05 February 2013

Savage 40K - Part Three

I've been working more on my Savage 40K conversion - this time I've got most of the Chapter Edges. I'll admit, I'm stuck on a few of them. I don't know enough about the White Scars to come up with an Edge that really fits them yet, and I'm having some trouble thinking of ways to differentiate some new ones from the Edges I've already created. In any case, here's what I've got so far. Keep in mind, these are works-in-progress, and they'll probably be changed quite a bit before being finalized.

Once I finish up the other big sections (gear, skills, enemies), I plan on running a play-by-post game on RPG.net to begin playtesting these rules. When that game gets going, I'll post links and my thoughts on the game here.

Some Notes

I've got the basic gear list created, so it's just a matter of creating or altering stats for them. It shouldn't take long, so the gear should hopefully be in my next post.

I'm also working on the skill list. I've removed a few skills and added Command and Inspire. The full write ups for those skills, along with the changes I've made to other skills, should also be in my next post.


Chapter Edges


Chapter Edges are special edges that designate a Space Marine's Chapter. While these Edges give specific Chapter benefits, they have a hindrance as well. This is to show the faults and natures inherent in the Chapter. A Space Marine may only ever have a single Chapter Edge, and once chosen, that Edge is permanent.

Black Templars
Black Templars are descendents of the Imperial Fists, split off into their own Chapter during the Second Founding. Their stern, implacable nature is matched by their undying zeal in their pursuit of the Emperor's enemies. They abhor witchery, and as such do not employ psykers. They also do not use Devastator squads, preferring to keep heavy weapons mixed in with their Tactical squads.
Restrictions: Black Templars cannot choose the Librarian (Arcane Background) or Devastator Marine Specialty Edges.
Effects: The Black Templars receive a +1 on their Spirit roll to resist being Shaken in combat if, in that combat round, they killed an enemy.
Hindrance: A Black Templar must pass a Spirit test in order to keep from killing enemy psykers in battle. While this may not always be against the Kill-Team's goals, it should prove a problem if the objective is to capture the psyker alive.

Blood Angels
The Sons of Sanguinius, the Blood Angels are among the most noble of the Space Marines. Their crimson armor is highly decorated, and their war gear is of the highest quality of artifice in the Imperium. They excel at close-range combat, using jump packs and drop pods to strike at their enemies' weakest points. Their ferocity in close-combat is matched perhaps only by the Space Wolves, though a Blood Angle would never admit it. The death of their primarch is still felt by the Blood Angels 10,000 years later, as it manifests in the Black Rage and Red Thirst, though such afflictions are known only to the Chapter and its successors.
Effects: All Blood Angels are proficient in the art of melee combat; as such, all Blood Angels are issued a chainsword as standard-issue gear.
Hindrance: If an enemy combatant surrenders, if a Blood Angel has been wounded, he must pass a Spirit test to keep from slaughtering the enemy rather than accepting the surrender.

Imperial Fists
The Imperial Fists were, during the time of the Horus Heresy, the Emperor's Praetorians. Masters of siege warfare, the Fists fortified the Imperial Palace during the Battle of Terra, standing alongside the other loyal Legions to defeat the forces of Chaos. Based on the battle fortress Phalanx, the Imperial Fists are some of the Emperor's most loyal and steadfast Space Marines.
Effects: Imperial Fists gain a +2 to Notice tests to find suitable cover and defensible positions to use during combat. This bonus also applies to Notice tests in discerning possible ambush locations.
Hindrance:

Space Wolves
The Sons of Russ, or Space Wolves, are one of the Emperor's most devoted and loyal Chapters. The Space Wolves live for the thrill of battle, drawing on their wolfish nature to excel in hand-to-hand combat. They live every day to its fullest, spending the nights before battle in joyous celebration, knowing that the next day may take them to their death in the service of the Emperor.
Effects: The Space Wolves have keen senses, giving them a +2 on Notice tests when they forgo their power armor helmets.
Hindrance: When ordered to retreat from combat, a Space Wolf must pass a Spirit test in order to do so, given their enthusiasm and urge to endlessly pursue their foes.

Raven Guard
The Raven Guard were one of the three Legions devastated on Istvaan V when Horus's forces betrayed the Imperium. Their Primarch, Corvus Corax, advocated stealth, patience, and violence from the shadows, contrary to many Legions' straightforward warfare styles. To this day, the Raven Guard adhere to their Primarch's strategies and rely on stealth to bring death to their enemies.
Effects: Raven Guard receive a +2 to Stealth tests.
Hindrance: Due to their headstrong and independent nature, Raven Guard must pass a Spirit test in order to benefit from a squad leader's use of the Command skill if the squad leader is of a different Chapter.

Iron Hands
The Iron Hands were one of the original Legions before the Second Founding after the Horus Heresy. Dedicated to their Primarch, Ferrus Manus, the Iron Hands believe that even Astartes flesh is weak. Closer to the Adeptus Mechanicus than any other Chapter, they believe in the strength of machines and seek to improve themselves by replacing their weak flesh with bionic enhancements.
Effects: All Iron Hands may raise the Repair skill to d10, rather than d6, regardless of specialty, to reflect their affinity for machines.
Hindrance: The Iron Hands' gruff nature and taciturn demeanor means that they receive a -1 penalty to Charisma when dealing with anyone who is not bionically enhanced in some form.

Salamanders
The Salamanders, or Fire-Born, are a pragmatic and noble Chapter. More than most Space Marines, they concern themselves with the well-being of mortals, going so far as to live among them when they are not actively pursuing the enemies of mankind. Despite their cordial relationships with mortals, the Salamanders are also one of the most pragmatic Chapters, willing to take dire action to attain victory.
Effects: Salamanders gain a +2 to opposed Tests of Wills due to their implacable and stubborn nature.
Hindrance: Once a Salamander has decided on a course of action, he will not reconsider or change his mind unless he passes a Spirit test.

Ultramarines
Often called the Emperor's Finest, the Ultramarines are among the mightiest of the Imperium's heroes. They follow the Codex Astartes, penned by their primarch, Roboute Guilliman, using its tenets to guide their lives and the way they wage war. The majority of the successor Chapters use the gene-seed of the Ultramarines due to its purity and genetic stability.
Effects: Ultramarines gain a +2 to either Inspire or Command tests, as they are guided to be leaders and exemplars of what a Space Marine should be.
Hindrance: Ultramarines are unable to receive the benefits of a squad leader's use of Command or Inspire if the squad leader is not of the Ultramarines or an Ultramarine successor Chapter. This can be overcome with a Spirit test.

Dark Angels
The Dark Angels are highly-secretive Space Marines, based on the Rock, a warp-capable star fortress built upon a piece of their shattered home world of Caliban. During the Horus Heresy, the Dark Angels Legion split in two, some siding with Horus, the rest with their primarch, Lion El'Jonson. Though the loyalists proved victorious, the primarch was lost and the traitors were scattered across the stars. To this day, the Dark Angels and their successors hunt the traitors, known as the Fallen, to bring them to justice in the name of the Emperor and the Lion.
Effects:
Hindrance: A Dark Angel who learns of the existence of one of the Fallen in the course of a mission must pass a Spirit test in order to keep from abandoning his Kill-Team to pursue the traitor.


Remaining Chapters

Carcharodons
Flesh Tearers
Soul Drinkers
Crimson Fists
White Scars

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