Star Mogul: Alien Evolution ™
‘Star Mogul: Ruins of an empire’ core rulebook needed to play.Produced by Alpha Forge Games ™ © Alpha Forge Games 2007. All rights reserved.
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Contents-
Page Number
MEPHALIANS………2
Beyond the shores of Mephas Part1……….3
‘Boasts’ - Mephalian currency………6
Mephalian Warlord skills and abilities………...7
Creating a mephalian warband………..8
Mephalian equipment………...9
Mephalian skills………11
Beyond the shores of Mephas Part2………13
Mephalian deployment costs……….15
Mephalian warriors………..15
Totemic Guides………16
Headhunters and collecting heads………18
Vault Guardians………19
Brutes……….22
Gort beast of burden and crew………..23
Mimjip Deathmasks……….26
Dark Fang (Infantry support vehicle)……..……….27
Beyond the shores of Mephas Part 3………..28
X12 Android Cult………29
X12 Transcript……….30
X12 Raiding Sect and APT’s……….33
Androids and Seraphim statistics and abilities………...34
X12 equipment and skills………36
Junk Bots………..38
Upgrading Junk Bots to Warbots………..39
Repair Drones………..40 Guardsman’s testimony………...41 Reavers………..43 Strike Bots………..45 Bio Slaves………..46 Foundry Bot………47 Final note………48
The Mephalians
Also known as the ‘Meph’. The Mephalians were discovered very recently on one of the moons orbiting the gas giant 'Yagum' out in the distant 'Mephas' system. The moon that is their homeworld is also an ancient settlement left over from the 450,000 year old, highly advanced and now extinct, Mimjip empire.
Initially, it was believed that the Mephalians are actually descended from an isolated pocket of the mimjip empire, left over after the strange disappearance of this galaxy spanning culture. Much of their technology is derived from the bizarre artifacts and equipment found among the mysterious ruins found upon their homeworld. More recently it has been revealed that they are descendants of a biologically engineered warrior race, created by the Mimjip to wage war across the stars upon whatever enemies they had.
Without the guidance of their creators, the Mephalians descended into a primitive and savage tribal culture a long time ago. The chaotic nature of their society is based around a number of loosely knit tribes. Some took up agriculture. Others have adopted more a hunter gatherer lifestyle upon the dark and purple grass plains of the volcanic basin situated at one of the poles of their homeworld.
The most posthumous tribe is also the largest, their elders generally have the most influence upon society. Their homelands are situated around the largest and best preserved section of Mimjip ruins on the planet. They have appointed themselves the keepers of the ‘Forbidden Vaults’ in an attempt to control the ancient technology that lies within, the purpose of which is largely beyond the ability of the Mephalians to grasp. To this end the strange cult of the ‘vault guardians’ was created thousands of years ago to protect, study and regulate the use of the archaeo-tech artifacts. It is also the duty of the vault guardians to explore the immense and complex underground ruins that honeycomb sections of the planet’s mantle. The cataloguing of archaeo-tech artifacts is performed methodically and slowly. This work has been going on for thousands of years and the mysterious vault guardians have become detached and distant from the rest of Mephalian society. They no longer behave like normal Mephalians, and many believe that their motives have been corrupted by secrecy and the bizarre contents of the Forbidden Vaults.
Mephalian physiology is a product of the bio-engineering of the Mimjipani, along with the effects of hundreds of thousand of years of evolution. The homeworld has a dense atmosphere containing high levels of sulphur dioxide leaving the surface in perpetual violet gloom. As a result, the Mephalians have very poor sight, with no eyes – they rely upon a light sensitive membrane covering their domed foreheads. They also have an unusual, and highly effective, method of sonar location and communication based on a unique organ found within their skull.
Initial contact was made with the Mephalians in 2432AD by a human salvage company owned and operated by Piers Redbeard. Renowned for his enthusiasm for finding lost Mimjip archaeo-tech, which he was not particularly good at for most of his career. He often operated in remote and infrequently visited areas of the Outer Rim. Upon discovering the Mephalian home world, and realizing the extent of the Mimjip ruins therein, he organized a salvage trip to loot the forbidden vaults. Knowing well enough that a primitive intelligent life form already inhabited the planet, they did not expect them to put up much resistance. As a result, greed got the better of him and his crew.
The mission ended in disaster for Redbeard who lost his entire crew, and spent a period of time holed up in his salvage ship on the planet surface while the Mephalians worked out how to open the ship hull. Once they did, they killed him and commandeered the ship.
The Mephalians were quick to take advantage of this new found opportunity. Acting as pirates across nearby star lanes they have rapidly built a small fleet of star ships stolen from civilian contractors and salvage crews. Their actions are becoming bolder as they are striking further afield on a more regular basis. Territorial clashes with pirates as well as FDF outposts are showing that the Mephalians have established themselves as a star faring race to be reckoned with. It is suspected that they have already begun colonizing new star systems.
Earth’s council is keen to see the Frontier Union eradicate the Mephalians as they pose a danger to human trade and galactic expansion. They are also very keen to ‘liberate’ the treasures held within the forbidden vaults. The Frontier Union however, is less keen on declaring all out war and instigating a full scale invasion of the distant Mephalian home world. As it would probably end in disaster due to the Frontier Union’s lack of manpower and resources. So, for now, the Mephalians are free to continue laying the foundations of an advanced civilization among the stars.
Mephalian war bands
Mephalian war bands are led by a warlord elected by the tribal brood fathers. The warlord is expected go forth across the ‘Great Abyss’ and lead his war band to victory. This is usually achieved by capturing enemy starships, clearing the way for new Mephalian star colonies, preventing other races from taking over strategically important sites and furthering the expansion of the Mephalian race.
Mephalian culture, being quite primitive, has no need of money. Value is attributed certain things and deeds by the brood fathers. A war band that is very successful will have the faith of the brood fathers to fall back upon when casualties start mounting. After a mission, warlords normally return to the home world to report their successes or losses to the elders. Sitting around the smoldering fires of the war council, newly arrived warlords boast loudly of their latest exploits. Competing with each other for the attention of the brood fathers. To prove their worth, and the truth of their boasts, the warlords bring back grisly trophies from their campaigns. The heads and body parts of fallen enemies are popular – he who has the largest pile, and the loudest boast receives the greatest favor from the fathers.
At this point ‘Star Mogul’ fans will be asking ‘Do the Meph collect salvage from salvage counters then?’. The answer is ‘Yes’ they do. They can collect valuables from salvage counters like any other salvage crew can. They can even use salvage tools to help them. The problem is that the warrior culture of the mephalians attaches greater importance to the heads of its enemies as a measure of progress, than to salvage. The use and meaning of such artifacts will probably be completely lost to the warlord on the battle field, who may not be able to distinguish valuables from junk! As a result the brood fathers will attribute a very low, and arbitrary, value to any recovered salvage as they see fit. For a mephalian war leader, success mainly lies in taking the fight to the enemy, and not relying upon collecting potentially useless artifacts for which the brood fathers might not have a use. The ready supply of totemic artifacts that lie within the forbidden vaults reduces the brood fathers’ curiosity still further for the benefits other alien artifacts might bring.
‘Boasts’ – The Mephalian ‘currency’
If the brood fathers see a warlord doing well, they will attribute to him more resources to help his cause. To obtain these resources a war leader must show evidence of his boasts at the war council. In order to represent this abstractly – the ‘currency’ of the mephalian warlords is ‘boasts’. By killing another player’s crew members or destroying their vehicles, and obtaining evidence of each kill, a warlord obtains ‘boasts’ that can be converted into new warriors or equipment granted by the brood fathers at the war council. ‘Boasts’ are not real currency and are not transferable into credits (or any other currency) in the same way hydrissian ‘honors’ can be. (See the ‘Distant Worlds’ rules supplement for further details on hydrissian ‘honors’.) However, when determining who wins a salvage mission, or comparing the size of deployment costs for a mephalian warband with the deployment cost in credits or honors of another race – you can treat 1 boast equivalent to 1 credit, 1 honor point or 1 of whatever your enemy uses as ‘currency’.
For any salvage brought back to the mephalian home world, roll 1D4 x 500 to find out how many boasts it will bring your war leader. Regardless of the value of the salvage counter in human credits.
Mephalian war lords are ferocious warriors that bring to battle some of the best personal equipment recovered from the forbidden vaults. Statistics and details for your war leader are shown below.
Mephalian warlord stats, abilities and equipment
STARTING FUNDS: 24,000 Boasts. Warband starting loyalty score: 8 Resilience: 4
Armor: 5 Movement: 6”
Skill points: 18 (may only be spent on ‘Mephalian only’ skills featured in this book, any weapon skills (including hand to hand combat) or the following ‘Boss Skills/ Vices’ from the core rulebook – able commander, strike force, manic depressive, and wastrel.) No other skill may be employed by your warlord.
Weapons and equipment:
Mimjip energy rifle (see description under ‘mephalian equipment’) Mimjip ‘body mold armor’ (see description under ‘mephalian equipment’) Mephalian war lord free equipment choice (see below).
Notes:
1) Warlord does not start with two shareholders to help him. (Unlike other races).
2) A mephalian warlord has a command radius of 6” due to his training in use of the mephalian sonar organ used to communicate with fellow squad members.
3) Starting company loyalty score is 8. Mephalian soldiers have powerful superstitions about the Great Abyss and the creatures that exist there. These superstitions contribute to their fear of the unknown. This can make them somewhat unreliable when under pressure unless they have some battle experience.
Free equipment choice - choose only one, your war leader cannot have more than one of these devices, they are gifts given by the brood fathers to new war lords. If your warlord dies your new warlord, drawn from the ranks as you see fit, must use 1500 boasts to obtain a new item of equipment (player’s choice):
‘Button down’ device – The user picks a target model (infantry or vehicle) within 20” in an enemy unit and fires the ‘button down’ device using general small arms skill (always counts as short range). If the hit is successful, then a powerful charge of energy forms on the target that leaps from one unit member to the next. The energy charge is designed to foil complex electronic weapons systems so that they jam or cease working. For the first model hit, roll 1D6. On a result of 1 to 4 the weapon that crew member is holding stops working until the end of that player’s next turn (place a marker next to the model so you remember). The energy charge then jumps, like lightning down a lightning rod, to the next closest model with 3”. Then roll 1D6 again. If the result is a 1-3, that model’s weapon shuts down and the energy charge jumps again to the nearest model within 3”. This third model’s weapon will shut down on a 1 or 2 on 1D6. The fourth model’s weapon shuts down on a 1 on 1D6. If the chain is broken at any point and a model’s weapon does not cease working the energy charge dissipates and the effects end there. Effected models still have to wait until the end of the owning player’s next turn before they regain control of their weapons. This is a particularly good device to use against squads of light vehicles or squads of heavy weapons!
‘Phase re-locator’ - A small energy pack worn by the warlord enables his entire squad to make use of the Mimjip trans-dimensional technology. Once per game the warlord can teleport his entire squad up to 12 inches in any direction. The teleporter power cell then dissipates its energy. This ability can only be used at any time during the owners phase 1 or phase 2. It may also be used during any FOW phase. But only at the very end of that FOW phase. Costs 1SP to use.
Creating a war band
Your warlord starts with 24,000 boasts with which he can influence the support of the tribal elders (in other words – spend on crew and equipment). His primary goal is to go forth and perform heroic deeds in the name of the Mephalian race. Hand to hand combat and the defeat of enemies on an equal footing is seen as a noble and honorable pursuit. The concepts of piracy and theft, which is most often the real goal of these individuals, are not recognized by the tribal elders or the warlords. The Mephalians see their situation as a desperate one – surrounded by better equipped, more numerous and more advanced star faring civilizations that would destroy the mephalian race if they get the chance. The Mephalians have entered a new phase of their history, where great legends are being born from the fires of their own ingenuity and bravery!
Mephalian war bands have the following equipment that is available to them only. The number attached to each item is the cost in boasts that your warlord must expend.
‘Photon disruption field generator’ – The war lord carries equipment that can generate a field around his squad that disrupts light waves. This blurs their appearance and makes it very difficult to aim weapons at them. It also can be disorienting to opponents who are involved in hand to hand combat with the war lord and his squad. The disruption field remains as a permanent fixture throughout an entire battle and bestows the following bonuses upon the warlord and each member of his squad (except models with the word ‘vehicle’ in their description).
1) Whenever an enemy model shoots at the war lord’s squad members, reduce the shooter’s weapon skill by 2 points for that shot.
2) All opponents that find themselves in hand to hand combat with the warlord’s squad suffer a minus 2 (-2) penalty to combat rating.
‘Anti-matter blade’ – Add +3 combat rating. The fine edge of this blade consists of particles of non baryonic matter. (All ‘normal’ matter is baryonic matter). It is a powerful weapon that can disrupt armor and flesh the same. If in combat with opponents wearing battle armor and a 1 or 2 is rolled on the warlord’s 1D8 combat roll, the opponent must make a resilience test (roll equal to or under on 1D6) or die of shock. Against vehicles it will do 2D8 damage.
Mephalian infantry equipment and costs
General small arms – Free
Twin energy condenser rifle – 425 boasts Mimjip energy pistol – 200 boasts
Mimjip energy rifle – 530 boasts
‘Dimension’ gun (heavy weapon) – 2600 boasts Graviton cannon (heavy weapon) – 800 boasts
Mimjip body-mold armor – special, only available to totemic guides or warlords. Mimjip mono-molecular blade – 450 boasts
Light armor - free
Salvage tools - 220 boasts Mimjip death mask – special Tribal equipment
Spirit tokens – 100 boasts (re-roll morale)
Mephalian crossbow – 100 boasts (1D8+2 damage) Mephalian shield – 20 boasts (+1 Res)
Mephalian sword – 25 boasts (+1 combat rating)
Medicine bag (add or subtract 1 from individuals ‘tribal medicine’ skill roll) – 40 boasts
Notes:
1) Normal medium armor is not available to mephalian warriors. They do not have the means to manufacture it and the only medium armor found within the vaults is Mimjip bodymold armor. Which is only used by totemic guides and warlords.
Equipment descriptions:
Twin energy condenser rifle – A ‘small arms’ weapon that the meph guardians cobbled together from parts found within the forbidden vaults. Having some technical skill, these mysterious individuals sometimes scavenge bits from the devices found in the depths and create their own weaponry. The guardians make these devices available to meph warriors. They are known to be unreliable in battle. Statistics are shown below.
Description Damage dice No.of hits Range Special
Energy condenser
rifle 1D10+3 1 9” Short, 18” Long Meph only. Small arms.
Note: If the user rolls a double number when rolling a skill check to fire the energy condenser the power pack ruptures. If the number was double six it may severely burn the user - the user must make a RES test or die. (Roll equal to or under your resilience score on 1D6). After the power pack has ruptured the user cannot use the condenser rifle anymore and must now use ‘general small arms’ as carried by all warriors
Mimjip energy pistol – Ancient archaeotech pistol. Counts as ‘general small arms’ except that it has a range of 8” short and 14” long. The Mimjip built pan-dimensional ‘phase’ technology into some of their weapons. The ammunition partially exists outside of the normal four dimensions, giving it the ability to pass through normal matter for a short distance. This means all targets making use of the ‘heavy cover’ bonus receive a minus 1 penalty to their bonus. It only effects targets hiding behind heavy cover – it treats heavy cover as light cover.
Mimjip energy rifle – The rifle version of the Mimjip pistol. It has the same characteristics as a ‘general small arms’ weapon except it has range of 18” short and 28” long. It also reduces ALL cover bonuses by -1 point due to its heavier ammunition. Mimjip energy rifles are subject to the ‘difficult to obtain’ rule.
Dimension gun – This heavy weapon can be carried by normal infantry warriors. It employs the same ‘phase’ technology that the smaller Mimjip energy rifle and pistol use. It ignores heavy and light cover completely – giving a minus 2 point penalty to cover bonus for models in cover. It does five, four sided dice for damage. This weapon is subject to the ‘very difficult to obtain’ rule.
Description Damage dice No.of hits Range Special
Dimension Gun 5D4 1 20” Short, 30” Long Meph only.
Graviton cannon – Another weapon cobbled together by the guardians from power units and artifacts found within the huge repositories of the forbidden vaults. Indiscriminately discharging large amounts of energy from power units originally designed by the Mimjip to create localized gravitational fields. This heavy weapon has an area of effect upon the target. Choose a point in range and in line of sight to shoot at (it can be open ground) then make a ‘heavy weapon’ skill check. If the check succeeds everything wholly or partially within 2 inches of the target point is effected. This weapon is subject to the ‘very difficult to obtain’ rule.
Description Damage dice No.of hits Range Special
Graviton cannon 3D6 1 9” Short, 20” Long Meph only.
Blast radius 2” The Graviton cannon is very bulky and unwieldy to carry. It may be used by normal meph warriors, but the user will suffer a minus 1” movement penalty. Also, due to its unreliable nature, if the user rolls a double six while making his ‘heavy weapon’ skill check the graviton power source ruptures! The user must roll a 1 or 2 on 1D6 to survive the intense power discharge (no post game recovery roll). Also, every infantry model wholly or partially within 1” not wearing power armor must make a RES test (roll equal to or under resilience score on 1D6) with a +1 bonus to RES or die.
Mimjip bodymold armor – Counts as ‘medium armor’ giving 5 armor points. May only be used by totemic guides or warlords. Ignore all ‘wounded’ results from enemy fire or hand to hand combat. Only available to ‘Totemic Guides’ or your warlord. This armor was manufactured by the Mimjip many thousands of years ago. The Mephalians recover it from the vast forbidden vaults that honeycomb the subsurface of their home world in such quantity that it can be made frequently available for use. Bodymold armor is not stiff and inflexible like many body armors manufactured elsewhere in the Outer Rim. It is quite the opposite, being made of a semi-liquid reflective material that flows around the wearers physiology as if it knows how to fit itself best to protect vulnerable parts. If the wearer is wounded the armor will flow rapidly to staunch the wound, often saving the wearers life. Upon the death of the wearer, the armor melts into a pool of liquid. Denying the enemy the chance to steal it.
Mimjip mono-molecular blade – These nasty and exotic blades were manufactured by the ancient Mimjip to equip their genetically engineered warriors on the battlefield. The blade edge is the thickness of a single molecule and can slice through thick armor easily when wielded with force. Adds +2 to combat rating. Also when used against heavy battle armor and a 1 is rolled on the combat dice roll during hand to hand combat the individual wearing battle armor must make a RES check (roll equal to or under resilience score on 1D6) or die immediately with no post game recovery roll.
Mimjip Death-mask - These foul artifacts were manufactured by the Mimjip race to re-animate dead warriors and slaves on the battlefield. Death-masks reveal, to some extent, the mind of these ancient extinct aliens and their attitude towards their genetically engineered warriors, the Mephalians. The death-masks are bestowed upon successful brood warriors by the tribal elders and cannot be purchased. They are a symbol of rank, the more death-masks a warlord has the greater his influence among the tribes. Rules for death-masks are covered more fully under the ‘Death-masks’ entry in the ‘unit types’ section later in the mephalian section.
Spirit tokens – A gift from the tribal shaman to new warlords and adventurers. They are a primitive symbol of the mephalian ancestors’ support in the spirit world for the individual. They can only be granted to a unit leader. The unit leader may ‘call upon the ancestors’ in times of crisis. The tokens only work once, they are discarded permanently after use and cannot be used on subsequent missions. If a unit leader calls upon the ancestors his infantry unit may re-roll a failed bravery or company loyalty test. A unit leader cannot carry more than one bag of spirit tokens at the same time.
Mephalian crossbow – A traditional weapon employed for centuries by the primitive meph in wartime. They can be used upon the battlefield to deliver silent death. The weapon of an assassin, in comparison to the explosive, noisy and brilliant energy discharges of more modern weaponry they are almost silent when used. When shooting the crossbow you may declare the ‘silent death’ rule. The enemy unit cannot invoke the ‘return fire’ rule unless the unit leader can make a company loyalty check and react quickly. The silent death rule only applies if the only weapons being fired are crossbows or other weapons that are subject to silent death.
Description Damage dice No.of hits Range Special
Mephalian xbow 1D8+2 1 10” Short, 16” Long Meph only.
Silent death.
Mephalian shield and sword – Two items that may be equipped separately. Normal tribal equipment – the shield bestows +1 to resilience. The sword bestows +1 to combat rating. They may be carried along with small arms but not with heavy weaponry.
Medicine bag – herbal remedies and salves that can be used by mephalian warriors, guides, headhunters and guardians only to heal the wounded. Adds +1 to ‘tribal medicine’ skill. The individual may also add or subtract 1 point from dice rolls on the ‘tribal medicine’ table if they wish. This will help offset potential bad effects of mephalian tribal medicine. Obviously the user must have some ‘tribal medicine’ skill to start with.
Mephalian skills:
Mephalians, like other races and factions, have their own set of distinct skills. Certain things they are naturally good at, or abilities bestowed from evolving on alien worlds - these skills can be very useful in the heat of battle. Do not forget about the natural abilities of your troops when the appropriate circumstances arise during a game for you to use them! The skills listed below are only available to mephalians.
Usurper
(Warlord only)–
The warlord has an acute eye for the way a planetary battle is effected by the deployment of the forces involved. As a result he can alter his deployment plans at a moments notice. This skill can be used in one of two ways at the start of a game (it must be one or the other, not both. State which before you roll the dice). The two ways this skill may be used are detailed below:1) By rolling this skill successfully the warlord can choose to deploy his drop zone marker before all other players ( 1st).
2) By rolling this skill successfully the warlord can re-deploy his force again after all players involved have deployed.
Favored by the ancient ones
(Warlord only)–
Your warlord is seen by the brood fathers as having a spark of destiny. The blood of an ancient hero runs in his veins and great things are expected of him. If you can successfully roll this skill at the start of the game you will receive two extra death masks to use – just for that game. This can be above and beyond the normal maximum of 4. As a gift of faith from the brood fathers.Story teller
(Warlord only)–
Your warlord has the natural ‘gift of the gab’ when appearing at the war council. Embellishments to his heroic deeds ‘wow’ the listening crowds! Seen as a real poser by his peers, and seen as an upcoming hero by the tribal leaders. If your warlord can roll equal to or under this skill at the end of a game – add 10% to the number of boasts he receives. If he fails the skill check – reduce the number of boasts by 10% as a rival warlord beats him at his own game and makes him look foolish!Resonance
(Free points 5)– Due to the murky and dense atmosphere on their home world mephalians have evolved an unusual organ within the forehead of their skull. This organ acts as a sonar location device similar to that used by bats on Earth. It is useful for the meph as it compliments their limited ability to detect light (using the light sensitive skin upon the dome of their forehead, which acts like an eye!). This sonar organ is also used to communicate emotion on a separate level to spoken language. When groups of meph come together, they can use this organ to strike up a resonance between them. Each member contributing a frequency ‘note’. Those few who have heard it and survived to report their experience say that the most wonderful harmonies can be struck up by these groups. Though some have reported the organ can be used to create intense discord too! A meph player can have a squad of meph infantry strike up either a harmony or discord (player’s choice). If the player does this the squad can do nothing else except move during that phase. It also costs that player 1 SP to perform. Units in hand to hand combat cannot resonate. This skill relies upon the ‘resonance radius’, which is the distance from the unit leader model that the ability effects. To determine the resonance radius, take the number of squad members in that squad who successfully made their skill roll and multiply it by 3 inches. Measure this distance out from the unit leader. Any units wholly or partially within this radius are effected.Maximum resonance radius is 24 inches. The following effects take place depending on which resonance
is used.
Harmony – All fleeing meph units within the resonance radius immediately rally. These units behave as normal immediately.
Discord – All enemy infantry units wholly or partially within the resonance radius must make a loyalty check with a +3 bonus to loyalty score, or immediately retreat for twice their normal move back to their drop zone. An enemy unit made up of troops wearing battle armor, and containing no other troop type, will not be affected.
Only a unit containing a minimum of 3 normal mephalian infantry can employ this skill. Less than three members of the mephalian race do not have the power to set up the resonance. Brutes and guardians do not employ this skill. Gort/ vehicle units cannot employ this skill.
Deceit
(Unit leaders only) – Mephalian war leaders have to use deceit and guile to obtain their rank. The ability to feint, and appear as one thing while doing another, is seen as an admirable skill when dealing with a peer group. It is also a useful skill during war. Any time a member of that unit leader’s infantry squad is hit by enemy weapon fire, the leader may make a deceit skill check. If successful, then one squad member that has been hit may exchange places with any other infantry model in that squad immediately. The model that now finds itself under fire is subject to the fire as normal. This skill is useful for keeping alive valuable head hunters and totemic guides. Only models that are normal mephalian infantry, including headhunters and guides, or brutes can be the subject of this skill. Vehicles, Gort’s, Guardians, Death masks and fang mites cannot be used. Vehicle or Gort drivers however, can be used if they have lost their vehicle/ Gort, and then subsequently joined the leader’s unit. (As they are normal mephalians). This skill may be used on as many models in the unit leader’s unit as you like, but each model may only be involved in a swap once per phase.Mephalian Pilot –
The mephalians have ‘pilot’ skill just like every other race. However, due to the unusual nature of their sense organs they have difficulty engaging in this activity. The Mimjip did not engineer the meph to act as vehicle pilots, they were engineered to act as infantry warriors! As a result – no mephalian may have a ‘pilot’ skill higher than 7. They just don’t make good pilots.This also effects the ability of your drop ship pilot to land accurately upon the battle field. In order to avoid a direct collision with an enemy drop ship (which is not a good idea unless you’re feeling suicidal!) you cannot land your mephalian dropship any closer than within 28 inches of an opponent’s drop zone marker. Instead of the normal 15 inch limitation as mentioned in the ‘game missions’ section of the core rulebook.
Tribal medicine –
The mephalians have developed their own powerful medicine over the eons. Drawn from natural materials found upon their home world, the derivatives extracted from plant and animal alike are finely tailored to heal mephalian mind and body. This skill replaces the ‘medic’ skill appearing in the core rulebook. Mephalian warbands do not have access to ‘medic’ skill. It behaves in exactly the same way in all respects, except that if a double number is rolled when making the tribal medicine skill roll the wounded model rolls 1D6 on the following table:Tribal medicine table (roll 1D6)
Dice result Event
1-2 - The wounded model dies immediately, without a recovery roll at the end of the game.
3-4 - The wounded model recovers and receives a +2 Resilience score bonus for the rest of the game due to the stimulating nature of the exotic substances used by the medic.
5 - The medicine used has altered the wounded model’s memory badly. The model recovers but permanently loses 3 skill points (player’s choice). Remove the points from your company roster.
6 - The medicine has sharpened the wounded model’s mind acutely. Fresh insight gives the model +1 skill permanently to its most proficient skill. (Will not increase above 10 – choose another skill in this case). The model recovers.
Mephalian unit types
Warriors
(basic mephalian infantry)
Your warlord will be accompanied by a number of warriors to help with the tasks that the brood fathers have assigned him. After a period of service many of these warriors return to the home world. Some, however, remain in the service of their chosen warlord and share in the glory of many victories. Often they become warlords in their own right, seeking the favor of the brood fathers and boasting of their successes around the fires of the war council.
Squads of mephalian infantry are always led by a ‘Totemic Guide’. These individuals are normally dressed in ancient and ornate Mimjip ‘bodymold’ armor which, in the minds of the meph, represents the spirit of the ancestors brought to life. The guide instills bravery among the members of the squad and leads by example. As long as he lives the mephalian warriors will be inspired to great deeds. If he is killed, the warriors will be filled with doubt.
The meph infantry squads are also accompanied by the all important ‘Headhunters’. These individuals are assigned the task of collecting enemy heads for the warlord to boast about at the war council. Usually armed with a vicious head hunting blade, these warriors should be protected as much as possible as they advance into hand to hand combat to collect the grisly remains of fallen foes for the glory of your warlord.
Mephalian deployment costs. – All mephalian warband crew aspire to become powerful members of tribal society. By serving a great war-leader they can themselves obtain the favor of the brood fathers. The mephalians serving in a war-leader’s warband ‘steal’ boasts from the war-leader at the war council. The more warriors a war-leader employs, the less spectacular his own personal efforts are. This is not to say that your war-leader’s efforts are not appreciated greatly by the brood fathers. It is a system that has arisen in mephalian culture that allows for the recognition of all warband members based upon their deeds. Even the lowliest warriors. Because of this, all warriors have a ‘deployment cost’ in boasts. Most mephalian vehicles and equipment do not require a deployment cost, as a lot of it is high technology manufactured by the Mimjip hundreds of thousands of years ago. The power supply, ammunition and other upkeep of these artifacts is a mystery to the meph and all other races. They still work - if they go wrong there is no-one yet on the Outer Rim who understands them enough to maintain or repair them!
When basic mephalian warriors are employed they have the following employment costs (in boasts) and statistics.
Average (7 skill points) Experienced (12 skill points) Veteran (16 skill points)
Mephalian warrior 520 boasts 750 boasts 1000 boasts
Mephalian warriors cannot take the following skills from the ‘Star Mogul’ core rulebook: hard-as-nails, salvage hound, military discipline, engineer, technician, medic. They may take any other skills from the ‘bio’ skill list in the core rulebook not mentioned. They may also take skills from the ‘mephalian skill list’ above, as appropriate.
Mephalian warriors have access to the following equipment:
light armor, medium armor, general small arms, Mimjip energy pistol, Mimjip energy rifle, dimension gun, Graviton cannon, twin energy condenser rifle, crossbow, shield, sword, Mimjip mono-molecular blade, spirit tokens, medicine bag.
Mephalian infantry have a low recovery roll compared to other races because, as a fledgling interstellar race, they are not as well established across the Outer Rim as other races. This means they have less opportunity to find a means of getting back to their homeworld without attracting the attention of their enemies. Their best chance is for your warlord to return to the scene of the battle some time afterward and pick them up. They just need to stay alive until that happens.
Totemic guides
Mephalian warriors are always led by an experienced member of their tribe who has been granted the honor of becoming a ‘totemic guide’. These guides are seen as spiritual tutors in both war and peace for their students. On the homeworld they are normally the leaders of a small teaching group, rather like a karate dojo on Earth. They accept mephalian individuals who are seen as having the right temperament for training in the martial arts of war. A totemic guide is honored and respected by his students, and it is his task to ensure that they are ready when the time comes to test their abilities on the battlefield. Only the best students accompany the guide on his travels across the Great Abyss in search of success, glory and an honorable future for the mephalian race.
The guide will probably have a suit of Mimjip bodymold armor to wear. This armor is a symbol for all mephalians upon the field that the ancient ancestors are with them. It acts like a battle standard.
Resilience: 3
Armor: 3 (light) Movement: 5”
Weapon: General small arms.
Count as ‘Bio’ infantry. Recovery roll - 1-3 on 1D6
Deployment cost: 10 boasts per skill point the warrior has. This includes totemic guides and headhunters.
To promote a mephalian warrior to ‘Totemic Guide’ status you must employ a veteran warrior (1000 boasts). You must also spend 400 boasts to elevate that warrior to guide status. This means you must spend a total of 1500 boasts to employ a basic totemic guide. A totemic guide gives his students (in other words, the mephalians in his unit) a +2 to company loyalty as long as he lives. If he dies the unit will suffer a -1 penalty to company loyalty instead.
The totemic guide has the following in addition to that which a normal warrior has: Counts as a veteran (starts with 16 skill points).
Gorts, Guardians, Death masks, and vehicles cannot be led by a totemic guide. Only units with mephalian ‘warriors’ may be led by a totemic guide. Though brutes may join a warrior unit and so benefit from the guide’s abilities.
For every 6 mephalian warriors you have, one of these six warriors must be promoted to be a totemic guide. (Five warriors and a guide). You must also have a separate guide for each separate infantry unit containing any warriors. (Unless the unit is led by your warlord).
So – for example, you could have a meph warrior unit configuration like this:
Three units, each containing 7, 5 and 6 models respectively. A total of 18 warriors here means that three warriors must be promoted to ‘totemic guide’. The rest of the warrior ‘students’ can be spread about as you wish as long as you stick to the normal rule for infantry units of a minimum unit size of four miniatures
Headhunters
Headhunters are a very important part of a meph warlord’s retinue. The headhunters are specialist elite warriors that belong to a mysterious, primitive and brutal cult on the mephalian homeworld. Often tattooed from head to foot, they normally act as guards for the tribal elders. These warriors are the primary means by which your warlord can influence the elders at the war council. Headhunters and their role are explained below.
For every 4 mephalian warriors – you are allowed to have a fifth headhunter. Employing a headhunter will cost you 750 boasts. Headhunters are classed as ‘normal’ warriors even though they have special abilities. Their starting statistics are –
Resilience: 4
Armor: 3 (light) Movement: 5”
Skill points: 10
Headhunters have a starting hand to hand combat skill of 8 Weapon: General small arms. Headhunting blade.
Headhunting blade – Adds +2 to combat rating. This is a long, strangely crafted sword blade made from a green volcanic glass found on the meph homeworld. This glass is very tough and somewhat flexible with the ability to hold a sharp edge for a long time. It is traditionally used by headhunters over the eons to collect the heads of fallen enemies during times of war. The blade is considered sacred, and is seen by the mephalians as holding the minds and souls of the fallen. This is why only headhunters are allowed to collect
heads. Any other meph warrior would never dare to usurp the headhunters sacred role upon pain of death or exile.
Heads and body parts harvested by this blade count towards your warlord’s final ‘boasts’ score at the end of the game.
Headhunters and collecting heads during a mission
OK – the way mephalians make most of their ‘profit’ is by collecting heads or body parts from enemy troops to take back to the war council and show the brood fathers how cool they are. This is a little more complicated than gathering salvage from your normal salvage counter – so listen up war-leader and pay attention to this next bit – its important!
The way heads and body parts are gathered during a battle is by using a mephalian headhunter to collect them. Only the headhunters are given this ancient and sacred role to play in the Warband and are seen as the stewards of your war-leader’s reputation. A headhunter will not gather the heads of fallen comrades! Though they will gather the heads of mephalians from other war-bands they might find themselves fighting. The way it works is like this:
When an enemy infantry model ‘dies’ during a game place a counter (a coin is good) in its place to show there is a corpse there. (Or place a wounded model on its side). The headhunter must move to base to base contact with at least one ‘dead’/ wounded model to ‘Apply the Blade’. If an enemy vehicle that has crew is destroyed by anything other than a ‘Kaboom!’ result on the vehicle superstructure failure table, place a ‘dead’ counter next to the wreckage for each crew present in the vehicle. (The owner of the wrecked vehicle does this).
Applying the Blade:
This is where the headhunter uses the headhunting blade to remove the heads/ body parts of the fallen victims. ‘Applying the blade’ can be used to immediately collect up to 4 heads/ body parts from ‘dead’ or wounded/ damaged models that are wholly or partially within 3” of the headhunter’s base at a cost of 1 SP. The headhunter MUST be within base to base contact of at least one of these fallen models. This can only be done on your turn. Or in the enemy FOW phase if you are lucky enough to receive free SP’s.
For a headhunter to gather the head of a ‘wounded’ or ‘damaged’ model the headhunter must roll equal to or under its hand to hand combat skill on 2D6. Obviously the wounded model dies if this is successful. If it isn’t the wounded model survives until the headhunter spends another SP to apply the blade again.
Vault guardians
The mysterious cult of the forbidden vault guardians has existed for thousands of years. They were originally established from the ranks of the brood fathers as a separate entity to explore the unknown depths of the vaults and bring back whatever wonders they could find there. Ancient mephalian legend records that the guardians disappeared within the vaults for several generations and were all but forgotten about. Fear and superstition kept the mephalians away from the vaults until the brood fathers emerged again, silent and aloof. Distancing themselves from the rest of meph society, they now act as intermediaries between the ancient secrets of the forbidden vaults and the mephalian ruling powers. Employing brutes to enforce their authority, the guardians have become a force to be feared by other meph. It is suspected that they are no longer entirely mephalian, but have fallen under the power of some strange entity that was encountered deep within the vaults. The agenda and aims of the guardians are difficult to define, it is likely they adhere to some long term scheme that involves the future of the
Headhunters can carry a max of 5 heads/ body parts. So you must keep track of how many heads/ body parts your individual headhunters are carrying. (A dead model yields as many ‘heads’ as its model value in hand to hand combat. So, an asteroid miner ‘centaur chassis’ which counts as two models in hand to hand combat, will yield two body parts. A demobot will yield four body parts - probably the tips of four of its gigantic fingers!) If a ‘Gort beast of burden’ model is wholly or partially within 4 inches of the headhunter, the headhunter can immediately transfer the collected heads/ parts to the Gort after ‘applying the blade’ (or anytime thereafter during your turn). This frees the headhunter to collect 5 more heads!
Recovered heads/ body parts that are dropped off at your drop zone will entitle your warlord to 1000 ‘boasts’ each!
Note that an infantry corpse with its head removed might still be used with the Mimjip ‘Death Masks’. Keep track of which corpses have been decapitated so that you do not harvest more than one head from each corpse! (This is getting grizzly!!) You can use a coin to represent corpses. If it is heads up – the corpse is ‘untouched’. If it is tails up – the head is removed.
Enemy infantry models that have their heads removed get no recovery roll at the end of the game! However, large models that fight in hand to hand combat and that are also classed as ‘vehicles’ DO receive recovery rolls as normal. Examples are: Demobot and the asteroid miner Cyclops.
Alpha Forge Games plan to produce a small range of ‘dead’ miniatures specifically designed to help keep track of where your opponent’s fallen crew members lie on the battle field. Check out our website for more details!
If a headhunter dies while carrying heads, they are all lost, unless there is a Gort model wholly or partially within 4” of the dead headhunter. In which case the heads will be transferred to the Gort by the Gort drivers. Once heads/ body parts are stashed upon a Gort treat them as if they were salvage loaded upon a vehicle (except they do not fill cargo space). The Gort must get them back to the drop zone and offload them to be picked up by the drop ship. Unless the mephalian player is the last player on the field, in which case the Gort (acting like a vehicle) has time to stampede back to the DZ from anywhere on the battle field before your opponents carpet bomb the area from orbit!
Mephalians and recovering normal salvage
Mephalians can recover salvage from salvage counters in exactly the same way as other races. The Gort beast of burden acts as the mephalian cargo carrier as it has a ‘cargo capacity’ of 1. However, the brood fathers will probably have little use for, or understanding of, many of the objects and equipment your warlord will recover. The brood fathers will only attribute 1D4 x 500 boasts to any salvage recovered – regardless of its value in credits.
the meph remain a powerful race among the stars. The guardians often offer their services as starship pilots and astro-navigators. Their scientific curiosity drives them to study alien technology.
When employing a vault guardian in your warlord’s retinue you must also employ at least one accompanying brute to act as a bodyguard. (See the ‘Brutes’ section next). The guardians are not known for their physical prowess, preferring to influence a battle from afar rather than becoming involved directly. If your guardian’s brute dies, you must obtain another brute to field the guardian again in a mission. If your guardian dies, leaving behind a lone brute, the brute can join a normal meph warrior unit and continue as normal, or you may choose to obtain a new guardian in between missions and assign the brute to guard him.
Vault guardians have statistics as shown below when first employed.
Vault guardians will not join any other unit. They will only belong to a unit of brutes that they lead. Vault guardian units have a minimum unit size of 2 models. (One guardian and one brute).
Vault guardians horde the most powerful Mimjip artifacts they find while exploring the forbidden vaults. They often carry a few of these upon the battle field to assist the warlord’s retinue.
Guardians have a special skill that allows them to manipulate Mimjip tech called ‘Mimjip technology’. In order for them to use any of the artifacts listed below they must roll this skill check on 2D6. This costs no SP’s to perform. If they roll a double six then they will use the artifact incorrectly and something unexpected will occur instead. If this happens look at the ‘Unexpected’ entry beneath each artifact listed to see the result.
When employing a guardian, you may choose one Mimjip artifact from the following list. Each artifact also has a cost in boasts. You must choose one artifact for each guardian you employ. Guardians may carry a maximum of two of these artifacts.
EMP pinch (500 boasts) – An enormously powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) blast generated by a small handheld device. It is designed to affect starship sub-systems. Small electronics (like those existing within warbots) are not effected. Its purpose is to cripple an enemy drop-ship from a planet surface. If your opponent calls their drop ship in at any time (to try and end the game) your guardian may use the pinch to scramble the drop ship sub systems as it lands. This means that the drop ship doors will not open, denying access to the enemy crew until the start of that player’s next turn.
Vault guardian –
Cost to employ: 1100 boasts. Deployment cost: 100 boasts Resilience: 3
Armor: 3 (light) Movement: 5”
Weapon: General small arms. Skill points available: 8
Skill: Mimjip technology (freepoints 6) Count as ‘Bio’ infantry.
Recovery roll - 1-3 on 1D6
Also, if fighting a starship boarding action, the guardian may set off the pinch to prevent the ‘automatic defense systems’ from working or performing any actions for the next enemy turn. At the start of the following enemy turn they will return to normal. The pinch may be used only once per game.
(‘Unexpected’ ) – The pinch field affects the sensitive bestial mind of any Gorts upon the battle field temporarily. The Gort driver must make a ‘Gort driver’ skill check to stop the Gort in its tracks and make all movement for the Gort model cease for that turn. Failure of the skill check means the Gort (and crew) moves directly away from the guardian, in a straight line, for one whole movement immediately. This also affects any other model on the battlefield described as a ‘beast’ in its unit description.
Resonance helmet (650 boasts) – An ornate helmet the Mimjip designed to enhance the natural resonance skill mephalian warriors are capable of. If a guardian wears a resonance helmet he adds a profound note to any resonance occurring within 12 inches of his position. (Measure from the position of the mephalian warrior unit leader to the guardian). Double the range (in inches) of the ‘resonance’ skill, as employed by mephalian warriors. May only be used with one meph warrior unit per turn.
(‘Unexpected’) – Ignore any ‘resonance’ attempts this turn.
Phase teleporter (700 boasts) - (Before rolling the guardian’s ‘Mimjip technology’ skill roll pick a target unit within 18 inches.) An unusual device that makes use of the understanding the Mimjip had of higher dimensions. It operates like a ‘semi-teleporter’ when used upon any mephalian infantry unit (including Gorts, death masks, brutes and guardians). It shifts the normal matter that makes up the members of the unit partially into a series of higher dimensions. While it lasts it enables the unit to move faster in normal three dimensional space. The unit may add +4” to its movement rate for one entire phase. The phase teleporter may be used twice during any game – but the second time it is used it will only add +3” to movement. It may not be used on vehicles. Cannot be used with a ‘phase re-locator’.
(‘Unexpected’) – The target unit suffers from a minus 2” penalty on movement for one entire phase as the dimensions fold around them, increasing the distance they have to move across.
Brute re-animator (550 boasts) – By moving to within base to base contact of any dead or wounded brute, the guardian may inject a potent chemical cocktail into its spine that will revive the creature and restore it to its previous condition. (That of a normal brute, albeit in a resurrected state). The brute will then join the guardian’s unit. This cocktail is delivered using an array of vicious three foot long hypodermic needles that may be used by the guardian to defend itself in hand to hand combat.
The needle adds +3 to the guardian’s combat rating. Also, if the guardian rolls a 1 on the 1D8 combat dice roll during hand to hand combat the enemy model has been stuck with the needle and receives a dose of the foul chemical! If that model is a ‘bio’, ‘cyborg’ or ‘android’ crew member then roll a 1D6 on the following table. If that model is a mekk, or is wearing battle armor, ignore it. A re-animated brute will die again at the end of the mission with no post game recovery roll.
Re-animation chemical table (roll 1D6)
Number rolled result
1 – 3 The recipient dies. Ignore any hand to hand combat rolls from that model this phase.
4 – 6 The recipient becomes utterly crazed! Attacking a random model within 4” automatically. Number all infantry models within 4 inches and randomly select one using a dice. This model is attacked by the recipient immediately. The recipient also gets a +2 bonus to combat rating while this occurs. Immediately after the attack the recipient drops dead from chemical shock.
Brutes
Mephalian brutes are a primitive subspecies of normal mephalians. With huge, imposing physique and black skin, they speak in bestial grunts and hoots. Their natural habitat is the dense night forests of the tropical latitudes on the meph homeworld, where many huge and ferocious primeval beasts have evolved. They have tight knit family units centered around protecting their young in this dangerous environment. Their primary role in a mephalian war band is to act as heavy infantry. The forbidden vault guardians know how to train these beasts to do their bidding, and make them think the guardians are a part of their family unit. This makes the brutes devoted and fearsome bodyguards for the vault guardians.
If a vault guardian dies, leaving behind a ‘stray’ brute, the brute will willingly continue with a warlord’s warband. If this occurs your warlord must join them with a normal mephalian warrior unit. They will not join any other type of unit. If you have no warrior units the brute will leave your warband. For you to
employ a new brute, you must have a vault guardian in your warband. A vault guardian may have any
number of brutes as bodyguards. A brute will not join a warrior unit unless its original guardian dies. Brutes have the following employment costs and statistics when first employed.
A brute starts with a hand to hand combat skill of 7. They can be taught to use ‘general small arms’ only, which will equip them with a ‘general small arms’ weapon automatically.
Brutes have a ‘life’ score of two (2).
This means that they will need to be ‘killed’ twice before they finally die. If a brute’s ‘defense’ score is beaten by enemy fire, or it loses a round of hand to hand combat and ‘dies’, it will lose a life. When all ‘life’ is gone the brute dies. (It will still get a post game recovery roll though). A brute ignores all ‘wounded’ results from enemy fire or hand to hand combat.
However, if the brute’s defense score is beaten by 6 points or more it will be killed outright. Its post game recovery roll will also only succeed on a 1-2 on 1D6 instead of the normal 1-3 on 1D6 due to massive physical trauma.
For example: A brute gets hit by a 75mm infantry cannon shell that does 15 points of damage. The brute loses all life it has – no matter how many. It dies.
Brutes have a tendency to enter a frenzied state when suffering physical harm. If a brute loses a life and survives you must roll 1D6. If you roll a 1-2 then the brute goes berserk and charges toward the nearest enemy unit for 2D6+3 inches immediately, unless already in a melee. (Infantry or vehicle, do not count flying vehicles). Frenzied brutes gain +3 to their combat rating. Frenzied brutes that leave their unit command radius do not become stragglers. Frenzied brutes continue to charge until they contact the enemy and enter hand to hand combat. If they survive to the end of that combat and are still outside their unit command radius they will then be subject to the ‘stragglers’ rule and cease their frenzy. If they attack a vehicle, and the vehicle moves out of the melee the brute will follow on its turn if possible. If not possible the brute will become an un-frenzied ‘straggler’. Frenzied brutes are immune to bravery or loyalty tests. Moving a frenzied brute costs no strategy points.
Brutes – cost to employ 1400 boasts. Deployment cost 150 boasts
Resilience: 5 Armor: 4 (tough hide) Movement: 5” Life: 2
Weapon: None Skill points available: 4 Count as ‘Bio’ infantry. Recovery roll - 1-3 on 1D6
Gort and crew
(fang mites, Gort drivers, cargo capacity etc.)
The Gort is a huge beast found in large numbers wandering the polar grasslands of the mephalian homeworld. Covered in thick armor scales and a tough hide, this pungent and filthy creature has been used by the meph as a beast of burden for many thousands of years.
Incredible strength means the Gort is ideally suited to this role. Though not the smartest of cattle, when herded by a full team of meph warriors, called ‘Gort drivers’, this beast can be easily controlled.
The Gort fulfills the role of a cargo vehicle in a meph warband. Though not actually classed as a vehicle (see below) it still has a cargo capacity of 1. This, along with other attributes, make the Gort unit central to mephalian strategy upon the battle field. It is used to carry everything the meph can scavenge, including the heads of enemy troops, any salvage they can find, the Mimjip death masks and even enemy corpses for later use!
Gorts are normally herded by two drivers who are specially trained for the task. The drivers use a sharp spear to direct the beast’s movements. They are also responsible for loading items onto its back.
Gorts have a ‘life’ score of three (3). This means they must be ‘killed’ three times before they will finally die. If the Gort’s defense score is beaten by enemy fire or it loses a round of hand to hand combat and ‘dies’, it will lose a life. When all ‘life’ is gone the Gort will die. (It will still get a post game recovery roll though). A Gort ignores all ‘wounded’ results from enemy fire or hand to hand combat.
A Gort has the following statistics when first employed.
Gort
– ‘Cargo carrier’, ‘Beast’Cost to employ 3800 boasts. Deployment cost: 200 boasts Resilience: 6
Armor: 4 (tough hide) Movement: 6” Life: 3
Skills: Hand to hand combat 10, Bestial bellow 6.
(Gort skills cannot change, they do not gain experience after each mission) Count as ‘Bio’ infantry.
Recovery roll - 1-2 on 1D6
Counts as 3 models in hand to hand combat. Cargo capacity: 1
Gorts do 3D6 damage when assaulting vehicles. Its giant cloven hooves are enough to smash armor!
Gorts count as three models in hand to hand combat AND for loyalty test calculations. For example – a Gort unit with two drivers counts as 5 models.
If a Gort unit finds itself with only one driver to drive the Gort, the Gort’s movement score will drop to 5” as it becomes more difficult to control. A Gort that finds itself with no drivers available will roll on the following table at the end of that phase to find out what action it decides to perform. Roll 1D6 and apply the result.
1-2 - Cease movement altogether. Start grazing or rooting around in the dirt for something that might make a tasty snack! If there are enemy models within 3” then the Gort will attack. 3-4 – Stampede back to drop zone at 8” movement rate immediately.
5-6 – The Gort will attempt to use its ‘Bestial bellow’ skill.
Roll once on this table at the start of each of your subsequent turns.
Bestial bellow (Freepoints 8) – This skill is only used when a Gort finds itself alone upon the battlefield and a 5
or 6 is rolled on the above table. Becoming confused and without direction, the Gort will begin a ferocious howling and bellowing in anger and remorse at its plight. On the meph homeworld, this bellowing serves to re-unite a lone Gort with the rest of its herd. The bellow is incredibly loud and contains extreme bass notes that can affect the hearing of all ‘bio’, ‘cyborg’ or ‘android’ crew not wearing battle armor. (This includes mephalians).
On the player turn that the Gort successfully begins bellowing, all ‘bio’, ‘cyborg’ and ‘android’ crew on the battlefield not wearing battle armor suffer a -2 to ALL skills due to the inability to concentrate. The effect lasts until the end of the next player’s turn. Crew within vehicles are not effected.
Gorts and cargo –
IMPORTANT: Your Gort can carry one cargo unit in exactly the same way as other models with cargo capacity. In
addition to this a Gort can carry an unlimited amount of heads and body parts from fallen victims for your
warlord.
It can also carry up to three whole bodies of any enemy ‘bio’, ‘cyborg’ or ‘android’ infantry model that counts as
only one model in hand to hand combat. (Basically any human sized ‘bio’, ‘cyborg or android’ model). These
bodies may be hoarded by the Gort drivers for your warlord to use along with the ‘Mimjip deathmasks’ in a future game. (See the description of Mimjip Deathmasks below). These bodies may be stashed upon the Gort’s back by the drivers immediately upon driving the Gort to within 2” of the body. The drivers must also move into base to base contact with the body to stash it and any other body within 3 inches. Stashing the bodies costs 1 SP. Once the bodies have been wrapped up and stashed upon the back of the Gort, they cannot be used with Deathmasks during that mission. They must be held over until your next mission. If they are not used during your next mission they must be discarded. Stashed corpses still count toward your warlord’s ‘headcount’ at the end of the game they were stashed.
For more on Gorts and their grizzly cargo – look at the section on ‘Headhunters and collecting heads during a mission’ on page 18.
Gort drivers
Your Gort will initially be accompanied by two basic Gort drivers for free. Drivers dress themselves in swathes of pungent ‘Gort cloth’. This has been soaked in the scent glands of male Gorts to prevent the foul fang mites from seeing them as a threat and attacking them. The drivers are exactly the same as normal ‘average’ mephalian warriors with the following statistics.
Fang mites
Fang mites are large parasites that live in a symbiotic relationship with Gorts. Every Gort has a number of these revolting creatures attached to its body in places where the supply of vital juice flowing in the beast’s veins can easily be burrowed into and sucked up by the fang mites. Similar to ticks on Earth. The fang mites do not bleed the Gort dry, but take just enough for their own continued survival. The Gorts hardly seem to notice these creatures as they bury their heads into open wounds upon its flanks and neck.
In ‘payment’ for their sustenance, the fang mites provide the Gorts with protection from predators. If an enemy infantry model finds itself within 8” of the Gort, both of the fang mite bases must immediately detach themselves and move toward the threat in a small swarm to attack. Using needle sharp fangs, they will attempt to bring down the enemy model en masse. This costs no SP’s. Fang mites ignore any model with ‘vehicle’ in its description. Each Gort will have two model bases of fang mites per mission. Each model base of fang mites have the following stats.
Gort drivers – cost to employ subsequent warriors (if any of the initial team is lost)- 400 boasts each. Resilience: 3
Armor: 4 (Light armor and Gort cloth) Movement: 5”
Skill: Gort driver 7
Weapon/ equipment: General small arms, Gort spear (adds +2 to combat rating) Skill points available: 7
Gort driver (Freepoints 7) - Both Gort drivers have the ‘Gort driver’ skill. This skill works like the normal
‘driver’ skill in the ‘bio’ skill list in the main Star Mogul rulebook except that there are no bad effects for rolling a double 6. Only one driver may make the skill test each phase by prodding the Gort in the appropriate parts with the Gort spear. If the skill succeeds the Gort may add a further +2” to its movement that phase as it canters (something Gorts are not keen on doing). Only the driver carrying the Gort spear may attempt this. If he dies, the other driver will pick up the spear and take over.
Employing new Gort drivers – Gort drivers must always work in pairs. Your first two drivers that come with a new Gort are free. Subsequent drivers cost 400 boasts each. One of each pair will be armed with the Gort spear which is used to drive the Gort. It adds +2 to combat rating. (See above). You may employ no
more than five Gort drivers at any time for any one Gort.
Fang Mites – no cost to employ (two bases come attached to a Gort at the start of each mission) Resilience: 3
Armor: 3 Movement: 5”
Skill: Swarm 5, hand to hand combat 7 (fang mites do not gain 1 skill point after each mission) Weapon/ equipment: Needle fangs
Swarm – If a fang mite base rolls this skill check at the start of a phase of hand to hand combat, the enemy model starts to become overwhelmed by the swarm. Some of them manage to sink needle sharp fangs deep into the enemy model. Reduce the enemy model’s hand to hand combat skill by 4 points until either the fang mites or the enemy model dies. The fang mites will hang on to that enemy model until it dies. Then on the mephalian player’s next available phase they will either attack another enemy infantry model within 5” or head back to their parent Gort if there are no enemy within 5”. (Both costing no SP’s). The effects of ‘swarm’ are cumulative with multiple fang mite bases.
A fang mite swarm will only suffer a minus 1 combat rating penalty for every extra hand to hand combat opponent after the first, instead of the normal minus 3 penalty as mentioned in the ‘hand to hand combat’ section in the core rulebook.
