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"Chaos strong. Gors strong. Humans, Elves, Dwarf -- weak, weak weak. We win. We fight, we kill, one day we win. One day soon. You -- if you lucky, we eat you, make you into part of us, make you better than you, stronger than any of you, stronger than all of you. Once this arm weak, like you. I eat many of your kind, now strong, strong, strong."

—Karzog, Bestigor Charioteer, Member of Gorthor's Herd[3a]
Gors4theditionrulebook

A savage Gor, the most common of the Beastmen breeds.

Gors are among the most common and numerous breed of the mutant Beastmen race. Large, powerful, and numerous, they form the spine of all the warherds living within the entirety of the wider world of Mallus today. Whilst their appearance varies a great deal, they all nonetheless combine some animalistic features with those of Mankind. Yet, it is the horns that all Gors possess which separates them from other lesser breeds of Beastmen.[1a]

Easily distinguished from their smaller kin, the Ungor, Gors are marked by prominent horns that jut from atop their shaggy heads. For a Gor, the possession of a large set of horns grants it an immediate and tangible mark that denotes rank and status among the warherd. In fact, the possession of a set of curling or straight horns is the very definition of what denotes a particular Beastmen as a Gor.[1a]

Role

"It had been made quite clear to me that I was no longer welcome there myself, so what were the people to me? Nothing. Nothing but tasty meat and good loot. Yes that's right, I ate my own erstwhile neighbours when the fight was done, or bits of them anyway... Bov the Butcher's shoulder was particularly good, fat and succulent. Yes, I'm a monster. A monster made by you. You and your kind."

—Karl Schulman, mutant Turnskin, former schoolmaster of Dannenberg village.[3a]
Beastmen pack

A herd of Beastmen of various breeds prepares to assault the battleline of the foe.

To the fearful eyes of the outside world, all Beastmen appear the same, an unruly mass of flesh, fur and teeth. In their ignorance, most mortals can discern no distinguishing characteristics that mark out one breed of Beastman from another. They have the savage fangs of wolves with which to tear great chunks of flesh from their foes, and muscular and robust bodies well suited to acting out their primal urges.[2a]

Total War Gor Render 1

A Gor as rendered for Total War: Warhammer.

One thing all true Beastmen have in common is their horns. A Gor prides himself on his large, prominent horns, for these are used as a symbol of status that denotes him as a true Beastman in the eyes of his peers; without them, he cannot be considered a real Gor. In Beastmen society, horns are the ultimate mark of rank and power, and their leaders are always those with the largest and most spectacular sets. Indeed, the Gors with the finest sets of horns in their warherd are often the most powerful and cunning.[2a]

Before going into battle, the Beastmen will often sharpen their horns, or daub them with crude dye or hot blood. Gors often engage in this practice before they set out on a raid or march to battle. This serves not only to make them seem more savage and fearsome, striking terror in the hearts of their enemies, but also to inspire awe among their herd-mates.[2a]

Gor Types

"Gors may be rank-and-file beasts, but that does not diminish their ferocity on the battlefield."

—Description of Gors in Total War: Warhammer.[4]
Total War Gor Render 2

A Gor as rendered for Total War: Warhammer.

As creatures born of Chaos, the Gors of the Beastmen display almost infinite variation in their twisted anatomies. Some have the horns or head of cattle rather than the more common goats, while others possess antlers, serrated blades or even stranger mutations sprouting from their heads.[1b]

It is not unknown for Beastmen, including Gors, to have the head of a sheep, horse or insect, extra limbs, eye stalks, lashing tails, or any other conceivable alteration of the humanoid form. Amongst a society so wholly Chaotic, the line between mutant and a true Chaos Spawn is fine yet often crossed.[1b]  

  • Bovigors - Bovigors are those Gors who have cattle horns on their head rather than those of a goat and may have the entire head of a bull or ox. Bovigors are highly competitive and see themselves as superior to all other types of Gors. Most have little use for thinking, preferring instead to use their mighty strength to solve problems.[1b]
  • Caprigors - More common than all of the other types of Gors, Caprigors have curling or straight horns on their head, like a goat or ram. Most Caprigors may have the entire head of a goat, and if so, they also have matching goat legs.[1b]
  • Ungors - Ungors are the most humanoid in appearance of all the Gors. They are not recognisable as either Caprigors or Bovigors and are more varied in appearance. They possess some form of horns, but most have only small or misshapen versions, which other Beastmen find contemptible. The most favoured Ungors might possess a spectacular array of horns, or a single, fine horn. Because of the small size and poor quality of their horns, Ungors make up the bottom caste of Beastmen warherds and are unlikely to ever rise to any significant position of leadership under normal circumstances.[1b]

Warfare

"A whole eye and half a life I have spent fighting these things. Vicious, powerful creatures they are, the more terrifying because some have Human intelligence to work with their animal cunning and Chaos-spawned savagery."

— Count Boris Todbringer, Elector of Middenheim[3a]
Gors

A brutal Gor carrying the corpse of his victim.

To face a herd of Gors is to face anarchy and mayhem. Rowdy and undisciplined, they bray, bark and bawl an unceasing cacophony of noises that fills the hearts of Men with dread. And yet for all their appearance of disorder, Gors are not completely without subtlety or tactics. Fighting like a hunting pack of wolves, the Beastmen warherds instinctively try to encircle the enemy in large packs. Herds of Gors flank wide, stalking through the undergrowth, their potent animal senses keenly aware of the smell and racket of the enemy regiments.[2a]

Karolina-jacobsson-beastmen-gors

A Beastman Gor on the rampage.

The Gors are not especially stealthy, but can stay hidden well enough within the trees. Few foes can maintain their nerve in the face of a deafening, intimidating herd of Gors, let alone when more of them burst from the trees having completely circumvented war machine emplacements, outflanked the disciplined battleline, and cut off any chance of escape for routing soldiers.[2a]

Nonetheless, Gors are capable of taking to the battlefield in more or less ordered formations, a fact that many enemy generals fail to understand until it is too late. Roving herds of Gors band into tight units that march beneath banners made from the flayed hides of their foes, while others bear the captured flags of defeated enemies, tattered and smeared with blood and dung.[2a]

The Gors' raucous, bloodthirsty braying is accompanied by the atonal drones of crude pipes and horns in deliberate mockery of the bright clarion calls of the Empire's proud regimental musicians.[2a]

Notable Gor Regiments

Miniatures

Sources

  • 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Corruption (RPG)
    • 1a: pg. 99
    • 1b: pg. 100
  • 2: Warhammer Armies: Beastmen (7th Edition)
    • 2a: pg. 38
  • 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Old World Bestiary (RPG)
    • 3a: pp. 13-14
  • 4: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game)

Gallery

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