Editing Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Space Marines (section)

==={{W40Kkeyword|Ultramarines}}===
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[[File:Smurfpauldron.jpg|100px|left|]]
In the grim darkness of the far future, courage and honor will yet win the day.<br>
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primus_inter_pares First among equals], the Ultramarines set the standard for everyone else, and are paragons of strategy. Appropriate, since their Primarch wrote the Codex Astartes.<br>
On the tabletop, their tactical flexibility is represented by them having a special named character for everything and abilities to change the current Combat Doctrine. RG is the infiltration chapter and IH the vehicle one? Well screw them, we got Telion and Chronus, alongside Roboute Guilliman himself. Where the first casualty of any battle is the plan of attack, Ultramarine tactics are shielded by their inability to be tied up or tarpitted, and they can get extra CP to circumvent Space Marine's trademark thirst for CP.<br>
''If you want your marines to '''always fight on your terms''', then march for Macragge and you shall know no fear''.

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====Special Rules====

*'''Chapter Tactics - Codex Discipline:''' +1 to their Leadership characteristic. They also can fall back and still shoot, with a -1 modifier to hit. 
**Ld9 makes 4-man units (like bikers) ''immune to morale'', and makes the serge of a 5-man unit flee only after two consecutive 6s.
**Fall Back's main purposes are to give the rest of your army a clear shot. Now nobody can tarpit you. Plus, close-range weapons get easier to use: anything with a flamer will be able to use it with impunity since it isn't affected by the -1 to hit anyway - get close, fire, charge/be charged and trigger Shock Assault, fall back, and flame again. Land Raider Redeemers will be unstoppable engines of destruction.
*'''Combat Doctrine - Scions of Guilliman:''' During the Tactical Doctrine, models can move and count as stationary as long as they didn't also fell back or advance during that movement phase. Not only does this mean Relentless from infantry to tanks (Relentless Vindicators & Flyers!), but it also means <u>you always get bolter discipline</u> during turns 2-3, until you reach the Assault Doctrine, where you'll be in close range anyways.
**Aggressors will be able to shoot twice on the move! Repulsor Executioners will be able to shoot twice without giving up on their role as transports! An Executioner could transport Aggressors for a turn 2 fiery capture of the objective point.
====Warlord Traits====
#'''Adept of the Codex:''' When you spend a Command Point to use a Stratagem, roll a 5+ to get it refunded. Versatile, always active (as long as he's on the field and not inside a transport), and gives you more freedom when using Stratagems; it's one of the best traits you can get. Calgar starts with this one.
#*The rules limit CP regain to 1 per battle round, but "WT: +5CP" is still damn useful, even more so with the bonus CP handed out by Calgar.
#'''Master of Strategy:''' Once per battle round, select an Ultramarines unit within 6" of the warlord. Until the end of the battle round, whenever models of that unit attack the Tactical Doctrine is considered to be active (this does not stop either of the other two Doctrines being active, so you can have two active at once this way). Librarian Tigurius and Telion have this as their trait.
#*Their best doctrine one turn ahead of schedule. Also when your army (but not your warlord) is committed to the Assault.
#'''Calm Under Fire:''' Friendly Ultramarines models within 6" of the warlord ignore the -1 to hit penalty to shooting when they fall back. ''More like Calm Under Melee''. Sergeant Chronus come with this.
#'''Paragon of War:''' This warlord's unmodified wound rolls of 6s (ranged and melee) inflict mortal wounds in addition to all other damage. ''Balanced, offensive champion-type warlord''. Captain Sicarius starts with this one.
#'''Nobility Made Manifest:''' 6" Aura of Heroic Interventions for friendly Ultramarine Infantry and Bikers. ''For The Greater Imperium''. Guilliman starts with this one. The loss of Adept of the Codex hurts a bit, but you can always just pay 1cp to give another character Adept of the Codex, and that one out of Guilliman's 3 bonus ones will pay for itself.
#* ''If you mess with one, you mess with all''. It achieves an immune effect by preventing your opponents from eliminating units one by one in melee, and stops them from surrounding a single friendly unit and taking hostages. 
#'''Warden of Maccrage:''' This warlord's heroic interventions are 6" long. ''Why?'' Chaplain Cassius has this one.

====Relics & Special-Issue Wargear====

Relics are now split into two categories. Relics of Macragge may only be taken by Ultramarines (unless you use a stratagem). Special-Issue Wargear can be taken by Ultramarines and their successor chapters.

=====Relics of Macragge=====
*'''Armour of <s>John</s> Konor:''' Terminator model only. 4++, halve damage rounding up. Calgar's clothes, for when you want yet another beatstick or cannot afford papa smurf himself.
*'''Helm of Censure:''' Aeonid Thiel's helmet that started the tradition of serges wearing red hats. The bearer can re-roll 1 hit roll of 1 and 1 wound roll of 1 per attack (which usually means all hit and wound rolls get it - it's like having a captain and a lieutenant nearby). When attacking {{W40kKeyword|Heretic astartes}} ''or {{W40kKeyword|Adeptus Astartes}}'', add 1 to both hit rolls and wound rolls in addition (damn).
**While a librarian benefits lots (WS3+, Power Axe), the boost also affecting ranged combat and ''not replacing any weapon'' means a Captain's Combi-plasma/melta wounds a CSM Predator on a 2+, and can even shoot both profiles at BS2+ (although this will have worse performance than safely overcharging just the plasma profile).
*'''The Sanctic Halo:''' {{W40Kkeyword|Captain}} or Chapter Master only (in all his forms, including Primaris). Gives him a 3++ and can deny one power per turn like a Psyker. Fantastic for the warlord himself, as his most important job is staying alive so you can use Adept of the Codex. Denying psychic powers is also extremely useful since so many of them allow a Psyker to target a character and inflict mortal wounds that bypass their saves. Plus, you won't need to give up your ranged weapon for the Storm Shield, which is nice. Better than the Armour Indomitus to give your Gravis Captain a 3++ on his already sturdy frame.
*'''Soldier's Blade:''' S+1 AP-4 D2 sword. Available to characters with either a power sword, master-crafted power sword, or, most importantly, ''a combat blade'', making it ''one of the few melee relics for Phobos Characters''. Otherwise, don't bother - the Burning Blade is better.
*'''Standard of Maccrage Inviolate:''' Ancient only, +1A to friendly UM units within 6" of the bearer. Friendly UM units within 12" also autopass morale tests. To be carried by your deathstar's banner bearer.
*'''Tarentian Cloak:''' The bearer has 5++, and regains D3 wounds at the start of the movement phase.
*'''Vengeance of Ultramar:''' Rapid Fire '''4(!)''' Storm bolter that re-rolls wound rolls against non-vehicles. Best when used by a Termie captain.
**This can be vicious with the '''Paragon of War''' Warlord Trait. Almost guarantees at least ONE mortal wound.  Also consider this build on a bike captain with the extra bolter shots... 12 dice at 24"

=====Special-Issue wargear=====
*'''Adamantine Mantle:''' Fnp5+++. "Not dying" is good for everyone, but (smash) captains/Primaris are the ones with the most wounds to proc it with.
*'''Artificer Armour:''' 2+/5++. Most useful for Lieutenants and Librarians, who lack invulns.
*'''Digital Weapons:''' Do an additional attack when the model fights. If it hits, the target suffers a mortal wound.
*'''Hellfury bolts:''' You can choose the bolt weapon it's used on to make only one attack, but it inflicts 1MW if it hits (and the shooting sequence ends).
*'''Master-crafted Weapon:''' +1D to a weapon, and it now considered a relic (so now some WTs no longer affect it and such). ''4D Thunder Hammer!''
*'''Reliquary of Vengeance:''' Once per battle (at the start of the fight phase), friendly chapter units within 6" of the bearer gain +1A.
*'''Seal of Oath:''' Designate an enemy before the first turn begins. The bearer has a 6" aura of re-rolling ''all'' hits and wounds against [[That Guy]], failed or not.
*'''Sunwrath Pistol:''' Cawl's plasma pistol of safe supercharge. But it's Pistol 2, so that's a double improvement.

====Stratagems====
Bland but reliable, Ultramarine stratagems are Tau-like in that they're focused towards shooting, teamwork and avoiding melee. Guess it's an Eastern Fringe thing. They can be divided into four broad categories: Offense, Defense, Utility, and Character Upgrades.
*'''Offense:''' Better accuracy, for when you don't want a silly thing like chance to ruin your dice game plans.
**'''Avenge the Fallen (1 CP)''': Use this stratagem when an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit from your army is destroyed by an attack made by an enemy unit. Until the end of the battle, when resolving an attack made by an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit from your army against that enemy unit, re-roll hit rolls of 1.
**'''Martial Precision (1 CP)''': Use this stratagem before resolving an attack made by an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} model from your army in your shooting phase, do not make a hit roll, it automatically scores a hit. Note that it only applies to a single attack made by any weapon, so don't go thinking that you can have a Captain automatically hit with all of his Thunder Hammer strikes. Use this against Eldar and other opponents who stack ridiculous amounts of -1 to hit.
**'''Sons of Guilliman (1 CP)''': Use this stratagem when an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Infantry}} or {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Biker}} from your army is chosen for the Shooting or Fighting phase. If that unit has a Troops Battlefield Role, until the end of the phase, when resolving an attack made by that unit, you can reroll a hit roll. Otherwise until the end of that phase, when resolving an attack made by that unit, you can reroll a hit roll of 1.
**'''Vengeance for Calth (1 CP)''': Use when an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit from your army is chosen to fight in the Fight phase. Until the end of the phase, when resolving an attack made with a melee weapon in that unit against a {{W40kKeyword|Word Bearers}} unit, you can reroll the hit and wound roll. Potent, if you can find one of the three people playing Word Bearers that is.
**'''Tactical Expertise (2 CP, Single Use)''': Can be used at the start of any movement phase when the Tactical Doctrine is active; all {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} whose Rapid Fire or Assault weapon makes an unmodified wound roll of 6 before the next battle round has the attack's AP improved by 1 (e.g. AP0 becomes AP-1).
*'''Defense:''' AKA protection against melee.
**'''Courage and Honour! (1 CP)''': At the start of the Morale phase, add 1 to the Leadership characteristic of {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} models from your army until the end of the phase.
**'''Defensive Focus (2 CP)''': Use this stratagem if an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit from your army is chosen as a target of a charge. Select up to three {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} units that are more than 1" away from any enemy units and within 6" of the targeted unit. The selected units fire Overwatch at the charging unit as if they were targets of the charge. ''For the Greater Macragge!''
***Something something Eliminator sergeants with Instigator carbines moving after shooting overwatch. The complete opposite would be to use this near a 'Nobility Made Manifest' warlord to further reinforce the immune response effect. In which case, something something Aggressor double overwatch. [[Tau|Notice how deadly it is to charge]] an Ultramarines gunline?
**'''Fall Back and Re-Engage (1/2 CP)''': Use this stratagem when an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit from your army falls back. That unit can shoot and charge this turn. If that unit actually has the Codex Discipline Chapter Tactic (it could be a successor), the hit roll penalty for falling back and shooting does not apply for that unit this turn and this strat only costs 1CP instead of 2.

*'''Utility:''' Highlight Ultramarines' love for rules by disregarding the rules, with lots of ways to bypass GW's nerf to doctrines and wrong-foot your opponent. Bonus points if you say "Actually..." before using them.
**'''Inspiring Command (1 CP)''': Use at the start of the Shooting or Fight phase. Select one {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Chapter Master}}, {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Captain}}, or {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Lieutenant}} model from your army. Until the end of that phase, the range of that model's aura abilities is increased by 3".
**'''Rapid Deployment (2 CP)''': Used at the start of the battle round before the first turn begins, select up to three {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} from your army on the battlefield. Remove them from the battlefield and set them up again as described in the Deployment section of the mission (if both players can do this, roll off to see who redeploys first).
***Can be combined with the '''Lord of Deceit''' Vanguard Warlord Trait and redeploy your entire army. No need to go that far, but having a second chance at deployment after your enemy already comitted to it can disrupt their plans even before the game begins.
**'''Cycle of War (1 CP)''': Use this stratagem at the start of the battle round if an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} Warlord from your army is on the battlefield and the Assault Doctrine was active during the previous battle round. The current active doctrine is changed so that the Devastator Doctrine is now active. When there's nobody left in assault range, pop this, move up your heavy weapons and perhaps pop a grenade or two - and more importantly, get a second chance to switch to the Tactical Doctrine. If the game is going to last at least six turns, that is. So, kinda Single Use too.
**'''Squad Doctrine (1 CP)''': Use this stratagem at the start of your Movement Phase; select an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Infantry}} or {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Biker}} unit from your army, and then select the Devastator, Tactical, or Assault Doctrine. Until the start of your next Movement phase, that unit gains the bonus of that combat doctrine ''instead''.
**'''Tactical Insight (2 CP, Single Use)''': Use this stratagem after generating your Tactical Objectives. If your {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} Warlord from your army is on the battlefield. Immediately discard your Tactical Objectives and generate new ones.
*'''Character Upgrades:''' All Chapters Supplements include some variation of the following three stratagems.
**'''Exemplar of the Chapter (1 CP, Single use)''': Use this stratagem after you nominate an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} model that is not a named character to be your Warlord. You can generate one additional Warlord Trait for them from the Ultramarines Warlord Traits table. Each Warlord Trait in your army must be unique. <u>Give him Adept of the Codex</u> if they didn't have it already; that'll make this Stratagem more than pay for itself. ''Finally, a reason to have a warlord other than Calgar or a named character''.
**'''Honoured by Macragge (1 CP, Single Use):''' After nominating a warlord from an UM successor chapter, you may give one of their characters a Relic of Macragge ''instead'' of one from the main SM codex or a Special Issue wargear.
**'''Honoured Sergeant (1 CP)''': Before the battle, select one {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} model that has the word "Sergeant" in their profile. They may take a Master-crafted weapon/Digital weapon/Hellfury Bolts/Sunwrath pistol, even though they are not a {{W40kKeyword|Character}}. All relics must be different.
***While a Devastator sergeant can shoot Hellfury at BS2+, an Incursor one ignores all modifiers to hit and an Eliminator/Scout Sniper one can shoot it at characters. The other 3 special issues are close combat oriented. Also, while it looks cool, don't give a Sunwrath to the Hellblaster sarge, he'd be wasting his squad's range on a just-in-case relic. Nobody stops you from giving this to a Assault Centurion Seargant, four strength 10 siege drills in the face for 4 damage.

====Litanies of Battle & Psychic Discipline - Indomitus====
Indomitus is a mixed bag of situational powers. They consist of the two mortal wound generators (standard across all Chapter specific supplements), one self-buff, one enemy debuff, and two general utility powers. None of these are strong enough to build an entire strategy around, but could provide help in the right circumstance. Pretty middle of the road, but that is to be expected from the Ultramarines.   

#'''Precognition''': WC5. Until the start of your next Psychic phase, this psyker has a 5++ invuln, and when resolving an attack made against this psyker, subtract 1 from the hit roll.
#'''Scryer's Gaze''': WC7. If your army is Battle Forged you can immediately gain 1 CP. If you choose not to, once this turn, when resolving an attack made by a model from a friendly {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit within 18" of this psyker, you can re-roll the hit, wound, or damage roll.
#'''Telepathic Assault''': WC7. Select one visible enemy unit within 24" of the psyker. Roll 2D6 and add 2 to the result; that unit suffers 1 mortal wound for each point by which the total exceeds the highest Leadership characteristic of models in that unit. You aren't gonna destroy a unit of Necron Warriors, but if you roll well everything leadership 6 and lower are gonna get ''fucked''. Tried using it on an Ork player once, but he says Mob Rule counteracts it.
#'''Storm of the Emperor's Wrath''': W6. Select the nearest visible enemy unit within 18" of the psyker. Roll a D6 for each model in the unit; for each 6, that unit suffers 1 mortal wound.
#'''Psychic Shackles''': WC6. Select one visible enemy unit within 18" of this psyker. Until the start of your next Psychic phase, halve the move characteristic (rounding up) of models in that unit, and when a charge or advance roll is made for that unit, subtract 1 from that roll. A unit cannot be affected by both this and the Tenebrous Curse psychic power at the same time, but nothing is stopping you from locking down two different units. 
#'''Empyric Channeling''': WC5. Select one other friendly {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Librarian}} within 12" of this psyker. Until the end of this Psychic phase, when a Psychic test is taken by the target, add 2 to the total, and the target does not suffer Perils of the Warp on a roll of double 1 or double 6.

'''Litanies of Battle - March of Macragge:''' You can re-roll 1s on advance or charge rolls for friendly  {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} within 6" of the Chaplain.

====Specialist Detachment - Victrix Guard====
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{{W40kKeyword|Captains}} of all flavours (note this doesn't include Calgar), {{W40kKeyword|ancients}} (all flavours){{W40kKeyword|, Honour guards, victrix honour guards, vanguard vets & sternguard vets}} gain the {{W40kKeyword|VICTRIX GUARD}} keyword, for when you want to bring the very elite, the exemplars among exemplars. But not termies, they aren't vet enough apparently. And fluff aside, this is the only <s>formation</s> specialist detachment that can bring deepstriking melee squads with actual AP, aka Vanguard Vets.
<br>This is a MELEE formation; Sternguards were included only because their serge looks cool next to Calgar. ''Thanks, sarge!'' Note that only {{W40kKeyword|ULTRAMARINES}} can take this, and not any of their Successors.
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*Consider a basic Vanguard Detachment of Captain w/ Twin Lightning Claws (with the Imperium's Sword trait), Ancient w/ Bolt Pistol and two basic Vanguard Vet squads, with the Sergeant's replacing their Chainswords with Lightning Claws. This will give you 12 Bolt Pistol attacks, 12 Lightning Claw attacks, and 27 Basic attacks, the later upped to 15 and 36 if the Ancient is given the Relic Banner. All for just over 300 points.
**If you need a transport, a Land Raider Redeemer works, though it is expensive, almost doubling the cost.
*One use of this detachment is to make your smash captain rival the blood angels; Fight Like Demigods buffs your hit rolls to a 2+ rerolling, Warden of Ultramar makes your wound rolls better than even slamminigus for a turn and Strike First can be a nasty and unexpected counterattack. This tactic costs a lot of CP but is worth it when some random captain tears apart an imperial knight.

'''Stratagems'''
*'''Fight Like Demigods (1CP):''' At the start of the Fight phase, pick a {{W40kKeyword|VICTRIX GUARD}} unit within 6" of a {{W40kKeyword|VICTRIX GUARD CAPTAIN}}. That unit's attacks get +1 to hit until the end of the phase.
**Great with unwieldy Thunder Hammers and Power Fists, as they will remain WS3+ whilst enjoying the Captain's rerolls (instead of becoming coin-flip WS4+ and ''needing'' a Chaplain). Even with regular power weapons, becoming WS2+ for a single CP (that you can regain) is a good deal.

*'''Strike First, for Ultramar! (3CP):'''  At the end of the opponent's Charge phase, pick a {{W40kKeyword|VICTRIX GUARD}} unit that was charged or made a Heroic Intervention. They get to pile in and fight right away as if it was the Fight phase AND can fight normally in the actual Fight phase as well.
**The BEST melee stratagem of them all. Now nothing at all can prevent the chosen unit from fighting, as it attacks even before those units with the "fights first" ability, and even before the enemy can use 'Counter-Offensive'. It's a <u>Counter Offensive Counter Offensive that lets you fight twice</u>, and that'd usually cost 2+3 CP, but the poster boys just have to be ''better than you''.

'''Warlord Trait'''
*'''Warden of Ultramar:''' Once per battle, in the Fight phase, you can re-roll wound rolls for attacks made by friendly {{W40kKeyword|VICTRIX GUARD}} units within 6" of this Warlord. ''Useful if you didn't bring or, more commonly, couldn't AFFORD to bring a Lieutenant along. Useless on Twin Claw Vanguards, however, power sword vets become very dangerous''.

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====Special Units====
'''HQ'''
*'''[[Marneus Calgar]]:''' Papa Smurf, now back in the HQ slot. His Armour of Antilochus grants a 4+ invulnerable save and halves all damage he receives (rounded up, so he's not immune to 1 damage weapons). The Bolter part of the Gauntlets of Ultramar aren't too bad since they deal 2 damage and have AP-1, but you will ignore both them and his relic blade because in melee they act like Power Fists without the -1 to hit. As is the case for all Chapter Master characters, he grants re-rolls for all to-hit rolls for units within 6". He can also deep strike, and having him as your Warlord in a Battle-forged army grants 2 bonus Command Points. While both his stats and buffing abilities pale by comparison to Guilliman, he can fill a similar role if you want to save the points and/or the Lord of War slot. 
**'''Marneus Calgar in Artificer Armour:''' (index) Papa Smurf, before Swarmlord ate his arms, his legs, and half of his face. One less wound, no halved damage, and no ability to deep strike, and now, since the Codex sets Calgar in the Armour of Antilochus at 200 points, 35 points cheaper than the version in Artificer armour, you have no reason to ever take him in this form unless you're re-creating the battle at the Cold-Steel Ridge or something. Or you desperately need him to fit into a Rhino or Razorback.
**'''Marneus Calgar in the Armour of Heraclus:''' It has finally happened. Papa Smurf has become the super-NuMarine. He now gets +1T thanks to his Gravis armour, as well as +1W  and +1A from being Primaris, and he even gets to keep his 2+/4++ along with the halved damage. This makes him even more powerful than he ever was, although being a Primaris does mean that if he wants to actually get into combat he'll either need to footslog or pay for a Repulsor.
***Something for consideration: Calgar, with the right supports, is actually a deadlier fighter in melee than Guilliman is. For starters, while Guilliman can feel the pain from larger foes and their absurd damage, Marneus can, for the most part, walk out less damaged and more annoying thanks to the halved damage. Assuming all damage is multi-wound rather than 1 damage, Calgar technically has ''16'' wounds, versus Guilliman's 9. In addition, while Guilliman can resurrect with D6 wounds, Calgar can receive near-constant healing through an Apothecary as he is an <INFANTRY> rather than a <MONSTER> (what, you thought Apothecaries can understand the anatomy of pseudo-demigods?). Excluding the cost of a Librarian and Victrix Guard (since Guilliman can benefit from those too) and you can have a better beatstick than Guilliman (though you do lose his super-aura). The only main weakness of Calgar in this regard is that he has slightly less toughness and strength (you ARE using Might of Heroes through Calgar's Librarian, aren't you?) than Guilliman, and he's stuck with D3 damage for his fists. TL,DR: Calgar is far cheaper for a super tough HQ and can benefit from other buffs where Guilliman can not. Calgar can certainly buff your army, but Guilliman does it better. However, Guilliman delivers more melee offense overall and functions better in situations devoid of support.
***Somebody is really [[Matthew_Ward|overestimating]] Calgar here. Against incoming attacks that are 2 damage, D3 damage, 3 damage, and D6 damage respectively, Calgar essentially has 16, 12, 12 and 14 wounds respectively (the results of D3 damage halved rounding up are 1, 1 and 2 and so D3 damage weapons average 1.333 damage against him). Now this is impressive, but the kinds of things you’re talking about fighting will usually force him to use his invulnerable save, which is a 4+, and so his effective hp is actually 32, 24, 24 and 28. Guilliman has 9 wounds on a 3++, so his effective hp is 27 in all scenarios, so the differences are actually minor against the bigger damage weapons without accounting for his revive ability, but between rerolling wounds and D3 mortal wounds on 6+ his melee output is potent enough to deal 7.778 wounds to Calgar in a single fight phase, ie basically killing him on average. How much damage can Calgar accomplish against Guilliman, or Calgar himself (Abaddon)? 2.6 wounds in both cases, 3.02 and 3.78 with the might of heroes. You may notice by this point that you’re paying half the points for less than half the melee power even with psyker support (at least in this case, but I think this is a decent benchmark). Add in that Calgar’s halve-damage durability is completely negated by things like the mortal wounds from snipers, and well...
*'''[[Cato Sicarius|Captain Sicarius]]:''' No longer able to give 10 leadership to his whole detachment, or let a rhino tac squad infiltrate. But he is a bit cheaper now, and his power sword can do D3 mortal wounds if you roll a 6 to wound. His ''artisan plasma pistol'' now gets the benefit of overcharging without any risk of hurting him. He also can grant a squad Defenders of Humanity for a round. Overall, he is roughly the same if not slightly better in terms of melee, but can surprise an enemy via (for example) giving his Terminator retinue ObSec. The best thing about him is that, at 100 pts, he's pretty cheap. He's alright for his price, though his special ability does require some forethought. 
*'''[[Varro_Tigurius|Chief Librarian Tigurius]]:''' Got beefy now, with only a 3+ save, no invuln, yet 5W and 4 attacks. He's still rather vulnerable, but can kick and punch almost as well as a Captain thanks to becoming a Primaris Marine. He does have a pretty nifty ability, however, as he can inflict a -1 penalty to '''all''' hit rolls against him or a friendly '''Ultramarine''' unit within 6" each turn, which helps him or any screening unit to survive. Can also be used on a unit holding an objective to increase its survivability, on a flyer for a -2 to hit for maximum trolling, and so on; this ability has quite a few interesting tactical applications. Is equipped with his rod, a power stave that gives +3 to strength, but you don't want him in close combat anyway, unless facing extremely weak close combat opponents. His mortal wound production from ''Smite'' helps against high wound models and hordes. His hood now adds +1 to psychic tests and denial on top of the re-rolls.
**He can re-roll failed Psychic Tests (but not successful ones, even if they Perils), so his expected damage from ''Smite'' is 2.09, rather than 1.79, assuming he can live through Perils, which he can always do with his starting health.  His Primaris version is better, and can re-roll any Psychic test, so you can re-roll double 6s to avoid Perils. 
***He knows 3 Librarius (or Indomitus) powers and ''Smite'', and can cast and deny 2 powers per turn.  In general, non-Primaris Tigurius' odds of casting a power (assuming he lives through Perils) are:
****''Smite'':  97.22%
****''Veil of Time'':  92.28%
****''Might of Heroes'':  92.28%
****''Scourge'':  92.28%
****''Fury of the Ancients'':  82.64%
****''Psychic Fortress'':  97.22%
****''Null Zone'':  82.64%
***Primaris Tigurius is ''even better''; he gets +1 to cast rolls.  His odds on WC5 to WC8 are:
****''5:'' 99.31% (Smite, Psychic Fortress, Precognition, Empyric Channelling)
*****Because his +1 will make Smite roll higher more often, his Smite output is higher; because he can also re-roll successful Psychic tests, you can fish for bigger Smites - if you re-roll all rolls of 9 or less (remember, you get 1d6 mortal wounds on 10s with this guy), your average will be 2.319 mortal wounds.  If you only re-roll 3s and 2s, since you'll succeed at the cast on 4s, your average will be 2.257.
****''6:'' 97.22% (Veil of Time, Might of Heroes, Scourge, Storm of the Emperor's Wrath, Psychic Shackles)
****''7:'' 92.28% (Scryer's Gaze, Telepathic Assault, Fury of the Ancients, Null Zone)
*'''[[Ortan Cassius|Chaplain Cassius]]:''' He grants a mortal wound against enemy units that kill an Ultramarines model within 6" on a 6+. 3+ Marines die often, so with big numbers in your army Cassius has some punch and hurts the enemy in their phase. Combine with a Company Ancient and Apothecary to make the marine shoot as he dies, confer a mortal wound, and be brought back to life to shoot the next turn.
**With the new codex and the Ultramarines Supplement, Cassius provides two Litanies for your marines. Using the +1 to hit and +1 to wound litanies can give squads that can generally hit on 2s, and a minimum wounding of 5s.
*'''[[Torias Telion|Sergeant Telion]]:''' Telion makes Scout Snipers better. He is armed with a better Sniper Rifle, and Scouts within 3" add 1 to their roll to hit. Telion hits on a 2+, and also has the Ultramarine and Scout keyword. Rolls of one always fail, but modifiers are diminished by his buff to himself.
*'''[[Antaro Chronus|Sergeant Chronus]]:''' Sadly, you still can't take Chronus in a Repulsor or certain FW vehicles, which is a real shame since he can not only repair the tank he's riding in but also fixes its BS to 2+. This might not seem like much of a buff at first, but keep in mind that ''this overrides the BS decrease that the damage tables would normally force''- not only will it be hitting on a 2+, it'll continue to do so even at the point it would normally be hitting on a 5+! Like in 7th edition, he becomes an infantry unit if his tank is destroyed, but a lackluster statline and bad selection of wargear mean that Chronus on foot is little more than an extra kill point for the enemy.
**Depending on whether you want him to fill a Heavy slot or not as well as an HQ slot, the two vehicles he's commonly considered best in are a quadruple lascannon predator or a double assault cannon razorback.  In either case, remember that he's not a character until he disembarks, and you want his vehicle to have as many guns as possible, so always take a storm bolter and strongly consider a hunter-killer missile.
**The vehicle Chronus commands gets the character keyword. While that might not by itself stop him from getting shot, (all the vehicles he can ride have 10 wounds or more,) it does mean he can use Company Veterans, Honor Guard and Victrix Guard to deflect shots and stay operational for very long.
**Originally, vehicles he can command was very specific; but the new Codex has the following keywords as available rides: LAND RAIDER, RHINO, RAZORBACK, WHIRLWIND, PREDATOR, VINDICATOR. Sadly, no REPULSOR, SICARAN, MASTODON, ASTRAEUS, FELLBLADE or SPARTAN, but this still means he can command a Whirlwind Scorpius, a Land Raider Achilles or a Relic Predator. Or if you want to live dangerously, a Vindicator Laser Destroyer or a Terminus Ultra.
**Chronus and Telion are dirt cheap (65 for Telion, 30 for Chronus, although that's on top of the tank he rides), so they will be a great help to fill compulsory HQ slots for bigger detachments. This is a huge boon for Ultramarine players, as this will help get more command points and recycle them thanks to their warlord trait. Throw in cheap Scout Squads for the troop tax (and to make sure Telion is used to his full potential) and you're good to go for a Battalion.
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'''Forgeworld''' {{W40kKeyword|Successor Chapters}} '''Characters'''<br>
Remember you don't necessarily need to pick Inheritors of the Primarch to be Ultramarine successors and use this supplement.
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{{W40kKeyword|[[Fire Angels]]}}<br>
*'''Captain Tarnus Vale:''' Captain.  Provides a 6+ invuln to nearby vehicles, but isn't riding a bike or using a jump pack, so he'll never keep up with his charges unless he’s in a transport or said charges are artillery tanks, such as a Fellblade or Whirlwind. But, he does have a power axe that has D2, and an 8" pistol 3 plasma pistol. Not to mention lots of vehicles sit in a parking lot. Like are you really gonna be zipping that predator up the field?
'''Successor Tactics:''' The Fire Angels are notable for for their strict adherence to the Codex, so Inheritors of the Primarch is a perfect fit for them. Alternatively, if you want to build around Vale's Vehicle buffs and build a parking lot type army, tank boosting Tactics like Master Artisans and Scions of the Forge are good options.

{{W40kKeyword|[[Fire Hawks]]}}<br>
*'''Knight-Captain Elam Courbray:'''  Captain.  The ''only'' Forge World character in this list who showed up with a Jump Pack, with the highest Move stat (and the guy in second place, Hecaton Aiakos, can't be your Warlord, although [[Lias Issodon]] is the guy in third place).  However, because how DARE you tell him what to do when he comes in from reserve, he teleports in like a boss, rather than falling from the sky like a pleb.  Also, he will always try to attack Characters within 1" of him, even if you'd rather he attacked someone else, because, again, FUCK YOU. 
**You're better off taking a regular captain with a jump pack bolt pistol and a relic blade. You're paying 18 points more to get to reroll wounds on your Suser AP-2 D1d3 sword (worse than the relic blade at S+2 AP-3 D1d3, which is more likely to wound on the first roll given it makes the captain S6). That's all he has over the normal jump pack captain. That and the 'has to hit characters if possible within 1"' thing. Which is actually a handicap.
'''Successor Tactics:''' While Courbray is nothing you'd build an army around and not a whole lot is known about the Fire Hawk's specialisation, they present a fluffy option for creating a more fleshed out Legion of the Damned. No options for universal FNP or Deep Striking, but general durability boosters like Indomitable, Stalwart, Stealthy (fluff it as the smoke rising off them giving them cover!) Or Warded are fine choices, and Fearsome Aspect is quite appropriate.

{{W40kKeyword|[[Howling Griffons]]}}<br>
*'''Chaplain Dreadnought Titus:''' Exactly the same as a normal chaplain dread, but his FNP equivalent is a 5+, not a 6+, and he has fixed weaponry in an assault cannon, heavy flamer, and big ol' smashy fist. He's worth taking if you're playing Howling Griffons and already planned on taking a Chaplain Dreadnought, but otherwise unremarkable.
'''Successor Tactics:''' Griffons are known for their tactical flexibility and good sense, so most any blend of Tactics could be made to work. Titus himself, similarly, is just a solid all-rounder, though Chaplain Dreads inherently encourage a more melee focused playstyle. A good pick for remaining fast and loose with what sort of army you want to bring.

{{W40kKeyword|[[Marines Errant]]}}<br>
*'''Lieutenant Commander Anton Narvaez:''' Captain.  Used to be he was a little worse stats-wise than a captain (since he's not a captain) but had more interesting (if weird) wargear. Now he's just as good as a regular captain stat-wise, but his wargear got even weirder and even better. He comes with a power sword that on a 6+ to wound does a mortal wound ''instead'' (weird), an assault d3 plasma gun with 1 less ap that can't supercharge (weirder) and the Actinic Halo which gives him a 2++ save that is better than his power armour save UNTIL you take an unsaved wound at which points it stops working and only gives a near useless 6++ (legendarily weird). He honestly makes a decently shooty captain who has a decent buff (he provides the captain buff of rerolling 1s to hit, not the lieutenant buff to wounding) and is good for an all-rounder and doesn't cost much at all, use your command point rerolls on his invulnerable save to keep him alive all game and outside of mortal wounds he'll be exceptionally tanky... especially for a dude who's just supposed to be a ship captain.
'''Successor Tactics:''' Close range board actions are not well represented on the tabletop outside of Killteam, but we can make it work. Assault is the name of the game here, so Hungry for Battle and Rapid Assault are no brainers.

{{W40kKeyword|[[Novamarines]]}}<br>
*'''Captain Mordaci Blaylock:''' Terminator captain, with a D3 chainfist, a relic storm bolter S5 AP-2, and grants a 6+ FNP to all Novamarines Infantry within 6".
'''Successor Tactics:''' Another Codex hardliner, so Inheritors of the Primarch is probably ypur go-to here. Just as well, Braylock is brutal in close range where he can support similarly built units.
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'''Elite:'''
*'''Chapter Ancient:''' Split off from the Honour Guard, he's the same as a Company Ancient, but exclusive to Ultramarines and comes with a 2+ save and a power sword instead of the pistol (which he can't exchange). He also has a 9" banner range instead of 6", just in case you wanted him to reach out and touch farther units to let them fight or shoot one last time.

*'''Chapter Champion:''' Despite the name, the Codex Chapter Champion isn't unique, so one Ultramarines Chapter can have multiple of him. He has the same mandatory Heroic Intervention and re-roll against CHARACTERs as a Company Champion but has +1A and Sv, and different wargear. His Codex entry carries a Power Sword and Champion's Blade (as well as a bolt pistol and grenades), meaning he costs 64 points, so you're paying 10 points over a Company Champion to go from 3+/5++ to 2+ and from A3 S4 AP-3 D2 to A4 S4 AP-3 D1 + A1 S4 AP-2 D1; as you may have just noticed, this means, even before the points difference, your output is going down against anything with 2 or more wounds. Accordingly, you're better off with a Company Champion, even though the Chapter Champion can use the Index to swap his Champion's Blade for a Bolter (which is drastically better on him) or his power sword for something else, simply because the master-crafted power sword on the Company Champion is so efficient and because 2+ isn't that much better than 3+/5++. The closest you're going to get for competition is the Thunder Hammer/Bolter combo, which is 81 points for A4 WS3+ (rerolling 1s to hit characters) S8 AP-3 D3, which will murder most things more efficiently than the Company Champion will, but only once delivered, and you can't give him a Jump Pack - that's a serious points investment over solving the same problem with Thunder Hammer Vanguard Vets, who can just get to the problem with their Jump Packs.
**Both Champions have buffs that overlap Chaplains/Captains/Chapter Masters, so plan accordingly - if you're bringing the buffs in from elsewhere, neither is remotely as compelling as TH/SS Company or Vanguard Veterans.
***This has all changed now. The Chapter Champion gets a Mastercrafted Power Sword and some quite substantial buffs now. Firstly, he has 5 attacks on his profile, which is more than even a Captain. Secondly, all attacks in close combat are at -1 to hit him. Combined with a 2+ save he's looking very survivable. Against characters, he also gets a whole host of special rules that will range from okay to downright scary! A 6" Heroic Intervention is okay to reach a character but re-roll hits and wounds against a character is amazing.
Give this guy the Burning Blade and The Imperium's Sword Warlord Trait and enjoy wounding T4 on 2s with AP-5 and D2. You can even shark vehicles with him since he has 7 attacks on the charge at S8. I'd even use him to finish a Knight character and laugh about it!

*'''Honour Guard:''' They seem underwhelming at first since there're only two models per unit and they have only one more wound compared to the Company Veterans. However, they only cost a minimum of 50 points plus gear (see below) for the entire unit. They possess a 2+ save, which, paired with their W2, is the primary reason to take them - they're worse in melee than Company Vets - and because of their unit size, have no worries about morale tests. Like the Company Veterans, they can intercept wounds for CHARACTERs, so they're good to have around in melee. Remember that you can stick several units into a single transport, so there is nothing stopping you from sticking 8 2-man units of Honour Guard into a single Land Raider Crusader.
**Codex Honour Guard has a mandatory Power Axe, but Index Honour Guard can take a Sword, Maul, or Relic Blade, so per the FAQ, the Index "wins", letting you take 50 points Sword Guard for bubble wrap/ablative wounds. For any weapon from Power Sword, Maul, or Axe, an Honour Guard costs the same as a Company Vet with a Storm Shield, meaning the choice is W2/2+ or W1/3+/3++; the former is cheaper per wound, which means your bodyguard lasts longer, but the latter is more durable against the majority of potential incoming fire, due to the abundance of higher damage and armour penetrating guns out there. Note also that both units are functionally immune to morale, but the Company Vets hit harder in melee - the Honour Guard unit is 4 attacks, while the Company Vets are 5. Relic Blades are garbage, doubling the cost of the Honour Guard carrying them; Company Vets with Thunder Hammers will outperform them any day.
*'''Tyrannic War Veterans:''' Sternguard Vets, minus the weapons options and with the ability to re-roll all failed rolls to hit or wound {{W40Kkeyword|TYRANID}} units. Situational, but since the bugs have gotten significant buffs it might be useful. The unit consists of 4 models, so can be cheaper in total than Sternguard, and make odd arrangements in transportation more viable.
**As a strange side note, remember that these models have STERNGUARD VETERAN SQUAD as a keyword. This means they not only can benefit from Masterful Marksmanship but also bonuses from being in the Victrix Guard Specialist detachment. Further, with their Special Issue Bolters, you can see them as a way to extend a Sternguard allowance from just 3 squads to 6. Why you would do that is beyond comprehension.
*'''Victrix Honour Guard:''' Primaris Honour Guard, with both upsides and downsides. Standard 1 wound and ABOVE standard +2 attacks (normally Primaris get +1), but also kitted out with power swords (losing the superior power axes of the base unit) and storm shields (losing both the bolters and bolt pistols of the base unit), and can perform Heroic Interventions. If they're in the same detachment as Marneus Calgar, they don't take up a slot.  The net result, even after paying 5 more points per model, is that you gain a lot of durability and slight mobility, as well as an overall gain to melee output (''doubling'' the unit's total attacks more than compensates for the inferior melee weapon), in exchange for a sharp reduction in ranged output - in fact, if you want your chapter tactic to apply to them, all you can do is have the unit throw a single grenade, as opposed to the base unit, which has a pair of bolters.

'''Lord of War'''
*'''[[Roboute Guilliman]]:'''The most effective unit in the Astartes Codex, even with his whopping 350 point cost. He possesses an impressive statline: WS and BS are both 2+, 8" movement, S6, T6, 6A and has 9 wounds and if he is killed he comes back on a roll of 4+ with D6 wounds. Has the character keyword so can't be shot at unless he's the closest model or by snipers, and also takes cover behind a constant 2+, 3++. Shooting wise he uses the Hand of Dominion which is 24" rapid fire 3 S6 AP-1 Dmg 2, which is good but it's CC where you want Girlyman. In close combat he can either use the Hand of Dominion a Sx2 AP-3 Dmg 4 power fist or use the motherfucking [[Emperor's Sword]] at S+2 AP-4 Dmg 3 that on a roll of a 6 causes D3 mortal wounds on top of the 3 damage he already caused. In close combat he is one of the best characters in 8th, on top of that lucky rolls can lead to him dishing out a lot of extra damage through mortal wounds. All of that is nice, however, where Guilliman truly shines is his buffs to the rest of the army. Any keyword '''Imperium''' unit within 12" adds 1 to advances and charges, re-roll hits of 1 and can re-roll failed morale tests. As the Primarch of the Ultramarines, he gives any {{W40Kkeyword|Ultramarines}} units within 6" re-rolls of any hit roll, and wound rolls of 1 as well. Guilliman himself is affected by his own aura, allowing him to add 1 to charges and advances as well as re roll hits and 1s to wound. If all that wasn't enough if your army is battleforged you get 3 extra CP. He does everything you'd want a warlord to do, basically. The main reasons not to take him are points cost, wanting a different LOW, or not wanting to be seen as [[That Guy]]. 
**Be aware that since he has the {{W40Kkeyword|Monster}} keyword for some odd reason, he tends to interact strangely with several other rules (e.g. taking Transports). Watch for anything that affects {{W40Kkeyword|Monster}} units and be prepared to footslog.

====Tactical Objectives====
====Tactics====
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