The Off-Seasonal Arena: Number Two

[Demandred]

Gorb the Filthy licked the rhinox blood off his fists and smacked his lips in anticipation. This would be one heck of a good feast, and there’d be a good fight to boot.

Scratching at himself in contentment, the Butcher’s assistant surveyed the other ogres around him. They gazed hungrily at the rhinox he had just slaughtered, and some of them even gave a little attention to the guard duty they were supposed to be attending to, here inside the newly build Ogre arena. Gorb grinned widely at them, and watched the rhinox blood set into the arena floor, exactly as he was supposed to do.

He could feel Rumgur’s one-eyed gaze upon him as he worked, and hoped that he was doing everything according to the Slaughtermaster’s plan. With the proper sacrifices, the Great Maw would truly bless this arena, and the tribe would grow strong and conquer. If things went wrong, however…Gorb didn’t like to think about that.

The last of the blood drained into the arena floor, and the earth quaked a bit as if gurgling in anticipation of more to come. Nearby, a mighty roar shook a large barred and barricaded cave. Gorb looked up into the arena at Rumgur, sitting with his buckets of bile and intestines. The Slaughtermaster nodded in satisfaction at his young apprentice, and popped a handful of dwarf eyes into his mouth.

Soon, the arena would be filled with fighters, and it would soon drink its fill of their blood. The slaughter of world’s greatest fighter would be but the beginning of a great Ogre feast that would consume the world. They would come by choice or come by force, but in the end, all would bleed in the Arena of Death.

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We are looking for a maximum of sixteen characters. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. If there is an odd number then we will enter one to even the numbers.


How to enter:

You are allowed to use any Lord or Hero character from any of the current army books. Storm of Chaos and the like are out. Below you will find a list of rules on how things work; however, there are a few limits on your characters.

· Each character must be named.
· They must be legal and cost no more than 260 points in total.
· They cannot ride monstrous mounts (mounts with more than one wound).
· No special characters.
· All Hero choices may select 100 points of magic items, rather than the usual 50.
· In addition, each one must be accompanied by a background and a description of them for my write ups.


· To enter, you reply in this thread along with:

· Name of character
· Background
· Equipment
· Total cost

Rules

Equalizers

· Goblin Warbosses (Night Goblins included) may go up to 20 points over their magic item limit providing that they do not exceed 260 pts in total.
· Skink Chieftans may go up to 20 points over their magic item limit providing that they do not exceed 260 pts in total.
· Skaven Warlords may go up to 20 points over their magic item limit providing that they do not exceed 260 pts in total. The Appendix Plague Lord is no longer permitted.
· Tomb Kings get 20 points extra, they may not exceed their magic item limit.
· Empire characters that do not take a Runefang may go up to 20pts over the magic item limit providing that they do not exceed 260 points in total.
· Wood Elf characters may exceed their magic point allowance by 20 points, as long as they do not exceed 260 points in total.
· Bretonnians must pray to gain the Blessing, allowing their opponent to charge them and gain all the benefits thereof in the first round of each combat. A Bretonnian player who does not wish to pray should specify this before the match is rolled.

Additional Rules

Gaze of the Gods - Same points cost, before the battle roll a D6 - 1 = you get a 6+ ward, 2-3 = you get a 5+ ward, 4-6 = you get a 4+ ward. Such is the fickle nature of chaos.

Warpstone amulet - Same points cost, but roll to see if you die BEFORE the fight instead of afterwards.

Killing Blow - If a character scores a KB hit then this is how damaged will be worked out: D2+n

(n stands for the number of original wounds the character had minus two. This gives a 50% chance of killing a character off.)

Dwarfs – Any dwarf lord entered may be mounted upon shieldbearers, all rules and restrictions apply as per usual.

BANNED ITEMS

The following items are banned, they are found to be too powerful or have an unfair advantage in an Arena of Death game.

- Tress of Isolde
- Sword of Fate
- Van Horstmann's Speculum
- The Daemon Sword
- The Fellblade
- The Bane Head
- The Grudge Rune
- Kurbog's Curmudgeonly Klobbera
- Virtue of Confidence
- Annoyance of Netlings
- Palanquin mount
- Pendant of Kaeleth
- Because AFG is such a question asker ! Any and all items/weapons/armor that nullifies or breaks magic weapons or armor.


Also, any item that includes in its rules "nominate one enemy character" is illegal.

How it works

If you have never fought in one of these, the point is to pit two characters against one another, one on one. In all essence it is a challenge as in a normal game but with a few differences. Namely, they’re trapped in an arena with the only way out is to kill or be killed.

We will roll a match up between two characters until one perishes. The one who remains standing will be the victor and progress to the next round.

Combat

- Always Strike First

- First round of combat
In the first round of combat, both warriors count as charging for the purposes of lances and other special rules. If neither warrior has a 'strike first' ability (or a 'strike last' ability), the person with the highest Initiative will strike first. If both warriors are equally entitled to strike first (usually because they have equal initiative), striking order will be determined randomly. In essence, we will follow the rules as outlined by GW for ASF, great weapons, and the like.

- Later rounds
In later rounds of combat, neither warrior gets charging bonuses (pretty obvious ). Strike order will be determined using the same system as in the first round of combat - however, in cases of equal initiative, the die to determine strike order is not rolled. Instead, the person who struck first last time will strike first, combat alternating between each warrior.

- After the Fight
After the fight, the victor advances to the next round. Any wounds they suffer are healed, as well as any other effects (such as the manbane poison: or anything else that permanently reduces statistics). It is as if the last fight never happened!

Psychology

- Break tests
Break tests are ignored in the Arena (where are they going to run in a ring of death?). Other psychology that may force an opponent to flee from combat is also ignored. THERE IS NO WAY TO FLEE IN AN AOD. For this reason, panic, unbreakable and Stubborn also have no effect.

In addition, undead warriors ignore the rule that causes them to take wounds from combat resolution. In a similar manner, daemonic characters do not suffer from instability.

- Fear
Fear is handled similarly to normal. In the first round of combat, a warrior facing a fearsome foe will take a Ld test. If he fails, he will hit on 6+ for that round of combat. After that, fear has no effect.

- Hatred
Hatred is also handled as normal. The warrior will re-roll failed 'to hit' rolls against hated foes in the first round, unless a specific army book overrules this.

- Stupidity
Since stupidity is ignored in combat, it only effects the first turn when the model suffering stupidity is attempting to charge. He or she will take a stupidity test as normal; if failed, the model strikes last, no matter what. I.e., no ASF for failed test.

- Frenzy
While there's nowhere to run, you can still have the frenzy knocked out of you; therefore, models do lose frenzy as normal.

***** Organiser's Note *****

We may make some more rule changes, most likely only to restricted items as we take on the task of surveying the new books for unsporting items.

Cheers, and get those characters in quickly!

[daelrog]

What are the rules for prayers for an Empire warrior-priest?

[Demandred]

Characters Entered

1. Tzotzomatzin (Saurus Oldblood)- Demandred
2. Shademourn (Herald of Slaanesh)- Daelrog
3. Sir Cumference (Templar Grand Master)- ArchonFarseerGuy
4. Valen (Wood Elf Highborn)- Kwike
5. Jared Von Blackheart (Wight King)- Rob The Guru
6. The Blade Weaver (Dark Elf Assassin)- mpdscott
7. Spider Bark (Night Goblin Warboss)- DavidVC04
8. Bogrod the Bloody (Black Orc Warboss)- Tuxedo Clank
9. Dieter von Hellsmack (Vampire)- Exarch Thomo
10. THE FLYING NINJA SKINK O' DOOOM!!! (Skink Chieftan)- Phoenix
11. Stink S'badly (Herald of Nurgle)- Undead Bonzi
12. Rahzorg the Unwieldy (Beastlord)- Tekore
13. Psa-Trel the unfeeling (Tomb King)- Avatar of Khaine
14. Arnold of Clar Karond (Dark Elf Dreadlord)- Attila the Hun Jr.
15. Nurak Tharr (Dwarf Daemonslayer)- Arklite
16. Gar-Loq (Saurus Oldblood)- Andre

[Demandred]

Like the other AoDs, there will be no magic whatsoever. So no Tomb King Incantations or Warrior Priest Bound spells.

This is going to be a normal gathering of Champions for a normal AoD, so no need to add anything special into your characters background (like getting captured by slavers or anything)

The reason for this is not that I think the Seasonal arena idea is bad, its just that this is my first one, so I want to keep it basic until I get a good grip on how this goes.

Also, this may go against the grain, but I will be entering a character as well. I am an honest individual so hopefully no one will have any problems with this.

Tzotzomatzin: Saurus Oldblood
Light Armor & Shield
Aura of Quetzl
Blade of Revered Tzunki
Blessed Spawning of Tzunki

Points= 251

Tzotzomatzin comes from deep within the jungles of Lustria. He is a massive beast of war that has been blessed by the Old One Tzunki, from his spawning to the weapons he wields. No one is quite sure how long Tzotzomatzin has been prowling the jungles of Lustria keeping the relics of the Old Ones safe, but he has been quite effective.

He has mottled blue and green scales, and webbing between the talons of his hands and feet. If you look closely gills can be seen on the sides of his neck. As an additional blessing from Tzunki, Tzotzomatzin moves faster than his somewhat sluggish Saurus brethren. He wields a massive sword carved from tempered obsidian as his weapon of choice, and his only thought to defense beyond his natural scales is a gold gilded shield adorned with the teeth of a cold one.

Now, he has been sent to enter this contest of champions, for the Mage Priests have heard rumors whispered upon the winds that the reward for the winner is an artifact thought lost to the Slann centuries ago. Tzotzomatzin goes to reclaim it with their blessings.

[daelrog]

Fine, I guess I'll try something else out.

Shademourn

A dark, sinister creature that preys upon mortals with troubled dreams. Those who live wartorn lives are particularly prone to having nightmares, seeing fallen foes, comrades, and even their own demise.

Shademourn can take many forms, depending upon who its victim is. The way it kills its victim is always the same though, ripping their souls asunder with its many talons that spawn from its back.

Herald of Slaanesh
-Many Armed Monstrosity
-Etherblade
-Steed of Slaanesh

Total 215 points

[ArchonFarseerGuy]

Spot saver!

I'll post my character later tonight.

-AFG//

[kwike]

Long, matted hair hung heavily form his head, a few strands of golden blond escaped the dirt and foliage of the forest. His hair fell just past his shoulders, almost hiding the gnarled oaken pauldron that reached up into a spike upon his right shoulder. The oak had grown up higher over the past years, now reaching up the right side of his neck and all the way to his eye, where a long finger like root rested just at his eye socket. The armor that he claimed so long ago was now claiming him, covering most of the right side of his torso, and even some of his arm and leg. In his left hand he held onto a simple wooden shield, which protected him from where his living armor could not and in his right hand he held a long spear loosely. He would have just seemed to be apart of the forest, if the blue glowing shard did not glow dimly in againt his chest. The necklace chilled the air, showing his breath as they came in long and relaxed.

Valen
Wood elf Highborn
Shield
Oaken Armor
Fimbulwinter Shard
The Spear of Twilight

Total 253 points
(Hehe I don't expect my guy to do too well, I just thought he would be fun to make )

[RobtheGuru]

Jared Von Blackheart - Wight King

Barded Skeletal Steed(dont include the horse in the write up, just make it sound like hes harder lol)
Black Axe of Krell
Enchanted Shield
Crown of the Damned

Points= 195



The veteran of a long forgotten war, Jared receieved his last name from his own troops. His bloodlust was unparallelled by almost the entire realm. He showed remorse for no one. Man, woman or child, their blood was to fall to his monstrous axe. His long standing hatred for all life led to his eventual return to the mortal plane as a Wight King. His blackheart refusing to let his soul die. His heart is kept in a box, still beating. The stories claim that to rid the world of Jared, his heart must be pierced. While the heart is still intact, he is never truely destroyed.

[ArchonFarseerGuy]

Here is Sir Cumference- he's a favourite at Rezephua.

Sir Cumnference- Grand Master of the Knights of the Round Table
Templar Grand Master
The Knights of the Round Table have their own interesting legends, like that of a great warrior of legend named Arthur. His ideals shock the modern world, such as that of no man being above the other, fighting in challenges to maintain honour, and embarking on heroic quests to win the hand of the local damsel (rather like those Brettonians). Ironically enough, Arthur was shot down by a Goblin arrow on a quest to find some Holy Grail. Upon his deathbed, he gave his son, and his captain a trophy each, and told them to preserve his legacy.

His captain received the famed Wyrmpelt. The finest Drake Arthur had killed, and thus had made into a cloak. The captain formed the Knights of the Round Table in his honour, and the badge of office became this mighty cloak.

His son received a slightly less impressive gift. Upon unwrapping it, he discovered a goblin arrow complete with the bloodstained tip. Disappointed by this gift, and angry at his father's alleged betrayal. He is reported to have been the first person in the Old World to have died of the disease tetanus.

Sir Cumference is a living embodiment of Arthur. A Warrior's warrior, and a truly inspiring fighter. Where he goes, fighters all around him put on posh British accents.

Upon hearing about this arena, he decided to take it upon himself to fight this battle to win glory for his maiden, town, and Order.

Appearance and Fighting Style: Sir Cumference fights atop the magnificent Lord Altivo- his horse. Most of what he wears is covered in his equipment. When using dialogue, he speaks in either Archaic-style english, or Victorian (you pick). He's a very upright warrior who will never stab his opponent in the back, and despises the druchii more than anything.

The Lightning Hammer- Unlike, most other knights, Sir Cumference fights with a hammer, just like noble Sigmar did all those years ago. With it, he is a mighty upholder of justice, for he is also the local magistrate.
This counts as the Hammer of Judgement
The Armour of Diplomacy-The city in which Sir Cumference dwells is home of the Department of Immigrants and Refugees where people from all over the world, including Ind, Cathay, Araby etc, can come and blend in with the residents of the Empire. As a token of friendship, Cathayan smiths forged the Armour of Diplomacy, a magnificent piece granting the wearer a huge amount of fortitude, and nigh impossible to penetrate.
This counts as the Dawn Armour.
The Wyrmpelt - One of the two famed trophies given out on Arthur's deathbed, this magnificent pelt makes the bearer almost impervious to all harm, plus it's a funky piece that makes the bearer look real spiffy
Counts as a Holy Relic

Recap- offensive:
4 WS and I6 attacks, for every hit the enemy takes a Toughness test. On a fail, the hit wounds automatically with no armour saves, plus don't forget the horsies attack.

Recap- defensive:
Re-rollable 1+ Armour Save, 4+ Ward Save

250 pts

-AFG//

[mpdscott]

I am reserving a place for an updated "The Blade Weaver".
As the champion of the previous (and original) Off-Seasonal Arena, it is his/its right to participate.

The Blade Weaver - Druchii Assassin @ 191 Pts
Hand Weapon, Extra Hand Weapon
Dance of Doom
Dark Venom
Rune of Khaine
Touch of Death

Despite the incredible win in the Druchii arena, still very little is known of the creature known as "The Blade Weaver". An assassin of incredible ability, he (possibly she) has inhumed an impressive array of victims from most races currently residing in the Old World.
Wrapped in a cloak seemingly made from perpetual darkness, and wearing innumerable scabbards intricately woven into a cuirass, The Blade Weaver's face remains hidden behind a bronze mask covered in glowing runes. The runes on the mask match the runes engraved on the twin scimitars strapped his/its waist.

The question is, "Is there another contract waiting to be fulfilled or has The Blade Weaver developed a taste for the slaughter and applause?"