Version: Balance Patch Preview

Ash Wastes

The polluted hellscape beyond the great hive cities of necromunda are known as the Ash Wastes. These wastes stretch on for thousands of kilometers in ever direction, making up everything from sun-scorched dunes, glassy tundra of ancient wars to salty-bogged marshes of corpse starch remenant.

To live in such places is to live in a world that wants to kill you, that wants to choke you with noxious air, suffucate you with mud, or dessicate you beneath an uncaring sky.

To live in such places is to live in the saddle or on the road, because this land can hold no life except in service of killing you.

The fauna of these places are mostly massive arthropods, eager to devour any fool flesh-thing to set food outside it's nest.

To live in such places is to live a short, brutal life.

Life on the Road

Vehicles are not merely a suggestion in the Ash Wastes. Unless otherwise specified a campaign set in the Ash Wastes includes a 400 pt additional stipend that can be spent on:

Vehicles
Mounts
Fighters who cannot be purchased without a Mount

Where the ground itself will stab you, It will kill you if it's able

The Battlefield Surface is often considered Dangerous Terrain to any fighter who is not mounted.

Dangerous Terrain means that any model that starts or ends its activation in it must make an initiative check, on a failure they take 1 Flesh Wound

note this is a change from the book rules, and there is no effect on movement distance

The Battlefield Surface is any walkable surface that is not terrain or a vehicle, aka something that you couldn't pick up off the board. So for something like a ruin with an area of base around the edges - the edges are part of that model so would not count as Battlefield Surface.

The following table allows you to generate advanced terrain for the game. If you want a simpler game instead classify the battlefield floor as dangerous terrain.

D66 Roll	Result	Effect
11	Sand Traps	The Battlefield Surface is covered in shifting sand and counts as difficult terrain for vehicles. In addition, horrors lurk beneath the dunes; place an additional Beast's Lair on the battlefield after both crews have deployed.
12–14	Broken Ground	The Battlefield Surface is covered in cracks and small fissures and counts as difficult terrain for vehicles.
15–22	Open Ground	The Battlefield Surface is mostly hardpan and counts as open terrain.
23–25	Rocky Fields	The Battlefield Surface is littered with small rocks and stones and counts as difficult terrain for vehicles. Fighters on the battlefield surface count as being in partial cover if they did not move in their last activation.
26	Sunken Ruins	The Battlefield Surface lies over ancient ruins and all models count the battlefield surface as dangerous terrain.
31	Ancient Roads	The Battlefield Surface is part of an ancient road network and counts as open terrain. Wheeled or tracked vehicles add 2" to their movement when travelling on the road.
32–34	Shifting Dunes	The Battlefield Surface is deep dunes of toxic dust and ash and counts as difficult terrain. Models that do not move during their activation suffer a Wound or lose a Hull Point as they begin to sink.
35–42	Rolling Ash	The Battlefield Surface is baked ash flats and counts as open terrain. Models that move more than 6" during their activation count as having partial cover until their next activation as they kick up clouds of ash. If using Sentries, this also Raises the Alarm.
43–45	High Dunes	The Battlefield Surface is atop volatile gas pockets. After a model activates, if it moved more than 6" or fired a weapon with Strength 5+, roll a D6. On a 4+, centre a 5" Blast marker on the model and deal S4, AP -, D1 hits to any models touched.
46	Burning Wastes	The Battlefield Surface is covered in flammable chems. When a model fires a weapon, roll a D6. On a 6, the model becomes subject to the Blaze condition.
51	Acid Plains	The Battlefield Surface is highly acidic. Any fighter not subject to the Mounted condition that ends their activation on it suffers an immediate S3, AP -, D1 hit.
52–54	Toxic River	The Battlefield Surface is the crust over a toxic river and counts as both difficult and dangerous terrain. Fighters and vehicles with Toughness 5+ apply a -1 modifier to Initiative or Handling tests to avoid triggering dangerous terrain.
55–62	Dead Seabed	The Battlefield Surface is an ancient dry seabed littered with salt flats and the bones of sea beasts. It counts as dangerous terrain. In addition, place a Beast's Lair marker on the battlefield.
63–65	Crystal Maze	The Battlefield Surface is part of a crystalline maze that dazes the senses. Models that move more than 6" during their activation must pass an Intelligence test or gain the Insane condition.
66	Sea of Glass	The Battlefield Surface is a reflective expanse of cracked glass. Weapons with the Blast trait increase Strength and Damage by 1. Vehicles that moved more than 6" in their previous activation must move at least 3" straight ahead when they activate.

Cloudy with a Chance of Hell Opening Up

Visibility rules are always in effect for an ash wastes battle, if not specified elsewhere it is Visibility (12'').

Manipulate Lumens has no effect on Ash Wastes Visibility.

Where Visibility is in effect, all weapons use their Long Range Accuracy modifier when making an attack, regardless of actual distance.

The following table can be used to generate more complex weather effects. If you want a more simple game just make it Visibiltiy (12'') and leave it at that.

D66 Roll	Result	Effect
11	Thermal Thunder	Roiling storm clouds mean Visibility (18") is in effect. Whenever a model activates, roll a D6 – on a 1 that model suffers a S5, AP -, D1 hit.
12–14	Soaring Temperatures	Shimmering curtains of heat mean Visibility (24") is in effect. Fighters without respirators treat the Move (Simple) action as a Basic action.
15–22	Yellow Skies	Clear(ish) yellow clouds hang over the battlefield. No effect.
23–25	Boiling Wind	Burning hot winds blow, kicking up ash and dust. Visibility (24") rule is in effect. Fighters with a 6+ armour save or no armour save take S2, AP -, D1 at the end of their activation.
26	Firestorm	Gouts of flame erupt as chemicals ignite. Visibility (18") is in effect. At the start of each round, each player places two 3" Blast markers anywhere and scatters them 3D6". Models that begin, end, or move across the markers must test for Blaze as if hit by a weapon.
31	Ash Cyclone	A giant ash cyclone races across the battlefield. Visibility (9") rule is in effect. Place a marker in the centre of the battlefield. At the start of each End phase, scatter it 3D6". Fighters starting or ending activation within 12" of the marker become Prone and Pinned.
32–34	Choking Gloom	Thickening atmosphere, Visibility (12") rule is in effect. Fighters without respirators treat Move (Simple) as a Basic action.
35–42	Ash Clouds	Thick ash clouds press down, Visibility (18") rule is in effect. No additional effects.
43–45	Caustic Winds	Acid rain lashes the battlefield, Visibility (12") rule is in effect. All hits increase AP by 1 (e.g., AP -1 → AP -2).
46	Great Storm	A great ash storm descends. Visibility (3") rule is in effect. At the beginning of each round, randomly determine a battlefield edge. Models moving toward it count each 1" as 2", away count 2" as 1". In the End phase, move all models D6" away from the edge.
51	Rust Storm	Shards of rusted metal pelt the battlefield. Visibility (18") rule is in effect. Fighters ending activation outside a vehicle or protective terrain must pass an Initiative test or become Prone and Pinned.
52–54	Perpetual Dark	Inky darkness descends. Visibility (3") rule is in effect for the duration of the battle. No additional effects.
55–62	Blinding Rays	Thin clouds allow sunlight through. Fighters ending activation outside a vehicle or enclosed structure must test as if hit by a weapon with the Flash trait.
63–65	A Year in a Day	At the start of each round, before rolling for Priority, the player with last round’s Priority rolls a D6. On 1–3, generate an effect from Season of Flame. On 4–6, generate an effect from Season of Ash.
66	Rad Storm	Radiation levels rise, turning the battlefield into a death trap. In the End phase, before Bottle checks, all fighters not in a vehicle or enclosed structure suffer a Flesh Wound.