Designing your own Vehicle
RAW ✔️ Book of the Outlands, p60
Designing your own vehicle to use in games of Necromunda is easy; in order to create your own vehicle you just need to follow the following steps.
1. Choose Base Vehicle Template.
2. Purchase Vehicle Upgrades.
3. Purchase Wargear.
These steps are all described in more detail as follows.
Scavenged From The Ash
In much the same way that when founding a gang only a restricted list of equipment is available (you must hunt for more esoteric and rarer equipment as the campaign progresses!), when founding a gang only the simplest of vehicle creations are possible. In order to create more exotic and advanced vehicles, it may be necessary to build up the Upgrades and Wargear in your gang's Stash over the course of several games.
There is a dizzying variety of vehicles and machinery used upon the surface of Necromunda, and there are always mechanics looking to make ever more bizarre and exotic creations. Despite this, most vehicles encountered operating out in the ash wastes will be based on existing Imperial patterns (even if their origins are hard to discern!) and so players are encouraged to proceed from the basis of what they can imagine converting from the existing range of Citadel and Forge World vehicle kits, as this will give their creations a sound and believable grounding in the setting.
The key point to remember with these rules is that they are designed to allow players to use their own creations out in the wastes to help in the bitter inter-gang warfare. They are not intended to see what is the most powerful and dominant vehicle that can be made.
To aid with this, it is recommended that when designing their own vehicles, players start by building and painting the model they wish to use. This will aid them greatly in the design process as they can clearly see which Upgrades and Wargear are appropriate to the model.
1. Choose Base Vehicle Template
The first step in designing a vehicle is to select a base vehicle template. This will give a starting characteristic profile, initial Weapon Hardpoint(s) and how many Upgrade slots are available.
Vehicles in Necromunda come in a vast array of shapes and sizes, however they can broadly be placed into five different categories: light vehicles, medium vehicles, heavy vehicles, rigs and walkers.
Due to their immense size, rigs cannot be reliably constructed by mechs in the wastes and all existing ones conform to a standard design.
Light Vehicle
Usually based on a small, light chassis like the Wolfquad, these are the lightest and quickest vehicles cobbled together for use in the ash wastes, generally sacrificing durability for speed and manoeuvrability.
| M | Front | Side | Rear | HP | Hnd | Sv | BS | Ld | Cl | Wil | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7" | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6+ | 5+ | * | * | * | * | * |
Weapon Hardpoints: 1
Upgrade Slots: 1 Body, 2 Drive, 2 Engine
Special Rules: Jury-rigged, Weapon Hardpoints, Locomotion, Upgrade Slots Jury-rigged: This vehicle is cobbled together out of a mix of parts that were never designed to work together.
Whenever the Negotiate Repairs post-battle action is taken, double the credit cost of any repairs. Weapon Hardpoints: A Light Vehicle has 1 Weapon Hardpoint as standard (see page 64). Locomotion: This vehicle either has the Wheeled or Tracked special rule, decided when the vehicle is purchased.
If Tracked is chosen, reduce the vehicle's Movement characteristic by 1". This affects how the vehicle interacts
with terrain (see page 68). Upgrade Slots: A Light Vehicle has the following Upgrade slots available: A custom vehicle may be equipped with vehicle Upgrades, vehicle Wargear and weapons from the Custom Vehicle equipment list. Additional vehicle equipment is available to all six House gangs. Consult the Wasteland Additional Rules of each gang page for their specific options.Special Rules
Body Drive Engine 1 2 2 Custom Vehicle Equipment
Custom Vehicle Equipment List
Vehicles Upgrades
Item Credits Body Upgrades Crash cage 15 Escape hatches 10 Extra armour 25 Ram 15 Transport bed 15 Drive Upgrades All-wheel steering 10 Emergency brake 10 Tyre claws 10 Engine Upgrades Easy turnover 5 Nitro burners 15 Smoke vents 25 Weapons
Item Credits Basic Autogun 15 Lasgun 15 Special Grenade launcher with frag & krak grenades 65 Long las 20 Heavy Harpoon launcher 110 Heavy stubber 130 Mining laser 125 Vehicle Wargear
Item Credits Boarding ramp 15 Body spikes 10 Flare launchers 10 Headlights 15 Smoke launchers 20 Wheel scythes 20
RAW ✔️ Book of the Outlands, p61
Medium Vehicle
Usually based on a flexible chassis like the Ridgerunner, these vehicles balance speed and durability in an attempt to create a balanced vehicle suitable for most situations. These form the backbone of any gang.
| M | Front | Side | Rear | HP | Hnd | Sv | BS | Ld | Cl | Wil | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6" | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 7+ | 4+ | * | * | * | * | * |
Weapon Hardpoints: 1
Upgrade Slots: 2 Body, 2 Drive, 3 Engine
Special Rules: Jury-rigged, Weapon Hardpoints, Locomotion, Upgrade Slots Jury-rigged: This vehicle is cobbled together out of a mix of parts that were never designed to work together. Whenever the Negotiate Repairs post-battle action is taken, double the credit cost of any repairs. Weapon Hardpoints: A Medium Vehicle has 1 Weapon Hardpoint as standard (see page 64). Locomotion: This vehicle either has the Wheeled or Tracked special rule, decided when the vehicle is purchased. If Tracked is chosen, reduce the vehicle's Movement characteristic by 1". This affects how the vehicle interacts with terrain (see page 68). Upgrade Slots: A Medium Vehicle has the following Upgrade slots available: A custom vehicle may be equipped with vehicle Upgrades, vehicle Wargear and weapons from the Custom Vehicle equipment list. Additional vehicle equipment is available to all six House gangs. Consult the Wasteland Additional Rules of each gang page for their specific options.Special Rules
Body Drive Engine 2 2 3 Custom Vehicle Equipment
Custom Vehicle Equipment List
Vehicles Upgrades
Item Credits Body Upgrades Crash cage 15 Escape hatches 10 Extra armour 25 Ram 15 Transport bed 15 Drive Upgrades All-wheel steering 10 Emergency brake 10 Tyre claws 10 Engine Upgrades Easy turnover 5 Nitro burners 15 Smoke vents 25 Weapons
Item Credits Basic Autogun 15 Lasgun 15 Special Grenade launcher with frag & krak grenades 65 Long las 20 Heavy Harpoon launcher 110 Heavy stubber 130 Mining laser 125 Vehicle Wargear
Item Credits Boarding ramp 15 Body spikes 10 Flare launchers 10 Headlights 15 Smoke launchers 20 Wheel scythes 20
RAW ✔️ Book of the Outlands, p62
Heavy Vehicle
Usually based on a hardy chassis like the Rockgrinder, these vehicles are the largest that a gang can construct for themselves. Lumbering machines, they are ideal for hazardous journeys across the ash wastes. In firefights they rely upon their ability to take damage rather than evade it.
| M | Front | Side | Rear | HP | Hnd | Sv | BS | Ld | Cl | Wil | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 8+ | 4+ | * | * | * | * | * |
Weapon Hardpoints: 2
Upgrade Slots: 4 Body, 3 Drive, 2 Engine
Special Rules: Jury-rigged, Weapon Hardpoints, Locomotion, Upgrade Slots Jury-rigged: This vehicle is cobbled together out of a mix of parts that were never designed to work together. Whenever the repair post-battle action is taken, double the credit cost of any repairs. Weapon Hardpoints: A Heavy Vehicle has 2 Weapon Hardpoints as standard (see page 64). Locomotion: This vehicle either has the Wheeled or Tracked special rule, decided when the vehicle is purchased. If Tracked is chosen, reduce the vehicle's Movement characteristic by 1". This affects how the vehicle interacts with terrain (see page 68). Upgrade Slots: A Heavy Vehicle has the following Upgrade slots available: A custom vehicle may be equipped with vehicle Upgrades, vehicle Wargear and weapons from the Custom Vehicle equipment list. Additional vehicle equipment is available to all six House gangs. Consult the Wasteland Additional Rules of each gang page for their specific options.Special Rules
Body Drive Engine 4 3 2 Custom Vehicle Equipment
Custom Vehicle Equipment List
Vehicles Upgrades
Item Credits Body Upgrades Crash cage 15 Escape hatches 10 Extra armour 25 Ram 15 Transport bed 15 Drive Upgrades All-wheel steering 10 Emergency brake 10 Tyre claws 10 Engine Upgrades Easy turnover 5 Nitro burners 15 Smoke vents 25 Weapons
Item Credits Basic Autogun 15 Lasgun 15 Special Grenade launcher with frag & krak grenades 65 Long las 20 Heavy Harpoon launcher 110 Heavy stubber 130 Mining laser 125 Vehicle Wargear
Item Credits Boarding ramp 15 Body spikes 10 Flare launchers 10 Headlights 15 Smoke launchers 20 Wheel scythes 20
RAW ✔️ Book of the Outlands, p62
Custom Rig
Although rare, the most talented of mechanics are capable of creating their own custom built vehicles on the scale of the Cargo-8 Ridgehauler. These vehicles are notoriously unreliable and yet still highly prized due to their imposing presence out in the wastes.
| M | Front | Side | Rear | HP | Hnd | Sv | BS | Ld | Cl | Wil | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7" | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7+ | 4+ | * | * | * | * | * |
Weapon Hardpoints: 2
Upgrade Slots: 4 Body, 4 Drive, 4 Engine
Special Rules: Jury-rigged, Weapon Hardpoints, Locomotion, Upgrade Slots Jury-rigged: This vehicle is cobbled together out of a mix of parts that were never designed to work together. Whenever the Negotiate Repairs post-battle action is taken, double the credits cost of any repairs. Weapon Hardpoints: A Custom Rig has 2 Weapon Hardpoints as standard (see page 135). Locomotion: This vehicle either has the Wheeled or Tracked special rule, decided when the vehicle is purchased. If Tracked is chosen, reduce the vehicle's Movement characteristic by 1". This affects how the vehicle interacts with terrain (see the Necromunda Core Rulebook). Upgrade Slots: A Custom Rig has the following Upgrade slots available: A Custom Rig may be equipped with vehicle Upgrades, vehicle Wargear and weapons from the Custom Rig equipment list.Special Rules
Body Drive Engine 4 4 4 Custom Rig Equipment
Custom Rig Equipment List
Vehicles Upgrades
Item Credits Body Upgrades Crash cage 15 Escape hatches 10 Extra armour 25 Ram 15 Transport bed 15 Transport cage - Small 20 0-2 Weapon Hardpoints 40 Drive Upgrades All-wheel steering 10 Emergency brake 10 Powered steering 30 Redundant drive system 15 Tyre claws 10 Engine Upgrades Easy turnover 5 Engine shell 15 Glys injector 20 Nitro burners 15 Smoke vents 25 Weapons
Item Credits Basic Autogun 15 Lasgun 15 Special Grenade launcher with frag and krak grenades 65 Long las 20 Heavy Heavy stubber 130 Mining laser 125 Vehicle Wargear
Item Credits Body spikes 10 Flare launchers 10 Headlights 15 Searchlight 10 Smoke launchers 20 Wheel scythes 20
RAW ✔️ The Book of Desolation, p112
Walker
Often based on a bipedal vehicle such as the ubiquitous Sentinel, walkers are not as fast as other vehicles but are extremely manoeuvrable, able to bring their firepower to bear wherever it is needed.
| M | Front | Side | Rear | HP | Hnd | Sv | BS | Ld | Cl | Wil | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5" | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4+ | 5+ | * | * | * | * | * |
Weapon Hardpoints: 1
Upgrade Slots: 2 Body, 1 Drive, 2 Engine
Special Rules: Jury-rigged, Weapon Hardpoints, Locomotion, Upgrade Slots Jury-rigged: This vehicle is cobbled together out of a mix of parts that were never designed to work together. Whenever the Negotiate Repairs post-battle action is taken, double the credit cost of any repairs. Weapon Hardpoints: A Walker has 1 Weapon Hardpoint as standard (see page 64). Locomotion: This vehicle has the Walker special rule. This affects how the vehicle moves and interacts with terrain (see page 68). Upgrade Slots: A Walker has the following Upgrade slots available: A custom vehicle may be equipped with vehicle Upgrades, vehicle Wargear and weapons from the Custom Vehicle equipment list.Special Rules
Body Drive Engine 2 1 2 Custom Vehicle Equipment
Custom Vehicle Equipment List
Vehicles Upgrades
Item Credits Body Upgrades Crash cage 15 Escape hatches 10 Extra armour 25 Ram 15 Transport bed 15 Drive Upgrades All-wheel steering 10 Emergency brake 10 Tyre claws 10 Engine Upgrades Easy turnover 5 Nitro burners 15 Smoke vents 25 Weapons
Item Credits Basic Autogun 15 Lasgun 15 Special Grenade launcher with frag & krak grenades 65 Long las 20 Heavy Harpoon launcher 110 Heavy stubber 130 Mining laser 125 Vehicle Wargear
Item Credits Boarding ramp 15 Body spikes 10 Flare launchers 10 Headlights 15 Smoke launchers 20 Wheel scythes 20
RAW ✔️ Book of the Outlands, p63
Custom Vehicle Equipment
A custom vehicle may be equipped with vehicle Upgrades, vehicle Wargear and weapons from the Custom Vehicle equipment list.
- During the course of a campaign, a Custom Vehicle may be fitted with additional vehicle Wargear and vehicle Upgrades from the Custom Vehicle equipment list, the Trading Post and the Black Market.
- During the course of a campaign, any custom vehicle hardpoints can be equipped with a weapon from this list or the Basic, Special or Heavy sections of the Trading Post or Black Market.
Custom Vehicle Equipment List
| Vehicles Upgrades | Credits |
|---|---|
| Body Upgrades | |
| Crash cage | 15 |
| Escape hatches | 10 |
| Extra armour | 25 |
| Ram | 15 |
| Transport bed | 15 |
| Drive Upgrades | |
| All-wheel steering | 10 |
| Emergency brake | 10 |
| Tyre claws | 10 |
| Engine Upgrades | |
| Easy turnover | 5 |
| Nitro burners | 15 |
| Smoke vents | 25 |
| Weapons | Credits |
|---|---|
| Basic | |
| Autogun | 15 |
| Lasgun | 15 |
| Special | |
| Grenade launcher with frag & krak grenades | 65 |
| Long las | 20 |
| Heavy | |
| Harpoon launcher | 110 |
| Heavy stubber | 130 |
| Mining laser | 125 |
| Vehicle Wargear | Credits |
|---|---|
| Boarding ramp | 15 |
| Body spikes | 10 |
| Flare launchers | 10 |
| Headlights | 15 |
| Smoke launchers | 20 |
| Wheel scythes | 20 |
2. Purchase Vehicle Upgrades
The next step is to purchase and fit Upgrades to the vehicle. These are broken down into three areas: Body, Drive and Engine. Each vehicle template has a set number of Upgrade slots – this indicates the maximum number of each type of Upgrade that can be fitted.
Unless stated otherwise, no Upgrade can be fitted more than once.
Upgrades are purchased from the Trading Post in the same manner as other equipment; when creating a vehicle they can either be purchased from the Trading Post or used from the gang's Stash.
See Vehicle Upgrades available in the Trading Post: Vehicle Upgrades section.
Weapon Hardpoints
Weapon Hardpoints are a special form of Upgrade that come with a variety of additional options.
When a Weapon Hardpoint is added to a vehicle (including any that come as standard on vehicle templates), the following steps must be taken:
- If it is not specified, the Weapon Hardpoint must be designated as either crew or passenger operated. All weapons fitted to the Weapon Hardpoint gain either the Crew Operated or Passenger Operated trait.
- If it is not specified, the Weapon Hardpoint must have a set arc (Front, Left, Right or Rear). All weapons fitted to the Weapon Hardpoint gain the Arc (Front, Left, Right or Rear) trait.
- If the Weapon Hardpoint is on a custom vehicle, additional arcs can be added for 15 credits each, so Arc (All Round) would cost an additional 45 credits.
- Each Weapon Hardpoint can hold one Basic, Special or Heavy weapon.
- The fitted weapon can be swapped in between battles with weapons in the gang's Stash.
- Not all Weapon Hardpoints have to have a weapon fitted, but they can never have more than one weapon fitted.
Locomotion Special Rules
All vehicles must have a Locomotion special rule – this dictates how they interact with terrain. The four Locomotive special rules are Skimmer, Tracked, Walker and Wheeled.
Skimmer: Skimmers ignore all difficult terrain and dangerous terrain when moving. However, if it ends its activation on difficult terrain or dangerous terrain, a vehicle with the Skimmer locomotion rule must make a Handling check. If the check is passed, it has successfully negotiated the terrain. If it is failed, it suffers an immediate Catastrophic Hit to its Drive.
Tracked: Tracked vehicles are designed to keep going over all terrain – though they struggle to reach high speeds. A tracked vehicle suffers no penalty for moving over difficult terrain.
Walker: Walkers are highly manoeuvrable and agile, but lack the speed of other forms of locomotion. A walker may make as many turns during their activation as they wish. For every 1" a walker moves through difficult terrain, it counts as having moved 2". Walkers are unable to take certain Upgrades and Wargear – these will be indicated in the Upgrade's or Wargear's description.
Wheeled: Wheeled vehicles are able to reach high speeds but struggle to maintain the speed over rough terrain. For every 1" a wheeled vehicle moves through difficult terrain, it counts as having moved 2".
3. Purchase Wargear
The next step is to purchase and fit Wargear for the vehicle. Unless stated otherwise, no item of Wargear can be fitted more than once.
Wargear is purchased from the Trading Post in the same manner as other equipment; when creating a vehicle they can either be purchased from the Trading Post or used from the gang's Stash.
Vehicle Wargear
See Vehicle Wargear available in the Trading Post: Vehicle Wargear section.