Goatboy’s Warhammer 40K: To Fix Magnus the Red
Goatboy here. I think we can look at Mortarion to learn how GW will fix Magnus.
Let me tell you the update to Mortarion was a much-needed shot in the arm for those Daemonic Primarch lovers. So much so it makes me think – how would Games Workshop fix Magnus? I think the overall template they showed for Morty would fit pretty well with the design goal of the Giant Magic User (as well as any other Primarch they create/update). With that thought in mind – what can we do to make Magnus just as spicy as Morty?
Let’s Begin the Operation
First of all – his overall stats will most likely stay the same. I don’t think they should shift him to Toughness 8 as that is a Morty thing and while it would be awesome I would think a few other things are there to make him – well, a badass. I think the three Warlord Traits plus something extra is the way to go to really amp up the guy who was right in the end. Looking at how the current Warlord traits for the Death Guard had a few shifts I can expect a few updates to make this guy the monster he should be.
Warlord Traits of Prospero
First – the Warlord trait of getting a +1 to his Invulnerable save. A lot of the time they seem to want Morty to work the same all game – even if he didn’t go first. The only real thing he doesn’t get is the -1 to hit from Miasma and the reroll to hit from being a Captain of a Legion. This makes me think we can easily just take the Otherwordly Prescience power. It also means his Tzeentch default power can go to a unit – thus making it less of a oh crap I failed my psychic check somehow oops – Magnus is now crappy.
The second one he should get is the Lord of Forbidden Lore as well. While making him a Level 4 caster is good with a Trait – it might be better to just say – he is a Level 4 caster. I am not sure as it is a neat overall Warlord Trait so letting it stay there to give yourself a Level 3 caster might be worth it and just a way to easily just say – Magnus is a Level 4 caster. Plus – the idea that he might have all the spells is less attractive as it feels kind of lazy from an army-building standpoint. Mixed in with having a ton of spell options it just gets harder to really “control” some of his power level.
The final one I think should just be auto set up is the -1 damage option they have already built in a Warlord Trait. Yes, it starts to get into the Morty territory but with only have a toughness of 7 you need to add something powerful to this guy. I guess you could look at some of the other options like removing all wound rolls of 1-3 but that feels less interesting then just making guns work harder to damage him.
Special Rules
With those 3 we have set up a powerful build that while pretty awesome leaves Magnus to do more things he likes to do and not just buff himself up. He can become the force Multiplier that Morty has become as well. I expect the ability to let a Core unit reroll all their hits would be a part of his build as well as all the other things he has on him currently. The pluses to his casts and deny, the 2+ save on mortal wounds, and his powerful smite ability. Those are all things that makeup what we think Magnus should be.
From there – we have to have something that looks at the different cults. I am sure will have updates to the cults when the book comes out as a few of the powers seem well – a bit too powerful. I don’t think he should take a Warlord trait and instead look towards taking one of the basic Spells from those groups when he starts the game. This lets him pick another kind of customizing option that can shift how he plays the game. I like how the Contagion option in Death Guard allows some ability to shift things around and having this on Magnus resembles how while he is a magical powerhouse he is also a canny opponent.
With all of this again he should be the Warlord if showing up in an army – as well as some kind of rule that says if you have two of these guys in a list you can pick one. Or not – depending now how powerful it ends up being for games. I think for a normal player the list is a bit too hard to get working right but there are a few that do well with it.
Cyclopean Odds & Ends
The last thing to think about is he going to give off any Auras beyond his rerolls for his friends? I don’t know as it is hard to see him as the dive in first and do things monster that Morty is. I expect him to be the guy waiting till round three to take advantage of the weakened board state to cause some havoc. I guess it really depends on if they decide to keep some of the pure Thousand Sons rules like increased range to spells or being able to cast smite a few more times.
The Verdict?
What do you guys think? Did I make him powerful enough to be useful? His ability to grab spells from all over is pretty awesome and while doing something like he knows all X might be cool it is probably too good. Especially since the spells are still locked in the 8th playscape currently. I can expect some things like Warp Time to get locked into Core options maybe or some of the other powerful spells. Or they could all change drastically whenever Chaos comes out. I am hoping we see some repackaged Chaos stuff soon with new rules in it – that way we know a new book is coming down the pipe soon. Or hell we finally get an Angron coming who throws all the world in a tailspin of anger.
~Magnus Did Nothing Wrong!
