Outlander Terrain
RAW ✔️ Book of the Outcast, p48
In the outlands, defences are even more important than in the rest of the underhive. Places such as Dust Falls, or even Sump City, survive by constant connection to the rest of the hive and the nominal protection of the Palanite Enforcers and Clan Houses. Not so the settlements deep in the badzones, who must endure on their own. Walls are perhaps the most important component of their defences, as a simple three-metre tall fence around your settlement can be enough to keep most critters from wandering in – or at least give the inhabitants time to shoot them in the head before they do. For the more security conscious, towers, gates, sentry guns, minefields and guard beasts are all options, and few settlements thrive for long without at least a few of these.
The following is a collection of terrain players will find useful for their games in the outlands. Some of these are defences for use with the Outlander Campaign found on page 62, while others are for use with the various scenarios found later in this book. In both cases, these terrain rules are suitable for any game of Necromunda, and, with the permission of the Arbitrator, may be included in other types of campaigns and scenarios, or even one-off games.
Gang Strongholds In Necromunda
The Gang Stronghold is a great addition to any Necromunda battlefield, and can be used alongside the Zone Mortalis terrain range to create a variety of options. If players choose, a Gang Stronghold can be used as the focal point of a scenario, with one gang defending their home turf from an assault by a rival. Any time a player's gang is the defender in a scenario and has the Home Turf Advantage, at the Arbitrator's discretion they can set up a Gang Stronghold. The advantage for the defender is that this will give them a far more defensible position to fight from, however, the rewards for the attacker will also be greater should they triumph.
Setting Up The Gang Stronghold
If a Gang Stronghold is being used as part of the scenario, the defending player can set it up in their deployment zone. Depending on the size of the battlefield and the scenario being played, this might mean some of the stronghold falls outside of the deployment zone. This is perfectly acceptable, but as much of the terrain as possible should be within the deployment zone. Players can then set up the rest of the terrain following the normal method.
Features of the Gang Stronghold
In addition to following the standard rules for terrain from the Necromunda Rulebook, such as ladders, cover and line of sight blocking, a Gang Stronghold includes a number of unique features, as described below.
Walls and Gates
The most common types of outland defensive terrain are walls and gates. Walls count as line of sight blocking terrain, though depending on their height may be scaled using the rules for climbing. Typically, if walls are present on the battlefield, they should either enclose one section of the battlefield (usually the defender's deployment zone) or cut it off from the rest of the battlefield by stretching from one side to the next. There is no exact size for walls, though they should be at least higher than a normal fighter but no higher than about 6". The Citadel Gang Stronghold kit is perfect to represent walls, though players can also build their own, if they wish.
When setting up a wall, it should have at least one gate. Gates follow the rules for Blast Doors:
Blast Doors: Blast Doors are counted as doors (see the Necromunda Rulebook) with the following exceptions. The defender can choose to lock or unlock a Blast Door using the Bolt Door (Simple) action. Blast Doors may begin a battle locked. Blast Doors do not have door terminals and cannot be opened with the Access Terminal (Basic) action or a gang tactic that causes a locked door to open or close.
If a Blast Door is forced open or destroyed, it will fly open away from the fighter forcing or attacking the door. Fighters within 1" of the far side of a Blast Door that flies open must make an Initiative check or suffer a Strength 4, AP -, Damage 1 hit and become Pinned.
Walls also often have openings for defenders to shoot through. These use the rules for Firing Ports:
Firing Ports: The walls of a Gang Stronghold are broken up by many firing ports, which allow defending fighters to fire out whilst remaining safe behind full cover. However, any fighter can crawl through a Firing Port in exactly the same way as they might crawl through a ductway, using the Crawl Through Ductway (Double) action, as described in the Necromunda Rulebook.
Watchtower
The Watchtower is an ideal place for the gang to keep a look-out for enemies. Any sentries placed in a Watchtower do not move if activated before the alarm is raised in a scenario in which the Sneak Attacks special rules are used, though may still be turned to face any direction by the player controlling them. In addition, a sentry in a Watchtower counts as having rolled a 12 for the purposes of Spotting Attackers.
Gunk Tank
A Gunk Tank is a valuable source of water, promethium or similar precious liquid for the gang. It can be used as an objective in any scenario requiring the attacker to reach a certain point on the battlefield or destroy a specific piece of terrain. Additionally, it counts as a Promethium Reservoir and uses the following additional rules:
High Pressure Gas: If a Promethium Reservoir is hit by a ranged or melee attack, roll a D6 and add the attacking weapon's Strength. On a 9+, the machine's iron casing has been pierced and unleashed a jet of fuel. Centre the 5" Blast marker on the point that was hit. Any fighter touched by the marker must pass an Initiative check or become blinded just as if they were hit by a weapon with the Flash trait. If the weapon that hit the reservoir has the Blaze trait, any fighter touched by the marker must pass an Initiative check or suffer a hit from a flamer instead.
Free Fuel: Flame weapons with the Scarce trait lose it when within 3" of a Promethium Reservoir. If the weapon doesn't have the Scarce trait then it gains the Plentiful trait instead while within this range.
Looting The Stronghold
In a scenario involving a Gang Stronghold, if the attacker is victorious they add an additional 3D6x10 credits to their gang's Stash as they loot their enemy's hideout.
Underhive Market
An Underhive Market is typically made up of a number of market stalls and other small terrain pieces arranged in a 12" diameter area. The Citadel Underhive Market terrain kit is perfect to represent this kind of terrain, though players can also build their own if they wish. In addition to following the standard rules for terrain from the Necromunda Rulebook, such as cover and line of sight blocking, an Underhive Market includes a number of unique features, as described below:
Market Loot
Underhive Market Stalls can be looted by enterprising gangers with a bit of time to spare in the midst of a firefight. A Market Stall counts as a Loot casket (see the Necromunda Rulebook) with the exception that it can be looted multiple times during the course of a battle. Use the following table instead of the one provided in the Necromunda Rulebook:
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Trapped!: The stall was booby-trapped; the fighter takes a Strength 3, AP -, Damage 1 hit and is Pinned. |
| 2-3 | Nothing Much: The stall contains some sundry items of small value that someone will have a use for. Add D3x5 credits to the gang's Stash. |
| 4-5 | It Wasn't Nailed Down: During the Visit the Trading Post step of the post-battle sequence, the gang gains one Common item worth 30 credits or less. |
| 6 | Jackpot!: During the Visit the Trading Post step of the post-battle sequence, the gang selects three items with a Rarity rating of 9 or less. Randomly choose which one they gain. |
Note that if an Underhive Market is controlled by a player, only their opponent can loot it.
Ammo Stashes
The traders in an Underhive Market always have additional ammo and weapons to hand. The controlling gang's fighters treat any Market Stalls and crates as Ammo Crates (see the Necromunda Rulebook). In addition, they may make the Resupply (Simple) action; roll a D6, on a 4+ they reload a weapon with the Single Shot trait and may fire it again later in the battle.
Poorly Constructed
Most Underhive Market Stalls are made from the most rudimentary materials such as scavenged bits of fabric and old scrap. As such, they are prone to destruction and damage. If a Market Stall is hit by a weapon with the Blast trait, roll 2D6. If the result is equal to or lower than the Strength of the weapon, then remove the stall from the battlefield (if players have a suitable rubble pile, this can be used to replace it). Additionally, if a Market Stall is hit by a weapon with the Blaze trait, it is automatically set on fire (mark it with a Blaze token or similar). Fighters in, or in base contact with, a Market Stall on fire must test to see if they catch fire just as if they had been hit by a weapon with the Blaze trait.