Underhells Scenarios

RAW ✔️ Necromunda: Hive Secundus Rulebook, p126

As the Secundan Incursion gangs delve into the depths of the Underhells, they will face increasingly dangerous opponents and more hazardous environments. The Underhells themselves come with their own set of challenges, from perpetual underhive gloom that makes seeing anything more than a few metres away difficult, to the constant psychic horror projected by the Malstrain Patriarch. The Underhells of Hive Secundus are a unique and deadly environment, even more dangerous than the underhive or the ash wastes. To represent this increased peril, a number of additional rules are used for any games that take place in this hellish locale.

The Hunting Ground

The area an Underhells scenario takes place in is called the Hunting Ground. If you are using the contents of the Necromunda: Hive Secundus boxed game, the Hunting Ground will be represented by the two 24"x18" playmats provided. Each playmat has two sides, one with sections where the floor has fallen away and one where the floor is intact. All scenarios that take place during the Underhells Entry phase use the sides with intact floors - during the Exploration phase one playmat will have collapsed sections and one will be intact, and during the Confrontation phase both playmats will use the side with collapsed sections. Each scenario will give instruction on how the playmats are placed together and the Malstrain player decides how they are orientated.

Alternatively, players can set up their own Hunting Ground. When setting up a Hunting Ground for an Underhells battle, mark out an area 3'x2'. Larger or smaller areas can also work, but the Arbitrator might need to adjust the scenario objectives accordingly. The Malstrain player then sets up the terrain in the Hunting Ground, following the guidance provided by the scenario.

note

Creating The Underhells

The Underhells are a tangle of twisted metal and tortured architecture - the result of a hive that was devastated by war then left for years to rust and decay. Each region of the hive has its own unique look and feel, and while they can be ably represented by the Zone Mortalis Ruins terrain set, players can, if they choose, model these elements onto their own Hunting Grounds. This could include such unique environments as sludge rivers, overgrown fungi jungles, collapsed domes or Malstrain Genestealer nests.

Doors

Each scenario will state how many doors may be placed upon the hunting ground. Doors are placed by the Malstrain player and may start the battle either open or closed as the Malstrain player wishes.

Collapsed Sections

The Hive Secundus Playmats feature several collapsed sections, leading ever down into the dangerous depths. Fighters cannot voluntarily move into these holes. If a fighter is moved into one involuntarily (for example, by a weapon with the Knockback trait), or is forced to become Prone and Pinned while within 1" of a hole, make an Initiative test for the fighter. If the test is passed then they stop at the edge of the hole and if they are Standing and Active become Prone and Pinned. If the test is failed, they are taken Out of Action. Remove them from the battlefield and roll on the Lasting Injury table for them.

A collapsed section on the Hive Secundus Playmat.

Forces Of The Malstrain

The Malstrain does not have a gang roster to represent their forces. Instead, before each battle they create their forces using Malstrain Points (MP). Each scenario will indicate how many MP the Malstrain player has to build their force, modified by the Territory the battle is being fought over.

Building Malstrain Forces

Full guidelines on building the Malstrain forces can be found on page 148.

Malstrain Reinforcements

After deploying the starting Malstrain forces, all remaining Malstrain forces are shuffled together to form a Reinforcements deck. At the end of each round's End phase, a number of reinforcements as indicated by the scenario, plus any Brood Scum that were removed from the battlefield that turn, arrive using the Reinforcement rules on page 123.

Malstrain Rules

The following special rules apply to the Malstrain forces:

• They do not gain Experience, cannot perform Post-battle actions and when taken Out of Action : are always considered to have rolled the Out Cold (15-26) result.
• When Brood Scum are taken Out of Action, they arrive as Reinforcements that round.
• During the Recovery step of the End phase, any Prone and Seriously Injured Malstrain forces may be removed from the battlefield, Brood Scum will return as Reinforcements as if they had been taken Out of Action.
• Malstrain forces automatically pass any Ammo tests Nerve tests or Bottle checks they make.

Underhive Gloom

The Underhells of Secundus are shadow-filled warrens where often the only light is that which the Secundan Incursion gang bring with them. The Visibility (6") rule is always in effect for Underhells battles.

Spyrers and Malstrain Genestealers are not affected by the rules for Underhive Gloom.

Terror In The Dark

The Underhells of Secundus are unsettling places, even without the ever present threat of alien horrors and vicious beasts lurking in the shadows. To make matters worse, hunters must contend with the constant psychic terror projected by the Malstrain Patriarch which can quickly erode their spirit. If a Secundan Incursion fighter (other than the Spyrer) activates more than 6" from another Secundan Incursion fighter (the Spyrer does not count and are themselves immune to this rule), they must pass a Nerve test or become Broken. When a Broken Secundan Incursion fighter flees, they will move towards the nearest friendly fighter (the Spyrer does not count).

Data Crystals

The ancient treasures of Secundus, data crystals contain fragments of the hive's lost glory in the form of wondrous technologies, priceless works of art and lost lore on the nature of the world itself. Even the most base of these crystals is worth its weight in credits, with some fetching the price of an entire outland settlement. They are the wealth hunters seek in the depths of the hive and the reason they brave something so abhorrently evil as the Malstrain.

Each Underhells scenario will include two Data Crystal Stacks, one on each playmat.

Any Secundan Incursion fighter (except the Spyrer) in base contact with a Data Crystal Stack can perform the Harvest Data Crystal (Basic) action:

Harvest Data Crystal (Basic): Harvest one Data Crystal from the Data Crystal Stack. Make a note or place a dice or token to keep track of the number of Data Crystals gathered during the scenario - these will be added to the Secundan Incursion gang's Stash at the end of the battle.

The Spyrer

Spyre Hunters care little for the lives of the fighters they accompany into the depths of the Underhells, viewing them as merely useful tools for flushing out the Malstrain. Unless otherwise noted, the Spyrer is always included in the Secundan Incursion gang's starting crew and does not count as one of their crew selections. Additionally, unless specified in the scenario, the Spyrer does not count as a fighter when working out victory conditions or as a fighter 'on the battlefield' when checking to see if the battle ends.

Fleeing the Battlefield

The Secundan Incursion gang do not take Bottle checks like a normal gang. Instead, in the End phase of any turn they can choose to cut their losses and retreat from the battlefield. Make an Intelligence test for each non-Spyrer fighter. If this test is passed, remove them from the battlefield. Otherwise, they must stay in place and try to survive another round. Standing and Engaged fighters cannot flee the battlefield and must try to escape the combat before attempting to flee.

Any Prone and Seriously Injured fighters who flee in this way must check to see if they succumb to their injuries (see page 94).

Note that the Spyrer can only flee the battlefield if there are no other friendly fighters in play, and then may do so in the End phase without making a test