Warhammer 40,000/10th Edition Tactics/Imperial Agents
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This is the current 10th Edition's Imperial Agents tactics. 9th Edition Tactics are here.
Why Play Imperial Agents[edit]
Pros[edit]
Cons[edit]
- They're not really a full faction on their own, more of a bunch of supporting members to a bigger army.
Faction Rules[edit]
- Assigned Agents: Essentially how you can ally in your agents. Any Imperium armies can add in a number of Agent units depending on the army size. In addition, none of your assassins can be chosen to be the warlord, which has always been the case.
| Game Size | Max Character units | Max Retinue units |
|---|---|---|
| Incursion (1000 pts) | 1 | 1 |
| Strike Force (2000 pts) | 2 | 2 |
| Onslaught (3000 pts) | 3 | 3 |
Wargear[edit]
- Nuncio-Aquila: An upgrade given to all Arbites squads, this makes any enemies within 3" of them suffer -1 to any battle-shock tests.
Unit Analysis[edit]
Characters[edit]
- Inquisitor: An unassuming leader of any Imperium battleline infantry, but one that can hitch a ride in any transports that their retinue can use, all while giving them a 5+++ FNP against mortal wounds. On top of that, any strats used on their unit have a chance to be refunded so you can spend on others.
- Combat-wise, you can only expect less. Alongside the base bolt pistol, you can only pick up the generic combi-weapon, getting S4 AP-2 with Anti-Infantry 4+ and Devastating Wounds. Their basic melee weapon, meanwhile, is a basic power weapon with A5 WS3+ S4 AP-2 D1.
- Of course, you can buy the ability to be a psyker. Not only does this give you the keyword, but you sacrifice the FNP for a force weapon, which is pretty much a step up from the basic melee weapon, giving up 1 Attack (so A4) in exchange for +1S and D on average (S5 Dd3), on top of the Psychic Shock Wave, an A2d6 S3 AP-1 webber ([Torrent] and [Devastating Wounds]).
- Combat-wise, you can only expect less. Alongside the base bolt pistol, you can only pick up the generic combi-weapon, getting S4 AP-2 with Anti-Infantry 4+ and Devastating Wounds. Their basic melee weapon, meanwhile, is a basic power weapon with A5 WS3+ S4 AP-2 D1.
- Rogue Trader Retinue: A squad of eccentric men and women who can only lead a squad of Voidsmen-at-Arms or Breachers. Instead, they grant Infiltrators to whoever they join and have the ability to redeploy d3 Imperium battleline, including into reserves.
- Now for the various members. The Rogue Trader gives your squad both a pretty devastating pistol as well as a cane-rapier for some measure of melee prowess. The Assassin has both a mask to take down GEQ and power blades to take on MEQ, both with [Precision] so you can take characters down quickly. The Lectro-Maester only comes with a Voltaic Pistol giving more firepower thanks to [Sustained Hits 1]. The last specialist is merely your medic, granting a 5+ FNP on top of their 4+/4++ save.
Assassins[edit]
The addition of Lone Operative was tailor made for the assassins, as it allows them to hide from whatever enemies may try to snipe them out. All of them have it.
- Statline: M7" T4 Sv6+/4++ W4 Ld6+ OC1, except the Eversor is M9.
- USRs and Keywords:
- Deep Strike: Callidus, Culexus
- Fights First: Callidus
- Infiltrators: Callidus, Vindicare
- Scouts 9" + Deadly Demise d3: Eversor
- Stealth: Culexus, Vindicare
- smoke: Vindicare
- grenades: Culexus, Eversor
- Callidus Assassin: Not the most nimble but the closest to the backstabbing assassin of the lot. Aside from Lone Operative giving it ranged denial, Polymorphine also allows it to run back into reserves at the end of any enemy turn where it isn't in a fight. Their one support asset allows you to make one strat the enemy uses cost an additional CP to deny an enemy of vital tricks.
- Their biggest target is characters as [Precision] is on both its Neural Shredder and melee weapons. The melee in particular is incredibly dangerous with an absurd AP-4 and [Lethal Hits] to compensate for its meh Strength. If you were to point out a weakness, it'd be any invulnerable saves on hand. Without anything like [Devastating Wounds] to bypass those, they're stuck struggling against any characters with a 4++. In this regard its best softening up a squad with range before sending her in, as don't forget she is still an assassin so can still cause serious damage with high attack output.
- Culexus Assassin: So much for the living psychic deadzone. Due to all the psychic cullings, no longer do you have any guaranteed denials of psychic powers, all you get is a 2+++ against psychic weapons (and nothing for any psychic powers that inflict MWs) and a 6" bubble of -1 Ld that becomes -2 Ld for any psykers. You have a single-use ability to make an enemy within 6" take a battle-shock test, but it's far from enough to make useful.
- While its weapons have their advantages against psykers with [Anti-Psyker 2+], they're not too spectacular. The Animus Speculum gives you something like a sniper rifle, but it gets double the shots when firing at its preferred prey. Its punches have more going for them with [Devastating Wounds] bypassing any saves.
- While the Culexus Assasin may have been neutered as a pure anti-pskyer it did gain some in regards to more diverse targets, with its weapons being pretty effective against a whole range of enemies and characters, not just psykers. Plus, it even has an innate ability to lower bravery on all enemy units, which actually does matter in this new edition.
- Eversor Assassin: The most mobile blender, gaining 9" movement on top of Scouts 9" so they can start swinging immediately. On top of this, Frenzon gives the Eversor one of three buffs: shooting and charging after advancing (adding Assault to all weapons if GW knew how to apply Assault to melee), adding Precision to all weapons, or adding Sustained Hits 3 to all weapons. Sentinel Array gives the Eversor a free use of Heroic Intervention or Fire Overwatch each turn, which can help them get fighting faster (the Fire Overwatch is useless).
- The Eversor is, if you can get it into melee - which is pretty damn likely - an infantry blender, provided it doesn't run into something it can't chew through instantly. Now it could be said it has some role overlap with the Callidus, i.e. dedicated infantry assassin, the Callidus would probably do a better job hitting smaller high save priority targets (which has an easier time getting too with its deep striking and higher AP) while the Eversor is far better suited mulching through mass ranks and just being a general nuisance.
- Vindicare Assassin: Both the Exitus Pistol and Rifle got a bit of a buff, with the pistol now hitting at 12"(Pistol) A3 BS2+ S5(Precision) AP-2(Devastating Wounds, Ignores Cover) D3 and the rifle going to 48" A1 BS2+(Heavy) S7(Precision) AP-3(Devastating Wounds, Ignores Cover) Dd3+3, and on both any critical hits deal an additional 3 damage and force any enemies that are hit to take a battle-shock test. Fortunately, you have Stealth on top of Lone Operative to keep them safe.
- Since you'll pretty much always be shooting at a 2+, you can think of the average damage on the rifle as 3.6 and the rifle as 5.6, or slightly more than a standard meltagun (which is average 3.5 or 5.5 depending on range), but the variance is quite high.
- While stratagems are gone, you do get a single Shieldbreaker round to use. When used on the rifle, enemies can't use any saves on any attacks you make with it, very similar to having Devastating Wounds auto-proc (except the wounds aren't converted to mortals).
Epic Heroes[edit]
- Lord Inquisitor Torquemada Coteaz:
- Lord Inquisitor Kyria Draxus:
- Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn:
- Inquisitor Katarinya Greyfax: Your premier witch-hunter. Not only does she give her retinue's guns [Anti-Psyker 4+], her own Condemnor Stake has [Devastating Wounds], [Anti-Psyker 2+] and [Precision], guaranteeing you can cut through psykers, attached or not, and somehow [Rapid Fire 1] for good measure; the implication is that she has a very fancy bolter, and the stake thrower on top is just for show and does nothing - just like every other combi-weapon nowadays. On top of that, she also has a psychic weapon in Castigation, a potent S8 AP-2 D3 weapon with [Devastating Wounds], [Precision], and [Anti-Character 4+]. In melee, she has a nerfed master-crafted power sword (-1A to A4, +1D to D2) compared to a standard Inquisitor, but any non-Monster and non-Vehicle enemies she fights must take a desperate escape check, even if they aren't already battle-shocked.
- Lord Inquisitor Fyodor Karamazov: While the crazy old man can't join any retinue on account of being on top of a literal dreadnought frame, he does have a 6" bubble of +1 to Ld and battle-shock tests for allies and -1 for enemies, making him someone you wouldn't want to be near even if you weren't facing his amped-up power sword. On top of just having a bigger and badder multi-melta on his walking chair, he can also force an enemy within 12" take a battle-shock test each shooting phase because he's just that scary.
- Lacks Lone Operative, so he'll primarily operate as a distraction carnifex/bullet magnet.
Infantry[edit]
- Inquisitorial Henchmen: Showcasing all you get from the new Ashes of Faith Kill Team.
Adeptus Arbites[edit]
- Exaction Squad: The specialists of the Arbites. They mark one enemy unit at the start of the game and gain a +1 to hit that enemy. While the squad's loadout is pretty much identical to the Vigilant Squad, you also get access to special operatives via wargear. The Excruciator Maul pretty much gives you a power weapon that won't sacrifice the shotgun, the Medi-kit grants the squad a 5+++ for extra protection, and the Soulguilt Scanner gives the squad's guns Ignores Cover, which you'll totally be wanting.
- Subductor Squad: The riot cops, blessed with a 3+/4++ save thanks to their shields. Their sole purpose is to wade through the fire in order to get into the fight with their shock batons - while they're not the most powerful weapon, your cops can still use them after dying, gaining the ability to fight one last time before going down because these guys are just hardcore. Taking the Cyber-Mastiff for these is a bit iffy since the dog gets no Invulnerable and thus is more vulnerable to anything that hits them.
- Vigilant Squad: Your S4 shotgunners, the only perk being a +1 to wound enemies below half-strength. Two guys can at least grab some special weapons, with the Executioner Shotgun letting you snipe enemies, the grenade launcher for some flexible firing, a heavy stubber for tons of shots with [Rapid Fire 3] and the Webber for a puny flamer which relies on [Devastating Wounds] to be of any use.
[edit]
- Imperial Navy Breachers: A group of elite guardsmen with a 4+ save and shotguns for a bunch of S4 AP0 firepower. Breaching Team lets them re-roll 1s to wound, but when shooting at an enemy on the objective they can re-roll all wounds.
- As expected from a kill-team squad, there are plenty of specialized loadouts for individual models. By default, one model gets both a shield for a 4++ invuln and a heavy shotgun for twice the number of shots. On top of that, one unit can get either a plasma gun or a melta gun to handle your tanks and TEQ, one can grab a power weapon without being the sergeant, one gets a single-use Demolition Charge to blast whatever they come across as well as a belt to give both the Smoke keyword (letting the squad use the Smokescreen strat) as well as an extra d6 when using the Grenade strat, and another can grab the mighty but unwieldy chainfist to carve through vehicles.
- With a leadership of 8+ you really don't want these guys to be anywhere near sources of battle shock without a leader, cough cough, Inquisitors, to shepherd them around.
- Voidsmen-at-Arms: Your baseline guardsmen, still with a 4+ save but equipped with mere lasguns. Aside from that, one per five are trapped with a rotor cannon for something with more firepower as well as [Heavy] and [Sustained Hits 1] while the Voidmaster uses a short-ranged shotgun. Melee is pretty much a non-starter for these guys as your only option aside from CCWs is grabbing a dog.
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