Grave Robbers
Grade: 2a
Source: Angelic Gobbo (Pawel), with help from Brahm Tazoul and MordainThade (PDF)
Setting: Sylvania
Some men are callous enough to steal the treasures buried with the dead. Such a sacrilegious thing is punished heavily, thus grave robbers are constantly on the run from the law. Such evil men are sought wherever they may try to hide, but few lawmen dare chase these villains into Sylvania.
Once in the dark and cursed lands, few criminals return. Some because they perish within its terrible claws, but others because they find their trade much more pliable. With graves literally emptying themselves, who is to stop one from liberating the riches within?
Not only riches, but the corpses that do remain dead are sought at a good price. While practitioners of dark arts have need for human remains, they are also valuable for students of medicine. Experienced groups of grave robbers are often so accustomed to death and hardened that they venture to Sylvania to loot the crypts of those who live after death.
Should the living dead not need it, then those unscrupulous men will definitely put it to better use.
Special Rules
Grave Goods: Grave Robbers gain +1 Gold Crown for each enemy model taken Out of Action in the Exploration Phase (once per battle).
Shady Reputation: Grave Robber warbands may not hire the following Hired Swords: Bounty Hunter, Roadwarden, Law-Enforcer, Holy Man, or any Follower of Morr.
Undead Foes: Grave Robbers hate Undead models.
Choice of warriors
A Grave Robber Warband must include a minimum of 3 models. You have 500 Gold Crowns to recruit your initial warband. Maximum number of warriors in the warband is 15.
Heroes
Graver: Each Grave Robber Warband must have one Graver: no more, no less!
Junior Medic: Your Warband may include one Junior Medic.
Grave Robbers: Your Warband may include up to 2 Grave Robbers.
Lookouts: Your Warband may include up to 2 Lookouts.
Henchmen
Thugs: Any number of models may be Thugs.
Starting Experience
Graver starts with 20 experience.
Junior Medic starts with 2 experience.
Grave Robbers start with 4 experience.
Lookouts start with 0 experience.
Henchmen start with 0 experience.
Grave Robber Skill Table
| Combat | Shooting | Academic | Strength | Speed | Special | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graver | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Junior Medic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Grave Robber | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Lookout | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Special Skills
Grave Robber Heroes with access to Special skills may choose from the following list instead of any standard skill tables.
Darkstalker
The warrior is accustomed to darkness and has almost cat-like sight. Ignores All Alone tests and may double his Initiative when looking for Hidden models.
Instinctual Violence
Having experienced countless encounters with the Undead, this warrior is hardened to terror. When charged by any Undead models, he does not have to take a Fear test. Additionally, he may nominate one of his attacks to Strike First.
De-animator
The warrior is adept at fighting animated corpses. He ignores the No Pain rule for Undead and may stun them as normal.
Hardy Constitution
Veteran of many grave-robbing escapades, the warrior is completely immune to all diseases and poisons.
Body Dealer
This warrior is skilled at salvaging the bodies of the dead for profit. On a 4+, you may recover the body (and gear) of a friendly model slain in the Serious Injury phase. You may also attempt to do the same for enemy models by comparing Initiative rolls between the Body Dealer and enemy leader (or their most experienced model). On a tie, nothing is recovered; if the enemy wins, your Body Dealer is captured.
Grave Robber equipment lists
The following lists are used by Grave Robber warbands to pick their weapons:
Hero Equipment List
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 1st free/2 gc |
| Club | 3 gc |
| Axe | 5 gc |
| Sword | 10 gc |
| Shovel (Halberd) | 10 gc |
| Double-handed weapon | 15 gc |
| Pry Bar* | 10 gc |
Missile Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Short Bow | 5 gc |
| Bow | 10 gc |
| Crossbow | 25 gc |
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Light Armour | 20 gc |
| Heavy Armour | 50 gc |
| Shield | 5 gc |
| Buckler | 5 gc |
| Helmet | 10 gc |
Miscellaneous Equipment
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hooded Lantern & Rig* | 15 gc |
| Surgeon's Journal* | 80 gc |
| Finger Pendant* | 15 gc |
Henchmen Equipment List
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 1st free/2 gc |
| Club | 3 gc |
| Axe | 5 gc |
| Sword | 10 gc |
| Spear | 10 gc |
| Shovel (Halberd) | 10 gc |
Missile Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Short Bow | 5 gc |
| Bow | 10 gc |
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Light Armour | 20 gc |
| Shield | 5 gc |
* Heroes only.
heroes
1 Graver
60 gold crowns to hire
Having plied the grim trade for many years and survived, the Graver stalks the shadows of night seeking riches. He has borne witness to terrors that would leave most men insane and has had many brushes with the law. Commanding a band of less experienced robbers through a mixture of fear and respect, he has developed a cynical attitude to life, cracking black jokes that make most people go pale.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
Weapons/Armour: The Graver may be equipped from the Grave Robber Hero equipment list.
0 – 2 Grave Robbers
25 gold crowns to hire
Those who decide to make a living by robbing graves are not pleasant individuals. Distrustful that strangers might report them to the law, disrespectful of the gods and brave enough to ignore superstitions, these loathsome men defile the final resting places of the deceased in search of treasure. They can put up a fight if needed, especially when the dead decide to struggle for what is rightfully theirs.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Weapons/Armour: The Grave Robber may be equipped from the Grave Robber Hero equipment list.
0 – 1 Junior Medic
40 gold crowns to hire
Those learning the art of medicine in the Empire are hampered by the restrictions that surround the study of corpses. Many students risk lawful punishment and steal the freshly-deceased from cemeteries. Because schooling in medicine is expensive, such individuals often perpetuate the act for monetary gain.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
Weapons/Armour: The Junior Medic may be equipped from the Grave Robber Hero equipment list.
SPECIAL RULES
Sawbones: You can re-roll the Serious Injury result for one friendly Hero. The second result stands. You may not use this ability if the Junior Medic was taken Out of Action during the battle.
0 – 2 Lookouts
15 gold crowns to hire
During the lengthy process of opening and looting a grave, there is a need of someone to stand and take watch. Such a task is often entrusted to the youngest member of the band, likely an orphaned whelp that does not possess the constitution to look into coffins.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Weapons/Armour: Lookouts may be equipped from the Grave Robber Hero equipment list.
henchmen
(Bought in groups of 1-5)
Thugs
25 gold crowns to hire
Grave robbers have hired henchmen for the purpose of carrying the loot and assisting in physical tasks such as unsealing crypts. Men capable of such dirty work are easily found amongst cutthroats and bandits that dwell within the murky embrace of Sylvania.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Weapons/Armour: Thugs may be equipped from the Grave Robber Henchmen equipment list.