Pink and Blue Horrors

[Tzeentch Lord]

I know this should be in the Rules Development forum, and well, it is actually still there (so mods, please don't delete, move or lock this). However, I didn't get much of a response to it (one person replied in fact) as I guess not many Warhammer Chaos players looked at it. Anyway, I'm putting it in here because I need more people to comment and either approve or disapprove of these rules. The reason being that I actually want to start using Horrors again but I don't want to use the dodgy 'generic' horror rules in the Hordes of Chaos book. So, please peruse these ramblings and comment as necessary.
Thank you.

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Since I've always loved the idea of pink and blue horrors, and hated the current rules for generic horrors, I've written some replacement rules. The logic behind these changes is as follows;

The current horrors are horrendously crap in combat and, despite what GW seems to have thought, their magic ability just hasn’t been worth stripping down their stats so much. :mad: So I’ve gone the other way, toning down their magic a bit and restoring some of their combat ability. More importantly, I’ve also reinstated the pink and blue horror system, because a) they’re more fun that way and b) that’s what horrors are all about!

____________M_WS_BS_S__T__W__I__A__Ld_Pts
Pink Horror_4_4__0__4__4__1__3__2__8__18
Blue Horror_4_3__0__3__2__1__4__1__7__ -

Unit Size: 10+

Options: May have flamers added as per the current rules.

Special Rules
Daemonic

Multiply: When a Pink horror is killed, it is removed and replaced by two Blue horrors, these are added to the horrors unit and fill out the back ranks. Blue horrors do not create any other horrors if they are destroyed.
In addition, any pink horrors that are destroyed by magical means (spells or magical weapons/attacks) do not split into blue horrors and are simply removed.
In all cases, any pink horrors that are removed as a result of a failed, or part failed, daemonic instability test never split into blue horrors.

Mixed Formation: If an enemy unit is in combat with both pink and blue horrors, attacks must be declared against pink or blue horrors before rolls to hit are made. Any Daemonic Instability tests are made on the leadership of the pink horrors. If there are no pink horrors remaining, only then is the leadership of the blue horrors used.
If a Horrors unit fails a Instability test but does not disappear completely, surviving blue horrors may be removed in preference to pink horrors as the owning player wishes. But if more wounds have been caused by the failed instability test than there are blue horrors remaining, then pink horrors will have to be removed until the unit has lost enough models to account for all the additional wounds caused.

When shooting attacks are directed against the horrors unit, use the following procedure;
1) Roll to hit the unit as normal.
2) For each hit scored, randomise the hit between the pink horrors and blue horrors by rolling a D6; 1-3 = Pink horror, 4-6 = Blue horror. Obviously if there are only pink horrors in the unit, they will automatically be hit, and vice versa if the unit consists only of blue horrors. If there are fewer pink or blue horrors than there are shots that have hit that horror type, allocate excess hits to the other type of horror. If every horror model in the unit has already taken a hit then randomise the excess hits a second time, whichever horror type the shots hit this time stands.
3) Once hits have been allocated to the two types of horrors, roll to wound and remove casualties as normal. Only once this process has been completed for each separate shooting attack are any blue horrors added to the unit due to pink horror casualties.

If the unit is hit by a cannon, bolt thrower, mortar or template weapon, then only the actual horror models that are covered by the template (or in the line of the cannonball or bolt) are hit. Hits are not randomised in these circumstances.

Spellcasters: Horrors have two spells they can cast, Uncontrollable mutation (same as in the Hordes of Chaos rulebook, but creates pink horrors) and Rainbow Fire of Tzeentch. Both are bound spells with a Power Level equal to half the remaining Pink horrors (rounding up) and of course, may only be used if there is at least one Pink Horror remaining in the unit.

Rainbow Fire of Tzeentch: A magic missile with a range of 30�, range and line of sight are worked out from any model in the front rank. If cast successfully, it inflicts D6 strength 4 hits on the target unit.
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Anyone got any thoughts on these rules? The only thing I'm not sure about is their points value. But I've looked at the daemons of other powers and they have much better stats already and their own special rules as well, for not much more points than horrors.

Thanks to gingerninja, taint and aufde for suggestions and rules clarifications I'm going to take these rules to my club and see if I can get anyone to let me test them out on the battlefield. Next problem though is to get hold of enough classic horror models... :huh:

[gingerninja]

I used to hate fighting these little guys!!

Just a brief suggestion, you may like it, you may not?
Why don't you keep them at the lower points cost, lets say 18. However, if pink horrors are slain by magical weapons, then they don't mulitiply. This would balance them out, I think anyway?

Let me know if Im just being silly

[Tzeentch Lord]

Hmm, nice idea!

So if the horrors are killed by magical means (spells and magical weapons) then any pink horrors that are killed do not multiply into blue horrors.

Yep, excellent suggestion, that's exactly the kind of input I need. Keep it coming people!

I will add any well thought out rules to the original post periodically.
Cheers!

[gingerninja]

Glad to be of service. If I think of anything else. Perhaps making the bound spell equal to half the number of Pink Horrors in the unit? That way their magic would wain as their grip on this world left?

[taint_of_the_dark_ones]

This was one of the more interesting units in the game, and a real pleasure to play. Daemons back when these guys were used were actually useful, now they are only shadows of their former selves.

Good balanced rules by the looks of it, although the bound spell level is abit high, perhaps lower this slightly to fit the current points. 18-20 is a good point cost, and the rest of the stats appear balanced enough. Wish these guys were reintroduced....... (Starts to dream of the old days)
Taint

[aufde]

If pink horror die from the demonic instability, do two blue horrors come? If it is like this I think they shouldn't do that. Fluffwise it makes sense, because the creature is sent back to where ever demons come from(can't think of the place) and it can't split or anything, it's gone.

[Tzeentch Lord]

Yeah gingerninja I agree. In the current rules, the power level of horror spells is equal to half the number of horrors. I might reintroduce that to my version. Because as you say, their power would lessen as their numbers wane and their grip on reality starts to fade. Good point.

And a good rules clarification thanks aufde, pink horrors should not of course, split into blue horrors if they were destroyed as a result of a failed daemonic instability test.

Cheers guys, I'll add these amendments to the original post now.

Also though of this a minute ago...

Addition to the mixed formation rule:

When shooting attacks are directed against the horrors unit, use the following procedure;
1) Roll to hit the unit as normal.
2) For each hit scored, randomise the hit between the pink horrors and blue horrors by rolling a D6; 1-3 = Pink horror, 4-6 = Blue horror. Obviously if there are only pink horrors in the unit, they will automatically be hit, and vice versa if the unit consists only of blue horrors.
If there are fewer pink or blue horrors than there are shots that have hit that horror type, allocate excess hits to the other type of horror. If every horror model in the unit has already taken a hit then randomise the excess hits a second time, whichever horror type the shots hit this time stands.
3) Once hits have been allocated to the two types of horrors, roll to wound and remove casualties as normal. Only once this process has been completed for each separate shooting attack are any blue horrors added to the unit due to pink horror casualties.

If the unit is hit by a cannon, bolt thrower, mortar or template weapon, then only the actual horror models that are covered by the template (or in the line of the cannonball or bolt) are hit. Hits are not randomised in these circumstances.

What do you think? I know it seems a bit complicated (I'm beginning to see why GW might have changed the horrors in the first place...), but I've tried to make the rules as watertight as possible while still making sense! :blink:

[gingerninja]

Personally I would use these tomorrow if my opponent allowed it, and I had a chaos army. Kudos on what is a great idea

[Burn the Herectic]

cant wait to try these rules out for my horrors