In addition to model armies, a suitable battlefield, and two players, there are a few more essential items you need to play Warhammer. Most of these items are included in the Warhammer box, while the rest are all readily available.

You will need as many ordinary, 6-sided dice as you can get hold of. Warhammer includes a number of dice, and this will be enough to play a game, but you can never have too many!

Warhammer includes two special dice: the Artillery dice marked 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 'misfire', and the Scatter dice marked with arrows and 'hit' symbols. These dice are used to represent the effects of cannons and stone throwing engines, and are included in the game.

We have included two plastic range rulers in the game to help you measure your moves and work out firing ranges. You will need at least one retractable measuring tape to measure longer distances.

Paper and pens/pencils are needed to record details of your troops, casualties and other minor details during play. We have provided roster sheets and file cards which can be used to record such details, and you may wish to make further copies of these or to devise your own record system.

Often simply called move, this shows the number of inches a creature can move on the tabletop under normal circumstances. For example, a Goblin with a move of 4 can move 4 inches.

Defines how accomplished or skilled a warrior is with his weapons, or how determined and vicious a monster is. WS is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 and the higher the score the more likely the fighter is to hit a hand-to-hand combat opponent. An ordinary human has a WS of 3 whilst a battle-hardened leader might have a WS of 4 or 5 or possibly even higher.

Shows how good a warrior is with ranged weapons such as bows, crossbows or even thrown rocks. BS is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 and the higher this score is the easier a creature finds it to hit with missile attacks. Some monsters have natural weapons that can be used at range (they might be able to spit venom, for example) and their BS is used to determine whether they hit or not.

Shows how strong a creature is. Strength is rated on a scale of 1 to 10. An exceptionally puny creature might have a Strength of 1 whilst a mighty Giant might have a Strength of 6 or even higher. Most men have a Strength of 3. Strength tells us how hard a creature can hit and thus how easily it can hurt an opponent it has struck.

Toughness is a measure of a creature's ability to resist damage, or withstand physical damage and pain, and reflects such factors as the toughness of a creature's flesh, hide or skin, or the depth of its fur. Toughness is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 and the tougher a creature is the better it can withstand an enemy's blows.

Shows how much damage a creature can take before it either dies or is so badly hurt it can't fight any more. Most humans and human-sized creatures have a Wounds characteristic value of 1. Large monsters are often able to withstand several wounds that would slay a smaller creature and so have a Wounds value of 2, 3, 4 or more.

Initiative is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 and indicates how fast a creature can react. Creatures with a low Initiative score are slow and cumbersome whilst creatures with a high Initiative score are much more quick and agile. Humans have an I score of 3. In close combat Initiative dictates the order in which creatures strike, since faster creatures will be able to attack before slower ones.

Indicates the number of times a creature attacks during close combat. Most creatures attack only once and have an A value of 1, although some monsters or warriors of exceptional skill may be able to strike several times and have an A score of 2, 3 or more.

A creature with a high Leadership value is courageous, steadfast, and self-controlled. A creature with a low value is the opposite! Leadership is rated on a score of 1 to 10. Humans have a Ld value of 7, which is average, whilst cowardly Goblins have a Ld of only 5.

Some creatures have been given a '0' for certain characteristics which means they have no ability what-so-ever in that field! This usually applies to creatures unable to use missile weapons, so they have a BS of 0, but it might equally well apply to other characteristics too. For example, an ordinary horse has no Attacks (A 0). If a creature or object has a WS of 0 then it cannot defend itself in hand-to-hand combat, and any blows struck against it will automatically hit.

Every creature in the Warhammer World has a characteristic profile which lists the value of its different characteristics. In the Battle book you will find profiles for many of the races and monsters of the Warhammer World. The examples below show the profiles for an Orc and a Man.

As you can see, an Orc and a Man are very similar in many respects. They both move at the same speed - 4", and they both have the same Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill which means they are very evenly matched in combat. Both have the same Strength value, so they can deliver blows with equal potency. When it comes to Toughness the Orc wins over the Man - the Orc's value is 4 compared to 3. This is not a huge difference, but it makes the Orc better able to withstand blows and gives it the edge in hand-to-hand fighting.

Both creatures have 1 wound, which is the normal value for man-sized creatures. The Orc loses out when it comes to Initiative. This is not a terrible disadvantage, but it does mean that the Man will strike his blows before the Orc when they get stuck into hand-to-hand fighting. Both races have the same Leadership 7 which is about average.

Intelligent creatures such as Men, Orcs, Elves and so forth carry weapons and may wear armour. Some are armed with bows or other missile weapons enabling them to strike at a distance. Others are equipped with spears or swords to fight hand-to-hand. Later we will be describing special rules to reflect the differences between different weapons.

Most troops wear armour and carry shields to protect them from the savage blows of their enemies. Armour greatly affects a warrior's chance of survival and so influences the outcome of combat. The more heavily armoured troops are, the harder they are to kill.

For purposes of the game armour is divided into the following categories.

A shield is excellent for warding off blows and absorbing the shock of impacting spears, arrows, and such like. Many troops carry shields into battle.

Troops might wear a metal breastplate or a chainmail or scale armour coat. These are described as light armour because they offer slightly less protection than heavy armour and also weigh less.

This is a completely enclosing suit of armour as worn by knights. It is made from metal plates and is very heavy and cumbersome. An enclosing suit of chainmail armour can also be classed as heavy armour, so the definition is not a completely rigid one.

Barding is armour made for a horse. It can be metal or it can take the form of a thick quilted coat with a linen covering bearing a knight's coat of arms.

On the battlefield troops don't fight as a disorganised mob of individuals, they fight in properly organised units with officers to lead them. Such units are often referred to as regiments or, in the case of cavalry, squadrons. Units of troops march in disciplined ranks and they are trained to manoeuvre as a solid block.

Generally speaking, a unit is made up of troops of the same type. All the models in a unit will be of the same race, and will have the same weapons and armour as well as the same characteristics profile. For example, you could have a regiment of human archers armed with longbows and wearing light armour, or a unit of heavily armored knights riding warhorses. Although in reality creatures of the same race vary - some are weaker, faster or braver than others, we assume that the differences average out over the unit as a whole.

Units are arranged on the battlefield in a formation which consists of one, two, three, or more ranks as shown below. As far as possible, the unit always has the same number of models in each rank, and where this is not possible it is always the rearmost rank which is left short. Units can change their formation during the battle, but this takes up time and may slow the unit down as described later.

Because it consists of thirteen models, this Goblin unit cannot be arranged in complete ranks. The last three 'loose' models have been positioned in the rear rank. If two more models were added to the unit it would be arranged in three complete ranks.

Units of troops always have a leader, and commonly include a standard bearer who carries the unit's banner, and a musician such as a drummer or warrior with a horn.

The leader model is always placed in the middle of the front rank of the unit. If a unit does not include a specific model to represent its leader, then the leader is assumed to be the model in the middle of the front rank. The unit's standard bearer, and musician must also be placed in the front rank where possible. When the unit turns round to face the side or rear its leader, together with standard bearer and musician, are automatically rearranged into the new front rank.

As we shall see later a unit can also be joined by a hero or wizard, in which case these models are also arranged into the front rank alongside the leader, standard bearer and musician. Don't worry about this for now, we'll discuss special rules for heroes and wizards later on.

All the models taking part in the battle are assumed to face directly forward from the front of their base. This applies equally to units of troops as to large monsters and heroic characters fighting on their own. This is important because a model can only see things that lie in a 90° arc in front of it. Being able to see the enemy is vital when it comes to shooting and deciding whether units can charge their foe.

The Facing rule is shown on the diagram below. It is worth remembering this simple rule right from the start as it becomes very important once the game is underway.

As well as units of warriors fighting on foot, the armies of the Warhammer World include troops riding horses, giant wolves, spiders and other creatures.

Horse-sized creatures and their riders are referred to as cavalry. Bigger creatures are referred to as monsters and these have special rules as described later. Rules for cavalry are discussed throughout the game where appropriate.

The difference between monsters and cavalry is defined by the number of Wounds the creature has on its characteristic profile. If a mount has 1 Wound it is a cavalry model; if it has more than 1 Wound it is a monster. Examples of cavalry models include troops riding horses, warhorses, Elven steeds, giant wolves, warboars, spiders and any other mounts that have 1 Wound on their characteristic profile.

A cavalry model is treated in all respects as a single model. Should the rider be slain the entire model is removed from the battle.

Cavalry models use the rider's Leadership characteristics value for all tests that require it. When the model is attacked it is the rider's Toughness and Wounds which are used. The mount's Toughness, Wounds and Leadership are never used, but are included on its characteristic profile because such creatures sometimes appear on their own or pulling chariots.

Some of the most spectacular combatants in the game are not regiments of troops at all but mighty heroes sitting astride huge monsters such as Dragons, Wyverns and Griffons. Monsters and riders are covered by the special rules described in this rulebook.

Model chariots are an impressive option for many armies. For purposes of definition a model consists of the chariot itself plus its crew and whatever creatures are pulling it. Chariots make very suitable means of transport for an important sorcerer or general. Special rules for chariots are included in this rulebook.

Different armies can field different kinds of war machines too, from primitive stone throwing engines to cannons and even stranger devices. As with chariots a model is defined as the machine itself plus its crew. Rules for the common types of war machines are included in the War Machines section of this rulebook. Rules for the more unusual devices specific to certain armies are covered in the Warhammer Armies books.

When it is your turn it is up to you to keep track of where you are in the turn sequence. If you forget, your opponent should be able to remind you. Each turn is divided into the following phases. These phases are always completed in the order given below, and all actions in that phase must be resolved before moving onto the next phase.

1. Start of the Turn
   The rules often call upon a player to make tests or actions 'at the start of the turn'. These are mostly psychology tests as discussed in the Psychology section, or special rules which apply to a specific race such as the Animosity rule for Orcs and Goblins.

2. Movement
   During the movement phase you may move your models as defined in the rules for movement.

3. Shooting
   During the shooting phase you may fire any missile weapons as described in the rules for shooting.

4. Close Combat
   During the close combat phase all troops in hand-to-hand combat may fight. Note that this is an exception to the normal turn sequence in that both sides fight, not just the side whose turn it is.

5. Magic
   In the magic phase wizards may cast spells. The full Warhammer rules for spellcasting and magic are described in the separate Warhammer Magic supplement.

Warhammer is an involving game, with many different races, weapons, and endless possibilities. In a game of this size and level of complexity there are bound to be some occasions where a particular situation lies outside the rules as they are written. This is inevitable, as it would be impossible to cover every circumstance without writing many hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of dull and pedantic text. Warhammer players should feel free to improvise where necessary, resolving situations in a friendly and mutually agreeable way, and evolving the game far beyond the published rules if they wish.

When you come across a situation not covered fully by the rulebook, be prepared to interpret a rule or come up with a suitable rule for yourselves.

When a situation of contention arises players should agree on a fair and reasonable solution and get on with the game as quickly as possible. The most common way of resolving disputes is for both players to roll a D6 to see whose interpretation applies in that instance. After the game is over sit down and discuss what happened and see if you can reach an agreement in case the situation arises again. Remember, you're playing to enjoy a challenging battle with friends, where the spirit of the game is more important than winning at any cost.

There are exceptions to the general turn sequence when things are worked out as they occur rather than in any strict order. Quite often the actions of one player will trigger some special weapon or the sudden appearance of a particular troop type. This is rather like stepping onto a land mine or sinking into quicksand consequences resulting from movement which may be conveniently resolved there and then. Inevitably there will be the odd occasion when events can be worked out in one phase or another with little real difference.

At the start of your move phase the first thing you must do is declare which units will charge. Except in a few unusual circumstances explained later, you are never forced to charge. It is always your decision which units, if any, will charge the enemy. However, charging is the only way models are normally allowed to move into hand-to-hand combat. If you want to attack an enemy then you must charge him - you cannot simply move into hand-to-hand combat without declaring a charge.

To declare a charge indicate which unit is charging and nominate the enemy unit it is going to attack. For example, you might declare that your Bretonnian Knight unit is charging the enemy's Saurus Warrior unit.

A unit may only declare a charge if at least one model in the unit can see at least one enemy model in the opposing unit. It is not necessary for every model to be able to see an enemy - the whole unit is assumed to have the enemy in sight so long as one model can do so.

Troops can only charge up to a predetermined distance - their 'charge distance' as explained later. When you declare a charge you must do so without measuring the distance to the target, you must therefore rely on your estimate of the distance to ensure your troops can reach their target.

When deciding whether to charge you must also take into account any terrain that might slow you down as described later. Deciding whether to charge or not calls for good judgement of distances!

When you declare your charges your opponent declares how each charged unit will respond. A charged unit has three response options: stand and shoot, hold or flee.

If the charged unit has missile weapons and the chargers are more than half their charge move away, then troops can shoot at the chargers as they advance. Work this out immediately - refer to the Shooting section for rules governing missile weapons.

A unit can stand fast and receive the charge, individual troopers bracing themselves for the inevitable impact. This is the usual response of troops who do not have missile weapons or who are too close to their enemy to use them.

Flee means just that - when your unit sees the enemy thundering down upon them they turn tail and run! This is a rather desperate option as once troops begin to run they tend to carry on going, and may run away from the battlefield altogether whether you want them to or not.

As soon as a unit declares it is fleeing it is moved directly away from the charging enemy by 2D6" if its movement characteristic is 6" or less, or 3D6" if its move is more than 6'. The fleeing unit is repositioned facing away from the chargers. Move the fleeing models immediately the distance indicated by the dice roll. This is explained in more detail in the full rules governing fleeing models in the Close Combat section.

Having declared charges and charge responses, the player whose turn it is now has the opportunity to rally any of his units that are currently fleeing. Troops are normally forced to flee when they are defeated in hand-to-hand combat, if they are frightened by large monsters, or if they have suffered some other unusually traumatic experience. Fleeing troops are of no fighting value unless they can be rallied, which means they come to their senses and stop fleeing in readiness to fight once more.

Because fleeing usually results from hand-to-hand combat the rules for fleeing troops can be found in the Close Combat section of this book. In the rally phase of his turn a player makes a test to determine whether his fleeing units manage to rally. If they rally then they remain where they are for the turn but may immediately adopt a new fighting formation facing towards the enemy. If the fleeing troops fail their Rally test and continue to flee then they are moved next along with other compulsory movement.

After the player has attempted to rally any units that are fleeing, it is time to make any compulsory moves that the rules require.

Generally speaking, a player can move his units how he wishes within the confines of the rules governing movement. However, sometimes troops go out of control for some reason, either because they are overcome by sheer terror, because they are compelled by magic, or because they are disorientated or confused. The player has no control over the movement of these troops and so these are referred to as compulsory moves.

The most common kind of compulsory move is fleeing. Fleeing troops always flee away from their enemy or towards their own base table edge, and they always move a randomly determined distance.

All compulsory movement is done now before other movement takes place. This gives troops moving in this fashion the opportunity to get in the way, block lines of advance and do all sorts of other annoying things.

Once any compulsory moves are complete, it is time for the player to move any units that have declared a charge. Chargers are moved towards their target in accordance with the movement rules in the next section. When troops charge they move twice as fast as normal, representing a run or gallop, and this double speed move is called a charge move. For example, troops with a normal move of 4 per turn have a charge move of 8".

Sometimes you may find yourself able to charge an enemy unit in the flank or rear. This is particularly good as an attack from an unexpected direction will sometimes throw the enemy into a panic and might give you an advantage in combat too. A charging unit's position at the start of the movement phase determines whether it charges into the flank, the rear or the front of the enemy unit.

If the charging unit is in the target's frontal zone when the charge is declared it charges into the front. As units generally begin the game facing each other this is the most common situation. If the charging unit comes from the flank zone it charges into the side; if in the rear zone it charges into the rear. See the diagrams below.

Once compulsory moves and charges have been resolved it is time to move the rest of your troops. Generally speaking, you do not have to move troops at all if you do not wish to, or you can move them as short or great a distance as you like up to their permitted maximum move distance.

The rules governing movement, the encumbering effects of weighty armour, hindering terrain, obstacles to movement, and manoeuvring units on the battlefield are covered in the following section. These rules apply to all movement except where noted otherwise, and so cover charges and compulsory movement as well as ordinary moves.

This section contains all the common rules for moving armies on the tabletop. The same rules govern almost all movement, including the movement of chargers and most compulsory moves. Any exceptions that apply to chargers and fleeing troops are discussed separately. Also, a few creatures move in a special way, flying monsters for example. These are exceptions to the usual rules which, for the sake of convenience, are discussed elsewhere.

Moving the armies is an important and often decisive part of the Warhammer game. When opposing commanders are well matched, movement can be as challenging and satisfying as a game of chess. However, unlike a chess board the tabletop is not divided into exact squares, and instead movement is determined using a measuring tape or ruler.

The nature of the game, the varied terrain it is fought over, and the stability of the models themselves, means that it is impossible to be absolutely accurate about the movement of troops - the odd fraction of an inch will inevitably disappear as lines are neatened and models edged together. On the whole this need not cause concern during play as it is better to keep the game flowing rather than worrying about unavoidable imprecision. It is recommended that where a move is especially important or an exact measurement is critical, then it is good practice to agree what you are doing with your opponent before moving troops.

Normal movement rate is defined as the Movement (M) characteristic value of a model minus any reduction imposed for the effect of encumbering armour.

During their move phase units can move up to their movement rate in inches. For example, Men have a Movement characteristic of 4 and so may move up to 4". Elves, naturally faster and nimbler of foot, move up to 5". You do not have to move the full distance allowed or even at all if you prefer, but you cannot move further than your normal move rate unless charging, marching, pursuing or fleeing (all of these types of move are discussed later).

Troops wearing a great deal of armour move more slowly because the weight of their gear impedes movement. The table below indicates the reduction in move incurred through wearing armour.

For example, a Man with no armour can move 4", with a shield and wearing heavy armour he suffers a penalty of -1" and so can move 3".

A man riding a horse can normally move 8". If carrying a knight with heavy armour and shield, and if the horse is wearing barding, then the knight moves 8", -1" for the rider's armour and shield, and -1" for the horse's barding, which equals a move of 6". A horse without barding carrying a warrior wearing heavy armour and shield would move 7".

Troops move and fight in a tight formation of one or more ranks. Such a formation is often referred to by an appropriate title such as a regiment or, in the case of cavalry, a squadron, or it can simply be called by the cover-all term 'unit'.

While a unit moves it must maintain its formation, which means that models are not free to wander off on their own. The formation can move straight forward as a body perfectly easily, but if it wishes to change direction then it must make a manoeuvre.

There are three specific manoeuvres that enable a unit to turn about or rearrange its ranks: wheel, turn and change formation. In addition, there is a fourth special manoeuvre called reforming.

Troops move and fight in a tight formation of one or more ranks. Such a formation is often referred to by an appropriate title such as a regiment or, in the case of cavalry, a squadron, or it can simply be called by the cover-all term 'unit'.

While a unit moves it must maintain its formation, which means that models are not free to wander off on their own. The formation can move straight forward as a body perfectly easily, but if it wishes to change direction then it must make a manoeuvre.

There are three specific manoeuvres that enable a unit to turn about or rearrange its ranks: wheel, turn and change formation. In addition, there is a fourth special manoeuvre called reforming.

To turn a unit all the models remain in place, but are turned round through 90 or 180° to face their side or rear. To make a turn a unit must surrender a quarter of its move - a unit with a move of 4" must give up 1' to turn for example.

When a unit turns to face its side or rear, the unit's leader is automatically rearranged into the front rank together with the standard bearer, musician and any characters included in the unit. If there is insufficient space in the ranks, models may be rearranged into the rear ranks as the player wishes.

A unit of troops can also change its formation by adding or reducing the number of ranks in which it is deployed. For example, a unit of two ranks may increase its depth to three ranks by moving models from the front two ranks to form a new third line.

A unit must surrender half of its move to either add or deduct one rank. A unit may add or deduct two ranks if it does not move at all.

When redeploying ranks in this manner it is important to remember that a unit always has the same number of models in each rank, except for the rear rank which may have the same or fewer models. A rear rank is still a rank whether it is full or whether it contains only one model, although only ranks of 4 or more models are of any value in hand-to-hand combat as described later.

A unit of troops can change the direction in which it is facing and rearrange its formation all at once by means of a manoeuvre called reforming. The leader issues the order to adopt a new formation, and the troops mill about until they assume their new positions.

A unit of troops can reform during its movement phase so long as it is not in hand-to-hand combat and is otherwise free to move as it wishes. The player declares the unit is reforming and it regroups into a new formation. Arrange the unit into a new formation of as many ranks as you please facing whichever direction you wish.

A unit which reforms cannot move that turn, because it takes the entire movement phase to reform. Reforming troops cannot shoot with missile weapons that turn, because they are too busy assuming their new formation.

Troops only move their full movement rate over unobstructed ground. They will slow down if impeded by broken ground such as bushes or woods. Terrain is divided into four types to simulate this: open, difficult, very difficult and impassable.

Open terrain is clear ground that doesn't impede movement at all. The battlefield is basically all open terrain unless otherwise indicated. This will normally include hills so long as they are not too steep, as well as features such as roads, paths, gateways and other firm surfaces.

Difficult terrain includes the following:

• Brush, scrub and other clinging vegetation.

• Debris, wreckage, loose rocks and boulders.

• Fords, streams and shallow water.

• Marshes, bogs and thick mud.

• Freshly ploughed, flooded and muddy fields.

• Sand dunes and areas of deep sand.

• Stairs, steps and ladders.

• Steep or treacherous slopes. This can include particular hills if both players agree before the game, but otherwise hills are considered to be 'open' terrain.

• Woods, orchards, growing crops and other dense foliage.

Troops cross difficult ground at 1/2 speed. So if your unit has a move of 4" it can only move 2" through a wood.

If troops move over open ground and difficult terrain during the same turn, then their movement over the open ground is at full speed and that over difficult ground is reduced to 1/2 speed exactly as normal. For example, a Man moves 2" across open ground and then enters a wood. He now has 2" of his move left. This is covered at half speed for the difficult terrain so he only move a further 1" through the wood.

Very difficult terrain includes areas that are even more arduous to move through such as the following:

• Incredibly thick woods packed with briars and thorns.

• Almost sheer slopes that need to be climbed on hands and knees.

• Fast flowing but still fordable rivers.

Very difficult terrain reduces movement to 1/4 speed. Fractions are rounded up to the nearest 1/2" to prevent unnecessary complication.

Impassable terrain is terrain so difficult to move through that it cannot be crossed during the course of a battle. It includes terrain features such as rivers, lakes, impenetrable swamps and sheer cliffs. Troops must go round impassable terrain.

Players may decide before battle is joined whether certain terrain features will be difficult, very difficult or impassable during the course of the battle.

Obstacles are things like hedges, fences, walls and trenches that troops must clamber over to cross. Although obstacles may be similar in some respects to difficult ground, in that a hedge and a wood might both contain trees, there is an important difference. Obstacles are basically linear barriers, such as a wall, which troops must cross over before they can proceed. Difficult terrain describes an area of ground such as a bog or marsh that slows down overall speed.

It takes a model half of its movement phase to cross an obstacle. So if a model has a move of 4" it must surrender 2" to cross a hedge or a wall. If a model has insufficient move left to cross an obstacle it has reached, then it must halt in front of it. The model does not count as half way across if it has 1' of its 4" move remaining, for example. Where an entire unit of troops is attempting to cross an obstacle the penalty continues to apply to the whole unit so long as any of the models are crossing.

It is not uncommon for the front of a unit to end up on one side of a linear obstacle and the back to be on the other side. This is fine. Place the part of the unit which has crossed on the far side of the obstacle and leave the part that has yet to cross on the other side. As long as the ranks on both sides are in contact with the obstacle this is perfectly acceptable. Once troops have moved over the obstacle the unit's ranks are returned to base contact. Remember that the unit suffers a half move penalty until all its troops have crossed the obstacle.

If a wall, hedge or fence has a gate in it then it is assumed to be open unless otherwise agreed, and troops may move through the gate without penalty.

If a unit's formation is divided by an obstacle then it may not manoeuvre by turning or wheeling, and it may not change its formation. The unit must cross the obstacle before it can do any of these things.

Bear in mind that a unit of troops can suffer the reduced speed for moving over difficult terrain and the half move penalty for crossing an obstacle. If troops are moving at half speed of 2" across difficult terrain, across a freshly ploughed field for example, then they must still surrender a half their move phase to cross a hedge or fence, a -1" penalty in this case.

Chargers are moved after compulsory movement and before you move the rest of your army. Make sure you complete all charges before moving other troops. Chargers move at double their normal movement rate, but must make the usual deductions for crossing terrain and obstacles. For example, mounted knights have a normal move of 6" and so can charge up to 12". If they are moving over difficult terrain such as a muddy field they move at half speed, reducing their charge distance to 6".

Before you move a charging unit check that the enemy has declared his response and that troops electing to flee have been moved and troops electing to stand and shoot have done so. Measure the distance between the chargers and their target.

If the enemy has fled, or if you have estimated your charge incorrectly, your troops might not be able to move far enough to reach their intended target. If this is the case the charge has failed.

If a charge fails the unit is moved at its normal movement rate rather than its double speed charge. The unit is moved directly towards the intended target as if it were charging but halts once it has covered its normal move distance. This represents a situation where troops have begun to charge before realising it is impossible to reach their enemy; consequently their movement peters out and they lose impetus and enthusiasm.

A unit that fails its charge cannot shoot with missile weapons that turn.

A charging unit cannot turn or change formation. This is because the troops are running or galloping once the charge has begun, and are unable to execute delicate manoeuvres even if they were able to hear the orders of their leaders above the shouting and din.

When a unit charges an enemy the player must endeavour to bring as many models into combat as possible. This can sometimes be achieved by moving the chargers straight forward, but often it will be necessary to wheel slightly to face the enemy.

A unit can wheel once at the start of the charge in order to bring as many models to face the enemy as it can. If the chargers would not hit their target were they to move straight forward, then they must wheel to face their enemy, and must endeavour to bring as many models as possible into combat.

If chargers need to wheel towards their target, execute the wheel as already described measuring the distance wheeled as you normally would. This distance counts as part of the total distance charged. For example, if a unit can charge 12" it might wheel 4" to bring models to face the enemy and then move up to 8" towards them.

Once a unit has completed any required wheel it is moved straight forward towards the enemy and stops as soon as the two units touch.

Once the charging unit is in contact it is automatically aligned against its enemy as shown in the diagram below to form a battle line. This extra alignment move is free.

If it is impractical to align a unit properly because of interposing terrain, other models, or whatever, then it is acceptable to re-align the charged unit as well (or instead) so that the battlelines remain neat. A confusing situation may arise when interposing terrain or models make it impossible to align the whole unit, for example. Rather than clutter the rules with endless clarifications we have included further examples in the back of the rulebook.

Once opposing units are engaged in hand-to-hand combat they may not move away until one side or the other breaks or is destroyed. Units already engaged in hand-to-hand combat at the start of their turn cannot move but must continue to fight in the hand-to-hand combat phase.

If your opponents stand and shoot it is possible that they may cause sufficient casualties to force a Panic test as you charge in. Panic tests and other special psychological tests are explained later in the Psychology section. This might result in your charge being brought to a halt before contact is made with the enemy. This is why it is important to work out fire from enemies who stand and shoot before moving chargers. If the chargers are out of missile range at the beginning of their charge, then work out missile casualties at the maximum range of the weapon.

If your opponents flee as you charge then they will move directly away from you either 2DG" or 3D6" depending on whether their movement rate is up to 6" or more than 6" as explained later. It may be that fleeing troops move too far for the chargers to catch them, in which case the chargers move a normal move exactly as for any other failed charge.

If fleeing troops do not move far enough away to avoid their attackers then they are in deep trouble! If the chargers have sufficient movement to catch them then the entire fleeing unit is destroyed. The chargers only need to catch one model to destroy the whole unit as it flees. The fleeing troops are run into the ground by their enemy or scattered beyond any hope of recovery. See the rules for fleeing troops in the Close Combat section for more details.

If your opponent flees it can happen that another enemy unit is presented within your charge range. For example, where two enemy units are placed one behind another, if the front unit flees the chargers will be faced by the second. If this fresh enemy unit is within the chargers' charge move then the charger is allowed to redirect the charge. The player must declare that his unit is charging against the new target, and the target must make a response as normal. However, the revealed enemy unit may not stand and shoot because its frontage is covered by its own side's troops as they flee past or through their formation. Therefore it is only possibly for the enemy unit to either flee or hold.

A charge can sometimes trigger extra movement from the enemy. For example, Goblin Fanatics will leap out of their units as soon as enemy approach within 8'. This happens out of the normal sequence: the charge is halted as soon as the chargers move within 8" and the Goblin Fanatics are moved and any damage they cause is worked out straight away. It is up to the player to say that he has out of sequence movements or actions to perform at the appropriate moment.

Being charged from a direction you cannot see and thought was safe is a frightening thing for even the bravest of troops. With his field of vision narrowed by his position in the ranks, the average soldier has only a limited knowledge of what is happening on the battlefield. If the enemy has somehow got round behind him he might reasonably assume the battle is lost. Doubt will be sown in his mind and he may become disoriented and confused. His fighting efficiency may be impaired. If he is fighting hand-to-hand combat he might even panic and flee, thinking the enemy is upon his unguarded back.

Troops who are charged in the flank or rear whilst they are already fighting other enemy must take a Panic test to see whether their nerve holds as described later. This test is taken as soon as it is established that chargers are in range, but before moving any troops. The rules for Panic tests and other psychological tests are explained in full in the section on Psychology.

If a unit is charged in the flank or rear by a unit of 5 or more enemy models then it loses any rank bonuses that it would otherwise have in hand-to-hand combat. Units ranked up in depth normally fight better because the troops in the rear ranks are able to physically support those in the front, lending their weight to the formation, but a unit which is charged in the flank or rear will lose this advantage. See the Close Combat section for details of combat results and how rank bonuses work.

If a unit is attacking an enemy in the flank or rear it gains the advantage of fighting a formation unprepared to fight in that direction. Consequently, the attackers receive extra combat bonuses as described in the Close Combat section.

When a unit is attacked in the sides or rear, any models touching the enemy may be turned round so that they are seen to be fighting. They can fight whether they are turned or not - but they look a bit more hopeful facing the enemy! Obviously these individual models can be turned back again should the attackers be driven off or destroyed.

Marching at the double allows troops that are away from the main fighting zones to move more rapidly. This represents the swift movement of reserves by means of a rapid march, and helps to ensure that units don't get stranded away from the fighting.

Marching troops move at twice their normal movement rate with weapons sheathed or shouldered. They are literally going at the double'. A unit on the march is not prepared for combat so marching is not suitable for use close to the enemy. In reality no troops would approach the enemy with weapons unready.

Troops can march if there are no enemy models within 8" at the start of the turn. If there are enemy models within 8" at the start of the turn the unit is busy preparing to fight and so cannot march. Note that the marching unit can move closer than 8" to an enemy as it moves.

A unit on the march cannot change formation or turn as this would disrupt its movement. It can wheel as normal, as you might imagine a column of troops would do in order to follow a route or path, for example. A marching unit cannot move through difficult or other obstructive terrain or cross obstacles. It must stop if it comes to these features.

A unit on the march cannot shoot missile weapons during the shooting phase. It is unprepared for combat and any weapons carried are not ready to be used.

Models which move individually, such as heroes and characters who are on their own or large monsters with riders, can march move in the same way as units of troops.

In the case of individual models their speed bonus is not due to them 'marching' in formation, but takes account of their freedom to move, breaking into a run, avoiding scattered vegetation and hummocks in the ground, and so forth.

Mounted models with a saving throw of no better than 5+ and a normal move rate of at least 6" are classed as fast cavalry. These nimble, lightly armoured cavalry can manoeuvre much more easily than slow, ponderous foot troops encumbered by weapons and armour.

During their move fast cavalry are allowed to turn without incurring any penalties on their move distance.

Fast cavalry are permitted to change their formation once during their movement by any number of ranks and with no penalty to their move.

The manoeuvrability of fast cavalry is so great that they can even take advantage of their ability to turn and/or change formation whilst marching - unlike other troops who are unable to march and turn or change formation at the same time.

A unit deployed in a long column with models lined up one behind the other can move very easily. The lead model is not restricted by troops either side and so can choose a snaking path which twists about. This is called snaking. Trailing models are placed so that they follow the path of the lead model. This a special type of movement unique to long lines of troops. It isn't a very practical formation for fighting, but it is very handy for threading your way through buildings and between obstacles.

Players will sometimes find the movement of troops results in the tabletop becoming quite crowded, especially where several different units are engaged in hand-to-hand fighting. It is obviously important to establish which units are actually fighting, and which are close by but not engaged - perhaps merely passing by, for example.

For this reason it is an accepted convention that opposing troops are kept at least I" apart when they are not fighting. Models which would otherwise approach to within 1" of an enemy without engaging them are simply halted 1" away. Remember that units may only engage in hand-to-hand fighting by means of a charge, except in exceptional circumstances, as noted later.

All missile weapons have a maximum range which indicates the greatest distance they can shoot. If your declared target lies beyond this maximum range then your shots automatically miss. This is why you must pick your target before measuring the range.

For example: The Lizardman player is using short bows, which have a range of 16". He declares he is opening fire on the nearest Bretonnian unit. When he measures the distance he finds the Bretonnians are 17" away. His hail of arrows falls short of the jeering men.

It often happens that some models in a firing unit will be in range and others will be out of range. If this is the case then only those who are in range can shoot and the remainder automatically miss.

These ranges are the maximum distances that the weapons can fire. Missiles lose power and accuracy long before they reach maximum range so ranges are divided into short and long. Short range is up to half the maximum range of a weapon. Long range is between half and maximum distance. As we shall see later, there are modifiers that make it more difficult for a weapon to hit at long range.

For example: Short range for a short bow is up to 8". A target at more than 8" counts as being at long range.

The direction a model faces in is assumed to be the actual direction faced by the creature it represents. Common sense dictates that a model cannot shoot at something it cannot see. To represent this, a target must lie within a 90° arc projected from the front of the shooter. Where models are on square bases this can be imagined easily by projecting a line through the corners.

A shooter's line of sight, and therefore his shot, is blocked if there is anything between him and his intended target. Interposing models or scenery will therefore block line of sight. Because of this, except as noted later, only models in the front rank of a unit are able to shoot as those behind will not be able to see past their friends.

Imagine a real battlefield with its contours, morning mists and haze of dust. Picture the woods and hedges that obscure vision, the sudden fall of ground that hides your enemy, and distances that blur friend with foe. Towering over our miniature battlefield we are unaware of all this, but the troops represented by our models would not be so lucky. Just as their real life counterparts cannot see through hills or hedges we must assume that our models cannot see behind corresponding scenic features.

As it is impossible for us to say exactly what everyone's model scenery looks like, it is not practical to be definitive about which kinds of building or terrain block line of sight. You must be prepared to use your own judgement within the following guidelines.

Perhaps the easiest way of checking whether a model can see another is to get down over the table and take a model's eye view, but remember you must be reasonable about this as in reality it would be much more difficult to see enemy troops than over a perfectly flat, mist free gaming table.

Hills, large boulders and buildings obscure sight over level ground. An interposing hill or house will block your line of sight and prevent models shooting through it.

Hedges and walls block line of sight over level ground. However, a model placed directly behind and touching an obstacle is assumed to have taken up a position where it can see and shoot over the obstacle, with head and shoulders clearly visible. Such a model can shoot but it can also be seen and shot at.

Woods block line of sight if the shooter and the target lie on either side of the wood. It is only possible to see through 2" of woodland, so if a model inside a wood is within 2" of the edge he can see out and shoot and he can also be seen and shot at. Further than 2' inside the wood a model can neither be seen by models outside nor can he see them. If both target and shooter are inside the wood then missile range is reduced to the farthest you can see - which is 2".

Troops, friendly or unfriendly, block line of sight beyond them. It is not possible to shoot directly through one model to hit another.

Troops occupying elevated positions such as hills and the tops of buildings, can see over the heads of models, over the tops of lower hills, and over lower buildings, trees, and obstacles. This enables them to shoot over the heads of models below them.

Not only can such troops see and shoot, but they can also be seen and shot at because they are standing high up, exposing themselves to view.

One of the most useful aspects of this rule is apparent when you have a unit deployed on a hillside: models in a rear rank higher up the slope can see over the heads of ranks in front of them and so can shoot. This can enable many more models to shoot than is possible over level ground where only the front rank is able to bring its weapons to bear.

Troops take advantage of cover to hide from enemy missile fire. This makes them harder to hit because they can duck back out of the way leaving arrows to splinter against a wall or tree. There are two sorts of cover: hard cover and soft cover.

Hard cover offers real physical protection as well as partially concealing the target from view. The corner of a building, a large rock, walls and wooden pallisades are all types of hard cover. Troops positioned at windows and doors also count as being behind hard cover. A model positioned at the corner of a building so that he is peeking round is protected by hard cover. Models in trenches or pits are also considered to benefit from hard cover.

Soft cover partially shields a target from view but provides little physical protection against incoming missiles. You can hide behind a hedge but a crossbow bolt or an arrow will go straight through it. Hedges and woodland provide soft cover. Troops within woods automatically count as being in soft cover.

Units engaged in hand-to-hand fighting are far too busy to use missile weapons and therefore may not shoot.

Players might wish to shoot at targets that are engaged in hand-to-hand combat. This is possible but not necessarily a good idea as your troops are likely to hit the wrong target and kill a friend rather than an enemy. Troops fighting hand-to-hand are taking part in a vast swirling melee, and under the circumstances it is virtually impossible for distant shooters to tell friend from foe or get a clear view of the target.

Troops are permitted to shoot at units in hand-to-hand combat but if they do so hits must be divided equally between both sides. Odd hits are allotted to either side randomly such as by rolling a D6: a score of 1-3 = a hit on your side, while 4-6 = a hit on your enemy. On the whole, it is not a good idea to shoot into hand-to-hand combat.

As described later some large weapons utilise a template to determine how many models are hit by a falling stone, a gout of dragon fire, and so on. Normally, models under the template are considered targets and will be hit on an appropriate dice roll. See the section on War Machines for details. A weapon which uses a template can also be fired into hand-to-hand combat, in which case the casualties are worked out as follows.

If a template is positioned in such a way that it touches only models from one side, and none of the models it touches are actually fighting (ie, in base contact with their enemy) then all casualties are worked out exactly as normal. The shot has struck in such a way that all hits fall on that unit.

If a template is positioned in such a way that it touches any models from either side that are fighting, or models from both sides whether fighting or not, then work out the number of hits as normal but distribute them equally to both sides. The shot has fallen in the thick of the fighting and both sides suffer the consequences.

If a unit that has missile weapons is charged then it can respond by shooting at chargers coming from more than half their charge move away. This is called 'stand and shoot'. These shots are worked out once all charges have been declared and before the chargers are moved. Work out the shots at the measured range and apply the -1 to hit modifier for shooting at a charging target.

A unit which stands and shoots does so out of the normal turn sequence, in the other side's movement phase before chargers are moved. Note that chargers who begin their move within half their charge distance of the enemy cannot be shot at in this way. They are too close, and there is insufficient time for the the unit to shoot at their enemy.

In most circumstances a unit of troops takes aim and shoots at a single target, obeying the command of their leader who is assumed to direct the unit's fire. The entire unit fires at a single target, such as a unit of enemy troops or a huge monster or chariot.

A unit may divide its fire between two or more enemy targets if it is impossible for all the models to shoot at a single target. For example, it might be that no one target is visible to all shooters either because it is obscured or because it is so close to the unit that it lies outside the arc of vision of some of the shooters.

In the case of individual enemy models such as large monsters, heroes, Goblin Fanatics and similar, it is permitted to divide shots against these and against other more distant targets, even if all the unit could shoot against the single enemy model. This allows a unit to spread its fire against a group of single models.

The chance of a shooter scoring a hit on his target depends on his Ballistic Skill, or BS. The higher the individual's BS, the greater his chance of hitting.

To determine whether you hit you must roll a D6 for each model shooting. Count how many models in your unit are shooting, and roll that number of dice. It is easiest to roll all the dice at once, although you don't have to do so. If you have a lot of models shooting you might need to roll several batches of dice. The following table shows the minimum D6 score you will need to hit.

If you score at least the number required you have hit, if you score less you have missed.

For example: You fire with 5 Goblin archers. Goblins have BS 3, so you need a score of at least 4 to bit. You roll 5 dice and score 1, 2, 2, 4, and 6 which equals 2 hits and 3 misses.

Of course, you cannot roll less than 1 on a D6, so troops with a BS of 6 or more will always hit where no other modifiers apply. However, circumstances can make it harder to hit as described below, and this may increase the dice score required so that even troops with very high BS values can find it difficult to hit their target.

Shooting isn't simply a matter of pointing your weapon at the target and letting fly. Factors other than your Ballistic Skill affect the chance of hitting, such as range and cover as already discussed. There are other factors too, some of which make it easier to hit, and others that make it harder.

Factors that make it easier are added to your die roll. Factors that make it harder are subtracted from your dice roll.

+1 Shooting at a Large Target

A large target is anything which in real life would stand over approximately 10 feet tall or which is especially bulky. Ogres and Trolls are large targets for example, while Men, Orcs, Elves and the vast majority of troops are not. Cavalry models are not considered to be large targets if they are riding horses, wolves, boars or comparable beasts. Large monsters, chariots and most war machines are large targets.

-1 Shooting While Moving

If the shooter moved during the movement phase then his chance of hitting is reduced. Even a simple turn or change of formation is enough to reduce his concentration and so counts as movement for this purpose.

-1 Shooting at a Charging Enemy

If you are charged and elect to stand and shoot at your attacker then your chance of hitting is reduced. While the enemy thunder towards you your aim will be distracted and your shot hurried as you abandon your weapon to take up a sword.

-1 Shooting at Long Range

If your target lies at over half your maximum range you are less likely to hit. Sometimes you will find some of the shooters are within short range and some are at long range. If this is the case you must roll two batches of dice, one for each range band.

-1 Shooting at a Single Character Model or Skirmishers

If your target is a single man-sized character model, whether on foot or cavalry, then this penalty applies. The penalty also applies when shooting at enemy in a skirmish formation, or at any single man-sized model on its own. See the section on Heroes and Wizards for a complete explanation of rules for shooting at character models, and see the section on Skirmishers for rules regarding skirmishing troops.

-1 Target is Behind Soft Cover

If your target is behind soft cover then your chance of hitting is reduced.

-2 Target is Behind Hard Cover

If your target is behind hard cover your chance of hitting is drastically reduced.

All shooting to hit modifiers are cumulative. So, for example, if you are shooting at long range at a target behind soft cover your chance of hitting is reduced by -2. This means that with a BS of 5 you would need to roll a 4 to hit instead of the 2 normally required.

For example: 10 Goblin archers open fire at a unit of Elves. The Goblins have a BS of 3 and their targets are 10" away. To make matters worse, the Elves are standing behind a hedge - soft cover! The bold Gobbo ladz are armed with short bows which means their targets are at long range (short range being 8" or less for these weapons). Because their BS is 3 the Gobbos need a 4 to hit but since their targets are in cover and at long range this means that they suffer a penalty of -2. So each archer needs to roll a 6 to hit as 6-2 = the 4 required. The player rolls 10 dice and manages to get two 6's two bits!

If to hit modifiers result in a required score of 7 or more then it is still possible to score a hit though very unlikely. As it is impossible to roll a 7 on a D6 you will need to first roll a 6, and then for each shot scoring a 6 you will need to roll a further score as shown on the chart below, so for example in order to score an 8 you must roll a 6 followed by a 5 or more. If you require a score of 10 or greater then it is impossible to hit.

Not all hits will wound their target - some might glance off armour or clothing, while others might graze their target causing no real harm. Some creatures are so tough that arrows do not easily pierce their flesh, or they are so resilient that they are able to ignore missiles sticking in their bodies.

Once you have hit your foe, you must roll again to see if you wound him. To do this you must compare the weapon's Strength value with the target's Toughness value. The Strength values of common missile weapons are given on the next page; the target's Toughness 'T', is included on his profile.

Roll a D6 for each hit you have scored and consult the table below. Find the weapon's Strength and look down that row. Then scan along to the column for your target's Toughness. The number indicated is the minimum score on a D6 required to score a wound.

To use the chart first find your weapon's Strength down the left hand side. Now cross reference this against your target's Toughness along the top. Where the two lines meet is a number, which is the minimum score required on a D6 to score a wound. Roll a D6, if you score equal to or more than the score required you have wounded your target. If you score less then the hit has either rebounded from the creature's hide, entangled itself in clothing, or merely nicked his flesh causing no appreciable damage.

If you have scored several hits on an enemy unit then roll all the wound dice together to save time - so if you have 4 hits then roll 4 dice to wound. It is fastest to simply pick out the hit dice which have scored hits and roll them again to see if they cause wounds.

N. Where the table shows an 'N' this indicates that the target is simply too tough for you to hurt. N stands for no effect - or no chance!

The following examples show the strength of various missile weapons. They are included here as examples: the section on Weapons describes all missile and hand-to-hand fighting weapons in more detail.

Continuing our earlier example: The Goblin player, having scored 2 hits against the Elves consults the table. His ladz' short bows are $3. The Elves are Toughness 3. He sees that he needs to roll 4 or better to wound an Elf. He rolls a 4 and a 2, wounding one Elf.

Models that are wounded still have a chance to avoid damage if they are wearing armour or carrying shields, or if they are riding a horse or similar creature. These models have an armour saving roll or armour save.

Roll a D6 for each wound your troops have suffered. If you roll greater than or equal to the armour save of the model the wound has been absorbed or deflected by its armour.

Cavalry models automatically have an armour save of 6 even if the rider is wearing no armour. This represents the extra protection afforded by the horse or other mount. If the rider is wearing armour then his armour save will be 1 better than it would be if he were on foot. For example, a Man wearing light armour and carrying a shield has an armour save of 5+ on foot and 4+ when mounted.

Note that this bonus only applies to cavalry and not to big monsters with riders. Rules for big monsters and riders are discussed in the section on Monsters.

For example: A trooper carrying a shield and wearing light armour has an armour save of 5+. This means he must roll a 5 or 6 to be saved by his armour. To continue our example from above, the Goblin archers have scored 1 wound on the Elf troops. Since the Elves are wearing light armour and have a shield their armour saving throw is 5+. The Elf player rolls a 2. Not surprisingly he has failed. If he had scored a 5 or 6 the arrow would have bounced off and the Elf would have been unharmed.

Some weapons are so powerful that they can punch right through armour, so armor provides less protection against them. Such weapons confer modifiers that are subtracted from the foe's armour saving throw. This is shown by the table below.

For example: A crossbow has a Strength of 4. A crossbowman hits a warrior in light armour with shield. Normally the warrior would need to roll 5 or 6 to make his save and avoid taking the wound but because of the crossbow's enormous hitting power 1 is subtracted from his dice roll. This means he must now roll 6 to save.

Observant readers will have noticed that the best save on the armour chart is 2+ on a D6. It is possible to get a better save than this, for example magic armour can improve the wearer's armour save, but it is never possible to get a better basic armour save than 1+ before save modifiers are applied. If a model has a save of 1+ its armour will automatically save against Strength 3 or weaker hits.

Most human-sized troops can only sustain 1 wound before they fall casualty. Some models can take several wounds before they become casualties, but these are the exceptions rather than the norm. The number of wounds a model can sustain before it falls casualty is indicated by its Wounds value or 'W' on its profile.

Where troops have only a single wound casualties are removed as follows. If a unit of troops is hit and suffers wounds which it does not save, then for each wound suffered one model is removed as a 'kill'. Although it is convenient to think of casualties as slain, individual warriors are not necessarily dead, they may be temporarily knocked out Or incapacitated, or simply too badly wounded to carry on fighting. For our The Grand Theogonist purposes the result is the same so we treat all casualties as if they were killed and remove them from the game.

The player who has suffered casualties removes 'killed' models from the unit. Although casualties would really fall amongst the closest rank it is convenient to remove models from the rear rank of the unit. This keeps the formation neat and represents rear rankers stepping forwards to cover gaps in the line as they appear. If the unit is deployed in a single rank then casualties are removed roughly equally from either end, representing the troops gathering about their officers and standard.

If models have more than 1 wound then casualties are removed as follows. Imagine that a unit of Minotaurs suffers 5 wounds from arrow fire. Minotaurs are big monsters and each model has 3 wounds. The arrows would fall randomly among the unit, possibly wounding several creatures, but for our purposes we shall remove whole models where possible. So, 5 wounds equals 1 model dead (3 wounds) with 2 wounds left over. The wounds left over are not enough to remove another model, so the player must make a note that 2 wounds have been suffered by the unit. If the unit takes another wound from some other attack, then another Minotaur model is removed. It is obviously important to keep a record of wounds taken by units such as this.

In the case of cavalry models all shots are worked out against the rider. If the rider is slain the mount is removed as well. This is a convenient and practical way of representing cavalry, as it dispenses with the need for individual dismounted riders and loose mounts.

Obviously some riders are dead, horses bolt and run away, and some mounts are killed throwing their riders to the ground. However, these things can be left to the imagination while models are removed as a single piece. Note that this only applies to ordinary cavalry (mounts which have 1 wound on their profile) and not to large monsters with riders. Large monsters have more than 1 wound on their profile and are covered by the rules for Monsters.

It is extremely difficult for troops to keep their nerve while people all round them are falling to arrow fire. To simulate this any unit taking substantial casualties may be called upon to take a Panic test. A Panic test is a psychological test and it is described in the section on Psychology along with other effects such as fear, terror and so on.

You will have gathered by now that it is necessary to roll quite a few dice to resolve shooting - whole handfuls at once in fact! This doesn't take as long as you might imagine because all the dice are rolled together. The most practical way of going about this is to take as many dice as you have troops shooting and roll them all at once. So, if you're shooting with 10 Archers roll 10 dice. Then pick out any dice which score a hit and re-roll them to wound. So, from 10 dice rolled 4 might typically score hits, these are re-rolled and may score 2 wounds, for example. Dice which score wounds are picked out and handed over to the opponent to take his saving throws. This same system applies when you work out hand-to-hand combat damage too, as described in the next section.

1. Fight Combats
   Each unit involved in combat fights as explained in the rules below. Fight all the combats before working out results.

2. Results
   Work out which side has won each combat and by how much. The losing side will have lost by 1, 2 or more 'points' as explained later.

3. Break Tests
   Each unit that loses in combat must take a Break test as explained in the rules. Any units failing their Break test are termed broken' and a note is made or models are turned round to show this. Take all Break tests now.

4. Panic Tests
   If friendly units have broken then units nearby must take a Panic test as described in the Psychology section. Take any required Panic tests now.

5. Flee!
   Units which have been broken or which have failed their Panic test must flee away from their enemy as described in the rules. Move all newly fleeing troops now.

6. Pursue
   Units whose enemies have broken and fled that turn are allowed to pursue them and might possibly catch and destroy them as described in the rules.

7. Redress Ranks
   At the end of the close combat phase formations are tidied up ready for the next phase.

Work out each combat one at a time - resolve the fighting for all the troops involved in one combat before moving on to the next. A combat is often a fight between a single unit of troops from each side, but it is possible that several units, monsters, and heroes may become involved.

In this example there are three separate combats: one between two units and an Elf griffon rider on the left; a huge fight between two units of Elves, two units of Goblins and a Goblin chariot in the centre; and a combat between two opposing units, an Orc Wyvern rider and an Elf bolt thrower on the right. So long as fighting units are interconnected they are participating in the same combat.

In the desperate hack and slay of close combat the advantage goes to the best and fastest warriors, or those who have gained the extra impetus of charging into combat that turn. To represent this, combatants strike blows in a strict order.

Troops who have charged that turn automatically strike first. Otherwise, all blows are struck in strict order of Initiative (I). Combatants with a higher Initiative strike first followed by those with a lower Initiative. This is important because if a model is slain before it has a chance to strike it obviously cannot fight back. Striking first is a big advantage, which is why it is better to charge your enemy rather than allow him to charge you.

If opposing troops have the same Initiative then the side which won the combat in the previous turn may strike first, or if this doesn't apply you can roll a D6, and the player who scores highest goes first.

For example: A bunch of Orc boar riders charges a group of Elf spearmen. The Elves have an Initiative of 6, while the Orcs only have Initiative 2. The Orcs strike first because they charged. Next turn the Elves will go first because of their higher Initiative.

A model can fight if its base is touching the base of an enemy model. Even models attacked in the side or rear may fight, and if you wish they may be temporarily turned in the ranks to indicate they are doing so.

If a model is touching more than one enemy it can choose which to attack. If a model has more than 1 attack, it can divide its attacks as the player wishes so long as he makes this clear before rolling to hit. For example, if faced with an enemy hero and an ordinary enemy trooper you might decide to attack the trooper because he is easier to kill, or you could take the outside chance of slaying the hero.

In the case of cavalry mounts that have their own attacks, the rider's attack and the mount's attack are worked out separately. This means that some cavalry have two lots of attacks: the rider attacks and his mount attacks as well. For example, warhorses and giant wolves have their own attack.

To determine whether hits are scored roll a D6 for each model fighting. If you have more than 1 Attack (A) with your troops then roll a D6 for each Attack. For example, 10 Elves have 1 Attack each so roll 10 dice, but 10 Minotaurs have 2 Attacks each so roll 20 dice.

The dice roll needed to score a hit on your enemy depends upon the relative Weapon Skills (WS) of the attacker and his foe. Compare the Weapon Skill of the attacker with the Weapon Skill of his opponent and consult the chart below to find the minimum D6 score needed to hit.

If you look at the chart you will see that if your warrior's Weapon Skill is greater than that of his enemy you hit him on a dice roll of 3+. Otherwise you hit on a 4+, unless the enemy's Weapon Skill is more than double yours in which case you require a 5+.

When you are fighting against cavalry all blows are struck against the rider using the rider's WS and never against the mount. A mount fights using its own WS if it has its own attack.

Troops lining up behind a wall, hedge or other obstacle can adopt a position to defend it. The front rank is moved right up against the wall to show this. Enemy who wish to attack the defenders can do so by charging them as normal. Attacking models do not have to physically cross the obstacle, indeed they are unable to do so whilst it remains defended, and instead the front rank is positioned on the opposite side of the obstacle to the defenders.

If attacking an enemy behind a wall or a hedge, inside a building, or behind some other defended obstacle you will require a 6 on a D6 to hit. It is very difficult indeed to hit enemy in these circumstances. This penalty applies to a unit that is attacking troops which have already taken up position behind the defended obstacle. The penalty does not apply to both sides in the combat even though the obstacle lies between them. The defending side has the advantage of already taking up a good position with its weapons sticking out or over gaps in the hedge or wall, whilst the other side must mount an assault in the face of a wall of sword points or spear tips.

The attacking side continues to suffer the '6 to hit' penalty until it wins the combat. Once the attackers have won the combat they are assumed to have climbed over or onto the wall, and further combats are fought as normal.

Some warriors carry two weapons, one in either hand, and are able to rain down even more attacks on their enemy. If a warrior carries two weapons in this way then he receives one extra Attack from his left hand. It doesn't matter if his Attack (A) value is 2 or more, a warrior receives only +1 Attack from his extra weapon.

Not all successful hits are going to harm your enemy some may rebound from armour or bounce off tough hide, while others may cause only superficial damage which doesn't prevent the creature fighting. Once you have hit your foe you must roll again to see whether your hits inflict wounds.

This procedure is exactly the same as described for shooting. Consult the table below, cross referencing the attacker's Strength (S) with the defender's Toughness (T). Both values appear on the profiles of the creatures fighting. The chart indicates the minimum score on a D6
required to cause a wound.

N. Where the table shows an 'N' this indicates that the target is simply too tough for you to hurt. N stands for no effect - or no chance!

To use the chart first find your weapon's Strength down the left hand side. Now cross reference this against your target's Toughness along the top. Where the two lines meet is a number, which is the minimum score required on a D6 to score a wound.

Roll a D6, if you score equal to or more than the score required you have wounded your target. If you score less then the hit has caused no appreciable damage.

Unlike hits from shooting, the Strength value (S) of the attacker is used to determine wounds rather than the strength of the weapon itself. However, some weapons confer a bonus on the attacker's Strength. For example, Bretonnian Knights charging with lances receive a +2 bonus on their Strength. These bonuses are discussed together with other special rules in the section on Weapons.

Combatants that are wounded have a chance to avoid damage if they are wearing armour or carrying shields. This is exactly the same as described for shooting, and the same rules apply.

For each wound suffered the player rolls a D6. If he rolls greater than or equal to the armour save of his troops then that wound has been absorbed or deflected by the warrior's armour.

For example, an Elf wearing light armour has an armour save of 6 so you will need to roll a 6 to save him. If he had a shield as well he would save on a 5 or 6, and so on. You may find it helpful to re-read the section on armour and the description in the Shooting section.

Some creatures are so powerful that armour provides less protection against them. They can beat their way right through armour when they hit, either with a weapon or with their claws and teeth.

The higher a creature's Strength the more easily it can pierce armour. If weapons give a Strength bonus then this increases the strength of a hit and makes it easier to pierce armour. The chart below shows the reduction in the enemy's armour saving throw compared to the attacker's Strength. This is exactly the same as for damage from shooting.

For example, if a warrior has heavy armour and a shield his armour save is 4+. If attacked by a creature with Strength 4 his save is reduced to 5+, if attacked by a creature with $5 his save is reduced to 6, and if attacked by a creature with S6 or more he has no armour save at all.

As described in the Shooting section, it is possible for a model to have a basic armour save of 1+ in some circumstances, in which case the armour will automatically save against Strength 3 hits or weaker. However, a model cannot ever have a basic armour save of better than 1+ before modifiers are applied.

Close combat casualties are removed in the same way as shooting casualties and you may wish to re-read that section at this point. Although casualties would, in reality, fall amongst the rank fighting, it is most convenient to. assume that rear rankers will step forward to fill any gaps. In most circumstances it is therefore practical to remove casualties straight from the rear ranks of a unit.

Models which fall casualty are not removed from the taletop immediately, but are placed behind their unit. This is important for two reasons. Firstly, when it comes to working out who has won the combat you need to know how many casualties have been caused, and this is much easier if the models are left behind their units. Secondly, models which are removed before they have a chance to attack may not do so, and any rear ranker stepping forward to replace them cannot attack that turn. This means that the first side to strike has a significant advantage, as any casualties inflicted will reduce the number of enemy left to fight back.

If can sometimes happen that a unit causes more casualties than there are enemy models in base contact. When this happens the excess casualties are removed as normal. This represents the attackers springing forward and following up their assault by striking over the fallen bodies of their foes. Such is the ferocity of their attack and the surprise caused by their success that the excess casualties are struck down where they stand and have no chance to attack back.

For each separate combat you must determine which side has won. Do this once all the units engaged in the combat have fought.

Begin by adding up all the wounds caused by each side in the combat. It does not matter which particular units suffered the wounds, just add them all up. Do not forget to add the wounds taken by big creatures that have not been removed as casualties.

The side which has inflicted the most wounds wins the combat. The other side has lost. If both have inflicted the same number of wounds then the result is a draw. However, a side can claim extra bonus points under certain circumstances - for example if it has a standard bearer, if it is attacking the enemy in the flank, or if it is fighting from higher ground.

Each bonus point is added to the number of casualties you have inflicted. So for example, if both sides cause 3 wounds the result is a draw, but if one side has a battle standard it adds +1 to its score, beating the enemy by 4 points to 3. These bonus points can make all the difference between winning and losing the combat. The table below summarises the bonus points.

Once both sides have established their total points, including the number of casualties caused and bonus points, compare the values to discover which side has won the combat.

The higher the winner's score compared to the loser's the bigger and more decisive the victory. An 8 point against 7 point victory is only a slight win for example, because the difference in scores is only 1 point. An 8 point against a 2 point victory is extremely decisive as the difference in scores is a whopping 6. This difference in scores is important because it is used when working out whether a defeated enemy stands his ground or turns and flees.

+1 Extra Rank

If your formation is at least 4 models wide then you may claim a bonus of +1 for each rank behind the first at the start of the combat, up to a maximum of +3. The bonus can be claimed for an incomplete rear rank so long as it contains at least 4 models.

If you have several units fighting in a combat count the bonus from your deepest unit. Do not add up the bonuses from all the units fighting. This bonus is lost if the unit is charged in the flank or rear by an enemy unit of 5 models or more.

+1 Standard

If any of your units includes a standard bearer then you may add a +1 bonus.

Note that if you have several standards then you still only add +1, not +1 for each standard. Rules for standards are described later.

+1 Battle Standard

If the army's battle standard bearer is fighting in the combat, or is included in a unit of troops which is involved in the combat, then you may add a further +1.

+1 High Ground

If you are fighting from higher position than your enemy then you may add a + 1 bonus. For example, troops occupying the crest of a hill.

+1 Flank Attack

If you are fighting against an enemy unit's flank you may add a +1 bonus, so long as your entire unit numbers at least 5 models.

If both sides have troops attacking in the flank then the side with the most number of flanking units gets the bonus. The bonus is only applied once, regardless of how many flanking units are involved in the combat.

+2 Rear Attack

The same comments apply as for a flank attack but to units attacking in the rear. This bonus and the bonus for a flank attack are cumulative, so if you are attacking in the side and rear you will receive a bonus of +3.

+1 Overkill

If a challenger kills his opponent and scores more wounds than the enemy has, then each excess wound scores +1 overkill bonus towards the combat result.

This bonus only applies in a challenge as described in the section on Heroes and Wizards.

Let us imagine the Knights inflict 4 wounds, striking down 4 of the enemy Sauruses. In reply the remaining Saurus warrior inflicts 1 wound and kills a single Knight.

To decide who wins the combat each side adds up the number of wounds it has caused. In this case the Knights score 4 and the Sauruses 1. However, the Sauruses have +2 from their extra ranks, and so have a final score of 3. The Sauruses still lose by 4 to 3, but the difference is only 1.

This time the Skinks strike first as they have charged, inflicting 1 casualty on the Knights. The Knights strike next as their Initiative is higher than that of the Saurus warriors, and they kill 3 of their enemies. In reply the Sauruses inflict a further casualty on the Knights.

To work out which side has won count up the wounds caused by each side. The Sauruses and Skinks have caused 2 against the Knights' score of 3. However, the Lizardmen receive a rank bonus of +3 from the Skink unit. Note that only one bonus is added from ranks, and this is always that of the deepest unit participating. In addition the Skinks are making a flank attack and so earn an extra +1. The Lizardmen's total is therefore 2 (wounds) + 3 (ranks) +1 (flank) = 6 against the Knights' 3. The Lizardmen win by a difference of 3.

The bowmen strike first as they have charged, inflicting 1 casualty on the Skinks. The Knights strike next causing 1 casualty on the Sauruses, the Sauruses kill 2 Knights, whilst the Skinks kill no Knights but the models fighting on the flank manage to kill 1 Bowman. The wounds inflicted by each side amount to 2 caused by the Bretonnians and 3 caused by the Lizardmen.

The Lizardmen lose their rank bonus from the Skinks because they have been charged in the flank - nor are there sufficient Saurus warriors remaining to provide an extra rank. Also, the Lizardmen's flank bonus is lost because both sides now have one unit fighting to a flank cancelling each other out. The Bretonnians earn an extra +1 for the bowmen's standard. The total scores are therefore 3 on each side... a draw!

The side that loses a combat must take a test to determine whether it stands and fights or turns tail and runs away. This is called a Break test. You need to take a separate Break test for every unit involved in the combat. Depending on which units pass and which fail their test, some may break and flee whilst others stand their ground. Troops which are better led, braver, and more professional are more likely to stand firm, whilst wild, temperamental troops are far more likely to run for it.

Take the test as follows. Firstly, nominate which unit you are testing for. Roll 2D6 and add the scores together. Add the difference between the winner's and loser's combat score. If the total is greater than the unit's Leadership (Ld) value then the unit is broken. Broken units will turn tail and flee once all combat on the entire battlefield has been worked out. Until all combat has been worked out simply turn a few of the rear rank models round to remind you that the unit is broken.

For example: A unit of Elf archers is fighting a unit of Goblin spearmen. The Goblins inflict 3 wounds on the Elves, and the Elves inflict 4 wounds on the Goblins. However, the Goblin player has 4 complete ranks in his formation, and as each extra rank adds +1 to his score this gives him 3 + 3 = 6 points against the Elves' 4. The Elves have therefore lost the combat, even though they have caused more casualties - the vast numbers of Goblins pressing from the back have overwhelmed them. The Elves must therefore take a Break test adding +2 to their dice score. Elves have a good Leadership value (8) but with the extra +2 modifier on the dice the player will have to roll 6 or less to stand and fight. The player rolls 2D6 and scores 7, the +2 modifier brings his total to 9 which is greater than the unit's Leadership so the Elves are broken.

Once all defeated units have taken a Break test, then each remaining unit within 12' of friendly units which have broken or been wiped out is called upon to take a Panic test, as described in the Psychology section. This represents the spread of panic amongst the army as friendly units collapse and turn tail. Panic is a special psychological effect, and the full rules for panic are covered in the following section of the rules. However, it is worth bearing in mind at this stage that Panic tests must be taken once all Break tests are complete but before fleeing troops are moved.

Once you have completed all of the Break tests resulting from combat that turn, and having taken any necessary Panic tests, it is time for broken troops to flee. Fleeing troops turn directly away from their enemy and run as fast as they can. They abandon their formation and run from their enemy in complete rout, blindly scrambling over the ground in their efforts to avoid destruction.

It is difficult to say precisely how far fleeing troops will run because they are no longer fighting as a body but milling around in a frightened mob. To represent this dice are rolled to establish how far the fleeing unit moves. If the unit normally moves 6" or less roll 2D6. If the unit moves more than 6" roll 3D6. The result is the distance covered by the fleeing troops, minus any penalty for terrain or obstacles.

Move the fleeing unit directly away from its enemy so that it is 2D6" or 3D6" away from them and facing in the opposite direction. Fleeing troops will move round friends where possible, but will move straight through friends if necessary. Individual fleeing models that would otherwise end up in the middle of a friendly unit are instead placed to the side or beyond them if this is the only option.

A fleeing unit is destroyed if caught by pursuers as described under Pursuit.

If they are not destroyed then fleeing units continue to move 2D6" or 3D6" towards their own side's table edge during their subsequent movement phases. They must attempt to leave the battlefield as quickly as possible. This is a 'compulsory move' so fleeing troops are moved before other troops once charges have been declared (see the Movement section).

A unit which is fleeing can do nothing else. For example, it cannot fight and it cannot shoot with missiles. Where there is room it will move round obstacles that block its path, including units of troops. Fleeing troops will not move towards enemy unless they have no other choice - if they are surrounded, for example.

If any models from a fleeing unit leave the table edge the entire unit is considered to have left the battlefield and is removed from play. Troopers have scattered beyond recovery or have found places to hide themselves until the battle is over.

If enemy troops charge a unit that is already fleeing then the unit automatically flees from the charge. The unit makes its 2/3D6" flee roll like any other unit fleeing from a charge. The charging enemy destroys the fleeing troops if it catches them in the same way as it would for a charge against any other fleeing troops. If they do not catch the fleeing troops then the charge is failed (see Movement for the rules relating to charges and charge reactions).

A fleeing unit may attempt to stop fleeing in its movement phase by taking a Rally test. This represents the efforts of leaders and brave individuals to call a halt to the rout, bring the troops to their senses and restore order. This is called rallying.

Rally tests are taken in the movement phase after charges have been declared but before further movement see the sequence at the start of the Movement section).

To take a Rally test roll 2D6. If the score is equal to or less than the unit's Leadership (Ld) then the unit stops fleeing and has rallied. The unit must spend the remainder of the turn reforming and may not shoot or fight, though the player may rearrange its formation and turn it to face whichever direction he chooses.

If a fleeing unit has suffered a great many casualties it will be unable to rally - its warriors are too demoralised and are interested only in escape. A unit must have at least 25% of its original number of models surviving to be able to rally. If a fleeing unit has less than 25% of its original number left, the unit cannot rally and will continue to flee until it leaves the table or is destroyed.

If a unit wins a combat and all the enemies it is fighting flee, then the victorious unit must normally pursue. The troops triumphantly surge forward, hacking at their retreating foes as their backs are turned, cutting them down as they run and scattering them before their uncontrolled fury. Note that a unit will only pursue if all the enemies it is fighting flee - if one enemy unit breaks and flees whilst another fights on then the victorious troops cannot pursue. Like fleeing, pursuit is a hectic and uncontrolled affair, so dice are rolled to determine how far the pursuing unit moves.

Once fleeing troops have been moved victorious units will pursue. To find out how far they pursue roll 2D6 or 3D6 in the same way as for fleeing troops. Pursuers are moved the distance indicated straight forward. If the pursuers roll more than the distance fled by their enemy they are judged to have caught them, and the entire fleeing unit is overrun and destroyed. If the pursuers do not catch the fleeing unit then no further casualties are caused and the pursuers are simply moved the distance indicated towards their fleeing enemies. Where pursuers don't catch their foe but roll equally, leave a slight gap between the units to indicate this.

Note that units do not continue to pursue in subsequent turns; pursuit is a single bonus move which is made when a beaten enemy flees.

It sometimes happens that pursuers move so far that they hit a fresh enemy unit. The pursuers are carried forward against the enemy unit as they chase their fleeing enemy. This is treated as if it were a new charge. The pursuing unit has no choice in the matter, they must charge against the fresh enemy. The unexpectedly attacked unit can only respond to the charge by 'holding'; any attempt to flee, shoot, Or do anything else amidst the confusion of running bodies is deemed impossible.

The resulting combat is worked out in the following turn. The pursuers are charging and so get all the usual benefits and bonuses as if they had charged that turn, even though their charge actually occurred during the close combat phase of the previous turn.

Assuming pursuers do not encounter any fresh enemy they move the distance indicated by their dice roll and thereafter are ready to fight normally. So, in their following turn they may charge, march or move normally exactly like any other unit, and no penalty is imposed because of their pursuit move.

A player may decide that he would sooner his unit did not pursue. Normally a unit must pursue if it is able to do so, but the player may attempt to halt the pursuit by making a test against the unit's Leadership (Ld). This represents the unit's leader calling to his troops to hold, while their natural inclination is to run after the enemy and cut them down as they scatter. Roll 2D6, and if the score is equal to or less than the unit's Leadership value then the test is passed and the unit may remain stationary instead of pursuing.

A unit does not have to pursue if it is defending a wall, a hedgerow, a house, or a comparable obstacle or fortification. As pursuing would force the unit to abandon its secure position there is a great incentive to stay put! In this situation, the player can choose to pursue or not as he wishes.

A unit which pursues its fleeing enemy off the table returns to the same point in its following movement phase. The unit may not move that turn other than to position itself along the table edge, though it may shoot and otherwise participate in the game as normal.

Once fleeing troops and pursuers have been moved it is time to tidy up the formations of fighting units in preparation for the next phase. This will not always prove necessary, as much depends upon the casualties inflicted and combat results.

Remember, a unit must always contain the same number of models in each rank as the first, except for its rear rank which may contain fewer. The process of redressing the ranks is intended to ensure that this remains true following combat, and also affords victors the chance to adjust their formation slightly by expanding their frontage or lapping round as described below.

Units which have fled abandon their formation and so have no opportunity to redress their ranks at this time. The unit forms a rough block or mass of troops, and models are arranged in a higgledy piggledy manner to show their disorganised status.

Casualties are usually removed from the back of a unit's formation in which case the unit is left exactly as it is. Remember, a unit engaged in combat cannot move in its move phase, and so has no opportunity to change its formation.

If a unit is fighting in a single rank, forming a line of troops, then casualties are removed from either end. If this results in an enemy attacking the side of the formation becoming separated from the combat, then compensate for this by moving one or both units so that they remain in contact where possible.

If a character model is fighting as part of a unit's formation, perhaps leading the unit into battle, then his death will leave a gap in your front rank. In this case move a model forward from the rear rank to fill the gap, or, if the unit is fighting in a single rank, move a model from one edge. See the section on Heroes and Wizards for more about character models.

If a unit wins the combat it can move models from rear ranks and place them in the forward ranks to increase the width of the formation thereby allowing more models to fight. You can increase the width of the formation by up to two models on either or both flanks.

If a unit wins the combat and its formation already extends to the enemy's flanks, then models may be moved from the rear ranks round the sides of the enemy unit. These extra models are described as lapping round. You may move up to two models around each flank, assuming that there is room and that the flank is not blocked by another unit, buildings, or terrain. Once models have covered the enemy's flanks, further models may be lapped around the rear should they win a further turn. In this way it is possible to extend your line and surround an enemy unit completely.

Models which are lapping round the flank or rear are ignored for purposes of establishing a unit's rank bonus in hand-to-hand combat. Lapping round models in this way might therefore reduce your rank bonus by reducing the number of ranks fighting.

However, units which are lapping round do receive the extra bonuses for flank and rear attacks so long as the entire unit consists of five or more models. This means that in most cases it is well worth lapping round where vou can.

If a unit is defeated in hand-to-hand fighting then any models already lapping round are immediately returned to the rear rank of their formation. They have been driven off by the enemy and forced to regroup behind the unit's main body.

Bear in mind that all models touching base-to-base are allowed to fight in hand-to-hand combat, so troops along the sides of 'flanked' units can fight back against troops that are lapping round. Players might wish to physically turn the models round to face their enemies in order to show this, although it is not strictly necessary to do so.

When taking psychology tests roll 2D6 and compare the result to your Leadership (Ld) value. If the result is less than or equal to the unit's Leadership score the test is passed and all is well. If the result is greater than the unit's Leadership score then the test is failed.

Players will immediately realise that a psychology test is taken in the same way as a Break test in hand-to-hand combat and uses the same characteristic, namely Leadership. However, a Break test is not a psychology test. The two tests are quite separate. This is important because some bonuses apply specifically to Break tests and others apply specifically to psychology tests.

Note that in the case of cavalry, chariots, and heroic individuals riding monsters it is the rider's Leadership that is used and not that of the mount or monster. If a chariot has several crew, use the highest value.

If a unit of troops is led by a character then the entire unit can test against his Leadership value. Characters often have better Leadership than ordinary troopers, so a regiment led by a superior character will be less prone to the effects of psychology. See the Heroes and Wizards section for rules concerning characters and units of troops.

Many psychology tests are taken at the start of the player's turn. For example, Panic tests caused by friends fleeing nearby and Stupidity tests are both taken at the start of the turn. When a player is called upon to take different tests at the start of the turn then do them in the same order as they are listed here. So, if a unit is obliged to take a Panic and a Stupidity test then take the Panic test first, and only if this is passed will it be necessary to take the Stupidity test.

Panic is the most common and the most important psychological effect. Battles are often won or lost because an army panics and flees, even though it may not have been beaten in combat. Troops who see their friends run can easily lose their nerve and flee themselves, causing other troops to lose heart until soon the whole army is fleeing in blind panic.

A unit must take a Panic test in the following circumstances:

1. Fleeing Unit within 4" at the Start of the Turn

A unit must test at the start of its turn if there is one or more units of fleeing friends within 4". However, the unit does not have to test if it outnumbers the fleeing unit (or if it outnumbers the fleeing units combined if there are two or more within 4"). Such a unit takes heart from its numbers and is not therefore panicked by its fleeing friends.

For example, a fleeing unit of 10 models is ignored by a unit of 11 or more, a fleeing unit of 14 is ignored by units of 15 or more, and so on. Note that it is the size of the fleeing unit's which is important - not the number of individual models within 4".

2. Friends Break from Hand-to-hand Combat within 12"

Test during the hand-to-hand combat phase if one or more friendly units break within 12" as a result of being defeated in hand-to-hand combat. In order to avoid confusion between units which are fleeing from combat and units which are fleeing as a result of panic, work out all combat results first, and then take all resultant Panic tests. A unit only needs to take one Panic test on account of breaking friends in each hand-to-hand combat phase, regardless of how many units of friends break within 12".

The same test must also be taken if a friendly unit within 12" is destroyed in hand-to-hand combat, unless it is a unit of one model with less than 5 wounds on its original profile, in which case no test is necessary. Although a unit which is destroyed cannot be broken as it no longer exits, its destruction is still extremely unnerving for friends nearby!

3. Charged in the Side or Rear while Engaged in Combat

A unit must test if it is fighting in hand-to-hand combat and is charged in the side or rear by an enemy unit of five models or more. Make the test as soon as the charge is declared and determined to be in reach.

No test is required if the charging unit is unable to reach its target unit. Also, no test is required if the charging unit amounts to fewer than five models.

4. Fleeing Friends Destroyed by Chargers within 4"

If a friendly unit flees from a charge and is caught and destroyed, then all friendly units within 4' of the final position of the fleeing troops must take a Panic test once all charges are complete but before hand-to-hand fighting starts.

No test is required for a unit that outnumbers its destroyed friends, in the same way as described for '1' above.

5. General Slain

If your army's general is killed then every unit in your army must take an immediate Panic test. With your leader dead rumour of defeat spreads across the battle front like wildfire! This is often the moment when battles are won and lost.

6. 25% Casualties from Shooting or Magic

A unit must take a Panic test if it suffers 25% of its number as casualties in the enemy's shooting phase, or 25% of its number as casualties in the enemy's magic phase. Only one test is required in any phase - if this is passed then any subsequent casualties are weathered without qualm.

For example, a unit of 12 models must test if it suffers 3 or more casualties from enemy shooting.

This test must also be taken by a charging unit if its enemies stand and fire and inflict 25% casualties. This may result in the charging unit panicking before it contacts its target, in which case it has forced to flee from the hail of arrows unleashed by the defenders!

This test must also be taken if the unit suffers 25% casualties from randomly moving enemies, magical effects or unusual terrain types as might be included as 'special rules' by the players. This is intended as a 'catch- all' rule to cover units which suffer high casualties from something other than normal hand-to-hand fighting, shooting or magic. A good example is casualties inflicted by a crashing gyrocopter, by whirling Goblin fanatics, or by Squig hoppers or Steam Tanks, the last two of which both cause casualties as they move.

A unit that fails a Panic test will flee in the same way as described for units which break in hand-to-hand combat Or which flee from a charge.

Fleeing troops abandon their formation and are moved in a rough mass or mob 2D6" Or 3D6" away from the enemy or most obvious source of threat, but the player is allowed to decide exactly where to flee within these guidelines. See the Close Combat section for rules governing fleeing troops.

Note that if a unit panics at the start of its turn because of fleeing friends within 4" then it may not attempt to rally that turn. The unit must flee during the compulsory movement part of its movement phase.

If a unit is engaged in hand-to-hand combat and it panics then the normal Flee and Pursuit rules apply. The fleeing unit can therefore be pursued if its enemy won the preceding combat, and consequently the fleeing unit may be destroyed in the same way as a unit which breaks following defeat in combat. If the enemy did not win the previous combat (or if the two have not yet fought for some reason) then the enemy cannot pursue.

Note that a unit which panics and flees from combat does not cause other units to panic as a result (ie, because friends break from hand-to-hand combat within 12"). A test is only required for friends that are defeated in combat and then broken as a result.

It is conceivable that a situation occurs where both players agree a Panic test is in order, even though the rules don't strictly require it. This is most likely to happen if fighting a scenario you have invented, perhaps where ambushers spring a trap, where boulders or thrown from cliffs, or some such circumstance the players have contrived.

If both players agree then a Panic test can be taken to represent the unsettling situation in which a unit finds itself.

Fear is a natural reaction to huge or especially ugly and unnerving monsters. Some creatures inspire fear as indicated in the Armies books, including large and disturbing monsters such as Trolls as well as supernatural horrors such as Skeletons.

A unit must take a Fear test in the following situations:

1. If Charged by a Feared Enemy

If a unit is charged by an enemy that it fears then it must take make a test to overcome its fear. Test when the charge is declared and determined to be within its charge range. If the test is passed the unit can fight as normal. If the unit fails its test, and if is outnumbered by the charging enemy, it will flee. If the unit fails its test but is not outnumbered by the charging enemy it will fight as normal, but must roll 6's to score hits in the first turn of combat.

2. If a Unit Wishes to Charge a Feared Enemy

If a unit wishes to charge an enemy that it fears then it must take a test to overcome its fear. If the test is failed the unit may not charge and must remain stationary for the turn.

A unit defeated in hand-to-hand combat is automatically broken without a Break test if it is fighting an enemy that it fears and which outnumbers it. If the fear- causing enemy does not outnumber the unit then a Break test is taken as normal. See the Close Combat section for details of combat results, Break tests and fleeing troops.

Some monsters are so huge and threatening that they are considered to be even more frightening than those described by the Fear rules. Such creatures cause terror. Troops confronted by monsters or situations that cause terror must test to see whether they overcome their terror. Should they fail they will be completely terrified and reduced to gibbering wrecks. Troops only ever test for terror once in a battle. Once they have overcome their terror they are not affected again.

If a creature causes terror then it automatically causes fear as well, and all the rules described above apply. However, you never have to take a Terror and a Fear test from the same enemy or situation - just take a Terror test: if you pass the Terror test then you automatically pass the Fear test too. As you only ever take one Terror test in a battle, any subsequent encounters with terrifying monsters or situations will simply count as fear.

1. A unit must test to overcome its terror if charged by or wishing to charge an enemy that causes terror.

2. A unit must test for terror at the start of its turn if there is an enemy which causes terror within 8".

A unit which fails its Terror test will flee away from the source of its terror in the same way as if it had failed its Break test in hand-to-hand combat or decided to flee from a charge. A unit being charged will flee immediately like any unit which flees from a charge. A unit attempting to charge or failing a test at the start of its turn will flee in its movement phase.

A unit which flees in terror from an enemy within 8" at the start of its turn may not attempt to rally that turn. It will flee in the compulsory part of its movement phase, in the same way as a unit which panics because of fleeing friends within 4" (see Panic).

Remember that only a single test is ever made for terror by any unit during the whole game, whether it is made because of a charge or because the unit finds itself within 8" of a terrifying monster.

Obviously a large monster is less likely to suffer from fear or terror itself. There is no way a huge Dragon is going to be scared of a Troll, for example. These special liabilities also apply to any rider of a large monster too, so a Dragon rider wouldn't be afraid of a creature that would frighten him were he on foot.

The following rules apply:

• A creature that causes fear is not affected by enemies that cause fear. Faced with an enemy that causes terror, a fear-causing monster only suffers fear, not terror. For example, a Troll causes fear and a Dragon causes terror. The Dragon is not at all worried by the Troll, but the Troll fears the Dragon.

• A creature that causes terror is not affected by fear or terror at all. For example, a Dragon rider is completely unworried by fear or terror because his mount causes terror.

It sometimes happens that an enemy unit of ordinary troops is led by a mighty hero or a monster which causes fear or terror. In this situation you must test for fear/terror if a charge will result in you fighting the hero or monster in question.

In the case of terror you must also test if you are within 8" of the creature at the start of your turn, but not necessarily because you are within 8" of the unit as a whole. However, if you are charging a unit of troops in the side or rear, so that you won't have to fight a monster in the front rank, then you do not have to test. Basically this is common sense - if you don't have to confront the beast then no test is required.

Many large and powerful creatures are unfortunately rather stupid. Even some otherwise quite intelligent creatures act stupidly now and again because they are readily confused or distracted, or perhaps because they are drugged or have been knocked insensible. The Stupidity rules represent the sort of slow wittedness or dumb behaviour which some especially stolid or stubborn beasts are prone to. Creatures that are stupid are indicated in the Armies books and include such monstrous creatures as Trolls.

Stupid creatures must make a test at the start of their turn to see whether they overcome their stupidity. Make a test for each unit of stupid troops. If you pass the test by rolling their Leadership value or less on 2D6 then all is well and good - the creatures behave reasonably intelligently and the player may move and fight with them as normal. Nothing untoward has occurred beyond a bit of drooling and the odd spontaneous cackle.

If the test is failed then all is not well. The following rules apply until the creatures' following turn when they must test once more to see whether they are overcome by stupidity.

1. If already in hand-to-hand combat half of the stupid creatures suddenly stop fighting. They stare around blankly and wonder where they are. If the unit has an odd number of models or if a stupid creature is fighting on its own then roll a D6. If the result is 4 or more the odd model fights; if not it stands around vacantly. Note that only stupid creatures are affected. If a unit contains stupid creatures and other creatures (a unit of Trolls led by a Goblin chieftain, for example) then the other creatures are not affected.

2. If not in hand-to-hand combat the unit momentarily forgets what it is doing. Roll a D6 to determine how the unit moves this turn. This is compulsory movement and so occurs before other movement but after charges have been declared (see the Movement section). Any non-stupid creatures with the unit must also move as described - thev are carried along by the movement of the rest of the unit and risk being trampled and squashed if they attempt to do otherwise.

Creatures affected by stupidity are quite unaware of anything happening around them, such is their state of confusion. Once overcome by stupidity they ignore all further psychology tests. This means that stupid creatures cannot be affected by panic, fear, etc, but they can still be broken in hand-to-hand combat by failing a Break test exactly as normal. Stupid troops which flee are not affected by stupidity until they have rallied, after which they must take Stupidity tests at the start of each of their subsequent turns.

It sometimes happens that a cavalry model will be riding a stupid creature, for example a Dark Elf riding a Cold One. If a rider's mount is stupid then he will have to test for stupidity at the start of his turn, but the rider's Leadership characteristic is used rather than that of the mount. If the test is failed the rider is obliged to hang on while the creature behaves in whatever bizarre manner the rules dictate, but the rider can fight normally if he gets the opportunity.

Certain warriors can work themselves into a fighting frenzy, a whirlwind of destruction or raging fury in which all concern for their personal safety is ignored in favour of mindless violence and liberal doses of mayhem. Many of these frenzied warriors are drugged or tranced, and have driven themselves into a psychotic frenzy with chanting, singing, yelling and screaming. These troops are described as frenzied. No psychology test is required for frenzy, and the following rules apply automatically.

Frenzied troops must always charge if there are enemy within charge reach when charges are declared. The player has no choice in the matter - the unit will automatically declare its charge.

Frenzied troops must always charge if there are enemy within charge reach when charges are declared. The player has no choice in the matter - the unit will automatically declare its charge.

Frenzied troops fight with double their Attack characteristic (A) in hand-to-hand combat. Troops with 1 Attack on their profile therefore have 2, troops with 2 Attacks double up to 4 and so on. If troops have an extra weapon then they receive +1 extra Attack for this as normal, so if they have 1 Attack on their profile they would receive 2+1 = 3 Attacks in total.

Frenzied troops always pursue fleeing enemy whether the player wants to or not. They must even pursue if they are defending an obstacle. Unlike other troops they may not attempt to hold back as they are far too crazed with battle lust.

Once they are within their own charge distance of enemy models frenzied units are not affected by other psychology. So long as they are within charge distance of the enemy they are immune to panic, fear, terror etc, and do not have to make these tests. Note that this immunity only extends to psychology tests, it does not include Break tests in hand-to-hand combat which must still be taken as normal.

Troops defeated in hand-to-hand combat, as determined by the combat results, are no longer frenzied. Their exuberant, crazed frenzy has been beaten out of them and they continue to fight as ordinary warriors for the rest of the battle.

Characters, such as heroes and wizards, are affected by further special rules for frenzy, as covered in the section on Heroes and Wizards (see page 59).

Hatred is a powerful emotion and instances of hatred and rivalry are commonplace in the Warhammer World. There are grudges borne over centuries, racial animosity bordering on madness, and irreconcilable feuds which have left generations of dead in their wake. Some races hate other races with such bitter conviction that they will fight almost to the death rather than flee from them. Like frenzy, no psychology test is taken for hatred.

The following rules apply.

• Troops who hate their hand-to-hand combat adversaries take any Break tests with a Leadership value of 10. They do not reduce this value regardless of the combat results, how many casualties they have suffered or other combat bonuses. This means they will never break unless they roll 11 or 12 on 2D6.

• Troops fighting hand-to-hand combat with a hated foe may re-roll any misses when they attack in the first turn of any combat. This bonus only applies in the first turn of a combat and represents the unit venting its pent up hatred on the foe. After the initial round of blood- mad hacking they lose some impetus and subsequently fight as normal for the rest of the combat.

• Troops who hate their enemy must always pursue them if they flee. They cannot attempt to avoid pursuit by testing their Leadership as other troops can.

All the models in a unit of troops carry the same weapons, so it will be a unit of spearmen, or halberdiers, and so forth. It is acceptable to include the odd model which is differently armed for the sake of variety whilst continuing to count the whole unit as identically armed, but it is important that the overall appearance of the unit is not misleading. For example, if it is a unit of spearmen then most of the troops must carry spears and where a few carry other weapons these are counted as spears regardless.

Many players like to mix models in a unit so that some are armed with swords, others spears, a few have double-handed axes, and so on. This is particularly effective with Goblins and Skaven, where you wouldn't really expect much uniformity amongst the masses. As far as the game is concerned a mixed unit is treated as if it were armed with hand weapons (axes, clubs, maces, swords and such like) even where it includes a mixture of other weapons. No special rules are applied to these units on account of their varied weaponry.

All troops are assumed to carry a sword, long dagger, or other comparable hand weapon. In addition, some troops carry another weapon such as a spear, double- handed axe or halberd. Troops armed in this way can choose to use their hand weapons rather than their other weapons if the player prefers, but must then continue to use hand weapons for the entire duration of the combat. For example, troops with double-handed axes might put them aside and fight with swords where they do not wish to strike last.

Hand weapons is the term used to describe all swords, axes, clubs, hammers, maces and other similar weapons wielded in one hand. The difference between these weapons is slight so they are all considered together. No additional rules apply to hand weapons - the normal rules assume troops are armed in this fashion.

This category includes all axes, swords, hammers and clubs that are so large they have to be wielded with two hands. These are ferocious weapons! A blow from a double-handed axe can cut a foe clean in half and easily break armour apart. The disadvantage is that they are very heavy to swing, so the bearer may be slain by a more nimble foe before he has a chance to strike.

1. Double-handed weapons require both hands to use. If the bearer has a shield he may not use it in hand-to-hand combat. It is assumed to be left on the ground or slung on his back during the fighting.

2. Double-handed weapons are heavy to swing and so leave the user vulnerable to a more lightly armed foe. Double-handed weapons always strike last regardless of which side charges or relative Initiative levels. If both sides are armed in this way the side with the highest Initiative strikes first.

3. Double-handed weapons confer a +2 Strength bonus on all hits. If the wielder's Strength is 3 then all hits from a double-handed weapon will be at Strength 5, for example. As the enemy's armour save is affected by the Strength of the hit, this will be reduced too. In the case of a Strength 5 hit the saving throw drops by -2.

Flails are swung with both hands and consist of heavy weights, often spiked, attached to a pole or handle by means of heavy chains. It is extremely tiring swinging these heavy and cumbersome weapons.

1. Troops using flails require both arms to swing them and cannot therefore use shields in hand-to- hand fighting. If they carry shields they are put aside or slung onto backs before the fighting begins.

2. In the first turn of any hand-to-hand combat troops equipped with flails add +2 to their Strength, so men with a Strength of 3 will hit with a Strength of 5 for example. Any enemy saves are taken with the modifier for fighting high Strength opponents.

3. In subsequent turns the flail users begin to tire and so do not receive any Strength bonus.

The halberd is a heavy bladed weapon mounted on a sturdy shaft. The steel blade has a point like a spear as well as a heavy cutting edge like an axe. It is held in both hands and used to chop as well as thrust, so it is a very adaptable and extremely effective weapon for infantry.

1. Troops equipped with a halberd require both arms to wield it and cannot use shields in hand-to-hand fighting. If they carry shields it is assumed they are slung onto their backs or placed on the ground before the fighting begins.

2. Halberds are heavy weapons and a mighty swing can cause considerable damage. Halberds therefore confer a +1 Strength bonus on all hits. A man with a Strength of 3 therefore hits with a Strength of 4 if fighting with a halberd. The Strength of a hit affects the armour save of the target, so this may be reduced as well. In the case of a human with a Strength of 3 a halberd hit has a Strength of 4 and -1 to save for instance.

Spears are useful weapons for both foot and horse, but they are used quite differently for each. A foot unit with spears is able to fend off enemy with a mass of spear points, making it an ideal defensive weapon. A cavalry unit armed with spears can employ them like lances to ride down enemy troops, spitting them as the horsemen ride into their ranks. The following rules reflect the advantages of foot and mounted soldiers equipped with a spear.

1. Infantry armed with spears may fight with two ranks of troops because warriors in the second rank can thrust their weapons forward past those fighting in front. This enables models directly behind front rank fighters to fight as well. However, this advantage only holds so long as the spearmen do not move. If they charge their careful formation is affected and they may only fight in a single rank that turn. Spearmen fight in two ranks if the enemy charge them while they stand their ground. This means that a block of spearmen makes a very good defensive formation, but is less well suited to attack.

2. Cavalry armed with a spear receive a +1 Strength bonus when they charge. If the wielder's Strength is 3, for example, his total Strength will be 4 when he charges. Note that this bonus only applies when the cavalryman charges and it only applies for that turn. Any hits at a Strength of 4 or more confer the extra modifier on the enemy's saving roll.

Cavalry armed with lances are the ultimate shock troops. When they crash into the enemy ranks their steel-tipped lances rip through armour and flesh, smashing bones and flinging foes to the ground. Lances are only effective as they charge, thereafter the warrior either drops his lance and fights on with a sword, or else he continues to use the butt of the lance to punch at his foe. It is very important that lance-armed cavalry successfully charge the enemy rather than allowing themselves to be charged. The charging side always has an advantage, but in the case of lancers this is greater than for any other troops.

1. Cavalry armed with lances receive a +2 Strength bonus when they charge. If the welder's Strength is 3, for example, his total Strength will be 5 when he charges. Note that this bonus only applies when the cavalryman charges and only for that turn. Any hits at a Strength of 4 or more confer the appropriate modifier on the enemy's saving roll.

We have already looked at the rules for bows, crossbows and other missile weapons in the rules for Shooting, but we have gathered them here to be complete. Some of these weapons have special rules.

Bows are probably the most common of all missile weapons in the Warhammer World. They are carried by most races and almost every army. No particular special rules apply to the bow.

Some creatures are too small to carry full-sized bows so they carry a short bow, basically a small bow with a reduced range. Some cavalry also carry a shortened bow which they can shoot more easily from horseback than a larger bow. Otherwise it is exactly the same as a bow.

The long bow is a powerful bow favoured by experienced archers. It can fire an arrow substantially further than an ordinary bow. Other than its longer range no special rules apply to the long bow.

The crossbow is a more complex device than an ordinary bow. It is very difficult to draw back the string of a crossbow once it has been fired: the shooter must either brace the weapon against the ground with his feet while he heaves the string up, or he must employ some kind of mechanical device such as a windlass or lever. This means that a crossbow inhibits the movement of its users compared to a bow, but it is much more powerful and has a longer range.

Troops may not move and fire a crossbow in the same turn. The weapon takes a long time to reload, so if the unit moves it may not shoot.

The repeating crossbow is a much lighter and less powerful type of crossbow that can be easily and quickly redrawn for firing. It has a magazine of bolts which allows a single bolt to drop into place ready for firing as the string is drawn. The repeating crossbow can fire a hail of shots in the time it takes to shoot one ordinary crossbow bolt.

You have the option of firing a repeating crossbow either once or twice during the shooting phase. If you fire once work out hits and damage exactly as normal in which case the weapon is identical to an ordinary bow. If you fire twice then each shot suffers a -1 to hit penalty due to decreased accuracy. Repeating crossbows may choose to fire either once or twice if they stand and shoot against a charging enemy.

The sling is another uncommon weapon, largely because it is no more powerful than a bow and has a shorter range. It is little more than a looped strip of cloth or leather into which a stone is placed. The sling is whirled about the slinger's head and the sling stone released towards the target. The one advantage of the sling is that you can vary the rate of fire by releasing the sling shot before you have worked up full impetus. This reduces the range but enables the slinger to shoot far faster.

A unit of slingers may fire twice in their shooting phase if they do not move in their movement phase. They cannot shoot at over half range (9") if they fire twice, but as all such shots count as short range they avoid the -1 penalty for shooting at long range. Note that slingers cannot fire twice when they stand and shoot against a charging enemy as there is insufficient time.

The javelin is a light spear. It is too flimsy to use in hand-to-hand fighting but is perfectly balanced for throwing at the enemy. It is not a very common weapon in the Warhammer World because it has a very short range. There are a few other weapons which are even less common but which work in a similar way, for example throwing knives, darts, and throwing axes. Note that these last are different weapons from the axes used in hand-to-hand combat, and that ordinary axes cannot be thrown.

All of these weapons are thrown by hand and they all depend upon the skill and strength of the caster for their effect. For the sake of completeness we have included these other weapons on the chart below. All of them use the same rules as javelins although they have different ranges.

1. Javelins and other thrown weapons have such a short range there is no need for the usual -1 penalty for shooting at over half range. Ignore this penalty.

2. Use the Strength of the warrior throwing the javelin to work out damage from hits. The javelin has no Strength of its own because its effectiveness depends on how hard it is thrown.
   
   Note that in the case of throwing axes the Strength is +1 on that of the thrower to represent the extra weight of the weapon.

3. Troops using javelins and other thrown weapons do not suffer the -1 to hit penalty for shooting and moving. This is because a run-up is helpful when throwing a javelin rather than a hindrance!

The hand gun is a simple firearm consisting of a metal barrel mounted onto a wooden stock. The gunpowder charge is ignited by poking a length of burning cord, or match as it is called, into a small touch hole. Some of the more advanced versions have levers and springs which hold the burning match and triggers which release the firing mechanism and fire the gun.

Gunpowder technology is not especially advanced so hand guns are not very reliable weapons: the gun barrels tend to burst and the powder often fails to fire. The greatest advantage of the hand gun over the bow or other old fashioned weapons is that the lead shot can penetrate the thickest armour.

1. A hand gun takes a complete turn to load so you may only fire every other turn. For example, if you fire in your first turn you cannot fire in the second turn, but you can fire again in your third turn.

2. You cannot move and fire a hand gun in the same turn, so if you move in your movement phase you are unable to fire that turn.

3. Hand gunners can adopt a formation of two ranks in order to increase their fire rate. The first rank can shoot and then you may either move the front rank to the rear or you can move the rear rank through to the front. This means that the models in the new front rank will not have fired, and they are free to shoot in their next turn. This is the only movement possible when a unit fires.

4. Hand guns are even better at penetrating armour than their Strength value of 4 suggests. Therefore the enemy must deduct a further -1 from his armour save, so the save modifier is -2 rather than -1 for a Strength 4 hit.

A pistol is simply a small hand gun fired by a spring mechanism. Pistols can be fired in hand-to-hand combat at point blank range as well as at longer ranges. Because pistols take a long time to reload it is usual to carry two, so that one is always ready for firing while the other is being reloaded.

1. A pistol takes a complete turn to reload, so you may only fire every other turn. If you have two pistols then you can fire one every turn.

2. A pistol can be used in hand-to-hand fighting as well as for shooting. A model with a sword or other weapon in one hand and a pistol in the other receives an extra Attack. In hand-to-hand fighting work out pistol shots exactly like attacks from a sword or other hand weapon. Successful hits are resolved with a Strength of 4 regardless of the firer's Strength. You don't have to reload a pistol in hand-to-hand fighting as it is assumed the pistols are also used as heavy clubs (many have weighted butts for this purpose) but after combat is over you cannot shoot with pistols if they were used in hand-to-hand fighting in the previous turn.

3. Pistols are even better at penetrating armour than their Strength value of 4 suggests. Therefore the enemy must deduct a further -1 from his armour save, so the save modifier is -2 rather than -1 for a Strength 4 hit.

Heroes are heroic individuals: people who are tougher, meaner and more powerful than the average warrior. Perhaps they are faster than a typical member of their race, maybe they are stronger, more skilled with weapons, or they could be natural leaders with the power to inspire others.

In reality an individual could have almost any combination of unique abilities, but on the tabletop we find it sufficient to divide heroes into three broad types: Champions, Heroes and Lords.

In some cases these are known by different names appropriate to their nation or race. Orc characters, for example, are known by the 'Orcy' titles of Bosses, Big Bosses and Warbosses.

Of course, these three types of valiant individual cannot really represent every nuance of distinction between mighty warriors, but it does enable us to fight with comparably powerful characters, whether they are goodly knights or the most rotten-hearted perpetrators of evil.

Champions, Heroes and Lords have superior characteristic values compared to ordinary members of their race as shown on the chart at the top of the next column.

For example, in the case of men the values are shown below.

In the case of Orcs the values are as follows. As you can see Orcs and Goblins have different names for the three types of character: a Champion is called a Boss, a Hero is a Big Boss, and a Lord a Warboss.

From these examples it is clear that the three types of character are quite different.

Champions are brave fighters, with an extra Attack in combat and superior Weapon Skill, but they are not especially good leaders. Champions are therefore useful individuals when it comes to bolstering the fighting power of a unit of troops, but they are not great war leaders.

Heroes are more resilient and even better fighters; they will fight on if they suffer a wound and provide extra leadership.

Lords are even better fighters and can take even more damage before they are slain, but their greatest value is their inspirational leadership and the extra confidence they instil in others. Although the Leadership bonus may seem quite small in relation to the value of a typical warrior (9 compared to 7 for a human warrior, for example) this is a BIG difference in game terms, as you will quickly discover.

Magic is everywhere in the Warhammer World, it permeates all living creatures and every inanimate thing. Its power is there to use for good or ill. Magic is almost as important as the fighting abilities of warriors, for it can make all the difference between victory and defeat. As a consequence, mighty rulers and noble lords employ their own wizards to protect them and fight on their behalf.

In the Empire the Emperor himself encourages the study of magic so that he may have powerful battle wizards to help fight his wars. In Ulthuan in the far west, the High Mages of the Elves practise the most potent of all sorceries. Even Orcs and Goblins, low minded as they are, have Shamans who can blast the enemy with raw magic. Of all the intelligent races of the Old World only the Dwarfs have no wizards. Their skills lie in the manufacture of fabulous magical artifacts and enscribing runes of power.

There are four levels of wizard: Wizard, Wizard Champion, Master Wizard and Wizard Lord. As with heroes these four types are not intended to represent every possible variation in an individual's abilities; they are useful categories that enable us to match comparable wizards against each other.

For example, in the case of men the values are as shown below.

Wizards wear little or no armour even in the thick of battle, as large amounts of metal upset their magic harmonics and inhibit the use of their powers. Instead they are likely to be protected by powerful spells and magic items. Many wizards wear decorative vambraces, wrist bands, and smaller pieces of armour, but this is insufficient to warrant a saving throw or to affect their ability to cast spells.

A wizard mounted as a cavalry model may ride a horse with barding armour without affecting his own ability to cast spells. Otherwise a wizard wearing armour may not cast spells, not even spells that are bound within a magic item. This does not stop the wizard using other magic items however. The exception to this rule is Chaos armour, which is saturated with magic, and does not therefore prevent a Chaos Sorcerer casting spells (see the separate Warhammer Magic supplement).

The complete rules for wizards, spellcasting, and many magic items are covered by the separate Warhammer Magic game. We have included a selection of magic items in Warhammer to give players a taste of what it is like to use magic. Refer to the Magic section of the rulebook for a description of how these work.

A character model is moved and fights as an individual piece, except that he may also join up with and fight alongside units of troops as described below.
When a character moves he must take into account any penalties for crossing terrain and obstacles as normal, but because he is not part of a larger formation he does not have to change direction by turning or wheeling he can change direction freely as he moves. So, a character can move a fraction of his movement distance, head off in another direction, move a little more, change direction again, and so on.

Note that a character's freedom to move doesn't mean he can shoot at or charge an enemy he cannot see. He must still be able to see his enemy when charges are declared. Similarly, he cannot dash round the side of a unit to charge in the rear if he begins his move in front of it.

Because characters can turn freely as they move they can be turned to face any direction once they have moved in order to see a target the character intends to shoot at, for example.

The exception to this rule is if the character makes a compulsory move, such as a charge, flee or pursuit, in which case the model must finish its move facing the direction of travel. Obviously, in this situation the character is far too preoccupied with what is in front of him to worry about looking round for fresh targets.

Characters moving on their own are allowed to march just like formations of troops, although in their case this represents their freedom to move as they will, natural dynamism and an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time (in true heroic fashion!). Individual characters can march at double their normal Movement distance.

A unit of troops can include a single Champion character. Champions are often extremely strong, tough or astute members of their race, and comrades look up to them and take pride in their prowess. Although Champions are characters, they are also members of their regiment and always fight as part of it, moving, attacking, fleeing, and pursuing alongside the unit as a whole. If the unit has any special rules which apply to it, then these also apply to the Champion. Unlike other characters a Champion never moves and fights on his own, and can never leave his unit or join others.

The Champion is always armed and equipped in the same way as the rest of his unit, barring the addition of a single magic weapon or armour. See the Magic section.

The Champion can also be the unit's commander, although units can have a separate leader and Champion model if you prefer. Except where noted elsewhere, the Champion is always placed towards the centre of the front rank along with the unit's leader, standard and musician.

Apart from Champions, who always fight as part of their regiment as described above, characters can move and fight on their own. In effect, they are individual units of one model. During the battle a character can join a unit of ordinary troops, in which case he becomes part of that unit until he leaves it.

To join a unit of troops a character has only to move so that he is touching it. Once he has joined the unit the model is automatically placed in its front rank. Note that a character will inevitably use up a proportion of his move to reach the unit he is joining. If the unit has not already moved then its further movement is limited to that remaining to the character; any movement lost represents time wasted waiting for the character.

Although characters are normally placed in the front rank of a unit they join, if the unit is already engaged in combat then the character may be placed anywhere in order to fight an enemy - even at the sides or rear of the formation. However, once combat is over the character is automatically placed in his rightful place in the front rank.

Except in the circumstances noted below, a character who is part of a unit of troops can leave during the movement phase. A character is able to leave one unit of troops and join another if you so wish, but note that he is unable to join and leave the same unit in a single turn.

A character may never leave a unit of troops while it is subject to some compulsory movement rule. For example he cannot leave a unit which is fleeing, which has declared a charge, which has rallied that turn (because it cannot move) or which is engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

If a unit declares a charge any characters included in it must charge too. Once hand-to-hand fighting has begun a character will not be able to leave a unit he has joined until all the fighting is over and any compulsory movement such as fleeing and pursuit has been resolved.

A character cannot leave a unit he is with by charging unless obliged to do so by some psychology rule (such as Frenzy) or other special rule. As he is part of the unit when charges are declared he cannot be treated as a separate unit in his own right.

If a character forms part of a unit of troops then his maximum movement will be dictated by the unit as a whole. He simply moves along like an ordinary member of the unit. If the character moves more slowly than his unit then the whole unit will have to slow down so that he can can keep up!

If a unit is engaged in combat and a character is positioned in the formation such that he cannot fight, perhaps because he is in the front rank and the formation has been charged in the rear, or because the enemy unit is smaller and the character is stranded beyond the fighting, then the player is allowed to move the character into a position where he can fight in his next movement phase. Simply swap the character for a trooper model that is already fighting. This can mean the character loses the chance to fight in the first turn of combat.

Note that although the above rule allows a character to move within a unit in order to fight an enemy, he cannot move once he is already fighting. For example, he cannot move from the front to the rear if he is already fighting to the front, he must stay where he is and fight the enemy he is touching. Nor can a character move into a non-fighting rank to avoid fighting unless he is deliberately refusing a challenge as described later.

The Shooting rules are written from the point of view of units of troops firing upon other units of troops. A character moving around on his own is treated as a unit consisting of one model. In this respect a character is a viable target just like a regiment of infantry.

However, in reality a lone individual would be likely to escape the notice of enemy on the battlefield, strewn as it is with stragglers from destroyed regiments, wounded making their way back to camp, and the inevitable confusion and debris of conflict. The following rules represent the fact that characters are harder to shoot at than larger units of troops.

A character model more than 5" from a friendly unit of five or more models can be shot at without restriction. Characters prone to jumping up and down in front of the enemy are asking for it, so it serves them right if they get shot!

A character model within 5" of a friendly unit of five or more models can only be picked out as a target if he is the closest possible target. This restriction enables characters to move around behind the battlelines without attracting an unrealistic and unreasonable amount of missile fire.

If a character is part of a unit which consists of at least five models in total then he cannot be shot at. Any shots against the unit will hit ordinary troopers and not the character. If the unit drops in size to less than five models, then further hits are randomised in a suitable way. For example, in the case of a unit consisting of two ordinary models and a character, there is a 1 in 3 chance of hitting the character so roll a D6 for each hit scored. In this case any roll of 1, 2, 3 or 4 shows an ordinary model has been hit; a roll of 5 or 6 indicates the character is hit.

If a character is substantially larger than the troops he is with or near to, then he can be picked out as a target regardless of the rules given above. If a character rides a horse then he will stand out amongst a unit of infantry, if he rides a Dragon he will be an obvious target amongst a unit of cavalry, and so on.

When deliberately shooting at a man-sized character model, either on foot or cavalry, there is a -1 to hit penalty as described in the Shooting section. This is because the normal chance of hitting assumes the target is massed up in ranks. This is not the case when you are shooting at a single character, especially if there are other potential targets to distract the shooter's attention.

Note that this -1 does not apply if you are shooting at a character who is riding a large monster as described in the Monsters section. In such a case the shooter does not suffer the -1 penalty and benefits from the + 1 to hit a large target as well.

When a unit closes with its enemies in hand-to-hand fighting character models will inevitably find themselves confronted by enemy troops. As described in the Close Combat section, models can attack any enemy models whose base they are touching.

Troopers confronted by character models will usually have the option of attacking a character or ordinary enemies, as bases will usually overlap slightly when models move into combat. Where a player has a choice of attacking characters or ordinary troops, he must nominate which models he is striking against before rolling to hit.

Characters often come face-to-face with enemy characters, and the same choice applies to them as to other models - they may attack any enemy whose base they are touching. If a character has more than 1 Attack he can divide his attacks amongst characters and ordinary troops as described in the Close Combat section. The challenge is an important exception to this rule as described below.

As with combat between ordinary warriors, casualties inflicted by a character can extend beyond the models the character is touching. If a character has, say, 4 Attacks and is facing 2 enemy troopers then his attacks are worked out against these. However, if the character scores sufficient wounds to slay 3 or 4 models then the enemy unit loses 3 or 4 troopers, not just 2.

Don't be fooled by the fact that models are static and the battle lines rigid and straight. What is represented is real combat! Heroes are just the type to strike boldly left and right, stepping forward to deliver fresh attacks, cutting down foes who step forwards to block a gap.

If a character attacks an enemy character, or another individual model such as a monster, then any excess wounds caused by those attacks are not carried over onto ordinary troopers fighting alongside. The attacker has chosen to concentrate his attacks on a single special foe and any wounds left over are wasted and do not count towards the result of the combat. The exception to this rule is during the challenge as described below.

In each turn before working out any hand-to-hand combat, each side is allowed to issue challenges as described below. The challenge represents one-on-one combat between powerful rivals, the final showdown between mighty adversaries in the midst of battle.

One challenge can be issued in each combat that is being fought. For each combat start with the player whose turn it is. The player can choose one character model from amongst those already fighting to make a challenge.

The second player has the option of refusing or meeting a challenge. If he refuses then no challenge takes place, and the refusing player must retire a character from the combat as described below. The challenger fights normally in the following combat. If the challenge is accepted the player selects one of his characters from those already fighting in the combat to take up the challenge.

If the player whose turn it is does not issue a challenge then his opponent may issue one himself. The other player may then accept or decline in the same way. However, note that a challenge cannot be issued unless there is a character to fight ordinary troopers or monsters cannot take up a challenge.

Note that in order to participate in a challenge, either to issue it or to meet it, a character must be fighting in combat already. This means the model must actually be positioned base-to-base against an enemy model. A character who is not already fighting, for example because he is in the front of a formation which has been attacked in the rear, cannot take part in a challenge.

If a challenge is refused then the declining player must retire one character nominated by his opponent. The retiring character is removed from the engaged rank and placed at the back of the formation. The retired character may not fight or do anything else that turn. The (so-called) hero has chosen to hide away behind his fellows rather than face the challenger one-on-one. The retired character is automatically returned to a fighting rank at the end of that hand-to-hand combat phase ready to fight in the following turn.

Once a challenge is accepted the two rivals are moved in the ranks so that they are opposite each other. If the models are especially large it may be more convenient to remove them altogether and place them beside the fighting units. When combat is worked out these two will fight together. No other models may attack them even if their bases are touching, and no Other models may shoot at them or use magic to attack them. Once the challenge is underway no further challenges may be issued in that combat until one character is slain. The challenge might therefore last over several turns of combat.

If characters are riding monsters or steeds which have their own attacks then these fight during the challenge as well as their rider. If the character is riding a chariot then no other crew can fight, but creatures pulling the chariot can fight.

Any attacks from a chariot impact are worked out as usual, ie before the rest of the combat and before any challenge. Because any wounds inflicted represent impact damage they do not count towards the challenge, although they will count towards the overall combat result as normal.

Although Greater Daemons are not characters in the normal sense they are powerful individuals with a sense of heroic pride and honour. Greater Daemons can make challenges and can take up a challenge in the same way as another character.

Note that this exception applies only to Greater Daemons, not to other daemons, and not to large monsters such as Dragons or Giants.

Sometimes a single character, possibly mounted on a huge monster, will attack a unit of troops. If the single character finds himself challenged he cannot refuse as he has no formation to hide behind.

Excess wounds caused when attacking characters are normally discounted because all the effort of these attacks goes into fighting the character. As any excess wounds are not inflicted they are not counted towards the combat result. However, when fighting a challenge any excess wounds scored do count towards the combat result, even though they are not actually inflicted. This is called the Overkill rule.

The Overkill rule represents the situation where troops are watching their hero battling for his life against his adversary. All eyes are focussed on the mighty clash and both sides are yelling encouragement. If the troops see their Champion crushed to a bloody pulp before their eyes they will inevitably get a bit upset and might decide to turn tail and run rather than stick around for a dose of the same.

In practical terms the Overkill rule means that it is a positive advantage to crush a challenged enemy as overwhelmingly as possible. It also means that players will benefit if they meet a challenge with as powerful a character as possible. Players are advised to avoid taking on especially dangerous opponents with lowly Champions, although, of course, even the most modest character will generally do better than an ordinary trooper.

If a unit of troops includes a character it may use the character's Leadership value for any Leadership-based tests it takes. Where a unit includes several characters use the highest Leadership amongst them. This is a very important rule, as it provides units of poor troops with the leadership they need. This is especially true of Goblins, which are all but useless without a proper character to lead them. Leadership is important because it is used for psychology tests, Rally tests, and also for Break tests in combat.

The exception to this rule concerns units that are skirmishing. Skirmishing units do not benefit from the leadership of a character who is with them, their formation is too dispersed and it is therefore impossible to communicate the character's orders from man to man (see Skirmishers).

While a character is with a unit of troops he is considered to be part of the unit in all respects. This means that if the unit flees then he must flee with them at the same speed, if the unit pursues then he must pursue, if the unit declares a charge then he must charge as part of it. Some implications of this are discussed in the following paragraph.

If a unit of troops panics, or is forced to flee because of a Fear or Terror test, then any character who is part of the unit must also flee even if he is immune to panic, fear or terror. If a unit is affected by frenzy or forced to pursue because of hatred, any character must move along with the unit but does not benefit from any bonus for these unless he is affected by frenzy/hatred himself. In other words, a character does not go into a frenzy just because he is with a unit that can do so, although he has no choice but to accompany them when they charge.

If a unit is affected by stupidity any characters must move as the unit moves, although a character can always fight normally unless he is stupid himself. Remember, a character cannot leave a unit when it turns stupid and stands still or moves stupidly because such a unit is bound by a compulsory movement rule, the character must therefore stay put. We can imagine he is trying to goad the stupid creatures into activity, or perhaps he is pinned down or hemmed in by the dribbling brutes and unable to move of his own volition.

If a character is liable to a psychological rule which doesn't apply to the rest of the unit, he must make any appropriate tests on his own and will react on his own. This can sometimes cause the character to separate involuntarily from the unit. For example if he is obliged to charge because of frenzy, compelled to pursue because of hatred, or forced to move or stand immobile due to stupidity.

Some shooting weapons such as stone throwers have an area template that the firer is allowed to place anywhere he wishes. This allows the player to deliberately aim his shot on a character model. Cannons also allow you to choose exactly where to aim shots, and so can be aimed directly against characters.

In the case of missile weapons that can be aimed in this way, there is a special rule which allows characters to either jump out of the way, throw themselves to the ground, or somehow avoid destruction by their amazing luck or uncanny reactions. This is intended to prevent characters becoming targets for these weapons in a manner which is unrealistic, unfair and definitely unheroic!

This rule applies to all missile weapons which work in a different way to ordinary shooting, and which are not therefore restricted by the rules regarding shooting at characters described above.

A character model who is part of a larger unit may be lucky enough to avoid death from cannon shot, a boulder from a stone thrower, or a comparable missile, thanks to a warning shouted by a comrade. Possibly one of his companions shoves him out of the way, or pushes him to the ground. A trooper spots the fateful missile heading towards his leader, and shouts "Look out, Sir!" or some such warning, and hopefully alerts the character in time for him to duck or adroitly avoid the hurtling missile. The missile slips past the character and hits the man standing beside or behind him.

If a character is part of a unit and is hit by cannon fire, a stone thrower, or other missiles not governed by the normal target restriction, then roll a D6. On the roll of 6 the character fails to hear the warning and is hit by the missile. Work out damage as normal. On the roll of 1 to 5 the character is alerted to the danger and avoids the missile. The character is not hit and the missile strikes another model instead, so transfer the hit onto an adjacent model in the unit.

Note that some magic spells work like conventional shooting, in which case the normal rules for shooting at characters with arrows, etc, will apply. In other cases magic works in different ways, either like cannons or stone throwers or differently altogether. This is covered in detail in the separate Warhammer Magic supplement together with rules for spellcasting and magic items.

If a character is riding a creature that causes fear or terror, then the entire combined model of rider and mount is assumed to cause fear or terror. The rider is only affected by fear and terror in the same way as the mount he is riding and any tests that are required are taken using the rider's Leadership. See the Psychology section for a detailed explanation of how this works. For example, a Dragon causes terror and so is unaffected by fear or terror - it is a huge monster and is hardly likely to be upset by smaller less frightening creatures. A Dragon rider is also immune to fear and terror. Perched on top of a huge Dragon his courage is bolstered beyond the point where he has to worry about such things.

If a monster is subject to some inhibiting psychological effect, such as hatred or stupidity, then the appropriate tests must be made. However, all Leadership tests can be taken using the rider's Leadership characteristic. This represents the rider's ability to control the beast and impose his own will over the creature's natural instincts.

If the monster is affected by frenzy, stupidity, hatred or whatever, it will carry its rider along with it, but the rider himself is not affected by the psychological reaction. So, if a monster goes stupid and is unable to fight this does not affect the rider who may fight on as normal.

The same rule applies to monsters pulling chariots: any psychological tests are taken using the best Leadership value of the chariot crew.

Remember that a character riding a large monster does not benefit from the -1 to hit when being shot at. This penalty only applies when shooting at roughly man-sized characters on foot or as cavalry. Also, the rider and monster will suffer from the + 1 to hit when shot at because they represent a large target.

The rules for frenzied warriors have already been discussed in the Psychology section and can affect characters as well as ordinary troops. Frenzied characters often have many attacks, and the stress and strain placed upon them is considerable. There is only so much that mortal flesh and blood can stand! To represent this a special test is required. Work out a character's attacks and afterwards roll 2D6. If the dice score is greater than the character's total number of attacks, then the individual has survived the insane bout of mad hacking without suffering any harm. If the dice score is less than or equal to the total number of attacks then the individual reduces his Attacks characteristic value by -1 for the rest of the game. As a frenzied character's Attacks are doubled, this will effectively reduce his Attacks by 2.

Once a character has 1 Attack on his profile no further tests are necessary. His Attacks characteristic cannot be reduced to less than 1.

We have invented three types of hero and four types of wizard in order to give us a variety of different characters. However, we can easily imagine all kinds of wild individuals with different characteristic values from those given for Champions, Heroes, Lords and Wizards. The characters described above are 'standard' types. They are typically representative of their race, and of the sort of heroes and wizards you can expect to find in a Warhammer army. Variant types of character, those differing from the standard types, are referred to as 'special characters'.

Special characters are the Warhammer equivalent of famous warleaders and mages, individuals renowned amongst their own kind and abhorred by their enemies. For example there are the mighty leaders of nations such as the Emperor Karl-Franz of the Empire, Orc and Goblin Warlords such as Grom the Paunch of Misty Mountain, Malekith the Witch King of the Dark Elves, and many more besides. There are also important military leaders and high ranking nobles, such as Bretonnian dukes, Elector Counts from the Empire, and devious Skaven Seers. All of these special characters are quite different from the standard types. Some are better fighters than others, but some are better leaders, while many carry specific magical weapons or ride large monsters.

Numerous special characters are described in the Warhammer Armies books and other Warhammer supplements and, of course, players can get together and make up their own if they wish. After all, who can resist the temptation to create a mighty leader of armies in their own image, to paint and perhaps even model him to suit their heroic vision, to name and invent a past for their character, and to fight him in battle after battle!

Large monsters can fight as if they were a unit consisting of one model in the same way as heroes and wizards. Also like characters, they do not have to turn or wheel to change direction, but can pivot about on the spot without penalty. See the section on Heroes and Wizards for more details.

If you have several monsters of the same type then you can choose to form them into a single unit or 'monster pack' if you wish, but you do not have to do so. The advantage of lumping monsters together is that they will benefit from making all Leadership tests on the best Leadership value of the group in exactly the same way as a unit of troops led by a heroic character. For example, a Dragon rider could be accompanied by a pack including other Dragons, and the whole would benefit from his Leadership (Ld).

When fighting in a monster pack each model must be within 5" of another in the same group forming a rough line or clump. In the same way as squadrons of chariots, the monster pack does not have to adopt a formation as such and is therefore referred to as a 'loose' unit. The models are still moved individually but must remain within their monster pack for the duration of the game.

Large monsters are most commonly employed as mounts for characters. A monster and its rider or riders count as a single model in the same way as a cavalry model although different rules apply.

Horses, wolves, warboars and other similar sized creatures that only have 1 wound are covered by the rules already described for cavalry. As you will recall, a mounted knight is a cavalry model. If the knight is slain then the complete model is removed including the horse he is riding. To represent the value of the horse and to make cavalry appropriately resilient an extra +1 is added to the knight's saving throw, but otherwise no account is made of separate casualties for mount and rider.

This system is fine for these smaller creatures, but obviously wouldn't work for big monsters such as Dragons which are far larger and much more difficult to kill than a horse or a wolf.

If a mount has 2 or more wounds then it is classed as a 'monster' and the following rules are used for riders and mounts. These rules would therefore apply to a hero riding a Griffon, a wizard mounted on a Wyvern, a Dragon and its lordly rider, and so on. No additional +1 is added to the rider's saving throw, as the advantages of riding the monster are worked out in other ways instead.

As a single model the monster and its rider are considered to be a single target. It is not possible to shoot specifically at either rider or mount. All shots are taken against the whole model and any hits are randomised between the rider and monster as described below.

When you shoot at a character riding a monster the usual restrictions for shooting at characters apply as explained the the section on Heroes and Wizards. However, monsters are so big that the chance of being able to find a unit of comparably sized creatures to shelter inside or nearby is rather slim. A character riding a big monster is therefore easy to pick out as a target. Because the monster is a large target the enemy adds +1 to his to hit score.

The normal -1 to hit that applies to man-sized characters on foot or as cavalry does not apply to characters who are riding monsters. The whole target is simply so obvious that there is no doubt as to where the character is! You might wish to re-read the rules for shooting at characters in the Heroes and Wizards section to clarify this.

When shooting at a large monster and its rider roll to hit the model as normal, adding +1 because the monster is a large target. Once you have established how many hits have been scored you must apportion them between the rider and the monster. For each hit scored roll a D6:

Work out wounds separately on the rider and his mount. Take any saving throws due to the target as normal. Most monsters do not have an armour saving throw as they have no armour, but some have scaly hide which confers a separate save. Riders are permitted saves for their armour, but remember they do not receive the additional +1 as do cavalry riding smaller creatures.

If a monster has two or more riders (a very unusual combination) then randomise hits to see which rider is hit and work out any resultant wounds on that individual. If models are glued in place (as is likely) it will be necessary to make a note of any casualties suffered.

If a rider is slain and suffers more wounds than he has on his profile any excess wounds are discounted. They are not carried through onto the monster, nor onto a second rider if the monster has two riders. Similarly, any excess wounds inflicted on the monster are discounted, they are not carried over onto the rider.

Where monsters are fighting as part of a monster pack wounds are never carried over from one monster to another. In this respect ridden monsters and chariots follow the same rules for excess wounds.

In hand-to-hand combat the enemy is faced with a deadly monster and, more often than not, a potent hero as well. The monster attacks using its own characteristics, and the rider attacks separately using his characteristics. As the monster and rider are likely to have different Initiative values they might strike their blows at different times. These attacks are worked out entirely normally, one batch for the rider and one batch for the monster.

When it comes to attacking back, the enemy will be faced with two potential targets, the rider and the monster. The enemy can choose to direct his attacks against either the rider or the monster, and can distribute attacks between them in any way he likes. The opposing player must state how many attacks are against the monster and how many are against the rider before he rolls any dice, otherwise all attacks are assumed to be against the rider.

Attacks are worked out exactly as normal, and the score required to hit will depend upon the relative values of the monster or the rider's Weapon Skill, like all hand-to-hand fighting.

Wounds must be recorded separately for the rider and his mount. If the mount is slain then the rider may continue to fight on foot if you have a separate model to represent him. If the rider is slain the monster will behave in an erratic fashion, possibly going wild and attacking its own side or running rampant among both armies. Remember that these big monsters are often hand-reared by their masters, and so are likely to go uncontrollably wild if their rider is slain. Roll a D6 and refer to the Monster Reaction Table to determine how the monster reacts for the rest of the game.

Large unridden monsters can be included in most armies as described in the Warhammer Armies books. Such creatures are ferocious and dangerous, and appear on the battlefield only because they are bound by powerful spells or their masters have spent a lifetime training them.

In the hurly-burly of battle such creatures do not always react as their commander might wish. They might break free of their binding spells or be overcome by their natural instincts. Creatures affected by this rule are indicated in the Warhammer Bestiary section of the Battle Book.

Only unridden monsters need to take a Bound Monsters test. Test at the start of the turn for each bound monster. Roll 2D6 against the monster's Leadership value as you would for a psychology test. Always use the monster's own Leadership; it cannot benefit from the Leadership of a character or the general. If the score is more than the monster's Leadership roll a D6 to discover what it does that turn.

Models that have wings are normally capable of flight and for the sake of convenience are termed 'flyers'. Flyers are moved during the player's movement phase along with other models.

Most flyers are also capable of moving along the ground by walking or running. If a flyer has a Movement characteristic value (M) this represents its ground movement in the same way as any other model. When moving along the ground using its Movement characteristic all the usual movement rules apply as described in the Movement section.

A flyer may either fly or move along the ground, but cannot combine both in the same turn.

In the Warhammer game, flight is represented by a "long swoop' or 'glide' of up to 24". The flyer starts off on the ground, takes off, flies to where it wishes to go, and then lands.

Flyers therefore begin and end their movement on the ground. The exception to this is 'flying high', as explained later. Flyers do not benefit from the extra move distance conferred on ground moving models by charging or marching. They cannot march, and they charge at their normal speed as explained below.

A flyer may charge an enemy within its 24" flight move. The charge must be declared in the normal way, and the enemy has the usual response options. The flying move is not doubled as is a ground charge.

Flyers suffer no movement penalties for changing direction, overflying scenery, or crossing obstacles. Flying creatures may overfly other models, including enemy troops, without penalty.

Flyers may not move, land in or take off from within a wood or from any terrain feature that both players consider would not allow it. Flyers may not land on top of enemy formations - if they wish to attack an enemy they must engage in combat as described below. If flyers wish to enter a wood they must land outside it and walk inside using their ground movement.

Most flyers are large monsters but some units of troops can fly: Harpies, for example. Where flyers fight in units the same rules apply, but the unit must remain whole just like any other unit. So, the entire unit will charge, fly high, and so forth.

Flying units must keep to a formation like other troops. However, if the models are mounted on flying bases or have very broad wingspans, it will be impractical to arrange them base-to-base to manoeuvre in the conventional manner. Instead, they are placed next to each other as closely as possible and individual models move freely in order to change formation or face a different direction.

A flyer is able to use its lengthy flight move to charge into hand-to-hand combat. Regardless of which direction the flyer comes from, the model is always placed against the middle of the target unit's front if possible. However, if the target is already engaged in hand-to-hand combat to its front, then flyers can be positioned to the sides if the attack comes from the flank or to the rear if it comes from behind. This represents the flyer charging down upon his foe with a series of swoops or passes. In reality the flyer is wheeling above the unit, making attacks against models within it. However, this is difficult to represent on the tabletop, and for this reason combats are worked out against the target's front.

Hand-to-hand combat between flyers and their enemies is worked out in the same way as other combat except that they never suffer the 6 to hit penalty when attacking troops behind a defended obstacle. Work out casualties for both sides and calculate the combat results as normal. The losing side must take a Break test and if it fails the test must flee just like in any other combat.

The distance flyers flee is based on their flying move rather than their ground move. The normal flee distance for flyers is therefore 3D6" in common with all models whose move is more than 6". If flyers must flee along the ground due to some constraint which prevents them flying, then they flee 2D6" or 3D6" depending on their Movement characteristic value like other troops. For example, if they are in the middle of a wood, or if they are under some magical influence which prevents them flying.

Flyers pursue fleeing enemy in exactly the same way as ordinary troops. Their normal pursuit rate is therefore 3D6" and the same comments apply as for fleeing.

This rule is unique to flying creatures and it represents the way in which highly mobile flying creatures can be forced to back away from combat by stubborn resistance. The rule only applies to flyers that are capable of flying at the time - if fighting inside a wood or if unable to fly for whatever reason, then flyers are not driven off.

If flyers lose a combat, but pass their Break test and so do not flee, then they are automatically driven off instead. This means they have been beaten away by their foes' stubborn resistance and forced to fly out of their immediate reach. The models are immediately moved 3D6" away from the enemy as if they were fleeing, except that they can turn to face whatever direction they wish at the end of their move.

Driven off models are free to move and fight normally once they have moved. They are not fleeing and other than being driven away from combat suffer no penalties. Although they have been driven off they have not been broken and the enemy does not pursue.

Characters riding flying creatures who are engaged in a challenge are driven off in the same way as other troops, thereby bringing the challenge to an end.

A flyer may choose to 'fly high' during his turn instead of making a normal flying move. This represents a flyer ascending far into the air above the battlefield. All that observers on the ground can see is a tiny black dot amongst the clouds. These rules represent models flying high, diving down onto the battlefield, and engaging in combat against each other above the clouds.

By necessity the rules are rather long, but large flying creatures are rare and special, so it's worth the extra effort involved! However, we would recommend that players ignore these special rules until they have learned and used the rest of the flying rules. Some players prefer to ignore the Flying High rules altogether, and if you and your opponent are so minded there is no reason why you shouldn't do so - simply assume that high winds make it impossible to fly high.

At the start of his movement phase, when charges are declared, the player also declares which of his flying models will fly up high. These models are removed from the tabletop during the movement phase. Any models which fly up high are placed on a side table, or some other convenient spot designated for all models from either side which are up high. The model is now said to be 'high' or 'up high'.

A flying model that is already up high at the start of its turn may either remain where it is or dive down onto a designated point on the battlefield (but not into a wood!).

A model may not fly high unless it is already on the table at the start of the turn. A model cannot therefore begin the game flying high. Similarly, a model cannot fly high on any turn in which it re-enters the battlefield, for example if it pursued an enemy off the table.

A model may not fly high if it is subject to some compulsory movement rule or a rule which prevents it flying. For example, if engaged in combat at the start of the turn, if fleeing, when pursuing, or if it is in a wood and therefore unable to fly.

A model which is up high at the start of the turn can dive down anywhere onto the battlefield. The player declares the model is diving at the start of the movement phase at the same time as declaring charges.

To dive down onto the battlefield the player nominates a spot and places the model accordingly. The model has completed its move for that turn.

A player can dive directly onto an enemy unit by means of a diving charge. The charge is declared in the normal way at the start of the movement phase.

The model dives onto an enemy unit and is placed at the unit's front unless the enemy is already frontally engaged, in which case it may be placed at the side or rear in the same way as a normal flyer's attack.

The normal charge responses can be made against a diving charge (stand and shoot, hold or flee). Stand and shoot responses are made at the maximum range of the weapon (as is normal for charges from beyond a weapon's maximum range).

If an enemy flees from a dive then the attacking model is placed in its nominated position and may move no further. The flying model does not chase the fleeing enemy and is considered to have expended its entire movement by diving. Troops fleeing from such an attack will therefore always escape. Preferred targets for dive attacks will therefore be enemy already engaged in combat, or static targets such as war engines (whose crews may flee none-the-less).

All flying models that are up high, from both sides, are placed together on a side table or suitable location away from the game. They are assumed to be wheeling around each other and aware of each other's presence above the battlefield. They may attack each other with 'glancing blows' as described below, but note that they are not affected by psychology in respect to other models which are high. This is because of the fleeting nature of aerial warfare, where it is easy to wheel out of danger and avoid confrontation.

Whilst up high a model may not shoot weapons at troops on the table, cast spells on to the table, or do anything to troops on the table. Similarly, a model that is up high cannot be shot at by troops on the table or have spells cast upon it by wizards on the table. The process of flying high puts you above and beyond the battlefield.

A model that is up high may attack an enemy model that is also up high. These attacks represent glancing blows inflicted while the combatants swoop and climb, circling round each other and 'dog fighting' in the sky. Glancing blows are worked out differently from ordinary combat. All combat fought whilst flying up high is struck in this way; ordinary combat is never fought between models that are up high.

In the close combat phase the player whose turn it is may strike glancing blows with models which are up high against enemy models which are also up high. No charge needs to be declared, the player simply pairs off his model against his opponent's model.

The player may choose which of his models will attack which enemy model/s, and he may decide to attack all of his models against the same enemy if he wishes.

Glancing blows are fought as follows. The attacker makes all his attacks in the normal waY, including any attacks from ridden monsters. So, roll to hit, and roll to wound as normal. If fighting against a monster and rider, work out which is hit exactly as you would for combat on the ground. Take any saving throws exactly as you normally would.

Once the attacker has struck his glancing blows the combat is over. There is no combat result, no Break tests are taken and neither model will flee or pursue. The attacker has pounced, struck his blows, and the two models have parted.

Note that the model which has been attacked does not strike glancing blows. Only the player whose turn it is fights. This is very different from normal combat, and represents the fleeting, momentary fighting as an attacker swoops upon and past his enemy.

As well as single large monsters and their riders, some units of troops can also fly, such as Harpies for example. In this case the unit acts as a body, and the entire unit will attack a single target.

Similarly, the entire unit is considered as a target for glancing blows, so it is possible to kill several models as a result of an attack.

If the rider of a monstrous creature is killed whilst flying up high, then the monster will fly off, away from the battlefield, and takes no further part in the game.

If a rider's mount is killed then the rider is in trouble. He will plummet to the ground slightly away from the battlefield area and is killed by the fall. Actually, he is more killed by the ground, but I'm sure you get the idea.

While up high models may not shoot missile weapons, use breath template weapons, or cast spells against each other. Although we can imagine how these things might be possible, it would take many pages of extra rules to add this level of detail. More properly, such detail belongs to a separate game or supplement, and who knows, maybe we will deal with aerial combat in a future game.

A chariot, including its crew and the creatures pulling it, is considered to be a single model in the same way as a powerful character riding a large monster. In fact, you can think of the chariot as being another kind of monster, albeit one constructed from wood and iron rather than flesh and blood!

Chariots can move and fight individually in the same way as character models or large monsters. Each chariot is, in effect, a unit of one model. This is how most players prefer to use their chariots and it is most appropriate where there are only a few chariots on each side.

If you have several chariots then you can choose to form them into a single loose unit or 'chariot squadron' if you wish. You do not have to do this, you can field the chariots as single units of one model if you prefer. The advantage of lumping your chariots together is that they will benefit from making all Leadership tests on the best Leadership value of the group in exactly the same way as a unit of troops led by a heroic character.

When fighting in a squadron in this way each chariot must be within 5" of another chariot in the same squadron forming a rough line or clump. The squadron does not have to adopt a formation as such and for this reason is referred to as a loose' unit. The models are still moved individually but must remain within their squadron for the duration of the game.

Excess wounds inflicted against chariots are never carried through onto other chariots, not even where chariots are fighting in the same squadron.

In this respect chariots continue to fight as if they were single models, even when fighting in squadrons. However, they still take Break and psychology tests as one unit, will flee and pursue as one unit, and in other respects are treated as a unit. The reason excess wounds are ignored is that the models will not necessarily be touching (they can be up to 5" apart) and also because chariots are important parts of your army it seems appropriate that they should be treated individually.

A chariot moves at the same speed as the creature that pulls it. Chariots can never march, although they double their move when charging in the same way as other models. When you move a chariot model simply measure the distance and make your move. There is no need to turn or wheel, as the chariot is able to turn freely to face any direction you wish, just like a large monster.

Chariots cannot move over obstacles or difficult terrain, except to cross a river at a bridge or a ford. A chariot compelled to move over terrain it cannot normally cross is likely to be damaged as its wheels strike rocks, its body becomes entangled in undergrowth, or it careers headlong through a wall. If forced by circumstance into difficult terrain or over an obstacle, the chariot sustains D6 Strength 6 hits. These are randomly distributed among the chariot, crew, and creatures in the same way as hits from shooting (see below for a description of how to do this). Chariots sometimes have to cross obstacles or difficult terrain for reasons beyond their control, for example if they are forced to flee from close combat.

Chariots do not have a separate Weapon Skill, so when they fight in hand-to-hand combat the enemy compares his Weapon Skill against that of the chariot's crew. If the chariot has crewmen with different Weapon Skill levels then he always counts the highest. If all crewmen are slain and you still wish to strike blows against the chariot, count its WS as O and therefore all attacks hit automatically.

A chariot model comprises three distinct parts: the crew, the creatures pulling it, and the chariot body itself. When enemy troops are shooting arrows or other missiles at the chariot, or when foes attack the chariot in hand-to-hand combat, any successful hits are randomly allocated between the crew, creatures and chariot body. This is shown on the chart below.

Roll a D6 for each hit scored and consult the chart for shooting or hand-to-hand fighting. The difference between the two charts reflects the difficulty of hitting crew with missiles from a distance, compared with the vulnerability of crew once they get stuck in to hand-to-hand combat and are exposing themselves to attack.

If you hit a part that has already been destroyed, then re-roll the result until you hit another. So, if you have killed all the creatures you will re-roll any further hits on creatures.

Once you have allocated each hit, work out further wounds exactly as you normally would against ordinary troopers. If the crew have identical characteristics then it is not necessary to establish which is hit, the player may remove any one crew model as a casualty or make an appropriate note where crew models have been glued into place. Where the crew have different characteristics, if one is a hero for example, then it is necessary to further decide which has been hit. This can be done by rolling randomly using a D6 as appropriate (for example, if there are two crew 1-3 = the hero, 4-6 the other crew member).

Chariots have their own Toughness value, Wounds, and other characteristics for the chariot body as indicated on their profile. In most cases this is as follows, although in some instances a chariot may be especially large with more wounds or greater Toughness.

If some of the creatures pulling a chariot are slain then it will move proportionately slower. For example, a chariot pulled by two horses normally travels 8" but this is reduced to 4" with only one horse as half the horses have been slain. Obviously, the more creatures there are to pull the chariot the smaller the proportional reduction in its movement should they be slain. Should all the creatures be slain then the chariot is brought to a halt.

A chariot can continue to fight so long as it has at least one crewman left. If all its crew are slain, and assuming it can still move, then the chariot will move randomly in its own movement phase. This is worked out along with other compulsory movement (see the Movement section). The chariot rampages 2D6" up to its maximum speed in a completely random direction. This can be established using the Scatter dice. If you roll a double then the creatures collapse with exhaustion before the chariot moves and the model is removed from the battle. Otherwise, the chariot model is moved the distance indicated. If the chariot collides with troops then it comes to a halt and a round of hand-to-hand combat follows just as if the chariot had charged.

If the chariot body suffers a wound then this is recorded. Once the chariot body has suffered its full complement of wounds it is destroyed and the entire model is removed from the battle. The creatures pulling the chariot are either killed in the wreckage or run away and take no further part in the conflict. Any surviving crew may continue to fight on foot if the player has models to represent them, otherwise they are considered to be killed.

A chariot has three types of attack: attacks from its crew, attacks from the creatures if they have them, and impact hits from the chariot's superstructure, scythes, blades, etc. Of these the impact hits from the chariot are usually the most dangerous, causing considerable damage as the chariot thunders into the enemy ranks. Chariots only inflict impact hits when they charge because they need to move forward, trampling or knocking aside enemy, crushing them under their wheels or slicing them with their scythes.

When a chariot charges it automatically causes D6 hits, plus 1 for each scythe blade fitted to its wheels or to the chariot body (this will normally be +2). These hits are inflicted first, before any attacks from either side in the combat. Note that no roll is made to score impact hits, the charging chariot automatically causes hits. The chart below summarizes this.

All impact hits from the chariot are worked out using the Strength value of the chariot itself, ie 7 in most cases. The main danger from a chariot comes during its charge, so it is vitally important for chariots not to allow themselves to be outmanoeuvred and charged by the enemy. Chariots caught out in this way get no impact hits and are likely to be overwhelmed.

Impact hits against a unit of troops are worked out against the troops rather than against any characters in the unit. If a chariot charges against a single character on his own, then the impact hits will obviously strike the character, but in other cases it is assumed that the character is canny enough to avoid the crushing chariot whilst those around him fall beneath its wheels.

Chariot crew may fight against enemy in contact with the chariot whether to its front, sides or rear. They strike blows in normal Initiative order, and attack first during a charge, exactly like other warriors. All crew fight, including the driver. Many players find it helpful as well as convenient to glue their chariot onto a card or wooden base large enough to accommodate the model, as this makes it clear which enemy models are fighting.

The creatures pulling a chariot may fight if they have their own attacks. Wolves, for example, have their own attacks. Due to the restrictions of harness and reins, creatures can only attack enemy directly in front of them. Work out attacks in Initiative order, and attack first during charges, exactly as normal.

A character in a chariot may issue or meet a challenge. Any creature attacks from the chariot count towards the challenge, but crew (other than the character) cannot fight in the combat at all. Any impact hits are worked out against the ordinary troopers in the unit rather than the character; they are not considered part of the challenge.

Chariots flee and pursue exactly like ordinary troops. If broken in hand-to-hand combat and forced to flee they move 2D6" or 3D6" depending on their speed. If caught by pursuers they are destroyed. Similarly they pursue fleeing enemies at the same rate, and will destroy them if they are caught.

If firing at a chariot with a stone thrower, or other weapon which has a template, position the template as normal. Each part of the chariot is treated separately, so the creatures/crew/chariot body are potentially hit if these actual models are within the template area. Treat each crew member, creature and the chariot body as separate targets.

A war machine model comprises the machine itself plus a crew which is usually two or three crewmen. The crew figures are based separately, unlike with a chariot or a ridden monster where the crew or riders are likely to be physically glued to the chariot or mount. This is necessary because a war machine's crew can be forced to flee away from their machine, either because they are broken in combat or because they panic.

Each war machine can fight as a single unit of one model rather like a chariot or a hero riding a large monster. This is the usual way in which war machines are deployed, especially in small armies which might have only one or two machines.

If an army includes several war machines of the same type these can be organised into units called batteries. War machines are automatically assumed to be formed into a battery when deployed within 5" of each other at the start of the game. For purposes of forming batteries all stone throwers count as the same type of machine regardless of their size, and the same is true of cannons and great cannons.

When fighting in a battery each war machine must remain within 5" of another machine in the same battery forming a rough line or clump. The battery does not have to adopt a formation as such and for this reason is referred to as a 'loose' unit. The models are still moved individually but must remain within their battery for the duration of the game.

A character model may join a unit of war machines in the same way as he might join a unit of troops. Note, however, that batteries never include their own Champions - only units of troops have Champions. The unit will benefit from the associated character's Leadership value in the same way as would a unit of troops.

In the case of batteries, the character must be positioned with a specific machine for purposes of allocating damage from shooting hits. However, only crew can operate a machine, a character cannot operate a war machine.

Characters do not actually become crew when they join a machine, and are never hurt should the machine malfunction. They keep sufficient distance between themselves and the dangerous mechanism to be safe.

Excess wounds inflicted against war machines are never carried through onto other war machines, not even where they are fighting in the same battery.

In this respect war machines continue to fight as if they were single models, even when fighting in batteries. However, they still take Break and psychology tests as one unit, will flee and pursue as one unit, and in other respects are treated as a unit. Note that this is consistent with the rules which apply to squadrons of chariots, and so shouldn't be too hard to remember.

The crews of the war machines described here all fight in the same way, so rather than repeat ourselves three times over the rules have been collected together for ease of reference. Note that some of the war machines described in the Warhammer Armies books have their own special rules.

When shooting at a war machine shots are worked out against the entire model and any hits scored are randomised against the crew and machine. This is essentially the same procedure as for shots at characters riding large monsters and for chariots.

War machines and their crews generally constitute a large target (more than 10' high or broad in real terms) and so the shooter benefits from a +1 to hit bonus.

Once hits have been established randomise where they strike as shown below.

Once all crew are slain, or if they flee, or once the machine is destroyed, further hits do not need to be randomised but will strike a crewman or the machine as appropriate.

Any shots from stone throwers, or any weapons which use a template, are worked out in the same way as described for chariots. If a crewman lies under the template he is hit; if the machine lies under the template it is hit.

Usually a machine's crew are identical, so it is not necessary to determine which is hit, but if a battery includes a character he may be hit by shots directed at the machine. In this case, randomise any crew hits to determine whether the character is hit. For example where there are two crew and a character roll a D6: 1-2 = crewman A, 3-4 = crewman B, 5-6 = character.

If charged, a war machine's crew can either hold or flee but cannot stand and shoot as the machines are too cumbersome to allow this. Where machines fight in a battery the entire battery must declare the same response, and must either hold or flee from the charge.

In hand-to-hand fighting the crew will defend their machines and models are automatically repositioned so that they can fight enemy in contact with the machine.

If several machines are organised into a battery all the crew from all the machines plus any characters with the battery may group together to fight so long as individual crewmen/characters do not move further than their normal move distance to reach an enemy. Enemy models can divide attacks between crew, characters or machines that they are touching. The machine itself does not fight.

If a machine's crew flees from a charge then the chargers can either continue to charge past the machine in order to destroy its crew or, if the player prefers, they can stop when they reach the machine and attack it. The machine itself does not flee as such, but is abandoned by its crew and any associated characters.

If crew flee from hand-to-hand fighting their machine is abandoned. The victors must ignore it in order to pursue unless the player elects to restrain pursuit and passes the required Leadership test to do so.

Note that once separated from their machines crewmen become individual models. Consequently, the number of crewmen fleeing is used as the basis for Panic tests on friendly troops nearby. For purposes of rallying the original number of crewmen is considered to be the original size of the unit. Thus six crewmen fleeing from a battery of machines would cause a Panic test in friends nearby (as there are five or more) even though they may have abandoned only three machines.

A machine attacked in hand-to-hand fighting is assumed to have a WS of O and is therefore hit automatically.

An enemy attacking an abandoned war machine is not considered to be engaged in combat. No combat results are worked out and the attackers are free to move away from the machine as they wish.

An abandoned machine can be re-crewed by crew members from any other war machine from the same side if their own machine has been destroyed or abandoned. Crew may deliberately abandon a war machine in order to crew another. Crew models will not fight away from a machine and if they are charged whilst not serving as crew they will always flee.

Stone throwers are powerful and destructive weapons that lob large boulders high into the air, sending them crashing through enemy ranks crushing limbs and armour alike. Many races of the Warhammer World use these devices. Not all are built in the same way by any means: some use a massive counterweight to catapult their missile into the air while others use torsion power like a giant crossbow. The bigger the engine, the larger the rock it can throw and the more damage it can do. The very largest stone throwers can hurl a projectile big enough to knock down buildings and even city walls!

Work out the results of stone throwing in the shooting phase. To work out damage you will need the round missile template with the hole in the centre. The stone is not as big as the template of course (that would require a very large engine indeed but shatters on impact sending shards of sharp stone over a wide area.

Pivot the stone thrower on the spot so that it is pointing in the direction you wish to shoot. The crew do not need to be able to see their target, but they must be able to see that there are enemy in the direction they are firing. Now declare how far you wish to fire the rock. You must do this without measuring the distance to your target, so you must guess the range as accurately as you can. Once you have made your guess place the missile template directly over the spot where you have guessed.

For example: You are firing a stone thrower at a unit of Bretonnian Knights in front of you. You make your guess and declare that you are firing 28" directly towards the centre of the Knights. Having made your guess you take the template and measure 28" towards your target. If you have made a good guess the template will lie over your intended target. If not, don't worry there's still a chance the stone may veer off course and hit something.

To decide whether the missile lands where you have aimed it roll both the Scatter dice and the Artillery dice.

The Scatter dice is the dice marked with arrows on four sides and the word HIT on two sides. If you roll a HIT then the missile lands exactly where you have aimed it. If you roll an arrow then the missile veers in the direction shown by the arrow.

The Artillery dice is marked 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and MISFIRE. If you roll a misfire then something has gone wrong roll a D6 and consult the Misfire Chart below. A misfire roll automatically cancels out the whole shot regardless of the Scatter dice result. If you roll a number on the Artillery dice then this is the distance in inches the missile veers off target as shown by the arrow on the Scatter dice. Move the template the distance indicated in the direction shown by the arrow. If you roll a HIT then the numbers are ignored; a number simply indicates that the shot has not misfired.

For example: You guess bang on and the template lies directly in the middle of your chosen target. You roll both dice. The Scatter dice shows a HIT! You have landed bang on target. The Artillery dice score is 4 - the number indicates that nothing is amiss and the shot lands exactly where you aimed it. If the Artillery dice had been a misfire then the whole shot would have been messed up as described on the Misfire Chart.

Stone Throwers Misfire Chart

Once you have established where the stone lands damage can be worked out. Any model that lies directly under the hole is hit automatically - note that only one model can lie within the hole and if there is any doubt it is the model which is under the exact centre that is hit. Models whose bases lie under the rest of the template are hit on a D6 roll of 4+.

You will have to use your judgement and common sense to decide exactly which models lie under the template sometimes it is not easy to judge precisely. As a rule of thumb a model can be considered as a potential hit if at least half of its base area lies under the template, while models whose bases are only touched or grazed can be ignored.

Once you have worked out which models are struck by your missile work out damage in the usual way. Roll for each target to see whether you cause damage. Stone throwers have a Strength of 7 or more, so they cause damage on the roll of a 2+ against most human or similarly sized targets. Refer to the damage chart for details. A damaging hit from a stone thrower causes either D3 or D6 wounds depending on its size, but as most creatures have only 1 wound it is not necessary to take this dice roll. It is, however, useful when attacking characters and big monsters.

No armor saving throw is permitted against wounds from a stone thrower. When a big rock lands on you you are squashed regardless of what armour you may be wearing!

Stone throwers vary in design - some are bigger than others, some are positively monstrous! Basically, however, there are two types: ordinary sized ones and big ones. Details are given below for typical examples.

Being large, solid devices stone throwers are difficult to destroy. However, it's possible for them to become the target of other engines of war or they may be attacked by large monsters. Stone throwers therefore have a profile like a creature with a Toughness value and a number of wounds which they can sustain before they are destroyed. As with other details these might vary in specific cases, but a typical engine has the values shown here.

The move rate is the speed the stone thrower can move with its full crew - if any crew are slain its speed is reduced proportionally. A machine cannot move and shoot in the same turn except to turn to face its target. Generally speaking, war machines have such a long range that it is pointless moving them about.

A stone thrower requires a full crew to work it properly - to carry stones, wind ropes, push the machine round to bear on its target, and so on. If one crewman is slain then the rest can just about get by without slowing up the machine noticeably. If two or more crewmen are slain then the remaining crew will be unable to cope, and the stone thrower will have to miss a whole turn before it can shoot again. This is in addition to any penalty imposed by a misfire result. Obviously the engine requires at least one crewman to work, and should they all be slain the machine is useless.

1. Declare target and guess range.

2. Position template and roll Scatter and Artillery dice.

3. If the Artillery dice is MISFIRE refer to Misfire Chart, otherwise.

4. If the Scatter dice is a HIT the stone has struck home.

5. If the Scatter dice is an arrow the stone has landed in the direction shown 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10" away from the aiming point as shown on the Artillery dice.

6. The single model in the exact centre is hit. Remaining models under the template are hit on the D6 score of a 4+.

7. Work out hits as normal. Models are allowed no armour saving throw from a stone thrower.

Cannons are dangerous if sometimes unpredictable weapons whose manufacture is limited to human and Dwarf experts. When they work cannons can shatter the most determined enemy, pouring deadly shot into his massed formations, levelling his cities and toppling huge monsters. But cannons often go wrong. Weaknesses in the casting methods can leave minute cracks or other deficiencies which cause them to explode when fired. Gunpowder can fail to ignite or may explode prematurely. Despite the occasional spectacular accident, cannons are extremely potent weapons that have been instrumental in winning more than one battle on behalf of their users.

Cannons are fired in the shooting phase along with other missile weapons. To shoot your cannon first turn it on the spot so that it points towards your intended target. Now declare how far you wish to shoot - eg 24", 30", 32" etc. The ball travels the distance you have nominated, plus the score of the Artillery dice. Roll the Artillery dice, and add the score to the distance you have declared. The ball travels the total distance towards the target, and will land short, pass straight over, or hit depending on how accurately you have guessed the range and what effect the dice has. Remember the dice will always add at least 2" to your estimate, and can add up to 10', so you should aim a few inches short of your target.

Once you have established where the cannonball hits place a small coin or other marker directly over the spot. The cannonball does not stop where it hits the ground, but bounces straight forward and cuts a line through any targets in the way. To determine how far the ball bounces roll the Artillery dice again and mark the spot where the ball comes to land. Any models between the points where the ball strikes the ground and where it eventually comes to land are hit by the flying cannon ball. The diagram below shows how this works.

Any model struck by a cannonball takes a Strength 10 hit resolved in the normal manner. If the cannonball wounds its target then it causes not 1 wound but D4 or D6 wounds depending on the size of the cannon. As most models have only 1 wound anyway it will not be necessary to roll this extra dice, but it is important when it comes to rolling for heroes, big monsters, and engines of war which can take several wounds. Wounds caused
by cannon shot cannot be saved by armour.

No armour saving throw is permitted for wounds caused by cannons. If a cannonball hits you no amount of armour is going to do you any good.

For example: You are firing a cannon at a unit of Goblins in front of you. You make your guess and declare that you are "aiming 12" directly towards the middle of that Goblin unit." Having made your guess you roll the Artillery dice and score 4, which equals 4". This makes a total of 16". Measure 16" towards the Goblins and place a marker where the ball hits. If you have guessed well this will be just in front of them. The ball now bounces forward the score of the Artillery dice. This time you roll an 8 and the ball bounces straight through the Goblin unit hitting all the models in the way.

You roll the Artillery dice twice when a cannon is fired, so you have two chances of rolling a misfire result. However, the two results will be different. If you roll a misfire when you roll the first dice the cannon has literally misfired and may explode. If you roll a misfire on your bounce roll then this merely indicates the ball has stuck in the ground and does not bounce.

If you roll a misfire as you shoot the cannon then consult the chart below.

If you roll a misfire on your bounce roll then the cannon is unharmed, the misfire result merely indicates that the cannon ball sticks in the ground where it hits. If the shot lands on top of a model then that particular model is hit as normal, but there is no further bounce damage.

Cannons are hand forged by master craftsmen, and every cannon is different with little standardisation in the way of calibres or length. Individual cannon can be extremely large, but most are either large cannons, such as the Empire's Great Cannon, or smaller cannons. Details are given below for typical examples. The difference between the two sorts is range and damage. Bigger cannons carry a larger charge and so have a longer range and cause more damage.

Cannons are cast from iron or bronze and are built into solid carriages. They are very difficult to destroy although the enemy may try to attack them with other engines of war, large monsters or magic for example. They therefore have a profile like a creature with a Toughness value and a number of wounds which they can sustain before they are destroyed. As with other details these might vary in specific cases, but a typical cannon has a value as shown here. The move rate is the speed the cannon can be moved by a full human crew assuming it has wheels. A cannon which does not have wheels cannot be moved. If any crew are slain the cannon's speed is reduced proportionally.

A cannon cannot move and shoot in the same turn except to turn to face its target. Generally speaking cannons have such a long range that it is pointless moving them about.

A cannon requires a full crew to work properly - to carry cannonballs, load gunpowder, push the machine round to bear on its target, and so on. If one crewman is slain then the rest can just about get by without reducing the rate of fire. If two or more crewmen are slain then the remaining crew will be unable to cope, so when it shoots the cannon must miss a whole turn before it can shoot again. This is in addition to any penalty imposed by a Misfire result.

Obviously the cannon requires at least one crewman to work, and should they all be slain the machine becomes useless.

1. Align cannon on target and declare the distance you are aiming.

2. Roll the Artillery dice and add the score to the distance aimed. The cannonball travels forward this distance before striking the ground.

3. If you roll a misfire refer to the Misfire Chart.

4. Mark the point where the cannonball strikes the ground and roll the Artillery dice to establish the bounce distance. All models in the path of the bounce are hit.

5. If you roll a misfire for the bounce the cannonball has stuck in the ground and does not bounce.

6. Work out the effect of hits normally. Models have no armour saving throw for a cannon hit.

wheels so they can be pivoted easily. A crew of two or more is required to wind back the powerful torsion arms and position the huge bolt ready for firing. On the whole these weapons are nowhere near as large or cumbersome as stone throwers and cannons.

Bolt throwers are fired in the shooting phase along with other missile weapons. To shoot your bolt thrower first turn it on the spot so that it points towards your intended victim. The bolt travels straight forward and (hopefully) hits the first target in its path.

To determine whether the bolt strikes its target roll a D6 to hit using the crew's BS in the same way as bow shots, crossbows, and other missile weapons. The usual modifiers apply, except no penalty is imposed for turning the machine, as it is designed to be used in this way. See the Shooting section for details.

If you score a hit work out damage as described below. If you miss then the bolt hits the ground or sails into the air and comes down harmlessly somewhere else.

A bolt thrower is a powerful weapon which can hurl its bolt through several ranks of troops, piercing each warrior in turn. If you hit then resolve damage against the target using the bolt thrower's full Strength of 5. If the model is slain then the bolt hits the trooper in the second rank directly behind: resolve damage on the second model with a Strength of 4. If the second rank trooper is slain then a model in the third rank is hit: resolve damage with a Strength of 3. Continue to work out damage as the bolt pierces and slays a model in each rank, deducting -1 from the Strength for each rank pierced.

A model damaged by a bolt thrower sustains not 1 but D4 wounds, which means that even large monsters can be hurt or slain by a hit from a bolt thrower. Armour saves are not allowed for hits from a bolt thrower, because the missiles are so fast and deadly that any armour is pierced along with its wearer. Because saves are not taken a target with only 1 wound will be slain if it takes damage, there is therefore no need to roll the D4 to decide the number of wounds.

The bolt thrower hurls a sharp-tipped spear which causes considerable damage. The chart below shows its details.

A bolt thrower is made from solid wood and iron. They have a profile like a creature with a Toughness value and a number of wounds which they can sustain before they are destroyed.

The move rate is the speed the bolt thrower can be moved by its full crew assuming it has wheels. An engine which does not have wheels cannot be moved. If crew are slain the bolt thrower's speed is reduced proportionally. A bolt thrower cannot move and shoot in the same turn except to turn to face its target.

Some bolt throwers have a crew of two and if one crewman is slain then the remaining crewman can just about get by without slowing up the machine noticeably. Should a bolt thrower require a larger crew then the loss of a second crewman will reduce its rate of fire to every second turn in the same way as for stone throwers and cannons.

1. Align bolt thrower on target and roll to hit.

2. Resolve damage at Strength 5. No armour save is allowed for a bolt thrower.

3. If the target is slain roll damage against the second rank at Strength 4.

4. Continue rolling for damage until you fail to slay the target or run out of ranks. Deduct -1 from the Strength for each rank already pierced.

Stone throwers, bolt throwers and cannons are common to several armies, but in addition there are many strange war machines which are available only to specific armies. These are described in the Warhammer Armies books together with the special rules that apply to them. Examples include Flame cannons which spout a sheet of flame, devastating multiple-barrelled cannons, and the deadly Skaven warpfire thrower.

Some of these unique war machines are so different that they have entirely new rules, but others are similar to the machines described above in that they consist of a weapon and crew. In general, when shooting at such machines, all hits are randomised between the machine and crew in the same way as hits on stone throwers, cannons and bolt throwers. Also generally speaking, when fighting hand-to-hand against such machines the same rules apply as to the crews of stone throwers, cannons and bolt throwers. Exceptions to these procedures are described together with the special rules for the weapons in the appropriate Warhammer Armies books.

As already described earlier, the leader model must be placed in the middle of the front rank of the unit. The unit's standard bearer, musician, Champion and any characters that have joined the unit, must also be placed in the front rank. When the unit turns round to face the side or rear its leader, together with standard, musician and any characters, are automatically rearranged into the front rank.

Except as discussed elsewhere, these special models, including any characters which have joined the unit, are always positioned in the front rank, with the leader in the middle.

A unit must always include a leader model to represent its captain or senior officer, chieftain, or other worthy. He does not fight better than his men and his profile is exactly the same. His inclusion is intended to provide a visual focus for the unit to make it look more splendid! The leader is always placed in the centre of the front rank of the unit. If there is no obvious leader model in the unit then the individual in the centre of the front rank is automatically assumed to be its leader.

The unit's leader has the same weapons and armour as his men, and if the model itself actually lacks a shield or substitutes a sword for a trooper's spear, then these differences are ignored during the game itself. The leader fights exactly like other ordinary members of his unit.

Leader models are not normally removed as casualties, an ordinary trooper may be removed instead. This represents the second in command taking over, or the most spirited trooper assuming command in his commander's place. When removing casualties most players leave their leader model until the very last, although this is entirely a matter of choice.

A unit of troops can include a Champion character model as already described in the Heroes and Wizards section. The Champion can also be the unit's leader if you wish, or alternatively you can have a separate Champion and leader. It makes no difference whether your leader and Champion are one and the same or two different models, except that it enables you to add a further interesting model to the unit.

A unit of troops may carry a standard which might take the form of a flag, banner, totemic idol or similar device. The standard is carried by a standard bearer. The standard bearer is assumed to be armed and armoured like the other models in the unit and fights in exactly the same way. Although the model might actually lack a shield or substitute a spear for a sword, such things are ignored as making no difference to the unit's overall fighting ability. The standard bearer also has to carry a banner as well as fight, but he is chosen from the meanest and most determined individuals in the unit, and this more than makes up for any disadvantage suffered because of the weight and inconvenience of his standard or difference in his armour or weaponry.

The enemy cannot specifically attack standard bearers or musicians as he can character models. Standard bearers are not normally removed as casualties, as it is assumed that if the standard bearer were killed another trooper would pick up the banner and take his place. Therefore, the player can always remove an ordinary trooper in preference to a standard bearer, even if the ordinary trooper is not in base contact with the enemy.

If a unit includes a standard bearer then it will be more determined than ever to fight hard and beat the foe. A unit which has a standard bearer may therefore add +1 to its combat result when deciding which side has won hand-to-hand combat. See the Close Combat section for a complete description of how to work out which side has won the combat.

If a unit is defeated in hand-to-hand combat and subsequently breaks and flees, then the enemy automatically captures its standard if they pursue. The standard is captured regardless of whether the pursuers catch and destroy the fleeing troops.

If victors do not pursue then the standard is lost in the tide of battle but it is not captured. In either case the standard bearer model is removed from the unit, and, in the case of a unit which is not destroyed, it is replaced with an ordinary trooper model.

Note that standards are only lost if the unit is defeated and broken in hand-to-hand combat, not if the unit flees after it has panicked or because of a failed Fear test.

Captured standards may be placed behind the unit which captured them and carried about as trophies for the rest of the game. Trophies have no fighting value; they are merely used to indicated that the unit has captured its adversaries' flag. The player's standard bearer model is surrendered for the duration of the game and his jubilant enemy places it behind his unit to proclaim his victory.

Trophies may be recaptured along with the defeated unit's own standard if it breaks and flees from combat. Captured trophies may therefore be recaptured by beating the unit that has them, thereby avenging their initial loss and restoring them to a proper place of honour.

Once the game is over a player can claim extra victory points' for standards he has captured as described in the Battle book.

An army marches under its banners but it does so to the beat of drums and the call of blaring horns. A unit of troops may include a musician model, either a horn blower or a drummer, to accompany it into battle. Like standard bearers, musicians fight just like an ordinary member of their unit, even if the model itself has slight variances in armour or weaponry. Also like standard bearers, the player does not have to remove musicians but can substitute an ordinary model instead. Unlike standard bearers, however, musicians are not removed automatically when a unit breaks and flees from combat. Their instruments are somewhat lighter and less cumbersome than a weighty standard. Musicians cannot be captured as trophies.

A musician model is placed in the front rank of its unit. His effect on the fighting ability of the unit is not as great as a standard bearer but is useful none-the-less.

If a unit of troops has a musician fighting in its front rank then an inspiring horn blast or rousing drum beat can turn a drawn combat result into a win.

If a hand-to-hand combat is drawn then each side rolls a D6 for each musician model fighting in the combat. The side which rolls the highest individual score wins the combat by 1 point. If the highest scores are equal then neither side wins and the combat is drawn. If one side has a musician and the other doesn't, then the side with the musician automatically wins by 1 point.

Any unit within 12" of the general model may use the general's Leadership value instead of its own when making a Leadership-based test. This means that a unit near the general can use his superior Leadership when testing for Break tests in hand-to-hand combat, when attempting to rally, or for psychology tests such as fear and panic.

A general can be accompanied by a special standard bearer carrying either his personal banner or the battle standard of the army itself. This battle standard does not have to move along with the general but it is most useful when he is close by. An army's battle standard is usually carried by a character model who has appropriately heroic characteristics. Unlike ordinary standards the battle standard cannot be passed on if its bearer is slain. Should the bearer be slain then the battle standard can be captured in the same way as a unit banner. See the rules concerning standards for details.

A battle standard bearer can join a unit of troops in the same way as any other character. If he is with a unit that is fighting in hand-to-hand combat then the unit receives an extra +1 combat bonus when working out combat results. This is in addition to the usual + 1 bonus for the unit's own standard. This is the only circumstance when an extra banner confers a further bonus. Normally troops fighting alongside their banners only receive +1 no matter how many banners are involved.

Any unit within 12" of the battle standard may retake a failed Break test. The unit is only allowed to retake this test once. If the general is within 12" of the unit as well then it will also benefit from being able to use his Leadership value. These two factors combined, the general's Leadership and the opportunity to re-take a failed throw, mean that units near to the general and the battle standard will tend to hold their ground come what may.

Note that a battle standard allows a unit to retake a failed Break test - and only a Break test. A battle standard does not entitle a unit to retake any other Leadership test, such as a psychology test or a test to rally.

Skirmishing units are unusual in that their formation is dispersed and individual models fight without the benefits of structured ranks and files. Each warrior must think for himself, and is not necessarily aware of what is happening at the other end of the unit. Consequently skirmishers do not benefit from using the general's Leadership if he is within 12" nor do they re-roll failed Break tests because of the battle standard (see Skirmishers).

Several armies can include daemons of which the most common by far are the armies of Chaos. Rules for Chaos daemons are covered in complete detail in the Realm of Chaos Warhammer Armies book. However, because daemons are quite interesting monsters that other warriors may have to fight, the rules are also given here.

Most daemons fight in units of several models in the same way as Men, Elves and other mortal troops. Greater Daemons are the largest and most powerful daemons just as mighty characters are the most powerful members of their race. Greater Daemons are considered to be characters, and the rules applying to character models also apply to Greater Daemons. For example they can fight on their own as units of one model, and they can issue and meet challenges.

Daemons are not fashioned from physical matter but from the raw stuff of magic. The blood that flows through their veins is not mortal blood but the boiling ichor of sorcery, fiery with preternatural vigour, corrosive as acid, and deadly as the most potent poison. Their flesh too is unnatural, though it might sometimes appear deceptively ordinary. Many daemons have iron hard skin or flesh that is tough as steel or solid as rock. Others have transmaterial bodies: their form is neither physical nor ethereal but somewhere inbetween so that it glows with magic energy.

Although their bodies are tough, daemons are still vulnerable to normal weapons. The magic energy flowing through their veins acts like armour, protecting daemons from blows which would otherwise slay them, absorbing the impact or deflecting sharp edges. This gives all daemons a saving throw in the same way as armour. The saving throw varies from daemon to daemon but is usually 4+ on a D6, or 3+ in the case of daemon cavalry (+1 for cavalry as normal). This save takes into account the daemon's magical intangibility or 'daemonic aura' as this effect is called. This saving throw is reduced by high Strength hits in the same way as physical armour.

Daemons are vulnerable to magic weapons because their own bodies are fashioned from magic energy. Their normal daemon saving throw cannot save them against wounds inflicted by magic weapons. The exception is the Greater Daemon of Khorne which has Chaos armour that is protected against magic weapons by powerful enchantments.

Just as the Warhammer World is riven with internal strife so the Realm of Chaos is partitioned between rival powers. Daemons of different kinds vie with each other for supremacy and for the favours of the great powers of Chaos - the Chaos gods themselves. The different kinds of daemon are strongly aligned to one of these gods, Khorne the Blood God and master of battles, Tzeentch the Lord of Sorcerers, Nurgle the Plague Lord, and
Slaanesh the Prince of Chaos.

If a Chaos army includes daemons of two or more Chaos gods then you must take into account the rivalry between them. This can mean that your troops will sometimes attack each other rather than the enemy. This is called Daemon Animosity.

If you have daemons of different Chaos gods within 12" at the start of your turn, and they are not already engaged in combat, you must make a Daemon Animosity test to see what they do. Roll a D6 for each unit of daemons or each individual Greater Daemon model.

Note that daemon steeds, familiars and such like do not suffer from Daemon Animosity as described. Only Greater Daemons and demonic units are obliged to test. Also, bear in mind that daemons engaged in hand-to-hand combat do not need to test, although they may still be attacked by rivals who do. Daemons already fighting each other due to the effects of Daemon Animosity do not have to test further as they are already affected.

A Warhammer battle is as much about magic as the clash of arms in deadly combat. Of course, you do not have to include magic in your games if you prefer not to, although you will be depriving yourself of a large measure of enjoyment.

The complete rules for magic and spellcasting are not included in this game because there are so many spells and magic items that there isn't enough space. The complete magic rules, together with spell cards for all the different sorts of magic (High Magic, Dark Magic, Orc Waaagh Magic, Skaven Magic etc) and many magic items, are included in the separate Warhammer Magic supplement.

We have included a selection of cards representing magic items in Warhammer so that you can get a taste of what magic is about.

The rules below do not constitute the entire rules for magic by any means, but they will be sufficient to enable you to use the items included in the game. We suggest that you take the Magic Item cards so that you can look at them while you are reading the following rules.

Magic items are things like enchanted swords, magically forged armour, and magical devices such as crowns and rings which confer strange abilities upon their wearers. Only characters can carry these magic items and the number they can have is limited depending on the type of character as shown on the chart below.

There is a further kind of magic item which takes the form of a magic standard. This is a flag, banner or totem which can be carried by a regiment's standard bearer. Regiments entitled to carry magic standards are indicated in the Warhammer Armies book for their race.

Every magic item is represented by its own card and, with a few exceptions, an army may include only a single example of each item. The card includes the rules for the item as well as its points value.

Every item has a points value appropriate to its eftect; the more powerful it is the more 'points' it costs. Points values are discussed later on, and points values for different characters, war machines and troops are given in the Warhammer Armies books for each army.

We've included four magic swords in the Warhammer game by way of example: the Blade of Leaping Bronze, the Ogre Blade, the Blade of Ensorcelled Iron and the Biting Blade.

Any character can carry a magic sword and use it in combat in preference to an ordinary weapon. However, a character can only use one magical weapon and cannot use another weapon at the same time. For example, a character cannot carry a magic sword in one hand and an ordinary sword in the other. Magic items require skill and concentration to use and demand all of a warrior's attention!

If you take a look at the four swords you will see that they confer different abilities on their welders, but all help to make them better fighters as you might expect.

If a character has the Blade of Leaping Bronze he has 2 extra Attacks in combat, so a Bretonnian Champion with 2 Attacks would have 4 Attacks for example. Similarly, a character carrying the Ogre Blade adds +2 to his Strength, so a Saurus Champion with Strength 5 has a Strength of 7 when using this weapon. The Blade of Ensorcelled Iron enables the bearer to add an extra +1 to his dice when rolling to hit. The Biting Blade reduces the enemy's saving throw by a further -1 on top of any of the usual modifiers for Strength, so if hit by a Bretonnian Champion with a Strength of 4 the enemy suffers a -2 save modifier rather than the usual -1.

We've included two cards representing magic armour: Armour of Meteoric Iron and the Enchanted Shield. Wizards cannot wear armor because it interferes with their magical senses and makes it impossible for them to cast spells. Other characters can wear magic armour and benefit from its protection. Magic armour either replaces ordinary armour entirely or supplements it as you will see from the two examples. A character cannot wear ordinary armour and the equivalent magical armour on top!

The Armour of Meteoric Iron comprises an entire suit of armour including a shield and gives its wearer an armour save of 2+. This is better than normal heavy armour and shield which would give a save of only 4+. If the wearer were riding a horse his save would improve to 1+, but it can never be better than 1+... 1+ is the best save you can get! The Enchanted Shield can be carried in conjunction with ordinary armor instead of an ordinary shield and gives a saving throw of 5+ rather than 6+ like an ordinary shield. If combined with heavy armour it therefore gives a save of 3+ rather than 4+.

Two cards for magic standards are included in Warhammer namely the Dread Banner and the War Banner. A unit's standard bearer can carry a magic standard if his Warhammer Armies book indicates that he can. Generally speaking, only the best units are allowed to carry these powerful items, as befitting their status.

The Dread Banner inspires fear in all those who encounter it, and the unit which carries it therefore causes fear as described in the Psychology section of this rulebook. The War Banner endows its bearers with steely determination and courage, adding +1 to their combat results score in any combat.

There are, of course, many other strange and exotic kinds of magic items from magic rings to protective amulets and potions. We've included the Potion of Strength by way of an example. This heady brew confers a one turn bonus, boosting the drinker's Strength value by a massive +3!

Wizards can cast magic spells to aid their side's forces or to thwart the efforts of the enemy. There are many different kinds of wizard and many spells, and you will find complete rules for spellcasting and spells in the Warhammer Magic supplement.

However, if you are new to Warhammer you might like to try out a few spells immediately. To give you an idea of how interesting and effective magic can be we've included the rules for casting three different spells: Fireball, Teleport and Curse. These rules are only a brief version of the full rules for casting magic spells, but they will serve our immediate purpose.

A wizard can cast spells in the magic phase of his own turn. In the Warhammer Magic game the number of times a wizard can cast spells is determined by a separate deck of cards, but for now we'll let the wizard cast any one of the three spells described. So, in your magic phase choose a spell and cast it at a suitable target or, in the case of Teleport, move your wizard to a new position.

In the Warhammer Magic game the same cards that are used to determine whether a wizard can cast spells are also used to counter the enemy's magic. However, for now we'll allow one attempt to dispel each spell as it is cast. If your enemy casts a spell then roll a D6 - if you roll a 5 or 6 the spell is dispelled immediately and is not cast.

In your own turn you can also attempt to dispel a curse that the enemy has cast upon you. Roll a D6 and if you roll a 5 or 6 the curse is dispelled. If you have a wizard you may forgo casting a spell and instead dispel a curse on a roll of 3, 4, 5 or 6.

Fireball

With a sorcerous gesture the wizard throws a ball of magical flame in a direction chosen by the player. The fireball travels up to 24" and strikes the first model in its path. The target suffers a single Strength 4 hit. No armour saving throw is permitted against a wound caused by a fireball.

Teleport

The wizard can use this spell to instantly transport himself to anywhere he likes on the battlefield. He can be moved directly into hand-to-hand combat if you wish and counts as charging in the first round of combat.

Curse

The wizard can cast this spell on any enemy unit within 24". Once it is cursed the enemy unit remains cursed until the spell is dispelled, or until the caster decides to curse another unit. Only one enemy unit can be cursed at any one time. A cursed unit suffers a -1 penalty on all rolls to hit when shooting and when attacking in hand-to-hand combat.

In the Warhammer game spells are represented by cards which are held by individual wizards. Each wizard has the ability to use 1, 2, 3 or 4 spells, depending upon how powerful he is. We assume that the wizard knows many more spells than this, but he only has the aptitude to memorise and prepare a limited number prior to a battle. These spell cards are dealt to each wizard at the start of the game, and can be used by him (or her... or it) during the battle.

There are many different types of magic spell in the Warhammer game. Some are specific to certain races such as Orc Waaagh! Magic and Skaven Magic. The most common kind of magic is called Battle Magic, and for purposes of explanation we'll assume players are using these spells. Battle Magic is used by Empire and Bretonnian armies, High Elves, and some other forces as we shall see.

Each wizard has his own magic spells in the form of spell cards. In the magic phase of his own turn a wizard may cast any or all of his spells once.

In order to cast a spell a wizard must expend power. The amount of power available to each side is determined by dealing winds of magic cards to both players at the start of each magic phase. Some winds of magic cards represent power, others represent counter magic in the form of dispels of one kind or another as we shall see later.

During his own magic phase a player casts spells with his wizards, expending power from his hand of cards as he does so. As each spell is cast his opponent can make one attempt to dispel it.

At the end of the magic phase players may retain unused winds of magic cards in their hand for use in following turns. Each side can retain up to a maximum number of one winds of magic card for each wizard in the army. This encourages players to consider their magical strategy and plan ahead, either to 'power up' a big spell or build up a good hand of counter magic to oppose the enemy.

In the magic phase the game proceeds in a set sequence just as it does during other phases. Each of these steps is described in detail in the rules that follow:

1. Distribute Winds of Magic. The player whose turn it is determines the number of winds of magic cards to be divided between each side as described later.

2. Cast Spells. The player whose turn it is casts spells one at a time. As each spell is cast his opponent may make one attempt to counter it as described in the following rules.

3. Counter Magic. Once he has finished casting spells the player whose turn it is can attempt to employ counter magic against enemy spells that are currently in play.

4. Return Magic Cards. Any excess winds of magic cards are returned to the deck. Players can retain a number of cards as explained in the rules.

In Warhammer we refer to all spellcasting creatures as wizards. Be they human wizards, Orc or Goblin Shamans, Skaven Seers, or Chaos Sorcerers, the term wizards stands for all. Bizarrely enough, some Daemons and units of Daemons can also cast spells, and in this respect they are also wizards' in terms of the game rules. Some magic items endow an otherwise ordinary character with the abilities of a wizard, in which case he is also considered to be a wizard for our purposes.

For convenience sake we divide wizards into four ability levels of which the least is level 1 and the greatest is level 4. Of course, we accept that this is a crude division, and that in reality there might be many shades of distinction or grades of competence between different wizards. However, for gaming purposes a division into four is sufficient for our needs. These are generally described as follows.

Again, these titles are quite arbitrary, and an individual character might be known by a much grander and more individual title in real life. Amongst some races wizards are called Mages, Shamans or Sorcerers, and in these cases we refer to them as Shaman Champions, Master Shamans and Shaman Lords, but other than the change in title there is no difference between these individuals and other wizards.

Wizards are assumed to know dozens of different spells, or possibly even hundreds, from complicated time-consuming rituals to party tricks, charms and minor alchemies. However, when it comes to a battle only a limited selection of magic is of any value. In addition, it takes quite a bit of mental energy for the wizard to hold many of these aggressive and dangerous spells in his head at once. Consequently, the number of spells a wizard can take into a battle is limited to his level number as shown below.

The number of spells a wizard has and his level are effectively the same. Should a wizard lose a level the player must surrender a spell so that the number of spells is never greater than the wizard's level.

Spells are allocated to wizards at the start of the battle, before the first turn. You will only require one copy of Warhammer Magic; the set contains enough spell cards for both sides to use.

Generally speaking, most wizards use the spells from the Battle Magic spell deck. There are 20 cards in this deck, including repeats of the most useful spells. This means that even if no other spells are used there will be plenty to equip your wizards.

Some races have their own magic which they can use instead of Battle Magic. A few races must use their own magic (Orcs, Goblins and Skaven for example), but other races have a choice (High Elves and Chaos for example). A wizard who is allowed a choice must have either Battle Magic spells or his own racial magic spells but he cannot mix the two. We shall return to the special magic decks later, but for now we'll assume that wizards are using the Battle Magic deck.

Allocate spells at the start of the game as follows:

1. Each player declares the level of each wizard in his army.

2. The Battle Magic card deck is shuffled and dealt out face down to the wizards. Each wizard receives one spell for each magic level - these will be the spells that the wizard has for the duration of the game.

3. If there are insufficient spell cards to go round, deal to the highest level wizards first and then the lowest. Where necessary, the lowest level wizards must dice to decide which of them receives the remaining spells.

Once spells are allocated they remain fixed for the duration of the game. Wizards cannot swap spells between themselves, nor may they exchange spells they have been dealt. Each wizard's pile of cards must be kept distinct. If several wizards are involved on each side it is recommended that players note down on their roster sheets which spells belong to which wizards.

Note that where there are insufficient spells to equip all wizards some will go without or have fewer than normal. This is fine and serves as a natural limit on the amount of magic in the game.

For example: a High Elf army is fighting against an Empire Army. The High Elves have a level 4 and a level 2 wizard whilst the Empire has a level 4 and a level 1 wizard. All elect to use Battle Magic (the High Elves have the choice of Battle Magic or High Magic) and the cards are dealt between them. The level 4 wizards receive four spells each, the level 2 wizard receives two spells and the level 1 wizard one spell.

Wizards may not wear armour, as the close proximity of large masses of metal inhibits their ability to use magic. Therefore, as a general rule, wizards don't wear armour and for this reason the option is not included in the army lists. However, barding for horses is allowed where appropriate, see the army lists for details.

There are some exceptions, the most common being Chaos Armour worn by Chaos Sorcerers. Similar, though less common, is Skaven Warpstone Armour. Other exceptions are mostly associated with special characters, such as the Armour of Nagash.

A character who gains magical abilities thanks to a magic item can have armour if it is normally permitted by his army list. In this case the character's magical ability is vested in the magic item, and the presence of metallic armour does not affect his powers.

During the magic phase of his own turn a wizard may cast each of his spells once. In order to cast a spell the player must expend magical power. The amount of power available to the player will therefore determine how many spells can be cast that turn.

A wizard's power comes from the swirling magical energies that blow over the Warhammer World. Because of the way these energies ebb and flow they are referred to as the winds of magic. This energy is represented by cards dealt to the players from the Winds of Magic deck at the start of the magic phase.

As we shall see, some spells are easier to cast than others, some require 2 or 3 points of power whilst others require only 1. The more potent a spell is the more power is required to cast it.

The Winds of Magic cards are used to determine how much magical energy the wizards have to cast spells and counter those of their enemy. Broadly speaking, there are three types of card:

The Winds of Magic cards are used in the following fashion. 1. At the start of each magic phase the player whose turn it is rolls 2D6 to determine how many cards are available representing the strength of the winds of magic. 2. The pack is shuffled and the indicated number of cards is divided between the players, the player whose turn it is receiving any odd card.

The Winds of Magic card deck comprises the following cards:

22 Power

Power cards are the most important cards in the deck. In order to cast a spell, a wizard must expend the appropriate number of power cards. A 1 power spell requires the player to give up 1 power card, a 2 power spell requires 2 power cards, and a level 3 spell 3 power cards. Power cards can also be used to improve your chances of an effective Dispel or to reinforce a spell that is being cast.

1 Total Power

This card provides all the power required to cast any single spell. A spell cast with Total Power cannot be dispelled, and all counter magic cards are useless to prevent it being cast. If the spell remains in play then it can be dispelled in subsequent turns as described later.

8 Dispel

Dispel cards are used to try and stop an enemy's spell. When an enemy wizard casts a spell you can attempt to dispel it using a Dispel card. Dispels are not automatic, but depend on a successful dice roll as shown on the card.

1 Mental Duel

This card is a special kind of dispel. It functions exactly like a Dispel, as described above.

In addition, the dispelling and casting wizards are drawn into a mental duel. Both wizards add the score of a D6 to their magic level. The highest scoring wizard inflicts 1 wound on his adversary. No armour save is allowed against this wound, but magical wards and other special saves can save. See the section on Magic Items for more discussion about special saves.

1 Destroy Spell

This card is a special kind of Dispel. It functions exactly like a Dispel, as described above.

If the enemy's spell is successfully dispelled roll another D6. On the score of a 4 or more the spell is not only dispelled but removed permanently from the wizard's hand. In effect the spell is destroyed!

1 Rebound

This card is a special kind of dispel. It functions exactly like a Dispel, as described above.

In addition, if the dispel is successful the rebounding player can cast a spell of his own up to the same power value. Note that the rebounding player does not have to expend his own power cards at all, the enemy's own power is rebounded in the form of a spell. The enemy may dispel the rebounded spell by using a Dispel or other counter magic card in the normal manner.

1 Drain Magic

This card automatically dispels the spell being cast plus all spells currently in play. All magic cards held by both sides are returned to the deck immediately and the magic phase is ended.

In addition, on the D6 roll of a 4+ the magic level of the wizard using the Drain Magic is reduced by -1. A wizard losing a level must surrender a spell of his choice so that he has no more spells than permitted by his magic level. A wizard can be reduced to a level of zero and still continue to use counter magic, but if reduced below zero he is automatically killed.

1 Escape

This card is useful to keep until you need it. It can be played at any time as soon as one of your wizards is killed. The wizard is returned to life with a single wound, and immediately placed anywhere within 6" of the player's own table edge.

A player can cast spells in the magic phase of his own turn. After the strength of the winds of magic has been established the cards are dealt as described above and the player can proceed to cast spells:

1. CAST. The player declares that he is casting one of his wizard's spells. The spell card is laid on the table together with the number of power cards required to cast it (or the Total Power card if this is being used - more about this card later).

2. COUNTER. The opposing player may attempt to counter the spell using a counter magic card. The player can add additional power cards from his hand to boost the chance of success as explained below.

3. REINFORCE. The caster can expend further power to reinforce his spell, decreasing his opponent's chance of dispelling as explained below. Note that the dispelling player has to put up all his power cards before the caster decides whether to reinforce his spell or not.

4. SPELL FAILS. If the spell is successfully countered then it does not work. The spell cannot be cast again that turn, but it can be cast thereafter as normal. All cards used to cast or counter the spell are returned to the Winds of Magic deck. If the spell has been countered by a card other than Dispel then proceed to work out any further effect as described eg, Drain Magic, Rebound, etc.
   
   SPELL SUCCEEDS. If the spell is not countered then proceed to work out its effect as described on the spell card. The spell cannot be cast again that turn. If it Remains in Play or Lasts 1 Turn the card is left in place to show this (see below). All cards used to cast or counter the spell are returned to the Winds of Magic deck.

5. CAST AGAIN. The casting player selects a wizard and declares he is casting one of his remaining spells. This spell is cast and can be countered as before. The player continues to cast spells in the same way until he decides to stop, runs out of power or runs out of spells to cast.

Important Rule

Note that only one attempt can be made to counter any spell when it is cast.

The basic chance of a Dispel working is 4+ against a wizard of equal level, 5+ against a higher level wizard and 3+ against a lower level wizard as explained on the cards.

Boosting Dispels

When a wizard attempts a Dispel the player may improve his chance of success by using one or more power cards to boost the counter magic dice roll. Each power card used in this way adds +1 to the dice roll. However, a roll of 1 is always considered a failure regardless of the number of power cards used to boost the Dispel.

Reinforcing Spells

A wizard may decide to reinforce his spell once the enemy has declared his counter attempt. Each extra power card added to the spell will reduce the Dispel roll by -1. However, a roll of 6 will always dispel, regardless of the amount of power used to reinforce a spell.

Unique Counter Cards

Counter cards that work like a normal Dispel can be boosted in exactly the same way as a Dispel card, for example Rebound, Destroy Spell etc.

Total Power/Drain Magic

A spell which is cast with the Total Power card cannot be countered, and a Magic Drain will always counter a spell unless it has been cast with Total Power or with the aid of a magic item which is the equivalent. Power cannot be used to either boost counter magic or reinforce spells in these cases.

Once he has finished casting his spells, the player whose turn it is can use Dispel cards in his hand against any enemy spells still in play (see below for a description of these spells).

Only a single attempt can be made to counter any one spell. Power cards may be used to boost the chance of the Dispel working in the normal way.

Unique counter magic cards (Mental Duel, Destroy Magic, and so on) cannot be used to dispel spells that are already in play. Only Dispel cards can be used. Other counters work directly on the mind of the enemy wizard as he is casting a spell, and once a spell is cast this kind of counter magic becomes ineffective.

After the player whose turn it was has attempted to dispel any enemy spells still in play, both players must surrender any excess winds of magic cards left in their hand.

Retaining Cards

Players may retain some winds of magic cards from turn to turn, but the number of cards a player can keep in this way is restricted. A player can retain up to one card for each wizard in his army. In fact some magic items allow more winds of magic cards to be retained as we shall see later.

Once both players have adjusted their hand of winds of magic cards the magic phase is over for that turn. Any discarded cards are returned to the deck which is shuffled in readiness for the following turn.

'Wizards'

Remember that the term 'wizard' is taken to represent all spellcasting creatures, including some Daemons as well as characters endowed with the qualities of a wizard by a magic item such as the 'Crown of Sorcery' or 'Talisman of Hoth'. Bizarrely enough a unit of Daemons can also be a 'wizard' and can cast spells. One winds of magic card can be retained by the player on behalf of each of these different kinds of wizards.

Most spells are cast instantly and their effect is worked out at once, for instance a 'Fireball' is cast, it strikes a target, and damage is resolved. In this case the spell card is returned to the player's hand, and, although it cannot be cast again that magic phase, it can be cast afterwards as normal.

Some spells last for longer than this and these are said to either Remain in Play or Last One Turn.

Remain in Play

Once cast some spells continue to have an effect from turn to turn. These spells are said to Remain in Play and this is indicated on the spell card itself. When the spell is cast the card is placed beside the target to indicate that it is affected by the enchantment.

An example of a spell which remains in play is the Battle Magic spell Net. When this spell is cast the target is fixed in place by a magical net and cannot move until the Net is dispelled. The card is placed next to the target to indicate that it is netted.

Last One Turn

Some spells have an effect which lasts for the duration of a turn. These spells last from the moment they are cast until the start of the casting player's following magic phase. This means they will last throughout the enemy's turn and for the movement, shooting and close combat phases of the caster's following turn also.

Spells which last one turn are automatically dispelled at the start of the player's following magic phase and can be cast again that phase. It is good practice to remove all such spells at the very start of the magic phase, as this will save confusion later.

Once a spell is cast it is free of the mind of its creator and has its own magical integrity. A spell which remains in play will continue to exist until it is dispelled. It will continue to exist even if its caster is killed, incapacitated or leaves the table. A spell which lasts one turn will also continue to exist if its caster is killed; it is dispelled at the start of the player's following magic phase as normal.

Ending Your Own Spell

A wizard who casts a spell which remains in play may dispel it automatically at the start of his own magic phase without expending a card to do so. He may cast the spell again that turn if he wishes. In this case we assume the wizard has prepared a special counter charm which enables him to instantly return the spell to his mind.

Dispels/Counters

Spells in play are always dispelled on a basic 4, regardless of the relative levels of the casting/ dispelling wizards. When using a Dispel against a spell in play the dice roll required is not based on the original caster's and dispeller's relative magic levels.

Drain Magic

A Drain Magic card played to counter another spell as it is cast will automatically remove all spells in play from both sides and brings the magic phase to an immediate end. However, a Drain Magic cannot be played specifically against a spell in play.

Note. Astute players will realise that the unique counters rely upon conditions which often do not apply to spells in play - the caster may be dead and therefore impossible to engage in a Mental Duel. It is therefore both logical and convenient to disallow all counters.

A wizard who is fleeing cannot cast spells and he cannot use counter magic against his enemy's spells. He is too busy running away!

If a wizard is fleeing then the player cannot retain a winds of magic card on his account.

If an army does not include wizards, or if all of its wizards are fleeing or otherwise incapacitated, the player is still able to use a limited amount of counter magic. This represents the general ebb and flow of magical energy and the normal everyday difficulties encountered when casting spells.

Dispels

If an army has no wizards it is dealt winds of magic cards as normal. The player can make use of any Dispel cards and he can use power cards to boost his chance of an effective dispel as already described. However, he counts his own magic level as 'O' and so requires a basic score of 5+ for a successful dispel against enemy wizards.

Drain Magic

The player can also use the Drain Magic card, representing a sudden catastrophic flux in the flow of magical energy. Because he has no wizard the player cannot suffer loss of his own magic level due to magical drain.

Other Counters

Apart from Dispels and Drain Magic the player cannot use other counter magic. He has no wizard to engage in a Mental Duel, to Rebound an enemy's magic, to expose and destroy an enemy's spell, and so on.

Retaining Winds of Magic

A player with no wizards cannot retain winds of magic cards from turn to turn. However, a magical item might allow this, the most obvious example being the Dwarf Runesmith's Anvil of Doom (see Warhammer Armies Dwarfs).

Dwarfs

Dwarfs are an exceptional race with strong and innate anti-magical properties. They have no wizards, but even so they dispel on a base score of 4+ rather than 5+ as would any other race with no wizards.

If a Dwarf army includes the Anvil of Doom then it will be able to make use of the full Winds of Magic deck and can retain cards from turn to turn as explained in the Warhammer Armies Dwarf book.

Many spells utilise a template, either one of the large round templates or a special shaped template such as Da Krunch! and Vermintide.

When using templates any models whose base is at least half under the template are considered to be beneath the template. Models whose bases are less than half covered are lucky enough to escape. If you can't easily tell then roll a D6 to decide: 1-3 the model escapes, 4-6 the model is caught.

In the case of war machines with separate crew figures each crewman is considered separately. A machine itself is considered to be beneath a template if it fills at least half of the template area. The same principle holds good for deciding whether buildings or other structures lie beneath a template should you want to know! Because of the shape of some machines and structures there will always be room for doubt, so a player must be prepared to use common sense or simply roll a dice to decide: 1-3 - Not Affected, 4-6 - Affected.

The term 'beneath' is used with this precise meaning in the spell descriptions where space is limited and where a longer explanation would not fit. This is important because it means that models which lie at the edge of a template may escape even though they are partly covered by it.

It is not just wizards who are able to cast spells, nor is it strictly true that only wizards can employ counter magic. There are several magic items that allow non-wizards to cast spells and there are also devices which can be used to counter magic. We'll be taking a detailed look at magic items later. This section describes how these items affect the rules for casting spells as already described.

Some magic items enable their bearer to cast a spell. These items are called Bound Spells and they are covered in more detail later. For now it is sufficient to know that these items exist. A model carrying a bound spell is not considered to be a 'wizard' on account of this. It does not entitle the player to retain an extra winds of magic card from turn to turn.

In his magic phase a player can cast bound spells in the same way as he casts spells from wizards, except that no power is required to cast a bound spell. In effect the item is imbued with the power required to cast its spell once in the turn.

Note that once Drain Magic has been used to counter a spell the magic phase comes to an end. It is not possible to cast further spells, even bound spells which do not need power to make them work.

Counter Magic Against Bound Spells

A bound spell can be countered in the same way as an ordinary spell. The item is assumed to have an equivalent 'magic level' to the dispeller and so is always dispelled on a base score of 4+ even if the dispeller has no wizards.

Power cards can be used to boost the chance of counter magic working in the normal way, but bound spells cannot be reinforced.

In the case of the unique counter magic cards the following rules apply. All will dispel against bound spells normally, i.e. on a base 4 + except for Drain Magic which is automatic.

In addition:

Rebound has no further effect as no power cards are used to cast a bound spell.

Mental Duel has no further effect as it is impossible to mental duel the artifact containing the spell.

Destroy Spell will destroy the magic item on the D6 roll of a 6. Note that a 6 is required and not a 4+ as for a spell - the magic item is a tougher proposition!

Drain Magic works as it normally does, the bound spell is dispelled automatically and the dispelling wizard must test to avoid draining away a magic level.

Some magic items have counter magical properties. A Dispel scroll or Destroy Magic scroll are the most obvious examples. If a player has the option of using such a device he must declare this when the spell is cast.

A Dispel from a magic item is always a flat dice roll or, in some cases, automatic. It is not modified by the caster's level and power cards cannot be used to boost the Dispel or to reinforce the spell.

Some magic items confer a Dispel specifically against spells directed upon the model carrying the magic item or the unit he is with. For example, a spell cast against a unit which carries Mork's War Banner is dispelled on the D6 roll of 4+. These kinds of Dispel work in the same way as a Natural Dispel as explained below.

Only one attempt may be made to counter a spell when it is cast. This can be a counter magic card as already described or a counter from a magic item or a natural Dispel as described below. Where a player has several options he can choose which to use - but he may only choose one.

In fact this is a general rule and worth repeating in great big letters: A player is only allowed one attempt to counter a spell when it is cast.

Some creatures are naturally resistant to magic, for example Stone Trolls. A spell cast against a unit of Stone Trolls is dispelled on the D6 roll of 4+. Other creatures which have natural Dispels include Chaos Sorcerers of Tzeentch. Natural Dispels are only of any use when a spell is cast against the creature or unit which is resistant in this way - they cannot dispel spells directed elsewhere.

As with a Dispel from a magic item a natural Dispel is always a flat dice roll. It is not modified by the caster's level and power cards cannot be used to boost the Dispel or to reinforce the spell.

When is the Model/Unit a Target

In some cases it will be very obvious that resistant troops are the direct target of a spell - a Fireball or Curse for example. In other cases it is less obvious because the spell affects several units or has an indirect effect. In these cases the rule is that a resistant model or unit may use its natural Dispel if it will be affected by the spell, regardless of whether it is the direct or sole target of the spell.

A spell successfully countered by a natural Dispel is dispelled in the normal fashion. The spell is not cast and does not work.

A spell cast with the Total Power card cannot be dispelled either by a counter magic card, a magic item, or a natural Dispel. Nothing can stop it!

Spells which are already in play cannot be dispelled by Natural Dispels or Dispels from magic items. Such Dispels only work upon a spell as it is cast and not once a spell is in play.

There are a few specific exceptions to this, where spells in play are automatically dispelled if they come within a specified distance of certain magic items. However, generally speaking, spells which are already in play can only be dispelled by means of a Dispel card - not Dispels from magic items or Natural Dispels, and not other forms of counter magic. A Drain Magic card played against another spell will, of course, dispel all spells which are in play at the time.

A few rare magic items confer a magic save against the effect of a spell but do not dispel the spell itself. For example, the Black Armour of Nagash as worn by the special character Nagash saves against the effect of a spell on the D6 roll of a 4+. In these cases it is possible for an individual model to remain unaffected by a spell which affects the rest of his unit.

It is important to distinguish between a Natural Dispel (which dispels the spell being cast) and a magic save (which merely avoids the effect of a spell). Magic saves are much rarer, and usually apply only to individual models, giving them a certain amount of extra protection from spells.

The magic system is highly detailed with many spells and magic items, all of which interact in a fairly complex way. We have tried to make sure there are no obvious contradictions, but with so many different items and spells it is inevitable that confusion will occasionally arise.

Situations liable to cause the most confusion are where contradictory absolutes are involved - a magic item which automatically wounds is used against a magic item which always saves. If you find you have two equal claims in this way, the magic is judged to be of equal potency, so that sometimes one side's magic will prevail and sometimes the other's. So, each side rolls a D6 and the highest scorer prevails on that occasion.

When rolling off as described above no precedent is set by the result. The next time the same situation occurs the result might equally well go the other way.

The Warhammer Armies Chaos supplement makes provision for three additional Chaos Magic decks which can be used by Chaos sorcerers instead of Dark Magic. These spells, one deck for each of the magical Chaos Gods Tzeentch, Nurgle, and Slaanesh, have not been included in Warhammer Magic as they are already available in the Warhammer Armies Chaos boxed set. However, descriptions of these spells have been included for reference, at the end of the spell summary section.

Nurgle
Lord of Flies
Nurgle is the Great Lord of Decay, who presides over physical corruption and morbidity.

Tzeentch
The Changer ofWays
Teentch is the Great Sorcerer, and master of time.

Slaanesh
Prince of Chaos
Slaanesh is the master of luxury and indulgence, of cruel passions and hidden vices.

The metabolism of Orcs and Goblins is completely unlike that of Humans, Elves, Dwarfs and most other races. This has profound effects on the way Orcs and Goblins react with the world of magic. Other creatures draw upon the raw power of the winds of magic, but Orcs and Goblins generate their own.

Every greenskin unconsciously generates a weak magical field, perhaps as a reaction to the surrounding magical field of the Warhammer World. During the intense excitement of battle this field becomes stronger and merges with the magical fields of all the other Orcs and Goblins around him. This gives the greenskins a feeling of communal elation and invulnerability known as the Waaagh! When the Orc Boyz march into battle they feel strong and unbeatable as the mounting power of the Waaagh overtakes them.

As the Orcs become more excited the energy of the Waaagh grows stronger and stronger until it reaches a critical point when the pressure is so intense that it has to discharge itself or burst. The Waaagh always discharges through the most receptive mind, that of an Orc or Goblin Shaman. As the Waaagh intensifies a Shaman feels the pressure building up in his brain, driving him wild with excitement and pain.

Fortunately Shamans learn at an early age that the only way to avoid extreme pain (and worse) is to allow their minds to release the mounting energy in the form of a spell. In immature Orcs this takes the form of random explosions and unconsciously generated poltergeist activity in which objects mysteriously fly about the room and smash against the walls. A mature Shaman learns how to control these powers and turn them to his advantage in the form of powerful energy blasts and radiant spells of destruction.

Orc and Goblin Shamans are identified at an early age. Whenever his mates brawl or argue his head starts to hurt, lights flash in front of his eyes, and nearby objects explode and fly about. Sure enough, the young Shaman is easily spotted. He's the one with the sparks flying about his head, glowing red eyes, and noxious green smoke pouring from his mouth.

Shamans are dangerous to be around and other greenskins tend to steer clear of them. Sometimes they are obliged to wear distinctive costumes so they can be easily recognised (and avoided), whilst some are sent out beyond the confines of the camp to commune alone with the gods. All greenskins believe that Shamans are possessed by Gork or Mork, the most powerful Orc gods, and should therefore be respected and honoured... but preferably from a distance.

On the outskirts of every greenskin settlement, no matter how rough or temporary, can be found a collection of huts inhabited by the tribe's Shamans. In some places the Shamans live in nearby caves surrounded by skulls on stakes, fetish poles and similar paraphernalia. Amongst the forest-living tribes of Goblins and Orcs Shamans often live in sturdy tree houses perched high above the village huts.

The other greenskins bring the Shaman tributes of food, traditionally mushrooms as these fungi are supposed to help him communicate with the gods. In fact, a constant diet of hallucinogenic mushrooms tends to give the Shaman colourful visions in which Gork and Mork instruct him how to call upon them in battle and how to cast spells of destruction.

While the Shamans are lying in their huts communing with Gork and Mork they are safely out of harm's way and can cause little damage to other Orcs. Occasionally a foolish or inquisitive Goblin might wander into a Shaman's house in search of sagely advice concerning the whereabouts of a lost shoe or some such trivial matter, only to find himself hurled out of the hut by an unconscious burst of Waaagh power from the Shaman. On the whole it is dangerous to disturb a Shaman, even a sleeping one, and most Orcs know better than to stray too near.

Shamans spend a lot of their time watching the colourful hallucinations dance around their minds and talking to Gork and Mork. It is hardly surprising that they tend to be a little vague when it comes to discussing the real world and everyday things. They are convinced that Gork and Mork are real as, after all, they have not only seen the Orc gods but are on speaking terms. They believe they can call upon Gork and Mork and use the Waaagh to perform great deeds of magic.

Many Waaagh spells are in fact incantations to Gork and Mork, requesting one or other of the gods' assistance. For example, Da Krunch is a spell which calls upon Gork to stamp his great big orcy foot down on the enemy. The spell Mork save Uz! calls upon Mork to protect his people from hostile magic, and so forth.

Greenskin Shamans blast the enemy with waves of Waaagh energy. Waaagh spells tend to be crude but effective, low on subtle manipulation but big on raw power.

Shamans are dealt Waaagh Magic cards at the start of the game in the same way as described for Battle Magic. Deal to the highest level Shamans first. Where Orc and Goblin Shamans are of equal level deal to Orcs before Goblins.

Winds of magic cards are dealt to the Orc player exactly as for other wizards. The power of the Waaagh is represented by the cards.

In order to cast spells a Shaman must be able to draw on the power of the Waaagh! That means he has to be within 12" of at least one unit of troops consisting of at least 10 Orcs or 20 Goblins (lit'l greenskins generate less Waaagh! power than their big cousins).

If a Shaman is not within 12" of a unit of at least 10 Orcs or 20 Goblins he cannot cast spells that turn. Units which are fleeing don't count towards the Waaagh, and units smaller than 10 Orcs or 20 Goblins don't count either.

In each magic phase the player must make a test for his Shamans to determine whether they can control the raw Waaagh power flowing through their bodies. The test is required even if it is the enemy's turn, as it can affect your ability to use counter magic.

Make the test in each magic phase of each player's turn after the winds of magic cards have been dealt, but before spells are cast. Proceed as follows:

1. Roll a D6 for each Shaman that is within 12" of a unit of Orcs at least 10 strong or Goblins at least 20 strong. Fleeing units are not counted. Shamans more than 12" from any such unit automatically pass their test but cannot cast spells that turn.

2. If testing for an Orc Shaman add his level value to the dice score, so a level 1 Shaman adds 1, a level 2 adds 2 and so on. Gobbo Shamans don't add this modifier because they are weaker than Orc Shamans.

3. If the dice score is greater than the number of Orc units of 10 or more, or Goblin units of 20 or more within 12" of the Shaman then he has passed the test. If his score is not greater than the number of such units within 12" he fails his test and must roll on the 'Eadbangerz Chart.

When counting Orc and Goblin units any unit in close combat within 12' counts double - ie, each unit counts as two. The Boyz generate lots of extra Waaagh power when they are fighting!

'Eadbangerz Chart

Night Goblin Shamans, Forest Goblin Shamans and Savage Orc Shamans have further special rules as described in the Warhammer Armies Orcs & Goblins book. These are summarised below for ease of reference, but note that the full rules are given in the Orcs & Goblins book.

A Night Goblin Shaman is able to consume magic mushrooms at the start of his magic phase in order to generate an extra D6 winds of magic cards for his own use. This enables a Night Goblin Shaman to cast spells even if he is out of the normal 12' range of Orcs or Goblins in which case no Waaagh test is taken. However, should there be Orcs and Gobbos within 12" whilst the Shaman eats mushrooms, and should he fail his Waaagh test, then he must deduct -1 from his roll on the 'Eadbangerz Chart.

Forest Goblins allow poisoned spiders to bite them, addling their minds but also imbuing them with great magical power. To represent this the Shaman always adds +1 to his score when testing on the 'Eadbangerz Chart and suffers no effect on the roll of a 6. However, when he fails a Waaagh test he automatically staggers D6" in a random direction.

Savage Orc Shamans are adorned with magical tattoos which enable them to draw extra Waaagh power from Savage Orcs nearby. If a Savage Orc Shaman joins a mob of Savage Orcs he receives one extra winds of magic card from the deal; this card is put aside and can be used by the Shaman during that magic phase. This does not increase the number of cards he can retain from turn to turn. In addition, when a Savage Orc Shaman joins a unit of Savage Orcs, both his and their protective tattoos are boosted from a 6+ save to a 5+ save.

High Magic is the greatest and most potent of all magics and its practitioners are the oldest and most mighty of all wizards in the Warhammer World. The most noted High Mages are the High Elves of Ulthuan, whose ancestors travelled to the Old World and taught the rudiments of sorcery to the savage humans that lived there. High Elven Mages can use High Magic, but they can also use Battle Magic.

Apart from the High Elves, High Magic is also known to the great Slann Mage Priests of Lustria, the progenitors of sorcery, whose secret knowledge plumbs depths unimaginable to even the mighty Elf Mages of Ulthuan.

High Magic is the highest and most noble form of
sorcery. Its practitioners draw upon the purest and most potent power. As they cast spells they bring the winds of magic into harmony, and draw away the destructive and evil aspects of magical power. A High Mage's mind is attuned towards this vital source, and against the corruption of Dark Magic. Dark Magic is the opposite of High Magic, and the two are implacable enemies, the one virtuous and the other corrupt and evil.

If a wizard has High Magic spells deal these out before the game. Deal to the highest level wizards first, and then to lower levels, rolling off for those of equal potency.

In the case of High Magic spells do not deal one spell per magic level. Instead, deal one card per magic level plus one extra. Once a wizard has received his hand, the player is allowed to choose his spells from the hand he has been dealt, and the remaining spell is shuffled back in the deck. Then the next wizard receives his spells in the same way, then the next, and so on.

Because a High Mage has some choice of spells he can tailor his magic more effectively than other wizards. As High Mages are supposed to be the most powerful in the world this seems only fair. This is an important advantage, because many of the High Magic spells are only of use against specific armies. For example, the spell Banishment is only of value against Undead or Daemons, and would be of no value against a Dwarf or Bretonnian army, for example.

A wizard with High Magic spells enjoys another benefit from his heightened powers. He can use power cards as if they were Dispel cards, drawing down the winds of magic to sweep away his enemy's magic. This means a High Mage does not need a Dispel card to effect a Dispel, and, of course, he can boost a Dispel with further power cards as normal.

High Magic is the purest and most powerful of all sorceries. For this reason a Mage with High Magic spells is always considered to be of higher magic level than other wizards when casting spells. Other types of wizards will therefore require a basic 5+ to dispel using a counter magic card.

When High Magic-using Mages confront each other, the normal ranking applies.

Note that this superiority only applies when casting spells, not when using counter magic. When using counter magic the normal ranking applies.

Lizardman Slann Mage-Priests communicate with each other across the globe, and possibly across space and time itself, by means of currents of magic which flow through the world. On the battlefield all Slann Mage-Priests use this ability to share their magical powers.

To represent this, at the start of the Lizardman player's magic phase, each Slann Mage-Priest can swap one High Magic spell with any other Slann Mage-Priest in the battle. Thus, so long as there are at least two Mage-Priests present, it is possible to make sure that the most powerful Mage-Priests have the most appropriate High Magic spells.

The Skaven were born of the union of Chaos and Dark Magic in the days following the collapse of the warp gates and the Time of Chaos. When the winds of magic blow strongly the Skaven race multiples: in the tunnels and caverns beneath the cities of men, Skaven numbers swell, and their great under-empire spreads like a dark plague. At such times Skaven Seers cast earth-shattering magic such as brought down the old Dwarf Empire in a cataclysm of volcanic eruption and earthquake.

The Skaven worship their own dark god the Horned Rat, the manifestation of their evil schemes to consume the world. Skaven magic draws upon the dark power of evil magic. The Skaven supplement this power with warpstone - concentrated pieces of black energy blown into the world by howling winds of magic during the collapse of the warp gates. These small chunks of stone radiate malign power, causing the mutation and corruption of mortal flesh.

Only a Skaven can touch warpstone without immediately suffering from its mutating effects, and even they become twisted and warped by its energy eventually. A Skaven sorcerer can consume small lumps of warpstone during the battle and feed upon its power to fuel his spells.

There are two kinds of Skaven sorcerers. The most powerful are the Grey Seers, the lords and masters of the Skaven race, second only in power to the Great Council of the Thirteen Lords of Decay. The lesser kind of sorcerers are the Warlocks who belong to the Clan Skryre. Where human wizards learn their magic in the Colleges of Magic in the Empire, the Skaven Clan Skryre pursues the study of spell casting and enchantment. As well as learning potent spells the Warlocks create devices which merge technology and magic.

Skaven sorcerers can supplement their magical energy by consuming lumps of warpstone. Before the game begins the Skaven player determines how much warpstone he has. The lumps of warpstone can be represented by the warp tokens included in Warhammer Magic... though at least one player we know uses jelly beans which are eaten during the game on behalf on his sorcerers!

Once the player has established how much warpstone he has, he makes a pile of warp tokens. Any of his Skaven sorcerers can use this warpstone during the battle, it does not have to be allocated to any specific sorcerer: To establish how much warpstone you have consult the following chart and make the appropriate dice rolls for each Skaven sorcerer in the army. A D3 is the score of an ordinary D6 halved rounding up: 1-2 = 1, 3-4 = 2, and 5-6 = 3.

For example, a Warlock Engineer will contribute 1 piece of warpstone on the score of 3 but otherwise none, but a Grey Seer will always bring between 2 and 4 pieces.

Skaven sorcerers are dealt spells from the Skaven spell deck at the start of the game in the same way as described for Battle Magic spells. Deal spells to the highest level sorcerers first and then the lowest. Note that some cards can only be used by Grey Seers, and these should be removed from the deck when dealing to Warlocks.

The Skaven player is dealt cards from the Winds of Magic deck in the normal manner and these are used in the same fashion as already described in the rules section.

Skaven sorcerers can use warpstone to power their spells as well as, or instead of, power cards from the Winds of Magic deck. The Sorcerer eats one or more piece of warpstone before casting the spell, and each piece counts as a power card.

Skaven sorcerers cannot consume warpstone to reinforce a spell that they are casting or to boost counter magic. Warpstone only provides the power required for spells, it does not provide the power to reinforce spells or boost counter magic.

By consuming warpstone the Skaven is filled with magic energy and power. This is inviting disaster, as not even Skaven can eat warpstone without risking its deadly effects. When a Skaven sorcerer consumes warpstone and before he casts his spell, he must take a Warp test. This determines whether the sorcerer survives eating the warpstone or whether he is overwhelmed by its power and turned into a monstrous mutant Chaos Spawn.

Take the Warp test immediately after the warpstone is used but before the spell is cast. Roll a D6. If the score is more than the number of pieces of warpstone consumed the test is passed and the sorcerer is unharmed. If the score is the same as or less than the number of pieces of warpstone consumed the test is failed and the energy of the warpstone mutates the Skaven sorcerer into a Chaos Spawn.

The Spawn is a foul blob-like creature that sprouts tentacles, horns, pincers, eye-stalks and extra heads and limbs in a random manner. The Spawn is insane and almost mindless, and hauls its twisted body about in confusion, destroying anything it touches.

As soon as the Sorcerer turns into Chaos Spawn it makes a random move 2D6". Use the Scatter dice to determine which direction it takes. From then on the Spawn moves 2D6" in a random direction in its own movement phase. This is compulsory movement and so takes place before Other troops are moved.

A Chaos Spawn will move straight over anything in its way, striking troops with its claws or covering them with corrosive slime. These attacks are worked out as the Chaos Spawn moves over its victims in the movement phase and so form an exception to the normal turn sequence.

Each model moved over is automatically hit once at a Strength of 4 as shown on the profile below. Work out these hits as soon as the Spawn has moved.

In the close combat phase the Spawn does not attack, but any models in base contact with it can strike blows against it as normal. No combat results are applied and any casualties inflicted do not count towards working out a combat the troops may also be involved in.

Neither the Spawn nor the troops it is fighting are obliged to stand and fight in subsequent movement phases. Indeed, the Spawn must move as already described, and might well move right through any unit it is already touching. In the case of a unit fighting a Spawn, the unit can move away from, or even over the Spawn without taking further hits from it.

Movement. The Spawn moves 2D6" in a random direction in its movement phase.

Combat. The Spawn does not attack in hand-to-hand fighting as such, but inflicts 1 wound on each model it touches as it moves. Work out these hits in the move phase.

Leadership. Spawn are insane creatures and are unaffected by psychology rules. They never take Break tests. They will automatically pass any Leadership-based test they are required to take.

Dark Magic is the most dangerous kind of sorcery and some would say the most potent of all. Certainly it is the great adversary of High Magic, and just as High Magic is pure and noble so Dark Magic is corrupt and debased. Its energies come from the raw and dangerous power that blows from the Realm of Chaos itself.

The Dark Elves are the greatest practitioners of Dark Magic, and their sorcerers are fierce rivals of the High Mages of the High Elves. Dark Elves use only Dark Magic. Some other sorcerers can also use Dark Magic, including Chaos sorcerers and Beastmen Shamans from the Chaos army, and Liches, Vampires and Necromancers from the Undead army.

If a wizard has Dark Magic spells deal these out before the game in the normal manner. Deal to the highest level wizards first, and then to lower levels, rolling off for those of equal potency.

In the case of Dark Elves ignore the dealing priority described above. Dark Elves are masters of Dark Magic. If Dark Elf sorcerers are fighting then deal their spells first, even if there are Chaos or Undead wizards of higher level fighting in the battle. Spells are dealt to the highest levels of Dark Elf sorcerers before lower levels.

A wizard with Dark Magic spells can benefit from his evil powers. He can use any Dispel card as if it were a power card in order to cast or reinforce a spell. Note, it is not permitted to use a Dispel card to boost a counter card, only to cast or reinforce the sorcerer's own spells.

The Dark Magic player must wrestle with his conscience when it comes to sacrificing his Dispels. Is it better to cast a spell now or hold back and protect yourself instead? Of course, we all know players of evil sorcerers will invariably decide to blow their Dispels... that is their inevitable and fatal error. That... and cackling as their cards are dealt.

Necromancy is the magic of death and as such combines the evil sorcerous power of Dark Magic with unspeakable supernatural energies. Only Necromancers, Liches and Vampires can use Necromancy and these are all found in the Undead army.

If a wizard has Necromancy spells then he is allowed to choose his spells. This is quite different from other wizards who are dealt spells randomly.

If only one side has Necromancy spells then the player can choose his spells and distribute them to his wizards as he wishes.

If both sides have Necromancy spells then the highest level wizard chooses his spells first, and then the lower levels, rolling off for those of equal potency.

In the case of some Undead wizards the number of spells they have is not the same as their magic level. This is shown on the chart below together with the maximum number of magic items they are permitted.

A Liche, Necromancer or Vampire with Necromancy spells is allowed to cast the same spell more than once during his magic phase. This is a special ability of Undead magic, and only applies to Necromancy spells.

The first time a spell is cast during the magic phase it works in the normal way. The Undead player may then attempt to cast the same spell again regardless of whether it worked or was dispelled. He does not necessarily recast the spell automatically, but must test to determine if he can. The chart below shows the D6 score needed for a wizard to recast a spell.

The wizard must expend further power cards to cast the spell for a second time and his opponent may attempt to counter it as normal. The wizard can continue to recast the same spell over and over again so long as he has power to do so, but he cannot cast the same spell successfully against the same target more than once. He cannot cast Vanhels Danse Macabre twice on the same unit for example. A spell which is dispelled when first cast can be recast onto the same target, but only because it was not successfully cast the first time round.

A player wishing to recast a spell must finish recasting it before he casts any others. This enables the player to keep track of which spells have been cast, which can be recast, and which cannot be recast.

Only Chaos Dwarf sorcerers can use Chaos Dwarf Magic and this is the only kind of magic that they know. Chaos Dwarf Magic is based around the corrupt rituals of the evil god Hashut, the patron deity of the Chaos Dwarf race.

Chaos Dwarf spells are dealt to Chaos Dwarf sorcerers before the game in the normal way, and in other respects they follow the same rules as Battle Magic.

The following notes are worth bearing in mind when casting spells. They are general rules that apply to all, or to most, spells, and so are gathered together here for convenience.

Units

In almost all cases where spells are cast at an enemy they are cast at a unit. Remember, the term 'unit' covers all models which are acting as a single body, and so includes regiments of troops, characters on their own, batteries of machines, squadrons of chariots, and so on.

If a character is with a regiment of troops, battery of machines, etc, he is part of the unit and is affected by a spell if it affects all the unit. For example, a Fear, Bless or Net spell affects an entire unit including any characters accompanying it.

If a spell inflicts a number of hits or wounds on a unit, then any characters with the unit are treated in the same way as if the unit were shot at by bowmen or hit by a stone thrower. Generally speaking, this means characters are not harmed by such spells. An example is the Destruction spell which causes 2D6 S4 hits on a unit. Where a template is used or where the spell affects all models under a direct line (like a cannon) then the "Look Out Sir!' rule can be used to save characters as described in the Warhammer rulebook.

Model

In some cases the target of a spell is specifically a model rather than a unit. This means the spell can be cast at any individual model within range, including at a character who is with a unit. Examples include the Battle Magic Fireball and Blast spells. If cast against chariots, ridden monsters or war machines, hits from these spells are randomised amongst crew, etc, in the same way as hits from shooting (exceptions are noted on the cards or in the following summaries). Many spells cast in this manner require line of sight as described below. Where a spell is directed specifically against a model the Look Out Sir! rule does not apply the spell has the character's name on it.

Generally speaking spells do not require a wizard to be able to see his target - his sense of magical awareness enables him to direct the spell. This means, for example, that a wizard can cast spells in front or behind him, and against targets that are obscured by other troops or terrain.

Some spells do require that a wizard can see his target. These are spells where the wizard projects or throws a fireball or some such sorcerous missile. In this case the casting wizard must have a clear view of his target, or a clear view of the spot from which a spell starts to work. In the case of these spells the target must lie within the wizard's 90° arc of sight. These spells are indicated with the words 'Line of Sight' on the spell cards.

It is quite common for spells that require line of sight to strike the first model in their path. All this means is that the spell is comparable to a bullet in flight - it shoots out from the wizard and hits whatever is in the way. The wizard can still aim or direct the spell, but it won't travel through other models or scenery in order to hit its target. Fireball is the most obvious example of this kind of spell - Blast is another and far more potent version of the same thing.

Some spells strike the first unit in their path. This is basically the same thing, but the effect is broader and more difficult to aim, so the damage is spread across the unit. The Skaven spell Warp Lightning is like this.

The Warhammer Armies books army lists indicate which characters can carry magic items and how many they may have. Each magic item has a fixed points value shown on its card. This points value is added to that of the model which carries the item. When players choose an army they also choose which magic items they wish to include and note these down on the army's roster sheet.

Magic Standards

Magic items are normally carried by character models, except for magic standards which must be carried by a regiment's standard bearer or by a chariot or army battle standard bearer as indicated in the army lists. Remember, the points value of a regiment's standard bearer model is normally double the value of an ordinary trooper. The cost of a magical standard is added on top of this. The points value of the magical standard itself is not doubled. In the case of a chariot or army battle standard bearer the points cost of the magical standard is simply added to the points cost of the model.

Number of Magic Items

Characters can carry a maximum number of magic items as shown on the chart below. We have used the common descriptive phrases for heroes and wizards, but the chart holds good for races which use different terminology such as Orc Bosses, Shamans, etc.

Choosing Types of Item

A character can be given as many magic items as shown on the chart above, but no character can carry more than one magic weapon, magic armour, ward, bound spell or magic standard.

There is no restriction on the number of wizard arcana or enchanted items a character can have.

Note that some special characters described in the Warhammer Armies books sometimes have combinations of items that would ordinarily be disallowed. They might also have more (or fewer) items than an ordinary character of their equivalent level. In addition, some special characters have magic items which are unique to themselves. Special characters are exceptional in many ways! See Special Characters and Magic Items.

Duplicates

When a player chooses magic items for his army he can choose from the entire set of magic item cards. This means that two players might choose the same item. This doesn't matter, although if only one set of Warhammer Magic is available for the game the players will have to 'share' the card for purposes of reference. Generally speaking, a player cannot include the same item in his army more than once. However there are three general exceptions in the forms of Dispel scrolls, Chaos Armour and Familiars, as noted below.

Dispel Scrolls

Dispel Scrolls are part of the Wizard Arcana card deck which consists of magical devices used by wizards. A wizard can have several Dispel Scrolls, and different wizards can each carry Dispel Scrolls. However, this only applies to Dispel Scrolls, not to other types of scroll such as Power Scrolls or Destroy Magic Scrolls.

Chaos Armour

Chaos Armour can be worn by different characters in the same army. It can also be worn by Chaos Sorcerers without affecting their spell casting abilities. Chaos Armour is unusual in that it is available to Chaos characters as a magic item, but is also available to some Chaos troops as an equipment option (See Warhammer Armies Chaos). It is also unusual in that it can be combined with a Chaos Runeshield and is then considered to be one magic item. Odd stuff Chaos Armour.

Familiars

There are several different kinds of Familiar in the Wizard Arcana deck. As with Dispel Scrolls, a player can include duplicates of these Familiars, for example two different wizards might both have a Power Familiar. However, a wizard cannot have more than one Familiar of any type.

Secrecy

Players will normally wish to keep their magic items secret until it is time to use them. However, if both armies include the same item this may be difficult if both players want to consult the same card. Think of these items as having a sense of magical awareness that betrays their presence to each other, so that both players know the other has the item.

Some magic items can only be used by specific races. Where this is the case the card indicates 'Dwarfs Only' or 'Orcs Only' for example. Some items can only be carried by specific groups within a single race such as 'Skaven Plague Monks Only' or 'Dwarf Slayers Only'. Magic items which are restricted in this way have a blue background so they can be easily identified.

Some of the special characters described in the Warhammer Armies books and Campaign supplements have unique magic items - items which they and they alone can use. As the complete rules for these characters are included in the appropriate supplements, no cards are included in Warhammer Magic to represent their unique magic items. As no other models can use these items it was felt unnecessary to include cards for them.

However, unique items in existence at the time of writing have been included in a separate section of the magic items summaries so that players can conveniently refer to them. Bear in mind that further special characters may well have new items not included in the summary because they were created after the publication of Warhammer Magic.

We do not intend to invent more magic items which can be used generally. We may well invent items specific to special characters or specific to particular campaign battles. As the use of special characters is ideally a matter of prior agreement by the players, this means that Warhammer Magic contains all the magic items available to armies in the general run of things.

This section summarises the rules for all the magic items including items from the Warhammer Chaos Armies book and items which are unique to special characters and so not included as cards. The summary includes introductory notes for each type of item, and specific rules clarifications for items where this is felt to be useful.

Some items have more than one property, for example a Magic Standard which contains a Bound Spell. These items are still considered to belong to one category of magic item as shown on the card itself. For example a Magic Standard which contains a Bound Spell is a Magic Standard, a Scroll which contains a Bound Spell is a Wizard Arcana, and so on. This is important from the point of view of who can carry what. For example, only a character can carry a Bound Spell but a unit's standard bearer can carry a Magic Standard which contains a Bound Spell.

Type of Weapon

Most magical weapons are swords, although there are a few which represent axes, lances, etc. In general, although weapons are described as swords, it is perfectly reasonably to ascribe the weapon to a character model which carries a different type of weapon such as an axe or mace. Simply assume the weapon has the properties ascribed to it on the Magic Weapon card, so the Sword of Fortitude becomes a Spear of Fortitude to all intents.

Whilst it is reasonable to ascribe magical properties to any type of weapon a model might carry, the model must ignore any special rules which would normally apply to the weapon. So, no extra bonuses apply for spears, double-handed weapons, lances, etc. Similarly, the penalties that apply to double-handed weapons do not apply when they are weilded as magic weapons. The process of permitting models to count their weapons as magical is a convenience, and players must be prepared to lose weapon bonuses in order to keep things fair.

In the case of magical weapons which are specifically described as lances, double handed-weapons or other weapons which would ordinarily confer special bonuses, these bonuses are always included on the descriptive card if they apply (for example the Star Lance). Players who wish to use these unusual magic weapons should provide models which are appropriately equipped. These items are often associated with special character models.

Multiple Weapons

Although a character can carry ordinary weapons as well as his magical weapon, he cannot attack with both in the same turn. A character model cannot use a magic sword in one hand and an ordinary sword in the other. Magic Weapons are powerful and dangerous weapons, they require concentration and skill to use, and weilding even one requires the warrior's full concentration.

Amour Saves

A common property of magic weapons is to cancel out the enemy's armour saving throw. If a magic weapon's description includes the phrase no armour saves allowed then this means exactly what it says. Armour saves are ignored. However, special saves are unaffected unless the description indicates otherwise. Special saves are discussed in detail later on.

Where armour saves are disallowed even armour saves conferred by magic armor are not allowed unless the description of the weapon indicates otherwise (for example the Axe of Grimnir). In this case the description will say no armour saves allowed except for magic armour. This is a fairly common type of weapon which pierces non-magic armor but may be deflected by magic armour.

Multiple Wounds

Many magic weapons cause multiple wounds. This is expressed in terms of 'each wound inflicts not 1 but D6 wounds' or whatever the multiplier happens to be. The procedure for this is as follows. First roll 'to hit' as normal. If you hit then roll 'to wound' as normal. If you score a wound then your enemy may attempt any save he is entitled to (armour save or special save). If he fails his save you can roll to multiply up the number of wounds inflicted on that model - D3, D6 or whatever. Do not multiply the wounds and then attempt armour saves for each. Make only the one save against the original wound.

Note that some weapons cause not multiple wounds but multiple hits, the Hydra Sword for example. In this case roll to hit as normal. For each hit scored roll the dice indicated to multiply up the hits. Then resolve each hit separately, and take separate saves for each wound scored.

Empire Runefangs

The twelve Runefangs were created by the Dwarf Runesmith Alaric the Mad and given to Sigmar at the time of the foundation of the Empire. In turn Sigmar gave one to each of his chieftains, and these eventualy passed into the hands of the Elector Counts of the Empire. As such only Elector Counts and special characters specifically indicated in the Empire Warhammer Armies book can carry a Runefang.

The noteworthy thing about Runefangs is that there are twelve. As such an Empire army can feature several Runefangs and not just one, and we have included two Runefang cards. This is an exception to the rule which normally restricts players to a single example of a magic item.

The category Magic Armour includes armour (ie magic forms of breastplates, mail coats and the like) and shields, as well as complete suits which include both armour and shields. These can be worn instead of the ordinary equivalent.

In most cases magic armour offers an improved armour saving throw compared to ordinary armour. In other cases it offers ordinary armour saving throws but confers other abilities too.

Combining Magic/Ordinary Armour

Unless specified to the contrary an amour save from magic armour may be combined with armour saves from a mount or ordinary armour. For example a magic breast plate with an armour save of 6+ can be combined with an ordinary shield save of 6+ and a mount's save of 6+ to give an armour save of 4+.

Although magic armour can be combined with other saves from mounts and ordinary shields where appropriate, a model may never have a better basic armour saving throw than 1+. 1+ is the best armour save you can get, offering immunity from hits of strength 3 or less (higher strengths will increase the roll required to save of course.)

Move Penalties

Characters wearing magic amour suffer no movement penalty on account of their armour. This is because a) it is magic armour and unbelievably lightweight, and b) they are heroic individuals who are used to such things.

Wizards and Armour

Wizards cannot wear any armour, magic or otherwise, without compromising their ability to cast spells, with the exception of Chaos Armour worn by Chaos Sorcerers and Skaven Warpstone Armour.

Armour Saves

The most common effect of magic armour is to confer an extraordinarily effective armor saving throw. Except where noted in the description of the item, this works exactly like normal armour saves: it is therefore modified by the enemy's strength as normal, and in the case of weapons which normally dispense with armour saves your magic armour will do you no good at all. For example, Armour of Meteoric Iron confers a 2 + armour save, but would still be useless against a cannon shot because cannons ignore armor saves altogether.

Special Saves

Some rare and expensive types of magic armour confer what are referred to as special saves. A special save is not an armour save: it is not modified by the strength of a hit against it, and it is not negated by weapons or attacks which disallow armor saves. Special saves represent a magical property of the armour rather than armour which is merely magically toughened or hardened.

If a model has both armour saves and special saves, take any armour saves first. Take special saves only for those wounds not saved by armour.

Special saves cannot save in situations where a target is automatically killed - for example, a weapon which automatically kills if it hits, or a spell which automatically kills, or where fleers are run into the ground by pursuers, and so on. A special save can only save wounds - not automatic death.

The difference between armour saves and special saves is not always explained on the cards where space is limited, so it is important to understand the difference. If in doubt the following broad rule will help to remind you: armour saves are modified, special saves are always a fixed value.

Wards are forms of protection other than armour. They take the form of amulets, talismans, crowns and such like. Wards have unique and unusual properties, but are generally protective in character and serve to ward off wounds or hits, or restore wounds that have been suffered.

Saving throws from Wards are not armour saving throws. To distingush them we refer to these as special saves in the same way as special saves from some sorts of magic armour. Damage from a weapon which disallows armour saves can still be saved by a Ward such as a hit from a cannon ball for example. Similarly, armour save modifiers do not apply to saves from Wards. See the comments in the section on Magic Armour regarding special saves.

Wards and Automatic Kills

Some spells and a few magic weapons will automatically kill their targets in certain circumstances. For example the Waaagh spell Brain Bursta can kill an enemy outright, a Hellfire sword will automatically kill a target that takes 1 wound from it, and the Skull Wand of Kaloth will drain the victim's life if he is hit and fails a Leadership test.

Targets which are killed outright in this way cannot use wards to restore or save against death. Obviously, where it is necessary to inflict 1 wound to achieve an automatic kill (as if often the case) then armour and wards can be used to save against the wound/s as normal, but no further save is possible against the automatic kill.

Enchanted Items includes a miscellany of items of varied effect. Although some take similar forms to Wards, the main difference is that a model can have more than 1 Enchanted Item but can never have more than 1 Ward.

Wizard Arcana are magic items which can only be used by wizards. They might aid spell casting, or improve a wizard's magic level, or in some cases allow them to cast special types of spell. A wizard can have more than 1 Wizard Arcana, assuming, of course, that he can carry more than one magic item. Wizard Arcana often have the properties of other types of magic item, such as Weapons or Bound Spells, so it is important to bear in mind the rules that apply to those things as well.

A magic standard may be carried by any regimental standard bearer entitled to carry a magic standard as indicated in the Warhammer Armies Lists. The maximum value of the standard is usually restricted such that only the very best units are allowed to carry the most potent standards. In addition, it is usual to allow the army's Battle Standard to be a magic standard as described in the army lists.

Note that the points value of a magic standard is added to the total points value of the standard bearer. The value of regimental standard bearers is usually double that of a trooper, the value of a magic standard is added to this total. The cost of the banner itself is not doubled. E.g. High Elf Spearmen cost 12 points, the standard bearer costs 24 points, a standard bearer with a 50 point standard costs 24+50=74 points.

Some chariots are also permitted to carry a magic standard. The value of the banner is added to the value of the chariot. The cost of the chariot is not doubled.

A bound spell is a magic item that enables its owner to cast a specific spell as if he were a wizard. Any character can have a bound spell and not just wizards. Having a Bound Spell does not make a character a wizard for purposes of the rules.

The spell is cast once in the player's magic phase exactly like other spells, and it can be countered in the same way as an ordinary spell. Bound spells often take the form of magic rings, though some are horns or pipes. When attempting to counter a bound spell the 'caster' is assumed to have a magic level equivalent to the wizard making the counter. Thus bound spells are dispelled on a base roll of 4+. Power cards can be used in the normal fashion to boost the chance of a dispel, but cannot be used to reinforce a bound spell.

The following items are unique to specific special characters - individuals of astonishing power or reputation in the Warhammer World. These special characters are described in the Warhammer Armies book for the army they belong to together with any magic items or special powers they have.

Because only these specific individuals can carry these items we have not included cards to represent them - players who intend to field these individuals obviously have the Warhammer Armies book describing them. However, it seemed a good idea to summarise the abilities of these items here, for convenience of reference and to give other players an idea of what they might be up against! Bear in mind that it is recommended that special characters are used with prior agreement by the players.

Some of the special items are described as heirlooms of a ruling family or office. For example the Great Book of Grudges is borne by the High King of Karaz-a-Karak, the Talisman of Ulric is worn by the Elector Count of Middenland, and so on.

Heirlooms are usually ascribed to a specific special character, and for that reason are included in this section and not as part of the main magic items list. Obviously, a scenario set in some past time might include the same item carried by an appropriate ancestor. For normal purposes, however, it is convenient to ascribe these items to specific individuals to avoid confusion.