Other wizard altars

[Private_SeeD]

Was bored in work last night, and came across the idea if GW where to make other wizard mobiles, what they would be like and what the rules would be like. Now this is just my idea so please don't shoot the messenger.

Lore of life
This altar could either being a large ancient tree or a green house of sorts. The spell being something like regrowth allowing to bring back d6+2 models back within a certain area and give +6 regen to units within 6"

Lore of Fire
Could see this being a massive pyre, this spell being something like the SoM fireball spell but maybe toned down slightly and giving flaming attacks to units with 6"

Lore of Metal
This altar having some form of a massive philosopher's stone surrounded by alchemy bench's. Its spell being something like entropic touch from the scarabs from 40K and giving units within 6" +1 to there AS

Lore of Shadow
Now after reading up about this lore, I was thinking of a censer type of thing giving of grey smoke. Its spell not so sure on was torn between something that did DD or something that confuses the enemy to your benefit and it gives -1 to hit for friendly units within 6" of the altar.

Lore of Beasts
This altar having the bones of some huge beast aka emperor dragon or etc. Now the spell not so sure on, probably play it safe and some form of augment spell and not sure what kind of unit bonus this lore could represent.

Lore of Death
Now the only thing that came to my mind and that was due to seeing it in the Monstrous Arcanum and that would be a large hourglass. Again like the lore of the beasts not sure what uber spell or unit bonus this altar would have/give.

Now I now that some might be stronger than the others but I'm no game designer, and was aiming for fluffy and was wondering what you guys think.

[Agoz]

For lore of beasts, I'd have the altar give frenzy to units within 6, no idea for the lore of death one, maybe all units within 6" cause terror.

Edit: Also, I'd have the lore of heavens buff be 5+ regen instead of 6+, mainly because a ward save can't be taken away by flaming attacks and is therefore inherently better. for example a 5+ regen item in the main book has the same cost as a 6+ ward as I recall.

[Damocles8]

I'd have Beasts make units within 6" cause fear in beast units and beastmen, for Death I'd do ItP.

[madival]

For lore of beasts, I'd have the altar give frenzy to units within 6, no idea for the lore of death one, maybe all units within 6" cause terror.

Edit: Also, I'd have the lore of heavens buff be 5+ regen instead of 6+, mainly because a ward save can't be taken away by flaming attacks and is therefore inherently better. for example a 5+ regen item in the main book has the same cost as a 6+ ward as I recall.

you have any idea how retardly powerful these would be? you only lose frenzy from losing combat, so you could run down your line with beasts and give everyone frenzy. Also, the 5+ regen is just nasty cause there is maybe 1 unit with flaming attacks per army. Thats just nasty.

[AlphariusOmegon20]

For Beasts, Wissan's buff to all units in 6" of it would be appropriate. Giving it Amber Spear instead would also be a good idea.

Death should be Soulblight in a 6" range, but only affecting enemy units.

[Askari]

For Beasts, Wissan's buff to all units in 6" of it would be appropriate. Giving it Amber Spear instead would also be a good idea.

That's seriously powerful, there's a reason you have to cast Wyssan's Wildform, and at 10+ at that, and even then it only affects the one unit. Every Empire player in the world would use that Altar.

Madival - Losing combat is an additional way to lose Frenzy, not the only.

I'm happy with the general idea, although I'd go so far as to say Beasts don't get an Altar, it doesn't make sense and they get the Griffon. Metal would be a great Anvil, and striking it would un-make the enemy's armour, giving the same effects as the OP. Altar of Death could probably steal a little from the Casket of Souls. Shadow would be some kind of veil that lets you swap the position of two units perhaps, or pin a unit in place with visions of nightmares. The Altar of Fire could have a golden dragon that sprays a strong template attack and gives Flaming attacks as OP mentioned again.

[Agoz]

you have any idea how retardly powerful these would be? you only lose frenzy from losing combat, so you could run down your line with beasts and give everyone frenzy. Also, the 5+ regen is just nasty cause there is maybe 1 unit with flaming attacks per army. Thats just nasty.

Fine, just have the beasts one give +1 attack and have an addendum that says it doesn't stack with other beasts altars. As for the regen, I don't think it's any better than +1 to hit, in fact I believe the reason more people don't take the luminark is because it's only a 6+ ward, which is rather poor compared to +1 to hit, however I think a 5+ ward would be a bit much, but with regen, at least it has a weakness, and people do take flaming attacks in this day and age.

[AlphariusOmegon20]

That's seriously powerful

Hence why I also suggested you could use Amber Spear instead of Wissan's. However, You'll notice I did cut the range in half for the Wissan's. Wissan's normally has a range of 12", I made it 6". So it's not that powerful.

there's a reason you have to cast Wyssan's Wildform, and at 10+ at that,

Which is essentially nothing, as 3 dice + level will usually get it off. it's stupidly simple to cast Wissan's to begin with, even the boosted version is easy to get off.

Every Empire player in the world would use that Altar.

I have my doubts, as you rarely see Beast wizards as it stands now.

it doesn't make sense and they get the Griffon.

I don't see why every wizard lord doesn't have access to the Griffon personally.

[Askari]

Hence why I also suggested you could use Amber Spear instead of Wissan's. However, You'll notice I did cut the range in half for the Wissan's. Wissan's normally has a range of 12", I made it 6". So it's not that powerful.

Wyssan's for every unit within 6" is far, far more powerful than one unit within 12". Also, if by buff you meant it was the passive ability of the wagon (i.e. like the Luminark's 6+ Ward not like the Luminark Bolt of Illumination), then yes, it's absurdly powerful. Effectively, you make 2 or 3 blocks of Empire Infantry S4 T4 so long as the wagon lives, no dispelling, no dice, just there. You don't even need a Beast Wizard to take it, the Hurricanum and Luminark are seperate Rare choices.

Even if that's the bound spell ability of the wagon, it's still a 10+ to cast spell usually. 10+ is a moderately difficult spell cast, not essentially nothing. A Level 3 Bound Spell might be essentially nothing, but Wyssan's Wildform is rather a powerful spell for that power.

[Graxy]

For the beasts altar, I'm thinking of something like a chained down beast with the mage using it's escence to enrage all those around it. Ruleswise, maybe something like primal fury for everything within 6". Might be a bit OP but it's just a suggestion.

Death altar is easier modelwise but a lot harder ruleswise. Modelwise, something like a huge modile hourglass or a statue of the reaper. For it's rules, it's very hard to work out what. Something like causing for for everything within 6" is very underwhelming for a buffmobile. Magic attacks is far too situational. KB in close combat is fairly OP. I'm thinking maybe re-rolls to wound.

EDIT: not re-rolss to wound, +1 to wound, my bad. Obviously would need to be costed more than the hurricanum though.

[Ebon]

I love the idea of the altars but I dislike the current models. For death, you could do something similar to the VC Black Coach, a funeral carriage or perhaps some kind of mobile graveyard. For Life magic, I could see a wizard being carried by something similar to a Treeman.

[Zark the Damned]

For the Bright College-mobile I'd like to see the return of Conflagration of Doom as its bound spell. Maybe when cast you place a marker on the board - subsequent castings either add another marker or cause it to explode with a radius of d3 x markers, S6 Flaming? Once placed, the enemy can't do anything to the marker, they have to dispel the bound spell as it's cast. Flaming attacks sounds like a reasonable 6" unit buff, though obviously it's much more effective against some armies.

[Leogun_91]

My suggestions then. First I would say that I think neither the grey order nor the amber order should have altars, the formers because it works poorly with the sneakiness they have going on, the latter because they kind of dislike civilization and doing stuff that is more advanced than wearing furs and living in caves.

Jade Garden
Lore of life should be a blooming garden on wheels, if one or more are on the field you roll twice for mysterious forests and the empire player chooses the result, in addition it grants Foreststrider to friendly units within 18 as the trees make way for the troops.

Amethyst circle of Archaic Assistance
Lore of Death could be a circle with a long dead hero of the empire in which the wizards can contact from beyond the grave gaining his advice in leading troops which grants models nearby immunity to fear and terror as the inspiring speeches from beyond the grave strengthen their resolve.

Incineration altar of Aqshy
Lore of Fire should be a most destructive altar, a massive chariot engulfed in flame. Chariot rules, S5, scythed wheels, flaming attacks, the riders wield magical burning swords.

Altar of Gold
Lore of Metal should have a strange clockworklike altar moving by nought but magical force, make it driven by magical brass orbs to insinuate that the mechanical steed is also made by help of their order. Maybe it rusts away the armour of nearby foes, decreasing it by 2 within 8 (or something like that).

[Hoshiyami]

Being death a school with only destructive/hex spells I think their altar shouldn't give a buff.
Hex/Damage enemies is more appropiate, something like VC mortis engine damage each turn...

Btw, that Wyssan's altar buff...
Think that even if it can be casted with 3 dices, it means you have to use that precious dices and it can be dispelled. Also, (leaving aside the chaos warrior S&T troops around) it would make a S6/T6 charriot, wouldn't it? :P

[Von Wibble]

I think beasts should not be an alter but a large monster (no, not a griffon!).

I like the above suggestion for metal.