The Warhammer world would not be what it is without the presence of potent individuals such as great lords, valiant heroes, mighty wizards or black-hearted necromancers. These add an entirely different aspect to the game, either as valuable leaders, or powerful warriors able to fight against vast numbers of lesser fighters. These
individuals are known as 'characters'.
Some characters 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. Some may have special powers, skills or abilities, such as the Dark Elf Assassins 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 Captains 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:
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| Captain | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
From this example, it is clear that characters are quite different from ordinary troops.
Characters such as Heroes and Lords, 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 characters is to join other units in battle, so that they can bolster the battle line where needed.