Hired Swords
recruiting hired swords
This section introduces Hired Swords – professional mercenaries – to Mordheim campaign games. Taverns in the settlements and shanty towns around Mordheim are good recruitment centres for warriors who do not belong to any particular warband or retinue, but instead hire out their services to the highest bidder.
A player can recruit Hired Swords when he creates his warband, or during the campaign phase after a game.
Hired Swords do not count towards the maximum number of warriors or Heroes a warband may have on its roster and don’t affect your income from selling wyrdstone. However, Hired Swords do count as part of the warband for purposes of Rout tests, etc whilst in battle. A player cannot buy extra weapons or equipment for a Hired Sword, and he cannot sell the Hired Sword’s weapons or equipment. To reflect their rarity, you can only have one of each type of Hired Sword in your warband. You may not use the Leadership of any of the Hired Swords for Rout tests.
hire fee
When a warband recruits a Hired Sword, you must must pay his hire fee. Subsequently, after each battle he fights, including the first, you must pay his upkeep fee if you want him to remain with the warband. If the Hired Sword is killed, or you no longer require his services, you don’t have to pay any upkeep! These costs are indicated in the entries for each Hired Sword.
The money paid to Hired Swords comes from the warband’s treasury in the same way as buying new weapons or recruiting new warriors. If you don’t have enough gold to pay for the Hired Sword, or want to spend it on other things, he leaves the warband. Any experience he has gained will be lost, even if you hire a new Henchman of the same type.
injuries
If a Hired Sword goes out of action during the game, roll for his injuries as you would roll for a Henchman after a battle (i.e, 1-2 = Lost; 3-6 = Survives).
hired swords and experience
Hired Swords gain experience in exactly the same way as Henchmen. Refer to the scenarios to find out how much experience Hired Swords gain after each game.
Write the name and profile of a Hired Sword on your roster sheet in one of the Henchman group slots.
Once the Hired Sword gains enough experience for an advance, roll on the Heroes Advancement table (as opposed to Henchmen) to determine which advance he gains. Skills available to the Hired Swords are listed under their entries.
List of Hired Swords
Grade 1a
Official GW/Fanatic Rules
| Hired Sword | Cost | Upkeep | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabian Merchant | 20 gc | 10 gc | Town Cryer 22 |
| Beast Hunter | 35 gc | 15 gc | Town Cryer 28 |
| Dwarf Treasure Hunter | 55 gc | 30 gc | Fanatic Magazine Magazine 8 |
| Dwarf Troll Slayer | 25 gc | 10 gc | Mordheim Rulebook |
| Elf Mage | 45 gc | n/a | Fanatic Magazine Magazine 5 |
| Elf Ranger | 40 gc | 20 gc | Mordheim Rulebook |
| Freelancer | 50 gc | 20 gc | Mordheim Rulebook |
| Halfling Scout | 15 gc | 5 gc | Mordheim Rulebook |
| Highwayman | 35 gc | 20 gc | Town Cryer 26 |
| Imperial Assassin | 40 gc | 20 gc | Town Cryer 6 |
| Kislev Ranger | 30 gc | 15 gc | Fanatic Magazine Magazine 6 |
| Ogre Bodyguard | 80 gc | 30 gc | Mordheim Rulebook |
| Pit Fighter | 30 gc | 15 gc | Mordheim Rulebook |
| Roadwarden | 40 gc | 20 gc | Town Cryer 26 |
| Tilean Marksman | 30 gc | 15 gc | Town Cryer 6 |
| Warlock | 30 gc | 15 gc | Mordheim Rulebook |
Grade 1b
Unofficial, but released through GW/Fanatic. Professional quality.
| Hired Sword | Source |
|---|---|
| Bard | Town Cryer 13 |
| Big Game Hunter | Town Cryer 13 |
| Black Orc Overseer | Nemesis Crown Supplement |
| Bounty Hunter | Town Cryer 13 |
| Chameleon Skink | Town Cryer 12 |
| Clan Skryre Rat Ogre | Town Cryer 25 |
| Dark Elf Assassin | Town Cryer 12 |
| Duellist | Town Cryer 13 |
| Dwarf Pathfinder | Nemesis Crown Supplement |
| Dwarf Treasure Hunter | Fanatic Magazine 8 |
| Elf Mage | Fanatic Magazine 5 |
| Halfling Thief | Fanatic Magazine 7 |
| Human Scout | Nemesis Crown Supplement |
| Kislev Ranger | Fanatic Magazine 6 |
| Mule Skinner | Town Cryer 14 |
| Nomad Scout | Town Cryer 19 |
| Norse Shaman | Border Town Burning Supplement |
| Norse Shaman (old) | Town Cryer 12 |
| Old Prospector | Nemesis Crown Supplement |
| Pathfinder | Town Cryer 12 |
| Priest Of Morr | Town Cryer 12 |
| Runesmith Journeyman | Nemesis Crown Supplement |
| Shadow Warrior | Town Cryer 13 |
| Snake Charmer | Town Cryer 19 |
| Thief | Town Cryer 19 |
| Tomb Robber | Town Cryer 19 |
| Warrior Priest Of Sigmar | Town Cryer 28 |
| Witch | Town Cryer 13 |
| Witch Hunter | Nemesis Crown Supplement |
| Wolf Priest of Ulric | Town Cryer 8 |
Grade 1c
Experimental, not released through GW/Fanatic. Approved by people who previously submitted grade 1a/1b material and vouch for it's quality.
| Hired Sword | Source |
|---|---|
| Bone Goliath | Border Town Burning Supplement |
| Cathayan Merchant | Border Town Burning Supplement |
| Chaos Centaur | Border Town Burning Supplement |
| Coachman | Border Town Burning Supplement |
| Gaoler | Mordheim Facebook Group |
| Grave Robber | Border Town Burning Supplement |
| Hobgoblin Scout | Border Town Burning Supplement |
| Ninja | Border Town Burning Supplement |
| Pyromaniac | Border Town Burning Supplement |
| Swordsmith | Border Town Burning Supplement |