Dwarf Prospector Special Rules

All Dwarf Prospectors are subject to the following special rules:

Dawi Be Dawi. We are the (best mining) Dwarfs and we’re digging a hole. The Dwarf Prospectors benefit from the following special rules as described in the Dwarf Treasure Hunters: Hard to Kill, Hard Head, Armour, Hate Orcs & Goblins, Grudgebearers, but not Incomparable Miners. A full crew of stocky-grudging excavators doesn’t just know how to dig…they were born with Great Pickaxes in hand.

Incomparable (Guild-Vouched) Miners. They’re not just miners. They’re professionals. These Dwarfs have the earth-sense of Grungni and decades of underground toil, so they can sniff out wyrdstone like bloodhounds in the dark, even in Mordheim. When checking for wyrdstone at the end of a game, add +1 to the number of pieces found for a Dwarf Prospectors warband. In addition, on the Exploration chart, roll an extra 1D6 and discard the lowest result.

Bozdok Veterans. The translation for Manling might be: constantly banging your head on low roofs or pit props, so these Dwarfs clearly haven’t squinted at daylight in a long time. These Dwarfs may reroll any failed Initiative tests caused by enclosed hazards, whether in tunnels, catacombs, sewers or any place not under open sky. If a collapsing building, hidden traps or treacherous terrain have a ceiling above their lanterns, they know how to handle it.

Old Powdermaster Wounds & Wisdom chart

To determine the price of experience of an Old Powdermaster, roll a D66.

• 11-12 Morgrim’s Curse

The Ancestor God of Dwarf Engineers has frowned upon this Powdermaster’s careless past. Whether it was a short-fused charge or a poorly mixed batch of blackpowder something has angered Morgrim. The Old Powdermaster starts with 0 experience.

• 13 Marked by Misfires

The Old Powdermaster has been marked (too many times) by decades of Eshin-triggered detonation and Bad Moon-hexed misfires. Roll D6 times on this table and re-roll any results over 36. An Old Powdermaster may not have duplicate results and each negative outcome must be unique. It’s “merely” a mark of misfortune…not a death sentence!

• 14 Oath of the Durslayers

This is a death sentence, but a voluntary one. An underground disgrace shadows his name and redemption lies only through the pickaxes of Durslayer Cult. The Old Powdermaster replaces his weapons/armour options and special rules with those of a Durslayer of Grungni. This result does not count toward the 0–1 limit for Durslayers of Grungni, so a Dwarf Prospectors warband may include (in rare doomed cases) two such stone-breaking warriors!

• 15 WITNESS ME

The Old Powdermaster is…oh well, very old and lifetime of explosions leaves him with one last plan: when death comes, beneath the awe-struck eyes of his fellow sappers, his legacy won’t be not in shame, but in flame! This blazing legacy is a personal and skewed tribute to Zharrvengryn, literally Flaming Vengeance, the runesword of Gazul, Ancestor God of Death. When the Old Powdermaster is reduced to 0 Wounds and taken Out of Action, he immediately detonates, causing an automatic Strength 6 hit to all models within a D6+3″. “Witness me, for I am the Powder Keg…ehm, King!”

• 16 Blackpowder Addiction

A thousand breakfasts spiced with Darkland Snow have wrecked the Old Powdermaster’s senses. Now, the acrid stench of blackpowder is like fresh mountain air and without it he shows signs of withdrawal: anxiety and paranoia are not exactly the best condition for one handling explosives. At the start of each Shooting phases, the Old Powdermaster must fire a blackpowder weapon or throw an explosive, such as Fire bombs or Cinderblast bombs. He can do so even if no enemy model is in sight! Firing into the air, blasting apart some piece of rubble or perhaps taking aim at that fancy-hatted Marienburg hired sword keeps the Blackpowder Addiction at bay. If he fails to do so, until the start of his next Shooting phase, whenever the Old Powdermaster takes a Leadership test, roll three dice and discard the lowest result.

• 21 Echoes of Grudges

Collapsing that tunnel full of Night Goblins back when he was just an apprentice sapper was a great honor, but with a price…a Little Waaagh! curse from their chieftain shaman. The Old Powdermaster knows that Greenskins are enemies, yet he no longer remembers why. Maybe they’re just mischievous spirits or ancestors shades from underground? The Old Powdermaster no longer benefits from the Hatred special rule against Orcs and Goblins.

• 22 Shell Shock

It only took one explosion, the accident that changed everything: an entire organ gun ammo rack bursting all at once. Since then, something inside the Old Powdermaster’s head just broke and his spark is nothing but smoke now. The Old Powdermaster suffers from the Stupidity special rule.

• 23 Walking Fuse

It only took one explosion, the accident that changed everything: an entire flame cannon tank bursting all at once. Since then, something inside the Old Powdermaster’s head just broke and his spark is nothing but fire now. The Old Powdermaster suffers from the Frenzy special rule.

• 24 Demolungs Disease

The lungs of Dwarfs are naturally resistant to stone powder and underground pressure, thanks to their constitution blessed by Grungni himself. Though they’re not wheezing chimney-sweeping manlings, even a Dawi’s endurance has its limits. Demolungs Disease strikes only the most seasoned tunnel veterans, those who’ve spent over a century breathing the choking fumes of countless blasting charges or even surviving the Shard Dragon’s Breath of Nightmares! Among the Guilds of Miners, Engineers and Powdermakers, it is ironically regarded as a badge of honour, a mark of long service and deep-mine-bound resolve. The Old Powdermaster may not run any more, but he may still charge. Subtract -D3″ to his charge range.

• 25 Blown-Away Leg

Never trust Imperial gunpowder, even if it’s from Nuln, because the price of experience was a limb: “My leg’s gone…guess I’m halfway to joining Long Drong’s crew now!” The Old Powdermaster suffers a -1 Movement characteristic penalty from now on.

• 26 Blown-Away Arm

Never trust Cathayan dragon-powder, even if it’s from Shang-Yang, because the price of experience was a limb: “My arm’s gone…I’d skip a whole week o’ ale for Burlock Damminson’s mechanical arm!” The Old Powdermaster may only use a single onehanded weapon from now on.

• 31 Two Hands, Five Fingers

It’s said to be Tilea’s most common injury during the Day of the Spear celebrations on the 8th of Nuovannaio, when children from Sartosa to Remas play with fireworks like they were toys. Still, even a grizzled demolitionist (especially a DWARF demolitionist) is always one misfire away from losing something, usually digits. As long as an Old Powdermaster has a thumb and an index finger, he can still light a fuse. But swinging an axe with half a hand? That’s another story. The Old Powdermaster’s Weapon Skill is permanently reduced by -1.

• 32 Bye Bye One Eye

Skaven snipers don’t miss often, especially when you’re a squat-shaped target with enough charges to level a mountain. A damned Warplock Jezzail once tried to take the head off a younger Old Powdermaster, leaving him with one eye and a grudge that still burns. The Old Powdermaster’s Ballistic Skill is permanently reduced by -1.

• 33 Boomed Eardrums

The Old Powdermaster once attended the test fire of a non-lethal deterrent round for a Thunder Cannon. It was supposed to be the final exam of a clansmate, who is now an outcast engineer. After that ear-shattering boom, the Old Powdermaster started nodding at everything and yelling at everyone. Nowadays, some say it’s just his teaching method…how he supervises young sappers…but others call it near-total deafness. The Old Powdermaster’s Initiative is permanently reduced by -1.

• 34 Shrapnel Heart

During a mercenary contract with the Greybeard’s Prospectors in the Atalan Mountains, the Old Powdermaster was captured by Tuareg bandits. Their goal was to exploit his blackpowder knowledge to craft explosives for raids against rival desert tribes. But the Old Powdermaster had other plans…better a Doomseeker’s path than share blueprints with thieves! In secret, he cobbled together an improvised propulsion device to escape. This “flying iron armor” worked, but the landing shattered several ribs and lodged metal shrapnel dangerously close to his heart. The Old Powdermaster’s Toughness is permanently reduced by -1.

• 35 Burned Beard

One eye? One arm? One leg? Ahhh, just scratches! Half a brain fried by too many mine gases? Ohhh only bad luck…but none is more unbearable than a scorched beard. In Dwarf culture, it’s worse than death. A beardless Old Powdermaster carries a heavy burden. Though miners and sappers still respect his skill, it’s hard not to judge a battle-hardened veteran of over 120 years, with scarred skin where proud whiskers and braids once grew. The Old Powdermaster’s Leadership is permanently reduced by -2.

• 36 Little Prodigy

Once in a generation, a true prodigy is born! Be it Leonardo da Miragliano among Mankind or Ikit Claw among the Skaven. Like any folk, the Dwarfs too, occasionally count among their halls a Beardling touched by genius…take Malakai Makaisson, for example! When the Ancestor Gods kindle the forge-flames in the soul of a young Dawi, he may well become a natural Powdermaster before his beard is even full-grown. Of course, the Guild Longbeards never approved, favoring time-honed discipline over wild sparks. But when a Chief Prospector needs the best explosive skills available for raids in Mordheim, even the youngest sapper might just earn a place in the warband. The Old Powdermaster retains his weapons/armour options and special rules, but uses the profile of a Boki-Beardling.

• 41-56 Still Standing!

Incredibly, the Old Powdermaster has survived it all: blasts and collapses, misfires and backfires, Skaven shootouts and Greenskins ambushes, even Elven cuisine…and he is still standing! It might be luck, it might be stubbornness or just one beardcraft miracle, but now the City of the Damned doesn’t play favorites. The Old Powdermaster has no lasting effects from “The Price of Experience” special rules.

• 61 Veteran of the Guild

Some Dwarfs serve for decades. Others for centuries. The Old Powdermaster has worn the Guildmark longer than many powdermakers have been alive. All this time setting charges and dodging cave-ins has taught him more than any handbook: a trick or two to stay in one piece, and nerves harder than gromril. The Old Powdermaster may re-roll any single failed Leadership test.

• 62 Powdermaster’s Assistant

At times, the Old Powdermaster’s reputation or Guild obligations saddle him with an apprentice in tow, grumbling all the way. Tradition is sacred and blackpowder lore must be passed on, but some secrets are best learned the hard way. “By Grungni! Back in my days we learned with blasts, not babble!” followed by some untranslatable obscenities in Khazalid. The warband gains one free Powdermaster’s Assistant henchman, using the profile, weapons/armour options and special rules for Sappers. This addition cannot exceed the maximum number of warriors allowed in the warband. If the Old Powdermaster dies during the campaign and the Powdermaster’s Assistant eventually rolls “The Lad’s Got Talent” results on Henchmen Advancement table, he becomes the new (Old) Powdermaster, gaining the same Skill lists and the Master of Demolitions & Expert Blastsmith special rules.

• 63 Not My First Thrund

Thrund, in the Dwarfish tongue, can mean handgun, blackpowder or even explosion itself, and the Old Powdermaster has seen so many – far too many – that he doesn’t flinch anymore. There’s nothing in the streets of Mordheim he hasn’t already seen or blown to bits. The Old Powdermaster is immune to fear from now on.

• 64 The Scar of Doom

The Old Powdermaster, the Dawi who lived…has come to settle old scores! A tremendous warpstone blast scarred his brow, leaving behind a mark of uncanny shape: a Twin-Tailed Comet. In a city steeped in superstition and sorcery, it’s best to stay away from one who bears the Scar of Doom. The Old Powdermaster causes fear from now on.

• 65-66 Morgrim’s Blessing

The Ancestor God of Dwarf Engineers has smiled upon this Powdermaster’s diligent past. Whether it was a perfectly-timed blast or an alchemically balanced recipe of blackpowder, something has pleased Morgrim. The Old Powdermaster starts with 20 experience.