63. The Hunt
In the darkness of the underhive, the hunters become the hunted.
Source: Warhammer Community, May 2020
Solo Scenario
This is designed for a single gang.
From somewhere in the hive, a ‘Rambot’ (rogue Ambot) has appeared. For reasons unknown, the many failsafes designed to suppress its natural instincts have become ineffective, causing the mechanical beast to do what Ambulls in captivity have done since before the birth of the Imperium - tunnel to freedom, build a lair, and hunt for food! Logically, of course, this specimen has no particular need for fresh meat, and, trapped within its mechanical shell, is unable to consume its prey anyway. But these trifling facts are of little concern to the primitive Ambull mind!
The crew of a hardened underhive gang is unexpectedly hunted by a ‘Rambot’ (rogue Ambot). It behaves autonomously, in a manner determined by the movements and actions of the fighters. The gang must bring it down to escape its unnatural lair.
At the start the fighters believe the Rambot to be close, but have no idea where exactly it might be. They cautiously search the area for evidence of it. When fighters search and blundering about, there is a chance that the Rambot is discovered.
The Rambot does not think or reason like a human. It is a sophisticated servitor-construct, but with malfunctioning sensor arrays, allowing it to ignore certain environmental dangers.
Freed from the many inhibitors that govern and suppress its natural behavior, the Rambot behaves far more like a wild Ambull. It’s alien reactions are far faster than those of the average human, and it moves with a speed that seems impossible for its mechanical bulk.
Battlefield
Standard.
Crews
- Custom (D3+4).
Tactics Cards
- Custom (1) or Random (2).
Deployment
Within 3” of the centre.
Hunter & Hunted
- The gang starts in every round (priority).
- The Rambot is an enemy fighter.
If the rogue Ambot is not on the battlefield, the gang can activate each Ready fighter in any order as normal. However, fighters can only make a single action when activated:
- Standing: Move (Simple).
- Prone: Crawl (Double).
In addition, each Standing fighter can perform one of the following Basic actions:
- Search Area (Basic): Pass an Intelligence test (+1 modifier if the rogue Ambot has previously appeared and then returned to the shadows). Note down how many searches were successful and how many failed each round.
- Give Cover (Basic): If the Rambot appears on the battlefield, make a Shoot (Basic) action targeting it (using ‘It Came From the Shadows! rules). All fighters having made this action can make this attack. Lasts until the End phase.
If the Rambot is on the battlefield, all Ready fighters can activate in any order as normal (performing any action).
“It Came From the Shadows!”
Each time a Search Area (Basic) action is performed, roll a D6 and apply the following modifiers (using previously performed Search Area actions this round):
- -1 per unsuccessful Search Area action.
- +1 per successful Search Area action.
The result will determine how or if the Rambot appears (placement), whether fighters can Give Cover and how the Rambt activates.
| D6 | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | “Ooops...” Placement: - B2B with the fighter. - Counts as having charged. |
| 2-3 | “It’s Behind You!” Placement: - Within 3” of the fighter. - Outside the vision arc of the fighter. Give Cover: - -3 hit modifier After these attacks, the Rambot activates. |
| 4-7 | “What’s That?” Give Cover: - Nominate a weapon for each fighter (with Give Cover) and roll a Firepower dice (representing nervous shooting at shadows). Resolve Ammo tests (if any) as normal. - Afterwards, no fighters Give Cover. |
| 8+ | “There It Is!” Placement: - Within 6” of the fighter. Give Cover: -2 hit modifier to Giving Cover attacks. After these attacks, the Rambot activates. |
The Rambot
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Cl | Wil | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4” | 2+ | 5+ | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4+ | 3 | 8+ | 4+ | 8+ | 9+ |
| Weapon | Rg S | Rg L | Ac S | Ac L | S | AP | D | Am | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 x Tunnelling Claw | E | - | - | - | S | -1 | 2 | - | - |
| - ranged | 4" | 8" | - | - | 6 | -2 | 2 | 5+ | Melta, Scarce, Sidearm |
Skills: Bull Charge, Hurl, Nerves of Steel, Spring Up.
Wargear: Light carapace (4+)
Special Rules
Alien Abomination
- Does not lose Ready at the end of an activation.
- No limit to how many times it can be activated each round.
- Each time a fighter ends an activation (or finishes the last activation of a group activation), the Rambot activates (Acting on Instincts).
Frenzied
- When attacking with a Fight (Basic) action, one attack must be made using the tunnelling claw’s ranged profile.
- Will always choose Coup De Grace instead of consolidating (if having the choice).
Unbreakable
- Never bottles out.
- Can't become Broken (for any reason).
Unfeeling Hide
- Blaze:
- Acts as normal (still suffer S3 AP-1 damage as normal).
- No longer ablaze if going Back to the Shadows.
- Webbed:
- When activating, roll 4+ to remove the condition. Otherwise the activation ends immediately.
- If Webbed during the End phase, roll for Recovery as anormal.
Acting on Instincts
To determine the actions when activated, use the following table:
| Trigger | Action |
|---|---|
| Fighter in base contact? | One of the following: - Fight (Basic) action - Hurl (Basic) action |
| Closest fighter within 6”? | Charge (Double) |
| Closest fighter within 12”? | 1. Move (Simple) 2. Shoot (Basic) |
| None of the above? | Back to the Shadows |
Back to the Shadows
-
If, during any End phase, the Rambit is B2B with a Seriously Injured fighter, and no other fighters are within 4”, drag the prey off into the shadows (both are removed from the battlefield). The fighter counts as going Out of Action.
-
If suffering a wound (for any reason), after saving (if any), but before applying the damage, pass an Initiative test to:
-
Reduce the damage to 1.
-
Ignore all weapon traits.
-
Go Back to the Shadows (removed from the battlefield).
Otherwise, apply the damage as normal.
-
When going Back to the Shadows, it will not appear again this round, but may appear in later rounds (Search Area).
Ending the Battle
The battle ends when the Ambot is Out of Action or no fighters remain.
Victory
The last remaining side is the winner.
Rewards
Credits
- 2D6x10 for taking the Ambot Out of Action.
Experience
Scenario specific rewards:
- +1 for taking part.
- +D3 for taking the Ambot Out of Action.
Standard rewards:
- +1 for taking an enemy Out of Action.
- +1 for taking an enemy Leader or Champion Out of Action.
- +1 for killing an enemy (during the battle).
- +1 for Rallying.
Reputation
- +1 for taking the Ambot Out of Action.
- -1 to the gang if it bottled out.
The Rambot can be replaced by all manner of monsters, daemonically-possessed hivers or alien abominations. Or perhaps the gang has stumbled into the lair of a Chaos cult and becomes hunted by a daemonhost. Or perhaps a nest of Purestrain Genestealers is uncovered.
These rules can be used to control any such foe, and an experienced gang could face a far more powerful entity than an escaped Ambot with its safety systems switched off. Or the gang could be outnumbered by swarms of smaller xenos lifeforms, and a random amount activates each turn, for example D3.