I am assuming we are), we will need to heavily edit both the 8th ed army book and this (I took a whack at it, based off of lore/what the armies previously had, and translated it to 8th). Not sure what to do about the Strigoi special unit that are in though, and we need to keep in mind about other people's armies. Feel free to point something out as well. -Grumpyfag''
* Army Characteristics
** '''Von Carsteins'''
*** Von Carsteins are vanilla vampires; no stat penalties or bonuses. The only exception is that they can take the bloodline power "Summon Creatures of the Night" for free.
** '''Blood Dragons'''
*** Lords: Vampire Lord, The Red Duke (with revamped rules to bring him in line with this edition)
*** Heroes: Vampire, Wight King, Necromancer
*** Core: Black Knights, (all ''Nightmare mounts'' must have ''barding,'' and if your force is from Bretonnia, they fight in ''Lance Formation''), Blood Knights [Just because they are Blood Dragons! Units should be able to be taken in 3+. Only up to 250 counts to core though, the rest going into Rare.], Grave Guard, Skeleton Bowmen (equipped with hand weapon and bow, 10 points each [Price needs changed, I suggest keep it at five like regular warriors and trade shields for bows. Raise it to 7 with an extra +1WS is also an option.])
*** Special: Skeleton Warriors, Bat Swarms
*** Rare: Black Coach, Dogs of War (if not in Lance Formation), Corpse Cart
*** '''Special Rules'''
**** +2 to Weapon Skill
**** Lords wear full plate armor (4+ armor save) for free, can cast spells wearing armor (as all vampires can, so ignore this), and generate one less power die from their Winds of Magic roll. As well, they cannot channel power dice.
**** The Blood Dragon with the highest Leadership in a unit must issue challenges and accept enemy challenges.
** '''Lahmians'''
*** Lords: Vampire Lady (Yes, your Vampire Lord can be the little girl...), Neferata from End Times: Undead (Can be put on a Coven Throne or even on foot)
*** Heroes: Vampire, Wight Kings, Tomb Banshee, Cairn Wraith, ''Swains'' (Heroes from any other Warhammer Book, with all of their magical items and equipment. If the Lahmian General, the object of their desire, is destroyed then the Swain gains ''Hatred'' for the rest of the game, even if normally ''Immune to Psychology.'')
*** Core: Skeleton Warriors, Bat Swarms, Dire Wolves
*** Special: Black Knights, Grave Guard, Spirit Hosts, Hexwraiths
*** Rare: Black Coach, Dogs of War, Coven Throne, Terrorgheist, Vargheist, Cairn Wraith
*** '''Special Rules'''
**** +2 to Initiative
**** All units/characters in base contact with a Lahmian Vampire get -1 to their Leadership
**** Cannot use mundane weapons and armor.
**** -1 to Weapon Skill
** '''Strigoi'''
*** Lords: Strigoi Ghoul King, Vampire Lord
*** Heroes: Vampire, Necromancers
*** Core: Ghouls, Bat Swarms, 0-1 ''Charnel Guard'' (Ghouls with WS4, S4, I4, LD7, 10 pts/model), 0-1 ''Strigany'' (Living servants of the Strigoi: M4, WS3, BS3, S3, T3, W1, I3, A1, Ld7, 5 pt/model, unit size 10+; equipped with two hand weapons, light armor (+1 pt/model), standard bearer (+10 pts), musician (+5 pts), and dommnu/sergeant with 1 extra attack (+10 pts))
*** Special: Crypt Horror, Skeleton warriors, Dire Wolves, Fell Bats, Spirit Host, Vargheist
*** Rare: Varghulf, Terrorgheist, Dogs of War
*** '''Special Rules'''
**** Vampire Lords have +1 attack, ''hatred'', and a +5 ward save.
**** Vampires have +1 attack, ''hatred'', and a +6 ward save.
**** Cannot use mundane weapons and armor.
**** Cannot use any magic items.
**** Cannot take any mounts except for Strigoi Ghoul King on Terrorgheist, which can be upgraded as normal.
**** Vampires cannot be given a battle standard.
** '''Necrarch'''
*** Lords: Vampire Lord, Master Necromancer
*** Heroes: Vampire, Wight Lords, Necromancers, Tomb Banshees, Cairn Wraith (''All heroes can ride <s>Winged Nightmares</s> Abyssal Terrors, which can be upgraded as normal'')
*** Core: Skeleton Warriors, Zombies, Dire Wolves, Fell Bats
*** Special: Black Knights, Grave Guard, Spirit Host, Hexwraiths, Corpse Cart, Cairn Wraith
*** Rare: Black Coach, Unridden Zombie Dragon, Terrorgheist, Mortis Engine, Vargheist
*** '''Special Rules'''
**** +1 to total rolled to cast a spell
**** Vampires have + 25 points to buy on magical items.
**** Can't choose mundane weapons and armor
**** -2 to weapon skill

==Gallery==
[[File:Old World Map With Borders.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The Old World's Political Divisions (Red: Bretonnia; Yellow: Estalia; Blue: Todbringer; Pink: Luitpold; Green: Nuln/Gelt; Orange: Surviving Imperial Counties; Purple: Von Carstein Vampires)]]

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]]