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Grade 1A Dramatis personae

Aenur, the sword of twilight​

Many famous swordsmen have come to Mordheim to make their fortune, but few can match the terrifying reputation of the Elf swordsman Aenur. This mighty warrior was responsible for slaying the entire Possessed warband of Karl Zimmeran, and single-handedly cleansed the Rat Hole, a settlement that had been overrun by Beastmen.

Rumours about Aenur’s origin abound. Elves usually avoid human settlements, and Mordheim in particular, but for some reason the tall, pale swordsman has stayed in the proximity of the ruined city for months.

Some say Aenur comes from beyond the Great Ocean, from the fabled Elven kingdoms, and that he is the captain of the legendary Order of Swordmasters. Others claim that he is a Wood Elf prince in exile. Aenur himself says little about his past and those who are wise do not question him.

Whenever a warband prepares an expedition to explore the inner city, there is a chance they may hear a sharp rap at the gate of their encampment – their unexpected visitor will be Aenur, offering his services to their leader.

If, indeed, Aenur seeks something in the grim ruins of Mordheim, no-one knows what this might be. Some say that he wishes to explore the Pit itself, and slay the enigmatic Shadow Lord, though such a task must surely be above even this mighty warrior.

Aenur is tall even for an Elf, and beneath his finely woven Elven cloak he wears armour of gleaming ithilmar. He carries a sword of immense size which is rumoured to have arcane properties. Certainly noone who has been struck by it has ever lived to tell the tale.

Hire Fee: 150 gold crowns to hire.

May be Hired: Any warband except Skaven, Undead and the Possessed may hire Aenur.

Rating: Aenur increases the warband’s rating by +100 points.

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Aenur584432738

Weapons/Armour: Aenur wears ithilmar armour, an Elven cloak and carries an enormous sword known as Ienh-Khain.

Skills: Aenur has the following skills: Strike to Injure, Expert Swordsman, Step Aside, Sprint, Lightning Reflexes, Dodge and Mighty Blow.

SPECIAL RULES​

Invincible Swordsman. Aenur always hits his opponents on a roll of 2+ in hand-to-hand combat.

Wanderer. Aenur only ever stays with a warband for the duration of the battle. A warband who used Aenur in their last battle may not seek him out until they have fought at least one battle without him.

Ienh-Khain (the Hand of Khaine). Ienh-Khain is an incredibly long singleedged sword, which Aenur uses with consummate skill. This sword allows Aenur to parry, adds +1 to his Strength and causes a critical hit on a roll of 5-6 when rolling to wound.

Bertha Bestraufrung, high matriarch of the sisterhood​

Years ago, Bertha sought refuge in the strict discipline and devotions of the Sisters of Sigmar. Only the warrior god of the Empire was worthy of her esteem. Only He was constant and faithful. And had not holy Sigmar, in truth, chosen her to be one of his handmaidens?

The pure blood of the Unberogens runs in Bertha’s veins, as evinced by her long golden plaits and fierce blue eyes, which can freeze a Goblin at twenty paces with an icy glare. Even her voice commands authority, turning strong, hairy-thewed men into trembling wretches.

The Sisters look up to Bertha as an example of holy womanhood. She rose rapidly through the ranks of the Sisterhood, and on her deathbed the revered Matriarch Cassandra named Bertha her successor, new High Matriarch, and Abedissa of Sigmar’s Rock.

Sometimes, as Bertha straps on her Gromril armour in the light of dawn, she reflects on the lost innocence of her youth. Then, angrily, she tightens the studded leather straps tightly over her iron-hard limbs and strides outside to spend hours practising with her great warhammers, preparing herself, as a bride of Sigmar should, for the day of battle.

Extract from the Tome of Heroes

Hire Fee: None. Bertha will come to the aid of any Sisters of Sigmar warband if they send one or more of their Heroines to look for her in the normal manner, rolling under their Initiative (representing their efforts to gain audience with the High Matriarch). If she does grant an audience, she might decide that her personal help is needed in the forthcoming battle. She will only come to the aid of a Sisters of Sigmar warband if their enemy has a higher warband rating. Consult the table below, and roll a D6 to see whether Bertha will aid the warband. A request for Bertha to aid the warband must be made for each battle you wish her to help the warband.

Difference in Warband RatingDice roll required
0-49Nil
50-996+
100-1495+
150-1994+
200+3+

May be Hired: Bertha Bestraufrung will only join Sisters of Sigmar warbands.

Rating: Bertha increases a warband’s rating by +105 points.

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Bertha4534424310

Weapons/Armour: Bertha is armed with two Sigmarite warhammers, wears gromril armour, and carries a vial of blessed water and a holy relic.

SKILLS​

Bertha has the following skills: Mighty Blow, Unstoppable Charge and Righteous Fury.

PRAYERS OF SIGMAR​

Bertha knows all six Prayers of Sigmar.

SPECIAL RULES​

High Matriarch. As the High Matriarch of the Sisters of Sigmar’s Mercy, Bertha will automatically be the leader of any warband she joins.

Sigmar’s Handmaiden. Bertha is favoured above all other Sisters in the eyes of Sigmar. She gains +2 to all her rolls to see whether her Prayers of Sigmar are granted.

Countess Marianna Chevaux, Vampire Assassin​

Once an assassin-thief, Marianna’s ambitions outreached her. In a daring expedition to Araby, she came into contact with the ancient Vampiress Serutat. Marianna succeeded in her mission, stealing the gem, the Noctu, from Serutat’s crypt but the Vampiress caught up with her, tainting her with the curse of Vampirism before the resourceful assassin could escape.

In a moment Marianna had become a thing of the night and yet she was not completely damned, a half-vampire. Sating her bloodlust on the numerous courtesans, captains and suitors that came her way, Marianna fled the bitter vengeance of the Lahmian Vampire, Serutat, to Mordheim. With the City of the Damned her relative anonymity would be assured.

Marianna is a pragmatist, neutral in her persona, serving only her own means, hiring her skills out as an assassin, taking care to conceal her secret. Wary of witch hunters and the other devout servants of Sigmar, Marianna is a creature of the shadows, her vampiric powers enhancing her abilities immeasurably. And yet the flight to Mordheim serves an ulterior motive. Vampire turned Vampire Hunter and as such an exile in the dark Undead underworld, Marianna tracks the night-stalkers of Mordheim, torturing them for information; the whereabouts of Serutat and the true nature of the Noctu, the black jewel stolen from her crypt. Marianna’s efforts have borne dark fruit, a word of power and the stone will create a veil of shadow to cloak the bearer, drifting like a black ether. Marianna means to seek out Serutat in her lair when she is vulnerable, exacting her own vengeance for damning her to darkness, her ‘interrogations’ warning her that the Vampire has travelled to the Empire to settle the score and retrieve the Noctu. A plethora of aliases have kept Marianna hidden so far but occasionally, during a battle in the deepest recesses of the city, minions of Serutat will appear out of the night to exact their mistress’s vengeance, much to the surprise of the vying warbands. Marianna walks a dagger-thin line but thus far she has yet to slip…

Hire Fee: 150 gold crowns to hire; 75 gold crowns upkeep (varies see below).

May Be Hired: Any Warband except Witch Hunters, Sisters of Sigmar, Undead, Elves and other Sigmar devoted warbands may hire Marianna (note, mercenaries are men of lax faith and do not count here).

Rating: Marianna increases the warband’s rating by +90 points.

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Marianna666442939

Weapons/Armour: Marianna carries a rapier, dagger and has a set of throwing knives and a crossbow pistol concealed about her person. Her crossbow bolts and rapier are coated in essence of garlic, which acts as Black Lotus when used against Vampires. She also has quite an extensive wardrobe of very expensive Bretonnian silk dresses!

Skills: Marianna has the following skills: Combat Master, Step Aside, Leap, Acrobat, Lightning Reflexes, Dodge, Jump Up and Scale Sheer Surface.

Special Rules​

Immune to Psychology: As a Vampire, Marianna is completely immune to the effects of psychology and will never leave combat.

Immune to Poison: As a Vampire, Marianna is completely immune to the effects of poison.

No Pain: Marianna treats a stunned result on the Injury chart as knocked down instead (note that with her Jump Up ability Marianna cannot be knocked down either so the only way to stop her is to take her out of action!).

Cause fear: Marianna is a terrifying creature, although more through reputation than her being a Vampire as she is contriving to keep her identity a secret.

‘You can never escape your past…’: On the last turn of the game in which Marianna is still standing or as soon as a warband routs, ending the game, roll a D6:

  D6  Result
1-3Marianna has discovered that Serutat is getting close and will leave the warband’s service after the game.
4-5Marianna has discovered a useful lead that she must pursue in this area and will stay for another game if the warband can afford her upkeep.
6A group of Serutat’s minions have caught up with her! Fight D3 more turns as if the losing warband hadn’t routed (in the confusion the balance is reset). A randomly determined group of minions ‘appear’ within 2D6" of Marianna, the opposing player chooses where. Marianna takes the first turn and then the minions, after which the turn sequence returns to normal with the minions counted as a an extra player. The minions only attack Marianna and must move towards her as fast as possible but will attack anyone else in their way. If her warband fight to help her (by taking at least one minion out of action) and she survives, Marianna will fight the next battle for free, otherwise she will leave.
  D6  Minions
1-2D3+1 Zombies
3-4D3+1 Ghouls
5-6Vampire (Sword & light armour) +2 Ghouls

Fighting Undead: Due to her vocation as a Vampire Assassin turned Vampire Hunter, all Vampires hate Marianna.

The Noctu: The gemstone stolen from Serutat’s lair has powerful cloaking properties. The veil of shadow it creates reduces all shooting to hit rolls against Marianna by -1.

Johann the knife​

“Get your hands off me, brute! Let go of me, and I’ll tell you what I know. So, you seek Johann the Knife! Take my advice, friend, do not speak his name out loud. He does not like people talking about him in the street. What do you seek him for anyway? So, you’ve got a job for him! Well, why didn’t you say so before? I cannot say where you might find him, because I do not know myself. Who does? Anyway, no matter. When he hears word, he will find you soon enough! Ha! ha! It will cost you though, for he likes gold, does Johann. He knows this city – what’s left of it – like the back of his hand. If he can’t find someone, no-one can. He is like a shadow, he can go in and out of anywhere, unseen. He can also fight his way out of anywhere. Noone can catch him. As quick as lightning with a knife, he is! No traces, all very neat and tidy. All I need from you is the gold, and the name. Johann will do the rest.”

Conversation overheard in Mordheim

Of the many cutthroats and assassins for hire that infest the settlements around Mordheim, Johann the Knife is the most famous. He exhibits his vocation as hired knife-fighter and assassin extraordinaire by the various lethal-looking daggers hanging from his belt, and the mean glint of his eyes. Johann wears dark leather gear, slightly out of fashion, which has never been washed (or so the barmaids say). His long face bears the scars of many a fight, and his unkempt hair is lank and greasy.

Johann’s purse is always heavy with gold, and he takes no trouble to hide it, since only a fool would try to steal it from him. Many have tried, and all have died… very quickly. The craftsmanship and quality of Johann’s daggers is beyond compare, as he has taken them from the bodies of the many wealthy, but unskilful, opponents he has despatched in vicious duels.

Hire Fee: 70 gold crowns to hire; +30 gold crowns upkeep cost. Johann is addicted to Crimson Shade, so you may hire him for one portion of Crimson Shade if you wish.

May be Hired: Any warband except Skaven, Undead and the Possessed may hire Johann.

Rating: Johann the Knife increases a warband’s rating by +60 points.

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Johann436432617

Weapons/Armour: Johann is armed with countless throwing knives and several long daggers (he always counts as having two swords in close combat). His weapons are always coated with Black Lotus and he may take Crimson Shade before a battle if you want him to.

SKILLS​

Johann has the following skills: Dodge, Scale Sheer Surfaces, Quick Shot, Eagle Eyes and Knife Fighter.

SPECIAL RULES​

Knife Fighter Extraordinaire: Johann has a deserved reputation for being the greatest knifefighter in whole of the Empire. Unlike normal warriors, he can combine the Knife Fighter and Quick Shot skills (yes, he can throw six throwing knives in one turn if he does not move!).

Nicodemus, the cursed pilgrim​

Nicodemus was a promising apprentice to the mighty wizard Ganthrandir. During one of his master's many absences, Nicodemus felt an irresistible call from one of the ancient artifacts stored in the wizard's laboratory: an exotic magic lantern. Created when the world was but young, this mighty artifact imprisoned the essence of a powerful Daemon. Many times Nicodemus' master had warned him not to touch the dangerous lantern, but the voice in the young wizard's mind was more convincing than even his mentor's: Free me" it was saying "and I will grant you your heart's desire - anything you want will be yours! Mine is the power to make it so! Free me... ” Nicodemus knew something of dealing with these denizens from the Realm of Chaos and immediately asked: "Do you swear it on the name of the Power you serve?" After a moment of silence, the voice answered: ‘I swear it in the name of my Master!" So the ambitious but naive young wizard was hooked and proceeded to break the runic seals of the lantern.

"Free at last!" boomed the voice of the Daemon as it emerged from its prison in a billowing, many-hued cloud. The smoke then seemed to coalesce into the vague shape of a huge humanoid creature, with a bird-like head atop a long thin neck and vast wings seemingly made of iridescent light. The Daemon looked down on the human, and Nicodemus, controlling his fear, shouted: "The wish! You must grant me the wish as you swore it!" The mighty Chaos being smiled enigmatically and asked: "What is your wish then. manling?"

Fighting hard against all the instincts telling him to flee as far as he could from this unearthly abomination, Nicodemus revealed his wish: " I want to become the greatest wizard known to Mankind! "

A few long heartbeats later the fiery gaze of the Daemon left the wizard: "Granted!" whispered the Daemon and with one last evil chuckle disappeared back to the netherworld from whence it came.

Nicodemus did not perceive any immediate change and wondered how long it would take for the wish to come true. Only one thing was clear, he could not stay there anymore, because his master would certainly not be pleased by his actions. So Nicodemus picked up his things and fled, beginning his wanderings across the Old World.

Only a few weeks after that fateful day did Nicodemus realise the Daemon's trickery. His body was growing abnormally quickly - he was now an inch taller than the previous week and his body was getting proportionally bigger. The greatest wizard! The cunning Daemon had taken his wish loo literally! Nicodemus had been taught to be extremely careful with the wording of anything related to wish-magic, but the sheer terror generated by the Daemon had overcome his training. .. Now he was doomed to live with his mistake.

From that day onn the life of Nicodemus has been an uninterrupted quest, a desperate search for a way to negate the curse of unstoppable growth. The only remedy he has stumbled upon is a powerful potion concocted by a wise hermit he met in the World's Fdge Mountains. The potion's ability to delay the effects of the Daemon's powers has become a lifeline for the sizeable wizard. Unfortunately for Nicodemus he requires regular infusions of wyrdstone for the potion to take effect. Thus Nicodemus has been drawn to the greatest concentration of this wondrous mineral - Mordheim, City of the Damned.

Nicodemus's skills have greatly developed during his time in the dark streets of Mordheim and he is now something of a legend among the many warbands vying for supremacy in the city. Who knows where he will appear next and who will he join in his never ending search for the precious magic stones.. .

Hire Fee: See Special Rules.

May be Hired: Any warband except Skaven, Undead, the Possessed and Witch Hunters may hire Nicodemus.

Rating: Nicodemus increases a warband’s rating by +85 points.

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Weapons/Armour: Nicodemus carries an enormous Wizard's staff (see Special Rules).

SKILLS​

Nicodemus has the following skills: Sorcery and Fearsome.

SPECIAL RULES​

Cursed: Nicodemus is not interested in money, he desperately needs fragments of wyrdstone to delay his abnormal growth. When he joins the warband and after each battle he fights, including the first, you must pay him with a wyrdstone shard. If you don’t have a shard or if you don’t want to give it to Nicodemus and prefer to sell it. the cursed pilgrim will leave the warband, never to return.

Wizard's Staff. Nicodemus can use his staff in close combat in two different ways: he can use the staff with both hands, in which case the staff counts as a club, but also allows Nicodemus to parry as if he was armed with a buckler; alternatively Nicodemus can use the staff in his left hand as a normal club while he's wielding the Sword of Rezhebel (see Lesser Magic spells) in his right hand.

Note: the Sword of Rezhebel is a spell and not a normal sword, therefore it cannot be used to parry.

Ulli & Marquand​

Never in the history of the Empire have there been such a villainous pair of rogues as Marquand Volker and Ulli Leitpold. Once brigands in a mercenary regiment responsible for a long list of crimes, they were caught by bounty hunters and enlisted into the slave army of the Count of Stirland. The pair escaped their captors on the outskirts of Mordheim, City of the Damned, a ruinous place where death and glory could be found in equal measure. The infamous bandits instantly recognised it as home.

Ulli and Marquand quickly developed a strong rapport with the scum of Mordheim, a place Inhabited by the corrupt and immoral outcasts of society. Their martial prowess and ruthless guile soon earned the nefarious partners in crime a high degree of notoriety. As a result, the less noble traders and prospectors of the accursed city eagerly sought out the services of these talented scoundrels.

But their assistance did not come without a high price. Whilst the pair would consider any task thrown their way for a mere handful of gold coin, their loyalty was as fickle as the winds of Chaos. They built up a reputation of betraying employers and stabbing them in the back for the sake of a single crown. They were certainly not beyond using foul and despicable tricks to save their own worthless hides or line their own pockets.

What became of the despicable pair, none can say but legends of their deeds can to this day be heard in taverns throughout the Old World. Each story is more outlandish than the next but few ever doubt the truth behind these fantastic tales.

Hire Fee: 30 gold crowns to hire as a pair.

May be Hired: Any Warband except Sisters of Sigmar and Witch Hunters may hire these rogues.

Rating: Ulli & Marquand increase the warband’s rating by +60 points.

Marquand Volker​

Reputedly the son of wealthy Marienburg merchants, what made Marquand embark on a career as a gambler and then a mercenary and assassin is unknown. What is known about this apparent ‘fop’ is that his appearance belies his true nature for he is quite deadly and entirely devoid of any morals. Marquand personifies Mordheim ‘The City of the Damned’ for he is corrupt and rotten to the core – just like that place he calls his ‘home’. An expert swordsman and master of the throwing knife, there are few who have crossed him and lived. In the darkened corners of taverns, tales are told in nervous whispers about this cold-hearted killer’s reputation: that he killed his first victim before he was ten; that he cut the heart out of the Duke of Suddenland while the Duke’s wife slept on beside him. His deadliest foe is the Witch Hunter captain Gottlieb, ‘The Flayer’, whose face Marquand horribly disfigured whilst the erstwhile servant of Sigmar was attempting to redeem Marquand of his sins.

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Marquand454332528

Weapons/Armour: Sword, Light armour, throwing knives.

Skills: Step aside, Knife Fighter, Lightning Reflexes.

Ulli Leitpold​

Marquand’s sidekick and partner in crime. Little is known about this huge framed Middenheimer, apart from it is unwise to be caught anywhere near the business end of his massive warhammer! The tales tell that Ulli Leitpold started out as a mercenary soldier, often in the service of the armies of the Count of Stirland, and that he was present at the slaughter that ensued at the third siege of Nuln. Life as a mercenary is presumably where he derives his unthinking greed and cold nature, no doubt. Ulli spent some time as a bandit and thief and teamed up with Marquand when they were captured by bounty hunters and sentenced to live out their days in the penal battalions of the Count of Stirland. Neither as subtle or as flash as his Marienburg colleague, Ulli prefers to use a combination of brute force and low cunning to achieve his goals.

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Ulli444432427

Weapons/Armour: Two-handed warhammer, Light armour.

Skills: Strongman, Unstoppable charge, Combat master.

Special Rules​

These special rules apply to both Ulli and Marquand.

Wanderers: Ulli and Marquand only ever stay with a warband for the duration of the battle. A warband who used Ulli and Marquand in their last battle may not seek him out until they have fought at least one battle without him.

A Fistful of Crowns: These guys will do literally anything for money / Wyrdstone and have been known to change sides and stab their former employers in the back for just a few crowns. To represent this, opposing player(s) may attempt to bribe the pair into betraying their employers and changing sides. At the start of the game, any player(s) wishing to do this must secretly write down how much he is willing to bribe them by (this must of course be more than the pair’s starting hire fee!). The controlling/employing player is advised to secretly write down a counter bid at the start of the game also. The bribing player may then choose at the start of any of his turns to attempt to bribe them (even if they are in close combat!). If he does so he must reveal the amount he has written down and if this is more than the hire fee plus the amount the controlling player has for his counter-bid, then he gains control of the pair until the end of the game. Only the player who has control of the pair is forced to pay the additional amount so that if the original controlling player loses control of them through a bribe he doesn’t have to pay the counter-bid.

This bribing business can of course get quite interesting in multi-player games with different players attempting to bribe at different times.

Whichever player succeeds in bribing, or if the controlling player maintains control, they must pay this extra amount.

Where’s the Money? These guys are not likely to accept any poor excuses if a warband cannot afford their extra pay. In the event that a player cannot pay the extra either in crowns or Wyrdstone (The warband should sell any Wyrdstone necessary in order to pay the hire or bribe) the pair will deprive the warband of an equal amount in equipment (based on market price). Failing this, they will take out their anger on the warband leader – immediately play a close combat with the pair versus the warband leader on his own and to the death!

Inseparable: These guys are like brothers and are totally inseparable. They must be hired as a pair and must remain within 4" of each other. In the event that one is taken Out of Action, the other will attempt to drag him off of the battlefield and to safety.

Veskit, high executioner of clan eshin​

“It killed us all! We couldn’t stop it, our weapons broke against its body... It was black, like a shadow, and it was moving so fast, cutting men to shreds left and right. We fought, yes we fought hard, and old Marcus even tried his trick with the oil flask. It was engulfed by flames and for a moment we thought we’d stopped it. No way, it came out of the fire, still ablaze. It was as if it didn’t care! That was too much and those left of us ran for it. Still it followed us, on and on, relentless and merciless. There was no escaping, no hiding, its red eye could always spot you. Oh that eye... that eye...”

Last words of Fritz Huber at the Inn of the Red Moon,

Veskit was already a talented clan Eshin Assassin when he was entrusted with his most difficult mission. He was hired by Clan Skryre to free one of their oldest and most experienced Warlocks who was being held hostage by a rival clan.

Veskit managed to take the prisoner back, fighting his way through the guards, but at a very high cost. He suffered terrible wounds and would have certainly died, but the Nightmaster of Clan Eshin made a pact with the Warlock Engineers. The Skaven scientist-sorcerers replaced various parts of Veskit’s body with their part technological, part magical implants and made him into a walking arsenal of deadly weapons. Veskit is now more a machine than a living thing, and his thirst for killing has become almost uncontrollable.

When news of the wyrdstone came to the hidden fortress of Clan Eshin, the Nightmaster sent Veskit to Mordheim to deter the man-things from exploring the city, which rightfully belonged to the Skaven. From that day on, many adventurers have met their end in the dark allies of Mordheim. Veskit’s unblinking eye misses nothing, and those he hunts on the streets of Mordheim never return to the Gargoyle Gate.

Hire Fee: 80 gold crowns to hire; +35 gold crowns upkeep cost.

May be Hired: Veskit may only be hired by Skaven warbands.

Rating: Veskit increases the warband’s rating by +70 points.

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Veskit554442548

Weapons/Armour: Eshin Fighting Claws (the extra attack is included in his profile). Each Fighting Claw incorporates an in-built warplock pistol, so Veskit can shoot in every turn, and he fights in close combat with Strength 5 and a save modifier of -3 (note that he can still parry twice with his claws!).

SPECIAL RULES​

Unfeeling. Veskit is a cold, calculating killing machine, and feels few of the emotions that living things do. He is therefore immune to all psychology.

No Pain. Veskit ignores knocked down and stunned results on the Injury chart. He must lose his last wound and be taken out of action before he is removed from battle.

Unblinking Eye. Thanks to the sorcerous devices built by the Warlock Engineers of Clan Skryre, Veskit can spot hidden enemies within twice his Initiative value in inches.

Metallic Body. These give Veskit his high Toughness and a 3+ armour save.

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