The Dwarf War Balloon was first seen supporting the Dwarven fleets in the Sea of Claws but it is now making appearances on the battlefield in an attempt to provide the dwarfs with air superiority.
The Dwarf War Balloon consists of a small armoured hull or 'gondola' suspended below a huge gasbag filled with hydrogen. Unfortunately this makes the gasbag very inflammable so - like the gyrocopter - a War Balloon tends to be crewed by reckless volunteers.
The balloon is powered by a steam driven propeller mounted on the gondola with smoke being emitted from an exhaust funnel, leaving a smudgy trail behind it. The War Balloon can ascend or descend by altering the amount of gas in the gasbag and it is steered by means of large rudder flaps.
Offensive weaponry consists of a rack of bombs mounted under the gondola whilst defensive armament is provided by turret mounted gattling cannon.
Movement
The War Balloon can move up to 12" a round and can make 1 45degree turn. The War Balloon is always considered to be flying high. Unlike normal flyers a War Balloon starts high.
Firing
Bombs - The War Balloon may drop a bomb anywhere along its flight path. Place the large stonethrower template where you want the bomb to land and then roll a scatter dice and an artillery dice. If you roll a hit then everything under the template is hit automatically (this is a big explosion!!!). If you roll an arrow then move the template the number of inches shown on the artillery dice in the direction by the arrow and then work out hits. If the artillery dice shows a misfire then something has gone wrong. Roll a D6 and consult the following chart.
Bomb Misfire Chart
d6 |
Result |
1-2 |
The bomb explodes on the rack igniting all the other bombs. The gondola takes d6 Strength 7 hits. |
3-4 |
The bomb is stuck in the bomb rack. The War Balloon cannot fire next turn as the crew panic about whether the bomb will explode or not. |
5-6 |
The bomb is a dud and has no effect. |
Gattling Cannon - The gattling cannon consists of a number of musket barrels joined together in a rotating drum. This arangement enables the cannon to fire several shots in rapid succsession giving it the ability to destroy enemy units in an instant. The gattling cannon is fired in the shooting phase just like a skaven jezzail. As it is mounted in a war balloon it is allowed to stand and fire. To determine if the shot from the gattling cannon hits the target roll to hit as normal. If you score a hit roll an artillery dice and half it. This is the number of shots that the cannon actually fired. If you roll a misfire then the rotating mechanism has jammed and the cannon didn't fire this turn. However it can fire normally next turn.
Attacking the War Balloon
Shooting
Shooting hits on the War Balloon are randomised as
follows
| Location | T |
W |
| Gondola (1-4) | 7 |
4 |
| Gasbag (5-6) | 4 |
2 |
If the gasbag is destroyed then the balloon crashes to the ground and explodes. Roll a scatter and two artillery dice and move the balloon in the indicated direction the correct number of inches. Reroll any misfires on the artillery dice. Place a large stone thrower template where the balloon lands and work out damage as if a bomb had landed. If the gondola is destroyed the crew plummet to the ground and are killed (No parachutes). Remove the war balloon model and award the full victory points for it to your opponent.
Hand to Hand
In hand to hand you can choose to attack either the gasbag or the gondola. Remember that the gattling cannons can stand and fire as you wheel in to attack.
Crew
Due to the insane nature of the War Balloon crew they are immune to psychology and do not have to take break tests.