Create-your-own GK Hero

This has been bugging me ever since Gaius Darius mentioned the idea in the thread here. What if our Grand Masters were as flexible as an Inquisitor & retinue, or a 'nid Carnifex? Let's say you had a basic statline, and chose ways to improve it. Instead of having a too-cheap HQ choice and a too-expensive HQ choice, we could tailor them. I tried to give the idea my own little twist by letting your choices determine your battle history.

Baseline GK Hero:
CODE
Pts WS BS S T W I A Ld
60 5 4 4 4 1 4 3 10


Battle History: A player may choose any number of battle histories for their Grey Knight Hero.
Note: If a cost is listed in slashes, the battle history may be taken multiple times for the costs listed. e.g if a History costs 5/10/15, it may be taken three times for a total of 30 points.

Frenzy Foe Cost: 10/20/30
The Grey Knight hero has fought many times against the servants of Khorne. No mortal man may match their ferocity in battle, but he has learned that a quick blow may end the threat before they can strike. Effect: +1 Initiative.

Stalwart Against Change Cost: 5/10/20
The Grey Knight Hero has faced many servants of Tzeentch (or perhaps the same servants) on scattered battlefields, and he has learned how best to counter their foul sorceries.
Effect: Whenever the Grey Knight Hero rolls for the Aegis, he may add +1 to the roll.

Enemy of Decadence Cost: 10/15/20
The Grey Knight Hero has cast out seductive daemons and cultists of Slaanesh. No claw or blade strikes quicker than theirs, but a quick mind can parry their attacks.
Effect: +1 Weapon Skill

Faithful in Despair Cost: 15/30/45
There are few foes that may stand against one strike from a Nemesis Force Weapon, and chief amongst them are the slaves of Nurgle. When combating such strong foes, the Grey Knight Master has learned to strike quickly and accurately.
Effect: +1 Attack

Master of Arms Cost: 5/10/15
The Hero spend many of his years as part of a Grey Knight Purgation Squad, clearing out lesser foes from a distance. He knows the value of supporting fire.
Effect: +1 Ballistic Skill. If this History is taken three times then any squad the Hero is attached to may fire at up to two different targets in the shooting phase.

Survivor Cost: 10/20/30
The Grey Knight Hero has been wounded in battle multiple times. He has learned to ignore the language of pain through chants and prayers.
Effect: +1 Wound.

Adamantine Persistence Cost: 10/20/30 May Only be selected if 'Fallen' Battle Honor is selected as well.
Dreadnoughts are known for their tenacity, and the Hero is no exception. At times it seems as though he makes his machine move through sheer force of will.
Effect: Once per game (per selection of this ability) the Grey Knight hero may choose to ignore the effects of a glancing or penetrating hit. He may choose to do so after the effect is rolled.

Battle Honors: A player may choose any number of Battle Honors for their Grey Knight Hero

Unstopable Cost: 20
The Grey Knight Hero has fought the enemies of the Imperium for so long he has forgotten how to give up.
Effect: The Hero benefits from the Eternal Warrior special rule.

Leader of Men Cost: 20
The Grey Knights are more than just soldiers - to those that see them they are a symbol of the emperor's might. No Guardsman can look upon a Grey Knight Hero and fear for tomorrow.
Effect: The Grey Knight Hero confers the Fearless rule to any unit he joins. Any friendly unit that must make a morale test within 12" of the Hero may roll twice and use the lowest result.

Master Psyker Cost: 15
They Grey Knight Hero has mastered his potential, turning the powers of the warp against itself.
Effect: The Hero may select one extra psyker power. He may select up to one power from Codex: Space Marines if he so desires.

Psy-Null Cost: 25
The Grey Knight Hero is a psychic null, capable of absorbing any warp-powered directed towards him or any of his companions.
Effect: No psychic powers whatsoever may affect the Hero or any unit he joins, however, neither he nor the units he joins may use any powers of their own. Any time the Hero or his unit is directly targeted by a power, roll a die. On a one the Hero takes a wound with no armor save allowed as the strain takes a toll on him. The Hero may not use a psychic hood.

Hate the Daemon, Kill the Daemon Cost: 10
The Grey Knight Hero's hatred of daemons goes beyond simple hypno-indoctrination. They are an insult to his lord's name, their mere existence a stain on the universe.
Effect: The hero benefits from the Preferred Enemy rule whenever engaging daemons.

Maimed Hero Cost: 25
The Grey Knight Hero has been wounded-severely. The best prosthesises the Imperium could provide have slowed him down - but they have also made him stronger.
Effect: Reduce the Hero's Initiative by 2. Increase his Strength by 1.

Fallen Cost: 70
Not even death has been able to stop the Grey Knight Hero. A mortal wound has left him entombed in a Dreadnought chassis, but still serves the Emperor on the field of battle.
Effect: The Grey Knight Hero is now a Dreadnought. Use the Grey Knight Dreadnought statline from the Heavy Support section. Replace the Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill, Initiative and Attacks with those of the Hero. The Hero still counts as an HQ choice, but he is no longer an Independent Character. He may not use any psychic powers, but may still benefit from the 'Psy-Null' ability. (Note that he will not take any wounds from using this ability.)

Forceful Strike Cost: 25
The Grey Knight's training with his Nemesis Force Weapon has allowed him to wield it at it's full potential.
Effect: The Grey Knight Hero's Nemesis Force Weapon counts as a Force Weapon in addition to any other effects. Against Daemons instead of Instant Death the Force Weapon causes an additional d3 wounds with no armor saves allowed.

Tempest of Iron Cost: 20
The Grey Knight's Strikes are swift and unrelenting, easily battering through any defense.
Effect: Any rolls of '6' to wound with the Grey Knight's Nemesis Force Weapon ignore any invulnerable save the target may have. In addition, any rolls of '6' to wound a daemon cause 2 wounds instead of one, with saves allowed as normal.

Shatterblow Cost: 20
The Grey Knight has learned how to wield his Nemesis Force Weapon in two hands, to cleave the armor of any treacherous machines he may face.
Effect: When in combat with a vehicle a Grey Knight Hero may choose to use his Nemesis Force Weapon as a Two-Handed weapon. If he does he rolls two dice and adds them together to determine armor penetration. Against Possessed vehicles and vehicles with the 'Daemon' special rule, he may add +1 to his roll on the damage chart.

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A Hero who selects 0-4 of these abilities is a Brother-Captain. A Hero who selects 4-8 is a Battle-Captain. A Grey Knight who selects more than eight of these is a Grand Master.

A Brother-Captain counts as an HQ choice for a Grey Knights army.
A Battle-Captain also counts as an HQ choice, but may only be accompanied by another Hero of Brother-Captain rank.
A Grand Master may not be accompanied by any other Grey Knight Heroes.

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Yes, you could build a Grand Master that looked something like this:

CODE
Pts WS BS S T W I A Ld
520 8 7 4 4 4 7 6 10


Worth it? Probably not. But in Apocalypse, leading a Redeemer Force? Hell Yes.

They seem to want simplify things and make armies more powerful by giving them bigger and badder toys to play with. Some really cool ideas though.

Ecideus wrote:They sound absolutely fantastic, but aren't all Grey Knights psykers? How could the Psychic null work?