Miss Rose and Mr. Hudson (Homebrewed Rules)

[AtomicKeen]

*** Sorry for the multi-posting, I really can't tell you what happened there. MY BAD****

 

My girlfriend and I have been kicking around ideas for home-brewed rules on a psychic master and her bodyguard henchman. The idea is that they are on the run and find themselves with limited hiring options (offsetting their synergy and her ability to move things all over the place). Ok, this is the final rough draft if you will, and now I need everyone to weigh in. If you look at the two together, with their upgrades, they currently cost 21ss (thus reducing the number of other models they can bring on top of her hiring restriction and playing up to the fact that they're on the run).

 

I assume this will generate some hate because of X, Y, and Z, but home-brew rules are fun and we are just looking to make these characters a fair cost so we can try em out.

 

Ok. So, here is some background:

 

Miss Rose:

A psychic with some anger issues. Think Carrie in a victorian dress, floating around choking people and throwing things. Lots of movement tricks and a couple card/stone intensive once per turn power moves from her upgrades.

Mr. Hudson:

Rose's bodyguard. Basically a hench level Gunsmith who takes the heat off Miss Rose and handles the tougher customers with a Hexed Colt and maybe a few of his Arcanist buddies if he takes the Executive Protection upgrade. 

 

THE STATS:

 

Miss Rose

Cache 4

Outcast

Master, Living

 

Df   Wp   Wd   Wk   Cg   Ht

3      7      10     6      -      2

 

Abilities:

 

Flight

 

Adaptive - At the beginning of this model’s activation, choose a suit. Add that suit to all flips made by this model for the rest of the activation.

 

Force of Will - This model may choose to resist with Wp instead of Df on any duel generated by an enemy model.

 

On the Run - This model’s crew may only hire Outcasts with the Mercenary characteristic. 

 

Df/Wp [Mask] - Repulse - Immediately push the attacking model 4” in any direction. 

 

Attack Actions:

 

Telekinesis - (Ca 7[tomes] - TN: 11 [tomes] Rst: Wp - Rg: 8) This action receives [+]. Move target up to 6”. Friendly models gain flight for the duration of the move.  

Triggers:

[Tomes] Surge - After succeeding, draw a card

[Crows] By the Throat - After succeeding, target receives Paralyzed

[Masks] “She’s Like the Wind” - After resolving, place this model within 6”

 

Tactical Actions:

 

(0) “Back Off!” - Push all enemy models within 3” up to 6” directly away from this model.

 

 

Upgrades:

 

Concentration - 2ss

This model’s telekinesis attack gains the following triggers:

[Tome/Mask] Vortex - After resolving, all other models within 3” are pushed up to 6” in any direction.

[Tome/Tome] Brown Eyed Girl - After resolving, this model gains the defensive +1 condition. This model may immediately take this action again. This trigger may be declared once per activation. 

 

(Miss Rose)

 

Rage - 2ss

This model’s Telekinesis attack gains the following triggers:

[Tome/Ram] Ragdoll - Instead, push target Ht 1 or 2 model up to 8” in any direction. If it ends its push in base contact with another terrain or another model each suffers 2 damage and receives Slow.

[Tome/Crow/Crow] “Welcome to the Horrorshow" - The target suffers a 2/4/6 damage flip and receives Paralyzed. After damaging, kill target unless it discards two cards or two soulstones. If the target is killed, every enemy model within 6” and LoS must take a TN 14 Horror duel. This trigger may be declared once per activation. 

 

(Miss Rose)

 

Psychic Shield - 2ss

When this model activates, it may gain one the following abilities until the beginning of its next activation: 

Swirling Haze - The area within 4” of this model is treated as Ht3, soft cover. 

Swirling Shards - Enemy models which end their activation within 3” of this model suffer 2 damage and gain the slow condition. 

Swirling Winds - Friendly models within 3” may choose to ignore damage and conditions caused by Pulses, Auras and Blasts. 

 

(Miss Rose)

 

 

 

 

Mr. Hudson

Cost 10

Outcast/Arcanist 

Henchman, Living, Totem (Miss Rose)

 

Df   Wp   Wd   Wk   Cg   Ht

6      6      10     5      7     2

 

Abilities:

Df/Wp [Ram] - Concealed Weapon - After resolving, this model gains fast

 

Bodyguard - Enemy models targeting a friendly master within 3” suffer [-][-] to the attack flip.

 

Relentless - This model is immune to Horror duels

 

Hard to Kill - While this model has 2 or more Wds remaining, it may not be reduced below 1 Wd.

 

Attack actions:

Hexed Pistols (Sh 6[crow] / Rst: Df / Rg: 12” or 2”) - Target suffers 2/3/5 damage. This attack action receives [+]. 

Triggers:

[Tome] Piercing - Ignores Armor, Hard to Wound, and Hard to Kill.

[Mask] Reposition - Push this model 3’’ in any direction.

[Crow] Hexed - Damage from this attack may not be prevented using soulstones. The damage flip receives [+] for every [crow] in the final duel total.

 

Tactical actions: 

 

(0) Switch Chamber - This model may discard a card to gain the following condition until the end of turn: New Chamber - This model gains a suit to all final duel totals which matches the suit of the card discarded to gain this condition.

 

(2)  Culture of Honor (Ca 6 [Tome]/ TN: 13[Tome])

Place this model into base contact with friendly master within 8”. Both models gain the Defensive +1 condition.

 

 

Upgrades:

 

Executive Protection - 2ss

 

This model gains the following abilities:

Security Detail - This model’s crew may hire up to 4 Gunsmiths and/or Arcanist construct models without Frozen Heart or the Showgirl characteristic at no additional cost regardless of any previous hiring restriction. 

 

Snares - Models may not end their move within 3” of this model during a charge action. 

 

This model’s Hexed Pistols action gains the following trigger:

[Crow/Ram] Incendiary - Instead, target suffers 2/2B/3BB. All models damaged by this action gain the Burning +2 condition.

 

(Mr Hudson, Limited)

 

 

Ok, friends. Lets have it. 

[Hateful Darkblack]

Interesting! This looks like a pretty great core, with great flavor and a fun play style.

 

I'm not sure it's meaningful for Mr. Hudson to be dual-faction, since he cannot lead a Crew without a special rule (see Hungering Darkness for that.)

 

I don't think that only being able to hire Outcast Mercenaries is a big drawback. Especially when the totem gives more hiring options anyway.

 

Maybe one suggestion for a change? Instead of limiting Crew Hiring, make the Master an Arcanist, and give her the limitation "Uncontrolled Powers: After flipping initiative on the first turn, all friendly models suffer 2 damage." This would generally be a pretty harsh limit, but some Arcanist models would benefit from it, and it's a little more tangible than limiting her to Mercenary models.

 

For Telekinesis, it's interesting that you give Flight (rather than, say, making it a push). On one hand, it means you can't damage an opponent by throwing them off a building. On the other, it means you can throw them past other models.

 

Miss Rose seems to lack many ways to damage an opponent. That's a pretty big drawback. Her big attack seems to be Welcome to the Horrorshow, which kind of makes Rage an auto-include. With her extra suit, that's a pretty huge attack for just requiring another Crow.

 

Is Vortex intended to affect Miss Rose as well? Looks like it would.

 

Does By The Throat only work after succeeding? If so, it should say so. Right now it looks like it functions no matter what.

 

What kind of Crew do you see this Master using?

 

Have you tried this in playtests? How has it worked out?

[AtomicKeen]

Interesting! This looks like a pretty great core, with great flavor and a fun play style.

Thanks! This has been bubbling around in our heads for a couple weeks now.

 

I'm not sure it's meaningful for Mr. Hudson to be dual-faction, since he cannot lead a Crew without a special rule (see Hungering Darkness for that.)

--He is dual faction right now basically just for the flavor and a tangible link between him and hiring up to four Arcanist models, somewhat like a renegade Gunsmith who has found a higher calling than being under Ramos' thumb. As Johan is solely an Outcast this could see some revision, you're right.

 

I don't think that only being able to hire Outcast Mercenaries is a big drawback. Especially when the totem gives more hiring options anyway.

--The idea behind this was to stop her from hiring models from other outcast gangs (especially Ashes and Dust). Being able to move Ashes and Dust back together so easily would see her TK become a bit OP. We wanted to make sure she would never be able to run with models from the Jack, Levi, Tara and Hamelin crews for her background's sake. She is a dilettante who manifested powers crossing the breach, is now a pariah being tracked by the Witch Hunters, and found protection from a renegade gunsmith and his mercenary friends. 

 

 

For Telekinesis, it's interesting that you give Flight (rather than, say, making it a push). On one hand, it means you can't damage an opponent by throwing them off a building. On the other, it means you can throw them past other models.

Yeah, I was thinking about that too. This was done so that she would be able to move models past others and ignore some of the downsides of a push like moving in a straight line. Maybe instead of the current wording, saying "friendly models gain flight for the duration of the move" would solve this? Thanks for pointing that one out. We meant Miss Rose to play off of terrain a lot, i.e. throwing models through breakable terrain using the Ragdoll trigger for the cinematic fun, and being able to toss models from elevation to get around her lack of direct damage (save on "Welcome to the Horrorshow," which is a big beefy once per turn move that we'll poke at a bit next).

 

Miss Rose seems to lack many ways to damage an opponent. That's a pretty big drawback. Her big attack seems to be Welcome to the Horrorshow, which kind of makes Rage an auto-include. With her extra suit, that's a pretty huge attack for just requiring another Crow.

--I tried to remedy the lack of her offensive output with the ability to have one scary attack per turn. If you look at how her triggers break down suits wise, the suit chosen at the beginning of the activation with the Adaptive ability will determine how Rose is being used for the rest of the turn. To get the "Welcome to the Horrorshow" trigger off reliably, you forfeit the reliability of her defensive trigger and movement abilities (which rely on masks). The idea being that Rose walks a tightrope between cold concentration and boiling rage, and that releasing the beast on an enemy can leave her open to retaliation, especially when Mr. Hudson isn't within 3". 

 

Her upgrades were made with the idea that you'd take each one every time over a generic and allow her the full extent of her offensive and defensive abilities. 

 

Is Vortex intended to affect Miss Rose as well? Looks like it would.

-- Fixed this. It should not affect her. 

 

Does By The Throat only work after succeeding? If so, it should say so. Right now it looks like it functions no matter what.

-- Fixed this too. Thanks for the second set of eyes! 

 

What kind of Crew do you see this Master using?

--Originally, Rose wasn't allowed to hire and everything went through Hudson. He could take Gunsmiths, Guardians, Guild Hounds, Mercs and Arcanist constructs (non Frozen Heart, non showgirl), but we changed that cause we figured most people would have a problem with the Guardians and Hounds. It was supposed to be like Rose was protected by Hudson's bodyguard agency and relying on his assets. BUT ANYHOW...

At 50ss a Miss Rose crew might look a little something like this:

 

Miss Rose - [9ss]

-cache 7

-Rage

-Concentration 

-Psychic Shield 

 

Mr. Hudson - [12ss]

-Executive Protection

 

Gunsmith [7ss]

 

Gunsmith [7ss]

 

Freikorp Librarian [7ss]

 

Sue [8ss]

 

 

Have you tried this in playtests? How has it worked out?

-- We just finished the rules today, so haven't played her yet. We just bought a couple new arsenal decks and she has been playing her namesake Molly and I've been trying out Kaeris. Molly has been crumping me.