wriggz's Customs: Battle Ball - 2024-03-28

[wriggz]

Vydar Unique Squads
A little different this week, 2 Unique Squads for Vydar.

Bio: With the ever expanding War on Marr the Primidons yearned for a land they could call their own and find peace. Knowing that as long the Marro plagued their world they would be forced into conflict, a small band looked to the heavens for their answer. An expedition was planned for a nearby moon, a last hope for peace. Supplies were loaded, the crew was trained and observances were made. All the while the Arch Kyrie Vydar watched the ill-fated flight. He mused that These Primadon’s would be valuable pawns in his game and would be well worth of hiding his alliance with Utgar to recruit. More and more Vydar found his master plan coming together, with the addition of the Gorrillanauts.

Designer notes: When designing Unique Squads there has to be a reason they are unique. Marro warriors have their cloning and the Krav have incredible survivability. For the Gorillanauts I created a flying ranged squad that can effectively hide from ranged attacks. They also have incredible attack output from high ground and very good survivability with 4 defense, having advanced battle suits, and Being Large. Couple these guys with Viking or Varkaanan Sprits and they can be deadly.


Bio: He was a high ranking official in the Twilight Clan. Countless has lost their lives either by his hand or by his order. These injustices could not go un punished, and the Kabuki would see it fulfilled. They would utilize their cunning, their skill, and their beauty to infiltrate the Rising Moon Celebration and strike their target. All was going to plan until it seemed a rival Clan had beaten them to their revenge a bomb was planted that would destroy the whole building. Yet, Vydar had acted even faster Summoning the female warriors to assist him in furthering his own goals in Valhalla.

Basically a riff on the Ninjas of the North Wind, the Kabuki Assassins have a few slight modifications. For the same price they have 1 less attack die but have a targeted double attack on a single figure. They have a 10% less chance of shrugging off wounds from normal attacks and the chance to wound an adjacent figure, which could work for or against a player, I think they are fairly equally weighted. I like how the lower attack makes them vulnerable to counter attack from samurai.


Next Week... Icarian Heroes

[wriggz]

Icarian

Bio: A golden Dragon has been spotted in the western region of the Hcul Mountains. Immediately the high Priest issues the order for regiments to seek out the foul creature and dispatch it in the name of Nhah Scirh. Only through the blood of Dragon kind can they be purified. Lead by the Cleric Arachnu and Priestess Scairpa the band of Dragon Hunters embark on their hallowed task. Each Cultist knows the danger and has already sworn their lives away to the hunt. None are more committed than the warrior Tarantor, who seeks out Dragons with a reckless fervor. At the foot of the mountain upon which the Dragon makes its layer, the band stands at the ready. But this is no common Dragon. Long sought, he is a cunning and wizen elder dragon. A mighty and terrible laugh rings out as the mountain comes down. This dragon will live to fight another day, and Valkrill has new warriors to fight in his war.

Designer notes: Before the Nhah Scirh Cultists ever came out I had a small collection of the Confrontation Scorpions that I wanted to use for my own customs. I put my own common squad designs on the back burner, and created 3 heroes to go with the Cultists. I wanted them to really have the flavor of Dragon Hunters without compromising their ability to fight other armies. I think each hero brings something unique and interesting to the army and can mostly stand on their own.

With Arachnu I wanted to have a control figure, and created a Slave master. He has a neat little dragon on his staff which I imagine is a spirt that takes over a dragon. His enslave has a 5% chance of backfiring and a 10% chance of success so it hardly breaks the figure. He doesn’t really add much to a wyrmling or Dragon build on his own but adds synergy with the Cultists, with Leadership. Definitely has some interesting uses, but for the most part a niche figure.


While Scairpa isn’t a direct threat to dragons her Deathscythe can really cut into them if she is able to build up a couple of Soul Drain Markers. With a ranged attack she is able to take out weaker units in order to take out the bigger heroes, which makes her well suited to take on Hivelord or Lizard King builds. The self-healing keeps her in the game assuming there are lots of possible targets for her attack. A fun complex figure for sure.


On the opposite side is Tarantor who is simple as they come. I had previously updated Sir Denrick’s Giant Killer to include a boost against large figures, and I copied it over here. The additional of Iron Tough makes Tarantor a threat to special attackers. With Arachnu he becomes devastatingly fast. Really it is about pointing him at a big hero and sending him off like a missile to do as much damage as possible.


Next Week: Aquilla’s Mysterious Allies.

[TheAverageFan]

Arachnu: Combination of Dragon Bonding and the movement buff for all Icarians makes him worth the points, and he definitely counters any Dragon Army with that 15% chance mindshackle. That's just how niche figures are, I suppose. Thematically I do find it a touch odd that any Valkrill Icarians would have synergy with dragons.

Scairpa: Her special attack is pretty useless and not worth the soul markers for anything except Large/Huge Figures. Otherwise she's not half bad picking off squaddies and healing herself + friends with the souls--could be worth the points even without big guys to fight.

Tarantor: Simple combination of 2 existing powers. Despite that, he's probably my favorite of the three.

~TAF, who particularly likes these guys' Arachnid-ish sounding names

[wriggz]

Originally Posted by TheAverageFan

Arachnu: Combination of Dragon Bonding and the movement buff for all Icarians makes him worth the points, and he definitely counters any Dragon Army with that 15% chance mindshackle. That's just how niche figures are, I suppose. Thematically I do find it a touch odd that any Valkrill Icarians would have synergy with dragons.

Scairpa: Her special attack is pretty useless and not worth the soul markers for anything except Large/Huge Figures. Otherwise she's not half bad picking off squaddies and healing herself + friends with the souls--could be worth the points even without big guys to fight.

Tarantor: Simple combination of 2 existing powers. Despite that, he's probably my favorite of the three.

~TAF, who particularly likes these guys' Arachnid-ish sounding names

Thanks for the Feedback, I agree Tarantor is both the simplest and perhaps best figure in the lot, I think he really captures the cultist feel. I'm happy you caught the Name trend, It is rare that my figure's names don't have some significance.

[wriggz]

Siofra

Bio: Something other than giant insects and Aquilla’s Moon Tribe stir in the Jungles of Valhalla. Secretive and elusive a small band of mysterious figures have been rumored to be hunting Utgar’s encroaching forces. Some reports claim they are 20’ tall, others claim they have a dozen arms with knives for hands. One elf claimed they had no mouths but he could hear them speaking to him nonetheless. An old dwarf claims they strike with lighting speed and ferocity unlike he had ever seen. All the stories of their colour have been contradictory, with some claiming they are blue, grey, green or even purple, as if their very skin changed with their surroundings. They are the Siofra of the Jungle, and they now fight for Aquilla.

Designer notes: I came across these figures while looking over the old Mage Knight figures and knew I needed to create a mini faction for Aquilla. They reminded me of old stories of fey folk in Ireland, so I decided to call them Changelings in Irish, or Siofra. I gave them all a slight edge to ranged attacks with Camouflage 1 to tie in with the Changeling title (I also like how they blend in on Aquilla cards). I placed them with Aquilla because they matched her tribalism more than the naturalism of Ullar.

The Siofra Blade is the meat of the Siofra faction. I adopted Josie Whistlestop’s Quick Shot into Quick Strike on the melee heroes. They are a little pricy on their own, but the 4 defense dice from range, and 4 life can let them stay around long enough to use the quick strike and 6 move is pretty fast. They also have a few immunities that come from being Large Heroes.


The Siofra leader Laidir gets his name from the word “Strong” in Gaelic. His shield does a great job keeping everyone alive and really boosts up the Siofra Blades. With 4 standard defense and 1 for camouflage, he is basically rolling the equivalent of 10 defense dice from range, making him quite the tank. Boosted with Raelin and he can be nigh unstoppable, with an incredible attack output of 12 potential dice. However without range he can still fall to commons and other dangerous heroes.


The last member of the Siofra is Draoi which is Irish for wizard. His speed boost alone makes him worth including with other Siofra. Draoi still benefits from the Shield of Carw and adds a much needed ranged attack further solidifying his role in a Siofra build. His Psychic Influence is my take on squad mind control and adds a very interesting aspect to the game. Rolling 17 or higher is just outside the realm of likely, so it is a bit of gamble, but it can really pay off. I’m sure his mind control leaves a lot of corner cases but for home games that is fine.


Next Week... More Valkrill

[IshMEL]

Great looking cards! Do you have the names of the miniatures?

[Lazy Orang]

I love the figures - the Siofra are cool! However, in your description you say Draoi has a ranged attack when he hasn't on the card, and the Siofra Blade Warrior seems intended to be an Uncommon but is listed as Unique.

[wriggz]

Originally Posted by Lazy Orang

I love the figures - the Siofra are cool! However, in your description you say Draoi has a ranged attack when he hasn't on the card, and the Siofra Blade Warrior seems intended to be an Uncommon but is listed as Unique.

Correct on both fronts.

It is what happens when you create the cards in text first and convert them all over at the same time. I will have to fix that, luckily they are recent designs so I have yet to print them since playtesting a little with the text print out.

figures:
Darkfen Blade #024 Mage Knight Omens
Shyft Summoner #070 Mage Knight Omens
Shyft Fiend #027 Mage Knight Omens

[wriggz]

Valkrill's Therians - Space Zombies

Bio: To this day it is unclear if the Therians evolved or were designed. The Carbon-Silicon construction and hive behavior has been seen in both biological and digital beings, so even the most advance scientists are still unsure. Some even hypotheses that the Therians survive off necrotic energy, fueling their bodies as they hunger for power. Ruthless and cunning the Therians are feared far beyond their own planet. Concerned only with resources and advancement, new Queen takes a small collective of elite warriors and set out to colonize a new world regardless of the existing inhabitants. It is just one of these ships that Valkrill has picked out of the wellspring to join his forces in Valhalla.

Design notes: First and foremost, I am aware of the Havech eradicators. I had picked up the AT-44 figures and heroes and was already working on a faction before they came out. Since the Havech were a great designs, I merely changed their species to Therian (I have more than enough Marro) and removed Cybernetic Parts. As for the rest of the faction, I started with a simple melee bonding squad to pull the heroes together and went from there. I wanted my heroes to be focused on attacking rather than cheerleaders, since that feels more Valkrill to me. Hopefully it is clear I was going for a “Borg” vibe, Space Zombies if you will.

Here are my re-worked Havechs:


As mentioned the Strikers are a simple bonding melee Squad where both you and your opponent takes risks in disengaging. They are fairly priced for a three man squad with solid stats. It is easy to underestimated 3 attacks of 4 from such speedy units. I think their heroes really add to their strength, but the heroes have been priced accordingly.


I wanted to have a hive feel for the Therians, so I started with a Queen. Azule Auun serves the purpose well with an ability to convert squad figures into more Therians. This works well with the Strikers or the Havechs, and makes up for some of the synergy the Havechs lost. She definitely is not very fast on flat maps, but on hilly terrain she can get to tough spots really quickly with her Tunnel power. I also like how you can use the bulk of her sculpt as her own line of sight blocker. It is worth noting she also works with Tomb Guardians adding a hint of “undead” to the faction.



Axitus is a strait up attacker. I like the choice between the automatic skull or rolling two dice. It is kind of like reverse Deadly strike reducing overall variance. Coupled with Reaper blades, Deadly Accuracy almost guarantees destruction of squad figures, while you may be tempted to roll 5 dice against heroes with deep life pools. As a lord he can synergize with the Skeletons of Annellintia, which furthers the undead feeling of the units.


Finally we have Artis Auun. I always felt one of Valkrill’s signatures was reducing the number of defense dice of your opponent. In this case I wanted to pull in the D20 and create a poor man’s Cyprian. She has fairly good survivability, maneuverability and with a hot D20 can put wounds on the toughest hero. However with only 3 attack dice, you have 2 chances two whiff out on your rolls, so unless the D20 and attack dice get along, there is a good chance this assassin figure will be left out to dry.


Next week: Vydar Kyrie Heroes!

[TheAverageFan]

Strikers: Simple but functional. I really like their passing swipe counter, might make for some interesting gameplay depending on if your opponent thinks their own figure is worth risking or not.

Azule: Dang, is she slow. I'm not sure she's even worth the points, save for potentially reviving precious Havech Eradicators. Even so, you could take around 2 extra squads of those instead... I'm not sure.

Axitus: Deadly Accuracy basically just removes the chance of 2 dice and goes for average. Other than that, he's not bad as a bonding option. 155 is a lot of points though.

Artis: Ironically I think the least-expensive Hero of the three is the best. Subtracting 3-5 defense dice 75% of the time is pretty crazy powerful. Add that to 6 Move and Stealth Flying and you're looking at regular height advantages as well. Throw in some bonding and you've got yourself a pretty solid hero.

~TAF, impressed

[kolakoski]

Well met!

Late to the party, but elegant designs/synergies. Well done!

[wriggz]

Vydar Kyrie
Bio: Vydar’s forces are quickly dwindling. Any sense of loyalty instilled in his troops is fast eroding with his seemingly routine shifting of alliances. One moment Soulborgs may find themselves adding the Meridians of Alpha Prime’s past, where the next Gorrillinators are coming to the aid of the Marro that terrorized their Marr. This coupled with the previous desertion of his people into Kinsland, there are few Kyrie who stand beside the cunning and enigmatic leader. Those who do are among the most feared and respected Kyrie Warriors in all of Valhalla, whose reasons are only known to themselves.

Design Notes: Okay, Vydar Kyrie. I know it is almost sacrilege to attempt to create Vydar Kyrie, we were specifically told they abandoned their leader. However, for completeness I felt this was a hole that needed to be filled and I think I came up with a good work around. Additionally when I came across these figures for Mage Knight, I knew they had to be turned into a race of Kyrie, and Vydar seemed like the logical choice.

In the spirit of Calibrax and adopting troops from other regions of Valhalla, I created Stjorn. His Mercenary Bonding is a great way to get around the “No common Kyrie squad for Vydar” and very much keeping the flavor of Vydar intact. Coupled with the Book of Orm and the ability to bring back expensive Kyrie and you have a Kurrok like command Kyrie. With Stjorn in your army you can play a very large army of Kyrie against any other faction for an all-out faction war.


Rannreig is a design I have been kicking around for a while. His Call Lighting special power is great for clearing out squads, especially those foolish enough to get close. He can still hold his own against hero figures, and can really mess with any flying figures (even those on within your army). He also looks great on the battle field.


Rounding out the heroes is Oskra and her deadly voice. Again a great looking figure, I departed from linking Glyphs and Kyrie heroes and went with a negative cheerleader. Her short range and average survivability makes her easy to take out, but Deafening cry forces your opponent to focus their attacks on her. I like the theme of Shriek, as if her voice is either fully absorbed by the target or it spills over to adjacent figures.


Next Week, Gray Aliens for Aquilla