Fighters & Fighter Types

Overview

Fighters are the core building blocks of the Gyrinx content library. A list represents a user's collection of fighters (called a "gang" in Necromunda). Every fighter that a user can add to their list starts as a ContentFighter -- a template that defines the fighter's archetype, base statistics, default equipment, and available skill trees. When a user adds a fighter to their list, they are creating a ListFighter instance based on one of these content templates.

The content library separates fighter definitions from user data. As an administrator, you manage the archetypes (the "what exists in the game") while users manage their own instances (the "what's in my list"). Changes you make to a ContentFighter affect how new fighters are created and how existing fighters display their base characteristics.

This area also includes supporting models that control default equipment loadouts, category-specific terminology, and equipment carrying limits per fighter type.

Key Concepts

Fighter archetype: A ContentFighter record that defines a type of fighter from the rulebooks. For example, "Gang Queen" or "Death Maiden" for House Escher. Users select from these archetypes when adding fighters to their lists.

Fighter category: A broad classification such as LEADER, CHAMPION, or GANGER that determines the fighter's role in the gang hierarchy. Categories control sorting order, which equipment a fighter can access, and how terminology is displayed.

Fighter type: The specific name of the fighter archetype within its category. For example, the category might be CHAMPION and the type might be "Death Maiden". The type field is the human-readable label users see when selecting a fighter.

House: The faction a fighter belongs to (see the Houses documentation area). Fighters are linked to a house, and users can only add fighters from their list's house -- plus fighters from generic houses that are available to everyone.

Default assignment: Equipment that comes with a fighter automatically when a user adds that fighter to their list. This represents the standard loadout described in the rulebooks.

Legacy fighter: A secondary fighter template that can be attached to certain fighters, representing a previous incarnation or inherited role. Controlled by the can_take_legacy and can_be_legacy flags.

Models

ContentFighter

The primary model in this area. Each record represents one fighter archetype from the game's rulebooks.

Fields

Field	Type	Description
type	CharField	The fighter's specific name (e.g. "Gang Queen", "Death Maiden", "Juve"). This is the label users see when selecting a fighter.
category	CharField (choices)	The fighter's role classification. See the full list of categories below.
house	ForeignKey to ContentHouse	The faction this fighter belongs to. Can be null for universal fighters.
base_cost	IntegerField	The credit cost to hire this fighter. Defaults to 0.
skills	ManyToMany to ContentSkill	Default skills the fighter starts with.
primary_skill_categories	ManyToMany to ContentSkillCategory	Skill trees the fighter can advance in as primary (cheaper XP cost).
secondary_skill_categories	ManyToMany to ContentSkillCategory	Skill trees available as secondary (more expensive XP cost).
rules	ManyToMany to ContentRule	Special rules that apply to this fighter type.
can_take_legacy	BooleanField	Whether user fighters of this type can have a legacy content fighter attached. Default: false.
can_be_legacy	BooleanField	Whether this fighter type can be assigned as someone else's legacy content fighter. Default: false.
is_stash	BooleanField	Whether this fighter represents a gang's stash rather than an actual fighter. Stash fighters only show gear/weapons and must have a base_cost of 0. Default: false.
hide_skills	BooleanField	Whether to hide the skills section on the fighter card in the application. Useful for fighter types that don't use skills. Default: false.
hide_house_restricted_gear	BooleanField	Whether to hide the house-restricted gear section on the fighter card. Default: false.

Stat Fields

ContentFighter has twelve built-in stat fields that represent the traditional Necromunda statline. These are all CharField fields with a max length of 12, allowing values like "4", "2+", or "-":

Field	Verbose Name	Description
movement	M	Movement distance
weapon_skill	WS	Weapon Skill
ballistic_skill	BS	Ballistic Skill
strength	S	Strength
toughness	T	Toughness
wounds	W	Wounds
initiative	I	Initiative
attacks	A	Attacks
leadership	Ld	Leadership
cool	Cl	Cool
willpower	Wil	Willpower
intelligence	Int	Intelligence

These fields are stored as strings rather than integers because some stats use dice notation (e.g. "2+") or may be left blank with "-".

There is also a custom statline system (via ContentStatline) that allows fighters to use an entirely different set of stats. When a fighter has a custom statline attached, it takes precedence over these built-in fields. This is used for fighter types like vehicles that have different stat categories (e.g. Front Armour, Handling, etc.). For full details on configuring stats and custom statlines, see Stats & Statlines.

Fighter Categories

The category field uses the FighterCategoryChoices enum. Fighters are sorted in lists by category in this order:

Category	Label	Typical Use
LEADER	Leader	Gang leader, one per gang
CHAMPION	Champion	Experienced gang members
PROSPECT	Prospect	Fighters working toward full membership
SPECIALIST	Specialist	Fighters with specialised roles
GANGER	Ganger	Standard gang members
JUVE	Juve	Young/inexperienced gang members
CREW	Crew	Vehicle crew members
EXOTIC_BEAST	Exotic Beast	Companion creatures, added via equipment rather than directly
BRUTE	Brute	Large hired muscle
HANGER_ON	Hanger-on	Non-combat gang associates
HIRED_GUN	Hired Gun	Mercenaries for hire
BOUNTY_HUNTER	Bounty Hunter	Independent bounty hunters
HOUSE_AGENT	House Agent	Faction agents
HIVE_SCUM	Hive Scum	Underhive mercenaries
DRAMATIS_PERSONAE	Dramatis Personae	Named special characters
ALLY	Ally	Allied fighters
VEHICLE	Vehicle	Vehicles, which use a different statline
STASH	Stash	Special category for the gang's equipment stash
GANG_TERRAIN	Gang Terrain	Gang-specific terrain pieces

Fighters with categories EXOTIC_BEAST, VEHICLE, and STASH are excluded from the normal fighter selection dropdown when users add fighters to their lists. Exotic beasts and vehicles are added through equipment assignments instead. Stash fighters are handled automatically.

How Base Cost Works

The base_cost field defines the default credit cost to hire a fighter of this type. When a user adds a fighter to their list, this is the cost they pay.

However, the cost can be overridden per house using ContentFighterHouseOverride records (documented in the Houses area). This is used when a fighter type costs different amounts depending on which house is hiring them. When a house override exists, the application uses cost_for_house() to look up the overridden cost for the specific house.

Stash fighters must always have a base_cost of 0. The application enforces this through validation.

Admin Interface

The ContentFighter admin page provides:

• Search: by type, category, and house__name

• Filters: by category, house, and psyker_disciplines__discipline

• Autocomplete: on the house field

• Inlines:

  • Fighter Statline: attach a custom statline type (max one per fighter)

  • Equipment Category Limits: set per-category equipment limits (see ContentFighterEquipmentCategoryLimit below)

  • Psyker Discipline Assignments: assign psyker disciplines to this fighter

  • Psyker Power Default Assignments: assign default psyker powers

• Actions: "Copy selected to house" -- duplicates selected fighters (with all their equipment lists, default assignments, and relationships) into a different house

ContentFighterDefaultAssignment

Defines the equipment that comes with a fighter by default. When a user adds a fighter to their list, the application creates equipment assignments based on these records.

Fields

Field	Type	Description
fighter	ForeignKey to ContentFighter	The fighter archetype this default equipment belongs to.
equipment	ForeignKey to ContentEquipment	The piece of equipment included by default.
weapon_profiles_field	ManyToMany to ContentWeaponProfile	Specific weapon profiles to include. If a weapon has multiple profiles (e.g. different firing modes), this controls which non-standard profiles are included by default. Standard profiles (cost 0) are always included.
weapon_accessories_field	ManyToMany to ContentWeaponAccessory	Weapon accessories included with this default assignment.
cost	IntegerField	Cost override for this assignment. You typically should not change this from 0, as default equipment is included in the fighter's base_cost.

How Default Assignments Work

Each ContentFighterDefaultAssignment record represents one piece of equipment that a fighter starts with. For example, a Gang Queen might have default assignments for a Laspistol and a Stiletto Knife.

For weapons, the assignment automatically includes all "standard" weapon profiles (those with a cost of 0). If a weapon has additional profiles that cost extra -- for example, special ammunition types -- you can add those specific profiles through the weapon_profiles_field to include them in the default loadout.

The cost field on a default assignment is typically 0 because the equipment cost is already factored into the fighter's base_cost. Only set a non-zero cost if the equipment should add cost beyond the base fighter cost.

Admin Interface

The ContentFighterDefaultAssignment admin page provides:

• Search: by fighter__type, equipment__name, and weapon_profiles_field__name

• Autocomplete: on fighter and equipment fields

• Actions: "Copy selected to fighter" -- duplicates selected default assignments to a different fighter

ContentFighterCategoryTerms

Controls the terminology used in the application for different fighter categories. This allows the application to use context-appropriate language -- for example, referring to a vehicle's "Damage" instead of "Injuries", or calling it "The stash" instead of "This fighter".

Fields

Field	Type	Description
categories	MultiSelectField	One or more fighter categories that use these terms. Each category can only appear in one terms record.
singular	CharField	The singular noun for this type. Default: "Fighter". Examples: "Vehicle", "Beast".
proximal_demonstrative	CharField	How the application refers to "this" entity. Default: "This fighter". Examples: "The vehicle", "The stash".
injury_singular	CharField	Singular form for injuries. Default: "Injury". Examples: "Damage", "Glitch".
injury_plural	CharField	Plural form for injuries. Default: "Injuries". Examples: "Damage".
recovery_singular	CharField	Singular form for recovery. Default: "Recovery". Examples: "Repair".

When to Use

You only need to create ContentFighterCategoryTerms records for categories that use non-standard terminology. If a category should use the defaults ("Fighter", "This fighter", "Injury", etc.), you do not need to create a record for it.

Common examples:

• Vehicles might use "Vehicle" / "The vehicle" / "Damage" / "Damage" / "Repair"

• The stash might use "Stash" / "The stash" with the injury/recovery fields left at defaults since they are not displayed

Admin Interface

The ContentFighterCategoryTerms admin page shows all fields in the default list view. The categories field enforces uniqueness -- each combination of categories can only have one terms record.

ContentFighterEquipmentCategoryLimit

Sets a maximum number of items from a specific equipment category that a fighter type can carry. Note the distinction: restrictions control which fighter categories can access an equipment category; limits control how many items from that category a fighter can carry. This is used to enforce game rules like "a fighter can carry at most 3 grenades" or "a vehicle can mount at most 2 heavy weapons".

Fields

Field	Type	Description
fighter	ForeignKey to ContentFighter	The fighter type this limit applies to.
equipment_category	ForeignKey to ContentEquipmentCategory	The equipment category being limited.
limit	PositiveIntegerField	The maximum number of items from this category the fighter can have. Default: 1.

Validation Rules

• The fighter and equipment_category combination must be unique -- you can only set one limit per category per fighter.

• The equipment category must have at least one ContentEquipmentCategoryFighterRestriction before limits can be set. This means the category must already be configured with fighter category restrictions (see Equipment Categories documentation).

Admin Interface

Equipment category limits can be managed in two places:

1. From the ContentFighter admin page: an inline at the bottom of each fighter's edit page lets you add limits for that fighter. The equipment category dropdown is filtered to only show categories that have fighter restrictions configured.

2. From the ContentEquipmentCategory admin page: an inline shows all fighter limits for that category. The fighter dropdown is grouped by house for easier navigation.

How It Works in the Application

Adding a Fighter to a List

When a user clicks "Add Fighter" on their list, the application shows a form with a dropdown of available fighter types. This dropdown is populated by the available_for_house() method, which returns:

• All ContentFighter records belonging to the list's house

• All ContentFighter records from generic houses (houses with generic=True), which represent universally available fighters like Hired Guns

• If the house has can_hire_any=True, all fighters from all houses are shown (except stash fighters)

Fighters with categories EXOTIC_BEAST, VEHICLE, and STASH are excluded from this dropdown. Exotic beasts and vehicles are added through equipment assignments, and the stash is managed automatically.

The dropdown groups fighters by house, so the user sees their house's fighters first, followed by generic fighters.

Fighter Cost Calculation

When a user selects a fighter type, the cost shown is determined by:

1. First checking for a ContentFighterHouseOverride matching this fighter and the list's house

2. If no override exists, using the fighter's base_cost

In campaign mode, this cost is deducted from the list's available credits when the fighter is hired. If the list does not have enough credits, the hire is rejected.

Default Equipment

After a fighter is created, the application looks up all ContentFighterDefaultAssignment records for that fighter's content type. Each default assignment creates an equipment assignment on the user's ListFighter. This means the fighter immediately appears with their standard loadout.

Fighter Display

On the list view, each fighter card shows:

• The fighter's name (user-assigned) and type (from ContentFighter.type)

• The fighter's category label (e.g. "Leader", "Champion")

• The statline -- either from the custom statline system or the built-in stat fields

• Equipment, including default assignments and any user-added gear

• Skills (hidden if hide_skills is true)

• House-restricted gear section (hidden if hide_house_restricted_gear is true)

• Special rules from the rules relationship

Category Terminology

Throughout the application, when displaying text about a fighter, the system checks for ContentFighterCategoryTerms matching the fighter's category. If found, it uses the custom terminology. For example, a vehicle's injury table heading would say "Damage" instead of "Injuries".

Sorting

Fighters in a list are sorted by category in a defined order: Stash first (if present), then Leaders, Champions, Prospects, Specialists, Gangers, Juves, with other categories in the middle, and Gang Terrain last. Within the same category, fighters are sorted by their type name.

Common Admin Tasks

Adding a New Fighter Type

1. Open the Fighters admin page and click "Add Fighter"

2. Fill in the type field with the fighter's name as it appears in the rulebooks (e.g. "Gang Queen")

3. Select the appropriate category (e.g. LEADER)

4. Select the house this fighter belongs to

5. Set the base_cost in credits

6. Fill in the stat fields (M, WS, BS, S, T, W, I, A, Ld, Cl, Wil, Int) with values from the rulebooks. Use "-" or leave blank for stats that don't apply.

7. Add any default skills, primary/secondary skill categories, and rules

8. Set the boolean flags as needed (can_take_legacy, hide_skills, etc.)

9. Save the fighter

After saving, you can add a custom statline, equipment category limits, and psyker disciplines using the inline forms.

Setting Up Default Equipment

1. Navigate to the Default Equipment Assignments admin page

2. Click "Add Default Equipment Assignment"

3. Select the fighter (the content fighter archetype)

4. Select the equipment (the piece of gear or weapon)

5. If the equipment is a weapon with multiple profiles, optionally select the specific weapon_profiles_field entries that should be included beyond the standard (free) profiles

6. Leave cost at 0 unless you have a specific reason to override it

7. Save

Repeat for each piece of equipment the fighter starts with.

Copying a Fighter to Another House

Some fighter types exist across multiple houses with the same or similar stats. Rather than creating each one from scratch:

1. Go to the Fighters admin page

2. Select the fighter(s) you want to copy using the checkboxes

3. Choose the "Copy selected to house" action from the dropdown

4. Select the target house

5. Execute the action

This copies the fighter along with all its equipment lists, default assignments, skill categories, rules, and other relationships. You can then edit the copy to adjust any house-specific differences like cost or stat variations.

Configuring Equipment Category Limits

1. Open the fighter you want to restrict in the Fighters admin page

2. Scroll down to the "Equipment Category Limits" inline section

3. Select an equipment category from the dropdown (only categories with fighter restrictions are shown)

4. Set the limit value

5. Save

For example, to limit a Ganger to carrying 3 grenades, you would select the "Grenades" equipment category and set the limit to 3.

Setting Up Custom Terminology

1. Go to the Fighter Category Terms admin page

2. Click "Add Fighter Category Terms"

3. Select the categories this terminology applies to (e.g. VEHICLE)

4. Fill in the custom terms:

   • singular: "Vehicle"

   • proximal_demonstrative: "The vehicle"

   • injury_singular: "Damage"

   • injury_plural: "Damage"

   • recovery_singular: "Repair"

5. Save

Creating a Stash Fighter

Each house typically needs one stash fighter to represent the gang's equipment stash:

1. Add a new fighter with type set to something like "Stash"

2. Set the category to STASH

3. Set the house to the relevant house

4. Ensure base_cost is 0 (this is enforced by validation)

5. Check the is_stash flag

6. You can usually check hide_skills and hide_house_restricted_gear since a stash does not need these sections

7. Stat fields can be left blank

8. Save