The Old World is a vast and untamed place where wild and monstrous creatures roam the dark forests and tall mountains. There are many creatures roughly human in appearance, though a little larger than a man, such as Ores, Trolls, and Minotaurs, but there are also bigger and more bizarre monsters: Griffons, Dragons, Manticores, to name but a few.

It is with these monsters that this section of the rules is concerned. Monsters may be ridden to battle by mighty Heroes and Wizards. Many of these beasts must be hand reared by their master if they are ever to accept a rider, so the great leaders of the Old World pay vast sums to adventurers who collect eggs or hatchlings from the nests of Griffons and other winged monsters. This is a dangerous profession, and for many a fatal one, but it ensures that the Emperor's zoo in Altdorf gains fresh creatures to rear on behalf of the nobles and Wizard Lords of the Empire.

Monsters are powerful elements of the army. Some monsters develop loyalty and devotion to their masters and will willingly fight for them, while others are placed under enchantments or simply driven forward towards the enemy in the hope that they will attack the right side.

Monsters can fight as if they were a unit consisting of one model. They do not have to turn or wheel to change direction, but can pivot about on the spot without penalty. They require line of sight if they want to charge or shoot, just like units of troops.

Monsters are most commonly employed as mounts for characters. A monster and its rider or riders count as a single model in the same way as a cavalry model, although different rules apply.

Horses, wolves, warboars and other similar sized creatures that only have 1 Wound are covered by the rules already described for cavalry. As you will recall, a mounted Knight is a cavalry model. If the Knight is shin then the complete model is removed including the horse he is riding. To represent the value of the horse and to make cavalry appropriately resilient an extra +1 is added to the Knight's saving throw, but otherwise no account is made of separate casualties for mount and rider.

This system is fine for these smaller creatures, but obviously wouldn't work for big monsters such as Dragons which are far larger and much more difficult to kill than a horse or a wolf.

If a mount has 2 or more Wounds then it is classed as a monster and the following rules are used for riders and mounts. These rules would therefore apply to a Hero riding a Griffon, a Wizard mounted on a Wyvem, a Dragon and its lordly rider, and so on. No additional +1 is added to the rider's saving throw, as the advantages of riding the monster are worked out in other ways instead.

As a single model, the monster and its rider are considered to be a single target. It is not possible to shoot specifically at either the rider or the mount. All shots are taken against the whole model and any hits are randomised between the rider and monster as described below.

When you shoot at a character riding a monster the usual restrictions for shooting at characters apply, as explained in the section on Heroes and Wizards. However, some monsters are so big that the chance of being able to find a unit of comparably sized creatures to shelter inside or nearby is rather slim. A character riding a monster is therefore easy to pick out as a target. If the monster is a large target, the enemy adds +1 to his 'to hit' score.

The normal -1 to hit that applies to man-sized characters on foot does not apply to characters who are riding steeds or monsters. The whole target is simply so obvious that there is no doubt as to where the character is! You might wish to re-read the rules for shooting at characters in the Characters section to clarify this.

When shooting at a monster and its rider, roll to hit the model as normal, adding +1 if the monster is a large target. Once you have established how many hits have been scored you must apportion them between the rider and the monster. For each hit scored roll a D6; on a roll of 1-4 the monster has been hit. Roll to wound the monster as normal. On a roll of 5 or 6 the rider has been hit. Roll to wound the rider as normal.

Work out wounds separately on the rider and his mount. Take any saving throws due to the target as normal. Most monsters do not have an armour saving throw as they have no armour, but some have scaly hide which confers a equivalent save. Riders are permitted saves for their armour, but remember that they do not receive the additional +1 save as cavalry troops do when riding smaller creatures.

If a monster has two or more riders (a very unusual combination) then randomise hits to see which rider is hit and work out any resultant wounds on that individual. If models are glued in place (as is likely) it will be necessary to make a note of any casualties suffered.

If a rider is slain and suffers more wounds than he has on his characteristic profile, excess wounds are discounted. They are not carried through onto the monster, nor onto a second rider if the monster has two riders. Similarly, any excess wounds inflicted on the monster are discounted, they are not carried over onto the rider.