Well… As it happens my post didn't show up… Second try!
I have been trying to adapt SAGA to play games set in the world of Warhammer. So far, I have been tweaking the original rules to adapt them to the different setting, including things like Magic and Monstruous creatures. I've tried to keep them as simple as possible. However, I can't claim such an expertise in SAGA as to know if the rules would unbalanced the game too much. Therefore, I would like to share my first draft with the SAGA community and get some feedback.
SAGAhammer
Organizing the warband
Warlord (0 points)
Mages- 1 point per level (up to 4 points). Wizards do not generate SAGA dice in the usual manner. They will have their own SAGA dice (called SAGE dice), that must be roll separately. They can use their dice in their own battleboard only.
Professional warriors- 1 point = 4 figures
Monstruous creatures- 1 point= 1 creature
Warriors- 1 point= 8 figures
Militia/gretchins/goblins- 1 point= 12 figures
The miniatures must be organized in units before the battle begins. All miniatures in a unit must be from the same class. No unit can be stronger than 2 points worth; therefore, a unit of professional warriors won't be stronger than 8 figures, warriors 16 figures and levies 24 figures.
Warlords can join a unit of professional warriors, as his personal retinue, but it can't be stronger than 4 miniatures in that case.
Mages, even if they are the Warlord, can't join any unit. Exception: Vampires.
Monstruous creatures never can join units, even of its own type. They always fight as individuals.
Note: in Warhammer units are more formal than in SAGA. To ease the transition for Warhammer players, I have decided to allow the Warlord recruiting his own group of personal guards and leading them to battle. Also, I have decided to allow for stronger units than 12 figures.
Magic weapons
Warlords only.
Only one such a weapon can be selected by warband.
It costs 1 point to select a magic weapon for the Warlord. Roll 1d6 and see which weapon your Warlord will have.
1) Always attacks firsts: the Warlord can attack before anyone else in the melee. If in a duel and the opponent has also a weapon that attacks first, roll 1D6 and the highest result attacks first.
2) Armour bane: If hits, one of the hits will wound automatically and can't be stopped by the armour of the defender.
3) Preternatural accuracy: Missile weapons only. The Warlord can repeat one failed to hit die roll per game-turn.
4) Soulweapon: hits made by this weapon can only be saved with natural 6. If the armour save is a 6 for start, they can't be saved at all.
5) Baneweapon: Wounds inflicted by this weapon can't be re-generated. It ignores the rule Resiliance in the Warlords. Therefore, a Warlord hit by a Baneweapon will suffer all the hits inflicted, even the first.
6) Monster's bane: any Monstruous creature wounded by this weapon suffers 2 instead 1 wound per unsaved hit.
Magic armour
Only Warlords can select Magic armour, at 1 point cost. Roll 1d6 to chose the armour.
1) Armour of Strength: The first time that the Warlord fails an armour die roll, he can re-roll it. He must accept the second result, even if still is a failure.
2) Shield of Power: Once per game, the Warlord can ignore one hit suffered in Melee or in a duel. It can be combined with the special rule Resiliance.
3) Armour of Destiny: any bonus conceded by enemy weapons, even magic weapons, to penetrate armour is ignored.
4) Armour of the Gods: the Warlord has Regeneration.
5) Shield of Anger: Any attack made by a Monstruous creature against the Warlord is considered as made by a levy model.
6) Armour of contempt: the Warlord has an extra wound.
Magic
Only Mages can use magic.
Although they cost points, Wizards, Warlocks and Shamans don't generate SAGA dice. Instead they generate SAGE dice (pun intended!).
Each magic practicioner generates 2 SAGE dice, plus one extra per level above the first.
They can allocate their SAGE dice to their Winds of Magic battleboards. Only they can use those dice.
They activate like any other unit, but instead of spending normal battleboard dice, they must spend their own SAGE dice. In other words, the dice allocated in the faction battleboard are ignored when activating a magic practicioner.
Necromancers are a special case, as they can be the Warlord in a Undead warband also. In this case, besides their SAGE dice they also generates one single SAGA die. If the Necromancer is not the Warlord (a Vampire has already taken the spot for him or herself!) they act and generate dice as any other magic practicioner.
Vampires and Tomb Kings/Queens are, usually, savvy on magic. In this case, if they are the Warlord they generate SAGA dice as any other Warlord does, but they will generate SAGE dice too, according with his or her level of magic expertise. However, before rolling the player must decide where and how to allocate their dice: per each SAGE dice allocated to the WoM battleboard, he or she must forfeit one SAGA dice, and vice versa.
Note: being distracted by launching a spell is not the best way to lead your men (or skellies!) into the fight.
Magic practicioners that are not Warlords too, can be defied to a Duel only by an enemy magic practicioner. It takes the form of a Magic Duel. Neither of the models need to be in base to base contact, but they must have LoS one to the other. Magic Duels are resolved as any other duel between two Warlords, although you wont' lose the game if your Mage is slain!
Mages that are also leading the Warband can be still defied to Magic Duels. However, refusing the duel won't affect either the Mage or his warband at all.
Magic items
They can be used only by Mages. A Mage can select one magic item, and only one, before the battle. Roll 1d6 to see which Magic item you get:
1) Book of Wisdom: the Mage can, once per game, re-roll all his or her SAGE dices.
2) Familiar: the Mage can double, once per game, the SAGE dices allowed by his or her magic level.
3) Magic Ring: in a Magic Duel, the Mage can ignore the first wound suffered.
4) Wand of Power: until the first wound suffered, the Mage is considered as having one level higher than his or her actual level.
5) Parchment of Knowledge: once per game, the Mage can force any enemy Mage to lose one SAGE dice for the turn.
6) Sceptre of Witchcraft: if in a Magic Duel, the enemy Mage will fail automatically fail all its attacks. Only once per game.
Spells
Each faction has its own spells, as will be shown in their WoM battleboards.
Gunpowder Weapons
In original SAGA there are no gundpowder weapons, but in the Warhammer universe both the Empire and Dwarfs use them. Therefore, it is necessary to make them work in SAGAhammer.
To represent their slow rate of fire, gunpowder weapons can be used to shot if a special order in the battleboards is activated, not by normal shooting activations.
All hits inflicted by gundpowder weapons will reduce armour in 2 points if shot at S or VS range, and 1 point at M range. At L range the ball has spent most of its energy, therefore it doesn't provide any bonus.
For other special rules regarding gunpowder weapons, see the faction special rules.
Otherwise, they use the same rules that any other missile weapon in the game.
Pistols can only be shot at VS or S ranges.
Monstruous creatures
Each Monstruous creature costs 1 point to field. They never can form, nor join, units of any kind. At all effects, they act as individuals.
All Monstruous creatures have 3 wounds.
All Monstruous creatures have an armour of 5.
The attacks made by a Monstruous creature reduce enemy armor by 1 point. Therefore, armour 5 would be 4, and so on.
Monstruous creatures are ponderous and difficult to control. They only can be activated with special orders in their faction battleboards. They can't be activated by normal activation.
Regeneration
Some creatures and warlords (with magic armour) can regenerate. This is a special activation. The model will recover one wound. They never can have more wounds that at the beginning of the game, before any equipment is bought.
Fear
Some creatures are so fearsome that their oponents won't be willing to close into melee against them. If a unit/creature has the special rule Fear, no enemy unit that has Fatigue can close at VS range in order to engage them in melee. Exception: the Warlord and his retinue… the leader can't be seen unwilling to join a melee, even if it is against a monster, can he?
I am trying to design the battleboards for Empire and Chaos Marauders, to start with. Once I have the first draft, I will posted them here and see what you have to say about them.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
finishes basing up his barbarian reinforcements.
