Here are the Mordhiam House rules I'm tinkering with. It's a work in progress, so let me know what you think or how these rules play, if you decide to use them.
House Rules
Here's couple of rules tweaks I've come up with. I wanted something that was more realistic, but I've also tried to balance things out a bit more. Some things were made better, some were increased in price, some
were just made more fun. See what you think.
Hand Weapons
Most one-handed weapons are designated as hand weapons. A warrior fighting on foot, with a shield or buckler, may add an additional +1 to his armor save in close combat. A warrior may also use two hand weapons at the same time. A warrior fighting with two hand weapons gains an additional attack with the weapon in his off hand. For example; A warrior using a club and dagger attacks with his base amount of attacks with the club. and add an additional attack with the dagger.
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Dagger/Knife- 2 gold
Special Rules- Enemy armor bonus, Sidearm: Every warrior hired by the warband brings a dagger with him. This free dagger is his personal weapon, and it cannot be sold, traded, or added to the treasury. This free dagger does not count against his weapon allotment. Obviously, warriors who do not use weapons (ghouls, wardogs, etc) do not carry a dagger with them.
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Club- 3 gold
The club is one of the most popular weapons in Mordheim beacuse it is one of the simplest to improvise. A sturdy branch or a broken table leg has begun (and ended!) many an adventuring career. Still, the club is
often discarded at the first opportunity for something better.
Special Rules- Concussion, Crude: The club lacks the weighted head of a mace or hammer. Against an opponent with a helmet, the concussion ability is lost. In addition, a club never inflicts critical hits.
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Short Sword or Poignard- 5 Gold
Unlike the utilitarian dagger, these weapons are designed purely for fighting. These weapons have a much longer blade than the typical belt knife carried for daily chores. A warrior who manages to obtain one will often adopt it as his last-ditch weapon. In times of danger, it is not uncommon for the warrior to sleep with it under his pillow.
Speacial rules- Sidearm: This is the only weapon that may replace a warrior's dagger. A warrior who has a short sword will carry that in preference to his dagger (which may then be added to the treasury). This does not count against his weapon allotment. The short sword/poignard is a much better weapon than the dagger, and as such, it has no penalties in combat. This weapon cannot be sold or traded, although it can be upgraded with a fancier model (jewelled, gromril, ilthmar) if the warrior can obtain one.
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Nunchaku- 8 gold, or 15 gold per pair (Skaven only)
This Skaven weapon consists of two short lengths of wood connected by a length of chain. Commonly wielded in pairs, the nunchaku generates much more force than a simple club.
Special rules- Concussion
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Mace/Hammer/Axe- 10 gold
These brutally effective weapons are especially useful against armored opponents.
Special Rules- Concussion, Armor Piercing (-1 to armor save)
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Other Weapons
Some weapons just don't fit into other the other catregories.
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Fist- Free, if you've lost all your weapons!
Special rules- "Oh noes!": May only make 1 attack, Str -1, +1 enemy armor bonus.
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Morning Star- 15 Gold
Special Rules- +1 Str on first turn of combat. May not be used in conjunction with any other weapons or a buckler. The morning star may be used with a sheild, however, and gains the hand weapon and sheild bonus.
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Spear- 10 gold
The spearman is a dangerous foe in combat. To get close enough to strike him down, you must first get past
his spear. Do you feel lucky?
Special Rules- Versatile: The spear may be used one-handed, two-handed, or on horseback.
Two-handed- First Strike or Parry; A spearman may parry when using a spear two-handed. On the turn he is charged he may opt to strike first instead of parrying. He may not use both abilities in the same combat round, and may only use the strike first ability on the turn he is charged.
One-handed- Unwieldy: The spear can be used in one hand with a shield in the other, if the warrior desires, but it loses the Parry ability. The spear may not be used with any other weapon at the same time. The spear may not be used with a buckler.
Horseback- +1 Str on the charge. May be used with a shield.
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Lance- 40 gold
Special Rules- +2 str on the charge, cavalry only!
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Gromril Weapon- 4x price, -1 armor save
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Ilthmar Weapon- 3x price, +1 initiative
Two-handed weapons
These weapons require two hands, and thus, cannot be used at the same time as a sheild or buckler. A warrior with a shield may still use the it against shooting or magic attacks, regardless of what weapons he uses in combat. A two-handed weapon cannot be combined with other weapons, unless the wielder has a third arm, or a skaven tail attack or somesuch.
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Staff- 10 gold
In the hands of a skilled warrior, the quarterstaff is a powerful and versatile weapon. Its long length
allows it to strike terrible blows, and keep the enemy at arms length.
Special Rules- Two-handed, Parry, Concussion
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Halberd- 10 gold
Special Rules- +1 Str, Two hands
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Flail- 15 Gold
Special rules- +2 str on first turn of combat, Two hands
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Great Weapon- 15 gold
Special Rules- +2 str, strikes last, Two hands
Missile weapons (still in progress)
Short Bow
Bow
Longbow
Elf Bow
Crossbow
Crossbow pistol
Throwing Knife
Sling- 5 gold
The sling is a popular weapon in the streets of Mordhiem. It is cheap and easy to improvise, and lethal in
the hands of a skilled user. Lead sling bullets are the preferred ammunition of choice.
Special Rules- Multiple Shots x2: If the warrior has not moved that turn, he may fire 2 shots at -1 to hit.
He may only do this at half range targets.
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Summary:
The dagger rules simply incorporate the FAQ addtions, but it is otherwise unchanged.
I've always felt that clubs/hammers/maces were underpriced. The club remains cheap, but is a bit less
effective (but still great early in the campaign!). This suits its improvised nature much better, I think.
I've combined the axe's armor piercing ability with the hammer/mace's concussion ability and adjusted the
price accordingly. It makes those axe-armed models usable now (yay!), and the higher price reflects the
lethality more accurately. The armor piercing is a nice bonus, but it won't be a big deal until later in
the campaign.
I always felt staves should have had different rules than clubs/hammers/maces, and have added some neat
rules for them. They are similar to the new spear rules I have come up with, which makes sense because
they have a lot of similarities when used two-handed.
The spear got a slight tweak. I've allowed spears to have Parry in addition to First Strike, but now it is
a two-handed weapon. It's always bugged me that "spear and shield" combat would be encouraged for a skirmish
game like mordhiem (it's impractical and clumsy without a shield wall), when the two-handed technique is really FAR better for this type of combat. I believe this reflects the dangerous nature of the spear a bit better. Those who really want to use a shield with
their spear may do so, but they won't get any bonuses!
Nunchucks- This is a simple club upgrade, something between a mace and a club. It has concussion, but because of the extra power generated, it does critical hits (unlike a club). This basically uses the book rules for clubs, but makes them a little more expensive (which I believe is the right choice; they were two good for 3 gold). Most importantly, skaven would look awesome with nunchucks, being ninjas and all.
Slings have been toned down a bit, a little pricier and you can't move and fire two shots that turn. Keeps the skaven sling spam in check.
Shortsword is basically an improved dagger, that replaces the free dagger (so it doesn't hog a weapon slot).
Armor-
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Shield- A warrior needs one hand free to use a shield. He may not use a shield during any round of combat where he is also using a two-handed weapon, or a weapon in each hand. The shield provides a substantial degree of protection to the user under the following circumstances:
+1 to armor save in close combat.
+1 to armor save vs shooting attacks (this bonus applies regarless of the user's weapon).
+2 to armor save when using a shield in conjunction with a "hand weapon". Only applies to a warrior on foot. A warrior on horseback cannot evade enemy blows as easily.
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Buckler- Parry, +1 to armor save when using a buckler and "hand weapon" in close combat.
The buckler provides no benefit against shooting attacks. Like the shield, a buckler requires one hand free to wield it, so it may not be used with two weapons, or with a two handed weapon.
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Helmet- Avoid Stun, Unclubbable (a warrior with a helmet does not suffer from the "concussion" ability a club. Roll injuries as normal with no modifiers for the club.
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Light Armor- 6+ Armor Save.
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Heavy Armor- 5+ Armor save, Heavy armor + sheild results in a -1 movement penalty.
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Ilthmar Armor- 5+ Armor save, no movement penalties for using a shield.
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Gromril Armor- 4+ Armor save, no movement penalties for using a shield.