Delaque Terrain
RAW ✔️ House of Shadow, p101
Gangs often make use of terrain in their battles against their rivals. Sometimes, this is whatever is lying around the underhive battlefield, such as barrels for cover or boltholes from which to launch ambushes. Other times they bring the terrain with them, setting up fixed weapon platforms, defensive barricades or piles of ammo crates within easy reach of their fighters.
Delaque gangs can call upon a number of specialist terrain features to include in their battles. These pieces of terrain are bought from the Trading Post during the post-battle sequence. Once bought, they are added to the gang's stash, and can be fielded in any game the gang plays unless noted otherwise.
Placing Gang Terrain
Gang terrain is placed on the battlefield before any fighters are deployed. A gang can place its terrain in its own deployment area, or, if noted, in no-man's land (i.e., anywhere outside their opponent's deployment zone and their own deployment zone). Some pieces of terrain (as noted in their descriptions) can only be used if the gang is the defender in a scenario with an attacker and a defender.
Delaque Terrain
| Terrain | Cost (Credits) | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Whisperbox | 60 | Rare (10) |
| Sightblind Trap | 40 | Rare (11) |
| Shadow Veil | 50 | Rare (9) |
| Web Trap | 80 | Rare (11) |
| Euclidean Artefact | 90 | Rare (9) |
Hidden Traps
Some traps are cunningly hidden among the gloom and debris of the underhive, fighters not knowing if a pile of rubble is just more rubbish or a deadly surprise. If a trap uses the Hidden Traps rule then it is represented on the battlefield by not one but six markers. These markers can be tokens, or appropriate terrain elements on 25mm bases. When preparing these markers, one out of the six is the real trap (mark its underside, or secretly make a note to determine which one is real), the others are false traps. When a fighter triggers a trap, as detailed in the trap's description, it is revealed. False traps are discarded while the real trap remains on the battlefield. Note that even when the real trap is revealed, other false traps remain on the battlefield until they have been interacted with – this is important if more than one trap is in play, as it will keep the enemy guessing as to just how many traps remain to be discovered.
Whisperbox
Delaque gangs are often accompanied into battle by faint whispers and barely heard curses that unnerve their foes. There is nothing supernatural about this, however. It is caused by the Delaque sneaking onto the battlefield beforehand and hiding small voxcasters known as whisperboxes.
A Whisperbox can be placed anywhere on the battlefield that is not within the enemy's deployment zone. While in play, all enemy fighters within 8" of the Whisperbox must apply a -1 modifier to the dice roll when making Cool checks. Though they are represented by a token or base, Whisperboxes are difficult to find and destroy. An enemy fighter in base contact with a Whisperbox may try to destroy it as a Basic action by making an Intelligence check with a -3 penalty to the dice roll. If the check is passed, the Whisperbox is destroyed.
A Whisperbox can be represented by a 25mm marker or a piece of terrain modelled on a 25mm Necromunda base.
Sightblind Trap
House Delaque use a variety of traps to ensnare or disable their foes, such as sightblind traps that let off intensive bursts of light and sound to confuse and disorientate enemies.
Sightblind traps can be set up anywhere on the battlefield outside of your opponent's deployment zone. A Sightblind Trap is a Hidden Trap and has the following weapon profile:
| Weapon | Rg S | Rg L | Ac S | Ac L | S | AP | D | Am | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sightblind trap | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Blast (5"), Flash, Single Shot |
When an enemy fighter moves within 2" of a Sightblind Trap marker, they must immediately stop and the marker is flipped over. If the marker reveals a false trap, it is removed from play. If the marker reveals the real trap, it explodes immediately with the above profile. Note that when a Sightblind Trap explodes, every fighter that is touched by the Blast marker is hit.
Shadow Veil
Shadow veils are devices used by the Delaque to lower the surrounding light levels in an area. By absorbing photo-radiation, the small object, akin to an antenna or vox dish, causes gloom to gather around it, while the device itself is shrouded in blackness.
A Shadow Veil can be placed anywhere on the battlefield that is not within the enemy's deployment zone. While in play, the area within 3" of the Shadow Veil is subject to the Pitch Black rules (as detailed in the Necromunda Rulebook). Note, this area also effectively blocks line of sight from one side to the other. The Shadow Veil itself can be attacked as if it were a fighter (though note, it is still in the middle of an area of Pitch Black), it has a Toughness of 4 and 1 Wound. If reduced to 0 Wounds, remove it from play (though not from the owning gang's roster) and end its effects.
A Shadow Veil can be represented by a 25mm marker or a piece of terrain modelled on a 25mm Necromunda base.
Web Trap
House Delaque use a variety of traps to ensnare or disable their foes, these include Web Traps, designed to unleash a shower of binding webs – perfect for capturing prey that wander into their domains.
Web traps can be set up anywhere on the battlefield outside of your opponent's deployment zone. A Web Trap is a Hidden Trap and has the following weapon profile:
| Weapon | Rg S | Rg L | Ac S | Ac L | S | AP | D | Am | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web trap | - | - | - | - | 5 | -2 | - | - | Blast (5"), Web, Single Shot |
When an enemy fighter moves within 2" of a Web Trap marker, they must immediately stop and make an Initiative check. If this check is passed, they can continue their movement as normal. If it is failed, flip over the marker to see if it is the real trap as per the Hidden Traps rule. If it is a false trap, discard the marker. If the marker reveals the real trap, it explodes immediately with the above profile. Note that, when a Web Trap explodes, every fighter that is touched by the Blast marker is hit.
Psychoteric Artefact (Gang Relic)
A Psychoteric artefact is a strange sculpture that has particular significance to the Delaque. Perhaps it represents some hero of the clan, rendered in the abstract, or maybe there are secrets hidden in its odd angles and impossible shapes. Some believe these objects represent the strange alien gods the Delaque worship, though their true purpose remains known only to the Delaque themselves.
A Psychoteric artefact counts as a Gang Relic (as described in the Necromunda Rulebook). In addition, Delaque fighters that linger close by a Psychoteric artefact seem to blend into the shifting shapes of the object and are painful to look at. All friendly Delaque fighters within 6" of the Psychoteric artefact count as being in full cover.
Delaque gangs can only include a Psychoteric artefact if they are the defender in a scenario with an attacker and defender.
A Psychoteric artefact can be represented by a 40mm marker or a piece of terrain modelled on a 40mm Necromunda base.