The following are a list of the tropes specific to the various factions and characters from the Necromunda game and setting.

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The Clan Houses & their Gangs

House Cawdor

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Burn the Heretic

The most populous of all the Clan Houses, House Cawdor are also one of the poorest, making their living by scavenging and recycling the scrap discarded by the other Houses and from millennia industry. The population of House Cawdor are highly religious and the Cult of Redemption, a strict offshoot of the Imperial Cult, has become the official religion of the House in all but name. The House is controlled by a court of nobles headed by the first among equals Lord Mormaer, the Thane of Cawdor, who considers himself to be the Emperor's representative on Necromunda.

As with the rest of their House, the masked warriors who fight for House Cawdor are dedicated followers of the Cult of Redemption. These gangs see themselves as evangelists and missionaries who bring the words of the Cult to the forsaken population of the underhive. Armed with low-tech and scavenged weaponry, Cawdor gangs fight with a faith that burns almost as brightly as the fire-based weaponry their leaders and specialists favour.

Action Bomb: Bomb delivery rats, unique equipment available to the scavengers of House Cawdor, are rats that have had a grenade stitched inside them. A fighter equipped with rodents can insert one of their grenades into a rat and send it towards the enemy, the grenade exploding once the rat gets close enough to an enemy fighter.
Amazon Brigade: The 3rd Edition background information mentions that while many Cawdor gangs ban women from taking up arms for the House, some women defy this prohibition and form their own all-female gangs. Just as the male gangs of the House style themselves after the Adeptus Custodes, the Praetorian Guard of the God-Emperor, many of these female gangs imitate the holy warrior women of the Adepta Sororitas.
Big Guy, Little Guy: Stig-Shamblers, the Cawdor House Brutes, consist of a pair of stigs^note; a massive but mentally challenged behemoth and a frail but intelligent rider, often with dwarfism. Working together, the two stigs are far more powerful than they would be alone, offering those gangs that take them in great strength and firepower.
Bigotry Exception: While the citizens of House Cawdor have a religious hatred of anything that deviates from the human norm, the Big Guy, Little Guy mutants that make up the 3rd Edition Stig-Shambler House Brutes are tolerated despite their deformities. Why such mutants are given a measure of acceptance is a mystery to some outside the House but it is simply because the Undying Loyalty of the Cawdor population causes them to accept anything their leaders decree and the Cawdor nobles have decreed the Stig-Shamblers useful to their cause.
Fire-Breathing Weapon: As with most Imperial religious fanatics, House Cawdor favour flamer-type weapons to cleanse the underhive of heretics and the unclean. House Cawdor's Equipment List in 3rd Edition includes numerous flamer weapons.
The Fundamentalist: The members of House Cawdor are devoted to the Cult of the Redemption and consider anyone not affiliated with their fanatical branch of the Imperial faith to be worthless infidels at best, even zealous members of the orthodox Imperial faith.
Improvised Weapon: Given their position as impoverished scavengers and recyclers, Cawdor fighters often have to make do with what they can get, fashioning primitive close combat weaponry from anything they can get their hands on. The close combat weapons on House Cawdor's 3rd Edition models, particularly those using the Forge World Cawdor Weapon sets, feature an improvised and scavenged look with knives carved from bone, flails made from crane parts, bayonets consisting of simple sharpened metal off-cuts, and two-handed hammers made from a bundle of scrap metal attached to a long pole.
Malevolent Masked Men: As part of their Redemptionist Creed all members of House Cawdor wear masks of some sort, from half masks to full executioner's cowls. Made from leather, and covering at least half the wearer's face, members of other Houses often find the masked citizens of House Cawdor to be creepy and disturbing.
Mix-and-Match Weapon: Introduced during 3rd Edition, the House Cawdor Polearm is one of the favourite Basic Weapons of Cawdor gangs. Consisting of both a basic blade and a primitive firearm such as an autogun or blunderbuss fixed to the end of a long pole, these weapons are imitations of the holy armament of the God-Emperor's bodyguard and the fanatical Cawdor gangers believe that those who wield them are blessed in His sight.
Shout-Out: House Cawdor's leader being known as a Thane is a reference to Macbeth, whose eponymous character also holds the title of Thane of Cawdor.
Stay in the Kitchen: The 3rd Edition background material for House Cawdor mentions that the members of the House are segregated by gender and live separate lives. While it is often the case that the day-to-day rules enforced upon members of a House are relaxed somewhat for those gangs that fight for them, most Cawdor gangs are led by highly patriarchal lay preachers who refuse to let women fight, forcing those women who wish to defend their house to form their own, all female gangs.
The Theocracy: The Cult of the Redemption has become the official religion of House Cawdor and every member of the House is expected to follow the Cult's laws to the letter. The ruling council of the House, particularly its head Thane Mormaer, consider themselves to be the most blessed followers of the God-Emperor on Necromunda and enforce their creed with ruthless devotion.
Zerg Rush: House Cawdor is the most populous of all the Clan Houses and the fanatical loyalty of their citizens allows their gangs to field far more fighters than their opponents. In 3rd Edition, Cawdor models are cheaper than their equivalents from other Houses, allowing a Cawdor player to swamp their opponents with cheap and expendable fighters.

House Delaque

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The Dagger in the Dark

The most secretive and sinister of the Clan Houses, House Delaque are spies and assassins who deal in information as well as the products of industry. Due to the misinformation and lies spread by the Delaque, little for certain is known about the House of Secrets except that they have a close relationship with the Imperial House of Helmawar, although which House controls the relationship is another subject of dark rumour. The House is controlled by the mysterious Star Chamber, but the membership of this hidden court is unknown.

Like all members of their House, Delaque gangs are shrouded in mystery and lies. Stalking through the shadows of the hive, the pale and sinister Delaque gangers fight with weapons that can be easily concealed by their trademark long coats, and will often coat their blades with dangerous toxins.

Ambiguously Human: In 3rd Edition, the members of House Delaque deliberately cultivate a less-than-human look with deathly pale skin, whispered voices and almost serpentine appearance. The House also intentionally spreads rumours about possible xenos origins and other misinformation that, along with their disturbing appearance, are all calculated to increase the aura of mystery and fear that surrounds the House of Secrets.
Animal Motifs: Snakes are the heraldic animal of House Delaque, with its House symbol consisting of a pair of snakes entwined around a dagger. The 3rd Edition Delaque models take things even further with high collars on their scaled greatcoats resembling the hood of a cobra, high ranking gang members having walking sticks with snake designs and the models themselves having a somewhat sinuous appearance. The background information for 3rd Edition indicates that this is intentional to play on the House's sinister reputation.
Badass Longcoat: The traditional outfit of House Delaque is a long greatcoat, worn to make it easier to conceal items and weaponry in a myriad of pockets and hidden compartments. During the 1st and 2nd Editions of the game, the long coats worn by House Delaque resembled those traditionally worn by spies and private detectives in fiction. The 3rd Edition models redesigned the House's stormcoats to give them a more sinister, form fitting appearance with high collars that resemble a snake's hood.
Bald of Evil: With the exception of a handful of 1st Edition models that sport closely cropped hair, the sinister spies, assassins, blackmailers and information brokers of House Delaque traditionally sport a hairless look that, in 3rd Edition, accentuates their creepily inhuman snakelike appearance.
Body Horror: The 3rd Edition House Brutes, known as Spykers, are artificial enhanced psykers created by House Delaque. Those Spykers that survive the enhancement process are hideously deformed beings with grotesquely swollen heads sitting atop withered bodies with atrophied limbs. Those that don’t survive the cocktail of drugs used in their creation meanwhile suffer a total biological collapse or fatal cranial expansion.
Combat Tentacles: The Cephalopod Spekter spy drones utilised by House Delaque are equipped with multiple shock tendrils to defend themselves with. While not too powerful, these metallic tentacles are electrified, and quick enough to instantly retaliate if the Spekter's master is badly hurt.
Devious Daggers: Due to how easily they can be concealed, many House Delaque fighters use poisoned stiletto knives as their primary melee weapon, fitting their roles as assassins perfectly. The House Equipment List for Delaque gangs is also the only one to include poisoned throwing knives, the silent weapons perfect for the stealthy missions many Delaque gangs undertake.
Early Installment Character-Design Difference: The 1st Edition models for the Delaque used to resemble traditional private investigators or spies with shabby trench coats, while also being quite stocky and sporting thick goggles to protect their sensitive eyes. In 3rd Edition, the Delaque models were redesigned with a more sinister, almost inhuman look with Electronic Eyes and a snake motif.
Electronic Eyes: Due to their sensitivity to even the dim lights of the hive, many members of House Delaque implant filters and protective screens into their eyes, or simply replace them with bionic enhancements, as can be seen in the artwork and the models for Delaque fighters. In the game, House Delaque can purchase photo-goggles at a cheaper cost than other Houses can.
Hidden Weapons: The warriors of House Delaque are infamous for hiding multiple weapons about their person, typically within their trademark long coats. Delaque gangers are also known to use weapons that have been disguised as other items and are the only House gang to include digi lasers (short-ranged lasers typically disguised as jewellery) on their 3rd Edition House Equipment List.
Information Broker: Alongside the more normal manufacturing if goods and materials, the buying and selling information is one of the primary sources of income for House Delaque and it is this that has earned them the nickname the House of Secrets. While it is widely rumoured that they have a pact with the Imperial House Helmawr to provide them with information on the comings and goings of the other Houses in return for certain special privileges, the Delaque are more than willing to sell their information to anyone who is willing to meet their price.
Legacy Character: The background material for the gang known as the Covenant of Shadows mentions that, upon joining the gang, a fighter will take on the name and personality of a dead hero of the House to keep the legacy of these lost fighters alive. The members of the gang are so successful in taking on these personalities that there are many rumours about how they are actually using necromantic psychic abilities to call up the spirits of the lost Delaque heroes.
Mind over Matter: In addition to their telepathic powers, Spykers (House Delaque's Brutes in 3rd Edition) can telekinetically throw enemy fighters away from them if they are getting too close.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Due to their obsession with secrets and misdirection, many Delaque gangers refer to themselves as some kind of nickname, often themed around darkness, shadows and ghostly figures, to protect their true identities and enhance their own mysterious reputation.
Professional Killer: It is widely rumoured amongst the citizens of the hive that House Delaque will hire their fighters out for assassinations, but the secrecy that surrounds the House's operations and their habit of claiming responsibility for the deeds of others make the truth difficult to discern.
Stealth Expert: The fighters of House Delaque are renowned throughout the hive as spies and assassins who prefer to strike the shadows. As such, all editions of the game give Delaque gang members easy access Cunning skills^note such as Backstab^note and Infiltrate^note.
Telepathy: Introduced during 3rd Edition, the hideous artificial psykers created by House Delaque, known as Spykers, are created to soak up the thoughts of every individual in the vicinity, learning the secrets of hundreds of people at once. When taken into battle by Delaque gangs, Spykers are able to focus their powers to break the morale of the enemy or simply crush their mind with the Psychic Scream and Psychic Assault Wyrd Powers respectively.
Trenchcoat Warfare: While it has never been truly represented in the rules, almost all versions of the Delaque background material mentions that one of the reasons they prefer to wear their trademark stormcoats is that they are perfect for concealing weaponry.

House Escher

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Speed, Style & Merciless Violence

"You don't use a hammer to thread a needle. Other Houses see the armouries of Escher and think it poorly stocked by thin blades and slender-barrelled guns lacking the brutality of the trash to which they have become accustom. They are fools. Worthless is the blade that does not find flesh, or the gun that fires second. It is my job to show you why in expert hands there is no finer weaponry in all Necromunda than that of House Escher."

—Drill Matron Haerana, Carrion Queens

Due to genetic defects causing their male population to suffer extreme mental and physical defects, House Escher is a matriarchal House with women making up the majority of their population. The House is renowned for their expertise in creating pharmaceutical and chemical products, such as growth hormones, medicines and designer drugs that they supply to the other Houses. The House is controlled by the Matriarchal Council, headed by the young but talented Queen Adina.

Consisting entirely of women, the gangs of House Escher focus on speed and skill over raw strength. Led by intelligent yet unstable war-maidens, the gangers of the House are sadistic warriors who often toy with their opponents and compete with each other to perform the most stylish kill. As masters of chemistry, the weapons used by the gangs of House Escher often deliver deadly toxins or mind-breaking hallucinogens into the systems of those they wound.

Amazon Brigade: After millennia of exposure to harmful chemicals and other alchemical substances, the male portion of House Escher have been left physically and mentally defective used only for genetic breeding programs. Due to this deficiency the active members of the House, and the gangs that protect their territory, are universally female.
Arch-Enemy: While they are dismissive of men in general, the women of House Escher have a particular dislike of the hyper-masculine members of House Goliath and it is rare for a cycle to pass without some conflict along the border between the territories of the two Houses. Queen Adina in particular holds a particular enmity towards House Goliath for their attempt to invade Escher territory soon after she took control of the House, and she is always looking for ways to strike back against the rival House.
Artificial Zombie: Escher Death-maidens are reanimated through a complex process involving pumping the recently deceased full of a cocktail of chems which force dead organs and torn flesh back to life. The process only works on the newly dead, and only if their body is mostly intact. When it works, the result is a Death-maiden who retains much of her muscle memory and her reflexes, and whose body is now largely immune to pain.
Attack Animal: Capable of unleashing clouds of poisonous gas and possessing impressive regenerative abilities, Khimerix are often found in the fighting pits of the hive, protecting important Escher installations, or used as murderous attack beasts by particularly favoured gang leaders.
Bioweapon Beast: Khimerix, the 3rd Edition Escher House Brute, are beasts resembling a large cat that have been genetically engineered from multiple alien animals.
Chainmail Bikini: In the 3rd Edition of the game, all Escher warriors, except Juves, come equipped with flak armour^note as standard. Their models wear a padded sports bra and the occasional armoured shoulder pad or thigh protector that give exactly the same protection as the flak armour greatcoats worn by members of House Delaque.
Fragile Speedster: In all editions of the game, the Escher play style favours speed, agility and, in 3rd Edition, exotic weaponry. Escher fighters tend to move quickly across the tabletop to secure the most favourable positions or to get up close and personal early in the game but rarely last long in straight up fight. Rules-wise, Escher gangs are the only House gang able to give Agility skills to any member but they lack Muscle/Brawn skills and, in 3rd Edition, have limited access to Ferocity skills.
Homosexual Reproduction: 3rd Edition mentions that due to the genetic degradation of the House's male population, it is all but impossible for the women of House Escher to reproduce naturally, instead relying on the arcane science of parthenogenesis to maintain their population.
Lady Land: Due to their genetic damage, House Escher's males have absolutely no role in the society of the House and no interaction with anyone from other Houses. As a result, to outsiders, it appears that there simply aren't any men in House Escher at all.
Lightning Lash: One of the signature weapons of House Escher that was introduced during the game's 3rd Edition, the shock whip is made from coiled ceramic wires and is a popular weapon amongst the more experienced members of Escher gangs. When fully energised a shock whip resembles a handheld bolt of lightning that can incapacitate enemy fighters with the slightest touch, and can be used as both a close combat and ranged weapon.
Mad Scientist: The 3rd Edition of the game introduced additional background to House Escher that made them the masters of chemical production, gene-editing and biological manipulation with few issues about any ethical implications about their methods or the products they make. In-game this is represented by House Escher gangs having access to multiple exotic and esoteric weapons and equipment such as poisons, weapons that project harmful chemicals and hybridised alien Attack Animals.
Master Poisoner: The alchemical skill of House Escher has led them to become masters of developing poisons and toxins. From bespoke venom designed to kill a specific enemy to psychotropic gases and toxins that can liquefy flesh, the chemists of House Escher produce a wide variety of exotic substances for their gangs to utilise. In 3rd Edition, the Escher have access to a number of weapons with the Toxin ability from creation.
The One Guy: The Terminal Overkill novel introduced Reiko Tori, the only known male member of House Escher to have no physical or mental defects who rules the Wild Hydras gang alongside his twin sister, Bri. Most believe that his healthy condition is due to him having shared a womb with his sister or because his mother was impregnated by a man from outside of the House.
Poisonous Person: The blood of Escher Death-maidens is toxic, due to the sheer amount of chemicals in their system required to bring them back to life.
Psycho Serum: The 3rd Edition background material mentions that combat-stimms are one of the many chemical products of House Escher, and some of the fighters who make up Escher gangs were once test subjects for these drugs. Repeated exposure to these experimental chemicals has left these women so overly aggressive and/or violently unhinged that they can no longer find a place within the everyday activities of their House and are instead unleashed against the gangs of rival Houses. This isn't represented in the game rules however.

House Goliath

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"Might Equals Right"

"Ten minutes. If you can't take a couple of the boys laying into you for ten minutes, you ain't got what it takes. We'll dump your body somewhere your kin might find it."

—Log Bloodback, recruiter for the Breakers

Based in the Fist, an industrial hellhole situated on the outside of Hive Primus, House Goliath are the masters of Necromunda's great foundries, refining and forging the raw materials supplied by the other Houses. Members of the House are universally massive, musclebound brutes who, due to years of selective breeding and stimm-abuse, are fiercely loyal, if short lived and mentally unstable. The House respects strength above all and is ruled with an iron fist by Over-tyrant Gor Iron-eye.

The gangs that fight in the name of House Goliath recruit from the brutal work-clans of the House's foundries and are led by those individuals who show an unusual measure of intelligence and charisma for a Goliath. Armed with repurposed factory tools and kept in line by their addiction to the stimms provided by the House masters, Goliath gangs prefer to get up-close-and-personal so that they can bludgeon and break their enemies until either they or their enemies are dead.

Ambiguously Human: In 3rd Edition background material, due to their House-wide breeding programs and the widespread use of stimm-enhancement, members of House Goliath are stronger and tougher than the average hive dweller, albeit at the cost of their mental abilities and longevity. These differences are so extreme that many members of rival Houses believe that the Goliaths could be classified as a strain of abhuman.
Artificial Human: The original ancestors of House Goliath were clone mutant slaves grown in Van Saar amneo-vats, and many of them (dubbed Vatborns) still make up the vast majority of their ranks today.
The Berserker: While many Goliath gangers will sometimes descend into a stimm-enduced rage where they care for nothing except killing what's in front of them, the hulking brutes known as 'Zerkers are near uncontrollable lumps of muscle with limited mental functions. Created through the overuse of drugs and muscle-grafts, 'Zerkers will charge directly at their foes to rip them limb from limb. 'Zerkers^noteintroduced in 3rd Edition have high Strength and Toughness characteristics, gain extra Attacks from the drugs in their system and have the Impetuous special rule so that they can get into combat easier after finishing off their opponent.
Brawn Hilda: In contrast to their House Nemesis, Escher, many female Natborns are just as physically imposing as their male counterparts and are typically stronger than their original Vatborn cousins.
Chainsaw Good: Some background material mentions that the warriors of House Goliath are very fond of chain blades of all types, due to the messy carnage they can create and their intimidating looks. While this isn't represented in the rules, a number of models from a couple of editions have shown their appreciation for chain weaponry by replacing their traditional mohawks with chain blades.
Dumb Muscle: House Goliath respect only strength and toughness above all things. As a result of this, the stimm-enhancing process that all members of the House go through from birth enhance their physical capacities at the cost of their intelligence, resulting in Goliaths having a reputation for being dumb meatheads. In the game, Goliath fighters have a lower Intelligence characteristic than comparative warriors from other Houses.
Gladiator Games: House Goliath is heavily involved in pit fighting, their principal form of entertainment. Goliaths themselves routinely both fight in the pits and groom slaves for this purpose.
Hand Cannon: While it is classed as a Basic^notetwo-handed Weapon in the rules, the background material describes the Goliath's stub cannon, introduced during the 3rd Edition of the game, as a massively oversized handgun. Firing large calibre solid shot ammunition, stub cannons have been known to break arms of even stimm-enhanced Goliath gangers, and have the highest Strength of any Common Basic Weapon and the Knockback ability. It's so massive that Goliath figures, who are not exactly lacking in the size department, wield it like a rifle.
Improvised Armor: Many Goliath gangers go into battle wearing the safety gear they wore when they worked the plasma furnaces of the House's foundries. Known as furnace plate, these thick and heavy metal plates offer good protection from enemy weapons, but only from the front as they were designed to protect the wearer from splashes of molten metal that they were working on.
Improvised Weapon: Many of the weapons wielded by Goliath gang fighters began life as industrial tools, often repurposed for combat with the addition of crudely welded spikes and weights. The most common such weapons are simple things such as large sledgehammers and the powered wrenches known as spud-jackers, but can also include more advanced tools, such as the 'Krumper' rivet cannon that was designed to bolt together the armoured hides of battle tanks.
Klingon Promotion: The violent and musclebound House Goliath are great believers in the notion that might makes right and the traditional method of promotion up the House's hierarchy is to kill the previous holder of the position. The 3rd Edition background section of the rulebook mentions that the current House head, Over-tyrant Gor Iron-eye, earned his rank by killing his predecessor at a grand banquet attended by the Imperial Governor Lord Helmawr himself.
Mutant: The entire population of House Goliath have already been genetically engineered to the point where some consider them a type of abhuman.
Nail 'Em: The Goliath weapon known as a 'Krumper' rivet gun^noteintroduced in 3rd Edition was originally designed to nail together the armour plates of battle tanks but many fighters have found that it is equally useful in battle, firing streams of red-hot rivets at a breath-taking rate. An unwieldy and short-ranged weapon, the 'Krumper' nevertheless has in-game characteristics equal to many other Heavy-type weapons.
Revolvers Are Just Better: House Goliath's stub cannon is an oversized revolver Hand Cannon that requires two hands to use and has the stopping power equivalent to larger heavy weapons. In 3rd Edition, it has the highest strength of any solid-shot Basic type weapon and can blow a target off their feet.
Sewer Gator: Legend has it that the Sumpkrocs (who serve as House Goliath's Exotic Beasts in 3rd Edition) are the cloned and genetically modified descendants of the reptilian pets once fashionable amongst hive nobility that were thrown into waste chutes when they grew too big.
Super-Strength: The result of errors in the gene-enhancement process used to breed Goliath citizens, 'Zerkers are massively swollen by rampant muscle growth and have razor-sharp bone spurs jutting out of their skin, and possess an appropriately high Strength characteristic in 3rd Edition.
Testosterone Poisoning: The entire culture and appearance of House Goliath are based around the concepts of aggression, strength, toughness and massive muscles, something the other Houses ridicule them for.
Unskilled, but Strong: The fighters of House Goliath prefer simple weapons and brute strength over all other forms of combat. In all editions of the game Goliath fighters have easy access to the more physical skill sets such as Brawn/Muscle, Combat and Ferocity rather than the more intelligence driven skill lists such a Cunning/Stealth and Savant/Techno.

House Orlock

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"My crew before my House, my House before the rest."

"Ever seen a stimm-jacked Goliath rip a man's head off? That’s why any Orlock worth a rust-damn keeps a full fist. Ain't no gene-hanced meathead nor dead-eyed Delaque gonna get up from a burst of house-pressed manstopper rounds."

—Zake Grimm, First Gun of the Mailed Fist Gang

Also known as the House of Iron, House Orlock controls the vast ferrous slag pits scattered across the surface of Necromunda, mining the ancient industrial waste for material that can be used in its industries. The majority of the House’s population consists of indentured serfs who toil endlessly under the whips of their Orlock overseers. The House is controlled by an alliance of families headed by Lord Morrow Orlock, who came to power after the previous leader, Lord Hagen Orlock, was assassinated by House Delaque.

The gangs of the House of Iron are close-knit groups tasked with keeping the downtrodden population of the House in line, as well as protecting them from rival Houses. Consisting of tough and proud warriors, many gangs have served as outriders protecting the land routs between the slag mines and the hive cities. Held together by the creed known as 'The Iron Brotherhood', Orlock gangs fight in well organised teams, using rugged and reliable weaponry to protect their gang-kin and their House.

Badasses Wear Bandanas: In 1st and 2nd Editions, the bandana was the signature clothing of House Orlock, along with their biker gang style outfits. While the 3rd Edition models have moved away from this, some of the head options reference this by wearing goggles around their foreheads in a similar manner.
Canine Companion: In 3rd Edition, Orlock leaders and Champions are able to purchase Cyber-mastiffs, large canines enhanced by cybernetic modification, as wargear. Cyber-mastiffs accompany their owner into battle as Attack Animals, protecting them when they are wounded and acting as watchdogs in scenarios that use Sentries. Like all such Exotic Beasts, Cyber-mastiffs have a limited ability to gain experience and skills during a campaign.
Cyborg: Due to its mining and industrial ventures, House Orlock has ready access to the heavily cyberized and lobotomised humans known as servitors, most commonly the H-grade Cargo servitors known colloquially as 'Luggers'. Fitted with heavy track units and cybernetics that give them great strength and durability, Orlock gangs will often acquire 'Luggers' through dubious means, fit them with heavy weaponry and reprogram them for combat. In 3rd Edition, these repurposed servitors serve as House Orlock's Brutes.
Hell-Bent for Leather: House Orlock have had a biker gang aesthetic since the 1st Edition, with leather jackets, heavy lather shoulder pads, bandannas and the like being the clothing of choice for their models. The 3rd Edition of the of the game introduces some background elements to justify this, specifically that many Orlock gangs work as outriders for convoys travelling across the ash wastes of Necromunda, meaning that such heavy leather garb acts as protection against the hostile environment to the hive world.
Improvised Weapon: While they do have access to regular grenades in the same manner as any other gang, the ready access to their House's mining equipment mean that many Orlock gangs have ready access to blasting charges and will often use these instead of the more traditional frag grenades as they produce a more powerful explosion and have a larger blast radius.
Jack of All Stats: Since 1st Edition, the gangs of House Orlock have been the basic, all-rounder choice amongst the Clan House gangs, lacking the specialities, eccentricities and combat focus of their counterparts. In 3rd Edition, the gang has a slight focus on short ranged firefights but such tactics are a basic feature of the game so doesn’t do much to mitigate their all-rounder reputation.
Shotguns Are Just Better: The warriors of House Orlock prefer basic but reliable solid-shot weaponry with shotguns in particular being highly popular for versatility and stopping power. In 3rd Edition, three out of five Basic Weapons in the House Orlock Equipment List are shotguns of various types.
Undying Loyalty: Orlock gangs develop tight-knit bonds and a more than willing to die for each other due to their warrior creed, known as 'The Iron Brotherhood', that teaches loyalty to their gang first, then their House, and to mistrust outsiders. This creed develops a strong us-versus-them outlook and anyone who breaks this code will quickly find themselves with a knife in the back.

House Van Saar

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Deadly Technology

The serious and stoic Van Saar are the most technological proficient of all the Clan Houses, producing weapons and technical equipment that fetch the highest of prices. This proficiency comes at a price, however, as the source of their knowledge, a malfunctioning STC system, is slowly killing them with radiation. While they have used their scientific skills to prolong their lives, an ultimate cure remains out of reach. The House has a highly feudal society with those of higher social standing having access to the more advanced technologies. The corpse-like Duke Otto Van Saar XXIInd is the currently rules the House.

Van Saar gangs consist of some of the most intelligent and skilled individuals in the hive, making up for their lack of strength and stamina with high-tech weapons and intricately planned strategies. As well as defending the holdings of their House, and attacking their rivals, Van Saar gangs are tasked with searching for archeotech and other wonders of ages past that could provide a cure for the sickness infecting the House.

Achilles' Heel: Van Saar forces are typically fragile, lacking in melee, and slow - until Neoteks on Grav-Cutters were added to the lineup, they had a lot of trouble with missions requiring haste because of poor movement speeds and a general desire not to get too close to the enemy's melee cutting edge, and Neoteks can only go so far towards making up for it.
Animal Motif: House Van Saar has adopted the spider, one of the most iconic animals on Necromunda, as their symbol. This motif can be seen on both the House crest and some of their equipment, such as their multi-eyed helmets, the force field projectors of their Archnis pattern energy shields resembling the legs of a spider, and the Arachni-rig Servo-suit that gives the wearer the appearance of a massive spider.
Beam Spam: Two of the signature weapons of House Van Saar gangs in 3rd Edition are the las carbine and las sub-carbine. These weapons have the same in-game punch as their regular lasgun and laspistol equivalents, only with the Rapid Fire ability, allowing it to score multiple hits. The only downside is that such weapons tend to run out of ammunition easier and have a shorter Range characteristic. Should multiple fighters in a gang be equipped with such weapons then the gang is able to light up the underhive with las beams.
Clingy Costume: The 3rd Edition lore states that the bodygloves worn by members of House Van Saar double as life-support systems that treat the damage done to their bodies by the radiation poisoning that is endemic in the House, and without them members of the House would soon sicken and die. As a side effect of this, the suits grant them limited immunity to the effects of rad-weapons in the game itself.
Deflector Shields: In the 3rd Edition of the game, one of their signature pieces of equipment is the hand-held energy shield^note. Energy shields consist of a shield generator, built into a vambrace or small buckler, that produces a circular defensive shield strong enough to stop enemy attacks (represented by a bonus to the fighter's armour save.
Energy Weapons: Due to their higher technical skill and their access to ancient STC data, 3rd Edition Van Saar gangs almost exclusively arm themselves with energy based ranged weapons rather than rely on solid-shot guns. Their House Weapon list only includes laser, plasma, melta or more esoteric types of energy weapon.
Glass Cannon: In 3rd Edition, House Van Saar gangs have access to many powerful and sophisticated weapons from the very start of a campaign, but their fighters cannot enhance their Toughness characteristic as much as the fighters of other gangs, since their chronic radiation poisoning makes them physically weak.
Long-Range Fighter: Van Saar gangs have had a predilection towards ranged combat in every edition of the game due to their skill progression and the high proportion of models equipped with ranged weapons. The 3rd Edition of the game takes this even further by giving Van Saar fighters a higher Ballistic Skill^note than their equivalents from other House gangs, at the cost of a worse Weapon Skill^note.
Powered Armor: The 'Arachni-rig' Servo-suit is a giant multi-armed armoured exo-skeleton designed to resemble a gigantic, mechanical spider introduced during 3rd Edition. The Servo-suit can be equipped with multiple, powerful weapon systems, greatly enhances the wearer's physical abilities, and provides significant protection to the pilot.
Shield Bash: The Van Saar's unique 'Hystrar' pattern energy shields^noteintroduced during 3rd Edition can be used to batter an enemy as well as protect the wielder. While its stats only make it as powerful as a knife, it can be used to push an enemy back from the wielder or off high scenery.
Shoulder Cannon: As can be seen in artwork, the 'Arachni-Rig' Servo-Suit's twin-linked heavy las-carbines are fitted to shoulder-mounts with the barrels to either side of the wearer's head.
Static Stun Gun: Shock batons and shock staves are two of the signature melee weapons of House Van Saar introduced during 3rd Edition. Designed to incapacitate an opponent as quickly as possible, these weapons deliver an incapacitating blast of energy when they hit the target, represented by them having the Shock ability that makes it easier to wound their target.
Toxic Phlebotinum: The STC that is the source of the Van Saar's technical brilliance is so badly damaged and incomplete that it has irradiated the entire House, resulting in every member becoming terminally ill by the time they come of age and the discovery of a way to repair the STC is the ultimate goal of the House. In the game, Van Saar fighters cannot gain more than a single Toughness advancement when they go up a level (rather than the two that other Houses can receive).
Weak, but Skilled: In 3rd Edition, the population of House Van Saar have been weakened considerably by generations of radiation poisoning, reducing their constitution and overall lifespan, something the game represents by making them weaker in combat and unable to improve their durability as much as other gangs when going up a level. To compensate for this, the warriors of the House have access to some of the most sophisticated weaponry used by House gangs, a higher Intelligence characteristic, and they can gain more technically based Skills than their opposition.

Law Enforcement

Bounty Hunters & Venator Bands

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"Necromunda is beautiful. Scrip for chasing down scum and a whole playground to hunt them in. Couldn’t dream of a better home."

—Jiynet Oporal, Hunt Leader of the Sump Snakes

Tough, independently minded and often a little unhinged, Bounty Hunters make their living searching for those criminals, ne'er-do-wells and mutants that think themselves safe in the wastes and ruins of the underhive. Talented fighters, some Bounty Hunters will often hire themselves out to various gangs to make a few extra credits when bounties are difficult to come by.

At times, Bounty Hunters will group together to form Venator Bands. Some of these Bands are formed to hunt down a large bounty that would be too dangerous for an individual while others are founded from the Executioner Families that specialise in bringing Lord Helmawar's justice to the hive or for obscure religious reason, but all are equally feared by those fleeing retribution.

Bounty Hunter: When someone falls foul of the Guilds, Imperial authorities or the various Houses of Necromunda, they will often have a price placed on their head. Bounty Hunters are the ones who hunt down such individuals, tracking them through the industrial wastes of underhive in order to bring them to justice and earn their reward. Due to their skill and fighting powers Bounty Hunters have been a popular Hired Gun in every edition of the game, with 3rd Edition including rules for various types of Bounty Hunter, a number of named character Bounty Hunters and rules for the Bounty Hunter gangs known as Venator Bands.
Jack of All Stats: With their wide range of available stat lines, skills and equipment, 3rd Edition Venator Bands are able to fill almost any style of play from creation.
Meaningful Name: In keeping with the literal naming conventions of the Imperium, Venator means "hunter" in High Gothic.
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Most Venator bands are composed of individuals with a wide variety different backgrounds and it is not unusual to see off-worlders, abhumans, mutants, disgraced nobles and fighters from rival Houses all working together to bring in bigger bounties. Venators bands are the most customisable gang in 3rd Edition, allowing players to use models from any number of sources such as the Forge Worlds Bounty Hunters, individual models from other gangs, and their own conversions.

Palanite Enforcers

Enforcing Lord Helmawr's law

Necromunda's primary law enforcement, the Palanite Enforces are seen by many as Lord Helmawr's private army, enforcing the laws of the Imperial House with ruthless efficiency and sadistic pleasure. Recruited from those citizens who show unusual initiative and equipped with some of the best equipment House Helmawr can provide, those who survive the strict training are unleashed upon the hive, acting as judge, jury and executioner when faced with those who break the law of Lord Helmawr.

Canine Companion: The Palanite Enforcers' Exotic Beasts are Hardcase Cyber-mastiffs, whose loyalty to their masters is unquestionable, since they cannot be tempted by power or wealth.
Elite Mooks: As they are employed by House Helmawr, the ruling house of Necromunda, Enforcers have had always had access to specialized equipment and superior weaponry. In addition to the this, the 1st and 2nd Edition versions of the gang were also intended to be used by a Campaign Arbitrator to add spice and difficulty for the players (as well as to allow the Arbitrator to directly participate in games).
Grenade Launcher: At long range, a Sanctioner Pattern Automata engages enemies with an integrated grenade launcher.
Knight Templar: The extreme training that the Palanite Enforcers ensures that they are all utterly dedicated to maintaining order within the hives of Necromunda. With extreme violence, the Enforcers will do anything to maintain the law of Lord Helmawr, no matter the body count.
Retcon: Each edition of the game has changed the nature of Enforcer gangs. When initially introduced in 1st Edition, Enforcers were actually from the galaxy-wide Adeptus Arbites law enforcement organisation. By the time the gang's rules were updated for 2nd Edition, the role of the Arbites in the wider setting had changed so the Enforcers became local law enforcement trained and equipped in imitation of the Adeptus Arbites. In 3rd Edition the gang had their background greatly expanded and they became the Palanite Enforcers who maintain Imperial law in the name of House Helmawr with brutal efficiency and have a number of roles they can fulfil from snipers to the heavily armed and armoured Subjugators.
Robot Dog: Hardcase Cyber-mastiffs (which serve as Exotic Beasts in 3rd Edition and normal gang members in previous editions) are heavily modified from dog stock, upgraded with various bionics to enhance their performance.
Throw Down the Bomblet: Flash, choke, stun, scare and smoke grenades are some of the Enforcers' favoured tools due to their versatility and usefulness in many situations.
Wetware CPU: A Sanctioner Pattern Automata is controlled by the cranial remains of a Palanite Enforcer with the appropriate personality. After extensive psycho-conditioning, the brain is removed, dissected and placed inside the Automata.
You Are Number 6: The background material for the 3rd Edition Palanite Enforcers mentions that recruits are stripped of their birth names and have them replaced by designations that consist of a patrol letter designation, followed by the individual Enforcer's code.

Proscribed Cults

Chaos Cults

Corpse Grinder Cults

Ravenous followers of the Lord of Skin & Sinew

"It is better that the masses do not know the truth behind what they consume for many find their sanity overwhelmed by necessity of our great work. That is what the Corpse Grinders are; weak willed fools who have seen the truth and seek now comfort in the arms of heretics"

—Quirinos, Mercator Pallidus

Cults dedicated to the Lord of Skin and Sinew, a local name for the Chaos God Khorne, Corpse Grinder Cults often start amongst the workers of the Corpse Guilds responsible for recycling organic matter to produce the primary food source for Necromunda's population. These cannibalistic cults typically grow around a single leader who hears the whispers of the Blood God who feeds raw meat tainted by the dark blessings of Chaos to his followers and their families. In time the cult leader will grow into a monstrous Harvest Lord and lead his followers in a bloody uprising against the Hive authorities.

Corpse Grinder gangs are led by a savage Butcher, chosen followers of the Harvest Lord with a talent for murder. Armed with the brutal tools they used as part of the Corpse Guilds, and weapons scavenged from their victims, a Corpse Grinder gang stalk the hive, offering those that stand against the choice of joining their tainted feast or becoming their next meal.

The Berserker: All Corpse Grinder cultists are blood-mad cannibals that fight with fury and little regard for their own safety, hacking at their enemies with wanton abandon. Their unique Savagery skill list in 3rd Edition gives them advantages such as ignoring Flesh Wounds, ignoring Nerve tests, and gaining additional Attacks at the cost of accuracy. The cult’s Skinner Gangers are particularly known for their lack of restraint and gain the Berserker skill as standard, giving them bonus Attack when they charge.
Close-Range Combatant: As worshippers of the most brutal and bloodthirsty of the Dark Powers, Corpse Grinder gangs excel in close combat and have access to far more melee weapons than they do ranged weapons. The gangs are so focused on the cut and thrust of melee that their Butchers, Cutters and Skinners^note can only be armed with close combat weapons.
I'm a Humanitarian: Members of the Corpse Grinder gangs are all cannibalistic madmen who crave the taste of raw flesh. Many of the founding members of such cults were originally the workmen responsible for processing dead bodies into corpse-starch^note, who have been driven mad by their brutal work and discovered that their food tastes much better raw.
Improvised Weapon: Many of the Corpse Grinders' weapons were once the tools the cultists used to cut up bodies for corpse-starch. These chain cleavers and boning swords prove to be just as efficient at cutting through the armour and flesh of the living as they did the meat and flesh of the dead, and allow the Corpse Grinders to quickly rip bloody strips from their enemies to consume immediately. In 3rd Edition, these former butchers' tools have a good Armour Penetration value to represent their efficient cutting power.
Skull for a Head: The Skinners, Cutters and Butchers of Corpse Grinder cult gangs modify the masks they wore as workers of the Corpse Guilds to reflect their status and new allegiance to resemble the skulls held sacred by their bloody god, and to strike terror into all who see them, making it more difficult for enemies to attack them.
Stealth Expert: Due to having to keep their cannibalistic tendencies secret, Corpse Grinder Initiates^notethe cult's version of Juves have become experts at subterfuge and not being noticed, able to go about their business where their more corrupted brethren would be noticed immediately. In 3rd Edition, all Initiates have the Infiltrate skill as standard, allowing them to set up outside of a battlefield’s normal deployment rules.

Helot Chaos Cults

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"All power to the helots."

"The blessings of the dark gods are glorious indeed. Come! Revel in their warmth with me!"

—Arrenus Nova, Cult Demagogue of the Painted Despoilers

As with all planets in the Imperium, the followers of the Dark Powers seek to spread their corrupting influence through the hives of Necromunda, often finding the downtrodden helot-workers of the hive factories to be particularly willing converts. These helot cults grow in secret, hoarding weapons and offering sacrifices to the Ruinous Powers until the time is right to rise up against the oppression of the Imperium. Should cult be discovered before it is ready to strike it will either be destroyed by the Palanite Enforcers or flee into the underhive, from where they will launch raids against those who live further up-hive.

No two helot cult gangs are the same, each influenced by their particular circumstances, the gods they worship and the personality of the demagogue that leads them. All, however, are fanatically dedicated to the Chaos Gods and the overthrow of Imperial rule for their own personal glory.

The Berserker: Those Chaos Cults that have called upon the favour of the Blood God become savage murderers who live for carnage, enjoy the feel of their foes' blood spraying across themselves and gain re-roll to their Wound rolls as they madly hack at their opponents.
Body Horror: Chaos Spawn are hideously mutated, mindless monsters with no set form, but usually involve countless tentacles and Too Many Mouths. Despite the horrible results, Helot Cult gangs are more than ready to use Chaos Spawn in battle and although they can only be created during a Campaign game, a gang can purchase two in a one-off game.
Conditioned to Accept Horror: While they begin as simple disaffected citizens, as a Cultist advances through the ranks of a Cult the touch of Chaos will have a lasting effect on their cultist's mind until they find horrors that would drive others utterly mad to be simply mundane. In game this is represented by high-ranked helot cult members having the Inured To Insanity ability that makes them immune to the Insanity condition^note
Forced Transformation: Should a 3rd Edition Helot Cult's Dark Ritual fail, the focus of the ritual will be transformed into a Chaos Spawn.
Psychic Powers: Helot Cult Witches are low-level psykers, often known as wyrds on Necromunda, with powers they believe were gifted to them by the Chaos Gods. In 3rd Edition, Helot Cult Witches are able to take powers from the Chaos Cult Wyrd Powers list, allowing them to perform feats such as shooting balefire at their enemies, throw around objects and people, or increase their own Strength.
Religion is Magic: As worshippers of the Chaos Gods, Helot Cult gangs are able to petition their diabolical masters for aide through profane rites and sacrifices. In 3rd Edition, Helot Cult gangs can perform a Dark Ritual to gain the favour of one of the Chaos Gods that, should it succeed, will grant the gang a one-off bonus to use in their next battle. Should the ritual fail, they lose the favour of the god and a member of the gang could be turned into a Chaos Spawn.

Genestealer Cults

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Scions of Hive Secundus

When the experiments of the renegade Tech-Priest Biologis Hermiatus resulted in Hive Secundus becoming infested by a Genestealer Cult, the entire hive was toppled by the Necromundan Defence Force and quarantined with the great Dust Wall to stop anything from entering or leaving. No barrier is totally secure however, especially on Necromunda when there is the chance of salvaging the riches of an entire hive, and the surviving xenos cultists have slowly been spreading their corruption once again.

As with others of their kind, the warriors of Genestealer Cult gangs are utterly loyal to their leaders and each other and fight to spread their corruption to the hives of Necromunda. Led by the strongest and most intelligent of their kind, Genestealer Cult gangs consist of hybrids from various generations and wield repurposed mining and industrial tools alongside scavenged and stolen firearms.

Bald of Evil: Hairlessness is a genetic trait of those with the blood of extra-galactic Genestealers (who seek to overthrow humanity) running through their veins, as can clearly be seen in the Cultists' miniatures.
Body Horror: While regular Hybrids are hideous amalgams of human and Genestealer anatomy, the monstrous Aberrants are truly horrific creatures that are the result of mistakes in the Genestealer reproductive cycle. With bulbous heads, overly muscled bodies and a greater degree of Genestealer anatomy than other hybrids of their generation, even if it is often deformed, Aberrants are used as gruesome shock troops by their fellow cultists.
Determinator: Aberrants are near unstoppable creatures of mutated muscle and limbs that can shrug off all but the most serious of damage with little thought. In 3rd Edition, all Aberrants have the Unstoppable skill as standard, giving them a chance to discard minor flesh wounds every turn.
Dumb Muscle: Due to irregularities in their biology, Genestealer Aberrants have devolved into hulking brutes with a high Strength characteristic but an Intelligence stat close to that of a wild beast. Rather than put down such creatures, Genestealer Cults will send them into battle where they can put their power to use tearing apart the cult's enemies.
Familiar: Psychic manifestations of the Cult's Patriarch itself, Psychic Familiars can be purchased by Genestealer Adepts and Alphas as a unique form of Exotic Beast in the 3rd Edition version of the game. In-game these miniature abominations use their precognitive powers to protect their master, by giving them a special Willpower save once per turn.
Hypnotic Eyes: Some Cult Adepts have a mesmeric gaze that allows them to take control of the weak-minded by staring into their eyes and focusing their will. In 3rd Edition, the Hypnosis Cult Wyrd Power prevents an enemy from doing anything except moving for a turn.
Improvised Weapon: As many Genestealer Cult gangs pose as mining clans, they have ready access to equipment such as rock drills and mining lasers. Such equipment is easily repurposed as weapons, able to chew through flesh and armour as easily as they do rock and slag, and the 3rd Edition Genestealer Cult gangs have access to a number of such weapons in their Equipment List.
Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Genestealer Cult Alphas and, if purchased during recruitment, Acolyte and Neophyte Hybrids possess a third arm that, in 3rd Edition, can be used to better handle Unwieldy weapons, carry extra weapons, or gain a extra close combat attack.
Path of Inspiration: Some Genestealer Cult gangs such as the Resurrected, mentioned in the 3rd Edition background material, set themselves up as strange offshoots of the Imperial Cult to temp those who blindly worship the God-Emperor of Mankind into the fold. These splinter cults use all the trappings of a true Imperial religion to hide their xeno-worship and the insidious plans of their alien leaders.
Psychic Powers: Genestealer Cult Adepts are Neophyte Hybrids that have developed a small measure of the psychic potential of Cult Magus. While nowhere near as powerful as a full Magus, Adepts are able to act as a psychic locus for their cult and use their minor psychic abilities to assist their brethren in battle. In 3rd Edition, Adepts are Psykers with access to Cult Wyrd Powers that allow them to manifest anything from Mind Control to minor telekinetic abilities.
Undying Loyalty: Members of the Genestealer Cults have loyalty woven into their genetic structure and will willingly charge to their death for their brood. On the tabletop, this results in Genestealer Cult fighters typically having above average morale characteristics.

Redemptionists

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An extremist offshoot of the Imperial Cult that originated on Necromunda, the Cult of Redemption (also known as the red Redemption and the Cult of the Emperor's Redemption) preach that humanity is inherently damned, and can only attain redemption by purging sinners, witches, mutants, and heretics. While the Cult has been welcomed by House Cawdor, effectively becoming the official religion of the House, many of the Cult’s followers from other Houses do so in secret due to the dislike that many amongst the ruling classes hold for the cult.

While mobs of frenzied followers sometimes make trouble in any part of a hive, the most common form of Redemptionist gang encountered in the underhive are Redemptionist Crusades, bands of fanatical brethren led by an ordained Redemptor Priest who wish to cleanse the underhive of sin through the fires of battle.

Church Militant: The Cult of Redemption is a highly militant offshoot of the already highly aggressive Imperial Cult that actively encourages its followers to purge those the Cult considers impure. Redemptionist Crusades take this even further, acting on these beliefs to such an extent that the Merchants Guild consider them to be gangs of dangerous psychopaths, even by the standards of underhive, and officially outlaw them.
Fire-Breathing Weapon: As with many religious fanatics throughout the Imperium, the Redemptionists specialise in the use of flame weapons and aim to purify the hive with faith and flame. All editions give Redemptionist gangs access to a number of flamer weapons in their equipment List, including the one-shot flamers known as Exterminators that can be added to other weapons.
Gun Accessories: Redemptionist are able to turn almost any close combat or basic type weapon into a Mix-and-Match Weapon with the addition of Exterminators. These small, single-shot flamers can be attached to such weapons so that their wielders are always able to purify sinners.
Inspirational Martyr: The Gathering of the Redeemed rule, from the 2nd Edition version of the gang, allows for each dead Redemptionist gang member to potentially inspire another believer to take up the cause and join the gang as a Devotee^note.
Join or Die: When a Redemptionist gang captures an enemy fighter (except for Scavvies, wyrds, Spyrers and mutants who are beyond redemption), the Redemptor Priest can attempt to convert them to the Redemptionist cause through a Leadership roll-off. If the Priest wins roll-off, then the fighter joins the gang but if he loses the then the enemy fighter is burned at the stake. In 2nd Edition, only Crusader gangs can convert models in this way, Mobs automatically burn them as sinners.
Malevolent Masked Man: As part of their creed, Redemptionists are required to wear masks in public but, due to the suspicion that some within the hive have for the cult, most followers outside of House Cawdor only wear them when engaging in cult activities. These masks can take many forms, from simple hoods of cloth or leather, to masks elaborately carved to resemble skulls and monsters.
Mechanically Unusual Class: While 1st Edition campaigns treated Redemptionists almost exactly the same as any other outlaw gang (except for having to roll a new territory after each game to represent their nomadic nature), their 2nd Edition revamp changed things so that they don't control any territory or have to worry about starvation as they survive on donations of credits and food from the faithful instead.
No True Scotsman: Some of the more extreme Redemptionists consider House Cawdor, the House of Redemption, to be heretics due to their business dealings with the other Houses. Some of these fanatics even attempt to launch a Crusade against the House but as House Cawdor is the greatest supporters of the Cult of Redemption on Necromunda the rest of the Priesthood quickly and violently stop such actions.

Other Gangs

Ash Waste Nomads

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The Ash Waste Nomads are a hardy people who, for millennia, have scratched out a living from the barren wastes outside of the great hives. Proudly independent and culturally distinct from the hive societies, the nomads take a dim view of outsiders traipsing through their lands or trying to extract buried treasures from them.

Ambiguously Human: No one knows for sure what flesh lurks beneath the Ash Waste Nomads' ragged robes and masks, or if, in fact, anything of their human ancestry remains at all.
Beast of Battle: Arthromite Duneskuttlers are giant insects employed by the Ash Waste Nomads as shock troops to charge at the enemy before killing them.
The Dreaded: The Ash Waste Nomads inspire terror in enemies who know nothing of their true nature. In battle they are ruthless and brutal, often completely surprising enemies when they strike. Their habit of taking their dead with them only adds to the fear; the lack of corpses after a battle and stories of nomads who refuse to die after suffering mortal wounds leads many hivers to believe them to be immortal.
Horse of a Different Color: Ash Waste Nomads have somehow managed to tame the giant insects known as Dustback Helamites and ride them into battle.
Multiple-Choice Past: The origins of the Ash Waste Nomads are mired in myth and legend. According to some ancient tales, they are descended from the Iron Lords of the Araneus Continuity, who fled the Imperium into the wastes of their now blighted world. Others claim they were slaves of the Iron Lords, and became rulers of the wastes when the Iron Lords were cast down.
Weather Manipulation: Whether it is via Warp magic or the strange archaeotech Stormcaller Staffs that they always carry, Wy'tari Stormcallers can summon or dismiss a storm that impedes vision.

Ironhead Squat Prospectors

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The Ironhead Squats descend from an ancient delegation of Kin of the Leagues of Votann who came to Necromunda when it was first settled by the Imperium, and aided in its rebuilding. Their descendants, who have since become a distinct culture, now lead a seminomadic lifestyle in great armored trains, trading raw materials and manufactured technology with the factions of the hive cities.

Mobile City: The Ironhead Squats live a semi-nomadic lifestyle in their great land trains, which are akin to cities that move from mining site to mining site.
Powered Armor: Suits of exo-armour are used to both protect Squat miners in adverse environments, and incorporate heavier weaponry against Necromunda's unique environment. In 3rd Edition, warriors wearing the Vartijan suit serve as the Ironhead Squat Prospectors' Brutes.

Slave Ogryn Gangs

Consisting of cybernetically enhanced abhumans, Slave Ogryn gangs have rebelled against their masters and now fight for their freedom in the dilapidated ruins of the underhive.

Close-Range Combatant: Ogryns are skilled in close quarters combat, wielding savage gladiatorial weaponry with a strength few humans could match. Only a few Ogryns learn to use ranged weapons.
Slave Liberation: Formerly serving as slave labour for the Clan Houses, a few Ogryns eventually felt a desire to be free, gathered as a gang around a powerful leader, and struck out into the wastes of Necromunda. Over the years, many of these leaders have incited other Ogryns into mass slave rebellions.

Dramatis Personae

Belladonna, Noble Bounty Huntress

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A daughter of Orlena Escher, a matriarch of House Escher, Belladonna Familus Umathurn De'Escher was betrothed to a scion of the Noble House Ran Lo only for the wedding to be interrupted by the assassination of the groom by a staved Crotalid. Although Belladonna killed the beast, she was unable to save her beloved and was terribly mauled in the process. After being fitted with multiple bionics Belladonna set her sights on the underhive, working as a Bounty Hunter to track down those responsible for the attack on her wedding.

The Berserker: Belladonna's tragic loss has left her filled with rage, something she is more than willing to take out on her enemies. This is represented in her 3rd Edition rules by the Berserker skill, which gives an Attack bonus when she charges into combat.
Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: Unlike many fighters of Escher origin, who typically prefer more elegant weapons, Belladonna's primary close combat weapon is the more powerful power axe, a weapon that fits well with her more brutal state of mind.
Cyborg: Due to the serious injuries she received at her tragic wedding, Belladonna has been fitted with numerous bionic enhancements, including a cybernetic arm and leg on her left side and a bionic right eye. These rugged and well-made bionics allow Belladonna to fight at peak performance, despite her injuries and make her body far more resistant to damage, something the 3rd Edition rules represent with the True Grit skill.
Expy Coexistence: With her background as a noblewoman whose arranged marriage went tragically wrong, resulting in her becoming a hired gun in the underhive, Belladonna is an updated, and saner, version of Mad D'onna who has been stripped of the classic Madonna look. Both D'onna and Belladonna co-exist in the 3rd Edition background material; Kal Jericho's sidekick Scabs, the narrator of a short story, remarks that Belladonna hates it when people get the two of them confused.
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Belladonna's mother arranged her marriage to Tzakwon of House Ran Lo in order to secure favourable business contracts. Unlike the majority of such arranged marriages, however, the two young nobles fell passionately in love with each other and everything looked set to proceed perfectly until Tzakwon was slain and Belladonna seriously injured.
Professional Killer: Belladonna is a former assassin and was once feared across the whole Palatine Hive Cluster. Since the death of her beloved, Belladonna has been using these skills as bounty hunter while she searches for her husband's killers. Belladonna's 3rd Edition stats features a maximum Weapon Skill characteristic and the Combat Master skill^note.
Tragic Keepsake: Belladonna still wears the bloodstained ribbons from her ruined wedding dress as a reminder of her loss and the reason she is hunting the underhive.
Widowed at the Wedding: Belladonna's beloved, Tzakwon Ran Lo, was killed by a rampaging wild beast that had been hidden amongst the wedding presents, ruining any chance of an alliance between House Escher and the Noble House.

The Deserter, Human Bounty Hunter

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"Look at 'em stumbling about like a bunch of raw recruits, all frightened eyes and tangled fire lines. Old fraggy'll sort them out, just a few more steps and things will start popping."

An insane old soldier who is sometimes seen stalking underhive settlements looking for bounties, the Deserter is a mysterious figure who, nonetheless, has the skills to have survived alone in the underhive for many years. The eccentric bounty hunter will often join a gang for a few fights, if they can make it through the maze of traps that surround his downhive home, but has also been known to help out random denizens of the underhive for reasons he keeps to himself.

Combat Medic: The Deserter has picked up some skill at field dressing during his former career and will willingly help minister to the fighters of any gang that hires him. In the 3rd Edition rules, he has the Medicae skill that grants a chance to prevent friendly fighters from going Out of Action.
Multiple-Choice Past: There are many theories and rumours about the Deserter's past circulating around the underhive. Some say that he is a disgraced general that lost his entire regiment, while others theorise that he was a war hero who wandered into the underhive after losing his memory. The only person who could possibly know the truth is the Deserter himself, and his mind seems too far gone to reveal the truth.
Talkative Loon: In the audio drama The Deserter, the mad old soldier is depicted as muttering and talking almost continuously, including repeating the "Only those who are insane have strength enough to prosper" quote almost to the point of a Madness Mantra.
Trap Master: The background information for the Deserter mentions that he is highly skilled in laying traps, and that the rundown hovel that he lives in is surrounded by a labyrinth of booby traps. This isn't represented in his 3rd Edition rules, however.

The Eightfold Harvest Lord

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One of the greatest followers of the Lord of Skin and Sinew upon Necromunda, the Eightfold Harvest Lord is a creature of blood and murder that was first recorded spreading terror through Hive Arcos as it descended into anarchy and cannibalism, leaving the gory remains of his victims hanging throughout the doomed hive. Some speculate that the Eightfold Harvest Lord is an ancient Daemonic creature but all that is know for certain is the he is drawn to blood and violence, and that where he treads madness follows.

Blade Below the Shoulder: The paired heavy chain cleavers that the Harvest Lord wields are attached to his forearms so that he can also use his knife-like fingers to tear his opponents apart in a more personal manner.
The Dreaded: The Harvest Lord is one of the most feared figures on Necromunda, a being that can strike fear into the hearts of even the most hardened servant of Imperial justice. This fearsome reputation isn’t represented on the tabletop however.
Humanoid Abomination: While it is unknown if the Eightfold Harvest Lord was ever human, but he is now a monstrous creature in human form. The unnatural movements of the Harvest Lord are stuttering, like a film with missing frames, and all that can be seen of his face beneath his skull mask is an overlarge mouth that is permanently twisted into a daemonic grin.

Eyros Slagmyst, Enhanced Bounty Hunter

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A former dome-rigger responsible for maintaining the pipe networks of Cogtown, Eyros Slagmyst discovered a strange archeotech suit while searching for a means of saving his home from disease. After donning the archaeo-rig, the ancient suit bound itself to Eyros, granting him great strength but also giving him an irresistible thirst for the water contained within living things. After reducing the population of his hometown to withered husks, Eyros began hiring his services to underhive gangs in return for fresh victims to drain.

Cyborg: The lore mentions that archaeo-rig that Eyros wears has slowly been transforming him into a hybrid of human and machine, upgrading his body with ancient cybernetic enhancements. While this gives Eyros great durability (represented by his higher than average Toughness, as well as skills and equipment that makes him harder to take down), nobody is quite sure how much of the original dome-rigger is left beneath the suit.
Healing Potion: The water that Eyros' archeo-rig creates from the fluids he collects have a revitalising effect on those that drink it. The 3rd Edition rules represent this by counting the rig as a medicae kit, allowing injured fighters a better chance of recovery when Eyros assists them.
Horror Hunger: Eyros' archeo-rig has cursed him with a near insatiable thirst for water and in the barren wastes of the underhive the most common water source is living beings, particularly humans. To quench his thirst, Eyros now hires himself out to any gang willing to give him a ready supply of fresh bodies to drain with his suit's syringes.
Meaningful Appearance: The archeo-rig that Eyros wears includes a wide-brimmed metal hat that resembles a traditional Asian conical hat, Japanese kasa or the hats worn by T'au Water caste diplomats. When combined with the robes that he wears, the hat makes Eyros look like a high-tech Japanese Buddhist priest.
Our Vampires Are Different: There are many comparisons to Eyros Slagmyst being a cybernetic vampire in all but name.
Unwilling Roboticisation: The strange mechanisms of the suit that Eyros found in the sump wells are altering his body with insidious archaeo-cybernetics and slowly turning him into a hybrid of man and ancient machine, all the while driving him close to madness with a near insatiable thirst.
Where I Was Born and Razed: When he found his ancient archeo-rig. Eyros searching for a means to save his hometown of Cogtown from an outbreak of disease. Unfortunately, however, the Horror Hunger inflicted on him by the suit drove Eyros to drain the entire population of the town of their water, reducing them to nothing but dust and scraps of clothing.

Gor Half-Horn, Beastman Bounty Hunter

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An abhuman of the Homo Sapiens Variatus strain — more commonly known as Beastmen — there is much rumour and mystery surrounding Gor Half-horn. How a member of one of the most abused and hated species of abhuman became an officially sanctioned bounty hunter is unknown but he has proven to be highly successful in his role, and is particularly renowned for his brutal and unpredictable temper.

Beast Man: As a member of the Homo sapiens variatus strain of abhuman, Gor resembles a hybrid of human and goat with cloven hooves, shaggy fur, horns and animalistic features.
The Berserker: Beastmen are renowned for their ferocity in combat and Gor is a particularly violent example of his breed, bloodily dispatching his quarry with animalistic fury and wanton abandon. The 3rd Edition rules represent this by giving Gor the Berserker skill that gives him extra Attacks when making a Charge action.
The Bus Came Back: Beastmen had been absent from Games Workshop product lines for a considerable amount of time; Gor was the first new Imperial Beastman model produced since the 90s.
Cigar Chomper: Gor's model shows him smoking a short and thick cigar that, when combined with his bestial features, gives him a tough, no-nonsense look.
Fantastic Racism: Despite the fact that the Imperium has an official policy of discrimination against the Beastman strain of abhuman, to the extent that some want them reclassified as Mutants, Gor Subverts this as he has been official sanctioned as a Bounty Hunter and only the most insane of religious zealots take issue with his species.
Horn Attack: Gor is able to use his horns when charging into combat. In the 3rd Edition rules, he has the Bull Charge ability, which gives him a Strength bonus and the Knockback ability.
Horned Humanoid: As a Beastman, Gor sports a pair of goat-like horns with the left one being broken halfway along its length, hence his moniker.
Internal Homage: The design of Gor's weaponry harks back to the visual style of the parent game's 1st Edition, referencing the fact that this was the last time Beastmen were featured on the tabletop.
Multiple-Choice Past: There are many conflicting rumours about Gor's past, ranging from the theory that he is the sole survivor of an Abhuman Auxilia regiment to the possibility that he is a mutated hive noble who fled to the underhive. The truth is unlikely ever to be known as Gor's reaction to such questions tends to be brief and violent.

Grendl Grendlsen, Squat Bounty Hunter

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Once part of an abhuman mercenary company hired to be the honour guard of a Rogue Trader, Grendl Grendlsen fled to the underhive in the aftermath of his employer's assassination and the purge of the Rogue Trader's household that followed. Grendl's loyalty and martial prowess soon found him employment as a bodyguard and Bounty Hunter, and he has quickly made a name for himself as a steadfast and talented guardian.

The Bus Came Back: The Squats were removed from the setting during the 2nd Edition of Warhammer 40,000. Grendlsen was the first Squat model to be released in more than two decades before they officially returned to the setting a few editions later.
Praetorian Guard: Grendlsen came to Hive Primus as part of the mercenary bodyguard company of a Rogue Trader. After his employer was slain, however, Grendl fled to the underhive where he has continued to act as a bodyguard, hiring himself out to any underhiver who can afford his price, and taking the bounties of any assassins that make an attempt on his employer's life.

Grub Targeson, Hive Scum

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Also known as Lumpy Nox, Grub Targeson was once a respected member of the Merchant Guild who was forced to flee to the underhive after developing a talking lump on his back. Grub now hires himself out to any gang that will have him, and who are willing to put up with the constant, mumbling conversations he has his mutation.

Artificial Limbs: Grub's model sports a cybernetic right leg. Despite this, Grub lacks the bonus to his Move characteristic such a bionic would normally give him, having a lower Move value than a normal hive scum, indicating that the bionic is in a state of disrepair.
Electronic Eyes: Grub has had a bionic eye in place of his natural left eye. The 3rd Edition rules represent this by giving the disturbed mercenary a superior Ballistic Skill characteristic compared to a regular hive scum hired gun.
Mutant: Over a number of years, Grub developed a very pronounced lump on his board shoulders and when it started talking to him, he was forced to flee his previous life or be outed as a mutant.
Riches to Rags: Grub used to be a wealthy and respected member of the Merchant Guild, the organisation that oversees all trade on Necromunda. After his mutation became too difficult to hide, however, Grub was forced to give up his position and flee to the underhive where he has become an impoverished madman and hired gun.
Seers: Grub's hunch appears to have some form of precognitive ability, telling the mad hive scum where he will find hidden treasures and warning him of danger. The 3rd Edition rules represent this with the Evade skill, making him more difficult to target with ranged weapons.

Kal Jericho & Scabs

Kal Jericho, Underhive Bounty Hunter

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"We had him dead to rights, then he flashed that smug little smile, made a dash for the door and the whole building came down. Saw him swagger away untouched. Still want to gut him but you gotta respect the style."

—Seared Jax, Downtown Runners, House Orlock, on Kal Jericho

The self-proclaimed most charming Bounty Hunter in the underhive, Kal is the illegitimate son of the off-world noble Heleana Jericho^note and, it is rumoured, the Planetary Governor Gerontius Helmawr. Theories about why someone like him is working as a Bounty Hunter in the worst parts of Hive Primus is often the talk of underhive drinking holes but his talents and attitude has ensured that he has become a legend in his own lifetime.

Born Lucky: Kal has gained a reputation for being able to get out of even the most dangerous of situations without a scratch, much to the annoyance of his many enemies, and many in the underhive believe he lives a charmed life. This is represented in the 3rd Edition rules by his A Charmed Life special rule that gives him an unmodifiable save roll and the chance of simply ignoring template-based attacks.
Guns Akimbo: Kal is ambidextrous and fights at range with a pair of master-crafted hotshot laspistols, typically in the most flamboyant manner possible.
Robot Dog: While it isn't represented in his 3rd Edition rules, his background material and the novels mention that Kal is often accompanied by the cyber-mastiff Wotan, which he acquired while adventuring off-world with his estranged mother.
Spell My Name With An S: Kal's surname is spelled both with and without the 'h' in a number of official sources. While spelling the name without the 'h' is most common in the first two editions of the game, the 3rd Edition battle report from the April 2019 issue of White Dwarf also uses this spelling, while the official rules for the character printed in the Necromunda: The Book of Peril sourcebook released the following month spells it Jericho.

Scabs, Hive Scum

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The half-breed offspring of an underhiver and a savage Ratskin, Scabs is an outcast from both sides of lineage who became a guide for hire until he met the famous Bounty Hunter, Kal Jericho. Finding acceptance with the flamboyant Jericho, Scabs is fiercely loyal to his uphive master and, in the years since their partnership began, Scabbs has repeatably proven his worth to Kal with his pragmatism and caution saving their lives on numerous occasions.

Because You Were Nice to Me: The reason that Scabs is so loyal to Kal Jericho is that the Bounty Hunter was the first person in his life to treat the half-Ratskin with even a modicum of respect.
Half-Breed Discrimination: The product of a union between one of the underhive natives known as Ratskins and an underhive from further uphive, Scabs has been discriminated against by both sides of his family since his birth, particularly from the civilised underhivers who consider him nothing more than a savage from the wastes. It wasn’t until he began to gain a reputation for his actions alongside Kal Jericho that Scabs gained any form of respect.
Magical Native American: Scabs' half-Ratskin^note heritage gives him an innate connection to the underhive, allowing Scabs to instinctively find paths through seemingly impassable Badzones or track foes across the shifting wastes of the Hive bottom. This is represented in the 3rd Edition rules by Scabs having the Infiltrate skill that allows him to deploy outside the normal deployment rules as he has used his skills to get the drop on his opponents.

Klovis & Malakev

Klovis the Redeemer

A high-ranked member of House Cawdor, Klovis is fanatically devoted to the Cult of Redemption and often leads expeditions into the underhive spread the teachings of the Cult, and to purge anyone he deems to be a mutant, traitor or heretic.

NOTE: This entry is for Klovis' appearance in the Tabletop Game. Tropes relating to events specific to The Redeemer comic book series should go on that page.

Bad Boss: Even by the standards of the Cult of Redemption, Klovis utterly uncompromising with his underlings and he is infamous for 'tutoring' those followers that he believes have failed him. Klovis' Disciplinary measures special rule represents this during a campaign by causing serious injuries to a friendly fighter if the gang that Klovis is fighting alongside loses a game.
Beard of Evil: While not as prominent as the one shown in the graphic novels, Klovis' special edition miniature still sports a goatee cut into the style of many traditional villainous characters.
Epic Flail: Klovis' primary close combat weapon in Mortifier, a heavy flail with a flaming, skull-shaped head. Although unwieldy, Mortifier is almost impossible to stop once it starts swinging so cannot be parried, and is capable of setting those he hits on fire.
Meaningful Appearance: Klovis' wears the Crown of Cleansing Fire, a flaming brazier that shows his devotion to the fire obsessed Redemptionist Cult. In the comics the Crown can be used as a short ranged flamer but this isn’t represented in either his 1st or 2nd Edition tabletop rules.
Mix-and-Match Weapon: Klovis' holy eviscerator, a type of two-handed chainsword favoured by Imperial religious fanatics across the galaxy, incorporates an extremely well-maintained flamer so that the Redeemer is able to efficiently purge heretics with both blade and flame.

Deacon Malakev

Klovis' chronicler and manservant, Deacon Malakev fights alongside The Redeemer, takes care of his masters equipment between battles and records his mighty deeds for posterity.

NOTE: This entry is for Malakev's appearance in the Tabletop Game. Tropes relating to events specific to The Redeemer comic book series should go on that page.

Improvised Armour: Malakev carries Klovis' copy of the Liber Excruciatus, a book of torture techniques so large and thick, it can stop almost any attack, giving Malakev an unmodifiable saving throw.
Posthumous Character: The final appearance in The Redeemer comic book series sees Malakev transformed into a mindless Scribe-Servitor so any appearance by the Deacon on the tabletop takes place before he suffers such a fate.
Satellite Character: Malakev is a devoted follower of the Redeemer and will never do anything, or go anywhere, without his master's orders. Due to this, Malakev can only ever join a gang alongside his master and he has to stay close to his master during battles.

Krotos Hark, Goliath Bounty Hunter

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Far more intelligent and independently minded than the majority of stimm-enhanced drones breed by House Goliath, Krotos Hark kept his gifts hidden until he was able to leave his gang and set himself up as a Bounty Hunter and armourer for hire. Highly secretive by nature, Krotos' ultimate goals are a mystery but it has been noted that he seem to take jobs that oppose the interests of House Goliath more often than not.

The Faceless: Krotos is always depicted wearing a heavily armoured, masked helmet that hides his true identity from agents of House Goliath, as well as protecting him from enemy attacks.
Genius Bruiser: In addition to the usual strength and durability bred into members of House Goliath, Krotos was born with a far sharper mind than his peers, along with the sense to keep these gifts hidden to avoid being purged as a dangerous aberration. This mix of power and intelligence is represented in has 3rd Edition stat line by having physical ability characteristics on a par with those of the Dumb Muscle House Goliath Champions along with mental characteristics better than those of typical House Van Saar fighters.
Hunter of His Own Kind: The background material for Krotos mentions that he has shown a particular interest in taking jobs that oppose the interests of House Goliath, leading some underhive rumourmongers to speculate that he is working towards has a secret agenda when it comes to his former House.
Mutant: If House Goliath had been aware of Krotos' keen mind he would have been seen as a dangerous genetic aberrations, even amongst the near abhuman population of the House. Such freaks are typically purged from the House but Krotos was clever enough to hide his intelligence from his fellow Goliaths until he had the chance to escape into the underhive.

Mad Dog Mono, Hive Scum

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A Longshoreman from the Ash Gates of Port Mad Dog, Mono began hiring himself out to gangs looking for some extra muscle after discovering his talent for violence. Despite his success as a hired gun, Mono often returns to his old home in Port Mad Dog to work alongside his fellow Longshore clanners on the outskirts of the Palatine Cluster.

Improvised Armour: Mono made his own suit of boiler plate armour from scrap metal he salvaged from wrecked Ash Wastes transports. Despite its improvised nature, Mono's boiler plate is just as effective as the furnace plate worn by Goliath gangers, which is designed to protect them from the heat, sparks and molten metal of their forges.
Super-Reflexes: Thanks to the strange effect of the cyclopean pilot's helmet that Mono wears, Mono has developed incredibly fast reflexes, something the 3rd Edition rules represent with the Dodge skill and a superior Initiative characteristic to regular hive scum.
Weapons of Their Trade: Mono's primary weapon is the same grab hook that he uses to sift cargo as a Longshoreman. Essentially a large, hooked blade attached to a pole, Mono is so skilled with his grab hook that he can use it to disarm an opponent before burying it in their skull.

Slate Merdena, Orlock Road Boss

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"Slate doesn't win fights, he just allows you to lose."

—Sump Dogs saying

A highly talented Orlock leader who commands multiple gangs and controls over a dozen of Hive Primus' Ash Gates, Slate Merdena has a reputation as a gifted warrior who has survived everything rival gangs have thrown at him. Having turned down the opportunity to become one of the rulers of House Orlock, Slate still fights for his House on the front-lines of its gang wars with his loyal Cyber-mastiff Macula, his mere presence often causing enemy fighters to flee for their lives.

Badass Biker: While he doesn't ride a bike in the game itself, Slate's background material mentions that he hand-built his first bike as a Juve and soon rose to lead his own ash wastes biker gang. Now considered one of the strongest Orlock leaders ever, Slate has numerous road gangs under his control.
Bald Head of Toughness: He's a Made of Iron, nigh-unkillable warrior whose lifelong exposure to the hardships of Necromunda's ash wastes has left him without a hair on his head.
Bald of Authority: Slate is considered to be the greatest living Orlock Road Boss and has zero hair on his head except for his handlebar moustache.
Canine Companion: Slate is accompanied into battle by his loyal cyber-mastiff Macula, a cybernetically-enhanced canine with a 3rd Edition stat line superior to that of regular cyber-mastiffs.
Declining Promotion: Due to his monumental success, his instinctive leadership skills, and his fearsome reputation, Slate was offered a position as one of the Masters of House Orlock but declined, claiming that he couldn't leave his life on the road defending the ash waste convoys.
Living Legend: As one of their most successful gang leaders in, Slate is a legend amongst the citizens of House Orlock who controls multiple gangs across the Palatine cluster. Strong, tough and fiercely loyal to his House, Slate is the epitome of what it means to be an Orlock and, in the 3rd Edition rules, will only fight alongside gangs of his House.
Made of Iron: Slate has taken everything that life as a House Orlock fighter can throw at him through grit and determination, surviving stab wound, bullet wounds and being thrown beneath the wheels of his own truck. Slate's tough-as-nails reputation is represented in his 3rd Edition rules by high Toughness and Wounds characteristics.

Yar Umbra, Void-Born Bounty Hunter

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Born aboard a chartist merchant ship, Yar Umbra was stranded on Necromunda by his deck master. Finding the cramped environment of the underhive to be similar to the interior of the void-ship he was used to, Yar now works as a sniper and Bounty Hunter to ern enough credits to leave the planet and track down his former ship.

Cold Sniper: Yar is a highly proficient sniper with an affinity for shadows and a specially customised, sniper-variant lasgun. His hatred at being stranded on Necromunda also means that he rarely gets close to those gangs that hire him, preferring a purely professional relationship. In-game this is represented by Yar having a maximum Ballistic Skill characteristic, along with skills and equipment that further enhance his ranged attacks.
The Faceless: Yar has never shown his face to anyone on Necromunda, always wearing a rough hood to hide his features. This habit has led to many theories about the true reason that his shipmates stranded him on the planet.
Meaningful Name: "Umbra" means darkness or shadow in Latin, making it a fitting name for a sniper who feels at home in the darkness of the underhive.
Mysterious Past: Nobody knows why Yar's shipmates stranded him on Necromunda, not even Yar himself. As with most mysteries in the underhive, there are many theories and rumours about possible reasons, mostly revolving around the fact that Yar refuses to remove his hood.
Space People: Yar is void-born, meaning he (and quite possibly several generations of his family) was born and spent his entire life traversing space aboard a starship, the Halcyon Dawn in Yar's case. Despite finding the close confines of the underhive similar to the bowels of a starship, Yar despises planet-bound life and wishes to leave Necromunda as soon as possible.
There's No Place Like Home: Yar's greatest desire is to return to his old ship, the Halcyon Dawn, only working as a Bounty Hunter and sniper-for-hire in an attempt to raise funds for passage off-world in an attempt to track down the chartist ship.

Yolanda Skorn, Escher Bounty Hunter

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An infamously insane Bounty Hunter, Yolanda Skorn was exiled from her gang, the Bloodmaidens, after challenging for leadership and being defeated. Unable to kill such a beautifully cruel creature, the victorious gang leader cut hideous scars onto Yolanda's face and let her disappear into the underhive. Now Yolanda sells her services to various underhive gangs, never staying long with any single employer as they tire of her eccentric behaviour.

Artificial Limbs: Yolanda lost her right hand during her duel with her former gang leader and had it replaced with a bionic substitute so that she could continue to fight to full effect while in exile.
The Exile: Yolanda's former gang leader was unwilling to kill the crazy ganger, instead choosing to exile her failed challenger from House Escher so that she could continue to spread violence throughout the underhive.
Facial Horror: Yolanda wears a veil to cover the horrific facial scars that she received when she was exiled as they tend to unsettle her employers. One of her favourite games is to pull back her veil during combat so that the last thing her opponents see is her hideously scared visage.
Mark of Shame: Before exiling her from the gang, Yolanda’s former gang leader mutilated her face with ritual scars as a mark failure. The insane Yolanda doesn't mind the scars however, and she only covers them with a vail because they tend to disturb her employers rather than for any possible social stigma.
No Sense of Personal Space: Yolanda's 3rd Edition background material mentions that a number of gang leaders who have employed Yolanda had to end their contract after being unnerved at finding her staring at them from a few inches away when they woke-up.

Kria the Huntress, House Escher Death-Maiden Bounty Hunter

One of House Escher's 'Death-Maidens,' a resurrected warrior who was killed in battle and then brought back to life by the House's fleshteks. Kria Kytoro was nicknamed 'The Huntress' because of her sheer tenacity and single-minded determination to hunt down the prey-marked enemies of her gang. After she met her end at the hand of a Goliath boss, Kria was resurrected by House Escher and now she hunts the enemies of the matriarchy as a Death-Maiden, a mantle that rests well upon her shoulders.

Back from the Dead: Was resurrected by the Escher fleshteks after she was killed in battle against a Goliath boss.
Cold Sniper: One of the weapons listed in her statblock is a long las, which is a long-range lasgun.
I Work Alone: A sentiment shared by all Death-Maidens, including Kria. That said, it is not unusual for entire gangs to be comprised of Death-Maidens if the Escher matriarchy calls for it.
No Kill like Overkill: How she died. Gorgon, the Goliath boss who killed her, had already emptied his shotgun into Kria before the Escher warrior closed in and slit his throat. Also, assuming that the flavour text on the next page is referring to her, Kria was also shot in the head several times during another altercation with a man named Flint.
Poisonous Person: As a side-effect of the resurrection process, the chemicals that course through Kria's veins have made her blood toxic. However, this has no effect in gameplay except as flavour for her poisoned close combat weapons.
Poisoned Weapons: Kria has throwing knives and a stiletto knife with the Toxin trait. Interestingly, according to flavour text, it's implied that she poisons them with her own toxic blood.
The Sociopath: The resurrection process had stripped Kria of what little humanity she had in her prior to her death, turning her into a remorseless killer.
Taking You with Me: As described above, Kria was already on her way to dying before she ran up and opened up Gorgon's throat. Of course, unlike Gorgon, she got better.

Legacy^note1st/2nd Edition Gangs

Pit Slaves

The Merchant Guild makes extensive use of slave labour to do rough manual work such as mining, carrying heavy loads or fighting for the entertainment of rich patrons. Often augmented with mechanical enhancements to assist them in their work and fitted with ownership studs, these slaves are treated as nothing more than disposable property to be discarded once they are of no uses. Those pit slaves that escape their captivity are treated as criminals for their mere existence and often band together for mutual protection, raiding underhive settlements to survive, take vengeance on their former masters and attempt to free their fellows from captivity.

Blade Below the Shoulder: As they were originally intended to perform their duties until they die, the tools and close combat weapons used by Pit Slaves are typically built into their bionic arms. While this means that the Pit Slave is never undefended, it does make it more difficult for them to work their territory and means that any injuries they sustain to their arms will also destroy their weapons.
Close-Range Combatant : As most Pit Slaves have been augmented specifically for combat, or for jobs that require raw strength over skill, their gangs are extremely close combat focused (only the Chief, Techno and lobotomised Servitors able to wield any ranged weapon better than a pistol), while the gang's skill list leans heavily towards the strength and combat orientated skills.
Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: While the majority of Pit Slaves have retained their humanity despite the great number of bionic replacements that have been forced upon them, the lobotomised cyborgs known as Servitors have had their humanity striped from them by the cyberization process and now must be specifically programmed to perform even the simplest of tasks.
Cyborg: All Pit Slaves were forcibly augmented with bionic parts to make them more efficient workers, and every Pit Slave at least has at least one bionic limb of some sort. As a result of these enhancements Pit Slaves can survive with far less food than regular underhive dwellers (resulting in a reduced upkeep cost to avoid starvation) and can advance their characteristics to a greater extent than an unaugmented human, but they find it harder to scavenge for resources between battles as the noise they make while moving scares away wildlife.
The Engineer: One of the most important members of a Pit Slaves gang, Technos are pit slaves, often originally from House Van Saar, with enough technical knowledge to maintain the mechanical parts of their gang mates. In addition to basic maintenance, a Pit Slave Techno is also in charge of repairing broken weapon implants, programming the gang's servitors and repurposing any bionics captured from enemy fighters.
Grievous Harm with a Body: Pit Slaves originally modified to act as laborious are often fitted with a large cybernetic claw. In battle, these Slaves can use the enhanced strength of this claw to pick-up and throw defeated foes at their friends, doing damage to both the target and the unwilling projectile.
Improvised Armour: As they are cyborgs, Pit Slave normally have a non-standard body structure and so can't wear normal armour, but they are able to graft metal plates directly onto their body instead. These plates are normally made from scrap metal scavenged from the wastes of the underhive, but a gang's Techno is also able to cut up any proper armour the gang acquires to make multiple armour plates. While these armour plates give their wearer adequate protection, their weight and bulk naturally slows the Pit Slave down if they have more than one attached to their body.
Multi-Armed and Dangerous: The 1st and 2nd Edition rules gave Pit Slave Chiefs the option to take a number of extra bionic arms that allowed them to use multiple weapons during combat.
Organ Theft: A Pit Slave Techno is able to steal bionic limbs and eyes from captured enemies so that they can install them on their gang-mates. Stealing a captured fighter's bionics doesn't put the victim at risk of death, but it will give them the injury penalties that the bionic replacement cured.
Shear Menace: The Shears fitted to some Pit Slaves are just as good at cutting off limbs and heads as they were when put to their original purpose of harvesting fungus or cutting metal into shape, giving their wielder a chance to perform a One-Hit Kill in close combat.
This Is a Drill: Pit Slaves modified for use in mining are often equipped with Rock Drills. Designed to bore through slag and mineral deposits, these drills are just as effective when used in close combat, allowing the wielder to combine all of their hits into a single attack with enhanced Strength and Damage characteristics to represent the wielder drilling through his opponent's body.

Ratskins Renegades

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A primitive culture that has existed within the bowels of the Necromundan hives for countless generations, the Ratskins are a peaceful people who have adapted to life in the Underhive and practice an shamanistic religion that reveres the spirits that dwell within the hive. They normally try to avoid the more civilised populations of the underhive but many fall prey to violence and exploitation from the Hivers, causing some Ratskins to snap and seek to exact revenge upon the people who abuse them. Known as Badskins to their former brethren, these Ratskin Renegades turn their backs on their people's peaceful ways so that they an cleanse the underhive of all uphivers.

Cargo Cult: Some background material mentions that Ratskins consider Archeotech^noteancient Lost Technology to be sacred to the Hive Spirits that they worship and even Badskins will seek to protect such technology, or sites where such it can be found, from the hands of Underhivers. As such, Ratskin Renegades gangs always keep any Archeotech Horde territories they capture^note. The Ratskins cannot exploit them for Credits but do gain additional spiritual powers instead.
Magical Native American: The Shamans and Totem Warriors^note1st and 2nd Edition respectively of the Native American inspired Ratskins are closely connected with the spirits of the hive that give them special abilities on the battlefield.
Native Guide: 1st and 2nd Edition allowed gangs to hire Ratskin Scout Hired Guns to lead them through the dilapidated industrial labyrinth of the underhive. Having lived their entire life in the underhive, these scouts know the environments at the base of the hive batter than any underhiver and hiring one gives a gang a greater chance to chose which scenario is played (as the scout leads the gang into an advantageous position) and can search for new territory for the gang to occupy.
Nemean Skinning: The Ratskins got their name from their tradition of wearing cloaks made from the skins of the Necromundan Giant Rats that they hunt for food. This is most prominent with the 1st Edition models that were full rat-skin capes, while the 2nd Edition versions go for a simple rat-fur clad, techno-barbarian direction with only the Chiefs and Totem Warriors wearing the full cape.
Religion is Magic: Due to their connection to the hive spirits Ratskins worship, 1st Edition Ratskin Shaman were able to manifest strange powers that were said to defy explanation by wyrds and psykers. In-game, these powers ranged from being able curse enemy models to fail Initiative tests, to projecting his spirit to attack his enemies.
Space Romans: Ratskin Renegades are a Native American themed gang that wield primitive weapons, are close to the spirits of the hive, are able to navigate the hazardous conditions of the underhive with ease, and often hire themselves out too underhive settlers as scouts and guides.

Scavvies

Deformed and twisted, Scavvies are the dregs of humanity who live in the worst Badzones of the underhive. Living in bands of inbred, extended families, these scratching out a miserable existence through scavenging, robbery, and pillaging what passes for civilised settlements in the bowels of the hive.

Scavvy bands consist of dozens of disgusting, and often mutated, fighters armed with scavenged and scratch-built weaponry, led by the strongest male of the tribe. Such bands are often accompanied by various beasts, such as the massive abhuman Scalies, packs of feral Scavvy Dogs and loathsome Plague Zombies that have been encouraged to fight alongside the Scavvies with promises of fresh food.

Attack Animal: The 2nd Edition rules allow the Bosses who led Scavvy gangs to use small titbits of food to encourage a random number of mangy Scavvy Dogs to fight alongside their bands as Followers^note.
The Big Guy: Scalies are large, musclebound abhumans that possess considerable strength and durability. In battle Scalies that have allied themselves to Scavvy gangs typically provide their weaker comrades with heavy firepower in the form of large ranged weapons, such as spear guns and scatter cannons, and use their high Strength characteristic to tear opponents apart in close combat.
Deadly Disc: One of the unique weapons available to the Scalies is the discus. A Scaly can throw these crude discs of sharpened scrap metal with lethal force, hitting with similar stats to a low powered plasma gun.
I'm a Humanitarian:
- Scavvies have no qualms about consuming other sentient creatures if they do not have enough resources to buy food for the entire gang. Captured enemies or those Scavvies too badly injured to be useful anymore are most likely to suffer such a fate. While a single model was enough to feed an entire gang in 1st Edition, 2nd Edition introduced a formula^note to work out how many gang members each model could feed.
- Ghouls, from the 2nd Edition version of Scavvy gangs, are individuals driven so mad by their hunger that they began to eat the dead and acquired a taste for it. Ghouls are so driven by their hunger they will even stop to feed in the middle of a battle. Even Scavvies think think ghouls take their culinary habits too far as a Scavvy only resorts to cannibalism until they find something better.
Healing Factor: The abhuman Scalies have the ability to heal almost any injury that they suffer and, if given enough time, can even regenerate whole limbs. During a campaign, Scalies have a slight chance of healing any injury they had suffered.
Lizard Folk: The Scalies are a stable strain of abhuman who have grown into giant-framed figures with tough, scaly hides and reptilian features. Their abnormal necks and voice boxes mean that they rarely speak, but they do not seem to suffer from the mental degradation that other large abhuman sub-species, such as Ogryns, exhibit. Thought to live in hidden tribes, Scalies are only accepted by Scavvy bands and will often be found accompanying the twisted scavengers.
Mutant: While all Scavvies are deformed to some extent, some have been so twisted by the toxic environment that they live in that they develop unique, monstrous mutations, such as extra arms, elongated eyestalks, two heads or wings. In those editions where they appear, Scavvies are the only non-Chaos-aligned gang able to include members with mutations, either purchasing them when the Scavvy is hired or gaining them when a Scavvy goes up a level.
The Pig-Pen: Scavvies take very little notice of their personal hygiene. The typical Scavvy will dress in any rags that they can find or steal, and they are usually covered in sores, warts, blisters and the various foul substances that come with everyday life in the Badzones of the underhive.
Polluted Wasteland: Scavvies normally live in Badzones, some of the worst polluted areas of the underhive, and even when they move to better areas their disgusting lifestyle results in even the cleanest dome quickly degenerating into polluted wastes. In the 2nd Edition of the game, Scavvies have the unique rule that any territory they conquer only functions for a single campaign turn, after which it becomes a Scrofulous Waste; a nigh-useless and dilapidated wasteland.

Spyrers

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/necrospyre.png

Clockwise from the top right: Malcadon, Jakara, Orrus, Yeld

Figures of fear to the inhabitants of the underhive, Spyrers are the scions of the Noble Houses sent to the wastes at the base of the hive to prove that they are resourceful and merciless enough to be worthy of a place amongst the rulers of Necromunda. Equipped with highly advanced suits of Powered Armor known as hunting rigs, the Spyrers must complete a set objective (ranging from killing a set number of foes to simply surviving for a set amount of time) before they are allowed to return to the Spire.

24-Hour Armour: While in the underhive Spyrers never remove their hunting rigs as the self-sustaining Powered Armor is able to recycle their waste products and sustain a Spyrer with intravenously administered synthetic protein.
Animal Motif:
- Spyrers equipped with Malcadon hunting rigs have a spider theme with the overlong limbs and segmented armour plates giving them an arachnid-like look while the rig's enhancements allow the Spyrer to quickly traverse the dilapidated walls, ducts and ceilings of the underhive. In battle Malcadon Spyrers typically prefer to trap their prey in iron-hard silk from their wrist-mounted web shooters.
- Yeld Spyrers are based on birds of prey with razor-sharp wings and clawed gauntlets that resemble talons.
Anti Armour: The Patriarch rig’s power claws are wreathed in the same form of molecular-disruption fields that cover more tradition forms of power weapon, allowing them to shear through armour with the highest Save Modifier characteristic of any Spyrer weapon.
Aristocrats Are Evil: Spyrer gangs are small teams of young nobles on a mission of Hunting the Most Dangerous Game in the hellish wastes of the underhive for amusement and to prove that they are resourceful and ruthless enough to be worthy of taking their place in the upper echelons of Necromundan society. The care nothing for the plight of the lower classes, let alone the dregs that inhabit their hunting grounds.
Arm Cannon: The ranged weapons of the basic Spyrer hunting rigs are typically mounted on the back of the wearer’s gauntlet so that they can keep their hands free to manipulate objects and so that they can personally tear their opponents apart in close combat.
Attack Reflector: The mirror shields used by Jakara Spyrer hunters are able to absorb the attacks of energy weapons and fire it back at the enemy. As with other Spyrer equipment, the mirror shield is designed to improve as the wielder gains experience so that eventually the shield will be able to reflect projectile attacks as well.
Chameleon Camouflage: The wings of Yeld Spyre rigs, are wired with crystalline circuitry that allowed them to change colour and blend into the surrounding environment, imposing a negative to hit modifier for anyone firing at a Yeld from long range. The chameleon cloaks worn by the veteran Spyrer Matriarchs^note introduced during 2nd Edition use similar but more sophisticated technology to camouflage its wearer and gave her enemies a negative to hit modifier for both ranged and hand-to-hand combat attacks.
Dual Wielding: The close combat orientated Matriarch hunter rig are able to reduce their opponents to shredded meat with a large chainscythe in one hand and a wickedly sharp monomolecular sword in the other.
Evolving Weapon: The suits and equipment used by Spyrers on their hunts in the underhive are designed to increase in power and unlock more abilities as the wearer gains experience. In those editions of the game where Spyrers appear, this was handled in a manner similar to how normal gang fighters gained skills and characteristics, only improving the Spyrer's weapons and armour instead of the fighters themselves.
Fragile Speedster: The Jakara are the lightest of the basic Spyrers, focusing on speed and agility to close with their prey, having the same Movement characteristic as the winged Yeld. While they are able to protect themselves with their attack reflecting mirror shields, this only applies to their forward arc and the Jakara rig's basic armour save is the joint lowest of all Spyrers.
Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Spyrers are young nobles from the Spire equipped with high tech equipment who come down to the underhive to hunt the most violent and hardened gangers and outlaws to prove that they have what it takes to survive in the cutthroat world of the aristocracy. Some enjoying the hunt so much that they keep coming back, spreading fear and terror wherever they hunt.
Lightning Bruiser:
- Malcadon hunter rigs are optimised for speed and agility, giving their wearer the highest base Movement and Initiative^noteagility/combat speed characteristics of any Spyrer hunter and is able to cross terrain with ease. Unlike the light Jakara rig, however, the Malcadon is able to toughen its armour to increase its saving throw.
- The veteran Matriarch Spyrers couple the speed and agility of a Jakara with the armour of an Orrus and the Chameleon Camouflage of a Yeld to become all-but unbeatable in hand-to-hand combat.
Long-Range Fighter: While still relatively short ranged by the standards of many weapons used by other gangs, the laser gauntlets fitted to Yeld hunter rigs are the longest ranged weapons a basic Spyrer hunting party can field. During a hunt, Yeld Spyrers typically use their wings to find an ideal firing position before using their Chameleon Camouflage abilities to conceal themselves, acting as sniper support for their peers.
Mighty Glacier: Orrus and Patriarch hunter rigs are the slowest and strongest of all Spyrers, their bulky suits having lower Movement but the highest Strength characteristics of their peers. These abilities are further enhanced by powerful weaponry and the best base armour saves compared to other rigs.
Multi-Armed and Dangerous: The Patriarch hunter rigs worn by veteran Spyrers are equipped with four cybernetically controlled combat arms similar to the mechanadrites used by members of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Two of these arms sport high powered lasers similar to those fitted to the Yeld rig, while the remaining two are equipped with a pair of crushing power claws.
One-Man Army: While their training and sophisticated off-world technology allow a handful of Spyre hunters to be more than a match for many times their number of regular gang fighters, it is the veteran Matriarchs and Patriarchs^noteintroduced during 2nd Edition who are the true one-man armies of the underhive, with statistics and equipment that allow them to solo entire gangs.
Poisoned Weapons: Once its wearer has gained enough proficiency in its use a Malcadon hunter rig is able to produce powerful neurotoxins to coat the suit's claws, boosting the model's Strength characteristic when in close combat.
Powered Armor: While their capacities and designs vary depending on their role, all Spyrer hunter rigs are highly advanced suits of powered armour that are hinted at being of possible xenos origin. The suits incorporate systems that provide everything its wearer needs to survive in the underhive including nutrients, waste recycling and ammunition. The suits also improve themselves as their wearers grow in experience.
Razor Wings: The wings fitted to a Yeld Spyrer suit are razor sharp, allowing their wearer to use them as deadly close combat weapons. As with all other Spyre equipment, Yeld wings are designed to grow deadlier as their wearer gains experience (granting them a bonus to their Strength characteristic), until they become near monomolecular weapons.
Rite of Passage: The Noble Houses of Necromunda believe that only the most ruthless and resourceful of their children are worthy of a place amongst the planet's rulers. In order to prove themselves, these young scions are sent into the most dangerous areas of the hive to hunt gangers and mutants with nothing more than their wits and a suit of highly advanced Powered Armour.
Sharpened to a Single Atom: Jakara and Matriarch hunter rigs are equipped with sophisticated swords that have blades made from living crystal that are only a single molecule thick. These monomolecular weapons can cut all but the densest matter and constantly renew their edge when blunted.
Sinister Scythe: As part of its Grim Reaper theme, the primary weapon of the Matriarch veteran hunter rig is a large chainscythe. While light enough to wield one-handed, the chainscythe is still powerful enough to cut a human in half with a single swing.
Wall Crawl: Malcadon Spyrers is able to use their rig's enhancements and web spinners to freely traverse the underhive environment, traversing walls and ceilings so that it can move freely between levels during a game, as long as it doesn't fire at an enemy target.
Winged Humanoid: The distinctive Yeld hunting rigs sport a pair of large, razor-sharp metallic wings that the wearer controls using conductive filaments connected directly to their brain. While incapable of true flight, with practice, Yeld Spyrers are to use their wings able glide and climb short distances, allowing them to ignore drops and easily move from one level to another.
Wolverine Claws: Malcadon Spyres suit are equipped with a pair of blades on the back of each hand that they use combat and to help them climb across the detritus of the underhive.

Legacy^note1st/2nd Edition Dramatis Personae

Arch-Zealot of the Redemption

A mysterious wandering hermit-preacher who is one of the most revered demagogues in the entire Cult of Redemption, whose rabble-rousing sermons are capable of inspiring the Cult's followers into a state of intolerant fury that typically results in riots and lynchings. Due to his disruptive presence and extreme genocidal views, even for the fanatical Redemptionists, the Arch Zealot has officially been cast out of the cult, although there are many within its ranks that still see the firebrand preacher as a true prophet of the Redemptionist cause and those that denounce him are often silenced by his frenzied followers.

Bottomless Magazines: Due to it being surprisingly well maintained, and the massive backpack of fuel that he carried, Arch-Zealot’s flamer^note never fails an ammo roll during a game.
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": No background material has ever revealed the true name of the Arch-Zealot and he is only ever referred to by his title.
Fire-Breathing Weapon: Like all Redemptionists, the Arch-Zealot views fire as a holy weapon wields a flamer as his main weapon. Such is his devotion to this holy weapon that the Arch-Zealot's flamer is unusually well-maintained for the weapon of someone living the life of a fugitive wanderer in the underhive.
Hat of Authority: Even though he is a hunted fugitive, the Arch-Zealot is still a highly ranked priest within the Cult of Redemption and his 1st Edition model depicts him wearing a large mitre in the style of high-ranking Ministorum Priests of the wider Imperium.
Tautological Templar: The Arch-Zealot takes the fanatical and intolerant creed of the Redemptionists to the extreme, preaching genocide and slaughter against all enemies of the Emperor. These views are considered to be extreme, even by those within the Redemptionist hierarchy, but the Arch-Zealot himself believes that anyone speaking out against him is a traitor to the Cult and they often end up lynched by his fanatical followers.

Brakar the Avenger

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bakar_the_avenger.jpg

An amnesiac ganger, who was taken in by a tribe of Ratskins after they found him unconscious in an isolated tunnel with grievous head injuries, Brakar is a legend amongst the native tribes of the underhive. Not long after his physical recovery, Brakar's adopted tribe was attacked and slaughtered by a Van Saar gang, causing the displaced ganger to take up the heavy stubber that had been found on his body, and drive of the attackers single-handed. Given the name Brakar, He That Rains Death, after the Ratskin god of war, the amnesic warrior now stalks the underhive, avenging attacks against his adopted people with extreme violence.

Barbarian Hero: The look of Brakar's 1st Edition model is based on the that of a traditional barbarian hero with long, unkept hair, a hugely muscled bare chest, and trousers made from animal hides. The Downplayed due to the fact that he is a Long-Range Fighter rather than a melee specialist, but he still wields a massively oversized weapon.
BFG: His 1st Edition background material mentions that Brakar uses his heavy stubber^note, a weapon longer than he is tall, as easily as other gangers use a lasgun.
Identity Amnesia: Brakar the Avenger was found alone and near death in an isolated underhive tunnel with no memory of who he was or how he got there. The Ratskin natives who rescued Brakar adopted him into their tribe but, although his physical wounds healed, he never regained the memories of his previous life.
Long-Range Fighter: Unlike the majority of 1st Edition special characters, Brakar is a master of long ranged combat. Equipped with a heavy weapon that has a 40" range and possessing one of the highest Ballistic Skills in the game, Brakar is able to provide effective long-ranged support for Ratskin Renegade gangs, who are typically mid-to-short ranged fighters.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Since his adopted tribe was slaughtered by a Van Saar gang, Brakar has been travelling the Underhive to avenge their deaths by slaughtering all those who have wronged the Ratskins. This is represented in the 1st Edition rules by Brakar never fighting for anyone except Ratskin Renegade gangs and refusing to fight against other Ratskins, as they aren't who he is looking for revenge against.

Bull Gorg

Once the most famous Pit Fighter in the Underhive, Bull Gorg rebelled against his masters and lead the biggest slave rebellion Hive Primus had ever seen. After capturing the settlement of Dead End Pass he and his fellow rebels were eventually defeated by an army of bounty hunters and executed by the Guilders.

Acrofatic: The artwork for Bull Gorg shows him as extremely obese yet his Initiative characteristic^note is one of the highest in the game.
Blade Below the Shoulder: While fighting as a Pit Slave for the entertainment of the Guilders, Bull Gorg had his arms replaced with a pair of turbo chainswords.
Chainsaw Good: The pair of massive turbo chainswords that Bull Gorg has instead of hands are deadly weapons that are depicted as having a two chains of razor-sharp teeth and have superior in-game characteristics to normal chainswords.
Death Faked for You: There are many theories and rumours amongst underhive residents that the Guilders faked Bull Gorg’s execution and that one day the great pit fighter will return at the head of another army to complete his mission to free the slaves of Necromunda.
Posthumous Character: In-universe rumours and conspiracy theories aside, Bull Gorg was officially executed by the Guilders years before the game's timeline yet he still received rules in the 1st Edition Outlanders supplement.
Rebel Leader: Once a notorious pit fighter, Bull Gorg escaped from captivity and led the most successful slave uprising in the history of the underhive with the aim of ending the slave trade completely.
Slave Liberation: Bull Gorg’s ultimate goal was to free all those held as slaves by the Guilders and eradicate the practice altogether so, when he took control of the settlement of Dead End Pass, he outlawed slavery and slaves from Guilder caravans that passed through his territory. It was this challenge to Guilder authority that led the Merchant Guild to finally crush the rebellion.

"Mad" Donna Ulanti

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/necromundamaddonna.png

The infamous Mad Donna, saw born D'onne Astride Ge'Sylvanus, the twelfth daughter of Sylvanus, the head of the Noble House Ulanti who kept her locked in a private tower to keep her pure for a political marriage. The tormented and insane D'onne fled the Spire after mutilating her fiancée during their first meeting, eventually reaching the underhive where she joined an Esher gang for a time before going solo as a one of the most insane Hired Gun around.

Arranged Marriage: D'onna's father planned to marry her off to further his political ambitions, and arranged for her to wed Count Marneus, first son of the leader of the Noble House Ko'Iron. D'onna's insanely violent reaction to meeting her betrothed meant that the wedding couldn't go ahead as planned.
Axe-Crazy: Donna is one of the most mentally unhinged of the underhive's hired guns and in infamous for her habit of stopping in the middle of a battle to torture her defeated opponents. Her unique Psycho-Bitch special rule represents this in the game's 1st Edition by forcing her to stay with a defeated opponent, inflicting Serious Injuries upon them until another target presents itself, she gets bored, or he victim dies.
Eye Scream: The tale of how D'onna delicately gouged out her intended husband's eyes with a silver fish fork during their betrothal feast is often retold around the hive, as is the story of how she removed one of her own eyes so nobody would call pretty ever again.
Go Mad from the Isolation: One of the most popular theories amongst the claustrophilic population of Hive Primus for D'onna's decent into madness is that being confined to a tower for years, with nothing but the unroofed skies of Necromunda for company, drove her insane.
Noble Fugitive: The crazy hired gun Mad Donna was formally known as D'onne Ulanti, twelfth daughter of the patriarch of House Ulanti. Years after she fled to the Underhive, bounty hunters employed by her family are still after her due to her bloody escape from the Spire. During the 1st Edition of the game this meant that any gang fighting against an opponent who hired Donna had a 1 in 6 chance of being accompanied by a free Bounty Hunter.
Overly Long Name: While still relatively short by the standards of some Imperial noble families, "Mad" Donna's birth name is D'onne Astride Ge'Sylvanus of the House of Ulanti and is usually shortened to D'onne Ulanti for polite conversation.
Shout-Out: Donna's name and outfit are a tongue-in-cheek reference to Madonna and her famous conical bra and corset costume from the singer's 90's Blonde Ambition Tour.
Tarnishing Their Own Beauty: Donna sports a bionic eye because she gouged out the original in a fit of pique when an underhive barman called her "pretty", cementing her reputation for craziness, and ensuring that nobody would ever complement her appearance ever again.

Karloth Valois

Once a normal hiver, Karloth was forced to flee into the wilderness in the depths of the underhive when his wyrd powers manifested. Seeking isolation, Karloth was on the verge of death when he was attacked by a group of plague zombies and was forced to turn his latent talent against the creatures, dominating their dim minds to stop them from killing before discovering that he could use his abilities to drain their life force to sustain his own. Although infected with the zombie's neurone plague, Karloth didn't devolve into a mindless abomination, instead he found his wyrd abilities enhanced, enabling him to control plague zombies and drain the life of others to an even greater extent. Raising a horde of plague zombies to protect him, Karloth wandered the underhive preying on the living until a Redemptionist crusade hunted him down and drove him to jump to his apparent death in the great chasm known as the Abyss.

Anti-Magic: Valois is able to use the mystical properties of his ancient Witch Staff, which Valois discovered deep in the bowels of the underhive, to destabilise the powers of other wyrds, giving him a chance to nullify any wyrd powers cast nearby.
Better to Die than Be Killed: Despite his fear of the eternity of torments and terror that he knew would await him upon his death, Valois chose to leap to his apparent doom rather than suffer the manner of death that the Cult of Redemption would put him through should they capture him.
Feel No Pain: Since his infection with the neurone plague, Valois has been unable to feel any pain and has the same No Pain special rule as plague zombies, allowing him to ignore the negative effects of flesh wounds.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Originally a scavenger and outcast on the verge of death Valois eventually became an infamous figure of fear that stalked the underhive after he mastering his vampiric wyrd powers.
Necromancer: Valois' mutated telepathic wyrd powers allows him to summon, control and enhance the plague zombies that wander the deserted areas of the underhive. Valois' unique Zombie Master wyrd power allows^notein the 1st & 2nd Editions of the game the player that hired him to include a random number of plague zombies in their gang when going into battle, as well as improving the hand-to-hand combat characteristics of any plague zombie close to Valois.
Never Found the Body: Despite weeks of searching, the Redemptionists never found any trace of Valois after he leapt into the mile deep chasm known as the Abyss, leading many to believe that he still stalks the deepest depths of the underhive.
Vampiric Draining: After his near death to the zombie plague, and the subsequent mutation of his wyrd abilities, Valois found that the only way he could survive was to drain the Life Energy of other creatures.

Lothar Hex

Known as the Widowmaker, Lothar Hex is one of the most infamous assassins of the underhive who leaves a trail of bodies behind him whenever he is on the job. Formerly in the employ of the Merchant Guild, Lothar left their employ to work for Balthazar Van Zep, slaying anyone that crosses the notorious crimelord. Little is known about Lothar beyond the fact that he is a deadly killer who always leaves a trademark mnemonic death's head card on the bodies of his victims, and that he has the ability to change his face into a terrifying bestial mask at will.

Calling Card: Whenever he kills a mark, Lothar will leave a card inscribed with an animated portrait of a laughing and winking skull on the body to discourage others from angering his employer.
Mask of Power: Lothar wears a Mnemonic Mask, an ancient archeotech device that allows him to change his features into that of a horrifying beast so that he causes fear when used in-game. This mask has also led to many rumours that Lothar is really a daemonic being or of alien origin.
Red Baron: Lothar's exploits have earned him the moniker "Widowmaker" amongst the denizens of the underhive as he is just as deadly as the poison of the same name.
World's Best Warrior: Lothar Hex is said to be the greatest assassin in the underhive, an expert martial artist and capable of killing any mark without a sound. Such is Lothar's killer reputation, the assassin's semi-official rules give enemy fighters extra experience points for simply surviving fighting him in close combat.

King Redwart the Magnificent

Many individuals have named themselves the Scavvy King, but few have been as cunning and brutal as King Redwart the Magnificent. While he has only united a little over a dozen tribes, Redwart's raids have caused some trouble for the settlement of Girder Falls and its citizens fear that the Scavvy King will one day grow powerful enough to become a serious threat.

Adipose Rex: Scavvies barely survive scraping a living in the worst parts of the Underhive and therefore consider a large paunch to be a sign of success and Redwart is said to have the largest paunch of any Scavvy.
King of the Homeless: Every generation a Scavvy King will arise who attempts to unite the disparate Scavvy gangs into a shambolic tribe. The Redwart is the current Scavvy King ,and his growing fame and influence amongst the destitute Scavvies is quickly coming to worry the other inhabitants of the underhive.
Staff of Authority: Redwart's "royal" staff of office is a solid shaft of wood that is more than enough to cave someone's head in but is treated as a simple club in-game.

Characters / Necromunda

The Clan Houses & their Gangs

Law Enforcement

Proscribed Cults

Corpse Grinder Cults

Helot Chaos Cults

Other Gangs

Dramatis Personae

Kal Jericho, Underhive Bounty Hunter

Scabs, Hive Scum

Klovis the Redeemer

Deacon Malakev

Legacy^note1st/2nd Edition Gangs

Legacy^note1st/2nd Edition Dramatis Personae

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Characters / Necromunda

Edit Locked

The Clan Houses & their Gangs

Law Enforcement

Proscribed Cults

Corpse Grinder Cults

Helot Chaos Cults

Other Gangs

Dramatis Personae

Kal Jericho, Underhive Bounty Hunter

Scabs, Hive Scum

Klovis the Redeemer

Deacon Malakev

Legacynote 1st/2nd Edition Gangs

Legacynote 1st/2nd Edition Dramatis Personae

Previous

Index

Next

Legacy^note1st/2nd Edition Gangs

Legacy^note1st/2nd Edition Dramatis Personae