Necromunda: Adeptus Arbites: Battles in the Underhive

The rtdeptg",ls AnbFte$frre aEsoknewn as lmperiat JudEes, or eommonfy arnong the inF:sbEtants *f &Jeer*ntusr"lde as Judges. Every hive on Necromunda is divided into preeBnets, eaahwith its swn f*rtified ecurthousear:d a substantialnumber of Judges. Neerornundais a vEtalplanet tG the lmperiurn"but population pressuresmean that it is in esRster:tdfrrig*r of devaFvFng into anarehy and eivi! war. The Judges maintain a csns€antvEgilanee fon sEgns*f disleyafg and subversienfrom Spireto Underhive.Their dury is tc uphtcldthe faw sf Ehelmrperiumand they are not subjectto Lord Hefrnawr's euth*rify, ir':deed,he is the subject CIf their closest scrutiny" The lmperium is an *rganisa€ienwhere rebeltien and defianeeof the lnrperialwilf are classedas crimes againsEP?urfifinify. The Judgesare the grim and uncompromisingreminderof the Imperium's presenceon Necromunda.They cannotbe bought off, threatened, comrpted or negotiated with. Indeed,the AdeptusArbites goesto greatlengthsto ensure that those recruited into their ranks do not serve on their own home worlds nor anywherewithin a dozenlight years of home. They do not communicatewith the citizenry unless absolutelynecessaryand only leave their precinct courtson official business. Apart from the Judges,thereis no single,all-encompassing official planetarylaw enforcementagencyon Necromunda. The peace is kept by the Houses within their own territories.Certain kinds of lawlessnesssuch as incessant feuding is toleratedby the Houses,but other crimes are dealt with by the Houses themselves.In the Underhive gangsrelated to the House which has been offendedwill deal with the offenders. The Judges are present on Necromundato enforce Imperial laws which are to be upheldthroughoutthe Imperium, ratherthan the local laws of Necromunda. The most imporlant work for the Judgeson Necromunda include hunting for certain drugs and archeotechdevices which are under Imperial mandate,rounding up psykers and subversivesintent on stirring up rebellion againstthe Imperium, escorting important Imperial officials and assistingthe Imperial House in maintaining order u'hen required. Individual Arbitrators, particularly grizzled veteranswhich have beenhardenedby yearsof dispensing justice, act as law enforcerswithin somesettlementsin the Underhive.These are tough, no nonsensecharacterswho commandthe local Watchmenand direct freelancebounty hunters in the constant battle against outlaws and

ARB|TES PAilROL TEAM . . . . e00credits Proctor Judge

4443314r8 4333313r1

SQUAD:

An Arbites Pafrol Teamconsistsof four Judgesand one Proctor.

WEAPONS:

The Proctorand the Judgesare armedwith bolt pistols and Choke grenades.

ARMOUR:

Carapacearmour (4+ save).The carapaceannour includes a helmet

photovisorand witha respirator, infra goggles.The Arbites do not suffer any Initiative modifiers for wearing carapaceannour as theY havebeentrainedin its use since childhood. WARGEAR:

Up to one Judgemay be equiPPed with a grenadelauncherfor 130 credils.

Outlanders. They also monitor local loyalties and the activities of the Merchantguild to ensurethat the Imperial codes of law are maintained even on the frontiers of anarchy. Other than individual Arbitrators the two most commonly encounteredArbites tactical units on Necromundaare the Arbites Patrol squadsand the Arbites Shocktroopsquads. Patrol squads are the standard law enforcementteams which can be seenpatrolling hive levels around Imperial establishmentsand important areas of the Underhive. Shocktroopscan be called in to quell seriousdisturbances, such as mob riots, or to suppressunruly gangsand poorly equippedDeviant Scum.

"Hive citics arc little morc than unlit bolfircs. Thcy to burn." need ooly the sparksof lawlcssncss fudgcTraggat, Vol II. ChaptcrIX SclectcdSayings,

Any model in the squadmay be equippedwith a boltgun for 35 creditseach,or an Arbites combat shotgunfor 30 creditseach.

The following grenadesmay be bought for the grenadelauncher: Frag grcnades . . . . 30credits Krak genades . . . . 50 credits The Judge's Choke grenadesmay be used with the grenadelauncher. SKILLS:

The whole Patrol team has the Nerves of Steel, True Grit arldIron Will skills. Due to their fearsome reputation all membersof the patrol squad causefear in Gangers andtenor in Juves.

AMMO:

The weaponsand equipment of the Arbites are better maintained than those available to the population of the hive city. Consequentlythe Adeptus Arbites never need to makeAmmo rolls.

ARBITESSHOCK TROOPS TEAM Proctor Shocktroop

. . . . 1,100 credirs

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SQUAD:

An Arbites Shocktroopteam consists offour Shocktroopsand one Proctor.

WARGEAR: Any memberof the squadmay be

WEAPONS:

The Proctorand the Shocktroopsare armedwith a power maul, suppression shield and Choke grenades.

SKILLS:

The whole Shocktroopteamhas the Nerves of Steel, True Grit atd lron Wil/ skills. Due to their fearsome reputationall membersof the Shocktroopteamcause/earin Gangersandterror in Juves.

AMMO:

The weaponsand equipmentof the Arbites arebettermaintainedthan thoseavailableto the populationof the hive city. Consequentlythe AdeptusArbites neverneedto make Ammo rolls.

ARMOUR:

Carapacearmour (4+ save).The carapacearmourincludesa helmet with a respirator,photo visor and infra goggles.The Arbites do not suffer any Initiativemodifiersfor wearing ca.rapace armouras they havebeen trainedin its use sincechildhood.

equippedwith Scaregrenadesfor 20 creditsper model.

ndEUEf ulf€APGEH:F*€ffiAffiffigr€s €*ffi#AT The Arbites combat shotgun is a simple shotgun with a number of adaptions which allow it to fire a special ammunitiontype availableonly to the AdeptusArbites. In addition to the standardsolid and scatterrounds fired by ordinary shotgunsthe AdeptusArbites labs havedeveloped the "Executioner" adamantium-tippedarmour piercing round to seek out and destroy the toughesttargets.This sophisticatedshell has a tiny robot brain which locks onto the target's energy pattern and seeksit out with unering accuracy.This variety of ammunition types makes the Arbites combatshotguna uniquely flexible weapon.

SFECIAL ffUg-ES Solid shells have a strength of 4. Scatter shells have a strengthof only 3 but also have a 1" radius blast marker. Executioner rounds have a strength of 4 and -2 save modifier.

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Because it locks onto a target's energy signature the Executioner shell may even be fired at hidden targets providing they have already been detected.The Executioner round is unusualin that it receivesa +1 to hit modifier at long rangeanda -1 to hit modifier at short range. This is becausethe shell's tiny brain cannot lock onto its target until it has travelled severalmetres.

Arbites Combat Shotgun profite Short

Long Range

To Hit Short Long

Str

Dam

Solid

O-4

4-18

4

1

Scatter

0-4

4-18

3

I

Executioner

0-4

4-18

4

1

Save

Ammo

-2

4+ 4+ 6+

Speciaf I " blast, lgnorescover Seemain rules

modelsyou have available.Any scenarioin which a gang goes againstImperial law or causesunrest in the hive is perfectfor Arbites. An attackon a MerchantGuild, a huge riot, or even an attemptto steal a spaceship and escape from the hive are all eventsin which the AdeptusArbites would take a pafi.

ARBITESEXPERIENCE The hive is divided into precinctseachwith its own court house and large numbersof Arbites. Each courthouseis responsiblefor patrolling and enforcingImperial law in its area.If you are using AdeptusArbites teamsregularly in your gamesyou could use an Experiencepoint systemto give characterto the local team that patrols your gang's tenitory. Arbites Patrol and Shocktroopteamsare not meant to be usedas gangs.Giving Arbites Experiencepoints is mainly meantto spiceup campaignsand give the teamsa bit more character.Costs have been included so players can calculatethe gang rating of their Arbites teams.This will hopefully ensurethat one five-man Arbites team will not face a huge gang armedto the teeth. The tablebelow showsthe startingexperiencefor members of Patrol and Shocktroopteamsand the skills availableto them. Initial ExPeriencePoints

Type of Fighter

60+1D6 20+lD6 20+lD6

Proctor Judge ShocKroop

FXTRA ESUIPMENT TheAdeptusArbites areequippedto dealwith any situation that demandstheir attention.Each courthousehas a large annoury that includesequipmentavailablein the hive and some from other Imperial worlds. If the Arbites are performing a specialmission, then they will be equipped with any relevant equipment.If, for example,the Arbites were attempting a rescue then all their weapons would comewith silencersandthey would take somescreamersas well. What extraequipmentand how much the Arbites take is up to players to decide. It is tempting to give them everything,even a Mung Vaseeach,but they should only carry items that will be specificallyuseful in their mission.

SCENARIO IDEAS AdeptusArbites teamsuphold Imperial law and keep the peacein the hive. Minor fights aregenerallyignoredby the Arbites so they will pay little attentionto the skirmishesof rival gangs. The Arbitrator scenariosin Outlanders are particularlysuitedto Arbites teams,especiallytheStorming the Barricadesscenario. It is always a good idea to createyour own scenarioto use Arbites teamsin so you can create a story line to fit the

AdeptusArbites usethe standardadvancementtable in the NecromundaSourcebook.

SKILLTYPESAVAILABLE Skill type:

Proctor

Agility Combat Ferocity Muscle Shooting Stealth Techno

* * * * * *

Judge

Shocktroop

*

* * *

* *

LOSS OF FIGHTERS If any Arbites are killed in combatthen the squadwill be reinforced by the garrison of the courthouse.Before the next battle the deadfighter is replacedand the replacement starts with the initial profile, weapoffy and experience points for a fighter of his type, (Proctor, Judge or Shocktroop).

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