Post by bjen on Dec 26, 2022 21:12:07 GMT
Hi all,
I've been putting together an HDF force and couldn't find any configuration of existing heroes or units that really satisfied my need for a command squad. I've always liked the idea of commanders and their bodyguards forming some sort of command core or headquarters to the detachment. And after struggling to find a good build for that using vanilla OPR AND struggling to use GW's Cadian Command Squad model set in a coherent way in OPR, I decided to make my own.
After some work in the old army book builder, the Patreon unit calculator, and a lot of referencing back to the HDF army book, I created the following super boring unit. I say boring because all I did was take existing rules and say "and they can be a squad instead of unique heroes," but I figured I'd share it in case anyone else wanted to use it.
The idea is that this would be a unit designed to have a Commander hero attached to it and would act as either bodyguards or/and as additional support command (or both). As such, the primary command ability of Double Time is not available here, but everything else is.
It starts at a size 2 so that your "command squad" could be as simple as a commander (the attached hero), his bodyguard, and a radio operator (for example). But upgrade F (acting similarly to the ability to add a heavy weapons team model to infantry squads) can be used to fill it up to a full 5 model squad, which you are free to deck out with weapons as if they were a veteran squad or with command abilities to form a command core to your army. Obviously a combined unit would let you get up to 10. This should let you "build" a command squad however you would like, and should be compatible with an variable build of a GW Command Squad model kit. It would also allow you to include whatever command models you would like since it can also include a psychic or an executioner (as a "grand executioner").
The only rule that is different from the base HDF is the Grand Executioner: Set Public Example. The special ability is almost word for word what the Set Example ability for an Executioner is, except that it affects units within 6" of this model instead of just this model's unit. I figured a Grand Executioner would probably be executing troops in front of him for wavering instead of needing to execute the veteran bodyguards of the commander or needing to execute the other officers he's running with. As such, since it affects a broader area, I increased it's cost nominally.
Link to the updated stats/book/unit "list" (of one):
opr-list-builder.herokuapp.com/army-books/view/b2w6v9vl61we3mnk/print
This has not been tested for balance yet, but the points are directly ripped from the HDF army book (except for the one exception above). The only balance issue I see maybe being an issue is that the game might not appreciate having so many abilities tied to a single unit (after all, the current HDF balance requires you to purchase expensive tough(3) hero units for each ability, and though the ability cost is the same the total cost is padded by the fact that it's a tough(3) hero you're attaching it to). But I don't think that will be a huge issue since your command squad will become a major target if you stack too many command abilities on all it's models, and if you do that there won't be any bodyguard models to soak the damage before you're losing those abilities.
Hope this is useful for anyone else! I am not very active in this forum as of right now so I probably won't be around to respond to comments. Sorry
I've been putting together an HDF force and couldn't find any configuration of existing heroes or units that really satisfied my need for a command squad. I've always liked the idea of commanders and their bodyguards forming some sort of command core or headquarters to the detachment. And after struggling to find a good build for that using vanilla OPR AND struggling to use GW's Cadian Command Squad model set in a coherent way in OPR, I decided to make my own.
After some work in the old army book builder, the Patreon unit calculator, and a lot of referencing back to the HDF army book, I created the following super boring unit. I say boring because all I did was take existing rules and say "and they can be a squad instead of unique heroes," but I figured I'd share it in case anyone else wanted to use it.
The idea is that this would be a unit designed to have a Commander hero attached to it and would act as either bodyguards or/and as additional support command (or both). As such, the primary command ability of Double Time is not available here, but everything else is.
It starts at a size 2 so that your "command squad" could be as simple as a commander (the attached hero), his bodyguard, and a radio operator (for example). But upgrade F (acting similarly to the ability to add a heavy weapons team model to infantry squads) can be used to fill it up to a full 5 model squad, which you are free to deck out with weapons as if they were a veteran squad or with command abilities to form a command core to your army. Obviously a combined unit would let you get up to 10. This should let you "build" a command squad however you would like, and should be compatible with an variable build of a GW Command Squad model kit. It would also allow you to include whatever command models you would like since it can also include a psychic or an executioner (as a "grand executioner").
The only rule that is different from the base HDF is the Grand Executioner: Set Public Example. The special ability is almost word for word what the Set Example ability for an Executioner is, except that it affects units within 6" of this model instead of just this model's unit. I figured a Grand Executioner would probably be executing troops in front of him for wavering instead of needing to execute the veteran bodyguards of the commander or needing to execute the other officers he's running with. As such, since it affects a broader area, I increased it's cost nominally.
Link to the updated stats/book/unit "list" (of one):
opr-list-builder.herokuapp.com/army-books/view/b2w6v9vl61we3mnk/print
This has not been tested for balance yet, but the points are directly ripped from the HDF army book (except for the one exception above). The only balance issue I see maybe being an issue is that the game might not appreciate having so many abilities tied to a single unit (after all, the current HDF balance requires you to purchase expensive tough(3) hero units for each ability, and though the ability cost is the same the total cost is padded by the fact that it's a tough(3) hero you're attaching it to). But I don't think that will be a huge issue since your command squad will become a major target if you stack too many command abilities on all it's models, and if you do that there won't be any bodyguard models to soak the damage before you're losing those abilities.
Hope this is useful for anyone else! I am not very active in this forum as of right now so I probably won't be around to respond to comments. Sorry
