From: graemed@magnet.com (Graeme Davis) WARPSTONE Warpstone is the raw stuff of Chaos - a form of matter dragged through into this world from another dimension by the violent birth of Chaos. It is a powerful source of magic, and is greatly sought after by all followers of Chaos. A single piece of raw Warpstone is usually an irregularly-shaped lump about the size of a man's fist. It emits an intense black light, which seems to swallow light from its immediate vicinity, creating a small patch of darkness around it. In this raw form, Warpstone is very dangerous to all creatures, and prolonged exposure can cause severe mutation or death. The Skaven, and many of the other races of Chaos, were created by exposure to raw Warpstone, as natural creatures were twisted by its magical emanations and developed mutations which have been handed down through the generations. Any creature exposed to raw Warpstone (ie within 10 yards of an unshielded source) for a period of a day or more has a 5% chance of developing one mutation, which is rolled on the Personal Chaos Attributes table in Slaves to Darkness. Roll at the end of each day of exposure. Skaven Grey Seers have only a 1% chance of being affected, since their constant exposure to raw Warpstone has given them a limited resistance to its effects. Warpstone can only be used in a controlled way once it has been refined. This is a difficult process, and one which only the Skaven Grey Seers have the natural ability perform, actually gaining magical energy by doing so. Refined Warpstone is a grey powder, quite unlike the original matter. It has has no warping effects unless it is eaten or otherwise taken into the body, in which case there is a 1% chance of gaining a Chaos mutation every time it is consumed. Many Skaven bear the results of this unholy diet. Grey Seers may consume refined Warpstone without risk of further mutation because of their special resilience. SKAVEN WARPSTONE MAGIC As well as supplying the Skaven magicians with magical energy, Warpstone is used by the Skaven clans for their own purposes. Clan Skryre, the Warlock-Engineers, are able to manufacture many strange and powerful weapons in this way. Warpstone is added to metals in carefully controlled quantities during smelting or annealing, endowing the metal with magical qualities. Members of the Clan Moulder use small amounts of Warpstone to cause mutations amongst their captive breeding stock, creating new races of twisted and loathsome creatures such as the Wolf-Rats and Rat-Ogres. Clan Pestilens have developed the use of Warpstone to start devastating plagues. Clan Eshin are adept at making deadly weapons and poisons from Warpstone. Even the Warlord Clans find uses for this strange and potent material, in the form of specially manufactured protective amulets, maddening battle-drugs and mind-altering potions. Some of the magical items manufactured by the Skaven from Warpstone are described below. These are only the items which have been seen by Human chroniclers; it is almost certain that there are other weapons in the Skaven arsenal, as yet unknown. The Firethrower This device projects a corrosive, flaming mixture, made from refined Warpstone in conjunction with other chemicals and magic. It is much feared, and extremely deadly both to its target, and sometimes to its crew. The firethrower has a crew of two Ratmen, which are moved as a single unit. If one of the crew is killed or disabled, the weapon cannot be fired until a replacement is found; the surviving crew member may either abandon the weapon, acting as an independent character, or stay with it until the missing crew member is replaced. The first crewman aims and fires the weapon, while the second carries its deadly fuel in a small cask on its back. 4]Firing: The weapon must be primed before use, so the crew may not move and fire in the same round. The weapon has a range of 24 yards, and firing is handled as follows: The firethrower is aimed and fired using the normal rules for throwing incendiaries, ignoring the "missile lands at thrower's feet" rule. It is subject to misfires; consult the following table in the event of a misfire: D100 roll Result 01-25 Nothing happens. Crew may attempt to fire again next round. 26-75 Firethrower jams. Crew must spend D6 rounds clearing it for firing. 76-00 Firethrower explodes. Crew is killed automatically, all other creatures within 2 yards take D3 automatic hits at S 5, modified as usual by armour and T. All flammable objects within 2 yards of the weapon are automatically set alight. Any creature struck by the firethrower's warpflame suffers 1 hit at S 5, modified as usual by armour and T. Creatures which survive the attack are warped by the fire (see below). Warpflame: any creature which survives an attack by the firethrower must make an immediate WP test; if the test is failed, the victim's body bursts into a gout of mutations, with new limbs, snakes, antennae and other unnatural excresences sprouting from its twisting, melting body. The victim becomes a living, bubbling pile of caustic slime, and moves in a random direction each turn/round (roll D8 each turn/round: 1 = ahead, 2 = ahead left, 3 = left, and so on). Anything it blunders into sustains a single S 5 hit. The slime-creature is immune to all psychology rules, and retains the profile it had at the moment when it was warped. The victim may expend a Fate Point in order to avoid being warped, but even then gains 6+D6 Insanity Points. Plague Censers These are specially made incense-burners carried by certain members of the Clan Pestilens. Refined Warpstone is burned like incense, and the censers are swung around the wielder's head, scattering their foul poisonous fumes in the air. Ratmen using these devices wear thick hoods and scarves to protect them from the fumes, although this does not always work. The effects of this gas are horrible to see, causing anyone breathing it to develop a rapid and painful form of plague in which the skin blisters and swells before breaking out into bleeding sores and boils. The whirling censer creates a cloud of poisonous gas within 4 yards of its wielder. All creatures within this area must make a successful I test or suffer an automatic S 3 hit from the flailing censer (modified as normal by armour and T), and a successful Poison test or sustain another automatic S 2 hit (not modified by armour), for each round they are within the cloud. A D6 must be rolled every round for the Censer Bearer; on a roll of 6 the wielder is struck by its own censer, and suffers damage accordingly. A censer continues to burn and emit its noxious vapour so long as it is swung, but will be extinguished once its user is slain or disabled. An extinguished censer may still be used as a weapon, and counts as a double-handed flail. Warpstone Charms These are made from small pieces of Warpstone, and may take almost any form; normally they are irregularly-shaped pieces of coloured stone, jewels or chunks of crude metal, all incorporating or exposed to the effects of Warpstone. They are tokens of luck, and may offer some protection from magic. Charms of this kind are used by the most important amongst Skaven (ie the biggest and meanest). During their construction, they somehow develop a life of their own, so that they writhe and move constantly, and may be warm or soft to the touch. These pieces are literally hammered into the Skaven's skin, often about the head, sticking out like a row of studs. If a Skaven loses an eye, ear or some other feature, it may be replaced by a Warpstone charm. The Warpstone charm has three functions: Firstly, if the charm is used to replace an organ, such as an eye, it will fulfil the function of that organ just as well as its original did; thus a Skaven who has had both eyes replaced by Warpstone charms will still be able to see normally. Secondly, the charm gives the Skaven a +10 bonus to WP tests when it is attacked with magic. Thirdly, any Skaven carrying a Warpstone charm may use its power to ignore any single dice throw and roll again. This power may only be used once per day. Poisoned Wind This is one of the Clan Skryre's most notorious weapons. A devastating magical wind is entrapped inside a globe of glass. The globe is produced by means of the Warpstone, and small amounts can be seen inside the unbroken globe. Globes may be thrown up to 6"/12 yards, or smashed if the carrier prefers, releasing a sudden blast of strange gas. This lasts only that turn and affects all models within 2"/4 yards. The effects of the gas will vary from victim to victim; some suffer hardly at all while others go completely insane, attacking their friends or becoming utterly helpless. The victim must make an immediate Poison test or gain D6 Insanity Points. Warpstone Grenades Like the Poisoned Wind, these weapons consist of glass globes, hurled by hand or from a sling. The globes contain a flammable mixture of Warpstone, phosphorus and pitch, similar to the concoction used in the Firethrower. This mixture ignites on contact with air, so that when the globe is broken it explodes, spattering the sticky burning matter over a 4 yard radius. Everything within this radius takes D3 S 4 hits; because the mixture sticks to anything it hits, all targets are treated as flammable. Warpscrolls These are powerful magic items, inscribed upon the hide of living creatures using a special ink manufactured from Warpstone. To be fully effective the hide must be flayed from the creature while it is still alive, and then cured using finely ground Warpstone power. Once prepared, the Warpscroll can be used by any Skaven Plague Monk of hero status. The Skaven must remain for a turn reading and displaying the scroll, in the following turn it may direct the effects of the scroll against any enemy unit or individual within 12 yards. The effects of the scroll cover an area 4 yards in diameter, with the centre of the area not more than 12 yards from the scroll itself. All living creatures within this area must make an immediate WP test or suffer rapid and irreversible ageing, shrivelling and dying in a few brief seconds. Victims may spend a Fate Point in order to avoid this fate. Assassin Weapons Assassin Weapons are used by the infamous Clan Eshin, the Skaven spies and assassins. During their manufacture, a small amount of Warpstone is incorporated into their substance, which is also treated with certain guarded magical spells known only to the Rat-assassins. The metal becomes incredibly hard and sharp, and constantly "sweats" a deadly poison. An Assassin Weapon is usually (90%) a dagger, but they have also been known to take the form of arrows, crossbow bolts, throwing stars (R 4/8/20; ES C; Rld 1 round), and other small weapons. No Assassin Weapon larger than a dagger has ever been recorded. The effect of any armour is reduced by 1 point, and cause double normal damage. Any creature wounded by an Assassin Weapon must make an immediate Poison test or die. Potions of the Skaven These potions incorporate refined Warpstone along with other strange ingredients, and are used to improve the fighting abilities of the warrior Skaven. The potions will only be found on Skaven leader-types. If you wish to determine this randomly, 5% of all Skaven champions, heroes and wizards will have one potion, which is good for one dose only. When any Skaven drinks the potion, roll D6 and consult the following table: 1 The Skaven ignores all psychological effects; 2 The Skaven gains a +20 bonus to all Magic tests; 3 The Skaven becomes subject to hatred of all non-Skaven, and will attack the nearest non-Skaven immediately; 4 The Skaven becomes subject to Frenzy; 5 The Skaven's metabolism speeds up to a phenomenal rate; its M, I and A are all doubled. Roll D6 at the beginning of each round; on a score of 1, the Skaven collapses dead. The effects of the potion lasts for 2D6 hours. Any non-Skaven drinking such a potion must make an immediate Poison test or die; even if the test is passed, the character will be in great pain (all percentage characteristics halved) for D4 hours. The Arca Chaotis The most feared Skaven weapon of all is the Arca Chaotis, or Black Arc - a magically protected chest that holds a huge chunk of raw Warpstone in a suspension of energy. The Arc is normally kept securely locked, and is borne by its dedicated litter bearers. The casket can only be opened by a Warpstone key. Once exposed, the Arc hurls forth bolts of black lightning, capable of razing cities and destroying armies. Only a character carrying a Seerstone (see below) is really safe. The Black Arc is said to be one of the most potent sources of power in the entire world. Thankfully, the Skaven have never been known to use it, and there are some who believe that it is merely a legend. The Seerstone The Seerstone is a ball of crystal, at the heart of which lies a piece of raw Warpstone. The Warpstone glows with an especially fervent black radiance whenever the Black Arc (see above) is near, and so allows its holder to trace the position of the Arc. As the holder approaches the Arc the glow strengthens, and as he draws away the glow fades. Only a Grey Seer can use a Seerstone for this purpose. The stone also serves to protect its holder from the lightning bolts that spew from the Black Arc once it is opened. A character holding a Seerstone cannot be harmed by the Arc, although all around him is death and destruction.