Vermin Swarm Gang
Contents
Background[edit]
In the hellish pits of the Underhive, where noxious gases fill the air and lakes of pollutant waste cover the ground, mutants are abundant. Among these are Scavvies, pitious creatures who were once men, but mutated so heavily that they were no longer welcome in the settled areas of the Underhive. But there are also other mutants in the Underhive, some of which are of a far more devious nature. The savage Beastmen lead Chaos Cults in raids on settlements and outholes, sometimes even managing to conquer and plunder entire domes, before being killed by the zealous Redemptionists. And in the darkest, most inhospitable regions of the Underhive live the Scallies, strange lizardmen who tower above normal men, and of whom little is known. Another, much feared mutant race are the Vermin Men.
The Vermin Men resemble upright walking rats the size of men. Whether they are mutated men or rats is unknown, for they have characteristics from both. They roam the Underhive pillaging and plundering, scavengers like their brothers, the rats. But they also speak their own chittering tongue and build crude firearms, leaving no doubt as to their intelligent nature.
Ancient Ratskin Legends tell of dark spirits, hive spirits who were corrupted by terrible otherwordly beings, and who are now bent upon the destruction of all that is. These dark spirits seek only to bring about the downfall of what is and create something new, which is then to be destroyed. The Vermin Men, the ratskins claim, are possessed by these dark spirits and will continue to exist as long their are still things to be destroyed. The truth behind these legends, some speculate, may be that the Vermin Men were once Ratskins but have corrupted by the Chaos God Tzeentch. If word of this reached the Inquistion, Necromunda Prime might very well face Exterminatus.
The Redemptionists see the Vermin Men as the epitome of corruption, the eventual fate of mankind if drastic measures are not taken. For this reason, Redemptionists hate Vermin Men even more than the Scavvies, who are nothing more than weak, corrupt fools in the eyes of the Redemption.Whatever the Vermin Men really are, one thing is certain: they are not here for the benefit of man. (The Vermin Swarms have come to corrupt and destroy)
Vermin Swarm Rules[edit]
Please note that because these rules haven't been playtested yet, they might change soon. Also, feel free to comment.
Outlanders: A Vermin Swarm is an Outlander gang, as described in the Outlanders Rulebook.
Power Struggle: In a Vermin Swarm there will constantly be a struggle for supremacy over the swarm. Vermin Men are notorious for being treacherous and all seem suffer megalomania, and have no compunctions about killing fellow swarm members to gain power. Therefore, after each and every battle there will be a Leadership Dispute. The Vermin Lord will be challenged by the Vermin Man with the highest Ld (any ties are resolved by a dice roll). Any results that would prevent a Vermin Man or Lord from challenging the lord at a later time are ignored, as Vermin Men cannot experience loyalty. Vermin Guards will never challenge the Vermin Lord, as they are fanatically loyal to whoever is Lord at the time (they are rather quick to shift loyalties, however).
Underhive Natives: The Vermin Men have existed for longer than anyone cares to remember and have over the years become attuned to the Underhive environment. As a result, they are never affected by rolls on the Hazard table, and they may modify the roll on the Scenario Table by up to 2.
Despised: Vermin Men are despised and feared by all inhabitants of the Underhive. Even hired guns will not associate with Vermin Men. Vermin Men may not hire hired guns. They may trade at the Outlaw Trading Post, but rather than shopping at the local Outlaw haven, this represents individual Outlaw Traders and bribed Guilders selling guns and gear to the Swarm.
Giant Rat Allies: Vermin Swarms are always accompanied by huge swarms of rats. Sometimes they will also have Giant Rats accompanying them into battle. Before the Vermin Swarm deploys roll a D3 to determine the number of Giant Rats the Swarm has at its disposal this battle. At the beginning of each Vermin turn roll a D6. On a roll of 6 a Giant Rat appears anywhere on the battlefield, but not closer than 6" to an enemy model. This Giant Rat may immediately be used by the Vermin player.
Zombie Plague Immunity: The dark power which created the Vermin Men also protects it from the Zombie Plague. Therefore, Vermin Men are immune to the Zombie Plague and never need to roll on the Zombie Plague Table. (But they do carry it?)
Unreliable Weapons: Vermin Men lack the patience to keep their weapons in top condition, and often spend lots of ammunition shooting at the air (or other vermin men!) outside of battles. Therefore, an ammo roll made by a member of a Vermin Swarm must be made on a roll of 1 or 6. This also applies to weapons captured from enemy gangers, as they are not looked after and soon look like the rest of the weapons in the swarm. Should another gang capture weapons from the Vermin Swarm, they will be fixed by the gang's heavies and inventors, and function like normal weapons.
Vermin Swarm Gang List[edit]
1 Vermin Lord :[edit]
Cost 120 credits
The Vermin Lord is the leader of a group of Vermin Men. He is the largest and most powerful Vermin Man in the group and should another gain power equal to his, a struggle for supremacy will occur. Vermin Men almost constantly struggle for supremacy and extremely illoyal and downright treacherous. A Vermin Swarm (a Vermin Man gang) must include one Vermin Lord.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
5 4 3 4 3 1 5 1 7
Weapons: The Vermin Lord may be armed with weapon from the following lists: Close-Combat, Firearms, Special and Grenades/Shells.
Skill Tables: Agility, Combat, Ferocity, Shooting, Stealth.
Special: A Vermin Lord has the special abilities of a normal Gang Leader (see Necromunda Rulebook).
0-2 Vermin Guards[edit]
Cost: 60
The Vermin Guards are the Vermin Lord's personal bodyguards. They are handpicked by the Vermin Lord and equipped with the best weapons in the gang. In combat they stay close to Vermin Lord and shoot down any who threaten him.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld 5 3 3 3 3 1 4 1 6
Weapons: Vermin Guards may be equipped with weapons from the following lists: Close-Combat, Firearms, Special and Grenades/Shells.
Skill Tables: Agility, Combat, Muscle, Shooting
Special: Vermin Guards may not end their move more than 6" away from the Vermin Lord, except when he is out of action. If they are further away at the start of their move, then they must move towards him, although not necessarily in a straight line (use common sense: they may exploit cover and such, but may simply ignore the Vermin Lord).
Grey Vermin[edit]
Cost: 160
Grey Vermin are perhaps the most dangerous of all Vermin Men. They have psychic abilities and are more vicious and skilled than ordinary Vermin Men. Grey Vermin look like almost like ordinary Vermin Men, except for their grey fur and the horns protuding from their bestial heads. The powers of Grey Vermin are reminiscent of the minor powers used by most Wyrds, but they also have other insidous powers which aiding the Swarm in their quest for corruption and destruction of humanity.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld 5 3 3 3 3 1 5 1 8
Weapons: Grey Vermin may be equipped with weapons from the following lists: Close-Combat, Firearms, Special and Grenades/Shells.
Skill Tables: Agility, Combat, Ferocity, Stealth
Special: For some reason Grey Vermin never become actively involved in the power struggles that dominate daily life in the Vermin Swarm, and prefer to play out the Vermin Men against each other. As a result Grey Vermin never issue leadership challenges to the Vermin Leader.
Psychic Powers: Grey Vermin have two minor powers from the Wyrd Minor Power Table and the following psyhic abilities: The Vermin Ritual and Madness. A Leadership test is required to use all the powers, except The Vermin Ritual. A Grey Vermin never rolls on the Perils of the Warp Table.
The Vermin Ritual: A model who is taken prisoner by the Vermin Swarm may be subjected to the Vermin Ritual if a Grey Vermin is present in the gang. Roll 2D6 and add the Grey Vermin's Leadership. If the result is higher than the captured models Leadership plus 2D6, the captured model becomes a Vermin Man. He is now a normal Vermin Man and has none of his previous skills or characteristics. The model's gang may attempt a Rescue before this Ritual is undertaken. Other Vermin Men, Beastmen, Pit Slaves (due to their half-mechanical nature) and Scavy Mutants are immune to this ritual.
Madness: The psychic powers of the Grey Vermin allow it induce Madness into the minds of unwary enemies. Once per enemy turn, at any time during the turn, the Grey Vermin may assault the mind of any one enemy model within 8". The enemy models must make an immediate Leadership test. A failed test indicates that the model is affected by the mental powers of the Vermin Man. The player of such a model must roll a D6. On a roll of 1-2 he may do nothing for the rest of the turn, on a roll of 3-4 he charges the nearest model (friendly or otherwise) and on a roll of 5-6 the Vermin player may move him as he sees fit. This may lead to the model falling down buildings and entering dangerous terrain, but may not lead to the model charging a friendly model. The effects subside at the beginning of the Vermin turn. A Wyrd affected by this power must roll on the Perils of the Warp Table due to his absolute lack of resistance against the powers of the Warp. If a Wyrd succesfully makes his Leadership test and the roll is 2 or 3, the Wyrd manages to backfire the power on the Grey Vermin. For the rest of this turn and during the next Vermin turn the Grey Vermin is affected by Madness himself. Do not roll on the Perils of the Warp table, however.
Vermin Men[edit]
Cost: 45 credits.
Vermin Men comprise the majority of the Swarm. They are normal (if such a thing can be said about evil, mutated rat-men) Vermin Men and use large numbers to overcome their natural sense of self-preservation (read: born cowards!).
M WS BS S T W I A Ld 5 3 3 3 3 1 4 1 5
Weapons: Vermin Men may be armed with weapon from the following lists: Close-Combat, Firearms and Grenades/Shells.
Skill Tables: Agility, Combat, Stealth.
Special: A Vermin Swarm must include at least 3 Vermin Men.
Vermin Scum[edit]
Cost: 15 credits.
Vermin Scum are the most lowly and weak individuals in the Vermin Swarm. They are unskilled and cowardly, and are only allowed to wield the most primitive weaponry. In spite of their lack of fighting skills, they can be deadly in large groups, and often try to overwhelm the enemy with superior numbers. A large number of Vermin Lords also use the Vermin Scum as a live shield to screen the more valuable members (especially the Vermin Lord himself!) of the Swarm from enemy fire.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld 5 2 2 3 3 1 4 1 4
Weapons: Vermin Scum may be armed with weapon from the following lists: Scum. Skill Tables: Agility, Stealth.
Special: Vermin Scum may comprise no more than half the total number of Swarm members.
Vermin Swarm Weapon List'[edit]
Close-Combat[edit]
Chain/flail........................................10 credits Club/maul..........................................10 credits Knife....................................................free Massive axe/club/sword.............................10 credits Shredder claws (pair)..............................15 credits (see new weapons) Sword..............................................10 credits
Firearms[edit]
Autopistol.........................................15 credits Blunderbuss/Scatter gun.............................8 credits Hand bow............................................5 credits Musket..............................................6 credits Shotgun w. scatter & manstopper....................20 credits Stub gun.......................................... 10 credits
Grenades/Shells[edit]
Frag grenades......................................30 credits Tox bombs..........................................20 credits Bolt shells....................... ................15 credits Hotshot shells......................................5 credits Man-stopper shells..................................5 credits Dum-dum bullets.....................................5 credits
Scum[edit]
Club/maul..........................................10 credits Knife....................................................free
Special[edit]
Autogun............................................20 credits Lasgun.............................................25 credits Laspistol..........................................15 credits Plasma Pistol......................................25 credits
Authors notes[edit]
One thing I do when I run out of ideas for new stuff for my page, or can't seem to come up with a decent idea for a role-playing scenario, is to take a ride on my bike (bicycle that is, as unfortunately I haven't got the money to pay for a motorcycle). Last time I went for a ride, I started thinking about different kinds of underhive mutants. There were scavvy mutants, scallies and not much else. Hmm, I thought, there must be other stable mutant strains like the scallies. Hybrids between men and beasts surely exist. Oh, yeah, the beastmen who lead chaos cult. No, they aren't really that stable a strain. How about vermin men, then. The underhive is full of vermin, like insects and rats and...Wait! Did I say RATS! Like in ratmen! Like in SKAVEN! Like in UNDERHIVE SKAVEN! And that was how the idea of Vermin Men was born. At first I wanted to make them hired guns for Scavvies, Chaos Cults and maybe even Ratskins. But then again, why not let them have fullblown gang status. Those pesky ska..ehm..Vermin Men are probably too anti-social and xenophobic to want to ally with anyone else. So here they are, the Vermin Men:
