Underdogs – House Patronage
Source: Necromunda Core Rulebook (2023)
Everyone loves an underdog story. In Necromunda, Gang Ratings are a measure of the strength and experience of a gang, and as gangs evolve during campaign play they might find themselves facing gangs with a Gang Rating far higher than their own. There’s always a chance that, against the odds, the underdog will fight their way to the top and cast down their archrivals. Of course, in the underhive these stories often end differently, with the newcomers ruthlessly gunned down and left for the hive’s carrion eaters.
At present, scenarios manage differences in Gang Rating or differences in the credits value of starting crews through the use of additional gang tactics. Where the difference is pronounced, one player may end up with a large hand of these that can be difficult to manage. If the Arbitrator deems it appropriate for their campaign, granting additional gang tactics in this way can be replaced with the House Patronage rules.
House Patronage represents extra aid and incentives sent by a gang’s patron, which could be anyone from a gang’s House to an insidious cult leader. These incentives represent a Clan House patron cashing in on debts, calling in favours and sending financial or materiel support to protect their investment – on Necromunda, life may be cheap, but a House’s interests must be protected at any cost.
Who is the Underdog?
Throughout this section of rules we will talk about Underdogs. If one player’s Gang Rating or the credits value of their starting crew (whichever the scenario uses to award additional gang tactics) is lower than their opponent’s by at least 400 credits then they are the Underdog.
House Patronage Benefits
Often, gangs in Necromunda will not be evenly matched; one will have a distinct advantage over the other. In most scenarios this is partially balanced by the lower rated gang gaining additional gang tactics, but if the House Patronage rules are being used and the difference is over 400 credits, this is often insufficient and so is replaced by House Patronage.
If one of the gangs is the Underdog, they receive House Patronage as follows. House Patronage is represented by a number of credits that the player can spend on benefits such as Hired Guns, temporary fighters and gang tactics. Each benefit has a credits cost associated with it, as shown in the table opposite. House Patronage benefits replace any additional random gang tactics a player may receive during the pre-battle sequence as described in the scenario’s rules.
The number of credits generated by House Patronage is calculated during the pre-battle sequence after step 5 (Choose Crews) and before step 6 (Announce Territory Boons). For each full 100 credit difference in each gang’s rating the Underdog receives 100 bonus credits that may only be spent on House Patronage for this battle.
The list of possible House Patronage benefits is shown in the table opposite. A player may select any combination of these, adhering to the restrictions provided in each line of the table (so they may randomly select up to five gang tactics, for example):
| Selections Available | House Patronage Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | The Underdog may randomly generate an additional gang tactic. | 100 credits each |
| 0-2 | The Underdog may choose a gang tactic. | 200 credits each |
| 0-4 | The Underdog may randomly generate an Underdog gang tactic. | 200 credits each |
| 0-2 | The Underdog may choose an Underdog gang tactic. | 400 credits each |
| Unlimited | The Underdog may temporarily hire a Brute or Hanger-on. | Varies |
| 0-3 | The Underdog may temporarily hire a Ganger from their House list. | Varies |
| Unlimited | The Underdog may temporarily hire a Juve from their gang list (Palanite Enforcer gangs treat this as 0-1). | Varies |
| 0-1 | The Underdog may hire a Dramatis Personae. | Varies |
| 0-1 | The Underdog may hire a Bounty Hunter. | Varies |
| 0-1 | The Underdog may hire a House Agent (there is no need to roll on the Petition table – the House Agent automatically joins the gang). | 80 credits |
| 0-5 | The Underdog may hire a Hive Scum. | Varies |
| 0-3 | Each model in the Underdog’s gang earns an additional 1 XP for taking part in the battle. | 400 credits |
Any models hired as a House Patronage benefit are not added to the gang roster, as their services are secured for one battle only. For gangs that do not use the Gang Fighter (X) special rule, any Juves hired as a House Patronage benefit are not subject to normal gang composition restrictions. Costs for a fighter can be found in the relevant supplement (such as Necromunda: House of Shadow). Gangers are hired from the appropriate House list. Bounty Hunters hired as a House Patronage benefit are not subject to the “We’ll Get Our Bit…” special rule. Weapons and Wargear can be purchased for fighters hired in this way using credits generated by House Patronage. Any credits not spent are lost. Additional weapons and wargear can only be purchased for fighters hired as a House Patronage benefit and are lost at the end of the battle.
Any models, including Hired Guns and Hangers-on, hired as a House Patronage benefit are automatically added to a player’s crew, regardless of the Crew Selection method. Such models are taken in addition to the usual restrictions (e.g., a gang may include two Ambots as normal and may include additional Ambots as a House Patronage benefit). Any model hired as a House Patronage benefit cannot be activated as part of a group activation and does not count as present at the start of the battle for the purpose of Bottle checks.