Vanus

"Mom, just leave the pizza rolls there! I can't pause this!"

"The cleanest kill is one that another performs in your stead with no knowledge of your incitement."

– Fon Tariel, Infocyte of the Clade Vanus, M31

"They won't even notice."

– Black Lotus

Mr Vanus, also known as Mr Raidus , Mr Wrongus, Insanus or Timeandagainus, is an Assassin temple of the Officio Assassinorum in Warhammer 40,000. The Vanus are the intelligence-gathering division of the Assassinorum, specializing in using humans augmented to collect and analyze data and find traitors to the Imperium of Man. They also specialize in arranging "unfortunate accidents" that will remove said traitors without anyone being aware of the Assassinorum's involvement. Originally, this focus on data analysis leaves no room for actual physical training in assassination, leaving them extremely vulnerable in the "field". However, by M32 they were accomplished infiltrators and martial artists who come armed with the standard synskin, blades, pistols and augmented muscle fibres, with one hiding on Mars for a few weeks before deciding to go full commando and taking out a trio of skitarii single-handedly.

Actually, some Vanus on occasion are designated 'Unbound Infocytes' and allowed to pursue their own targets and objectives, extrapolating from starting data. One is on Tallarn during the Iron Warriors invasion in the Heresy and is responsible for destroying the Alpha Legion cell there, as well as manipulating Horus' emissary into ordering Perturabo to abandon the fight, thus leading to Imperial victory.

Contemporary cyber warfare, mobbing, and lurking through the internet can be seen as ancestral relatives of the "getting information" aspect of the Vanus Temple. Operational similarities to Alpha Legion are obvious, and it can probably be assumed these fine fellas emerged at about the same time Alpharius became a toxic asset.

In one novel, it is stated that Vanus assassin training includes entering a blank white room and gorging yourself on information until you go into a coma.

Although he does not appear in the board game, a Vanus assassin appears in the novel Assassinorum: Execution Force. He is the sole survivor of the mission, and is haunted by his teammates' deaths.

Horus Heresy

Looks less nerdy than we imagined, and female at that

GW has announced that we're getting a Vanus Infocyte model for the new edition of Horus Heresy! We don't know the full specifics, but it can apparently make enemies fire on their own infiltrating models and wreak havoc with Mechanicum Robots. For actual self-defence and protection, the Vanus is known to use two Laspistols to gun akimbo and wear your standard Panoply of the Assassin for protection.

Homebrew Vanus Assassin

Vanus Assassin

Pts	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv/Iv
125	7	2+	2+	4	4	5	7	5	9	6+/4++
Keywords	Faction	Imperium, Officio Assassinorum
	Non-Faction	INFANTRY, CHARACTER, AGENT OF THE IMPERIUM, Vanus ASSASSIN

• Special Rules
  • Agent of the Imperium (1/detachment can be in an Imperium detachment without taking up a slot, without preventing detachment abilities in that detachment, without preventing army abilities in that army, and ignoring any rule that requires it to share a specific faction keyword with its detachment and any rules for determining your army faction.)
  • Deep Strike
  • Execution Force (If you have an Imperium non-Fallen Warlord, you can include this unit in your army as part of a Vanguard Detachment even if that detachment contains no HQ units. If you do so, that Detachment’s Command Benefits are changed to "None" and its Restrictions are changed to "This Detachment cannot include the same datasheet more than once.")
  • Fearless
  • Independent Operative (Cannot join or be joined, cannot generate Warlord Traits if made warlord.)
  • Lightning Reflexes (4++ invulnerable save, has no penalties on Initiative for charging through difficult terrain.)
  • Move Through Cover (Roll an extra die when rolling to move through difficult terrain.)
  • No Escape (-2 to Look Out, Sir tests vs wounds this model inflicts.)
  • Character Assassination: When resolving an attack made by a model in this unit against a CHARACTER unit or a unit with the HQ, Elites, or Lord of War Battlefield Role, you can re-roll the hit roll and you can re-roll the wound roll.
  • Controlled Information: If you have any models with this ability in your army, then roll one D6 each time your opponent spends Command Points (CPs) to use a Stratagem. On a 6+ your opponent must spend 1 additional CP to use that Stratagem, or else it has no effect (any CPs spent so far are lost). This ability cannot affect Stratagems used before the battle.
  • Deceitful: While an enemy model with a Leadership characteristic less than the Leadership characteristic of this model is within 6" of this model, that model’s unit cannot make use of the Objective Secured ability or any similar abilities, it cannot perform any Actions, and its aura abilities (excluding those that are psychic powers) do not function.
  • Manipulative: At the start of the Fight phase, you can select one enemy unit within 6" of this model. That unit always fights last this phase. At the start of the Fight phase, you can select one friendly Imperium unit within 6" of this model. That unit counts as having made a charge move in the previous Charge phase for the rest of the phase.
  • Knowledge is Power: If you have any models with this ability in your army and you are playing a mission that requires you to select either secondary objectives or Agendas, then after selecting them, you may choose one of them. Do not reveal it to your opponent. The first time you score victory points or experience points for it, reveal it to your opponent. Note that you must still have a record of your selection. We recommend writing it down and concealing it until revealed. Furthermore, after both players have revealed their selections you can select one of your secondary objectives or Agendas and replace it with a different one (make a note on your army roster as to your new selection and inform your opponent; if you replace the one you are not revealing, do not reveal the replacement). All the normal rules for selecting secondary objectives and Agendas apply. If both players have a rule that allows them to select new secondary objectives or Agendas, both players make their new selections before revealing them simultaneously to their opponent.
  • Spy: Enemy units that are set up on the battlefield as reinforcements or that are set up before the battle begins cannot be set up within 12" of this model without your permission. When an enemy unit is set up on the battlefield as Reinforcements, you can select one friendly Imperium unit within 6" of this model. The selected unit can shoot at that enemy unit as if it were your Shooting phase.
  • Unfortunate Rumors: Pick 1 unit in your opponent's army list. Stratagems your opponent uses that would affect it cost 1 additional CP and it cannot be affected by the aura abilities (excluding those that are psychic powers) of units from your opponent's army.
• Wargear
  • 2 Digital Laser Implants.
    • Shooting Profile: 12" Pistol 1 SU AP0 D1; each time an attack is made with this weapon, if a hit is scored, the target suffers 1 mortal wound and the attack sequence ends.
    • Melee Profile: Melee Melee SU AP0 D1; each time an attack is made with this weapon, if a hit is scored, the target suffers 1 mortal wound and the attack sequence ends. Each time the bearer fights, it can make one (and only one) attack with this weapon. This is in addition to the bearer’s attacks.