A unit of troops can often include a single Champion. He can be bought as an upgrade to a normal model in the unit as described in the Warhammer Army books. Champions are often extremely strong, tough or astute members of their race, and comrades look up to them and take pride in their prowess. Champions of units have various names depending on the army they fight for; Orc Champions can be called Bosses, while Empire Champions can be called Sergeants or Marksmen, for example. No matter what their name, Champions always follow the same rules.

Although they can be powerful in combat, Champions are not characters but members of their regiment and always fight as part of it, moving, attacking, fleeing and pursuing alongside the unit as a whole. If the unit has any special rules which apply to it, such as being stubborn or subject to frenzy, then these also apply to the Champion. Unlike characters, a Champion is not permitted to move and fight on his own, and can never leave his unit or join another one. They are effectively another model in the unit, the only difference being that they are blessed with enhanced characteristics.

The Champion is always armed and equipped in the same way as the rest of his unit, unless otherwise noted. The options entry in each army list tells you whether you can upgrade one of the unit members to a Champion. Except where noted elsewhere, the Champion is always placed in the front rank along with the unit's Standard Bearer and Musician.

Unlike Standard Bearers and Musicians, you can direct attacks against Champions and kill them - if a Champion is removed as a casualty he is not replaced by another Champion. Even though they are not characters, Champions are subject to the following rules which govern characters: they can accept and issue challenges and benefit from the 'Look out, Sir!' rule. See the Characters section for details.