Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team (HoR)/Tactics (8E)

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This is a stub of the unofficial Heralds of Ruin Kill-Team ruleset, which seeks to establish a separate paradigm from the official GW Kill-Team. For starters, there is a bit more focus on how morale and setting take part in the battle and there is a more inclusive ruleset not so easily bound to what models are made.


The website Heralds of Ruin contains all rules.

General Tactics

HoR changes a lot of the usual dogmas about 40K that you need to revert to get into Kill Team - Don't get us wrong, it is still the same game, but the focus is shifted to a few key models instead of the usual bucketload of models, so you need to use a more focused mindset - Your "Heavy Support" might only be a couple of Devastators, and your "HQ" is usually something equivalent of Sergeants and Nobs. That said, because there are so few models, fewer AP/S and almost no Vehicles, the resilience of your models goes up in general. T 5 and up is suddenly king, and any Armour Save over 4+ is badass for most models.

Unlike GW's Kill-Team, though, the progression is not so singularly gated, meaning that a Gunner will not necessarily stay a Gunner. The armoury is also considerably more open without factoring in any expansions or the like.

Also, even though it is not a written rule, many team leaders gain extra wounds in their statline, meaning they can take a little more damage.

Building a Kill team

This is usually the expensive part of making an army, but when playing Kill Team, you usually just need two or three kits of infantry. A Space Marine Team can be made of a kit of Tacs and a kit of Sternguards without problem, and even Orks can make an entire army of a box of Nobs and a box of Boyz.

A Kill Team is usually set at around 250 pts, and in general has one Team Leader (who keeps up morale and kick ass in CC), about 20-30 Core models (Do I need to explain) and about 5 Special Models (Who are models that would otherwise be a bitch to fight, and therefore is kept to a minimum, like Terminators or Dark Reapers). Most Team Leaders have some ability to get Special Models to Core (see the aforementioned Terminators), or increase the amount you can take of some Core models, which is why it is best to choose your Team Leader first before getting the rest - A Team Leader is good, A Team Leader that fits within the list and boosts it is absolutely boss.

There are two general rules when creating a Kill Team:

  • Never be too Elite: When you can generally only shoot one model at a time, your attacks get funneled down to a little bit of the enemy while the enemy can gang on you - That will often end up with you getting crumped by the sheer amount of the models the enemy might swamp you with. Not that you can't be elite-ish, just remember the 40K dogma of "There is quality in quantity".
  • Placement actually matters: Most 40K games are placed on half-empty boards with a lot of place for you units of Mahreens, Kill Team is jammed with terrain in several stories - If there is room for a Rhino to drive about, you are doing it wrong. Think about that when you make your list - Heavy weaponry needs to get up in to places where they can see more than an alley, so that will be about one or two turns were they can't use their guns right. Plus, the terrain will slow your dudes down.

New Rules

Kill team brings in a whole lot of new rules to simulate what the producers call a "cinematic experience", alongside simple amendments for rules like Mob Rule and Orders that make the more iconic parts of each faction stand out even more. They also bring new rules entirely for some models, a good load of extra gear for all factions and some new factions like Adeptus Arbites, Genestealer Cults and Deathwatch armies, making the game function more like Mordheim than 40K. What follows is a list of changed rules and amendments for the game in general. If it isn't mentioned, it hasn't been changed.

  • Movement Phase.
    • Difficult Terrain: When moving through Difficult Terrain, your model subtracts 2" from its total Movement.
    • Advancing: All your models have suddenly learned to move about without stumbling all the time: you can choose between trying your luck with D6" or adding a flat 3" when Advancing.
    • Climbing: Same as Difficult Terrain, subtract 2".
      • Jumping and Jumping Down: Move to the edge of where you want to jump, then roll a D6: on a 2+ you can use your remaining inches to move through the air to you assigned location. If failed, the model will fall to the bottom of the building, closest to where your model jumped and take a S X Ap X/2 hit, where X is equal to inches fallen. Damage is 1 for falling less than 6", D3 otherwise. When jumping down, don't measure the distance travelled down as movement. If the model Advanced add 3" to the jump distance.
    • Hiding: If your model is more than 6" away from any enemy model and is 50% obscured or better from all enemy sources, you can choose to Hide. When hiding, no enemy can target you with any kind of weaponry or Psychic power. Your own model has effectively ended their turn if they choose to Hide, and will be able to move as normal next turn. If an enemy model moves so they are within 6" or can see more than 50% of the enemy model, the effects of Hiding immediately expires.
  • Terrain.
    • Real Terrain: Kill Team simulates walls just more realistically - A wall is a wall and cannot be moved through if there are no doors or openings, where doors are regardes as any actual doors on the Ruin model, and open spaces as any open space less than 1" high and more than 1" across. This means that most chest high walls can be moved through without suffering Difficult Terrain.
  • Psychic Phase.
    • Generating Powers: Same as Bighammer, although you can generally cast and deny only one power per turn. Also, no Smite spam: each power can be cast only once per turn.
    • Smite: given the limited nature of Kill Team, Smite has been nerfed to 1 Mortal Wound or D3 on a 10+.
    • Area of Effect: powers affecting whole units now have a 3" AoE radiating from their primary target.
  • Psychology.
    • The Rout Test: When you start a turn on a higher Rout Threshold than your opponent, your Team Leader (or the highest-Leadership model left, if your Team Leader has bitten it) must take a Rout test, which is a standard Ld-test - If passed, nothing happens. If failed, your team retreats and instantly ends the game. Note that the routing team is not auto-losing: count VPs as normal. You can choose to Rout even if you succeeded on staying on the table, though this mostly is used in Campaign to keep the troops alive.
    • Rout Thresholds
      • Threshold 0: more than 50% of your Team is alive
      • Threshold 1: 50-25% of your Team is alive
      • Threshold 2: less than 25% of your Team is alive
    • Nerve: When a model is taken out of action, all friendly model within 3" take a Leadership test. If failed, the model must try to Hide following the usual crit-CLANG - WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?
  • New Rules.
    • Grenades: Grenades are always One Use Only.
    • Suppressing Fire: Any model with a ranged weapon with more than one shot per Shooting Phase may choose to allocate those shots - The original target gets the first shot, then pick as many enemy models within 6" as there are remaining shots. You may only allocate more than one shot on a model if all other targets has one shot on them too.
    • New USR.
      • Inspiring Presence: A rule Team Leaders have by default. It allows any model within 6" of the model with the IP rule to use that model's Ld for anything - Nerve, Psychic Powers tests, you name it. Simple, really.
      • Look Out (Sir)!: Yes, this one's back. Whenever a model with Inspiring Presence is targeted, an ally within 3" can test Ld to make themselves the target, giving the attacker a +1 to hit. This is limited to once per target per phase, meaning that you can't have a dozen cultists throw their lives down to protect a Chaos Lord from an autocannon.
  • Charge Phase (This is where it gets tricky).
    • New Order of Operation: First, chose an enemy model, then, declare any and all charges against that single model. This means that massed charges at each model will happen, and reactions will be accordingly for the receiver of the charge - He can choose who and what to Overwatch, and if he want someone to charge to afterwards.
    • Supporting Charge: A model may charge a model already stuck in even though he can't be moved to be in base contact with the enemy model - Charge like you would measure towards the enemy, and then get your model as close to the enemy as possible. A model who charged this way are counted as being in melee with the enemy model regardless of Line of Sight.
      • Supporting Combat: Any model in base contact with a friendly model in base contact with an enemy may fight like it was in melee itself.
    • Overwatch: All friendly models within 3" of the charged model may shoot Overwatch as well. This can be dangerous if one model charges a mob, but with clever redirection it shouldn't be too dangerous.
    • Counter-Charge: Friendly models within 3" of a charged model may take a Ld test to see if they are allowed to get stuck in with the closest enemy model, allowing them to fight in melee against the charging opponent. Models with Counter-charge rule get 1+ Attack for doing so, too.
    • Redirection: If you killed the model you wanted to charge in the Shooting Phase, make a Ld test - If successful, your model may charge an enemy model within 3" of the original recipient of the charge.
    • Charging up: If a model charges up a building per the Movement rules, it must pass an Initiative test or get stumped at the edge at the building, receiving enemy Overwatch in turn. If succeeded, the model may charge, albeit at WS-1 ("If it succeeds, the model completes its charge, but reduces its WS by 1 during the subsequent Fight sub-phase") this turn.
    • Charging down: If jumping down upon an enemy model when charging, make an Initiative test: If failed, the model falls per the Movement rules. If successful, the charging model gain 1+ S that turn.
  • Fight Phase
  • Shove: At any point where one model is within 3" of a cliff, both attacker and defender roll off, adding the model's strength to the roll. If the attacker wins, the defender takes damage as if they took a fall.
    • Combat Resolution: Just like the main game - The highest amount of wounds drive the other enemy away. the following achievements also gain a bonus for the teams who accomplish them. All give 1 extra wound for resolution purposes only.
      • A Model in combat Charged that turn.
      • A Model in combat Counter-charged that turn.
      • A Model bears a banner (Standard, Bosspole, etc).
      • The enemy is outnumbered 1 to 5.

Tactical Points

Of course, just like bighammer, there are Command Points available, here renamed "Tactical Points". However, the means to get them are a good lot more diverse to compensate for the lack of different detachments. The following are open to all armies:

  • Destined for Greatness: +3 TP for using a Team Leader. In campaigns, this is increased by +1 for each fight the leader took part in.
  • Strength in Numbers: +1 TP for taking the max allotment of Core models.
  • Cream of the Crop:+1 TP for taking the max allotment of Special models.
  • Mind the Boat: +1 TP for taking the minimum allotment of Core or Special models. This adds +2 if you have a minimum of both.
  • HeroHammer: +1 TP per model that costs 100+ points.
  • Bound By Experience: +1 TP if your team shares one non-faction keyword (Character doesn't count). This is increased to +3 if they share all keywords.
  • Death and Diversity: +1 TP if your entire team has 8+ different faction and unit-specific keywords.
  • Boots Before Loot: +1 TP if your team lacks any inventory from the Opus Armoury.
  • Shiny Fingz: +1 TP if your team carries 3+ items from the Opus Armoury.
  • Motley Crew: +1 TP if your team is not from a single army Opus, if possible.

Philosophies

These are a bit like warlord traits, but these have a direct impact on how the army can gain extra Tactical Points.

  • One-Track Mind: +1 TP if you limit yourself to using only one Tactical Action per game.
  • Keep Them Guessing: +2 TP, but you can never use any Tactical Action more than once.
  • Bloodthirsty: +1 TP for scoring First Blood; this is raised to +2 TP if your Warlord scored the kill.
  • Raider: +1 TP the first time a model from your team enters the enemy deployment zone.

Tactical Actions

Because those Tactical Points have to be used for something, just like Command Points.

  • Tactical Re-Roll (1 TP): Re-roll a single die.
  • Speed is of the Essence (1 TP): Up to two models may ignore any terrain this phase.
  • Counter-Attack (1 TP): Used at the start of a charge. After the charge, you can let one model fight back.
  • Immovable Object (1 TP): Select one objective. So long as a model from your side is within 3" of it, you count as having one extra model there. This can be used multiple times, but only once per round.
  • Unstoppable Force (2 TP): One model counts as having charged for the Fight phase even if they did not do so.
  • At Any Cost (3 TP): Auto-pass any Rout test for the turn.
  • One Step Ahead (X TP): Add X (X being the number of TP spent) to the roll to determine who goes first.


Campaigns

In order to allow narratives to be made in an organized fashion, there are supplemental rules that tell how a campaign can be run.

  1. Build a Kill-Team. The recommended amount is around 250 points.
    • Establish a Force. This Force is essentially a pool of all the models you have for the whole campaign.
      • In a Force, Core Models of the same type join into 5-man groups which are deployed together in a game. This is just so you can roll certain upgrades without having to pour over every single model. They're otherwise the same as regular.
        • If you ever need to replace a lost member of a group, roll 1d6. If the result is higher than or equal to the number of battle honours the team has, then they'll be replacing that model. Otherwise, the new guy won't be able to be used and you have to wait a turn before trying again.
        • Squads act as single groups. They gain Battle Honours and replacements as if they're a group.
      • In a game where the Leader is out of commission, a Special Model can become a Leader with Inspiring Aura. This makes them effectively a leader, but it'll costs -1VP from whatever winnings you get. Note that if you have no Core models to use in a game, then you immediately forfeit the game.
  2. Play the damn game. Seriously.
  3. Determine injuries for totally-dead models/squads.
    • Core and special units have different result tables to roll on for injuries, as do transports, walkers, and artillery if you take them. While Core units either get dead or alive, Special models can risk losing from a stat or being temporarily out of a game.
  4. Determine RP and Renown won
    • Requisition is won through accomplishing certain goals in the game. They make models better.
    • Renown is generally how good you are, so they're a score. Winners gain renown, losers roll d6 where they either lose Renown for what happened or gets +1.
  5. Spend RP
    • You can either spend Requisition to replace models, upgrade the base or buy Battle Honours for certain models.
      • Base upgrades give you not only bonus points to spend on your Force, but you can also spend Requisition to get you bonuses you can use on-field.
      • Battle Honours upgrade one model in a group by either raising his stats or giving him special rules he normally doesn't get. Walkers and Transports have different upgrades from the infantry, with one allowing them to recover any lasting damage they take from the Injury Results Table. If a model ever is killed and stays dead after a game, they lose whatever Battle Honours they get.

Rinse and repeat until you have a winner.


Tactics

All existing factions has updated rules as per 7th, and has their own list of models and wargear for use. Most are existing models with no extra rules, but some are slightly changed to make them work with the rules of Kill Team. Some are completely new entries with rules unseen in the offical codices though, so all is not the same. The armywide rules are also amended in most cases. The lists also assume thay you have your codex at hand, as most upgrades and rules beyond the most base statlines aren't stated.

Imperium.


Chaos.

Xenos.

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