THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1

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 CREDITS
Writing: Elaine Lithgow
Editing: Emmet Byrne
Producer: Elaine Lithgow
Illustration: Runesael Flynn, Dániel Kovács, Sam Manley, JG O’Donohue, Rafael Teruel
Graphic Design and Layout: Emmet Byrne
Proofreading: Brian Johnson
Cubicle 7 Business Support: Tracey Bourke, Elaine Connolly, Jennifer Crispin, Andrena Hogan, Donna King,
Kieran Murphy, and Cian Whelan

Cubicle 7 Creative Team: Dave Allen, Emmet Byrne, David F Chapman, Walt Ciechanowski, Tim Cox,
Zak Dale-Clutterbuck, Runesael Flynn, Tim Huckelbery, Dániel Kovács, Elaine Lithgow, TS Luikart,
Dominic McDowall, Sam Manley, Pádraig Murphy, Ceíre O’Donoghue, and JG O’Donoghue

Creative Director: Emmet Byrne

Publisher: Dominic McDowall

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound Designed by Emmet Byrne and Dominic McDowall

Special thanks to Games Workshop

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar Roleplay: Soulbound © Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2022. Warhammer Age
of Sigmar Roleplay: Soulbound, the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Roleplay: Soulbound logo, GW, Games Workshop,
Warhammer, Stormcast Eternals, and all associated logos, illustrations, images, names, creatures, races, vehicles,
locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are either ® or TM, and/or © Games Workshop
Limited, variably registered around the world, and used under licence. Cubicle 7 Entertainment and the Cubicle 7
Entertainment logo are trademarks of Cubicle 7 Entertainment Limited. All rights reserved.

Last Updated, 11th April 2022

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 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1

THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL

Welcome to The Grund Operations Manual With the ship and crew ready to launch, you can take
for Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound. to the skies with an exciting assortment of random
This supplement includes detailed information encounters for GMs to use to make journeys more
on the Arkanaut Ironclad The Grund, giving you memorable, and a number of Endeavours players
everything you need to turn the venerable airship can undertake to keep the ship occupied — and
and her stalwart crew into a key feature of your hopefully profitable — during their downtime
Soulbound campaign. periods.

Included within is detailed information on the So stow your rig and step up to the wheel, captain.
airship itself and what exactly an Arkanaut Ironclad The Grund is preparing to depart.
can do. This includes a detailed map of the airship
and a statblock to let you take her into battle, should
the clouds of the Mortal Realms prove as dangerous
as the Kharadron mutter. The Grund’s crew is
also covered, with a thorough Crew Manifest Crash & Burn
highlighting each of the unique characters who call
The free adventure Crash & Burn details the
its metal hull their home and providing statblocks
ill-fated expedition from Hammerhal Aqsha to
to represent them.
Brightspear that saw Brokka Brokkisdotr come into
possession of The Grund. If you are thinking of
Once you are familiar with the capabilities of integrating The Grund into your adventures, this is
the airship and her crew, you can seek out a sky- the perfect place to start. You can pick up your
port’s ransom worth of unique Weapons and copy here.
Endrinworks to improve The Grund’s performance.
Some of these even unlock new capabilities or
methods of generating revenue between adventures.

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 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
SECURING THE GRUND A The services of The Grund may be secured by a
city or organisation that the party is sworn to
The Mortal Realms are an incredibly dangerous protect, such as a Dawnbringer Settlement or
place, overrun with marauding mortals and Grand Conclave.
terrifying monsters who will gladly hunt and
slaughter anyone foolish enough to leave the walled A The party may promise Captain Brokka a
Cities of Sigmar without a heavily armed escort. The regular share of treasure, or valuable resources
skies above the realms are somewhat safer, though that her crew couldn’t normally secure — such
only relatively so, as even the clouds are streaked as realmstone or ancient relics they lack the
by the shadows of vast leviathans that stalk the air skills to claim.
and the Cursed Skies of Be’lakor stain the horizon
with Chaos corruption. Still, travel and trade via A The party could promise to repay the crew
airship is one of the more desirable methods of by aiding them in a profitable — and likely
transportation, and one that the Kharadron have incredibly dangerous — endeavour, before or
developed their entire civilization around. after the party secures the ship.

For this reason, a Kharadron airship is a powerful A In extreme circumstances, such as if the fate of
asset, and one not squandered on petty ambitions. the realm is on the line, Captain Brokka and her
Unless the captain has abandoned the Kharadron crew may be rallied by a suitably inspirational
Code and gone pirate, a rare event indeed, each party to follow them without pay — for a time.
airship is carefully managed by the Admirals’
Council of the airship’s home sky-port. Each airship A If you are playing a Grim & Perilous adventure
captain must gain explicit contractual permission (Soulbound, page 296), the players may even
to undertake an endeavour, and provide regular find themselves as crewmembers of The Grund,
reports — via aether-telegraphy or far-ranging taking to the skies for adventure and profit.
Drillbill messengers — so the Admirals’ Council
can ensure that the ship is remaining profitable
and adhering to the Code. Should a ship be found
sufficiently wanting in either of these areas, they are
recalled to the sky-port, their captain reprimanded,
and the ship re-crewed.

As a result, adding The Grund to your adventures

is not as simple as saying that Captain Brokka is a
friend of the party or owes them a favour. After all,
if the ship is not undertaking profitable ventures,
it will soon find itself recalled by the Admiralty
— and subsequently be out of reach of the party.
Unfortunately, the cost of hiring and maintaining an
Ironclad is likely outside the range of your average
party, easily running upwards of 1,000 drops per
week. Luckily, Soulbound are not your average
group of adventurers, and as such there are a few
good reasons why a party may find themselves with
access to The Grund for an extended period of time:

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 THE GRUND and space-efficient design. This design ensures it
can survive and profit from the sky-ports’ regular
The Arkanaut Ironclad is known throughout trading among the Cities of Sigmar.
Kharadron civilization as some of the most durable
and versatile sky-ships ever produced. Though it is In the decades since its construction, The Grund
not the largest nor fastest sky-ship, it has so far hit has completed numerous profitable endeavours
the perfect sweet spot of cost-efficiency to contract throughout the realms, though these have largely
versatility. Its large cargo hold can be configured in a been focused in Aqshy and Ghyran, specifically in
number of different ways, facilitating transportation support of the Sigmarite city of Hammerhal. In all
of goods or passengers with ease, and with its heavy this time, The Grund has only had two captains.
armour and potent firepower it can serve dual The first was Goldrak Aetherwright, a boisterous
purposes, as a self-sufficient transport or heavy captain who helmed The Grund in five separate
bruiser in fleet engagements. Despite this, not all large-scale fleet engagements against various enemy
Arkanaut Ironclads are identical, as every sky-port factions. He also partook in an extended hunt
tweaks the blueprints to meet their own unique against a number of notorious Kharadron pirates.
demands and available materials. Unfortunately Captain Aetherwright perished
during an ill-fated supply run between Hammerhal
The Grund is an Arkanaut Ironclad constructed Aqsha and the newly founded city of Brightspear.
in the largest and most prosperous Kharadron The Grund and its crew put up a great fight, but were
sky-port, Barak-Nar. Like its home sky-port, The ultimately brought to ground by a Greater Daemon
Grund was built with the most durable materials of Tzeentch. The surviving crew members claim

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 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
that the captain never left the helm despite suffering the Aft Deck. These are normally released via the
grievous wounds, and that it was only through his helm, but their positioning ensures that should the
expert piloting that the ship narrowly survived the mechanism fail, they can be manually released by a
crash. daring crewmember.

The Kharadron Frigate, Grungni’s Face, fell in the C: CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS

same battle. While the Grungni’s Face was wrecked Captain Brokkisdotr’s quarters are a simple and
beyond repair, the survivors from the frigate’s practical affair, lacking much in the way of outward
crash, including Captain Brokka Brokkisdotr and a personal effects, with what little furniture there is
group of Soulbound, managed to locate The Grund. bolted to the deck to prevent it moving during rough
Together, they defended The Grund from an army of skies. When she is not at the helm or commanding
Gloomspite Gitz until their endrineers could get the her crew, she can often be found in her quarters
Arkanaut Ironclad airborne once more and make at her own personal Aether-rig charging station,
their escape. In the aftermath and after reaching the tinkering and maintaining her rig and beloved
relative safety of Brightspear, Captain Brokkisdotr Aethermatic Volley Gun — a mindful exercise for
was granted captaincy of The Grund, but she knows the veteran captain.
all too well that she has a big Aether-rig to fill.
D: ENDRINSPHERES
The Grund Layout The endrin-array is arguably the most important
The Grund is divided into the following Zones. part of any Kharadron airship — some would say
second only to her stalwart crew. These marvels
A: FOREDECK of Kharadron endrineering use incredible aether-
This open deck is mostly used as a means to traverse khemical processes to lift the airship into the sky,
the ship. A mid-ship cargo ramp and access hatch and power the equipment across the ship. They also
with a collapsible ladder at the prow both grant sport a dedicated navigator’s nest, the most elevated
access to the hold below, while extendable boarding position on the ship, where the aetheric navigator
planks can be attached to the railings to access sky- can read the winds and signal down to the helm to
ports and even other ships mid-flight. In addition, steer the airship through storms and worse.
the Foredeck features an array of fleet signalling
equipment — an aether-powered spotlight and E: CARGO HOLD AND
reflective signal plates that can be shuttered or WEAPON BATTERIES
exposed in various patterns to communicate with This multi-purpose space takes up the bulk of The
Kharadron ships and sky-ports. The main turret, Grund’s lower deck. In its standard configuration,
located above the Captain’s Quarters, is also it can hold a vast amount of cargo for transport
accessed via this Zone, by using a series of simple — secured to the deck with magnetic clamps and
rungs to reach the gunner’s seat. durable nets, or stored in dedicated containers bolted
to deep shelves. Yet with minor modifications, the
B: AFT DECK cargo hold can be modified to transport passengers,
The main feature of the Aft Deck is the baroque and even livestock, in relative comfort. The grill at
helm that steers The Grund and monitors the aether- the prow is a multi-purpose device, serving as an
endrin array that keeps the ship aloft. It takes years aether-gold filtration unit that scoops up and refines
of training to master the controls of a Kharadron any aether-gold the ship may encounter, while also
airship, and as such the only crewmembers capable retracting open to allow large cargo to enter the
of taking the helm are the captain and a dedicated prow of the ship. Four recesses in the wall let crew
helmsperson. Any skymines or bombs that the ship members control the external turrets — a battery of
holds are also suspended just below the railings of aethershot carbines as standard.

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 F: CREW QUARTERS MONSTROUS SIZE
Space on The Grund is paramount, so the Crew The Grund is Monstrous in size (Soulbound, page
Quarters are tucked between the deck and the 138), and is made up of multiple Zones as shown on
thrumming aether-propeller below. Rows of page 6. Note that some of these Zones are stacked
Aether-rig charging stations stand vigilant along vertically on top of each other. Many weapons or
the opposing wall, holding the Aether-rigs for endrinworks aboard The Grund are restricted to a
crewmembers as they sleep. In a testament to the specific Zone. A weapon can only be operated from
inventiveness of The Grund’s crew, one of the searing- the Zone it is in, and The Grund can only be driven
hot pipes that cuts through the Crew Quarters is also from its helm.
used as an impromptu stove. Due to the cramped
space and rotating shifts, there are never enough Creatures cannot end their turn in the same Zone
beds or charging stations as standard, meaning that as a Monstrous vehicle unless they have boarded it.
all crew members must share and respect the space, Monstrous vehicles with melee weapons can make
or have their cot privileges revoked. melee attacks into adjacent Zones, and creatures
in adjacent Zones can make melee attacks against
OPERATIONAL Monstrous vehicles. Use common sense when
deciding whether a Monstrous vehicle can fit inside
PARAMETERS a Zone.

Operating such a complex warmachine as The If The Grund is engaged in combat with enemy ships
Grund and its out-sized weaponry requires some or airborne threats, you don’t normally need to
additional rules. Below, we have provided all the track which specific Zone characters are occupying,
additional rules you need to get the ship airborne outside of specific characters using installed
and involved in all manner of daring adventures. weapons or endrinworks. When combat happens
aboard The Grund, you should use the indicated
CREW Zones and all the normal rules for movement and
While Kharadron airships are marvels of technology combat between them.
that require a fraction of the crew when compared to
traditional sailing vessels, or even certain Ironweld FAULTS AND CRASHING
Arsenal machines, an airship is still nothing without Due to the mechanical nature of The Grund, it
its crew. The Grund has a maximum crew size of 16, has Faults instead of Wounds. Faults are treated
and a minimum of 4. If there are less than 4 crew exactly as you would Wounds on a living creature
members aboard The Grund, its Speed and Defence (Soulbound, page 151), with the exception that
are both reduced by one step. If there are no crew Faults are not cleared during a Rest. Faults can only
members aboard The Grund it cannot Move. be repaired by taking the Repair and Refit Endeavour
(page 21). If The Grund’s Fault Track is full, it begins
to crash. The GM decides how many turns it takes
for The Grund to hit the ground, depending on how
Steam and Steel high it was flying at the time. Any characters aboard
The Grund when it hits the ground must make a 6:1
If you want even more granularity to operating The
Grund, or to partake in more complex aerial combat
Body (Reflexes) Test or suffer a Minor Wound.
encounters — such as thrilling chases or multi-ship
engagements — the Steam and Steel supplement
provides even more rules and machines of war, so
you can really put The Grund through her paces.

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 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
New Weapon Traits
Some of The Grund’s weapons have new Traits that THE GRUND
change how they operate when compared to their Monstrous Vehicle (Kharadron Overlords)
hand-held counterparts. Defence Speed Crew

Average Fast (Fly) 16 (minimum 4)

FIXED
Fixed weapons cannot be carried by creatures of any Armour Toughness Faults

size. They must be attached to a vehicle, fortification, 5 32 8

collapsible stand, gun carriage, or an Enormous- or ZONES
Monstrous-sized mount. 6 (Above Deck: foredeck, aft deck, captain’s quarters,
endrinspheres. Below Deck: cargo hold and weapon
batteries, crew quarters)
INACCURATE
Some artillery pieces are designed to target big TRAITS

vehicles and other Enormous-scale threats, but Battle Damage: Each time The Grund suffers a Fault,
randomly select one character aboard the ship (including
struggle to lock onto more mobile threats. When NPCs and enemies). They suffer 5 Damage and are
attacking a Large or larger creature with an knocked Prone from exploding pipes or flying debris.
Inaccurate weapon, your Accuracy is reduced one Bombing Run: Ironclads can unleash a Grudgesettler
step. When attacking Medium or smaller creatures, Bomb salvo. Once per turn, when the driver makes a Move
your Accuracy is reduced two steps. Inaccurate a Vehicle Action they can drop their bombs. All creatures
in the Zones the vehicle moves over as part of this
weapons can never attempt Called Shots. movement suffer 5 Damage.

Ramming Speed: When The Grund moves into a Zone, it

RANGE (EXTREME) may use the Face of Grungni attack as a Free Action.
The largest artillery pieces can target enemies from WEAPONS
extraordinary distances, far beyond the range of
Aethershock Torpedoes (Hold): Ranged Attack (Good),
their victims to return fire. In most combats, which 4d6, 5 Damage, Long Range. Aetheric, Blast (5), Fixed,
usually have only a handful of Zones, weapons with Loud, Reload.
Range (Extreme) are assumed to be in range of all Aethershot Carbine × 4 (Hold): Ranged Attack (Good),
participants. 4d6, 2 + S Damage, Medium Range. Aetheric, Loud,
Piercing.

Weapons with Range (Extreme) still face some Great Sky Cannon (Foredeck): When attacking with this
limits on the distance they can fire, most pertinently weapon, choose to fire either a Shell or Shrapnel.

their operator’s line of sight. In scenes with a large Shell: Ranged Attack (Good), 4d6, 8 + S Damage, Extreme
number of Zones, such as chase scenes, GMs may Range. Aetheric, Crushing, Fixed, Inaccurate, Loud.

dictate that Range (Extreme) weapons can only Shrapnel: Ranged Attack (Good), 4d6, 4 + S Damage, Long
target enemies up to five Zones away. Range. Aetheric, Fixed, Inaccurate, Loud, Piercing, Spread.

Face of Grungni: Melee Attack (Good), 5d6, 5 + S

Damage. Cleave, Crushing, Fixed, Ram. Can only target
Flying enemies. When attacking a Monstrous enemy with
this weapon, the Ironclad suffers Damage equal to twice
the target’s Armour.
Narrative Battle Damage
Sometimes you may want a more narratively
exciting result from The Grund’s Battle Damage
Trait (or to spare the crew further explosions to the
face). Any time The Grund suffers Battle Damage,
the GM may instead disable a weapon, endrinwork,
or reduce The Grund’s Speed by one step.

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 IRONCLAD WEAPONS shown here assumes that you are trying to acquire
them legitimately within a Kharadron sky-port.
AND ENDRINWORKS If you seek them out via any other means, their
availability increases to Exotic, and they are likely
The Grund can be upgraded in all manner of ways to only found in the hands of pirates or black-market
increase its combat potential or unlock new methods salvagers. Captain Brokkisdotr also refuses to use
of profit generation. Most Ironclad weapons and such illicit components outside of a dire emergency.
endrinworks are huge investments, and may be out
of reach for all but the most successful crews. In addition, certain weapons or endrinworks are
bulky or require a substantial amount of power to
The Kharadron Overlords are notoriously protective function. These are known as Installations and must
of their technology (in fact several elements of the be mounted to specific locations on The Grund. Only
Code are dedicated to its control). As a result, it’s all one weapon or endrinwork each can be installed on
but impossible to acquire weapons or endrinworks the Main Turret, the Prow, and the Cargo Hold at
for The Grund outside of Kharadron sky-ports or one time. See the Repair and Refit Endeavour (page
registered Kharadron Endrineers. To represent this, 21) for details on swapping out Installations.
the availability of Grund weapons and endrinworks

WEAPONS AND ENDRINWORKS

Name Cost Availability Damage Traits

Aethermatic Volley Cannon 510D Rare 3+S Aetheric, Long Range, Loud, Piercing, Spread.

Aethershock Torpedoes 100D Common 5 Aetheric, Blast (5), Extreme Range, Loud, Reload

Aethershot Carbine 130D Rare 2+S Aetheric, Loud, Medium Range, Piercing

Cargo Suspenders 240D Rare – –

Detonation Drill 150D Rare 5 Aetheric, Loud

Fragmentation Charge 120D Common – Aetheric, Blast (3), Loud

Hegsson ‘Old Reliable’

1000D Rare – –
Hullplates

Luxury Compartments 240D Rare – –

Magnificent Omniscope 410D Exotic – –

Megalofin Deterrent 330D Common – –

Great Sky Cannon (Shell) 540D Rare 8+S Aetheric, Crushing, Extreme Range, Inaccurate, Loud.

Great Sky Cannon (Shrapnel) – Rare 4+S Aetheric, Extreme Range, Inaccurate, Loud, Piercing, Spread

Aetheric, Long Range, Loud, Piercing, Penetrating,

Great Skyhook 240D Rare 3+S
Restraining

Grudgesettler Bomb 200D Common – Aetheric, Blast (5), Loud

Prudency Chute 100D Common – –

Redundant Systems 400D Rare – –

Stigandotr’s ‘Deep-Breath’
1,400D Rare – –
Aether-Gold Scoop

Supremacy Skymine 370D Rare – Aetheric, Blast (7), Loud

Zonbacorp ‘Dealbreaker’
700D Exotic – –
Battle Ram

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 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
AETHERMATIC VOLLEY CANNON AETHERSHOT CARBINE
An upscaled version of the standard Aethermatic These rugged and simple swivel guns are mounted
Volley Gun, these cannons feature rapidly spinning to the underside of the Prow, perfectly positioned
barrels capable of spewing out a non-stop torrent of to rain down a storm of supporting aether infused
aether-shot. Though each shot is far less powerful solid-shot during ground assaults, or upon aerial
and has a shorter range than those from a Great targets at a lower elevation. They are controlled
Sky Cannon, its rapid-fire nature and lighter barrels via an innovative system of lenses, mirrors, and
mean that a well-trained gunner can rake multiple mechanical levers, allowing the well-trained
targets with a withering hail of fire. This has made gunners to take crack shots from within the safety
them popular for captains who like to get up-close- of the Cargo Hold.
and-personal with their quarry, or want to clear a
landing zone or the deck of an enemy ship without CARGO SUSPENDERS
resorting to heavy shelling. These baroque containers feature micro-endrins
that allow for heavy cargo to be lifted from the
An Aethermatic Volley Cannon must be mounted deck for ease of movement and, with the help of
to The Grund’s Main Turret. When you Attack with some guide tethers, even suspended mid-air during
the Aethermatic Volley Cannon, you may split your flight. Clever Kharadron use these to stack more
Attack between two targets as if you were Attacking cargo into their holds without slowing their ships.
with two ranged weapons (Soulbound, page 149). Cargo Suspenders must be installed in the Cargo
Hold. While The Grund has Cargo Suspenders
AETHERSHOCK TORPEDOES installed, it rolls 6d6 × 100D instead of 4d6 × 100D
High-yield explosives powered by miniaturised jet- when generating income from the Cargo Hauling
endrins, Aethershock Torpedoes streak through Endeavour (page 20).
the air towards their target with shocking speed
and devastating results. Despite their size, they are DETONATION DRILL
surprisingly accurate, and their incoming shriek is A rare instance of a handheld weapon being scaled
often the last thing an enemy hears. up, Detonation Drills are inspired by the Drill
Launchers. These heavy bombs feature a horrifyingly
efficient drill-head that can quickly punch through
armour and dense rock with shocking ease,
allowing the rear-mounted compressed explosives
Legitimate Salvage to detonate to maximum effect. Originally designed
for deep-bore surface mining operations, they have
Captain Brokkisdotr salvaged The Grund after a
devastating attack from the forces of Tzeentch sent become some of the most devastating bombs the
it crashing to the ground, killing most of the crew. As fleet can bring to bear.
a result, the airship has seen better days. If you want
to introduce The Grund during this time, it begins The Damage from a Detonation Drill ignores
its adventure with only 2 Grudgesettler Bombs, Armour. In addition, if the Detonation Drill targets
and 1 Aethershock Torpedo. In addition The Grund a fortification or other stationary building, it deals
only has 3 Armour, and its Great Sky Cannon was double Damage.
irreparably damaged in the crash, granting it the
Reloading Trait until it can be replaced. Luckily,
its battery of 4 Aethershot Carbines are in fine
condition.

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 FRAGMENTATION CHARGE A Great Skyhook must be mounted to The Grund’s
These tightly packed explosives are held within a Main Turret. While a target is Restrained by the
fragile case designed to fracture and burst upon Great Skyhook, you cannot fire the weapon. In
impact, sending a terrible shockwave and scything addition, if the Restrained target is another ship or
shards of red-hot metal in a wide area, leaving soft similarly large object, the gunner may use a Free
targets discombobulated and bleeding. Action once per round to move The Grund into an
adjacent Zone, provided it is closer to the target. If
If you get a 6 on an Attack with a Fragmentation the Restrained target is smaller than The Grund, the
Charge, the target is knocked Prone. Additionally, gunner may instead reel them in, pulling them into
they suffer 1 Damage (which ignores Armour) at the an adjacent Zone of their choice provided it is closer
start of their turn for the remainder of the combat. to The Grund.

GREAT SKY CANNON GRUDGESETTLER BOMB

The distinctive chest-pounding thump of Great Sky The most common all-purpose bombs found in the
Cannons through the clouds is so ubiquitous and Kharadron Fleets, Grudgesettler Bombs are a tried
well loved within Kharadron culture that a number and true method of reducing vast swathes of land to
of foot-slamming sky-shanties are dedicated to its smouldering craters.
retort. While simple on the surface and imprecise
when compared to other turret options, it finds HEGSSON SOLUTIONS ‘OLD
strength in its versatility and reliability, capable of RELIABLE’ HULLPLATES
firing multiple different shells. The Hegsson motto is ‘Protect Your Legacy’ and
their most popular product does just that. These
A Great Sky Cannon must be mounted to The additional hull plates employ an inventive, and
Grund’s Main Turret. When attacking with this expensive, alloy of aether-gold to create durable
weapon, choose to fire either a Shell or Shrapnel. and light armour which can provide vital additional
protection without affecting a sky-ship’s speed or
GREAT SKYHOOK manoeuvrability.
Initially designed for sky-fishing vessels and used to
skewer and reel in Megalofins and other giant sky- Each time you purchase Hullplates, The Grund
borne animals, the Great Skyhook is a vast harpoon increases its Armour by 1. The Grund can equip
propelled by powerful jet-endrins to punch deep a maximum of 3 Hullplates. If The Grund loses
into a target and stick fast. Almost inevitably, Armour for any reason, Armour granted by
they have been repurposed by eager — and some Hullplates is destroyed first and can only be repaired
would say foolhardy — captains who seek to hold by securing the required rare alloys and expertise at
their foes in place and close the distance as quickly a cost of 500D.
as possible, usually in preparation for aggressive
boarding actions. Some tales even claim that daring LUXURY COMPARTMENTS
ships have used a Skyhook to execute hull-buckling Arkanaut Ironclads are cramped, noisy, and
slingshot manoeuvres, though such reckless actions lacking pleasantries. Some (usually non-Duardin)
are well outside standard operating procedures and passengers refuse to travel without the home-
frowned upon by the Admiralty. comforts they have become accustomed to in life
within the cities. Luckily, these kinds of passengers
are normally the same ones who will pay a lot of
Aqua Ghyranis to travel in style and comfort, so
some captains go out of their way to install luxury

12
 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
compartments to facilitate their refined needs — A Megalofin Deterrent is installed on the Foredeck.
any scoffing and eye-rolling from the crew is usually A crew member can make a ranged Attack with a
solved by the additional income this brings in. Megalofin Deterrent to shine it in a creature’s eyes.
If the Attack is successful, the creature is Blinded
Luxury Compartments must be installed in The until the end of its next turn. In addition, if the
Grund’s Cargo Hold. While Luxury Compartments creature is a Megalofin, it is Stunned until the end
are installed, roll 6d6 × 100D instead of 4d6 × of its next turn.
100D when generating income from the Passenger
Ferrying Endeavour (page 20). PRUDENCY CHUTE
Comprising little more than a strap-on lightweight
MAGNIFICENT OMNISCOPE harness attached to a micro-endrinsphere, a
Aetheric Navigators use countless tools to steer Prudency Chute can be activated with a quick crank
their designated ship through troublesome skies. of an emergency leaver, slowing descent at a rapid
Magnificent Omniscopes are one such marvel. A rate in case of catastrophic systems failure.
complex array of rune-enhanced lenses, filters, and
telescopes that give an unparalleled view of the You can equip a Prudency Chute as an Action.
surrounding skies. Their ability to detect flickers While worn, you can activate it whenever you would
of the soul, which any good Kharadron clarifies fall or jump from a great height, provided you are
as simply an aetheric by-product of mortal life, not Incapacitated or Unconcious. If you do so, you
through metallic surfaces has caused their use do not take any Damage from falling. A Prudency
within sky-ports to be severely restricted. Chute can only be activated once before its thumb-
sized aether-gold power ingot is expended and must
A Magnificent Omniscope must be installed into be replaced.
the Navigator’s Nest in the Endrinspheres. While the
Magnificent Omniscope is installed, it can be used REDUNDANT SYSTEMS
to clearly observe The Grund’s surroundings for up Any Kharadron ship is a complex piece of machinery,
to 1 mile. Additionally, while looking through the and regardless of how sturdy they are built, they can
Omniscope, the viewer can see through Obscured and will encounter problems while under fire from
Zones, detect heat sources, and spot nearby enemy forces. Most captains trust in their crew and
realmstone deposits. the inherent resilience of their ships to see them
through the worst the realms can throw at them,
MEGALOFIN DETERRENT but others prefer to install redundant systems for
The terrifying shark-like beasts known as Megalofins key functions on the ship, such as secondary aether-
are one of the most common and dangerous beasts gold relays, backup generators, and other ingenious
that Kharadron fleets encounter. They are drawn to solutions. While these take up valuable space on a
the sound of sky-borne mortals, and have razored ship, some captains claim it is a small price to pay
teeth strong enough to chew through hull and flesh for peace of mind.
with ease. Their one main weakness is their overly-
sensitive vision, something the Kharadron have no Redundant Systems must be installed in The
qualms about exploiting. A Megalofin Deterrent Grund’s Cargo Hold. While Redundant Systems are
is a blazing aether-powered spotlight that, when installed, The Grund gains +2 Faults. In addition, if
targeted at a Megalofin, blinds and disorients a weapon or endrinwork is disabled by Narrative
the beast — making them easy prey for hunters, Battle Damage (page 9), a character in the Cargo
or discouraging them from attacking vulnerable Hold can make a DN 5:1 Mind (Crafting) Test
mining sky-ships. to repair it. This effect can only be used once per
combat.

13
 STIGANDOTR’S ‘DEEP-BREATH’ SUPREMACY SKYMINE
AETHER-GOLD SCOOP These cumbersome explosives feature a miniaturised
All Arkanaut Ironclads sport an aether-gold endrinsphere that can hold its devastating payload
filtration unit, usually built into an ‘Ancestor’s Face’ aloft and steady for days on end. This, coupled with
ornament mounted on the prow of the sky-ship. sensitive proximity detectors, makes Supremacy
These are installed to offer some aid in mining Skymines a key aspect of Kharadron airborne
operations or take advantage of small cloudborne defences. Vital mining operations are often
veins of aether-gold they may encounter in their protected by a veritable net of floating Supremacy
travels, but their yields are often just enough to keep Skymines ready to act as a violent deterrent and
the sky-ship afloat, not enough to turn a profit. alarm for any who would approach unannounced.

The ‘Deep-Breath’ Aether-gold Scoop changes all As an Action, you can set up a Supremacy Skymine.
that. By employing powerful vacuum chambers, It becomes ‘active’ at the beginning of your next
finer filtration systems, and reinforced storage turn. From then on, if any creature comes within
tanks, any Ironclad can greatly increase its aether- Short Range of the Supremacy Skymine, it detonates
gold mining potential. The downside is that the at the end of their turn. A character may attempt to
equipment is bulky and delicate, a combination disarm a Supremacy Skymine by making a DN 6:2
that many captains must rightly weigh against other Mind (Crafting) Test.
potential installations.
ZONBARCORP ‘DEALBREAKER’
An Aether-gold Scoop must be installed on the BATTLE RAM
Prow of The Grund. While an Aether-gold Scoop Generally, ramming your ship into the enemy is
is installed on The Grund, it has access to the seen as a desperate, last ditch tactic — sung about in
Aether-gold Prospecting Endeavour (page 20). If The great tales of heroic last stands and heavily frowned
Grund uses the Face of Grungni to ram an enemy, upon by the Admirals’ Council. As such, not many
the Aether-gold Scoop is damaged and must be Kharadron captains consider wasting valuable
replaced. weight on a reinforced prow ram just to smash it
into an enemy ship. Yet for the few bold and foolish
Kharadron captains who seek such foolhardy glory,
the Zonbarcorp ‘Dealbreaker’ Battle Ram is the best
they could ask for. Each is a bespoke creation that
reinforces and transforms a ship’s Ancestor Face
into a bellowing snarl. Upon impact, a series of
forward-facing explosives detonate from the mouth
and eyes of the Battle Ram with devastating force.

A Battle Ram must be installed on The Grund’s Prow.

Once per combat, when using the Face of Grungni
attack, the captain can trigger the ‘Dealbreaker’
Battle Ram as a Free Action. If they do, the attack
deals double damage and gains the Rend Trait.

14
 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
CREW MANIFEST Captain Brokka Brokkisdotr
Role: Captain
The Grund has a well experienced and hardy crew Key Features: Commanding presence; tattoos to
of Duardin who are all accustomed to life and work represent kills, lovers, and successful journeys.
among the clouds. The Grund is currently slightly
under-crewed, with only ten of the sixteen standard Brokka Brokkisdotr (she/her) is the latest in a long
crew spaces filled. These crewmembers are a mix of line of sky-captains in her family — her family tree
survivors from the original crew and survivors from can be traced back to the test pilots for some of the
Grungni’s Face who helped salvage the vessel under first ever Kharadron sky-ships to take to the clouds
Captain Brokkisdotr. While this does cause some in Chamon. She is a determined individual who
tension at times, the integration of the two crews has believes that second guessing yourself is weakness,
been largely painless. Given time, some new blood, and has an ‘act now, ask questions later’ attitude
and some profitable ventures, the amalgamated which has steered her crew through thick and thin.
crew of The Grund could become legendary in their attitude which has steered her crew through thick
own right. and thin. This attitude has given her a double-edged
reputation among the Admiralty for quick thinking
A statblock for Captain Brokka Brokkisdotr can and decisive action, but at the cost of taking risks that,
be found on page 26 along with a statblock for on reflection, could have been avoided. Regardless,
Kharadron Crew which can be used for the rest of she is well liked by her crew since she never backs
the crew. To represent each individual crewmember, down from a fight and respects them enough to let
simply modify this statblock with the crewmember’s them do their jobs without the oppressive oversight
unique Skills or Traits as shown on the Crew to which certain captains are prone.
Manifest table (page 19). Each crewmember also
has a secret or plothook that the party may uncover Secret/Plothook: Brokka had to take out a large
during their adventures. loan to repair the damage to The Grund, or leave her
crew without a ship and livelihood. Unfortunately
Each crewmember has a role that comes with its the only loan she could find in Brightspear was
own tasks and responsibilities. However, there’s offered by the criminal gang known as the Redcaps.
no room for slackers on a Kharadron ship, and She knows that if she defaults on her repayments,
everyone is expected to pitch in during the regular she may be forced to undertake illicit activities, or
maintenance and operation of the ship, as well as suffer the gang’s wrath.
hauling cargo and other menial tasks when the need
arises, especially if the deckhands are overworked.
If the party ever hope to be respected by the crew of
The Grund, the same will be expected of them.

15
 Davin Runefist Secret/Plothook: Ever since the traumatising loss
Role: Endrineer of Grungni’s Face, Davin has had trouble sleeping
Key Features: Metal runes on his gloves — the and remains sleep-deprived and irritable, flying into
names of lost friends; serious eyes. a spiteful rage at every minor mechanical problem.
If the party could find a way to ease his mind or
Davin Runefist (he/him) is a middle-aged Duardin help him sleep, it would improve his mood — and
endrineer known for his meticulous attention to by extension crew morale — greatly.
detail and his pristinely kept Aether-rig. He is never
seen without a heavy tool belt and pack bursting Kaz Forgsson
with everything he needs to do his job. He has Role: Quartermaster and Chef
served under Brokka since she first became captain Key Features: Elderly Duardin, covered in tattoos
and has traditionally been her closest friend and to represent different stories.
confidant, acting as one of the few people who can
temper her impulsiveness with his signature cool Kaz (he/him) is considered among the crew as
head and practicality. the heart and soul of The Grund. He is a surviving
member of The Grund’s original crew, and has fed
Unfortunately their relationship has become and managed the crew since the last bulkhead was
strained ever since Grungni’s Face crashed, as Davin bolted in place — something he regularly claims he
has become temperamental and overly-serious did himself. He is the oldest Kharadron in the crew,
when a mechanical fault of any kind arises — which, grey haired and stooped from centuries of operating
on a ship the size of The Grund, is all the time. in cramped spaces. He gladly lives up to the role of

16
 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
advisor and lore-keeper for the ship and her crew, Secret/Plothook: The majority of Angildr’s
capable of perfectly reciting the names of every port specialised medical equipment was lost, damaged,
The Grund has ever visited and the crewmembers or exhausted when The Grund crashed, and they
who have served aboard. As such, the crew view him haven’t had a chance to replace them. While they
as an unofficial Codewright of sorts, a Kharadron can deal with immediate injuries, they are hampered
equipped with an exhaustive knowledge of the Code when caring for patients over a long period. If the
and capable of settling all manner of disputes. He party can provide them with additional healing
believes that the key to a happy and productive crew supplies, such as quality dressings, salves, and
is a hearty meal for the stomach and a great story alchemical concoctions, they can let a single party
for the heart, both of which he seeks to provide member recover an additional space on their
by the ladle-full. Whenever he cooks, he regales Wound Track during a Rest.
any who will listen with the wondrous sights and
adventures both great and small the ship has seen, Belgera Tavinsdotr
and gladly adds new adventures to his repertoire. Role: Aetheric Navigator
Key Features: Aether-rig covered in instruments,
Secret/Plothook: Kaz is always on the lookout for talks very fast.
rare ingredients to spice up his meals and hopefully
improve morale. He regularly requests that party Belgera (she/her) is a bright-eyed and incredibly
members seek out strange local delicacies while enthusiastic Kharadron who almost always seems
they are on land, and offers compensation of 100D to be teetering over the edge of a railing or clinging
for successfully sourcing them. to the rim of the Navigator’s Nest to get a better
look at the wonders of the realms as they pass by.
Angildr Oathsworn She is one of the youngest crewmembers, a fresh
Role: Medic graduate from the Navcademy of Barak-Nar.
Key Features: Braided brown hair, quiet voice. Belgera replaced The Grund’s previous navigator
just days before the ship crashed. Despite the
Angildr (they/them) is a middle-aged Kharadron harrowing events of her first commission, she is
with nimble hands and a quiet manner. They excited to take all her training and explore the
regularly hum as they work, but struggle to stand realms. She also has a great fondness for Drillbills —
out amid the more boisterous crewmembers. This aethermatic constructs in the shape of birds that are
shy manner doesn’t prevent them from being an used for companionship, combat, and long-range
adept medic, however. When blood begins flowing, messengers for some far ranging Kharadron ships.
Angildr leaps into action, soothing their patients
with a song as they cut through rigs and stitch Secret/Plothook: Belgera’s beloved Drillbill
wounds with deft ease. In general, they prefer the ‘Glinteye’ was severely damaged when The Grund
company of books and largely keep to the outskirts crashed, making it incapable of flight. Unfortunately
of most social events, with the exception of when she doesn’t have the skills or funds to repair such a
the songs begin. They also take a keen interest in delicate creature, so it largely
passengers and new crew members. Angildr often serves as a somewhat grating
seeks out newcomers, checking in on ailments or alarm-clock that signals
offering soothing treatments for old injuries. Of the changing of the shift.
course, these treatments require that the patient If the party can repair or
talks about their history and past adventures, find someone to repair it,
which is Angildr’s favourite form of conversation. the Drillbill could serve as a
reliable messenger between
The Grund and the party.

17
 Eddond Blasthelm Erskin Portsson
Role: Main Gunner Role: Helmsperson
Key Features: Well-rounded; simple prosthetic leg. Key Features: Young, with a short, dark beard.

Eddond (he/him) is a well-seasoned gunner with Erskin (he/him) is a fairly well experienced
the well-worn hearing that comes with the job. Kharadron who dreams of being a captain himself
Loud and brash, he is never happier than when he one day. He looks up to Captain Brokkisdotr and
is behind the controls of The Grund’s main cannon, is never far from her side, always seeking to learn
taking aim at something big and nasty. He was from and emulate her as best he can, while earning
close friends with The Grund’s previous captain, her respect as a capable helmsperson in the process.
Goldrak Aetherwright, and the pair remained at He has quick reflexes which make him great at the
their stations even as the ship plummeted from helm, but suffers from a lack of confidence in his
the sky. He has an unruly crop of bright red hair decision making. This uncertainty holds him back
which he tries in vain to keep short. Rumours from taking risks and has caused him to freeze up at
among the crew say that his absentee father the helm in the past. In the moments when he cannot
was a Fyreslayer who died in some great battle, observe the captain in action, he can be found below
which some joke is the reason for his love of fire deck, a captive audience to Kaz and his glorious tales.
and glory, but in truth not even Eddond knows.
Secret/Plothook: Erskin is an orphan, found
Secret/Plothook: Eddond is an ale aficionado and abandoned in an empty berth in Barak-nar. He has
has dreamed his whole life of one day affording a always wondered about the identity of his parents,
cask of Bugman’s XXXXXX ale. If the party can and why they chose to abandon him.
provide some, they will earn Eddond’s everlasting
appreciation — and a single stoic tear of restrained Jaryn ‘Hullbreach’ Felisson
joy. Taking Eddond on the pub-crawl in the Trouble Role: Deckhand
Brewing adventure will earn his undying friendship. Key Features: Aether-gold burn on face, booming
voice.

Jaryn (she/her) is an old-hand and proven veteran

aboard The Grund. Unlike many of her peers, and
highly unusual for the meritocratic Kharadron, she
has few grand ambitions and enjoys the ‘simple life
of a deckhand’. To her, life is too short, and hard
enough without intentionally adding additional
stress on top by shooting for Guild memberships or
captaincies. Instead, she enjoys the simple pleasures
in life, such as developing and organising a seemingly
endless variety of card, dice, and drinking games
to swindle the rest of the crew out of their wages.

Secret/Plothook: During the crash of The Grund,

Jaryn was exposed to a jet of searing aether-gold
and suffered severe burns to her face. She denies
any lasting side-effects, but the encounter has left
her increasingly paranoid, and she sometimes
hallucinates about fires and fractures in the ship’s
hull, something her friend Kaz has noticed.
18
 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
Durod Kazsson Borarn Anchordotr
Role: Deckhand Role: Deckhand
Key Features: Incredibly large and broad for a Key Features: Shaved head and suspicious eyes.
Duardin, kind eyes.
Borarn (she/her) is a furtive and secretive sort,
Durod (he/him) is the largest Kharadron and tends to keep her distance from the rest
crewmember by far, standing at least a head taller of the crew whenever she can. She is intensely
than almost all of the crew. This height is backed private and becomes so defensive when asked
up by arms as thick as girders and a jawline that personal questions that most of the crew simply
some joke could replace the Ancestor’s Face if The stopped taking an interest. For most of the crew,
Grund ever needs to ram an enemy ship. Durod’s she is competent at her job, and that’s enough.
magnificent strength means he does twice as much
heavy lifting as the other deckhands, but he never Secret/Plothook: Borarn’s real name is Ygelda
complains. Instead he is always challenging others Helmsdotr. She fled Barak-nar after breaking the
to match his physique, organising regular weight- Kharadron Code by stealing from her fellow crew
lifting and wrestling sessions in the hold for any who members aboard her old ship. She adopted a fake
would like to join in. He is also Kaz’s son and keeps persona and joined the crew of The Grund to avoid
a close eye on his ageing father, often bemoaning her punishment. Unfortunately, she learned the
the old Kharadron’s refusal to retire to a sky-port. wrong lesson from her crimes, and only limits her
pick-pocketing to passengers, and city-folk during
Secret/Plothook: Durod has a massive unrequited shore leave.
crush on Belgera. He wants to do something special
to get her attention, but claims to ‘not have a single
romantic bone in his body’.

CREW MANIFEST
Name Role Skill Changes Traits

Combat Repairs: Davin can use an Action to repair 3

Davin Runefist Endrineer +2d6 Crafting
Toughness to The Grund.

Hearty Meal: During a downtime, Kaz can craft an

Quartermaster especially fortifying meal for up to 16 characters. Any who
Kaz Forgsson +2d6 Lore
and Chef consume it gain +1d6 to Fortitude Tests until their next
downtime period.

Triage: Angildr can spend an Action to select an ally within

Angildr Oathsworn Medic +2d6 Medicine
Close Range and heal them for 3 Toughness.

Aetheric Favourable Winds: Belgera can spend an Action to move

Belgera Tavinssdotr +2d6 Survival
Navigator The Grund into an adjacent Zone.

Take Aim: Eddond can spend an Action and select a target

+2d6 Ballistics
Eddond Blasthelm Main Gunner within Long Range. He increases his Accuracy against the
Skill
target until the end of his next turn.

Erskin Portsson Helmsperson +2d6 Awareness –

Jaryn ‘Hullbreach’ Felisson Deckhand +2d6 Guile –

Durod Kazsson Deckhand +2d6 Might –

Borarn Anchordotr Deckhand +2d6 Stealth –

19
 BETWEEN ADVENTURES AETHER-GOLD PROSPECTING
Requirements: Stigandotr’s ‘Deep-Breath’ Aether-
‘The unused valve rusts first’ is a saying among many gold Scoop
Kharadron, and one the crew of sky-ships take
seriously. Every moment The Grund is airborne, The Grund spends the week searching for the
it burns aether-gold and costs money, so the idea vaporous veins of aether-gold that drift through
of the whole crew simply taking weeks off to do the skies of the Mortal Realms. This is a DN 4:3
nothing is tantamount to pouring Aqua Ghyranis Extended Test (Soulbound, 128). Over the course
overboard. There is always something to be done of one week, the crew can make 3 Tests to locate
aboard a sky-ship, whether it’s vital maintenance and mine the aether-gold. The first Test requires
or opportunistic short-term contracts, and no good the Navigator to make a Mind (Survival) Test to
Kharadron captain in their right mind would let locate the aether-gold, the second Test requires the
their ship gather dust while there is money to be Captain or Helmsperson to make a Body (Reflexes)
made. Test to pilot the ship, and the final Test requires
the Endrineer to make a Mind (Crafting) Test to
To represent this, if The Grund and its crew are a operate the Aether-gold Scoop. Compare the total
key part of your adventures, they may take one successes with the results below.
of the following Endeavours during downtime,
just as player characters can. Captain Brokkisdotr A 0-2 Successes — Catastrophe: The ship
normally makes the call about what Endeavour the encounters a serious problem, either caught
crew undertakes, but she is always willing to hear in a storm or attacked by a wild creature. The
what the party have to say, if they have a better (and Grund suffers a Fault.
potentially more profitable) idea in mind. Party
members in good standing with the crew may join A 3 Successes — Poor Haul: The aether-gold
the crew in their Endeavours, adding their own proves elusive and the ship only earns enough
Skills to any relevant Tests and benefiting from any to keep itself afloat.
bonuses that apply to the crew.
A 4–6 Successes — Decent Haul: The crew
Any income The Grund and its crew generate is manage to scoop up 1,000D worth of aether-
theirs to keep. They are under no obligation to share gold.
funds with the party unless they are on good terms
with the crew, or they firmly believe that lending A 7+ Successes — Great Haul: The crew manage
the party money will be a sound investment — to scoop up 2,000D worth of aether-gold.
Captain Brokkisdotr has debts to pay, after all. The
exception to this is if a party member helps the crew CARGO HAULING OR
in a money-making Endeavour, in which case they PASSENGER FERRYING
earn 10% of any profit generated and, perhaps more While far less exciting than other money-making
importantly, the respect of the crew for putting in methods, moving cargo and passengers between
hard graft. cities, settlements, or even just transporting wealthy
individuals, is a surefire way for any Arkanaut
Ironclad to make some reliable funds.

The Grund spends the week picking up short-term

contracts for either Cargo Hauling or Passenger
Ferrying (the Captain’s choice). The Grund receives
an income of 4d6 × 100D

20
 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
COMBAT DRILLS A City of Sigmar: Up to two new crewmembers.
The crew of a sky-ship never know when they are
next going to enter battle, so it always pays to hone A Large Sigmarite settlement or non-Sigmarite
their combat skills. city: One new crewmember.

The crew of The Grund spend the week engaging in REPAIR AND REFIT
mock battles, duels, and talking aerial tactics so they ‘Nothing flies forever, except an Arkanaut Ironclad’ is
are ready for anything. Until the next downtime a common motto among Kharadron ship-wrights,
period, the crew gain +1 to their Initiative and but that only applies to Ironclads that are well taken
increase their Melee one step while aboard The care of.
Grund. In addition, if they encounter an Airborne
Threat (page 23) they are not Surprised. The crew of The Grund spend the week repairing
and maintaining the ship. The Endrineer can repair
ENDRINWORK CALIBRATIONS. up to two Faults per week, at a cost of 100D for
Many endrineers believe that there is no such thing each Fault, and up to 3 points of Armour at 50D
as ‘operating at peak efficiency’. There are always per point. If a party member aids in the repairs,
minor tweaks, modifications, and maintenance they can make up to three DN 4:3 Mind (Crafting)
routines to ensure that your sky-vessel maintains its Tests during the week, with each success repairing
performance when things are at their worst. If there another Fault or point of Armour for the same cost.
are no other pressing matters at hand, or if your ship
is about to enter a large fleet engagement, there are As part of this Endeavour, the crew can add or swap
certainly worse ways to spend your time. any weapons or endrinworks that The Grund has
access to.
The crew spend the week fine-tuning and
maintaining the ship to make it run as efficiently as
possible. The first time The Grund suffers a Fault,
it does not trigger its Battle Damage Trait. These
calibrations last until the next downtime period.

RECRUITMENT
Deaths happen aboard ship, that is a fact of life for
the Kharadron. Unfortunately finding qualified
replacement Kharadron crewmembers is a difficult
prospect at the best of times, never mind when
outside of a sky-port.

The crew of The Grund spend the week negotiating

contracts and familiarising new Kharadron
crewmembers with The Grund. The number of
crewmembers that can be recruited depends on
where The Grund is docked during the period of
time:

A Kharadron Sky-port: Up to three new

crewmembers.

21
 TO THE SKIES
Dark Shapes in the Clouds
Now that you are familiar with The Grund and her If you are seeking additional and alternative airborne
crew, you are ready to take to the skies on your threats, the Soulbound Bestiary supplement
next adventure. Provided here are two different contains a variety of winged or flying monsters to
methods of bringing The Grund into focus during hurl at your unsuspecting crew.
your adventures: Minor Encounters and Major
Encounters.

Minor Encounters Major Encounters

Minor Encounters are a collection of low-stakes Major Encounters are events that provide a
sights and encounters that can help you inject life challenging obstacle or unique opportunity during
into the ship and its crew, or the journey they are your journey on The Grund. These normally require
on. We recommend adding one Minor Encounter the ship to halt its progress to resolve, and often
for every day or two travelling aboard The Grund, have lasting effects on The Grund or her crew. Major
though you could have more or less eventful Encounters can be great in situations where you want
periods depending on your adventure. Many minor to extend or add additional strife to a journey, but be
encounters are prompts that can be interpreted in careful not to use them too frequently, or The Grund
a number of ways, or even lead to interpersonal may fall apart before it even reaches its destination!
narratives between the party and the crew. To We recommend one Major Encounter per week or
generate a Minor Encounter, simply roll on the two of in-game travel. Like Minor Encounters, most
table, or pick one that feels most appropriate for Major Encounters can be interpreted or re-flavoured
your current adventure. in various ways to match your current adventure.

MINOR ENCOUNTERS
1d6 1 2 3 4 5 6

The crew Two crew You witness A herd of strange You spot a great
Something aboard
begin singing a members argue a beautiful animals scatter Metalith covered
1 breaks and the
Kharadron sky- over a clause in or terrifying at The Grund’s in crumbling
party is blamed.
shanty. the Code. landscape. shadow. ruins.

A small winged The crew begin An exhausted You spot a A pleasant or Half the crew
creature lands gambling for crew member battle between terrible smell suffer food
2
on a railing and items worth 20D falls asleep at two unfamiliar blows across the poisoning from a
begins singing. or less. their post. factions. deck. bad meal.

A messenge A crewmember An odd noise A realm-specific A gargantuan Thick clouds or

arrives with shares a secret is heard from a phenomenon is beast that could mist enshroud
3
private with a party crate in the cargo spotted: fire-rain, swallow the ship The Grund for
correspondence. member. hold. bone-storms, etc. whole is spotted. days.

A fight breaks Everyone hears The temperature A flock of avian A crate of The crew share a
4 out between two a terrifying or changes beasts begin to supplies is lost or rumour about a
crew members. calming sound. dramatically. follow the ship. damaged. party member.

A crewmember A ruined A small fire The captain has Someone drops You discover
5 suffers a minor realmgate is breaks out on the to reprimand a a personal item the remains of a
injury. spotted. ship. crewmember. overboard. colossal beast.

Weather forces A Living Spell is Blasted ruins of a An area of Chaos A burned out An inexplicable
6 the ship off seen rampaging settlement or city corruption is caravan or sky- dread fills the
course by a day. across the land. are spotted. revealed below. ship is seen. crew’s minds.

Roll 1d6 to determine the row, then roll 1d6 to determine the column.

22
 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
To generate a Major Encounter, roll 1d6 to While at first glance these encounters may seem
determine the type of encounter, and then roll 1d6 more difficult than those a party might normally
to determine the specific event. Alternatively, pick encounter on land, this is to compensate for the
one that feels most appropriate. addition of The Grund’s crew and potent weaponry.
If the crew are heavily injured, or primary weapons
have been damaged in previous battles, you
MAJOR ENCOUNTERS may want to reduce the number of enemies as
1d6 Encounter appropriate.

1–2 Airborne Threat FORTUITOUS MEETING

Normally if you encounter something moving in
3–4 Fortuitous Meeting
the wilderness of the Mortal Realms, it is either
5–6 Stormy Skies
ambivalent to your existence or aggressively hostile.
Yet there are some rare and hardy mortals who
make a living travelling the wilds, who might just be
AIRBORNE THREAT willing to trade goods or information — for a price.
While travel via airship is relatively safe when In many cases the people encountered may request
compared to over-land travel, even the mighty the aid of The Grund and the party before they agree
Kharadron fleets are not untouchable by the horrors to any exchange. Roll 1d6 to determine the nature of
of the Mortal Realms. With an animalistic shriek or your fortuitous meeting.
a bellowing battle cry, The Grund falls under attack
from airborne threats. Roll 1d6 to determine the
attackers. If the attack takes place at night or in an FORTUITOUS MEETINGS
area of dense clouds or other obscuring conditions, 1d6 Encounter
the crew and the party are Surprised.
1–2 Trade Pioneer Caravan

A 1: One Maw-krusha per party member

3–4 Kharadron Sky-ship
(Soulbound, page 311).
5–6 Dawnbringer Crusade
A 2: An Abhorrent Ghoul Queen riding atop a
Terrorgheist (Soulbound, page 334 and 335).
Trade Pioneer Caravan
A 3: Three Chainrasps per party member, and a Small groups of hardy Trade Pioneers transport rare
Chainrasp Dreadwarden (Soulbound, pages and precious goods between the Cities of Sigmar
330 and 331). atop exotic steeds, or even in some rare cases
automatons. They generally focus on their speed
A 4: One Adolescent Megalofin per party and knowledge of the realms for safety, avoiding or
member (see page 27). outrunning the greater threats they may encounter
in the wilds. A Trade Pioneer Caravan carries a
A 5: One Tzaangor Skyfire and one Screamer of wide collection of Rare Equipment, and at least one
Tzeentch per party member (see page 28). Exotic item. Trade Pioneers are shrewd business
people who know the value of their services, and
A 6: Two Swarms of 10 Vulcharcs per party regularly charge between +25-50% more for all
member (Soulbound, page 321) their goods.

23
 Kharadron Sky-ship and other features. Dawnbringer Crusades are
Just like The Grund, various other Kharadron sky- also often accompanied by other factions from the
ships travel the realms seeking their fortune or forces of Order, such as Fyreslayers or Daughters of
undertaking vital supply missions between cities. Khaine. This can provide additional opportunities
Fortunately the Code has several Artycles that for characters to procure unique goods, services, or
cover helping other sky-ships in need. If The Grund information that only those faction can provide.
spends three days tethered to the other sky-ship,
The Grund’s crew can conduct repairs as if they had STORMY SKIES
taken the Repair and Refit Endeavour (see page 21). The Mortal Realms are wild, magical vistas where
In addition, the other crew may provide information strange and unusual phenomena take place every
relating to nearby sky-ports, or warnings about day. Nowhere is this more apparent than the sky-
storms and airborne threats. Finally, in very rare spanning storms that sweep across their landscapes.
circumstances, ships may exchange crewmembers Normally storms are visible from at least a day away
if one of the ships has suffered casualties. before they hit. To avoid a storm is a DN 4:11 Group
Test (Soulbound, page 297) using Mind (Survival
Dawnbringer Crusade or Nature) that can be taken by the Captain,
Dawnbringer Crusades are heavily armed Navigator, and any party members who can help
expeditions of varying sizes sent out into the realms plot a safe course. If this Test is failed, The Grund
to found new footholds in the deadly wilderness. becomes trapped in the storm for one hour, after
They carry with them everything a new settlement which the same Test can be made again to attempt
needs to get up and running, as well as vital to escape. At the GM’s discretion, the Difficulty of
information on their surroundings provided by the Test can be increased to represent particularly
the Guild of Logisticians. A Dawnbringer Crusade fast, vast, or unpredictable weather fronts. Most
carries Common weapons and equipment, and can storms last roughly three hours before they pass,
provide information on the surrounding landscape, though some truly nightmarish storms can linger
such as the location of ruins, leylines, realmgates for days or more.

24
 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
The storms represented here are only a handful of A Shyishan Bone-hail: The notorious Bone-hail
the strange and deadly weather patterns seen across of Shyish is a ferocious thing to be caught in,
the realms. Feel free to create your own or re-flavour but the fractured skeletal remains are largely
these existing ones to match your own journeys deflected by the reinforced hulls of Kharadron
through the realms. ships. Unfortunately the emotional effect from
days clearing grinning skulls and grasping
The storm you encounter and its effects depend on skeletal limbs from the deck is not so easily
the realm you are traversing: avoided. For each hour The Grund spends
among Bone-hail, the crew suffer −1d6 to
A Aqshian Fire-storm: Streaking balls of fire fall Mind Tests until their next downtime period.
from the sky, threatening to burn everything
they touch to cinders. For each hour The Grund A Ulguan Shadow Hurricane: The true danger
spends in a Fire-storm, it takes 5 Damage of a Shadow Hurricane is not the whirling
which ignores Armour. winds that send sky-ships far off course, but
the memories they snatch from the minds of
A Chamon Slagpour: Heavy metal in liquid form mortals as they pass. For each hour spent in a
rains in thick sheets, sticking to everything it Shadow Hurricane, all party and crew members
touches before hardening into a thick crust. must make a DN 5:1 Mind (Determination)
For each hour The Grund spends in a Slagpour, Test or forget something important to them,
its Speed is reduced by one step. such as a lover’s face, the name of their home
city, or a Short- or Long-Term Goal.
A Ghurish Raptor Flock: Horrifying flocks of
Ghurish predator birds form a whirling melee A Chaos Flesh Tornado: These nightmarish
of talons and beaks that can reduce the unwary swirling pillars of chaos magic and screaming-
to flesh-picked bone in minutes. For each hour mouthed appendages seek to grasp any living
The Grund spends in a Raptor Flock, make a thing they find and add it to their horrifying
DN 5:1 Body (Reflexes) Test for each party mass. For each hour The Grund spends within
member and crewmember that is above deck. a Chaos Flesh Tornado, it suffers 3 Faults and
If they fail, they suffer a Minor Wound from one random crewmember is consumed and
the raptors. added to the tornado, increasing Doom by 1.

A Ghyran Seedfall: A beautiful sight at first

glance, these downy airborne seeds quickly
take root in anything they can, including metal.
Their life-magic enhanced roots can pierce
through hull plating and damage equipment
with shocking speed. For each hour The Grund
spends in a Seedfall, it suffers 1 Fault.

A Hyshian Light Blades: The unfiltered light

of Hysh can be focused to such an extent
that it can slice through metal like a hot knife
through butter. For each hour The Grund
spends among Hyshian Light Blades, it loses 1
point of Armour.

25
 APPENDIX
ALLIES AND ENEMIES

CAPTAIN BROKKA BROKKISDOTR KHARADRON CREW

Long time captain of the Grungni’s Face, Captain The Kharadron crew of The Grund are a rowdy
Brokka has won the respect and loyalty of her but efficient group of Duardin, well hardened by
Kharadron crew by dragging them through countless battles in the sky. While not the greatest
countless fierce battles with the judicious use of her warriors individually, under the firm orders of
bellowing commands and prized Volley Gun. The Captain Brokka, they can accomplish great feats.
rumours say that beneath her sealed armour, her
body is covered in a patchwork of tattoos to mark
all manner of achievements.

BROKKA BROKKISDOTR KHARADRON CREWMEMBER

Medium Mortal (Duardin), Champion Medium Mortal (Duardin), Warrior

M Average A Good D Average M Average A Average D Average

Armour Toughness Wounds Mettle Armour Toughness Wounds Mettle

2 7 — 1 1 5 — 1
Speed: Normal Speed: Normal
Initiative: 6 Initiative: 4
Natural Awareness: 3 Natural Awareness: 2
Skills: Awareness (+2d6), Ballistic Skill (+2d6, +1), Crafting Skills: Awareness (+1d6), Ballistic Skill (+1d6), Crafting
(+1d6, +1), Reflexes (+1d6), Survival (+2d6), Weapon Skill (+1d6), Reflexes (+1d6), Weapon Skill (+1d6)
(+1d6, +1)
TRAITS
TRAITS
Captain’s Orders: While in the same Zone as Captain
Get Off My Ship!: Captain Brokkisdotr’s Melee, Brokka Brokkisdotr, the Crewmember’s Melee and
Accuracy, and Defence increase one step when she is Accuracy increase one step.
aboard The Grund.
ATTACK
ATTACK
Pistol: Ranged Attack (Average), 3d6, 1 + S Damage.
Aethermatic Volley Gun: Ranged Attack (Good), 4d6, Close, Loud, Piercing.
+1 F, 2 + S Damage. Aetheric, Loud, Piercing, Spread,
Two-handed. Sword: Melee Attack (Average), 3d6, 1 + S Damage.
Slashing.
Sword: Melee Attack (Average), 3d6, +1 F, 1 + S Damage.
Slashing. BODY MIND SOUL

BODY MIND SOUL 2 2 1

2 3 2

26
 THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1
ADOLESCENT MEGALOFIN
Terrifying shark-like beasts that inhabit the skies ADOLESCENT MEGALOFIN
above the Mortal Realms, Megalofins are the bane Enormous Beast, Champion
of many a Kharadron sky-vessel. They can vary in M Great A Poor D Good
scale wildly, with some the size of a small frigate, Armour Toughness Wounds Mettle
all the way up to ship-swallowing behemoths that
3 16 — 1
terrorise entire fleets. Their sensitive eyes detect
Speed: Fly (Fast)
motion from great distances, whereupon they stalk Initiative: 1
their prey using the cover of clouds, and pounce Natural Awareness: 1
with shocking ferocity. Skills: Fortitude (+2d6), Might (+2d6), Stealth (+2d6),
Weapon Skill (+2d6)

TRAITS
Some Kharadron fishing fleets specialise in hunting
Megalofins, squaring off with the terrifying beasts Cloud Predator: The Adolescent Megalofin is at home
among the clouds. While the Adolescent Megalofin is in
and returning with mountains of fresh meat for a Zone that contains clouds, it increases its Melee and
their home sky-port, but common are the tales of Defence by one step.

captains who underestimated the sky-borne beasts, Nigh Unkillable: The Adolescent Megalofin is
impossibly resilient. Its Toughness is equal to (Body +
and whose crew paid the price. Mind + Soul) × 2. This is included above.
Ram: The Adolescent Megalofin slams into a sky-vessel
with devastating force. If the Adolescent Megalofin takes
the Charge Action and deals Damage to a ship, everyone
aboard must make a DN 5:4 Body (Reflexes) Test. On
a failure, the affected creature is knocked Prone. If an
affected creature gets no successes on the Test, they are
knocked into an adjacent Zone, potentially overboard.

ATTACK

Crushing Jaws: Melee Attack (Great), 8d6, 1 + S

Damage. Piercing, Rend. A Large or smaller creature that
suffers Damage from this attack is Restrained as the
Adolescent Megalofin clamps its jaws down on them. A
Restrained creature can use an Action to make a Body
(Might or Reflexes) Test opposed by the Adolescent
Megalofin’s Body (Might) to escape.

BODY MIND SOUL

6 1 1

27
 SCREAMER OF TZEENTCH TZAANGOR SKYFIRE
Demonic entities that swim through the sky in Towering avian-humanoid hybrids standing atop
multicoloured packs and emit a psychologically the living-metal Discs of Tzeentch, Tzaangor
reverberating shriek as they approach, the Screamers Skyfires are the soaring keen-eyed hunters of the
of Tzeentch are horrifying creatures driven by an Changer of Ways. The piercing eyes sunk deep into
insatiable instinct to hunt mortal souls. They leave their multi-coloured skulls can catch glimpses of
shimmering wakes of iridescent magic in their wake future outcomes. They use this knowledge to fire
and dive at their targets with scything claws and arrows in improbable trajectories, which somehow
gnashing teeth. find their mark in their enemies’ weak spots. Even
when disarmed and separated from their Discs,
the Tzaangors are dangerous foes, capable of using
SCREAMER OF TZEENTCH their iron-strong beaks and horns to inflict mortal
Medium Daemon (Disciples of Tzeentch), Warrior
wounds to the unprepared hero.

M Average A Poor D Average

Armour Toughness Wounds Mettle
TZAANGOR SKYFIRE
0 5 — —
Medium Mortal (Corrupted by Chaos), Warrior
Speed: Fly (Fast)
Initiative: 6 M Average A Good D Average
Natural Awareness: 2
Armour Toughness Wounds Mettle
Skills: Awareness (+2d6), Reflexes (+2d6),
Weapon Skill (+1d6) 1 8 — —
TRAITS Speed: Normal. Can fly at Normal Speed when mounted
on its Disc of Tzeentch
Sky-shark: The Screamer tears off chunks of bloody
Initiative: 6
flesh. If the Screamer’s Bite inflicts a Wound, the severity
Natural Awareness: 3
of the Wound increases one step.
Skills: Awareness (+1d6), Ballistic (+2d6, +1), Guile (+1d6),
Slashing Fins: The pack mentality of Screamers makes Reflexes (+1d6), Weapon Skill (+1d6)
them exceptionally dangerous. The Screamer’s Melee
TRAITS
increases one step if another Screamer is in the same
Zone. Arrow of Fate: The Tzaangor Skyfire is armed with
Arrows of Fate. When attacking with its Bow, any result
ATTACK of 6 counts as two successes.
Bite: Melee Attack (Average), 3d6, 1 + S Damage. Disc of Tzeentch: The Tzaangor Skyfire flies atop a
Penetrating, Piercing. Disc of Tzeentch, which functions as a mount. On its
BODY MIND SOUL turn, the Tzaangor Skyfire can forego an Action to direct
the Disc of Tzeentch to Attack with its Teeth and Horns.
2 2 1
Guided by the Future: The Tzaangor Skyfire’s attacks
are guided by glimpses of the future. If the Tzaangor
acts first in a round, its Accuracy increases one step.
ATTACK

Bow: Ranged Attack (Good), 5d6, 1 + S Damage, Long

Range. Piercing, Two-handed.
Bow Stave: Melee Attack (Average), 4d6, 1 + S Damage.
Crushing, Two-handed.
Vicious Beak: Melee Attack (Average), 4d6, +S Damage.
Piercing.
Teeth and Horns (Disc of Tzeentch): Melee Attack
(Average), 4d6, 2 + S Damage. Piercing.

BODY MIND SOUL

3 4 1

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THE GRUND OPERATIONS MANUAL 1

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