Welcome once again to another Friday edition of Ex instinctu Imperator.
One of the things I love most about 40k is the near infinite possibility, even with such a detailed back story. Part of that is that I really enjoy creating new characters for use in friendly games. I'd like to use some of them at tournaments, but that opens doors for everyone to create super powerful models that a TOs would have to keep track of... Not everyone is as restrained as me. Maybe if I created a special event...
Newho, that was not the point of today's post. I posted before about reworking my Space Marines. As part of that process I have been stripping a lot of miniatures over the last few days, including the dead Terminator Captain objective from Space Hulk. Immediately I wanted to use him as something more interesting than an Objective in my games of 40k (which Chapter would be careless enough to leave their Captain's mortal remains in the middle of a battlefield?) and my mind jumped to the idea of him being a relic, carried in to battle to inspire the battle-brothers. A motorised palanquin, some special guardian... Then I remembered my Space Hulk Librarian. Things started to fall in to place; a save against perils of the warp if the palanquin is close. Why would a librarian be afforded such a boon? Chief Librarian? Taken over as Chapter Master? Is that dead terminator the former Chapter Master?
I won't go through the whole process my mind went through, but you get the idea. Basically I went Models, Background, Rules. I know a lot of the custom Characters I have seen tend to be Rules, Model... well, if they get a background they're the lucky ones. More often than not, players don't even bother with making a converted model. In short they just wanted something more powerful than what is available in the Codex. I can understand using a regular model as a stand-in (I'm loathe to use the phrase 'Count as' with all the negative connotations that seem to be associated with it) to test out the rules and make sure they are reasonably balanced, but to see that Space Marine Sergeant with a pistol and a missing arm used again and again as Zanglord,Supreme Chapter Master of all Space Marines with three powerfists, artificer armour and a 3++ iron halo over and over again, well that just isn't right! (yes, that was quite an extreme exaggeration...)
I'm guessing by now you are getting bored of me waffling on? Understandable, so I'll stop there and present unto you; Brother-Regent Danias Olivarra.
One of the things I love most about 40k is the near infinite possibility, even with such a detailed back story. Part of that is that I really enjoy creating new characters for use in friendly games. I'd like to use some of them at tournaments, but that opens doors for everyone to create super powerful models that a TOs would have to keep track of... Not everyone is as restrained as me. Maybe if I created a special event...
Newho, that was not the point of today's post. I posted before about reworking my Space Marines. As part of that process I have been stripping a lot of miniatures over the last few days, including the dead Terminator Captain objective from Space Hulk. Immediately I wanted to use him as something more interesting than an Objective in my games of 40k (which Chapter would be careless enough to leave their Captain's mortal remains in the middle of a battlefield?) and my mind jumped to the idea of him being a relic, carried in to battle to inspire the battle-brothers. A motorised palanquin, some special guardian... Then I remembered my Space Hulk Librarian. Things started to fall in to place; a save against perils of the warp if the palanquin is close. Why would a librarian be afforded such a boon? Chief Librarian? Taken over as Chapter Master? Is that dead terminator the former Chapter Master?
I won't go through the whole process my mind went through, but you get the idea. Basically I went Models, Background, Rules. I know a lot of the custom Characters I have seen tend to be Rules, Model... well, if they get a background they're the lucky ones. More often than not, players don't even bother with making a converted model. In short they just wanted something more powerful than what is available in the Codex. I can understand using a regular model as a stand-in (I'm loathe to use the phrase 'Count as' with all the negative connotations that seem to be associated with it) to test out the rules and make sure they are reasonably balanced, but to see that Space Marine Sergeant with a pistol and a missing arm used again and again as Zanglord,Supreme Chapter Master of all Space Marines with three powerfists, artificer armour and a 3++ iron halo over and over again, well that just isn't right! (yes, that was quite an extreme exaggeration...)
I'm guessing by now you are getting bored of me waffling on? Understandable, so I'll stop there and present unto you; Brother-Regent Danias Olivarra.
As Chief Librarian,
Danias Olivarra was well respected by the Space Marines of the Brotherhood of
Fire. A peerless Psyker within the Librarius of the Chapter, he served with
distinction for over three centuries, often at the side of Chapter Master
Mareak. Unlike many of his calling, Olivarra was even liked my many of his
brothers despite his gifts and was particularly close to the Chapter Master,
often attributed to the fact that they both descended from the same noble family
on Sallii before their elevation to the super-humanity of the Adeptus Astartes.
However, fate would see this kinship shattered with Mareak's death; Olivarra
cradling his antecedent as he exhaled his last breath.
Fighting against the
daemonic hordes during the Blood Star campaign, Master Mareak took the blow
from a Daemon Prince to save a fleeing Imperial dignitary. Seeing the Chapter
Master laid low sent Olivarra into a frenzy, landing hit after hit against the
servant of Chaos with the Sebastus Shard. The potent force weapon banished the
Daemon to the warp, but it was too late to save his forefather's life. Calling
upon Mareak's Honour Guard to form a defensive circle, Olivarra prepared to
send the Chapter Master's soul to the Emperor's side. Mareak's might Powerfist
rested on the Librarian's cobalt shoulder guard, stark against the deep red of
the Chapter's colours, and said two words with the last of his will power;
"Lead them."
Without pause,
Olivarra took the mantle of command, driving his forces in a revenge fuelled
frenzy. Their unmatched acts of bravery were a significant factor in driving
back and eventually subduing the Chaos invasion. Convening the surviving
Captains at the Brotherhood's Fortress-Monastery, Olivarra rescinded his field
promotion in order to elect a new Chapter Master. Unanimously, the offer was
denied, instead placing upon him the title of Brother-Regent, Chapter Master in
all but name until such a time as a replacement was made absolutely necessary,
as per Mareak's final order.
XXX Points
WS
|
BS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
I
|
A
|
Ld
|
Sv
|
|
Brother-Regent Olivarra
|
6
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
5
|
3
|
10
|
2+
|
Unit Composition
- 1 (Unique)
Unit Type
- Infantry (Character)
Wargear
- Terminator Armour
- Storm Bolter
- Psychic Hood
- The Inwit Buckler
- The Sebastus Shard
- Palanquin of the Martyred
Special Rules
- And They Shall Know No Fear
- Combat Tactics
- Independent Character
- Orbital Bombardment
- Psyker (Mastery Level 2)
The Inwit Buckler
This small shield, a relic of the world Rogal Dorn was
raised on, is imbued with an energy field generator, yet sacrifice none of the
wielder's combat effectiveness. The Inwit Buckler was bestowed upon Olivarra upon his ascension to Brother-Regent; The Iron Halo normally reserved for the rank of Chapter Master would have interfered with his Psychic Hood, and the artificers of the Brotherhood of Fire were loathe to allow him into battle without it's protection.
The Inwit Buckler grants Olivarra a 4+ invulnerable save and counts as a close combat weapon.
The Inwit Buckler grants Olivarra a 4+ invulnerable save and counts as a close combat weapon.
The Sebastus Shard
Forged from a psycho-conductive alloy containing a chipped
fragment of the Sword of Sebastus, this legendary force weapon allows its
bearer to adjust their combat style to best defeat the enemies of the Emperor.
The Sebastus Shard counts as either a Force Sword, Force Axe
or Force stave. The player may choose which at the start of each assault phase,
but cannot use the same type as was used in the previous assault phase.
Palanquin of the
Martyred
Carrying the mortal remains of Chapter Master Mareak, the
Palanquin reminds the Brotherhood of Olivarra's position as Chapter Master
Regent. Far from casting doubt upon his ability to lead the Chapter, as many
on-lookers would assume, the Palanquin stands as a symbol of Mareak's final
order, given with the last breathe of his life.
The Palanquin of the Martyred counts as Infantry and has the
following profile;
WS
|
BS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
I
|
A
|
Ld
|
Sv
|
|
Palanquin of the Martyred
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
2+/4++
|
Special Rules
- And They Shall Know No Fear
- Combat Tactics
- Independent Character
- Symbol of Duty
Although the Palanquin is an Independent Character, it must
remain in the same unit as Olivarra at all times, forming a unit of two
characters if not attached to another unit.
Symbol of Duty
At the end of any phase in which the Palanquin is removed as
a casualty, Olivarra (and any unit he is attached to) MUST Fall back as if they
had failed a Morale Test, even if they would normally automatically pass such tests. Despite And
They Shall Know No Fear, Olivarra and his unit cannot regroup until they
pass a Leadership test at -1 to their Leadership. However, so long as Olivarra
is within 2" of the Palanquin, he receives a 5+ save against the effects
of Perils of the Warp.
So that is Brother-Regent Olivarra. I am still trying to work out what his points costs should be, especially considering he must be accompanied by a T5, 2W model with a 2+/4++ save. He is certainly quite powerful as Librarians go, but is certainly no worse than Tigurius, Mephiston or Njal Stormcaller, and on a par with most of the Special Character Chapter Masters. By that, I'd expect him to be around 240 or 250 points. The hardest part is trying to judge the value of the Sebastus Shard. Having the flexibility of all three force weapons is a huge bonus, but not being able to use the one you want half the time diminishes just how useful it is. Not knowing which Psychic Powers he will get also makes him tricky to cost. They could buff him as a combat monster, they could turn him in to a force multiplier you want to keep out of combat, they could make him a pretty impressive shooty unit, especially attached to a unit of devastators. Remember, Space Marine Librarians have access to all the Psychic Disciplines apart from Divination. For fluff purposes, I'd probably take him with a couple of Pyromancy powers (because why wouldn't the Brotherhood of Fire go for psyker-fire?) On top of all of that, The Palanquin is always going to be a blessing and a curse. Yes, protection from Perils of the Warp is incredible and rare, but that chance it will make your Warlord run off the table... makes him quite a risky choice as a character.
Let me know what you think. I'll be working on the models for Olivarra and the Palanquin over the next few days, so hopefully I will get some models up soon. Do you write your own characters as well? What kind of experiences have you had with them?
Matt
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