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MD8 Skeleton War Machines

MD8 Skeleton War Machines - White Dwarf 94

Longhorn stood looking over the ruined parapet. The chill wind ruffled his surcoat, whistling eerily between his ribs.

"Still coming?" the voice belonged to Screamer, one of his companions-at-arms.

"See for yourself." A black column stretched frorn the horizon to a mile away. like an army of ants on the move.

"Here" said Screamer, struck by a sudden thought, "We can talk, right?"

"Yes." sighed Longhorn. He hated it when Screamer had one of his sudden thoughts.

"And we can see them, right?" Longhorn nodded.

"How?"

"What?"

"We're Skeletons. right? No eyes, no eardrums, no vocal cords - but we can see, heat and talk. -Makes you think, doesn"t it?"

"I try not to think. There's too damn many contradictions to being Undead. Let's see what Morbius is up to." Anything was better than Screamer waxing philosophical.

They found their leader in one of the larger chambers, which was fitted out as a workroom. Books, scrolls and spell ingredients littered the floor and several tables, and the Liche was poring over a mouldering parchment.

"Yes, I know they're getting closer, and yes, I know there's lots and lots of them: he said without looking up. "I'm working on it. So why don't you get to your units and make sure your side of things is ready eh? They should be here in about an hour."

Precisely an hour later, the mortal army was drawn up before the fortress. Longhorn and Screamer stood in the courtyard with their units, along with Reaper and Hellblade, the other two captains. The gates had begun to quiver under the impact of a ram.

"You know," remarked Reaper to no-one in particular, "Being dead already doesn't make this any easier. And where's Morbius? That gate looks like giving any minute:

"Yes, but how can we see it giving?" asked Screamer.

"Give it a rest, will you? sneered Hellblade, hefting his runesword. "Just be happy we can and concentrate on keeping your bones together."

As he spoke, the gates collapsed. Screamer and Hellblade broke into a charge, moving their units to block the gateway while Longhorn's troops covered the flanks and Reaper's held the parapet, pouring arrows and rocks onto the mortal heads beneath.

The battle was deadlocked for nearly an hour. The Undead forces were almost halved, but for each Skeleton destroyed four mortals had run screarning away. Then a robed figure appeared from the inner fortress.

"Ah, Morbius." Yelled Reaper from atop a pile of Elven heads, "So glad you could drop in. Have a nice kip, did you?"

Ignoring him, the Liche chanted over a pile or shattered bones. and a grey-white mist rose from the ground. When it cleared. the bones fused weirdly into some kind of catapult.

Three armoured Skeletons began to work the machine furiously, loading it with skulls. As the skulls hailed down, the mortals broke, trampling their fellows underfoot in their panic.

"I must admit," remarked Longhorn as they pursued the fleeing mortals, "That was one of Morbius's better ideas:"

"And here comes another one of his better ideas," said Screamer, pointing behind with his spear. A two-horse chariot of fused Dragon-bone had driven out of the fortress, and was gaining on them rapidly.

"Here Morbius," called Screamer as the chariot passed, "How is it we can see and hear and..."

"Not now, Screamer."

Undead Chariot

  M WS BS S T W I A Ld Int Cl WP POINTS
Undead Chariot 6 3 * 4 4 5 3 * *       80 + Passenger

Points Value: The Chariot costs 80 points including the charioteer. Passenger models add their own PV to this figure.

Special Rules: causes fear in living creatures. Subject to instability; make one check for both chariot and crew. it may move over all terrain and through all obstacles except buildings with no penalty; movement through solid walls and into/out of buildings costs half the chariot"s movement for that turn. opponents receive no bonuses for cover other than solid walls and buildings.

Longhorn, Reaper, Hellblade, Screamer Skeleton Champions

  M WS BS S T W I A Ld Int Cl WP POINTS
Sourgutt 4 3 3 4 3 1 3 1 5 5 5 5 Longhorn 9.5
Reaper 5.5
Hellblade 6
Screamer 8

Special Rules: Longhorn gained the Chaos mutation Bestial Face in life, and now has a horned bovine skull giving him an additional gore attack in hand-to-hand combat. He is unarmoured and lights with a two-handed scythe.

Reaper wears chain mail and fights with a one-handed scythe.

Hellblade wears chain mail under his surcoat, and carries sword and shield.

Screamer is equipped with chain mail, spear and shield. He emits an incessant wail in battle, causing all living creatures within 6" to make all fear and terror tests at a -2 penalty.

Skullchucker - Skeleton Catapult

  M WS BS S T W I A Ld Int Cl WP POINTS
Skullchucker * 3 6 6 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 115 (including crew)

Special Rules: Skullchucker follows the normal rules for stone throwers. It and its crew are subject to instability; make one check for machine and crew. it costs another 25 points to equip Skullchucker with enough skulls for an entire battle. Any unit hit by a skull tests for fear as if charged by a feared creature.

Morbius - Liche

  M WS BS S T W I A Ld Int Cl WP POINTS
Morbius 4 4 3 4 4 4 6 4 10 10 10 10 900

Special Rules: Morbius has developed two new Necromantic Magic spells. Summon Undead Cat, It is a level 3 spell, summoring a stone or bolt thrower with a crew of 3 armoured Skeletons, and is otherwise identical to Summon SkeIeton Horde. Summon Undead Chariot summons a two-horse chariot with a Skeleton charioteer. but is otherwise identical to Summon Skeleton Major Hero.

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Last modified: April 30, 2014 by Orclord