IL VII - The Berserkers of Uran (thread 1)

[Raktra]

I've fancied 'making' my own Marines for ages now, and the Crusade army list has got a pretty solid framework for what I wanted, so I've had a quick go at making some Legion rules for them. The fluff'll follow later as I need to smooth it all out in my head before I vomit it out here. I'm also planning on their own limited psyker equivalents/disciplines, weaponry etc., and it'd be cool if people could push me in the right direction in terms of balance!

As a side note, I posted this in the Homegrown Rules forum awhile back but couldn't figure out how to delete the topic, so no-one kill me for cross-posting.

Without further ado:

Berserkers of Uran Legion ideas

 

Legion special rules

* Legiones Astartes

* Death Cures All Pain - Models with LA: BoU only. Close combat attacks ignore FNP.

* So Be It - Models with LA: BoU only. Immune to Fear.

* All non-vehicle models (if not already armed with one) must purchase an additional close combat weapon at +2pts per model

* No skimmers/jetbikes

* No Chaplain Consuls
 

New Consul type - Desolist (+40pts)

* Wargear - Power maul

* Special rules - Adamantium Will, Crusader

* May not take boarding/combat shield

 

Rite of War - Demons, We Are

* Break Them - +1 to wound in assault against any unit containing one or more models with a WS, S, or T value lower than the Legion unit's highest equivalent (use current value for both). [This is the main thing I'm shaky on, feels too strong to me]

* Hell Frozen Over - Models may re-roll rolls of "1" on Deny the Witch tests to resist witchfire, nova, vortex or malediction type powers

* Must take a second compulsory HQ choice, which must be a Desolist
* No model/unit may voluntarily fail a morale check, nor may they go to ground

* No Legion allies, no fortifications

Like I said, initial ideas, so I'm open to suggestions.

 

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[simison]

Neat. It's always good to see another attempt. Hope you don't mind, I'm running low on time so I can't do a full reply, but I do have a few questions. 

 

Why no skimmers/jetbikes? Other legions have certainly had unit restrictions, but this is more restricting than the other two I've seen. And why just these two? 

 

Why does 'So Be It' have immunity to Fear, but not outright Fearless? Granted, Fearless would probably be overboard, and...I guess that answers that question.

 

The additional close combat weapon needs to be refined. Otherwise, you can have players they can have an additional Thunder Hammer for just 2pts. 

 

The other questions are more fluff-based:

 

What role does this legion play? As it is, it looks like a different flavor of the World Eaters. 

 

Lastly, and most frivolously, is this the II or XI legion?

[Black Cohort]

With your legion rite of war, perhaps restrict it to only one stat, either WS or S?

 

why the lack of chaplains and the chaplain-like Desolist? Not saying it is wrong just perhaps some logic/ fluff behind why.

 

Do they still use Librarians? Because what you have leaves me with the impression that they are anti-psychic. But I may be jumping to conclusions.

 

Overall I agree with Simison that more background will be helpful in determining what your legion should have for rules.

[Raktra]

I'm gonna respond to these in order, just like granmammy woulda wanted.

Neat. It's always good to see another attempt. Hope you don't mind, I'm running low on time so I can't do a full reply, but I do have a few questions. 

 

Why no skimmers/jetbikes? Other legions have certainly had unit restrictions, but this is more restricting than the other two I've seen. And why just these two? 

 

Why does 'So Be It' have immunity to Fear, but not outright Fearless? Granted, Fearless would probably be overboard, and...I guess that answers that question.

 

The additional close combat weapon needs to be refined. Otherwise, you can have players they can have an additional Thunder Hammer for just 2pts. 

 

The other questions are more fluff-based:

 

What role does this legion play? As it is, it looks like a different flavor of the World Eaters. 

 

Lastly, and most frivolously, is this the II or XI legion?

1- It was a toss-up between the skimmers/bikes and jump packs, though I'm tempted to swing back to that. The background idea was that the world their Primarch comes from has a deep cultural fear of "angels", and so refuses to enter the sky the same way they do unless necessary.

2- With "So Be It" I thought that an individual being kind of scary wouldn't bother them, but they'd still have the sense to fall back to avoid getting killed. Again, goes more back to the background (God that needs posted).

3- CCW: gotcha, I'll change it to 'chainsword/combat blade like the Tactical Squads.

4- Legion role: I'm not entirely sure to be honest. In my mind I had them as mirthless brutes. You get the Wolves who go for the clean kill, Night Lords bleeding dry, Eaters ripping apart etc., these guys would be more along the lines of "stamp on your throat and let you choke it out". Bullies, basically. Really could be tidied up though.

5- XI! I have a vague idea for the II that loosely ties in with this.

 

With your legion rite of war, perhaps restrict it to only one stat, either WS or S?

why the lack of chaplains and the chaplain-like Desolist? Not saying it is wrong just perhaps some logic/ fluff behind why.

Do they still use Librarians? Because what you have leaves me with the impression that they are anti-psychic. But I may be jumping to conclusions.

Overall I agree with Simison that more background will be helpful in determining what your legion should have for rules.

1- RoW: maybe leaving it at just WS would be a decent idea. I pictured them seeing an opening and mercilessly pummelling an opponent there, like someone kicking away crutches.

2- Chaplains promote/enforce the Imperial Truth etc. etc., and we can't be having that now. I'm gonna write in that they were all killed off. That and I thought easy access to Zealot would be a tad mean combined with Break Them.

3- With the libbies, I'm going to mess with making a new set of psychic powers for them to represent their own weird rituals and the like. They're less anti-psychic, more indoctrinated into their own beliefs to a point where they've gotten a measure of resistance to enemy powers, kind of like SoB. Mind, as this develops I can see this being the thing that changes a lot.

Background's gonna go up soon, super-pinkie-puppy-promise.

[simison]

Alright. Looking forward to the fluff. The additional ccw is much better now. Also, I'm intrigued to hear that someone else has come up with a II-XI legion combo idea. I've had one in my mind, but that XI legion was very, very rough. 

[Raktra]

Okay, so rough Legion background:

 

Primarch: Raktra Akarro (and now you know where my name is from!)

Homeworld: Uran

Legion: XI

 

History: The gestation pod that housed the infant Primarch landed in the centre of a prison complex, obliterating a large portion of the structure with the impact of its landing and causing a mass breakout. As is typical of many large prisons, several dozen gangs had formed during their incarceration, one in particular calling themselves "The Children of Desolation". Basing their faith on the belief that the haunting creatures colloquially named 'angels' that prowled the skies of Uran, descending upon the native humans at random for unknown purposes, were the heralds of apocalypse and the end of all life, they alone searched for the reason why their confines had been destroyed. Coming across the infant Primarch emerging from his capsule and tearing dozens of unnameable tubes from his flesh, they swept him away with them as they found a hiding place to lay low. 

As time passed on, the young Raktra grew quickly, as all Primarchs did, and was soon strong enough to ram his fist completely through the body of the largest of creatures that opposed The Children and tear their hearts out in one swift motion. Witnessing his incredible development and terrifying strength, The Children began to herald him as their messiah, following his word and emulating his actions. Of course, being a child raised on the actions of psychotic death row criminals obsessed with their own impending doom, these actions became the stuff of underground nightmares before long. Eventually The Children began to impose their wills on the other gangs from the breakout, tracking them down and either threatening them into compliance or, more commonly, taking their loyalty by force. Raktra himself would challenge the ringleaders to personal combat, brutally crushing them and burning their bodies to ash to be used in The Children's tradition of marking one's flesh with the remains of their foes. By the time Raktra's outlaws were ready to take their first city, he had tattooed himself so heavily with the ashes of his victims that his flesh was permanently stained the grubby white of old snow.

[i'll add more to this later, but this is the basic "once upon a time" framework.]

[marine7312000]

I feel that the RoW should read that the Desolist is a compulsory HQ rather than an additional. This way, in smaller points games, the player isn't forced to tie up half their points in HQs. Other than that everything looks good.

[Raktra]

More fluff. I'm a slow-ass writer, so sorry this isn't yet complete, but hopefully it sounds decent enough so far.

Within the space of a few years, the vast majority of the planet was under the control of Raktra and his followers, and society showed it. The previously calm, if perpetually nervous, cities and settlements of Uran had become places of brutality and oppression, with anyone speaking out against the new regime silenced with a boot to the throat or a hammer to the temple. A sense of cold arrogance and perceived might spread throughout the populace, resulting in more and more people being stolen away by the Angels as they brazenly marched across previously avoided mesas and ignored warnings from spotters. Heeding the pleas of his closest advisors, Raktra gathered the most violent factions in The Children and made a declaration; they would draw them out and prove themselves to the Angels. For the first time in the history of their world, they would kill a flight of Angels, and in doing so send a message to the bastard creatures that had plagued them for so long that they would no longer roll over and accept their threat.

   The Uran horde journeyed far and wide, desolist priests chanting rituals of warding and performing blood rituals to lend their brothers strength, the rest sharpening blades, loading guns and roaring in anticipation. Raktra stood at their head, a great motorised chain-blade shackled to his right hand and a lash of heavy chain gripped in his left. On the third day, as the sun broke through the shroud of the night, a great wind picked up around the assembled humans followed by the deafening sound of thousands of wings beating against the sky.

   The world had become a spiral of blades, claws and gunfire before a normal man could even draw breath. The Angels lay about themselves with bird-like talons, rainbow-feathered wings and gobs of unnatural flame that simultaneously burned and froze those it struck. Some where able to resist where the desolists still stood, others finding themselves mysteriously invigorated by their wounds, but most fell screaming to the dirt as their corpses crystallised. The slowly-shrinking circle of killers pulled tighter and tighter against each other, slipping over the unbelievable mound of dead and bleeding underneath their boots, and as they confined themselves to what they believed was an inevitable death, salvation came.

[simison]

Neat. Quick question, are the Angels an indigenous species or a xenos species?

[Raktra]

I was trying to drop the hint that they were Tzeentch thingies with the crazy feathers and flames. Guess I didn't do as well as I'd hoped :(

[simison]

To be fair, I abhor chaos, so I'm not too familiar with the lore behind the four factions and could've just missed the telltale signs. 

[Tiberius Cato]

To be fair, I abhor chaos, so I'm not too familiar with the lore behind the four factions and could've just missed the telltale signs.

Ah, but it is your duty to the Emperor, beloved by all, to know thy enemy, brother. There must be penance for your shortcomings. :P

 

But on a more serious note, great stuff. I like the idea of a different kind of brutality amongst the... ravenous shall we say, of the Astartes legions. They don't draw out the death like the VIII and they don't mutilate, ravage, maim, burn, etc. like the XII. It's almost like you took the middle ground, the enjoy the kill but it's not as drawn out or not as brutally quick as the VIII or XII respectively.

[Russ Brother 92]

I really like it - they strike me as a mix between what we know of the techno-barbarians of Ursh and Danelore-era vikings/norsemen (but specifically the Danes) with the simple brutality, designed to send messages but not savagery - almost a simplified and yet highly civilised way of making war.

[Raktra]

This is some kind feedback! And thankfully, you guys seem to be getting what I was aiming for, which is good, means I'm on the right track. Let's see if I can ad-lib any more of this fluff while I'm here.

Bolter rounds and volkite charges ripped through the monsters, inhumanly precise aim preventing any friendly fire even with the ridiculous amount of dirt and motion that surely had to be obscuring the vision of the new arrivals. With the tides turned and the Angels repelled, The Children finally got a clear view of their saviours.

Hulking, sea-green armoured warriors stamped towards them, at their head a pair of giants dressed in black and gold. The Children stared in awe and dropped to their knees, all except for Raktra who approached them with a curious glint in his eyes. The black-clad man nodded curtly to him, whilst the man in gold spread his arms and came closer.

"My son," he said. "I have found you at last."

 

Insert generic learning of his origins, Emprah is Emprah, blah blah blah…

 

Raktra met the already existing members of his Legion, and found himself disgusted by them. Examining their history and battle records, he saw how merciful they were in their invasions and how readily they would take and make comfortable their prisoners. Worse, he saw the glowing admiration that his supposed "father" heaped upon these actions, and felt his stomach churn. If these were to be his men, there could be no pity, no innocence. Any semblance of forgiveness had to be stamped out, by any means necessary.

New recruits were brought in from his home world and the Legion took on a shape more to his liking. The greater numbers of former members of The Children began to fill the ranks, and the combination of their violent culture and newly-enhanced bodies brought out a fire that the Uran people were keen to let wild upon the universe. Raktra, meanwhile, was versed in the ways of the Imperial armies, and educated by his Primarch brothers. Being the charmless bastard that he was, he forged few connections with those he bore genes with, and even those bonds were strained. The closest he came to respect were Ferrus Manus of the Xth, and later Angron of the XIIth, appreciating the brutal honesty and direct nature of the two, but little else, and the grim creature that was Mortarion, the only one he would call "brother", though this was a rare occurrence. In Mortarion he found a similar set of core beliefs - that the universe was dark, life was bloody and everything died in the end. Of those he disliked, none were more hated than the lord of the IXth, the great Sanguinius. Though Raktra would never admit to it, seeing such a powerful and skilled fighter leading a force of so-called "angels" whilst appearing himself as an angel of some ancient Terran faith, clawed at him with the first feelings of fear he had ever known.




By the way, I apologise if I'm being rambly with these. I'm rattling them off quickly, and at stupid times at night when I really should be sleeping...

[simison]

If this is you just rambling, then I'd love to see what it's like when you focus. These batches of lore and fluff are well done and I enjoy reading them.

[Raktra]

If this is you just rambling, then I'd love to see what it's like when you focus. These batches of lore and fluff are well done and I enjoy reading them.

Well that's made a stressful day at uni wash away, cheers man Let's go for another quick part before I drop off tonight. I think I'm nearing the end... Dear God I hope I am.

 

By the time they were prepared to venture out into the galaxy on their own, the XIth Legion had transformed their colours from a gentle duck-egg blue to the greying black of burnt coal, their arms a grubby white to link themselves to their Primarch, and to better show the blood spatter from the beatings they dealt out. Raktra himself had his chain blade modified and improved by Legion artificers, naming it "the Grinder", and dressing for war in a loose-fitting suit of artificer armour that left his arms and head bare to maximise his range of motion when swinging his sword. His appearance matching his methods and his men finally suited to his needs, Raktra ordered his Legion's old name expunged from all records, to be replaced by their new title - the Berserkers of Uran.

 

The Crusade ground on and Raktra became more and more distant from his brothers who were less appreciative of his methods than others. While that had no direct effect on his ability to wage war, rumblings of dissent began in his own Legion. Fractures between the various chapters grew wide, morally separating the native Uran recruits and the "off-worlders". The Uran would trample over everything and everyone in their path, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves whereas the off-worlders would employ the typical Imperial tactic of rebuilding and re-educating the locals to assimilate them into the acceptable standards set down by the Emperor. Eventually the Legion barely resembled one coherent fighting force - if anything, it now operated as two demi-legions, and the gaze of the Emperor was drawn.

 

Hearing whispers and rumours and letting his own bitterness guide him, Raktra prepared his more 'loyal' men for the then-almost-unheard of act of marine-on-marine combat. He knew the Emperor would send the Space Wolves. The so-called "executioners" of the Astartes were his favourite choice to send as a reminder of his rule, though Raktra could never figure out why, given that each time it had been rumoured they had been sent out to curb the behaviours of other Primarchs they had returned with their tails between their legs and their task essentially failed. He recalled the famed "Night of the Wolf", told to him by Angron as they nursed their wounds after a drawn-out battle in the Conqueror's gladiatorial pits, and he recalled them laughing their broken laughs at the Wolves' ineptitude.

He gathered his men and marched out into the open as soon as long-ranged scanners detected a group of Astartes craft entering the atmosphere of Uran's moon, the location of their secondary outpost. What met the Berserkers on the ground was something they did not expect, and something that rattled them to the core - blood red Thunderhawks bearing sculpted white angel wings, and the ominous IX of the Blood Angels.

The angel led the host, Sanguinius walking in his beautifully graceful way towards his younger sibling. If his skin was naturally-coloured, Raktra would've turned sickly pale. Blood rushed through his ears as his twin hearts beat faster than he thought possible, drowning out the voice of Sanguinius as he tried to reason with him. Sanguinius reached out his hand to his brother to invite him in, Raktra stepped back, and in a moment of panic, uttered a command to his men.

"FIRE."

 

The battle was brutal. The Berserkers were far outmatched by the Blood Angels, even with the small element of surprise on their side. Raktra himself faired no better than his sons, throwing himself wildly at Sanguinius in a blind fear-induced rage, desperately trying to kill the man who embodied his only fear. Simply put, it didn't work. Raktra was ground into the dirt, the Grinder shattered along with his jaw and hand, and one eye carved out by a badly blocked sword strike. A foot on his spine kept him pinned down, and Sanguinius ordered his men to return to their ship before any more blood was shed by either side. Raktra scraped at the dirt and struggled to free himself, as the angel chastised him for his selfish and harmful ways. With one last breath of regret, Sanguinius followed the rest of the Blood Angels and left, and the Berserkers collected up their broken Primarch to be healed.

 

This humiliation broke the last vestiges of loyalty that lay in Raktra's soul. In secret, he gathered those chapters who bore more trust in the works of their Primarch than the works of the Emperor, and lay down his plan; together, they would emancipate themselves from the Imperium. They would take the current pool of recruits still on Uran, and then raze the cities to the ground. They would find the Chaplains that professed the Imperial Truth to them, and they would put a bullet in their mouths. They would reinstate the priests of The Children, and grant them the genetic gifts of the Space Marines. They would take all the ships they could, and sink the rest into the galactic void. And finally, they would catapult themselves across the universe, evading retribution as best they could until they could mount a proper defence when they were inevitably found. And if their off-worlder elements stood in their way at any point, they would break them like children beneath a landslide.

 

And so it went, and for the second time, the Emperor ordered the destruction of a Space Marine Legion from all records and memorials. The statue of their Primarch that once stood tall outside the entrance to the Imperial Palace was torn down, its empty plinth a grim reminder to the other Legions of the price of betrayal, echoing its II legion twin in disgrace. Many months of intensive psychic examination and soul-scrubbing performed by none other than Malcador himself assured the loyalty of the remaining Marines, and they found themselves placed into the hands of the Ultramarines, swelling their ranks to incredible numbers.

 

For the second time, the Emperor witnessed the hatred for him that could be born in his son's hearts. Had he saw the signs elsewhere, it could have also been the last.

 

And that's that. Do I need to add more, or is it fine and dandy for its purposes now? I wanna get back to some r00lz.

[simison]

Only one mistake. In the last paragraph, you say that the Berserkers are II legion instead of XI legion.

 

Now, the good. I love this piece you've written. I was surprised to find the Blood Angels acting as the intervention force, but it fit perfectly with the lore. I also like how Raktra never truly unites his legion and is almost faced with a civil war even before the Blood Angels show up. Very well done. You have enough fluff to establish the basic storyline, so it would be a good time to work on some rules.

[Raktra]

Woopsy! I'll just fix that there...

Yeah, I chose to write this with Sanguinius delivering the slapping because 1- the fear of angels made big S a good choice to really rattle Raktra, 2- I hate the Space Wolves so goddamn much, and 3- I love Blood Angels. I'll dabble with some crunch later and come back to this, glad you've enjoyed my mental exercise!

[Slips]

Well, if you ever need help with Crunch, I'll be around to give ya any help you might need, same as with Simison right now :P

[Raktra]

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/lluvioso/NewStuff/oh_you_guys.png

[Raktra]

Right, to re-kick this off I'm gonna refine the original Legion rules slightly, so heeeeeeeeeeeere we go!

 

Legion special rules

* Legiones Astartes

* Death Cures All Pain - Models with LA: BoU only. Close combat attacks ignore FNP.

* So Be It - Models with LA: BoU only. Immune to Fear.
* Angels Will Destroy the Skies - No model with the LA:BoU rule may have "jump" in their unit type. Note that this may preclude certain Rites of War blah blah.

* All non-vehicle models (if not already armed with one) must purchase an additional chainsword/combat blade at +2pts per model

* No Chaplain Consuls
 

New Consul type - Desolist (+40pts)

* Wargear - Power maul

* Special rules - Adamantium Will, Crusader

* May not take boarding/combat shield

 

Rite of War - Demons, We Are

* Break Them - +1 to wound in assault against any unit containing one or more models with a WS or S value lower than the Legion unit's highest equivalent (use current value for both).

* Hell Frozen Over - Models may re-roll rolls of "1" on Deny the Witch tests to resist witchfire, nova, vortex or beam type powers

* Must take a second compulsory HQ choice, which must be a Desolist
* No model/unit may voluntarily fail a morale check, nor may they go to ground

* No Legion allies, no fortifications

 

Unique wargear
* Hell's Teeth - any character may replace their combat blade/chainsword for a set of Hell's Teeth for +10pts per model. RNG: - S: User AP: 5 Two-handed, +1 attack, shred, Brutal Wounds

   Brutal Wounds: Unmodified to-wound rolls of a 6 are resolved at AP2
Hailing back to the prison gangs on Uran, Hell's Teeth were the nickname for the popular improvised weapons consisting two thick metal shanks at the same time, one in each fist. Old habits dying hard, after becoming Astartes the Berserkers improved upon their makeshift designs by setting them with proper handles and forging them from scraps of adamantium as opposed to old steel. Combined with their brutal fighting style, those who wielded these weapons became known for their unnerving skill at severing tendons and spinal cords, leaving the victims prone and useless as they bled out.


Okay, so some tweaks, and a start on the unique wargear. Rules-wise, changed the Legion restriction to no jump troops (felt more appropriate), fixed the wording on the combat weapon rule, removed the Malediction resistance from Hell Frozen Over, and dropped Break Them to just WS and S. I was going to have it as just one of those stats, but then I felt it might end up being totally useless against most Marine forces, which kind of kills it.

[Raktra]

Had a rough idea for a character. Not entirely sure if he'd be a Praetor or Centurion level character at the minute, but still.

General gist - imagine that tough, hard-as-hell-to-kill guy in most comic books. Like Marv in Sin City. I was going to supe that up by having him intentionally hack off his own leg with a power sword to get out the grip of [insert something big and nasty]'s hands and sucker punch it to death with a meltabomb. Was thinking a boosted T/W value or Feel No Pain (4+), and a rule where he would have Eternal Warrior against the first Instant Death wound he suffered only (a-la Death Korps), to represent him doing something nuts to avoid the worst of the blow. Thoughts?

[Black Cohort]

A higher toughness character would be interesting.

 

Also the rules and unique weapon you have so far seem decent.

[simison]

I like the rules so far. They fit the fluff and don't feel overpowered. 

[Raktra]

I'm gonna give a shot at detailing this tough nut's rules. I haven't a name for him yet, mind.

Captain Adamantium Balls - 180
WS:6    BS:4     S:4      T:5     W:3     I:4      A:3     LD:10     Sv:2+
 

Unit Composition

• 1 (Unique)

​Unit Type

• Infantry (Character)

Wargear

• Artificer Armour
• Iron Halo
• Hell's Teeth
• Frag grenades
• Meltabombs
• Combi-bolter
• Some-special-power-sword

​Special Rules

• LA: BoU
• Independent Character
• Master of the Legion
• "Only a flesh wound" (working title)
   

 

Some-special-power-sword: RNG: - S: +1 AP:3 Melee, (insert special rules)

Only a flesh wound: If this model suffers a wound that would cause him to suffer instant death, before removing as a casualty make a to-wound roll against himself using his own S (include the bonus for his fancy sword). If successful, the model loses only one wound, as though he were under the effect of the Eternal Warrior special rule. Make one roll for each ID wound.

Completely off the top of my head, no real refinement to it. I honestly based this idea off a side-character in an episode of Bones, so there wasn't much in the way of planning before now.