Ash Waste Nomads
The surface of the world has long been utterly ruined by pollution; what remains are shifting dunes of industrial waste, decomposed particulate, carbonized cinders, rivers and lakes of turgid sludge and effluvium, constantly shifting industrial detritus, sporadically deluged by acidic precipitation dropped infrequently from opaque and leaden clouds of smog.
But despite this hellishness, dotted here and there across this inhospitable wasteland are small outposts of desperate and merciless survivors. Shanty-folk, sludge-farmers, mutants and abhumans, and others even less easily identifiable. Those forsaken lands are home to anarchy at its most pure, and the Darwinian right of the stronger to prey on the weaker is the only authority.
One of the more numerous recognizable groups of wastelings and fringers are the so-called Ash Waste Nomads, descendents of a fallen faction of Noble House Cattalus, doomed to the wastes millenia ago by their victorious former brethren. Cast out of the rich upper reaches of the spires and forced to survive on the grim and unforgiving surface of the death world, most of the outcasts died. Those who remain are the descendents of the ones who refused to give in to extinction. Generations of winnowing have ensured that those who wander the wastes today are apex survivors.
Today these descendents of fallen Cattalus exist as tribal groups, usually as rootless and wandering as the catch all term "Ash Waste Nomads" would imply, but not entirely. Some small semi-permanent encampments of their peoples exist here and there, stable for a generation or three at a time before disaster or strife scatters them once more to wander the wastes anew.
There are some small courtesies observed among Ash Waste Nomad tribes who still cling to the half-forgotten ancient lore of their shared origin, tales of their ancestors as lords among lords up high in the spires, and sometimes a few Ash Waste Nomad tribes will unite under the banner of a particularly powerful or charismatic chief. But while Ash Waste Nomads of different tribes generally wont kill or enslave one another on sight and might offer some small hospitalities to one another, by and large each tribe is its own sovereign entity with no central authority or unifying principle.
Generally speaking, Ash Waste Nomads remain in the wastes and are uninvolved in spire or underhive drama. However, sometimes daring or desperate nomad bands will detonate a hole in the side of a spire and go for a wild spree of violence and robbery, reaving commodities, food, tech, slaves, anything at all of value in the unimaginably hostile barrens they call home. Some of them even make a speciality of it.
And sometimes the Guilders (or even a Noble House) become sufficiently incensed by depredations upon caravans and interspire transports to post bounties on nomad scalps, causing assorted hive scum and the occasional underhive gang to pour out into the wastes looking for heads to collect. Most are unprepared for the hostility of the environment and die ingloriously in the toxic outland. Either way, outlander nomads and underhive gangs are natural enemies.
Gang Composition
An Ash Waste Nomads gang must follow these rules when it is founded, and when new fighters are added to the gang.
Fighters
A starting Ash Waste Nomad gang is made up of the following types of fighters.
200 credits
A Nomad Immortan is the meanest, most formidable, and most charismatic member of an Ash Waste Nomad tribe, ruling as much by force of personality as physical might. With the dedicated fervor of their followers bolstering them, an Immortan can be quite terrifying and is not to be trifled with.
125 credits
Nomad Imperators serve the will of their Immortan...right up until they decide to strike out on their own, or make their own bid for power and attempt to usurp leadership.
75 credits
Nearly every Ash Waste Nomad gang seems to have at least one oversized thuggish young tribe member, prized for their size and strength. Most just end up making conveniently large targets to be shot at, but a few survive and rise in power and influence to become an Imperator some day.
75 credits
Some Ash Waste Nomad gangs have one or two members who buck the usual stereotypes of their ilk, and have various interests and vocations that suit them to filling in some useful niche.
75 credits
Ash Waste Nomad gangs are primarily composed of crazed Warboys, eager to prove themselves even if only via a memorable death.
50 credits
Ash Waste Nomad tribes are made up mainly of run of the mill Tribesfolk, but to even survive at all in the Ash Wastes requires above average durability as the weak don't survive infancy. Though they'll never rise up as part of the leadership of their tribe, they can still do their part to further their tribe's survival.
Standard Hangers-on
100 credits
If a gang has an Ammojack, its weapons are regularly serviced and their ammo stocks are carefully maintained. As such, fighters from the gang can re-roll any Ammo checks that roll a natural 1. The Ammojack does not have to take part in the battle for the gang to receive this bonus, but if they are not available for the battle (for example if they are In Recovery or have been Captured), the bonus does not apply.
50 credits
If a gang has a Bullet Farmer who is not in Recovery or Captured, the gang's player may gain an Extra Ammo Wargear item and add it to the card of a fighter in the gang's Crew.
75 credits
If the gang is the attacker in a scenario that includes an objective to destroy, or trapped loot boxes to capture,
the Demolitionist may join the gang's Crew for that scenario.
150 credits
Spanners are able hands with their spudjackers, both for the dismantling of scrap and for knocking heads in. A Spanner who is not in Recovery or Captured may join their gang's Crew.
50 credits
If a gang has a Wastes Merchant who is not in Recovery or Captured, the Wastes Merchant may take the Seek Rare Item action or the Seek Buyer action even if the gang they belong to is ordinarily not allowed to visit the Trading Post.
Tactics Cards
An Ash Waste Nomads gang may select Tactics Cards from the
Ash Waste Nomads Tactics Cards
list by default, though campaign and / or scenario specific guidelines may modify this.
Campaign
An Ash Waste Nomads gang is available on a case by case basis depending upon the type of campaign. Consult the Arbitrator or campaign write up to determine if a player may run an Ash Waste Nomads gang and what restrictions, exceptions, or guidelines might apply.
If an Ash Waste Nomads gang is allowed in a type of campaign, in addition to any other campaign specific rules that may apply to them the following requirements and restrictions apply and must be adhered to.
Injury
The Injury rules are slightly modified for an Ash Waste Nomads gang.
Survivor Critical Injury Table
Roll a D6, then consult the table below with the total:
1-2
Grievous Injury: The fighter goes into Recovery.
3-5
Permanent Injury: The fighter goes into Recovery and suffers a permanent injury. Roll again on the Permanent Injury table.
6
Memorable Death: The fighter is killed instantly. If the injury was caused by an attack, the attacker gains an additional 1 XP.
Trading Post
In some campaigns, Ash Waste Nomads are not able to visit the Trading Post due to narrative reasons. However, in campaigns where they are able to visit the Trading Post an Ash Waste Nomads gang treats the rarity of all Rare items as being two (2) higher than the listed value.