I'm inclined to do the engineers as actually a trio of character levels the lowest being a journeyman technician, then master engineer, and dean of engineers. These characters would not have access to magical items although the items they do have access to have properties that will seem magical (Experimental weaponry), also they will have access to army bumps from the university of engineering in Nuln (known as the schola bellator).
Journeyman Engineering Technician cost: 25 points
Special Rules: Unit upgrade, counts as a unit champion in all respects. Save that he may refuse challenges without penalty, Jouneyman.
Stats: M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 3 4 3 3 1 3 1 7
Equipment options: comes with light armour, Warhorse (8 pts)), may choose weapons or tactical upgrades from the experimental weaponry or Schola Bellator lists to a maximum value of 50 points.
Master Engineer
Special Rules: Master Engineer, Experimental Weaponry, Schola Bellator.
Stats: as is except for bs 5 and ld 8
Equipment Options: may take special weapon and tactical upgrades from the experimental weaponry, and Scola Bellator lists to a maximum value of 75 points.
Mount Options: may ride a SENTIENT barded warhorse for +10 points barding +4 or a mechanical one for +20
Cost: 50
Dean of Engineers
M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 3 5 3 3 2 4 2 9
Special Rules:Master engineer, Experimental weaponry, Schola Bellator, Master of engineers.
Equipment options: as engineer except may take Upgrades to a maximum value of 150 points as well as FP (+8 pts)
Mount Options: Steam Tank 300, Warhorse +15 which may be barded +6
Cost: 60pts
Applicable special rules:
If any engineering characters are selected certain army abilities are unlocked to both units and or characters.
<Journeyman: this character is incomplete in his training to be a master engineer and as such may benefit only fromone of the warmachine benefits at a time and must also accompany it to gain these, and cannot crew it on his own but may continue to act as an additional crewman so long as he is attached.
<Master Engineer: There must be at least 1 Master Engineer in an Empire army for every steam tank. If not accompanying a war machine, At the beginning of each Empire shooting phase, you may choose 1 Empire War Machine within 6". For the duration of that phase, the machine gets your choice of 1 of the following: +1 to hit; may re-roll the artillery die; and may re-roll any roll on a misfire chart. If accompanying a war machine, you must nominate that machine, but it gets all the aforementioned benefits. A master engineer may crew a war machine on his own if the crew he is accompanying is killed.
<Master OF Engineers: If a Dean of engineers is general of an army he may take a body guard of outriders from the PistolKorps these troopers do not count towards the core/special/ rare quota in any way. If the Dean is mounted in a S-tank they will act as a cavalry detachment to the S-tank. Command range for this detachment is 7 inches refer to the Detachment rules in all other respects.
<Schola Bellator: The engineers of the empire are not merely tinkerers and mechanics, they are scholars and historians of the art of War and as such have access to many unit upgrades, and army special abilities. However in order to confer these special attributes to the soldiers of his most Imperial Majesty they must be present to confer the effect in a strategic and practical setting.
-Prepared Defenses: a variety of prepared defenses can be bought by engineers who use this ability. The prepared defenses an engineer may buy for the unit’s in his army are such.
- Gabions: these are large earthen filled wooden barricades to defend a warmachine from all but the most accurate of attacks. The machine and crew counts as being behind hard cover. This cover save is not lost even to S 10 attacks due to the inertia absorbing properties of the cover. 20 points per war machine
- Ditch and Embankment: This is a quickly dug ditch with the earth thrown up onto the defended side to create an embankment which is then fortified with stakes, broken spears, etc. this will be a defended obstacle, providing a soft cover save to it's defenders who can hunker down behind the earthen embankment 20 points per unit. This will count as a terrain feature for the remainder of the game.
<Engineering Tactica: These are the abilities the learned and scholarly engineers have emphasized in their extension students, generally considered unchivalrous and underhanded by those they are used against these abilities are no less capitalized to the fullest when available by even the most stiff necked Imperial knight.
-Ambush : 1 point per model, designated to a specific engineering character
Troops noted for their ability to surprize thier enemies may be deployed in Ambush. At the beginning of the battle before units are placed, units in Ambush may be kept off of the battlefield. The position of the unit is written down. Once all units have been deployed this unit may either be placed in the controlling players zone or kept hidden in ambush. Scouting rules then apply.
-Imperial Stratagem : The imperial general actually listens to the learned council of his engineer liutenanant (unless the general is the dean , in which case he's in charge) and gives battle to the enemy on his own terns and on favourable ground. For
each master engineer or dean of engineers present at the battle the player may choose
one of the following actions. The player may choose to go either first or second regardless of die rolls and other applicable rules (this can force Brettonians NOT to play before battle), as well the player may move a terrain piece up to 6 inches in any direction, multiple engineers can repeat this action. This happens in the empire players first turn regardless of whether the other player has moved or not. this ability is paid for by having engineering characters on the battlefield in place of thier more martial or magical comrades.
<Experimental Weaponry: Master Engineers bring a cache of experimental weaponry to battle. Some are too complex or dangerous for anyone but the engineer himself to use, but others become available to Elector Counts, Captains, or unit upgrades in the army. If multiple master engineers are fielded, the cost of each weapon is reduced by 5pt for characters, the points cost for unit upgrades is never reduced. The following is the table of experimental weapons:
Pigeon Bombs 20 points: as is. Master Engineer only.
Grenade launcher 30 points: - st 6 armour piercing. Every wounding hit=d3 wounds. 24". Master Engineer only.
repeater handgun 25 points: 3 shots, armour piercing st 4. 24"
repeater pistol 15 points: 3 shots. Armour piercing st4. 8" range. Pistol.
Nulnish shoulder cannon: 30 points, range 36' strength 6, 3 shots, always comes loaded with siver dipped bullets. equipped with the new dropping breech block so it is not restricted to move or fire. (this is essentially the old dragon bow)
Dropping breech block Rifles: +4 points per model, one unit per 3000 point army is permitted to field test these new rare weapons. They have a range of 36 S4 -3 AS and are not restricted to move or fire. You may upgrade handgunners as per above rules or one unit of Huntsmen with these if your army has a dean of engineers.
Grenadoes: 4 points per grenade used, S4 -2AS range 8 inches, uses 3 inch template and model’s BS to hit, if a hit is rolled roll an artillery die divided by two for template penetration into unit. If a misfire is rolled refer to the pigeon misfire table. A Maximum of 3 Grenades per turn per unit may be used. Detachments may not purchase grenades, grenades may be used as a charge reaction.
Flame Siphon: 30 points Journeymen only (and suicidally stupid ones at that)restrictions 1 per 2000 points in the army Flame siphons have a range of 16 inches no long range S5 roll an artillery dice for hits No AS as flame will penetrate the best armor roasting the lungs of it’s victims, flaming attack. After a flame siphon causes it’s first wound of the game it causes Terror, if a unit suffers a wound from a flame siphon it must take an immediate panic test. If a unit panics it will flee an extra D6 to remove itself from the terrifying flame siphon, eg. cavalry’s 3D6 becomes 4D6. Flame siphons can be used during a charge reaction, or during the first round of close combat only, after that the siphoneer will move to the back of the unit to protect his sensitive, flammable equipment,(probably to the relief of his companions)
Flame Siphon Misfire table
: If a siphoneer rolls a one while attempting to spew liquid fire into his enemy, something has gone wrong, when this happens roll a d6 to determine the result.
On a roll of one the flame siphon has gone off within the siphoneer’s own unit roll artillery dice terror and panic dice as appropriate. On a roll of 2-5 the flame siphoneer notes something very wrong with his temperamental machine and hastily moves to the safety of the rear rank to remedy the problem, he may fight as normal in the next turn. On a roll of 6 the flame siphon’s return valve has cooked off and for the safely of the siphoneer he must purge the whole tank empty, roll three artillery dice instead of the usual one for the target and the flame siphon cannot shoot again in the game, the journeyman may however use any other weapons if so equipped.
Flying outriders: It was during a demontration of the outlandish flying skills of the birdmen of catrazza that Hans Von Waldenhof was inspired. He swiftly gathered the broken pieces of a shattered glider as well as the wounded pilot citing Inperial security reasons, then after many failed experiments and several modifications to the design we have this. TA DAAA 1 unit per 2000 points. Outriders may purchase a flying upgrade for 15 points per model ( becomesUS 1) this takes into account the loss of the horse's points, the unit gains skirmish in place of fast cavalry, and the addition of falling breech blocks to their RHG's, in addition if led by a champion they may purchase grenadoes. Personal weapon options are still availiable.
Hook Bill 10 points: As normal halberd, except all rolls to wound of 6 ignore armour saves. May only be used on foot. Elector Count, Captain or unit Champion only.
Man-Catcher 10 points: Two handed weapon. It may only be used on foot. Confers killing blow, except opponent may attempt an armour save. Elector Count, Captain or unit Champion only.
Ball and Chain 15 points: Counts as a flail, except confers +3S in first round of combat Elector Count, Captain or unit Champion only.
Silver dipped bullets: available to troops as well as a characters pistol or handgun. +1 pt for each troop, +4 pts for Hero class, +8pts for lords. counts as being loaded with Blessed silver bullets. These bullets are magical. Against all models with the undead, Vampiric, or daemonic rules (and Forest spirits) it also adds +1 strength to the shot fired and a successful wound caused by a character counts as D3 wounds rather than one, troops using these will still only cause one wound.
Experimental artillery rounds:
Chain shot: range 42 S6 D3 troops per rank for full range. Hans Von Eggendorf had the brilliant idea of riveting two cannonballs to each other by a short stout chain after being inspired by the antics of a goblin fanatic, (through a spotting scope at a safe distance of course) the rest is military history. The D3 variable represents the action of the twinned balls spinning through the unit at high velocity. +20 points to equip a cannon with these.
High Explosive Mortar Bombs: Highly volatile these make even seasoned gunners nervous, but when needs must the daemon drives. Rules as mortar; under the hole S8 d3 wounds, S5 -4 AS D3 wounds to all others. +25 points to equip a mortar with these
that'll do for today's modifications may 20th about 2:00 local