Weapons
and Armour
Weapons used in Warhammer Skirmish games are by and
large the same ones you use in the Warhammer game, though
there are several new weapons which suit the style of
skirmish fighting.
Apart from the standard weapons there are several more
unusual weapons which are rarer or more suited to
individual warriors than units of troops. Life and death
in Mordheim is decided by the amount and quality of
weapons a man (or Dwarf, or Orc) carries. Below we
describe the different weapons which warriors may wield
as well as other equipment such as armour and shields. It
is not unusual to see these much rarer weapons used in
the streets of Mordheim.
Hand-to-hand
Weapons
|
Dagger
Daggers and knives are extremely common, and
men are allowed to carry them in places where
weapns are othersie forbidden. Many a warrior in
Mordheim has died with a dagger stuck in his back
Range
|
Strength
|
Save Mod.
|
Special
|
Close
Combat
|
User
- 1
|
-
|
None
|
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Axe
The axe is the traditional equipment of the
Empire woodsman, and in poorer, rural areas it is
also used as a weapon. An axe has a heavy blade
and, if swung by a strong man, it is a difficult
weapon to parry. The heavy blade of an axe can
easily cut through armour, though it requires
considerable strength from the wielder.
Range
|
Strength
|
Save Mod.
|
Special
|
Close
Combat
|
User
|
-
|
Extra
-1 save mod.
|
Special Rules
Cutting Edge: A battle axe
has an extra save modifier of -1, so a model with
S4 using a battle axe has a -2 save modifier when
he hits an opponent in hand-to-hand combat.
|
Hammer / Staff / Mace / Club
Perhaps the simplest type of weapon, a hammer
or a mace is brutal but never-the-less effective.
These weapons range from the primitive wooden
clubs studded with spikes to elaboratley forged
Dwarven hammers made from the finest steel. A
blow from a mace can easily crush a skull or
knock a man unconscious.
Range
|
Strength
|
Save Mod.
|
Special
|
Close
Combat
|
User
|
-
|
Stun
on 2-4
|
Special Rules
Concussion: Hammers and other
bludgeoning weapons are excellent at knocking
people senseless. When using a hammer, club or
mace a roll of 2-4 is treated as a
"stunned" result on the injury table.
|
Sword
The sword is often referred to as the king of
weapons. The most common sword avalable, the
broadsword of the Empire, is a masterpiece by the
standards of any smith- a full four feet of
gleaming steel, double-edged and rezor-sharp.
Swords are much more effective weapons than
crude clubs and axes, though learning to use a
sword is a long and difficult process. It takes
years to truly master the way of the sword. Most
warriors of Mordheim die long before that.
Range
|
Strength
|
Save Mod.
|
Special
|
Close
Combat
|
User
|
-
|
Parry
|
Special Rules
Parry: Swords offer an
excellent balance of defence and offence. A model
armed with a sword may parry blows. When the
opponent rolls to hit, a model with a sword may
roll 1D6. If the score is greater than the
highest "to hit" score of his opponent,
then the model has parried the blow, and that
attack is discarded. Note that you may parry only
one attack in each combat phase, even if you have
two swords.
|
Morning Star
A morning star consists of a wooden or steel
shaft with several heavy chains and spiked, steel
balls attached to it. It is a very destructive
weapon, but requires a great deal of skill from
the warrior wielding it.
Range
|
Strength
|
Save Mod.
|
Special
|
Close
Combat
|
User
+ 1
|
-
|
Heavy,
Difficult
|
Special Rules
Heavy: The morning star is
extremely tiring to use and thus the +1 strength
bonus applies only in the first hand-to-hand
combat phase.
Difficult to use: A model
armed with a morning star may not carry a second
weapon in his other hand. He requires all his
skill to wield the morning star. He can, however,
use a shield.
|
Spear
Spears range from the sharpened sticks used by
goblins to the impressive cavalry spears of the
Elves. The long range of a spear gives a warrior
a considerable advantage in battle.
The best spears available are the
broad-bladed, steel spears of the dwarves, though
there are several types available in the shanty
towns around Mordheim.
Range
|
Strength
|
Save Mod.
|
Special
|
Close
Combat
|
User
|
-
|
Strike
First if charged/ +1 S
|
Special Rules
Strike First if charged: The
long shaft of the spear allows a warrior to
thrust at oncoming enemies before they have a
chance to strike the speaman down. A warrior
armed with a Spear will always strike first in
the first round of combat, even if charged,
unless his opponent has a spear or a lance.
Cavalry bonus: A mounted
warrior armed with a spear recieves a +1 Strength
bonus when he charges. If the warriors strength
is 3, for example, his total strength will be 4
when he charges. Note that this bonus only appies
for that turn.
|
Halberds,
Flails, Double-handed weapons and lances work as
described in the main Warhammer rules.
|
Bows and slings have been used in the Old World since
time immemorial but blackpowder weapons are a very recent
invention. They are unreliable and temperamental weapons,
but they have a long range and hit exceedingly hard.
Armour offers almost no protection against blackpowder
weapons, as the lead bullets can penetrate the strongest
steel of a brestplate or shield. The loud noise that
blackpowder weapons make is very frightening and that
alone can scare off the enemy!
Most blackpowder weapons are bought from the Dwarves
at great expense, though some of the forges of Nuln and
Altdorf have started to experiment in the making of Hand
Guns.
Missile
Weapons
|
Duelling Pistol
A Duelling Pistol is a work of art, and a
gunsmith labours long and hard on producing a
single one. Duelling pistols are often carried by
Imperial nobles. They are used to solve disputes
over love and honour, and many a noble has died
at dawn in a duel over some grievance or other.
Duelling pistols are expensive weapons, and
poorer warriors rarely have them, for even though
they sometimes manage to steal or buy one, the
ammunition is very expensive.
The wealthiest warband leaders and merchants
in Mordheim carry pistols as status symbols,
commanding great respect, admiration and envy.
Range
|
Strength
|
Save Mod.
|
Special
|
10"
|
4
|
- 2
|
+1
to hit, fire every other turn
|
Special Rules
Accuracy: A Duelling pistol
is built for accuracy. An accomplished duellist
is able to hit a coin from 20 paces. All shots
from a duelling pistol have a +1 to hit.
Prepare Shot: A duelling
pistol takes a complete turn to reload, so you
may fire only every other turn. If you have a
brace of pistols (2), you may fire every turn.
|
Blunderbuss
The Blunderbuss is a primitive blackpowder
weapon which fires a hail of lead balls, rusty
bolts, bent nails and other assorted scrap metal.
A blunderbuss can be a powerful, if erratic,
weapon. It takes such a long time to load that
most warriors discard it after the first shot.
Range
|
Strength
|
Save Mod.
|
Special
|
Template
|
3
|
-
|
Fire
Once, Template
|
Special Rules
Template: Take the large
teardrop-shaped template from the Warhammer game
and place the narrow end at the nozzle of the
blunderbuss and the broad end over the target.
Any models under the template take 1 S3 hit.
One Shot: It takes a very
long time indeed o load a Blunderbuss. You may
fire it only once per battle.
|
Short Bows,
Bows, Long Bows, Slings, Crossbows, Repeating
Crossbows, Javelins, Hand Guns and Pistols work
as described in the main Warhammer rules.
|
When fighting becomes desperatley close, a good suit
of amour may mean the difference between life and death.
The finest armour in the known world is made in the
forges of the Dwarf Strongholds, where the secrets of
steel and fire are well understood.
Hardened leather jackets are often worn by the hunters
of Ostland, while the more urban soldiers of the cities
prefer mail coats and steel breastplates. The forges of
the empire have many skilled smiths capable of forging
fine armour, for the humans learned this craft from the
dwarf master smiths.
In Mordheim, only the wealthy and powerful are able to
afford the luxury of armour, apart from leather tunics,
odd helmets and wooden shields. But the richest leaders
of the most sucessful warbands wear suits of high-quality
armour. A good suit of armour is just as much a symbol of
wealth and power as it is protection against the weapons
of enemies.
New Armour
|
Dwarf Armour
Dwarfs make the finest armour in the world,
and in this they surpass any humans or even the
great Elven smiths. A suit of armour from Karak
Kadrin can withstand a blow or turn aside an
arrow which would penetratea shoddy suit of
armour made by mere humans.
Special Rules
Save: A warrior wearing Dwarf
Armour has a basic D6 saving throw of 4, 5 or 6
against a wound.
Initiative: A warrior wearing
Dwarf Armour will have his Initiative score
halved.
Dwarf-sized: Only dwarves may
wear Dwarf Armour.
|
Buckler
Bucklers are small, round shields designed for
parrying or deflecting blows. They are most often
made of steel, for they need to be tremendously
endurable to survive the brutal blows of
hand-to-hand combat.
Using a buckler requires great skill, but a
nimble warriors can protect himself from blows
which would otherwise cripple him.
Special Rules
Parry: A model armed with a
buckler may parry blows. When the opponent rolls
to hit, a model with a buckler may roll one die.
If the score is greater than the highest "to
hit" score of his opponent, then the model
has parried the blow, and that attack is
discarded.If a warrior is also armed with a sword
he may re-roll failed attempts to parry. You may
only parry 1 attack in each hand-to-hand combat
phase.
|
Helmet
From the shining, steel helmets of Bretonnian
Knights to the leather caps of the Skaven, all
sensible warriors try to protect the most
vulnerable part of their bodies. Even races like
Orcs, who are not too bothered about head wounds,
prefer to wear helmets because they can have an
impressive array of horns and plumes.
Special Rules
Save: A model equipped with a
helmet has a special 4+ save on a D6 against
being stunned. If the save is made then treat the
"stunned" result as "knocked
down" instead. This save is not modified by
the opponents strength.
|
|
Heavy Armour,
Light Armour and Shields work as described in the
main Warhammer rules.
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