Hired Swords are professional mercenaries who can be recruited to supplement a warband during a campaign. Taverns in the settlements and shanty towns around Mordheim serve as recruitment centres for warriors who hire out their services to the highest bidder. A player can recruit Hired Swords when creating a warband, or during the post-battle phase after any game.
Rules
Roster count: Hired Swords do not count towards the maximum number of warriors or Heroes a warband may have on its roster, and do not affect wyrdstone income. They do count as part of the warband for Rout tests and other in-battle purposes.
Equipment: A player cannot buy extra weapons or equipment for a Hired Sword, nor sell the Hired Sword’s weapons or equipment.
One per type: To reflect their rarity, a warband may only have one of each type of Hired Sword at a time.
Leadership: A Hired Sword’s Leadership value may not be used for Rout tests.
Hire Fee & Upkeep
When a warband recruits a Hired Sword, pay the listed hire fee. After each battle the Hired Sword fights — including the first — pay the upkeep fee to retain his services. If the Hired Sword is killed, or his services are no longer required, no further upkeep is due.
Payment comes from the warband’s treasury. If the warband cannot or chooses not to pay upkeep, the Hired Sword leaves. Any experience he has accumulated is lost, even if a Hired Sword of the same type is later recruited.
Injuries
If a Hired Sword goes out of action during a game, roll for injuries as you would for a Henchman: on a D6 roll of 1–2 he is lost permanently; on a 3–6 he recovers and can fight in the next battle.
Experience
Hired Swords gain experience in the same way as Henchmen. Once a Hired Sword has accumulated enough experience for an advance, roll on the Heroes Advancement table (not the Henchmen table). Available skill categories are listed in each Hired Sword’s individual entry.
Record the Hired Sword’s name and profile in one of the Henchman group slots on the warband’s roster sheet.
Grades
Warbands are organised by grade, reflecting the quality and play-tested nature of their rulesets.
They are available on broheim.net, each listed under their respective grade.
- Grade 1A — The original warbands from the Mordheim Rulebook, and core Town Cryer issues. Official rules published by Games Workshop.
- Grade 1B — Unofficial warbands from later Town Cryer issues and supplements published by Games Workshop.
- Grade 1C — Experimental warbands released through community supplements, usually of high-quality and have been play-tested. Often endorsed by Games Workshop staff.
- Grade 2 & 3 — Further experimental warbands, some community play-tested, some in draft stages.
New to Mordheim?
Start with a Grade 1A or 1B warband. These have the most complete and well-tested rulesets, making them the easiest to learn and the most reliably balanced against other warbands. Grade 1C and beyond can be great fun, but are best appreciated once you have a campaign or two under your belt.