Expanded Zone Mortalis Terrain
RAW ✔️ Source: White Dwarf 449, Return to Zone Mortalis (12/2019)
Scenarios listed as Zone Mortalis scenarios can be played using the following rules in conjunction with the plastic Zone Mortalis terrain. After battlefield set-up, but before deployment of gangs, players should decide between themselves if wall sections can be climbed over (counting the tops of the walls and columns as platforms), or if the tabletop represents a region of flat tunnels covered by an imaginary roof.
Underhive Sectors: To aid navigation through the labyrinthine hive sprawl, each tunnel is given an alphanumerical value upon construction to ensure each section is codified and recorded. However, most have colourful nicknames granted to them by gangs who operate in the surrounding areas, such as 'Rad Run', 'Corpse Corridor', and 'Hangman's Highway'.
When a scenario requires setting up a tile during battlefield set-up, this refers to a 1'x1' Zone Mortalis Floor tile. The player that sets up a tile can also set up any appropriate terrain upon it.
Necromunda is riddled with tunnels and claustrophobic chambers, within which gangs engage in brutal closequarters combat. When playing a '2D' Zone Mortalis game, walls follow the same rules presented on page 52 of the Necromunda: Rulebook.
If the terrain is not flat, but rather arranged threedimensionally in levels with platforms, walkways, etc., then it functions as a 3D warzone, with lines of sight determined as per the terrain sections themselves.
Expanded Zone Mortalis Terrain Rules
Hive cities are complex and often deadly ecosystems unto themselves, and the narrow passageways and extensive networks of platforms are some of many hazardous environments gangs might fight over. Games of Necromunda can be played on almost any kind of terrain, and the core rules cover interacting with most standard types. However, if players choose, they can add the additional rules presented here to allow fighters to interact with the Zone Mortalis terrain to a greater degree. These rules can be used in conjunction with any other terrain special rules, such as those presented in Necromunda: Book of Peril. After the battlefield has been set up, players should decide between themselves which pieces of terrain, if any, follow which special rules.
Lift
Traversing a hive is far from simple, requiring a person to move between multiple levels, sometimes seemingly travelling in the wrong direction, just to reach a destination quite nearby. Lifts of varying sizes are a common sight, offering a rapid means of transport for both people and cargo.
If a fighter moves onto a lift as part of a Move (Simple) action, they can declare they are moving the lift. When they do so, the lift is counted as having moved vertically, up or down, up to 4". The fighter can then use any remaining movement as part of their Move (Simple) action to move as normal. A Standing and Active fighter that starts their activation on a lift can move the lift before declaring any actions. A lift can only be moved once per round. Any model standing on the lift moves with it.
If, when moving the lift, a fighter other than any moving with the lift finds themselves occupying the same space as the lift, they must make an Initiative check. If the check is passed, the fighter moves up to 2" in a direction of their choice. They cannot end this movement within 1" of an enemy fighter. If the fighter cannot move out of the way of the lift with this move, or the Initiative test is failed, the fighter suffers a wound inflicted by an attack with a Damage 3 characteristic, with no saves allowed. So long as the fighter is not taken Out of Action, they are moved as short a distance as possible so that they are no longer obstructing the lift. The fighter cannot move within 1" of an enemy fighter unless there is no alternative.
Doors
In the depths of Necromunda, countless doors guard the passages between one sector and the next. In the underhive, opening a door is a perilous affair, for one can never be sure if they will find treasure or terror on the other side.
Doors follow the rules presented on page 52 of the Necromunda: Rulebook. A fighter may open a closed door or close an open door by performing an Operate Door (Simple) action during their activation. If a fighter is within an open doorway when the door is closed, they must make an Initiative check. If the check is passed, the fighter moves up to 2" in a direction of their choice. They cannot end this movement within 1" of an enemy fighter. If the fighter cannot move out of the doorway with this move, or the Initiative test is failed, the fighter suffers a Wound inflicted by an attack with a Damage 3 characteristic, with no saves allowed.
So long as the fighter is not taken Out of Action, the fighter is moved as short a distance as possible so that they are no longer obstructing the door; randomise which side of the door they move to if they are directly between the two sides. The fighter cannot move within 1" of an enemy fighter unless there is no alternative.
"Mind the Doors!"
RAW ✔️ Source: Necromunda: Hive War, Rulebook (2021)
If a fighter is standing in an open doorway when the door is closed (in other words, they are in the way of the closing door), they must make an Initiative check. If the check is passed, they move up to 2" in a direction of their choice, but cannot end the move within 1" of an enemy fighter. If they cannot clear the doorway with this move, or if the Initiative test is failed, the fighter suffers an automatic Strength 3, AP -, Damage 2 hit. If they survive, move them as short a distance as possible so that they are no longer obstructing the door (randomise which side of the door they end up on if they are directly between the two sides); they cannot move within 1" of an enemy unless there is no alternative.
Stairs
Lifts and ladders are not the only means of moving between levels, with many connected by twisting staircases stained with centuries of decay.
When climbing stairs between the levels of a structure, there are no modifiers to a fighter's movement. A fighter may end their action or activation on stairs as if they were a flat surface.
If a fighter goes from Standing to Prone while on stairs, they are at risk of falling down them. Should this happen, the fighter must make an Initiative check. If the check is passed, nothing happens. If the check is failed, or if a natural 1 is rolled, the fighter immediately falls down the stairs. Place the fighter at the bottom of the stairs (or a mid-staircase landing if one is present). If a fighter falls 3" or more down the staircase, they take a hit (S3, AP-, Damage 1). A falling fighter is immediately Prone and Pinned and their activation ends.
Control Panels
Control panels are common in a hive, controlling everything from cargo lifts to slag furnaces.
Control panels exist on some pieces of Zone Mortalis terrain, or might be freestanding pieces of scenery placed next to a piece of terrain or door. If players wish, certain control panels may operate a piece of terrain anywhere on the board, rather than adjacent to the panel.
Players should agree beforehand what constitutes a control panel, and a control panel should be clearly identifiable. A fighter within 1" of a control panel can make an Access Terminal (Basic) action. Make an Intelligence check with a -2 modifier for the fighter. If successful, they can immediately activate one of the terrain piece's effects, such as a lift. Alternatively, the fighter can shut down the terrain's mechanism until the following round's End phase, or if already shut down, reactivate it. While a piece of terrain is shut down, it has no additional rules associated with it – i.e. lifts cannot be moved, etc.
Ductways
All manner of tunnels, crawlspaces, and other hidden passageways that a slippery ganger can squeeze through riddle the walls of the underhive.
Certain sections of wall can be constructed with a ductway entry, and certain special rules or Gang Tactics cards can create new ductways during a game. Ductways can be up to 2" in length and can be placed across any 2"-wide wall or any other terrain features that would otherwise be impassable. Their presence allows fighters to crawl through a narrow duct and traverse the terrain feature by using the Crawl Through Ductway (Double) action.
Floor Hatch
Hatches in the underhive might open up into a network of passageways that offer ideal flanking routes for those intelligent enough to navigate them. They might equally open up into an endless maze filled with toxic chems and mutant rats ...
A fighter can use a floor hatch to traverse the battlefield. If a fighter ends a Move (Simple) within 1" of a hatch, they can be removed from the battlefield. In the End phase of the following round, make an Intelligence check for the fighter. If they are successful, their controlling player must place them standing within 1" of any other hatch anywhere on the battlefield, provided that they can be set up so that they are not within 1" of an enemy fighter and so that their base does not overlap that of another friendly fighter or an obstacle. If they fail, then the controlling player's opponent may place the fighter within 1" of any hatch on the battlefield or choose to leave them off the battlefield – in this case, the fighter must make an Intelligence check in the next End phase, and if successful, can be placed as explained above.
Toxic Sludge
In the underhive, much toxic and corrosive waste drips down from the manufactorum levels above, pooling in forgotten passageways and busy thoroughfares alike.
Some Zone Mortalis tiles may feature pools of toxic sludge. While a fighter is standing at least partially in a pool of toxic sludge, their Toughness characteristic is reduced by1. In addition, at the start of the End phase, roll a D6 for each Prone fighter that is at least partially within a pool of toxic sludge. On a roll of 1, they go Out of Action.
Pitfalls
Many stretches of the underhive are poorly maintained, and even the most stable-seeming of floor sections can collapse, revealing bottomless pits below.
Certain tiles can feature holes in the surface, called pitfalls, that lead to long, potentially deadly drops. Fighters cannot voluntarily move into a pitfall. If a fighter is moved into a pitfall involuntarily (for example, by a weapon with the Knockback trait), or becomes Prone while within 1" of a pitfall (but not if they voluntarily go Prone, i.e.: if the controlling player chooses to place the fighter Prone for any reason), make an Initiative check for them. If the check is failed, the fighter will fall and immediately goes Out of Action. If the check is passed, they stop at the edge of the hole and, if they are standing, they become Pinned.
Should a pitfall ever open up onto a platform or structure that is above ground level, any fighter that falls into it does not immediately go Out of Action. Instead, if the fighter is able to fall directly down to a lower level, the fighter will do so as described in the Necromunda: Rulebook.
Stills
The underhive is rife with stills that are a vital component in the transportation of toxic substances to the lowest reaches of the Hive.
A fighter can purposefully attack a still with either a Ranged or a Melee weapon, counting the terrain as if it were an enemy fighter and choosing a point on the terrain as their target. In addition, a still might be hit with stray shots. If a still is hit, do not make any saves or rolls to wound. Instead the following occurs:
If a still is hit by a Ranged or Melee weapon attack, roll a D6 and add the Strength of the weapon. If the result is an 8 or higher, it explodes as if it were a gas grenade. Once this happens, a still has no further effect for the remainder of the game.
Protein Reclamator
The mechanisms by which the Corpse Grinders reclaim and process the meat that will become corpse starch are gruesome in the extreme ...
The protein reclamator follows the rules for pitfalls (as described previously); however, if a fighter falls into it, they are not taken Out of Action. Instead, they become Prone and Pinned within the protein reclamator, and their activation ends immediately.
Next time the fighter is activated, they must perform two Move (Simple) actions to climb out of the protein reclamator. At the end of this activation, they become Prone and Pinned at the outside edge of the protein reclamator.
Additionally, any Standing and Active fighter within 1" of a control panel attached to the protein reclamator (and not within the protein reclamator) can perform the following action:
Cycle Protein Reclamator (Basic): Make an Intelligence check for the fighter. If this check is passed, the protein reclamator briefly surges into life, and any fighters in the protein reclamator are taken Out of Action. In a campaign battle, no Lasting Injury roll is made; this automatically counts as a 61-65 (Critical Injury).