The first thing you should do before you start building an army is to read all of this chapter and the chapter on Command Control. You should also read the background information to Vortimax, to decide which race and nation you want your army to represent! If you do this you will save yourself time and money, as you will be able to build the right army with the correct mix of troop types, races and weapons.

Vortimax lies at the centre of the physical multiverse. A multiverse torn and swayed by a trinity of conflicting forces, which are locked in an eternal struggle to gain control of creation. The first force is the Light, whose gods are known as the Aeons or Lords of Light. It was the Aeons who started the creation of the physical multiverse, by drawing primal matter out of chaos and infusing it with a sense of order and spirit. The Light's purpose was to create a multiverse in which sentient beings could evolve, acquire knowledge and ultimately break free from the bonds of matter. Those that achieved this aim, would then rise up to the Realm of Light, return their spirit or light energy and introduce new knowledge to augment the strength of the Aeons.

The second force is the Darkness, whose gods are named the Archons or Rulers. Before the coming of the Light, the Archons had possessed all primal matter and preyed upon its energies to feed their realm, the Outer Darkness. The Light's intervention upset this process and angered the Archons, who launched the first war, to try and wrest control of the 'stolen' matter back from the Aeons. That war is named Angmagssalik, or 'the battle in the night' in the Tablets of Time, and is deemed to mark the start of the present era of Vortimax.

In that great battle, the forces of Light and Darkness fought each other on every plane of the multiverse. Wreaking havoc, destruction and sorrow wherever they went. Ultimately the Aeons thwarted the Archons purpose to return all matter to chaos and the new creation was preserved. But the Archons did succeed in breaching the Light's defences, and gained a foothold within the creation. Since that time the Darkness has assiduously expanded its bridgehead, polluting more and more of the creation as each century passes and unceasingly toiling to undermine the Light's works. Angmagssalik had another consequence, which profoundly altered the balance between the Light and the Darkness. For from the ashes of war, rose a third power called the Equilibrium, whose gods are the Masters of Enigma. The purpose of the Equilibrium is cloaked in mystery. All that is clear, is that it seeks to maintain the creation and wrest control of its destiny from both the Aeons and the Archons.

The concepts of good and evil are subjective and play little part in defining the differences between the powers. The Light is not good; nor the Darkness evil. The differences between the powers rest in degree not absolutes. Thus the followers of Light will hunt down and slay the minions of Darkness without mercy or favour, rather than despatching missionaries to convert them. But they will not stoop to the wanton destruction and torture practised by the servants of Darkness. Those who honour the Equilibrium, are capable of almost any action from the most noble to the most heinious! Similarly, the concepts of chaos and order are misleading, if they are used to try and define the difference between the powers. It is important to note that in the world of Vortimax, chaos and order are not forces capable of swaying the minds of intelligent creatures. In FANTASY WARLORD chaos merely represents the state in which all matter once existed, before the Light's intervention and order is merely the new state most matter finds itself to be in.

Thus while it is true the Darkness seeks to return all matter to the chaos from which it was drawn, the cultures and societies which its adherents have developed, are often far more draconian and rigidly ordered than those enjoyed and encouraged by the Light. As for the Equilibrium, its followers enjoy some of the freest and yet at the same time most ordered societies in the multiverse.

The powers of Light and Darkness emanate from realms beyond the multiverse in which Vortimax lies. The Aeons emanate from a place called the Realm of Light, while the Archons come from a sphere known as the Outer Darkness. The origin of the Masters of Enigma is unknown. Some philosophers have speculated the Masters of Enigma are merely personifications of the natural forces that course through the creation, and thus the Equilibrium in fact represents Mother Nature.

INFLUENCE OF THE GODS The gods are able to manifest themselves on the planes of the physical multiverse, but to assume a physical form endangers their power. As a result, to further their purposes rather than directly intervening, they have created a variety of races which they can manipulate. Thus the members of each race are in reality mortal pawns, that scuttle across the planes, wittingly or unwittingly serving their god's will.

For instance, the Aeons created the elves to explore the multiverse and unlock its secrets. In response, the Darkness spawned the orcs to sow chaos and confusion across the planes, destroy all knowledge and frustrate the elve's purpose. While the Equilibrium created the dwarfs, to guard the creation and deny its secrets to both the Darkness and the Light. The Aeons reacted to these developments by engendering the wood elves, who spread out from the realms and cities of the high elves, to populate the hills and forests of Vortimax and preserve their secrets from the other powers. This in turn led the Darkness to spawn the goblins, to waste and squander every resource they could steal or discover. Thus the process of creation has continued, spurred on by rivalry between the powers and each new development serves only to cause yet more discord.

Because of the nature of the gods, as each race is created, it finds itself to be either of the Darkness, the Light or the Equilibrium. In addition, the members of each race tend to partake of the nature of the god or gods who created them. For instance, the orcs who were created by Gorghut, or in other words the Archon Gogriand, share all of Gogriand's prime characteristics such as his love for war, treachery and greed.

Such divine influences are so fundamental, they are virtually impossible to counteract. For instance, the goblins who were bred by Snarkad to squander the creation's resources, are incurably infected with this purpose. Thus a goblin may be scrubbed until he shines, clad in purest white and sent under guard to pray at the shrine of Larial Lightmaker for twenty- five years. But as soon as the guards' backs are turned, he will burn the shrine (to give Larial some of his light back), murder its priests and steal every last piece of treasure, even if that means ransacking the collection box for only one copper coin! This is because it is his nature to do so.

The elves were created by Larial Lightmaker to further the creation and purge it of all dark influences. As a result, they are great teachers and learned philosophers who cherish life and aspire to the highest forms of art and philosophy. But at the same time, they are ferocious warriors who campaign tirelessly and without mercy against the servants of Darkness.

The races forged by the Equilibrium also reflect the nature of their creators. The dwarfs, like the Masters of Enigma are great hoarders, who guard their mines and secrets with an almost consuming jealously. They tend to remain aloof from the other races and when provoked into action, will only campaign to regain or capture what they believe to be theirs, or to right a wrong they feel has been inflicted on them. Similarly the saurians of the Empire, maintain an aloof superiority from all other races, and when they conduct campaigns against the hobgoblins and pygmies, do so as if they were culling the enemy rather than trying to conquer them. On the other hand the Caryllian Commonwealth pays no attention to its neighbours unless profit is involved, and uses war solely as an instrument for its own economic expansion or preservation.

At present, all the sentient creatures of the physical multiverse, hold an allegiance to one or other of the divine powers. An allegiance which influences their behaviour, attitudes and abilities. The general allegiance of each race is listed at the top of its Profile Sheet and discussed in more detail in the background information that appears in Book 2: The World of Vortimax.

Players should note that some races have had their innate general allegiance altered by the subtle influence of the opposing powers. For instance there are wood elves and goblin tribes which have been ''turned' by the Equilibrium; just as there are dwarfs and saurians who have switched allegiance to the Light or passed over to the service of the Darkness. These changes are not reflected on the general allegiance entry on the Profile Sheets, but such variations may be gleaned from the background information featured in Book Two and used as players see fit.

Mankind is unique, in that it is the only race that owes its origin to all three powers. Thus in man all the aspects of the gods seem to coalesce, to form new and unforeseen possibilities. The general allegiance of man is to the Equilibrium but players are free to raise armies of men who serve the Light or the Darkness.

When you create an army to take part in the struggle for the control of Vortimax, you must pay close attention to the differing allegiances of the races. This is because a race's allegiance defines who it will be able to co-operate with.

Soldiers who fight for the Light will not ally with troops who follow the Banners of Darkness; nor will a commander who acts in the service of the Light, ever consider using mercenaries who owe their allegiance to the Darkness. The reverse is also true, so you will never find the followers of Light in an army which serves the Darkness, unless of course they are bound and gagged and on the way to the slave markets, or being held for ransom.

Troops in the service of the Equilibrium, will serve in both the armies of the Light and Darkness as well as their own armies. As a result they are valued but at the same time distrusted by both of the other powers. A general of the Equilibrium is free to employ Light or Dark mercenaries — but never in the same army! For the Light and Dark troops would immediately refuse to serve with each other, and would either desert, defect to the other side or attack one another! A race's allegiance also tends to define the allegiance of a character belonging to that race. Allegiance is important to characters as it defines which units they can command, what magical equipment they can use and if they are a Priest or Magic-user, what spells they can learn.

In addition to the demarcation caused by a race's divine allegiance, some races are also instilled with a pathological hatred of each other. This hatred affects both combat and morale in battle. For instance, if a unit attacks its hated foe it will receive a favourable Combat Modifier, listed on its Profile Sheet, that will reflect the savagery and hatred the unit feels toward its foe.

Such hatred was originally instilled by the Archons, who gave the orcs a consuming hatred of elves, the goblins a vicious hatred for dwarfs and the hobgoblins a terrible hatred for both saurians and men. But as time has passed, other factors have also come into play. Thus the high elves have come to hate the orcs, while the dwarfs have learned to hate all orcs, goblins, trolls and ogres. The hated foes of each race, if any, are listed on the Profile Sheets.

With regard to the nature and reasons for hated fes existing, players should bear in mind that the situation of different communities may also affect attitudes toward neighbours or particular races. Thus a human nation, such as the Svarastis, who persistently suffer raids by the orcs, will quickly come to hate the raiders and treat them as a hated foe. Similarly, two communities with a tradition of hostility toward each other will eventually become hated foes. In these cases the hated foe will not be listed on the relevant racial Profile Sheet, but will appear in the background information to the relevant scenario or in Book 2: The World of Vortimax.

Should they want to do so, gamers can agree before a battle that their respective armies are hated foes. The reasons for this could be any of the above, or perhaps something peculiar to the particular situation that brought the armies together.

In FANTASY WARLORD armies are composed of the following troop types: soldiers, animals, monsters and characters. SOLDIERS Soldiers represent the warriors of a race. Soldiers are organised into units and fight in these formations rather than as individuals. To reflect this fact and speed up movement, in FANTASY WARLORD soldiers may be mounted on multiple bases of two three or four figures. These bases are explained in Chapter 3: Creating an Army.

A unit's structure will vary according to its race and background. Thus orcs tend to be organised in tribal groups, clans, warbands, or raiding parties; while dwarfs form up into disciplined regiments of militia, veterans, mercenaries or guards. At the beginning of each game the following minimum numbers of figures are required per unit, for each race:

Minimum Initial Unit Size in figures

Units cannot be combined, once a battle has commenced, to act as one larger unit. They can only be linked through brigade control. (See Brigade Control on page 53).

Before a battle commences all the units in each army should be named or numbered and categorised. The categories involved are armour class, if the unit has shields, the units weapon type and finally its morale class. It is best if a unit is categorised as being armed with the weapons and equipment that actually appear on the figures—this saves confusion and avoids arguments.

Ideally, units should be made up out of figures wearing similar types of armour and armed with similar weapons. For this reason, we strongly recommend you use FANTASY WARLORD MINIATURES as these are cast with open hands, so you can provide them with whatever weapons and shields you want to use. Other manufacturers miniatures come with a weapon already cast into the hands, which can create difficulties for players who want to field units with uniform weapons and armour.

The pictures below show a western orc warband of the Lungeater tribe, and a mercenary regiment of dwarfs known as the Axeblades (who are retained in the service of the Vistalian Guild).

Categorising the armour class and weapons of the Axeblades is an easy task, as all the figures are wearing chain mail, have shields and are armed with axes. However, the rag-tag Lungeaters are more problematical. Uglak is wearing a looted chainmail hauberk, while his five brothers have leather armour in various states of disrepair. Gark Dripspit has a breast plate he stole from a suit of plate armour, while Jarnag and the four neckbreakers all have good leather coats, stolen from a Tottilian trading post. Nagrab, Snag and Gleg have no armour worth mentioning (even Gleg's reinforced jockstrap does not count). In a case like the Lungeaters you will have to take a rough average so you can define the unit's armour type. The Lungeaters can be classified as all wearing leather armour. Why? Because two- thirds of them have leather armour and of the other five, two have superior armour to leather, which tends to balance out the last three who have no armour at all. As over half the orcs have shields, the whole unit may be classed as being equipped with shields for the purposese of the shield combat modifier (see the Profile Sheet), which reduces the chance of enemy units killing members of the warband.

Weapons are also a problem with the Lungeaters, because they possess a selection of swords, axes, clubs and spears. However such an alarming mixture is covered by the 'mixed weapons' category on the western orc Basic Combat Percentage table. (See the Profile Sheet for western orcs). However, players should note that if the unit had been uniformly equipped with a weapon such as a spear it would have had a greater Basic Combat Percentage in combat and the advantage of being able to fight with two ranks instead of one! (See Combat on page 99).

In FANTASY WARLORD each unit is assumed to be made up of troops of similar morale and training, because it is common military practice to form such units. For instance, dwarfs recruited for the Caryllian expeditionary forces, such as the Axeblades, are always kept together in one regiment, so the advantages of their training, toughness and high morale will not be frittered away by spreading them about other regiments within the army. Less civilised races work on a more haphazard basis, using physical size and social standing to determine which creature is a member of which unit. For example, a group of soldier orcs would never suffer the presence of a snarga in their unit. Indeed any snarga that was stupid enough to try and join would be given a swift kicking and then get thrown into the nearest thorn bush, river or cess pit. In FANTASY WARLORD there are three types of soldier, which may have different names from race to race but for ease of reference are always rated as A, B or C morale types.

A class troops are the best troops available for each race. They represent highly trained, elite troops, with invaluable combat experience and the best morale in the army.

B class troops represent regular soldiers who have had some training and are veterans of past wars.

C class troops represent poorly trained or levy troops, who lack firsthand experience of warfare and suffer from poor morale.

Every unit in your army must be rated either A, B or C class before a battle commences. Players should refer to the Points System in this chapter if they are building a balanced army to fight another player, as there are significant differences in value between the three classes.

Some armies use animals to supplement their forces. Western orcs and goblins are often accompanied by wolf packs, swarms of bats or flocks of crows; while the dreaded Beggars of Bhaspool are always followed by hordes of carrion rats. Animals are divided into two classes: swarm and pack animals. A swarm represents a large group of small creatures such as insects, rats or bats. A pack represents a smaller group of one or more larger animals, such as wolves or lions. Depending on the type of creature, a swarm or pack can be either a flying or ground unit. Pack animals are represented by individual figures, swarms are represented by token figures and each base deployed on the battlefield has ten 'hits' it can sustain, before it is removed from play. Each animal class has its own Profile Sheet. Swarm Profile Sheets are not included with these rules and will appear in the FANTASY WARLORD COMMAND PACK. Larger animals are treated like monsters and have their own Profile Sheets.

Monsters are any creatures over ten feet in height or length. For example, giants, demi-dragons and wyrms are all monsters. Like characters, monsters are based and moved individually. Monster base sizes are shown on their Profile Sheets. Monsters can sustain multiple injuries before they die. These

wounds and their effects are shown on each monster's Hit Table. Some monsters can be used as mounts by smaller creatures, such as orcs, dwarfs or elves. The riders may use saddles or howdahs—such as those used by the Northland Barbarians when they ride into battle on their war-mammoths. Because of their power and size, greater dragons like demi-dragons are classed as monsters. However greater dragons are in fact an advanced race of creatures, with many of the powers and attributes normally associated with characters. Greater Dragons are mentioned in Book 2: The World of Vortimax and will be explained in more detail in later supplements.

Characters are of vital importance in FANTASY WARLORD, because without them you will be unable to brigade or easily command your troops. A character is any person with special powers or abilities that set him apart from the common run of his race. There are six types of character : Warrior Heroes, Priests, Warrior Priests, Magic-users, Thieves and Discipline Masters.

Warrior Heroes represent the great leaders of myth and legend. They are characters who excel on the battlefield, because of their formidable fighting skills, exceptional bravery and strong leadership. Priests are the mediators between the gods and mortals and possess the power to use Divine Magic. Warrior Priests are characters who combine a soldier's, training with the spiritual authority of religion. Thus they can hack an enemy to death, secure in the knowledge that their god is smiling favourably on the action. In the Scarlet Empire, warrior priests came into existence to defend the mountain monasteries from goblin and orc raiders. In the West, the warrior priests are members of religious sects dedicated to the protection of pilgrims, holy places and the honour of their faith. In the Saurian Empire, warrior priests are called inquisitors and lead elite units whose purpose is to 'cleanse' the empire and its borders of unwanted elements.

The term Magic-user covers all those characters who utilise the lore and power of Arcane Magic. Magic-users are respected and feared, not just because of their formidable magical power, but also because of their great wisdom.

Thieves are characters because of their unique skills. They are frequently employed by nations to conduct 'sensitive operations', and Arnlaug despatches many thief spies and agent provocateurs out into the world. In Svaristan the clan chieftains are usually thieves, as are the notorious robber barons of the Purple Sea and the hobgoblin pirate chieftains.

Discipline Masters are like sergeants in orc, goblin, ogre and hobgoblin hordes. They are warriors who have specialised in the art of keeping unruly goblinoids in order — primarily through the deft use of the whip, a lot of shouting and the sort of encouragement a hobnail boot can offer to even the most reluctant snarga. Discipline Masters are not as powerful as Warrior Heroes, but they are effective at maintaining order in the ranks and thus fulfil a vital role in goblinoid armies.

Characters are represented on the battlefield by individual figures, mounted on a base of the correct size for their race and deployment. They move independently of other military units and are capable of sustaining multiple injuries before they die. The type of wounds characters can suffer and how these affect them, are shown on the Humanoid Hit Chart which appears on a pull out Reference Sheet at the back of these rules.

All characters have individual strengths and powers. If you are playing a FANTASY WARLORD scenario these factors will be provided in the background information. If you are playing your

own scenario, you can design your heroes to fit the situation you have in mind, by picking their attributes and skills etc., or you can generate them randomly by rolling dice. However, if you wish to create balanced armies you will need to use the FANTASY WARLORD points system and take into account the costs of each character class.

In addition to the special qualities outlined below, each character has all the normal attributes of his race, as detailed on the relevant Profile Sheet. He will share the same hated foe and move at the same base speeds (unless his movement abilities are altered by special skills or magic). Characters use the basic combat and firing percentages and all relevant modifiers that appear on their race's Profile Sheet, before adding in their personal modifiers when fighting or firing.

CHARACTER TYPES Characters are divided into six types: Warrior Heroes, Priests, Warrior Priests, Magic-users, Thieves and Discipline Masters. The different types are reasonably self explanatory, and once you have decidedwhich category your character falls into, you can start to generate or choose his special skills and any magical advantages he or she may possess. The points cost of each type of character are detailed on pages 46 and 47.

Every character has a Command Factor (CF) which defines how many units he or she can control during a battle. The higher a character's CF the larger the brigade he or she can command. For a full explanation of how characters use Command Factors see Chapter 3: Army Organisation. Each character type has a maximum and minimum CF. If you are creating a character for a specific scenario always ensure you do not give him a CF that is either too large or too small for his character type. If you are creating a character randomly with dice, his CF will depend on the roll of a die. The type of die that must be rolled is listed under each character type and the number rolled after the addition or subtraction of any modifiers will be that character's CF.

Example: Hergist Redhand is a priest and therefore must roll one D3 to find out what his CF will be. He rolls a 3 and this is entered on his Character Sheet as his Command Factor.

Every character has a Morale Factor (MF) which determines their ability to inspire the troops under their command. (See Chapter 3: Army Organisation and the Morale Modifiers section of each race's Profile Sheet for further information.)

Each character type has a maximum and minimum MF. If you are creating a character for a

specific scenario always ensure you do not give him a MF that is either too small for his character type. If you are creating a character randomly with dice, his MF will depend on the roll of the die. The type of die that must be used is listed under each character type and the number rolled after the addition or subtraction of any modifiersis that character“ s MF.

Example: Admagio Yelbadden is a light fingered thief. To find his MF he must roll one D3. With his usual panache he rolls a two and this becomes his MF.

All characters receive combat modifiers which are added to the BCP of their race, every time they engage in combat. Characters such as Warrior Heroes and Warrior Priests receive larger combat modifiers than Magic-users or Priests. These modifiers are listed under each of the relevant character types.

Characters have different levels of experience and these dictate how many special skills and attributes they have acquired during the course of their lives. To discover a character's level of experience a player must roll one D100 and then consult the Experience Table under that character's type. Alternatively, if you are building an army to a specific points value, you may just select the level of your choice. Players should note the Experience Tables vary from character type to character type.

In each class, there are three levels of experience: Minor, Major and Master. These experience levels dictate the total number of skills and attributes a character can possess. Some of these skills and attributes may be chosen but others must be rolled for. If a character rolls a skill he already possesses, he ignores that roll and rolls again.

Exception : The Skill of Animal Control. Each time you roll this skill you must choose what animal type the character can control. Thus if a Discipline Master chooses wolves and then rolls this skill again, he must choose another animal type such as rats, crows etc. You are free to choose any animal type you wish, but it is suggested you pick a type that makes sense for the race of your character and the type of animal figures you have available. Were animals cannot be selected!

Each character type has its own skills and attributes and is not allowed to use the other Character Type Tables.

Characters never have to take Morale Tests. If you are brave enough to be a hero, then you are unlikely to run away when events take a turn for the worse. As a result, all characters are immune to the need to take Morale Tests.

In this section you will find a description of each character type and information on how to work out their skills, attributes etc. The points value of each character type is listed on page 44.

Warrior Heroes are characters who have achieved renown through their bravery, heroism and fighting skills. They are great battle leaders, especially in battle and this is reflected in their strong command and morale factors.

To determine the experience level of your Warrior Hero either choose from the following table or roll one D100:

The number of skills and attributes your character possesses represent the total number he can have from the Skill and Attribute Table. A Minor Hero may choose one and must roll for the other two. A Major may choose two and must roll for the other two. A Master Hero may choose three and must roll for the other two.

Example : A player wishes to generate an elven Warrior Hero called Elberon. To discover Elberon's Command Factor he rolls one D6 and scores 4. He then rolls one D4 for Elberon's Morale Factor and gets a 4. He adds one to this score to find he has a MF of 5. As Elberon is an elf, and elves are under eight feet in height, the player rolls ten D10 to discover his character's Combat Modifier. He rolls a 10,3,9, 7, 6, 2, 5, 8,4 and 1; which results in the new Warrior Hero having a modifier of 55%. To discover Elberon's experience level, the player rolls one D100 and scores 39%. This means his character is a Minor Hero (Champion) with three skills.

The player chooses the skill Expert Spearman as this is the weapon his hero is armed with and then rolls one D100 twice, to discover the hero's other Skills and Attributes. Elberon scores 58% and 97%. This means that in addition to being an expert spearmen he also has the ability to change into a werelion and he has the attribute of Endurance, so

he can ignore the first wound he receives in battle. Thus the final low down on the new Warrior Hero is as follows:

Priests are the mediators between the gods and their followers. As such they are often blessed with divine gifts and are always treated with respect. Priests possess the unique power to use Divine Magic. The priests of Light are generally called priests, those of the Equilibrium tend to be called sages and those of Darkness are known as shamans.

Warning: Giants and trolls cannot be Priests.

To determine the experience level of your Priest either choose from the following table or roll one D100:

The number of skills and attributes your character possesses represent the total number he can have from the Skill and Attribute Table. A Minor Priest must roll for his single skill or attribute. A Major Priest may pick one and must roll for the other one. A Master Priest may pick one and must roll for the other two.

Miracles, wonders and curses are all types of Divine Magic, and the number for each experience level represents how many can be used by the character during the course of a battle. A full list of the Divine spells for your character to choose from, appears on page 130 and following.

Warrior Priests lead a life of brutal military hardship and religious devotion, which turns them into formidable characters on the battlefield. They also possess a limited ability to use miracles, wonders and curses (depending on their alignment).

Warning: Giants and trolls cannot be Warrior Priests.

To determine the experience level of your Warrior Priest either choose from the following table, or roll one Dl00:

This class includes all types of magic-users including wizards, warlocks, witches, sorcerers, magicians and necromancers. Magic-users lead a life of diligent study and magical practice. As a result they possess the power to use Arcane Magic, but at the cost of possessing fewer skills and attributes than other character types. A Magic-user's advice is valued by all wise leaders and commanders. Magic- users possess the special ability to cast Arcane Magic spells.

Players should note that Magic-users suffer penalties to their magical abilities if they wear any metal armour not made from electrum. This is because normal metals and especially iron, interfere with magical energy, making it difficult to handle. Players are advised to consult the Magic Modifiers Table on the Magic Sheet to see what handicaps metal armour imposes on characters who use Arcane Magic.

To determine the experience level of your Magic- user either choose from the following table or roll one D100.

Warning: Elves rolling on this table may add 10% to their score. Orcs and goblins must subtract 10%. Trolls and Giants must subtract 20%.

The number of skills and attributes your character possesses represents the total number he can have from the Skills and Attributes Table. A Minor Magic-user must roll for his skill or attribute. A Major Magic-user may pick one and must roll for the other. A Master Magic-user may pick one and must roll for the other two.

A Magic-user's spell energy dictates how many spells he can use during the course of a battle. For a full list of Arcane Spells for your character to choose from, see Chapter 11: Magic.

Thieves are rascals who become heroic or infamous characters through their daring and skills. Some thieves become pirate captains, others robber barons, and still others act as secret agents for various nations (especially Arnlaug).

To determine the experience level of your Thief either choose from the following table or roll one D100:

The number of skills and attributes your character possesses represents the total number he can have from the Skill and Attribute Table below. A Minor Thief may pick two skills or attributes and must roll for the other two. A Major thief may pick three and must roll for the other two. A Master Thief may pick four and must roll for the other two.

Discipline Masters are peculiar to the orc ogre and goblin races. They are used not only to lead troops but also to make sure they stand up and fight in the face of he enemy. As such they are important figures in the armies of darkness.

To determine the experience level of your Discipline Master either choose from the following table or roll one D100:

Each character blessed with the attribute Divine Intervention can only use it once per battle. An appeal for Divine Intervention should only be made when the priest wishes to try and aid a unit he is in direct control of, which is involved in a fight.

Weapon Wards are effective against all weapons of the named type including magical weapons. They allow the protected character to ignore one hit from the warded weapon per game turn. No weapon ward is effective against miracles, wonders or curses.

* As Greater Dragons originate from another multiverse they are not wholly subject to the magic of Vortimax. If a character has a weapon ward with fire and is attacked by Greater Dragon flame, he will not be immune to the attack but will only have a reduced chance of injury. In such a case the victim may add 20% to his die roll to increase his chances of avoiding injury (see Dragon Flame on page 97).

Minor Characters may only be equipped with ordinary weapons and armour normally associated with their race.

Major Characters may, in addition to the normal equipment for their race, also have either one magic weapon or one magic artifact.

Master Characters may, in addition to the normal equipment associated with their race, also have one magic weapon and one magic artifact.

The only limitation on these rules concerns Magic-users. Characters who use magic are free to wear armour, but if they wear any armour made from metal other than electrum, their ability to cast magic is adversely affected. Players are advised to consult the Magic Modifiers Table on the Magic Sheet.

Magic weapons are chosen from the Blade Magic Table. Players are advised that when selecting a weapon they should try to capitalise on their character's skills and racial characteristics. For instance it can be a good idea to give a wood elf a bow, or a character who has the skill 'Expert swordsman' a sword rather than an axe or spear!

Magic armour and artifacts are chosen from the Magic Armour and Artifact Table. Players are advised to remember that metal armour not explicitly stated to be made of electrum will adversely affect the ability of Magic-users to cast spells! Players are also advised to take into account their character's skills, as some can only be used if the character is using the right weapon or wearing the correct armour type.

No character can ever have more than one artifact and one weapon.

Characters who owe their allegiance to the Light cannot select any Dark magic items from the lists.

Characters who owe their allegiance to the Equilibrium are free to choose any type of weapon or armour — but if they select a Dark magic weapon, they must roll to see if it has a bane quality. Bane qualities are the result of an items poor manufacture, or a reflection of the evil use it has been put to since its creation. Equilibrium characters who select a Dark magic item, must roll one D100. If they roll 25% or less then the item has some sort of flaw and they must roll on the Bane Quality Table to discover what it is (see page 38).

Characters in the service of Darkness cannot select Light magic items from the lists.

Additionally, characters who owe their allegiance to the Darkness and select a magical weapon, suffer a chance that magic weapon has been infected with a bane quality. Bane qualities are the result of an items poor manufacture or a reflection of the evil use it has been put to since its creation. Characters who are in the service of Darkness must roll one D100 for each Dark magic item they select. If they roll 35% or less then the item has a bane quality and they must roll on the Bane Quality Table to discover its flaw (see page 38).

Blade Magic is the art by which the Rune Smiths forge magical abilities into weapons. The magical power is either forged directly into the blade or into a crystal that is then attached to the weapon or in the case of missile weapons, worn as a pendant.

Players should note that all such weapons are magical and therefore may overcome the magical defences of some pieces of armour and will not be affected by Weapon Wards. The cost of each magic item is featured after its title, for ease of reference, for players who are building an army using the points system.

Warning: Magic weapons do not have to be declared to your opponent at the start of a battle but cannot be used until they are revealed. Magic items that have the power of detection will only work from the moment you inform your opponent of the items existence. Before that time they are deemed to be out of use and therefore inoperative.