Articles of Faith
Source: House of Faith
Articles of Faith are a collection of rules that apply to all House Cawdor fighters. As they focus on the faith and conviction of the followers of the Redemption they are not so clean cut as things like Skills, Wargear or bionics that grant their users clearly defined benefits at an XP or credit cost. Rather, should a Cawdor fighter believe strongly enough in themselves, their brothers and the God-Emperor, something miraculous might happen. Equally though, should the fighter’s faith falter, then the gifts of the God-Emperor that were so graciously bestowed upon them might just as easily be taken away.
Faith Dice
Faith dice represent the religious zeal of a Cawdor gang. These dice are a resource that all Cawdor gangs (except those that have become Chaos Corrupted or Genestealer Infected) generate over the course of a battle, and which can be used to attempt miraculous events known as ‘Articles of Faith’ – such as surviving a fatal blow or making an impossible leap.
Generating Faith Dice
Faith is a strange thing – and those that attempt to understand how it works probably don’t have it. Sometimes a tide of righteous frenzy will envelop the fighters of House Cawdor, bearing them to victory on a tide of religious zeal. Other times the gaze of the God-Emperor will turn away from them, leaving them to their fate.
In the End phase of each round (including the first), count up the number of friendly House Cawdor fighters currently on the battlefield that are neither Seriously Injured or Broken, and roll a D6 for each. Each dice that rolls a 5 or 6 is added to a special pool of dice called the Faith dice pool (this can also be represented by tokens or notes on a piece of paper if it is easier).
Cawdor fighters may also attempt to work themselves up into a frenzy of faith – waving holy relics, chanting prayers or flagellating themselves – during their activation by performing the Beseech the God-Emperor (Double) action:
Beseech the God-Emperor (Double): During the End phase, roll three D6 for a fighter that performed this action, rather than the usual one.
Faith dice can be retained from one round to the next. However, if in the End phase, after generating Faith dice, there are more dice in the pool than there are friendly House Cawdor fighters on the battlefield, these excess dice must be discarded.
Using Faith Dice
When a Cawdor fighter activates, if there is at least one dice in the Faith dice pool, they may attempt to invoke an Article of Faith. Each Article of Faith only affects the fighter performing it (unless otherwise noted) and lasts until the start of that fighter’s next activation (unless otherwise noted). An Article of Faith must be invoked and performed at the start of a fighter’s activation, before performing any actions. Attempting an Article of Faith does not require the fighter to use one of their actions (unless otherwise noted).
When invoking an Article of Faith, the controlling player declares the Article of Faith the fighter is attempting to invoke. The fighter then makes a Threshold test. To make a Threshold test, the player chooses a number of Faith dice to roll, removing them from the Faith dice pool and rolling them. Once this roll has been made, the number of dice used cannot be changed, i.e., the player cannot roll more Faith dice to increase the total rolled. Once a dice has been taken from the Faith dice pool, it is used up and discarded:
- If the total result equals or exceeds the threshold of the Article of Faith being invoked, a miracle has occurred and the Article of Faith is performed successfully!
- If the total result is lower than the threshold of the Article of Faith being invoked, they have failed and the God-Emperor has turned his back on them.
Paths of Faith
While the other Clan Houses see little difference between the varied followers of the Redemption – perhaps only making some vague distinction between the law abiding and the outlaw – there are in fact myriad splinter faiths within House Cawdor. Most Redemptionist faiths stay more or less true to the core tenets of the Clan House, those rules that reflect tried and true beliefs. Some stray, or include divergent philosophies.
These divergent beliefs are represented in games of Necromunda by the four ‘Paths of Faith’. These are the Path of the Faithful, the Path of the Fanatic, the Path of the Doomed, and the Path of the Redeemer.
The Path of Faith a House Cawdor gang follows is determined by their Leader and must be chosen when the gang is first created. Once a Path has been chosen the Leader may not choose another or change it. However, should the Leader die, their successor may choose their own Path – affecting the rest of the gang as normal.
Each Path grants the gang access to a different set of Articles of Faith, reflecting the ideologies of the gang members. There are also certain benefits conferred by the path a gang follows.
Path of the Faithful
The Path of the Faithful is the path followed by the great majority of House Cawdor. It is the path of the Redemption, an extreme interpretation of the Imperial Creed that fills many with dread and fear. Whilst most members of House Cawdor consider themselves moderate, to outsiders there is little distinction between a moderate Redemptionist and an outlawed follower of a fanatical fringe. If a Leader has chosen this Path, their gang gains the following benefits:
- When generating Faith dice, an additional D6 is rolled for each friendly House Cawdor Leader or Champion that is currently on the battlefield and that is not either Seriously Injured or Broken.
- The following Articles of Faith can only be performed by members of a House Cawdor gang that follows the Path of the Faithful.
| Article of Faith | Effect | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| “And Contempt shall be My Armour!” | Whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, this fighter and any friendly House Cawdor fighters within 6" of them may not be targeted by and are immune to the effects of psychic powers. However, should the Threshold test be failed and this Article of Faith not be invoked, this fighter reduces their Willpower by 1 for the remainder of this battle. | 4+ |
| “And Lo His Gaze did Illuminate them!” | The fighter can attack through smoke clouds and ignores the Pitch Black rules. In addition, if they are hit by a Flash weapon, add 1 to the result of the Initiative check to see whether they become subject to the Blind condition. | 3+ |
| “And the Word fell upon them, and they were Broken by it!” | All enemy fighters that are within 9" of this fighter and that can draw a line of sight to this fighter must immediately make a Nerve test. However, should the Threshold test be failed and this Article of Faith not be invoked, this fighter must immediately make a Nerve test. | 5+ |
| “And by Their Works shall They be known!” | One enemy Psyker within 12" of this fighter and that can draw a line of sight to this fighter must immediately make a Leadership check. If this check is failed, the enemy psyker must roll on the Perils of the Warp table. | 5+ |
| “And the Heart of the Heretic was easily cowed!” | One enemy fighter within 12" of this fighter and that can draw a line of sight to this fighter must immediately make an Intelligence check. If this check is failed, they lose their Ready marker (if they have one). However, should the Threshold test be failed and this Article of Faith not be invoked, this fighter’s activation ends immediately. | 8+ |
| “And those of Warped and Twisted Limb shall be Despised!” | Whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, all friendly Cawdor fighters within 6" of this fighter and that can draw a line of sight to this fighter (including this fighter) may re-roll any failed Hit rolls made against Brutes (including Spawn), pets, critters, or enemy fighters with mutations. | 7+ |
Path of the Fanatic
Those who follow the Path of the Fanatic embody the frenzy of faith the Redemption is so well known for. The Red Walk, Disciples of the Burning Brand and the Children of Blessed Day are all examples of splinter faiths of the Redemption who follow the Path of the Fanatic. If a Leader has chosen this Path, their gang gains the following benefits:
- When generating Faith dice, an additional D6 is rolled for each friendly House Cawdor fighter that is Engaged with an enemy fighter.
- The following Articles of Faith can only be performed by members of a House Cawdor gang that follows the Path of the Fanatic.
| Article of Faith | Effect | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| “And Lo, I did spread my Wings and the God-Emperor carried me aloft!” | Whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, this fighter may add 3D6" to their Movement when attempting to leap a gap. When attempting to jump down to a level below, this fighter can reduce the distance measured (and therefore reduce the risk) by D6+2". Players should note that, when invoking this Article of Faith, they must declare the move this fighter intends to make, including the leap or jump. If this fighter fails to pass the Threshold test for this Article of Faith, they must still move and attempt the leap or jump (should they fall, their faith was clearly lacking). | 5+ |
| “And by our Pain shall He Judge our worth!” | Whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, this fighter improves their Toughness by 3. However, this fighter will suffer a Flesh Wound. If the fighter did not pass the threshold for this Article of Faith, this Flesh Wound is applied immediately. If the fighter did pass the Threshold test, this Flesh Wound is applied when this Article of Faith expires. | 5+ |
| “And without thought He Smote Them Down!” | The fighter immediately makes a free Charge (Double) action (i.e., does not use any of their actions). However, this fighter suffers a -2 modifier to their Hit rolls for the remainder of this round. Should the Threshold test be failed and this Article of Faith not be invoked, this fighter suffers a -2 modifier to their Hit rolls for the remainder of this battle. | 6+ |
| “And His Feet carried him into the fray!” | The fighter can make an immediate free Move (Simple) action. However, this fighter suffers an immediate Flesh Wound, regardless of whether or not they successfully pass the Threshold test for the Article of Faith. | 2+ |
| “And He stood Defiant upon the mountain!” | When this fighter is hit by a ranged attack, they do not become Prone and Pinned. However, whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, this fighter is unable to perform a Take Cover (Basic) action and does not benefit from partial cover. | 5+ |
| “And He Gave Unto Them the Emperor’s Mercy!” | Unlike other Articles of Faith, this one is not invoked at the start of a fighter’s activation. Instead, a House Cawdor fighter may interrupt the activation of an enemy fighter that wishes to perform a Coup De Grace (Simple) action against that House Cawdor fighter. If the Threshold test is passed, this fighter may interrupt that fighter’s activation to perform a free Fight (Basic) action targeting the fighter performing the Coup De Grace (Simple) action. Note that this may prevent the Coup De Grace (Simple) action from being performed at all. | 5+ |
Path of the Doomed
The Path of the Doomed draws upon the core beliefs of the Redemption, and relishes in the death of all things. The Forsaken Truth, the Scions of the Void and the Cult of the True Resurrection are all examples of splinter faiths of the Redemption who follow the Path of the Doomed. If a Leader has chosen this Path, their gang gains the following benefits:
- If the Leader is Seriously Injured or has been taken Out of Action, or if the gang has failed a Bottle test, Faith dice are generated on a roll of 4+, rather than the usual roll of 5 or 6.
- The following Articles of Faith can only be performed by members of a House Cawdor gang that follows the Path of the Doomed.
| Article of Faith | Effect | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| “And the people Rose Up in their multitudes to aid Him!” | If the Threshold test to invoke this Article of Faith is passed, this fighter may forfeit their actions for this activation to add D3 extra Cawdor fighters to the battlefield (these must be fighters belonging to this fighter’s gang who were not part of the crew for this battle). These new fighters arrive immediately and are deployed with Ready markers, touching the battlefield edge closest to this fighter, but not within 9" of an enemy fighter. However, should the Threshold test be failed and this Article of Faith not be invoked, one randomly determined fighter belonging to this fighter’s gang that is not part of the crew for this battle is immediately taken Captive by the enemy gang. | 8+ |
| “And by the manner of his Death did the Emperor judge him!” | The fighter may immediately perform a single Move (Simple) action. After they have moved, centre the Large Blast (5") marker on them. All fighters under the marker suffer an automatic Str 3, Ap-, D1 hit. Once all hits have been resolved, this fighter goes Out of Action. | 5+ |
| “And in the Grace of the Emperor even Death was Defied!” | Whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, this fighter ignores the effects of being Seriously Injured and cannot be taken Out of Action until the end of their next activation, at which time they automatically go Out of Action. | 8+ |
| “And in His Light were they struck blind!” | Any fighter that is within 6" of this fighter (including this fighter) cannot make ranged attacks against targets more than 3" away from them, nor can they be targeted by a ranged attack made by a fighter that is more than 3" away from them. | 5+ |
| “And a river of blood did Drown Them!” | In the End phase of this round, the enemy gang must count those fighters belonging to this fighter’s gang that have gone Out of Action as if they were friendly fighters when making a Bottle test. | 11+ |
| “And upon a Fortress of Bone shall my Strength be built!” | Whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, this fighter increases their Strength and Toughness by a number equal to the number of friendly House Cawdor fighters with the Gang Fighter (Ganger) special rule that have gone Out of Action (to a maximum of +3). However, should the Threshold test be failed and this Article of Faith not be invoked, this fighter reduces their Strength and Toughness by 1 for the remainder of this battle. | 6+ |
Path of the Redeemer
There are faithful within the Redemption who see it as their duty to purify the souls of the faithless – these follow the Path of the Redeemer. The Red Redemption, the Followers of Klovis and the Glorium Excrucium are all examples of splinter faiths of the Redemption who follow the Path of the Redeemer. If a Leader has chosen this Path, their gang gains the following benefits:
- When generating Faith dice, roll one additional dice for each enemy fighter that is either Seriously Injured or that was taken Out of Action during this round.
- The following Articles of Faith can only be performed by members of a House Cawdor gang that follows the Path of the Redeemer.
| Article of Faith | Effect | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| “And each Blow shall be a Barb unto my enemy’s flesh!” | Any enemy fighter that wishes to make a close combat attack that targets this fighter must first make a Willpower check. If this check is failed, that fighter immediately suffers a Flesh Wound. | 5+ |
| “And Flame shall Burn Away their sin!” | Whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, attacks made by this fighter with weapons that have the Melee or Versatile trait gain the Blaze trait. However, should the Threshold test be failed and this Article of Faith not be invoked, this fighter immediately becomes subject to the Blaze condition. | 3+ |
| “And with Iron Teeth shall they be Devoured!” | Whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, this fighter may re-roll any failed Wound rolls made when using a chain weapon (e.g., a chainsword, chainaxe, chain glaive or eviscerator). | 5+ |
| “And Agony brought the unbelievers Low!” | Whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, enemy fighters that have suffered a Flesh Wound, that are within 6" of this fighter and that can draw a line of sight to this fighter can only perform a single action during their activation. However, should the Threshold test be failed and this Article of Faith not be invoked, this fighter can only perform a single action during this activation. | 7+ |
| “And in His Gaze were they Found Wanting!” | The fighter can use their activation to ‘Judge’ one enemy fighter that is within 9" and that they can draw a line of sight to. A Judged fighter must immediately make a Willpower check. If this check is failed, they cannot perform any actions during their next activation. | 9+ |
| “And Death could not stay His Righteous Wrath!” | If this fighter is taken Out of Action before their next activation, one enemy fighter chosen by this fighter’s controlling player that is within 6" of this fighter and that can draw a line of sight to this fighter suffers an automatic Str 5, Ap-1, D2 hit. | 7+ |
Designer’s Note: Forge Your Own Path
During Campaign play, should players wish, they can choose not to follow any of the Paths of Faith previously described and can instead forge their own. Doing so allows a gang leader to choose up to four Articles of Faith which will form the basis for their gang’s unique beliefs. However, selecting this option does enable players to choose a combination of Articles of Faith that may prove very powerful when used in battle. It is therefore essential that, should a player wish to forge their own Path, the Arbitrator first grants permission.
Should a gang leader wish to forge their own Path, follow these steps:
- Name your Path: Before forging their own Path, the player must first name the Path. Doing so is an essential step that will help define the beliefs of the gang. Without this first step, players may simply be choosing what they feel is the best combination of Articles of Faith to use, and that should be avoided!
- Choose your Beliefs: Choose up to four different Articles of Faith from those listed previously. These will form the basis of the gang’s unique Path of Faith. This could be one Article of Faith from each Path, or any other combination the player wishes.
Finally, players should note that when forging their own Path, their gang will not gain any of the benefits associated with any of the Paths of Faith.
Path of the Prophet
Presented below are the rules for the Path of the Prophet, a new path for the Cawdor Articles of Faith rules (as detailed above). These rules allow players to recreate the action detailed in Nexus of Violence and, if the Arbitrator wishes, these new rules may be included in their campaign.
Source: Apocrypha Necromunda: Nexus of Violence
The Path of the Prophet is the utter devotion to the word of the Prophet and the Great Pilgrimage which he leads. Its followers see this path as the one true expression of the Redemption, and the Prophet himself as ordained by the God-Emperor to lead all who claim devotion to the Imperial Creed. During the Aranthian Succession millions of faithful would flock to the banner of the Prophet, until they dominated the fractured House of Cawdor in their relentless quest to convert or destroy all who opposed their holy master.
- When generating Faith dice, if your crew outnumbers your opponent’s crew (only counting fighters currently on the battlefield that are not Seriously Injured or Broken), roll an additional number of D6s equal to the number of fighters your crew outnumbers your opponent’s crew by.
- The following Articles of Faith can only be performed by members of a House Cawdor gang that follows the Path of the Prophet.
| Article of Faith | Effect | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| “Look not upon the Face of the Prophet, lest he Blind you with his Glory!” | All other fighters (both friend and foe) within 12" of the fighter invoking this Article of Faith change their facing so that their vision arcs are facing directly away from the invoking fighter. | 5+ |
| “By his Word shall you be Redeemed and in his Name shall you Serve!” | The invoking fighter targets an enemy fighter they are engaged with. The targeted fighter must make a Willpower test, if they fail they become subject to the Insane condition. | 8+ |
| “Look to the Light Of The Prophet!” | Whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, all fighters (both friend and foe) within 12" of the invoking fighter are unaffected by the Visibility (X) rule. | 3+ |
| “Look not to the counsel of False Masters!” | Whilst this Article of Faith is in effect, all enemy fighters within 12" of the invoking fighter cannot benefit from Group Activations or the Gang Hierarchy (X) special rules. | 7+ |
| “Let those who Fear, Fear Not, and those who Fear Not, Know Fear!” | All Broken fighters (both friend and foe) within 12" of the invoking fighter immediately Rally. All other fighters (both friend and foe) must take a Nerve test. | 6+ |
| “Empty are the Hands of the Faithless!” | While this Article of Faith is in effect, enemy fighters count as being Unarmed when making close combat attacks against the invoking fighter. | 4+ |