‘Si vis pacem, para bellum.’ - Halfling Warbands

OK, Ok, I know! ANOTHER Halfling warband, there are hundreds around, right?
Yes, true, but I've found them all...well cartoony for my liking. This distaste goes right back to the list in Journal issue 36, which I was very disappointed with (I also made my own Halfling Army list and was going to send it off when that came out, wasn't happy about THAT...but that's another story).
So. Halflings. Cartoony. Mordheim. Dark. Doesn't really work for me. Yes I know the Halflings are pretty daft and frequently made fun of (by my mates. to my face), but then again giant rat men are pretty silly too, right? Anyways, enough of this, I made a warband I think is a little more realistic/less silly, the only thing left to do is race specific skills which I am working on. let me know what you think etc etc etc...
And if anyone can help me with getting it in a downloadable form, let me know, because i'm useless at that sort of thing. Or e-mail me and i can send it to you as a word document. Or whatever.


Mootland Militia – Halfling Warbands for Mordheim
The Halflings of The Moot are a peace-loving folk, more concerned with eating their next meal, growing their crops and tending their flocks than fighting. In times of peace they are left to do this relatively undisturbed, their borders protected by the Empire and its Emperor. At such times comparatively few Halflings succumb to lures of adventuring, though it does happen. However the Empire is not at peace. Riven by civil war, nobody helps to defend the Moot. Greenskins raid from the World’s Edge Mountains and roam at will across the borders of the Mootland. It is also not unheard of in such troubled times for the restless dead to make their way down from Sylvania for the rich pickings which the Moot offers.
The Halflings are desperate for a return to their peaceful ways, and in their desperation warbands of dispossessed Halflings are forming and journeying to Mordheim. Perhaps they can make use of the fabled wyrdstone to keep out their enemies? Perhaps they can ally themselves with one of the warring factions and thus gain the support and protection of one of the rival claimants to the throne? Or perhaps they just have nothing left to lose, and only fame and fortune left to gain in the cursed city.
Choice of warriors
Halfling Elder: Halfling Warbands must include one Elder: no more, no less!
Master Chef: Your warband may include a single Master Chef
Halfling Scouts: Your warband may include up to two Halfling Scouts
Halfling Thieves: Your warband may include up to two Halfling Scouts
Halflings: Any number of models may be Halflings
Shepherds: Your warband may include up to three Shepherds
Dogs: Your warband may include up to four Dogs

HEROES
1 Halfling Elder
60 Gold crowns to hire

Halfling Elders in Mordheim are often Village Elders who have lost everything, or have succumbed to the adventurous spirit that overcomes a few Halflings. The Elder is usually a great cook, and gathers like minded individuals to join his party, and word quickly spreads of the great feasts which he organises.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 3 5 2 2 1 5 1 9

Weapons/Armour: Halfling Elders may be equipped with Weapons and Armour from the Halfling Equipment List.

SPECIAL RULES:
Leader : Any models in the warband within 6” of the leader may use his Leadership instead of his own
Word gets around: Halflings are excellent cooks and news of their culinary feats are spread by the Elder. The prospect of a working for a warband composed of such cooks is attractive to many Hired Swords, and to represent this, Halfling warbands with an Elder may reduce the initial hire fee for Hired Swords by 5 gold crowns. Note that this does NOT include the upkeep fee!

0-1 Halfling Master Chef
40 gold crowns to hire

Halfling Master Chefs are truly the best cooks in the Old World, and their reputations are legendary. Highly sought after, but extremely expensive to employ, they are able to rustle up delicious meals from virtually nothing, and their knowledge of herblore and vegetables is unsurpassed. Unfortunately, the civil war raging in the Empire ensures that few of these individuals can be employed for extended periods of time, meaning many are without work and join up with similarly hard-up Halflings.

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

Weapons/Armour: Master Chefs may be equipped with weapons and Armour chosen from the Halfling Equipment List

SPECIAL RULES
Herblore: The Master Chef is trained in the growing and preparation of many herbs, and is able to make natural treatments as well as fine foods. To represent this, as long as a Halfling Warband has a Master Chef, it may always purchase Garlic and Healing Herbs (cost the base cost ie 20gcs to represent the time invested in locating, growing and preparing)

0-2 Halfling Scouts
25 gold crowns to hire

Halfling Scouts are the bravest of all Halflings, and many have had previous employment as scouts for human armies, or as baggage guards, for which Halflings are renowned. Some are even poachers who have fallen on especially hard times. They are good archers, and excel at stealth.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 2 4 2 2 1 4 1 8

Weapons/Armour: Halfling Scouts may be equipped with weapons and armour from the Halfling Equipment List

SPECIAL RULES
Stealthy: Halfling Scouts can shoot a bow (or short bow) whilst hidden without revealing his position to the enemy. The target model can take an Initiative test to try and spot the Scout. If the test is successful, the Scout no longer counts as hidden.

0-2 Halfling Thieves
30 gold crowns to hire

Many Halflings who seek adventure in the cities of the Empire quickly find that their ability to sneakily ‘permanently borrow’ something from someone’s pockets or house can ensure a rewarding and entertaining life. However the risk of getting caught means that they are experts at using small discreet weapons which can easily be concealed. Such individuals are readily sought by adventuring Halfling Warbands.

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

Weapons/Armour: Thieves may be equipped with weapons and armour from the Halfling Thief Equipment List

SPECIAL RULES
Sneaky: Halfling Thieves are very sneaky and adept at staying out of sight. When hidden, enemies halve their Initiative (rounding up) to spot the Thief.



HENCHMEN

Halflings
20 Gold Crowns to hire

Halflings (obviously) make up the bulk of a Halfling Warband. They are Halflings who have lost everything, who have served in Halfling Militias, or who have decided to embark upon a life of adventure.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 2 4 2 2 1 4 1 8

Weapons/Armour: Halflings may be equipped with weapons and armour from the Halfling Equipment List

0-3 Shepherds
25 gold crowns to hire

The Outlying lands of the Moot are mostly pasture, but the chaos engulfing the Empire means that nobody can be bothered to defend the borders of the Moot from marauding bands of greenskins. Halfling Shepherds have lost everything to such marauders: their home, their flocks and their livelihoods. Desperate, they join Halfling Warbands as they have nothing to left to lose, but everything to gain if the warband becomes successful and, perhaps, rich.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 2 4 2 2 1 4 1 8

Weapons/Armour: Shepherds may be equipped from the Halfling Equipment List

SPECIAL RULES
Sling Expert: The sling is the shepherd’s weapon. Halfling Shepherds may use normal slings without penalties for moving, i.e. they can Fire Twice at Half Range even if they move.

0-4 Dogs
15 gold crowns to hire

Halflings keep dogs as guard dogs, sheep dogs to herd and guard their flocks, and for hunting. Being small of stature and not particularly strong, Halflings make frequent use of Dogs, as they are large, strong, and unflinchingly loyal to their owners.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
6 4 0 4 3 1 4 1 5

Weapons/Armour: Jaws and brutality! Hunting dogs never use or need weapons or armour.

SPECIAL RULES
Animals: Hunting dogs are animals and thus do not gain experience


HALFLING SPECIAL WEAPONS
Staff Sling
20 gold crowns
Availability: Halflings Only

The Staff sling is basically a sling on a staff! It is more cumbersome than a normal sling, but benefits from increased range.
Range Strength Special Rules
24” 3 Fire twice, cumbersome

SPECIAL RULES
Fire twice at Half Range: Models using staff slings may shoot twice in the shooting phase if he does not move in the movement phase. He cannot shoot over half range (12”) if he fires twice.
Cumbersome: The Staff sling requires two hands to use. In addition it needs alot of space to use, and so they are not much use in enclosed spaces or buildings. Models shooting with Staff slings must have 1” space all around them in order to shoot.

Cleaver
10 gold crowns
Availability: Halfling Master Chefs only

Halfling Chefs use giant cleavers with wicked cutting blades for both cooking and combat
Range Strength Special Rules
Close Combat As user +1 Cutting Edge

Lead Sling Bullets
20gcs
Availability: Common

Users of slings frequently manufacture lead bullets to use instead of stones. These can cause great damage, and are often inscribed with insulting messages to the enemy.
SPECIAL RULES
The impact of lead bullets can cause horrendous damage, and to represent this, shots from a sling-armed model using Lead Bullets have a -1 armour save.
A model with Lead Sling Bullets manufactures enough bullets to last for on battle.




HALFLING EQUIPMENT LIST
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
Dagger..........................................1st free/2gc
Axe ................................................3gc
Staff...............................................3gc
Sword............................................10gc
Spear.............................................10gc
Missile Weapons
Bow...............................................10gc
Short Bow......................................5gc
Sling...............................................2gc
Staff Sling.......................................20gc
Armour
Light Armour..................................20gc
Shield..............................................5gc
Buckler............................................5gc
Helmet............................................10gc
Halfling Thief Equipment List
This list is for Halfling Thieves only
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
Dagger..........................................1st free/2gc
Missile Weapons
Throwing Knives............................15gc
Sling...............................................2gc
Miscellaneous Equipment
Rope and Hook...............................5gc
Halfling Skill Tables
Combat Shooting Academic Strength Speed
Halfling Elder √ √ √
Master Chef √ √
Halfling Scout √ √
Halfling Thief √ √ √

STARTING EXPERIENCE
The Moot Elder starts with 20 experience
Master Chefs start with 12 experience
Scouts start with 8 experience
Halfling Thieves start with 8 experience

HALFLING SPECIAL RULES

Puny: Halflings are very small and puny. The slightest knock can render them senseless. When rolling for a Halfling’s injury roll, treat a roll of a 2 as ‘stunned’. In addition to this, if a Halfling ever acquires Blackpowder Weapons (e.g. they gain the ‘Weapons Expert’ skill), he will automatically be knocked down if he rolls a 1 when rolling to hit in the shooting phase with any Blackpowder Weapons
Greedy: Halflings like to eat. A lot. When selling Wyrdstone, add +1 to the number of warrior in your warband, to represent their voracious appetites.

HALFLING MAXIMUM CHARACTERISTICS

Profile
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
Halfling 4 7 7 3 3 3 8 4 10

HIRED SWORDS

From the Mordheim rulebook Halflings may hire the following Hired Swords: Pit Fighter, Ogre Bodyguard, Warlock, Freelancer, Elf Ranger, Dwarf Troll Slayer, Aenur, Johann the Knife. For additional Hired Swords, Halflings may hire the same as Human Mercenaries.

Grrrr! ArrrggH!

Ok so its a little messed up because it was copied and pasted from Word...sorry. The profiles should be easy to work out, and if you're confused about the skills:
Elder and Thief: Shooting, Academic and Spped Skills
Master Chef, Scout: Shooting and Speed Skills

And if a moderator can edit it/fix it so it's clear, please go ahead so I don't look like such a wally

A few things:
Shepards: does moving and firing still give them -1 to hit?

Dogs and Shepards are not so strong that you 0-5 is not unreasonable. If you're worried about the number of Sling shots being too powerful, don't: with a cost of 20 for the staves, you'll be fine, I bet.

Skills: I'd give them access to Combat skills too, personally. Step Aside is going to be essential with T2. That, and some special skills would be good too. Maybe some thief skills for the thieves to get, that supplement your income? Make them 'Military' themed, to match the militia theme?

Scrounger: Roll 1D6 once per exploration phase. Cannot search for items.
1-2 Found Nothing.
3-4 Found a random, non-rare item that is on either of the Halfling Equipment lists.
5 - Found any item of your choice, worth up to 4D6.
6 - Buy any rare item allowed by the setting, at half price without having to roll for rarity.

I'll have to remember this warband when I make my 'Wee War' Campaign setting in the next year or so. (For those who missed it on the SG forum site, it's a Campaign that's entirely Halflings vs. Goblins... gnoblars can come too.)

StyrofoamKing wrote:

A few things:
Shepards: does moving and firing still give them -1 to hit?

Dogs and Shepards are not so strong that you 0-5 is not unreasonable. If you're worried about the number of Sling shots being too powerful, don't: with a cost of 20 for the staves, you'll be fine, I bet.

Sweeet, thanks for the feedback, it is greatly appreciated! I am looking into Halfling/Thief skills, and I love your ideas on that front.
And I would say that moving and firing DOES give a -1 to hit as usual, but can shoot teice up to full range if you dont move, not just half range. And yes, I am worried about sloings being too, good which was why i capped the number of shephers so low! But if you/others think it could be higher, I will def. do so...
just can't wait to playtest them asap!
Thanks again for your feedback, you rock!

Oh, and I don't think you need the 'Puny' and the 'Greedy' rules, to be honest. With T2, about every hit is going to be wounded, so I doubt you need the extra damage rules. Also, the fact that you will need a LOT of them to make a strong warband, and that they cost 25 or more each, I think the greedy rule isn't necessary (I mean, the fact they eat the same as humans twice their size is enough, in my mind). I'm assuming the max size is 20, right?

Although, you can keep the blackpowder-puny rule. That one's fine... though you might want to include Crossbows too, just so they don't become unholy terrors with crossbows.

Another skill to consider is this one:
"Reflex: - Whenever your hero is charged, he may attempt to make a single shot at the charger, at -2 to hit. This is resolved before order of attacks."

With extremely brittle halflings, it's a good idea to gvie them SOME version of the Crossbow-Pistol attack first ability. Killer Shrike makes it a skill, I have it as a weapon in my Cook warband (in the form of a Prawn Vindaloo).