"Gutter runners are fast, even by the alacritous standards of the Skaven. They act as skirmishers in battle, harassing the enemy and disrupting the rear of his line. They are also grouped into teams that tunnel beneath enemy formations and fortifications, seeking to undermine their opponents' security. They are Clan Eshin’s assassins-in-training, and while they are not as formidable as their murderous peers, they should never be underestimated."
- —Steffan Paulus Adelhof, scholar of Wolfenburg[2a]
A Skaven Gutter Runner of Clan Eshin prepares to launch its attack.
A Gutter Runner is one of those quick and flexible Skaven promoted from the lowly ranks of Clan Eshin's Night Runners. They are the best of that caste of Eshin ratmen, former Nightleaders given more responsiblity in the clan and leading their regiments against Eshin's enemies.[9a]
Champions among the Gutter Runner ranks are refered to as Death Runners.[1a] Those Gutter Runners with particular skill in the Art of the Silent Death go on to be Master Assassins.[4a]
Role[]
A Gutter Runner, brandishing it's Weeping Punch Daggers.
Gutter Runners are elite skirmishers and scouts, second only to the Death Runners and Eshin Assassins in the art of stealth and speed. Their attacks are quick and effective, frustrating their enemies as the Gutter Runners appear, attack, and vanish just as quickly in a flash of smoke or a splash of shadow.[2a]
Gutter Runners have undergone extensive training in the mysterious and deadly fighting style developed in the lands of far Cathay. Because of their ability to bend and contort their pliable bodies with such inhuman speed and dexterity, Gutter Runners don't wear armour, they simply dodge the blows and missiles of their foes. In addition to hiring themselves out to perform sinister deeds for the Warlord Clans, Gutter Runners also serves on behalf of the Council of Thirteen. Across the globe, small teams of Gutter Runners spy, instigate warfare between surface dwellers or rival clans and commit acts of sabotage on behalf of their patron. It is thanks to these merciless killers that an unprecedented amount of secret knowledge flows into Skavenblight everyday, as the Council of Thirteen mulls over each report, forever seeking to stay one step ahead of their many rivals.[1a]
Warfare[]
"Gutter Runners are strong-sneaky Night Runners. They slip behind enemy lines, and kill-kill."
The black-furred Assassin of the Under-Empire.
Gutter Runners are nimble and quick; they would have to be to have survived their apprenticeship in the ranks of Clan Eshin’s Night Runners. Their attacks are quick and effective, frustrating their enemies as the Gutter Runners appear, attack, and vanish just as quickly in a flash of smoke or a splash of shadow.[2a]
When these warriors are sent into an army, Gutter Runners are often used to sabotage other enemy armies long before the actual fighting begins. Night raids, arson attacks, and contaminated water supplies are all favourite covert tactics of these stealth troops. On the battlefield, Gutter Runners are tasked with the elimination of warmachines and enemy artillery, ambushing exposed positions or picking off vulnerable enemy units. The Gutter Runners use a variety of weapons and poisons to accomplish their missions, but it is their ability with the blade that makes them so formidable.[1a]
Notable Gutter Runners[]
- Dricht Skuttlespite - Dricht was the sole student who survived Fleer's training. His training to be an Assassin is interrupted when his master, Fleer Twitchkill, is seen off.[3a]
- Ikkrik Poisonclaw - A particularly stealthy skaven, his own clan wasn't convinced he actually existed. Instead, they figured he must be an apparition summoned by the Grey Seers.
- Tsang Kweek - A sadistic Skaven that assisted Thanquol. Said to be the leader of a pack of Gutter Runners, this would actually make him a Death Runner.[6a]
- Qit Rin - Qit Rin was one of Sneeq Foulblade's underlings, a senior member of his group of Gutter Runners.
- Skulk Fellpaw - Another one of Sneek Foulblade's underlings, Skulk Fellpaw was the least skilled, most abused, and the most expendable in the eyes of his master.
Notable Regiments[]
- Ripshades - The Ripshades were a gutter runner formation that had perfected the art of spying upon humans. Indeed, they knew the sewer system of Nuln better than any man-thing
- Blackclaws - A top-tier regiment of Gutter Runners who coated their weapons with the foulest poisons.
Miniatures[]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Skaven (7th Edition)
- 1a: pg. 51
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Children of the Horned Rat (RPG)
- 2a: pg. 70
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: The Enemy Within Campaign - The Horned Rat Companion (RPG)
- 3a: pg. 51
- 4: Grey Seer (Novel) by C.L Werner
- 4a: Ch. 9
- 5: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Children of the Horned Rat (RPG)
- 5a: pg. 99
- 6: Temple of the Serpent (Novel) by C.L Werner
- 6a: Ch. 11