29. Monster Hunt

RAW ✔️ Source: Necromunda: Apocrypha Necromunda, originally published on Warhammer Community, Ambull vs Ambot – Deathmatch! (02/2019)

"Die, you thrice-cursed beast! I shall see you destroyed even if I have to slay you with my bare hands!"
- Haagan Valgotha, Captain of the Hydra

In this scenario, gangs fight for the right to claim the bounty for a massive beast.

Battle Type

This scenario can be played as either an Underhive or Ash Wastes battle; if this scenario is an Underhive battle, vehicles and Wargear that grant the Mounted condition cannot be included in either gang's starting crew.

Battlefield

This scenario uses the standard rules for setting up a battlefield, as described in the Battlefield Set-up & Scenarios section of the Necromunda Core Rulebook.

Crews

This scenario uses the standard rules for choosing a crew, as described in the Battlefield Set-up & Scenarios section of the Necromunda: Core Rulebook.

Both gangs use the Hybrid Selection (D3+7) method to determine their crew.

Deployment

This scenario uses the standard rules for deployment as described in the Battlefield Set-up & Scenarios section of the Necromunda: Core Rulebook.

Gang Tactics

This scenario uses the standard rules for gang tactics as described in the Battlefield Set-up & Scenarios section of the Necromunda Core Rulebook.

Ending the Battle

If, at the end of any round, either gang has no fighters left on the battlefield, or the Sump Horror has been taken Out of Action, the battle ends immediately.

Victory

If the Sump Horror is taken Out of Action, the gang that achieved this feat is victorious. Otherwise, the battle is a draw.

Rewards

Credits

The victorious gang adds 3D6x10 credits to their Stash.

Experience

Each fighter that caused the Sump Horror to lose a wound earns 1 XP.

If the Sump Horror is taken Out of Action as a result of a Fight (Basic) action performed by a fighter, that fighter earns an additional D3 XP.

Reputation

Each gang that took part in the battle gains 1 Reputation.

If one gang is victorious, that gang gains an additional D6+1 Reputation.

If either gang bottled out, they lose 1 Reputation.

The Sump Horror!

The gangs are trying to bag a massive sump horror (as well as scrag the competition), though first they must flush the creature out. The horror is attracted to wounded prey. Whenever a fighter suffers a Flesh Wound or is Seriously Injured, the player whose fighter was injured places a Beast's Lair marker anywhere within D6" of their fighter. These markers follow all the rules for the Beast's Lair (as described in the Necromunda Core Rulebook).

Once four Beast's Lair markers have been destroyed, the Sump Horror itself will emerge. Replace the final destroyed Beast's Lair marker with a larger marker or an appropriate model. The Sump Horror has the following profile:

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Cl	Wil	Int
4"	4+	6+	7	6	8	4+	4	9+	2+	6+	12+

Weapons: The Sump Horror is armed with monstrous appendages:

Weapon	Rg S	Rg L	Ac S	Ac L	S	AP	D	Am	Traits
Monstrous appendages	E	4"	-	-	3	-3	2	-	Melee, Versatile

Skills: Hurl, Nerves of Steel, Spring Up Special Rules: Impenetrable Hide, Acting on Instinct

Special Rules

Impenetrable Hide: The Sump Horror is protected by a thick hide and scaly skin, granting it a 4+ save.

Acting on Instinct: The Sump Horror does not think or reason like a human. Instead, at the start of each End phase, the Sump Horror will activate and act on instinct alone. To determine the Sump Horror's actions when activated in this way, refer to the table below:

Trigger	Action
Fighter is within 4"	Fight (Basic) action, and/or Coup de Grace (Simple) action
Closest fighter is within 10" but not within 4"	Move (Simple) action followed by a Fight (Basic) action
None of the above	Move (Simple) action

The Sump Horror will always move towards the closest fighter, and will always target the closest fighter with its attacks. If there are two fighters equally distant then randomly determine its target.

note

Recreating the Last Voyage of the Hydra

Should players wish, this scenario provides an ideal way to recreate the last voyage of the Hydra. The scene opens with two rival groups of spider hunters fighting over their haul, but soon changes as the noise and bloodshed attracts larger hunters!

It is a simple matter to replace the Beast's Lair markers with models representing giant spiders, and to replace the Sump Horror itself with an especially large spider model representing the great white mare spider.

Representing the scene itself upon the battlefield might take a bit more thought. Players may wish to replace their normal battlefield with a surface representing the sump sea, and to place upon this several islands of terrain representing the skiffs of the spider hunters, and a single, larger island of terrain representing the Hydra. Skiffs could be piloted by a fighter, moving when that fighter is activated to perform one or more Move (Simple) actions. Other fighters could crew and fire harpoon launchers mounted onto the skiffs, instead of using their own weapons.

The sump sea itself, as described in the story, is highly toxic and corrosive. Any fighter that falls into it should be immediately taken Out of Action and removed from play, adding extra jeopardy to the scenario. To increase this further, players may wish to give the weapons of the spiders the Knockback trait.

Once the monster appears, the gangs taking part in such a scenario have a simple choice: to ally together and fight for survival, or sacrifice the enemy to secure their own lives!