Dlatrex
05-15-2012, 07:44 AM
In the past I have been struck by reading through the fluff unit entries of my armies (Crons/Nids) and coming across references to what *seem* like they could have been rules. There are mentions of how a unit functions or operates which has no active support for it within the game, but probably could be represented easily even with existing rules.
Two examples:
From the Tyranid Tyrannofex entry:
"Given its massive bulk, the Tyrannofex is a ponderous beast and is prone to being overwhelmed if engaging in protracted melee [...] Should the Tyrannofex find itself under threat, it emits a stress pheromone. This attracts other Tyranid bioforms, ensuring that the Tyrannofex will not have to combat a foe in close quarters without the aid of creatures..."
Pheromone trail anyone?
From Necron Doom Scythe entry:
"Doom Scythes are often deployed to sap the resolve of the enemy before the battle proper begins, for its presence induces an almost irrational terror in living creatures. The Doom Scythe's primary propulsion system is a [...] dimensional repulsor drive [...] the whine of the drive is piercing and discomforting. On a Doom Scythe, the scale and aplitude of the sound [...] resonates deep within the primitive cor of living brains playing havoc with memory, perception and sanity. Victims collapse into catatonia, slump into slack-jawed vacuity and suffer hallucinations of their dead comrades returned to worm eaten life. Little wonder is it then that entire armies of battle-tested veterans have been known to throw down their weapons and flee as the doom Scythe's onset, or else gouge out their own eyes.."
That sounds like a leadership test (at a penalty?) if I've ever heard one.
Whether the fluff and rule writers didn't coordinate, or one indulged in hyperbole, or these were rules which were dropped out for balance reasons, I cannot say. However for a friendly game, or campaign it might be fun to incorporate these elements of fluff.
Questions:
What other 'missing' rules lurk in the codexes (codices)?
Do these rules confer an unfair advantage to the unit they come from? I personally don't see any room for abuse with the Tyrannofex (it might make people take them in the army), although the Doom Scythe could be potentially over powered.
The floor is yours.
Two examples:
From the Tyranid Tyrannofex entry:
"Given its massive bulk, the Tyrannofex is a ponderous beast and is prone to being overwhelmed if engaging in protracted melee [...] Should the Tyrannofex find itself under threat, it emits a stress pheromone. This attracts other Tyranid bioforms, ensuring that the Tyrannofex will not have to combat a foe in close quarters without the aid of creatures..."
Pheromone trail anyone?
From Necron Doom Scythe entry:
"Doom Scythes are often deployed to sap the resolve of the enemy before the battle proper begins, for its presence induces an almost irrational terror in living creatures. The Doom Scythe's primary propulsion system is a [...] dimensional repulsor drive [...] the whine of the drive is piercing and discomforting. On a Doom Scythe, the scale and aplitude of the sound [...] resonates deep within the primitive cor of living brains playing havoc with memory, perception and sanity. Victims collapse into catatonia, slump into slack-jawed vacuity and suffer hallucinations of their dead comrades returned to worm eaten life. Little wonder is it then that entire armies of battle-tested veterans have been known to throw down their weapons and flee as the doom Scythe's onset, or else gouge out their own eyes.."
That sounds like a leadership test (at a penalty?) if I've ever heard one.
Whether the fluff and rule writers didn't coordinate, or one indulged in hyperbole, or these were rules which were dropped out for balance reasons, I cannot say. However for a friendly game, or campaign it might be fun to incorporate these elements of fluff.
Questions:
What other 'missing' rules lurk in the codexes (codices)?
Do these rules confer an unfair advantage to the unit they come from? I personally don't see any room for abuse with the Tyrannofex (it might make people take them in the army), although the Doom Scythe could be potentially over powered.
The floor is yours.