So, yeah, these items are special to the Blood Angels and their successors. They aren't much different from the standard gear, really, but I'd like some applicable stats for them.

Glaives Encarmine, for instance, I'd stat as normal power swords/axes, only allow them at Master-crafted level, make them two-handed, and maybe add in 'Tearing'.

Death Masks would maybe increase the Marine's Fear rating by one, to keep things simple, or be a part of armour that already does this. Winged Jump Packs would be maybe master-crafted Jump Packs.

Sound reasonable?

In ROB there actually is a relic that is a Blood Angels Winged Jump Pack, but those rules might be specific to that particular pack. At any rate, it triples normal movement, and gives command and fellowship bonuses.

There is also a glaive relic, but it's a chainglaive specifically. Still, it does have tearing, though that's due to its chainyness rather than its glaiveyness. But yeah, something between a power axe and the ROB Executioner Axe should work as a glaive of some manner, though I don't imagine a glaive being unwieldy (the chainglaive relic is not).

And according to the scarcity of the Death Masks (I'm not sure), you might give a bonus to intimidate tests instead of a Fear rating, given how powerful that can be in certain situations.

The Glaive could be a power claymore. Its an option that I explored at one time.

A master-crafted power claymore would be the first thing that comes to mind.... But I hate the idea of giving them an unwieldy weapon. A shame they didn't get relic blades in their Codex.... Maybe you could use a relic blade without the overly strong power field?

Mjoellnir said:

Yeah, Relic Blades would have been more practical, to be honest. Master-crafted weapons for squads of infantry in 40k are annoying, since they effectively force you to roll the attacks of every miniature individually, slowing the game to a crawl.

I guess using the rules for Relic Blades or Frost Blades could work?

I would use relic blades since they are two-handed. I sometimes really wonder what GW does to keep the chapters apart. The chapter with some of the best artificers can't have relic blades but an ugly flying transport, Space Wolves are too dumb to use special ammo and can't have relic blades only frost blades (yeah, it's practically there signature weapon, still....)

Concerning the winged jetpack you have the choice between the one in RoB (which is just the one of a Sanguinary Guard marine with a special history attached to it that give the command and fellowship bonuses) or just use it as a visual addition (I don't think the guard can move 18 inch in TT like the RoB-pack would allow...)

No idea concerning the death masks.

Fear (1) or +1?

For the winged jump packs, I'd use the standard rules as I think Wings of Saronath from rites of battle is a special case.

Death Mask

"Golden energies dance across the baleful death mask as the blood angel charges into combat."

A Death mask is a relic of the Blood Angels chapter. It gives 12 armour points to the head location, counts as a power armour helmet (full auto senses, photo visors etc), gives the wearer fear (1) and gives the wearer +10 fellowship when dealing with marines from the Blood Angels chapter or their successors.

Req: 35

Renown: Hero

Glaives Encarmine

"Like the Crozius Arcanums, wielded by chaplains of the Adeptus Astartes, a Glaive Arcanum is as much a symbol of rank and status as a weapon. Only gifted to those few who have reached the near unattainable position amongst the legendary Sanguinary Guard, heroes among heroes, living legends that flies at the front of the angelic host that is the Blood Angels and their successors."

A Glaive Encarmine is a master-crafted two handed powerweapon with the following stats:

Class: Melee Damage: 2d10+8 Pen: 6 Special: Powerfield, Devastating (1), Balanced Wt: 15 Req: 50 Renown: Hero

Jackal_Strain said:

The Wings of Saronath may be a relic level, but the Blood Angels do use both normal and winged jump packs, so It would be nice if there was a difference.

On this scale would there be a difference in stats between the Sword Glaives and Axe glaives (or even more obscure types)?

THe rules I've made for my campaign is for sword glaives. For Axe glaives I'd up the damage by 2 and give it unbalanced.

Face Eater said:

A glaives are 'sword' glaives, by definition.

For axe-like polearms, simply use the executioner's axe.

Face Eater said:

It should be noted that the only warriors who use the winged jump packs are also wearing Artificer armour, so them being relic-level equipment is hardly inappropriate.

Siranui said:

I realised when typing that a Glaive couldn't be describing both but actually, unless you are French(where it is a Gladius short sword), a glaive is a medeival polearm so it's closer to the axe.

A glaive is a medieval polearm that's closer to a sword than an axe.

Siranui said:

If you ask me the very fact that it's polearm makes it closer to an axe than a sword.

At this point though it's like the story of the blind men and the elephant.

I guess that means that a Glaive is neither a two handed Axe nor a Two Handed Sword and they pretty much picked a name which described neither, and it's not like they haven't had models with correctly defined Glaives dozens of times.

Eh? So what do GW mean when they say 'glaive' then? Are they *not* talking about a polearm with a single curved and long-edged blade?!

Aside:

Just because a head is mounted on a polearm it doesn't automatically mean that it is used with chopping strokes like an axe. Cutting draws the edge of the blade across the target, where axes are used for direct blows, which are not drawn. A glaive's blade is curved and long and best suited for long drawing cuts.

I suspect the reason GW named them "Glaives Encarmine" is because it sounds much cooler than "Two-handed sword or axe encarmine".

The models that uses glaives encarmine on the tt are clearly armed with two-handed swords and axes. Not glaives.

I think this makes the argument over the type of weapon based on its name moot, but there's nothing wrong with inventing actual glaive versions of the weapon for the rpg.

The name 'Glaive' has been given to anything from swords and polearms to throwing weapons over the centuries, so it isn't exactly very specific.

Jackal_Strain said:

/facepalm

Ah well: Executioners Axe would be fine for the two handed axes, and power claymores for the two handed swords. Job done!

As to Glaive not being specific; I don't think that fantasy authors stealing the name for throwing weapons, or its use in an entirely different language in any way makes it less specific. If there's one thing that D&D 1e taught me, it's that polearms are generally pretty specific and different!