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Necromunday: Outcast Review - Survivor Archetype
The Outcast Survivor is kind of difficult to encapsulate in one sentence. Not because there’s anything particularly wrong with the Archetype, but because it’s difficult to translate being good at surviving the hellscape that is Necromunda (the world) into the Skill sets available to a fighter. However, they do have pretty good Skills available to them, so it’s not all that confusing; Survivor is just the good all-rounder choice you take if you just don’t quite like the other Archetypes. As with any of the Archetype choices, you have your ideal choices and options to choose from for your leader, their characteristic profile, weapons, and Skill choices. To aid you in understanding this better, we will look over these choices, and give you our general thoughts and opinions of what you should do.
Artais 'The Shepherd' leading the penitent Hive Scum to salvation. Credit: Ezekyle Catbaddon
Something Something Eye of the Tiger… or Something
As we covered extensively in the initial Outcasts article, the Leader of your gang is the most important person, and the most influential to the way your gang performs. Thus, choosing your leader is one of the most foundational parts of your campaign. For the different Archetypes, this choice will vary, and thus you will need to weigh your options differently. First, let’s begin by picking a profile to use!Characteristic/Profile
There’s not really a ‘perfect’ profile for an Outcast Survivor, so it really is left up to what you think matches best. Personally, a Survivor to me would be a character who is either fairly tough and able to handle the hardships of life in the Underhive by sheer fortitude, or someone who is keen and/or experienced enough to know a trick or person that can help them out. There are two basic profiles from the generic list that largely fit this, and a few from other sources that feel like they fit.The first profile I think fits the Outcast well out of the generic ones is the slow, tough melee fighter. 4” of Movement is kinda rough, but considering the guy is Toughness 4 and with 3 Wounds, he’s definitely a born survivor and toughs out hits like a Goliath, he even has 3+ Weapon Skill (albeit sacrificing to have a 4+ Ballistic Skill). The other profile has 6” Movement, with a 3+ for both WS/BS, and good Initiative. This guy is definitely a survivor by virtue of his guile and sneakiness.
Goliath Champion. Credit: SRMFor profiles from different gangs, it really is kinda up to the person creating the gang. Overall, having someone who either has good Toughness or a fair amount of Wounds is the ideal person to represent a Survivor. An Orlock Road Boss, for example, with good WS/BS and 3 Wounds, is a very capable fighter and good at dishing it out and receiving it. A Goliath Forge Tyrant could be another, tough and sturdy, able to survive the sweltering heat of the forges. Honestly? Any fighters who are pretty good in a melee fight are useful, so basically the same type you might take for the Brawler Archetype. But with that in mind, why would you take this archetype instead of Brawler then? Since both effectively want the same type of character, the Brawler would be better right? Well…
Loadout Options
Weapons
When you look at the skill set of the Brawler versus the Survivor, it becomes kinda clear what the difference is. The Brawler is Big Meat, he wants the biggest weapon he can wrap his humongosaurus hands around and mash people’s heads in. The Brawler wants two-handed melee weapons. The Survivor, on the other hand, is much more suited towards having one-handed melee weapons and a supporting Sidearm to go with it. The Survivor is Little Meat, he’s not as hefty as the Brawler, but by God he knows how to use what he does to good effect.Any sort of melee weapon that has a good Strength and/or AP modifier is good, Damage is also appreciated. A Power Axe or Power Sword are excellent to this effect, having a good balance between the AP, Strength bonus, and Damage. The Power Pick is the real good choice if we’re going to do Power weapons though, +1 Strength is cool and all but AP3 is fucking devastating! If an early campaign goober has enough Armor to still get a save after being hit by it, the rest of their gang is going to be very cheap and very easy to handle. Chainswords and Chainaxes will also work to this effect if you need a little discount, I always am for the use of the axe over the sword, as the Strength bonus and Disarm are always worth the extra 5 Credits.
Credit: Daniel "Skails" RodenbergY’know what? I’m just gonna say it. Give the Survivor a Boning Sword, or a Heavy Chain Cleaver if you want to go all out. Yes, I know those are not in the Trading Post pdf from September of two years ago, yes I know they technically count as Corpse Grinder equipment. I have spent the past hour going out my fucking mind trying to figure out where everything fits in the existence of the Necromunda (the game) Trading Post, and have only found that it is naught but a web of confusion with no definitive answer.
The Trading Post pdf has the most basic and general equipment, and that’s it. It doesn’t give room for Trading Post Appendices (such as in the Book of Ruin, which adds the Boning Sword and HCC among others to the General Trading Post. HA, JOKES ON YOU LOSERS), or any Illegal weapons (or anything from the Black Market). There are no Autocannons, Power Fists, half of the Special Ammo, and a thousand other things that are fully available to a gang, in it. The PDF is a basic look at some of the most common items in the game, not an exhaustive list of what is available. If I want to give the Survivor Outcast Boning Swords then I will, if I want to suggest that the Survivor Champion would be good with some cheapo weapon and upgrade to the Goredrinker Axe (which would be in the Black Market, and in just as nebulous position of existence as the rest of it if taking the pdf as law) then I will.
Ultimately, it’s the Arbitrator's choice as to whether or not the gangs in your campaign can access only the Trading Post pdf, or if they can have the full Post/Black Market, as a treat. Let’s be honest though, why WOULDN’T an Arbitrator want to allow more crazy shit? I seriously don’t know what the everloving FUCK a Xenarch Death-Arc is but it sounds funny as hell and if some guy in my campaign wants to let a ganger run around trying to fry people with it, more power to him. Let’s get back to the regularly scheduled program, rant over.
Aleph-T0 scrounging for Archaeotech in the Underhive. Credit: Ezekyle CatbaddonThe Boning Sword really is a nice, cheap, effective option if you want a good start. It’s a Common item, it’s 20 Credits, and it’s AP and Damage are both 2. It practically eviscerates people for you! That Heavy Chain Cleaver isn’t too bad either, an extra 60 Credits for +1 to hit and +2 Strength, and trading Parry and Rending for Sever is a damn good deal. Your pistol accessory doesn’t need to be particularly spectacular, but if you want a little bit of punch then take the Combi-Stub/Plasma. For 40 Credits getting a Stub Gun and the regular firing profile of a Plasma Pistol is not bad, letting you just shoot some poor bastard in the gut when you’re fighting him, but also allowing you to turn up the heat a little more when you are in combat with a Leader or Champion.
Usually I’ll put in some suggestions for what weapons to upgrade your leader to once you have some credits under your belt, but honestly for one-handed melee weapons I think that Heavy Chain Cleaver has everyone else beat. The only real way to one-up somebody would be to get a Power Fist, in which case you’d also be dropping Credits on suspensors or getting Bulging Biceps because while it does have everything the HCC has but +1, it is Unwieldy. In a similar fashion, the Combi-Stub/Plasma is pretty good for a start, and really if you’re going to go better then just a regular Plasma Pistol, or maybe an Inferno Pistol if you are lucky enough at rolling for Rarity (and have the Credits). Or even the Archeotech Duelling Pistol, honestly, if the Arbitrator is allowing weapons from the Blood in the Spire Apocrypha.
General Loadout
You might have noticed a pattern, but in terms of the Outcast gang, no matter the Archetype, I am of the opinion that giving your Leader an Armored Undersuit and armor that gives at least a 5+ save or better is 110% worth it. So basically the AU with either Mesh Armor or Light Carapace. It may be a bit much to spend on a leader at the start, but don’t forget that if your Outcast Leader dies, the gang falls apart, so keeping them alive is very important. Maybe give them a Bio-Booster or something if you have the spare Credits?
Death Maiden. Credit: SRMAs always, Photo-Goggles will be a godsend for this guy, as this one (like the Brawler Archetype) wants to have his support throwing Smoke Grenades or Photon Flash Flares at the enemy. Lho Sticks will also be good here, and I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned it before for the Outcasts. The sticks give anyone with an Intelligence of 8+ or worse the chance to use the Leaders Cool for Cool checks (if within 6”, of course), because they’re stupid enough to think that smoking is cool. Considering every profile except the Leader has Intelligence 8+, why wouldn’t you take some Lho?
Skills
The Survivor Archetype has three Primary Skill sets: Combat, Ferocity, and Leadership. You also get access to Agility and Brawn as Secondaries. The two Primary sets that you have (because Leadership is always primary on the gang leader) are pivotal to making a good combat menace. So, let’s get into which skills you should have, and what they’re good for with this gang:Combat (Primary)
Let’s be honest, all the Combat Skills are goated. They’re all excellent and each one is an excellent consideration for a Starter Skill. Combat Master and Rain of Blows are good buffs, but they are just situational items. I will say, I legitimately don’t remember the last time I fought in a combat where we had Interference or Assists, and usually if you are good enough to consider Charging into melee then the combat is usually over on the first Fight action anyways.Counter-Attack and Parry go hand-in-hand, if you choose to allow yourself to hit more in melee when your opponent misses, I highly recommend taking a sword of some sort with the Parry rule, and then taking Parry (the skill) as soon as you can to increase your chance of extra attacks. Alternatively, if you prefer an axe of some sort then Disarm might be helpful, making it more likely that you’ll have the upper hand and the poor bastard will have to try and mash you with his fists.
Finally, Step Aside is always silly, performing Matrix-ass moves while some guy is trying to gut you. So long as your character has a good Initiative, this is a good thing to take, especially starting off when the Leader is at his weakest.
Ferocity (Primary)
As with Combat, Ferocity is just good, most of these Skills are bomb. Unstoppable, True Grit, and Fearsome are the absolute best options to take, due to the survivability they give to the Leader. Aside from that, Nerves of Steel ensures you can reach melee; Fearsome guarantees that you get the charge and not your opponent, Impetuous means you can crash into further enemies after you mash your initial opponent.Leadership (Primary)
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, any skill from Leadership is fine for the Leader as long as you don’t take Overseer. It gives such a terrible bonus with this gang, and the only way the Leader would want to take it is if their stats are somehow worse than the Champions or Hive Scum, which is very difficult to do and if you are having a Leader that’s worse than them… Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, unless you’re a masochist.Agility (Secondary)
Spring Up is probably the most ideal choice for your Leader here, just because most combat characters will have a good (or at least middling) Initiative, and so being able to get up before your turn starts to be able to do your Charge (Double) Action is great. Sprint, Mighty Leap, Clamber, and Catfall are useful, but they are more or less very specific. I’ve covered this kind of thing before, they are cool, they just are Skills that are more a ‘well I guess I can do that now’ and not an absolute must.Dodge sure is one of the Skills of all time, it would be really good if it was Initiative based like Step Aside from Combat is, but it’s not so it’s kinda bad.
Brawn (Secondary)
Brawn is a Secondary Skill set for the Survivor, so you could take Bulging Biceps if you wanted after you get some XP under your belt. Considering, though, that they are probably best for using one-handed melee weapons, it’s not completely necessary. Its real use is if you need a better weapon than that Heavy Chain Cleaver, and decide to up it to a Power Fist.
Necromunda Hired Gun - Credit: RichyPBull Charge and Crushing Blow are the real winners of this tree for the Survivor. Bull Charge is especially good if your Leader is a little on the weak side, as then you can hit some guy in melee and the Knockback given will shove him away before he can actually get some hits in on you, bumping your survivability. Or the Knockback pushes him off a gantry and the guy pastes himself on the ground, that’s also enjoyable.
Headbutt and Hurl are definitely some of the Skills of all time, and exist in a capacity. They’re fun for flavor, but otherwise they’re kinda mid. It is funny for a Goliath ganger (whether Outcast or not) to just pick some guy up and toss him like that part in Return of the Jedi where Darth Vader yeets the Emperor into the reactor pit.
Honestly? I think Iron Jaw might be the most useful Skill in this set for the Survivor, depending on loadout. Bull Charge is definitely up there in importance, as mentioned, but if you have equipped your Leader with a weapon with the Disarm Trait, Iron Jaw is just icing on the cake. Knocking a guy's weapon out of his hand is already good, but him breaking his entire hand trying to uppercut your boss is hilarious.
Champions and Gangers
See, the funny part is that the best equipment to be considered for the Survivor Leader and the Survivor Champion is largely the same, because the best stuff for both is either Common or Rarity 7. It’s both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because that means gang expenditure and the likes are quick, simple, and easy. It’s bad because it means my article won’t be as drawn out as it could be. I like writing about this stuff, it’s fun.Champion Armament
Boning Swords, Cleavers, Butcher’s Cleavers, all are excellent armament for the champions, and are all good cheap options. Once you have played a few games, see if you have enough for the Heavy Chain Cleaver, like with the Leader, and you’re set. Unfortunately there’s not really much else to say when it comes to melee for the champions, just remember the KISS method: Keep It Simple Stupid. It’s foolproof!
Palatine Justicar Magistrate. Credit: 40khamslam.For Sidearms, look at the Bolt Pistol, Combi-Plasma/Stub Pistol, or the regular Stub Gun. The first two are of course your best starting option if you have the cash, with the Stub Gun as always being your cheap and reliable source of extra hits. Once you have the Credits, maybe consider another pistol. Though honestly I really don’t know what’s best to upgrade to. Maybe a Needle Pistol, since it relies on Toughness instead of armor?
Champion Skills
Champions get Ferocity as their Primary Skill set, with Combat and Leadership Secondary. If you remember, the Outcast Champion is more or less dogwater in stats. They have a 4+ BS, and a 3+ WS but with only 1 Attack. Therefore, to give them a good head-start at gang creation, Berserker might be the best starting skill to give them. True, arguments can be made that True Grit and Unstoppable will give them good survivability, and Fearsome and Nerves of Steel are just plain good, but they do things to increase the chance of this guy getting into combat, not making him better once he’s there.Berserker makes it so you actually have good combat! Ideally, this guy has the loadout suggested above, a Boning Sword and Stub Gun let’s say. When he charges into melee he’s making 2 attacks, one with the sword and one with the Stub Gun. That sucks, that’s basic bitch Ganger level numbers, we gotta get those numbers up. At least with Berserker he gets 2 attacks with his cool and awesome melee weapon if he charges, which will be almost guaranteed if you make sure your Gangers are ready to assist him in getting there.
Hive Scum Armament
What can I say that hasn’t already been said? These dudes are cheapo shitheads and get the most basic armament. Give them Mesh or Flak Armor and a Lasgun and they’re basically set. Throw in some Smoke or Photon Flash Grenades to lob at the enemy and disrupt Line of Sight or Activations for the Leader and Champions to get stuck in. Maybe some other explosives if you just wanna have fun, Blasting Charges can be pretty hilarious if used correctly.
'Mad' Max. Credit: Ezekyle Catbaddon
Survivor Outcast Lists
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