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Giant Bats and Fell Bats for WFRP 4
I just noticed an omission in the adventure “The Return of the Gravelord” in The Horned Rat Companion. Stats were not provided for the Fell Bats in Gräber’s retinue. Fell Bats first appeared in the Vampire Counts army books for Warhammer, and to the best of my knowledge they have never received official stats for any edition of WFRP. Similar, though not as frightening, are the Giant Bats which were first described in the WFRP 1st edition rulebook. So here are stats for both.
As always, everything here is to be regarded as a fan work, and no challenge is intended to any copyrights held by Games Workshop, Cubicle 7, or anyone else.
Oh, and I’ll be adding another monster when the blog hits 350 followers. So if you haven’t followed yet, do it! And if you have, thanks – now, tell your friends!
Giant Bat
A Giant Bat measures almost four feet from nose to tail, and is covered with jet-black fur. The head resembles that of a dog, and the mouth is equipped with long, sharp teeth. These nocturnal creatures are capable of attacking and killing an animal the size of a Human. They are also cunning scavengers, feeding off the carcasses of larger creatures. According to legend, some Sylvanian Vampires have the ability to transform into Giant Bats.
The Move score given on the profile is for ground movement. When flying, a Giant Bat gains a + 10% bonus to Initiative in the first round of combat, unless attacking in illumination equivalent to daylight.
The natural ‘sonar’ of a Giant Bat allows it to ‘see’ up to 20 yards in total darkness. There is a 35% chance that the bite of a Giant Bat may cause Infected wounds.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 1 | 33 | – | 20 | 20 | 30 | 45 | 15 | 14 | 24 | – | 5 |
Traits: Bestial, Bite+4, Dark Vision (echolocation), Flight 60, Size (Small), Skittish, Wallcrawler
Optional: Fast, Infected, Infestation
Fell Bat
The Giant Bats of Sylvania grow to monstrous proportions, with bodies as long as a human is tall and wingspans of fifteen feet or more.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 1 | 33 | – | 30 | 30 | 30 | 45 | 15 | 14 | 24 | – | 22 |
Traits: Bestial, Bite+6, Dark Vision (echolocation), Fear 1, Flight 60, Size (Large), Undead, Wallcrawler
Optional: Fast, Infected, Infestation
The Monsters so Far:
Independent Daemons in WFRP 4th Edition
Before the two Realm of Chaos volumes presented the four Ruinous Powers of Chaos, Demons (as they were spelled then) in Warhammer and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay were not too dissimilar from the demons that could be found in any other fantasy setting of the time – although some, usually described as “Chaos Demons,” were stranger.
I touched on the question of independent Daemons in my previous post on Gargoyles, so here is a rough treatment of them for WFRP 4th edition. Needless to say, what follows is in no way official and should be considered a fan work. No challenge is intended to copyrights or trademarks held by Games Workshop, Cubicle 7, or anyone else.
Independent Daemons
Instead of pledging themselves to one of the Ruinous Powers, some follow Chaos Undivided: the force of which, in their view, each of the Chaos Gods is merely one part. This is as true of Daemons as it is of mortals.
Although each Daemon is rendered unique by its combination of mutations and optional Traits, scholars divide them into four main classes:
Imps, also known as Least Daemons, are the smallest and least dangerous of their kind. They may serve Daemonologists as familiars and assistants, or devote themselves to causing trouble whenever the opportunity arises.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 4 | 35 | 45 | 25 | 45 | 60 | 45 | 45 | 25 | 45 | 25 | 12 |
Traits: Claws, Corruption (Moderate), Daemonic 9+, Fear 1, Night Vision, Size (Small), Unstable, Weapon +5
Optional: Clever, Cunning, Fast, Hardy, Mental Corruption, Mutation, Spellcaster (Chaos), Stealthy, Tail +5, Tough
Lesser Daemons are the mainstay of Daemonic armies, and are also summoned by Daemonologists and others to perform specific tasks. Occasionally, they may be brought forth from the Realm of Chaos by a magical accident, or overpower and kill their summoner. In this case they will rampage uncontrollably until banished or destroyed.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 4 | 50 | 35 | 40 | 30 | 60 | 40 | 30 | 25 | 50 | 15 | 15 |
Traits: Claws, Corruption (Moderate), Daemonic 8+, Fear 2, Night Vision, Unstable, Weapon +9
Optional: Belligerent, Brute, Champion, Distracting, Elite, Flight 60, Frenzy, Horns +5, Mental Corruption, Mutation, Spellcaster (Chaos), Tail +7
Greater Daemons are powerful beings, and can only be controlled by the most powerful Daemonologists. They are constantly looking for ways into the material world, and are capable of summoning other Daemons to do their bidding. Their plans have been long in the making, and involve far more than simple destruction. Often they hope to enslave mortals and create a daemonic nation of their own, with themselves as absolute rulers.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 6 | 70 | 35 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 80 | 50 | 100 | 100 | 80 | 80 |
Traits: Corruption (Major), Daemonic 7+, Night Vision, Size (Large), Terror 2, Unstable, Weapon +15
Optional: Armour 1-4, Belligerent, Bite, Champion, Dark Vision, Distracting, Flight 60, Frenzy, Horns +10, Leader, Mental Corruption, Mutation, Spellcaster (Chaos), Tail +10
Greatest Daemons, sometimes called Daemon Princes, are the most powerful of the daemonic beings. No mortal can control them, though some may be able to make deals with them. On the whole,though, they have mortal servants rather than mortal masters. They appear only rarely, either at the head of a vast daemonic army or as the power behind a conspiracy to destroy a nation or an entire continent.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 6 | 90 | 95 | 110 | 120 | 100 | 95 | 90 | 110 | 120 | 90 | 114 |
Traits: Corruption (Major), Daemonic 6+, Dark Vision, Size (Large), Terror 4, Unstable, Weapon +20
Optional: Armour 5-7, Breath +10 (Fire), Dark Vision, Die Hard, Distracting, Flight 50, Frenzy, Hardy, Horns +10, Immunity to Psychology, Leader, Mental Corruption, Mutation, Painless, Rear, Size (Enormous), Spellcaster (Chaos), Tail +10, Venom (Very Hard)
The Monsters so Far:
Ngaaranh Spawn of Chaos: A Very Old Citadel Miniature for WFRP4
Five years before Realm of Chaos, an article titled “The Mark of Chaos” appeared in The First Citadel Compendium. Written by Bryan Ansell and illustrated by Tony Ackland, it was the first in-depth examination of Chaotic attributes in the Warhammer world, with tables for random generation and three worked examples of Chaos-warped creatures. In this post I’ll be looking at one of them: the C27 Chaos Harpy, also known as Ngaaranh Spawn of Chaos.
This is how she looked in the First Citadel Compendium, with a short background and stats for Warhammer 1st edition. Harpies were covered in the Tabletop Battles book in the Warhammer 1st edition boxed set.
The miniature is very rare today, but here’s a photo of a painted example that I swiped from the Rogue Heresy Oldhammer blog:
Below is my re-imagining for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th edition, using the expanded Physical Mutations table in the Enemy in Shadows Companion and the free 4th Edition Conversion Rules from Cubicle 7. Needless to say, what follows is in no way official and should be considered a fan work. No challenge is intended to copyrights or trademarks held by Games Workshop, Cubicle 7, or anyone else.
Ngaaranh, Spawn of Chaos
Ngaaranh was once a Harpy, but was lured away from the warhost of Naggaroth to serve an entity she knew as Kka – which was one of the thousand names of Tzeentch, the Great Mutator. She pleased her master well, and has been rewarded with many of his gifts. Feared and respected by the others of her kind, she haunts the wild and barren mountains of the Old World, sometimes alone and sometimes in the company of other twisted creatures of Chaos.
Aside: The last two adventures in The Enemy Within Director’s Cut are in the process of writing and development at the time of this posting. Both involve some mountain travel, which would offer a great opportunity to use her.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 4 | 41 | 25 | 42 | 59 | 20 | 27 | 33 | 14 | 40 | 10 | 18 |
Traits: Acute Sense (Sight) Perception 30, Armour 2, Breath 5 (Fire), 2 Claws +8, Distracting (Foul Odour), Fear 1, Flight 90, Mutation (see below) Night Vision, 3 Weapons +9
Mutations: An asterisk (*) indicates that Ngaaranh’s stats and Traits have been amended to reflect the mutation’s effects.
- Breathe Fire*
- Crest: Ngaaranh has birdlike combs instead of hair (cosmetic only).
- Eyestalks: Ngaaranh can see over and around objects.
- Evil Eye (new): As an Action, Ngaaranh can cast lock eyes with a single victim within 30 yards. Her gaze has the same effect as the Witchcraft spell The Evil Eye, but there is not need for a casting roll.
- Foul Odour*
- Iron Skin*
- Multiple Arms*
- Multiple Heads (new)*
The Monsters so Far:
The Mud Elemental: Two Old Monsters Combined for WFRP4
The Viydagg and Mardagg were not the only unusual “elementals” in Citadel’s miniatures range in the ’80s. The C22 “Creatures” range included a Mud Elemental, for which game rules and stats were never published.
Five years later, in the Doomstones adventure Blood in Darkness, a creature named Xhardja appeared. Also made of living mud, Xhardja took the form of lashing tentacles that rose up to attack trespassers in its mud-choked lair.
I wondered whether these two creatures might be one and the same. While Xhardja didn’t rear up in humanoid form to talk to the PCs, it is entirely possible that it could have done so. So I decided to combine the two. Here are stats for WFRP4. As always, everything that follows is to be considered a fan work and no challenge is intended to copyrights held by Games Workshop, Cubicle 7, or anyone else.
Mud Elemental
There is some debate among Wizards and other academics over whether or not these entities are true Elementals, or constructs magically animated from mud, or something else entirely. Those who reject the term “Elemental,” and those who do not concern themselves with such distinctions, simply call them Mudmen.
Mudmen are found in swamps and other muddy areas, both above and below ground. They can draw themselves up into a humanoid shape or sink down and become indistinguishable from the mud around them, attacking with a number of tentacles of animated mud.
Two profiles are provided below, one for the creature’s humanoid form and one for a single tentacle. The creature has a number of tentacles equal to its Wounds score, and each tentacle that is destroyed reduces the creature’s overall Wounds total by 1.
Humanoid Form
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 3 | 45 | – | 45 | 50 | 45 | 20 | 35 | 40 | 55 | 25 | 19 |
Traits: Amphibious, Bash (2) +8, Construct or Daemonic, Dependent (Mud), Dark Vision, Painless, Shapeshift (Mud), Swamp-Strider, Unstable
Optional: Die Hard, Size (Large), Territorial
| New Traits Dependent (Various) The creature requires something to sustain it. At the end of every round in which it has not been in contact with the required substance, the creature loses 1 Wound regardless of Toughness and armour. Shapeshift (Mud) The creature can shift between humanoid form and an amorphous form in which it becomes one with the surrounding mud. The transition takes a full Action. While shapeshifted into amorphous form, the creature is vulnerable only to attacks that have an area of effect or to attacks directed against its tentacles. |
Tentacle
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 2 | 33 | – | 45 | 50 | 65 | 10 | 15 | – | – | – | 1 |
Traits: Amphibious, Painless, 1 Tentacle +6, Swamp-Strider, Unstable
Optional: Die Hard, Size (Large), Territorial
The Monsters so Far:
The Spectral Claw: An Old Citadel Miniature Described for WFRP4
Following on from last week’s post about the Toad Dragon, I’m taking a look at another old and obscure Citadel Miniature. This time, it’s from the C18 Night Horrors range. The Night Horrors were an interesting collection of demons (but not Daemons), devils, undead, and miscellaneous monsters, advertised between 1986 and 1989. You can find a complete set of ads and flyers on the Stuff of Legends web site.
In the years that followed, the demons were replaced by Daemons as Realm of Chaosi codified the Ruinous Powers and their minions for the first time. Most of the Undead received their own army lists, starting in Ravening Hordes for 2nd edition Warhammer and developing through Warhammer Armies and the Undead, Vampire Counts, and Tomb Kings books for subsequent editions. And the monsters. . . well, the monsters languished.
The Bloodwrack Medusae are part of the Dark Elves army, but the rest of the monsters are all but forgotten.
Here’s my take on one of them, with stats for WFRP4. As always, everything that follows is to be considered a fan work and no challenge is intended to copyrights held by Games Workshop, Cubicle 7, or anyone else.
Spectral Claw
The Spectral Claw is a rare and dreadful monster, created when the severed hand of a Giant is animated by foul Necromancy or Chaotic energies. They may follow the orders of a master such as a Necromancer or a Chaos Sorcerer, or rampage mindlessly through whatever deep forest or desolate landscape saw them come into being.
A Spectral Claw moves by dragging itself across the ground with its fingers. The forces that animate it give it a dim awareness of its surroundings, equivalent to Dark Vision with a range of 20 yards. Its fingers are the size of logs, and make effective if unsophisticated weapons.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 3 | 45 | – | 50 | 55 | 35 | 20 | – | – | – | – | 15 |
Traits: Bash (2) +8, Construct, Dark Vision, Fear 3, Painless, Undead, Unstable
Optional: Corruption (Minor), Diseased, Infected, Infestation
The Monsters so Far:
The Toad Dragon: An Old Citadel Miniature Described for WFRP4
According to the Stuff of Legends miniatures site, Citadel’s CM3 Toad Dragon (Dragon Toad in some versions) first appeared in the Third Citadel Compendium, which appeared in November 1985. It was sculpted by Nick Bibby, who created many of the larger Citadel monsters, and it was one of several variant dragon types that Citadel released before Warhammer lore was organized for WFRP 1st edition and Warhammer 3rd edition.
As far as I know, no game statistics have ever been published for this beast, which is a pity because it’s a lovely miniature and an intriguing concept.
Here is a Toad Dragon for WFRP 4th edition. As always, everything that follows is to be considered a fan work and no challenge is intended to copyrights held by Games Workshop, Cubicle 7, or anyone else.
Toad Dragon
The depths of the Empire’s great forests are home to many strange creatures such as Basilisks, Hydras, and Jabberslythes. Toad Dragons are found in remote wetlands such as the Mirror Moors, the Midden Marshes, the remote lakes of the Howling Hills, and the marshes of the Wasteland. These huge predators are greatly feared, for their long, sticky tongues can ensnare a creature as big as a horse, dragging it inexorably to the creature’s gaping maw.
The Toad Dragon’s wings are too small to keep its bulk in the air, but permit it to hop surprisingly long distances.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 6 | 55 | 65 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 15 | – | 10 | 35 | – | 72 |
Traits: Amphibious, Bestial, Bite +10, Bounce, 2 Claws +6, Cold-Blooded, Hungry, Night Vision, Size (Enormous), Swallow Whole (see below), Swamp-Strider, Tail +6, Tongue Attack +10 (18)
Optional: Immunity to Psychology, Infected, Monstrous, Mutation, Territorial, Venom (Challenging)
New Trait: Swallow Whole
The creature can swallow anything that is two or more steps smaller than itself. The victim can avoid being swallowed by dodging the creature’s Bite attack. A victim who is swallowed gains 2 Entangled conditions owing to the confined space, and suffers 6-TB Wounds per Round from stomach acid, ignoring armour. Only one creature may be swallowed at a time. After the creature is killed, it takes one Round to cut its stomach open and free its victim.
The Monsters so Far:
Gargoyle: A Forgotten WFRP Monster
Like many fantasy miniatures producers of the early 1980s, Citadel Miniatures sold a number of bat-winged, demonic-looking figures in their early ranges. Some were called Demons, and others Gargoyles.
The first official mention of Gargoyles as part of Warhammer lore came in 1985, when Citadel Miniatures released The Flying Gargoyles of Barda as part of their Regiments of Renown series for Warhammer 2nd edition. The Gargoyles’ backstory cast them as a kind of independent Demon (they weren’t called Daemons at that point in Warhammer’s history, and not all Demons served the Ruinous Powers of Chaos), and said that this particular group was summoned accidentally by a Marienburg wizard named Barda von Micklestein. You can read the whole story at the excellent Stuff of Legends site.
Even though WFRP 1st edition was only released the following year, Gargoyles had already gone from Warhammer lore. To the best of my knowledge, the only Gargoyles in the whole of WFRP’s history were to be found in a corridor in Castle Drachenfels. Rather than Demons (or Daemons) these were the traditional animated stone statues found in most fantasy games.
The matter of independent Daemons is a complex one, and I posted some thoughts and game stats here. Here, though, is a WFRP4 re-imagining of the animated statue type.
Gargoyle
Gargoyles are magically animated stone figures. Most, but not all, have Daemonic features such as bat-like wings and bestial features. They may be found guarding ancient ruins, seeming to be part of their decoration. They may also be created by means of certain forbidden rituals. Some may be commanded by their creators, while other follow simple instructions that were given to them long ago – usually to destroy all who trespass on their territory.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 4 | 35 | 0 | 45 | 45 | 30 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 20 | – | 18 |
Traits: Armour 3, Dark Vision, Hardy, Immunity to Psychology, Magical, Territorial (one building or small area), Weapon +8
Optional: 2 Claws +8, Die Hard, Flight 60, Horns +6, Size (Small to Enormous), Magic Resistance 1-2, Ranged +8, Tail +6, Unstable, Weapon +8
The Monsters so Far:
The Devil Eel, a New Monster for WFRP4
A little while ago, I came across an intriguing story online. Someone in Australia caught a very odd-looking fish with no eyes and an almost human-looking face. I immediately thought it would be just the sort of thing that might be encountered in Chaos-affected waters, such as the River Reik below Castle Wittgenstein.
Sadly, this inspiration came too late to include the creature in the Director’s Cut of Death on the Reik or the Death on the Reik Companion, but with the second instalment in the Enemy Within campaign about to be released as a PDF, now seems like a good time.
Devil Eel Swarm
Where the waters of a river or lake are polluted by the influence of Chaos, small freshwater eels may be mutated into Devil Eels. With no eyes and a bestial face, they are a disturbing sight, though few get to see them. Gathering in swarms, they attack any prey they can find with mindless savagery, and it is said they can strip a carcass to the bone in mere minutes.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 4 | 45 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 45 | – | – | – | – | 5 |
Traits: Aquatic (see below), Bestial, Bite +0, Corrupted (Minor), Fast, Frenzy, Hungry, Immunity to Psychology, Night Vision, Painless, Size (Tiny), Swarm
Optional: Infected, Mutation, Territorial, Venom (Challenging)
New Trait: Aquatic
The creature can breathe underwater, and moves at its full Movement rate in water. It cannot move on land.
Jabberwock: A Forgotten WFRP Monster
Well, it’s not original to WFRP, of course. The beast was born in Lewis Carroll’s poem Jabberwocky, and its image was established for all time by Sir John Tenniel’s illustration from 1897.
Nick Bibby’s Jabberwock miniature was advertised in the first Citadel Journal, which was published in Spring 1985. Following my policy of covering every Citadel miniature I could find, I wrote it up for the Bestiary chapter of the WFRP first edition rulebook.
Nick Bibby’s Jabberwock (right), with a Ral Partha Jabberwock mini of similar vintage.
The Jabberwock
The Incursions of Chaos have produced thousands of strange creatures. Living in the deepest forests, the Jabberwock is little seen – at least, by those who live to tell of it – and it is known mainly through local rumours and the distant sound of its burbling cry.
The Jabberwock stands over 12 feet high, and can move by running on all fours or walking on its hind legs. All four limbs are equipped with sharp claws, and its mouth is armed with long, chisel-like teeth. They are very aggressive, but rather stupid.
The Jabberwock’s wings are too small to allow it to fly. It can only bounce along or jump a few feet into the air. Their flapping makes a thrumming, whiffling sound which can be disconcerting.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 6 | 79 | 0 | 55 | 65 | 20 | 40 | 15 | 15 | 85 | – | 100 |
Graeme Davis 