The Warhammer world would not be what it is without the presence of potent individuals, great Heroes, valiant Champions, mighty Wizards and black-hearted Necromancers. These individuals add an entirely different aspect to the game either as valuable leaders, or powerful individuals able to fight against vast numbers of lesser mortals. These models are known as characters.

Heroic individuals vary tremendously: some are tougher, meaner and more powerful than the average warrior. Others are faster than a typical member of their race, stronger and more skilled with weapons, or are natural leaders with the power to inspire. Whilst others have special powers, skills or abilities, such as the Dark Elf Beastmasters or Imperial Engineers.

In most cases they are known by different names appropriate to their nation or race. Orc characters, for example, are known by the 'Orcy' titles of Big Bosses and Warbosses, while the leaders of the Empire are known as Elector Counts and Warrior Priests.

Of course, these types of valiant individuals cannot really represent every nuance of distinction between mighty warriors, bold leaders and cunning wizards, but it does enable us to fight with comparably powerful characters, whether they are goodly, honourable knights or are the most rotten-hearted perpetrators of evil.

Characters often have superior characteristic values compared to ordinary members of their race. For example:

From these examples it is clear that characters are quite different from ordinary troops.

Characters such as Wizards and Generals are represented by individual models, which fight as units in their own right. However, as we shall see, one of the most useful abilities of independent characters is to join other units in battle, so that they can bolster the battleline where needed. Some characters also have the ability to cast spells. In game' terms, all such characters are called Wizards.

Magic is everywhere in the Warhammer world, it permeates all living creatures and every inanimate thing. Its power is there to use for good or ill. Magic is almost as important as the fighting abilities of warriors, for it can make the difference between victory and defeat. As a consequence, mighty rulers and noble lords employ their own Wizards to protect them and fight on their behalf. Some of the races are even ruled over by powerful Wizards .

In the Empire, the Emperor himself encourages the study of magic so that he may have powerful battle Wizards to help fight his wars. In Ulthuan in the far west, the High Mages of the Elves practice the most potent of all sorceries. Even Ores and Goblins, low minded as they are, have Shamans who can blast the enemy with raw magic. Of all the intelligent races of the Old World only the Dwarfs have no Wizards. Their skills lie in the manufacture of fabulous magical artefacts and enscribing runes of power.

There are many different types of Wizard but they all have a Power Level ranging from 1 to 4. The Power Level of a Wizard represents his ability to cast spells and determines the number of spells he has. These four Power Levels are not intended to represent every possible variation in an individual's abilities; they are useful categories that enable us to match comparable Wizards against each other.

The complete rules for Wizards, spellcasting, and many magic items are covered by the Magic section of this book. Refer to this section for a description of how magic works in the Warhammer game.

A character model is moved and fights as an individual piece, except that he may also join up with and fight alongside units of troops as described below.

When a character moves on his own he can ignore any penalties for crossing terrain and obstacles (apart from impassable terrain), and because he is not part of a larger formation he does not have to change direction by turning or wheeling - he can change direction freely as he moves. So, a character can move a fraction of his Movement distance, head off in another direction, move a little more, change direction again, and so on.

Characters on foot are able to move and see freely and can therefore see, charge and shoot 360" around themselves.

However, if a character is mounted on a steed such as a horse, in a chariot or rides a monster like a Griffon, he must follow all the normal rules for line of sight tie, the character has a 90" are of sight). He must also still be able to see his enemy when charges are declared. Just like other troops, he cannot dash round the side of a unit to charge it in the rear if he begins his move in front of it. Also, such a character (whether he is riding in a chariot, on a steed or a monster) must take into account penalties for terrain as normal. This is because a mounted character is not as manoeuvrable as a character on foot.

Characters on foot who have 5 or more Wounds in their original profile also have to follow the normal rules for arc of sight (see above). This is because these characters are so massive and cumbersome.

As characters can turn freely as they move they can also be turned to face any direction once they have moved - in order to see a target the character intends to shoot at, for example.

The exception to this rule is if the character makes a compulsory move, such as a charge, flee or pursuit move, in which case the model must finish its move facing the direction of travel. Obviously, in this situation the character is far too preoccupied with what is in front or behind him to worry about looking round for fresh targets.

Characters moving on their own are allowed to march just like formations of troops, although in their case this represents their freedom to move about the battlefield as they will, natural dynamism and an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time (in true heroic fashion!). Individual characters can march at double their normal Movement distance, even if within 8" of any enemy models, and they also ignore penalties for terrain or obstacles, apart from impassable terrain.