Legendary Units, part deux

Our campaign using the original Legendary Units rules is over now.   It quickly became apparent that the Survival chart was too popular, so in this version I've replaced it with a Leadership chart instead.  I left the terrain generator in even though it didn't see much use.

Adjust to taste - you may find that you prefer for it to take longer for units to earn upgrades, for Legendary Units not to start with one, or do away with Legendary Units altogether and just let all units start from the same point.  If you do end up using some form of it, let me know how it goes!

(adjusted rules follow) 

40K Campaign

Players will be split into different factions (Imperial, Chaos, etc) and play against other factions for control over the sector.  Each victory will get your faction closer to victory.  How many points each faction starts with and how many are needed for victory will be finalized when we finalize factions.

Unit advancement

*Units can earn Glory Points (GP) by doing well and performing great deeds.  With enough Glory they can earn upgrades.  Warlords, Independent Characters, unique units, Super Heavy Vehicles, Gargantuan Monstrous Creatures, units destined for destruction such as Spore Mines and Lone Wolves and other units determined by campaign/organizer are not eligible for Glory Points.  Other units including vehicles and Monstrous Creatures can earn them and will have several tables to choose from.

*Units must remain the same to continue to accumulate Glory Points.  Especially once units start to earn points it will help to name them to help make tracking easier.  You can leave a unit out of a battle to fit in something else if desired, just keep track of their points for when they return. (Example: my Whirlwind earns two Glory Points.  I name it “Chum Bucket”.  Next battle I leave it out of my list.  When “Chum Bucket” returns, with the same build, it can add to the two Glory Points it already earned.)

*You will need a way to accurately track your units’ Glory Points and upgrades.  An index card for each unit noting the name, build and any upgrades on one side and what it has earned points for on the other, or a notebook with a separate page for each unit are two options.  

Glory Points

+1GP Fully painted (earn once)

+1GP Destroyed 2+ enemy units and survived battle

+1GP Hold objective or the Relic at end of game (one unit only per army per battle)

+1GP Destroyed enemy Legendary Unit

-1GP Destroyed friendly unit (blast scatters, exploding vehicle, kill self with Gets Hot!, etc.)

+1GP Victory! If win game, +1GP to Legendary Unit if alive & was in battle.  If Legendary Unit is dead or was not in the game, assign point to a surviving unit.

Legendary Units

*This unit is among the most famous to emerge from the campaign, great heroes or villains, lauded by their allies and feared by their enemies.  Same restrictions for Glory Points – if a unit is not eligible for Glory Points it cannot be your Legendary Unit.  Your Legendary Unit must be from your Primary Detachment.

*Nominate an eligible unit.  A Legendary Unit must be painted and be clearly the unit represented – it would not do for the unit of heroes to be proxied bare plastic!  Unit must remain the same – if it starts out as ten marines with a meltagun and a sgt with plasma pistol and power fist, it has to be the same build to count as your Legendary Unit.  Different transport options are acceptable.  As with any unit earning Glory Points, it should be named, to help track points and to allow your opponents to curse it more accurately.

*A Legendary Unit starts with one upgrade.

*Legendary Units all have Objective Secured.  A Legendary Unit that would already have Objective Secured (such as a Troops unit in a Combined Arms Detachment) has Objective Really Secured, which trumps regular Objective Secured.

Glory Point Upgrade Tables

5 GP = one bonus

10GP = two bonuses

20GP = three bonuses

(Max three bonuses for non-Legendary Unit; Legendary Unit max four bonuses including starting bonus)

When a unit earns an upgrade, choose table and roll 1d6.  Note upgrade and track with unit.  If upgrade completely irrelevant (ie roll Fleet and already have Fleet) reroll on same table.  Each upgrade can only be earned once – reroll if necessary.

Vehicle Upgrades

Vehicle (General)

1 - +1 HP

2 - +1 Front AV (max 14).  If front AV already 14, apply to sides, if sides already 14, apply to rear.

3 – It Will Not Die

4 – 5+ Invulnerable Save

5 - -1 on Vehicle Damage Table

6 – Shielded – roll again: 1 – Adamantium Will  2 – ignores Armorbane  3- ignores Ordnance  4 - -3 on Haywire Table  5 – ignores Lance   6 – ignores Melta  (all “ignores” effects means ignores rule for extra penetration,  does not ignore attack altogether)

Vehicle (Walker)

1 - +1 A and Fear

2 – Fleet

3 – Rampage

4 – Overrun!  (Hit & Run)

5 – Move through Cover

6 – Precision Strikes

Vehicle (Gun Platform)

1 – One weapon becomes Twin-Linked

2 - +1 BS

3 – Interceptor

4 – Tank Hunter and Monster Hunter

5 – One weapon has Precision Shots

6 – Can choose to have Skyfire or not when it fires

Unit Upgrades

Unit (Mobility)

1 – Fleet

2 – Infiltrate

3 – Hit & Run

4 – Move through Cover or Skilled Rider

5 – Relentless

6 – Scout

 

Unit (Monstrous Creature)

1 - +1 SMASH attack

2 – Reroll missed SMASH attacks

3 – It Will Not Die

4 – Poison only affects on a 6 to wound

5 – Precision Strikes OR Precision Shots with one ranged attack

6 – Rampage

Unit (Leadership)

1 - +1 Ld (Max 10)

2 - Stubborn

3 – Reroll failed morale and pinning tests

4 – Roll extra d6 for Ld tests, discard one die of your choosing after rolling

5 – Adamantium Will

6 – Stealth

Unit (Melee)

1 – Assault Grenades

2 - +1 Strength

3 – Melee attacks gain Shred

4 - +1 A

5 – Hatred (everyone)

6 - +1 WS

 Unit (Shooting)

1 - +1 BS

2 – Ranged weapons cause Pinning

3 – Ranged weapons have Tank Hunter and Monster Hunter

4 – Reroll missed Snap Shots

5 – Ranged weapons +1 Strength

6 – Shots that roll 6 to wound/penetrate have Ignores Cover.

  

Warlord Advancement

*Warlords have their own advancement track. 

*Victory - +1pt. 

*Give up Slay the Warlord - -1pt.

At 5pts, get second Warlord Trait.  Roll up one trait, note as permanent.  (If already have fixed Warlord Trait, this does not change, you are stuck with your fixed trait)  Each battle you may roll for a second Warlord Trait as well.

At 10pts, get third Warlord Trait.  Roll up second trait, note as permanent.  Each battle you may roll for a third Warlord Trait as well.

At 20pts, you may select any trait you have access to to become permanent.  You will now have three fixed Warlord Traits.  You may not roll for more unless the mission specifically tells you to or an upgrade gives it to you.

Building armies

For the first month of games, armies will be built to 1500pts.

For the second month, 1750pts.

For the third month, 2000pts.

Armies should be “bound” armies.  Regular combined arms detachments, alternative detachments, allies, dataslates, lords of war, Forge World units and army lists are available.  Operate on the primary rule of “don’t be a jerk” – if bringing something very unusual or powerful such as a super heavy, be sure to give your opponent advance notice.  Bring any rules you intend to use for your opponent to look over as desired, and give explanations as needed.

Each game play someone from a different faction.  Try to play as many different players as is practical, and preference should be given to players who have yet to play each other.  Most games will likely be one-on-one, but team games with one faction vs. another are acceptable.

Missions

Use regular book missions or others the players agree on.

Optional Terrain Generator

1 – Natural features

2 – Battlezone

3 – City Fight

4-6 Standard/Mix

Natural Features – focus on woods, hills and other natural terrain types. 

On a further roll of a 1, the battle takes place on a death world and all terrain features count as Dangerous Terrain, host to all sorts of dangerous flora and fauna.

Battlezone – focus on trenches, fortifications, craters and the like. 

On a further roll of a 1, automated defenses and minefields are still active.  Any unit that has a model that moves over 6” in a single phase may trigger the defenses.  On a roll of a 1, models in the unit that moved over 6” must take Dangerous Terrain tests at the end of their move.

City Fight – focus on ruins and buildings, and lots of them. 

Any ruin hit by a blast or large blast of S8 or higher has its cover save reduced by one after the attack is resolved.  If reduced to worse than 6+, the ruin collapses.

Any unit in the ruin at the time it collapses takes a S6 AP- hit for every model in the affected unit, allocated by the controlling player.  Vehicles are hit on the rear armor.

After any damage is resolved, remove the ruin and mark the outline.  Replace surviving models in their approximate prior positions.  The former ruin is now scattered rubble with a towering column of smoke and dust.  The area is difficult terrain that completely blocks line of sight past 3” but provides no cover. 

Alternatively (or in addition) if players agree they can use extra rules/stratagems from rules like Cities of Death.

FAQ

Combat Squads – If a unit with upgrades splits, each part keeps any previously earned upgrades.  For purposes of earning new Glory Points in that battle, only track for the part of the squad that contained the sergeant.

Combined Squads – Imperial Guard Infantry Squads:

               * For the 2-5 Infantry Squads in an Infantry Platoon only one squad tracks for Glory Points and upgrades.

               *When combined, the entire “blob” benefits from any upgrades and actions from the entire blob count for Glory Points.

               *When separated, only the main squad benefits from upgrades and tracks for Glory Points.

Squadrons, 1-3 unit choices, etc. – Sometimes you can buy multiples of something in one slot, like multiple tanks, land speeders, etc.  If they function as one unit, having to stay in coherency, etc. then they are just that – one unit for purposes of Glory Points and upgrades.  If they operate independently they count as separate units. 

Independent Characters – Independent characters that are attached to a unit with an upgrade only get the upgrade if the rules specify.  Example – Fearless would confer to the IC, but +1 T would not.

               Actions solely by the IC will not count for the unit earning Glory.  Examples – character destroys unit with psychic power or in a challenge.

               Actions in concert with the unit will count.  Examples – unit shooting at enemy, character contributes to fire, or unit and character both participate in assault, OK to count.

               If in doubt, consider if character is acting on its own or as part of the unit.

Loadouts - some question on loadouts, especially for characters. To allow some flexibility, here's what we’ll do:

Special characters (Belial, etc.) with listed options can switch out options from battle to battle and still count as the same Warlord.

Other characters - can switch out upgrades between battles and still count as the same Warlord if still the same type - ie Captain still a Captain, Librarian still Librarian, not Captain one battle, Librarian the next. Intended for things like gear, don't go around changing marks of chaos or silly things like that - the gods would not be pleased.

Units - for any unit you're tracking Glory Points for, you can make changes and still count them as the same unit with the condition that you can only add, never take away. Example: have unit of Fire Dragons, later add Exarch with Firepike, that is new unit build, can not remove exarch and count as same unit anymore.


Upgrade tables – Q: If I am getting an upgrade for a Monstrous Creature, do I have to roll only on that table?  A: No, you can use other tables.  The Monstrous Creature and Walker table are just designed to specially benefit those types of units and the types of abilities they have that other normal vehicles or units don’t have.  So it’s perfectly fine for your dreadnought to roll on Vehicle (Gun Platform) or your Trygon to roll on Unit (Shooting) for example.


Transports - Clarification that came up regarding transports/objectives and Glory Points: I don't see anything in the rules nowadays about embarked units and scoring, so you would count the transport as controlling an objective, not the unit in it. So if you want the Objective Secured unit in the non-ObSec transport to hold the objective, needs to get out as far as I can tell. For our purposes, this also means that the transport, not embarked unit, could be in contention for the applicable bonus Glory Point.