Ragnarok: Age of Wolves Bonus Content: The Heroes and Villians of "Their Blood is the Sea"!
Just before the Ragnarok: Age of Wolves skirmish game came out, Skirmisher Publishing released my swords & tentacles story: Their Blood is the Sea. It didn't take me long to realize that there was nothing to prevent the story from being set in the same world as that depicted in R:AW, though admittedly more than a century earlier. And if that were so, why not stat out the Men and Monsters of Their Blood is the Sea for play in the game.
So here you are.
Of course, it will help understand the notations if you have the Game, and it will help understand the characters if you have read the Story. And although Cormac mac Art does not appear in my story, he and Wulfhere Skullspiitter could easily appear as opponents of any of the critters presented here.
Check back next week for rules for Ship to Ship combat in R:AW!
Merevec
Rank: Elite (2)
Race and Type: Frankish Human Light Footman
Description: “ . . . sea-green eyes narrowed to slits against long whipping hair made colorless in the wet, thin-lipped mouth caught between a snarl and a frown . . .”
Move 7”/ Charge 1d6+6”
Defense: 13+1
Health: 2
Attacks: +2
- Sword: Class 3, +3 to Hit, OK 15
- Axe: Class 2, +2 to Hit, OK 16
Shield: +1 Defense to the front and on the Left Side.
Crew of the Hyppo
Rank: Veteran (1)
Race and Type: Frankish Human Light Footman
Description: Germanic warriors of various tribes, some Franks, others Saxons, Jutes, even Danes, all veteran warriors and sailors.
Move 7”/ Charge 1d6+6”
Defense: 12+1
Health: 2
Attacks: +1
- Sword: Class 3, +2 to Hit, OK 16
- Axe: Class 2, +1 to Hit, OK 17
Shield: +1 Defense to the front and on the Left Side.
Special Abilities:
Shieldwall: Three or more shieldbearers may stand base to base and form a shieldwall if they remain stationary, granting each member of the wall +1 to Defense. Up to one fewer unshielded troops can shelter amongst the shieldwall, also gaining the shieldwall bonus of +1 Defense.
Saxons
Fenrir Reavers
Follower (Allegiance: Fenrir the World-Eater, Brigands)
Rank: Regular (0)
Race and Type: Human Light Footman
Description: These pirates are of the most violent of their kind, driven out by those who despise the worship of the World-Eater. These savages have given themselves to slaughter in the name of the Wolf, and hope in time to prove worthy of greater blessings.
Move 7”/Charge 1d6+6”
Defense: 11+1
Health: 1
Attacks: Two of Axe, Spear, Bow, or Javelins.
• Axe: Class 2, +0 to hit, OK 18
• Spear: Class 4, +0 to hit, OK 18
• Thrown Spear or Axe: +1 to Hit up to 6/-2 up to 12,” OK 18
• Thrown Javelin: +0 to hit up to 8”/-1 to Hit up to 16,” OK 18
• Bow: Range +0 to Hit up to 12”/-2 to Hit up to 24,” OK 18
Saex : Class 1, +0 to hit, OK 18
Shield : +1 to Defense from the front or left side when in use (noted above). Archers do not count their shields if they shot in the Magic & Missiles Phase.
Special:
Reavers are too wild to benefit from the security of a shieldwall.
Berserkers
Follower (Allegiances: Fenrir World-Eater, Brigands)
Rank: Veteran (1)
Race and Type: Human Medium Footman
Description: Berserkers such as these have forsaken Odin and given themselves to the World-Eater. In return, Fenrir has filled them with an all-consuming rage that grants them +1 additional Health. Fenrir Berserkers are all but impossible to control, and fear nothing. They may wear no armor beyond bearskins, must always charge an enemy in sight if they can, and are terrible foes in battle, wielding great axes with skill and ferocity. They never flee and do not feel the pain of their wounds.
Move 6”/Charge 1d6+4
Defense: 13
Health: 3
Attacks: Choice of Great Axe, or Two-Weapon Fighting with two swords.
• Great Axe: Class 3, +3 to Hit, OK 15.
• Two-Weapon fighting
Sword: Class 3, +2 to Hit, OK 16
2nd Sword: Class 3, +2 to hit, NO OK
Special
• Berserker: Must Charge nearest enemy in sight if unengaged.
• Berserkers do not suffer the effects of Wounds.
• Berserkers are unaffected by the Supernatural Ability: Fear.
Beastmen:
Rank: Elite (2)
Race and Type: Heavy Beastman
These accursed warriors have been overcome by a terrible version of the Fenrir Curse, in which their savage nature rules them utterly. When angered they go berserk, transforming into horrible monsters who partake of the worst aspects of bear, wolf and boar.
Move: 6”/Charge 1d6+4”
Defense: 15
Health: 2
Attacks (Two-Weapon Fighting)
• First Claw: Class 1, +3 to Hit, OK 15
• Second Claw: Class 1, +3 to Hit, No OK
Special
• Regeneration: Fenrir Beastmen regains 1 Wound on spending a full turn neither moving nor fighting.
On a turn that the Werebear has fought, he may attempt to regenerate a Wound, doing so on a roll of 4-6 on a single d6 in the End Phase of the turn.
• Beastmen: Must Charge nearest enemy in sight if unengaged.
• Beastmen do not suffer the effects of Wounds.
• Beastmen are unaffected by the Supernatural Ability: Fear.
The Dwellers in the Deep
Theudemere
Rank: Hero (3)
Magic Rank: 3
Race and Type: Aberrant Unarmored Mage
Description: Theudemere is half-brother to Merevec, born to Ascylla two decades earlier. He is one of the deepkin capable of living a half-life among men, though often despised or feared for his appearance, off-putting manner and eldritch ways. He cares little for the concerns of men, however. Theudemere appears to be a misshapen dwarf, with half-formed feet and legs on which he moves slowly and laboriously. He is hideous, with bulging watery eyes and too-large pupils, a half-developed nose, and a broad lipless mouth reminiscent of a fish.
Move 4”/ Charge 0” Defense: 14 Health: 2
Attacks: +3
- Saex: Class 1, +3 to Hit, OK 15
- Bite: Class 0, +3 to Hit, OK 15
Special Abilities:
Lame: Theudemere appears to be a malformed dwarf, but is in fact something else entirely. His ability to move about on land is at -4” to Move and he cannot Charge. For all that he is lamed, hardship has taught him how to avoid the cuffs and kicks of others. This combined with his eldritch abilities, see that his Defense is unaffected.
Spells: Alter Wyrd and Evil Eye are spells from R:AW. Call Storm and Summon Deepkin are new spells.
Alter Wyrd
Evil Eye
Call Storm: Range: Self; TN: 13+; Call upon the fiercest elements of wind and sea to create a storm around you. Place the 3” template touching your base. Within this area, all Move and Charge distance is halved (round up), and any skill checks or attacks are at -1. Ranged Attacks within the area are affected as if within an Air Elemental’s Whirling Winds (a further -1 to hit). For each point by which you exceed the Base TN of 13, you may increase the area of the storm by another template, placed to touch the previous template’s edge.
Summon Deepkin: Range: 6”, TN: 8, +5 per additional Deepkin; You summon your Deepkin allies to your aid. have markers or figures to represent your Deepkin, which stay within 6” of you at all times. If you Move or Charge, they do the same and cover the same distance, although you may move them into Engagement as you wish within the stated distance. If you remain in one place, you may array them as you see fit and they will fight to defend you against attackers who come within Engagement distance of them or you. If you die then the deepkin immediately flee and are from the battlefield.
Each called deepkin may attack once per turn, using the profile below:
Deepkin are a horrific amalgam of man and fish, capable of surviving in the deepest waters, and moving with difficulty on land. Their slick, scaly hides are tough and sea green, their undersides a pallid yellow. Their claws and teeth are strong and sharp, perfectly adapted to the consumption of living prey. A small number are able to pass among men, though usually they are believed to be malformed or crippled, and always are ugly, pop-eyed, with colourless hair and wide-lipless mouths.
• Move: with the summoner
• Defense 12
• Health 2
Attack:
• Bite: Class 1
• +2 to Hit, No Outright Kill
Special:
Swim: A creature able to swim can spend an entire turn to move any distance in a river, stream, shore, marsh, or any other body of water, and ignores terrain modifiers to Defense and Movement.
Deepkin are followers and, as such, they do not roll Wyrd Dice.
Mother Ascylla
Named Character (Allegiances: Deepkin) (SIZE: Huge)
Rank: Hero (3)
Race and Type: Kraken Medium Mage
Description: Ascylla is either the Homeric monster Scylla or one of her brood of horrors. Once Ascylla wore a human guise and walked among mortals as a member of the noble Roman house Ascyllius. Driven from the Empire, in the land of the Salian Franks she began anew as consort to Frankish nobles and kings. Eventually, her human seeming grew frail, and she must return to the Deeps in which she herself had been conceived an age previous. Her other progeny are the Deepkin.
Move: 5”/Charge 1d6+2” Swim: 10”/ Swim Charge 1d6+4”
Defense: 15
Health: 5
Attacks: Magic Skill +3
• Barbed Tentacle: Range 6”, +4 to Hit, OK 14.
• Bite: Class 2, +5 to Hit, OK 13
• Spells: Summon Deepkin, Call Storm
Special Abilities: Kraken
- Mother Ascylla has an extra 2 Wounds and adds +2 to the class of any attack, also reducing the Outright Kill by the same amount.
- Her Defense is +2 for her Size as well as because of her thick rubbery flesh.
- Though comparatively slow on land, in the water, Other Ascylla is as swift than a coursing dolphin.
- Though her eldritch nature makes her a Hero level mage, she does not know her full complement of 3 spells.
