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THE 1^ST SK’AARAN GUARD:

THE RATS OF WAR

The story of the Rat force known as “The Rats of War” and “The 1^st Sk’aaran Guard” begins on Sk’aar, a small M-class world in the Ultima Segmentum about twenty five Imperial Standard years ago. A small Blood Claws pack of the Space Wolves Adeptus Astartes chapter had crash-landed on Sk’aar, due to an attack by a large force of World Eaters Traitor Marines. Knowing they would eventually be attacked by the foul Chaos Marines, the Blood Claws dug in, building themselves a small fortress. The locals, short Rat-men not unlike Ratlings or the “Skaven” mentioned in several Pre-Imperial texts, watched them work. A few of them approached the Space Wolves, chittering curiously, as if asking what they were doing. Over the next four years, as the Space Wolves built up a small Firebase, the Rat-men, who soon became known just as the Rats, learnt Gothic, and began to help the great Marines work. A Wolf Priest was with the Space Marine force, and he had the idea of trying to convert the Rat People to the Imperial Creed.

And so, the history of the 1^st Sk’aaran Guard began. The Rats quickly took the Imperial Creed to heart, becoming devout Imperial followers that would put many Human worlds to shame. They built primitive chapels in their crude huts, their tribes uniting under the Holy Cross of the Emperor. They followed His creed, mixing it with local worship traditions and their own, rather unique, method of prayer- ultrasound. Several Space Wolves had watched them pray, though heard nothing. They were confused by this, until their Wolf Guard leader watched, and realised what was happening- the sensors in his armour had picked up the extremely high-frequency sound. Lowering the pitch, the Space Wolves found that they were praying as would any Imperial Congregation- just in their own style.

And then the attack came. Several hundred World Eaters Chaos Marines landed on Sk’aar, outnumbering the Space Wolves four to one. Watching the furious battles, the Rats realised that their new friends, the Imperials, were going to lose, and die. They couldn’t let that happen. So, grabbing everything they could use as a weapon- bolters and lasguns from the fallen, rocks, branches, anything they could find, they surged at the World Eaters. It was a massacre; thousands of Rats were killed and yet, for every Rat who fell, six more took his or her place. Under such an onslaught, not even the World Eaters could hold their ground, and fell back. The Rats hunted them down and exterminated them all. The leader of one of the Rat tribes, a young but strong rat known as Baz, then approached the wolf-guard of the Space Wolves and bowed. “I hope we have shown our dedication to the Emperor and His greatness by helping you.” He squeaked in highly accented Gothic “May He have mercy on the souls of the fallen.” “He will be proud of you” the Wolf Guard told him. “He has seen how well you fight in honour of Him. Praised be the Emperor.” “Praised be the Emperor”. This battle came to be known to the Rats as the Battle of Long Tooth River.

Contacting the Ecclesiarchy, the Wolf Guard found that it didn’t actually say that you had to be human to be an Imperial citizen. So, he formed the first truly consecrated Imperial Church on Sk’aar. Within a year, Baz and his tribe had asked to be recruited into the Imperial Guard… and thus, after much consultation with the Inquisitors, the Ecclesiarchy, the Adeptus Astartes, Imperial Guard Command and the Adeptus Ministorum, the 1^st Sk’aaran Imperial Guard was formed…

They are ferocious fighters; though each individual Rat is no match for even a human Imperial Guardsmen- it is the Rats’ sheer weight of numbers that make them so strong. They are also quite skilled with their weapons- both using them and keeping them working.

One year ago, they declared their independence from the Empire of Man, becoming instead like the Eldar or Tau- allies of circumstance, instead of part of His Holiness’ Imperium- and they WILL fight Imperial troops, if their agenda clashes with ours. The reasons General Baz gave to Commissar Leonov when he declared his regiment’s independence were “I’ve spoken with my Rats and we all agree on this. We’re all fed up with the bureaucracy that wraps our every request in red tape- be it a request to see our friends the Space Wolves or an urgent re-supply call, it can take months to get through to whoever it is it’s supposed to… and on top of that the rampant speciesism of Imperial Commissars is quite frankly insulting! My men DIE because of the bureaucracy and red-tape you lot give us, so bugger the lot of ya. We’re off!”.

Therefore, this brief history and possible force description should be circulated to all Imperial Guard and Adeptus Astartes units in the areas where the Rats have been seen, in case the Rats’ objectives conflict with the Empire’s, leading to battle. If any Imperial commander fights them, attempts must be made to return the tanks and transports they have, as well as their battleships, to the Holy Empire. Any commander who does not make reasonable attempts to do this will be summarily executed.

However. If you fight ALONGSIDE them, do not make any attempts to retrieve their equipment. They are useful allies, and their skill in battle should stand as an example to all your troops.

Note, however, that the Rats still believe in His Holiness the God-Emperor and worship Him as devotedly, and in some cases, more so, than many Imperial worlds. They have formed their own Cult, independent from the Ecclesiarchy and the Imperium. At this time, it is undecided what action will be taken in response to this.

 

Command HQ:

1 Command Platoon: 1 Commander (General Baz, a Colonel, or a Major) and 10-15 Rats.

Each Rat may exchange his lasgun for a laspistol and close combat weapon at no extra cost and ONE Rat may be armed with a plasma gun at +30 points. In addition, THREE Rats may be formed into a heavy-weapons team armed with a mortar at +40 points, or TWO Rats with a heavy bolter at +45 points, an autocannon at +40 points, or a missile launcher at +60 points. The squad may be mounted in a Chimera. The whole squad may be armed with frag grenades at +3 points per model and krak grenades at +5 points per model. One model may be equipped with a com-link at +15 points. One model may be upgraded to become a Standard Bearer at +50 points, unless the army contains Major Ratterton.

Note that some Rat Heavy-weapons teams consist of THREE Rats, instead of two. This is due to their smaller size and strength- two loaders are required to handle the ammunition of something like a Mortar or heavy plasma gun.

(0-4)Heavy-Weapons Squads:

(0-1)Mortar Heavy-Weapons Team: This consists of 3-5 mortars and 9-15 Rats arranged in teams of three- one gunner and two loaders per mortar. All Rats are armed with lasguns.

(0-1)Fire Support Team: This squad consists of between 3 and 5 autocannon/heavy bolter teams, made up of two Rats per weapon, as well as the weapons themselves. All Rats are armed with lasguns.

(0-1)Anti-Tank Weapons Team: This squad consists of between three and five lascannons, heavy plasma guns or missile launchers and their accompanying Rats. Two Rats man a missile launcher, and three Rats man a heavy plasma gun or lascannon (one Rat carries the power-pack, one Rat carries a spare and the other carries and fires the weapon itself). All Rats are armed with lasguns.

Heavy Weapons Trio: As THREE Rats are needed to operate some heavy weapons (two Loaders and one gunner), there is a special rule here. If one of the Rats loading the weapon is killed, the Rats player must roll a D6 every time he wishes to fire it. On a 4+, the weapon is fired successfully. On a roll of 1-3, the remaining Loader cannot load the weapon quick enough on his own and it cannot be fired. Heavy flamers require, like most heavy weapons, only two Rats.

TROOPS:

(2-6)Infantry Squad: This consists of 10-16 Rats, armed with lasguns, one of which is a Sergeant, a Veteran Sergeant at +30 points or a Major at +50 points. Each Rat may exchange his lasgun for a laspistol and close combat weapon at no extra cost. One rat may exchange his lasgun for a flamer at +15 points In addition, three Rats may be formed into a heavy-weapons team armed with a mortar at +40 points or a lascannon at +50 points, OR two Rats may form a heavy-weapons team armed with a heavy bolter at +45 points, an autocannon at +40 points, a heavy flamer at +40 points, or a missile launcher at +60 points. The squad may be mounted in a Chimera at the normal cost. One model may be equipped with a com-link at +15 points. The Major is an Officer, and thus a character and may be given extra war gear from the Imperial Guard list, as may a Veteran Sergeant

ELITES:

0-3 Rat Snipers. As you might expect, most Rats are stealthy creatures. Those that are exceptionally stealthy are trained as snipers or Stealth Rats. A Rat Sniper wears very little armour, and has almost no physical strength. A Rat Sniper, like a Deathworld Veteran sniper, will often set himself up in cover hours, days, or even weeks before a battle. He is armed with a Needle Sniper Rifle. He may NOT move, and he MUST set up in jungle, rocky terrain, woodland terrain or any other form of cover, in Ambush (see Codex: Catachans). If all players do not agree to this, he may be used as a standard Ratling sniper. For being in cover, the Sniper has a 4+ save. If he’s not in cover, he has only a 6+ save, due to lack of armour. Weapons that ignore cover saves ignore his 4+ save.

0-2 Stealth Squads (5-10 Rats). The purpose of these Rats is to get up close to the enemy and then let them have it with everything they’ve got. They may infiltrate or deep-strike as the mission allows, burrowing underground or approaching the battlefield from above in jury-rigged gliders, if needs must. They carry two laspistols and two close-combat weapons each, in the form of steel claws strapped to their wrists. Two Rats may be formed into a heavy-weapons team armed with a heavy flamer at +40 points. The squad is led by a Major. Stealth Rats may use their concealment skills to become hidden at any point during the battle, so long as they are not on top of a building or on a hard surface, such as duracrete or engaged in combat of any kind, and may be discovered if an enemy is searching for them with their race’s equivalent of an Auspex, but only on a roll of 5+, and they may NOT fight while concealed. The model scanning for them may NOT fire any weapons that turn. They may also re-emerge in another area of the battlefield -divide it into 12” squares for this purpose- they emerge in any adjacent square to the one they hid in. They have a 4+ save if they’re in cover. Weapons that ignore cover saves ignore this. You may only take Stealth Squads in an army led by a colonel or General Baz himself.

0-1 Armoured Fist Squadron: This consists of 5-10 rats and a Chimera. These are the most insane of all the Rats. Though they are all identical, physically, to any other Rat, they’re trained to charge straight in at the enemy in their Chimera armoured vehicles and get stuck in. For this reason, every Rat in the squadron is armed with a shotgun and a close-combat weapon. They are led by a Major. Any Rat may exchange his shotgun for an auto pistol or laspistol and an additional close-combat weapon at no extra cost. The entire squad may be armed with frag or krak grenades at +1 point per model. Two or three models may form a Heavy Weapons team armed with a heavy flamer at +40 points.

0-1 Rat Techie: Knowing they’d be unable to survive without their war machines, before they declared their independence, six Rats were sent to Mars, where they learnt the ways of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Upon their return, these Rats became known as “Techies” or “Tech-heads”, and their job is to keep the machines of the 1^st Sk’aaran Guard happy and working. A Rat Techie wears a crude version of a Techmarine’s servo-harness, and also has “bionics”- with the resulting save. He or she can, if reached in within one turn, repair any “immobilised” or “Weapon Destroyed” result. He or she may do nothing else other than the repair. Roll a D6 and consult the table below:

Rat Profile:

Tanks: The Rats may use any Tank from the Imperial Guard list. As the unit was too new to earn the honour of a Vanquisher before it declared Independence, they are only allowed to take ONE Vanquisher, with the following special rule:

Jury Rigged: The Vanquisher the Rats currently own was found almost destroyed. It was extensively repaired, however the methods used aren’t exactly like those of the Adeptus Mechanicus; the tank’s barrel was straightened and reinforced with metal tubing. Therefore, the Rats player must roll a D6 every time the main gun is fired. On a roll of 6, the shell lodges in the barrel and detonates. Unsurprisingly, this means the Vanquisher is destroyed- and there is a danger area of 12” behind it. Models up to 6” away from the rear arc of the Vanquisher must make an armour save or be killed instantly, regardless of the number of Wounds they have. Those between 6” and 12” must make an armour save or lose a wound.

The Rats are notorious for their use of anything and everything they can get their hands on. Therefore, the Rats player may take up to THREE Ork vehicles at a cost of +20 on top of the original cost of the Warbike, Nobz Warbike, Wartrak or Trukk. All weapons on board have to be replaced with Imperial-type weapons.

 

Special Characters:

General Bazil Tiberius Rat

General Bazil Tiberius Rat is the best military commander ever to have been raised on Sk’aar. He commanded the forces assaulting the World Eaters Chaos Space Marines during the Battle of Long Tooth river. It was his tactics that won the Rats the battle- without him, many thousands more Rats would have died and it’s possible the World Eaters might have won. Therefore, all Rats hold him in high regard. When the 1^st Sk’aaran Imperial Guard regiment was raised, it seemed only natural to the Space Wolves, the Adeptus Ministorum and the Rat guardsmen that Baz take command.

Proudly, General Bazil Tiberius Rat put on the Green Beret that his men had chosen as their regimental trademark, and stepped to the front of the regiment, his chest swelling with pride, both because he’d been chosen to lead this unit, and because the Rats had become a truly unified fighting force. Turning and standing as tall as his diminutive frame would allow, he saluted his men, holding it until they had all returned the salute. “Let’s make our world PROUD!” he yelled, pumping his fist in the air, before wedging a cigar into his teeth and sparking up. From that day onwards, nobody has ever seen General Baz without a cigar in his mouth, unless he’s asleep. The first thing he does in the morning is light up a cigar, and the last thing he does at night is put one out.

Picking his wargear, General Baz decided to pick an armament that would allow him to fight at distance, at medium range, in the charge and in close-combat. He chose a Master-crafted storm bolter, a shotgun, a plasma pistol and a close-combat weapon. Though he had trouble holding the Storm Bolter to begin with, he soon built up his strength so that he could use the double-barrelled assault weapon. He usually carries it slung over his back, as his preferred weapon is his pump-action shotgun. When needs must, however, the shotgun is placed into a shoulder-holster and out comes the storm bolter, ready to spit explosive death at a target that’s out of range of his preferred weapon. He also wears thicker armour than the rest of the Rats.

Unit Name	Cost	WS	BS	T	S	A	I	W	LD	SV
General Baz	100	5	5	4	5	4	8	3	10	3+

Wargear: Master-crafted Storm Bolter, shotgun, plasma pistol, chainsword and trademark item (cigar)

Special Rules: General Baz is an inspiring presence to his troops. Therefore, any Rat units with a model within 12” of him may re-roll any failed psychology-based tests using HIS leadership, even if they would not normally be able to do so. Units equipped with com-links may also use his leadership instead of their sergeant’s or major’s, as per the usual rules.

“Ya think you killed ME, ya pansy [insert species] bastard?”: General Baz is a stubborn little creature even at the best of times; when he loses his last wound, lay him on his side instead of removing him (even if it was an Instant Kill). On the Rats’ next turn, roll a D6. On a roll of 5 or 6, Baz stands back up, bloodied but defiant (and angry!), at one wound. On any other roll, remove him as a casualty.

Morale: If and when the Rats player fails his “Ya think you killed ME?” save, ALL Rats must take the resulting Morale check with a –1 Leadership penalty; he’s been with them since the Founding and has earned both their respect and admiration. He’s survived countless battles alongside the Rats, and if he dies, they will be gutted and may well attempt to flee the battlefield.

He may only lead an army worth 2,000 points or more (or the strike platoon), and both players MUST agree before he can be used.

 

Major Kimiko

Major Kimiko is the Master of Nezumejitsu, the Rat martial art.

She stares out across the battlefield, littered with the bodies of the fallen. Her face remains absolutely passive as she activates the power supply of her weapons. Accompanied by the buzz of energy, she steps out of her hiding place, her powered claws coming down across the back of a World Eater Chaos Marine's neck… the genetically modified, heretical warrior is dead before he even realized she was there…

 

Just after the Rats had been formed, an old member of the human Imperial Guard told a young female rat named Katherine about the martial arts orders of ancient Terra. Inspired by the tales of monks whose martial prowess bordered on the supernatural, and whose knowledge of the arts of stealth allowed them to go unseen even in broad daylight, Katherine began the study as many of the ancient texts as she could find, which, unfortunately, were not many. Filling in the gaps with her own startling ingenuity, she developed her own martial art, which she named “Nezumejitsu”.

 

During her training, Katherine changed her name to better suite her new abilities, and, taking the name of a great martial artist some of the ancient texts spoke of, she took the name “Kimiko”. At the age of thirteen, Kimiko became the youngest instructor of the art of war, and soon started up her own academy dedicated to the art she had created. Those wishing to train their bodies and minds flocked to her academy. So many potential students applied, in fact, that she had to break the school into four, and select a teacher for each one of the schools. She chose her most advanced students to follow her into battle, and they became known simply as “The Disciples”.

 

The Traitor Marine falls to the floor as its life is wrenched away by the awesome power of Kimiko's weaponry. She spins around, ducking just in time to avoid a rocket from a traitorous Dreadnought. Taking her power sword in both hands, she stands up to her full height and makes a powerful slash through the air while yelling the worlds “Air Splitting Sword!” For a few seconds, nothing happens. But then, the force of the ancient technique causes the death machine to simply split in two, cleaved down the middle as if someone had come up behind the walker with a great vibro-axe or power weapon and brought it down upon its head…

 

Kimiko decided to teach her Disciples each one of her four Secret Techniques. These Techniques formed the basis of the four schools' fighting styles, and were only ever taught to the most promising students of each school. The Techniques were said to be so powerful that they could shatter even the armour of the World Eaters’ strongest war machines; although very few were ever lucky enough to witness them in action.

 

Kimiko also imparted her knowledge of stealth unto her Disciples, who, in time, passed the knowledge onto their students. This knowledge allowed Kimiko and her Disciples to make themselves completely unseen to all but the most perceptive of enemies. It was not true invisibility, as that's impossible without powerful technology; it was simply a fiercely held modesty that made the user so completely unnoticeable that they could have walked through a crowded room wearing a costume of flashing lights without anyone paying them a single glance.

 

Kimiko watches the heretical death machine split with satisfaction, before racing off at almost super-human(oid) speed. To her enemies and allies alike she is simply a blur and a trail of dead, until she stops right before another World Eater. In a blur of movement, the Traitor Marine is on the floor in a heap, his foul blood already beginning to burn off of Kimiko's weapons due to the immense energy contained within them...

 

In the few years since, Kimiko has become somewhat of a spiritual leader to the Sk'aarans, and many hold her in greater esteem than even their legendary military leader, General Bazil Tiberius Rat. When Kimiko became sixteen, General Baz finally recognized her prowess and she was employed and almost instantaneously promoted to the rank of Major. She and her Disciples now make up a special missions unit, and are used for both infiltration and full-out assault. Some say that she and her Disciples would be able to hold their own on the battlefield with only primitive weapons such as swords, although many consider this an exaggeration. It isn't. They really COULD hold their own against any force in the galaxy… armed only with sharpened sticks and cooking implements!

 

Kimiko wipes sweat from her eyes, growling slightly to herself. “Whoever decided that I should wear black is definitely going to be seeing me in the near future...” Kimiko spins around, cleaving an advancing Chaos Marine clean in two. “So what if it makes me less obvious in shadows?” she mutters, not even pausing in her grumbling, “I could wear florescent pink and be inconspicuous...”

 

Her friends know Kimiko as a rather eccentric, and at times hyperactive creature. At a mere seventeen years of age, Kimiko is the youngest member of the Sk'aaran army, although she is highly respected. She's often known to talk to herself during battle, which can sometimes confuse her enemies slightly. Her startling ingenuity makes her an excellent strategist, although her strategies still often include “rush in and kill everything in the way”. That's just the way she is at times. General Baz has her marked down for great things; if he can ever prize her away from her Disciples, for in his own words, “She’d make one hell of a general…!”

 

Unit Name	Cost	WS	BS	T	S	A	I	W	LD	SV
Major Kimiko	70	5	2	5	6	5	8	2	9	5+

Wargear: Power Katana, plasma pistol, Power Claw. She has DOUBLE attacks with both Lightning Claw and Power Sword, and they can be concentrated against one enemy or spread across many.

Special Ability: She may, in the shooting phase, at the cost of the power effects of her Power Sword and Power Claw for the close combat phase of that turn, use her special “Cutting the Air” ability. By siphoning off the energy from the power weapons and concentrating it into the tip of the Power Sword and slashing it through the air using an ancient technique she found in a pre-Imperial text, she may strike an opponent up to 9” away from her with the power-sword. The strike follows the same rules to hit and wound as a power-sword strike in close combat. As mentioned before, however, it drains the energy of the power weapons for one turn. If she then enters close combat, the Power Claw and Power Sword follow the same rules as standard close-combat weapons- though she keeps her double attacks

Where other Stealth Rats may tunnel underground or use gliders to approach unseen from above, Kimiko is a master of being unseen. She can hide in plain sight, close enough to you to steal the food from your pack- and you won’t even know she’s there. Therefore, Kimiko and her disciples can become hidden at ANY point during the battle (unless they are in combat), even if Stealth Rats could not. She may only be “located” on a D6 roll of 6 and may NOT fight when concealed. She has an “agility” save of 4+, to be taken BEFORE armour saves. It represents her using her finely tuned reflexes to avoid the enemy strike! If this save is used on a weapon with a blast template, place Kimiko at the edge of it.

She may be used alone, or she may take up to 4 Disciples at +20 points per model, plus the cost of their wargear. The Disciples of Nezumejitsu are Rats being trained in the art of Nezumejitsu by Kimiko herself, and thus are the most proficient of her students. They form their own unit, led by Major Kimiko. They have the same basic statistics of a Stealth Rat, but they each have their own specialisation within the Nezumejitsu school. Like Kimiko, they can become hidden on ANY surface, so long as they’re not engaged in combat of any kind. They may be discovered on a roll of 6 and may NOT fight when concealed. They, like their Master, have “agility” saves, though on a 5+, as opposed to her 4+. While Kimiko is alive, they do not have to take leadership-based tests of any kind.

Disciples:

1:

2:

3:

4:

Major Kimiko may only be taken in an army worth 2,000 points or more (or the strike platoon) and where both players agree. In addition, she may only be taken in an army led by General Baz or a colonel.

Major Nigel Ratterton:

Dangerous Mutant, or Blessed by the Emperor?

The Orks visibly flinch as Major Ratterton steps over the brow of a hill, starting to think that assaulting this world was a bad idea. Unslinging his huge weapons, the mutated Rat glares out across the battlefield, hatred on his face. “Fall before the might of the Holy Emperor!” he growls, “Or fall before my guns!” And then the two assault cannons held in his four hands proceed to spit death at the green-skins. Two minutes later, not a single Ork from the horde remains alive…

Nigel Ratterton is a biological Dreadnought; he has eight legs and four arms. Twelve feet from nose to tail base, and nine feet tall, he’s an imposing sight no matter what species you are. Even Orks are put off by his presence on the battlefield.

Nigel began life just after the Space Wolves left Sk’aar. His people were still learning the Imperial creed, and it is for this single reason that Nigel wasn’t killed at birth. According to Rat mythology, those who are born with extra pairs limbs are “destined to do great things for our kind”, and Nigel, with three extra pairs of limbs, was obviously destined to do much, according to the older Rats who still adhered to the Old Ways. It was undecided whether Nigel would live, and so, as the Council of the Tribes tried to decide his fate, Nigel remained blissfully unaware of the fact his life was in danger. He went to church from the day he learnt to walk, asking the priests many questions about the Emperor, eager to learn all he could about the wonderful God-emperor who had given his people their new-found civilisation. He quickly became a zealous follower of the Imperial creed- so devoted was he that he could put many a human Imperial citizen to shame, and it is for this reason that his life was, eventually, spared.

At the age of sixteen, Nigel joined the 1^st Sk’aaran Guard, and it quickly became apparent this was his calling, his reason for existence. After all- when you’re big and strong enough to carry TWO assault cannons, what else can you be but a warrior? He quickly became a coveted figure, wanted by Imperial forces across the whole sector. Every time he was approached and asked to join other regiments, however, his response was always “And leave my brothers? Where they go, I go. No Rats, no me!”. Nigel soon became the regimental mascot, carrying the Regimental Standard into battle strapped to his back.

As well as his assault cannons, Nigel is also fairly good at close-combat; two extra arms help at this- and most opponents will balk at the sight of a huge, thirteen-limbed rodent (if you include his tail) carrying two chainswords AND two laspistols…

Unit Name	Cost	WS	BS	T	S	A	I	W	LD	SV
Major Ratterton	150	4	5	9	8	4-16	7	4	10	4+

Wargear: Two assault cannons and ammunition, two chainswords, two laspistols, regimental standard, Holy Bible of the Imperium, (trademark item).

Special Rules

Easy to see: Due to his sheer size, Nigel finds it hard to hide, and has almost no knowledge of stealth. Therefore, all rolls for cover-saves are reduced by 1.

He’s one BIG-ass rat: Nigel is an imposing figure, scaring the bejesus out of almost anything the Rats face- whether it’s Imperial Guard, Space Marines, Eldar, Tau or Orks. Therefore, he counts as a Fear-causing model. Units immune to Fear ignore this effect. The Imperial Guard know him as “The Widowmaker”, and the Orks know him as “Dat Bastard Rat”

Mascot: Nigel has been “adopted” as the regiment’s unofficial mascot. If he is killed, as well as the penalties for loss of the standard, ALL units in the army, including the commander, MUST take a moral test.

Thick hide: Nigel wears no armour- he doesn’t need it. His skin is so thick and leathery it does the same job as armour. Take armour saves as normal.

Multi-armed: As Nigel has multiple arms, he can attack many times in close combat. For each successful strike against an opponent, Nigel gains 1 attack in that round of close combat, to a maximum of 16, either on the same opponent or spread across many.

Gung-ho: Nigel knows the meaning of fear as something that happens to the things he fights. He gets a +1 bonus to the roll for all morale, pinning and leadership tests he as to take. He also ignores the effects of fear causing creatures, and confers these abilities to whatever unit he’s with.

“I’ll save you, sir!”: Nigel is fiercely loyal to General Baz, and will stay within 4” of him if it is possible. So long as he is within 4” of General Baz, they may swap places in close combat, with Nigel fighting the General’s opponent, and vice versa. Also, you may choose to take any shooting hit on General Baz on Nigel instead.

Big body, normal brain: As Nigel’s body is so huge, it takes a lot of processing power to keep all eight legs and all four arms working together. Unfortunately, Nigel’s brain is no larger than a normal Rat’s. Therefore, every other turn, he has to test for stupidity.

Major Nigel Ratterton may only be taken in a force worth 2,000 points or more (or the strike platoon) and with the consent of all players involved. In addition, he may ONLY be taken in an army led by General Baz himself!

“It’s Dat Bastard Rat again…” muttered Warboss Mugsnaga Morgrub as she saw Major Nigel Ratterton cutting through the ranks of her Boyz as if they were pansy ‘oomies. Deciding to cut her losses and run, Mugsnaga signalled the retreat. “Orkses never lose” she told her Big Mek as they retreated. “If we win, we win. If we’re dead, we’re dead an’ dere’s fuck-all ya can do about it. If we run away… well dat’s OK ‘coz we’ll be back to fight again wiv a bigger mob next time- so we never lose! An’ one of these days, I’m gonna jump off me Warbike an’ go ‘and-to-‘and wiv dat bastard rat… not now though. Da Waaagh! ain't big enough… ‘E’ll cut us all down ‘fore we c’n kill ‘im.” And thus, the only female Warboss in Ork history swore to kill Nigel Ratterton, so help her Mork and Gork…

Designer’s Note: I know he’s going to have every heavy-weapon in the opponent’s army trained on him from the first turn but… if he survives long enough to do damage, let’s face it. He’s gonna do a LOT of it- with two assault cannons and up to 16 attacks in close combat, in addition to the fact he causes Fear. I plan to give my opponents a choice between Kimiko and her disciples, Major Ratterton, or the Stealth Squads- if Nigel is fragged, then Kimiko and the Stealth Rats hammer them. If Kimiko gets it, then Nigel and the Stealth Rats get them, and if the Stealth Rats buy it, then… Nigel and Kimiko do the job!

And Mugsnaga Morgrub? Well. You’ll have to wait and see about her…!

 

Army special rules:

The Rats WILL NOT fight the Space Wolves chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. They feel indebted to the Space Wolves- because without them, the Rats would still be a barbaric, savage race. They still have hints of this savagery, and thus they get on extremely well with the Battle Brothers of the Space Wolves chapter. They are also fairly comfortable on Fenris, the Space Wolves’ Founding World, as well as any other ice world- their fur protects them from the cold. A Rat is the only creature known to the Imperium to be able to survive the bitter cold of Valhalla without clothing.

They have many allies concealed within the Imperium, as well as their obvious friends in the Space Wolves. For this reason, the Rats’ player may include ONE Imperial Guard heavy weapons team, Armoured Fist squad, Infantry Squad or tank up to a maximum of two squads/teams/tanks, so long as the Rats are not fighting Imperial troops, and the Allied forces MAY include a Leman Russ Vanquisher- but only one. The Rats’ allied Imperial Guard forces may NOT take a Commissar with them and are controlled by the Rats’ player. Their points cost is included in the points cost of the Rats army when deciding army size.

They may also, when not fighting Imperial forces, take THREE packs of Space Wolves, instead of their Imperial Guard allies. The Space wolves MAY take Wolf Guard as leaders for the packs, and MAY be mounted in Razorbacks, Rhinos or Land Raiders. Their points cost is included in the cost of the Rats army. Two packs may be sacrificed and replaced by a Venerable Dreadnought, at a cost of +200 points, PLUS the cost of the Dreadnought!

“Destroy the traitorous vermin!”: Before the Sk’aaran guard left the Imperium, Commissars were a major bane to them. Commissars viewed (and indeed, still do view) the Rats as scum; degenerate mutants, creations of Chaos, and generally made life difficult for them. They were a major factor in the Rats quitting, and the Rats fear them. They also hate them. Therefore, when the Imperial Guard face the Rats, any and all commissars in the Imperial Guard forces get their toughness and strength increased by +1 in close combat. This is because the loyal Commissars are incensed that the Rats, who were given everything they have got by the Emperor have, in their eyes, turned their backs on Him and consequently, Commissars fight harder- in addition to the fact that the Rats are scared of them- and so, they also cause fear in the Rats.

If you are playing a multi-player battle with Imperial Guard and the Rats on the same side, the Commissars in the Guard force may still wish to get into combat with the Rats- but it’s overridden by their desire to crush the enemies of Mankind. However. After the third turn of the battle, if there are Rats but NO enemy models within the commissar’s line of sight, take a leadership test. If you roll over the Commissar’s leadership value, he must move towards the Rats he can see, aiming to get into close combat. He will also fire any weapons he has at them, with the usual results. The Rats’ player may return fire… if only to save victory points for the combined force- it’s better to lose one man than a whole squad! The commissar’s hatred lasts a single turn, and then he must take a leadership test again- unless the enemy is in sight.

“Ya ought ta be more careful, mate!”: The Rats dislike Commissars almost as much as Commissars dislike them. Therefore, the Imperial Guard player fielding his army against the Rats must make a D6 roll for some of his commissars; up to a maximum of three- and if the Guard player has three or more, he MUST roll for the full three. On a roll of 5-6, each commissar rolled for has been incapacitated by Rats sneaking into the Imperial camp the night before and laying a trap for him. On a roll of 1-4, , he successfully avoids whatever surprises the Rats have laid for him. This does NOT happen when they fight together.

Hatred: The Rats hate Chaos, and especially the Chaos Marines of the World Eaters chapter with a vengeance that’d make any loyal Imperial proud. They will gladly die just so others can say of his bravery, “Remember old so-and-so? ‘E died giving World Eaters another black eye an’ teachin’ the buggers ta remember not ta mess with the Sk’aaran Guard! Remember Rats like ‘im. They’re examples ta us all.”. Therefore, ALL Rats, including General Baz, Major Nigel Ratterton and Stealth Rats, in close combat with the World Eaters have a +1 strength bonus. Each unit may also, ONCE per battle, re-roll a failed morale or pinning test using the General’s leadership, even if they wouldn’t normally be able to do so. They also count the World Eaters as their preferred enemy.

Please click HERE to see details of the Rats’ special-forces squad.

Regimental Standard of the 1^st Sk’aaran

 

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Many thanks go to my friend Wil Cook, for the creation of Major Kimiko, and her disciples. Thanks also go to my friend Athari, for the rune visible on the skull’s forehead in the regimental banner.