LIGHT CAVALRY CAREERS FOR THE IRON KINGDOMS FULL METAL FANTASY ROLEPLAYING GAME BY MATT GOETZ * ART BY NESTOR OSSANDON Pom ET aghast rc wl rey fa cl ape wl ee Arcsin eto yet iy annem te ih ae 8 ca noon Each nation ofthe Iron Kingdoms has its own ligh of mounted hunters, scouts, or rangers. Ne into their own unique institutions saoairy traditi ptations are ale ‘Some stem from military tradition while others are an evolution. being explored, and those that prove useful eventually develop With a Vengeance introduces career options to represent some of the exciting new units introduced in WARMACHINE: Vengeance for the Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game. Many of the following careers build on career options introduced in Kings, Nations, and Gods. It is highly recommended that players interested in creating the characters inthis article have a copy ofthat book at their disposal.NEW CAREER OPTIONS A player can choose to use as many career options as he wishes, during character creation, and can take some or al of the career options for which his character meets the requirements, TEMPEST BLAZER (ARCANE TEMPEST GUN MAGE/RANGER) ‘The Tempest Blazers are the premier cavalry division of the Order of the Arcane Tempest. In war they act as seouts and skirmishers, riding quickly through enemy-held territory to provide reconnaissance and to harass enemy positions. The power of these gun mage’s rune shots, coupled with the rapid pace afforded by thei by the enemies of Cygnar. ‘mounts, makes them a force to be feared Only recruits shown to have appreciable riding capability are given consideration for membership among the Tempest Blazers, ‘Those with an aptitude for the saddle are given the opportunity to enlist in their ranks, receiving additional instruction by light cavalry drill sergeants of the Cygnaran Reconnaissance Service. ‘Tempest Blazer recruits are made toride progressively longer and more dangerous courses with special obstacles and situations constructed by the CRS and the Order of the Arcane Tempest to test their aptitude, A Tempest Blazer is expected to be capable of riding through dangerous terrain at a full gallop while carefully selecting rune-inscribed bullets to engage a diversity of targets Only when the recruit’s gun mage and riding instructors both agree his training is complete is he fully inducted into the order. ‘Tempest Blazers are often given reconnaissance missions into the backcountry of Cygnar or across borders into unobserved areas, of other nations. They also escort cross-country caravans of high- value materiel, safeguarding vital resources against attacks from, ‘opportunistic bandits or tribal raiders. In this role they often serve alongside the CRS, acting as a fast-response team. Only a Cygnaran human that starts the game with the Arcane Tempest Gun Mage (Kings, Nations, aud Gods, p. $7) and Ranger careers can be a Tempest Blazer. A character taking this option ‘© begins the game with the Gunfighter and Saddle Shot abilities but does not begin with the Camouflage or Pathfinder abi ties + starts the game with Pistol 2, Riding 2, Detection 2, Survival 1, and Tracking 1 but does not begin with Intimidation 1 or Sneak 1 + starts the game with 25 gc, ammo bandolier, magelock pistol, rune shot casting kit, a riding horse with tack and light barding, and an armored great coat but does rot begin with the Ranger's 5 ge ‘+ begins with the Rune Shot: Electro Leap spell instead of the Rune Shot: Thunderbolt spell NEW SPELL pao oS No NO When a characteris hit by the character's next rune shot, you can ‘have lightning arc to the nearest character within 4” of the character hit ignoring the attacking character. The character the lightning ares tosulfers an unboostable POW 10 electrical damage roll RUNESHOT:ELECTROLEAP 2 SELF = — FLAME BRINGERS (CUTTHROAT/HIGHWAYMAN) Flame bringers are a specialist order formed from the most talented riders among the Daughters of the Flame. Trick riders of remarkable talent and extraordinary bravery, flame bringers leap acrobatically from the saddle directly into melee combat Dispatching the enemies of Menoth in a flurry of steel, a flame bringer slaughters her enemies and deftly catches the reins and remounts her passing horse before her opponents can muster a counterattack. Even astride her horse, a flame bringer is astoundingly acrobatic, evading blows by hanging from the saddle one moment and flipping back atop her horse in the next. Flame bringers fight with a matched pair of razor-sharp swords. ‘They are experts at causing traumatic wounds with each strike, specifically targeting organs and arteries with their keen blades Even soldiers who survive an initial assault may die days lat from their wounds. In order to keep both hands free for combat, many flame bringers learn to guide their mounts without the need oftheir reins. In a style similar to the horsemen of the Idrian, accomplished flame bringers guide their horses through even treacherous terrain by steering the horse with their knees and shifting body weight. Only a female Protectorate character that starts the game with the Cutthroat and Highwayman careers can be a Flame Bringer. A character taking this option: + begins with connections (Daughters of the Flame) but does not begin with connections (criminal) + starts the game with the Sidestep Skilled Archetype benefit + does not begin the game with the Backstab or Saddle Shot abilities but begins the game with the Skilled Rider and Two-Weapon Fighting abilities «starts the game with Hand Weapon 2 and Crossbow 2 + starts the game with Animal Handling 1, Detection 2, Riding 2, and Survival 2 but not Sneak I or Streetwise 1 + starts the game with two swords, a riding horse with tack and light barding, and custom battle armor, but not a mask or the Cutthroat’s 75 ge + adds Deadly Skill and Trick Rider to the list of her potential career abilities ened 85NEW ABILITIES DEADLY SKILL Prerequisite: Military skill of 3 or more A character that is damaged by an attack made by this character loses Tough, cannot heal or be healed, and cannot transfer damage for one round. TRICK RIDER ite: Riding 2, AGL5 Prerequi ‘The character can reroll failed Riding skill rolls made to perform, trick riding maneuvers, Each failed roll can be rerolled only once asa result of Trick Rider. GREYLORD OUTRIDER (GREYLORD/RANGER) Concealed in shrouds of obscuring snow, the outriders of the Greylords Covenant bring the harsh winter of Khador with them everywhere they ride. Potential outriders are identified early in a battery of tests performed on all new Greylord inductees in aan effort to identify their strengths, Those skilled in the saddle are given the opportunity to join the outriders. Membership is drawn from actoss Khador, though their numbers include an especially high percentage of Umbreans, among whom a talent for the saddle is part of the way of life. These young rastoviks serve a dual role to the Greylords Covenant. Their primary purpose is as messengers, delivering, critical missives across dangerous stretches of wilderness. In addition to their arcane studies and training inthe saddle, a large component of outrider education encompasses reliable survival methods. The long distances and unforgiving terrain they must oss offen requires outriders to fend for themselves in the wilderness, hunting and foraging for sustenance, as they may go for weeks without the opportunity to resupply. ‘Outriders also act as the eyes and ears of the Greylords Covenant in far-flung regions of Khador. They are expected to observe and record activities that would interest their superiors, reporting back to the order once their messages are delivered. Some view the outriders with suspicion, seeing them as spies in the service of the Prikaz Chancellery. (Only a Khadoran human that starts the game with the Greylord, (Kings, Nations, and Gods, p. 175) and Ranger careers can be a Greylord Outrider. A character taking this option: * begins the game with the Snow Weeathed and Skilled Rider abilities but does not being the game with the ‘Camouflage or Pathfinder abilities ‘starts the game with Connections (Greylords) ‘can choose to start the game with a Greylords Rune Axe in place of one of his starting spells © starts the Game with Cryptography 1, Detection 1, Hand Weapon 2, Lore (Arcane) 1, Riding 2, and Survival 2, but does not start with Research 1, Sneak 1, or Tracking 1 ‘adds Cryptography 2 to his list of potential occupational skills + adds Rime (Core Rules, p. 242) to his career spel list 's with Frostbite, Rime, and Wind St * beg NEW ABILITY SNOW WREATHED Prerequisite: Gifted ‘The character always has concealment. TRICK RIDING Many cultures of the Iron Kingdoms have a tradition of trick ding. Some of these stunts are simply showy maneuvers designed to impress a viewer while others have practical battlefield applications, like the acrobatic moves performed by flame bringers to evade attacks while mounted ‘The following is a list of trick-riding maneuvers. A character can perform one trick-riding maneuver he meets the req) for during his turn. In order to use a maneuver a character must meet the maneuver's prerequisites Most of these maneuvers can be used while mounted and only while wearing light or medium armor. Attempting them with heavier armor is strenuous and slow, often resulting in failure ‘The Game Master has final say on whether a character can perform any the following maneuvers.CAPRIOLE Prerequisite: Mounted, Riding 3 Description: The rider can spur his mount to lash out with a powerful rearward kick Special Rules: The character can suffer a -2 penalty on the attack roll to perform a mount attack anywhere in his mount’s back arc FAST REMOUNT Prerequisite: Riding 2 Description: The rider quickly leaps into his horse's saddle, either vaulting into place or acrobatically swinging into position, Special Rules: The character makes an AGL roll against a target ‘numberof 120 quickly mounthis horse. If successful the charactor does not need to spend a quick action to mount his horse LEAPING DISMOUNT Prerequisite: Riding 2, AGLS Description: The rider springs from his saddle, letting his ‘mount’s momentum carry him over the heads of his enemies. Special Rules: The character makes an AGL roll against a target ‘number of 14 to leap from his horse. Ifthe roll succeeds, place the character anywhere completely within 3° of his horse while dismounting. IF the roll fails, he suffers damage as if he was thrown from the saddle (Core Rules, p. 215) SADDLE COVER Prerequisite: Mounted, Riding 2 Description: The rider hangs alongside the body of his mou placing the horse in the way of potential attacks, Special Rules: A mounted character can spend a quick action and make a Riding skill oll against a target number of 14 to use Saddle Cover. Ifthe roll succeeds, for one round successful attack rolls against the character automatically hit the mount rather than rolling to determine if the mount or rider is hit. sm CHASE Prerequisite: Mounted, Riding 3 Description: The rider spurs his mount to leap over an obstacle in his path, Special Rules: A mounted character can spend a quick action to tuse Steeplechase. The charact perform the leap. The rider makes a Riding skill roll and uses the result in place of a Jumping skill roll (see “long jumping rolls,” Core Rules, p. 183). mount must move at least 3 to STIRRUP STAND Prerequisite: Mounted, Riding 2 Description: Performing a stirrup stand prior to attacking, the rider can better see over the heads of his enemies. Special Rules: A mounted character can spend a quick action land make a Riding skill roll against a target number of 12. If the roll succeeds, the character can ignore characters with the same sized base when making attacks for one round, GREYLORDS RUNE AXE ~ Cost: These weapons are unavailable at any price and are closely quarded by the Greylords. Covenant and its agents. Skill: Hand Weapon Attack Modifier: Pow: 3 Description: These rune.inscribed axes are the signature weapons of the Greylords. Based con the Khardic war axe, these weapons are ‘manufactured by secret means known only to the artificers of the order. In the hands of those initiated into the order, the weapon manifests the chilling power to leach life from those it strikes. The Greylords Covenant considers ownership of these magical weapons to be the proprietary right of its members. The Greylords will go to great lengths to recover these weapons in they are ound in the possession of those outside the order. Special Rules: A rune axe is a magical weapon, Only a Gifted character with Connections (Greylords) knows the secrets of unlocking the runes Inscribed on this weapon. In such a character's hands, a rune axe causes +2 cold damage.