Circle of the Loa Warband

Southrons: Circle of the Loa Warband

v 0.1a 24-Aug-2011 by Balrog the Buff with help from Styrofoam King
v 0.1 19-Aug-2011 by Balrog the Buff and Redhammer

The Loa are worshipped by Bokor, both necromancer and shaman in the same person. They form Circles around themselves of loyal followers and seek to gain dominance over others. While Bokor are usually natives to the Southlands, their followers are as often from the Old World or Araby as not. Each Circle is a religious order serving the Loa, their dark gods.

SPECIAL RULES
Zombie Control Ritual: Living heroes in the Bokor Circle warband all know the ritual needed to remotely control a specially prepared zombie. During the recovery phase a hero may choose to perform the ritual. They are immediately Stunned (but will not fall off edges) and will not begin to recover until they release their control, which may be done at the beginning of their recovery phase. When performed target a friendly Bokor Circle Zombie within 12+Ld inches. The selected zombie uses the Controlling model’s WS, Initiative, Attacks and skills (including spells). The controlled zombie may run and does not need to remain within the 12+Ld inch range. Heroes controlling a zombie gain exp as if they were the zombie.

Wear and Tear: Any zombie that is possessed or controlled during a battle must roll on the serious injury table after the battle. This is in addition to the roll if taken OOA normally. When a zombie is released from control/possession it is immediately knocked down.

Choice of warriors
An Bokor Circle warband must include a minimum of three models. You have 500 gold crowns which you can use to recruit and equip your warband. The maximum number of warriors in the warband is 20.

Bokor: Each Bokor Circle warband must have one Bokor: no more, no less!
Displaced: Your warband may include up to one Displaced.
Acolytes: Your warband may include up to three Acolytes
Initiates: Your warband may include up to five Initiates.
Zombie: Your warband may include any number of Zombies.
Enhanced Zombie: Your warband may include up to five Enhanced Zombies.

Starting experience
A Bokor starts with 20 Experience.
A Displaced starts with 0 Experience.
An Acolyte starts with 8 Experience.
Initiates start with 0 Experience.

Skills:
Bokor: Academic, Strength, Speed, Shaman, Special
Displaced: Combat, Strength, Speed
Acolytes: Speed, Special

Circle equipment list

Hand-to-hand combat weapons
Dagger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1st free/2 gc
Mace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 gc
Axe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 gc
Spear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 gc
Sword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 gc
Halberd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 gc
Two Handed Weapon . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 gc


Missile weapons
Bow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 gc
Crossbow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 gc

Armour
Shield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 gc
Buckler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 gc
Toughened Leather . . . . . . . . . . 5 gc
Helmet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 gc
Light Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 gc

Misc Equipment
Zombie Powder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 gc

HEROES
1 Bokor - 80gc
The Bokor is a sorcerer who practices the Shamanism of the Southlands as well as necromancy. They are masters of Zombie creation. They act as the high priests of the Loa for their Circle.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 4 4 3 3 1 4 1 8
Weapons/Armour: Weapons and armor chosen from the Circle equipment list.
Special Rules: Leader, Serve the Loa with Both Hands
Serve the Loa with Both Hands: The Bokor knows both Shamanism and Necromancy magic. The Bokor counts as both a Shaman and a Necromancer and starts with a random spell generated from each list.
Strayed from the Path: Enemy heroes with access to Shaman skills Hate the Bokor.

0-1 Displaced - 50gc
The Displaced are a rare type of spirit that is a human soul separated from the body, but unable to move on. Bokor contain and enhance these souls to grant them control over their partial undeath. The Displaced are capable of entering specially prepared corpses and controlling them for short periods of time.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 2 0 3 3 1 3 1 7
Weapons/Armour: Displaced cannot directly interact with the world and thus cannot use equipment.
Special Rules: Possession, Ethereal, Wispy Form, Human Soul, Immune to Psychology, May not Search for Rare Items

Possession: A Displaced that moves into contact with a Bokor Warband zombie may immediately possess the Zombie. The Zombie now uses the Displaced’s stats and skills while retaining the Zombie’s special rules. If the zombie is taken out of action the Displaced rolls once on the Injury Chart immediately. The possessed zombie may run. The Displaced may possess a zombie currently in a melee, in which case the zombie counts as if just standing up from knocked down.

Ethereal: The Displaced may not be affected by non magical attacks, environmental effects or weather conditions; however may also not affect other models or objects directly unless possessing a zombie. So unless it is possessing a zombie the Displaced cannot pick up items or treasure.

Wisp Form: When not possessing a zombie The Displaced is in Wisp Form and always counts as hidden. When in Wisp Form it may move 12” and ignores terrain while doing so (must still avoid enemy models as per rules). The Displaced will never take falling damage. The Displaced does not affect enemy running and may not intercept charges while in Wisp form.

Human Soul: The Displaced used to be human at one point and uses the human racial maximums.

0-3 Acolytes - 30gc + Specialization
Acolytes are servants of the Loa initiated into the religious aspects of the Circle.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 7
Weapons/Armour: Weapons and armor chosen from the Circle equipment list.
Special Rules:
Specialization: Each acolyte must take a single specialization when hired for the added cost listed. However, only one spell caster Acolyte may be in a given warband.

Apprentice Houngan: 20 gc the Apprentice Houngan begins play with a single spell from the Shaman spell list and may choose from the Shaman skill list when learning new skills.

Necromancer: 20 gc The Necromancer begins play with a single spell from the Necromancy list, and may learn from the Academic skill list when learning new skills.

Warrior: 10 gc +1 ws and may choose from the combat and shooting skills when learning new skills.

Wrangler: 5 gc +1 init and may choose from Beastmastery skills when learning new skills.

Menial: 10 gc +1 S and may choose from Strength skills when learning new skills.


HENCHMEN
0-5 Bossale -25gc
Bossale are the uninitiated layman rank of the Circle. They have yet to achieve distinction and thus serve with fanatical ferver however they can in hopes of impressing their Circle’s Bokor.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 2 2 3 3 1 3 2 6
Weapons/Armour: Weapons and armor chosen from the Circle equipment list.
Special Rule: Superstitious
Superstitious: Bossale inherantly are superstitious people and suffer Fear from any model capable of casting spells or prayers.

0+ Zombie - 15gc
“Brains…”
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 2 0 3 3 1 1 1 5
Weapons/Armour: None.

0-3 Enhanced Zombie - 40 gc
“Brains!”
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 2 0 4 4 1 2 1 5
Weapons/Armour: None.
SPECIAL RULES
Counts as a Zombie for possession, control and skills.

Bokor Circle Special Skills
~ Graceful Soul: The hero ignores the Wear and Tear rule on any zombie they control. Also the hero is only Knocked Down rather than Stunned by use of the Zombie Control Ritual.

~ Forceful Soul: The hero adds 12” to the range of the Zombie Control Ritual and the Controlled Zombie gains the Leap Up skill while controlled.

~ Indomitable Soul: The hero gains a 12” S3 ranged attack that ignores armor while controlling a zombie. The attack is made on the Hero’s Bs and is not affected by range or movement penalties. Cover applies as normal. In order to use the ranged attack the hero must pass a Ld test.

~ Soul Gaze: The hero now causes Fear.

~ Refined Powder Crafter: When taking Zombie Powder the hero no longer must roll for the negative effects. This does not help with any previously suffered negative effects.

~ Zombie Expert: May only be taken by model capable of using Necromancy spells. The model may add one free basic zombie to the warband per after battle sequence as long as they were not taken OOA. May only be used if a model is removed from the warband that after battle sequence. Also increases the max number of Enhanced Zombies in the warband to 5.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Zombie Powder – 15 gc – Rare 5 (Bokor Circle Warbands only) One Use Only
A model that takes Zombie Powder before a battle becomes Immune to Psychology, Adds 1 to Strength and gains Feel No Pain for the duration of the battle. No speed skills may be used and the model Strikes Last in combat.
Negative Effect: If the model survives, after the battle roll a d6:
1: permanent -1 to Initiative and miss next battle
2-3: Miss next battle
4-6: no effect (other than really bad for your health)

Looks neat. I suggest you do the same thing I did after the first testing of the Sartosa Ghost Pirates: give the normal Bossale something "undeadish" about them (either now, or once they become heroes) Otherwise, the warband feels too normal, without the full Human kick.

Or maybe give them Young Blood stats, but with A2. Not quite ghouls, but savage and hungry enough that they play differently than Mercs.

I like the idea of the Bossale being actual Fanatics. So Ws and Bs 2 but attacks 2. Makes them very good if they get Lads got talent and start controlling zombies. Plus would be a good excuse to use dreg or ghoul models with some green stuff.

Also give them LD6, maybe even 5. That would give the warband an interesting mix... half of them are fearless, half are fearful.

So the current list would be:
Bokor
Displaced
0-3 Initiates/Acoyltes with their specializations
0-5 Fanatial, superstitious Bossale (normal humans, but fanatical devotion to the Circle)
0-3(5) Enhanced Zombies
0+ Zombies
So end game half of the team at least will be zombies of some sort. Fluff-wise I wanted this list to be about a core group of Heroes with a lot of Zombies (and a few Bossale). The Bossale are supposed to be normal humans who have come to worship the Loa. Since they are not fully initiated into the religious order of the Loa they are fanatical in their attempts to prove themselves to their gods.

I don't know if I clearly stated this ever but the current house rules I want to apply to Southlands is that Shields and bucklers provide an additional +1 save in close combat and Frenzy is only +1 A (unless the veterans feel it isn't a big deal).

In addition I think I may keep Bossale at 6 Ld but make them Fear any spellcaster (edit: including prayer users and shamanism, but not non-magical effects like Mu'au'ri war-dances or Rants etc.) due to superstitious ways, even when controlling a Zombie.

Edited to clarify the Fear of spellcasters.

Fear of casters: Very nice. A weakness that's strong enough to give 'em flavor, without being too strong or insignificant. Probably should throw in prayer casters too, or at least specify one or the other.

Also, if I ever finish Storm of Magic, they'd be perfect... two casters = a huge strength, but fear of casters counterbalances it beautifully (as the campaign's FULL of 'em!)