Hordes

Hordes

The enemies of Chaos can attack in vast numbers; howling zealots, skittering Hordes, and ranked warriors. Alone, such enemies would stand no chance against the skill and fury of the Explorers. Together in large groups, however, they can pose an overwhelming threat. Hordes possess great potential for damage chosen by sheer weight of fire and numbers. The rules presented here are intended to help Games Masters reflect these massed forces that the characters may face in battle. It is important to note that not every enemy is suitable to form a Horde. The GM should use his discretion to decide whether an enemy can form a Horde. For example, it is unlikely that 50 jungle snakes would be a threat to an Explorer, even as a Horde! However, 50 Orks or Chaos Marauders will certainly threaten a trained group of Explorers. When a creature has a Special Quality for its attacks (e.g., Tearing or Toxic), the default method is to apply that Quality to all of the attacks for a Horde made up of that creature. However, the GM should use his discretion for when the Quality should not apply (for instance, if over half of the creatures in the Horde do not possess that Quality). Also, the GM should be aware that special Qualities for the Horde’s attacks can make an encounter with a Horde particularly dangerous for the Renegades, and adjust accordingly.

Using a Horde

A Horde should be treated by the Games Master as a single vast creature. The Horde has the same profile as the base creature which makes up its numbers. An Ork Horde, for example, has the same profile as an individual Ork on page 376 of Rogue Trader, for example. The only exception to this is that a Horde replaces the individual creature’s Wounds value with its Magnitude and location based armour with a single armour value.

Magnitude

A Horde is a vast number of one type of enemy or creature attacking in large numbers. The abstract number of enemies making up such a Horde are reflected in the Horde’s Magnitude. This represents the Horde’s determination and numbers as an abstract value: one point of Magnitude does not equal one individual enemy or creature.

Magnatude Table

Magnatude	Example	Size and To Hit Modifier
30	A mob	Massive (+30)
60	A Thronged Phalanx	Immense (+40)
90	A Massed Assault	Monumental (+50)
120	Waves of Enemies	Titanic (+60)

Horde Traits

A creature entry may have a Trait listed that has (Horde) written next to it. These Traits represent the way particular creatures fight in large numbers, and only apply when that creature is used as the basis of a Horde.

Attacking a Horde

A character can damage a Horde by shooting it with ranged weapons or attacking it in melee. These attacks are treated as if they are against a single creature even though they may represent mowing down ranks of enemies or scything through many foes. Characters must still roll to hit a Horde, but the appropriate size bonus should apply to these tests based on the Horde’s Magnitude. Weapons that can fire on Full Auto or Semi-Auto will cause additional hits. These hits must be allocated against the Horde and not any individuals that may be present.

Damaging a Horde

• Each hit that causes any amount of damage reduces a Horde’s Magnitude by one. Therefore, an attack which, after accounting for armour and Toughness Bonus, causes 15 points of damage reduces the Horde’s Magnitude by 1. The deliberate consequence of this is that sustained fire and blast weapons are much more effective against Hordes than weapons which fire only one shot; a lascannon is a weapon for destroying tanks, not mowing down large numbers of infantry.
• Weapons that inflict Explosive Damage (X) gain a bonus against Hordes, and count as having inflicted one additional Hit.
• Power Weapons gain a bonus against Hordes, and count as having inflicted one additional Hit.
• Locations are not used when fighting a Horde.
• A Horde has a single armour value that is applied to all Damage, rather than different armour values for different locations.
• Hordes may be Pinned as normal (with the entire Horde making a single Willpower Test). However, Hordes gain a bonus to their Willpower Tests to resist pinning equal to its Magnitude.

Blast Weapons

A Blast weapon that hits a Horde hits a number of times equal to its Blast value. So a grenade with Blast (4) will automatically hit four times if successfully lobbed into the Horde.

Flame Weapons

A flame weapon used on a Horde will hit it a number of times equal to one quarter of the weapon’s range (rounding up), plus 1d5. So a flame weapon with a range of 10 will hit a Horde 1d5+3 times.

Psychic Powers

Psychic Powers used against a Horde will hit it a number of times equal to the Psy Rating used in the power, no matter what the power may be. If the psychic power affects an area, it adds an additional 1d10 hits. At the GM’s discretion, if a particular psychic power does not inflict Damage, it still inflicts “hits,” meaning that portions of the Horde have been convinced not to attack, and so forth. Furthermore, the GM should take care to adjudicate the effects of certain psychic powers in specific situations against Hordes (such as a Horde tightly packed into a small space).

Breaking a Horde

• When a Horde’s Magnitude is reduced by 25% in a turn, it must make a Willpower Test when it is its turn to act again. If it passes, it may continue to act. If it fails, it breaks and flees at its highest move value.
• If the Horde’s Magnitude is less than 50% of its starting value, it suffers a –10 to the Willpower Test. If the Horde’s Magnitude is less than 25% of its starting value, it will automatically break.
• Hordes composed of enemies with the Fearless talent do not have to test to see if they break as their Magnitude is eroded: they have to be wiped out to the last.

Hordes Attacking

A Horde can make both melee attacks against enemies in close proximity and ranged attacks at enemies that are at a distance in a single turn as an attack action.

• Melee: A Horde will attack all adjacent enemies, or enemies that are in close proximity (the GM is the final arbiter of whether a target is in close proximity or not) if not using a map; if there are five Explorers in close proximity of a Horde, all will be attacked. A Horde that has multiple attacks from being armed with two weapons or the Swift Attack or Lightning Attack Talents may use its full number of attacks against every eligible target. Although a Horde represents a large number of attackers, a Horde does not gain the benefits of Ganging Up (see page @@). Instead, the Horde’s sheer weight of numbers is represented by the fact that its target may not Evade. Melee Attacks made by Hordes cannot be Evaded unless otherwise noted.
• Ranged: A Horde may make ranged attacks equal to the first digit of its Magnitude. Thus, a Magnitude 25 Horde can make two ranged attacks. Any additional hits from sustained fire can be applied to any eligible target. Therefore, if the Horde hit well enough that they cause an extra hit with their stub autos, the additional hit will be applied to the same character. Modifiers or range and sustained fire apply as normal, but a Horde can never aim. Ammo expenditure and Jamming are never applied to Hordes—they always have enough bullets to keep firing.

Damage Caused by Hordes

Any attack from a Horde that hits has the Damage it causes increased by a number of d10s equal to the Horde’s Magnitude divided by ten, with a maximum bonus of +2d10. This is in addition to the normal Damage dealt by the weapon that the Horde is armed with. It will also include the Strength Bonus added to Damage caused by melee weapons. The Damage is reduced by the target’s Toughness bonus and armour as normal. Thus, a Magnitude 25 Horde of heretics armed with axes will add 2d10 to the normal Damage that a heretic would do with its axe (1d10+5), and therefore causes 3d10+5 Damage if they hit in combat. Likewise, the same mob armed with autopistols will cause 3d10+2 Damage with its ranged attacks. This represents an enemy being mobbed with enemies that strike it countless times or bullets striking like rain on a single target.

Righteous Fury and Hordes

In cases where a character would successfully inflict Zealous Hatred on a Horde, the Horde takes 1d5 – 2 (to a minimum of 1) Magnitude Damage instead of the usual Critical Effect.

Horde Versus Horde Combat

Occasionally, there will be cause for two Hordes to face off against each other. Treat each Horde as if they were an individual character and follow the rules outlined above for calculating their Damage. When determining the bonus To Hit modifier for size, use the difference between them, with the smaller Horde receiving the benefit. For example, a Magnitude 30 Horde of Zealots is fighting a Magnitude 60 Horde of Guardsmen. The Zealots would receive a +10 To Hit modifier on all attacks made against the Horde of Guardsmen. Individual Player-characters involved in Horde versus Horde combat have the option of fighting as individuals or fighting as part of the Horde. If they choose to fight as part of the Horde, they will still act on their own Initiative, but they may only use Psychic Powers or Daemonic Gifts to differentiate themselves from the Hordes basic attacks. A character may choose to leave a Horde as a Half Action