Wood Elves Warband, The Asrai Way-farers

By Davin “GhostElf” Madden,
Jared "Abused Toyz" Schmidt,
& The Mordheimer.
Webmaster's Notes: This experimental warband is in MEDIUM development stages. It was originally developed by Jared "Abused Toyz" Schmidt in cooperation with players from the Specialist Games Forum. Few months after, Davin “GhostElf” Madden joined the development of the warband and has introduced many unique changes... gathering quite a following from the Specialist Games Forums. Finally, and reluctantly, I became a developer... like I have nothing to do!

The warband still needs to be seriously play-tested, so it can be balanced. Upon my insistence/nagging they have decided to try a new approach to this warband. The stats and costs are not as high (which I think unbalances the game) but they are compensated with nice skills, advancements and equipment. We encourage you to play test it and email us your comments. There are many Wood Elves warband attempts around different forums. The Wood Elves have such rich history and unit diversity, which makes hard to create one warband that would satisfy everyone. This warband, by no means is the only one... but the author requested formal posting, and so we aim to please. We need your opinion on this warband!

Remember: Play the warband, write your comments and email them in... THEN you can complain. :P

The Asrai have always been a secluded race. They usually keep to their deep forest of Athel Loren, rarely venturing forth except in the time of need or defense. However, despite their usual solitude, the Asrai still have means to the knowledge and secrets of the outside world; and it come through the skills and abilities of their elven Wayfarers. This band of specially trained wood elves serves the various requests of their nobles with dedicated efficiency. Whether it is to recover stolen treasures, discern foreign motives, track down mystical creatures, eliminate distant enemies, or discover mysterious occurrences; no task is beyond the reach of the Wayfarers. They are capable of traveling lengthy distances beyond their secure borders, across hostile environments, to fulfill their duties.

Faced with unknown dangers, the Wayfarers utilize the diverse skills of elven magic, special hunters, deadly rangers, agile warriors, and mystical fighters. Among their other resources, they recruit the aid of animal companions and spirits of nature to their cause; all under the command of their veteran leader, the Way-Warden. Each mission takes them far from home, and puts them in harms way, possibly never to see the beloved forest of Athel Loren again; however, this is their duty.

Word of magical stone fragments has reached as far as the Forest of Athel Loren and has created an air of concern for the Wood Elves. Fear that this new magical force will taint the forest has caused some unrest among the nobles of the Asrai. Expeditionary forces have been dispatched to gain knowledge on these “Wyrdstone” fragments, and to keep any invaders from bringing the shards into and contaminating their home. Due to the nature of traveling well beyond the borders of Athel Loren and deep into the Empire only the bravest warriors are chosen to accompany the Wardens. For whatever reasons, the lords of the forest depend on their success and so the Wayfarers make their journey away from the wild they call home into the land of men and beasts.

Choice of Warriors:

An Asrai Wayfarers, Wood Elves, warband must include a minimum of three models. You have 500 gold crowns available to spend. The maximum number of warriors in the warband may never exceed 12

Special Rules:

 

Starting Experience:

Wood Elves Skill Tables

Wood Elves Maximum Profile

Wood Elves have the same maximum profile as elves in the Mordheim rulebook.

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5 7 7 4 4 3 9 4 10


Wood Elves Equipment List

Heroes Henchmen
Hand to Hand Weapons Hand to Hand Weapons
Dagger 1st free/ 2 gc Dagger 1st free/ 2 gc
Axe 5 gc Thornblade 3 gc
Thornblade 3 gc Sword 10 gc
Sword 10 gc Spear 10 gc
Spear 10 gc Double Handed Weapon җ 15 gc
Asrai Blade-staff 30 gc  
Ithilmar Weapon 3x weapon cost gc

җ Wardancer Only
   
Missile Weapons Missile Weapons (Except Wardancers)
Bow 10 gc Bow 10 gc
Long Bow 15 gc Long Bow 15 gc
Elf Bow 35 gc    
Glade-wood Bow 35 gc

 
   
Armor Armor (Except Wardancers)
Light Armor 20 gc Light Armor 20 gc
Deerhide Leather Armor 5 gc Deerhide Leather Armor 5 gc
Helmet 10 gc Shield 5 gc
Shield 5 gc  
Ithilmar Armor 90 gc  
 
Miscellaneous Miscellaneous
Elven Cloak 100 gc    
Hunting Arrows 25 gc    
Arrows of Blood Ivy 40 gc  
     
     
     
     
   
   

Heroes

1 Way-Warden; 80 gold crowns to hire.
Highly trained at surviving and fighting outside the forest of Athel Loren, no other Asarai is more suitable to lead a band of Wayfarers on their journey. His dedication and leadership is vital in the success of any mission and no other elf is trusted with this task by the Forest Nobility

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5 4 4 3 3 1 5 1 9

Weapons/Armor: The Way-Warden may be equipped with weapons and armor from the Asrai Wayfarers Heroes equipment list.

Special Rules:

0-1  Spellsinger; 50 gold crowns to hire.
Many strange and dark magics abound outside the protected forest of Athel Loren, therefore, no wayfaring warband is complete without the guide and wisdom of a Spellsinger to protect them. Their remarkable intimacy with the spirits of nature provides powerful magical support when far from their magical homelands.

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5 3 4 3 3 1 5 1 8

Weapons/Armor: The Spellsinger may be armed with weapons and armor chosen from the Asrai Wayfarers Heroes list. However, they may not cast spells if wearing armor.

Special Rules:

0-1  Wild Hunter: 45 gold crowns to hire.
Few Asrai ever complete the trials that grant them the title of Wild Hunter. Only the survival of a long and challenging hunt allows an elf to recognize their inner connection with the beasts of the wild and their training as a true warrior of Kurnuos.

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5 4 3 3 3 1 5 1 8

Weapons/Armor: The Wild Hunter may be equipped with weapons and armor from the Asrai Wayfarers Heroes equipment list.

Special Rules:

0-2 Waywatchers; 45 gold crowns to hire.
No one knows how to travel the deep and secretive paths of the forest like an elven Waywatcher. They are highly trained in the arts of traveling, tracking, and navigating treacherous environments. Without Waywatchers scouting the way, very few expeditions outside of Athel Loren would be possible without constant danger.

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5 3 4 3 3 1 5 1 8

Weapons/Armor: Waywatchers may be equipped with weapons and armor from the Asrai Wayfarers Heroes equipment list. However, they must always carry a missile weapon type.

Special Rules:

Henchmen

 (In groups of 1-5)
0-3 Wardancers; 45 gold crowns to hire.
Trained in the mysterious shadow dances of Loec, Wardancers are exotic martial combatants. Covered in sacred tattoos to protect them against their enemies, they are some of the most dangerous elves in known world. Such is their sublime skill and grace that they dance rings around their enemies, darting in to strike fatal blows and pirouetting elegantly out of harm's way before a foe can react. When they enter combat, they weave a fantastic dance of death and deception.

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5 4 0 3 3 1 5 1 7

Weapons/Armor: A Wardancer may be equipped with weapons and armor from the Henchmen equipment list, with noted exceptions such as not being able to use missile weapons or armor.

Special Rules:

0+ Glade Warrior; 35 gold crowns to hire.
When an Elf comes of age, he or she will be formally inducted into their household’s kinband of Glade Guard, and given responsibility of defending the forest. Young and moderately trained, glade warriors are ambitious adventurers. Eager to prove themselves among their elven brethren, glade warriors are the first to volunteer for duty in warbands traveling away from Athel Loren on dangerous tasks. They serve under the command of the Way-Wardens with steadfast loyalty.

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5 3 4 3 3 1 4 1 7

Weapons/Armor: Glade Warriors may be equipped with weapons and armor from the Asrai Henchmen Equipment List.

0-2 Wolfhounds; 20 gold crowns to hire.
The Asrai have long used a special breed of wolf, known as Wolfhound (half-wolf) to guard the glades of Athel Loren. They have proven to be loyal companions and strong allies when danger threatens. Many times, a promising pup will be given to a Way-warden as a gift of honor and privilege.

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6 4 0 4 3 1 4 1 5

Weapons/Armor: Powerful jaws and sharp teeth!

Special Rules:

0-2 Hunting Cats; 25 gold crowns to hire.
Strong predators and exceptional hunters, these cats are occasionally acquired when young and reared among the elves of Athel Loren for use during Wild Hunt. Only a Wild Hunter or Noble could ever hope to possess and train one of these powerful and graceful creatures.

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6 4 0 4 3 1 4 2 4

Weapons/Armor: Powerful jaws and sharp teeth!

Special Rules:

0-1 Wood Spirit; 190 gold crowns to hire.
With the proper knowledge some Asrai can use a rare incantation to trap a powerful nature spirit within a branch of Wych Elm. In times of need the spirit can be summoned, by placing the branch in the earth and magically calling it forth. The branch will begin to take shape and form as the spirit is released to serve the Asrai and protect them from harm during dangerous encounters or travels.

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5 4 0 4 4 3 4 2 7

Weapons/Armor: A nasty temper and powerful limbs.

Special Rules:

Wood Elves' Aspects

A Wood Elf hero may identify himself with a particular animal, and thus gain some of their characteristics. This is known as gaining an Animal Aspect. Isteand of choosing a skill on an advance a Wood Elf hero may choose one animal aspect to align with.  Each warrior may only align with one particular aspect and each warband may only contain one of each animal aspect. 

Wood Elves' Special Equipment

Asrai Blade-Staff; 30 gc; Availability: Rare 7 (Wood Elves only)
A staff fashioned from hearty oak with a keen blade attached to each end. In the hands of a skilled fighter, the blade-staff allows powerful attacks on the charge and sustained offense and defense afterwards. The blade-staff is a weapon with the following profile:

Range Strength Special Rules
Close Combat As user (+1 if charging) Parry, Two-Handed, Additional Attack
Special Rules:
  • Parry: A Wood Elf armed with the Asrai Blade-Staff may parry blows as any normal sword can. When his opponent rolls to hit, the model armed with a sword may roll a D6. If the score is greater than the highest to hit score of his opponent, the model has parried the blow, and that attack is discarded. A model may not parry attacks made with double or more its own Strength – they are simply too powerful to be stopped.
  • Two-Handed: A model armed with an Asrai Blade-Staff may not use a shield, buckler, or additional weapon in close combat. If the model is equipped with a shield he will still get a +1 bonus to his Armor save against shooting.
  • Additional Attack: The user gains an additional attack when using this weapon. When used in this fashion, the normal rules for fighting with two weapons apply.

Thornblade; 3 gc; Availability: Common (Wood Elves only)
This weapon is carved from the dangerous Mangle Thorn Tree that grows deep inside Athel Loren, it has a short blade, twice the length of a dagger, and is wickedly sharp with spiked barbs naturally along the edges. When this blade is thrust into an opponent, it causes intense pain. This item may not be made of Ithilmar. Special Rules:

Glade-wood Bow; 35 gc; Availability: Rare 9 (Wood Elf Only);
This bow is specially fashioned by elven bow masters from some of the strongest trees in Athel Loren, then treated with a magical resin to produce powerful shots. A Glade-wood Bow functions as a longbow with the following exception: if the wielder doesn’t move during their movement phase, then all shots at targets in short range are counted as strength 4.

Enchanted Acorns; 60+3D6 gc; Availability: Rare 12 (Wood Elf Only)
Magically grown acorns from the Oak of Ages. These wondrous seeds contain powerful magical healing capability and are only known among the wood elves. After locating/purchasing, roll to determine how many acorns are acquired (D3+1 acorns.) When a hero has to roll on the Serious Injury Chart and the roll result is 11-35, if a hero has an acorn in their inventory then the hero may “consume” one, and only one, acorn to re-roll the result. The second roll result must be accepted, and cannot be re-rolled again. The player should then note that an acorn has been used and remove it from the hero’s equipment.

Arrows of Blood Ivy; 40+2D6 gc; Availability: Rare 10 (Wood Elf Only)
The oils of the Blood Ivy is a powerful toxin. A small portion can cause serious muscle fatigue and stress. If a model is wounded from an arrow of Blood Ivy, that model must immediately succeed at a toughness test or suffer -1 strength for the remainder of the battle. Multiple effects from these arrows are not cumulative. There are enough arrows to last one campaign.

Deerhide Leather Armor; 5 gc; Availability: Common (Wood Elves only)
Hides made from the deer that populate Athel Loren are unusually tough, and when hardened, they make excellent armor for the Wood Elves. Deerhide Leather Armor works exactly like light armor, giving the wearer a 6+ Armor save, but cannot be combined with the effects of any other armor except a helmet or buckler. Deerhide Leather Armor cannot be sold back at the Trading Posts.

Falcon; 20 gc; Availability: Rare 9 (Wild Hunter Only)
When entering unknown areas, nothing can scout and watch for danger like a well trained falcon. Often times, a Wild Hunter will be called upon to find and train a falcon to serve the Way-farers. While not useful at combat, the falcon can more than earn his keep with his keen eyesight during the Exploration Phase. Due to their excellent eyesight, falcons allow you to modify one die roll by -1/+1 made during the Exploration Phase, only if the owning hero has not been taken Out of Action during the battle. The Falcon can be combined with any other modification to the Exploration phase such as the Elf Ranger Seeker Skill up to a maximum of +/- 3. Only one Falcon per warband.

Fey Magic List

The Wood Elves’ protection comes from an entirely different source, that of the forest of Athel Loren: the forest’s natural web of consciousness forms both conduit and shield to the Elven mages who would draw upon this potent force
  1. Angering Spites: The wizard summons an anger spirit that appears as a glowing red orb. This spell has a range of 18” and causes one strength 4 hit. It strikes the first model in its path. Armor saves are allowed as normal. Difficulty: 7
     
  2. Oakskin: The wizard’s skin takes on the appearance of rigid oak. This spell gives the wizard a 2+ armor save which replaces any other armor save. This spell lasts until the beginning of the caster's next shooting phase.  Difficulty: 7
     
  3. Terrifying Spites: The wizard summons up several wailing and horrifying spirits. Choose a friendly model with 8” (including the wizard himself). That model causes Fear for the rest of the battle. This spell may only be successfully cast once per battle. Difficulty: 8
     
  4. Fury of the Wild: The wizard calls the primal fury of the forest into his body. The wizard gets +1 movement, +1 attack, +2 strength, and +1 weapon skill.  This spell lasts until the beginning of the caster's next shooting phase. Difficulty: 8
     
  5. Ever-Living Resplendence: The wizard summons a powerful force of healing spirits. Any one model within 4” of the wizard (including himself) may be healed. The warrior is restored to his full quota of wounds. This spell may also be used if any friendly model within 4” is stunned or knocked down, they immediately come to their senses, stand up, and continue fighting as normal. Difficulty: 6
     
  6. Call of the Hunt: The Spellsinger calls forth a ghostly requiem of sounds and voices of a magnificent hunt that fills his allies with dangerous fervor. One friendly model within 8” of the caster gains +1 to hit and +1 to injury rolls in its next turn of shooting or close combat. Difficulty: 9

Warband Development Progression

0.50  Initial warband submission.
0.60  Organizational revision, covered missing introductions.
0.80  Fixed typos, changed items and added some descriptions.
1.00  Public release. Included basic introduction and designer notes.
1.05  Fixed spells Bark Skin and Roar.
1.07  Refined unit costs and experience, created new skills.
1.08  Balance changes in Arrows of Orion & Constricting Vines Spells.
2.100 Integration of accurate backgrounds & Aspects (skills.)
2.101 Initial development of the Druid Hero. Minor editing.
2.112 Further notes on units.
2.123 Integration of ideas. Discarded Druid Hero; separated in different Heroes.
2.233 Further development of items.
2.500 2nd public release.
2.510 Minor Corrections. Hunting Cats unit included.
2.520 Some grammar revision, minor adjustments for clarification and balance.
2.530 Minor revision to Way-Warden, Wood Spirit, few items and a spell substitution to be more consistent and flavorful.
 

Designers Notes

Welcome to our Experimental Wood Elf Warband list! For those who wanted an elite warband then this list is for you and hopefully I have accomplished that. This list is meant for the Empire in Flames setting, but hey it’s your Mordheim game do whatever you want. Please play-test this list and if there are any issues, email us at here! here!There are further reviews and polishing coming up... please be patient!

Resources: Mordheimer website, Shadow Elves warband list, Dark Elves warband list, Outlaws of Stirwood warband list, Kislev Ranger rules, Games Workshop website, Mordheim Rule Book, Specialist Games' Forum members (specialist games website): Donnie Darko, The Mordheimer, & Gobbo Freak.