The Witching Wood Campaign, Part I
Something Else
Ian and I never intended for this blog to be solely about our exploits in the time of the Horus Heresy. To that end, I will share a skirmish campaign I am working on in this and in later posts.The Witching Wood Campaign is an effort to make myself fall in love with Age of Sigmar, and to stretch my creative muscles and paint something other than Space Marines. It was inspired, mainly, by the AoS28 movement, a loose collection of hobbyists who apply the aesthetic and creative sensibilities of Inquisitor 28 projects to the worlds of the Age of Sigmar. The plan is to kitbash up some fun and interesting pieces and play a few bashes with them. If it inspires me to paint up a whole AoS force, so much the better. To that end, I have put together three warbands and some NPC groups. The players will be myself, Ian, and our old buddy Scott, and we will start just as soon as I get off my butt and make the scenery I've been promising that I would work on since late May. The campaign will be relatively short, with the option to run a followup either during the winter or next summer.
The Witching Wood
In the realm of life lies a shrouded and mysterious patch of forest called the Witching Wood. Only a few days from the metropolis of Hammerhal, the Witching Wood is, nonetheless, seldom visited. It is a land of ill-repute, and travelers give it a wide berth, claiming that the unwary become lost in the mists, or else are taken by the fey creatures who live there.Somewhere in the shifting groves of this Wood lived, for at least two centuries, an eccentric and mighty sorcerer named Anaximander. This magus raised a tower from the very bones of the earth in one of the Wood's grottos, and would often climb to the tower's heights and gaze at the stars, deciphering some inscrutable meaning from their movements. Anaximander did not live alone, but gathered to himself a strange company of misfits and lore-seekers, all of whom dwelt either in his tower or in several small buildings nearby.
One spring, while the Witching Wood was in bloom and the mists uncharacteristically clear, Anaximander gathered around him his compatriots and announced that he had uncovered a great and terrible secret: the location of a forgotten realmgate which would lead those who knew the right words and signs to the fabled Spire of Shade in the realm of death. He intended, he said, to lead an expedition in search of this gate and to claim for himself the lost treasures of the Katophranes.
Unfortunately for Anaximander, he was not the only one who had discovered this secret of the Witching Wood; Faustulus, a wicked necromancer who had long operated in the shadows of Hammerhal, had also learned of the realmgate, and attacked Anaximander's enclave the very next morning, slaying the sorcerer and most of his followers. Hot on the heels of Faustulus was Festus Leechrot, the Antlered King of the Underways, a champion of Nurgle who had long coveted power from his hidden lair in the sewers of Hammerhal. Now the survivors of Anaximander's Company, the Shambling Seekers of Faustulus, and Festus' Rot Walkers all search under the eaves of the Witching Wood.
Rules
It might seems strange, as the project is an attempt to fall in love with Age of Sigmar, but I will be running the campaign using Mordheim rules. I do own the new AoS Skirmish book, and it looks pretty good, but it doesn't have quite the level of crunch that I am looking for in order to represent the individual players in these small warbands. I'm also not super comfortable with the Age of Sigmar rules, which would make it more difficult for me to put together stats for the various warbands.Therefore, the campaign will use the Mordheim rules as published with the following small changes:
-light and heavy armour each give an improved armour save of a single point (ie, 5+ for light armour and 4+ for heavy armour); shields remain unchanged.
-there are no critical hits.
-axes, maces, and hammers have no associated special rules and are simply hand weapons; swords and spears remain unchanged.
-there are no rules for helmets.
-slings are strength 2.
-double-handed weapons don't strike last on the charge.
These are our long-standing Mordheim house rules, and I am mostly continuing to use them to avoid making myself confused if I ever play a normal Mordheim campaign again in the future.
In addition, we will not be using the experience system. Instead, the scenario in question will say who, if anyone, receives an advance upon completion; this will most likely be the loser giving one advance to one character and the winner giving an advance to two different characters. We will not have money, though there may be specific rewards after a given scenario. Dead characters will be replaced at the groups' discretion as needed.
The Lost Company of Anaximander
When Anaximander and his comrades were ambushed by Faustulus, there were few survivors. Foremost among them were Basil and Ariadne, the sorcerer's two young apprentices. The apprentices are untested but brave (some would say rash). They style themselves the leaders of the company, though most of the other members pay them little heed.
Basil, the Elder Apprentice
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 3
W; 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 7
Equipment: sword, dagger
Spells: Luck of Azyr (casting value 6, the caster may reroll all failed dice rolls until the beginning of his next turn), Shield of Fortune (casting value 7, the caster gains a 5+ ward save until he suffers a wound)
The Witching Owl: Basil is accompanied by a snowy, three-eyed owl from the Witching Wood which gives his opponents in hand-to-hand combat a -1 to hit
Ariadne, the Younger Apprentice
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 3
W; 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 7
Equipment: staff (counts as spear), dagger
Spells: Counterspell (casting value 8, the caster may cast this spell in reaction to another wizard's successfully cast spell and will count as having cast a spell herself already next turn; the enemy's spell is nullified), Silver Arrows (casting value 7, the caster summons d6+2 arrows with a 24" range and S3, which she fires using her own BS but ignoring penalties for moving, cover, or range)
Two others from Anaximander's Company survived the onslaught of the dead: Wilbert, Anaximander's old and grizzled quartermaster, and Garen, the strange and fey-touched woodsman who often wandered deep into the Witching Wood. Wilbert considers it his solemn duty to protect the young apprentices, and tolerates no foolishness. Garen sports a flock of white hair because he has seen things on his forays into the Wood.
Wilbert, the Quartermaster
M: 4
WS: 4
BS: 4
S: 3
T: 4
W; 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 8
Equipment: hand weapon, dueling pistol, dagger, heavy armour
Leader: friendly models within 6" may use this model's Ld value instead of their own
Skills: Hunter (may fire every turn with black powder weapons)
Garen, the Woodsman
M: 4
WS: 4
BS: 4
S: 3
T: 3
W; 1
I: 5
A: 1
Ld: 8
Equipment: sword, longbow, dagger, light armour
Skills: Sprint (the model may run or charge at three times its M)
Marrus, the Sepulchral Knight
M: 4
WS: 5
BS: 5
S: 4
T: 4
W: 2
I: 4
A: 2
Ld: 10
Equipment: sword, dagger, shield, heavy armour
Lone Questor: Marrus never uses any other model's Ld in place of his own, nor may anyone else in the warband use his, including for break tests
Reforged: if Marrus should die, he will instead be reforged by Sigmar and will return to the warband after missing a single game; Marrus suffers serious injuries as normal but, should he die and return, these injuries will be erased from his profile
Skills: Combat Master (immune to 'all alone' tests;' gains +1A when fighting more than one opponent in hand-to-hand), Unstoppable Charge (+1S when charging)
Swift Talon, the gryph-hound
M: 8
WS: 4
BS: 1
S: 4
T: 3
W: 1
I: 5
A: 1
Ld: 8
Equipment: tooth and claw (counts as hand weapon)
Galen, the "Squire"
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 7
Equipment: sword, spear, dagger, shield, light armour
The Lost Company is my first completed warband, and the one which I will be playing in the campaign.
The Shambling Seekers
No longer content to hide in the labyrinthine streets of Hammerhal, Faustulus and his companions have taken to the Witching Wood in search of a lost realmgate which will lead them to the realm of death.
The leaders of the Seekers are Faustulus, the necromancer of Hammerhal, and his apprentice Dietrich. Faustulus thinks little of Dietrich, but finds him a useful accomplice in his dark rituals. Dietrich, meanwhile, is planning to kill his master when the time is right. Such is the way with necromancers.
Faustulus, the Necromancer of Hammerhal
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 4
W: 1
I: 4
A: 1
Ld: 8
Equipment: staff (counts as spear), dagger
Leader: friendly models within 6" may use this model's Ld value instead of their own
Skills: Magical Aptitude (the caster may attempt to cast two spells in one turn but must first pass a T test or roll on the injury table, treating out of action as stunned instead)
Spells: Counterspell (casting value 8, the caster may cast this spell in reaction to another wizard's successfully cast spell and will count as having cast a spell himself already next turn; the enemy's spell is nullified), Danse Macbre (casting value 6, a single undead model within 9" immediately moves again), Reanimation (casting value 5, a single undead model which went out of action during the last turn returns within 6" of the caster but not in hand-to-hand combat)
Dietrich, the Necromance's Apprentice
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 7
Equipment: sword, dagger
Spells: Danse Macbre (casting value 6, a single undead model within 9" immediately moves again), Life Stealer (casting value 10, a single model within 6" immediately suffers a wound with no armour save and the caster gains a wound, even if this takes him above his starting value)
Joining Faustulus and Dietrich are three desperate men from Hammerhal, tomb robbers and treasure seekers, who were paid with coin and live with a desperate hope of finding their fortunes. Adlar of Glassenstrasse is their nominal leader, and he has the honor of bearer the lantern when the group ventures into dark caves. The others do not expect him to live long. His compatriots are the brothers Roger and Rollo.
Adlar of Glassenstrasse, the Lamp Bearer
M: 4
WS: 4
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 4
A: 1
Ld: 8
Equipment: halberd, dagger
Roger, the Elder Brother
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 7
Equipment: handgun, dagger
Rollo, the Younger Brother
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 7
Equipment: bow, sword, dagger
When Faustulus first ventured into the Witching Wood, he was in search of the resting place of an ancient and terrible king. He found this king, Morvyn, in his barrow, and raised him and his band of skeletal warriors, pressing them into his wicked service.
Morvyn, the Risen King
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 4
W: 2
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 8
Equipment: Tomb Blade (sword which causes 1d3 wounds), dagger, shield, heavy armour
Special Rules: Fear, May Not Run, Immune to Psychology, Immune to Poison, No Pain (the model treats stunned results as knocked down)
The Rattlers, six skeletons
M: 4
WS: 2
BS: 2
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 2
A: 1
Ld: 5
Equipment: spear, shield
Special Rules: Fear, May Not Run, Immune to Psychology, Immune to Poison, No Pain (the model treats stunned results as knocked down), No Brain (the model may never gain an advance)
My friend Scott loves the undead, and is always looking for a way to play the necromancers. He will lead this warband in the campaign, though he is not one for painting. They are the next thing on my painting station.
The Rot Walkers
Free from their long exile in the sewers beneath Hammerhal, Festus and his Rot Walkers breathe the air of the realm of life with joy and laughter. They have made their way to the Witching Wood and are in search of the realmgate in the hopes of claiming a corner of Shadespire for their Papa.
The Rot Walkers are led by Festus Leechrot, the Antlered King of the Underways, and his sorcerer, Rolland Bloatgut. Festus' only goal is to see things bloom and decay, but Rolland has his own nefarious and secret goals involving the realmgate.
Festus Leechrot, the Antlered King of the Underways
M: 4
WS: 5
BS: 3
S: 4
T: 5
W: 2
I: 3
A: 2
Ld: 8
Equipment: 2 swords, dagger, heavy armour
Leader: friendly models within 6" may use this model's Ld value instead of their own
Skills: Expert Swordsman (the model may reroll failed rolls to hit when charging with swords), Fearsome (the model causes fear)
Rolland Bloatgut, Sorcerer of Nurgle
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 4
W: 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 8
Equipment: staff (counts as spear), dagger
Spells: The Dread (casting value 7, one model within 12" must pass a Ld test or flee 2d6" from the caster and must take another Ld test during movement phase or continue fleeing), Summon Plaguebearer (casting value 8, a plaguebearer appears within 6" of the caster; this spell may only be cast once per game), Word of Pain (casting value 7, all models within 3" of the caster immediately suffer a S3 hit)
Rolland is very pleased with himself because he has learned to pronounce the difficult and horrid name of one of Papa Nurgle's plaguebearers and is now able to summon it onto the battlefield.
He of the Ineffable Name, a Plaguebearer
M: 4
WS: 4
BS: 3
S: 4
T: 4
W: 1
I: 4
A: 2
Ld: 10
Equipment: sword
Special Rules: Cloud of Flies (enemies suffer -1 to hit in hand-to-hand combat), Stream of Corrpution (S3 shooting attack with 6" range and no armour saves), Demonic (the model may never gain an advance), Immune to Poison, Immune to Psychology, Fear, Demonic Aura (5+ ward save against non-magical attacks), Demonic Instability (the plaguebearer may only appear when summoned by a sorcerer and disappears as soon as the game is over)
The Rot Walkers are composed of several lost souls from Hammerhal, a sorry lot of Nurgle worshipers and convicted thieves who made their home in the sewers with their Lord Festus. Egon the Blessed bears the company's cursed standard, and is never far from Josef, who has been gifted with a wicked and sharp insect's mandible in place of his arm. The group is rounded out by bowman Ballard the Trickster, who loves to tell jokes and tales to his companions, and Wolfgang the Axeman, a stout fellow with an unfortunate face.
Egon the Blessed, Bearer of the Icon
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 4
W: 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 8
Equipment: sword, dagger, light armour, Icon of Nurgle (all friendly models within 12" may reroll failed psychology tests)
Josef, the Fly-Armed
M: 4
WS: 4
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 4
A: 1
Ld: 7
Equipment: dagger, light armour
Arm of Nurgle: the model gains an extra attack in hand-to-hand combat at +1S
Ballard the Trickster, the Laughing Bowman
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 4
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 7
Equipment: dagger, longbow
Wolfgang, the Axeman
M: 4
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 4
T: 3
W: 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 7
Equipment: hand weapon, dagger, shield, light armour
Ian has always had a mostly unrequited lust for Nurgle, so I put these guys together for him. He will play them in the campaign, and I'll be handing them over to him for painting soon.
Others
I wanted to put together some other adversaries for the warbands to face on their adventures in the Witching Wood. I'm not entirely sure how they will be used yet, but they will either show up to be played by a guest in special scenarios, or perhaps randomly appearing during certain games using the NPC rules from Frostgrave. I've even got one NPC group painted!
The Harrowhounds are legendary prowlers of the Witching Wood. They are capricious creatures who alternately hunt lost travelers and show them the way back to the path. Their white fur and antlered heads are often glimpsed by those making their way through the wood, but they are rarely seen directly.
Harrowhound
M: 9
WS: 4
BS: 1
S: 4
T: 4
W: 1
I: 4
A: 1
Ld: 8
Equipment: tooth and claw (counts as a hand weapon)
Fey and Fickle: if defeated in combat, there is a 1 in 6 chance that the harrowhound will join the warband whose member took it out of action
The Witching Wood is the home to a great many of the Sylvaneth, though they are rarely seen. They are quick to anger, and are often enraged by travelers in the Wood.
Dryads
M: 5
WS: 4
BS: 4
S:3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 6
A: 2
Ld: 8
Equipment: wicked talons (counts as hand weapon)
Special Rules: Immune to Poison, Immune to Psychology, Fear, Tough (the model treats stunned results as knocked down), Magical Nature (5+ ward save against non-magical attacks)
Kurnoth Hunter
M: 5
WS: 5
BS: 4
S: 4
T: 4
W: 2
I: 5
A: 2
Ld: 9
Equipment: double-handed weapon
Special Rules: Immune to Poison, Immune to Psychology, Fear, Tough (the model treats stunned results as knocked down), Magical Nature (5+ ward save against non-magical attacks)
In the marshy areas of the Witching Wood are foul and fell creatures known in the legends of Hammerhal as the Fimir. These raiders and brutes take any chance they can to emerge from the mists and attack the unwary, dragging them back to their watery and fetid homes.
Fimir Warrior
M: 4
WS: 4
BS: 4
S: 4
T: 4
W: 2
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 7
Equipment: double-handed weapon, light armour
Special Rules: Cold Blooded (roll 3d6 for Ld tests and discard highest die), Tail Attack (the model makes one additional attack at its normal S at the end of a round of combat)
Fimir Noble
M: 4
WS: 5
BS: 4
S: 4
T: 4
W: 2
I: 3
A: 2
Ld: 7
Equipment: double-handed weapon, heavy armour
Special Rules: Cold Blooded (roll 3d6 for Ld tests and discard highest die), Tail Attack (the model makes one additional attack at its normal S at the end of a round of combat)
Comments
Post a Comment