Cypher

File:Cypher.jpg

Cypher, the Fallen Angel. Is rumored to have descended from Desmond Miles.

HE'S COMING, HE'S COMING, HE'S COMING!... Yeah, Right.

Cypher is a pretty impressive Independent Character who Games Workshop never releases rules for despite his model being available fucking forever and being referenced every 12 seconds in Dark Angels fluff. He was originally notable for having a 4+ on 3D6 completely unmodifiable proof against everything bullshit saving throw on death that served no function but to prevent the other player getting the victory points for killing him since he was still removed even if he passed it. Thanks, Second Ed Codex: Chaos!

He's basically a Fallen Dark Angel who dual-wields pistols - one Plasma, one Bolt, and both master-crafted - and wears a sweet bone white hoodie over his power armor. Whenever he pops up on the Dark Angel radar, the Inner Circle loses its shit and dispatches the Deathwing and Ravenwing to bring the fucker in but they never can. They've claimed kills, but he always fucking shows up again. Cypher is as elusive as Robert Denby, a living urban legend who either has the patronage of a Chaos god, granting him immortality until he finishes his long mission, a title passed down among agents of the Fallen, a son of a bitch who sold us out the Machines, or a bunch of random dudes pulling the Spartacus Maneuver.

Either way, he is slowly heading in the direction of Holy Terra, a bizarre mission that has the Dark Angels worried as hell. He may even want a word with the God-Emperor. "OH SHIT HE'S GONNA TATTLE ON US!" In truth it's believed that he has the Primarch's sword, which got broken, and that he intends to fix it and return it to the Emperor, ergo earning his absolution. Or maybe he's going to assassinate the Emperor. Or maybe both somehow.

During Abaddon's 13th successive failure, he had the balls to walk onto his capital ship, talk shit, and shoot the only friends Abaddon made in ten thousand years. This happened when Abaddon blinked. As in, closed his eyes and when they opened, corpses. Then he walked out again. Clint Eastwood ain't got shit on this motherfucker. Thus it is now a known fact that Abaddon also fails at blinking.

Or so the rumors go.

This would be an intriguing, suspenseful plotline if Games Workshop ever fucking bothered to progress the storyline.

Also, he is sometimes depicted with green armour even though pre-Heresy Dark Angel armour was black...and oh fuck it who gives a shit. Why did the Dark Angels change their colors, anyway? Only the legions that fell to Chaos did that, it's almost like The Fallen are the real loyalists and these black and green dicks are trying to cover it all up. That would at least explain why he shows up all over the place, dressed exactly like a Dark Angel, rustling their collective jimmies. Inquisitors, and practically anyone for that matter, who turn their heads too far in regards to the Dark Angels' history have a tendency to disappear and never be seen again. It's pretty clear why nobody's ratted out the DAs yet.

His last known appearance within the fluff was being pursued by the combined efforts of a single Black Templar vessel and a Dark Angel fleet. Even though the Black Templar single handedly manage to apprehend Cypher because they get shit done, the Dark Angel fleet threatens to destroy the Black Templar ship if they won't hand over their prisoner. Begrudingly, the Templar ship hands over Cypher, starts to send a short message to their High Marshal and then "mysteriously disappeares without a trace". Likely into a thousand tiny peices because the Dark Angels are dishonest, brother killing fags who commit treason to hide evidence of their treason. The smug Dark Angels then proceed to fly back home, thinking mission accomplished until they arrive and find the cell containing Cypher to be empty. Poof motherfuckers.

Lost and the Damned

Cypher is currently only playable in a Lost and the Damned army list, which is now both not allowed in tournaments and hopelessly out-of-date.

• UPDATE! UPDATE! With the current edition Chaos Space Marines codex you can "count as" (sort of) Cypher! You can swap your Chaos Lord CCW with a plasma pistol, and he can fire both in the same shooting phase, as stated by the Rulebook. You don't get his special rules, but, hey, better than nothing.

Black Templar HQ choices, using their woefully outdated armory selection template, also allows room for "counts as" Cyphers.