Aquanautica Imperialis:

Horrors of the Deep

Introduction
The Eastern Fringe is the furthest realm of the God-Emperor of Humanity. In this far outpost of the
Imperium, the light of the Astronomicon is weak. a!igation through the stars is slowed to a crawl,
and with it" the mandates of Imperial protection and authority slow too.
#ost planets are $ut $arren lifeless rocks scorched $y their suns, or gas giants of crushing pressure.
Howe!er, here are also many that ha!e $een terraformed into something more during the %ark Age of
Technology, when mankind first spread to the stars. &n such planet's great oceans of water are
common, as without water" humans can not sur!i!e.
(adly, the Eastern Fringe is not only the realm of humans. It is also home to countless small )eno
empires. These threaten the o!er-stretched Imperial outposts with isolation from the greater Imperium,
and destruction at their accursed )eno hands.
Howe!er, the greatest threat to humanity on the Eastern Fringe is not the *eno Empires, $ut the
unstoppa$le encroachment of the Tyranid Hi!efleets. %ri!en $y the $iological necessity to kill and
strip any world that comes in their path. These implaca$le fleets of $iological killing machines drift
slowly through space, drawn to the fertile planets of the Eaastern Fringe, most likely the planets
humans Terraformed those many millenia ago.
+efore the great e)tra-galactic fleets of the Tyranids a myriad swarm of picket and scout organisms
race ahead to locate those worlds suita$le for Tyranid consumption. If a world encounters such scout
creatures, they must $e purged without mercy, or the world itself faces total e)tinction. It does not
matter whether these inhuman $east are found on land, sea, or air. They must $e destroyed $efore they
grow numerous enough to attract the Hi!efleet with their psychic call.
This game represents the $attle against the alien menace in the great seas of the Eastern Fringe. The
$ra!e defenders of the world's ,lanetary %efense Forces must face off against the !arious alien
menaces that threaten them. (ince this game generally focuses on smaller ship-to-ship actions, the
craft represented in this game are smaller, yet more intricate than those found in the main A-uanautica
Imperialis rules. These craft are too small to e!en $e considered Escorts for the larger fleet of
A-uanautica Imperialis +attles in this game take the form of .or!ettes, ,atrol +oats, and .utters.
What you will need to play
The rules found here assume you ha!e some passing familiarity with the $asic concepts of wargaming,
and of the /arhammer 012 uni!erse. If you are not familiar with these concepts, it is recommended
you take a look at the other Games /orkshop products set in this uni!erse for more detailed
information.
In order to play Horrors from the %eep you will need3
These 4ules
#any standard, si) sided dice 5Here$y referred to as d67
A ruler in inches
(catter dice
The /arhammer 012 $last templates
#iniatures
Gaming ta$le
+lue ta$le cloth
Terrain

Rule of 1 and 6
Any dice roll that scores a natural 89: always fails regardless of modifiers.
Any dice that scores a natural 86: always succeeds regardless of modifiers.
Midpoint
All measurements are made from the mid point of the ship model. This would $e the center of the
model's main mass. %iscuss the location of the center point with your opponent $efore play $egins.
Ship haracteristics
(hip is a generic term used to descri$e the !arious ships, $oats, $io-constructs, etc that will $e present
in this game. This characteristics gi!e you a $asic feel for how this models will act in the game. These
characteristics are called a profile. The ship characteristics are3
(peed3 This is how fast the ship can mo!e across the surface of the ocean. (ome things, such as wake,
or land will effect this speed. In addition, if a ship does not mo!e, it is considered to $e su$;ect to drift.
(peed is measured in inches.
#anue!er3This characteristics indicates how often, and how easily a ship can change direction.
Typically, this indicates the num$er of 0< degree turns the ship can make in a single turn action.
Armor3 this indicates how resistant a ship's hull is to damage. Armor is used to resist the attacks of
enemy !essels. &n Imperial ships it takes the form of thick plates of admantium, while on Tyranids it
is there otherworldly chitin carapace.
%amage Ta$le3 =arious ships will ha!e different %amage ta$les. The damage ta$le indicates what
damage actually occurred to the ship from a successful enemy attack. A ship can only take so much
damage $efore it is considered a hulk or sunk.
/eapons3 This let's you know what kind of weapons the ship is armed with. These can range from the
powerful $attle cannon on Imperial ships, to !icious +io-plasma attacks of the Tyranids.
Gunnery3 This represents how effecti!e the crew is at firing their guns at the enemy. Typically, this is a
num$er $etween 9 and 6. In order to hit, the dice must $e the gunnery skill or $etter on a d6. The
results of this roll can $e modified $ased on the situation.
,oint +lank3 ,oint $lank occurs when ships are so close together, that it is !irtually impossi$le to miss.
Howe!er, ,oint +lank also takes the form of Tyranid creatures actually grappling with an Imperial ship,
$oarders swinging across, or point defense weapons $lasting the target at close range.
>eadership3 >eadership is the num$er of dice rolled in order to command the crew or systems of the
ship to follow &rders. Each !essel will may ha!e multiple &rders that will $e detailed later in these
rules. To determine &rders, you roll a d6 for each point of >eadership. &n a roll of 0? the ship can
make one &rder.
Augur3 This characteristic is the a$ility of !essels to detect su$merged craft and other targets that
may$e o$scured. For an Augur test, you roll a d6 and attempt to gain $etter than the rating.
(pecial 4ules3 This section will list out any special rules for the craft, such as $eing a$le to su$merge,
or using spotter craft.
Weaponry
In the war torn world of the 09
st
millenium, there is no shortage of weaponry. They range from rapid-
firing mini-rocket launchers such as Hea!y +olters to the might +attle .annon, typically found on main
line $attle tanks. There is no shortage of ways to deal death. The following characteristics are used to
represent how a weapon operates in this game. These characteristics together make up a weapon's
profile.
4ange3 This is how far a weapon can effecti!ely fire. The higher a weapon's range the further it can
effecti!ely hit a target. This is measured in inches.
Accuracy3 (ome weapon systems are inherently more or less accurate to fire. A modifier with a plus
sign makes it easier to hit with, while a modifier with a minus sign makes it harder. #ost weapons
ha!e no modifiers for gunnery skill.
4ate of Fire3 (ome weapon's only fire a single shot, while others fire a sal!o of shots. The 4&F
determines how many shots the weapon can take each time it is fired.
(trength3 This shows how powerful a weapon is, and how likely to inflict damage. The higher a
weapon's strength, the more likely it is to punch through the targets armor.
(pecial 4ules3 This section will dictate any special rules that the weapon has. These will $e detailed
more in the weapon section.
!he "ame !urn
A-uanautica Imperialis3 Horrors of the %eep uses a game turn made up of the following phases3
9. %etermine Initiati!e
@. Acti!ate the ship with the highest Initiati!e score
A. 4oll >eadership %ice
0. %eclare &rders
<. 4esol!e &rders
6. End ,hase
B. Acti!ate the ship with the ne)t highest Initiati!e score, follow steps @-6.
Initiati#e
Each ship in the game rolls a d6 and adds its >eadership. In the case of two ships with the same
Initiati!e, roll a d6 for each. The one with the highest score gets to go first. /rite down the order of
Initiati!e if necessary.
Acti#ate a Ship
The ship with the highest initiati!e score is acti!ated first. &nce acti!ated, it can not $e acti!ated again
during that turn. The ship can choose to end its turn during any phase, howe!er the ship must ha!e an
End phase.
Roll $eadership Dice
Take the leadership rating of the !essel and roll the same num$er of d6's. For e!ery 0? rolled, the
!essel is allowed to make gi!e an &rder. The orders allow the captain of the !essel to direct the action
of his ship. ot all ships ha!e the same >eadership rating.
%rders
The !essel may make one &rder per 0? rolled on the >eadership dice. &nce the num$er of &rders are
determined, the controlling player must declare all of his &rders, and then resol!e them in the order
they were declared.
+elow is a list of potential &rders3
All Ahead3 This order allows the !essel to mo!e up to its speed forward. (hips that do not mo!e during
their turn are su$;ect to %rift in the End ,hase.
.ome to a ew Heading3 The !essel can make a single turn up 0< degrees. The !essel can .ome to a
ew Heading once per #aneu!er rating of the !essel.
Fire3 This &rder allows the !essel to choose one weapon and fire with it up to the weapon's 4&F. The
weapon and target must $e identified $efore firing. o weapon can $e fired more than once a turn. If
the target is not in range or the proper fire arc, the &rder is still used, $ut automatically fails.
Aimed Fire3 The controlling played can choose one weapon to take aim at a specific hit location on an
enemy target. In order to use this &rder, the weapon must then $e fired in the following &rder. ormal
shooting rules apply.
%amage .ontrol3 The .aptain can issue orders to repair damage to parts of the !essel. The damage is
not remo!ed, $ut any negati!e effects will $e remo!ed on a d6 roll of 0? per &rder.
4e-load3 (ome weapon systems such as Torpedo tu$es need to $e re-loaded $efore they can $e fired
again. This order will prepare such weapons to $e used again, howe!er they do not need to $e fired in
the following &rder.
4e!erse Engines3 This &rder allows the ship to either hold-still without suffering %rift or mo!e
$ackwards up to half of their speed characteristic.
4am3 4am &rder allows the ship to mo!e up to its speed and collide with another ship.
Augur (pike3 This order allows the ship to attempt to Target one enemy !essel that it does not ha!e line
of sight to.
+race for Impact3 +race for Impact is a special order that a !essel can carry out at any time, e!en in
another !essels turn. Going on +race for Impact costs one leadership dice for when the ship is ne)t
acti!ated. +race for Impact allows a 0? sa!e that negates one attack. A !essel can attempt to +race for
Impact as many times in a turn as it has leadership dice.

Mo#ement
How a craft will mo!e is dependent on the following factors3
9. The &rders it recei!ed
@. Its speed rating
A. The maneu!er characteristic
0. End ,hase factors
Wa&e
A ships mo!e on the surface, they will lea!e wake $ehind them. ,lace a flamer template with the
narrow end touching the craft, and ha!e it trail $ehind the !essel roughly following the course the ship
took while mo!ing. &ther ships that mo!e through this wake, including friendly craft will $e effected
$y wake as normal. If a ship does not mo!e, no wake is created, so the template can $e remo!ed.

Drift
A ship can $e su$;ect to drift if the following occurs3
9. The ship does not mo!e during its turn
@. The ship has $een reduced to a hulk
A. The ship has $een immo$iliCed $y damage
%rift occurs in the End ,hase after all orders ha!e $een worked out. To determine drift roll a scatter
dice and a d6. The ship drifts that direction the num$er of inches rolled on the d6.
Special !errain
There are a few special features that may appear in a na!al $attle. The location of these special features
should $e discussed $efore the game, and clearly distinguisha$le from the rest of the ocean.
(hallow Terrain3 This is shallow water, that may hide reefs, rocks, or other haCards to a ship or
su$marine. (hallow water has the following effects3
9. .raft that may su$merge can not do so in (hallow water
@. .raft that are in reser!e as they are su$merged can not come to firing depth in shallow water.
A. .raft mo!ing through shallow water roll a d6. &n a 9, they are immo$iliCed.
0. A craft that is immo$iliCed has its turn end immediately, all remaining orders are disregarded.
>and3 This is islands, or peninsula that ;ut out into the ocean. >and has the following effects3
9. (hips and su$merged craft may not cross or enter land.
@. A !essel that comes in contact with land are immo$iliCed immediately.
A. A craft that is immo$iliCed has its turn end immediately, all remaining orders are disregarded.
0. The craft immediately takes catastrophic damage $elow the waterline.
/ake3 /ake is choppy, wa!y water that has $een churned up $e weapon's fire, ship propellers,
su$merging craft etc. /ake will $e discussed in more detail later. For now, /ake has following
effects3
9. #o!ing through wake reduces a ships speed $y @ inches.
@. Gunnery tests when in wake are at -9.

ollisions
A collision occurs when two ships come in contact with each other without declaring a 4am order. It is
unintentional, and the results of the collision should $e worked out immediately as soon as it occurs
$efore mo!ing on.
A .ollision will inflict 9d6 hits at random locations of $oth the ships in!ol!ed. %uring a .ollision, the
strength of the attack is <.
4am attacks are treated like a collision. If a ship is e-uipped with a ram, it does not recei!e the 9d6
hits if the ram is the point of contact in the ramming action.
Reser#es
A ship in reser!e can not $e acti!ated until a successful D0? on a d6 is rolled. In some scenarios,
reser!es are in waiting off the $oard, and in others they are all ready on the $oard.
Su'marines
There is a category of !essel with the su$merge special a$ility. These craft are referred to as
(u$marines. They mo!e different then other craft and follow some of the following special rules.
9. (u$marines are not deployed on the $oard. Instead, a counter is placed in the $oard to represent
them while the model is placed in reser!e.
@. /hile su$merged, they can not $e rammed, $oarded, or engaged at ,oint-+lank.
A. The counter is mo!ed as a normal ship.
0. A su$marine that is damaged while su$merged may $e forced to surface due to the damage. If
the su$marine recei!es a critical hit, they will immediately surface. The counter is replaced
with the su$ model.
<. (u$marines ha!e the following &rder options3
9. (urface- The su$marine comes to the surface. The counter is remo!ed and replaced with
the model. (urfacing allows them to $e targeted like any other !essel. They can $e
rammed, $e part of a collision, or participate in point-$lank attacks.
@. %i!e- This &rder allows a su$marine to su$merge $ack underwater. This will replace the
model with a counter. The ship must make one full forward mo!e straight $efore di!ing.
This pro!ides them the normal restrictions from surface attacks. (u$marines can not %i!e
the same turn that they surface.
Aircraft
Aircraft are flying machines that can launch from some ships with special landing pads, or from land
$ases. Either way, they can $e used to attack ships and su$marines, and mo!e differently than normal
ships. Aircraft ha!e the following special rules3
9. They do not lea!e wake and are not impacted $y wake markers.
@. They can mo!e o!er other craft and terrain without penalty.
A. They can not $e rammed, $oarded, collide or engage in ,oint-+lank
0. Aircraft can not use the 4eload &rdinance or 4epair (pecial &rder
<. Aircraft ha!e the following (pecial &rders3
9. Into the /ild +lue- The aircraft can lea!e theA $oard and go into 4eser!e. They must mo!e
forward their full mo!ement $efore performing this order.
@. >anding- The ship can come to a stop and land on an a!aila$le landing area. This
effecti!ely allows the aircraft to re-load automatically, $ut also puts them in reser!e on the
landing pad.
Au(ur Spi&e
An Augur (pike is used to detect su$merged craft. If a su$merged craft is detected, it can $e fired upon
using anti-su$marine weapons such as depth charges and torpedoes.
In order to perform an Augur (pike nominate one (u$marine counter then, roll a d6 and add the ships
Augur rating. If the result is a 6 or higher the su$marine has $een detected. The su$marine counter can
$e replaced with an actual model to represent it has $een detected.
If one ship in the fleet has detected the su$, it can immediately relay the information to all other ships
in their allied force.
Shootin(
Ese these rules when a player uses the Fire &rder. For each Fire order gi!en, one weapon system can
$e fired at an enemy !essel. (hips that are in ,oint +lank range with another ship can still fire
normally. In addition, ships at ,oint-+lank range with other ships can $e chosen as a !alid target.
Howe!er, the firing ship can not use shooting against a target that is in point-$lank with the firing ship.
The target must $e in range, >ine-&f-(ight, and the proper fire arc or the shots automatically miss.
Each ranged weapon can can $e fired up to its 4&F for e!ery Fire order gi!en. %ifferent weapon
systems can $e fired at different targets. Howe!er, once a weapon system fires at the target, it should
$e fired at the same target until the following turn. (hip weapon systems are slow to $e repositioned.
(hip weapon systems will ha!e a certain fire arc depending on the weapon system, and the weapon
mount $eing used. The fire arcs are the following, and will $e designated in !essel and weapon profile.
The potential weapon mounts are3
Forward3 The front 9F1 degrees
4ear3 The rear facing 9F1 degrees
+ow3 The G1 degrees directly in front of the ship
Astern3 The G1 degrees directly $ehind the ship
,ort3 The 9F1 degrees to the left
(tar$oard3 The 9F1 degrees to the right
Forward ,ort3 The G1 degrees from the $ow point to the ,ort side.
Forward (tar$oard3 The G1 degrees from the $ow point to the (tar$oard side.
(tern to ,ort3 The G1 degrees from the (tern to the ,ort side.
(tern to (tar$oard3 The G1 degrees from the (tern tot he (tar$oard side.
All Around3 A61 degrees from the weapon mount.
$ine of Si(ht
There are se!eral types of deadly na!al weapons in the 09
st
#illenia. These types of weapons are
di!ided into two ma;or types3 %irect Fire and Indirect Fire. %irect fire weapons need a >ine of (ight
5>&(7 $etween the weapon and the a target in order to hit them. Indirect fire weapons use high
tra;ectories or other fire arcs in order to $ypass co!er.
In order to determine >&(, the mid-point of the ship must $e a$le to draw a straight line to the target.
If it can not, then >&( does not e)ist. (hots made at a target that does not ha!e >&( simply miss, no
matter what.
Indirect fire weapons still need >&( to hit, howe!er they ignore co!er. Indirect fire weapons can $e
fired at su$merged targets.
o#er
There are many situations where a ship can draw a >&( to the enemy, $ut the enemy is not fully
e)posed to the full !iew of the attacker. This is called co!er. (hips can take co!er $ehind terrain, other
ships, smoke screens, etc. A ship in co!er is harder to hit.
There are two types of .o!er3 (oft and Hard.
(oft .o!er3 A -uarter or more of the target is not in >&( or !isi$le. This is considered (oft .o!er.
(oft .o!er causes a-9 to Accuracy when the ship is rolling to hit the target.
Hard .o!er3 /hen half or more of the target is not in >&( or !isi$le, it is considered to $e in Hard
co!er. Hard .o!er causes a -@ to Accuracy when the ship is rolling to hit.
)ominate !ar(et
+efore firing a weapon, you must nominate the target. After the target is nominated, you check range,
determine >&(, and determine the type of .o!er the target has if any. If the weapon does not ha!e the
necessary criteria to hit the target, i.e. not in range, no >&(, etc. the shot is considered a miss and no
dice need to $e rolled.
Roll to Hit
For each point of 4&F, roll a d6. If the score is more than the Gunnery rating of the ship after
modifiers, the shot has hit home. If the roll is not enough, the shot misses.
For Indirect weapons, if the shot is not a hit it (catters. 4oll a (catter and a d6. The num$er rolled is
the num$er of inches the shot de!iates, and the arrow is the direction. If a hit is rolled, use the $lack
arrow at the top of the dice to determine the direction de!iated.
Modifiers
The following are situations that will impact a direct fire weapons a$ility to hit the target3
(oft .o!er3 -9
Hard .o!er3 -@
In /ake3 -9
Agile Target3 -9
/eapon Accuracy3 ?H- The weapon's accuracy rating.
(hort 4ange3 ?9 to hit
A(ile !ar(et
An agile target is one that has a #aneu!er 4ating of A or $etter.
Short Ran(e
(hort range is anywhere from less than half of the weapons range to ,oint +lank range.
*race for Impact
+efore the results of a damaging hit are determined, the player of the target must choose if they will
attempt to +race for Impact. If they do, make all appropriate +race 4olls now.
Resol#e Dama(e
/hen a shot hits, consult the appropriate ship template to determine where the shot hit. 4oll a d6 to
determine the location. &nce the hit location is determined, roll a d6 and add the weapon's strength,
and su$tract the target's armor. .ompare the results $elow3
For e!ery num$er a$o!e 1, that many hits in the hit locations damage chart.. .ertain sections of the
ship can maintain more damage then others. In addition, as the damage stacks, it will cause side effects
to your ships performance.
+oint *lan&
(hips and !essels are so close, that it is impossi$le to miss. At this range, it is almost impossi$le for the
larger ship-to-ship weapons to $e $rought to $ear on the enemy. It can also take the form of $oarders
trying to get on $oard the enemy !essel, Tyranid creatures actually grappling with a ship, or point-
defense weapons $laCing away.
,oint +lank attacks can occur $etween any !essels that are within @ inches of an opposing !essel. In
order to make a ,oint +lank attack, the ship has to use a Fire order. Howe!er, instead of using their
Gunnery 4ating to determine the success of the attack, the ship uses its ,oint +lank rating. This works
e)actly as a shooting attack for hitting and damage.
For each Fire order used, the !essel can choose which ,oint +lank weapon is wishes to use in the
com$at. If no ,oint +lank weapons are a!aila$le, the !essel is allowed an impro!ised attack. There is
no Accuracy modifier, and it has a $ase strength of <.
Wa&e Mar&ers
.ertain actions and acti!ities will stir up the oceans into rough patches. /hen that occurs, a wake
marker should $e placed. A wake marker is the siCe of a small 012 $last template. If the following
occurs, place a wake marker at the location it occurred.
,lace a wake marker if...
9. A ship sinks- ,lace &ne wake marker per armor point of the ship.
@. A su$ di!es- ,lace a single wake marker o!er the di!e point.
A. An aircraft crashes- ,lace a single wake marker o!er the crash site.
0. A mineHtorpHmortarHdepth charge detonates- ,lace a single wake maker o!er the impact point.
,nd +hase
This part of the turn allows the ship to wrap up se!eral pieces of the turn at once.
#o!e &rdinance- (ome weapons ha!e special rules that allow them to mo!e again in the end
phase.
%etermine %rift- %etermine if the ship is su$;ect to drifting.
4emo!e /ake- &ne /ake #arker can $e remo!ed per ship that was acti!ated. /ake from
mo!ing can not $e remo!ed with this method.
After this phase is complete, acti!ate the ne)t ship in initiati!e order. .ontinue play until all ships ha!e
completed the turn. ,lay as many turns as the scenario re-uires.