For those that have always thought it would be cool to make up
their own rules to go along with the fluff they have crafted for their minis,
we say, “Why not? There has never been a better time than the Forge the
Narrative era we are currently in.” With that in mind, this post includes
one of our WiJ Homebrews. We make no claim of balance, but we’ve tried
this stuff out. They are in no way legal, but wargaming has always been
an agreement between two folks. Rather than RAW or RAI, go for RAC, Rules
as Cool.
Sacrifice
A metal
corridor, bathed in red light. The klaxon call is deafening.
Eliazar
was surrounded by daemons. The Implacable Will was falling through the
warp. A more fragile mind would be crushed by the hopelessness of the
situation, but Brother Librarian Eliazar was one of the Emperor’s own. His
steadfastness was renowned amongst his Grey Knight brethren. He had turned the
tide in more than one seemingly impossible situation and he drew confidence
from those experiences.
Eliazar’s
wielded his staff like a spear. Its crackling shaft didn’t so much stab into
the daemons blocking his path as it caused portions of them to dematerialize
and the daemons themselves to be unmade. He knew this was only a temporary fix.
His adversaries had the advantage of being in their element and that gave them
a near endless supply of reinforcements.
Time
was what he needed. The ship had been under attack for two days. Once the
Geller field begun to fail, the bloody red servants of the war god had poured
through the breaches. They initially reaped a horrendous tally on the human
crew. The Grey Knights had sustained losses of their own, but their psychic
powers and the familiarity with their adversary had allowed them some measure
of success.
The
running skirmishes in the ship’s corridors were now battles of attrition. The
inexhaustible flood of warp energy gave the Daemons the edge. Every tactical
simulation that the Brother Captains had executed showed the deck stacked
heavily against the Grey Knights. What they needed was something to change the
game itself.
The
senior Librarian aboard the ship believed he had found such a ritual. It was an
uncommon thing, to plumb the depths of certain grimoires, but desperate times
meant aid had to be looked for even from less desirable sources. The arcane
research had led to the discovery of a certain ritual that had once been used
for mass banishment. It was for this reason all Battle Brothers had been
recalled to the bridge.
Eliazar
had his misgivings. Such an unknown ritual had unknown effects. While the Grey
Knights had always been pure of heart, standing at death's door was no reason
to risk straying from the light of the Emperor. Even so, Eliazar fought his way
through the throngs of ill intent even now, knowing that he had a duty to obey.
++++++++++
A
mountain top is illuminated by lightning strikes. The thunderclap is deafening.
Eliazar
sat before a wizened old sage in a ragged, burlap frock. The man’s face was
lined heavily with years of strain and worry. He had a beard that ran the
length of his upper body, down to his crossed legs. Despite his apparent
frailty, the man projected an aura of confidence, and perhaps because of it, an
air of wisdom.
“Welcome,
my friend,” the old man said in a gravelly voice. “I had thought to see you
here sooner.”
“Where
am I? And who are you?” Eliazar’s voice was a challenge, strong in the thin
air.
“You
are with me and you know who I am.” The man unfolded his legs and stretched, as
if he had been sitting that way for an eternity. As he stood, he seemed to grow
immensely. What had appeared to be frailty was lean sinew. Eliazar had no doubt
that the old man had scaled many such mountains in his time. He opened his
mouth to ask another question. “To show you the way,” came the preemptive reply.
“You are unsure how best to face the conflict ahead.”
“With
the daemons? As ever I have. With a strong arm and a resolute mind.” Eliazar
spoke with conviction.
“That
much should be obvious. Brother, you are to be the fulcrum upon which all that
is to come will swing. Only that unswerving resolution you profess will carry
you through this task.” The old man crossed the space between them in one fluid
motion, laying his hand upon Eliazar’s forehead. “Now, go forth.”
++++++++++
An iron
throne room, bathed in the glow of warp space. The staccato of bolters is
deafening.
“Brother
Eliazar, we had thought you lost.” Eliazar came to his senses, surrounded by
his battle brothers. He was walking through the hatch that led to the command
deck. Behind him, a line of Purgators held the enemy at bay with a combination
of Psycannons and Incinerators. Before him, Brother-Captain Veridus clasped his
hand, then led him towards a circle of fellow Librarians. “When we lost contact
with you and your squad, we feared that you had been overrun. I believe you to
be the only survivor from the twelfth deck. We must get you to the conclave at
once.”
Eliazar
numbly took his place around the circle, still shaken by what he had just
experienced. He looked around, noting the holy sigils on the deck. All was
prepared for some kind of ritual. Chief Librarian Kantius was walking the lines
of the circle.
“We are
down to 68% of our battle group’s initial strength. We have lost power and are
adrift in the Warp. Our current vector may see us to our destination, but not
for quite some time. The daemons have overrun 75% of the decks and our
withdrawal to a defensible position means what little crew left are lost to us.
Here in the warp, there waves do not cease."
Kantius
passed Eliazar's place in the circle, pausing to acknowledge his presence.
He hesitated just a moment more as he caught his brothers' eyes as though
he had seen something, but then continued on.
"We
must find a way to seal the Geller field and purge those on the ship, or we too
will be lost. Captain Veridius and I have conferred and we have agreed that
performing this ritual as recorded by Lord Inquisitor Torres is our best
chance. We will purge the invaders, get our engines back on line, and resume
our mission to bring the Emperor’s Justice to the Dozier system and beyond.
There is only one task left. We need a volunteer to serve as the fulcrum of our
psychic powers.”
Each of
the other Librarians made the sign of the Aquila, indicating their willingness
to give of themselves. Eliazar removed his helm and stepped forward.
“I
believe I am meant to receive that honor.” The last word was said knowing what
it would cost.
Kantius
walked right to Eliazar. “Brother, I and the Emperor thank you for your
sacrifice. We believe we have a way to protect you.” He turned to the waiting
Techmarines and shouted, “Bring in The Anvil of Mortius!” The Techmarines
complied, firing up a suit of Dreadknight Armor that had stood silently nearby,
and walking it into the very center of the circle via remote. Eliazar walked
around the suit, admiring it. Getting to know it. It was obviously something of
a relic. The inscriptions were elegant. The sigils were exquisitely crafted.
The suit had obviously been through some historic battles, but in its current
state, it was ready for a new epic war.
As the
circle began to walk counter-clockwise and the chanting began, Eliazar and the
Techmarines went about the business of strapping him into the suit. As the last
buckle was cinched, the Techmarines fled the circle. The chanting grew louder
and the circle sped up. At the last, Kantius stood in front of Eliazar. “May
the Emperor protect you, Brother. Know that what you do allows us to succeed in
our mission. No matter what, we will prevail. Your sacrifice will not be in
vain.”
Eliazar
nodded. He closed his eyes, a prayer on his lips.
++++++++++
A
crystal cave, lit by the glow of each formation. The psychic hum from each
stalactite is deafening.
Eliazar
stood before a crystal plinth. A raven haired man stood atop it. His eyes, set
deep in his granite features, looked down at Eliazar. “Welcome, again, my son.
I am sorry we do not meet under better circumstances.”
“Am
I…dead? After all this time. After all the strife, the killing, the danger.
After everything. I didn’t expect the end to be like this.”
“The
road ahead will not be an easy one. But, having spoken to you, I know you will
not let me down. The fire inside you, the strength of your conviction, and the
belief that you cling to, let those be your guide. I will be here. I will be
watching you.”
“Wait,
what do you mean? The road ahead?”
++++++++++
A steel
chamber, filled with darkness. The silence is deafening.
Eliazar
was alone. There were many still forms around him that he could sense, but none
contained a spark of life. The emergency lights came up, illuminating an eerie
scene. Each marine in the ritual circle stood at attention, facing Eliazar. The
remaining battle brothers faced outwards, as if they had been in the middle of
something, but had suddenly forgotten where they were. There was no bolter
fire. There was no din of battle. Indeed, there did not seem to be a single
daemon anywhere in close proximity.
Eliazar
spoke out, breaking the silence. “Brother Veridius, it worked! We must get the
engines back online and ensure the Geller field is intact.” Veridius turned
without a word, and strode out of the command chamber. When no one else moved,
Eliazar thought to himself, “Is no one going with him?” A number of brothers
immediately followed after.
Realization
began to dawn on Eliazar. With a thought, he sent a squad to the navigational
controls. Another, saw three squads of Interceptors embark on a sweep of the
ship. Though it was unwieldy, he began to decipher faint thoughts containing
information from each of his former brothers. Little was left of what they once
were. All he had was his memories of who they had been.
Eliazar
whispered into the darkness. ”Your sacrifice will not be in vain.”
Ghost Knights
Dispatched to the Dozier system as support personnel to ensure the
delivery of the Exterminatus warheads, the strike force coded “Unyielding
Resolve” began to encounter difficulty as soon as they entered the warp.
A freak storm separated them from the ship they were escorting.
Then a malfunction on a portion of their cruiser’s Geller field caused a
temporary breach of the hull by daemonic forces.
The crew of mere humans perished quickly. While the Grey Knights
fought valiantly, the weight of their nemesis would see them overrun by
attrition. A possible answer was found in the ancient tomes of the ship
library, and the librarians resolved to attempt a ritual that had worked for
the Chapter in the past. The ship was successfully purged, but at great
cost. Almost all of the force was reduced to suits of armor, driven on by
their own will, and directed by that of the lone survivor.
Fielding a Ghost Knights Army
Grey Knight armies that are fielded as Ghost Knights have the following rules.
The Testament: A Ghost Knight army is chosen from Codex: Grey Knights with the
following restrictions. The army may not include any Inquisitors,
Henchmen, or Assassins, nor may they use special characters.
Binding Will: Grey Knights no longer have And They Shall Know No Fear and lose
access to Psybolt and –flame ammunition and additional grenades. Vehicles
lose the Psychic Pilot rule.
Grey Knights instead have the Daemon USR, while vehicles gain the
Daemonic Possession rule from Codex: Chaos Space Marines. When
called upon to take a morale check, they roll 2d6 as normal, suffering a number
of wounds equal to the result minus their leadership. Only Daemon saves
may be taken against these wounds. Then the unit functions normally.
Additionally, if the army’s warlord is killed, each unit must take a
morale check at the beginning of each turn.
In the Author’s Words: The Grey Knight fluff from their most
recent codex could have been described as over the top. In attempting to
‘switch up teams’ for our campaign, we thought, “Who better to switch sides
than the army written as ‘totes sooper pure’.” And how to do that? Leave
their will intact, but remove their discretion. Take them from basically
mindless bondsmen to literal automatons.
|
Brother Librarian Eliazar
|
HQ
|
300 Points
|
Eliazar is the last living member of Strike Force Unyielding
Resolve, sent to the Dozier system to destroy by Exterminatus. When the
conclave performed an ancient rite in an attempt to purge their ship after the
Geller Field, Eliazar was the nexus of the psychic energy involved in the
ritual. He did not suffer the same fate as his battle brothers, but
instead was forced to see them in their diminished state and direct them with
his mind.
Eliazar himself is confined to a suit of special Dreadknight
armor. The suit amplifies his psychic communions, ensuring he can ably
direct his brother. This makes him formidable, though he must also
protect himself, lest his brothers lose their drive. Now, Eliazar must
attempt to finish the initial mission laid out for his brothers. He knows
that Dozier is too tainted to be allowed to survive, for its heresy will
return. If he can accomplish this, maybe his brethren will finally find
rest.
|
Eliazar
|
WS
|
BS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
I
|
A
|
Ld
|
Sv
|
|
Brother Libriarian
|
5
|
5
|
6
|
6
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
10
|
2+
|
Unit Composition: 1 (Unique) Unit Type: Monstrous Creature, Character
Wargear: Dreadknight Armor, Nemesis Great Sword, Personal
Teleporter
Special Rules: Psyker (3), It Will Not Die, Hope of the
Brotherhood, And They Shall Know No Fear
Hope of the Brotherhood: Ghost Knights within 6” take morale checks on 3d6,
discarding the highest. If Eliazar is slain, morale checks taken by Ghost
Knights at the beginning of their turn are taken at 2d6+2.
|
Psychic Powers
|
Effect
|
|
Unyielding Resolve
|
WC: 1. Blessing. Target one Ghost Knight unit w/in
12”. Take one Daemon save for each slain model. For each model
that passes, restore a single wound model to the unit in base contact with
another model in the unit. All upgrades on these models are lost.
Hope of the Brotherhood extends by 6”. This power may be used
multiple times per turn, but never on the same unit.
|
|
Shield of Faith
|
WC: 1. Blessing. Targets Eliazar. Increases T
by d3 and makes Eliazar’s Armor Save invulnerable. This save may never
be re-rolled.
|
|
Nemesis Purge
|
WC: 1. Nova. All enemy units within 12” must take a
leadership check. For each point they fail by, they take one wound with
no armor or cover saves allowed.
|
In the Author’s Words: I actually cannot take credit for coming up with
Eliazar. The initial concept for a Dreadknight Librarian was something
another member of our club came up with, and though he left before he could
develop it further, I thought that was so cool, how could I not run with it?
On Strausheim, the Cult of the Dark Mechanicum clashed with the warriors of Fenris. Berserk automatons leapt from rooftop to rooftop to assault Space Wolf defensive positions. The Wolves counterattacked with fury worthy of their name, but the Mechanicum troopers were too resilient, and eventually established a foothold in the city. When the Space Wolves failed to root out the Mechanicum, help came from an unlooked for quarter. The Brotherhood of the Four Armed Emperor struck at the machine. Despite inflicting heavy losses, not even the massive numbers of the Brotherhood could dent the morale of the Mechanicum constructs.
Around the system, another strike force of Blood Angels fought the Ghost Knight abominations on the ramparts of the sky fortress. Ultramarines attempted to purge Chaos filth from the jungles of Lush. Blood Axe Orks deployed to Strausheim to help secure the capital city. The more righteous chapters of Space Marines did not approve of this. Some chose to leave the system, while others were deployed to other battlefields.
