Source: Town Cryer #20 · Setting: Khemri
The nomads of Araby live on the fringes of the great desert, their realms dictated by life-giving oases. Hardy, desert-hardened warriors, they are masters of desert survival — and justly feared as raiders and bandits, for in their culture, stealing is a righteous thing so long as it is from a rival tribe. Although they have a very fastidious code of honour that can seem almost ritualistic to Old Worlders, bitter blood feuds between tribes can last for generations.
Some nomadic tribes occasionally wander into the Lands of the Dead, though even nomads will not travel long within these dread lands — their ancestors once traded with the Nehekharans, and tales and songs passed down through generations warn of the fall of the kingdoms of the west and the curse of Nagash the Black. Sometimes, though, a young sheikh eager to prove his worth will seek out the Land of the Dead, claim a name for himself, and discover untold riches. Many such reckless individuals and their bands of loyal followers are never seen or heard of again.
Special Rules
Hate Undead: The men of Araby have suffered heavily at the hands of the Tomb Kings’ armies. Therefore, Araby Nomad Heroes hate all Undead.
Choice of Warriors
An Araby Nomad warband must include a minimum of three models. You have 500 gold crowns to recruit your initial warband. The maximum number of warriors may never exceed 15.
- Sheikh: Each Araby Nomad warband must have one Sheikh: no more, no less!
- Champion: Your warband may include up to two Champions.
- Nomadic Mystic: Your warband may include a single Mystic.
- Bedouins: Your warband may include up to two Bedouins.
- Warriors: Your warband may include any number of Warriors.
- Slaves: Your warband may include up to five Slaves.
Heroes
Sheikh
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
The Sheikh is the undisputed leader of the warband — a hardened warrior living in the burning hell of the desert, constantly fighting off bandits, members of rival tribes, and evil Undead. He is often also the head of the tribe, respected and trusted by his fellow tribesmen. To all the Nomads, the Sheikh’s word is law.
Weapons/Armour: A Sheikh may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Warrior Equipment list.
Special Rules
Leader: The Sheikh is the leader of the Warband and any Tomb Raiders within 6” may use his Leadership for any Leadership tests.
Champion
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Noble relatives of the Sheikh’s family are fanatically loyal to him, providing support and muscle when needed. The Champion keeps the warband in line, disciplines those who have offended the Sheikh, divides up the booty (after the Sheikh has taken his share), and tells tall tales by the fireside to ensure morale.
Weapons/Armour: A Champion may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Warrior Equipment list.
Nomadic Mystic
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
In the distant past, the Arabians were renowned for their studies in the magical arts. The wisemen of Araby have mastered a strange aspect of colour magic known as Elementalism, based on the four primary elements: earth, wind, fire, and water. Unlike the flamboyant city sorcerers, the mystics of the nomadic tribes are more shamanic, serving as an integral part of the tribe.
Weapons/Armour: A Mystic may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Warrior Equipment list.
Special Rules
Wizard: A Mystic is a Wizard and uses spells from the Arabian Elemental Magic list. He starts with a single spell chosen at random from the list.
Henchmen
(Bought in groups of 1–5)
Bedouin
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Bedouins are nomadic tribesmen who live on the outskirts of tribal life. Loners by nature, they are experts in desert craft and make excellent scouts and guides.
Weapons/Armour: A Bedouin may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Warrior Equipment list.
Special Rules
Desert Trader: Add +1 to your Equipping/Trading search result. Note that you only get +1 even if you have two Bedouins.
Nomad Warriors
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
All the males of the tribe are warriors first and foremost. Brought up from an early age in the use of weapons — primarily the bow and the scimitar — they are hardy, very superstitious people whose trust is very hard to gain, especially for outsiders.
Weapons/Armour: Warriors may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Warrior Equipment list.
Slaves
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
Slavery is rife in Araby, and the slave markets of Al-Haikk or Lashiek are testament to this. Most slaves are taken captive from other tribes, and theirs is a short and often brutal existence. When it comes to battle, they are unmotivated and make poor fighters.
Weapons/Armour: Slaves may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Slave Equipment list.
Special Rules
Life of Slavery: A Slave may gain experience, but if he rolls Lad’s Got Talent, the leader executes the Slave and he is removed from the roster. The rest of the group may then re-roll their advance.
Equipment Lists
Warrior Equipment List
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger (Jambiya) | 1st free / 2 gc |
| Mace | 3 gc |
| Sword (Scimitar) | 10 gc |
| Spear | 10 gc |
| Flail | 15 gc |
| Double-handed weapon | 15 gc |
Missile Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Shortbow | 5 gc |
| Bow | 10 gc |
| Tufenk | 15 gc |
| Handgun | 35 gc |
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Shield | 5 gc |
| Buckler | 5 gc |
| Helmet | 10 gc |
| Light armour | 50 gc |
Slave Equipment List
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger (Jambiya) | 1st free / 2 gc |
| Club | 3 gc |
| Katar | 5 gc |
| Sword (Scimitar) | 10 gc |
| Spear | 10 gc |
Missile Weapons
None.
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Shield | 5 gc |
Skill Table
| Combat | Shooting | Academic | Strength | Speed | Special | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheikh | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Champion | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Mystic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Arabian Special Skills
Sand Worm: The warrior can bury himself in sand and become almost undetectable. The model can hide in open ground. Cannot be used inside buildings.
Hit and Run: The warrior can run and shoot but suffers –2 to hit instead of the normal –1 for moving.
Weather Tolerant: Weather conditions such as heat no longer affect this model.
Arabian Elemental Magic
The Nomadic Mystic uses spells from the Arabian Elemental Magic list, not listed here — see the Reference section for the full spell list.