I believe the term Tribe fits the flavour of Hrud society more instead of the word Clan. Clan has more of a flavour that suits the disorganised, dog-eat-dog Machiavellian setting presented within Skaven society. Although the Hruds are more or less considered the Ratman equivalent of
40k, their description in the fluff is more passive and neutral, neither inclined to darkness or light, but more geared towards their own self-sufficiency and survival.
Within this article, I will present the rules and background of the various units I have devised for Clan Moulder. I believed it would be most fitting to see Hrud society as divided into various Tribes, and some Tribes having risen to prominence through certain means. Only the Tribes that have risen to prominence and come to dominate Hrud society at large and referred to as Clans. If you have written my previous article,
http://www.librarium-online.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107747, you will realise the intimate relationship Hruds share with Warpstone. From there, I decided that these various Tribes that have risen to prominence share a distinct similarity in that they, through tapping into the immense potential latent within the Warpstone, adapted that power to suit their circumstances and needs and thus rose to power through virtue of their relationship with the Warpstone. For instance, the Clan Moulder utilises the mutagenic essence within the Warpstones to create various beasts of war by inducing horrific mutations to empower them. Clan Eshin in comparison, craft tools made of Warpstone, such as the potent Warpstone Blade that cuts through the Immaterium with ease, ignoring Invulnerable Saves. Or for instance, the Warptunnel Orb, carried by Warp Runners, the master assassins of Clan Eshin, allowing them to teleport onto any point on the battlefield, provided they pass a Psychic Test as they channel their will into the Orb. In other words Clan Eshin utilises Warpstone to develop tools and weapons that would serve their ends. Clan Skyre needless to say develop technology directly based on Warpstone. Clan Pestilens is the one exception, representing rats in their archetype as disease carriers.
Now for some background on Clan Moulder:
Within Hrud society, the Greyfurs have always lived in an oppressive state, being dominated by the whims of their stronger and more aggressive brethren. It so happened that in one particular Tribe, certain Blackfurs of high status started dabbling in the mutagenic effects of Warpstone upon living organisms. Despite the seeming moral implications of such an act, using Warpstone to induce forced mutations in fellow lifeforms is not much of a taboo within Hrud society. After all the direct cause of their genesis as a sentient species is entirely related to their exposure to
raw Warpstone. The dark experiments of these Blackfurs went largely unnoticed, until an increasing number of disappearances were reported among the Greyfurs. These Blackfurs of like mind banded together into a coven, christening themselves as Moulders. These Moulders as they called themselves, deemed the Greyfurs lesser by birth, and thus felt it entirely excusable to experiment exclusively on Greyfurs. When the Greyfurs finally learnt of the horrific, abominable acts perpetrated by these "Moulders" against their fellow Greyfurs, they were incensed. Open revolt erupted within the entire Tribe as Greyfurs banded together against their former masters. The Greyfurs, carried with the moment of the times, saw it as the perfect opportunity to overthrow the authority of the Blackfurs and upturn the dominance so unjustly imposed over them through the hierarchical order within the tribe. The Greyfurs, taking strength in their numbers, were worked up in an incensed fervour. Though stronger and more adapted to war, the Blackfurs were vastly outnumbered by at least 5-to-1. The Greyfurs proved to be an unstoppable tide that the Blackfurs were helpless to stem, and they lost control of the order within the tribe. In their desperation, they turned to the Moulders for help, striking a bargain that they may lawfully conduct any manner of experiments as per their whims if only they would restore the authority of the Blackfurs. The Moulders, scheming and working for their own selfish ends, simply viewed the situation as the perfect means to test their creations. Advancing forth from deep within the subterranean dungeons of the Moulders came shambling huge creatures five times the height of even the largest of Blackfurs, and running alongside them, tiny pups that have been twisted into slavering beasts stronger than a Greyfur. The Moulders named their creations collectively as Rats, a humiliating term in their language that roughly translates to "created slave". These Rat beasts overwhelmed the Greyfurs entirely, as each resistance met was slowly worn down by the waves after waves of mindless beasts. The Greyfurs in their desperation, discovered that the Rats, mindless as they were, were controlled by various Packmasters, who drove them forth through fear of pain. The Greyfurs then prioritised their efforts in taking down the Packmasters, hoping with the collapse of the command structure, the Rat beasts would lose their will to fight. But ultimately it was not to be, for the Packmasters were formidable opponents on their own, and able to expertly exercised control over the Rat Packs, forming them around into a living shield. Left with inevitable defeat, the remaining Greyfurs were subdued by the Moulders and forced to work as slaves in their laboratories within their dungeons. Once in a while, a Greyfur slave would be selected and dragged into the deepest depths of the dungeons, never to be seen again. No one knows what exactly happens within, but the agonising cries surely reflect the committing of unspeakable horrors. Fear is instilled within the hearts of the Greyfurs, for no one wishes to suffer such a fate, and it is this fear that keeps them in line, repressing any desire for rebellion or freedom. Having settled their end of the bargain, the Master Moulders demanded that the tribe be renamed after them. Thus, from that day onwards, Clan Moulder was born.
MS=Melee Skill
BS=Ballistic Skill L=Leadership
AS=Armour Save
CS=Cover Save
Rat Pack: MS:3
BS: 0 S:3 T:3 A:10 W:10 I:3 L:3
AS:-
CS:5+
Equipment: Fangs
Within the brood produced by a Hrud Queen, there are some pups that are born without sentience. These pups are gathered inside the laboratory of a Moulder where he exposes them to high amounts of
raw Warpstone. The radiation from the
raw Warpstone accelerates their muscle growth such that they become compact killing machines of muscle and sinew. However, the high exposure to the radiation from the Warpstone damages the processes of their minds, turning them into little more than mindless killing machines.
Special Rules:
Instinctual Preservation, Herd Mentality, Swarm
Blackfurs: To denote the small percentage of Blackfurs consisting within the pack, for every 6 rolled to Hit, one Attack will be made at Strength +1S, i.e. S4.
Fleet of Paw: When Hruds of all kind Move over ground, they fall onto all fours to gain maximum mobility.
To represent this, during the Shooting Phase, you may forgo Shooting to make a Move instead. Roll 2D6 and the highest score is converted into the distance travelled in inches. This is only applicable if the Hrud is unarmed and thus both forelimbs are free. In such a case, roll a single D6 instead. However, doing this forgoes the Cover Save provided by Instinctual Preservation. It is possible to keep the CS while still making a Move during the Shooting Phase. Simply move forward your Initiative in inches. The distance travelled may never be greater than 6" however. This represents them bounding forward, yet cautiously, with their senses on the alert.
Burrow Warrens: Hruds live underground in a complex labyrinth of tunnels that exit at various points on the surface. If the Hruds are on the defensive and fighting on home turf, then there will be the presence of various burrow holes across the battlefield.
For every Rat Pack and Slaverat unit within your army, place a marker anywhere upon the battlefield to denote a burrow hole. Any Hrud unit may access these burrow holes and pop out of another of these burrow holes during the Movement Phase. If an enemy unit is directly over a burrow exit, the Hrud unit counts as charging with a +1A bonus on top of the usual Attack bonus for charging just as if it has the Surprise Assault Special Rule. This is to represent the Hruds ability to sense the vibrations caused by movements above ground and thus gain the preemptive on units on the surface. A Hrud unit may choose instead to enter a burrow entrance and lay in wait underground till an opportunity presents itself, when an enemy crosses a burrow exit, to reemerge for a Surprise Assault.
Packmaster: MS:4
BS: 2 S:4 T:3 A:2 W:1 I:4 L:7
AS:4+
CS:6+
Equipment: Barbed Whip, Warplock Pistol, Shell Armour, Stillsuit
To exercise the greatest of control over such vicious, mindless beasts, an equally tough and brave individual is needed. As such, only the very best amongst the Blackfangs is selected to become a Packmaster. A Packmaster is armed with a Warplock Pistol and a Barbed Whip, which he uses with intricate skill. He wears Shell Armour, lest the wild abominations under him turn against him. He forgoes the Mirage Cloak however, as the Cloak conceals his entire visage and diminishes the power of his presence towards those under him. Beneath the Shell Armour, he wears the skintight Stillsuits. Even with the wealth of Clan Moulder, these Stillsuits are expensively procured from trading with Tribe Mors. Only Packmasters have the privilege of wearing these rare and expensive suits given the precarious nature of their work.
Special Rules:
Instinctual Preservation, Nocturnal, Fleet of Paw
Whip Mastery: Wielding a whip requires consummate skill. In inexperienced hands, the wielder is more than likely to hurt himself than the enemy. In the hands of a Packmaster, he is able to lash out with startling accuracy, striking at targets way out of the range of conventional melee weapons.
As such, Packmasters have a Range of 4" in close combat. The Barbed Whip counts as two close combat weapon when used at a range of 4". This allows them to stay within 4" of the packs under their control while maintaining unit cohesion with them. The Whip becomes unwieldy to use when the enemy is too close in proximity to the bearer. As such the Barbed Whip is treated as an ordinary hand weapon when engaged in targets within 1" and loses its additional close combat Attack.
Barbed Whip: The whip of a Packmaster is covered with barbs and thorns that dig deep into the skin. In order to drive his packs forward, the Packmaster lashes at them with just enough force to rupture the skin. The blow is not serious enough to be lethal to the beast, but the pain caused from the barbs digging into the flesh forces the packs into submission.
When attempting to make any manoeuvres with the beast units under the control of the Packmaster, the Packmaster makes an Attack that Hits automatically and Wounds with a Strength of 2 upon the chosen beast unit. Armour Saves may be taken as normal. Manoeuvres include simply moving the unit in the desired direction or Assaulting with the unit. In addition, the Packmaster must always stay within at least 4" of the beast units under his control.
Beastmastery: The number of beasts under the control of a single Packmaster is equivalent to the number of Attacks the Packmaster is capable of making with his Barbed Whips, i.e. 2 Attacks. This is to represents the difficulty present in dividing your attention between multiple packs. As the Packmaster only has the dexterity and reflexes to make 2 Attacks per turn, he is effectively able to control only two Rat beast units.
Merely Beasts: The Packmasters treat the packs beneath them as mere beasts and have little regard for them, save the accomplishment of their purpose.
The Packmaster may always use his Warplock Pistol to fire into combat even if the beast units under him are within that engagement. On a roll of a 1, a beast unit is Hit instead. If the Packmaster is directly engaged with the enemy, i.e. he is within 1" of an enemy unit, he may not fire his Warplock Pistol.
Dire Rat: MS:4
BS: 0 S:4 T:4 A:2 W:2 I:5 L:4
AS:-
CS:-
Equipment: Fangs and Claws
Dire Rats are full grown Greyfurs that have been exposed to the same levels of radiation as those pups in the Rat Packs. The Greyfurs become horribly mutated, most notably experiencing a tremendous increase in size and power. As it is with the Rat Packs, the mental processes of the Greyfur is severely traumatised by the experience, causing the Greyfur to regress into a primal state. The Greyfurs lose all sense of self-preservation and their natural senses are heightened to an extreme degree. Packmasters utilise their enhanced sense of smell to track down the blood scent of the enemy, allowing the Dire Rats to operate independently of the Packmasters as they hunt down their specific prey. Permanently falling down onto all four paws, the immense limb muscles of the Dire Rats allow them to make sudden bursts of movement to cross vast distances in a split second. All Hruds are capable of burrowing, seeing as how their Warrens are made out of an intricate network of tunnels. Normally, it would be unfeasible to rely on burrowing to travel across the battlefield, given the time and effort required. However, the forelimbs of the Dire Rats have underwent such an accelerated growth of muscles that they can effortlessly tear into the ground and tunnel their way to any point upon the battlefield.
Special Rules:
Fleet of Paw, Calvary
Blood Scent: Choose a unit type for the Dire Rat unit to hunt. From now onwards, the Dire Rat unit may act independently of the Packmaster and must always Attack units of that selected type.
Burrow Earth: Remove the Dire Rat unit from play. Treat it as a reserve unit and roll for its deployment like it was in reserve since the start of the game. You may choose to Deep Strike the unit anywhere upon the table top, with the exception that if the Dire Rat unit surfaces directly next to an enemy unit, it is counted as having charged the unit with the Surprise Assault rule.
Pack Instinct: The Leadership of the Dire Rat unit is increased by 1 Point for each Dire Rat within the pack. In addition, the Dire Rats operate in packs of 6 and as such packs of 6 Dire Rats are considered as a single unit.
Rat Ogre: MS:4
BS: 0 S:5 T:5 A:3 W:3 I:3 L:7
AS:5+
CS:-
Equipment: Fangs and Claws
Rat Ogres are created in much the same way as Dire Rats and Rat Packs. The difference however is that they are an amalgamation of various body parts from all manner of creations fused together albeit in a crude fashion. That is not the end to the growth of the Rat Ogres however; they are left in the deepest, darkest levels of the Hive Warren, with walls of
raw Warpstone constantly radiating the mutating energy of Chaos, to fend for themselves. Ultimately, left without food and faced with the prospect of death, they turn on each other in an orgy of cannibalism, all the while suffering a slow but sure transformation from the mutagenic effects of Chaos. These harsh conditions ensure only the strongest and fittest of the Rat Ogres survive and become the ultimate warriors of Clan Moulder. Some even after being retrieved from the Hell Pits as they are called, have additional appendages fused onto them through the use of pure Warpstone as a cohesive. The process of fusing additional limbs onto the Rat Ogres dulls their reflexes and senses however. The hide of the Rat Ogres respond to the constant torture from the radiation within the Hell Pits by developing an extremely dense layer of dead skin and cellular outgrowths. All of this is not without its repercussions however, as the horrendous and traumatic experiences within the Hell Pits cause the Rat Ogres to become wild and uncontrollably aggressive. Prior to the start of the battle, the Rat Ogres have to be placed in chains of neosteel. Once released, the Rat Ogres would seek for a way to vent their anger. As their anger mounts, the Packmasters will find it all the more harder to control them. In the worse scenario, the Rat Ogres will turn on their masters, easily tearing them limb from limb. Thus, in order to pacify the Rat Ogres into submission, the Packmasters will continually lash at them with their whips, hopefully containing them till the opportune time when they can be unleashed upon the enemy.
Special Rules:
Hatred, Feel No Pain
Extra Appendage: +1A, -1I. Initiative may never be made lower than one.
Tortured Hide: +2AS. May only ever be increased once. In addition, the Rat Ogre may never be Insta-Killed. The intense pain suffered from the constant exposure to radiation has gifted the Rat Ogres with an unnatural resilience. After experiencing such an intense and horrific experience within the Hell Pits, the Rat Ogre has become numb to pain and is capable of surviving blows that would otherwise kill them outright.
Rebellious: Every turn after the first, the Rat Ogre's Leadership increases by one as his pent-up rage builds up. For every turn the Rat Ogre's Leadership exceeds that of the Packmaster, he must pass a Leadership Test to see if he goes against the Packmaster. If he passes the Test, the Rat Ogre has now gone berserk and is subjected to Frenzy. His first act is to immediately engage the Packmaster in combat. He will always charge the nearest unit, friend or foe. In order to reduce the Leadership of the Rat Ogre to prevent such a mishap, the Packmaster must lash at the Rat Ogre with his whip at a Strength of 2. For each Hit caused, the Leadership of the Rat Ogre decreases likewise. Remember that the Packmaster may only use his whip so he is entitled to two Attacks at the most, as the Barbed Whip counts as two close combat weapons at a Range of 4". If the Rat Ogre is broken in combat with an enemy unit, use the Leadership of the Rat Ogre if it is currently higher than the Packmaster, for all Leadership Tests.
Slaverat: MS:3
BS: 1 S:2 T:2 A:1 W:1 I:4 L:2
AS:-
CS:5+ Pts:3
Equipment: Claws, Scavenged Firearms
Within the hierarchy of Clan Moulder, Slaverats form the bottom rung of society. They consists of the Greyfurs who fought during the Great Rebellion, and were eventually squashed into submission. No longer referred to as Greyfurs, their Blackfur masters use the derogatory term, "Rat", to call them. They are a broken bunch, with their spirits crushed and their will to live diminished. In battle, the Blackfurs round up huge numbers of them into a single horde, and drive them mindlessly onwards towards the enemy. They are equipped with the barest of weaponry, having to resort to their claws and fangs in combat. They have however been known to resort to scavenging on the battlefield, salvaging the equipment of fallen soldiers of both friend and foe alike. In combat, they are driven forward for fear of the barbed lashes of their Slavemasters who lead from the back. Against a more powerful foe, they become sandwiched between two oppressive forces that are pressuring them in separate directions. Eventually, the entire mob succumbs to the pressure, either pressing forward relentlessly, or fleeing desperately from the foe, overrunning the Slavemasters through numerical superiority.
Special Rules:
Nocturnal, Burrow Warren, Fleet of Paw, Instinctual Preservation
Unarmed: Being Slaves, Slaverats are given no weaponry at all to defend themselves despite being driven into war. As such, they depend on their claws in combat and count as having an additional hand weapon.
Pack Mentality: The Slavemasters are not considered when determining the number of rows within the Slaverat unit, despite comprising the back row.
Scavengers: Hruds are known to live in huge underground Warrens beneath Hive Cities. In such situations, the Hruds are forced to subsist on scavenging, emerging from their subterranean dens to snatch whatever food supplies or equipment they can get their hands on. So too it is with technology. Much of their progress in science has been through the acquiring and dissecting of the gadgets of other races. This much to do with the fact that the dens they live in do not harbour the appropriate conditions for the manufacturing of firearms or any other such technological products. So it comes to be that Hruds residing within the underground of Hive Cities resort to a life of scavenging for all manner of things, from food to weaponry. The Slaverats in this case, in their desperate bid for survival, left to their own devices without any adequate equipment, attempt to increase their chances of survival by scavenging from fallen warriors upon the field of battle.
To represent their scavenging tendencies, whenever the Slaverat unit happens upon fallen bodies on the battlefield, you may choose to swap one model per fallen warrior, to represent the Slaverat grabbing the equipment for his own. In other words, when any soldiers on both sides are to fall in battle, place them sideways down on the battlefield instead of removing them as usual. Soldiers that have been wiped out from a Sweeping Advance are removed as per normal and do not count towards the fallen bodies upon the battlefield.
Fear Driven: If the Slaverat unit is to break during a close combat engagement with an enemy unit and fail its Leadership Test, the Slavemasters in the back row will start Attacking the unit with their Barbed Whips at a Strength of 2. For each Hit caused, add one to the Combat Resolution. If the new Combat Resolution breaks even, the Slaverats retain their nerve and continue fighting. If the Combat Resolution is still negative, the Slavemasters are unable to "convince" the Slaverats into fighting, and they break away in terror, stampeding over the Slavemasters. The Slavemasters must pass an Initiative Test or are outright killed as the mass of bodies trample them. If the Combat Resolution becomes positive, i.e. enough Hits are caused such that the Combat Resolution is now in your favour, their fear of the Slavemaster's whip override all other emotions and they throw themselves recklessly into the fray. In subsequent turns, the Slaverat unit is imbued with Frenzy that is lost when it is once again broken in combat.
Slavemaster: MS:4
BS: 2 S:3 T:3 A:2 W:1 I:3 L:6
AS:5+
CS:6+
Equipment: Barbed Whip, Warplock Pistol, Shell Armour, Stillsuit
In order to keep the Slaverats in line and under control, Slavemasters are employed to lead packs of Slaverats on the battlefield. As the task of handling Slaverats is considerably less precarious than controlling the mutant Rat beasts of the Moulders, the selection procedure for Slavemasters is considerably less difficult compared to that of the Packmasters. Even then, the weakest of the Blackfurs is easily a match for the strongest of the Greyfurs, so there is little fear of revolt from the Slaverat packs. As a precaution though, the Slavemasters wear suits of Shell Armour, crudely forged pieces of armour made by joining the bits and pieces of scavenged armour parts. Just like the Packmasters, Slavemasters expertly wield Barbed Whips, both as a weapon and as a means of instilling control over the packs.
Special Rules:
Instinctual Preservation, Nocturnal, Fleet of Paw, Whip Mastery
Barbed Whip: When used in instilling control over the Slaverat pack, the Slavemasters do not lash with force, but instead allow the sharp barbs of the whip to rake over the skin of the Slaverats.
Whenever the Barbed Whip is used in controlling the Slaverats, the Slavemasters make two Attacks each that Hits automatically and Wounds at a Strength of 2.
Expendable Lives: Slaverats are treated with the utmost contempt. In the eyes of their Slavemasters they are next to thrash. As such, they have no qualms about firing their Warplock Pistols into a combat engagement with Slaverats and an enemy unit.
On a roll to-Hit of a 1 when firing their Warplock Pistols, the Slavemaster misses and shoots a Slaverat instead. The Slavemaster may not fire his Warplock Pistol if he is within 1" of the enemy.
Blackfang: MS:4
BS: 1 S:3 T:3 A:2 W:1 I:3 L:6
AS:5+
CS:6+
Fangleader: MS:4
BS: 1 S:4 T:3 A:2 W:1 I:4 L:7
AS:5+
CS:6+
Equipment: Warplock Rifle/Warplock Pistol and Hand Weapon, Shell Armour
Weeping Blade and Warplock Pistol, Shell Armour
Due to the enslavement of the Greyfurs, the Packlords of Clan Moulder have to resort to using Blackfurs to form the core of their army. These groups of Blackfangs are led by warriors that have the potential to be selected as Packmasters, or even the feared Black Guard. These warrior leaders are known as Fangleaders. As Clan Moulder is a very wealthy Clan, it is able to equip even the lowest ranking troops with the best of equipment. Every single Blackfur within a Blackfang pack is equipped with Shell Armour, a privilege that cannot be said the same for rival Clans. The Packlords of Clan Moulder understand the limitations of the armies they can field however, noting the lack of range firepower in any form. Thus, despite being contrary to their nature, Blackfangs are known to be used as range troops in battle, creating stationary firing zones across the battlefield. However, the Packlords recognise that they are best suited to combat where their natural combat prowess show themselves. As such, within a pack of Blackfangs, it is not uncommon to find a variety of weapon types, some wielding deadly close combat weapons, while others using range weapons. A pack of Blackfangs is considerably smaller than Greyfur packs, due to their rarity within each brood. The Fangleaders are as rare to the Blackfangs as Blackfurs are rare to Greyfurs. Due to their superiority in combat, Fangleaders are almost exclusively deployed as assault specialists. Fangleaders are also essential to quell any infighting that may erupt among the Blackfangs when there is no established leadership. Blackfurs of all kinds when left among themselves, are prone to engage in fights for dominance to ensure the survival of the fittest. By installing Fangleaders into Blackfang Packs, the Blackfangs naturally recognise the strength of the Fangleader and submit to his leadership. Should the Fangleaders all fall in combat however, the Blackfangs will fight amongst themselves again to establish a new leader.
Special Rules:
Instinctual Preservation, Nocturnal, Burrow Warren, Fleet of Paw, Pack Mentality
Combined Arms: Within a pack of 20 Blackfangs, any number of them may be equipped with either Warplock Rifles, or Warplock Pistols and Hand Weapons.
Dominance: If at any time during the start of your turn there is a complete lack of Fangleaders within a Blackfang pack, having all fallen in battle in the previous turn, as long as the Blackfang pack is not within 6" of an enemy unit, the Blackfang pack will erupt into infighting. The Blackfang pack resolve all of its Attacks against itself. For every 3 Saved and Unsaved Wounds, replace one Blackfang with a Fangleader. As long as one Fangleader is "revived", all infighting cease. If not, infighting carries on till a Fangleader is selected.
Master Moulder: MS:4
BS: 4 S:3 T:4 A:2 W:2 I:6 L:7
AS:4+
CS:6+
Master Mutant: MS:4
BS: 4 S:6 T:5 A:2+D3 W:2+D3 I:3 L:8
AS:4+
CS:-
Equipment: Warpcommand Orb, Corruptor Raygun, Mutagent Injector, Warpstone Grenade, Warpstorm Potion, Shell Armour, Stillsuit
The Master Moulders are the descendants of those first Moulders whose actions sparked the Great Rebellion that ended in the enslavement of all the Greyfurs within the tribe. Within the Clan, they are viewed with a mixture of conflicting emotions, at once admired for their inventive brilliance and as the saviours of the Great Rebellion, on the other hand seen as mad scientists entirely obsessed with their work. During the aftermath of the Great Rebellion, the Warlords feared that that the popularity of the Moulders amongst the masses would force the leadership of the tribe to be wrested from them and given over to the Moulders. However, the Moulders in their eccentricity, refused such an offer, contend simply to experiment with the mutagenic powers of Warpstone and its effects on living organisms. The Warlords were both relieved and pleased; in their eyes the creations of the Moulders presented a means for the Tribe to rise up in status and power amongst the rival Tribes. Through the power presented by their twisted creations, they would dominate the battlefield, eventually elevating the status of their tribe to that of a Clan. The Packlords as they soon chose to refer to themselves, saw the Moulder's work as a form of currency to be exploited, and were known to engage in elaborate trades, exchanging their created monstrosities with the secret technologies of other Tribes. Clan Moulder thus became amongst the wealthiest and militarily strongest of the tribes, eventually rising to become one of the four Great Clans.
When the Master Moulders go to battle, they surround themselves with the toughest of their creations. In their possessions are Warpcommand Orbs, devices of the same make as the Warpchannel Orbs used by the Warplords of Clan Skyre. The difference however, is that the Master Moulders use these Orbs as a portal to channel their influence over their subordinate creations, influencing the wavelengths of their minds, thus aligning them with the intentions of the Master Moulders. As such, they move as a single cohesive unit, needing none of the crude implements of the Packmasters to control the beast packs under them. The Master Moulders see the battlefield as an arena to put their creations to their test. They carry with them an assortment of all sorts of experimental gadgets, and being the mad scientists that they are, their only obsession is to see the successfulness of their implements in the practical field of war. One example of such a device includes the Corruptor Raygun, that has a crystal of
raw Warpstone at its core that forms the fuel that powers the device. The Corruptor works by emitting rays of high radiation induced by the Warpstone, causing the flesh of its victim to erupt uncontrollably with all manner of mutations. Within the arsenal of the Master Moulder are the Warpstone Grenades. These Grenades are composed entirely of
raw Warpstone in its most volatile and unstable form. The essence of these Warpstones are contained within glass orbs that crack upon impact, allowing the Warpstone essence to spill out into the surrounding area. So potent are they that they are capable of inducing rapid mutations almost instantaneously upon targets within their immediate vicinity. Master Moulders are so named however for their ability to manipulate the forms of the beasts directly under them even within the moment of war. The beasts under his control are either fed Warpstone Brew which greatly enhances its physical strength or are injected with Warpfire Brew that causes them to enter a state of frenzy. The trump within the arsenal of the Master Moulder is his own ability to induce mutations within his own body by imbibing a concoction of Warpstorm Potion. The liquid within is highly potent and invigorating, as the Warpfire scorch the insides of the Master Moulder. As such, the Master Moulder only resort to such moments when left with no other options. The changes within the body of the Master Moulder occur nearly instantaneously. The muscle bulk erupts outwards uncontrollably, turning the Master Moulder into a hulking form of sinewy muscle. In this form, the Master Moulder is known as a Master Mutant. The Master Mutant is capable of spitting vile acid at targets far away. The effects of the Warpfire Potion only lasts so long; eventually the Master Mutant reverts back to his original form. The Warpfire Potion is not without its side-effects however, and leaves the Master Moulder very much akin to a drunken state. Over time, he slowly regains the full processes of his mind. Due to the considerable repercussions of imbibing Warpfire Potion, it is only used as a last resort, when the Master Moulder is faced with imminent death.
Special Rules:
Instinctual Preservation, Nocturnal, Fleet of Paw
Beastmaster: The Master Moulder sees the battlefield as an opportunity to test the effectiveness of his creations in battle. As such, his retinue always consist of the various Rat beast creations as a result of his experiments.
There is no limit to the number of beast packs under his control as long as they fit within 6" of the Master Moulder.
Warpcommand Orb: The Warpcommand Orbs work slightly different than the Warpchannel Orbs. While the Warpchannel Orbs act as a medium between the user and the Warp, the wielder of the Warpcommand Orbs act as a medium between the user and the minds of those he is attempting to affect. Through channeling their wills through the Warpcommand Orbs, they are able to influence the minds of the creatures in their direct vicinity.
As long as the Master Moulder passes a Leadership Test, all Rat beast packs within 6" of the Master Moulder may make a move, be it Assaulting or simply Moving.
Corruptor Raygun: The Corruptor Raygun is a Template weapon that sprays the
raw mutagenic essence of the Warpstone within the containment unit of the weapon. The spray of
raw Warpstone essence appears as a mist that evaporates nearly instantaneously upon contact with the air. As the mist settles upon the flesh of living organisms, the skin erupts with mutation, causing insufferable pain to the victim. The particles that constitute the mist never truly evaporates away and lingers in the air. As such victims that have been sprayed by the Raygun inhales the toxic substance within the body, where the mutagenic influence of the essence of
raw Warpstone undermines the internal organs of the victim, diminishing the physical fortitude and natural resilience of the victim. In addition, as the victim slowly succumbs to the effects of the Corruptor, his senses loses their sensitivity and the nervous functioning of his limbs become affected.
Units hit by the Corruptor Raygun suffer a permanent reduction in their WS, T and I by 1.
Mutagent Injector: The Mutagent Injector allows the Master Moulder to directly mutate his creations even upon the battlefield. One such Mutagent is the Warpstone Brew, a concoction that greatly increases the strength of the bearer, although the effects are only temporarily.
Rat beast that has been injected with Warpstone Brew doubles their Strength for one turn only. Another Mutagent commonly used by Master Moulders is the Warpfire Brew. As the Warpfire courses through the blood streams of the Rat beast, its nervous system overloads, exciting it into a frenzied state.
Rat beast that has been injected with Warpfire Brew becomes subjected to Frenzy. You may inject both Mutagents within the same turn during the Assault Phase, even when the Master Moulder and his retinue is engaged in combat, as long as the Master Moulder is screened by his Rat beast packs.
Warpstone Grenade: Warpstone Grenades are glass orbs containing the
raw essence of Warpstones. Master Moulders throw these grenades just before engaging with the enemy, and as the glass orb shatters,
raw Warpstone spills over those unfortunate to be hit by it. Rampant mutations course over those unfortunate beings exposed to the
raw Warpstone. Although immediate physical changes are impossible within such a short span of time, the radiation easily affects the brainwaves of the victims, causing slight retardations in their mental processes, affecting their judgements and responses.
The Warpstone Grenade is a Blast Assault 1 weapon that causes Pinning. In addition, it is used right before Charging into an Assault. It is a Guess Range weapon and as such it might scatter. Units hit by the Warpstone Grenade, even partially, are subjected to a Leadership Test with a -1 modifier. If any of the targets fail the Test, lay the models down on their side. In the following combat engagement, these models may never make any Attacks and are Hit automatically. At the end of the turn, any surviving models are take a further Leadership Test with a -2 modifier and so on until they pass the Test in which case their Leadership value is permanently altered from the negative modifiers.
Warpstorm Potion: When all the Rat beasts under the command of the Master Moulder is dead, the Master Moulder immediately imbibes the Warpstorm Potion that he always carries in reserve. The Warpstorm Potion is so called because its intense potency causes tremendous mutations to occur within the body of the Master Moulder within the space of a second. The Master Moulder attains a massive hulking form that puts the Rat Ogres to shame.
The Warpstorm Brew combines the effects of both the Warpstone and Warpfire concoctions, as such besides the changes to the statistics of the Master Moulder as a Master Mutant, he is subjected to Frenzy. He is also further subjected to the rules of Calvary as when he travels, he falls down on all fours for maximum mobility. The Master Mutant retains his armour as the Stillsuits are made of highly stretchable material while the Shell Armour, due to the crude manner in which its constituent parts are joined, hang loosely together, still being able to provide the barest of protection. The effects of the Warpstone Brew do not last forever and only by passing a Leadership Test at the end of every turn, is the Master Mutant able to retain this form. This reflects the Master Moulder's willpower as he attempts to cope with the potency of the Warpstorm Brew. Upon failing the Leadership Test, the Master Moulder succumbs to the side-effects of imbibing the Warpstorm Potion, which is similar to a hangover. In subsequent turns, the Master Moulder suffers from a permanent -1 modifier to his WS, BS, S, and I.
Obsessed Experimenters: When the Master Moulder do appear on the battlefield, it is simply a situation where he attempts to gauge the effectiveness of his mad-inspired creations in the lethal conditions of the battlefield.
The Master Moulder may never be the Army General.
Packlord: MS:5
BS: 3 S:4 T:4 A:3 W:2 I:5 L:8
AS:3+
CS:6+ IS:5+
Equipment: Barbed Whip and Weeping Blade, Warplock Pistol, Stillsuit, Warpstone Armour
Packlords are the Warlords of Clan Moulder. During the times when Clan Moulder was still a minor tribe, the Warlords of that era saw the Master Moulders and their twisted creations as a tool for the ascension of their Tribe. That was how Clan Moulder was born, named after the very individuals that gave rise to the Tribe as a major power. The Warlords saw how the twisted creatures of the Master Moulders were superior even to the elite Black Guard retinue. Thus the Black Guard was disbanded and the Warlords started to use Rat beasts to replace the Black Guards as their retinue. However, to handle and restrain the bestial instincts of the Rat beasts is no easy task and many Warlords in their inexperience have fallen prey to their own creatures. This led to the Great Coup, in which the Packmasters who were trained all along by the Master Moulders to handle the Rat beasts, turned against the ruling Warlords to take their place as the true masters of Clan Moulder. Some Warlords did survive the Great Coup, through tenacious will finally mastering control over the Rat beasts. Thus it came to be that the hierarchy of Clan Moulder was to be determined by one's expertise in controlling the Rat beasts. The Rat beasts are creatures often possessing strong will and independent mind as they tend to follow their own inner instincts, so it is no easy task to tame them. The very best Packmasters are recognised for their skill and leadership by their fellow Packmasters and are elevated to the status of Packlords, individuals whose actions determine the overall movements within the Clan. The Master Moulders are an exception to the natural order of the hierarchy within Clan Moulder for they are the source of the Rat beasts and are so consumed by their own experimentations that they are very much unaware of the movement of power within the Clan structure.
Packlords come equipped with the very best of equipment the wealth of Clan Moulder is able to acquire. Their choice of weapons include the Barbed Whip, to control the Rat beasts that form their retinue, and the Weeping Blade, a steel blade dipped in a highly venomous poison. A single cut from a Weeping Blade can cause even the toughest and most strong-willed of individuals to succumb in a matter of seconds. For their protection, they wear the rare Stillsuits and the even rarer Warpstone Armour. The Warpstone Armour is intricately crafted by the greatest of the Hrud Smiths, offering protection superior to the Shell Armour. In addition, a single piece of
raw Warpstone is embedded into the chest of the Armour. The Warpstone chestpiece radiates an aura that extends into the Warp, protecting the bearer from Psychic intrusions. In addition, the aura acts as an invisible barrier that is capable of stopping even physical attacks. Under the leadership of the Packlords of Clan Moulder, Clan Moulder has arisen to be the wealthiest Clan in all of Hrudom.
Special Rules:
Instinctual Preservation, Nocturnal, Fleet of Paw, Barbed Whip, Merely Beasts
Whip Mastery: The same rules applies as with Packmasters and Slavemasters except the Packlord has 3 Attacks instead of 2.
Beastmastery: The same rule applies as with Packmasters except the Packlord has 3 Attacks instead of 2. This also means that the Packlord may commandeer up to 3 Rat beast units at a time.
