Shadow Warriors
Grade: 1b
Source: Town Cryer #10, revised in Mordheim Annual 2002 (PDF)
Setting: Mordheim
Lore
The people of Nagarythe that survived became a nation of wanderers, moving from place to place and never really welcomed by other High Elves, for these Shadow Elves as they became known had gained a reputation for being a fierce and warlike people, full of cruelty. This reputation, while probably only partially true, sets the Shadow Elves apart from other members of their race. This, along with their grim attitude and generally dark presence, makes other High Elves feel ill at ease around them. In Ulthuan they are misfits and outcasts, and many of these proud people seek their fortunes outside Ulthuan entirely. They truly are a race ‘in the shadows’ between the cruel darkness of the Dark Elves, and the beautiful light of the other High Elves.
Some of the Elves of Nagarythe have been driven mad by this condition, but most have accepted their existence, and are driven on by a desire for revenge against the arch nemesis the Witch King and his perverse mother. The Shadow Elves form themselves into warbands and travel the lands of Ulthuan and the Known World, sometimes fighting Dark Elves (and other forces of Chaos) when they find them, and fighting just to survive the remainder of the time. Some still work in the service of the Phoenix king, acting as scouts and trackers for his armies. Sometimes small units of these warriors will be sent by their king to distant lands on a special mission for Ulthuan – recovery of ancient artifacts left behind when the High Elves abandoned the Old World, or sabotage of a rumoured plot of the Dark Elves. When sent on such a mission, these bands bring their military trappings with them – standards and war horns, unit insignia fiercely emblazoned on their shields – for the Shadow Elves take pride in their loyalty to the Phoenix King. Other warbands represent small groups of warriors seeking their fortune... though still loyal to Ulthuan, they may no longer feel welcome in their island home, or perhaps they represent a family pursuing a personal vendetta against a particular Dark Elf leader. Whatever the case, bands of Shadow Warriors may occasionally be seen roving the lands of the Old World to exploring the steamy jungles of Lustria.
Due to their wandering nature, it’s not uncommon to see Shadow Warriors travelling the lands of the Empire, so they should fit right in in your normal games of Mordheim. However, the Empire is not the only land these tireless warriors travel to in their quest to rid the world of Dark Elves. As more settings are introduced for the game, you will be able to take your Shadow Warriors to other lands, such as the jungles of Lustria as introduced in Lustria Cities of Gold. You should not feel constrained to keep the Shadow Warriors in one city, it is their nature to wander.
Special rules
Hate Dark Elves: All warriors in a Shadow Warrior Warband (excluding any Hired Swords) have an unyielding hatred for Dark Elves.
Excellent Sight: Elves have eyesight unmatched by mere humans. All the Elves in a Shadow Warrior Warband can spot Hidden enemies from twice as far away as other warriors (i.e. twice their Initiative in inches).
Distaste for Poison: The use of poisons and various drugs is a Dark Elf specialty. As such, it is frowned upon by Shadow Warriors, even more so than by other High Elves. Warriors in a Shadow Warrior Warband may not use poisons of any type.
Unforgiving: In addition to their hatred of their corrupt kin, the folk of Nagarythe have a long history of struggle against the forces of Chaos. In multiplayer games, a Shadow Warrior warband may never forge an alliance with any Warband of a Chaotic nature (Possessed, Skaven, Beastmen, Dark Elves, etc.).
Tolerant: Due to their outsider status with their own people, the Elves of Nagarythe have learned to stifle their distaste for ‘lesser races’, and have even been known to work alongside them from time to time. A Shadow Warrior Warband may hire any Hired Sword that is not of a Chaotic or evil bent (so no Skaven, Possessed, Beastmen, Dark Elves, Undead, etc.). They also shun the company of anyone specialising in the use of poison (so no Assassins).
Choice of warriors
A Shadow Warriors warband must include a minimum of three models. You have 500 gold crowns available to spend. The maximum number of warriors in the warband may never exceed 12.
- Shadow Masters: Each warband must have 1 Shadow Master: no more, no less!
- Shadow Walkers: Your warband may include up to 3 Shadow Walkers.
- Shadow Weavers: Your warband may include up to 1 Shadow Weaver.
- Shadow Warriors: Your warband may include any number of Shadow Warriors.
- Shadow Warrior Novices: Your warband may include any number of Shadow Warrior Novices.
Starting experience
- The Shadow Master starts with 20 experience.
- Shadow Walkers start with 12 experience.
- The Shadow Weaver starts with 12 experience.
- Henchmen start with 0 experience.
Shadow Warriors Skill Table
| Combat | Shooting | Academic | Strength | Speed | Special | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Master | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Shadow Walker | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Shadow Weaver | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Shadow Warriors Special Skills
Shadow Warriors Heroes may use the following Skill table instead of any of the standard Skill tables available to them.
Infiltration
A warrior with this skill is always placed on the battlefield after the opposing warband and can be placed anywhere on the table as long as it is out of sight of the opposing warband and more than 12" away from any enemy model. If both players have models which infiltrate, roll a D6 for each, and the lowest roll sets up first.See in Shadows
The warrior’s senses have become especially keen from years spent walking the shadows. As long as he has movement to reach them, the warrior may always roll to charge opponents he cannot see (instead of the normal 4").
Hide in Shadows
Over time Shadow Warriors have learned how to freeze in place and remain undetected, even from the heightened senses of their Dark Elf cousins. An enemy warrior attempting to detect this warrior when he is Hidden must halve his Initiative before measuring the distance.
Sniper
Long years of guerrilla warfare against the Dark Elves have taught Shadow Warriors how to strike from the shadows without being seen. If Hidden, a warrior with this skill may shoot or cast spells and still remain Hidden. If his target is not immediately taken out of action by the Sniper they get to test against their Initiative in an attempt to spot him. A successful test means that the Sniper has been spotted and is no longer hidden.
Powerful Build
The warrior is strongly built for an Elf, and is capable of feats of strength not often seen among the people of Ulthuan. A warrior with this skill may choose skills from the Strength skills table from now on. This skill may not be taken by Shadow Weavers. There may never be more than two Elves with this skill in the warband at any one time.
Master of Runes
The Shadow Weaver has learned to harness the power of the High Elven runes of power (see Elven Runestones, below) to a degree few mages attain. When using Elven Runestones, the mage is +1 to his dispel roll. In addition, the mage can inscribe the weapons and armour of one of his fellow warriors with Elven runes. One member of the Warband may reroll a single failed armour save or Parry roll once per battle. After a single battle, the runes lose their glamour and must be redone. This skill may only be taken by Shadow Weavers.
Shadow Warriors equipment lists
Shadow Warrior equipment lists
The following lists are used by Shadow Warrior warbands to pick their weapons:
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 1st free/2 gc |
| Sword | 10 gc |
| Spear | 10 gc |
| Double-handed weapon | 15 gc |
| Ithilmar Weapon | 2 x price Heroes only |
Missile Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Bow | 10 gc |
| Long bow (Long Bow) | 15 gc |
| Elf Bow | 35 gc |
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Light Armour | 20 gc |
| Shield | 5 gc |
| Helmet | 10 gc |
| Ithilmar Armour | 60 gc Heroes only |
Miscellaneous
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Standard of Nagarythe | 75 gc Heroes only |
| War Horn of Nagarythe | 25 gc Heroes only |
| Elven Cloak | 75 gc |
| Elven Wine | 50 gc Heroes only |
| Elven Runestones | 50 gc Heroes only |
Special Equipment
Shadow Warriors have access to the following special equipment when purchasing items from the Trading Post, outside their starting list:
Elven Runestones
Cost: 50 + 2D6 gc
Availability: Rare 11 (Weavers only)
High Elven mages are well known as the masters of defensive magic. To aid them, they have developed several mystic runes of power. They often inscribe these runes on semiprecious stones, which can help strengthen an Elven Mage's magical defenses.
Special Rules
Elven Wine
Cost: 50 + 3D6 gc
Availability: Rare 10
High Elven wines are well known to be the best in the world, and some are even rumoured to have magical qualities. A fine Elven Wine can cast out doubt and fear and leave a general feeling of well-being in a warrior.
Special Rules
Standard of Nagarythe
Cost: 75 + 3D6 gc
Availability: Rare 9
While many Shadow Warrior Warbands are simply wandering, some represent groups that have been sent from Ulthuan on some special mission for the Phoenix King. Such bands are really closer to military units than loose bands of warriors. As such, they tend to retain their unit insignia and other trappings. Chief among these is the unit standard. A unit's colours can hold a lot of meaning, particularly when the warriors in that unit lack a true home. A Shadow Warrior band normally makes their standard by hand; cost and rarity represent the difficulty of finding the proper materials (fine silks and thread of gold, for example).
Special Rules
War Horn of Nagarythe
Cost: 25 + 1D6 gc
Availability: Rare 6
Similar to the Standard of Nagarythe, units of Shadow Warriors sent into Mordheim often bring with them a war horn to rally around.
Special Rules
Heroes
1 Shadow Master
70 gold crowns to hire
Shadow Master is a very honourable title among the warriors of the Shadow Elves… it is given to one who has fought in the shadow war for so long that he rules the darkness that he fights from. Often a member of the former Nagarythe nobility, the captain of a Shadow Warrior Warband is known by the honourable title ‘Shadow Master’. These proud and strong-willed warriors often gather a small band of their followers and seek a life away from the hesitant charity and distasteful stares of Ulthuan.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
Weapons/Armour: Shadow Master may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Shadow Warrior equipment lists.
Special Rules
0 – 3 Shadow Walkers
45 gold crowns to hire
One step down from the title of Shadow Master is Shadow Walker. A walker in the shadows is considered to have made friends with the darkness, and while he does not command it, it gives him aid when asked. Shadow Walkers are seasoned veterans in the war against the Dark Elves. They are skilled trackers and hunters, and the most trusted lieutenants of the Warband’s captain, the Shadow Master.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
Weapons/Armour: Shadow Walker may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Shadow Warrior equipment lists.
0 – 1 Shadow Weaver
55 gold crowns to hire
All High Elves have some aptitude for magic, and those with the greatest aptitude are taught how to bend the Winds of Magic to their will. Shadow Weavers are the mages of Nagarythe. Due to the nature of their unending war against the Dark Elves, the mages of Nagarythe tend to specialise in magics that use shadows to conceal their presence and confound their enemies. In fact the title Shadow Weaver comes from the nature of their magic… like a talented tailor, the Shadow Weaver takes the threads of shadow and fashions them into shapes and forms of his choosing.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
Weapons/Armour: Shadow Weaver may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Shadow Warrior equipment lists.
Special Rules
Henchmen
(Bought in groups of 1-5)Shadow Warriors
35 gold crowns to hire
Most of the warriors in the Shadow Warrior Warband are veterans of at least one battle, and all have lost loved ones to the depravity of the Dark Elves.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
Weapons/Armour: Shadow Warrior may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Shadow Warrior equipment lists.
Shadow Warrior Novices
25 gold crowns to hire
These are untested Shadow Elves, newly inducted into the warband. Often these warriors are younger cousins who are setting out from Ulthuan for the first time. Due to their hard existence, it is often a quick progression from Novice to full Warrior, however.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
Weapons/Armour: Shadow Warrior Novice may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Shadow Warrior equipment lists.
Shadow Warrior Magic
Shadow Weavers use a strange blend of magic that differs in many ways to the traditional High Magic of their cousins of the Tower of Hoeth.
Shadow Warrior Magic is used by Shadow Warriors Shadow Weaver
Author’s note: Several of the following spells mention that the target must be within a certain distance of a wall. This is not literally restricted to walls, but may include any piece of terrain that could be expected to cast a man-sized shadow.
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Pool of Shadow |
| 2 | The Living Shadows |
| 3 | Wings of Night |
| 4 | Cloak of Darkness |
| 5 | Shadowbind |
| 6 | Shield of Shadow |
Pool of Shadow
Difficulty: 7
If an enemy enters the area the effect is disrupted. While the spell lasts all affected models count as being in cover against enemy shooting. The spell lasts until the start of the Shadow Weaver’s next turn.
The Living Shadows
Difficulty: 7
Wings of Night
Difficulty: 6
If the move places him into base contact with an enemy model he counts as charging in the first round of combat.
Cloak of Darkness
Difficulty: 7
He may intercept as normal if desired, but he is not required to do so. If he does not intercept, enemies may charge past him. The spell lasts until the Shadow Weaver attacks an enemy model.
A model engaged in close combat may never choose not to attack.
Shadowbind
Difficulty: 9
The target may not move unless it first passes a Strength test on 1D6+1 at the start of its turn before the Recovery phase.
The spell lasts until the Shadow Weaver suffers a wound or attempts to cast another spell. If the affected model is attacked, treat it exactly as if it were Stunned.
Shield of Shadow
Difficulty: 7
The target gains a 5+ armour save that is not modified by the attacker’s Strength. The spell lasts until the start of the Shadow Weaver’s next turn.