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Medusas – Three Old Citadel Miniatures
Citadel’s C18 Night Horrors miniatures were issued between 1984 and 1986. Most of them never received game stats for Warhammer or WFRP, and I have covered a few of them in earlier posts in this series.
The Stuff of Legends site has a complete listing of the range here, but for this post, I’ll concentrate on the Medusas.
There were three figures in total. One was a snake-haired hag, another had a snake body like the version of Medusa in the 1981 movie Clash of the Titans, and the third was armoured and dressed in a flowing robe (actually a simple head-swapped variant on an armoured wight figure from the same range).
To the best of my knowledge, Medusas (or Gorgons, as I prefer to call them, since in Greek myth Medusa was one of three sisters by that name) have never received rules or stats in any official WFRP publication, though a comment below shares some links to previous Warhammer incarnations. I’ve based my stats and rules more on the miniatures than these past versions, though. 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.
Medusas
These fearsome but reclusive creatures inhabit the remotest mountains of the southern Old World, from the Border Princes to eastern Tilea. They appear in several legends from Classical times, but their origins are unclear. While they are clearly creatures of Chaos, they appear not to be aligned with any one of the Ruinous powers, although a Medusa will occasionally ally with a Champions of Chaos or other warlord for the right price.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 4 | 35 | 45 | 35 | 45 | 45 | 25 | 35 | 45 | 45 | 20 | 15 |
Traits: Fear 1, Mental Corruption (Hateful Impulses), Mutation (Snake Hair – see below), Night Vision, Petrifying Gaze, Weapon +5
Optional: Armor 2, Champion, Mental Corruption (Unending Malice), Mutation (Snake Body), Ranged +9 (150)
Snake Hair: A Medusa’s hair gives her a +5 attack at Personal range, with Venom. This cannot be used in the same round as any other attack.
Snake Body: Movement -1, Tail +5 attack
The Monsters so Far:
Doomlord – Greater Daemon of Malal
As I said in my previous post on the Lesser Daemon of Malal, the Renegade God was cut from Warhammer canon before Realm of Chaos was published. Two excellent posts from Awesome Lies and Realm of Chaos 80s give a fuller account. During my time on the project, I developed Lesser and Greater Daemons for him, based on existing art by Tony Ackland.
Before the decision was taken to cut Malal, I worked to include the Renegade God in my draft of Realm of Chaos. This included describing two Daemons for him: one greater and one lesser. By following my blog, Warhammer fans voted for both these creatures to receive stats for WFRP 1st and 4th editions. As always, what follows is to be regarded as a fan work and no challenge is intended to copyrights held by Games Workshop, Cubicle 7, or anyone else.
The mighty Doomlords are the most powerful servants of the Renegade God Malal. Massive creatures with hooves, horns, and tails, they fight the forces of Chaos with massive weapons and soul-sucking magic.
WFRP 4th Edition
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 6 | 110 | 95 | 90 | 90 | 100 | 70 | 40 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 280 |
Traits: Armour 4, Belligerent, Bite +10, Champion, Corruption (Major), Daemonic 7+, Frenzy, Hatred (creatures and followers of Chaos), Horns +7, Painless, Size (Monstrous), Soul Drain (new), Tail +6, Terror 3, Unstable, 2 x Weapon +16
Optional: Fast, Elite, Hardy
New Trait: Soul Drain
When the Doomlord’s tail attack scores a critical on any creature without the Undead or Daemonic Traits, do not roll as normal. Instead, the tail-barbs seize the victim and the human-looking head on the tip of the tail bites deeply into the victim’s flesh, draining their soul in an instant and leaving their body a shriveled, dead husk.
Half of the victim’s Wounds (at the time the critical was scored) go to Malal as a soul sacrifice. The other half are added to the Doomlord’s own Wounds score, for the next round of combat only. If the Doomlord is wounded during the round, these additional Wounds points are used first.
This attack counts as magical.
WFRP 1st Edition
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Dex | Ld | Int | Cl | WP | Fel |
| 6 | 90 | 93 | 7 | 7 | 39 | 100 | 10 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 20 |
Special Rules: 2 armour points on all locations. Subject to hatred against creatures and followers of Chaos (except Malal). Cause terror in all living creatures under 10 feet tall. Subject to instability. Immune to psychological effects except those caused by gods. Cannot be forced to leave combat except by such beings.
The Monsters so Far:
Golems in Warhammer
Golems have a rather patchy history in Warhammer and WFRP. The conventional four types – clay, flesh, iron, and stone – were established in fantasy games by the AD&D Monster Manual back in 1977, and Citadel made a few Golem figures in the late 70s and early 80s.
No rules were published for Golems in Warhammer, although it might be argued that the Ushabti from the Tomb Kings army lists are a form of Golem.
A couple of Flesh Golems appeared in WFRP 1st edition adventures. Death on the Reik featured the Wittgenstein Monster, and a similar creature appeared in the adventure “The Curse of the Reichenbachs” in Death’s Dark Shadow. Golems were mentioned in the WFRP 2nd edition supplements Liber Necris and Renegade Crowns, but without game stats. A kind of Flesh Golem appeared in Forges of Nuln, but it was far from standard – if a Flesh Golem can ever be described as standard.
My earlier post on Gargoyles covered the living-statue type of that creature, and can be used for Stone Golems. Another take on Stone Golems is given below, along with the other three “classic” Golem types. As always, everything that follows is completely unofficial and should be regarded as a fan work. No challenge is intended to trademarks or copyrights held by Games Workshop, Cubicle 7, or anyone else.
Golems
Imbued with a semblance of life through magical and alchemical processes, Golems are Constructs of flesh or other materials. Most take humanoid form, but theoretically that can be any shape.
A distinction must be made between true Golems and the humanoid mechanical constructs made by some Dwarven and other engineers. Golems are animated by magic rather than engineering, while the others rely on steam and other power sources and move by the action of gears, wires, and levers.
Stone Golems include the massive Ushabti of ancient Khemri, animated Gargoyles, and other living statues. They are often created as guards, and given orders to attack anyone except their controllers.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 4 | 45 | 25 | 75 | 75 | 10 | 10 | 10 | – | – | – | 28 |
Traits: Armour 3, Construct, Dark Vision, Fear 1, Hardy, Immunity (poison, fire, electricity), Immunity to Psychology, Magical, Painless, Stupid, Territorial (one building or small area), Weapon +10
Optional: 2 Fists +10, Die Hard, Size (Small to Enormous), Magic Resistance 1-2, Ranged (Throw) +10
Iron Golems (and more rarely, Golems of brass or other metals) are also used as guards and troops, although they can only guard a location for a few centuries before becoming corroded and useless. Their great strength makes them useful as menials and labourers.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 4 | 45 | 25 | 70 | 70 | 10 | 10 | 10 | – | – | – | 28 |
Traits: Armour 2, Construct, Dark Vision, Fear 1, Hardy, Immunity (poison, fire), Immunity to Psychology, Magical, Painless, Stupid, Territorial (one building or small area), Weapon +9
Optional: 2 Fists +9, Die Hard, Size (Small to Enormous), Magic Resistance 1-2, Ranged (Throw) +9
Clay Golems are less durable than most other types but easier to make, and the secrets of their construction are more widely available. There are many tales of a Clay Golem being constructed by a learned priest or other scholarly individual as a bodyguard or servant.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 4 | 25 | 25 | 65 | 65 | 10 | 10 | 10 | – | – | – | 18 |
Traits: Armour 1, Construct, Dark Vision, Fear 1, Immunity (poison), Immunity to Psychology, Magical, Painless, Stupid, Territorial (one building or small area), Weapon +8
Optional: 2 Fists +8, Die Hard, Size (Small to Large), Magic Resistance 1
Flesh Golems are often made by necromancers, although they are not undead. Instead, they use alchemical processes to imbue a dead body – or a construct assembled from parts of several bodies – with a semblance of life and intelligence.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 4 | 20 | 0 | 60 | 60 | 10 | 10 | 10 | – | – | – | 18 |
Traits: Afraid (Fire), Construct, Fear 2, 2 Fists +7, Stupid, Territorial (one building or small area), Weapon +7
Optional: Die Hard, Size (Large)
The Monsters so Far:
Menfish – Another Lost Warhammer Race
Menfish? Yes, that’s right. These creatures were briefly a part of Warhammer lore. As well as the ad above from the first Citadel Compendium (1984), they were written up in the first edition Warhammer rules:
A few other humanoid fish types were released, such as the Fishman in the C38 Chaos Beastmen release and the early WH40K minitaure “Zhar d’uin, Piscean Prince,” but there was no further attempt to develop the Menfish concept or to create another aquatic or amphibious race.
Blazindragon left a comment in my post on Chaos Snakemen asking if I could cover the Fishmen for WFRP 4th edition, so here goes. As always, 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.
Menfish
Menfish live in the underwater caves beneath the sea, and a few communities have been found in larger lakes. They live by fishing, mounting night-time raids on coastal villages, and sinking ships. Loyal only to their own kind, they attack the communities of Humans, Elves, Greenskins, and others without making any distinction between them.
The Sea Elves and other peoples have sent embassies to the Manfish communities of the northern seas proposing alliances against the forces of Chaos, but without success. It seems that the Menfish treat all outsiders as enemies, and only a handful of ambassadors escaped with their lives.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 4 | 30 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 30 | 25 | 30 | 25 | 30 | 15 | 9 |
Traits: Afraid (Fire, Sunlight), Amphibious, Animosity (other species), Bite +4, Cold-blooded, Night Vision, Swamp-strider, Territorial, Weapon +6
Optional: Armour 1, Hatred (other species), Ranged +6 (6 yards), Stealthy
The Monsters so Far:
Leaping Slomm Two-Face: Another Old Citadel Miniature
Here is another creature from the “The Mark of Chaos” article in The First Citadel Compendium.
Slomm was one of three creatures presented as worked examples of the article’s Chaos attributes system.
Miniatures were made for all three, but Slomm was the only one to appear in two versions. According to the excellent Stuff of Legends web site, the original design, based on Tony Ackland’s illustration, did not cast well. By the time the second Citadel Compendium was published the following year, it had been replaced by a more upright version, and the original is now a collector’s item.
Slomm has sunk into undeserved obscurity, although there was a flurry of excitement in 2014 when some images of Tim Prow’s “Son of Slomm” project appeared on the Realm of Chaos 80s blog.
Tim’s Diehard Miniatures still produces the “Son of Slomm,” though I didn’t know until Garrett Sheehan pointed me to it. Thanks, Garret!
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.
Leaping Slomm Two-Face, Chaos Troll
Trolls are often found among the forces of Chaos, and many show signs of corruption and mutation. Some acquire too many mutations and become Chaos Spawn. This fate almost certainly awaits Slomm, at some point in the future.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | WP | Fel | W |
| 8 | 30 | 15 | 55 | 45 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 20 | 5 | 38 |
Traits: Ambidextrous, Armour 2, Bounce, Die Hard, Fear 2, Frenzy, Infected, Mutation (see below), Regenerate, Size (Large), Stupid, Tough, 2 Tusks +9, 2 x Vomit, 2 Weapons +9
Mutations: An asterisk (*) indicates that Slomm’s stats and Traits have been amended to reflect the mutation’s effects.
- Multiple Heads (new)*
- Beast Head (Walrus – new)*
- Long Legs*
Walrus?
There are no rules for a Walrus head in the Enemy in Shadows Companion, so I decided that Slomm’s tusks replace his normal bite attack, adding +1 to Damage because of their size.
The second miniature has much smaller tusks, and it would be appropriate to give it the Bite +8 attack common to all Trolls. The same is true of Tim Prow’s “Son of Slomm,” which has one dog head and one Rat-Ogre head.
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.
Graeme Davis 