Grey Seer Neekit - DRAMATIS PERSONAE  V1.0

As the highest-ranking Grey Seer in Karak Azgal, Neekit is the religious leader of the Skaven within Karak Azgal as well as having absolute authority over the forces arrayed there.

Neekit is Grey Seer Thanquol’s personal representative in Karak Azgal and hopes that by proving himself here, he will be granted a Seal of Lesser Council Authority, which would grant him more influence with the Council of Thirteen.

As with all Grey Seers, he has climbed to his current position leaving the bodies of his rivals in his wake. Neekit is as cunning and ruthless as any Grey Seer, and the fact that he has risen to such a prominent position proves that he has an instinct for survival, having come through some 30 or so assassination attempts.

In common with most temples of the Horned Rat, the Skaven temples around Karak Azgal all contain warpstone meteors of various sizes. To make best use of this, Neekit has established several laboratories. Warlock-Engineers of Clan Skryre spend their days tinkering with arcane machinery, carrying out experiments using the magical properties of the corrupted stone to create items to Neekit’s specifications.

The Skaven of Karak Azgal occupy a large amount of the lower levels, but there is one thorn in Neekit’s side. Alchec of Strigoi has chosen his lair in one of the most strategically important parts of Karak Azgal. The creature’s continued presence means that Neekit has lost face with Thanquol. No matter how many resources Neekit has put into removing Alchec, each attempt has failed to breach the well fortified area. Now Neekit waits to try to catch the vampire when he roams around other parts of Karak Azgal and there to finally kill him.

Equipment: Neekit wields a sword and carries a Staff of Authority.

Skills: Sorcery, Wyrdstone Hunter, Dodge

Special Rules

Confident: Neekit’s authority stems from his ability as a commander. If Neekit wins two battles in succession, he adds 1 to his Leadership to a maximum of 10, but if he loses two battles in succession, he subtracts 1 from his Leadership to a minimum of 5.

Wizard: Neekit is a wizard and knows all the spells listed under the Magic of the Horned Rat in the rulebook as well as his own spells detailed below.

Grey Seer: Neekit is a Grey Seer and therefore automatically the leader of any warband he joins.

Master Sorcerer: Neekit often consumes warpstone to power his spells and is able to cast more than one spell per turn; he may continue to cast spells until he fails to cast one. However each attempt after the first is made with a +1 difficulty, which is cumulative. When casting more than one spell in a turn, a failure means that Neekit has eaten too much Warpstone and must immediately roll on the Injury Table. Neekit cannot cast the same spell more than once in a turn.

Hire fee: None. Grey Seer Neekit will come to the aid of any Skaven warband if they send one or more of their heroes to look for him in the normal manner, rolling under or equal their Initiative. If they manage to find him then he might decide to help the warband in the forth-coming battle. He will only spare time if the hiring warband is facing a threat to the Skaven power-base in Karak Azgal – i.e. the enemy has a higher rating than the warband who is looking for his help.

Roll a D6 and consult the table below to see if he will come to the warband's aid. If the warband faces Strigoi or a rebellious Skaven warband, add +1 modifier to the D6 roll.

Rivalry: Neekit has a long-standing rivalry with Alchec. If one of Neekit’s many spies reports that a rival warband is hiring Alchec, Neekit is much more likely to accompany a warband to fight him. Add +2 to the roll to see if Neekit will join them. Even if the warband ratings means "No chance" of hiring Neekit, he will accompany the warband on a 5+.

Rating: Neekit increases the warband's rating by 90.

Magic Items

Staff of Authority: Provided Neekit is not fleeing, stunned or OOA, any friendly Skaven warrior on the battlefield may use Neekit’s Leadership.

Wyrdstone Amulet: Neekit wears an amulet made from Warpstone that has been blessed in the Temple of the Horned Rat. Neekit’s player may re-roll any one dice for Neekit ONCE during a battle.

Warpscroll: A vicious spell is inscribed onto this enchanted scroll. Once per battle Neekit may read from the scroll. One model within 6" must make a Ld test using his own Leadership, or suffer the horrifying effects. A victim of a Warpscroll ages rapidly and is immediately put OOA.

In the post-battle sequence, the victim does not roll to see if he is seriously injured, but suffers the effects of old age. If the victim is a Henchman, he is simply removed from the warband’s roster, but the warband may keep his equipment. If the victim is a Hero, one stat, chosen by the Skaven player is reduced by one, down to a minimum of 1. The stat’s maximum value is also reduced by one. Thus a human warrior with a WS of 4 has his WS reduced to 3 and can only ever have a maximum WS of 5. If a warrior is affected by a Warpscroll multiple times, each stat can only be affected once.

Additional Magic Items

Neekit also has the following items. If a warband has fought alongside him at least once, Neekit may sell them the following items, provided they can make a good argument as to why they should have it. This equates to a rarity of 7 for each of these items, with the usual bonus for Streetwise. Both items are one use only, and Neekit will only allow a warband to own one of each item. Neekit can make additional quantities between battles, thus he always has these two items on his person and he always has enough to sell to warbands after a battle.

Skalm. Cost 20GC. Skalm is a thick, black paste used to heal wounds. At the end of each battle, the wounds of a single Skaven warrior is automatically healed. That warrior does not have to roll on the Serious Injury Chart. Note: Skalm only works on Skaven physiology. Neekit has used Skalm so many times that he has become immune to its effects. Skalm is highly poisonous to non-Skaven and it may be applied to weapons. Skalm has the same effects as Black Lotus. Note Skalm cannot be used to heal after the same battle it was used as blade venom.

Skavenbrew. Cost 30GC. Neekit brews Skavenbrew and gives it to a Skaven warrior at the start of a battle, if they want it, but will not drink it himself. A potent stimulant, Skavenbrew can make a Skaven warrior almost unstoppable. When a warrior drinks Skavenbrew, roll a D6 and consult the chart below:

1. No effect.
2-3. The warrior is affected by the rules for hatred of all enemy warriors.
4-5. The warrior is affected by the rules for frenzy.
6. The warrior is affected by the rules for frenzy and hatred of all enemy warriors.

Skavenbrew has a debilitating effect on Skaven Sorcerers. If a Skaven Sorcerer warrior drinks Skavenbrew, he will be unable to cast spells for the duration of that battle, even if the result is "No effect". Skavenbrew has no effect on non-Skaven.

Additional Spells: In addition to the spells listed in the rulebook, Neekit has learnt the following additional spells. Neekit may choose one of these spells to add to his list of spells available to cast this battle. Note these spells will affect both friend and foe alike unless stated otherwise.

Death Frenzy Difficulty: 8
Neekit can accelerate a Skaven’s metabolism to an alarming rate, but not without exacting a heavy toll. A Skaven warrior is automatically affected and gains +2M, +2A, and +2I. At the beginning of each of his turns, the warrior must make a Toughness test or suffer a wound. At the end of a battle, the warrior will run off in a state of temporary madness and must roll on the Serious Injury table – henchmen must make an additional T test or die. Note this spell may be cast on an enemy Skaven warrior.

Pestilent Breath Difficulty: 5
When Neekit consumes a specially prepared piece of warpstone, his breath becomes a noxious vapour which he may blow over an opponent. One model within 3" must make a T test or go OOA. If Neekit rolls a double when casting this spell, he made a mistake in the preparation of the warpstone and suffers a wound, with no save. Neekit automatically recovers after the battle if he goes OOA because of this.

Poison Wind Difficulty: 11
Neekit conjures a poisonous wind from the very bowels of the earth, which blows in a straight line away from him. Any model in the path of the wind must make a T test or must make a roll on the injury chart, treating OOA as stunned instead.

Skitterleap Difficulty: 7
Neekit has used this spell several times to avoid assassination attempts and to generally get himself out of trouble. By using this spell, Neekit may teleport himself in any direction. Place a marker on the table in the direction Neekit wants to teleport and roll 3D6 to determine distance in inches. If the result is that Neekit jumps into a solid object, he has teleported away to his inner sanctum and should be considered as OOA, but with no need for an injury roll. He must be re-hired if the warband wishes to retain his services.

Veil of Darkness Difficulty: 7
This spell is unique to Neekit. When cast, one enemy warrior within 12" is blinded. His WS is reduced to 1 and he cannot attack, shoot or cast spells. In addition he may only walk - and even then only at half pace. At the end of each of his turns, the affected warrior must make a Ld test. If successful, the effects of the spell wear off.

Wither Difficulty: 8
By grasping his opponent, Neekit is able to drain the very essence from the enemy warrior. Neekit may forgo all his normal attacks to make a single attack at twice his normal strength. Roll to hit as normal. The victim of this spell may not make any dodge, armour or ward save of any kind.