The House Helmawr is a fractious bunch held together by a fine web of family ties stretching across the planet – and a singular love of the absolute power granted to them by Imperial law. Entitled, cruel, and forever bored by the comfort their unique station allows, they spice things up with bitter, bloody hunts in high-tech battle suits just to pass the time.
Usually they hunt alone, racking up a kill count that will carry them through to a leadership position, but certain circumstances – such as the discovery of a cache of archaeotech – may give rise to unusually target-rich hunting grounds. It is then that Spyrers often team up, forming a hunting party and setting up a camp – much to the misfortune of anyone caught in their augmentic sights.
Where other gangs are rich in warm bodies, Spyrers trade numbers for advanced tech. Each of these exotic hunting rigs far outstrips anything the other houses can muster, but hunting parties generally only have three or four fighters, who can be easily divided and overwhelmed.
There are four primary suit classes; the heavier Orrus suit, and the lighter Yeld, Malcadon, and Jakara patterns. A Spyre Hunt Master is the backbone of any gang, donning a Sovereign rig that can mix and match most other weapons, pairing Malcadon slashing claws or toxin whips with a Yeld’s laser gauntlets, or the Jakara’s deadly monomolecular sword.
As Spyrers hunt, the rigs record and verify all of their kills, slowly evolving as extra functions are unlocked, from improved Combat Neuroware, to Thickened Armour. Each makes the wearer an even more efficient killing machine.
If a Spyrer is taken out of action, their suit may suffer glitches, such as Gyroscopic Destabilisation or Targeting Uplink Disruption. These can be removed over time, but should the number of glitches surpass the Spyrer’s Toughness value, their rig will shut down, forcing the fighter into humiliating early retirement.
Rather than recruiting gang members in the regular style, the Spyrers add new hunters by increasing their presence through acts of violence. As their notoriety grows, so too does the Terror Level rise, and the other Spyrers seek to get in on the action.
All the rules you need to field a ruthless Spyrer Hunting Party in Necromunda will be available in The Book of Desolation, which is available to pre-order on Saturday. This packed supplement also contains rules for Secundan Incursion gangs, the Malstrain, and Malstrain Corrupted gangs, and new Dramatis Persona including Lady Haera in her unique Sthenian-pattern Hunting Rig.