D&D 5E: New Titles Via Dungeon Masters Guild

Hey there, fellow nerdites.  I'm happy to announce that I now have two pdf ebooks on Wizards of the Coast's Dungeon Masters Guild.  The Guild is a marketplace where players can contribute to the gaming community by publishing material through OneBookShelf and their consortium of gaming companies.  There is a cornucopia of D&D material to be found there, with prices ranging from free, to a few dollars, to paying whatever you think is fair.

What I have decided is fair is $1.99 for each of mine, which is less than I'd charge for an equivalent work of fiction, given the word counts and amount of time I put into them.  One is a full story adventure module in a creepy small town.  The other is a source book with new feats, custom rules, and new ways to imagine existing character classes, without having to reinvent the rules for them.

Here's what I mean:

 

The simple townsfolk of Jersey Shore generally keep to themselves.  Neighbors might describe them as quiet cow herders, able fishermen, and pious church-goers.  If they had neighbors.  In fact, no one who visits Jersey Shore ever has anything to say.  Because visitors never leave.

This adventure is for early level player characters (levels 2-4), and will require one or two play sessions to complete.  Slip it into your campaign as an unfortunate pit stop in any D&D realm and enjoy an evening chock full of action, monsters, mystery, and humor.

Fantasy/SF writer J. D. Brink ran this adventure with his own D&D players based on just a few scribbled notes.  Now after weeks of further development, it’s ready for your team of D&D heroes.  Are they up to the challenge?

A cup of coffee these days costs four bucks.  An evening full of adventure: half as much.

Find it by clicking here.

Contained herein are more than 40 pages featuring customized game rules, a new, story-based experience system that does away with tracking math, and 17 powerful feats for players.  But that’s not all. 

Presented for your inspiration are 10 complete characters created from new takes on existing classes, all forged via enhanced creation rules that favor player characters.  Each hero features stats, background stories, and character-building decisions spelled out to give you new ideas for your PCs and NPCs.  Examples include an archetype-defying Cthulhu warlock, steampunk mage, Shinto samurai, and rogue spymaster.

Fantasy author J. D. Brink first discovered Dungeons & Dragons more thirty years ago.  Finally, with the advent of the Dungeon Masters’ Guild, he can now share some of his own ideas and game innovations with fellow players of the world’s greatest roleplaying game.  The 5eCC works in conjunction with your own imagination to develop exciting new worlds and the heroes needed to save them!

A cup of coffee these days costs four bucks.  Endless possibilities for your games: half as much.

Find it by clicking here.

* * * 

Check 'em out and let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!  

40K Queen of the Damned, Resurrected

I recently rediscovered this rediscovered blog post sitting in my drafts box…

***

I was thinking of models that I'd like to use as a Herald of Slaanesh and remembered this cool vampire countess.  I also remembered one of the first blog enteries I made, which was making up a 40K character for this model.  So I thought I would revisit Decembra and revise her for 6th edition...   

Decembra, Queen of the Damned

A countess of the nobility of an Imperial world, her orgies and human sacrifices drove her further and further into the clawed hands of the Chaos Powers. She eventually became as close to the mythical vampires as any of their fallen servants.

WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv	Pts
5	4	4	4	3	8	3	8	--/5++	160?

HQ model, Independent Character (infantry), Daemon

Love’s Cold Touch – This is the name she’s given to her sword, a dreaded weapon that drains the blood and soul from its victims.  Her close combat attacks are AP3, unless she rolls a 6 to-wound: these wounds are AP2 and inflicts Instant Death no matter the victim's toughness.

The Deepest Eyes: Decembra’s gaze goes beyond enchanting. Her beautiful dark eyes become endless wells that swallow the mind of anyone who gets lost in them. Units wishing to fire Overwatch against her charge must pass a Leadership test to do so.  Decembra also causes Fear, thus robbing the competence of those who face her, and suffers no initiative penalties for charging through cover (as with offensive grenades). 

Shadow Walk: Appearing from the darkness itself, Decembra may Infiltrate and she and her unit have the Shrouded special rule.  When alone she moves as a shadow, ignoring Difficult Terrain and Impassable Terrain. She may also start the game in reserve and Deepstrike, bringing any unit she’s joined with her whether they normally Deepstrike or not.

Bloodlust: She has the Fleet and Rampage special rules.

Immortal: Having absorbed hundreds of souls over the millennia, she has become an eternal evil.  Decembra counts as a Daemon (fearless and invlun save) and if killed, she may make a Leadership test.  If she passes place Decembra back into reserve with 1 wound remaining.  She may then reenter by outflanking (per Infiltrate), deepstriking (per Shadow Walk), or entering from her own board edge.

Queen of the Damned: So alluring are her wicked charms that souls not strong enough to resist are forced to follow her beyond the grave.   Whenever Decembra kills a non-vehicle, non-monstrous creature in close combat, place those models aside--there is a chance they'll rise as one of her Suitors.  At the end of the Combat Phase, roll a die for each.  Those models whose Leadership is equal to or greater than her own (so Ld 8, 9, or 10) return on a 6.  Those with a lower Leadership return on a 5 or 6.  At the end of the turn place the appropriate number of Suitor models (undead something-or-others) either in coherancy with her (as they join her unit) or with each other within 6" of her (as they form their own unit--minimum of 3 to make their own--or join another existing Suitor unit).   

Suitors: Those who have given their lives for her embrace go on in undeath as her Suitors.  Any army that includes her may also include Suitors as a Troops choice.  Decembra may also have one unit as a retinue of Suitors--these count as an HQ choice that does not take up a Force Org slot.  This retinue may Infiltrate or Deepstrike with her and count as Shrouded while joined by her. 

WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv	Pts
3	3	3	3	1	3	1	5	--	5

Unit: Infantry, 5-20 per unit.

War Gear: Cold clammy hands with gnarly fingernails (CC wpn)

Undead: The Suitors are soulless slaves who are Fearless and Feel No Pain.

***

So what do you think?  I tried to make a fun vampiress who is somewhat well-balanced.  Yes, she has a lot of special rules, might never be truly killed, and can convert enemy units into friendly ones. BUT her stats aren't that great, neither are her Suitors, and she's pretty vulnerable to shooting attacks.  She'd be fun to play!

40K Chaos Cult Formations

Before you get too excited, this is not a rumor blog, whether supposedly confirmed via secret toilet paper messaging system from GW's outhouse, or unconfirmed via drunken nerd convention.  I was actually just talking on the phone with a friend who was telling me about the wildly amazing new Eldar formation bonuses.  Which are very very nice, but, let's face it, terribly outclass ever other codex out there.  Then again--golly gosh!--I guess GW will just have to put out all new $50+ codices for every single army all over again, and every year until our wallets are all emptied out and we can't keep up anymore. 

Oops, I'm getting off topic...  

Anyway, in an indirect way, the conversation made me miss my Chaos, and then I started thinking about different formations and rules that they could do for CSM.  Each chapter/cult/warband could have special formation blocks that grant special rules appropiate to their fluff. 

I did a similar post in November of 2013 when the last Space Marine codex came out with the new chapter tactics.  So most of what's here is copied from that post and slightly added to below.  I'm not putting much into this, just killing some time in the wee hours on a night shift and avoiding the work I should be doing...

These are just a few underdeveloped ideas that I thought up just for fun. 

When I say "Block" it refers to the minimum core units needed to make the formation (I don't know what GW calls them in the books), such as 1 HQ, 2 CSM units, a dedicated transport, etc.
 

ALPHA LEGION: They are described as being "disciplined almost to a fault" and as insurrectionists who sow deceit and chaos by infiltrating societies.
Block:  A block unit might include a minimum of 2 cultist squads to show they've been recruiting by "sowing deceit."  This would grant them bonuses, such as:
Disciplined to a Fault: The core units are Stubborn.
Insurrectionists: Up to three of these units can deploy as Infiltrators/Outflank.

BLACK LEGION: These are the once proud warriors of the Warmaster Horus himself. Of course,the character Abbadon mostly has this covered if you field him.
Block: Units that resemble Space Marines, such as a lot of CSM units, maybe 1 or 2 Dreadnoughts from the olden days, and at least 1 Chosen squad.
Black Crusader: All these units get Hatred vs. Space Marines. 
The Warmaster's Chosen: Veteran Chosen units and Dreadnoughts may pick a bonus trait from these: Infiltrators, Scouts, Tank Hunters, or Prefered Enemy.

IRON WARRIORS: Masters of the siege and builders of war machines.
Block: The block must contain 2-3 Warpsmiths.  These don't count against any HQ requirements or limits.  It also included Forge Fiends and/or Mauler Fiends, and it'd be nice to see some corrupted servitors.
Let the Seige Begin: All units get the Tank Hunter special rule and may reroll Penetration against buildings.
Masters of the Machine:  All Warpsmith's get +1 bonus to their repair rolls. 

NIGHT LORDS: Masters of terror and terrorist actions, they stalk the darkness as predators in search of prey.
Block:  A Lord or Sorcerer with a jump pack, as well as having as many Raptors as CSMs.
Lord of Terror: Your HQ/Warlord has the Lord of Terror Trait, thus causes Fear.  Raptors already cause Fear too.
The Hunt:  Raptor units (along with the HQ if he's attached) may deploy as either Infiltrators or Scouts.  They also start the game with Shrouded until they move, and have Stealth thereafter.

WORD BEARERS: The most fanatical of all Legions in their dedication to the worship of the Chaos Powers.
Block:  The core block must include 2-3 Dark Apostles (that don't count against you for HQs) and an equal number of cultists. 
Shepherds of the Faithful: The number of cultists that these Shepherds lead is never-ending.  Every time a cultist unit is completely destroyed or routed off the board, place it in reserves.  An identical replacement unit comes in on a normal reserve roll.
Dark Crusaders: All Word Bearers in the block unit have the Crusader special rule.

* * *

In my original post I didn't include the god-specific legions, such as the Thousand Sons, Death Guard, World Eaters, and Emperor's Children.  I figured they had marks so they didn't need other chapter rules.  But, brainstorming right now, a few possible Formations might be...

Thousand Sons:  Obviously a Block would include Thousand Sons and be led by a Sorcerer HQ. Having this Formation might unlock some new bonus spells for any of them to use, like a big sand storm or something.  And to go along with the Egyptian theme, I'd like to field some fantasy mummies as cultist/zombie-type units (but that's just me). 

Death Guard:  Would of course include Plague Marines, and I'd like to have access to zombies without having Typhus there all the time.  I could see giving some units (say some ragged Spawn) a disease that they can infect the enemy with, like a Soul Fire effect that lasts after the fight until it burns itself out. 

Emperor's Children:  An HQ with the mark, along with Noise Marines minimum.  Their persuit of perfection might give their dedicated CSM +1 to WS or BS (like the aspect warriors get in the new Eldar blocks).

World Eaters:  Berzerkers required.  Taking the whole formation might give them Fleet on their charges or Crusader, as well as Adamantium Will.

Red Corsairs:  I'm a fan of the Red Corsairs and especially of Huron Blackheart.  He would lead a Block, which would include some Fast Attack units, like Bikers.  His Warlord Trait is to make Infiltrators.  I'd also like to see some kind of sabotage rule or something, something "piratey", like causing a vehicle to fail on a roll of 1 the first time it moves or something.  There's got to be a way to work in a pirate theme there somehow...

* * *

Okay, I guess I should get back to more constructive crap around here.  If you have any other ideas, please comment!

New Eldar Harlequin Rules JDK

I have mixed feelings about the rumors of a new Harlie codex.  I remember back in the day when making a harlie force was doable.  And I can still visualize the White Dwarf pages from 1980-something when they first came out and had tables to roll on for psychic powers and had all the coolest gear.  They've been really pruned back in the last couple iterations, which is a shame, though I'm not totally convinced they should have a full army codex of their own.  Though it has gotten me to thinking, and so I decided to present my own JDK (as opposed to 40K... you know, I'm J. D. Brink...) version of a quick Harlequin Codex.

Harlequins should be like mashed potatoes: light and fluffy.  I don't feel like giving them any heavy vehicles or kitting them out too much goes well with their fluff.  They should remain small, quick, and generally silent.  With that in mind, as well as the current Eldar codex, these are my fast and dirty Harlie lineup ideas:

ARMY SPECIAL RULES:

Standard special rules for the "army" are: Fleet, Hit & Run, and Furious Charge.  These are as the Harlies currently have them in the Eldar Codex (as opposed to Ancient Doom and Battle Focus) and they fit well.  Let's make that standard across all our units.


FORCE ORG:

Using the standard force org, with the following special consideration.

   -- Harlequin units (like those in the Eldar Codex) are considered Elites.  However, you may take a number of Harlequin units as Troops equal to your number of Mime (Troops) units.  Any Harlequin troupes beyond the number of Mime troupes must take up an Elite slot.
   -- Death Jesters are not a Harlie upgrade but a separate Heavy Support entry.
 

HQs:

Character models of the Rogue Trader Era included Warlocks, Avatars, High Warlocks, and High Avatars.  Of course those names are taken by others with Craftworld Eldar now, so we'd have to come up with something else.
I'm not going to go too into making up stats and special rules and all.  My basic ideas would be:

Solitaire:  Max of one on the board (not just one per detachment), an Independent Character that cannot join any units.  Stats would be similar to a Phoenix Lord (but no armor save).  They might has a short list of "warrior powers" to choose from that can make them more badass.
   -- Gear: Rictus Mask, various weapon options.
   -- Friend of the Wind: May choose one of the following: Infiltrate, Scout, or Deepstrike.  The Solitaire may also choose in the Movement phase to disappear, going back into reserve to Deepstrike next turn.  Whenever he does Deepstrike, he scatters only D6" and can do so into terrain without suffering a Dangerous Terrain test.
   -- She Who Thirsts: The Solitaire's role in the Dance comes through in his or her very nature.  He is a Level 1 psychic with the Terrify telepathy power.
   -- The Art of Disappearance:  No one uses a Holosuit like a Solitaire.  He/She has a 3++ invuln save against ranged attacks and a 4++ invuln against close combat attacks.
   -- Blade Dancer: In a duel, he/she rerolls to hit and to wound.

"High Warlock": (they used to be called that)  This would be a level 2 psychic, upgradable to 3, who can pick either Telepathy or Telekinesis as their discipline.
   -- Mind Link: All Harlequin units within 12" can use her Ld (10) when making Ld checks.
 
"High Avatar":  Some form of badass combat leader.  Like the Solitaire, he of she might have special ability and weapon options.


TROOPS:

Mimes:  Mimes are like your less experienced Harlequins, the understudies of the performance crowd.  Let's make Mimes basically the same as Storm and Defender Guardians.
   -- Gear:  Instead of armor, they wear Flipbelts and Holosuits.  Like Guardians, kit them as either shuriken catapult squads or sword and pistol squads, with similar options on gear.

Master Mimes:  These are upgrade squad leaders for Mimes, not a free-standing unit.  WS5, A2, LD9.
   -- Silence:  Master Mimes can project a psychic aura that "silences" other psychic powers.  He and his unit Deny the Witch on a 3+ and all other units within 6" can Deny on a 4+.
   -- Gear: Blades of Grace -- twinned mono-edged sabres that incorporate shuriken pistols like the scorpion chainsabres.
Weapon Profile: S(as user) AP6 Rending, A+1 (cuz there's two of them)

Skyrider Jetbikes: Mimes on bikes.  Basically, same as Windriders.  Can upgrade one to a Master Mime.
   -- Aerial Artistry: All Harlequin jetbikes incorporate a Holo-field.  This combined with their daring aerial acrobatics allow them to take a 5+ Jink (cover) save even when firing their weapons, and a 4+ if they Turboboost (like in 6th edition).  Barring that, they may take a 6++ invuln save (based on holosuit technology).

ELITES:

Harlequins: Basically as they appear in the Eldar Codex now with the Troupe Master upgrade available.  Shadowseers are also an upgrade model that can only be taken with a Harlequin troupe, but I'm adding some stuff.
   -- Gear: As normal, but I'm changing the rules slightly for Kisses and adding some other options.  (See below)
   -- Shadowseer: The Shadowseers retain the Veil of Tears power.  They can also allow the unit to Deepstrike onto the board, ignoring the Dangerous Terrain tests for terrain if they land in it.  (Seems they were there all the time, you just didn't know it.)  Also see my new Hallucinogen Grenade rules below.  

FAST ATTACK:

Harlequin Jetbikes:  Basically Harlequin stats on a jetbike (with T4 of course).  May have an upgrade to a Shadowseer and Troupe Master.  Cannot take a Kiss (moving to fast) but can take a Jetbiker Flail.
   -- Aerial Artistry: All Harlequin jetbikes incorporate a Holo-field.  This combined with their daring aerial acrobatics allow them to take a 5+ Jink (cover) save even when firing their weapons, and a 4+ if they Turboboost (like in 6th edition).  Barring that, they may take a 6++ invuln save (based on holosuit technology).
   -- Jetbiker Flail:  (Optional unit upgrade.)  These are vicious weighted flails and bolas of monofilament line.  The Harlequin Bikers tangle them around their foes then jet off again, jerking the razor-thin cords right through their prey.  These weapons are only usable on the charge and the unit is obligated to perform a Hit & Run at the end of the combat round (if they fail it only means that they didn't quite get away, but the attack is already finished).
Biker Flail profile: S+3(includes furious charge), AP3, Armorbane, on charge only, must attempt Hit & Run

Air Dancers:  Mimes with Jump Troop rules.

Vyper Squadron: Same as in Eldar Codex.  (In my opinion, about as big a vehicle as Harlies should be flying.)
   -- Aerial Artistry: All Harlequin jetbikes incorporate a Holo-field.  This combined with their daring aerial acrobatics allow them to take a 5+ Jink (cover) save even when firing their weapons, and a 4+ if they Turboboost (like in 6th edition).  Barring that, they may take a 6++ invuln save (based on holosuit technology).

HEAVY SUPPORT:

Death Jesters: As in the Eldar Codex but you can buy upto 5 at a time as a squad/troupe.  These, like Warlocks, can then be broken off to act as independent characters who can join other infantry units, or make attacks on their own.
   -- Gear: Rictus Mask and Shrieker Cannon (see both below)

War Walkers: As in the Eldar Codex but with the Harlie special rules, not the Eldar ones, and with a holofield 5++ invuln save, rather than a power field (same diff).


DEDICATED TRANSPORTS:

Pretty much DE Venoms with a shuriken cannon and the Aerial Artistry rule.  

WAR GEAR:
   -- Rictus Mask: Causes Fear
   -- Neuro Disruptor: Harking to the Harlies of old, this is a Template weapon that short-circuits the enemies' brains.  Template, S*, AP*.  Effected models make a Ld test on 3D6.  If they fail they cannot act at all next round and are paralyzed with no saves of any kind allowed.  Models attacked are treated as having WS0 and cannot counter attack.  If not all models in a unit are effects the others may act normally but may not move out of coherency with the paralyzed models.  Vehicles are not effected by this weapon.  
   -- Webber: Another weapon of antiquity.  The webber launches a sticky net that envelopes and crushes the enemy.  All models hit must make a Strength Test or suffer a wound with no armor or cover saves allowed.
   -- Hallucinogen Grenades: Act as both offensive and defensive grenades.  If thrown as a weapon, they have the following profile: Range 8", S2, AP4, Assault 1, Blast, Strikedown (halve Init and move as if in difficult terrain)
   -- Shrieker Cannon:  The rules in the Eldar Codex don't support the fluff.  Therefore:
Range 36", S6, AP5, Assault 3, Bladestorm, Poisonous, Pinning (the "genetic toxins" should be poisonous!)
And since these are one of our Heavy Choices, maybe they have the option of also buying alternate ammo, a Sunfire Shuriken that gets super-hot when exposed to the air.  The range, however, is a bit shorter because eventually the ammo burns itself up.  All Jesters in a squad must fire this in the same turn:
Range 24" S7, AP2, Armorbane
   -- Harlequin Kiss:  Again, the current rules don't support the fluff.  If the weapon turns into a visceral blender then it should have Rending and cause Instant Death.
   -- Harlequin Blades:  The whole squad has the option of paying 3 pts each to get Rending on their hand weapons.

*And for the record, I'll say again that I think shuriken ranges should be: Pistol (12") Catapult (18") Avenger Catapult (24"), Cannon (36").  If 36 is too much, then make it 30 and consistently add 6" to all current ranges.  Isn't that fair??

All in all, I'm a big Harle fan so a codex sounds cool to me, but I'm not sure that really makes me "for it".  But since I like to make up my own rules anyway, I figured I'd take my turn at a Harlequin Codex too.  Hope you enjoyed it.

Slaaneshi Vampires or Possessed Chaos Marines?

A lightning bolt of inspiration hit me yesterday and decided to dive right in.  The idea was primarily for making my own possessed chaos marines unit, but I've also been somewhat on a vampire kick lately, so I got some ideas for that too.

Idea #1: Use these as possessed.  Check, will do.

Idea #2: Field a Chaotic Blood Angels army, a force where for Angels have all actually become vampires.  Could be fun, if I were going to build an entirely new army and convert just about every model.  I'm sure others have already done that and I'd love to see the models.

Idea #3: Invent my own unit and rules, just for fun.  Did that too (below).

These models were made from leftover fantasy ghoul parts.  (I use the ghouls as plague bearers and Typhus zombies.)  The character model is made with Blood Angel Sanguinary Guard parts.  I will likely make 3 or 4 more.  Unlikely I'll field more than 6 or 7 possessed marines.  (They cost too many points.  How does GW justify 26 points a model for them?  Which just lends to my theory that points values are arbitrarily pulled out of someone's butt.  Which is exactly what I did below and may have even over priced my Children of Darkness unit.)

Children of Darkness (elite)

Basically, a Chaos chapter of vampires known as the Children of Darkness.  The more powerful of them, known as Coven Fathers, are masters in their own right and usually have their own wandering bands of freakish monsters.  Fathers are also greedy and selfish by nature, thus you rarely see more than one unit in any one Chaos war band. 

There are two theories as to the origins of the Children of Darkness.  Some hypothesize that they are a chaos chapter derived from the Emperor’s Children, thus the similar name and apparent link to Slaanesh via their endless thirst.  Others believe they are fallen Blood Angels whose have been consumed by their own innate thirsts and become monsters of chaos.  

A unit consists of 4 Children of Darkness marines and 1 Coven Father (character) for 170 pts.  May add up to 5 more Children of Darkness for 22 pts each. 

 

Children of Darkness Chaos Marine

WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
4	4	4	4	1	5	2	8	3+

Gear: power armor, close combat weapon/claws 

Special rules:  Fleet, Fearless, Infiltrate, Acute Senses, Rending, Rage  

Shadow Walk:  They have Move Through Cover and do not suffer the normal Initiative penalty for assaulting through cover (act as if with assault grenades).

Blood Is Life:  For each unsaved wound the unit causes in combat, place a blood marker (such as a penny) next to the unit.  (Do not count kills from a sweeping advance.)  At the end of the combat phase, after all casualties have been removed, roll a D6 for each blood marker.  On a 5+ the unit regains a Wound, allocated by the owning player.  These can be to heal the Coven Father (max of 2 Wnds) and/or return Children from the dead.  Replaced models consolidate with the unit.  If all models were killed in the combat, a new unit forms as close to the combat site as possible but 2” away from enemy models. 

Coven Father

WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
5	4	5	4	2	5	3	9	3+

All rules and gear for Children of Darkness apply to the Coven Father.

He is a Character and has the Champion of Chaos rule.

May buy a Chaos Boon for 10 points.

Unnatural Killer: In addition to Rending, his attacks have the Shred special rule.  

Bring on the Night:  Once per game, at the beginning of the turn, he can cause Night Fighting.

Hypnotic Gaze:  All enemy models in base contact with him reduce their Initiative by one-half.  If in a Challenge, this effects only the challenged model.

Drink of My Cup:  Models killed specifically by the Coven Father’s attacks are set to the side, if they are infantry, jump infantry, bikers, cavalry, or artillery crew.  After combat and after Blood Is Life rolls are made, roll a D6 for each of the Father's victims. On a 5+ they rise from the dead and join the unit.  These become Children of Darkness (infantry) in all respects but retain their original Armor Save. Use an appropriate model. 

Kind of powerful but... Fun!  Wish I could start my own coven right now!

Amazing Spider-Man 40K

I know this is about a month late for the movie buzz, but I jotted down these notes after seeing the movie and haven’t gotten back to them since.  (The movie, by the way, was better than I expected, but that ain’t saying much… I think they did well on the relationship aspects that are a big part of Spider-Man comics and history, the actors did very well, and the visuals were really cool, but there was also some dumb stuff in there.…  Overall: Meh.)   

As you may have seen from me before, I like to convert other nerd aspects to 40K, like superheroes, for example.  Here’s just some fun stats I came up with for Spidey, Electro, and Rhino. 

These are also under 6^th edition rules (FYI).

SPIDER-MAN

WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD	SV
4	6	6	4	3	10*	3	8	- / *

Web-Slinger:  Counts as jump infantry, ignores all terrain, and can move 2D6” in the assault phase even if not assaulting.  He is also Fleet.

Spider Sense:  His danger sense and amazing reflexes give Spider-man Initiative 10 and invulnerable saves: 3+ vs ranged attacks, 4+ in combat.  His speed also gives him Counter-Attack and Rampage special rules in combat.

Web Shooters:   He may use one of two shooting attack profiles:

     -- Rng 18”  S6 AP- Assault D3, Webbing 

     -- Template  S6 AP- Webbing

     * Webbing:  The “to wound” roll against non-vehicle targets is S6 vs the Strength of the target (rather than their Toughness), and  ignores armor all together (cover and invuln saves may be taken).  Each wound gains a Web Marker on the unit.  The target unit cannot move, shoot, fire overwatch, or charge while webbed and when in combat they are reduced to WS1, I1, and make 1 less Attack.  To free themselves they must attack the webbing itself during their assault phase.  Each Web Marker has T4, no save, and 1 wound.  For each hit against vehicles, roll this instead: 1-2 (no effect) 3-4 (cannot move next turn) 5-6 (cannot move or fire next turn).  Vehicle effects last only during the target’s next turn, as they automatically burst free at the beginning of their following turn.  No hull point damage is caused by webbing.

ELECTRO

WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD	SV
3	4	3	4	2	5	1	8	- / 5+

Arc Jump:  Counts as a Jet Bike in all respects as he rides arcs of electricity and may Turboboost.

Energy Deflection: Has a 5+ invuln save.

Dynamo: He is a Level 2 Psyker who rolls 3D6 for psychic tests, discarding a die of his choice.  (In 7^th edition, as I understand it, this 3D6 rule would be ignored and he would instead generate 1 extra die to the dice pool.)

     -- Lightning Bolt (1 warp charge): witchfire:  Rng 18” S7 AP2 Assault D6, Haywire

     -- Overdrive (1 warp charge): Malediction:  24” range, takes control of an enemy vehicle model for one turn.  If target is in a squadron and the target ends Electro’s turn out of coherency, the squadron must move to regain coherency on its turn.

      -- Chain Lightning (2 warp charges): witchfire:  Rng 12” S5 AP4 Assault D3, Haywire, Arc

     * Arc: After resolving the attack against a target roll a D6. On a 4+ it jumps to another random enemy unit within 6” for another D3 shots.  Resolve there (at Electro’s normal BS) and roll for another possible Arc.  The attack stops when it fails to Arc or runs out of targets in range (no unit can be hit more than once in the same turn).

     -- Shock Wave (2 warp charges): witchfire nova:  Rng 6” S5 AP- Haywire

RHINO

WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD	SV
5	2	6	6	3	3	3	7	4+ / *

Brute:  Rhino is a thug through and through, albeit a super-powered one.  He has both Feel No Pain and Rampage.

Rhino Charge:  It’s on the charge that the Rhino is most dangerous.  On a turn in which he initiates an assault, he gains the following benefits:  Strength +2, Hammer of Wrath (at his new S8), Fleet, Smash, and Concussive, and his armor save becomes an invuln save (4+).

I think these would be fun to play!  Of course, lone superheroes and villains versus whole units of seasoned future-tech and alien soldiers…?  They may not last too long, but it’d be fun while they did!