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

Vanus 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, trolling (don't flatter yourselves kids), 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 teamates death.

Homebrew Vanus Assassin (7E)

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.)
  • Preferred Enemy
  • Precision Shots
  • Knowledge is Power: Vanus Assassins can join units despite having the Independent Operative special rule. The unit they join gains the Preferred Enemy special rule as long as the Vanus is present.
  • Controlled Information: When either you or your opponent rolls for reserves (and table edge for the reserves, if appropriate), you may add or subtract 1 (your choice) from the Reserve roll.
  • Unfortunate Rumors: Pick 1 unit in your opponents' army list. If that unit was an ally, it counts as a Come the Apocalypse ally, and if it had Objective Secured, it loses it.

• Wargear
  • Two Master-crafted Laspistols (Vanus Assassins do not carry exotic weaponry, to ensure they can pass weapons inspections without any unfortunate questions).
  • Vanus Signum: Models cannot be deployed using the Infiltrate special rule within 18" of the Vanus assassin and the Vanus Assassin has the Night Vision special rule. In addition, in lieu of the Vanus Assassin firing a weapon in the Shooting phase either a single designated unit of the controlling player's choice within 6" of the Vanus Assassin (other than Independent Characters or Super-heavies) may use the Vanus Assassins BS for that Shooting phase and gain the Precision Shots special rule or a single enemy unit within 12" of the Vanus assassin can be treated as if all shooting attacks made against them have the Ignores Cover.
  • Three Servo-skulls: These are placed on the battlefield (and can be placed anywhere outside the enemy deployment zone) after deployment areas have been determined, but before any forces are deployed. Enemy infiltrators cannot set up within 12" of a Servo-skull and enemy scouts can't use their pre-game move to approach within 12" of a Servo-skull. A friendly unit arriving by Deep Strike rolls one D6 less for scatter if it aims to arrive within 12" of a Servo-skull and friendly blast templates placed within 12" of a Servo-skull roll one D6 less for scatter. They can't technically be destroyed, but if an enemy gets within 6" of one it will be removed from play.