Screamer-Killer for Space Crusade

[MortiS-the-Lost]

Here (finally) are my rules for using the classic Screamer-Killer (Carnifex) as a replacement for the Dreadnought in Space Crusade - this is the first of 3 Tyranid 'boss monsters' I've been working on the rules for recently



The Screamer-Killer is one of the larger Tyranid creatures. It is a living engine of destruction bred for use in assaults, boarding actions and massed battles to crush enemy forces. Though less numerous than other Tyranid creatures, Screamer-Killers are almost impossible to kill and capable of immense destruction.

Movement
The Screamer-Killer is a huge monstrous creature which occupies 4 squares and follows all the same Movement rules as a Dreadnought, including the rules for passing through doors.  

Bio-Plasma
Rasping plates in the screamer-Killer's mouth, gases secreted in it's lungs and a high frequency scream produced by the creatures vocal cords combine to produce a ball of unstable Bio-plasma which is belched forth to burn its path across the battlefield.
The Bio-Plasma attack works in the same way as a Plasma Gun, but rolls 2R 1W and has a 2 square wide Line of Effect.

Like other Line-of-Effect weapons Bio-Plasma stops when it hits a wall, door or other obstacle, however if only 1 line of the 2 square wide Line-of-Effect hits an obstacle the other line may continue.  

Example:

 ^The Screamer-Killer uses it's Bio-Plasma attack against this group of Space Marines and rolls a 6. Marines B and C (AV 2) are are killed, Marine D is behind a piece of wall which blocks 1 line of the 2 square wide Line-of-Effect and thus is unharmed. Marine A is of course outside of the Line-of-Effect

Life Points
Like a Dreadnought the Screamer-Killer has 3 life points, however unlike a Dreadnought it continues to roll it's full number of dice in Close Combat and when using it's Bio-Plasma attack until it is reduced to 0 Life Points and killed

Coming soon: The Lictor and The Genestealer Brood Lord!

[MortiS-the-Lost]

Ah now you'll be wanting a Blip for the Screamer Killer so you can add it to your games


Once it's Blip is revealed the Screamer Killer is placed in the way as the Dreadnought

You'll also notice there is a Brood Lord Blip in the JPG above ...

Rules for the Brood Lord in Space Crusade can be found Here

[messyart]

Time to watch our beloved Marines get nommed.. D:

[mr0andyroo]

I have a question regarding the example given. Why would anyone be that stupid to stand that close to a carnifex?

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[messyart]

Imma be ANGRAY about this >:3

1. I didn't pause. I just didn't kill it in one turn.
Instead I killed the two nastiest things in two turns.
Which is like.. One a turn in a way.

2. ANGRAY

3. I was that close to one, Mr andy. I jumped in through a door, and.. It was in my face. It certainly was not a deliberate act D:

[MortiS-the-Lost]

messyart wrote

Imma be ANGRAY about this >:3

1. I didn't pause. I just didn't kill it in one turn.
Instead I killed the two nastiest things in two turns.
Which is like.. One a turn in a way.

Hell yea! You did very well to take out the Screamer Killer (without pause) in 2 turns like that and then finish the 2nd turn killing the Broodlord!

I have a feeling that the next time a Screamer Killer turns up it won't be so easily disposed of though ...

messyart wrote

3. I was that close to one, Mr andy. I jumped in through a door, and.. It was in my face. It certainly was not a deliberate act D:

yes, as I was going to point out to Andy ; often in Space Crusade you don't get the choice of how far away you stand from the monsters. Interestingly the example diagram looks a lot like what happened apart from the fact I rolled all 0s and failed to kill a thing with the Bio-Plasma attack


 ^ Screamer Killer Vs Angry Marines

[Kalrath]

This looks quite cool! How do you figure the attack values? How do you balance them against the dreadnought? Solely by play test?

[Kalrath]

I was reading this again, and have another question. In HTH does the Carnifex have 1 attack with 4R+2W or is it 2 attacks with 2R+1W?

One other thing, seeing you're using the same principle as in the plasmas, have your group ever dabbled with templates to use with the plasma? It feels odd that it can only shoot orthogonally or diagonally. I knows it's for rules simplicity sake, but we're not kids anymore, we can handle a bit of complication. Just something that came to me. What are your thought on this?

[MortiS-the-Lost]

Kalrath wrote

I was reading this again, and have another question. In HTH does the Carnifex have 1 attack with 4R+2W or is it 2 attacks with 2R+1W?

The Screamer-Killer has a single Hand-to-hand Attack of 4R+2W (it's best not to get into close combat with it!)

Kalrath wrote

This looks quite cool! How do you figure the attack values? How do you balance them against the dreadnought? Solely by play test?

The 2nd edition 40k Tyranids Codex was used as a main point of reference while working on the rules for the The Screamer-Killer, allowing me to compare it with other Tyranid creatures that already appear in Space Crusade (Genestealers and Tyranid Warriors). From there I worked out it's hand-to-hand attack should be at least 4 Red Dice (making it comparatively more powerful than a Warrior with Bone-Swords). I then from that decided the Screamer-Killer should be roughly the equal of the Mk VII dreadnought (due to it's size) and it was just a matter of shifting dice around.
The process went something like this; For ranged attacks the Mk VII dreadnought mounts 2 heavy weapons (2 Red Dice) and also gets 2 White Dice for the Bolters on it's body and in Close Combat it gets 2 Red + 2 White. I already knew the Screamer-Killer would need to have at least 4 Red in close combat and only needs to have one Heavy Weapon: it's Bio Plasma attack (which would be roughly equivalent to a Plasma Gun). So 2 Red Dice could be 'shifted' from the redundant 2nd Heavy Weapon slot into Hand-to-hand, giving the Screamer-Killer 4 Red and an extra 2 White in close combat – which (cross referencing back to the Tyranid Codex) seemed about right compared to the Bone Swords and Genestealer's Close Combat attack. The 2 White Dice from the Bolters was added to the Bio-Plasma attack. I then did a little playtesting and tweaked the Screamer-Killer into shape, refining the Bio Plasma attack rules by dropping 1 White Dice and giving it a 2 Square wide Line-of-effect and clarifying it's special rules.

Kalrath wrote

One other thing, seeing you're using the same principle as in the plasmas, have your group ever dabbled with templates to use with the plasma? It feels odd that it can only shoot orthogonally or diagonally. I knows it's for rules simplicity sake, but we're not kids anymore, we can handle a bit of complication. Just something that came to me. What are your thought on this?

Personally I'm trying not to alter the core rules of Space Crusade to keep it as fast playing and easy to learn as possible (I tend to run quite large games in which speed of play is important)
I suppose you could using something along the lines of the 'Line 12' rule from the D&D 3.5 Miniatures rules; which would allow you to fire a Line-of-effect weapon (like a Plasma Gun or Fusion Gun) in almost any direction (Read up on the D&D 'Line 12' rule Here). Basic implication of the rule would be simple in itself, but (as you can see from the link) using the rule in play becomes rather complicated.

[mr0andyroo]

MortiS-the-Lost wrote

yes, as I was going to point out to Andy ; often in Space Crusade you don't get the choice of how far away you stand from the monsters.

This is why I never go anywhere without my trusty Bio-Scanner