My attempt to update the rules for him from WD 200.
The Black Dwarf�?��?��?��?��?��?�. 415 pts
M WS BS S T W I A LD
Black Dwarf 3 4 3 4 - - 1 1 10
Adamantium Anvil - - - - 7 3 - - -
The Black Dwarf is a Sorcerer Lord, and may choose spells from the Lores of Fire, Shadow, Metal or Death from the Warhammer rulebook. He must be the army general if taken.
Equipment:
Chaos Tomb Blade
For each unsaved wound he inflicts the Black Dwarf will generate one power dice for his own use.
Warpstone Charm
The Black Dwarf may re-roll any one dice throw in the battle and add/deduct 1 from the result.
Wand of Jet
+1 to all Casting rolls
Dispel Scroll
Adamantium Anvil
The Black Dwarf used powerful dark magic to transfer his soul into the Anvil. As long as it exists he cannot be killed.
The anvil has a 3+ ward save. Magic Resistance (3)
The Black Dwarf has a very special profile, he cannot be wounded in close combat, from shooting, or by spells. The only way to kill him is to destroy the anvil�?�
The Adamantium Anvil is forged from a metal unlike any other, it was built by the Black Dwarf himself. The Anvil is both a blessing and a curse for the Black Dwarf, it has to be brought into every battle, for he cannot travel too far away before the unholy spells he cast draw him back. It must be deployed during the placing of terrain, in open terrain no close than 3�?� to any feature. It cannot be moved during the battle. The Black Dwarf must be deployed as normal, he may join units.
During the battle the anvil will be automatically hit by spells, combat or shooting. When the final wound has been lost the Black Dwarf will be destroyed immediately.
Should the Black Dwarf be broken in combat and caught by a pursuing enemy, he is captured in the same way as a standard. While he is captured he cannot do anything, not even cast spells. He is freed if the unit that captured him subsequently flees for any reason.
Not sure about the Auto Hit by shooting/combat. Shooting is distance and accuracy of shooters and CC has the Black Dwarf fighting along-side/on-top of it.
I’m not sure the Tomb Blade makes sense, I certainly wouldn’t let him get in melee where he can be broken and captured.
If he miscasts and takes a Str whatever hit, is he immune or are these hits allocated to the anvil? What if he double 1s…? Does the anvil vanish, does he disappear or is he immune?
Can the anvil be auto-killed by pit of shades/brass orb/crack’s call, etc?
He’s a bit pricey, I don’t think the immune to damage thing should cost that much as he can still be broken in combat and neutralised, and if he isn’t in combat he is much like a normal sorcerer lord, only you can’t choose his gear. Plus he’s M3 so getting away is tricky. Even a Runelord on anvil is less than 415, and though he isn’t immune to damage, he requires no LoS and can’t be dispelled.
I would either make him quite good in melee to take advantage of the immune to damage ability, or perhaps deploy him with the anvil like a Runelord.
That's the explanation for combat auto hit, not for shooting. :D
BilboBaggins
I guess I could modify it that so that missile fire has to 'hit' the anvil like a hitting a warmachine (all be it without any crew to randomise hits).
I'm not sure the Tomb Blade makes sense, I certainly wouldn't let him get in melee where he can be broken and captured.
The original rules for this item were "For each W inflicted bearer may take extra magic magic card".
Giving him power dice seemed a simple solution? It would give him a reason to get into combat.
If he miscasts and takes a Str whatever hit, is he immune or are these hits allocated to the anvil? What if he double 1s...? Does the anvil vanish, does he disappear or is he immune?
Immune to miscasts I think.
Can the anvil be auto-killed by pit of shades/brass orb/crack's call, etc?
I think it would make sense to say that all attacks against the anvil that require any sort of profile tests are done so against the profile of the Black Dwarf only, toughness tests are automatically passed.
He is a sorcerer lord, so there's a limit on what can be done to boost him up in combat.
If the points cost stayed roughly the same, what would you change to make him worth the points?
I tried just to keep to the spirit of the old one from white dwarf, updating instead of creating, but I guess he could be made into an uber runelord equivalent with anvil?
If the points cost stayed roughly the same, what would you change to make him worth the points?
He needs to see stuff and be outside melee to get the most out of his magic, so the logical thing to do is have him wander around on his own as he is immune to shooting damage. Melee is not an option in this state, as with 1 Attack he can't beat anyone except other loners.
I would take Shadows and go for Steed of Shadows to whizz around being invulnerable to shooting, but its not exactly reliable, and a normal sorcerer lord can do it (with careful placement).
I would either make him powerful in melee (I think the 'All wizards must suck in melee' line of thinking is rather outdated) so he can exploit being invulnerable, give him better movement options or give his magic better qualities (choose spells, re-roll dice, extra dice etc).
I think the problem is that the original rules were inextricably entwined with the scenario in which the Black Dwarf appeared. The whole point was that two battles were played out simultaneously: one a hopeless delaying action by a battered Dwarf army against overwhelming odds, and the other a desperate quest by a mighty hero intent on stopping this new threat to the Old World. The adamantium anvil wasn’t on the battlefield - it was hidden in a cave on top of a mountain in the Dark Lands, and the White Dwarf had to find it and throw it in the magma pit before all of Lord Borri’s Dwarfs were wiped out by the huge Chaos Dwarf army, miles away.
So the Black Dwarf’s invulnerability was really just to make the scenario work. If he could be killed by the Dwarfs defending the pass, the White Dwarf might as well have stayed down there and chopped him to death with his massive rune axe. The fact that only the anvil being destroyed could stop him gave the White Dwarf a reason to not be there holding the line with the rest of the Dwarfs. In other words, being invincible only works in the context of the (bizarre and complicated!) special scenario.
You should have to roll a dice to see what he uses for magic… And add a new spell, “Rage of Hashut”. S. Blast, S8, Causes Terror At -1 LD value per model hit
I have the old WD 200 and this was a wonderful scenario. That being said I don�?Tt thing the flavor of the character really adapts well to a regular game. Besides the Black Dwarf does not exist in any other CD fluff. He was just made up for that WD article. He would be a neat character if any one wanted to create a map campaign around the old story line. Have him be invincible running amuck in the empire until an army can get to where ever the anvil is hidden. Apart form that I really don�?Tt think he works for regular play. IF you mess with it too much you run the risk of making a CD copy of Thorek Ironbrow.
primarily a sorcerer lord and tradtionally they're not great fighters.
Astragoth? I mean, he's no Bruce Lee but he's not bad, STR5, 3 Attacks and the overdrive thing, plus 3+ armour. He doesn't have to be directly powerful either, I rather like the idea of him using Flaming Sword of Ruin or some such magic-based combat-boosting method. It could be one of those 'If that spell goes off then you're screwed' scenarios.
