Covert Art by Tamas Baranya
Mutant Cannibals– The True Nuclear Family A FREE HALLOWEEN-THEMED WARBAND FROM:
“Cannibalism is an ancient and dark sin and most cultures throughout me have considered the act unforgivable. To knowingly consume the flesh of one’s own kind is rarely about survival, but perversity. Even in the wasteland, to consume human flesh, even in mes of famine, is to commit a great atrocity.” ---St. Horowitz “The events of the Long Night have le% many scars and I fear there are some twisted creatures who wish these wounds to never heal.” ---William Father-Speaker, Ancestor Shaman to the Garretts Cannibals are not natural creatures. They are created by deviant act and possibly by ill-birth, but few raonale creatures will eat their own species. In the wastelands, cannibals come from two primary sources. The most common and short-lived are those wastelanders who cannibalize the dead or living in order to stave off hunger and death. Once done some of these wastelanders literally develop a taste for human flesh and seek ways of acquiring more, either by murder or through grave robbing. Eventually, their needs get the be&er of them and they are exposed as monsters. They are quickly hunted and destroyed by vengeful wastelanders. These cannibals are aberraons and though deadly are hardly significant threats on their own. They may even form small groups of like-minded individuals, but again these groups rarely last long. However, there is an insidious threat that stalks the dark places of the wasteland and causes raiders and se&lers alike to shiver in the beds. These are the cannibal clans. The history of cannibal clans stretches back to the dark years of the Long Night. Without the protecon of the government, many Last Americans were forced to eat the dead to survive. Seeing an easy way to live without hunng and scavenging, these cannibals connued their gruesome ways, even a/er the discovery of more palatable food sources. As the years passed and the Long Night receded, these warped and demented survivors were slowly pushed into the recesses as the se&lements emerged and civilizaon slowly reasserted itself. Over the coming century these cannibals turned into deformed mutants that, upon close inspecon, could never pass for human. The cannibal clans are diverse and extremely individualisc. The majority tend to be composed of a single family long since interbred, willingly or unwillingly, and share a common ancestry. Even in groups made of several families, their bloodlines are mixed. Mang among the clans is ad-hoc and few pairings are long term. In the absence of any outside purges, cannibal clans can significantly increase their numbers within the span of a decade or two. Each clan is led by the strongest of their kind and the birth order of each member determines their place in the 1
family hierarchy. Later generaons or those with more crippling deformies tend to have less power than their elders, though those with a penchant for violence have a way of gaining presge.
In the greater wasteland, cannibals survive by raiding local se&lements under cover of darkness or by waylaying individuals or small caravans. They rarely a&ack a well-equipped foe, but in lean mes hunger may drive them to desperaon. A/er the ba&le, they will take capves, preferably alive for freshness, but corpses will do in a pinch, and will search their fallen foes for anything of value. Relics and heavy weaponry are especially prized, but these are rarely understood and seldom used. The weapons used by the clans tend to simple and easily maintained, though some experienced elders of the group may be more proficient in the upkeep of more complicated weapons. Once home, the clans divvy up the spoils, add capves to their larders, which are nightmarish to say the least, and usually celebrate their victories with a feast. The menu is be&er le/ unsaid.
Model Mama Pa First-Born Gran-Gran Petunia Younger Degenerate Critter Tiny Foundling Psycho Elder
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Mutant Warband Purchase Table Barter Type Special Abilities Cost Revered Mother and two skills/one mutation; one Leader 80 detriment Leader 80 Three skills/one mutation; one detriment Elite 45 Two skills; one detriment Elite 48 Psychic and Psychic Battery; one detriment One skill and Cannibal Ambush; no detriments or Elite 45 physical mutations Rank and 20 None File Rank and 15 One detriment and Rag-Tag ability File Rank and May take a Giant Rat, Rad Roach, Trog, Razor RatVaries File tler, or Wastewolf Specialist 45 Big, Rotted Mind, and Dumb; Huge ability Specialist 27 One mutation; one detriment Specialist Specialist
30 35
Brute and Fearsome Reputation and Up-Armed and one skill; one detriment
Leaders Mama Mama is the stern yet nurturing matriarch of her twisted clan. She indulges her evil brood as only a mother can and protects them to her last breath, despite the havoc they may wreak. Not a planner by any means, Mama lets her offspring run wild and only becomes involved when the family is threatened by outsiders. In the presence of interlopers, Mama’s rage is born of a mother’s desperaon to protect her young. Likewise, in her presence her children became inspired and will go to great lengths to both defend and impress Mama. As suits the perverse nature of the family dynamic, Mama may have any number of suitors and mates. These may be of an incestuous nature, further corrupng the bloodline, or be taken from capves. Feuds and fights within the family for Mama’s affecon are common and she is loath to intercede. Such acvies fla&er her and keep the family strong. Name Mama
Type Mutant
Defense 6
Wounds OO
Stats Move 5
Melee 6
Ranged 6
Strength 6
Accessible Skillsets
All, except Smarts.
Special Abilities
May choose up to two skills; may swap out one skill for a mutation. May start with up to one detriment. Revered Mother – all Youngers, Degenerates, and Foundlings gain the Confident skill if within if within 6 inches and have line of sight to Mama.
Barter Cost
80
Pa Where Mama loves her children in her own fashion, Pa is a vile creature that cares only for his own wants and needs. Cruel and capricious, Pa will lead his kin on raids for vicms and spoils and has no compuncon on sacrificing his children if the need arises This has caused several cannibal clans to have only a single patriarch or matriarch, the other long since killed and eaten over disagreements regarding the fate of the clan’s children. Families with only a Pa leading them will develop a parcular level of cruelty as the malevolence of the father infects his children and drives their perverse behavior. In the absence of a mother figure, it is best le/ unsaid on how these types both treat their vicms and expands their numbers. 3
Mettle 7
Name Pa Move 5
Type Mutant
Defense 6 Stats Ranged 6
Melee 6
Wounds OO
Strength 6
Mettle 7
Accessible Skillsets
All.
Special Abilities
May choose up to three skills; may swap out one skill for a mutation. May start with up to one detriment.
Barter Cost
80
Elites First-Born Every family has their favorites and the First-Born are the most beloved children of Mama and Pa. As the inial offspring of the cannibal brood, the First -Born maintain powerful posions in the family hierarchy. The younger children submit to them and will fulfill any desire the First-Born may have, either for food, labor, or worse. On wasteland raids the First-Born will act as leaders of their lessers and will also get first pick of spoils and vicms, a/er Mama or Pa of course. In less degenerate clans, the First-Born may even have affecon for their Youngers and treat them with some respect. In their generosity they may cajole and threaten the younger children instead of simply killing and eang them. Such kindness is short-lived though as mercy and kindness in all cannibal families is viewed as a weakness and the FirstBorn may have to fend of a&acks from emboldened rivals. Name First-Born Move 5
4
Type Mutant Melee 5
Defense 6 Stats Ranged 5
Wounds O
Strength 5
Mettle 6
Accessible Skillsets
Leadership, Melee, Marksmanship, and Survival
Special Abilities
May choose up to two skills. May start with one detriment.
Barter Cost
45
Petunia Petunia is not like the other cannibals. She is an inhuman monster on the inside, but on the outside she is quite lovely; beauful actually. Free of the blemishes of her kin, Petunia uses her looks and savvy to visit se&lements and outposts to lure vicms into cannibal ambushes. She also fences the loot of their vicms and buys whatever necessies the clan cannot make or steal. Petunia enjoys a special posion in the family and she knows and flaunts it. She is Pa’s favorite and she can get away with murder, literally! Among her other kin, she is sll quite popular and it is unusual for others to cross her. Being cut off from supplies or risking Pa’s wrath is not worth it. Mama, on the other hand, is jealous of the a&enon Petunia receives, and is openly hosle to her. Petunia knows just to give the matriarch a wide berth. Name Petunia*
Type Mutant
Defense 6
Wounds O
Stats Move 5
Melee 5
Accessible Skillsets
Ranged 5
Strength 5
Mettle 6
Agility, Marksmanship, and Smarts May choose up to one skill or mutation. May not willingly take any detriments or physical mutations.
Special Abilities
Cannibal Ambush – At the beginning of each game, the opposing player must roll a D10. On a 5 or lower nothing happens and the game continues as normal. On a 6 or higher the warband has been ambushed and the player must choose three models, one of which must be Elite. These models are not set up with the rest of the warband and instead come on from the player’s board edge during the Clean-Up Phase of Turn 3. They will activate normally during the next turn.
Barter Cost
45
*Restricted: A warband may only ever have one Petunia.
Gran-Gran Long since lost to senility and insanity, Gran-Gran has a tenuous grasp on reality, but despite this she remains a force in the family due to her strong psychic ability. Her relaon to Mama and Pa is assumed to be of parent and child, but her unknown age leaves this in doubt. As with Mama, Gran-Gran loves her family to a fault and will commit deplorable acts to keep them safe. Beyond being protector of the clan, she also acts as counselor, though her mutaon has le/ her quite unhinged and her advice is o/en twisted in riddles and meaningless symbolism. When le/ to her own devices Gran-Gran will wander about the clan’s holdings seeming at random or will sit in one place and interact with objects only she can see.
5
Name Gran-Gran Move 5
Type Mutant
Defense 6 Stats Ranged 5
Melee 4
Wounds O
Strength 5
Mettle 6
Accessible Skillsets
Marksmanship, Smarts, and Tenacity
Special Abilities
Starts with the Psychic and Psychic Battery mutations. May start with one detriment.
Barter Cost
48
Rank and Files Younger Youngers are the lesser children of the clan, a horrible mixture of brothers, sisters, cousins, and other incestuous relaonships. There is a pecking order based on order of birth, but only strength and the capacity for violence, truly ma&er to the Youngers. Many youngers are the true born children of Mama, but others may be offspring of the First-Born or capves, or may even be children stolen from se&lements. Regardless, they are more of a mass of unwashed mutants, than a true family.
Name
Type
Defense
Wounds
Younger
Mutant
6
O
Stats
6
Move
Melee
Ranged
Strength
Mettle
5
4
4
5
5
Accessible Skillsets
Melee, Ranged, and Survival
Special Abilities
None
Barter Cost
20
Degenerate The inbreeding of the cannibals causes many horrifying effects among the children of the clan. The worst of these are the degenerates who are born with terrible malformaons and other debilitang mutaons. These deformies may include twisted, excess, or missing limbs, blindness, hunched backs, scaly skin, painful boils, etc. Degenerates are at the bo&om of the family pecking order and even the Youngers push them around. In ba&le, the degenerates are pushed forwarded and used as shock troops by the family. Out of all of Mama’s beloved children, they are considered the most expendable.
Name Degenerate
Type Mutant
Defense 6
Wounds O
Stats Move 5
Melee 4
Ranged 4
Strength 5
Mettle 5
Accessible Skillsets
Melee, Survival, and Tenacity
Special Abilities
Must start with one detriment and has the Rag-Tag general ability
Barter Cost
15
Cri&er The territory of the cannibal clans a&racts many of the wasteland’s more loathsome creatures. The area will o/en contain half-eaten carcasses, trash, and other refuse from the various family raids, which creates the perfect breeding ground for wasteland scavengers. Some members of the clan seem to have an affinity for these creatures and they will make them pets of a sort and will even take them on raids. In the case absence of more refined cuisine, the cannibals are not above eang their erstwhile pets. Cri&ers do not have stats listed here. Instead, the player may choose to field a Giant Rat (17 BS), Rad Roach (15 BS), Trog (20 BS), Razor Ra&ler (23 BS), or Wastewolf (20 BS), using the stats and opons presented in the Creatures of the Wastes secon of the TNT main rules. Barter Scrip cost for each creature in indicated in parenthesis. A warband may not have more Cri&ers than Youngers.
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Specialists Tiny Inevitably the child-minded Tiny is one of Mama’s favorite children and in fact is quite popular with most other members of the family as well. Tiny is not a name for a parcular child, but is parlance for any member of the family who is huge, dumb, and has the mental capacity of an over-eager toddler. Standing at least 7 feet tall and made of not much else but muscle, Tiny cares li&le for the polics of the family and is willing to smash skulls with his bare hands to whoever is nice to him or offers him food. Tiny knows only his family’s love and sees no moral quandary with their despicable acts. In fact to the family, Tiny’s only fault is his dimwi&ed nature and easy distracbility. When on raids a family member must stay close to Tiny and remind him which vicms need to be pulped. Name
Type
Defense
Wounds
Tiny
Mutant
7
OO
Stats Move
Melee
Ranged
Strength
Mettle
5
6
3
6
5
Accessible Skillsets
Brawn, Melee, and Tenacity
Special Abilities
Starts with the Big mutation*, the Rotted Mind detriment, and the Dumb general ability. This model may have the Huge general ability for 25 BS.
Barter Cost
45
Foundling Not all members of the cannibal are the progeny of Mama, Pa, or any other family member. Somemes infants and young children are brought in from the outside and inducted into the clan’s ways. This can include captured humans and mutants from raids, but the most important are those that are found. Many se&lements kill mutants outright and mutants born to these communies are le/ to die of exposure outside the se&lement walls. When possible these foundlings are rescued by the cannibals and are raised with the other children. Unlike most other mutant cannibals, the foundlings possess actually useful mutaons and are set above most other children. Knowing they have been abandoned by the outside world, foundlings embrace their new heritage and grow to accept the ways of the cannibal.
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Name Foundling
Type Mutant
Defense 6
Wounds O
Stats Move 5
Melee 4
Ranged 4
Strength 5
Mettle 5
Accessible Skillsets
Melee, Marksmanship, and Survival
Special Abilities
Starts with one mutation. May start with one detriment.
Barter Cost
27
Blood Brother All members of a cannibal family are twisted and malevolent creatures, but the blood brother is a breed apart. Caring li&le for inter-family bickering, the blood brother sets himself above such pe&y squabbles and only cares for inflicng pain and torture on his vicms. Blood brothers o/en wear flayed skins or other grisly trophies and when not on family raids can be found torturing anyone they can get ahold of, whether a capve or even a unlucky sibling. When raiding in the wasteland, they wield vicious weapons such a power tools, chainsaws, and large cleavers; the be&er to mulate their opponents. Needless to say, as they stride forward awash in blood and gore it takes a brave wastelander to challenge them in melee. Name Blood Brother Move 6
Type Mutant Melee 6
Defense 7 Stats Ranged 2
Wounds O
Strength 5
Mettle 5
Accessible Skillsets
Brawn, Melee, Tenacity
Special Abilities
Starts with the Brute and Fearsome Reputation skills.
Barter Cost
30
*If the warband is led by Pa, up to two Blood Brothers may be taken as Rank and File choices.
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Elder As a cannibal clan ages the younger generaons come to prominence, either by eang the older family members or pushing them aside. Many elders, such as Mama, Pa, and Gran-Gran maintain their powerful status, but others are not so lucky. These elders ability to survive decades of family infighng has made them parcularly experienced and conniving. Their limited power, however, does not come from their long history, as cannibals only respect strength, but from their collecon of prizes and trophies taken from raids. The most valuable pieces of these hodgepodge collecons are heavy weaponry or powerful relics and the family elders are not shy about using them to keep from being eaten by those who think them weak. Gramps Elder Move 5
Type Mutant Melee 4
Defense 6 Stats Ranged 4
Wounds O
Strength 5
Mettle 5
Accessible Skillsets
Marksmanship, Smarts and Survival
Special Abilities
Starts with the Up-Armed general ability and may choose one other skill. May take one detriment.
Barter Cost
35
Sample Facon “We are what we are; the Good Lord does not make mistakes. We are His punishment for the hubris of the Last Americans and we will consume the flesh of their wayward children. Some call us cannibals, but truly we are devils beyond good and evil. For us flesh is salvaon and blood is redempon. All other sustenance is but dust.” ---Hezekiah Wormwood In the Tri-State Wasteland, the Wormwood clan is a byword for terror. Operang out of a series of caves near the border with the Highlands, the Wormwoods have waylaid small caravans and solitary travelers for years. Several purges by various peacekeeper organizaons have resulted in the deaths of many of the cannibals, yet their numbers never seem to dwindle. The clan has remarkable staying power and this is due in no small part to the strength of Hezekiah Wormwood., the patriarch of the clan. A religious zealot, Hezekiah rules his family through sheer terror and ruthlessly culls any who queson his ways or authority. The start of the clan has been lost to me, and the woman who started the cannibal family with Hezekiah is unknown, but no female member of the clan is ever said to last long once chosen to be a consort of the patriarch. Luckily for the clan, Hezekiah preaches a parcular lusty form of religion and birthings in the family are extremely high. Besides the rapid reproducon of the faithful, Hezekiah also teaches that cannibalism is the purest form of worship and only by eang the flesh of the living will the wasteland be fruiLul again. 10
Copyright © 2013 Joseph McGuire
Miniature Acknowledgements
All recognized miniatures featured in this free supplement are from the below companies. We encourage you to visit their websites and give them your patronage. The miniatures from Frothers UK were part of a sculp ng compe on and sadly are no longer available. We do encourage you visit their fine forum. Mega Miniatures – h#p://www.megaminis.com/ Ramshackle Games – h#p://www.ramshacklegames.co.uk/ Wargames Foundry – h#p://wargamesfoundry.com/ Warlord Games – h#p://www.warlordgames.com/ West Wind Produc ons – h#p://www.westwindproduc ons.co.uk/catalog/index.php
This Is Not a Test and all wri#en material enclosed herein is © 2013 Joseph McGuire and World’s End Publishing. All featured miniatures are the intellectual property of their originators and no challenge is made to their ownership.
