A Space Marine Legion force works in a very different way from the chapters which superseded

them:

All the normal units you can take as compulsory troops in a Legion List have minimum unit sizes
of 10, so MSU spam is impossible with this list. With the Heresy, you go big or go home.

Units are pretty expensive initially, but adding more guys is much cheaper than it would be
normally. So if the first 10 guys cost you 150 points the next 10 are only 10 points apiece. Thus
you have an incentive to field big units. Additionally, upgrades like melta bombs and jump packs
are sometimes bought for a set price for the squad, not per model, so bigger squads effectively get
the extra ones for free. If you go for units of 20, you will have a substantial numerical advantage
on the field, but also be less tactically flexible, vulnerable to movement and unit arrangement
mistakes, unable to get inside most transport vehicles and potentially vulnerable to getting swept
up by Angron or other Primarchs.

We don't have Chapter Legion rules in our Dreadnoughts.

The Legion forces do not have "And They Shall Know No Fear", so your marines won't auto-
rally once broken. This can lose you a game if you forget about it; these Marines will fall back
and keep falling back. This is particularly true in assault, where they will get wiped.

30k armies focus more on legion specific rules. The "Legiones Astartes" rule by itself is rather
scarce, allowing you to regroup regardless of casualties, but it compensates by having the
equivalent of Chapter Tactics on steroids. Differences between legion tactics are very noticeable,
and get further supplemented by legion-specific Rites of War and units, so you have to take your
enemy's modus operandi into account in your strategy. It's not entirely about making up for the
lack of ATSKNF, but about opening interesting new strategies and ways of using space marines.

Our Decurion equivalents are Rites of War and the alternate FOCs.

Heresy Armies can have tanks, lots and lots of tanks. Land Raiders, Predators and artillery tanks
come in squadrons of three. Dreadnought talons are 1-3 dreads or Contemptors that deploy
together but then wander off separately and aren't a unit. The Spartan Assault Tank is a nasty
heavy support choice, and just above that you get into the Lords of war, and things get really silly
and titan-shaped. The 7E SM have caught up on the vehicle squadron bit, but you can still one-up
them with access to rites enabling you to bring Land Raider DTs for all your dudes, or using
Predators as goddammed troops. Furthermore, most of these tanks can have Armoured Ceramite,
so melta weapons won't work against them, leaving Fire Dragons and Melta vets crying.

The Legions are less flexible than their Chapter descendants (obviously), but they can soak up
more damage than a Chapter and have the numbers to take a beating and still come on top,
supported with with all their advanced pre-heresy tech like Volkite weaponry, Flare-shielded
Spartans and other esoteric systems allowing them to triumph against any foe, pre-or post-Heresy.
Plus ripping apart space pansies, retcrons and Tau with Angron. Seriously, Angron vs Tau in close
combat is the ultimate(epitome) in Rape.
However, compared to other armies they'll have more squads, albeit smaller, so they'll be able to
attack you from many different angles and go after objectives at the same time, while you're
unable to kill them all and get outmaneuvered (like 40k marines vs IG everyone else, but worse).
Furthermore, the good stuff is expensive, so this army only really begins to shine after the
2000pts mark, and even then you'll have to make use of all the tricks you get, such as Rites of
Wars and the like.

Tl;dr - you'll have to buy LOTS of stuff.

This means, unless you have a few thousand to drop on the army, there's little chance you'll play
it outside of a proxy, but odds are you already have lots of marine models lying around, so get
creative with the green stuff! Remember to also shave off the Aquilas, if you're fielding a Traitor
army!.

But screw all that, the Legion list is Awesome.

Special Rules[edit]

Wrecker

Shred (Buildings) [re-roll building penetration].

+1 to rolls on Building Damage.

Organization and Using an Army in the Age of Darkness[edit]

The Legiones Astartes Crusade Army List book and Book IV Conquest has clarified how 30k
armies are intended to function/be set up/used.(AKA How to 30k in 7th edition.) The following
are only for games using the Age of Darkness expansion.

They cannot use any Force Org Chart from the main rule book, nor can you go Unbound. This
means only using mission specific FOCs (like Planet Strike etc) or the Age of Darkness FOC and
optional ones provided in the books - you still have lots of variation here, so not a problem.
However that means no CAD for Objective Secured.

The Crusade book has optional FOCs that have additional rules but they are designed specifically
for fun and are not for competitive play.
Unless the mission specifically allows it, Rites of War cannot be taken with the alternative Force
Org charts.

Only Troops and things that specifically say they score (like Implacable Advance) can do so. So
"everything scores" from 7th ed does not apply. Though everything does still deny normally. So
be sure to kill them all off that objective and everyone nearby seeking to claim it from you.

New ways of using the LoW slot, such as taking several "lighter" super-heavies instead of a
single one.

As of Legiones Astartes: Age of Darkness Army List, the only HH units that can use Malefic
Daemonology are psykers with LA (Word Bearers) or Lorgar Transfigured as well as daemon
allies of course.

Optional Destroyer rule: Why weaken D weapons? Because there can be so many Superheavies
that the game would be over in 2 turns. Destroyer weapons count as S10 with Instant Death,
Ignores cover and rerolls invulnerable saves and penetration rolls, removing D3+1 wounds/hull
points when unsaved. Overall increases the mean damage of D weapons (eg. the usual version
might not kill Thanatars in ine hit). Yes, this way they wont one-hit kill a superheavy, but also that
marine wont survive simply because he hid from a Titan behind a rock.

Choose your Faction: In campaigns your force must be either Loyalist OR Traitor, as some units,
rules and, most notably, characters are available only to one side (marked by the Aquila/Eye
symbol) and you cannot mix them (eg: Loken cannot be with Abaddon)...unless you tell your
opponent it's before Istvaan III, as in Early Crusade. Just don't try this playing against other
Legion. To betray, or not to betray, that is the question.

Force Organization Charts for the Age of Darkness (30k)[edit]

Battles in the Age of Darkness Organization Chart

The well known vanilla FOC. Pretty balanced and allows the use of Rites of War, so you'll be
using this one most of the time. It's also the one that can be used in all missions regardless of your
opponent's consent.

Compulsory: 1 HQ, 2 Troops

Optional: +2 HQ, +4 Troops, +4 Elites, +3 Fast Attack, +3 Heavy Support, +1 Fortification, +1

Lord of War

Allied Detachment available

Compulsory: 1 HQ, 1 Troops

Optional: +1 Troops, +1 Elites, +1 Fast Attacks, +1 Heavy Support

[Expand]

Optional Force Organization Charts

There are several optional Force Org charts that you can use an alternative to the regular one,
however these require either your opponent's permission to use or be made available by a
particular mission.

Furthermore, unless the mission also says so, you cannot use a Rite of War with them either.

Most of these are meant for fun rather than competitiveness. Also, they're meant to play amongst
them, this still isn't 40k: an extra Superheavy seldom compensates for 40k's ATSKNF, Troop-
wide Obsec and formations.

[Expand]

Mission Specific Force Organization Charts

As a further addition to the optional Force Org charts, there are other charts which are specifically
for particular missions in the Age of Darkness, such a Strategic Raids or Cityfight.

These aren't necessarily restricted to Legiones Astartes armies and can be used by any force in the
Age of Darkness, but the same can be said of the "optional" ones listed above. However, these
ones only have the restriction on Rites of War where it is specifically mentioned (contrast with
those listed above, which are prevented unless specified otherwise). Of course, these ones require
you to be playing certain missions.

Of course in these missions the regular FOC may be used as well.

Organization and Using an Army in Normal 40k[edit]

TL;DR. The above section rules do not apply, carry on as normal for army construction as you
would any normal 40k codex.

This means use of CADs, multiple detachments, option for unbound, "everything scores" and so
on, but no additional VPs for LoW kills or the alternate ways to use a LoW slot etc.

Implacable Advance confers Objective Secured.

Unless you take a Rite of War, you're gonna feel the lack of Formations everybody and their dog
have.

Still uses Age of Darkness Allies Matrix though, so can still only ally with other legions, Solar
Auxilia, Mechanicum, and Imperial Militia/Cults (maybe you could argue the Imperial Guard is
treated as Imperial Militia, and Skitarii/Cult Mechanicus as Mechanicum?) and Daemons when
using traitor imperial cults or Word Bearers.

Legion Warlord traits[edit]

30k brings a new warlord traits table, though you can use the Warhammer 7th Ed. Warlord Traits
table too. Some HQ choices say they must be the Warlord, meaning you may only have one of
those units unless their Primarch is also present.

Bloody Handed: The Warlord and any attached Legiones Astartes cause FEAR. Nice, since only 3
legions are fear-resistant. Due to WS6, watch as you are only hit on a 5+. This is the only chance
your Nameless Praetor has against Named characters...but many are Ld10, so they'll need to roll a
11+ to fail the test; don't rely on this.

Master Tactician: After both have deployed, but before the 1st turn, you may redeploy, or even
move 1 unit from/to reserve. Good for repositioning your artillery/immobile units and to mess
with your enemy's scouts/infiltrators. Better if the thing you put in reserve has Outflank or Deep
Strike.

World Burner: Nominate D3 units from your Primary Detachment. Their Blast and Template
weapons gain Shred. Awesome on Heavy Support Squads, Seekers and artillery. Shredding
Phosphex Rapiers anyone?

Paladin of Glory: Hello Astartes. Look at your Praetor, now back to me, now back at your
Praetor, now back to me. Sadly, he isn't me, but if he became a Paladin of Glory, he could be
Fearless like he's me. Look down, back up. Where are you? You're in close combat, adding +1 to
the Wounds score of every unit 6" around you. Anything is possible when your Praetor is a
Paladin of Glory. I'm on a Spartan assault tank.

Void Walker: Your Praetor gains Adamantium Will and 1 unit can Deep strike. Nice for
teleporting your Terminator squad without needing the Orbital Assault RoW.

Child of Terra: He and any attached unit rerolls failed To-Wounds of 1, World Eater style.
Combine it with some means of re-rolling To-Hits so that you've got almost guaranteed wounds.

Rites of War[edit]

Rites of War can only be taken if you have a "Master of the Legion" in your army (Praetor,
Delegatus, Herald, Primarch and several special characters). They change how your army
functions in a key way. Although all of them give considerable bonuses to your army, they also
come with their own restrictions and drawbacks, so think carefully about which Rite of War you
want to take, if any. Individual legions have their own exclusive RoWs listed in their respective
sections, and in a similar vein some RoWs are exclusive to Loyalists or Traitors. The FAQ says
that taking Rites of War in an allied detachment is allowed, but it's usually not possible as you can
only take one model with the Master of the Legion rule per 1000 points (assuming you took one
in your Primary Detachment) and you still need to abide by any restrictions; especially when they
only apply to Primary detachments, require your Warlord to be present in the detachment, or
prevent you from taking allies outright. However there are some Rites out there that can be taken
and do work surprisingly well.
Angel's Wrath: Everything with a Jump pack gets Hit & Run, and any unit eligible to take a
Rhino can be put in a Storm Eagle instead. In addition, Storm Eagles and Fire Raptors get strafing
run. However, only flying units (read: Jump Infantry, Skimmers, Jetbikes, and Infantry inside
Flyers or Skimmers) can be taken, you can't take any tanks (unless it's also a Flyer/Skimmer) and
you can't take any Fortifications.

Can work due to most lists only fielding around 2 AA options. You're taking this mainly because
of Storm Eagle DTs, which can withstand more heat than your average flyer, pack lots of
maneuverable firepower and solve the issue of 20-man footslogger squads. Hit & Run synergises
very well with Destroyers and everyone with access to Rad grenades or other charge bonuses.

Armoured Spearhead: Units that could take Rhinos can take Land Raider Phobos or Proteus
instead if they number 10 models or less, and your Tank Shock attacks impose an additional -1 Ld
penalty. However, all Infantry units must be in a transport, and if all your tanks are destroyed,
your enemy counts as having scored a secondary objective. Again, you can't take any
Fortifications.

When playing against a Heresy list, most players wonder 'How am I going to crack open an
Armoured Ceramite'd LR?'. And now you have a whole army of them. And the 11% increase in
Tank shock success will be noticed. Just remember Melta bombs ignore Armoured Ceramite and
are bought in bulk, so don't be overconfident.

Orbital Assault: Every unit that can take a Rhino as a Dedicated Transport can instead take a
Legion or Dreadclaw Drop Pod, while Dreadnought, Contemptor Dreadnought talons must take
as many Dreadclaw Drop Pod and Dreadnought Drop Pods as their are in the talons (they must
enter play together and must deploy like a normal talon). and Legion Rapier Weapon Battery
must take Legion Drop Pods. Also, Terminators can Deep Strike like in 40k! However, everyone
must be able to Deep Strike (either by having the rule or by being deployed inside a transport that
has it), and you can't take any fortifications.

RAW you don't need to have everyone Deep Strike. The rules say that units must either have the
Deep Strike rule or have access to a transport that has the Deep Strike rule, and that if a unit
purchased a dedicated transport then it must begin the game deployed inside it. Do remember
Flyer DTs still start the game in reserves, though.

"This is also one of the few ROWs that can be taken in an Allied detachment so feel free to go
nuts with Deep-Striking elites into key positions to complement your Auxilla/Militia gunlines or
Mechanicum heavies that lack mobility around the board."

Pride of the Legion: Veterans and Terminators (including Legion-specific Elite Terminators)
become compulsory Troops, and Command Squads can take a Land Raider Phobos or Proteus.
However, if all Veteran and Terminator squads are destroyed, the enemy counts as having scored
an additional secondary objective (worth 2 VPs), and you can't take an allied detachment. This is
the only one that allows a fortification...but you have Terminator troops, so you don't really care.
Plus, at least half of your units must have the Legiones Astartes rule.

Quite nice for 30k-newcomers, since you can have a relatively small (and thus $cheap) army of
veterans with flexible weapon load-outs, and can easily proxy in your 40k marines with a variety
of options without requiring huge squads all with the same equipment. Not to mention you can
fill the table with LRs just like in Armoured Spearhead.

Armoured Breakthrough BLITZKRIEG! Panzer ist das beste! Jawohl, mein Kommandant!
Größte in die Galaxien! Predator squadrons with Autocannon turrets become your Compulsory
Troops, Sicarans become Elites, one of either can be taken as a HQ (gaining Super-heavy
Command Tank and +1 BS as its Warlord trait and counts as having Master of the Legion for this
RoW only), and if your dick isn't fully erect then Tanks with 3 or fewer HP gain Fast. However,
all infantry that can do so must purchase a dedicated transport with the "Tank" type. If you can't
buy a DT (like lone HQ choices) then you must still purchase or join someone else's tank to
deploy in (so your choices for transports are limited to Rhinos, Land Raiders of all stripes, and
the Caestus Assault Ram), no immobile units and no more flyers and skimmers than tanks.

This is one of the few Rites of War that allows allies, and in fact it is really easy to use as a cheap
allied detachment as you are only compelled to use Autocannon Predators in your compulsory
Troops slot. So you can have a legit allied detachment with two Predators. On the flip side, if you
ever wanted to field 27 Predators, 18 of which are scoring, this RoW is for you. Additional battle
tanks for your primary detachment.

If you have played Blood Angels, you know how potent Fast vehicles can be. With the Predator
autocannon having 4 shots in the Heresy era, a squadron of Troops Predators with HB sponsons
can spit out up to 12 Autocannon shots and 18 Heavy Bolter shots at full BS after moving 6
inches or two-thirds that amount after moving 12, all for 285 points, compared to 250ish points of
Legion Heavy Support squads for the same amount of firepower with much less mobility and
resilience, while Lascannon Predators can give Sicarans a run for their money (move 12, shoot
two Lascannons at full BS and snap fire 4 shots of autocannons). This is before we get to the era-
exclusive stuff like Laser Destroyer Vindicators or Plasma/Melta/Flamestorm Predator turrets, but
saving points and just going for more bodies/chasses with more bare-bones troop Predators is
always an option.

Bear in mind that while all vehicles with 3 HP or fewer gain Fast (basically anything smaller than
a Land Raider), not all vehicles can take advantage of this easily. Vehicles like Predators with
Conversion Beamers or Vindicator Laser Destroyers must be stationary to unlock their true
potential, while artillery tanks like Medusas typically would be firing one gun anyway. However,
the Fast USR does allow these vehicles to reposition more easily as they still allow firing at full
BS after moving at Cruising speed, so utilise this to your advantage accordingly if you were
going to take these tanks anyway.

While it may be tempting to put all the era-exclusive Predator turrets on your Fast tanks,
remember that Predators taken as Troops can only use the default Predator Autocannon, meaning
you can't have a Flamestorm Cannon or Plasma Cannon squat on objectives, but it does force you
to keep your troop choices cheap. You can still load up on Predators in your Heavy Support slots
but think about whether you want specialised units like Artillery Squadrons, Sicaran Venators,
and Vindicators competing for slots with something you could have taken as Troops.
Blood Angels players can now replicate Baal Predators with (made in China) Assault Cannon
turrets and sponsons on a Fast tank!

Primarch's Chosen: aka Pride of the Legion - Electric Boogaloo. Your Primarch of choice
becomes an HQ (removing the 25% points rule but the Price of Failure is still in effect) and Vets
and Legion Termies must be compulsory troops; however, if the Primarch is slain all units in your
detachment stop being scoring, the number of units with the LA rule must be more than the
number of units without, and no LoWs allowed. Useful for those times you want to bring a
Primarch without the added HQ tax, or with just a bunch of support officers. But remember that if
he dies you may as well tell your opponent that he's won- no scoring units means that the best you
can do is make the game a draw., avenge your Primarch - DESTROY THEM ALL (aka wipe out,
or auto-win). Do not also forget about secondary objectives like First Blood or Attrition (you can
still deny the enemy their objectives, no need to be scoring), while some LA (namely Dark
Angels) can award winning points without scoring units. You're probably fucked with your
Warlord dead anyway, true, but there is that.

Brethren of Iron: It lets you take Castellax Battle Automata maniples as non-compulsory troops,
Vorax as non compulsory FA and Domitar as non compulsory Elite. Techmarine can buy Cortex
controller at 15 pts and you must have one model equipped with a Cortex controller per each 3
Battle-automata units, of which there can't be more than LA units and can't buy Paragon of Metal.
A Forge Lord (or Iron Father/Warsmith) becomes the compulsory HQ (besides the one with
MotL), and the only consuls you can take are either Forge Lords or Praevians.

Fury of the Ancients: Contemptors and Boxnoughts become compulsory troops, you must bring
both a Forge Lord and a Primus Medicae, you cannot seize the initiative, can't bring neither allies
nor fortifications, and dreadnoughts give up an additional VP when killed. EACH. It lets you
bring a billion dreads, but at what cost?.

Legion Recon Company: Legion recon squads become compulsory troops and you can re-roll
first turn and seize the initiative and anyone scouting or infiltrating get shrouded. However any
heavy support units must start in reserve, you must have an additional troop which must be a
recon squad and no termies allowed. Anything that scouts or infiltrates gets shrouded for a turn,
which works very well with Legions like Raven Guard (infantry get infiltrate, and ICs can buy
camo for a 4+ in the open), Alpha Legion (everything with LA can get infiltrate or scout or both),
and Night Lords (Terror Squads can infiltrate, all NLs start the game in 5+ pseudo-cover which
stacks with shrouded, so they are in 3+ even out in the open).

Because "Effects" (but not Limitations) of Rites of War do not carry across detachments, you
could take this as an Allied detachment, requiring just one Recon squad in the Primary
Detachment as per limitation (but none in the Allied detachment itself(skub, see below) yet still
get your Seize reroll and Shrouded bonus to infiltrating allies such as AL/RG/NL.

Another example of bad wording. Compulsory troops in any other RoW mean you must take
them as Troops, no ifs or buts (Pride of the Legion, for example). In Recon Company, however,
it's not said "one additional compulsory troops choice", but an additional troops choice that must
be a Recon Squad. The wording is also different from Ultrasmurfs RoW. Some common sense is
required here: it is generally accepted that Recon Company with 5 Recon marines is stupid, so
you will need 3 squads of them. Be sure to discuss it with your opponent before the game, in any
case.

Zone Mortalis Assault Force: Vanilla Terminators become non-compulsory troops, one vanilla
Terminator squad can deep strike, and if playing a Zone Mortalis game Legion Breacher Squads
whose members are all in BtB contact who aren't fleeing or pinned gain a +1 to their invulnerable
save. However, no unit can have more than 15 models, no vehicles besides walkers can be taken,
and no super-heavies are allowed. Given that this is meant to be used in ZM games, you'd be
operating under similar restrictions anyway so the downsides are pretty much irrelevant.

Sky Hunter Phalanx: Jetbike squads become troops, and all jetbikes can leave the table in their
movement phase to be placed into Ongoing Reserves, where they gain Outflank. However, only
Skimmer and Flyer-type vehicles are allowed, no fortifications or allies are allowed, and all
infantry must either be transported in a flyer, otherwise only Jetbikes can be taken.

RAW, nothing prevents you from jumping into reserves from CQC with this RoW.

Siege Drop Assault Vanguard: Half of the detachment's Assault Squads must enter play via deep
striking, and they can all be deployed at once on the beginning of the user's first turn. In the
player turn after that, enemy models within 12" can only fire Snap Shots against them and all
Assault Squads in the second turn gain Hit and Run. However, the only compulsory troops
allowed are Assault Squads, no immobile units can be taken (including Drop Pods)?, no allies or
fortifications are allowed, and only units that can Deep Strike or embark on a Flying Transport
can be taken.

Sacrificial Offering: A Traitor-only RoW that requires an Allied detachment of Imperialis

Militia/Warp Cults to function. The latter is initially deployed, while the entirety of the primary
detachment remains in reserve (where they gain Outflank). To compensate, the Allied detachment
gains Stubborn while in its own deployment zone and none of its units yield VPs for being
destroyed. However, the army must take a fortification, and the primary detachment can't take
anything that can Deep Strike or has the Immobile or Slow and Purposeful rules.

Outcast Sons: A RoW exclusively for Traitor elements of a Loyalist Legion. All characters in the
detachment must always issue challenges to/accept challenges from characterss with the Legiones
Astartes rule, and gain Preferred Enemy (Legiones Astartes) while in a challenge. Additionally,
they can re-roll Sweeping Advances against anyone with the LA rule and D3 (rolled after
infiltrations) units gain Scout if the enemy army's Warlord is from the same legion as their own
Warlord. However, it can never have more Elites than Troops, cannot take choices specific to
Loyalist armies, and count all Allies as "By the Warmaster's Command" even if the Allies Matrix
says otherwise. Some legions will benefit from this more than others (seriously, Imperial Fists
using this Rite gain next to nothing).

Orphans of Betrayal: The flip side of Outcast Sons, for Loyalist elements of a Traitor Legion.
Instead of gaining PE, characters in a challenge gain FnP(4+), all models gain Hatred against
enemy armies with the same Legion-specific LA rule as they do, and if their Legion's Primarch is
present in the enemy army they're immune to Fear caused by said Primarch (which is hilarious
with loyalist NL vs Curze). However, they can't ally with Space Marines, lose Traitor-only
options, can't take fortifications, and can't have more HS choices than Troops choices. Again, the
usefulness of this depends on which legion you bring.

Pre-Heresy Technology[edit]

The Legions had a lot of toys which were lost after the Heresy, alongside older patterns of current
tech, which are subsequently not available for 40k games. (Differences between still existing
tech, like Combat shields, are explained in the tabletop because of different ruling between
Forgeworld and Games Workshop)

Relics[edit]

Relics are powerful items product of mankind's golden age. You can buy only one of each per
army, and only for a non-unique IC, so no cloaking array for Typhon or something.

The January 2016 FAQ states that relics are intended for campaign use, and should not be
considered part of the regular army list unless you seek your opponent's approval first. This pretty
much takes a lot of the cheese out of certain combinations.

In a campaign you're only allowed one character with a relic, which you'll be stuck with for the
rest of the campaign, so be sure of your decision. If the relic bearer is killed, the side that killed
him can choose to play a Relic Hunt mission, where the winner steals (or recovers) the relic, even
if it's a Legion specific one, but a Draw means that relic is effectively lost for everyone. Still, you
can always opt to play a 'Relic Hunt' mission at the beginning of every campaign phase to acquire
FREE relics, where your war zone-assigned character must be deployed. That way you can hoard
up on relics, even getting duplicates of the non-faction-specific ones, by rolling a D6 on the 'Relic
Uncovered' table below.

Nanyte Blaster: The Grey Goo gun of uncontrolled carnage!!! It's a S5 AP2 Fleshbane weapon,
where if it kills anyone you centre a large blast over the dead model on a die roll of 4+, causing a
S5 AP2 hit to those underneath it. Unlike Volkite, each model who dies to this can cause yet
MOAR large blasts on further rolls of a 4+. All you need to do is get one casualty and you can
wipe out an entire unit! Smashing! Just be careful where you point that thing.

Warp Shunt Field: 3++ against shooting, however for every save of a 6+ (against direct fire
weapons) the shooting unit suffers D6 S5 hits. This is the only risk-free defensive relic.

Phase Walker: Each moving phase, instead of moving you may place the bearer anywhere you
like, counting as having just deep struck but with no scatter. If you move through a solid object
you have to take a dangerous terrain check for EACH solid object you went through (including all
models) so be wary of abusing it in city scenarios. If your dude also has Move through Cover,
then feel free to abuse it. This works well for solo characters (ie: Moritat) since he can't move
with his unit.

Combat Augment Array: Once per game, at the beginning of any of the controller's player turn, he
may count any single die (only 1) rolled as an automatic 6 (Emails from FW confirm). However,
he must also pass Toughness tests for each remaining wound. If he fails he suffers a wound with
no saves or mitigating FnP rolls of any kind. A cyber familiar can mitigate the danger by granting
a re-roll on the Forge Lord's tests; you'll only need it once, but also only have 2 HP. However,
you're paying 35pts for one guaranteed 6 - better take a Paragon blade with your Praetor and
make it count.

Cloaking Array: Once per game, at the beginning of ANY game turn you may make yourself
invisible for that whole game turn (ie. on the 3rd turn both in your and your opponent's turn, thus
starting on your enemy's turn if he goes first). You cannot be shot or charged at unless the enemy
unit contains psykers or daemons, in which case the array immediately shuts down (so now
everyone can hit you, not just the previous two). Unfortunately you cannot activate it while
attached to a squad or if engaged in close combat already. You also cannot shoot, assault, move or
do anything at all - Can't even perform actions that don't count as shooting, like Bombardment
attacks. So your model stands on the same spot invisible but doing nothing during a whole game
turn. Note that characteristics remain active and can actually perform actions that don't need to be
declared - for example, an invisible Paladin of Glory Forgelord with a Nuncio vox is still granting
+1 to the wound score of those nearby and artillery can still draw LoS from him. By its nature it
benefits ranged, lone characters (Vigilators, Moritats) more than melee ones (Chaplains,
Praetors). There are relics easier to use than this one, though - very situational and LOTS of
limitations.

This relic is more useful when you go second: You could deepstrike your Moritat and Chain fire.
When your enemy's turn comes around (and thus it's the beginning of a new game turn) activate
the cloaking array and survive that turn. It's your turn again - move towards your Moritat's
position while he cant do anything and his guns cool down. Hopefully you managed to rescue
your Moritat, or else your enemy will kill a lonely 135+ pts model in his turn (and thus the relic is
lost as read previously), so deepstrike him with utmost care. Or don't deepstrike him: keep your
troops near, hide your dude in your enemy's turn and save yourself the trouble of mounting a
rescue mission - this is the easiest way of using this relic.

Void Shield Harness: Yep. You can get a voidshield for your dude. It's a large blast-sized shield,
centered on your dude but protecting anyone that fits inside. Glancing, Penetrating and Destroyer
hits will collapse the shield, but it can be restored at the end of your turn on a 5+, and with AV12
you'll be immune to most small arms fire. However, a result of Explodes! will overload the
shield, disabling it for the rest of the game and placing a S6 AP4 Large Blast template centered on
the bearer, so keep meltaguns away from it (or deepstrike some of your own to watch some
enemy-HQ-flavored fireworks). You could use it to protect a Praetor and his command squad, but
of course, it's best used on an unkillable magos inside of an unkillable mech raider, assuming you
are going for maximum trolling (and really, who isn't?).

Each Legion also has it's own specific relic that can't be found in a relic hunt mission. Look in the
relevant legion's section for more.

Ranged Weapons[edit]

Archeotech Pistol: Ancient, S6 AP3 Master-crafted pistol. Good for mincing Power Armored
troops, but a Plasma pistol is better at the cost of 1/36th chance of self-wounding. A handful of
unique characters are stuck with Archeotech Pistols if they have any ranged weapon at all.

Combi-bolter: Twin-linked bolter, because Storm bolters hadn't yet been invented.

Combi-weapon: The 7th ed FAQ states the one-use part of a combi-weapons can be a:

Flamer

Meltagun

Plasma gun

Grenade launcher (either frag or krak – choose which type when fired)

Volkite Charger

Conversion Beam Weapons: Could be seen as inverse Melta, inflicting greater damage at longer
ranges. The only differences between the Heavy and regular version are that the Heavy has a
large blast radius and the Firing Calibration rule, which means the unit has to remain stationary in
order to fire, even if it is Relentless or a Vehicle. On the corner of a standard 48" x 72" table it has
60% of the table in a S10 AP2 Large Blast killzone, but this would only matter if the battlefield is
modeled after parking lot, so the S8 AP4 Small Blast profile is the one you'll more commonly
use.

Graviton Weapons: Not to be confused with Grav-weapons; their wounding mechanism has
nothing to do with the enemy's armour save. These Heavy weapons (not Salvo) possess no
Strength, but have both Concussion and Haywire effects. They make the enemy take Strength
tests; if the result is above their Strength they take a wound - a result of 6 always causes a wound.
So they are effectively Strength 3, wounding GEQs on 4+, and MEQs on 5+, making it
ineffective against infantry blobs. That's not why you're taking them though. You take them to
dump Haywire on the super-tough vehicles of this era. If you have nothing better to shoot at then
you can use it bog down infantry because it also creates Difficult and Dangerous terrain in its
blast radius, so it can at least severely hinder their movement which is certainly useful. Don't
expect many kills though because AP4 in the space marine millennium is just... sub-optimal.
Stick to hunting vehicles, and try to put them on Relentless units, because Blast Heavy weapons
can't snapfire. They come in Cannon (36" range Large Blast Heavy 1) and gun versions (18"
range Small Blast Heavy 1), both of them with the aforementioned Graviton, Haywire and
Concussive rules.

These aren't technically an auto take but the vehicles in this era are very dangerous and very
resistant to your typical 40k anti-tank options. Through a flare shield your lascannons can't pen
AV14 while missile launchers and meltaguns can't even glance. Haywire is by far the most
reliable answer to Spartans etc and while a single unit likely won't kill one quickly at least you're
actually doing damage. Take them.

Grenade Harness: One-shot Assault 2 frag grenades (8" S3 AP- Blast 3") for Terminator
sergeants. They count as Assault grenades only during the turn you fire them.

Laser Destroyer Array: 4 Lascannons firing as one (for modeling purposes), becoming AP1
Ordnance 1 and Twin-linked. These weapons compete with Lascannons in the tank-destroyer
category. Shot-per-shot they're better than Lascannons, their Ordnance type and AP1 giving them
a higher chance to outright destroy enemy vehicles/buildings with a single shot. However, their
lower rate of fire makes them more susceptible to be ignored by a successful invuln/cover save.

Phosphex Weapons: Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore's preferred fragrance, Phosphex is a green fire
that never goes out, melts through everything and is attracted to movement. As if its S5 and AP2
wasn't going to ruin your opponent's day quite horribly enough, it also possesses Poison 3+. The
Lingering Death rule causes the blast radius to remain on the field and become Dangerous terrain
and, after scatter, Crawling fire lets you move the marker up to 2" in any direction so long as it
covers more models, making it incredibly effective against units that are about to charge you, and
with a lowly 6" range for the bomb version that's basically the extent of their use. Fortunately the
Legion Medusa, Lightning and Quad Launcher Support Battery are capable of firing Phosphex
shells at a much greater range, just like white phosphorus mortars in real life.

Plasma Blaster: 18" Assault 2 Plasma gun. These only come as upgrades for Terminators and
Dreadnoughts. Not an auto take but it does dish out more reliable double Plasma hits than its
smaller counterpart.

Rad Weapons: Ammunition filled with radioactive isotopes, souvenirs from Terra's post-
apocalyptic Old Night. Even if you survive them you will die of radiation poisoning or cancer
without treatment, which is represented in the tabletop with their debilitating effect. The Legions
can get them in 2 flavors: Rad missiles, which are S4 AP3 Fleshbane + Radphage (wounded
models get their Toughness reduced by 1 for the rest of the battle) and Rad grenades, which are
neither Assault nor Defensive grenades, but instead temporarily reduce the enemy's Toughness by
1 until the end of the assault phase, yours or the enemy's. Note this does affect Instant Death
thresholds.

Reaper Autocannon: Mainly used by Terminators. Has the same S and AP of common
Autocannons, but with a shorter 36" range and Twin-Linked. We're not questioning your models'
loyalty for using one, but only one side still uses them 10,000 years later.

Rotor Canon: 30" S3 AP6 Salvo 3/4. No. Just no. Volkite Calivers and Plasma Guns are superior
in every way.
Specialist Ammo: While the Kraken bolts remain what they'll be in the future (S4 AP4 30" Rapid
Fire), your Seekers (not your Veterans) get to try 2 new old ammo types (without counting some
Legion-specific bolts):

Scorpius: Your power shot. Two-stage warhead with micro guided dart that melts through armour.
It's now S5 AP2 24" and it Shreds. However, it must be hand-loaded, so it swaps Rapid fire for
Heavy.

Tempest: This is what you'd get if a normal bolter round exploded before reaching the target,
instead of inside of it: S3 AP6 18" Rapid fire, but has a 3" Blast. This is your blob killer. Given its
characteristics, it's better when spammed/Rapid fired. Resolving something like 12 blasts per
volley tends to take a LOT of time, however, and its 9" Rapid fire range leaves you in charge
range unless you protect the squad with an intervening Rhino or something, meaning this ammo
is a little difficult to use.

Volkite Weapons: The original Martian ray guns®. Dating back to the Age of Strife, they were in
the process of being replaced by the bolter as the preferred weapon of the Space Marines because
demand far surpassed supply. Volkite weapons have the Deflagrate special rule, which means
each unsaved wound caused inflicts another automatic hit. Additional hits this way cannot cause
yet more hits. They come in five flavours: Serpenta (S5 Pistol), Charger (S5 Assault 2), Caliver
(S6 Heavy 2), Culverin (S6 Heavy 4) and the monstrous Carronade (S8 with Haywire and a beam
effect that lets it hit everything in a straight line in front of it, with AP2). However, while they
have higher Strength, they suffer from a short range and commonly have AP5. This makes them
best taken in full squads or as a secondary weapons for Moritat's to drown their targets in number
of shots.

Close Combat weapons[edit]

Combat Shield: Grants the usual 6++ invuln, but becomes Terminator-grade 5++ in close combat.

Boarding Shield: The predecessor of the Storm Shield. Exactly the same as the Combat shield,
but also counts as defensive grenades and prevents the equipped model from gaining +1 attack
from extra CC weapons.

Breacher Charge: A power fist on a satchel. It's a One-use Non-unwieldy S8 AP2 Small Blast
Wrecker melee weapon, but if it fails the to-hit roll then it scatters, which can be bad news for
anyone.

Charnabal Sabre: Only ever situational. +1 Initiative in a challenge gives you an edge, but lacking
any AP value outside of Rending will get your ass killed more often than not. The only other
feasible situation where it is better to have a Charnabal sabre is in place of a power sword vs
Terminator/Artificer armour, since that AP3 wasn't helping you in the first place. Also works well
on a Biomancer Librarian who rolled up Iron Arm to get Smash.

Digital lasers: +1 attack.

Lascutter: At first it looks good at S9 and AP2. However it's burdened with the Cumbersome rule,
which is like Unwieldy on steroids, reducing both the number and quality of your model's attacks
all the way down to one attack at WS1, meaning even a Rhino has a decent chance of parrying the
blow. Better take a melta bomb instead.

Paragon Blade: +1S AP2 Specialist melee weapon without Unwieldy that inflicts Instant Death on
a wound roll of 6. Available only for your Praetor. There is nothing to say besides "take it".

Math opinion: AP2 at Initiative is nice and all, but is it good enough in a mirror match? NO. A
Praetor with 7 attacks (4 + two weapons + digital lasers + charging) only manages to inflict ~1.2
unsaved wounds on his opponent, before getting InstaKilled by ~1.5 unsaved Power Fist wounds,
which don't need to roll a 6 to inflict Instant Death, but rather a mere 2+. What does this mean,
1d4chan? It means you should buy both a Power Fist Thunder Hammer and a Paragon Blade.
Tank the hits with your Praetor's WS6 and 4++ and use the S8 weapon on the first round of
combat, quite possibly making it the last one. Should your enemy survive (bikes are T5), he'll be
stunned. You'll then choose whether to attack first or hit harder, depending on how many wounds
the Thunder Hammer shaved off in the previous round. Something similar applies to those legion-
specific weapons.

Power Weapons: Axes, Maces, and Swords are available, but not power lances because Fulgrim
stole all of them.

Equipment[edit]

Augury Scanner: No unit can infiltrate within 18" of the unit. In addition, grants Interceptor to the
unit's Rapid fire & Heavy weapons but only against enemies within 18" of an Augury scanner.
That last part is incredibly important, turning this from an auto-include item to highly-situational,
namely, to keep someone from infiltrating with a melta near your tanks' rear AV. But don't expect
much against Terminators. No- take in a plasma support squad. 20 plasma shots will stop almost
all enemies dead in their tracks

Cameleoline: Grants the user the Stealth USR. And RAW, a single model with the Stealth rule
gives the benefits to the whole unit. As such, an attached Vigilator + some ruins become a 3+
cover save for the whole unit.

Cognis-Signum: Older pattern of the current Signum. It gives +1 BS (rather than setting it to 5) to
a nearby unit if the user doesn't shoot. It also grants Night Vision AND has all the effects that an
Augury Scanner has.

Cortex Controller: Allows friendly models with Programmed Behavior to ignore it, as long as
they are 12" away from bearer. For any Controller you can include 0-1 units of Thallaxes (can
pick a Triaros, can't transport marines), Castellaxes or Voraxes from Mechanicum Taghmata as
Heavy Support. As an added bonus, if the bearer has Battlesmith special rule, he can try to restore
a wound on Battle-automata as a use of this ability.

Cyber-familiar: Re-roll failed Dangerous Terrain tests and characteristic tests except Ld. Oh, and
it gives +1 to bearer's invulnerable save up to a maximum of 3++ (or grants 6++, if you had
none). Pretty much an auto-include for anyone who can take them (except IH PA sergeants).
Sadly, the dreaded Leviathan Grav-flux Bombard isn't affected by it because RAW its wounding
mechanism is not a Strength test on 2d6.

Little modelling tip - it's perfectly legal to take one of many GW servo-skulls (or the one found in
Solomon's Lok retinue) and use a clip or something to put it on a 25mm base for servo-skull to be
clearly visible. Just make sure to get rid of any non-30k symbols and/or censers, and enjoy your
WYSIWYG Cyber-familiar.

Hardened Armour: Zones Mortalis & boarding mod of the Iron pattern armour. Count as Void
Hardened for Zone Mortalis missions (protects from Rending caused by corrosive
gases/decompression) and re-rolls failed armour saves from template or blast weapons, but
reduces charge, sweep advance and run moves by -1". This movement penalty spurred the
invention of Terminator armour.

Legion Vexilla and Standard: The Vexilla allows a squad to re-roll failed Morale tests, while the
Legion Standard creates a 6" bubble of Fearless around the wielder. Morale is very important in
30k, and it hurts really bad to see your 15-man Tactical Squad running from the field because
they lost 5 marines to shooting.

Nuncio-vox: Older pattern of the current Locator Beacon. Radio backpack that prevents the
scatter of models that Deep strike 6" near the vox user AND allows Barrage weapons to use the
carrying model's line of sight (range is still measured from the firing model).

Suspensor Web: You get the option when using it to turn your heavy weapons into assault
weapons, but halve their range. Only applies to very few units though, such as Veterans or
Destroyers.

Terminator armour:Jan 2016 FAQ The "basic" suit as found in 40k, granting 2+/5++ saves, Bulky
& Relentless but with no ability to Deep Strike unless your Legion or Wargear specifically allows
it and no Sweeping Advance. Other patterns are available for free whenever the option to take
Terminator Armour is given (or unspecified, as with Legion Terminator squads (who come with
the armour by default and aren't technically buying it) and some Legion specific termies), but
models in a unit must all choose the same pattern and it must be shown on the model. When
choosing armour type, it is important to think about the legion; for example, there is no benefit to
choosing standard/Tartaros armour over Cataphractii if you take penalties to running and/or
sweeping advancing anyway. But on the flip side, with items that grant a flat invulnerable save
(like Iron Halos or Storm Shields), there is often no point in taking other types over Tartaros.
There is never a benefit from taking normal over Tartaros or Cataphractii.

Tartaros pattern Terminator armour:Jan 2016 FAQ Tartaros pattern armour has the same
invulnerable save as normal terminator armour, but its ergonomic pauldrons allow it to Sweeping
Advance. In fact, Tartaros armour is now a free upgrade over standard armour. This ability is lost
if the unit is joined by a model with a different pattern of Terminator armour, meaning it's a great
option for Consuls who want to join power armoured assault units.

Cataphractii pattern Terminator armour:Jan 2016 FAQ Bigger pauldrons mean extra protection.
Shoulder mounted shield generators grant 4++ invuln, but can't Overwatch or Run in addition to
no Sweeping Advance (pretty much Slow and Purposeful, but without the actual rule). Without
access to Storm Shields this is the best protection that many Legions ever get, but it can be
boosted upwards by synergising with an Atomantic Pavaise to give excellent resistance against
shooting. But, more than other types, Cataphractii still require transports to get around.

Vehicle Equipment[edit]

Armoured Ceramite: Ignores the Melta rule. This is the reason Melta weapons are frowned upon
in this millennium.

Atomantic Shield: 5+ inv. against shooting and 6+ inv. in melee, but if it Explodes adds 1" to the
radius.

Auxiliary Drive: Allows the vehicle to repair an Immobilized result on a 4+ at the start of the
Movement phase.

Explorator Augury Web: The Land Raider Proteus' optional sensor array. Grants Scout and has 2
modes: Disruption lowers your enemy's reserve rolls by -1, while Relay allows you to re-roll
yours. Multiple augury webs have no further effect, but Disruption does stack with 'Divide to
Conquer' (warlord trait) and 'Coils of the Hydra' (Alpha RoW) to cripple enemy reinforcement up
to 6+.

Flare Shield: Front facing force field that reduces the strength of incoming frontal shots by -1.
Template/Blast weapons get a -2S reduction instead, but melee/Destroyer hits are unaffected.

Kheres Assault Cannon: Older pattern of the current Assault cannon. The same as that, but Heavy
6.

Predator Autocannon: Your Predators used to fire 4 shots each firing phase, but then the Heresy
destroyed several martian forges, and then Malcador made Deimos into a forge exclusively for
the Grey Knights, the only ones in the Imperium able to manufacture them. Rage indeed.

Siege Wrecker: S10 AP2 DCCW with Concussive and Wrecker, which enables it to re-roll
building penetration and adds +1 to the Building Damage chart, as well as the inbuilt weapon
when taken on the Castaferrum boxnaught. Castellax lose their bolt gun when they take it.

Havoc Launcher No longer exclusive to Traitors. Not quite an auto take but it is nice to have
against blob armies. The Havoc Launcher is an upgrade option for "elite" Dreadnoughts, most
Tanks and even Land Speeders. While one 5 STR and 5 AP blast isn't that impressive. 48" gives it
the same range as a Lascannon. The upgrade will allow a melee Dreadnought or Vindicator to do
more than move slowly into firing range. Also an Emperor/Warmaster send for Heavy Support
Squads. So they don't have to be at Heavy Bolter range to make use of their Rhino's firepower.

Unit Analysis[edit]

HQ[edit]

Legion Praetor: These guys are the Chapter Masters of the pre-Heresy and Heresy eras. There are
three reasons you take this guy: Master of the Legion, gear no one else can get and his statline.
'Master of the Legion' lets you take Rites of War, and also lets him roll twice on the warlord chart
and choose the result you prefer, allowing for greater flexibility for your army. You can include
one MotL each 1000 pts. The Praetor's stats are very strong (WS6, 4A and 3W), and they can be
customized with a large list of wargear and weapons, like a Jetbike, digital lasers or the nasty
Paragon Blade for AP2 on Initiative 5. You’ll want to put him into combat, so outfit him and put
him into a squad with that in mind, but he won't fare well against most named Special Characters
(until relics come into play...), let alone Primarchs.

Legion Praetor Tribune (Limited Release): Rules were included alongside the Model made to
celebrate FW being sold at mainstream GW stores. Basically, it's a Praetor with Tartarus Termie
armour, a Master-Crafted Paragon Blade, Digital Lasers and an Iron Halo. You don't get a combi-
bolter but it's 15 points cheaper than that setup would be.

Legion Command Squad: These guys are made for face-to-face MAN FIGHTING: They are
"Chosen Warriors", which enables them to issue and receive challenges, and they all have WS5
and Artificer armour, with 2 Wounds on the Standard Bearer who brings a 6" Fearless bubble into
the ATSKNF-lacking 30th millennium. And their wargear reflects this: Everyone can take combat
shields (Storm Shields were just being invented), get good melee options, like power weapons,
claws, fists, and dirt-cheap Charnabals - surprisingly good as they all can issue challenges and
Rending only shines when spammed. And while they have bolters, they can only upgrade to
Volkite Chargers and Combi-bolters. You read that right: Combi-bolters, not Combi-weapons. In
a time when Legions could crap as much soldiers as today's Guard, this unit can have only 5
models max...but they make up with access to Jump Packs, bikes, JETBIKES and Terminator
armour (along with the usual wargear options for the latter, which are cheaper than when bought
separately)...if your Praetor is similarly equipped, that is.

According to 7th Edition FAQ (took them long enough), running a Primarch allows you to kit
these guys however you want, regardless of the Primarch's gear. Just like Predators, Special
Characters with the Master of the Legion rule need to have the same equipment if you want to
give them Bikes, Jet Bikes or Terminator Armor. While not as good as their Legion-specific
equivalents, Command Squads can be tailored to compliment the Primarch's fighting style. They
have enough options to create a close approximation to their Honour Guard in the fluff for those
who don't have them yet or buy the squad a Dedicated Transport and use them as a
DISTRACTION CARNIFEX to keep the heat away your Primarch + unique unit Deathstar. With
Command Squads, either you go big or go home.

Legion Centurion: If Praetors are like Chapter Masters, Centurions are like the Captains of the
Heresy era (by the way, these are the guys Centurion Squads are named after). Unlike modern
Captains, though, they can use the Consul rule to be upgraded to one of twelve different
specializations. Unlike the Praetor, they aren't particularly grand or sweeping jack-of-all-trade
command units, but rather, surgical knives chosen to do a particular job. The Consul
specializations are the following:

Legion Centurion with Early Crusade Honors: More like a different model than a different unit,
"Early Crusade Honors" stands for "Regular Centurion with a Master-Crafted Power Fist, Bolt
Pistol and Artificer Armour, who always has the Child of Terra WT if he's the Warlord". In all but
name and model, he's identical to the vanilla Centurion. (But honestly, the model looks amazing
and is for once a reasonable price for a time limited model. I would grab one while they last just
due to the exclusivity ensuring appreciation in value). Notice regular Centurions cannot get MC
weapons, like his Fist (which would end up rerolling To hit and To wound if he's the warlord).

Chaplain: Back in the day the harbingers of the Imperial Truth not only turned their brothers into
Zealots, but also instilled Fear on the hearts of their enemies. Besides those two rules, the upgrade
also gives him a Crozius Arcanum power weapon, which isn't restricted to being a power maul - a
Chaplain with an axe is fine. Since the Ecclesiarchy wasn't yet a thing they don't get a Rosarius
and can only buy up to a Refractor field, but with Terminator armor and some legion equipment
they can reach up to 3++, so don't worry. Use them like normal Chaplains; in other words, inspire
your big killy squad to greater glory!

Master of Signals: These guys can really beef up a gunline. They have a once-per-game S8 AP3
D3 Large Blast Orbital bombardment and come equipped with a Cognis Signum, which, among
other neat benefits, grants +1 BS to a single friendly unit within 6" if he doesn't shoot that turn
(which he won't, as he can't even take a bolter). They also carry a Nuncio-vox, enabling Barrage
weapons to use his line of sight, allowing for much more accurate artillery fire and no-scatter
Deep strikes. If you were planning to deep strike all over the enemy's face and cover him in pie-
plates the Orbital Assault RoW works best. Enjoy your accurate Rapier Quad Mortar barrages.
While he can also help Assault marines, Terminators, Aircraft and Jetbikes arrive where needed.
You'll want him away from brawls and near shooty squads so is best attached to Tactical, Seeker,
Heavy Support and Tactical Support squads.

He has very limited wargear options: He can't take Terminator armour or any kind of bike. In fact,
the only things he can take are power weapons (but no power fists), a Volkite charger, pistols, a
charnabal sabre or a heavy chainsword. But he buffs your army with just his mere presence, so
you could take him naked (or with Artificer & Refractor) and even that way he's one of the most
useful Consuls.

Legion Support Officer: Masters of Signals cannot be used as a compulsory HQ. This also means
they can't be in an allied contingent.

Legion Champion: As their name implies, these guys are the champions of the Legions. As such,
he has free master-crafting on a single close combat weapon, WS6, Precision Strikes and must
reroll failed Glorious Intervention attempts and always issue challenges. If you want someone to
go around curb-stomping all the (ubiquitous) veteran sergeants out there, he's your expensive
resin guy - just keep him away from the named characters. The same with all consuls, they fit
better in some legions than in others. They have no wargear restrictions, but you'll want him
mobile and melee oriented. Instead of giving him Terminator armor, try making him a choppy
biker or a fiery-winged angel.

Vigilator: Vigilators are awesome Captain-sized spy-scouts. They grant Scout to attached units,
and if you downgrade their Power armor to Scout armor they also gain Infiltrate and Move
through Cover. They have Special Issue ammo and the Sniper special rule, so take advantage of
Precision shot and snipe that apothecary with a Shred+Rend Scorpius round), and get a pre-game
Sabotage attack of D6 S5 AP6 hits (that always targets the weakest facing on a vehicle) on a 2+.
Make sure to wear your best troll-face when you get First Blood in the deployment phase.

Librarian: Unlike 40k Librarians, the Legions haven't put too much emphasis on Librarians and in
fact some prohibit or counter them. They're pricey and were nerfed heavily in the stand-alone
Crusade Army List. You can only purchase up to level two mastery, they don't have access to a
Psychic Hood for AoE Deny the Witch coverage and choose a single psychic discipline from the
rule book (not that you were going to mix/match anyway). But despite all that, get access to the
regular consul gear, so they can be placed on Jet bikes to enjoy mobility only Eldar Warlocks and
Tzeentch Disk-riding Sorcerers normally get.

Legion Support Officer: Librarians cannot be used as a compulsory HQ. This also means they
can't be in an allied contingent.

Forge Lord: These guys are the 30k equivalent to Masters of the Forge. They have the widest
range of wargear options from being both Techmarines (Servitors, Cyber familiar, etc.) and
Consuls (Jetbikes, invuln-granting wargear, among others), allowing them to fill a rather broad
number of roles. Just remember, boys over toys. They come with Servo arm and Artificer armour
by default, but not a power axe like Techmarines. If going for ranged support you'll want to give
them Conversion beamers or Graviton guns, which he'll get to fire on the move when mounted on
a bike. You could also give them Terminator armor for the same result, but make it Cataphractii
pattern instead of normal Terminator: buying Refractor + Power weapon + MC Bolter is 5pts
cheaper and lets you Sweep Advance, while you can add a Cyber-familiar to Cataphractii to get a
sweet 3++ without taking up an arm like a Storm Shield would.

Who forgot that they can take Cortex Controllers?! If you take one of these, you can take a single
unit of Castellax Automata or un-augmented Thallax as a Heavy Support option, if a Praevian just
doesn't make it for you. Not only that, but he can heal Castellaxes because of Battlesmith. An
Angel's Wrath, Orbital Assault or Armored Spearhead list can take Thallax since they Deep
Strike.

Who forgot that they can take RAD Grenades?! They're surprisingly excellent duelists, with 3
base attacks + servo arm. Outfit him for melee (Boarding Shields for Defensive grenades, power
weapon, etc.) and preferably, stick him in a big unit, which can pretty much be anything because
of his ample wargear choices - Jetpack to hang out with Thallax (which can be S7 with Heavy
chainblades), Jetbike to be part of a biker gang squad (both squads benefitting from Battlesmith),
Terminator armor, you name it. Come the assault phase and your enemies are -1 Toughness, ID on
S6. Enjoy.

If you're footslogging, you can also bring your Servitors with you and grant those Tactical blobs
much needed flexibility with Flamers, or hidden power fists. They'll think twice when charging
with a T3 unit against 4D3 flamer hits.

Who forgot that *BLAM* Consider giving them Augury scanners. Only 5 pts and it deters
Infiltrators from approaching near him. Oh, and the rest of the squad gets Interceptor too
(triggered within 18" range measured from the model with it, NOT from any model in a unit, so
not as handy as you thought), so he becomes more army-friendly. Shooting incoming enemies at
full BS is always better than doing nothing. Can also take "Nuncio-Vox" which means they can
call down the Artillery with LOS as well, a superb force multiplier HQ unit, take one.

Primus Medicae: These guys are super-sized Apothecaries, granting both Feel No Pain to attached
units and the ability to recover lost victory points from friendly infantry units destroyed
nearby...which is better than nothing. Unlike some consuls, they only have some limitations in
regards to equipment, so you can put them on a bike to get a mobile & tough medic, a Jetpack or
even give them Cataphractii armor. They also get a Needle gun that has S2 AP5 with Rending and
Poisoned, which is actually as good/better than a bolter, specially vs 2+ save MEQs. His weapon
options took a bit of reduction in the updated Crusade List, now he can no longer take Power
Fists, Chainfists, paired Lightning Claws or Boarding Shields. But can still take Terminator
Armour (which still comes with Combi-Bolter and Power Weapon) unlike the lower ranked
Apothecaries.

Due to the Medicae upgrade costing nearly as much as a bare bones Apothecary, use these guys
when you have saturated your Elite slots, need to put them in a squad you can't attach a normal
apothecary to, or need medics in hot zones, hotter than any normal Apothecary would venture.

Legion Support Officer: Primus Medicae cannot be used as a compulsory HQ. This also means
they can't be in an allied contingent.

Siege Breaker: Here's the guy for Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors players. They grant Tank
Hunters and Wrecker to the attached unit's Heavy weapons. They also have Nuncio-voxes, so
Barrage weapons can draw line of sight from them. Finally, they can take up to three Phosphex
bombs and let Medusas and Rapiers use the dreaded Phosphex pyro-chem shells for extra rape, so
they fit the Death Guard's chemical warfare theme too! If it’s a building and it absolutely needs to
come down yesterday, use these guys.

Moritat: Originally invented by the Raven Guard and considered somewhat broken back on HH1
but are now terrible, Moritats are dual-pistol-wielding, cold-blooded killers, which can only join
Destroyer squads (so, for the most part, they'll go it alone). They have BS5, Rad grenades, Scout,
Counter attack and a special Chain Fire ability, which grants each successful pistol hit an
additional shot, continually, until either both pistols have missed (And we mean both pistols; a
FAQ clarified that if one pistol misses, they still fire with the other one until that one misses as
well) or the accumulated total of hits between both pistols equals twelve as per the new Crusade
Army List book. In addition, weapons that do not roll to hit do not benefit from chain-fire.
However, weapons that Get Hot! now overheat on a 1 and a 2 and cause the chain-fire to stop
immediately. They can't assault or fire the next turn after doing so, but that shouldn't be a
problem. So no overwatch, and you can't Chain Fire on every one of your turns. And that's
without mentioning that they can dual wield Plasma Pistols or Volkite Serpentas for extra rage.
Unfortunately, their Lone Killer rule states Moritats can´t be taken as compulsory HQ or be the
warlord and don't benefit from blessings or beneficial special rules provided by special characters
or even Rites of War. They just go it alone and don't care what even their Primarch thinks
Since they can't take bikes or even ride transports with non-Destroyer squads, consider to give
them Jump Packs for added mobility. No, you can't give them Terminator armour, but Artificer +
Refractor help them to earn back their points.

Given the new cap on additional hits, consider using just one plasma pistol alongside a Volkite
serpenta, which is stronger than the vanilla bolt pistol and can cause yet more hits beyond the
limit of twelve (the Volkite rule means twelve shots could in theory, and highly unlikely, become
up to twenty-four wounds). Fire the volkite first and keep on rolling until it misses(which it may
not and will eat up your twelve shots making your plasma useless), then fire the plasma pistol
until inevitably Gets Hot! kicks in and ends your Chain Fire. Given they are different wound
pools you can (and should) resolve the volkite's first, as it has less range. Yep, this is legal and
mitigates much of the drawback to plasma-tapping, while Deflagrate's extra wounds can
compensate the serpenta's AP5.

There's nothing a different unit can't do better than the Moritat as-is after the two nerfs; A 5man
Plasma support squad will average more hits, score, and not take up a HQ/Consul slot. A 5man
Volkite Charger support squad will do the same and be able to charge afterwards as well.

Legion Delegatus:HH6 A budget Praetor, the upgrade is merely +15 pts. He also comes with a
Master crafted weapon (which regular Centurions can't usually access), so the upgrade pays for
itself. They are given a task from Legion High-Command and the keys to the Legion's armory
with simple instructions: "Get shit done by ANY means necessary." He's a Consul that has Master
of the Legion and you can take him in games below 1000pts. He must be the Warlord unless his
Primarch is there, and if he is then neither Praetors nor LoWs (like Primarchs) can be taken. The
Delegatus can take a Command squad and has access to a unique RoW called "Chosen Duty"
that's designed for smaller games like Zone Mortalis (if you play those) and Strategic Raid
Missions. 'Chosen Duty' makes Veteran tacticals troops, and two are mandatory. He's worth a VP
for surviving or awards the opponent an extra one if he dies. He's the canon dude for those who
like to take RoWs with their Centurions using home rules (we know you do).

He can't be taken in allied detachment because he must be army's Warlord unless Primarch is
present. You want allies with RoW? It's Praetor or nothing. Which is kinda dumb, since fluff-wise
they're supposed to be the guys that lead small veteran detachments... something to discuss with
your group.

Legion Praevian:HH6 Master of the Legion's Automata. He is a Support Officer, so cannot be

used as a compulsory HQ and thus cannot be in an allied contingent. Comes equipped with a
Cortex Controller, Cortex Designator and can't take anything that makes him bulky. First you
choose a type of Battle Automata (Only Castellax and Vorax at this time) to accompany him,
forming one unit with MCs (so he can't go to ground) that he can't leave. Any time the Praevian
hits an enemy unit with a ranged attack, he grants Preferred Enemy to the Automata in his unit for
that turn (so give him a bolter). Upgrade them with Enhanced Targeting Arrays for 2+ re-rollable
accuracy for your weapons. It gets better; every legion can have their Legiones Astartes rules
conferred to the Automata. Some exceptions or modifications may apply as described below. You
can also choose to not have LA rules applied to them and pick either Furious Charge, Tank
Hunters or Scout (the last of which also applies to the Praevian himself, but Vorax already have
it). Troll points if you also use a Legion RoW for a metric ton of rules. The LA rules apply in full,
the list on HH6 is more of an options list than modifications to the LA rules.

Dark Angels: Castellax may pretty much buy Monster Hunters for 15 pts a piece. In order to fight
monsters we created monsters of our own.

Emperor's Children: Can buy Sonic Shriekers for the entire unit for 15 points. Deadly on Vorax,
who will now attack on I5, faster than marines and as fast as the Ordo Cybernetica's, and will hit
most things on 3+.

Space Wolves: Can buy Counter-Attack, allowing them to potentially turn the tide on a charge.

Night Lords: Each Battle Automata counts as three models for the Talent for Murder rule.
Retribution says they can buy Trophies of Judgment but they already cause Fear for being MCs
so ignore that option.

Death Guard: It makes it look like they need to have LA rules to gain access to Chem Munitions,
but those are a force option, so you could have them with Tank Hunters instead (DG also has
many ways of improving frag grenades, available to Battle-Automata). They gain nothing from
Death Guard rules not anymore: Death Guard's FnP(4+) against Poison and Fleshbane combines
very well with the Battle-Automata's Cybernetic Resilience. The enemy wanted to use poison to
kill your MCs? Successful wounds will be rerolled and then they'll have a FnP save on top of
their armour/invuln save. DG rules also impose a -1 penalty to their Sweep Advance score, but
Praevians are I5 anyway.

Sons of Horus: Each Battle Automata counts as three models for the Merciless Fighters rule and
can buy Banestrike rounds for 15 points per model, though Mauler Bolters are already AP3.

Word Bearers: Can purchase Dark Channeling if a Diabolist is also present. Be wary that
Castellax wouldn't really gain anything if you rolled 'Daemon', and Vorax have a way easier time
getting into melee. +1S wouldn't help much on its own, but combined with Furious Charge your
Castellax would punch as hard as lascannons, and it would also grant the Vorax a 5++.

Raven Guard: Battle Automata gain Infiltrate and Fleet. SURPRISE CASTELLAX anyone?
Voraxii already have Scout & Fleet and wound marines on a 2+, so they don't benefit much from
Furious Charge either (and if you want to reliably threaten vehicles Castellax would serve you
better). The Praevian can confer Infiltrate to the unit, so better give Tank Hunters to Castellaxes
with Darkfire cannons. Shadow points for giving the Praevian Cameleoline to grant the infiltrated
T7 unit Stealth.

Alpha Legion: Battle Automata can buy Banestrike rounds for 15 points, though their Mauler
bolter already is AP3. Given how Mutable tactics work, it can become a clusterfuck of rules:
Battle-Automata already have Adamantium Will, Move Through Cover and Scout (Vorax only),
and the Praevian can confer Infiltrate/Tank Hunters/Scout depending on his MT by virtue of those
rules requiring a single model in order to affect the entire squad. If you're now thinking "???" then
mission accomplished, an Alpharius is you. Just kidding, pick the one you need for the occasion.
Herald: a 40pt upgrade which grants some pretty sizable buff to your army depending on which
Faction you are (Looks like in Book 6 they are really hammering down on picking a Faction
rather than having Loyalists and Traitors a campaign thing). Now the limitations; cannot be the
compulsory HQ (so no Herald for allies, kinda unfluffy IMO), your enemy scores an additional
VP if the Herald dies, cannot benefit from additional CCW (He's holding a MF banner), may not
take a jump pack/jetbike/bike/terminator armour, may not take any weapon which is Two-
Handed. Always best giving the Herald Artificer Armour and possible a power fist since the
Specialist Weapon downside makes zero difference. Now time for banners; all banners effect the
Herald and all units within 12" (which meet the restrictions).

Blackshields - Dark Banner: All LA(Blackshields) gain Fear and +1 Leadership. All round solid
banner.

Loyalists - Banner of the Aquilla: All models with LA (including the Herald) and are part of a
Loyalist force gain +1 WS to a maximum of 5. Solid banner that can be used for either defensive
or offensive purposes, as most things are when comparing Loyalists to Chaos.

Traitors - Banner of the Eye: All models with LA (including the Herald) and are part of a Traitor
force add +1" to both charge and run distances AND may Re-Roll 1's to HIT on the turn they
successfully charged, World Eater-style. An extremely aggressive banner, which is usually the
case for Traitors. Now go dig the loyalist scum out of their hovels!!! DEATH TO THE FALSE
EMPEROR.

The Herald bizarrely gets both the Rite of Command AND the Support Officer rules, so if you
take a Herald he cannot fill your compulsory HQ slot but he HAS to be your warlord (and can't be
taken along any other model that also has to be your warlord) unless you also take your Primarch,
meaning that extra victory point he concedes for killing him likely doubles due to "Slay the
Warlord" objectives. Rite of Command also grants you the Master of the Legion rule meaning
you can take a Rite of War with a Herald, as well as a Command Squad, just like a Praetor. Yes,
Rite of Command means this banner boy can have his own banner boy, dawg.

It's best to think of the Centurion as a support HQ choice. They work best when linked with
another unit or when working in conjunction with a Praetor. That being said, a Centurion is a
good choice he will a.) help focus the tactics of the overall army and b.) perform whichever vital
function you need him to. If your army is going for a standoffish approach of just shooting, take
the Siege Breaker or Master of Signals to boost your firepower; if your army is more close
combat oriented, take a Legion Champion, Chaplain or Moritat to improve your close-in ability.
Primus medicae are best placed with your elite terminators, while Librarians, Vigilators and Forge
Lords are flexible enough to behave like a proper subcommander and do well in almost any
situation. Just remember he's not one of those named special characters.

Damocles Command Rhino: A non-compulsory choice in any Legion army, but can be taken as a
dedicated transport option for an Ultramarine Master of Signals. Objectively better than the 40k
version for many reasons. They apply their Deep Strike homer bonus to ALL units within 24" (not
just teleporting units within 12") and ALSO reduce any roll for a Deep Strike mishap by -1,
which might seem stupid if you can Deep Strike without error anyway, but this bonus applies
anywhere on the table, not just within the homer radius. They also can modify the owner's reserve
rolls by +/-1, so you can ensure you bring units on when you really want them to. They still have
the orbital strike, albeit at S8 AP3, though it is twin-linked and Lance, so it's quite accurate and
good for taking out MEQs or vehicles. The final bonus for this tank is that it has a transport
capacity, something the 40k version lacks. So it's quite a useful vehicle that can do a lot for your
army.

Elites[edit]

Veteran Tactical Squad: Up to 10 strong only, organised the same as post-heresy Tactical squads
with up to two Special or Heavy weapons (one per each five), but no Specialist ammo like 40k
Sternguard Vets. However now each of them can have a Combi-weapon. This is a tooled up
Tactical Squad, and the Veteran Tactics special rule allows them to pick up one of the rules
presented below, which makes them a notch better in one dimension. It is best to keep these guys
cheap and simple. Pick the special veteran rule that fits the weapons and role of the unit, along
with any other tools to make killing infantry and Troop choice units simpler. True to their name,
Tactical Veterans feel much like slicker 40k Tacticals in 30k - and be mindful that many Rites of
War and Character rules make them Troops. They also have the Implacable Advance rule making
them Scoring even if they remain in the Elite slot. Furthermore, with the price reduction they're
only 15pts more expensive than an equivalent Legion Tactical squad, but for that price they get
their Veteran Tactics and access to a plethora of wargear options.

Regarding their special rules, think along the same lines as Consuls (which, given that they were
once Veterans themselves, fits well): force multipliers to be chosen and built carefully, not lead or
powerhouse superunits. Useful on their own, they become beastly when paired with Legiones
Astartes rules and Rites. For many lists, Tactical Veterans are on the receiving end of two or three
special rules at once. Hooah.

Resolve grants the Stubborn USR and nothing else. May be useful due to the lack of ATSKNF in
30k.

Marksmen grant each model the Sniper and Outflank rules. There's always joy in sniping enemy
officers with high-calibre anti-tank weapons from unexpected angles. This is among the best rule
choice for most Vet squads, as it allows any and all of its ranged weapons to wound the likes of
Monstrous Creatures and Primarchs on a 4+, and if any dice that comes up a 6 is AP2 to boot.
Indulge in Bolter Porn™ (or score headshots with rending flamers) and chortle as Wraithknights
and Carnifexes drop to small arms fire.

Weapon Masters gives the whole squad +1 WS, so this one is obvious for a melee loadout.
Remember they are Veterans with 2 base attacks + Pistol & CCW bonus, Suspensor webs (read
Assault heavy weapons) and everyone can take Power Weapons, while one in five can take Twin
Lightning Claws. These are the units you fill with Power Swords and charge into Tactical Squads
for maximum casualties.

Machine Killers gives them all +1 to Armour Penetration rolls, which can be combined with their
Combi-weapons, especially Combi-meltas becoming one-use hand-Lascannons: massed S9 AP1
will go even through Armoured Ceramite with a good chance of exploding the unfortunate
targeted vehicle. Furthermore, the whole squad can get Melta Bombs.

Xenobane may reroll to-wound against Monstrous or Gargantuan Creatures. So basically only
useful against Daemons or Mechanicum, unless you're playing games out of their appropriate
settings. And even then, Marksmen could serve you better, since wounding on 4+ is better than
rerollin a 6.

Legion Destroyer Squad: The bastards who give the middle finger to the Geneva Convention.
Frequently used against xenos (who have no human rights) and when people need to be made an
example of. They have access to nasty proscribed weapons that even in this setting are described
as "too cruel", like Toughness-decreasing Rad grenades, AoE Fleshbane Rad missiles (no access
to Krak, though) and the deadly Phosphex bombs. The squad has a hard on for bolt pistols, each
Destroyer being issued two of them. One in five can take a Serpenta/Hand flamer/Plasma gun;
Rad missiles are the better choice, but the pistols are cheaper. In short, the Legion Destroyer
squad is a more expensive Assault squad (from before they got their price fixed) with better
shooting ability and access to unique anti-infantry weapons. Properly equipped can quickly make
their points back by erasing swathes of infantry, AdMech MCs and even Terminators. Too bad the
Servitors of rad Techmarines can bring more Rad Missile launchers, the weapon that used to
make this squad "unique".

They are also the only ones that can accompany the now nerfed (again) Moritats. And they will be
not only his meatshields, but complement him as well. He can't Overwatch or Assault after Chain
firing, but these guys have Counter Attack for that (and having 2 pistols does grant +1 attack).
The whole squad can buy Melta bombs, becoming destroyers of both men and machines, which
are the thing Moritats struggle against the most.

The whole squad can also buy Jump Packs which, coupled with their Rad grenades, will give
them Hammer of Wrath on -1T enemies (ID'ing GEQs) not to mention gaining much needed
mobility. Alongside an attached Moritat they can Scout 12" and move another 12", thus negating
their main weakness - their weapon's short range.

Don't forget they can take a Land Raider Proteus. Upgrade it with an Exploratory Augury Web to
give it Scout and ensue reserve shenanigans. Scout 12", move 6", disembark 6" and phosphex
some poor souls. Since you scout-moved and probably Chain Fired, you won't have to worry
about it not having an assault ramp. With two TLLC and optional MM (or yet another Lascannon)
you can even blow transports open to get to the flammable insides.

Legion Terminator Squad: It's Terminators, what's not to like about them? Expensive, but good.
Note they can Deep Strike in 30k ONLY with the correct Rite of War, attached Special Character
or Legion specific equipment and like their evil counterparts they have Power Weapons as
standard, instead of Power Fists. You can outfit them for assault, but only the Salamanders &
Imperial Fists have access to storm shields to build them into the TH/SS god unit of 6th edition.
However, the new rules for Tartaros pattern armour allows them to Sweep Advance. They have
Implacable Advance, so they can footslog onto points and hold them. Furthermore, they can be
outfitted for free with Cataphractii pattern Terminator armour for a 4++ save and Slow and
Purposeful. Terminators are like Tactical squads: don’t over complicate them, or they will
struggle to earn back their points. They’re a good solid unit that will get the job done.

When outfitting them for melee, instead of going all wolverine with twin claws consider taking
them with Claw + Volkite chargers (and/or Plasma Blasters). For less points you lose +1 attack
from the twin claws but not the ability to shoot, especially with weapons that inflict extra wounds
(or are AP2 with plasma), compensating for lost attack against MEQs, and doing more damage
overall to TEQs. Be sure to make the most out of the this millennium's not-yet-forgotten
technology.

Since Cataphractii armour exchanges tactical flexibility for extra protection, it's best used only
when the squad has some form of support, namely transports. It can also perform better the anti-
TEQ role because of its better invuln save. Otherwise, Tartaros armour is better, since it lets you
run, sweep advance and overwatch (and with twin-linked rapid fire weapons you will hit
something), vital abilities when footslogging or holding points.

Even though there are more models with Implacable Advance and Legions with their own unique
Terminators, Bog-standard Terminators remain an essential part of Deathwing style lists due to
Rules of War/Character rules making them troops and armies tailored for Volkite spam. Than
again who isn't guilty of a Volkite spam army list at this point? Nobody important that's who.
They are also of the few units allowed to take a Spartan Assault Tank as a Dedicated Transport.
Making them the most common Deathstar Units in 30K games.

Techmarine Covenant: 1-3 Techmarines as a single elite choice, each with up to 4 servitor
buddies (12 total) and access to the likes of Conversion Beamers, Graviton guns and Rad
grenades as personal arms. Remember how the Forgelord is a very good consul? The same
applieth-not to their juniors. Most vehicles are tough enough to survive on their own, so
Techmarines are insurance at best. Insurance - at the cost of a valuable Elite choice slot that could
be used for Terminators, Dreadnoughts, Rapiers, Legion-specifics, Apothecaries for the big
units...

VERY important note, 30k techmarines are NOT Independent characters nor can they take bikes,
"reinforce" ruins or join squads, which is a shame since their augury scanners (to guard their
tanks chums from infiltrating meltas) and specially Rad grenades would have really helped many
units; Techmarines really need their servitor meat shields for basic survivability and to get
mileage from their options. Unfortunately these servitors, while both stronger and noticeably
tougher than their 40k counterparts, are a bit more expensive, come base with a chainsword and
bolter yet don't help the Techmarine with his Battlesmith rolls. Having them in the unit will raise
the majority Toughness to T5, but 5+ armour is essentially nothing in a bolter-saturated
environment.

The Servo-Automata have several weapon options, most of them geared to hold the line like
Rotor cannons, Heavy Bolters, Multi-Meltas and Missile Launchers (Frag & Krak), the latter
which has the added bonus of being able to swap those munitions for Rad Missiles if their
Techmarine also has Rad Grenades, means you can create miniature Devastator squads and a
single Techmarine can bring more Fleshbane than a maxed Destroyer squad, albeit not as accurate
or mobile: A single Techmarine with a Servitor retinue can bring four rad missiles for less than
200pts, while Destroyers can only bring two while using full 300pts. Since you can up to three
Techmarines per slot, and four Servo-Automata per Marine, this could be a FOC slot saving and
cost effective means of adding heavy weapons to your army even if they lack power armour and
BS4, especially if you're playing with any of the alternative FOC types or manning a fortress: 12
Rad Missile Servitors with a cover save, while the Techmarines repair any damage suffered by
the fort, man the emplaced weapons or use Conversion Beamers themselves is a fort that gets
repaired and has a 48" Fleshbane AP3 threat radius. While flamers are a good option since they
don't roll to hit and make for a good keep-away weapon, remember Flamer Tactical support
squads are simply better.

Apothecarion Detachment: 1-3 Apothecaries as a single elites choice, each MUST be attached to
an Infantry squad with the LA rule, but they may now purchase a bike or Jump Pack so they may
join Bikes or Jump Infantry squads respectively, which they cannot voluntarily leave. This grants
you choice over which squads gets the Feel No Pain special rule, which is awesome for those 20-
men footsloggers; however they CANNOT join units equipped with Terminator Armour or with
the Daemon rule, so it's more difficult to create resilient god units...but that's the Medicae Primus'
job. Their wargear options are limited, but if they don't take a bike or pack, they can instead buy
Artificer armour to aid their survival. They also get the access to the lower fare of sergeant gear,
such as Power Weapons and Combi-Weapons and can get Augury Scanners to allow their squads
to screw with Infiltrators and to Intercept Deep Strikers for a dirt-cheap 5pts.

Legion Rapier Battery: 1-3 Rapiers with Quad(!) Heavy Bolters, which can be upgraded to Laser
Destroyers or Graviton Cannons. Also, the entire battery has the option to upgrade to Quad-
launchers instead, with access to four different kinds of shells besides the regular Frag ones.
Rapier Batteries can do the job of a Heavy support squad at a much cheaper cost and with greater
survivability. They do have less flexibility on the transport front however, as their only DT is a
Drop Pod carrying 1 gun plus crew at a time, and only when using the "Orbital Assault" RoW.
Think of the Rapier as cognate to the Thunderfire cannon, but with T7 base and 4 wounds. You’ll
want to set them up in terrain somewhere in the backfield and never move unless it's absolutely
required. The roles are mostly self-explanatory based on the gun you mount:

For dealing with general infantry you'll want the Heavy Bolters for forcing lots of saves on-the-
cheap, 6 Twin-Linked S5 shots WILL lead to failed saves. Graviton Cannons are costlier but also
help here: in spite of being tailor-made for killing vehicles they also do wonders for putting the
brakes on regular infantry as after they've blown open their transports, a large patch of
temporarily difficult and dangerous terrain makes reaching an objective/cover/effective range to
attack a target that bit harder.

For dealing with vehicles you'll want Laser Destroyers (S9, AP1, Ordnance) or Graviton Cannons
(for Haywire). None of these options (yes, not even multiple Graviton Cannons) have good odds
to take out Souped-Up Spartans/Land Raiders even in two turns, but they'll wreck the shit out of
all other vehicles. Anything with an AV lower than 14 and Hull Points lower than 4 fit the
crosshairs -just don't expect much in one turn due to extensive invulnerable saves in 30K.

Quad Launcher Support Batteries became more expensive, but gained access to several extra
munitions besides their Frag shells with Shell Shock for increased chance of Pinning: good old
Shatter shells to deal with medium AV with their four S8 Sunder shots, Incendiary Shells that are
weaker frag shells that Ignore Cover Saves, Splinter Shells with S2 AP4 Rending, because FW
apparently thinks small blasts that wound on a six cost +10pts (even Frag shells have a higher
chance of wounding termies). But the mort powerful munitions they have access to are Phosphex
canister shots, available if you have a Siege Breaker in your force. Unlike regular phosphex
however these munitions are only AP3, but otherwise still function as regular phosphex ammo
and are superb marine woodchippers.

The Medusa may be the better source of regular AP2 phosphex, but if what you care about is
killing regular marines while leaving behind flaming dangerous terrain, then Phosphex Quad
launchers are your best option, ruining ~1.5 times the terrain covered by Medusae, while being
~2.8 times more points efficient in doing so, its MEQ killing capabilities comparable to Scorpius
Whirlwinds (shorter range, less mobility and wounds on a 3+, but more reliable, leaves obstacles
for infantry in its wake and you can bring more dakka for the same price).

Legion Dreadnought Talon: Squads of Dreads, rejoice. This unit comprises the good-old (future?)
"Castaferrum" boxnaught design. Up to 3 for a single Elites choice, but only a talon of one may
deepstrike in a dread drop pod. Don't forget these are cheaper than Contemptors and can really
save your bacon if used slightly more carefully With the introduction of Cortus Contemptors
there's almost no reason to keep on using regular boxnoughts. Still, they have access to stuff no
Contemptor can get, like TL Missile launchers, a Flamestorm cannon, up to 2 Hunter-killer
missiles, Frag Assault launchers, a Siege Wrecker w/inbuilt weapon, and Armoured Ceramite to
lessen the chance of being one-shotted by melta guns. This way you can get a Siege/Ironclad
Talon in the 30th Millennium. Don't forget it will go down due to glances from krak grenades, so
try to stay out of trouble (and by trouble we mean those 20-man blobs). In this millennium,
inbuilt twin-linked bolters can be exchanged not only with the tried-and-true Heavy Flamer, but
also the expensive-but-AP2 Plasma Blaster, versatile Grav gun and the always nice Meltagun.

You know it's a waste to outfit a dreadnought for melee, right? Not anymore with grav guns. Keep
the DCCWs (maybe grab a chainfist/siege wrecker) and say FU to Land Raiders with these guys
as the grav-gun is very spammable here with six of them distributed among three independent
units. You'll be stripping 2 HP per dreadnought in each shooting phase to targets that probably
won't be able to run away on account of immobilisation, and the same Dread has the largess to
charge infantry with 5 A2 attacks at I4 + HoW right upfront. Throw in frag launchers for cover
campers and the ilk and you're still cheaper than Contemptors. Comparable to the Rapier's option
but sturdier and easier to use.

As of the January FAQ they are BS:4 WS:5, but now have 3 base attacks in exchange. They're
still inferior to their 40k counterparts that get BS5, Venerable, +1A and Chapter tactics for the
same price (or are cheaper), but they make up with their 30th millennium wargear options.

Contemptor Dreadnought Talon: Squads of the more era-intensive Contemptor model 'noughts.
Up to 3 for a single Elites choice. With 13|12|10 armour, Fleet, access to the S6 Rending 6 shots
Kheres cannon, Heavy Conversion Beam (so heavy that not even Relentless will help you) and
Atomantic Shielding (5+ inv. against shooting, 6+ inv. against close combat, and +1" to explosion
if it suffers a 'Vehicle explodes' result) the Contemptor is a powerful dreadnought for which every
legion army can find a use. Like the regular dreadnought it has the capability to fill a number of
roles, but unlike it, players should see better results with its better armour and weapons.

Don't forget that they're WS/BS 5, despite costing the same as their 40K version. Use this to
increase the rape they put out.

Contemptor-Cortus Dreadnought Talon: Inferior to the regular Contemptor, but uses the same
models, while making regular Boxnoughts nigh useless due to them being budget Contemptors.
They get 13|11|10 AV and their Atomantic Deflector only works against shooting attacks from the
front arc. Furthermore, their basic Strength is reduced to 6 (not that it really matters with
dreadnought CCWs) and your WS/BS is down to four. All of this comes at a 40 point decrease
against the Contemptor-Primus Dreads (or mere +10pts compared to Castraferrums), but they
have all the same weapon options and Fleet, so they can act as a cost effective alternative. On the
plus side, Cortus dreads get Move Through Cover and can overcharge their reactors at the start of
any turn, granting themselves +1" Move and Charge distances, +2" run distances, +1 Initiative or
the Rage rule, at the cost of a 1/6 chance of damaging itself. Because of the nature of the
interment of their pilots, Cortus dreads must always Sweep Advance and can never score (in the
missions where Elites can score, that is).

Legion Mortis Dreadnought: A shooty dreadnought that always has two of the same weapon.
Starting off with dual twin-linked heavy bolters that can be upgraded to multi-meltas (for free) or
anything up to lascannons. It has the ability to use Skyfire and Interceptor if it didn't move that
turn, (hopefully, you don't need to apply Skyfire when using Interceptor you have to apply both,
according to FW email; a unit good at stalling ground assaults that can deal with flyers whenever
you want beats a unit that has to shoot flyers to be useful any day). Unlike the more expensive
Contemptor, you can arm a Mortis Dreadnought with two Hunter-killer missiles, which gives it
two BS5 missiles with skyfire and infinite range, or with Twin-Linked Missile Launchers, to deal
with flyers and infantry both. It cannot have Frag Assault launchers, Plasma cannons, Volkite or
any kind of flamer (not that they'd help you with AA anyway) so it's even more vulnerable to
tarpitters than normal Dreads. A Havoc Launcher can remedy this. Equip it with 2 twin-linked
missile launchers, 2 hunter-killer missiles OR a havoc launcher (may take one of the following)
and paint it yellow with an angry face for the lulz (the fun part being that it's an actually effective
build). (If you really want a shooty dread, but with AA capacity, just take the hunter killers. An
infinite range interceptor bubble that doesn't hurt your shooting the next turn is just excellent.)

Legion Contemptor-Mortis Dreadnought: Same as the Mortis Dreadnought, gaining Skyfire and
Interceptor when it stays still, and like it's little brother-mortis it's BS5 too! This entombed
veteran is a nice piece of AA with something like double Kheres assault cannon or 2 Twin-Linked
Autocannons. It can take a Havoc launcher for crowd clearing which is best used if you took a
pair of Lascannons or Multi-meltas. (Or if you had the cyclone launcher bit from 40k). It can't
take dual Conversion Beamers, though.

Lascannons are chosen mainly when you want to frighten (AND threaten) enemy flyers with a
48" death zone, but since most flyers are up to AV12 it can be a costly, penetrating overkill.
Kheres Assault cannons do quite a good job, if a short ranged one, and with 12 shots you won't be
bogged down as easily. Autocannons are a nice and CHEAP middle of the road, with 4 Twin-
Linked S7 shots at 48" too.

Though Multi-meltas seem out of place here, a Contemptor Mortis is 20 points cheaper than a
normal Multi-melta Contemptor, so you can throw in that Havoc launcher and still be 5 points
cheaper, and only exchanges 1WS for the Interceptor AND Skyfire rules, presenting a dynamic
self-sufficient unit for damn good value.

Troops[edit]

Legion Tactical Squad: Just like 40k, Tactical Squads are your bread-and-butter scoring units.
Unlike "modern" Tacticals, however, they can have 10-20 Marines (similar to Chaos Marines).
They also come with the Fury of the Legion special rule, which means that, if you forgo moving
this turn and have at least 5 marines remaining you get to fire your bolters twice. This even stacks
with Rapid Fire, so you can blast entire units off the board with up to 80 shots. The drawbacks of
this are that you can't Overwatch the turn it's used or fire in the next turn. However, they can't
take special or heavy weapons; that's what Tactical Support Squads are for. It’s best to give them
just enough wargear to make them durable, effective, and deadly. You’ll probably get more
mileage out of them if you keep all the options and toys down to a minimum so you can get more
points for the more exotic options (which, again, is very similar to the use of Tactical Squads in
40k). Many, MANY legion setups will be using 2 squads of these to fill compulsory troops, as
they are the cheapest option available.

On of the most important decisions to make with these guys is whether to give all 20 marines an
additional close combat weapon by either buying chainswords rather cheaply, or free by giving up
their bolters, granting extra survival in close combat and three attacks on the charge. If you're
going this way, better buy them rather than giving up your bolters, because it's very useful when
you've used up your ammo on a Fury of the Legion attack (do note, however, that FotL CAN be
used with bolt pistols - you never lose it. You do lose out on a full 40 shots due to lack of Rapid
Fire). However, when using a high capacity assault transport it might be more economical to
simply give up the bolters, which can't be used prior to charging. Either way, everyone will think
twice before charging a 41-attacks porcupine, and with 61 attacks you won't mind they aren't
power weapons.

Legion Assault Squad: Yes, you can take up to 20 Assault marines as a Troops choice. They can
all be given Combat shields, which are actually useful now, and Melta bombs. One in every five
can also take a power weapon, hand flamer, or plasma pistol. Assault marines with the new
update are now much better priced (175 for ten, 305 for twenty) to the point that some say the
now overshadow Tacticals.

Though expensive, they really shine when using the Orbital Assault or Angel's Wrath Rites of
War, their cost offset by the fact they don't need transports like everybody else in those rites,
while still being able to maintain numerical superiority, a trait only two other squads can match.
Then again, the possibility of a 20-model 3+/5++ Jump pack unit with 61 attacks on the charge (+
HoW) and Hit & Run is not something to take lightly.
Legion Breacher Siege Squad: Don't just defend the wall: BE the wall!These guys are essentially
a defensive version of Assault Marines, coming stock with Boarding shields to better withstand
enemy charges, and Void Hardened Armor to withstand flamers and light artillery (most artillery
is AP3 anyway, and their movement penalty will make advancing a lengthy process). Again, you
can take between 10 and 20 per unit, but unlike other Troop choices, they can take special
weapons. One per five can take a meltagun, flamer, graviton gun, lascutter or breaching charge.
Another unique and sometimes forgotten trait is that they can take a Land Raider Proteus or
Phobos as a DT (As long as it numbers no more than 10 models), allowing you to field LRs
without using up your Heavy choices, and without the limitations of 'Armoured Spearhead'. The
Proteus is the better choice because you don't want to actually charge with this squad, but to bait
the enemy into charging at them. They can be given Melta bombs, so a LR Phobos is by all means
not a bad idea either. If you desperately need to hold points (something only Troops can do in
30k) these are your go-to guys. Costly as they are, they shine in Zones Mortalis, but who plays
that?

Legion Tactical Support Squad: Your actual source of special weapons. 5-10 marines, and all of
them, including the sergeant, have flamers that can be swapped for other special weapons (though
note that all Legionaries MUST swap their flamers for the new weapon) depending on what
specifically you want to do with them:

For dealing with general Infantry, you can keep the standard Flamer. Just because it is the starting
option doesn't mean it's bad, since few things can survive charging, or survive existing near a full
unit of 10 flamers, and they're much better than Rotor cannons which don't even look good on
paper. They're terrible against Astartes, even though they put out a lot of shots (3-4 per gun)
they're only S3. There is no armour save to fail if you're not wounding anything. Good only
against GEQs, and even then take them only if you can't fit in Heavy Bolters for some reason.

For dealing with MEQ's you've got Volkite Calivers. Heavy weapons may seem odd in a Special
weapons squad, but these guns hit 2 points harder than Bolters, with 2 shots at more than 2 times
the Bolter's 2-shot range, and are FAR cheaper than Volkite Culverins in a Heavy Support squad.
Additionally, attaching a Siege Breaker to this unit will let you camp an objective and absolutely
ruin light armor. If there was a god that his sacred numeration was binary, this would be his
cultist's weapons...whoa, wait... All of the above is pretty decent for MEQ's, but then we have the
Volkite rule, allowing you to get even more wounds, for 2 5 pts, just like Rotor guns. Seriously,
don't take Rotor guns. The only real disadvantage you have is not being able to shoot on the move
so you're not very mobile, but for that you have Volkite Chargers, which hit a tad weaker than
Calivers, are Assault 2, and have half the range, meaning they'll be more exposed to retaliation
fire (they are outranged by boltguns). Plan how you use them accordingly (attached medics,
transports, etc.).

For dealing with 2+ armour and/or making the the unit look like a bigger threat than it actually is
you've got Plasma guns, now this is THE reason you want this squad. It's one of the most
expensive options, but given its ability to "Nope" squads of Terminators and the high amount of
Artificer armour in the field, it's worth taking, but make sure you Deepstrike them and keep the
squad down to a small size. Those points add up quick and anybody who sees five plasma guns in
a unit will do everything they can to kill them. You can also take Melta Guns but given how much
Armoured Ceramite is around (it ignores the extra D6) it won't help often besides ID'ing some
commanders and Legion Specific 2-wound Terminators, so use them the same way you would a
Plasma squad (and expect the same welcome).

Keep in mind that these guys can not fulfill your minimum troops requirement, you will have to
bring the other troops choices to meet that.

Legion Recon Squad: Power armoured scouts with the Scout, Outflank and Acute Senses special
rules. They can have sniper rifles to really fuck your opponents over and cameleoline to add +1 to
their cover save, even in open ground. They also have Shroud bombs. They can also swap their
power armour for carapace armour and gain Move Through Cover and Infiltrate, and can swap
their bolters for shotguns or chainswords, if for any reason you feel the need to charge with a
squad like this. Which you can, because they can take a Storm Eagle as a DT. They can't take
heavy weapons like in 40k tho. Worthy of note is the fact they can buy a nuncio vox; combine it
with carapace armour for mobile, reliable deepstrikes and artillery barrages - now that's
teamwork!

Keep in mind that these guys can not fulfill your minimum troops requirement, you will have to
bring the other troops choices to meet that.

Dedicated Transports[edit]

Legion Rhino: Similar to their far-future variants, but has access to a wide range of pintle-
mounts, such as: Heavy bolter, Heavy flamer, Multi-melta, twin-bolter, combi-weapons and
Havoc launcher; in addition to the existing twin-bolter of course, and without sacrificing transport
capacity as future Razorbacks will do. Can buy an Auxiliary Drive, which coupled with a dozer
blade and its Repair rule, means it's easier to blow up this thing than prevent its movement...
which is kind of the same thing.

Legion Drop Pod: Again, nearly similar to the far future. Has twin bolter and can't change for
missiles, though. Also, unless you take a specific Rite of War it can't be taken by Dreads.

Legion Dreadnought Drop Pod: Same as above but can contain a single Dreadnought, regular or
Contemptor. Comes with burning retros which gives the pod and its occupant the Shrouded rule
on the turn it arrives, which affects interceptor fire. This is also an assault vehicle which you can
Assault the turn it disembarks from, but you still can't assault the turn you arrive. But it has a
specific provision where the onboard Dreadnought is not required to disembark when it lands and
it cannot be charged while it remains in the pod, meaning you could choose to not disembark,
shoot from within and use the drop pod as a 3HP AV12 Shrouded ablative shield for, say, a Mortis
Dread or shooty Leviathan (equivalent to 4 voidshields), then charge out in the turn after if you
need to.

This has been neutered a little bit as of LA:CAL as your opponent can choose to ignore the pod
and shoot at the dreadnought even if the dreadnought has not disembarked. It also means blast
weapons like Gravitons or Medusas hit both the Pod and the Dreadnought inside. Shrouded
remains in full effect, though.
Shrouded also benefits the Dreadnought if it remains within the Drop Pod's structure, even
stepping on a door. If it lands between the enemy and your unit, it also provides Shrouded for that
unit. Since many squads have access to Nuncio Voxes, you are free to position your new cover &
Dreadnought without scattering.

Land Raiders can be taken as dedicated transports for Breachers, Seekers, Destroyers and
Terminator squads (even Terminator-wearing Command squads), while Terminators can get
Spartans. Any squad that could take a Rhino can take a Land Raider when using the Armoured
Spearhead RoW.

Any Terminator armour-equipped unit can take a Dreadclaw as a dedicated transport, and
Contemptors and any unit that could take a Rhino can take Dreadclaws too when using the
Orbital Assault RoW. Tactical, Veteran and Terror squads can take them when using the Claw
Assault - Night Lord RoW.

Storm Eagles can be taken by Recon squads. Any squad that could take a Rhino can take a Storm
Eagle when using the Angel Wrath RoW.

Fast Attack[edit]

Legion Seeker Squad: Update ammo. Scorpius Ammos is 24" heavy 1, S5, Ap2 now. DO NOT
FORGET THIS! Headhunters meant to take out enemy command elements, these are your
Sternguard vets: 5-10 strong with Special issue ammo that is different from 40k, Implacable
Advance, BS5 and Preferred Enemy against one enemy unit or Independent Character (their
target), chosen after any infiltrators have been placed. While their benefit against the chosen unit
is obvious, you can still use them against pretty much anything, as the correct choice of specialist
ammo and high accuracy can function against virtually anything except mid to heavy vehicles.
Can still be equipped with combi-weapons just like Sternguard, though this will inevitably make
the unit cost a small fortune in points and, if what you want is lots of special weapons, that´s what
Tactical Support squads are for. Lots of guys rapid firing Tempest bolts will annoy the crap out of
your opponent; even if they are only S3, having to sit through your opponent placing 20 small
templates with low scatter will drive you nuts, whilst the Shred/Rend Scorpius bolts make them
into a mini sniper squad and Kraken bolts give them a Rapid Fire range of 15" (and AP4 to mess
with anyone not a MEQ). The icing on the cake - they have Precision Shot to allocate wounds on
apothecaries and whatnot. All these traits can make the unit appear to be a greater threat than it
actually is.

If there is one unit that you want to really fuck over, take a 10 man squad of seekers all armed
with combi-plas, with an attached Vigilator in scout armor. Declare Preferred enemy on your
hopeless target, infiltrate 18" away, scout or move up 6" and rapid fire your BS5 Preferred enemy
plasmas. Re-rolling to hit and to wound of 1, aka probably the only numbers you miss on, will
ensure one unit takes 20 plasma shots, and will likely be dead, never mind the Vigilator's
Sabotage attack. However, it is very expensive for a one-trick pony (435 pts!), so really only
bring if you know your opponent has some massive deathstar unit you would like to evaporate,
like a Praetor in a full Terminator squad or similar. This is one of the only ways to justify the
points expenditure - by being a Vigilator's retinue, since at BS 5 the only noticeable benefit an
attached Master of Signals provides is when firing Tempest rounds.Note: Doesn't work because
you can't infiltrate deploy the seekers as they deploy before the vigilator

They can't tackle heavy vehicles on their own, but fortunately their DT, Land Raider Proteus can.
It can also sacrifice some of its cargo capacity for an Explorator Augury Web to get Scout and, as
a bonus, ensue reserve shenanigans. How better to protect a unit that costs as much as a LR other
than encasing it inside another LR? Then again, needs to kill VIPs and lots of infantry to be worth
the points, but at least it's much more survivable, versatile and mobile now.

Positioning is key. Try to stay at the maximum range - if the enemy backs away, then they won't
retaliate. If they stay at range you can best ALL infantry short of plasma support tacticals with
BS5 Scorpius rounds, and if they try to advance to rapid fire range, well your Kraken grants you a
3" advantage. Against MEQs, 10 Scorpius rounds equal to 50 Tempest hits, so if the enemy is that
clumped up then go for it. A World Burner will improve your chances to a more reasonable
10=30.

Legion Outrider Squad: Your bikers with a few buffs. The Scout special rule, all bike marines can
swap their bikes' twin bolters out for twin linked flamers, meltaguns or plasma guns and 1 in 3
can have a power weapon, hand flamer or plasma pistol. The gun upgrades are excellent, but
really tear through your points.

They're very adaptable for your army and a solid choice. Scout and high speed means it's easy to
get where you want them. With an attached HQ, meltabomb on the sarge and a the option for lots
of plasma makes them a very effective all round unit, able to handle anything although at a fairly
high cost.

Legion Attack Bike Squadron: Attack bikes are the cherry on the cake, and this is a cake entirely
made up of cherries. 1-5 strong with heavy bolters which can be swapped out for heavy flamers,
autocannons or multi-meltas. Easy access to fast moving armoured-ceramite-ignoring melta
bombs. Good value.

Legion Jetbike Sky-Hunter Squadron: The famed Dickbikes. 3-10 strong, 1 in 3 can replace
Dickbike Jetbike mounted heavy bolter with multi-melta, volkite cannon or plasma cannon
options, they can buy melta bombs and they can Deep strike, but only the sgt can buy a power
weapon (and he's an upgrade himself), so leave melee to the Outriders. Very high mobility
coupled with T5 and a 2+ save with Heavy weapons makes for a very powerful combination. Aim
them at the enemies vagina/anus and let them fly.

Legion Land Speeder Squadron: These little buggers are very fragile, but also very underrated. At
1-5 strong, they can come very cheap with a heavy bolter, and can bring a heavy flamer or volkite
culverin for infantry hunting or a multi-melta for tank busting. But the real icing is that any
speeder can add an additional havoc launcher, heavy bolter, plasma cannon or graviton gun as
well, and in addition any speeder can also take up to 2 Hunter-Killer Missiles on top of all that for
vehicle hunting at range. Deep striking, they are excellent tank or infantry hunters. Take 2-4 with
graviton-guns and leave dangerous terrain and dead Land Raiders in your wake.

Legion Javelin Attack Speeder Squadron: Up-sized land speeders in squadrons of 1-3, Javelins
have an extra point of AV and come by default with TWIN-LINKED cyclone launchers (2
frag/krak shots) and a heavy bolter. The real beauty of the Javelin is being able to get up to two
Hunter-Killer Missiles for half the price a regular speeder would pay. This means a fast,
deepstriking or outflanking speeder that can fire 4 S8 shots into side armor when it arrives.

They got a welcome buff in the updated Crusade List, giving them more to distinguish themselves
from normal Land Spreders. They now have the Strafing Run rule, so they have BS5 against
ground targets and they also have 'Grav Backwash whereby opponents who try to strike at them
in assault suffer -2 to-hit unless the speeder is immobilised.

Legion Storm Eagle Gunship: Your main transport Flyer, as only it can carry your big 20 man
squads which make up the bulk of a Legion list. Impressive arsenal of weaponry, with its standard
armament a Hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolter, a Hull-mounted Vengeance Launcher
(Range:48"|Str:5|AP:4|Heavy 2, Large Blast) and 4 Tempest Rockets under the wings. 'Power of
the Machine Spirit' allows it to give fire support to the transported unit, and 12|12|12 armour
grants it staying power. Optional armament includes: Switching Heavy bolters for a twin-linked
Multi-melta or a single Missile launcher, and replacing the Tempest Rockets with 4 Hellstrike
Missiles or 2 Twin-linked Lascannons. It can also get armoured ceramite and Extra armour. Keep
in mind that even though as a flyer it can Deep strike and its an assault vehicle, its cargo cannot
assault in the same turn it arrives, but it can on the same turn they disembark, which with your big
squads can be nasty, specially with +1CCW tacticals.

Legion Tarantula Sentry Gun Battery: You would take an immovable object in place of a super
fast flyer as a fast attack choice. Why? Because you need firepower, and a lot of it. While BS 3
seems weak, some of the upgrades will cheer you up, especially when you take three sentries.
You can keep the Heavy Bolters, or take twin-linked heavy flamers/lascannons/dual rotor gun, or
a Multi-melta w/searchlight. You can also give the battery concealment which gives them
Shrouding until they fire, or forward deployment to move them 12" away from their original
position; just like scouting, but you can't put them in reserves. They're tricky to use as they will
have one of two fire modes for the rest of the game that you must choose between: Point Defence
allows the battery to fire at anything within 36", but within the forward 90 degree arc, while
Sentry has a shorter range of 18", but you have the default 360°. They also have another setback
in which your only allowed to fire anti-specific weaponry at said specific units/vehicles, but you
knew that already RIGHT? However, that means differently equipped turrets in the battery
effectively have Split Fire. Speaking of anti-specific, and butthurt fast attack fans, upgrading the
Battery to a Hyperios, taking one command platform, will give the other player the finger as you
fire 2 re-rollable to hit against flyers and fast skimmers, Skyfire Interceptor krak missiles, where
each can be fired at a single target!

Primaris Lightning Strike Fighter: A high speed fighter and cheaper alternative to the Storm Eagle
for your Aerial needs, it's a fast (Supersonic) Agile (3+ jink save) survivable aircraft, even with
only 2HP due to its Chaff launcher (4++ save against missiles, Eat shit Tau!) and can further back
it up with a Ramjet Diffraction Grid - a Flare shield for your butt, so your armour is effectively
11/12/11. It can put out a lot of Dakka with Missile barrage, and even more with Ground Tracking
Auguries for strafing runs (though it already craps out a lot of dice rolls and/or blast template
weapons so this isn't that big of a deal) and with Battle Servitor Control(grants Tank Hunter) it
can reasonably take out other fliers before working on the ground troops. It can also take up to 3
payload options, though it does not state you cannot take the same one thrice. Twin-linked
weapons count as one payload, as do the "Two X" options.

Twin-linked Autocannons are strong against light & medium vehicles, which is to say all flyers,
and with Twin-Linked and Tank Hunters you'll clear the skies in no time. Twin-linked Multi-
lasers behave similar to Autocannons, while S6 means the heaviest flyers might be troublesome,
against AV11/10 this is in fact as good/better than Autocannons due to the higher number of shots.
They can take the very versatile Twin-linked Missile Launchers for Penetrating hits everywhere,
though you'll need good luck to hurt Land Raiders, but they'll need even more luck to hit you
back and they cannot outlast what they can't even hit. Frag missiles mean you could hit more
ground targets than multi-lasers, and it can even upgrade to shoot Rad missiles (the only other
unit besides Destroyer squads that can take them), allowing you to clear out blobs of MEQ's,
though this does get expensive fast. Against air targets however, remember that some have Chaff
launchers, so for plane-killing you'd be better using Autocannons.

The Lightning can also take several pairs of One Use only items (of which you can fire up to 4
because of Missile Barrage), like two Kraken Penetrator Missiles aka Flying Melta bombs. These
are incredibly nasty (though expensive) anti-armour but they'll take down monoliths and what not
with little trouble. Or 2 Sunfury missiles, which with Blind, S6 and AP3 are pretty damn good at
killing MEQs but the hype fades when you see they "Gets hot", which on a 2HP aircraft is going
to get the unfortunate crew squatted, specially when coupled with the next item: ONE Phospex
Bomb cluster, the S5 AP2 3" blast and moving Dangerous Terrain everyone loves, now in Heavy
2 Barrage Bomb cluster flavor. Should the aircraft suffer any hull damage roll a D6, on a 6, it
explodes. Finally, it can also take 2 Electromagnetic storm charges. Haywire is an easy way to
remove hull points, but with One use you're gonna need a lot of them, while penetrator missiles
could do that job better. HOWEVER, at S3 and AP4 it ignores the saves of GEQs. And who uses
lots of light infantry alongside armour columns? The Imperial guard in all its flavors. Also great
against the Mechanicum, an army composed of models with either T3, a 4+ save or vehicles. So
it's not that bad it seems.

It really cannot be underestimated just how powerful Kraken Penetrator Missiles really are. They
are one of the very few options that can reliably threaten Spartans. Ranged armourbane is
incredibly rare and especially on a platform that is fast enough to dodge around a flare shield or
just deepstrike to hit side or rear armor. 4 of them almost guarantee you a straight up kill on a
Spartan if you upgrade Lightning to have Ground Tracking Auguries and Battle Servitor Control
(ap1, remember). And your Lightning still has free hard points for other weapons and can
continue to strafe troops or knock out fliers after. Not that you should upgrade them because, you
know, 2 HP and shitty armor. If you are constantly forced to deal with such units then a Lightning
can force your opponent to think again.

Xiphon-pattern Interceptor: Rules for 30k and 40k are up. Now this is why people think twice
when they hear "Forgeworld rules" (this whole list is forgeworld but you get the idea). It will also
make you think twice when taking Lightnings because this is essentially a souped up Lightning:
Comes with Two Twin-linked Lascannons and a Xiphon rotary missile launcher - Heavy 2 S8
AP2 that re-rolls successful Jink and cover saves and rolls d3 times per Penetrating hit, choosing
the best one (and AP grants +1 on that table). All that makes this your flying tank killer. AV11 all
around, this murderous potential is 'balanced' by costing about as much as a kited out Lightning
and being extremely limited in its optional wargear: Chaff launchers and Extra armour for
survival and Ground tracking auguries to kill Land Raiders after you've cleaned the skies. And we
say 'balanced' because it comes already equipped with Armoured ceramite, and Agile grants it a
3+ jink save, enjoy!

Anvillus Pattern Dreadclaw Drop Pod: The Kharybdis little brother. ALL Legions can take it, not
just Sons of Horus, though only as Fast Attack or Dedicated Transports to vanilla Terminator
Squads or Dreadnoughts in the Elite slot. Costs as much as 3 Drop Pods and has no bolters, but
it's mobile and has a flame fetish. Heat Blast allows it to scorch infantry and can be used to
penetrate Predators (thanks to hitting their back armour with a S6 weapon). Despite being an
Assault Vehicle, its payload cannot charge on the turn it Deep Strikes or even disembark the turn
it Heat Blasts, though it makes for an excellent turn 2 charge as you deep strike anywhere and
hopefully cause a few wounds with the downdraft, then on the following turn you move it,
disembark those bad boys and then assault with them or drop off one of the Mortis types with a
Havoc Launcher while the Avillus acts as a DISTRACTION_CARNIFEX. (and it has a bitchin'
model, if a bit fiddly as fuck to put together) It's more survivable, protects its cargo better than a
Drop pod (it can Jink) and gets into combat significantly faster than a Land Raider, and it's
cheaper than a Storm Eagle...though is not as heavily armed, isn't an AV14 tank or assault ram
and at 115 points it's not as disposable as a normal Drop Pod, but once it has deployed its
passengers it can put itself to good use trying to set people on fire. Plan how you use it
accordingly.

While having "Inertial Guidance System" rule described in frame near it's profile, Anvillus
doesn't have it. Definitely a misprint, but beware of That guy, because, you know, common sense
is useless and RAW is supreme. Don't be fooled and don't be a bad person yourself.

Heavy Support[edit]

Legion Heavy Support Squad: When Devastators were good. ALL marines in the squad
(including the sergeant!) have a heavy bolter as standard, and all may upgrade to carry the same
heavy weapon (no, no mix-matching within the squad). The entire squad may have Hardened
armour for added protection. They can lay down an ungodly amount of fire support.

For infantry killing the Heavy Bolter might serve your needs, it's probably better to stick with a
cheaper squad, with more wounds, in a less contested slot for that though. Still, 10 of these in the
hands of some Imperial Fists strips 7 hull points off AV11, or kills 5.5 MEQs.

Alternatively Heavy Flamers do the same job for the same price and frankly, do it much better...
provided you get in range which with ordinary, but high target MEQs is more difficult than can be
bothered with much of the time. If you have a spare fortification slot a promethean relay pipe will
make these guys into an absolute monster.

If you want to harass light vehicles while still keeping a hold of your anti-infantry capability
Autocannons can be yours for 5pts each, at a decent foot extra range and +2 strength for one
fewer shot over a heavy bolter it makes for a decent choice.

Missile launchers, for the same price of an autocannon are your other all-rounder heavy weapon.
They either pierce a marine's armour with one shot at S8 or throw out a small blast for chucking a
bunch of wounds at a squad. For an additional cost you can take flakk missiles which provide this
squad's only source of AA.

Don't listen to the campfire horror stories about entire armies of AC tanks the 10 point Multi-
melta can still be a good choice, even if they can't damage a FS AC Spartan Assault they can
instant death any 2W Termies that happen to jump out, while ignoring their armour and blow up
any medium tanks with contemptuous ease.

What's that? Horus, 12 Justaerin Terminators and a Chaplain just deep-struck in your deployment
zone? You're fucked, but since you have Plasma cannons you can be slightly less fucked for an
admittedly hefty 15 pts. With S7 they might not cause instant death but who cares? They are AP2
blasts with a decent range.

The Volkite culverin is the absolute premium in light infantry killing, it's got S6 (no FNP for T3)
it's got 4 shots and deflagrate (for a maximum of 8 wounds each) it's only problem is AP5.

The Lascannon, last and most expensive of your choices is for killing tanks and in the heresy
there are a lot of tanks all of which are just begging for some hot, steamy, S9 AP2 straight to the
face. A full squad of these, with an attached Siege master/being Imperial Fists will take ~7 points
off AV 10 and 11, ~6 off of AV 12 and Av 13, 4 off AV 14 and 2 off AV 15.

Don't forget to give them Interceptor (18" range, so screw suicide meltas) for dirt cheap 5 pts!
What's better than seeing an enemy squad vanish the same turn it arrives? Your opponent's tears
of despair, that's what! And with heavy weapons, specially Plasma cannons, they can actually
take on Deep striking Terminators.

Legion Jetbikes Sky-Slayer Squadron: nearly identical to the Fast Attack Sky-Hunter Jetbikes.
Except these all start out equipped with Multi-Meltas and if they trade for Volkite or Plasma the
whole squad has to do it rather than just one in three. While they are unable to spew out as many
shots as Sky-Hunters due to lacking Heavy Bolters and max out at five per squad. They have the
potential to be a powerful and fast Heavy Support choice, and excellent where the number of
tanks you can take is limited by LA rules or Rites of War. Unlike Heavy Support Squads they also
come with Chainswords as a standard armament. Making them useful for charging any dregs still
on the table after their shooting phase.

The Sergeant could have his pistol and sword upgraded for better weaponry. However, there is no
need to even take a Sergeant at all as you don't even get the typical support options for Nuncio
Vox or Augury Scanner, and kitting out one man in a squad of relentless Multi-Meltas is just
wasteful. Instead just give him Melta bombs if you prefer to use Sky-Slayers for tank hunting in
melee.

Legion Predator Strike Squadron: Squadrons of 1-3 Predators which includes all the Forge World
options except twin-linked lascannons, which hadn't been implemented yet. What's more, this
Predator's autocannon is Heavy 4. It has the usual sponson options and, coupled with some
interesting pintle mount choices like the Heavy Bolter or a Havoc Launcher, it can function as a
competent gun platform with the Machine Spirit upgrade. Take the Command Tank upgrade and
it will also do quite good at infantry support. It can take Armoured Ceramite, but its rather
mediocre side armour means you don't really need melta to kill it.

Though you are unable to create Annihilator predators, it can take many other interesting
weapons, like the Heavy Conversion Beamer, which can be extremely useful at long ranges, when
it acquires S10 AP1 with a sizeable blast that makes it hilariously effective against everything
whilst minimizing the problem of the Predator's relatively weak armor for a battle-tank, all at
TWICE the range of a Vindicator. At shorter ranges the vehicle may become less effective as it
drops to AP4/- and S8/6, so it will score many wounds but is likely to suffer from passed armour
saves against Marine units. However, the model must be stationary in order to fire, playing as if it
was artillery rather than a battle tank. The Executioner Plasma Cannon allows it to blast MEQ
and TEQ from the table with ease, but its shorter range means the Predator is more at risk. The
Magna-Melta turns the Predator into a wannabe-Vindicator while the MEQ killing Flamestorm
cannon makes it into a slow version of the Baal Predator (so take PotMS), in both cases exposing
itself to counter-fire. Keep in mind that for such short ranges it can have up to three heavy
flamers as secondary weapons, though not being Fast or Heavy means it needs to remain still in
order to use all of them. As is, they're best done cheaply. Bare-bones (maybe with Lascannons)
for engaging infantry/light armor, or Executioner Cannon and heavy bolters for focus on heavy
infantry. All this can change with the Armored Breakthrough RoW though.

Legion Land Raider Battle Squadron: 1-3 Land Raiders in a squadron, any of which may be a
Phobos or Proteus pattern, but only one of which may be an Achilles. All of them can be given
Armoured Ceramite, which renders Melta weapons almost useless and is the reason very few
people use them at all. Always take it. One Land Raider can be made a Command Tank, which
will help with the transported squads Morale.

Land Raider Phobos: Phobos means "fear", and rightly so. It's the only Assault vehicle of the 3,
and can be given Frag Assault launchers (not one-use, unlike Grenade Harness). Pretty much
standart 40k Land Raider.

Land Raider Proteus: The cheapest and oldest pattern. No assault ramp and you need to pay for
the hull mounted weapon, but it can take an Explorator Augury Web, which grants it Scout and
can screw with your enemy's reserves or improve yours. That takes away 2 transport slots, so no
Terminator squads with this on.

Why would I want a LR that fails at transporting termies? Because you don't want it for that, this
was never meant for Termies (it's THAT old). You want it because you took Armoured Spearhead
due to everything being able to kill a Rhino with just a mean look. No Assault Ramp? Who cares!
You don't want to assault with a Heavy Support or Seeker squad - 30pts cheaper on average, you
take the Proteus for the sake of fielding as much LRs as you can, taunt the enemy to try and kill
them all. Furthermore, it can Scout, which means it can also Outflank, and surprise LRs are
always a pain in the ass, even more when Melta-proofed.
Land Raider Achilles: More mobile artillery than transport, its 6 slots are best used for your
Techmarine & friends™. Has a Quad Mortar with frag and shatter shells (3 possible optional
types: Splinter, Incendiary and Phosphex canister(you need Siege Breaker for this), Extra Armour
& Armored Ceramite by default, and its Ferromantic Invulnerability rule gives the finger to Melta
and Lance rules while also reducing Penetrating Hits score by -1. Can't swap its default Twin-
linked Multi-meltas for TL Volkite Culverins though.

Legion Achilles Alpha Pattern Land Raider: A prototype of the Land Raider Achilles. Unlike the
40k version, it's armed with a hull-mounted Quad Mortar, which can use one of two different
firing profiles with an option to buy 2 more (3, if you have Siege Breaker and want more
Phosphex) and two twin-linked Volkite Culverins as sponson weapons (although they can be
swapped for multi-meltas). On top of that, all rolls on the Vehicle Damage chart caused by
penetrating hits (except for ones caused by Strength D weapons) are reduced by 1 and it rerolls all
failed Dangerous Terrain rolls. Overall, it's a superior version of its 40k counterpart. Exactly the
same as the Achilles in the Land Raider squadron, but +25pts for an integrated Dozer blade and
the ability to swap its twin-linked Multi-meltas for twin-linked Volkite culverins, which in 30k is
akin to swapping Fortification rape for infantry rape.

0-1 Legion Artillery Tank Squadron: The big guns. 1-3 of a Whirlwind, Basilisk or Medusa,
without mixing. Now Marines can throw pie plates around like the Guard. The Whirlwind may be
upgraded to have AA missiles (and AA missiles ONLY) for free. Of these, the Medusa is probably
the best due to its Strength 10 and AP 2 and its ability to take nasty Phosphex Shells if you take a
Siege Breaker in your force as well. Normal ammo is better against pretty much everything, but
Phosphex Medusas are the best Phosphex source you get: Not one-use and restricts enemy
movement with lasting-and-moving templates at good range, while still being able to erase
Terminators - you can leave the anti armor role to your Siege Breaker. Caution: Medusa and
Basilisk both have side armor of 10, so anything deepstriking near artillery can be your undoing,
even Assault Squad with Bolt Pistols (especially with how shooting at squadrons works in 7th
edition). Also note that models are open-topped, but rulewise they are not, don't be fooled.

Legion Whirlwind Scorpius: The proposed replacement for the Whirlwind...but then the Heresy
happened. Not in squadrons, but it doesn't need it. It's a regular Whirlwind with better (13-12-10)
armor and an S8 AP3 blast which becomes D3+1 Heavy blasts if it stays still. This thing is a
certified nightmare against the ubiquitous space marine units and in 30k, where the units are
much larger on average, it will do well, and may even scratch Dreadnoughts and the like
(remember Barrage weapons always hit side armor). Combining it with Nuncio-vox goes without
saying due to blast sizes and lack of Twin-Link.

Legion Vindicator: Now in squadrons. It can take a pintle mounted Heavy bolter, Heavy flamer,
Multi-melta, Havoc launcher, Combi-weapon, or second combi-bolter. Power of the Machine
Spirit is also available, and a good choice considering its primary weapon is Ordnance, so you
could now move at Cruising speed while also firing your Demolisher cannon and act as a cheaper
stronger slower non-barrage Medusa (keep in mind artillery squads are 0-1, it's a loadout worth
considering now that Vindicators come in squads, should you want more S10 AP2 Ordnance), or
fire it alongside the Havoc launcher. It can also take a Mine plough (Dozer blades are enough,
really). Additionally, it can be repurposed into a tank-killer by replacing the Demolisher Cannon
with a special Laser Destroyer Array for +10pts, which has now updated rules and model: Twin-
linked Ordnance 1, as usual, but if it didn't move, the weapon becomes Ordnance 2. But wait,
there's more. If the Vindicator didn't move it can choose to fire the Array as Ordnance 3, but after
firing this way it must roll one D6, losing an HP on a 1. It doesn't rely as much on chance, like
Sicaran's Rending hits, and frees an Elites slot to use on other things besides Rapiers because this
is points-wise the most economical source of Laser Destroyers (following Overcharge
conditions). Flare Shielded Spartans are still better engaged by other means, tho. While Rapiers
are more survivable with their point cost spread amongst 9 models (12 wounds) they are also
close to immobile and only the most empty, terrain-free board will give you consistent shots. The
Vindicator is much more mobile, able to go find a sight line even if it's more fragile and
occasionally explodes. As always, power demands sacrifice.

Legion Spartan Assault Tank: The Land Raider's big brother and a nasty bastard, made even more
so in the pre-Heresy/Heresy environment, where there are more big squads to fit inside its 25 man
capacity. Five hull points, two twin-linked two-shot lascannons which can be swapped for rapier
destroyers makes it a priority target for the foe. What makes it even more ridiculous is the fact
that it can have Armoured Ceramite, meaning that melta weapons don't do shit against it. As if it
wasn't hard enough to kill, it can also be given a Flare Shield which means that all weapons fired
at its front arc get -1 Strength when rolling to penetrate. Blast weapons instead get -2, so no
killing it with Medusas either(barrage weapons target side armour so flare shield is not helping).
This means it's more or less invulnerable but then again with these upgrades it will be 370 points.
Good thing it will never die!

The Spartan very much is what it is and while opinions are divided on exactly how good it really
is in practice, Spartan-borne death stars are a popular part of the 30k. You are going to see them -
Ceramite armoured and Flare shielded, that's just how it goes. They are big scary things that carry
big scary units and it's extremely challenging to have enough firepower to stop dead in its tracks.
Armies WILL be made around them, either as their star unit or to counter them, so plan
accordingly.

It's pretty much useless to try to kill a fully upgraded Spartan at range: It has too many HP for
Rending and Graviton (which is outranged by it) to be of much help, S10 weapons are usually
Blast weapons subject to scatter that become S8 on its front hull, and S9 spam not only lacks the
maneuverability to get around the Flare shield, but it's so expensive that it'd be cheaper to field
Flare-shielded Spartans of your own. The sad truth? You need to kill this beast in melee. Luckily,
Meltabombs are widely available, and the Caestus can totally ram a Spartan to death, while
ferrying up to 10 Terminators, who can buy Chainfists. Tank hunting Melta(bomb) vets in
Dreadclaws are your friends here. Congrats, you blew it up! Now fight the 10 Termies it was
carrying. Expect casualties.

NOT SO FAST! The Lightning has easy-use Haywire bombs, and its Kraken missiles are pretty
much one-use Ranged Chainfists, and it can fire 4 at once and be upgraded to BS5 with Tank
Hunters, while remaining a flexible model, if flimsy as fuck.

Legion Sicaran Battle Tank: A high speed assault tank that is a halfway between a Land Raider
and a Predator. For 135 165 points since the Age of Darkness army list book you get 13|12|12,
Fast, with Extra Armour, a hull mounted Heavy Bolter and the Herakles pattern Accelerator
Autocannon, which is R48", S7, AP4, Heavy 6 Rending and Twin-linked...and no Jink saves
allowed. This tank makes the Eldar anything that isn't a Land Raider cry. With that amount of
dakka it can also function as a decent AA in a pinch. This beauty can even penetrate Flare-
shielded Spartans. Like the Predator, it can take Heavy Bolters or Lascannons as sponsons,
however, it's a Fast tank, so you can fire all your stuff on the move at full BS.

Legion Sicaran Venator Tank Destroyer: The Cerberus' little brother. The other Sicaran is much
cheaper and effective against everything in the game, but you don't want this for versatility - you
just have had enough of those pesky Land Raiders Knight Titans: seriously, 1 or 2 of these can
maneuver around and shut down Knights and other super-heavy tanks. It has a Neutron Beam
Laser which, in addition to being Ordnance 2 S10 AP1 it has the added effect of forcing any
vehicle that suffers a penetrating hit from it to fire only Snap Shots for the next turn, even super-
heavies, if rather lacking in range (Effectively 48" because it's a fast vehicle). With its
"Dangerous Reactor Core" rule that allows re-rolls of 1s to the vehicle damage table any time the
tank suffers a penetrating hit (and also adds an additional D3 inches to the explosion radius of a
Vehicle Explodes result), this means that it can go down very quickly if something gets behind it.
Make good use of it's Fast rule. Make sure to keep an escort nearby to stop anyone trying to
outmaneuver it. Also never give it side sponsons; it's main weapon is Ordnance which will force
everything else to snapfire. Even though it struggles to deal with Spartans, the Venator costs
significantly less, so glancing it to death is a viable tactic.

Legion Caestus Assault Ram: As before. Ideal for punching a hole in the enemy battle lines and
disgorging troops into the heart of the enemy. With AV 13|13|11, 4 HP and frontal 5+ invuln, one
should use the Caestus to ram straight through the strongest point in your enemies force. Its
ramming attacks are always S10FAQ, picking the best of 2 dice for armour penetration and add
+1 to the Vehicle Damage chart, thus reliably scoring Penetrating hits against anything. Ram a
tank with this and then deploy the men inside (preferably dedicated melee troops like Legion
Terminators), and charge straight in against the nearest infantry, or if you feel like it, shove a
melta bomb up a nearby tank's tailpipe. It's equipped with a Twin-Linked Magna Melta and
Havoc launchers, which can be swapped for normal missile launchers (to kill other flyers, mostly)
and be given Frag Assault lauchers and Auxiliary drives. While it handles Bulky models wearing
Terminator armor as normal ones (so not Gal Vorbak), Very Bulkies still use 3 spaces, so be
mindful of your Primarchs. Its rear is AV11, so mind your back too.

Legion Fire Raptor Gunship: Comes naked with TL Avenger Bolt Cannon, 4 Hellstrike Missiles
and two Independent-Turret Quad Heavy Bolters, the latter which, aside from firing at their own
targets independently, don't count towards the number of weapons fired! Enjoy, your flying
Rapiers. It can swap the quad bolters for a Reaper Battery for 10 pts each but no Lascannons,
that's for the Storm Eagle. With all the twin-linked goodness, Strafing Run and
PotMS/Independent-turrets, this bastard can dump its entire payload in a single turn and hit
almost every time and it's only 230 pts altogether for the Ceramite armor and Reaper battery
upgrades.

Why use Reaper battery? Because its manoeuvrability and speed allow to shoot at juicy rear or
side armor - and thanks to Independent Tracking, you'll be able to find target almost every turn.
Legion Deathstorm Drop Pod: Expecting the drop pod that just landed to contain troops or a
heavy weapons platform you don't have to worry about until next turn? SURPRISE! Invented by
the Raven Guard on a day they wanted to "Fuck this general area", in its first shooting phase fires
indiscriminately, so every unit (even yours) suffers D3 full shooting attacks (at BS2 though), and
afterwards it fires FIVE small blast (3") markers at S5 AP4, though a very important thing to
remember is that it is not a turret, so the shots are fired according to the facing of your model.
This apparent downside is traded off with the fact that it forces re-rolls for pinning and morale
checks. The launchers may also be upgraded to fire Heavy 2 krak missiles, turning it into a much
bigger threat against tanks and standard marines, and for +25 points it gets the Drop Pod Assault
rule, so you can make it rain on your 1st turn - awesome in Orbital Assaults. Very situational, but
dropping this in the middle of your enemy's forces is almost guaranteed to ruin his day.

Legion Kharybdis Assault Claw: The Dreadclaw's big brother. Not a Lord of War as previously
suspected, but essentially the Drop Pod equivalent of the Spartan Tank! The model itself is a huge
monster that has 5HP, carries 20 models and continues to do its job even after delivering it's
cargo. Heat blasts ensure anything in it's drop-zone (or line of travel) take hits during its
movement phase, but the backlash can cause you an auto-penetrating hit, while in the shooting
phase its five storm launchers are Heavy 2, S6, Twin-linked, Pinning and independently
targetable which while not EPIC will still cause your opponent headaches. Finally, you can also
attempt a ram attack as if you were a tank, though it is still a drop pod and not a Caestus...so don't
think it's such a good idea. Despite being an Assault Vehicle, its payload cannot charge on the
turn it Deep Strikes or even disembark the turn it Heat Blasts. Since it's considered a Hover Flyer,
however, you could Heat Blast the turn it Deep Strikes, get your Jink saves, and charge the next
turn.

Legion Deredeo-pattern Dreadnought: aka "the Mad Cat II" - Same armour as a Contemptor,
costs only 10 pts more and it's pretty much played as a Contemptor Mortis on STEROIDS. If the
Legion you are playing restricts tanks. The Deredeo's weapon options are are formidable
alternative. Comes stock with searchlight, smoke launchers, extra armour, Atomantic Shielding
and Helical targeting array but only with WS 4 and a single attack (but you really shouldn't be
anywhere near CC should you?. Though anything dumb enough to charge it has to wither
overwatch fire.)

For weapons, you get the Anvillus-pattern autocannon battery which is a 4-shot, twin-linked, S8
autocannon with Sunder, meaning it can be a viable threat against most vehicles and flyers are in
big trouble; which you can swap for a TL 4-shot Plasma Carronade that doesn't Get Hot, has
lesser range and strength but is more threatening to infantry with AP2 and the ability to replace its
four shots with a large blast template. (A viable alternative to a sicaran maybe?) This last firing-
mode can Get Hot, but then again, it's Twin-linked. OR you can take the new Arachnus Pattern
Heavy Lascannon Battery which is the final word in Dreadnought mounted ranged weapons;
unlike the others it is NOT twin-linked, though it is 2-shot S10 AP2 and if it penetrates a vehicle
it has a 50% chance of causing a second penetrating hit. Making it superior to a Heavy
Conversion Beamer Contemptor if you don't mind the shorter range.

For a decent chunk of points you can get Armored ceramite and the Aiolos missile launcher,
which is a 60" 3-shot S6 missile with Pinning and Independent Tracking, which allows it to fire at
a different target from the other weapons, while also guaranteeing a hit on the side armor of
vehicles and ignoring LoS (In open terrain, I.E. not Zone Mortalis).

If you want the dreadnought in more of a forward-support role then you could mount an
Atomantic Pavaise on top instead of the launcher, which increases its and allies within 3" invuln
saves against shooting by +1 (up to a 3+) so it makes a pretty good back-up for siege squads or
terminators of all types (now this is what you want in ZM as Walkers are not affected by the base
size rule). However, the Pavaise causes a Deredeo that explodes to have a D3" larger blast radius
and at S5, so those troops that were under its protection are at a slightly larger risk. Furthermore,
the bonus to invulnerable saves doesn't stack with any other source that normally boosts Invuln
saves, like special rules, psychic powers or equipment like a Cyber Familiar (so just stick with an
Iron Halo/Cataphractii Armour). It also comes with boob-mounted TL Heavy Bolters which can
be replaced with TL Heavy Flamers for free, but doing this would probably mean you intend to
position the Dreadnought somewhere you shouldn't want it to be, or you want Wall of Death to
help ward away chargers, but in either case you should never be putting it in a situation where it
can be charged and the only way they're useful is if you're playing Zone Mortalis where they
become more powerful and you might have trouble predicting enemy movements, otherwise keep
the Bolters and maintain an even more threatening dakka-radius. Unfortunately, the Bolters don't
benefit from the Helical Targeting array due to being boob mounted.

A Plasma Carronade Aiolos Deredeo is the ultimate defense against Deep strikers: it can take on
suicide melta/Terminators AND aircraft at the same time, which is something not even 2 Mortis
Dreads can do. Disregard this: you have to apply both Skyfire and Interceptor. Good luck
snapshoting that terminators. Park it near valuable units, like your Rapier teams/Artillery and
they'll be protected.

Leviathan-Pattern Siege Dreadnought Talon:HH6 Displayed at the 2015 Open Day. A pretty
versatile Dread that isn't afraid of anything, but for its cost it might have been better off with
AV14. For about double the price of an Ironclad, you get a rounder Dread with S8, Extra armor
AV 13|13|12 with 3 attacks (4 from dual CCWs), a 4+ Invul that works both at range and in CC
but adds D3 to both the range and strength of its death-explosion, along with two chasis-mounted
Heavy flamers and two Leviathan siege claws which come with an inbuilt meltagun, Wrecker,
and Severing Cut - EACH time it delivers an unsaved wound, on a separate roll of 4+ the model
suffers yet another D3 wounds, becoming the bane of EWs and MCs. But if you positively
absolutely need to score those penetrating hits, the claws can be exchanged by Siege Drills, losing
Severing Cut but gaining Armorbane. Seeing there's no "specialist weapon" bullshit here and
being dirt cheap, grab both! Coupled with the fact it inflicts 2 HoW attacks (S8) and has I5 on the
charge, you see that the goal of this thing is to punch everything that exists near it. But this all-
rounder siege engine is no slouch at ranged combat either. The Heavy Flamers can be swapped
for twin-linked Volkite Calivers for long-ranged infantry-hating, but the real deal is that a claw
can be exchanged for a Leviathan Storm (auto)cannon (six S7 AP3 Sunder shots, albeit 24" only)
and another for a Grav-flux Bombard, a very versatile AP2 Large blast 18" range cover-ignoring
weapon that forces enemies to test S on 2D6 or suffer a wound (nice), and rolls 3D6 for AV
penetration (meh, that's AV11 on average), with any HP damage doubling as well. This Grav-blast
remains on the next turn as Difficult Terrain too, so you can keep a side safe from anything
nearby. Another arm-replacement option is the Cyclonic melta lancenot actually a lance weapon,
which is a S9 Heavy 3 18" Meltagun. Because this dread is at its best when close to the enemy
you could give it Armored Ceramite to cure it of its fear of Melta, as well a single-use Heavy 3
Phosphex Barrage. Whatever you decide, you might consider keeping one CCW - this can
become a ranged menace that will be very painfull to tie up in CC (keep in mind not having a
CCW takes away 1 attack per missing CCW). After all, being so expensive it better be capable of
doing everything. You can bring a talon of these, why not all three? Oh, that's right, that'll cost
1,000 points.

Conversely, since it costs as much as two other dreads, if you're considering a mixed approach
you might be better off actually buying two regular dreads, one built for close combat and one
built for shooting. At only about 100 points cheaper than a much more powerful Knight before
you've begun buying upgrades for it, and living in the overcrowded Heavy Support slot
(populated by cheaper and excellent tank options like a Predator squad or a Sicaran, which you
may find are doing a similar job but with better maneuverability), you might find that it's easier
for it to make its points back if you decide on a very specific thing for it to do and make sure it
sticks to that: Claw+Drill with flamers for close-combat against heavy infantry and anything with
AV, without being much of a ranged threat; two Leviathan Storm Cannons for mass-murdering
MEQ and light vehicles at medium range, or two Grav-flux Bombards for chewing through TEQ
and vehicles with some luck (the average of three dice is ~10.5), or screw luck altogether and kill
everything at short range with dual Cyclonic melta lancesnot actual lances at short range, which
given they're pretty much triple-shot short ranged lascannons you won't care about Armoured
Ceramite. Given its significant cost, the tight Heavy Support budget in Legion lists, an its
common unsuitability for Zone Mortalis games due to its size (where it would otherwise excel),
the Leviathan-Pattern Siege Dreadnought and its options need to be a very carefully considered.

It should be stated, however, that with a Cyclonic Melta Lance and a Drill, a Leviathan in a pod
has pretty good odds at being able to take out a Knight Titan though it does take some pieces to
fall perfectly into place for this to occur.

First: Leviathan w/ Cyclonic Melta Lance in a Dreadnought Drop Pod lands behind said target
Knight, preferably in melta range if possible. If you have sufficient front arc threats for the
Knight, its controlling player should have a hard time deciding on whether or not to let the shield
face the Leviathan who, it should be mentioned, isn't forced out of his pod upon landing granting
him 3, Shrouded Av12 Ablative Hull Points.

Second: Whether or not the Ion Shield is pointed your way, shoot 3 S9 Ap1 Melta Shots at BS5
into the butt of said Knight which is Av12. If your dice are willing, you'll get 3 hits. Those shot
then need a 3+ to Glance, 4+ to pen. If you're in Melta Range, these are pretty much auto pens.

Third: At Ap1, you gain +2 to Vehicle Damage Table (Bonus points if you're Alpha Legion
running Dynat for a further +1 for a total of +3) which, thanks to the Knight being a Super-Heavy,
means that Explodes Results - obtained on a 5+ - deal a further D3 Hull Points in damage.

Fourth: That means that, if everything lines up nigh-perfectly, your Leviathan and his Melta
Lance can deal 3+3D3 Hull Points in damage to said Knight (or other Super Heavies) for a
potential maximum of 12 Hull Points.

Fifth and possibly finally: If your army has not killed said Knight by this point and the Leviathan
is not dead yet, you get to do steps 1-4 all over again BUT! now with the possibility of charging
into CC to smack it with 2 S8 HoW hits and 4 S10 Ap2 Armourbane Hits at I5, hitting it before it
can hit you with its S:D Weapon (unless a Castigator) at WS5 meaning you're most likely hitting
it on 3s.

Words of Warning: Do not try this against the Cerastus Knight-Atrapos or the Acastus Knight
Porphyrion. Unlike other Knights they have extra wounds & are tailor made to kill enemy
walkers. A Prophrion will easily shoot your Leviathan to death with its four shot S10 weapons. It
gets worse if the Atrapos has Occular Augmetics. Which allows it to reroll the ranged damage of
it's D strenght Laser Cutter. Replacing the Siege Drill with another Melta Lance doesn't help
much either. You might want to bring some better Dakka to take down these behemoths.

Legion Malcador Assault Tank Squadron: An outdated tank model (even in the fluff it was
replaced by Baneblades and Land Raiders). Still, our Malcador version has access to the usual
enemy-tear-jerker kit, like Armoured Ceramite and a Flare shield. As of the newest book, it also
comes in squadrons of 1-3 superheavy tanks as a heavy support choice. It may swap its
Battlecannon for a Twin-linked Lascannon turret for free to better serve as a tank hunter, and can
take a hull Demolisher cannon to act as a Vindicator-Russ hybrid which can throw out TWO pie-
plates. The cherry on the cake? Crusade Army List introduces the "Battle Speed" rule, allowing
the Malcador to make its Flat Out move while shooting its main battle/lascannon at full BS,
letting you choose whether you shoot before or after the Flat Out, allowing you to bypass those
annoying Flare shields and quickly make up their points, which is something no other Malcador
variant has, along with the option of marine crew's BS4. Worthy of note is the option of making
one in a squadron of three a Squadron Command Tank, which means give the whole unit Tank
Hunters and Monster Hunter if they all shoot at the same target.

Lords of War[edit]

Legion Lords of War range from the usual Baneblade-expys to Spartan-mounted Destroyer
weapons and the mighty flying-fortress Stormbird. They're only useable on games of 2000 pts or
more, and they may not make up more than 25% of the army's total points cost. Furthermore,
instead of the options listed here, you can choose any of the following: Baneblade, Banehammer,
Stormlord, Shadowsword, Stormsword, any Macharius variant, any CRASSUS ARMORED
ASSAULT TRANSPORT variant, Marauder Bomber or it's variants, an Avenger Strike Fighter, a
Thunderbolt Fighter or a Minotaur. Tanks (e.g. Baneblades) can be augmented with Space Marine
crew for BS4, and flyers with Battle Servitor Control, which makes them Obama's drones Tank
Hunters. Furthermore, instead of using a single LoW with at least 9HP you can bring two
"lighter" 8HP-or-less Super-heavies, or a Sub-Orbital Strike Wing composed of a group of
otherwise normal flyers (up to 3HP each). LoW squads deploy together but then wander off
separately, akin to Dreadnought talons. Destroying a Lord of War nets the enemy some VPs
depending of their type: 3 Lightnings can mean 3 easy VPs for the enemy, so be careful!
For those who wondered "Where should I get the rules for all that stuff?": according to FW
answer on Facebook, you can take them from any viable source, including FW Apocalypse,
where tanks on a Baneblade chasis get sponsons for free, but FW also recommends using most
up-to-date ones, which are found in Escalation. Just make sure the source is clear for your
opponent.

Legion Fellblade Super Heavy Tank: This is your THIRTEEN BARRELS OF HELL, + 1BS
(with the upgrade). The Fellblade comes with a turret mounted Twin-linked 'Accelerator cannon'
with 100" range, which can fire either High explosive shells (S8 AP3 Ord 1, 7" blast) or Armour
piercing rounds (Heavy 1, S9 AP2, Armourbane, 3" blast). Add to that 2 Quad-Lascannons
(which can be swapped for Laser Destroyers at no cost), a Twin-linked Heavy Bolter and a hull
mounted Demolisher cannon and you have an absolutely rapetastic monster. Plus it's only 25
points more than a Baneblade. Don't forget to add another Heavy Bolter and a Hunter-Killer
missile just in case you need more dakka. (And who doesn't?)

Legion Glaive Super-Heavy Special Weapons Tank: Take the Fellblade, and replace its
accelerator cannons with a Volkite Carronade, and you have the Glaive. Though its range is only
48", it has the Heavy Beam rule which, instead of placing a template, hits every single target
(friend and foe) in the path of the beam (the way the Railgun was theorized to work)! Strength 8
and AP2 plus the Deflagrate rule means most marine units evaporate before it, while the Haywire
rule means Tanks don't fare much better. Transports don't fare well either, their occupants
suffering D6 S4 Deflagrate hits. Superheavies, Gargantuan creatures and Buildings block the
beam, but receive 1+D3 hits. However, its short range does make it more exposed to enemy fire,
so using it as a deterrent is more useful. Don't forget it has Ignores Cover so you can park it
behind ruins and such. And whatever you do, make sure you don't hit your own units by mistake.

Legion Falchion Super Heavy Tank Destroyer: If the Fellblade is the equivalent of the Baneblade,
then the Falchion is the equivalent of the Shadowsword right down to its TWIN-LINKED
Volcano Cannon. No turret means that it can only shoot what is in front of it, but it's all but
guaranteed to punch a hole through any Titan that gets near. However, with the changes to Str D
in 7th edition, the Falchion is not the all-powerful destroyer of worlds it would have been in 6th;
unlucky rolling will mean you get nothing back from your investment, and being able to take
covers saves against a relatively small blast hurts a lot. Consider giving it Space Marine crew to
keep that blast as centered as possible.

Notably more effective using 30k D, in respect to mean damage vs vehicles (although that's an
outdated HH1 rule).

Legion Stormblade: It comes with the Plasma Blastgun of a Titan, which can make blobs
anything evaporate at long range with up to a 10 inch blast. Not enough for you? It can add two
pairs of Lascannon + TL-Heavy Bolter. It's the cheapest of the marine Baneblade variants while
not the most potent of the Super Heavies that can be thrown easily into a 2000 point army, much
the same as the Typhon.
Legion Typhon Heavy Siege Tank: Its critics said "That's simply an XBOXHUEG Vindicator",
Perturabo said "That's the point". The Vindicators big brother on steroids is comes armed with a
Dreadhammer Siege cannon of range 24" (effectively 36" since it can move 12" and fire anyway)
when moving, or 48" if stationary, S10|AP1|Ordnance 1, with a 7" blast and no cover saves
allowed. Crusade Army List updates its "Crushing Weight" rule and now it grants a +1 on the
Thunderblitz table, thus negating the "No Effect" result and making it ram at effectively S10
minimum. Moving or stationary, it kicks major ass.

Legion Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer: The Venator's Big brother. A Destroyer Tank hunter on
crack armed with a twin linked Neutron Laser battery, a 72" range, S10 AP1 Primary Weapon that
fires D3 times, Concussing/forcing Snap shots on penetrating hits (yes, even on super-heavies,
which are usually immune to that). The catch? If it fails the penetration roll, it has a 1 in 6 chance
to lose 1 HP, which is a shame because it comes equipped with a Flare shield to protect its AV14
front, making it a real bitch to kill.

Legion Thunderhawk Gunship: You know it, you love it. The best way to use this vehicle is to get
Terminators or/and your Primarch right into the middle of the enemies most dangerous shooting
formation, then use the fearsome weapons on the gunship to destroy enemy vehicles that can
insta-kill your guys, allowing your Terminators to destroy the shooty infantry and keep your
grunts alive.

Legion Thunderhawk Transporter: The Gunship's weaker and derpier brother. With its armament
being only 4 TL Heavy bolters (with the ability to buy the same Hellstrike Missiles as the
Thunderhawk, it's useful for carrying Rhinos or Land Raiders around, and not much else.

Hardly a fair assessment here-although rare is the situation that you want to bring in a
Thunderhawk Transporter, it can fill niches fairly well. It's worth noting that these behemoths can
carry not just Rhinos-any Rhino-chassis vehicle is fair game. Want to deep-strike two Vindicators
behind enemy lines? What about heavy armor in a Drop Assault Vanguard/Orbital Assault/Angel's
Wrath list? Plus, this is one of the few Lords of War available at the 2,000 points level.

Legion Sokar Pattern Stormbird: Funnily enough, the reasons the Imperial Manta was mothballed
in the fluff are also kind of represented in the crunch. The Stormbird is so big and expensive that
outside of the biggest games (as in, boards where Basilisks run out of range) a Thunderhawk
probably would be a more economical option most of the time. Relatively. Hell, if a Stormbird
was ever fielded in any game under 1,500pts whatever army you had left would probably be able
to fit inside the thing. With all that said, though, you certainly get your points worth. The
Stormbird has 14/13/12/ and 12 HP. It comes with five turreted Twin-linked Lascannons (so right
then and there, you got more laser dakka than a Terminus Ultra), six Dreadstrike Missiles (S10
AP2 Ordnance, small blast) which can be replaced with a single use 3D6 Apocalyptic Barrage
that hits like a Battle cannon. It can buy an Orbital Strike, with Strength D AP1, Massive blast,
Indirect fire only and multiple use for the low, low price of 150 pts. Its 2 Void Shields can become
a 12" bubble if you go into hover mode, which is a safe idea since you also get Armoured
ceramite and a 5++ invul. Transport capacity of 50 can carry pretty much everything including
Dreadnoughts and (fully loaded) Rhinos which take up 10/25 slots respectively. Good thing the
Age of Darkness FoC limits you to 25% spending on LOWs and no one actually has the money to
play Apoc with FW, right? It now has a model, worth $1000!

Legion Mastodon: Spartan not enough for you? Have a giant 40-MODEL transporter, with a
situational D-weapon to boot. The purpose of the Mastodon is to flood the enemy with fire while
deploying a small army of models onto objectives. Said small army can include Dreadnoughts
(regular Castaferrum or Contemptor only), which count as ten models each. So a World Eaters'
commander can stuff 20 of their nasty Tacs, 5 Red Butchers and a beefy Dread all in the same
tank. The Mastodon's main gun is a Siege Melta Array - while only packing 12" of range, it puts
out 4 small blasts at str 9, AP 1 and the Stone Burner special rule makes each Pen count as d3
against buildings and fortifications. The beast's other unique weapon is a turret-mounted
Skyreaper Battery, a 48" Interceptor autocannon-analogue. Two sponson Heavy Flamers and
Lascannons round things off gun-wise; Enhanced Defensive Fire allows these sponsons to
Overwatch if the Mastodon is transporting one or more units when charged. So can this thing
make it to the enemy lines? You tell me - It has not one but TWO Void Shields! Upgrades include
the standard Super-Heavy Command Tank, up to four Hunter-killer missiles and the option to
swap the Skyreaper Battery for a Command Vox Relay, allowing the Mastodon's owner to modify
their reserve rolls by +-1 while it's on the field, and further dampening Deep Strike Mishaps with
a -1 on the table. One final note: if a Mastodon is (somehow!) destroyed, roll a dice at -2, if the
result is 1 or less the thing doesn't explode and instead becomes a set of ruins. You were driving
around in a fortress.

Primarchs: Aww yes, they have rules now. Your opponent is now shitting bricks. Properly
supported, they can rape anything they come up against. Even the Swarmlord, even Skarbrand,
hell if you somehow max out Angron's attacks with the Butcher's Nails attacks he can take on
An'ggrath and win. All Primarchs have the Primarch rule, which acts as a combination of
Independent Character, Eternal Warrior, Adamantium Will, Fear, Fearless, Fleet, Precision
Strike/Shot, and It Will Not Die. Each one also has the Master of the Legion rule and is Bulky or
bigger. Keep in mind that they DON'T have the rules of their legion, so no Rad Grenades for
Mortarion, no Exemplars of War rule for Fulgrim, etc. Also worth bearing in mind that in 'normal'
points value games (~2000 pts) any primarch will take up a BIG chunk of your army, even more
if you want to put them in a transport alongside a retinue. Use them wisely and they'll mince
anything, use them poorly and a quarter of you army will get stranded miles from anything they
can hurt and do nothing. Furthermore, Primarchs usually come with lots of rules that improve the
bulk of your legion, so it pays to think about what you are doing before you start buying
expensive miniatures only to find they don't fit your Legion and you end up leaving them on the
shelf. For example, Ferrus Manus is excellent for a mechanized force so his army will have lots
of high AV vehicles, whereas Mortarion buffs improve his infantry, so he'll run lots of it instead of
vehicles. Angron's the only major exception to this rule so far - while he's an absurdly effective
melee beatstick, that's essentially all he's good for. Check the sections for each legion for their
specific rules and wargear, along with strategies on how to use them.

Fortifications[edit]

NOTE: the Age of Darkness Force Org comes with one Fortification slot, which allows you to
take any fortifications from 40K as long as they're less than 500 points and do not have a D-
weapon (so the Aquila Strongpoint and Primus Redoubt would both be in the Lord of War slot.
Fortification networks should also be fine.

Promethium Relay Pipelines: You might think they are new because models have just been
released, but they've been around since Stronghold Assault (yes, they took more than a year to
release some metal cylinders). They do really well in 30k games for two reasons: Tactical Support
and/or Heavy Support Squads. Seriously, get ten guys with flamers or heavy flamers when given
the extended reach of the Torrent special rule become drastically more threatening. It does mean
changing the weapon type to Heavy, so you can't move the unit or charge after firing, but it's not
like they were kitted out with great melee weapons either. Now the downside to pipelines (being
explosive) can be completely mitigated since they can also buy Obstacles from the Stronghold
Assault options, so you can buy Barricades or Tank Traps to put in FRONT of you and still get
that 4+ cover save, while keeping the fuel pipes at your BACK for the safe benefit of Torrent.
They appear in the HH4 mission "Crucial Ground" as free Key buildings.

Legion Note: Death Guard and Salamanders will LOVE this, particularly Pyroclasts. Though the
rules say that it applies to flame weapons "as defined by the WH 40,000 rulebook", so That Guy
might try to argue that Flame Projectors don't gain any benefit; just remember that Pyroclast
Flame Projectors have the Promethean Gift already applied to them, which as per the legion rules
is only applied to "Hand Flamers, Flamers & Heavy Flamers" which ARE in the book, so the
Flame Projector is essentially a regular Flamer for the template portion at least, so no Torrent
Melta).

Castellum Stronghold: Now you can show the Imperial Guard how it's really done.
EXBOXHUEG fortification that spans 24" x 24" (a whole freaking tile), made up by 3 Bunker
Annexes (Medium Building, AV14) and a Tacticus Bunker (Large Building, AV14), both with
Battlements, surrounding a central open deck area. The bunkers can add an emplaced weapon,
while the tacticus can add 2 and has access to exclusive options, namely Battle cannon turret,
Icarus QUAD Lascannon and Hyperios command platform, which allows your Interceptor
weapons to resolve Automated fire at BS3 and target Flyers/Skimmers instead of the closest
enemy model. This thing is a paragon of defense, having Shielded Gate barriers that count as
impassable terrain but don't block line of sight and confer a 3++ to units on the other (any) side,
as well as the bunkers having a 5++ vs shooting directed either at them or the units inside them.
And if you go to ground on the battlements, you gain a 2+ cover save.

But wait, there is more! You can buy a Hostile signal jammer and/or a Comms relay to cause
Deep strike Mishaps on a 4+ within 12" of the stronghold and reroll your reserves, respectively.
So, whoever wants to claim the building has to wade in your field of fire, while you can Deep
strike some Jetbike Multimeltas behind his butt.

Primus Redoubt: The Castellum is not enough? Then the Primus Redoubt is for you. This thing is
a freaking legless Titan, with an emplaced Double Barreled Turbo Laser Destructor, which cannot
be disabled except by enemy models embarking into the building and killing the NPC gunners.
Also spanning a whole 24" tile, this Large building with 2 battlements is a Mighty Bulwark, so it
gets a -1 modifier when rolling on the Building damage table, which is fortunate because it's
subject to a Reactor Breach if it rolls a Detonation! in the Building Damage table: besides
suffering the usual effects it also rolls on the Catastrophic Damage chart - such is the price of
having a mounted Destroyer weapon. Not that this will happen often, because it's AV15, and with
10 HP, 4++ invuln (3++ against Barrage attacks that don't have a spotter) it can take as much
punishment as it can dish out. It's so big (fluff wise) that staging on the battlements is not enough
to claim it from the enemy: you have to embark inside, and even then the process of doing so
renders the Turbo Laser Destructor permanently unusable.

You can buy items from the Buildings & Obstacles list in Stronghold Assault, and add an
emplaced weapon on the redoubt (Quad gun/Lascannon being quite useful), as well as 4 Heavy
Bolters on the battlements, which are very handy when being swarmed.

Be mindful that even with all its resilience, like the Spartan, it's not undefeatable, especially in
melee, where if the enemy manages to embark it that's the end of its Turbo Laser, its main
atractive. Or can be otherwise pummeled with Melta bombs, Chainfist of Haywire grenades,
because its shields only activate against ranged threats, and that's without accounting the fact that
it can't get Armored Ceramite, so Melta Vets are viable against it. Thus, keep it ALWAYS manned
by tarpits or other units that can hold their own in melee or against your enemy's Deathstar -
filling it with Techpriests wont help if an Assault squad swoops in and murders everybody. And,
because it can't disrupt Deep Strikes like the Castellum does, you'll also need to bubble-wrap it
with patrolling units or have other sources of Deep Strike interception/disruption.

The Battlements are the most important part of this building - if they fall, so does the whole
Redoubt (as in, they'll enter the Redoubt if unopposed). They are NOT fortified, so they provide
the usual 4+ cover save. Repeated barrages on the Redoubt might not kill it, but some lucky shots
will slip through the shield and inflict casualties on the battlements, softening them for your
enemy's assault. A Void Shield and/or a Atomantic Pavaise Deredeo are pretty much all the
insurance you need for that.

Legion Specific Rules, Units and Characters[edit]

The Legion specific stuff is a mix of the amazingly crunchy and the rather fluffy. Some units are
pretty obvious takes over their vanilla counterparts, while others are more lacklustre. Of
particular note is that the legion specific rites of war which mostly you'll want to use, but not all
allow for other legions to ally with them, which mostly won't be an issue, but it's worth
mentioning.

Also Primarchs, fuck yeah!

I Legion: Dark Angels[edit]

[Expand]Dark Angels legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.png

The First Legion is a very different fighting force when compared to its 40k incarnation. In this
era, their rules make them into a melee-oriented Legion rather than a shooty, steadfast one, but as
per their fluff, the Legio Prima does have a wide variety of cool toys both melee and ranged, an
uncommon balance available to few others.

All in all, if you're not playing the -Wings, their basic rules are pretty decent for a melee Legion,
but many of your models will not even benefit from them, so you might as well be using the
generic crusade list if a gunline army is your choice. This is likely done to represent Dark Angels
being the "template" upon which all other legions would draw their specialties from, and
purposefully not being too unique.

If you do decide to use the -Wings, they have some radical Rites of War which allow you to play
those armies (mentioned in the fluff to number 6 in total, so there's more to come), giving you a
lot of power while imposing significant restrictions on your army choices, but allow you to fill
roles traditionally held by other Legions, which MORE than makes up for their rather tame LA
rules. For playing Deathwing there is little choice but to use Pride of the Legion for now.

Nothing in the LA screams out cheese, but Dark Angels players are used to cruising down the
middle. If you want to play like normal Astartes with lots of exclusive equipment (along with
some Old Night flavor) and you're capable of using a sound strategy as opposed to relying on Just
as planned, the First Legion welcomes you.

III Legion: Emperor's Children[edit]

[Expand]

Everyone's favourite perfectionists, the Emperor's Children favour a fast and hard-hitting
playstyle. "Fast" as in their troops run quicker and get multiple bonuses to initiative, "Hard" due
to their access to AP2 at said heightened initiative, as well as their several bonuses to combat
resolution, meaning they are quite likely to overrun opponents if when they win in combat, even
if they didn't actually score the most wounds. Fitting their bias for melee, they also have access to
a plethora of alternate deployment methods, by virtue of Fulgrim's strategic acumen and their
very reliable outflanking available from one of their unique RoWs.

The downsides to the IIIrd Legion are not particularly bad, as being rather generic at ranged
combat is a fair price for their plethora of close combat bonuses, but they could very well
disappoint you: Their special characters and unique units usually have a single thing that they are
good at (or "obsessed with" should we say) and need to work with the rest of your army to get the
best out of them, lest their misuse make their disproportionately high cost be noticed. Also, the
best part of the IIIrd Legion's Legiones Astartes rules is pretty much the old Furious Charge rule,
so players are encouraged to master positional play and timing to have their units charging at the
right moment while being supported with the right buffs, lest the enemy rob your forces of their
melee advantage and your Children end up playing akin to generic Legion marines. They already
hit hard and fast - it's up to you to make them hit often.

If you are obsessed with glorious melee combat and can flawlessly pull off the perfect maneuvers
required to enact the perfect strategy, then you've earned the unique honour of proudly bearing
the Palatine Aquila on your chest and being recognized as one of the Emperor's Children.
Disregard rumours of aberrant conduct, unsanctioned bodily modifications and substance abuse.
You'll grow to like it anyway.

IV Legion: Iron Warriors[edit]

[Expand]Iron warriors legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.png

The Iron Warriors are a ranged oriented Legion with a knack for attrition warfare, shrugging off
ranged casualties like they don't care. They are THE offensive-siege specialists, coming to make a
mockery of the enemy's hiding places, make them keep their heads down and claim No Man's
Land as their own without giving any terrain themselves with their special rules and wargear.
Having strong ties with the Mechanicum (especially the Ordo Reductor), mechanized formations
are also within their scope of warfare, as well the inclusion of battle automata, although common
builds include lots of Heavy support choices as well as lots of Barrage weapons.

Though their Legion rules are a bit scarce and oriented to letting them take casualties better
instead of strenghtening their deadliness, combine them with their RoWs to ensue in huge
firestorms and come out on top. All in all pretty straight-forward marines but focused on big
guns. Even though they are more comfortable at range, a viable strategy with them is to launch
assaults amidst huge firefights, with rapid-firing units launching disordered charges, or becoming
Fearless under the cover of precision bombardments. Their close combat capabilities are further
honed by Perturabo's presence, who makes them Stubborn, and also gives them Furious Charge
while in the enemy's deployment zone to boot (aka both of the Unlisted Legions' bonuses).

While other Legions might get Ld bonuses or re-rolls, the ability to ignore ranged casualties and
being one of the few Legions with access to widespread Stubborn and Fearless and thus ignore
negative penalties as a result of failed assaults while also ignoring ranged casualties means the
Iron Warriors can lay claim to having some of the best Morale rules in the entire Heresy, but
you'll need a good plan lest your dudes die for nothing.

If you're not afraid to spend some lives (as victory is the will to expend lives and munitions in
attack) overmatch the defender's' reserves of manpower and fire tons of ordnance, join the Iron
Warriors and pay any price in the pursuit of victory and you will never be defeated.

V Legion: White Scars[edit]

[Expand]White scars legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.png

The bike marines you know and love, now with Jetbikes. But they're so much more than just
bikes (as always, they tie for the best bikers in the game and are much more flexible than the
aforementioned), as their infantry also receives plenty of movement bonuses and they can reliably
bring that one unit they need from reserves, as well as bonuses for going first. However, you gotta
go fast, as the killy part of their rules only activates when moving full 6", meaning they aren't the
best for garrison duty and that their heavier guns are vanilla, and the enemy could give them a
surprise were they to catch them wrong footed, aka going anywhere slower than full speed.

The hunter's role fits them well, and with their rules, Cyber Hawks and Legatine-axe-tier op AP2
glaives, the Scars can do well either at a distance or at melee. Or at a distance while closing to
melee.

If you want to go fast, be generally in control of your battle plans and play a very balanced legion
with no detrimental biases (as of yet), then hunt with the Vth legion and show them the ferocity
of your power armoured Mongolians.

VI Legion: Space Wolves[edit]

[Expand]

The Wolves of old were a lot less furry, but still maintain a very unique way of working among
the Legions as FW's interpretation of them is as specialists in massed infantry with a diffuse
command structure and they give us quite a lot of pushes in that direction with what amounts to
an HQ tax and (under most circumstances) one available compulsory troop choice that is
designed to run at the enemy and chop them to pieces, in addition, certain Consuls are outright
replaced (whether or not the Fenrisian version is better is up to debate). This has the potential to
be quite limiting and tactically challenging but the Vlka Fenryka wouldn't have it any other way.

The Rout are an assault legion with a focus on heavy infantry, and although the Emperor's
Children may be faster when in combat, nobody's quicker at getting there than the wolves (what
with running and charging with some units, and rerolling both with a Saga) and they get decent
bonuses when they do get there.

So, if you're sick and tired of the overwolf, hate GWs overt restrictions on when you can charge
or you want to join the most distinct legion of all, join the Great Companies as one of the Sons of
the Wolf King and fight in the name of the Allfather and Fenris!

VII Legion: Imperial Fists[edit]

[Expand]Imperial Fists legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.PNG

The Imperial Fists are here to demonstrate how "to be vanilla" can potentially mean "to be the
best". Even Dorn writes this in stone by being armed with Bolter and Chainsword and being one
of the strongest Primarchs for his points. Rightfully considered one of the top-tier Legion armies,
they are comfortable at both long and short ranges. At their most basic, they have improved
firepower when using bolt weaponry and their characters are almost assured some success when
in challenges. On top of that, they have the undisputed BEST vanilla Terminators in the whole
Heresy. While only a few legions get their Terminators to Deep Strike OR have Storm Shields,
the Fists can do both at the same time and grab Assault cannons on top of that.

They also have some very powerful special characters and units and they have access to some of
the best Legion-only wargear available, not to mention being one of the few legions with Eternal
Warriors. Coupled with their access to shield formations, Stubborn ignore pinning in cover and
relying on an Infantry-heavy army, they represent well their fluff as masters of defensive sieges.

If you want to play as "standard" space marines while being able to adapt to more complex
scenarios like siege missions and Zones Mortalis, this is the army for you.
VIII Legion: Night Lords[edit]

[Expand]Night Lords legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.PNG

The masters of Terror tactics, the Night Lords make liberal use of Fear in this ATSKNF-lacking
millenium, as well as being quite nasty in CC. That being said, most squads are Ld9 and some
Legions are outright immune to Fear, so this isn't an instant "I win" button. You have good
mobility with hard hitting units and are one of the few Legions with access to Deep Striking
Terminators in every mission, as well as more customisable assault squads and infiltrating
veterans. They also capitalise significantly on Night Fight rules, so can pull ahead quickly at the
start of a battle while the darkness if in effect. The catch? Insubordination amongst their ranks has
made them prone to falling back themselves.

While it sounds obvious, it pays to bully your opponent with Night Lords. Minimum-sized melee
units should be a no-no as you get bonuses for outnumbering the enemy and larger units are less
likely to start falling back. While Night Lords make for a great anti-infantry force, you'll probably
start losing most of your advantages against horde GEQ armies, who outnumber YOU and were
poorer melee combatants which you would tear apart anyway, or against opponents who bring
heavier vehicles/ordnance to the field, which Night Lord special units will have problems facing,
forcing you to revert to "standard" space marine tactics.

IX Legion: Blood Angels[edit]

[Expand]Blood Angels legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.png

Blood Angels play like a gloriously improved version of themselves in 40k...or at least the
infantry part. They get near enough all the rules that make them recognizable and then more, if
you want to go deeper. But for some reason for a traditional melee army can be insanely dakka.

At their core, Blood Angels like it close and personal, with improved to-wound rolls and with a
good selection of pistols and AP2 initiative weapons, making them arguably the best melee
Legion. Best of all, they don't need to fulfill conditions like outnumbering the enemy or getting
the charge, so other Legions need to take note.

However, their fast mechanized assault is gone, as they lack their trademark Baal Fast tanks in
this millenium, and in fact their LA rule makes it troublesome to take vehicle-focused RoWs. But
their access to Mega Dakka® makes up for these limitations.

With certain rites, they get their "red thirst" initiative bonus back as well as some turn 1 deep
striking, so they can rival even the Emperor's Children for speed. Other rites touch upon the
"black rage" theme, giving you resilient and steadfast but tactically limited options with which to
throw at your enemy with abandon. Of note is the fact that Blood Angels Rites of War have no
restrictions on allies, so take advantage of this as often as possible.

X Legion: Iron Hands[edit]

[Expand]Iron Hands legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.PNG

The Iron Hands are also considered one of the stronger Legions to play with, if only because of
their sheer resistance to incoming fire. The -1 to enemy ranged weapon strength makes a
significant difference against the common (eg: Bolt) weapons of the enemy, which is only
exacerbated when Ferrus Manus takes the field alongside his sons, in which case you end up with
something FAR more resilient than their 40k incarnation. Obviously you'd expect the Iron Hands
to be excellent at mechanized assaults as well, and if you want to go all-out with tanks, there is no
better Legion.

The downsides to Iron Hands are glaring however. They are stuck with very inflexible infantry-
centric army builds, so you cannot create fast-moving armies of assault marines and bikers,
though this might not be a downside at all depending on what models you have available, or if
you are clever with army-building and make sure you bring "exactly" what you want. Not only
that; their near-refusal to perform Sweeping Advances or Run moves means that the enemy has a
better chance of outmaneuvering you, so you have to be careful.

XII Legion: World Eaters[edit]

[Expand]

"Up close and personal" is the phrase that defines this melee legion, their basic attacks being
outright deadlier than your average legion means whatever is on the bussiness end of their
chainaxes will Eat a World of hurt (heh), and it only goes up from there. A legion of blood-on-
white contrasts, the allegiances and RoWs you choose will mark a pronounced difference in
gameplay, but regardless of the bloody path you select the end result will be the same: Carnage
and piles of bodies.

Being one of Horus' original Four, their Traitor version gets more options than the Loyalists;
Angron and his Butchers are some examples. Caedere weapons leave much to be desired, and
because they are specialized for close quartes battle their shooting phase is the same as most other
legions', the same goes for their vehicles which are but transports for your men, as well as sources
of anti-tank. Their tactics call for them to leave their deployment zone, meaning this legion isn't
one to defend ground or man fortresses.

Deadly against anything not wearing power armour, they can still get the upper hand in Astartes
vs Astartes fights by forcing failed saves and winning close combats, and their wide access to FnP
will make them stand out on infantry-heavy battles (especially on ZM's close quarters...if you
play that), but struggle against mechanized lists, since vehicles don't bleed. But as long as you're
able to crack open their transports and get Your Dudes where you need them to be then your
blades will do their red work.

If to you War is the matter of seeking out your enemies, attacking as soon you're able and with all
the force at your command, rending their soldiers and smashing their fortresses, leaving only
corpses behind you and moving on then join the ranks of the Bloody Twelfth.

XIII Legion: Ultramarines[edit]

[Expand]XIII legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.png

The Ultramarines play as a mix of 40k and 30k, understandably so because their Primarch wrote
the codex. Like the Imperial Fists, they prove that being "vanilla" doesn't necessarily mean being
bad. They've got the closest thing to ATSKNF out of any Legion, and their special rules are
geared towards making an army that can become more than the sum of its parts. All their unique
squads have a lovely 2+ save and their unique wargear is fairly cheap for what it gives you. Said
unique units are also surprisingly good in melee if you kit them out correctly, and while they're
not going to out-assault the World Eaters, they can still take an unprepared opponent off guard.

On the other hand, the adage "jack of all trades, master of none" aptly sums up their
vulnerabilities. They can adapt to a wide variety of situations, but they will rarely if ever excel in
any one of them compared to the other Legions. Furthermore, their army is geared towards MSU
spam, and that tends to be very expensive in 30k. Regardless, they're forgiving enough to be a
good first army for players new to the new Horus Heresy ruleset.

Note: Ultramarine units just HAVE to be better than their copies (Invictarus & Locutarus Storm
Squad) because reasons and are heavily underpointed for what they are bar Fulmentarus
Terminator. Invicatus and Locutarus for around 20pts a piece (give or take) have a 2+ armour and
MINIMUM AP3 since Invicatus have AP2 of pure OP rape. If any other Legion had these, they
would be down right broken but since the Ultramarines Legion Tactics favour ranged fire fights,
they are not as powerful.

XIV Legion: Death Guard[edit]

[Expand]Death Guard legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.PNG

The Death Guard favour a playstyle for a slow moving, but very hard hitting ranged army. Just
like in the fluff, their rules make them implacable. Their famous endurance comes to bear,
enduring in the face of both terrain and weapons that would lay low anyone else, being one of the
few things immune to Fear in 30k they will keep going forward no matter what, perfect for
attrition warfare.

Their RoWs give them access to a horrific amount of slow-moving but heavy-hitting firepower
and, on top of having an easier time clearing out both tarpits and high toughness units due to their
access to all manner of alchemical weapons, their characters are highly resilient and fill several
roles at once. Furthermore, due to both their legion-specific units being Terminators they can
bring the highest amount of them amongst all legions - Orbital Assault is particularly nasty with
them fielding different kinds of Terminators in HQ, Elites and Heavy Support slots, all of them
scoring.

That being said, they have penalties to Sweeping Advances and movement, but such detriments
never applied to Cataphractii Terminators anyway, and almost nothing will cause them to operate
at anything less than peak efficiency. Furthermore, a combination of Mortarion's army-wide
Stubborn and/or The Reaping's Rad grenades makes them a dangerous opponent in melee.

Tired of terrain holding you back, Pinning getting you down, and want to melt your opponents
using proscribed weapons while fielding scores of Terminators and Heavy weapons that fear
neither Monstrous Creatures nor Phosphex? Then join the ranks of the Unbroken Blades and let
doom stalk a million worlds!

XV Legion: Thousand Sons[edit]

[Expand]

The Space Egyptians before Ahriman fucked them over were a powerhouse capable of being
played in a number of different ways. As the psyker legion they can take so many mastery levels
your opponent has no realistic chance of psychic defence other than praying for perils while
throwing out all the cheese that defines psychic powers and enough mind bullets to essentially
have another shooting phase by making your HQs and Elites into psykers. Plus Magnus who can
drop 18" D-strength Novas whilst being literally impossible to kill.

The Cult Arcana system is also very powerful as it allows arguably more flexibility than even the
Alpha Legion, whose thing is y'know flexibility. Each unit can be given one of five special rules
to allow you to tailor them to their function. Shooty units can get better shooting and choppy
units better combat etc. meaning your legion is kinda split into 5, sorta like a permanently
shattered legion (how ironic, considering Magnus himself was shattered after the burning).

There are drawbacks, much of the stuff that makes Thousand Sons unique (i.e. mastery levels)
has to be purchased for not-insignificant prices and all the mind bullet throwing leads to lots of
perils which is something this army absolutely does not want to do, but on the whole Thousand
Sons are a high tier army with solid crunch augmented by some excellent cheddar. So if you join
the scions of the Crimson King, feel free to put on your robe and wizard hat and bask in the might
of the legion with the most arcane gifts, but never forget that, as ever all power demands sacrifice.

XVI Legion: Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus[edit]

[Expand]Luna Wolves - Sons of Horus legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.png

Like the Terran wolves they were originally named after, the XVIth legion is one of the most
vicious legions when it comes to assault operations, being able to reliably bring in reserves and
confering a multitude of close range and assault-oriented bonuses, meant to overwhelm the
enemy through multiple combats, superior numbers and sheer firepower.

Despite being the major antagonists of the Horus Heresy the Legion has no "I win" button other
than Horus himself on the first sight, but if you investigate further, the amount of possible
powerful shenanigans is quite nasty, like BS5 Veterans with Combi-Weapons, that just remove
anything within 12" of them and can be taken as troops in every RoW where you can and do take
Maloghurst, including Orbital Assault, reserve dickery and ability to deepstrike Terminators with
Abaddon or take Deathclaws as dedicated transports for some squads. Possible catch? You really
have to think about what you're going to do with a Sons of Horus army list. They have some
highly customisable units and special characters which are statistically better than counterparts in
other legions, but some of them are expensive for what they offer and are not as focused as some
other Legions are. If you overcome the main problem - crossing the board, SoH will do better
then the most.
XVII Legion: Word Bearers[edit]

[Expand]Word Bearers legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.png

The closest thing to 40k's Chaos Space Marines in the 30k environment, which is obvious since
the Heresy was more or less their idea from the start. You get access to Daemonic allies, Daemon-
boosted unique units and special rules meaning you can have have a lot of invulnerable saves and
Fear-causing effects, but are also subject to a degree of random chance - if you want to go down
that route.

Furthermore, even when discounting Lorgar himself, the ability to make many of your HQ
choices into ML1 Sorcerers makes Word Bearers the second-place Psychic force in the 30k
environment, just after the Thousand Sons, and without the XVth Legion's own significant
psychic drawbacks, because why fear the Warp when it gives you a good pain as it overtakes
you?.

At their simplest, the Word Bearers do well as a melee-oriented Legion (against everyone without
buffs to melee. EC, BA, NL and even DA will give you a hard time), with their excellent morale
and boosted Sweeping Advance chances. If you can bring a Diabolist (or Erebus) then they get
further improved in melee wherever the "Dark Channeling" rule is applied.

Finally, it should be noted that Loyalist Word Bearers are nonexistent, which reflects how in the
backstory the Word Bearers had 40 years to cleanse their Legion of any loyalist dissidents, see
note on pg. 92 of Legiones Astartes: Age of Darkness Legions, so if you want to play Loyalists,
choose another Legion.

XVIII Legion: Salamanders[edit]

[Expand]Salamanders legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.PNG

The Salamanders come to the battlefield on their best shape ever since Istvaan. Forgeworld has
done honour to their fluff and, rather than 40k's pyromaniacs with MCd toys, their main themes
are endurance and some of the best Legion-specific wargear available...along with their usual
heat-based weapons.

Endurance in they way of holding the line with their noticeable morale buffs and being outright
immune to Fear. Also, they are one of the two legions that can field TH/SS Terminators, taken to
the extreme with the Firedrakes, as well as having access to the only EW-gear that isn't a relic.
But wait, there's more. They have some of the most resilient vehicles and walkers in the game,
tied perhaps with the Iron Hands - one of their characters being the most resilient Dreadnought
ever. And they are the friendliest force in the Horus Heresy, with nine Sworn Brothers, only three
Distrusted Allies, and 0 "By the Emperor's Command's", Salamanders have a rich gamut of
supplement options. Nifty Palatine Blades and 'Scars Bikers? BS5 bolter fire to complement the
Flamestorm? Disposable militia bodies to buy space for your Deathstar Firedrakes? All possible
with Warlord traits, joined characters and Psychic powers thrown in the mix.

All of that while keeping the best flamers and meltaguns anyone can field, as well as their usual
Master Crafted weapons. But not everything is a straight step up from their 40k incarnation,
having the dubious honour of being THE s l o w e s t Legion of them all, both prone to being
outmaneuvered and getting Sweeping Advanced. Awesome transports and Wall-of-Death flamer
squads help mask this problem, but their main issue remains: They are a slow force that does best
at close range but fares poorly in melee. Don't let the enemy catch you by surprise.

XIX Legion: Raven Guard[edit]

[Expand]Raven guard legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.PNG

Your favorite emos before they actually had a reason to feel like shit. They are a very balanced
force with great Legion units and jump infantry in general that instead of being fast & hiding in
cover like their 40k incarnation, either have Furious charge or appear from where you didn't
expect them to. So basically fast and hiding in cover.

Their bias for lightning-fast attacks and aerial deployment allows them to set up powerful
Decapitation strikes, tying up enemy units only to suddenly appear behind the enemy lines and
kill that pesky HQ. Which in fact is the exact purpose of their Dark Fury squads. This strategy
relies on them going first, but thankfully their RoW helps them with this.

They are maybe the best IC killers, but if you're looking for mechanized/attrition warfare or troop
slot shenanigans, look someplace else. Such as Shattered Legions or Sworn Brothers. Well you
could make an attrition based RG army without allies, but than you have an HQ heavy army that
allows your opponent a chance to score more victory points.

XX Legion: Alpha Legion[edit]

[Expand]Ultramarine legion pre-heresy shoulderpad.png

??? The only thing you can say for certain about Alpha legion tactics is that they're an infantry-
heavy army with more CC attacks than you'd expect, though mechanized-infantry and Deep
Striking lists are quite viable, and potentially devastating when pulled off. As for what is that
infantry going to do, you can't make predictions. Either moving fast, popping your tanks or
CREEEEEEDing Land Raiders, they can have playstyles so different you'd think you're facing an
entirely different legion. And with Alpharius and their RoWs affecting reserves and outright
stealing enemy units, it might be.

However, with Mutable Tactics being their only trait, they play like normal Legion marines with a
few buffs here or there, their sole non-RoW actual advantage being flexibility - if you only want
Mutable Tactics to get an all-infiltrating army, you'd do better playing the Raven Guard. As such,
the use of DTs is very recommended, so you can pull an Alpharius on that silly player who
thought he could list-tailor against THE Unbroken Chain. At the same time, however, that just
sums about it up. You have highly flexible tactics, but strategically you have to be aggressive and
fast-moving. Almost all of your tactics allow you to move faster or give you deployment options
you wouldn't have otherwise, and those that don't give you greater ability against one thing in
particular. You still have to have a solid, core plan, and stick to it, but it is the fringe elements of
the army that are flexible and more readily arranged to assist a solid core. And, especially with
the Alpha Legion, short-range saturation is king. You can start up close, but your advantage is in
shooting rather than melee, so infiltrate, do whatever you have to to go first, and then dakka the
enemy off the board in the order that you have decided they need to go.

Firm believers that the strong are strongest alone, they treat almost everyone as Distrusted Allies,
have no Sworn Brothers, and their signature operators are lone wolves. Jacks-of-all-trades, but
master of none, they're difficult to play as, and kinda need their awesome unique characters to
shine (good thing you are Alpharius), but their ability to mess with the enemy's reserves or
Ballistic Skill and pull some serious bait-and-switch by choosing their Mutable Tactic (and
Strategic trait with Skorr) means that, if you use them well, your enemy will be playing YOUR
game. Hydra Dominatus!

Age of Darkness Theme: Shattered Legions[edit]

[Expand]

If you can't decide on which Legion to go for (or Coils of the Hydra isn't cutting it for you
anymore), you are allowed to mix it up and create a theme army made up of a variety of different
Legions, representing the survivors of the cataclysmic battles of their times. Thus grants you
some access to each of their special rules and units.

Before you jump in head first and try to uncover game breaking combinations, be aware that the
new "Age of Darkness themes are optional rules which require the consent of both players to use.
Now we've cleared that out, let's get on to uncover game breaking combinations, shall we?

Age of Darkness Theme: Army of Dark Compliance[edit]

[Expand]

Another themed army, built from a blending of Legiones Astartes and units from the Imperial
Militia and Warp Cults list. However, it is quite distinct from the "Sacrificial Offering" Rite of
War in that it does not use up your allies slot, allowing you to take allies from a third source. But
it does prevent you from using a rite of War, so you cannot layer on extra special rules.

However you are still privy to the insane customisation options presented in the Warp Cults list,
and you are not prevented from taking any option from your Legion list either.

Blackshields[edit]

[Expand]

Separately from the Shattered Legions, which is a mixed force from various sources, there is the
option to take a force from no Legion at all, allowing you to create something of your very own
design.

Blackshields is a catch-all term for those Astartes who have uncertain or obscured allegiances and
they can fight for either the Traitors, the Loyalists, or for nobody but themselves, it really depends
on your back story for them. They represent Space Marines who have gone rogue or who have
rejected their original Legion and obscured their heraldry, but there is no requirement to actually
paint them with black pauldrons unless that is what you want to go for.

Allies[edit]

Agents[edit]

Agents are models useable by any HH army.

Expeditionary Navigator: For those people who bought the model at an open day, Forgeworld
released the rules for these guys for free on their website. For those that don't have the model, you
can make/proxy your own (the Imperial Guard Astropath works well). He is one of the first
Agents on the allies matrix represented in Betrayal, though he can just be taken as an HQ slot.
Essentially has the statline of a Conscript Guardsman, but comes with an Archaeotech pistol and
the Aetherlabe staff, which allows his unit to fire snap-shots at a Deep striking unit arriving
within 12" of him, or at full BS if it arrived by a Conjuration psychic power. He also causes Fear,
which can be funny in crusade lists due to ATSKNF not existing. Finally, he also has Navigator
powers, which are like 6th Ed psychic powers but don't use Warp Charges and can only use one
per turn on a successful Ld test, failure pins himself and his unit.

Lidless Stare: THE SHIT - shoot the flamer template, any infantry hit by it must pass an Initiative
test or suffer Instant Death. Which means most Space Marines touched are dead 33.3% of the
time, Mechanicum infantry 50% of the time or better. Completely useless against bikes, jetbikes,
and monsters, so YMMV.

Warp Prescience: Enemies shooting at the Navigator (or his unit) suffers -1BS.

Aetheric Disruption: All psykers on the table (friend or foe) roll THREE dice when determining
what happens with Perils of the Warp and discard the lowest for the purposes of the result. Given
this was written with 6th Ed in mind, it's not entirely clear whether that means any associated Ld
test to mitigate Perils OR taking the two highest results of the Perils and applying BOTH, which
means psykers are fucked, since that almost guarantees two wounds, unless that psyker rolls a 6
and turns into an unstoppable machine of death; it would be totally better if he discarded the
highest die.

Agents of the Emperor[edit]

These are agents only usable by Loyalist players.

Knights-Errant: A.K.A. Build your very own special snowflake™. Straight off the bat a Knight
has a 2+/4++, a power weapon which can be switch for a lightning claw or a power fist, a bolt
pistol which can be switched for plasma pistol or a volkite serpenta and a paragon bolter, all
master-crafted. He can take some other versatile wargear like a narthecium, or a servo-arm, or a
nuncio-vox although not more than one. BUT WAIT, since a single one in your army can ALSO
become a Librarian. Add in the option to swap his super-bolter for a sniper-rifle or a combi-
weapon and you have a damn versatile support element. Want a psychic techmarine with a jump
pack and a sniper rifle? Here, go nuts.

He has a few other cool rules too: like being able to Deep Strike without scatter, and cause his
opponents to snap fire at him during the following turn, or count as disordered when charging
him.

However, the wording here is tricky. Your opponent may try to join him to a deepstriking squad,
like assault marines, and claim they arrive without scatter, etc. Even RAW cannot help here; there
is no mention of joined squads in "By Falsehood Cloaked" SR, so discuss this with your opponent
before the game begins. Common opinion is that only Knight-Errants can deploy via it, or must
take a jumppack to join squads with Deep Strike and give them no benefits from this rule, but
YMMV.

One very VERY important rule is his Oath of Moment, which means he has to pick a particular
objective in order to be fielded; some of the easier ones, like ending the game in the enemy
deployment zone, or ensuring an allied character survives, grant his army an extra victory point if
he obtains it. Other, more difficult ones include personally slaying the enemy warlord in a
challenge or making sure an enemy Primarch is killed (which he does not have to do personally),
which nets his side three extra points. However, failing to complete his chosen objective means
the side that took him cannot win at all, and can only settle for a draw.

Nathaniel Garro: The first of the Knights-Errant, can be taken as a non-compulsory HQ slot in
any Loyalist army but can never be the Warlord. He's got a lot of rules, but nothing which makes
him particularly OP. He's got Artificer Armour, Eternal Warrior and the Oath of Moment &
Falsehood Cloaked that all Knights-Errant get, while his Aquila Imperator provides him with a 4+
+ that increases to 3++ in a challenge. The intent was obviously to kit him out for challenges,
since his Libertas counts challenge wounds inflicted as double for the purposes of combat
resolution, but it's still only a Two-Handed, AP3 weapon, despite having Rending and +1
Strength; coupled with having only WS5, which is curiously negated by having Preferred Enemy
(Traitors) means he might struggle going toe-to-toe with some of the bigger named characters or a
dangerously equipped Praetor. But you'll get the sense that he'll be able to stick it out long enough
that he might just come out on top. He can even do the Loken thing and get up from death once
per game, though his is more reliable since it happens on a Ld check, rather than a flat dice roll.
However Garro is NOT Fearless, so he can get swept up and removed by a badly failed combat,
which will negate even his ability to get back up, since it is removed rather than losing his last
wound.

Tylos Rubio The first recruit of Garro, got kicked out of the Ultramarines for using psychic
powers, has the AA, Iron Halo, Paragon bolter and MC bolt pistol common to all Knights-Errant
and the Force weapon that all all libys get (a sword in his case). He's mastery level 2 and can cast
from divination and telekinesis... which is to say divination, since Echos of Fate allows him to re-
roll divination tests and any un-used warp charges can automatically become +1 strength each.
Aside from those two special rules, he's just a mastery level 2 KE for 35 points less than a normal
one.
Endryd Haar: It would be too easy to put him the the World Eaters section, but he's so much more
than that. He's an Agent of the Throne and former War Hound who can be taken in any Loyalist
marine army, but he is NOT one of the Knight Errant and does not follow their rules. He can be
the Warlord if it's a World Eaters or Blackshield (no type specified) army. And his Warlord Trait is
pretty cool in that it gives three infantry units in Power Armour without a DT the ability to Scout
and ignore pinning. He's a Master of the Legion for the World Eaters, which applies even if he's
not the Warlord or in a World Eaters army. But that's not as great as it sounds because the rites
refer to specific versions of the Legiones Astartes rule, and Blackshields can't use rites. Nor is he
allowed to benefit from the Legion trait of whichever force he's attached to. So he doesn't bring
much to a different Legion force other than the "one per 1000 point" restriction, meaning you
probably miss out on the ability to use your Legion specific rites. He does have a unique Legion
trait of his own which partially mirrors the WE trait. He gets Furious Charge when he destroys an
enemy in close combat, gets +1 WS in a challenge and adds +1 to combat res if he wins the
challenge. Plus his Fist is Master-Crafted, he never rolls on WE bloodlust, any unit he joins
rerolls to-wound against Traitors in turn one of assault and has Toughness Five like the Nemean
Reaver does. He also has an Archaeotech Pistol to shoot down at least one traitor. He's good if
you want to attempt something unique with your army and in most regards he's superior to a
generic praetor, especially if you only wanted a generic rite.

Captain Obvious: With the Dedicated Transport restriction on Haar's Warlord Trait, you will most
likely use it to give Scout to Assault Marines, Jump Pack Destroyers, Tactical Support or Heavy
Weapon Squads but not Command Squads because they have Artificer Armour or Skyhunters
because these ones are jetbikes. No point in using it on units that already have the Scout rule.

Mechanicum Detachment[edit]

Yes, not only do the Primarchs have rules, but now the Mechanicum can finally take to the field
with an official list, plus Titans. That said, you can take a Cortex Controller (available to
Forgelords, Iron Hands and Iron Warriors), which will let you take any squad of unaugmented
Thallax or Castellax in your Heavy support. Yeah, you could totally take a Paragon of Metal
Castellax. Of course, you'd miss out on Krioae, Myrmidons and all that other fun stuff, so go see
Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Mechanicum:_Taghmata_(30k).

Imperial Militia and Cults[edit]

Your cannon fodder, though most things compared to a Space Marine looks like cannon fodder.
These guys are who you want to make a fluffy ally that complements your Space Marines. This is
mainly done through Provenances of War. Allowing cyborg soldiers with better weapons, durable
gene enhanced soldiers or to create the closest thing you'll ever get to a mutant army like
Renegades and Heretics. You can even make a Squat BLAM!.

Solar Auxilia[edit]
The 30K version of Stormtroopers, these guys not only hold the line pretty damn well, but can
complement your armored list with their sweet(er) tanks and artillery, while doing things even
you can't like deep striking Tarantula turrets and bringing Aegis lines and Vindicator equivalents
that use no FOC. So go read http:Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Solar Auxilia (30k) and see what
you can use from them.

Knights[edit]

Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Questoris Knight Crusade (30k)

Custodes[edit]

The Emperor's Guard take to the field. Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Talons of the Emperor (30k)

Building Your Army[edit]

Hoo Boy. This is literally the most expensive army to collect in all of 40k (or should we call it
30k?) Yessir. Almost every model is Forge World, so you'd have to be a drug dealer to afford to
make even a moderately sized army.

However there are guides out there on how to convert plastic Space Marines into Pre-Heresy
marines, so if you're serious about making a pre-heresy army, that is where you should start. Note
you need a LOT of bodies to make a pre-heresy army, so plan accordingly.

Alternatively if you're playing Raven Guard or Alpha Legion, go to eBay and buy a shitton of
Beakie Helmets and just make a Legion list with the MK VI (aka Beakie) armour and save
yourself some pennies, while using Forge World for Primarchs, unique units and/or tanks.

THE PLASTIC HERESY IS HERE!!!! With the release of the Betrayal at Calth boxed game from
Games Workshop you get 30 MkIV power armoured marines, 5 Cataphractii Terminators, a
terminator armour equipped centurion/praetor, chaplain and a Contemptor Dreadnought. The best
part? Everything has a plethora of options and it's all to the quality of a standard GW kit. Just one
of these boxes and you will have a very good starting point for a 30k era army. There is also
Burning of Prospero coming soon which has Tarteos Terminators, 30 Mk3 Marines, Sisters of
silence and Adeptus Custodes.
At any rate, here are a few examples and tutorials to look over:

Converting MKIV Maximus helmets, MKIV Maximus legs

Converting MKV Heresy helmets, MKV Heresy legs

To make your life easier, just press-mold the leg cables out of greenstuff, using either guitar wire
or plasma gun/pistol coils to make the mold.

Pre-Heresy style bonding studs/rivets

A complete guide to converting all marks of Heresy-era armour, including MKI Thunder Armor

Luna Wolves IV, featuring many examples of crusade-era armor

Deimos-pattern Predators, including dome turrets and round sponsons

A Sicaran converted from a Land Raider

A collection of Pre-Heresy tutorials by FromTheWarp, including Cataphractii armor, Jetbikes and

Nuncio Voxes

Read this whole website, it's a goldmine.

The other option, if you are okay ethically with it is to seek out Forge World recasters on Ebay (or
other dubious sites) to build your 30k army. If you are ethically challenged enough, you can score
a high percentage of the model line at a fraction of full Forge World prices. Doing so is pretty
simple. Do a keyword search in the 40k Ebay category for the item you are looking for and find
sellers of short duration "buy it now" auctions based in China. But buy them quickly when you
see them, and feel free saving the seller to your favourites as even though recasters tend to change
accounts every few days to keep ahead of their being deleted by Ebay they usually come back to
the account eventually.

One would think that it might be kind of risky to buy from these guys, but this is not the case.
Most of these sellers are far more interested in ripping off GW/FW than they are ripping off their
customers. (I even had one give me a refund on an incorrect order!) Many also offer free shipping
as well! The only real down sides is the shipping time from China to the civilized world might
take a while, and you have to ask yourself if you are OK with feeding IP thieves that no doubt use
children as slave labour. But then again Forgeworld's books are printed in China and 4channer
kiddies are renown for being amoral, self-centered, criminal douche bags so fuck them.

Army Tactics[edit]

The first and most important thing to remember about a legion is this: Everything is expensive as
fuck and not worth their points.

To elaborate, using the basic list your two mandatory troops will cost you 250 points at the
minimum. Most armies can get away with spending around 100 points allowing them to spend
more on cool shit and usually even those two squads will be able to take wargear that makes them
adaptable to just about any situation. Your two tac squads are good at one thing, and that is
gunning down infantry, and they're not even good at that for their points. A Master of Signal is
considered one of the best HQs you can get for a gunline and he costs 95 points for +1 BS to one
unit (up until his bombardment). Synergy (and legion rules) are the keys to victory in a legion list
combining those two tacticool squads with BS 5 or infiltrate or Crusader and +1 I on the charge
or even effective Toughness 5 FOR FREE. Your army needs a plan and to combine your special
rules and if you don't have that, your units will become horribly inefficient. Some good
combinations include large tactical blobs with attached apothecaries, sergeants with artificer
armor and power axe/meltabomb or powerfist (consider that many people bring AP2 weapons at
the cost of initiative so artificer might turn out to be waste in a challange), Master of Signal plus a
heavy weapons squad with missile launchers, autocannons, or volkite culverins for heavy,
accurate fire support (season your squads with ammunition dumps to taste), or Terminators with
an attached Primus Medicae in a Spartan as the hammer unit in an assault list. Forge Lord consul
is one of the most versatile HQs as he can be anything from a pretty strong combat character to
ranged fire support to a cheap HQ tax that you park in a spartan/storm eagle to keep it alive. You
need to think beyond simple combos like that though, your entire army needs to interlock (the
bottom of this page shows a good example). Combinations like these makes a legion list far, far
greater than the sum of it's parts.

There are are also particular synergies with certain Legions which combined with rites of war, can
be utterly devastating (Raven Guard Terminators, jump infantry and bikers gain Furious Charge!).
Look for synergy with your Legion and play to your strengths. Don't think you are restricted to
the 'stereotypical' army for a legion, however. The Iron Warriors weren't exactly known for their
jetbike companies, but surprising combos can pop up if you think outside the box (in this case,
jetbikes flying around pinning shit with shrapnel bolts for your assault dudes to mop up).

Legion forces might have a kit of cool stuff but most of the units are far more restrictive in what
they can do and what you can take. Your units are highly specialized: tactical squads with bolters
only, heavy support squads squad with heavy weapons only, tactical support squads with special
weapons only. Each model in the heavy or special weapons squad has to take the SAME gun. In
many ways the Legions list is like a Craftworld Space Marine army, just manlier on a much larger
scale (and manlier), and like the Eldar you need a good mix of units to be effective.

Some of these standard units that gain from Legion rules/buffs are Heavy Support Squads with
Heavy Flamers (especially if they are Death Guard or Salamanders). These can be brutally
effective, the Salamanders can drop-pod in and really bring the hurt. Imperial Fists & Iron Hands
can buff standard squads, but the Death Guard in certain builds can give squads in a detachment
access to RAD Grenades, which can really surprise Characters when you suddenly drop their
toughness by one, which make charging that 20man Tactical blob with your Praetor, suddenly a
riskier enterprise.

Also, your units lack And They Shall Know No Fear, making Morale issues VERY important.
Instead they have a rule that lets them regroup regardless of casualties (nice, but not NEARLY as
good), plus additional rules depending on your legion. Be wary of assault dudes getting close to
your guys in the backline, as a failed leadership roll means they will run off the table, so you don't
even get a chance to re-group negating even this bonus. Conversely, try and get your assault
dudes in the offending army's backline, as a failed leadership roll means they will run off the
table, so they don't get a chance to regroup, learn your weaknesses and make the enemy bleed for
them.

Because of this lack of ATSKNF Leadership matters more, but don't overspend on HQ's either.
With 3 HQ slots it's entirely possible to, and it can be a big mistake. You can pile a lot of wargear
on a Praetor, but unless you're Salamanders you can't give him EW (unless your opponent gave
you permission to use relics in which case SoH and IF can join the fun) - and there is a LOT of
S8+ shooting and melee in the HH. There will be games where he is turned into a fine, red mist
floating over ruined and melted chunks of armor before he ever does anything useful. Do not
spend 250 points trying to make him into a combat monster, because it will not work. One
unlucky invul save and he is gone. Bring him for the right reasons and don't spend too much (the
baseline being an Iron Halo, Paragon Blade and maybe some digital lasers). He's the only way to
get AP2 at initiative without special, legion or character specific wargear. Likewise, consuls are
great for their force multiplication, but spend too much on them/take too many and there isn't
enough of a force left for them to multiply.

There are some boxes that need ticking in a list, Anti-Air, Anti-Horde and Anti-Deathstar. Since
most armies will pick a theme and stick with it (a combined-arms being very expensive and
unless you know exactly what you're doing, prone to having your genius plan shot out from under
you (as the famous saying goes: One of something is a target, Two is a tactic and Three is a
strategy)) you need to be able to handle just about anything, entire armies of planes, or land
raiders, or terminators. Good AA includes bringing planes of your own (even one Xiphon causes
your opponent's strike wing to crash into the ground, with no survivors) or Mortis-dreads. Entire
armies of land raider might skimp out on Armoured Ceramite considering it might cost 60-100
points to give it to every vehicle in the army, so don't discount meltas immediately, grav-guns and
laser destroyers are also good options. The classic anti-Terminator is, and will always be, plasma
as well as basically any AP2 weapon or just drowning them in tons of bolter rounds.
Armour is plentiful, and relatively cheap. Fielding squadrons of 3 Predators is impressive and
combined with certain Legion's Rites of War (Iron Hands and Iron Warriors have some good
Armour related rules) can make them dangerous (Outflanking Squadron of Predators!
CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!). But the ultimate is the Sicaran, for 135pts you get a Beast of a
medium tank, that will spank any other Medium or light vehicle, even flyers on a good roll, and is
very effective against troops with massed S7 shots. The rapid tracking helps against flyers,
although it's not primarily an Anti-Unit, you can get lucky with the sheer amount of shots. fact
you can field 3 of these (without sponsons or upgrades) for 405pts, which when combined with
Primarch rules, Rites of war, or other characters like Castrman Orth, makes these vehicles
awesome. There are other Tanks which are utter beasts, the Typhon (Vindicator on steroids) or the
Cerberus (Spartan with Big ass Lasers!). Iron Warriors Rite of War,"The Hammer of Olympia"
gives all your tanks extra Armour for Free (awwww...Yeah!). If you like Space Marine Vehicles
and to field them en masse, there are some Brutal builds available if you choose wisely.

Synergy Example :

So taking 3 basic Sicarans for 405pts + Ferrus Manus + Rite of War: Head of the Gorgon =

Sicaran's normal statline + all vehicles gain blessed autosimulacra for free (repairs a single HP on
a D6 roll of 6) + IWND (because of AV13) + If put in reserve gains Outflank rule. Oh and Ferrus
can repair them (if he is close enough) on 2+. So take a Spartan as transport (gaining all of the
vehicle stuff above) for Ferrus, chuck in a 200pt Gorgon Termie squad, then consider the
Armoured Breakthrough Rite of War and take some Predators (again, getting all the bonuses
noted above) as your troops. For 2500pts you end up with a Tough Mechanised Army. You can
even swap one of the Sicarans for a Venator for extra Anti-Armour goodness.