WARDANCER

Only Wood Elves can enter this Career

Wardancers are considered to be part of the Kindred of Caidath for life, and the consequences of leaving
vary from troupe to troupe. Some Wardancer kin retain honorary membership long after their departure; others are
shunned as betrayers. Such is the way of Loec. The name Caidath has evolved from the Elven root-word Caidath,Caidath
which means grace, power, and music of the stars.
Wood Elves who feel drawn to violence and battle often seek to sublimate their aggression in the form of
song and dance. All members are dedicated followers of Loec, the god of laughter, dance and music. Elves seeking
to join must become Devotees of Loec and face trial by combat, either against a gauntlet of Wardancers or in single
combat against the Troupe Leader. The ritualistic combat is usually only fought to first blood, although trials
involving two rivals have been known to end with grievous injury and even death.
After being initiated into a troupe, Wardancers begin their training and learn the secret Sword Dances of
Loec (Mirth
Mirth & Mayhem).
Mayhem Bladesingers are feared for their reckless and fickle temperaments. A Troupe Leader’s duty
is to pass on to his troupe the dances that tell stories of the past, and which keep the history of the forests alive. It is
considered a great honour for Elven Lords to have a Wardancer troupe perform at their hall.
Although most Wardancers are sworn to a troupe, they may leave for periods of time in search of
inspiration for their own personal dances. During these wanderings, Wardancers often find themselves drawn
towards opportunities for adventure and tomfoolery. As befits the followers of the trickster god, wandering
Wardancers may leave their adventures on a whim and return to their troupes so they can resume dancing with
their kith. Wardancers are as happy practising their dances as seeking mischief.

WARDANCER ADVANCE SCHEME

W BS S T I Ag D Int W Fe
S P l
* * *** * ** ***
*

CAREER PATH

* Devotee – Brass 2
Skills: Climb, Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Endurance,
Lore (Local), Melee (Basic), Perception, Perform (Dancing).
(Dancing)
Talents: Aethyric Attunement, Carouser, Combat Reflexes,
Warrior Born.
Trappings: A Bottle of Spirits, a Single Weapon or 2
Warblades.

** Wardancer – Brass 5
Skills: Athletics, Cool, Intimidate, Lore (Mirth
Mirth & Mayhem),
Mayhem
Melee (any one), Perform (Acrobatics).
Talents: Beat Blade, Distract, Menacing, Seasoned Traveller.
Trappings: An Additional Weapon, Tatoos and Warpaint.

*** Bladesinger – Silver 3

Skills: Evaluate, Intuition, Language (any one), Lore
(Warfare).
Talents: Careful Strike, Combat Master, Dual Wielder,
Resolute.
Trappings: A Single Quality Weapon or 2 Quality Warblades,
Talismanic Tatoos and Warpaint.

**** Troupe Leader – Gold 1

Skills: Leadership, Lore (History).
Talents: Etiquette (Nobles), Frightening, Reaction Strike, Riposte.
Trappings: Quality Clothing, Troupe of Wardancers.
 This Career is dedicated to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay fans everywhere. This work is unofficial and is not
endorsed by Game Workshop and Cubicle 7.

SHADOW-DANCES OF LOEC
Although the Order of Swordmasters was not established until the foundation stones of the White Tower of
Hoeth in Ulthuan were laid, Elves have wielded spell and sword alike in the defence of their homelands since the
time of Aenarion. Many have combined these potent arts into a lethal fighting style, channelling the Winds of Magic
through ritualistic movements in place of the arcane invocations used by traditional Mages.
Those who mastered this new art of Sword Dancing were the leaders of warriors and seekers of knowledge.
They were known as Swordmasters, and while some sought to perfect the art of killing, others preferred to wander
the world in search of truth. So it was that a few Swordmasters found themselves amongst the fledgling Asrai at the
end of the War of the Beard. Living in the forests slowly transformed these warrior-sages into the Wardancers of
today; warriors without equal who revel in trickery and music.

THE DANCE OF BLADES

Over time, Sword Dancing transformed into the Wardance performed by the Wardancers of the Wood Elves.
The Wardance is a form of magic that follows the casting rules described in the WFRP rulebook p.237. However,
there are a number of notable differences, which are explained below.

THE LORE OF MIRTH & MAYHEM

Wardancing requires no invocations, and no words exist to describe or define spells of the Lore of Mirth &
Mayhem.
Mayhem A practitioner of the Wardance therefore doesn’t need to speak an Arcane Language in order to use spells
from the Lore of Mirth & Mayhem.
Mayhem Any spells from other Lores require an Arcane Language to cast as normal.
The Lore of Mirth & Mayhem uses the Performer (Dancing) skill instead of Channelling.
Channelling The manner in which
channelling is resolved remains the same. The character may attempt a Performer (Dancing) Test before casting a
spell. This represents the Wardancer’s flourishes and cavorting movements before an attack. When your SL reaches
the CN of your selected spell, you have channelled enough magic to cast it.
When a Wardancer first learns the Lore of Mirth & Mayhem,
Mayhem only the four dances associated with the
seasons are learnt: the dances of Winters Chill,
Chill Spring Resurgence,
Resurgence Summer’s Vigour,
Vigour and Autumn’s Decline.
Decline These
basic dances can be performed out of season; in fact they are usually combined during performances. Other dances
are considered more advanced and must be purchased individually for 100 XPs each.
A dance lasts for a number of minutes equal to your WPB characteristic. The same dance cannot be
performed consecutively.

DANCE OF WINTER’S CHILL

Casting Number: 1
Effect: Your slow movements deceive your opponents, allowing you to turn aside blows quicker than they would
believe you capable. During the dance any successful Parry attempt you make also inflicts 1 Wound upon your
opponent, as you turn their blade aside and riposte with almost supernatural speed.

DANCE OF AUTUMN’S DECLINE

Casting Number: 2
Effect: You twist and turn deflecting everything, including arrows and bolts, as though you anticipated the danger.
You gain a +1 SL bonus to all Parrying attempts during the dance and may each round swap an attack for a parry
attempt.

DANCE OF SPRING RESURGENCE

Casting Number: 3
Effect: You move with almost supernatural speed, turning one way and then another, making opponents struggle to
anticipate where to strike. All opponents may not cumulate more than 1 Advantage against you for the duration of
the dance.

DANCE OF SUMMER’S VIGOUR

Casting Number: 4
Effect: You strike with uncanny precision, severing heads and piercing hearts with deceptively elegant strokes.
While performing this dance, any successful strike gains the Precise quality (see WFRP p.298). The effect is doubled
if used with a weapon possessing the Precise quality.

DANCE OF THE SHADOWS COIL

Casting Number: 5
Effect: You move with such grace, evading the clumsy attacks of your opponents, that you are almost impossible to
strike. You can make an extra Dodge attempt each round, but you can only make a single Attack each round for as
long as the dance lasts.

DANCE OF THE STORM OF BLADES

Casting Number: 6
Effect: You rain blow after blow upon your opponent, moving with such speed that the eye cannot follow each
distinct cut and
thrust. You can make an extra Attack each round, but you cannot make any Dodge attempt each round for as long
as the dance lasts.

DANCE OF THE WOVEN MIST

Casting Number: 7
Effect: Your sinuous movements distract and confuse your opponents, allowing you to strike before they can react.
You always strike first in combat unless your opponent has a similar ability, in which case it is resolved by Initiative
order (see WFRP p 156).

DANCE OF THE WHIRLING DEATH

Casting Number: 8
Effect: You move as a whirlwind amongst your opponents, dealing death to all those around you. Whenever you
deal Damage to an opponent, you trigger Furious Assault (see WFRP p.138). You cannot make any Dodge attempts
during the dance, however.

TALISMANIC WARPAINT & TATTOOS

Many Wood Elf warriors adorn themselves with tattoos and warpaint, both for decoration and to reduce
their visibility in the forest. The talismanic body art painted by Spellsingers is blessed by the gods and uses
pigments blended from the flora gathered at sacred glades. Spellsingers apply tattoos and warpaint to their kin in
sacred rituals. Blessings bestowed by talismanic warpaints and tattoos are equivalent to the Blessings (see WFRP
p.220).

WARPAINT
Talismanic warpaint often takes the form of spirals, stripes and dots; simple shapes of primeval symbolic
resonance. Warpaint can be applied quickly when time is short or the enemy is close at hand, without permanently
marking the skin.
Spellsingers with the Trade (Artist) Skill who have access to the magical pigment may apply warpaint to confer a
blessing to another Elf. Warpaint is mixed from diluted pigment, so the blessings can only be used once before their
magic dissipates. Applying warpaint takes 2 Rounds per Blessing bestowed. Each warrior may only have one
blessing painted on him at any given time. The blessing lasts for 2d10 hours, though warpaint may be removed
before, dissipating the magic.

TATTOOS
Many of the Asrai express devotion to their gods by inscribing tattoos onto their flesh with magical
pigment. Tattoo designs are more complex than warpaint markings and usually depict sacred animals of the forest,
such as the bear to represent Might, the eagle for Protection, etc. Obtaining a tattoo can be an adventure in itself
because Spellweavers usually require the applicant to gather their own ingredients from remote or dangerous
locations.
The magical ritual performed during application of a talismanic tattoo is a serious affair. Failure to honour
the gods etched on one’s body may incur bad luck, or even a fall from grace. Characters who act in direct
contradiction of the spirits depicted by their tattoos suffer the effects of the Curse of Ill-Fortune spell (see WFRP
p.255). Repeated contravention of the talismans may result in the PC acquiring a Corruption of the Body (see WFRP
p.184) at the GM’s discretion.
A talismanic tattoo can be activated once per day as a Free Action, by expending a Fortune Point.
Blessings can be the same as those conferred by warpaint, or they may be specific to particular Asrai deities (as
determined by the GM). A Wood Elf may have up to 7 tattoos on their body: one for each limb, two on the torso
(front and back), and one on the head. Only one tattoo should be specifically linked to a major deity, the rest should
invoke animal spirits or primeval symbolism.