THE CATACOMBS BELOW MORDHEIM
| "I would not
look at the marching things. That I desperately
resolved as I heard their cracking joints and
nitrous wheezing above the dead music and the
dread tramping. It was merciful that they did not
speak..…….but by Sigmar! Their crazy
torches began to cast shadows on the surface of
those stupendous columns. Foulness should not
have human hands and carry torches……
living creatures should not have the heads of
sheer insanity….." - Last page of
the diary of Magnus Faustlich, also known as
Magnus the Fearless |
What most people
in Mordheim don't know, is that far below the sewers
there are tunnels that were old even before Mordheim
existed. They were there before Sigmar was born, and they
were there even before the Slann arrived. The Skaven have
known of these ancient subteranean tunnels for years as
they have found openings to these deeper regions during
their excavations of the sewers below the city. And what
they found there scared them more then the cursed city
above them. They know that there is something truly evil
waiting in these primordial catacombs. Something older
then the earth, maybe even older then the universe. And
the meteor woke it up...
EXPLORING THE
CATACOMBS
Far below the earth the silence is ceaseless and
oppresive. A terrible impression of the huge weight of
suspended stone and earth is forced upon anyone who
enters. Occasional gusts of wind pass down the main
tunnel, causing candles and torches to gutter
momentarily. There is no light, except for an occasional
glow from livid purple or putrid green fungi - slimy
stuff disgusting to touch. Side tunnels and tiny votary
alcoves frequently open to either side. Along the main
tunnel, loathsome images panel the walls, depicting men
with the heads of animals, animals with human limbs, and
alien entities performing cruel, disgusting, and obscene
rituals. Some parts of these black passages are obviously
cut from the stone; other parts look like old
watercourses or rock fractures; other parts look as if
acids had eaten through the stone; still other parts have
obviously been hacked clear by alien tooth and claw.
It looks like the tunnels go in
a straight line, and it is true that their direction is
consistent, but the angles of the walls, floor, and
ceiling constantly change, and the passages themselves
may narrow as little as two feet across, or be as much as
15 feet wide by 15 feet high. More strikingly, the ways
constantly rise and fall; it is impossible to see very
far ahead or very far behind. Even the glow of torches
will not carry far. These tunnels have an organic feel,
and leave the perception that some great alien beast had
been imprisoned within the stone, had then gotten free,
and the fighters now creep along the spaces left by its
bones and sinews.
RULES
This is not a separate scenario but more of a set of
rules to be used by the moderator when he wants to
situate a scenario in the catacombs deep below Mordheim.
The moderator could read aloud the above section
describing the tunnels the warbands walk in to give the
players a general impression of their surroundings. Its
up to the individuel moderator how he likes to represent
these ancient catacombs on his table. It is advised to
use separate tiles or boardsections to represent the more
narrow parts of the tunnels. Most fighting between the
warbands will probably be fought out in the larger and
wider parts of the catacombs. Both players should place
their warbands in a marching order, no more then two
models wide. This marching order represents the warbands
exploring the narrow tunnels.
Fighters exploring the catacombs
must make a Fear Test every other turn. If failed then
that fighter won't walk any further until he succeeds
again on his Fear test. He may test every turn to see if
he will walk further down these ancient tunnels.
Because the lines of sight will
vary, if the warband include toters of ranged magickal or
physical attacks, moderators should continue to monitor
the march order of the warband to ascertain if those
weapons or spells can be brought to bear.
ENCOUNTERS
BENEATH THE CITY
Not all of these encounters have an immediate effect on a
scenario. Some of the encounters are just to try to scare
the players and to give them a feeling for the atmosphere
below the city. The moderator should roll once in each of
the players Movement fases, before that player has moved.
Roll 3D6
|
EVENT
|
| 3 |
No encounter; warband proceed
without incident. |
| 4 |
A random fighter stumbles and
falls; slimy luminous moss coats his hands,
elbows, and knees, which he is unable to rub off.
Because the fighter is now illuminated all hits
against him are at +1. |
| 5 |
One of the fighters hear snatches
of conversation; two men are saying that
intruders may be in the tunnels. The voices
cannot be located. |
| 6 |
Random fighter slips and falls.
That fighter suffers a S3 hit. |
| 7 |
Warm liquid drips steadily from
the tunnel ceiling; the stone beneath is slick
and red; the blood has no source. |
| 8 |
A foul stench engulfs the
warband; each fighter must take a Toughness test
on 1D6 or the fighter is at -1S for D3 turns. |
| 9 |
Some shapeless thing is glimsed;
but it leaves neither trace nor track of its
passage. |
| 10 |
Macabre chuckles, growls, or
groans are heard in the blackness; maybe a single
sound, maybe a hideous cacaphony of noise erupts
without reason. |
| 11 |
A violent blast of wind
extinguishes all unshielded candles and torches.
The warband is now in complete and utter
darkness. A fighter may try to re-lite a torche
once a turn by rolling below his Initiative on
1D6. |
| 12 |
A small rock falls from the
ceiling and strikes a random fighter; the fighter
suffers a S4 hit on the head and if wounded is
automatically Stunned unless he wears a helmet,
in that case the fighter counts as being Knocked
Down. |
| 13 |
The floor of the tunnel is seen
to be bordered by jet-black roses. |
| 14 |
Cave-in rains rocks on the
warband. Each fighter must make a Initiative test
or suffer D3 S4 hits. |
| 15 |
Narrow, deep pit; leading fighter
must make an Initiative test to avoid the
slippery edge. If the roll fails roll a 2D6 to
determine depth of pit. The fighter suffers D3
hits of Strenght equal to the depth of the pit. |
| 16 |
1D6+4 Tunnel dwellers appear.
Roll one die; odd result indicates Tunnel
dwellers come from the rear, even result
indicates the Tunnel dwellers come from the
front. See below for Tunnel dwellers rules. |
| 17 |
Random fighter must make a Fear
test. If he fails he perceives that, in every
direction, the brick walls of the tunnel are
rhythmically moving in and out, like breathing
lungs. The fighter must flee 2D6" back in
the direction he came from. |
| 18 |
The warband stumbles upon the
lair of the Ancient One. Luckily it is not paying
attention to these puny creatures. Because of the
sanity-blasting image of this Elder Being all of
the members of the warband must make a Fear test
with a –2 modifier. If more then three
members succeed, the warband can get away with
3D6 Gold Crowns and one random Magic Item. |
NEW CREATURE
Tunnel dwellers – 60 GC each
I cannot begin to describe to appearance of these
horrible creatures. Only that they come in a multitude of
forms, each more insane then the last. To look upon them
is to see madness and insanity given living form. To look
upon them means death..
The moderator should roll for each dweller seperatly to
see what its characteristics are.
M
|
WS
|
BS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
I
|
A
|
LD
|
2D6
|
2D4
|
0
|
2D3
|
2D3
|
D3
|
D6
|
D3
|
D6
|
Special Rules: Dwellers
cause Fear in all creatures except the Undead and
Possessed.
Players Comments
One of the first things that
sprang to mind, whilst reading this was using the board
pieces from Advanced Space Crusade (and later Tyranid
Attack) to represent the tunnels. Since the board pieces
are designed to be moved one in front of another as
miniatures move along, it would be perfect. And the
totally alien/organic look to the tunnels would fit as
well. If I remember correctly, you got 6
10"x10" pieces and several terrain pieces that
can only be described as Freudian.
A thought I had while reading
this was not to have a standard warband fighting warband
game. Instead, one player takes his warband into the
catacombs and the other player plays the part of the
things that inhabit the catacombs. After that scenario is
over, the two players switch places. [ This is an
excellent idea. I have included a point cost for these
critters in their description in case players want to
choose this option – Editor]
Instead of the normal 18
result the warband should encounter the Guardians to the
Lair of the Ancient One, instead. Perhaps two Guardians,
both with insane stats, a thirst for blood and feeling
alittle peckish. Give the Guardians a maximum number of
inches they will move away from their posts and have at
it. If the warband defeats them, they will be able to
enter the Lair of the Ancient One - Ld checks should
abound with negative modifiers and insanity the result of
failure. For thir troubles, perhaps they should get
something interesting as treasure. And, of course, all
but two may leave. After all, the Guardians must be
replaced.
|
