Idea for Necromancer Warband

So I've been bored at work and have cobbled together a new warband for the undead lead by a Necromancer rather than a Vampire. Please let me know what you think. Comments, critcism is alway appreciated.

Necromancer Warband


Many a young students of magic has been known to stumble across a bit of obscure lore which can lead them down a dark path. Normally a mentor will warn the ambitious pupil of the danger they flirt with when they investigate these dark arts.

Occasionally however the warnings will go unheeded and an idle curiosity can lead to something far darker and more dangerous. The allure of Necromancy and the power it can lead to has been the downfall of many a mage as their experiments run out of control and turn on them. Of greater danger however is when they succeed and bind the forces of life and death to their will.

Always when the dark course their study has taken a budding necromancer will be forced to flee for their life. Most are drawn to the service of the Vampire Counts trading their power over the winds of death for the protection offered by their vampire overlords.

For some students of the dark arts however however they refuse to serve another and instead choose to set their own destiny. Lurking on the periphery of civilization they will continue to experiment and hone their craft often surrounded by a cadre of undead servants and minions bound to their will and doomed to serve their masters eternally in both life and death

Choice of warriors
A Necromancer 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.

Master Necromancer: Each Necromancer warband must have one Master Necromancer: no more, no less!
Apprentice Necromancer: Your warband may include a single Apprentice Necromancer if you wish.
Wight: Your warband may include a single Wight if you wish.
Grave Robbers: Your warband may include up to two Grave Robbers.
Grave Guard: Your warband may include up to five Grave Guard
Skeletons: Your warband may include any number of Skeletons.
Zombies: Your warband may include any number of Zombies.
Wraith: Your warband may include a single Wraith.

A Master Necromancer starts with 20 experience.
An Apprentice Necromancer starts with 8 experience.
A Wight starts with 8 experience.
Grave Robbers start with 0 experience.
Henchmen start with 0 experience.

SPECIAL RULES
Death of the Master: Should the Master Necromancer die then the Apprentice Necromancer will take command of the warband. The Apprentice Necromancer immediately gains the leader skill and the next time he levels up if he does not already know two spells he will automatically gain a new spell, no role on the advance table is required. Once an Apprentice Necromancer with the leader rule has two spells his character type changes too Master Necromancer and he may recruit a new apprentice.
Undead: All models with the undead trait can be affected by any skills or spells that target undead models. The spell Call of Vanhel gains the target undead rule.


STARTING EQUIPMENT LIST


Mortal Equipment List
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
Dagger (1st free) 2 gc
Mace 3 gc
Hammer 3 gc
Axe 5 gc
Sword 10 gc
Spear 10 gc
Halberd (Shovel) 10 gc
Missile Weapons
Bow 10 gc
Short bow 5 gc
Armour
Light armour 20 gc
Shield 5 gc
Helmet 10 gc

Ancient Dead Equipment List
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
Dagger (1st free) 2 gc
Mace 3 gc
Hammer 3 gc
Axe 5 gc
Sword 10 gc
Spear 10 gc
Double handed weapon 15 gc
Halberd 10 gc
Missile Weapons
None
Armour
Light armour 20 gc
Shield 5 gc
Helmet 10 gc
Heavy armor 50 gc

HEROES


1 Master Necromancer
55 Gold Crowns to Hire
A master of dark arts a Necromancer has a power that can rival the most powerful of vampires. Binding the dead to his will he unleashes them to fulfill his dark ambitions.
Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8

Weapons/Armour: A Master Necromancer may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Mortal Equipment list.

Special Rules
Leader: Any models in the warband within 6" of the Master Necromancer may use his Leadership instead of their own.
Wizard: Master Necromancers are wizards and so are able to use Necromantic magic. A master Necromancer starts with two spells from the Necromantic magic list. .
Ritual Caster: Many Master Necromancers use their Apprentice’s to aid in their spell casting. While an Apprentice is within 6” of his Master you reduce the difficulty of all spells the Master Necromancer casts by 2. The Apprentice may not cast any spells or make any ranged attacks in a turn that he assists the Master with his spell casting.

0 – 1 Apprentice Necromancer
35 Gold Crowns to Hire
Most Apprentice Necromancers are drawn to the forbidden allure of dark magic. Often driven by a dark lust for knowledge and power they willingly serve their mentors to gain access to the lore they can share.
Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 2 2 3 3 1 3 1 7

Weapons/Armour: An Apprentice Necromancer may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Mortal Equipment list.

Special Rules
Wizard: Apprentice’s are wizards and so are able to use Necromantic magic. An Apprentice starts with one of the spells know by the Master Necromancer. When an Apprentice gains a new skill he may select to learn any spell that the Master Necromancer knows instead. An apprentice can never know more spells than the Necromancer Lord.

0 – 1 Wight
45 Gold Crowns to hire
One of the most powerful of servants that a Necromancer can raise a Wight is an ancient warrior restored to a semblance of life by dark magic. Driven by a murderous hatred of life they are forced to do the bidding of their master.
Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 4 3 3 4 1 2 1 8

Weapons/Armour: A Wight may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Ancient Dead Equipment list.

SPECIAL RULES
Undead: The Wight counts as an Undead creature
Cause Fear: Wights are terrifying Undead creatures and therefore cause fear.
May not run: Wights are slow Undead creatures and may not run (but may charge normally).
Immune to Psychology: Wights are not affected by psychology and never leave combat.
Immune to Poison: Wights are not affected by any poison.
No Pain: Wights treat a stunned result on the Injury chart as knocked down.
Killing Blow: Wights inflict a critical hit on a 5 or 6.

0 – 2 Grave Robbers
20 Gold Crowns to Hire
Many a Necromancer has used the service of the down trodden and disreputable to aid in their vile works. Often sneaking into tombs and graveyards to collect the raw materials that fuel the Necromancers dark experiments they constantly run the risk of being caught by local authorities.
Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 2 2 3 3 1 3 1 6

Weapons/Armour: Grave Robbers may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Mortal Equipment list.



HENCHMEN (Bought in Groups of 1-5)


0 – 5 Grave Guard
35 Gold Crowns to hire each
In ancient days a great leader was always buried with his most loyal followers so that they could continue to serve him in death. When a necromancer is lucky enough to fins such a grave he can use the remains to create a powerful Wight to serve him. The loyal guardians can also be called to a semblance of life forced to serve their undying master in the service to a vile Necromancer
Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 3 2 3 4 1 2 1 7

Weapons/Armour: Grave Guard may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Ancient Dead Equipment list.

SPECIAL RULES
Undead: Grave Guard counts as an Undead creatures.
Cause Fear: Grave Guard are terrifying Undead creatures and therefore cause fear.
May not run: Grave Guard are slow Undead creatures and may not run (but may charge normally).
Immune to Psychology: Grave Guard are not affected by psychology and never leave combat.
Immune to Poison: Grave Guard are not affected by any poison.
No Pain: Grave Guard treat a stunned result on the Injury chart as knocked down.
Killing Blow: Grave Guard inflict a critical hit on a 5 or 6.

Skeletons
20 Gold Crowns to hire each
One of the simpler forms of undead a Necromancer may raise the skeleton is a easily created from the scavenged leavings of most graveyards and battlefields found around the old world.
Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 2 2 3 3 1 1 1 6

Weapons/Armour: Skeletons may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Mortal Equipment list.

SPECIAL RULES
Undead: Skeletons counts as an Undead creatures.
Cause Fear: Skeletons are terrifying Undead creatures and therefore cause fear.
May not run: Skeletons are slow Undead creatures and may not run (but may charge normally).
Immune to Psychology: Skeletons are not affected by psychology and never leave combat.
Immune to Poison: Skeletons are not affected by any poison.
No Pain: Skeletons treat a stunned result on the Injury chart as knocked down.
No Brain: Skeletons never gain experience.

Zombie
15 Gold Crowns to hire each
The easiest of the dead to raise Zombies make up the bulk of most necromancers hordes. As their bodies continue to rot eventually they will be transformed from Zombies to Skeletons.
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
Undead: Zombies counts as an Undead creatures.
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.

0 – 1 Wraith
100 gold Crowns to hire
Every Necromancer must eventually face the grim truth that as much power as they are able to accumulate and try as hard as they might eventually the grim specter of death will find them. In a final attempt to forever rid themselves of their mortal frailties some Necromancers will attempt ancient rituals that will turn them into the undead themselves. Luckily for humanity most fail in this endeavor. A few however succeed and are able to shed their mortal form becoming a being of pure spirit, their once vast powers now turned to maintaining their new form as a Wraith. With enough study a Necromancer can bind these ancient spirits to their will.
Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 3 0 3 3 2 2 3 5

Weapons/Armour: A Wraith may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Ancient Dead Equipment list. Wraiths may never wear any armor.

SPECIAL RULES
Undead: A Wraith counts as an Undead creature.
Cause Fear: Wraiths are terrifying Undead creatures and therefore cause fear.
May not run: Wraiths are slow Undead creatures and may not run (but may charge normally).
Immune to Psychology: Wraiths are not affected by psychology and never leave combat.
Immune to Poison: Wraiths are not affected by any poison.
No Pain: Wraiths treat a stunned result on the Injury chart as knocked down.
Ethereal: Wraiths are spirits and no longer have a physical form. They ignore all penalties to movement for terrain may pass through blocking terrain as if it were not there. A wraith must move wholly through any blocking terrain during its movement. Wraiths have a 4+ save against all attacks to reflect the chance that the attack will pass right through them. This save may not be taken against magical attacks and attacks from magical weapons.
Chill Touch: All attacks from a Wraith ignore any non-magical armour saves that their target may have.
Terrifying Visage: Such is the horror that a Wraith causes that any model in base to base contact is at a -1 penalty to Leadership. Models that cause fear may ignore this penalty but must still test for fear as normal when charging or charged by a Wraith.



NECROMANCER SKILL TABLE
Combat Shooting Academic Strength Speed Special
Master Necromancer - - X - X X
Apprentice Necromancer - - X - X X
Wight X - - X - -
Grave Robbers X - - X X -

Special Skills
Necromancer Heroes with access to special skills may choose to use the following Skill list instead of any of the standard Skill tables available to them.



Hedge Magic: The Necromancer may randomly generate one spell from the Lesser Magic List.

Master of the Dark Arts: The Necromancer is adept at controlling larger numbers of mindless undead and binding them to his will. This Necromancer raises your warband rating by 3 however all additional warband members must be either Skeletons or Zombies.

Ancient Lore: The Necromancer has managed to study fragments of lore from one of the ancient books of Nagash. Reduce the casting difficulty of all Necromancy spells they know by one.

Dark Majesty: The necromancer is able to channel the power of the wind of Death to enhance the powers of his minions. All Undead henchmen within 6” of the Necromancer gain +1WS and +1I.

Practiced Necromancer: Such is the Necromancers mastery of the dark arts he may cast a second Necromancy spell each turn. You may not cast the same spell twice in a turn and you must raise the difficulty of the second spell by 2.

over all, I'd say it looks pretty good. I just have a couple suggestions:

A) I'd make the wight and grave guard more expensive. Crits on 5-6 are big bonuses, as are all the undead special rules (with the exception of the not being able to run, which of course can be worked around a little with vanhels) and starting with toughness 4 is a big one too. Doesn't have to be by alot, maybe just 5gc each.

B) starting with two magic users is a biggggg advantage. I understand the idea, but I'm not sure it really fits in with the fluff very well. I may be wrong, but i always got from the GW fluff that their necromancers aren't the "take on an apprentice" type. More like the crazed loners who want all power for themselves. However, if you want to keep them in, I'd recommend some sort of way to make using dark magic they don't fully understand yet dangerous for them.

and C) I would make it so the wraith can't gain experience so it falls in line with other the other big dangerous high priced henchmen.

keep up the good work, I enjoyed reading through this.

This looks like fun.

I would agree with a price hike, for the Master and the wight I think.

On the special kill list I like the Master of the dark arts skill.... hordes of shambling undead fits the bill quite nicely.
Perhaps Practiced Necromancy neds a tweek.... isn't there an unoficial skill that allows you to cast two spells but requires a T test ( automatic face up if failed ), I like the idea of casting two spells being a double edged sword.

What prompted you to write this list ( except tedious work )? Were you not keen on the Restless Dead list?

I'm a bit shatterd at the moment as I've just come off a night shift. I'll have another look at this and write up a warband after I get some sleep.

As to the costs on the Wight and Grave guard I'd agree that they could probably go up in cost by a bit. The prices were just ball parked for now and the list does need a lot of playtesting to firm it up a bit.

Given the general low stats on the majority of the Henchmen and that only the Grave Guard and Wraith gain experience and thus be improved I think the extra wizard is needed to spread the area of spells around the board a bit.

I considered having the Wraith be a no experience creature but thought that they needed the option of getting some experience on a second henchman type.

Practiced Necromancy was to reflect the current ability from the Fantasy rules to recast Necromancy spells multiple times in a turn without overpowering the magic options. I had considered raising the difficulty by 4 but thought that was a bit much.

The idea behind the list was I've always liked the idea of a Necromancer leading his hordes of dead. I wanted something that reflected that cravy horde of dead coming after you where the leader is working to make his followers better rather than having one really hard character like most Vampire undead warbands. I liked the restless dead list but wanted a few more lving servents for a necromancer and liked the idea of the no scruples minions doing the bidding of a necromancer master. I did like the apprentice idea which I've borrowed for this list It was really just a trial to see what the list might look like as a concept that keot going.

You could make the Wraith gain experience at half rate. This would still be in line with other big guys and you could fluff wise justify it as the spell cast to create the Wrath left some it it's senses behind meaning it can't learn as fast.

i can appreciate the need for for the extra wizard, and I think it could be cool, but it should have some sort of downside, otherwise it just seems like too much of a boon at creation.

As far as having only one henchmen that can gain experience, the normal undead band also only has one and they do fine. i think the biggest problem with a wraith being able to gain experience and maybe get a TLGT is that it already has quite a few special rules. Once you start adding the capacity to vastly upgrade its stats and get special skills, it starts drifting into the too powerful range. Also, how would you work out the serious injuries on something that literally has no body?

I find that with the limit of only taking the spells that the Master Necromancer has as well as the young blood (with the exception of LD) starting stats the Apprentice isn't too over powered. The basic idea is very similar to the Restless Dead list and works very well in that list.

AS to Henchmen the difference is you can take as many Ghouls as you want in a normal Undead band however this band is limited to only 1-5 Grave Guard so with out the Wraith that's it for experience Henchman. As wsa suggested elsewhere a rule to slow down the experience on the Wraith or maybe out right prevent from getting Lad's Got Talent. In fact how about

Beyond the Mortal Coil - Much of the Wraith's enery is used to maintain its connection to the mortal plane. The Wraith must always re-roll Lad's Got Talent rolls when gaining experience.

Apprentice: Or maybe he only knows "Call of Vanheil," and can't learn any others. If the Necro bites it, he can learn further spells. Just a thought.

Mortal Coil - That works... like a Minotaur.

Cost: Can probably raise the grave guard to 40gc, to be honest. Here's my math:

Skeleton - 20gc
+5gc ws
+5gc T
+5gc can gain exp
+5gc killing blow.
(They also have a higher LD, but as they're Immune to psych, that's a freebie)

It also makes them cost as much as a Ghoul, so it fits. This would also raise the Wight to 50gc, but compared to a dwarf trollslayer (also 50gc), I'd hardly call it an unfair price.

Master of the Dark Arts: I wouldn't phrase it as "rating", that's something else. How about:
"Your warband may have 3 models over the normal warband size limit, provided those three are zombies and/or skeletons."


btw, while not super stylized, the Khemri team DID come up with their own Necromancer Warband:
http://grafixgibs.tripod.com/Khemri/necro.htm

My personal opinion is that the wraith needs a big bump in cost. Usually if there is a big hitter in a warband you need to sacrifise a lot to squeeze him in to a starting warband. Using yourorigional GC costs I could get a full compliment of heros a wraith and 4 grave guard in.
Also with 2 wounds ( 4+ invunerable save against all regular attacks ) and 3 atacks ( at str 5 if you give him a 2h wep). Gains experience. Plus all his other special skills... I think he needs a mega bump.
Just my 2cents tho.

Naw, 100gc seems good to me. Compare to vampire:

Vampire - 110
-2 M - -10gc
-1 WS - -5gc
-1 S - -5gc
-1 T - -5gc
-3 I - 10-15 gc
+1 A - +5gc
No "Leader" - -10gc
Can't Run - -5gc
Ethereal - +15gc (at least)
Chill - +10gc
Terrifying - + 5gc

= 95gc.

So, 100 is a pretty safe bet. You could also approach it by adding up from a skeleton, (add +10gc per wound), but I think it'd be about the same.

Equipment: Why not charge 110 for the Wraith, and just have him come equipped with a scythe (counts as Halberd) Gives him a good weapon (without being an overpowered one) and fits both the flavor and the GW model.

Normally I would bow out to you Styro but I'm in the mood not to today

How about comparing him to the ogre henchman in the Ostlander list

Ogre - 160
-2M = -10gc
-1S = -5gc
-1T = -5gc
-1W = -5gc
-1I = -5gc
+1A = +5gc
-2LD = -10gc

No "Leader" = -10gc
Can't Run = -5gc
Ethereal = +15gc (at least)
Chill = +10gc
Terrifying = + 5gc
No pain = +10gc
Immune to psychology and poisen = +5gc

I make that to be 130.. or 140 with a halbeard
( theres nothing quite like argueing over 40-30 immaginary gold coins )

I ran a similar thing to the Minotaur and came out at a rrp of 170gc for the wight.

Whatever the cost this list leaves tons of scope for some cool looking minis and conversions. I like it.

I think it's an interesting take on the undead warband and something I'd be up for trying out some time in the future. Getting rid of the vampire is a plus in my book.

Smoke Zombie: Nope, nothing in the world. Boy, are we masters of wasting time.

Personally, I'd subtract -10gc for -1Wound, so it'd make your estimate around 125-135

I think comparing to non Heroes may be the better take on this as the Wrath is not a hero.

As stated earlier I agree the Guards and Wights wer probably a little under costed and after looking at them a little further I've put them up to a 55 for the Wight and 40 for the Grave Guard, although I may drop the Wight to 50 depending on how he performs in play testing. I still don't think the second caster over powers the list too much as he is limited in the spells he will know by the maximum that the Master Necromancer will have, and I will probably add a further restriction that he can only ever learn the spells that the Master knows.

The Wraith is the real bone of Contention, and I agree it is potentially very powerful. However that is off set by the majority of your Henchmen being very weak and so the Wraith will serve as a fire magnet. I think his power level is there with the majority of the Big Hitters from other lists as yes there are a number of advantages to being undead but the not being able to run can really limit his mobility around the board if your opponent is careful in their movement phase. Also while Ethereal gives the Wraith a good chance (50/50) of surviving most attacks it is still only Toughness three so most attacks are also injuring it on a 50/50 chance unlike most other big guys who normally have a 4 if not 5 toughness which serves to keep them alive a lot longer. Also the Initiative 2 means that most opponents will get to hit it first in combat if it doesn't charge and there is good chance the Wraith will go out of action before he gets a chance to attack. I think that the only way to see how it works out is to play test the model out a bit and see how it develops.

Sounds like a plan. Hope it works for you!

WE'v been paly a few games locally and I've had a chance to playtest out the warband. So far it's palyed well and hasn't been dominating the group any more than a normal undead warband would. I've made a few tweeks to the warband based on comments here and play testing and have attached an updated version below.

Necromancer Warband


Many a young student of magic has been known to stumble across a bit of obscure lore which can lead them down a dark path. Normally a mentor will warn the ambitious pupil of the danger they flirt with when they investigate these dark arts.

Occasionally however the warnings will go unheeded and an idle curiosity can lead to something far darker and more dangerous. The allure of Necromancy and the power it can lead to has been the downfall of many a mage as their experiments run out of control and turn on them. Of greater danger however is when they succeed and bind the forces of life and death to their will.

Always when the dark course their study has taken is discovered a budding necromancer will be forced to flee for their life. Most are drawn to the service of the Vampire Counts trading their power over the winds of death for the protection offered by their vampire overlords.

For some students of the dark arts however they refuse to serve another and instead choose to set their own destiny. Lurking on the periphery of civilization they will continue to experiment and hone their craft often surrounded by a cadre of willing minions and undead servants bound to their will and doomed to serve their masters eternally in both life and death

Choice of warriors
A Necromancer 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.
Master Necromancer: Each Necromancer warband must have one Master Necromancer: no more, no less!
Apprentice Necromancer: Your warband may include a single Apprentice Necromancer if you wish.
Wight: Your warband may include a single Wight if you wish.
Grave Robbers: Your warband may include up to two Grave Robbers.
Grave Guard: Your warband may include up to five Grave Guard
Skeletons: Your warband may include any number of Skeletons.
Zombies: Your warband may include any number of Zombies.
Wraith: Your warband may include a single Wraith.

A Master Necromancer starts with 20 experience.
An Apprentice Necromancer starts with 8 experience.
A Wight starts with 8 experience.
Grave Robbers start with 0 experience.
Henchmen start with 0 experience.

SPECIAL RULES
Death of the Master: Should the Master Necromancer die then the Apprentice Necromancer will take command of the warband. The Apprentice Necromancer immediately gains the leader skill and the next time he levels up if he does not already know two spells he will automatically gain a new spell, no role on the advance table is required. Once an Apprentice Necromancer with the leader rule has two Necromancy spells his character type changes too Master Necromancer, he gains the Ritual Caster ability and he may recruit a new apprentice.
Undead: All models with the undead trait can be affected by any skills or spells that target undead models. The spell Call of Vanhel gains the target undead rule.


STARTING EQUIPMENT LIST


Mortal Equipment List
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
Dagger (1st free) 2 gc
Mace 3 gc
Hammer 3 gc
Axe 5 gc
Sword 10 gc
Spear 10 gc
Halberd (Shovel) 10 gc
Missile Weapons
Bow 10 gc
Short bow 5 gc
Armour
Light armour 20 gc
Shield 5 gc
Helmet 10 gc
Ancient Dead Equipment List
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
Dagger (1st free) 2 gc
Mace 3 gc
Hammer 3 gc
Axe 5 gc
Sword 10 gc
Spear 10 gc
Double handed weapon 15 gc
Halberd 10 gc
Missile Weapons
None
Armour
Light armour 20 gc
Shield 5 gc
Heavy armor 50 gc

HEROES


1 Master Necromancer
65 Gold Crowns to Hire
A master of the dark arts a Master Necromancer has a command over the undead that rivals the most powerful of vampires. Practicing any number of vile and forbidden rituals the Necromancer binds the dead to his will to serve his dark ambitions.

Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8

Weapons/Armour: A Master Necromancer may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Mortal Equipment list.

Special Rules
Leader: Any models in the warband within 6" of the Master Necromancer may use his Leadership instead of their own.
Wizard: Master Necromancers are wizards and so are able to use Necromantic magic. A master Necromancer starts with two spells from the Necromantic magic list. .
Ritual Caster: Many Master Necromancers use their Apprentice’s to aid in their spell casting. While an Apprentice is within 6” of his Master you reduce the difficulty of all spells the Master Necromancer casts by 2. The Apprentice may not cast any spells or make any ranged attacks in a turn that he assists the Master with his spell casting.

0 – 1 Apprentice Necromancer
35 Gold Crowns to Hire
Most Apprentice Necromancers are drawn to the forbidden allure of dark magic by a lust for knowledge and power. They willingly serve their mentors to gain access to the lore they can share often with the ambition of one day replacing their master.

Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 2 2 3 3 1 3 1 7

Weapons/Armour: An Apprentice Necromancer may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Mortal Equipment list.

Special Rules
Wizard: Apprentice Necromancer’s are wizards and so are able to use Necromantic magic. An Apprentice starts with one of the spells know by the Master Necromancer. When an Apprentice gains a new skill he may select to learn any spell that the Master Necromancer knows instead. An apprentice can never know more spells than the Master Necromancer, and may not learn any Necromancy spells his master does not know.

0 – 1 Wight
50 Gold Crowns to hire
When a Necromancer is fortunate to come across a suitable body they can create one of the most powerful servants available to any practitioner of the dark arts. Once a proud warrior and leader of men a Wight is an ancient warrior restored to a semblance of life by dark magic. Now driven by a murderous hatred of all life a Wight still is compelled to do the bidding of his Necromancer master.

Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 4 3 3 4 1 2 1 8

Weapons/Armour: A Wight may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Ancient Dead Equipment list.

SPECIAL RULES
Undead: The Wight counts as an Undead creature
Cause Fear: Wights are terrifying Undead creatures and therefore cause fear.
May not run: Wights are slow Undead creatures and may not run (but may charge normally).
Immune to Psychology: Wights are not affected by psychology and never leave combat.
Immune to Poison: Wights are not affected by any poison.
No Pain: Wights treat a stunned result on the Injury chart as knocked down.
Killing Blow: Wights inflict a critical hit on a 5 or 6.

0 – 2 Grave Robbers
20 Gold Crowns to Hire
Necromancer will usually retain the service a few down trodden and disreputable servants to aid in their vile works. Employed for their ability to sneak into tombs and graveyards to collect the raw materials that fuel the Necromancers dark experiments, Grave Robbers constantly run the risk of being caught by local authorities.

Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 2 2 3 3 1 3 1 6

Weapons/Armour: Grave Robbers may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Mortal Equipment list.




HENCHMEN (Bought in Groups of 1-5)


0 – 5 Grave Guard
40 Gold Crowns to hire each
In ancient days a great leader was always buried with his most loyal followers so that they could continue to serve him in death. When a necromancer is lucky enough to find such a grave he can use the remains to create a powerful Wight to serve him. The loyal guardians can also be called to a semblance of life continuing to serve their former master in the service to a vile Necromancer
Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 3 2 3 4 1 2 1 7

Weapons/Armour: Grave Guard may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Ancient Dead Equipment list.

SPECIAL RULES
Undead: Grave Guard counts as an Undead creatures.
Cause Fear: Grave Guard are terrifying Undead creatures and therefore cause fear.
May not run: Grave Guard are slow Undead creatures and may not run (but may charge normally).
Immune to Psychology: Grave Guard are not affected by psychology and never leave combat.
Immune to Poison: Grave Guard are not affected by any poison.
No Pain: Grave Guard treat a stunned result on the Injury chart as knocked down.
Killing Blow: Grave Guard inflict a critical hit on a 5 or 6.

Skeletons
20 Gold Crowns to hire each
One of the simpler forms of undead a Necromancer may raise the skeleton is easily created from the scavenged leavings of most graveyards and battlefields found around the old world.
Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 2 2 3 3 1 1 1 6

Weapons/Armour: Skeletons may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Mortal Equipment list.

SPECIAL RULES
Undead: Skeletons counts as an Undead creatures.
Cause Fear: Skeletons are terrifying Undead creatures and therefore cause fear.
May not run: Skeletons are slow Undead creatures and may not run (but may charge normally).
Immune to Psychology: Skeletons are not affected by psychology and never leave combat.
Immune to Poison: Skeletons are not affected by any poison.
No Pain: Skeletons treat a stunned result on the Injury chart as knocked down.
No Brain: Skeletons never gain experience.

Zombie
15 Gold Crowns to hire each
The easiest of the dead to raise Zombies make up the bulk of most necromancers hordes. As their bodies continue to rot eventually they will be transformed from Zombies to Skeletons.

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
Undead: Zombies counts as an Undead creatures.
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.

0 – 1 Wraith
100 gold Crowns to hire
Every Necromancer must eventually face the grim truth that as much power as they are able to accumulate and try as hard as they might eventually the grim specter of death will find them. In a final attempt to forever rid themselves of their mortal frailties some Necromancers will attempt ancient rituals that will turn them into the undead themselves. Luckily for humanity most fail in this endeavor. A few however succeed and are able to shed their mortal form becoming a being of pure spirit, their once vast powers now turned to maintaining their new form as a Wraith. With enough study a Necromancer can bind these ancient spirits to their will.
Profile M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 3 0 3 3 2 2 3 5

Weapons/Armour: A Wraith may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Ancient Dead Equipment list. Wraiths may never wear any armor.

SPECIAL RULES
Undead: A Wraith counts as an Undead creature.
Cause Fear: Wraiths are terrifying Undead creatures and therefore cause fear.
May not run: Wraiths are slow Undead creatures and may not run (but may charge normally).
Immune to Psychology: Wraiths are not affected by psychology and never leave combat.
Immune to Poison: Wraiths are not affected by any poison.
No Pain: Wraiths treat a stunned result on the Injury chart as knocked down.
Ethereal: Wraiths are spirits and no longer have a physical form. They ignore all penalties to movement for terrain may pass through blocking terrain as if it were not there. A wraith must move wholly through any blocking terrain during its movement. Wraiths have a 4+ save against all attacks to reflect the chance that the attack will pass right through them. This save may not be taken against magical attacks and attacks from magical weapons.Chill Touch: All attacks from a Wraith ignore any non-magical armour saves that their target may have.
Terrifying Visage: Such is the horror that a Wraith causes that any model in base to base contact is at a -1 penalty to Leadership. Models that cause fear may ignore this penalty but must still test for fear as normal when charging or charged by a Wraith.
Beyond the Mortal Coil: The Wraith is an ancient entity and most of its attention is devoted to maintaining its connection to the mortal plain. Wraiths must reroll all Lads Got Talent results when leveling up and can never become heroes.


NECROMANCER SKILL TABLE
Combat Shooting Academic Strength Speed Special
Master Necromancer - - X - X X
Apprentice Necromancer - - X - X X
Wight X - - X - -
Grave Robbers X - - X X -

Special Skills
Necromancer Heroes with access to special skills may choose to use the following Skill list instead of any of the standard Skill tables available to them.


Master of the Dark Arts: The Necromancer is adept at controlling larger numbers of mindless undead and binding them to his will. A Necromancer with this skill allows you to field 3 additional Skeletons or Zombies beyond your maximum warband size.

Practiced Necromancer: Such is the Necromancers mastery of the dark arts he may cast a second Necromancy spell each turn. You may not cast the same spell twice in a turn and you must raise the difficulty of the second spell by 2.

Dark Majesty: The necromancer is able to channel the power of the wind of Death to enhance the powers of his minions. All Undead henchmen within 6” of the Necromancer gain +1WS and +1I.

Ancient Lore: The Necromancer has managed to study fragments of lore from one of the ancient books of Nagash. Reduce the casting difficulty of all Necromancy spells they know by one.

Hedge Magic: The Necromancer may randomly generate one spell from the Lesser Magic List.



Jon

Looking good!

Yeah, I like that. May have to see if I can put a warband together, since I'm inspired by the new VC releases, and have painted up some of my Heroquest undead.

Edit; was it your idea to give the skeletons access to the mortal equipment list instead of the undead one?

Yes, while it gives them access to the ranged weapons there BS is such rubbish taht it shouldn't be a big issue, and keeps them away from the Double handed weapons and heavy armour which is far more open to abuse with their low stats in my mind.

Jon