Underhive Nemeses
RAW ✔️ Source: Necromunda: Apocrypha Necromunda
"Soon all of Sump City will bend to my will, and there is nothing the Iron Cogs and their Escher allies can do to stop me!"
- Lord Karver, shortly before Gurbad 'Gunback' drowned him in a gunk tank
Necromunda is full of nefarious and powerful individuals, from the enigmatic Nemo the Faceless, to the psychopathic Cardinal Crimson – to name just two of the unsavoury characters that inhabit Hive Primus. Gangs and gang leaders are often measured by their adversaries, and everyone needs a good Underhive Nemesis to keep them striving for greatness (while regularly attempting to murder them!). An Underhive Nemesis can come in many shapes and sizes, from corrupt settlement elders or rogue Enforcer precinct captains, to potent outland wyrds, or even off-world crime lords looking to lay claim to a piece of the underhive. The important thing is that an Underworld Nemesis is a powerful figure within the region of the hive the gangs find themselves fighting over, and may even have some personal connection to one or more of the gangs.
The rules presented here allow Arbitrators to create an Underhive Nemesis for their Necromunda campaign – a single commanding and cunning individual who will shape the events of the campaign even as the players' gangs struggle for supremacy. As well as becoming a focal point for the gangs to oppose – in addition to each other – an Underhive Nemesis becomes a recurring villain who enriches the campaign by adding another element to it. Long after the last shots have been fired and the creds have been counted, the players will remember a good Underhive Nemesis and how, or even if, they came out on top.
Creating An Underhive Nemesis
An Underhive Nemesis is created by the Arbitrator in much the same way as a player might create a Hired Gun to add to their gang. The main difference is that an Underhive Nemesis is not restricted by the credit costs of items, nor by their Rare or Illegal values, when selecting items from the Trading Post – they are also far more powerful than just some scummer hired out of the local drinking hole.
The first step when creating an Underhive Nemesis for a campaign is to decide just who and what they are, there being many powerful people (and other things harder to classify) on Necromunda to oppose the players and their gangs. This could be as simple as the Arbitrator having a particular model they like which they want to use as the recurring antagonist in their battles (see Representing the Underhive Nemesis on the Battlefield, page 16). More likely, the Arbitrator will want to create an Underhive Nemesis from the ground up to fit their campaign – or may even create the Underhive Nemesis first and shape the campaign around them.
To help the Arbitrator create their Underhive Nemesis, each one is made up of three different aspects: Archetype, Threat Level and Personal Traits. These aspects broadly help to define the Underhive Nemesis and determine their rules in the battles, when and where they might show up, and the actions they might take when they do make an appearance. When creating an Underhive Nemesis, the Arbitrator should go through each of these steps one by one.
Archetypes
There is no restriction on the type of characteristics an Underhive Nemesis might portray, unlike a gang fighter whose character will be determined by their Clan House, cult origins, or similar background. If the Arbitrator wants their Underhive Nemesis to be unreasonably strong, fiendishly intelligent or always cool under fire, they can adjust their characteristics to represent this. However, as a starting point, the Arbitrator is encouraged to create their Underhive Nemesis from the Archetypes that follow. An Archetype helps define what kind of character the Underhive Nemesis is – are they a skilled Warrior who likes to deal with their enemies personally, a cunning Schemer who commands the battlefield with tricks and traps, or perhaps an Overlord who lets their underlings do their dirty work?
Like a Bounty Hunter Hired Gun, within each Archetype there are several characteristic profiles, and the Arbitrator should choose the one that best suits their Underhive Nemesis. In addition to their characteristics, each Archetype also determines the skills available to the Underhive Nemesis, thus further shaping how they handle their enemies on and off the battlefield.
Warrior
Warriors are generally tough, strong and skilled in the use of weapons. They place great value on strength and prowess in battle, and tend to deal with their enemies head-on. The ex-gang boss turned underhive warlord, the outland wanderer who sells their blade to the highest bidder, or the uphive assassin trained from birth for murder are all examples of Warrior Underhive Nemeses.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Cl | Wil | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7" | 3+ | 3+ | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2+ | 2 | 7+ | 5+ | 8+ | 7+ |
| 5" | 2+ | 3+ | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3+ | 3 | 7+ | 4+ | 7+ | 7+ |
| 4" | 3+ | 2+ | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4+ | 2 | 7+ | 3+ | 7+ | 6+ |
Skills: Warrior Underhive Nemeses count Brawn, Combat, Ferocity and Shooting as their Primary Skill Sets.
Schemer
Schemers are masters of manipulation and defeat their foes through guile and trickery. Schemers are often psykers or techno-savants, using the powers of the Warp or dark technology to complete their goals. The debased heretek encased in custom exo-armour, the rogue wyrd corrupted by daemonic powers, or the soulless spymaster pulling the strings of everyone around them are all examples of Schemer Underhive Nemeses.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Cl | Wil | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6" | 3+ | 3+ | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3+ | 2 | 6+ | 5+ | 7+ | 7+ |
| 5" | 3+ | 3+ | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2+ | 2 | 6+ | 5+ | 6+ | 6+ |
| 5" | 3+ | 4+ | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3+ | 2 | 5+ | 5+ | 6+ | 5+ |
Skills: Schemer Underhive Nemeses count Agility, Cunning, Leadership and Shooting as their Primary Skill Sets.
Overlord
Overlords are consummate leaders who command an army of underlings through fear, respect or birthright. They are almost always surrounded by bodyguards and lesser underlings, who they enhance by their presence, and are more than willing to throw the lives of their followers away to get the job done. The spire noble turned renegade, the corrupted Enforcer captain or the debased Chaos cult leader are all examples of Overlord Underhive Nemeses.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Cl | Wil | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5" | 3+ | 3+ | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4+ | 2 | 4+ | 5+ | 5+ | 4+ |
| 5" | 4+ | 3+ | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4+ | 2 | 5+ | 6+ | 4+ | 5+ |
| 4" | 3+ | 4+ | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3+ | 2 | 5+ | 5+ | 5+ | 5+ |
Skills: Overlord Underhive Nemeses count Cunning, Leadership, Shooting and Savant as their Primary Skill Sets.
Gang Specific Skill Sets
These Archetypes are presented using only the core Skill Sets from the Necromunda Core Rulebook. If the Arbitrator wishes, it is entirely appropriate for an Underhive Nemesis to also have access to the gang-specific Skill Sets presented in other Necromunda supplements (such as Necromunda: House of Iron or Necromunda: Book of Judgement), as suits their background.
Threat Level
Once the Arbitrator has chosen an Archetype for their Underhive Nemesis, the next step is to determine its Threat Level. This gives a rough guide as to how dangerous the Underhive Nemesis is going to be for the players' gangs to face in the campaign. Not all Underhive Nemeses need be immensely powerful hive lords or off-world super assassins and, depending on the Arbitrator's campaign, an Underhive Nemesis could be a cruel crime boss, a crazed cult leader with hordes of followers or a renegade Guilder determined to build their own underhive empire.
Because Underhive Nemeses are not created in the same way as other fighters, credits values alone do not give an indication of their overall power. Instead, the number of skills they have, the type and amount of weapons and Wargear they are equipped with, as well as any special powers they possess, combine to create their 'Threat Level'. An Underhive Nemesis' Threat Level starts at 5 and increases as more skills, equipment and abilities are added.
The following table gives an indication of what the maximum Threat Level of the Underhive Nemesis should be in relation to the average Gang Rating of the gangs in the campaign. The Arbitrator can use this to ensure the Underhive Nemesis is well matched against the gangs. As the gangs' Gang Ratings increase over the course of a campaign, so too can the Threat Level of the Underhive Nemesis, by giving them new skills, weapons and abilities.
| Gang Rating | Maximum Underhive Nemesis Threat Level |
|---|---|
| 0-999 | 5 |
| 1,000-1,999 | 10 |
| 2,000-2,499 | 15 |
| 2,500-2,999 | 25 |
| 3,000-3,499 | 30 |
| 3,500+ | 35+ |
Skills
An Underhive Nemesis will have a number of skills which increase their overall power. The more they have, the higher their Threat Level will be. When selecting skills, each skill chosen from one of the Underhive Nemesis' Primary Skill Sets – as determined by their Archetype – counts as a single choice, while skills from any other skill group count as two choices.
| Underhive Nemesis Skills | Threat Level Increase |
|---|---|
| Underhive Nemesis has 3 skills | 5 |
| Underhive Nemesis has 4 skills | 10 |
| Underhive Nemesis has 5 skills | 15 |
| Underhive Nemesis has 6 skills | 25 |
| Underhive Nemesis has 7 skills | 30 |
| Underhive Nemesis has 8+ skills | 35+ |
Weapons and Wargear
Underhive Nemeses can be equipped with any weapon or item of Wargear that suits the background the Arbitrator has created for them. Of course, the rarer, more illegal and more valuable a piece of equipment is, the greater the increase to the Underhive Nemesis' Threat Level. The Arbitrator can use the following table to determine how equipment carried by the Underhive Nemesis increases their Threat Level. For the purposes of determining Threat Level, an Underhive Nemesis' Underhive Minions or bodyguards are included in this calculation.
| Underhive Nemesis Equipment | Threat Level |
|---|---|
| Underhive Nemesis has 150 credits or less of weapons and Wargear | +0 |
| Underhive Nemesis has between 155 and 200 credits of weapons and Wargear | +1 |
| Underhive Nemesis has between 205 and 250 credits of weapons and Wargear | +2 |
| Underhive Nemesis has between 255 and 300 credits of weapons and Wargear | +3 |
| Underhive Nemesis has between 305 and 350 credits of weapons and Wargear | +4 |
| Underhive Nemesis has 355 credits or more of weapons and Wargear | +5 |
| For every item with a Rare or Illegal value of 12 or higher | +2 |
Psychic Abilities
Underhive Nemeses sometimes have psychic abilities, either because they are sanctioned psykers trained by the Imperium and working for the Imperial House or they are potent wyrds whose powers have been gifted to them by the toxic environment of Necromunda itself. The Arbitrator can use the following table to determine how the number and type of Wyrd Powers the Underhive Nemesis has increases their Threat Level.
An Underhive Nemesis can have and use any Wyrd Power published in a Necromunda supplement.
| Underhive Nemesis Psychic Abilities | Threat Level |
|---|---|
| Underhive Nemesis has 1 Wyrd Power | +1 |
| Underhive Nemesis has 2 Wyrd Powers | +2 |
| Underhive Nemesis has 3 Wyrd Powers | +3 |
| Underhive Nemesis has 4 Wyrd Powers | +4 |
| Underhive Nemesis has 5 Wyrd Powers | +5 |
| Underhive Nemesis has 6 or more Wyrd Powers | +6 |
Underhive Minions
Underlings, bodyguards, assassins and other lackeys in the employ of the Underhive Nemesis can be included in the cost of their weapons and Wargear. This doesn't include fighters who might show up on their own or as part of rival gangs doing the bidding of the Underhive Nemesis or working toward their goals, but rather dedicated followers who are always found no more than a few steps away from their boss. Underhive Minions can be drawn from almost any source, but Hired Guns (Bounty Hunters and Hive Scum) or Brutes make for a handy source of loyal killers to do the Underhive Nemesis' bidding. Simply create these fighters as if they were being hired on to a gang, then add their cost in credits to the cost of weapons and Wargear carried by the Underhive Nemesis. The entries for these fighters can be found in the various Necromunda supplements and used by the Arbitrator as appropriate. For example, a corrupt Enforcer may have Underhive Minions drawn from Necromunda: The Book of Judgment, while a fiery preacher converting the masses to their cult may have Underhive Minions drawn from House Cawdor using the Necromunda: House of Faith supplement. Necromunda: Book of the Outcast is especially suitable for any Underhive Nemesis to draw their Underhive Minions from.
Underhive Minions are also eminently replaceable. So should they die in battle, the Arbitrator can have the Underhive Nemesis show up to the next battle with new ones if they choose. The Underhive Minions are only permanently destroyed when the Underhive Nemesis itself is taken down.
Personal Traits
An effective Underhive Nemesis is more than just characteristics and skills. What makes these Arbitrator-created fighters truly memorable, and why they will have a lasting effect on the campaign, are their personal traits. Rather than hard and fast rules, these are guidelines for how the Underhive Nemesis will act on and off the battlefield, what their ultimate goal is and how they might be brought down. By giving their Underhive Nemesis personal traits, the Arbitrator will have a roadmap for running them in the campaign, and the players and their gangs will become more invested in them as their behaviour makes sense in the overall arc of the narrative. Personal traits are divided into three categories: Motivations, Connections and Weaknesses.
Motivations
An Underhive Nemesis should have a goal, even if it is as simple as opposing the goals of the players' gangs. A motivation helps guide the actions of the Underhive Nemesis, and helps the Arbitrator decide when and where during the course of the campaign they might make an appearance or make a move to stop the actions of the gangs. It can also be used as a measure of success for the gangs during the campaign – if the players' gangs stopped the Underhive Nemesis from completing their goal, then they have probably won a victory. If not, things might just be about to get a whole lot worse for them. The Arbitrator can give their Underhive Nemesis any motivation they see fit, and it is usually a good idea to match it to the type of campaign they want to run, or for ease you could roll on the table below.
| D6 | Underhive Nemesis Motivations |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kill Them All!: The Underhive Nemesis seeks death and carnage above all else, and wants to see the underhive littered with the corpses of everyone who stands in their way. |
| 2 | Take It All: The Underhive Nemesis is driven by greed and a desire to own the region of the underhive they find themselves in. They might be swayed by stacks of credits or bribed to do others' bidding, but all their actions are made for profit. |
| 3 | No King Above Me: The Underhive Nemesis seeks to shake off the social controls of Necromunda and answers to no one but themself. They are looking to carve out their own empire, and will react badly to any effort to control them. |
| 4 | My Rival Must Die: The Underhive Nemesis has a vendetta against a single individual. This could be one of the players' gang leaders, or perhaps a local settlement leader or Enforcer captain – either way, their goal is to make their rival suffer and die. |
| 5 | It Is My Master's Will: The Underhive Nemesis serves a higher master, such as the head of one of the Clan Houses, the Merchants Guild or perhaps even Lord Helmawr himself. Their motivations are guided by their master's desires in this region of the underhive. |
| 6 | You Could Not Fathom My Plans: The Underhive Nemesis' motivations are beyond the understanding of the gangs, or perhaps the Underhive Nemesis is insane and their motivations change from cycle to cycle – either way, they are a dangerous and unpredictable foe. |
Connections
An Underhive Nemesis rarely exists in isolation, but is more likely an agent or a leader of some kind of faction. While it is possible to have an Underhive Nemesis that is a lone killer or badzone monster, most will have resources beyond themselves they can draw upon, and allies who will come to their aid if they find themselves in trouble. Connections are a way for the Arbitrator to root their Underhive Nemesis in one of the great organisations of Necromunda, and give them an idea of what kinds of tools and Hired Guns they might be able to draw upon. It also informs the Arbitrator, and the gangs, that if someone opposes the Underhive Nemesis, or even takes them out, there is a larger group ready to carry on the fight. The Arbitrator can use connections not just to let the players know just who, or what, their gangs are fighting, but also to determine the kind of help the Underhive Nemesis might expect, either in the form of allied gangs, specialised Wargear or other favours from on-high. For ease, you could roll on the table below.
| D6 | Underhive Nemesis Connections |
|---|---|
| 1 | Clan Houses: The Underhive Nemesis comes from, or is in the employ of, one of the Clan Houses, and may have a connection to one or more of the players' gangs, and is able to call in muscle or favours from their benefactor. |
| 2 | Noble Houses: The Underhive Nemesis is either a noble or serves one of the Noble Houses, and has the wealth and power that comes with it. Perhaps they have come from a Noble House and this has given them powerful friends or access to certain equipment. |
| 3 | Imperial House: The Underhive Nemesis serves, or is a scion of, the Imperial House itself. Such a connection always brings with it great power and danger, and they might be an agent of Lord Helmawr, or be fleeing his justice down-hive. |
| 4 | Merchants Guild: The Underhive Nemesis is aligned to, or is part of, the Merchants Guild, perhaps specifically one of the great Mercators. This will influence the kind of equipment and Hired Guns they can call upon, as well as their areas of interest. |
| 5 | Criminal Organisations: The Underhive Nemesis is a criminal, or serves one of the great criminal organisations of Necromunda. Such connections come with access to forbidden tech, dangerous outlaws and allies in low places. |
| 6 | Outlander: The Underhive Nemesis comes from the depths of the hive, from beyond the wastes, or perhaps even from off-world. Their resources and allies could be almost anything, from Ash Waste Nomads or sump-spawned monsters to xenos horrors. |
Weaknesses
Every great villain has a weakness. Even if it is also a strength, such as limitless ambition, an enhanced yet unbalanced physiology or intelligence verging on madness, it helps define the Underhive Nemesis and gives the gangs a means to bring them down that doesn't just include plasma guns and krak grenades. A well-defined weakness will help the Arbitrator to decide upon the actions of the Underhive Nemesis in the campaign and, when combined with the Underhive Nemesis' motivations, will hopefully make them act in a believable manner that helps with the immersion of the players and the overall depth of the campaign. Importantly, a weakness gives the players' gangs something to work towards if the Underhive Nemesis is too powerful for them to overcome on their own, and makes for a far more satisfying end game than simply taking out their rival with a lucky roll of the dice. Arbitrators can give their Underhive Nemesis any weakness they feel is appropriate to their campaign, or for ease you could roll on the table below.
| D6 | Underhive Nemesis Weakness |
|---|---|
| 1 | Greed Without Limit: The Underhive Nemesis is exceptionally greedy and can be manipulated through the use of wealth. More importantly, they measure their strength by their wealth, and should it be taken away they would crumble and die. |
| 2 | A Lust for Death: The Underhive Nemesis is a blood-crazed killer who cannot help but spill blood. However, their frenzied nature can lead them into a trap, lure them away from their bodyguards or pit them against a foe they cannot hope to defeat. |
| 3 | Misguided Honour: The Underhive Nemesis has their own sense of honour, and it can be used to trap them. Their code might mean they must accept a challenge to one-on-one combat or, if bested, must leave the gangs be and retreat from the underhive. |
| 4 | Biological Creation: The Underhive Nemesis is not altogether human. Perhaps they are part mechanical or survive on some kind of specialised serum. If the exact nature of this weakness can be uncovered then perhaps the means to kill them can be found too. |
| 5 | Precious Object: The Underhive Nemesis dotes over an object or a person, and values them above all else. Discovering this entity and capturing or destroying it can be the key to defeating the Underhive Nemesis and unravelling their plans. |
| 6 | An Unforgiving Master: The Underhive Nemesis serves a master who does not take kindly to failure. If the Underhive Nemesis fails at a key task, or is perceived to have failed, then their master will take care of the Underhive Nemesis, saving the gangs the effort. |
Representing The Underhive Nemesis On The Battlefield
All Underhive Nemeses need a model to represent them on the battlefield. This can be almost anything from the Citadel Miniatures range, as while an Underhive Nemesis might come from Necromunda, and be an ex- Clan House member or scion of a Noble House or the Merchants Guild, it is equally possible they have come from the greater Warhammer 40,000 universe and some other world of the Imperium. As such, an Underhive Nemesis model can be a lot of fun to convert and paint for the Arbitrator, as they raid their bits box to build a distinctive and fearsome individual to terrorise their players' gangs with.
The other source of models for an Underhive Nemesis is the players' gangs themselves. It can be fun to have a well-known gang Leader or Champion, perhaps one who has retired or was believed killed, return as an Underhive Nemesis. This brings a familiar figure back to the battlefield, one perhaps already laden with misdeeds and battles from previous campaigns, and one that will hold some emotional weight with the players. This can be especially fun if some of the fighters in the campaign have a connection to the Underhive Nemesis, perhaps the Underhive Nemesis gave them a lasting injury, or maybe they were once their old gang boss, making it all the more personal when the Underhive Nemesis opposes their plans.
Using The Underhive Nemesis
Once the Underhive Nemesis has been created, they are ready to make things difficult for the players' gangs and make their mark upon the campaign. Of course, they don't need to show up in every battle throwing their weight around, as even the most aggressive Underhive Nemeses are unlikely to want to get their hands dirty all the time. Choosing when and where to use the Underhive Nemesis will help impress their importance upon the players, as well as make those instances when the Underhive Nemesis does show up all the more special and desperate for the gangs. Even before the Underhive Nemesis shows up, it can be a good idea to let the players know they exist, either in the background for the campaign or by making them aware of some force moving behind the scenes as they attempt to carve out territory and influence for their gang, perhaps by changing the Territories at stake or making gangs take part in specific scenarios of the Arbitrator's choosing.
From a game mechanics point of view, there are two instances when the Arbitrator might want to represent the Underhive Nemesis on the battlefield. The first and most obvious is as an adversary controlled by the Arbitrator – perhaps in a special scenario or multi-player battle. In these instances, the Underhive Nemesis acts much like any other fighter, perhaps leading their own band of gangers or bodyguards and opposing the player, or players, and their efforts to win the scenario. This can be especially appropriate at the beginning or the end of a campaign cycle. A run-in with the campaign's Underhive Nemesis will set the tone for who is really opposing the players' gangs, while the Underhive Nemesis presents a suitable final obstacle for them to overcome to lay claim to a region of the underhive, secure a lost horde of archeotech or perhaps even escape the oppressive nature of their own existence and break 'free' into the wastes.
The second instance in which the Arbitrator can make use of an Underhive Nemesis is as an ally for one or more of the gangs. Perhaps one of the players has made a devil's bargain and secured the help of the Underhive Nemesis against their rivals, or maybe for a time the goals of both the gang and the Underhive Nemesis have aligned and they find themselves on the same side of a conflict. In these situations, the Arbitrator may 'loan out' the Underhive Nemesis to one of the players' gang, usually for a single scenario, in much the same way as a Hired Gun or ally might. Such instances always come with stipulations, however, and the Arbitrator is encouraged to impose restrictions on what the Underhive Nemesis will or won't do for the gang. Perhaps they'll only hang about for the first three turns, or won't move further than 3" from the gang Leader. They may even act only as an observer, only attacking if attacked themselves. This can be a fun way to create conflict between gangs, one gang trying to protect the Underhive Nemesis, the other trying to bring them down.
Killing Your Underhive Nemesis
A great Underhive Nemesis never really dies, though should the Arbitrator wish, they can be killed off at the end of a campaign by a suitably impressive feat on the part of the players' gangs (see Weaknesses on page 16 for ideas on how gangs might defeat an Underhive Nemesis).
Should an Underhive Nemesis be killed (i.e., suffer a Memorable Death result on the Lasting Injury table) while taking part in a scenario, it can be assumed that they survived somehow, and the Arbitrator should come up with a suitable narrative reason for their survival. Perhaps they were dragged off the battlefield by their retainers, or fell into the sump or an abyss, thought dead until they show up again. While on the surface this might seem frustrating for the players, it is actually far more satisfying to defeat an Underhive Nemesis by foiling their plans than with a lucky lascannon shot, and having an Underhive Nemesis remain a threat until the end of a campaign gives it a sense of ongoing drama in addition to the usual struggle between the gangs.
And, of course, even if an Underhive Nemesis is defeated by the players' gangs, they can always come back. One of their underlings could even rise up to take their place, donning the Underhive Nemesis' distinctive armour, taking up their signature weapon or continuing to enact their plans, proving that, on Necromunda, there is no such thing as victory – only surviving another cycle.
To highlight the importance of the Underhive Nemesis to the campaign, an extra Triumph can be invented for the player who managed to kill the Underhive Nemesis permanently. This makes for an ideal end to a campaign's multi-player scenario, as everyone attempts to claim the glory of ending the threat the Underhive Nemesis poses – and in doing so potentially opening up a chance for the Underhive Nemesis to escape!