Source: Nemesis Crown Supplement · Setting: Nemesis Crown
Horned Hunters prowl the woods both within the crater walls of the Taalbaston and throughout Talabecland and claim allegiance only to Taal — the God of nature and wilderness.
The rites of Taal demand great mental, physical, and emotional fortitude from its practitioners. Some see the trappings of civilisation — cities, courts, and the like — as a failing in the interpretation of Taal’s will. Followers of Taal avoid firearms and other works of science, preferring to take pride in self strength and natural skill.
Taal is represented as a powerfully built man with long, wild hair crowned with the skull of a great stag. He wears animal skins and golden leaves flutter from his beard. In some tales he manifests as one of his totems: a stag or bear. Devotees dress in the image of their patron deity. While Taal is not usually revered in cities, in Talabheim, which is founded on river trade, he is called the Father of Rivers and is the city’s foremost God.
Warband Special Rules
Woodcraft: Followers of Taal make their homes in the wilderness. They are expert woodsmen and their knowledge of the wilds is unrivalled by all except perhaps the Wood Elves. Horned Hunter warbands move through any difficult terrain they encounter without suffering any movement penalties.
Choice of Warriors
A Horned Hunter warband must include a minimum of three models. You have 500 gold crowns to recruit your initial warband. The maximum number of warriors in the warband may never exceed 12.
- Horned Hunter: Each Horned Hunter warband must have one Horned Hunter.
- Priest of Taal: Your warband may include a single Priest of Taal.
- Initiates: Your warband may include up to three Initiates.
- Zealots: Any number of models may be Zealots.
- Drunken Gang: Your warband may include up to five Drunken Gang.
- Warhounds: Your warband may include up to five Warhounds.
Heroes
Horned Hunter
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
The Horned Hunters are deeply zealous and shun the city of Talabheim. They safeguard pilgrims from the predations of bandits and hunt down dangerous beasts and the Mutants that flout Taal’s will.
Weapons/Armour: A Horned Hunter may be equipped with weapons and armour chosen from the Horned Hunter equipment list.
Special Rules
Leader: Any warrior within 6” of the Horned Hunter may use his Leadership value when taking Leadership tests.
Hang the Bandit!: A Horned Hunter hates all Bandits and Outlaws.
Priest of Taal
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
It is said that every priest of Taal is born during the darkest phase of the moon. A few Priests are ordained by their hierarchs to live in the wilderness, following the Path of Taal. They are guardians of wild places and those who wander them. To the creatures of Chaos lurking in the woods, they are terrors.
Weapons/Armour: A Priest of Taal may be equipped with weapons chosen from the Horned Hunter equipment list.
Special Rules
Prayers: A Priest of Taal may use the Prayers of Taal (see below).
Strictures: Priests of Taal may never wear heavy armour.
Initiates
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Part of their initiation into this group is to undergo extensive tattooing, covering their chest and face. These feral hunters serve as masterful scouts.
Weapons/Armour: Initiates of Taal may be equipped with weapons chosen from the Horned Hunter equipment list.
Special Rules
Infiltrator: A warrior with this skill is always placed on the battlefield after the opposing warband and can be placed anywhere on the table as long as it is out of sight of the opposing warband and more than 12” away from any enemy model. If both players have models which infiltrate, roll a D6 for each, and the lowest roll sets up first.
Hang the Bandit!: Taal’s Initiates hate all Bandits and Outlaws.
Strictures: Taal’s Initiates may never wear armour.
Henchmen
(Bought in groups of 1–5)
Drunken Gang
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
The militia is a hodgepodge of trusted citizens, woodsmen, and hunters that band together in times of need. Ancient law dictates all able-bodied men must muster when summoned by the Hunters Council in times of war. Though how many come depends on the amount of Rotfire moonshine consumed the night before. For this reason the army commonly refers to them as the ‘Drunken Gang’. Despite its malign reputation, the militia is capable, made up of rugged and dependable Talabeclanders.
Weapons/Armour: Drunken Gang may be equipped with weapons chosen from the Henchmen equipment list.
Special Rules
Drunk: The militia are blasted out of their tiny minds on Rotfire moonshine and cheap ale. As such, they automatically pass all Leadership-based tests they are required to take.
Zealots
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
While they lack the fiery rhetoric of most zealots, Taal’s followers are still fervent in their beliefs. They give up much in the way of a material life, shunning normal clothing and armour and wearing animal skins, loincloths or less.
Weapons/Armour: Zealots may be equipped with weapons chosen from the Henchmen equipment list.
Special Rules
Strictures: Zealots may never wear armour.
Warhounds
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Horned Hunters often keep packs of ferocious hunting dogs. With their huge jaws and powerful bite, they are perfect for hunting down and tearing apart any bandits, beasts and mutants.
Weapons/Armour: Jaws and brutality! Warhounds never use or need weapons and armour.
Special Rules
Animals: Warhounds are animals and thus do not gain experience.
Equipment Lists
Heroes Equipment List
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 1st free/2 gc |
| Mace/Hammer | 3 gc |
| Axe | 5 gc |
| Sword | 10 gc |
| Spear | 5 gc |
| Double-handed weapon | 15 gc |
Missile Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Short Bow | 5 gc |
| Bow | 10 gc |
| Long bow | 15 gc |
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Toughened Leathers | 5 gc |
| Light armour | 20 gc |
| Shield | 5 gc |
Miscellaneous
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hunting arrows | 20 gc |
| Blessed Stag Hide | 40 gc |
| Trip wire | 15 gc |
Henchmen Equipment List
Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 1st free/2 gc |
| Mace/Hammer | 3 gc |
| Axe | 5 gc |
| Sword | 10 gc |
| Spear | 5 gc |
Missile Weapons
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Bow | 10 gc |
Armour
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Toughened Leathers | 5 gc |
| Shield | 5 gc |
Skill Table
| Combat | Shooting | Academic | Strength | Speed | Special | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horned Hunter | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Initiates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Priest of Taal | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Horned Hunter Special Skills
Master Trapper: Trip wire range has been extended by this warrior to reach 4”. Traps set by a master trapper are triggered on a score of 2+.
Infiltration: A warrior with this skill is always placed on the battlefield after the opposing warband and can be placed anywhere on the table as long as it is out of sight of the opposing warband and more than 12” away from any enemy model. If both players have models which infiltrate, roll a D6 for each, and the lowest roll sets up first.
Foul Odour: After a lifetime of drinking, liquor has little effect on this warrior. His unwashed clothes and sweat reek of alcohol and all living enemies (not Undead or Possessed) are at –1 to hit him in close combat. In addition, the warrior cannot carry any open flames and fire attacks made against him are resolved at +1 Strength as his beer-soaked clothing burns readily.
Animal Friendship: Animals will never attack this warrior and up to two wardogs that the warrior owns do not count against the maximum number of models in the warband.
Pathfinder: Roll one additional D6 during the exploration phase. A warband may only contain one pathfinder.
Hide in Shadows: Enemy models must halve their Initiative when attempting to find this warrior when he is Hidden.
Special Equipment
The following items are available to this warband from the Trading Post.
Blessed Stag Hide
Cost: 40 gc · Availability: Rare 10
The animal skin is worn as a drape and is a symbol of honour once blessed by the hierarchs of Taal. A blessed hide bestows unchallenged grace to the wearer, allowing the re-roll of a failed Initiative test once per turn.
Trip Wire
Cost: 15 gc · Availability: Common
A Hero may set a trap if he spends a turn doing nothing else. Place a marker in base contact with the Hero.
When a model, friend or foe, moves within 2” of the marker he risks setting off the trap — roll a D6. On a score of 3+ he has triggered the trap and suffers a S4 hit (the Hero won’t trigger his own traps). If the trap did not wound the model or it didn’t trigger, the victim may finish his move; otherwise he is placed knocked down or stunned 2” from the marker. The marker is removed whether the trap was triggered or not.
Prayers of Taal
Prayers of Taal work like Prayers of Sigmar, although the Taal Priest never wears heavy armour.
| D6 | Prayer |
|---|---|
| 1 | Stag’s Leap |
| 2 | Blessed Ale |
| 3 | Bear’s Paw |
| 4 | Earthshudder |
| 5 | Tanglefoot |
| 6 | Summon Squirrels |
Stag’s Leap
Difficulty: 7
The Priest of Taal may immediately move anywhere within 9” including into base contact with the enemy, in which case he counts as charging and gains +1 Strength to his first round of attacks. If he engages a fleeing enemy, in the close combat phase he will score one automatic hit at +1 Strength and then his opponent will flee again (if he survives).
Blessed Ale
Difficulty: 5
Drinking a flask of Taal-blessed ale may heal any one model within 2” of the Priest (including himself). The warrior is restored to his full quota of Wounds. In addition, any living enemy models (not Undead or Possessed) within 2” of the Priest will lose 1 Attack during the next round of combat due to the potent fumes of the ale.
Bear’s Paw
Difficulty: 7
The Priest invokes the blessing of Taal on himself or a single friendly model within 6”. The target receives a bonus of +2 to his Strength until the Priest’s next turn.
Earthshudder
Difficulty: 9
The spell is cast on a single building within 4”. Any enemy models touching the building will suffer a single S3 hit. In addition the building will collapse and any models on it will count as having fallen to the ground. Remove the terrain feature from the board for the rest of the game.
Tanglefoot
Difficulty: 8
Plants, vines and even small trees burst forth from the earth. All models (friend as well as foe) — with the exception of friendly Horned Hunter Zealots — within 12” of the Priest can only move at half speed until the next shooting phase.
Summon Squirrels
Difficulty: 7
The Priest summons forth dozens upon dozens of enraged squirrels. The furious rodents assault one enemy within 12” of the Priest. The target suffers 2D6 Strength 1 hits. No armour saves allowed.