My 25mm Battlenun Rundown

      Last update 31st December 2004

      Here is abit of a rundown I wrote on Battlenuns. I have a couple (4) from the Reaper range and use them in the Slayers and She-Wolves game, so I figured they needed a little background and motivation for the arena. I haven't seen the girls from Necromunda, but anyone called Sisters of Sigmar sound ok to me, though probably overstylised like most GW materials. The Bretonnian Sorceress was terrific, so maybe they got these girls right too.

      The three new gladiator schools (Battlenuns, Demons and Succubus) presented here are not traditional for the Slayers & She-Wolves game. However, I find it very easy it imagine these three schools engaged in gladiatorial combat. The Battlenuns and demons are meant to fight each other, the succubus may fight the Battlenuns or regular gladiators of any type.

      The Battlenun Gladiator School

      The Battlenuns are an affiliate of the Roman Vestal Virgins, and are entrusted with the protection of the sacred fire of Vesta, and the Virgins - Vesta's Patrician priestesses. They are the guardians of the Temple of Vesta, on the Via Sacra just below the Roman Forum, and also protect the smaller temples of Vesta across the Italian peninsular. While the Virgins tend the fire, the Battlenuns physically protect them from harm, which is almost always in the form of Demonic invasion, but may cover thieves or rioters. They also have roving schools who seek out Succubus schools so that the peaceful life of peasants can be maintained without the haunted dreams of the succubus/incubus.

      The Battlenuns as a society are ruled over by a board of women made up of the leaders of each Battlenun School. This board is called the 'Gynaikonomoi,' the head Matriarch known as the Virgo Vestalis Maximus.

      Each Battlenun school is lead by a Matriarch. She may or may not be involved in the arena combat, but if she dies, the school is dissolved if there are no other Matriarchs in the school. They are trained specifically to combat demons. They are only lightly armoured, fighting demons is more a battle of movement than trading blows. They do not use chariots or horses. As a gladiator type, treat Battlenuns as Murmillos but without a shield or helm. Instead of using a dagger, they start with a skill rank of 1 in whichever weapon they so choose. Mine have a skill in spear or sword, the matriarch using a giant axe.

      Battlenuns are never found in combat in the public arena. They are found in combat only in defence of their temple, or in the hiding places of the succubus and demon schools.

      • The Matriarch acts as the senior Lanista but can also be involved in the arena as a combatant
      • Battlenuns do not use animals in combat, so they do not have handlers, arena animals or Bestiarii to contend with
      • Armourers may be used as needed
      • Battlenuns do not use bed warmers
      • Battlenuns do not use bookies
      • Battlenuns do not use clowns, but they do use zealots. These being novices in training, heavy on cleavage and scripture. Their effects are the same as a clown
      • Battlenuns use drummers as per the rules
      • Battlenuns use chanting and incense burner girls. The smoke from the burners and the chanting interfere with demonic enemies only, the same way that drummers interfere with normal gladiators. Incense burners have no effect on any other opponent
      • Battlenuns do not use graffiti artists as such, their version instead preach in the churches and pass out holy bibles in the street
      • Battlenuns use a medicus as per the rules
      • Battlenuns use musicians as per the rules
      • Battlenuns do not use slave traders
      • Battlenuns use exhorcists. These add ons are only useable against demonic opponents. They enter an arena after a battle and kill unconscious demonic gladiators. Otherwise, unconscious demons will return to the demonic gladiator school given a months time. Normal slaves dressed as Charon are not capable of killing unconscious demons.

       

       

      The Demonic Gladiator School

      The Demonic school is found wherever it can take root in the community. It is their job in life to test human faith and create chaos and strife at every opportunity. They are unfortunately aided by intillectuals who think there is nothing better to do than change the world order yet again. They usually abide in cave like shrines, but may also live in corrupted temples or even innocent looking dwellings and libraries.

      Demons have a pecking order which is strictly maintained. Grievances are settled by the time honoured method of strength and willpower. Demons do not normally use humans or animals in their combat, the Lanista prefers to use any weaker demons it can force or coax into his service. This also includes imps who are small shifty creatures intent on hit and run tactics and bluster. Imps are relatively weak, but make up for this by being populous and at times winged. Imps have a weakness, if they stray within 5" of a fire of Vesta, they will become immobilised and entranced by the flames. This will usually only come about if the Imp is forced to retreat in combat within the mesmerising range of the fire.

      Demons 'killed' in combat do not die, but fall into a 28 day regeneration period called the Prothesis, in which the demon will slowly reform. Demons can only be truly killed by exhorcism.

      • The demons use a Lanista. He/she/it never engages in combat, they always send servants to do the fighting. There is never more than one Lanista in a demonic gladiator school, they would simply fight each other and split into sub groups
      • Demons do not use animals as such. Instead they use imps, with or without wings. Imps come in pairs and are only worth 1 Improvement Point rather than the usual arena animal 2. They do not use animal (imp) handlers as the Lanista couldn't care less whether they survived or not. Unconscious imps do not return after 30 days as demons do.
      • All the demons I have don't have armour on them, so I don't use armourers. Demons already have a high natural toughness
      • Demons do not have bed warmers as such. If they win a combat against Battlenuns, and there are unconscious or otherwise incapacitated nuns lying about, the demons take them before the slaves dressed as Charon can deal with them. They have a once only use of the Battlenun as though she were a bedwarmer
      • Demons use bookies as per the rules, IF they are attacking a temple of Vesta. If they are attacked in their lair by Battlenuns, bookies are not useable
      • Demons do not use clowns
      • Demons do not use drummers as such, but they may research sulphur, which enhances the demons so that the effects are the same as a drummer
      • Demons love graffiti artists
      • Demons do not have a medicus. The Lanista does not overly care if they die, and those that are unconscious cannot be killed except by exhorcism, so will return to the school at the end of a month
      • Demons hate music, they will never use musicians, and a musician in an opponents school also affect demons as though they were drummers. In a reverse of the musican rule, demons will never be spared in any combat at which a musician plays.
      • Demons do not use slave traders

       

      The Succubus Gladiator School

      The Succubus school can be found anywhere at all. They will dwell in whatever place they can find that will grant them daytime peace. From here they will spread out at night to infect the dreams of any innocent peasants and nobles they can lay their hands on. They are particularly averse to the priestesses of Vesta and their warriors the Battlenuns.

      Succubus are usually not gladiators, but being demonic, they can fight if they have the need. For their stats, use the Custom gladiator base and add a skill rank for whatever weapon they choose. Suitable prepared Succubus who have access to an armourer may be treated as Amazona, Galla or Thracians for stat purposes. Succubus schools may use slaves as gladiators.

      • Unlike other demonic schools, the Succubus may have as many Lanista as they like. The Lanista is known in Succubus terms as Hetairai
      • Succubus may use imps as arena animals as per the demonic school
      • Succubus may use armourers if they choose, but this is not common
      • Succubus do not use bedwarmers as such. If they win a combat against male gladiators, and there are unconscious or otherwise incapacitated men lying about, the succubus take them before the slaves dressed as Charon can deal with them. They have a once only use of the man as though he were a bedwarmer. Within succubus ranks they are known as koina
      • Succubus use bookies as per the rules
      • Succubus do use clowns
      • Succubus do not use drums, but instead use flute players known as Himations
      • Succubus do not have graffiti artists. Instead they have dreamweavers, who focus succubus/incubus activity within the arena's surrounds with the same affect as graffiti artists. Within Succubus ranks they are termed Flagrantes.
      • Succubus do not have a medicus
      • Succubus may use musicians, known in Succubus terms as Daughters of the Bacchae
      • Succubus may use slave traders who only have an effect on human slaves