The Necromunda Escher gang is getting new rules and models like Wyld Runners and Death Maidens thanks to the House of Blades faction expansion release.
Warhammer Community previewed some of the goodies on the way to the Escher gang found inside the House of Blades book. From two new units and loads of new rules, we’ve got a lot to talk about.
New Escher Wyld Runners & Death Maiden Rules
Starting with the Death Maidens, these are girls that have literally been resurrected into cold-hearted killing machines. So much so that they have poison blood.
Death-maidens are raised from the grave to deal retribution in the name of House Escher. In the game, they’re truly lethal fighters. To represent the sheer amount of chemicals in their system required to bring them back to life, they even have poisonous blood!
We all know how Eschers love their poison and as for the case of the Death Maidens, they’ll have some -2AP claws (which pretty much get through most armor in the game) and even get to reroll the D6 for the Toxin trait if they roll a natty 1. Whew that’s absolutely brutal.
On top of that potency, there are new gang tactics that allow your Death Maiden to be activated a second time. BARF.
A Look At Wyld Runners
These are young and reckless fighters, known as bold underhive explorers and beast wranglers. As up-and-coming prospects in the gang, they have a huge potential for growth and they only cost a handful of credits to recruit.
As for their statline, the biggest weakness to the Wyld Runners is S2. You’ll be wounding most things on 5’s in close combat. However, with a 4+ BS, you can probably make better use of the bow. They were mentioned as having different ammo types as well so maybe some more toxin shenanigans can be played with that. But we also got a look at the whip profile for the danger.
It’s got a long-range 3″ profile which is cool in some scenarios and has Entangle but it looks more like a utility weapon than anything else. One attack 0 AP and 1 dmg isn’t anything to freak out about.
Eschers Have Attack Lizard-Cat Things
As for the Wyld Runners pets, the Phelynx is this lizard cat thing that you can take in your games.
Each Wyld Runner can take up to three, meaning that you can easily outnumber enemy fighters. Plus no House Goliath fighter will ever get over the embarrassment of being beaten in a fight by a venomous cat! Although, with its debilitating bite, it’s a threat to ANY fighter.
50 Credits may seem like a lot but they were also mentioned as being venomous. So maybe swarming the board with more Toxin attacks may be worth it. Getting two attacks a piece with a potential 6 on each roll isn’t terrible if you bring enough of them.
Other Rules Coming to the Faction
As for some odd-ball rules that are coming to the rest of the faction, we’ve got ones like Combat Virtuoso.
There are six new skills, which can make your Gang Queens, Matriarchs, and Death-maidens even more dangerous. Like to keep your distance from other fighters in the underhive? Then the Combat Virtuoso skill is for you. With most Escher having Strength 3, this gives you some crucial separation from enemy gangers.
The Hobby Products & Tools We Swear By
Weaponized Alchemy
Some of the most exciting new rules are those for Chem-alchemy. These represent the strange concoctions that are brewed up by the clan’s Chymist Cults and they can give you a real edge in battle. First, you decide whether you’re creating a Stimm, some Toxic Ammo, or some Gaseous Ammo. Each has a range of different traits, and you get to select up to three to create your own Elixir.
Get ready to do some weird science because Escher players will be able to mix their own poisons for use on the battle. Some of those effects given are:
Of what’s been shown, you can make weaker fighters prone to being paralyzed. On the other hand, if you’re in the business of killing quickly, you can apply a Bleeding effect that has a DOT (damage over time) effect turning a marker into a guaranteed flesh wound later in the round. By the way things are worded, it looks like you can apply more than one marker to a model in a turn as well, converting them to a heaping amount of flesh wounds all at once.
Is This What the Gang Needed?
Eschers look to be coming in with that extra spice! From two new units and a heaping dose of new rules, things all seem real solid for the gang. Not only are the rules fluffy, but on paper, they look VERY potent.
After seeing some of these rules, is this what the Escher gang needed? Do they have a better edge over the other gangs now? Will you be running Wyld Runners or Death Maidens?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today! You can also support us on Patreon and get ad-free access to the site, plus a ton of minis that helps support some of the best creators out there!
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
