Source: Town Cryer #4 · Setting: Mordheim
Dwarfs are a grim and exceptionally proud people. They respect three things above all else: age, wealth and skill. It is no surprise then that these grim warriors can be found in Mordheim searching for fame and fortune.
Occasionally, a Dwarf noble will find himself in desperate times. His family hold may have been overrun by Goblins or Skaven, or he may have somehow disgraced himself and been banished. Other Dwarfs know these warriors as the Dispossessed. Dwarfs are a proud race and it is against a Dwarf’s nature to lose himself in despair. Instead, a noble who finds himself in such dire straits will gather together a group of his closest friends and kin and go treasure hunting, hoping to accumulate a large enough hoard to establish his own holding. At this time, the largest source of wealth in the Known World is rumoured to be a city in the Empire. The city is known as Mordheim…
Special Rules
All Dwarfs are subject to the following special rules:
Hard to Kill: Dwarfs are tough, resilient individuals who can only be taken out of action on a roll of 6 instead of 5–6 when rolling on the Injury chart. Treat a roll of 1–2 as knocked down, 3–5 as stunned, and 6 as out of action.
Hard Head: Dwarfs ignore the special rules for maces, clubs, etc. They are not easy to knock out!
Armour: Dwarfs never suffer movement penalties for wearing armour.
Hate Orcs and Goblins: All Dwarfs hate Orcs and Goblins. See the psychology section of the Mordheim rules for details on the effects of hatred.
Grudgebearers: Dwarfs hold an ancient grudge against Elves from the days when the two races fought for supremacy in the Old World. A Dwarf warband may never include any kind of Elven Hired Sword or Dramatis Personae.
Incomparable Miners: Dwarfs spend much of their lives underground searching for precious minerals, and they are the best in the world at this kind of work. When checking for wyrdstone at the end of a game, add +1 to the number of pieces found for a Dwarf warband.
Choice of Warriors
A Dwarf warband must include a minimum of 3 models. You have 500 gold crowns which you can use to recruit and equip your warband. The maximum number of warriors in the warband is 12.
Noble: Each Dwarf warband must have one Noble — no more, no less!
Engineer: Your warband may include up to 1 Engineer.
Troll Slayers: Your warband may include up to 2 Troll Slayers.
Dwarf Clansmen: Your warband may include any number of Dwarf Clansmen.
Dwarf Thunderers: Your warband may include up to 5 Dwarf Thunderers.
Beardlings: Your warband may include any number of Beardlings.
Starting Experience
A Noble starts with 20 experience.
An Engineer starts with 10 experience.
Troll Slayers start with 8 experience.
All Henchmen start with 0 experience.
Skill Table
| Combat | Shooting | Academic | Strength | Speed | Special | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noble | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Engineer | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Troll Slayer | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Dwarf Warrior Equipment List
(Used by Noble, Troll Slayers, Dwarf Clansmen, and Beardlings)
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 1st free / 2 gc |
| Mace | 3 gc |
| Hammer | 3 gc |
| Axe | 5 gc |
| Sword | 10 gc |
| Dwarf axe | 15 gc |
| Double-handed weapon | 15 gc |
| Spear | 10 gc |
| Halberd | 10 gc |
| Gromril weapon* | 3× the weapon’s cost |
Missile Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Pistol | 15 gc (30 gc for a brace) |
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Light armour | 20 gc |
| Heavy armour | 50 gc |
| Gromril armour** | 75 gc |
| Shield | 5 gc |
| Helmet | 10 gc |
Any weapon a Dwarf may normally purchase may be bought as a Gromril weapon instead, multiplying its cost by 3. This starting price represents Dwarfs outfitting themselves at their own stronghold; later purchases use the Trading Post price chart.
**The starting price of Gromril armour represents the relative ease with which Dwarfs can find such items at their stronghold. Later purchases must use the normal Trading Post price chart.
Thunderer Equipment List
(Used by Dwarf Thunderers)
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 1st free / 2 gc |
| Mace | 3 gc |
| Hammer | 3 gc |
| Axe | 5 gc |
| Sword | 10 gc |
Missile Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Pistol | 15 gc (30 gc for a brace) |
| Crossbow | 25 gc |
| Handgun | 35 gc |
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Light armour | 20 gc |
| Heavy armour | 50 gc |
| Shield | 5 gc |
| Helmet | 10 gc |
Heroes
1 Dwarf Noble
85 gold crowns to hire
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
Dwarf Nobles are fortune seekers who have recruited a band of like-minded Dwarfs and set off from their stronghold in search of riches. A Dwarf Noble is well respected by the members of his warband. Often he is a member of one of the noble families of the lost Dwarf strongholds, dreaming of collecting enough treasure to restore the former glory of the Dwarf Kingdoms.
Weapons/Armour: A Dwarf Noble may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Dwarf Warrior Equipment list.
Special Rules
Leader: Any models in the warband within 6” of the Dwarf Noble may use his Leadership instead of their own.
0–1 Dwarf Engineer
50 gold crowns to hire
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
Dwarf Engineers are respected members of Dwarf society. It is they who design and build the complex war machines and devices which have made the Dwarfs famous.
Weapons/Armour: A Dwarf Engineer may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Dwarf Thunderer Equipment list.
Special Rules
Expert Weaponsmith: A Dwarf Engineer is a master of mechanical devices. By using stronger construction materials and time-tested secrets of Dwarf engineering, the Engineer can increase the distance the warband’s missile weapons can shoot. Missile weapons from the warband’s basic equipment lists have their range increased by 3” for pistols and 6” for crossbows and handguns. Range increases only apply in battles in which the Engineer takes part (though they do apply even if he has not yet entered the battlefield or has already been taken out of action). He has no effect on the equipment of Hired Swords.
0–2 Dwarf Troll Slayers
50 gold crowns to hire
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
Troll Slayers are members of the morbid Dwarf cult obsessed with seeking an honourable death in combat. Having committed some unforgivable crime or been dishonoured in some way, a Dwarf will forsake his home and wander off to die fighting the enemies of Dwarfkind. Troll Slayers are insanely dangerous individuals, psychopathic and violent. There are however few better fighters in the Known World, so they are much sought after by Dwarf treasure hunters.
Weapons/Armour: Troll Slayers may be equipped with weapons chosen from the Dwarf Warrior Equipment list. Slayers may never carry or use missile weapons or any form of armour.
Special Rules
Deathwish: Troll Slayers seek an honourable death in combat. They are completely immune to all psychology and never need to test if fighting alone.
Slayer Skills: Troll Slayers may choose a skill from the Troll Slayer Skill list instead of the normal skill tables when they gain a new skill.
Troll Slayer Skills
Ferocious Charge: The Slayer may double his attacks on the turn in which he charges. He suffers a –1 to hit penalty on that turn.
Monster Slayer: The Slayer always wounds any opponent on a roll of 4+, regardless of Toughness, unless his own Strength (after all modifiers) would mean a lower roll is needed.
Berserker: The Slayer may add +1 to his close combat to hit rolls during the turn in which he charges.
Henchmen
(Bought in groups of 1–5)
Dwarf Clansmen
40 gold crowns to hire
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
These are Dwarf warriors in their prime: tough, stubborn and brave warriors who can be relied on to hold their own against any foe.
Weapons/Armour: Dwarf Clansmen may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Dwarf Warrior Equipment list.
0–5 Dwarf Thunderers
40 gold crowns to hire
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
Dwarf Thunderers are experts at using missile weapons. Many an Orc or Goblin has died by the sting of a crossbow bolt or a roaring handgun bullet shot by a Dwarf Thunderer.
Weapons/Armour: Thunderers may be armed with weapons and armour chosen from the Dwarf Thunderer Equipment list.
Beardlings
25 gold crowns to hire
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
These are young Dwarfs who have joined the retinue of an experienced Dwarf treasure hunter hoping to make their fortune.
Weapons/Armour: Beardlings may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Dwarf Warrior Equipment list.
Dwarf Special Skills
Dwarf Heroes may use the following skill list instead of any of the standard skill lists available to them.
Master of Blades
This Dwarf’s martial skills surpass those of a normal warrior. When using a weapon with the Parry special rule, this hero parries successfully if he beats or matches his opponent’s highest to hit roll, not just if he beats it. In addition, if this warrior uses two weapons with the Parry rule, he may parry two attacks instead of the normal maximum of one. If he carries two Dwarf axes, he may re-roll any failed parries.
Extra Tough
This Dwarf is notorious for walking away from wounds that would kill a lesser being. When rolling on the Heroes Serious Injury chart after a game in which this Hero has been taken out of action, the dice may be re-rolled once. The result of the second roll must be accepted, even if worse.
Resource Hunter
This Dwarf is especially good at locating valuable resources. When rolling on the Exploration chart at the end of a game, the Hero may modify one dice roll by +1 or –1.
True Grit
Dwarfs are hardy individuals and this Hero is hardy even for a Dwarf! When rolling on the Injury table for this Hero, a roll of 1–3 is treated as knocked down, 4–5 as stunned, and 6 as out of action.
Thick Skull
The Hero has a thick skull, even for a Dwarf. He has a 3+ save on a D6 to avoid being stunned. If the save is made, treat a stunned result as knocked down instead. If the Dwarf also wears a helmet, this save is 2+ instead of 3+ (this takes the place of the normal helmet special rule).
Special Equipment
Dwarf Axe
Cost: 15 gc · Availability: Rare 8
Dwarf axes are smaller-hafted weapons made of lighter but stronger materials than normal axes. Dwarf Warriors are specially trained in their use and are able to wield them as deftly as a Human warrior might wield a sword.
Range: Close Combat · Strength: As user
Cutting Edge: Dwarf axes have an extra save modifier of –1, so a model with Strength 4 using a Dwarf axe has a –2 save modifier when hitting an opponent in close combat.
Parry: A model armed with a Dwarf axe may parry blows. When his opponent rolls to hit, the model armed with a Dwarf axe may roll a D6. If the score is greater than the highest to hit score of his opponent, the model has parried the blow and that attack is discarded. A model may not parry attacks made with double or more its own Strength. A model may not parry more than one attack per Close Combat phase; a model armed with two Dwarf axes (or a Dwarf axe and a sword) does not get two parries but may instead re-roll a failed parry.