CHAOS WARBANDS is an unofficial, fan-made supplement for Warhammer Fantasy

Battle (WFB), produced by Games Workshop.

To use these rules suggestions you will need a copy of the 8th edition WFB Rulebook, and
the supplemental Warriors Of Chaos, Beasts Of Chaos, and Daemons Of Chaos Army
Books, all produced by and readily available directly from Games Workshop.

These rules suggestions are put together and shared online purely for the enjoyment of gaming with
Chaos Warbands within the Warhammer World. No ownership is claimed by the author upon these rules
and no claim is made to any original ideas.
All trademarks and copyrights are solely the property of Games Workshop.

THE CHAOS WASTES:

The Chaos Wastes are the great Chaos-suffused
wastelands which surround both the North and
South poles of the Warhammer world.
Correspondingly, they are called the Northern
and the Southern Wastes. Their creation
stemmed from the collapse of the Polar Warp
Gates, when Chaos first flooded into the world.
The regions surrounding the poles were the
most severely affected, and remain places of
seething Chaos.
It is a land of desolation shrouded in unnatural
darkness, irredeemably corrupted and distorted
by the suffusive Chaos. Here, every law of the
universe has been scattered to the wind, and the
energies of Chaos visit their anarchy on the
forms of every living and unliving thing. Here
the Champions of Chaos and their armies fight
endlessly to gain the attentions of their patron
Gods.
The Chaos Wastes are also known as the
Shadowlands, for they lie in the shadow of
Chaos itself. At the very centre of the Wastes
reality gives way to the Realm of Chaos.
CHAOS WARBANDS:
Every year Champions of Chaos from the tribes
of the Shadowlands lead their Warbands of
loyal followers out across the Plain of Skulls,
seeking the endless battle at the top of the
world, where they may fight for glory and
attract the notice of their patron God.
Fell handed Norsemen forsake their longships
and raiding lifestyles to trek across the frozen
glacier fields and mountain ranges into the
realm of the Gods.
Mighty Kurgan gather their warrior brethren
and hunting hounds to ride out across the great
steppe, into the never ending storms at the top
of the world.
Brutal bands of Hung pack away their yurts and
saddle their ponies, whole tribal family groups
following their Hetmen Northwards, away from
the rich realms of Cathay and Nagaroth into the
unknown shadows, to seek out greater glories.
The ultimate goal of all such Champions is the
gift of Daemonhood, but for every mortal
follower of the Gods elevated to the status of a
Demi-God a million more devolve into mindless
spawn, and even more fall in battle and into
obscurity, their bleached bones adding to the

detritus of the great Plain of skull, to be

trampled to dust by following generations of
Champions, treading in the footsteps of those
who went before, seeking their own immortality.
It is 25 years since Games Workshop released the
first of two volumes that together gave Warhammer,
WFRP and 40k players all they needed in those days
of yore to bring Chaos into their games.
But Slaves To Darkness and The Lost And The
Damned gave players so much more; they brought
Chaos to life, they brought us Chaos Warbands.
Possibly the greatest, certainly the most insane GW
game of all time, the objective was simple; to take a
champion and make of him a Demi-God.
Balance meant nothing. This was far more a
roleplay game with miniatures than anything else,
Warbands could grow out of all control, becoming
veritable armies, complete with mighty beasts and
fantastic weapons, both daemonic and sci-fi...
It also gave us a wealth of wonderful tables, on
which we could roll D66, D100, and D1000 to see
what incredible gifts our Champions earned and the
post game sequence could easily last longer than the
game!
This is my attempt at something similar.
I make no secret of the fact that this document
borrows heavily from Regiments Of Renown, the
ingenious event rulespack put out by the wonderful
and hard working guys at Warhammer World.
Without that lead I'd have not done this, so THANK
YOU!
And it borrows heavily from the current WFB
Chaos army Books; Warriors, Beasts and Daemons.
The intention here was to give a smaller version of
WFB, a game that could be played quickly, yet
retained the need to be tactical and manage risks as
well as assets, that allows for incredible Warband
growth and development of characters.
Enjoy it, and please feel free to change and expand
it. There is no right or wrong way to do it, this is
just how I choose to do it.
At the end of the day there are just ideas for great
games! And no such idea can be bad.
If this gives some small flavour of the past glories
of Chaos Warbands, then it has worked, and if it
gives anyone who plays it some enjoyment, well
that was the objective, and if it gives players the
incentive and desire to take the idea and run with it,
creating something far better than I could, that's
awesome

WARBAND SELECTION:

Your starting Warband must take all of the

models you choose from one Army Book, either
the Warriors Of Chaos or The Beasts Of Chaos
Warhammer Army Books.
Daemons Of Chaos do not make suitable
starting Warbands.

You may purchase individual models

from units in your Army Book,
ignoring any unit size restrictions.
These then form separate units of one
on the battlefield which cannot join
together.
You may spend up to 100 points on
your Warband.
You must have a minimum of three
models in your Warband.
No model may have more than 3 wounds
(even if its your Champion!).
You may have a maximum of twenty
models in your starting Warband.
A maximum of 25% the models in
your Warband may be armed with ranged
weapons of any kind (round all
fractions down). So a Warband of eight
models can have up to two models with
ranged weapons and a Warband of 9
models can have up to two models with
ranged weapons.
You must spend at least 25% of your
points on Core model types.
You may spend up to 50% of your
points on Special model types.
You may spend up to 25% of your
points on Rare model types.
You may purchase weapon and armour
upgrades for the models from their army
lists entry of available upgrades on an
individual basis. E.g. If you take 2
Warriors of Chaos you may give one a
shield and the other a great weapon. No
other upgrades may be taken.
You may not upgrade models to Unit
Champions, Standard Bearers or
Musicians under any circumstances, even
if permitted to do so for free.
You may have only one model with the
Fly special rule in your Warband.

The Rules for Duplicate Choices do not

apply.
You may not use the rules for Allies.
You may not choose any Lords or Heroes
(the idea is to make some!)
Finally and perhaps most importantly,
Marks don't mix! The followers of the
different Gods are fierce rivals, some
bearing bitter hatred of others:

If your Champion is Marked,

then only models with the same
Mark or no Mark may be taken.
If your Champion is unmarked
then you may take followers with
different Marks, however, you may
not build a Warband of mutually
exclusive Marks; a Warband
cannot contain only Khorne and
Slaanesh, or only Tzeentch and
Nurgle, and you should think very
hard about a Warband only
including Khorne and Tzeentch as
they too are fierce rivals.

ASPIRING CHAMPIONS:
You may upgrade up to three models from your
Warband to Aspiring Champions. These models
then become potentially mighty warriors, who
are themselves taking their first steps on the
path to damnation.
As appropriate for such potentially mighty
warriors, each Aspiring Champion may choose
a Gift or Attribute using the following rules:

Each Aspiring Champion may take

one Gift or Attribute when starting the
Warband.
Each starting Aspiring Champion may
only have one Gift or Attribute when
starting the Warband.
Each Gift or Attribute may only be taken
once per starting Warband.

None of the items below are magical in any

way, even if they give seemingly magical
effects.
Rather they represent unique abilities, prized
items of wargear, or mutations gifted upon the
warrior by the Dark Gods.

GIFTS AND ATTRIBUTES:

Chimera Scaled Boots: The bearer gains the
Tribal Shaman: The bearer is a Level 1 Wizard Random Movement (2d6) Special Rule.
and may choose spells as detailed in the
appropriate Army Book, based on Mark.
Trollhide Cloak: The bearer gains the
Regeneration (5+) Special Rule.
This Attribute may only ever be taken once per
Warband!
Steel Lined Cloak: The bearer gains the Scaly
Skin (6+) Special Rule.

Note: There is no restriction placed on magic users in Khorne

Warbands, other than the obvious restriction that a magic user cannot
bear the Mark of Khorne.
Marauder tribes place much import upon Shamans, whom they
believe commune with the Gods, and Khornate tribes are no different.
Be warned though, taking a magic user may anger Khorne and your
Warband may suffer. At the very least, your magic user may suffer
greatly at the hands of the Khornate Champions he serves...

Dirty Fighter: The bearer gains the Stomp

Special Rule.
Never Surrender: The bearer gains the
Stubborn Special Rule.

It is important to consider the restrictions upon armour when

applying this attribute!

Mind Of A Beast: The bearer gains the

Blade of Perfection: Hand Weapon. Grants the Stupidity Special Rule.
wielder the Always Strikes First Special Rule.
Unnatural Haste: The bearer gains the
Brutal Pick: Hand Weapon: The wielder of the Swiftstride Special Rule.
Pick gains the Armour Piercing Special Rule.
Soporific Musk: Models in base to base contact
Mask of Fearsome Renown: The bearer causes reduce their Initiative by D3, down to a
minimum of 1.
Fear.
Burning Brand: The bearer has Flaming Hideous Visage: When this model declares a
Attacks for the purposes of both close combat Charge, the target unit must pass a Panic test or
and shooting.
the only charge reaction available is to Flee!.
Brazen Collar: The bearer gains the Magic Daemonic Fury: This models starts the game
Resistance (1) Special Rule.
with the Devastating Charge Special Rule.
However, as with Frenzied models, if this model
Epic Flail: Two Handed. Flail. The bearer has ever loses a round of combat it loses
the Frenzy Special Rule.
Devastating Charge.
Unending Rage: The bearer has the Hatred Outrider: If mounted the bearer gains the
Special Rule.
Vanguard Special Rule.
If on foot the bearer gains the Scout Special
Insane Courage: The bearer has the Immune to Rule.
Psychology Special Rule.
The Champions Standard: Throughout the
Spiked Armour: The bearer gains the Impact ages, standards have flown above the
Hits (1) Special Rule.
battlefields of the Old World both in defeat and
in victory. Whether it be a hand woven silk
Kurgan Palasz: Two Handed. The wielder masterpiece or a hulking, rotting monstrosity of
gains the Killing Blow Special Rule.
flayed flesh, the Champions Standard is a
rallying point for any member of the Warband.
Envenomed Blade: Hand Weapon. The wielder
gains the Poisoned Attacks Special Rule.
Standard (+1 combat res). Any member of the
owning Warband must re-roll all failed Panic
Berserker Mace: Two Handed. The wielder and Break tests within 12" of the Banner.
gains the Random Attacks (d6) Special Rule.

The Clarion: The Warbands Musician is one of

the most important members of the unit. It is the
Musician that calls the Warbands hounds to
hunt or battle, sounds the advance, the charge
and the retreat. The instrument used varies
dependant on tribe and belief, but a gong, drum,
bell or just an insanely loud voice are common
in most tribes and Warbands across the
Northern Wastes.
Any member of the owning Warband within 12''
of the bearer must re-roll all failed Rally tests
and the Warband as a whole must re-roll any
failed Rout tests if the bearer is alive.
Note: All of the above names and descriptions are examples. What is
important is the special rules and attributes these items confer to the
models.
Players are encouraged to rename items and concoct their own
descriptions. These items are included as a way of giving the in game
benefits of Chaos gifts, attributes and mutations. The actual nature of
the thing portrayed is the job of the warbands creator to imagine.

Your Champion may choose up to 20

points of Magic Items from the
Warhammer Rulebook, and/or from
the Warriors Of Chaos Army Book,
and/or from the Beasts Of Chaos Army
Book. These points do not come from
your 100 point starting Warband
allocation and are free your Leader
needs to be special, after all!

FOLLOWERS:
Now that you have chosen your Champion and
his Aspiring Champions, and they are all
equipped to seek glory in the eyes of their
patron Gods, note that all remaining models in
your Warband are known as 'Followers'.
**************************************

POST GAME SEQUENCE:

Casualties: In game casualties are dealt with
THE CHAMPION:
very simply. The only models we need concern
Every Warband follows a Champion, a mighty ourselves with in any detail are the Champion
warrior seeking the greater glory of his dark and his Aspiring Champions, they are the ones
masters, set firmly on the path to Daemonhood with the touch of greatness about them.
or spawndom. The Champion leads and inspires
In the case of ordinary followers 'killed' during
his followers on to mightier deeds.
the game and taken out of action, we can safely
The model with the highest leadership in your assume that they either are not badly hurt, that
starting Warband must be your Leader. If there they fled and have since returned to the fold
are multiple models with the same leadership (they aren't Champions after all), or that they
then you must choose between them who the died and have been replaced by another
follower of the same type.
leader is:

If you wish, you may upgrade your

Champion to a Unit Champion of the
appropriate type. So a player who has
chosen a Chaos Knight to lead his
Warband could pay 10 points and upgrade
his Champion to a Doom Knight. This is
the only model in the Warband which
may be upgraded in this way!
Your Champion gains +1 Wound. You
will not benefit from the extra wound if
your Champion would then become a four
wound model, so choose wisely!
Your Champion gains the Inspiring
Presence Rule from page 107 from the
Warhammer Rulebook.
Your Champion may choose one Gift or
Attribute (see above).

Followers are easy to come by.

Champions
and
Aspiring
Champions
('characters') are dealt with in a slightly different
way:

Roll a D6 for your Champion if he

was taken out of action during the game,
and for each Aspiring champion likewise
taken out of action.
On a roll of 2 6 the character is simply
injured and returns to full health in time
for the next battle, bearing some new
scars and valuable experience!
On a roll of a 1 the character has been
killed and is lost to the Warband along
with all of his equipment and any
developments.

If your Champion dies in this way then

you must nominate an Aspiring
Champion to take up his mantle and
lead the Warband onward:

The newly promoted Champion

gains +1 Wound and access to the
free 20 points worth of Magic Items
and/or Chaos Mutations & Powers
in addition to any equipment he
already has. Note that normal rules
for combining Mundane and
Magical weapons and armour apply.
If your Champion dies and your
Warband has no Aspiring
Champions to replace him, then the
entire Warband disperses, the
followers heading their own way to
find new Champions or to seek their
own glory. Your Warband becomes
just one of many to rise and fall in
the wild Northern Wastes, and it is
time to start again with a new
Champion.

Note that Aspiring Champions who die in this

way are not replaced by advancing a follower.
Instead a replacement must be purchased at a
later date (see below).
Character Development: Champions and
Aspiring Champions who survive a battle will
advance in ability and in the eyes of their patron
God, gaining gifts and attributes and becoming
ever more deadly foes.
Yet the fickle whims of the Gods remain an ever
present danger, and any Champion or Aspiring
Champion may find that he has received one gift
or attribute too many as he slowly loses his
sense of self and devolves into a mindless
Spawn of Chaos:

Champions and Aspiring Champions

make a 2D6 roll, and compare the result
to the Eye Of The Gods Table from
the Warriors Of Chaos Army Book (Page
25).
If the character caused 3 or more
unsaved wounds during the game they
may roll 3D6 and discard any one dice of
the players choice.

The Champion may instead make this

roll on the Champions Table (see below).
If you won the game, these rolls may be
re-rolled, but you must accept the result
of the second roll.
No character may increase any stat to
more than 10 (max 3 Wounds!). If such a
result is rolled again then the increase is
not applied and the roll is wasted (the
Gods are fickle with their gifts!).
A mounted character may choose to
confer a stat increase to his mount instead
of taking it himself, or losing it if the stat
has reached its maximum, if he wishes.
Mounts may only have their stats
increased by +2.
Should an Aspiring Champion roll a 12
(Dark Apotheosis), he cannot become a
Daemon Prince, but he can benefit from
Divine Greatness instead.
Should any character roll a double 1
(Damned By Chaos) for a second time,
and should he avoid spawndom again, he
becomes a Forsaken, keeping his current
stat line (except for Attacks, which
become D3+1) but replacing any and all
special rules and equipment with those of
a Forsaken (Page 38 Warriors Of Chaos
Army Book).
Make the following changes to the
Eye Of The Gods Table:

On a roll of a 7, the character

gains 1 re-roll to use during his
next game.
On a roll of a 12 the character
may take a Gift or Attribute (see
above), even if he already has one.
On a roll of a 12 the character may
take a new item of mundane
equipment of the players choice
and regardless of what his unit
entry states. For example, a Chaos
Marauder character may gain
Chaos Armour (Forsaken
characters are all out of luck here,
and the roll is wasted).
The only ranged weapons available
in this way are Throwing Axes or
Javelins (only 25% of your models
may carry ranged weapons).

Champions Table: As mentioned previously,

the Champion may instead roll on the
Champions Table below.
All the above rules for rolling on the Eye Of
The Gods Table apply except that:

The Champion rolls 2D6 plus 1 for every

unsaved wound inflicted during the game,
up to a maximum of 2D6+3:
The Champion never rolls 3D6 on the
Champions Table.

2 3:
4:
5:
6:
7:

8:
9:

10:

11:

12:

13:

14:

15:

Daemonic Swiftness: Your

Champion gains +1 Movement.
Iron Arm: Your Champion
gains +1 Strength.
Hard Bitten: Your Champion
gains +1 Toughness.
Rain of Blows: Your Champion
gains +1 Attack.
Master at Arms: Your Champion
gains either +1 Weapon Skill or
+1 Ballistic Skill.
Heroic Resolve: Your Champion
gains +1 Leadership.
Master at Arms: Your Champion
gains either +1 Weapon Skill or
+1 Ballistic Skill.
Lightning Reflexes: Your
Champion gains either +1
Movement or +1 Initiative.
True Grit: Your Champion gains
either +1 Strength or +1
Toughness.
Lord of Battle: Your Champion
gains either +1 Attack or +1
Wound (to a maximum of 3!).
Mythic Warrior: Your
Champion gains +1 to a stat of
your choice.
Gift of the Gods: Your Champion
may take a new Magic Item
chosen from the Warhammer
Rulebook, from the Warriors of
Chaos Army Book, or from the
Beasts of Chaos Army book. The
item may be of any value, but
normal selection rules apply.
Daemonic Mount: Your
Champion is gifted with a
Daemonic Mount by his patron
God:..

Khorne:
Nurgle:
Slaanesh:
Tzeentch:
Unmarked:

Juggernaut of Khorne.
Palanquin of Nurgle.
Steed of Slaanesh.
Disc of Tzeentch.
Daemonic Mount.

Your Champion may instead choose to take a

Barded Chaos Steed or a Chariot Mount:

A Daemonic Mount must follow the 3

wound maximum, so if your chosen
mount has more than 3 wounds, reduce
the stat down to 3.
Champions and Daemonic Mounts follow
all the normal rules for characters on
monstrous mounts.
If the mount is killed during a game, treat
it as a character for post game recovery.
But only for injury recovery; a Daemonic
Mount doesn't develop as a character.

Note: The majority of the above advancements are stat increases, but
this is deliberate. You are encouraged to use your imagination in
explaining the stat increase. For example, a Champion may gain +1
initiative due to being gifted with extra eyes, or +1 attack as a result
of growing extra limbs.
I could present you with D100 tables of finely detailed mutations,
gifts and attributes, all of which would give an in game bonus that
would boil down to a stat increase or similar.
Surely then, it makes more sense to let the dice Gods decide the
increase, but to let the players decide the nature of the Gift.

Warband Growth: Warbands grow as the

power and reputation of the Champion and his
Aspiring Champions grows. Over time as a
Champion becomes mighty and his renown
more widespread, his Warband can grow from a
few companions to a mighty army ready to
launch an incursion against the soft and
decadent lands of the South.
All Champions dream of such power, for this is
when the Gods truly start to reward their
followers with ever more gifts:

After the game both players roll 3D6.

The result gives the player that many
points to spend on new followers.
The winner may choose to re-roll any or
all of these dice, but he must accept the
result of the second roll even if it is
worse than the first.
Players may spend these points
immediately, or may choose to save
them up to spend on a larger follower at a
later date.

At this point, the composition rules

for starting Warbands are discarded
and the player may spend any amount of
points on Core, Special or Rare, but as
before, models are purchased individually
and form separate units which cannot join
together. But still no Lords or Heroes!
Points may be spent to add Chaos Marks
to previously unmarked characters, but
alignment can never change.
You may purchase any model you can
afford, but remember the 3 wounds
limit; as with Daemonic Mounts, models
with more than 3 wounds have their
wounds stat reduced down to 3.
Again though, fear not, ordinary followers
return post game!
At this stage, the normal rule that your
Champion must be the model with the
highest leadership also ceases to apply
and you are free to purchase
followers with a higher leadership than
the Champion. It is after all not
uncommon for mighty Chaos Knights
or
Chosen
Warriors
to
attach
themselves to the Warbands of rising
Champions in their own search for glory.
These models do differ from ordinary
followers in one key aspect though:

But making a player pay points for such an upgrade forces him to
actively make the decision to purchase a replacement, rather than
promote an existing follower and save the points to spend on an
Ogre!
In the case of a high Leadership follower being promoted for free,
well, you tell a Chaos Knight that he is being overlooked for
promotion in favour of a lowly Marauder!

Allies: At this stage, Warbands may purchase

allied models from another Army Book,
including Daemons Of Chaos (yay, daemons).
This means a Warriors Of Chaos Warband may
include allied models from the Beasts Of Chaos
and/or Daemons Of Chaos Army Books, and so
on:

Should an Aspiring Champion

be
lost as a casualty that fails his
dice roll to recover, then instead of
having to purchase a new model
and upgrade it to replace him, a
follower with higher leadership
than the Champion may be
promoted. In this way and in due
course, it is not inconceivable that
such a model will rise to lead
the Warband himself.

If you have lost an Aspiring

Champion and now have less than 3 in
your Warband, these points can be spent
on buying a replacement. As above this
model may at this stage have a higher
leadership than the Champion.

**************************************
ADDITIONAL RULES:
The following rules are applied to all games
played:
Every Man for Himself: Each model is treated
as an individual unit in all respects:

Note: In reality, the new Aspiring Champion would be a follower who

has advanced through the ranks of the Warband to replace a fallen
Aspiring Champion. This makes sense.

All normal rules for purchasing

followers apply to Allies.
Allies may be Core, Special or Rare, but
not Lord or Heroes.
Allies become normal followers in
every way and will use the Leadership of
the Champion and benefit from a
Standard or Musician.
Allies may not be purchased as or
upgraded to Aspiring Champions,
regardless of leadership value.
Allies
may
indeed
introduce
additional magic users into games (in the
shape of certain daemons). This is
intended.
However, you may only spend up to
25% of the Warbands current points
value on Allies. This means the value of
your Warband now, not the value it will
be once the points have been spent!

In order to turn, a model must pivot

around its centre as described for Lone
Models on page 27 of the Warhammer
rulebook.
Single models do not wheel when moving
normally, but may have to when Charging.

Clear View: Most of the time models will be

facing forward, but they can see clearly all
around when not engaged in combat. This does
not prevent a charge from the rear or the flank
coming as an awful surprise!
Each model has a 360 degree line of sight for all
purposes including shooting and declaring
charges:

A model can shoot freely into any arc.

To an extent, all models can pivot and
move into their flank or rear arc freely
(see below) at any time during a move.
Treat the models flank and rear as normal
when Charged by an enemy, and in
subsequent rounds of combat if the
model holds but is unable to Reform.

Note: Why? You may well ask yourselves.

Well, simply put, in Chaos Warbands games models are acting as
individuals, but as we are playing Warhammer we have rules for
dealing with massed units... Hmmm...
The rules above are designed to give a sense of what could happen
when changing direction suddenly and moving at speed, or that a
mount may have when trying to gather its legs and turn on the spot.
Keeping flank and rear arcs gives an impression of how a sudden
charge from behind can literally blindside a warrior and heavily
stack the outcome in his attackers favour.
Likewise, turning very sharply to charge someone behind him could
result in a warrior stumbling forward in an unbalanced heap and
handing the initiative to his foe.

Spears & Infantry: Because our models act as

individuals and can never join together to form
large, ranked units, spears on infantry are of no
real use in this setting and become instead
something irritating to stab yourself on.
To correct this, infantry armed with a spear gain
+1 Initiative in the first round of any combat.

Movement: There must be a few alterations to In the Fight: Buildings are treated as
Marching and Charging:
impassable terrain.

March: All models may March,

following the standard rules but with
the following additions:

A model may March freely into its

front arc.
To March into its flank or rear arc
a model must pass an Initiative test
and then pivot to change facing. If
the test is failed it stumbles and
moves at normal rate.
If Marching into a flank the model
gains a +1 modifier to this test.

Charge: All models may Charge,

following the standard rules but with
the following additions:

A model may Charge freely into its

front arc.
To Charge into its flank or rear arc
a model must pass an Initiative test
and then pivot to change facing. If
the test is failed it stumbles and the
Charge is failed.
If Charging into a flank the model
gains a +1 modifier to this test.
Charging into a flank or rear arc
slows the forward momentum,
so Charge range is determined by
rolling 2D3 rather than 2D6.

No Safe Haven: All Forests are treated as

Mysterious.
Routing: When a Warband is reduced to 33%
of its starting models (rounding up) or fewer it
counts as being Broken.
At the very beginning of a Warbands Player
Turn in which his Warband is Broken, that
player must take a Leadership test on the
highest Leadership available in his Warband.
Do not count fleeing units or units that have
been destroyed when determining which
Leadership value to use.
If the Rout test is failed, the game immediately
ends.
Please note you must take this test even if your
entire Warband (or all thats left of it!) is
Unbreakable, Immune to Psychology, etc.
Unbreakable Spawn: Should your Warband
fail a Rout test and flee the field, any Spawn
models in the Warband still alive at the end of
the game are lost.
Spawn, being Unbreakable, will not flee with
their fellows, and lack the sense to get
themselves to safety. Standing their ground and
fighting on, they are outnumbered by the enemy
Warband and dispatched for gruesome sport.
**************************************

SCENARIOS:
Below are some suggested scenarios based upon
the most common types of battle fought between
Warbands in the Northern Wastes.
Players should feel free to create their own
scenarios and mess around with deployment
rules and win conditions.
SCENARIO 1: Clash Of Warbands:
When two rival Warbands meet in the Wastes,
bloodshed ensues.
The Champions will charge into the opposition,
careless of their followers survival, wishing only
to vanquish their foe, reap souls for their God,
capture enemies for slavery or sacrifice, or to
conquer all and increase their own followers
numbers.

1 model each until all models in their Warband

are deployed.
Roll a D6:

1 3: Players deploy their Warband all at

once.
4 6: Players alternate, placing 1 model
each until all are deployed.

First Turn: After deployment both players roll

a D6. The player that deployed first adds +1 to
this roll.
The highest roller chooses who takes first turn.
Game Length: The game lasts until the half
hour time limit is reached, or until one Warband
routs, whichever comes first.

The Battlefield: The battlefield is a 4'x4' table.

Terrain should be generous and of mixed type.
Players may place terrain using whatever
method they agree.

Victory Conditions: If one players Warband

routs and flees the table, that player
automatically loses and the other is declared
victorious.
If there is no clear winner when the time limit is
Deployment Zones: There are three suggested reached, refer to Victory Points below.
deployment zone types for this battle:
Victory Points: All models are worth their
points cost in Victory Points (VP's), for
example, a 6 point Marauder equipped with a
shield (1 point) and light armour (1 point) is
Both players roll a D6, the high roller chooses worth 8 VP's.
deployment style, his opponent then chooses his Additionally:
deployment zone.

Champions and Aspiring Champions

The high roller then deploys his Warband as
are only ever worth their initial cost to
follows:
hire in VP's, regardless of any upgrades
accumulated over time, plus:

Table Halves: Players deploy their

Warband by placing all their models

Champions are worth an

within their table half, that is further than
additional 40VP's.
18'' from the centre line.

Aspiring Champions are worth an

Table Quarters: Players deploy their

additional 10VP's.
Warband within their table quarter,
no
model may be within 12'' of the centre
Additionally, VP's are earned as follows:
point of the table.

Diagonal: Players deploy their

No Quarter!: Gain 50 VP's for the

Warband by placing all their models
first time your opponent takes and passes
within their deployment zone, that is
a Rout test (if they fail, you win, and VP's
further than 12'' from a diagonal line
don't matter!).
drawn across the centre of the table.

Seize Ground: You score additional

Victory Points for every one of your
Deployment: Players may deploy their
non-fleeing models in your opponents
Warband all at once, or may alternate by placing
1:
2:
3:

Table Halves.
Table Quarters.
Diagonal.

Deployment Zone at the end of the

game. Each model earns VP's equal to
its points cost, as detailed above. So
the 8 point Marauder used as an example
above would earn you 8VP's for being
alive and not fleeing in your opponents
deployment zone when the time limit is
reached.
SCENARIO 2: The Monolith:
The Northern Wastes are dotted with ancient
monoliths erected to the glory of a Chaos
Champion. These twisted memorials are
engraved in the writhing and twisting runes of
the Dark Tongue with the Champions deeds and
glories and bedecked with trophies won on
campaign, such as the skulls of mighty beasts
hunted and slain, or the standards of
vanquished warbands
New monoliths are erected by the followers of
mighty Champions, and these become liken to
holy places for the Warband.
Many monoliths however fall, desecrated by
rivals, the Warband itself scattered to the winds
in defeat, so that over time only the monoliths of
the greatest Champions of darkness still stand.

Game Length: The game lasts until the half

hour time limit is reached, or until one Warband
routs, whichever comes first.
Victory Conditions: If one players Warband
routs and flees the table, that player
automatically loses and the other is declared
victorious.
If there is no clear winner when the time limit is
reached, refer to Victory Points below.
Victory Points: All models are worth VP's as
detailed in 'Clash Of The Warbands' (see
above).
Additionally, VP's are earned as follows:

The Battlefield: The battlefield is a 4'x4' table.

Terrain should be generous and of mixed type.
Players may place terrain using whatever
method they agree.

No Quarter!: Gain 50 VP's for the

first time your opponent takes and passes
a Rout test (if they fail, you win, and VP's
don't matter!).
Desecrated!: At the end of the game
the attacker scores a bonus 20VP's for
every non-fleeing member of his Warband
within 3'' of the monolith at the end of the
game.
Ferocious Defence: The defender scores
an additional 5 VP's for every enemy
model killed whilst within 3'' of the
monolith.

SCENARIO 3: Capture The Standard:

Both players roll a D6. The high roller chooses Champions of Chaos set great store by their
to be the attacker or the defender.
personal standards; the standard declares the
Champions presence wherever he goes, letting
The defender then places a monolith in the rival Warbands know whom it is that brings
centre of the table (no more than 60mm their doom. Standards bear the personal
diameter base). Any terrain it touches should be iconography of the Champion and declare his
moved so that it is at least 3'' away from the allegiance to his patron God, festooned with
monolith.
trophies and fetishes a standard tells the tale of
the Champions successes, in much the way his
Deployment Zones: The defender sets up first, monolith declares his presence in the
placing his entire Warband within 12'' of the landscape, his standard declares him upon his
Monolith.
travels.
Next, the attacker sets up his Warband. Models The keeping of the standard is entrusted to only
may be placed anywhere on the table, no closer the most accomplished and ferocious of the
than 18'' to the monolith and at least 12'' away Champions followers.
from any enemy models.
Note: To play this scenario one of both
First Turn: The attacker always takes first turn Warbands must contain an Aspiring Champion
in this scenario.
bearing the Champions Standard Attribute.

The Battlefield: The battlefield is a 4'x4' table. This Attribute remains lost until his Warband
Terrain should be generous and of mixed type. can attack the other Warbands Monolith and
Players may place terrain using whatever desecrate it.
method they agree.
If the Aspiring Champion did not survive in the
Deployment Zones: See Scenario 1 for full post game sequence, the Champions Standard
Attribute is still lost and must be won back as
details of the suggested deployment types:
described above before the Attribute can be
1:
Table Halves.
given to another Aspiring Champion.
2:
Table Quarters.
Finally, if there is no clear winner when the time
3:
Diagonal.
limit is reached, refer to Victory Points below.
Deployment: Players may deploy their Victory Points: All models are worth VP's as
Warband all at once, or may alternate by placing detailed in Scenario 1.
1 model each until all models in their Warband
SCENARIO 4: Monster Hunting:
are deployed.
From the mountains of Norsca, through the
Roll a D6:
wilds of the Troll Country, into the depths of the

1 3: Players deploy their Warband all at Shadowlands, further beyond into the Northern
once.
Wastes, and onwards into the Realm Of Chaos
itself, the Northlands are home to many and

4 6: Players alternate, placing 1 model

varied beasts and monsters, from hideous Trolls
each until all are deployed.
to terrifying and mind bending Mutalith Beasts,
First Turn: After deployment both players roll a the wildlife in this dark region is beyond then
D6. The player that deployed first adds +1 to ken of the ignorant, supposedly educated men of
this roll.
the South.
The highest roller chooses who takes first turn.
But for the Champions, to hunt and bring down
a beast such as a Chimera or a Gorgon is a
Game Length: The game lasts until the half mighty achievement indeed.
hour time limit is reached, until one Warband
routs, or until one standard is captured, Note: This scenario should be played twice.
whichever comes first.
Each player takes control of the monster in turn
for their opponent to hunt, and each Warband
Victory Conditions: If one players Warband
takes it in turn to hunt the monster.
routs and flees the table, that player
automatically loses and the other is declared
Note also that the monster(s) chosen should be
victorious.
carefully considered so that they are a suitable
Additionally, if one player kills the opponents match for the Warband.
Champions Standard bearer then the model that A starting Warband may meet its match in a
inflicted the final wound now counts as having Chaos Troll, whilst a more developed Warband
may find a mighty Mutalith Beast,
'won' the enemy standard.
If that model is still alive when the time limit is Slaughterbrute, or even a Greater Daemon, to be
reached or when the enemy Warband has routed, of little challenge to the Champions might.
then the loss of the standard means that the
game is automatically lost without referring to
VP's or hugely compounds the shame of having
lost by routing.
Additionally, if the Aspiring Champion whom
lost the standard survives in the post game
sequence, he will lose the Champions Standard
Attribute.

Equally, there is no challenge in shooting fish in

a barrel!
The Battlefield: The battlefield is a 4'x4' table.
Terrain should be generous and of mixed type.
Players may place terrain using whatever
method they agree.
Note that terrain should become far more dense

in the Monsters deployment area to represent its they Flee off the table, they will stop at the table
edge and automatically rally.
lair!
Deployment Zones: There are three suggested Victory Conditions: If the Warband routs and
deployment zone types for this battle:
flees the table, that player automatically loses
and the Monster is declared victorious,
1:
Table Halves.
bellowing its rage to the dark skies.
2:
Table Quarters.
If the Monster is slain, the Warband has won
3:
Diagonal.
and the Champion gains much glory in the eyes
of his followers for such a feat of arms.
See Scenario 1 for full details.
After both games have been played, with each
Warband having had its chance to hunt a mighty
Deployment: The Monster should be deployed beast, decide the winning Warband:
in secret, somewhere within its lair.
To do this the Monster player should place 3
If one Warband failed to slay the
markers in his deployment zone, and make a
Monster and the other Warband
note of which one marks the location of the
succeeded in bringing down their prey,
Monster. The other two markers are false trails.
that Warband is the winner.

If both Warbands defeated their

With this done, the Warband deploys all at once,
monster, or both Warbands failed,
within its deployment zone.
calculate VP's won by the Monster in each
game. All Warband models are worth as
First Turn: The Monster hunting Warband
detailed in Scenario 1.
always takes first turn.

The Warband that conceded the greatest

Game Length: The game lasts until the half
number of VP's is considered the loser.
hour time limit is reached, until the Warband
routs, or until the monster is slain, whichever SCENARIO 5: The Champions Challenge:
Single combat between mighty Champions of
comes first.
Chaos is what such men live for; the chance to
Finding The Lair: The Warband must proceed fight an equal or greater foe in ritualised
with caution to uncover the lair of the Monster. combat is sure to attract the gaze of ones
When a model from the Warband finishes its patron God and victory over a worthy opponent
movement within 3'' of a marker, turn it over:
will ensure great reward.
The Shadowlands are dotted with sites made

If it is a false trail the turn carries on.

sacred to such ritual combats, places where

If it is the Monster then the model that rival Warbands will gather and their
triggered the marker to be revealed must Champions issue and accept challenges, or
take an Initiative test:
where slavers will meet to test the mettle of
captives, seeking only the worthiest to keep and

If this test is passed, the Warbands trade, those found unworthy offered up in
hunters have worked well and
sacrifice to the Dark Gods.
found their prey. The Warbands
Such sites often take the form of a stone circle
turn continues.
or an excavated pit, sometimes the top of the

If this test is failed, the Warbands

burial mound of an ancient Skythian Horselord,
turn immediately ends in shock at or within the perimeter of a more modern burial
the sudden appearance of the
site, where a mighty Kurgan Warlord and his
Monster. The Monster attacks as
entire household rides forever into the wind,
its turn begins!
their mummified remains mounted on the
preserved
bodies of their horses and held aloft
Additional Rules: Whatever the Monster being
hunted, all Monsters will automatically rally on poles and stakes to eternally echo their past
after Fleeing and will not leave the table. Should lives.

Whatever the venue, a Champions followers will

surround the arena and bellow their support,
calling down the favour of the Gods upon their
chosen Champion and dealing harsh judgement
upon those that flee the arena.
It is often the followers of the underdog who will
cheer the loudest, for it is their Champion who
has the most to prove and to gain...

characters laid low, or until one Warband

voluntarily Yields.
Additional Rules: When the first two
characters have entered the arena, combat
commences with the first turn going to lesser
Warband, as stated above:

Note: This scenario is best suited to Warbands

of similar strength and size. Should a less
developed Warband take on a Warband with
some very seasoned Champions, the result may
be somewhat of a blood bath.

That is not to say that such bad match-ups

should be avoided at all cost, there is much
acclaim to be won by slaying mighty
Champions!

The Battlefield: Mark out an 18'' circle in the

centre of the table, this is the arena.
The rest of the table does not matter for this
scenario, but players may wish to deploy their
followers around the outside of the arena to
cheer on the action and cut down those cowards
who flee, or to place additional terrain outside
the arena to add character and help set the scene.

Models move freely in their turn and may

circle one another looking for an
opportunity to strike as they wish, or
hurling axes or javelins (or even spells), if
so equipped.
Combat begins when one model declares
a charge against the other, and continues
until either one model is killed or one
model Flees the arena.
If a model Flees and the Flee move would
take it outside of the arena then:

Deployment: Characters are deployed on

opposite sides of the arena, one at a time.
Only one character from each Warband will
enter the arena at a time.

The owner of the lesser Warband will decide the

order in which Champions and Aspiring
Champions enter the arena, for both Warbands.
This gives that player control over who faces
whom and when.
For example, the owner of the lesser Warband
may choose to send his mighty Champion into
the arena first, and choose for his first opponent
to be the least threatening of his opponents
Aspiring Champions.

First Turn: The first turn automatically goes to

the lesser Warband. Quite simply, this will be
the one that has fewer points tied up in
followers, and/or fewer advancements on its
Champion and Aspiring Champions.
Game Length: The game lasts until the half
hour time limit is reached, until one player
stands victorious with all of his opponents

At the point where the model

would leave the arena it stops and
makes a Rally test.
If this test is passed the model
returns to the fight. If his opponent
pursued and caught him, treat it as
a fresh Charge.
If this test is failed the model flees
the arena and is struck down by the
followers outside for his cowardice.
Treat him as a killed and his foe as
victorious in this round.
DO NOT make a recovery roll for
this coward. He has been executed
for Fleeing the ritual combat, and
quite right too! He is lost to the
Warband.

When a model is killed in combat, the

owning player should immediately roll
for recovery rather than wait until the post
game sequence.
Should a character die at this stage, the
owning player must decide to carry on
fighting or to Yield to his opponent.
If the player chooses to continue, then the
opposing character that won this round of
combat remains in the arena to fight
another foe, and redeploys at the edge of
the arena and the next character, as
dictated by the order the owner of the

lesser Warband decided prior to set up,

enters the arena and the combat continues.
Wounds suffered do not heal between
rounds of combat.

Victory Conditions: The above sequence

carries on until either one player Yields, one
player stands victorious, or the time limit is
reached.
If there is no clear winner when the time limit is
reached, refer to Victory Points below.

green rock.
Frequent showers of meteors rain shards of
Wyrdling Rock to the earth in the Shadowlands,
and many are the twisted purposes to which this
substance of pure Chaos can be used.
The Skaven race seem addicted to it, using it for
every imaginable purpose, even as sustenance,
whilst the Dawi Zhar make great use in their
fell, daemon possessed forges where they
manufacture the arms and armour of the
Northmen.

Victory Points: All models are worth VP's as

Whenever such a meteor shower is seen
detailed in Scenario 1.
blighting the heavens, Warbands will pay close
Post Game: Roll for advancements for attention to where the shards land, for they
surviving characters as normal, and for Warband know that finding the shards will enable them to
trade with the Skaven of Hell Pit for the most
Growth as normal.
Additionally, if one player lost by Yielding to ferocious of their war beasts, or with the Dawi
Zhar for their finely crafted and sturdy weapons
his opponent:
and armour of baroque beauty.

The winner rolls 1D3.

Whatever the result, that is how many of The Battlefield: The battlefield is a 4'x4' table.
the losers followers leave his Warband and Terrain should be generous and of mixed type.
Players may place terrain using whatever
join that of the victor.

The victor may choose which model(s) to method they agree.

take and there is nothing the loser can do
Warpstone Shards: A Warpstone Shard marker
about this. He shouldn't have yielded!
is first placed in the centre of the table.

If these followers have Marks:

Each player should then place 3 Warpstone

If the Warband they are joining is Shard markers on the table (for a total of 7).
dedicated to the same God, or the Markers may not be placed within 6'' of a
Champion is unmarked, they keep deployment zone or within 3'' of another marker
their Mark.
or the table edge.

If the Warband they are joining is Both players roll a D6, the high roller places the
first marker. Both players then take turn to place
dedicated to a God that is
incompatible with their Mark (for the next marker until all 7 are down.
example, a Slaaneshi model joining Markers may be placed in terrain features, but
a Khornate Warband), then the not on top of impassable terrain!
Mark is removed.
Deployment Zones: See Scenario 1 for full

Such models must remain

unmarked. Changing Mark tends to details of the suggested deployment types:
result in becoming a Spawn!
1:
Table Halves.
2:
Table Quarters.
SCENARIO 6: The Wyrdling Stone:
3:
Diagonal.
Wyrdling Stone, otherwise known as Warpstone
amongst the soft Southern races, comes from
Deployment: Players may deploy their
Morrslieb, the Chaos Moon, itself a gigantic
Warband all at once, or may alternate by placing
and misshapen chunk of this foul and dangerous
1 model each until all models in their Warband
substance, created when the polar gates
are deployed.
collapsed and the raw stuff of Chaos and magic
Roll a D6:
flooded the world, coalescing into this strange

1 3: Players deploy their Warband all at

once.
4 6: Players alternate, placing 1 model
each until all are deployed.

First Turn: After deployment both players roll a

D6. The player that deployed first adds +1 to
this roll.
The highest roller chooses who takes first turn.

any one follower any one item of

mundane equipment of the players choice
and regardless of what his unit entry
states. For example, a Chaos Marauder
may gain Chaos Armour.
The only ranged weapons available in this
way are Throwing Axes or Javelins (only
25% of your models may carry ranged
weapons).

Game Length: The game lasts until the half SCENARIO 7: The Plain Of Bones
hour time limit is reached, or until one Warband At the top of the World, far beyond the
routs, whichever comes first.
Shadowlands, deep inside the Realm Of Chaos,
lies the Plain Of Bones.
Victory Conditions: If one players Warband An accursed place where the Champions of
routs and flees the table, that player Chaos are drawn to do battle against the
automatically loses and the other is declared greatest of their contemporaries.
victorious.
In the centre of the plain lies a settlement, a
damned place where the occupants live in terror
Additionally, the primary objective is to collect and insanity, their dwelling places fortified
for trade more Warpstone Shard markers than bulwarks as much under the ground as above.
your opponent:
By night these damned souls lock the heavy
oaken doors and shutter the windows, huddling

A Warpstone Shard marker can be

together to ride out the terror until morning,
collected by any member of your
trying not to imagine the scenes outside as they
Warband, other than Spawn or War Beasts, cover their ears to shut out the sounds.
which end their movement in base to base By day they scavenge the battlefield, looting the
contact with the marker.
corpses and butchering the fallen beasts for

If a model carrying a marker is killed in their sustenance. Daily they drag the corpses
combat then the model that inflicted the outwards towards the edge of the plain, so that
final wound collects the marker.
it continually expands.
At the end of the game the Warband in By night the Champions and their Warband do
possession of the most Warpstone Shard battle, drawn from their camps towards the
markers is the winner.
settlement in the centre of the plain. They care
not for those whose sleep they disturb, they care
If both Warbands possess the same number of only that here are the mightiest of Champions,
Warpstone Shard markers then refer to Victory and that to walk away from the plain victorious
Points below.
means to become a true Chosen of the Gods...
Victory Points: All models are worth VP's as
Note: This is a 4 player scenario.
detailed in Scenario 1.
The Battlefield: The battlefield is a 4'x4' table.
Post Game: During the post game sequence, Terrain should be sparse everywhere but the
Warpstone Shard markers may be traded for centre, where a settlement should be placed,
wargear:
ideally covering a circular area with a diameter

Each Warpstone Shard marker permits D3 of 18''.

followers to upgrade their wargear.

Deployment Zones: The 4 players each deploy
Followers may take any item of wargear
in one of the table quarters.
permitted from their unit entry.
For every roll of a 6, you may instead give Each player rolls a D6, the high roller chooses

deployment zone, then the second highest roller,

then the third, until the lowest roller is left with
no choice of zone. Ties should be re-rolled:

Table Quarters: Players deploy their

Warband within their table quarter,
no
model may be within 12'' of the centre
point of the table.

Deployment: Players may deploy their

Warband all at once, or may alternate by placing
1 model each until all models in their Warband
are deployed.
Roll a D6:

1 3: Players deploy their Warband all at

once.
4 6: Players alternate, placing 1 model
each until all are deployed.

First Turn: After deployment the first turn is

taken in the order of deployment and continues
on this pattern.
Game Length: The game lasts until the one
hour time limit is reached, or until all but one of
the Warbands has routed, whichever comes first.
Victory Conditions: If one players Warband
routs and flees the table, that player
automatically loses. When only one Warband
remains it is declared victorious.
If there is no clear winner when the time limit is
reached, refer to Victory Points below.

and passes
a Rout test (if they fail, you
win, and VP's don't matter!).
Seize Ground: You score additional
Victory Points for every one of your
non-fleeing models in an opponents
Deployment Zone at the end of the
game. Each model earns VP's equal to
its points cost, as detailed above. So
the 8 point Marauder used as an example
above would earn you 8VP's for being
alive and not fleeing in your opponents
deployment zone when the time limit is
reached.

**************************************
APPENDIX:
Below are some extra rules, ideas and notes that
haven't been included above because they either
didn't fit or didn't occur to me until now and I
don't fancy finding a place for them!
Either way, they might provide some food for
thought and, as with this entire document
nothing is set in stone. Try it, see what does or
does not work for you, and make changes, and
if anything included below works, then that just
proves how full of marvellous ideas I am!

1: Army Books:
This document deliberately focuses on the
Warriors Of Chaos and the Beasts of Chaos
Army Books, and introduces the Daemons Of
Chaos Army Book to allow as allies at a later
date.
Victory Points: All models are worth VP's as This is done because Warriors and/or Beasts
detailed in Scenario 1.
with maybe a couple of Daemons feels right for
Additionally:
the setting, and because these are the three most
readily available from Games Workshop as

Champions and Aspiring Champions

standard supplements to WFB.
are only ever worth their initial cost to
hire in VP's, regardless of any upgrades But there are other army lists and supplements
accumulated over time, plus:
that could work nicely with a bit of thought.
An obvious addition is the Chaos Dwarf army

Champions are worth an

list published by Forge World, and I see no
additional 40VP's.
reason why this shouldn't be included as a

Aspiring Champions are worth an standard addition.

additional 10VP's.
Another interesting addition though would be
Additionally, VP's are earned as follows:
Skaven in the form of Clan Moulder.
Hell Pit is located very close to the Northern

No Quarter!: Each Warband gains

wastes, and the Master Moulders regularly lead
50 VP's the first time an opponent takes expeditions into this cursed wilderness and the

wider Shadowlands in search of livestock for

their hellish experiments in flesh moulding.
A Clan Moulder Warband then could be very
interesting to play, and by using the four
previously mentioned army lists for allies could
provide a very weird and wonderful looking
Warband with some tremendous modelling and
hobby potential.

open to assimilating the ways of others very

rapidly, and indeed Chaos Ogres feature as an
option in the Warriors Of Chaos Army Book, so
it would not take much work to include a
Warband of Ogres.
Again, there is much in the Warriors Of Chaos
Army Book that could be readily introduced to
give such a Warband that much more flavour.

Likewise, Clan Pestilens fit well because they

are strict and devout followers of Grandfather
Nurgle. Indeed the Lair of the Thirteen Lord lies
within the Realm of Nurgle himself.
As with Clan Moulder then, a Clan Pestilens
Warband could work very nicely on its own, or
the Skaven Army Book could supply some very
characterful allies for a Nurgle Warband in the
form of Plague Monks and the like.

2: Slave Warriors:
The Northmen are great takers of slaves, and the
novel Riders Of The Dead does a wonderful job
of telling the story of one such slave taken after
battle and forced to fight for the entertainment
of his captors, later used as a pit fighting slave
to settle matters of pride and honour between
Champions, and later still accepting of his fate
and being worked upon by the subtle wiles of
Tzeetch, becoming a mighty Champion himself,
whom rises to lead the warband.
There is no reason why Warbands should not be
permitted to take such slaves in the form of
allies chosen from almost any and every Army
Book presently available.
I would suggest that certain unit types work
best; Empire Greatswords, Dwarf Ironbreakers,
and so on. Troops of a type very different to the
majority of those available but that also
represent worthy slaves.

In the 3rd ed Realm Of Chaos books, Warbands

were given the option of Undead Champions of
Chaos, and this remains an intriguing option.
Could a Chaos Warband be constructed from the
Vampire Counts Army Book, using such things
as Wights, Zombies, Tomb Guard and
Skeletons?
I think so, and I also think that Chaos Marks
from the Warriors Of Chaos Army Book could
be ported in quite nicely.
If the idea appeals, give it some thought.

If players agree that this is an idea of worth

consideration, then they are encouraged to work
The Orc And Goblin Army Book is another
out the details amongst themselves.
plausible option.
In the past, based on the Lore of the Warhammer 3: Wounds:
World, Greenskins don't tend towards following See what I did there?
the Dark Gods and are very resistant to Throughout this document I have maintained
mutation.
the 3 wound maximum, to the point that, whilst
But in recent years, during the Storm Of Chaos any and all models are permissible within the
when Archaon's armies poured into the Old game, a models stat line must be altered if it has
World, we have the wonderful example of more than 3 wounds, so that it has only 3
Grimgor Ironhide, a mighty Black Orc Warlord wounds.
who travelled North with his armies to seek out
This is done for ease and to maintain some level
and slay the mightiest followers of Chaos.
I think that right there gives all the inspiration of balance; a model must be killable, and if it
has 6 wounds then it will take all week!
needed to build a Greenskin Warband.
The Ogre Kingdom Army Book is another worth
consideration, if for no other reason than it
contains some wonderful monsters for
Warbands to hunt!
Equally, Ogres are great travellers of the world,

However, players should reassess this rule for

themselves at regular intervals and as Warbands
grow in size and stature.
There will very likely come a point when the
players feel that this restriction is no longer
warranted and that it may be done away with.

When this happens (should it at all), restore the

taking all of his wargear with him
wounds of any models capped down to 3
so that it cannot be redistributed.
wounds, and feel free to increase characters
In either case, after the Daemon Prince leaves
wounds above 3 with improvement rolls.
his Warband, players may wish to have the
4: Daemonhood:
Warband split and follow the separate Aspiring
The ultimate objective is for a Champion to be Champions as they go on to seek their own
elevated to Daemonhood, becoming an glory.
immortal and unimaginably powerful Lord of The main benefit of this is that your Warband
Chaos.
will dramatically reduce in size and you are able
Yet the above rules make it very easy for a to buy fresh Aspiring Champions to follow your
Champion to attain Daemonhood and give no newly made Champion himself. And without
guidance as to what happens afterwards.
having to retire a Warband you get to feel the
This is deliberate as to keep the rules simple and continuity and see the progression over time.
flowing.
This is particularly important in a longer
However, if the players agree I would suggest running campaign as it gives a natural point at
the following additions to deal with what which large and powerful Warbands suddenly
happens when a Champion is elevated to and dramatically reduce in size. It also provides
Daemonhood:
a natural place at which to ditch any aspiring
Champions which have not developed well as

Rolling a Double 6 on the Eye Of The Characters, and to ditch followers which may or
Gods Table in the post game sequence can may not be working out very well!
happen at any time. If the opponent feels
The best way to do this is to simply decide
that the Champion hasn't earned the
honour of Daemonhood he may speak up. which Aspiring Champion takes command and
When he does so he, his opponent, and which one(s) leave. Then decide which
any other players present should review followers follow him and which follow another.
the Champions career and decide if he is It is strongly recommended though that if two
(of the possible 3 remember) of the Aspiring
worthy.
Champions leave then 2 thirds of the followers

Should a Champion be elevated to

Daemonhood then he should leave his should also leave, and vice versa.
Warband and enter into the Realm of the
Whatever the case, during the post game
Gods. There are two ways of dealing with
sequence of the first game played after the
this and players should decide which to
Daemon Prince has left his Warband, but only if
use, or concoct their own:
the Warband has split into smaller Warbands,
1.
The newly born Daemon Prince the owning player rolls 6D6 for Warband
immediately leaves his Warband. growth. This reflects the fame the Warband has
Promote an Aspiring Champion to earned as followers rush to join the banner of
such a mighty Warband, watched over as it is by
replace him, and review the
Champions wargear. Mundane and its own patron Daemon.
Magical items may be distributed
5: Marks & Beasts Of Chaos:
amongst the Warband as the
The current Beasts of Chaos army Book gives
owning players sees fit.
no provision for Marks of Chaos.
2.
The newly born Daemon Prince
This makes perfect sense as the Cloven Ones
stays with his loyal followers for a
are truly the children of the Gods, their every
short period of time, relishing in his
action giving glory to their Dark Masters. The
new found potency within the
Gods have no real interest in the day to day
mortal realm. Roll a D3. This is
activities of their foul children, and there is far
how many games the Daemon
more value in the soul of a man who turns to
Prince may be kept for. After his
Chaos.
final game he leaves the Warband,
Hence the Marks. A God is keen to place his

Mark upon the soul of a human Champion.

But when a Warherd's Chieftain feels the call of
the Gods and sets off North with his followers to
seek the Realm Of The Gods, then does he
attract the notice of his Dark Masters.

7: Magic & Wizards:

Magic shouldn't be a major feature of such
small scale games, but a feature it should be
nonetheless.
All Warbands can have one magic user, and
some may well be able to include more. This
may prove rather devastating if certain spells
are rolled, so players will have to modify the
effects of some spells to suit the setting and
small scale nature of the game being played.

To reflect this players may wish to allow the

characters in a Beasts Of Chaos Warband to take
Chaos Marks as detailed in the Warriors of
Chaos Army Book, and for the same points cost
as core units from that book would pay.
There are no hard and fast rules for this; players
Additionally, players may wish to allow certain must use their discretion.
unit types to be Marked also, particularly Besides there are too many spells in the various
Bestigor, Centigor and Minotaurs. After all, lores of magic to list here with suggested
Pestigor and Khornate Minotaurs and the like modifications, but a good example of the type
of alteration needed is Devolve from the Lore
are a staple of Chaos in the fiction.
As with characters, such units should easily be Of The Wild. Should this spell be used as
able to take Chaos Marks as detailed in the designed for a full scale game of WFB it could
Warriors of Chaos Army Book, and for the same conceivably clear the table in one fell swoop. To
points cost as core units from that book would prevent this players may agree to have the spell
effect one enemy unit (model) within range
pay.
rather than all, and that the effected model then
take only one wound.
6: Magic Items:
There are numerous lists of Magic Items in the
WFB Rulebook and the Army Books mentioned To make this task easier it is suggested that a
magic user roll only once for his known spell(s)
above.
Not to mention Chaos Mutations and Gifts, during Warband creation or when he is added to
the Warband, rather than prior to every game.
Deamonic Gifts and so on.
This also makes sense in relation to character
Obviously it makes sense to allow starting development; it seems unlikely that a Wizard
Champions access to only the lists from their would use a different one of seven spells in each
Army Book and the WFB Rulebook, but this encounter.
could be a bit dull and boring, and Chaos should
Additionally players may wish to allow a magic
neither be dull nor boring.
user to develop within his art rather than as a
If all the players agree, I recommend allowing a warrior.
player to take any Magic Item, Mutation, Gift, If all players agree, magic users should be
Deamonic Gift, etc., from any source, based allowed to gain another level of magic ability
upon the in game effect it confers and a should they roll a 12 on the Eye Of The Gods
reasonably characterful explanation of why his table when rolling for character development in
character should gain that benefit, and a clever the post game sequence.
new description of the item to suit his characters
Finally, should players find that magic
appearance and, erm, well, character.
dominates too much, even after modifying spell
It is far more exciting that way!
effects to suit the setting, it is suggested that the
power dice allocation each turn be reduced from
It is also worth considering Magical Standards.
At some point in the development of a Warband, 2D6 to 1D6.
a Magic Standard may become thematic and This limits the casting potential considerably
and gives the other player the same number of
desirable.
Again, players should feel free to allow such dispel dice as the player whose turn it is has
casting dice.
things, provided they all agree.

8: Game Balance?:
It is entirely possible that a game of Chaos
Warbands could be an extremely unbalanced
affair, with a relatively fresh faced, starting
Warband facing the vastly superior numbers of a
mighty Champion.
For the most part this should not matter, there is
much glory to be found when taking on a
mighty foe. But to some players and in some
games where the rift is so great it will matter.
The following rules suggest a simple way to
rebalance the scales somewhat:

Calculate the value of your Warband by

adding up the points cost of all followers
purchased after Warband Creation and
adding it to the 100pts of the starting
Warband. For example, after 5 games a
player may have spent 40pts on new
followers, so his Warband would have a
total value of 140pts.
Do not add any points which remain
unspent. Players are allowed to save points
up to fund larger followers at a later date
and these should be recorded but not
factored into a Warbands value until spent.
Characters do not increase in points as
they gain advancements, most increases
are gifts from the Gods and so are free, but
some advancements are so large that they
should be factored in:

Daemonic Mounts or Chariots are

big items so their inclusion in the
Warband will increase its value.
The points cost of most mounts can
be found on page 88 of the
Warriors Of Chaos Army Book.
The cost of Tuskgor or Razorgor
Chariots can be found in the Beasts
Of Chaos army Book.
Magic
Items
taken
as
advancements add their stated
points cost to the warbands value,
as per the book from which they
are taken.
The 20pts worth of free magic
items a Champion starts with is
never included and remains free.

So, to continue our example from above, if the

owner of the 140pts Warband has also been

gifted with a Juggernaut of Khorne for his
Champion, then the points for this must be
included also, giving a total value of 195pts.
If the Champion has been even luckier still and
has been gifted a new Magic Item and chose to
take the Helm Of Many Eyes then final total
value of his Warband would be 220pts.
Once the value of both Warbands is known then
we will know the size of the gulf between the
two. The underdog may then appeal to his God
for aid.
The difference in Warband values is converted
into points which the underdog may spend on
summoning Daemons to assist in the coming
battle:

Any Daemons may be bought from the

Daemons Of Chaos Army Book to assist
in this one game.
As normal, Lords and Heroes are not
allowed.
The Daemons become normal followers
for the duration of the game.
After the game the Daemons are lost as
they fade back into the Realm Of Chaos.
The normal restrictions for Marks apply,
so a Nurgle Warband may only choose
Nurgle Daemons for example, whilst an
unmarked Warband may choose any
Daemons provided their alignment is not
mutually exclusive.

Obviously this is not a perfect way of balancing

out games between Warbands of greatly
differing age and experience, for a start no effort
is made to account for Gifts other than mounts
and magic items.
But it should help, and when a starting Warband
is faced with an almighty conquering army then
it may just make the game bearable!
**************************************
And there we have it, for now at least.
Enjoy, and if in any doubt remember the sage
words of Jervis' in regards to such games as this
when your opponent asks an off the wall
question, ''Just say yes!''. It might be fun.

CHAOS WARBANDS is an unofficial, fan-made supplement for Warhammer Fantasy

Battle (WFB), produced by Games Workshop.
To use these rules suggestions you will need a copy of the 8th edition WFB Rulebook, and
the supplemental Warriors Of Chaos, Beasts Of Chaos, and Daemons Of Chaos Army
Books, all produced by and readily available directly from Games Workshop.

These rules suggestions are put together and shared online purely for the enjoyment of gaming with
Chaos Warbands within the Warhammer World. No ownership is claimed by the author upon these rules
and no claim is made to any original ideas.
All trademarks and copyrights are solely the property of Games Workshop.

CHAOS WARBANDS:
North of the Empire, north of Kislev, onwards through the Troll Country, skirting the edges of the
great oblast, past the glacial northern borders of Norsca, a traveller will enter the Shadowlands, the
home of the Northmen, where the nomadic Kurgan and Hung hunt and forage and war, where the great
dark domains of the Dawi Zhar belch infernal smoke into the daemon haunted skies: the land of the
Ruinous Powers.
North still lies the Realm Of Chaos, that great twisted land where nature itself is warped and all the
physical rules of reality are contorted to breaking point and beyond.
This is where the Champions come. Followed by their loyal Warbands those who would seek out the
Gods and their blessings make their pilgrimage of endless battle and brutal death. They come in their
droves seeking death or glory in the name of their Gods, hoping and believing that they will have the
mettle to become a true chosen one of the Ruinous Powers, the gift of immortality theirs and power
unimagined at their fingertips to wield on battlefields in realms beyond imagining.
Those that don't, the vast majority, are cursed to become mindless and mutated spawn, their physical
forms altered beyond endurance and their flesh forever flowing and changing, like hot candle wax,
their sanity blasted and burnt away.
Or else to become just another collection of bleached bones littering the Plain Of Skulls, the eternal
battlefield where all Champions must come in time...
This is where the Chaos Warbands roam.