Topic: A new Archers rule

[kermitthefrog3]

Ive had an idea for our archers, which adds some lore as well as being a nice feature.

In the middle ages, bowmen use to stick thier arrows in the ground so that if they only caused s uferficial wound there was a good chance that the disease would eventually kill the unlucky soldier.

Diseased arrows: Empire archers often stick thier arrows into the ground in the hopes that the enemies they hit but fail to stop will eventually die from the disease.

Make a note of every sucessfull "To Hit" roll that the archers make with their bows which fail to wound. At the end of the game, roll a d6 for every not wounding hit on that unit. On the roll of a 6, the model takes a str 2 hit to represent the effects of the disease. Armour saves may be taken as normal.

All Monsters, Skaven Plague monks and Plague Priests/Lords and units with the Mark of Nurgle are immune to this effect.

This effect takes place before victory points are calculated, so a unit may be brought down below US5 and stop them claiming/contesting a table quarter, or may end up killing the enemy General or Battle standard bearer, giving the empire side an additional 100vps.

What do you guys think?

[wissenlander]

I think it's interesting, but might be a bit wonky and hard to remember.  That might just be me, though.  I have a horrible time remembering hatred as it is.

[Phydox]

I think they should just get away from the middleages and use skirmishers with rifles.  I'm sure the engineers can design some scaled down rifle for the standard state troop.

(and maybe give us Richard Sharpe as a champion upgrade)

[Inarticulate]

You'd think that the Empire's technology would be much better by now, wouldn't you? I mean for the last thousand years there has been barely any advancement apart from the 8 Stanks, the helblaster and the laz0r horsey.

[Derek Contyre]

I know, it appears the warhammer world is stagnant. . . don't forget that the wizards came in only two and a half centuries ago, and that alot of the fluff concerning warhammer armies back in the day archers were the norm. Even during the battle for kislev in the great war.
Archers with move and fire twelve inch handguns would be awesome.

[The Dice-Shaman]

I like the premise but it sounds Nergally, how about having 'Bodkin Arrows' or the like and have them take a toughness test as they rip the arrow out. 

I'd like to see rifle huntsmen...  those move and fire guns you refer to Derek can be found in the Chaos Dwarves book.  Blunderbusses!!!!!!   We need a bunch of Halfling Sweedish Chefs skirmishing around with their Blünderbußen!

[Dihenydd]

I have been wondering how to do an 'advanced' arrow.  Maybe somesort of new design etc that forces the following:

Super Arrows(please choose another name!) The heads of these arrows are designed to bypass most armour types.  Re-roll successful armour saves against wounds caused by SA.

Nice simple rule, now we need the fluff to drive it.

[Union General]

I like the premise but it sounds Nergally, how about having 'Bodkin Arrows' or the like and have them take a toughness test as they rip the arrow out. 

I'd like to see rifle huntsmen...  those move and fire guns you refer to Derek can be found in the Chaos Dwarves book.  Blunderbusses!!!!!!   We need a bunch of Halfling Sweedish Chefs skirmishing around with their Blünderbußen!

The Swedish Chef with a blunderbuss...
Oh  my god.... 

-The General

[Derek Contyre]

The Swedish Chef with a blunderbuss...
Oh  my god.... 

-The General

Epic.

I have been wondering how to do an 'advanced' arrow.  Maybe somesort of new design etc that forces the following:

Super Arrows(please choose another name!) The heads of these arrows are designed to bypass most armour types.  Re-roll successful armour saves against wounds caused by SA.

Nice simple rule, now we need the fluff to drive it.

Aren't we lucky the english have already invented this type of arrow. . .
THE MIGHTY BODKIN!!!!
These arrows were used with the English longbows to deadly effect in the 14th-16th centuries against armoured soldiers and knights of any kind.
The Bodkin head was a needle point, and when fired by a one hundred pound strength longbow would penetrate steel plate armour by inches!
Simple rule for that, archers or huntsmen can upgrade to longbowmen +2pts and gain bodkin rule. -1 to the targets armour save.

[Inarticulate]

However, it'd be more fluffy for Bretonnia to get Bodkins. I wouldn't like their already awesome Archers tearing through our lovely Knights.

[Derek Contyre]

Why? Brettonia represents the flower of french chivalry sure but thats not to say no other country used longbows and the bodkin

[Inarticulate]

Its an amalgamation of Arthurian legends and both the English and French during the 100 years war. Every peasant is required to practice with the longbow.

[Derek Contyre]

Yeah I know, but there were companies of Longbowmen in the germanies as well, its just that the crossbow was more popular there even though the pope declared it was ungodly to use crossbows on fellow christians.
maybe that is why the empire do not have longbowmen?

As we have crossbowmen instead.

[Wolfsgaum]

In the middle ages, bowmen use to stick thier arrows in the ground so that if they only caused s uferficial wound there was a good chance that the disease would eventually kill the unlucky soldier.

Archers didn't stick arrows in the ground in order to infect their targets. They stuck them in the ground so they could draw the arrows faster. Infections were just a side effect.

Heh, I just remembered an anectode about an English merchant somewhere in Africa showing off his crew's longbows to some natives. The natives weren't strong enough to pull the bows (their own bows weren't as strong because, hey, they didn't need to worry about armor). Later, that same merchant was chased off by natives using guns they had bought from the Portuguese