Onyx needs rework! What should it be?

A faction identity would be a good start, and really just work with the existing theme of faceless vat grown unliving horrors by adding EI aspects to lead them. It would solve the staggeringly terrible LT problem the faction currently has. Having a unidron area denial team while an aspect prowls ahead is the kind of alien menace I want to play. Buff the factions advance combat group theme by giving us some cheap AD troopers or dropsuits and some more midfield disruption. Then even without adding smoke or special characters you have a decently rounded faction. Tanky and heavy hitters prowl the ruins while drop pods rain from the sky.

Rework Umbra Legates too. Right now they have nothing going for them. I could see myself using them if the Mimetism was -6 like it was during leak season-- a mim-6 FD8, 6-2 spitfire might not be an autoinclude for me, but would definitely have a reason to see the table. Umbra's are the face of the faction, so make them worthwhile.

Remdriver, and expand on it a little. Onyx is a faction it's mandatory to take an EVO in, so lets just go all in on making it a remote faction already and give it some buffs.

Honestly, just +1 AVA on Grief Operator, +Dropsuit Taryot, +lesser Aspects (even though I would love Avatar) would make the sectorial pretty solid without being a CJC style abomination of 'insert best stuff here'.

 

I agree with pretty much all your points.

It seems unlikely CB will give us aspects in OCF, but maybe something interesting with Imetrons?

Flavor-wise, Imetrons are supposed to be the EI's advance presence on the battlefield, so why not add some sectorial specific items there?

I'd suggest two flavors:

1) "CoC" Imetrons that either actually have chain of command, or that have a mnemonica type deal that works like netrods/posthumans but for the relevant Lt.

2) Remdriver Imetrons

This would solve the Lt. issue and positively impact remotes, while still leaving a reasonable vulnerability. Fluff-wise, the EI is acting through it's agents (since aspects are unavailable) and relying on 'drons and co. to protect it's otherwise helpless command node.

Umbra... need help. Wildcard and a rules haircut.

 

Here they go mine:

• Make the Maakrep linkeable.
• Add CoC to the sectorial.
• Redesign the Umbra Legate.
• Create a new sygmaa unit.

Cheers

 

Charontid, Anathmatic, Skiavore, MAYBE Avatar

 

Skiavoro could be reworked and added to Onyx. As It is now I would not use It.

 

THIS!

 

Anathematic style and fluff really fits Onyx thematically:

"On the battlefield they work as an offensive vanguard for invasion forces, becoming the eyes of the command center and its main arm of execution. In this way, the style of combat developed by the Anathematics is that of a professional marauder, based on stealthy approach, swift assaults and fast disappearance."

 

here is a super crazy idea change the way the faction works at its very core. For example, make them hive mind where only a handful of models provide orders but as a tradeoff, they could coordinate tons of drones at the same time within their zone of control that would be something new and cool for the game after all we don't want every faction to play the same

 

That is a cool idea, that could play interestingly with some polish, but since it would probably require a complete overhaul it might be better as a new sectorial than an existing one.

 

I suspect Maakrep would still be rare even with wildcard (even moreso with a haris). It's a lot of points for something so fragile.

As befits their tracker status, I think they need a BSG FD+8 Sensor profile. Onyx doesn't have smoke to advance and is limited on good tools for clearing the midfield. M-drones are OK, but being hackable is a big liability for a midfield sweeper.

 

Having the anathematic I could live without having CoC.

 

I'm fine with a maakreep link options (haris or triad), including wildcard, maybe transmutation option. An lt2 and a coc legates profile, for fluf reasons.

And nourkias haris, ahaha

 

I've moved away from Onyx cause man, they are just unfun to play. Too rigid, with punishing options and outdated toys. What even is the main idea behind this sectorial anyway?

Onyx fireteams are terrible and they are supposedly the main draw of the sectorials - they need a complete overhaul, maybe except the unidron link

We have two core links, one of them being a Rodok link which is in a fairly bad spot atm, to put it lightly - Onyx needs another core link, preferably a fast HI-like link team. I'm down for a heavy drone style of a unit - 6-2, 2 str, aggresive style

Haris options - non-existent. Suryat haris is really cool, but other than that, what do we have? Nothing. Xeo haris is nice but in its current form it's a gimmick and the fact that you can't use Nourkias and have to include a Samaritan is hella annoying. Nourkias, Xeo and Kerr-Nau would be pretty darn nice. But Onyx needs more units that are linkable in a haris link, they need tools.

Midfield? Non-existent - new units needed, preferably toolboxy units
Parachutists - Onyx could really benefit from a decent parachutist (dep. zone) trooper or two, to counteract its lack of camo; one rambo and one specialist maybe?

Umbra Legates - in need of a complete rework tbh, they aren't competent melee fighters nor good gunfighters, but they are good at being expensive. Make them absolute CC beasts that they are supposed to be in lore - CC attack -3, NBW, MA4, 23CC, FD +8, dodge +6 and some form of marker state (khd maybe?). Take away their shooty profiles, focus on melee, leave them with boarding shotguns and they'll be happy. Legates should make your opponent feel like they are screwed in melee, no matter what they do. DTW? Dodges on 19s. Melee? Good luck with that. The only option should be to shoot them to death from afar

Samaritans - in a weird place right now, they aren't bad, but are outshined by Nourkias. I would love for them to have some kind of an ability to go through walls or sth, to go with the smoke theme (might be hella broken tho lol). But they need sth to differentiate them from Legates AND from Nourkias to make them worth taking

Lt options, as mentioned before, CoC too - Onyx is supposed to have an obvious lt and that's fine. But ffs, give them CoC on a back-line someone that is not going to be hyper-aggressive. Lt l2 would be nice, as mentioned before

Anathematic would be cool, would fit with the theme and serve as a fourth quasi-TAG (and TAGs are Onyx's schtick)

Basically, Onyx needs new units, new fireteams and a few redesigns on the existing units. Unidrons are fine, Suryats are fine (core would be nice tho) but that's about it tbh. Onyx feels super dated and lacks new toys - and I'd really want them to be good cause I've started Infinity with Onyx and would like to take them for a spin again. Apologies for the essay lol

 

From a lot of the ideas here, it seems like OSS is already the better version of this sectorial.

 

You're... painfully right lol
OSS is just a better Onyx atm; their design philosophy is similar to some degree and they do some things strictly better than Onyx

 

The shortcomings of the sectorial seem numerous compared to their strengths. Furthermore, many of the sectorial strengths are things available to vanilla CA. In addition to the issues others have stated I’d also like to note the lack of specialist diversity.

Dr Worm is unreasonably an auto include in about every list because beyond that you are almost exclusively looking at hackers.

Having an engineer option who could serve an additional purpose such as filling out a link and/or provide some layered defensive capability (minelayer/jammer/auxbot-like periphery) would be a nice add.

A Sygmaa trooper or character seems like an excellent and exciting way to do this.