The Undead
Grade: 1a
Source: Mordheim Rulebook (PDF)
Setting: Mordheim
Count Vlad von Carstein and his wife Isabella have ruled the province of Sylvania for as long as anyone can remember – peasants whisper of some dark secret, Witch Hunters revile them, and the Priests of Sigmar shun their court. Indeed, Sylvania has the most dire reputation of all the provinces of the Empire. Few men sent to spy on the rulers of Sylvania have ever returned from those dark Sylvanian forests, and then rarely with their sanity intact.
In the dimly-lit chamber of the Drakenhof castle, on a throne of black obsidian, sits Vlad von Carstein, the ruler of Sylvania. He waits in shadows, having set himself apart from the politics and bickering of the Empire. For he holds a terrible secret: he, and all the ruling aristocracy of his province are Vampires, undying monsters from beyond the grave. Here he patiently waits, drinking the blood of maidens from gold goblets.
For many long years Vlad has gathered his strength and mustered his Undead legions in secrecy. One day soon he will march from the forests of Sylvania at the head of an army of restless dead. The pieces of magic stone that lie scattered among the ruins of Mordheim can give the Count the power to challenge the nobles of the Empire and enslave the men of the Old World.
Wyrdstone holds enough captured magical energy to unleash a great spell of doom to rival that of Nagash the Black. If the Count is successful, he will raise all the dead between the Worlds Edge Mountains and the borders of Stirland, and go to war against the divided rulers of the Empire. His plans laid out, Vlad sends his thralls, the immortal Vampires, to do his bidding.
During dark, moonless nights, black coaches arrive at the gates of Mordheim carrying coffins. Ghouls scuttle from their hiding places to greet them, and corpses are stirred by a command which the living cannot hear. Following the commands of the Vampire, they hunt for shards of wyrdstone.
The night belongs to the Undead, and in Mordheim it is always night.
Choice of warriors
An Undead warband must include a minimum of three models. You have 500 gold crowns to recruit your warband. The maximum number of warriors in the warband may never exceed 15.
Vampire: Each Undead warband must have one Vampire: no more, no less!
Necromancer: Your warband may include a single Necromancer if you wish.
Dregs: Your warband may include up to three Dregs.
Zombies: Your warband may include any number of Zombies.
Ghouls: Your warband may include any number of Ghouls.
Dire Wolves: Your warband may include up to five Dire Wolves.
Starting experience
A Vampire starts with 20 experience.
A Necromancer starts with 8 experience.
Dregs start with 0 experience.
Henchmen start with 0 experience.
Undead Skill Table
| Combat | Shooting | Academic | Strength | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vampire | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Necromancer | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Dreg | ✓ | ✓ |
The skills available to Vampires were expanded upon in Town Cryer. There is a Vampire Skill list available in the Lords of the Night optional rules (graded as 1b). Talk to you arbitrator about using these rules in your warband.
Undead equipment lists
The following lists are used by Undead warbands to pick their equipment.
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 1st free/2 gc |
| Mace | 3 gc |
| Hammer | 3 gc |
| Axe | 5 gc |
| Sword | 10 gc |
| Double-handed weapon | 15 gc |
| Spear | 10 gc |
| Halberd | 10 gc |
Missile Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Bow | 10 gc |
| Short Bow | 5 gc |
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Light armour | 20 gc |
| Heavy armour | 50 gc |
| Shield | 5 gc |
| Helmet | 10 gc |
heroes
1 Vampire
110 gold crowns to hire
Vampires lead the Undead in their search for the magical stones that will give their master the power to conquer the Empire.
Although but pale shadows when compared to the dread Vampire Lords, the immortal servants of Vlad are still some of the most powerful creatures who fight in Mordheim. Most of them serve the undying count of Sylvania, but some have found the city to their liking, and have become independent.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 8 |
Weapons/Armour: Vampires may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Undead Equipment list.
Special Rules
Leader: Any models in the warband within 6" of the Vampire may use his Leadership instead of their own.
Cause Fear: Vampires are terrifying Undead creatures and therefore cause fear.
Immune to Psychology: Vampires are not affected by psychology (such as fear) and never leave combat.
Immune to Poison: Vampires are not affected by any poison.
No Pain: Vampires treat a ‘stunned’ result on the Injury chart as ‘knocked down’.
0 – 1 Necromancer
35 gold crowns to hire
Necromancers are evil wizards, studying the corrupt art of Necromancy. Many of them are acolytes and servants of Vlad von Carstein, and follow the agents of their master to the city of the Damned. Others are recruited from amongst wizards and warlocks who have come under the suspicion of the various agents of Sigmar and have fled to Mordheim to avoid persecution.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Weapons/Armour: Necromancers may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Undead Equipment list.
SPECIAL RULES
Wizard: Necromancers are wizards and so are able to use Necromantic magic.
0-3 Dregs
20 gold crowns to hire
Dregs are the most miserable human survivors of the demise of Mordheim. They are deformed and rejected individuals, shunned even by the other men and women who still live in the ruins and catacombs of the city.
Vampires often recruit Dregs as their servants and treat them with surprising kindness. As a result, Dregs are often fanatically loyal to their Undead overlords and will do anything to protect and serve them.
Dregs are very useful to their masters as they can be sent to buy equipment, weapons and supplies from the settlements around Mordheim which would often not welcome Necromancers or where Vampires would fall under the suspicion of the Witch Hunters. They can also do the bidding of their vampiric master during daylight, when the Vampires must rest in their coffins.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Weapons/Armour: Dregs may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Undead Equipment list.
henchmen
Ghouls
40 gold crowns to hire
(bought in groups of 1-5 models)
Ghouls are the descendants of evil and insane men who ate the flesh of the dead. When the lean and hungry times of famine come upon the Old World, the most depraved and destitute took to feasting on corpses to survive.
Driven by their unspeakable craving for the meat of their fellow men, these creatures have given up their human life and dwell near graveyards, crypts and tombs, digging up the rotting corpses of the recently buried and consuming the cold flesh with their bare teeth and claws.
The destruction of Mordheim attracted many Ghoul clans from the north, and now they have taken up permanent residence in the crypts and cemeteries of the ruined city.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
Weapons/Armour: Ghouls never carry any equipment, apart from a few bones which they use as primitive weapons.
SPECIAL RULES
Cause Fear: Ghouls are twisted and repulsive creatures and therefore cause fear.
0 – 5 Dire wolves
50 gold crowns to hire
Dire Wolves are slavering Undead hounds, the animated remains of the giant wolves of the Worlds Edge Mountains. Their chilling howls can strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest warriors or most ruthless Dwarf mercenaries. They prowl the streets of Mordheim like shadows, and many men have died with the cold jaws of a Dire Wolf around their neck.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Weapons/Armour: None.
SPECIAL RULES
Charge: Dire Wolves are slavering creatures that overpower their opponents when they charge. Dire Wolves fight with 2 attacks instead of 1 during the turn they charge.
May not Run: Dire Wolves are slow to react and may not run (but may charge normally).
Cause Fear: Dire Wolves are terrifying Undead creatures and therefore cause fear.
Immune to Psychology: Dire Wolves are not affected by psychology and never leave combat.
Immune to Poison: Dire Wolves are not affected by any poison.
Unliving: Dire Wolves do not gain experience. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks!
No Pain: Dire Wolves treat a ‘stunned’ result on the Injury chart as ‘knocked down’.
Zombies
15 gold crowns to hire
Zombies are the most common of the Undead: creatures animated by the will of their Necromantic masters.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Weapons/Armour: Zombies may not have any weapons or armour and suffer no penalties for this.
SPECIAL RULES
Cause Fear: Zombies are terrifying Undead creatures and therefore cause fear.
May not run: Zombies are slow Undead creatures and may not run (but may charge normally).
Immune to Psychology: Zombies are not affected by psychology and never leave combat.
Immune to Poison: Zombies are not affected by any poison.
No Pain: Zombies treat a stunned result on the Injury chart as knocked down.
No Brain: Zombies never gain experience. They do not learn from their mistakes. What did you expect?