Hired Swords
Hired Swords are travelling adventurers who wander between the settlements surrounding Mordheim to sell their services to the highest bidder.
Recruiting Hired Swords
Hired Swords may be recruited in step 3 of setting up a battle, after the underdog has been determined, but before the warbands have been divided into search parties. Starting with the warband with the highest Reputation, each warband may recruit Hired Swords by paying their listed recruitment fee.
The Hired Swords are not added to the warband roster and do not count towards a warband's size limit, and at the end of the battle, they leave the warband.
Faction Restrictions
Many Hired Swords are picky about their employer and have a list of factions that they will fight for listed in their fighter profile.
During the battle
A Hired Sword considers all fighters in the warband that recruited them to be friendly fighters, and all other fighters on the battlefield to be enemy fighters. Hired Swords do not count when determining whether a warband is wavering and are simply removed from the battlefield when taken out of action
List of Hired Swords
Beastman Warrior
50 gc / battle
May be recruited by Cult of the Possessed.
Beastmen are savage brutes that infest the forests of the Empire: massive horned creatures with a furious temper and an inhuman resistance to pain.
[Reaction] Endure: A fighter can make this reaction after they are targeted by an attack action but before the hit rolls are made. Subtract 1 from the damage points allocated by each hit and critical hit (to a minimum of 1) from that attack action.
[Double] Ramming Charge: A fighter can only use this ability if there is an enemy fighter within 6” of it. This fighter makes a free Move action, and must end that move action within 1” of that enemy fighter. Then, allocate (X/2) damage points to that enemy fighter.
Faction Rules (1)
[Trait] Primal Fury: While this fighter is wounded, you may add 1 to its Fight characteristic. It automatically passes any Bravery test it is required to take, but it cannot make reactions.
BEASTMAN, Hired Swords, HEROElf Ranger
50 gc / battle
May be recruited by Mercenaries, Sisters of Sigmar and Witch Hunters.
Elf rangers work as scouts and spies beyond the borders of the high elf realms, tracking targets of interest and eliminating them where possible. As hired swords, they offer little in comradery, but plenty in murderous efficiency.
[Double] Disengage: A fighter can only use this ability if they are within 1" of an enemy fighter. This fighter makes a free Retreat action.
Faction Rules (2)
[Trait] Fleet of foot: Once per activation, this fighter can make a free Move action.
[Trait] Unerring aim: Once per battle round, when this fighter makes a ranged attack action with a Bow or Elven Bow and haven’t made a Move action yet in their activation, the weapon gains the Pierce 1 special rule.
ELF, Hired Swords, HEROFreelance Knight
50 gc / battle
May be recruited by Mercenaries, Sisters of Sigmar and Witch Hunters.
Freelancers, or “robber knights,” are fallen nobles with little to their name but their weapons and armour. Drunk and bitter, they haunt the surrounding settlements for work, caring more for coin than honour.
[Trait] Duelist: Once per battle round, this fighter can make the ’Counter’ reaction without having to forfeit an action to do so.
[Double] Heckle: Select (X/2) enemy fighters that are within 6" of this fighter. Until the end of the battle round, when making attack actions, those fighters must reduce their Fight and Shoot characteristics by 3, unless those attack actions target this fighter.
HUMAN, Hired Swords, HERONecromancer
60 gc / battle
May be recruited by Cult of the Possessed, Mercenaries and Undead.
Necromancers are evil wizards who have mastered the corrupt art of Necromancy. Many have fled to Mordheim to practice their dark art freely and without interference from the Templars of Sigmar.
[Double] Raise Dead: Set up a new Zombie wholly within 3" of this fighter, on a platform or the battlefield floor. That Zombie is considered to be a friendly fighter, and can be activated as normal in this battle round. It has (X) damage points remaining. Raised Zombies are not added to the warband roster and crumble to dust at the end of the battle.
[Triple] Transference: Allocate up to (X) damage points to a fighter within 12” of this fighter, and then remove the same amount of damage points from a friendly Thrall within 3” of this fighter.
[Triple] Vanhel’s Danse Macabre: Until the end of the battle round, THRALLS activated within (X)” of this fighter may increase their Move characteristic by 2, and their Attacks characteristics by 1.
HUMAN, Hired Swords, HERO, WIZARDOgre Bodyguard
70 gc / battle
May be recruited by Cult of the Possessed, Mercenaries, Sisters of Sigmar, Undead and Witch Hunters.
A warband backed up by an Ogre makes a fearsome enemy, since Ogres are extremely dangerous fighters and a terrifying sight to behold when enraged.
[Reaction] Bodyguard: A fighter can make this reaction when a friendly HERO within 1" is targeted by an attack action. That attack action targets this fighter instead.
[Double] Whack: Select an enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter. That fighter makes a free move action directly away from this fighter, as if it jumped. When making that move action, it can move up to (X"). If it cannot move away from this fighter, allocate (X/2) damage points to that fighter instead.
OGRE, Hired Swords, HEROThief
35 gc / battle
May be recruited by Cult of the Possessed, Mercenaries and Undead.
Thieves have always lurked in the cities of the Old World. Where once they picked pockets and slipped into townhouses, they are now prized for their knack for striking fast and vanishing before anyone can give chase.
[Trait] Wall-Runner: When this fighter makes the Move action, they may ignore the first 3" moved vertically when climbing or falling.
[Double] Snatch: A fighter can use this ability while within 1" of an enemy fighter carrying a treasure or wyrdstone token. Roll a d6: on a 2+, this fighter steals the token. Then, this fighter makes a free Retreat action.
HUMAN, Hired Swords, HEROTroll Slayer
50 gc / battle
May be recruited by Mercenaries, Sisters of Sigmar and Witch Hunters.
Troll Slayers are members of a morbid Dwarf cult, sworn to atone for some unforgivable shame. With flame-red hair and ritualistic tattoos, they roam in search of the deadliest monsters, seeking redemption in glorious battle.
[Reaction] Slayer Oath: When this fighter is allocated enough damage to take them out of action, before it is removed from the battlefield, this fighter makes a free attack action.
[Quad] Indomitable: Legendary ability. A fighter can only use this ability if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. Remove up to 10 damage points allocated to this fighter.
DWARF, Hired Swords, HEROWarlock
60 gc / battle
Witchcraft is a crime in the Empire, but that doesn’t stop magicians from finding employ with wealthy patrons. In Mordheim they barter their perilous craft for wyrdstone and a chance to uncover magical items lost in the ruins.
[Double] Wither: Magical ability. Select a visible enemy fighter within 12” of this fighter. That fighter must reduce its Move, Fight and Shoot characteristics by (X/2) until the end of the battle round.
[Triple] Fires of U'Zhul: Magical ability. Select an enemy fighter within 12" of this fighter to be the target and roll (X) dice. For each roll of 3+, allocate 2 damage points to the target. For each roll of 6, allocate 2 damage points to all fighters within 2" (and visible to) the target.
[Triple] Flight of Zimmerman: Magical Ability. This fighter makes a free move action, and for that move action, they count as flying. However, while flying, they cannot move vertically upwards more
than (X)".
HUMAN, Hired Swords, HERO, WIZARDWarrior Priest
50 gc / battle
May be recruited by Mercenaries and Witch Hunters.
With fire burning in their eyes, the Warrior-Priests stride into battle, chanting aloud the Deus Sigmar, the praise of the patron god of the Empire.
[Trait] Incessant Chanting: Increase the Bravery characteristic of all visible friendly fighters within 3” of this fighter by 1.
[Reaction] Denounce: A fighter may use this reaction when a visible Wizard uses a magical ability. Roll a d6: if the result is higher than this fighter’s Bravery characteristic, the ability is cancelled and the ability dice discarded.
[Triple] Hammer of Sigmar: Until the end of this fighter's activation, add 1 to the Hit Damage and Critical Damage characteristics of their weapon. In addition, the weapon gains the blessed weapon rule.
HUMAN, Hired Swords, HERORat Ogre
90 gc / battle
May be recruited by Clan Eshin.
Rat Ogres are lethal but stupid killing machines, whose small brains are singularly devoted to the pursuit of fighting and tearing their enemies apart.
[Double] Bounding Leaps: A fighter can only use this ability if there is a visible enemy fighter within 6" of them. This fighter makes a free move action and must finish closer to the closest visible enemy fighter than they were at the start of that move action.
[Triple] Savage Mauling: This fighter makes a free melee attack action. Then, you may remove the target of that attack action from the battlefield, and place it back anywhere within 1" of this fighter.
[Injury] Stupidity: Unless activated within 3" of a visible friendly HERO or enemy fighter, roll a die. On a 1-4, this fighter makes a Wait action. On a 5+, this fighter may activate as normal.
SKAVEN, Hired Swords, BEAST, TERRIFYING