Skaven are a race of beastmen combining the natures of man and rat. They came into being amongst the ruins of the Old Slann civilisation, where giant rats were mutated by their exposure to a mighty source of raw magic, imbued with all the corrupting power of Chaos. This material is known as 'Warpstone' and, in its unrefined form, is very dangerous - prolonged exposure ot it producing severe mutations or death. The Skaven, however, not only have a high resistance to Warpstone, but actually gain energy from consuming it in a powdered, refined form.
Skaven strongholds are scattered beneath ancient ruins all over the Known World, from which a spider's web of tunnels and warrens connects them to the sewers and drains beneath living cities. The Skaven's legendary capital of Skavenblight is rumoured to be situated deep in the great and desolate marshes of northwestern Tilea. They worship a Chaos god known as The Horned Rat, whose high priests go by the name of the Thirteen Lords of Decay. The direct servants of these priests are an order of shamans called the Grey Seers, while the bulk of Skaven society is organised into clans, including the warlock-engineers of Clan Skryre, the assassins of Clan Eshin, the Plague Monks of Clan Pestilens, and slave-warpers of Clan Moulder. In addition, there are numerous Warlord Clans, most of which are little more than packs ruled over by the strongest individual. The warlord clans make up at least 75% of the Skaven population and form the bulk of any fighting force.
Skaven wear dark, ragged clothing over whatever assorted armour they possess. This is usually made from animal hides augmented with metal plates, studs, and tattered bits of mail scavenged from battlefields. Clan symbols are prominently displayed on clothing and shields and sometimes dyed or even branded into the fur. Favourite weapons are long knives with notched or serrated blades, sometimes mounted on poles, but they also employ a variety of hooked and entangling weapons.
Physique[]
Skaven take the form of giant rats in a twisted parody of human form, between 4 and 6 feet tall. Other details vary widely, as they are rooted in Chaos. Except for their ears and tail, they are covered in close-growing fur. Most are either brown or piebald, but some are black, white, or grey. White Skaven can be proficient sorcerors, while the rare grey Skaven are most likely to bear some form of Chaotic mutation.
Alignment[]
Special Rules[]
All Skaven have Night Vision to a range of 30 yards. The knives and bites of Skaven have a base 35% change of causing infected wounds. Some mutants have prehensile tails which can wield an additional weapon and 10% of all weapons are envenomed with a deleriant. Grey Seers and Clan Skryre are magicians of level 1-4 with 3D6 magic points at each level. They regain magic points only by consuming pieces of refined warpstone, which gives them D6 points.