ninja-for-hire
Serf
The Saga of Herzog Spinecleaver
This is my 'warband in progress' for next weekend's RoC warband mega battle. As I explained on my blog post (for those who have seen it), I've followed Orlygg's warband creation system as closely as I can, but I haven't rolled for anything. I've taken the alternative approach in selecting the models I have available and going with what matches them. So, here I present, Herzog's warband!
My Champion, Herzog Spinecleaver:
He is a human level 10 hero.
1st Reward: Suit of chaos armour (5+ saving throw, no move penalties, +1 bonus on magic saving throws)
2nd Reward: Chaos weapon (roll for on the day).
1st Attribute: Bird’s Feet (+½ T, +2A (claw) at model’s S, but only when flying) - Cosmetic (effectively).
2nd Attribute: Snake Tail; +1A (tail) at S1, and +1 poisoned attack on a D6 roll of a 4+ (roll for on the day). - Positive.
I have a question though, the champion model has a halberd. Can he have this? Can it also be his chaos weapon? Or must chaos weapons be hand weapons only?
Being a level 10 hero, he gets three groups of followers;
8 Beastmen of Khorne:
Armed with hand weapons, light armour and shields.
6 Humans:
Armed with hand weapons, heavy armour and shields.
1 Minotaur:
Armed with a double-handed axe.
And this is Herzog's tale:
"Herzog was a watchman in the Town Watch of Marienburg, an independent city state and a wretched hive of scum and villainy, north of the Empire. He dispensed justice and kept the peace as best he could, but it was a never ending struggle. The organised criminals and common street scum were limitless, remove one, and two more would take their place. Herzog despaired at the “justice” system, such as it was. It seemed no matter how many lowlifes he brought in, and what evidence he had, many would either be replaced on the street within a day, or else somehow walk free anyway (usually through bribery). So Herzog and a handful of like minded watchmen began to dispense their own brand of justice, and as dawn broke each day, the corpse of another criminal would be dragged out of the harbour."
"But Herzog and his watchmen were only human, and not the world’s greatest fighters, despite being in their share of fist fights throughout their careers. Herzog quickly realised that killing off a handful of lowlife crooks wasn’t going to make much difference. If he was going to clean up the streets, he and his men would need to become something more than the ordinary men they were. The answer came one cold winter’s night, after Herzog had murdered the leader of a dock gang. A slippery crook involved in extortion and smuggling, who had repeatedly evaded a good hanging by bribing judges every time Herzog had arrested him. After searching the villain’s hideout, Herzog discovered an exotic looking, broad bladed spear, inscribed with strange runes. As he picked it up out of the wooden crate it had been stored in, he felt a sudden surge of anger and bloodlust. But he also felt energy and vitality. Perhaps here was the power he needed to defeat the real villains in Marienburg!"
"With this new weapon in hand, Herzog and his henchmen set out again that very night, and by morning, a dozen corpses were floating in the harbour. The same happened again the next night, but now, they weren’t just going after the criminals they hated so much. Almost anyone Herzog thought had committed some kind of crime would feel the keen edge of his crimson halberd. By the end of the week the entire town watch was out looking for whoever was committing these mass murders."
"It wasn’t long before they caught up with Herzog and his renegades slaughtering their way through a gang of street thieves. Three watchmen tried to stop the killing, but Herzog was consumed by the red mist and simply cut down anyone in his way. As some rational thought slowly came back to Herzog, he found himself looking at the bodies of the town watch, and at the blood dripping off his blade. Herzog knew he and his men had to leave. They fled Marienburg and headed east across the wastelands and into the northern Empire. It took them nearly a year wandering the trackless forest of the north to reach the border of Kislev, and several more months before they crossed into the Troll Country. Along their travels they met, avoided and fought men, beasts and other, more indescribable creatures. In the forests near Middenheim, they also encountered a group of beastmen who didn’t attack, but instead bowed their heads in subservience to Herzog. They followed Herzog and his henchmen from then on, fighting with them and leading them safely out of the forests."
"At some point in their journey across the blasted wastes of the Troll Country, they were set upon by a pair of mutated trolls, who quickly killed some of Herzog’s beastmen who rushed to defend the group. It was clear to Herzog that these creatures would be the end of his quest to reach the northern wastes, so he readied his halberd and prepared to meet them in combat. It was then that a bestial roar announced the arrival of a massive, red furred minotaur. Swinging its huge axe in both claws, it decapitated one troll and shoulder barged the other off the hillside. Turning to meet this new threat, Herzog and his men prepared to die fighting. But the beastmen lowered their weapons and stood easy as the huge monster ambled over to them. It looked at Herzog and saw the rune etched halberd he held. It met Herzog’s gaze, snorted and thumped its chest. Then it wandered off into the mists. The minotaur never spent any time with Herzog’s warband, but whenever they were threatened by foes, it would appear out of nowhere and slam into the surprised enemy. And then just as soon as the fight was over, the beast would grab a corpse or two to feed on and disappear back into the wilderness."
"Today, Herzog is much changed from the man he once was, he wears an ornate suit of plate armour, his feet have warped into that of a bird of prey, and a daemon-headed tail sprouted from his spine. His men also wear plate armour that they traded from a band of chaos dwarfs, and wield vicious blades, maces and axes. A far cry from the bludgeons and daggers they used when they were city watchmen. His faithful beastmen are the same as they ever were, ruddy brown fur, rags and rusty chainmail. Their battered old shields and rusty weapons have seen much action, although never seem to actually fall apart or fail them in combat. Of Gorox the minotaur, there is little to tell. He still will have nothing to do with Herzog’s warband. Why he aids them in battle, yet disappears quickly afterwards is a secret that Gorox keeps to himself. For now, Herzog and his minions wander the northern wastes, killing all those they perceive as criminals (which in the chaos wastes, is pretty much everyone!), especially those perverse Slaaneshi deviants!"
This is my 'warband in progress' for next weekend's RoC warband mega battle. As I explained on my blog post (for those who have seen it), I've followed Orlygg's warband creation system as closely as I can, but I haven't rolled for anything. I've taken the alternative approach in selecting the models I have available and going with what matches them. So, here I present, Herzog's warband!
My Champion, Herzog Spinecleaver:
He is a human level 10 hero.
1st Reward: Suit of chaos armour (5+ saving throw, no move penalties, +1 bonus on magic saving throws)
2nd Reward: Chaos weapon (roll for on the day).
1st Attribute: Bird’s Feet (+½ T, +2A (claw) at model’s S, but only when flying) - Cosmetic (effectively).
2nd Attribute: Snake Tail; +1A (tail) at S1, and +1 poisoned attack on a D6 roll of a 4+ (roll for on the day). - Positive.
I have a question though, the champion model has a halberd. Can he have this? Can it also be his chaos weapon? Or must chaos weapons be hand weapons only?
Being a level 10 hero, he gets three groups of followers;
8 Beastmen of Khorne:
Armed with hand weapons, light armour and shields.
6 Humans:
Armed with hand weapons, heavy armour and shields.
1 Minotaur:
Armed with a double-handed axe.
And this is Herzog's tale:
"Herzog was a watchman in the Town Watch of Marienburg, an independent city state and a wretched hive of scum and villainy, north of the Empire. He dispensed justice and kept the peace as best he could, but it was a never ending struggle. The organised criminals and common street scum were limitless, remove one, and two more would take their place. Herzog despaired at the “justice” system, such as it was. It seemed no matter how many lowlifes he brought in, and what evidence he had, many would either be replaced on the street within a day, or else somehow walk free anyway (usually through bribery). So Herzog and a handful of like minded watchmen began to dispense their own brand of justice, and as dawn broke each day, the corpse of another criminal would be dragged out of the harbour."
"But Herzog and his watchmen were only human, and not the world’s greatest fighters, despite being in their share of fist fights throughout their careers. Herzog quickly realised that killing off a handful of lowlife crooks wasn’t going to make much difference. If he was going to clean up the streets, he and his men would need to become something more than the ordinary men they were. The answer came one cold winter’s night, after Herzog had murdered the leader of a dock gang. A slippery crook involved in extortion and smuggling, who had repeatedly evaded a good hanging by bribing judges every time Herzog had arrested him. After searching the villain’s hideout, Herzog discovered an exotic looking, broad bladed spear, inscribed with strange runes. As he picked it up out of the wooden crate it had been stored in, he felt a sudden surge of anger and bloodlust. But he also felt energy and vitality. Perhaps here was the power he needed to defeat the real villains in Marienburg!"
"With this new weapon in hand, Herzog and his henchmen set out again that very night, and by morning, a dozen corpses were floating in the harbour. The same happened again the next night, but now, they weren’t just going after the criminals they hated so much. Almost anyone Herzog thought had committed some kind of crime would feel the keen edge of his crimson halberd. By the end of the week the entire town watch was out looking for whoever was committing these mass murders."
"It wasn’t long before they caught up with Herzog and his renegades slaughtering their way through a gang of street thieves. Three watchmen tried to stop the killing, but Herzog was consumed by the red mist and simply cut down anyone in his way. As some rational thought slowly came back to Herzog, he found himself looking at the bodies of the town watch, and at the blood dripping off his blade. Herzog knew he and his men had to leave. They fled Marienburg and headed east across the wastelands and into the northern Empire. It took them nearly a year wandering the trackless forest of the north to reach the border of Kislev, and several more months before they crossed into the Troll Country. Along their travels they met, avoided and fought men, beasts and other, more indescribable creatures. In the forests near Middenheim, they also encountered a group of beastmen who didn’t attack, but instead bowed their heads in subservience to Herzog. They followed Herzog and his henchmen from then on, fighting with them and leading them safely out of the forests."
"At some point in their journey across the blasted wastes of the Troll Country, they were set upon by a pair of mutated trolls, who quickly killed some of Herzog’s beastmen who rushed to defend the group. It was clear to Herzog that these creatures would be the end of his quest to reach the northern wastes, so he readied his halberd and prepared to meet them in combat. It was then that a bestial roar announced the arrival of a massive, red furred minotaur. Swinging its huge axe in both claws, it decapitated one troll and shoulder barged the other off the hillside. Turning to meet this new threat, Herzog and his men prepared to die fighting. But the beastmen lowered their weapons and stood easy as the huge monster ambled over to them. It looked at Herzog and saw the rune etched halberd he held. It met Herzog’s gaze, snorted and thumped its chest. Then it wandered off into the mists. The minotaur never spent any time with Herzog’s warband, but whenever they were threatened by foes, it would appear out of nowhere and slam into the surprised enemy. And then just as soon as the fight was over, the beast would grab a corpse or two to feed on and disappear back into the wilderness."
"Today, Herzog is much changed from the man he once was, he wears an ornate suit of plate armour, his feet have warped into that of a bird of prey, and a daemon-headed tail sprouted from his spine. His men also wear plate armour that they traded from a band of chaos dwarfs, and wield vicious blades, maces and axes. A far cry from the bludgeons and daggers they used when they were city watchmen. His faithful beastmen are the same as they ever were, ruddy brown fur, rags and rusty chainmail. Their battered old shields and rusty weapons have seen much action, although never seem to actually fall apart or fail them in combat. Of Gorox the minotaur, there is little to tell. He still will have nothing to do with Herzog’s warband. Why he aids them in battle, yet disappears quickly afterwards is a secret that Gorox keeps to himself. For now, Herzog and his minions wander the northern wastes, killing all those they perceive as criminals (which in the chaos wastes, is pretty much everyone!), especially those perverse Slaaneshi deviants!"