Iron Sultanate
When the Infidels opened the thrice-cursed Gate to Jahannam, releasing Gog and Magog upon those who believe, it seemed that all was lost and Shaytan would emerge victorious over Dunya. But the Creator of the Universe came to the aid of the Faithful, and as had been written, the great Iron Wall of Dhu al-Qarnayn manifested itself in the lands ruled by the Sultan of Rûm. A call was sent to those who believe righteously and, over the coming decades, the migration of the Faithful took place across Europa, Asia and Africa. Millions perished on the road and at sea, for the Heretics and their Shaytan lords swarmed them as locusts swarm fields of ripe sesame, devouring them and building vile monuments from their limbs and heads, so they could not be buried as is decreed in the Holy texts. But once all those who survived the journey had come, the mighty Gates of al-Qarnayn were closed and the Great Sultanate of the Invincible Iron Wall of the Two Horns That Pierce the Sky was formed.
The assaults of the slaves of Jahannam against the Sultanate have never ceased since that day, and each day new martyrs are mourned as they defend the Wall and confront the heretics who have overcome its defences. But within the walls, the lost knowledge flourishes and from mosques of white marble and gold the muezzin call the faithful to pray for the success of the Sultan’s army as it struggles to protect their lands and defend the caravan trails that provide the Sultanate with vital trade goods.
The Iron Wall is the greatest defensive work in the world, a mighty bulwark festooned with the famed artillery of the Sultan. Azeb sharpshooters stand at ready, ever watchful for surprise attacks, and the elite Janissary regiments have barracks at set intervals near the wall so they can react to any attack at speed. During a more serious incursion a full muster of Azebs is called, the House of Wisdom unleashes its terrifying takwin creations upon the foe, and if the need is desperate, the Sultan himself comes forth and his Janissaries march with him to do battle, carrying their green flag before them.
Thus the protection of the Iron Wall has had an extensive influence on the Sultanate Way of war. The conscripted Azebs are experts at feigned flight and skirmish, while the loping Lions of Jabir harass the enemy’s flanks. All the while the superb artillery of the Sultan bombards the enemy as they make their tortuous journey across the battlefield littered with traps set by skilled Sappers. When they reach the ranks of the faithful, the Janissaries, Sultan’s elite household troops, close in and finish the enemy with their devastating counter-charge led by their iron-willed officers. Dreaded Assassins from Alamut prowl in the winds of time, striking the enemy elites and leaders, while the Alchemists of the House of Wisdom unleash devastating weapons made deadly by their elemental mastery, capable of overcoming the defences of virtually any foe.
Beyond the Iron Wall forces of the Sultan operate in small, mobile companies, each with a particular mission to accomplish. They hunt down apostates that have gone to serve Shaytans, look for the relics from the time of the Prophets, or seek to recover lost treasures and books of knowledge from the ruins of the fallen Caliphates. Though an understanding between the Church and the Sultanate on being co-belligerents against Jahannam exists, the commanders of these expeditions will tolerate no interference and do not hesitate to crush those who would hinder their mission. Resentment against the infidels who unleashed Gog and Magog runs deep in the Sultanate, and matters of honour are swiftly resolved with duels to the death. Woe to those who dare to hinder the mission of Those Who Believe.
Captains
Yüzbaşı is expected to face the mightiest of their enemies in personal combat, inspiring the troops to victory with their personal prowess. Yüzbaşı are immune to the effects of the Keyword FEAR and add +1 DICE to injury rolls against TOUGH opponents.
Elite
At the beginning of a battle, all ranged and melee weapons that an Alchemist has been equipped with may be assigned one of the following Keywords: SHRAPNEL, FIRE or GAS added to them. All the weapons the Alchemist has will share the same Keyword. With a RISKY ACTION with +1 DICE, the Alchemist can change this Keyword into one of the others.
If any type of attack (melee, ranged, mine etc.) misses the Assassin, they may slip into a moment in the future. The Assassin can move into any unoccupied space within 6”, though they cannot be moved within 1” of any enemy model or leave the gaming table. If moving out of melee this way, enemies do not get free attacks.
After the Assassin makes a Charge Roll, but before it moves toward its target, you may instead choose to have the Assassin split itself through time if it has not already taken a Melee Attack ACTION this Activation.
Infantry
Created through the Jabirean alchemy, the model has no vital organs and they must be dismembered in order to kill them. All injury rolls against the model are made with -1 DICE.
Once during its Activation, the Brazen Bull may make an extra Melee Attack ACTION against a Downed enemy model on a 32mm or smaller base. Resolve the attack as if the Brazen Bull was armed with a Trench Club. This attack ignores armour as the Brazen Bull stomps their enemies into a pulp.
If the first ACTION a Janissary makes during their Activation is a Charge, they can add +1 DICE to their subsequent Melee Attack ACTIONS during this Activation.
Created through the Jabirean alchemy, the model has no vital organs and they must be dismembered in order to kill them. All injury rolls against the model are made with -1 DICE.
A Downed opponent cannot stand up if it is in melee combat with a Lion of Jabir (even if the Lion is Down itself ), unless it is on a 40mm or larger base.
Lions of Jabir may take any Dash/Jump/Climb/Diving Charge ACTION with a +1 DICE bonus.
As an ACTION with +2 DICE, the Sapper can mine a piece of terrain they alone are touching, no bigger than 8” x 8” (an 8” section of trench, a wall, a tree, a building etc). If successful, the terrain piece is now mined.
As a RISKY ACTION the Sapper can disable any mine (see Scenarios) they move in contact with. If they fail, the mine blows causing damage as per the rules.
When the Sapper is set up during standard deployment, it can be placed up to 6” away from its player’s Deployment Zone. If deployed in this way, it must be in contact with a piece of scenery. This ability cannot be used if playing a scenario that does not allow the use of INFILTRATORS.
During their Activation, a Sapper can take a RISKY ACTION with +1 DICE. If successful, the Sapper is considered to be in Cover until the model moves. This ACTION cannot be used if the model is in melee combat.
Shovel
| Range | Melee |
| Modifiers | Wielding is Optional |
A model equipped with a shovel always starts the game in cover if deployed on ground level, even if placed in open terrain. As soon as the model moves, it is no longer in cover. A model that is covered in this way retains the benefit of Cover even if the attacking model has an unobstructed view of it. If a model equipped with a shovel has two hands free, it can use it in Melee Combat as if it were a Trench Club.
Battlefield shovel allows troops to dig in and fight from cover in virtually any battlefield.
Mercenaries
When a Combat Biologist takes any enemy model with the Keyword DEMONIC or BLACK GRAIL Out of Action with a Melee attack, place 1 BLESSING MARKER beside the Combat Biologist.
Whenever a Combat Biologist is part of your Warband, you can add the following Glorious Deed in addition to those normally available in each Scenario you play
Battlefield Vivisection
Standard Armour
-1 to all Injury Chart rolls against the model. Can be combined with any shield.
With the advancements in metallurgy and technology, both Faithful and Heretic armies are well-equipped with suits of alloy armour that can withstand an impact from a bullet or turn aside the sharpest of blades. Standard armour is usually mass-produced, but highly effective even against high-calibre weapons.
Gas Mask
Ignores additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword GAS. Any such attacks suffer -1 DICE penalty to all injury rolls.
Mustard Gas, phosgene, chlorine as well as noxious fumes from the bolgias of Hell plague the battlefield. The Gas Mask allows soldiers to withstand such attacks.
Vivisector
| Range | Melee |
| Hands | 2 Hands (Melee) |
CUMBERSOME, BLOCK
Pain Amplifier: Lower the roll needed to achieve a Critical Success for a Melee Attack made by this weapon by 1 for each BLOOD MARKER next to the target by 1 (so an enemy with 1 BLOOD MARKER will suffer a Critical Success on a roll of 11+). Inflict Pain: If an attack made by this weapon against a target, without the ARTIFICIAL Keyword and mounted on a 40mm base or smaller is, a Critical Success, but the target is not taken Out of Action, then the target will move D3" in a straight line directly away from the attacking model. It will stop if it moves into a friendly model, Impassable Terrain, a terrain piece it cannot cross without having to Climb, or immediately before it would move within 1" of an enemy model other than the attacker. If the target model would finish the move more than 1" from the attacking model, then the attacking model and any other models within 1" of the target model can make an additional Melee Attack on it before it is moved, as if the target were carrying out a retreat move. If this causes the model to move a second time, add D3" to the distance it is moved but do not attack it again.
This weapon offers both excellent protection by keeping the targets at bay, and its haft incorporates a trigger that injects a horrifying cocktail of holy ointments, chemical toxins, nerve agents and micro-shards of holy relics into any open wound, causing pain that is unbearable to even supernatural enemies. It can also be used to quickly dissect fallen enemies so their organs can be preserved by the Combat Biologist.
Combat Biologists are members of the Pontifical Office of Biological warfare, or in the case of the Sultanate, the Al-Bisţāmī School of Ninety-Nine Names, which trains some failed Alchemist apprentices in a similar fashion. These scholars specialise in battlefield vivisections and collecting samples of the most powerful servants of Hell so they can be studied, in the hopes of finding ways to develop weapons capable of driving the servants of the Pit back to the darkness.
Due to their training, hypnotic conditioning and constant exposure to captured specimens, the Combat Biologist enters a battle trance when faced with creatures that normally induce fear in ordinary troopers. They wield vivisectors, polearm blade weapons that combine sophisticated biological warfare agents and the functional brutality of trench warfare.
Mamluks can form a FIRETEAM with any one ELITE model in the Warband they are part of. This FIRETEAM is always in addition to any other FIRETEAM(s) the Warband is allowed to form. If a Mamluk joins a New Antioch FIRETEAM, the model benefits from the Co-ordinated Fireteam special rules.
Mamluks are disciples of Furūsiyya, the Knightly Discipline passed on through generations, they practice ceaselessly and have few equals. This gives their Jezzails the Keyword ASSAULT as well as the Shield Combo ability. Additionally, they suffer no penalties for fighting with off-hand weapons in melee.
Unless the scenario prohibits use of the special deployment of INFILTRATORS, you may deploy the Mamluk on any table edge as long as they are at least 8” away from any enemy model after INFILTRATORS are deployed. Mamluks can also be deployed in your own deployment zone as standard.
Jezzail
| Range | 18" |
| Hands | 2 Hands (Ranged) |
These long arms are by far the most common weapons carried by the soldiers of the Sultanate of the Great Iron Wall. Their barrels are smoothbore which limits their accuracy at range, but this is more than made up for by the fact that this allows them to be loaded with different types of alchemical ammunition made by the Jabirean Alchemists.
Alchemical Ammunition
Adds +1 DICE to Ranged Attack rolls on the Action Success Chart. Can only be used with Jezzails, Alaybozan, Halberd-Guns and Siege Jezzails.
Jabirean Alchemists craft these Jezzail bullets from the slivers of the Iron Wall. Each such shot is carved the Seal of Solomon, guiding them during their path through the air.
Reinforced Armour
Grants a -2 modifier to all injury rolls against the model wearing this armour.
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
Combat Helmet
Ignores additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword SHRAPNEL.
The simple combat helmet has proven its value on the battlefield time and again.
| Choose One of the Following |
|---|
| Trench Polearm and Trench Shield |
| Sword / Axe and Pistol / Revolver |
| Mamluk Greatsword |
Scripture Guardian has a halved Dash distance (i.e. 3”).
The Scripture Guardian reads words from the holy (or unholy!) text it carries. This is an attack ACTION with 18” range, and it can be used in either Melee or as a Ranged attack (though not both during the same Activation). Use Ranged and Melee Characteristics as appropriate. This attack ignores armour and cover. For each BLOOD MARKER the target has, add +1 to the Injury roll. Note that if armed with a melee weapon, both the Melee attack and the use of the Vengeageful Scripture can be used simultaneously.
Combat Helmet
Ignores additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword SHRAPNEL.
The simple combat helmet has proven its value on the battlefield time and again.
Reinforced Armour
Grants a -2 modifier to all injury rolls against the model wearing this armour.
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
