Night Goblins

Grade: 1c
Source: Mordheimer's Information Centre (PDF)
Setting: Mordheim
Author: Terry Maltman

Lore

Much of the Old World is infested with tribes of Orcs and Goblins and Mordheim is no exception. The Night Goblins especially like the deep dark places and avoid the daylight wherever possible.

Whilst they are quite capable of digging their own tunnels and will do to avoid contact with others, they prefer to occupy the existing chambers. They use the catacombs beneath Mordheim to grow the strange fungi they use for food and to brew poisons. Elsewhere they just spoil and vandalise anything they can find.

Wanderers and adventurers should not underestimate the Night Goblins. Whilst they are a weak and cowardly race they are a pernicious enemy. They bolster their numbers with the ferocious cave squigs which abound in the caves and if they are lucky they can entice a troll to join them.

Special rules

Animosity: Goblins spend much of their lives squabbling and fighting amongst themselves. Sometimes this will happen at the worst of times. At the beginning of each Night Goblin turn roll a D6. On a roll of 1 they start to squabble and will do nothing else for the rest of the turn. Only Night Goblins are affected. Trolls, Squigs, Snotlings and other non-goblins are not affected and will act as normal.

Hate Stunties: Night Goblins are subject to hatred towards Dwarfs. This only affects Night Goblins not any other greenskins. Fanatics are so out of their skull that they are not affected.

Choice of warriors

A Night Goblins 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 20.

• Big Boss: Each warband must have 1 Big Boss: no more, no less!
• Shamans: Your warband may include up to 1 Shaman.
• Bosses: Your warband may include up to 4 Bosses.
• Night Goblins: Your warband may include any number of Night Goblins.
• Fanatics: Your warband may include up to 2 Fanatics.
• Cave Squigs: Your warband may include up to 5 Cave Squigs.
• Trolls: Your warband may include up to 1 Troll.
• Snotling Mob (consists of 5 Snotlings)s: Your warband may include up to 1 Snotling Mob (consists of 5 Snotlings).

Starting experience

• The Big Boss starts with 17 experience.
• The Shaman starts with 10 experience.
• Bosses start with 6 experience.
• Henchmen start with 0 experience.

Night Goblins Skill Table

	Combat	Shooting	Academic	Strength	Speed	Special
Big Boss	✓	✓		✓	✓	✓
Shaman		✓	✓		✓
Bosses	✓	✓			✓	✓

Night Goblins Special Skills

Night Goblins 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.

Ded Shooty

The clever little git adds +6" to the range of any missile weapons he uses (not including nets).

Sneaky Git

The greenskin is so sneaky that he can move D3 of his warband members after all other deployment is complete. Night Goblin Big Boss only.

Netter

The goblin is adept at using a net to disable his enemies. They learn their skill hunting wild cave squigs in the depths of the mountains. The technique he has mastered is 'chuck and charge'. The goblin may declare that he is making a net charge. He throws the net at a target in the same way as described in the Mordheim rulebook. If he hits and the target fails to escape the net then target counts as knocked down and the goblin completes his charge. If he misses or the target escapes then the goblin makes a failed charge. If the failed charge would take him into base contact then stop him 1" away. A warrior who is caught in a net will be automatically hit in combat. The goblin must still roll to wound just as with a knocked down enemy. In the warrior's next recovery phase, unless he is stunned or out of action he will cut himself out of the net but cannot do anything else and will go last in combat just as if he had stood up from being knocked down.

Night Goblins equipment lists

Pricing:

Night Goblin Equipment List

Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons

Item	Cost
Dagger	1st free/2 gc
Club, Mace or Hammer	3 gc
Sword	10 gc
Spear	10 gc

Missile Weapons

Item	Cost
Short Bow	5 gc

Armour

Item	Cost
Shield	5 gc
Helmet	10 gc
Light Armour	20 gc

Fanatic Equipment List

Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons

Item	Cost
Double-handed weapon	15 gc
Ball and Chain	15 gc
Poison Daggers	25 gc

Missile Weapons

None.

Armour

None.

Miscellaneous

Item	Cost
Mad Cap Mushrooms	25 gc

Special Equipment

Night Goblins have access to the following special equipment when purchasing items from the Trading Post, outside their starting list:

Ball and Chain

Cost: 15 gc
Availability: Common (Goblins only)

This is a huge iron ball with a chain attached, used by the dreaded Night Goblin Fanatics to deal out whirling death. Enormously heavy, it can only be used when combined with Mad Cap Mushrooms.

Range: Close Combat
Strength: As user +2

Special Rules

Incredible Force: Because the Ball and Chain is so heavy, normal armour does very little to protect against it. No armour saves are allowed against wounds caused by a Ball and Chain. In addition, any hit from a Ball and Chain is very likely to take off someone's head (or at least break some ribs!). Therefore, any hit that successfully wounds will do 1D3 wounds instead of 1.

Random: The only way to wield a Ball and Chain is to swing it around in large circles, using your body as a counter-weight. Unfortunately this is not a very controllable fighting style, and as soon as he starts swinging his Ball and Chain, a warrior starts to lose control. The first turn he starts swinging the Ball and Chain, the model is moved 2D6" in a direction nominated by the controlling player. In his subsequent Movement phases, roll a D6 to determine what the model does:

D6	Result
1	The model trips and strangles himself with the chain. The model is taken out of action. When rolling for Injury after the game, a roll of 1-3 means the model is out permanently, instead of the normal 1-2.
2-5	The model moves 2D6" in a direction nominated by the controlling player.
6	The model moves 2D6" in a random direction. If the player owns a Scatter dice (available from Games Workshop stores), roll that to determine direction. If not, then roll a D6: 1 – Straight Forward, 2-3 – Right, 4-5 – Left, 6 – Straight Back.

If the Ball and Chain wielding model moves into contact with another model (friend or foe), he counts as charging into close combat, and will engage in close combat until his next Movement phase. Opponents wishing to attack a Ball and Chain wielding model suffer a To Hit penalty of -1, as they must dodge the whirling ball to get close enough to strike. The Ball and Chain wielder cannot be held in close combat and will automatically move even if he starts the Movement phase in base contact with another model. If the model moves into contact with a building, wall, or other obstruction, he is automatically taken out of action. In addition, a ball and chain wielding Goblin is much too busy trying to control the spinning weapon to worry about what others are saying about him behind his back, so ignores the special rules for Animosity.

Cumbersome: Because the Ball and Chain is so heavy, a model equipped with one may carry no other weapons or equipment. In addition, only a model under the influence of Mad Cap Mushrooms has the strength to wield a ball and chain.

Unwieldy: The great weight of the Ball and Chain can easily tear ligaments or pull a wielder's arms out of their sockets. While someone under the influence of Mad Cap Mushrooms will not notice such effects, when the drug wears off he will be in great pain. To represent this, at the end of the battle the controlling player must roll for Injury for each model that used a Ball and Chain, just as if the model had been taken out of action. If the model was actually taken out of action normally, just roll once for Injury – there is no need to make a second roll.

Poison Daggers

Cost: 25 gc
Availability: Common

A pair of daggers which are coated in Death Cap mushroom juice. The coating is re-applied for free after every game. It is derived from the poisonous Death Cap mushrooms and has the same effect as Black Lotus.

Range: Close Combat
Strength: As user

Special Rules

Paired: Poisoned Daggers are traditionally used in pairs, one in each hand. A warrior armed with Poisoned Daggers gets an additional attack.

Poisoned: These blades are coated in Death Cap Mushroom juice. The daggers are re-coated for free after every game, and they have the same effect as Black Lotus. For reference: they will wound the target automatically if you roll a 6 to hit. Note that you can still roll a dice for every wound inflicted in this way. If you roll a 6, you will inflict a critical hit with that roll. If you do not roll a 6, you will cause a normal wound. Take armour saves as normal.

+1 Enemy armour save: Target gets +1 to armour save

Heroes

1 Big Boss

45 gold crowns to hire

Like all greenskins Night Goblin society is ruled by the biggest and meanest of the tribe. Goblins have one advantage over their larger cousins - they are cunning too. To climb to position of Big Boss the goblin must be sneaky and backstabbing as well as the biggest and best.

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
	4	3	3	3	3	1	3	1	7

Weapons/Armour: Big Boss may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Night Goblin Equipment List.

Special Rules

Leader: Any warrior within 6" of the Orc Boss may use his Leadership characteristic when taking Leadership tests.

0 – 1 Shaman

50 gold crowns to hire

Despite their smaller size, Night Goblin Shamans are every bit as powerful as their Orc cousins. They can summon the power of the Waaagh generated by their fighting comrades and call on Gork and Mork for their supernatural assistance.

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
	4	2	3	3	3	1	3	1	6

Weapons/Armour: Shaman may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Night Goblin Equipment List.

Special Rules

Wizard: A Shaman is a wizard and uses Waaagh! Magic.

0 – 4 Bosses

25 gold crowns to hire

Goblin Bosses like to think that they are the best and toughest fighters in the tribe. Of course the Big Boss knows better but he has to watch his back when the other Bosses are around.

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
	4	3	3	3	3	1	3	1	6

Weapons/Armour: Bosses may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Night Goblin Equipment List.

Henchmen

(Bought in groups of 1-5)

Night Goblins

15 gold crowns to hire

Individually Night Goblins are weak and cowardly but together they make a force to be reckoned with. Preferring to attack in large numbers they are adept at hit and run tactics and can take down foes much stronger than themselves.

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
	4	2	3	3	3	1	3	1	5

Weapons/Armour: Night Goblin may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Night Goblin Equipment List.

0 – 2 Fanatics

20 gold crowns to hire

The caves where Night Goblins live are rich in various forms of fungi. The goblins are able to make use of these and even cultivate some of them. Best known are the Madcap mushrooms. These drive anyone who eats them into a frothing fighting frenzy. Some of the Night Goblins are deliberately fed large quantities of Madcap mushrooms to turn them into crazed killing machines. Often seen on open battlefields wielding a huge ball and chain they adopt slightly safer weapons in the narrow streets of Mordheim.

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
	4	2	3	3	3	1	3	1	5

Weapons/Armour: Fanatic may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Fanatic Equipment List.

Special Rules

Addict: The Fanatic is dependent on a regular supply of Madcap Mushrooms which must be bought each game. If he can't get any before a battle he will stay in his cave foaming at the mouth and not take part. If available he will eat his mushrooms before the battle.

Mushroom Brain: Due to the effect of prolonged use of Madcap Mushrooms the Fanatic's brain is about useless. He cannot gain experience.

Looney: Due to the effect of the Mushrooms he is subject to frenzy . He must also test for permanent damage after the battle as described in the rulebook.

Frantic: The Fanatic is hyperactive and will strike first in combat ignoring penalties or bonuses for weapons or initiative order.

0 – 5 Cave Squigs

15 gold crowns to hire

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
	2D6	4	0	4	3	1	4	1	5

Weapons/Armour: Big gob and brutality! Cave Squigs never use or need weapons or armour.

Special Rules

Movement: Cave Squigs do not have a set Movement characteristic but move with an ungainly bouncing stride. To represent this, when moving Squigs, roll 2D6 for the distance they move. Squigs never run and never declare charges. Instead, they are allowed to contact enemy models with their normal 2D6" movement. If this happens, they count as charging for the following round of close combat, just as if they had declared a charge.

Minderz: Each Cave Squig must always remain within 6" of a Goblin Warrior, who keeps the creature in line. If a Cave Squig finds itself without a Goblin within 6" at the start of its Movement phase, it will go wild. From that point on, move the Squig 2D6" in a random direction during each of its Movement phases. If its movement takes it into contact with another model (friend or foe), it will engage the model in hand-to-hand combat as normal. The Cave Squig is out of the Orc & Goblin player’s control until the end of the game.

Animals: Cave Squigs are animals of a sort and so do not gain experience.

0 – 1 Troll

200 gold crowns to hire

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
	6	3	1	5	4	3	1	3	4

Weapons/Armour: Trolls do not require weapons to fight but often carry a big club. In any event, Trolls can never be given weapons or armour.

Special Rules

Fear: Trolls are frightening monsters which cause fear.

Stupidity: A Troll is subject to the rules for stupidity.

Regeneration: Trolls have a unique physiology that allow them to regenerate wounds. Whenever an enemy successfully inflicts a wound on a Troll roll a D6, on a result of 4 or more the wound is ignored and the Troll is unhurt. Trolls may not regenerate wounds caused by fire or fire-based magic. Trolls never roll for Injury after a battle.

Dumb Monster: A Troll is far too stupid to ever learn any new skills. Trolls do not gain experience.

Always Hungry: A Troll requires an upkeep cost. This upkeep represents the copious amounts of food that must be fed to the Troll in order to keep him loyal to the warband. The warband must pay 15 gold crowns after every game in order to keep the Troll. If the warband lacks the gold to pay the upkeep, the Boss has the option of sacrificing two Goblin Warriors or Cave Squigs to the Troll in lieu of buying food (Trolls eat nearly anything). If this fee is not paid (either in gold or in warband members) the Troll gets hungry and wanders off in search of food.

Vomit Attack: Instead of his normal attacks, a Troll can regurgitate its highly corrosive digestive juices on an unfortunate hand-to-hand combat opponent. This is a single attack that automatically hits with a Strength of 5 and ignores armour saves.

Large Target: Trolls are Large Targets as defined in the shooting rules.

0 – 1 Snotling Mob (consists of 5 Snotlings)

50 gold crowns to hire

Wherever there are greenskins you will find Snotlings. Any Goblin warband will attract a number of them. Snotlings perform the same function for Goblins as Goblins serve for Orcs. They provide someone smaller to slap around.

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
	4	2	2	2	2	1	3	1	4

Weapons/Armour: Snotlings may only ever use a pointy stick, which they will find for themselves at no cost. This counts as a dagger and gives the enemy a +1 to his armour save or a 6+ save if he had none.

Special Rules

Mob: Snotlings are naturally gregarious creatures. They are initially bought in a mob of 5. You may replace mob members up to the maximum of 5. They will always move and fight as a mob. All members must stay within 1" and all will join in the same combat if possible.

Weedy: Snotlings are not the most robust of creatures. If wounded they will be knocked down on a 1, stunned on a 2-3 and go out of action on a 4-6.

Dodgy: The little creatures are constantly ducking and diving in the most infuriating way. They get a 6+ dodge save against shooting.

Insignificant: Nobody cares about the Snotlings. The whole mob counts as a single model for the purposes of rout tests, maximum warband size and calculating income. An enemy hero will only gain experience for taking the last Snotling Out of Action.

Waaaagh! Magic

Waaagh! spells are used by Orc Shamans. They are rituals of a sort, howling prayers to the boisterous Orc gods Gork and Mork.

Waaaagh! Magic are used by Orc Mob Shaman, Night Goblins Shaman

D6	Result
1	Led’z go
2	Oi! Gerroff!
3	Zzap!
4	Fooled Ya!
5	Clubba
6	Fire of Gork

Led’z go

Difficulty: 9

The Shaman’s howling invigorates the ladz to fight even harder for Gork and Mork.

Any Orc or Goblin within 4" of the Shaman will automatically strike first in hand-to-hand combat regardless of other circumstances. The spell only lasts until the caster is knocked down, stunned or taken out of action.

Oi! Gerroff!

Difficulty: 7

A huge, green ectoplasmic hand pushes an enemy away.

Range 8". Moves any enemy model within range D6" directly away from the Shaman. If the target collides with another model or a building, both suffer 1 S3 hit. Note: Very handy for dropping people from high buildings with. May not be cast on models in hand-to-hand combat.

Zzap!

Difficulty: 9

A crackling green bolt of WAAAGH! energy erupts from the Shaman’s forehead to strike the skull of the closest foe. This energy easily overloads the brain of a weak-willed opponent.

Range 12". Causes D3 S4 hits on the closest enemy target, with no armour saves allowed.

Fooled Ya!

Difficulty: 6

The Shaman disappears in a green mist, confusing his enemies.

No enemy may charge the Shaman during their next turn. If the Shaman is engaged in hand-to-hand combat he may immediately move 4" away.

Clubba

Difficulty: 7

A huge, green club appears in the hand of the Shaman.

The ectoplasmic club counts as a normal club with +2 Strength bonus and gives the Shaman +1 attack as well. This spell lasts until the Shaman suffers a wound.

Fire of Gork

Difficulty: 8

Twin bolts of green flame shoot from the Shaman’s nose to strike the nearest enemy model.

Range 12". Each of the two bolts causes D3 S3 hits; the bolts can either be fired both at the closest enemy target or split between the two closest enemy targets.