Skip to content

Faction Specific Rules · Chapter 18

Orks Rules

Orks and Gretchin do not draw on the warp as other races do—they generate their own psychic energy. Each Ork and Gretchin creates a weak psychic field, and in the excitement of battle these fields merge into a communal surge of energy known as the Waaagh!

This field interferes with the powers of other races, making Orks and Gretchin difficult to affect with psychic attacks—and it can be focused by Weirdboyz into devastating psychic assaults.

Weirdboyz in Battle

Ork armies do not include Psykers—they have Weirdboyz instead. A Weirdboy focuses the Waaagh! itself and does not gather power from the Warp Flux; energy pours in from the excited Orks and Gretchin nearby.

Like other Psykers, a Weirdboy receives Psychic Power Cards when the game begins—one power per Mastery Level, drawn from the Ork Weirdboyz discipline.

The Dangers of Waaagh! Power

During the Psychic Phase the Ork player receives half as many Warp Cards as the Warp Flux rolled—energy raised by the Orks themselves rather than pulled from the warp.

Before any psychic powers are played, each Weirdboy must test to control the power of the Waaagh! The power absorbed is determined by the single highest source on the chart below—sources are never added together—plus the hand-to-hand combat modifier where it applies.

Waaagh! Power Chart

Models Within 12" of the Weirdboy

Waaagh! Power

Any number of Gretchin
1
Up to five Orks
2
Up to ten Orks
3
More than ten Orks, or Madboyz in any number
4
Hand-to-hand fighting anywhere on the field in the phase just gone
+2

A model Hiding or fleeing adds nothing to Waaagh! power. The +2 applies wherever on the field Orks, Gretchin or Madboyz fought in the Hand-to-Hand Combat Phase just gone.

To control the power, the Weirdboy rolls a D6 and adds their Mastery Level. Beat the absorbed Waaagh! power and the Weirdboy holds on; a total no higher than the Waaagh! power means control is lost, and the Weirdboy rolls on the 'Eadbangerz Chart below.

A Weirdboy more than 12" from any Ork or Gretchin—so long as no hand-to-hand fighting happened in the phase before—escapes the Waaagh! power entirely. Such a Weirdboy works no psychic power and takes no control test, though its Warp Cards remain good for Nullifying enemy attacks.

'Eadbangerz Chart (D6)

6
"Yuuurgh!"—the Weirdboy struggles to keep control, and some power leaks away in poltergeist knockings and drifting lights. One Warp Card of the Ork player's choice is discarded; the Weirdboy is otherwise unharmed and may use psychic powers normally.
5
"Fzzzzzzzzap!"—bolts of energy rocket from the Weirdboy's ears, nose, and mouth. The opposing player draws one Warp Card at random from the Ork player's hand and discards it; the Weirdboy is otherwise unharmed and may use psychic powers normally.
4
"My 'ead urts"—the power buzzing around the Weirdboy's head makes it too painful to concentrate. No psychic power can be worked this turn, though Warp Cards still serve to nullify enemy attacks.
3
"I've fergot!"—a passing brainstorm wipes one psychic power from the Weirdboy's mind for the rest of the game; the opposing player picks the power at random from the Weirdboy's hand. No psychic power can be worked this turn.
2
"I fink I'm gonna..."—the Weirdboy throws up a detonating gout of Waaagh! power and drops senseless. The head of any model in base-to-base contact explodes unless the model rolls a D6 equal to or less than its Toughness; head explosions kill regardless of armour saves and wounds. The Weirdboy is placed on its side and can do nothing until it wakes, of its own accord, when the next Psychic Phase begins.
1
'Eadbang!—the Weirdboy's head explodes, and the model is removed as a casualty. The head of any model within D6" also explodes unless the model rolls a D6 equal to or less than its Toughness; head explosions kill regardless of armour saves and wounds.

The Benefits of Waaagh! Power

To a Weirdboy, every Warp Card is as good as a Force Card. A power requiring three Force Cards could, for example, be played with two Force Cards and a Nullify card counted as the third. A Special Warp Card spent this way is discarded as an ordinary Force Card would be, staying spent for the rest of that Psychic Phase, cancelled power or not.

A Weirdboy who absorbs a Waaagh! power of 4 or more generates one extra Warp Card. The extra card is added to the Ork player's hand and may be used by any Weirdboy. The card arrives whether or not the Weirdboy kept control—though the 'Eadbangerz Chart may promptly take it back.

Orks generate their own psychic energy and are unlikely to draw the attention of daemons. Daemonic Attack played on a Weirdboy bites only on a D6 roll of 6—and even then the usual D6 escape from being dragged into the warp remains open.

The Nullify and Special Warp Cards that arrive with the Warp Flux stand for the natural resilience of Orks and Gretchin—their innate toughness, not the Weirdboy's conscious effort, is what turns psychic attack aside.

Weirdboy Warpheadz

Warpheadz are Weirdboyz whose minds have become saturated with Orky power through long survival—manic, overconfident, and drawn to the thick of the fighting. A Warphead follows all the normal Weirdboy rules, but its Mastery Level is 4 where an ordinary Weirdboy's is 2.

Warphead Minderz

Four Minderz escort every Warphead, keeping base contact at all times. The Minderz fight normally as well as restraining their charge.

Should all four Minderz be killed, the Warphead Runs towards the largest available group of Orks, seeking to bring the strongest source of Waaagh! power within 12". A Warphead without Minderz always works a psychic power chosen at random in the Psychic Phase, and the other Weirdboyz may only use their powers once the Warphead has done so. If there are not enough Warp Cards to play the randomly chosen power, there is no further effect, and other Weirdboyz may use their powers freely.

Madboyz

A Madboy within 2" of a Warphead may take Leadership Tests against the Warphead's Leadership of 8, although Madboyz cannot normally benefit from a character's higher Leadership.

First Turn and Missions

An Ork army's Strategy Rating of 3 governs its place in the set-up. For the first-turn roll, the rating is doubled to 6.

An Ork army never takes The Assassins or Witch Hunt.

Badrukk's Ripper Gun

Badrukk carries an Ogryn Ripper Gun, built into his armour, and fires it as he would any other weapon.

Carried by Kaptin Badrukk.

Battle Cannon Recoil

Each time the Battlecannon fires, Wazdakka and his bike are shoved D3" straight backwards, colliding with whatever model or obstacle stands in that path.

Carried by Wazdakka Gutzmek.

Charge Bonus

A Boarboy that Charges takes a +2 Combat Score Modifier in place of the +1 a charge ordinarily earns.

Carried by Cyboar, Warboar.

Cyboar Chemical Injection

Once in a game, at any time and in either player's turn, a Cyboar rider may use the injection. The model then adds D6+4" to its Movement and D4 to its Attacks until the turn ends. The extra Movement is not doubled when the model Charges or Runs.

Carried by Cyboar.

Gretchin Assistants

Gretchin Assistants and the character they attend are one unit, and must maintain Squad Coherency.

Carried by Gretchin Assistants.

Incredible Good Luck

Makari saves on a D6 roll of 2+ against any damage, whatever causes it, and no modifier ever applies to the roll.

Carried by Makari.

Leadership (Boarboyz)

Boarboyz carry a -1 Leadership penalty. Every test taken against that Leadership is made at the reduced value.

Carried by Cyboar, Warboar.

Mad!

A Madmob fastens on one obsession at a time and drops it without warning. Roll a D6 before the first turn and read the chart below; the madness it names governs the mob from then on.

Roll a D6 again as each of the mob's later turns opens. A score of 6 sends the mob to a fresh madness, found by rolling once more on the same chart, and any lower score leaves the present one standing. A mob that has been Broken draws a new madness the moment it Rallies.

Mad Chart (D6)

1
Every enemy unit causes Fear in the mob. Nothing else in Psychology reaches it, Terror included; no weapon frightens it, and a hit from shooting calls for no test.
2
The mob is subject to Stupidity and tests for it as each of its turns opens. Nothing else in Psychology reaches it.
3
The mob bears Hatred for every enemy on the table. Nothing else in Psychology reaches it.
4
The mob is subject to Frenzy. Nothing else in Psychology reaches it.
5
The mob gains Immunity to Psychology and Never Breaks, passing without a roll every Leadership Test put to it.
6
The mob is as result 5 above, and one characteristic rises by +1 besides. Roll a D6: 1 gives Move, 2 Weapon Skill, 3 Ballistic Skill, 4 Strength, 5 Toughness and 6 Attacks. The gain holds until the madness changes.

Carried by Mad Doc Grotsnik, Mad Mob, Mad Mob, Weirdboy Warphead Mob.

Madmob

Madboyz keep their own company and take the field as one Mob. No other Ork may lead them, and no other Ork's Leadership is ever used for their tests.

Carried by Mad Mob, Mad Mob.

Runtherdz

A Runtherd may serve as the Champion of a Gretchin mob or a Snotling herd, and takes charge of it under the rules for Leading Squads. No Ork of any other kind will accept the duty, reckoning it time thrown away.

Carried by Pulsa Rokkit, Runtherd, Runtherd, Runtherd Artillery, Smasha Gun, Splatta Kannon, Squig Katapult, Traktor Kannon, Zodgrod Wortsnagga.

Save (Boarboyz)

See Cavalry in General Rules.

Riding a boar improves the Armour Save by +2, rather than the +1 a Cavalry mount usually grants.

Carried by Cyboar, Warboar.

Snotlings

Each base in a Snotling herd holds several Snotlings but counts as one model. A wounded base still fights at full effect, and is removed once it has lost all its Wounds.

Carried by Snotling Herd.

Speed Freak

Wazdakka adds +2 to his Skid Turn roll. He also goes no slower than he went in the turn before unless he first passes a Speed Test, a D6 read on the chart below.

Speed Test Chart (D6)

1-3
Slows Down. Wazdakka reins himself in and drops to whatever speed the player wants.
4-5
Same Speed. Try as he might, he cannot bring himself to slow, and keeps the speed of the turn before.
6
Yaaaaaaargh! He opens the throttle instead, and the bike goes to its maximum speed.

Carried by Wazdakka Gutzmek.

Strategy (Nazdreg)

While Nazdreg commands the army, his player draws D3-1 more Strategy Cards than usual as the game begins.

Carried by Nazdreg Ug Urdgrub.

Transport (Wazdakka)

Wazdakka rides a Warbike of his own kustomising. Besides the twin Autocannons every Warbike mounts, it carries a Battlecannon that fires over his head and an Auto-Launcher whose load is Frag and Blind Grenades.

The Autocannons and the Battlecannon are linked and shoot at one target between them, though the Autocannons' Sustained Fire Dice may fall on models within 4" of it. The Battlecannon fires whether or not the Autocannons have jammed.

Carried by Wazdakka Gutzmek.

Waaagh! (Ghazghkull)

Once a game, at any moment and in either player's turn, Ghazghkull calls on Gork and Mork. Every Broken Ork unit Rallies on the spot. From then to the close of the following turn, no damage of any kind touches Ghazghkull, and every Ork, Ghazghkull among them, takes a Combat Score Modifier of +1.

Carried by Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka.

Weirdboy Minderz

Minderz escort a Weirdboy wherever it goes and stay in base contact with it throughout the battle. They hold the Psyker steady, stop it wandering off and shield it from harm, and may fight as ordinary models while they do so.

Once every Minder attending a Weirdboy has been killed, the Weirdboy makes for the closest table edge at its full Move. It quits the table there and plays no further part.

Carried by Weirdboy, Weirdboy.