Skaven of Clan Eshin
Grade: 1a
Source: Mordheim Rulebook (PDF)
Setting: Mordheim
Unbeknownst to man, for thousands of years he has shared his world with another and altogether different race. There have always been signs for those who cared to see them: a scurrying black shadow, an inhuman scream from the sewer, scuttling shapes at the back of the cellar. All these years these creatures have worked away in secret, burrowing beneath the world of man, undermining his great cities, infiltrating his sewers and cellars, and joining all up into a vast worldspanning labyrinth of tunnels and nests. These creatures call themselves Skaven and they are ratmen, the mutant spawn of an older age of chaos and mutation.
Doubtless one day the Skaven will be ready to emerge from their tunnels and wage open war upon mankind. For centuries they have been content to feed upon his ruins, to seed plague in his cities, and spread contagion amongst his lands. At least they were content to wait and watch, for now everything has suddenly changed. Now the destruction of Mordheim has created new opportunities in the secret war against mankind.
Since ancient times the Skaven have searched the world for the stones of power that men in their ignorance call wyrdstone but which Skaven have long since known as warpstone, blackstone, or seerstone. It was as a result of gnawing upon this magic stone in ages past that commonplace rats began the slow process of mutation that spawned the Skaven race. Wyrdstone is quite literally in their blood, for they feed upon it and make use of it in their foul sorceries. Until now the ratmen’s search for wyrdstone has been difficult and time-consuming as the stone has grown increasingly rare, but now a new and abundant source has appeared – a dark blessing from the skies!
For the Skaven of Clan Eshin, this is an especially opportune time for such a thing to happen, for, just as the Empire is divided, so the Skaven race is divided amongst itself. Clan fights clan the world over, each struggling for domination of the Council of Thirteen whose masters rule the Skaven race. Mordheim’s secret is not yet revealed to all the clans, or else the City of the Damned would already be overrun with ratmen. The Nightmaster of Clan Eshin is keen to guard this secret, and for this reason has not sent his multitudinous armies into Mordheim. Instead, he has sent small warbands of Skaven skittering through secret tunnels into the city to gather up the shining stones and bring them back to the clan nests.
The Skaven of Clan Eshin are supremely adapted to their task. Masters of the art of bringing silent death to their foes, they are skilled in the use of poison and trained in the thousand secrets of the assassin. Since birth Skaven warriors practise martial crafts in the ruinous temples of the Horned Rat, their everhungering and hideous god. There are none better amongst their verminous kind to gather up the treasure of Mordheim, but they must be silent, swift and efficient. Were rival Skaven clans to discover the secret of Mordheim there would come not hundreds, not thousands, but millions upon millions to contend for the wyrdstone in the City of the Damned.
Choice of warriors
A Skaven warband must include a minimum of three models. You have 500 gold crowns (representing your resources) which you can use to recruit and equip your initial warband. The maximum number of warriors in the warband may never exceed 20.
- Assassin Adept: Each Skaven warband must have one Assassin Adept: no more, no less!
- Eshin Sorcerer: Your warband may include a single Eshin Sorcerer.
- Black Skaven: Your warband may include up to two Black Skaven.
- Night Runners: Your warband may include up to two Night Runners.
- Verminkin: Any number of models may be Verminkin.
- Giant Rats: Your warband may include any number of Giant Rats.
- Rat Ogre: Your warband may include a single Rat Ogre.
Starting experience
- An Assassin Adept starts with 20 experience.
- Eshin Sorcerers and Black Skaven start with 8 experience.
- Night Runners start with 0 experience.
- Henchmen start with 0 experience.
Skaven Skill Table
| Combat | Shooting | Academic | Strength | Speed | Special | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adept | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Black Skaven | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Eshin Sorcerer | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Night Runners | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Skaven Special Skills
Skaven Heroes may choose to use the following Skill list instead of any of the standard Skill tables available to them.
black hunger
The Skaven can draw upon the dreaded Black Hunger, the fighting frenzy which gives him unnatural strength and speed but can ravage him from inside. The Skaven Hero may declare at the beginning of his turn that he is using this skill. The Hero may add +1 attack and +D3" to the total move to his profile for the duration of his own turn but will suffer D3 S3 hits with no armour save possible at the end of the turn.
tail fighting
The Skaven may wield a shield, knife or a sword with its tail. The model gains an extra attack with the appropriate weapon or a +1 bonus to its armour save.
wall runner
The Skaven does not need to take an Initiative test when climbing up walls and other sheer surfaces.
infiltration
A Skaven 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.
art of silent death
The Skaven has patiently mastered the deadly art of open-hand fighting, as taught by the mystics of Cathay in the temples of the far East. In hand-to-hand combat, the Skaven can fight with his bare paws without any penalties and counts as having two weapons (ie, +1 attack). In addition, a Skaven Hero with this skill will cause a critical hit on a To Wound roll of 5-6 instead of just 6. This skill may be used in conjunction with the Eshin Fighting Claws (+2 Attacks instead of +1).
Skaven equipment lists
The following lists are used by the Skaven to pick their equipment.
Heroes equipment lists
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 1st free/2 gc |
| Sword | 10 gc |
| Flail | 15 gc |
| Spear | 10 gc |
| Halberd | 10 gc |
| Weeping Blades | 50 gc |
| Fighting Claws | 35 gc |
Missile Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Sling | 2 gc |
| Throwing stars | 15 gc |
| Blowpipe | 25 gc |
| Warplock pistol | 35 gc (70 for a brace) |
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Light armour | 20 gc |
| Buckler | 5 gc |
| Helmet | 10 gc |
Henchmen
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 1st free/2 gc |
| Club | 3 gc |
| Sword | 10 gc |
| Spear | 10 gc |
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Light armour | 20 gc |
| Shield | 5 gc |
| Helmet | 10 gc |
heroes
1 Assassin adept
60 gold crowns to hire
The Nightmaster of Clan Eshin has sent the Assassin to collect precious wyrdstone. Success means many breeders, wealth and a better position amongst the clan. Failure, on the other hand, is best not contemplated…
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
Weapons/Armour: An Assassin Adept may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Skaven Hero’s Equipment list.
Skills: The Assassin Adept may choose from Combat, Shooting, Academic, Strength & Speed when he gains a new skill. In addition, the Assassin Adept may choose from the Clan Eshin Special Skill list.
Special Rules
Leader: Any warrior within 6" of the Assassin Adept may use his Leadership instead of his own.
Perfect Killer: An Assassin Adept always has an extra -1 modifier to any armour save the enemy has to take against wounds they inflicted (both with shooting and close combat weapons).
0 – 2 Black Skaven
40 gold crowns to hire
Black Skaven are the most powerful fighters of Clan Eshin: blackfurred killers trained in the martial arts of their clan. In Mordheim they excel at ambushing and assassinating man-things.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
Weapons/Armour: A Black Skaven may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Skaven Hero’s Equipment list.
Skills: The Black Skaven may choose from Combat, Shooting, Strength, & Speed when he gains a new skill. In addition, the Black Skaven may choose from the Clan Eshin Special Skill list.
0 – 1 Eshin sorcerer
45 gold crowns to hire
The Sorcerers of Clan Eshin are black magicians who manufacture the enchanted weapons of the Assassins. Though their power is slight compared to the Warlocks of Clan Skryre or the mighty Grey Seer, their black sorcery is still potent.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
Weapons/Armour: A Skaven Eshin Sorcerer may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Skaven Hero’s Equipment list.
Skills: The Eshin Sorcerer may choose from Academic & Speed when he gains a new skill. In addition, the Eshin Sorcerer may choose from the Clan Eshin Special Skill list.
Special Rules
Magic User: The Eshin Sorcerer has the ability to use magic and casts spells like any other magicians, and the Eshin Sorcerer starts with one spells generated at random from the Magic of the Horned Rat. In addition the Eshin Sorcerer may learn a new Spell instead on a new skill.
0 – 2 Night runners
20 gold crowns to hire
Night Runners are the young apprentices of Clan Eshin. Recently initiated into the secrets of the clan, they make up for their lack of knowledge with their ambition and energy.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
Weapons/Armour: Night Runners may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Skaven Henchmen Equipment list.
Skills: The Night Runners may choose from Combat & Shooting when he gains a new skill. In addition, the Night Runners may choose from the Clan Eshin Special Skill list.
henchmen
Verminkin
20 gold crowns to hire
Verminkin are the Clanrats of Clan Eshin. The strongest amongst them are initiated into the secrets of the clans and begin their training to become Assassins, the most feared warriors of the Skaven warbands. All the Clanrats of Clan Eshin dream of rising to the status of an Assassin one day.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Weapons/Armour: Verminkin may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Skaven Henchmen Equipment list.
Giant rats
15 gold crowns to buy
Giant Rats are the creation of the Clan Moulder trainees. They are mutated monstrosities the size of dogs. They fight alongside the Skaven, overpowering their opponents by sheer weight of numbers.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
Weapons/Armour: None. Giant Rats never use any armour or weapons.
Pack Size: You can recruit as many Giant Rats as you wish.
Experience: Giant Rats are animals and do not gain experience.
0 – 1 Rat ogre
210 gold crowns to buy
These horrible monsters are much in demand as bodyguards to important Skaven.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Weapons/Armour: Jaws, claws and brute force! Rat Ogres can never use weapons or armour.
Special Rules
Fear: Rat Ogres are so frightening they cause fear.
Stupidity: A Rat Ogre is subject to stupidity unless a Skaven Hero is within 6" of it.
Experience: Rat Ogres do not gain experience.
Large Target: Rat Ogres are Large Targets as defined in the shooting rules.