TTS The Horus Heresy - Age of Darkness - Rulebook (2022)

“O
f all the conflicts that have beset this Imperium of Mankind, it is the rebellion of the
Warmaster Horus, the Horus Heresy, which has left the greatest scars upon its fabric.
Even now, centuries after its end, when few save ancient and shrivelled creatures such as
myself remember the horror of those dark years, men speak of it with awe. For those were
the last days of legend, when the Emperor and his sons, the mighty Primarchs, strode forth
to war, when the dominion of Mankind spread across the galaxy and none could challenge
our might, the last days of a golden age long since consigned to dust by the actions of one
man. It is the curse of history that few care to remember other than those fragments that
exalt them, to relive those glory days endlessly while the present crumbles about them.”
From the finaltestament of Sulem Rei, historiarch of the Imperial Court,
presented to the High Lords of Terra circa 098.M32
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness Rulebook © Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2022. Warhammer: The Horus
Heresy, Citadel, Forge World, Games Workshop, GW, The Horus Heresy Eye logo, Warhammer, the ‘winged-hammer’ Warhammer
logo, and all associated logos, illustrations, images, names, creatures, races, vehicles, locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive
likenesses thereof, are either or TM, and/or © Games Workshop Limited, variably registered around the world. All Rights Reserved.
®
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or
incidents is purely coincidental. British Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Pictures used for illustrative purposes only.
Product Code:60633099001
ISBN: 978-1-83906-531-6
Games Workshop web site: www.games-workshop.com
Forge World web site: www.forgeworld.co.uk
Contents
AGE OF DARKNESS ......................................................................................................................................6
The Age of the Emperor.......................................................................................................................8
The Imperium of Mankind...............................................................................................................20
The Legiones Astartes .......................................................................................................................28
Armour of the Legiones Astartes..........................................................................................................................................32
The Space Marine Legions ....................................................................................................................................................40
Talons of the Emperor .....................................................................................................................112
The Solar Auxilia...............................................................................................................................118
The Mechanicum ..............................................................................................................................122
An Age of Darkness...........................................................................................................................126
Pivotal Events of the Horus Heresy................................................................................................130
CORE RULES ...............................................................................................................................................146
General Principles.............................................................................................................................150
The Turn ............................................................................................................................................156
Reactions............................................................................................................................................158
The Movement Phase.......................................................................................................................162
The Shooting Phase..........................................................................................................................166
The Assault Phase .............................................................................................................................180
Morale ................................................................................................................................................191
UNIT TYPES ................................................................................................................................................194
Characters..........................................................................................................................................198
Psychic Powers .................................................................................................................................200
Vehicles..............................................................................................................................................202
BATTLEFIELD TERRAIN .........................................................................................................................220
SPECIAL RULES..........................................................................................................................................230
GAMING IN THE AGE OF DARKNESS ................................................................................................254
Age of Darkness Modes of Play .......................................................................................................272
Preparing for Battle ..........................................................................................................................276
Warlord Traits ..................................................................................................................................284
Battles in the Age of Darkness .......................................................................................................298
Deployment Maps............................................................................................................................302
Missions .............................................................................................................................................312
Psychic Disciplines ...........................................................................................................................322
Reference ..........................................................................................................................................326
Index...................................................................................................................................................332
Age of Darkness
The book you hold in your hands is the start of your journey into the tumultuous 31 st Millennium, when the wars of
the Horus Heresy wracked the Imperium of Mankind – a dark age of death, destruction and betrayal.
The vast armies of the Imperium are sundered by the betrayal of the Warmaster Horus, who seeks to overthrow the
Emperor and forge his own dark empire. Under the banner of Imperial Loyalists or the Traitors of Horus, the Space Marine
Legions, Mechanicum Taghmata and endless hosts of the Imperial Army clash in a war that will reshape the galaxy.
T
he Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness game is part of
a vast and evergrowing hobby, where the drama of
Mankind’s galaxy-spanning civil war provides endless
opportunities for collecting, building, painting and gaming
with armies of Forge World and Citadel models. From
careful recreation of the detailed panoply and heraldry
of the Legiones Astartes, to the organisation of exciting
battles and campaigns for groups of like-minded friends or
the creation of dioramas displaying iconic moments,
the hobby provides a wealth of options.
Collecting Citadel &
Forge World Models
By far the most common way to engage with the Horus Heresy
– Age of Darkness hobby is by collecting Citadel and Forge
World Horus Heresy models, both individual heroes and small
units for display, as well as grand armies for gaming. These
models are bought as highly detailed resin or plastic sets, and
require assembly before they can be used for gaming or display,
and while basic assembly is a simple matter, there are a number
of more advanced techniques and styles which can be applied.
From magnetised weapons for easy replacement to converting
parts to create new poses for figures,there are many ways to
customise your collection and make it unique.
Painting Horus Heresy Armies
Though supplied as unpainted resin or plastic pieces,
most hobbyists will paint their model collections. A wellpainted army, whether a detailed reproduction of an iconic
heraldry or a unique creation, brings a collection to life.
Just as with building your Forge World and Citadel models,
there is a vast wealth of techniques and styles of painting.
This book is divided into three sections, which when
taken together form the three pillars of the hobby:
background, rules and gaming.
The Age of the Emperor: The opening section of the
book sets the scene for the devastating galactic civil
war that future generations will call the Horus Heresy.
It provides an overview of the Imperium as it stood
on the eve of war, along with a galactic map of the
Imperium of Mankind. Each of the main factions that
fought in the Horus Heresy are detailed, along with
background information and example colour schemes
and heraldry. Lastly, a comprehensive timeline of the
Age of Darkness is provided, taking in the grand sweep
of events from the very earliest betrayals right up until
the moment the Traitor hosts lay siege to the home
world of Mankind – Terra.
The Rules: This section of the book provides all you
need to know to play a game of The Horus Heresy –
Age of Darkness, detailing everything from the turn
sequence to special rules. Also covered later in the book
(for easier reference during a game) are Warlord Traits,
Missions and handy reference charts.
Gaming in the Age of Darkness: The final section
of the book takes a look at the broader sweep of the
hobby, talking about the different ways in which the
game can be played, how armies may be collected
and what types of battlefield might be appropriate
for games set during the Horus Heresy. The Army
Showcases present a range of collections, from starting
armies to those consisting of hundreds of miniatures
and dozens of tanks.
The Legend of the Horus Heresy
As well as collecting and painting models, the Horus
Heresy can also be enjoyed through the interwoven saga
that is told in other campaign books as well as the various
novels published by Black Library. With an epic narrative
that sets the foundation of the Warhammer 40,000
universe and the dark Imperium of later millennia, the
Horus Heresy and the battles and campaigns that make
it up have entertained hobbyists for years. There is
much enjoyment to be found in tracing the entangled
threads of the various heroes and armies who fought to
save or damn the Imperium, and a great deal of secrets
and surprises to be discovered. These books are also an
excellent source of inspiration for modellers and painters,
providing a wealth of material on which to base heraldry,
iconography and unique characters.
The rulebook is only the start however, with an entire
range of expansions available…
Army Lists: The only things not found in the rulebook are
the army lists from which players select the units for their
armies and which present the profiles,wargear and special
rules for those units all in one place. Had we tried to
squeeze these into this book it would have been more than
twice the current size, so they are to be found in the range
of ‘Liber’ books available separately. These books present
army lists for both Loyalist and Traitor Space Marine
Legions, the myriad forces of the Mechanicum, the Solar
Auxilia, the Custodes and many more besides.
Campaign Books: Although Horus Heresy – Age of
Darkness games can be played in a range of styles,
from one-off competitive tournaments to pre-planned,
interlinked battles, what binds all these styles together
is an incredibly rich, deep and compelling background
story, which begins with the fall of Warmaster Horus and
ultimately ends with the Siege of Terra and the terrible
events that occurred at its conclusion. Therefore, the
game is accompanied by a range of campaign books,
each detailing one of the many confrontations that took
place during the period, alongside special characters,
units, scenarios and campaign options. Many of these
confrontations will be well known to veteran players,
others however will be entirely new, revealing in detail
events previously mentioned in obscure references or short
entries on an Age of Darkness timeline.
These and other supplements, expansions and boxed
sets will provide players with a wealth of options, no
matter what faction or style of play they prefer.
The Age of the Emperor
Old Earth
Three hundred centuries ago, Mankind first left the
polluted, used-up carcass of Old Earth for the unknown
bounties and perils beyond the skies of our birth world. In
those forgotten early years, it is unknown what enemies
and trials humanity overcame in our uncaring universe to
not only survive, but thrive and forge a domain amongst
the stars. Colonies spread across our galaxy so that
humanity was scattered across a million worlds and found
treasures and horrors uncounted. Mankind’s mastery
ascended to an almost unimaginable zenith, and at its
heart lay a resurgent Earth. The promised wonders of our
species’ earliest ambitions were made manifest, and our
application and control of the sciences was unparalleled.
Humanity reached its pinnacle, raised up by the miracles
of technology which it wrought, re-shaping uncounted
worlds in the vision of distant Old Earth. The legends
which remain of that lost realm of ancient human empires
speak of a galaxy of plenty, filled with opportunity,
culture, technological progress and wonder.
The Dark Age of Technology
In the heights of those times, lost to all but supposition
and myth, humanity made itself as unto gods; able to
harness the power of the stars, and fashion servants
from clay and iron and give them counterfeit-life to do
their bidding. Unfortunately, this era of advancement
was not to last, for Mankind fell prey to its own sciences.
Mankind’s Golden Age failed; wherein the promised
wisdom of science and technology did not elevate
Mankind to the divine, but rather smote it for the
consequences of its reckless excesses and ambitions
untempered by reason. Martian-Terran wars of terrible
destruction ensued, and the beautiful, animate tools
which Mankind had created and so coveted were
corrupted and turned upon all humanity. Horrors were
perpetrated to possess meagre resources all but depleted
from the earlier age of prosperity, and greed and hubris
saw fearsome, ancient weapons unleashed that risked
our species’ very annihilation. Such were the terrors of
this time that death could cross vast distances of space,
coming unexpected and uninvited to consume entire
worlds. This was the Dark Age of Technology, and for
millennia it reigned.
The Age of Strife
Mankind’s first empire would fall into bloody ruin,
isolation and ignorance. The terrible period of history
that followed is officially named the Age of Strife,
although it has another name, whispered only fearfully:
Old Night. During the darkness of Old Night, humanity
experienced naught but nightmare and predation for
over five thousand years. During this time, the worlds of
Mankind were isolated by searing warp storms that made
interstellar travel virtually impossible, and Ancient Terra
was totally cut off from its colonies and allies. Across
the galaxy human worlds, bereft of central authority or
protection, and with the web of support and supply that
had maintained the threads of civilisation cut, fell into
anarchy and war. Human civilisation was torn apart as
local factions and new empires fought for control in the
shattered realm while others, utterly cut off from aid,
succumbed to the horrors of planet-wide famine, insanity
and worse – the perils of the Warp.
The existence of warp creatures and the dangers they
posed to the human mind were then barely understood.
On worlds with large concentrations of emergent
psykers, the entities from beyond were able to breach the
barrier between the Immaterium and corporeal reality,
and it cannot be known or guessed how many worlds
were ravaged or swallowed whole by their incursions.
As human civilisation fragmented, hundreds of xenos
races and enemies unknown seized their chance for
revenge on humanity for its past conquests, or to plunder
unprotected worlds and enslave their populations.
Hundreds more human-inhabited star systems were
sacked and ravaged, their peoples slaughtered, mutilated
or abducted. Those that survived the alien onslaught
rapidly reverted to barbarism, stripped of civilisation,
knowledge and culture in the raw battle to endure.
Humanity stood on the brink of total extinction and
endless night gathered round its children. Alone and beset
by internal strife, famine and plague, under incessant
attack by aliens and facing the horrors of warp incursions,
the human worlds that survived were pitiable shadows of
what they once had been. It was to become an age when
Mankind’s dead far outnumbered its living.
Shorn of its galactic empire, Ancient Terra could not
sustain itself. Protracted internecine wars emptied Old
Earth’s terrible arsenals of radiological weaponry, killing
untold billions, destroying its ancient power structures
and boiling off the last of its oceans. In their aftermath,
the planet became a lawless battleground, little more
than a blasted desert dotted with ruins, its people
reduced to the level of brute savages fighting over the
scarce water and untainted land which remained. Old
Earth expired entirely, all of its ancient knowledge lost
and its cities torn down, and where it once stood, instead
reigned a world of savagery and horror, the equal of any
brought to ruin in the Age of Strife.
Long before left parlous and polluted, generations of war
made Terra a wasteland punctuated by fortified holdfasts
built amid the wreckage of lost civilisations, and its
inhabitants a mass of degenerate, feral nomads. Insane
prophets, cyber-augmented butcher-kings, vivisectorwarlords and religious demagogues led the warring tribes
of Ancient Earth, and the world was wracked by incessant
conflict as one tyrant displaced another. Petty empires
rose and disintegrated; tribes formed, were destroyed
and re-formed as diminishing, brutalised shadows of lost
glories and forgotten triumphs. Uncounted billions died
unknown and unremembered, while whispered names
such as the Unspeakable King and the Seven Neverborn
left legends to terrify generations to come. Anarchy and
bloodshed was lord over all.
For those few with time enough to spare thought to such
matters, it would have seemed as if there were no hope
and no help – the end times were at hand, and a slow
bitter descent into destruction was all that any could
see as humanity’s future. Many succumbed to despair,
believing no force imaginable could save Mankind
and free it from its hellish bondage. But they would be
proved wrong.
The Unification Wars
From out of this seemingly endless cycle of violence and
doom a leader emerged—a warlord more powerful than
any before him. He was the Emperor and his power lay in
his rationality and foresight, and his mastery of science
was as unequalled as his might as a warrior, although
few suspected the true range of his powers and abilities.
The Emperor conquered great swathes of Old Earth,
and those that would not join Him he destroyed, but his
was a conquest not merely born of blood and ambition,
but a higher calling. Where his dominion reigned, the
idols of fear and blind faith were cast down, and order
and rationality were raised up in their place. Under his
rulership, humanity would be restored, intellectually,
spiritually and physically to the heights it had once
known, and the shackles of darkness cast aside.
It was not enough merely to secure military victory,
however; the betterment and restoration of humanity
required more. So it was that even before victory on
Ancient Terra had been achieved, the Emperor and
those learned souls he had gathered to Him started
to experiment with genetics. This was done first and
foremost to stabilise the population and to recreate the
race of Mankind as it was before the radiation storms
and generations of viral and alchemical weapons had
wracked the planet. Secondly, the creation of geneticallyaugmented superhuman fighters that had begun with
the Thunder Warriors continued apace into newer,
more powerful creations, ultimately leading to the
genesis of what would later become known as the Space
Marine Legions.
These were the days of the Unification Wars, in which the
remaining tyrants of Ancient Earth – Kalagann of Ursh,
Narthan Dume and others just as bloody handed – were
at last cast down. The Emperor commanded superior
armies of genetically enhanced warriors, such as his
Thunder Legions, the nascent Legiones Astartes, and the
Legio Custodes (the Emperor’s guardians, who were few
in number but peerless in might). The war continued
without relent until, finally, all of Old Earth’s technobarbarian factions and fractured city-states pledged the
Emperor fealty and, at last, Terra was unified for the first
time in many millennia.
Alongside this ascendancy would come a rebirth of
civilisation and government with the Emperor founding
an all-embracing civil administration to reorder and
rebuild his world, and concentrate such learning and
knowledge that could be salvaged from the dust of ages in
houses of learning and education. The unification of Terra
would only be the start.
The Dawn of Imperium
Understanding that no one mortal, even one such as he,
could rule alone, the Emperor formed his War Council,
comprised of his most able generals and a number of highranking administrators, the most formidable of which
was Malcador, known as the Sigillite. Malcador was not a
warrior but a man of learning with the bearing of a priest.
His origins unknown to all save perhaps the Emperor, to
whom some said he was kin, Malcador was appointed to
run the Emperor’s Palace and Imperial Court, and through
this managed the administration of newly-conquered
Terra as his master’s left hand. Where Terra had been a
place of unending war, it now became a place of unceasing
activity, production and planning.
Just as the conquest of Old Earth was complete, a mighty
and unforeseen cosmic event occurred. A massive shock
wave blasted across the Immaterium, clearing the warp
storms that had plunged the galaxy into tumult and
raged for millennia. It seemed to some divine providence,
fuelling the beliefs of those that considered the Emperor
to be himself divine (no matter how much he decried
this claim). The way to the galaxy was now open and the
Emperor’s armies would now be able to take to the stars,
with the other planets of Terra’s solar system the first step
upon the road. The Great Crusade had begun.
Lords of the Red Planet
For thousands of years, the planet of Mars has been ruled
by the strange and mysterious caste of Tech-Priests known
as the Mechanicum or the ‘Cult Mechanicus’, who formed a
technocratic parliament of feudal overlords. This religious
sect rose to dominance on Mars during the early centuries
of the Age of Strife and, through the Machine Cult, Mars
had evolved a strong culture and ordered civilisation based
around worship of their ‘Machine God’ (or Omnissiah as
it is also known). To the Priesthood of Mars, science and
technology were matters of sacred mysteries and arcane
religion; matters not only of reason and experiment but of
vital ritual and ceremony. The Mechanicum’s sacred duty
was to maintain, venerate and reacquire the techno-arcana
of ages past—a creed that had arisen on a planet which
had been a technological powerhouse in the dark age that
had gone before, and given its rad-scoured barrens, where
technology had offered the only hope of survival.
When the warp storms flared and Mankind began its
dreadful period of isolation, Mars had also suffered the
same fate as the other worlds of humanity. The Red Planet
was sundered from its colonies, the thrall-Navigators that
had been based there no longer able to chart a safe course
through the Warp, and Mars itself was lost amid a solar
system descending into a civil war of collapsing societies,
anarchy and bloodshed. Mars suffered just as Ancient
Earth did and in some measures worse, without sufficient
food or water to sustain its population, famine and war
swiftly followed, worsening as through damage and neglect
planetary radiation shields and macro-industrial plants
failed and poisoned the planet further, murdering what
fragile artificial ecosystem had been sustained over the
millennia. By the time the Mechanicum rose from their
bunkers to wrest control from the scattered cannibal,
rad-mutated creatures and half-insane automata and
false-minds that haunted the benighted surface, they had
evolved from a cult dedicated to survival by the recovery
of technology to a fully-fledged techno-mystic faith.
Under the control of the Mechanicum’s feudal Tech-Priest
overlords order was restored, the rad-shields repaired and
great machine-temples rose up turning out materials and
machinery, synthetic food and oxygen, and Mars was rebuilt
in the image of their inhuman god-construct.
Deus Ex Mechanicus
Long before the Emperor reunited Terra under his standard,
Mars stood as one under the auspices of the Omnissiah.
When it looked out across the solar system and sent ships to
its spheres, it found nothing but chaos, threat and savagery.
The Martian Magi concentrated their attentions on Old
Earth, ancient seat of humanity’s power, and looked on it with
both hunger and fear. They knew that the world harboured
many secrets and that some of the warring barbarians of
Ancient Earth would be able to glean these and use them
for themselves, perhaps one day falling upon Mars in their
savagery. So it was that the Tech-Priests became bitter foes of
the techno-barbarian tribes and shifting cast of murderous
tyrants that held sway over portions of Old Earth. For
centuries, they sought to plunder and steal what technologies
they could, but they were also fixatedwith the fate that had
befallen the wider human galaxy. To this end, they periodically
dispatched great vessels into the Warp in the hope that some
clues would be found and to colonise and restore what ancient
domains of humanity as could be recovered. These were the
firstExplorator fleets of Mars and over the centuries hundreds
of such expeditions went out blindly into the dark stars, prey
to the tumult in the Warp. Some founded new colonies – the
sundered worlds – that were to become the Forge Worlds
in time as they were reunited with their lost kin during the
Imperium’s expansion, but many were simply lost.
When the Emperor unified Terra, the Lords of Mars
scrutinised unfolding events with envious eyes, and some
among them recognised a kindred spirit—the Emperor
was to them a man of science who valued the machine
and technological advancement, while others saw only a
deadly new power to be feared. As word filtered back to
Mars of the Emperor’s superhuman achievements, some
Tech-Priests even began to equate the Emperor with their
own Machine God in fulfilment of ancient prophesies, and
debate raged on Mars as to whether to treat the Emperor as
saviour or enemy. Such facts the Emperor was not ignorant
of, for he too had watched the Red Planet from afar and
made his plans accordingly.
Mindful of the diplomatic opening the Mechanicum’s
beliefs afforded, and the vast strategic difficulties and
destruction to his own forces any (and by no means certain)
attempt to take Mars by force would entail, the Emperor
sought a negotiated alliance with the Mechanicum
Parliament. In return for supplying materiel for his armies
and building a mighty war fleet for his crusade to the stars,
the Emperor promised to protect the Tech-Priests and
respect the sovereignty of their Forge Worlds across the
galaxy, affording them a level of independence unequalled
within the Imperium. Furthermore, the Emperor gave to
the service of the Mechanicum six of the Houses of the
Navigators to replace their long dead thrall-Navigators, so
that their ships might once again travel safely through the
Warp. Given such an incentive Mars assented to an alliance,
although not without some bloody internal strife over the
matter. The alliance was sealed and the Mechanicum’s
ambassador to Terra—the powerful Fabricator General who
spoke for the Martian Parliament—was respectfully given
a seat on the War Council of the Great Crusade. Access to
the giant factories of Mars enabled the Emperor to vastly
increase the power of his Legions with improved wargear
and supply, and in addition the Tech-Priests of Mars lent
their arts to the construction of the massive warp-capable
battleships that could transport the Emperor’s Legions
across the galaxy, and provided the mighty city-crushing
war machines known as Titans to the ever-expanding
Imperial military.
The Great Crusade
Where Terra had once been a realm of unending war, it
now became a place of unceasing activity, production and
planning, for it was the Emperor’s great cause not simply to
bring Terra once more to the light of prosperity and order,
but to liberate the unimaginably vast and scattered worlds of
humanity from the darkness and reunite them into a single
Imperium of Mankind. The Great Crusade was a mammoth
operation on an unconceivable scale and complexity
involving billions of troops and tens of thousands of ships,
and only a mind such as the Emperor’s could have had a hope
of successfully comprehending and executing it. Hundreds of
thousands of human worlds needed to be saved, and as many
more alien or otherwise hazardous worlds ravaged if the socalled ‘Pax Imperialis’ (Imperial Peace), was to be brought into
being across the galaxy.
With Mars now part of the Imperium, the Great Crusade
could begin. The solar system was the first region of space
to be conquered by the Emperor and his newly rearmed
and re-equipped Space Marine Legions. Alien invaders
were flushed from the moons of Saturn and Jupiter, and
their wretched enslaved human inhabitants repatriated
to Terra. The once-human creatures of the Neptunian
Deeps were exterminated without mercy, and the baleful
false-world of Sedna at Sol’s edge-light was boiled away to
vapour under the guns of the newly-forged war fleet. The
next step was to conquer the stars beyond.
In order to manifest this conquest, the Imperium’s
forces were divided up into an expanding and frequently
reconfigured series of Expeditionary fleets – semiautonomous battle groups assigned to voyage the stars, map
the darkness of the void and make war in the Emperor’s
name. They were composed in chief of a bewildering
array of void ships great and small, from battleships and
war cruisers to Mechanicum arks, provender barques and
colossal troop transports, and countless lesser escorts, drop
ships, pathfinders and scouts. The paths of these fleets
were dictated both in general by the Emperor and his War
Council, but also at the will of their commanders who were
entrusted to seek out the enslaved and destroy the alien
under their own cognisance.
Their passages were dictated by many factors: apocryphal
lore left over from Dark Age vaults as to where the great
colonies of old might be found, the prognostications of
the Tech-Priests of Mars and the Savant-scholars of Terra,
and the reports of that rare and infamous breed of Rogue
Traders given license to run before the fleets as birds of illomen before a storm, as well as myth, rumour and legend.
Imperial Might
The expanding Space Marine Legions were the spearhead
of the Imperium’s military might; the killing edge against
which the strength of a foe was broken and which toppled
empires by ripping out their heart. Alongside them was
the Imperial Army: hundreds of regiments of human
troops drawn from Terra and also from conquered
worlds, serving in a support capacity and holding ground
conquered by the Space Marines. Where the Legions were
not available, the elite expeditionary arm of the Imperial
Army – the Solar Auxilia – stood in their stead, weight of
numbers their chief advantage. Just as vital were the war
machines supplied by the Mechanicum and their Forge
Worlds, foremost amongst these were their legions of
battle-automata and the mighty Legios Titanica.
The Great Crusade was a mission to free humanity from
the aliens and warp creatures that had nearly destroyed
it. World after world was reconquered and made part of
the Imperium. This was called achieving ‘Compliance’
with the Imperial Truth, the rational, secular belief of the
Imperium. Such integration was reached with diplomacy
and the promise of a better future and a wider connection
with a galactic human society where possible, and by force
of arms where not. Tyrants were broken, the falsities of
religion and dogma forbidden, and to humankind mercy
was shown where it had not become irrevocably tainted
or changed.
For the alien there was no such mercy, and xenos
oppressors were routed or annihilated in a series of
epic wars, which freed billions of enslaved humans.
In every corner of the void the brute scourge of the
alien was found, and everywhere it was confronted and
routed. Ancient xenos empires were met with death and
destruction. Lesser species were exterminated without
pity or remorse, and those too strange or unnatural to be
bested in conventional warfare were instead contained or
driven into the outer darkness. The Great Crusade did not
shirk from this dire task. Where planets were encountered
that had become infected with warp creatures and
the barriers of reality slashed open, those worlds were
cleansed with powerful virus bombs and vortex missiles
in apocalyptic orbital barrages designed to slay the living
and seal the breach – this act of sanction, known as
‘Exterminatus’, was never undertaken lightly.
During the Great Crusade the Primarchs, the Emperor’s
gene-forged sons that were scattered by an unknown
cataclysm at their birth, were reunited with their
gene-father. These the Emperor set to his cause,
granting each a Legion to command, and using the
planets on which the Primarchs had been raised as their
Legion’s home. These worlds were heavily fortified and
developed, and the Primarchs were given fiefdom over
them. The Legion home worlds, along with a handful
of other strategically vital planets, such as staging posts
and fortress worlds, became lynchpins of the Great
Crusade as it moved further from Terra and direct
central command and coordination became ever more
difficult. Furthermore, the logistical task of supplying
the Great Crusade fleets would have been impossible
without the great re-forging of the Mechanicum, by
which the Martian power brought back into the fold
its sundered Forge Worlds and colonies that were
scattered the breadth of the galaxy during the Age
of Strife. Each of these Forge Worlds created more
voidships and arms, and accelerated the pace of the
Great Crusade until its outer expanse was almost
autonomous of Terra, carrying it to the verges of the
galaxy and beyond.
THE FORGOTTEN AND THE PURGED
The histories of the Imperium recount the titles and ordinal numbers of eighteen Legiones Astartes, each
of which carved its legacy across the galaxy in glory or in infamy. Yet twenty Primarchs were created in the
Emperor’s gene-labs, and twenty Legions were loosed from Terra at the outset of the Great Crusade to reclaim
the lost worlds of humanity. The two so-called ‘Lost Legions’ were all but unknown by the time of the Horus
Heresy, their names and those of their Primarchs erased from history, and, so it said, from the minds of many
who must surely have served at their sides. How the scales of history might have been tipped had either or both
been present to participate in the calamitous events of the Age of Darkness, none can say.
The Lords of the Imperium
The War Council was the ruling body of the Imperium
during the Great Crusade and through it the Emperor’s
law was brought to hundreds of thousands of human
worlds. The Emperor sat at the head of the Council;
at his left hand was Malcador and with them were
the greatest of his Unification Wars generals and
accomplished administrators from the ruling dynasties
of Terra and the Sol System. When the Emperor made
his alliance with Mars, the Fabricator General of the
Mechanicum was also granted a seat. Supporting
the Council was a clade of Astropaths who provided
communication between the members since it became
increasingly impractical for the group to physically
assemble given the size of the growing Imperium and the
inherent difficulties of travel through the Warp.
Conquered worlds were given new governors. Many
were Imperial commanders rewarded for their service
by being given a planet to rule in the Emperor’s name,
while others were the indigenous rulers of worlds
who had bent the knee to the Emperor and had been
rewarded for their wisdom. Imperial governors were
masters of their worlds, but operated within clearly
defined strictures of Imperial Law, and possessed
important responsibilities. First of all, they were to
uphold the Imperial Truth and second to provide tithe
to the wider Imperium by way of supplying troops
and resources as called upon as well as provide shelter
and succour for the Emperor’s armies and fleets.
Importantly, it was their responsibility to cleanse their
population of grievous mutation and, specifically,
psykers. Each was told to expect great black ships to
visit their worlds and carry psykers away to Terra,
and these ships were not to be denied upon pain of
planetary extinction. This great endeavour was called
the Imperial Tithe.
As the Great Crusade progressed, joined to the War
Council, if not granted the elevation of joining it,
were an inevitably widening vortex of admirals and
commanders, generals, sector governors and ministers
of state. Below these were advocates and technocrats
responsible for control of far-flung administrative
systems and world-regimes with chains of supply and
distribution whose scale beggared belief. Each of the
Primarchs was given a seat on the War Council, as was
the Chief of the Legio Custodes Constantin Valdor, but
such men were creatures of war not politics and largely
remained aloof from matters of governance that did not
serve the prosecution of the Great Crusade. As the years
became decades, some of the baseline human council
members died in war, or through simple old age or
infirmity and were replaced only irregularly. So it was
that increasingly beyond the ultimate authority of the
Emperor himself, Malcador the Sigillite, the unnaturally
long-lived and razor-minded Imperial Regent, proved
the only individual capable of managing the minutiae
of this vast Imperium, becoming over time both
overseer of the Imperial Tithe and overall chief of the
Imperial Administration.
At the end of nearly two centuries of war, the Primarchs
were all united with their Legions and millions of human
worlds had been restored to the fold. The alien had been
smashed and driven to the edges of the galactic fringes or
contained within dead voids devoid of human colonisation
to be slowly annihilated at the Emperor’s pleasure. The
power of the Imperium was at its zenith, and the Great
Crusade was reaching its conclusion. There appeared to
be no-one and nothing remaining that could threaten the
fruition of the Emperor’s grand design.
Apotheosis
After a series of glorious victories that marked the
culmination of the Imperium’s expansion, the Emperor
decided it was time for Him to withdraw from the Great
Crusade and return to Terra, to set in motion the next
stage of his great plan to save humanity. He had every
confidence in his sons, the Primarchs, to prosecute the
Great Crusade to its end. The Primarchs and their Legions
had proved themselves time and again, and soon the
galaxy would be utterly cleansed of the alien and other
threats to the worlds of Mankind.
At a great triumph on Ullanor, once the centre of the last
great xenos empire to threaten the Segmentum Solar, the
Emperor bestowed upon the Primarch Horus Lupercal
the title of Warmaster and ceded to him control of all of
the Imperium’s military forces in the Emperor’s stead. The
other Primarchs were then instructed to follow Horus and
obey him and to finish their mission. There was disquiet
amongst the Primarchs; several were dismayed that the
Emperor would no longer be fighting at their side and
some even whispered that they had been set aside like tools
whose usefulness was at an end. However the Emperor was
adamant in his decision. Departing, the Emperor returned
to Terra and his great Palace and began his greatest work
under a veil of secrecy. He drew to him certain advisors
and retired to the private vaults of his city-fortress. Horus,
meanwhile, set about his new duties with relish.
He immediately despatched messengers to the other
Primarchs in order to make plans for the resolution of
the Great Crusade with almost feverish haste, knowing
that while some would welcome his new rank and
authority, others would be at best indifferent and at
worse resentful of them. Horus spoke to each Primarch
in turn, both in private and in public, before an assembly
of the Legions, and Horus the Warmaster promised them
victory – he promised them that he would never fail
in his command and never leave them leaderless while
breath remained in his body.
The Imperium of Mankind
The Imperial Truth
The Imperial Truth was the rational, atheist philosophy
that guided the Emperor’s conquest of Old Earth and the
formation of the Imperium through the Great Crusade.
At its heart, the Imperial Truth held that the universe
was rational, that knowledge defeated fear and brought
freedom from the terrors of Old Night. With this assertion
went the denial of the irrational and the superstitious, as
well as the abandoning of faith in powers and principles
beyond the knowable. In the unified Terra and Imperium
of Mankind, there could be no mysteries of the soul, no
sorcery and no gods. Those who clung to their ignorance
were cast down, their lies silenced. If Mankind was to
survive its rebirth, it could not tolerate the delusions of
the past. With a foundation built upon the tenets of the
Imperial Truth, Mankind achieved greatness, and though
it was not destined to last, humanity was briefly elevated
in glory to become the dominant species of the galaxy.
At the heart of this doctrine of enlightenment was a
great but necessary lie; it concealed that the Warp is alive
with malignant sentience, the very essence of which is
supernatural. Indeed, the unquiet spirits which reside
in the Warp sate themselves upon the souls of mortals.
The Emperor hid this truth from his subjects to protect
them with the shield of ignorance, but in time the secret
truth behind the lie spread and laid the foundations of the
horrors to follow.
The Warp
The Warp, also known as the Immaterium, the Sea of
Souls or, to the un-sane, as the Realm of Chaos, is a
parallel dimension of exotic energy that co-exists with
reality; as both its reflection and an essence which
permeates it invisibly. It is a roiling, howling maelstrom of
force and energy, utterly unpredictable and not subject to
rational laws such as the linear flow of time. It is a shifting
realm subject to massive vortexes that disrupt its fabric
and reverberate across its fathomless deeps. Within it
dwell strange and terrible inhabitants, and to gaze into the
substance of the unfiltered Warp is death.
Long ago, humanity learned of this realm and how to
manipulate it, and found that they could project vessels
through its depths and have them emerge quickly into
realspace across vast distances that even at light speed would
have taken generations to accomplish. Such travel is highly
dangerous, and only relatively short jumps (although still
many light years in span) can be attempted with any margin
of safety in the complex and inconsistent tides of the Warp.
Ships attempting long journeys often end up wildly offcourse, lost permanently within the Immaterium’s complex
weave or simply shredded to flinders. Furthermore, such
vessels may suffer bizarre time shifts, aging their passengers
to dust or arriving years after – or even years before – they
had originally planned. Warp storms and other disturbances
can also block navigation completely, cutting worlds and
sometimes entire regions of space off for days, weeks or
centuries. During the Age of Strife, massive warp storms
shook the entire Immaterium, preventing any long range
inter-stellar navigation for millennia.
The Psyker Paradox
Psykers are sentient beings who can harness or manipulate
the Warp. The Emperor is the first and greatest of all human
psykers, but there are psychically able people in every
human culture and on every world throughout the galaxy,
and to every generation yet more psykers are born. Many
of these people possess only minor, apparently harmless,
talents and a scant few preternatural power that sets them
apart, but regardless of its measure all psychic abilities come
at a price. Some psykers are driven mad by precognitive
dreams and visions. Others find their talents uncontrollable
and wreak terrible damage on themselves and the people
around them, and at worse become living conduits to
the Warp and its nightmarish denizens – and by doing
so perhaps doom an entire world. Because of this, many
psykers are treated as witches and executed or banished into
exile, and the Imperium organises the Tithe of the Black
Ships to round them up and control their danger. Stringent
testing upon the Black Ships ensures dangerous psykers
can be dealt with permanently, while those more stable
are apportioned to various Imperial organisations under a
‘Sanction’ of strength. The rarest and most powerful find
themselves in the employ of secret Imperial organisations
whose shroud of mystery still holds fast.
The paradox of the psyker was that while a pressing
danger to humanity, their presence was utterly vital to the
pursuit of the Great Crusade. On a practical level, this was
embodied by the Emperor and, most widely and vitally, by
the bloodlines of the Navigators who facilitate long-range
warp travel, and the Astropaths that make interstellar
communication possible.
The Astronomican
The majority of psykers are sent to the Emperor’s Palace to
undergo the ‘Soul Binding’ ritual that renders them into
Astropaths. These are specially-trained and controlled psykers
who are capable of communicating with others of their kind,
through the Warp, over vast inter-stellar distances. They
enable inhabited worlds, many light years apart in physical
terms, to act as one realm, and bind the fledgling Imperium
to Terra and its worlds to each other as one domain. Due to
the nature of the Warp, their messages must be transferred
in the form of allegory or metaphorical dreams, and the
Astropaths and their handlers are responsible for the difficult
task of deciphering such communiqués.
At the centre of the Great Crusade was the creation of
the Astronomican on Terra. This was a grand choir of
Astropaths that made the Imperium possible, for it acted as
a psychic navigational beacon – a fixed point in the Warp –
that could guide the Imperium’s warp-bound vessels safely
through the raging depths of the Sea of Souls.
Navigators
The Navigators are an ancient mutated (or perhaps
designed) psyker-strain of humankind whose very
existence facilitates warp travel. Clannish and insular,
they have lived amongst humans since before the Age
of Strife and during those nightmarish times dwindled
almost to extinction. Their Houses gathered to join the
Emperor after his conquest of Terra.
However, some bodies of the Imperium suspected the
project to be a fount of dangerous ‘sorcery’, and it was
feared any misuse of such power could bring calamity
down upon the fledgling Imperium; fears that were
supported by the dire histories of Old Night. Over
long decades, such suspicions grew until, in the final
days of the Great Crusade, the Emperor held court on
Nikaea. There he chose to rule against the continued
use of psychic powers within the Legiones Astartes, and
pronounced the immediate disbandment of the Librarius
across all of the Legions without exception, promising
to visit total destruction upon those who dared defy his
decision. For the Librarians, particularly amongst the
Thousand Sons Legion, this was an intolerable betrayal;
being forced to suppress their psychic senses was akin to
having a limb hacked from their bodies.
The Great Work
When the Emperor withdrew from the Great Crusade at
its height, he returned to Terra to pursue his Great Work
for the salvation of Mankind. Some feared he sought
godhood or plotted some other unknowable fate for
Mankind. They even feared he had abandoned the species
when he interred himself in the Imperial Dungeons.
Though none know for sure what this work entailed, nor
if it was ever completed, the barest facts of his plans speak
of a weakening of the power of the Warp, and the eventual
removal of humanity’s reliance upon it.
The Regent of Terra
Psykers of all kinds use the Warp to empower their gifts,
but only Navigators are uniquely adapted to gaze into its
depths. Navigators are genetically empowered to see into
the Warp directly without risking instant insanity or death,
and hence can guide a vessel as it attempts to plot a course
in that otherworldly dimension. A human ship without a
Navigator cannot hope to travel far without quickly being
lost in the maelstrom and destroyed. Even so, a Navigator’s
natural ability only enables them to chart relatively short
journeys through the Warp with any degree of certainty,
particularly where the Immaterium is in tumult. However,
the Navigators’ range was greatly expanded due to the
Astronomican – its light cuts through the Warp’s insane
modulations and frequencies, allowing them to use it when
plotting journeys to more accurately traverse the void than
would ever have been conceivable before.
The Edict of Nikaea
Strong psykers uncovered in youth were taken by the
Space Marine Legions to be trained in an attempt to
create Space Marine battle psykers – warriors who would
wield terrifying power in the name of all humanity. Many
Legions supported the so called ‘Librarius Project’, in
particular the XVth Legion, the Thousand Sons, whose
gene-seed granted almost all of its warriors and its
Primarch a significant degree of psychic ability.
Malcador the Sigillite was an unfathomably ancient being,
said to have been with the Emperor since the earliest
days or even to be his kin. As Regent of Terra, Malcador
was the overseer of the minutiae of Imperial governance,
a role which only grew as the Emperor secluded himself
in his Great Work and the Great Crusade expanded the
Imperium. It is said that while the Emperor looked to the
future of Mankind, Malcador safeguarded its present and
its past. In doing so he founded many of the Imperium’s
institutions, and created several organisations, both public
and secret, to aid in the effort of preserving Mankind’s
cultures and histories as well as pruning from that grand
heritage any aspect deemed unsavoury for remembrance.
Amongst the many bodies controlled by the Regent were
the Remembrancers, Iterators, Assassins, Elucidators and
the Administratum.
Remembrancers &Iterators
The Remembrancers were a class of
itinerant artists and chroniclers that
accompanied the forces of the Great
Crusade under license and edict.
Following the Expeditionary fleets, they
recorded what they saw in words, picts,
paintings, sculpture, music and any
number of other modes of expression
in order to immortalise the actions
and forces of the Great Crusade. The
order died with the onset of the Horus
Heresy, and its works were deemed too
dangerous to endure and have since
been destroyed, although much is said to
remain under a seal of utmost secrecy.
The Iterator Order also accompanied the
Great Crusade. The task of the Iterators
was to promulgate the message of the
Imperial Truth on every Compliant
world ascending to the Imperium, as
well as to reinforce the secularity and
rationality of its tenets on Imperial
worlds and within the Great Crusade’s
fleets. They were recruited from the
most erudite, sharp-witted and silvertongued teachers of Terra, men and
women trained to have such a firm belief
in the Imperial Truth and keen grasp
of rhetoric, debate and diplomacy that
when making their orations, they could
smother any arguments contrary of
their specific dogma. Dozens of peaceful
Compliances were achieved thanks in no
small part to the work of the Iterators,
though cynics might suggest that it was
the threat of the bolters of the Legiones
Astartes standing at the Iterators’ sides
which cowed worlds into Compliance,
rather than philosophy, eloquence
and logic.
Elucidatum
The Administratum
The Order Elucidatum, colloquially known as the
‘Tallymen’ or Malcador’s secret police, acted in two
functions; openly as contributors to the bureaucracy of
the Great Crusade and covertly as iconoclasts, censors
and murderers. In their open capacity, the Elucidators
travelled freely among the Expeditionary fleets of the
Great Crusade, operating as supporting data scribes to the
offices of Iterators, future planetary governors and census
takers as a function of the Administratum. This work of
the Elucidators was vital, though it was undertaken with
an ulterior motive, to gather information for their secret
task: the assassination of demagogues, the destruction
of proscribed texts and the suppression of any persons
with knowledge of or contact with the manifestations
of the Warp. The mandate possessed by the Elucidators
was underwritten with the seal of the Sigillite, allowing
the Tallymen, who were themselves expert and highlyspecialised warriors, to independently take immediate
possession of almost any military command they required
to complete their mission. The Order earned a dark
reputation for the uncompromising ruthlessness with
which they enforced their will, and the atrocities they
perpetrated in accomplishing their aims.
The Administratum is the core bureaucracy that holds
together the Imperium. It was the unimaginably vast
organisation which acted upon the decrees of the Council
of Terra, managing aspects of government as diverse
as levying taxes, raising fleets, allocating the division of
agricultural resources, and collecting census data across a
million worlds. Uncounted billions of minor politicians,
scribes, clerks and administrators were in the employ
of the Administratum; their toil greasing the unceasing
wheel of Imperium.
The Council of Terra
Upon his retreat to Terra, the Emperor called to his side
Malcador and the Imperial Court and issued them with
new commands. No longer were they to support the
military campaigns; these were now safely in the hands
of the new Warmaster. Unlike the far-flung members of
the War Council, of which Horus was leader, the Council
of Terra would attend to the matters of state and the
establishment and maintenance of Imperial Law across
the myriad worlds of the Imperium. Where once only
conquest and liberation had been the order of the day,
the Council of Terra dealt with the consolidation and
organisation of the Imperium as their priority. Malcador,
the Emperor’s most trusted advisor, was named as First
Lord of the Council and would lead it in the Emperor’s
absence, and with him Chief Custodian Constantin Valdor
and the leaders of the Astropathic and Administrative
divisions of the Imperium were appointed to the Council.
For some of the Primarchs, this seemed a sign that the
Emperor was willing to turn his back on his greatest
warriors, who had fought and bled tirelessly in his service,
and give power to petty mortal administrators and
sycophantic adepts of Mars in their stead – administrators
who could impede the progress of the Great Crusade with
their bureaucracy.
Excertus Imperialis
The Excertus Imperialis was the vast organisation of the
Imperium’s mortal military, comprising billions of second
line and support troops, functionaries, labourers, void
crew, logisticians, almoners, adepts and staff officers, and
the countless quantities of weapons, equipment, war
machines, void conveyances and warships they needed.
While there were a few million Space Marines, the untold
billions of the Excertus made the Great Crusade a reality.
Within this vast body of men and women under arms
were many divisions, each created to serve a singular
purpose, and each a vital cog in the vast Imperial war
machine. These included the highly specialised void
troops of the Solar Auxilia regiments, the well-armed and
thoroughly trained battalions of the Imperial Army or
‘Imperialis Auxilia’ and the innumerable, ad-hoc provincial
militias raised for planetary defence. The Excertus was
ultimately the responsibility of the Officio Militaris
on Terra, but in practice their numberless ranks were
commanded by the principal agents of the Great Crusade
under the War Council – particularly the Primarchs – and
almost every significant body of the Great Crusade host,
from the Navigator Houses to the Planetary Governors,
could call upon the Excertus Imperialis to obey them.
Armada Imperialis
The Great Crusade was the most ambitious military
endeavour ever attempted. It was a campaign fought
on worlds without number, across star systems on
expeditions into interplanetary gulfs and into the entropic
darkness of the intergalactic horizon. Conquest of the
void was only made possible by the Armada Imperialis;
the Imperial fleet. The Armada comprised countless tens
of thousands of warp-capable vessels that transported
the Legiones Astartes and many billions of Imperial Army
soldiers from one star’s light to the next, and then supplied
them and fought battles at their behest in the void. A
staggering array of vessels were constructed, reclaimed or
pressed into service for the fleet. The first vessels to enter
the service of the nascent Imperium were constructed
in the orbital foundries of Terra, and later Mars and
Saturn and a hundred other worlds and, as the Imperium
expanded, so too did its fleets.
Each great Expeditionary fleet which pushed outwards
into the galaxy contained hundreds of thousands of
vessels. The ships of these fleets were myriad. From
singular, recovered wonders of technology, to massproduced void supremacy vessels. From stately Galleass
engines of doom, their armour concentrated to the fore
and their flanks replete with rank upon rank of broadside
batteries, to lithe and deadly cruisers and stripped-bare
warp runners, to watchful piquet frigates and lumbering
star-fortresses. They were also of innumerable ranges of
size, from the smallest Cobra-class destroyer or Heliconclass freighter to the grandest, multi-kilometre long,
Victorem-class battleships and Mechanicum arks.
Chartist Captains
and Rogue Traders
Fleets led by Chartist captains were the principal
independent trade and supply fleets of the Imperium.
Their flotillas of ships were intended to run the gamut of
Imperial systems and provide an exchange of provender,
materiel and other necessary goods on behalf of the Council
of Terra. They were granted warrants of passage by the
Emperor during the early expansion of the Great Crusade,
and often assisted the Expeditionary fleets in whose wake
they travelled by securing supply routes, providing news
and transferring orders from central Imperial authorities
down a chain of messengers to the front lines.
Rogue Traders Militant commanded independent
flotillas that scouted ahead of the leading edge of the
Great Crusade, accompanied by their own armies
which sometimes included Imperial assets. They were
tasked with finding uncharted human worlds or xenos
civilisations for the Expeditionary fleets to deal with in
turn. Operating so far ahead of the Emperor’s crusading
armies, the Rogue Traders Militant could expect little or
no aid should they encounter foes too powerful for them
to overcome, and so over time they fortified, and in the
far darkness made use of esoteric and alien technologies.
Many Rogue Traders were former powerful rulers of
worlds conquered by the Emperor, given the choice to
serve in the outer reaches of the galaxy or die. These rivals
were never allowed to return to the core systems of the
Imperium and many vanished alone and unheralded; slain,
consumed or enslaved by nameless xenos abominations
far from the light of Terra.
The Mechanicum
The Mechanicum of Mars, which was the spiritual
authority over tens of thousands of Forge Worlds across
the galaxy, was the Imperium’s primary manufacturer and
maintainer of arms, munitions, vehicles and warships.
Dedicated to working their machines and forges with
religious ardour, the lion’s share of their output was
committed to the furtherance of the Great Crusade. The
Mechanicum’s leader, Kelbor-Hal the Fabricator General of
Mars, held a seat on both the Council of Terra and the War
Council, commanding vast authority and power. Under
him was a grand synod of Magi, each controlling a Forge
World, macro-forge, Explorator fleet or a splinter of the
Taghmata Omnissiah: the armies of the Machine God.
Amongst the armies of the Mechanicum were the Titan
Legios, which fieldedthe largest and most impressive war
engines in the Imperium; each a mobile weapons platform
able to raze a city to rubble. At the feet of the Titans
came legions of cyborgs, servitor-thralls, Tech-Priests and
programmed automata armed with arcane and esoteric
weaponry. In support of the Magi of the Mechanicum were
the Skitarii hosts; cyber-augmented elite defenders of the
Machine God. Also under the aegis of the Mechanicum,
though not exclusively bound to it, were the Knight
Households; ancient feudal bloodlines of aristocratic pilots
who rode to war within combat exo-suits.
The Primarchs
In preparation for the re-conquest of the galaxy, the
Emperor created twenty Primarchs to be his agents of
change and lords of war, long before he reconquered
Ancient Terra. These unique individuals, wrought of
gene-craft and lore beyond the understanding of any save
the Emperor himself, were his generals and the executors
of his will – great leaders who would conquer uncounted
worlds. Each Primarch had powers and skills beyond
those of any other human – abilities rivalling those of
the Emperor himself, for they were his sons and shared
his brilliance, charisma, intelligence and radiant glory.
Furthermore no two were alike; each embodied a different
facet of the Emperor’s character, and had their own
preference for warfare. Together, united with the Emperor
and with the Legions at their command, they made for
a force unseen and unequalled in the annals of human
history. But the Emperor’s ambitions for the Primarchs
appeared to be thwarted by a cataclysmic event, the true
nature and scope of which has never been revealed. Some
unknown force snatched the still foetal Primarchs from
the Emperor’s care and flung them in scattered disarray
across the galaxy. Each Primarch was cast onto a separate
world where he matured in circumstances good or ill as
fate, or perhaps some other agency, decreed.
As the years passed, each Primarch came into maturity
beyond the Emperor’s guidance; each a superhuman
far beyond the power and ability of those around them.
Some came to dominate their surrogate worlds, becoming
powerful warriors and leaders; others were transformed
by predilection or circumstance into shadowed monsters
of legend. Over the course of the Great Crusade, the
Emperor was reunited with each Primarch in turn and
each was placed in command of one of the Space Marine
Legions, and their authority was second only to the
Emperor himself. At the close of the Great Crusade each
of the eighteen remaining Primarchs was steeped in glory
and was a proven master of strategy, having conquered
vast swathes of space in the Emperor’s name.
The Warmaster
Named Warmaster at the Triumph of Ullanor, Horus was
the Emperor’s most successful, most charismatic and most
respected son. It was the greatest shock to the Imperium
that he would turn his back on the Emperor. However,
the stirrings of discontent were evident even in the years
before his secession. With his actions cloaked in whim and
the long tradition of military patronage and honour, he
laid many seeds that would draw no suspicion under his
lawful authority as Warmaster.
Horus used his power to influence the stockpiling
of munitions, showing preferential treatment to
commanders who favoured him, and established trade
pacts, patronage and treaties with allies in which he placed
the greatest trust. Others, ancient regiments and Knight
Households which he could not rely upon were unmade
upon the anvil of war. The Legions of his rival brothers
whom he envied or feared, he sent to the furthest corners
of the galaxy such that they could not disrupt his power.
Some of this was no doubt the workings of a general
without peer seeking only to further the Great Crusade,
establishing appropriate contingencies and rewarding
those who fought hard in his name, however that so many
such factors would later see him ideally placed to instigate
the greatest treachery the human race has yet known
is beyond coincidence. Horus had perhaps long plotted
ascendancy in the darkest corners of his mind, even if
he never planned to act upon those desires until fateful
events conspired to bring them to terrible fruition.
The Legiones Astartes
The Legiones Astartes
The Creation
of the Space Marines
Conflict involving genetically-modified warriors such as
dread war-wights and ironsides had been a constant for
thousands of years on Ancient Terra as part of the wars
between the techno-barbarian tribes and the tyrant lords
of city states. The Emperor’s own gen-hanced soldiers,
the Thunder Warriors – named for the thunderbolt and
raptor’s head heraldry of their master – proved superior
to them all during the Wars for Unification. The Thunder
Warriors were the first open display of the Emperor’s
strategic and scientific genius. They were unprecedented
in their physical strength and endurance, and had been
gene-programmed to be resistant to both biochemical
and psychic warfare. They were an army unlike any that
came before them but, despite their many victories in the
Unification Wars, they were far from perfect, suffering
from both mental and biological degeneration as their
own superhuman physiques turned against them after an
unpredictable span of years, in what is speculated to have
been a planned and programmed obsolescence.
It seems obvious in retrospect that the Emperor knew early
on that a more permanent and stable force of enhanced
warriors was needed so, even while the Thunder Warriors
waged war in their early days, the Emperor gathered about
Him an order of savants and gene-wrights, and constructed
new genetics laboratories deep in the vast dungeons of
his fortress. Labour there went on for decades in absolute
secrecy to create the Legiones Astartes – the Space Marine
Legions. Into their creation went all the secret history and
lore of the Age of Strife, hard wisdom gained through the
successes and failures of the prototype Thunder Warriors
and the Emperor’s own inimitable genius. The Emperor’s
Legiones Astartes project created an army of toughened
warriors, iron of arm and of will that were unflinchingly loyal
to Him. Quickly the process was refinedand systematised,
and the numbers of these new enhanced warriors, at first
armed and armoured as the Thunder Warriors had been,
grew swiftly and they were organised into twenty regiments.
The regiments expanded rapidly into twenty Legions of
thousands of warriors with the intake of new blood from
the areas of Terra that had already joined cause with the
Emperor. These Legions eclipsed the Thunder Warriors
and soon were armoured in unadorned grey ceramite
battle plate, becoming known as ‘the Angels of Death’, and
each competed with the others to earn honours, glories
and eventually names and heraldry of their own. With
his Legiones Astartes, victory followed victory in quick
succession, becoming a righteous crusade, and the Emperor
became the single ruler of Terra – the firstin uncounted
millennia. Once Old Earth was unified,the Emperor’s
ambitions turned to the stars, and with his Space Marine
Legions he subdued the gene-wrights of Luna, forced the
Mechanicum of Mars to sue for peaceful Unity and brought
the Saturnyne Ordos and Jovian Shipyards under his banner.
With Sol unified,the Space Marines confirmedtheir destiny
as the principal fightingforce by which the Emperor would
liberate the galaxy from the depredations of the alien and the
malignancy of superstition and oppression.
Primogenitors
Before the Legiones Astartes project, the Emperor
engineered many wonders in his secret labs on Terra.
Foremost of these were the Primarchs, of which there were
twenty, each uniquely crafted by the Emperor’s own hand
and, rumour has it, concocted from his own genetic stock;
they were imbued with his majesty and only made possible
through his prodigious and artful mastery of otherwise
long lost science. Although it remained a secret at the time,
the division of the Space Marines into twenty Legions was
more than mere coincidence, for each Legion contained
variant ‘gene-seed’ encoding drawn from a different
primogenitor Primarch. This gene-seed often manifested in
subtle ways, not least of all in influencing the psychological
character of the remade and enhanced warrior to align with
their primogenitor. That there is a sure link between the
Primarchs and their Legions suggests that their existence
was crucial in the invention of the Space Marines.
For reasons unknown, the Primarchs were scattered
across the galaxy in their infancy, and it was the Emperor
and his Legions who recovered them in the course of
conquering long lost human worlds during the Great
Crusade. Indeed, so strong was this bond that as the
Primarchs were encountered, their Space Marine ‘sons’
were compelled to obey their every word. They were the
natural and obvious leaders of the Legions with whom
they had so much in common; becoming a warlord-master
to shape and lead that Legion to greater glories. Whether
it was the Emperor’s plan that they would be his godlike
generals from the start or whether they were merely a byproduct of the experiments that resulted in the creation of
the Space Marines, will forever remain unknown.
The discovery of the Primarchs may even have saved the
Legions, for over many years of campaigning and due to
attrition, losses, and overuse, the gene-seed inherent to
the Space Marines had become unstable, and it was ever
more difficult to create warriors on the scale required by
the Great Crusade. Yet with the use of the Primarchs’ own
genetic code, the gene-seed could be stabilised and stocks
expanded to create Space Marines faster than ever before.
In many cases, the Primarchs’ adopted worlds also became
the new base of operations or ‘home world’ for their
Legion – the Primarchs recruiting from its peoples into
the ranks of their Legion. However, as dark speculation
would have it, these accelerated gene-seed techniques,
along with inadequate psycho-indoctrination may have
led to later, unexpected flaws in some Legions, which
paved the way for the horror that was to come.
The Legions
A Space Marine Legion is a frontline force of shock infantry
comprising tens of thousands of super-warriors armed and
equipped with the finest wargear the Imperium can supply. Each
member of the Legiones Astartes carries the martial worth of
many times their number in terms of regular troops; each and
every one is a killing engine – tireless, faster, stronger, braver, more
disciplined, and clearer-sighted. Together in disciplined order, the
power of the individual Space Marine is amplified to incredible
levels and a force of hundreds can quell a city in hours. Thousands
together can conquer worlds in days, and tens of thousands and
even hundreds of thousands wielded at once have been able to
doom entire species and reduce civilisations to mere dust and
memory in a span no greater than the single course of Terra’s orbit
around its sun.
Much of the organisation of the early Legions owed greatly to
the ancient and proven Terran patterns of strategy, hierarchy
and function as laid down in the revered texts of the Principia
Belicosa of Roma, and the Emperor’s own genius, which added
an adaptable strategic framework that spoke to the fundamental
strengths and superhuman abilities of the Legionaries themselves.
The chain of command was simple and direct, and the Legions’
officers,themselves mighty warriors, would lead them into battle
personally as had long been the wont of the techno-barbarian
tribes of Ancient Earth, and the battle would be taken always to
their enemy because to defeat an enemy was never enough for the
Legiones Astartes, only the utter destruction of a foe was victory.
Of these twenty Legions, each steadily expanding in numbers
over time, eighteen would survive to grow into vast forces – as to
those that did not; nothing can be said in this record. Each Legion
had grown to be a powerful military force in its own right, with
its own supporting fleet to carry it between the stars and many
times its number in servants, supporters and auxiliaries who lived
and died at the behest of its commanders and Primarch. These
fleets and armies were split into dozens of battlegroups operating
independently to prosecute the victories of the Great Crusade.
Taken together, the eighteen Legions represented an unmatched
apex of force unequalled in the galaxy.
Over the two centuries of the Great Crusade, the Terran Legions
would evolve in innumerable ways – influenced by the worlds
they recruited from and by customs and hierarchies which
developed and flourished within them. With the finding of the
Primarchs, who stamped their own personality and will unto
their Legions, entire paradigms of culture, tradition and even
ideology were overwritten. The Legions’ regimens of training
and indoctrination each became hugely divergent and many
Legions abandoned the strictures, doctrines and terminology
of the Principia Belicosa to reform into fighting bodies adapted
to a favoured style of warfare. By the end of the Great Crusade,
the Legions each had their own distinct character. These unique
divisions from the once-united body of the Legiones Astartes
would birth rivalries and, over time, feuds which would be
exploited with the advent of the Horus Heresy.
The Process of
Initiation
A Space Marine is transformed
from mere human frailty
by a threefold process of
genetic manipulation, surgical
augmentation and psychoconditioning that ideally
takes place over several
years during the individual’s
adolescence. That the process
is conducted while the body
is undergoing maturation
presents the highest chance
of survivability and the
lowest chance of tissue
rejection, and although partial
enhancement of adult subjects
is possible, it is extremely
dangerous. The process by
which Space Marines are
created relies inherently on
the hormonal and biological
make-up of the human male,
meaning that only males
can be subjected to the
transformation. In practice,
only a small percentage of
potential candidates will for
one reason or another be
regarded as suitable because
of genetic, environmental or
psychological factors, and
even amongst these many do
not survive the process.
The resultant Space Marine
is in many ways no longer
functionally human, but is
massively advantaged in terms
of physical strength, durability
and reflexes over even the most
physically-adept, unaugmented
human warrior. Their bodies
are also phenomenally efficient
biological engines, resistant
to disease, contamination,
radiation and poison. In
addition, they are all but
impervious to the natural
consequences of aging and cell
decay, other than by extreme
physical trauma or incremental
toxin and contaminate damage.
Armour of the Legiones
Astartes
An Assayance of the Issue and
Utilisation of Space Marine
Power Armour
The Space Marines of the Legiones Astartes are an aweinspiring spectacle for any mortal to behold, a fact that
brought about the bloodless Compliance of numerous
worlds throughout the Great Crusade. Legiones Astartes
vehicles are slab-sided and brutal of aspect, and the
weapons a Legionary bears are of equal scale to their
overlarge physiques. But most distinctive and fearsome
of all are the many marks of power armour in which the
Legions are clad, serving as much to cow the foe as to
protect the wearer from harm.
The early Legiones Astartes were oft named the ‘Grey
Legions’, for they went to war in imposing armour of
cold grey, unadorned save for the Emperor’s thunder
strike symbol of Unity and an ordinal numeral denoting
the bearer’s Legion. Over time, Legions gained their own
marks of distinction, and names – Emperor-given in some
cases – came to replace numbers, with many companies
seeking to single themselves out from their brothers.
Battle honours were accumulated and the effect of each
Legion’s character worked upon them, so that as the
Legions expanded to conquer the galaxy, storm-cloud grey
became granite, silver, viridian, iron, sable, gold, ocean, ash
or ice, and by the time of the Triumph at Ullanor, the grey
Legions of Unity were gone, lost to history.
As various as the colours taken by the Space Marines were
the suits of armour they wore. During the Unification
Wars, the armour the first Space Marines wore was not
new, but the same partially-powered and enclosed plate
armour that had evolved on Old Earth and was worn by
the Emperor’s Thunder Warrior Regiments. This Mark
I ‘Thunder Armour’, was largely newly forged, but the
Emperor’s warsmiths also cannibalised many suits from
the armouries and corpses of conquered foes. However,
Thunder Armour had faded from use amongst the
Legiones Astartes before even the Great Crusade was
underway. As the Unification Wars slipped the bonds
of Old Earth and engulfed the entire Sol System, Mark I
power armour proved itself unsuited to the nature of the
mission for which the Space Marines had been created.
Indeed, the rigours of combat upon the airless satellites
of the Sol System called for a suit of fully-enclosed battle
plate equipped with its own air supply, made fast against
extremes of temperature and vacuum, and hardened
against the effects of radiation. As such, Mark I armour
was largely relegated to ceremonial use, and only worn
in battle during rare times of desperation. Mark II power
armour was better suited to fulfil the needs of the Space
Marines of the Great Crusade, and became the standard
for all of the Legions as the Imperium ventured from
the light of Sol. However, the formulation of Space
Marine armour quickly became a race of technological
and functional improvement, and from the functional
template of Mark II, many more variants of power armour
were developed.
Logistics and Supply
It is notable that, throughout the years of the Horus
Heresy, the numerous classes of weapons and wargear
utilised by both sides remained remarkably consistent,
with each Legion having some access to every mark of
armour from Mark II through Mark VI to some degree.
Indeed, the spread of Standard Template Construct
system (STC) information and production imprints only
appears to have hastened during the Horus Heresy; with
the steady dissemination of knowledge between the
Forge Worlds being accelerated during the course of the
so-called Networked War, in which design schema was
forcibly stolen from hundreds of both Traitor and Loyalist
forge-fanes and shared rapidly between forges of the same
allegiance for strategic advantage.
Furthermore, the vagaries and grand scale of logistics
played a vital part in the utilisation of the various marks of
power armour throughout the Legions. During the Great
Crusade, staging worlds would carry city-sized stockpiles of
millions of suits of armour and countless munitions for the
Space Marine Legions. Upon returning at completion of a
campaign, or simply when at last they paused long enough
for supply ships to catch them up, the Legions would be
resupplied en masse from these worlds. Thousands of suits
of armour would be issued at once in this manner, entire
battalions setting aside their worn and damaged suits and
taking up whichever marks were available for immediate
supply. However, with the onset of the Horus Heresy, most
of these staging posts would declare for either Horus or
the Emperor and were raided or destroyed by the opposing
side. Supply lines became increasingly fraught as the Age
of Darkness continued, with each and every cache of fresh
armour being bitterly contested.
The Ubiquitous Boltgun
Even as the armouries of the Legiones Astartes were issued with new marks of power armour throughout the
Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, so too were they swelled with numerous other marks and patterns of equally
essential equipment. Most notable of all such advances are those applied to the standard firearm of the Space
Marines – the ubiquitous boltgun. Broadly speaking, each mark of Legiones Astartes power armour was issued
around the same time as a corresponding new pattern of the bolter and, in many cases, especially during a mass,
post-campaign Legion-wide re-supply, they were issued at exactly the same time. Thus it was common to witness
Space Marines clad in Marks II or III power armour bearing the distinctive ‘Phobos’ pattern bolter, while later on,
it was common for those issued with Mark IV ‘Maximus’ suits to be issued the ‘Tigris’ pattern bolter alongside it.
By the time Marks V and VI were in widespread use, the ‘Umbra’ pattern bolter was being manufactured in vast
quantities, and this would serve as the iconic pattern of Legiones Astartes bolter for many years to come.
Despite these broad alignments of development and supply, however, there existed no formal regulations
prescribing that certain marks of armour be combined with certain marks of bolter, or indeed any other item of
wargear. Indeed, after unification with Mars, attempts were made to replace the bolter with more advanced volkite
weaponry, and while many companies adopted this change, volkite weaponry was too complicated to manufacture
en masse – limiting its supply – and too difficult to maintain in the field for the Legions to accept it wholesale.
Rather, the Horus Heresy was a time of chaos and anarchy where brother fought brother with whatever weapons
were, literally, to hand.
Phobos pattern boltgun with MkV-VI chainblade combat
attachment. In service from late Unification Wars.
Tigris pattern boltgun. Late Great Crusade era mass
issue. Predominant in Traitor Legions at outbreak of
civil war due to concurrent supply with MkIV ‘Maximus’
pattern power armour.
Tigris pattern boltgun (Seeker issue). Features multispectrum targeter, auto-sense-integration node and special
issue ammunition selector (Kraken, Scorpius and Tempest).
Umbra pattern boltgun. Limited field tests underway at
outbreak of civil war. Mass manufacture and issue by
time of Siege of Terra.
Issued alongside MkVI ‘Corvus’ pattern power armour.
Mark
II
Crusade Armour
M
ark II was the epitome of Space Marine power armour, a void-sealed and radiation
shielded suit of battle plate able to withstand an unprecedented degree of punishment.
It was able to function effectively for days, if not weeks without resupply, and housed an
advanced sensory and communications array. However, the true strength
of power armour is the interface of connections it shares with the
Black Carapace implanted beneath the skin of a Space Marine,
allowing the armour to synchronise with their reflexes.
So successful was Crusade armour that all
subsequent forms of power armour would build
upon the template of advantages it established.
At the height of the Great Crusade, Mark II
was predominant, many millions of suits
being manufactured on Mars and elsewhere
for service in the Legions. For the greater
part of the two centuries for which the
Great Crusade waged, Mark II plate was
synonymous with the Legiones Astartes,
the Imperium and the Imperial Truth.
Even though the mortal multitudes of the
Imperial Army outnumbered the transhuman
Space Marines a thousand times over, it was
the grim visage of the Mark II helm that was at
once the sum of all fears and all hopes to the
scattered tribes of humanity, dependent on
whether they chose to oppose or to welcome
the coming of the Expeditionary fleets.
By the closing decades of the Great Crusade,
Mark IV power armour had supplanted Mark II in many
Legions, but several factors converged to keep it in service
long beyond the point when the new mark might have
rendered it obsolete. One is a simple matter of logistics
writ large upon the galactic scale, with Legions
which had pressed the furthest into the outer
darkness forced to draw upon existing reserves
of Mark II simply because newer patterns had
yet to reach them in great quantities. Certain
Legions retained Mark II for its reliability and
for its history of service, unwilling to trust
to the newer patterns. Yet another reason
reveals the great web of the Warmaster’s
treachery. In allocating new resources
and technologies Horus supplied first
and foremost those Legions which
he favoured – securing in his dark
MkII pattern power armour was produced by the million during the two centuries of
genius stockpiles of arms and armour
the Great Crusade, and with supplies of newer MkIV siphoned off to those Legions
in preparation for a protracted war
the Warmaster anticipated joining him in rebellion, many Loyalist Legions continued
in which lines of supply would be
using MkII throughout the civil war for want of significant stocks of newer marks.
bitterly contested.
Mark
III
Iron Armour
I
ron Armour is a specialised, up-armoured variant of
Mark II plate. In general, wherever Mark II was in
heavy use, large stocks of Mark III would invariably
be found as well, yet even in those Legions which
displayed a predilection for later marks, Iron Armour
found use in the role for which it was primarily
conceived – that of heavy, frontal assault.
Mark III was deployed primarily
for ship-to-ship boarding assaults
and conflicts which took place
in other ‘Zones Mortalis’ such as
underground fortress bunkers,
the bowels of hive cities or tunnel
arcologies. The heavy armour
plating affixed to the front facing
of Mark III armour was ideal
for such cramped confines
where manoeuvrability and
speed mattered less than
sheer durability.
There were many Legions which
displayed a marked preference
for this pattern over the others,
even after newer marks had
become available. In particular,
the Imperial Fists and Death
Guard were known to favour
Mark III armour, finding it
especially suited to the grinding
and relentless war zones of siege
operations, boarding actions, and
hostile environments in which they
were markedly proficient. Other Legions
too, such as the Space Wolves and
Dark Angels, are known to have made
particular use of Mark III, perhaps
because its bellicose nature matched
their own, as much as any specific
tactical or strategic necessity.
MkIII pattern power armour was particularly favoured by the Imperial Fists,
a Legion famed for its employment of Breacher Squads. The pattern was also
used extensively by the Iron Warriors, Dark Angels and Space Wolves.
Mark
IV
Maximus Armour
I
ntended to be the exemplar of power armour, Maximus
Armour provided greater agility to its wearer without
sacrificing the durability of Mark II power armour. Mark IV
was in mass production at the time the Horus Heresy broke
out, and so had been issued to every single Legion.
With the benefit of hindsight, however, it is
evident that the bulk of Maximus Armour
stocks had been diverted to those
Legions the Warmaster anticipated
would follow him into treachery, the
better, it is assumed, to equip them
for the rigours of the war he planned
to unleash. Of note the Warmaster’s
own Legion, the Sons of Horus,
made use of great quantities of
Mark IV armour, along with the
World Eaters, Night Lords and
Thousand Sons who might
have been ostracised from
official supply chains but for
Horus’ granted boon.
At the outset of the Horus
Heresy, Maximus Armour was
perhaps the most common
pattern in use, though this was
short-lived, as even the huge
stocks of Mark IV issued to
the Traitors in preparation for
the war could not withstand
the sheer destruction wrought
through the long years of the
Great Heresy. In time, other marks
would come to replace it, particularly
as many of its advanced components
were incompatible with those of older
marks, and as such could not be
recycled as part of battlefield repairs
or combined into new suits.
MkIV pattern power armour was especially prevalent in the ranks of the Sons of Horus,
who as the Legion of the Warmaster himself were granted priority access when it was
first issued. Other Legions that made extensive use of the pattern include the Emperor’s
Children, the Night Lords and the Ultramarines.
Mark
V
Heresy Armour
T
he designation ‘Mark V’ was a retrospective one intended
to describe a broad class of ad hoc, ersatz and fieldmodified power armour that saw ever greater use as
the Horus Heresy progressed due to the difficulty
many Space Marine companies had in obtaining
replacement suits for those irreparably
damaged in battle. Many such suits were
scavenged as parts from battlefield
casualties or taken as the spoils of
war. As well as this improvised
pattern, records show there
was a ‘Production Mark V’
that the Legions were able to
manufacture in their own
forges, or else otherwise
obtain, falling back on
common designs for parts
that had specific crosscompatibilities, particularly
based on prototype armour
types that were circulating
amongst the Legions for testing.
In essence, the most common
and recognisable form of Mark
V power armour was a stabilised
hybrid of elements of Marks IV
and VI which could be locally
manufactured or obtained from extant
stocks, and which could be maintained even
in the face of the extreme lack of supply.
Every Legion made use of Heresy
Armour in the heat of the Age of
Darkness. Reliance on Mark V power
armour was most prevalent in those
detachments and Legions far
removed from their home worlds
or isolated from resupply, such as
the Iron Hands and Salamanders
amongst the Shattered Legions
in the wake of the Isstvan
massacres, and amongst
those who were most rapidly
inducting new Space Marines
into their ranks.
Every Legion made use of MkV pattern power armour at some point, in particular those
that operated far from conventional lines of resupply, such as the Alpha Legion. In the years
following the Isstvan Atrocity, the Raven Guard, Salamanders and Iron Hands were forced
to rely on it extensively for want of resources.
Mark
VI
Corvus Armour
C
orvus Armour, which entered service just before the outbreak
of the Horus Heresy, was equipped with advanced autosensory technology and a more efficient power distribution
system than Mark IV. Prototype forms of Mark VI
armour were in circulation amongst many Legions
during the Great Crusade with varying success;
the Iron Warriors famously rejecting the
pattern in favour of heavier armour. Many
of the first suits which were evacuated
from the Martian Schism were issued
to the Raven Guard, who favoured
them for their lightweight and stealthy
profile. The Alpha Legion, too, is
believed to have obtained an early
schema for the production of Mark VI
armour and used it widely from the
onset of the Horus Heresy.
By the later stages of the Age of
Darkness, Mark VI was in wide use
throughout almost every Legion, for
both sides were able to call upon Forge
Worlds in possession of the imprints
to manufacture it. By the time of
the Siege of Terra, Mark VI was
fast becoming the most numerous
pattern in service, seeing significant
use among the Imperial Fists and
Blood Angels Legions as they prepared
for the defence of Terra, and on the Traitor
side, it was worn en-masse by the Emperor’s
Children during the Siege of Terra.
In the closing days of the Siege of Terra, the
Loyalists would introduce yet another mark
of power armour: Mark VII ‘Aquila Armour’.
This variant had its roots in developmental
work undertaken in the last few years of
the Horus Heresy, and was little more
than experimental, even when it entered
limited service. In the Great Scouring
that followed, it would be Marks VI
and VII which would enter mass
distribution amongst the Loyalists,
but such grim tales are the preserve
of another volume.
Upon their return to Terra the White Scars were resupplied with Mark VI Armour
having relied for many years on MkII and III, and the rapidly-inducted ‘Inductii’
units utilised in the closing stages were used by all Legions as new suits were
manufactured across the galaxy.
The Space Marine Legions
Ist Legiones Astartes
Dark Angels
S
tark and uncompromising, the Dark Angels were the first of the Emperor’s Legions and the truest to the mould
from which the Legiones Astartes had been struck. They were killers of the purest and most refined kind, for
whom there could be no other destiny but a lifetime of war and death in the name of the Imperium and Mankind.
They did not build empires, made no attempt to master the ways of peace or the subtle skills of the artist, craftsman
or diplomat. They offered no excuses for their nature and made no compromises in the pursuit of their assigned duty,
shirking neither the price they paid in blood nor that paid in infamy and solitude. Their greatest battles are to be found
in no catalogue of Compliance or roll of honour, no scholars or poets sing of these glories or remember those fallen in
their prosecution, for they fought against foes so monstrous that it was deemed necessary that all mention of them be
erased from history. Such was the nature of their service, not only to be prosecutors of the Great Crusade, but also to
serve as the Imperium’s most potent bulwark against the unknown terrors that lurked in the dark between the stars.
Primogenitor: Lion El’Jonson
Cognomen: (Prior) The Angels of Death,
(archaic) The Uncrowned Princes
Noteworthy Domains: Caliban, Gramarye,
Terran Enclaves
Allegiance: Fedelitas Constantus
Observed Strategic Tendencies: None; within the
Legion there was at least one Host or Order dedicated
to each discipline of war.
The Emperor’s First Sons
The heraldry of the Dark Angels proclaims their lineage
as the first of the Emperor’s Legiones Astartes, but other
than that simple fact little is known of the origins of the
Legion and its initial gene-stock. What is known with
some certainty is that of all the many breeds of these
post-human warriors, the Dark Angels were conceived
by the Emperor as a template for those that would
follow, distilled from the gene-code of the most stable
of all his Primarchs and without any attempt to foster
specific traits or curb the eccentricities of the stock
from which they sprang. The diversity of their origins
brought a wealth of disparate martial traditions into the
fledgling Legion.
During the early years of the Great Crusade they were
among the largest and most heavily armed of all of
the Legiones Astartes. They fielded more warriors
under arms, maintained a larger fleet and had access
to weaponry more powerful than any of their brother
Legions at that time. They learned and specialised in
all forms of war, and their knowledge was passed on
to the other Legions. They won countless victories
for humanity in this formative age, the most notable
perhaps being the Rangdan Campaigns, wherein more
than 80,000 of the Legiones Astartes and uncounted
millions of the Imperial Army gave their lives to hold
back the hordes of the xenos Rangda and their cohorts,
preserving the fledgling Imperium from destruction. It
was during this time that the Legion was to be reunited
with its Primarch – Lion El’Jonson.
The Hexagrammaton
The Dark Angels maintained a secretive and esoteric
schema of heraldry and rank, each warrior being a
member of an Order – an organisation of warriors which
transcended Legion structure – and a Wing, as well as,
in some cases, several other internal circles or councils
outside of the traditional Legion hierarchy. In the days
before the coming of the Lion, the ranks of the First
Legion were organised into six ‘Hosts’ known as the
Hexagrammaton, each with its own combat specialities
and tactical doctrines, developed by veterans of the
Legion over long campaigns. Later, after reuniting
with their Primarch, these Hosts would be refined
and reorganised to become the six ‘Wings’ of the Dark
Angels. The Wings were structures which sat outside
of Legion rank, created such that warriors of many
disciplines were available to respond to the need for
their expertise in any war zone.
The Stormwing incorporated the
majority of the Dark Angels line
infantry, training battalions and mobile
ordnance batteries within its ranks. The
members of this Wing were drilled in
the disciplined and stalwart arts of close
order warfare and set-piece battles, unshakable in defence
and resolute in attack. Its veteran warriors were the core
of the Legion’s infantry companies, capable of executing
complex manoeuvres and formations under the heaviest
enemy fire. When the Legion took to the field of battle en
masse, the veterans of the Stormwing stood in the front
ranks, serving to steel the resolve of their brethren and to
oversee the execution of orders in the chaos of battle.
The Deathwing excelled in special
operations alongside other units of the
Legion, especially as a counterpart to
the more numerous Stormwing, with
a multitude of sub-disciplines within
its ranks. Most renowned among
its specialists were those dedicated to the role of line
breakers, elite veteran infantry who served to shatter the
enemy’s formations and create openings for other units
or Wings, and the Lifeguard cadre deployed to protect
officers during battle. These Lifeguards were especially
prominent, with few high-ranking officers in the Legion
lacking a small force of Deathwing veterans sworn to
give their lives to ensure their safety.
Stormwing Armourial
MkIII pauldron
Deathwing honour mark
MkIII pauldron
Legion Standard
Banner of the ‘Hosts of the First’
Pelagor Marner
Lance-Decurion Eloi-7 Despoiler Squad, 52 nd Chapter of the First Host,
Ordination of the Firewing
MkII ‘Crusade’ pattern power armour, ‘Paravane’ sub-type
Legion Standard
Emblem of the Hexagrammaton in
conjunction with winged sword
The Ravenwing were based
around the principles of mobile
attacks, of strike and fade tactics
and skirmish warfare, and excelled
at the use of light skimmers and
aircraft, but also incorporated
significant infantry assets. These were mostly
reconnaissance squadrons, though among those
were infantry units specialised in the use of Drop
Pods and other orbital assault doctrines. When the
Legion gave battle to a foe that sought to evade or
confuse them, or one whose overwhelming power
compelled them to counter it with speed, it was the
warriors of the Ravenwing that took to the fore.
The Dreadwing are perhaps the
most feared of all the branches of
the Hexagrammaton. Garnering
a reputation that far outweighed
the Wing’s influence within
the Legion, the Dreadwing
was composed of those whose role was the utter
annihilation of the enemy, the salting of the earth,
and breaking of worlds. When called out from the
ranks, the initiates of the Dreadwing were experts
in the brutal tactics of massacre, purge, and the
deployment of Exterminatus class weaponry,
though many also specialised in the use of terror as
a weapon.
The Ironwing was dedicated
to the use of overwhelming
firepower on the field of battle,
to confound the foe by means
of barrage and conflagration, to
defy their riposte with inviolate
armour and carry the day by means of force alone.
It was not a subtle Wing, composed as it was of the
majority of the Legion’s armoured vehicles, heavy
Dreadnoughts and field artillery batteries. They
excelled at the breaking of fortresses by superior
firepower and the rapid onslaught of massed war
engines to overrun and annihilate an unprepared foe
in the open field.
The Firewing was the smallest
of the six Wings of the
Hexagrammaton, dedicated to all
the bloody subtleties of warfare.
It was the hidden blade of the
Legion, the knife in the dark and
the blade against the throat of the foes’ commanders.
Within its ranks were to be found an eclectic mix of
stalkers, champions and Moritat killers, all bound by
their shared expertise in the arts of blade and knife,
duellists and assassins without peer.
The Primarch
Lion El’Jonson
Lion El’Jonson was reared upon the dark, forested world of
Caliban, and it was from that planet’s culture that the Dark
Angels draw many of their knightly traditions. Located
to the far galactic north of Terra, close to dark and warptainted regions of space, Caliban was a planet of vast primal
woodlands and savage great beasts, which preyed upon the
feudal peoples of its lands. Before the Emperor was reunited
with his lost son, Lion El’Jonson had risen to command a
great knightly order and had become a master of its military.
A superlative and tempered warrior, the Lion took his place
at the head of the First Legion, bestowing upon them the
name ‘Dark Angels’, and found acceptance with his brother
Primarchs. Despite this honoured place, the Lion remained
apart, for though his strategic skill and talent with a blade
rivalled that of Horus himself, the secretive mien of the
Dark Angels and Jonson’s own taciturn nature often led to
distrust. Nonetheless, the Lion proved his ability many times
over during the Great Crusade, and even when the title of
Warmaster was given to Horus, his devotion to the Emperor
did not falter.
It was during the Great Crusade that another momentous
event would shape the destiny of the Lion and his Legion. In
the midst of the Dulan Campaign, the impetuous nature of
Leman Russ came into direct conflict with the meticulous
tactics of Lion El’Jonson. When the Lion claimed a kill which
Russ considered his own, the two Primarchs came to blows.
The two Legions would become rivals, but also close brothers
in arms; both were relied upon by the Imperium to vanquish
the most terrible of foes, and trusted beyond all others to enact
the grim will of the Emperor when the utter destruction of a
foe’s works and worlds was required.
Primogenitor: Fulgrim
Noteworthy Domains: Chemos (Primary),
Terra (Tertiary rights)
Cognomen: (Prior) None
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Combined Arms
Warfare, the use of Complex Manoeuvre and Discursive
Tactical Planning, Asymmetrical Assault.
The Martial Brotherhood
Terran recruits for the IIIrd Legion were drawn from
the noble houses of Europa, forming an aristocratic
brotherhood bonded by martial pride. The Legion’s
gene-seed was free from flaw, and its warriors were given
to a competitive spirit, eager to prove their individual
superiority. The nascent IIIrd Legion was deployed not
en-masse like its brother Legions, but in smaller cadres
leading Imperial Army regiments, allowing its Legionaries
to prove themselves as natural leaders with a superb
ability to execute the intent and exceed the expectations
of the Emperor in war.
The noble bearing of the IIIrd Legion’s warriors made them
ideal diplomats and emissaries, often afforded the honour
of carrying the Emperor’s standard. None were honoured
more highly by the Master of Mankind; for after a cohort
of the Legion sacrificed themselves to shield Him during
the betrayal at Proxima, they were given the exclusive
right to bear the Emperor’s sigil, the Palatine Aquila, and
he named them his ‘Children’.
Though the Emperor’s Children earned huge renown,
their superlative rise was not to last. Just as the Great
Crusade was beginning, the Legion suffered a tragic
gene-seed crisis. Through treachery and viral blight, its
reserves of gene-seed dwindled beyond replenishment.
Withering to a shadow of the force it once was, attrition
bled the strength of the Legion to almost nothing. With
only two hundred warriors remaining, so few that each
carried the banner of a perished Company, on the very
brink of extinction the Legion was reunited with its
Primarch and saved.
Ordered Perfection
In the IIIrd Legion, every warrior was placed in a function
best suited to their ability. Fulgrim maintained rigid
order amongst the divisions of his Legion and command
hierarchy, which were divided into strict lines of authority,
with thirty Lord Commanders below the Primarch,
of whom the first ten were exalted as ‘Princes of War’,
forming Fulgrim’s inner circle. Each Lord Commander led
a chapter (named a ‘Millennial’) and authority descended
through an elaborate and multi-tiered command
structure from company praetors down, with each Space
Marine looking to his superior devoutly for leadership
in a manner that bordered on a cult of personality. At
their height the thirty Millennials numbered 110,000
warriors, though in the wake of the Isstvan campaign
it is believed to have been reduced to roughly half that,
only recovering by the eve of the Siege of Terra through
accelerated implantation and indoctrination procedures.
Honours were common, but were gifted rather than
assumed, and those granted by the hand of the Primarch
were held in the highest esteem. Every warrior knew his
place and value, and this translated into a level of personal
commitment and bravery fuelled in no small part by an
unshakable faith in their own superiority.
The Emperor’s Children believed there was no sphere of
warfare in which they could not excel, though they never
possessed the numbers or the mindset to engage in brute
attrition warfare, and so their primary consideration was
to keep the Legion as intact as possible while achieving
victory. One of their chosen virtues was lightning warfare,
for they believed that speed and decisiveness assured
victory over strength and endurance. Moreover, Fulgrim
himself preferred swift and elegant combat styles, and
many companies of the Legion adopted large numbers
of jump pack equipped assault units, jetbikes and
Land Speeders.
The emphasis on excellence led to the formation of a
number of unique elite and specialised units such as
the ‘Sun-Killers’ – lascannon-equipped squads formed
from the crème of the Legion’s heavy weapon specialists,
or who fulfilled more formal roles such as the Phoenix
Terminators, Fulgrim’s praetorians, whose number was
set at two hundred in memory of the first days of the
Legion’s rebirth. Single combat was encouraged as a
primary martial tradition, the duel seen as the ultimate
expression of a warrior’s prowess. So highly regarded
were the bladesmasters of the Emperor’s Children that
a semi-formal formation was allowed to develop whose
membership existed outside of the rigid rank structure;
that of the Brotherhoods of the Palatine Blades, who
formed only for battles against foes deemed worthy of
their attention.
I
n war, the Emperor’s Children relied greatly
on peerless strategic planning and the flawless
execution of battle plans by individual warriors.
Every aspect of battle was analysed and turned to
advantage, from terrain and weather to logistical
support and reinforcement, nothing was left to
chance. This almost mechanistic approach to
warfare had its dangers as well as its strengths,
however, and should an entirely unforeseen
contingency occur, or some crucial element or asset
be unexpectedly removed, the Legion could be
wrong-footed and thrown into confusion. However,
for the most part, the strict and sure chain of
command and the Legionaries’ attention to detail
and individual skill allowed them to execute some
of the most complicated multi-tiered combined
arms feats of any Legion during the Great Crusade.
The Primarch
Fulgrim
Long-forgotten Chemos was a grey-skied and grey-skinned
mining world, where hope was thin and drudgery the coin of
life. Privation was common on Chemos and the isolated human
population that abided there suffered slow decay. Despite all
these hardships, Fulgrim rose quickly to power. Compared to
the wretches that breathed the slow-poison of Chemos’ polluted
atmosphere, Fulgrim was pale-skinned and fine-boned,like
some ancient paragon of grace given life. Ash white hair framed
a handsome face and his violet eyes held a spark of delight.
Fulgrim inspired hope with his intellect, his mien and his
practiced humility in respect of his own brilliance.
Once reunited with his Legion, in war, thought, craft and
creation he excelled effortlessly. He re-organised the Emperor’s
Children in a manner that suited his own exacting nature.
Nothing was left to whim or chance; everything was deliberate
and assessed for its aesthetic and functional value. Fulgrim was
fond of remarking that if one was to excel then no detail was
too small to consider, and that the quality of the whole lay in
the quality of its constituents. In ordering his Legion, it is not
surprising then that Fulgrim favoured formality, conformity
and order, albeit with some leeway for flair. He sought to
maintain the majesty of his Legion, recruiting from the ruling
elite of worlds brought to Compliance. He was a being who
revelled in the beauty of art, music and poetry, insisting that
those around him were more than just warriors but artisans of
the finest aspects of humanity.
Fulgrim’s only flaw was his pride, and it is among the
greatest tragedies of the Horus Heresy that one of the
Emperor’s most noble paragons would be corrupted
through this weakness, and brought from the height of
glory to the basest nadir of degeneracy.
In the last years of the Great Crusade, the pursuit
of excellence became an arrogant assumption
of superiority – the collection of laurels more
important than Imperial Unity. It is likely that the
overweening pride that had come to dominate
the Legion’s senior commanders forced them to
walk the path of the Traitor rather than to accept
the role of servants in a unified and peaceful
Imperium. To become reduced to one amongst
many was a fate that pride could not endure.
During the Age of Darkness, the practised
excellence of the Emperor’s Children was a brittle
facade that concealed a swiftly growing canker.
At the heart of the IIIrd Legion, Fulgrim and his
Lord Commanders partook of sordid feasts and
abhorrent bacchanals that defied both decency
and sanity. With their leaders languishing in
decadence, the Legion fragmented; many of its
commanders blaming one another for their lack
of perfection and settling matters of honour in
bloody duels. And as Fulgrim sank into madness,
his Legionaries followed, making of themselves
fearsome instruments of terror in the process.
Legion Armourial
MkIV pauldron
Unification War
Command Veteran
MkII pauldron
Legion Standard
Phoenician devotional awarded after
Compliance of Okku
Prefector Flavius Alkenex
Phoenix Millennial, Triumph of Ullanor
MkIV ‘Maximus’ pattern power armour with
‘Phoenician’ pattern helm with additional rank crest
Legion Standard
Commissioned for Ullanor Triumph
Primogenitor: Perturabo
Cognomen: None officially recognised. An informal
designation for the Legion, the ‘Corpse Grinders’,
was suppressed and use of it was categorised as an
infraction of duty by order of the Officio Provost
Marshal as ‘corrosive to Crusade morale’.
Noteworthy Domains: The satrapy of the Meratara
Cluster, Olympia Majoris system (primary home
world – Destroyed). Primus grade garrisons, keeps and
bastion-holds established on at least seventy worlds,
with an unknown number of additional secondary
outposts and watch stations.
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Siege and Trench
Warfare, Co-ordinated Mass-theatre Warfare,
Armoured Assault, Planetary Decimation, Attrition,
Retribution and Counter-insurgency Campaigns.
F
rom its inception, the IVth Legion’s gene-seed
was highly adaptable and rates of implant rejection
were low. This meant that the IVth’s strength was
built rapidly, expanding to several full battalions while
other nascent Legions were little more than company
musters. In turn the IVth Legion was swiftly put to
active service. Thanks to its gene-seed, it was the most
numerous Legion in the first years of the Great Crusade,
and its forces were split between several of the first
Expeditionary fleets.
The IVth quickly proved itself in battle, and for a time
ranked highly upon the honour rolls of the Imperium.
It was large enough to remain autonomous from the
influence of the newly-found Primarchs, and remained
stubbornly regimented in structure and doctrine. The
Legion earned a reputation of approaching each enemy
with an unaltered pattern of warfare; facing it down with
relentless and meticulously applied force alone rather
than cunning or heroics. This was a double-edged blade,
for as other Legions attained their own characters they
looked down upon the IVth as unimaginative, mechanistic
and even honourless. Conversely, to the Great Crusade’s
High Command, these traits were desirable, making the
IVth more reliable and more ready to accept command
without complaint.
The IVth Legion could be split into contingents as
needed by theatre commanders without the obstacle
of a Primarch, and never baulked in their duties.
Accordingly, the IVth Legion was increasingly used to
fighting inglorious but vital campaigns of drawn-out,
backbreaking war and was directed by the hands of
others to dangerous garrisons; becoming a ‘workhorse’
Legion, relied upon not for any unique ability, but simply
to follow orders. Over time, the Legion was exploited,
bled through thankless attrition, outpaced in glory, and
made resentful. It was to this damaged and disabused
Legion that Perturabo came.
Iron Within
Within the IVth Legion, Perturabo’s word was law, and
all his warriors were grist for the bloody mill of war.
Promotion and advancement in the Legion’s ranks
was a matter of survival (both from the enemy and
Perturabo’s displeasure), and of specialisation. Honorifics
and commendations meant little to the Iron Warriors,
however, the high rank of Warsmith was awarded to the
truest masters of the battlescape, amongst whom three
were promoted to Perturabo’s council – the Trident.
The principal strategic building block of the Iron Warriors
was the Grand Battalion. This formation had a notional
strength of one thousand Space Marines, but it also
incorporated armour and artillery. Recruitment and
reinforcement into a Grand Battalion was continuous to
offset high attrition rates, causing strengths to fluctuate
widely. Organisation below the strategic level varied by
the demands of particular deployments, with common
divisions rated as infantry Cohorts or heavily mechanised
Grand Companies. Below this were the Line Centuries,
comprising roughly one hundred Legionaries and a large
complement of armour.
A system of orders existed outside of the Legion’s main
structure. Most renowned were the Stor-Bezashk, masters
of siege and ordnance even among a Legion specialised in
such tactics, and the ‘Iron Havocs’, marksmen of the most
powerful weapons a Legionary could carry unassisted. The
Tyranthikos or ‘Siege Tyrants’, were veteran line breakers
equipped with Terminator armour. There also existed a
series of warrior societies outside of the Legion’s command
structure such as the Dodekatheon, an order of competing
masons and strategists in the arts of siegecraft; the
Apolakron, those who experimented with the machine-craft
of battle-automata; the Kheledakos, master shipwrights;
and the Lyssatra, known as the ‘Brethren of Thunder’ or
disparagingly as the ‘burned men’, whose obsession with
devastation exceeded what the Legion considered practical.
A
t every level, the Iron Warriors Legion was formidably
provisioned. The Legion took a practical approach,
using equipment selected foremost for reliability and
ease of repair, function taking precedence over form. Of
note was the huge number and diversity of armoured
vehicles and artillery support assets fielded by the Iron
Warriors, which were regarded as almost disposable owing
to the Legion’s capacity to quickly replace such assets. Its
munitions and armour reserves were also estimated to
exceed that of several other Legions combined.
Iron and Blood
The Primarch
Perturabo
Perturabo was a ruthless and effective warlord;
a master strategist whose razor-edged mind
could fathom the hidden weakness in any enemy
and exploit it with savage and decisive action.
His capacity for learning was incredible, and
his intellectual curiosity insatiable – he was
gifted above all others in scientific and technical
intelligence. However, from the outset he was
a distant, calculating mastermind who cared
not for others, nor readily deigned to explain
his actions or intentions. This mattered little in
the context of his use as a weapon for the Great
Crusade, however, for Perturabo was formidable
and could deconstruct and overcome any
obstacle or cast down any foe.
When united with his Legion he reviewed their
record and their doctrines against the Legions
of his brothers, and found the IVth wanting. It
was not enough for Perturabo that they were
merely superior; their failing was that amongst
the Legions they were not already supreme. His
punishment was decimation – putting one in ten
of his Legion’s warriors to death. While outsiders
were horrified by this seemingly wasteful action,
to Perturabo it was a calculated and cathartic act,
purging his Legion (and by extension, himself)
of the weakness which pervaded it, and proving
to all that he was first among his brothers in
ruthlessness, decisiveness and willpower.
Perturabo demanded that his Legion would be a peerless
engine of war. He rebuilt it in his own design, and it
operated as a cohesive, determined and disciplined force
– an army whose task was to overwhelm its foes by the
most efficient methods possible, destroying utterly the
enemy’s ability to resist. The Legion was technologically
proficient, and preferred to strike always from a position
of overwhelming superiority, bringing maximum force
directly to bear. They favoured use of massive, focused
bombardments as a precursor to attack. The calculation
of fields of fire, the use of high-intensity shelling, and the
deployment of heavy armour and mechanised forces to
spearhead assaults were the Iron Warriors’ stock-in-trade.
Under Perturabo, the Legion’s character was amplified –
where once the Legion had been ruthless in its willingness
to accept losses in return for victory, now it was utterly
driven to the point where such considerations were far
beneath it. The Legion’s acceptance of mass casualties
as the price of victory made it excel at siege warfare of
the most vicious kinds. War became a deadly equation,
which the Iron Warriors were supremely suited to solve;
a relentless, unyielding engine of steel and fire which
swept worlds clean and devoured whole armies. The Iron
Warriors suffered the highest casualty rates of any Legion,
yet through the cruel genius of Perturabo’s calculus it
absorbed these mass losses without serious damage to its
combat effectiveness.
In a dark twist of fate, Perturabo would frequently expend
the forces of the Excertus Imperialis as sacrificial cannon
fodder, to deplete the enemy’s munitions, or to simply
gauge their strength before committing his Legion. This
tarnished the Legion’s once-pristine reputation with the
War Council and, as a consequence, relegated it to hopeless
wars in forlorn corners of the galaxy, only furthering the
growing bitterness of resentment felt by its warriors.
Legion Armourial
MkIII pauldron
Field-modified MkIII pauldron
Legion Standard
Borne by three successive bearers
during the final battle of Thranx
Tigris pattern
bolt pistol
Thunder
Edge pattern
chainsword
Legionary Krovorn
Battle Group ‘Khurghan’, Scouring of the Wheel of Fire
MkIII ‘Iron’ pattern power armour,
extensive damage and field repair/modification
Primogenitor: Jaghatai Khan
Cognomen: (Prior) Various (e.g. The Pioneers,
Star Hunters, Blood Debt, Vanguard, Grey Ghosts)
Noteworthy Domains: Chogoris/Mundus Planus
(Primary), Terra (tertiary rights), the Kolarne Cluster
(multiple tributary domains)
Allegiance: Fidelitas Scindo
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Shock Assault Strikes,
Highly Mobile Hit and Run Campaigns and Extended
Unsupported Operations within Hostile Domains.
The Emperor’s Vanguard
th
From their inception, the V Legion were held apart from
their brothers, rarely being found in massed ranks among
the assembled hosts of the Unification Wars, yet they were
one of the first Legions to draw blood in the name of the
Emperor. Taken first from the technomadic tribes of the
Thulean Basin, whose hardy stock had traversed those icy
wastes in vast mechanised crawlers throughout the long
years of the Age of Strife, and later from the wider stock
of Terran recruits, the warriors of the Vth Legion were the
Unification’s eyes and ears. While some of the earliest
Legions were committed to the front lines of the initial
conquest alongside the Emperor’s Thunder Warriors, the
Vth Legion was granted the solitary duty of seeking out the
hidden fastnesses of the many gene-wrought demagogues
and warlords that ruled the war-ravaged face of Old Earth.
Always they were pioneers, used in reconnaissance and
sudden shock assault, and where they could not eliminate
an enemy outright, they gathered information on the foe’s
strength and force disposition, acting as the vanguard for
a reserve Imperial host.
As the Emperor’s war for galactic reconquest moved
outward from Terra, the Vth Legion moved ahead of
the Expeditionary fleets. For over half a century, the Vth
fought a lonely, piecemeal crusade, each of its companies
separated by such distance that its flotillas slowly began to
lose any sense of unity with their brethren. Each of these
Pioneer Companies, their many acts of heroism beyond
the leading edge of the Emperor’s ever-expanding domain,
garnered little praise or attention amongst the lords of the
Imperium. There in the outer darkness, shorn of supply
and reinforcement, was the basis of the White Scars’
mastery of hit and run warfare established by necessity;
for they simply could not afford to engage in protracted
wars of attrition.
The Great Horde
The Vth Legion has never adhered closely to the strictures
of the Principia Bellicosa, a deviance which only grew
under the command of the Great Khan. Lacking in the
numbers that allowed many of the other Legions to
operate as fully-fledged war hosts, the Vth Legion was
originally organised into small Pioneer Companies,
each operating as a separate, fully autonomous and
independent force. This independence of operation
and command was both a necessity due to the size and
mission of the early Vth Legion and a legacy of the fierce
spirit of its original recruits.
When the Great Khan took command of the Legion, he
reformed these warriors into a number of flexible ‘Hordes’
equivalent to groupings of a number of chapters. These
formations stood above the ‘Brotherhood’ or company
level in the Legion’s structure. In creating his new Legion,
the Great Khan was careful to split up the old Pioneer
Companies, mixing warriors of differing origins together
with new recruits from his home world of Chogoris to
constitute the new Hordes. The other main organisational
unit within the White Scars, the Brotherhood, was a
unit roughly equivalent to the standard company. Just
like the larger Hordes, each Brotherhood varied in size
quite widely, with some being formed of less than a few
hundred warriors and others up to several thousand.
Typical Brotherhoods were almost always mechanised
cohorts, in that the entire force of the Brotherhood was
either mounted on jetbikes or supplied with other forms
of transport to enable rapid deployment and high speed
onslaught or pursuit operations. However, some specialised
Brotherhoods comprised dedicated artillery trains and
slower moving vehicles of war or lighter skirmishing and
reconnaissance units; the Legion remaining a flexible force
able to prosecute any form of warfare.
Legion Armourial
MkIII pauldron
Legion Variant Armourial
‘Rite of the Riven Moon’,
MkIII pauldron
Brotherhood banner of the
Brotherhood of the Black Axe
Lost to Alpha Legion during
Chondax Campaign
Legionary Khasar
Brotherhood of the Foresworn,
Brotherhood banner of the
Pale Stars War Zone (Phargos Rex Intervention/Flame Nebula War)
Brotherhood of the Golden Star
MkII ‘Crusade’ pattern power armour with Legion-specifichelmet and Chorgorian adornments.
Byfrust Battle Honour
M
ost Brotherhoods also included what
the White Scars referred to as a Keshig,
which indicated a body of troops somewhere
between a lifeguard for the Khan and an elite
reserve intended to bolster both the fighting
spirit and tactical firepower of the line troops.
Given the overtly aggressive nature of most
White Scars tactics, these units often formed
the forefront of any assault, and most often
contained the most skilled and experienced
warriors within the Brotherhood.
Several bodies of warriors also existed outside
of the Brotherhood structure. These included
the Karaoghlanlar, the ‘Dark Sons of Death’,
destroyer cadre warriors deployed in combat
when the utter annihilation of the enemy was
required, as well as for certain ritual roles in
the wake of key campaigns. The Burgediin
Sarhvu, the ‘Falcon’s Claws’, served as hunters
and forward scouts, experts in survival and
the quiet elimination of enemy commanders.
The Kharash, less a formal order and more
a temporary assembly of penitent or glory
seeking warriors, was assembled whenever
the need for a diversionary or shock assault
force arose. The Uhaan Solban, omens of
ill-fate, comprised almost every one of the
limited number of Dreadnoughts in service
with the White Scars. The Akoghlanlar
was the Legion’s expanded Apothecarion.
The White Scars also made use of so-called
weather-witches or Stormseers; a cohort of
battle-psykers which was maintained even
after the Edict of Nikaea.
The Primarch
Jaghatai Khan
Jaghatai Khan, the Warhawk, was reared upon the wild planet
of Chogoris. A wilderness of sweeping plains, forests and
mountains, its tribes fought constantly, though all would
ultimately submit to the might of the Khan of Khans, as Jaghatai
came to be known. When the Emperor came to Chogoris and
granted Jaghatai domination over the Vth Legion he was still
possessed of a mien born of the vast wilderness, and despite
having already mastered the strategies of conquest, Jaghatai
Khan was unfamiliar with the advanced technologies of the
Imperium. Nonetheless, the Khan shaped his Legionaries as he
would the plains warriors of his home, testing his new sons in
bloody trials and gruelling contests of skill and strength.
The Great Khan gave his disparate sons more than honour scars,
he also introduced a united cultural identity in the Chogorian
mould. He encouraged his Legionaries to take pleasure in their
duty, and to study the ‘Noble Pursuits’, as they were known on
Chogoris – such arts as calligraphy, hunting and the telling of
ancient tales. He made the ways of Chogoris the Truth of his
Legion, a strange blend of practicality and superstition that was
ill at ease with the strict tenets of the Imperial Truth. Jaghatai’s
refusal in later years to amend the practises and outlook of his
Legion to more closely fit the Imperial Truth was yet another
source of conflict between the Great Khan and some of his
brothers, notably zealous Lorgar and overbearing Guilliman.
In every battle in which he fought, Jaghatai led the assault. He
was ever to be found where the fighting was most intense. It
was to Jaghatai and to each other that each White Scar was
bound; not to the distant dream of the Imperium or any one of
its worlds, but only to the Khan of Khans and the savage joy he
took in war and in life.
Primogenitor: Leman Russ
Cognomen: (Prior) None officially recorded, but
various informal and idiomatic cognomen inconstantly
used such as The Rout, Vlka Fenryka, The Sky Warriors,
The Emperor’s Executioners.
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Shock Assault,
Search and Destroy, Pursuit Operations, Punitive and
Excoriation Campaigns.
Noteworthy Domains: The death world of Fenris
(Enforced Dominion), Lucan (Tertiary rights)
Allegiance: Fidelitas Sine Recursu
Jackals before Wolves
The origins of the VIth Legion were held in utmost secrecy
by the Emperor. Legion recruits were drawn not from
Terra’s nation states but selected on an individual basis
from the most barbaric, regressive and hyper-violent of
cultures; those who held to no collective identity and could
be moulded into weapons without prior imprint. Their
gene-seed was carefully segregated – it was extremely
prone to fatal rejection and, for reasons unknown, the VIth
gene-strain often imparted a distinctly bestial countenance
on those candidates that survived implantation. Because of
this, the Legion was one of the smallest and slowest to grow
in the years before reunification with its Primarch.
Given its small size, the VIth Legion served alongside Auxilia
forces in major campaigns, or fought in smaller missions
to destroy particular knots of enemy resistance in shock
assaults. Over time, the Legion developed particular expertise
conducting rapid operations and punitive actions against
rebellion. However, its members quickly earned a grim
reputation as butchers amongst those they fought alongside,
and were often accused of indiscriminate slaughter and
collateral damage, or even on occasion of killing allies.
The Legion was not focussed or precise; it was a force of
nature unleashed, more a raging fire or tidal wave than an
assaulting army. Its warriors reaped destruction, claiming
no strategic assets and holding no ground but rather
subjecting enemy forces to savagery and brutality. Such
behaviour was feared by many in the Imperium, and the
VIth Legion’s future was uncertain until Leman Russ was
rediscovered early in the Great Crusade.
Lone Wolves Stalking the Stars
The misdemeanors of old were made good under Leman
Russ. The Legionaries’ blood lust was brought under
control with discipline and iron will, and their rage
tempered by oath-sworn loyalty. Russ gave his Legion
pride in what it was, pride in the power it wielded, pride
even in the monstrous violence which lurked within its
heart, but with all this he did not allow its warriors to crave
glory for their own sake, nor drink too deep of the bitter
draft of mindless bloodshed. He gave them purpose and
he gave them honour, bleak as it was. They served only the
Emperor, their ‘Allfather’. That duty was a sacred one, for
the Space Wolves were wrapped in a cloak of secrecy and
a superstitious mythos of their own making, abhorring socalled ‘witches’ and spirits and reveling in their own poetic
sagas. This was reinforced through psycho-indoctrination
to protect their minds from the horrors they were forced to
perpetrate and witness in the name of the Imperium.
For a brief period under Russ, before many other
Primarchs had been found, the Legion earned respect and
renown, and commanded the might of many Imperialis
battalions and other Legions in addition to its own
Auxiliaries. Russ was a field general of surpassing skill,
and enacted scores of successful Compliances. However,
many of the Space Wolves’ campaigns were unavoidable
grinding horrors and terrible wars of genocidal cleansing,
the Legion choosing to focus its brutality against rebels
who they cursed as ‘oath breakers’ and punished with
excessive savagery. These wars, and conflicts such as the
cataclysmic Rangdan Xenocides, redoubled the Legion’s
dark reputation – painting Russ, not as a noble savage, but
as an executioner and blood-spattered tyrant – and soon
the Space Wolves were so feared by the Great Crusade’s
own forces that they stalked the stars alone, and could
only be recalled by the Emperor himself.
Tactical Squad
Later Great Crusade Armourial,
MkIV pauldron
Destroyer Squad
‘Horns of Winter’ icon,
MkIII pauldron
Legion Standard
Ovekra Compliance. ‘Land Scourer’
Veteran Legionary Isem
Orn Thelm’s Warband, Second Great Company, Prosperine Censure Host
MkII ‘Crusade’ pattern power armour,
early Great Crusade vintage featuring hand-applied ‘Othala’ rune on gorget.
Legion-specific combat shield and
power axe, Fenrisian origin
A Legion Clad in Allegory
Fenris hosted ‘The Fang’, an enormous
fortress carved from a mountain by Russ
and the Emperor through the expenditure
of vast resources, uniquely allowing the
Space Wolves to be entirely self-sufficient
from both Terra and Mars. It hosted all
the facilities of gene-seed implantation,
training, forging of arms and armour and
psycho-conditioning needed by the Legion
to survive. This autonomy would prove
a prescient boon as the Legion became
removed from the wider Imperium. Within
the Fang, the Legion’s ranks and legends
grew and took on a new shape.
The Legion was organised unlike any other,
with thirteen distinct Great Companies
each nominally consisting of 10,000 Space
Marines that competed for glory and
the favour of their ‘Wolf King’, Leman
Russ. These had diverse characters such
as the First Company, ‘Onn’, which were
the ‘Varangyr’ elite – the ‘Wolf Guard’ of
Russ’ own household – and the Seventh
Company, the so-called ‘Landayvan’
destroyers and layers of waste. Each Great
Company was led by a ‘Jarl’ or ‘Wolf Lord’.
Under these Jarls were many lieutenants,
named ‘Thegn’ or ‘Claw Leader’, and the
number of Thegns was very much at the
discretion of the Jarls, who ruled their
companies as a wolf leads a pack. The
Thegns were in turn responsible for any
number of packs (variants of small tactical
units or taskforces), which each had a
‘Huscarl’ leader to keep its warriors in line.
The Space Wolves were heavily infantryfocussed in their martial ways. Packs
were conditioned to hold a near-suicidal
disregard for danger and trained to exploit
this to the fullest extent on the battlefield,
pitting their courage and might where it
would be most effective; in the very teeth
of the foe, overwhelming opponents by
sheer speed and ferocity of attack, both in
hand-to-hand combat and in brutal short
ranged fire fights. As time went on, tactical
dispositions shifted to better accommodate
this preference, leading to the creation
of unique shock units such as the ‘Grey
Slayers’ and ‘Bloodied Claws’, which
gradually came to comprise the bulk of the
core infantry of the Legion.
The Primarch
Leman Russ
Leman Russ was the so-called ‘Wolf King’ of the primitive death
world, Fenris. A world that should not be possible, Fenris’ ecology
of burgeoning megafauna, its shifting geology of frozen seas
and molten islands, its storm-wracked climate of helwinters
and burning summers, and even its extant path through space
represent paradoxes of and contradictions of nature. It is
speculated that Fenris was perhaps artificially constructed in a
bygone epoch so as to create the exact conditions required for
precisely one thing – raising a hardy, savage warrior race and their
king. There would be no bright towers and industry for Fenris
under the Imperium; its conditions would be carefully preserved
and shrouded in deeper myth by Russ and the Emperor.
Leman Russ’ early history is remembered through allegorical
accounts that speak of his upbringing by a pack of wolves; the
barbaric wars he fought for supremacy and that, when he met
his father, he challenged Him to contests of strength, wit and
will like the Norsic kings of Old Earth. What is fact, is that Russ
himself was not a savage but possessed of dazzling intellect and a
singular cunning – giving his rivals the impression of dull-witted
barbarity while holding logic and reason as high virtues. Though
he embraced Fenris’ culture, was headstrong and defined right
and wrong in the starkest of terms, Russ took easily to his role
in the Imperium; absorbing readily its advanced technology and
accepting the Emperor’s vision of galactic Unity. His testing and
training was brief compared to other Primarchs, and he quickly
took full command of his Legion – one that could now thrive
with the stabilising intervention of his ‘canis gene-helix’ upon
its gene-seed. Russ ultimately reshaped the VIth Legion – a force
which notoriously disrespected high authority and followed only
strength – with the tradition of Fenris, tempering their feral
nature and commanding their respect by will and deed.
Primogenitor: Rogal Dorn
Cognomen: (Prior) None. Informally: The Stone Men,
The Iceborn, Sentinels of the Void, The Defenders of
Terra, His Protectors.
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Ship-borne Assaults
and Boarding Actions, Defensive and Fortification
Zealous Crusaders
The VIIth Legion was created to secure and consolidate
the realms of Mankind, beginning with the newlyconquered territories of the Unification era. It drew
recruits from every region of Terra. The Legion’s geneseed implantation inflicted intense pain, and only the
hardiest stock was suited to surviving such a process.
Nonetheless few initiates lived to become Legionaries,
and those that did were taciturn, dour and grim
of nature.
At their root, the Space Marines of the VIIth Legion
were crusaders. In war they sought conquest with
a focused hunger, favouring massed shock assaults
using their full array of weaponry. Multiple battalions
often took to the field en-masse, breaking enemies
with hammer blow force. They were the very hand of
the Emperor that descended and gripped worlds with
an unbreakable fist – a feat for which he honoured
the Legion with its name. But simple victory was not
enough; to conquer one had not only to defeat one’s
enemies, but to hold the prize of that victory. The VIIth
Legion would raise bastions within days of victory, and
across the galaxy their fortresses gazed down on those
who dwelt in the land around; a constant sign that the
strength which had conquered them remained, rooted
into the earth. These fortresses solidified conquests,
and ordered domains sprang up around them, replacing
what had been broken with something far stronger.
After each conquest, more warriors were inducted into
the Legion. However, the VIIth did not linger, but drove
ever on, without pause or respite. Nor did it administer,
or draw up and enforce laws – the Imperial Fists were
warriors of the Imperium, not its masters, and they
existed only to serve in war and die for its ideals.
The Foundations of Imperium
The discovery of its Primarch and the planet which
had raised him only strengthened the character of
the Imperial Fists, and their integration was swift and
complete. The Legion’s organisation aligned with the
strictures of the Principa Bellicosa set down by the
Emperor, for Dorn was practical, seeing no need to
Operations in Extremis, Stronghold Assaults, the
Conquest and Forced Compliance of
Void-faring Civilisations
Noteworthy Domains: Terra, Inwit and the
Solar Domains
Allegiance: Fidelitas Totalis
change an effective structure. Its numbers remained
largely stable throughout the Great Crusade – in the
region of 100,000 warriors, subdivided into many
companies, ranging in size from a handful of squads
to several hundred Space Marines, the numbers of
which waxed and waned due to battlefield attrition
and recruitment. These companies were grouped into
flexible battalions based on the needs of particular
deployments rather than as standing formations, and
larger battalions were called a ‘Crusade’ or ‘Household’.
Company-level captains were functionally the most
senior ranks in the Imperial Fists’ hierarchy, with
every warrior in the Legion obedient directly to Rogal
Dorn and above him, to the Emperor. However, while
Dorn maintained no fixed inner circle of advisors –
his council was whoever stood beside him in battle
– he honoured many captains of skill and merit with
additional authority. Commanders of appointed
theatres were given temporary titles and afforded the
greatest respect; these were the Marshals, Fleet Masters
and Siege Masters. Lord Castellans were senior masters
of defence appointed to garrison and hold conquered
sectors of space, and Lord Seneschals were responsible
for the crusading strategies of whole spheres of the
galaxy. Above these stood the First Captain, Sigismund
– renowned as the greatest warrior of the Age.
Sigismund was master of the Temple of Oaths, which
bound each Legionary to their purpose, and of the First
Company, the Templar Brethren, which numbered
1,000 warriors; each a tempered exemplar of the spirit
of the Legion and the Great Crusade. Many other
storied veteran sub-divisions formed in the Legion over
the course of the Great Crusade, such as the Phalanx
Warders, specialists in the desperate confines of Zone
Mortalis warfare, whose charge was the defence of the
Legion’s flagship, the Phalanx, and the Huscarls, an
elite bodyguard cadre sworn to the singular purpose of
defending Rogal Dorn himself.
Line Command Heraldry
MkIV pauldron
Informal Destroyer
Variant heraldry
MkIV pauldron
Heavy Support
Squad Sergeant
Late Great Crusade era
Thunder Edge
pattern chainsword
Veteran Sergeant Ahmand
62 nd Squad, 55 th Company, Imperial Fists flagship ‘Tribune’,
Taking of the Contrador, Battle of Phall
MkIII ‘Iron’ pattern power armour, breaching shield features twin-axe device
denoting service alongside famed Imperial Fists Seneschal Rann
Krak grenade, frag grenade and
MkXIX Lucifer pattern melta bomb
F
avoured by Terra and the manufactoria
of Sol, the Imperial Fists were blessed
with the cutting edge of Imperial wargear
and technologies, and were often the Legion
chosen for testing advanced weaponry
such as the assault cannon. They were
amongst the strongest proponents of the
development of Tactical Dreadnought
Armour, and fielded a significant number
of squads equipped in all variants of
Terminator armour. Furthermore, they
fielded a larger complement of heavy tanks
and more Dreadnoughts than many of
their brother Legions – the hardiness of
their Legion stock contributing to the high
survival and internment rate.
The last great facet of the Legion was
the strength of its fleet. This comprised
over 1,500 capital warships under direct
command, and many more bonded by
oath and fealty. This naval might was the
greatest of any of the Legiones Astartes,
and was further enhanced by the fact that
many of the ships were the largest in the
Imperium. Of these the greatest was the
Phalanx – a pre-Imperial relic of vast size
and unimaginable power that dwarfed entire
attack fleets by comparison. The Phalanx
was, perhaps, the largest mobile battle
station in the Imperium, more battle-station
than ship, and served as the Imperial Fists’
principal base of operations in the Great
Crusade. The Imperial Fists also built
many space forts, and were the preeminent
masters of high-intensity ship-to-ship
warfare in the cold void, seeing a space battle
as a natural extension of a siege, divorced
from gravity and in three dimensions.
At the very end of the Great Crusade, Dorn
and his Legion returned to Terra to guard
and fortify the seat of Imperial power.
Across the northern Segmentum Solar,
Dorn erected and coordinated the ‘Gauntlet
of Stone’ – a line of defence which would
hold the Traitor onslaught for a decade
across the vital void channel of Paramar,
Beta-Garmon and Lorin Alpha. The Legion
would fight bitter and desperate defences
and was instrumental to the Loyalist
efforts at the Imperial Core. When Horus
brought his hordes to Terra, Rogal Dorn
commanded the Imperium’s defiance, and
without the sacrifices of the Imperial Fists
all might have been lost.
The Primarch
Rogal Dorn
Inwit is a world of death and merciless cold, home to warring
nomadic ice clans. Inwit’s denizens are not unsophisticated;
rather, their world is consciously preserved to teach its denizens
strength. Long ago, the people of Inwit carved their own realm
from the stars, conquering dozens of worlds, yet their rulers
chose to keep to the old ways, living harsh lives like their vassals.
It was there that Rogal Dorn ruled. His qualities married perfectly
with those of hard, cold Inwit, and he pushed its empire further,
ordering its armies, and fashioning spacecraft the like of which
had not been seen before. When the Emperor was reunited with
Rogal Dorn, he regained not only a lost son, but the strength of a
star spanning society already forged into a tool of war.
Rogal Dorn was possessed of a single-minded energy tempered
by a reserved and stoic nature. During rare shows of emotion,
he was capable of shaking the ground; his cold rage is said to
have held battlements as much as the arms of those standing
upon them. Dorn was also an idealist – to him, the reasons he
fought were as important as the outcomes of his efforts and he
believed utterly in the Dream of Imperium. When he fought, he
did so with neither bombast nor humility, but with a frightening
and confident competence, always balanced and methodical, his
every blow a precision calculation of force.
Rogal Dorn’s was perhaps the greatest strategic mind in the
galaxy; however, he was blunt and uncompromising in both his
ideals and their expression; his manner often vexing as much as
admirable. For all his unsubtle statesmanship and his unbending
nature he was named the Praetorian of Terra, and Horus the
Warmaster – a balance of power upon which the course of
history would turn.
Primogenitor: Konrad Curze (the Night Haunter)
Cognomen: (Prior) None recognised. Informally: The
Night’s Children, The Terror
Noteworthy Domains: Nostramo (destroyed),
Tsagualsa
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Punitive Actions,
Decimation, Enforced Pacification, Terror Assaults,
Psychological Warfare
Hearth of Darkness
The VIIIth was soaked in blood from its very birth. The
Legion’s first recruits came from the prison sinks of
Terra, vast underground caverns where generations
of transgressors struggled in blind darkness. Strength,
ruthlessness, cunning and cruelty were vital to survival
in the lightless warrens; qualities which paired perfectly
with the Legion’s gene-seed. This gene-strain gave
the sons of the underworld the ability to see through
darkness to a degree that far exceeded that of other
Legions. This gift was also a curse, forcing them to see
the light of suns through flare buffers; even though they
now stood in the world above, the warriors of the VIIIth
still walked in the night.
The warriors of the Legion were creatures made to live
in the dark, and to fight a war for a future of light – at
their core, they were creating a future without creatures
of their kind. During the Great Crusade, the VIIIth Legion
was used to bring to heel those who believed that the
sins of the past could live on in the Imperium. The
warriors of the VIIIth tended towards moral absolutism
in which there were no degrees of guilt, and they meted
out only retribution. Their cold justice brought light
to the darkness in which monsters dwelt, and as this
light of illumination swept across the galaxy it became
increasingly obvious that there would soon be no dark
realm left for the Legion itself.
Lords of the Night
Konrad Curze was the Dark King of his Night Lords.
He maintained a court of his most useful sons named
the ‘Kyroptera’, its members officers from across
the Legion. They were the ruling elite of the Night
Lords and, alongside them, served the Atramentar; a
formation equipped with Terminator armour. Within
its ranks were the Contekar; haughty true aristocrat
sons of Nostramo who vied for power, and were willing
to take any murderous measure to earn a seat on the
Kyroptera. This Terminator host was the coldly brutal
personal command of the First Captain of the Night
Lords, Jago Sevatarion, and they were his enforcers of
order within the Legion.
Beneath the Kyroptera were the companies – malleable
in size and in authority, with inconsistent ranks for their
captains, such as commander, Master and Regent. Violent
rivalry was endemic and command structures fluid as a
result. Officersand squads were fiercely individual, bearing
monikers to set them apart from each other. These titles
had echoes in the nobility and gangs of Nostramo, such
as ‘Talonmaster’ or ‘the Bloodless’. Many were insults
that either stuck or were adopted by their bearers out of
perversity. Almost all squads within the Legion had a name
that they used in place of a designation, so that squads
within a company might be referred to as Claws, Talons
or a number of other epithets. This complexity masked
a surprisingly efficientand flexible approach to warfare
which allowed the Legion to operate with a high degree of
fluidity and to be readily fractured into autonomous units or
combined into ad hoc formations as their master dictated.
The Night Lords followed the Principa Bellicosa, albeit
with a lower proportion of breaching or siege configured
formations. They also had a number of unique units: the
infamous Terror squads, whose sole purpose was to instil a
state of horror in their enemies, and the Night Raptors, who
would soar above their enemies trailing the bloody remains
of their kills. Emblems of terror were a mark of pride within
the Legion, and they embellished their weapons with
grotesque craftsmanship. Furthermore, they habitually
adorned their armour and vehicles with mutilated trophies,
and made an art of flaying and displaying the dead in order
to sow fear among their foes, or else lit their armour with
brooding displays of lightning. There was method in this
madness, at least at first; such grisly displays were a clear
signal to their foes saying: “This fate will be yours to share”.
The Night Lords were naturally rebellious given their feral
origins, and as the Age of Darkness progressed, Curze
descended into insanity, abandoning his sons and causing
his Legion to fracture and fight its own private rebellion
of sullen fratricide. Some within the Legion relished the
freedom given to them by the failure of Curze, regressing
to a collection of disparate warbands, whilst others,
retaining the brutal honour that had once been the heart
of the Legion, cleaved to the Warmaster’s cause.
Legion Armourial
MkIV pauldron
‘Red Gauntlet’ loyalty mark
applied to MkIII pauldron
Legion Standard
Rebus Atrocity
Talon Master Vibius
Twelth Forlorn, 22 nd Company (The ‘Night-Scythes’), Urgall Pursuit Talon, Isstvan V
MkIV ‘Maximus’ pattern power armour with Legion-specific
arco-projectors to produce lightning motif.
Mars-Proteus Pattern
Power Axe
The Primarch
Konrad Curze
Many Primarchs displayed some degree of psychic
talent, but for Konrad Curze it was not a gift but a
curse, for he saw only the darkest of patterns and
auguries of the future. This was not the subtle reading
of cause and consequence, but the unkind touch of
prophecy. He would see glimpses on the horizon of a
grim future, plunging into terrible dreams and waking
visions. He would see only fatalistic outcomes of the
death and failure of his brothers and his sons, wreathed
in flame and blood. He saw his own death and knew
that it would be at the hand of his father. This accursed
knowledge he kept secret to himself, turning him
taciturn and paranoid. As a result, he walked a lonely
path towards his own doom, with the determination of
the gallows and a black, cracked and uncaring humour.
The Primarch was found on Nostramo, a sunless world
of suffering, pain and corruption devoid of hope and
wracked by the violence of criminal syndicates. Curze
was a broken product of this world. There the young
Primarch was alone. He feasted on vermin and the
corpses of the murdered, and his sanity dwindled to
nothing. On this world of criminals, he was a killer who
refused to become a corrupted king, instead choosing
a path of righteousness. Surrounded by sin, he lashed
out and made gruesome displays of justice, becoming
a thing of terror to cow the gangs of Nostramo into
order, and in their fear, and partly in hope of an
avenging angel of blind justice, the people of that world
named him ‘The Night Haunter’. He mutilated and
butchered until the streets of Nostramo fell quiet, and
the world bowed to his perverse law.
The Legion was bound to its new master out of fear as
much as adoration, and some Legionaries hated him
for being so like unto themselves, and not beautiful or
glorious as other Primarchs were. Curze cared not how
they saw him, so long as they obeyed. The character of
the VIIIth Legion grew to include a dark and cruel sense
of humour, and a snide fatalism with their ‘father’
leading them. New traditions, twisted reflections of
Nostraman gang rites and customs, were adopted
within the Legion, such as marking condemned
Legionaries’ gauntlets red to show that a death
sentence hung over them. The honorific titles sported
by many of the Legion’s officers started to take on
the form of those of the cruel Nostraman courts. The
reuniting of Primarch and Legion was the beginning
of a spiral that would only see the Night Lords descend
further into horror and nihilism.
When reunited with the Emperor, Curze accepted his
role in the Imperium as a premonition of doom. Curze
changed his Legionaries little, other than naming them
the ‘Lords of the Night’, though they did adopt from
Nostramo its language and its gutter-scum sons as
recruits. Their ways and methods of war changed not
at all, and the integration of Terran and Nostraman
warriors was amongst the swiftest of any Legion. The
old Legion and the new fitted together like two sides of a
coin: both raised from darkness to create order in strife,
both made of flesh born in shunned and lightless places.
The Night Haunter did not inspire his warriors to new
heights of nobility, rather his return saw their righteous
drive to punish intensify. Together they brought atrocity
after atrocity to non-Compliant human worlds.
A century after leaving Nostramo to join the Great
Crusade, short years before the outbreak of the Horus
Heresy, Curze and his Legion would return to their
sanctuary amid a series of dishonourable reversals
for the Night Lords. There, Curze found the world
that he had raised from barbarity had fallen back
into criminality and those he had trusted to lead in
his absence had succumbed to greed, corruption and
recidivism. Curze’s judgement was simple and swift;
the Night Lords destroyed Nostramo. As his world died,
Curze retreated into his own soul, removing himself
from his Nostraman sons whom he now despised. With
this act of finality, the Night Lords lost their last tether
to restraint and morality. They became not necessary
monsters, but simply monsters.
Primogenitor: Sanguinius
Cognomen: (Prior) The Revenant Legion, The Eaters
of the Dead (informal), The Charnel Feast (after
Sanguinius assumed his place as sire of the Legion,
these once commonplace names became considered an
insult to the pride of the IXth Legion)
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Orbital Drop
Operations, Shock Assault Campaigns and Macroscale Decapitation Strikes. Prior to Sanguinius’
The Eaters of the Dead
On Terra, the IXth Legion served the Emperor as an
inferno; not conquering but instead ravaging, consuming
and growing wherever deployed, a weapon that could
not be directed or controlled, only endured. The IXth
was not the precision fulcrum upon which a battle
turned, rather, as one of the largest proto-Legions, it was
unleashed en masse to sweep away the opposition in a
storm of brutal assaults. The Legion was deployed to the
most dangerous of wars, to regions ravaged by the radphages and chem strains of Old Night. In the accursed
wastelands outside of history’s spotlight, the IXth held
the line, alone and unnoticed.
The legend of the IXth languished during Unification but
its ranks did not. Where other Legions took only the best
recruits and produced but few initiates, the IXth Legion
took in the hordes of the dispossessed and the broken,
and made of them an army of angels. The Legion cast its
net wide, claiming entire tribes of wastelanders and the
trains of hopefuls that followed in their wake as a ‘Cult
of the Reborn’. The IXth claimed the mutated beasts that
the tyrants of Old Earth had driven out and hunted, those
scarred by long generations mired in Terra’s poisoned
wilds and rad-zones. Yet, from such base materials
emerged a breed of Legiones Astartes uniformly tall and
fair, their features sculpted in stern elegance. Indeed, the
IXth Legion’s gene-strain favoured the twisted and warped,
and was extremely malleable and fecund compared to
those of many other Legions, allowing the IXth to be selfsustaining even in the most torturous war zones.
During the Great Crusade, the IXth Legion would be kept
from the sight of Remembrancers and Historators. It was
broken into many battlegroups, each left for decades to
pursue the most arduous of Compliances on the most
degenerate of human worlds. The Legion’s warriors struck
in sudden overwhelming charges at dawn or dusk, usually
helmetless, streaked with gore and with fangs bared so as
to unsettle the enemy. Once committed to battle, the IXth
return, the IXth Legion was instead more widely
known for its use as a tool of attrition-based warfare
in war zones otherwise considered too hazardous for
conventional operations
Noteworthy Domains: Terran enclaves, Baal,
Canopus IV, Saiph
Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus
did not relent, did not retreat, and could not be stopped.
Its warriors fought until the enemy was utterly destroyed
and paid no heed to the thought of mercy or the need to
build an empire rather than a graveyard. They suffered
heavy losses but always bolstered their ranks from the
conquered. Where others might have floundered and
fallen, the IXth Legion grew stronger, rising from the ashes
of defeat time and again like a blood-soaked phoenix.
In those years, dark rumour followed the Legion, for
in the wake of each battle, the elegant forms of IXth
Legion warriors haunted the field of battle long after
the fighting had ceased, seeking out the choicest among
the fallen and feasting upon their flesh and blood. This
grim fixation was part of their nature, for the IXth Legion
stole their enemy’s power from them, absorbing their
knowledge and skill and making it their own via their
overactive omophagea implant. They practiced this
too on their own fallen commanders, such that their
legacy and strength might live on. In the broken places
where they fought, far from aid, this trait brought them
priceless information and made even the most raw
recruits battle ready. Superstition and dread clung to the
Legion for half a century without a Primarch to guide
them, and the IXth Legion slipped towards isolation and
infamy. The Legion had been created to fight monsters
alone in the darkest places, but, in doing so, risked
becoming even more foul than those it fought.
A Legion Reborn
Sanguinius instilled in his sons a new sense of pride, not in
simple carnage and the blood-soaked eternity of melee, but
in a future in which they stood as exemplars of the Imperial
Truth. They were taught honour, discipline and mercy,
and embraced these newly instilled virtues. Sanguinius
encouraged his commanders to become scholars of both
war and of the arts, and soon the Legion’s past slipped from
memory, the blood hunger little more than a myth, and
those that succumbed were quietly sequestered, granted
the Emperor’s peace, or sealed away on Baal.
Legion Armourial
MkIV pauldron
Tactical Squad
MkIV pauldron
Legion Standard
Signus Campaign
Legionary Sabraham
121 st Company, Pale Stars War Zone (Raid on Kyro IV)
MkIV ‘Maximus’ pattern power armour with
artisan-wrought helm and chest plate.
Company Standard
Signus Campaign. Issued by the hand of
the Primarch in recognition of
Alt 6 Compliance.
D
espite the refinements wrought upon it by
Sanguinius, the Legion nonetheless still waged
war with a fury to shake the heavens, favouring shock
assault, falling upon the foe suddenly and without
warning. Now leashed to the Angel’s will, his sons
learned and mastered every strategy of war. The
Blood Angels fought the noblest of campaigns to free
humanity from the slavery of the xenos and the tyrant.
They were magnanimous and glorious liberators who
inspired awe, art and remembrance. The IXth became
a Legion fully formed, so much more than once it had
been, perhaps the truest evidence of the Emperor’s plan
for his Legions, that with their Primarch the Blood
Angels became whole, greater than the sum of their
genetic legacy and past.
The Spheres of Wisdom
At the height of the Great Crusade, the Legion was split
into three hundred companies of five hundred warriors
beholden to Sanguinius and strict chains of command.
Those who held the highest rank were known as
‘Archeins’, and also ‘Dominion’ for a company or Host.
Company captains were ‘Powers’, and the Legion’s
‘Virtues’ stood as its specialists and exemplars. Many
were known by the focus of their devotion – Archeins
of Wisdom and Powers of the Blade, such distinctions
a mark of respect as much as a tactical designation.
The Legion also had a large number of junior officers
of varying types, to ensure lines of authority would be
maintained in the face of high attrition rates.
Companies were grouped into ‘Hosts’ for campaigns,
though each Host was a temporary structure broken
and made as required. Sanguinius created three Spheres
to encompass his Hosts. The Third Sphere comprised
the rank and file of the Legion, its strong right hand
and beating heart. The Second Sphere was composed of
the commanders and leaders of the Legion. To them fell
the duty of executing Sanguinius’ wishes with alacrity
and judgement. The First Sphere was Sanguinius’
wrath, his stern resolve and his watchful eyes. These
warriors did not operate within the companies but as
the servants of the Great Angel himself. When inducted
into the ranks of the First Sphere, they gave up their
common names to take on angelic identities, donning
masks of serenity to do the work of the Primarch
without guilt or regret. Within the First Sphere were
the Seraphs, defenders of the Primarch’s body; Crimson
Paladins, who served as the guardians of the Primarch’s
halls and as the shield of his will in battle; Burning
Eyes, who were the Angel’s shadow agents and Angel’s
Tears who were his Destroyers, scouring away those he
decreed unworthy of being saved with dread weapons.
The Primarch
Sanguinius
Baal was a world long dead, reduced to ruins and
rad-blasted wastes by long forgotten wars. There
the Angel, Sanguinius, was found – a true and
beautiful being with pristine white wings, upon
the choking rad-dust. He raised Baal’s primitive,
mutant tribes up by his own ideals. His was to
be a legacy of conquest tempered with justice
and knowledge, and amongst his brothers he
was first in virtue and beloved by all, even the
most recalcitrant. When reunited with the IXth,
he did not demand allegiance from his Legion,
but offered them his own. He redeemed this
broken Legion; seeing in his sons the nobility
and potential they were born with, and declared
them ‘Angels of Blood’, reshaping them with
his wisdom.
Sanguinius was blessed with a sliver of the
Emperor’s psychic foresight and was able to see
glimpses of the future. This gift saved his Legion
many times, but also taunted him with dire
premonitions and beset him with doubts over
his choices. This unpredictable sight showed
Sanguinius the moment of his own death at the
hands of his beloved brother, Horus, at the height
of the galactic rebellion. The knowledge of his fate
brought only sorrow, pain and doubt, eating away
at the angelic mien of the Primarch until the final
days of the Horus Heresy, when at last, acceptance
would enliven Sanguinius with fiery conviction.
Primogenitor: Ferrus Manus (also known as
‘The Gorgon’)
Pacification and Suppression Campaigns, Antimatériel Operations.
Cognomen: (Prior) None officially recognised.
Informally: the ‘Iron Tenth’. Note that the cognomen
‘Storm Walkers’ was gradually gaining de-facto use
immediately prior to contact with their Primarch, but
was quickly extinguished in favour of the ‘Iron Hands’.
Noteworthy Domains: The Medusa system (Primary),
sixteen other systems held in tributary fiefdom
at the closure of the Great Crusade, numerous
independently operated outpost way-stations and
holdfasts established – full number and position
remains unknown.
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Armoured and Highintensity Warfare, Line Breaker Attacks, Planetary
Warriors of Albia
The martial history of the Xth Legion is relatively welldocumented. It primarily drew recruits from the warlike
cultures of Old Albia, renowned for their brutality, which
lent the nascent Xth a fierce warrior pride.
In the first years of the Great Crusade, the Legion earned
great renown for its bellicose strategies; pioneering a
combined arms method of war in conjunction with the
Excertus Imperialis known as ‘the Hammer and the
Storm’. This was developed and put to great use against
the xenos Orks on the planet known as Rust, but was
used by the Xth Legion many times. First the Imperialis
Auxilia forces would make planetfall en-masse via the
brute power of their landing ships, digging into their
beachhead. This was the Storm. When the enemy
came to meet them in numbers almost beyond count,
came the Hammer – the armoured spearhead of the Xth
Legion’s tanks, with Dreadnoughts and warriors on foot
following close behind to break the enemy’s back. This
hammer blow earned many grand victories for the Xth
Legion during the Great Crusade.
The Legion gained much renown for its cooperation
with the Imperial Army, its effective leadership and its
strategic prowess. The Xth went on to earn a reputation
for remorseless, highly-coordinated warfare, and a
particular fame for successfully prosecuting ‘set-piece’
battles incorporating close armoured-vehicle support was
attributed to the Legion.
A Perfect Instrument of War
As is perhaps unsurprising in so calculating and
methodical a master as Ferrus Manus, the Iron Hands
Legion was a highly structured military force, with
numerous tactical and strategic divisions of power and
organisation within its ranks. The Iron Hands Legion
was deliberately composed of a series of interlocking
components, each with its own specialisation, duties
and chain of command, beholden only to itself and its
Allegiance: Fedelitas Constantus
immediate superiors. Each of these components; be
they Legionary squad, armoured vehicle squadron or
support elements came together first as companies.
But beyond this, each company was a part of a larger
grouping with its own independent command,
support and logistical network, armoury and fleet
created for a particular campaign or battle. These
formations were referred to as Orders and were
superficially equivalent to a specialised battalion in
general Legiones Astartes terms, but far more concrete
in composition and independent in operation. Multiple
orders were then often formed into a larger single
‘Clan’ grouping, and sometimes units from different
Clans fought together within them, often as rivals for
glory and achievement.
Clans were notionally the Iron Hands’ equivalent of
the chapters of other Legions but were, in practice, of
distinct character, being patterned to a larger extent
on the Medusan feudal system and were linked to the
planet’s nomadic barbarian populations as recruiting
bases. These Iron Hands Clans were in fact ‘pocket
Legions’, fully self-sufficient and self-supplied, and
each had a single Chieftain, Iron Lord or Iron Father
to rule them by Primarch-given right. Each Clan had
a very real and distinct identity and each vied against
each other for glory, attainment and for resources,
as well as for the favour of their Primarch. Where
a warrior of the Clans failed their Legion or their
Primarch, they were offered a forlorn hope, to be
separated from their Clan and serve the Legion at the
very fiercest point of battle as an ‘Immortal’, to die with
steadfast courage and cold fury. The level of integration
and strength the Iron Hands Legion’s system
manifested was extraordinary if somewhat inflexible.
Whether deployed as a single company or a full Legion
in scale, it was a crushing leviathan when in action
against which no foe could stand, but also at times
brutally intractable and slow to change course through
its single-minded pursuit of its starting objectives.
T
The Primarch
Ferrus Manus
The Primarch Ferrus Manus, known as ‘the Gorgon’ and blessed
with arms of living metal which gave his Legion its name, was
among the first of the Emperor’s lost sons to be discovered. He
was found on Medusa, a cold, barren realm, driven for countless
generations to incessant clan warfare through privation and
hardship. Medusa maintained a great deal of mechanical
and technological lore, though it was little understood
by its superstitious denizens. Ferrus Manus displayed an
uncompromising intelligence and aptitude towards mastery
of technology and the forging of Medusa’s sciences, and rose
quickly to prominence to unite the clans.
Ferrus Manus’ transition from planetary warlord to general of
the Great Crusade was a swift one, aided by his evident hunger
for the task of galactic conquest set before him and his diligent
application to this greater calling. When reunited with his Legion
he took command of it body and soul, renaming it and remaking
it in his image. The Primarch assessed the Xth with the precision
and intent with which an artisan might deconstruct a mechanical
chronograph, reconfigure its components and re-assemble it in a
fashion more to his liking.
Ferrus Manus and his Legion cared little for the minutiae and
bureaucracy of the Great Crusade, they saw their task as a clear
one: to expand the borders of the Imperium and to destroy
its enemies—nothing more. They disdained the politics of the
Imperial Court and the pursuit of glory as petty trifles, and left the
task of rebuilding what they had shattered to those better suited
to the task. When once asked of his Legion’s role in the Great
Crusade, Ferrus Manus is held to have simply stated: “Make war
and move on, and again, and again, until nothing breathes which
stands against us. All else is sophistry and pretty lies”.
he Legion maintained a particularly
extensive and sophisticated arsenal
of war engines —especially tanks,
armoured vehicles and Dreadnought
walkers— the equal of any Legion save
perhaps for Perturabo’s IVth. Thanks to
long-standing ties to elements of the
Mechanicum and the technological
aptitude displayed by many of its
number, the Legion maintained access
to numerous cybernetic implant
systems seldom seen outside the ranks
of the Machine Cult. It is also worthy
of note that the Iron Hands Legion,
and its master Ferrus Manus, was at
the forefront of the introduction of a
number of weapons systems and armour
patterns over the course of the Great
Crusade. The fruits of some, such as
their contribution of the prototype
Indomitus pattern to the Tactical
Dreadnought Armour project (used
by their Gorgon Terminator elite) and
the powerful Stormbreaker pattern
thunder hammer, would later be widely
disseminated to the rest of the Legions.
Many patterns and creations they shared
with their trusted allies amongst the
Mechanicum, while the secrets of certain
other weapons and metallurgic and
cybermantic crafts, particularly those
dangers of Old Night recovered during
the Great Crusade, they kept in Ferrus
Manus’ secret Vaults of Mimir.
At the very onset of the Horus Heresy,
Ferrus Manus and his Legion were drawn
into the trap set by Horus and his Traitor
Legions, and their once bright legacy was
almost entirely extinguished. Ferrus was
slain and this wrought a terrible legacy
on the Legion’s psyche, for they believed
unquestioningly in his inviolable power. A
bitter psychosis swept through the ranks
of the Iron Hands, for if the Primarch’s
flesh had failed him, surely that of his
sons would fail them in turn. Others
would look to the technologies sealed
away by Ferrus Manus, unleashing terrible
cybernetic nanyte-plagues and revivifying
their own dead in a process known as
‘turning the Keys of Hel’. A fractured,
Shattered Legion would remain of the Iron
Tenth, one whose rigidity would fail and
give way to malleability and an unceasing
quest for vengeance.
Legion Armourial
MkIII pauldron
MkIII pauldron with field
applied bonding studs
Legion Standard
Recovered from Urgall Depression,
Isstvan V.
Phobos pattern boltgun
[Legionary Name Redacted]
Morragul Clan-Company, Battle of Tredecimmia
Heavily field modified MkIII ‘Iron’ power armour with
significant bionic augmentation
Melta bomb, frag grenade and
krak grenade.
Primogenitor: Angron the Conqueror
Cognomen: (Prior) The War Hounds
Noteworthy Domains: Bodt [Muster World], Sarum
[Temporary Fortress Station], recruitment rights of
several feral worlds in the Segmenta Solar and Ultima.
The War Hounds
There was no particular bias as to the tribe or city state
from which the initial influx of recruits for the XIIth Legion
was drawn as there was in the case of several of the other
Legions, and its gene-strain was stable and unremarkable.
The XIIth’s first recorded engagement was as a spearhead
of shock troops during the Sa’afrik Liberation, mounting
direct annihilation assaults on enemy forces, both in open
battle and fortified positions. After its initial battles and
proving its mettle, the nascent Legion was largely held
in reserve by the Emperor during the latter Unification
Wars and through the re-conquest of the Sol System.
It is thought this was because the Emperor desired his
superlative shock force intact in the event of a sudden
reversal of the fortunes of war, or as a savage weapon to be
unleashed in case of disloyalty among the Emperor’s own.
During this time, the XIIth was kept in a state of constant
readiness, training relentlessly and steadily growing in
numbers, always straining at their leash to be loosed.
On those occasions during the Great Crusade when the
Legion was sent to war, it performed with almost gleeful
savagery, tearing apart whatever enemy it was given to
fight without mercy or falter, regardless of its own losses
and heedless of risk. Such was their tenacity and courage
as a fighting force that the Emperor dubbed the XIIth
Legion his ‘War Hounds’, a title that others may have seen
as a slight, but which the Legion was honoured to hold.
A Culture of Violence
Culture within the World Eaters was violent and
bloodthirsty, which was echoed in the shifting skein of the
Legion’s own rites and ceremonies. The martial traditions
of Old Terra and the War Hounds who had prided
themselves in their fury and courage above all else, were
replaced by Angron’s own red code of butchery and savage
competition. Each of the Legion’s ships maintained a
gladiatorial pit, where warriors would fight to prove their
strength and supremacy, sometimes to the death.
Hand-to-hand combat was always the Legion’s preferred form
of warfare, even before it took the Emperor-given name of
the War Hounds for itself. This did not mean that the Legion
lacked ability and competency in ranged engagements or
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Shock Assault,
Planet kill and Exterminatus Operations, Closequarters Actions (Space Hulk Purgation, Boarding
Operations, Line-breaker Attacks, ‘Forlorn Hope’
Objective Assaults).
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita
armoured warfare and supporting artillery attacks—indeed,
no lesser luminary of mechanised warfare than the Primarch
Ferrus Manus himself praised the War Hounds’ armoured
assault at Aldebaran Septus as the “epitome of iron-clad rage
given form”, but, for the War Hounds, such things were a
tactical means to an end. That end was successfully delivering
the killing force of the Legion—its Space Marines.
The XIIth Legion showed a considerable bias towards direct
assault and operations within the close and deadly confines
of the kinds of battlefields designated as ‘Zone Mortalis’
in strategic doctrine. This would continue under Angron’s
transition of command, and the Legion’s traditional
organisational structures were kept largely intact but often
further streamlined, with its ‘Echelons’ (as its chapterlevel structures were commonly named) being biased in
composition towards line infantry formations. These were
by their panoply and tactics a hybrid of tactical and close
assault troops for the main part, supported by dedicated
heavy assault units such as Terminators and specialised
units such as Land Speeder squadrons.
This organisation lent itself well to a highly-aggressive
strategic posture and belligerent strategy which, while
extremely costly in terms of casualties, was also highly
effective. This sudden overwhelming blow was designed
to keep the enemy pinned in place fighting this vanguard,
while a second wave of armour and heavier units followed
in its wake and smashed into areas of high resistance
revealed by the first wave. By these tactics, the World
Eaters’ onslaught overcame any resistance through sheer
fury, hurling themselves again and again at the foe until
their enemy broke and was cut down, fleeing in terror.
Legion Armourial
Line officer variant, MkIV
pauldron
Legion Armourial
MkIV pauldron
Legion Standard
Retrieved from enemy bearer,
Jubal Reprisal
Legionary Balcoth
Task Force Ygethddon, Signus Interdiction,
MkIV ‘Maximus’ power armour with symbolic modifications.
Legion Standard
Taking of Badlanding
The Butcher’s Nails
In order to cope with the rigours of their
training and ceaseless campaigning, a dark
practice evolved within the ranks of the
World Eaters – the use of psycho-surgical
implants known as the ‘Butcher’s Nails’.
This device enhanced aggression and pain
tolerance far beyond that which even the
gene-engineered flesh of a Space Marine
could bear, but left them devoid of joy or
peace save for that found in battle.
Angron had been subjected to the Butcher’s
Nails by his slave masters, and this cranial
implant served as the template for his
Legion. However, Angron’s implants were
relics of a long-lost technology, little
understood even by their makers, and
removing them from Angron for close study
would have proved fatal to the Primarch.
Indeed, they appeared to be slowly killing
the Primarch, and his mental state and
self-control deteriorated, leading him to
sacrifice his Legion in ever more callous
ways. Because of this, early attempts to
duplicate them by the combined efforts of
the Legion’s Techmarines and Apothecaries
appear to have been far from successful,
and resulted in high rates of mortality
and irrecoverable homicidal frenzy on
test recruits.
However, as time progressed, viable
technology was replicated and steadily
improved and entire newly-formed
companies of recruits were implanted,
as well as existing World Eaters who
volunteered for the dangerous operation.
The majority of these were absorbed back
into the Legion’s line units, while those
deemed perhaps too unstable for such tasks
joined a growing number of near-berserker
assault units known as Rampager squads,
and within these, those too far gone to be
anything but restrained between battles
simply became known as the Caedere or the
‘Butchers’ —a frightening portent of what
was to come for the Legion.
Angron was easily turned to the designs of
the Warmaster, and would be counted as one
of his first and, initially, most loyal allies. A
vision of blood, he cut a terrible path though
his own Legion at Isstvan III, and when at
last he was done, the World Eaters were
dedicated utterly to the Warmaster’s cause.
The Primarch
Angron
Most stories told of Angron’s early life cast him as being
discovered at a young age upon an unknown world. Those that
found him were in service to a decadent and vicious ruling elite
for whom human blood sport was the greatest art and principal
entertainment. It was to these murderous games that the young
Primarch was bound by the slavers and gladiatorial masters. In
time, he became a killer the likes of which they had never before
seen, Angron—the Lord of the Red Sands.
Angron led a rebellion against his masters, the culmination
of which took place as the Emperor arrived above his world.
The Emperor had watched with pride as Angron had led his
outmatched revolt, but chose to intervene. Upon offering
Angron a place by his side, the Emperor was refused; Angron
had sworn to live and die with his followers, and could not
tolerate a new master. The Emperor, however, would not
accept this, and forcibly teleported the enraged Primarch away
from the slaughter. Angron would never forgive his father, for
without the Primarch’s leadership the slave uprising failed and
his compatriots were mercilessly slaughtered.
When reunited with his Legionaries, Angron firstsaw them as
enemies, killing many before understanding their nature and
their devotion to him, and when he finallyaccepted them he
promised them a crusade sated by bloodlust, that they would eat
worlds together. To his Legionaries, the mutilated, bloody, reeking,
wrathful figurethat now stalked among them as their master
swiftly became a kind of savage messiah; a greater warrior than any
had known, an exemplar of a brutal ideal of honour and combat
that sang to their souls. Angron became to them their firstmaster;
displacing, for many, the loyalty they had once only given their
Emperor, becoming their judge, their general and a conqueror
whose banner they would follow into the depths of hell itself.
Primogenitor: Roboute Guilliman
Cognomen: (Prior) No single cognomen officially
recognised, however several sub-divisions of the XIIIth
had gained widely accepted de facto cognomen before
unification with the Legion’s primogenitor (ref: ‘the
Aurorans’, ‘the Nemesis’, ‘the Desert Lions’, etc) which
were later subsumed or discarded. (Early Great Crusade
– informal/antiquated; the ‘War-born’).
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Mass
Assault, Targeted Decimation, Planetary
Interdiction, Liberation and Limited Theatre
Compliance Campaigns.
Noteworthy Domains: The Realm of Ultramar (a
semi-autonomous administrative region of the Ultima
Segmentum, accorded full rights of governance and
muster by decree of the Emperor, comprising a division
popularly known as the ‘Five Hundred Worlds’). Primary
Legion headquarters centred on the world of Macragge
(strategic command and primary armoury), secondary
Legion establishments at Armatura (Legion training
and indoctrination hub), Konor (forge and secondary
armoury) and Calth (fleet base, under re-construction
and expansion at the outbreak of the Horus Heresy).
Several outpost stations and their attendant colonies
established beyond the borders of Ultramar during the
Great Crusade (Honorum, Ulixis, Gathis Secondus, etc).
Allegiance: Fedelitas Constantus
The War-born
th
The XIII Legion drew its first initiates from areas as
diverse as the sub-equatorial maglev clans of Panpocro, the
war families of the Saragon Enclave, the proud Midafrik
Hive Oligarchy and, most latterly, the anthropophagic
tribes of the Caucasus Wastes. As varied in culture and
origin as these groups were, they all had one factor in
common; their violent and often bitter resistance to the
later stages of Unification, a resistance broken ultimately
in each case not by negotiated surrender but nearannihilation. It was this which led to the first informal
cognomen by which the XIIIth Legion was known by the
forces alongside which it served—‘the War-born’.
In the Legion’s recruits was found a unique balance of
aggression and restraint, discipline and determination
which rendered them supremely suited for joint task
force operations and cross-theatre warfare. The Legion
also gained significant success in independent operations
where it took direct command of secondary support
forces of the Imperialis Auxilia; whether the professional
and elite regiments of the Solar Auxilia or the Terran
regiments of the ‘Old One Hundred’.
The XIIIth Legion’s campaigns during the Great Crusade
would only further add to its growing reputation of peerless
strategic ability, the Legion bringing human worlds to
heel without the heavy handed extermination favoured
by some of its brother Legions. In fact, the warriors of the
XIIIth avoided battles of attrition and prided themselves on
achieving strategic goals with the minimum expenditure of
life—and where salvageable human worlds were involved,
this desire was also extended to the minimisation of collateral
damage. The burgeoning XIIIth Legion was soon considered a
brotherhood of heroes of the fledgling Imperium.
Doctrines of the Ultramarines
The XIIIth Legion operated under a strict hierarchy where
each warrior’s responsibilities and duties were known at
all times. Roboute Guilliman had overall command of the
Legion, deciding its disposition and strategic objectives,
as well as taking command of whichever fleet or war
zone he was present in. Beneath the Primarch were the
Chapter Masters, each of whom led approximately 10,000
warriors and a contingent of Ultramar’s void fleet. Assisting
them were the cadre of senior officersand commanders,
the Legatii. Each chapter of the Legion contained ten
companies of one thousand Legiones Astartes commanded
by a captain, who was responsible for the tactical
deployment, efficiencyand training of his warriors.
Alongside the conventional order of battle with which
the Ultramarines operated, several unique formations
stood wholly apart from the traditional structure. The
Evocatii chapters were the training grounds of the Legion;
comprising two double-strength chapters composed of
both raw recruits from across Ultramar, as well as a core
of war-hardened veterans. Where other Legions blooded
their neophyte warriors at the forefront of their campaigns,
Guilliman assigned them firstto a tour of defensive
operations within the borders of Ultramar in conclusion to a
rigorous training regime which favoured both practical battle
experience and more rigorous and more lengthy cerebral
conditioning and memetic implantation than most other
Legions undertook. The Ultramarines recruited constantly
from their realm and beyond, and many Evocatii would not
be deemed worthy to become Legionaries. Of these, the
most promising aspirants joined the Vigil Opertii – Roboute
Guilliman’s covert police force – who suppressed rebellion
within the Five Hundred Worlds and acted as civil enforcers
under the military regime to maintain political stability.
Legion Armourial
Heavy Support Sergeant
Legion Armourial
Line Officer variant,
MkIII pauldron
Legion Standard
Commissioned by Legion High
Command and carried at Company
level in recognition of noteworthy
battle honours.
Invictus Sararvan
5 th Chapter Command Cadre, Dainhold Muster
MkIV ‘Maximus’ power armour with Invictarii artificer modifications
Artificer wrought
Thunder Hammer
A
later development, but of equal
importance, were the Invictarii; a veteran
cadre who served both as a Legion elite and as
a pool of warriors who through their actions
had singled themselves out for potential
future high command, not simply by bravery
or skill at arms, but also for displaying a
talent in governance, organisation and
administration. The most famed and
potent of these elite sub-formations were
the Invictarus Suzerain which formed the
retinues of the five Tetrarchs of Ultramar
(Chapter Masters and regents of the most
strategically crucial ‘king worlds’ of Ultramar),
and functioned as both a military force for
the defence of that fiefdom, arbiters of law for
the population and an honour guard for their
commander in battle. The individual forces
of these Suzerain Invictarus varied in size,
with Tetrarch Amyntas maintaining a force
of several thousand as feared peacekeepers
in the troubled worlds around Iax, while
Tetrarch Lamiad had but one hundred in his
guard, partly in deference to the Mechanicum
warriors who stood in Konor’s defence and
needed little aid in doing so. Members of
the Invictarii could also be found in limited
numbers spread out through the Legion’s
veteran units and stratas of command.
Through the Remembrancers and Iterators,
the Ultramarines are portrayed as paragons
of the Imperium. However the complexities
of the Legion’s divisive and antagonistic
relationships with many of its fellow
Legions, and its insularity and supercilious
mien during the Great Crusade is often
forgotten or concealed. It would be this
hidden history that was to bear bitter fruit
on Calth and cast a shadow over Ultramar
during the Horus Heresy.
The Primarch
Roboute Guilliman
Unlike so many of his kin, the Primarch of the Ultramarines
was born to be a king. The adopted son of Konor Guilliman,
from whom he took his name, rose quickly to prominence
on Macragge. A cold and forbidding planet, Macragge was
nonetheless a place of wondrous natural beauty and bred a
hardy and proud people. In years to come, it would become the
heart of the Ultramarines’ eastern empire, and its people would
fill the ranks of the Legion’s battle companies. By the time the
Emperor was reunited with Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch
had already transformed the world on which he found himself,
and was looking beyond the horizon to expand the reach of
his armies. From Roboute’s ambitions and desires the realm of
Ultramar was created; a human empire like few others in the
galaxy, with hundreds of worlds experiencing an unparalleled
time of peace and prosperity under his stewardship.
An obsessive strategist and administrator, Roboute Guilliman
possessed a powerful analytical intelligence, as well as a talent
for statecraft and macro-organisation of staggering potential. As
swiftly as he put his plans for Ultramar into action, he embarked
on the root and branch reorganisation of his Legion. He impressed
his own values and talents upon the Space Marines under his
command, espousing a dual doctrine which embraced in parallel
the ancient and deterministic values of the warrior: courage,
discipline, skill and adaptability, definedas that which was
‘practical,’ and on the other: planning, precedent, analysis and
assessment, definedas that which was ‘theoretical.’ Both were of
equal weight and value, one complementing and informing the
other, blending together as the metals which made a fineblade.
This became the Legion’s doctrine and its creed, developed over
the course of the Great Crusade and later codifiedby the Lord of
Macragge in his Magnum Opus, the Codex Astartes.
Primogenitor: Mortarion the Reaper
Noteworthy Domains: Barbarus
Cognomen: (Prior) The Dusk Raiders
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Heavy Infantry
Assault, Attritional Warfare, Hazard/Death Zone
Warfare, Xenos Eradication and Purgation Operations
The Dusk Raiders
The Reapers
The main bulk of the gene-recruits for the XIVth Legion
were drawn from the warlike clans of Albia, and it was the
traditions of those feared warlords which shaped their
character. These earliest warriors were of especially stoic
temperament and showed a gene-crafted aptitude for
operating in the role of heavy infantry. They were experts
at survival and endurance, and quickly gained a reputation
as relentless and disciplined fighters.In defence, they were
stubborn and indefatigable – able to stand unwaveringly
against the heaviest weapons fireand hold their position to
the last living body and bolt shell if needed. In attack, they
systematically destroyed a given target, crashing upon an
enemy, excelling in close range firefightsand bloody attrition.
The Death Guard fought tirelessly in the pursuit of the
liberation of Mankind, displaying a fervour the Great
Crusade had never known. Mortarion carried an unshakable
determination that Mankind should be free of oppression
and terror, and that victory, earned without restraint, limit or
mercy was justified.Nor did he baulk in the face of horrific
rates of attrition. This was Barbarus’ bleak creed of war. The
Legion’s restless and indomitable fleet ploughed the cold void
from one campaign to the next, resupplying in transit, never
pausing but to make war. Its warriors did not garrison nor
build. They only tore down and slew, coldly, determinately
and with the inexorable progress of a contagion or a tsunami
wave, and worlds fell before them.
The Legion favoured the Old Albian tactic of conducting
major ground attacks at fall of night when the shift
of light confounded an enemy’s watch, and gathering
darkness would shadow an advance across open ground,
earning it the name of ‘Dusk Raiders’. Such was the
Legion’s reputation during the Unification Wars and the
Great Crusade that foes given the ultimatum of attack
by the Dusk Raiders would often waver in their resolve,
and their defenders would melt away as the coming
of darkness drew near. As relentless as they were in
attack, the Dusk Raiders were known to be honourable
opponents as well. Such honour extended only to worthy
human foes, however – to the degenerate, the mutant and
the alien, no mercy was given, and when destruction was
called for, nothing would stay the Legion’s hand.
The Death Guard cared little for heraldry, badges of honour
or emblems of rank, instead their armour was decorated
with the damage of battle itself; marks of their endurance.
As the Great Crusade wore on, the Legion’s appearance
became increasingly sinister, as did its reputation. Strange
rituals of inhaling or imbibing toxins became commonplace.
The Legion’s Librarius was disbanded thanks to Mortarion’s
hatred of witchery (powers wielded by the erstwhile masters
of Barbarus), and Mortarion spoke adamantly against Legion
battle-psykers at Nikaea. The Legion also did not baulk from
the use of widely hated alchem-weapons and rad munitions,
regularly consuming planets in phosphex fireand expunging
life with viral payloads disdained by the rest of the Imperium.
Soon, stockpiles of these weapons of last resort were the
reserve of the XIVth Legion, its cruel master dealing death and
devastation to entire star systems with impunity. The Great
Crusade had set out to save worlds, however, not to destroy
them, and by association with these weapons the Legion was
consigned to dark corners and only the most nightmarish
of campaigns.
The Dusk Raiders fought unwaveringly in the Great Crusade
for almost a century, becoming self-reliant and taking a
quiet, stubborn pride in their many martial triumphs. When
reunificationwith their Primarch finallycame, it was not to
be a long hoped for catharsis, for instead a pall fell across the
Legion. Under this shadow, the Dusk Raiders were broken
down, and only the Death Guard remained.
Ranks of the Macabre
Mortarion possessed a razor-sharp intelligence and a flare
for organisational simplicity and efficiency. The Death
Guard fought as one body, often led from the front by
their Primarch. Obedience and order was absolute and
expected, and a clear and unbroken chain of command
ran like blood in the Legion’s veins. No formal heraldry
was maintained, and the only ranks outside of highlyspecialised roles were those of the commanders of
the seven Grand Companies, and their subordinate
captains and sergeants. When an officer died in battle,
his successor stepped into his place swiftly and decisively
without need for orders, and so the Legion’s chain of
command was seamless even under the heaviest losses.
The Primarch
Mortarion
Barbarus, the world on which the young Mortarion
fell, was sinister and lethal, its colossal mountains
perpetually shrouded in poisonous fogs that
could strip flesh from bone, while the valleys far
below were a realm of perpetual gloom. It was the
domain of savage, alien overlords who ruled over an
entrapped and preyed-upon human population as
cruel and terrible gods. Mortarion was captured as
an infant, and trained by the most terrible of these
overlords to become a living weapon. Eventually
escaping his prison, Mortarion learned that he
was kin not to the monstrous beings which held
him captive but to the humans they preyed upon.
Swearing vengeance, he organised the feral human
inhabitants of Barbarus and brought death and
annihilation to the xenos, an act he would repeat on
hundreds of worlds when reunited with his Legion.
Mortarion was a towering and silent figure, his
flesh gaunt and pale and his black eyes hollow
and haunted from the waking nightmare he had
lived. He was a taciturn, remorseless lord that
brooked no disagreement and sought above all
justice and revenge. To the Dusk Raiders, the very
graven image of Terra’s Grim Reaper came before
them as their new master. His words to them
were simple and delivered in a harsh whisper that
nevertheless carried to each and every one: “You
are my unbroken blades, my Death Guard. By your
hand shall justice be delivered, and doom shall stalk a
thousand worlds”. And with that, the Dusk Raiders
were no more.
The Legion was fundamentally organised around infantry,
with each warrior of the Legion on foot carrying the
utilitarian panoply required to fight anywhere, hold
any ground and destroy any enemy with resilience and
resolve. Individual Space Marines were equipped as well as
possible to operate for extended periods without resupply
or support if needed, carrying a combination of bolter and
close combat blade, broad trench daggers and even the
heavy slashing kukra and war-scythes of Barbarus. These
simple but brutal and efficient weapons were the hallmark
of the Legion.
The Legion lacked extensive elite units with only a few
exceptions. It made heavy use of Dreadnoughts and units
equipped with Terminator armour. The Deathshroud
were singled out by Mortarion for their skill-at-arms and
their proven endurance – they formed Mortarion’s silent
bodyguard, and at least two of their number remained
within forty-nine paces of their Primarch at all times. The
Grave Wardens were specialised alchem-destroyers, who
brought a lingering, ugly death wherever they walked.
However, such units were seldom seen en masse in the
Death Guard’s battle-ranks, for Mortarion believed that
even a single power armoured Legionary could kill a world
given enough time and endurance.
Tactical squad with unit numeral,
MkIII pauldron
Legion Armourial
MkIV pauldron
Legion Standard
Commissioned in remembrance
of those fallen in glory during the
Alvena Compliance
Destroyer Veteran
MkIV helmet
Legionary Sollan Gath
33 rd Tactical Squad, 6th Great Company, Harrowing of Dominica Minor
Hybrid MkIII ‘Iron’ power armour incorporating Legion specific artificer modifications
Veteran
Legion-specific helmet variant
Primogenitor: Magnus the Red
Noteworthy Domains: Prospero
Cognomen: (Prior) None.
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Psychic Warfare,
Precision Assaults, Misdirection, Lore Culling, Macrocoordination Multi-theatre Campaigns
Signs and Portents
A Psychic Brotherhood
The XVth was among the last in the line of the creation
of the Legiones Astartes. The conquest of Terra was
already complete, Luna had fallen, and the first-born
Legions had started to bring the rest of the Sol System
to heel. It was a time of transition, a time of endings as
well as beginnings, and into this time the XVth Legion
were born. Strange portents and ill-omens surrounded
the creation of the Legion. Its aspirants would be free
from flaw, drawn from the Achaemenid Empire, the
Enclaves of the Fire Lords of Oaus, and the Kashai
Domain on Terra, realms known for the stability and
ancient purity of their bloodlines. In the first years
of the Great Crusade, the reputation and strength
of the Legion grew at an accelerated pace. It reaped
multiple victories and often fought alongside brother
Legionaries, being held high in esteem by even the
savage VIth and iconoclasts of the XVIIth Legions.
In remaking the Legion, Magnus created the Prosperine
Cults. Each Cult specialised in a single strand of psychic
power and every psyker of manifest power within
the Legion belonged to a Cult which mirrored their
foremost ability.
A decade after the Great Crusade spilled beyond
Sol, the first of the Thousand Sons began to openly
manifest potent psychic abilities. These, it is thought,
were the result of an aberration in their gene-seed
which heightened psychic ability and unlocked
even latent sensitivities to the Warp. These abilities
would further shape the Legion, giving rise to some
of its most notable warriors, but also introducing
instability and mutation into its ranks in the form of
the so-called Flesh Change. This horrific and fatally
degenerative mutation was triggered by loss of control
while channelling psychic power, and afflicted the
Legion in great numbers, until its rising strength of
tens of thousands was reduced to a mere thousand
Legionaries. The Flesh Change was a closely guarded
secret of the Thousand Sons, and though mutation was
far from uncommon in the galaxy, its link to the rising
psychic powers of the Legion did not go unnoticed. The
condemnations and calls for the Legion to be expunged
for its impurity grew in intensity and strength as the
Thousand Sons withered. Fate, however, had different
plans for the Legion.
The Pavoni concerned themselves with the interaction of
the ætheric and living flesh. Biomancers, they were fleshshapers and re-makers, and their initiates could channel
the powers of the Warp to harden their flesh against
damage, boil the blood of their enemies, and even to heal
the flesh and bones of their own bodies. Deeply connected
to the processes of life, the Pavoni were often said to hold
the heart and the passions of the Legion, and in matters of
doctrine, oratory and belief, their adepts often dominated.
The Raptora were masters of bending physical reality
to their will, employing psychokinesis to control
fundamental forces such as gravity. They could conjure
shields of invisible energy, crush metal with their minds
and summon storms of debris to flay their foes. Many of
the Raptora were also amongst the Legion’s most gifted
theoreticians and scholars, noted for the coldness and
cleanness of their reasoning and their logic.
The Corvidae were soothsayers and augurs who bent
their abilities to touch the flow of time and consequence.
Perhaps the most subtle of all the Cults, it was said by
their fellows that the Corvidae could read the past in a
dying man’s breath, could glimpse far distant possibilities
and even manipulate the flow of one second to another by
the force of their minds alone. The mark of the Corvidae
was also the mark of the Legion’s greatest strategists and
generals, and it is no coincidence that Ahriman, Chief
Librarian of the Thousand Sons and foremost of its
leaders at the dawning of the Horus Heresy,
was Magister Templi of the Corvidae.
Legion Armourial
Late Great Crusade Era Tactical
Command Iconography,
MkIV pauldron
Fellowship Command
MkIV pauldron
Fellowship Standard
Second Fellowship.
Carried at Fall of Guranta D.
Legion Armourial
Consular Variant,
MkIV pauldron
Shai-captain Tachus Makt
Fifth Fellowship, Third Tactical Support Battalion, 493 rd Expeditionary Fleet
MkIV ‘(Maximus’) power armour with Legion-specific modifications and
personal adornments.
Votive Glyph Pattern
MkIII pauldron
T
he Athanean’s secrets were bound to the workings and
manipulations of the mind and thought. Both subtle
and powerful telepaths, they held the Legion together
in battle, channelling orders and intent seamlessly into
the minds of its warriors, forming a communications
network unbreakable and unparalleled in scope. Because
of this, it often seemed not an army of individuals but of
machines driven by a single, indomitable will. Outside
of the clamour of battle, many of the Cult were given to
asceticism and withdrawn contemplation: a consequence
of their contact with the thoughts of others, perhaps.
They were often also used as emissaries to other Legions
and factions of the wider Imperium.
The Pyrae’s abilities expressed themselves in a terrifying
manner—the control and creation of fire. Their thoughts
could become hell-storms burning as bright as a star’s
fury, and their touch could reduce metal to slag in mere
moments. Most bellicose of all the Cults, the Pyrae
excelled in destruction, and their smouldering pride beat
with the heat of the Legion’s martial heart.
As well as relying on their formidable psychic gifts, the
Legion was still a thoroughly drilled and trained body of
Space Marine warriors, possessing the finestequipment and
armoured support, and excelling in almost every aspect of
conventional warfare. When combined with their aetheric
ability, the Legion was a terrifying weapon indeed. In addition
to the core structures of the Legion, there were Orders
which existed both within and beyond its circumference.
Known by the symbol of a poised serpent, the Order of Ruin
were a sect of mystics said to be obsessed with numerology
and the hidden structure of the universe. The Order of the
Jackal had a presence in every other structure and faction
of the Thousand Sons, including the other Orders. The role
of this small Order was twofold: to remember the dead and
to raise the next generation of warriors for the Legion. It is
only by extrapolation, and the interpretation of scraps of
intelligence, that the wider Imperium knows of the existence
of the third Order, the Order of Blindness. Thought to have
been headed by Magnus’ equerry, and former tutor, Amon,
the so-called Hidden Ones appear to have been an Order
of infiltrators,spies, interrogators and scouts deployed to
gather intelligence.
After the use of psychic powers by the Legions was
forbidden by the Edict of Nikaea, Magnus and his
Thousand Sons withdrew to their home world, ostensibly
chastised by the Emperor. There Magnus, via psychic
means, discerned the danger Horus posed to the Emperor
and the fledgling Imperium, and tried to warn the Master of
Mankind. As events transpired the warning failed, and only
contributed to the Warmaster exploiting the opportunity of
the Space Wolves’ censure of Magnus the Red to eliminate
a rival in the Thousand Sons. The Legion’s future would be
defined by the cataclysmic battle for Prospero.
The Primarch
Magnus the Red
The Legion’s home world of Prospero was a
polished jewel glittering alone in the long dark of
night. While many worlds which had cradled the
lost Primarchs, it seemed, were often unremittingly
soaked in darkness, cruelty and blood, Prospero had
achieved an ascendency over such barbarity. This
was the place where the Primarch Magnus the Red
came to settle, within Tizca – the City of Light, and
Citadel of Reason on Prospero. There he absorbed
the lessons of the city’s masters and soon exceeded
their skill in every area of psychic discipline,
scholarship and endeavour. Tizca flowered as never
before under Magnus, the ‘Crimson King’ of its
empire of dreams.
Magnus was the tallest of the Primarch siblings, a
giant with reddish skin and possessing only one eye.
He was erudite and considered in his manner and
rhetoric, earning a reputation for wisdom among
his brothers. He was also an extremely potent
psyker, second only to the Emperor in power.
Magnus reunited with his Legion at the critical
moment as it was overcome by the Flesh Change.
Only his vast intellect and power as a psyker
allowed him to save his Legion from certain doom.
He turned all of his power, lore and learning to
discovering a way to lift the curse which was killing
his sons, and though he was successful, his ‘cure’
came at a great cost, and the Legion was forever
changed by his hand.
Primogenitor: Horus Lupercal
Noteworthy Domains: Cthonia, Serenax, resource
tithe rights on 37 other primary worlds.
Cognomen: (Prior) The Luna Wolves
Allegiance: Traitor Maximus
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Shock Assault,
Harrowing Actions and Strategic Decapitation Strikes.
The Luna Wolves
Much of the XVIth Legion’s early intake was drawn
from the hunter-clans of Terra’s Jutigran Bowl and the
Samsatian sub-plate slums. Perpetual conflict and the
harshness of life on the desolate margins had given these
people the hard edge of ruthlessness and independence,
and this character lay at the heart of the nascent Legion.
Ever they sought to be first in glory, and struck with brutal
finality before any other could lay claim to their kill. It was
said of the XVIth Legion that it was unleashed to begin and
end wars its enemies did not yet know they were fighting.
The First Pacification of Luna, at the very onset of the Great
Crusade, was perhaps the most famous of the Legion’s early
victories, and it was from here it earned its first name, for
the Selenite Clans were so shaken by their onslaught that
they pleaded for the Emperor to “call off his wolves”. The
Legion’s tally of victories would only swell, and its culture
would rapidly evolve with the rediscovery of their Primarch
on the planet Cthonia early in the Great Crusade. The first
of the foundling Primarchs to be reunited with his Legion,
Horus took total command with an easy confidence,
moulding the Legion to his own vision.
The Luna Wolves under Horus won many lauded victories
during years of ceaseless conflict, but one would eclipse
all others. On Ullanor, the Imperium broke the greatest
Orkoid empire in known existence, called by some the
last true threat to humanity’s domination of the galaxy.
Here, Horus slew the Overlord Urlakk Urg with his own
hand and was proclaimed Warmaster for his deeds by
the Emperor. In honour of Horus and his conquests, the
XVIth would no longer be the Luna Wolves. Their armour
would be re-adorned in the cold green of a sea in storm.
In place of the crescent moon and wolf’s head, a single,
unblinking reptilian eye would stare from their pauldrons.
Reborn, the Sons of Horus had risen with their father to
an unrivalled height, recognised without exception as the
first in glory amongst all of the Legiones Astartes.
Tip of the Spear
As the personal Legion of the Warmaster, the XVIth Legion
was rarely absent from the forefront of the fighting, and
its doctrines and tactics reflected this method of warfare.
It excelled at the application of precise force against a
specific weakness, its warriors favouring close range fire
saturation and landing the killing blow on a downed,
outnumbered foe – a tactic drawn from the brutal gang
traditions of their adopted world of Cthonia.
To facilitate this means of warfare, Horus preferred to
avoid numerous layers of fixed organisation. Instead of a
formal structure, he would group companies and individual
units together as required for the execution of a particular
campaign. The commander of such a formation would
usually be a senior captain. If the formation was especially
large then other captains would take on the role of
lieutenants to the overall commander until the completion
of the campaign. These formations rarely had formal titles,
but the Sons of Horus commonly referred to formations
intended to prosecute a rapid assault as ‘Speartips’. In
eschewing formality and fixed structure above the basic
level of the company, Horus demonstrated his pragmatism
and his preference for waging war with judged precision.
Within the Sons of Horus Legion, squads commonly had
their own honorific or epithetic titles rather than simple
numeration: Illuminators Prime, Death Makers, Jerrok’s
Reavers, the First Sons, and similar, while some were
named for the sergeant or chieftain that led them where
their leader’s own reputation was strong enough alone.
Many of these titles betrayed the culture of Cthonian gang
honours and the tradition of reputation and internecine
warfare. This had, over the years, grown steadily stronger
within the rank and file of the Legion’s intake.
O
The Warmaster
Horus Lupercal
Once a world of riches colonised in the lost past, Cthonia had been gutted over
thousands of years and left a hollowed-out carcass. Death came easily and its
people were grim and savage as a result, but from this barbaric world would
rise the greatest general the galaxy would ever witness – Horus Lupercal.
Contradiction and omission tarnishes all accounts of Horus’ formative
years. For every grain of truth as to his origins there are a dozen legends
and myths, the great leader himself only adding to the tally. It is believed he
was the first of the Primarchs to be found, and spent long years alone with
the Emperor before his father’s attentions were split between his Primarch
brothers. One thing remains without question, and that is that both before
and after the Warmaster’s fall from the light he remained a superlative
leader, master tactician and peerless orator, the like of which the galaxy
had not before seen, nor has borne witness to since. Many say he was
second only to the Emperor Himself in charisma and will.
As Warmaster, Horus was a peerless diplomat and general, able to convince
any of his brother Primarchs to the justness of a cause for which he
desired their Legions. To mortals he was a demi-god whose majesty alone
cowed Lords Marshal, though he was never accused of abusing his own
majesty, instead always debating strategy in equal and open discourse and
respecting the views of those around him. Always Horus would be seen
in good humour, surrounded by his brother Primarchs and Imperialis
Auxilia advisors. It was the great tragedy of the age that the Emperor’s
favoured son would fall to darkness and treachery. The spark that gave fire
to the rebellion in Horus’ heart must remain a mystery which can never be
perceived by mortals. Only those who were there, that saw and heard all
may know, and they are lost. What is known is that during the time after
he became Warmaster, Horus fell grievously ill while quelling a rebellion on
the moons of Davin and was taken by his warriors to one of the Davinite
warrior lodges. What transpired within the walls of that place is unknown,
all that can be said with any certainty is that from the moment of his
stepping from the Serpent Lodge on Davin, Horus trod the path of heresy.
ne avatar of this increasing
influence was the late reemergence of Cthonian gangsigils graven into a particular
Space Marine’s armour recording
notable kills and deeds, as well as
to which company they belonged,
a practice which accelerated
rapidly after the Legion had
transitioned into its identity as
the Sons of Horus. This transition
marked not so much a new open
brutality in the Legion, but a
factor that had always been there
and had become more visible as
the Legion’s panoply finally began
to shrug off much of the influence
of Ancient Terra. In the final
days of the Great Crusade, the
white of the Luna Wolves turned
sea-green, then darkened further
to a murky verdigris green-black
as the Sons of Horus further
cast off the disciplined Terran
traditions of warfare and heraldry
and erred in pride and growling
malice towards the dark heart
of Cthonia, and its traditions of
gang-fiefdom, blood-pride and
merciless, incessant conflict.
The Sons of Horus have also
been documented as the first
Legion to foster warrior lodges,
those most secret societies of
like-minded battle-brothers.
Though they venerated no god
or occult principle, the ritual and
secret elements of the warrior
lodges did not fit with the ruthless
rationality of the Imperial Truth.
Frowned upon but tolerated, the
lodges persisted and flourished.
They survived, in part, because
many saw them as relatively
harmless, and, in part, because
they promoted fellowship within
and between Legions. It was a
misjudgment that would have
consequences that few could
imagine, as they were corrupted
by dark powers to act against
the interests of the Imperium.
Ultimately, it would be the Sons
of Horus and their Primarch
which tore the galaxy asunder.
Artificer-wrought
helm variant
Command Variant
MkII helm
Legion Standard
Commissioned in recognition of the
Harrowing of Ituss 3.
Ryza ‘Sunspite’ pattern
plasma pistol
Chieftain Ocram Adraan
‘The Butcher of the Icosian Districts’, 4th Company, 16 th Independent Battalion,
The Scouring of Old Tizca, Burning of Prospero
MkIV ‘Maximus’ pattern power armour featuring Legion Line Officer’s transverse crest
Charatran pattern
chainaxe
Primogenitor: Lorgar the Urizen, aka Lorgar Aurelian
Cognomen: (Prior) The Imperial Heralds, Iconoclasts
(informal)
Noteworthy Domains: Colchis, Melkeji, Ipisia,
Golkoron, garrison oversight and tithing rights on fiftythree other worlds.
Allegiance: Traitoris Maximus
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Mass Assault,
Policing Actions, Gnoetic Purgation, Suppression of
Ideological Revolt
The Imperial Heralds
From its earliest days, the XVIIth stood apart from its
brother Legions in both duty and outlook. While all the
Legiones Astartes fought with utter devotion, the warriors
of the XVIIth carried with them an air of zealotry. Recruited
from the sons of exterminated foes, they were trained and
raised to know the crimes of their forebears and the price of
mercy both. While others went to war with righteousness
in their hearts, the XVIIth fought with the cold fury that
only the at-once condemned and redeemed can truly know.
While other Legions acquired names later in their history,
the XVIIth were named as the Imperial Heralds at their
founding. That one amongst twenty should be singled out
might imply some special favour, but in truth it was a title
that spoke not to special honour, but to the Legion’s place
in the Emperor’s purpose. Where enemies stood against the
Emperor because of their belief in gods or the superstitions
of Old Night, it would fall to the XVIIth to deliver the
Emperor’s ultimatum: recant or be destroyed.
Once they had conquered, the Imperial Heralds would
seek out works which spoke of the power of sorcery, false
gods and irrationality. They emptied libraries, dividing
the contents into truth and falsity. Idols and the trappings
of worship would be cast down and pulled from temples
and shrines. It was a pattern they repeated across Ancient
Terra, earning themselves a second name. Few spoke
of the XVIIth as the Imperial Heralds. To their brother
Legions and the peoples of the new-born Imperium, they
were the Iconoclasts.
A Fanatical Legion
The Legion followed much of the structure of the Legiones
Astartes during its earliest incarnation. Warriors belonged
to squads, squads to companies and companies to chapters.
This functional hierarchy remained largely unchanged
from when the Legion was the Imperial Heralds until the
revelation of its treachery on Isstvan V. The rediscovery
of its Primarch and the influx of recruits from Colchis did
little to change the Legion’s basic structure, rather it added
layers of organisation. This additional layer was concerned
not with the composition of units on the battlefield, but
with the ideology of those units.
Companies were grouped together into chapters of
between 500 and 3,000 warriors. Each chapter bore a
name and sigil based on the constellations of Colchis:
the Serrated Sun, the Osseous Throne, the Crescent
Moon, the Weeping Hand, the Coiled Lash, the Exalted
Gate, the Twisting Rune, the Scold’s Bridle, the Night’s
Chalice—each were found within the Legion’s ranks.
These large formations were often the building blocks of
Word Bearers campaigns. Most Crusade fleets consisted of
at least one full chapter, and the largest several. Outside
of these chapters were elite formations such as the Ashen
Circle, the truest iconoclasts of the Legion, charged with
the shattering of religious edifices, the slaughtering of
false prophets and the burning of any book that did not
acknowledge the Emperor above all others.
Lorgar was both commander and spiritual father to his
Legion. The hierarchy of authority within the Legion
reflected this dual nature, divided between the military and
the spiritual, between mind and heart. On the one hand,
the Legion followed simple and robust lines of authority. A
chapter master led each chapter, a captain each company and
a sergeant each squad. It was common for a chapter master
to designate one of the captains as ‘sub commander’ to act
as his lieutenant. The second line of authority in the chapter
was spiritual. The Chaplains, although nominally attached to
companies and chapters, in reality were a brotherhood unto
themselves. While each was a warrior, their concerns were
not for the business of direct command, but for the strength
of their brothers’ spirits, for the clarity of their purpose and
the purity of their actions. Each Chaplain fittedinto his own
hierarchy, with ascending tiers of knowledge and respect.
High Chaplains were the ruling circle of their kind, and at
their centre was the First Chaplain.
The Word Bearers were also well known for the vassal
warbands and half-feral fanatics of mortal warriors
who accompanied them. Though they themselves were
fanatically devoted to the Legion, such forces were treated
as largely expendable. These were unleashed on world
after world, and yet their number never depleted, showing
that behind the Word Bearers stood millions more willing
to die at their command.
Flayed Hand Chapter Armourial
MkIII pauldron
Graven Star Chapter Armourial
MkII pauldron
Legion Standard
Post Monarchia issue.
Legionary Apis Merenkar
Nimarros Tactical Squad, 7th Assault Company, The Serrated Suns Chapter
MkIV ‘Maximus’ power armour with devotional scripts
Thunder Edge
pattern chainsword
H
alf a century before the outbreak of the
Horus Heresy, the Word Bearers were the
first Legionaries to embrace the powers of the
Warp; employing singular units such as the
Gal Vorbak. This was a title that, over time,
came to refer to any of the Word Bearers who
were possessed by the powers of the Warp,
but those who later bore the title were a lesser
breed of abomination compared to the first
of the Legion’s brethren who sealed their pact
with darkness. The Gal Vorbak were the first
of their kind; Space Marines and Daemons
fused into a single being. After the Word
Bearers revealed their true nature at Isstvan V,
the crimson of the Gal Vorbak spread to the
rest of the Legion in fits and starts, and new
Gal Vorbak walked with them, and the secrets
of their daemoniac warriors were spread to
several other Traitor Legions by the Legion’s
Diabolists. Irrespective of their power or
pedigree, there has been no greater defilement
of the Emperor’s work in creating the Space
Marines than these loathsome creatures.
The Priests and Diabolists of the Word
Bearers would remain at Horus’ side
throughout the galactic civil war, whispering
in his ear, as the architects of his damnation.
The Word Bearers were a curse upon the
galaxy in the Age of Darkness, spreading
across the stars seeking ritual and portent or
else unleashing the Warp as part of their pact
with dark gods. Few loyal Imperial Heralds
yet existed to oppose their Primarch, for in
seeking his ‘Primordial Truth’ Lorgar had
long since purged his Legion of those who
still worshipped the Emperor.
The Primarch
Lorgar
Colchis was a world of old gods. It is said that religion was in the
air, in the touch of the sun and the taste of the dust that hung in
the air. To its people, worship of higher powers was as much a
part of them as the beating of their hearts and the crying of their
children. Bound in feudal traditions it had once been a world
of technology, but those days lay forgotten in Old Night. When
the infant Lorgar fell from the sky of Colchis, his Legion had
yet to be born on Terra, and the faith of Colchis was held in the
hand of a priesthood called the Covenant. Raised amongst this
priestly caste, Lorgar would grow to become one of its number.
In time, he turned on those who had raised him, leading a
crusade to destroy them in the name not of the old gods, but of
one god, a god of gold and light who spoke to him in his dreams.
When the Emperor reached Colchis, there could be no doubt in
Lorgar’s mind that he knelt before his god.
Lorgar soon converted his Legion to his belief in the Emperor’s
divinity, using the nature of the Great Crusade itself. Across
countless fronts the Legion fought, suffered casualties and
recruited anew. As this attrition mixed the old with the new,
Lorgar’s sons accepted what was taught to them because it
was the only truth offered. In the case of those of Colchis, the
belief in the divine was ingrained into every thought from
birth. And when all was done, when the final Imperial Herald
had embraced the faith, when the last of the old Iconoclasts
had died, then Lorgar added the final flourish of ritual to seal
his victory. The Imperial Heralds would become the Word
Bearers. To the rest of the Imperium, still ignorant of the change
wrought in the XVIIth, the name reflected their part in bringing
the Imperial Truth to all of humanity. To Lorgar it was an
affirmation of his purpose: to give humanity faith in the god at
its pinnacle.
Primogenitor: Vulkan
Cognomen: (Prior) None officially recognised (see ref:
The Manticore Cataclysm – informal designation ‘The
Fearless’ used by Imperial Army units)
Noteworthy Domains: The Nocturne System
(Nocturne Primary, Moon of Prometheus LegionFortress), Caldera (Protectorate), Battle Station Geryon
Deep (Ateraxis System)
Allegiance: Fedelitas Totalis
Observed Strategic Tendencies: High Intensity
or Asymmetric Warfare, Zone Mortalis
Engagements, Planetary Interdiction, Liberation and
Defensive Operations
Trial by Fire
Promethean Cult
The XVIIIth Legion was one of the so-called ‘trefoil’
proto-Legions, its early histories, nature and role veiled
by edict of the Emperor and his agents. The XVIIIth
Legion gene-strain showed clearly both in temperament
and overtly in physiology. Of particular note was the
strength of constitution displayed by a fully developed
Legionary, which had measurable superiority to the already
superhuman Space Marine norms in relation to extreme
temperature tolerance, radiological resistance and cellular
repair. This variant gene-seed also had some unusual
outward effects, causing ‘ember-like’ bioluminescence
to their eyes and a tendency for skin pigmentation to
permanently darken in response to prolonged exposure to
high levels of potentially harmful radiation as part of the
biological defence mechanism, often adopting an unnatural
granite-like or obsidian quality with sufficientexposure.
At the battlefield level, circumstance as well as natural
temperament focused the Legion’s tactics on relatively
short range engagements, where it sought to counteract
enemy numbers by the use of confined area engagement
or shock assault. Here the individual physical power of
the Space Marine, his ability to endure and relentless fury
in battle, could be relied upon to inflict disproportionate
damage on almost any foe, although the inherent risks
were high. Such tactics naturally lent themselves to
short-range but devastating arms such as flame, volkite
ray and melta weapons being preferred by the Legion.
Supporting this tendency was the telling factor that even
before the Nocturnian influence came to the fore, the
technical aptitude demonstrated by the Legion’s rank and
file further served to allow them to maintain and indeed
field-manufacture such advanced weapons, even while
subjected to disparate deployments and uncertain supply.
The XVIIIth was a Legion of hardy survivors, known from its
earliest days to achieve victory against impossible odds while
sustaining minimal casualties. In the firstfew decades of the
Great Crusade, before it was reunited with its Primarch, the
Legion was often deployed piecemeal as pressing demands
called for Space Marine involvement before multiple chapters
were battle-ready. This led to the Legion being assigned
across a considerable number of different reinforcement
battle groups and specialist units such as Rogue Trader
expeditions, and it rarely fought together as a full Legion.
Despite the nature of its battles, it was plain that to the
XVIIIth to triumph against the odds was the only victory
worth the name. The Legion was honoured for fighting
alongside the Excertus Imperialis time and again, and
vaunted for its warriors’ fearlessness in the face of
insurmountable dangers and the selfless lengths they
would take to protect their allies and non-combatants
during campaigns. However, retreat for the XVIIIth
was often unthinkable, even when tactical expediency
would dictate otherwise, and the Legion frequently
paid in blood for its own untenable standard of valour
and service.
O
The Primarch
Vulkan
Vulkan was a giant in human form, one of the tallest of
the Primarchs and broadest at the shoulder, armoured
in emerald scales like a dragon of Ancient Terran myth.
He was found on Nocturne, a death world of turbulent
volcanic fire and radiation, riven by the destructive
tidal forces of its moon, and plagued by predatory
mega-fauna. The Primarch was tempered by this world,
as a blade is tempered by flame, and rose to free his
adopted people from the external threat of xenos raiders
and enslavers.
It is believed that Vulkan did not become unified with
his own Legion for some years after his rediscovery, but
instead stayed alongside the Emperor under his direct
tutelage and studied closely in the weapon-forges of
Mars and with his brother-Primarch Ferrus Manus.
When Vulkan came to his Legion, he remade it as he
would fashion a weapon at the forge. In this he gave the
Legion its name, taken from the greatest of Nocturne’s
saurian predators; ancient and deadly creatures whose
blood was fire and whose emerald hides were as hard
as steel; the Salamanders of Nocturne. In this Vulkan’s
choice carried a layered meaning, for not only were
Nocturnean Salamanders monsters of savage power
with a great totemic significance to the native people,
but as creatures they showed unflinching loyalty to
their own blood and offspring. This spoke much to
Vulkan’s nature, as a man of honour and integrity, who
knew a weapon fashioned by skilled hands would never
fail its wielder.
ne of Vulkan’s first actions was to largely unify
his scattered Legion and do away with its ad-hoc
strategic organisation, but he did so in a way that
preserved, where possible, the spirit of autonomy and
self-sufficiency the component units of the XVIIIth
had developed, which he saw as inherent virtues,
tempered with purpose. At the strategic level, Vulkan
ordered his Legion into the formation of seven
‘Realms’, each linked both in name and spirit with one
of Nocturne’s seven great city-settlements. To each
of these, he assigned a Lord Commander, known also
as a Protector, as it was their sworn duty, in addition
to that of a warrior of the Emperor, to protect the
city-settlement in time of attack. The strong links
between the Salamanders brethren and the people of
Nocturne came quickly to create bonds of kinship and
loyalty within each company’s ranks. An inevitable
degree of competition between the Salamanders
companies was also fostered by the nature of this
relationship as well which, tempered by Vulkan’s
teachings, spurred the Salamanders Legionaries to
greater heights of achievement and attainment.
Central to the ideals of the Salamanders was the
Promethean Cult. It formed a body of doctrine that
codified and promoted the spirit and culture the
Primarch desired for his Legion. A work of both clear
vision and deep allegory, it drew both upon Ancient
Terran philosophical and martial thought, and the
rich culture and mythic history of Nocturne on
which Vulkan had been raised. Core to its tenets was
the conviction that the Legiones Astartes had been
created to fulfil a single and irrevocable purpose: the
protection and liberation of all of humanity, and that
they were each and every one a savage weapon given
physical and spiritual form to this single end.
Legion Armourial
with Drake skin adornment,
MkIII pauldron
Heavy support Squad
MkIII pauldron
Legion Standard
Lost at Isstvan V, re-commissioned
and re-consecrated at Nocturne,
376013.M31.
Ultima Pattern
Combi-flamer
Legionary Dha’lok
Shattered Legion Attack Cell ‘Hesiod’, Assault on Dwell
Hybrid MkV ‘Heresy’ pattern power armour with helmet and shoulder pads
from wearer’s previous MkIII armour.
Krak and frag grenades
Primogenitor: Corvus Corax, (also known as the
Raven Lord)
Reconnaissance in Force, Guerrilla Actions, Lowcollateral Damage Imperative Compliance Operations
Cognomen: (Prior) None officially recognised
(early Great Crusade era – Pale Nomads, Dust Clad
(informal))
Noteworthy Domains: Deliverance (formerly
Lycaeus)/Kiavahr and associated system realm. Former
Terran central Asiatic Dustfields tithe rights renounced
998.M30.
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Rapid Deployment
Operations, Strategic Interdiction Operations,
The Hidden Hand
th
The XIX Legion was the Emperor’s hidden hand,
vengeful sentinels against recidivism and harrowers
of those who would sooner flee than bend knee before
their new master. The Legion was founded according
to the mindset and practises of the Xeric tribes, who
conducted their wars against far more numerous foes
and were therefore well practised in a wide spectrum of
unconventional tactics. Individual units tended towards
the smaller end of the scale set down by the architects of
the Emperor’s armies, but each was a tightly-knit band of
warriors trained and equipped to operate on their own
for extended periods. They were well able to live off of the
land, taking what few resources they needed from their
environment or when opportunity or necessity dictated,
from defeated enemies.
Drawing on the demeanour of the techno-savages from
which it recruited, the proto-Legion quickly demonstrated
its skill at reconnaissance and target identification, and
its ability to transition from inscrutable watchfulness
to rapid attack in the blink of an eye. Its Legionaries
waged war by infiltrating into position, studying their
enemy and, when the time was right, striking from the
least anticipated quarter and slaying the foe outright in a
bloody, yet brief assault.
When Horus led his Legion in the opening campaigns of
the Great Crusade, he often requested that the XIXth serve
alongside his Luna Wolves. In those earliest days, many
worlds rejected enlightenment and refused Compliance,
and so the blade of the XIXth was there to strike,
descending unseen. In time, Horus came to value the
XIXth greatly, using them as a tool of terror, suppression
and assassination, all tasks the Legion excelled at. It was
only when the Primarch Corax was rediscovered, on the
world of Lycaeus, and given command of the XIXth, that
the nature of the Legion would change. Seeing in the
tactics of the XIXth the nature of the once oppressors of his
world Corax had fought against, he refocused the Legion,
and turned their talents from terror troops to scouts and
guerrilla fighters without peer.
Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus
In Shadows Steeped
Upon assuming command of his Legion, Corvus Corax
took steps to codify the methods of warfare he had
employed against the slaver-lords of Lycaeus into a series
of tactical and strategic maxims by which the Raven
Guard would operate. While Corax assumed command
quickly, giving the Legion his own strategic specialties,
it is notable that as soon as he was able, Corax ensured
that most of his senior commanders were drawn from
Deliverance. The Primarch was distrustful of powerful
outsiders, and his closest advisors and commanders
would be those who had served alongside him as young
freedom fighters during the Lycaean Uprising. Indeed,
dark rumour suggested that he so wished to distance his
Legion from their Terran origins and Horus’ external
influence that many senior warriors of the Legion of old
were sacrificed in the Great Crusade’s most protracted and
wasteful campaigns, ill suited to the skills of the Raven
Guard, to purge the ranks of the taint of the oppressor
and the overlord. Corax exclusively chose to recruit from
the freed people of Deliverance, even formally renouncing
rights of tithe on Terra. After several costly battles in
the Great Crusade, such as the gruelling combat of Gate
Forty-Two, the numbers within the Legion swung in
favour of those born of Deliverance.
The Primarch
Corvus Corax
Corvus Corax, the Raven Lord, named the ‘Deliverer’, came to
awareness in a lightless chamber far beneath the surface of a
barren moon called Lycaeus; a slave-prison satellite ruled over by
the tech guilds of Kiavahr where notions of justice and human
dignity had no place in the brutal regime. Corax swore to the
people of his new found world he would liberate them from
their cruel existence. Fighting for the freedom of the slaves of
Lycaeus against the guilds, Corax learned the skills of subterfuge,
swiftness and covert warfare he would impart upon his Legion.
Upon victory, he renamed his world Deliverance. In his formative
years, the ivory-skinned,shadow-eyed and sable-haired Primarch
became a paragon for the virtues of the oppressed, a trait that
would stand him apart from the arrogance and cruelty of many
of his brothers.
The Raven Lord frequently operated alone, or otherwise led
very small bands of hand-picked warriors who, of all his sons,
possessed skills comparable to his own—the Mor Deythan or
‘Shadowmasters’. This predilection was derived from his time as
a freedom fighter, where circumstances dictated small cells of
rebels were often more effective than larger numbers. It was not
unusual for Corax to himself conduct extensive reconnaissance
prior to a battle, while most Primarchs would leave such tasks
to their warriors. Corax is also known to have led small forces
on deep infiltrationsfar behind enemy lines, striking directly at
the heart of an enemy force, leaving his line officersto conduct
the overall operation. Frequently, the actions of the main force
were in fact a ploy to draw the enemy’s attentions from the
Primarch’s own mission, allowing him to strike the finalblow
and win the battle.
During the Great Crusade, the Legion’s stealth
specialties were widely utilised and became
ingrained, eschewing massed battles and
attritional warfare. To aid their preference for
and skill at fast strikes and hit-and-run raids,
the Legion’s armoury was biased towards light
attack vehicles and those marks of armour
that favoured agility and stealth over heavier
plating. Many of the warriors of the XIXth were
ill-disposed towards slow and bulky Terminator
suits, though the Legion maintained siege
and heavy assault detachments which utilised
these, and become adept at daring close range
rapid shock assaults, from both aerial transport
and teleport deployment, in support of the
Legion’s scouts in deep infiltration if such
missions floundered. Corax did not favour
these units, though he called upon them as
avatars of his carefully controlled anger, loosed
when an enemy proved itself worthy only of
utter destruction.
During its restructuring, the Legion
commissioned several innovations from the
forges of Mars, all of them cunningly wrought
to further its mastery of the arts of stealth and
speed. From its largest starships to its smallest
speeders, the Legion’s vehicles were modified to
obfuscate scanners and project stealth fields. As
the Thunderhawk Gunship entered widespread
service, the Raven Guard secured for themselves
a variant known as the Shadowhawk, sporting
all manner of technologies that made it invisible
to all but the most sensitive of augurs. Similarly,
the Legion’s Storm Eagle assault transports
were named Dark Wing patterns, modified for
low altitude stealth operations. In addition,
the Legion gained access to the Whispercutter,
an open airframe flyer constructed about a
gravitic impeller and capable of dropping ten
Legionaries into a war zone in utter silence and
with practically no chance of detection.
At the outset of the Horus Heresy, the Raven
Guard were among the smallest of the Emperor’s
Legions. This was due to their favoured methods
of waging war and Corax’s own rigorous aspirant
selection and recruiting methods, but also, in
no small part, due to the events of the dire and
ill-suited wars of attrition they were committed
to by the Warmaster such as at Gate Forty-Two,
perhaps in petty retribution for Corax’s own acts
of purging veterans of the XIXth closest to Horus.
These battles gutted the Legion and soured
Corax to Horus, the former vowing never to
fight alongside the other.
Legion Armourial
MkVI pauldron
MkVI pauldron with
supplemental bonding studs
Legion Standard
Survived Isstvan V, interred in honour
at the Ravenspire on Deliverance for
duration of civil war.
Legionary-Inductii Thela
Tactical Line Attachment, Hawks, Battle of Yarrant
Mass issue Type D MkVI ‘Corvus’ pattern power armour
Thunder Edge
pattern chainsword
Primogenitor: Alpharius Omegon
Cognomen: (Prior) 747 informal cognomen are listed,
including: The Harrowing, The Ghost Legion, The
Unbroken Chain, The Strife Wrought, The Hydra,
The Combine, The Left Hand of Darkness, The Azure
Serpent, The Amaranth Coil and simply ‘Legion’
Observed Strategic Tendencies: Surprise
Assault, Sabotage, Infiltration, Insurgency and
Counterinsurgency Warfare, Multi-vector Attack,
Interplanetary Pursuit and Decimation Campaigns, and
Deep-range Raiding Operations.
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita
Noteworthy Domains: Unknown/Unconfirmed
The Ghost Legion
th
The XX Legion was established largely in separation
from the rest of the Legiones Astartes, and it is
generally thought created to a very specific end and
purpose, however, what these purposes were remains
a mystery. Its gene-seed strain was kept in secrecy,
though it is known to have had a highly successful
implantation rate and to be free of flaw. The Legion is
also thought not to have expanded beyond a very small
contingent of between one thousand and two thousand
warriors for many of its early years, never having been
granted a regional intake on Terra. However, later
claims suggest the XXth multiplied in secret, and may
in fact have been the largest of all the Legions. These
first mysteries would spawn others, and questions
would continue to go unanswered not only about the
XXth Legion’s methods and nature, but about the use to
which it was put in its earliest days.
Before it acted as a united Legion, the XXth may have
been operating in the shadows of the Imperium for
more than a century, building a web of influence unlike
any other Space Marine Legion and undertaking a
secret war at once part of, and parallel to, the Great
Crusade itself. There are no clear facts pertaining to the
XXth Legion’s covert activities during the Unification
of Sol, but they can be extrapolated from records of
unknown Legiones Astartes units carrying out targeted
strikes, abductions and assassinations, and reports
of Space Marines answering to no known master or
Legion passing through war zones on high-priority
missions under the writ of unassailable clearance codes.
These Legionaries bore a range of colours and styles of
heraldry, with little to no uniformity, sometimes even
mimicking the livery of other Legions. It is impossible
to ascertain whether there was some hidden schema to
these masquerades, whether they were intended simply
to confound allies and enemies alike or if they served a
martial purpose known only to the Legion itself.
Heads of the Hydra
The Imperialis Logistica could not confirm even the most
basic details of the Legion, be it the Legion’s primary
spheres of recruitment or even gauge its operating
strength. It was a Legion seemingly sprung whole
and entire as if from nowhere, complete with tens of
thousands of fully-equipped Legionaries and a capable
war fleet that operated with veteran skill. Only Alpharius
knew the true extent of his Legion and its domains, its
strength and its reach, and perhaps even he knew it only
imperfectly. The Alpha Legion’s Companies, Battalions
and Chapters (referred to as ‘Harrows’, ‘Cohorts’ or
‘Instruments’ in shifting meaning) were formulated and
broken down seemingly at the whim of the Legion’s
commanders, the chain of command appearing fluid
and highly decentralised. A ‘Harrowmaster’ – a master
strategist – would hold ultimate command of a war zone,
but specialists, such as siege masters or vigilators, were
deferred to in their fields of expertise. Under these, each
unit was expected to operate as a self-motivated and selfgoverning ‘cell’ without need of exterior command, and
expected to display initiative and pursue its part in the
wider battle plan under its own cognisance and in any way
it judged to be expedient, and each warrior of the Legion
was trained to excel in battlefield and strategic awareness.
In battle, the Alpha Legion became renowned for its
discipline and impenetrable organisation, which emphasised
the unity of the Legion and cooperation between its
Legionaries in every respect. It maintained a wide spectrum
of military assets and capacities, and was dedicated to
flexibility and capability in every type of war zone. The
Legion was known to pride itself on its unbreakable unity
of purpose and will, even though Alpharius encouraged
his commanders to operate with extreme independence
of thought and action. The Alpha Legion made extensive
use of human agents and paramilitaries, building close ties
with many such organisations. However, it kept its distance
from its fellow Legions. Rumours followed that the Alpha
Legion fought alongside each of its brothers in turn that it
might insert its own operatives into their ranks, though such
hearsay is impossible to substantiate.
T
The Primarch
Alpharius Omegon
Of the many mysteries that surround the XXth Legion, the most
fundamental and key enigma is the question of its Primarch.
Multiple conflicting reports speak of Alpharius’ rediscovery,
from the Emperor rescuing him from xenos enslavement, those
claiming he boarded Horus’ flagship in a calculated raid only to
meet his kin by chance, to those daring to suggest he was not
scattered as his brothers were but grew to maturity on Terra
alongside the Emperor. All such accounts are lies.
It is widely believed that on diverse occasions members of his
Legion each claimed not only Alpharius’ name but also his
identity, even in council with allied Legions and emissaries
of the Imperial Court. Some have made the outlandish claim
that there was more than one Primarch of the Alpha Legion,
or that Alpharius was even somehow able to ‘duplicate’
himself physically and appear to be in more than one location
simultaneously. Some have even attributed metaphor hidden in
plain sight to the emblem of the three-headed hydra that later
came to symbolise the Legion in this regard.
Furthering this mystery and the outright deception perpetrated
by Alpharius, many reliable reports of the Primarch’s physical
appearance differ. While he is noted on many occasions to be of
similar stature and countenance of any of his Legionaries and
able to pass unnoticed in their ranks, other records show him
as a towering and fearful figure, bedecked in sinisterly ornate,
hydra-chased battle plate. Whatever the case, contemporary
accounts record Alpharius as being the last Primarch to
re-join his Legion, and describe him as a masterful tactician
and strategist – his erudition was astounding and his great
intelligence was as cool and as watchful as a viper’s gaze.
he Legion’s hallmark was a relentless
application of force and a terrifying
level of coordination between its warriors
and war machines. This capacity for
combined arms warfare, speed and surety
of attack was matched by a mastery of
the darker arts of war: of sabotage and
ambush, terror tactics and assassination.
Also evident was its desire for secrecy and
talent for misdirection. To its enemies,
the Legion was a true nightmare; a foe
that could strike from any direction, that
seemed to thwart any stratagem and strike
at weakness no matter how well hidden.
The Legion was a foe that knew neither
mercy, nor honour, nor quarter, and one
that seemed to delight in destruction for
its own sake, and the chaos and anarchy
it could inspire before the death blow.
As the ‘youngest’ Legion, the XXth was
zealous to prove itself against its brothers
at any cost, and the often over-elaborate
and needlessly complex and malign way
in which the Alpha Legion chose to wage
war frequently earned it acrimony rather
than fame.
‘The Harrowing’ was the name given to
the Legion’s most infamous stratagem, by
which it wielded a devastating mixture of
subtlety and overwhelming force, revelling
in both meticulous planning and the
exercising of imaginative cruelty in war.
Beginning with infiltration and sabotage,
the Alpha Legion spread confusion and
panic unseen, maiming and bleeding its
foe’s main strength and forcing upon them
such vulnerability as the Alpha Legion
wished. Then would come the kill. Often
this final attack, the Harrowing itself,
would be in the form of an assault from
a hundred directions at once; a blizzard
of different tactics and attack plans used
against a foe either utterly unaware of
the true danger or already brought to the
brink of chaos. The result was almost
inevitable catastrophe for the Alpha
Legion’s victims, as the full might of the
Legion, comprised often of elite Lernaean
Terminators would then descend at the
point of the enemy’s greatest weakness,
and what would follow would be more
akin to murder than battle. Much of this
knowledge can only be inferred, however,
as the Alpha Legion’s Harrowings left no
survivors or witnesses.
Legion Armourial
MkVI pauldron
MkVI pauldron with
supplemental bonding studs
Legion Standard
Multiple sightings, provenance
unconfirmed.
Unknown Legionary
Unknown Squad/Unknown Unit Affiliation, Invasion of Paramar
Modified Mark IV ‘Maximus’ power armour
Customised Power
Sword Variant
Talons of the Emperor
The
Sisters of Silence
Formal Title: The Silent Sisterhood of the Great Tithe
Banner Imperialis: The Divisio Investigates of the
Divisio and Adeptus Astra Telepathica
Magisterium: Lex Majoris Psykana (authority within
accorded duty subject to the review only of the Lords
Imperial of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and the
Offices of the Imperial Household).
Domains: (Legal Remit) Wherever the shadow of the
Emperor falls. (Vassalage) The Somnus Citadel (Luna,
headquarters), the Magadan Orbital Construct (Fortress
Anchorage of the Black Ships, Sol System), Cold Alpha
(Prison Fortress, Titan orbit, Sol System), Star One/
Silent Harbour/Taceant Astra (code designations
believed to be Segmentum Solar planetary systems
given over to the secure processing of the Great Tithe,
location unknown/prohibited).
Cognomen: (Informal) The Sisters of Silence, the
Witch-Seekers, the Soulless Ones, the Null Maidens.
A
cross the great Imperium of Mankind, the Sisters of
Silence were figures of mystery and fear. They were
one of most secretive and mysterious of all the orders of the
Emperor’s servants. Each one of them was an unspeaking,
soulless thing that inspired dread wherever she walked.
Plying the dark void between the stars upon the dreaded
Black Ships, the Silent Sisterhood were the enforcers of
the Great Tithe, known by some as the ‘Psyker Cull’. Their
duty was to harvest those humans with the psyker’s ‘gift’;
whether given up by their kin and government freely, or
stalked and trapped to the very ends of their world. There
could be no hiding place from the Sisters of Silence, no
argument that could sway them, and no turning them
aside. By the writ of the Emperor, they came and went like
ghosts between the stars, and struck like the reaper of myth
against any who would seek to thwart them.
The duties of the Silent Sisterhood were complex and
manifold, but at their core they were warrior-investigators,
hunters and gaolers. Their charge was to seek out,
apprehend and process psykers from the human population
of the ever-expanding Imperium, and forward them to the
Divisio Astra Telepathica for assessment and disposition. As
part of this quiet purpose, their duty was also to hunt down
renegade psykers and destroy those who were deemed
too dangerous to live. This perilous task, well beyond the
abilities of any merely human law enforcement or military
force, was made possible in its execution not simply by the
martial prowess of the Sisterhood itself, but crucially by
their fundamental nature as Psychic Nulls – for each and
every member of its ranks was immune to psychic assault,
and anathema to the powers of the Warp, causing psykers
discomfort, pain and fear by their very proximity.
The
Legio Custodes
Formal Title: The Legio Custodes Magna Imperator
Banner Imperialis: Chamber Militant of the
Imperial Household
Magisterium: Lex Ultima (authority within accorded
duty incontestable except by the direct and expressed
word of the Master of Mankind)
T
he Custodian Guard were the bodyguards and sworn
protectors of the Emperor and his chosen emissaries, and
should the need arise, his most deadly executioners. Their
history is a long one, and for centuries they have walked in
the Emperor’s shadow as his praetorians and the protectors
of his secrets. They were, by many accounts, the Emperor’s
true firstborn,his firstgenetically engineered, psychoindoctrinated warriors of unswerving loyalty and unshakable
purpose; perfected weapons crafted by the Emperor’s genius
from the dread lore of the Dark Age of Technology.
Each Custodian was handcrafted by the Emperor to be
superhuman: stronger, faster, more acute of senses and
more resilient even than the doomed Thunder Warriors
or the Space Marines who would follow them, and so far
beyond the limits of an unaugmented human as to be
Cognomen: (Informal) The Custodian Guard, The Ten
Thousand, Auric Mortalis or ‘The Golden Death’
Domains: (Legal Remit) Wherever the shadow of the
Emperor falls. (Vassalage) The Tower of Hegemon
(sovereign sub-fortification; Imperial Palace).
Various fortresses, vassals, chattel, void craft, ministries
and claims unknown to any but themselves upon the
Throneworld of Mankind, throughout the Sol System
and beyond.
almost godlike in comparison. Indeed, only the Primarchs
and above them the Emperor himself exceeded the Legio
Custodes in corporeal might, and to meet them in open
conflict was to court death for human or alien alike.
While the might and skill-at-arms of the Custodes was
great, their weapons and wargear were also uniquely
powerful, representing the very apex of the Imperium’s
technology. They wore nigh-impenetrable golden auramite
armour, engraved with names earned through their deeds,
and they wielded powerful and esoteric weapons such as
adrathics, of such destructive potential that the Emperor
remanded every instance of such weaponry into his own
custody, and any breach of this demand would result in the
immediate death of the person who denied Him, and often
the razing of the very ground they stood upon to ashes.
Custodian armour
pauldrons
Custodian Kalanemi Velt
Ehophorus-Sigma Sodality of the Kykanatoi of the Legio Custodes,
Prosperine Censure Force, Burning of Prospero
Imperial Assassins
Title: The Officio Assassinorum
Cognomen: Clade Assassins, (Informal) The Emperor’s
Knives, the Shadow Killers, The Scalpel
Banner Imperialis: [REDACTED]
Domains: No Extant Records.
Magisterium: Pater Imperium (operating under the
Writ of the Imperial Household)
T
he Imperial Assassins were wielded solely by the
Emperor’s Household, and as singular weapons
of dire necessity. Theirs was a shadowy organisation
operating from hidden temple holdfasts, and organised
into rival clade disciplines, each of which acted to perfect
a myriad different methods of death dealing. From the
thousand killing traditions of Ancient Terra, and the many
thousand more encountered in the course of galactic
Compliance, select human operatives were transformed
using specialised biological and mechanical augmentation,
the lore of murder, training and equipment, combining to
make them singular instruments of lethality.
Usually, the Assassins acted alone and in secret, crossing
the galaxy by hidden means to exact the Emperor’s
final sanction upon any deemed to have transgressed
unforgivably against his law. They struck from silent
darkness, acting as a scalpel would to carve away a
potential cancer festering within the Imperium, and
would then melt into the shadows once again, leaving
no trace of their passing but a cooling corpse. Though
the Officio Assassinorum was hidden, its existence was
an open secret; posing by threat alone a guarantee that
the promises made by Compliant worlds to the Emperor
were kept.
The
Ordo Sinister
Title: (Formal) The Titanicus Terranic Ordo Sinister
Banner Imperialis: Ordo Militant of the Imperial
Household, seconded ex tempera to the Divisio
Militaris of the Great Crusade
Cognomen: (Informal) The Left Hand of the Emperor;
the Nightmare Titans
Domains: Four Chamber ‘fortress-crypts’ of the Ordo
are stated to exist on Terra: Occedentalis, Orientalis,
Polaris and Borealis.
Magisterium: Pater Imperium (operating under the
Writ of the Imperial Household)
T
he purpose of the Ordo Sinister was the battlefield
employment of macro-level weaponry of terrible
potency against unhallowed powers and horrors beyond
human imagining. These were weapons – of a nature
which was expressly forbidden within the Imperium on
pain of death – able to manipulate life, project psychic
phenomena and even distort time and space. They were
born of the ancient relics of the Dark Age of Technology
and forbidden to all but those under the Emperor’s direct
control – and even then only under the greatest possible
conditions of secrecy and failsafe.
The Ordo, which prior to the outbreak of the civil war
comprised twenty-five known Sinistrum modified
Warlord Psi-Titans, was never despatched to the frontiers
of the Great Crusade, and never left Terra for any
significant length of time, that can be discerned, other
than to respond to dire threats, nor does it appear that
any more Titans were added to their number over the
course of the Great Crusade. Tellingly, even before his
treacherous fall from grace, never once was the Ordo
Sinister placed at the disposal of Warmaster Horus or any
other independent commander, but it always remained
in the shadow of the Emperor’s authority. Indeed,
orders from the Master of Mankind demanded the Ordo
Sinister was not included in the general preparations
for the wars of the Horus Heresy, but waited as part of
Terra’s last line of defence.
The Solar Auxilia
The Origins of the Solar Auxilia
As the name might suggest, the origins of the Solar Auxilia
lie in the Sol System in the earliest days of the Great
Crusade. No doubt from the very beginning, the Emperor
realised that while his Legiones Astartes would be his
foremost agency of war and conquest, the sheer scope of
the undertaking of the Great Crusade —no less than the
liberation of the entire galaxy— would require far more
manpower, spread over a wider area, than even hundreds
of thousands of Space Marines could hope to achieve,
simply because they could not be everywhere at once, nor
would they be best served by undertaking roles ably filled
by ordinary humanity. From this reality, the Excertus
Imperialis was born; billions of second line and support
troops, functionaries, labourers, void crew, logisticians,
almoners, adepts and staff officers, and the countless
quantities of weapons, equipment and war machines, void
conveyances and warships they needed; all to make the
Great Crusade a reality.
thousands of years, and the home world of humanity
had seen many great empires rise and fall, and with them
great armies and warrior cultures form and meet their
destruction. From this crucible of battle, the Emperor
drew much that would inform the structure and tactics
of all of his armies, and the Solar Auxilia would be no
different in this, but it was the highly militarised techenclaves of Saturn, whose expertise in void warfare was
of peerless temper, that would most greatly inform the
nature of the Solar Auxilia.
Where the Space Marines were to be foremost the
hammer of the Great Crusade, the Solar Auxilia were
to be its pioneers and void-faring guardians. They were
constituted as mass, heavy Expeditionary forces, and
their primary stratagem of conquest was to conduct a
planetary landing, to fortify the landing zone against all
possible counter-attack, and in so doing to challenge local
forces to a gruelling campaign or to surrender without
bloodshed. Few cultures were willing to oppose such
landings, but those that did were forced to contend with a
fully entrenched, superbly equipped and highly motivated
enemy which would invariably prove all but impossible
to expel.
The Solar Auxilia would also serve alongside the Rogue
Traders and in the Expeditionary fleets both as aggressors
and as explorers, and as such they would need to be
disciplined, trained and well equipped considerably
beyond the level of the average militia soldier. Once
Compliance over an area of space had been achieved, and
the battlefronts of the Great Crusade had moved on, it
was also to be the Solar Auxilia, with their own fleets and
assigned warships, that would guard those worlds and star
systems that were now part of the growing Imperium from
marauders from without and rebellion from within. Only
when Compliance was guaranteed beyond doubt would
the Solar Auxilia oversee the creation of locally-raised
Imperialis Militia forces, allowing them to redeploy to the
leading edge of the Great Crusade once more.
In laying out the strategic formulation and pattern of
organisation for the Solar Auxilia, the Emperor, in his
wisdom, appears to have drawn on two principal sources:
the great military forces of the Unification Wars of
Terra and the Saturnyne Ordo. Warfare had been the
general condition on Terra and across its star system for
As the Great Crusade progressed, the effectiveness of the
Solar Auxilia as a distinct military concept and coherent
fighting force was proved time and again, and the strategic
demands of the ever-expanding Expeditionary fleets and
the galactic territory they conquered demanded that
Solar Auxilia regiments be raised in increasing numbers.
The Terran system alone could not meet this growing
demand and so the Solar Auxilia pattern was used as an
imprint elsewhere, and soon regiments and larger cohort
formations were being raised across the Imperium, often
set up around cadres of experienced officers and noncommissioned ranks from existing regiments. These
raisings were most common in star systems with an
established tradition of void-capable military and privateer
forces, and in many cases served to absorb such a culture
more readily into the Imperium, particularly if armed
struggle had been needed to subdue it into Compliance.
Yet at its core, the Solar Auxilia became and remained
a hardened body of professional soldiery, equipped
and trained to the highest standards of the Imperium’s
human forces, and a keystone of the Great Crusade’s
tremendous progress.
The Solar Cohorts
According to the measure of the OfficioMilitaris of Terra,
the Solar Auxilia Cohorts are the definitiveexample of a
heavy void infantry formation of the Excertus Imperialis.
As such they are fully trained and equipped to take on void
war zones, hazardous planetary environments and operate
both as ‘interface’ troops – meaning transitioning from
void to ground operations in combat conditions – and
fightheavily contested boarding actions. The fundamental
building block of the Solar Cohort at the tactical level is the
Tercio, a formation made up of three ‘sections’ of Auxilia,
whose nature was definedby their weaponry and battlefield
role. Tercios collectively could be assembled and deployed
in a variety of ways and numbers to meet a particular
strategic need. By far the most common Tercio formation
is the Infantry Tercio, made up of three lasrifle sections;
each comprising twenty void armoured, lasrifle-equipped
infantrymen, commanded by a junior officer.Alongside these
fightelite ‘Veletaris’ Tercios, each made up of three squads of
ten veteran troopers equipped with augmented short range
weapons such as volkite chargers or flamer units, and Fire
Support Tercios, commanding three batteries each of three
crew-served infantry support weapons platforms, of which
the tracked rapier type is the most common.
penetrations and lacerations, and is particularly resilient
against radiation and thermal effects, making it highly
effective for combat operations in hostile environments of
many kinds, not only the open void of space.
When fighting on a planet’s surface, the Solar Auxilia
Cohorts make extensive use of support armour and
mobile artillery units in open battle, and unlike the
forces of the wider Imperialis Auxilia, these are invariably
patterns designed and proofed against vacuum and hostile
environment operation, including radiological shielding
and internal life support systems. These include the
notably advanced Mars-Solar pattern Leman Russ battle
tanks, created specifically to the Auxilia’s specifications
by the Lords of the Red Planet —both swifter and more
sophisticated than their more commonly encountered
counterparts— as well as semi-automata variant Basilisk
and Medusa artillery tanks mounted on those same
environmentally sealed Leman Russ chassis. Solar Auxilia
Cohorts are also renowned for their routine deployment of
prefabricated defence works, fortifying any encampment
they make or outpost they construct, however temporary;
a standard operating procedure born of extensive
deployments on unknown worlds far from ready aid.
Most Solar Auxilia Cohorts also feature at least one fully
equipped heavy armour sub-cohort within its ranks, whose
armoury contains numerous types of general battle units
such as the Malcador and the Baneblade, as well as vehicles
reserved for more specialised roles such as the Shadowsword
and Stormhammer. It is notable, however, that more
specialised siege formations, such as static artillery batteries,
are rarely included within a cohort’s regular order of battle,
as siege duty and attrition warfare was largely considered a
waste of the Solar Auxilia’s particular capabilities by strategic
command during the Great Crusade, and left to other, less
specialised formations of the Excertus Imperialis – the grand
military support structure of the Imperium.
The tactical doctrine of the Solar Auxilia grew organically
through operations during the Great Crusade, and is the
direct result both of the unusual environments in which they
commonly operate and in part the particular qualities of their
arms and equipment. The most singular and perhaps iconic
piece of wargear utilised by a member of the Solar Auxilia
is their void armour; a carapace-reinforced, fully-enclosed
environmental combat body armour with a fully integrated
life support unit. The void armour worn by the Solar Auxilia,
eponymously classifiedas ‘Solar pattern’, is itself a massproduced modificationof the ancient void armour worn
by the Void Hoplites of the Saturnyne Ordo. The armour is
fully sealed and capable of resisting small arms fire,ballistic
impacts and shock trauma, is self-healing against minor
The many regiments of Solar Auxilia also meant they
could be found in innumerable war zones across the
galaxy throughout the entirety of the Horus Heresy.
Sometimes they were supporting one or more Legiones
Astartes formations, but just as often they fought alone,
or alongside regiments of other divisions of the Imperial
Army, sometimes against tremendous odds. Bound by oaths
of honour and rigid military tradition, the ancient Terran
pattern Solar Auxilia regiments remained largely loyal to
the Emperor during the Horus Heresy. While some cohorts
– given the vast numbers of Solar Auxilia under arms at the
time of the galactic civil war – were inevitably manipulated
or corrupted. The many offshoots of the Solar pattern,
those formed in disparate systems across the galaxy, were
as evenly divided between Loyalist and Traitor as any other
sub-division of the Imperium’s armies, with many owing
their primary allegiance to the Warmaster and his allies.
Troop Vexilla
Solar Auxilia Cohort
raised to defend
the Manachean
Commonwealth.
Cohort Standard
204th Solar Auxilia Cohort,
Manachean Commonwealth
Supreme Command
Tercio Command
Air Support Command
Artillery command
Auxiliary of the 12 th Infantry Tercio, Mainward Sub-Cohort,
255 th Calth Solar Auxilia Cohort (the ‘Calth High Guard’)
The Mechanicum
The Taghmata Omnissiah
The Taghmata Omnissiah was the principal form
of operational military force of the trans-Martian
Mechanicum and also the most numerous of the
Mechanicum’s militant orders. A Taghmata detachment
consisted of a dizzying array of warriors, vehicles and
automata. The bulk of such forces was often made up of
human thralls pressed into arms (sometimes called ‘tech
guard’) or servitors armed for war, bellicose lesser magi
and augmented cyborg soldiers. In practice, a Taghmata
force could be of greatly varying size, disposition and
scope, the nature of which was often determined by the
role it was called on to serve. Before Mankind’s galactic
civil war was to shatter the Imperium, the Taghmata
was primarily mustered as a purely defensive measure,
commonly when a Forge World came under direct attack,
such as from hostile xenos. Smaller Taghmata elements
would also be raised and formed during the Great Crusade
to arm and equip Explorator expeditions or to garrison
outposts in hostile or hazardous regions of the void. They
were also formed more rarely to provide armed diplomatic
escorts or deputations to the Expeditionary fleets and to
Rogue Trader Militant fleets.
Within the Taghmata were many tactical divisions and
sub-cults that embodied specialities within the panoply
of arms available to the Mechanicum. Foremost amongst
these were the Autokrator, the Lacyraemara and the
Macrotechnia. The Autokrator concerned itself with
marshalling the ground armour and artillery trains of the
Mechancium, as well as liaising with seconded Skitarii
tech-guard within the Taghmata. The Lacyraemara
commanded the indentured labour units of the Forge
Worlds, modifying mortal troops and beasts through
bio-alchemical and technological processes to be better
suited for war. Finally, the Macrotechnia was made up of
enginseer covenants who oversaw the use of the largest
machines available to the Mechanicum which were not
part of the Collegia Titanica, such as huge terraforming
constructs and the awesome power of the Ordinatus;
concentrated weapons of fearsome destruction.
To those outside the arcane secrets and strange mysteries
of the Mechanicum, the Taghmata was a difficult thing to
grasp, seeming at once a purely descriptive term applied
to a bewildering tapestry of Magos, machine works and
indentured manpower, and also a rigid and labyrinthine
hierarchical structure, the equal of any in the Imperium’s
armed forces in complexity. Each Forge World was made
up of many sub-domains, each ruled by a Magos who
commanded their own military might, armies of retainers
and cohorts of war machines configured to their own
specialties and proclivities. Such armies were the building
blocks of the Taghmata, and could be called into service by
the Forge World’s feudal lord, the Archmagos-Intendant,
who in turn might be called upon by those to whom they
owed allegiance, be it the master of a more powerful
Forge World or ultimately the Fabricator General of Mars.
Thus the Taghmata was united by a complicated web of
patronage, ancient treaty and pacts of mutual support.
During the Horus Heresy such threads of allegiance would
unravel, and the Taghmata Omnissiah would be turned
upon Loyalist and Traitor alike on a grand scale.
Militant Orders of the Mechanicum
Besides the Taghmata stood independent and allied
divisions of the Mechanicum, which crossed the
boundaries of the Forge Worlds. These included
the noble Questoris Knight Houses which were
closely linked to the Mechanicum and served it
as a supporting vassal force; the Explorators who
charted distant stars and seeded new Forge Worlds
as part of the Mechanicum’s ever-present Quest
for Knowledge; the Prefecture Magisterium whose
role was to preserve and enforce the strictures of
the Omnissian Creed; the Myrmidon cult made
up of the most bellicose lesser Magi who heavily
augmented their own bodies for battle; the Ordo
Reductor, a nomadic sub-cult of the Mechanicum
devoted to siegecraft, and the Basilikon
Astra, which controlled the space ports of the
Mechanicum and were tasked with the creation and
operation of many of the Imperium’s void-borne
fleets. Also, there were the highly independent
and secretive Ordo Katastrophica, Magi agents of
change who promulgated a scientific philosophy of
discovery and innovation at odds with the Treaty
of Olympus. Perhaps the most feared of such
militant orders was the Legio Cybernetica, whose
dread responsibility was the command of legions of
soulless battle-automata in war.
The Dark Mechanicum
The Collegia Titanica
The treaty between the Martian Parliament and
the Emperor imposed several restrictions upon
the Mechanicum’s practices, labelling much of
the knowledge possessed by the Forge Worlds as
‘heretechnica’ – a heresy against the Emperor in his
authority as an avatar of the Omnissiah. There were
many such forbidden heretechnical sciences and
technologies. Heretechnica ranged from those which
may be contained to the horrors of the mind or body of
only a single being, to higher orders of Heretechnica,
capable of unleashing plagues of death across entire
star systems, draining the energy from stars or
distorting space-time itself. However, there were three
Orders of High Heretechnica hated above all others,
each capable of bringing the Imperium to its knees
if wielded recklessly. These related to the creation of
artificial sentience, such as the so-called ‘Men of Iron’
which had plagued humanity’s Dark Age of Technology;
the manipulation of the human gene-code, particularly
where relating to the mysteries of the Primarchs, the
Legio Custodes or the creation of pariahs and other
abominations against nature, and lastly, the deep study
of the Warp.
Myriad were the hosts of the Mechanicum who swore
their allegiance to the Great Crusade, from the bellicose
Myrmidon cults to the cybernetic flesh-constructs of the
Lacrymal. Mightiest of them all, however, were the godengines of the Collegia Titanica, a singular martial class
within, and simultaneously quite distinct from, the ranks
of the Cult Mechanicus. The towering bipedal god-engines
known as ‘Titans’ have served the Tech-Priests of Mars
since the time referred to only as the Era of Pathogenesis.
Though little data survives, it is known that Titans first
appeared during a great and terrible war fought between
the besieged forges of the nascent Mechanicum and
a debased caste of cabalistic heretics named the CyCarnivora. Vast swathes of the blasted red wastes of Mars
had fallen to the Cy-Carnivora Mekwrights, and it took the
creation of three entire Orders of what would become the
Collegia Titanica to defeat them. These three Orders were
collectively named the ‘Triad Ferrum Morgulus’, and it was
from the template of their creation that all future Titan
Orders were founded.
The Dark Mechanicum was a coalition of Magi which
saw these restrictions as shackles placed upon the
ambition, imagination, curiosity and righteousness of
purpose of the entire Mechanicum. They rejected the
notion of the Emperor embodying the Machine God’s
purpose, and cast off the fetters placed upon them,
continuing their research into forbidden lore. Across
the galaxy, they dabbled in the foulest of sciences and
created legions of unspeakable horrors. Such dark
deeds simmered and festered within the Mechanicum,
carefully hidden from the Imperium’s eyes until the
conclusion of the Great Crusade, during which time
the Warmaster sent his emissaries to many Magi who
felt themselves oppressed by the Emperor’s dictates.
The Warmaster offered an open hand of friendship and
promised to sweep aside the Emperor’s restrictions.
He offered freedom and interstellar empires of their
own to these Magi, to be ruled in his name, where
they could operate without fear of oversight or
punishment. Horus’ promise was that of a permissive
and disinterested master, allowing the Magi to explore
proscribed sciences to their hearts’ content, so long
as his armies were fed a continual glut of arms and
armaments. Many dozens of Dark Mechanicum Forge
Worlds would side with the Traitor cause on these
terms, setting their powerful industry to the creation of
deadly weapons and baroque constructs of war.
Created to defeat the monstrous hunger engines of the CyCarnivora, little could stand before a Titan, and nothing
before an entire Order, which at its height might number
between two hundred and three hundred towering
machineries of destruction. Having finally driven the
horrors of Old Night from Mars, the Titan Orders marched
across the Red Planet in defence of the Forges, becoming
rivals in glory and politics, and creating enmities that
would be exploited in the dark age to come. As they grew
and took on their own unique characters and traits, based
on the doctrines of their pilot-commander Princeps and
the sacristans who anointed these god-engines in the name
of the Omnissiah, the Orders became the Titan Legios.
By the auspices of the Collegia Titanica, Mars’ overall
repository for the martial traditions and templates of the
Titan Legions, each Legio assumed its own title, including
High Gothic and Low Gothic monikers, icons, banners,
colours and other unique elements of heraldry.
When the Emperor came to Mars and the accords were
sworn at Olympus Mons, the Titan Legios were turned to
the service of the Great Crusade, where their devastating
weaponry, impregnable armour and the peerless skill and
devotion of their crews proved every bit as destructive
against recalcitrant empires and xenos horrors as they had
on the Red Planet. By the height of the Great Crusade,
dozens of Titan Legios marched to war. Seedings of ancient
Orders once cast into the void from Mars and having later
born fruit were recovered as the Imperium expanded, and
added to the great Collegia Titanica. Mars would continue
to nominally serve as central authority over them, though,
in reality, each Legio was its own master, and many, far
removed from Mars for decades or centuries, wanted little
to do with that distant and disinterested overlord.
Dominatus Revok
Mars Pattern Reaver class Battle Titan, War Maniple ‘Herald Imperator’,
1st Battle of Paramar V
An Age of Darkness
The Edge of Ruin
In the fifth year of the 31 st Millennium, Horus Lupercal,
Warmaster, favoured son of the Emperor and hero of the
Great Crusade, plunged the Imperium of Mankind into
a war from which it would never truly recover. Amid the
shattered cities of the lonely and distant world of Isstvan
III, he set the warriors of the Legiones Astartes against one
another, raising the banner of rebellion and drowning his
oaths of loyalty in blood. This betrayal was the first blow
of the last war – the Horus Heresy.
Those of his brothers who held true to their oaths
would come to face him at Isstvan V, only to find that
Horus had laid well his plans of treason. Fully half of the
Emperor’s Primarchs and Space Marine Legions were
already secretly sworn to Horus’ side and they turned
their guns upon their kin with grim abandon, leaving the
pride of the Imperium broken upon the black sands of
that once insignificant world. Worse yet, the Primarch
Ferrus Manus was slain and his head made a trophy for the
traitor Warmaster.
At a stroke, Horus had shattered the Legions that had all
but conquered the galaxy, cleaved apart the heart of the
Imperium and laid clear his path to the Emperor’s throne.
Terra, the Throneworld of the Imperium, was Horus’
goal. In his way stood Rogal Dorn and the few remaining
steadfast armies of the Imperium, the other loyal
Primarchs scattered to the far corners of the Imperium
and unable to come to the Emperor’s aid.
A narrow channel of worlds straddled the main route
from the far north and Isstvan to Terra; the fortresses
of Paramar, Beta-Garmon and Lorin Alpha. Along this
channel were fought desperate holding actions, Rogal
Dorn spending all his resources and committing all those
warriors at his command towards slowing the advance
of the Traitor hordes. For long years they would hold the
line, keeping Horus at bay at the cost of millions of lives in
a series of bitter sieges and desperate battles; conflicts that
would spawn legends to last 10,000 years and more. Yet
even as they fought, the flame of rebellion spread and took
root in all the worlds of the wider Imperium, the war no
longer a simple matter of overthrowing Terra and claiming
the throne, but a sprawling morass of old grudges and
feuds now ignited into open battle.
Betrayal Long in the Making
Horus’ betrayal was no sudden whim, nor one
forced entirely upon him by the intervention
of outside forces. The preparation required to
undertake a war on the scale of the Horus Heresy,
involving millions of warriors across hundreds of
star systems along with all the materials required
to fuel their onslaught, is no small thing but rather
a task to challenge even the greatest of military
minds. To achieve such a feat in secret and in the
space of a few short months is simply not possible,
even for such a renowned strategic genius as
Horus Lupercal. His grand rebellion, one that had
suborned half of the Legiones Astartes, dozens of
Forge Worlds and many millions of warriors in
the Imperial Militia, was a work of logistical and
strategic genius and one that had taken form over
many long years. The Horus Heresy was a dagger
long prepared and sharpened before it was plunged
into the Emperor’s back.
The Dark Empire
In the opening years of the war, Horus claimed decisive
victories across the northern Imperium, establishing a
beachhead from which to prosecute his war. This ‘Dark
Empire’, as it would become known, expanded swiftly
to encompass much of the territories of the Segmentum
Obscurus and the northern reaches of the Ultima
Segmentum. Within it were a hundred hundred human
worlds, many of which were quick to pledge allegiance to
the Warmaster, albeit under the threat of the guns of his
Sons of Horus. Only vital Forge Worlds and their historical
empires such as Cyclothrathe, or those well defended
and mercenary worlds with little love for distant Terra,
such as Emratus, could hope to bargain for freedoms with
Horus in exchange for their martial power. Few worlds
acquiesced to Horus’ rule under fair terms or gained
wealth and renown through an alliance with the Traitor
cause, instead being crushed under the remorseless
heel of the Warmaster and his acolytes and pressed into
his service.
Horus conquered worlds in actions of so-called
‘Dark Compliance’. To each world over which the
Warmaster’s shadow fell, a simple choice was given:
total submission and surrender or total destruction and
brutal subjugation—slavery or death, there were no other
options and no second chances. It was a perverse parody of
the progress and glorious goals of the Great Crusade, but
served as more than mere scorn for the Emperor’s dream
or even the vainglory of a tyrant, for there was underlying
method and intelligence beneath the apparently wanton
savagery. When one militant world or stubbornly Loyalist
star system was punished by apocalyptic destruction
for their brave defiance, such fear was created in others
nearby that their surrender came as a rapid and forgone
conclusion, often without a shot fired in their defence.
Each world added not simply territory but manpower,
production capacity and supply, feeding a war machine
that was growing exponentially in power.
Of those worlds less than willing to submit, any
economically or militarily critical to the Warmaster’s
advance were taken first, and dissent quashed under the
weight of steel and ceramite. Horrors were perpetrated
against the denizens of worlds that dared to resist Horus’
advance. Entire populations were indentured in massed
labour camps to supply their worlds’ resources to the
Traitor war machine, or else conscripted into militias and
made fodder for wars light years away. Always survivors
and refugees were left alive to flee and spread fear and
panic in the Warmaster’s cause. As the initial years of the
Horus Heresy passed, thousands of worlds were said to
have ‘gone dark’, lost in a malaise of war and cruelty, and
nowhere was this more apparent than in the Dark Empire,
which expanded its borders with each passing day.
Resistance to this advance was limited and brittle, and
hope of an organised counter-attack was inhibited
by the occlusion of the Ruinstorm. Only through
alliance with ruinous powers could the Traitors
circumvent those obstacles which frustrated Loyalist
efforts at defence and breach the warp storms,
adding a critical strategic advantage to the Traitor
cause and contributing to the overwhelming shock
of the Warmaster’s treason. Beset and isolated,
worlds the length and breadth of the Imperium fell
to the Warmaster and his allies, or else turned upon
themselves in the settling of old scores and ancient
vendettas. In either case, these worlds, their resources
and armed might were all lost to the Imperium.
Daemons of the Ruinstorm
For centuries, the Emperor had sought to deny the Warp
and its denizens, to bury the legends and fears of Old
Night beneath the weight of his Imperial Truth; however
it could not last. Horus and his allies let loose the Warp
and its powers upon the Imperium of Mankind, giving
new strength to the creatures that lay waiting in that
ephemeral realm. By means of the great ritual performed
at Calth with the death of the Viridian Star, and many
other bloody sacrifices made on the altar of war, the
Traitors tore down the fragile barriers between reality
and the Empyrean realm. A warp storm unlike any seen
since the Age of Strife was unleashed across the galaxy,
scattering and fragmenting conduits of safe passage in
that shadowed dimension.
This was the Ruinstorm and its tempests raged the
very breadth of the Imperium, making long-distance
communications and navigation all but impossible
across vast swathes of space. The Ruinstorm cut the
galaxy asunder, forcing those Legiones Astartes forces
and Excertus regiments not operating under the
personal command of a Primarch to act under their own
cognisance for extended periods, in many cases for the
entirety of the Horus Heresy. Because of this veil cast
across the stars, Astropathic communiques were stymied
and many far-flung regions of the Imperium were not
aware even of Horus’ betrayal for the first years of the
galactic conflict, and thus were unable to act in their own,
or the Emperor’s defence.
The Ruinstorm also had a more unsettling effect, for
dark powers underpinned the conflict and whispered in
the Warmaster’s ear. The Ruinstorm allowed the Warp
itself to bleed into realspace in many regions; the raw
stuff of the Immaterium tainting the void with coiling
ætheric tendrils and kaleidoscopes of unseen colours.
From the surface of many worlds, the stars appeared to
have been swallowed by the void or the night skies were
transformed into a canvas upon which were rendered
scenes from hell. On the worstafflicted worlds, the veil between
reality and the Immaterium
stretched beyond breaking point
and the infernal denizens of the
Warp, nightmares-made-flesh
named the Daemons of the
Ruinstorm, spewed forth.
These creatures were a new
and unknown curse upon
the galaxy, and no-one was
prepared for them – they were
a force that paid no heed to
military logic or any sane
pattern of war, a force whose
weapons obeyed no law of
known physics, and whose
only desire was for death
and destruction. They swept
across the galaxy like a tide of
ruin. During these incursions
daemonic creatures took many
and varied forms; some were
bestial and foul, bronze-furred
beasts of war, while others
stood tall and beautiful upon
the blood-soaked fields of
battle, their only similarity
their sheer vicious savagery.
This was a new foe that refused
to hold ground and sought no
advantage from war save its red
bounty of death, laughing in the
face of conventional strategies.
The Ruinstorm was cast upon
a galaxy utterly unready for its
fury and Daemons ran wild on
uncounted worlds, each left
alone amid the storm of war to
die forgotten and unnoticed,
playthings for a malignance
that took a perverse pleasure in
the suffering it caused. Indeed,
the madness of the war that
engulfed the Imperium seemed
only to feed the daemonic forces
that appeared across the galaxy,
sending them into frenzies of
violence and destruction. These
creatures defied all sanity and
had no place in a secular galaxy
founded upon the bedrock of
Imperial Truth.
Pivotal Events of the Horus Heresy
The Sundered and the Black
The ‘Shattered Legions’ was a term attributed to a
broad range of unconventional or irregular Legiones
Astartes formations. The main body of warriors first
called the Shattered Legions were born of the fiery
crucible of the Isstvan V Dropsite Massacre, where
the treachery of the second attack wave resulted
in the nigh-total destruction of the Raven Guard,
Salamanders and Iron Hands. These three Legions
ceased to exist as coherent, operational military
bodies, but many survivors escaped the black sands
and were forced to drastically adapt their organisation
and their methods in order to remain a functional
fighting force. In the aftermath of the massacre,
bloody, scattered groups from all three Legions
coalesced across an entire sector of space, driven by
the hunter-killer forces of the Sons of Horus and the
Emperor’s Children. Harried by their relentless foe,
the last of these remnant forces turned at bay and
hit back, and for a time led a fierce-fought guerrilla
campaign of vengeance against the Traitors that drew
on and combined the unique skills and experience of
each element, and which cost the Warmaster’s war
effort dearly.
But it was not only the remnants of the three Legions
that were betrayed at Isstvan V who fought in this
manner. Across the entire Imperium and beyond,
Legion elements cut off from their chains of command
were forced to adapt to circumstances or else perish in
the all-consuming fires of war. Some detached Loyalist
forces were able to break through the Traitors’ lines
and join the mustering hosts of the Imperium. Others,
however, found themselves isolated deep within
enemy-held territory and too far behind enemy lines to
make contact with allied forces.
Neither was the formation of these Shattered Legion
forces unique to those loyal to Terra. As the civil war
progressed, many more found themselves acting
alone, following the goals of their own leaders, and at
times these goals differed from those of the chains of
command that had once bound them. With the ebb
and flow of war, Traitor forces too became isolated
and, given the nature of certain of their leaders, many
Traitor units determined to act entirely according
to their own drives and desires. Some resurrected
ancient resentments against erstwhile brethren now
turned to blood-foes, pursuing vengeance for slights
of honour thought long forgotten. Others became
consumed by the forces they had unleashed upon
Isstvan V, shedding reason and honour and reaving
across the stars as if to vindicate, or perhaps to
forget, their treachery with the blood of all those they
branded enemy.
Legion contingents, or even single warriors, entirely
denounced their parent Legions or allegiances, and
newborn Legionaries were created from gene-stock
whose provenance was unknown. Evoking ancient
martial traditions, these warriors scratched their
Legion emblems or took on new colours and emblems
as their own, becoming independent warrior bodies
called ‘Blackshields’. Many Blackshields were broken in
mind and spirit, driven to madness or despair by the
grim realities and responsibilities of this new Age of
Darkness. They no longer recognised or acknowledged
the mastery of any lord and were determined to claim
their own destiny even as the Imperium tore itself apart
in bitter civil war.
Unlikely alliances would form between Legions,
with Traitor elements of the Loyalist Legions and
Loyalist elements of the Traitor Legions joining
forces with other factions with whom they shared
ideologies, ambitions or enemies. Such forces fought
throughout this era, sometimes adding their weight
to one side or the other, at other times pursuing
their own inexplicable goals. Leaders of vision and
character melded these disparate Legion elements
into highly effective forces and used them to
prosecute the unseen shadow wars that raged across
the galaxy, often unknown to the masters of either
side of the civil war.
A Galaxy at War
Throughout the early stages of the Horus Heresy, the
advantage lay firmly in the Traitor camp. At Isstvan, Calth,
Signus and a dozen other early battles, Horus seized the
element of surprise and claimed terrible victories against
the Imperium. Though the Warmaster had set the pieces
in place required for a sudden strike at the heart of the
Imperium, the reality would prove more costly and more
arduous than even Horus could have planned for, and
required a greater expenditure of resources and more
sacrifices than perhaps Horus could readily muster or
was willing to make, even with fully half of the Legiones
Astartes, great masses of the Imperial Army and vast
swathes of the Mechanicum at his disposal. The short and
decisive war that Horus had planned for would not come
to pass, his triumphant advance on Terra instead stymied
in years of grinding conflict, all while the Imperium
bled and suffered. The Great Heresy would prove to
be a protracted and relentless decade of war – the Age
of Darkness.
The defenders of the Imperium showed great courage
in their resistance to the encroaching darkness. The
Imperium was diminished but not lost as, throughout its
span, loyal worlds and warriors stood against the Traitors’
reckless violence. What Horus had wished to be a single
line of demarcation, a clear distinction between the push
of his victories and the Imperium’s impending defeats,
splintered and fractured with each step taken. The front
lines of this war spread and scattered into a thousand
conflicts reaching the deepest trenches and the furthest,
spiralling arms of the galaxy.
These battles were fought by forces great and small; most
of the larger armies in the Imperium being fragmented
as the need to respond to ever more threats, requests
for aid and potential boon conquests increased. The
Primarchs devolved authority to their lieutenants and
force commanders, Lord Marshals of the Imperial Army
broke their grand battalions into handfuls of regiments
– each able to persecute a conquest or hold a particular
objective, and the Magi Lords of the Forge Worlds each
pursued their own unknowable ends. No sector of space
was spared this war as it raged and burned through the
Imperium, from the Halo Stars to the Thirteen Realms,
and from the Dominion of Storms to the Azure Void.
The Inductii
During the Horus Heresy attrition rates amongst
the Legions were monumental, with many
companies and chapters falling quickly below viable
fighting strength. To combat this issue almost
every Legion attempted to rapidly recruit, implant,
indoctrinate and train new Space Marines, with
varying degrees of success and with often wildly
varying outcomes. These programs were poorly
defined and often experimental, differing hugely
from Legion to Legion. Whole Apothecarion were
put to the task of overcoming the challenge of
shortening the timescale for successfully creating
a tempered Legionary of the line, a process which
might normally take years or decades.
The results of these experiments, sometimes
dubbed ‘newborns’ by Legion veterans, were
undoubtedly Space Marines, but were often
considered as being apart from their brethren
created during the Unification of Sol or the Great
Crusade. They varied in kind, from the Imperial
Fists’ Noviciates who were simply inexperienced
Legionaries, to the rapidly created and highlymotivated but poorly-trained Triori of the Sons
of Horus who would be first tested in the combat
of the Dark Compliance, and the more unstable
rapidly indoctrinated or dangerously surgically
accelerated and gen-hanced Inductii of the World
Eaters. The effects of rapid genetic, psychological
and psychic conditioning were myriad and often
disastrous, yet these warriors born of desperation
were still relied upon by the Legiones Astartes to
hold the line and swell the reserves, or else to be
part of the first wave into the breach, preserving
the lives of more experienced and valuable
warriors. As varied and sometimes unwelcome
as such formations were, without the Inductii
the Legions – both Traitor and Loyalist – would
have had insufficient numbers to fight the final,
climatic battle at Terra, for a decade of relentless
war had bled even the largest of their number all
but dry.
Horus’ Advance
Despite the lack of a decisive victory, the Warmaster’s
advance was relentless. Worlds that had once given their
loyalty grudgingly to the Emperor threw off those shackles
to take up the cause of the Warmaster, eager to curry his
favour in the hope they too could reap their share of the
spoils of war. Even those worlds that had once freely bent
the knee to the Emperor now forsook their vows in the
face of his apparently inevitable defeat, fearing that Horus
would wreak a terrible vengeance on those that did not
join him once he had taken Terra.
Worlds that stood strong in the face of the storm that was
the Horus Heresy would find themselves alone amid a sea
of foes, never knowing which of their once stalwart allies
they could trust in the chaos. Human cultures that had
survived all the terrors of Old Night would fall silent in
the face of this new war, murdered by those they had once
called kin. Old allies who had gone to war under the eagle
banner of the Emperor would fall upon each other in red
abandon, while those that had once been rivals for glory in
the Great Crusade now found themselves desperate allies
against the traitorous hordes.
Defeat loomed dark and grim on the horizon for the forces
of the Emperor, for though they could delay the Warmaster
and his hordes, they could strike no blow to end his
onslaught. It would simply be a matter of bitter time and
gruesome sacrifice before Horus tightened his grip around
Terra and took the throne for himself. Those that still
remained loyal would not make this task easy, they would
fight to their last drop of blood to oppose the Warmaster
and those of their brothers that had forsaken their oaths
in order to serve him, fighting a series of grim sieges and
bitter raiding campaigns to hold them at bay. The fortress
of Paramar would change hands many times, the major
assaults upon it consuming millions of lives and costing
Horus many long months of battle, while daring assaults
from the Loyalist Shattered Legions would slow the
passage of warriors and munitions from Horus’ northern
strongholds to a crawl. Yet, even this bravery would last
only so long, and in return Horus would claim dominion
over all the northern worlds; Eye of Horus banners would
fly triumphant from the dark machine-vaults of Xana to the
shining spires of Angelis, as isolated pockets of resistance
were crushed beneath the heel of his vast army.
Legacy of Defiance
The Warmaster’s plans were too grand in scope and too
weighty in their preparations to be halted. His forces
would continue to march against the Imperium unabated.
This onslaught would not come from one side only, but
from all quarters, the front lines shifting with the tides
of the Warp and the barriers of the Ruinstorm. These
lines would be drawn not only against points of ingress
to Sol, but also in assault or defence across a dozen major
warfronts of the Age of Darkness: in the north at Baal
and the Coronid Deeps, in the east at Thramas and the
Stormhem, in the south at Inwit, and in the nightmare
west at the Belt of Iron.
The galaxy-wide empire that had been built during the
Great Crusade tore itself apart, a final fall of darkness
upon the grand dreams of Unity and Imperium that the
Emperor had kindled in Mankind’s collective soul. The
fragile web of courier frigates and astropathic relays
that bound its worlds together began to fray as war and
madness took its toll, the remaining fragments singing
a grim dirge of terror and destruction as word of the
Warmaster’s bloody march on Terra and the relentless
fall of Loyalist strongholds spread. Fear ruled in almost
every sector of that wide realm that the Legiones
Astartes had forged, a fickle master that goaded its
subjects to unwise war and futile battle, to abandon
their neighbour and offer up the weak in the hope of
their own salvation.
All it would take was one final blow to the structure of
the Imperium, one more strike to the heart of that fragile
empire and it would crumble to dust and ashes. Once
again Mankind would plunge into the abyss of chaos and
isolation that had sought to swallow it once before, and
Horus would be left with only the broken fragments of
the Emperor’s glorious vision. As the Warmaster made his
final grasp for Terra there were few parts of humanity’s
realm that had not given themselves over to bloodshed
and horror, few worlds of import not invested by the
warriors of one side or another.
In those savage years, there were but few lights in the
darkness, a few fleeting tales of bravery and respite that
passed like whispers through the tattered remnants of
the Astropathic network. Few believed in hope, for about
them all was blood and ruin, death and terror. Such
was the fragile nature of civilisation in those years that
each rumour of doom held more power than any loudly
broadcast litany of hope.
Yet hope remained even as the galaxy burned. Across
the Imperium, Loyalists stood in defiance of Horus and
legends were made. These legends spoke of the return of
Corvus Corax from the grave of Isstvan V, and of the Great
Angel and the Warhawk soaring beyond hell’s clutches.
Of the Lion roaring victory over the carcass of Thramas,
of the Passage of the Angel of Death and of Russ’ howl
of triumph as his spear pierced the Warmaster’s side. Of
the valiant defences of Baal and Inwit. They spoke of the
stone fist of Rogal Dorn, Praetorian of Terra, crushing the
Traitors’ attempts to advance upon the fortress borders
of Sol. And they told of the gathering might of Ultramar
waiting to be unleashed.
As the Age of Darkness closed, there was to be one final
legend to be made, one last epic to be told that would
reverberate in the soul of Mankind for all time, that of the
Siege of Terra.
Core Rules
MODELS AND UNITS
The Forge World and Citadel models used to play games
of Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness are referred to as
‘models’ in the rules that follow. Models represent a huge
variety of troops – from the massed forces of the Legiones
Astartes to the automata and titanic constructs of the
Mechanicum. To reflect all of their differences, each
model has its own Characteristics Profile.
The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness uses ten different
Characteristics to describe the various attributes of
the different models. Most of the Characteristics are
represented by a single number, which cannot be less
than 0, with higher values indicating greater ability.
The exception is Armour Save (Sv), which shows the
minimum result needed on a dice and lower numbers are
more powerful. Armour Saves can range from 2+ through
6+ to ‘-’ (for models with no Armour Save).
Modifiers
Certain pieces of Wargear or special rules can modify a
model’s Characteristics positively or negatively by adding
to it (+1, +2, etc), subtracting from it (-1, -2, etc) or even
setting its value (1, 8, etc). A model’s Initiative cannot
be modified below 1, and no other Characteristic can be
modified below 0.
Ballistic Skill (BS)
This shows how accurate a warrior is with ranged weapons
of all kinds, from bolt pistols to titanic volcano cannon.
The higher this Characteristic is, the easier it is for that
unit to hit targets with Shooting Attacks. Trained soldiers,
such as Mechanicum Tech-Priests, have a Ballistic Skill of
3, while more elite warriors, such as a Space Marine Legion
Veteran, might have a Ballistic Skill of 4 or even higher.
Strength (S)
Strength gives a measure of how physically capable a
warrior is. Models with a higher Characteristic have
a much greater chance of inflicting Wounds upon
its enemy.
Toughness (T)
This is a measure of a model’s ability to resist physical
damage and pain. The tougher a model is, the better it
can withstand an enemy’s blows. Models with a higher
Characteristic are better able to withstand the rigours of
the battlefield.
Wounds (W)
This Characteristic represents how much damage a model
can take before it dies. Most Infantry models have a Wounds
Characteristic of 1, while some characters and larger models
may have a Wounds Characteristic of 2 or more.
Multiple Modifiers
If a model has a combination of rules or Wargear which
modify a Characteristic, first apply any multiples, then
apply any additions or subtractions. However, any
modifier which imposes a set value on a Characteristic
supersedes any other modifier that might be applied to
it. For example, if a model with Strength 4 has both ‘+1
Strength’ and ‘double Strength’, its final Strength will be 9
(4x2=8, 8+1=9). If a model which has Strength 4 has both
‘+1 Strength’ and ‘Strength 8’, its final Strength is 8 (ignore
+1 Strength and set it at 8).
Movement (M)
This Characteristic is a measure of a warrior’s
ability to move across the battlefield. The higher the
Characteristic, the further a model will be able to move
in the Movement phase. Most Space Marines have
a Movement of 7, but more bulky warriors, such as
the Terminator elite of the Legiones Astartes, might
move slower and some more fleet troops may move
much further.
Weapon Skill (WS)
This Characteristic defines the close combat skill a
warrior possesses. The higher the Characteristic, the more
likely the model is to hit an opponent in close combat.
A Mechanicum Tech-Priest has Weapon Skill 3, whilst
a genetically engineered Space Marine Legionary might
have Weapon Skill 4 or higher.
Initiative (I)
This represents the swiftness of a model. Models with a low
Initiative Characteristic are slower to react than models
with a high Initiative Characteristic. In close combat,
Initiative dictates the order in which models strike.
Attacks (A)
This shows the number of attacks a model may make during
close combat. Most warriors have an Attacks Characteristic
of 1, so they will normally make one attack each in close
combat, although some elite troops or characters may be able
to strike several times and have Attacks 2, Attacks 3, or more.
Leadership (Ld)
Leadership reveals how courageous, determined and
self-controlled a model is. The higher the value, the more
reliable the model is under pressure. When Shooting
Attacks or combat inflicts heavy casualties, Leadership is
used to decide if the stricken unit flees or stands its ground.
Armour Save (Sv)
A warrior’s Armour Save gives it a chance to avoid harm
when it is struck or shot. Most models have an Armour
Save based on what kind of armour they are wearing,
so in some cases, this Characteristic may be improved
if they are equipped with better armour. Unlike other
Characteristics, the lower an Armour Save is, the better.
A model can never have an Armour Save better than 2+.
Characteristics Profiles
Every model in Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness has a profile that lists the values of its Characteristics. You can find
these profiles in a variety of Age of Darkness publications.
Space Marine Legionary
Mechanicum Tech-Priest
M
7
6
WS
4
3
BS
4
3
S
4
3
T
4
3
W
1
1
I
4
3
A
1
1
Ld
7
7
Sv
3+
4+
In these example profiles, both the Space Marine Legionary and the Tech-Priest have 1 Wound and 1 Attack, which is
common among Infantry models.
The Space Marine Legionary has a higher Movement, Weapon Skill, and Ballistic Skill, allowing that model to be
moved further on the battlefield and to succeed more often with Shooting and Melee Attacks. Its greater Strength
will allow the Space Marine’s successful Melee Attacks to cause Wounds more easily compared to the Tech-Priest,
while the higher Initiative Characteristic ensures that those attacks will be resolved before those of the Tech-Priest.
Similarly, the Space Marine’s superior Toughness and Armour Save will allow that model to avoid being removed
as a casualty more easily than the Tech-Priest. Both models have a Leadership Characteristic of 7, representing
the superior discipline and indoctrination of the Space Marine Legions and the augmetic implants and logical
conditioning imposed on the Tech adepts of Mars, and have a good chance of passing Leadership Tests imposed on
them by the rigours of the battlefield.
Zero-level Characteristics
Additional Types of
Saves and Damage
Mitigation Rolls
In addition to Armour Saves, many
models will also gain access to Cover
Saves (which are most commonly
granted by Terrain effects) and
Invulnerable Saves (which are most
commonly granted by Wargear). No
matter how many Saves a model has,
it may only ever make a single Save
against any given Wound inflicted on
it. In cases where a model has more
than one Save available, the controlling
player selects one to use whenever
called upon to make a Save.
In addition to Saves, models may also
gain access to Damage Mitigation
rolls (these are most often granted by
special rules, such as Shrouded or Feel
No Pain). If a Save is failed, a model
with a Damage Mitigation roll may
attempt to use that roll to negate an
unsaved Wound. However, no model
may attempt more than a single
Damage Mitigation roll against any
given unsaved Wound inflicted on it.
In cases where a model has more than
one Damage Mitigation roll available,
the controlling player selects one to
use whenever called upon to make a
Damage Mitigation roll.
Some models have been given a 0 for certain Characteristics, which
means that they have no ability whatsoever in that field (the same is
also occasionally represented by a ‘-’).
A model with a Ballistic Skill of 0 may not make Shooting Attacks.
A model with Weapon Skill ‘0’ is incapacitated; they are hit
automatically in melee combat and cannot make attacks. A model with
no Attacks cannot strike any blows in melee combat. A warrior with an
Armour Save of ‘-’ has no Armour Save at all. If at any point a model’s
Strength, Toughness or Wounds are reduced to 0, it is removed from
play as a casualty.
Other Important Information
In addition to its Characteristics Profile, each model will have a Unit
Type, such as Infantry or Vehicle, which will be discussed in more
depth on page 194. It might also have an additional Save of some kind,
representing any special protection it might have, it could be carrying
one or more shooting or Melee weapons (see page 176) or might have
one or more special rules (see page 230 ).
Vehicle Characteristics
The vast conflict known to history as the Horus Heresy featured
a huge number of fearsome war machines, all far sturdier than
even the vaunted Legion Space Marines and capable of bearing a
far more destructive arsenal of weapons. To reflect this disparity
between flesh and blood warriors, lesser automata and the
great steel juggernauts that took to the field during this age
of war, Vehicles have many different rules and their own set
of Characteristics. Vehicle Characteristics are described in the
Vehicles section (see page 202).
Forming a Unit
The models that make up your Horus Heresy – Age of
Darkness army must be organised into ‘units’.
small features, to shelter from enemy fire. The different
elements of the unit have to stay together to remain
an effective fighting force. This is detailed fully in the
Movement section (see page 162).
Units
In Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness, warriors are grouped
into squads, sections, or other similarly named units.
A unit usually consists of several models, but a single,
powerful model, such as a character, a tank or a war
engine, is also considered to be a unit in its own right.
Unit Coherency
Units fight in loose groups with gaps between each model.
This gives the warriors of the Imperium or the traitorous
followers of Horus freedom to move over Difficult Terrain
quickly, and enables them to take advantage of such
things as minor folds in the ground, scrub and other
Models and Base Sizes
The rules in this book assume that models are
mounted on the base they are supplied with.
Sometimes, a player may have models in their
collection on unusually modelled bases, and some
models aren’t supplied with a base at all.
In these cases, you should always feel free to mount
the model on a base of appropriate size if you wish,
using models of a similar type as guidance.
Imperial Fists Contemptor Dreadnought
Justici Siward, attached to 2 nd (Tactical) Battalion, Siege of Cthonia
General Principles
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
B
efore detailing the turn sequence and main structure of the rules, there are some basic ideas and game mechanics
that are worth discussing. These are common principles that often come into question during a game.
Measuring Distances
Dice
In games of Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness, distances
are measured in inches (") with a tape measure or
measuring stick. You can always check any distance at any
time. This allows you to determine whether your units are
in range of their target before they attack.
Throughout a game, you will often need to roll dice to see
how the actions of your models turn out – how effective
their Shooting Attacks are, what damage they’ve done
in melee combat, and so on. Almost all of the dice rolls
in Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness games use six-sided
dice, also known as D6, but there are some exceptions
as follows:
Distances between models and all other objects (which
can be other models, terrain features, and so on) are
always measured from the closest point on one base to the
closest point on the other base. Distances between units
are always measured to and from the bases of the closest
models in each of the units.
For example, if any part of a model’s base is within 6" of
the base of an enemy model, the two models are said to be
within 6" of each other.
Sometimes the rules will call upon a unit to move directly
towards another unit, or some other feature on the
battlefield. Where this is the case, move each model in the
unit directly towards its destination a number of inches
equal to the distance stated by the shortest available path.
The Most Important Rule
In a game of the size and complexity of Horus
Heresy – Age of Darkness, there are bound to be
occasions where a situation is not covered by the
rules, or an interpretation of the rules cannot be
agreed upon. If this happens, be prepared to come
up with a suitable solution.
If you find that you and your opponent cannot agree
on a solution, roll a D6 to see whose interpretation
will apply for the remainder of the game – on a
result of 1-3, player A gets to decide, on a 4-6, player
B decides.
Rolling a D3
In some circumstances, you may be instructed to roll a
D3. To do this, simply roll a D6 and halve the number,
rounding up. Thus 1 or 2 = 1, 3 or 4 = 2, and 5 or 6 = 3.
Rolling a D66
In some circumstances, you may be instructed to roll a
D66. To do this, roll two D6, one after the other, counting
the first dice as ‘tens’ and the second dice as ‘units’.
For example, if you roll a 3 on the first dice and a 5
on the second, you would get a D66 result of 35.
Scatter Dice
Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness games use a special
dice called a Scatter dice (marked with arrows and a Hit
symbol). This dice is mostly used to determine a random
direction, most often applied when working out the
behaviour of Blast weapons, such as cannon and missile
launchers (see page 152).
Dividing Results
On occasion, you’ll be called upon to divide the result of a
dice roll, a Characteristic or some other value. Where this
happens, any fractions should always be rounded up. So
a D6 roll of 3, halved, would be a result of 2 (for example,
1.5 rounded up). Similarly, 10% of a unit of 21 models,
rounded up, would be three models.
Modifying Dice Rolls
Roll off
Sometimes you may have to modify the number rolled on
the dice (or ‘the roll’). This is noted as D6 plus or minus a
number, such as D6+1. Roll the dice and add or subtract the
number given to or from the roll (as appropriate) to get the
final result. For example, D6+2 means roll a dice and add 2
to the number on the dice for a total between 3 and 8.
If the rules require players to roll off, each player rolls a
dice and the player who rolls the highest result wins the
roll off. In the result of a tie, roll again until one player
wins – any modifiers that applied to the first roll also
apply to further rolls.
Randomising
You may also be told to roll a number of dice in one
go, which is written as 2D6, 3D6, and so on. Roll the
indicated number of dice and add them together, so a
2D6 roll is two dice rolled and added together for a result
between 2 and 12.
Another method is to multiply the result of a dice by a
certain amount, such as D6x5 to provide a result between
5 and 30.
Modifiers to dice rolls cannot make a roll automatically
succeed or fail – a roll of an unmodified ‘1’ will always fail
and a roll of an unmodified ‘6’ will always succeed unless
another rule states otherwise.
Sometimes you’ll be called upon to randomly select
something – a model, an item, or similar. Where this is the
case, simply assign a D6 result to each of the things the
random selection must be made from, and roll the dice
to make your random choice. If you have fewer than six
items to randomise between, simply roll again until you
roll an assigned number.
If you have more than six items to randomise between,
split them into equal sized groups of six or fewer (or as
near to this as you can). Then randomly select one group,
further randomising between the items in the group to
determine the final selection.
Cocked Dice
Special rules that only trigger on a certain result on a
dice roll, such as Rending or Gets Hot, are not affected
by modifiers and still trigger only when the required
number is rolled before any modifications are applied.
For example, the Gets Hot special rule only applies on
the roll of a natural ‘1’, a roll of a ‘2’ cannot be modified
negatively to trigger the rule.
Re-roll
In some situations, the rules allow you to re-roll a dice.
This is exactly what it sounds like – pick up the dice you
wish to re-roll and roll it again. The second roll counts
even if it means a worse result than the first, and no single
dice can be re-rolled more than once, regardless of the
source of the re-roll.
If you re-roll a 2D6 or 3D6 roll, you must re-roll all of
the dice, not just some of them, unless the rules specify
otherwise. Any modifiers that applied to the first roll also
apply to the re-roll.
If two or more special rules combine to the effect that
all failed and all successful dice results would have to be
re-rolled, do not re-roll any dice; simply use the original
result(s) instead.
Occasionally, a dice will end up in a crevice of your terrain
or in the crack between two sections of board and doesn’t
lie flat. We call this a ‘cocked dice’. Some players use a
house rule that if any dice is not completely flat on the
table, it must be re-rolled. More common is for players to
re-roll the dice only if they can’t be sure of the result.
Of course, if your gaming surface is very textured and
results in a lot of cocked dice, you can make all of your
rolls in a tray or box lid.
On a similar note, it is generally accepted that if a dice
ends up on the floor, the result does not count, and most
gamers agree that a fallen dice can be re-rolled.
Blast Markers and Templates
Some weapons are so powerful that they don’t just target
a single model or unit, but have an ‘area effect’ which
might encompass several different models or units. To
better represent these circumstances, Horus Heresy – Age
of Darkness games use a series of different Blast markers
and templates:
• A ‘Small’ Blast marker (3" in diameter).
• A ‘Large’ Blast marker (5" in diameter).
• A ‘Template’ (a teardrop-shaped template roughly 8" long).
A number of weapons are even more powerful, able to
obliterate entire squads in a single shot. These apocalyptic
weapons use even bigger markers and templates,
which include:
• A ‘Massive’ Blast marker (7" in diameter).
• An ‘Apocalyptic’ Blast marker (10" in diameter).
• An ‘Apocalyptic Barrage’ marker (a clover-shaped set of
five overlapping markers, each 5" in diameter).
• A ‘Hellstorm’ (a teardrop-shaped template roughly
16" long).
All of these templates and Blast markers can be
purchased separately.
The templates and Blast markers are used as a way of
determining how many models have been hit by an attack
that has an area of effect or a blast radius. When an attack
uses a template or Blast marker, it will explain how the
template is positioned, including any kind of scatter that
might occur (scatter is discussed further later in this
section). To work out the number of Hits, you normally
need to hold the template or Blast marker with its central
hole over an enemy model or a particular point on the
battlefield, and then look underneath (or through, if
using a transparent template) to see how many models lie
partially or completely underneath. Various special rules
and weapon effects will provide additional details on the
specific use of templates when making attacks with those
special rules or weapons.
A unit takes a Hit for each model that is fully, or even
partially, underneath the template or Blast marker.
Remember that a model’s base is counted as being part of
the model itself, so all a template or Blast marker has to do
to cause a Hit is to cover any part of the target’s base.
Scatter
Sometimes a rule will call for an object (a template,
counter, model or even a whole unit) to be placed on the
battlefield and then scattered. When this occurs, follow
this procedure:
• Place the object on the battlefieldas instructed by the rule.
• Roll a Scatter dice and 2D6 to determine the direction
and distance of scatter in inches.
• If a Hit is rolled on the Scatter dice, the object does not
move – leave it in place and resolve the remainder of
the rule.
• If an arrow is rolled, move the object the distance
shown on the 2D6 in the direction of the arrow.
Ignore intervening terrain, units, etc, unless the rule
states otherwise.
• Once the object has scattered to its final position,
resolve its effects.
Some rules may specify a distance to be determined other
than 2D6, in which case, just replace the 2D6 in this
procedure with the method listed in the rule.
Scatter dice and other dice and accessories that you can
use in your games of Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness can
be purchased from the Games Workshop website.
5" Inner/Large Blast
5"-7" Middle
7"-10" Outer
7" Massive Blast
10" Apocalyptic Blast
Apocalyptic Blast/Apocalyptic Mega-blast Markers
The 10" Apocalyptic Blast marker has two rings marked on it (at 5" and 7"). The rings are used when resolving attacks
with a Large Blast, Massive Blast or Apocalyptic Mega-blast marker, which uses the inner, middle and outer zones.
Characteristic Tests
Models with Multiple Profiles
A model will sometimes be called upon to take a
Characteristic test. Such a test can be applied against any
Characteristic that the model has, except for Leadership
and Armour Save. A Toughness test is a Characteristic
test, as is a Strength test or an Initiative test, a Wounds
test, and so on.
Where a model has more than one value for the same
Characteristic, a Characteristic test is always taken against
the highest of the values.
Models don’t have a choice of what Characteristics to use –
the Characteristic to be tested will be specified in the rule.
To make a Characteristic test, follow these steps:
• Roll a D6 and compare the result to the relevant
Characteristic in the model’s profile.
• If the result is equal to or less than the number in the
profile, the test is passed.
• If the result is greater than the number in the model’s
profile,the test has been failed and the model faces the
consequences as detailed in the rule that prompted the test.
When a single test is required for the whole unit, use the
highest relevant Characteristic in the unit.
Automatic Pass and Fail
If a rule states that a Characteristic test ‘automatically
passes’ then no dice roll is needed; the test is passed.
Similarly, if a rule states that a Characteristic test
‘automatically fails’, then no dice roll is needed; that
test fails. If the model has a Characteristic of ‘-’ or 0, it
automatically fails the test.
When rolling dice to take a Characteristic test, an
unmodified dice roll of 6 is always a failure, and a dice roll
of 1 is always a success, regardless of any other modifiers.
Leadership Tests
Basic vs Advanced
At certain times, a model or unit might be called
upon to take a Leadership test. This usually
represents them drawing upon their courage to face
disheartening circumstances.
Basic rules apply to all the models in the game,
unless stated otherwise. They include the rules for
Movement, shooting and close combat as well as the
rules for morale.
To take a Leadership test, use the following procedure:
Advanced rules apply to specific types of models, whether
because they wield special kinds of weaponry (such
as Graviton weapons), have advanced skill sets (such
as proficiency when fighting in duels), because they
are different to their fellows (such as a unit leader or
Character), or because they are not standard Infantry
models (such as Cavalry, Dreadnoughts or Vehicles). The
advanced rules that apply to a unit are indicated in its
Army List entry in the relevant Horus Heresy – Age of
Darkness publication.
• Roll 2D6 and compare the result to the model’s
Leadership Characteristic.
• If the result is equal to or less than the model’s
Leadership Characteristic, then the test has been passed.
• If the result is greater than the model’s Leadership
Characteristic, the test has been failed and the model
faces the consequences as detailed in the rule that
prompted the test.
If a unit has to take a Leadership test and it includes
models with different Leadership values, always use the
highest Leadership from among them.
Automatic Pass and Fail
If a rule states that a Leadership test ‘automatically passes’
then no dice roll is needed; the test is passed. Similarly, if a
rule states that a Leadership test ‘automatically fails’, then
no dice roll is needed; that test fails.
When rolling dice to take a Leadership test, a dice roll
of 12 (a double 6) is always a failure, and a dice roll of 2
(a double 1) is always a success, regardless of any other
modifiers that apply.
Removed as a Casualty
and Completely Destroyed
Models that are removed as casualties are removed from
the battlefield and placed to one side. When all of the
models in a unit are removed as casualties, the unit is said
to have been ‘completely destroyed’.
Models that are ‘removed from play’ by special rules or
attacks are also considered to have been removed as
casualties, as far as the game rules are concerned.
For game purposes, units that are Falling Back at the end
of the game (see page 192) or are not on the battlefield at
the end of the game, either because they have Fallen Back
off a battlefield edge or because they are in Reserve (see
page 309), are also counted as completely destroyed.
Where advanced rules apply to a specific model, they
always override any contradicting basic rules. For
example, the basic rules state that a model must take a
Morale check under certain circumstances. If, however,
that model has a special rule that makes it immune to
Morale checks, then it does not take such checks – the
advanced rules take precedence.
On rare occasions, a conflict will arise between a rule in
this rulebook, and one printed in another Horus Heresy
– Age of Darkness publication, such as in Army Lists or
campaign rules. Where this occurs, those rules found
in other Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness publications
take precedence.
The Spirit of the Game
The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness may be
somewhat different to any other game you have
played. Above all, it’s important to remember that
the rules are just the framework to support an
enjoyable game. Whether a battle ends in victory
or defeat, your goal should always be to enjoy
the game. What’s more, Horus Heresy – Age of
Darkness calls on a lot from you, the player. Your
responsibility isn’t just to follow the rules, it’s to add
your own ideas, drama and creativity to the game.
Much of the appeal of this game lies in the freedom
and open-endedness this allows; it is in this spirit
that the rules have been written.
Owning Player, Opposing Player
and Controlling Player
Sometimes a rule will ask the owning, opposing or
controlling player to make an action or decision of some
kind. The owning player is always the player who ‘owns’
the model in question – the one who has the model in
their army. The opposing player is always their opponent.
The controlling player is always the player in current
command of that model – there are some special rules
which can force models to switch sides during the course
of the game.
Active and Reactive player
Other rules, most notably those for the Reactions used
by units in certain situations, will specify actions by the
‘Active’ or ‘Reactive’ player. The Active player is always
the player whose turn is currently being played, while
the Reactive player is always the player whose turn is not
currently being played.
You and Yours
Some models have abilities which are written as if
speaking to the controller of the model. When a model’s
rule refers to ‘you’ or ‘yours’, it refers to the player
currently controlling the model.
Friendly and Enemy Models
All models on the same side are friendly models. Models
controlled by the opposing side are enemy models. If an
opponent takes control of one of your models or units
during play, it becomes an enemy model or unit for as
long as it is under your opponent’s command. If you take
control of one of your opponent’s models or units, it is
friendly for as long as it is under your command.
Line of Sight
Line of sight determines what a model can ‘see’. Many
situations call for you to determine whether or not a
model has line of sight. A model normally needs line of
sight whenever it wishes to attack an enemy, whether with
a melee attack, or shooting attack. Line of sight literally
represents your warriors’ view of the enemy – they must be
able to see their foes through, under or over the battlefield
terrain and other models (whether friendly or enemy).
For one model to have line of sight to another, you must be
able to trace a straight, unblocked line from its body (the
head, torso, arms or legs) to any part of the target’s body.
Sometimes, all that will be visible of a model is a weapon,
banner, or other ornament they are carrying. In these
cases, the model is not visible. Similarly, mechanical
appendages such as cables, probes and ammo feeds are
ignored, even though they may be part of a model’s body.
These rules are intended to ensure that models don’t get
penalised for having impressive banners, weaponry, and
so on.
In many cases, what a model can ‘see’ will be obvious – if
there’s a hill, building or mechanical construct in the way,
the enemy might be blatantly out of sight. In other cases,
two units will be clearly in view of each other as there is
nothing at all in the way.
On those other occasions, where it’s not entirely obvious
whether or not one unit can see another, the player will
have to stoop over the battlefield and look from behind
the model’s head for a ‘model’s eye view’. This means
getting down to the level of your models and checking the
battlefield from their perspective to ‘see what they can see’.
You will find that you can spot lurking enemies through
the windows of ruined buildings, catch a glimpse of a
model’s legs under tree branches and see that high vantage
points become very useful for the increased line of sight
that they offer.
Own Unit
There is one important exception to the rules for line of
sight. Firing models can always draw line of sight through
members of their own unit just as if they were not there.
This assumes that the models shift their stances to open
up firing lanes in order to maximise their own unit’s
firepower. This includes Vehicle models that are part of a
Squadron. While models can draw line of sight through
their own unit without penalty, they may not draw line of
sight through friendly models that are not part of the unit,
including Dedicated Transports bought alongside a unit.
Ranges
Many rules will call for models to be not only in line of
sight, but also ‘in range’ of certain effects, or ‘within’ a
specified area of the battlefield. To be within range of any
given point or model, any part of the base of the model
(or hull in the case of models such as Vehicles without
a base) must be within a number of inches stated by the
rule in question. One example of this is when controlling
an Objective marker, as described on page 306, or more
commonly when determining if a Ranged weapon can
attack a potential target, as detailed in the Shooting rules
on page 166. In the case of rules and effects which require
a unit to be within a defined area of the table (such as the
opposing player’s Deployment Zone), all models in the
unit must be within that area.
The Turn
THE TURN
A
Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness battle is a chaotic affair. To bring a modicum of order to the anarchy of battle,
players alternate moving and fighting with their units in turn. So, one player will take their turn to move and fight
with their forces, and then their opponent will move and fight in their own turn. This process is then repeated, with the
first player moving and fighting again, and so on, until the game is done.
During their own turn, a player is referred to as the Active
player and can usually move and fight with each of their
units. Their opponent, known as the Reactive player, may
only perform specific Reactions during the Active player’s
turn. Once the Active player has completed their turn, the
roles are reversed and a new turn begins. For convenience
and flow of game play, we divide the Active player’s turn
into three main Phases.
Turn Phases
The three main Phases of an Active player’s turn are:
Movement, Shooting and Assault. In the Movement phase
the Active player moves any of their units that they wish
to move; then in the Shooting phase they make Shooting
Attacks with any units capable of doing so; and finally, in
the Assault phase all melee combats are resolved. Once
all of these Phases are completed, the Active player’s turn
ends and their opponent becomes the Active player and
begins their turn.
This process helps to keep track of what is going on and
makes it easier to know when one player’s actions are over
and their opponent can start their turn.
Reactions
While the Active player works through each of the three
main Phases in sequence, the Reactive player does not
sit idle. During each Phase the Reactive player may make
a number of Reactions, responses to the Active player’s
actions that give that player a chance to counter the
strategies of their foe. The full rules for Reactions are
found on page 158.
Game Turns and Player Turns
In a complete Game Turn, each player gets a player turn,
divided into Movement, Shooting and Assault phases. One
Game Turn therefore comprises two player turns – one for
each player, during which they become the Active player.
Whenever a rule refers to ‘a turn’, it always means ‘player
turn’ unless it specifically refers to a ‘Game Turn’.
The Start and End of a Phase
During your game, you may encounter rules that say an
action or event happens at the start of a particular Phase,
such as ‘at the start of your Movement phase’ or ‘at the start
of your Shooting phase’. These are always resolved before
anything else during that Phase. Likewise, any rule that
says an action or event happens at the end of a particular
Phase is always resolved after all other actions have been
performed during that Phase, before the next Phase (if
any) starts.
The Start and End of a Turn
During your game, you may encounter rules that say
an action or an event happens ‘at the start of your turn’.
These are always resolved before your Movement phase.
Likewise, any rule which says an action or event happens
‘at the end of your turn’ is always resolved after your Assault
phase has finished, but before your opponent’s next turn
(if any) begins.
‘Before the Game Begins’
and ‘At the End of the Game’
During your game, you may encounter rules that say an
action or event happens ‘before the game begins’. Examples
of such events include generating Warlord Traits.
These are always resolved before either player deploys
their army.
During your game, you may encounter rules that say an
action or event happens ‘at the end of the game’. Examples
of such events include scoring Victory points for certain
missions. The mission you are playing will specify when
your game ends; this will normally be after a certain
number of Game Turns. Any rule that says an action or
event happens ‘at the end of the game’ is always resolved
after the last Game Turn has ended.
Sequencing
While playing The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness, you’ll
occasionally find that two or more rules are to be resolved
at the same time – normally ‘at the start of the Movement
phase’ or similar. When this happens, and the wording
is not explicit as to which rule is resolved first, then the
Active player chooses the order. If these things occur
before or after the game, or at the start or end of a Game
Turn, the players roll off and the winner decides in what
order the rules are resolved.
Turn Summary
1. The Start of the Active Player’s Turn: Resolve any rule described as happening at the start of your turn.
2. Movement Phase: Here, the Active player moves any of their units that are capable of doing so. See the
Movement rules on page 162 for more details of how to do this.
3. Shooting Phase: The Active player may now make Shooting Attacks with any of their units that are capable of
doing so. See the Shooting rules on page 166 for more details on how to resolve this.
4. Assault Phase: During the Assault phase, units may move into combat against enemy units in the Charge subphase and trade blows with them in the Fight sub-phase. All units in melee combat fight; this is an exception
to the normal turn sequence in that both sides fight, not just the Active player’s units. More information on
fighting in melee combat can be found in the Assault rules on page 180.
5. The End of the Active Player’s Turn: Resolve any rule described as happening at the end of your turn.
Once a turn is fully resolved the players switch roles, the Active player becoming the Reactive player and vice versa,
and begin a new player turn. This cycle continues until the game ends, whether due to reaching a set limit of
Game Turns, reaching a set time limit or completing a set Objective during play.
Reactions
REACTIONS
I
n the chaos of battle, it is not only the will of generals that decides the outcome, but also the reactions of ordinary
warriors. As the tide of combat flows about them, some will be caught off-guard while others rise to the challenge of
this dark age and refuse to allow the foe to dictate the course of battle.
To represent the fast-paced nature of war during the
Horus Heresy, the Age of Darkness rules use Reactions.
These are actions that a player may make during the
opposing player’s turns in an attempt to thwart their
onslaught and turn the battle in their favour. Each Phase
grants only a limited number of Reactions, each a precious
resource that can aid the survival of key units in the
line of battle or see the beginning of a decisive counterattack. Understanding and wise use of Reactions can
easily dictate the course of any battle fought in the Age
of Darkness.
Reaction Allotments
The Reactive player may attempt a set number of
Reactions in each Phase of the Active player’s turn. This
set number is referred to as the Reaction Allotment, and
always begins at a base value of one. A player must expend
one point of their Reaction Allotment in order to have
a unit under their control make a Reaction and once
the Reaction Allotment for that Phase is reduced to 0,
sometimes referred to as being exhausted, then no more
Reactions may be made.
Base Reaction Allotment
Any player, unless a special rule or other effect
specifies otherwise, may make one Reaction in each
Phase of their opponent’s turn.
The Reaction Allotment of any player may be modified
by special rules or other effects, granting that player
additional Reactions either in every Phase (an increase of
the Reaction Allotment) or in specific Phases. This may
either increase the base Reaction Allotment, that is the
number of Reactions allowed in every Phase, or only grant
a bonus to the Reaction Allotment in specific Phases.
For example, a player might have a special rule that
states ‘This special rule increases the Reaction Allotment
to two’, which would indicate that the player could
make two Reactions in every Phase of their opponent’s
turn. However, a special rule that states ‘This special
rule increases the number of Reactions that may be made
during the Assault phase by +1’ would allow a player with
a Reaction Allotment of one to make a single Reaction
in the Shooting and Movement phases, but two in the
Assault phase.
Regardless of any special rules or other effects, no player
may ever increase their base Reaction Allotment above
three, nor may any player ever make more than three
Reactions in a given Phase unless a special rule specifically
allows for a number of Reactions above the normal limit
of three.
A Reaction may be made with any unit controlled by the
Reactive player, though in a number of situations a special
rule or condition may deny a unit the opportunity to
react. The most common such conditions where a unit
may not make a Reaction are:
• It is Pinned.
• It is Falling Back.
• It is locked in combat.
• It has already made a Reaction in the current Phase.
• The controlling player has exhausted their Reaction
Allotment for the current Phase.
• Another special rule, effect or condition specifically states
they may not (for example, the Fearless special rule and
certain effects caused by weapons and Psychic Powers).
Additional Reactions
and Reaction Limits
While the basic Reaction Allotment provides the
Reactive player with a single Reaction to use in
each Phase, it is unlikely that most players will be
limited in this fashion. A number of special rules
provide additional Reactions to the Reactive player
in specific Phases. The most common of these
are Warlord Traits, many of which will provide at
least one additional Reaction in one or more of
the turn’s Phases – these additional Reactions are a
key resource for the Reactive player and the choice
of Warlord Trait should be carefully considered in
order to maximise the benefits on offer.
While Warlord Traits and other rules may offer
a player additional Reactions, it should be noted
that, regardless of any modifications to a player’s
Reaction Allotment or special rules granting bonus
Reactions, the Reactive player may never make more
than three (3) Reactions in any single Phase.
When making Reactions, all armies, regardless of Faction
or size, may choose to use any or all of the Core Reactions
as presented in this rulebook during a game. Certain
armies may gain access to additional Reactions due
to Faction rules or special rules. No matter how many
different Reactions an army has to choose from, it may
still only make a number of Reactions per Phase equal to
its Reaction Allotment.
Most Reactions may only be played in a specific Phase,
and in opposition to a specific action taken by the Active
player. In all cases, the rules for each Reaction will detail
when and how they are used. A given Reaction may be
used as many times as a player wishes, so long as that
player has not exhausted their Reaction Allotment for the
Phase – but no individual unit may make more than one
Reaction in any one Phase.
Shooting Attacks made as part of a Reaction do not cause
Leadership tests due to casualties inflicted upon enemy
units, nor do they limit the actions of the Reacting units
in future turns or Phases regardless of the weapons used
to attack with, although any single use weapons or special
abilities that may only be used once are considered to have
been expended if used as part of a Reaction. Similarly,
units that make moves or undertake other actions as part
of a Reaction suffer no penalty or drawback in later Phases
or turns for doing so.
Any Reaction that allows a unit to move using its Initiative
Characteristic rather than its Movement Characteristic
may not be used by units that include any models with
either no Initiative Characteristic (such as most Vehicles)
or an Initiative Characteristic of 0. In addition, Reactions
that allow a Move based on Initiative use the unit’s or
model’s unmodified Initiative and are not affected by
Difficult Terrain (but must still take Dangerous Terrain
tests as normal).
CORE REACTIONS
The following Reactions are available to all armies
regardless of size or Faction.
Reactions in the Movement Phase
During the Movement phase, the Reactive player may
declare a Reaction if an enemy unit ends a move within
12" and in line of sight of a friendly unit. Once the Active
player has completely resolved their unit’s movement,
the Reactive player may choose to expend one of their
Reactions in that Phase in order to have a unit they
control that is within 12" and line of sight of the final
position of the moving unit either Advance or Withdraw.
Advance – The Reacting unit may move a number of inches
up to its unmodified Initiative Characteristic directly
towards the enemy unit that triggered this Reaction,
moving each model in the unit directly towards the enemy
unit by the shortest available path. In a unit with mixed
Initiative Characteristics, use the highest unmodified
Characteristic. Vehicles may pivot once up to 90° and then
move up to 6" directly forwards.
Withdraw – The Reacting unit may move a number of
inches up to its unmodified Initiative Characteristic directly
away from the enemy unit that triggered this Reaction,
moving each model in the unit directly away from the
enemy unit by the shortest available path. In a unit with
mixed Initiative Characteristics, use the highest unmodified
Characteristic. Vehicles may pivot once up to 90° and then
move up to 6" directly backwards.
Reactions in the Shooting Phase
During the Shooting phase, the Reactive player may react
when any enemy unit makes a Shooting Attack targeting
a unit they control. Once the Active player has resolved
all To Hit and To Wound rolls, and Armour Saves are
made, but before any Damage Mitigation rolls are made
or casualties removed, the Reactive player may choose to
expend one of their Reactions for that Phase to have the
unit targeted by the Shooting Attack either Return Fire
or Evade.
Return Fire – The Reacting unit may make a Shooting
Attack, targeting the unit that triggered this Reaction
and following all the usual rules for Shooting Attacks. A
unit that makes a Shooting Attack as part of a Return Fire
Reaction may not make any attacks indirectly (without
line of sight) including Barrage weapons or other weapons
or special rules that otherwise ignore line of sight, and
Vehicles may only fire Defensive weapons. Template
weapons may only be used as part of a Return Fire
Reaction if the target unit is within 8" and must use the
Wall of Death rule instead of firing normally. Units making
a Shooting Attack as part of this Reaction are considered to
be Stationary, and may fire weapons of any type as though
they had not moved.
Evade – All models in the Reacting unit gain the Shrouded
(5+) special rule against all Wounds inflicted as part of
the Shooting Attack that triggered this Reaction – if
the Reacting unit already has a version of the Shrouded
special rule then this does not stack or increase that rule,
and the Reacting player may choose to use any one of
the Shrouded rules available to them. A Vehicle that has
suffered an Immobilised result on the Vehicle Damage
table, any unit that includes one or more models with
a Movement Characteristic of 0 or any unit that is not
allowed to move in this turn for any reason may not make
an Evade Reaction.
Reactions in the Assault Phase
During the Assault phase, the Reactive player may react
when any enemy unit declares a Charge targeting a unit
they control. Once the Active player has resolved all Charge
Rolls, whether successful or not, but before any models
are moved as part of either a Charge Move or Surge Move,
the Reactive player may choose to expend one of their
Reactions for that Phase to have the unit targeted by the
Charge either Overwatch or Hold the Line.
Overwatch –The Reacting unit may make a Shooting
Attack, targeting the unit that triggered this Reaction and
following all the usual rules for Shooting Attacks. A unit
that makes a Shooting Attack as part of an Overwatch
Reaction may not make any attacks indirectly (without
line of sight) including Barrage weapons or other weapons
or special rules that otherwise ignore line of sight, and
Vehicles may only fire Defensive weapons. Template
weapons used as part of an Overwatch Reaction use the
Wall of Death rule instead of firing normally. The unit
targeted by the Overwatch attack may not take Cover
Saves against Wounds inflicted as part of an Overwatch
Reaction. Units making a Shooting Attack as part of this
Reaction are considered to be Stationary, and may fire
weapons of any type as though they had not moved.
Hold the Line – The Reacting unit must make a Morale
check, if that check is successful and the enemy unit’s
Charge was also successful then that Charge counts as
Disordered. If the Morale check is successful, but the
enemy unit’s Charge was a failure then any other Charges
resolved against that unit by other enemy units in the
same Charge sub-phase must be counted as Disordered.
Imperial Fists Spartan Assault Tank
‘Hammer of Inwit’, Marshall Amalric’s Household, Siege of Cthonia
Sons of Horus Spartan Assault Tank
Unidentified/undesignated vehicle, Inductii Cohort ‘Ambix’, Siege of Cthonia
The Movement Phase
THE MOVEMENT PHASE
G
etting models into the right position on the battlefield is often the key to victory. The following rules explain how
Infantry units move as they are the most common units in the game. Vehicles, Cavalry and certain other units move
in different ways to represent their greater mobility, and these will be discussed in full detail later in the book.
During any player turn, the Active player can move each of their units
up to a distance equal to their Movement Characteristic in inches.
Once any one unit has completed all of its movement, the Active
player can select another unit and move that one, and so on, until
the Active player has moved all of the units they wish to move. Once
the Active player has started moving a unit, they must finish its move
before starting to move another unit. Note that the Active player
does not have to move all (or any) of their units – there are several
advantages to remaining Stationary, as will be explained later. Once a
unit’s move has been completed, the player cannot go back and change
it, so think carefully before deciding to move any of your units.
Movement Distance
Models move up to a number of inches equal to their Movement
Characteristic in the Movement phase. This represents the unit
moving at a pace reasonable enough to survey the surrounding terrain
for enemies and potential traps, communicate with their commanders
and evaluate any further advance.
It is perfectly fine to measure a unit’s move in one direction, and then
decide to move it somewhere else or not at all. As they are moved the
models in a unit can be turned to face in any direction, but if a model
does move, no part of its base can finish the move more than the total
distance it is allowed to move that turn from the point where it started
the Movement phase.
Models cannot voluntarily move off the battlefield, save where special
rules make an explicit exception to this rule.
Movement Distance
A common mistake is for the distance to be measured and
the model placed on the far side of the tape measure. This is
incorrect, as it adds the entire length of the model’s base to the
distance moved. For an Infantry model on a relatively small
base, this error isn’t grave, but for larger models such as tanks or
Knights, it can be game changing.
Moving and Difficult
Terrain
Difficult Terrain, areas of the board that
slow and obstruct those attempting to
move through them, are discussed in
more detail on page 222 . However, for
the purposes of ease of use, the rules
regarding how Difficult Terrain affects
Movement are presented here:
If a unit starts its move outside
Difficult Terrain, but has a high enough
Movement Characteristic to enter
Difficult Terrain during the current
Movement phase, the player must
declare if they want their unit to try to
enter it as part of their move. If they
choose not to enter any area of Difficult
Terrain the unit moves as normal, but
may not enter any area of Difficult
Terrain. If they choose for a unit to
enter any area of Difficult Terrain,
that unit applies a modifier of -2 to the
distance it moves in that Phase.
This modifier is applied to the unit’s
Movement Characteristic before it
begins its move and continues to
apply as long as the unit remains in
Difficult Terrain, or until the end of the
current Movement phase if it leaves
Difficult Terrain as part of its move. If
the application of this modifier would
leave the unit unable to reach an area of
Difficult Terrain it is still applied, even
if the controlling player alters the unit’s
movement and no longer intends to
enter Difficult Terrain.
Which Models are Moving
Whether or not a model moves can change how effective
it will be in the Shooting and Assault phases. The Active
player may decide that only some of the models in a unit
are going to move this turn. If this is the case, they must
declare which models are remaining Stationary before
moving the other models of that unit, otherwise the
entire unit is considered to have moved. Remember that
all models in the unit must still maintain unit coherency
(see page 164).
Running
In order to maximise their potential movement, models
can forego the chance to make a Shooting Attack in the
turn’s Shooting phase in order to increase their maximum
Movement distance. This can represent infantry sprinting
ahead as well as combat bikes going at maximum speed
or a Dreadnought breaking into a long-legged lope. Any
unit may choose to Run during the Movement phase
(except those units whose Type does not allow them
to do so, such as Vehicles and Artillery – see page 194
for details on Unit Types), but this must be declared
before any models in the unit are moved. If the Active
player chooses to Run with any of their units, that unit
increases their movement by the value of the lowest
Initiative Characteristic in the unit for the duration of the
Movement phase.
However, a unit that Runs may not make Shooting
Attacks of any kind during the following Shooting
phase, or declare Charges during the Assault phase
of the same player turn. If any models in a unit
Run, then all models in that unit are counted as
having Run, regardless of the distance moved by any
individual model.
Units making a Reaction during their opponent’s turn
may never choose to Run as part of that Reaction.
Jump Packs and Jet Packs
Some units have access to special Wargear intended to grant them the ability to move further and more
decisively. Of such Wargear, the Jump Pack and Jet Pack are the most common. Many army lists in
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness will present Faction-specific versions of this Wargear.
Units that are entirely equipped with one of these items of Wargear will have access to additional rules in the
Movement (and potentially other) phases. The basic rules for both Jump Packs and Jet Packs are shown below
for reference:
Jump Pack: A unit composed entirely of models with
Jump Packs may set its Movement Characteristic
to a value of 12 for the duration of the controlling
player’s turn. This allows the unit to move up to 12",
regardless of the Movement Characteristic shown on
its profile, and gain any other benefits of a Movement
Characteristic of 12 (including the bonus to Charge
Distance, see page 181). In addition, if the controlling
player chooses to set the unit’s Movement to 12",
the unit ignores terrain while Moving and Charging,
and may move over friendly and enemy models/
units. A unit that ends or begins its Movement or
a Charge in Dangerous Terrain will still need to
take Dangerous Terrain tests as normal, even when
employing Jump Packs, and treats all Difficult Terrain
as Dangerous Terrain.
Jet Pack: A unit entirely equipped with Jet Packs may
choose to increase its Movement Characteristic by +6,
move over friendly and enemy models/units, and ignore
terrain while moving during the Movement phase. A
unit that ends or begins its movement in Dangerous
Terrain will still need to take Dangerous Terrain tests
as normal, even when employing Jet Packs and treats
DifficultTerrain as Dangerous Terrain. In addition to
the bonus to move during the Movement phase, a unit
equipped entirely with Jet Packs may make an additional
move of 6" during the Shooting phase. This move must
be taken after the unit has completed any Shooting, is
not limited by the weapons fired by that unit during the
Shooting phase and ignores terrain and may move over
friendly and enemy models/units in the same manner as
moves made using a Jet Pack in the Movement phase.
Any model equipped with a Jump Pack also gains the
Bulky (2) and Deep Strike special rules, or if it already
has the Bulky (2) special rule it gains the Bulky (3)
special rule instead. A unit equipped with Jump Packs
may not Run.
Any model equipped with a Jet Pack also gains the
Bulky (2) and Deep Strike special rules, or if it already
has the Bulky (2) special rule it gains the Bulky (3)
special rule instead.
During Reactions made in any Phase, a unit equipped
with Jump Packs may not activate them to gain any
bonus to their Movement Characteristic.
During any Reaction that allows a unit equipped
entirely with Jet Packs to move, increase the distance of
that move by 6. This allows the unit to ignore terrain in
the same manner as other Jet Pack moves.
Different Movement Distances
within a Unit
Sometimes, a unit will contain models that move at
different speeds. When this is the case, each model can
move up to its maximum Movement allowance so long as
it remains in unit coherency (see diagram below).
Models in the Way
A model cannot move to a position within 1" of an enemy
model unless they are charging into combat in the Assault
phase, and can never move or pivot through another
model (friend or foe) at any time. To move past another
model, they must go around.
Unit Coherency
When moving a unit, its individual models must
remain in close proximity with each other in order
to remain an effective fighting force. Once a unit has
finished moving, the models that comprise it must be
no more than 2" horizontally and 6" vertically away
from at least one other model in the same unit, and all
models in the unit must form one single group – with
no clusters of models in the unit separated by more
than 2". This is referred to as being in ‘Unit Coherency’.
Pivoting on the Spot
If the Active player chooses not to move a model in a
unit, they can instead choose to turn it on the spot to face
in any direction, provided that the pivot does not bring
the model within 1" of an enemy model. A model that
only pivots on the spot in the Movement phase counts as
being Stationary for all purposes, including subsequent
Shooting Attacks.
Moving and Close Combat
Units already locked in combat with the enemy cannot
move during the Movement phase (see page 183 ).
During the course of a game, a unit can get broken up
and lose unit coherency, usually because it has sustained
casualties from enemy fire.If this happens, in their next
Movement phase, the models in the unit must be moved
in such a way that they restore unit coherency, or as close
to unit coherency as possible. If the unit cannot move in
its next turn, or is unable to restore unit coherency in a
single turn, then the models must move to restore unit
coherency as soon as they have the opportunity, including
by Running if they have that option.
Moving through Terrain
As part of their move, models can move
through, up or over any terrain they
encounter, unless the terrain is noted as being
impassable (see page 222 ).
Models can also be moved to ‘climb up’
terrain, as long as the model is able to finish
the move on a location on which it can be
stood. When measuring a move where a
model climbs terrain, add the distance the
model moves horizontally to the distance it
has moved vertically; the result is considered
to be the distance the model has moved.
Unit Coherency in Terrain
As the Space Marine Legionaries in this Ruin are all 1" away from
another member of their unit on the same level, well within the 2"
maximum coherency limit, or within 6" of another member of the
same unit on a different level, they are all in unit coherency.
In addition to the rules presented in this
section, certain types of terrain can affect
how far your models can move. The rules
for how these different types of terrain affect
movement are on page 220.
Wobbly Model Syndrome
Sometimes, a particular piece of terrain may
make it hard to place a model exactly where
you want. In cases like this, it is perfectly
acceptable to leave the model in a safer
position, as long as both players have agreed
and know its ‘actual’ location.
If your opponent is considering shooting at
the model, you will have to hold it back in the
proper place so they can check line of sight
and range.
Moving Vertically
The Space Marine Legionary has a Move of 7". He moves 4"
horizontally to get beneath the first floor level of the ruined
building, and then moves 3" vertically, ending the move one
floor up as shown.
The Shooting Phase
THE SHOOTING PHASE
I
n a Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness battle, the Active player’s army makes Shooting Attacks in the Shooting phase of
their turn. During the Shooting phase, units armed with ranged weapons and Psychic Weapons can use them to inflict
casualties upon the enemy. The Active player can choose any order for their units to shoot in, but must complete all the
firing by one unit before moving on to the next.
The process by which Shooting Attacks are made can be
summarised in seven steps, described as follows. Each
step is explained in greater detail later in this section.
Once this sequence has been completed with a unit,
select another and repeat the sequence. Once steps 1-7
have been completed for each unit in your army, you
wish to make a Shooting Attack with, move on to the
Assault phase.
For certain situations, such as the Reactions that allow
a Shooting Attack to be made by the Reactive player, a
unit may be called upon to make a Shooting Attack either
during another player’s turn or outside of the Shooting
phase. In this case, that Shooting Attack is resolved
immediately, using the seven steps detailed here, but
without the controlling player selecting another unit with
which to attack.
The Shooting Sequence
Nominate a Unit to make Shooting Attacks: The Active player chooses one of their units that is able to make
a Shooting Attack but has yet to do so this turn. If they wish, the Active player may check the distance between
units before selecting a unit to make attacks with.
Choose a Target: The chosen unit may make a Shooting Attack, targeting an enemy unit that it can draw line
of sight to. The Active player may freely check the distance between units before declaring a target unit.
Select a Weapon: Select a weapon the firing unit is equipped with. All models equipped with a weapon with
the same name can now attack the target. Every model that wishes to attack must be within range of at least
one visible model in the target unit. Models that cannot see the target, or who are not in range, cannot attack.
Roll To Hit: Roll a D6 for each shot fired. A model’s Ballistic Skill determines what must be rolled in order to
hit the target.
Roll To Wound: For each attack that Hits, roll again to see if it Wounds the target. The result needed is
determined by comparing the Strength of the firing weapon with the majority Toughness of the target unit.
Allocate Wounds and Remove Casualties: Any Wounds caused by the firing unit must now be allocated, one
at a time, to a model in the unit chosen by that unit’s controlling player that is within line of sight and range
of the attacking unit. A Saving Throw may be made for the model to which the Wound is allocated (if it has
one) to avoid being wounded. If a model is reduced to 0 Wounds, it is removed as a casualty. Wounds are then
allocated to another model chosen by the controlling player. Continue to Allocate Wounds and take Saving
Throws until all Wounds have been resolved.
Select another Weapon: After resolving all shots from the currently selected weapon, if the firing unit is
equipped with differently named weapons that have yet to fire, select another weapon and repeat steps 3 to 6.
Note that most models may attack with only one weapon, regardless of how many they are equipped with.
Nominate a Unit to
make Shooting Attacks
During the Shooting phase, a unit containing models
armed with weapons whose range is greater than -/Melee
can be nominated to make Shooting Attacks.
Who can make Shooting Attacks?
Certain situations prevent a model from firing. The most
common are:
• Their unit is locked in combat (see page 183 ).
• Their unit has Run this turn (see page 163 ).
This is not a comprehensive list. Other game rules or
special rules can sometimes affect a unit’s ability to make a
Shooting Attack – this is explained when it occurs.
Choose a Target
Once a unit has been chosen to make a Shooting Attack,
choose a single enemy unit to be the target of that
attack. The target unit must be within line of sight and
range for at least one model in the attacking unit. Note
that the controlling player of the attacking unit may
check the range and line of sight to multiple enemy units
before deciding which one to shoot at and declaring it to
their opponent. A unit that is locked in combat may not
be selected as the target of a Shooting Attack, regardless
of whether line of sight or range may be drawn to it (see
page 183 ).
Line of Sight
To target an enemy unit, at least one model in the
shooting unit must have line of sight to at least one model
in the target unit. If no model has line of sight, then a
different target must be chosen.
Check Range
All weapons have a Maximum Range, which is the furthest
distance at which they can be used to make attacks. A
weapon must be in range of the target unit to make
attacks. The following are examples of weapon ranges:
Weapon
Archaeotech pistol
Bolter
Havoc launcher
Maximum Range
12"
24"
48"
When checking range, simply measure from the attacking
model to the nearest model in the target unit that is
within Line of Sight of the attacking model. Any weapon
that is found to be out of range of all models in the target
unit to which line of sight can be drawn may not be used
to make attacks.
The majority of a unit of Sons of Horus Legionaries are found to have a target that is within line of sight and within the 12"
range of their bolt pistols (indicated by the white lines). A single model in the attacking unit cannot make ranged attacks as the
model does not have line of sight to the only Imperial Fists model within range of his weapon (as indicated by the red line).
Select a Weapon
Roll To Hit
Whilst some units are comprised entirely of models with
the same weaponry, many units are equipped with a
variety of different weapons or contain models that are
themselves equipped with more than one weapon. When
making Shooting Attacks with a unit, completely resolve
all attacks from the same weapons at the same time before
moving onto any differently named weapons (see Select
Another Weapon on page 172).
To determine if the attacking model has hit its target, roll
a D6 for each attack that is in range. Most models only get
to make one attack – however, some weapons are capable
of firing more than once, as will be explained in more
detail later. The dice roll needed To Hit will depend on
the Ballistic Skill (or BS) of the attacking model. The chart
below shows the minimum D6 roll needed to score a Hit.
First, select a weapon that one or more models in the
attacking unit are equipped with. The selected weapon
cannot be one that the unit has already attacked with
during this Phase. All models in the unit that are equipped
with the selected weapon can now attack the target unit
with that weapon.
If a weapon can attack with more than one mode, as
represented by multiple profiles for a single weapon, select
a single weapon mode/ammo type for this attack – treat
weapons firing different modes/ammo as differently
named weapons. If a model can attack with more than
one weapon in the same Phase and it is equipped with two
or more identically named weapons, it shoots with all the
same named weapons when that weapon is selected.
A player can choose not to fire with certain models if
they prefer. This must be declared before rolling To Hit.
If a player chooses not to have a model attack with the
currently selected weapon now, it cannot attack with
that weapon later during the same Phase (but it can
attack with a differently named weapon it is equipped
with). All of the models in the unit that are attacking
with the selected weapon make their attacks at the same
time, regardless of whether or not all of the dice are
rolled together.
Which Models can Fire
Any model that has line of sight to at least one enemy
model in the target unit and is found to be in range of that
model can make Shooting Attacks.
All models in the unit must attack the same target unit.
If a model cannot attack the same target unit as the
other models in its unit then it cannot attack at all in the
Shooting phase for that turn.
Typically, a model can only attack with a single Ranged
weapon in the same Phase, although some models, such as
Vehicles, can attack with more. Once a model has attacked
with the maximum number of weapons, it cannot attack
again in that Phase.
Firer’s BS
Roll needed To Hit
1
6
2
5+
3
4+
4
3+
5
2+
To Hit rolls are easy to remember if you subtract the
Ballistic Skill of the attacking model from 7. For example,
a model with BS 2 needs to roll a 5 or more (7-2=5).
Note that the minimum roll needed To Hit is always at
least 2. When rolling To Hit, there is no such thing as an
automatic Hit and a roll of a 1 always misses.
Ballistic Skill of 6 or Higher
Very rarely, a model may have a Ballistic Skill of 6 or even
more. If a model has BS 6 or higher, it gains a re-roll
whenever it rolls a 1 To Hit with Shooting Attacks. The
second roll usually has a lower chance of hitting, and the
number needed is given in the chart below after the slash.
Firer’s BS
6
Roll needed To Hit 2/6
7
2/5
8
2/4
9
2/3
10
2/2
For example, a model with BS 7 fires a shot with its pistol.
It rolls a 1, missing, but thanks to its skill with ranged
weaponry, it can re-roll the dice. This time, however, it
can only hit on a roll of 5 or better.
If a model has a special rule that already gives it a re-roll
To Hit (such as Master-crafted), then that re-roll takes
precedence and the chart above is not used. Instead, the
chance of hitting with the re-roll is the same as the chance
of hitting with the first roll, determined by the attacking
model’s BS.
Movement and Shooting Attacks
Some weapons may have their ability to attack or the
number of attacks they make modified by whether the
model equipped with them has moved or not in the
preceding Movement phase. This is explained in more
detail in the Weapons section (see page 176). The effect
Movement has on making Shooting Attacks is applied on
a model-by-model basis.
Snap Shots
Under specific circumstances, models must fire Snap
Shots. The most common occurrences of Snap Shots
are when models with Heavy weapons move and make
Shooting Attacks in the same turn (see page 177). If a
model is forced to make Snap Shots rather than attack
normally, then its Ballistic Skill is counted as being 1 for
the purpose of those attacks, unless it has a Ballistic Skill
of 0, in which case it may not shoot (see page 148).
The Ballistic Skill of a model making a Snap Shot can only
be modified by special rules that specifically state that they
affect Snap Shots, along with any other restrictions. If a
special rule doesn’t specifically state that it affects Snap
Shots, then the Snap Shot is resolved at Ballistic Skill 1.
Some weapon types, such as Ordnance, or those that
have certain special rules, such as Blast, cannot be used to
make Snap Shots (see page 234 ). In addition, any Shooting
Attack that does not use Ballistic Skill cannot be made as a
Snap Shot. These exceptions aside, Snap Shots are treated
in the same manner as any other Shooting Attack made
with a Ballistic Skill of 1.
Sons of Horus Contemptor Dreadnought
Vortum ‘the Thrice-Fallen’, Command Cadre, Inductii Cohort ‘Ambix’, Siege of Cthonia
Roll To Wound
To determine whether a Hit causes damage, compare the
weapon’s Strength Characteristic with the target’s Toughness
Characteristic using the To Wound chart on this page. The
number indicated on the chart is the minimum result on a
D6 needed to convert the Hit into a Wound. A value of ‘-’
indicates that the target cannot be wounded by the attack.
Note that the minimum roll needed To Wound is always
at least 2. When rolling To Wound, there is no such thing
as an automatic Wound and a roll of 1 always fails.
Each weapon has its own Strength Characteristic, which
is given in its profile or in the description of the weapon.
The following are examples of weapons and their
Strength Characteristics:
Weapon
Bolter
Lightning gun
Laser destroyer
Strength
4
7
9
Allocate Wounds and Remove Casualties
Multiple Toughness Values
Rarely, a unit will contain models with differing Toughness
Characteristics. When this occurs, roll To Wound using
the Toughness Characteristic that is in the majority in
the target unit by counting the number of models with
each different value – the Bulky (X) special rule and Unit
Type of a model have no effect on whether a Toughness
Characteristic is in the majority, it is decided simply by the
number of models with a given Toughness Characteristic in
the unit. If two or more Toughness Characteristics are tied
for majority, use the highest of these tied Characteristics.
To determine how many casualties are caused, the
Wounds from each Wound Pool must be allocated and
any Saving Throws resolved. If several pools of Wounds
need to be allocated then the player whose unit receives
the attacks decides the order in which they are allocated.
All of the Wounds in a given pool must be allocated before
moving on to the next.
Allocate Wounds
First, the player whose unit is the target of the attack
selects any one model in the unit that is within line of
sight and range of the attacking unit.
The Wound Pool
Total up the number of Wounds caused by the attacking
unit. Keep the dice that have scored Wounds and create a
‘pool’, where each dice represents a Wound.
Sometimes an attack will gain a bonus or special rule
depending on the results rolled To Hit or To Wound (for
example, due to the Rending special rule, see page 246).
If any such Wounds are caused, split them into separate
Wound Pools. All Wounds with exactly the same Strength,
AP value and special rules must go into the same pool.
If all the Wounds are the same, there will only be one
Wound Pool.
If any model in the target unit has already lost one or
more Wounds, but has not been removed as a casualty
then the Wound must be allocated to such a model,
unless that model is out of line of sight of all models in
the attacking unit or has the Character sub-type (see
page 198).
Out of Range &Out of Line of Sight
If at any point while allocating Wounds, there is no model
in the target unit that is within line of sight or range
of the attacking unit then all remaining Wounds in the
Wound Pool are lost.
A unit of Sons of Horus Legionaries has made a Shooting Attack targeting a unit of Imperial Fists Legionaries.
The attack inflicts a total of seven Wounds on the Imperial Fists unit, all from bolters and forming a single Wound
Pool. The Imperial Fists player chooses to allocate the first Wound to Model A, which is within both range and
line of sight of the attacking unit of Sons of Horus Space Marines. The first Wound is successfully saved, and
the Imperial Fists player must continue to resolve Wounds from the Wound Pool against that model. Another
successful save is made, but the third Wound is not saved and Model A is removed as a Casualty. Next, the Imperial
Fists player chooses to allocate the fourth Wound to Model B, which is also within range and line of sight of the
attacking unit. The next save is also failed and Model B is removed as a Casualty as well. All remaining models
in the Imperial Fists unit, while within range of the Sons of Horus, are not in line of sight and so cannot have
Wounds allocated to them. As such, the three remaining Wounds in the Wound Pool cannot be allocated and are
lost, ending this step of the Shooting Attack.
Take Saves and Remove Casualties
Emptied Wound Pool
A model that has been Allocated a Wound can make a
Saving Throw, if the model has one. If the Save is failed,
reduce that model’s Wounds by 1. If the model is reduced
to 0 Wounds, it is removed as a casualty; otherwise,
continue allocating Wounds to the selected model until it
is removed as a casualty or the Wound Pool is empty.
When a Wound Pool is empty, select a remaining pool and
Allocate Wounds from it. Once all of the Wound Pools for
an attack are empty, attacks from the currently selected
weapon have been completely resolved.
If the selected model is removed as a casualty and the
Wound Pool is not empty, then the player whose unit was
the target of the attack selects another model in the target
unit that is in line of sight and range of the attacking unit
and allocates the next Wound to that model.
Continue allocating Wounds in this fashion, taking
Saves and removing casualties until the Wound Pool is
empty or all models in the target unit have been removed
as casualties.
Multiple Armour Saves
Rarely, a unit will contain models with differing Armour
Save Characteristics. When this occurs, the controlling
player uses the Save of the model to which the Wound has
been allocated. If the model to which the Wound has been
allocated has more than one Save available, the controlling
player may select any of these Saves to use.
Instant Death
Even though some warriors have multiple Wounds,
there are several kinds of weapons in the 31 st
Millennium that are powerful enough to kill them
instantly. If the Strength Characteristic of an attack
is at least double the Toughness Characteristic (after
modifiers) of the target model, the attack gains the
Instant Death special rule.
Instant Death: If a model suffers an unsaved
Wound from an attack with this special rule, it is
reduced to 0 Wounds and is removed as a casualty.
Select another Weapon
After the attacks from the currently selected weapon have
been completely resolved, if any models in the firing unit
that have not yet made attacks and are equipped with a
differently named Ranged weapon, you can now make
attacks with those models at the same target unit.
This is resolved in exactly the same way as the first
weapon selected. Repeat this process until all the weapons
in the attacking unit have been used to make Shooting
Attacks. If a unit has no differently named weapons,
or if it chooses not to attack with any of them, another
unit may be selected to make the next Shooting Attack,
or the Active player can choose to end the Shooting phase
and proceed to the Assault phase.
Saving Throws and
Damage Mitigation Rolls
Few will take to the battlefield without some form of
armour or adequate cover behind defensive lines. All these
forms of protection are represented by Saving Throws
(or Saves) and Damage Mitigations Rolls as follows:
Armour Saves
If a model has an Armour Save Characteristic of 6+ or
better on its profile, then a further dice roll may be made
to see if the armour prevents the Wound. This is called an
Armour Saving throw, or Armour Save.
To take an Armour Save, roll a D6 and compare the result
to the Armour Save Characteristic of the model that has
been allocated the Wound. If the dice result is equal to or
higher than the model’s Armour Save Characteristic,
the Wound is negated. If the result is lower than the
Armour Save Characteristic, the model suffers a Wound.
This means that, unlike most Characteristics, an Armour
Save is better if it is a lower number.
Armour Piercing Weapons
Some powerful weapons are capable of punching through
even the thickest armour plates. This is represented by
a weapon having an Armour Piercing Characteristic –
usually referred to as AP. A weapon’s AP rating indicates
the Armour Save the weapon can ignore, meaning a lower
value is more powerful. A weapon shown as ‘AP-’ has no
Armour Piercing value and will never ignore a target’s
Armour Save.
If the weapon’s Armour Piercing value is equal to or lower
than the model’s Armour Save, then it is sufficiently
powerful enough to punch straight through the armour;
the target gets no Armour Save at all. The armour is
ineffective against the shot.
If the weapon’s Armour Piercing value is higher than the
armour, the target can take its Save as normal.
Invulnerable Saves
Some warriors are protected by more than physical
armour. They may be shielded by force fields or have a
constitution that can shrug off hits that would destroy
a tank. Models with Wargear or abilities like these are
allowed an Invulnerable Saving Throw.
Invulnerable Saves are different to Armour Saves in that
they may always be taken whenever the model suffers a
Wound, or, in the case of Vehicles, suffers a Penetrating Hit
or Glancing Hit – the Armour Piercing value of attacking
weapons has no effect on an Invulnerable Save. Even if a
Wound, Penetrating Hit or Glancing Hit ignores all Armour
Saves, an Invulnerable Saving Throw can still be taken.
Cover Saves
Enemy models can often be protected by terrain, also
known as being ‘in cover’. Where this is the case, the
model will be entitled to a Cover Save. Even if a Wound,
Penetrating Hit or Glancing Hit ignores all Armour Saves,
a Cover Saving Throw can still be taken.
Pinning and being Pinned
Damage Mitigation Rolls
Pinned
A unit that has become Pinned cannot Move, Run
or Charge. It can only fire Snap Shots if it attacks
during the Shooting phase and cannot make
Reactions in any Phase. At the end of its following
turn, the unit returns to normal and that unit is free
to act as normal from then on. Whilst it is Pinned,
a unit is affected normally by enemy actions (for
example, it takes Morale checks as normal). If the
unit is forced to move, for example, if it has to Fall
Back, it returns to normal immediately. If assaulted,
the unit will fight as usual, but enemy units do not
receive the Initiative penalty for having Charged a
unit through Difficult Terrain (see page 222 ), even
if the Pinned unit is in Difficult Terrain. If a unit
becomes Pinned during a Charge, then that Charge
automatically fails and the Pinned unit makes
neither a Charge or Surge move. Units that are
locked in combat cannot be Pinned and do not take
Pinning tests.
Some models may also have a special rule that grants a
Damage Mitigation roll, such as Feel No Pain or Shrouded.
These rolls may be made even if a model has already failed
a save of any kind, or was unable to make a save due to
the AP value of an attack or the effect of another special
rule. If a save is failed, a model with a Damage Mitigation
roll may attempt to use that roll to negate an unsaved
Wound. However, no model may attempt more than a
single Damage Mitigation roll against any given unsaved
Wound inflicted on it. In cases where a model has more
than one Damage Mitigation roll available, the controlling
player selects one to use whenever called upon to make a
Damage Mitigation roll.
Determining Cover Saves
When allocating a Wound, if the target model is at least
25% obscured from the point of view of at least one
attacking model, or if the model occupies Area Terrain
of certain types (see page 221), the target model gains a
Cover Save against that Wound. Unless stated otherwise,
all cover provides a 6+ Save. Some types of terrain provide
better or worse Cover Saves; when this is the case, the
Cover Save provided will be stated in the rules for the
terrain (see page 220).
Fast Dice
If all models in a target unit have the same Saving
Throw, it is quicker to make Saves before allocating
Wounds, and then allocate the unsaved Wounds
to models of the target unit’s controlling player’s
choice, following the previously established rules for
Wound allocation (see page 187).
If warriors come under heavy fire, they may decide
to keep their heads down. To represent this, certain
rules or effects, such as the Pinning special rule, may
force units to become Pinned.
Intervening Models
Models with more than One Save
If a target is partially obscured from the firer by models from
a third unit (e.g, models not from the firer’s unit or from the
target unit), it receives a 6+ Cover Save in the same way as
if it was in terrain. Similarly, if a model makes a Shooting
Attack through the gaps between models in an intervening
unit, the target is in cover, even if it is completely visible to
the firer. Note that this does not apply if the unit making the
Shooting Attack occupies an elevated position, granting it
an unobstructed line of sight to the target unit or model, or
is firing a Barrage weapon (see page 232 ).
Sometimes a model will have a normal Armour Save and a
separate Invulnerable Save, such as a Legion Cataphractii
Terminator Squad, whose armour houses shield
generators that project a personal force field. The model
could also be in cover as well. In these cases, a model only
ever gets to make one Saving Throw and the controlling
player selects one Saving Throw from amongst those
available to use.
Note the exception that, in the same way as they can trace
line of sight through members of their own unit, models
can always shoot through members of their own unit
without conferring or receiving a Cover Save.
Maximum Save
Some models gain additional benefits from rules that may
increase any of their Saves by +1, +2 or more. However, no
Saving Throw (Armour, Cover or Invulnerable) can ever
be improved beyond 2+. Regardless of what is giving the
model its Saving Throw, a roll of 1 always fails.
Units in Cover
The Imperial Fists Legion Tactical Squad is making a Shooting Attack targeting the Sons of Horus unit. The Sons
of Horus unit is spread out, with some models obscured by a Terrain Piece, some in Area Terrain and others in the
open. The two red-circled Sons of Horus are obscured by the piece of terrain in front of them and as such cannot
have Wounds allocated to them, the three yellow-circled Sons of Horus are not obscured, but occupy Area Terrain
that provides a Cover Save (see the Terrain rules on page 220). Finally, the three green-circled Sons of Horus are in
the open and receive no protection of any kind from terrain.
WEAPONS
The Age of Darkness saw the use of a vast arsenal of
weapons, from the ubiquitous boltgun to such ancient
terrors as phosphex dischargers and even the psychic
powers of the few remaining Librarians. This section
describes how these various types of weapons work in
Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness.
Weapon Profiles
Every weapon has a profile. Below are two examples:
Bolter
Chainaxe
Range
24"
-
S
4
+1
AP Type
5 Rapid Fire
- Melee,
Shred
Range
If the weapon’s range contains a ‘-’, it is (unless otherwise
stated) a Melee weapon, it may also state ‘Melee’ as its
range. If it contains a number, or ‘Template’ or ‘Hellstorm’,
it is a Ranged weapon. The number given here is the range
measured in inches. If it has two numbers, the first is its
Minimum Range and the second is its Maximum Range.
If the weapon’s range is given as ‘Template’ or ‘Hellstorm’,
then it uses a teardrop-shaped template (see page 248).
Strength
If the weapon’s Strength is ‘User’, then attacks made with
that weapon are resolved at the wielder’s Strength value.
If the weapon has a fixed Strength, i.e., a number between
1 and 10, this is the Strength of attacks made with
that weapon.
If the weapon confers a Strength bonus, the Strength of
the weapon’s attacks is equal to that of the user after any
such modifiers have been applied.
Armour Piercing (AP)
This value represents how effectively the weapon can
punch through armour. The lower the number, the better
the weapon is at piercing armour, cancelling the target’s
Armour Save. The rules for Armour Saves and Armour
Piercing Weapons can be found on page 173.
Type
A Ranged weapon always has one of the following types:
Assault, Bomb, Heavy, Ordnance, Pistol, Destroyer, or
Rapid Fire. These rules measure a weapon’s portability
and affect the way they can be fired, depending on
whether or not the model equipped with them moved
that turn. A Ranged weapon can only be used to make
Shooting Attacks.
Melee Type
Weapons with the Melee type can only be used in
close combat.
Number of Shots
Some Ranged weapons fire multiple shots. Where this is
the case, the number of shots a weapon fires is noted after
its type. If a model fires a weapon with multiple shots,
it must fire all shots from that weapon – for example, it
could not decide to fire only two shots from its Heavy
4 weapon.
Some weapons can be used in different ways, representing
different power settings or types of ammo. Some weapons
can be used in melee combat as well as shooting. Where
this is the case, there will be a separate line in the
weapon’s profile for each, and you can choose which to
use each phase.
If a weapon has D6, D3 or another randomly determined
number of shots, roll the appropriate dice to work out
how many shots are fired each time the model shoots.
Special Rules
The Type section of a weapon’s profile also includes any
special rules that apply to the weapon in question. More
information on these can be found either in the Special
Rules section (see page 230 ) or in the Army List or Army
List entry the weapon is found in.
Close Combat Weapons
Many weapons do not confer any bonuses or special
rules, and are represented by a single profile. This is
referred to as a ‘close combat weapon’ in the model’s
Wargear and has the following profile:
Close combat weapon
Range
-
S AP
User -
Type
Melee
A Pistol can be used as a close combat weapon. If
it is treated in this way, use the profile given above
– the Strength, AP and special rules of the Pistol’s
shooting profile are ignored. Additionally, if a model
is not specifically stated as having a weapon with
the Melee type, it is treated as being armed with a
single close combat weapon as shown above.
More than One Weapon
Ordnance Weapons
Unless otherwise stated, if a model has more than one
Ranged weapon, they must choose which one to shoot
– they cannot fire both in the same Shooting phase. If
a model has more than one Melee weapon, they must
choose which one to attack with in the Assault phase.
However, if a model has two or more Melee weapons, they
gain +1 Attack when making melee attacks during the
Fight sub-phase (see page 184).
Ordnance weapons are cannon so vast, they are typically
mounted on tanks and artillery.
Assault Weapons
Assault weapons either fire so rapidly or indiscriminately that
they can be fired while a warrior is moving.
A model attacking with an Assault weapon makes the
number of Attacks indicated on its profile regardless of
whether the bearer has moved or not. A model carrying an
Assault weapon can make a Shooting Attack with it in the
Shooting phase and still Charge in the Assault phase.
Plasma blaster
Range
18"
S
7
AP
4
Type
Assault 2,
Rending (4+),
Gets Hot
Heavy Weapons
These are heavy, man-portable weapons that typically require
reloading between each shot or bracing to counter their recoil.
When making a Shooting Attack, a model with a Heavy
weapon attacks the number of times indicated. If a model
equipped with a Heavy weapon moved in the preceding
Movement phase, they can only make Snap Shots with
that Heavy weapon during the Shooting phase (see page
169). Note that weapons with the Blast special rule cannot
fire Snap Shots. Models that make Shooting Attacks with
Heavy weapons in the Shooting phase cannot Charge in
the ensuing Assault phase.
Reaper autocannon
Range
36"
S
7
AP
4
Type
Heavy 2,
Rending (6+),
Twin-linked
When making Shooting Attacks, a model equipped with
an Ordnance weapon fires the number of times indicated
in its profile after its Type. A non-Vehicle model carrying
an Ordnance weapon cannot attack with it in the
Shooting phase if they moved in the preceding Movement
phase. Ordnance weapons cannot make Snap Shots.
Furthermore, if a non-Vehicle model attacks with an
Ordnance weapon, that model may not make any further
Shooting Attacks with any other weapon in the Phase
nor will it be able to Charge in the ensuing Assault phase.
Vehicle models that fire Ordnance weapons may also
suffer some restrictions based upon the distance they have
moved that turn, see page 205.
Ordnance weapons hit with such force that when you
roll to penetrate a Vehicle’s armour with an Ordnance
weapon, roll two dice instead of one and pick the
highest result.
Range
Earthshaker cannon 36"-240"
S
9
AP
4
Type
Ordnance 1,
Barrage,
Large Blast (5"),
Pinning
Pistol Weapons
Bombing Runs
Pistols are light enough to be carried and fired one-handed.
To make a Bombing Run, a Flyer must be Zooming.
Move the model that is making the Bombing Run, and
then nominate one model that it passed over. Place the
Blast marker for the Bomb so that the central hole on the
marker is over the target model, and roll a Scatter dice. If a
Hit is rolled, the attack is on target and the marker is not
moved. If an arrow is rolled, move the marker D6" in that
direction. Once the final position has been determined,
resolve the effects as described in the Bomb’s profile.
A model attacking with a Pistol weapon makes the
number of Attacks indicated on its profile regardless of
whether the bearer has moved or not. A model carrying a
Pistol weapon can make a Shooting Attack with it in the
Shooting phase and still Charge in the Assault phase. A
Pistol weapon also counts as a close combat weapon in
the Assault phase (see page 180). In addition, all models
with two Pistol type weapons can attack with both in
the same Shooting phase. This follows the normal rules
for shooting.
Volkite serpenta
Range
10"
S
5
AP
5
Macro-bomb cluster
Range
-
S
8
AP
4
Type
Pistol 2,
Deflagrate
Type
Bomb 1,
Apocalyptic
Barrage (6),
One Shot
Destroyer
Rapid Fire Weapons
Rapid Fire weapons are very common and usually come in
the form of semi-automatic rifles. Their versatility means they
can be fired as effectively when a squad is advancing as when
taking single, long-ranged shots.
A model armed with a Rapid Fire weapon can make two
attacks at a target up to half the weapon’s Maximum
Range away. Alternatively, it can instead make one attack
at a target over half the weapon’s range away, up to the
weapon’s Maximum Range.
If a unit attacking with Rapid Fire weapons is found to be
partially within half range of the target, the firing models
within half range make two attacks, while those further
away make one attack.
Models that attack with Rapid Fire weapons in
the Shooting phase cannot Charge in the ensuing
Assault phase.
Bolter
Range
24"
S
4
AP
5
Mounted only on the largest and most fearsome of
war machines, Destroyer class weapons are capable of
annihilating smaller targets and tearing through even the
thickest armour with ease.
A model making a Shooting Attack with a Destroyer
weapon attacks the number of times indicated on the
weapon’s profile whether or not the bearer has moved. A
model carrying a Destroyer weapon can attack with it in
the Shooting phase and still Charge in the Assault phase.
In addition, when you roll for armour penetration with
Hits caused by a Destroyer weapon, roll three dice instead
of one and discard the single lowest dice rolled, or any one
of the lowest dice in the case of tied results. Use the total
of the remaining dice to determine the result.
In addition, when a Destroyer weapon inflicts a Glancing
Hit or a Penetrating Hit, it inflicts D3 Hull Points of
Damage instead of a single Hull Point. When a Destroyer
weapon inflicts a Wound on a non-Vehicle model, it
inflicts D3 Wounds instead of a single Wound.
Type
Rapid Fire
Volcano cannon
Bombs
Bombs are high explosive or incredibly powerful munitions
that are dropped by aircraft as they fly over the battlefield.
Bombs are weapon types unique to Flyers. All Bombs have
the One Use special rule. Unlike other weapons, Bombs
must be used in the Movement phase of their turn in a
special kind of attack called a Bombing Run. A model can
only attack with one Bomb type weapon in its Movement
phase. If a model attacks with a Bomb type weapon, it
counts as having already attacked with one weapon in
its ensuing Shooting phase. However, any additional
weapons it fires that turn can choose a different target to
that of the Bomb.
Range
120"
S
10
AP
1
Type
Destroyer 1,
Large Blast (5")
A model using a Rapid Fire weapon can shoot once at
Maximum Range. Alternatively, if the target is within
half the Maximum Range, it can fire twice.
A Pistol weapon can always shoot the number of times
indicated and up to its Maximum Range, regardless of
whether the firer moved or not.
An Assault weapon can always shoot the number
of times indicated and up to its Maximum Range,
regardless of whether the firer moved or not.
If a model with a Heavy weapon remains Stationary, it
can fire the number of times indicated (at its normal
Ballistic Skill) up to the Maximum Range of the
weapon. If the firer moved, it can only fire Snap Shots
with its Heavy weapon.
If a model with an Ordnance weapon remains stationary,
it can make the full number of attacks listed on the
weapon profile,up to the maximum range of the weapon.
If the attacking model moved, it may not attack with an
Ordnance weapon (Models with the Vehicle Unit Type
are an exception to this rule, see page 205.).
A model making a Shooting Attack with a Destroyer
weapon attacks the number of times indicated on the
weapon’s profile whether or not the bearer has moved,
up to the Maximum Range of the weapon.
The Assault Phase
THE ASSAULT PHASE
W
hile firepower alone may be enough to drive an enemy back from open ground or lightly-held positions, shifting a
determined foe from a fortified bunker or ruined settlement will need more direct measures. In an Assault, troops
storm forwards into a furious close combat, screaming their battle cries, eager to strike at their foes with shrieking
chainswords and blades wreathed in searing power fields.
Assault Phase Summary
The Assault phase is split into two sub-phases: the Charge
sub-phase and Fight sub-phase.
Charge Sub-phase
In the Charge sub-phase, the Active player declares
Charges and moves models under their control into close
combat. Close combat is where two units from opposing
armies are in base contact with each other. If there are
more than two units, it is called a multiple combat as
discussed on page 189.
• Declare Charge.
• Roll Charge Distance (2D6" unless otherwise stated).
• Charge Move.
• Declare Next Charge or Finish Charge sub-phase.
Fight Sub-phase
The Fight sub-phase is when models from both sides
make their Melee Attacks.
• Choose a Combat.
• Fight Close Combat.
• Determine Assault Results.
• Choose Next Combat or Finish Assault phase.
Challenges
During the Fight sub-phase, as units resolve their
individual combats, Character models can issue
Challenges to other Character models. These result
in one-on-one duels that are referred to within
these rules as Challenges. Full rules for issuing and
resolving Challenges can be found on page 198.
Charge Sub-phase
In this sub-phase, warriors hurl themselves into close
combat and carry the day through bitter melee. The Active
player may declare that any of their units will attempt a
Charge if it is within range of an enemy unit.
To resolve a Charge, use the following procedure:
• First, pick one of your units and declare which enemy
unit that is within its Maximum Charge Distance it
wishes to Charge.
• Roll the Charge Distance for the unit and, if it is in
range, move it into contact with the enemy unit – this is
sometimes called ‘launching an Assault’.
• Once this has been done, you can either choose to
declare a Charge with another unit, or make no further
Charges this turn and proceed to the Fight sub-phase.
Maximum Charge Distance
A unit’s Maximum Charge Distance is always 12",
regardless of the unit’s Movement Characteristic or
Unit Type. No unit may declare a Charge against
an enemy unit that is at a distance greater than its
Maximum Charge Distance.
Declare Charge
Choose a unit in your army that is declaring a Charge and
nominate the enemy unit(s) it is attempting to Charge.
A unit can never declare a Charge against a unit that
is outside of its Maximum Charge Distance, nor can it
declare a Charge against a unit it cannot draw a valid line
of sight to, though it is allowed to Charge an enemy unit it
is impossible for it to harm.
Some units may not Charge due to specific circumstances.
Common reasons that a unit is not allowed to declare a
Charge include:
• The unit has already Charged in this Phase and is now
locked in combat.
• The unit has been Pinned.
• The unit attacked with Rapid Fire weapons, Ordnance
weapons or Heavy weapons in the Shooting phase. This
even applies if Snap Shots were made with these weapons,
but not if the unit attacked as part of a Reaction.
• The unit is Falling Back.
• In addition to the list above, a unit that has made a
Shooting Attack in the Shooting phase can only Charge
a unit that it targeted during that turn’s Shooting phase.
Roll Charge Distance
Once a valid Charge has been declared, the controller of the
charging unit rolls to determine their unit’s Charge Distance.
This is the actual distance that models in the unit can move in
order to engage the target unit, as opposed to the maximum
possible distance, which is the Maximum Charge Distance. To
determine the Charge Distance of any unit roll 2D6, then add
the Charge modifier,as shown on the table below. The result
of the roll may not exceed a total of 12 or a minimum of 2, no
matter what modifiersare applied to the roll.
Movement Characteristic Charge Distance Modifier
- or 0
May not Charge
1-4
-1
5-7
+/-0
8-10
+1
11-12
+2
13+
+3
Other factors may also impose a modifieron the Charge
Distance of a unit, the most common of these being terrain
features and Area Terrain. As an example, units that declare
a Charge into, out of or through an area of DifficultTerrain
apply a -2 modifierto their Charge Distance.
The final result of this roll, after all modifiers have been
applied, is your Charge Distance – the number of inches
your assaulting unit can move as part of the Charge. As
noted, the maximum possible Charge Distance is 12"
and the minimum is 2", regardless of modifiers or other
factors. If a unit has models with differing Movement
Characteristics then the Charge Roll is made using
the Movement Characteristic of the slowest model to
determine any modifiers.
If any model in the target enemy unit is within the rolled
Charge Distance, then the Charge is considered to be
successful. The controlling player should now make a
Charge Move.
If no model in the target enemy unit is within the
Charging unit’s rolled Charge Distance then the
Charge is considered to have failed, and a Surge Move
is made.
Once the Charge Roll is resolved and the Charge declared
a failure or a success, the Active player may choose to
attempt a Charge with a different unit or move on to the
Fight sub-phase.
Charging Through Difficult Terrain
The Sons of Horus Legion Tactical Squad has declared a Charge against an Imperial Fists Legion Tactical Squad. The
Sons of Horus player chooses to move each of the models under their control into base contact with the enemy model
directly in front of them, which means that two of the models, circled in green, will move through the Crater area
terrain. This means that the entire unit will be treated as if it had Charged through DifficultTerrain – subtracting -2
from their Charge Distance and reducing their Initiative in the following combat, should the Charge be successful.
Depending on the results of the Charge Distance roll, it may be possible for the Sons of Horus player to avoid
these penalties by having the models under their control move into base contact with a different enemy model in
the same unit, by a longer path that avoids the Area Terrain – as long as all models in the Charging unit end their
move as close as possible to an enemy model and within unit coherency.
Charge Move
If the Charging unit’s Charge is considered successful, it
must move as many models as possible into contact with
the target unit. This is referred to as a Charge Move.
Moving Charging Models
Charging units must move at least one model from
the Charging unit into base contact with a model from
the target unit, with all other models moving as far as
possible towards the target unit. All of the models in
a Charging unit make their Charge Move – up to the
distance determined by the Charge Roll – following the
same rules as in the Movement phase, with the exception
that they can be moved within 1" of enemy models.
Charging models still cannot move through friendly or
enemy models, and cannot move into base contact with
enemy models from a unit they are not Charging unless
doing so is the only way to contact an enemy model in the
target unit or maintain coherency with the remainder of
their unit.
Move Initial Charger
Start each Charge by moving the initial Charger from the
Charging unit. The initial Charger is always the model
nearest to the enemy (as measured by the shortest possible
route, going around Impassable Terrain, friendly models
and enemy models in other units).
Once the initial Charger has been determined, move that
model into contact with the nearest enemy model in the
unit being Charged, using the shortest possible route. Roll
for Dangerous Terrain if necessary, and if the model is
removed as a casualty by a Dangerous Terrain test, choose
another initial Charger and try again.
The initial Charger may not move into base contact with an
enemy model from a unit other than the one upon which
the Charge was declared, unless it is impossible for the initial
Charger to contact an enemy model from the target unit
without also contacting an enemy model from another unit.
After moving the first model in the unit, you can move the
others in any sequence you desire, moving each Charging
model as close to an enemy model in the target unit as
possible. However, a Charging model must end its Charge
Move in unit coherency with another model from the
same unit that has already moved. If it is not possible for
a Charging model to move and maintain unit coherency,
move it as close as possible to another model in its own
unit that has already moved instead. No Charging model
may move into base contact with an enemy model from
a unit other than the one upon which the Charge was
declared, unless it is impossible for that model to contact
an enemy model from the target unit or retain coherency
with its own unit without also contacting an enemy
model from another unit.
Following this sequence will bring all the models in the
charging units into unit coherency, having engaged as
many enemy models as possible with as many Charging
models as possible. The two units are now locked
in combat.
If, for any reason, no models in the Charging unit end
their Charge Move in base contact with an enemy model
then the Charge is considered to have failed and the units
are not locked in combat.
Charging Units that are Pinned
If all of the enemy units Charged have been Pinned, the
Initiative penalty for Charging through Difficult Terrain
does not apply, and the unit Charging through Difficult
Terrain fights at its normal Initiative. Note that once a
Charge has been successfully resolved against a Pinned
unit, the Pinned unit is no longer Pinned and fights as
normal in the ensuing Fight sub-phase.
Declare Next Charge
Once all models in a Charging unit have moved, the
Active player can choose another unit and declare another
Charge if they wish.
Ending the Charge Sub-phase
Once the Active player has launched all of the Charges
they wish to, the Charge sub-phase is ended. Move on to
the Fight sub-phase.
Disordered Charge
In certain situations, a Charge may be deemed to
be Disordered. The most common occurrence of
this is when a Charging unit contacts more than
one enemy unit, or when a special rule or item of
Wargear dictates that a Charge is Disordered. A
unit making a Disordered Charge does not gain the
+1 Charge Bonus to its number of Attacks usually
gained from a Charge, or any other bonus granted
by special rules that require the unit or model to
have successfully Charged an enemy unit.
Surge Move
If the Charging unit’s Charge is considered to have failed,
it must move every model in the Charging unit towards
the target of its failed Charge a number of inches equal to
half their rolled Charge Distance. This is referred to as a
Surge Move.
Making a Surge Move
All of the models in a unit making a Surge Move must
move towards the unit that was the target of the failed
Charge. The distance moved is equal to half the value of
the Charge Roll (including any modifiers) made for the
unit, and is known as the Surge Distance.
For example, a unit that rolls a 5 for its Charge Roll, and
adds +2 to this as a Charge Distance modifier due to its
Movement Characteristic, has a total Charge Distance of
7. In this case, as there is no enemy model from the target
unit within this distance, the Charging unit’s Charge fails
and a Surge Move must be made. The Surge Distance is
half of the rolled Charge Distance, in this case 4 (7 divided
by 2 gives a result of 3.5, which is rounded up to 4, as per
the standard rules for rounding numbers).
This move follows the same rules as in the Movement
phase and models making a Surge Move cannot move
through friendly or enemy models, and cannot move into
base contact with enemy models.
To conduct a Surge Move, first move the model that is
closest to the enemy unit that was the target of the failed
Charge. This model must move in a direct line towards
the closest model of the target unit, stopping only once
it has moved the full Surge Distance or if moving further
would bring it within 1" of an enemy model or Impassable
Terrain. Roll for Dangerous Terrain if necessary, and if the
model is removed as a casualty by a Dangerous Terrain
test, choose another model and try again.
After moving the first model in the unit, you can move the
others in any sequence you desire. However, each model
must end its Surge Move in unit coherency with another
model from the same unit that has already moved. If it is
not possible for a model making a Surge Move to maintain
unit coherency, move it as close as possible to another
model from the same unit that has already moved instead.
No model making a Surge Move may move within 1" of
any enemy model.
Locked in Combat
If a unit has one or more models in base contact
with an enemy model (for any reason), then it is
locked in combat. The unit is considered to be
locked in combat as soon as an enemy model is
moved into base contact with any model in that unit
and remains locked in combat until there are no
enemy models remaining in base contact with any
model that is part of that unit. Units that are locked
in combat must attack and be attacked in the next
Fight sub-phase, resolving the combat as per the
standard rules. Units are no longer locked in combat
if, at the end of any Phase, they no longer have any
models in base contact with an enemy model.
Units that are locked in combat cannot move in
any other Phase or make Shooting Attacks for any
reason. Similarly, models cannot choose to target
units locked in combat with Shooting Attacks for
any reason. Blast markers and templates cannot be
deliberately placed such that they cover any models
locked in combat, but they may end up there after
scattering and will then cause Hits on any units or
models they contact as normal.
Units that are locked in combat do not take Morale
checks or Pinning tests caused by Shooting Attacks,
and cannot be Pinned.
Fight Sub-phase
Once all Charges have been resolved, the Fight sub-phase
takes place.
Choose a Combat
There may be several separate assaults being fought at
the same time in different parts of the battlefield. If this
is the case, the Active player chooses the order in which
to resolve the combats, completing each combat before
moving on to the next one, and so on until all combats
are resolved.
Pile-in Moves
A Pile-in Move is a 3" move that is made by any
models that are not in base contact with one or
more enemy models. Models that are Piling-in must
attempt to get as close as possible to one or more of
the enemy units locked in this combat.
Pile-in Moves follow the same rules as Charge
Moves, except that they are not slowed by Difficult
Terrain (though Dangerous Terrain will still trigger
Dangerous Terrain tests).
Fight Close Combat
In close combat, both players’ models fight. Close combat
attacks function in the same way as attacks made in the
Shooting phase – each attack that hits has a chance to
Wound. The Wounded model gets a chance to Save,
and if it fails, is generally removed as a casualty.
How many attacks are made and which models attack
first is detailed later.
Initiative Steps
In close combat, slow, lumbering opponents can often
be dispatched quickly by faster and more agile warriors.
To represent this, a model’s Initiative determines when
they attack in close combat. Work through the Initiative
values of the models in the combat from high to low.
This means each combat will have ten Initiative steps,
starting at Initiative 10 and down to Initiative 1.
Rarely will all Initiative steps be used, so skip any
that do not apply.
Models make their attacks when their Initiative step is
reached, assuming they haven’t already been removed
as a casualty by a model with a higher Initiative. If both
sides have models with the same Initiative, their attacks
are made simultaneously. Note that certain situations,
abilities and weapons can modify a model’s Initiative.
In addition, a Pile-in Move cannot be used to move
into base contact with any units that are not already
involved in the combat.
When making Pile-in Moves, the Active player
moves their unit(s) first. If both players’ Pile-in
Moves combined would be insufficient to bring
any combatants into base contact, the combat is
considered to have ended.
Determine who can Fight
Any model whose Initiative is equal to the value of the
current Initiative step and who is engaged with an enemy
model must fight.
A model is engaged in combat if either:
• That model is in base contact with an enemy model.
• That model is in unit coherency with another model
from its own unit which is in base contact with an
enemy model.
Unengaged Models
Unengaged models cannot attack in close combat.
Start of Initiative Step Pile-in
Number of Attacks
At the start of each Initiative step, any model whose
Initiative is equal to the value of the current Initiative
step that is not in base contact with an enemy model may
make a Pile-in Move.
Each engaged model makes a number of attacks (A) as
indicated on its Characteristics profile, plus the following
bonus attacks:
Models that Charged through Difficult Terrain Pile-in
at Initiative step 1. In addition, models that are using a
weapon which modifies the Initiative step in which they
fight will Pile-in at the modified Initiative step. If a model
can attack in several Initiative steps, it only Piles-in at the
highest of these steps.
+1 Charge Bonus: Engaged models that Charged this
turn get +1 Attack this turn. Models in units that made a
Disordered Charge (see page 182) do not get this bonus.
+1 Two Weapons: Engaged models with two singlehanded weapons (often a Melee weapon and/or Pistol
in each hand) get +1 Attack. Models with more than two
weapons gain no additional benefit; you only get one
extra attack.
Other Bonuses: Models may have other special rules and
Wargear that confer extra attacks.
Who Can Fight
An Imperial Fists unit is locked in combat
with a Sons of Horus unit and the Sons
of Horus player must determine which
of the models under their control may
attack. At this point, there are three Sons
of Horus models in base to base contact
with an enemy model (circled in green) –
these models may attack. There are three
Sons of Horus models that are not in base
contact, but are in unit coherency with
the green-circled models from their unit
that are – these models (circled in yellow)
may attack. Lastly, there is a single Sons
of Horus model that is not in base contact
with an enemy model and is also out of
coherency with the rest of its unit – this
model (circled in red) may not attack.
Roll To Hit
Once it has been determined which models
must make attacks in a given Initiative step,
the controlling player makes To Hit rolls for
those models.
To make a To Hit roll, roll a D6 for each attack a
model gets to make and compare the WS of the
attacking model to the WS of the target unit. Then,
consult the To Hit chart on this page to find the
minimum result needed on a D6 To Hit.
As the chart to the right shows, if the target’s WS is
half or less than that of the attacker’s, they are hit
on a 2+; lower than the attacker’s but more than
half, they are hit on 3+; if the target’s WS is equal to
the attacker’s, they are hit on 4+; if it is higher but
not twice the attacker’s, they are hit on 5+; and if it
is twice or more than the attacker’s, then they are
hit only on a 6+.
Units with Multiple Weapon Skills
Some units contain models with different Weapon Skills. Whilst each model in such a unit rolls To Hit using its own
Weapon Skill, Attacks made against such a unit are resolved using the Weapon Skill of the majority of the engaged
enemy models. If two or more Weapon Skill values are tied for majority, use the highest of those tied values.
Roll To Wound
Once all To Hit rolls have been made in a given
Initiative Step, the controlling player must roll a
D6 for each successful hit to see if the attack causes
a Wound.
Consult the chart to the right, cross-referencing
the attacker’s Strength Characteristic with the
defender’s Toughness Characteristic. The chart
indicates the minimum result on a D6 roll required
to inflict a Wound, and is the same chart as is used
during the Shooting phase. A ‘-’ indicates that the
target cannot be wounded by the attack. In most
cases, when rolling To Wound in close combat, you
use the Strength on the attacker’s profile regardless
of what weapon they are using. However, there
are some Melee weapons that give the attacker a
Strength bonus, and this is explained previously in
the Weapons section (see page 176).
Multiple Toughness Values
Rarely, a unit will contain models that have different Toughness Characteristics. When this occurs, roll To Wound
using the Toughness value of the majority of the engaged unit. If two or more Toughness values are tied for
majority, use the highest of those tied values.
The Wound Pool
Take Saves and Remove Casualties
Finally, total up the number of Wounds you have caused
during that Initiative step. Keep the dice that have scored
Wounds and create a ‘pool’, where each dice represents
a Wound.
The selected model can make a Saving Throw and a
Damage Mitigation roll – if that model has any available.
If the Save is failed, reduce that model’s Wounds by 1.
If the model is reduced to 0 Wounds, it is removed as a
casualty, otherwise continue allocating Wounds to the
selected model until it is removed as a casualty or the
Wound Pool is empty.
If there are Wounds with different Strengths, AP values
or special rules that affect Saving Throws or the effect
of any Wounds they inflict, split them into several pools
of Wounds. All Wounds with exactly the same Strength,
AP value and special rules must go into the same pool.
If all the Wounds are the same, there will be only one
Wound Pool.
Allocate Wounds and Remove Casualties
To determine how many casualties are caused at a
particular Initiative step, the Wounds caused must be
allocated and any Saving Throws taken. If several pools
of Wounds need to be allocated, the player controlling
the target unit must decide in which order they are
allocated. All Wounds from a single pool must be allocated
before moving on to the next pool of Wounds using the
following procedure.
If the selected model is removed as a casualty and the
Wound Pool is not empty, then the player whose unit was
the target of the attack selects another model in the target
unit and allocates the next Wound to that model.
Continue allocating Wounds in this fashion, taking
Saves and removing casualties until the Wound Pool
is empty or all models in the target unit have been
removed as casualties.
Cover Saves
Models do not get Cover Saves against any Wounds
suffered from close combat attacks.
Allocate Wounds
First, the player whose unit is the target of the attack
selects any one model in the unit that is engaged with the
enemy unit whose attacks are being resolved.
If any model in the target unit has already lost one or
more Wounds, but has not been removed as a casualty
then the Wound must always be allocated to such a
model, unless that model also has the Character sub-type
(see page 198).
If, when allocating Wounds to a unit they control, a player
has a number of multi-Wound models that have all lost
one or more Wounds and could potentially be allocated
more Wounds, then any Wounds must be allocated first
to the model with the fewest Wounds remaining. If all
models have an equal number of Wounds remaining then
the controlling player may freely select which eligible
model is allocated any further Wounds.
No Models Engaged in Combat
If at any point while allocating Wounds, there is no
model in the target unit that is engaged in combat
with the attacking unit then all remaining Wounds
in the Wound Pool are lost.
Armour Saving Throws
Models can take Armour Saves to prevent Wounds caused
in close combat. As in the Shooting phase, if the Wound is
caused by a weapon with an AP that ignores the wounded
model’s Armour Save, then the Save cannot be taken (see
page 173).
Multiple Armour Saves
Rarely, a unit will contain models with differing Armour
Save Characteristics. Simply use the Armour Saves of any
model to which a Wound is allocated, if that model has
more than one Save available, the controlling player may
choose to use any one of those Saves.
Invulnerable Saves
Some models may have Invulnerable Saves in addition
to Armour Saves, and the controlling player may choose
to use the Invulnerable Save instead of an Armour Save
whenever a Wound is allocated to such a model. It can
even be made if a model is not permitted to make an
Armour Save (because the AP of the attack negates it or
the rules for a weapon or attack state that no Armour Save
is allowed).
Damage Mitigation Rolls
Check Morale
Some models may also have a special rule that grants a
Damage Mitigation roll, such as Feel No Pain or Shrouded.
These rolls may be made even if a model has already failed a
Save of any kind. If a Save is failed, a model with a Damage
Mitigation roll may attempt to use that roll to negate an
unsaved Wound. However, no model may attempt more than
a single Damage Mitigation roll against any given unsaved
Wound inflicted on it. In cases where a model has more than
one Damage Mitigation roll available, the controlling player
selects one to use whenever called upon to make a Damage
Mitigation roll. Note that some types of Damage Mitigation
roll may not be taken during an assault, like Shrouded rolls –
in all cases the special rule that grants the Damage Mitigation
roll will specify when it may be used.
Units that lose a close combat must make a Morale check
to hold their ground, with a penalty based on how many
Wounds are inflicted upon that unit (see page 191).
Dead before Striking
If a model is removed as a casualty before its Initiative
step, it cannot strike back. When striking blows
simultaneously, it may be convenient to resolve one
side’s attacks and simply turn the dead models around to
remind you that they have yet to strike back.
If they pass, the unit fights on – the combat is effectively
drawn and the unit remains locked in combat.
If the unit fails, they must Fall Back. Morale checks
and Falling Back are covered in the Morale section (see
page 191).
Our Weapons are Useless
If a unit is locked in combat with an enemy it
cannot hurt, it can choose to automatically fail its
Morale check for losing a combat.
Sweeping Advances
When a unit Falls Back from combat, the victors can make
a Sweeping Advance, attempting to cut down the enemy
as they flee.
Fight next Initiative Step
Fight the next Initiative step as previously described
until all of the Initiative steps have been completed. Note
that some Initiative steps may be skipped if there are no
models to fight at that step.
When a Sweeping Advance is performed, both the unit
Falling Back and the winning unit roll a D6 and add their
unmodified Initiative to the result. In a unit with mixed
Initiative Characteristics, use the highest Characteristic.
The units then compare their totals.
Determine Assault Results
To decide who has won the combat, total up the number
of unsaved Wounds inflicted by each side on their
opponents. This includes all Wounds caused during
the Fight sub-phase, whether from normal attacks, the
Hammer of Wrath special rule, or other factors.
Do not include Wounds caused in the Charge sub-phase, such
as those from Reactions, failed Dangerous Terrain tests, etc.
The side that inflicted the most unsaved Wounds is the
winner. The losing unit must make a Morale check and
must Fall Back if it fails (see page 192). If both sides suffer
the same number of Wounds, the combat is drawn and
continues next turn. If one side destroys the enemy
completely, it wins the combat automatically, even if it
sustained more casualties than the other unit.
Wounds that have been negated by Saving Throws or
special rules do not count towards determining who won
the combat. Neither do Wounds in excess of a model’s
Wounds Characteristic; only the Wounds actually suffered
by enemy models count (including all of the Wounds lost
by models that have suffered Instant Death – see page
172). In rare cases, certain models can cause Wounds on
themselves or their allies – these Wounds are added to the
other side’s total for working out who has won.
If the winner’s total (Initiative + dice roll) is greater than
their opponents’, the Falling Back unit is caught by the
Sweeping Advance and destroyed. All models in the
destroyed unit are immediately removed as casualties.
Unless otherwise specified, no Save or other special rule
can prevent the unit from being destroyed.
If the Falling Back unit’s total is higher, or the final result
is a tie, they break off from the combat successfully. Make
a Fall Back move for the losing unit (see page 192). The
winners can then Consolidate.
Disallowed Sweeping Advances
If a victorious unit is still locked in combat with other
units that are not Falling Back, it does not get a chance
to execute a Sweeping Advance and the retreating enemy
automatically makes their Fall Back move safely.
Some units, as detailed in their special rules, are not
permitted to make Sweeping Advances – when a
victorious unit contains one or more models that are not
allowed to make a Sweeping Advance, the enemy always
manages to disengage safely – there is no need to roll.
End of Combat Pile-in
After the combat has been resolved, it can happen that
some models from units that did not Fall Back are not in
base contact with an enemy. These models must make a
Pile-in Move (see page 184), starting with the side whose
turn it is.
Disordered Charge
If a unit declares that it is charging multiple units, its
Charge is disordered. A unit making a disordered Charge
does not gain the +1 Charge Bonus to its number of
attacks usually gained from a Charge, even if after its
Charge Move it has no models in base contact with the
Secondary Target.
Consolidation
At the end of a combat, if a unit’s opponents are all
either destroyed or Falling Back, or the end of combat
Pile-in was insufficient so that it is no longer locked in
combat, that unit may Consolidate. Consolidating units
move up to a number of inches equal to their Initiative
Characteristic in any direction. In a unit with mixed
Initiative Characteristics, use the highest Characteristic.
Determine Charge Distance
Roll your Charge Distance as you would for a
normal Charge.
Units making a Consolidation move are not slowed by
Difficult Terrain but do trigger Dangerous Terrain tests
where appropriate. A Consolidation move cannot be used
to move into base contact with any enemy models.
Move Initial Charger
Consolidating models must stop at least 1" away from
all enemy models, including any that have just Fallen
Back from the combat that the Consolidating unit has
fought in.
Multiple Combats
Combats that involve more than two units are called
multiple combats. These occur when one unit Charges
two or more enemy units, or when a unit Charges into an
ongoing combat. Because of the extra complexity, they
need some additional rules.
Charge Move
As there are now Primary and Secondary Targets,
resolving Charge Moves needs more clarification.
The initial Charger for the Primary Assault (the model
in the Charging unit closest to the Primary Target) must
attempt to move it into base contact with a model from
the Primary Target, just as you would against a single
target. If their Charge fails, the Charging unit doesn’t
move at all.
If the initial Charger successfully moves into base contact
with the Primary Target, remaining models can Charge
models belonging to either the Primary or Secondary
Target units, as long as they follow the rules for moving
Charging models. Remember that the Charging unit is not
allowed to break its unit coherency, which will limit the
potential for this kind of Charge.
DifficultTerrain and Ongoing Combats
Charge Sub-phase
Sometimes it may be advantageous for a unit to Charge
two or more enemy units – this works as follows:
Declare Charge
A multiple Charge declaration is split into two different
categories: the Primary Target and Secondary Targets.
Primary and Secondary Targets
The Primary Target is the charging unit’s main target. If
the Charging unit made a Shooting Attack in the Shooting
phase, it can only declare a Charge if its Primary Target is
the unit it targeted.
Secondary Targets are other targets of opportunity that
the charging unit can engage at the same time as the
Primary Target. Remember that a unit cannot declare a
Charge against a unit it cannot reach or cannot see, and
all targets being Charged by the unit must be declared at
the same time.
If a unit Charges into a multiple combat in which all
the enemy units are locked in combat from a previous
turn, the Initiative penalty for charging through Difficult
Terrain does not apply. In this case, the enemy warriors
are not set to receive the Charge, and the unit Charging
through Difficult Terrain fights at its normal Initiative.
Fight Sub-phase
Resolving the Fight sub-phase of a multiple combat is done
just as it is for a combat between two units, except for the
following clarifications and adjustments.
Hit. Wounds from attacks that have been directed against
a unit in a multiple combat cannot be transferred to
another unit, even if the original target unit is completely
destroyed (in this case, any excess Wounds are simply
discounted and have no further effect).
Multiple Combats and Pile-in Moves
As with regular combats, models make Pile-in Moves at
their Initiative Step and at the end of combat. The Active
player always makes their Pile-in Moves first, but may
move models eligible to Pile-in in an order of their choice,
and once all of the Active player’s models from all units
involved in the combat have been moved, the Reactive
player may make any Pile-in Moves. A unit that has
conducted a multiple Charge makes Pile-in Moves towards
the nearest enemy model, regardless of whether that
model is from the Primary or Secondary Target. If models
from multiple units are equidistant, the controlling player
chooses which unit the model will Pile-in towards.
Directing Attacks
In multiple combats, during a model’s Initiative step, the
following extra rules apply:
A model that is in base contact with, or engaged with,
just one enemy unit when it comes to strike must attack
that unit.
A model that is in base contact with, or engaged with,
more than one enemy unit when it strikes blows, can split
its attacks freely between those units. Declare how each
model is splitting its attacks immediately before rolling To
Multiple Combats
The Sons of Horus unit has Charged
the Imperial Fists Legion Tactical Squad
and Imperial Fists Legion Cataphractii
Terminator Squad. The Sons of Horus
model labelled C can attack either of
the two units it is in base contact with
(or split its attacks). The Sons of Horus
models labelled G and H can also have
their attacks allocated to either enemy
unit (or split those attacks) as both are
within 2" of a friendly model that is in
base contact with both units. The Sons
of Horus models labelled A, B, D and E
can only attack the unit they are in base
contact with. The Sons of Horus model
labelled F can only attack the Imperial
Fists Legion Tactical Squad (as it is only
within 2" of friendly models in base
contact with that unit).
Assault Results
When determining Assault results in a multiple combat,
total the number of Wounds inflicted by all units on each
side to see which side is the winner. Every unit on the
losing side must make a Morale check – they all use the
same penalty (see page 188).
After all of the losing units have taken Morale checks, each
winning unit that is free to make a Sweeping Advance
rolls a D6, without adding its Initiative score to the result,
while each unit that is Falling back rolls a D6 and adds its
Initiative to the result as per the normal rules for Sweeping
Advances. Compare the result of each winning unit's
roll to that of each unit that is Falling Back. Any that it
equals or beats are destroyed. Note that winning units
can only make a Sweeping Advance if all of the units they
were locked in combat with Fall Back or are wiped out in
the fight.
All remaining units – those that fought in the multiple
combat but aren’t Falling Back or making a Sweeping
Advance – must make Pile-in Moves. If none of the unit's
models are in base contact with enemy models, and the
combined Pile-in moves would be insufficientto bring
them into contact with an enemy unit that is locked in that
combat, it consolidates instead.
Morale
MORALE
I
t is a fortunate commander who can always rely on their troops to perform up to and beyond the limits of their
courage. In the chaos and confusion of battle, troops can easily become demoralised, disoriented or simply terrified by
the violence unleashed against them.
To represent this element of the unknown, units have
to check to see if their morale holds under certain
circumstances, and particular events will require units to
take Morale checks, and a unit in particularly dire straits
may be forced to take several in a single turn.
Morale Checks
Morale represents the grit and determination of warriors
on the battlefield. Morale checks are a specific kind of
Leadership test.
Similar to other Leadership-based tests, Morale checks
(also sometimes referred to as Morale tests) are taken
by rolling 2D6 and comparing the total to the unit’s
Leadership value.
If the total is equal to or less than the unit’s Leadership
Characteristic, the test is passed and the unit does not
suffer any ill effects.
If the total is higher than their Leadership Characteristic,
the test is failed and the unit will immediately Fall Back.
Some units have special rules pertaining to Morale checks
that are detailed in their Army List or Army List entry. For
example, some units might always pass Morale checks,
while others might always pass all Leadership tests. This
difference is subtle, yet important. A unit that always
passes Morale checks still has to test when hit by an attack
with the Pinning special rule, while a unit that always
passes all Leadership tests wouldn’t.
Morale Check Modifiers
Certain circumstances can make Morale checks harder for
a unit to pass. This is represented by applying Leadership
modifiers to Morale checks, which can modify the unit’s
Leadership value by -1, -2, or sometimes even more.
Insane Heroism
Occasionally, warriors will refuse to retreat even
when faced with impossible odds. A roll of double 1
on the 2D6 always passes a Morale check, regardless
of any modifiers.
When to Test
The most common reasons a unit must take a Morale
check are as follows:
Casualties: A unit losing 25% or more of its current
models during a single Phase must take a Morale check at
the end of that Phase. As exceptions to this rule, units that
lose 25% or more of their current models in the Assault
phase or from any attack made as part of a Reaction, do
not take Morale checks.
Losing an Assault: Units that lose a close combat
(usually from suffering more Wounds than they inflicted)
must pass a Morale check to hold their ground. If they
fail, they must Fall Back. Units taking this Morale check
suffer a -1 Ld modifier for each Wound their side has lost
the combat by.
Fall Back
Units make a Fall Back Move immediately upon failing
a Morale check – the only moves they can make in
subsequent Phases are Fall Back Moves until they
Regroup. In each subsequent Movement phase, they
will make further Fall Back Moves instead of moving
normally, until the unit Regroups, is destroyed or leaves
the battlefield.
Fall Back Moves are 2D6", unless a rule specifies otherwise.
Fall Back Moves are not slowed by DifficultTerrain, but
incur Dangerous Terrain tests as normal. Units with
models that Fall Back at different speeds always Fall Back
at the speed of the slowest model in the unit.
Each model in the unit moves directly towards their
own battlefield edge by the shortest possible route.
If playing a mission where there is no ‘own’ battlefield
edge, models move towards the closest battlefield
edge instead.
If any model from a unit that is Falling Back moves into
contact with a battlefield edge, the entire unit is removed
from the game as casualties as it scatters and flees
the battle.
Falling Back from Close Combat
Models Falling Back from a combat can freely move
through all enemy models that were involved in that
combat. This is an exception to the normal rules for
moving that state a model cannot move through a space
occupied by another model. If any models would end their
move less than 1" from one of these enemy models, extend
the Fall Back Move until they are clear.
Falling Back
The player rolls a 6 on the 2D6 Fall Back Move, so each
model is moved 6" directly towards their battlefield
edge. The model on the far left has to go around
Impassable Terrain.
The Imperial Fists unit must move around the enemy
Sons of Horus unit as it Falls Back, even if doing so
forces them to end their move further from their
battlefield edge than if they had moved directly.
Falling Back and Terrain
Regrouping
Sometimes a unit finds its Fall Back Move blocked by
Impassable Terrain, friendly models or enemy models.
The unit may move around these obstructions in such a
way as to get back to their battlefield edge by the shortest
route, maintaining unit coherency, even if this means
moving away from their battlefield edge. If the unit
cannot perform a full Fall Back Move in any direction
without doubling back, it is destroyed.
A unit that is Falling Back must attempt to Regroup by
taking a Leadership test in their Movement phase just
before they move.
If the unit fails this test, then it must immediately
continue to Fall Back.
If the unit successfully passes the test, it stops Falling Back
and can immediately move a number of inches equal to its
Initiative. This move is unaffected by Difficult Terrain, but
Dangerous Terrain tests must be taken as normal. If the
unit is out of coherency when the Regroup test is made,
then the move must be used to restore coherency, or as
near as possible.
Once a unit has Regrouped, it cannot otherwise Move,
Run or Charge in the Assault phase. However, it can
make Shooting Attacks but counts as having moved and
can only fire Snap Shots. A unit that has Regrouped may
make Reactions as normal, including those that allow it
to move.
Regrouping when Assaulted
Units that have Charges declared against them while
Falling Back must always test to Regroup as soon as the
enemy is found to be within Charge Distance.
If the test is failed, the assaulted unit is removed as a
casualty at the end of the Charge sub-phase, after all
Charge moves have been completed.
If the test is successful, the unit Regroups without
moving, and the Charge is resolved as per the normal rules
for Charges. A unit that Regroups after having a Charge
declared against them may make Reactions as normal.
As these Sons of Horus cannot Fall Back the full 7"
of their Fall Back Move without entering Impassable
Terrain or moving within 1" of an enemy unit (not
counting the unit they are Falling Back from), all
models in the unit are removed as casualties.
Restrictions to Units
that are Falling Back
• Units which are Falling Back can only fire Snap Shots.
• Units that are Falling Back may not make Reactions in
any Phase.
• Units that are Falling Back cannot be Pinned and
automatically pass Pinning tests.
• Units that are Falling Back automatically fail all Morale
checks, but can Regroup.
• A unit that is Falling Back cannot Charge. If it is
Charged, it must test to Regroup (see Regrouping
when Assaulted).
Falling Back and Multiple Assaults
Sometimes, as part of a multiple assault, a Charging unit
comes into contact with units that are Falling Back as well
as one or more units that are not. If any units contacted
as part of a Charge are Falling Back, each retreating unit
must test to Regroup as soon as any one Charging model
comes into contact with a model from that unit.
If the test is successful, that unit Regroups (without
moving) and the assault continues as normal. If the
test is failed, the Falling Back unit is destroyed and the
Charging model must continue its Charge Move against
the original target of the Charge as if the Falling Back
unit was never there.
Unit Types
INFANTRY
AUTOMATA
Infantry units include all types of foot soldiers. A typical
unit of Infantry is between five and ten models strong, but
they can be much larger. In rare cases, an Infantry unit
may comprise only a single model. Infantry are fairly slow
moving, but can cross almost any terrain and make the
best use of cover to avoid enemy fire.
The steel warriors of the Mechanicum are unlike any
other force in the galaxy, unflinching automatons of logic
engrams and gears. Though far more rugged than even
the Emperor’s Legiones Astartes, they are bound to the
unchanging dictates of their programming and lack the
tactical flexibility of flesh and blood warriors.
The wider category of Infantry units contains a
number of sub-types which may be referenced in other
Age of Darkness books. Infantry represent the most
basic element of any army and, as such, require no
additional rules.
As with other Unit Types, the Automata type includes a
number of sub-types which may be referenced in other
Age of Darkness books. The following rules apply to all
Automata models and any Automata sub-types:
An Infantry unit may only include or be joined by models
of the Infantry or Primarch Unit Type, unless a special
rule states otherwise.
CAVALRY
Cavalry use their fast speed to strike deep into enemy
territory and escape before their opponent is able to react.
This Unit Type includes units mounted on bikes, jetbikes,
land speeders and even traditional cavalry mounted on
riding beasts.
As with other Unit Types, the Cavalry type includes a
number of sub-types which may be referenced in other
Age of Darkness books. The following rules apply to all
Cavalry models and any Cavalry sub-types:
• Cavalry models cannot be Pinned.
• Cavalry models are not slowed down by Difficult
Terrain, even when Charging. However, Cavalry models
treat all Difficult Terrain as Dangerous Terrain instead.
• Cavalry models move 3D6" when Falling Back, rather
than 2D6".
• No model that is not also of the Cavalry Unit Type may
join a unit that includes a Cavalry model.
• All Automata models have the Fearless special rule.
• Successful Wounds inflicted by attacks with the
Poisoned or Fleshbane special rules must be re-rolled
against models of the Automata Unit Type.
• A unit that includes one or more models with the
Automata Unit Type may not make Reactions.
• No model that is not also of the Automata Unit Type
may join a unit that includes an Automata model.
DREADNOUGHT
These massive engines of war are unlike the soulless
warriors of the Mechanicum, for at their heart rests a
mortal warrior whose instincts and experience guides
their steel body on the field of battle. Employed by both
the Legiones Astartes and some regiments of the Imperial
Army, these towering behemoths excel as line-breakers
and siege engines.
As with other Unit Types, the Dreadnought type includes
a number of sub-types which may be referenced in other
Age of Darkness books. The following rules apply to all
Dreadnought models and any Dreadnought sub-types:
• Successful Wounds scored by attacks with the Poisoned
or Fleshbane special rules must be re-rolled against
models of the Dreadnought Unit Type.
• All Dreadnought models have the Fearless special rule.
• A model with the Dreadnought Unit Type may fire
all weapons they are equipped with in each Shooting
Attack they make, including as part of a Reaction.
• A model of the Dreadnought type may fire Heavy and
Ordnance weapons and counts as Stationary even if
it moved in the preceding Movement phase, and may
declare Charges as normal regardless of any Shooting
Attacks made in the same turn.
• No model that is not also of the Dreadnought Unit Type
may join a unit that includes a Dreadnought model.
DAEMON
UNIT SUB-TYPES
The unknown terror of the dark ages of the Horus Heresy,
these aetheric horrors defy all logic. Unbound by the
normal laws of reality, they mass and attack in defiance
of any sound military doctrine and fight without need for
the technologies that sustain Mankind on the battlefield.
In addition to the base Unit Types (Infantry, Cavalry,
Automata, Dreadnought, Primarch and Daemon), some
models might be listed as belonging to one or more
sub-types. Some sub-types may grant a model or unit
additional special rules, an example of which is the
Character sub-type which is covered in its own section
of this rulebook. Other sub-types do not grant any
special rules to models or units that possess them, but
are instead used by other special rules to differentiate
between otherwise similar units. In all cases, sub-types
are presented after the base Unit Types in brackets.
For example, a Legion Cataphract Sergeant has the
following base Unit Type and sub-types: Infantry
(Heavy, Character).
As with other Unit Types, the Daemon type includes a
number of sub-types which may be referenced in other
Age of Darkness books. The following rules apply to all
Daemon models and any Daemon sub-types:
• All Daemon models have their Strength and Toughness
modified by a value determined by the current Game
Turn: +1 on Game Turns 1 & 2, +/-0 on Game Turns 3 &
4, -1 on Game Turns 5 & 6, and -2 on Game Turns 7+.
• All Daemon models have the Fear (1) special rule.
• Any Hits inflicted on a model of the Daemon Unit Type
by a weapon with the Force special rule gain the Instant
Death special rule as well.
• All Daemon models are immune to the effects of the
Fear special rule, automatically pass Pinning and
Regroup tests and cannot choose to fail a Morale check
due to the Our Weapons Are Useless special rule. When
a Daemon unit fails a Morale check it does not Fall
Back as per the standard rules, but instead suffers D3
automatic Wounds with no Saves of any kind allowed.
• No model that is not also of the Daemon Unit Type may
join a unit that includes a Daemon model.
PRIMARCH
Mightiest of all the Emperor’s creations and the greatest
warriors and generals of their age, the Primarchs of the
Space Marine Legions epitomise the dark ages of the Horus
Heresy. These colossi of war were powerful beyond the
capabilities of any mortal warrior or steel-forged automata
– for their only equal was another of their own kind.
The following rules apply to all Primarchs:
• All Primarchs have the following special rules:
Independent Character, Eternal Warrior, Fearless, It
Will Not Die (5+), Bulky (4), and Relentless. In addition,
all models with the Primarch unit type always count as
Character models.
• Primarchs are not affected by special rules that
negatively modify their Characteristics (other than
Wounds) and, in addition, Primarchs always resolve
Snap Shots at their normal BS.
• Any Hits inflicted by a Primarch, as part of either
Shooting Attacks or in close combat, are allocated
by the Primarch’s controlling player and not the
controlling player of the target unit. These Hits should
form a separate Wound Pool.
• If an army includes any Primarch models, then one of
those models must be chosen as the army’s Warlord.
A number of key unit sub-types are presented here – more
may be referenced in other Age of Darkness books.
Line Sub-type
Line units are those sections of any army whose dedicated
task is the capture and defence of key objectives and vital
choke-points on the battlefield. Though often seen as
lacking in glory, it is only by the efforts of these key units
that victory can be firmly grasped, and without them any
onslaught is doomed to failure.
The following rules apply to all models with the Line
sub-type:
• A unit that includes at least one model with the Line
sub-type counts as both a Scoring and Denial unit.
Antigrav Sub-type
Whether equipped with antigrav repulsors or empowered
by some esoteric, psychic art, this unit is able to skim
above the ground. While incapable of true flight, this
does allow it to avoid any of the hampering effects of
the prevailing terrain, gliding over obstacles that would
ensnare or entangle more conventional troops.
The following rules apply to all models with the Antigrav
sub-type:
• A unit that includes only models with the Antigrav
sub-type may ignore the effects of any and all terrain it
passes over during movement, including passing over
vertical terrain and Impassable Terrain without penalty
or restriction. However, such units may not begin
or end their movement in Impassable Terrain, and if
beginning or ending their movement in Dangerous
Terrain must take Dangerous Terrain tests as normal.
• Models with the Antigrav sub-type may never benefit
from Cover Saves of any kind.
Artillery Sub-type
Heavy Sub-type
Some weapons are so large and cumbersome that they are
usually mounted on vehicles, but are sometimes utilised
by artillery teams on foot, particularly if the battlefield’s
terrain is not suitable for vehicles. These weapons are
typically mounted on wheeled supports, as they are too
heavy to be carried across the battlefield.
Intended to break the lines of the foe or to hold the most
dangerous of positions, heavy troops trade speed and
manoeuvrability for indomitable toughness and stubborn
tenacity. They stand at the heart of battle and dare death
to come forth and claim them.
The following rules apply to all models with the Artillery
sub-type:
• If a unit that includes any models with the Artillery
sub-type has no models without the Artillery sub-type,
then all models in the unit are removed from play as
casualties immediately.
• A unit that includes one or more models with the
Artillery sub-type may not Run, declare or otherwise
make Charge moves, or make Reactions.
• A unit that includes one or more models with the
Artillery sub-type may never hold or deny Objectives.
• A unit that includes one or more models with the
Artillery sub-type may not make Sweeping Advances
and, if targeted by a Sweeping Advance, automatically
fails any Sweeping Advance rolls made without rolling
any dice and is destroyed.
Monstrous Sub-type
Some of the warriors and weapons deployed to the
battlefield are huge and hulking, more than capable of
crushing lesser foes with a single blow or carrying the
largest and bulkiest of weapons onto the field. These
creatures are unwieldy and often slow, but terrifyingly
effective on the front lines.
The following rules apply to models with the Monstrous
sub-type:
• A unit that includes any models with the Monstrous
sub-type cannot be Pinned.
• A model with the Monstrous sub-type may fire all
weapons they are equipped with in each Shooting
Attack they make, including as part of a Reaction.
• A model with the Monstrous sub-type may fire Heavy
and Ordnance weapons and counts as Stationary even
if it moved in the preceding Movement phase, and may
declare Charges as normal regardless of any Shooting
Attacks made in the same turn.
• No model that is not also Monstrous may join a unit
that includes a Monstrous model.
The following rules apply to all models with the Heavy
sub-type:
• A unit that includes only models with the Heavy subtype may re-roll failed Armour Saves against Template
and Blast weapons.
• A unit that includes any models with the Heavy subtype may not Run and when making a Movement
during a Reaction based on its Initiative Characteristic,
reduces the distance moved by -1.
Light Sub-type
Light troops are equipped and trained to fight on the
move, pausing only briefly and trusting to speed over
cover or heavy armour. Many armies will make use of
such warriors as scouts, but they also serve as admirable
harassers and pursuit troops, easily capable of disrupting
enemy attacks and advances or hounding a retreat.
The following rules apply to all models with the Light
sub-type:
• A unit that includes only models with the Light
sub-type gains a +1 modifier to its Initiative when
determining how far that unit may Run (this bonus
stacks with other bonuses to Run distance, such as
the Fleet (X) special rule) and when moving as part of
a Reaction.
• A unit that includes only models with the Light sub-type
may make Shooting Attacks after having Run, but makes
all such attacks as Snap Shots. Models or weapons that
cannot attack as Snap Shots may not attack.
• Models with the Light sub-type may never claim a
Cover Save in the same turn that it makes a Run move.
Characters
CHARACTERS
V
eteran warriors, exemplary officers and ferocious war leaders can all inspire their troops to great feats of heroism
and bravery. Often, these individuals are quicker, stronger and more skilled in combat than those they lead. In The
Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness, these kinds of powerful individuals are called Characters.
Character is effectively a Unit sub-type as described in
the previous rules section, but it has a more complex
interaction with the rules and thus is dealt with here.
As with all Unit sub-types, it is represented on a model’s
profile by the term Character added in brackets after the
model’s main Unit Type. For example a Legion Tactical
Sergeant is of the Unit Type – Infantry (Line, Character).
Note that models of the Primarch Unit Type do not have
the Character sub-type, but are treated as Characters
in all respects and gain the benefits of all the rules
presented here.
Character Types
Most Characters are fielded in units from the start of
the game, and represent squad leaders, such as a Legion
Tactical Sergeant. They have their own profile, but do not
have a separate entry. They are effectively just another
trooper in their unit, with enhanced Characteristics
and perhaps a wider selection of weapons and Wargear
choices. Other Characters, such as Horus, Primarch of
the Sons of Horus, fight as units on their own. They
are mighty enough that they don’t need to take to the
battlefield with other warriors. Regardless of their status
within their army, all Characters use the same rules.
Independent Characters
Some Characters have the Independent Character special
rule, which allows them to join other units (see page 241).
Characters as Leaders
As Characters normally have better Leadership than other
warriors, they make good leaders for units in your army,
given that units use the highest Leadership in the unit
when determining Leadership tests.
Characters and Moving
Characters follow the Movement rules for models of their
type, whether Infantry, Cavalry, etc. Note that they must
remain in unit coherency with any unit they are part of
(see page 164).
Characters and Assaults
Remember that a Character that has joined a unit follows
all the normal rules for being part of a unit. If a Character
is in a unit that Charges into close combat, the Character
Charges too, as it is part of the unit. If the Character’s unit
is locked in combat, they fight as part of the unit.
Characters and Wound Allocation
When allocating Wounds, a player may always choose
not to allocate Wounds to a model with the Character
Sub-type, regardless of how many Wounds that model has
lost or any other factors that would normally require it
to have Wounds allocated to it, as long as there is at least
one other valid target model in the same unit to which
Wounds may be allocated instead.
Challenges
Characters, no matter their type, can issue Challenges
during combat – seeking to call out the enemy’s own
leaders and confront them on an equal footing.
Issuing a Challenge
Challenges are issued at the start of the Fight sub-phase,
before any attacks are made. Only one Challenge can be
issued per combat – the Active player has the opportunity
to issue a Challenge first. If that side chooses not to,
then the Reactive player can issue a Challenge. Once a
Challenge has been declared and accepted, there can be
no further Challenges made until the existing Challenge
in that combat has been fully resolved.
To issue a Challenge, nominate a Character in one of your
units locked in the combat to be the challenger. Once
one Challenge has been made, no further Challenges can
be issued in that combat that turn. If the Challenge is
accepted, no further Challenges can be issued until that
Challenge has been resolved. If there are no Characters
in the enemy units, then a Challenge cannot be issued.
Characters that cannot fight or make Melee Attacks,
including those that are not engaged with an enemy
model, cannot issue Challenges.
Characters and Shooting
Characters make Shooting Attacks as normal for models
of their type.
Accepting a Challenge
If your opponent has issued a Challenge, you can now
accept it – nominate any Character in one of your units
locked in the combat to accept the Challenge. Characters
that cannot fight or make Melee Attacks, including those
that are not engaged with an enemy model, cannot
accept Challenges.
Refusing a Challenge
Combatant Slain
Alternatively, you can refuse the Challenge. If you refuse,
your opponent gets to nominate one of your Characters
from those who could have accepted. The chosen
model cannot attack in close combat at all this turn.
Furthermore, their Leadership Characteristic cannot be
used by the rest of the unit for the remainder of the Phase.
Once a Challenge has been refused, the model that issued
it fights normally.
If a Character involved in a Challenge is removed as a
casualty, each excess Wound inflicted by the victor is
counted toward the Assault result, but is not allocated to
any other model. If the winning Character model has any
remaining Attacks in the same or later Initiative steps,
then these are resolved against the slain Character’s WS
and Toughness, but are only counted for the purposes
of winning combat and are not Allocated to any other
models. When one of the combatants in a Challenge is
slain, regardless of which Initiative step it is, the Challenge
is still considered to be ongoing until the end of the Phase
for the purposes of Outside Forces.
Heroic Stand
A unit that consists of a single Character cannot
refuse a Challenge.
Outside Forces
Fighting a Challenge
If a Challenge has been accepted, move the two
combatants into base contact with each other. Note that
these moves cannot be used to move a Character out
of unit coherency. If possible, swap the Challenger for
a friendly model in base contact with the Challenged
model. If this cannot be done, swap the Challenged model
for a friendly model in base contact with the Challenger.
If neither of these moves would result in the two models
being in base contact, ‘swap’ the Challenger as close as
possible to the Challenged model and assume the two to
be in base contact for the purposes of the ensuing fight.
Whilst the Challenge is ongoing, other models locked
in the combat can only Allocate Wounds to the models
involved in the Challenge if all other enemy models (if
any) that are locked in that combat have been removed
as casualties.
Assault Result
Unsaved Wounds caused in a Challenge count towards
the Assault result, including any excess Wounds
caused by the winner of a Challenge as noted above,
alongside any unsaved Wounds caused by the rest of the
Character’s units.
Round Two
Models that are moved to satisfy a Challenge are
not subject to Difficult Terrain tests or Dangerous
Terrain tests.
For the duration of the Challenge, these two models are
considered to be in base contact with each other and,
when rolling To Hit and To Wound, they always use the
Weapon Skill and Toughness of their opponent. When
allocating Wounds caused by either of these two models,
they must be allocated to their opponent first.
If both competitors survive a Challenge, and neither
side fled from the combat, then they both continue the
Challenge in the next round of combat. Note that if a
Character is caught by a Sweeping Advance, but is not
removed as a casualty due to a special rule, the Challenge
does not continue.
Psychic Powers
PSYCHIC POWERS
O
n the battlefields of the Horus Heresy, it is not just by bolt and blade that war is prosecuted, but also with the
forbidden powers of the battle psyker. Once banned from the Legiones Astartes order of battle, the chaos of the
Horus Heresy has seen such self-destructive weapons return to the forefront of the fighting. Blasts of witch-fire can cut
through even the most formidable armour, and by the eldritch wiles of a trained Librarian, the most fearsome shells can
be turned aside and the very thoughts of the enemy turned against them.
In games of the Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness certain
models may make use of Psychic Powers to attack the enemy
and confound their plans. Psychic Attacks will use the
existing rules for attacking the enemy, being resolved as either
Shooting or Melee Attacks, and occur during the Shooting and
Assault phases as do other attacks. Psychic Powers represent
any psychic effect that is not presented as a weapon and
resolved as an attack. Psychic Powers are resolved during one
of the existing Phases, and have their own unique rules,
each of which is explained as part of that power.
In all cases, to use a Psychic Attack, Weapon or Power,
a model must possess the Psyker unit sub-type.
Psyker
Much like Character, Psyker is a unit sub-type that can be
applied to a model of any other Unit Type. This is used to
indicate models that are capable of using Psychic Powers
and weapons. On its own this sub-type grants no abilities
or rules, but many other rules, weapons and abilities will
target or require a model with this sub-type in order to be
used. Often, a rule will reference or target a ‘Psyker’, this
means any model with the Psyker sub-type. Models that
are or can become Psykers are also often given the option
to acquire other abilities or attacks that require that unit
sub-type. If such options exist, they will be noted on that
unit’s profile or Army List entry.
The following examples show some common units or
models that also have the Psyker sub-type:
• Legion Centurion with the Librarian Consul upgrade:
Infantry (Character, Psyker)
• Ruinstorm Daemon Lord: Daemon (Character,
Monstrous, Psyker)
• Imperialis Militia Rogue Psyker: Infantry
(Character, Psyker)
Which means any rules or weapons that have additional
effects when targeting or activated by a Psyker would
apply those effects to these models.
Throughout the rules for Psykers, there are references to
Psychic checks. A Psychic check is a kind of Leadership
test and is taken in exactly the same manner as any other
Leadership test – however, special rules that allow a
model to modify or automatically pass Leadership tests
have no effect on Psychic checks.
Psychic Weapons
The most common forms of Psychic Power encountered
on the battlefield are those that act in a manner akin to
more conventional weapons. Whether bolts of eldritch
lightning or projectiles ripped from the very earth,
these attacks are presented and function in exactly the
same manner as any other weapon. They use exactly
the same rules, Characteristics and resolution methods as
any other attack, and can be both ranged and melee.
A Psyker that gains a Psychic Weapon is ‘equipped’ with it
in the same manner as any other model is equipped with
the Wargear that is part of its profile. A model that has
the Psyker sub-type may make Shooting Attacks using
any ranged Psychic Weapon available to it (or more than
one if that model has a rule that allows more than one
weapon to be used during a Shooting Attack), or during
the Assault phase a Psyker may attack using a Psychic
Weapon with the Melee type. In close combat, a Psychic
Weapon with the Melee type does count for deciding if a
model has more than one weapon, but obeys all the usual
restrictions. However, a Psychic Weapon can never be
destroyed or otherwise removed from a model unless a
rule specifically targets a Psychic Weapon (this does not
apply to Force Weapons).
In most cases, the Psychic Disciplines available to a Psyker
will provide one or more Psychic Weapons as part of their
portfolio of abilities (see page 322 ).
Psychic Powers
Perils of the Warp
The next type of Psychic ability falls under the more
common heading of Psychic Powers. These abilities can
achieve many diverse ends, from simple destruction to
the subtle subversion of the enemy, and are represented
in a form more akin to special rules in order to represent
the many effects a trained battle psyker can produce. Not
all Psykers have access to the same suite of powers, and
those available to any given model will be detailed in that
model’s profile or Army List. The key difference between
a Psychic Power and a Psychic Weapon is that a Power is
not resolved as a standard attack and has its own rules
for resolving any effects it may cause, much like other
special rules.
Common to all forms of psychic ability is the possibility
of the Warp’s power rebelling and wreaking havoc on the
Psyker and their allies. This is represented by the Perils of
the Warp special rule. Most Psychic Powers and Weapons
dictate under what conditions a Psyker must suffer Perils
of the Warp, but in most cases this will be as the result
of a failed Leadership test while using a Psychic Power
or attack.
In most cases, the Psychic Disciplines available to a Psyker
will provide one or more Psychic Powers as part of their
portfolio of abilities (see page 322 ).
Psychic Disciplines
Both Psychic Weapons and Psychic Powers are often
gathered into categories known as Disciplines. Many
Psykers’ Army List entries will indicate that a model or
unit has access to one or more Disciplines rather than
listing all the rules included as part of that Discipline.
When a model or unit is granted a Discipline or is asked
to select one, they gain all powers, attacks and other rules
included as part of that Discipline.
A set of Core Psychic Disciplines is presented as part of
this rulebook on page 322 , but other publications may
present additional Disciplines.
Whenever a Psyker or other model/unit suffers Perils of
the Warp, apply the rule below:
Perils of the Warp: When a model or unit suffers Perils
of the Warp, it receives D3 Wounds against which only
Invulnerable Saves may be taken (no Damage Mitigation
rolls may be made to negate these Wounds). These
Wounds may be allocated to any model in the unit,
including models without the Psyker Sub-type, in the
same manner as those received during a Shooting Attack.
If the Psyker is a Vehicle, it suffers D3 Hull Points of
damage against which only Invulnerable Saves may be
taken.
These Hull Points of damage may be allocated to other
Vehicle models in the same Squadron, in the same manner
as a Shooting Attack.
Vehicles
VEHICLES
T
he battles of the Horus Heresy saw the use of massed formations of immense armoured vehicles and other towering
engines of destruction. Vehicles are a Unit Type that does not operate in the same manner as other models, thus
warranting their own section. This section details the rules and Characteristics common to the Vehicle Unit Type, before
going into more detail as to the various sub-types unique to Vehicles.
Vehicle Characteristics
Vehicles have Characteristics that define how powerful they are in a similar way to Infantry. However, their
Characteristics are different. Below is one example of a Vehicle’s profile:
Legion Land Raider Proteus Carrier
M
12
BS
4
Movement (M)
Vehicles have a Movement Characteristic just like other
units and it represents the maximum possible speed for
that Vehicle. Most Vehicles can choose to move less than
their maximum speed in order to fire more weapons with
greater accuracy.
Ballistic Skill (BS)
Vehicles have a Ballistic Skill Characteristic just like other
Unit Types and it represents the accuracy of the crew as
they attack their enemy with the Vehicle’s weapons.
Armour Value (AV)
The Armour Value, sometimes referred to simply as
Armour, of a Vehicle represents how hard it is to damage.
Vehicles have separate Armour Values to represent the
protection on their Front (F), Sides (S) and Rear (R).
Armour Values typically range from 10-14, depending on
which Facing of the Vehicle is being attacked, with the
lightest armour usually on the Rear.
Hull Points (HP)
Every Vehicle has a number of Hull Points, indicating how
much damage it can take before it is destroyed. This will
normally be shown in the Vehicle’s Characteristics profile.
Front
14
Armour
Side
14
Rear
14
HP
5
Transport
Capacity
12
Sub-types
Just as other units can have different Unit Types, Vehicles
have a number of different types. Each of these grants
additional rules that only apply to that type of Vehicle.
Unlike other units, these types can be combined, with one
Vehicle having multiple types, in which case the Vehicle
has all of the rules for all of its types.
Vehicles and Measuring Distances
As Vehicle models do not usually have bases, the normal
rule of measuring distances to or from a base cannot
be used. Instead, measure to and from their hull,
ignoring gun barrels, dozer blades, banners and other
decorative elements.
There is, however, the notable exception of a Vehicle’s
weaponry. When firing a Vehicle’s weapons, ranges
are measured from the firing end of the weapon being
used to attack, whilst line of sight is determined from
the weapon’s Firing Arc, as will be explained later in
this section.
Vehicles in the Movement Phase
As with all other models in the Horus Heresy – Age of
Darkness rules, Vehicles have a Movement Characteristic
which defines the maximum number of inches they may
move on the battlefield. This Movement Characteristic
is often much greater than any Infantry model, but
the distance a Vehicle moves dictates how accurate
its weapons fire will be, and so Vehicles that take full
advantage of their powerful engines will be less capable of
laying down support fire later in the turn.
Stationary – A Vehicle that remains Stationary will be
able to attack with all of its weapons, regardless of type,
with no modification to their accuracy.
Combat Speed – A Vehicle that travels equal to or less,
than half of its Movement Characteristic is said to be
moving at Combat Speed. This represents the Vehicle
advancing slowly to keep firing. A Vehicle moving at
Combat Speed may attack with all non-Ordnance or
non-Destroyer weapons with no modification to their
accuracy. A Vehicle moving at Combat Speed may only fire
a single Ordnance or Destroyer weapon, and if it does so
then all other weapons must be fired as Snap Shots.
Cruising Speed – A Vehicle that travels more than half
of its Movement Characteristic is said to be moving at
Cruising Speed. This represents the Vehicle diverting
power to keep it moving as fast as possible, making all
of its firepower wildly inaccurate. A Vehicle moving
at Cruising Speed may fire a single weapon without
modification to its BS and any other weapons as Snap
Shots. However, a Vehicle moving at Cruising Speed may
not fire Ordnance or Destroyer weapons.
Vehicles can turn any number of times as they move, just
like any other model. Vehicles turn by pivoting on the
spot about their centre point, rather than wheeling round.
Pivoting on the spot alone does not count as moving, so
a Vehicle that only pivots in the Movement phase counts
as Stationary (however, Immobilised Vehicles cannot
even pivot on the spot). Pivoting is always done from the
centre of a Vehicle to prevent it from accidentally moving
further than intended or allowed. Just like other units,
Vehicles cannot move over friendly models. A Vehicle may
only pivot during the Movement phase, unless another
rule specifically allows it to do so at another point. Unlike
other models, Vehicles may not move vertically in terrain
or on Terrain Pieces in order to ascend levels.
Some Vehicle types, from combat aircraft to lumbering
artillery vehicles, as detailed later in this section, can
affect both the manner in which a Vehicle moves and the
distances it may move.
Difficult Terrain
and Dangerous Terrain
Vehicles moving through areas of terrain are not slowed
like other units, but still risk becoming stuck or damaged.
Vehicles treat all Difficult Terrain as Dangerous Terrain
instead. A Vehicle that fails a Dangerous Terrain test
immediately loses 1 Hull Point and suffers an Immobilised
result on the Vehicle Damage table.
Ramming
When moving a Vehicle, the controlling player may
declare that the Vehicle will attempt to Ram instead
of moving normally. A Ram Attack allows a Vehicle
to use its sheer bulk as a weapon, crushing infantry
and battering even the most heavily-armoured war
machines. The Vehicle attempting a Ram Attack, and any
Embarked troops, may only fire Snap Shots in that turn’s
Shooting phase.
To perform a Ram Attack, first turn the Vehicle on the
spot to face the direction you intend to move it in, and,
after measuring, declare how many inches the Vehicle
is going to move, up to a maximum of its Movement
Characteristic. If, due to the size of the Vehicle model
making the Ram, pivoting the model brings it into contact
with an enemy unit then move the Ramming Vehicle the
minimum distance required to keep it 1" away from any
other model before beginning the Ram. Once the Vehicle
has been ‘aimed’ and the intended distance declared, move
the Vehicle straight forwards until it comes into contact
with a unit, enemy or friendly, or it reaches the distance
declared – no other changes of direction are allowed
during a Ram.
Note that a Vehicle conducting a Ram may not contact a
unit that is locked in combat. If its movement would bring
it into contact with a unit that is locked in combat then
it must halt its movement 1" away from that unit, ending
the Ram.
is in contact with another Vehicle. The Strength of Hits
inflicted on all Vehicles will be equal to half the Armour
Value, rounding up, on the facing that is in contact with
an enemy Vehicle or Building.
If the Ramming Vehicle has more starting Hull Points
than any Vehicle or Building it is in contact with, add +1
to the Strength of the Hit, and if the Ramming Vehicle
has the Slow or Super-heavy type, or is a Building, add
+4 Strength, to a maximum value of 10. Both players roll
for armour penetration against any of their opponent’s
Vehicles or Building involved in the Ramming Attack,
and any results are immediately applied. Regardless of
the damage dealt to any Vehicles or Buildings involved
in the Ram Attack, once the Ram Attack is resolved the
Ramming Vehicle halts 1" away from any other models
and does not move further this turn.
If, at any point in its move, the Vehicle would enter into
contact with Impassable Terrain or a battlefield edge, or if
it passes within 1" of units in combat or friendly units, it
immediately stops moving 1" away from any other model.
Units already Falling Back
If a unit that is Falling Back is Rammed, the unit that is
Falling Back automatically fails its Morale check. This also
applies if a unit Falls Back from a Ramming Attack and the
Vehicle’s remaining move brings it into contact with them
a second time.
Ramming from Reserve
If a non-Vehicle unit is reached then that unit suffers D6
automatic Hits. These hits are resolved at a Strength equal
to half the Front Armour Value of the Ramming Vehicle,
rounding up, and with an AP of -. If the Ramming Vehicle
is a Super-heavy Vehicle then the Strength of the attack
is always 10, and the number of Hits is increased to 2D6.
Once all Hits sustained from the Ram have been resolved,
the unit that has been rammed must take a Morale check
and immediately Fall Back if it fails. Regardless of the
result of the check, the Vehicle stops moving 1" away from
any other models and does not move any further this turn.
A Vehicle that moves onto the battlefield from Reserve
may attempt a Ram. This must be declared before the
Vehicle moves onto the battlefield.
Units cannot Embark onto or Disembark from a
Transport Vehicle in the same Movement phase in
which it has already performed a Ram. Likewise, a
Transport Vehicle from which a unit has Embarked or
Disembarked that Phase cannot perform a Ram in that
Movement phase.
If the Ramming Vehicle comes into contact with an
enemy Vehicle or Building, then all Vehicles or Buildings
immediately inflict a Hit against any Armour Facing that
A Vehicle that has performed a Ram during the Movement
phase may still make Shooting Attacks in the following
Shooting phase, but may only make Snap Shots.
Ramming Restrictions
Advanced Reaction: Death or Glory
Advanced Reactions are available to specificplayers
as noted in their description. Unlike Core Reactions
(see page 160) they are activated in unique and specific
circumstances, as noted in their descriptions, and can
often have game changing effects. Advanced Reactions
use up points from a Reactive player’s Reaction
Allotment as normal and obey all other restrictions
placed upon Reactions, unless it is specificallynoted
otherwise in their description.
Death or Glory - This Advanced Reaction may be
made whenever the Active player declares a Ram
Attack. After any Hits from a successful Ram have
been resolved, and the target unit has passed its
Morale check, this Reaction must be resolved.
The Reactive player may nominate any one model in
the unit that was Rammed. That model may make a
single attack with either a Melee or Ranged weapon.
Whatever form the attack takes, it automatically
Hits and any damage is resolved against the target
Vehicle’s Front armour. If the attack destroys the
Vehicle or inflicts a Crew Stunned, Immobilised or
Explodes result then the attacking model remains
in play – otherwise it is immediately removed as a
casualty with no Saves or Damage Mitigation rolls
of any kind allowed.
Vehicles may not be nominated to make a Death or
Glory Reaction.
Vehicles in the Shooting Phase
When a Vehicle makes a Shooting Attack, it uses its own
Ballistic Skill Characteristic and makes any attacks with
the same basic rules as any other units, but with a few
unique adjustments as follows. Unless a special rule states
otherwise, all weapons on a single Vehicle must be fired at
the same enemy unit.
Defensive Weapons and Battle
Weapons
As part of the Vehicle rules, certain types of weapon
are defined as Defensive (see page 206), which,
by inference, makes any non-Defensive weapon
a Battle weapon. Throughout these rules, when
a rule refers to ‘all weapons’ or simply ‘weapons’
without any further qualifiers, then this means
that both Battle and Defensive weapons may be
used. When a Shooting Attack is limited to only
Defensive weapons or non-Defensive weapons, it
will specifically state this.
Moving and Shooting with Vehicles
Vehicles may shoot with Heavy or Ordnance weapons,
counting as Stationary, even if they moved in the
Movement phase.
Stationary – A Vehicle that remains Stationary will be
able to attack with all weapons regardless of type with no
modification to their accuracy.
Combat Speed – A Vehicle that travels no more than
half of its Movement Characteristic is said to be moving
at Combat Speed. This represents the Vehicle advancing
slowly to keep firing. A Vehicle moving at Combat Speed
may attack with all non-Ordnance or non-Destroyer
weapons with no modification to their accuracy. A Vehicle
moving at Combat Speed may only fire a single Ordnance
or Destroyer weapon, and if it does so then all other
weapons must be fired as Snap Shots.
Cruising Speed – A Vehicle that travels more than half of its
Movement Characteristic is said to be moving at Cruising
Speed. This represents the Vehicle diverting power to keep
it moving as fast as possible, making all of its firepower
wildly inaccurate. A Vehicle moving at Cruising Speed may
firea single weapon without modificationto its BS and any
other weapons as Snap Shots. However, a Vehicle moving at
Cruising Speed may not fireOrdnance or Destroyer weapons.
Vehicle Firing Arcs and Weapon Mounts
Unlike most models, which can fire at any target to which
they can draw line of sight, Vehicles are more restricted in
how they can target an enemy. Each of a Vehicle’s weapons
is mounted in a way that allows it to fire at targets in one
or more Firing Arcs – specific zones from which targets
may be selected if they are within line of sight. The
various Arcs of Fire available to Vehicles in Horus Heresy
– Age of Darkness games are detailed below:
Firing Arcs
Hull (Arc) – The Hull Firing Arc is divided into four
sections: Front, Rear, Left and Right – with most weapons
capable of firing into only one of those divisions, as shown
on a given Vehicle’s profile. To determine the Hull arcs of
any Vehicle, draw two imaginary lines through the corners
of the Vehicle as shown in the diagram below.
Centreline – The Centreline arc is determined by drawing
two imaginary lines along the sides of the Vehicle’s hull
extending out past the front of the Vehicle as shown in
the diagram below. The space between the two lines is the
Centreline arc. Unless otherwise noted the Centreline arc
always extends from the Vehicle’s front, but if specified
in the Vehicle’s profile, it can instead/also extend to the
Vehicle’s rear.
Sponson – The Sponson Firing Arc is determined by
drawing an imaginary line along the centre of the
Vehicle, from front to rear, as shown in the diagram
below. The left hand side is the Left Sponson arc and the
right hand side is the Right Sponson arc, with Sponson
weapons only capable of firing into the arc in which they
are mounted.
As such, any Vehicle profile will note how its weapons are
mounted, with each type of mount allowing a Vehicle to
fire those weapons into one or more Firing Arcs as shown:
Weapon Mounts
Hull (Arc) Mounted – Hull (Arc) Mounted weapons will
always specify a single Firing Arc and may only fire at
targets in that Firing Arc. The different Hull arcs are:
Front, Rear, Left and Right. Some units may specify Side
as an arc – this means both Left and Right arcs.
For example, a Legion Land Raider Proteus has a Hull
(Front) Mounted Heavy Bolter – this weapon may only fire
at targets in the Front Firing Arc.
Turret Mounted – Turret Mounted weapons may
fire at targets in any Hull arc (Front, Side or Rear)
without restriction.
Centreline Mounted – Centreline Mounted weapons may
only fire at targets in the Centreline Firing Arc.
Sponson Mounted – Sponson Mounted – Sponson Mounted
weapons are usually mounted in pairs, one on each side of a
Vehicle (the Vehicle’s profilewill note if this is not the case)
and fireinto the appropriate Sponson Firing Arc (either left
or right). If the target of a Vehicle’s Shooting Attack is within
the Firing Arc for only one of a pair of Sponson weapons,
then the out of arc weapon may be firedat another enemy
unit of the controlling player’s choice. This Secondary Target
must be in the weapon’s line of sight and Firing Arc, but may
be from a different unit than the original target.
Pintle Mounted – Pintle Mounted weapons may fire
at targets in any Firing Arc without restriction, but are
always counted as Defensive weapons regardless of the
weapon type or its statistics.
Vehicle Weapon Types
In addition to the more common mounting types,
there are also several other types of weapon only
found on Vehicle units that bear special mention in
this section.
Co-axial Mounted Weapons – Co-axial Mounted
weapons follow all the rules for Turret Mounted
weapons and must be mounted alongside another
Turret Mounted weapon. In addition, when
Turret Mounted weapons are fired, if the Co-axial
Mounted weapon scores at least one Hit on the
target unit then all further attacks by weapons
mounted on the same Turret, directed at the same
target, may re-roll any failed rolls To Hit.
Defensive Weapons – All weapons mounted on
a Vehicle that have a Strength Characteristic of
6 or less are Defensive weapons. Other weapons
may also be specifically designated as Defensive
weapons on their profile. The controlling player
may always choose to fire Defensive weapons at the
closest enemy Infantry unit within line of sight and
the Firing Arc of applicable weapons, even if the
Vehicle’s other weapons have targeted a different
unit during a Shooting Attack.
Any weapon that has a Strength greater than 6 and
is not Pintle Mounted or otherwise designated
specifically as a Defensive weapon is a Battle weapon.
Shooting at Vehicles
Template and Blast Weapons
When a unit fires at a Vehicle, it must be able to see its
hull or turret (ignoring the Vehicle’s gun barrels, antennas,
decorative banner poles, etc). Note that, unlike for other
models, a Vehicle’s wings are not ornamental and are a
part of its hull. As the whole unit must fire at the same
target, even if some of their weapons can’t damage the
target Vehicle, in order to speed up play, only make rolls
for those weapons capable of damaging the target. If the
target Vehicle is in range, roll To Hit as normal. If any
Hits are scored, roll for each to see if they penetrate the
Vehicle’s Armour Value.
If a Vehicle, or its base, is even partially under a Template
or Blast marker, it is hit on the Armour Value facing the
attacking model. If the direction of the attack is unclear
or the final position of the Template or Blast marker is
divided between multiple Facings, then the Hit is resolved
against the Side Armour.
Vehicle Facing and Armour Values
• If the total is less than the Vehicle’s Armour Value, the
attack has no effect.
• If the total is equal to the Vehicle’s Armour Value, the
attack inflicts a Glancing Hit.
• If the total is greater than the Vehicle’s Armour Value,
the attack inflicts a Penetrating Hit.
Not all vehicles are equally armoured. Countless layers
of adamantium and ceramite plates protect some tanks,
while lighter vehicles rely more on their speed to avoid
incoming fire.
As such, Vehicles have different Armour Values,
representing the thickness of their armour. Armour Values
for individual Vehicles often vary between its Front, Side
and Rear Facings. Attacks are resolved against the Facing
of the Vehicle that the attack comes from. To see what
Facing an attack is coming from, draw two imaginary lines
through the corners of the Vehicle (see diagram below). If
a unit has firing models in two or more different Facings
of a target Vehicle (some models in the Front and some
in the Side, for example), attacks are resolved separately
for each Facing. Each individual model may only direct
its attacks at a Facing it can draw line of sight to and, in
situations where a model can draw line of sight to more
than one Facing, the controlling player may choose which
Facing will be the target of any attacks.
This may require attacks targeting a Vehicle to be divided
into separate pools, each resolved against the appropriate
Facing and the Armour Value attached to that Facing. In
any situation where a model is hit by a weapon or attack
which fires Indirectly or does not otherwise require line
of sight to its target, Hits are always resolved against the
Side Armour Value. The direction a turret is facing has no
bearing on what arc of a Vehicle you are firing at.
Armour Penetration Rolls
Once a hit has been scored on a Vehicle, roll a D6 and
add the weapon’s Strength, comparing this total with the
Armour Value of the appropriate facing of the Vehicle.
Resolving Damage
A Hit on a Vehicle can have a variety of results. Its armour
could be completely pierced, yet result only in shocking
the crew, or it could detonate the ammunition cases or
fuel tanks.
Glancing Hits – If a Glancing Hit was scored, the Vehicle
loses 1 Hull Point.
Penetrating Hits – If a Penetrating Hit was scored,
the Vehicle not only loses 1 Hull Point, but also suffers
additional damage.
After deducting any Hull Points, roll a D6 for each
Penetrating Hit and look up the result using the Vehicle
Damage table, applying any appropriate modifiers. All
modifiers on the Vehicle Damage table are cumulative. If
you inflict a Penetrating Hit, you must roll on the Vehicle
Damage table even if the Vehicle loses sufficient Hull
Points to be Wrecked, as there is still a chance it might
suffer an Explodes result on the Vehicle Damage table.
Vehicle Damage Table
D6 Result
1-3 Crew Shaken: The Vehicle can only fire Snap Shots until the end of its next turn.
4
Crew Stunned: The Vehicle can only fire Snap Shots until the end of its next turn. If the Vehicle is a
Zooming Flyer, it must move 18" and cannot turn at all in its next Movement phase. If the Vehicle is not a
Zooming Flyer, it cannot move or pivot until the end of its next turn.
5
Weapon Destroyed: One of the Vehicle’s Battle weapons, chosen by the Vehicle’s controlling player, is
destroyed. If the Vehicle has no Battle weapons or all of its Battle weapons have been destroyed, then the
Vehicle’s controlling player selects one Defensive weapon to be destroyed. If a Vehicle has no weapons left,
treat this result as an Immobilised result instead.
Destroyed weapons may no longer be used to make attacks and no special rules on their profile may be used
for the remainder of the game,
Some Vehicles may have weapons which are considered a single item for the purposes of attacking – this will
be noted on their profiles. If such a weapon is destroyed then all of its component parts are destroyed at the
same time. In addition, weapons with the One Shot special rule may not be selected to be destroyed unless
there are no other weapons on the Vehicle.
6
Immobilised: If the Vehicle is a Zooming Flyer, roll a further D6. On a 1 or 2, that Flyer will immediately
Crash and Burn (see below). On a 3+, the Flyer counts this result as Crew Stunned instead. Other Vehicles
are Immobilised. An Immobilised Vehicle cannot move – it may not even pivot – but all weapons retain their
normal Firing Arcs, including Turret Mounted weapons. Any Immobilised results suffered by an already
Immobilised Vehicle instead remove an additional Hull Point.
7+
Explodes: The Vehicle is destroyed. If the Vehicle is a Zooming Flyer, it will immediately Crash and Burn (see
below), otherwise nearby units suffer a Strength 8 AP- Hit for each model within D6" of the Vehicle’s hull and
any unit that suffers one or more Hits from this effect must take an immediate single Pinning test (no matter
how many Explodes results are inflicted upon an individual Vehicle, only resolve the effects listed here once
for that Vehicle). Once all Hits and Pinning tests are resolved, the Vehicle is then removed from the battlefield.
Crash and Burn
The aircraft is torn apart and flaming debris rains down upon the battlefield. Centre the Large Blast (5") marker
over the Flyer – it then scatters 2D6". Any units under the Blast marker’s final position suffer a number of Strength
8 AP- Hits equal to the number of models that unit has under the marker. The Flyer is then removed from the
battlefield. Should a Flying Transport Crash and Burn, see the rules on page 213 .
Superior AP Weapons
Some weapons are so destructively powerful, they can inflict masses of damage in a single strike. If an AP 2
weapon scores a Penetrating Hit, add a +1 modifier to the roll on the Vehicle Damage table. If an AP 1 weapon
scores a Penetrating Hit, add a +2 modifier to the roll on the Vehicle Damage table.
Vehicle Damage Results and Hull Points
Wrecked Vehicles
Occasionally, a rule will state that a Vehicle will suffer
the effects of a Crew Shaken, Crew Stunned, Weapon
Destroyed or Immobilised result. Unless that rule
also specifies that the Vehicle suffers a Glancing Hit, a
Penetrating Hit, or otherwise states that the Vehicle loses a
Hull Point, only the relevant result on the Vehicle Damage
chart is applied to the Vehicle and no Hull Points are lost.
A Vehicle that is reduced to 0 Hull Points is Wrecked. A
Wrecked Vehicle is counted as being destroyed and is not
removed from the battlefield. If the Vehicle was a Flyer
in Zoom mode, it suffers a Crash and Burn result (see
the Vehicle Damage table). In any other circumstance,
a Wrecked Vehicle is left in place and is treated as a
Terrain Piece.
Vehicles and Cover – Obscured Targets
Vehicles do not benefit from cover in the same way as
Infantry due to their sheer size and bulk, but they can
position themselves in such a way as to make it harder
for the enemy to hit them in a vulnerable location. The
difference from the way cover works for other models is
represented by the following exceptions to the normal
rules for cover:
• At least 25% of the Facing of the Vehicle that is being
targeted (its Front, Side or Rear) needs to be hidden by
intervening terrain or models from the point of view of
the firer for the Vehicle to be in cover. If this is the case,
the Vehicle is obscured (or ‘hull down’). If a unit is firing
at a Vehicle, the Vehicle is obscured only if it is 25%
hidden from the majority of the firing models that are
able to damage the Vehicle. If a unit has firing models
in two or more Facings of a target Vehicle, work out
whether or not the Vehicle is obscured separately for
each Facing, using only models firing at that Facing.
• Vehicles are not obscured simply for being inside
terrain such as Woods or Ruins. The 25% rule given
above takes precedence.
• Vehicles cannot be Pinned, voluntarily or otherwise.
• If the target is obscured and suffers a Glancing Hit,
a Penetrating Hit, or is otherwise hit by an enemy’s
Shooting Attack that inflicts damage upon it, it must
take a Cover Save against it, exactly like a non-Vehicle
model would do against a Wound. This Cover Save is
always a 6+, regardless of the type of terrain involved,
unless another special rule specifically states otherwise.
If the Save is passed, the Hit is discarded, no Hull Points
are lost and no roll is made on the Vehicle Damage
table. If a special rule or a piece of Wargear makes a
Vehicle obscured even if in the open, this confers a 6+
Cover Save, unless specified otherwise in the Army List
or Army List entry. It may rarely happen that the firing
unit cannot see any part of the Facing they are in (Front,
Side or Rear), but they can still see another Facing of
the target Vehicle. In this case they may take the shot
against the Facing they can see, but to represent such an
extremely angled shot, the Vehicle receives a 5+ Cover
Save instead of the standard 6+.
Obscured Vehicles
In these examples, a Sons of Horus Legion Tactical
Support Squad is making a Shooting Attack targeting the
Imperial Fists Legion Land Raider Spartan. In all cases,
they are targeting the Vehicle’s Front Armour Facing.
Example One: Less than 25% of the Spartan’s Front
Armour Facing is concealed by terrain – the Spartan is not
Obscured and gains no benefits from cover.
Example Two: More than 25% of the Spartan’s Front
Armour Facing is concealed by terrain – the Spartan is
obscured and will receive a 6+ Cover Save.
Example Three: The Sons of Horus models cannot draw a
line of sight to the Spartan’s Front Armour Facing through
the terrain, but can draw line of sight to its Side Armour
Facing (despite being in its Front arc). The Spartan is
counted as Obscured and receives a 5+ Cover Save.
Vehicles in the Assault Phase
Assault Results
Vehicles can be both very dangerous and very vulnerable
at close quarters. On the one hand, massively armoured
vehicles can scatter infantry before them, however, a
stationary vehicle can often be very easily destroyed as
individuals clamber over it, hacking at or shooting into
vulnerable spots.
Combats against Vehicles are different from those among
other Unit Types. For instance, whilst Vehicles can be
assaulted, they do not Pile-in and cannot be locked in
combat. At the end of a round of close combat against a
Vehicle, calculate the Assault result as normal, counting
each Glancing Hit as 1 Wound, and each Penetrating Hit
as 2 Wounds.
Assaulting with a Vehicle
Most Vehicles cannot Charge. Those exceptions to this
rule, such as Knights and Titans, will specifically note this
in their rules.
Assaulting a Vehicle
Infantry can pose a grave threat to vehicles if they get
close enough. They can wreck a vehicle by shooting
through vision slits, planting explosives on fuel tanks or
tearing open hatches to attack the crew.
A unit can Charge a Vehicle in their Charge sub-phase.
The Charge Move is conducted in the same way as for
Charging other enemy units. All Vehicles are treated as
being Weapon Skill 1, unless they are Immobilised, in
which case they are treated as Weapon Skill 0. Any Hits
scored against a Vehicle in close combat are resolved
against the Vehicle’s Rear Armour using the same
procedure as resolving Hits inflicted by a Shooting Attack.
If the Vehicle loses the combat or is destroyed, nothing
happens. There are no Sweeping Advances, no Pile-ins
and no Consolidation Moves. The Vehicle and the enemy
remain where they are and are free to simply move away
in future turns.
If the Vehicle wins the combat, the enemy must make
a Morale check as normal, and Fall Back if they fail,
though the Vehicle cannot Consolidate or make a
Sweeping Advance.
If a Vehicle that has been assaulted (and survived) does not
move in its successive Movement phase, enemy models
will still be in base contact with it during its Shooting
phase and Assault phase. Enemy models that are in base
contact with a Vehicle are not locked in combat and can
therefore be attacked during the Shooting phase. If the
Vehicle pivots on the spot (to shoot at its attackers, for
example), move these models out of the way as you shift
the Vehicle and then place them back into base contact
with the Vehicle – or as close as possible if there is
no room.
Units that still have models in base contact with a Vehicle
during its Assault phase may attack it again, just as in a
normal ongoing combat (including all models that would
count as engaged in a normal Assault).
Vehicles, Leadership and Morale
Vehicles never take Morale checks or Leadership tests.
Vehicle Squadrons
Most Vehicles fight as individual units and are represented
by a single model. However, some Vehicles operate
together in Squadrons. These are treated like normal
units, with a few exceptions and clarifications as follows.
Squadrons in the Movement Phase
The Vehicles in a Squadron must maintain coherency, just
like models in ordinary units, but Vehicles in a Squadron
need only remain within 4" horizontally of each other,
rather than within 2" horizontally. They can move at
different speeds, provided they maintain unit coherency.
Squadrons in the Shooting Phase
All of the weapons fired by a Squadron of Vehicles in
each Phase must target a single enemy unit. Like other
units, Vehicles in Squadrons can see and shoot through
members of their own Squadron as if they were not there.
Sponson Mounted weapons that cannot draw a line of
sight to the Squadron’s target unit may instead choose
a secondary target that is a valid target for that Sponson
weapon. Sponson weapons on different vehicles in the
same Squadron may select different secondary targets,
as long as that secondary target is within the weapon’s
Firing Arc.
Shooting at Squadrons
When a Squadron of Vehicles is shot at, roll To Hit as
normal. Once you have determined the number of Hits,
these Hits must be resolved, one at a time, against a model
in the Squadron selected by the Squadron’s controlling
player, as long as the selected model is within line of sight
and range of the firing unit. Once the chosen model in
the Squadron is destroyed (i.e., is Wrecked or Explodes) or
otherwise removed as a Casualty, the controlling player
selects another model in the Squadron that is within line of
sight and range, continuing until either all Hits have been
resolved or all Vehicles in the Squadron have been destroyed.
If a Vehicle Squadron targeted by an attack includes one
or more models that have already lost Hull Points, then if
such a model is in line of sight and range of the attacking
unit, then Hits must be allocated to a damaged model of
the controlling player’s choice before any other model in
the Squadron.
model(s) as a separate unit from then on for all rules and
victory conditions. This cannot be done if a member of a
Squadron has only been Crew Stunned.
Vehicle Types
The basic Vehicle rules apply to all models of the Vehicle
type. However, the Vehicle type includes a number of
sub-types which allows these rules to properly portray the
vast panoply of war machines that took part in the wars of
the Horus Heresy. Any Vehicle model may also have one
or more sub-types, each of which modify how it interacts
with the basic Vehicle rules and adds additional special
rules to represent that particular role on the battlefield.
A Vehicle’s profile will always list which sub-types that
Vehicle has, listing them in brackets as part of its Unit
Type. The various Vehicle sub-types listed here cover the
more common Vehicle variants found on the battlefields of
the Horus Heresy, but other books may present new ones.
Transports
Some Vehicles can carry infantry across the battlefield,
providing speed and protection. However, if the Transport
is destroyed, the passengers risk being killed as well.
Transports have several additional Characteristics:
Transport Capacity
Each Transport Vehicle has a maximum passenger
capacity that can never be exceeded. A Transport can
carry a single Infantry unit and/or any number of
Independent Characters with the Infantry or Primarch
Unit Types, up to a total number of models equal to
the Vehicle’s Transport Capacity. The entire unit must
be Embarked on the Transport if any part of it is – a
unit cannot be partially Embarked or be spread across
multiple Transports.
Only Infantry models can Embark upon Transports
unless specifically stated otherwise. Certain special rules,
notably the Bulky (X) special rule found on page 236 ,
may modify the Transport Capacity required for a given
model to Embark upon a Transport, and this will be
specified in the model’s rules. Sometimes, there will be
constraints on which types of models can Embark upon
a particular Vehicle, and this will be specified in the unit’s
entry. Whilst Embarked upon a Transport, units gain the
Fearless special rule and cannot be made to Fall Back or
become Pinned while Embarked upon the Transport.
Abandoning Squadron-mates
Transport Restrictions
Over the course of the battle, it is likely that one or more
members of a Squadron will suffer an Immobilised result,
preventing it from moving. If a member of a Squadron
is Immobilised, the rest of the Squadron are permitted
to ‘abandon it’. To do so, the rest of the Squadron must
move out of unit coherency with it; treat the Immobilised
Certain types of Wargear also limit the ability of
models to Embark upon Transport Vehicles. In all
cases, this will be noted in the Wargear’s rules. E.g.,
models equipped with a Jump Pack or Jet Pack may not
Embark on Transports that do not have the Flyer type.
Shooting Attacks while Embarked
Disembarking
Unless a special rule states otherwise, units Embarked
upon a Transport Vehicle may not make Shooting Attacks
of any kind. If a Transport Vehicle has a special rule that
allows such attacks, that rule will define how such attacks
are made.
A unit that begins its Movement phase Embarked upon a
Vehicle can Disembark either before or after the Vehicle has
moved (including pivoting on the spot) so long as the Vehicle
has not moved more than half its Movement Characteristic.
Access Points
Each Vehicle capable of carrying passengers will have a
number of Access Points defined in its entry. These are
the doors, ramps and hatches that passengers use to get
in and out of the Vehicle. Transports on flying bases also
count the base as an Access Point.
Embarking and Disembarking
Models can only voluntarily Embark or Disembark in the
Movement phase. They cannot voluntarily Embark and
Disembark in the same turn. However, they can Embark
and then be forced to Disembark if their Transport
is destroyed.
Embarking
A unit can Embark onto a Vehicle by moving each
model to within 2" of its Access Points in the Movement
phase – Dangerous Terrain tests should be taken as
normal. The whole unit must be able to Embark – if
some models are out of range, the entire unit must
stay outside. When the unit Embarks, remove it
from the table and place it aside, making a note that
the unit is being transported. If the players need to
measure a range involving the Embarked unit (except
for its shooting), this range is measured to or from the
Vehicle’s hull.
If the Vehicle had not moved before the unit Disembarked,
the Vehicle can then move normally. If the Vehicle had
already moved before the unit Disembarked, the Vehicle
cannot move further that turn (including pivoting on the
spot). In addition, a Vehicle cannot Ram on a turn that a
unit Disembarks from it.
Placing Disembarked Models
When a unit Disembarks, place the models one at a time,
using the following method: place the first model in base
contact with one of the Vehicle’s Access Points (including
its flying base, if it has one). A Disembarking model’s base
cannot be placed within 1" of an enemy model or within
Impassable Terrain.
The model can then make a normal move – Dangerous
Terrain tests should be taken as normal, but it must end
its move wholly within a number of inches equal to its
Movement Characteristic of the Access Point it Disembarked
from. Repeat this process for each model in the unit. At the
end of the unit’s move, all models must be in unit coherency.
If the Vehicle moved before its passengers got aboard, it
cannot move further that turn (including pivoting on the
spot). If the Vehicle did not move before its passengers got
aboard, it can move as normal after they have Embarked.
In either case, a Vehicle cannot Ram in a turn that a unit
Embarks upon it.
Disembarkation Restrictions
After Disembarking, models can make Shooting Attacks
in their subsequent Shooting phase, counting as having
moved that turn, but they cannot declare a Charge in
their subsequent Assault phase unless the Vehicle had the
Assault Vehicle special rule. If a unit Disembarks from
a destroyed Vehicle during the enemy turn, it cannot
Charge in the Assault phase of its own turn unless the
destroyed Vehicle had the Assault Vehicle special rule.
Emergency Disembarkation
If any models cannot Disembark, because of enemies or
because they would end up in Impassable Terrain, the
unit can perform an Emergency Disembarkation. In this
case, a model can be placed anywhere in contact with the
Vehicle’s hull, though it must also be in contact with the
battlefield and may not be placed on top of the Vehicle
itself, and then can move as for a normal Disembarkation.
The unit cannot then perform any voluntary actions
for the rest of the turn. If even this Disembarkation is
impossible, because it is impossible to place one or more
models, then the unit can’t Disembark.
Other Vehicles may also have a Transport Capacity, but
they are chosen separately as normal, have a role and
occupy a Force Organisation chart choice of their own.
The only limitation of a Dedicated Transport is that,
when it is deployed, the unit it was selected with (plus
any Independent Characters that have joined it) must be
Embarked upon it. After the game begins, that unit may
choose to Disembark as per the normal rules and the
Transport Vehicle can then transport any friendly Infantry
unit, subject to Transport Capacity and other special
exclusions, as explained in the Vehicle’s Army List entry.
Effect of Damage on Passengers
When a Transport sustains damage, it can also have
an effect on its passengers – even if they Disembark –
as follows:
Crew Shaken, Crew Stunned, Weapon Destroyed
and Immobilised – At the end of a Phase in which a
Vehicle sustains one or more of these damage results,
the passengers must take a Leadership test. If the test is
passed, the unit is unaffected. If the test is failed, the unit
can only make Snap Shots in their next Shooting phase,
but are otherwise unaffected.
Independent Characters and Transports
If an Independent Character (or even more than one)
and a unit are both Embarked upon the same Vehicle,
they are automatically joined, just as if the Independent
Character was within 2" of the unit. If either an
Independent Character or a unit is already in a Vehicle,
then the other may Embark, assuming there is enough
space. The unit and the Independent Character(s) can, in
a later Movement phase, Disembark together as a single
unit. Alternatively, they can separate by either the unit
or the Independent Character(s) Disembarking while
the others remain on board. They can even separate by
Disembarking at the same time, so long as they end their
moves more than 2" away from each other.
Transport and Assaults
If a Transport Vehicle is assaulted and the Transport
Vehicle is Wrecked, Explodes or Crashes and Burns, any
Wounds caused to its passengers do not count towards
Assault results, and any surviving passengers are not
locked in combat with the units assaulting their Vehicle.
Dedicated Transports
Sometimes a unit entry will include a Transport Option,
allowing a Vehicle to be selected together with the unit.
These Dedicated Transports do not use up a choice on the
Force Organisation chart, but count as having the same
role as the unit they were bought for in regards to all other
rules purposes.
Wrecked (other than Zooming Flyers) – The passengers
must immediately Disembark in the usual manner (see
page 212), save that they must end their move wholly
within a number of inches equal to half or less of their
Movement Characteristic from the Vehicle, rather than
their full Movement. If, even by performing an Emergency
Disembarkation, some models are unable to Disembark,
then any models that cannot Disembark are removed as
casualties. This does not prevent the rest of the unit from
Disembarking. The unit must then take a Pinning test.
After this, the Vehicle becomes Wrecked.
Explodes – The unit suffers a number of Strength 8 AP- Hits
equal to the number of models Embarked. These wounds
are allocated by the Embarked unit’s controlling player.
Surviving passengers are placed where the Vehicle used to be
and in unit coherency. Any models that cannot be placed are
removed as casualties. The unit then takes a Pinning test.
Wrecked (Zooming Flyers) and Crash and Burn – The
unit suffers a number of Strength 10 AP 2 Hits equal to the
number of models Embarked. These Wounds are allocated
by the Embarked unit’s controlling player. Surviving
passengers are placed where the Flyer used to be and in unit
coherency. Any models that cannot be placed are removed
as casualties. The unit then takes a Pinning test.
If a Transport is destroyed by a Shooting Attack, any unit
which made a Shooting Attack targeting that Transport
can, if allowed, Charge the now Disembarked passengers.
Slow Vehicles
Skimmers
Slow Vehicles are less war machines than mobile fortresses
– slow but very durable.
Some highly-advanced vehicles are fitted with anti-gravity
drives that allow them to skim swiftly over tough terrain
and intervening troops, making them perfect for surprise
flanking attacks.
When rolling on the Vehicle Damage table to resolve Hits
against a Slow Vehicle, roll an additional D6 and before
determining the result discard the highest single dice
rolled. In addition, when a Slow Vehicle moves, other than
to pivot in place, it is always considered to have moved at
Cruising Speed regardless of how many inches it moves.
Fast Vehicles
Fast Vehicles are swift-moving and often fragile,
pushing their powerful engines to the limit in order to
evade enemy fire. They are commonly employed as initial
strike elements or reconnaissance units.
When a Fast Vehicle moves, other than to pivot in place,
it is always considered to have moved at Combat Speed
regardless of how many inches it moves, unless it chooses
to move Flat-out.
In addition, when a Fast Vehicle moves, it may choose to
move at Flat-out:
Flat-out - A Vehicle choosing to move Flat-out may move
up to twice its Movement Characteristic, but at the end
of its move must roll a single D6. If the result of this roll
is a ‘1’ then the Vehicle suffers a Glancing Hit and all the
effects of the Crew Stunned result on the Vehicle Damage
table. Vehicles moving at Flat-out speed may only fire
Snap Shots.
Unlike most other Vehicles, Skimmers have flying bases
under their hull. However, distances are still measured to
and from the Skimmer’s hull, with the exception of the
Vehicle’s weapons, which all work as normal. The base
of a Skimmer is effectively ignored, except for when the
Skimmer is being Charged or Rammed, in which case,
models may move into contact with the Vehicle’s hull,
its base or both.
Skimmers can move over friendly and enemy models,
but they cannot end their move on top of either.
Skimmers can move over all terrain, ignoring all penalties
for Difficult Terrain and Dangerous Terrain tests.
However, if a moving Skimmer starts or ends its move
in Difficult Terrain or Dangerous Terrain, it must take
a Dangerous Terrain test. A Skimmer can even end its
move over Impassable Terrain if it is possible to actually
place the model on top of it, but if it does so it must
take a Dangerous Terrain test. If a Skimmer is forced to
end its move over friendly or enemy models, move the
Skimmer the minimum distance so that no models are left
underneath it.
If a Skimmer is Immobilised or Wrecked, its base is
removed, if possible. If this is not possible (the base might
have been glued in place, for example), then leave the
base in place. Note that it is not otherwise permitted
to remove the flying base, as Skimmers cannot land in
battle conditions.
Super-heavy Vehicles
From the lumbering Baneblade tanks of the Imperial
Army to the destructive power of the Legiones Astartes
Falchion, all of the war engines that fall into this category
are huge armour-clad constructions that each wield
enough firepower to destroy an entire army.
Moving
Super-heavy Vehicles are not affected in any way
by Difficult Terrain or Dangerous Terrain, but may
still neither pass through nor end their move in
Impassable Terrain.
In addition, a Super-heavy Vehicle is so large and strongly
built that weapons which degrade the armour of smaller
Vehicles will not affect it. Due to this, any attack which
says that the target model is destroyed, Wrecked, Explodes
or is otherwise removed from play inflicts D3 Hull Points
of damage on a Super-heavy Vehicle instead. Any attacks
or special abilities which permanently lower the Armour
Values of a target Vehicle do not affect a Super-heavy
Vehicle. Note that attacks or abilities that count the
Armour Value as being lower, but do not actually change
it, work normally.
Catastrophic Damage
Shooting
When a Super-heavy Vehicle makes a Shooting Attack, it
is always treated as if it had remained Stationary in the
Movement phase (even if it actually moved), and it may
fire each of its weapons at different targets if desired, as
long as those targets are within both line of sight and
Firing Arc for the weapon in question.
Super-heavy Vehicles and Reactions
The proud crews of these mighty engines of war care
little for the antics of mere infantry and lesser vehicles. As
such they may only make Reactions in response to actions
undertaken by other Super-heavy Vehicles, Lumbering
Flyers, Knights and Titans or any model with 8 or
more Wounds.
Immediately after a Super-heavy Vehicle loses its last
Hull Point, it suffers Catastrophic Damage and Explodes.
Instead of the usual procedure for an Explodes result on
the Vehicle Damage table targeting a Super-heavy Vehicle,
remove the model and resolve a Strength 7+D3 Hit with
an AP of 4 against every model, friendly or enemy, within
6+D6", measured from the Vehicle’s hull before the model
is removed as destroyed. Any unit that suffers one or more
Hits from a Catastrophic Damage attack must also take an
immediate Pinning test (no unit may take more than a single
Pinning test from a single Catastrophic Damage attack).
Super-heavy Transports
Each time a Super-heavy Vehicle suffers an Explodes result
on the Vehicle Damage table, instead of suffering the
effects listed, it loses D3 additional Hull Points as well as
the Hull Point it loses for the Penetrating Hit.
If a Super-heavy Vehicle has a Transport Capacity, then
it may transport any number of Infantry units (plus any
Characters that have joined the units), so long as the
number of models in the transported units do not exceed
the Vehicle’s Transport Capacity. Some Super-heavy
Transports may be able to transport other units in addition
to Infantry. Where this is true, the Vehicle’s profile will note
exactly which units may Embark on the Transport.
Furthermore, a Super-heavy Vehicle is so large and has
so many crew members that the effects of Crew Shaken,
Crew Stunned, Immobilised or Weapon Destroyed
results are ignored. However, Super-heavy Vehicles are
still subject to losing Hull Points from Glancing Hits
and Penetrating Hits as usual, just not the extra damage
effects from the Vehicle Damage table.
Each unit Embarked within a Super-heavy Vehicle that
suffers Catastrophic Damage takes a number of Strength 10
AP 3 Hits equal to the number of models in that unit. These
Wounds are allocated by the Transported unit’s controlling
player. Surviving passengers are placed where the Vehicle
used to be; any models that cannot be placed are removed
as casualties. The units then each take Pinning tests.
Vehicle Damage
Knights and Titans
Shooting with Knights and Titans
Knights and Titans such as Warlord class Titans or the
Cerastus pattern Knight Lancer are towering behemoths,
clad in incredibly thick armour and armed with
devastating weaponry. They loom above the battlefield,
striking down anything in their path.
A Knight or Titan that moved can still fire all of its
weapons in the subsequent Shooting phase, and always
counts as having remained Stationary for the purposes
of which weapons can fire, regardless of any distance
actually moved. In addition, a Knight or Titan may fire
each of its weapons at different targets if the controlling
player chooses.
Additional Characteristics
Unlike other Vehicles, Knights and Titans have Weapon
Skill, Strength, Initiative and Attacks Characteristics.
Knights and Titans and Reactions
These towering war machines care little for the antics of
mere infantry and lesser engines of war. As such they may
only make Reactions in response to actions undertaken
by other Knights and Titans, Super-heavy Vehicles,
Lumbering Flyers or any model with 8 or more Wounds.
To reflect the unique capabilities of these towering
machines, Knights and Titans use two additional types of
weapon mount:
Arm Mounted – Arm Mounted weapons may fire at
targets in any Firing Arc, except the Hull (Rear) arc. All
Arm Mounted weapons count as Defensive weapons
(but note the additional restrictions on Knight and
Titan Reactions).
Knights and Titans and Measuring
If a Knight or Titan has a base, measure ranges and
distances to and from its base, as for an Infantry model.
If a Knight or Titan does not have a base (such as the
Warhound Titan), measure to and from its hull (including
any legs or other limbs), as normal for Vehicles.
Moving Knights and Titans
Knights and Titans move using the Movement rules
for Infantry. They can move a number of inches in the
Movement phase equal to their Movement Characteristic,
but may not Run. They may Charge in the Assault phase,
just as Infantry can. Knights and Titans may Declare
Charges regardless of the type of any weapons that unit
has used to make Shooting Attacks in the Shooting phase.
Knights and Titans ignore all terrain effects, they are not
slowed by terrain and do not take Dangerous Terrain
tests – but may not pass through or end their move in
Impassable Terrain. Knights and Titans may also move
over units composed entirely of models of the Infantry
or Cavalry types, whether friendly or enemy, but may not
finish their movement within 1" of any model.
Unlike Infantry, Knights and Titans have a Facing, which
influences where they can make a Shooting Attack and
their Armour Value when fired at.
Carapace Mounted - Carapace Mounted weapons may
fire at targets in any Firing Arc without restriction.
However, they may not target any unit within 12" of the
firing model.
Knights and Titans and Damage
Each time a Knight or Titan suffers an Explodes result on
the Vehicle Damage table, instead of suffering the effects
listed, it loses D3 additional Hull Points as well as the Hull
Point it loses for the Penetrating Hit.
Furthermore, Knights and Titans are so large and have
so many crew members that the effects of Crew Shaken,
Crew Stunned, Immobilised or Weapon Destroyed results
are ignored. However, Knights and Titans are still subject
to losing Hull Points from Glancing Hits and Penetrating
Hits as usual, just not the extra damage effects from the
Vehicle Damage table.
In addition, Knights and Titans are so large and strongly
built that weapons which degrade the armour of smaller
vehicles will not affect them. Due to this, any attack
which says that the target model is destroyed, Wrecked,
Explodes or is otherwise removed from play inflicts D3
Hull Points of damage on a Knight or Titan instead. Any
attacks or special abilities which permanently lower the
Armour Values of a target Vehicle do not affect a Knight
or Titan. Note that attacks or abilities that count the
Armour Value as being lower, but do not actually change
it, work normally.
Catastrophic Damage
Immediately after a Knight or Titan loses its last Hull
Point, it suffers Catastrophic Damage and Explodes.
Instead of the usual procedure for an Explodes result on
the Vehicle Damage table targeting a Knight or Titan,
remove the model and resolve a Strength 7+D3 Hit
with an AP of 4 against every model, friendly or enemy,
within 6+D6", measured from the Vehicle’s hull before
it is removed as destroyed. Any unit that suffers one or
more Hits from a Catastrophic Damage attack must also
take an immediate Pinning test (no unit may take more
than a single Pinning test from a single Catastrophic
Damage attack).
Knights and Titans and Assaults
Knights and Titans assault, and are assaulted, like Infantry
models, meaning that Knights and Titans make Charge
Moves. However, they cannot be locked in combat.
Those Vehicles or other units in contact with them
outside of the Fight sub-phase may freely move or declare
Charges, and may target the Knight or Titan as part of
a Shooting Attack. Likewise, a Knight or Titan is never
locked in combat and may simply move away from models
it is in base contact with during the Movement phase,
make Shooting Attacks in the Shooting phase freely
and declare Charges without regard for models in base
contact, save where they restrict line of sight.
In close combat, Knights and Titans fight like Infantry
models. However, any Hits scored against them must
roll for armour penetration and damage as for a Vehicle.
Models hitting a Knight or Titan in close combat always
roll for armour penetration against its Front armour.
If a Knight or Titan is armed with two or more Melee
weapons, it gains +1 bonus Attack for each additional
weapon after the first. Unlike other models, this is not
limited to a single bonus Attack, so a Knight or Titan with
three Melee weapons would have 2 bonus Attacks.
In addition, Knights or Titans engaged in combat may
make a special type of attack called a Stomp attack.
The Stomp attacks are made in addition to the model’s
normal attacks. Stomp attacks are resolved during the
Fight sub-phase at the Initiative 1 step. A Knight or Titan
makes a number of Stomp attacks equal to the roll of a
D3 + the model’s unmodified Attacks Characteristic. All
Stomp attacks are made at the Vehicle’s unmodified WS
and resolved at the model’s unmodified Strength with an
AP value of 2. Stomp attacks cannot be made against other
Knights and Titans, Flyers, Super-heavy Vehicles or any
model with 8 or more Wounds.
Knights and Titans may not make Sweeping Advances,
Pile-in Moves or Consolidations. Any unit that is forced to
Fall Back from a Knight or Titan automatically succeeds
without needing to roll.
Ramming a Knight or Titan
Knights and Titans may not make Ram Attacks.
If a Knight or Titan is Rammed by a Vehicle (see page 204),
the collision is resolved as normal for a Vehicle,
except that the Strength of any Hits inflicted on the
Ramming Vehicle is always 10, regardless of the Vehicle’s
Armour Value, and inflicts D3 Hull Points of damage.
If it survives, the Knight or Titan can then attack the
Vehicle in the ensuing Assault phase without needing to
conduct a Charge. It should be noted that, as Vehicles,
Knights or Titans cannot be nominated to perform
Death or Glory Reactions.
Flyers
The airspace above a battle is just as frantic as on the
ground. Fighters and bomber craft hurtle through the
skies, duelling with one another and providing fire
support for the troops on the ground.
Aerial Support
Flyers must begin the game as Reserve (see page 309).
Special rules that allow an owning player to move one
or more of their units out of Reserve after deployment,
but before the game begins, cannot be used to move a
Flyer out of Reserve, unless they specifically state that
Flyers can start the game deployed on the battlefield.
Flyers and Measuring
Flyers have flying bases that suspend them above the
battlefield. However, distances are still measured to and
from the Flyer’s hull, with the exception of the Vehicle’s
weapons, which all work as normal. The base of a Flyer is
effectively ignored, except for when:
• The Flyer is in close combat, in which case models may
move into contact with the Vehicle’s hull, its base or both.
• Models are Embarking or Disembarking from the Flyer, in
which case the base of the Flyer is used as an Access Point.
Flyers and other Models
Models that physically fit under a Flyer model can move
beneath it. Likewise, a Flyer can end its move over such
models. However, when moving this way, enemy models
must still remain 1" away from the base of the Flyer,
and the Flyer cannot end its move with its base within
1" of enemy models.
Flyers and Reactions
The pilots that keep the sophisticated aircraft that stalk
the battlefields of the Horus Heresy aloft have little time
for the scurrying of their prey. As such, Flyers may only
use the Evade Reaction and may not React to any unit in
any other fashion. Moves made by Zooming Flyers may
not trigger Reactions, but Shooting Attacks made
by Zooming Flyers may trigger Reactions as normal.
Zoom
Flyers can usually only make a special kind of move
called a Zoom. Some can also Hover – see page 219.
Zooming allows the Flyer to move at extreme speeds,
making it very difficult to shoot down, but limits
its manoeuvrability.
If a Flyer Zooms, then it may move up to twice its Movement
Characteristic. However, a Zooming Flyer can never
voluntarily move less than its Movement Characteristic in its
own Movement phase. If a Zooming Flyer is forced to move
less than its Movement Characteristic in its own Movement
phase, it is automatically Wrecked.
To represent its limited manoeuvrability, a Zooming
Flyer can only make a single pivot on the spot of up to
90° before it moves. Thereafter, it must move directly
forwards in a straight line. In a turn in which a Flyer
enters the battlefield from Reserves, it can do so facing
any direction you wish, providing that the resulting move
will not carry it off the battlefield again.
A Zooming Flyer can move over intervening units and
Impassable Terrain exactly as a Skimmer (see page 214).
In addition, a Zooming Flyer does not have to take
Dangerous Terrain tests even if it starts or stops over
Difficult Terrain, Dangerous Terrain or Impassable
Terrain. Finally, unless otherwise stated, models cannot
Embark upon, or voluntarily Disembark from,
a Zooming Flyer.
Zoom and Ramming
Zooming Flyers cannot Ram, nor can they be Rammed.
If a Ramming Vehicle would end up beneath a Zooming
Flyer, move the Ramming Vehicle by the shortest distance
so that it is 1" away from the base of the Flyer.
Zooming and Shooting
Zooming Flyers can fire up to four of their weapons using
their full Ballistic Skill regardless of the distance moved
that turn. Zooming Flyers can choose whether or not to
use the Skyfire special rule (see page 247) at the start of
each Shooting phase. If they do, all weapons they fire that
Phase are treated as having the Skyfire special rule.
Shooting Attacks targeting a Zooming Flyer can only be
resolved as Snap Shots (unless the model or weapon has
the Skyfire special rule, see page 247). Template and Blast
weapons, and any other attacks that do not roll To Hit,
cannot hit Zooming Flyers.
Charging Zooming Flyers
Zooming Flyers cannot be Charged.
Repairing Zooming Flyers
Some models have the ability to repair Hull Points,
Immobilised or Weapon Destroyed results on Vehicles.
Such models can only use such abilities on a Zooming
Flyer if that Flyer is a Transport and the model attempting
to repair it is Embarked inside it.
Leaving Combat Airspace
It is likely that a Flyer making a Zoom Move will leave
the battlefield, either deliberately or by accident. If this
happens, the Flyer is said to have left combat airspace – it
then enters Reserves (see page 309). A Flyer that leaves
combat airspace must Zoom back on when it returns from
Reserves, even if it has the Hover sub-type.
A Flyer cannot leave combat airspace on the same turn
that it entered play from Reserves – the owning player
must deploy their model in such a way that it will not
leave the battlefield on the same turn.
Flyers and Immobilised Results
If a Zooming Flyer suffers an Immobilised result, roll a D6.
On a 1 or 2, the Flyer will immediately Crash and Burn
(see page 208). On a 3+, the Immobilised result counts as a
Crew Stunned result instead.
The Hover Sub-type
A Flyer that has the Hover sub-type can choose to Hover
instead of Zooming. Hovering makes the Flyer slower, but
considerably more agile, and in the case of Transports, it
allows passengers to Embark or Disembark.
A Flyer with the Hover sub-type must declare whether it
is going to Zoom or Hover before it moves, and before any
Embarked models Disembark, each Movement phase. This
means that if the Flyer arrives from Reserves, you must
declare which type of Movement it is using before placing
it on the board. If a Flyer is in a Squadron, all Vehicles in
the Squadron must choose the same type of Movement.
A Flyer in Hover mode cannot switch to Zoom mode if it
is Immobilised.
If a Flyer is Hovering, it is treated exactly as a Skimmer
(see page 214).
The Lumbering Sub-type
Flyers that have the Lumbering sub-type are much larger
and heavier than the average aircraft – they are capable
of absorbing terrible punishment, but are slower and
less manoeuvrable.
Lumbering Flyers have additional rules and exceptions
as follows:
Each time a Lumbering Flyer suffers an Explodes result on
the Vehicle Damage table, instead of suffering the effects
listed, it loses D3 additional Hull Points as well as the Hull
Point it loses for the Penetrating Hit.
Furthermore, a Lumbering Flyer is so large and has so
many crew members that the effects of Crew Shaken,
Crew Stunned, Immobilised or Weapon Destroyed results
are ignored. However, Lumbering Flyers are still subject
to losing Hull Points from Glancing Hits and Penetrating
Hits as usual, just not the extra damage effects from the
Vehicle Damage table.
In addition, a Lumbering Flyer is so large and strongly
built that weapons which degrade the armour of smaller
Vehicles will not affect it. Due to this, any attack which
says that the target model is destroyed, Wrecked, Explodes
or is otherwise removed from play inflicts D3 Hull Points
of damage on a Lumbering Flyer instead. Any attacks or
special abilities which permanently lower the Armour
Values of a target Vehicle do not affect a Lumbering Flyer.
Note that attacks or abilities that count the Armour
Value as being lower, but do not actually change it,
work normally.
Lumbering Flyers
and Catastrophic Damage
Immediately after a Lumbering Flyer loses its last Hull
Point, it suffers Catastrophic Damage and Explodes.
Instead of the usual procedure for an Explodes result on
the Vehicle Damage table targeting a Lumbering Flyer,
remove the model and resolve a Strength 10, AP3 Hit
against every model, friendly or enemy, within 6+D6",
measured from the Vehicle’s hull before the model is
removed as destroyed.
Lumbering Flyers
and the Transport Sub-type
If a Lumbering Flyer also has the Transport sub-type
then it may transport any number of Infantry units (plus
any characters that have joined the units), so long as
the number of models in the transported units do not
exceed the Vehicle’s Transport Capacity. Some Lumbering
Flyers may be able to transport other units in addition to
Infantry; where this is true, the Vehicle’s profile will note
exactly which units may Embark on the Transport.
Each unit embarked within a Lumbering Flyer that suffers
Catastrophic Damage takes a number of Strength 10
AP 3 Hits equal to the number of models in that unit.
These Wounds are allocated by the Transported unit’s
controlling player. Surviving passengers are placed where
the Vehicle used to be; any models that cannot be placed
are removed as casualties. The units then each take
Pinning tests.
Battlefield Terrain
Terrain Types
The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness rules feature several
main types of battlefield terrain: Open Terrain, Terrain
Pieces and Area Terrain.
Open Terrain
Open Terrain covers everything from dusty plains to
rolling hills. Models in Open Terrain are often said to be
‘out in the open’. No additional rules are needed for Open
Terrain and, unless otherwise specified, special rules and
abilities that affect terrain do not affect Open Terrain.
Terrain Pieces
Individual items of terrain, such as barricades, statues and
buildings, are all examples of Terrain Pieces. These items
of terrain serve to shelter troops on the field of battle by
means of their own bulk and design.
When drawing line of sight to a model that is the target
of a Shooting Attack, if it is at least 25% obscured by a
Terrain Piece it is eligible for a Cover Save (see page 174).
By default, most terrain pieces are termed Battlefield
debris and unless otherwise stated, a model in cover
behind battlefield debris has a 6+ cover save. Terrain
pieces that are mounted on a base count the area of their
base as Difficult Terrain.
In addition, some Battlefield Debris has additional rules,
which are either detailed as follows or can be found on
its terrain profile. Some examples of additional types of
Terrain Pieces are noted below:
Barricades, Walls and Defence Lines
Barricades and walls can be hastily assembled obstacles, or
the remains of once-proud structures.
A model in cover behind a Barricade or Wall has a 5+
Cover Save. For the purposes of Charge Moves, models
that are both in base contact with a Barricade and
within 2" of each other are treated as being in base
contact. Despite the models on either side not literally
being in base contact, they may fight in the Fight subphase as normal. Units Charging an enemy that is
behind a Barricade or Wall count as Charging through
Difficult Terrain.
Buildings
The rules for Buildings are extensive, and are covered in
more detail in their own rules section (see page 224).
Imposing Statuary
Both those pieces of triumphal Great Crusade statuary and
newer monuments to the dark glory of the Warmaster are
common features found upon battlefields across the galaxy,
inspiring those who fight beneath them to new heights
of devotion.
At the start of the game, all Terrain Pieces designated as
Imposing Statuary must be noted as being dedicated to either
the Loyalist or Traitor cause. Models of the same Allegiance as
the Terrain Piece gain the Fearless special rule whilst within
2" of Imposing Statuary. A model of any Allegiance in cover
behind Imposing Statuary has a 4+ Cover Save.
Area Terrain
A zone of closely packed terrain, be it dense jungle, tangled
ruins or the rocky walls of craters and shell holes, is
considered Area Terrain. Any Area Terrain on the battlefield
must have a clearly delineated zone which it covers, whether
definedby a base upon which the terrain is modelled or some
other boundary agreed by and visible to all players.
Any model that is within the boundary of a zone of
Area Terrain is eligible for a Cover Save (see page 174).
By default most Area Terrain confers a 6+ Cover Save,
unless stated otherwise in the rules for a specific terrain
type, either shown here or in other Age of Darkness
publications. All zones of Area Terrain are also considered
Difficult Terrain unless stated otherwise elsewhere.
In addition, some Area Terrain has additional rules, which
are either detailed as follows or can be found on its terrain
profile. Some examples of additional types of Area Terrain
are noted below:
Ruins
The shattered and useless shells of buildings and fortresses,
strewn with the remains of those who once defended them.
Areas of terrain designated as Ruins confer a 5+ Cover
Save on models within their bounds – this includes
models on upper levels of Ruins that are within the Area
Terrain. Ruins are always counted as Difficult Terrain.
Craters
The aftermath of heavy shelling and orbital bombardments,
impact craters provide protection for those sensible enough to
seek it.
Areas of terrain designated as Craters confer a 6+ Cover Save
on models within their bounds. If a unit is Pinned while
within a Crater then that area of terrain instead confers a 4+
Cover Save on all models in the Pinned unit that are within its
bounds. Craters are always counted as DifficultTerrain.
Jungles and Woods
The dense shrouds of alien trees provide shelter for those brave
enough to enter their confines, hiding them from sight and
shielding them from the battle’s fury.
Areas of terrain designated as Jungles or Woods confer
a 6+ Cover Save on models within their bounds and are
always counted as Difficult Terrain.
Moving within DifficultTerrain
Fortification Networks
Some Terrain Pieces comprise several different
Fortifications chosen as a single slot on the Force
Organisation chart. When multiple Fortifications
can be purchased in this manner, the profile entry
will clearly list the components that can be taken,
the points cost for each and any other options
and restrictions that apply. The component
Fortifications use all the normal rules for their type
(refer to each Building’s individual profile for details
of its special rules) and use all the normal rules for
Fortifications, with the following exceptions:
When you deploy Fortifications on the battlefield,
Fortifications chosen as part of a Fortification
Network can be placed in contact with each other.
Furthermore, if one of the Fortifications in the
network has an instruction saying that ‘each section
must be placed in contact with at least one other
section’, that section satisfies the instruction if it is
placed in contact with any section or building from
the same Fortification Network.
Difficult Terrain
Difficult Terrain slows down models wishing to move
through it. This includes areas of rubble, woods, ruins,
rocky outcrops, boggy ground, low walls, tanglewire,
barricades, steep hills, streams and other shallow water,
as well as Terrain Pieces and Area Terrain that specifies it
counts as Difficult Terrain. Note that an area of Difficult
Terrain does not grant a Cover Save unless it is also either
a Terrain Piece or within a zone of Area Terrain.
If any models in a unit start their move in Difficult
Terrain, they are affected by the terrain and reduce their
Movement by -2" during that Movement phase.
Charging through DifficultTerrain
Models are slowed when charging through Difficult
Terrain. If, when charging, one or more models have
to move through Difficult Terrain in order to reach the
enemy by the shortest possible route, the entire unit
applies a modifier of -2 to its Charge Distance. This
modifier is applied in addition to any other modifiers
that might apply to the unit’s Charge Distance. If at
least one model in the Charging unit moved through
Difficult Terrain as part of its Charge Move, all of the
unit’s models must attack at Initiative step 1, regardless
of other Initiative modifiers, even if the Charging unit
is not slowed by Difficult Terrain. Note that Charging
models must engage as many enemies in the target unit as
possible, even when charging through terrain.
Dangerous Terrain
Dangerous Terrain poses a very real risk to the lives
of those fighting in and around it; ruins littered with
unexploded munitions, rivers of boiling water or alien
flora that hungers for flesh. Dangerous Terrain follows
all the rules for Difficult Terrain. In addition, each model
must make a Dangerous Terrain test as soon as it enters,
leaves or moves within Dangerous Terrain.
Dangerous Terrain Tests
To take Dangerous Terrain tests, roll a D6. On a 1, that
model suffers a Wound. No Armour Save, Cover Save or
Damage Mitigation roll may be made against this Wound,
but Invulnerable Saves may still be made.
Moving into DifficultTerrain
If a unit starts its move outside Difficult Terrain, but has
a high enough Movement Characteristic to enter Difficult
Terrain during the current Movement phase, the player
must declare if they want their unit to try to enter it as
part of their move. If the controlling player chooses not
to enter any area of Difficult Terrain the unit moves as
normal, but may not enter any area of Difficult Terrain. If
the controlling player chooses for a unit to enter any area
of Difficult Terrain, the unit applies a modifier of -2 to its
movement during that Phase.
This modifier is applied to the unit’s Movement
Characteristic before it begins its move and continues to
apply as long as the unit remains in Difficult Terrain, or
until the end of the current Movement phase if it leaves
Difficult Terrain as part of its move. If the application of
this modifier would leave the unit unable to reach an area
of Difficult Terrain it is still applied, even if the controlling
player alters the unit’s movement and no longer intends it
to enter Difficult Terrain.
Once a model has taken a Dangerous Terrain test for a
particular scenery model, it does not test for that terrain
again in the same Phase. However, if the model moves
into a different area of Dangerous Terrain, this must be
tested for as normal.
Impassable Terrain
Some terrain is simply so inhospitable, so dangerous
that it cannot be traversed at all. Unless noted otherwise
in their special rules, models cannot enter, cross, move
into or move through Impassable Terrain – they must
go around. The exceptions to this rule are typically units
equipped with Jump Packs, or of the Skimmer or Flyer
types (see page 214 and page 218, respectively) which may
move over, but not end their move, in Impassable Terrain.
Fortifications
Unlike simple terrain features, Fortifications are
Buildings or other Terrain Pieces that start the game
under the control of one player, having been selected as
a part of their army, and can both attack enemy units
and be attacked by them in turn. In many respects,
these terrain features function like any other unit in
that player’s army; the major difference is that they can
be captured by the enemy, and even swap hands several
times over the course of the battle.
To keep track of which side currently controls a
Building, we use the concept of ‘Claiming’ Buildings.
If a unit moves onto the battlements of an unoccupied,
Unclaimed Building, they immediately Claim that
Building and it becomes part of that unit’s side until
the Building is either destroyed, or an enemy unit
occupies it, thereby Claiming it.
Fortifications that are selected as part of an army’s
Force Organisation chart must be deployed onto
the Battlefield in the same manner as any other
unit, but may not be placed into Reserve or use the
Deep Strike, Scout or Outflank special rules under
any circumstances.
Claimed Fortifications
At the start of the game, all Fortifications that were
bought as part of a player’s army are ‘Claimed’ by the
owning player, whilst all other Buildings are ‘Unclaimed’.
A Claimed Fortification is part of the controlling
player’s side and will remain so, even if it later becomes
unoccupied, until the Building is either destroyed or
Claimed by an enemy unit.
If a unit Embarks within an unoccupied Building,
they immediately capture and Claim that Building,
and it becomes part of that unit’s side until the Building
is either destroyed, or an enemy unit re-occupies
it, thereby reclaiming it. Fortifications that are not
Buildings may also be Claimed – in this case a model
that is in base contact with the Fortification Claims it.
If more than one side has models in contact with a nonBuilding Fortification then no side may Claim it.
A Claimed Fortification is counted for all purposes
as a unit in the army that has Claimed it. It may fire
any weapons on its profile, as long as at least a single
friendly unit is Embarked within or another special
rule allows it. In addition, enemy units can shoot at
and Charge a Building with this special rule, even if it
is unoccupied.
Fortifications that are not Buildings may also be
attacked if they have an Armour Value or Toughness
Characteristic. However, Fortifications that do not
have an Armour Value or Toughness Characteristic
may not be Charged or targeted by Shooting Attacks
Unclaimed Fortifications
An Unclaimed Fortification follows all the normal rules
for a Terrain Piece of its type and so cannot fire any
weapons or be targeted by any player’s attacks.
Buildings
Repel the Enemy
The bloody battles of the 31 st Millennium often envelop
cities, towns, defence lines, army barracks, mining
colonies, space ports, tribal outposts and countless other
types of built-up structure.
Buildings are constructed to allow their garrisons easy
access to exit and engage enemy siege teams before they
can breach their walls. Models Disembarking from Access
Points on a Building can Charge on the turn they do so,
even on a turn the Building was destroyed.
Buildings of all types use aspects of the Transport Vehicle
rules. The main difference between Buildings and actual
Vehicles is that they cannot move, they can be controlled
by either side and units from either side can Embark
upon them.
Building Armour Values
All buildings have an Armour Value listed on their profile.
If only a single Armour Value is listed, then it is used
against all attacks, no matter which Facing is hit.
Building Size and Hull Points
In the same manner as a Transport Vehicle, Buildings
have a Transport Capacity and a number of Hull Points.
A Building’s or Fortification’s Hull Points and Transport
Capacity will be listed on its profile. For those Buildings
that are not bought as part of an army, the following
table can be used to determine Hull Points and Transport
Capacity based on size:
Size
Small
Medium
Large
Hull Points
4
6
8
Transport Capacity
6
12
20
Firing from Buildings
Weapons listed on a Fortification or Building’s profile
are used to attack in the same manner as other ranged
weapons. A side that has Claimed the Building or
Fortification may attack with any weapons listed on its
profile as long as the Building has at least one friendly
unit Embarked within the Building or in base contact with
it if it does not have a Transport Capacity. Weapons on
Fortifications use the same Firing Arcs and mounts that
Vehicle weapons do, as well as certain Fortification specific
mounts, which have their own rules detailed below:
Fire Points (Arc, X)
A Fire Point is unique in that it is a mount that does not
include any weapons, instead it allows models Embarked
upon the Fortification to fire the weapons they are
equipped with from the Building. A Fire Point will note
both the arc into which it can fire as well as the number of
embarked models that can fire from it. Embarked models
firing from a Fire Point measure their range and line of
sight from the openings on the model that denote the Fire
Point and may fire any Ranged weapons they are equipped
with as per the normal rules for Shooting. If not otherwise
stated, two models may fire from a Fire Point.
Entering and Exiting Buildings
Models can enter or exit a Building through a doorway,
or other opening that is listed on the Building’s profile as
being an Access Point. Moving into, or out of, a Building
works the same as Embarking or Disembarking from a
Vehicle, including Emergency Disembarkations (see page
213 ). Infantry equipped with Jump Packs or Jet Packs can
Embark inside Fortifications that are Buildings.
All of the normal rules apply, so only one Infantry unit,
plus any Independent Characters that have joined
them, may occupy a Building at any one time. Models
entering a Building are removed from the battlefield – in
exactly the same manner as models Embarking upon a
Transport Vehicle.
Emplacement Mounted
An Emplacement Mounted weapon may fire into any arc,
but may only be fired if at least one model from the unit
that currently Claims the Fortification is either in base
contact with the weapon or Embarked in the building
upon which it is mounted. When being used to make
attacks, the BS of the model is used rather than the BS of
the Fortification.
Buildings and
Force Organisation Charts
When using Force Organisation charts, Buildings selected
as part of a player’s army (instead of as neutral Terrain
Pieces) are classed as a Fortification choice as will be noted
on their profiles. Some especially large Fortifications may
instead be classed as Lords of War choices – these do not
also use up a Fortification choice.
Battlements
Massive &Multi-part Fortifications
Massive Fortifications follow all the rules for
Buildings as defined in this section, and reduce all
rolls made for them on the Building Damage table
by -1. The profile entry for the Fortification will list
the actual Armour Values it has.
The roof spaces of many Buildings are identified as
battlements. Whilst all battlements are built on top of
another Building, battlements are not themselves treated
as Buildings. Battlements are treated as the upper levels
of a Ruin and follow all the rules for Ruins as previously
noted, with the following exceptions:
Some particularly large Fortifications or units of
Fortifications are composed of multiple Buildings
in base contact with each other to form a larger
complex. These multi-part Buildings will specify
on their profiles the exact breakdown of their
component parts and how they are linked.
Battlements are treated as an Access Point for their
Building, meaning a unit inside the Building can
disembark onto the battlements, or vice versa. Note
that Buildings without Transport Capacity that have
battlements may still not be entered, although units can
use their battlements.
You can move a unit in one part of a multi-part
Building into an adjacent and unoccupied part of
the Building by declaring you are doing so. This
will take up all of the unit’s Movement, and is
still subject to all the rules for Transport Capacity
(see page 211). In all other regards, the Buildings
that make up a multi-part Building are treated as
separate models.
Units equipped with Jump Packs or Jet Packs, Cavalry
units and Skimmers do not need to take Dangerous
Terrain tests for starting or ending their move
on battlements.
Attacking Buildings
When determining if a Building can be targeted by a
Shooting Attack or Charged and fought in close combat,
or affected by a special rule, treat the Building as a Vehicle
unless it is specifically stated otherwise. When attacking
a Building, roll To Hit and for armour penetration as
if it were a Vehicle. In close combat, Buildings are hit
automatically. For example, melta bombs can only be used
to attack Vehicles in close combat – they can therefore
also be used to attack Buildings in close combat. Similarly,
a weapon with special rules that specifically affect Vehicles
can also be used to attack Buildings. Note that this does
not mean that a weapon or special rule which specifies
that it can only be used against Buildings can also be used
against Vehicles.
If a Building suffers a Glancing Hit or Penetrating Hit,
that Building immediately loses a single Hull Point.
To resolve the effects of Penetrating Hits inflicted on a
Building, roll on the Building Damage table (see page 226)
instead of the Vehicle Damage table. If the Building’s Hull
Points are reduced to 0, it immediately suffers a Total
Collapse result.
If a Template or Blast weapon hits a unit on top of a
battlement, that battlement’s Building also suffers a
single Hit.
If a unit moves onto the battlements of an Unclaimed,
non-destroyed Building, they immediately Claim that
Building and it becomes part of that unit’s side until the
Building is either destroyed or an enemy unit Claims it.
Building Damage Table
D6 Result
1-3 Building Shaken: The Building and any Embarked units or units on the Building’s battlements can only fire
Snap Shots until the end of its next turn.
4
Structural Tremor: The Building and any Embarked units or units on the Building’s battlements can only
fire Snap Shots until the end of its next turn. If the Building is occupied, the occupying unit suffers an
additional D6 Strength 6 AP- Hits with the Ignores Cover special rule.
5
Weapon Destroyed: One of the Building’s weapons (chosen by the controlling player) is destroyed –
including any combi- or built-in weapons. This can include Building upgrades that are weapons, such as
Pintle Mounted weapons and missiles. Do not count single shot weapons that have already been used to
attack. If a Building has no weapons left, treat this result as a Catastrophic Breach result instead.
6
Catastrophic Breach: The Building and any Embarked units or units on the Building’s battlements may not
make Shooting Attacks until the end of its next turn. No units may Embark or Disembark from the Building
until the end of the controlling player’s next turn. If the Building is occupied, the occupying unit suffers an
additional 2D6 Strength 6 AP- Hits with the Ignores Cover special rule.
7+
Total Collapse: The Building is destroyed. All weapons and upgrades on the Building are destroyed. Each
unit on the battlements suffers 2D6 Strength 6 AP- Hits with the Ignores Cover special rule and must then
immediately make a 6" move in order to move off the battlements (this movement is not slowed by Difficult
Terrain). Any models that cannot move off of the battlements are removed as casualties. If the Building is
occupied, the occupying unit suffers 4D6 Strength 6 AP- Hits with the Ignores Cover special rule and must
then immediately Disembark from the Building, performing an Emergency Disembarkation if necessary
(survivors cannot Disembark to the battlements). Any models that cannot Disembark are removed as
casualties. Assuming they were not destroyed, units that were on the battlements and those who have
Disembarked must then take a Pinning test. The Building is then removed and replaced with an area of
Ruins or a Crater roughly the same size, if possible.
High AP Weapons
Some weapons are so destructively powerful, they can inflict masses of damage in a single strike. If an AP 2
weapon scores a Penetrating Hit, add a +1 modifier to the roll on the Building Damage table. If an AP 1 weapon
scores a Penetrating Hit, add a +2 modifier to the roll on the Building Damage table.
Wound Allocation and Occupying Units
If any Wounds are allocated to an occupying unit as a result of hits on the Building, these Wounds are allocated by
the occupying unit’s controlling player.
Victory Conditions
Unless otherwise agreed by all players, do not include Fortifications for the purposes of awarding Victory points or
determining when an opposing side is ‘wiped out’.
Fortified Wall (Strongpoint)..................55 Points
Fortified Wall
M
-
BS
-
Armour
Front
Side
13
13
Rear
13
HP
4
Transport
Capacity
-
Unit Composition
• One Strongpoint
Unit Type
• Fortification (Building)
Wargear
• Fire Point (Front, 4)
• Fire Point (Front, 4)
Special Rules
• Battlements
• Multi-part Fortification(if additional
Strongpoints are selected only)
Options
• A Fortified Wall may include up to two additional Strongpoints for +55 points each.
Battlements: This Fortification has battlements.
Multi-part Fortification: If more than one Strongpoint is selected as part of
this Fortification choice then all of the Strongpoints must be deployed using the
rules for Multi-part Fortifications.
Kilometre upon
kilometre of fortified
walls encircle the many
redoubts and fastnesses
Lord Dorn and others
have constructed upon
hundreds of Imperial
worlds, each studded
with formidable
strongpoints manned
by stalwart defenders.
Military theory states
that one warrior
ensconced in such a
fortified position is the
equal of many times
more attackers, who
must launch desperate
assaults in order to
breach the line.
Imperial Bunker...........................................85 points
Imperial bunkers are
to be found across the
length and breadth of
the galaxy, often built to
secure worlds brought to
Compliance during the
Great Crusade, or more
recently in an attempt
to hold at bay the
inexorable advance of the
Warmaster’s hosts.
From Thranx to the
Throneworld itself,
towering Imperial
bunkers bristling with
heavy weapons make for
a formidable obstacle to
any assault.
Imperial Bunker
M
-
BS
3
Armour
Front
Side
14
14
Rear
14
HP
4
Unit Composition
• One Imperial Bunker
Unit Type
• Fortification (Building)
Wargear
• Fire Point (One per hull arc, 2)
• Hull Mounted (Front) Heavy Bolter
• Hull Mounted (Left) Heavy Bolter
• Hull Mounted (Right) Heavy Bolter
• Hull Mounted (Rear) Heavy Bolter
Special Rules
• Battlements
Transport
Capacity
-
Options
• An Imperial Bunker may take a single Emplacement Mounted Icarus Lascannon on
its battlements for +25 points.
Battlements: This Fortification has battlements.
Heavy Bolter
Icarus Lascannon
Range
36"
48"
Str
5
9
AP
4
2
Type
Heavy 4
Heavy 1, Skyfire
Defence Line..................................................35 points
Defence Line
M
-
BS
-
Armour
Front
Side
-
Unit Composition
• Four double Blast-shields
• Four single Blast-shields
Rear
-
HP
-
Transport
Capacity
-
Unit Type
• Fortification (Barricade)
Special Rules
• Blast-shield
• Multi-part Fortification
Wargear
• None
Options
• A Defence Line may take a single Emplacement Mounted Skyreaper battery for
+25 points.
Blast-shield: A Blast-shield is a Barricade and provides a 5+ Cover Save for
models obscured by it. In addition, any Wounds inflicted by attacks with the
Blast special rule targeting a model that claims a Cover Save due to a Blast-shield
must be re-rolled.
Multi-part Fortification: All component parts of a Defence Line must be
deployed using the rules for Multi-part Fortifications.
Skyreaper battery
Range
48"
Str
7
AP
4
Type
Heavy 5, Skyfire,
Twin-linked
Defence lines are
barricades built from
crenellated armoured
sections that link
together into a solid
shield wall. Their simple
design means that they
can be built and deployed
at great speed.
Such defences are ideally
suited for holding ground
in enemy territory or
to establish defensive
perimeters until such
time when larger, more
permanent fortifications
can be constructed.
Special Rules
What Special Rules do I have?
Armourbane (X)
If a given model or unit has any special rules, they will
be listed on its Army List entry or unit profile. It is also
possible for a model or unit to acquire further special
rules during the course of the game due to the weapon it
is using, the result of Psychic Powers, mission special rules
or other specific situations. Where this is the case, the rule
that governs this situation will make this clear.
This weapon has been crafted with one aim in mind – to
pierce the hides of armoured vehicles.
Most of the more commonly used special rules in Horus
Heresy – Age of Darkness are listed here, but this is by no
means an exhaustive list. Many troops and weapons have
their own unique special rules, which are detailed in their
Army List entry, profile or Faction specific book.
There’s also an index at the back of the book to help you
locate particular special rules.
Variable Special Rules
Some special rules include a value in brackets as part
of their description – for example, Furious Charge (3).
This indicates a special rule the effects of which can
vary from instance to instance, and in most cases in this
compendium will be listed with an X as the value for
reference purposes – for example, Furious Charge (X).
This X is known as the variable value and each special rule
will detail what effect this variable value has for the rule
in question.
In all cases, each instance of a variable special rule is
considered a separate special rule and discrete from all
other instances of that special rule. These separate special
rules do not stack their effects, unless specifically noted in
that special rule.
Adamantium Will (X)
So strong of mind is this warrior that the powers of the Warp
have little grasp upon them.
Models with the Adamantium Will special rule gain
an Invulnerable Save against any Wound inflicted by a
weapon with the Force or Psychic Focus special rules and
Wounds inflicted by Perils of the Warp – the value of this
Save is indicated in brackets after the rule. For example, a
model with Adamantium Will (5+) gains a 5+ Invulnerable
Save against any Wound inflicted by a weapon with the
Force or Psychic Focus special rules and Wounds inflicted
by Perils of the Warp. If, for any reason, the Adamantium
Will special rule is presented without a value in brackets
then consider the rule to be Adamantium Will (5+).
If a model or weapon has this special rule, it rolls an
additional D6 for armour penetration when targeting
a Vehicle model, or, when targeting a model with the
Automata or Dreadnought Unit Type, re-rolls all failed
rolls To Wound instead. These effects apply to both
Shooting Attacks and close combat attacks.
Some instances of the Armourbane special rule may
include a qualifier after the rule in brackets, for example
Armourbane (Melta) or Armourbane (Melee). These
variant rules are described below:
Armourbane (Melta): A model or weapon with this
Armourbane special rule only gains the benefits of the
Armourbane special rule when at half range or less. If
the attack is more than half its Maximum Range away,
it gains no benefit from the Armourbane special rule. If
a weapon with this version of Armourbane also has the
Blast special rule (see page 234 ), measure the distance to
the centre of the Blast marker after it has scattered. If this
is half the weapon’s range or less, then all Hits are counted
as having the Armourbane special rule, otherwise the
Hits are resolved as if they did not have the Armourbane
special rule.
Armourbane (Melee): A weapon or model with this
version of the Armourbane special rule only gains the
benefits of the Armourbane special rule when attacking in
close combat.
Armourbane (Ranged): A weapon or model with this
version of the Armourbane special rule only gains the
benefits of the Armourbane special rule when making
Shooting Attacks.
Assault Vehicle
This vehicle is specifically designed to disgorge troops into the
thick of the action.
Passengers Disembarking from Access Points on a
Vehicle with this special rule can Charge on the turn they
do so (including when forced to make an Emergency
Disembarkation) unless the Vehicle arrived from Reserves
that turn.
Barrage
Barrage weapons lob shells high into the air, landing them in the midst of
the foe.
All Barrage weapons use Blast markers and consequently use the
rules for Blast weapons, as indicated by their profile, with the
following exceptions:
Once all of the markers are in place, add up
the number of Hits and roll To Wound for
these Hits. To determine Cover Saves, always
assume the shot is coming from the centre of
the first Blast marker that was placed in the
Multiple Barrage.
Apocalyptic Barrage
Barrage weapons can fire indirectly. This means they can fire at a
target that they do not have line of sight to, as long as the target
is beyond their Minimum Range (if applicable). When firing
indirectly, the Ballistic Skill of the firer is not subtracted from the
scatter distance; unless a Hit is rolled on the Scatter dice, the Blast
marker always scatters a full 2D6". If a Barrage weapon has line of
sight to its target it can fire directly, even if the target is within its
Minimum Range.
Note that any Hits inflicted upon Vehicles by an Attack using the
Barrage special rule are always resolved against the Vehicle’s Side
Armour Value.
Multiple Barrages
If a unit fires more than one shot with the Barrage special rule, they
fire together, as follows:
The Barrage weapon closest to the target unit fires first. Place the Blast
marker over the target, then roll for scatter as described earlier. Once
the first marker is placed, roll a Scatter dice for each other Barrage
weapon shot fired by the unit. If an arrow is rolled, place the marker
in the direction indicated so that it is next to and touching the edge of
the first marker placed (see diagram below). If a Hit is rolled, the firing
player places the marker so that it touches any part of any marker in
the group that has already been placed. Note that it is perfectly fine
if some markers are placed overlapping one another (including being
directly over the top of a previous marker).
An Apocalyptic Barrage follows all of the
rules for a Barrage weapon, but uses the
clover-shaped Apocalyptic Barrage marker.
Before the marker is placed, the attacker is
allowed to rotate the marker about its centre
to maximise the number of models that could
potentially be hit. Place the marker and roll
for scatter in the same way you would for a
Barrage. If the marker scatters, be careful to
maintain the same orientation as you move it.
Once the final position of the marker has
been determined, roll a number of dice
equal to the number of attacks on the
weapon’s profile. So, for example, with a
weapon with the type ‘Heavy 4, Apocalyptic
Barrage’, you would roll four dice. Each dice
roll corresponds to a ‘strike’ on one of the
circles on the Apocalyptic Barrage marker.
For example, each roll of a 2 indicates a
strike on circle number 2. Resolve the strikes
as for a Multiple Barrage, as if each were a
Barrage attack that had landed on that circle
and hit all the models underneath it. To
determine Cover Saves, always assume the
shot is coming from the centre of the entire
Apocalyptic Barrage marker.
Barrages and Scatter
The original marker (A) scores a Hit and
does not scatter, while arrows are rolled
for the second (B), and third (C) markers,
which are placed accordingly. The number
of Hits scored is worked out separately for
each marker, and in this case, the volley
scores a total of nine Hits on the unit.
If, for example, a Hit had been rolled for
the third marker instead, the player could
have placed it anywhere in contact with or
over markers A and B.
Apocalyptic Barrage Marker
In this example, a Heavy 4 weapon with
the Apocalyptic Barrage special rule has
been used to attack an Imperial Fists unit.
The centre of the Apocalyptic Barrage
marker is placed over the target model and
rotated by the attacking unit’s controlling
player until that player is happy with the
position. The marker then scatters 8" to
the right maintaining its orientation as it
is moved to the final location determined
by the scatter result. Once in its final
position, four dice are rolled (as the
weapon is Heavy 4) to determine the
location of each Hit. The results of these
dice rolls are 2, 3, 3 and 6. Thus, circles 2
and 5-6 are hit once each and circle 3 is
hit twice. As all models under each circle
suffer a Hit each time the circle is hit,
this attack results in a total of 11 Hits.
Wounds are allocated by the target unit’s
controlling player to any model in the
target unit, including those that are out of
the line of sight of the attacking unit.
Battlesmith (X)
Battle-hardened (X)
Those versed in the secret arts and teachings of the Mechanicum, whether
Techmarine, Forge Lord or Magos, have the skill and ability to reconstruct
and effect field repairs to war machinery in the very heat of battle.
Some warriors, by dint of raw talent, genetic
manipulation or long experience of the
battlefield’s terrors, are hardened against the
rigours of war. Such warriors prove much harder
for the foe to bring low.
If a model with the Battlesmith (X) special rule is in base contact with,
or Embarked upon, one or more damaged Vehicles, Dreadnoughts or
Automata during the Shooting phase, they can attempt to repair one
of them instead of firing a weapon. Roll a D6. If the result is equal to or
more than the value listed in brackets as part of this rule then one of
the following options may be applied to any one Vehicle, Dreadnought
or Automata the model is in base contact with or Embarked upon:
• Restore a lost Hull Point.
• Restore a lost Wound.
• Repair a Weapon Destroyed result.
• Repair an Immobilised result.
If a Weapon Destroyed result is repaired, that weapon may not be used
to attack in the same phase as it is repaired, but may be used to attack
as normal in any phase after that. The Battlesmith cannot use this
ability if they are Pinned or Falling Back.
For the purposes of whether or not attacks of
a Strength twice this model’s Toughness value
inflict Instant Death, this model’s Toughness
is increased by X, where X is the value in
brackets after the name of this special rule.
If, for any reason, this special rule does not
provide a value, then consider the value of
X to be 1. This special rule does not alter the
scores needed by To Wound rolls or any other
Test or Check.
Blast
Blast Weapons and Re-rolls
Blast weapons fire shells, missiles or packets of energy that
explode on impact.
If a model has the ability to re-roll its rolls To Hit and
chooses to do so after firing a Blast weapon, the player
must re-roll both the Scatter dice and the 2D6. Note
that this applies only to models able to fully re-roll a To
Hit roll, not to models that may re-roll To Hit rolls of a
specific value – for example, models that can re-roll To
Hit rolls of a ‘1’ cannot re-roll either the Scatter dice or
2D6 unless another rule allows them to do so.
When firing a Blast weapon, models do not roll To Hit.
Instead, pick one enemy model visible to the firer and
place the Blast (3") marker with its hole entirely over
the base of the target model, or its hull if the target is
a Vehicle. The hole at the centre of the marker must
be within the weapon’s Maximum Range. You cannot
place the Blast marker so that the base or hull of any
friendly model is even partially under it.
The large area affected by the blast means it is going to
be very hard to miss completely. Nonetheless, the shot
might not land exactly where intended. Roll for the Blast
marker to scatter and subtract the firer’s Ballistic Skill
from the distance (if any) that it scatters, to a minimum
of 0". Note that it is possible, and absolutely fine, for
a shot to scatter beyond the weapon’s Maximum or
Minimum Range and line of sight. This represents the
chance of ricochets, the missile blasting through cover
and other random events. In these cases, Hits are worked
out as normal and can hit and Wound units out of range
and line of sight (or even your own units, or models
locked in combat). If the shot scatters so that the hole in
the centre of the marker is beyond the battlefield’s edge,
the shot is a complete miss and is discarded.
Once the finalposition of the Blast marker has been
determined, take a good look at it from above – each unit
suffers one Hit for each of the models included in that
unit that is fully or partially beneath the Blast marker,
even if those models are not within the firer’s line of sight.
Once the number of Hits inflicted on the unit has
been worked out, roll To Wound and Save as normal.
Note that, unlike other attacks, Wounds inflicted by
an attack with the Blast special rule can be allocated
to any models in the target unit, even if they are out of
sight of any models from the attacking unit.
Multiple Blasts
If a unit is firing more than one shot with the Blast
special rule, scatter each shot, one at a time, as
described above and determine how many Hits are
scored with each individual Blast marker. After the last
shot, add up the total number of Hits scored and roll
all of the To Wound rolls as normal.
Blast Weapons and Snap Shots
Blast weapons cannot be fired as Snap Shots.
Large Blast
Large Blast weapons use the 5" Blast marker, but
otherwise obey all the rules for Blast weapons.
Massive Blast
Massive Blast weapons use the 7" Blast marker, but
otherwise obey all the rules for Blast weapons.
Apocalyptic Blast
Apocalyptic Blast weapons use the 10" Blast marker,
but otherwise obey all the rules for Blast weapons.
Apocalyptic Mega-blast (5"/7"/10")
Apocalyptic Mega-blast weapons use the Apocalyptic
Blast marker. They obey the rules for Blast weapons,
with the following exceptions:
Apocalyptic Mega-blast weapons have three Strength
values and three AP values. Correspondingly, the
Apocalyptic Blast marker is divided into three zones, as
shown in the diagram on the next page, one for each
Strength and AP value.
The Strength and AP of any Hits depends on the zone
in which the target model is located. The first Strength
and AP value are used for the inner zone, the second
Strength and AP value are used for the middle zone,
and the third Strength and AP value are used for the
outer zone. Always use the best Strength and AP if
a model straddles two or more zones. If a unit has
models in several zones, work out the Hits inflicted for
each zone separately. Note that there will be a different
Wound Pool for each zone.
Hits from Apocalyptic Mega-blast weapons made
against Vehicles are always resolved against their Side
Armour Value.
Blasts &Scatter
A Sons of Horus Legionary (BS 4) makes a
Shooting Attack with a missile launcher,
placing the Blast (3") marker on the
chosen target and rolling as shown. As an
‘arrow’ has been rolled, the template is
scattered a number of inches equal to the
total rolled, less the attacking model’s BS
(7-4), or 3" in this case. The template is
moved that many inches in the direction
shown by the arrow. Once the template
has been moved to its final position there
are two Imperial Fists models under it,
and so the Imperial Fists unit suffers two
Hits from the missile launcher.
Apocalyptic Blast Marker
The 10" Apocalyptic Blast marker has bold
rings marked on it (at 5" and 7"). The 5"
ring is used for Large Blast attacks. The 7"
ring is used for Massive Blast attacks. Both
rings are used for Apocalyptic Mega-blast
attacks: the area enclosed by the 5" ring
is the inner zone, the area between the 5"
and 7" rings is the middle zone and the
area between the 7" ring and the edge of
the marker is the outer zone.
Blind
This attack looses a brilliant flare of light, searing the sight of
the victim and forcing them to fight blind for a few moments.
of a Melee attack). If the test is failed then that unit’s WS
is reduced by the value in brackets listed as part of the
special rule until the end of the following Assault phase (if
no value is listed then reduce the target unit’s WS by -1).
Any unit hit by one or more models or weapons with this
special rule must take an Initiative test at the end of the
current Phase. If the Test is passed, there is no further effect.
If the Initiative test is failed, all models in the unit are reduced
to Weapon Skill 1 and Ballistic Skill 1 until the end of their
next turn. Should the attacking unit hit themselves, they
automatically pass the Test. Any model that does not have an
Initiative Characteristic (for example, Vehicles, Buildings, etc)
is unaffected by this special rule.
No matter how many times a unit has taken saved or
unsaved Wounds from an attack with the Concussive
special rule, it may only be forced to take one Leadership
test because of it. If a single unit has been the target of
several Concussive attacks with different values and
fails the Leadership test, then it suffers the effects of the
highest single modifier among those attacks – the effects
do not stack or otherwise become cumulative.
Bulky (X)
Counter-attack (X)
This creature is so massive, it takes up an inordinate amount
of space in any vehicle or building it enters.
Troops with this skill believe attack to be the best form of
defence. If assaulted, they spring forward themselves and
ferociously counter-attack the charging enemy.
Bulky models count as a number of models equal to
the value X in brackets after the rule’s name for the
purposes of Transport Capacity and whether a given unit
outnumbers another in combat.
For example, a unit comprised of five models all of which
have the Bulky (3) special rule, would count as 15 models
when attempting to Embark on a Transport Vehicle or
when deciding if they outnumber an enemy unit.
Chosen Warriors
Trusted lieutenants or paragons of martial virtue, these
warriors let no challenge go unanswered in the heat of battle.
A model with this special rule may issue and accept
Challenges as if it had the Character type. Note that this
does not allow a model with this special rule to use any
other special rules associated with the Character type.
If a unit contains at least one model with this special rule,
and that unit is Charged, every model with the Counterattack special rule gains a number of additional Attacks
equal to the value in brackets listed as part of this special
rule. If no value is listed then the unit gains +1 Attack.
If, when Charged, the unit was already locked in combat
or has made the Hold the Line Reaction, the Counterattack special rule has no effect.
Crawling Fire
Phosphex, sometimes known as the ‘crawling fire’, seeks out
and extinguishes life with a terrifying hunger.
After the Blast marker for a weapon with this special rule
is placed, the attacking unit’s controlling player may move
the marker up to 2" in any direction so long as this would
cover more models than it previously would have.
Concussive (X)
Some weapons are designed to leave any foe that manages to
survive their strike disoriented and easy to slay.
A unit that suffers one or more Wounds, regardless
of whether those Wounds are Saved or otherwise
discounted, from a weapon with this special rule must
take a Leadership test at the end of the Shooting phase (if
the attacks were inflicted as part of a Shooting Attack), or
the current combat (if the attacks were inflicted as part
Crusader
Bolstered by their ultimate faith in their goal, the crusader
is tireless, sweeping from one foe to the next in a battle that
never ends.
A unit that contains at least one model with this special
rule rolls an extra dice when making Sweeping Advances
and discards the lowest scoring dice before determining
the result.
Cumbersome
Duellist’s Edge (X)
Whether due to its inherent weight, shape or because it was
never meant for use in combat, this weapon proves difficult to
wield even for the most accomplished of warriors.
Some weapons have such a fine balance that they leap and
spin in their wielder’s hands like living things, eager to spill
the blood of the foe.
A model using a close combat weapon with this special
rule can only ever make a single attack at WS 1 in an
Assault phase, regardless of their profile or any bonus or
other special rule.
Deadly Cargo
When fighting in a Challenge, the user of this weapon
gains a bonus to their Initiative value equal to the value
in brackets after the rule when making attacks with this
weapon. If there is no value in brackets after a given
instance of this special rule, then assume the value is 1
(thus adding +1 Initiative to that model).
Some payloads pose as much danger to the vehicle carrying
them as they do to the enemy.
Eternal Warrior
If a Vehicle with this special rule takes Hull Point damage
from any source, including both Penetrating Hits and
Glancing Hits, but is not destroyed, roll a D6. On a 6,
the Vehicle suffers an Explodes result on the Vehicle
Damage table.
Some heroes refuse to be laid low, even by what would be
mortal wounds to lesser warriors.
If a model with this special rule suffers an unsaved Wound
from an attack that inflicts Instant Death, it only reduces
its Wounds by 1, instead of automatically reducing its
Wounds to 0.
Deflagrate
The ancient volkite weaponry employed by the armies of
Terra in the earliest years of the Great Crusade fired arcing
blasts of energy rather than solid projectiles.
Exoshock (X)
After normal attacks by this weapon have been resolved,
count the number of unsaved Wounds caused on the
target unit. Immediately resolve a number of additional
automatic Hits on the same unit using the weapon’s
profile equal to the number of unsaved Wounds – these
can then be saved normally. Models in the targeted unit
must still be in range in order for these additional Hits
to take effect. These additional Hits do not themselves
inflict more Hits and do not benefit from any other special
rules possessed by the attacking model, such as Preferred
Enemy (X) or Precision Strikes (X).
If this weapon successfully scores a Penetrating Hit on
a target, roll a D6. If the result of that roll is equal to or
higher than the value in brackets after the rule, a second
automatic Penetrating Hit is inflicted on the same target
against which Cover Saves may not be taken. For example,
a weapon with the Exoshock (4+) special rule would inflict
a second Penetrating Hit on the score of a 4+. This second
Penetrating Hit does not gain the effects of any other
special rules, and cannot trigger additional Hits.
Deep Strike
Some units make their way to battle via tunnelling,
teleportation, flying, or some other extraordinary means
which allows them to appear in the thick of the fighting.
A unit made up entirely of models with this special rule
may perform a Deep Strike Assault as described on
page 310 . Certain Faction or unit special rules may
present other options for the deployment of units with
the Deep Strike special rule.
Each blast from this weapon that pierces its target’s armour
sets off a chain reaction of secondary explosions.
If, for any reason, a given instance of this rule does not
have a value in brackets after the special rule, assume the
value is 6+.
Fear (X)
Some beings are so monstrous or alien that they can force
their foes to recoil in horror.
All enemy models within 12" of a model with this special
rule must reduce their Leadership by the value in brackets
after the special rule when taking any Morale checks,
Regroup or Pinning tests. For example, a unit with the
special rule Fear (2) would reduce the Leadership of all
enemy models within 12" by 2.
Enemy units that are locked in combat are only affected
by this modifier if they are locked in combat with the unit
that causes Fear. This modifier is not cumulative, and any
given unit can only be affected by a single instance of the
Fear special rule at a time. This will always be the highest
single modifier among those applicable.
A model that causes Fear is not itself immune to Fear, and
will still suffer a penalty to its Leadership if within range
of an enemy unit that has the Fear special rule.
Fearless
Fearless troops never give up and seldom make full use of
cover – even if it would be wiser to do so.
Units with one or more models with the Fearless special
rule automatically pass Pinning tests, Regroup tests and
Morale checks. In addition, models with the Fearless
special rule ignore the effects of the Fear special rule.
However, units containing one or more models with the
Fearless special rule cannot use any Reactions that grant
a Cover Save, Armour Save, Invulnerable Save or Damage
Mitigation roll of any kind, and cannot choose to fail a
Morale check due to the Our Weapons Are Useless special
rule (see page 188). If a unit has become Pinned and then
gains the Fearless special rule, all the effects of being
Pinned are immediately cancelled.
Feel No Pain (X)
Whether through force of will, bionic augmentation or foul
sorcery, this warrior can still fight despite fearsome wounds.
For example, a unit with the special rule Feel No Pain (5+)
would need to score a 5 or 6 in order to discount a Wound
inflicted upon it.
This is a Damage Mitigation roll – any model may make
only a single Damage Mitigation roll of any type for any
given Wound (see page 174).
Fleet (X)
Preternaturally agile, these warriors can cover ground more
quickly than their plodding foes.
A unit composed entirely of models with this special rule
gains a bonus to all Run moves, any distance moved as
part of a Reaction and as a modifier to all rolls made to
determine Charge Distances equal to the value in brackets
listed after the special rule. For example, a unit composed
entirely of models with the Fleet (2) special rule would add
+2 to all Run moves it makes, +2 to all distances moved
as part of a Reaction and add a +2 modifier to any Charge
Moves made.
If a unit is composed entirely of models with this special
rule, but the models have different versions of this
special rule, then the unit must use the lowest Fleet value
included in the unit (for example, a unit of ten models in
which nine models have Fleet (2) and one model has Fleet
(4) would use the Fleet (2) special rule).
Fleshbane
Many are the weapons and creatures whose merest caress
is fatal.
If a model has this special rule, or is attacking with a
Melee weapon that has this special rule, they always
Wound on a 2+ in close combat.
Similarly, if a model makes a Shooting Attack with a weapon
that has this special rule, they always Wound on a 2+.
In either case, this special rule has no effect against
Vehicles or Buildings.
Force
When a model with this special rule suffers an unsaved
Wound, it can make a special Feel No Pain roll to avoid
being Wounded (this is a special Saving Throw which is
made after unsaved Wounds are suffered).
Feel No Pain rolls may not be taken against unsaved
Wounds that have the Instant Death special rule.
Roll a D6 each time an unsaved Wound is suffered. On a
result that is equal to or greater than the value in brackets,
the unsaved Wound is discounted – treat it as having been
saved. On any other result the Wound is taken as normal.
Force weapons are charged by the psychic might of the
wielder, turning them from mere physical tools to mystical
weapons of incredible potency.
Any Psyker with a weapon or ability with this special rule
may choose to make a Psychic check before making any
attacks with that weapon or resolving the ability. If the
Check is successful then the Strength value of any attacks
made is doubled. If the Check is failed then Perils of the
Warp is resolved targeting the unit containing the model
that failed its Check. If the Psyker survives Perils of the
Warp then it may attack as normal.
Firing Protocols (X)
Those warriors or war engines equipped with multiple
weapons often incorporate sophisticated tracking systems,
or have received advanced training to allow them to wield
them all simultaneously on the battlefield.
When making a Shooting Attack, a model with this special
rule may attack with a number of different weapons equal
to the value of this special rule. This rule does not allow
a single weapon to be attacked with more than once, and
only applies if the model is equipped with more than one
weapon. For example, as part of a single Shooting Attack,
a model with the Firing Protocols (2) special rule may
attack with up to two different weapons.
Furious Charge (X)
Some warriors use the impetus of the charge to fuel their
own fury.
In a turn in which a model with this special rule Charges
into combat, it adds a bonus to its Strength Characteristic
until the end of the Assault phase. The bonus added to the
model’s Strength is equal to the value in brackets after the
special rule, for example a model with Furious Charge (2)
adds a bonus of +2 to its Strength.
A model that has made a Disordered Charge that turn
receives no benefit from Furious Charge (see page 182).
Gets Hot and Re-rolls
If a model has the ability to re-roll its rolls To Hit
(including because of BS 6+ or the Twin-linked special
rule), a Wound is only suffered if the To Hit re-roll is a 1;
it may also re-roll Gets Hot results of 1 for weapons that
do not roll To Hit.
Graviton Pulse
Some weapons crush their targets, cracking bones and
rupturing organs.
Instead of rolling To Wound normally with this weapon,
any non-Vehicle model that suffers a Hit from a weapon
with this special rule must instead roll under their
Strength on a D6 or suffer a Wound (a roll of a ‘6’ always
counts as a failure). If a Graviton Pulse weapon also has
the Blast type, then leave the Blast marker in place after
resolving all Wounds, or otherwise mark the area.
This area now counts as both Difficult Terrain and
Dangerous Terrain until the start of the next turn of the
player that made the attack.
Guided Fire
Whether by advanced technology or arcane influence, some
attacks are able to reach their target no matter what obstacles
obscure them.
Any attacks made using a weapon with this special rule do
not require line of sight, but must still be within range.
Gets Hot
Some weapons are fuelled by unstable power sources and
risk overheating with each shot – often to the detriment of
their wielder.
Hammer of Wrath (X)
When firing a weapon that Gets Hot, roll To Hit as normal.
For each unmodified To Hit roll of 1, the firing model
immediately suffers a single Wound with an AP value equal
to that of the weapon that was used to attack (Armour
Saves, Invulnerable Saves and Feel No Pain rolls can be
taken, but not Cover Saves or Shrouded rolls) – this Wound
cannot be allocated to any other model in the unit.
A Vehicle instead rolls a D6 for each roll of a 1 To Hit. If this
roll results in a 1 or 2, the Vehicle suffers a Glancing Hit.
If a model with this special rule ends its Charge Move in
base contact with an enemy model, it makes a number of
additional attacks equal to the value in brackets listed as
part of this special rule. These attacks hit automatically
and are resolved at the model’s unmodified Strength
with AP-. These attacks do not benefit from any of the
model’s special rules (such as Furious Charge, Rending,
etc.). These attacks are resolved during the Fight subphase at Initiative step 10, but do not grant the model an
additional Pile-in Move.
Gets Hot and Weapons that do not Roll To Hit
Weapons that do not roll To Hit (such as Blast weapons)
must roll a D6 for each shot immediately before firing.
On a 2+, the shot is resolved as normal. For each roll of a 1,
the weapon Gets Hot; that shot is not fired and the firing
model immediately suffers a single Wound with an AP
value equal to that of the weapon that was used to attack
(Armour Saves, Invulnerable Saves and Feel No Pain rolls
can be taken, but not Cover Saves or Shrouded rolls) – this
Wound cannot be allocated to any other model in the unit.
A Vehicle instead rolls a D6 for each roll of a 1. If this roll
results in a 1 or 2, the Vehicle suffers a Glancing Hit.
Many warriors hurl themselves headlong into combat, seeking
to crush or trample the foe.
If a model with this special rule Charges a Vehicle of
any kind or a Building, the hits are resolved against
the Armour Value of the Facing the charging model is
touching. If the model is in contact with two or more
Facings, the player controlling the target model chooses
a Facing upon which the attacks are resolved. If a model
with this special rule Charges a Building or Vehicle that
is a Transport, the hits are resolved against the Building
or Vehicle, not the unit Embarked within the Building
or Vehicle.
Hatred (X)
Hit &Run
In the far future, hatred is a powerful ally.
Some troops employ a flexible battle stance, engaging the foe
at close quarters one moment, before peeling off to strike with
renewed vigour the next.
This rule is presented as Hatred (X) where X identifies
a specific type of foe. If the special rule does not specify
a type of foe, then the unit has Hatred against everyone.
This can refer to a Faction or a specific unit.
For example, Hatred (Mechanicum) means any model of
the Mechanicum Faction, whilst Hatred (Thallax) means
only Thallax. A model striking a Hated foe in close combat
re-rolls all failed To Hit rolls during the first round of each
close combat.
The effects of this special rule only apply when a unit that
has it begins an Assault phase not locked in combat and
then either Charges or is Charged by an enemy unit. If
an enemy unit Charges this unit when it is already locked
in combat then that does count as a new ‘first’ turn of
combat for the effects of Hatred.
Haywire
Haywire weapons send out powerful electromagnetic pulses.
When a weapon with this special rule Hits a model with
the Vehicle, Dreadnought or Automata Unit Type, roll a
D6 to determine the effect rather than rolling To Wound
or for armour penetration normally. AP has no effect on
this roll:
D6 Result
1 No Effect.
2-5 Vehicles suffer a Glancing Hit, Dreadnoughts and
Automata suffer 1 Wound. Only Invulnerable Saves
or Damage Mitigation rolls may be taken against
Wounds inflicted by this result.
6 Vehicles suffer a Penetrating Hit, Dreadnoughts
and Automata suffer 1 Wound. No Saves or Damage
Mitigation rolls may be taken against Wounds
inflicted by this result.
A unit that contains at least one model with this special
rule that is locked in combat can choose to leave close
combat at the end of any Assault phase. If the unit wishes
to do so, it must take an Initiative test.
If the Test is failed, nothing happens and the models
remain locked in the fight.
If the Test is passed, choose a direction – then roll 2D6
and add the unit’s Movement Characteristic to the result.
As long as the distance rolled, in inches, is sufficient to
allow the entire unit to move over 1" away from all of
the enemy units they are locked in combat with, the unit
breaks away from combat and must immediately move
a number of inches in the chosen direction equal to the
2D6 + Movement result, ignoring the models they were
locked in combat with. No Sweeping Advance rolls are
made. Enemy units that are no longer locked in combat
immediately Consolidate a number of inches equal to
their Initiative.
A Hit & Run Move is not slowed by Difficult Terrain, but
does trigger Dangerous Terrain tests as normal. It may
not be used to move into base contact with enemy units,
and models instead stop 1" away. If there are units with
this rule on both sides who wish to disengage, roll off to
determine who goes first and then alternate disengaging
them. If the last of these ends up no longer in combat, it
Consolidates instead.
Independent Character
Mighty heroes go where they are needed, being at the forefront
of the most vital charges and leading their troops to victory.
Independent Characters can join other units. They
cannot, however, join units that contain Vehicles,
Dreadnoughts, Automata or any model with the
Monstrous sub-type (unless the Independent Character
also has that Unit Type or sub-type). They can join other
Independent Characters though to form a powerful multicharacter unit.
Joining and Leaving a Unit
An Independent Character can begin the game already
with a unit, either by being deployed in unit coherency
with it or, if the unit is in Reserve, by you informing your
opponent which unit it has joined.
In order to join a unit, an Independent Character simply
has to move so that they are within unit coherency
distance of a friendly unit at the end of their Movement
phase. If the Independent Character is within unit
coherency of more than one unit at the end of its
Movement phase, the player must declare which unit it
is joining. If an Independent Character does not intend
to, or cannot, join a unit, it must, where possible, remain
outside of unit coherency with that unit at the end of
the Movement phase. This is to make clear whether they
have joined a unit or not. Note that after an Independent
Character joins a unit, that unit can Move no further that
Movement phase.
An Independent Character can leave a unit during the
Movement phase by moving out of unit coherency with
it. They cannot join or leave during any other Phase once
shots are fired or Charges are declared.
An Independent Character cannot leave a unit while
either they or the unit are in Reserve, locked in combat,
Falling Back or have been Pinned. They cannot join a unit
that is in Reserve, locked in combat or Falling Back. If an
Independent Character joins a unit, and all other models
in that unit are killed, they again become a unit of one
model at the start of the following Phase.
While an Independent Character is part of a unit, they
count as part of the unit for all rules purposes, though
they still follow the rules for Characters.
Special Rules
When an Independent Character joins a unit, it might
have different special rules from those of the unit. Unless
specified in the rule itself (as in the Stubborn special
rule), the unit’s special rules are not conferred upon the
Independent Character, and the Independent Character’s
special rules are not conferred upon the unit. Special rules
that are conferred to the unit only apply for as long as the
Independent Character is with them.
Independent Characters and Infiltrate
An Independent Character without the Infiltrate special
rule cannot join a unit that is being deployed using
the Infiltrate special rule. However, if a unit composed
entirely of models with the Infiltrate special rule is
deployed without making use of any of the benefits of
the Infiltrate special rule, than an Independent Character
without the Infiltrate special rule may join that unit
during deployment.
Independent Characters and Ongoing Effects
Sometimes, a unit that an Independent Character has
joined will be the target of a beneficial or harmful effect,
such as those bestowed by the Blind special rule, for
example. If the Independent Character leaves the unit,
both the Independent Character and the unit continue
to be affected by the effect, so you’ll need to mark the
Independent Character accordingly.
Conversely, if an Independent Character joins a unit after
that unit has been the target of an ongoing effect (or joins
a unit after they themselves have been the target of an
ongoing effect), benefits and penalties from that effect are
not shared.
Infiltrate
It Will Not Die (X)
Many armies employ reconnaissance troops who sit concealed
for days, just waiting for the right moment in which to strike.
In the dark corners of the galaxy, there are creatures that heal
at a terrifying speed.
You may choose to deploy units that contain at least one
model with this special rule last, after all other units (friend
and foe) have been deployed. If both players have such units
and choose to do so, the players roll off and the winner
decides who goes first,then alternate deploying these units.
At the end of each of your turns, roll a D6 for each of your
models with this special rule that has less than its starting
number of Wounds or Hull Points, but that has not been
removed as a casualty or destroyed. On a roll equal to or
greater than the number in brackets associated with the
special rule, that model regains a Wound, or Hull Point,
lost earlier in the game. For example, a model with It Will
Not Die (5+) would regain a lost Wound on the roll of a 5
or more.
Units that Infiltrate in this way can be set up anywhere
on the battlefield that is more than 9" from any enemy
unit, as long as no deployed enemy unit can draw line of
sight to them. This includes in a Building (see page 224),
as long as the Building is more than 9" from any enemy
unit. Alternatively, they can be set up anywhere on the
battlefield more than 12" from any enemy unit, even in
plain sight.
If a unit with Infiltratedeploys inside a Dedicated Transport,
the same rules apply when deploying their Transport.
A unit that deploys using these rules cannot Charge in
their first turn.
Having Infiltratealso confers the Outflank special rule to
units of Infiltratorsthat are kept as Reserves (see page 309).
Infiltrate and Scout
If a unit has both the Infiltrate and Scout special rule, that
unit can deploy as per the Infiltrate special rule and then
redeploy as per the Scout special rule.
Independent Characters and Infiltrate
An Independent Character without the Infiltrate special
rule cannot join a unit of Infiltrators during deployment,
and vice versa.
Ignores Cover
This weapon fires ammunition that cheats an enemy of
their shelter.
Lance
The terror of tank commanders, a lance weapon fires a
concentrated beam of energy that can bore through any
armour, regardless of thickness.
Weapons with the Lance special rule count Vehicle
Armour Values that are higher than 12 as 12.
Legiones Astartes (X)
The Space Marines of the Emperor’s Legions are genetically
engineered, psycho-indoctrinated warriors with superhuman
abilities, and minds and souls tempered for war. Each of
the Legions has its own idiosyncrasies and character – the
product of their gene-seed and the unique warrior cultures
fostered by their masters.
Any unit with this special rule will have a number of
additional special rules and abilities specific to their
‘named’ Legion, all of which will be defined in other
Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness publications. A Space
Marine unit may only have one such ‘named’ rule, e.g.,
Legiones Astartes (Sons of Horus). Space Marine units
from a different Legion may only be included in an
army using an Allied Detachment (see page 281) and in
conjunction with the Allies in the Age of Darkness chart
found on page 282.
Lingering Death
Cover Saves and Damage Mitigation rolls granted by the
Shrouded special rule cannot be taken against Wounds or
Hull Point damage caused by weapons with the Ignores
Cover special rule. This includes Cover Saves granted by
Reactions and other special rules as well as Cover Saves
conferred by terrain.
Instant Death
Some blows can slay an enemy outright, no matter how hardy
they may be.
If a model suffers an unsaved Wound from an attack with
this special rule, it is reduced to 0 Wounds and is removed
as a casualty.
Many of the terrible weapons unleashed during the Horus
Heresy tainted the very worlds they were used to conquer,
poisoning the soil and burning the sky, leaving only calamity
in their wake.
When a Blast weapon with this rule is used, after the
attack is resolved leave the Blast marker in play for the rest
of the game and mark it with a counter of some kind. This
area is now treated as Dangerous Terrain for all models
with a Toughness value.
Master-crafted
Murderous Strike (X)
Some weapons are lovingly maintained artefacts, crafted with
skills now lost. Though the exact form of master-crafting
varies, it is always considered to be the pinnacle of the
weaponsmith’s art.
Some weapons are so cruel of form or powerful in aspect that
a well-placed strike can slay even the toughest opponent.
Weapons with the Master-crafted special rule allow
the bearer to re-roll one failed roll To Hit per turn with
that weapon.
Attacks with this special rule cause Instant Death on
a To Wound roll equal to or greater than the number
listed in brackets associated with the specific rule. Roll
any viable Saves against this Instant Death-causing
Wound separately and before any other Wounds the
attack inflicts.
Monster Hunter
The Great Crusade allowed many of the Emperor’s warriors
to hone the skills needed to topple mighty monsters and
towering automatons.
Night Vision
A unit that contains at least one model with this
special rule re-rolls all failed To Wound rolls against
Dreadnoughts, Automata and Primarch models as well as
any unit with the Monstrous sub-type.
A unit that contains at least one model with this special
rule ignores the effects of Night Fighting (see page 308)
and no model may make Shrouded rolls to negate Wounds
inflicted by their attacks.
Move Through Cover
One Use/One Shot
Some warriors are skilled at moving over broken and
tangled terrain.
Certain items can only be used once, so a general must choose
wisely when to do so.
A unit that contains only models with this special rule
suffers no penalty for moving or charging through
Difficult Terrain.
A weapon or ability with this special rule can only be used
once during the course of a battle. Once a weapon with
the One Use or One Shot special rule has been used to
attack, it is no longer counted as a weapon and may not
be destroyed (for example, by rolls on the Vehicle Damage
table) or repaired by any other rule or effect.
Some warriors can see almost as clearly in the darkness as
they can in daylight.
Outflank
Poisoned (X)
Some units make use of their inherent speed, stealth or other
capabilities to launch a surprise assault on the foe from an
unexpected direction.
There are many virulent and lethal poisons in the Age of
Darkness. It is simplicity itself to adapt such toxins for
battlefield use. It does not matter whether they coat blades
or bullets, or are secreted by alien monstrosities –
all are lethal.
A unit made up entirely of models with this special rule
may perform a Flanking Assault as described on page 311 .
Certain Faction or unit special rules may present other
options for the deployment of units with the Outflank
special rule.
Pinning
Coming under fire without knowing where the shots are
coming from, or having ordnance rain down from the skies,
can shake the resolve of even the bravest warriors, making
them dive flat and cling to whatever cover presents itself.
If a non-Vehicle unit suffers one or more unsaved Wounds
from a weapon with the Pinning special rule, it must
take a Leadership test once the firing unit has finished its
Shooting Attacks for that Phase. This is called a Pinning
test. If the unit fails the Test, it is Pinned. As long as the
Test is passed, a unit can be called upon to take multiple
Pinning tests in a single turn, but only once for each unit
shooting at them.
A unit that is affected by any of the following conditions
does not take Pinning tests, and if called upon to do so is
considered to automatically pass them:
• The unit is locked in combat.
• The unit is already Pinned (the unit remains Pinned,
but takes no further Tests).
• The unit is composed entirely of Vehicle models.
• The unit is Embarked on a Transport Vehicle.
• The target unit is affected by the Fearless special rule.
A unit that has become Pinned cannot Move, Run or
Charge. It can only fire Snap Shots if it attacks during the
Shooting phase and cannot make Reactions in any Phase.
At the end of its following turn, the unit returns to normal
and the unit is free to act as normal from then on. Whilst
it is Pinned, a unit is affected normally by enemy actions
(for example, it takes Morale checks as normal). If the
unit is forced to move, for example if it has to Fall Back, it
returns to normal immediately. If assaulted, the unit will
fight as usual, but because they are not set to receive the
Charge, enemy units do not receive the Initiative penalty
for assaulting a unit in Difficult Terrain (see page 222 ),
even if the unit is in Difficult Terrain. If a unit becomes
Pinned during a Charge, then that Charge automatically
fails. Units that are locked in combat cannot be Pinned
and do not take Pinning tests.
If a model has the Poisoned special rule, or is attacking
with a Melee weapon that has the Poisoned special rule,
it always Wounds on a fixed number (generally shown in
brackets), unless a lower result would be required, when
attacking in close combat. In addition, if the Strength of
the wielder (or the Poisoned weapon) is higher than the
Toughness of the victim, the wielder must re-roll failed
rolls To Wound in close combat.
Similarly, if a model makes a Shooting Attack with a
weapon that has the Poisoned special rule, it always
Wounds on a fixed number (generally shown in brackets),
unless a lower result would be required. If no number is
shown in brackets, the rule is Poisoned (4+).
Unless otherwise stated, Poisoned weapons are treated as
having a Strength of 1. The Poisoned special rule has no
effect against Vehicles.
Power of the Machine Spirit
The interface between this vehicle’s advanced machine spirit
and its fire control mechanisms allows the crew to target foes
with incredible accuracy.
A Vehicle with this special rule may attack different
targets with each Ranged weapon it is permitted to fire
during any Shooting Attack.
Precision Shots (X)
Many of the galaxy’s marksmen are able to single out enemy
leaders or soldiers with particularly powerful weapons and
snipe them with unerring accuracy.
If a model with this special rule, or attacking with a
weapon with this special rule, rolls equal to or higher than
the value in brackets when making a To Hit roll as part
of a Shooting Attack, that shot is a ‘Precision Shot’. For
example, if a model with the Precision Shots (4+) special
rule rolls a 4 or higher when making a To Hit roll, then
that attack is a Precision Shot.
Wounds from Precision Shots are allocated against a
model (or models) of the attacking player’s choice in the
target unit, as long as the target model is in range and line
of sight of the attacking model, rather than following the
normal rules for Wound allocation.
Note that Snap Shots and shots from weapons that
scatter, or do not roll To Hit, can never be Precision Shots.
Precision Strikes (X)
Rage (X)
The galaxy is replete with swordsmen and blade-masters
who can pick out an enemy from a crowd and land a
blow on them, even amidst the swirling chaos of hand-tohand combat.
Bloodlust is a powerful weapon on the battlefield,
spurring a warrior to hack their foes apart in a flurry of
mindless carnage.
If a model with this special rule, or attacking with a
weapon with this special rule, rolls equal to or higher than
the value in brackets when making a To Hit roll as part of
a melee attack, that hit is a ‘Precision Strike’. For example,
if a model with the Precision Strikes (4+) special rule rolls
a 4 or higher when making a To Hit roll, then that attack
is a Precision Strike.
Wounds from Precision Strikes are allocated against a
model (or models) of the attacking player’s choice in the
target unit, as long as that model is engaged in combat
with the attacking model’s unit, rather than following the
normal rules for Wound allocation.
Preferred Enemy (X)
Many of the galaxy’s warriors train hard to overcome a
particular foe, allowing them to predict the enemy’s battlestances and thus land a blow or shot with greater ease.
This rule is presented as Preferred Enemy (X) where X
identifies a specific type of foe. If the special rule does not
specify a type of foe, then everyone is a Preferred Enemy
of the unit. A unit that contains at least one model with
this special rule re-rolls failed To Hit and To Wound rolls
of 1 if attacking its Preferred Enemy. This applies both to
Shooting Attacks and close combat attacks.
If a model with this rule makes an attack against a
mixed unit which has one or more models to which
their Preferred Enemy rule pertains, but is not entirely
composed of such models, it may still benefit from the
effects of Preferred Enemy for all attacks made against
that unit. For example, a model with Preferred Enemy
(Independent Characters) may re-roll failed To Hit and To
Wound rolls of 1 against all of the models in a unit which
has been joined by an Independent Character.
Rad-phage
One of the terrors of Old Night, rad-phage weaponry was
created to corrupt and poison, to reduce a powerful foe to an
impotent and pitiable wreck.
A model which loses one or more Wounds to an attack
with this special rule and survives has its Toughness value
reduced by -1 for the rest of the battle. This effect is not
cumulative with other attacks using the Rad-phage special
rule, but can be stacked with other special rules that
also reduce the Toughness Characteristic of the target.
Note that this special rule can never reduce a model to a
Toughness value of less than 1.
In a turn in which a model with this special rule Charges
into combat, it gains a number of Attacks equal to the
value of X for Charging, rather than +1. A model that has
made a Disordered Charge that turn receives no benefit
from Rage (see page 182).
Rampage (X)
For some warriors, being outnumbered is not a cause for
despair, but a call to set about their foes with a berserk
counter-attack.
At the start of any Fight sub-phase, models with the
Rampage special rule gain a number of Attacks equal to
the value listed in brackets if outnumbered by enemy
models (including the effects of the Bulky special rule)
– count all models locked in the combat, not just those
models that are engaged. If the value in brackets is
randomly determined by rolling dice, then roll once for
each such variant of the Rampage special rule present in
the unit to determine the number of Attacks that may be
made, applying the result to all models with that variant
for the current phase. For example, a model with the
Rampage (D3) special rule that is outnumbered by the
enemy in close combat receives D3 additional Attacks in
that Fight sub-phase.
A model that has made a Disordered Charge that turn
receives no benefit from Rampage (see page 182).
Relentless
Relentless warriors are strong of arm – nothing can slow their
implacable advance.
Relentless models can shoot with Heavy or Ordnance
weapons, counting as Stationary, even if they moved in
the previous Movement phase. They are also allowed to
Charge in the same turn they fire Heavy, Ordnance, or
Rapid Fire weapons.
Rending (X)
Shred
Some weapons can inflict critical strikes against which no
armour can protect.
Some weapons and warriors strike in a flurry of blows, tearing
flesh asunder in a series of brutal strikes.
If a model has the Rending special rule, or is attacking
with a Melee weapon that has the Rending special rule,
there is a chance that their close combat attacks will strike
a critical blow. For each To Wound roll equal to or higher
than the value listed, the target automatically suffers
a Wound, regardless of its Toughness. The controlling
player may choose to resolve these Wounds at AP 2
instead of the weapon’s normal AP value.
If a model has the Shred special rule, or is attacking with a
Melee weapon that has the Shred rule, it re-rolls failed To
Wound rolls in close combat.
Similarly, if a model makes a Shooting Attack with a
weapon that has the Shred rule, it re-rolls its failed To
Wound rolls.
Scout
Similarly, if a model makes a Shooting Attack with a
weapon that has the Rending special rule, a To Wound
roll of equal to or greater than the listed value wounds
automatically, regardless of Toughness, and is resolved at
AP 2.
In either case, against Vehicles each Armour Penetration
roll of equal to or greater than the listed value allows a
further D3 to be rolled, with the result added to the total
Strength of the attack. These Hits are not resolved at AP 2,
but are instead resolved using the weapon’s AP value.
For example, a model with the Rending (5+) special rule
that rolls To Wound against a non-Vehicle model will
wound automatically on the roll of a 5+, and the attacking
player has the choice of using an AP value of 2 instead of
the AP value of their weapon.
Shell Shock (X)
Some weapons produce such a weight of fire that any target
pummelled by their attack is left dazed and stunned.
Pinning tests taken due to an attack or weapon with
this special rule are made with a penalty to Leadership
Characteristic equal to the value listed as part of the
special rule.
For example, a unit that is forced to take a Pinning test
by an attack made using a weapon with the Shell Shock
(2) special rule, suffers a penalty of -2 to their Leadership
Characteristic when resolving that Test.
Shock Pulse
Some weapons emit such a storm of radiation and electrical
impulses that they can temporarily incapacitate even the
most well-armoured fighting vehicles.
Any model with the Vehicle, Dreadnought or Automata
Unit Type that suffers a Penetrating Hit or unsaved
Wound from an attack with this special rule may only
make Snap Shots until the end of its controlling player’s
next turn.
Scouts are always in the vanguard of the army. Unnoticed by
the enemy, they range ahead of the main force.
After both sides have deployed (including Infiltrators),
but before the first player begins their first turn, a unit
containing at least one model with this special rule
can choose to redeploy. If the unit is Infantry, Artillery,
Dreadnought or Automata, each model can redeploy
anywhere entirely within 6" of its current position. If it
is any other Unit Type, each model can instead redeploy
anywhere entirely within 12" of its current position.
During this redeployment, Scouts can move outside the
owning player’s Deployment Zone, but must remain more
than 9" away from any enemy unit. A unit that makes
a Scout redeployment cannot Charge in the first Game
Turn. A unit cannot Embark or Disembark as part of a
Scout redeployment.
If both sides have Scouts, roll off; the winner decides who
redeploys first. Then alternate redeploying Scout units
one at a time. If a unit with this special rule is deployed
inside a Dedicated Transport, it confers the Scout special
rule to the Transport (though a Disembarkation cannot
be performed as part of the redeployment). Note that a
Transport with this special rule does not lose it if a unit
without this special rule is Embarked upon it. Having
Scout also confers the Outflank special rule to units of
Scouts that are kept as Reserves (see page 309).
Infiltrate and Scout
If a unit has both the Infiltrate and Scout special rules,
that unit can deploy as per the Infiltrate special rule and
then redeploy as per the Scout special rule.
Shrouded (X)
Sniper
The source of the darkness around these warriors matters not
– only a lucky shot has any chance of piercing the shroud that
hides them from view.
Sniper weapons are precision instruments, used to pick out a
target’s weak points.
When a model with this special rule suffers an unsaved
Wound, it can make a special Shrouded roll to avoid
being wounded (this is not a Saving Throw and so can be
used against attacks that state that ‘no Saves of any kind
are allowed’). Shrouded rolls may not be taken against
Melee Attacks or against attacks with the Ignores Cover
special rule.
Roll a D6 each time an unsaved Wound is suffered. On a
result that is equal to or greater than the value in brackets,
the unsaved Wound is discounted – treat it as having been
Saved. On any other result, the Wound is taken as normal.
For example, a unit with the special rule Shrouded (6+)
would need to score a 6 in order to discount a Wound
inflicted upon it.
If a weapon has the Sniper special rule, or is fired by a
model with the Sniper special rule, all Wounds inflicted
by its attacks are ‘Precision Shots’. Wounds from Precision
Shots are allocated against a model (or models) of the
attacking player’s choice in the target unit, as long as it is
in range and line of sight of the firer, rather than following
the normal rules for Wound allocation. Note that Snap
Shots can never be Precision Shots and attacks with the
Blast or Template rules may never benefit from the effects
of the Sniper special rule.
Specialist Weapon
The mightiest weapons only reach their full potential when
wielded in pairs, as they require an entirely different battle
stance from that of more commonplace weapons.
This is a Damage Mitigation roll – any model may make
only a single Damage Mitigation roll of any type for any
given Wound (see page 174).
A model fighting with this weapon does not receive +1
Attack for fighting with two weapons unless it is armed
with two or more Melee weapons with the Specialist
Weapon rule. The additional weapon does not have to be
the same weapon as the one used to attack, but it must
have the Specialist Weapon rule in order to grant an
additional Attack for fighting with two weapons.
Pathfinder
Split Fire
Some warriors are specially trained to bypass the most
dangerous hazards of the battlefield, or adapted to ignore the
dangers they present.
The most disciplined squads can divide their fire, taking care
to place their shots where they can do the most harm.
If on any unit this rule is presented simply as Shrouded,
without a value in brackets, then count it as Shrouded (6+)
A unit with at least one model with this special rule
automatically passes Dangerous Terrain tests.
Skyfire
Skyfire weapons excel at shooting down enemy aircraft.
A model which has this special rule, or that is firing a
weapon with this special rule, fires using its normal
Ballistic Skill when shooting at Flyers and Skimmers, but
it can only fire Snap Shots against other targets.
When a unit that contains at least one model with this
special rule makes a Shooting Attack, one model in the
unit can shoot at a different target to the rest of their unit.
Once this Shooting Attack has been resolved, resolve the
Shooting Attacks made by the rest of the unit. These must
be at a different target, which cannot be a unit forced
to Disembark as a result of the Split Firing unit’s initial
Shooting Attack.
Sunder
Some weapons strike with enough force to make a mockery of
anything except the most reinforced of armoured shells.
Slow and Purposeful
Many warriors are steady but sure, slow to advance but no
less deadly for it.
A unit that contains at least one model with this special
rule cannot Run, perform Sweeping Advances or make
Reactions. However, models with this special rule can make
Shooting Attacks with Heavy and Ordnance weapons,
counting as Stationary, even if they moved in the previous
Movement phase. They are also allowed to Charge in the
same turn they fire Heavy, Ordnance or Rapid Fire weapons.
Attacks with this special rule may re-roll failed Armour
Penetration rolls against Vehicles and Buildings (both
with Shooting Attacks and in close combat) and re-roll
Glancing Hits, in an attempt to instead get a Penetrating
Hit, but the second result must be kept.
Strafing Run (X)
Template Weapons
This vehicle is designed as a ground attack craft, the spread
and convergence distance of its weapons keyed to maximise
carnage on the foes below.
Template weapons shoot clouds of fire, gas or other lethal
substances, rather than shells or bullets. They are excellent for
killing enemy troops in cover, as the payload simply flows over
intervening obstacles to assail the foe behind.
When making a Shooting Attack at any unit without the
Flyer sub-type, this Vehicle increases its Ballistic Skill by
the value indicated as part of the special rule. For example,
a Vehicle with the Strafing Run (2) special rule would
increase the model’s Ballistic Skill by +2 when making
Shooting Attacks targeting any unit without the Flyer
sub-type.
Stubborn
Many warriors live and die according to the principle of
‘death before dishonour’. Seldom do such warriors take a
backward step in the face of danger.
When a unit that contains at least one model with this
special rule takes Morale checks or Pinning tests, the
unit ignore any negative Leadership modifiers. If a unit
is both Fearless and Stubborn, the unit uses the rules for
Fearless instead.
Support Squad
Though numerous, some formations are intended for
specialised tasks on the battlefield and are rarely used for the
more routine roles of military life.
A unit with this special rule may not be chosen as a
compulsory choice for the army as part of the Force
Organisation chart.
Swarm
These creatures are so multitudinous that they cannot be
picked out individually and must be fought as a group.
If a model with the Swarm special rule suffers an unsaved
Wound from a Blast (any size) or Template weapon, unless
that Wound has the Instant Death special rule, each
unsaved Wound is multiplied to two unsaved Wounds.
Template weapons are indicated by having the word
‘Template’ for their range instead of a number. Instead
of rolling To Hit, simply place the template so that its
narrow end is touching the base of the firing model, or
the end of the firing weapon’s barrel for Vehicle models
without bases, and the rest of the template covers as many
models in the target unit as possible, without touching
any other friendly models (including other models from
the firing model’s unit). Any models fully or partially
under the template are hit. Against Vehicles, the template
must be placed to cover as much of the Vehicle as possible
without touching a friendly model. The position of the
firer is used to determine which armour Facing is hit
(see page 207). A Template weapon never hits the model
firing it.
Template weapons have the Ignores Cover and Wall
of Death special rules. Wounds inflicted by Template
weapons are allocated following the normal rules.
Multiple Templates
If a unit is firing more than one shot with the Template
type, resolve each shot, one at a time, as described above,
determining and recording how many Hits are scored
by each template. Once the number of Hits from all
templates has been determined, roll To Wound as normal.
Wall of Death
Template weapons can fire Snap Shots at any non-Flyer
target. If a Template weapon fires as a Snap Shot, it
automatically inflicts D3 Hits on the target unit, resolved
at its normal Strength and AP value, as long as the target
unit either has at least one model within 8" or if the target
unit is resolving a Charge against the unit making the
Shooting Attack. If the weapon is also a Hellstorm weapon
then it instead inflicts D6 Hits.
Hellstorm Weapons
Hellstorm weapons have the word ‘Hellstorm’ instead of a
range on their weapon profile. Hellstorm weapons use the
Hellstorm template (see page 152), but otherwise obey the
rules for other Template weapons.
Firing Template Weapons
The template is positioned so that it scores the
maximum number of possible hits (in this case, three).
Models can be hit multiple times from different
template shots. In the example given above, nine hits
are caused as two Sons of Horus are hit twice.
Torrent (X)
Twin-linked
This weapon fires massive gouts of flame, gas or lethal fluids
across the battlefield.
These weapons are grafted to the same targeting system for
greater accuracy.
A weapon with this special rule is treated like any other
Template weapon, but when firing it in the Shooting
phase, place the template so that the narrow end is placed
within a number of inches equal to the value in brackets
listed as part of this special rule. The wide end must then
be aligned so that it is no closer to the firing model than
the narrow end.
When attacking with a weapon that has this special rule,
the controlling player may re-roll all failed To Hit rolls.
For example, a weapon with the Torrent (18) special rule
must place the narrow end of the template at a point
within 18" and the wide end no closer to the firing model
than the narrow end.
Twin-linked Blast Weapons
If the Scatter dice does not roll a Hit, you can choose to
re-roll the dice when making a Shooting Attack with a
Twin-linked Blast weapon. If you choose to do so, you
must re-roll both the 2D6 and the Scatter dice.
Twin-linked Template Weapons
Twin-linked Template weapons are fired just like a single
weapon, but must re-roll failed To Wound rolls and
Armour Penetration rolls.
Two-handed
This weapon is particularly heavy and requires both hands
to wield.
A model attacking with this weapon never receives +1 Attack
for fighting with two Melee weapons (see page 177).
Unwieldy
This weapon is very large, and more than a little clumsy,
making swift blows all but impossible to achieve.
A model attacking with this weapon Piles-in and fights at
Initiative step 1, unless it has the Dreadnought Unit Type
or Monstrous sub-type.
Sons of Horus
Arch-traitors and the personal Legion of the Warmaster himself, the Sons of Horus are experts in shock assault.
On the battlefield the XVIth Legion favours precise assault, carving their way towards the foe’s heart and excelling
in the close-ranged firefightsthat ensue.
Gaming in the Age of
Darkness
Collecting an Army
Modes of Play
The Imperium of Mankind is being torn apart by
brutal civil war. The Space Marine Legions and their
Primarchs, once paragons of humanity, have turned
upon one another; and Warmaster Horus, first amongst
Primarchs, seeks his father’s title of Emperor over all
Mankind. Allied to the Traitor Warmaster’s cause are
foul Daemons, brought forth by heretics worshipping
dark powers, which surge from the darkness between
the stars intent upon the Emperor’s death for their own
unknowable reasons. Standing resolute in the face of
such horrors are the Emperor’s own Talons, though
they are few; the golden and undaunted forces of the
Legio Custodes and the soulless maidens of the Sisters
of Silence. Every other faction at large in the Imperium,
be it the innumerable ranks of the Imperial Army, the
towering war machines of the Questoris Households,
the disciplined and highly elite Solar Auxilia, or the
byzantine organisation of the Mechanicum, is also at
war, divided by factionalism, ambition and ancient
hatred. Some side with Horus and his promise of
freedom from tyranny and oppression, while those most
dutiful cleave to their oaths of loyalty to the Emperor.
Others still cast off loyalties to all masters and seek
independence and personal glories. An entire galaxy
burns with the fires of war, and Horus, responsible for
it all, leads his forces against the Throneworld of Terra
to meet the Emperor in a final confrontation which will
determine the fate of millennia of humanity’s history.
Over the following pages, you’ll find an array of different
rules and guidelines to suit all hobbyists, from collectors
who play occasional games, enthusiastic newcomers
playing games with unknown opponents, groups of
hobbyists who regularly meet up with their friends, to
veteran gamers who’ve spent years honing their forces for
competitive matches.
This incredible setting, filled with tragedy and heroism,
provides endless opportunities for collecting, building,
painting and gaming. Perhaps you’re inspired to collect
vast armies and fight out the epic battles described in
the background. Maybe you find yourself drawn to the
idea of painting beautiful display figures and building
scenic snapshots of apocalyptic war zones within
which to display them. Maybe it’s all about collecting
and assembling the most amazing war machines you
can conceive of, creating and painting incredible
battlefields, the innards of void ships, or finding a
good excuse to spend an afternoon with like-minded
friends, painting or gaming together. In truth, there is
no right or wrong way to go about engaging with the
hobby – it’s best to find what you most enjoy and go
for it. From playing in your local club or Warhammer
store, or attending competitive and narrative events to
world-class painting competitions, there are endless
possibilities to have fun.
The core rules are everybody’s starting point but, as
everyone enjoys the Warhammer hobby in different
ways, this section of the book introduces a variety of
ways to approach your games such as Narrative Play
and Campaign Play, as well as the various themes and
narrative campaigns that are presented in other Horus
Heresy publications. Each offers an alternative experience,
but it’s important to note that elements of each can be
mixed and matched to create whatever kind of gaming
experience you want – they are a toolbox, providing
inspiration and options to get the dice rolling and allow
you to play with your collection of Citadel and Forge
World miniatures on the tabletop.
You will also find a guide to building battlefields,
the rules for creating your army, and the core missions
which make up Narrative Play. So, whether you are
looking to wage war in one of the myriad deadly
environments of the galaxy, play a team game, or fight
battles as part of an escalating narrative campaign, there
are numerous ways of playing to enable you to do so.
A galaxy of war awaits you!
The Community
Tabletop wargaming is, by its very nature, a social
hobby, and the community extends way beyond
your immediate group of gaming friends to include
Warhammer stores, events such as Warhammer
Fest or any of the Horus Heresy events hosted
at Warhammer World, and of course there’s a
thriving Horus Heresy community on the internet.
You should be able to find like-minded gamers
by visiting your local gaming club or attending a
narrative event, and if no such organisation exists
near you, you can always create your own and
encourage others to join in – if you build it, they
will hopefully come! We also recommend engaging
with the community on the Games Workshop and
Forge World social media streams, through the
Warhammer Community website, and the many
fan-hosted podcasts and video series which enjoy
discussing the rich lore of the setting and the wide
variety of battles enabled by the rules.
Solar Auxilia
The Solar Auxilia march to war supported by vast armoured columns and the finest weaponry available to the Imperial
Army. In the fiercest of war zones, the god-engines of the Collegia Titanica can be called on for support, the mighty Titans
eradicating all with apocalyptic fury.
Age of Darkness Modes of Play
Age of Darkness Modes of Play
Narrative Play
At its heart, the Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness is a
narrative game intended to recreate the myriad conflicts of
a galaxy-spanning civil war. The aim of Narrative Play is to
create a sense of verisimilitude of the Age of Darkness and
give players an authentic Horus Heresy experience, even
when playing a game which has no pre-definedor playercreated story. With this in mind, the core missions described
later in this rulebook provide context and different objectives
for players to pursue to add a narrative dimension to games
which amounts to more than simply killing the enemy.
The core rules as laid out in this book and those
described in the next section, Preparing for Battle, make
up the Narrative Play mode. Narrative Play is in many
ways the default way of playing games which are set in
the Age of Darkness, and exists to facilitate all standard
one-off battles with a story inspired by the events set
forth in the background and the Black Library novels.
Such games can range from friendly matches between
members of an existing gaming community to ‘pickup’ games in your local games store or gaming club,
played between people who have never enjoyed a game
against one another before. Making use of the rules as
presented allows both players to begin their game on
an even footing and to have a relatively balanced and
fairly matched battle. With Narrative Play, remember
to play to the spirit of the game – the Horus Heresy
– Age of Darkness is about creating great stories and
ensuring that everyone enjoys their gaming experience.
To aid all players to experience the grandeur of the Age
of Darkness as it is intended, players are encouraged
to use Games Workshop’s and Forge World’s Horus
Heresy models bedecked in era-appropriate armour and
heraldry. These models should be clearly recognisable as
the unit they are intended to represent in the rules and
be fully painted whenever possible.
Campaign Play
The story of the Age of Darkness is told through campaign
books, supplements and other publications which present
exciting battle narratives and the epic deeds of legendary
characters. Such publications present rules for recreating
the battles of the Horus Heresy, translating them from
the page to the tabletop. Campaign Play is a variant of
Narrative Play concerned primarily with playing famous
battles, and presents additional rules for an interconnected
series of games with persistent characters and a driving
narrative. Players are encouraged to use terrain which
evokes the battles they are playing, as well as make use of
the characters and armies which took part in those battles.
Campaign Play uses missions in the same way as Narrative
Play, however, each one is based around a key battle from
the background of the Horus Heresy, and provides an
interesting twist on the core mechanics of the game.
It might tell the story of a desperate redoubt, for example,
in which one side faces utterly overwhelming odds but
must try to hold out for a time. Or maybe it will describe an
ambush or a thrilling game of cat and mouse between two
forces. Campaign Play is a fantastic way to add character to
your armies and the battles they fight.
The specific campaign missions included in Horus
Heresy – Age of Darkness publications are, of course,
only a small sample of what Campaign Play can achieve.
Further inspiration for designing original missions
can be found in Black Library novels and other Games
Workshop publications, plus the background section of
this book. Campaign Play rules also provide a framework
of interesting alternative systems and scenarios with
additional rules to adapt to your own games, allowing
you to decide if you wish to play a different version of
the events described while using different armies,
or play in a completely different setting. You may also
find it adds to your Campaign Play experience to create
your own characters and objectives, using the campaign
rules only as guidelines while allowing your own story to
develop as your games unfold. While this may take more
work, it will make the campaign unique to your gaming
group and will ultimately be worth the extra effort put in
by those involved.
Expanding the
Age of Darkness
There are plenty of variations on the Narrative Play
and Campaign Play modes. Further supplements
will present a subset of rules which modify the
core Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness game rules
in unique ways to represent specific combat
environments and circumstances, as well as
escalations of hostility which are beyond those
encompassed even by a standard Age of Darkness
battle. Theatres of war, such as Zone Mortalis
(desperate close-in tunnel fighting in the depths of
hive cities or the guts of warships) and City Fight
(warfare in the battle-torn ruins of once-great
cities) for example, represent very different modes
of warfare to the standard game, each with its own
challenges and often calling for unique stratagems
and army compositions. The rules for playing such
games will be presented in future Horus Heresy –
Age of Darkness publications.
Open Play
Open Play is a mode of gaming that places the emphasis
on the models in your collection and your own
imagination. While other modes place restrictions on
which units to include in your army, either defined by a
specific story or by the need to play a precisely balanced
game, Open Play allows you to field any Horus Heresy
models as you wish. All you need to do is set up a
battlefield, decide on a mission (which could be as simple
as ‘deploy within 12" each other and then fight until you
destroy your opponent completely’) and start the first turn. If
you’re just starting out and only have a handful of models,
Open Play is a great way to start playing straight away. It
allows you to experiment with tactics and combinations,
and get a taste for what models you might add to your
collection next. Open Play can also be useful for when
an experienced player is considering a new force and
wants to get a taste for how it works, substituting in their
existing models to represent a new army.
Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from modifying
the rules as you see fit – this is where Open Play shines.
You can add or remove rules, or create entirely new ‘house
rules’ agreed between the members of your gaming group.
These ‘house rules’ may add additional complexity to
the standard Narrative Play rules and caution is advised
if you add these to standard Narrative Play or Campaign
Play missions. Open Play also allows you to field much
greater army sizes by modifying the standard Crusade
Force Organisation chart to include more choices, or even
create bespoke game modes by limiting certain unit types
(such as a game emphasising foot soldiers by excluding the
use of units with the Vehicle type). With Open Play, the
only restriction is your own imagination.
With no formal restrictions on army composition or
which rules are in use in Open Play, it is recommended
that players take the time to agree what they both want
from an upcoming battle before committing to a game.
Therefore, a brief conversation beforehand will not only
save disappointment, but can lead to a more memorable
and satisfactory gaming experience.
Matched Play
Matched Play is ideal for those who wish to play in a
competitive spirit, and is also more useful for those who
wish to play against multiple opponents in succession
that they do not regularly play, ensuring a fair fight using
pre-agreed rules. This makes it ideal for leagues and
tournaments and also for battles fought at gaming clubs. A
battle fought using the Matched Play rules pits two players
against each other, each taking command of an army
using the core Age of Darkness rules which is constructed
to the same points value. While this is similar to Narrative
Play, Matched Play incorporates elements of Open Play to
allow a gaming group or event organiser to modify rules
to add or remove restrictions as they see fit. They can then
‘fix’ their customised ruleset and any players who wish
to play as part of their tournament, ladder or campaign
must use these rules. Matched Play is at its best when
the organisers record the results of each one-off battle
between competitors in order to determine an eventual
winning player (or faction, if keeping to the standard
Loyalist and Traitor divide). This mode is, perhaps, best
suited for use by gaming tournaments in which players
gather in one place to play a number of games in a single
day or weekend.
Team Play
While the Age of Darkness rules are designed
primarily to have two opponents match their
skill and wits in the grand battles of the 31 st
Millennium, using the Open Play mode allows
the game to be easily adapted to team battles,
allowing a larger number of players to share in
a single apocalyptic battle. This can be achieved
in a variety of ways; from having players share
units within a single army; fielding multiple
armies each controlled by their own player in
larger games; or even having one player act as
a general ordering another to move an army
and execute their commands for them – a great
inclusivity option for players unable to physically
play themselves. In such games it may be helpful
to assign a team leader (or Primarch!) who can
determine an overall strategy for the team to
avoid a disjointed battle experience with multiple
players pursuing their own objectives, and it may
also facilitate play to set a time limit per team or
per player to avoid games becoming too long!
Preparing for Battle
Preparing for Battle
T
he great battles of the Horus Heresy were not fought between disorganised mobs of warriors, but between the
marshalled strength of the Space Marine Legions, the Imperial Army and other forces loyal either to the Emperor
or his treacherous son, Horus. Likewise, the collection of Forge World and Citadel miniatures you use to play games of
the Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness will need to be organised into a cohesive force in order to properly represent the
engagements of this devastating conflict.
Army Selection
In a game of the Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness, each
player will control a single force, usually referred to
as an ‘army’. The first step in assembling an army is to
decide on its Allegiance, of which there are two to choose
from: Loyalist or Traitor. This choice is mostly thematic
and serves to help place the game within the confines
of the Horus Heresy, although some special rules do
target models based on their Allegiance and most of
the campaigns presented as part of the Horus Heresy
campaign books will have rules that affect armies of
specific Allegiances.
HQ (1 Choice)
• Legion Praetor
TROOPS (3 Choices)
• Legion Tactical Squad
• Legion Tactical Squad
- Legion Rhino Transport (Dedicated Transport)
• Legion Tactical Squad
- Legion Rhino Transport (Dedicated Transport)
ELITES (2 Choices)
• Legion Terminator Cataphractii Squad
• Legion Contemptor Dreadnought Talon
FAST ATTACK (1 Choice)
• Legion Sabre Strike Squadron
HEAVY SUPPORT (1 Choice)
• Legion Land Raider Spartan
Any army must consist entirely of models with the same
Allegiance. Most units available to the various Factions of
the Age of Darkness do not have an Allegiance stated in
their Army List entry, in these cases the Allegiance chosen
for the army determines the Allegiance of these units.
Some units’ Army List entries will specify an Allegiance
for that unit, these units may only be used in armies of
the appropriate Allegiance. The choice of Allegiance is
not determined by a Detachment’s Faction (see page 282),
but instead is a thematic choice. It is perfectly acceptable
to have an army of Loyalist Sons of Horus or Traitor
Ultramarines; the chaos of the Horus Heresy saw all
manner of strange alliances and base betrayals during the
destructive years of its reign.
In situations where two players have both selected
the same Allegiance, one army is still considered to
be fighting for the opposing Allegiance for that game.
Incidents of friendly fire, purposefully false intelligence
and sabotaged communications were far from uncommon
during the Horus Heresy, and tipped the balance of
several campaigns. Both players should agree which one
of them will represent the opposing force for that game.
Similarly, an army representing a force that remains
neutral in the grander scheme of Horus’ treachery must
still select an Allegiance.
Before beginning the army selection process, both players
will need to agree on a points limit. The ideal range
for a game of the Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness is
around 2,000-3,000 points, with the rules written for
games between forces of 3,000 points. For normal play,
both players will use the same points limit, but this does
not need to be the case if all players agree to the use of
asymmetric (uneven) points values. Additionally, some
missions and specific subsets of the Horus Heresy – Age
of Darkness rules may specify a range of points values that
must be used for games played using those rules.
Army List Entries
The rules for your Forge World and Citadel miniatures
are found either in the relevant Liber Army List books,
campaign books or as a download from the Games
Workshop website. In any case where multiple versions
of a unit’s rules are available, always use the most recently
published version.
Regardless of where this information is found, it is
known as an ‘Army List entry’ or ‘Profile’. Each Army
List entry describes a unit of Forge World or Citadel
miniatures, and includes everything you will need to
know in order to use that unit in a game of the Horus
Heresy – Age of Darkness.
Age of Darkness Force Organisation
Once they have agreed on a points limit, the players
can choose their forces. To do so, they will select a
number of units from a single Age of Darkness Army
List, counting the points cost of each unit as stated on its
Army List entry until the agreed upon total is reached.
The total points value of the army’s units must not
exceed the agreed upon limit. As detailed in each of the
Age of Darkness Army Lists, all of the units available to
players are organised into broad categories which will
inform you in regards to the role they play in an army –
these categories are known as ‘Battlefield Roles’. These
Battlefield Roles are: HQ, Elites, Troops, Fast Attack,
Heavy Support, Lords of War, Primarch and Fortifications.
Some Army Lists, Rites of War or other special rules may
introduce new categories, assign alternative names to
existing categories or switch the categories of certain
units, but such exceptions will be clearly explained in the
given Army List.
HQ
HQ stands for Headquarters unit. A
Headquarters unit might be a determined
Solar Auxilia lord marshal thrust into the
heart of the Horus Heresy or a mighty Space Marine
praetor at the head of a Legion task force. These models
are amongst the most powerful in the game and, as
leaders, they have access to more special equipment than
anyone else. They are not invincible, but can provide a
powerful spearhead for an attacking army and a strong
core for a defensive one.
Troops
These represent the most commonly
available soldiers in an army. This does
not necessarily mean that they are poor
fighters – the category includes warriors ranging from the
post-human warriors of the Space Marine Legions to the
humble auxiliary levies of the Imperialis Militia. Typically,
these are the warriors who make up the bulk of an army.
Their main tactical role is that of consolidating the gains
of the army and defending the objectives that have been
taken by more specialised units.
Elites
Elites units are, as the name suggests,
the best soldiers an army has to offer, but
there are rarely ever as many of them as
a commander would like. In some cases, they will be
specialists, while, at other times, they will be more
experienced versions of regular soldiers.
Fast Attack
Fast Attack units are generally more mobile
than their comrades, and are masters of
manoeuvrability. Often, they are used for
reconnaissance and scouting, while, at other times, they
are ferocious assault troops who rely on speed to get their
bloody work done.
Heavy Support
Heavy Support units are the big guns of
the army and comprise the heaviest items
of equipment and the toughest creatures.
Assigned to the heaviest fighting, and to destroy the
most dangerous foes, these units are vital for any army
to claim victory.
Fortifications
Fortifications are battlefield defences,
and include everything from barricades
to towering fortresses. They are typically
Buildings and/or battlefield debris that your army
has either constructed or captured just before the start
of the battle.
Lords of War
Lords of War are among the most destructive
weapons deployed during the wars of the
Horus Heresy, outmatched only by the
awe-inspiring firepower of an orbital bombardment. They
include towering battle Titans, Super-heavy Vehicles and
the largest and most imposing Fortifications.
Primarch
The Primarchs are the sons of the Emperor; the
most powerful warriors and cunning generals
of their age, there were only a handful of other
warriors that could compare to these icons.
Other Battlefield Roles
Some Horus Heresy supplements may introduce other
types of Battlefield Role and they will include all of the
rules you need to include them as part of your army.
Lords of War and Primarch Restrictions
The dominating presence of Lords of War and
Primarch units can unbalance even the largest games,
and so additional restrictions are applied to these Unit
Types in order to ensure the most enjoyable game
experience for all players.
Lords of War and Primarch choices may only be
included in an army whose total points value is at least
2,000 points, as long as the Force Organisation chart in
use has the appropriate slots.
In addition, the combined points value of all Lords
of War and Primarch choices present in an army
may not exceed 25% of the army’s total points cost,
unless specified otherwise by the mission or Force
Organisation chart being used. This means that the
maximum combined points value for any Lords of
War and Primarch choices included in the more
common army sizes in the Horus Heresy – Age of
Darkness is as follows:
Total
Army Size
2,000 points
2,250 points
2,500 points
2,750 points
3,000 points
3,250 points
3,500 points
Maximum combined
Lords of War/
Primarch Value
500 points
563 points
625 points
688 points
750 points
813 points
875 points
Force Organisation Charts
The maximum and minimum number of units from each
Battlefield Role required for a given army is defined by a
Force Organisation chart, of which there is one basic chart
available for an army fighting in the Age of Darkness.
Where additional Force Organisation charts are available,
each army should select a single Force Organisation chart
to use as the basis of their force.
The standard Force Organisation chart for games set in
the Age of Darkness is the Crusade Force Organisation
chart. Other Force Organisation charts are available for
players to use in other supplements, and some Army
Lists may present specific variants for use with that list.
In all cases, these charts will adhere to the same set of
basic principles.
One box on a Force Organisation chart allows you to
make one selection from that part of your army list.
Dark boxes indicate compulsory selections, which must
be included as part of the army, while the lighter boxes
indicate optional choices, which are only included as
part of the army if the player in question chooses to
do so. If constructing an army using the Crusade Force
Organisation chart, this would mean that an army
would be required to take at least one HQ choice and
two Troops choices. These compulsory choices are
intended to ensure that the core of each army is
illustrative of the force represented by the Army List
in use, and that all armies are capable of properly
participating in the varied missions available to players
in the Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness.
Sometimes, a single choice in a Force Organisation chart
may allow you to select more than one unit, or to vary
the Battlefield Role of the unit selected. In all cases,
such deviations from the normal procedure will be fully
explained in the Army List or publication that presents
such a Force Organisation chart.
Dedicated Transports
Dedicated Transport Vehicles sit outside of the
normal Force Organisation structure and do not
use up any choices on the Force Organisation
chart, as they are attached to the unit whose Army
List entry allows them to be selected. Where the
distinction becomes important (for example, as
part of a mission objective or deployment rules),
Dedicated Transport Vehicles are considered to be
of the same Battlefield Role as the unit that they
are attached to. For example, a Rhino chosen as a
Dedicated Transport for a Legion Tactical squad
(Troops) counts as a unit of Troops, while a
Rhino selected as a Dedicated Transport for a
Legion Veteran squad (Elites) would count as a
unit of Elites.
Detachments
Most Force Organisation charts, including the Crusade
chart illustrated opposite, comprise several Detachments.
Each Detachment within a Force Organisation chart is a
discrete set of units, effectively a sub-Force Organisation
chart, that allows players to customise their army
further or to include additional forces when playing
larger games. All Force Organisation charts in the Age
of Darkness rules include a Primary Detachment – this
Detachment is compulsory and must be taken as part of
the army. The army’s Warlord (see page 284) must also
be selected from the Primary Detachment of its Force
Organisation chart and all compulsory slots must be filled
before other optional Detachments may be taken. Any
other Detachments listed as part of a Force Organisation
chart are considered optional – a player may choose to
incorporate them into their army or not, at their own
discretion. However, if a player decides to include an
optional Detachment then all compulsory slots from that
optional Detachment must also be filled. Regardless of
its type, either Primary or optional, all models in a single
Detachment must be of the same Faction (see page 282)
and all models in the army must be of the same Allegiance.
As an example, the Crusade Force Organisation chart
consists of three separate Detachments: the Primary
Detachment, a Lords of War Detachment and an optional
Allied Detachment. A player using this Force Organisation
chart to build an army would be required to fill all
compulsory slots in the Primary Detachment, in this case,
one HQ slot and two Troops slots, before selecting any
other units, and all of the units selected would have to
be of the same Faction. Once these compulsory slots are
filled, the player is free to select additional optional units
for the Primary Detachment as allowed by the agreed
points total, or to select units from the optional Allied or
Lords of War Detachments. If any units from the Allied
Detachment are selected then any compulsory slots
present in that optional Detachment would have to be
filled as well.
Allied Detachments
Allied Detachments are the most common type of
optional Detachment, representing small contingents
of allied forces attached to the core of the player’s
chosen force. Unlike other Detachments, an Allied
Detachment must always be of a different Faction
than the player’s Primary Detachment.
Allies in the Age of Darkness
Factions in the Age of Darkness
During the Age of Darkness, the forces of the Imperium
and the Traitors alike were torn apart by war and
suspicion. Any Force Organisation chart which
includes more than just a Primary Detachment may
be composed of units of two or more of the Factions
that make up the various armies fighting in the Horus
Heresy, as long as each individual Detachment is
entirely comprised of models of a single Faction. When
your army incorporates units from more than one
Faction, this section tells you how those models will
interact with each other.
The wars of the Horus Heresy were fought between
a number of Factions, most of which were present
to some degree among both the Loyalist and Traitor
armies. Each of the eighteen Space Marine Legions
forms a single Faction, each differentiated by the version
of the Legiones Astartes special rule that units of that
Faction possess, with examples of other Factions being
the Mechanicum and the Imperial Army. In all cases,
units of these Factions may be from either the Traitor
or Loyalist Allegiance. There also exists an Agents of the
Emperor and Agents of the Warmaster Faction – models
of these Factions are always either Loyalist (Agents of the
Emperor) or Traitor (Agents of the Warmaster) and may
not be selected in an army of the opposing Allegiance.
Factions and Army Lists
While the various Space Marine Factions are represented
by any army that is composed of the appropriate version
of the Legiones Astartes special rule and the Legiones
Astartes Army List, the other Factions are represented by
several Army Lists. The Mechanicum Faction represents
all armies using the Taghmata Omnissiah Army List, or
any variation of it, as well as the Questoris Knights Army
List. The Imperial Army Faction represents all armies
using the Solar Auxilia or Imperialis Militia and Warp
Cults Army Lists or any variation of them. In some cases,
as more Army Lists are released in future publications, it
may be initially unclear which Faction a certain
army should operate under. In such cases, the players
should agree on a Faction for that Detachment before
the game begins.
The Age of Darkness Allies chart shows the relationship
between these various Factions which, in turn, dictates
how units of those Factions behave in battle when
included as part of the same army.
Age of Darkness Levels of Alliance
To represent the long history of grudges, sworn compacts and battle-tested oaths that exist between the various
Factions of the early Imperium, the Age of Darkness Allies chart is used. When an army features two or more Factions
amongst its Detachments then the controlling player should check the chart to establish the level of alliance that
exists between them, and how that will affect the various units of those Factions in play. Each of the various levels of
alliance is described here, as well as the rules associated with them. Some entries may refer to ‘allied’ units, in these
cases all units not part of the same Faction as the Primary Detachment are considered ‘allied’ units.
Sworn Brothers
The closest of allies who have fought beside each other
many times. The two forces are considered ‘friendly
units’ in all regards. This means, for example, that
Sworn Brothers may be joined by allied Independent
Characters, are treated as friendly units for the
targeting of special abilities, Warlord Traits and so on.
Note: Not even Sworn Brothers can embark in allied
Transport Vehicles, and rules that affect a particular
force owing to its Legiones Astartes special rule do not
carry over to Sworn Brother allied units.
Fellow Warriors
The two forces are willing to fight together for
common cause against their foes. Units in your
army treat other units at the Fellow Warriors level
of Alliance as not being part of the army with the
exception that they may not be deliberately targeted,
attacked, targeted with special abilities, etc, (note that
Blasts and the like may still scatter over allied forces
and adversely affect them).
Distrusted Allies
The two forces can make common cause against
an enemy, but never fully trust each other due to a
long-standing feud or inherent antipathy. Models in
the allied detachment are treated exactly like Fellow
Warriors except that units in this allied detachment
are never counted as Scoring units and may not hold
Objectives (see page 306).
By the Emperor’s (or the Warmaster’s)
Command
The two forces will only ever fight beside each
other in the direst of circumstances or by the direct
command of their overlord, be they the Emperor
or the Warmaster. The two forces are dealt with as
Distrusted Allies but, in addition, whenever a unit is
within 6" of a unit that is part of a Faction that falls
under this level of alliance then both units reduce
their Leadership by -1 until they are no longer within
6" of any unit from that Faction that is part of the
same army.
Agents of the Emperor (or Warmaster)
Fellow Warriors cannot benefit from the effects of
allied Warlord Traits or be joined by allied Independent
Characters, and are not counted as friendly units
for the purposes of special abilities. In essence, the
two forces fight alongside each other without any
additional positive or negative effect.
Some units are described as Agents of the Emperor
(notably the Talons of the Emperor – the Legio
Custodes and the Silent Sisterhood), or Agents of the
Warmaster. These are always treated as Sworn Brothers
to either all Loyalist or all Traitor forces respectively.
Warlord Traits
Warlord Traits
The Warlord
When choosing your army, you must nominate one
model to be your Warlord. Unless specified otherwise,
this must be a Character model and a HQ choice from
the Primary Detachment of the army. If you do not have
any appropriate Character models in your army, then
select any other model in your army to be the Warlord.
The model you choose as your Warlord must be from the
Primary Detachment of the Force Organisation chart
in use, unless another rule specifically states otherwise.
In some cases, a model will have a special rule that
dictates that the model in question must be selected as
the Warlord, such as a Primarch. When this is the case,
that model is always the Warlord regardless of any other
factors. An army may not include more than one model
that must be selected as the Warlord, unless another
special rule contains an exception to this rule.
Warlord to select Warlord Traits other than those
presented in the Core list – such rules will specifically
note which other Traits may be selected.
Armies without Characters
If, for any reason, a player selects a valid army that
does not include any HQ choices in its Primary
Detachment, then a Character model from any other
choice in the Primary Detachment may be selected
as the Warlord. If, for any reason, the Primary
Detachment includes no Character models, then any
non-Vehicle model in the Primary Detachment may
be selected as the Warlord. If any player has been
required to select a non-Character model as their
Warlord, or a model that is not part of a HQ choice,
then that model does not receive a Warlord Trait, but
counts as a Warlord for all other rules purposes.
Warlord Traits
Your Warlord is a potent force upon the battlefield.
Not only are they a mighty hero, with all the skills and
renown you might expect from the leader of a great
army, but over the course of a long career they will also
have picked up specialised abilities, which we refer to as
‘Warlord Traits’. Each Warlord has one Warlord Trait,
chosen during army selection, from the list of Core
Warlord Traits (or another list of Traits made available
as part of that model’s Allegiance or Faction) and noted
on the player’s Army List or roster. Some special rules
attached to certain Factions or models may allow a
Characters with Set Warlord Traits
Some Character models will have a special rule that
specifies a Warlord Trait that must be used if that model
is selected as the army’s Warlord. If such a unit is your
Warlord, do not select a Warlord Trait – instead, that unit
automatically has the listed Warlord Trait. Note that the
unit will only gain that Warlord Trait if it is your Warlord.
If another model is selected as your Warlord, then that
Character will not have any Warlord Trait, even if there is
a Trait listed in its entry.
Death of the Warlord
If your Warlord is removed as a casualty during a
game, any abilities or special rules granted by their
Warlord Trait are immediately lost. If the Warlord
Trait in question conferred a special rule that allows an
unusual method of deployment from Reserves (such as
conferring the Outflank ability on certain units),
that special rule is immediately lost and the affected
units must instead deploy from Reserves in the
normal fashion.
Core Warlord Traits
These traits are available to any Character model
selected as an army’s Warlord, regardless of Faction
or Allegiance.
Bloody-handed
Some warlords are only satisfied by the clash of blades and
the screams of the enemy as they fall before them. For such
warriors, strategy is but a means to an end, a tool by which
they can bring their forces into the brutal crucible of the melee
as soon as possible. There, in the heart of the battlefield, they
seek victory at any cost.
Any combat with at least one friendly model within
12" of this Warlord, or a combat which includes this
Warlord, gains a bonus of +1 to the number of Wounds
caused for the purposes of combat resolution. In
addition, an army whose Warlord has this Trait may
make an additional Reaction during their opponent’s
Assault phase as long as the Warlord has not been
removed as a casualty.
Stoic Defender
This warlord is a rock, the hard place against which their
foes are dashed and broken. When the enemy surges forth,
they do not foolishly go to meet them, but dig in so that the
foe may exhaust themselves against the defences prepared
for them.
When this Warlord or any friendly unit joined by a
Warlord with this Trait makes a Shooting attack, the
target unit must make a Pinning test if it suffers any
unsaved Wounds. In addition, an army whose Warlord has
this Trait may make an additional Reaction during their
opponent’s Shooting phase as long as the Warlord has not
been removed as a casualty.
Ever-vigilant
Always ready to take advantage of the foe’s weakness, this
warlord is a master of predicting and exploiting the flow of
battle. Where the foe advances, this warlord falls back to
better ground, where the foe retreats, this warlord advances,
for victory is fickle and only falls into the grasp of those
prepared for any eventuality.
When this Warlord, and any unit it has joined, Runs
during the Movement phase, it adds the value of the
Warlord’s Initiative Characteristic, increased by 1, to
the distance moved, rather than the lowest Initiative
Characteristic in the unit. In addition, an army whose
Warlord has this Trait may make an additional Reaction
during their opponent’s Movement phase as long as the
Warlord has not been removed as a casualty.
Mechanicum
The Taghmata of the Mechanicum have access to all manner of esoteric and deadly weapons, their Tech-Priests marching to
battle supported by their combat-automata legions and the gallant Knight Scions of the Questoris Familia.
D
uring the long, dark years before the Emperor’s Great
Crusade, the Mechanicum seeded many distant
worlds with enclaves of its adepts. These explorators,
dispatched blindly into the turmoil of the Warp to
unknown destinations, would found many Forge Worlds
and outposts of the Mechanicum, and though they might
differ in creed they were all strongholds of technology and
industry. As such, they were prime targets for the armies
of the Horus Heresy. One such manufactorum is shown
here, its infrastructure reduced to ruins by the battles
waged to claim its resources.
These Ruins offer both
superior lines of sight and
Cover Saves to models
within their bounds.
This battlefieldmakes full use of the Citadel Sector
Mechanicus range. Snaking chains of promethium pipes and
clusters of industrial equipment are Terrain Pieces known
as BattlefieldDebris and allow models to shelter behind
them, blocking enemy line of sight and providing vital cover.
The broken structures are zones of Ruins Area Terrain, as
described on page 221, and both limit the mobility of units
that pass through them and provide superior cover to those
sheltering within. Large rock outcroppings and large cargo
containers are Impassable Terrain, forming a barrier to
movement, while large zones of Open Terrain allow the
Sons of Horus and the Imperial Fists to engage in battle
freely and without penalty or special benefit.Given the wide
diaspora of the Mechanicum during the long, dark years
before the Great Crusade, a battlefieldrepresenting one of
their far-flung enclaves can incorporate many other terrain
features depending on where in the galaxy it stands. This
battlefieldis dominated by rocks and barren wasteland, but
other Mechanicum strongholds are found in dense jungle or
shallow, stagnant seas – and can represent forge-fanes from
grim Xana II to the great spires of Anvillus.
Traversable gantries and
walkways, such as these, are
counted as areas of Difficult
Terrain, and some might be
designated as Ruins instead.
A Talon of Imperial Fists
Dreadnoughts moves through Open
Terrain towards the Sons of Horus
lines, skirting the Battlefield Debris
around them.
M
ankind has built many cities across the galaxy. Some
are ancient bastions of civilisation, dating back to
the Dark Age of Technology, while others have sprung up
in the wake of the Great Crusade and lack the grandeur of
those ancient cities. All would feel the brutal grasp of the
Horus Heresy, some broken for the crime of harbouring
armies loyal to the Emperor or pledging allegiance to
Horus, and others simply collateral damage in the vast
conflict that had enveloped the galaxy.
Ruins can offer multiple levels of
elevation and allow for greater
visibility of enemy targets.
Ruined cityscape battlefields use the full range of Citadel
buildings and ruins to represent this most iconic of
battlefields. Larger, intact Buildings offer shelter to
Infantry units that Embark within, and superior vantage
points to models on their battlements. Areas of Ruins
grant cover to units within, even as they limit their
ability to pass unimpeded, while piles of rubble and other
Battlefield Debris further limit mobility and lines of sight.
The oldest and greatest of Mankind’s domains can be
represented by tangled battlefields with many areas of
Ruins and larger Unclaimed Buildings scattered across
it, while newer, or less important, strongholds might be
shown by placing fewer, and smaller, pieces of terrain.
Considered placement of the most imposing Buildings
or Ruins with elevated levels can create key strategic
advantages for those able to capture them.
Ruined cityscapes can serve as an ideal battlefield to
recreate the most iconic battles of the Horus Heresy,
a tangled and deadly space where weapons such as
flamers and demolisher cannon grant a key advantage.
From isolated worlds, such as Isstvan III and Sheol, to
vital strongholds, like Paramar and Beta-Garmon, it was
cityscapes that would see the most decisive battles of
the Horus Heresy.
Ruins can also offer protection
to Infantry, providing cover from
the onslaught of the enemy.
Battlefield Debris offers vital
cover for Infantry units and
can obscure even the largest
Vehicles.
S
paceports were often the first to feel the wrath of
invaders during the Horus Heresy, for many planets
relied on these thriving nexuses to survive. Along with
dedicated areas to land dropships and trade vessels,
they also boasted vast warehouses that were filled with
stockpiles of food, munitions and industrial goods. Such
battlefields were often a mix of Open Terrain, Ruins and
industrial Buildings.
Spaceport battlefields often feature large areas of Open
Terrain, landing fields and cargo pads, broken up by
areas of Impassable Terrain such as stacks of cargo
containers and large Buildings or areas of Ruins where
bombardments have shattered the port’s infrastructure.
Such isolated areas of cover and concealment are vital
strategic points amid the deadly open spaces of the
spaceport battlefield.
In addition to more normal Terrain Pieces, Zone Mortalis
floor tiles are perfect for representing the industrial zones
of a spaceport battlefield. Such tiles can be classed as
Open Terrain or Difficult Terrain, or split between both
as long as these areas are clear to all players before the
beginning of the game.
A unit of the Custodian Guard
engages the traitorous Night Lords
to secure a vital vantage point.
Spaceport battlefields are well suited for representing the
events of many key battles from the darkest years of the
Horus Heresy, such as the Word Bearers’ bitter betrayal
among the dockyards of Calth, the Traitor landings on
Baal, and even the heroic defence of the Lion’s Gate
spaceport on Terra.
Towering stacks of
armoured containers are
a common Impassable
Terrain piece for
spaceport battlefields.
The Night Lords make use of
artillery to turn the open ground
into a killing zone.
T
he Zone Mortalis range of terrain can be used to
create battlefields where close-quarters warfare of the
deadliest kind will take place, recreating such locations as
labyrinthine sewer systems, catacombs, the decks of a void
warship or the depths of hive cities.
Passageways and chambers can easily be represented
through the use of the Citadel Zone Mortalis terrain
range, using its modular walls to build chambers and
tunnels to fight over. Constructing such a battlefield
allows players’ imaginations to run wild, leading them to
build extensive tunnel complexes, multiple hive floors or
anything in between, with each location presenting its
own unique challenges. Such battlefields will need careful
definitions of the terrain in use, with walls that rise to
an unseen ceiling being designated as Impassable and
appropriate areas for the arrival of Reserves. Certain rules
or units, such as Deep Strike Assaults and Vehicles with
the Flyer sub-type, may be inappropriate depending on
the nature of the battlefield created.
Battles fought in such locations often rely on Infantry,
and heavier units such as Dreadnoughts or Automata,
with the battlefield’s confines often making it impossible
to field Vehicles. These battlefields are perfect for games
of massed infantry warfare, encouraging players to tailor
their armies to the unique setting. Events such as the
Treachery at Port Maw and the Primarch Leman Russ’
assault upon the Vengeful Spirit can be recreated using
the Zone Mortalis range of terrain.
Mechanicum
reinforcements pour
into an area walled
off by Impassable
Terrain, seeking
to stop the Sons of
Horus’ advance.
Forge stacks offer a
perfect vantage point,
but nearby Impassable
Terrain that reaches to
an unseen ceiling will
limit the line of sight
of units atop them.
Doorways can be freely
traversed in the same
manner as Open Terrain,
funnelling units into deadly
close-quarters combat.
Talons of the Emperor
Sanctioned by the Emperor himself, the Legio Custodes and the Sisters of Silence wielded the best armaments the Imperium
could offer – though few in number, the superior skill and weaponry of these elite forces can overcome almost any foe.
Battles in the Age of Darkness
Battles in the Age of Darkness
T
his section will guide you through the process of selecting, preparing for and playing an Age of Darkness mission –
a specific format of game intended to replicate the savage battles of the Horus Heresy. These missions are for games
with two players, using armies of between 1,750 and 3,500 points in size selected using the Crusade Force Organisation
chart presented on page 281. These missions are the standard format for games of Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness, and
are perfect for use as one-off games as well as part of a longer campaign. Other publications will present both additional
missions (following this same format), as well as variant styles of play that incorporate additional rules. Players may also
choose to modify these missions to accommodate more players, larger armies or other conditions of their choice, but if
any modifications are made, they should be agreed by all players involved before beginning play.
Age of Darkness Mission Format
The Age of Darkness Missions
All Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness missions follow
a standard format and are divided into the following
sections. If a given mission does not offer any advice in
one or more of these sections, simply use the standard
rules presented in this rulebook.
To begin with, an Age of Darkness mission will need to be
selected for the game. Players can either select a mission
from the list of those available that is agreeable to all
involved or roll randomly on the table. In the case of some
campaigns or variant forms of play, the list of available
missions may be different, or set missions may be specified
by the campaign. In these cases, the publication in which
the campaign or game variant is found will explain how to
select a mission.
The Armies: Any restrictions on the selection of
the armies involved, be they limits on total points
values, Factions allowed or other restrictions will be
described here.
Age of Darkness Mission Table
Setting up the Game: Any restrictions or requirements
regarding the arrangement of the playing surface or the
scenery to be used in the game will be described here.
Deployment: Any variations in the manner in which
armies are placed on the table, or in the deployment maps
to be used, will be described here.
First Turn: This section describes how to select which of
the players will take the first turn of the game.
Game Length: The number of turns of which the game
will be composed is described here.
Victory Conditions: The manner in which the game is
won is described here. If any of the standard Primary or
Secondary Objectives are used, they will be listed here.
Mission Special Rules: Any special rules to be used in the
mission will be listed here – those that are unique to that
mission will also be fully detailed.
D6
1
2
3
4
5
6
Mission
Blood Feud
Onslaught
Shatter Strike
Dominion
Tide of Carnage
War of Lies
The Battlefield
For most games of Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness,
the battlefield will take the form of a flat, stable surface
of any size or shape acceptable to the players; although
a rectangular area measuring 6' x 4' is considered the
standard size. The battlefield is considered to be Open
Terrain for all rules purposes (see page 221). A unit cannot
voluntarily move or be placed beyond the edge of the
established playing area, unless that unit or the mission
being played has a special rule that specifically allows the
unit to leave the battlefield.
Placing Terrain
After you have determined what mission you are playing
and arranged a space in which to play, you must then
place terrain from your collection to set up the battlefield.
Terrain may be placed by the simple expedient of each
player taking turns to place an individual piece or so that
they form an attractive battlefield, and can be themed in
‘sets’ (a power generator and industrial buildings, etc) or
simply placed roughly evenly across the table and then
randomised via the use of a Scatter dice and 2D6. For
ease of play, try to leave a gap of at least 2" between each
discreet area of terrain to allow for the clear passage of
Infantry models.
Depending on which mission you are fighting, it may
also have specific instructions on the terrain and
its set-up. In addition, if you are playing through a
particular campaign, you may have a particular style
of terrain or special rules that you can use to further
theme your battlefield.
The Horus Heresy-era Battlefield
Remember that, for an enjoyable game, where
neither close combat nor ranged units will
dominate, it is recommended that a mixture of
terrain is used. For example, some Terrain Pieces
able to block line of sight for large Vehicles (such
as rocky crags, industrial machinery, and buildings,
etc) and some Area Terrain providing cover for
infantry (such as craters, woods, jungle, swamps,
debris fields, hills and ruins, etc).
When put together, this terrain should have a
sufficient footprint to cover between a quarter and a
third of the surface of the playing area. A good rule
of thumb here is five or six larger pieces of scenery
(roughly 12" x 12" each) as well as three to six pieces
of smaller ‘scatter terrain’, which can comprise
a mixture of pieces roughly 6" x 6" or of larger
miniatures bases made up as terrain, such as stacks
of barrels, containers, sinkholes, small craters, small
vehicles, scrap piles, etc.
Fortifications
Some pieces of scenery, referred to as Fortifications, are
selected as part of a player’s army rather than as ‘neutral’
pieces of terrain controlled by neither player. If a
Fortification is taken as part of an army, its cost in points
is paid by the controlling player, then it is set up with the
rest of the army using the same rules as other models (as
set by the rules found in this section and in the mission
in use). Any Buildings set up as ‘neutral’ pieces of terrain
are part of neither players’ army.
Determine Deployment Map
After the terrain has been set up, you must determine
each player’s Deployment Zone. This will define the
area in which a player may set up their army, before the
first turn of the game. The use of a deployment map
stops armies from starting too close to each other, stops
the granting of advantages to either of the players, and
allows for a certain amount of manoeuvring before
the chaos of battle sets in. Each of the deployment
maps presented here as part of Horus Heresy – Age
of Darkness missions divides the battlefield into two
distinct Deployment Zones, one for each player. At the
start of the game, each player will deploy their entire
army, save where the mission’s rules or a unit’s special
rules dictate otherwise. Units that cannot fit into a
player’s Deployment Zone are placed into Reserve,
unless the mission’s rules or deployment instructions
state otherwise.
Some missions may specify which Deployment Zone
to use, or provide a custom deployment map. For those
missions that do not, or where players wish to utilise a
different deployment map, one of the following can be
used. In order to determine which map to use, when
the mission does not dictate one, players can select one
either by mutual agreement or by randomly rolling on the
Deployment Map table that follows.
Once the deployment map has been decided on, the
players should roll off. The winner of the roll-off selects
one of the Deployment Zones to be theirs, and their
opponent then takes the remaining Deployment Zone.
Player’s BattlefieldEdge
In addition to defining a Deployment Zone for each
player, a battlefield edge will need to be assigned to
each player. When models Fall Back, they will head
towards a player’s battlefield edge and it is also where
Reserve units will enter play. Most deployment maps
will specify a battlefield edge for each player. If the
mission being used does not, then the players can
either agree between them which battlefield edges they
will use or randomly select one for each player. When
selecting battlefield edges, it is generally most effective
to have each player’s battlefield edge on opposite sides
of the battlefield.
Age of Darkness Deployment Map Table
D6
1
2
3
4
5
6
Deployment Map Type
Clash of the Line
Dawn of War
Search and Destroy
Hammer and Anvil
Ambush
Vanguard Strike
Deployment Maps
Deployment Maps
1. Clash of the Line
Clash of the Line has two opposing
arrowhead-shaped Deployment Zones. When
deploying in either of these zones, no unit
can be deployed within 12" of the centre of
the battlefield during standard deployment.
The player’s own battlefield edge is the narrow
edge that forms the rear of their ‘arrowhead’.
2. Dawn of War
If players are using the Dawn of War
deployment map, the battlefield is divided
into two equal halves across its length.
For Dawn of War battles, a player’s battlefield
edge is the long battlefield edge touching
their own Deployment Zone.
3. Search and Destroy
The Search and Destroy deployment
map divides the battlefield into four
equal quarters. Each quarter constitutes
a Deployment Zone. Units may not be
deployed into the circular 18" diameter area at
the centre of the battlefield.
A player’s battlefield edges are any that form
part of their Deployment Zone.
4. Hammer and Anvil
If players are using the Hammer and Anvil
deployment map, the battlefield is divided
into two equal halves across its width.
For Hammer and Anvil battles, a player’s
battlefield edge is the short battlefield edge
touching their own Deployment Zone.
5. Ambush
The Ambush deployment map divides the
battlefield into three areas: a central Defender’s
area (representing the force being ambushed)
and two deployment areas on the narrow
battlefield edges which are both available to the
opposing player, representing the Attacking
forces that have set up the ambush.
The player winning the roll-off may opt to
take the part of the Attacker or the Defender,
and their opponent then takes the opposing
deployment type. The narrow battlefield
edges are the Attacking player’s, while the long
battlefield edges are the Defending player’s
(with any of the Defender’s Reserves entering
by the long edges, representing reinforcements
rushing to relieve the ambushed force).
6. Vanguard Strike
If using the Vanguard Strike deployment map,
the battlefield is divided into two equal halves
across its diagonal. The players then agree
which diagonal Deployment Zone each will
play or can instead randomise to decide.
For Vanguard Strike battles, a player’s
battlefield edge is the long battlefield edge
that touches their own Deployment Zone.
Deployment
The First Turn
The last step of pre-game preparation is to deploy the
two armies onto the battlefield. If you are using a Horus
Heresy – Age of Darkness mission, it will tell you how to
deploy the armies taking part in the battle. For missions
of the players’ own devising, or where no other method of
deployment is provided, a standard deployment procedure
is given as follows. You should feel free to devise other
methods for your own games if you prefer. For example,
some players like to place a screen across the centre of the
battlefield so that their armies can deploy in secret; others
draw a map showing where they plan to deploy their
units, and so on.
Once both armies have been set up on the battlefield,
the players must determine which of them will take the first
turn. If using a Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness mission,
then this information will be included with it, otherwise
the players must decide the starting player for themselves.
Whichever method you use, models must either deploy
within their Deployment Zone, or be held back in Reserve
(see page 309). Models can be deployed ‘inside’ Buildings,
Fortifications, or Transport Vehicles in their Deployment
Zone, subject to their Transport Capacity. Units may not
be deployed in Impassable Terrain. Note that models must
be deployed fully within their Deployment Zone.
Standard Deployment Method
The following sequence is used in most Horus Heresy –
Age of Darkness missions where another method is
not provided:
• The players roll off. The winner of the roll-off decides
who will deploy first and who will deploy second.
• The side deploying first must set up all the units
in their army.
• Then the other side sets up all the units in their army.
• The player who deployed first can choose to take the
first or second turn. If they decide to take the first turn,
their opponent can attempt to Seize the Initiative.
Not enough Room
Sometimes when deploying, some of the models
in a player’s army will not fit within the bounds of
their Deployment Zone. When this happens, any
units that can’t fit into the Deployment Zone must
be held back as Reserve (see page 309). It may also
be useful to reduce the amount of scenery in a
Deployment Zone, or shuffle it around slightly in
order to give models the space they need to deploy.
In most games, it will be the player who deployed
their army first who takes the first turn, however,
some missions may specify otherwise. If, for any reason,
there is no obvious way to decide which player will take
the first turn, the players should either agree on which of
them will do so or roll off, with the winner choosing to go
first or second.
Most Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness missions also make
use of the following rule, allowing the player designated
to take the second turn a chance to seize the initiative
and add a sense of unpredictability to the Turn sequence.
Unless a mission specifies otherwise, or both players agree
not to, the Seize the Initiative rule should be used.
Seize the Initiative: If the player who is due to go second
wishes to Seize the Initiative, that player can roll a D6
before beginning the first game turn. On a roll of 6,
they successfully Seize the Initiative and go first instead.
Game Length
For most games, the length of the game will be measured
as a number of Game Turns. When using a Horus Heresy
– Age of Darkness mission, it will indicate the total
number of Game Turns that should be played.
If, for whatever reason, a maximum number of turns is
not indicated, the players will need to decide on a length
for the game. If using a turn limit, then five or six turns
should be considered a standard game length – remember
that the larger the game is, the more time you’ll need.
Alternatively, you can play to a time limit, in which case
an hour or two is long enough for a small game with a few
dozen models, and two or three hours is long enough for a
larger game with a hundred or so models.
Some Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness missions use the
following rule for Variable Game Length to determine
how long a battle lasts:
Variable Game Length: At the end of Game Turn 5,
one of the players must roll a D6. On a 3+ the game
continues, otherwise the game is over. If another turn
is played, another D6 must be rolled at the end of Game
Turn 6, and this time, the game only continues on a roll
of 4+. The battle automatically ends at the close of
Game Turn 7.
Victory Conditions
Secondary Objectives
Although fighting until one player concedes or their army
is destroyed is a perfectly viable method of determining
who has won a battle, more commonly ‘Victory points’
(as follows) are used to decide the winner. Alternatively,
the players might wish to say that one side or the other
must achieve a specific objective; if they have achieved
this when the game ends, they win the battle, and if not
then the other side wins. Victory conditions like this are
most appropriate when you are refighting a battle based
on the background for the Horus Heresy, where each side
will have certain very specific goals.
Secondary Objectives are less important than Primary
Objectives, but can still mean the difference between
victory and defeat. Most Victory Point games will have
several Secondary Objectives, as specified by the mission,
and some of the most common are detailed below:
Slay the Warlord
If the enemy army has a Warlord, and at the end of the
game their Warlord has been removed as a casualty,
you score 1 Victory point. If that Warlord was also a
Primarch choice then an additional 1 Victory point
is scored.
Victory Points
Most of the Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness missions
published in this and other supplements use Victory
points. Such games are referred to as ‘Victory Point
games’. Victory points are acquired by securing Primary
and Secondary Objectives, and the winner is the army
with the most Victory points at the end of the game.
If the winner has twice the number of Victory points as
their opponent, it can be considered a crushing victory!
If both armies have the same number of Victory points,
the game is a tactical draw.
Sudden Death Victory
Generally, a Victory Point game will not finish before
the agreed turn limit. However, it is possible to achieve
a ‘sudden death victory’ in a Victory Point game in the
following circumstances:
If one player concedes the battle, the game ends and a
crushing victory goes to their opponent.
If, at the end of any Game Turn, one player has no models
left on the battlefield, their opponent automatically wins.
Units occupying a Building or Embarked on a Vehicle still
count as being on the battlefield, but units that are in
Reserve do not.
Primary Objectives
Primary Objectives define an army’s main goal on the
battlefield. This goal usually involves achieving the
objectives in question – by controlling one or more vital
sites or simply destroying parts of the enemy’s force.
Unless otherwise stated, both sides share a mission’s
Primary Objectives. If you are playing one of the Age of
Darkness missions presented in this book, it will tell you
how to determine your game’s Primary Objective.
Other mission types may use different methods,
which will be explained as part of those missions.
First Blood
The first unit, of any kind, to be completely destroyed
during the game is worth 1 Victory point to the opposing
player at the end of the game.
If two or more units from opposing forces are destroyed
simultaneously (for example, at the same Initiative step in
an Assault phase) then both players get 1 Victory point
(in addition to any Victory points from the mission).
Last Man Standing
The side with the greatest number of surviving units at
the end of the game gains an extra Victory point.
Attrition
The army which has destroyed the highest number of
enemy units at the end of the game gains an additional
Victory point.
Linebreaker
If, at the end of the game, a player has at least one model
from one or more Scoring units completely within 12" of
the enemy’s table edge, they score 1 Victory point.
The Price of Failure
If one army has a Lords of War unit and at the end of
the game all models in that unit have been removed as
Casualties, the opposing player scores 1 Victory point.
Terrain & Victory Conditions
Do not include any scenery models that were
not purchased as part of an army when awarding
Victory points or determining if a player has any
units ‘on the battlefield’.
Objective Markers
Some Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness missions require
the use of Objective markers. An Objective marker is
usually a point on the battlefield of particular importance
to one or both of the armies. These points are designated
by using specially modelled markers, coins or counters
around 1"-2" in diameter.
These restrictions aside, you can place Objective markers
anywhere on the battlefield. If there are a lot of Objective
markers, or a lot of terrain, you may sometimes find that
the last few are impossible to place using the established
rules. When this occurs, simply nudge the other Objective
markers by the smallest distance necessary to allow the
last ones to be placed.
Placing Objective Markers
Controlling Objective Markers
Missions that use Objective markers will contain details of
how many need to be placed and any special instructions
for how to place them on the battlefield. Unless instructed
otherwise in the mission, take it in turns to set up
Objective markers according to the following rules:
An Objective marker is considered under a player’s
control if there is at least one model from one of that
player’s Scoring units, and no models from enemy
Scoring or Denial units, within 3" of it. As different
Objective markers vary in shape and size, it is important
to agree at the beginning of the game exactly from
where this distance will be measured. Any unit that is in
a Building or Fortification is considered to be within 3"
of any Objective markers that are on or within 3" of the
Building or Fortification.
• Roll off to see who places the first marker.
• No Objective marker can be placed within 6"
of any battlefield edge or within 12" of another
Objective marker.
• No Objective marker can be placed on
Impassable Terrain.
• No Objective marker may be placed inside a Building,
though it can be placed upon it – should a Building with
an Objective upon it be removed, place the Objective
marker on the ground below the point it occupied.
A unit can only control one Objective marker at a time.
If a unit moves into a position where it could control
two Objective markers, the controlling player must
make it clear to their opponent which Objective the unit
is controlling.
For some missions, an Objective is defined as a certain
area of the battlefield rather than an Objective marker.
In these situations, the Objective is considered to be
controlled by a player if there is at least one of that
player’s Scoring units wholly within the defined zone,
and no models from enemy Scoring units wholly
within the defined zone. Any unit that is in a Building
or Fortification is considered to be wholly within an
Objective zone if the Fortification or Building they are
embarked in is wholly within that zone. Note that, for
controlling Objective zones, enemy Denial units are not
counted, only Scoring units can control or contest an
enemy’s control of a scoring zone.
Scoring Units
Any unit with the Line sub-type, and other units
whose Army List entries specifically note it, are a
Scoring unit, unless:
• It is Embarked upon a Transport Vehicle of any
kind (once Disembarked it may count as a Scoring
unit as normal).
• It is a Zooming Flyer.
• It has a special rule specifying that it never counts as a
Scoring unit.
• It is currently Falling Back or Pinned (if the unit
Regroups or recovers from Pinning, it immediately
reverts to being a Scoring unit again).
• It is a Building or Fortification.
Denial Units
Any other units in the game are considered
Denial units, unless:
• It is Embarked upon a Transport Vehicle of any
kind (once Disembarked it may count as a Denial
unit as normal).
• It is a Vehicle of any type.
• It has a special rule specifying that it never counts as a
Denial unit.
• It is currently Falling Back or Pinned (if the unit
Regroups or recovers from Pinning, it immediately
reverts to being a Denial unit again).
• It is a Building or Fortification.
Mission Special Rules
Night Fighting
Special rules can be added to a game to cover unique
situations, tactics or abilities that you feel need to be
represented in your battle. For example, if you were
fighting a battle set on a frozen ice world, you might
include special rules for snow drifts or the occasional
blizzard sweeping across the table. It is for you and your
opponent to decide if any special rules apply in your
games. One of the strengths of Horus Heresy – Age
of Darkness is that it is both easy and fun to devise
your own special rules. They are especially useful
when fighting a battle based on a story from the Horus
Heresy background, or which has a strong theme for
another reason. Just take care not to get carried away
– a couple of mission special rules can add much to a
game, but having too many special rules may bog the
game down.
If a mission has the Night Fighting special rule, either
player can declare that they wish to fight the battle
at night. If either player does so, roll a D6 before
deployment: on a 2+, the Night Fighting special rule is
in effect during Game Turn 1. At the beginning of Game
Turn 2, roll a D6, on the score of a 4+ the Night Fighting
special rule is in effect during Game Turn 2 as well. At
the end of Game Turn 2, all effects of the Night Fighting
special rule cease, and the special rule no longer has any
effect, unless another special rule states otherwise.
Some of the Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness missions
available use unique special rules which confer extra
abilities, restrictions or effects onto your games. The
Age of Darkness missions included in this book make
use of the more common mission special rules presented
here; many other missions will use these alongside their
own special rules and these will be detailed as a part of
that mission.
While the Night Fighting special rule is in effect, all units
on the battlefield are affected by the following conditions:
• All units suffer a -1 penalty to their Leadership and
Ballistic Skill.
• No unit may draw line of sight to any unit that is more
than 24" away. Barrage weapons targeting units more
than 24" away must re-roll all results of ‘Hit’ on the
Scatter dice.
The penalty to Leadership is ignored by any unit
with the Fearless or Stubborn special rules.
A Primarch unit, or any unit with the Night Vision
special rule ignores both the penalties to Leadership
and Ballistic Skill and the restrictions on drawing line
of sight to other units.
Reserve
Reserves are forces that can be called upon to reinforce
a battle at short notice, or to conceal an army’s true
strength from the foe.
Preparing Reserves
When deploying their armies, players can choose not to
deploy some of their units, keeping them in Reserve to
arrive later. In addition, if it is impossible to deploy a unit
for any reason, it must be placed in Reserve. The only
exceptions to this are units that cannot move after they
have been deployed, such as Fortifications or any model
with a Movement Characteristic of 0. Such units are
removed as casualties if it is impossible to deploy them
during the Deployment step of Preparing for Battle
(see page 304).
Combined Reserve Units
During deployment, when deciding which units are kept
in Reserve, the controlling player must specify if any of
the Independent Characters in Reserve are joining a unit,
in which case they must arrive together. Similarly, the
controlling player must specify if any units in Reserve
are embarked upon any Transport Vehicles in Reserve, in
which case they will arrive together. In either case, when
making a Reserve roll (as follows) for a combined unit, roll
a single D6 for the unit and/or its Independent Character/
Transport Vehicle.
Arriving from Reserve
At the start of the Active player’s second turn, roll a D6
for each unit in that player’s army that is being held in
Reserve – these are known as ‘Reserve rolls’. If the roll is a
3 or more, that unit arrives this turn. If the roll is less than
3, it remains in Reserve and is rolled for again next turn.
If a successful Reserve roll is made for a unit, that unit
must be moved onto the battlefield this turn. From the
start of Game Turn 4 all Reserve rolls are considered to
automatically succeed, unless another special rule states
otherwise, and all of the Active player’s units that are in
Reserve must be moved onto the battlefield or they are
considered destroyed.
Some special rules can modify the roll required for a unit
to arrive from Reserve. Regardless of the modifier(s), a
natural roll of a 1 always means that the unit in question
remains in Reserve, and a natural roll of a 6 always means
that the unit in question arrives from Reserve.
Any unit for which a successful Reserve roll has been
made must move onto the Battlefield at the start of the
Controlling player’s Movement phase, before any other
models are moved. Select one of the Active player’s
arriving units and deploy it, moving it onto the table
in the manner described as follows. Then pick another
arriving unit and deploy it, and so on until all arriving
units are on the table. The Active player can then proceed
to move their other units as normal.
Moving on from Reserve
When a Reserve unit arrives, it must move onto the
battlefield from the controlling player’s battlefield edge
(see page 301 ). Measure the model’s move from the edge of
the battlefield, as if they had been positioned just off the
battlefield in the previous turn. A unit cannot Charge, or
use any abilities or special rules that must be used at the
start of the turn, in the turn it arrives from Reserve. If the
Reactive player chooses to declare a Reaction in response
to the movement of a unit that has entered play from
Reserve that turn, then they may only use the Interceptor
Reaction (see below).
If, for some reason, a model’s maximum Move is
insufficient to fit the entire model onto the battlefield,
or it becomes Immobilised whilst moving onto the
battlefield, place the model as far onto the battlefield as
you can. If this leaves the model in a position where it may
fall off the battlefield, then mark the position the model is
meant to be occupying in some manner, and then position
it more safely.
Advanced Reaction: Interceptor
Advanced Reactions are available to specific
players as noted in their description. Unlike Core
Reactions, they are activated in unique and specific
circumstances, as noted in their descriptions, and
can often have game changing effects. Advanced
Reactions use up points of a Reactive player’s
Reaction Allotment as normal and obey all other
restrictions placed upon Reactions, unless it is
specifically noted otherwise in their description.
Interceptor - This Advanced Reaction may be made
whenever an enemy unit enters play from Reserve
within line of sight of a friendly unit, and within the
maximum range of at least one weapon in that unit.
The Reacting unit may make a Shooting Attack,
targeting a unit deployed onto the battlefield in this
Phase and following all the usual rules for Shooting
Attacks. Vehicles may only fire Defensive weapons,
unless another rule specifically states otherwise.
Shooting Attacks made as part of the Interceptor
Reaction do not cause Morale checks, regardless of
the number of casualties inflicted.
Unless otherwise specified by another rule, making
this Reaction expends a point from the Reactive
player’s Reaction Allotment for the Phase in which
the Reaction is made.
Leaving the Battlefield
If a unit goes into Reserve part of the way through the
game, such as a Flyer leaving the battlefield, then it reenters Reserve. Units that re-enter Reserve are treated
exactly like any other unit in Reserve, and must roll to see
if they may re-enter play as per the normal rules. Any unit
that re-enters Reserve on Turn 3 or later must re-enter
play at the start of the Controlling player’s next turn; if it
does not then it is considered destroyed.
Note that only models with a special rule that indicates
they may leave play and re-enter Reserve may do so; if a
unit without such a special rule leaves the battlefield, for
any reason, then it is considered destroyed and does not
re-enter Reserve.
Reserves: Deep Strike Assault
A Deep Strike is a coordinated drop from high altitude,
or, in some cases, from low orbit voidcraft. Only the most
elite armies can hope to undertake such a risky strategy,
for should the troops assigned to the drop waver, then it is
likely the entire strike will fail. However, a successful Deep
Strike can see the enemy’s formation broken apart and
their troops scattered.
Before the start of Game Turn 1, when placing units into
Reserve, a player may choose to assign one or more of
their units in Reserve to perform a Deep Strike Assault.
All models in a unit assigned to Deep Strike Assault must
have the Deep Strike special rule, unless Embarked on a
Transport Vehicle that has the Deep Strike special rule itself.
Unless stated otherwise by a specific rule, a player may only
make a single Deep Strike Assault, and any units with the
Deep Strike special rule not assigned to the Deep Strike
Assault (or another Reserve action) must either deploy
normally or enter play from Reserve as normal. However,
this does not limit the player’s ability to undertake any other
Reserve action, such as a Flanking Assault or other actions
described in specific army lists or special rules.
When rolling for Reserve, roll a single D6 for all of the
units assigned to the Deep Strike Assault rather than
rolling separately for each unit. If the roll is successful,
and the controlling player chooses to bring them into
play, then all of the Deep Striking units must enter play
in that turn and follow the Deep Strike Assault procedure
described below:
Performing a Deep Strike Assault
Once a Reserve roll for the units assigned to the Deep
Strike Assault has succeeded and the units are to be
brought into play, the controlling player selects one of the
available units to deploy first. Place a single model from
that unit anywhere on the battlefield that is at least 1"
from any enemy model, table edge or piece of Impassable
Terrain and then scatter that model (see the Scatter rules
on page 152).
If the model’s final position is within 1" of an enemy model,
any battlefield edge or a piece of Impassable Terrain, then
the controlling player’s opponent may move that model
to any position within 18" that is more than 1" from any
enemy model, battlefield edge or piece of Impassable
Terrain. If there is no suitable position within 18" then the
model may be repositioned anywhere on the battlefield
that is more than 1" from any enemy model, battlefield
edge or piece of Impassable Terrain. If possible, the model
must be placed in a position that will allow the remainder
of the squad to deploy (as follows), and may only be placed
in a position that denies the remainder of the squad a place
within unit coherency if no other position is available.
Once the model’s final position has been decided, the
remainder of the unit may be deployed anywhere that is
within unit coherency and more than 1" from any enemy
model or piece of Impassable Terrain. Any models that
cannot be placed are removed as casualties.
Once this first unit has been deployed, roll a D6. On the
roll of a ‘1’, the Deep Strike Assault is Disordered, and
the opposing player may deploy each other unit in the
Deep Strike Assault anywhere within 24" of the first unit
without scattering, though no model may be within 1"
of an enemy model or within Impassable Terrain. If the
roll is a ‘2’ or higher, then the controlling player deploys
each other unit anywhere within 12" of the first, though
no model may be within 1" of an enemy model or within
Impassable Terrain.
Once all units are deployed, any enemy units that have
one or more models within 6" of any unit deployed as
part of the Deep Strike Assault must make an immediate
Pinning test. Once all Pinning tests are resolved, any
enemy units that are neither Pinned or Falling Back and
are within line of sight and range may choose to make
the Interceptor Reaction (see page 309) targeting any one
of the units deployed as part of the Deep Strike Assault.
Note that no Reaction other than Interceptor may be
made against the deployment of a unit as part of a Deep
Strike Assault.
Once all units from the Deep Strike Assault have been
deployed and any Interceptor Reactions have been
resolved, the turn proceeds as normal. Units that have
been deployed as part of a Deep Strike Assault may not
Move or Run in the same Movement phase as they are
deployed, but may Shoot and Assault as normal.
Once all units have been assigned to the Flanking Assault,
and all units in both armies have been deployed, but
before any Infiltrators deploy or Scout moves are made,
place a Flanking marker at any point along the edge
of the battlefield (including within the enemy player’s
Deployment Zone). This marker represents the intended
arrival point of the Flanking Assault.
When rolling for Reserve, roll a single D6 for all of the
units assigned to the Flanking Assault rather than rolling
separately for each unit. If the roll is successful, and the
controlling player chooses to bring them into play, then all
of the Flanking Assault units must enter play in that turn
and follow the Flanking Assault procedure described below.
Performing a Flanking Assault
Once a Reserve roll for the units assigned to the Flanking
Assault has succeeded and the units are to be brought into
play, the controlling player must roll a D6. On the roll of
a ‘1’, the Flanking Assault is Disordered and the enemy
player may move the Flanking marker up to 24" in either
direction along the edge of the battlefield. If the roll is a
‘2’ or higher then the player making the Flanking Assault
may move the Flanking marker up to 6" in either direction
along the edge of the battlefield. Once the Flanking
marker’s final position has been determined, the Flanking
Assault unit’s controlling player may move the Flanking
Assault units onto the battlefield, measuring from the
point marked by the Flanking marker, one at a time in an
order of their choice. These units may move up to their
Movement Characteristic, follow all the normal rules for
Movement and may choose to Run. If there is not enough
room for all the units taking part in the Flanking Assault
to move onto the battlefield, then those that cannot fit
must remain in Reserve and move onto the battlefield in
their controlling player’s next turn.
Reserves: Flanking Assault
A flanking assault commits a portion of the army’s
strength to a hidden attack on the enemy’s rear. While
the flanking elements seek a path to the enemy’s weakest
point, the main elements must stand their ground alone
and unsupported. It is a risky strategy, but one likely to
bring about the defeat of even the strongest foe.
Before the start of Game Turn 1, when placing units into
Reserve, a player may choose to assign one or more of
their units in Reserve to perform a Flanking Assault. All
models in a unit assigned to Flanking Assault must have
the Outflank special rule, unless embarked on a Transport
Vehicle that has the Outflank special rule itself.
Unless stated otherwise by a specific rule, a player may
only make a single Flanking Assault. However, this does
not limit the player’s ability to undertake any other
Reserve action, such as a Deep Strike Assault or other
actions described in specific army lists or special rules.
Once all Flanking Assault units have moved onto the
battlefield, any enemy units that have one or more models
within 6" of any unit deployed as part of the Flanking Assault
must make an immediate Pinning test. Once all Pinning
tests are resolved, any enemy units that are neither Pinned
nor Falling Back and are within line of sight may choose to
make the Interceptor Reaction targeting any one of the units
deployed as part of the Flanking Assault. Units that were
unable to deploy in the initial Flanking deployment and were
forced to remain in Reserve do not generate Pinning tests
when they move onto the battlefield, but may be targeted by
Interceptor Reactions (see page 309).
Once all units from the Flanking Assault have moved onto
the battlefield and any Interceptor Reactions have been
resolved, the turn proceeds as normal. Units that have
moved onto the battlefield as part of a Flanking Assault
may not move or Run again in the current Movement
phase, but may Shoot and Assault as normal.
Missions
Mission 1
Blood Feud
‘Blood will have Blood, Sorrow piles upon Sorrow, Vengeance breeds Vengeance.’
Ancient Terran Proverb
The Armies
Primary Objectives
For this mission, all players select armies using the
standard Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness rules and any
one Force Organisation chart of each player’s choice, to an
agreed points limit.
Blood Feud: After setting up and deploying the armies,
but before play begins, each player should secretly note
down a particular Blood Feud from the list below. At
the end of the game, the player’s chosen Blood Feud is
revealed. Each player gains additional Victory points for
each enemy unit which has either been destroyed or is
Falling Back at the end of the game, and is of the type(s)
listed for their selected Blood Feud.
Setting up the Game
Before any models are deployed, deployment maps must
be determined and all scenery set up, except Fortifications
included as part of any army.
Deployment
To determine deployment order, the players roll off.
The winner may choose to deploy first or second.
The player who deploys first selects their Deployment
Zone and then deploys their entire force, including any
Fortifications they possess, except for any units held in
Reserve, into their Deployment Zone.
The player who is deploying second then deploys their
entire force, including any Fortifications they possess,
except for any units placed in Reserve, into their
Deployment Zone.
Each player should determine their Blood Feud target (see
the Victory Conditions section).
Blood Feud
• Infantry: +1 Victory point per unit
• Daemon: +1 Victory point per unit
• Dreadnought & Automata: +2 Victory points per unit
• Cavalry & Flyers: +2 Victory points per unit
• Non-flyer Vehicles: +2 Victory points per unit
• Primarch: +6 Victory Points per unit
Secondary Objectives
Slay the Warlord: If a side destroyed the enemy Warlord,
that side gains 1 Victory point. If that Warlord was also
a Primarch choice, then an additional Victory point is
scored. Note that this is in addition to any points gained
via Blood Feud, etc.
Last Man Standing: The side with the greatest
number of surviving units at the end of the game gains
+1 Victory point.
First Turn
The player who deploys first also has the first turn, unless
their opponent can Seize the Initiative.
The Price of Failure: (If Lords of War units are used).
Mission Special Rules
Game Length
This mission lasts for six turns.
Victory Conditions
This mission’s victory conditions are achieved by the
destruction of the enemy’s fighting strength, with a
particular strategic target in mind whose loss will cripple
their foe. At the end of the game, the player who has
scored the most Victory points has won the game. If the
players have the same number of Victory points, the game
ends in a draw.
• Reserves
• Night Fighting
Mission 2
Onslaught
‘Victory is won by the precise application of superior force at the point of maximum vulnerability.
All else —deft manoeuvre, honour, glory, skill-at-arms— all are worthless trivia in comparison,
no matter what pretty lies my brothers may spout to the contrary.’
Perturabo, Primarch of the Iron Warriors
The Armies
Secondary Objectives
For this mission, all players select armies using the
standard Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness rules and any
one Force Organisation chart of each player’s choice, to an
agreed points limit.
Slay the Warlord: If a side destroyed the enemy
Warlord, that side gains 1 Victory point. If that Warlord
was also a Primarch choice, then an additional Victory
point is scored.
Setting up the Game
Attrition: The army which has destroyed the highest
number of enemy units at the end of the game gains +1
Victory point.
Before any models are deployed, deployment maps must
be determined and all scenery set up, except Fortifications
included as part of any army.
The Price of Failure: (If Lords of War units are used).
Deployment
To determine deployment order, the players roll off.
The winner may choose to deploy first or second.
The player who deploys firstselects their deployment zone
and then deploys firstusing the Staged Deployment special
rule (see Mission Special Rules), followed by the second player.
Mission Special Rules
• Reserves
• Night Fighting
• Staged Deployment
Staged Deployment
After both sides have deployed, including Infiltrators
and after Scout redeployments have been made, each
player places a single Onslaught Objective marker in their
opponent’s Deployment Zone and further than 6" away
from any battlefield edge, with the player that deployed
first placing the first Objective.
First Turn
The player who deploys first also has the first turn, unless
their opponent can Seize the Initiative.
Game Length
This mission lasts for six turns.
Victory Conditions
The Onslaught mission represents an attempt to break
the enemy line through shock and brute force. At the end
of the game, the player who has scored the most Victory
points has won the game. If the players have the same
number of Victory points, the game ends in a draw.
Primary Objectives
Onslaught Attack: Any enemy unit destroyed in the first
Game Turn is worth 1 Victory point.
Seize the Onslaught Objectives: If a player has control of the
Onslaught Objective in their opponent’s Deployment Zone at
the end of the game, that player gains 5 Victory points.
Rather than deploy their entire army at once, the
player who deploys first deploys a single unit on to
the table, then their opponent deploys a unit, in the
Staged Deployment order shown below.
After this has been done, the two players continue
to alternate deployment of their units until they
have both fully deployed (except any units held in
Reserve, etc).
It is entirely possible that one side will run out of
units to deploy before the other. If this is the case,
then the player with the larger number of units
may deploy their remainder as they wish after their
opponent has run out.
Staged Deployment Order
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
First: Fortifications
Second: Lords of War & Primarch units
Third: Heavy Support units
Fourth: Troops units
Fifth: Elites units
Sixth: HQ units
Seventh: Fast Attack units
Mission 3
Shatter Strike
‘It is not enough to take from an enemy their life—rather take from them also their places of safety, their allies,
their homes and their loved ones. Crush all those in their care, lay their chattels to waste and then drive them alone and naked
into the darkness. Take everything they have and burn it for the mere pleasure of seeing the ash crackle between your fingers,
and call it nothing more than a beginning.’
Jaghatai Khan, Primarch of the White Scars
The Armies
Primary Objectives
For this mission, all players select armies using the
standard Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness rules and any
one Force Organisation chart of each player’s choice, to an
agreed points limit.
Shatter Strike: At the end of the game, each player scores
2 Victory points for every friendly Scoring unit in their
opponent’s Deployment Zone, and 1 Victory point for
every friendly Denial unit in their opponent’s Deployment
Zone. Scoring and Denial units are defined on page 307,
under Controlling Objectives.
Setting up the Game
Before any models are deployed, deployment maps must
be determined and all scenery set up, except Fortifications
included as part of any army.
Deployment
To determine deployment order, the players roll off.
The winner may choose to deploy first or second.
The player who deploys first selects their Deployment
Zone and then deploys their entire force, including any
Fortifications they possess, except for any units held in
Reserve, into their Deployment Zone.
The player who is deploying second then deploys their
entire force, including any Fortifications they possess,
except for any units placed in Reserve, into their
Deployment Zone.
First Turn
The player who deploys first also has the first turn, unless
their opponent can Seize the Initiative.
Game Length
After five turns, roll a D6. On the roll of a 4+, a sixth and
final turn is played.
Victory Conditions
The victory conditions of this mission are tied to taking
ground from the enemy. At the end of the game, the
player who has scored the most Victory points has won
the game. If the players have the same number of Victory
points, the game ends in a draw.
Secondary Objectives
Slay the Warlord: If a side destroyed the enemy
Warlord, that side gains 1 Victory point. If that Warlord
was also a Primarch choice, then an additional Victory
point is scored.
Attrition: The army which has destroyed the highest
number of enemy units at the end of the game gains
+1 Victory point.
The Price of Failure: (If Lords of War units are used).
Mission Special Rules
• Reserves
• Night Fighting
Mission 4
Dominion
‘And where my hand shall strike, the foes of Mankind shall be laid waste; so shall I be the hammer of the Emperor, and I shall never tire.’
Atrbt. Ferrus Manus, before the Battle of Ke’ar Madoc
The Armies
Secondary Objectives
For this mission, all players select armies using the
standard Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness rules and any
one Force Organisation chart of each player’s choice, to an
agreed points limit.
Slay the Warlord*: If a side destroyed the enemy
Warlord, they gain D3 extra Victory points. If that
Warlord was also a Primarch choice, then an additional
+3 Victory points are scored.
Setting up the Game
Attrition*: The army which has destroyed the highest
number of enemy units at the end of the game gains D3
additional Victory points.
Before any models are deployed, deployment maps
must be determined and all scenery set up, except
Fortifications included as part of any army. Finally,
place mission Objectives in accordance with the
Mission Special Rules section.
The Price of Failure (If Lords of War units are used).
*Note that the rewards for these Secondary Objectives are
intentionally greater than normal.
Deployment
To determine deployment order, the players roll off.
The winner may choose to deploy first or second.
The player who deploys first selects their Deployment
Zone and then deploys their entire force, including any
Fortifications they possess, except for any units held in
Reserve, into their Deployment Zone.
The player who is deploying second then deploys their entire
force, including any Fortifications they possess, except for
any units placed in Reserve, into their Deployment Zone.
First Turn
The player who deployed first also has the first turn,
unless their opponent can Seize the Initiative.
Mission Special Rules
• Reserves
• Night Fighting
• Dominion Objectives
Dominion Objectives
This mission uses five Objective markers. During
the game’s set-up, but before deployment has been
determined, the players take turns in placing one
Objective each in the area of the table outside of the
players’ Deployment Zones until all of the Objectives
have been placed. These markers may not be placed
within 6" of each other or a battlefield edge.
Alternative – Objective Terrain
Game Length
After five turns, roll a D6. On a 4+, a sixth and final
turn is played.
Victory Conditions
The victory conditions of this mission are achieved by
first taking objectives in the heart of the war zone and
then retaining control of them through the course of the
battle. At the end of the game, the player who has scored
the most Victory points has won the game. If the players
have the same number of Victory points, the game ends
in a draw.
Primary Objectives
Dominion Objectives: At the start of each Active player’s
turn, the current Active player gains 1 Victory point for each
Objective marker they control. These Victory points are kept
even if that Objective is lost later in the game, and contribute
to the player’s Victory points total at the end of the game.
Rather than use Objective markers, if both sides agree,
individual pieces of terrain may instead be specified
as the mission’s Objectives. It is suggested in this case
that three terrain pieces be used, which must be fully
located outside of either players’ Deployment Zones
and suitably marked to identify them. Each should be
distinct and easily identifiable, and have a suggested
total size of no less than 6" on each side and no more
than 12" on each side, and be substantial enough to
provide cover to Infantry models inside them. Suitable
types of terrain include ruins, large shell craters,
redoubts, derelict buildings, vehicle wrecks, etc.
In order to claim or deny a piece of Objective Terrain,
a valid Scoring or Denial unit (as appropriate) must
have at least one model within 6" of the centre of the
terrain’s ground level. A unit may never claim or deny
more than a single piece of Objective Terrain at once.
Mission 5
Tide of Carnage
‘All I wish to hear from your imperfect world is the silence of its dead.’
Lord Commander Lothreal Sabine of the Emperor’s Children,
Communiqué to the Judicator of Nalislarr
The Armies
Primary Objectives
For this mission, all players select armies using the
standard Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness rules and any
one Force Organisation chart of each player’s choice, to an
agreed points limit.
Tide of Carnage: Each sector of the battlefield is worth a
certain amount of Victory points for the side who controls
it at the end of the game. In order to claim a sector, a side
must have one or more Scoring units in the sector and the
enemy must have no Scoring units left in that sector.
Setting up the Game
Before any models are deployed, deployment maps must
be determined and all scenery set up, except Fortifications
included as part of any army.
Deployment
To determine deployment order, the players roll off.
The winner may choose to deploy first or second.
The player who deploys first selects their Deployment
Zone and then deploys their entire force, including any
Fortifications they possess, except for any units held in
Reserve, into their Deployment Zone.
The sectors of the battlefield are defined as follows:
• Player’s own Deployment Zone: 3 Victory points
• No Man’s Land (the area of the battlefieldwhich is
not covered by either Deployment Zone): 5 Victory
points
• Opposing player’s Deployment Zone: 7 Victory points
Secondary Objectives
Slay the Warlord: If a side destroyed the enemy
Warlord, that side gains 1 Victory point. If that Warlord
was also a Primarch choice, then an additional Victory
point is scored.
The player who is deploying second then deploys their
entire force, including any Fortifications they possess,
except for any units placed in Reserve, into their
Deployment Zone.
Last Man Standing: The side with the greatest
number of surviving units at the end of the game gains
+1 Victory point.
First Turn
The Price of Failure: (If Lords of War units are used).
The player who deploys first also has the first turn, unless
their opponent can Seize the Initiative.
Mission Special Rules
Game Length
This mission lasts for five turns.
Victory Conditions
The victory conditions of this mission are achieved by
forcing the enemy back from the battlefield. At the end
of the game, the player who has scored the most Victory
points has won the game. If the players have the same
number of Victory points, the game ends in a draw.
• Reserves
• Night Fighting
• Heavy Armour
Heavy Armour
In addition to the usual Scoring units, all Vehicles
that are not Flyers, are also classed as Scoring units
in this mission.
Mission 6
War of Lies
‘In any battle, great or small, the most insignificant of terrain and the most worthless of ground can, for minutes,
or perhaps hours, become so valuable that the blood of heroes and the wealth of an army’s supply does not outweigh it.
The true general knows when such a price is worth paying, and when the butcher’s bill is sheer folly to pay.’
Roboute Guilliman, ext. ‘On War’
The Armies
Primary Objectives
For this mission, all players select armies using the
standard Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness rules and any
one Force Organisation chart of each player’s choice, to an
agreed points limit.
Death Toll: At the end of the game, each side gains
1 Victory point for each unit they have destroyed or that
is Falling Back at the end of the game.
Setting up the Game
Before any models are deployed, deployment maps must
be determined and all scenery set up, except Fortifications
included as part of any army.
A single Objective marker is placed as close to the centre
of the battlefield as possible. Each player then takes turns
placing two Objective markers each, elsewhere on the
battlefield, no closer than 12" from another Objective
marker, and no closer than 6" from any battlefield edge.
Deployment
To determine deployment order, the players roll off.
The winner may choose to deploy first or second.
The player who deploys first selects their Deployment
Zone and then deploys their entire force, including any
Fortifications they possess, except for any units held in
Reserve, into their Deployment Zone.
The player who is deploying second then deploys their
entire force, including any Fortifications they possess,
except for any units placed in Reserve, into their
Deployment Zone.
First Turn
The player who deploys first also has the first turn, unless
their opponent can Seize the Initiative.
Game Length
This mission lasts for six turns.
Victory Conditions
The victory conditions of this mission reflect the anarchy
and uncertainty of civil war, where goals desperately
fought over and bled for may ultimately prove worthless.
At the end of the game, the player who has scored the most
Victory points has won the game. If the players have the
same number of Victory points, the game ends in a draw.
War of Lies: At the end of the game, roll a D6 on the
following table to determine the worth, if any, of each
Objective controlled by the player at the end of the game.
Roll once for each Objective.
D6
1-2
3-4
5-6
Result
No Victory points
1 Victory point
3 Victory points
Secondary Objectives
Slay the Warlord: If a side destroyed the enemy
Warlord, that side gains 1 Victory point. If that Warlord
was also a Primarch choice, then an additional Victory
point is scored.
The Price of Failure: (If Lords of War units are used).
Mission Special Rules
• Reserves
Imperial Fists
The indomitable warriors of the VIIth Legion, led by the Primarch Rogal Dorn, wield a vast panoply of devastating weapons.
Squadrons of heavy siege tanks, ranks of Terminators and large numbers of Dreadnoughts are common sights when the
Imperial Fists march to war.
“T
he fires of Horus’ war would bring death to every corner of the Imperium. All that
would distinguish one sector from another in the eyes of history was how they chose
to face their end, be they Loyalist or Traitor. For the hero could die but once, while the
coward dies anew with each retelling of their infamy.”
Aleks Niebuhr, Imperial Historiographer, 073.M31
Psychic Disciplines
Psychic Disciplines
M
odels with the Psyker sub-type gain a number of special rules and abilities to represent their esoteric and
dangerous arts. These collections of abilities are known as Disciplines, and represent one of a myriad of possible
focuses for a battle Psyker. Each Discipline will be composed of a set of special rules, Psychic Weapons and Psychic
Powers themed to represent the specific talents of a certain strain of battle Psyker, and those Disciplines available
to a given Psyker will be listed on their Army List entry. Some models may be able to choose from several different
Disciplines, however, they only gain abilities from one that is selected or set as part of their basic abilities. When a
model or unit is granted a Discipline or is asked to select one, they gain all powers, attacks and other rules included as
part of that Discipline. Some models may be able to take more than one Discipline, if so, they gain all abilities from all
Disciplines selected.
If, for any reason, a model has, or gains, the Psyker sub-type but does not gain access to any Psychic Disciplines as part
of either its Army List entry or Faction rules, then it gains access to one of the Core Disciplines described below – if this
option is used then that model may not gain or use any other Psychic Powers or Psychic Weapons from any other source.
Core Psychic Discipline List
The following is a list of Core Psychic Disciplines,
representing the most common and well known spheres
of psychic study and power in the Imperium during the
age of the Horus Heresy. Other publications may detail
other Disciplines to represent the powers available to
other Factions or specific warriors, but these remain
available only to models specifically noted as having
access to them, and are not considered part of the Core
Disciplines presented here.
Any Psyker that selects one of the Core Psychic Disciplines
also gains the Aetheric Lightning Psychic Weapon.
Aetheric Lightning (Psychic Weapon)
Aetheric lightning is the fury of the Warp itself, coalesced and
given form by the will of the psyker and directed at their foes
like a storm of eldritch power.
Aetheric Lightning
Range Str AP Type
18"
3 4 Assault 4, Force
Force: Any Psyker with a weapon or ability with this
special rule may choose to make a Psychic check before
making any attacks with that weapon or resolving the
ability. If the test is successful then the Strength value
of any attacks made is doubled. If the test is failed then
a Perils of the Warp attack is resolved targeting the unit
containing the model that failed its test. If the Psyker
survives Perils of the Warp then it may attack as normal.
Psychic Discipline: Biomancy
Psychic Discipline: Divination
A Psyker with this Discipline gains all the listed Powers,
weapons and other special rules, as well as the Aetheric
Lightning Psychic Weapon (see page 322 ).
A Psyker with this Discipline gains all the listed Powers,
weapons and other special rules, as well as the Aetheric
Lightning Psychic Weapon (see page 322 ).
Biomantic Augmentation (Psychic Power)
Biomancers specialise in manipulating biological energy
and processes with the power of their minds. They are masters
of the flesh, learning to shape and influence the physical
forms of themselves, their allies or their enemies, according
to their will.
Divinatory Aegis (Psychic Power)
Diviners can effortlessly predict the paths of bullets and
swords. By focusing their warp-sight even more closely, they
can guide their allies’ aim, bringing a swift and merciless
death to their foes.
Instead of making a Shooting Attack, a Psyker with this
Psychic Power may select a single friendly unit within
6", that unit increases its Strength by +1 for the duration
of the current player turn. When using this power, the
controlling player may choose to have the Psyker take a
Psychic check. If the Check is passed then both Strength
and Toughness are increased by +1 for the duration of
the current player turn. If the Check is failed, then the
target unit gains no benefit and the Psyker suffers Perils
of the Warp.
Instead of making a Shooting Attack, a Psyker with this
Psychic Power may select a single friendly unit within
12". The target unit gains the Precision Strikes (6+) and
Precision Shots (6+) special rules for the duration of
the current player turn. When using this power, the
controlling player may choose to have the Psyker take a
Psychic check. If the Check is passed then the target unit
instead gains the Precision Strikes (5+) and Precision Shots
(5+) special rules for the duration of the current player
turn. If the Check is failed then no additional benefit is
gained and the Psyker suffers Perils of the Warp.
Biomancer’s Rage (Psychic Weapon)
A true biomancer eschews the use of weapons in melee,
instead relying on their psychically enhanced strength to tear
apart flesh and steel with terrifying ease.
Diviner’s Dart (Psychic Weapon)
The diviner can manifest their fury as a bolt of psychic energy,
a dart that twists and spirals through the carnage of battle to
unerringly strike the target’s weakest point.
Biomancer’s Rage
Range Str AP Type
10 4 Melee,
Rending (4+),
Psychic Focus
Psychic Focus: Before making any To Hit rolls with this
weapon, the Psyker must make a Psychic check. If the
Check is passed, then the Psyker may attack as normal
using the profile shown for this weapon. If the Check is
failed, then the Psyker suffers Perils of the Warp, and if the
model is not removed as a casualty then it may attack as
normal but may not use this weapon.
Diviner’s Dart
Range Str AP Type
18"
6 2 Assault 1,
Sniper,
Guided Fire,
Psychic Focus
Psychic Focus: Before making any To Hit rolls with this
weapon, the Psyker must make a Psychic check. If the
Check is passed, then the Psyker may attack as normal
using the profile shown for this weapon. If the Check is
failed, then the Psyker suffers Perils of the Warp, and if the
model is not removed as a casualty then it may attack as
normal but may not use this weapon.
Psychic Discipline: Pyromancy
A Psyker with this Discipline gains all the listed Powers,
weapons and other special rules, as well as the Aetheric
Lightning Psychic Weapon (see page 322 ).
Pyromantic Combustion (Psychic Power)
Focusing their anger, the pyromancer can melt or incinerate
anything that stands in their path in a heartbeat. Yet when their
rage boils over, the blast of ash and roaring flame consumes vast
swathes of the battlefield and leaves only destruction in its wake.
Instead of making a Shooting Attack, a Psyker with this
Psychic Power can place a Large Blast (5") marker anywhere
on the battlefield that is entirely within 18" and within
line of sight of the Psyker. Once placed, scatter the marker
D6" to determine its final position and then leave it in
place until the beginning of the controlling player’s next
Shooting phase. The area under the marker counts as
Difficult Terrain and any model, friendly or enemy, under
the marker’s final position, or that moves onto or through
the marker, suffers a Strength 6, AP 4 Hit. When using this
Psychic Power, the controlling player may choose to have
the Psyker take a Psychic check. If the Check is passed then
the Psyker’s controlling player may place and scatter up
to three Large Blast (5") markers instead of just one. Any
model under more than one Blast marker placed using this
Psychic Power suffers 1 Hit for each Blast marker it is under.
If the Check is failed then the power fails completely, no
markers are placed and the Psyker suffers Perils of the Warp.
Pyromantic Desolation (Psychic Weapon)
In battle, the pyromancer’s art is a wanton and indiscriminate
killer, it cares not for friend or foe and consumes all save the
one that wields its power.
Pyromantic Desolation
Range Str AP Type
6 3 Melee, Unwieldy,
Pyromantic
Desolation,
Psychic Focus
Pyromantic Desolation: In addition to attacking normally
in the Assault Phase, at the beginning of the Initiative Step at
which the model using this Psychic Weapon would normally
attack, but before any Pile-in moves or attacks are made,
place a Blast (3") marker centred on the attacking model. All
other models wholly or partially under the marker, friendly
or enemy, suffer an automatic Hit with the profile shown.
These Hits are resolved immediately and do not count for
the purpose of resolving the winner of an assault. Once they
are resolved, the attacking model may Pile-in and make any
other attacks as normal.
Psychic Focus: Before making any To Hit rolls with this
weapon, the Psyker must make a Psychic check. If the
Check is passed, then the Psyker may attack as normal
using the profile shown for this weapon. If the Check is
failed, then the Psyker suffers Perils of the Warp, and if the
model is not removed as a casualty then it may attack as
normal but may not use this weapon.
Psychic Discipline: Telekinesis
A Psyker with this Discipline gains all the listed Powers,
weapons and other special rules, as well as the Aetheric
Lightning Psychic Weapon (see page 322 ).
Telekine Dome (Psychic Power)
The telekine’s art allows them to effortlessly deflect the
enemy’s onslaught, bullets bouncing off of thin air and
deflected harmlessly away as the psyker erects a barrier of
shimmering energy about themself.
Instead of moving during the Movement phase, a Psyker
with this Psychic Power may instead activate this Psychic
Power. All models, friendly and enemy, that are within 8"
of the Psyker gain a 6+ Invulnerable Save when targeted
by any model that is not also within 8" of the Psyker. If
the Psyker moves, makes a Shooting Attack, Charges
or is successfully Charged by an enemy unit, then the
Psychic Power ends, otherwise it remains in effect
indefinitely. When initially using the Psychic Power, or
at the start of any of the controlling player’s subsequent
Movement phase while it is in effect, the controlling
player may choose to have the Psyker take a Psychic
check. If the Check is passed then models affected by
this Psychic Power gain a 4+ Invulnerable Save instead
of a 6+ Invulnerable Save. If the Check is failed then the
Psyker suffers Perils of the Warp and the Psychic Power
immediately ends.
Telekine’s Focus (Psychic Weapon)
The crushing grip of a telekine’s focus can break even the
strongest warriors and render the strongest war engines into
little more than scrap metal.
Telekine’s Focus
Range Str AP Type
24"
8 4 Heavy 1,
Sunder,
Blast (3"),
Psychic Focus
Psychic Focus: Before making any To Hit rolls with this
weapon, the Psyker must make a Psychic check. If the
Check is passed, then the Psyker may attack as normal
using the profile shown for this weapon. If the Check is
failed, then the Psyker suffers Perils of the Warp, and if the
model is not removed as a casualty then it may attack as
normal but may not use this weapon.
Psychic Discipline: Telepathy
Psychic Discipline: Thaumaturgy
A Psyker with this Discipline gains all the listed Powers,
weapon and other special rules, as well as the Aetheric
Lightning Psychic Weapon (see page 322 ).
A Psyker with this Discipline gains all the listed Powers,
weapon and other special rules, as well as the Aetheric
Lightning Psychic Weapon (see page 322 ).
Telepathic Fugue (Psychic Power)
Paranoia, confusion and panic are heightened to a
debilitating degree as the telepath alters their foes’
perceptions, denying them a chance to react to the reality
around them.
Thaumaturgic Succour (Psychic Power)
Thaumaturges are possessed of an unbending belief that the
Warp is a font of power that can be shaped for good as well
as ill. They are careful scholars of the Immaterium, intent on
wielding their power to protect rather than to destroy.
Once per turn, at the start of any Phase, the Psyker with
this Psychic Power’s controlling player may select a single
enemy unit within 24" and line of sight of the Psyker and
take a Psychic check. If that Check is passed then the
target unit may not make any Reactions for the duration
of that Phase. If the Check is failed then the Psyker suffers
Perils of the Warp.
Instead of making a Shooting Attack, a Psyker with this
Psychic Power may select a single friendly unit with at
least one model within 12" and make a Psychic check. If
the Psychic check is passed then all non-Vehicle models
in the target unit may roll a D6. On a roll of a 5+, that
model regains a single lost Wound. This ability cannot
be used to increase a model’s Wounds beyond its starting
Wounds Characteristic.
Telepathic Hallucinations (Psychic Weapon)
The armour of the foe cannot protect them from the telepath’s
cruel assault, infiltrating the minds of their victims and
turning brother against brother.
Range Str AP Type
Telepathic
Hallucinations
36"
-
-
Assault 6,
Hallucinations,
Psychic Focus
Hallucinations: A unit that suffers one or more Hits
from a Weapon with this special rule must make an
immediate Pinning test, adding one to the result of the
roll for each Hit scored by this attack before the result is
decided. For example, if a Psyker attacks an enemy unit
that has a Leadership of 8, scoring 3 Hits with Telepathic
Hallucinations, then that unit must make an immediate
Pinning test and add 3 to the result rolled before
determining the result.
Psychic Focus: Before making any To Hit rolls with this
weapon, the Psyker must make a Psychic check. If the
Check is passed, then the Psyker may attack as normal
using the profile shown for this weapon. If the Check is
failed, then the Psyker suffers Perils of the Warp, and if the
model is not removed as a casualty then it may attack as
normal but may not use this weapon.
Thaumaturge’s Cleansing (Psychic Weapon)
Dedicated as they are to the use of the æther for the benefit of
Mankind, the Daemon is the eternal foe of the thaumaturge,
and many of their arts focus on the banishment of such
terrors.
Range Str AP Type
Thaumaturge’s
Cleansing
Template 4
3
Assault 1,
Sanctic,
Psychic Focus
Sanctic: A weapon with this special rule always Wounds
Daemons on a 2+ and any successful Invulnerable Saves
made by Daemon models against any Wounds it inflicts
must be re-rolled.
Psychic Focus: Before making any To Hit rolls with this
weapon, the Psyker must make a Psychic check. If the
Check is passed, then the Psyker may attack as normal
using the profile shown for this weapon. If the Check is
failed, then the Psyker suffers Perils of the Warp, and if the
model is not removed as a casualty then it may attack as
normal but may not use this weapon.
Reference
Reference
Turn Summary
1. The Start of the Active Player’s Turn: Resolve any rule described as happening at the start of your turn.
2. Movement Phase: Here, the Active player moves any of their units that are capable of doing so. See the
Movement rules on page 162 for more details of how to do this.
3. Shooting Phase: The Active player may now make Shooting Attacks with any of their units that are capable of
doing so. See the Shooting rules on page 166 for more details on how to resolve this.
4. Assault Phase: During the Assault phase, units may move into combat against enemy units in the Charge subphase and trade blows with them in the Fight sub-phase. All units in melee combat fight; this is an exception
to the normal turn sequence in that both sides fight, not just the Active player’s units. More information on
fighting in melee combat can be found in the Assault rules on page 180.
5. The End of the Active Player’s Turn: Resolve any rule described as happening at the end of your turn.
Once a turn is fully resolved the players switch roles, the Active player becoming the Reactive player and vice versa,
and begin a new player turn. This cycle continues until the game ends, whether due to reaching a set limit of
Game Turns, reaching a set time limit or completing a set Objective during play.
Movement Characteristic Charge Distance Modifier
- or 0
May not Charge
1-4
-1
5-7
+/-0
8-10
+1
11-12
+2
13+
+3
Perils of the Warp
Common to all forms of psychic ability is the
possibility of the Warp’s power rebelling and
wreaking havoc on the Psyker and their allies. This
is represented by the Perils of the Warp special rule.
Most Psychic Powers and Weapons dictate under what
conditions a Psyker must suffer Perils of the Warp,
but in most cases this will be as the result of a failed
Leadership test while using a Psychic Power or attack.
Whenever a Psyker or other model/unit suffers
Perils of the Warp, apply the rule below:
Perils of the Warp: When a model or unit suffers
Perils of the Warp, it receives D3 Wounds against
which only Invulnerable Saves may be taken (no
Damage Mitigation rolls may be made to negate
these Wounds). These Wounds may be allocated to
any model in the unit, including models without
the Psyker Sub-type, in the same manner as those
received during a Shooting Attack. If the Psyker is a
Vehicle, it suffers D3 Hull Points of damage against
which only Invulnerable Saves may be taken instead.
Vehicle Weapon Types
In addition to the more common mounting types,
there are also several other types of weapon only
found on Vehicle units that bear special mention in
this section.
Co-axial Mounted Weapons – Co-axial Mounted
weapons follow all the rules for Turret Mounted
weapons and must be mounted alongside another
Turret Mounted weapon. In addition, when
Turret Mounted weapons are fired, if the Co-axial
Mounted weapon scores at least one Hit on the
target unit then all further attacks by weapons
mounted on the same Turret, directed at the same
target, may re-roll any failed rolls To Hit.
Defensive Weapons – All weapons mounted on
a Vehicle that have a Strength Characteristic of
6 or less are Defensive weapons. Other weapons
may also be specifically designated as Defensive
weapons on their profile. The controlling player
may always choose to fire Defensive weapons at the
closest enemy Infantry unit within line of sight and
the Firing Arc of applicable weapons, even if the
Vehicle’s other weapons have targeted a different
unit during a Shooting Attack.
Any weapon that has a Strength greater than 6 and
is not Pintle Mounted or otherwise designated
specifically as a Defensive weapon is a Battle weapon.
Roll To Hit
To determine whether hits are scored, roll a D6 for
each attack a model gets to make and compare the
WS of the attacking model to the WS of the target
unit. Then, consult the To Hit chart on this page to
find the minimum result needed on a D6 To Hit.
As the chart to the right shows, if the target’s WS is
half or less than that of the attacker’s, they are hit
on a 2+; lower than the attacker’s but more than
half, they are hit on 3+; if the target’s WS is equal to
the attacker’s, they are hit on 4+; if it is higher but
not twice the attacker’s, they are hit on 5+; and if it
is twice or more than the attacker’s, then they are
hit only on a 6+.
Where the same roll To Hit is needed, the dice
should be rolled together to speed up the game.
If the same roll To Hit is needed across different
weapons with varying Strengths, AP values, etc, dice
of varying colours should be used to differentiate
the results from the rest of the pool.
Units with Multiple Weapon Skills
Some units contain models with different Weapon Skills. Whilst each model in such a unit rolls To Hit using its own
Weapon Skill, Attacks made against such a unit are resolved using the Weapon Skill of the majority of the engaged
enemy models. If two or more Weapon Skill values are tied for majority, use the highest of those tied values.
Roll To Wound
Not all of the attacks that hit will harm the enemy.
As with shooting, once you have scored a hit with
an attack, you must roll a D6 for each successful hit
to see if the attack causes a Wound.
Consult the chart to the right, cross-referencing
the attacker’s Strength Characteristic with the
defender’s Toughness Characteristic. The chart
indicates the minimum result on a D6 roll required
to inflict a Wound, and is the same chart as is used
during the Shooting phase. A ‘-’ indicates that the
target cannot be wounded by the attack. In most
cases, when rolling To Wound in close combat, you
use the Strength on the attacker’s profile regardless
of what weapon they are using. However, there
are some Melee weapons that give the attacker a
Strength bonus, and this is explained previously in
the Weapons section (see page 176).
Multiple Toughness Values
Rarely, a unit will contain models that have different Toughness Characteristics. When this occurs, roll To Wound
using the Toughness value of the majority of the engaged unit. If two or more Toughness values are tied for
majority, use the highest of those tied values.
Building Damage Table
D6 Result
1-3 Building Shaken: The Building and any Embarked units or units on the Building’s battlements can only fire
Snap Shots until the end of its next turn.
4
Structural Tremor: The Building and any Embarked units or units on the Building’s battlements can only
fire Snap Shots until the end of its next turn. If the Building is occupied, the occupying unit suffers an
additional D6 Strength 6 AP- Hits with the Ignores Cover special rule.
5
Weapon Destroyed: One of the Building’s weapons (chosen by the controlling player) is destroyed –
including any combi- or built-in weapons. This can include Building upgrades that are weapons, such as
Pintle Mounted weapons and missiles. Do not count single shot weapons that have already been used to
attack. If a Building has no weapons left, treat this result as a Catastrophic Breach result instead.
6
Catastrophic Breach: The Building and any Embarked units or units on the Building’s battlements may not
make Shooting Attacks until the end of its next turn. No units may Embark or Disembark from the Building
until the end of the controlling player’s next turn. If the Building is occupied, the occupying unit suffers an
additional 2D6 Strength 6 AP- Hits with the Ignores Cover special rule.
7+
Total Collapse: The Building is destroyed. All weapons and upgrades on the Building are destroyed. Each
unit on the battlements suffers 2D6 Strength 6 AP- Hits with the Ignores Cover special rule and must then
immediately make a 6" move in order to move off the battlements (this movement is not slowed by Difficult
Terrain). Any models that cannot move off of the battlements are removed as casualties. If the Building is
occupied, the occupying unit suffers 4D6 Strength 6 AP- Hits with the Ignores Cover special rule and must
then immediately Disembark from the Building, performing an Emergency Disembarkation if necessary
(survivors cannot Disembark to the battlements). Any models that cannot Disembark are removed as
casualties. Assuming they were not destroyed, units that were on the battlements and those who have
Disembarked must then take a Pinning test. The Building is then removed and replaced with an area of
Ruins or a Crater roughly the same size, if possible.
High AP Weapons
Some weapons are so destructively powerful, they can inflict masses of damage in a single strike. If an AP 2
weapon scores a Penetrating Hit, add a +1 modifier to the roll on the Building Damage table. If an AP 1 weapon
scores a Penetrating Hit, add a +2 modifier to the roll on the Building Damage table.
Wound Allocation and Occupying Units
If any Wounds are allocated to an occupying unit as a result of hits on the Building, these Wounds are allocated by
the occupying unit’s controlling player.
Victory Conditions
Unless otherwise agreed by all players, do not include Fortifications for the purposes of awarding Victory points or
determining when an opposing side is ‘wiped out’.
Vehicle Damage Table
D6 Result
1-3 Crew Shaken: The Vehicle can only fire Snap Shots until the end of its next turn.
4
Crew Stunned: The Vehicle can only fire Snap Shots until the end of its next turn. If the Vehicle is a
Zooming Flyer, it must move 18" and cannot turn at all in its next Movement phase. If the Vehicle is not a
Zooming Flyer, it cannot move or pivot until the end of its next turn.
5
Weapon Destroyed: One of the Vehicle’s Battle weapons, chosen by the Vehicle’s controlling player, is
destroyed. If the Vehicle has no Battle weapons or all of its Battle weapons have been destroyed, then the
Vehicle’s controlling player selects one Defensive weapon to be destroyed. If a Vehicle has no weapons left,
treat this result as an Immobilised result instead.
Destroyed weapons may no longer be used to make attacks and no special rules on their profile may be used
for the remainder of the game,
Some Vehicles may have weapons which are considered a single item for the purposes of attacking – this will
be noted on their profiles. If such a weapon is destroyed then all of its component parts are destroyed at the
same time. In addition, weapons with the One Shot special rule may not be selected to be destroyed unless
there are no other weapons on the Vehicle.
6
Immobilised: If the Vehicle is a Zooming Flyer, roll a further D6. On a 1 or 2, that Flyer will immediately
Crash and Burn (see below). On a 3+, the Flyer counts this result as Crew Stunned instead. Other Vehicles
are Immobilised. An Immobilised Vehicle cannot move – it may not even pivot – but all weapons retain their
normal Firing Arcs, including Turret Mounted weapons. Any Immobilised results suffered by an already
Immobilised Vehicle instead remove an additional Hull Point.
7+
Explodes: The Vehicle is destroyed. If the Vehicle is a Zooming Flyer, it will immediately Crash and Burn (see
below), otherwise nearby units suffer a Strength 8 AP- Hit for each model within D6" of the Vehicle’s hull and
any unit that suffers one or more Hits from this effect must take an immediate single Pinning test (no matter
how many Explodes results are inflicted upon an individual Vehicle, only resolve the effects listed here once
for that Vehicle). Once all Hits and Pinning tests are resolved, the Vehicle is then removed from the battlefield.
Crash and Burn
The aircraft is torn apart and flaming debris rains down upon the battlefield. Centre the Large Blast (5") marker
over the Flyer – it then scatters 2D6". Any units under the Blast marker’s final position suffer a number of Strength
8 AP- Hits equal to the number of models that unit has under the marker. The Flyer is then removed from the
battlefield. Should a Flying Transport Crash and Burn, see the rules on page 213 .
Superior AP Weapons
Some weapons are so destructively powerful, they can inflict masses of damage in a single strike. If an AP 2
weapon scores a Penetrating Hit, add a +1 modifier to the roll on the Vehicle Damage table. If an AP 1 weapon
scores a Penetrating Hit, add a +2 modifier to the roll on the Vehicle Damage table.
CORE REACTIONS
The following Reactions are available to all armies
regardless of size or Faction.
Wall of Death rule instead of firing normally. Units
making a Shooting Attack as part of this Reaction are
considered to be Stationary, and may fire weapons of
any type as though they had not moved.
Reactions in the Movement Phase
During the Movement phase, the Reactive player may
declare a Reaction if an enemy unit ends a move within
12" and in line of sight of a friendly unit. Once the Active
player has completely resolved their unit’s movement,
the Reactive player may choose to expend one of their
Reactions in that Phase in order to have a unit they
control that is within 12" and line of sight of the final
position of the moving unit either Advance or Withdraw.
Advance – The Reacting unit may move a number of
inches up to its unmodified Initiative Characteristic
directly towards the enemy unit that triggered this
Reaction, moving each model in the unit directly
towards the enemy unit by the shortest available path.
In a unit with mixed Initiative Characteristics, use the
highest unmodified Characteristic. Vehicles may pivot
once up to 90° and then move up to 6" directly forwards.
Withdraw – The Reacting unit may move a number
of inches up to its unmodifiedInitiative Characteristic
directly away from the enemy unit that triggered this
Reaction, moving each model in the unit directly away
from the enemy unit by the shortest available path. In a
unit with mixed Initiative Characteristics, use the highest
unmodifiedCharacteristic. Vehicles may pivot once up to
90° and then move up to 6" directly backwards.
Reactions in the Shooting Phase
During the Shooting phase, the Reactive player
may react when any enemy unit makes a Shooting
Attack targeting a unit they control. Once the Active
player has resolved all To Hit and To Wound rolls,
and Armour Saves are made, but before any Damage
Mitigation rolls are made or casualties removed, the
Reactive player may choose to expend one of their
Reactions for that Phase to have the unit targeted by
the Shooting Attack either Return Fire or Evade.
Return Fire – The Reacting unit may make a
Shooting Attack, targeting the unit that triggered
this Reaction and following all the usual rules for
Shooting Attacks. A unit that makes a Shooting
Attack as part of a Return Fire Reaction may not make
any attacks indirectly (without line of sight) including
Barrage weapons or other weapons or special rules
that otherwise ignore line of sight, and Vehicles may
only fire Defensive weapons. Template weapons
may only be used as part of a Return Fire Reaction
if the target unit is within 8" and must use the
Evade – All models in the Reacting unit gain the
Shrouded (5+) special rule against all Wounds inflicted
as part of the Shooting Attack that triggered this
Reaction – if the Reacting unit already has a version of
the Shrouded special rule then this does not stack or
increase that rule, and the Reacting player may choose
to use any one of the Shrouded rules available to them.
A Vehicle that has suffered an Immobilised result on
the Vehicle Damage table, any unit that includes one
or more models with a Movement Characteristic of 0
or any unit that is not allowed to move in this turn for
any reason may not make an Evade Reaction.
Reactions in the Assault Phase
During the Assault phase, the Reactive player may react
when any enemy unit declares a Charge targeting a
unit they control. Once the Active player has resolved
all Charge Rolls, whether successful or not, but before
any models are moved as part of either a Charge Move
or Surge Move, the Reactive player may choose to
expend one of their Reactions for that Phase to have
the unit targeted by the Charge either Overwatch or
Hold the Line.
Overwatch –The Reacting unit may make a Shooting
Attack, targeting the unit that triggered this Reaction
and following all the usual rules for Shooting Attacks.
A unit that makes a Shooting Attack as part of an
Overwatch Reaction may not make any attacks
indirectly (without line of sight) including Barrage
weapons or other weapons or special rules that
otherwise ignore line of sight, and Vehicles may only
fire Defensive weapons. Template weapons used as
part of an Overwatch Reaction use the Wall of Death
rule instead of firing normally. The unit targeted by the
Overwatch attack may not take Cover Saves against
Wounds inflicted as part of an Overwatch Reaction.
Units making a Shooting Attack as part of this Reaction
are considered to be Stationary, and may fire weapons
of any type as though they had not moved.
Hold the Line – The Reacting unit must make a
Morale check, if that check is successful and the enemy
unit’s Charge was also successful then that Charge
counts as Disordered. If the Morale check is successful,
but the enemy unit’s Charge was a failure then any
other Charges resolved against that unit by other
enemy units in the same Charge sub-phase must be
counted as Disordered.
A model using a Rapid Fire weapon can shoot once at
Maximum Range. Alternatively, if the target is within
half the Maximum Range, it can fire twice.
Ballistic Skill) up to the Maximum Range of the
weapon. If the firer moved, it can only fire Snap Shots
with its Heavy weapon.
A Pistol weapon can always shoot the number of times
indicated and up to its Maximum Range, regardless of
whether the firer moved or not.
If a model with an Ordnance weapon remains Stationary,
it can firethe number of times indicated by the larger
number, up to the Maximum Range of the weapon. If the
firermoved, it may not firean Ordnance Weapon (Vehicle
models are an exception to this rule, see page 205).
An Assault weapon can always shoot the number
of times indicated and up to its Maximum Range,
regardless of whether the firer moved or not.
If a model with a Heavy weapon remains Stationary, it
can fire the number of times indicated (at its normal
A model making a Shooting Attack with a Destroyer
weapon attacks the number of times indicated on the
weapon’s profile whether or not the bearer has moved,
up to the Maximum Range of the weapon.
Index
INDEX
A
C
D
Access Point(s) .................................212
Active player......................................155
Adamantium Will (X+)
(special rule) ......................................231
Advance (Reaction) .........................160
Advanced Reactions
Death or Glory..........................205
Interceptor ................................309
Allegiance .........................................276
Allied Detachment(s) ......................281
Allocating Wounds
in the Assault Phase..................187
in the Shooting Phase .......170-171
Antigrav (Sub-type) .........................196
Apocalyptic Barrage marker . . 232-233
Apocalyptic Blast marker (10") ......234
Area Terrain ......................................221
Armour Penetration roll(s) ............207
Armour Piercing (AP) ......................173
Armour Save (Sv) ..............................147
Armour Save(s) ..........................172-173
Armour Value (AV) ..........................202
Armourbane (X) (special rule) ........231
Army List entry(ies) ........................277
Artillery (sub-type) ...........................197
Assault phase, the....................180-190
Assault result ...................................188
Assault Vehicle (special rule) ..........231
Attacks (A) .........................................147
Attrition............................................305
Automata (unit type) .......................195
Casualty(ies) ......................................154
Catastrophic Damage......................215
Cavalry (unit type)............................195
Challenge(s)...............................198-199
Character(s)......................................198
Characteristic test(s) ........................153
Characteristic(s) .......................147-148
Charge sub-phase, the.............180-183
Charging....................................180-182
Charge Distance........................181
Charge Move.............................182
declaring Charges ....................180
Disordered Charge(s)...............182
Chosen Warriors (special rule)......236
close combat .............................184-186
To Hit Chart .............................186
To Wound Chart ......................186
Combat Speed..................................203
Concussive (special rule) ................236
controlling player.............................155
Counter-attack (X) (special rule)...236
Cover Save(s) .....................................174
Crash and Burn ...............................208
Crater(s) .............................................221
Crawling Fire (special rule) ............236
Crew Shaken
(Vehicle Damage table result)........208
Crew Stunned
(Vehicle Damage table result)........208
Cruising Speed.................................203
Crusade Force Organisation chart.....281
Crusader (special rule)....................236
Cumbersome (special rule) ............237
Daemon (unit type).........................196
Damage Mitigation roll(s)...............174
Dangerous Terrain test(s) ..............222
Deadly Cargo (special rule)............237
Death or Glory
(Advanced Reaction).......................205
Dedicated transport(s).....................213
Deep Strike (special rule) ...............237
Deep Strike Assault..................310
Defensive weapon(s) .......................205
Deflagrate (special rule)..................237
Denial unit(s) ...................................307
Deployment .....................................304
Deployment map(s).........................302
Deployment Zone(s) .......................300
Detachment(s) .................................280
dice ..............................................150-151
D3 ................................................150
D66..............................................150
dividing results ..........................150
modifying dice rolls ..................151
re-roll(s) ......................................151
Scatter dice.................................150
Difficult Terrain...............................222
Disembark(ing)................................212
Dreadnought (unit type) .................195
Duellist’s Edge (X) (special rule)....237
B
Ballistic Skill (BS) .............................147
Barrage (special rule) ......................232
Barricades, Walls and
Defence Lines ...................................221
Battle weapon(s) ..............................205
Battle-hardened (X) (special rule) ...233
Battlefield Role ................................278
Battlements......................................225
Battlesmith (X) (special rule) .........233
Biomancy..........................................323
Blast (special rule) ...........................234
Blast weapons and re-rolls......234
Blast weapons and
Snap Shots.................................234
Blast marker(s) ...........................152-153
Blast-shield(s)...................................229
Blind (special rule)...........................236
Bloody-handed (Warlord Trait) ....285
Building(s) ................................224-226
occupied Building(s) ................223
unoccupied Building(s) ...........223
Bulky (X) (special rule)....................236
E
Embark(ing) .....................................212
Emplacement
Mounted weapon(s) ........................224
Enemy model(s) ................................155
Eternal Warrior (special rule) ........237
Evade (Reaction)..............................160
Exoshock (X) (special rule) .............237
F
J
N
Faction(s) ..........................................282
Fall(ing) Back ...................................192
Fear (X) (special rule) ......................238
Fearless (special rule) ......................238
Feel No Pain (X) (special rule)........238
Fight sub-phase, the ................184-185
Fire Point(s) ......................................224
Firing Arc(s)..............................205-206
Firing Protocols (X) (special rule)..239
First Blood........................................305
Flanking Assault...............................311
Fleet (X) (special rule) .....................238
Fleshbane (special rule) ..................238
Flyer(s)........................................218-219
Force (special rule) ..........................238
Force Organisation chart(s)...........280
Fortification(s) .................................223
Claimed Fortification(s) ..........223
Unclaimed Fortification(s)......223
Fortification profiles........227-229
friendly model(s) ..............................155
Furious Charge (X) (special rule)...239
Jet Pack(s)...........................................163
Jump Pack(s)......................................163
Jungle(s) .............................................221
Night Fighting .................................308
Night Vision (special rule)..............243
G
Gets Hot (special rule) ....................239
Glancing Hit(s) ................................207
Graviton Pulse (special rule)..........239
Guided Fire (special rule) ...............239
H
Hammer of Wrath (X) (special rule)..239
Hatred (X) (special rule) .................240
Haywire (special rule) .....................240
Heavy (Sub-type) ..............................197
Hellstorm .........................................248
Hellstorm template .........................152
Heroic Stand ....................................199
Hit & Run (special rule)..................240
Hold the Line (Reaction) ...............160
Hover (sub-type)..............................219
Hull Points (HP) ..............................202
I
Ignores Cover (special rule) ...........242
Impassable Terrain..........................222
Imposing Statuary............................221
Independent Character(s) ..............241
Infantry (unit type) ..........................195
Infiltrate (special rule) ....................242
Initiative (I)........................................147
Initiative step(s) ...............................184
Insane Heroism ................................191
Instant Death (special rule) ...........242
Interceptor (Advanced Reaction)..309
Invulnerable Save(s) .........................173
It Will Not Die (X) (special rule)....242
K
Knights and Titans..........................216
L
Lance (special rule)..........................242
Large Blast marker (5") ....................152
Last Man Standing..........................305
Leadership (Ld).................................147
Leadership test(s) .............................154
leaving combat airspace .................219
Legiones Astartes (X) (special rule) ....242
Line (sub-type).................................196
Linebreaker ......................................305
line of sight .......................................155
Lingering Death (special rule).......242
Locked in combat.............................183
Lumbering (sub-type) .....................219
M
Massive Blast marker (7")...............234
Master-crafted (special rule)..........243
Mission(s) .........................................298
Age of Darkness Mission table...298
Mission special rules.......................308
Night Fighting ..........................308
Reserves.....................................309
Model(s) .............................................147
enemy model(s) .........................155
friendly model(s) .......................155
Modes of play...................................272
Campaign play..........................272
Matched play ............................275
Narrative play ...........................272
Open play ..................................274
Team play ..................................275
Modifier(s).........................................151
Monster Hunter (special rule).........243
Monstrous (sub-type) ......................197
Morale check(s).................................191
Move Through Cover (special rule)...243
Movement (M)..................................147
Movement phase, the ..............162-165
Multiple combats ............................189
Multiple profiles...............................153
Murderous Strike (X) (special rule) ..243
O
Objective marker(s) .........................306
controlling Objective markers ..306
placing Objective markers ......306
Obscured Vehicle(s) ........................209
occupying unit(s).............................226
One Shot/One Use (special rule) ..243
ongoing combat ..............................189
Open Terrain ....................................221
opposing player ................................155
Our Weapons are Useless ..............188
Outflank (special rule)....................244
Overwatch (Reaction) ....................160
own unit ............................................155
owning player ...................................155
P
Pathfinder (special rule) .................247
Penetrating Hit(s)............................207
Perils of the Warp............................201
Phase(s) .......................................156-157
Assault phase, the ............180-190
Movement phase, the.......162-165
Shooting phase, the ..........166-175
Pile-in................................................184
Pinned/Pinning ................................174
Pinning (special rule) ......................244
pivot(ing) ..........................................203
Poisoned (X) (special rule)..............244
Power of the
Machine Spirit (special rule)..........244
Precision Shots (X) (special rule)...244
Precision Strikes (X) (special rule)...245
Preferred Enemy (X) (special rule)....245
Price of Failure, the.........................305
Primarch (unit type)........................196
Primary Target.................................189
Psychic Discipline(s) ................322-325
Biomancy...................................323
Divination .................................323
Pyromancy ................................324
Telekinesis.................................324
Telepathy ...................................325
Thaumaturgy............................325
Psychic Focus ...................323 , 324 , 325
Psychic power(s) ..............................200
Psychic weapon(s) ...........................200
Pyromancy .......................................324
R
T
V
Rad-phage (special rule) .................245
Ramming ..........................................204
Randomly select ...............................151
Range .................................................155
Re-roll(s) ............................................151
Reaction Allotment..........................158
Reaction(s).................................158-160
Advance .....................................160
Evade..........................................160
Hold the Line............................160
Overwatch.................................160
Return Fire................................160
Withdraw ..................................160
Reactive player..................................155
Regroup(ing) .....................................193
Relentless (special rule) ..................245
removed from play...........................154
Rending (X) (special rule) ...............246
Reserves ............................................309
Return Fire (Reaction)....................160
Ruin(s) ................................................221
Run(ning)...........................................163
Telekinesis ........................................324
Telepathy ..........................................325
Template Weapons
(special rule) .............................248-249
template(s).........................................152
terrain ................................................221
Terrain Pieces ...................................221
Thaumaturgy...................................325
To Hit roll(s)
Close combat ............................168
Shooting ....................................168
To Wound roll(s)
Close combat ............................170
Shooting ....................................170
Torrent (X) (special rule) ................249
Toughness (T) ...................................147
Transport Capacity ..........................211
Transport(s).......................................211
turn(s).................................................156
turn summary............................157
Twin-linked (special rule) ..............249
Two-handed (special rule) .............249
variable game length.......................304
Vehicle squadron(s) ..........................211
vehicle(s) ...................................202-219
victory conditions ...........................305
Victory point(s) ................................305
S
U
Scatter(ing)........................................152
Scoring unit(s)..................................307
Scout (special rule) ..........................246
Secondary target(s) .........................189
Secondary Objectives .....................305
Shell Shock (X) (special rule) .........246
Shock Pulse (special rule)...............246
Shooting phase, the .................166-175
Shrouded (X) (special rule).............247
Skimmer(s) .......................................214
Skyfire (special rule)........................247
Slay the Warlord ..............................305
Slow and Purposeful (special rule)...247
Slow Vehicle(s) .....................................214
Small Blast marker (3") ...................234
Snap Shot(s)......................................169
Sniper (special rule).........................247
Specialist Weapon (special rule)....247
spirit of the game, the .....................154
Split Fire (special rule) ....................247
Staged Deployment (special rule) ..313
Stationary (Vehicles) .......................203
Stomp attack(s) .................................217
Strafing Run (X) (special rule)........248
Strength (S) .......................................147
Stubborn (special rule) ...................248
Sudden Death victory.....................305
Sunder (special rule) .......................247
Super-heavy Vehicle(s) .....................215
Surge Move(s)....................................183
Swarm (special rule)........................248
Sweeping Advance(s) ......................188
unit coherency.................................164
unit sub-type(s)................................196
Unit Type(s)...............................195-196
Automata....................................195
Cavalry........................................195
Daemon .....................................196
Dreadnought .............................195
Infantry.......................................195
Primarch....................................196
unit(s) ................................................149
Unwieldy (special rule) ...................249
W
Warlord Trait(s) ...............................284
Core Warlord Trait(s) ..............285
Weapon Destroyed
(Vehicle Damage table result)........208
Weapon Skill (WS) ...........................147
weapon(s)...................................176-179
Assault ........................................177
Bombs .........................................178
Destroyer....................................178
Heavy ..........................................177
Melee...........................................176
Ordnance ...................................177
Pistol ...........................................178
Rapid Fire ...................................178
Withdraw (Reaction) ......................160
Wood(s) ..............................................221
Wound Pool(s) .................................170
Wounds (W)......................................147
Wrecked Vehicles ............................208
Z
Zoom(ing).........................................218
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