So this is my first attempt at a Faction. Basically any opinions, suggestions, or errors in my faction. Basically I am going for a humanoid faction with an emphasis on range combat and a lack of overall magic.
Greater Understanding: Used this to get access to Gunpowder weapons
Specialized Knowledge: Use it to effect military discipline to get +2 discipline across the board
Adaptive Advantage: Used to increase ranged by 1
Concealment: I want that conceal ability for all my troops
Observation: I want Recon for the redeployment
Quality repairs and maintenance: Make my flintlock rifles cheaper
Military Discipline: I want good troops sizes and make it hard for my opponent to rout me.
Standard Classes
Regulars
Trackers: Give sentry for extra reaction ability
Chain of Command: More disciplie and troops
Jagers
Follow from Regulars
Targeting ranges: Increase ranged
Chain of Command: Same as above
Shock troopers
Follow from regulars
Medium armor: because protection
Elite clases
Artillery
follow from Jagers
Munitions : I want cannons
+1 to range because I want my guns to hit
Take the extra trait of early rockets: This way I increase the units armory without taking up a unit slot.
chain of command: more discipline
Additional properties: No idea, any suggestions?
Winged Hussars
Follow Shock Troopers
Cavalry: I want horses
Increase Martial by 1 because these guys are going into melee
Heavy Lances: Makes sense for mounted. Also forces me not keep these guys in melee. Hit in run.
Chain of Command: But of course
Additional properties: No idea, any suggestions?
Dread Hunters
follow Shock Troopers
Increase martial by 1
Martial axes: This I am conflicted I don't know if I want to go with Martial Sword or Martial Axes. Suggestions?
Biestial Hybrid: This is where things get tricky. I use this to get into the Canus Lupus Branch. Behavioral discipline. Basically these guys don't back down easily.
No chain of command because that puts this above the age bonus.
Leader Classes
Lieutenant
follow from Shock troopers
+1 to command
+1 to another command
Healer: to get access first aid
Prepared for action: get lay of land.
Sniper
Follow from Jager
Increase ranged +1
increase ranged +1 again.
Multibarrel firearms: Manly for the assassination rule below. This I am not certain.
Deadly Assassin: This I am uncertain. May be overkill what with his ranged attack stat.
Hussar Lord
Follow from Winged Hussar
+1 Martial attack
+1 attack
+1 command
Exotic war animals: Canus lupus. From here get behavior discipline and dire wolfen. This I may need clarification on as I am not certain I can have my guy ride a giant wolf.
Heroes
Great Slayer
Follow from dread hunters
+1 martial
+1 ranged
Wereveast: Canus Lupus Inflicted Therianthropy (would Cursed work better?)
Adept Hunter
+1 to strength
+1 to toughness
+2 attacks
+1 to willpower
Chain of command
Commissar
follow from shock trooper
+2 attacks
+1 command
+1 discipline
+1 ranged
+1 martial
Chain of command to increase command
Rigid Command
Edit Forgot to give Commissar martial blades or axes. Sorry
So yeah, that's my faction idea. Did I do it right. any suggestions?
Looks good. Really like the build. I did not look at point cost though. Very versatile faction. You have speed, hard hitters, a Sniper, and good squad size and Command.
Can't wait to see the final faction. I can tell you spent a lot of time to really flesh out the faction and explore the rules. Excellent.
Minor things, and or questions answered you had above.
level 1 Classes- Jagers and Shock Troopers
Level 1 Classes are built off of the base faction. Level 2's allow you to build off of the level 1's or base faction, Level 3's can be built off of base faction or levels 1-2.
Level 2 Classes
Your question from above- As far as Additional Properties goes, Cannons have properties 2 and so does a Hwacha. So no need to increase the Maximum Properties.
Dread Hunters- Martial Swords or Martial Axes? Always a hard choice. Pick one and then later on when you get an additional Class trait pick the other. That way you can choose which one you will need depending upon your opponent. Your list is always made after seeing your mission and opponent's faction. If they have mult-wound models you might go with the axes, otherwise the swords will do just fine.
Level 3
Your sniper? Don't worry about too much Ranged skill for him. In the game you may very well need all of it! It's not overkill, you may even find ways to increase it more with enhancements. Not certain you will need multi barrel, but if you need to be on the move with the sniper it will work well.
As for the Exotic War animal. This is one way to do it and it works. Although as a mount it will not need to worry about it's discipline. This mount is still equipment so realize that if the rider goes so does the mount. Your just customizing the mount.
The other option you have is to create a Monstrous Beast (trait on page 23) later with some progression points to spend and turn a class into Monster with the Monster 4 ability to create your giant wolf.
Were beast...... Inflicted or Cursed? Always a hard choice, but may come down to how you want your faction's lore to look like.
I did not go through the Heroes all that much. They are Level 3 Heroes from the first look.
Overall
Looks solid. At this point it would be cool to get a game in (i know hard right now being locked down) with them to feel the flow and how it works. So many of the suggestions I had above are just based off of gameplay. Really like how I see the classes working together on the table. I think you will find that you will be able to handle just about any other faction.
For the Jagers and Shock troopers
Oh, I thought I could use class 1 units to make class one units.
So unless I want a Tsar cannon or something, no real reason to increase properties
will need to sleep on the axes and swords
I might go back on the sniper with multi barrel....again, will need to sleep on it
My concern with the mount is loosing a class. From what it sounds, going down the monster route will mean I would no longer have access to one of the classes. Unless there is something I am missing.
On the Cannon, it might be something you choose to do later as well, after taking an advanced weapon trait to customize your Cannon. Some Range, or perhaps other enhancement might be down the road.
Its always interesting how Factions develop, but unless you always plan on the faction not being played or advancing, there is always room to grow.
Playtester wise, one of them was always planning every step, while others never spend their progression and rely upon mission awards and just see where they end up. So don't think of your faction as static, unless you really want to of course.
For the mounts I would advise going with the monster route. Otherwise you are dumping alot of points on a wound that might not matter when the rider is killed and to increase the model size by 1.
With the monster route grab heavy war monster; you can still use the monster's bestial hybrid trait to pick those Canis Lupus up, but you can also ensure they actually take part in the fight. I personally like my mounts fast, I'd maybe look into doing a timber wolf trait for the pathfinder movement increase before dire wolfen. I don't know how much the mount's discipline matters unless targeted by a discipline reducing ability. Naftka would know better how the rider-mount interact for morale purposes.
Discipline uses the highest in the squad so that you can match the number of mounts to riders. . You use the riders morale assuming any are left in battle.
Personally I agree on the Monster Route. That way you can have the creatures remain in the battle fighting whether mounted or not.
The other route works if you are adding something light on points and /or very specific to a class.