Creature Feature

for Warhammer 40K 3rd Edition

Introduction

A substantial set of articles, template rules and kitbashing guides for non-traditional and deadly forna and fauna. Published in White Dwarf Magazine (US) #291 and subsequently the UK White Dwarf Magazine #292 (similarly on the US website and then being mirrored in part on the UK website).

• Creature_Feature.pdf: Warhammer 40K Creature Feature PDF

Creature Feature (UK Edition)

CREATING YOUR OWN ALIEN CREATURES IN THE 41ST MILLENNIUM

Introduction

The worlds of the 41st millennium are vast, diverse places that are host to a limitless number of creatures. Indeed, if you can conceptualise it, it probably exists in one form or another somewhere out there.

Here, we offer some guidelines to help you make monsters of your own. Let your creativity run wild - literally! In the spirit of the VDR and Tyranid Monstrous Creatures rules seen in Chapter Approved, we've designed these rules to be fun. They aren't official or geared for competitive play.

In the time since these rules were first published in US White Dwarf 291, John Shaffer and Ty Finocchiaro have put their heads together and come up with a slew of new creature abilities and introduced some options for those of you who wish to create monstrous plants! All these new rules and the original rules have been combined into one super-rad PDF file for you to download and use. Plus, there's a simple system for using your beasts in a pit-fighting tournament, a brief list of scenario ideas for incorporating monsters into your games, and a bunch of sample monsters for you to check out! Man, are we good to you or what?

New Creature Abilities

On this page you can find some all-new creature Abilities that add to the pile of existing ones found in US White Dwarf 291. Also, there's a whole new group of Abilities that only apply to killer plants and other harmful florae found in the 40K universe. Note that these new rules and the existing rules have been compiled into a downloadable PDF file here. Points costs are shown next to each Ability title based on the size of the monster in the format of "Small/Medium/Large."

New Locomotion Type

Rooted Creature: -2 / -4 / -6

The model is stationary, Fearless, and counts as Flora. Bear in mind that a creature's cost can never be reduced below 1 point by any means. No freebies!

If you choose a creature with the Rooted form of Locomotion, reduce the cost of all non-"Flora Only" Abilities by 50%, rounding up, to reflect the disadvantage of their immobility.

Small and Medium Florae may take up to 10 points of discounted or "Flora Only" Abilities. Large Florae may spend no more than 20 points on discounted or "Flora Only" abilities. Florae may not take the Hit & Run, Horns/Spiky, Dodge, or Rushing Attack abilities.

Caption: That's one poor infiltration choice, buddy.

Flora Only Abilities

Agile Flora: 3 / 3 / 3

Flora only. The plant may hop or crawl D3" each turn. This Ability will also allow it to Assault D3" each turn.

Extended Attack: 3 / 3 / 3

Flora only. Works the same as Whip-like Appendage Ability, but the attack range is extended to 6". In assaults the kill zone is extended to 12".

No Pain: 2 / 2 / 2

Flora only. The creature fights on despite the most grievous of wounds and therefore benefits from a 4+ Invulnerable Save.

Spine Burst 3 / 3 / 3

Flora only. Instead of making a shooting attack, place the small blast template so it is centred on the Flora. All models touched by the template suffer an S4 AP5 hit. The spine burst may be used if the Flora is engaged in hand-to-hand combat instead of attacking normally.

Spore Cloud 2 / 2 / 2

Flora only. Instead of making a shooting attack, place the ordnance template so it is centred on the creature. All models touched by the template suffer an S3 AP6 hit. The spore cloud may be used if the Flora is engaged in hand-to-hand combat instead of attacking normally.

New Abilities

Disorienting Attack - / 4 / 4

Medium and Large Creatures/Florae only. This attack may be made in the Shooting phase instead of making any other shooting attack. Place an ordnance template centred on an enemy model within 12" of the Creature/Flora and roll 2D6. If the number rolled is equal to or higher than the number of models under the template, they become disoriented. Disoriented models move D6" in a random direction (determined by a Scatter dice) instead of their normal movement in their turn. Normal squad coherency rules still apply to disoriented models. Models may shoot and assault as normal but must pass a Leadership test in order to do so.

Duplicating Attack: * / * / *

* The cost for Duplicating Attack is 1/10th of the cost of the Creature and all of its other Abilities.

Medium and Large Creatures/Florae only. The Creature's attacks infect the target with a mutagenic virus that warps the victim's genetic material so it resembles the Creature/Flora. If the Creature/Flora causes at least two casualties (after Armour and Invulnerable Saves) in close combat in a single round, roll a D6. On the roll of a 5 or 6, place one exact duplicate of the Creature/Flora that caused the wounds within 2" of the combat. This duplicate may be placed in hand-to-hand combat but does not count as charging. The duplicate has all of the same characteristics as the original Creature/Flora except it has a single Wound and does not have the Duplicating Attack Ability (sorry, no chain reactions).

Fission: - / 3 / 6

Medium and Large Creatures/Florae only. If the Creature/Flora is reduced to 0 Wounds, then the model splits into lesser offspring. The offspring have the profile of a Small Creature. All Abilities of the parent creature are lost except for the mode of Locomotion. If the parent Creature is killed in close combat, place the offspring in base-to-base contact with an enemy model that is within 2" of where the parent Creature was killed. When Medium Creatures/Florae are reduced to 0 Wounds, they produce two offspring, and Large Creatures/Florae produce three offspring.

Gaping Maw - / - / 4

Large Creatures/Florae only. Any rolls of a 6 to Wound in close combat mean that an enemy model may be swallowed whole. The controller and the victim both roll a D6. If the Creature/Flora's dice roll is greater than the victim's roll, the victim is swallowed whole without recourse or saves. This ability can only be used on creatures that are roughly man sized or modelled on a 40-mm or 25-mm base. Larger creatures like Tau Battlesuits or Hive Tyrants cannot be affected by this ability.

Mind Control: 5 / 5 / 5

The Creature/Flora exhibits powerful mind-control abilities. To use this Ability, the Creature/Flora may not move, shoot, assault, or make attacks in close combat during its turn. Choose an enemy model within 12". That model must pass a Leadership test. If the model fails, the Creature/Flora may immediately force the controlled model to attack its unit or another unit nearby. Resolve either a shooting or mêlée attack against the controlled model's unit as normal. If the Controlled model is on its own, it may shoot at or assault a friendly unit if there is one within range. At the end of the turn, the creature relinquishes control over the model, and it can be controlled as normal during the owner's turn. This Ability has no effect on models that are Fearless or that pass Leadership-based tests automatically.

Vampirism: 4 / 4 / 6

For each unsaved wound the Creature/Flora inflicts, have it make a Strength test by rolling equal to or under its Strength characteristic. The roll of a 6 always fails. If the test is passed, the creature gains +1 Wound. This may not increase the Wounds value of the creature to above twice its starting number of Wounds. If the test is failed, the Creature/Flora loses 1 Wound.

Caption: These Grots are too dim to realize they are being stalked.

Caption: A Silkava Gar is distracted as a hunter sneaks up on its flank.

Pit Fighting Rules

Players with a desire to pit their Creatures against the creations of their friends may want to participate in a gladiatorial, arena-style mini-campaign. In this campaign, players will take on the role of a beastmaster trying to claw his way to fame and glory by rustling, raising, and training the best Creatures from across the galaxy to fight in the unforgiving arenas of underground, Creature vs. Creature, gladiatorial combat. To help you run this type of campaign, we've constructed the following guidelines. Remember, these are merely guidelines, not hard and fast rules! Feel free to bend them to your own gaming group's needs and preferences.

• Each player starts with 100 points to spend to assemble a roster of Creatures. Note: Plants are generally tethered to, and dependent on, their native environment and do not take well to being transported to new locations. Therefore, Florae cannot be part of your roster.

• Players enter any number of their monsters into a scheduled fight with other players. The number of Creatures that can be fielded is determined when both players agree on a set point value of either 25, 50 or 100 points. Players pick and choose any number of Creatures to participate in the fight from their roster so the points total is equal to or under the determined points value of the match. We recommend that you schedule who's playing and with what Creature(s) before any games are played so that participants may place virtual bets on particular fights (see below). Players participating in the campaign must play every other player once. After all players have played each other once, that marks the end of 1 Arena Turn.

• Participating in and winning a match earns you extra points that can be spent to purchase new Creatures or upgrade the ones you currently have. All limitations and regulations presented in the Creature Creator still apply. See below for details. Winning a match will earn you D6 points to spend on your roster, and losing a match will earn you nothing. Keep track of the number of wins and losses you accumulate over the course of the mini-campaign to help determine the winner at the end.

• Before each Arena Turn after the 1st, players may place virtual bets on fights that their Creatures are not participating in to earn extra points. Players may not bet on their own fights (to prevent Creatures from "taking a fall"). Players may bet any leftover points from their starting total or points they have accumulated from playing in previous battles on these matches. Before any matches are played in an Arena Turn, mark down on a piece of paper which Creature and match you are betting on and how many points you'll wager. The max bet per match is 5 points. Players collect their winnings at the end of each Arena Turn. Payout matches the original wager (eg, you bet 5 points, you win 5 points, so you get back 10 points from the "bookie"). If you feel like it, you can add a more complex payout system that rewards odds and other such gambling-type things.

• At the end of each Arena Turn (after collecting winnings from bets), players may spend points to enhance their monsters with upgrades from the list (with the regular Creature Creator restrictions), or they may purchase new Creatures to participate in the following Arena Turn. Upgrades for creatures can be represented by bionic components or biological ones. Points may not be spent to change a Creature's Size, but Locomotion and Abilities can be changed as normal. Before the start of each Arena Turn after the 1st, you should inform the other players of any new Creatures added to your roster. You may keep any Ability or Locomotion upgrades to existing Creatures secret until you play your first match with the upgrades, then it's all public knowledge. At the end of the Arena Turn, players may also "put down" any Creatures that they no longer like and remove them from their roster. Putting down a monster refunds half of its current point value to the player.

• In some matches, terrible wounds may be inflicted on Creatures that may necessitate advanced medical attention and valuable resources to heal properly. If a Creature suffers more Wounds than it has left in its profile in a single round of combat, then the owner of the monster must sacrifice 1 point for every Wound the creature suffers beyond its last Wound (eg, If a monster has 2 Wounds remaining and suffers 4 Wounds in a single round, its controller must sacrifice 2 points). If a player cannot or will not spend these points to heal his mangled pet, the creature is dead and removed from the roster (with no refund of points). Extra Wounds must be inflicted in the same turn as the final blow.

• To determine a winner of the pit-fighting circuit, continue to play Arena Turns until you and your gaming group are content. Then, each player should take his number of wins, subtract his number of losses and divide this number by the total number players in the gaming group minus one, and then multiply that by the number of Arena Turns that were played. In short, the equation is:

(# of wins - # of losses) / [(total # of players - 1) x # of Arena Turns played]

It sounds a little complicated, but it's a good way to determine the winning average of each player. The player with the highest average is crowned the king of the ring and will be the envy of beast rustlers across the galaxy! That is, until next season.

Scenarios Part 1

Once you've decided that you'd like to convert your own creature, it may be a bit tricky finding a way to incorporate your wonderful creation into your games of Warhammer 40,000. To get you on the right path, we offer some narrative suggestions for developing your own scenarios.

We've all seen movies like Aliens, Starship Troopers, and Pitch Black in which man pits his wits and intelligence against the superior hunting prowess and cunning of a swarm of alien creatures. Strike teams are sent in; jungle lairs are razed to the ground; and daring rescues are performed to emphasize the drama and tension of the classic struggle of man versus beast.

Using what we see on the silver screen as inspiration, we can come up with a number of possibilities for incorporating feral and primitive monsters into our 40K games. The trick is making it all mesh together into what will be a challenging and rewarding gaming experience for all of the players involved. All gaming groups are different, and individual members may expect different things. Thus, a lot of the decision making is better left up to you and your friends. Just have fun! To get the ball rolling, we broke down the use of creatures in 40K into three primary types of conflicts.

Caption: A Kalathrax Fiend spies its next meal.

1. Monster vs. Monster

Monster vs. Monster scenarios are designed for quick, fun games that are great for killing time. The scenario rules depend largely on what types of creatures you choose to make and how much time you're willing to dedicate to the cause. The most obvious conflict simply involves you and each of your friends making a monster up to a set points limit and bashing it out in an attempt to ascertain who is the proverbial “king of the jungle.” You could even go one step further and develop a specific world in which your creatures exist and keep track of territory gained and lost by the thinning of each other's herds.

See, there's plenty of ways to have monster of monster fun. How about a hunting party of a few creatures trying to bring down a larger, more dangerous adversary? Or maybe a herbivorous creature with a few defensive abilities is trying to escape from the table while being pursued by vicious predators. Maybe all of these creatures have been captured and are forced to fight each other in gladiatorial combat. John Shaffer has developed a simple tournament system for monster pitfighting for you to peruse and implement. Check it out!

Caption: Chiaro Ash Croakers descend on a Pentarant.

2. Army vs. Monster

A classic battle. Play a sort of hunter vs. hunted scenario in which a party of hunters is tracking a predatory creature while the creature, in turn, stalks the hunters. You could use Space Hulk blip counters to represent where the prey may or may not be and then have the creature spring from the shadows onto the unsuspecting trackers. Or how about a tension-filled escape attempt against the overwhelming numbers of a vicious alien swarm? There are plenty of ideas for cool scenarios that can be found in literature and films. These types of games could make for an interesting event during a 40K campaign and could serve as a sort of side quest with specific rewards and consequences.

If you are just looking for a stand up fight or hunt scenario, then try this on for size. Have one player create a creature (or creatures!) up to a certain determined points value using the Creature Creator. You may want to avoid anything with the winged form of locomotion, but it's up to you.

The monster hunting player creates a small force that totals no more than the points cost of the beast or beasts they are hunting. Avoid using powerful characters and wargear, try sticking to standard Troops choices instead. Units do not have to adhere to normal squad coherency, but models on their own must make All Alone tests as normal.

Once both players' forces are ready, set up a 4' x 4' table, slap a bunch of terrain down and get fighting. As an alternative to the standard deployment scheme, you could have the creature set up his models in a hidden fashion. First player to eliminate the other wins!

Caption: A Spined Rhodox scatters the Orks that are after its hide!

3. Army vs. Army vs. Monster

Probably the most popular and easiest way to integrate a few monsters into your games is to pit two armies against each other in the standard fashion and throw in the random element of a hostile creature attack for kicks. You could designate specific areas on the table that may house monstrous creatures, which could randomly pop out and attack models foolish enough to get within striking distance. Or perhaps the sounds of battle have spooked the native creatures into a stampede that threatens to overrun everything in its path. However you incorporate creatures into your games is up to you, of course. We offer this scenario suggestion to jump start your creativity.

The lands have been infested with dangerous indigenous creatures. Each piece of terrain could hide creatures lurking in the shadows ready to strike out against meddlesome intruders.

At the end of any Movement phase in which a model or unit has entered a piece of terrain (eg, a building, wood, or crater), roll a D6. On a 1-2, no creatures reside there. On a 3-5, the number rolled indicates the number of creatures that are hiding in the terrain. The opposing player should place the creatures anywhere in the terrain piece in base contact with the models that ended their movement there. On the result of a 6, a Large creature with a few scary upgrades is hiding in the terrain. The opposing player may place the creature in base contact with any model(s) in the terrain piece.

On subsequent turns, the creatures will move and assault the nearest player-controlled model (ie, not another creature). When the creatures are in combat, the opposing player should roll for the creatures to hit, wound, etc., as though the creatures were his own models. If creatures win combat, they will consolidate toward the nearest model (though not another creature). Let your imagination run wild as to what types of creatures would infest a battlefield.

Caption: The noise from a nearby battle disturbs a hive of angry Glovian Stingers!

Scenarios Part 2

Now that you've decided to spend your time and energy to create, convert, and paint a nasty plant of your very own, you're probably wondering how you can incorporate these ferocious flora into your games of 40K. Here are a couple of suggestions.

Caption: A Nivolik Bloom overwhelms its prey.

1. Army vs. Army vs. Plants

This situation involves playing a regular game with some areas of woods marked out on the tabletop that might contain vicious plant life. Both players should agree on a plant type and points cost. Whenever a player moves a unit through or near an area of woods (usually within 2" or 6" if the plant has the Whip-Like Appendage or Extended Attack Abilities), the plant(s) may lash out. Whenever a unit moves within range of a possible plant attack during its turn, roll a D6. On the result of a 4+, the plant suddenly lashes out from the undergrowth and attacks the offending unit.

The nature of these attacks will depend on the kind of plant you've created. Plants with area-effect or missile weapons will have their attacks resolved in the enemy unit's Movement phase, and mêlée-oriented plants will suddenly spring up or pull units into base-to-base combat. In the case of a mêlée-oriented plant, resolve the attacks in the offending unit's Assault phase. The plant does not count as charging. If there are survivors, they count as being locked in combat with the plant per the normal assault rules until either the plant or the unit is destroyed. Obviously, plants cannot pursue a fleeing enemy and count as being Fearless.

Chances are that most players will avoid these plants altogether, so perhaps placing an objective near an area of woods or awarding bonus Victory Points for destroying the plants will encourage players to engage these sinister seedlings.

Caption: Wuzzit Mud Demons ambush an Explorator Expedition. They're about to find out that Servitors make a crummy meal.

2. Army vs. Plants, or " Welcome to the Jungle."

Yeah, we've got fun and games! This small-scale scenario requires a bit more preparation and forethought and is perfect for a small side-quest during a 40K campaign or for an entertaining session of bash-'em-up fun.

The battle pits a small away team of specialists against the cold, unfeeling treachery of Mother Nature herself. One player will choose his forces from the HQ, Troops, and Elites choices from his favourite army book up to a total value of 400 points. The other player takes on the role of the deadly environment that the away team is navigating. This player may create 500 points of Creatures and Florae designed to thwart the away team from accomplishing its mission. No more than half of these points may be spent on Creatures.

We suggest a 4'x4' playing area for this scenario. To add to the tension and intrigue of the game, any of the Creatures and Florae chosen may count as having the Deep Strike ability to represent their ability to spring from their camouflaged hiding places to lash out at the intruders. Florae that Deep Strike may be placed within striking distance of an enemy unit automatically when the plants become available and do not scatter per the normal Deep Strike rules. This means that if the plants do not have an Ability that extends their Attack Range, they will be placed in base-to-base combat with a random member of the chosen enemy unit. Creatures Deep Strike as normal.

The player controlling the Creatures/Florae will win the game if he keeps the opposing player from accomplishing his objective or if he kills all of the members of the away team. The objectives for the away-team will vary depending on the kind of game you want to play. The objective may be to simply survive against the odds and get off of the opposite table edge, to destroy a particular creature from the opposing player's forces, or to reach and hold the centre of the table until the end of the game. Whatever the case may be, decide the objectives beforehand so both players are clear about what they're supposed to do. You should make the away team's deployment zone 12" in from a random table edge, and the game should last a minimum of 6 turns.

Caption: A Brain Eater takes over an Inquisitorial Henchman!

Creatures

Arachnospila

Name	Points	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Arachnospila	5	4	-	1	1	1	1	1	10	6+

Stat		Points
Size	Small	3 pts.
Locomotion	Quadrupedal	3 pts.
Attributes	Weak (x2)	-2 pts.
	Slow Witted	-1 pt.
Abilities	Acid Blood	2 pts.

A few unlucky planets of the Imperium have to deal with the scourge that is an Arachnospila colony. These strange, four-legged insects live in massive underground hives that are marked by a raised ring of dirt that has been tinged red by a pheromone they secrete. If a hive is disturbed by an invader, they'll angrily pour from their home and swarm the aggressor. Having feeble exoskeletons, Arachnospila possess only one method of attack: dying. When an Arachnospila dies, it explodes in a shower of acid. The explosion of caustic fluid is often enough to kill a man and certainly any creature foolish enough to bumble into a hive's territory.

Due to the fact that Arachnospila multiply at an alarming rate, exterminating them is quite difficult. Larger species have been hinted at, but such reports remain unconfirmed.

Making a whole horde of Arachnospila isn't a huge task. Ty Finocchiaro used only three bits to make the creature – along with a bit of glue. He cut the insectoid legs of an old Chaos Spawn to fit around a Chaos Spawn neck joint. This structure forms the main body and legs of an Arachnospila. To finish up, Ty freed a Tyranid Explosive Spore Mine from its tentacled bottom and glued it in place on top of the quadrupedal frame. Repeat this process until you have an entire army of insects!

Chiaro Ash Croaker

The Ash Croaker is just one of the many denizens, albeit a more determined and deadly one than most, found on the ash wastes of Chiaro 27. Easily the size and girth of a full-grown man, Ash Croakers are essentially an unleashed ball of teeth, claws, and aggression. While tracking prey, they emit dreadful croaking noises back and forth between themselves, which earned them the moniker "Croaker." Their vocal cords distort the sound so that a strange sort of ventriloquism takes place. Consequently, the prey is never able to pinpoint just where the noise is coming from until it's too late.

Ty Finocchiaro made his Ash Croakers from Orc and Goblin Squigs and Chaos Spawn heads. The conversion is quick and easy. Simply glue the Spawn heads to the front of the Squig bodies and then cover up the join with some Green Stuff modelled to look like fur. Simple, yet effective! You could make whole herds of these things in no time!