There are two ways to use Kroot Mercenaries in your games of Warhammer 40,000. The first way is to use a number of Kroot squads as auxiliaries to your main force. In order to do this you must first have filled all of the compulsory force selection criteria applicable to the mission with your main army. Furthermore, you may not include more Kroot squads than you have Troops choices in your own army. For example, in a Standard Missions game you must take an HQ and two Troop choices for your army before filling any additional force organisation slots with Kroot Mercenaries. In this example, you could choose any two Kroot Mercenary squads.The following armies may NOT make use of Kroot Mercenaries: After all compulsory slots have been filled the following units may be added to your army from the Kroot Mercenaries list: 0-1 Elites choices, 0-2 Troops choices, 0-1 Fast Attack choices, 0-1 Heavy Support choices In games of 2,000+ points, instead of making the above additions, a second detachment may be chosen from the Kroot Mercenary list. The second way to field Mercenary Kroot is as an army on their own. If you take this option you will be rewarded with a highly individual force tailored to your playing and modelling styles in a way few armies can match. Having said this, the Kroot are far and away better off fighting battles using the Jungle Fighting rules. In this respect they make an excellent adversary for the Catachan Jungle Fighters, and are quite capable of taking on just about anyone in this environment. Be warned though, if you field a Kroot Mercenary army in 'normal' conditions you will need quite a lot of troops; especially if you plan a headlong charge into Space Marine bolter range! Strategy Rating: To represent the fact that the Mercenaries fight when and where someone else tells them to, they use the following chart to determine Strategy Rating when fighting on their own:
Eaters of the Dead: Kroot are extremely voracious carnivores and will often let a defeated enemy escape while they feast on the flesh of the fallen. Master Shapers and Shapers, and squads led by them MUST consolidate, as it is their responsibility to ensure that the bodies of the fallen enemy are not wasted.
Fieldcraft: Kroot are naturally adept in arboreal environments and gain +1 to their cover save in woods or jungles. Kroot in woods or jungles do not have to make a difficult terrain test, they can always make a normal move. If they do not move in the Movement phase, they may see and shoot through 12" of woods or jungle terrain rather than the 6" that would normally be the case. Infiltrate: If the squad does not contain a Krootox, it may infiltrate if the mission permits it. See the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook for the Infiltrate scenario special rules. Kroot Hounds and Krootox: Some squads may have Kroot Hounds or Krootox attached. They count as a single unit and must keep normal coherency. Both Kroot Hounds and Krootox gain the benefit of the adaptations and rules of the parent Kroot unit. Release the Hounds: Whilst the Kroot themselves rarely pursue a beaten enemy, the Kroot Hounds will pursue viciously for a while before returning to their unit. If the enemy fall back from close combat with a Kroot unit, each Kroot Hound will inflict a single automatic Strength 4 hit. Attached Herd: Krootox whose parent Carnivore squad falls back will accompany it. If the entire Kroot Carnivore squad is wiped out, the Krootox will disperse and are removed as casualties. Krootox will move with their parent unit at the same speed, each staying within 2" of a Kroot. If the combined unit is engaged in close combat then the Krootox fight as if they were part of the parent unit. Note: The Krootox only has a Toughness of 3 for determining whether a weapon is capable of inflicting an instant kill, so weapons of Strength 6 or higher will kill them outright. In practice the blast will have killed the Kroot rider, leaving the Krootox to wander off harmlessly. Remove the model as a casualty. Certain kindreds can purchase the hyperactive nymune organ adaptation at an additional points cost. This ability allows the model to Fleet of Foot. In the shooting phase you may declare that a model is going to run instead of shoot. Roll a D6. The result is the distance the unit may move in that shooting phase. This move is unaffected by difficult terrain or any other shooting restrictions. If you are fielding an army consisting entirely of Mercenary Kroot, rather than taking them as mercenaries for another force, then you may purchase a special Evolutionary Adaptation. You may choose a single Signature Evolutionary Adaptation for your Mercenary Kroot army. This represents the specific evolutionary path on which the Master Shaper has led his band, directing them to feed on specific prey in order to gain the characteristics of the creatures native to the warzones in which the band must fight. Choose one adaptation from the list below, and apply it to every Kroot in the army. Krootox and Kroot Hounds do not benefit from these signature adaptations. Bold: By concentrating on hunting prey known for its courageousness,
the squad adds +1 to its Leadership characteristic, up to a maximum
of 10. Chameleon: Having feasted upon the flesh of chameleonic reptiles,
the band has gained a limited ability to blend into its surroundings.
All models have a 6+ cover save when in the open. Fast Reflexes: Many creatures rely on their fast reactions
to avoid predators and this band has inherited some of this speed. All
models have +1 Initiative. Nocturnal: The band has inherited excellent night vision, and
may re-roll the dice to determine how far it can see in a Night Fighting
Mission. Ork Hybrid: Often referred to as 'Green Kroot', all models
increase their Toughness by +1. Strength 8 is needed to Instant Kill
models with this adaptation. Sixth Sense: These Kroot display an unnerving ability to predict
imminent danger. If targeted by any template, blast or ordnance blast
weapon, models under the template count as being partially covered -
therefore only hit on a D6 roll of 4+ (including flamer hits which do
not usually allow partial hits). In missions that use the Sentries scenario special rule, 8 Kroot warriors with no Evolutionary Adaptations are used as the sentries. |
