Vampire Broods

Vampire Broods is a homebrewed Necromunda gang that takes a new spin on everyone's favorite bloodsuckers for Warhammer 40k, pulling from a lot of the background information scattered throughout the fluff. It obviously needs a lot of cleaning up, but overall the concept was to make a more direct parallel with the Vampire Counts fluff-wise and crunch-wise; powerful undead monsters served by cannon fodder hordes.

The Vampire

Since before the dawn of the Imperium have the hungry dead dwelt in the shadows of the galaxy, preying upon Mankind and spawning horrors beyond number. From cathedrals of power to gore-spattered lairs they have supped from humanity's veins for eons, and though they wear the guise of Man they are no longer men but alien abominations, raised from the deceased in utter blasphemy. Some rule from within the Imperium hidden behind layers of conspiracies, while others claim shadowed realms where they rule openly in a reign of terror.

The Vampire is an horrid creature born of mad human science in the distant past. They are undead, the xenoblood flowing through them animating their necrotic flesh. Despite the fact each Vampire was raised to unlife from a previously human existence, retaining their personalities and minds, the process remakes their very genetic structure and mutilates their soul until they are transformed into something obscene, as far removed from humanity as any Ork or Tyranid. Though they are gifted with unholy powers and immortality, they shackle their mind to an alien hunger for blood in order to sustain their unliving flesh. This sanguine sustenance is the very crux of their existence, and though they can learn to control this vile thirst ultimately it enslaves them.

To the careful observer their pallid visage betray their undead nature; predatory eyes, retracing fangs, pale skin, and no body heat. Even so many are described as eerily beautiful, possessed of a dark majesty and cold power that can enthrall and terrify at the same time. Yet this is but a mask, a human skin they wear over the alien darkness of their soul, and many Vampires bear predatory mutations or unnatural rot that is reflective of the beast they truly are. Some have even thrown off the guise of Man entirely, embracing their true nature, fully transforming into monstrous chiropteran beasts; stooped with matted fur, a tattered wingspan, and a maw dripping with crimson ichor. If it can be said that Vampires have a true form, this would be it.

Drawn to the promise of immortality and power many have fallen sway to the Vampire, only to be used as pawns in their ambition... if not simply used as food. And yet some show true promise, or their Vampire patron has singled them out, and may be transformed into a new Vampire if deemed worthy of the Curse. And so have the Vampire propagated and festered in the shadows, slowly building their power. At long last, as the Imperium cracks at the seams and all reality begins the plunge into darkness the Vampires are poised to to take it all and rule in a kingdom of blood and eternal night.

A History Written in Blood

When the galaxy was shrouded in the darkness of the Old Night the first Vampires crept from the shadows. As with many things the difference between history and myth is greatly muddled in the Vampire’s origins. However, in the countless legends held upon rotting scrolls or within crumbling dataslates there is one far more common than any other.

Long ago a forsaken group of human scientists and occultists sought a means of eternal life. Though such a quest is as old as humanity itself this cabal believed they could make it a reality, utilizing blasphemous technologies and forbidden gene-splicing. However, despite their greatest efforts the secrets of eternity eluded them. Meanwhile, the last of a dreadful and monstrous xenos race wandered amidst the ruins of a civilization she had singlehandedly consumed. In her wake she left naught but death, and she was known as the Dark Mother. The Dark Mother was an undead beast, her alien biology unliving yet undying, and she had sown terror and death across the stars for countless millennia. But she was the last of her kind, her people exterminated by the Warriors of Light, and though the Warriors of Light in turn went extinct long ago they had cursed her with eternal isolation in the galaxy.

It is unknown whether the human cabal found the Dark Mother or the Dark Mother found the human cabal, but somehow the two evils met upon a rotting world beneath a sunless sky. There the two struck a dark pact; in exchange for her undying blood the humans agreed they would become her children and slaves forever more, and together they would come to rule the galaxy. Through arcane ritual and bloody sacrifice the secrets of deathlessness were unlocked from the blood of the Dark Mother, and the humans took her Curse willingly into their flesh and souls. They became the first Vampires, and with their Dark Mother carved an empire for themselves from the anarchy of the Age of Strife. Within their Realm of Night they enslaved humans to feast upon like cattle while driving them to construct unholy monuments to their insidious glory. In time they learned how to pass the Curse onto new host through the freshly dead, and so propagated the first Bloodlines of the Vampire. For millennia the Vampires and the Dark Mother gorged themselves upon the blood of man, their dark domain ruling many stars and sowing untold misery for mankind.

But at last did dawn arrive and light broke over these benighted worlds, for the God-Emperor of Mankind at the head of his Great Crusade saw this wretched domain and deemed it beyond redemption. The battle between the Emperor and the Dark Mother was apocalyptic, but ultimately the Emperor proved mightier, casting down this evil domain and putting it all to the torch. Yet some Vampires escaped the righteous onslaught and fled into the void, hiding among the shadows of many worlds. Slowly, silently, they wormed their way into the new Imperium that mankind had built, becoming a dark cancer in its very heart.

Genesis of Unlife

Vampires are parasitic undead beings whose feeding and reproductive cycles are debase blasphemies. While the true origin of the xenos abomination might never be known they are completely predatory to humanity yet inseparably tied to their host species. Scholars almost universally agree they are a bio-engineered race whose origin likely falls within human hands long ago in a godless time, making them but another horror unleashed by reckless ancestors. What spurred the creation of such monsters is much debated, but generally accepted that the Vampire is either the dark fruit of an attempt at immortality or the abject failure of this endeavor, perhaps both.

Despite human origin and appearance the Vampire is truly alien. For one they rely exclusively on necrogenesis to defile the dead and raise more of their kind, somehow using their xenoblood as a catalyst to reanimate corpses. The “parent” Vampire who gives the blood is called the progenitor, while the raised “offspring” is called the progeny; for indeed, they are now truly bound by blood. The new Vampire retains the mind and soul they had in life, albeit now chained to a terrible hunger. Agonizingly the xenoblood will rewrite the sacred human genome and rend it into something alien, and by the time this long metamorphosis is over nothing human remains, their very physiology twisted until they are a new species altogether.

The creation of a Vampire is a mystery to Imperial xenobiologists. Vampirism is inherent to their xenoblood, but moreover it seems that it requires some direct force of will on the part of the progenitor to successfully create progeny, tied to some metaphysical property that cannot be identified. This theory is reinforced by psykers who have studied the xenoblood, citing a dark resonance that is deeper than mere geno-corruption. By all accounts this creation process, sometimes called the Red Ritual or Crimson Ceremony, is an arduous and utterly draining process for both the progenitor and their progeny, requiring extremely large quantities of blood over a long painful process. Even well-fed it might be some time before a Vampire can feel “vigor” enough in their blood to repeat the process, as such Vampires are exceedingly particular when choosing progeny and never make the decision lightly.

When first spawned a Vampire is little more than a reanimated cadaver taking their first bumbling steps as a true predator of the night. But, assuming the fledgling Vampire survives through the slow metamorphosis, consuming enough blood and retaining their sanity in the face of alien instincts and bestial mutations, then they can attain monstrous power. A Vampire who seeks to spawn another Vampire had best be sure he is able to control his new progeny through superior strength, charisma, indoctrination, or other method lest he fall victim to the hungry fangs of a usurper. For older Vampires this poses little challenge as no fledgling progeny could hope to overpower them, but as the centuries pass and their progeny grow in strength they can indeed become a rival. A cunning Vampire knows just when to send his progeny elsewhere to start their own scheming and broods, propagating their vile race across the stars.

Hierarchy of the Damned

Vampires order themselves within a hierarchy determined by the purity of their blood. The raw power and potential abilities of a Vampire are based upon how potent their blood is, how much their bodies have metamorphosed from mere reanimated corpses into monsters. As such “purer” Vampires are inherently more powerful and so hold positions of authority, while younger and weaker ones are subservient to them.

• Elderbloods are a legend, a myth to describe the eldest of their kind, truly ancient Vampires that have existed in unlife for millennia without succumbing to hibernation. If the legends hold any truth then Elderbloods are unliving beings of insurmountable strength and otherworldly abilities, able to rip apart adamantium, move at supersonic speeds, and conjure up dreadful powers. With complete mastery over their flesh they are polymorphic, able to twist their bodies into any form they choose, from flawless human beauties to nightmarish monsters or even wisps of shadow. They whisper through the dark etheric echoes of all who share their blood, manipulating galaxy wide schemes from forgotten tombs. But certainly, such primeval horrors are naught but legend….

• Purebloods are completely inhuman, undead whose bodies and genetics have completely transformed giving them abilities well beyond mortal kin. All Purebloods have incredible physical abilities that defy their pallid appearance, able to rip a man in half or move as fast as a bullet, as well as a host of other powers and mutations often based on their own genetic quirks and Vampiric Bloodline.

• Halfbloods are not completely metamorphosed like their Pureblood masters but they are vile creatures, suffering from the physical maladies of the Curse while gifted unnatural strength, speed, and immortality through undeath. They are the favored acolytes of Pureblood progenitors, competent servants that have the potential to realize true power, but not yet powerful enough that they could seriously threaten their masters.

• Thinbloods are the newly spawned and little more than reanimated cadavers, the xenoblood coursing through their veins giving them unnatural life and some dark power but not yet thick enough to saturate their souls and remake their necrotic flesh. Should they have cunning and willpower enough to survive they may progress in the Vampiric hierarchy, however most will be destroyed, either in the flames of hunters or by the fangs of a dissatisfied master.

There are other Vampiric creatures related to their xenoblood, devolved and mutated monstrosities that defy easy categorization or horrors spawned through dreadful powers and alchemical pits. However most such things are serve only as guardians and warbeasts to their creators and so fall outside the Vampiric hierarchy.

Bloodsucking Broods

While some Vampires are solitary predators stalking the night alone, most tend to cultivate Broods around themselves as a means of having loyal retainers and disposable pawns. These Broods are established by a progenitor that spawns progeny and other horrors to enact their dark schemes. Vampires will additionally enthrall mortals into their service via their strange powers, creating maddened cannibalistic beings called Thralls, to act as agents in human society and daytime guardians of their crypts. With very little effort most Vampires can create Spawn as well; lurching reanimated cadavers, feral and ravenous but instinctively loyal to their creators, good as fodder but little else. As a Brood grows in numbers and power coming to dominate more and more territory, it begins to branch off into smaller Broods all bound to their ancestral progenitor, and a vile Bloodline begins to form.

Voasin, the Necromundan Bloodline

Even deep within Segmentum Solar have vampiric infestations arisen, festering in forgotten crypts and layered behind conspiracies. In particular the world of Necromunda with its sunless skies, warrened hives, debauched aristocracy, and teeming underworld proved an ideal breeding ground for the vile undead. The Necromundan Bloodline of Vampires, known as the Voasin, first came to the planet thousands of years ago when they corrupted and infested a noble House. Through their mortal pawns the Voasin ravenously consumed territory, resources, and power over the centuries in a bid to gain control of the planet, and they very nearly succeeded. However, in 003M40 Inquisitorial agents discovered their true nature and the horrors hidden within their estates, and so together with bitter rival Houses they set about the systematic purging the Voasin wherever they were found.

Though their cleansing was through, utterly destroying House Voasin, a single Vampire managed to flee into the shadowy depths of the underhive. There, hidden in the lawless depths, this Vampire found new and fertile darkness in which to propagate and thrive. Through the countless centuries his Broods have spawned Broods and so on over and over, but unlike the former incarnation of the Voasin Bloodline this Vampire, simply called “the Red Ancestor” by modern Necromundan Broods, seems uninterested in unifying his descendants into a coherent Bloodline. Instead, the many Voasin Broods act largely independent of each other; a few have crept back into the upper hive, manipulating the humans through webs of lies and treachery, while most have festered in the underhive, ruling their territory as a tyrannical fiefdom. Still others seemed to have completely devolved, revealing only in their monstrous nature in the darkest recesses of the hive.

Vampire Brood Fighters (Crunch: Work in Progress)

Vampire Broods have some unique mechanics and play styles that set them apart from other gangs in Necromunda. All Vampire Broods must follow these rules:

• There must always be one Vampire Master.

• Vampire Broods do not need food or heal in the conventional sense but require the blood of the living to sate their hunger; refer to “Feeding”, “Hunting”, and “Healing” below.

• If a Vampire Master or Vampire is taken Out of Action they roll on the “Vampire Out of Action” chart below.

• In the rare event a Vampire Master is truly destroyed, the most powerful Vampire in the Brood assumes control. However, if there are no more Vampires left then the Brood disbands as the minions scatter into the darkness.

A starting Vampire Brood gang is made up of the following fighters:

Vampire Master

	Recruit	Creds	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Cl	Wil	Int
Vampire Master:	1	###	5	3+	3+	5	5	2	2+	3	3+	4+	5+	5+

Equipment List: A Vampire Master starts equipped with a sword and autopistol. They can be equipped with Pistols, Close Combat Weapons, Vampire Weapons, Vampire Gear, Grenades, and Wargear.

Skills: Vampire Masters start with 1 Skill and 2 Vampire Abilities (see chart). Additional Vampire abilities may be purchased in the same way as though they were a Secondary Skill set.

The progenitor of the Brood and most powerful Vampire within its ranks. Possessed of unholy power and sinister abilities they are consummate predators who rule their Broods with a tyrannical iron fist. While only a pale shadow compared to the dreadful elders of their kind, their unliving physiology granting them the strength to rip a man to ribbons and shrug off wounds no mortal creature could bare, while their lineage grants them access to obscene artifacts and wicked weaponry.

Vampires

	Recruit	Creds	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Cl	Wil	Int
Vampires:	0-3	###	5	3+	3+	4	4	1	3+	2	4+	5+	6+	5+

Equipment List: A Vampire starts equipped with an autopistol. They can be equipped with Pistols, Close Combat Weapons, Vampire Weapons, Vampire Gear, Grenades, and Wargear.

Skills: Vampires start with 1 Skill and 1 Vampire Ability (see chart). Additional Vampire abilities may be purchased in the same way as though they were a Secondary Skill set.

The vile progeny of the Brood’s Master and his most trusted lieutenants. While weaker and less experienced than their Master each of them are still horrid undead beings of terrible power, more than a match for any underhive gang scum. As they walk this dark path the xenoblood coursing through their veins will metamorphose their necrotic bodies further, growing their unholy power until nothing human remains.

Thralls

	Recruit	Creds	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Cl	Wil	Int
Thralls:	0+	###	5	5+	5+	3	3	1	5+	1	8+	7+	7+	8+

Equipment List: A Thrall starts with no equipment. They can be equipped with Basic Weapons, Close Combat Weapons, Grenades, Pistols, and Wargear. They can also select Sonic Weaponry from Vampire Weapons

Skills: TBD

Humans enslaved through the mind-shattering powers of the Vampires, theses mortals are naught but pawns in the endless shadow games of the Vampire. Although driven insane by the experience and possessed of a dark cannibalistic appetite, their fanatically loyalty makes them excellent retainers and bodyguards for the Brood. The worthy might even one day become “Chosen”, those selected to be transformed one night, but most will never be more than minions for their cruel masters.

Spawn

	Recruit	Creds	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Cl	Wil	Int
Spawn:	0+	###	4	6+	--	2	3	1	7+	1	--	--	--	--

Equipment List: Spawn start with no equipment nor can they be equipped with any.

Skills: Spawn are Fearless and the can Wall Crawl (Vampire Ability) but can never learn any more Skills.

While performing the Transformation of a mortal into a Vampire is exhausting and can even be fraught with danger, simply dripping a few drops of Vampiric blood down the gullet of a corpse brings it lurching to unlife. Such creatures are pitiful and animalistic, devoid of higher reasoning and enslaved to their ravenous hunger, controlled by the will of their Vampiric maker. These so-called Vampire Spawn are useful for little but excel at violence, making them expendable fodder, shocktroops, and crypt guardians for the Brood.

Familiars

	Recruit	Creds	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Cl	Wil	Int
Familiar:	--	--									--	--	--	--

Equipment List: Familiars start with no equipment nor can they be equipped with any.

Skills: Membranous Wings (Vampire Ability).

Familiars can only be recruited via the Vampire Ability.

Vampire Ranks: Pureblood, Halfblood, Thinblood

Thrall Ranks: Chosen, Henchman, Minion, Thrall

Post-Battle Actions

Each Vampire Master and Vampire in the gang can make one post-battle action in the same way as a Leader or Champion, respectively. It is assumed they send one of their Thralls, Dregs, or Envoys to perform the work on their behalf, as Vampires do not wish to draw unwanted attention with their undead nature. Vampire Broods cannot make the Sell to the Guilders action, lest they risk revealing themselves.

Feeding

Vampire Broods do not need to eat in the conventional sense but must sate their thirst for blood to sustain themselves. To represent this they cannot be fed like normal gangs, but rather must consume living humans for nourishment. How much each type of creature within the Broods needs per round is listed below:

Vampire Feeding Table
Vampire Master	3 Blood Points
Vampire	2 Blood Points
Thrall	1 Blood Point
Spawn	N/A, it is assumed they sate their weak flesh on the blood of rodents

When a creature within the Brood cannot or will not consume their required number of points per After Action then they begin to weaken as their xenos-instincts begin to take hold. Unlike starvation in humans this has an entirely difference impact on their alien physiology: -1 Strength, -1 Intelligence, and -1 Leadership for each After Action where they fail to feed; cumulatively, if a Vampire ever reaches "0" Intelligence they go Feral and attack a member of the Brood before fleeing into the darkness (see Feral below).

Hunting

During the After Action any member of the Brood may go on a Hunt: they prowl the darkened underhive in search of lone scavengers, dregs, or any hapless soul caught out within the night-cycle. To determine what prey they return with roll at 1d10 and consult the chart below:

Vampire Hunting Table
1	The hunter returns empty clawed without any prey to feed upon.
2-3	They manage to track down a feeble human or scavvy just barely fit to consume, providing 4pts of food.
4-7	The hunter has had some luck and returns with a healthy human specimen, providing 8pts.
8-9	The night favors this hunter and they manage to catch a patrol of petty gangers or group of scavengers unaware, providing 16pts of food.
10	A small underhive hamlet or guilder caravan is dragged off en masse to feed the Brood, providing 24pts of food.

Furthermore, Broods may consume captured enemy gangers, often setting up elaborate and terrifying feasts before symbolically tearing into their enemy. If the enemy gang fails to rescue their comrade they can be devoured by the Brood for the S x T x W worth of points.

The prey of the Hunt or captured enemies may be kept for a later date, stored within the Brood's horrific dungeon-larders for later consumption. Keep track of how many points of food your Brood has access to when determining when you need to Hunt again. (Remember, each Vessel Hanger-On provides +3pts per After Action. Wretches and Envoys "tribute" their masters with some blood as well, giving them +1pt per After Action)

Healing

The unliving bodies of Vampires and their ilk do not heal as mortal creatures do, and even underhive rogue docs would be unable to treat their alien physiology. To represent this Vampire Broods uses excess or "leftover" points from Feeding/Hunting to heal:

TBD

Vampire Out-of-Action

As undead xenoforms Vampires are notoriously difficult to kill permanently. Anytime a Vampire Master or Vampire goes out of action roll of the following chart to determine the effect:

TBD

Feral Vampires

If a Vampire gives into their hunger and loses all sense of self and higher reasoning (by losing all their Intelligence or Willpower) they devolve into a beast that immediately attacks another of the Brood; resolve the combat, and if not destroyed the Feral flees into the darkness of the underhive. Given time they will continue to feed and mutate, and if they survive long enough will metamorphose into a new monstrous form. Most Vampire Broods will view such beings not only as errant blood, but threats to their very survival; such unrestrained creatures draw unwanted attention to Vampiric infestations....

Skill Access

Vampire Brood figthers have access to the following Skills:

Vampire Skills

	Agility	Brawn	Combat	Cunning	Ferocity	Leadership	Shooting	Savant	Vampiric Powers
Vampire Master	Secondary		Secondary	Primary	Primary	Primary			Primary
Vampire	Secondary		Secondary	Primary	Primary	Secondary			Primary
Dreg			Primary	Secondary	Secondary	Secondary

Vampire Abilities

Given their blasphemous genetic legacy all Vampires have access to the following abilities which can be purchased like a secondary skill.

• Dark Majesty: Expand the Ld bonus radius to your troops

• Hypnotic Gaze: Opposed Ld; if successful paralyze an enemy in place

• Terror: Enemies must roll Ld to engage in melee or they lose their charge

• Preysense: Can see and smell blood with unnerving precision including piercing hidden enemies and/or bonues to hitting behind cover

• Shadow Shroud: Basically invisibility

• Tenebrous: The undead body becomes slightly incorporeal like a shadowy mist; cannot be hit by any weapon except flame, plasma, etc.

• Unholy Strength: Reroll CQC damage

• Unholy Stamina: Necrotic, leathery flesh that is even more difficult to damage (armour)

• Unholy Speed: Can double movement for charge

• Lashing Tongue: Ranged attack, little damage but can pull enemies closer and pin them

• Rending Claws: Counts as having two Osseous Swords

• Wall Crawl: Can scale vertical surfaces without penalty

• Membranous Wings: Can grow a set of wings to move around quickly

• Spawner: Bring +1 Vampire Spawn with you for each match

• Chiropteran Swarm: The Vampire can spawn small xenobats directly from their own flesh, and much like an unliving hive these creatures swarm over their target attempting to rip them apart with dagger-like claws and needle-like teeth. They then return to their host-master, bring with their any sanguine sustenance they gathered from their prey before dissolving back into the undead body.

• Familiar: Semi-sentient vermin gestated within an blood-cyst created from a Vampire’s own flesh and utterly slaved to its undead master. In appearance they resemble lamprey-like xenobats the size of a small dog, although in truth their form is largely dependent on the whims of their Vampire master. They are slavishly loyal to their master and share a psychic bond with their creator.

Vampire Hanger-On

Given the unique needs of a Brood they do not have the same Hangers-On as a typical gang, nor would they let any but those enslaved to them within their lair. Vampires do not have access to any of the Hangers-On in the core rulebooks but instead can recruit/select from the following:

• Vessels: Humans cattle chained within the dungeons, kept just enough alive to keep them producing blood. They are used as nothing more than disposable sources of blood by their undead lords, easing their hunt to satiate their hunger. +2pts or +3pts of blood/food per After-Action

• Dregs: Petty mutants with hunchbacks, walleyes, and withered limbs that would not survive on their own are often recruited by Vampires as feverishly loyal slaves. They perform all menial tasks for their masters, such kidnaping and graverobbing for fresh bodies, or scavenging to feed to Brood’s mortal servants. Although they are poor fighters should the need arise they will defend the lair with their lives. TBD

• Envoys: Humans scoundrels enthralled to the Vampire’s whims, used not as pawns in their battles but as agents in mortal society. They are sent forth to scout and trade during the day on their master’s behalf, often chosen for being charismatic to better fulfill their purpose. Allows Trade with the Guilders and provides bonus to TBD?

Vampire Weapons and Gear

As parasites leeching upon the masses of Mankind, the technology utilized by the Vampires and their minions is often of similar design to Imperial equivalents or simply stolen. However, as part of their monstrous legacy, the Vampires have access to unique technologies all their own, exotic remnants from their long-lost Realm of Night. This technology has no relation to the sacred STC templates, alien devices and blasphemous weaponry developed by inhuman beings bent on conquest of the stars.

Osseous Weaponry: Unlike most tools used by sentient species the bizarre Osseous weaponry of the Vampires is not crafted in the traditional sense, instead being formed from within the Vampire's own polymorphic flesh by calcific growths. While Vampires use this ability to rapidly grow claws or fanged maws, with some considerable time and effort Purebloods can refine this ability to produce mono-molecular edged blades with serrated teeth absorb blood from their targets. Some even whisper of legendary Osseous weapons grown by ancient Vampires infused with a fraction of their dark essence, giving the blade a shadowy aura and deadly power.

Melee weapons that allow Vampires to heal/regain Toughness when they wound an enemy

• Osseous Dagger (###creds):

• Osseous Sword (###creds):

Sonic Weaponry: While an Imperial technology sonic weapons are rare and little utilized, largely being overshadowed by las-weapons for general utility and maintainability. But Vampires disdain light and fire, including las and plasma weapons, and as such prefer to arm their slaves with sonic weapons. This choice also serves another secondary function for the Broods; sonic weaponry often doesn't kill a target outright, rendering them unconscious or even brain-dead yet still living, perfect for harvesting the still warm blood of their fallen enemies after a battle. This dirge of sounds is the reason many enemies of the Vampire speak of the wailing moans and howling screams of the dead as they fight their unliving enemy.

TBD; similar to webbers? Provides bonus to capturing enemies?

• Shrieking Pistol (###creds):

• Howler Rifle (###creds):

• Seismic Cannon (###creds):

Umber Weaponry: Strange weapons from the long-dead Realm of Night, said to have been based on another even older xenotechnology, these weapons contain a dark onyx core pulsing with shadowy energies. They spew a gout of ebon mist as lightless as the depths of the void that swirls forth like a living shadow, swallowing its target like a black flame. Its damage is as much psychological as it is physical, sapping their willpower even as necrosis sets in upon their flesh; even those who survive the attack might well be reduced to a catatonic state, perfect for the Brood to drain their still living blood.

TBD; damages Willpower and Intelligence as well as Toughness and Wounds?

• Umberpistol (###creds):

• Umbergun (###creds):

Artifacts: The underhive, and indeed much of Necromunda, is scattered with relics from the dark reign of the Voasin that have managed to work their way into black markets and traded between Vampire Broods. Such artifacts that from their ancient Bloodline are prized above all, and many Broods will go to any length to procure one, if only to keep it out of ignorant mortal hands.

• Fangs of the Fallen (###creds): The literal fangs taken from a destroyed Brood and fashioned into a complex chainsword; effectively it is a Osseous chainsword

• Dark Talon (###creds): Legend holds this Osseous blade pulsing with shadowy energies was formed from shards of an Elderblood's claw, perhaps even the Ancestor itself, but whatever the case it is sinister and powerful. Effectively it is an Osseous Power Sword

• Bloodshard Needles (###creds): Crystallized Vampire blood, special ammo for needle weapons

• Blackhaze Grenade (###creds): Same technology as Umber weapons, damages the mind as much as the body

• Necrosis Grenade (###creds): Rots living targets, heals undead targets

• Amulet of Shadows (###creds): Similar to the Tenebrous Vampire Ability; if they already have the ability it increases its potency

• Deathless Shroud (###creds): Secreting necrotic toxins that actually fortify a Vampire's constitution; increases their rolls on the Out of Action chart.

• Elderblood Heart (###creds): Supposedly the preserved sanguis-sac of an Elderblood, suspended in a cylinder of viscous red ichor. Gives a temporary but massive boost to M, S, T, I, and A.

• Vile Goblet (###creds): Small semi-sentient sack with a peering eye and lapping proboscis-like tongue, it consumes errant blood that can later be drunk by its master during combat to restore damage.

• Varg (Pet) (###creds): Otherwise known as “darkhounds” these large wolf-like beasts are an aberrant horror that shares the blood of the Vampire, guard dogs and trackers.

Ordo Vampiricus, the Vampire Hunters

To the Ordo Xenos the Vampire represents a particularly horrible threat and unforgivable sin. They are the worst of traitors much like Daemon Princes are to the Ordo Malleus, for both have forsaken their very humanity and souls, turning their back upon the God-Emperor and the Imperium in exchange for immortality and power. There is no Vampire worthy of redemption for to have fallen so far there is nothing left that can be saved, only destroyed before they bring yet more suffering and ruin in their predations. In the hidden fortresses across the galaxy Inquisitors have arrayed many weapons capable of destroying a Vampire as well as vast libraries detailing them. They know their foe and many Vampires have burned in the holy fires of the Inquisition.

So grave is the threat posed by these Xenos Horrificus that a special Ordo was even developed from within the Inquisition to hunt them down and exterminate them all; the aptly named Ordo Vampiricus. Said to have been founded by the legendary Inquisitor Helsing who, after defeating the greatest Vampiric threat to the Imperium ever known, knelt before the Golden Throne and swore before the Emperor Himself he would destroy each and every one of the undead beasts. It seems he and his scions were blessed in this effort, for they possess armouries uniquely stocked to destroy the undead.

• Stellus Bolts (###creds): Promethium harvested from the corona of a star, alchemically modified, and blessed by priests, this substance eats away at undead flesh in a ravenous fury such that it makes it difficult for Vampires to regenerate. This phosphor-like explosive ensures even well-fed Vampires will find it difficult to heal from such horrendous damage. Bolt shells infused with this Stellus substance are often used when hunting the undead.

• Bloodbane Blade (###creds): Power swords forged from alloys that react violently with Vampiric blood, boiling it away and weakening a Vampire with each successive strike. Indeed, Vampires truly fear such a weapon, for it reminds them of that which they often forget: that without the strength of their xenoblood they are little more than walking alien cadavers.

• Bloodbane Stakes (###creds): Staked comprised of the same alloy, launched from Condemnor Bolters. If they pierce the sanguis-sac of a Vampire, their stomach-heart dual organ, it can cause such catastrophic damage that weaker Vampires will be outright destroyed while even purer Vampires will be rendered crippled.

• Hardlight Dagger (###creds): Incredibly rare devices that emit hyper-compacted photons formed into a small blade of pure light, they sear through any physical barrier and burn away corruption with their touch. Their origin is unknown as no STC record exists for these arcane weapons, leading many Magi to suspect that they are either archeotechnology or perhaps some forgotten xeno-weaponry; whatever the case, these much-coveted weapons are as irreplaceable as they are deadly.

• Sol Grenade (###creds): Photo-cells that absorbed the Holy Light of Sol. For all intents and purposes they act as flash grenades, but against the undead they burn their flesh as surely as plasma conflagration.

• Flamer and Plasma weapons are also favored by the Ordo Vampiricus

Special Characters

The Red Ancestor

	Recruit	Creds	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Cl	Wil	Int
The Red Ancestor:	N/A	N/A	7	2+	2+	7	7	4	2+	5	2+	2+	2+	2+

Equipment List: The Red Ancestor carries no arms or armour for he needs none. Instead, when battle is joined he uses his polymorphic abilities to grow the Ancestor's Claws (dual-wield Osseous Power Swords with no penalty) and the Ancestor's Flesh (leathery-chitinous hide that provides equivalent armour as carapace).

Skills: He possesses every Vampire Ability Listed. He also has (x,y,z) Skills. Furthermore, he commands his minions through the will of their shared xenoblood alone, driving them to fearless savagery in his presence; the entire Brood gains his Ld.

Special Rules: Essentially a Bounty Hunter exclusively for Vampire Broods. However, he can only be summoned/"hired" with insanely large amounts of spare Blood Points.

An ancient evil that has haunted the darkness of Necromunda for many centuries, this is the unholy source of all the Broods currently infesting the planet. Mysterious and powerful, the Red Ancestor seemingly cares little for the squabbles and machinations of his descendants. Yet some whisper this is but a ploy, and he to this day pulls at a web of intrigue that spans the planet, manipulating events to bring about his ascendancy. Legend says that if he is presented a large enough blood sacrifice he can be summoned by his children to aid them for a time. In silence he will lead them to their goal, compelling them through his implacable will alone.

Brock Eriksson

	Recruit	Creds	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Cl	Wil	Int
Brock Eriksson:	N/A	##	5	3+	3+	5	5	3	3+	3	4+	2+	3+	6+

Equipment List: Bloodbane Blade, Condemnor Bolter with Bloodbane Stakes and Stellus Bolts, and x4 Sol Grenades.

Skills: (Add various appropriate Brawl, Combat, etc. Skills)

Special Rules: Essentially a Bounty Hunter exclusively against Vampire Broods.

A peerless warrior of incredible power and unmatched martial skill, Brock Erikson is hellbent on the complete destruction of all Vampires in the galaxy. He is unequaled as a swordsmen and a flawless marksman, and combined with his extensive geno-mods, bio-grafts, and equipment he can go toe-to-toe with the most powerful of Vampires. Given that his operations have spanned centuries and his physical abilities rival Astartes he is among the greatest warriors to arrive on Necromunda; however, it will not work for just any job, and will only contract his services to those that fight against the undead.