In most regions of the Empire these fights are outlawed, but the culture itself remains a haven for ex-mercenaries, escaped convicts and itinerant conmen, and bribes to local officials ensures that this brutal sport continues unabated. There are as many different types of pit fight as there are venues, from small fistfights in an old barn or a back alley, to huge conflicts with many heavily armed combatants. There are vast amounts of money to be made by the illegal gambling cartels and on the sly by the merchant guilds from the pit fights. In the more lawless areas of the Empire, such as around the Cursed City, the pit fights are bigger, more widespread and far more lavish.

There are many different types of pit fighter: huge and brutish Ogres; frenzied, fearless Dwarf Troll Slayers and even those unfortunate humans who are sold as pit fighters have many different fighting styles. Each type of pit fighter is easily recognizable from his armor and weapons which are heavily stylized on the appearance of the Empire’s many foes. Close combat specialists wear heavy plates of armor across their shoulders, thick iron gauntlets and heavy greaves. They also wear heavy horned helms that caricature warriors of Chaos, helmets with fake tusks and leering faces akin to Orcs or skull-faced helmets that look like the Undead. The weapons these warriors carry are invariably heavy flails, gauntlets with razor-sharp iron claws like Ghouls and Orc choppas.

There are also specialist pit fighters called Pursuers that are based upon the expert light skirmish troops of other races such as Lizardmen Skinks or Witch Elves, and their weapons and armor reflect this. They wear very little armor besides a stylized helm and often carry two light swords, a spear and net or several javelins. Unlike the heavy pit fighters, these warriors wear their foes with hit and run attacks, using speed and agility over brute strength.

The most feared and respected type of pit fighter is the Pit King – a veteran fighter of many bouts, a heavily scarred killing machine with muscles like iron. Pit Kings are often dressed in heavy armor reminiscent of Empire heroes of old, adorned with a laurel wreath which is the symbol of his status. These dynamic warriors have access to many weapons, often favoring great axes and swords which they wield with consummate skill. The vast majority of fighters are slaves who work for the so-called ‘circuit’ and they have to go through rigorous training before they are let loose in the bloody world of the fighting pits as they are considered an expensive investment by their owners. They strive to survive long enough to earn their freedom by paying off their owners with a large cut of the winnings.

Most successful pit fighters live for the sport (and, of course, often die for it also!) because they know of little else. Enough pit fighters either earn their freedom or, as is more often the case, escape and form bands of fugitives on the run from their former owners. These bands of outcasts make ideal warbands for hire to those shady characters who wish to explore the ruins of Mordheim. The warriors in a pit fighter warband are very dangerous adversaries indeed even for the most rugged, experienced of mercenaries for they are entirely ruthless and offer no quarter. Pit fighters are especially adept at fighting in close quarters with little room to maneuver such as the cluttered streets and ruined houses of Mordheim and this makes them much-feared opponents amongst the denizens and warbands of the Cursed City.

Choice of Warriors:

• Pit King: Each Pit Fighter Warband must have one Pit King: no more, no less!
• Pit Fighter Troll Slayer: Your Warband may include a single Pit Fighter Troll Slayer.
• Pit Fighter Veterans: Your Warband may include up to two Pit Fighter Veterans.
• Ogre Pit Fighter: Your Warband may include a single Ogre Pit Fighter.
• Pursuers: Your Warband may include up to seven Pursuers.
• Pit Fighters: Your Warband may include any number of Pit Fighters.
  

Special Rules:

Starting Experience:

• Pit King starts with 20 experience.
• Pit Fighter Veterans start with 8 experience.
• Pit Fighter Troll Slayer starts with 8 experience.
• Henchmen start with 0 experience
  

Pit Fighters Skill Tables

• Pit King may choose from the Combat, Strength, Speed & Special Skills.
• Veteran may choose from the Combat, Strength, Speed & Special Skills.
• Troll Slayer may choose from the Combat, Strength & Special Skills.
  

Pit Fighters' Equipment List

Heroes

The Pit King is the leader of the warband. He is a very renowned warrior; a spectacular fighter used to pleasing the baying crowd with his martial display and bloody triumphs. He has managed to buy or free enough fellow pit fighters to start a warband of his own. He’s the smartest and toughest pit fighter around and will fight anybody who puts his position in danger. He is held in a mixture of awe and fear by his fellows and his loyalty to his men is undisputed.

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
4	4	3	4	4	1	4	2	8

Weapons/Armor: A Pit King may be equipped with weapons and armor chosen from the Pit Fighter Equipment list.

Special Rules:

• Leader: Any models in the Warband within 6" of the King may use his Leadership instead of their own.
• Pit Fighter: See Strength Skill section.
  

Troll Slayers are members of the morbid Dwarf cult obsessed with seeking an honorable death in combat. Having committed some unforgivable crime or been dishonored in some way, a Dwarf will forsake his home and wander off to die fighting the enemies of Dwarf kind. Troll Slayers are insanely dangerous individuals, psychopathic and violent. There are, however, few better fighters in the known world, so which place would be more fitting for them than the dangerous fighting pits then! Battling against the most hardened veterans and monsters in the Old World, it appears that they have truly found their vocation.

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
3	4	3	3	4	1	2	1	9

Weapons/Armor: A Troll Slayer may be equipped with weapons and armor chosen from the Ogre & Slayer Equipment list. Slayers may never carry or use missile weapons or any form of armor.

Special Rules:

• Pit Fighter: See Strength Skill section.
• Hard to Kill: Dwarfs are tough, resilient individuals who can only be taken Out Of Action on a roll of a 6 instead of 5-6 when rolling on the Injury chart. Treat a roll of 1-2 as Knocked Down, 3-5 as Stunned, and 6 as Out Of Action.
• Hard Head: Dwarfs ignores the special rules for maces, clubs, etc. They are not easy to knock out!
• Hate Orcs and Goblins: All Dwarfs hate Orcs and Goblins. See the psychology section of the Mordheim rules for details on the effects of Hatred.
• Grudgebearers: Dwarfs hold an ancient grudge against Elves from the days when the two races fought for the supremacy of the Old World. If the Pit Fighters ever hire any kind of Elven Hired Sword, he will leave the Warband immediately, he refuses to fight alongside these pansy Elves!
• Death Wish: Troll Slayers seek an honorable death in combat. They are completely immune to all psychology and never need to test if fighting alone.
  

Pit fighter veterans are experienced fighters who carry out the orders of the Pit King with ruthless efficiency. These men ensure that the warband is held together with iron-hard discipline and always keep a watchful eye on the Pit King’s back lest an over ambitious fellow pit fighter gets any ideas.

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
4	4	3	4	3	1	4	1	7

Weapons/Armor: A Pit Fighter Veteran may be equipped with weapons and armor chosen from the Pit Fighter Equipment list.

Special Rules:

• Pit Fighter: See Strength Skill section.

Ogres are large brutish creatures standing some ten feet tall, and all of it is bone and muscle. It is unsurprising then that they are one of the most brutal and feared of all pit fighters. These massive, savage fighters are often called upon to fight such fearsome beasts as captured Trolls in some of the most incredible bouts held at the pits.

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
6	3	2	4	4	3	3	2	7

Ogre Maximum Limits

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
6	5	4	6	6	4	5	4	7

Weapons/Armor: An Ogre Pit Fighter may be equipped with weapons and armor chosen from the Ogre & Slayer Equipment list.

Special Rules:

• Pit Fighter: See Strength Skill section.
• Fear: Ogre Pit Fighters are large, threatening creatures that cause Fear. See the Psychology section for details.
• Large: Ogre Pit Fighters are huge, lumbering creatures and therefore make tempting targets for archers. Any model may shoot at the Ogre Pit Fighter, even if he is not the closest target.
• Skills: An Ogre Pit Fighter who becomes a Hero as a result of The Lad’s Got Talent may choose from the Combat, Strength and Pit Fighter Special Skills.
• Slow Witted: Although Ogres are capable of earning experience and bettering themselves, they are not the smartest creatures. Ogres only gain advances at half the rate of everyone else (i.e., they must accrue twice as much experience as normal to get an advance).
  

Pit fighters are close combat specialists armed with a variety of weapons and armor. Usually they are fairly heavily armored and equipped with sword and shield, although sometimes they will be skilled in the use of two-handed weapons.

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
4	4	3	3	3	1	3	1	7

Weapons/Armor: A Pit Fighter may be equipped with weapons and armor chosen from the Pit Fighter Equipment list.

Special Rules:

• Pit Fighter: See Strength Skill section.
  

Pursuers are a special martial type of pit fighter often used for ‘warm-up fights’ before the main show. These men are usually lightly armed with spears, nets and javelins with which they wear their enemies in a hit and run style of warfare. This style of fighting dates back to ancient times in Tilea when gladiators, as they were known in the Tilean tongue, would fight in massive stone arenas to huge crowds of citizens baying for blood.

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
4	3	3	3	3	1	3	1	7

Weapons/Armor: A Pit Fighter Pursuer may be equipped with weapons and armor chosen from the Pit Fighter Pursuer.

Special Rules:

• Pit Fighter: See Strength Skill section.
• Evade: Pursuers are agile and athletic, well adept at avoiding the heavier Pit Fighters’ charges. When an enemy charges a Pursuer he may choose to try and evade. On a successful Initiative test it is considered a failed charge and the normal rules apply.
  

Hired Swords

Pit Fighters' Special Skills

• Pit Fighter: All Pit Fighters have the Pit Fighter skill as described in the Strength Skill List (+1 WS, +1 A when fighting in ruins, buildings and The Pit).
• Free the Slaves!: Pit Fighters hate all slavers. The Pit Fighters will never sell their captured opponents to the slavers.
• In the Pit! Pit Fighters who capture an opponent may decide to let him fight in the infamous fighting pits of Cutthroat’s Haven. The Pit Fighter warband may decide to send in one or more of their own fighters to fight the captive, if the Pit Fighter wins he gains +2 Experience, the warband gets all the captive’s armor and weapons +50gc, if the Pit Fighter loses then roll to see whether he is dead or injured as normal (ignore all following results: Robbed, Captured, Hardened, Sold to the Pits and Survives against the Odds), he will not lose his armor or weapons, the captive will get the 50gc and the +2 Experience when he wins. If the captive wins, the audience decides whether he gains his freedom. Roll a D6 on a 4+ the audience raise their thumbs and he is free. A 1-3 means he remains the Pit Fighters captive and may be fielded in the pits after future games.

Troll Slayer Special Skills List

• Ferocious Charge: The Slayer may double his attacks on the turn that he charges. He will suffer a -1 to hit penalty on that turn.
• Monster Slayer: The Slayer always wounds any opponent on a roll of 4+, regardless of Toughness, unless his own Strength (after all modifiers due to weapon bonuses, etc) would mean that a lower roll than this is needed.
• Berserker: The Slayer may add +1 to his close combat to hit rolls during the turn which he charges. (may not be used with Ferocious Charge).

Pit Fighter Weapons

1. Trident; Cost: 15 gold crowns; Availability: Rare 7 (Pit Fighters only)

The Trident as a Pit Fighter weapon originates in Tilea from the ancient days when gladiators, as the Tileans called them, would fight in the massive public arenas. This weapon is similar to a spear and has all of its advantages in length but it has three spear points, allowing an adept user to catch blades between them and turn them aside. Traditionally, the trident is a weapon that is combined with a net and used by a lightly armored Pit Fighter against the more heavily armed Swordsmen.

Weapon	Range	Strength
Trident	Close Combat	As User

Special Rules:

• Strike First
• Parry

2. Javelins; Cost: 10 gold crowns

Weapon	Range	Strength
Javelin	10"	As User

Special Rules:

• Thrown Weapon: Does not suffer from to hit penalties for moving and shooting. May not be used in Close Combat.

3. Spiked Gauntlet; See P148 of Mordheim rulebook.

Special Skills:

• Bulging Biceps: The Pit Fighter may ignore the entire ‘heavy’ weapons special rule penalty. The Strength bonus will now apply to all rounds in Close-Combat. So a Morning Star will give +1 Strength in all turns not only the first one.
• Force of Will: When the Pit Fighter loses his last wound and is taken Out-of-Action, he must roll a D6 equal or under his Toughness, each following round he has to roll again on his toughness but then with a -1 modifier for each subsequent round. If he succeeds he gets up and may continue to fight, when he gets taken Out-of-Action a second time he’ll be removed as normal.
• Arms Master: The Pit Fighter may now ignore all ‘difficult to use’ rules for all weapons. This enables him to combine certain types of weapons, he can combine a Morning Star with buckler, or even a Morning Star with a Morning Star.
• Body Slam: Instead of making a normal charge, the Pit Fighter may attempt to slam his opponent to the ground, he burrows his shoulder deep into his opponent’s stomach. Instead of making his normal attacks the Pit fighter may make a single attack resolved as following: +1Str, +1 to Hit, no weapon bonuses or abilities. Critical hit on a 5+.
• Grizzled Veteran: The Pit Fighter is used to fighting fearsome monsters and being cornered in the pit when there’s no escape. He has been close to death so many times that he has made his peace and the thought of death no longer bothers him. The Pit Fighter is immune to all psychology.