SoA's Customs: ULLAR CAVALRY FACTION, 4/24

[Son of Arathorn]

Originally Posted by caps

Seems like the class should be either Rogue (for rogue faction synergy) or Pirate (for AoA pirate synergy).

Man, I hadn't given any thought to trying to design in the space of the AoA Pirates, but it makes sense as an alternative to the weird Rogue space the Buccaneers exist in. Gotta give that some more thought.

What if No Quarter only works if the enemy figure doesn't have friendly figures adjacent? Could maybe drop the roll to 14 with that restriction.

It's as good a restriction as any I was able to come up with! I'll add it to the list for when I circle back to Brackenmaw and Captain Gale.

Originally Posted by Shadowking

I like adding Rogue synergy to the concept of having a Treasure Glyph "spawning in" from outside the game; I designed a Merchant-class hero who could hand them out (originally it used its own markers) but after playtesting it seemed much more fun to make him a Rogue and let him give them to Locksley and such. I ended up there just going with the more basic standard ones though (+1 attack, +1 defence); I do like the effects of the two special ones Zahra gets generally as abilities, but I wonder whether having two special glyphs, a somewhat complex ability (Red Captain's Gambit), plus two basic ones (even if one of the two doesn't really *do* anything, just provides the mechanics for handing the glyphs out) is a bit much in terms of what one unit is doing (it also doesn't really matter or come up much in practice I'd think, but it's perhaps odd in terms of theme that if you pass the Golden Panache to Locksley and get a bunch of Brigands engaged you can get like a +20 to initiative and auto-win it).

The shark guy is cool, he doesn't really feel like a Vydar unit in terms of powers/theme to me that much and I agree that just doing Commander's Strike again with another name probably isn't ideal but I appreciate the synergies between it and the movement buff - not too powerful and it doesn't like, shout out the combo with huge neon lights (which I like) but it's the kind of neat thing you'd enable when playing sometimes and get small benefit from. Obviously the figure is great; I agree Rogue or Pirate make the most sense in terms of class. From a balance/mechanics point Chomp is likely not the best idea to reuse but it'd be funny & fitting thematically (and a lot less good on a non-bonding hero than on Grimnak).

I agree that Brackenmaw feels less like a Vydar unit than he should. I'll probably switch him over to Utgar in the next draft.

Chomp would be lots of fun on a shark-person hero, but this particular sculpt is Medium, so I'd have a hard time selling it (although I guess he could chomp a medium figure without swallowing it the way I envision Grimnak's T-Rex chomping a medium figure). There is at least one other wereshark pre-painted mini I know of (Captain Riptooth, from the Skull & Shackles set of Pathfinder Battles minis) that is large enough to maybe sell that concept, but IIRC, it's pretty pricey, and I try to avoid sculpts that are too expensive (when I can).

[Son of Arathorn]

I don't design many Common Squads, and I'm not totally sure why. Is it because they're more complex of an undertaking than heroes? Is it because I try to use miniatures that are widely available, and there just aren't enough to make a decent squad? It's probably a mix of the two, and once I go awhile without working on a Common Squad, it's hard to generate the creative momentum to work on one because the task stays outside of my creative comfort zone.

So in the spirit of stepping outside that zone, I wanted to try something that has zero chance of a suitable pre-painted sculpt (let alone sculpts) getting onto the secondary market. Something I would want to see in the game if I could commission artists and artisans to design, produce, and paint the miniatures. To balance that out, I indulged my whims as much as possible on the "theme" side of the ledger.

I didn't mean to pick the most irritating kind of Common Squad to work on. I really didn't, it just played out that way. Been listening to too many history podcasts, so this was on the brain. And also, if you're going to design without a care for the minis, and you happen to be me, you're probably going to go historical.

Why do HeroScape's cavalry squads suck? That's not an entirely fair question, because the Marrden Hounds are fine (better than fine). But the Templar Cavalry and Grok Riders stick out like a pair of sore thumbs in the game's roster of Common Squads, and not just because they're two of the most expensive cards you can field more than one of. Maybe it's because HeroScape isn't designed to capture what makes cavalry useful in the field, maybe it was just bad luck, and maybe Delta pricing (where you can at least lose a Templar Cavalry figure and not be out 40 points) is the one true god. Whatever the case, my recent Roman history kick collided with this question, and this is the result.

The miniatures for this unit are... whatever you want. There are unpainted minis out there (though maybe not in print) that could work, if you have the patience to paint them yourself and don't mind 28mm scale. If you flatter me so much as to actually play with these things, you could proxy with Templar Cavalry. That's what I would do, if I had any. As it is, I'll just google "cataphracts miniatures" and dream.



NAME = ROMAN CATAPHRACTS
GENERAL = EINAR
PLANET = EARTH
SPECIES = HUMAN
UNIQUENESS = COMMON SQUAD
CLASS = SOLDIERS
PERSONALITY = DEVOUT
SIZE/HEIGHT = LARGE/6

LIFE = 1 (4 FIGURES)
MOVE = 5
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 2
DEFENSE = 5
POINTS = 125

FIRST STRIKE
If Order Marker 1 is revealed on the Roman Cataphracts, add 2 to their Move number and 1 extra attack die for that turn.

THUNDERING CHARGE
When a Roman Cataphract attacks a figure that he was not adjacent to at the start of this turn, all skulls rolled count for one additional hit.

CATAPHRACT ARMOR 17
When a Roman Cataphract rolls defense dice against a normal attack and and receives one or more wounds, you may roll the 20-sided die. Add 4 to your die roll if this is the first time that Roman Cataphract has been attacked this turn. If you roll a 17 or higher, ignore any wounds that Roman Cataphract just received.



Synergy & Benefits
As Soldiers, the Roman Cataphracts benefit from Marcus Decimus Gallus' Soldier Leadership and Soldier Attack Enhancement. As Devout figures who follow Einar, the Roman Cataphracts benefit from Count Raymond's Devout Leadership and Maneuver 9 special power.

Design Philosophy & Notes
"

Cataphract

Cataphract

" refers to any of the heavily-armored cavalry units used by states such as (but definitely not limited to) the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sassanid Persian Empire. Unlike the earlier Roman auxiliaries or Parthian horse archers of the classical period, the individual Cataphract and their horse entered battle more or less fully armored. These were the most elite cavalry of their day and place, and they placed heavy emphasis on the headlong charge to break enemy formations.
I almost called these guys "Byzantine Cavalry Troopers," and I'm not sure why. The Roman Legionnaires are not called "Roman Infantrymen Soldiers" in HeroScape. The Byzantines did not call themselves "Byzantines" (they called themselves Romaíoi, Greek for "Romans").
I really tried to make a Soldier unit that likes Count Raymond more than it likes Marcus Decimus Gallus, but I don't know that I've succeeded.
I think it's funny that the Roman Cataphracts ended up so much more complicated and expensive than the Roman Legionnaires. I'm going to pretend it's a meta-pun on the more developed state the Cataphracts served and on the modern meaning of the word "Byzantine."
I spent too many hours thinking about how to avoid outclassing the Templar Cavalry while making a fun and cost-effective custom, and gave that up. Delta exists, thank goodness for the Templars.
Cataphract Armor is the thorniest part of this custom. It has the potential to be extremely annoying, but in deciding whether to make the Cataphracts A) cheaper per figure but less sturdy or B) more expensive per figure but harder to kill, I went with option B. And I still might have underestimated their ideal cost.
I like First Strike on this unit. It's hard to charge at full 8-Move speed in a full suit of metal armor with a fully-armored soldier on your back, gotta save that extra juice for when you need it.
If I've done my job right, this is the kind of unit you don't take more than two squads of at lower point totals.

[caps]

Nice, I really like this design!

[Shadowking]

Cataphract Armor is an interesting solution to the "issue" that it really just feels like cavalry squads should get two health per figure; does add a lot of extra dice rolls per turn but I like it as a general concept. Thundering Charge makes sense as a twist on the Templar ability that doesn't just feel like a copy of it, which is neat. A 4-squad of these things seems kinda scary though, I'm not sure if they are actually overpowered for the points but I'd assumed they were 3 until I double-checked the stat block - Templars are horribly overpriced, of course, but the 5 defence plus Cataphract Armor plus 4 activations makes them a lot better at surviving to actually dish out damage (they can hit Thundering Charge a decent bit more consistently than Galloping Charge too I'd imagine, since being double-spaced probably allows them to likely quite often step around a figure they are engaged with to reach another without a disengage). I almost wonder if they would make an interesting Unique Squad at 4-man? A 4-man common double-spaced squad also eats up tons of hexes and board space if taken in multiples, which can be cut down on with Uniques as well.

[Son of Arathorn]

Nice, I really like this design!

Thank you, caps!

Originally Posted by Shadowking

Cataphract Armor is an interesting solution to the "issue" that it really just feels like cavalry squads should get two health per figure; does add a lot of extra dice rolls per turn but I like it as a general concept. Thundering Charge makes sense as a twist on the Templar ability that doesn't just feel like a copy of it, which is neat. A 4-squad of these things seems kinda scary though, I'm not sure if they are actually overpowered for the points but I'd assumed they were 3 until I double-checked the stat block - Templars are horribly overpriced, of course, but the 5 defence plus Cataphract Armor plus 4 activations makes them a lot better at surviving to actually dish out damage (they can hit Thundering Charge a decent bit more consistently than Galloping Charge too I'd imagine, since being double-spaced probably allows them to likely quite often step around a figure they are engaged with to reach another without a disengage). I almost wonder if they would make an interesting Unique Squad at 4-man? A 4-man common double-spaced squad also eats up tons of hexes and board space if taken in multiples, which can be cut down on with Uniques as well.

There were a lot of choices I made for this draft that could have easily gone the other way, so this analysis is as useful to me as it is interesting. While I didn't consider 2-life as a survivability mechanic, I like it in principle. I'm not sure I would straight up replace Cataphract Armor with 2-life (they'd perform differently versus different opponents) but it's the kind of thing I'd love to see on a squad of heavy cavalry, unique or common.

I'm really pleased with Thundering Charge and the synergy it creates with Count Raymond. I'm not sure Cataphracts+Raymond+Theracus is the bulk of their best build, but if the dice are going your way it would (probably, hopefully) be a fun one.

Whether to make them a 3 or 4-figure squad was something I spent a lot of time on. When comparing more useable expensive squads like the Marrden Hounds to the Templar and Grok Riders, something that stuck out to me was how many more chances the Hounds get to inflict damage. Three Templar attacks is a hard sell for 40 points a figure, and the Groks aren't much better even if they do bring in Marro Warlords with their bonding. I didn't want to add an autowound or double attack power of any kind, so I settled on a fourth figure.

You make a good point about multiple squads eating up hexes, and I think that point holds true about point value as well. How badly will anybody running a standard 24-hex, 500~ish point build want to devote 2/3 of their start zone and 1/2 of their points to eight squad figures? As I said, I really doubt anyone would ever draft more than 2 squads, but a Unique version of the Cataphracts could be something I try out down the road.



More cavalry are waiting in the wings; stay tuned...

[Myriadite]

Super fun! I especially like the simplicity of Thundering Charge (no line of sight or minimum number of hexes involved), but all of the powers seem really well put together and complimentary.

As for the 2-life survivability, a power akin to Exoskeleton sounds easier to track than a multi-life squad. However, the dynamic would change as it would be a dependable single-use save, almost guaranteeing a successful charge and first strike. As it is, Cataphract Armor 17 relies on a dice (a chance it could fail you), but can be used many times.

Again, very cool design!

[Son of Arathorn]

Originally Posted by Myriadite

Super fun! I especially like the simplicity of Thundering Charge (no line of sight or minimum number of hexes involved), but all of the powers seem really well put together and complimentary.

As for the 2-life survivability, a power akin to Exoskeleton sounds easier to track than a multi-life squad. However, the dynamic would change as it would be a dependable single-use save, almost guaranteeing a successful charge and first strike. As it is, Cataphract Armor 17 relies on a dice (a chance it could fail you), but can be used many times.

Again, very cool design!

Thank you for stopping by and offering feedback, Myriadite! Even if I don't use the mechanic on this particular unit, an Exoskeleton-type power on a squad that fills a different role in army building than the Mezzodemons or Incendiborgs does sounds like a fun idea!

[Shadowking]

I've considered low-figure-count-per-squad heavy infantry with exoskeleton-like markers (ironclad markers or something similar) in the past, I think it could be quite interesting but I'm not entirely sure on the specifics of making it play truely uniquely VS the other units with similar mechanics - maybe just the positioning power of being able to tie up units with decent melee combatants that are sticky in terms of board presence is enough though since both Mezzos and Incendiborgs tend to want to stay back.

[Son of Arathorn]

After workshopping the Roman Cataphracts, I still had cavalry on the brain, but wanted to carry it in a different direction, and at a greater scale. Rather than a standalone unit or one that fits into an existing synergy web, I decided to create a new faction that would only thematically connect with existing units. I also wanted the opportunity to workshop some new lore, so instead of a historical unit, it’s back to fantasy-land.

Unlike the Roman Cataphracts, I do have specific miniatures in mind for each of the three units in this faction. They’re unpainted, and not cheap, but I love the visual reference they give to the units. As with the Cataphracts (and everything else in this thread) you can do as I will and use proxy sculpts. If you really want to purchase, assemble, fill, sand, prime, and paint the minis, you can find them on Etsy here, and here (although there are other sellers if you poke around Etsy. If you have access to a 3D printer and would like to print them out yourself, you can find the .stl files available for purchase from their creator, Artisan Guild, here and here. I'll include the links and sculpt names with the cards & power text below, too.

Lore: Far from the looming shadow of Castle Esenwein, beyond the treetop citadels of the elves, the unconquered northern plains of Feylund stretch thousands of miles around the planet’s polar cap. Elven legends trace their ancestry to these wilder lands, where their most ancient forerunners wove nature’s oldest magic to change their shape, and the wisest sages balanced the ferocity of beasts against the art and reason of elvenkind. The Cervitaurs of Clan Windhorn scoff at such tales. Their own elders say that in the fog of prehistory, a few of the original twelve clans tired of their endless migrations across the plains, spending season after season in the wind and rain, only an unwary breath away from violent death. These tribes wandered south, sought the shelter and shade of trees, and over many generations their descendants lost the fiercest parts of their bodies and souls. Those who remained true to the old ways found eternal glory under an endless sky, never doubting their place in the world's natural order. Peering deep into Feylund’s primeval steppe, Ullar saw and summoned the Warriors of Clan Windhorn to his aid. Now, the cervitaurs fight alongside the elves, charging ahead with bow, spear, and blade in hand, ready to slay every foe in their path.

Notes on lore: We hear a lot about Feylund’s woods, home to the elves and wolves, and about the dark realm of Cyprien Esenwein and the undead, but a planet is a big place. Taking inspiration from nomadic steppe cultures throughout human history, I combined those thematic elements with a slightly different spin on the traditional centaur. Instead of half-horse, half-human, the cervitaurs are half-elf, half-deer (or antelope, or Feylund’s nearest equivalent animal). In my mind, Clan Windhorn is just one of many clans that migrate across Feylund’s harsh northern grassland, which leaves room for all kinds of other clans, creatures, and cultures. I may revisit this space in the future. Or not. We’ll see.

WINDHORN WARRIOR





The miniature used for this unit is the Arverian Centaur, Sculpt B, created by Artisan Guild Miniatures.

Card Text

Spoiler Alert!

NAME = WINDHORN WARRIOR
GENERAL = ULLAR
PLANET = FEYLUND
SPECIES = CERVITAUR
UNIQUENESS = COMMON HERO
CLASS = WARRIOR
PERSONALITY = DAUNTLESS
SIZE/HEIGHT = LARGE 6

LIFE = 1
MOVE = 8
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 4
DEFENSE = 4
POINTS = 30

CERVITAUR HERD BONDING
After revealing an Order Marker on a Windhorn Warrior, you may first take a turn with any one of the following you control:

• 1 Cervitaur Squad, or
• up to 2 Cervitaur Common Heroes, or
• 1 Cervitaur Unique Hero.

PASSING BLOW 13
Once while moving normally, a Windhorn Warrior may choose a small or medium figure that he was not engaged to at the start of this turn. When the Windhorn Warrior leaves engagement with that figure, you may roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 13 or higher, the chosen figure receives one wound. That Windhorn Warrior cannot attack the chosen figure on this turn.

SPRINGING STRIDE
A Windhorn Warrior can move through all small and medium figures and is never attacked when leaving an engagement with those figures.

Notes: the bread and butter of the cervitaur faction is not a Common Squad, but rather a Common Hero that functions like a pseudo-squad. While the Warriors are a potent force in their own right (they may even be overpowered for their points) their survivability, board control, and versatility should improve when you mix in the Archers and Zephyra, their champion. Their Cervitaur Herd Bonding special power makes them the Order Marker hub of the faction, but they’re also the frontline troops. The Warriors are built to thrive against small and medium figures, but may struggle against large and huge bruisers, or when fighting on uneven terrain. Against auto-wounders or high-attack enemies, they should stick close to their champion, Zephyra.

Note on card text: Cervitaur Herd Bonding is supposed to be a bulleted list, like Kato Katsuro or Kantono Daishi, but Xorlof's X-2 card creator doesn't allow for such things (although it's a great resource for creators like me). Also, the text of Cervitaur Herd Bonding should read "up to 2 Cervitaur Common Heroes," something I didn't catch until just now. I'll go back and fix it on the card when I have time.

WINDHORN ARCHERS







The miniatures used for this unit are the Arverian Centaurs, Sculpts A and C, created by Artisan Guild Miniatures.

Card Text

Spoiler Alert!

NAME = WINDHORN ARCHERS
GENERAL = ULLAR
PLANET = FEYLUND
SPECIES = CERVITAURS
UNIQUENESS = COMMON SQUAD
CLASS = ARCHERS
PERSONALITY = TRICKY
SIZE/HEIGHT = LARGE 6

LIFE = 1 (2 figures)
MOVE = 8
RANGE = 6
ATTACK = 3
DEFENSE = 2
POINTS = 60

SCATTER
After a Windhorn Archer you control rolls defense dice against a normal attack from an opponent’s figure, you may move any 2 Windhorn Archers you control up to 4 spaces each.

EVASIVE 3
When a Windhorn Archer rolls defense dice against an attacking figure who is not adjacent, add 3 defense dice to the defending Archer.

SPRINGING STRIDE
Windhorn Archers can move through all small and medium figures and are never attacked when leaving an engagement with those figures.

Notes: while they’re a 60-point, 2-figure squad on paper, it’s probably more accurate to say that two Archers and a Warrior form a 3-figure, 90 point squad that splits the difference between ranged and melee combat. With only 2 ranged attacks per order marker, the Archers justify their point value by being very hard to kill. Scatter is not the kind of power I jump to include on any custom card, but I felt alright doing it here for a couple of reasons. First, the Archers are not blockers or glyph-grabbers like the Deathreavers. They don’t have the raw numbers or the stout melee defense to fill that role, so Scatter is much more of a survival power than it is a board-control power. Second, the Archers are double-spaced figures that cost 30 points apiece, so every lost Archer counts three times as much as a lost Deathreaver. With all that in mind, it’s still possible that I underestimated their true value. The Archers play a support role in the cervitaur army, harassing and picking off enemy units such as well-placed cheerleaders, ranged attackers, or glyph grabbers, that would otherwise require the Warriors to stray too far from Zephyra, or overcommit the main force.

ZEPHYRA





The miniature used for this unit is Xeron Thunderhoof - Averian Woodkeeper Hero, created by Artisan Guild Miniatures.

Card Text

Spoiler Alert!

NAME = ZEPHYRA
GENERAL = ULLAR
PLANET = FEYLUND
SPECIES = CERVITAUR
UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO
CLASS = CHAMPION
PERSONALITY = DAUNTLESS
SIZE/HEIGHT = LARGE 6

LIFE = 7
MOVE = 6
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 4
DEFENSE = 3
POINTS = 140

INDOMITABLE
If Zephyra begins her turn unengaged, add 2 to her Move value this turn. If she begins her turn engaged, add 2 to her Attack value this turn.

WINDHORN WARRIORS DEFY DEATH 15
When an adjacent Windhorn Warrior figure receives one or more wounds, roll the 20-sided die before removing that figure. If you roll a 15 or higher, ignore any wounds.

SPRINGING STRIDE
Zephyra can move through all small and medium figures and is never attacked when leaving an engagement with those figures.

Notes: the heavy hitter and cheerleader of the cervitaur faction, Zephyra may have more value as the latter than the former. With a conditional normal attack of 6, Zephyra can work as a can-opener, but she probably shouldn’t go anywhere without at least a few Warriors in tow. With only one attack per turn and lower mobility than the Warriors or Archers, you’d hate for Zephyra to get overwhelmed by enemy squads on her way to smack down high-value targets. Windhorn Warriors Defy Death 15 is a key part of her role in the cervitaur army. You may not get as many chances to roll for the power as Parmenio gets when played alongside the Sacred Band, but a successful roll can rescue a Warrior from death of any kind. At 30 points per figure, that’s not nothing.

Notes on faction theme: I really enjoyed putting all the pieces together on each of these cards. Zephyra and the Warrior’s Dauntless personality was a very deliberate choice. The word “daunt” is descended from the Latin “domito” meaning “tame” or “conquer,” which is itself descended from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning “to domesticate” or “to tame.” Deer are almost by definition impossible to domesticate; they’re too panicky to capture alive without harming themselves or their pursuers, and too agile to keep in an animal pen. The only species of deer to be successfully semi-domesticated are reindeer (also called caribou) which were (and are) a vital resource for Arctic peoples throughout human history. I liked the idea of deer-people who are literally “un-tamed,” or “un-conquered.” Hence, dauntless. The name Zephyra is an overt reference to the Greek name for the mythological West Wind, making it half a pun on the “Windhorn” clan name. By contrast, the Archers’ Tricky personality was almost by default (the only decision point of that kind) and I may go in a different direction if a viable alternative presents itself.

Notes on faction mechanics: there were a number of decision points where I opted for mechanics that risk being overpowered. Scatter on a ranged Common Squad is the most obvious, but putting Passing Blow on the Warriors and allowing them to activate up to 3 Warriors per Order Marker is the one I think I’m more concerned about. For that reason, I bumped the d20 cutoff from 11 to 13. If the targets line up right, you can combine 3 attacks of 4 with 3 auto-wounds against small and medium figures. If that combination proves too powerful, I’d start by raising the d20 cutoff again, then consider limiting the number of Warriors activated to 2 instead of 3 (if I did that, I'd probably lower the d20 cutoff to compensate for the lost activation). Another thing I’m watching out for is the balance between the three options in Cervitaur Herd Bonding. Ideally, a player will have good reasons to go with Archers+Warrior, a trio of Warriors, or Warrior+Zephyra, depending on the game situation. If one of those options gets too much use, I’d want to revisit the power level of each card.

[TheAverageFan]

Heroscape always needs more centaurs, and those are some sick sculpts to go with your customs I do have to second your thoughts on the faction mechanics being possibly overpowered. Scatter on a squad with high move, decent range, and good attack is bad enough, but combine it with Evasive 3 and there's not much that melee or range will be able to do against them. It makes for one of the rare times where you really need Improved Cyberclaw if you want to survive against these particular units!

~TAF

[Chill]

These Centaur designs look great! The Warriors have a strong cohesive theme. I could see them excelling at bounding over a screen to reach ranged units (but maybe in practice it would be easy to deny them placement behind the screen).

I also really like your Vulcanmech Hunter-Killer design! It really executes well on the theme/mechanics/mini unity, and the abilities are simple and elegant. I have not played it yet but I may soon!

[kolakoski]

Well met!

Originally Posted by Son of Arathorn

I don't design many Common Squads, and I'm not totally sure why. Is it because they're more complex of an undertaking than heroes? Is it because I try to use miniatures that are widely available, and there just aren't enough to make a decent squad? It's probably a mix of the two, and once I go awhile without working on a Common Squad, it's hard to generate the creative momentum to work on one because the task stays outside of my creative comfort zone.

So in the spirit of stepping outside that zone, I wanted to try something that has zero chance of a suitable pre-painted sculpt (let alone sculpts) getting onto the secondary market. Something I would want to see in the game if I could commission artists and artisans to design, produce, and paint the miniatures. To balance that out, I indulged my whims as much as possible on the "theme" side of the ledger.

I didn't mean to pick the most irritating kind of Common Squad to work on. I really didn't, it just played out that way. Been listening to too many history podcasts, so this was on the brain. And also, if you're going to design without a care for the minis, and you happen to be me, you're probably going to go historical.

Why do HeroScape's cavalry squads suck? That's not an entirely fair question, because the Marrden Hounds are fine (better than fine). But the Templar Cavalry and Grok Riders stick out like a pair of sore thumbs in the game's roster of Common Squads, and not just because they're two of the most expensive cards you can field more than one of. Maybe it's because HeroScape isn't designed to capture what makes cavalry useful in the field, maybe it was just bad luck, and maybe Delta pricing (where you can at least lose a Templar Cavalry figure and not be out 40 points) is the one true god. Whatever the case, my recent Roman history kick collided with this question, and this is the result.

The miniatures for this unit are... whatever you want. There are unpainted minis out there (though maybe not in print) that could work, if you have the patience to paint them yourself and don't mind 28mm scale. If you flatter me so much as to actually play with these things, you could proxy with Templar Cavalry. That's what I would do, if I had any. As it is, I'll just google "cataphracts miniatures" and dream.



NAME = ROMAN CATAPHRACTS
GENERAL = EINAR
PLANET = EARTH
SPECIES = HUMAN
UNIQUENESS = COMMON SQUAD
CLASS = SOLDIERS
PERSONALITY = DEVOUT
SIZE/HEIGHT = LARGE/6

LIFE = 1 (4 FIGURES)
MOVE = 5
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 2
DEFENSE = 5
POINTS = 125

FIRST STRIKE
If Order Marker 1 is revealed on the Roman Cataphracts, add 2 to their Move number and 1 extra attack die for that turn.

THUNDERING CHARGE
When a Roman Cataphract attacks a figure that he was not adjacent to at the start of this turn, all skulls rolled count for one additional hit.

CATAPHRACT ARMOR 17
When a Roman Cataphract rolls defense dice against a normal attack and and receives one or more wounds, you may roll the 20-sided die. Add 4 to your die roll if this is the first time that Roman Cataphract has been attacked this turn. If you roll a 17 or higher, ignore any wounds that Roman Cataphract just received.



Synergy & Benefits
As Soldiers, the Roman Cataphracts benefit from Marcus Decimus Gallus' Soldier Leadership and Soldier Attack Enhancement. As Devout figures who follow Einar, the Roman Cataphracts benefit from Count Raymond's Devout Leadership and Maneuver 9 special power.

Design Philosophy & Notes
"Cataphract" refers to any of the heavily-armored cavalry units used by states such as (but definitely not limited to) the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sassanid Persian Empire. Unlike the earlier Roman auxiliaries or Parthian horse archers of the classical period, the individual Cataphract and their horse entered battle more or less fully armored. These were the most elite cavalry of their day and place, and they placed heavy emphasis on the headlong charge to break enemy formations.
I almost called these guys "Byzantine Cavalry Troopers," and I'm not sure why. The Roman Legionnaires are not called "Roman Infantrymen Soldiers" in HeroScape. The Byzantines did not call themselves "Byzantines" (they called themselves Romaíoi, Greek for "Romans").
I really tried to make a Soldier unit that likes Count Raymond more than it likes Marcus Decimus Gallus, but I don't know that I've succeeded.
I think it's funny that the Roman Cataphracts ended up so much more complicated and expensive than the Roman Legionnaires. I'm going to pretend it's a meta-pun on the more developed state the Cataphracts served and on the modern meaning of the word "Byzantine."
I spent too many hours thinking about how to avoid outclassing the Templar Cavalry while making a fun and cost-effective custom, and gave that up. Delta exists, thank goodness for the Templars.
Cataphract Armor is the thorniest part of this custom. It has the potential to be extremely annoying, but in deciding whether to make the Cataphracts A) cheaper per figure but less sturdy or B) more expensive per figure but harder to kill, I went with option B. And I still might have underestimated their ideal cost.
I like First Strike on this unit. It's hard to charge at full 8-Move speed in a full suit of metal armor with a fully-armored soldier on your back, gotta save that extra juice for when you need it.
If I've done my job right, this is the kind of unit you don't take more than two squads of at lower point totals.

Very interesting! Cavalry have been much desired, but problematic to design/balance. Defense 5 plus CATAPHRACT ARMOR 17 may be a bit much. Otherwise, these concepts are good ones for consideration for designing cavalry in general. Good job!

P.S.: Too bad there seem to be no readily available pre-painted miniatures for armored cavalry for SoV purposes.