Hired Swords
Hired Swords are travelling adventurers who wander between the settlements surrounding Mordheim to sell their services to the highest bidder.
When setting up the battle, starting with the player with Initiative, both players may recruit Hired Swords by paying their listed hiring fee, which secures their service for that one battle.
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.
During the battle, a HIRED SWORD considers all fighters in the warband that recruited them to be friendly fighters, and all fighters in the opposing warband to be enemy fighters.
A HIRED SWORD that goes out of action does not count when determining whether a warband is wavering and is simply removed from the battlefield.
Warband Restrictions
Most Hired Swords are bound by faith, allegiance, or reputation. The zealous Witch Hunters will hang any practitioner of the arcane arts, and a Chaos Cult will find few sell-swords willing to risk the wrath of Sigmar by fighting in their company. Each Hired Sword's fighter profile lists which warbands may recruit them.
Hired Swords
Beastman Warrior
60 gc (may be recruited by 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.
[Trait] Bestial Rage: Whenever this fighter has any damage points allocated to it, you must increase its Attacks characteristic by 1, and reduce its Defense characteristic by 1.
[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] Headlong 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, inflict (X/2) damage points to that enemy fighter.
BEASTMAN, Hired Sword, HEROElf Ranger
70 gc (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.
[Trait] Trick Shot: When this fighter makes a ranged attack action, the target does not count as being in cover.
[Trait] Stealthy: Whenever an enemy fighter is targeting this fighter, this fighter is in cover if both of the following are true:
- It is more than 6” from the enemy fighter.
- It is within 1” of an obstacle, or part of its base is underneath any part of a terrain piece.
[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.
ELF, Hired Sword, HEROFreelance Knight
60 gc (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.
[Trait] Guard: When this fighter makes the Wait action, increase it's Defense characteristic by 2 until its next activation.
[Double] Heckle: Select (X/2) enemy fighters that is 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 Sword, HERONecromancer
65 gc (may be recruited by Mercenaries, Possessed and Undead)
Necromancers are evil wizards who have mastered the corrupt art of Necromancy. Many havefled to Mordheim to escape the agents of Sigmar and practice their dark arts freely.
[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 battleround. 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 fighter 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 Sword, HERO, WIZARDOgre Bodyguard
80 gc (may be recruited by Mercenaries, Possessed, 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 Sword, HERORat Ogre
90 gc (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.
[Trait] 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.
[Trait] Fearsome: Enemy fighters must take a Panic test when making melee attack actions against this fighter.
[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 bonus 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.
MONSTER, Hired Sword, HEROThief
40 gc (may be recruited by Mercenaries, Possessed 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: This fighter may ignore the first 3" moved vertically when climbing or falling.
[Reaction] Fall Back!: A fighter can make this reaction after they have been allocated the total damage points by a melee attack action. This fighter makes a free Retreat action.
[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 Sword, HEROTroll Slayer
60 gc (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.
[Trait] Indomitable: Each time this fighter is activated, you can remove D3 damage points allocated to them.
[Reaction] Deathwish: When this warrior is targeted by a melee attack action that inflicts enough damage to take this warrior out of action, before it is removed from the battlefield, this warrior makes a free attack action.
DWARF, Hired Sword, HEROWarlock
60 gc (may be recruited by Mercenaries, Possessed and Undead)
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 relics lost in the ruins.
[Double] Wither: Select a visible enemy fighter within 12”. That fighter must reduce its Move, Fight and Shoot characteristic by (X/2) until the end of the battle
round.
[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)".
[Triple] Fires of U'Zhul: Select an enemy fighter within 12" of this fighter to be the target and roll three d6. For each roll of 3+, allocate (X/2) damage to the target. For each roll of 6, allocate (X/2) damage points to all visible fighters within 2" of the target.
HUMAN, Hired Sword, HERO, WIZARDWarrior Priest
70 gc (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] Voice of Sigmar: Increase the Bravery characteristic of all visible friendly fighters within 3” of this fighter by 1. In addition, if this fighter is recruited by a Witch Hunter warband, you may increase the warband's Zeal by 1 whenever this fighter uses an ability.
[Reaction] Denounce: A fighter may use this reaction when a visible fighter within 6” is the target of 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: A fighter can only use this ability if equipped with a Warhammer or Sigmarite Hammer. Add (X/2) to the damage points allocated to enemy fighters by each hit and critical hit from the next melee attack action made by this fighter in this activation.
HUMAN, Hired Sword, HERO