Storm of Magic: Sages and Mages

(Inspired by Werekin's awesome "Miracle Workers". Hope this doesn't sully his name.)

SAGES AND MAGES
Using the following characters:
The following is a list of spellcasters that may be used in your Mordheim campaign. Each of them is described in two parts: as a Replacement hero, and as a Hired Sword.
Replacement Hero: If used as a permanent addition to the warband, the wizard must replace one of its existing heroes with the wizard. Most wizards have a required Exp level for the hero being replaced- in most cases, a hero with at least experience 8. You may never exceed 6 heroes. You must also observe the Rules of One (as listed below.)
Hired Sword: May be treated as normal hired swords. You must also observe the Rules of One (as listed below.)

RULES OF ONE
1. If you have ONE spellcaster hero in your, you may NOT have any other permanent hero being a spell or prayer caster.
2. If a spellcaster hero or hired swords draws from a particular spell list, you may not hire a hired sword that knows the same list. (Thus, if my Hedge Mage hero knows Hexes and Charms, I may not hire Witch hired sword, which learns from the same spell list.)
3. You may not hire more than one hired sword which shares a name with another hired sword you have, even if they know separate spell lists (thus, you can’t hire one Battle Wizard [Lore of Light] and a second Battle Wizard [Lore of Fire]- they are the same hired sword, with only slight changes.)
4. If you hire one of the following as a Replacement Hero, you may not hire a hired sword of the same name, even if it knows a different spell list. (So, if you have a Shaman hero, you can’t have a Shaman hired sword… [unless you get a Norse Shaman from Lustria, although you have to make sure you’re not breaking Rule #2.])

Marks – Marks are special skills that may be learned if the spellcaster rolls a new skill during advancement AND doubles at the same time. (Thus, an advancement rule of double 1s, 2s, 5s, or 6s.)

HEDGE MAGE
Costs 35 gc
Hedge Mages are not born into the life of tutelage and priveledge… they are common peasants who were born with a phenomenal power. Some end their life, hoping for a swift death before their souls can be forever tainted. Others are too afraid to die, making a living any way they can.
May be Hired: Any warband except Witch Hunters, Protectorate of Sigmar, and Sisters of Sigmar may hire a Hedge Mage.
May Replace: Any Hero.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 2 2 3 3 1 4 1 6
Equipment: A Hedge Mage starts with a free dagger. He may purchase a staff (club). He may also purchase any Animal Familiar.
SPECIAL RULES:
Wizard: Hedge Mages are magicians and have one spell generated at random from the Lesser Magic list OR from the Hexes and Charms list – choose one upon hiring. See the Magic section for details.
Fear of Persecution: A Hedge Mage suffers fear against any Witch Hunter hero or Sigmarite Priest.
Skills: Hedge Mages may choose skills from the Speed skills list, or they may randomly determine a new spell from the Lesser Magic spell list.
Starting Experience: 8
MARKS OF UNDIVIDED
Budding Student: A Hedge mage learns one skill from the Academic skill list. In addition, he may learn Academic skills from now on.
Descent into Madness: A Hedge Mage learns one random spell from the Chaos Rituals spell list. He may not take this skill more than once, and is now considered a Chaotic / Evil hero.
HIRED SWORD
Hired Sword Costs: 25 gold crowns to hire +12 gold crowns upkeep
Hired by: Any warband except Witch Hunters, Protectorate of Sigmar, and Sisters of Sigmar may hire a Hedge Mage.
Rating: A Hedge Mage increases the warband’s rating by +12 points plus 1 point for each Experience point he has.
Starts with: 2 Lesser Magic spells. Club.

WITCHER
Costs 65 gc
A witcher is a powerful warlock, who has spent years studying his craft, and is well versed in ancient rites. He does not have a proper college training, but prefers to work alone… indeed, he seems to mistrust any learned person he meets. He guards his secrets jealously, perhaps even to his grave.
May be Hired: Any Mercenary or Tilean warband may hire a Witcher.
May Replace: Any Hero with experience 8 or higher.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 3 3 3 3 1 4 1 8
Equipment: A Witcher starts with a free dagger. He may purchase a staff (club) or sword. He may also purchase any Animal Familiar, and may purchase a Tome of Magic at warband start up.
SPECIAL RULES:
Wizard: Witchers are magicians and have one spell generated at random from the Lesser Magic list. See the Magic section for details.
Egotistical: A Witcher will not allow another spellcaster or prayercaster in your warband, either as a member or as a hired sword.
Paranoid: A Witcher suffers hatred against all other spellcasters, believing they are after his knowledge.
Skills: Witchers may choose skills from the Academic skills list, or they may randomly determine a new spell from the Lesser Magic spell list.
Starting Experience: 12
MARKS OF THE RECLUSE
Scholarly Focus: The Witcher may learn one random spell from a Lore list of your choice. He may only learn this ability once.
Descent into Madness: A Witcher learns one random spell from the Chaos Rituals spell list. He may not take this skill more than once, and is now considered a Chaotic / Evil hero.
HIRED SWORD
Costs: 35 gold crowns to hire +15 gold crowns upkeep
Hired by: Any warband except Witch Hunters, Protectorate of Sigmar, and Sisters of Sigmar may hire a Witcher.
Rating: A Witcher increases the warband’s rating by +17 points plus 1 point for each Experience point he has.
Starts with: 2 Lesser Magic spells. Club.

SHAMAN
Costs 65 gc
Even mighty warriors fear the seers of the great tribes. It is said that these seers are mighty soothsayers and can tell when a warrior will meet his death in combat, a knowledge that any warrior dreads to know.
May be Hired: Any Albion, Middenheim, Kislev, Norse, Horned Hunters, Outlaws of Stirland, Ostlander, Bowmen or Bergerac, Amazon or Wood Elf warband may hire a Shaman.
May Replace: Any Hero with experience 8 or greater.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 3 2 3 3 1 3 1 8
Equipment: A Shaman may purchase a staff (club), sword, or axe. He may also purchase any Animal Familiar. Alternatively, instead of an Animal Familiar, he may purchase a Wardog from the Trading List for 25gc when the warband is starting… this represents some animal from the wild that follows him loyally.
SPECIAL RULES:
Wizard: Shamans are magicians and have one spell generated at random from any of the following lists: Lore of Life, Lore of Beasts, Lore of Beasts, Norse Runes, Amazon Rituals, the Way of Truth, or the Way of Darkness. Once a Shaman has picked a spell list, he may not learn spell from another list. See the Magic section for details.
Clarification: the Way of Truth and the Way of Darkness were originally called "Lore of Light" and "Lore of Darkness" and are taken from the Albion campaign. The names are changed so they are not confused with the traditional WFB Lores.)
Skills: Shamans may choose skills from the Combat and Academic skill lists, or they may randomly determine a new spell from their pre-appointed spell list.
Starting Experience: 12
MARKS OF THE WILD
Animal Companion: The warband may purchase 0-1 Trained Bear from the Kislev warband. The Shaman is treated as the Bear Tamer and gets the “Bear Handler” ability. See the Kislev warband for details. A Kislev warband with a Shaman may NOT have two bears.
Savage Fury: A Shaman immediately learns one Strength skill. From now on, he may learn Strength Skills in addition to his normal skill lists.
HIRED SWORD
Costs: 45 Gs to hire +25 Gcs upkeep.
Hired by: Any of the above, plus any human in a Lustria or Athel Loren campaign.
Rating: The Norse Shaman adds +25 + his experience to the warband rating that he joins.
Starts with: 2 spells chosen randomly from ONE of the lists above . The Shaman carries a rune staff and either a sword or an axe.

BATTLE WIZARD
Costs 50 gc
Reared and tested in the mighty schools of the Empire, the Battle Wizards have focused upon learning one specific facet of magic. This makes their powers more specialized… but also makes them
May be Hired: Any Mercenary or High Elf warband. Certain Lores may be hired by additional warbands (see below).
May Replace: Any Hero with experience 8 or greater.
Note on Damsels: You may consider using a Battle Wizard as a Bretonnian Damsel. The same rules apply, only switch the gender. Beasts, Life, and Heaven are most traditional for Damsels.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 2 3 3 3 1 3 1 8
Equipment: Every Battle Wizard may purchase a staff and a sword… other items may vary from Lore to Lore. Also, each wizard may purchase a Tome of Magic at warband start up.
SPECIAL RULES:
Wizard: Wizards may start with one spell from their appropriate Lore. See the Magic section for details.
Skills: Shamans may choose skills from the Combat and Academic skill lists, or they may randomly determine a new spell from their pre-appointed spell list.
Starting Experience: 12
MARK OF TUTELEDGE –
Apprentice: If the wizard gains this Mark, he may immediately choose ONE hero in the warband with fewer experience points than the wizard. That hero becomes the Wizard’s Apprentice. He immediately learns the skill Arcane Lore, and may learn Academic skills. If the Wizard has a Tome of Magic, he may give it to the Apprentice (although, this means the Wizard loses a spell and the Apprentice gains one.) You may only have one Apprentice at any given time in a warband.
Individual Marks
In addition to the Mark of Tutelage, each Battle Wizard has a unique mark based on their lore. They may learn the above and/or their unique mark.

LORE OF FIRE – Bright Wizard
May Also Be Hired By: Dark Elf, Chaos Dwarf, Dwarf or Arabic warbands.
Equipment: May also purchase a Flaming Brazier.
Animal Familiars: Viper (represents a Salamander.)
Mark of Fire
Bathed in Flames: Any model in base contact with the wizard suffers an automatic Strength 1 hit at the beginning of each close combat phase. Flames will never cause critical hits. The wizard may never declare himself as hidden (as he’s permanently alight!)

LORE OF METAL – Gold Wizard
May Also Be Hired By: Dark Elf, Chaos Dwarf, Dwarf or Arabic warbands.
Equipment: May purchase any armor (although requires the skill Warrior Wizard to use it!)
Animal Familiars: Cat.
Mark of Metal
Alchemist: If you are playing in a campaign that includes Wyrdstone, the wizard may evaluate any stone for free, using the rules from the Power in the Stones article. You may do this without wasting a rarity search (although it may only be done once per post game.)

LORE OF SHADOW – Grey Wizard
May Also Be Hired By: Any human warband. Also, any Halfling warband may also hire one (if you need to ask why, you should be ashamed of yourself!)
Equipment: May also purchase an Elven Cloak.
Animal Familiars: Raven.
Mark of Shadow
Journeyman: Grey wizards are the most common of adventurers, and learn to be very versatile. A Grey wizard may immediately learn one spell from the Lesser Magic list. He may only take this mark once.

LORE OF BEASTS – Amber Wizard
May Also be Hired By: Bretonnians, Kislev, Outlaws of Stirland, Hochland Bandits, Ostlander, Bowmen or Bergerac.
Equipment: May also purchase an axe.
Animal Familiars: Dog.
Mark of Beasts
Beast-wrangler: You may include 0-3 Wardogs in your warband, as written in the Witch Hunters warband. You may only take this mark once.

LORE OF HEAVENS – Celestial Wizard
May Also be Hired By: Bretonnians and Arabic Warbands.
Equipment: May purchase a Wyrdstone Pendulum at start up.
Animal Familiar: Raven
Mark of Heavens
Seeker. When rolling on the Exploration chart, the Wizard allows you to modify one dice roll by -1/+1.

LORE OF LIGHT – Light Wizard
May Also be Hired By: Halfling and Arabic Warbands.
Equipment: May purchase Blessed Water at start up. Even after start up, treats Blessed Water as a common item.
Animal Familiar: Snake
Mark of Light
Acolyte: If you have taken an Apprentice (see the Mark of Tutelage), and the apprentice is within 6” of the Light Wizard, the Light Wizard may reroll one dice roll each time he makes a Difficulty roll. Remember, you can never reroll a reroll.

LORE OF LIFE – Jade Wizard
May Also be Hired By: Bretonnians, Outlaws of Stirland, Averlanders, Bowmen or Bergerac, Halfling Warbands.
Equipment: May also purchase a sickle (treat as an Axe).
Animal Familiars: Any animal familiar.
Mark of Life
Woodwalker: The Wizard may walk through wood, river and jungle terrain without penalty.

LORE OF DEATH – Amethyst Wizard
May Also Be Hired By: Pirate, Gypsy, and any Sylvanian warbands.
Equipment: Scythe (treat as halberd.)
Animal Familiar: Cat, Raven, or Snake.
Mark of Death:
Last Rites: The Amethyst Wizard may learn one random Prayer from the Prayers of Morr list (see Miracle Workers). This is treated as a spell, NOT a prayer.

BATTLE WIZARD HIRED SWORD
Costs: 40 gold crowns to hire +20 gold crowns upkeep
Rating: A Battle Wizard increases the warband’s rating by +20 points plus 1 point for each Experience point he
has.
Hired by: Any human warband. Any non-human warband that may normally hire a Replacement Battle Wizard (see specific Lores) may also hire a Battle Wizard.
Starts with: 2 spells chosen randomly from their Lore. Lore of Life and Beasts starts with Axe, Lore of Death starts with a Halberd. All others start with a sword.

Still have one or two more casters left, but stopping for the night. Expect more within the week!

Looks great Styro!

Mighty impressiv! As a will-be Marienburger player, i can easily see myself getting a Battle Wizard.. (Especially with of the Metal armor.. Theres something with an iron-clad spellcaster that makes me giggeling...)

Just one thing; At the battle wizards entry theres a sentence who abruptly ends.

Quote; "This makes their powers more specialized… but also makes them"

(Giving any warband a full-on necromancer with strength equal or greater than the Undead warband's necromancer seems a bit unfair to the old deadites.. so I've gone with a more unlearned approach.)

WITCH DOCTOR
Witch Doctors are budding necromancers… they learned their art not in books and tomes, but in listening to the whispers of the dead. Their art is crude and primitive, but is strong enough to be useful.
Costs 40 gc
May be Hired: Any Mercenary, Norse, Chaos Marauder, Dark Elf, Undead, Sylvania may hire a Shaman.
May Replace: Any Hero with experience 8 or greater.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 2 3 3 3 1 3 1 8
Equipment: A Witch Doctor starts with a free dagger. He may purchase a staff. He may also purchase any Animal Familiar and Rabbit’s Foot at start up.
SPECIAL RULES:
Wizard: Witch Doctors are magicians and have one spell generated at random from any of the following lists: Lore of Shadow, Lore of Death, Dark Magic, Necromancy [Normal Rulebook or Restless Dead], Scrolls of Nagash (Necrarch), Mortuary Cult (Tomb Guardian), Songs of Sorrow (Ghost Pirates), Way of Darkness (Dark Emissary). Once a Witch Doctor has picked a spell list, he may not learn spell from another list. See the Magic section for details.
Necromancer: A warband that has a Witch Doctor with any form of Necromancy spells (including Mortuary Cult, Songs of Sorrow, etc) may hire 0-5 Zombies (from the Undead warband). Also, instead of an Animal Familiar, the Witch Doctor may start with 0-1 Dire Wolf, paying the normal cost. This wolf counts as a member of the Witch Doctor’s equipment, so if he is killed or robbed, the wolf is taken too. The wolf takes up a member slot in your warband as normal.
Skills: Witch Doctors may choose skills from the Speed skill lists, or they may randomly determine a new spell from their pre-appointed spell list.
Starting Experience: 12
MARK OF POWER
Sadist: The Witch Doctor delights in delivering pain, and seeks out those who are injured. If in hand to hand combat with only knocked down and/or stunned opponents, he gains +1 Attack.
Unskilled Pursuit: A Witch Doctor is capable of strengthening his hold on magic, but in a less precise manner than a book-smart wizard. When he gains the “Unskilled Pursuit” mark, roll 1D6 on the chart below to learn which Academic Skill he learns.
1 -Sorcery: This skill may only be taken by Heroes capable of casting spells. A warrior with this skill gains +1 to his rolls to see whether he can cast spells successfully or not. Note that Sisters of Sigmar and Warrior-Priests may not use this skill. (RB 123)
2 Wyrdstone Hunter: The warrior has an uncanny ability to find hidden shards of wyrdstone. If a Hero with this skill is searching the ruins in the exploration phase you may re-roll one dice when rolling on the Exploration chart. The second result stands. (RB 123)
3 Warrior Wizard: This skill may only be taken by spellcasters. The mental powers of the wizard allow him to wear armor and cast spells. (RB 123)
4 Scribe: The warrior is a natural adept at writing and making scrolls. Any warrior with the ability to cast spells or use prayers may take this skill. It allows them to make a scroll before the battle and inscribe a single spell or prayer upon it that they are versed in. The scroll may be used just before they are about to cast the spell or prayer and allows the caster +2 to his difficulty roll. Once used the scroll will crumble to dust and is useless. Scrolls may not be saved up from battle to battle if they are not used. (TC7)
5 Mind Focus: The warrior possesses a great strength of mind which allows him to concentrate beyond the levels of most normal men. This skill may only be taken by a warrior capable of using prayers or casting spells. When using a spell or prayer the warrior with this skill may reroll one dice roll used in the difficulty roll. (TC7)
6 Magical Aptitude: This skill may only be taken by a warrior capable of casting spells. It may not be used by Sisters of Sigmar or Warrior Priests. The warrior has a keep aptitude for magic and can push himself beyond normal limits to produce a storm of spells. The warrior may attempt to cast two spells each turn as long as he is not in hand-to-hand combat. After attempting the first spell, he must take a toughness test. If he passes he may attempt a second spell that turn or even cast the same spell twice. If he fails he must roll on the injury table immediately with no saves treating Out Of Action results as Stunned instead. (TC7)
From now on, whenever the hero with the Unskilled Pursuit Mark learns a skill, he may choose to learn a random skill rolled on the above chart. If you roll a skill he has already learned, keep rolling until you roll a skill he has not learned.
HIRED SWORD
Costs: 25 Gs to hire +15 Gcs upkeep.
Hired by: Any of the above, plus any Skaven Ogre, or non-Good human warband.
Rating: The Witch Doctor adds +25 + his experience to the warband rating that he joins.
Starts with: 2 spells chosen randomly from ONE of the lists above . The Witch Doctor carries a staff and a dagger.

EDIT - last one!

CHAOS SORCEROR
Chaos Sorcerors have given themselves up fully to the ruinous powers, worshipping Chaos in its undivided or pure state. They make dark pacts with the Dark Gods, and will do anything to preserves their earthly flesh… for they know that their soul is beyond saving.
Costs 45 gc
May be Hired: Any Non-Good Human warband, as well as Chaos, Ogre, Chaos Dwarf, or Beastman warbands. Certain warbands may gain or lose access to a Sorceror, depending on their Allegiance.
May Replace: Any Hero with experience 8 or greater.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 3 3 3 3 1 4 1 8
Equipment: A Chaos Sorceror starts with a free dagger. He may purchase a staff, a sword. After start up, you may attempt to purchase Chaos Armor for your Sorceror (see the BTB PDF5 / Spoils of War section for rules).
Chaos Familiar: Instead of an Animal Familiar, a Chaos Sorceror may hire 0-1 Chaos Familiar, which is kept as his personal equipment (and doesn’t take up a warband member slot.) Use the same cost, rules, and stats as a Nurgling from the Carnival of Chaos warband (although, the Familiar is Undivided, rather than being aligned to Nurgle.)
SPECIAL RULES:
Wizard: Chaos Sorcerors are magicians and have one spell generated at random from any of the following lists: Chaos Rituals, Onogal /Nurgle Rituals, Shornaal / Slaanesh Rituals, Tchar / Tzeentch Rituals. Once a Chaos Sorceror has picked a spell list, he may not learn spell from another list. See the Magic section for details.
Chaos Marks: Unlike other Wizards, Chaos Sorcerers START with a single Mark. They may not learn any further marks. The mark is dependent on the skill list they chose.
Skills: Chaos Sorcerors may choose skills from the Combat and Academic skill lists, or they may randomly determine a new spell from their pre-appointed spell list. Reminder: Chaos Sorcerors they do not LEARN Marks, but start with the one for their list.
Starting Experience: 12
UNDIVIDED
May Also Be Hired: No additional warbands.
Hiring Restrictions: None
Special Equipment: Rabbit’s Foot.
Mark of the Undivided: Once per game, you may reroll any one die OR force an opponent to reroll a die he just made. The second result must be accepted.
NURGLE
May Also Be Hired: Any Skaven Warband
Hiring Restrictions: May not be hired by any Tzeentch or Khorne warband or a warband with leader bearing the Mark of Tzeentch or Khorne.
Special Equipment: Scythe (Halberd).
Mark of Nurgle: The hero is Immune to Poison.
SLAANESH
May Also Be Hired: Any Dark Elf Warband
Hiring Restrictions: May not be hired by any Khorne warband or a warband with leader bearing the Mark of Khorne.
Special Equipment: Steel whip.
Mark of Nurgle: The hero is Immune to Psychology.
TZEENTCH
May Also Be Hired: Any Cathayan Warband
Hiring Restrictions: May not be hired by any Nurgle or Khorne warband or a warband with leader bearing the Mark of Nurgle or Khorne.
Special Equipment: May purchase a Familiar at start up – must roll to see if you can summon him as normal.
Mark of Tzeentch: When you first roll for spells, roll twice on the Tzeentch Rituals, and pick which of the two spells you’d prefer to start with.
HIRED SWORD
Costs: 45 Gs to hire +25 Gcs upkeep.
Hired by: Any of the above, plus any Skaven or Ogre warband.
Rating: The Chaos Sorceror adds +25 + his experience to the warband rating that he joins.
Starts with: 2 spells chosen randomly from ONE of the lists above . The Chaos Sorceror carries a staff and a dagger.

(additional rule, to stick at the top.)
Disgraced Bretonnians – Are generally noble beings, but have fallen to corruption before. If a warband says it may be hired by “human” warbands, then a Bretonnian warband may hire it… however, if the caster is a Witch Doctor or a Chaos Sorceror, the Bretonnian warband may not use the “Prayers of the Lady”, nor may they use any Virtues found in the Skills section (default ones are kept.) If they worship ruinous powers, then they shall not be warded by her Lady!

Some one may have mentioned this but the Truthsayer and the Dark Emisary are back for the Storm, so they could just be treated as they were for the Albion Campaign.

I like the Witch Doctor but it would be nice if he could choose from 2 or 3 of the lores instead of just one...

Albion: Ah, but there's no hiring cost, no way to find them, nothing... only if you play scenario X can you recruit one as a hired sword, not a replacement hero. Also, their stats are waaaaay better the others. Thirdly, by lumping together several lists into one Hired Sword, it reduces the number of Hired Swords a player can buy... if you have a Witch Doctor with lore of death, you can't have a 2nd Witch Doctor with lore of shadow.

Witch Doctor: Ah, that's what the special Scrolls and Tomes section of Storm of Magic is for! Heh heh heh... 'splain next week. (I'm moving this weekend. Gotta pack.)

StyrofoamKing wrote:

Albion: Ah, but there's no hiring cost, no way to find them, nothing... only if you play scenario X can you recruit one as a hired sword, not a replacement hero.

Um, you're writing rules... write some of those?

So they should be way more expensive. Good luck with the move!

The Scenario: Naw, I was referencing the Albion campaign. They have the scenario in there. (If I have one weakness, I have to say it's scenarios. They're never as good as some of my other stuff.)

More Expensive: Wait, you mean all of the wizards, some of them? Or that you should be able to buy a permanent Emissary / Truthsayer for more money? (Their stats are way too good for a hero. The truthsayer is nothing but 4s and 2s.)

Thanks for the warm wishes! Now to sort through waaay too many boxes in the basement.

I love the witch doctor and the Amethyst wizard.

Great rules.

I am looking forward for the finalised rules.

Me too!

StyrofoamKing wrote:

The Scenario: Naw, I was referencing the Albion campaign. They have the scenario in there. (If I have one weakness, I have to say it's scenarios. They're never as good as some of my other stuff.)

More Expensive: Wait, you mean all of the wizards, some of them? Or that you should be able to buy a permanent Emissary / Truthsayer for more money? (Their stats are way too good for a hero. The truthsayer is nothing but 4s and 2s.)

Thanks for the warm wishes! Now to sort through waaay too many boxes in the basement.

Oi! I mean since you are already writing rules, invent hiring fees, upkeep costs or whatever. The Truthsayer/Dark Emisary are too powerful to be hero choices but they could become Dramatis Personae with titles rather than names. The basic rules are there, you could just flush them out.

Remember, lift with your legs!

A brilliant suggestion! I'm eager to see what you come up with! Hope it's good.

Although, having a DP section for the campaign does sound neat...

Internal Coupe – Making a caster into the leader
Want to play a Storm of Magic Mordheim game, but would prefer a warband with a caster as the leader? No problem! Just follow these simple steps:

Vampire – 110 gc Necromancer – 35 gc
M WS BS S T W I A LD M WS BS S T W I A LD
6 4 4 4 4 2 5 2 8 4 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 7
Special: Leader Special: Spellcaster

First, take your Leader (in this case, a Vampire) and you support Caster. Now, switch the Leader ability over to the Necromancer. This takes away -15gc from the Vampire, and increase the Necromancer by +15gc.
Vampire – 95 gc Necromancer – 50 gc
M WS BS S T W I A LD M WS BS S T W I A LD
6 4 4 4 4 2 5 2 8 4 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 7
Special: NONE Special: Leader, Spellcaster

That’s all that’s REQUIRED… but you can also shift a few more things around, if you wish. If the old Leader has a higher Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill, Initiative, and/or Leadership than the new leader, you can shift over ONE point of any or all. A shift decreases the old leader by 5gc, and increases the new by 5.
Vampire – 90 gc Necromancer – 55 gc
M WS BS S T W I A LD M WS BS S T W I A LD
6 4 4 4 4 2 5 2 7 4 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8
-1 +1
Special: none Special: Leader, Spellcaster

If you want, you can move all four stats, as the Vampire is higher in each of the four.
Vampire – 75 gc Necromancer – 70 gc
M WS BS S T W I A LD M WS BS S T W I A LD
6 3 3 4 4 2 4 2 7 4 4 4 3 3 1 4 1 8
-1 -1 -1 -1 +1 +1 +1 +1
Special: none Special: Leader, Spellcaster

You can do this with other warbands. For example, the Witch Hunters.
Witch Hunter Captain – 45 gc Warrior Priest – 55 gc
M WS BS S T W I A LD M WS BS S T W I A LD
4 4 4 3 3 1 4 1 8 4 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8
Special: none Special: Leader, Spellcaster

So, you could switch the WS, BS, and/or Initiative or, for 5gc each. Note: The Warrior Priest has the same Leadership as the Captain. You CANNOT switch a stat over unless the old leader had a HIGHER value than the new leader… you can’t make the Captain LD7 and the Priest Ld 9 (that’s cheating!)
Question: What do you call the old Leader?
A. I recommend you call them Bodyguards. Their job is to keep the caster safe, no matter what.

Some warbands this system works great with:
Witch Hunters
Skaven
Undead
Da Mob
Tomb Guardians
Araby Tomb Robbers
Beastman
Bretonnian Chappel Guard
Chaos Maruaders
Ghost Pirates
Dark Elves
Horned Hunters
Ostlander
Forest Goblins
Outlaws of Stirland
Shadow Elves
Wood Elf
Note: If your warband accepts the rules for Swapping in Priests or Casters (such as the Priest of Ulric, Priest of Morr, the Miracle Workers article by Werekin, the Colors of Magic supplement), then the doors are open to even WIDER range of switch-in leaders!

Your leader caster swap idea is very interesting.

I don't know if it is balanced for most of the switches but your system majes sense to me.

Is it possible that you put all your storm of magic stuff in a draft pdf?

I am not online at all time and i have not yet read everything you wrote very intensively.

So i could give you better input.

Sully my name indeed!

Storm of Magic was not released until yesterday. Read commentary relating to this hefty new tome on Liber Malefic. I just posted them, plus a new picture of my gaming table taken on my birthday battle last weekend by the leader of a Chaos Cult.

Fimirs forever! (They brougth zoats back too, I think...)

I say "I think" 'cause I really don't have the green to buy the book, I'm afraid. I don't play WFB and I just moved, so I can't justify buying a $50 US book I'll use once.

With that in mind, I'd really appreciate any help people can give me, as I don't have a book. I'm not trying to emulate the SoM perfectly, but if I get any of the flavor wrong, let me know. (Monsters will be on of the last things I tackle, as it will be the hardest and most tied in with scenarios.)

Styro - any chance of some kind of anti-magic Hired Sword for the non-magic-using warbands like Witch Hunters? A "Dispell" ability or something would be great!

Few options:

1. There are the Dispel scrolls for sale. Not cheap and quite rare, but they are a common item on the new Manuscript list (can't remember if I released that yet.) So, dispel sources will be available.

2. They may use the runestones (formerally the Elven Runestones from the Shadow Warriors warband.) Elf casters, dwarf runesmiths, and norse shamans may use them right off the shelf, but humans and other races have to learn the Academic skill "Runecaster" first before they can use them.

3. You reminded me of a hired sword I wanted to make: Dwarf Shield Maiden. A female dwarf warrior who believes a good defense is a strong defense. Provides both extra parries in combat and shields from spells. Will finish her soon.

Also, while it doesn't help with dispels, all of the Tomes will be accessible to ANY casters, which means that your prayercasters can use them too. Would a devout Sigmarite priest likely read from the Liber Bubonica and learn a Nurgle spell? Not too likely, but Chaos is a treacherous thing! I, personally, like to let more people have access, and let the players work out the paradoxes themselves. Besides, hypocrisy gives him FLAVOR!

There are some things in BTB and MiM (Corrupted Characters) for Magic Saves that may also as inspiration or which may be able to be included in a Storm of Magic campaign.

Quote :

Dragon Scale Armour
The Dragon Scale Armour grants its wearer a 4+ armour save that cannot be negated below 6+. In addition, any spell targeting the wearer fails on a roll of 4+ on a D6 (for spells like Silver Arrows of Arha roll only once instead of for each arrow). The armour does not hinder its wearer from casting spells or rituals of his own.

Quote :

Liber Chaotica
This mighty tome of Chaos magic contains all the rituals of Tchar, Onogal, Shornaal and Chaos Undivided (Chaos Rituals). A spellcaster in possession of this book is able to use all spells from his dedicated list. Note that he must still learn a spell twice (ie. spend two skills) to permanently reduce its Difficulty.
A non-spellcaster may choose one random spell determined before the battle from the Rituals of Chaos Undivided. The warrior may attempt to cast it as if he was a spellcaster.
A leader with the Mark of Arkhar increases his save against magic to 2+ and becomes immune to the effects from all Chaos rituals (including Rituals of Hashut).

Quote :

Mark of Arkhar the Dog
Leader: The Hero is subject to frenzy from now on. In addition, any spell that targets the Hero fails on a roll of 4+.

Quote :

Daemon Soul
A daemon lives within the mutant’s soul. This gives him a 4+ save against the effects of spells or prayers.
Cost: 20 gold crowns

Also, our group stumbled upon a Chaos Dwarf warband (maybe this one but I cannot download it at work and so I cannot check it) that had an Obsidian Talisman that also provided a magic save. If I recalled it seemed fairly balanced compared to the likes of the cost of the "Daemon Soul" mutation but I'd have to check to see whether we tweaked the rules before adding it to our campaigns. If you are interested then I'll find the rules.

If Magic Saves are used then I would recommend not stacking magic saves. This is because while Armour Saves can stack it is also possible to totally negate Armour Saves through critical hits. There is no method to totally negate Magic Saves though so I feel that stacking Magic Saves is too strong unless you also introduce a concept like the WHFB "Irresistible Force" that might do something like totally negate Magic Saves.

Chaos Dwarf: Um, the link might be good, but the download for the pdf looked a bit sketchy. If it works, any chance you can copy paste the obsidian thing on the thread?

Multiple magical saves: Gooood call. 3 options:

~One only
~One only, but each save of the same value adds +1, to a max of 2+ (like an armor save)
~2 or more saves of the same value give you a save and a reroll. Any further saves of the same value or lower are worthless.

Option 1 might be simplest.

Lustria has the Amazon Amulet of the Moon, Skins and Charms and several of the artifacts give varying dispell saves.

5th as I remember it anyway was the edition of the endless dispell roll. The items didn't stack but you could use as many dispell attempts as you had. We've had this come up in past Lustrian campaigns.

I think I'll divide them into too types:

Dispells: Physically stop the spell from working. You may only make one attempt to prevent any given spell in any given turn.

Wards: Effects that prevent a specific model or models from being affected by a spell- the spell is still technically cast. Each model may only make one attempt to ignore any given spell in any given turn.

Any attempts to dispell a spell must be made before any ward saves (think of "dispells" as parries, and "wards" as armor saves... you can't roll for armor saves, and THEN attempt to parry it!) You may attempt to ward a spell that a caster had already attempted to dispell.

Thus, if your opponent is slinging out multiple spells each turn, the dice will roll en masse... but it means that multiple wards will not stack or allow a model to be spellproof.

That works for me! Nice and simple, logical too.

Wow, I used "too" instead of "two". If my english major girlfriend read this, I'd be getting the cold shoulder for a week.

Kurgan: Sweet. Am in the process of tweaking the casters. Will post version 2.0 soonish.