• Background
• Gang Rules
• Starting Profiles & Costs
• Equipment Lists
• Advancement Limits
• Advance Tables
• Skill Lists
• Writer's Comments

Genestealer cults are composed of individuals who have been subjected to genestealer genetic control.  Even victims who do not host new genestealers and hybrids themselves become pawns of the purestrain Genestealer that founded the cult.

Genestealer cults masquerade as ordinary citizens and gangs, slowly spreading their influence through society until they can overthrow the native authorities.  Whenever possible, they will infiltrate the political and military institutions of the planet to increase their power.

As the genestealer influence grows, the collective consciousness of the genestealers psychically attracts the attention of the Tyranid Hive Mind.  If the cult influence becomes sufficiently powerful, a Tyranid hive fleet will come to the planet to devour all its life and resources.  If the genestealer infiltration has completely succeeded, the Tyranids will be able to take over the planet without opposition.

Gang Rules

Territory

Genestealer cults start with five territories.

Income

Genestealer cults gain income by working their territories, just like ordinary gangs.

Trading

Genestealer cults may send their leaders and gangers to the trading post just like ordinary gangs.

Hired Guns

Genestealers cannot trust outsiders, so they may not employ hired guns of any kind.

Capture

Genestealers cults will always infect captives with genestealer genetic data, then allow them to "escape" to their own gangs (indicate this on the gang roster).   The captive must miss one game while he endures the genestealers' gentle attention, then he returns to his gang. The cult must contain at least one Genestear Purestrain or Hybrid to infect other gangers.

Note:  If the captive's gang plays a successful Rescue mission to retrieve the lost gang member, they will always arrive in time to prevent the captive from being infected.

Roll a D6 for the infected gang member after each of his gang's subsequent battles, whether the infected model participates or not.  If the die roll is a 5 or 6, the infected gang member leaves his gang (with all his equipment) and joins the Genestealer Cult.   Remove the gang member from his old gang roster and add him to the Genestealer Cult roster.

Special:  Infected Spyrers will always return to their hunt and try to complete their oaths so they can carry the genestealer infection to the spire.   Having an infected member does not affect the performance of the Spyrer gang in any way.

Outlaws

If a genestealer cult becomes outlawed, the purestrain genestealers will abandon the cult in order to found a new cult with better influence.  Remove all purestrain genestealers from the gang roster until they pay their guild price. The gang cannot "recruit" purestrain genestealers until it pays its guild price.

Detection

If genestealers or hybrids participate in a battle and the cult is reported to the Watch, apply a -2 to the roll on the Outlaw table.  If the modified result is less than the number of genestealers and hybrids that participate in the battle, the cult is detected (note that a gang can be Outlawed without being detected).

A cult will be automatically detected if the Serious Injury result for a genestealer or hybrid is "Captured".  The captive dies a quick and brutal death (usually followed by dismemberment and/or cremation), and the gang that caught it can collect a bounty equal to its total cost.

A detected cult becomes an Outlander gang without a guild price.  All the other penalties for becoming an outlaw cult also apply (see above).

Leadership

Genestealer cults always loyally follow the leader appointed by their genestealer patriarch, so they never suffer leadership disputes.

Starting a Cult

Genestealer cults recruit leaders, heavies, gangers, and juves using the normal rules in the Necromunda Sourcebook.  The cult may be from any of the major houses.   Genestealers will not attempt to infect Outlander gangs; they don't have enough political, economic, or social influence to be important to a genestealer infiltration.

In addition to normal gang members, the cult may include Purestrain Genestealers, Genestealer Hybrids, and a Genestealer Magus.  A starting cult must include at least one purestrain genestealer or hybrid.

If included in a cult, a Magus is always its leader, so a starting cult may not include both a Leader and a Genestealer Magus.

Recruiting

If the cult includes a purestrain genestealer or genestealer hybrid, it may recruit members between games in the same manner as ordinary gangs.  A gang which does not include purestrains or hybrids may not recruit anything else until it has acquired one or the other, as only genestealers and hybrids can spread the genestealer virus.

When recruiting humans (gangers, juves, and heavies), the cult continues to recruit members from its original house.

Cults can also acquire new members by Capture (see above).  These recruits continue to use the advance tables for their original gang (note this on the cult roster).

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Starting Profiles & Costs

Purestrain Genestealers - Cost 300 creds

A genestealer cult may include a maximum of 2 purestrain genestealers.

Special Genestealer Rules

• Genestealers have a tough, chitinous exoskeleton giving them an armor save of 5+.
• Genestealers cause fear.
• Genestealers are never pinned.
• Genestealers are immune to psychology (including Serious Injury results).
• Genestealers never lose their nerve (break).
• Genestealers have the Sneak Up and Dive skills.
• Genestealers suffer no movement penalties for climbing without a ladder.
• Genestealers do not earn experience or advancements.
• Genestealers cannot use equipment of any kind.
• Genestealers do not count as gang members when calculating net income.
• Cult members within 6" of a genestealer may roll to escape pinning, just as if the genestealer was the cult leader.
• If a genestealer participates in a battle, the cult may take bottle tests using its Leadership.
• To reduce the risk of detection, the cult player may voluntarily leave genestealers behind if desired.
• Optional Rule: Genestealers are often away trying to spread the genestealer virus: before each game roll a D6 for each genestealer in the cult, the genestealer is unavailable to participate on a roll of 1.

Genestealer Hybrids - Cost 60 creds

The number of hybrids included in a cult cannot exceed the number of gangers it includes.

Special Hybrid Rules

• Hybrids may always roll to escape pinning.
• Hybrids may use basic weapons, pistols, close combat weapons, and grenades.
• Hybrids are immune to fear.
• Hybrids may buy the following mutations from the Scavvy Mutant list:  Extra Arm, Razor Sharp Claws.
• Because Hybrids can cause the cult to be detected, the cult player may voluntarily leave them out of battles.
• Hybrids start with 20+1D6 experience.

Genestealer Magus - Cost 150 creds

A genestealer cult can only include one magus.

Special Magus Rules

• The magus automatically becomes the leader of the gang.
• The magus is a Wyrd Telepath with one major power and one minor power.
• The magus starts with 60+1D6 experience points.
• The magus uses the Advance Tables for Wyrds.
• The magus may use basic weapons, pistols, close combat weapons, and grenades.
• The magus is immune to psychology unless it is the result of a Serious Injury.
• Fielding the magus causes the normal penalty for fielding wyrds when rolling on the Outlaw table if the gang is reported to the Watch (but will not cause the cult to be detected).

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Equipment Lists

Genestealer cults use the normal equipment lists for House gangs.

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Advancement Limits

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Advance Tables

Human cult members use the advance tables for their house or (if captured Outlanders) from their original gang advance tables.

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Skill Lists

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