Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Space Marines

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WE ARE THE SPEHSS MAHREENS! WE ARE THE EMPRA'S FUREH!

This is the 8th Edition's Space Marine tactics. 7th Edition Tactics are here, and their current tactics can be found here.

Why Play Space Marines

The Emperor’s finest; the Space Marines; the Angels of Death; the warriors of the Adeptus Astartes go by many names, and all spell annihilation to the enemies of Mankind. Possessed of terrifying speed, strength and resilience, the Space Marines are genetically engineered super-soldiers whose humanity has been sacrificed so that they may unflinchingly stand against those who would see the Imperium fall. They go to war clad in nigh-impenetrable armour. They wield devastating weapons such as the bolt rifle, the chainsword and the lascannon. They are able to speed into battle in armoured tanks and gunships, to drop from the skies on grav-chutes and jump packs or even teleport directly into their enemies’ midst. Coupled with their unshakeable resolve, the Adeptus Astartes are the hardest-hitting and most tactically flexible warriors in the Imperium.

Pros

• A lot of different units.
• Easy for beginners to play, yet rewarding for experts. Can be customized to focus on many specific elements (e.g. Terminators, mass jump pack assaults, etc.) with varying grades of viability.
• Units can do something of everything, with an answer to every situation.
  • A common trend with Imperial armies, your Troop choices aren't tax, being actually good.
• You're GW's favorites, so you'll always be the first to get anything new. See also: Primaris Marines, getting the first full Codex in 8E, being able to be of the first to get a 8E second wave codex.
• Loads of powerful characters to choose from, many of which have potent buffs to surrounding units.
• You'll almost always have an armour save.
• Many of your models are simple to paint with their solid colors and easily identified highlight areas---This makes painting your army very beginner friendly.
• At this point in 8th edition space marines are by far the strongest army, so if you really just want to win this is the army to go with.

Cons

• So many different units that it can be difficult to determine which ones are best in a given situation.
• As the most popular army by a long shot, most people build their armies with at least a few options for killing Space Marines present.
• Tanks (other than the Forge World ones and the hefty points-priced Land Raider family) are somewhat lacking compared to those of other armies.
• All the characters that used to be part of other units (e.g. Apothecary, Champion) moved to the Elites slot, which was already rather crowded. Consider bringing in an extra Vanguard detachment or two.
• You will almost always be outnumbered and will struggle at times to claim objectives, though some Chapter tactics make use of low model counts.
• Under the current rules, you risk being labeled "that guy" due to the codex's strong nature.
  • Alternative take: If you're playing a meta space marine army at this point in 8th you probably are that guy, stereotypes exist for a reason.
  • Alternate Alternate Take: You are that guy. Period

Special Rules

• Combat Squads: Can split a single full-sized unit into two smaller units before deployment. Works just like it always has, but more unit types can do it (e.g. Centurions). While MSU is better, it does give Space Marines a unique way to circumvent the Rule of Three or detachment limits. Now they just need to have spammable units worth Combat Squadding.
  • With the introduction of Shock Assault (See below) there is worth considering the use of some of the older tactics, back when a Tactical Marine was worth more than just a bolter. One such tactic was to put your guns in one squad and your melee in another, using the ranged weapons to soften up a target then the melee (basically a sergeant either a power weapon or fist) to finish off or better yet to tie up the target unit and finish it off (hopefully) during the opponents turn, denying them a turn at shooting and forcing them to basically waste their melee of chaff. You can also put the sarge in the ranged unit with a combi weapon for a total of 3 bolters, 2 special weapons and a heavy weapon for a makeshift dev squad.
• Defenders of Humanity: AKA Objective Secured. If your army is battleforged, all Troop units in detachments consisting solely of Space Marines get this ability. When such a unit is within range of an objective it controls that objective even if there are more enemy models within range of that objective, unless they also have a similar ability. It allows your Troops to seize objectives from enemy non-Troops; enemy Troops will outnumber you.

Angels of Death

• And They Shall Know No Fear: Re-roll failed morale tests. Not going to come into play that much with your generally good Ld scores, but given how punishing Morale can be it's still a good way to ensure your units don't run off, especially for your already small-ish unit sizes & 2W Primaris. And Apothecaries cannot revive models who fled instead of being slain.
• Bolter Discipline: Models using a Rapid Fire bolt weapon can double their number of shots (i.e. rapid-fire) if at least one of the following conditions is met. They don't stack (no triple or quadruple shots if you meet more than one condition). The conditions are:
  • The target is within the weapon's half range (normal Rapid Fire).
  • The model is infantry and every model of its unit remained stationary during the previous Movement Phase. If a Devastator's Heavy Weapon marine moves, the Sergeant cannot use Bolter Discipline on his boltgun.
    • It gives your marines the option to commit to those objectives instead of having to get close to the enemy. Factions like T'au may have long ranged small arms, but Space Marines are the only army that can rapid fire from full 24"-30" away.
  • The firing model is a Terminator, Biker, Centurion, Dreadnought.
    • This right here is the good shit. Footslogging terminators now have a significantly improved threat capacity, bikers are somehow even more deadly fast than they already were, and both Centurions and certain types of dreadnoughts have access to hurricane bolters, AKA 12 shots apiece.
• Shock Assault: A brand new buff for Space Marines, if a unit with this rule charges, gets charged, or performs a Heroic Intervention, models in the unit add 1 to their Attack characteristic until the end of the turn (meaning +2A if they can fight twice like with a stratagem). Like Bolter Discipline before it, this will be available to all flavors of Space Marines (including all three of the Chaos varieties), and gives the generally lackluster melee of most Primaris infantry and chainsword assault marines a little bit of a boost. Killer on units with power weapons like Terminators. Also means foes have to be a bit more careful about charging at Tacticals and such to tie them up, more so if you use larger units, and that they can assist in a melee in a pinch.
• Combat Doctrine: Feel like it's 7th edition all over again. Each of the three Combat Doctrines gives an AP-1 buff to different weapon types in your armies (non-cumulative with buffs from other sources). You have to use each Doctrine in order, starting with the Devastator Doctrine, and once you switch there's no going back, so pay attention to the rhythm of the game. Your army gains this if all units in it have this rule, meaning taking a Guardsman Battalion or even a single Assassin CP'd in right before the battle would prevent the SM detachment from getting this rule, but allied SM detachments are ok even from a different chapter.
  • On top of that, Chapter supplements give First Founding Chapters (and their descendants) a Specialist doctrine that is a bonus active on top of the regular doctrine. Bringing chapters with different specialist doctrines prevents either from getting theirs.
  • These nifty rules will make your marines more efficient killers, but their rotation makes them predictable - devastate -> advance -> assault. Savvy opponents may try to break LoS to force movement penalties on your heavy weapons, rush for melee while you're still under the ranged doctrines, then fall back when you're finally under the assault one, scale buildings, etc. As such, don't be predictable yourself. Remember, you don't need to switch doctrines on the same turn they become available: surprise drop pod a target turn one or advance your infantry under cover of Devastation while your enemy remains confined to their hiding spots turn 3, what have you. The doctrines are as follows:
  1. On Turn 1, your army will always start with the Devastator Doctrine turned on, giving all your Heavy and Grenade weapons the extra -1 AP so that you can soften entrenched infantry and cripple enemy vehicles from afar in preparation for your advance. Remember the first points of AP are the most important ones: AP-2 Heavy Bolters and Assault Cannons are more noticeable than AP-4 Lascannons. Do keep in mind the plethora of sniper rifles and Heavy Flamers (Incendium/Inferno/Flamestorm cannons) are Heavy Weapons too. The boost to Grenades matters only to Intercessors for the most part.
  2. On the 2nd turn you switch to Tactical Doctrine, shifting the boost to your Rapid Fire and Assault weapons. Be it to close the distance to the enemy or because your vehicles are about to give their last, this mostly passes the ranged baton to your infantry. And a bolt rifle going from AP-1 to AP-2 is more noticeable than a lascannon going from AP-3 to AP-4. Storm bolters and auto bolt rifles work wonders here.
  3. On the 3rd or 4th turn you shift to Assault Doctrine (you MUST change to assault on the 4th turn) giving the extra AP to your Pistol and Melee attacks. Don't. Forget. Your. Pistol. The first point of AP is the most important one - chainsword/CCWs benefit the most, while AP-4 on a sword can become excessive.
  • As of the 02/27/20 FAQ, you MUST change from Devastator to Tactical on turn 2, and then change to Assault on turn 3 or 4. This will force you to keep at least a few units that are capable of fighting in CQC, as you can no longer just bum around in Devastator or Tactical doctrine and persist on blasting things from across the map.

Forge World Special Rules

• RELIC: No Battle-forged Detachment may contain more RELIC units than non-RELIC units within any given battlefield role (except for Lords of War; you can take one without needing another LoW first, but this only applies to the first such LoW taken). Also unlocks the Relic of Ancient Glory Stratagem for use.
• Stratagem - Relic of Ancient Glory: At the beginning of your Fight phase, choose a single friendly RELIC unit. All friendly ADEPTUS ASTARTES models within 6" of the chosen RELIC unit may re-roll the first failed hit roll of the phase.

Chapter Tactics

Chapter Tactics are special rules based on the <Chapter> keyword that will affect every unit in a detachment except for servitors. To benefit from Chapter Tactics, your army must be battle-forged, and all units in the detachment must be drawn from the same chapter.

• Servitors are specified to never gain a Chapter Tactic despite having the keyword, but nobody cares about Servitors because they're shit.
• Super-Heavy Auxiliary Detachments also don't benefit from this, so if you want your Raven Guard Thunderhawks to get free cover, you need to put one in a Supreme Command Detachment at the least.
• A reminder that <chapter> Ultramarines is not the same faction as <regiment> Ultramarines, even if both faction keywords are "Ultramarines". It is, however, a sign of the person trying to pull that stunt being That Guy.

Successor Tactics

All Successor chapters that don't already have associated Chapter tactics must make their own. It's the fourth edition all over again, once more you're allowed to create a bespoke chapter tactic for Your Dudes by combining any 2 of 18 available options, or use a First Founding chapter's tactics. The available options are listed below:

• Inheritors of the Primarch: Sacrifice the ability to take a second successor tactic in favor of directly copying a First Founding Chapter Tactic (from Codex: Space Marines, so no copying Blood Angels etc).
  • As this still excludes you from taking named characters from that First Founding Chapter, the only reason to ever choose this is when you want a Forgeworld named character and his detachment to have a First Founding Chapter Tactic. Like giving the Astral Claws the White Scars trait so they can charge after advancing like when renegade. Or if you just want to use the Chapter Tactic without the primogenitor's color scheme.
  • Additionally, pick if you find the full benefit of the parent CT better than a combination. Notably, you can't replicate any individual Chapter Tactic as all of them have at least one element that is unique to them.
  • The only restriction is that, IF your chapter's primogenitor is known, IF you use Inheritors of the Primarch it would need to be from their parent chapter. Examples: the Novamarines' parent chapter is the Ultramarines, so you can't use Inheritors to give them the White Scars' trait (because that's not their parent chapter), and you can't give any chapter the Black Templars' CT (because that's not a First Founding chapter).
• Bolter Fusillades: Re-roll hit rolls of 1 when using bolt weapons. Not only frees your Captains from babysitting line squads so they can focus on the big guns, but it also means you can switch your HQ towards Lieutenants, as anything with bolt weapons is effectively inside a Captain's aura. Keep in mind the Lt's re-roll is statistically identical to the Captain's (better for anything that automatically hits, but worse for anything that hurts you on a 1; neither one affects the odds that a successful hit is a 6 or that a successful wound is a 6).
• Born Heroes: Characters with this tactic can do Heroic Interventions from 6" instead of 3". Pretty terrible outside Supreme Command Detachments, but it's good there.
• Duelists: When making melee attacks against enemy infantry or bikers, unmodified hit rolls of 6 auto-hit and auto-wound. Explicitly incompatible with the Whirlwind of Rage tactic, sadly. Doesn't work on Cavalry because GW likes to pretend Wolf Riders don't exist; can't blame them.
  • Duelists works better the tougher your target is, although it's somewhat limited in that Infantry and Bikers don't tend to exceed T5. The bonus is better than Whirlwind of Rage when you need a 5+ to wound (DG/Custodes), equal at 4+ (CSM/Orks) and worse when you wound on a 3+ (IG/Eldar/Tau). This also means anything better than a Power Sword would be better used by Whirlwind of Rage, so, unless you want something specific like a melee Primaris chapter that fights T5 enemies, pick Whirlwind. Take note of the combo with Incursors knives... .
• Fearsome Aspect: -1 Leadership to enemy units while they're within 3" of any of your units.
  • Situational, but can be combined with other debuffing abilities, such as Reivers' aura, to provide an effect like Night Lords PLUS another chapter tactic, because this is only half of your trait. Night Lords, eat your hearts out.
• Hungry for Battle: +1" to the advance or charge roll. Amazing for melee units and also pretty good if you want to spam Assault weapons. Has no synergy with bikes or anything else that doesn't roll to Advance (like anything with Supersonic), but at its most noticeable on slow things trying to advance or deep striking things that want to charge right now - you'll definitely notice this tactic's impact on cataphractii terminators, for example.
  • Gets really crazy with the Master of the Vanguard warlord trait for +2" move and advance. Gets even crazier, borderline illegal, with Lias Issodon for +3" to move and advance.
• Indomitable: You can't lose more than one model from a failed Morale roll. Half of the Dark Angels CT. It can be okay for big units if you want to maximize the effectiveness of Stratagems, but it's not likely you'll fail morale tests to begin with.
• Knowledge is Power: Psykers with this tactic can re-roll "any or all" rolls of 1 when casting or denying. Half of the Blood Ravens tactic. If you're taking a Supreme Command with 3 Librarians for some reason this is good; don't take this if less than a third of the Detachment consists of Librarians.
• Long Range Marksmen: +3" range to all ranged weapons. Your marines get to engage enemies from their own deployment zone, taking better advantage of Bolter Discipline. Furthermore, it's amazing for flamers, which gain 11" range and become able to be used right out of a deepstrike, as well as being almost impossible to avoid by melee units. It also makes meltaguns noticeably easier to use, and while half-range abilities only gain a 1.5" boost, this is enough for Grav-guns and Combi-gravs to double-shoot after deep striking, which makes them a lot less terrible. Also, don't forget this applies to your grenades as well - 9" frag, krak, and shock, and 7" melta, is enough that you'll want to consider throwing a grenade more often when firing Overwatch.
• Master Artisans: A unit with this tactic can re-roll a single failed to hit roll and a single failed wound roll each time it shoots or fights (including overwatch). Half of the Salamanders' CT. Units with a few weak weapons benefit most, but few strong is better than many weak for this. Amazing for pretty much any unit, with the standard Salamander caveat that it's a lot better the fewer attacks per unit you have - always go MSU with this.
• Preferred Enemy: Pick one of the following factions: Aeldari, Tau, Heretic Astartes, Tyranids, Orks, or Necrons. Re-roll hits with melee weapons when attacking them if you charged, were charged, or made a Heroic Intervention. Fluffy, but bad for WAAC lists unless you are building for one specific opponent; Heretic Astartes are the most popular of these factions and Orks are guaranteed to get into combat with you, but you can get re-rolls for hit rolls cheaply in other ways.
• Rapid Assault: Advancing no longer incurs a -1 penalty on firing Assault weapons. It's okay if you spam Assault weapons (especially meltaguns on bikes), but this tactic needs to be combined with something like Hungry for Battle to make it work.
• Scions of the Forge: Units with damage tables count their wounds as doubled when calculating the effects of damage. 1/3 of the Iron Hands CT. Good for heavily mechanised lists.
• Stalwart: When rolling for wounds against your models, natural rolls of 1 or 2 always fail, regardless of any modifiers or abilities the attacking unit might have. Makes your units somewhat better against plasma and other S8+ weapons. The other half of the Blood Ravens tactic.
• Stealthy: Count as being in cover when at least 12" away from enemies. Half of the Raven Guard's tactic. By the time the enemy gets close enough to ignore this bonus you'll be within range for an easy charge. Good for gunlines, especially Vehicles and Flyers; meh for other types of units.
• Stoic: +1 Leadership. Half of the Ultramarines CT. Skip it unless you need it for a very specific plan - it's usually fundamentally garbage compared to Indomitable.
  • Stoic is better than Indomitable in the instances where the unit fails by EXACTLY ONE. However, Space Marine normal leadership, unit size, and ATSKNF means that this happens... quite a bit more frequently than in might in other armies.
• Tactical Withdrawal: Units with this tactic can charge after falling back. Roughly 1/4 of the White Scars' tactic. Amazing for melee oriented armies, allowing you to trigger Shock Assault whenever you want. Generally speaking, best on a unit with FLY (especially Inceptors), since you can fall back, shoot, and then charge back into melee.
  • Wasted on Intercessors and Infiltrators, who can get the equivalent of an extra melee attack without needing to risk overwatch just by firing their bolt pistols; better on Incursors thanks to their knives. Only really works on Troops if you can make them fight twice, if they don't have pistols or you're using another unit to shoot their target between withdrawal and charge, so take it for your heavy hitters instead.
• Warded: 5+ Feel no Pain versus mortal wounds only. Half of the Black Templars' tactic. Situational, but useful if your meta is full of armies who spam mortal wounds.
  • All mortal wounds, not just those from psychic powers; this is basically Armour of Contempt but always active, all the time and not restricted to vehicles. A character about to die can fail to save a regular wound, and pass it onto a Company Vet as a mortal wound to try to save it again. A vehicle that fails a plasma roll has a chance to not lose a wound.
  • What tries to counter TH/SS? Mortal Wounds SPAM. Well now your TH/SS are 2+/3++/5+++, simple as.
• Whirlwind of Rage: When making melee attacks for a unit that charged, was charged, or made a Heroic Intervention, unmodified hit rolls of 6 score an additional hit. Explicitly incompatible with the Duelists tactic, above.
  • Unlike Duelists, mathematically the Whirlwind of Rage bonus constantly behaves as +1WS (one that also affects WS2+ models), irrespective of chances to wound and not limited by keywords. Plus, its bonus is better than Duelists against targets you wound on a 3+ or less, meaning both your anti-horde and power weapons benefit. Do note that, unlike Duelists, Whirlwind only works in the first round of combat, not that anything you were fielding was planning on staying in melee for longer than that.

Stratagems

LOTS of ways to inflict Mortal Wounds here. By the way, Linebreaker Bombardment, Empyric Channeling, Datalink Telemetry and Killshot are not included in the new codex, and the 2019 FAQ confirms them to be DEAD. They are all, however, still available to Blood Angels, Dark Angels, and Space Wolves, at least for the moment. So if you're really attached to that triple Predator detachment, run them as one of them instead.

Utility.

• Auspex Scan (2 CP): When an enemy unit comes in from reserves within 12" of one of your Infantry units, your unit can shoot at it but with a -1BS penalty. It might pay off to keep Devastators/Hellblasters around, as deepstriking Termies can survive hurried bolter fire, and this "emergency" strat can be an unforeseen expense for your relatively-small army.
• Big Guns Never Tire (1 CP): Select a Vehicle; until the end of the phase, that unit does not suffer the penalty for moving and firing heavy weapons.
• Tactical Flexibility (1 CP): At the start of your movement phase, pick any number of 10 model unit with the Combat Squads rule and split them into two 5 model units as if they had been deployed as two Combat Squads. You probably should have split your squads before the battle, but on the other hand, it could be used to unexpectedly divide a squad in mid-battle to let it take two objectives at once. Still, calling it situational would be an understatement.
• Tremor Shells (1 CP): At the start of your shooting phase, when a Thunderfire cannon shoots, subtract 1 from the wound rolls, but as long as it hits, the target unit gets half move, advance, and charge distances their next turn. Doesn't affect Fly or Titanic units.
  • This is all it takes to clog up a large horde army. OR, more importantly, drastically reduce the chances that they get off a charge, in cases when they choose to use Da Jump or other such gimmicks.
  • The effect is worded to last for the whole shooting phase so use the new Suppression Fire stratagem and slowdown the second unit in the same phase!
  • Tremor Shells do bizarre things to your enemy. Most standard units (M6") will still be able to move about 4-6" with an advance move. HOWEVER, this strat forces them to advance to get that far, thus it is also a useful way to reduce a units shooting if you know they need to get close to use close range/assault weapons. Altogether its a great strat.

Character Upgrades

• Chapter Ancient (1CP): One use only. Upgrades a non-named Ancient into a Chapter Ancient, granting +1 to Leadership and makes the range of its Astartes Banner 9".
• Chapter Champion (1CP): One use only. Upgrades a non-named Company Champion into a Chapter Champion, granting +1 to Attacks and Leadership. Enemies attacking them in melee must take -1 to hit, making non-HQs attempting to hit him with Fists a pipe dream. Not usable by Black Templars, they have the Emperor's Champion for that.
• Chapter Master (2 CP): Use before the start of the game to turn your Captain into a Chapter Master, boosting his aura to re-roll all hits (fails and successes) instead of only 1s. You can't use this twice, nor use it on a named captain, or if you already have a named Chapter Master from the same Chapter.
  • A named Chapter Master costs about +50pts more than your would-be generic CM and brings along a special rule, a relic of some sort, and +1W. Ask yourself if 2 CP is worth 25pts each plus the loss of the special characteristics. Of course, this isn't an argument for those Chapters without named Chapter Masters.
• Chief Apothecary (1CP): One use only. Non-named Apothecary may be upgraded and can re-roll the die to determine if a model that has been destroyed returns to that unit.
• Chief Librarian (1CP): One use only. A non-named Librarian is upgraded to a Chief Librarian. Knows one more power from their chosen discipline, and has one more Deny.
• Hero of the Chapter (1 CP): One use only. Select a Character from your army that's not your warlord and determine a warlord trait for it.
• Master of Sanctity (1 CP): One use only. A non-named Chaplain is upgraded to a Master of Sanctity, which grants him one more Litany of Battle and the ability to use two Litanies at once.
• Master of the Forge (1CP): One use only. Upgrades a non-named Techmarine who isn't attached to a Thunderfire Cannon to a Master of the Forge. Like Iron Father Feirros, you always restore 3 wounds to a vehicle.
• Relics of the Chapter (1 CP): Use before the start of the battle. You can have an extra Chapter Relic for 1 CP. You can't take two of the same relic, and all the Relics have to go to different Characters. No longer limited to a one-use stratagem due to the sheer amount of relics.
• Veteran Intercessors (1/2 CP): AKA that specialist detachment stratagem from Vigilus part one. +1 attack, +1 leadership to a unit of Intercessors. Costs 1 for a 5 man unit, and 2 for a unit of 6 or more.

Offense: Use these to shoot or fight better.

• Bolt Storm (2 CP): At the start of the shooting phase, pick a squad of Intercessors. Until the end of the phase, that squad's Auto bolt rifles automatically hit if they target an enemy within half range.
  • Effectively multiplies your Intercessors' shooting by 1.5x, but most importantly it completely negates BS penalties and it's nice extra damage before melee.
• Cluster Mines (1 CP): Use when a Scout Bike squad falls back. On a 2+, one unit you fell back from takes D3 mortal wounds.
  • Best in an Ultramarines or White Scars list, where you can fall back, pop it and reengage. The reactive version of the proactive Incursor's mines.
• Death to the Traitors! (1 CP): When one unit is attacking a Heretic Astartes unit in the fight phase, any 6+ to hit generates another attack with the same weapon. Steal their gimmick to use back on them.
• Flakk Missile (1 CP): When an Infantry model shoots a missile launcher at a unit with Fly, make a single hit roll with +1 to hit. If you hit, do D3 mortal wounds instead of rolling to wound. Like Hellfire Shells, Salamanders can get some extra mileage from this with the free re-roll.
• Fury of the First (1 CP): A Terminator unit gains +1 to hit until the end of that phase. Now TH/SS doesn't NEED to be babysat by a Chaplain, and Tactical termies can use it in their shooting phase as well.
• Gene Wrought Might (1 CP): When a Primaris Infantry unit from your army has chosen to fight, until the end of the phase, when resolving an attack made with a melee weapon a hit roll of 6+ automatically hits and wounds.
• Gravitic Amplification (1 CP): When a unit of your army is chosen to shoot with any "Grav" weaponry, you can re-roll the wound roll and the damage roll. Nifty. Redemption for those Gravs you glued to your Cents back in 7E.
• Hammer of Wrath (1CP): Jump pack models within a unit that successfully end a charge move within 1" of an enemy unit cause mortal wounds on a 5+. Makes your big units of assault marines/VV punch much harder.
• Hellfire Shells (1 CP): Instead of shooting normally, a Space Marine Infantry model (with a heavy bolter) rolls only once to hit. If it hits, it does D3 mortal wounds. Try to get +BS or rerolls and stand still so that you don't miss the shot.
• Honour the Chapter (3 CP): At the end of the fight phase, pick an Adeptus Astartes unit to fight a second time. The usual "fight twice" stratagem, best on characters and units with good weapons to delete someone.
  • Do not besmirch your chapters proud history by affording Abaddon any chance of survival. Finish the job properly! Seriously this could be the pivotal factor in capturing slay the warlord or destroying a tank in one fell combat.
• Hunter-slayer Missile (1 CP): A variation on the flakk Missile Stratagem for dealing mortal wounds to big targets. Target an enemy vehicle or monster within 48" of a Repulsor and not within 1" of an ally. Roll a dice. If it is equal to or greater than the Repulsor's Ballistic Skill (meaning it ignores modifiers to hit), the enemy unit takes d3 mortal wounds. One use per Repulsor.
• Masterful Marksmanship (1 CP): When a Sternguard Squad shoots, it adds 1 to wound rolls with its special issue boltguns.
  • +1/6 to wound on a BS3 unit equals +0.11 wounds per shot, regardless of the target. At most this is 10 Sternguard at 15" do +2.2 wounds the enemy might still save. While not that much, Sternguards are a solidly fun unit and a few couple extra casualties could make the difference when attacking a priority target, like Berzerkers going your way. Just don't expect them to solo a Leman Russ, is what we're saying.
  • This can stack with Catechism of Fire, which can provide a minimum of 4+ to wound for a unit of Sternguard. Combined with the Tactical Doctrine to get AP-3, this can be the bane of other Marines and even serve to poke vehicles.
• Only in Death Does Duty End (2 CP): When one of your Characters dies, it can shoot or fight again. Doesn't combo with the Banner abilities on Ancients. Makes your characters too dangerous to deal with in melee, as not even killing them prevents them from hitting back, and most of them have melee boosts on top of being already good fighters. Overcharge their plasma pistol if they were killed at range.
• Orbital Bombardment (3 CP, Single Use): If your warlord is a Space Marine (this could be your secondary detachment) and didn't move, you can use this stratagem in the shooting phase instead of having him shoot any weapons. Pick any spot on the battlefield, and roll a D6 for every unit within D6" of it (subtract 1 if it's rolling for a Character). On a 4+, it takes D3 mortal wounds. RIP Linebreaker.
• Rapid Fire (2 CP): At the start of the shooting phase, pick a squad of Intercessors. Until the end of the phase, that squad's Bolt rifles become Rapid Fire 2.
  • Better 2x multiplier than the Auto Bolt Rifle's Bolt Storm's 1.5x from further away and with better AP. If you run a squad of 10, you are looking at 40 S4 AP-1 shots at 15", or AP-2 at 30" with Bolter Discipline and Tactical Doctrine, as the codex demands. That is some good dakka.
• Target Sighted (3 CP): At the start of the shooting phase, pick a squad of Intercessors. Until the end of the phase, that squad's stalker bolt rifles gain the ability to snipe Characters and cause mortal wounds on a wound roll of 6+. Costs 2 more than the Specialist Detachment version of the same name, however no longer requires the veteran upgrade meaning you don't need to lock in 1 CP before the battle.
  • Rather expensive for something Eliminators do better (S5)...on the other hand, Eliminators can't really be spammed and the ludicrous firepower of 10 Stalker Intercessors can drop a Lieutenant. If with 3CP you can kill a character your enemy relies on then, by all means, go ahead.
• Skyfire (1 CP): When a Hunter or Stalker shoots, it may only aim at units with Fly but adds +1 to hit and wound against them and deals double damage on an unmodified 6 to wound.
• Steady Advance (1 CP): Move an Infantry unit and Bolter Discipline will be applied as if they remained stationary.
• Suppression Fire (2 CP): Use in your shooting phase. A Whirlwind or Thunderfire Cannon that did not move may fire a second time, but it can only shoot with weapons that can target units out of sight of the firer. So basically, their main weapon; nothing says it can ONLY fire at targets out of sight.
• Vengeance of the Machine Spirit (2 CP): If a Land Raider, Stormraven, or Repulsor is destroyed, it can either auto-explode, shoot one last time, or attack in melee one last time. In the latter two cases, it acts as if it was at the top bracket of its damage chart.
• Wisdom of the Ancients (1 CP): At the start of any phase, pick a Dreadnought to turn into a 1-phase Captain. Any same Chapter units within 6" can reroll hits of 1 that phase, including itself.

Defensive. makes it harder for your units to die

• Armour of Contempt (1 CP): When one of your vehicles takes a mortal wound, for the rest of the phase, you get a 5+ to ignore mortal wounds, and can use it on the one you just took. Doesn't work on regular wounds.
• Duty Eternal (1 CP): When a Dreadnought is chosen as the target for an attack, until the end of the phase decrease the damage of attacks by 1 to a minimum of 1. Will help keep your Dreads alive in a tight pinch, but it won't save them from massed Las-cannon fire. The latest FAQ made it so it no longer stacks with other forms of damage reduction, so no more Ironstone shenanigans unfortunately.
• Skilled Riders (2 CP): The return of 7th edition jink rules. Use on a biker or land speeder unit. If they move, they gain a 4+ invulnerable save. If they advanced, they gain a 3+ invulnerable save.
• Transhuman Physiology (2 CP): Select something with the Adeptus Astartes keyword that is not a Vehicle or Servitor, until the end of the phase, when resolving an attack made against that unit, an unmodified wound roll below a 4+ always fails, irrespective of the abilities the weapon or model may have. S10 attack? Effective T10 marines aw yee.

Tactical Objectives

11 - Death from Above

1 VP for destroying an enemy unit that turn when the last model in the unit was removed by an attack made by a unit that either arrived by deep striking or has the FLY keyword.

12 - Honour the Chapter

1 VP if one of your Characters made an attack that caused an enemy Character to lose a wound. If the attack killed said enemy Character, get 1d3 VP instead.

13 - No Mercy, No Respite

1 VP if an enemy unit either dies or fails a morale test. Upped to d3 if you have more than 3 enemy units do this.

14 - For the Emperor!

1 VP if at least one Infantry or Biker unit successfully charged that turn.

15 - Lightning Strike

1 VP if you completely destroy an enemy unit that began the turn within their Deployment Zone.

16 - The Emperor's Retribution

1d3 VP if you steal an objective from an enemy, which is upped to 1d3+3 if you steal 3 or more.

Psychic Powers

Like all 8E factions, in addition to Smite, you have access to a faction-specific table of powers. The Librarius Discipline has power for pretty much every situation, but they're mostly niche enough that it's difficult deciding upfront which powers to take - two of them are mortal wound causers which are worse than Smite, three are friendly buffs you can use to help dictate the flow of combat, and one is a really powerful debuff that usually won't go off but can be a gamechanger when it does activate.

With the advent of the new Codex-plus-chapter-supplements model, each chapter will also have access to a second, Chapter-specific psychic discipline for extra flavor, made available as each supplement rolls out. Combined with the Obscuration discipline for Phobos Librarians, that will be a choice of 3 different potential sets of psychic powers that you'll have access to. Bring a different Librarian for each and pretend that you're playing Thousand Sons.

Unfortunately, as of the new Codex, your buffing powers now specify CHAPTER instead of ADEPTUS ASTARTES, so you can no longer spread buffs across to other Chapters.

Librarius

1. Veil of Time (WC6): Select a whole <CHAPTER> unit of any kind 18" away from the user; until the start of the next Psychic Phase that unit re-rolls charge and advance rolls, and also gets Always Strikes First. So it's not only offensive by letting you reach your opponent faster, but it's also defensive, in case you get charged by a swarm and want to stay in melee. 9" charges are still below a 50% chance at 47.84%, so if you sorely want it to charge right after deepstriking go play Black Templars instead, although you can combine it with a CP re-roll. If you combine it with the successor tactic for +1 to charge rolls, it instead brings your odds of charging from 41.67% to 65.97%, although after accounting for the odds of failing the power, your overall odds of making the charge drop to 59.22%.
2. Might Of Heroes (WC6): Until the next Psychic Phase, a single CHAPTER model of any kind within 12" gains +1S, +1T, and +1A. An awesome power if you have a special snowflake that is already insane in combat (like a dreadnought), makes a powerful character turn into the hulk. Jokes aside, this power is better for challenges than for murdering rank and file, as the strength and attacks will ensure hits and wounds get to your opponent, and the toughness will blunt the attack of your opponent should they survive. Can also be used to help manipulate your opponent into picking a different target to bring down - if you have two heavy targets, like Land Raiders or Dreadnoughts, up front to be shot, and you put this on one of them, your opponent will usually kill the other one, and dictating the flow of battle is always useful. Furthermore, boosted Leviathans and Super heavies are just nasty.
   • DON'T FORGET to use this power to save vehicles that need saving. Perhaps none of your characters or dreads are in positions to beat things up in melee, but you have a predator next to your librarian that could REALLY benefit from being T8 for a round of your enemy's shooting. Even if the S and A go to waste, the extra T can help keep your big stuff alive.
   • Can transform OK sergeants with heavy melee weapons into a force to be reckoned with: an Assault Squad sergeant with an eviscerator can better wreck a tank than a Primaris Lieutenant's power sword with the same boost.
3. Psychic Scourge (WC6): Make a Leadership + 1D6 contested against the Leadership + 1D6 of an enemy unit within 18" of the psyker. If you beat the enemy, they take D3 mortal wounds; equal them and they take 1 Mortal Wound, and nothing happens if your total is lower. A tad less powerful than Smite, but it's better for sniping characters since it isn't restricted to the closest enemy unit. Plus, it can be used in addition to Smite to spam mortal wounds. Best used in combination with something that inflicts a Leadership penalty to the target or a Leadership bonus to the psyker, if you brought any.
4. Fury of the Ancients (WC7): Range 3D6" (average 10.5, but don't trust it), so less than 18" Smite. Target any visible enemy model within that range and draw a line from the caster to that model; each enemy unit under the line, in addition to the target model's unit, takes a mortal wound. Needs good positioning, but it's not restricted to the nearest unit like Smite is, and can affect multiple units with at least 1 MW. The biggest problem is the random range: while you can usually count on it to be at least 10", lower values can happen - you need to be within 3" of your primary target if you want to guarantee they'll be in range.
   • Suffers drastically from attacking units with larger base sizes, as they will eat up more of the power's random range. You should avoid this power if at all possible; the positioning necessary to make it work is easily on par with Smite's, and its output is substantially worse.
5. Psychic Fortress (WC5): Select a <CHAPTER> unit 18" away from the user; until the start of your next Psychic Phase, that unit automatically passes morale tests and gains a 4+++ FnP against Mortal Wounds caused by psychic powers. Mostly protection against Smite, as marines already have high re-rollable morale. Like with Might of Heroes, if your opponent brought psykers, this can be used to manipulate them into attacking the target of your choosing.
6. Null Zone (WC7): Until the start of your next Psychic Phase, enemy units within 6" can't take invulnerable saves, and cut the results of their Psychic tests in half. Powerful against enemies that depend on their invulns or psychic powers, like Harlequins, Hive Tyrants, Daemons, and Storm Shield MEQs; not so much against heavily armoured units like Terminators. Remember, you need to get the librarian to within 6", not 1" - don't be afraid to Advance into position and let other things do the murder work for you. Combos insanely well with the Burning Blade relic.

Obscuration

These powers can only be used by Vanguard Librarians. They don't do much damage, but god damn can they fuck with your enemy. Tenebrous Curse and Mind Raid are easy to cast and excellent for damaging and trapping or even finishing off enemy characters - free choice of targets (unlike Smite), 1MW each, and either halve all movement or generate CP in the process. Considering most regular HQs clock in at 5W, a successful psychic phase with only one Phobos Libby means they're down to 3W and too slow to pull away. And no one tries to rush down the center with a beatstick that's half dead and moving at a snail's pace, making this a good deterrent.

1. Temporal Corridor (WC6): Pick a friendly CHAPTER Phobos unit within 3". It can move as if it was the movement phase; it must advance and cannot fall back, but when advancing it rolls 3d6 and picks the highest for the distance it advances. Cannot be used on a given unit more than once per psychic phase. HELLO Reivers!
   • Slightly more situational than Warptime, but no less amazing for it.
   • Consider using it on a newly deep-struck (using the strat) librarian with Null Zone to put his target within the 6” range.
2. Soul Sight (WC6): Pick a friendly CHAPTER Phobos unit within 18". Until the start of your next psychic phase, that unit re-rolls all failed hits when using their ranged weapons. Also allows attacks from ranged weapons to ignore cover.
3. Shrouding (WC6): Pick a friendly CHAPTER Phobos unit within 18". Until the start of the next psychic phase, enemies can only shoot that unit if they're the closest target as if the unit was a Character, but since they don't gain the character keyword your opponent can't just get around it with snipers; psychic powers can still target them, though.
4. Hallucination (WC6): Select a visible enemy unit within 18". Its Ld is reduced by 1. The opponent must also roll 2d6, and if the result is higher than the unit's highest Ld, all its hit rolls take a -1 penalty.
5. Tenebrous Curse (WC6): Select a visible enemy unit within 18" that does not have the Fly keyword. It takes a mortal wound. Additionally, its Movement stat is halved, as are all of its advance and charge rolls. Scarily effective on Death Guard.
6. Mind Raid (WC6): Select a visible enemy unit within 18". It takes a Mortal Wound. If your army is Battle-Forged and the power targeted a character, roll 3d6. If the result is greater than or equal to the target's Ld, you get a free Command Point! Will make Conscript spammers and Renegades and Heretics players scream in fury as the re-rolling dread destroys their mind-raped infantry horde.

Litanies of Battle

Now litanies are like the Dark Apostle's prayers, going off on a 3+. Before the game starts, generate the litanies your chaplain knows and start with Litany of Hate + Chapter Litany. Like psychic powers, you cannot spam the same litany even if several chaplains know it, but they are chanted at the beginning of the battle round and remain active until the end of it. This also means a Chaplain won't have an active litany on the turn he deepstrikes, as he can't chant while not on the table. The same rules apply if he rides a transport, so you'll need to come up with other ways to make him fast, like giving him a Jump Pack or putting him on a bike.

• Litany of Hate: Default prayer, 6" aura of re-rolling all melee hit rolls (not just misses) for your chapter.

1. Litany of Faith: 6" aura of FnP 5+++ vs mortal wounds for friendly <chapter> units. Not cumulative with other rules, as per usual (but stated regardless).
   • Extra protection vs witchery. Also makes your plasma vehicles more durable when firing plasma, and your company vets more durable when bodyguarding. A 2/3 chance of a 1/3 chance to ignore damage is equal to 2/9, so this is slightly (4/3) better than a 6+++ FnP, with the caveat that it only works on Mortal Wounds.
2. Catechism of Fire: Select a friendly <chapter> unit within 6". +1 to the wound roll when "resolving a shooting attack" against the closest enemy unit, meaning it affects Overwatch, too.
   • It's best to increase what you have the least of: Space Marines hit on 3+ but bolters wound on 4+. But compared to a Lieutenant, it only affects a single unit and, most importantly, only against the closest target, on top of the usual litany conditionals. Useful to flamer Vets/Aggressors - generally better the less the gun relies on S or range to get work done.
   • Combine with Masterful Marksmanship (and careful target selection) to let your Sternguard wound MEQ on a 2+. It also lets sniper rifles proc Mortal Wounds on 5+ to wound, but only when targeting the nearest foe.
3. Exhortation of Rage: Select a friendly <chapter> unit within 6". Their unmodified 6s to hit in melee generate another attack with that weapon, which cannot proc extra attacks itself. Good when you already have a Captain/Chapter Master/second Chaplain giving you a re-roll and their aura would overlap with the Chaplain's.
   • If you're already betting on exploding 6s, use it alongside Death to the Traitors or even Gene-wrought Might.
4. Mantra of Strength: He'll show you how it's done. +1A +1S to the Chaplain, and +1D to his melee weapons. D3 Crozius!
   • Smash Chaplain: Combine it with the 'Benediction of Fury' relic crozius (WS2+ S7 AP-2 D4) to kill characters, or a Master-crafted Power Fist for (S+1)X2 = WS3+ S10 AP-3 D2+1d3 (which is basically a better S10 D4 avg Thunder Hammer, which chaplains can't usually equip) to kill heavy infantry and bigger targets, like vehicles. To this you may add Warlord traits, stratagems, doctrines, and psychic powers as you can afford and be bothered with.
5. Recitation of Focus: Select a friendly chapter unit within 6". +1 to their hit rolls when shooting. Even during overwatch, meaning you should answer enemy charges with supercharges. Safe plasma!
   • While +1 to hit is better than a Captain's re-roll, this alone isn't a replacement for it (since it has a 1/3 chance to fail, affects single unit and doesn't work in melee or when the chaplain doesn't start on the field). Instead, it's better used when a unit cares about +1 to hit beyond improving BS by 1, most notably Plasma units. If you just want a second HQ to support a gun-line bring a Lieutenant instead.
6. Canticle of Hate: Non-cumulative 6" aura of +2 to charge rolls, as well as +3" to pile in and consolidation moves. In all cases, the friendly <chapter> unit in question has to be within the aura by the time the move is made - the consolidate move especially will often not happen unless the Chaplain also made his charge. Amazing for those of us who re-roll charges, increasing the odds of a successful 9" charge up to 85% (58.3% for non-rerolling lads).
   • Do keep in mind the chaplain has to be on the field at the beginning of the battle round. A Jump Pack or Biker Chaplain is fast enough, but if you are patient, you can use an Impulsor or Drop Pod to get him in position in the first turn, and use the litany for your deepstrikers in the second turn.

Warlord Traits

Named Characters MUST use their designated Chapter Specific trait, thus increasing the appeal of taking an unnamed character. Traits can be classified into two different types: Individual (I), which turn your character into a better beatstick, and Support (S), which are usually Auras stacking on top of your warlord's natural one.

Universal

1. Fear Made Manifest (S): Enemy units within 6" get -1 Leadership. Meh on its own, there are many Imperial sources of Ld debuffs it can be combined with. Versatile separate detachments make allied tactics easier, on top of stacking up to like -15Ld. Obviously you don't need that much spooky (but of course can be hilarious when used correctly), especially not against things like Orks, but already -4Ld renders Plague Marines as cowardly as Conscripts, and models that flee don't proc FnP-equivalents. Best used by a Fearsome Aspect chapter so you don't have to commit like 5 units to a single enemy. Of almost no use against the bunch of eldar morale immunities out there...but ironically among imperials only the DA, some successor chapter tactic nobody will use, the Valhallan relic, a single IG psychic power, and that IG trait nobody uses because it's not Master of Command can offer the morale protection needed to survive an Ld bomb. Night Lords, eat your hearts out.
   • Here's a list of the Imperial units that stack with Fear Made Manifest:
     • Adeptus Astartes (-6Ld): Besides the Fearsome Aspect chapter trait (-1Ld), Reivers can inflict up to -3Ld and can deepstrike. Being Phobos, they also work alongside a Hallucination Phobos Librarian (-1Ld), who can infiltrate. You can also deepstrike an Ancient bearing the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant. These sources of debuffs can quickly arrive wherever you need them.
     • Black Templars (-2Ld): Chaplain Vow of Retribution.
     • White Scars (-2Ld): Spirits of Chogoris, Headtaker's trophies relic.
     • Raven Guard (-2Ld): Decapitating Blow, The Abyss.
     • Salamander (-3Ld): Helm of Drakos, Draconic Aspect.
   • These other Imperial allies also give Ld debuffs but prevent the SM detachment from using Doctrines. Pass unless they are your main detachment and SM are the allies.
     • Dark Angels (-3Ld): Interrogator Chaplains have a natural -1Ld aura, they have the Eye of the Unseen relic for further -1Ld, and Interromancy's Mind Wipe inflicts -1Ld (and will proc more often with your help), along with other Ld powers. That's -3Ld from two characters with Jump Packs.
     • Blood Angels (-1Ld): The Sanguinor has a natural -1Ld aura, as does anyone wearing a Sanguinary Mask.
     • Inquisition (-1Ld): Psykers Terrify inflict -1Ld from 18" away, and disable overwatch.
     • Astra Militarum (-3Ld): Psykana's Terrifying Visions inflict -2Ld from a safe 18" away. Armageddon Officers can also bring the Skull Mask of Acheron to spook nearby enemies. Bringing them in a Supreme Command/Battalion is not only cheap, but gives you CP. Bringing them in a Spearhead detachment grants you access to Russes with Objective Secured and Basilisks. Versatile, powerful and easy to use at range. Complements your close-and-personal units.
     • Adeptus Mechanicus (-2Ld): Sicaran Infiltrators are the Mechanicum's faster Reivers, and Metallica has a -1Ld Stratagem.
     • Questoris Knights (-2Ld): The Fearsome Reputation trait inflicts -1Ld in a huge 12" aura around the Knight warlord's huge base (which can be an extra warlord using a stragatem), and a total of -2Ld to enemies within 6" of it. And bringing a Knight as an ally isn't something unheard of.
2. The Imperium's Sword (I): What Smash Captains are made of. Warlord rerolls failed charges (either one or both dice), and gets +1S and +1A the turn he charges (in addition to Shock Assault), to break things immediately out of deepstrike. Chapters that can charge after falling back can trigger the boost over and over.
3. Iron Resolve (I): What Smashfuckers are made of. Warlord gets +1W, and can ignore wounds on a 6. Not dying is nice, and it's better the more wounds your character has.
4. Champion of Humanity (I): +1A when enemy Characters are within 1" of him. When actually targetting the character in melee, add 1 to all hit and wound rolls. Turns a character using relic blades or unwieldy weapons into a top of the line duelist.
5. Storm of Fire (S): Each time ANY <Chapter> unit within 6" rolls an unmodified 6 to hit for a shooting attack, the AP of that attack is improved by 1. At BS3+, that's 25% of your hits. Remember it affects ANY unit, not just infantry. It gives the biggest benefits to low AP weapons that roll to hit - that's all sorts of Bolters. Can be combined with Imperial & Crimson Fists' exploding bolters, but any ranged chapter can make use of it. Doctrines cannot stack AP bonuses, so try boosting small arms during the Devastator doctrine and vice-versa.
   • Since light weapons with high rates of fire (like Heavy Bolters) are often cheaper than strong single-shot ones (like Missile Launchers), this trait can allow a detachment to pull its weight even at low point limits. Furthermore, it's easy for them to synergize with your warlord because many are infantry or transports that can accompany him. While mechanized/biker lists are shooty, Bolter Discipline means bolt-using units from this list are no longed forced to move into rapid fire range.
   • Despite Aggressors, Inceptors, shooty Dreadnoughts (Redemptor/Venerable/Deredeo), Scout Bikers, Company Veterans on Bikes (Index 1), Crusader Squads, Centurions, Sternguard Veterans, Repulsors, and Land Raiders (Crusaders/Redeemers/Prometheus[FW]) having a higher than average ranged output when compared to the rest of SM options, even regular Bolt Rifle Intercessors cut GEQ saves in half (from 6+ to nothing) with this trait, when it goes off.
6. Rites of War (S): The warlord gains Defenders of Humanity, and <CHAPTER> units within 6" automatically pass morale tests. The counterpart of Fear Made Manifest.

Vanguard Space Marines

Available only to Phobos characters, aka the tacticool Captain, Lieutenant, and Librarian found in the Shadowspear box. Chaplains can suck it because yelling catechisms isn't stealthy, and techmarines haven't yet learned whatever trick the helix adepts are using to fix broken things quietly, so they can suck it, too.

1. Shoot and Fade: At the start of the shooting phase select one friendly <chapter> phobos unit within 6" of the warlord. That unit can move after shooting. If they do, they also have to advance, and they cannot declare a charge afterwards (RIP WS).
   • Imperial stealthy Jump-Shoot-Jump baby! Break LoS and avoid retaliation. That way your Infiltrator/Incursor squads can keep up with your Eliminators, the first dashing in and out of LoS while the later shoot without visual contact with complete impunity.
2. Lord of Deceit: At the start of the first round but before the first turn begins, you can remove and redeploy up to 3 <Chapter> Phobos units present on the battlefield.
   • Results depend on the mental games you can play on your enemy - it's not going to be a surprise to your opponent, but being able to make corrections after your enemy's cemented his choice instead of being part of the simultaneous deployment process can be an amazing benefit, and one that Eldar pay 2CP for.
   • Can be used to enable surprising turn one charges if going first - just deploy Infiltrators right in front of the target, and pull back with this ability if not having the first turn. As specified in FAQ, it only allows you to redeploy to your deployment zone. This can also expose hidden units to first turn Devastator Doctrine'd Lasfusil Eliminators.
3. Master of the Vanguard: Friendly <chapter> phobos units within 6" of the warlord gain +1" to their move and advance and charge rolls. Useful to Reivers or Charging out of Deepstrike, pairs well with the Chapter Tactic Hungry for Battle as well as several characters.
4. Stealth Adept: -1 to hit rolls that target the warlord. Not just at range, so he can prove he's the better sniper around, but it also works in melee. Makes the new Captain very durable, but his damage can be insufficient unless using relic gear, meaning this trait only makes him hard to hit instead of turning him into a beatstick.
5. Target Priority: Select a friendly <chapter> phobos unit within 3" at the start of your shooting phase. Until the end of the phase, that unit gets +1 to hit. And he doesn't have to give up his shooting either. Now all those pointy finger models have found their worth!
   • A Phobos Captain can form a comfy sniper base with Eliminators, letting them hit on a re-rollable 2+ without the sergeant giving up his shooting and protecting them with his 12" deepstrike-denying omni-scrambler. Doesn't affect Infiltrators because the automatic wounds only happen on an unmodified 6s.
6. Marksman Honours: +1D to all of the warlord's guns. Doesn't apply to grenades or relics. Completely wasted on a Librarian or Lieutenant, but bumps the Phobos Captain's Instigator Bolt Carbine to an eye-watering 4 damage.

Faith and Fury

The following Warlord Traits are unlocked by using a 1 CP stratagem to upgrade a character to a Master/Chief variant of the base model, found in the Faith and Fury supplement. Since only three of these characters are actual HQs, they can be good candidates to use Hero of the Chapter on. That means these traits can cost 2CP; better bring a Battalion.

HQs

Master of Sanctity

• Bellowing Firebrand: +3" to Spiritual Leader and Litanies.
  • Helps with positioning. Can be combined with a fellow aura HQ with the Vox Espiritum for two 9" auras.
• Wise Orator: Re-roll failed Litanies rolls. What'd be the point of having multiple litanies if you couldn't rely on them, huh?

Master of the Forge

• Master of the Machine: When resolving an attack made by a friendly <Chapter> VEHICLE model within 6″, add one to the hit roll.
  • Aura of Safe Plasma for vehicles, and great utility for vehicles that need to move, such as dreads.
• Warden of the Ancients: +1S and +1A to friendly <Chapter> Dreadnought models within 6″ of this warlord.
  • Contemptors and Redemptors become able to wound T8 on a 2+, and are the fastest Dreads. They decay, but that's what the Techmarine is for. What would you do otherwise, dread drop pod? Storm raven? Techmarine Biker? Yeah right.

Chief Librarian

• High Scholar of the Librarius: This warlord can know psychic powers from any discipline they have access to, rather than only one. Allows for interesting combos of psychic powers you wouldn't normally be able to use.
• Psychic Mastery: This warlord gains +1 on their first psychic test of a phase. Useful to increase the chances of double Smite if the Chief Librarian casts for second.

Elites

Chief Apothecary

• Father of the Future: 6+++ FnP to <chapter> Infantry and <chapter> Bikers. 5++ for the Iron Hands. Best on Primaris who can survive 2D a third of the time, by passing the FnP on either of their 2W. Even better on Centurions and their beefy 4W apiece.
• Selfless Healer: The Chief Apothecary can use his ability twice, and the unit that he targets may be the beneficiary of his work twice. He may do this even if he failed his roll the first time and is recovering the geneseed. Twice the healing, twice the value.

Chapter Ancient

• Singular Presence: Friendly <CHAPTER> INFANTRY, <CHAPTER> BIKER, and <CHAPTER> DREADNOUGHT units within 3″ can perform a Heroic Intervention as though they were characters.
• Steadfast Example: Friendly <CHAPTER> INFANTRY units within 3″ have the Defenders of Humanity rule, and count as two models if they already have it.

Company Champion: Chapter Champion

• Martial Exemplar: Friendly <CHAPTER> units within 6″ of this warlord can re-roll charges.
  • Suppose you can get Black Templar's re-rollable charges without giving up your chapter tactic. Can be very powerful, even if the footslogging Champion needs a Drop Pod to get where you need him to.
  • Take this on a White scars champion on bike (Legends) or in a transport and there won't be an opponant who has a better charge phase than you.
• Master Duelist: When resolving an attack with a melee weapon by a model against this warlord, on a modified hit roll of 1, roll 1d6 and on a 4+ that model’s unit suffers 1 mortal wound after that unit has finished fighting.

Space Marine Armoury

Ranged Weaponry

• Boltgun: You know what a bolter is, but if you somehow forgot it's 24" Rapid Fire 1 S4 AP0 D1.
  • Bolt Carbine: An Assault 2 Bolter, exclusive to the Reiver Squad.
  • Bolt Rifle: A Boltgun with 30" range and AP-1, making it more effective; exclusive to Intercessors.
    • Auto Bolt Rifle: The automatic version, an Assault 3 Bolter. Better than the Bolter and Bolt Rifle when not factoring in Stratagems or shooting at armour. Combine with the Tactical Doctrine to delete hordes.
    • Stalker Bolt Rifle: Not a sniper rifle, lest it invalidates Scouts too. 36" Heavy 1 AP-2 D2 Bolt Rifle, to give faraway targets more than just a poke. Turns Intercessors into something akin to Troop Sternguard. Combine with the new Devastator Doctrine to hit at AP-3 and pretend you're shooting Plasma.
  • Combi-Weapon: can be fired alongside the Bolter part, at -1BS. Note that Combi-Flamers don't care for no BS. Available to sergeants and terminators.
  • Special Issue Boltgun: The big brother to both Boltgun and the new Bolt Rifle, wielded by the Sternguard Veterans. At 30" S4 AP-2 this gun pretty much shoots Dragonfire Vengeance rounds at Kraken range.
  • Storm Bolter/Combi-Bolter: Cheap as chips Rapid Fire 2 Boltgun, typically seen on Terminators, also available to Sarges and upgrades on most of your vehicles. It's especially nasty at Rapid Fire range.
• Astartes shotgun: an option on Scout models, a 12" Assult 2 bolter that becomes S5 while within 6".
• Assault Bolter: 18", Assault 3 S5 AP-1. Would be a really good gun on assault units. Unfortunately exclusive to Inceptors. That said, you can still perform effective hit and run attacks with it, aided by the Inceptors' ability to shoot after falling back.
• Bolt Pistol: A bolter in pistol form, meaning you can fire it in melee. Just don't forget it's there.
  • Heavy Bolt Pistol: More like Better Bolt Pistol with AP-1, exclusive to Reivers.
  • Absolvor Bolt Pistol A handheld Heavy Bolter Pistol with the same stats, just with one 16" shot and carried by Primaris Chaplains and Apothecaries.
  • Boltstorm Gauntlet: A Bolt Pistol with Pistol 3, attached to a Power Fist, attached to the Gravis Captain.
    • Auto Boltstorm Gauntlets: Paired Boltstorm Gauntlets, but they're Assault 6, meaning they can't be fired in melee but you can run-n'-shoot and be used alongside other guns. Exclusive to Aggressors, who wield them well.
• Grenades: Standard issue for any marine; you can only throw one per unit.
  • Krak: Single throw at 6" with S6 AP-1 D1d3, to have something to deal with harder targets.
  • Frag: Single throw with 1d6 hits at 6" with S3 AP 0. A go-to for thinning Guardsmen ranks - it's worse than a storm bolter but better than a bolter, against everything T7 or less.
  • Melta: Single hurl at 4" with S8 AP-4 D1d6 with re-roll wounds against vehicles. Found on Vanguard Vets for 5 points and finds use should your marine's fist fail to punch through an armoured hull.
  • Auxiliary grenade launcher: Exclusive to Intercessors, lets them lob grenades at a range of 30". Lets your Grenades properly benefit from the Devastator Doctrine.
  • Astartes Grenade Launcher: Can replace the storm bolters on Scout bikes. Has Frag and Krak Grenade profiles at 24" Assault 1d6/1.

Special Weapons

• Flamer: An Assault D6 S4 AP- weapon with 8" range which automatically passes rolls to hit. A classic anti-horde option, at least it's cheap. 8" range means it can't be used immediately out of a drop pod. Can't overwatch against charges starting more than 8" away, but those aren't reliable anyway, so a flamer is still good in those cases. Don't bother trying to hit airborne units, as they're too tough and armoured.
  • Hand Flamer: The Pistol D6 version, but only 6" and S3. Not good for Advancing, but for melee to clear out some GEQ. Kind of shit really, as most of the time you could take a bolter or bolt pistol for free or even a storm bolter in some cases, all of which have better range and wound better.
• Grav-gun: 18" Rapid Fire 1 S5 AP-3 D1, upgrading to D1d3 if the target has a 3+ save or better.
  • Grav Pistol: Deals more damage against targets with an armour save of 3+ or higher, but with only S5 it's less likely to wound than a plasma pistol. Good against heavily armoured characters without the Plasma Pistol's risk. Costs more than a Plasma Pistol and does less work than one.
• Meltagun: 12" Assault 1 S8 AP-4 D1d6, becoming best of two 1d6 Damage at half range. Good against anything with lots of wounds, be they Vehicles, Monsters or even Heavy Infantry. At 12" range Supercharged plasma is better (but riskier) however, and this gun is more expensive, so you really should try and get into half range. While you can advance to close the gap, it is convenient that the unit's other weapons are assault weapons as well.
• Plasma weapons: They have a Safe and Supercharged profile. Stick close to a Captain, because Safe plasma isn't really cost-effective. Good against everything. Gets Hot applies to the final modified score, meaning +1BS (Devastator Sergeant's Signum, Rhino Primaris' Servo-skull Hub) make you immune to it. Conversely, plasma guns are more likely to overheat at night.
  • Plasma gun: You know what a Plasma gun is too, but for reference, it's 24", Rapid Fire 1, S7/8 AP-3 1/2 D. Good as a Tactical/Crusader squad's Special Weapon. As much of an all-rounder as the marine wielding it.
  • Plasma Incinerator: A Primaris Plasma Gun, because Cawl wanted to make marine guns' as insecure as their wielders. Better 30" range lets it not only rapid-fire from further away but outrange enemies. Better AP-4 makes them a menace even for tanks.
    • Assault Plasma Incinerator: Lighter 24" Assault 2 Str 6/7 version of the Standard Plasma Incinerator. Easier to make it cost-effective, as it shoots double than the Standard version from 16"-24", still wounding most infantry on a 3+ but lost the ability to wound t4 on 2+.
    • Heavy Plasma Incinerator: The other end of the spectrum. 36" Heavy 1 Str 8/9 lets you wound infantry on a 2+ without having to supercharge, and makes it effective against tanks, enjoying the great range. Which you should keep because it's not Rapid Fire like the other variants. More cost-effective against vehicles than against infantry, but it does the job nicely. Overcharging basically makes it a pocket Lascannon that doesn't have excess damage against infantry, at the cost of not ripping apart tanks. Really good for heavily armoured enemies with one wound.
  • Plasma Pistol: Fairly effective against MEQs when fired normally, a TEQ-killer when supercharged, but Gets Hot! now risks outright killing the user. A high risk-high reward pistol, your Captain's rerolls reduce Gets Hot to a 1/36 chance. Good against everything, really, as plasma can even wound tanks.
  • Plasma Exterminator: Inceptor plasma weapon. Each Inceptor gets (2) Plasma Exterminators. Each Plasma Exterminator is AssaultD3 S7/8 AP-3 D1/2. That translates to 2D3 plasma shots per each Inceptor. Re-roll protection is absolutely essential, otherwise, anything wielding such a weapon will fry itself rather quickly should they turn up the heat.

Heavy Weapons

• Assault Cannon: 24" Heavy 6 S6 AP-1. Brrrt.
  • Particularly great at killing off gaunts as it wounds them on 2+ and they receive no armour save.
  • Probably best when mounted on iron hands storm talons and storm hawks or a Razorback of any chapter.
  • The only real weakness of this weapon is it's range so a mobile platform is advisable.
• Grav-cannon with Grav-amp: 24" Heavy 4 Grav-gun. Akin to a heavier Heavy Bolter to deal with bigger targets.
  • Drop 1 cp on some devastators with these to reroll all wounds and damage on their shots, quite capable of shaving off half a knights wounds with no support or killing off a unit of custodian guard in one turn.
  • A unit with Grav-cannons will become a serious target for your opponent so consider sticking them in a Rhino, Razorback or a Stormraven so they can't be basalisk'ed off the table turn 1.
• Heavy Bolter: 36" Heavy 3 S5 AP-1. Good against hordes at long range due to its high number of attacks, and still useful against lighter vehicles Especially when Devastation Doctrine is active. It's most efficient against hordes with bad/no save, or things that rely primarily on a weak invulnerable save, like daemons.
• Heavy Flamer: A Flamer with S+1 and AP-1. More effective against armoured targets than its smaller brother, but cannot be fired after advancing.
• Lascannon: Heavy 1 S9 AP-3 D6 D with a range of 48". Your primary long-range anti-vehicle weapon. Don't even try to shoot infantry with this. You'll kill 1 model per shot at most now that overkill damage is exclusive to mortal wounds.
  • Las-Talon: Twin Lascannon but 24". Found on GravTanks and the Stormhawk interceptor.
  • Las fusil: Eliminators anti-tank option. 36" S8 but a Flat 3 Damage.
• Missile Launcher: Can fire either Frag Missiles that act like D6 Bolter shots, or a Krak Missile with S8 AP-2 D6 D. Not quite as good as a Heavy Bolter or a Lascannon in regards to dealing with infantry and vehicles (respectively), but still pretty good at both of those roles. Devastator squads with 2 Lascannons and 2 Missile Launchers are a pretty darn good Swiss-Army unit. Good to have at least one Missile Launcher around, due to the Flakk Missile Strategem. Missile Launchers like the new Combat Doctrine rules, allowing them to perform exactly same against T7 as a lascannon would, while still having an S4 AP-1 anti-infantry weapon - something to consider if you know your enemy doesn't bring T8.
  • Hunter-Killer Missile: A single shot krak missile for 6 points if your army can't squeeze in enough normal anti-tank weaponry.
  • Typhoon Missile Launcher: Double shot missile launcher found on land speeders, includes frag and krak missiles.
  • Skyhammer Missile Launcher: Anti air krak missiles
  • Stormstrike Missile Launcher:
• Multi-melta: A 24" Heavy Meltagun, meaning you can't run with it, but can shoot in melta range out of a deepstrike, now fulfilling the role of Drop Pod Threat-removal.
• Plasma cannon: Heavy D3 effectively means the same shots as a Plasma gun, but from 36" away instead of 12". You both need to be careful and to shoot Supercharges, due to the sheer cost of this weapon. Can be a makeshift "heavy weapons team" with the Devastator Sergeant, as his Signum prevents Gets Hot. Being a Heavy weapon it's best to not supercharge in the move, due to -1BS.
• Sniper Rifle: A Scout exclusive, it's a 36" Heavy 1 weapon so it's included here. It's only good for fishing mortal wounds, but it can target characters even if they hide behind a unit. A complete lack of AP means they won't be killing a heavy character like a Captain without committing a serious amount of points to it but can kill his supporting Apothecary.
  • Bolt Sniper Rifle The real deal sniper rifle all Space Marines should be wielding. Has 3 firing modes at 36" which can target characters. Mortis at Heavy 1, S5 AP-2 and d3 damage. Hyperfrag is d3 S5 shots. Executioner rounds are a single shot at S5 AP-1 and ignore line of sight, as well as adding 2 to hit rolls
• Icarus Stormcannon: Autocannon equivalent with accuracy bonus against air units
• Predator Autocannon 72" range with 2D3 shots at S7, AP-1 and flat 3 damage makes this a powerful weapon against TEQ and light/medium armour. AP-1 makes this weapon less useful against AP2 and heavy vehicles, which are better handled by lascannons. This weapon really enjoys the new Devastator doctrine.
• Heavy Laser Destroyer New Primaris weapon found on the Repulsor Executioner. 72" range, Heavy 2, S10, AP-4 and D1d6 (rolls of 1 and 2 always count as 3) makes this a dedicated tank killer, though it is an expensive weapon. The weapon can be fired twice at the same target, resulting in 4 shots, when a Repulsor moves less than 5" almost guaranteeing you will at least cripple your target. Don't be afraid to fire this at multi-wound infantry as it guarantees a kill even on 3 wound mega nobs with each unsaved shot!
• Macro Plasma Incinerator The plasma cannon version of the newer Primaris incinerator weapons. Only a 36" range but fires heavy d6 shots at S8/9 AP -4, and D1/2. Performs well against TEQ and can threaten vehicles and monsters. More of an all-rounder weapon, but it is usually well priced.
• Thunderfire Cannon Heavy 4D3 shots all at S5 AP -1 and fired at 60". It's like a higher output Heavy Bolter and can deny line of sight requirements.
• Whirlwind Missile Launcher Two firing modes which require the operator to purchase one or another prior to game start. Both ignore line of sight requirements and have a 72" range. Castellan missiles are heavy 2d6 at S6, Vengeance missiles are a heavy 2d3 Autocannon equivalent.
• Flamestorm Cannon Found on Land Raider Redeemers and functions like a 12" S6 Ap-2 D2 heavy flamer for torching bigger units.
• Accelerator Autocannon Found on the new Primaris Suppressors. It's an AP-2 Autocannon which denies units with slain models the ability to fire overwatch.
  • Twin Accelerator Autocannon Its an assault weapon mounted on a Sicaran Battle Tank! Assault 8 Autocannon shots which ignore flyer restrictions and wounds of 6+ are resolved at AP-3.
• Ironhail Heavy Stubber: A weird GW trend of putting Stubbers on the hover tanks. Their Heavy weapon equivalent of 36" Bolt Rifles.
  • Icarus Ironhail Heavy Stubber: The anti-air version, with the standard +1/-1 to hit. With only S4 even the flimsiest of Eldar flyers will laugh it off but you should be aiming at Jump Packs.
  • Ironhail Skytalon Array: Don't let the bitchin' name fool you, this is just two Icarus Stubbers slapped together and is just as pointless unless you're shooting at Gargoyles. Well, not so fast. This gun has a unique rule that adds 1 to your wound roll against Fly unit in addition of +1 to hit which mean it will wound most Fly unit on 4+. This is not here to shoot down gunships or bombers, this is here to kill jump infantry.
• Fragstorm grenade Launcher: Found on your Primaris Tanks. Its d6 bolter Equivalent gun uses to gun down chaff and those foolish enough to charge it.
• Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon Found on multiple Primaris armoured platforms and puts the hurt on infantry. Heavy 12 Heavy Bolter shots at 30".
  • Onslaught Gatling Cannon An assault cannon but at S5. Can always be found with the heavier version and pairs very well for 18 total shots.

Melee Weapons

• Chainsword/Combat Knife: Still the basic Close Combat Weapon profile, but it's free and allows for one extra attack, so it's good against enemy hordes. All your sergeants can take it alongside the main gun, so it might be worth it to swap that bolt pistol he's not using anyway. Combat Doctrines make these invaluable for turn 3 deep strikers with AP-1 (although for them, the Bolt Pistol also gets AP-1)!
• Paired Combat Blades: Found on Incursors and some Lieutenants. No extra attacks, but unmodified hits of 6 score an extra automatic hit.
• Eviscerator: A two-handed Chainfist with variable damage on a model with at most 2 attacks. It competes with a power fist with Assault Marines. It is a fucking awesome double-handed chainsword, though.
• Lightning Claws: SU AP-2, allows you re-roll to wound, and grants an extra attack if you have two of them. This will outperform a Power Axe against anything with T less than twice your S, particularly now that it's barely more expensive. Often your best bet for mulching single-wound hordes.
• Relic Blade: Available to Honour Guard, Vanguard Veteran Sergeants, and Captains. S+2 AP-3 D1d3, so it's like a Force Sword or Stave but better (and strictly better than a Force Axe both in absolute terms and because it costs less). Better than a Power Fist against most infantry-sized targets. Costing as much as a Power Fist, consider whether the better accuracy is worth the +2 Strength gap between the Fist and the Blade. One of the advantages over the Power Fist is that effects happening on 6+ to hit can actually trigger with the Blade since it has no hit penalties.
• Power Weapons: Each type of Power Weapon has its own profile now, so pick the right one for the situation. All Power Weapons have a damage value of 1:
  • Power Axe: S+1 AP-2. A good enough compromise between the Sword's armour negation and the Maul's brute force; typically your best choice, despite costing more than the other two, because you have to pick one to take before knowing what you're going to need killed, and this has the best overall performance in the T3-T8 Sv2+-Sv6+ range you care about.
  • Power Maul/Power Lance: S+2, AP-1. This is the one you want to use against lightly armoured units that rely on toughness to shrug off hits. The Lance is identical to the Maul because of reasons.
  • Power Sword: S User AP-3. Best against targets that rely on armour saves over toughness to shrug off hits. Except against frail things with good invulns like Crusaders, who ignore AP anyway.

• Mathhammer: Note that we do not take into account the chances to hit since they do not vary for the 3 weapons we are looking at. Results are expressed in percentages. We also assume that the weapon is wielded by a basic Space Marine, so with Strength 4.

Target		Power Sword	Power Axe	Power Maul	Winner
TEQs	Terminator (T4; 2+/5++)	33.33	33.33	22.22	Power Axe and Sword
	Terminator w/ Storm Shield (T4; 2+/3++)	16.67	22.22	22.22	Power Axe and Maul
MEQs	Space Marine (T4; 3+)	41.67	44.44	33.33	Power Axe
	Captain or Chaplain (T4; 3+/4++)	25	33.33	33.33	Power Axe and Maul
GEQs	Hormagaunt (T3; 6+ or no save)	66.67	66.67	83.33	Power Maul
	Guardsman, Guardian (T3; 5+)	66.67	66.67	69.44	Power Maul
	Aspect Warrior (T3; 4+)	66.67	55.56	55.56	Power Sword
	Sister of Battle (T3; 3+)	55.56	44.44	41.67	Power Sword
Other	Tyranid Monster (T6; 3+)	27.78	22.22	25	Power Sword
	Light Tank or Monster (T7; 3+)	27.78	22.22	16.67	Power Sword
	Medium Tank or Monster (T8; 3+)	13.89	22.22	16.67	Power Axe
	Heavy Tank or Monster (T8; 2+)	11.11	16.67	11.11	Power Axe

As you can see, it is extremely hard to draw a clear winner between the Power Axe and the Power Sword. It is, however, easy to see that Power Mauls/Lances are crap, only superior when fighting units that will already die in droves to bolter shots or won't die easily to anything due to good invulns. What's easy to remember is that the Axe is stronger against Marines (that you'll face a lot), the Maul is best against Storm Shield Terminators or anyone else with a good invuln, and the Axe is best against most of the tanks. Power Swords have the edge on most things relying only on their armour saves, while Axes scale better against tough things. What you choose between the two is a matter of preference, meta, and gaming group. The special case for Mauls is Toughness 5, where the Maul is best down to Sv3+ and the sword and maul break even on Sv2+, due to how powerful it is to move from 2/6 wound chance to 3/6, but T5 are relatively rare to begin with.

• Force Weapons: Librarian power weapons with D1d3 instead of just 1, but they cost around the same as a Power Fist. They lack Sx2 but have no penalty to hit. Useful if you're going to hit characters or multiwound models like Primaris. All of them are overcosted compared to a Relic Blade, with the Force Axe as the worst offender of the lot.
• Chainfist: Sx2 AP-4 D2. Marginally better than a Power Fist against Vehicles and other highly-armoured invuln-lacking models. Costs only 2 points more than a Power Fist, so paying extra for better AP and more reliable damage could be worth it.
  • Never forget, you can swap to your basic CC weapon if you don't want to give up accuracy - against low toughness single-wound enemies without a penetrable save, like basic daemons, this can often be better.
• Power Fist: Sx2 AP-3 D1d3. -1 penalty to hit rolls, which can be annoying. Good against everything, quite cost-effective.
  • Never forget, you can swap to your basic CC weapon if you don't want to give up accuracy - against low toughness single-wound enemies without a penetrable save, like basic daemons, this can often be better.
• Thunder Hammer: The weapon against which all others compare, and boy are you paying for it: NOW 40 POINTS FOR CHARACTERS (16 points for units). A Power Fist that always deals 3 damage. The extra reliability could mean the difference between one-shotting a Custodian Guard/Aggressor or getting a Guardian Spear/Power Fist in the face. When you have a Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield-Captain with Jump Pack every enemy model begins to look like a nail, but at over 4x the cost of a Power Fist, its not worth ditching up to three extra special or heavy weapons just to squeeze out a few extra points of damage. Still quite viable on everything that isn't a CHARACTER, at least.
  • Never forget, you can swap to your basic CC weapon if you don't want to give up accuracy - against low toughness single-wound enemies without a penetrable save, like basic daemons, this can often be better.
• Dreadnought Combat weapon: Allows your dreads to beat up things, allowing them to swing at SX2 (S12) AP-3 and flat D3 with no accuracy reduction. Redemptor version hits at D1d6. Dread chainfists found on contemptors and ironclads are AP-4 and D4.
• Seismic hammer: Like a dread fist but with AP-4 and D5!!!! Imposes a -1 to hit... But one single smack with this is all you need to kill most HQs and cripple tanks. With shock assault ironclads hit 5 times with this weapon for a potential 25 damage!
  • Absolutely garbage, because anything that can take this can take a chainfist instead, and the damage boost is either exactly offset by the accuracy penalty, or the accuracy penalty is worse, depending on circumstances. Always take the dreadnought chainfist over this.

Relics

If your warlord is a Space Marine Character, you can give 1 Character 1 relic, absolutely free. Weapon relics can only be taken by a unit that can take the weapon it's based on, and you have to pay for the base weapon. The Relics of the Chapter Stratagem could previously be used up to twice before the game started to take up to 2 more Relics. It's now spammable with SM codex 2019, though relics can't be duplicates and each one has to go to a separate character.

Named characters and vehicles cannot be given a relic. But only That Guy would try to force a Chaplain dread into the armour indomitus or something like that.

• Bellicos Bolt Rifle: Replaces a master-crafted auto-bolt rifle. 24" Assault 4 S5 AP-1 D2, to support your gunline. Basically The Primarch's Wrath but for Primaris, that doesn't need Bolter Discipline for 4 shots.
• Benediction of Fury: Replaces a Crozius arcanum. S+2 AP-2 D3, unmodified wound rolls of 6 do a mortal wound in addition to other damage. With Mantra of Strength and the right warlord trait, your Chaplain will become as deadly as a he is in the fluff. REPENT, HERETIC! *Plonk*.
• Ghostweave Cloak: phobos model with a camo-cloak, -1 to the wound roll against this model. Give it to a Stealth Adept Captain to make him as difficult to kill as Remo Williams.
• Lament: Upgrades a master-crafted stalker bolt rifle's statline to S5 AP-2 D3, and successful wounds inflict a mortal wound on top of that. Single shot, but puts the big hurt on whatever it reaches.
• Purgatorus: Upgrades a bolt/heavy bolt pistol to Pistol 2 S5 AP-3 D2. It's a great alternative to a Plasma Pistol as it's cheaper and does more damage (2 shots) with no chance of killing the user.
• Reliquary of Gathalamor: Enemy Psykers must subtract 1 from Psychic tests made within 18" of the bearer. In addition, if the psychic power is not successfully manifested, roll a D6. On a 4+ the Psyker that attempted to manifest that psychic power suffers D3 mortal wounds. Niche, but useful to protect your units if your meta is psyker-heavy, especially if you didn't bring psykers of your own (like Black Templar).
• Standard of the Emperor Ascendant: Ancients only. A bit different with the 8.5 codex, they've done away the 3+ for extra attacks. Now it boosts the range of the standard banner ability to 9", friendly units within 9" auto-pass morale tests, and enemies in the same range get -1 leadership. This certainly changes it's uses quite drastically from the auto take it was before to something more niche. Example uses include keeping Crusader squads from suffering under morale tests, or assisting in leadership bombs.
• Teeth of Terra: Replaces a chainsword with a better one with S+1 AP-2 D2, and 3 bonus attacks instead of just 1. Good against hordes, better against multi-wound infantry like Primaris models and most characters. (Fun fact: this weapon is exactly the same as the Alpha Legion unique Relic "Blade of the Hydra." Coincidence? I think not!)
• The Armour Indomitus: Infantry or Biker model only, they gain a 2+ armour save. Once per game, before taking a save you can also activate a 3+ invulnerable save until the end of the turn, useful as a panic button if your character runs into danger. Of use to anyone wearing power armour, it's worth noting this is one of the few ways to give a Primaris character a natural 2+ armour save, due to their inability to take Terminator armour.
• The Burning Blade: Replaces a power or master-crafted power sword. S+3 AP-5 D2. Where the Teeth of Terra hits often, the Burning Blade hits HARD and nullifies all armour saves. Dangerous to monster and even vehicles sized targets, it's begging to be combined with a source of +1Str/to wound so it gets to harm MEQs on a 2+.
• The Honour Vehement: Friendly <chapter> units with the Shock assault ability always get the +1A instead of having to meet the criteria. So, useful for ongoing combats.
• The Primarch's Wrath: Replaces a boltgun or master-crafted boltgun with an up-gunned storm bolter, making it 24" Rapid Fire 2 S5 AP-1 D2. Can be useful for those officers buffing your ranged units. Note that this relic gains the benefit from Bolter Discipline.
• The Shield Eternal: Replaces a storm shield or combat shield, so available only to Captains, Company Champions, and the Terminator Librarian. Gives a 3+ invulnerable, and a 5+ Feel no Pain against Mortal Wounds. Some of the best protection you can give a Character you really want to keep alive.
• The Vox Espiritum: Primaris only. +3" to their aura abilities (2019 FAQ limited it to a max of 9"). Excludes psychic powers and litanies. Enjoy your Black Templars hat for now, Primaris...
• Tome of Malcador: Librarian only. He knows 1 additional power from any discipline he's has access to, which isn't the same as casting 1 additional power. Depending on what discipline you're using, hard pass. It can however be used to take powers from multiple disciplines.

Faith and Fury

• Sacrosanct Rosarius: Master of Sanctity only. 3++ invuln save, patching his inability to get a Storm Shield.
• The Emperor's Judgment: Master of Sanctity only. Prevents opponents from re-rolling hit, wound, and damage rolls against him, and enemies must roll 2d6 drop lowest when taking morale checks within 6".

• Mortis Machina: Master of the Forge only. Relic Power Axe that is S+3 AP-3 D1d3, and does an additional 1 mortal wound to VEHICLES on every failed save.
• The Endurant Protector: Master of the Forge only. +1T, and gains a 4++ invulnerable save.

• Neural Shroud: Chief Librarian only. Adds 12" to the range of the Librarian's psychic hood, to get a veritable umbrella of denying.
• Vinculum Vitae: Chief Librarian only. Force Sword with +1 strength, and an unmodified wound roll of 6 inflicts d3 mortal wounds as damage instead of the normal d3 damage.

• Pennant of the Fallen: Chapter Ancient only. Models that attack with a melee weapon as a result of the Astartes Banner ability may make two attacks instead of one.
• Standard of Righteous Hatred: Chapter Ancient only. When resolving a shooting or melee attack made as a result of the Astartes Banner ability, a model's ballistic and weapon skill are 2+.

• The Angel Artifice: Chapter Champion only. Upgrades the save on the Champion to 2+, and the invulnerable save to 4+.
• Blade of Triumph: Chapter Champion only. Replaces the Champion's Master-Crafted Power Sword with a weapon with strength +2, AP-4, damage 3. WS2+ wounding on a 3+ = WS3+ wounding on a 2+.

• Acquittal: Chief Apothecary only. Replaces a Bolt Pistol or Absolvor Pistol. 16" Pistol 1 S5 AP-3 D1, D1d6 when targeting Non-Vehicle, Non-Monster units.
• Healer's Aegis: Chief Apothecary. Friendly <chapter> Infantry models have a 5++ invulnerable save while within 1" of a model with this relic.

Specialist Detachments

Specialist Detachments are unique detachments from Vigilus books, custom made for specific sub-factions which grant them access to additional Stratagems, Warlord Traits, and Artifacts. Enabling them costs 1 CP per detachment.

• Field Commander (1 CP): This stratagem bears special mention. For one command point, you can designate a character with a Specialist Detachment keyword and they gain the warlord trait associated with that detachment. Can't be used on named characters or to give your warlord a second warlord trait. Usefulness may vary.
  • Codex SM 2.0 has a one use only "give a non-warlord a warlord trait" stratagem, and Chapter Supplements have a one use only "your warlord has 2 Warlord Traits, but the second has to be from this supplement" stratagem. Four Warlord Traits go!

Indomitus Crusaders

Primaris Captains, Primaris Lieutenants, Primaris Ancients, Intercessors squads & Inceptor squads in that detachment gain the Indomitus crusader keyword. Formerly an Intercessor-focused detachment, it is now reduced to a boost for Intercessors and Inceptors, the very first Primaris models released.

Stratagems

• Liberators (1 CP): Use this Stratagem at the start of the Fight phase. Pick an INDOMITUS CRUSADERS unit from your army. Until the start of your next turn, each time you roll an unmodified hit roll of 6 for an attack made by a model in this unit, that attack inflicts 2 hits on the target instead of 1. Note that this bonus applies to any and all shooting and fighting attacks that this unit makes in the enemy turn, assuming you used it in your own Fight phase. 'Stacks with the Whirlwind of Rage Successor Tactic.
  • Intercessor Veterans are the default Primaris melee unit because of their high number of attacks and their ability to use Impulsors (which Aggressors can't use), and yet their 21 attacks on the charge only give you about +3.5 with this. Which still have to wound and go through saves. Consider if 2CP are worth a mere couple of extra hits.

Warlord Trait The real reason to consider using this detachment.

• Grey Shield: Once per battle, at the start of your Movement phase, if your Warlord is on the battlefield you can choose for INDOMITUS CRUSADERS units in the same Detachment as your Warlord to gain an additional Chapter Tactic until the start of your next turn. Pick the additional Chapter Tactics from the following: Codex Discipline (ULTRAMARINES), Lightning Assault (WHITE SCARS), Siege Masters (IMPERIAL FISTS), Righteous Zeal (BLACK TEMPLARS), Forged In Battle (SALAMANDERS), Shadow Masters (RAVEN GUARD), The Flesh is Weak (IRON HANDS), No Matter the Odds (CRIMSON FISTS). Until the start of your next turn, friendly INDOMITUS CRUSADERS units gain the benefit of that Chapter Tactic in addition to any others they already have. They are considered to have the keyword of the appropriate Chapter for purposes of resolving that Chapter Tactic.
  • Having two Chapter Tactics can do a lot of things depending on what your second tactic is. Want Marines with Fluff levels of durability? Raven Guard + Iron Hands. Salamanders + Black Templars help ensure that your punchy characters and sergeants with powerfists and the like make it to combat and actually kill what they're attacking. And if the thought of Ultramarines + White Scars allowing you to Fallback, Shoot, Charge and Fight again all in one round doesn't make you wet, maybe you should find a different game to play.
  • Special note regarding the Iron Hands, the Father of the Future Warlord trait for Chief Apothecaries gives a 5+++ to models that are benefiting from The Flesh is Weak. Use this to give a blob of Primaris 5+++ for a single round.
  • It also means you can combine your Successor tactics with a Founding Chapter ones. Hungry for Battle + Whirlwind of Rage + Black Templars = +1 to Rerollable charges with exploding hits! Crimson Fists + Imperial Fists to utterly destroy hordes with +1 to hit Ignores Cover and 3 hits on 6s with bolters!

Artifacts

• Standard of the Ultima Founding: Primaris Ancient only. Once per battle, at the start of your Movement phase, the bearer can choose to plant this banner. If they do so, until the bearer next makes a move, friendly INDOMITUS CRUSADERS INFANTRY models can re-roll hit rolls of 1 and wound rolls of 1 whilst they are within 6" of the bearer.

Unit Analysis

Unit keywords are Adeptus Astartes, Primaris, Chapter, and the like. Units with a specific Chapter keyword can only be taken by that Chapter. Note that even if most "Bike" variants of characters have been written out of the Codex due to them having no official miniature (and some models due to those miniatures being limited edition), they can still be taken and are legal, using the Warhammer Legends datasheets and the latest point costs. White Scars players can thank the God-Emperor (Absolutely! Interestingly GW does some good things nowadays!)

HQ

The average SM HQ is a heroic model that can do fairly well in melee and, being the poster faction, we have a lot of choices when building our guys. Listed here are some common builds so that you don't have to read "Captain, Captain with Jump Pack, Librarian, Librarian with Jump Pack" and so on.

1. Jump pack: Mobility is the name of the game. The model gains 12" movement, fly and can deepstrike, so he can appear anywhere and ignore terrain, jump over the enemy's bubbelwrap alongside your Vanguard Vets and even punch a damn airplane to death.
2. Bike: High speed, high drag. The character becomes a battering ram, gaining a speedy bike that can turbo boost to M20", T5, +W1, and an additional 4 bolter shots. Sadly, all but Captain on the bike were relegated to Warhammer Legends, including Biker Vets, which makes the whole bunch overpriced.
3. Terminator: The heavy armour. +1W 2+/5++ and Deep Strike but only 5" movement and a slightly reduced wargear selection. Not meant to move around much, positioning is often determined by a Deep strike or the Land Raider that is carrying him around. Provides a lot of protection for your character. A Character's Iron Halo or Rosarius' 4++ has prevalence ofc.
4. Primaris: Extra beef for a relatively low cost. +1W +1A, but usually restricted customization options. Segregated to their hover transports; that used to mean restricted, but now they're more of a separate-but-equal kind of deal.
   • Phobos: Primaris Operator with stealth training; "Concealed Positions" lets them keep up with infiltrators, and they get their own selection of Warlord Traits and Psychic powers.
   • Gravis: Bigger and better beef, offering +1T and +1W with a 5" move as opposed to the Terminator Armors deep strike and 2+ save. Very limited wargear and thus far only Captains.

Remember all re-rolls happen before modifiers.

• Captain: The standard all characters compare to, he can be customized to do almost any job you need him to do. Can be taken with a Jump pack, a Bike, Terminator Armour, Phobos Armour or as Primaris.
  • Captains are simultaneously destructive and survivable, with their base 4++ Iron Halo, character status and ability to ditch one of their weapons for a Storm Shield. Additionally, his mere presence boosts your other units with his re-roll 1s to Hit aura, helping your plasma not blow up and improving the hit rate of your already fairly accurate armywide 3+. In melee, they can wieldy all the heavier power weapons: Powerfists, Relic Blades and the expensive Thunder Hammer, as well as their Master-crafted (+1D) versions and other relics, like the Teeth of Terra on his off-hand, to terrifying effect. Alternatively, he can provide an anchor for your gunline, with his Master-crafted AP-1 D2 Boltgun or a Combi-weapon, while the Primaris version does so with a Master-crafted Auto bolt Rifle (24" Assault 3 S4 D2) or a Master-crafted Stalker Bolt Rifle (36" Heavy 1 S4 AP-2 D3!). The usual Smash Captain wears a Jump Pack to enhance his mobility, while others prefer Terminator armour to increase their resilience while still gaining a deepstrike (and fit in with the accompanying TH/SS squad). Other deceivingly fast ways of getting him in combat would be a Primaris captain with Powerfist + Plasma Pistol loadout riding a cheap Impulsor (with Intercessor Vets) or a manlet in a drop pod for Turn 1 deepstrikes.
  • Captain in Cataphractii Armour: An alternative version of the Terminator Captain that trades heavily reduced mobility (4" Movement and halved Advances) and no Grenade Launcher for a built in 3++. A reasonable alternative if you weren't taking a Power Fist and were planning on deepstriking him anyways.
  • Captain in Gravis Armour: The Gravis Captain has T5 and 7W, but a fixed loadout of a Boltstorm Gauntlet and Power Sword, reducing his flexibility and hampering which Relics he can take. In addition, Gravis suits cannot deepstrike and are limited to expensive Repulsor transports. However, he is perfectly suited for accompanying Aggressors and can weather high volume, low AP attacks better than other Captains.
  • Captain in Phobos Armour: The Phobos Captain is even more dedicated to the gunline; his 30" Assault 1 S4 AP-2 D3 Master-crafted Instigator bolt carbine lets him snipe characters, and his Omni-scrambler denies deepstrikes within 12", crippling alpha strikes and forcing most enemies to approach your gunlines some other way. He's got a Camo Cloak to help the few times he gets shot at, but lacks any melee options besides the basic Combat Knife unless you replace the knife with a relic.
• Librarian: Your good old source of mortal wounds (and psychic protection). Can be taken with a Jump pack, Terminator Armour, Phobos Armour, or as Primaris. May also take a Bike; check GW's website for Warhammer Legends.
  • Although the Librarius discipline is overshadowed by other imperial disciplines like Blood Angels and Grey Knights, it's still a solid one that gives strong buffs to units and characters, of which this model knows two (plus Smite). And with the wide array of Chapter specific Disciplines, the number of combinations you can field as an army is both terrifying and a little overwhelming. Librarians are a lot more random in this new edition now you can't spend all warp charges on a psychic power you want to go off at all costs. They're akin to a glass cannon (by marine standards), as their Force weapons inflict multiple damage but they themselves lack an invuln save. Unless, of course, you take him in Terminator Armour, in which case he gains a 2+/5++, or even a 2+/3++ if you give him a Storm Shield! Can customize their force weapon, and pistol/Combi-weapon, and receive +1 to Deny if the psyker is within 12". If you're more keen on getting him into casting range as quickly as possible, a Jump Pack or a Bike will serve you very well. Alternatively, the Phobos Librarian offers a bit more tactical flexibility with the Obscuration Discipline, as well as his Camo Cloak and Concealed Positions ability. Overall, a solid pick for any army, no matter which version you choose.

• Chaplain: The guy for not-magic support magic. So, a Bard-barian. Can be taken with a Jump pack, Terminator Armour, or as Primaris. May also take a Bike; check GW's website for Warhammer Legends. Litanies make this team-player work somewhat different from other characters, especially his interaction with transports and deepstrikes - a consideration unique to this HQ. Each Chaplain knows the melee Litany of Fury, their primogenitor Chapter's litany and another one of their choosing, though one of them can be upgraded to Master of Sanctity to know and chant one extra litany. Chaplains also have a 6" aura of Ld9, making morale a non-issue for marines around them. All forms are bigger and better than ever before... though your newfound Litanies require a 3+ to go off, which is a real pain in the ass when you really need some buffs to kill something before it kills you.
  • If you want the Chaplain for melee like you're used to, consider putting him in a Drop pod or Impulsor. He won't have litanies when disembarking, but those specific transports operate under similar restrictions: They are both fast, Drop Pods will arrive one turn earlier than Jump Pack and Terminator squads, and troops disembarking from an Impulsor have to wait one turn to charge. A one-two punch requires patience and the ability to take a beating before dealing damage, but can be rewarding. Chaplains are terrifying melee characters, their Crozius Arcanum hurting heavy infantry at S+1 AP-1 D2, and their litanies make them effective assault lynchpins and powerful additions to a deathstar.
  • Unlike earlier editions, Chaplains can also have a place back in your own lines, with a couple litanies boosting a unit's firepower. They aren't auras, but +1 to either hit or wound (or both) to a unit is an important boost by itself if your warlord is far away, and complements aura HQs if you are fielding a battalion or bigger.

• Techmarine: Vehicles may be tougher this edition, but their performance diminishes with wounds, and this guy repairs them for 1d3 Wounds a turn, no roll required! May also take a Bike; check GW's website for Warhammer Legends.
  • Being a character, he can work in relative safety, so he doesn't need Servitors either provided you keep at least something between him and the enemy. He also holds the distinction of being able to become your cheapest HQ (45pts with a chainsword), though you shouldn't pick him as a tax HQ if you're just going to have him stand around. You're playing Space Marines, it's not like you're short on vehicle options for him to keep up and running. Beyond just going as cheap as possible, he can generally can be built one of two ways, and they are sadly mutually exclusive. For a more shooty build, he can ditch his pistol for any other Pistol or Ranged weapon and replace his Servo-arm with something very useful indeed: a Conversion Beamer. This tasty bit of gear functions as a Multi-laser with only D3 shots when at close range, but turns into an Overcharged Plasma Cannon that trades 2 AP for no exploding on a roll of a 1 when over half it's rather impressive 42" range. The other path is more of a close combat monster; by taking the Servo-harness, you give yourself an extra servo-arm, a Flamer and a Plasma Cutter, which is basically an Assault 1 Plasma Pistol, and all for only 60 points! Quite brutal, but you should generally build your Cogmarine for where he's going to be hanging out. If he'll be humping the leg of a Deredeo in your backline, take the Beamer and maybe a Storm Bolter if you have points left over. If he's going to be running around in the thick of things keeping your melee dreads from getting splattered, strongly consider the Harness, which carries all Assault weapons and you can repair even after Advancing! His Bike version can happily take all the same Wargear options, along with the usual Twin Boltguns, boosted survivability and insane Movement, making him a worth addition to a high mobility list, since a footslogger Cogboy can't repair while he's embarked.

• Lieutenant: A surprising addition with the advent of 8E, with a mini-Captain statline of WS2+ BS3+ W4 A3. Can be taken with a Jump pack, Phobos Armour or as Primaris. You can buy up to two Lieutenants per HQ slot, but you should be taking them separately to fill out HQ taxes. There's no Biker Lieutenant.
  • Since a Lieutenant's Tactical Precision aura (re-roll 1s to wound) is mathematically equivalent to a Captain's Rites of Battle (re-roll 1s to hit), they can be used as a budget sub-commander to fill your HQ tax and boost your back field. The basic version can swap his Master-crafted boltgun for combi-weapons, but the Primaris version, with Master-crafted auto bolt rifle/stalker bolt rifle, can do more damage at range.
  • For melee it is the manlet version the one you want, as he can take a Jump Pack and power weapons to join a Smash Captain dropping into melee, his aura complementing the Captain's. Meanwhile, the Primaris version can only equip a Power sword, and has to give up his bolt rifle for it.
  • The Phobos version is a mixed bag, equipped like an Incursor (Master-crafted Occulus Bolt Carbine & Paired combat blades), but can't infiltrate alongside actual Incursors, being forced to catch up turn 2 with his grav-chute, like a Reiver. And he can swap his master-crafted gear for a heavy bolt pistol and combat knife to become an actual Reiver with keyword and Terror Troops -1Ld...at the cost of ditching his goddammed grav-chute for the smoke grenade Incursors get. Thus being the only Reiver who doesn't deepstrike and the only Phobos who cannot infiltrate, thanks, GW.

Forge World

• Chaplain in a goddamn Dreadnought: The Chaplain Dreadnought is the go-to answer for players wishing to run an all dreadnought army. This is one of the best models space marines can currently use in 8th, arguably the best outside of special characters. Being a Character makes this a Dreadnought that CANNOT BE SHOT AT except by snipers, who usually have pitiful AP. It has a 5++ save and also buffs the strength of friendly models fighting the same unit as it, and has heroic intervention and 6+ FNP. It's also reasonably priced, considering its many advantages; 164 points vanilla, but can be cheaper or more expensive depending on wargear choices (taking an assault cannon makes it cost 174, as an example). the Dreadnought also know chaplain litany to give a variety of buffer roles in addition to having big guns. if you were planning to bring a dreadnought and/or want a tough and killy HQ, then the Chaplain is a fantastic option that also saves you an elite or heavy support slot.
  • Two fists allows you re-roll 1s to hit, which on his total 5 attacks for the charge at WS2+ is pretty good. However, you only loose the re roll 1s if you take a ranged weapon, which is usually a smarter option as he also has BS2+. 194 points get you twin lascannons, storm bolter, and a fists for a very complete package.
  • The additional changes space marines have seen make this model absurd. It now sports the litanies ability like other chaplains... Cast Mantra of Strength on itself, use its natural aura, then use the Heros of the Chapter stratagem and take the Emperors Sword warlord trait. This should give you S9 and 7 Attacks on the charge. Combined with two fists, you also get re roll hits of 1 on a 2+, all for a grand total of 7 S18 AP-3 D4 attacks. Do you know of another model that can potentially hit harder and more often than a volcano cannon for 164 points?
• Damocles Command Rhino: Only one Damocles can be taken per detachment. It can now transport a single CHARACTER model, and if that model is your Warlord you roll 2d6 at the end of each turn; if the result is less than your Warlord's Ld, you get a bonus Command Point. Valuable, on its own, there's also the Orbital Bombardment, which now functions identically to the Stratagem of the same name (albeit without the CP cost). While the bombardment can be useful if you're lucky, the Damocles is better off acting as a meatshield/Command Point generator for your Warlord, preferably far from the front lines.

Named Forge World Characters

Special Characters are noted with their corresponding <CHAPTER> keyword, and are arranged by their Founding (when applicable). Characters from known successor chapters are in their relevant sections, because supplements make that kind of matter now. The points cost for all special characters already includes their wargear, as stated in the points section, under the points heading in the codex (or index/Legends if not in the codex). All other units say "does not include wargear" except special characters where it says "including wargear".
With the 8.5 FAQ all Imperial Armour SM entry’s gain Angels of Death.

Astral Claws

Either Ultramarines or Dark Angels successors, with no great way to decide between the two; your fluffiest bet is Ultramarines since they make the better bikers anyhow. Although if we look at their Chapter Tactics before 8th, White Scars is the best substitute for a melee-focused rush(if allowed to ignore Successor chapter restrictions). Astral Claws love mortal wounds, have I said that enough? Successor Tactics: Hungry for Battle, Master Artisans, Rapid Assault

• Lugft Huron: Chapter Master, with terminator armour, an artificer heavy flamer (Assault, not Heavy, and D1d3), and THE ONE PIMP HAND TO RULE THEM ALL (S+1 AP-5 D1d3, forces rerolls of successful invulns)! "Big Guns Never Tire" ensures he can bring the hurt once per game to anything on the board that's not a character (d6 mortal wounds on a 2+, or usually 2.92). His “Living Legend” rule makes sure you can pull it off on the 2+ with an extra command point as long as you are battle forged and Huron is your Warlord. He can come back from the dead... as often as you can roll a 5+. But he is well priced at 145 points. Still better in combat than Draigo (who's more expensive), and could even take on Abbadon/Swarmlord (not really he is A4). He still has ATSKNF and his chapter master trait allowing rerolls to hit for any Astral Claws unit within six inches for support. Forge World FAQ gave him and Cullen the ability to deploy via teleporting.
  • 'Ol Lugft you salty bastard! Take note of this dudes special rule (Big Guns Never Tire) and how well it combines with the rest of the Astartes codex. Lugft Huron is the king of mortal wound spam in a very mortal wound spamming prone army. You have to get creative: I'm talking triple vindicators, librarians, scout snipers, scout bikers, devastators using double hellfire shells, all the other command stratagems, AND a Damocles Command Rhino which doesn't even need Lufgt to ride in for another Orbital Bombardment!!! (you're already using forge world so...) You will be that guy to a degree, but this is all totally legal and really just very good tactics. Enjoy frying anything from Magnus to carnifexes all with comfortable ease.
    • BE sure to load up on command points and consider a brigade because this play-style while quite good, is very command point taxing.
• Armenneus Valthex: Techmarine, with an Assault 2 Conversion Beamer, an AP-1 melee weapon that adds 1d3 attacks when at least 3 enemy models are within 1" of him, and a 6" buff of +1 strength (max 5) to boltguns and storm bolters, specifically. Give Valthex the Storm of Fire warlord trait and 1 in 6 bolter shots become heavy bolter shots.
  • Note that hurricane bolters are not specifically storm bolters or boltguns.
  • As his rule reads The Strength characteristic of all boltguns and storm bolters fired by [...] an argument could be made that this also includes special issue boltguns. The word "all" wouldn't make any sense otherwise.
  • Pairing him with a Lieutenant still has the exact same effect as pairing him with a Captain, with or without Storm of Fire.
  • This guy screams for running Astral Claws as Ultramarine successors as his special rule and Scions of Guilliman gives great synergy with a high number of Tacticals/Sternguards/Company Veterans under Tactical Doctrine and Bolter Discipline. While long-range focused footsloggers might not be true to their fluff, it doesn't stop them from being quite good at it. Pair with Long-range Marksman and Stealthy.
• Captain Corien Sumatris: Captain; still a good cost-effective melee fighter/buffer, his power sword does D2 and give +D3 attacks on the charge; combined with his ability to gain +1S near enemy CHARACTERS, this makes him a mini-me Helbrecht, although he might be tougher with his 3++. His gun is a lame Pistol 2 now, despite still being called a Bolter. Also has the unique ability to choose his chapter keyword between Astral Claws and Tiger Claws, the latter of which will never be taken, because it disallows other Astral Claws characters from being taken.
• Arch-Centurion Carnac Commodus: Lieutenant, and improved greatly now; his CC weapon hits as hard as a Heavy Bolter with D2 and vs. INFANTRY every 6+ to-wound does a Mortal Wound, combined with a 6" lieutenant aura makes him another good melee beatstick/buffer for Astral Claws. He also gets a 5++ invul because that's what Void Hardened Armour does now.
  • See above Lugft Huron. Astral Claws love mortal wounds Bitchez!!

Red Scorpions

Probably loyalist Emperor's Children successors; the closest you're going to get here is probably Ultramarines Chapter Tactics to reflect their hard-on for the Codex Astartes, although Iron Hands might reflect their love of purity (and previous tactics) better. Successor Tactics: Indomitable, Stalwart, Stoic, Warded

• Lord High Commander Carab Culln: Chapter Master. Stats-wise, of the level of other CMs here and in the main book, but his extra rules and weapons loadout is scattered and mediocre. An AP-2 D2 stormbolter, a +1 strength power sword with d3 damage that turns into a beastly x2 strength weapon, BUT only when he's fighting monsters or vehicles, and his personal rules gives every red scorpion within 6" a 6+ FNP style damage ignoring roll (no more stacking with iron hands chapter tactics due to 2018 FAQ). Overall, he's not bad, but has a sword that most of the time is simply average, and a gun that works but you aren't paying a couple hundred points for. Stick him in a fight vs Tyranids or similar and he'll prove his worth, but in comparison to the other chapter master level characters he's not quite focused enough in one area to do a job well enough, plus he's still the same points cost as the rest of them
• Carab Culln the Risen: the same guy as above, but slapped in a freakin' Leviathan Dreadnought with a Twin Assault Cannon on one arm, and a D4 siege claw with Heavy Bolter on the other. He also packs two Heavy flamers and three Hunter-Killer missiles for shits and giggles. A fairly decent one-use rule "Death Hold", is when he rolls a 6+ to hit, he can opt to grab his opponent and cause d6 mortal wounds, but this renders the built-in Heavy Bolter useless for the rest of the game. Still retains his old rule that gives 6+ FNP to every Red Scorpions within 6", and if he dies to roll a d6; on 5+ he explodes causing d3 mortal wounds to every unit within 9". Culln is a little underwhelming compared to other Leviathans. As Storm Cannons are better than his Assault Cannons, but he isn't bound by the Relic rule. This means Red Scorpions won't need to take a Chaplain Dreadnought for that all Dread army. So he is is a consideration for the leader of an allied Vanguard or Spearhead Detachment.
  • While he's still a Character, he has over ten wounds, meaning no hiding him behind a wall of thirty Scouts to kamikaze up the field.
  • "Culln is a little underwhelming compared to other Leviathans". Other Leviathans are for the shooty-shooty. Culln is for the punchy-punchy. Two different tools for two different jobs. Compared to a SCA + claw + triple missile Leviathan, then for one extra point, you gain +1A, +1W, +1D in assault, his Death Hold rule, and a 6+ feel no pain for all Red Scorpion models within 6".
  • "but he isn't bound by the relic rule" he has the relic tag and is bound by the relic rule, so you still have to take a chaplain dread alongside him.
• Magister Sevrin Loth: Librarian. Cheesier than a fondue convention in Wisconsin for two editions, he's finally been toned down to a 'good-but-not-too-good' level. He can cast two powers and deny three; now that you always choose powers and with the removal of some of the more potent powers, he's lost a lot here. His most powerful trick of gaining a 2++ is completely gone, now he just gets a 2+/4++. He also has nothing to do with command squads now. The only things that stayed the same are his price and his anti-psyker skills; a 6" aura of re-rolls to wound vs Psykers and a +1S Force Axe that always inflicts 3 damage vs Psykers. Still good enough to be a nigh auto-include for any Red Scorpions player.
• Casan Sabius: New Chapter Master who has inherited the Blade of the Scorpion (S+1 (Sx2 vs monsters/vehicles), AP-3, Dd3) from Culln. He has a 2+/4++ save, and a new rule where if he causes one or more wounds in the Fight phase, one Red Scorpions Infantry unit within 6" gains +1A until the end of that phase. He also has the standard Chapter Master aura bonus, meaning he stacks very well with thunder hammer-wielding escorts, who suffer the usual -1WS.
• Sirae Karagon: Released as part of a duet with the above dude, we've been told to just use him as a standard Chapter Ancient. Lazy and lame.
• Dreadnought-Brother Halaar: Comes from the FAQ; he's a generic dreadnought who can take a flamestorm cannon instead of an assault cannon, but thanks to his FAQ entry having lazy writing, he hasn't got the character keyword.
• Veteran Sergeant Haas: In the same FAQ, this guy is basically completely dropped from the game - instead, you're told to use the model to count as someone else's sergeant.

Minotaurs

Said to have "chimeric" gene-seed, but given their melee preference your fluffiest bet is Black Templars; however, if you field Moloc, Iron Hands is a good choice instead to represent being rock-hard in melee. Whirlwind of Rage should be considered.

• Lord Asterion Moloc: Chapter Master. The Lord Master of the Minotaurs is no longer the Marine killer he was before, but he's still a horrifyingly effective character. Sitting at a 2+/3++ with W7, he is harder to take down than some vehicles. His Black Spear makes a return at S+2, -3 AP, and 3 Damage with an additional attack against CHARACTERs. The spear's lasbeam is no longer single-use, meaning he can fire that sexy, sexy S8 -2 AP weapon all he likes. he gives the usual Chapter Master buff of re-rolls to failed hits in 6", and also gives his Minotaur infantry re-rolls to failed charges. Even if your opponent, somehow, makes it through all those saves in a charge, he gets to pile in and get off those attacks, making melee with him under any circumstance risky at best.
  • Pairing his re-roll failed charges special rule with the Hungry for Battle Successor Tactic (+1" to charge and advance) gives you a ~66% chance on a successful charge after deep striking.
• Chaplain Ivanus Enkomi: The Minotaur chaplain character. He's lost the RAGE buff he had before and has no extra special rules over the usual buffs of a chaplain, usual rosarius, powerfist, and crozius. No jump pack, but instead has a grenade discharger. Frag grenades for mobs, krak grenades for tough targets. Worth noting is that, alongside his boss, Minotaurs re-roll charges as well as hits for the fight phase. Do ask yourself when you take him though... did you really WANT to pay 23 points to double the range of the otherwise completely normal frag and krak grenades. Yes, aside from that he boasts an extra attack and an extra wound, compared to normal, so maybe those 23 points have not been spent in vain.

Ok, maybe they were, BUT, he is now a big boy chaplain, able to chant 2 litanies, so they are definitely not in vain anymore

• Hecaton Aiakos: A character contemptor dreadnought - an HQ choice, but can't be your Warlord. Sporting 13 wounds, a 2+/4++ save, and the ability to ignore wounds on a 6+, he and Moloc apparently both believe that defense is the best offense. Not that either is lacking in that regard. He sports a heavy plasma cannon with all the pain that entails as well as the standard Dreadnought combat weapon. Groundstrike allows him to immediately inflict mortal wounds on a unit in 1" of him if he charged. Also worth mentioning is that, as a RELIC, he gives access to the Relic of Ancient Glory stratagem. All this will set you back in points, however, beating out even Huron for sheer points. Additionally, he can never be your Warlord. But he sure kicks ass. Just let him stay around Moloc for the sweet sweet re-rolls and unleash the moo-moo.

Note that being a Character he can get a trait while not being Warlord, though it would cost you CP to do so and there might be other candidates, but hey, Sword of the Imperium sounds glorious on him

• • Use the WHITE SCARS chapter tactic so Aiakos can fall back and charge and keep dealing out mortal wounds.
• Sergeant Hamath Kraatos: The FAQ basically tells you to drop this guy from the game, and instead use the model to represent a generic Devastator.

Star Phantoms
These guys are DEFINITELY nothing like the Exorcists, and all rumors you have heard that they are successors to the Dark Angels are BLATANTLY FALSE AND HERETICAL PROPAGANDA, PREPARE TO BE PURGED. As their founding chapter is DEFINITELY AND TOTALLY UNKNOWN, treating them as an Unknown Founding chapter makes the most sense for Tactics.

• Captain Zhrukhal Androcles: Captain. Lost his ability to take Devastators as elites and heavy support. Is identical to a vanilla captain statline wise. He comes with Stonefist, which is a named thunder hammer, and a combi-melta, but no Bolt Pistol. With the Thunder Hammer's disgustingly increased cost, Captain Z finally has his chance to shine, since he grants nearly everything a similarly built Captain can give for over 20 points less.

Exorcists
These guys are particularly interesting because they're a Codex Chapter founded by a non-Codex chapter which has no Chapter Tactics rule. As their founding Chapter is considered to be unknown by most of the Imperium, they get a free choice of Chapter Tactics like any other Chapter of unknown origin. Grey Knights additionally have absolutely no rules in their Codex or Index section covering how to field their successors. Your fluffiest choice of tactic will probably be, as the Blood Ravens, to dynamically choose your tactic after finding out your opponents' faction, as that is how the Chapter fights in the fluff and no game rule bans it. Successor Tactics: Knowledge is Power & Warded (known for getting possessed and then exorcising the Daemons).

• Captain Silas Alberec: Captain who can Deny the Witch as if he were a basic Psyker (2d6, 1/phase). Also comes with S5, a named power fist (for that sweet S10) that does 3D to a Psyker or Daemon, and a S6 bolt pistol. Best for pounding enemies into beefsteak at melee.

Blood Ravens
Not confined to use Warded + Psychic Mastery, turns out that was just an example of the tactics you can use as successors. Successors to whom, nobody knows, so you can do whatever you want.

• Gabriel Angelos: That's right, Gabe's finally made his official debut on the tabletop, sporting his Dawn of War III look and coming with some updated rules in July's White Dwarf. (sadly, the C.S.Goto-style acrobatic feats he displays in the game do not get represented in the rules). THE TERMIE FLIP IS BACK BABY, in the form of an ability: Leap into the Fray - upon successful charge a roll of 4+ deals d3 MWs. He's a Chapter Master in Tartaros Terminator Armour and an Iron Halo, so he has a 2+/4++ save along with 6" movement and the ability to teleport onto the battlefield. His Warlord Trait is Rites of War.
  • As for goodies, he comes with his signature Daemon Hammer, Godsplitter, allowing him to choose one of the following 2 profiles in combat: Mighty Strikes is a standard Thunder Hammer statline, with the addition of dealing an additional Mortal Wound whenever you roll a 6+ on the wound roll. The second profile, Sweeping Blows, grants Gabe +3 attacks on top of his 5 base, at str+2 ap-1 d1 without the -1 penalty to hit, for your GEQ killing needs. Additionally, he has an improved version of Chapter Master that allows rerolls for ALL hit rolls, even successful ones. Compared to his previous Forge World rules, he, unfortunately, lost his access to grenades.
  • Naturally, he's best off rolling with other Tartaros Terminators; not only can they keep up with him more effectively than the standard or Cataphractii versions, but they can also be kitted out both to aid him in melee fights and to provide him with the covering fire he needs.
  • At 185 points, he can be a bit hard to fit into smaller lists.

Warhammer Legends Units

This section covers HQ units that were included in the 8th Edition Index but did not receive a new entry in the 2019 codex, and an honorable mention from years long past. These units have gained the Angels of Death special rule through FAQ. Both of them have now been moved into Warhammer Legends.

• Rhino Primaris: One half of the Command Tank duo, the Rhino Primaris distinguishes itself from the basic Rhino by 3 things: its twin Plasma Gun, the ability to call an orbital bombardment (a 72" range monster with S10 AP-4 Heavy D3 D6 damage that becomes Heavy D6 when used on a unit with 10 or more models and doesn't need line of sight, but can only be fired once per game), and its servo-skull hub. The hub allows the Rhino Primaris to buff allies within 12" with either a +1 to hit, a -1 to morale tests, or healing a wound (for vehicles only). It only has room to transport 6 units, though that's just enough for a Captain and his Veteran Squad.
  • Never fire the plasma gun on overcharged mode; the risk of destroying the Rhino Primaris isn't worth the extra damage. Unless you use the Servo-skull hubs +1 to hit on the Rhino, in which case you can overheat without risk. Probably better spent on those Hellblasters or Plasma Cannon devastators though.
  • Positioning is important, but it's even more important with the Rhino Primaris. Rhinos are tougher now, but you don't want your light APC in harm's way. But if you camp it behind a ruin that's somewhat central, flying units and other assets fighting in the vicinity all become viable options for the servo-skull hub. Imagine an overhead Caestus flying in, getting tagged by the Rhino, and then vomiting its weapons onto an enemy. Hitting enemy targets with BS 2+ anti-tank weaponry from nowhere? That's the value of positioning.
  • Worst case, have the Rhino Primaris pick itself on Turn 1 with its servo-skull hub, and fire the orbital relay (which can now be fired on turn one, a significant boost from 7th). Hitting on 2+ with a weapon this powerful is amazing, whether it's D3 or D6 shots. Add some way to reroll ones/hits and you can really lay a beating on something. A footslogging Captain may be better here than the Excelsior, but each scenario is different. If the Rhino is far enough back, a Primaris Captain (with a Stalker-pattern Bolter) babysitting some Hellblasters anyway could help.
  • Dropped by almost 100 points with it's final Datasheet in warhammer legends, it's now a fairly cheap and sturdy HQ for it's cost and the utility it's buffs provide.
  • If you're looking for a good base for a conversion, the Damocles Rhino from Forge World is a good start.
• Land Raider Excelsior: The other half of the Command Tank duo, which comes with a 5+ invulnerable save, the Captain's ability to grant re-rolls for hit results of 1 for units within 6" of it, a pair of twin lascannons, a combi-plasma, and a grav-cannon/grav-amp combo. If you take it, take the Rhino Primaris too - it'll gain a +1 to hit for all shooting attacks if it stays within 24" of the Rhino Primaris. Apart from that, it's fairly similar to the vanilla LR, albeit better able to take on heavy infantry thanks to the grav-cannon.
  • As is the case for the Rhino Primaris, do not overcharge the plasma gun part of the combi-plasma. Your lascannons do everything that an overcharged plasma gun shot can do, without the risk of killing yourself in the process! Unless you're close to the Rhino Primaris, in which case, you might as well, since your rolls of 1 will become 2.
  • As of the release of Warhammer Legends, the Land Raider Excelsior has undergone an interesting transformation, losing some of its flavour (read: cheese) while somehow simultaneously becoming a more viable pick for regular games. The 100 pt. drop in base cost, mixed with an updated combi-plasma that doesn't cause the LR to go nuclear on an off-day, means that this platform is a lot easier to justify fielding. Unfortunately, this does come at the cost of losing its status as a character, which means no relics/WT/stratagems for the poor old Excelsior anymore (sad face). Still, for only a handful more of points, you can now bring a vanilla LR with a 5++, a grav-cannon and grav-amp, and reroll 1s for itself and everyone around it. Not too shabby.
• Techmarine on Bike: 70 points for a faster Techmarine to get your repairs where you need them quicker. May trade his servo arm for a Conversion Beamer for 20 points -- D3 shots at S6, or S8 AP-1 D2 if you're further than 21" away.
  • The Premier Shooty guy HQ for codex Space marines and in particular Imperial Fists (See Chaplain Dreadnought for Forgeworld Bullshittery). Bike, Storm bolter, a Melee weapon and a conversion beamer (Min 94 pts) allows for 8 Bolter shots at 24" and heavy d3 multilaser or an ap-1 safe overcharged plasma cannon. Factor in imp fist tactics (ignore cover and exploding 6s for bolt weapons), and imp fist devastator doctrine (ap-1 and +1D for heavy weapons) and you have a cheap mobile weapons platform. But there's more... Factoring into account that this is a character you can also make him a warlord and give him a relic. Imp fist warlord trait Siege Master gives +1 to wound vs vehicles and buildings and you can also make his conversion beamer master crafted. 8 bolter shots with ignore cover and exploding shots on 6s, and a heavy d3 master crafted conversion beamer at S8 ap-2 D4 and all shots have ignore cover and +1 to wound vehicles and buildings making even the bolter shots decent vs T7 or lower vehicles.

Troops

With the new FOCs it is possible to make a Battle Forged list without any Troops at all...but you do need them for CP. Troops are usually where one turns for numbers, as in 8E the player with the most models within 3" of an objective can claim it. You have a lot of options for troops, and they're actually decent this edition.

• Tactical Squad: The same jack-of-all-trades as always. Due to how armour modifiers work in this edition they now benefit from cover, more so than most infantry in fact, but there are drastically more weapons capable of making them take a 4+ or worse save. They can fill in any gaps in your army that might need to be addressed. The best way to look at them is as a good middle ground option to your other troops choices. They don't have the early game mobility and good special rules of Scouts, the same durability and damage output as Intercessors/Infiltrators, or the same cover ignoring tricks as the Incursors, but they can be relied on to get the job done more often than not. Just don't expect them to perform miracles. Heavy weapons are easier to use now as they get less penalties for moving and unlimited split fire exists. This edition also encourages you to take them as MSU: less morale vulnerability and many units can fit in the same transport. That way you can put two 5-man units inside a Rhino and have two Sarges with Combis plus 2 Specia/Heavy weapon guys. Four total, as opposed to the three a regular 10-man squad would. Second Codex has reduced their cost significantly to the point where they cost only one more point than Scouts.
  • Tacticals make great pocket lascannon units, or, can take a hint of plasma/grav weaponry. let them sit on objectives or hitch a ride in a transport and they can really help other more expensive units.
  • Also consider the Missile Launcher in light of early AP-1 doctrines on heavy weapons. Unless you're against T8 (where a Lascannon will be the better choice), ML lets you take shots on tanks and monsters, then bolsters your bolters against hordes into the later stages of the game.
  • Seriously consider taking Tactical Marines in a Rhino over Assault marines with jump packs, the assault marines are less encumbered, faster and cheaper but the rhino gives the marines a 9" movement before combat and for grabbing objectives (because of the +3" deployment move or you could keep them in the rhino for the same movement if you don't want to take advantage of obsec) and considerably more survivability. As for offence the Rhino soaks up overwatch and if the marines get the chance to shoot they get the same number of S4 attacks as a chainsword Assault Marine (2 bolter +2 melee with shock assault vs 1 bolt pistol and 3 melee with shock assault) but they also benefit from both the tactical and assault doctrines. In addition the Tactical Sergeant can take an actually good ranged weapon and a melee weapon while the Assault Sergeant can take only 2 melee weapons or a pistol and melee weapon, a TS with a storm bolter and chainsword (+2pts) has 8 S4 attacks if it can shoot and charge while the AS has only 5 S4 attacks if it has 2 chain swords or 3 power weapon attacks and 1 S4 chainsword attack (+4/5pts)

• Scout Squad: Cheaper than marines, with the same damage output but a 4+ save. The Scout special rule Concealed Positions may be the best troop rule space marines have, allowing them to cut off huge swathes of the board from enemy deep strikes early in the game. But Scouts are more than a mere speed bump. Flexible as the space marines in training they are, they can be used with either ranged or close combat loadouts (the close combat loadout is terrible unless you have very specific chapter tactics—typically, anything a pistol and chainsword scout can do, a shotgun scout can do better), but lacking power armour, you'll want to have a plan. Furthermore, don't give them shotguns unless you put them in a Land Speeder Storm—bolters are usually the better free gun, especially if you can keep them stationary and benefit from Bolter Discipline at the full 24". Camo Cloaks let them make better use of cover—it gives them the same resilience as Tacticals in cover (or from 12" away, if they're Raven Guard or Stealthy), but at a higher model cost. And Missile Launchers can combine with the Devastator Doctrine to effectively give them either a Lascannon shot or a Heavy Bolter burst on turn 1.
  • Scouts with Sniper Rifles are your army's cheapest source of, well, sniping. Just like in Rynn's World, a scout with a sniper rifle is not going to kill an Ork Warboss, but they might take down the Pain Boy that supports him. They also help to create Character denial area during deployment. With good range and a chance for mortal wounds, they're useful for harassing not only characters but also targets of opportunity, like armoured infantry and even tanks.
  • A sniper can be viewed as a source of 1/9 of a mortal wound. Two battalions each with 15 sniper scouts (in 5 man teams) are a good example - it'll run you 390 points base before camo cloaks (another 90 for all of them) or monkeying around with the sergeant's loadout. If all 30 are all in range you're looking at about 3.33 mortal wounds a turn on any unit (including Characters, of course) in range, plus D3 more on a non-Character if you throw in a Heavy Bolter for Hellfire Shells. Each of those mortal wounds is de facto also a nonmortal wound (since you had to hit and roll high enough for the shot to have wounded anything in the game), so it's 3.33 mortal wounds plus at least 3.33 saveable wounds, which may be enough to kill a W4 target or less (which many characters are).
  • Sniper scouts or even shotgun scouts make fantastic distractions and will bait your opponent into killing a unit that isn't really all that dangerous. Scouts are relatively cheap and force your opponent's hand, lest they start piling on mortal wounds or getting into shotgun or charge range. It tempts other players to waste their effort on them. In reality, all of your far more deadly units are moving into position with a turn less damage... which can make all the difference in situations where you didn't go first or become outmaneuvered, etc.

• Intercessor Squad: The big boys. Had become the go-to for a high damage output Troop choice with their buffs and Stratagems. Has a 2W and A model for 17pts as opposed to the mini marine's 1W and A for 12pts; meaning 35% cheaper wounds. Before upgrades or considering squad sizes, that means you can bring 12 Intercessors (24 W) for the same price as 17 Marines. Their Bolt Rifles give them a 25"-36" threat range, where most enemies will need to move to even engage them, leaving their cover behind. Stalker Bolt Rifles aren't as cost-effective and are only Heavy 1, but do let them further abuse the range difference while adding armour penetration and an extra point of damage, allowing them to contribute to the fight and pick off heavy infantry even when securing the backfield objectives. While they aren't as starved for mobility as other marines due to their range, Auto Bolt Rifles allow them to advance without sacrificing all their shooting, and have now been bumped up to Assault 3, making them the go-to choice for facing horde armies. And with 2 attacks each, plus a 3A sarge who can be equipped with a power sword, chainsword, power fist, or thunder hammer, they aren't defenseless in a melee. Even basic Intercessors come with a bolt pistol sidearm, so they actually get 3x S4 attacks each if they're locked in melee. That being said, they're countered by heavier vehicles, as their only special weapon is a 30" grenade launcher (with grenades themselves being meh, even under Devastator Doctrine). They're also a prime target for multi-damage weapons, like autocannons, and they are practically custom-tailored to be mulched by Dark Reapers.
  • Stalker Bolt Rifles are now D2, and with AP-2, these are clearly meant to be the rifles to be used against enemy Primaris. With the Devastator Doctrine the rifle is AP-3, which makes even light vehicles a viable target. Fists, both Imperial and Crimson, will get good mileage out of this since they can proc even more hits, and Iron Hands can take them while still retaining their mobility.
  • Intercessors are usually more durable on the tabletop than they appear on paper. Unlike tactical squads, Intercessors don't have heavy weapons which tend to draw fire from the enemy. This means your opponent will generally only fire at intercessors with anti-chaff weapons, especially if you have vehicles or other multi-wound models about. As long as the intercessors have cover, they're rolling 2+ saves on T4, with two wounds per model, which is much better than you really need to survive most anti-infantry firepower. This means your Intercessors are much better at holding objectives than an equal value of Tactical marines unless faced with heavy firepower. When brawling in CC over an objective with other skirmishers, they are easily underestimated—2W and 2A each means that they are effectively two tacs rolled into one model while not looking much more threatening. This leads to some mop-up charges getting stuck and worn down, or even being wiped out entirely thanks to Shock Assault.
  • Intercessors are a good choice for a Raven Guard force, as they are one of the few units able to Rapid Fire from outside 12" even when on the move, allowing them to keep their cover bonus. Prime objective cover campers, as at 2W, 2+ save and -1 to hit, there are more appealing targets to be found elsewhere.
  • As of the second Codex, Intercessor Sergeants can now take a few relics with the right Stratagem. Not the best option for a relic, but it's there if you want it and a D4 Thunder Hammer is capable of ruining someone's day no matter who's using it.

• Infiltrator Squad: Scout Intercessors, but with +1Ld and Marksman bolt carbines, which are essentially boltguns whose unmodified hit rolls of 6 automatically hit and wound. They can be set up anywhere on the battlefield that is more than 9" from an enemy unit or your opponent’s own deployment zone, and their Omni-scramblers prevents deepstrikes within 12" of them (and nullifying deepstrike charges), making them excellent at area denial. With Primaris resilience they become better speedbumps than Scouts...though at twice their cost, no sniper guns, special/heavy weapons or even good bolter AP like Intercessors they can struggle to be more than heavy keepaway units. To operate usupported away from your lines, they can replace an infiltrator with either one of two specialists:
  • The defensive option is an Apothecary-Cadet that can only heal a model from this unit, or revive one on a 5+. Along with their smoke grenades, which work exactly like vehicle smoke launchers, Infiltrators in cover can survive moderate fire while your actual Apothecary is busy elsewhere.
  • The offensive option is a Comms specialist who will let your whole unit benefit from Rites of Battle and Tactical Precision auras of any Phobos Captains or Lieutenants currently in play no matter where they are on the board. Only those two auras; apparently Chapter Masters throw away their vox set upon promotion. Getting those re-rolls simultaneously makes their marksman bolt carbines more reliable without sacrificing the auras for the rest of your army. Intercessors still beat them on AP, but Infiltrators get better positioning from the start.

• Incursor Squad: Cheaper, close support infiltrators. Useful in offense and defense. At range, their Occulus Bolt Carbines and tacticool sensors lets them ignore both cover and hit penalties, making them the bane of enemy stealth users and such. Yet they also have the best melee among your troops, with their paired knives inflicting an extra hit on natural 6s. They can infiltrate, and while they don't have the infiltrator's deepstrike-denying auras or specialists, they can defend a position with a Haywire mine and blow up people and vehicles that go where you don't want them to go.
  • Intercessor Vets with a Thunder Hammer hit harder than them, but sending them against GEQ is overkill. Reivers hit harder in melee, but they're Elites, and sacrifice their dakka for choppa. Incursors are good front line brawlers, killy enough to deal with hordes and heavy enough to be hard to tackle without dedicated melee squads or MEQ-killers. Capturing that objective all the while, because they're troops. You can even tie up vehicles; set the mine up before the charge, and when they try to fall back from the Incursors, they'll trigger it.

Elites

The Space Marine Elite slot gets work done and carries essential buffing character units like the Apothecary and Company Ancient, as well as a few exotic Forge World vehicles. Vastly improved with new codex, very powerful units await!

• Aggressor Squad: Now with 3W, they're the middle ground between a Terminator and an Assault Centurion. Aggressors are heavy defense soldiers, with powerful short range dakka and the ability to shoot twice if they stay still, as they would when protecting an objective or your lines. And unlike other Primaris, they also have great close combat power with 3 powerfist attacks base! They come stock with auto boltstorm gauntlets (2x 18" Assault 3 bolters) and a frag grenade launcher, or you can trade all that in for Firebat pattern flamestorm gauntlets, aka a pair of flamers. The bolters + launchers average 6.33 hits to the flamers' 7, but at more than twice the range.
  • Aggressors are a veritable roadblock, and cost-effective to boot. Do notice Fire Storm lets them shoot twice if they didn't move in that turn, meaning even running forwards they get to overwatch twice, which is when the flamer's autohitting double overwatch 14 hits per model outshine the bolters' 3.16. With Gravis armour T5 3W, they are resilient enough to serve as front liners and discourage/punish Deep strikes, swarming tactics and fast charges, like Evil Sunz' or Genestealers'. They are a good guardian squad to use Auspex Scan on, triggering the Fire Storm. A vanguard detachment of 3 squads with a Lieutenant placed in front of your main army is more than enough to contain an opponent and deal significant damage in the process while being affordable: a squad of three is 111 pts yet cranks out 57 shots a turn. That's nearly .5 bolter shots per point; the highest damage output per point IN THE ENTIRE GAME, dealing at least TWICE as much damage per point to pretty much any target as the next best option. And with support you can double it. For example, against MEQ with just a captain reroll 1 to hit and Doctrine, these will deal 3 times more wounds per point than Dark Reapers. Plus, they work well with many stratagems, and are both anti-horde *and* anti-elite. Clearly someone at GW gets a blowjob for every box of aggressors sold.
  • Shooty and choppy, they're balanced by their inability to get around easily. All other units in your army can either deepstrike, infiltrate, fly 12", bike 14" or ride cheap transports like Rhinos, Drop Pods and Impulsors. Aggressors may only ride ~300 pts Repulsors, so you'll have to either rely on chapter-specific gimmicks or plant them somewhere and be on the defensive. At least they can advance without the shooting penalty, where Assault Centurions can only walk or hop into Land Raiders.
  • Comparison to Termies and Assault Cents: They don't teleport nor do they have an invuln save, so, any resemblance to Terminators is merely a cosmetic one. Aggressors are Assault Centurions lite: lots of S4 shots, lots of wounds, T5 and nasty punches. They are more mobile and thus, easier to use. That being said, Centurions do have a 2+ save and S10 D3 drills that lack a penalty to hit. And while they need a Land Raider (preferably Redeemer), at least that fills a Heavy choice and can fit manlet characters, unlike the normal Repulsor (which is a dedicated transport) or Executioner (which is a better gunship but fits 3 Aggressors and nothing else).

• Apothecary: Now a Character running on his own. Doesn't give out Feel No Pain, but if he's within 3" of a <chapter> Infantry/Biker unit at the end of the Movement phase, he can heal 1d3 wounds on 1 model in it. If no-one's wounded, he gets a 4+ chance to bring 1 dead model back to life with a single wound, but if he fails, he can't do anything else that turn. Can't swap out his weapons, so he's stuck with a bolt pistol and chainsword. Combines great with high-end infantry, shooty or assaulty. Bringing a Centurion Devastator back from the dead or healing the linchpin of your army's buff aura is invaluable. Combine with a Company Ancient to make a trade-in death.
  • Primaris Apothecary: 10 points for +1W and improved pistols: the reductor pistol, which is a 3" S4 AP-3 D2 pistol, and the Absolver Pistol, which is 16" S5 AP-1 D1. He's a great choice if you want to go for an all-Primaris army. Keep him back and out of assault - he has no business in close combat. He'll do just fine popping off shots with his pistol and keeping nearby units alive.
• Company Ancient: The old banner bearer, now an Independent Character. The banner adds +1L to any same <chapter> Infantry units within 6". If a <chapter> Infantry model dies within 6", you get a 4+ chance for them to get off one more round of shooting or close combat right then before your opponent can move on to something else. Note that this only affects models in the bubble, not units, so be mindful when picking who dies. It also sadly doesn't affect bikes. Comes with a bolt pistol that you can swap for a different pistol, combi, or melee weapon. Out of phase shooting is great, and marine infantry die quite a bit in practice. Combine with an Apothecary.
  • Primaris Ancient: Same as a Company Ancient, but with +1W +1A. Comes with a bolt rifle in addition to the pistol, and can't swap his wargear or ride in anything but a Repulsor. Easily worth the 5 points for the +1W alone; the +1A and improved bolter are just icing, as you probably weren't planning on up-gunning you are Ancient anyway, and since the Ancient buff is an AOE on multiple units, very compelling overtaking a second Ancient for redundancy.
  • Ancient in Terminator Armour: A new addition as of the 2.0 Codex, now this guy is finally available for use by Marines that don't get their own special codex. As one might expect, the armour gives him +1 Wound and a 2+/5++ save over his PA counterpart and he is locked into having a Power Fist and Storm Bolter. An excellent choice for accompanying Terminators of all sorts out of Deepstrike.
    • Also of note is the fact that, much like the bike ancient, these guys are mounted on a larger 40mm bases, meaning you can get more models into your buff aura.
• Centurion Assault Squad: With T5 and 4 wounds apiece, the choppy Space Marine in a Space Marine is a nasty piece of work in melee, especially since it can cause a HoW-like mortal wound on a 4+. However, it can give that ability up in exchange for Hurricane Bolters that act like Rapid Fire 6 Bolters- that's the equivalent of a MSU Tactical squad before you even get into RF range! The Siege Drills are pretty good too, since they act like Chainfists but with one more point of damage and no penalty to hit. As an added bonus, their sarge's omniscope negates cover bonuses. Getting them up the field practically requires a Land Raider. For long range shooting focused marine armies, Assault Cents make a strong counter charge unit. Especially because of having 2 flamers EACH, that make up for 6 D6 of auto hitting surprise in overwatch or tearing apart big blobs of infantry. Can also swap the flamers for melta guns which will complement your drills quality over quantity melee output. With the new codex they are still expensive but their improvements make them at least reasonable considering Shock Assault and W4.
• Chapter Champion: It's anyone's guess at this point which datasheet for this guy is "correct"; he has entries in the first Space Marine Codex and the Index, with different wargear; he's absent from the second Codex, but is present in both the Ultramarines supplement (with the Ultramarines keyword) and in Faith and Fury as a 1 CP upgrade to a Company Champion.
  • Index/Codex 1 Version: The only version that can take a bolter, and the only version that can take a relic blade or thunder hammer, but also the one with the least special rules making it better in melee (no re-rolling wounds, no ASF, inferior Heroic Intervention range). As a result, this version, if legal, is the best of the bunch against non-character targets, as you can give it superior equipment, and the only rule you miss out on is -1 to be hit in melee. Against an actual Character, not even as good as a Company Champion, below. Don't forget to give him a bolt pistol - it's on the Index datasheet, so even the Codex version can carry it.
  • Ultramarines Supplement: You can see the relevant chapter discussion below for more on this, but the tl;dr is that it's less points efficient than the Faith and Fury version, while costing no CP. It also has no bolt pistol.
  • Faith and Fury: This is a Company Champion with +1Ld, +1A, and -1 to be hit in melee, which you pay 1 CP to accomplish. As a result, this is the only one of the three with a 3+/5++ instead of a 2+, and it has a bolt pistol but no Champion's Blade; it's a lot cheaper in terms of points, so against a character, it's the best of the three, provided you can get close.
• Company Champion: Another former Command Squad guy now on his own. He can't bodyguard, but he's WS2+, W4, is a character, has to make a 6" Heroic Intervention if possible, and re-rolls failed hits and wounds and has ASF against Characters. Comes with a master-crafted power sword, bolt pistol, and combat shield for a 5++, but no other wargear options. Multiple Champions can be very interesting when embedded in your gunline, or as part of a larger melee deathstar - Heroic Interventions make them a very useful counter-assault choice, and they can swiftly dispatch most other characters without wasting your Captain / Chapter Master's time.
  • However, neither Company Champions nor any of the Chapter Champion variants can keep up with Thunder Hammer Company Veterans, from an offensive standpoint, so their main benefit is defensive, due to being characters.
• Company Veterans: More or less the Command Squad from earlier editions, minus the Apothecary, (Company) Champion, and banner bearer (now a Company Ancient), which are all split off as independent Characters. You can still kit between 2 and 5 of them out however you like (except no special weapons on the Sergeant - he's stuck with combi, which only matters if for some reason you wanted to bring meltaguns). They possess an ability similar to the old "Look out, Sir!" rule which lets them intercept a wound from a <chapter> character on a 2+ in exchange for taking a mortal wound, so they're good bodyguards.
  • Far and away the best Infantry unit you can field, both offensively and defensively, per point; all of them can go special/combi weapon+storm shield, thunder hammer+storm shield, or special weapon+thunder hammer, and they can get down to a 2-man unit, emphasizing morale immunity and maximizing the "free" sergeant "upgrade" (even though he is proficient with fewer weapons than his men). Note the sergeant has been FAQed to now have access to storm shields.
  • While it goes without saying taking two melee weapons is idiotic outside of two chainswords or two lightning claws, any combination of melee and pistols essentially means you're taking Vanguard Vets, but without the Jump Packs, and with the ability to get down to 2 men, not 5 (particularly useful due to the Sergeant's improved Attacks), as well as having the bodyguard ability - if you were going to take Vanguard Vets on foot anyway, such as in a transport, these are better, but you should think long and hard before taking these instead of Vanguard Vets with Jump Packs, if you're after melee. The primary reason to take Company Vets is the Special Weapons access, paired with either a thunder hammer or a storm shield (the storm shield is usually your best bet).
  • For the points, you should not take flamers - a combi-flamer will deliver more S4 shots in that range per point, if you're really after 8" of S4 death. However, no tricks here will let you beat out Scout Bike trios or Bike trios for S4 hits per point, so you should seriously consider loading them out differently.
  • The same is true of plasma, simply because plasmas and combiplasmas have the same point cost, so you may as well take the combis for their improved output against GEQ.
  • Meltaguns cost as much as the Veterans carrying them, and you have no really great way to get them into position to shoot, so in practice, they're best avoided. Grav guns, on the other hand, are just always an inefficient choice, period, compared to plasma.
  • Consider a Stormbolter + Chainsword loadout for Rapidfire 2 S4, and 3 Attacks on the charge, at a fairly decent price. These guys can be really helpful in a Character spam space marine army, as usually characters can't be shot if other units are in the way, but some attacks can single out characters. These guys can intercept those wounds.
  • With a minimum size of two veterans, Crimson Fists should be very pleased.
  • Because all of the wounds of a single attack are negated it's pretty useful to take just two of them, and overkill the unit with mortal wounds if your characters get hit by especially high-damage attacks.
• Vanguard Veteran Squad: Better assault marines. They can take a large selection of weapons while using Jump Packs when properly loaded out they can get enemy models engaged in CC and kill them first turn if taken in numbers (the easiest way to accomplish a turn 1 deep strike charge is by making many attempts at it). A pretty popular unit in 7th and still could be in 8th, as weapons like lightning claws and power swords can wound things like dreadnoughts and vehicles on 5s. Plasma pistols are a really viable choice in 8th, as you can shoot both pistols on the drop. Each model can take 2 chainswords - that's 4 attacks per model for 90 points (or 80 if you're silly and don't take the Packs), 5 for the Sergeant. Though expensive, with the changes to how invulnerable saves work, a Vanguard squad with Thunder Hammers and Shields can be a superior alternative to taking hammernators. A squad with this set-up can kill some of the most powerful units in the game in a single turn. As an example, 4 groups of 5 hitting Magnus (T7 Sv3+/4++r1 18W) expect to wipe him out in a single turn, although they will cost about 2/3 again his cost, assuming you take the Jump Packs. Vanguard with thunder hammers can do a maximum of 33 damage per turn; if a Captain (or, better, a Chaplain, who will provide a better buff for fewer points), Lieutenant, and/or Guilliman is within buff range, they become particularly terrifying. Revisiting the above math, a nearby jump lieutenant and jump chaplain take the point difference from needing 668 to kill 415 to needing 597 (roughly, 4 squads to 2.5 squads), and that's just their buff, of course - both characters can jump in and help if they like. Each TH/SS Vet costs 13 points less than a TH/SS Assault Terminator, hits just as hard, can't have their teleport deactivated, has the same invulnerable save, will never need a transport to be effective, and has much higher movement. Their main trade-offs are an armour save of 3+ instead of a 2+ and 1 less wound than a Terminator; however, considering the amount of AP modifying weapons and multi damage weaponry in 8th, this isn't as big a trade-off as it first appears. On the whole, a flexible unit that can be geared to be what you want - as cheap as possible to shred hordes with chainswords, or tooled up to deal with more powerful units. Models in this unit can have 2 chainswords, which is usually more productive than 1 chainsword 1 bolt pistol -- as you get two fight phases per battle round, but only one shooting phase. 2 Chainswords on a 2 attack model means 4 total attacks.
• Sternguard Veteran Squad: With the special ammunition gone, the sternguard now walk up the field with their beefy Special Issue Boltgun. Now the gun is free and packing a punch with its AP-2 and 30" range over the standard-issue, the sternguard are much more likely to crunch through all forms of armour, especially in conjunction with the Masterful Marksmanship Stratagem. A special note goes towards combi-weapons; while they don't have the one-use rule anymore, remember that the bolt part of the weapon is the standard one without any AP. They also get the standard veteran extra attack over a normal marine, so they can deal some decent retaliatory damage when they're inevitably charged.
  • The sergeant can take a Sergeant Weapon in addition to his SIB, which you should always do - depending on your plan for the unit, a combiflamer, combiplasma, or storm bolter plus SIB will always outperform any other loadout he can take, because the SIB is free.
  • Still one of the best units to come out of a drop pod and rapid fire something to death with their special issue boltguns. Their new specialized stratagem gives them +1 to their wound roll, so make sure to have a Captain/Chapter Master near them for the re-rolls, and give him the Storm of Fire Warlord Trait and include a Lieutenant. Now they're shooting 20 shots, re-rolling 1s (or misses if it's the CM), wounding everything less than T8 on a 3/4+, re-rolling 1 s to wound, and every 5 or 6 to wound is resolved at AP-3 (and just for added fun, make them Imperial Fists and ignore that cover their squad is hiding in while you gain the potential for extra shots with the Bolter Drill Stratagem, or make them Salamanders for even more reliable wounding/improved AM and less reliance on a full Chapter Master).
  • When these guys come out of drop pods, don't forget that their rapid fire range is 15", so that can give them some space before the inevitable charge. Most units are only able to rapid fire 12" away, so the following turn, the enemy unit can advance 6" and then be up close for an easy charge. The difference between being 9" away and 6" should not be understated, and should be used to your advantage, so keep that in mind when deploying their drop pod.
    • Note that coming out of a drop pod 12" away if armed with Storm Bolters will be more effective, if riskier, and without ap-2.

• When comparing the Special Issue Boltgun to the Storm Bolter, it can be seen that (ignoring range) the SIB is, in general, better than the Storm Bolter against most targets, when employing the Masterful Marksmanship stratagem. It is better universally if the target has a 2+ armour save and an invulnerable of 4++ or worse, and they are the same against 3+ or 2+/3++. The AP of the SIB comes in handy when discussing how many successful wounds when the wound roll is disadvantaged; the Storm Bolter affects nothing, while AP-2 can significantly improve wound chances. When using the stratagem, see the following table.

Masterful Marksmanship		Save
		2+	3+	4+	5+	6+
To Wound	2+	Special Issue Boltgun	Both	Storm Bolter	Storm Bolter	Storm Bolter
	3+	Special Issue Boltgun	Special Issue Boltgun	Special Issue Boltgun	Storm Bolter	Storm Bolter
	4+	Special Issue Boltgun	Special Issue Boltgun	Special Issue Boltgun	Both	Storm Bolter
	5+	Special Issue Boltgun	Special Issue Boltgun	Special Issue Boltgun	Special Issue Boltgun	Storm Bolter
	6+	Special Issue Boltgun	Special Issue Boltgun	Special Issue Boltgun	Special Issue Boltgun	Special Issue Boltgun

• Terminator Squad: As of late, Terminators seem to be overtaken by other elites and Primaris heavy hitters. However, terminators still have a worthy role in your army and it is actually the fluffiest! Terminators really only find value when being shot out of very cheap land raiders and teleporting. Heavy shock assault troops have always been their role, now its just been streamlined into their only relevant role. Terminators still have to worry about high-AP weaponry, but since very few weapons have anything better than AP-4 they'll almost always be able to use the resulting 6+ armour save (though you could just use the 5++ instead); it's not much, but it helps. At the same time, the addition of an extra Wound to their profile also outright doubles their survivability against massed small arms fire. The 5" movement means they're most effective when deep striking, but footslogging can still work if your opponent's lacking in anti-armour weaponary. The heavy flamer punishes counter charges and has the benefit of autohitting, but you won't be able to fire it the turn they teleport in. Storm Bolters do pour out the Dakka but Bolters aren't very productive, except when you tie in widely available buffs. The assault cannon is good for shredding lightly armoured infantry and can even pick away at light vehicles if you have nothing better to shoot at. The Cyclone Missile Launcher now arrives at a decent 32 points and vastly supplements all-rounder firepower. Teleport them onto a midfield objective, when in cover they become quite hard to shift. Deep Strike these guys 9" away from enemy meatsheilds, within Rapid Fire range of their Stormbolters, and launch the equivalent of 20 bolter shots. Follow up with a charge at whatever the meatshield was protecting.
  • Teleport homers work a little differently now; it's set up during deployment, anywhere in your deployment zone, and allows Terminators to skip their move in exchange for re-deploying the unit within 6" of the homer. While this is great for bringing them into an area that needs defending, each homer can only be used once and will be disabled if an enemy moves within 9" of it. A good way to screw with your opponents head as they can see where the homer is and will always have to consider the fact that your units can just blip away at your discretion.
• Terminator Assault Squad: Still the gold standard of heavy assault troops, especially with the extra wound they've gained. The classic Hammernator setup is still great for smashing in vehicles and heavy infantry alike while taking little damage yourself, but the -1 to hit can be a problem at times. Take a Chaplain along to mitigate the lowered hit rate (remember, though, that re-rolls occur before modifiers, so no re-rolling 3s). A set of Lightning Claws are more reliable and more effective against horde armies due to the additional attack, so it may be a better idea than before to stick with them. Assault Terminators with hammers, shields and near a chaplain or captain can obliterate the most powerful units in 8th in a single turn. The only alternative that offers anywhere near the CC killing power of hammernators are vanguard with hammers (Hammerguard?) and while they have better movement and cost less they lack the durability of terminators having less wounds and a weaker armour save.
  • Never take these guys with only Lightning Claws, you should always include at least 1 with hammer and shield. Why? Tartaros Terminators can take double claws for the exact same cost, have the same stats and 5++, get a 6" move instead of 5", and can add a grenade harness for a bit of shooting on the side; Cataphractii aren't as fast, but have a better invulnerable save, also get the harness, and cost 5 points less when using double claws. The only advantages these guys have over Tartaros are the hammer/shield setup, and a teleport homer for an emergency jump out, so *use* them.
  • After failing to use these bad boys to their full potential for 3 games in a row, I've come to the conclusion that anything less than running them as Black Templars with a Chaplain babysitting them just isn't worth the effort or points. The 9" charge is just too much of a risk to pull off without the guaranteed re-roll, and the lack of Chaplain means these walking tanks fail to hit 50% of the time with their hammers. If you want to guarantee a KEQ kill, you need to make a successful charge with both the Terminators and the Chaplain, do not die to overwatch or return fire, then pop an Honour Thy Chapter. As mentioned before, and in the standard unit's entry, use discounted Land Raiders to place Hammernators right where you need them.
• Cataphractii Terminator Squad: Cataphractii Terminators come with a 4++, but they're stuck with a movement of 4" and halve the results of their Advance rolls. They can be as lethal in close combat as Assault Terminators (and more durable by far when compared to Assault Terminators with LCs if kitted out that way), but their terribly slow movement means they'll struggle to actually get stuck in without deep striking or hitching a ride on a Land Raider.
  • Remember that to benefit from the Lightning Claw's extra attack, you need to replace both the power fist and the combi-bolter. As lethal as the combination of LCs and a built in Storm Shield can be, it will eat up a lot of points. A good build not available to normal terminators is a LC and a twin boltgun on each terminator, dropping the twin LC for one and taking the boltgun, you only lose one attack and gain 4 bolt shots instead, giving your 5 man squad 20 shots, and don't forget you can take a heavy flamer too. On a 10 man unit that is 40 shots and you save yourself 20 points on dropping the extra LC.
  • The sarge's grenade harness is a good way of giving him a ranged attack while still letting him take two lightning claws. It's an Assault D6 12" bolter with -1 AP, which isn't great but is still better than nothing.
  • A unit of 5 Cataphractii Terminators with Twin Lightning Claws costs 210 points. A Terminator Assault Squad with Twin Lightning Claws costs 215 points. A Tartaros Terminator Squad with Twin Lightning Claws costs 215 points. For the reduction of 5 points you lose 1 of movement and gain a 4++ save instead. The sheer durability added and the ability to teleport onto the field means that if you're looking to do Twin Lightning Claw terminators there's literally very little reason to NOT use Cataphractii over normal Terminators. Just keep in mind that after the charge they'll have to footslog unless you have a transport near by. Great when combined with Black Templers for the re-rolling charge to ensure they make the charge.
• Tartaros Terminator Squad: All the protection of standard Terminator Armour, but none of the movement penalties! As before, the Tartaros Terminators use Reaper Autocannons instead of Assault Cannons; while they have fewer shots than the AC, which means even with the extra point of strength they'll break even against T7 (and have worse output against T6 ), at least they're slightly cheaper. The improved mobility does come at the expense of losing access to Storm Shields, though, and unlike the Cataphractii your invulnerable save is no better than basic Terminator armour.
  • Up to 2 models can take grenade harnesses; their range overlaps with the Combi-bolter's rapid fire range, so use that to your advantage.
  • The sarge can take a Plasma Blaster or a Volkite Charger. The Plasma Blaster is an 18" Assault 2 plasma gun, with all the strengths and weaknesses that entails. The Volkite Charger is Heavy 2 15" S5 AP0 D2; while it may seem somewhat weak compared to the Plasma Blaster it can still cause multiple wounds without running the risk of blowing yourself up with it in the process. But unlike other 40K Volkite weapons it can't cause more damage on a 6+. GW sensed your pain and have answered: volkite chargers now do the extra mortal wound on a 6. Pairing it with the power sword might be a good idea, though - the sword's AP-3 can help compensate for the Volkite's ineffectivenss against armoured units. Though you probably want to take a Chainfist as it has better AP and damage compared to the other melee options. If you expect to face TEQs. You should take the Plasma Blaster instead.
• Dreadnought: The Dreadnought is one of the best non-HQ units in the Space Marine lineup. For 177 you can have a Dreadnought with twin lascannons and the CCW w/Heavy Flamer (even cheaper in 8.5 codex baby - this loadout now costs only 134 points), or for 165 you can have 5 Devastators with 4 lascannons. That's not the most optimal build for the Dreadnought, either. In an edition that loves the Heavy Flamer, Dreadnoughts can carry 3. The unit is buffed by HQs and provides the same security any other bubble wrap could. And speaking of buffs, remember that the Wisdom of the Ancients Stratagem gives it a Captain's re-rolling aura for a turn.
  • Three heavy flamers is the best use for one of these guys, because a Venerable Dreadnought has more efficient accuracy, provided you took weapons that roll to hit.
  • A special note on the capabilities of horde killing. An assault cannon is only 1 point more than taking 2 heavy bolters, in exchange for +1S, which is easily worth it - it will devastate any T3 units, and can deal with T4 too, while the heavy flamer will toast charging units. Should anything survive the onslaught, the dreadnought then packs 4 attacks at S12(!!!) with AP-3 and 3 damage a strike. The dreadnought will smash most things you throw it at, should you manage to get it into melee.
  • Another mention goes to the Riflenought setup with two dual autocannons, spewing out 8 Autocannon shots per turn. Great for tearing up 2 wound models in particular, or throwing some decent hurt at most targets from long range. Notably, it's 5 points cheaper to do this with a regular dread than a Mortis. Even though the Autocannon option isn't in the new codex, luckily we can still use the wargear from the index/Legends profiles.
• Venerable Dreadnought: A Venerable Dreadnought has a slightly better WS and BS vs a regular Dreadnought, as well as the ability to negate received wounds on a 6+. It gets all of the same weapon options as a regular dread, so it can fill the role better, if more expensively. Notably, the 2+ BS lets you move and still shoot heavy weapons with a better than 50/50 chance to hit, so if you want your dual twin autocannon or lascannon/twin autocannon to stay mobile, consider the Venerable. Note that even with the cheapest possible loadouts (missile launcher+assault cannon), this implies a 17.24% cost increase for a 25% gain in performance if you stand still (the gain is better if you move), so unless you're taking Heavy Flamers or a Chapter Master, this is always worth it for the output alone; under a Chapter Master, even if you move the gain is less than the cost, so if you don't care about the durability increase, don't pay for the Venerability. Ven Dreads with the Iron Hands trait don't receive both benefits.
• Contemptor Dreadnought: For just a modest points increase over a standard Dreadnought, the Contemptor packs 3 extra inches of movement, 2 extra wounds, +1 strength, the same WS/BS as the Venerable Dreadnought, and a 3+/5++ (it also costs more than a Venerable). All of this, unfortunately, comes with a small consequence. The Contemptor and the Redemptor are the only non-FW dreadnought variants currently that suffer from a Damage Table. Generally speaking, the Contemptor is a goddamn steal for what he costs now. The extra-fast movement speed means he can get into any position he needs to be in very short order, and reach melee combat with almost complete certainty. It's limited to a melee weapon and either a multi-melta or Kheres-pattern Assault Cannon (which has one more point of S compared to the normal AC, in exchange for costing 4 points more - not that S7 vs S6 is a compelling jump) and lacks smoke launchers, but its wargear is still more than enough to take out most enemies. This dangerous combination of potent stats and strong weapons means he can fulfill a wide variety of battlefield roles, and the dizzying array of options its Forge World counterpart (see below) has only makes it even more adaptable:
  • Crowd Control: Go after enemy units and hunt down squads.
  • Elite Hunter: Superb at taking down other Elite Units.
  • Character Killer: His high Strength, Weapon Skill, and Damage means the Contemptor can kill most characters in a single round of combat. He is rightfully to be feared by enemy warlords.
  • Linesman: High toughness, high saves, and high wounds means the Contemptor can stop advances pretty quickly.
• Ironclad Dreadnought: Ironclad Dreadnoughts are much more melee-oriented than the other Dreadnought types, and the extra point of Toughness they get helps them stick around to get there. It switches out its ranged weapon for a Seismic hammer, which forces a -1 to hit but comes with AP-4 and deals a jaw-dropping 5 damage per attack; if reliability is more your thing, it can be switched for a Dreadnought chainfist which deals "only" 4 damage per attack but retains the high AP and loses the penalty to hit. The hammer is better against W5, 9, 10 while the fist is better against everything else. If you don't know for certain that you are going to face a lot of W5 characters or transports with W10 you should generally avoid the hammer. You can choose to switch the CCW for a hurricane bolter, but that's a bad idea since it re-rolls to hit results of 1 in close combat when it has two melee weapons equipped. Of course, if you plan on keeping close to a Captain or Chaplain (such as riding a Stormraven with them and another squad), that second CCW becomes redundant. Finally, the Ironclad Assault Launchers give it the ability to deal d3 mortal wounds to units within 1" of it after a charge on a 4+, which ensures they'll be softened up when you begin the fight phase.
  • Ludicrously strong against high-wound targets without invulnerable saves such as tanks, Tyranid monsters, etc. It can easily earn its points back in a single melee phase, but it is limited by the 6" move.
  • Worth noting that since the April 2019 FAQ, this is the only vehicle in your arsenal which can still use Bolter Drill on a Hurricane Bolter. pumping out 12 boltgun shots at 24" range is nothing to be sniffed at. It adds infantry clearance to its already very good CV.
  • Unbelievably good with the iron hands stratagem for dreadnought characters, leave this chad in your lies and un-targetable and have him smash any big nasties that try and rush your lines.
• Redemptor Dreadnought: The vanilla dread's Jock roommate. With nearly twice the wounds of a vanilla dreadnought (and degrading stats to accompany the increased durability), the redemptor dreadnought is a solid heavy weapons platform, capable of holding the anti-horde Onslaught Gatling Cannon or the armour-melting Macro Plasma Incinerator, and the anti-air Icarus Rocket Pod as well as a pair of storm bolters or fragstorm grenade launchers. However, it is a heavy points investment, and much of its anti-armour potential might be better handled by specialized units like Devastators, Hellblasters, or Predator variants. Instead, anti-horde fire support appears to be its most effective niche, potentially able to put out a withering volley of mid-strength shooting that will take a significant chunk out of GEQ or weaker units and then follow up with a smack from its CCW, which is d6 damage compared to the normal Dreadnought CCW's d3. But even if it takes the Macro plasma Incinerator, the CCW can still swap its heavy flamer for an Onslaught Gatling Cannon to retain effectiveness against hordes.
  • Equip it with a Plasma incinerator, use the Wisdom of the Ancients stratagem, and a big unit of Hellblasters, and you can re-roll all those overcharges that might blow you to high heaven.
• Invictor Tactical Warsuit: Dreadnought Lite—all the bulk, half the calories points. T6 and W13 helps keep it on the board, and it doesn’t degrade until it’s down to 6 wounds. For firepower, it can take either an Incendium Cannon that’s basically a souped up Heavy Flamer (12” Heavy 2d6 auto-hit S5 AP-1 D1), or a Twin Ironhail Autocannon (48” Heavy 6 S7 AP-1 D2) for shooting up heavy infantry. Backup weapons are a standard Fragstorm Grenade Launcher, a pair of Heavy Stubbers, and a Heavy Bolter that switches to Pistol 3 when enemies are within 1”. The only real way to take on vehicles (or, say, the occasional Bloodthirster) is with its Power Fist, which does 4 attacks at S14, AP-3, and D3. Finally, to get in position, it has the same Concealed Positions ability as Infiltrators and Incursors.
  • Best use of this is probably to give it the flamer option and use Concealed Positions to start it within 12” of some enemy infantry. Further, this unit packs 5 S14 Ap-3 D3 hits on the charge or when charged, and careful positioning will hamper monsters and vehicles running towards your infantry, which is just another reason to get it as close to the enemy as possible. For this reason, assume it will get destroyed turn 3. However, if you're careful, it should get a few turns of shooting and overwatch with the flame cannon and maybe a combat or two with the fist... Could do better, could do worse.
  • You could also give it the Autocannons and either leave it in your backfield for long range fire support, or use Concealed Positions to put it where it can pop shots off at targets who tried to hide and block line of sight. However, the rest of its weapons are oriented towards close range infantry mulching, leading to the same issues as with the laser version of the Repulsor Executioner.
• Reiver Squad: The 16 point loyalist equivalent to berserkers, the melee specialists of the Primaris Marines have some steep competition in the Elites slot, but where they're beaten in regards to sheer power they compensate with their unique rules and equipment. They're armed with a heavy bolt pistol that has -1 AP compared to the normal one and a combat blade that functions identically to a chainsword and can be traded for a bolt carbine, but their main draw is their Shock Grenades. They're Grenade d3 weapons that don't deal direct damage, but instead disable the Overwatch of INFANTRY they hit in addition to penalizing their hit rolls by 1. This added advantage in the Fight phase works well with the Reivers' Terror Troops rule, which reduces the Ld of all enemy units within 3" of any model in the Reiver Squad by 1, and which stacks with other squads up to Ld-3. As a result, they can debuff the Ld of units they're not actually in combat with, which can lead to a nasty chain reaction if they're stationed near units that are already likely to break in the Morale phase. They're also the cheapest of the Primaris Marines released so far by a long shot as well, which makes them a good way of supplementing an Assault Marine-centric force without spending too many points in the process. They can also buy grav chutes which lets them deep strike anywhere more than 9" away from the enemy. Alternatively, you can buy grapnel launchers, which negate vertical movement when calculating how far Reivers can move and allows for them to Outflank a la Space Woof Scouts.
  • Now at 16 points per model, Reivers are looking better than ever! Thats 8 points per wound, with fancy kit. Indeed, the cheapest Space Marine wounds ever seen!!!
  • A small unit with bolt carbines and grapnel launchers can make a decent harassing unit. Plop them in a building on your opponent's side. Bolt carbines put out twice as many shots as bolters/bolt rifles at 24" and the vertical distance keeps them safe from most assaults while cover helps keep them alive. Next turn hit the floor and advance while shooting, or better yet charge if you have the chance after popping off a shock grenade. It's a small, expendable unit that can still wreak havoc if left unchecked.
  • While not points efficient, it is possible to give Reivers both the grav chutes and grapnel launchers. This really does it open up the board with movement. Have them drop onto a building and use their Bolt Carbines to harass enemy units that get close. If an enemy gets too close, no worries, simply advance away to another building. Because vertical movement is not an issue due to grapnel launchers, you can literally Tarzan around the board. And since assault weapons simple cause a -1 modifier on to hit rolls for a unit that has standard marine ballistic skill, you can see where this is going. With Combat blades, the units charge is not effected. Basically, they can jump down from high ground, assault, and get back into the high ground. Do be aware, however, that if you Advance, you can't Charge. Assault weapons don't mitigate this.
    • These guys are top notch bullies. They won't do much to vehicles/monstrous creatures/heavy infantry... But will abuse MEQ and lower very well. It's funny because a unit like this belongs in a chaos codex with bat wings painted all over it, Guilliman lowered the bar with this lot.
  • New codex has several buffs that let combat Reivers put in work. Shock Assault gives them four attacks per model in the first round of combat, and Assault Doctrine means they'll finally have an AP. Stack those Terror Troops debuffs with the Fearsome Aspect Successor Tactic for -4 Ld, and make Chaos Space Marines as cowardly as grots.
• Servitors: Now that they can be taken independently of a Techmarine, you could use them as a cheap way of adding more plasma cannons to your force, but with WS/BS 5+, Ld6, and only a 4+ armour save, they'll have trouble actually hitting things, die from anything more dangerous than a mean look, and are likely to be lost to morale checks; they don't even get the benefits of Chapter Tactics. Having a Techmarine nearby mitigates their flaws a little by boosting them to Ld 9 and WS/BS 4+, but even then there are much better things you could be doing with your Elites slot.
  • Alternative take: If you have a techmarine anyway, it could be worth taking them as cheap fire support that also helps fill out detachments. 4 Servitors with 2 heavy bolters is 40 points. Servitors are essentially worse, cheap, devs in the elite section. For them to be able to make back their points though, they need that boost to BS.

Forge World

• Relic Contemptor Dreadnoughts: 37 points (around 38%) more naked than a naked normal Contemptor. Two more wounds compared to the standard Contemptor, ignore wounds received on a 6+ AND has a 2+ save, but Attacks also degrade with damage now (rather than Movement). You also get access to way more options than any other Dreadnought. For your convenience, they're all listed below; you can take any two you like, unlike the base Contemptor, which is forced into 1 melee option and has only a Kheres and a Multi-melta to choose from for its main gun. Unfortunately is a Relic, so each one of these forces you to take a non-Relic Elite. If you really just want a Contemptor but better (i.e. filling the same role against the same targets), take 1 chainfist with a heavy flamer and 1 Kheres. You'll get into position for the Kheres faster since your Movement doesn't cripple, it'll take way more work to cripple your statline, and your fist's output in both melee and ranged will be incredible.

• Weapon Options

• Cyclone Missile Launcher: Per the FAQ, can take one of these, but it's 38 points for two missile launchers at only 36" range - two actual missile launchers would cost you 40, and have 48" range and the ability to split fire if you wanted. Not a bad idea, but better than on Terminators, as it mounts on top of the hull and doesn't replace an arm weapon. The big draw here is the Contemptor's BS2+.
• Fist Weapon Options:DCCW or Chainfist, with a built-in Storm Bolter, Heavy Flamer, Plasma Blaster (an assault 2 plasma gun at a steep price hike, but sull usable for reasons described below), or Graviton Blaster (an assault 2 grav-gun without paying a point more, which is sadly not nearly enough to make it worthwhile). It's also worth mentioning that Relic Contemptor Dreadnoughts have the Unstoppable Fury rule, while allows them to reroll 1s to-hit if they are armed with two melee weapons but doesn't specify in which phase. So you have less concern about overcharging your plasma blaster now that you hit on a rerollable 2+. Since your movement no longer cripples, the Heavy Flamer is a really solid choice, allowing you to easily get into position to use it even as your other stats degrade.
  • Chainfists: Contemptor Chainfists gain -1 AP and +1 damage over a normal DCCW. Overall a solid upgrade that lets them do terrible damage to both vehicles and monsters. It's a must-take for all purposes. Don't take 2, though - 1 chainfist + 1 DCCW will give you identical performance while saving you 6 shiny points.
  • Re-rolling hit rolls of 1 is pretty damn worth it, now that rolling with 2 melee weapons only costs you 10 more points.
• C-Beam Cannon: The new Heavy Conversion Beamer is a single-shot weapon that starts at S6 AP-3 that does D3 damage. It also gains +2 points of strength and +D3 damage for each 24" between the target and the firer, totaling S12 AP-3 4d3 Damage at 72" exactly, though realistically it will be S10 AP-3 D3d3 between 48" and 72". In addition, if a model is removed from play as a result of wounds caused then it automatically triggers 2d6 extra auto-hits on the target unit at S6 AP0 D1. Generally speaking, this weapon suffers the exact same problem as the Vindicare Assassin, with a crippling downside that the contemptor MUST remain stationary for the entire turn in order to use it. It cannot be stressed enough that this thing really NEEDS the range, though firing it at infantry squads has a good chance of killing a random mook and triggering an average of seven further S6 hits, which is still better than a twin heavy bolter. At full range, the initial hit will likely knock the crap out of any target, wounding it on a 2+ or 3+ depending on its toughness and generally reducing its save to 5+ or worse but those additional hits will likely be wasted.
  • Against the infantry targets you have a serious chance at one-shotting, the C-Beam Cannon suffers from costing so much. Against GEQs, you'll do a lot of damage even at short range, but not enough to outperform the Kheres, and you'll face similar scaling problems at any range, largely because as your ability to guarantee the "splatter" improves, your splatter's actual value gets worse. This weapon actually becomes the best when used against hard targets at the range - at 48" or more away, the only 6+ wounds target it's not your best choice against is T5 or T6, where the twin autocannons take over - but without the range, it's just not going to earn its keep.
  • Think of this as the Swiss Army Knife of Dreadnought weapons. While there are dedicated weapons that handle their specialty better than the C-Cannon does, the fact that this can be used against almost any target and still be relatively effective is worth a mention. The movement restriction is an issue, though.
• Kheres Assault Cannon: Take this against 1-wound models at Toughness 3, 5, 6, 7, or 10, (where on God’s green earth you’re going to find a Toughness 6/7/10 1-wound model is beyond me, but just in case...) and mulch your enemies.
• Twin Heavy Bolters: 68% the cost of a Kheres, in exchange for S5 instead of S7 and 12" more range. S7 isn't a big deal, but S6 is, for shooting up both GEQs and Buildings, should that come up; the tl;dr here is that the THB is your best choice against 1-wound models with Toughness 1, 2, 4, 8, or 9 (although where you'll find those last options is a mystery).
• Twin Autocannons: Identical to the one on the normal Dread. Worse than either of the above options against single-wound enemies, but the best you can take against 2-wound foes; the twin lascannon, below, only finds viable targets starting at 3-wound targets and above, but this gun remains a good choice all the way up against something; even at 6+ wound targets, this is best against Toughness 5, 6, 7, or 10, due to its relatively cheap cost.
• Twin Lascannons: Pop vehicles open without having to get into melta range. Probably better on the Contemptor Mortis, though. Has fantastic range, but is crippled by its staggering cost; in order to earn its keep you have to shoot things with the wounds to notice that 1d6 damage rating. Once you're up against 6+ wounds targets, it's best against Toughness 1-4, 8, and 9.
• Multi-Melta: A terrible idea. Much less effective than twin lascannons, against, well, anything. And the basic Dread or non-FW Contemptor could already take this.
• Heavy Plasma Cannon: You have a 6+ save against the wounds overcharging this causes, but it's worse than your other choices against anything in the game, overcharged or not. Skip.

• Relic Deredeo Dreadnought: The end-all solution to your dakka-Dread needs, for when even the Contemptor Mortis won't cut it. Its armour save is slightly worse than the Contemptor's at only a 3+, but to compensate it has 2 more wounds and its invulnerable save rises to 4+ in the Fight phase (but why are you in melee in the first place?) on top of the built-in smoke launchers. For guns, you have the Anvilus Autocannons (8 36" autocannon shots with +1 S) for mulching infantry, the Hellfire Plasma Carronade (5 overcharged plasma gunshots which deal 3 damage each but cause mortal wounds on a 1) as the generalist option, and the Arachnus Lascannon Battery (2 S10 AP-4 D6 Damage shots that deal an extra mortal wound on 6s) for taking out vehicles, and also chest-mounted heavy bolters/heavy flamers. Don't bother upgrading to heavy flamers. While auto-hits are good, the Deredeo should be as far away as possible. It should be shooting things, not tied up in melee. It can supplement the main weapon with either an Aiolos Missile Launcher for extra fire support or an Atomantic Pavaise to give everyone within 6" of itself a 5+ invulnerable save. The latter works great with Devastators or other long-ranged units that can help support the Deredeo's firepower.
  • 8th edition is kind of a mixed bag for the Deredeo. While 8 shots at BS2+/3+ on the move with the Anvillus sure are great, the 12" range reduction is very painful, especially for the plasma carronade. 24" max means it will be in range of most weapons in addition to the risk of losing wounds which is very probable at 5 shots per turn. So it is advised to have a reroll/repair character nearby should you go for the plasma option.
  • Raven Guard and Salamanders Chapter Tactics make Deredos substantially better - RG increases its survivability, and Salamanders provides a source of rerolls to make sure those giant fuck off lascannons deal damage or that the plasma carronade doesn't damage the Deredeo.
  • In addition, a "Master of the Forge" Techmarine can provide a +1 to ensure the Deredeo takes no mortal wounds. And since you're bringing another elite, make it a plasma armed vehicle (like a redemptor dreadnought). Overlap the 5+ invuln save and safe plasma on a few high-wound dreadnoughts and you got yourself a sticky gun battery that will cause a headache for your opponent.
• Deimos Pattern Relic Predator: Take a Predator, give it an extra wound, and slap a Plasma Destroyer on it as its turret weapon, and you have one of these tanks. The Plasma Destroyer itself can't be overcharged, but with the same number of shots as the basic Predator Autocannon and 2 Damage, it doesn't really need to be. While it can swap out the plasma destroyer for the standard Predator guns, that's a waste of its options. Instead, you should use its unique options: the Conversion Beam cannon to make it a hard-hitting artillery unit, the Magna-Melta for close-range anti-vehicle firepower, and the Infernus cannon for a double dose of heavy flamer goodness.
  • The c-beam isn't bad if you can keep your target at least 24" away. 72", heavy 1, S6, AP-3, Dd3, 2d6 S6 auto-hits if you cause a wound. A pretty solid addition to a gunline, since the infantry can provide a deep-strike and charging buffer. Best utilized against light-vehicles and smaller monsters due to 2d6 auto-hits. Its real downside is that it's heavy 1. You get one-shot. Just the one. Uno. Ein. So try and make sure it's plonked next to a Captain, or have a CP or two set aside to re-roll.
  • Plasma Destroyers fill in the usual plasma niche, but better. 36", S7, AP-3, D2, and does NOT cause a mortal wound. A good counterpart to the autocannons anti-light vehicle, this gun specializes in anti-heavy infantry. In that vein, the range gells with sponson heavy bolters, but can also pair well with sponson lascannons if you're going after monsters.
  • The magna-melta is garbage (24", Heavy d3, S10, AP-4, Dd6, melta rule), and it's 70pts. Hard pass, grab the twin las for vehicle busting. The infernus cannon (8", heavy 2d6, S5, AP-1, D2, auto-hits), isn't much better at its role of infantry killing at 45pts. Predator autocannons or plasma destroyer will do much better at that role, especially since you don't have to spend at least two turns getting in range. Either grab a Baal Predator or a Hellhound if you want Imperial firepower.
• Relic Javelin Attack Speeder: The poor Deodorant Tanks got a huge nerf in 8th edition. For the most part, these fulfill the same role as before, that of a Heavy Land Speeder. But they lost the twin-linked rule on their Missile Launchers(WTF). They even lost their trademark Outflank ability. Overall this turned what was already a mediocre relic slot item, at best, into a shitty tool that's worse off than a generic land speeder.
  • IS it garbage? for 100 points you get 9 wounds on a T6 platform with a 3+ save and FLY, also including a handy rule: "Gravatic Augur Haze" that imposes a -1 modifier on all shooting attacks from 8" or more. This layout has 2 lascannons and a heavy bolter. That is 1 less heavy bolter than a Predator and arguably more survivable, plus it doesn't have a damage chart. With Raven Guard enhanced chapter tactics these should be able to get an additional +1 cover save while you comfortable fly around the backfield. Frankly, you could do worse, 3 of these will be 300 points with 6 lascannons and will be very hard to remove, all the while they constantly provide dedicated fire that can maneuver very well.

• Relic Sicaran Battle Tank: The Sicaran has transitioned smoothly into 8th ed, retaining its status a high-speed menace. With a big 14" move, T7, 14 wounds, and 3+ Save it falls in between a Predator and a Land Raider in terms of size and durability. It's armed with a nasty twin accelerator autocannon which has a couple of neat tricks. It fires at 48" Assault 8 S7 AP-1 D2, suffers no penalties to its hit rolls when attacking flyers, and a to-wound roll of 6 increases the AP of that hit to -3. It's also armed with a single Heavy Bolter and can grab 2 sponson-mounted Heavy Bolters or 2 sponson-mounted Lascannons, a hunter-killer missile, and a pintle-mounted Storm, Bolter, if you crave more dakka. The Sicaran is a useful anti-air unit in a pinch and is well known for its ability to counter skimmers. Make good use of the Assault rule on its main gun by zipping around and firing while advancing. Thanks to Chapter Approved the Sicaran now only costs 165 points without sponsons.
• Relic Sicaran Venator Tank Destroyer: The Venator trades the regular Sicaran's quantity of anti-skimmer shots for vehicle annihilation; even if a tank survives the Neutron Pulse Cannon's S12 AP-4 D6 damage hits (all 3 of them), it'll have all its shooting rolls reduced by 1 for the turn, which can make life very difficult for vehicles like Executioners or Tau vehicles with Ion Cannons. Additionally, it doesn't get penalties for moving and firing its heavy weapons.
• Relic Sicaran Punisher Assault Tank: A new flavor of Sicaran, its draw is the Punisher Rotary Cannon- 18 Heavy Bolter shots guaranteed to make any hordes within 36" hate life. And if you don't move that turn, it re-rolls all to-hit rolls of 1. Enjoy making Orks and Tyranids cry.
• Relic Sicaran Arcus Strike Tank: Another Sicaran variant, this one is armed with a rotary missile launcher. Though 24" is a bit short-ranged for a vehicle weapon, it's still Heavy 2d6 with S5 AP-2 D1. And not only does it negate cover saves, it also deals an extra mortal wound to INFANTRY units on a 6+ to wound. If you're forced to fight an extra large horde, it can switch its weapon profile to Heavy 4d6 at the expense of not being able to fire its missiles until after the end of the next turn. As a result, taking the heavy bolters/lascannons and the storm bolter is a good idea to ensure it doesn't render itself defenseless after a missile massacre.
  • Alternative Opinion: Don't get the Arcus Strike Tank. Ever. Functionally, the Relic Whirlwind Scorpius performs the exact same role against most types of infantry (but better) except against pure hordes, at which point the Sicaran Punisher takes over. Seriously, this tank is an absolute mess, and there is little to no reason for you to bring this. If you really want to field a Sicaran tank, look somewhere else.
• Relic Sicaran Omega Tank Destroyer: Yet another member of the Sicaran family. Its Omega Plasma Array has two modes; in its normal mode, it acts like a Heavy 6 plasma gun, and when supercharged it becomes Heavy 3 S9 AP-3 3 D and inflicts an extra mortal wound on a 6 to wound, but loses d3 wounds if it rolls a 1 to hit. Unfortunately, its range is no better than that of the Arcus, which is far better at wiping out infantry of all types due to the sheer number of cover-ignoring shots it can fire. The range issue is even worse when trying to use it against vehicles, since it'll be in lascannon/plasma cannon range long before it can shoot back and the -1 to hit from moving is going to make it a lot more likely to blow itself up (and even if it survives, it'll still be overshadowed by the Venator). Overall, it's not bad, but not quite good enough when compared to its competition.
• Relic Whirlwind Scorpius: The Scorpius is set apart from the basic Whirlwind by its Scorpius Launcher (and its occupation of an Elites slot, not a Heavy one) - while it has only half the range of either of the Whirlwind's rocket types, 3d3 S6 AP-2 D2 shots is still plenty to threaten hordes and light vehicles alike. And as an added bonus, it can fire twice in a shooting phase if the Scorpius hasn't moved in the movement phase.
• If you stand this bad boy still, it has 6D3 S6 AP-2 D2 Shots that ignore LOS. 48 is plenty enough range to hit the majority of targets it wants to hit, and doing so outside of LOS is huge. Properly supported, it can annihilate medium and heavy infantry, while the number of shots, good AP, and reliable damage give it utility against light and medium vehicles. With Combat Doctrines it will have AP-3 round one. Very nice vehicle.

Warhammer Legends Units

• Apothecary on Bike: Same rules as Apothecary, except for the price of a Lascannon, you get +1T and +1W, and he's now faster than a Rhino to zip around to where he's needed most. Gets a twin boltgun with the bike for a little dakka.

• Company Ancient on Bike: Gets the same added durability and speed upgrade as an Apothecary on a bike. His aura still only affects Infantry, not bikes.
  • Always take a bike. With the new 60mm x 35mm bike bases, your aura increases from about 6.5" from the center of the model to about 7.75", giving you more than a 15" diameter bubble of bonus actions.

• Company Champion on Bike: Same as above, with the bike's +1T, +1W, M14, and twin bolter. Costs a truly staggering 94 points, so best avoided.

• Imperial Space Marine: Now a character rather than just something you can substitute any Space Marine model for, which is good because he's gotten much nastier since last edition. Compared to an average Tactical, he's gained 3 extra wounds, 2 more attacks, and one extra Ld point. But it's his disintegrator combi-gun and disintegrator pistol you should watch out for. They're only 18" Rapid Fire 1 and 9" Pistol 1 (respectively), but with S5, AP-3, and d6 damage (basically a higher damage combi-grav and grav pistol) they have the potential to fuck up a lot of units if it manages to wound them. He is frustrating to use against T6+ Monsters and Vehicles, but against T5 models and less he's a straight thug killer.

• Company Veterans on Bikes: Similar to their footslogging counterparts, but with an extra wound and point of toughness per model. Keep in mind that they can only intercept hits for Biker Characters, so if none of your Captains/Chaplains/Librarians are on bikes, they won't be able to bodyguard. It's challenging to justify the points cost here, since you pay 9 more points per bike than a Bike Squad, and don't get additional special weapons access until the 4th unit member, but this is just about the only way to field melee-focused bikes, if you have some sort of weird desire for that. 5 Company Veterans on Bikes each with a Stormbolter can lead to this single unit putting out 40 bolter shots at half range. A tactical squad at half range is 10 shots for 65pts, 6.5 points per bolt fired. A Scout Bike Squad at half range with a Storm Bolter Sergeant is 22 shots for 77 pts, 3.5 points per bolt fired. Meanwhile the Company Veterans on Bikes with Stormbolters comes to 4.75 points a bolter shot.
  • Running two smaller 2 or 3 man squads instead of one larger squad has some tradeoffs. With more small squads, you get more sergeants (i.e. more melee attacks), make multi shot weapons less effective, and make it more likely for your opponent to overcommit when shooting them, since there are fewer guys for the shots to spill to. However, smaller squads make it easier for the opponent to pick off the guy he wants, for the same reason. Small squads are also fully immune to morale, but that's not much worry for a bigger squad anyway.

• Honor Guard: Two bodyguards for your Characters. 21 points plus wargear. On a 2+, any wounds lost by your Characters turn into mortal wounds against any Honor Guard within 3". They can take boltguns AND power weapons of your choice — including relic blades if you're willing to shell out the points.

• Legion of the Damned
  • Damned Legionnaires: Tough, a deep striking infantry unit. They can be armed with a plasma gun, flamer or a melta along with a heavy flamer or multimelta. The sergeant gets access to a shortened list of the usual sergeant weapons. The built-in 3++ invuln keeps the Legion of the Damned on the table longer than other Power Armour infantry units. Heavy Flamers and Flamers are great, but on the turn, the LotD unit arrives, it must be 9" away, and the flamers cannot shoot. For this reason, LotD is maximized with plasma or melta weapons on the alpha strike. Two squads of LotD can really hurt powerful tanks with two melta weapons in each squad. The flamer heavy loadout is best for objective camping early in the game, as the LotD can grab useful points via their deepstrike turn one.
  • Legion of the Damned can be taken alongside any Imperium army in a Vanguard detachment despite said detachment not having any HQ units in it. However, the detachment will not grant extra CP.
  • Unfortunately the LotD are one of the most point inefficient units in 8th edition, which is a shame considering their bitchin' models. Only ever use these guys in a fun environment, as competitive ones will laugh at these guys.
    • Despite this, some viable strategies include dropping them in an objective in cover. Also you might as well give the Sergeant both a storm bolter and a bolter for some hilarious rapid fire 3 on a basic dude — and yes, they do still gain Bolter Discipline.

Dedicated Transport

• Rhino: 10 Wounds and a 3+ make the old METAL BOXES harder to crack open than ever before, and it comes with a mean new trick- at the start of the turn, you roll a d6, and on a 6+ the Rhino restores a lost wound. It might not seem like much, but it can make the difference between moving 12" and 6" if it moves you back a step on the damage table. Also now having 2 storm bolters means that you can output a lot of Dakka (8 shots at 12 inches), and Kill off some infantry then tie up vehicles in combat. A breakthrough star of 8th
• Razorback: Transports that produce offensive output, like a Razorback, are likely to be very strong this edition. 8 lascannons fired by devastators will not destroy a Razorback in one turn on average. That is a lot of Dakka to absorb. If you run them with Heavy Flamers, then no matter how injured your Razorback is, it will still always autohit, until said Razorback is dead.
  • The razorback has 6 different options for its main weapon, making it a very flexible tool for patching up weak points in your army's firepower.
    • Twin Heavy Bolter: The stock option and by far the most boring. Cheap, and that's really all that can be said for it. Use if you're on a budget, but if you're not upgrading the weapon, maybe consider just going with a plain old Rhino instead and drop a couple of Heavy Bolters somewhere else in your army, they're nearly the same cost.
    • Twin Assault Cannon: The crowd favorite and for good reason. 12 S6 AP-1 shots is a substantial threat, allowing you to mulch that Guardsman squad standing on the objective you want before dumping your cargo of marines out to finish them off. Got a notable price bump in Chapter Approved, so it isn't an auto-pick anymore, just a very solid one.
    • Twin Lascannon: The infamous Laserback. The most expensive option, but a damn good one. This is one of the Marine's more cost-effective anti-tank options, able to deposit its cargo, then dig in and start picking at tanks and monsters.
    • Twin Heavy Flamer: (Index Only) The Marine's knockoff Immolator, it really suffers from the pathetic 8" range. Even the THB can deal more damage simply by having the range to do so; this weapon will be complete dead weight until you're literally on top of the enemy. Avoid.
    • Lascannon and Twin Plasmagun: (Index Only) A bit of an esoteric choice, with the TAC's price hike, this option is only 1 point more. The real draw is the fact that the Plasma guns are Rapid Fire, not Heavy, allowing you to tear around the board firing without penalty. While it actually outperforms the Twin Lascannon in every area when Overcharging, even when not in Rapid Fire range, it does carry that annoying rule that it dies without saves if it rolls a 1 to hit. Still, an interesting option and certainly worth looking into.
    • Multi-Melta: (Forge World) This is the weapon of the Infernum Pattern Razorback mentioned below, but it is literally the only difference between it and the regular Razorback, so here we are. The cheapest weapon option outside the stock THB, this is the budget anti-tank choice. Workable, but a single 24" melta shot taken at -1 from moving is putting a lot of faith in a 50/50 chance.
• Land Speeder Storm: Dedicated transport for 5 Scout models, for the same base cost as a normal Landspeeder. Open top so they can shoot out of it, although still suffer any penalties for shooting heavy weapons after moving, and cannot shoot after falling back even if the vehicle still can. Does not get Concealed Positions, but has an 18" move, to easily re-locate. Starts with a Cerberus Launcher (D6 bolter shots at 18") and a Heavy Bolter that it can swap for a Multi-Melta, Heavy Flamer, or Assault Cannon.
  • Put a Scout Sniper squad inside for a mobile Character killing fire base with a 7 wound buffer. Heavy flamer to discourage charges (and hopefully let you fly away next turn), or a Heavy Bolter/AC to provide supporting fire.
  • Put a Scout Shotgun squad inside with a Heavy Flamer, and charge it up into their face.

• Drop Pod: Grants a Power Armour unit deepstrike. Tactical Marines can use it to capture objectives and hamper enemy movement. Melta units can get in close for a hard strike. Assault units can charge out of it if you can make 9 on 2d6. No longer scatters and arrives at the turn you chose. Much more importantly, it ignores the Tactical Reserves rule so you can finally pull off a turn 1 Deep Strike. You might still struggle to pull off a charge or get into the optimal range, but the correct selection of Chapter Tactics can do a lot to mitigate those downsides.
  • it is been FAQ'ed that the opened doors count as part of the Models, soo it can also be used to make a sizable anti-deepstrike zone, before it’s shot of the board (if your opponent put enough thought into it).
  • If you choose to take the Deathwind Launcher in Matched Play, then you are officially retarded, as a Storm Bolter is generally twice as good for its points at 12" and can also shoot up to 24".

• Repulsor Tank: The Primaris flying landraider, trading a little armour for absurd more firepower. Holds 10 Primaris Marines (models with Gravis armour count as 2) and carries a fair number of anti-tank or anti-horde weapons to protect its passengers. While it can be built to be a veritable battle tank in its own right, it is a heavy point sink and requires support to get the most out of its statline. As most of its anti-tank damage comes from having the potential to equip the equivalent of four lascannons, it might be best to aim for a mixed build to capitalize on its potential to melt hordes and severely damage vehicles. However, its costs can rack up quickly, so unless you plan to field a lot of Primaris Marines you're probably better off taking a Land Raider variant. It also has the FLY keyword with all of it's dis-/advantages. Take it with a squad of 8 Reivers, a Primaris Chaplain, and Apothecary for a rather mean, if expensive assault/harassing Unit. Just hope it survives the onslaught of AT weapons long enough to get them in position.
  • If you're just looking for lots of lascannons or horde-clearing weaponry, there are probably cheaper - if somewhat slower - means of getting them on the table, like a Devastator Squad or Redemptor Dreadnought. Anti-armour setups, in particular, have the issue that the las-talon has only half the range of the twin lascannons, which means it'll only be able to unleash half its anti-armour firepower at its farthest range. At that matter, most of its other weapons struggle with an equally short range compared to most vehicle-mounted weapons, so it will likely need support when dealing with long-ranged attackers.
  • Defensively, it's nearly identical to a Land Raider; although its armour is only a 3+, it has the same number of wounds as a LR and does a good job at discouraging charges with its Repulsor Field rule (-2 from any charge rolls). The optional Auto Launchers supplement this with an extra -1 to hit on opponent shooting rolls if the Repulsor doesn't shoot.
  • Three Aggressors with Auto-Boltstorm Gauntlets, a Captain in Gravis armour, and a Primaris Lieutenant and Apothecary all fit snugly in this beast, hit like a brick, can heal models around it, and protect otherwise slower models. Outfit the Repulsor with Heavy/Onslaught Gatling Cannons and say goodbye to any infantry in 18". If you take a regular Primaris Captain instead of one in Gravis armour, you can also toss a primaris ancient into the floating death-bawks so that the aggressors have a chance to fire when they die as well.
  • When kitting the Repulsor out, decide if you want it fighting tanks or hordes. In terms of pure output, for anti-tank take the Las-talon and Twin Lascannon, for anti-horde take the Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon and Twin Heavy Bolter and for balanced take the Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon and Twin Lascannon. Do note that in terms of points effectiveness the Twin Heavy Bolter is better than the Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon, though.

• Impulsor: The inbred spawn of a Razorback and a Repulsor. Has 1 more wound than a Rhino and can be upgraded with a 4++, but lacks Self-Repair and Smoke Launchers. Comes stock with two Storm Bolters with the option of taking Ironhail Heavy Stubber and swapping the storm bolters for fragstorm grenade launchers. 14" movement and FLY, combined with the ability to disembark a unit after moving and the penalty to enemy charges that the Repulsor also inflicts makes the Impulsor one of the better transports... in theory. In practice:
  • It has a transport capacity of 6 but can't carry JUMP PACK or GRAVIS models, so it's only good for moving MSU squads.
  • Passengers can't charge after it's special disembark, so it's no help for assault armies.
  • So, what is it good for? Not much yet, but a cool new reveal has more or less answered this question. cough9thedcough.
  • It can take the following upgrades:
    • Shield Dome: A 4++ invulnerable save. Generally, this is the one you want, as it makes this bizarre vehicle unusually tough (smart opponents will simply shoot its cargo, so hurl it into CC ASAP).
    • Ironhail Skytalon Array: The cheapest addon. Two more heavy stubbers that get +1 to hit and to wound if they target a flyer, and -1 if they target anything else, which probably translates to BS5 since it lacks Power of the Machine Spirit. Only use if you expect to be up to your armpits in flying enemies or to spend that last 5 points.
    • Bellicatus Missile Launcher: Yep, it's a missile launcher with the addition of Anti-air. Could technically work as an adaptable weapon, but taking other weapon teams and tanks would be better.
    • Orbital Comms Array: The orbital bombardment you know and love from the Damocles Rhino and the Stratagem. One use only, but being able to crap out mortal wounds wherever you like is still nice. As long as you can keep it alive to use it, of course. This bombardment does not involve ballistic skill. That means your opponent will have to go through 11 wounds to stop you from using the mortal wounds. This demands that your opponent potentially waste firepower on your otherwise expendable transport while your hellblasters take far less damage.

Forge World

• Lucius Pattern Dreadnought Drop Pod: It's a drop pod...for dreadnoughts. A good, relatively cheap option for delivering dreads right into multi-melta range and the ONLY option for deep striking Leviathans and Deredeos at all. (Why you would deep strike a Deredeo is a mystery, but you do you)
  • Note that while it completely lacks any offensive abilities whatsoever, it can still serve one use after its cargo lumbers off: body blocking. It still counts as an enemy model for your opponent in terms of movement and line of sight and thus they have to 1. Kill it, thus sparing one of your other units some damage and since the pod is nearly as tough as a Rhino, it'll take a beating before going down 2. Go around it, which costs time and forces units out of position, or 3. Go through the hassle of charging it, using pile in to scoot around it and falling back from it, which is really, REALLY dumb. And the model (if you can get ahold of a real one) is massive when its doors are open, denying a huge chunk of board. Bonus points if you can use this to block your opponent's anti-tank from reaching the Dread you just disembarked into his backline on the opposite side of the pod.
  • Also remember it can turn an ironclad from a risky high damage Slow speed bullet magnet to a unstoppable rape machine if used against tightly packed armies and tanks, especially with Black Templars charge re-rolls.
• Infernum Pattern Razorback: A Razorback with a Multi-Melta. Might be tricky to get it into melta range in one piece, but on the other hand, it's a Dedicated Transport with a Multi-Melta.
• Termite Assault Drill: It's neither a drop pod or a rhino, but something of both. Like a drop pod, the Termite can be deployed at the end of a movement phase close to the enemy. Once deployed, however, the termite acts like a very slow Rhino. At 8 inches, this thing isn't going anywhere fast. Not to mention the melta cutter is so short-range its only real use is to fight back if it happens to be caught in melee. So why bother? Well, the termite has some neat little things going for it. First is the transport capacity. At 12 standard marines(Not terminator, jump pack, or primaris) this little drill is quite the metal box. Add in that deployment and who cares if this thing only moves 8 inches a turn. Even better is the Breaching terror special rule with gives enemy units with 12 inches a mortal wound. And then there is the subject of weapons. Storm Bolters are the way to go most of the time due to the range and fire output. Heavy flamers are meh, though the increase in the movement has helped make the weapon somewhat more viable. Volkite chargers are iffy. They have more range and damage than the flamer but have a negative 1 to hit on the move. Honestly, the Storm Bolters are your best bet. The termite also has a decent melee game, though this is more for protection than anything. That being said, the drill makes for a nasty anti tank melee weapon. Now for the bad news. This thing is expensive points-wise, way more so than the drop pod, but the points cost is nothing compared to how much you will need to pay Forge World for one.

Flyers

• Stormhawk Interceptor: The Anti-Flying Flyer. Gets a +1 to hit any target with the Fly keyword, to mitigate the penalty for moving and firing heavy weapons. Comes stock with 2 Assault Cannons, 2 Heavy Bolters, and an Icarus Stormcannon. The bolters can be swapped with Skyhammers for more anti-flying or a Typhoon against ground targets, while the Icarus can be swapped for an anti-vehicle laser. Cannot hover, unfortunately, but does get to re-roll any 1's for saves and has the normal Hard to Hit.
  • A good choice if you are going up against Tau or Dark Eldar, due to the prevalence of Fly. Especially the Icarus/skyhammer combo as it lets you hit anything with Fly on a 2+; with the drawback of hitting everything else only on a 5+.
  • Another unit that has suddenly become very good for Iron hands as when in devastator doctrine you'll be hitting without penalties and re-rolling 1's in addition to your additional -1 AP, this means that on iron hands Stormhawks you can just load up on anti-infantry and wear down enemy flyers and if he doesn't have flyers then just kill of all his infantry with your assault cannons and heavy bolters to keep him from grabbing objectives.
• Stormtalon Gunship: The Anti-Ground Flyer. The 'Talon has undergone a few noticeable changes in this edition. You can hover, of course, but standing still is probably not what you want to do with it. The other change comes from the assault cannon. The weapon now vomits out three times as many shots, but lost much for AP and lost rending completely. This makes it better at clearing infantry than the light vehicles it had been targeting previously. Compared to the last edition, it's much tougher but easier to hit. Also technically your cheapest flier, making it good for building Air Wings.
  • If you hover you can fire at ground targets at BS2+, assuming you don't move and have taken no more than 4 wounds (Or you are back to normal 3+ after falling into middle damage bracket, which at that point might as well stay in hover and get the most out of your flyer before it gets toasted). This is actually really damn good, in later turns. having the ability to get a few solid rounds fo shooting makes a big difference. Be sure to play your talons cautiously, as the assault cannon requires you to get within range of enemy Dakka. This flyers true potential can only be achieved by treating it very gently.
  • Also note that, for the usual GW rules-fuckery reasons, the Strafing Run special rule completely invalidates the second half of the Skyhammer Missile Launcher's rules. Skyhammer Missile Launchers gain +1 to hit against units with FLY and -1 to hit against units WITHOUT FLY...but Strafing Run gives a +1 to hit against units WITHOUT FLY. Resulting in a net result of only +1 against FLYing units.
• Stormraven Gunship: A flying Land Raider and one of the most effective units marines have. T7 means S4 weapons can wound it on a 5+ compared to the Raider's T8, 2 fewer wounds, and a 3+ save instead of a 2+, but it's much faster and has -1 to be hit when zipping around. It's also a bit cheaper than a Land Raider, depending on what you arm it with. In addition to the -1 to hit it, it has the new normal flyer rules. Comes stock with a twin assault cannon, twin heavy bolter, and two Stormstrike launchers (72" heavy 1 S8 AP-3 3 damage) that's 20 shots a turn. Can swap the assault cannon for a twin lascannon or twin heavy plasma (that only causes 1 mortal wound for a 1 to hit when supercharged instead of straight killing it). Can swap the heavy bolter for a twin multi-melta or typhoon missile launcher. It can also strap on a couple of hurricane bolters (seriously for 20 points total with 24 bolter shots on the rapid range you should ALWAYS take this). It has the same Power of the Machine Spirit as a Land Raider, so it can shoot heavy weapons on the move at no penalty. Can carry 12 Infantry (and can carry Jump, Terminator, and Centurions, but they take extra space) and 1 Dreadnought whose max Wounds value is less than 13. With a 45" max normal move (up to 65" if you advance), you can get right in the face of something, then have an almost guaranteed charge the next turn. There are no restrictions on disembarking from it, so you don't even have to drop to hover if you don't want to. It starts on the board, and can't fly off of it.
  • While all vehicles are more expensive this edition, the big bird can eat up a massive amount of points. All those guns aren't free and the base cost is fairly high, as well. This, combined with the loss of the bulk of flying rules, makes the 'Raven a bit more like a superheavy tank, albeit a fast one.
  • Point cost was further increased for both the bird and the weapons in the CA.
  • Be aware that some armies have dangerous Anti-Air-Guns or even CC (flying demons, monsters...). Your Stormraven carries a huge "Shoot me!" sign right above it's cockpit, so most players I met will try to get it down turn 1 at all cost. This will most likely also kill some of the passengers. IMHO it is a beast on paper but tends to be a duckling in real games. Agreed, as it is far too expensive for a T7 model, especially since it will often see an entire armies worth of Dakka in a single turn. Hovering with this thing is suicide.

Forge World

• Fire Raptor Assault Gunship: Your replacement for the Storm Raven after Chapter Approved, and absolutely vital for dealing with hordes; srsly this shits dice. With T7, 16 wounds and 3+ SV it's almost as tough as a Land Raider, but unlike its counterpart, the storm eagle, can't transport anything. The avenger bolt cannon now packs 10 shots at S6 AP-2 D2, enough to drop a whole Primaris squad if you're lucky. In addition, it has a pair of quad heavy bolter ball turrets, which each pack 12 heavy bolter shots, or you can swap out the quad heavy bolters for dual autocannons if you want less anti-horde and more anti-TEQ (they have moar S&D but a put out a third of the dakka). Hellstrike missiles are no longer one use only and you can in fact fire 4 missiles at S8 AP-3 3D a turn now, or it can take the cheaper 2 double lascannons instead for +1S but less reliable damage (d6 instead of a flat 3). It can also move and shoot heavy weapons without penalty. Arguably the best flyer, point for point, the marines have access to, and undoubtedly the best anti-horde unit. Amusingly, thanks to the Air Wing Detachment, you can make your entire army out of only fire raptors.
  • Note: Chapter Approved 2018 dropped its base points cost all the way down to 240 - 10 less than the original cost of 250 in the index. This is good news, especially after the ridiculously big increase it experienced courtesy of the April FAQ last year.
  • BE CAREFUL! 420 points (448 if you go full dakka) is a lot for something with T7 and a 36" range (though once you factor in movement this increases to an effective 86" range). Use psychic powers and litanies or other such tactics to increase the survivability of this flyer, and always bring a techmarine. I guarantee you this model will garner the attention of nearly all of your opponents ranged options as soon as the dice start rolling.
• Storm Eagle Attack Gunship: The big brother of the Storm Raven that vanilla marines know and love, this elongated flying brick of a hover jet boasts a transport capacity of 20 and some increased firepower along with two additional wounds. It can transport jump infantry and terminators, but not bikes or primaris marines.
  • In comparison, the Stormraven is roughly 10-20 points cheaper and carries dreadnoughts as well as more diverse weapons options. The Stormeagle is tougher (2 additional wounds) and carries more straight out infantry (also has a much better model).
  • Storm Eagle Attack Gunship- ROC Pattern (Minotaurs): Expensive as hell, beautiful brick'o'hate. Lord Asterion Moloc demanded extra marine-murder with wings, and the beast was born. Sporting 8 krak missile shots (at D2 each), 4 lascannon shots and option to take twin HBolter\MMelta or some MORE krak missiles, the grizzly brick of flying hate actually has more dakka\point when compared to devastators (2 missile squads 1 lascannon squad). Add power of da machine spirit, 16 wounds and T7 and you can feel the power of the charging flying bull. sort of.
• Caestus Assault Ram: A flyer designed to ram starships/buildings and disgorge Space Marines into the breach, the Caestus Assault Ram is armed with a number of powerful weapons and abilities. The Caestus is quite survivable with T7, 14 wounds, a 2+ save, and -1 to hit. With the removal of vehicle facing in 8th, the Caestus lost its 5++ against shooting from the front, and is no longer outright immune to small arms fire, but it's much more durable against heavy weapons. It's armed with a Caestus Ram - a melee weapon that hits at S User(8) AP-3, D6D, and increases to WS2+ against buildings when it charges. Its Airborne Ram ability restricts it to declaring charges against and being charged and attacked in melee by units with FLY, but only while it's in not in hover mode. It is also armed with 2 Firefury Missile Batteries, each Heavy 4 S6 AP-1 1D. It is further armed with a Twin Magna-Melta - Heavy 2D3 S10 AP-4 D6D (with the Melta rule), meaning this thing can lay the hurt on medium enemy infantry and enemy armour alike. With its 50" movement (70" if you advance) and PotMS, it can reach out and touch people on turn one. For 370 points (post- Chapter Approved, for the hull and the Melta; missile batteries are free) it's pricey, but given Hard to Hit, its toughness, its wounds, and a 2+ save, it WILL deliver its cargo. It's unique troop bays can carry 10 infantry models in terminator armour or power armour, as well as scouts, with terminators taking up a single space instead of the usual 2. The Caestus helps overcome the low movement of Cataphractii Terminators in particular, potentially delivering them closer than the 9" away they're required to teleport in, and enabling them to redeploy.
  • If you need to choose between this and a Land Raider the Caestus is always the better choice. It's pretty much a flying Land Raider in its own right, only with better durability, firepower, speed, and transport capacity while being impossible to tarpit and actually capable of pulling off effective charges. All this for only 15 points. And woe unto your opponent if they decide to get cute and bring Fortifications.
    • Its a hard call now, as you can get Land Raider Crusaders for 100 points less than the Ram.
• Xiphon pattern interceptor: A high-speed interceptor, the Xiphon is a heavily armed flyer that channels a strong Battlestar Galactica vibe and - unlike every other Space Marine aircraft - actually looks like it belongs in the air. It sports a respectable BS3+, T7, 11 wounds and a 3+ save. It's armed with 2 Twin Lascannons as well as a Xiphon Missile Battery - Heavy 3 S6 AP-2 D3. It also adds 1 to all hit rolls when targeting units with the "FLY" keyword thus negating the effects of "Hard to Hit" and since a lot of units with "FLY" don't have the "Hard to Hit" bonus it will hit them on a 2+. With a huge 50" move and 4 lascannon and 3 missile shots, it'll put some major hurt on flyers and ground targets alike.
  • 220 points (as of CA2018) is steep for a flyer, but your getting the functional equivalent of a flying predator annihilator, with all of the benefits this entails, and it puts colleagues like the IG Vendetta to shame. Has no option(s) for anti horde, but it's a specialized anti-air / anti-armour killer.

Fast Attack

Rocket jumpers, deadly riders and all kinds of zoomers, here you find units boasting great mobility but also lots of dakka and not just fast blades. The changes to Combat Doctrines make these units more relevant as game progression draws you to close range. Plenty of points reductions here, notably on bikes of all shapes and sizes, making them very useful fast and tough units.

• Assault Squad: Pistol and chainsword space marines. Jump packs are optional, but to not take them is silly. For +2 pts you could take Vanguard Vets, which have 2x the base attacks and can bring actual blades to a fight. The reason you'd ever take them is numbers; single wound marines are rather fragile. While Assault marines can't die in your Vanguards' stead like a Devastator squad's boltgun marines can, they can be used to screen the Vanguards from overwatch and be a unit the enemy has to deal with or get his forces tied up. Arguments can be made about how warhammer is now a shooty game, but since when did space knights with jump packs and chainswords stop being cool?
  • They can be built akin to a special weapons squad. Access to a couple of flamers and plasma pistols restric them to anti-infantry, though with decent close-quarters performance and great mobility. As for melee, two Eviscerator attacks on the charge aren't reliable. See them as an extension to the sarge's power fist Thunder hammer, but it's best to keep it simple and aim those chainswords at infantry. They can use a melta bomb after falling back, but wouldn't count on it to deal with anything heavier than a Sentinel.

• Inceptor Squad: What you get when an Assault marine wields a Devastator marine in each hand. With 3W T5 and lots of dakka, these guys are Space Marine Crisis suits. Armed with snub versions of the heavy bolter and plasma cannon (same stats, 18" Assault instead of 36" Heavy) they're powerful anti infantry, and arguably better than deepstriking an equivalent Devastator squad. While shooty, they want to charge weak nearby units to hide in the enemy's shooting phase/force them to fall back, like tanks.
  • These guys do benefit from a jump pack captain or better yet, a jump pack chaplain to get a safe plasma cannon on each hand. Three plasma Aggressors shoot even more plasma than Hellblasters.

• Suppressor Squad: Lighter Inceptors (not gravis, M12" T4 2W) with improved "Accelerator" AP-2 autocannons that cancel enemy overwatch if they kill a model from the charged unit, making them good support for your melee units now that many factions overwatch on a 5+. The sergeant can give up his shooting to chuck out smoke grenades for -1 to be hit, just like a vehicle, though his teammates still get to shoot. Accelerator autocannons are Heavy 2 meaning they lose accuracy on the move, so pop the smoke when jumping from one piece of cover to another.

• Attack Bike Squad: 37 points for a heavy bolter or 49 points for a multi-melta is now VERY CHEAP, but you can't advance and shoot any of your guns, and moving will give the heavy weapon a penalty, so this is usually not a great choice, but the heavy bolter option is noteworthy for making this the cheapest in-Chapter option you have for Fast Attack, if you're looking to fill out a detachment. The full weapons complement of one is the heavy weapon, a twin bolter, 1 bolt pistol (which can't be swapped for a chainsword, unlike with standard Bikes), frag grenades, and krak grenades, but most of these will never come up - the compulsory storm bolter means you'll never want to fire the pistol or frag grenade, and it'll be a very rare occurrence that you'll prefer 1 krak grenade to the storm bolter and the heavy weapon, even after the movement penalty.
  • White Scars players could put the MultiMelta loadout to good use, as they can move and shoot without penalty.
  • Frankly, anybody can use the HB load out at 37 points. A squad of 3 sets you back 111 points and gets you 12 T5 wounds, 3 HBs, and 3 stormbolters always firing full volume at 24." Surprisingly, just keep them still and serve as a distraction as they chew threw chaff.
  • For the points, these are better than Gravis units when stationary. However, aggressors and inceptors have better abilities and gain infantry/fly bonuses while also having assault weapons.
  • White Scars, Ultramarines, and Iron Hands do not care about heavy weapons restrictions, making these an interesting option for a Brigade.
• Bike Squad: For 2 points more than a Scout Bike, you drop from M16 to M14, and lose some weapons - no shotguns, and you have to choose between the pistol and the chainsword, instead of taking both - but you improve from a 4+ save to a 3+ save, and up to two non-Sergeants (minimum unit is Sergeant + 2 non-Sergeants) can take a Special Weapon instead of that pistol or chainsword. The tl;dr here is that the only reason to take this squad is triple melta; you can see below for a discussion of the other choices. 112 points will get you your choice of 3 S8 shots at 26" (with melta-damage at 20"), 2 of which will hit, or 1.5 hitting at 32" and 26", respectively (before you ask, it's not worth the accuracy penalty to upgrade to melta damage). That isn't remotely as efficient as lascannon Devastators, but those aren't as good as getting onto or holding an objective. Don't take the Attack Bike if you can help it; losing Morale immunity isn't a big deal, but as just mentioned, the primary reason to take bikes is for the mobility, and Attack Bikes hate moving. tl;dr: Take only if you want relatively mobile but durable melta.
  • The first, most obvious choice is Storm Bolters for the Sergeant; if you do that, you're looking at 83 points for 16 S4 shots at 38", while T5 and 2W. More points effective than Company Veterans on Bikes with all Storm Bolters, but worse than Scout Bikes. Keep in mind Storm Bolters are not on the Special Weapons List. This makes taking Flamers the slightly stronger option, giving every model more opportunities to wound while at closer range.
  • The next most obvious choice is Flamers, which is a significant mistake; due to the bolter taxes involved, a triple Flamer squad trying to use their speed and auto-Advancing to get into Flamer range will find itself delivering fewer S4 shots for far more points than a Scout Bike squad. Without Advancing, you'll manage to out-shoot the Scout Bikes, but still by nowhere near enough to justify the cost, due to range limitations: your good threat range is only 22", which is the threat range on the S5 profile for the Scout Bikes' shotguns, and outside of that, you're incredibly inefficient!
  • Finally, grav and plasma are fairly obviously bad - grav costs more than plasma for less damage against most targets you can be bothered shooting, and plasma is particularly a poor choice on models you've already paid a premium on for durability.
• Land Speeders: Land speeders are now, for all intents and purposes, slightly bigger, faster, and more heavily armed attack bikes. The key difference here is that land speeders have the fly keyword, which means if they do manage to survive the melee combat they'll occasionally find themselves in, they can just move out and shoot as normal (albeit with the penalty for moving with heavy weapons). This also makes them excellent at tarpitting gunlines. Currently, the Typhoon Missile Launcher is wildly undercosted, and should be your default choice. Benefits from the Big Guns Never Tire and Skilled Riders stratagems to mitigate the survivability and accuracy issues.
  • An interesting loadout for SALAMANDERS is a unit of 3 land speeders kitted out with 6 heavy flamers, as they're one of the units that benefit the most from the Flamecraft stratagem.
  • Ultramarines are a fluffy and interesting chapter that can make use of these without much issue due to Scions of Guilliman. Iron Hands, while not fluffy, can also do so thanks to their Heavy Weapons doctrine.
  • Taking landspeeders in squads is a slightly more appealing option this edition, as it helps to mitigate their fragility somewhat and this edition gives all units the ability to split fire, so small vehicle units soaking up enemy anti-tank guns is less of a factor.
• Scout Bike Squad: Scout bikes got very interesting this edition, especially with the new Bolter Discipline rule! They lost scout but gained a second wound and a lot of firepower. Every rider comes loaded for bear, with a twin bolter, combat knife (chainsword), shotgun, and bolt pistol, plus the usual grenades - every non-heavy weapon available to ground pounder Scouts. For each model this means 4 S4 shots at 24", and 6 at 12", two of which become S5 at 6". Up to 3 non-Sergeants can swap the twin bolter for a grenade launcher. But at the ludicrous cost of 9 pointsa and thanks to the Bolter Discipline, it become pretty useless: stay well away(unless you plan to exclusively advance). More interestingly, the Sergeant can drop his Pistol for a Storm Bolter. For only 2 points, he could single-handedly deliver 8 S4 shots at 24", without taking his shotgun into account. Not only that, but they keep their combat knives - they'll handily out-melee a bike squad any day, if both units commit to dakka, as they should. It goes without saying you should always, always do that, fielding these guys MSU style.
  • tl;dr: Each 71 point 3-bike squad has a basic threat range of 16 S4 shots up to 40", 22 up to 28", and, outside of debuffs, is utterly immune to morale. One of the best delivery methods you have for a lot of S4 hits happening right now, on a reasonably durable, very mobile platform. A great choice.

Forge World

Can you really blame the makers of superheavy choices for submitting fast attack choices that are mostly static guns? These units are dakka that is here so they won't overpopulate the Heavy section.

• Deathstorm Drop Pod: A Drop Pod full of automated guns; it can choose either an 18" 2-shot gun with S8 AP-2 D3 D or a 12" 6-shot S6 AP-1 1 D gun. In either case, it must make 1 full shooting attack against anything in range (except for CHARACTERS, who still can only be shot at if they're the closest unit in range).
  • This is really good against a wide range of armies, especially MSU (the more times this thing gets to shoot the better) and gun-lines where an entire army is packed closely together. Granted, you're hitting like an Ork (BS5+ from the movement penalty) the turn you arrive...but you're also shooting like an Ork.
• Land Speeder Tempest: A tiny drop in movement (well, sort of; see below) from the vanilla type, but has better T and Ld (not that the latter usually matters). Each one is equipped with an Assault Cannon and two Tempest Salvo Launchers (36" Heavy 1d3 S6 AP-3 D2; at only 10 points each, drastically better as a pair than a Typhoon Missile Launcher against anything at all, but the Tempest itself is a good deal more expensive than a vanilla). When Advancing, they must move between 20" and 35"; they also impose a -1 to hit against them in the next Shooting phase and prevents units without the FLY keyword from charging (or being charged by) them. Since they are neither Flyer nor Aircraft, they can still claim objectives and Breakthrough, despite having considerable reach and all upsides of being a Flyer.
  • Relative movement: These guys don't have Anti-grav Upwash, so a unit of 3 of them is 5" slower than a unit of 3 vanillas, rather than 1", when not Advancing. When Advancing, they are much faster, regardless of unit size, since they can go their choice of 20-35" (no need to roll), instead of 16-21 for a small unit or 21-26 for a large unit of vanillas. Unfortunately, there's no option to take Assault weapons on them of any stripe.
  • Dropped down 50p to 87p in Chapter Approved 2019, now these make more sense. Possible buffs: Skilled Rider strat (3++ when advancing, -1 to hit, immune to non-Fly charges), See, But Remain Unseen (for -2 to hit when advancing) or Big Guns Never Tire (all weapons are heavy, ignoring the movement penalty for a full unit might make sense).
• Tarantula Air Defense Battery: As below, but stuck with S8 AP-2 D3 D anti-air missiles that get +1 to hit against flyers and -1 against everything else. MUST target the nearest enemy flyer, and otherwise the nearest enemy non-flyer, but you were probably already planning to do that when you took this unit.
• Tarantula Sentry Guns: Whoooo boy, these suckers got a huge buff in 8th edition. They ended up gaining a whopping +1 BS, along with Toughness 5 and 4 wounds, which makes them fairly sturdy for a 20 point/PL3 model. They are hit automatically in CC, but still shoot while an enemy is within 1", and that enemy can still be shot at by everyone else. The only really significant downside is that they can't move (and yet are somehow still fast attack) and can't deep strike, so they'll sit in your deployment zone the entire game. Tarantulas can be equipped with the following loadouts:
  • Twin Heavy Bolters: These are the default weapons. Good against infantry, but comes with the caveat that it MUST target the nearest INFANTRY model, or else the nearest non-INFANTRY. A steal at 17 points, but restrictive. Due to the large model footprint, relatively high resilience and low cost, it is useful to deny deep strike in a larger area while always contributing shots into the midfield. Also fairly useful as a speedbump - it is easy to block larger areas for non-Fly units, and anyone in CC with them is still a valid target for everyone, including the tarantula itself.
  • Twin Assault Cannons: Hands down the best option. Tarantulas with dual assault cannons lose their targeting restrictions entirely, and gain a whopping 12 shots each. These can be a goddamn steal for what they do, and can be considered practically mandatory. Like the THB option, cheaper than two of the base gun at only 35 points.
    • Mathhammer: It costs 37 points to field 6 shots at S5 AP-1 D1 restricted and 55 points to field 12 shots at S6 AP-1 D1 unrestricted, which means the latter would be the better choice even if you didn't also gain the benefit of lifting the restriction. This is so good you even beat the AM version of these things, which cost 34 points for the THB variant. That being said, keep in mind these boys can't move and range will be important, meaning the heavy bolter can still have a place in your plans.
  • Twin Lascannons: The other default, good against tanks. Also comes with a restriction that it MUST target the nearest enemy non-INFANTRY, or else the nearest INFANTRY. Notably not a steal, since you pay the same cost two lascannons would cost (50 points), but still good.
  • Multi-melta: Same deal as the lascannons, but mathematically worse (carrying two guns is better than carrying one). However, it does unlock your targeting restrictions, so a multi-melta equipped tarantula can fire at anything you want. Very expensive at 37 points for the total loadout (relatively so, you're still getting a multi-melta on a very durable platform for the price of one and a half intercessors).
    • Mathhammer: The Twin Lascannons have twice the rate of fire and twice the range as the Multimelta, at 60 points rather than 37, with similar performance against the same targets for the rest of the statline, but the targeting restrictions on them can be quite aggravating, since they will happily target things like BEASTS or SWARMS that you don't care about. As for the Multi-Melta, 47 points is two points more than the Assault Cannon variant and you generally won't get into Melta range since you'd have to rely on the enemy to do it for you, so it's only better against medium and heavy vehicles, who are generally fast and/or well-armed enough to deal with turrets handily, which is why neither heavy option is remotely as compelling as the twin assault cannons.

Heavy Support

• Devastator Squad: Due to everyone getting Split Fire, you can feel free to mix and match weapons however you like; that said, it's still a good idea to use weapons with similar ranges in case you need to focus your shots on a single opponent. Be sure to keep whoever has the best gun less than 3" from the Sergeant, since his Signum will let that guy hit on a 2+. Finally, the Armorium Cherub has received a big buff - you can use it once per game to effectively give one model in the squad a second shooting phase. Needless to say, you should always take the cherub.
  • Combine the Cherub and Signum. On turn 1, use the Signum on a key gun (e.g. lascannon), and then use the Cherub to get the extra shot. The signum will apply for the whole phase, meaning 2 powerful shots at BS2+.
  • These guys will outperform their Centurion cousins (see below) for points per wound, but won't take nearly as much damage, of course; even before the cherub and assuming the sergeant just sits around like a dork, a full 5-man 4-lascannon squad will be more efficient at killing Land Raiders, even after moving. This is less brutal for competing against hordes, because hurricane bolters are insanely cheap, as opposed to badly overcosted like Centurion Missile Launchers, to the point that horde-hunting Centurions on the move will outperform Heavy Bolter Devastators on the move, although the Centurions go back to being less efficient if the regular Devastators hold still.
  • Note that the devastator sergeant has unique wargear alternatives in that he can replace his boltgun with two new weapons. This allows him to uniquely field three bolt pistols, or probably more commonly a storm bolter, chainsword, and bolt pistol. If you don't mind him being short range (e.g. if he's showing up in a Drop Pod), his most efficient loadout against almost anything is 2 plasma pistols and 1 bolt pistol, even if he doesn't overcharge, barring going even shorter range against hordes, in which case the combi-flamer will win out.
  • Devastators make prime candidates for occupying an Imperial Bunker. For only 100 points you can give your squad the durability of a Leman Russ (T8, 12W, 3+ sv). Magnificent when paired with a squad full of lascannons.
• Devastator Centurion Squad: Ridiculously ultra-heavy marines with, each, the firepower of a tank; people either hate or love them. They are slower and easier to kill individually than a tank, but have all the advantages of being Infantry: smaller size, gaining cover in certain terrain (like forests), can go to the second floor of buildings, etc. This unit can be the cornerstone of an army, synergizing well with Chapter Ancient, Apothecary, Chapter Master, and Lieutenant models. Three Lascannon/ML centurions are all the AT firepower you will ever need in a TAC list. At T5, 2+ armour, and 4 wounds, they can be a nightmare to kill without antitank weapons. They ignore the movement penalty for firing heavy weapons but only have 4" movement, which is not a big problem thanks to their long/medium range. With their Sergeant's Omniscope they ignore cover saves, and you can Combat Squad a unit of 6 of them into two 3-man units; great if you only want to spend one Heavy Support slot on them, but remember one of the units won't have the Sergeant and his Omniscope.
  • Heavy /Hurricane bolters: The one for killing hordes, and the cheapest one (210 pts). Sitting on 12 bolt and 6 heavy bolt shots, they are very good at their job, and decent against units of heavily armoured but sparse infantry; bad against anything with decent toughness/armour.
    • Work very well with Imperial Fists or Crimson fists. In addition to being somewhat fluffy, the exploding 6s on hit for bolt weapons go a long way when each model is putting out 12 bolt and 6 heavy bolt shots without penalty, even after moving.
    • This load-out suffers from comparison with the new and shiny Aggressor Squad. They cost half as much and can shoot twice when standing still. However, the base firepower of a Centurions is objectively better than an Aggressor, even if he is not as mobile.
      • Note that Aggressors are an Elite choice. The competition being tough in that slot, Bolt Centurions could be a really good substitute.
  • Lascannons/Missile launchers: Excellent against Vehicles/Monsters/Superheavies (and Characters too if they get close enough), wasted against any other thing. The most useful overall, because of their massive range that lets them be in the back lines, protected by cover and supported by some Character/HQ while sniping important things.
    • This is the most expensive load out at 330 points; which almost gets you two quad las predators with 20 points short, or 6 points less than two twin lascannons Contemptor Mortis Dreads, or the same amount for two 5-man lascannons devastator squad. If you really want to take this loadout, you better have a plan. A good one.
  • Grav Cannons/Missile Launchers: The narrowest focused of the load-outs. Grav Cannons are Heayy 4 S5 AP -3 1 Damage weapons, but they get D3 Damage instead against units with 3+ armour. Because of the low Strength, this is only useful against highly armoured multi-wound infantry (TEQs, Primaris Marines, Ogryns, etc) and some random units, like Vehicles with T5 and 3+ armour. But it just so happens that those same targets are difficult to kill efficiently with other weapons (light arms aren't enough against them, anti-tank weapons are too much), so this load-out can be good if you have that specific hole in your army, or know your opponent has a lot of these units. If you give them Hurricane Bolters instead, you lose some focus but become much better against hordes, but if you wanted that, just take Heavy Bolters/Hurricane Bolters instead.
    • This is the mid-range load out at 240 points; which puts you short 50 points for two 5-man devastator squads with double grab cannon/launcher each.
    • Something to note here: with access to the gravitic amplification strategem, grav cannon centurions can be downright nasty. Especially if you manage to deep strike them, they can just pop up, pour grav-cannons on a big enemy model (repulsor execitioner, knight, etc), re-roll failed wounds, re-roll damage rolls you don't like. Its a surprisingly effective strategy for a load out that seems somewhat schizoid (not enough strength to be true anti-tank, not enough shots to be true anti-infantry), and I've personally been on the receiving end and watched a repulsor and a full ten man intercessor (in cover) die to grav cannons and hurricane bolters (respectively) from a 5 man centurion devastator. Its also worth noting that they're durable enough that they survived the Repulsor executioner's retaliation once my turn rolled around.
  • As we can see, it's an impressive unit with compelling abilities... but dear lord, it's expensive. There are other options which are easier to plug into most lists; these guys require you to have a solid plan you expect to execute consistently. As said before, they almost require the whole list to be built around them. Think carefully before choosing these big guys.
  • Try to keep them out of close combat, though. Even with their stat, buffed a little by the new codex (+1 W and A), and Shock Assault, they don’t have any melee weapon. Contrary to appearances, those big hands are not power fists. Any specialized melee unit will tarpit you. You can always retreat, but you lose a turn of shooting then, unless you're Ultramarines. Mind your positioning!
  • The Sergeant's Omniscope becomes useless with the Imperial Fists Chapter Tactic. That lets you combat squad a 6 man Centurion unit without the fear of losing any bonus.
• Eliminator Squad: The Primaris scalpel compared to the Primaris sledgehammer that is the Hellblasters. They have the same +2-for-being-in-cover camo-cloaks that Scouts get, and they can take either an anti-tank las fusil or a bolt sniper rifle that gets three different ammo options to use: Mortis for standard character sniping, Executioners because fuck your stealth units (ignores line of sight and cover), and Hyperfrag for overwatch (AP0, D1, but are Heavy D3). All ammo types can target characters without them needing to be the closest units. Alternatively, gear them up with 36" Heavy 1 S8 AP-3 D3 las fusils, and let them harass enemy armour from cover. The Sarge can use his trademark pointy finger and give his other two mates a +1 to hits and wounds in the shooting phase, though he cannot himself shoot a weapon when he uses his telescope. Nifty when his bolt carbine is out of range and very helpful for nabbing mortal wounds and wounding things tougher than T5.
  • Sniper: At only 72 points for the unit, this is one of the cheapest and most effective Heavy Support choices in the Marine range. Psykers and buffing characters are ubiquitous, so this unit will be useful in almost any game while cheaply filling out a Spearhead Detachment or serving as a useful Relic Tax for units like the Leviathan Dreadnought.
    • The Executioner Rounds allow for Eliminators to effectively shoot through terrain, much like Tyranid Hive Guard. Eliminators can be completely within cover and simply fire through the battlefield to effectively threaten and kill enemy characters and other units. While this disallows the use of the more damaging Mortis Rounds, it does allow Eliminators to engage from cover and out of LoS with essentially no risk to the unit.
    • Comparing these to Scout Marines equipped with sniper rifles is really an apples vs. oranges debate as one is a troop choice and the other is a dedicated anti-character support unit.
  • Anti tank: The las fusil is a relatively cheap way to get almost-lascannons on the field, but note that of all their weapon options, this is the one conspicuously lacking the ability to target Characters who aren't the closest unit. Taking this really does convert them from being a Scout Sniper replacement to being a Devastator replacement.
    • Worth noting that they get +1 to hit and wound when the Sarge doesn't shoot, which makes their Las Fusils comparable if not better than Lascannons, trading an average of 3.5 damage for a flat 3. A squad with two Fusils and the sarge with the sniper rifle (the cheapest option) runs 96pts; three such squads run cheaper than 10 Devastators with 6 Lascannons and 2 HB, has more wounds, is more accurate, and when there are not tanks that need murdering can also offer some sniping utility. The Las Fusil's flat 3 damage is also relevant against some elite, 3 wound units. Also, fusil is French for rifle, so GW is just getting lazy with names; still, these guys make pretty good Green Jackets.
  • The optional Instigator Bolt Carbine for your Sergeant trades heavier firepower for the ability to scoot out of charge range immediately after firing Overwatch (which is to say, before the enemy can actually get their melee attacks in), letting you kite melee units across the board when your sniper perch eventually gets overrun. And, unlike a regular Fall Back maneuver, they'll still be able to attack without penalty in their next shooting phase since they're not technically in combat yet. Also, despite the relatively limited range and firepower (24" Assault 1 S4 AP-1 D2), it can still freely target characters just like the Sniper Bolt Rifle, for what it's worth.
• Hellblaster Squad: Some pretty wicked dakka right here. Their Plasma Incinerators are 30" S7 AP-4 D1 normally, with the same boost as other plasma weapons if supercharged (+1 to S and D) - more than enough to wipe out any TEQs they encounter. Run with any character giving re-rolls to hit (e.g. any of the Captain variations) to make these things a monster/tank killer if they get into rapid-fire range. To do that, you’ll probably want to get them an Impulsor, which can get them into position on turn 1 thanks to the Assault Vehicle ability. The only other option is one of the Repulsor Tank variants, and you’re already putting too many points into these, since they're as expensive as... well, as elite marines carrying souped-up plasma weapons.
  • If you happen to be running a Primaris only force, these guys will be one of your best anti-vehicle choices, but still not a fantastic one. Will be majorly improved by pouring a lot more points into them with Captains, Ancients, and Lieutenants, but that's a lot of extra points.
  • The Plasma Incinerators comes in two more variants; a Heavy 1 with 36" and S8/9 that costs 2 points more than the standard option, and a 24" Assault 2 with S6/7 that costs 1 point more.
    • The Rapid Fire (standard) version is definitely the best in general, costing the fewest points for the most output against the most targets, but you'll want to get up close and personal with it - see the Assault version below for shooting things farther away.
    • The Assault version costs you more points for less strength, but better rate of fire in the 16-24" range, and you can fire it after advancing, so you could also consider it to have superior rate of fire in the 16-27.5"; therefore, it's actually better on a squad intended for longer range engagements, rather than one intended for, well, assaulting. Because S7 is so underwhelming compared to S6 or S8 against most real-world targets, it's seldom justified to overcharge this one, although it can be worth it if you're desperate for the increased damage. Take this version to shoot things farther away better, but up close worse, than the Rapid Fire version.
    • The Heavy version costs you more points for worse rate of fire (although you can move and shoot with it out to 36-42" range if you want), but enough Strength to kill MEQs on a 2+ without overcharging. It can also act as an anti-vehicle weapon in a pinch when overcharged; say your opponent has a Land Raider Crusader/Redeemer, two of the best options currently available. With the extra range you can stay completely out of its threat range of 34" and hit it with an overcharged version of this gun. This would wound on a 3+ and do 2 damage each with only a 6+ save. Granted it will take about 18 shots to kill one on average, but a 10 man unit with the two rounds of shooting it will get because of the range increase will badly cripple it at minimum. For long range anti-vehicle and heavy infantry fire support this is definitely the option to go for.
  • Null Zone is particularly deadly if there's a group or two of Hellblasters in range of the Librarian's unfortunate targets, considering their AP-4. This player can attest that one Null Zone was enough to put down three Shield Captains with the aid of Hellblasters and additional anti-armour tools.
  • They have gotten quite silly with the advent of the new codex, as they now have AP-5 during the Tactical Doctrine... Which is rather pointless compared to AP-4 as anything with a 2+ is likely to have an invulnerable save.
• Thunderfire Cannon:The Thunderfire Cannon has one of the best stratagems, and has found a way back for marine players for reasons beyond its 4D3 shots or S5 hits. With the 2019 Codex the Thunderfire can have a unique combination of Stratagems. First, pop the Tremor Shells, which slows an enemy's movement by half, including their Advance or Charge ranges, then follow up with Suppression Fire to slow down two units with 3CPs. This can cause traffic jams, failed charges, and slow the deployment of enemy forces. Based on stats and points cost (including its mandatory gunner), the TFC is better than than a Whirlwind but worse than a QHB Rapier Carrier. It ignores line of sight and has 5 feet of range, but costs half again as much as just taking Heavy Bolter Devastators. If the Techmarine gunners wander too far from the guns, they're considered destroyed.
  • At only 93 points (CA2018) the Thunderfire Cannon is more attractive than ever - consider buddying up with a dreadnought or tank to get the most out of your Techmarine.
  • Alternative Point: Thunderfire cannons may have lost some power, but they have gained survivability. They are effectively a self-sustaining Heavy Support choice: as a VEHICLE, the Techmarine Gunner will automatically repair D3 wounds on it per turn, but as a CHARACTER he cannot be targeted separately unless he is the closest target. Its lower wound score and toughness do make it vulnerable to big damage weapons like Lascannons and meltas though, so be warned. Though if it does die, you now have a techmarine without having used a HQ slot. Also, the techmarine can act independently from the cannon, as long as he stays within 3" to not lose the cannon's shooting. Park a predator (or any other long-range shooty vehicle) next to the techmarine for a free auto-repair each round (doesn't substitute shooting any more), while toasting nearby enemies with plasma cutter and flamer while still shooting the TFC. In a pinch, the TFC could even soak up overwatch, and the techmarine's 2A servo arms and 3A base mop up single targets.
    • When comparing it to the whirlwind, the difference in strength actually doesn't matter against T4 enemies. (Though the Whirlwind can switch to Vengeance missiles for S7 killiness.) Also, where the whirlwind does 2-12 shots, averaging 7, with diminishing accuracy as it takes wounds, the Thunderfire is more likely to get hits in thanks to more dice, doing between 4-12 shots, averaging 8 with no drop in accuracy and its ability to self-heal.
  • The Thunderfire Cannon alongside its Stratagem punches way above its weight class. Berzerkers coming in, move 6", charge 12", for a max of 18", would be reduced to move 3", charge max of 6". Without using the Stratagem the TFC is less efficient than Whirlwind.
  • Always remember that the Techmarine is loaded with guns himself. If you're paying for them, you may as well be shooting them. And, when you compare the fire output to a whirlwind, the numbers shift in the cannon's favor when the TP is within 8".
• Predator Tank: Predators now get their own special autocannon profile; it seems like the predator can turn into a monster. For just ten points less than a twin lascannon, you drop to 2 less strength and AP for 2 more shots on average, and guaranteed 3 damage, rather than rolling with an average of 3.5. I don't know how an autocannon can paste Nobs easier than a demolisher cannon (maybe because the demolisher is relying on the indirect blast and shrapnel from its huge but inaccurate shells, while the predator is relying on direct hits that explode Nob torsos like watermelons) but we'll just have to take it. Roll it with an Autocannon and side-mounted lascannons for a versatile (but expensive) fuck machine.
  • Dakka predators became good again, being able to chuck out 2D3 Autocannon and 6 Heavy Bolter shots per turn. Consider further augmenting its firepower with a Storm Bolter or a Hunter-killer missile too.
  • Two Laserbacks with Hunter Killer missiles and Stormbolters costs 246 points, while a 4 Lascannon Predator with Hunter Killer missile and Stormbolter costs 210 points. The Predator allows for less drops per 4 lascannons.
  • Lost its signature stratagem for better wounds and damage, which sucks.
• Vindicator: With the pie plate replaced with 6 hits at the most and MEQs and TEQs now allowed at least some kind of save, the vindicator took a huge nerf. However, with the changes to the wound formula, S10 became very important, and chucking out what are effectively D6 lascannon shots onto an enemy tank isn't something to look down on. With T8 it's bound to shrug off a lot of fire it might soak, The best use of it is probably taking on groups of elite units or vehicles, such as large squads of terminators.

• • The Vindicator has one less wound and better Ballistic skill than an Imperial Guard Leman Russ with Demolisher Cannon at 27 fewer points (although the IG Demolisher gets Grinding Advance, and benefits from Doctrines like Brutal Strength, not to mention tank orders). Stupidity of the fluff aside, they’re better against high-toughness multi-wound models, which almost every army has at least one unit of (Nobs, Wraithguard, Crisis Suits, Terminators & Primaris Marines, Ogryns), so one Vindicator can find a home in lots of local metas and is actually a cost-effective way of getting the DC on the field. Three and a Techmarine to repair in a Spearhead detachment could be a useful and relatively cost-effective (432 pts stock) distraction carnifex ally.
• Whirlwind: The Whirlwind has two gun options, Castellan at 2D6 (average: 7) shots of S6, and Vengeance at 2D3 (average: 4) S7, AP-1, and D2. With the higher strength of this weapon, the hits you do get will make short work of most infantry, but the ideal purpose of wiping out cheap blob units remains out of reach. You have to choose which gun to take when you build the list, so the latter choice results in a 9% more expensive tank overall while dealing more damage to anything with at least 2 wounds or 2+ saves.
  • The Vengeance launcher is functionally a twin autocannon that paid 1 point for both +24" (*1.5) range and the ability to fire outside of LOS; the Castellan launcher is more like an assault cannon that paid 4 points for +1 shot but +1 AP and lots more range, with non-LOS targeting. The net result is that which is better is strictly a question of wounds - Castellan is better against 1-wound models, while Vengeance is better against 2+.
• Hunter: No longer explicitly AA, this weapon delivers a high strength hit equal to a lascannon, re-rolling missed hits whether the model is flying or not.
  • While not an efficient damage dealer, this model is a steal for its points. Exact same base cost as a Predator while making the leap from T7 to T8, and getting a free 5' range lascannon that can reroll hits. Won't spit out as much damage as your other Heavy Support options, but incredibly reliable. Great Especially if taken with a Tactic that let you reroll failed hit and wounds.
• Stalker: Has two AA guns. Now a very flexible gun, it gets +1 to hit against flying things, while suffering a -1 to hit versus non-fliers. For a Stalker to be worth taking, it likely needs to be buffed by an HQ to make it more accurate, otherwise, other weapon systems on other vehicles are more productive. Fliers are very popular early in 8th and this is a good anti-air vehicle. It is fairly productive in other roles as well, providing a 48" range and 2 Damage with 6 shots at plasma strength and a Heavy Bolter's AP. The poor AP is mitigated by the Damage done per shot. The tank is tougher than its own weapon, a rare T8 Rhino chassis.
  • Of course, much of the previous is very rosy sounding. If everything goes right- six hits, six wounds, six failed saves- you do twelve damage. You are better off on average firing just about anything else at its intended target. Three shots can get through reliably, but most Flyers are T7, meaning the majority of the time you only wound half the time. And the AP means you will only get through their armour save roughly half the time. You will do two or zero damage the majority of the time. They have a better time shooting down hoverbikes and Jump Pack infantry. Almost any major HS option can do its job better. Avoid.
• Land Raider: Now that the vanilla Land Raider isn't forced to fire all its guns at the same target, it's gone from schizophrenic to an effective all-rounder. For example, you can use its lascannons to pop a vehicle and then follow up with the heavy bolters to wipe out an infantry squad. This is assisted further by the new Power of the Machine Spirit, which lets it ignore the normal penalties for moving and firing heavy weapons. While its transport capacity is still rather small compared to the other Land Raider variants, it still has just enough room to drop a trio of Assault Centurions off or a 5-man squad of Assault Terminators. And with T8, 16 wounds, and a 2+ armour save it'll be a tough nut to crack even with anti-armour weaponry. Enjoying another price drop!
• Land Raider Crusader: As ever, the Hurricane Bolters will shred any infantry within 12" - you have twenty-four bolter shots supplemented by another 12 assault cannon shots. The Frag Assault Launchers also help in regards to transporting and supporting its cargo, since it causes d3 mortal wounds on a 4+ if it finishes a charge within 1" of an opponent. But whatever you do, take the multi-melta. Neither the assault cannons nor the hurricane bolters have enough AP to significantly reduce a MEQ's armour save, and anything with T7 or more (e.g. other vehicles) won't even get their paint scratched. It carries 16 models, so it's still your best choice for transporting Terminators, crusader squads, and other larger units. Stick near a Captain and/or a Lieutenant and laugh maniacally as you shred every infantry squad around you. Enjoying another price drop!
  • Also, all those guns can fire without penalty, even if you're moving at maximum speed (which you should be). Somewhere, a Black Templar wipes a manly tear away as he remembers the words "defensive weapons."
  • Now that Chapter Tactics applied to every Space Marine units, Imperial and Crimson Fists could have a double Hurricane Bolters with an additional hit on a 6. Enjoy your 20 Bolters HITS on rapid fire range!
• Land Raider Redeemer: Similar to the Crusader, but trades off the hurricane bolters' volume of shots for the flamestorm cannon's greater strength, higher AP, and improved damage per shot. While you'll have to get in close to make the most of it, the Frag Assault Launchers let you use this to your advantage as you burn down the heavier infantry. Though the flamestorm cannons can threaten lighter vehicles, you should still add the multi-melta to be on the safe side. Carries 12 models. Can easily cockblock a charging unit with 2d6 automatic Flamestorm shots. Enjoying another price drop and 12" Flamestorm cannons!
  • The flamestorm cannon can, because of flamer autohits, crisp some flyers if you are close enough. Consider if it is worth to put your Land Raider in the open.
  • Bear in mind that the Land Raider has one enormous Achilles heel - it can't fall back and shoot. If even a single model makes it into combat with your Raider then it instantly becomes a lame duck during your next shooting phase. This can make assault-oriented Raiders like the Redeemer and Crusader especially vulnerable. However as of the 8.5e codex, flamestorm cannons have a range of 12", so anything wanting to hold it up in combat will definitely have to face 2D6 automatic hits at a pretty respectable strength, AP and damage.
• Repulsor Executioner: Jury's out on this one. 6 Capacity with some big guns. 284/293 base depending on the gun, +12 points with the two options. Steep price, but it fires the main gun twice (when you move 0-"under half" current M). One is a Heavy 2 72" monster at S10 AP-4 D1d6(min 3) on a D6 cannon and the other is what you'd expect from plasma, but with D6 shots and starts at S8 AP -4 (pumping up to S9). This baby also gets a heavy onslaught Gatling cannon stock as well as a few other guns you sometimes forget to fire (seriously, there are a lot), including a Twin Heavy Bolter. It can also be upgraded with an Ironhail Heavy Stubber and Icarus Launcher if you feel inclined to do so. It has 18 S5 AP-1 shots and a metric ton of various S4 shots, some S7 as well, allowing it to reliable mulch opposing infantry. The Heavy Laser Destroyer can tear through enemy armour reliably and the Macro Plasma can remove medium and heavy infantry.
  • Properly supported, this thing can annihilate swathes of the enemy army. A Captain (better yet, a Chapter Master) and Lieutenant will never be a bad idea. And if you bring two of them, they can quickly turn the tides of conflict. However, it is a major investment in points and dollars. You need to maximize your opportunities to get the most out of it. If you can, then an Executioner or two is the sort of heavy fire support the army craves. If you can't... Well, Marines are used to losing in 8th anyway-Don't be stupid, get the Lieutenant and bring a Techmarine!!!!
  • Whenever you make such an investment on big units, you must consider everything you are paying for. While the Heavy Laser Destroyer is a very potent weapon which will serve you well, this particular weapon loadout will require a play style that ignores most of the other benefits of the unit by hanging back and remaining fairly static. Taking the Plasma loadout, however, saves points and requires closer positioning of the tank. That may seem foolhardy, but this vehicle is loaded with close/mid-range weaponry that complements the plasma very well, while still being able to deliver a 6 man Primaris infantry unit on top of repulsor fields. Thus, this writer regards the Executioner as a very gun laden Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), not a true battle tank. You can take a battle tank's weapons loadout, and certainly, that may be necessary at times, but this tanks true calling is in direct support of infantry. The executioner is really just a beefed up standard repulsor and really should be used in a similar fashion. Its slow-moving double shooting rule is perfect for sitting behind a wall of aggressors marching up the board as both units extract maximum firepower potential from hardy buffing characters.

Forge World

• Whirlwind Hyperios: While it's still best used against aircraft because of its +1 to hit against flyers (and -1 against everything else), Heavy 2d3 S8 AP-2 D1d3 isn't something to take lightly.
• Rapier Armoured Carrier: A dirt-cheap source of heavy bolter fire, which can also be used as a cheap counter to "light" superheavies like Knights if taken with Laser Destroyers or act as artillery if you use the Quad Launchers (added in the FAQ). Now coming stock with a 12-shot quad bolter at 3/4 of what you pay for a devastator squad armed with same, on a fairly sturdy chassis. Fills out the heavy support requirements of a Spearhead detachment really nice, but keep the gunners safe or it gets auto-removed just like the Thunderfire Cannon.
  • Quad Heavy Bolters are terrible, costing more than 2 twin heavy bolters for the same guns...or... you can ask yourself what kind of platforms let you take twin heavy bolters and ask yourself if the cost is worth it.
  • The average damage from a laser destroyer is less than its weight in lascannons - 183.33% of the damage for 240% of the price; the difference in strength will never matter against practical targets, while the improvement to AP will come up and won't make up the difference. If you're using the Salamanders chapter tactics and like to focus on single enemy units before moving to another enemy unit the laser destroyer can do a good job while letting your characters help other units.
  • As a result, hands down your best bet is always going to be the Quad Launcher.
    • In thunderfire mode this will, for 45 points, outdo two lascannons for 50 points, as losing a point each in strength and AP is more than made up for in doubling its attacks, and the difference in damage is not only slight, it also deals predictable damage, making it invaluable in many contexts, such as shooting Quantum Shielding... witt the new space marines combat doctrine you regain 1AP during the devastator Turn, yeah take this.
  • In shatter mode, this will shoot randomly from 1.3 to 4 of heavy bolter shots, for an average total of 8 shots, losing a point of AP in exchange for indirect targeting and improved range. This is inferior to the Quad Heavy Bolter option, so you should regard it as a bonus to the high strengh mode, rather than a good gun in its own right, and take this gun for the purpose of killing off enemy heavies, not massacring enemy lights.
  • They have half of the survivability perk of the Thunderfire, as the Rapier is a vehicle and SM Gunners are functionally Characters without a keyword (can't be targeted unless the closest model). If you take a full battery of Rapiers, strongly consider also taking a Techmarine to repair them or putting a Thunderfire Cannon in the gunline.
• Mortis Dreadnought: Your go-to dakka dread. It costs 5 points more than a standard dreadnought, with the exact same profile, but it brings the option to double up on weapons the regular dread can't. You can take a pair of twin bolters, autocannons, or lascannons, or a pair of regular missile launchers, assault cannons, multi-meltas, or heavy plasma cannons. All good choices for laying down firepower, with the best guns depending on what you plan to shoot and how many points you can spare.
  • As of CA2019, their base cost matches that of the regular old Dreadnought chassis at 60pts. Their autocannons are also 3 points cheaper, so enjoy your 8 S7/AP-1/D2 shots at 120 points.
• Contemptor Mortis Dreadnought: Better than the standard Mortis in every way, from the BS 2+ to the 5++. Apart from that, it can do everything the regular Mortis can, only better.
  • Since the v1.1 FAQ/Update, Contemptor Mortis' can once again take Cyclone Missile Launchers. The downside is, like their Terminator counterparts, they're still 50 fucking points for either Heavy 2D3 S4 AP0 D1 OR Heavy 2 S8 AP-2 D6D. With this in mind, however, it could be decent now that EVERYTHING has Split-Fire, and you're no longer hitting Flyers on 6s, but only 3+(!!) with at least 6W or more. Churn out some dakka with your two Kheres Assault Cannons (which, keep in mind, can ALSO fire at two different targets, as they are considered 'two identical weapons', and then slam a couple of Krak missiles at a Flyer that screams overhead. Or a tank, I guess, if that's your thing.
• Siege Dreadnought: This Dread specializes in short-range firepower, coming stock with an Inferno Cannon that acts like a souped-up heavy flamer (but costs more than a twin heavy flamer, for reasons) and a seismic hammer with built-in meltagun that suffers from a -1 to hit but will wreck anything that gets hit. With the ability to re-roll all to wound rolls of 1 in the Fight phase when targeting a BUILDING or a unit with a movement stat of 0", its niche as a building killer should be obvious.
• Relic Leviathan Dreadnought: I AM THE DESTROYER OF ALL THAT EXISTS, THE ANATHEMA OF LIFE, HATRED, AND WRATH GIVEN PHYSICAL FORM, I AM THE FUCKING LEVIATHAN DREADNOUGHT. POINT ME AT ANYTHING, AND IT WILL DIE, FROM THE LOWEST OF GUARDSMEN TO THE BIGGEST OF TITANS. Ahem, enough of that nonsense! But Mr. Leviathan does have a few good points. The Leviathan Dreadnought is easily one of the deadliest single models in the entire game, barring actual Titans, packing a series of quite frighteningly powerful weapons that can make short work of virtually anything. It packs a Strength and Toughness of 8, with a 2+/4++ saves line, and a whopping 14 wounds. In addition, it actually received a fairly decent points decrease in 8th edition, having dropped in cost by 50 whole points even after all wargear is accounted for. A few things were lost though, as the Leviathan no longer has his frag-launchers (but it did get its hunter-killer missiles back in the FAQ) but in exchange, his whole loadout has gotten huge buffs.
  • It has two Heavy Flamers which can't be swapped out for anything, and two Leviathan Siege Claws (Sx2 AP-3 D3 Re-roll failed wounds against Infantry) with in-built meltaguns stock.
    • The Claws can be swapped out (without losing the meltaguns) for Drills, which up the AP and D to -4 and 4, but you stop re-rolling failed wounds against Infantry.
    • The Claws can also be swapped out along with their meltaguns (at the cost of -1A for each one you swap out) for:
      • Cyclonic Melta Lance: Capable of destroying a Land Raider in a single volley, while being able to shave off 15 wounds from a Knight (leaving it sufficiently weakened that it will no doubt then die to be slammed with 15 additional wounds in melee).
        • Note that this actually has worse AP than the Bombard (although it will usually only matter against Land Raiders and the like, as against any Invuln save at all or a 3+ save or worse they'll tend to equal out), with better rate of fire against 4 or fewer model units and worse damage against Monster/Vehicle/Titanic models but better damage otherwise. A Leviathan with 2x Bombards costs 339, while with 2x Lances it costs 359 (including Heavy Flamers), which means that against a Land Raider, the Lances are only better inside melta range. The Lance will do better against vehicles where the difference in AP doesn't matter, regardless of range (such as any 3+ vehicle, or a 2+ vehicle with an invuln), provided the target unit has 4 or fewer models. It will also do better against infantry units of 4 or fewer models, but as soon as the target unit has 5 or more models in it, the Bombard will simply take over.
          • A Salamanders Leviathan paired with Vulkan is sufficiently better that, ignoring Vulkan's cost, the Lance will be better against a Land Raider outside of melta range, but don't forget that the Bombard Salamanders Leviathan still gets Salamander Chapter Tactics, so if you only examine Vulkan+Leviathan in isolation, the Bombard will easily win. Against infantry spam, he usually will not improve the Lance enough to do much, but remember, the Lance is already better against very small units.
      • Storm Cannon Array: Has a whopping 10 shots, which do 2 damage each. While not quite as horrifyingly deadly against vehicles as the Cyclone Melta, it exchanges sheer output for more reliability. This can be useful since 2-wound weapons occupy a fair niche in the current meta, for their ability to 1-shot the numerous amount of multi-wound models, without suffering from overkill. This makes it the perfect weapon for dealing with models like Terminators.
        • This is basically a seriously up-gunned heavy plasma cannon, with quintuple the usual shot volume and one worse AP in exchange for one better D, and an inability to Overcharge. Costs 5/6 the amount two of the cannons would cost you, though. It is far and away from the most efficient gun you can take against most targets of 4 models or less - it will actually out damage both the Bombard and the Lance against anything T6 or less and T7 Sv 4+ or worse, and that's assuming the target has enough wounds left that no damage gets wasted.
          • It's much simpler to look at this weapon as 5 autocannons with an extra point of AP and half the range.
        • For serious, take this gun seriously. It is far and away from the most generally useful of the lot; a pair of them will murder most anything foolish enough to get in your way.
        • A leviathan with two of these will be horrifyingly efficient at shooting down enemy flyers, stick 1 or 2 +1 to hit modifiers on this guy and you can quite reliably shoot down 2 Alaitoc flyers a turn.
      • Grav-Flux Bombard: Now your dedicated horde killer. It deals 1d3 shots and gains an additional 1d3 shots for every 5 models present in the target unit, which means the Leviathan can get a whopping 11d3 shots when targeting a mob of Conscripts, or 22d3 if equipped with two of these. This essentially means that the grav bombard is your designated weapon loadout if you expect to go up against Infantry Blobs, as it can fry an entire 50 man squad each and every turn. It also does more damage (5, rather than 2) against Vehicles, Buildings, and Titanics, making it more useful than the Lance in many cases.
        • A pair of these is the way to go for horde scrubbing - 2d3 shots every 5 models in the target means you average 4 shots for every 5 targets. The gun is only 18" and you'll take a BS penalty (typically down to 3+ unless you use the Big Guns Never Tire stratagem, which you should) for moving and shooting with it, taking you to 3 1/3 and 2 2/3 hits for every 5 targets, respectively. At S9 AP-5 D2, usually one wound per target is all it will take; assuming you're up against T4 or less without an invuln save, you're looking at 2 7/9 or 2 2/9 (after moving) dead for every 5 models in the target, or around 50% casualties. Hopefully, Morale will do the rest of the work for you, or you can just bring two of these things.
          • New Chapter Tactics addendum: With the new Imperial Fists Chapter tactics, Grav-flux bombards are boosted to 6 damage against vehicles. This lets 2 grav flux bombards take out light vehicles reliably at only 2 shots needed to take down a predator and landraiders, repulsors and their equivalents with 3 shots. Also makes the Necron vehicle immune to this loadout.
• Deimos Vindicator Laser Destroyer: This thing brings to the battlefield the unique Laser Volley Cannon, which is a 2 shots Lascannon with a few twists: they only have a range of 36" instead of 48, they do a fixed 3 damage (so a little less than the average you do with 1D6) and can be overcharged to go to S10 AP-5 with a fixed 6 damage. The trade-off is that if they shoot that way, they take 3 mortal wounds on each roll of 1. If it does not move, however, it can shoot twice, but not in overcharged mode. Also, note that it gets +1T and +1 wound compared to a predator but moves 2" less. All in one, this tank is kind of odd. It costs roughly the same as a classic predator with a full lascannon setup and can pump 4 shoots if it stands still, for an average amount of wounds slightly lower. Its overcharged mode might give you an edge on T5/T9-10 opponents or target with extremely high armour saves, so what you lose in range you get it back in versatility, at price: 2 shots against 4 and the risk of wounding yourself. Between increased durability, shorter range and movement, and varying fire modes, it is hard to draw a clear line between the Predator Annihilator and the Vindicator Laser destroyer in terms of battlefield role, but the latter being clearly less efficient while on the move, you might want to invest your money in other Forge World models.
• Relic Land Raider Proteus: The Proteus has two twin Lascannons like the vanilla LR, but it can choose to take a multi-melta or twin heavy flamer instead of a twin heavy bolter. (There's also an option for a single heavy bolter, but why would you even use that?) But its main draw is the Explorator Augury Web; taking it reduces the Proteus' transport Capacity to 6, but it prevents anyone from deep striking within 12" of the Proteus. Conveniently enough, that happens to be melta range for the multi-melta so suicide melta squads won't be able to get near it. For a more aggressively inclined Proteus, you can take the Heavy Armour instead to give it a 5+ invulnerable save, though it too reduces the Proteus' transport capacity.
• Land Raider Helios: Also has twin lascannons, but it brings along a Helios Launcher- a Heavy weapon that fires 2d6 autocannon-equivalent shots (albeit only 1 damage) that can fire without LoS. A decent combo of the Whirlwind's different missile types, and it can transport 6 models too.
• Land Raider Prometheus: A fun toy for your Warlord - if he's embarked within it, one of the Stratagems played on your turn costs 1 less CP to use. It doesn't reduce the cost below 1, but it helps. As an added bonus, its attacks all ignore cover saves, which make its 24 heavy bolter shots absolutely terrifying to light infantry. Carries 10 models.
• Land Raider Achilles: The rage-inducing and expensive Achilles is back in a big way in 8th ed. T8 with 19 wounds, a 2+ save, and a 4++ Invuln save for good measure makes this raider insanely tough. The Achilles is armed with a hull-mounted Quad Launcher and 2 sponson-mounted TWIN Multi-Meltas (Heavy 2). The Quad Launcher can fire Shatter shells at Heavy 4 S8 AP-2 3 Damage, or Thunderfire shells at Heavy 4D3 S5 AP0 1 Damage (and can target units not visible to the Achilles). It can also grab a hunter-killer missile and a Storm Bolter for a little extra dakka. This weirdness is compounded by a transport capacity of 6, including terminators and jump pack models. Seriously, go look up a picture of this thing. At 355 points there is no reason not to take three of these!!!!

Fortifications

Not often seen, Marines in 8th have tended towards static gun lines like Primarch + Devastators. Fortifications are not a serious part of any meta right now, so using them can be an advantage while the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors are not common.

• Castellum Stronghold: In case you want to play an army comprised of buildings instead of tanks and soldiers. 3 bunkers and a bigger bunker, with T9 and a total of 56 wounds (3x12 and 20). This realm of battle tile (yes, its 2' by 2') is fairly indestructible and can pack up to 5 heavy weapons, from anti-tank guns to AA or troop mulchers. The tacticus bunker has transport space for 30 guys, and the bunkers for 12 each. Up to 15 and 10 models can shoot out of each of the bunkers. If your army doesn't fit inside completely, they can man the battlements for a cover save. And until the big bunker is destroyed all infantry, bike and dreadnoughts get a 4++ against shooting attacks while inside the stronghold. Oh, and one stratagem per turn costs 1 less CP if your warlord is embarked. Each of the small bunkers can take one of: Twin Heavy Bolter, Twin Heavy Flamer, Twin Lascannon, Multi-melta, Twin Assault Cannon, or Air Defence Missiles. The big bunker can take up to two of: Twin Heavy Bolter, Twin Heavy Flamer, Twin Lascannon, Multi-melta, Twin Assault Cannon, Castellum Air Defence Missiles (d3 shot krak missiles with the AA rule and the ability to fire at units it can't see), Whirlwind Castellan Launcher (2d6 frag missiles at S6 with no need for LoS), castellum battle cannon (nicked from the Leman Russ), Icarus Quad Lascannon (4 lascannon shots with the AA rule), or the pointless Communication Relay (FW meant that the -1CP to strats bonus only occured when you took this, but they named the special rule "Command Relay" instead of "Communication Relay" so it comes as standard instead). All these guns must target the nearest enemy unit unless there's a friendly unit embarked within. At 550 points without guns this is something of an apocalypse thing.

Lords of War

Warhammer Legends

• Land Raider Terminus Ultra: Not sure why exactly this was moved to Lords of War since its statline is still no different from the other Land Raiders, but it will do a spectacular job of wrecking vehicles thanks to its 8 (!) lascannon shots per turn. 3 to hit rolls of 1 in one turn will cause you to take 6 mortal wounds, but the chances of that are so small that it's unlikely to be an issue. Even if it does happen, it won't be enough to decrease your base stats until you drop to 8 wounds or below, and with the toughness and armour save that comes with being a Land Raider variant that's probably not going to be an issue. Just be sure to watch out for massed infantry- for this reason you should probably take a storm bolter over the multi-melta since any vehicle close enough to be in melta range is going to become a smoldering wreck either way.
  • As of Warhammer Legends, the terminus is now available to all chapters.

Forge World

Forgeworld FAQ[1] updates the relic rule for LoW, effectively you can get one with no pre-requisites but further ones will still require the 'non-relic' tax. On the other hand, who would even need to bring 4 Lords of War into anything short of the biggest Apocalypse games?. Beware as they are all overpriced, thank daddy GW for that and should never be taken outside of fun games

• Relic Spartan Assault Tank: The Spartan has always been a bigger nastier Land Raider at heart, and this edition just makes it even meaner. A relic from the Legion days, it boasts an impressive BS3+, S8, T8, W20, a 2+ Save, and PoTMS so it can move and shoot with no penalty. The Steel Behemoth rule allows it to shoot or charge after falling back, and fire its guns even if enemies are within 1" of it. Further, it only benefits from cover saves when at least half the model is obscured. It comes stock with hull-mounted Twin heavy bolters (which can be replaced with Twin heavy flamers), 2 sponson-mounted Quad lascannons (that's a total of 8(!) lascannons), and anything trying to attack it in melee will have to deal with its Crushing tracks, which are S8 AP-2 DD3. And with a WS5+ and 8 attacks, it has a better chance than most tanks of actually hitting with them. If 8 lascannons don't do the trick, they can be swapped for Laser Destroyers to give it the role of blowing superheavies to pieces; its basic profile of S12 AP-4 DD6 is nasty enough as it is, but any time it inflicts damage, you roll a d6. On a 3-5, its damage rises to 2d6, and on a 6 it becomes a staggering 3d6 damage! If you crave even more dakka you can add a pintle-mounted Heavy bolter, Storm Bolter, Heavy flamer, or Multi-melta. Finally, the Spartan has an enormous 25 transport capacity, including Terminators, Jump Pack Infantry, and Centurions (but not Primaris). If it explodes after losing its last wound (on a roll of 6), it deals D6 Mortal Wounds to units with 2D6" inches.

• Relic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank: The Vindicator's big brother on steroids is a fierce siege engine, boasting BS3+, S8, T9(!), W22, and a 2+ Save. The Dreadhammer siege cannon taking up the entirety of the vehicle drops Heavy 2D6 S10 AP-5 3D shots at 24" or 48" if it holds still. Losing the enormous blast template from the previous edition, the Dreadhammer can now put serious hurt on vehicles and monsters with it's 2D6 high strength high AP shots. In addition to the main gun, it can grab 2 sponson-mounted Lascannons or Heavy bolters, and can also take a pintle-mounted Heavy Bolter, Heavy flamer, Multi-melta, or Storm bolter for extra dakka. The Steel Behemoth rule allows it to shoot or charge after falling back, and fire its guns even if enemies are within 1" of it (except for it's Dreadhammer siege cannon, which must target other units). Further, it only benefits from cover saves when at least half the model is obscured. It has PoTMS so it can move and shoot with no penalty, and it makes a respectable 8 attacks with it's Crushing tracks (decreasing to 6, and then D3 as it takes damage) at WS5+ S8 AP-2 DD3 in melee. If it explodes after losing its last wound (on a roll of 6), it deals D6 Mortal Wounds to units with 2D6" inches.

• Relic Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer: An insane Titan-class laser weapon mounted on a Spartan chassis, boasting BS3+, S8, T9, W22, and a 2+ Save. The Heavy neutron pulse array kicks out Heavy 3 S14 AP-4 3+D6D shots at 72", and causes a -1 to-hit penalty to the shooting attacks of vehicles wounded by this weapon. In addition to the main gun it can grab 2 sponson-mounted Lascannons or Heavy bolters, and can also take a pintle-mounted Heavy Bolter, Heavy flamer, Multi-melta, or Storm bolter for extra dakka. The Steel Behemoth rule allows it to shoot or charge after falling back, and fire its guns even if enemies are within 1" of it (except for it's Heavy neutron pulse array which must target other units). Further, it only benefits from cover saves when at least half the model is obscured. It has PoTMS so it can move and shoot with no penalty, and it makes a respectable 8 attacks with it's Crushing tracks (decreasing to 6, and then D3 as it takes damage) at WS5+ S8 AP-2 DD3 in melee. If it explodes after losing its last wound (on a roll of 5+ thanks to its Unstable Reactor), it deals D6 Mortal Wounds to units with 2D6" inches.

• Relic Fellblade Superheavy Tank: The Baneblade's exponentially meaner cousin, and the king of the battlefield. If you get first turn with a Fellblade in your army, and your positioning is good, you WILL win. Absolutely bristling with guns, it has a massively impressive statline of BS3+, S9, T9, W26, a 2+ Save, and PoTMS so it can move and shoot with no penalty. It's enormous and versatile Fellblade accelerator cannon sports two shell types: HE shells are Heavy 2D6 S8 AP-3 2D shots and allow rerolls for the number of shots when targeting a unit with more than 5 models. AE shells are Heavy 2 S14 AP-4 6D shots that work wonders on tanks. It comes stock with a hull-mounted Twin heavy bolter (which can be replaced with a Twin heavy flamer) and 2 sponson-mounted Quad lascannons (which can be swapped for the really not that good Laser destroyers like the Spartan). Like the Baneblade it also has a hull-mounted Demolisher cannon. If you crave even more dakka you can add a pintle-mounted Heavy bolter, Storm Bolter, Heavy flamer, or Multi-melta. Finally, anything trying to attack it in melee will have to deal with 9 WS5+ attacks from its Crushing tracks, which are S9 AP-2 DD3. If it explodes after losing its last wound (on a roll of 6), it deals D6 Mortal Wounds to units with 2D6" inches. The Steel Behemoth rule allows it to shoot or charge after falling back, and fire its guns even if enemies are within 1" of it. Further, it only benefits from cover saves when at least half the model is obscured. Its only real weakness is a lack on an invulnerable save, as dedicated anti-titanic guns like the Knight Castellan's volcano lance will completely delete it thanks to AP-5 and rerolling failed wounds against Titantic units. However, with T9 and a 2+ armour save, it's still pretty durable against most reasonable weapons, and most of the time you can outrange the insane anti-armour guns as the FAC has 100" range. Consider bringing the Fire Angels’ special character, Captain Tarnus Vale, to give it a 6++ (the other is to bring a Dorito Dreadnought with Atomantic Pavaise to give the Fellblade a 5++; this is more expensive than taking Vale but chances are you’re not worried about points (or money) if you’re taking a Fellblade) and casting Might of Heroes on it for T10 shenanigans. Despite its cool look and amazing firepower, it can no longer compare against the regular Baneblade thanks to its default loadout costing 917 points! Consider bringing techmarines or allying in Cawl to keep it alive as long as possible.
  • Highly amusingly, in another proof of Forge World being inept at copy-pasting their own units' rules between their indices, the chaos fellblade costs 20 points less and their HE shells only do 1 damage instead of the 2 yours do.

• Relic Falchion Superheavy Tank Destroyer: A Fellblade variant which shares the same statline and special rules but mounts the unbelievably deadly Twin volcano cannon in place of the Fellblade cannon and Demolisher cannon. The Twin volcano cannon can annihilate targets 120" away with Heavy 2D6 S16 AP-5 D2D6 (re-rolling wounds against Titanic units). Just like the Fellblade it comes stock with two Quad lascannon sponsons which can be replaced with Laser destroyers. Given its ability to take the laser destroyers, and that its Volcano cannon spits out double the shots, it's objectively better at destroying superheavies than a single Shadowsword counterpart in practically every way. Which is good, because at almost triple the points you'd expect it to be. It also sports a hull-mounted Twin heavy bolter which can be replaced with Twin heavy flamers, despite the fact the guns don't actually exist on the model. As per an email from forge world, "it's a copy and pastes error from the Fellblade that hasn't been fixed in an official errata"... yet. Just stick them on with bluetac or something as you're paying the points for them. You can add a pintle-mounted Heavy bolter, Storm Bolter, Heavy flamer, or Multi-melta if you crave even more dakka. Just like the Fellblade it got a massive points increase which led its point efficiency to drop through the floor. You can bring two Shadowswords at double the wounds to out-scale the T9/2+, the better version of the VC, and regiment rules for two hundred points less.

• Relic Mastodon Super-heavy Siege Transport: Have you ever wanted to transport 40 Marines at once while trashing flyers and generally being nigh-indestructible? Then the Mastodon is the LoW for you! With 30 wounds and a 5+ void shield, the Mastodon is a fucking tough nut to crack, made even more so if it somehow gets into the 6" range for its siege melta array's reroll to kick in.

• Thunderhawk Assault Gunship: The standard air support and transportation workhouse of the Space Marines. This monstrous flyer will cost you an arm and a leg (in both points and real $) but has some seriously impressive rules. It has a big 20-50" move in Supersonic mode and can hover. Its has BS2+, S10, T9, 30W, a 3+ Save and PoTMS so it can shoot on the move. Its Void-hardened Hull grants it a 5++ save for extra durability. The Thunderhawk Assault Gunship is armed with a Thunderhawk heavy cannon - 48" Heavy 2D6 S8 AP-2 D6D, which can be swapped for the monstrously powerful Turbo-laser destructor - 96" Heavy D3 S16 AP-4 2D6D (6's to wound inflict an additional D3 Mortal Wounds). For secondary weapons it sports 4 Twin heavy bolters and 2 Lascannons at various points on the hull, as well as a choice of Thunderhawk Cluster Bombs or a Hellstrike missile battery. The Cluster bombs can drop once per game on a single unit you flew over, rolling up to 12D6 times (3D6 for every VEHICLE or MONSTER and 1D6 for other models). Each 5+ result deals a Mortal Wound to the unit, though units consisting only of characters cannot be targeted. The Hellstrike battery is 72" Heavy 4 S8 AP-3 D3. It's Colossal Flyer rule forces -1 from shooting attacks against the Thunderhawk, but also forces opponents to measure from where its hull would be if it were at ground level and then add 12" to that measurement (which is an attempt to account for the custom flying bases you need to hold this heavy-ass brick of resin up). It also means that a lot of guns flat-out cannot shoot at it while it's Supersonic. Finally, the Thunderhawk has an impressive transport capacity of 30, including TERMINATORS, JUMP PACK models, CENTURIONS, and BIKES. It is also one of the only vehicles that can transport PRIMARIS models, with each counting for 2 spaces, although you cannot mix them with non-PRIMARIS units. In terms of loadout, 8th edition favors a high volume of shots. As such, the heavy cannon is likely a better option than the turbo laser, as 2D6 (avg. 7) hitting on a 2+ and wounding a Land Raider on a 4+ is better than D3 shots hitting on 2+ and wounding the same target on a 2+, even with the difference in armour save thanks to AP. Command point rerolls benefit the heavy cannon more, due to the increase in variance between rerolling a D6 vs a D3. Additionally, due to the low chance of the Cluster Bombs actually doing what you want them to do, as well as being one-use only, the Hellstrike Missiles are likely a better option.
  • Mathhammer: The above, struck through statement is not actually correct, and a command point spent on the number of attacks won't change it. Given, the cannon is obviously better against squads (2.43 unsaved wounds on non-shield terminators with D6 damage beats anything two attacks could do without a large number of mortal wounds, and the laser only inflicts .33 MWs per shot), but against a Land Raider? 1.45 unsaved wounding hits at d6 damage vs 1.15 unsaved wounding hits at 2d6 damage, +.55 mortal wounds. ~5 wounds vs ~8.6 and a command point only buys the cannon, on average, +.75 wounds. Worse armour and lower toughness change this, but until you hit some ork level T7, 4+ save madness that turbo laser will out perform the cannon vs vehicles/MCs. The canon is better for utility though, hurting vehicles and munching squads.
  • Chapter Approved more than doubled the points cost of the hull of the Thunderhawk, meaning that taking one with Hellstrike Missiles brings this thing up to 1450 points, after buying its secondary weapons. It can absolutely earn its points back, but more as a result of tanking a tremendous amount of enemy gunfire between T9, 30W, decent armour, Hard to Hit, and adding 12" to enemy ranges. It can destroy an enemy Fellblade in one salvo (saw it happen), and it's a hell of a distraction.

• Thunderhawk Transporter: A Thunderhawk variant designed for airlifting tanks, this unusual vehicle shares the statline of the Thunderhawk (with the exception of 26W - 4 fewer than the Gunship). In addition to 15 models including TERMINATORS, JUMP PACK models, CENTURIONS, and BIKES, it can hoist vehicles into battle in one of the following configurations:
  • 1 model with the LAND RAIDER or SPARTAN ASSAULT TANK keyword.
  • Up to 2 of the following: RHINO, RAZORBACK, INFERNUM RAZORBACK, PREDATOR, DEIMOS PREDATOR, WHIRLWIND, WHIRLWIND HYPERIOS, HUNTER, STALKER, DAMOCLES, VINDICATOR, VINDICATOR DESTROYER, WHIRLWIND SCORPIUS.
    • These vehicles act exactly like other passengers and are subject to the usual restrictions for embarking and disembarking, meaning they can detach while in Supersonic mode at the end of the movement phase. Transported vehicles can carry units at no additional transport cost to the Thunderhawk, so feel free to deep strike 25 dudes in a Spartan PLUS 15 dudes in the Thunderhawk itself. The cost of this unusual ability is the loss of ranged firepower - the Thunderhawk Transporter is armed with 'only' 4 Twin heavy bolters and a Hellstrike missile battery. It's much cheaper than the Thunderhawk Gunship, but its usefulness is somewhat questionable, cool as it may be.

• Sokar Pattern Stormbird: Pretty much the largest flyer/transport/model Forge World offers next to titans. Damn expensive in points (2,271 after wargear) and tangible money alike, it can ferry entire demi companies onto the battlefield. Has like 8 lascannons, a host of various missiles and bombs, void shields, and a few heavy bolters here and there for flavor. The void shields can extend and overlap nearby troops 8" away that jumped out if it has hovered. Has 40 wounds, T9, a 5++ after the void shields.
  • Hilariously enough this is the only vehicle in the entire space marine range that lets both primaris and old marines onboard at the same time. In addition, it along with the Thunderhawk are the only transports in the game that can transport Inceptors and Suppressors.

• Astraeus Super-Heavy Tank: This beast of a tank now has its rules released... and it's frankly nastier than anyone gave it credit for. 24 wounds, Toughness 8, 2+ Armour, Power of the Machine Spirit and Steel Behemoth are already bad enough, but then you look at its gear. Firstly, the Void Shield. Just like the Titans, it's a degenerating shield that can block off any wound, mortal or not, and does not care about AP value. However, it cannot protect you from overheating Plasma Eradicators or melee attacks, so watch out for Knight Gallants and other heavy-hitting melee units that somehow get by the Enhanced Repulsor Fields. Said Enhanced Repulsor Fields not only reduce enemy charge rolls by 3", but are also its form of close combat attack. Considering the fields give -2 AP and deals D3 damage per wound, this is surprisingly vicious, especially considering the 8 Strength 9 attacks the tank gets (albeit only at WS 5+, although it still benefits from auras like Litanies of Hate and Rites of Battle). Obviously, however, you're here for the guns and... oh boy. Its twin macro-accelerator cannon is a vicious Heavy 12, S8, AP-2, Damage 3 that ignores all abilities that impose negative hit modifiers when targeting anything with the FLY keyword. Its other default weapons don't seem that threatening at first, however. The two las-rippers are slightly weaker las-talons with a new name, the twin heavy bolter is somewhat useful against infantry, and the storm bolter and ironhail heavy stubber can be augmented with another ironhail heavy stubber. However, the twin heavy bolter can be replaced by a twin Lascannon, and the las-rippers can be replaced by the new Plasma Eradicator, a +1 Strength, AP-4 Plasma Cannon that uniquely only causes one mortal wound per 1 to hit on Supercharge. 90% of the time the Eradicators are the better choice. Not only are they cheaper than Las-Rippers, but they have more range. Being within 24" will put the Astraeus in danger of being chopped up by enemy Knights and makes it a prime target for most Plasma weapons. The lone Storm Bolter won't be doing much of anything regardless.
  • Compared to the Fellblade, its main gun is lacking in terms of pure power almost strictly better under mathhammer due to the high number of S8 shots. Against a Knight the Fellblade's AE mode barely does 6 damage, with a fair chance of doing 0, vs the Astraeus' more consistent 6-9 damage. The TMAC is also a better version of the Fellblade's HE mode; guaranteed 12 shots vs 2d6 at one less AP and one more damage. Very effective against light to medium vehicles (especially flyers), as well as 3-wound infantry such as Tyranid Warriors, Grey Knight Paladins, and Custodes. The secondary armament is only inferior with the eight Lascannons and Demolisher Cannon of the Fellblade outgunning the Accelerator Cannon itself when combined. In melee it is a mixed picture, the Enhanced Repulsor Fields make the Astraeus harder to engage and hit but it lacks the option to mount any flamer for point defense; the Fellblade can mount up to 3 heavy flamers which will inflict significant overwatch casualties on attacking infantry. The Void Shield gives it an important defensive tool that the Fellblade and most superheavy tanks lack, albeit on a more fragile (T8 not 9), less durable (2 wounds less at 24W) chassis but the VS can be used against mortal wounds; so it ends up out-living the Fellchassis in the long run by effectively having ~29 wounds. Most importantly, it's much cheaper than the Fellblade, and since it's not a Relic you can use it as a "non-Relic" tax in the unlikely chance you really want a full Super-Heavy Detachment as a Space Marine army.
    • New Chapter Tactics addendum: Iron Hands and "Scions of the Forge" successor chapter tactics mean your tank keeps it's 5 up void shield until there's only 5 wounds left, so long as they're taken in Supreme Command detachments. Enjoy that while you can, because I expect an FAQ.
    • CA2019 dropped the base cost of the Astraeus by 100 points, meaning that it is now one of the most viable Super-Heavy picks for SM right now (not that it's really that big of an achievement).

Chapters

Ultramarines

In the grim darkness of the far future, courage and honor will yet win the day.
First among equals, the Ultramarines set the standard for everyone else, and are paragons of strategy. Appropriate, since their Primarch wrote the Codex Astartes.
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.
If you want your marines to always fight on your terms, then march for Macragge and you shall know no fear.

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 you always get bolter discipline 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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 John 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 Heretic astartes or 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: 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 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 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 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 Ultramarines Infantry or 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 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 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 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 Ultramarines models from your army until the end of the phase.
  • Defensive Focus (2 CP): Use this stratagem if an Ultramarines unit from your army is chosen as a target of a charge. Select up to three 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. Notice how deadly it is to charge an Ultramarines gunline?
  • Fall Back and Re-Engage (1/2 CP): Use this stratagem when an 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 Ultramarines Chapter Master, Ultramarines Captain, or 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 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 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 Ultramarines Infantry or 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 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 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. Give him Adept of the Codex 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 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 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.

1. 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.
2. 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 Ultramarines unit within 18" of this psyker, you can re-roll the hit, wound, or damage roll.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Empyric Channeling: WC5. Select one other friendly 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 Ultramarines within 6" of the Chaplain.

Specialist Detachment - Victrix Guard

Captains of all flavours (note this doesn't include Calgar), ancients (all flavours), Honour guards, victrix honour guards, vanguard vets & sternguard vets gain the 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 formation specialist detachment that can bring deepstriking melee squads with actual AP, aka Vanguard Vets.
This is a MELEE formation; Sternguards were included only because their serge looks cool next to Calgar. Thanks, sarge! Note that only ULTRAMARINES can take this, and not any of their Successors.

• 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 VICTRIX GUARD unit within 6" of a 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 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 Counter Offensive Counter Offensive that lets you fight twice, 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 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.

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 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...
• 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.
• 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)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Forgeworld Successor Chapters Characters
Remember you don't necessarily need to pick Inheritors of the Primarch to be Ultramarine successors and use this supplement.

Fire Angels

• 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.

Fire Hawks

• 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.

Howling Griffons

• 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.

Marines Errant

• 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.

Novamarines

• 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.

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 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 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 Monster keyword for some odd reason, he tends to interact strangely with several other rules (e.g. taking Transports). Watch for anything that affects Monster units and be prepared to footslog.

Tactical Objectives

Tactics

Imperial (& Crimson) Fists

In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only defiance eternal.

Stubborn to a fault, the Imperial Fists are paragons of bolt marksmanship and peerless urban fighters and siege specialists.
On the tabletop, this is represented by their bonuses to shooting and mastery of cover use. Where their enemies find no respite, the Imperial Fists dig in whilst letting loose precise bolter fusillades and crippling heavy weapons barrages. Success not out of tricks or outlandish tactics, just shooting like a supersoldier ought to.
If you want to marines whose boltguns actually matter and wish to reduce your enemy's army to mauled infantry turn one, then play as the Sentinels of Terra and fight until the bitter end.

Special Rules

Unlike other supplements, the Imperial Fists share theirs with their Crimson Fists successors. Crimson Fists thus have a full list of relics and stratagems (and Imperial Fists don't), but have their own chapter tactic and half a warlord trait table. They're still Fists, just with some "heroic last stand" tones.

• Imperial Fists & Successor Chapter Tactics - Siege Masters: Enemy units do not receive "the benefit of cover" against attacks made by models with this tactic. If the attack was with a bolt weapon, an unmodified 6 to hit scores an additional hit. Yellow IS shootier.
  • Exploding 6s is mathematically the same as an additional point of BS but better, since it both stacks with actual +1s to hit and doubles your Overwatch. Plus, scoring more shots than the weapon is actually capable of is always neat. This also means you suffer less from -1s to hit, including Auspex Scanner's.
  • Cover isn't the nigh-invuln it was back in 7E, but it's almost like an extra point of AP now that it affects everyone. Not only cover-relying campers like Rangers and Scouts, but also those armies that get "the benefit of cover in the open", where similar things like Deathwatch Dragonfire rounds are specified as NOT working against. This lets Imperial Fists entrench themselves while their opponents cannot, either levelling the playing field when storming enemies in cover, or stacking it in your favour when you have a cover of your own. Especially when it makes Primaris bolter variants more relevant.
• Crimson Fists Chapter Tactic - No Matter the Odds: Add 1 to hit rolls for a unit targeting another unit (in either the shooting or fight phase) that has at 5 more models than the attacking unit has (e.g. a unit of 3 models gets +1 against any unit of 8 models or more). When using a Vehicle to attack, that model itself counts as 5 models, so you only get it on units of 10 or more, not 6. Vehicles and Dreadnoughts you attack still count as 1 - in fact, this tactic can't come up against any target unit with fewer than 6 models in it. Additionally, for attacks with a bolt weapon, an unmodified 6 to hit scores an additional hit.
  • Exploding 6s is mathematically the same as an additional point of BS but better, since it both stacks with actual +1s to hit and doubles your Overwatch. Plus, scoring more shots than the weapon is actually capable of is always neat. This also means you suffer less from -1s to hit, including Auspex Scanner's.
  • As if you needed an incentive to run Multiple Small Units. Keep in mind "cosmetic" models count as squad members, e.g.: an Armorium Cherub would prevent an otherwise 5-man Devastator unit to gain the bonus against a unit of 10 Guardsmen. Still, it gives Crimson Fists great anti horde capability. It works on your damaged units too as well as low count units (Company Vet pairs!), and your characters won't suffer penalties to their power fists when fighting the enemy masses.
  • This Chapter Tactic also means safe supercharged plasma, which can matter against massed T4 enemies like Ork Boyz or Necron Warriors. Always load up your characters with combi plasma. As long as they're shooting units of more than 5 models they'll have safe overcharged plasma for killing primaris or TEQ models. If you're shooting at hordes, the +1 will let you fire both sides of the combi weapon without penalty.
  • Aggressors and Centurions are perfect for the CF: they are a three-man squad and can generate a fuck ton of bolt shot.
• Combat Doctrine - Legacy of Dorn: Heavy Weapons gain +1 damage when targeting Vehicles or Buildings (although good luck finding a non-vehicle building to shoot at) in the Devastator Doctrine. No nonsense, strike some of the important targets turn one at range. But only turn one, due to the changes to Combat Doctrines. Does nothing against monsters.
  • In 8E volume of dice matters more. The doctrine makes Lascannons and Krak missiles more reliable, but 6 Assault Cannon shots at double damage (12 damage at S6 AP-1) are simply more reliable than two lascannon shots at +1D (9 damage at S9 AP-3). The specialist doctrine is active only the first turn and you have to make it count; on top of your actual dedicated anti-tank you could aim your non-specialized heavy guns at tanks too, even the humble Heavy Bolter becomes a considerable threat to lighter vehicles: Auto, Grav, and Plasma Cannons become true all-rounders, able to deal effectively with heavy infantry and vehicles. Combined with the Tank Hunters Stratagem, a true siege master can use even light artillery like Whirlwinds and Thunderfire cannons in a counter-battery role, as well as turn Intercessors' Stalker Bolt Rifles and Eliminator's Bolt Sniper rifles into AP-3 D3 shots (that wound on 4+).

Warlord Traits

Imperial Fists & Successors

1. Siege Master: Add 1 to wound rolls against Building and Vehicle units. Great on a slam captain or anyone else that’s going to be in melee against Knights or tanks. This is Tor Garadon’s required trait.
   • The Imperial Fists can have one of the mightiest Smash Captains of them all: Combine Siege Master with The Imperium's Sword (rerolls charges, +1S +1A). Then give him a relic Thunder Hammer or the cheaper Fist of Terra and now he's wounding Knights on a 2+.
   • Fist Warlords aren't restricted to melee. Siege Masters can wound most vehicles on a 4+ with mere bolters. MC Auto Bolt Rifle > MC Stalker Bolt Rifle.
2. Indomitable: This warlord can only be wounded on a 4+. Essentially the opposite of the above, rather than being good at killing Knights this trait makes you good at not being killed by Knights (or other Smash Captains). This is Captain Lysander’s required trait.
   • Better for T4 characters than for Gravis Captains; Gravis gives up the option of a 3++ for a T5 that would prevent them being wounded by S8 on a 2+, but this trait does away with silly maths. Only S5 Power Axes and Bolt Sniper Rifles would make a difference here.
3. Fleetmaster: Once per battle, at the end of the Fight phase and if this warlord both remained stationary and didn't do any attacks, select a point on the battlefield and roll 1d6 for each unit within d6". On a 4+ (substracting 1 for characters), deal d3 MW to that unit. So, give up a Warlord's trait and turn to do what an Orbital Comms Impulsor does.
   • Then again, it can be combined with an Orbital Comms Impulsor and Orbital Bombardment for 3d3 MW on the enemy's formation / spam 1d3 MW across the board. Rather punishing for MSU armies.
4. Stubborn Heroism: The warlord halves incoming damage (rounding up), but cannot fall back. Combine this with Indomitable, and take the Adamantine Mantle on a Gravis Captain for a character who isn’t going anywhere.
   • He won't die to the big stuff, but keep anti-horde measures at hand should you need them - a Terminator / Aggressor retinue can use Close-Range Bolter Fire.
5. Architect of War: When resolving AP-1 attacks against friendly Fists within 6" of this warlord, add an additional 1 to the (armour) save roll if that unit is "recieving the benefit of cover" (meaning IW & other IF nullify this trait). While situational, enemy Bolt Rifles start as AP-1, so it can be a common situation indeed.
6. Hand of Dorn: If your army is battle-forged, gain D3 command points before the battle. Simple, powerful, always worth taking, even if it requires spending a command point for Sentinel of Terra.

Crimson Fists

1. Tenacious Opponent: If there are at least 5 enemy models within 6" of your warlord in the fight phase, he gains D3 extra attacks.
   • Have him fight before killing models with other units; Eight attacks on a good roll place him among the most damaging captains. Combine it with The Imperium's Sword or Champion of Humanity to make him even deadlier.
2. Refuse to Die: Unlike Robutte Girlyman you don’t need magical armour given to you by Cawl and some filthy heretical Eldar. Once your warlord loses his last wound, roll a d6, and on a 4+ he comes back with 1d3 wounds remaining as close as possible to your original position and at least 1” away from enemy models.
3. Stoic Defender: All Crimson Fists units gain the Defenders of Humanity (Objective Secured) rule within 6” of your warlord, and any unit that already had that rule (your Troops) count as double their model count (5 tacticals count as 10 when determining models securing an objective), so you can steal objectives even if you're outnumbered by guardsmen. Especially hilarious when it's a sudden deepstriking ObSec captain stealing it away from non-troop enemies.

Relics & Special-Issue Wargear

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

Relics of the Fists

The Fists only get four relics for themselves, as they share two slots with the Crimson Fists:

• The Spartean: Vastly improved from SM1, it upgrades a bolt or heavy bolt pistol, making it 18" Pistol 2 AP-3 2D with the ability to target Characters like snipers do. Can be given to a Primaris character (only Captains can take power fists) to help eliminate characters.
• Eye of Hypnoth: Ranged attacks within 6" of the bearer re-roll 1s to wound. So, a limited Lieutenant reroll...but that still frees up 60-70 pts and a HQ slot for a Chaplain or Librarian. Great for a ranged Captain baby-sitting a gunline, especially since Phobos Lieutenants cannot infiltrate.
• The Banner of Staganda: Imperial Fists Ancient only. Melee attacks made by models within 6" get +1 to hit.
• The Bones of Orsak: Imperial Fists Librarian only. When manifesting a Geokinesis power, you can re-roll the Psychic test. Doubtful: Geokinesis powers are easy, being WC6 at most.

And the Crimson Fists get 2:

• Duty's Burden: Crimson Fists exclusive, replaces a master-crafted stalker bolt rifle or master-crafted auto bolt rifle, 30" Rapid Fire 2 S5 AP-2 D2.
• Fist of Vengeance: Crimson Fists exclusive, replaces a power fist, turns it into a thunder hammer with no penalty to hit (D3). One of the best melee relics, especially with the huge points increase for thunder hammers - hits hard and cheap - but usually worse than a Master-Crafted Thunder Hammer, despite the relative costs.

Special-Issue Wargear

To compensate for the Fists below average number of relics, some Special-Issue items are of relic-tier quality. First of all, the standard 4 every chapter gets:

• Adamantine Mantle: 5+++ Feel No Pain.
• Artificer Armor: 2+/5++. As always, better on support characters that lack invulnerable saves like Lieutenants or Librarians.
• Master-Crafted Weapon: Increase a weapon's damage by one, cannot already be master-crafted, weapon counts as a Relic.
• Digital Weapons: Gain an extra attack that deals a mortal wound if it hits.

And then the four Fist-specific ones:

• Auric Aquila: 4++ invulnerable save, and 5+++ against mortal wounds in the Psychic phase.
• Fist of Terra: Replaces a power fist, removing the penalty to hit and granting +1 attack. One of the better melee relics. Despite lacking a Thunder Hammer's guaranteed 3 Damage, the bonuses allow the wielder to effectively fight infantry whilst still being effective against bigger targets. And again, 31 damn points cheaper.
• Gatebreaker Bolts: Gives a bolt weapon an alt-fire mode: make one hit roll that makes D3 wound rolls (allocated separately) at AP-5 D1. Best when fired from a Bolt Sniper Rifle or Stalker Bolt Rifle, doubling the damage against vehicles.
• Warden's Cuirass: +1 Wound. Tack it onto an Iron Resolve Gravis Captain for 9W with FnP (6+). That's effectively 10.5 Wounds while still enjoying Character protection.

Stratagems

Attack Stratagems: Doubles down on their bolter and anti-vehicle themes.

• Bitter Enemy (1 CP): In the Fight Phase, re-roll any Hit and Wound rolls against Iron Warriors. The fluffy stratagem everyone seems to get. If it comes up, have fun with it.
• Bolter Drill (2 CP): In the Shooting Phase, one Imperial Fists unit counts hit rolls of 6 with a Bolt weapon as two hits. That's three with the chapter tactic. A tad expensive, so throw it high dakka units like Aggressors, Inceptors, Centurions, Infiltrators (6s auto-wound), FW Quad-Heavy Bolter units (Fire Raptor, Land Raider Proteus, Rapier Carrier) and the like, pray for sixes, and unleash the BRRRRRT.
• Clearance Protocols (2 CP): During the Shooting Phase, ten models in a unit can hurl grenades instead of one. Most noticeable on Assault marines and Vanguard Vets, who have an easier time closing the distance, can hurl a Melta Bomb and aren't missing out on their guns. Still niche.
• Close-Range Bolter Fire (2 CP): Turn a unit's Bolt weapons into Pistols for a Shooting phase. They actually gain the Pistol type, so while Storm and Hurricane Bolters miss out on the double shooting, squads can use their guns alongside their actual pistols, and they get a boost in the Assault Doctrine.
  • Everyone benefits, but who benefits more? 1) Units who would like to fall back, so that's Heavy Bolter Centurions and Devastators (and Rapier Quad Heavy Bolters & Land Raiders Crusader and Proteus, because it isn't restricted to infantry). 2) Units who want to be in melee but don't want to miss out on their dakka, like Auto Bolt Rifle Inceptors and, above all others, Autobolt Aggressors, who can shoot twice because they didn't move that turn. Pistol 12!
• Praetorian's Wrath (2 CP, Single Use): At the start of the movement phase, when the Devastator Doctrine is active, 6s to wound with heavy weapons and grenades gain an additional -1 to their AP until the next movement phase. Note that the wording here means that it applies in Overwatch.
• Sappers (1 CP): In the Shooting or Fight Phase, a unit adds +1 to Hit and Wound against a Building. No one uses buildings, and you already have Combat Doctrine if they do. But if someone brings a Noctilith Crown or a Landing Pad, go break it.
• Tank Hunters (2 CP): Pick one enemy Vehicle. Until the end of the phase, a (1) Imperial Fists unit gets +1 to wound against it. Pop this when the enemy has a piece or armor that absolutely must die, and the combat doctrine just isn't enough for you (or you're trying to destroy it in melee).
  • Anti-infantry guns will wound almost any vehicle on a 4+, and Lascannons, Vindicators and Heavy/Macro Plasma Incinerators will wound almost any vehicle on a 2+.

Defense Stratagems: Makes Fists a pain in the glove to remove, especially when near select locations due to their "Once more, into the breach!" siege flair.

• Bolster Defenses (1 CP, Single Use): At the start of the movement phase, select an Imperial Fists Infantry unit entirely on or within a terrain feature. As long as they remain stationary, when resolving an attack against them, add 1 to their non-invulnerable saving throw.
  • That's the wording. Notice it doesn't say "in the shooting phase", just says attack; if the enemy charges them, they get +1 to their armour save in melee - they're on YOUR turf. Use a Drop Pod or Impulsor, so your unit can begin turn 2 on the enemy's ground and it becomes PROTECT THE BEACH-HEAD!
• Pain Is A Lesson (1 CP): Give a 6+++ Feel No Pain to a non-vehicle or servitor unit for a phase.
• Stubborn Defense (2 CP): Use at the start of the battle if your Warlord is on the battlefield. You can’t discard Storm or Defend tactical objectives, but scoring them gains you an additional victory point.
• The Shield Unwavering (2 CP): At the end of your turn, give an Imperial Fists Infantry unit withing 3" of an objective +1 attack and +1 to (non-invulnerable)^{19/11/2019 FAQ} saving throws until the start of your next turn. Combine with Bolster Defenses or Pain Is A Lesson when the point must be held at all costs.

Upgrade: The usual extra relics & warlord traits.

• Champion of Blades (1 CP): Give a successor chapter a Fists relic, the standard stuff.
• Gift of the Phalanx (1 CP): Give a Sergeant a Master-crafted Weapon, Digital Weapons, the Fist of Terra, or Gatebreaker Bolts.
  • While the Fist of Terra is good and you might want that on a character, they have other relic weapons they can wield, including Thunder Hammers. A Veteran Intercessor with the fist (6A) can join those characters. An Eliminator Sergeant's Bolt Sniper Rifle is a good way to deliver Gatebreaker Bolts.
• Sentinel of Terra (1 CP): Give a non-special character Warlord an additional Warlord Trait. Combine Indomitable and Stubborn Heroism for an incredible wall.

Crimson Fists get two extra Stratagems, in addition to the above:

• A Hated Foe (1 CP): For one phase, a unit gets +1 to wound against Orks. And here's their fluff-appropriate Stratagem.
• Slay The Tyrant (1 CP): For one phase, a unit gets +1 to hit against Characters. Boosting a single sniper unit could be a bit lackluster, but could be useful for units who get to target a character, especially in melee. Especially when using unwieldy weapons, or to offset enemy -1 to hit tricks.

Litany & Psychic Discipline- Geokinesis

1. Tectonic Purge – WC6: Any enemy units that start their charge within 12″ of the psyker must subtract 2 from the result. A strong defensive buff, this trait can combine with the debuff from a Repulsor to make even a Blood Angel unit think twice about charging out of deep strike, or work alone to help keep a unit of Centurions safe. The only major downside is the enemy needing to start within 12″, meaning the Librarian needs to be near the front lines. Combine with Tremor Shells to make charges basically impossible for an enemy unit.
2. Wrack and Ruin - WC6: One visible enemy <building or unit that's wholly in or within a terrain feature> within 18" has to roll 9d6, and for each 5+ (4+ if it's a building) they suffer a mortal wound. Hardly impressive, but it might let you blow up a Tidewall, bang up a Webway gate, or smack a few cover campers.
   • Will outperform Smite, with the caveat that its targeting is heavily restricted.
3. Iron Inferno – WC6: Select a point on battlefield within 18″ and visible to psyker. Roll one D6 for each enemy unit within 6″ of that point, deal one mortal wound on a 4+. Better than most area of effect powers, this doesn’t suffer from a penalty to damage characters or random radius. Still, only dealing one mortal wound per unit makes this need to hit multiple units to do much, making it far from a safe take.
4. Fortify – WC4: Restore D3 lost wounds to one Imperial Fists Infantry or Biker model within 12″. Trivially low warp charge for some healing? Sign me up. Only downside is that Apothecary resurrection happens in the movement phase, so this can’t heal a model to full and allow the Apothecary to resurrect – but it can heal up a resurrected model to full.
5. Aspect of Stone – WC5: Add 2 to psyker’s strength and toughness until your next psychic phase. Counters the positioning vulnerability in the use of Tectonic Purge, and turns a psyker into something of a melee threat. That said, putting your key anti-charge psyker into melee generally isn’t what an Imperial Fists gunline is likely to be doing, so this power has limited viability.
6. Chasm – WC6: Select a visible enemy unit that cannot Fly within 18″ of the psyker. Roll 2D6; if the result is less than the lowest Move characteristic in the unit, it takes one mortal wound; if it’s equal it takes D3; if it’s greater then it’s flat three mortal wounds. Another power that can be used to snipe out a character, this power has a 58.33% chance to do a full three mortal wounds against something with the standard six-inch movement, and of course that only increases against slower units – things like Terminators or Death Guard spring to mind.
   • Starts outperforming Smite against M5 or less. Fuck Orks.

Litanies of Battle - Fortress of Resolve: Fists within 6" hit on 5 and 6 during Overwatch, increasing your hit ratio by +100%. And 5+ overwatch with exploding 6s is equivalent to BS4. Thus a chaplain can boost a unit with Recitation of Focus when the enemy is far away, this litany when at risk of being charged (and it also affects the bubblewrap unit), and Litany of Hate when melee is joined.

Specialist Detachment - Imperial Fists Siegebreaker Cohort

It benefits Captains, Centurions, Dreadnoughts, and Vindicators. Note that only IMPERIAL FISTS can take this, and not any of their Successors. Easily worth paying 1CP to get access to it if you need to kill Knights or Forgeworld vehicles, despite not providing access to a relic or even warlord trait (GW FAQed it away rip).

Stratagems

• Seismic Devastation (1CP): Pick one SIEGEBREAKER COHORT unit at the start of any Shooting or Fight phase. When it makes an unmodified wound roll of 6 against a VEHICLE, you deal an additional mortal wound to the enemy model.
  • Enables your anti-infantry Centurions to also kill a Leman Russ KILL KNIGHTS AND LEVIATHANS. Assault Centurions with flamers deal a bit more wounds, but they have to be within 8" of the enemy instead of 24", so, pass. Bolter Discipline, baby! Redemptor Dreads with Onslaught cannons aren't as killy as Centurions, but they're noticeably cheaper.
    • Three HB Centurions (210 pts) inflict an average of 14.7 unsaved wounds to a 14W 303 pts Leviathan (2+/4++) protected by Duty Eternal(halves damage - denies your Doctrine). That example uses the most basic of boosts: rerolls of 1s to hit and wound, provided by a nameless captain with Eye of Hypnoth (or a Lt). You could combine it with Tank Hunters and Bolter Drill stratagems on Heavy Bolter/Hurricane Bolter Centurions, for +1 to wound, 2D Heavy Bolters, 6s to hit result in 3 hits rather than 1, if you want those three Centurions to kill something like a boosted Knight.
• Structural Demolition (1CP): When your SIEGEBREAKER COHORT units destroy a building, enemy models embarked on it roll 2d6 when exciting instead of d6.
  • Kinda lame to be honest, considering that very few players actually take Fortifications in their lists. In fact, this kinda gives them more of a reason to not use them, and some things like Altars of Khorne don't even have a wounds stat. Don't expect to use it very often.

Specialist Detachment - Crimson Fists Liberator Strike Force

Primaris Characters (Ancient, Apothecary, Captain, Chaplain, Librarian, & Lieutenant), Intercessor squads, Reiver squads, & Hellblaster squads in that detachment gain the liberator strike force keyword. The other side of the coin where it comes to Primaris detachments. It mentions all those squads, but the real stars here are the Hellblasters, as it is a ranged detachment.

Stratagems

• Heroes of Rynn's World (1CP): Use at the start of the shooting phase and pick a LIBERATOR STRIKE FORCE unit. All unmodified hit rolls of 6 count as 2 hits instead of 1.
  • A few extra shots isn't much, so use it on Hellblasters to make it count. It's +1 to +3 dead guys on a 5-man squad firing two shots, depending on the enemy and buff auras nearby.
• Paragons of Dorn (1 CP): At the end of your opponent's shooting phase pick a LIBERATOR STRIKE FORCE unit that was targeted this phase, they can then fire as if it were their shooting phase. Annoying because you have to get shot first.
  • Again your Hellblasters will destroy anything that doesn't kill them. Add an Ancient and an Apothecary so that actual casualties don't go to waste.

Warlord Trait

• Expert Instructor: Re-roll hit rolls of 1 for friendly LIBERATOR STRIKE FORCE units within 9" of your warlord.
  • Useful for a Lieutenant Field Commander for the double aura. Give the Eye of Hypnoth to the Captain, and now you have two double auras. Alternatively you can pick a Librarian or Chaplain (there's no Primaris Techmarines yet), and give them the double aura to boost a Hellblaster unit with Recitation of Focus / Tectonic Purge & Fortify.

Artifact

• The Vengeful Arbiter: 12" Pistol 2 S5 AP-1 D2, and successful hit rolls cause more shots at the same target (additional shots can't generate further hit rolls). Boo, relic pistol.
  • It goes with the ranged theme, functionally giving your character a 12" D2 Heavy Bolter as a pistol. Then again, 12" is but the prelude to melee, and your other relic is basically a Thunder Hammer without unwieldy - one of the best relics in the codex in fact, and one of the few a Primaris Captain can use.

Special Units

HQ

• Captain Lysander: Lysander is a better TH/SS Terminator Captain; the Fist of Dorn being a S10 Thunder Hammer without the -1 to hit penalty, making up for the actual IF relic pistol. If you have T5 enemies, Lysander's the guy you schedule them a play date with. He also gives +1Ld to nearby Fists, as if Space Marines cared about Leadership (you'd think it'd help Psychic Scourge, but that's a shitty power). Do you know how to use a TH/SS Termie Captain? Then you know all there is to know about Lysander strategy.
• Captain Tor Garadon: The original owner of the Spartean Bolt Pistol, now a named Primaris Captain in Gravis armor with +1 wound. He comes with a Grav-gun, making him pack just a bit more punch at range than the usual Gravis captain. He also has a Signum Array that gives a friendly Imperial Fists unit within 3" BS2+ at the start of the shooting phase (thus overriding a vehicle's damage bracket), which stacks nicely with his Captain's Rites of Battle aura. His Hand of Defiance isn't just an aesthetically bulky Power Fist, it's Sx3 AP-3 D3 (but still -1 to hit). Last but not least, his Siege Captain ability gives all his attacks +1 to their damage characteristic when he attacks a Vehicle or Building, so he can punch a Land Raider to death with attacks to spare or help to whittle down a tank from afar.

Forgeworld Successor Chapters Characters
Remember you don't necessarily need to pick Inheritors of the Primarch to be Imperial Fists successors and use this supplement.
Crimson Fists

• Pedro Kantor (Crimson Fists): More focused this edition than in the last several; he no longer benefits Sternguard especially, nor especially torments Orks, Pedro Kantor is a CC killing machine in 8E. His Oath of Rynn special rule is now a buff to give +1A to all friendly Crimson Fists models within 6", while 'Chapter Master' affects whole units within that range. And it's great not having to pay CP to get full rerolls. For his price and relatively small footprint, he can make a huge impact in any melee.
  • He's excellent when paired with -1 To Hit escorts, like TH/SS Termies/Vets or Aggressors. Add a Lieutenant and you'll be rerolling everything. Being a footslogger, however, you'll need to find him a way to the front line, but at the very least he's got an Assault 4 AP-1 Bolter to jog across the board. Especially with those resilient Primaris, their 2 base attacks and their Assault weapons, who may not be riding Repulsors because you don't give in to GW's shilling.
  • Kantor, being a 'Chapter Master' also lends himself to gun lines. His +1A helps your Marines punch back when onrushing hordes inevitably reach the Marines, Primaris hitting as if they were Vets with chainswords.

Executioners

• High Chaplain Thulsa Kane: Chaplain with the most awesome name, +2W and A, and rather dodgy with -1 to be hit in melee. Has a 6" aura that grants an additional attack for models that roll an unmodified 6 To Hit, in addition to the Mastr of Sanctity's two active Litanies. Furthermore, instead of the Crozius he uses Lifetaker, a S+2 power sword with D2, which becomes D4 against characters. And he's also got a plasma pistol with an extra shot. Though he's an impressive beatstick that buffs the melee capabilities of everyone around him, he's a footslogging manlet, so you need to put him in a good transport, like a Drop Pod or a Land Raider.
  • Successor Tactics: Imperial Fists tactics are trash for Executioners; their endgame is assault and Thulsa Kane helps them do that well. This guy is an awesome force multiplier when combined with the "Whirlwind of Rage" successor trait and some high attack volume units (like Vanguards with double Chainswords). Every 6 to hit generates an extra attack AND scores an additional hit. And while those extra attacks cannot generate any more attacks, they DO generate additional hits on consecutive 6s! Add his natural Chaplain ability to reroll failed hits and you literally drown your enemy in to wound rolls. Put him in a Drop Pod and take "Hungry for Battle" as your second trait so he and his company actually arrive in melee after deep striking (though you wouldn't be able to use litanies that turn).
    • Even better with Incursor squads, whose Paired Combat blades score an additional hit on a 6. Combine it with Gene Wrought Might (1CP) to Auto Wound on a hit roll of 6. Exhortation of Rage means 6s generate an additional attack and Litany of Hate re-rolls any hit roll that isn't a 6. If you're fighting heretic astartes, pop Death to the Traitors (1CP) while your at it. All up, each six we roll then explodes into 1 auto-wounds, two additional hits and 3 additional attacks that can also roll 6s to get a further 3 auto-wounds (but no more additional attacks).

Tactical Objectives

• Indomitable Defence: Choose three objectives, score 1vp if you control one of them, d3 if you control two, and d3+3 if you control all three.
• Man The Walls: Score 1vp if at least three of your units are in cover or embarked.
• Disciplined Firepower:Choose a number between one and three, if you kill that many enemy units, you score that many vp.
• Champions Of Dorn: Score 1vp if an enemy character was killed by one of your characters.
• Death Before Dishonour: Score 1vp if this objective has been in your hand for two turns, but it is discarded if you fall back.
• Breach Their Defences: Score 1vp for each enemy building (lol), or unit you killed that was in/on terrain, to a maximum of three.

Tactics

So you love bolters, hate vehicles, and forts trigger you despite never having seen one. What to do with all this?

• Positioning: Shock Assault urges you to melee, your doctrine pulls you to range. But whatever you choose, you have to commit: unlike WS and UM, the stubborn Imperial Fists don't take falling back too well - Stubborn Heroism warlords wouldn't even think of it. Where other armies have stratagems to do complex feints, you simply gain true grit. You deny cover, but you're also geared to garisonning terrain features and objectives. Understand you're not fighting merely on a battlefield, but with it.
• Attrition: Imperial Fists are balanced: they shoot well, can give the enemy a hard time closing in, and being space marines they don't suffer in melee like other armies do.
  • When the enemy is far away you can outshoot them: blow up their gunships and bastions, ignore their cover, dig in yours.
  • When the enemy comes to you, delay them: blow up their transports, omniscramble their deepstrikes, pin them with Tremor Shells, punish their charges with Fortress of Resolve overwatch, and turn them back with Repulsor fields & Tectonic purge.
  • When the enemy reaches your objectives, you can use Shield Unwavering and Bolster Defense to protect them, and Close-Range Bolter Fire when falling back isn't an option.

Black Templars

In the grim darkness of the far future, there will be only war. Actual quote by Sigismund, he called it first.

The Great Crusade never ended for these guys. Not confined to a sector like other chapters, the Black Templars fight the enemies of mankind wherever they are.

On the tabletop, these guys are no-nonsense marines, geared to fight the enemy in honest melee with daring charges and skilled swordplay. There's the enemy, go kill it. Shrug off their psychic tricks, bolter and blade will carry out the day. What deals more damage than just shooting? Shooting AND fighting, and you can chain the two better than other Chapters. So good at it that even charging right out of orbit can be a tactic - skip movement and psychic phases, shooting and fighting is where it's at.

Are all orks dead? Has chaos been defeated? Then chain your weapons to your gauntlets and take the fight to them . No pity, no remorse, no fear!

Special Rules

• The Lost Librarius: Adeptus Astartes Psykers cannot be from the Black Templars Chapter, if you needed reminding. Doesn't affect non-Templar Psykers in allied detachments.
• Chosen Champion: You also can't use the Chapter Champion stratagem. But that's because you have the Emperor's Champion, so you don't care.

• Chapter Tactics - Righteous Zeal: Units with this tactic can re-roll failed charge rolls, either one or both dice. They also get a 5+++ FNP vs mortal wounds.
  • All mortal wounds, not just those from psychic powers; this is basically Armour of Contempt but always active, all the time and not restricte to vehicles. A character about to die can fail to save a regular wound, and pass it onto a Company Vet as a mortal wound to try to save it again. A vehicle that fails a plasma roll has a chance to not lose a wound. What tries to counter TH/SS? Mortal Wounds SPAM. Well now your TH/SS are 2+/3++/5+++, simple as.
  • Imperial 'Ere We Go! Simple yet effective, this and Shock Attack are your incentives for melee. With an individual 56.9% of making the charge, a massed deepstrike is less of a coinflip ― the probability of at least one of two units making a 9" charge is 0.569+(1-0.569)*0.569 = 81.4%. And you have a ton such units: Anything Jump Pack, Reivers, Terminators; Cataphractii's transport issue is all but solved! Even melee Dreadnoughts will improve, as it makes charges vastly more reliable. But MSU everything: one of two 5-man units making the charge is better than 10 dudes standing around doing nothing. It also doubles the grenades they can use (especially Reiver Shock Grenades), and the unit left behind can prevent any characters that didn't make the charge from being sniped when the others do get into melee.
    • Of course, it's not restricted to a melee drop: a Rhino/Razor/Impulsor rush or a Land Raider Crusader boosted with Shock and Awe works too, and the Assault Doctrine doesn't work until turn 3. Just doing the math so you don't need to cogitate it mid-charge.

• Combat Doctrine - Knights of Sigismund: When the Assault Doctrine is active, units that charge/Heroically Intervene against non-Vehicles that roll an unmodified 6 to hit in melee auto-hit and auto-wound.
  • It's alright. Believe it or not, ((WS-1)*(To Wound)+(1/6)) is actually equal or better than the Blood Angels' +1A when wounding on 4+/5+/6+, since BA gain +1 attack (+25% on 2+1 A Intercessors), while you get +25%/+50%/+125% on any attacks you have. And compared to the WS, you get your bonus while they get nothing against single wound models. So, are BT better at melee than BA & WS? No. Especially not compared to the BA snowflake exclusive units. This bonus also suffers from being better against only the most secific of targets: high toughness single wound models. Fight hordes and you'll wish you had +1A. Fight anything T8 and you'll see it has more than one wound, so WS do double damage to it. Not to mention why are you punching a vehicle with your S4?
  • If you're fishing for exploding 6s, remember there's Exhortation of Rage, Gene Wrought Might and Grimaldus, as well as Death to the Traitors when fighting CSM. So does Incursor melee, although you also have Crusader squads and Veteran Intercessors as melee Troop choices too - after all, more attacks = more 6s.

Warlord Traits

1. Oathkeeper: Warlord can do 6" Heroic Interventions. Eh, it's ok. You certainly don't want your warlord to leave his squad unsupported when they get charged, but you should be the one who charges anyway. Emperor Champion's trait.
2. Epitome of Piety: The Warlord can deny one power in the Psychic Phase, and gains a +1 on his roll to do so. Just in case you need a little more protection than what Righteous Zeal provides you with. Chaplain Grimaldus' trait.
3. Paragon of Fury: After the warlord makes a charge move, roll 1d6 for each enemy unit within 1” of the warlord; on a 2+ that model takes a mortal wound. Ok, but you can do better.
4. Master of Arms: The Warlord Always Fights First. Black Templars don't do fall back feints, and fighting first means the enemy cannot kill you because you killed them first. Though if you can't get stuck in because you're killing everything in the charge then pick something else.
5. Inspirational Fighter: When friendly Black Templars units within 6” of this warlord roll an unmodified 6 to wound for melee weapon attacks, improve the weapon’s AP by 1.
   • Biggest issue with this is that the AP boost cannot stack with the Assault Doctrine's, meaning you'll be lucky if you even manage to fight under this effect for at least one round.
6. Front-Line Commander: Add 1 to the Advance and Charge distances of friendly Black Templars units within 6”. High Marshal Helbrecht's trait.
   • Remember it doesn't stack with Canticle of Hate, which doesn't affect advances and doesn't work if the user was in a transport, but does increase Pile In moves by +3". Which is like the Devout Push stratagem, but as an aura. Up to you to use a Front-Line Commander to do a turn 1 drop pod assault or be patient and wait for turn 2 with Chaplain support.

Relics and Special-Issue Wargear

• Ancient Breviary: Chaplain only. When you roll for a litany for the bearer, you can roll 2D6 and discard either result. Equivalent to being able to re-roll, except that you can use both this and a tactical re-roll. Can give 97.55% reliability to Litany combos for a Master of Sanctity.
• Aurillian Shroud: Once per battle at the start of the battle round, a model with this relic can activate it. If they do, until the end of the battle round, models in friendly Black Templars units have a 4++ invulnerable save while within 3” of the relic bearer.
• Crusader's Helm: Increase the range of the model's aura abilities by 3", to a maximum of 12". Also, at the start of your Movement phase (so it doesn't work in deepstrike/transports), pick a friendly Black Templars unit with the Combat Doctrines ability within 6" of this model. Until your next Movement phase, the Assault Doctrine is active for that unit, replacing the current doctrine.
• Skull of the Cacodominus: Once per battle, after a psychic power is manifested within 12" of the bearer, roll 1d6; on a 2+, the caster suffers 1d3 mortal wounds after the power is resolved. Alas, poor Cacodominus, I knew your psychic death screams well.
• Sword of Judgment: Replaces a power sword or master-crafted power sword. S+1 AP-3 3D. Compared to a Thunder Hammer, hitting on a 2+ but wounding on 3+ is the same as hitting on a 3+ but wounding on a 2+.
  • Despite this is using a relic slot (1CP) to do what a regular Thunder Hammer does, this relic sword costs TEN TIMES LESS points, and can be wielded by Primaris characters, who can't use hammers. And Knights of Sigismund makes 6A with this relic deal similar damage to 5A with a relic hammer.
• Witchseeker Bolts: Goes with a bolt weapon and you can shoot these instead of its normal ammo. You only get one attack, but the attack can target a PSYKER CHARACTER even if it’s not the closest model. Also, a hit on a Psyker causes an extra 1d3 mortal wounds. Put it on a Master-crafted Stalker bolt rifle for D3+1d3 to witches. So does a Master-crafted Instigator bolt carbine, but the RG FAQ confirms a Marksman's Honorus warlord does get +1D when shooting relic ammo.

Litanies of the Devout

To compensate for their lack of a Psychic Discipline, the Black Templars gain six unique Litanies for their Chaplains to use instead of the usual one. You are sooooo bringing a Master of Sanctity for them- good thing you can just take Grimaldus instead of using the CP for the Master of Sanctity Stratagem.

1. Litany of Divine Protection: Target friendly black templars unit within 6" gets a 5+++ FNP without being restricted to mortal wounds. Good, but suffers from not being a bubble.
2. Psalm of Remorseless Persecution: Re-roll melee wound rolls of 1 for black templars units within 6". Like having a lieutenant around, but worse.
   • Then again, the Lieutenant may be somewhere else. It would take both a Chapter Master and a Lieutenant (or Guilliman) to give the rerolls that a Master of Sanctity gives you in melee.
   • White Scars get full wound re-rolls for units within 6". On top of more and better stratagems, relics and Librarians with their own spells. Just play your BT as WS and you'll be a happier man.
3. Vow of Retribution: -2 leadership to enemy units within 6". Just don't. You're not a leadership bomb based army, and you should usually be trying to keep your chaplain near your own units more than the enemy.
   • But hear me out! Fear Made Manifest Master of Sanctity + Phobos Lieutenant with the Reiver keyword. That's -4Ld on top of rerolling all melee and wounds of 1.
4. Fires of Devotion: Target a friendly black templars unit within 6". It gains +1A if it charges or makes a Heroic Intervention until the end of the turn. So, if you go first, it's not active during your enemy's half of the battle round unlike other litanies.
   • Black Templars are already great at making charges, and of course this stacks with Shock Assault. The only downside is that it's not a bubble, so you want to put it on a melee deathstar of some sort. It's much better than (and will stack with) Exhortation of Rage in practice, not that Exhortation of Rage was a great Litany to begin with. Since this one only works offensively, you want it on a faster Chaplain - the Litany does nothing when you are charged.
5. Fervent Acclamation: +3" to aura abilities of black templars units within 6" (which applies to the chaplain, so really 9").
   • BELLOWING VOICE! Crusader Helm Captain, Vox Espiritum Lieutenant, TWELVE-INCHER Auras. Oh and it helps Helbrecht's, Grimaldus', and Cenobyte Servitor's auras too. As well as Standard bearers and the Aurillian Shroud. Positioning made simple, it allows Black Templars to footslogg like they used to.
6. Oath of Glory: Target one friendly black templars unit within 6" to always fights first.
   • Terrible utility. Good for ongoing combats (which you should not count on your opponent giving you); combine it with Canticle of Hate or Devout Push to charge and get stuck in. More importantly, you can try to keep them in place with Tenacious Assault. That way, you deny your enemy their shooting phase, and you still get to fight first on their turn.

Stratagems

• Abhor the Witch (1 CP): Roll 1d6 when an enemy psyker manifests a power within 24". roll a d6. On a 4+, the psychic power is resisted. Doesn't even have to target you, you could deny an enemy boost.
• Crusader Relics (1 CP): Differently from other Sergeant (or "Sword Brother") Relics stratagems, you can hand out only three: Witchseeker bolts (better fired by a Primaris character's Master-crafted gun), Sword of Judgement (better wielded by someone with more WS and Attacks), and the Skull of the Cacodominus, which merely needs to be held. Your choice.
• Devout Push (1 CP): Use at the start of the fight phase. +3" to the Pile in move. You'll need a big unit, since there's only so much ground a 5-man unit can cover. Doesn't stack with Canticle of Hate per se, but use it on a unit outside litany range and pile onto everything.
• Oaths of Honour (1 CP): Use during the fight phase. select one Black Templar Scout Unit that charged or was charged. They can reroll the wound roll of their melee weapons.
• Shock and Awe (1 CP): When an Infantry unit disembarks from a Land Raider Crusader, they become immune to Overwatch and force attacks against them to be made at -1 to hit. Take big Crusader units geared for melee to exploit the Crusader's improved transport capacity, since this only affects one unit at a time.
  • Alongside Devout Push they are basically the only reason to use Crusader squads, since you cannot pile in onto anything you didn't declare a charge against, and Shock & Awe cancels any overwatch. Ferry a 15-man Crusader unit into range, declare a charge against the target and everyone around it, and not even Tau can prevent you from tying up anything nearby.
• Tenacious Assault (2 CP): roll a d6 when an enemy infantry unit without the FLYER BATTLEFIELD ROLE tries to fall back from your black templars. On a 2+, they can't fall back. What the Emperor ties up in melee, let no man separate!.
• The Emperor's Will (1 CP): Use when a Black Templar Infantry Unit advances. They can still shoot pistols and charge.
• Vicious Riposte (1 CP): Use during the fight phase. Select one Black Templar infantry unit. Until the end of the phase, when they roll an unmodified save roll of 6, their attacker suffers a mortal wound. More useful against big units, as more saves mean more chances to roll a 6, but then again, more chances to fail a save too.

Specialist Detachment - Sword Brethren

High Marshall Helbrecht, the Emperor's Champion, Company Champion, Captains (all flavours) and Company Veterans in this detachment gain the SWORD BRETHREN keyword, so you can do a mighty crusade! Neither Grimaldus, Crusader squads, Terminator squads nor Vanguard Vets are affected, btw.

• This is the ONLY specialist detachment that affects a Chapter Master, a named one at that, as well as the Emperor's Champion unique character. Named characters still can't take this detachment's warlord trait, though.
• You can use it on Company Veterans on Bikes, since they too have the Company veterans keyword, same as the Captain on Bike...buuut they are overcosted. Even more so than before, as in CA2018 they retained their old price while everything else got a discount.

Stratagems

• Uphold the Honour of the Emperor (1CP): At the start of the Fight phase, pick a SWORD BRETHREN unit. Roll a D6 each time one of the models in that unit loses a wound, on a 5+ that model does not lose that wound.
• Suffer Not the Unclean to Live (2CP): At the start of the Fight phase, pick a SWORD BRETHREN unit. All models in the unit get an extra attack and may reroll failed wound rolls.

Warlord Trait

• Master Swordsman: +1A. Each time your warlord rolls an unmodified 6 to hit in the fight phase, the attack inflicts 2 hits instead of 1. Come my foes, get closer. I shall teach you to fear the Emperor!
  • Regular Captain WS2+ 4A+1 wielding a Thunder Hammer hitting a T4 4++ enemy becomes 5*(4/6+4/36)*(5/6)*(1/2)*(3)+5*(1/6+1/36)*(5/6)*(1/2)*(3) = 6.07 unsaved wounds. You can add the Teeth of Terra to get more attacks, and swap the hammer for a Relic Blade to combine it with Grimaldus and unleash a hurricane of attacks.

Artifact

• The Holy Orb: The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch finally returns. Once per battle, in your Shooting phase you can choose for the bearer to throw the Holy Orb instead of making a normal shooting attack. If you do so, pick a visible enemy unit within 6" of the bearer and roll a D6 for every 10 models in that unit (rounding up). For each roll of 2+ that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. Eh.

Special Units

HQ

• High Marshal Helbrecht: The big boss of the Black Templars. All Black Templar units around him reroll all hit rolls and gain +1 strength — and Str 5 is a sweet spot in this edition. So when this guy rolls up in a Land Raider Crusader and then charges you with his strength 5 rerolling to hit homeboys...you're dead. End of discussion. He himself is no slouch in combat, roasting things with a combi melta, and gains d3 attacks on the charge using what is effectively a Relic Blade.
  • It almost goes without saying, but this makes Power Swords and Lightning Claws the superior weapon vs MEQ, and Power Axes wound on 2+ vs GEQ. He also makes Power Fists S10, but only Plague Marines or Land Raiders would notice, so leave those TH/SS at home, and use the increased space for Ancients and Apothecaries instead.

• Emperor's Champion: This guy will brutally murder any enemy character, SM2.0 and PA:F&F making him live up to Sigismund's legacy. This guy is basically a better Chapter Champion, triply so in the way that he costs no CP, is better equipped and is an actual HQ instead of being in the overpopulated Elites slot. He can hand out punishment as well as take it: With 5A base, +1A on the charge, +1A +1S vs Characters wielding what is basically a Relic Blade (S+2 AP-3 D1d3), and re-rolling hits and wounds against characters he hits above his points cost, especially when a thunder hammers cost 40 pts to his Black Sword's 0 pts. Like the Chapter Champion he is, he inflicts a -1 to be hit penalty in melee, but with a 2+/4++ base where a the regular version would need to spend 1CP for the relic armour. *Against monsters he just rerolls the wound roll.
  • Being entirely dedicated to be a beatstick, he needs support, most notably a transport. Furthermore, his retinue will need support because he lacks an aura himself, and you both lack Librarians and cannot use Litanies out of a transport. Helbrecht is a great choice since he turns him Str8 against characters, his Chapter Master aura would override a Captain's, and also helps him get to melee. These two characters would make any transport a high value target, so either put him in a one that is hard to kill (Land Raider (Crusader) / Stormraven), one that cannot be intercepted (Drop Pod), or just put him in a separate Rhino.

• Chaplain Grimaldus: THE guy for Black Templar's Black Tide lists, now a Master of Sanctity with two litanies (but only Ld9). Unmatched Zeal is basically the Exhortation of Rage litany (unmodified 6s generate an additional attack with that weapon (which can miss)) but in aura mode, so it always affects everyone within 6" instead of only a single unit a turn after disembarking. Furthermore he can deny one power, meaning he gets two Deny the Witch at +1 when he's the warlord. Suffer not the witch!
  • He's got a plasma pistol you should never supercharge, but now he wields the Artificer Crozius (S+2 AP-2 D2). So, if you bring Helbrecht and use Mantra of Strength, you could have 4 S8 D3 WS2+ attacks, which is basically a Thunder Hammer without unwieldy. Since that'd prevent him from using Litanies of the Devout, you could have his second litany be either Canticle of Hate to consolidate into everyone, or Exhortation of Rage (stacks with Unmatched Zeal, but for a single unit). Fervent Acclamation helps with the lot of auras you can bring, but since the other litanies are okish you can have some other Chaplain sing it, if you want to.

Troops

• Crusader Squad: RIP vestigial limb. Initiates (marines) cost 13 pts instead of the normal 12 for, idk, the privilege of being able to swap their boltguns (and lose Bolt Discipline) for chainswords, and one of them can take a power weapon/fist. Neophytes (scouts) can replace their bolter for either a shotgun or knife. When there's at least as many Initiates (marines) as Neophytes (scouts), the later can re-roll 1s to hit in melee. Now they need to number 10 members to get both a Special and Heavy (or power) weapon.
  • Crusader squads only make sense (barely) when taken at 11-20 size and boosted with stratagems or litanies that target a single unit. But that squad size makes them vulnerable to morale as well. Chaplains (especially Grimaldus) help their morale at the same time they increase their lethality. So do Captains(Helbrecht)/Lieutenants/Ancients, and the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant/Rites of War Warlords make them immune to morale, so 20-man Crusader squads love them, as they can't fit inside most transports.
  • On the opposite side they can actually be extremely useful in low point games even taken as five man squads! Give the captain and a Initiate power fists, pop two squads inside a drop pod and watch them tear apart the usual single tank most players bring to a 500 point army. The chainswords are even useful for either causing some chaos from the rear after their job is done or slicing through the cannon fodder your opponent uses to separate your squads from their targets (gretchin anyone?). Basically they're useless when taken on foot unless in huge numbers, but if you focus on mobility and need that sweet Battalion CP they can cause a surprising amount of pain with all your melee bonuses.

Elite

• Cenobyte Servitors: Provide FnP 4+ for Mortal Wounds to Black Templar units within 6". They're cheap and don't take an Elites slot if you also took Grimaldus, but they're frail and not a character, meaning they can be easily removed. Furthermore, Black Templars already have a natural FnP 5+ vs MW so, if you use them, avoid giving up First Blood and hide them behind a Rhino.
  • Or just have them as decorative non-models, like Azrael's Helmet bearer.

Tactics

"I have slain many enemies, and won many battles and I tell you there is no great secret to success in war, no subtle trick of strategy that has saved my foes -- I seek out the enemy, attack as soon as I am able and with all the force at my command, rend his soldiers and smash his fortresses, leave only corpses behind me and then move on -- thus my Primarch has taught me, and I find his wisdom has proved worthy on a hundred battlefields" -- t. Kharn the Betrayer Bloody

• MSU Spam: Black Templars aren't the best melee chapter (especially not when BA and WS exist), but they can reliably get lots of models stuck in, even right out of a deepstrike, which often needs special tricks to accomplish. Multiple small units mean more rolls and more sarges, but be sure to support them, with ranged weapons killing keepaway units and dealing with targets your melee could struggle with, like vehicles. Suppressors can be useful, their mobile firepower shutting down overwatch from far away.

White Scars

In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only the hunt unending.

Thematically, they're the archetypical steppe nomads but turned into a post-human military force. These guys are the ones if you want your warrior-monks asian instead of western.
On the tabletop these guys are the fast, melee marines, with the speed to keep up the pace, strong bikes to keep up the pressure, and the rules for relentless punishing assault. Your units will be as fast as genestealers without being as frail as them. Furthermore, their charge is devastating and their rules turn ongoing combats into repeated charges.
If you want your army to hit as fast and hard as a lightning bolt, then ride with the White Scars and unleash the storm.

Special Rules

• Chapter Tactics - Lightning Assault: Units with this tactic can charge even if they advanced or fell back. Furthermore, their Bikers don't suffer the penalty for moving and firing Heavy weapons (Attack Bikes) or advancing and firing assault weapons (Scout Bikes, and up to 3 special guns in a unit of SM bikes). Land Speeders and Boltguns still eat dirt.
  • Advance + Charge is huuuuge. Not talking about infantry's effective 3d6" charge range, no. This is for 12" Rhinos that end up with a 22.5" average charge threat range, whose cargo can then disembark, shoot after the rhino falls back, then charge overwatch-free when the rhino charges back in. This is for turboboosting bikers of 27.5" threat range and Attack Bikes which don't need to stay put in order to have a good chance of hitting something.
  • Charging after falling back is especially useful to units that proc Mortal Wounds on a charge, like Inceptors and your own Deadly Hunter Warlord (and Ironclad Dreadnoughts and Assault Centurions), on top of triggering Shock Assault and guaranteeing your units hit first. It also allows ranged support to help a unit from afar before it charges back into the fray. Even better when you have a Rhino to absorb overwatch.
  • By letting them re-engage after falling back, Assault Marines and Vanguard Vets no longer sacrifice their melee phase in order to throw a Melta Bomb, and 8E has no restriction on charging disembarked models or units different to those the unit fired at. Makes White Scars field some of the best Jump Pack Infantry among SM.
• Combat Doctrine - Devastating Charge: While the Assault Doctrine is active, melee attacks performed by a unit that charged or performed a Heroic Intervention deal 1 more damage. If this triggers, you'll have already activated Shock Assault, so even a simple chainsword will be able to shred most two-wound infantry.

Warlord Traits

1. Deadly Hunter: Each time he successfully charges, roll a D6. On a 4+, the enemy unit takes a mortal wound. And his Chapter Tactic allows him to charge after falling back, triggering the mortal wound again and again and again.
2. Chogorian Storm: +1d3A when he makes a charge or heroic intervention, aka WS' Smash Captain.
3. Trophy Taker: Whenever this warlord successfully kills a character, he gains +1A until the end of the battle. Kor'sarro Khan comes with this. Skulls for the Golden Throne!
4. Master Rider: Biker warlord only. Reroll charges, -1 to be hit if he advanced.
5. Hunter's Instincts: +1 to wound and hit vs vehicles and monsters.
6. Master of Snares: On a 4+ enemies stuck in can't fall back unless they contain a model with a minimum move characteristic.

Relics & Special-Issue Wargear

Relics of Chogoris

• Banner of the Eagle: Ancient only. +1S to friendly WS units within 6".
• Glaive of Vengeance: Kahn spear that is always Sx2 AP-3 D1d3, even if it didn't charge.
• Hunter's Eye: One white scars unit within 6" of the bearer gains Ignore Cover.
• Mantle of the Stormseer: Psykers only. The bearer adds +1 when attempting to manifest the Stormspeaker discipline.
• Plume of the Plainsrunner: 6" aura of +1 to Infantry advance and charge rolls.
• Scimitar of the Great Kahn: Replaces a power sword/master-crafted power sword/relic blade. +1S AP-3 D2. Unmodified wound rolls of 6s do D4 (D5 during the Assault doctrine wtf!).
• Wrath of the Heavens: Biker model gets a Jump Bike. Movement characteristic becomes 16" and basically can advance as if it had FLY.

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.
• Cyber-Eagle Helm: Models in units within 6" (so, units) hit Overwatch on 5 and 6.
• Digital weapons: Do an additional attack when the model fights. If it hits, the target suffers a mortal wound. Yet another source of MW for a Deadly Hunter warlord.
• Equis-Pattern Bolt Pistol: Upgrades a bolt or, interestingly, a Heavy Bolt pistol to full brrrt Pistol 5 S4 AP-1. Your infantry can advance and charge, but pistols can't advance and shoot. They can, however, shoot into melee provided the shooter is in the melee, and supplement your already potent assaults, provided you don't fall back, which you usually will.
• Headtaker's Trophies: -1Ld to enemies within 6" of the bearer. Very spooky with just a mere couple Reivers.
• Master-crafted weapon: +1D to a weapon, and it's now considered a relic (so now some WTs no longer affect it and such). D5 Thunder Hammer!!
• Stormwrath Bolts: Pocket autocannon. You can choose the bolt weapon it's being used on to make only one attack at S7 AP-1. If the target is a monster, it also gains D1d6.

Stratagems

White Scar Stratagems can be divided into four categories; movement, offense, durability/utility, and universal.

• Movement: As befits their reputation for lightning warfare, the White Scars have an impressive number of movement related stratagems. These revolve around getting your units where you want them to be, whether that means in melee combat, onto an objective, or out of a transport.
  • Wind-swift (2 CP): Select one unit that has just moved, and move it again. Can't advance if it had already advanced, can't shoot, charge or use psychic powers either. Can be useful if you need an aura ability like an Ancient's or Chaplain's right fucking now.
  • Lightning debarkation (1 CP): A transport that doesn't have the Flyer Battle Role can disembark its cargo after it has already moved, though they cannot charge that turn. Aka pay 1CP to give a transport the Impulsor's rule.
  • Fierce rivalries (1 CP): Your first charge that phase rolls the best 2 of 3d6. Game on, Blood Angels.
  • Strike for the heart (2 CP): One of your WS can consolidate D3+3", or D6+6" if every model in that unit has a move characteristic of at least 10". Not only can you hit hard and fast, you can also drag nearby squads into the melee.
  • Encirclement (1CP): During deployment, set up a unit outflank instead of on the battlefield. At the end of one of your movement phases, that unit can arrive within 6" of a battlefield's edge and more than 9" away from enemy models.
• Offense: These stratagems allow you to hit harder or ignore penalties to your shooting from advancing or falling back
  • Butchered quarry (1 CP): When an enemy falls back from a WS Infantry or Biker unit (that isn't within 1" of yet another enemy unit), your squad makes one attack with a melee weapon at the falling back unit. If they yet live, your squad can follow them 3", as long as that move doesn't take them within 1" of another enemy unit.
  • Hunter's Fusillade (1 CP): When a unit advances, their Heavy and Rapid Fire weapons can be fired as if they were Assault (keep in mind Rapid Fire 1 becomes Assault 1).
  • Born in the saddle (1 CP): A biker can advance and shoot.
  • Feinting withdrawal (1CP): A unit that falls back can still shoot.
  • Chogorian thunderbolts (1 CP): When one of your squads finishes a charge move, for each model in your squad select one enemy unit within 1" of that model. Roll a d6 and inflict 1MW on that unit on a 6. Doesn't say you can't select the same squad many times - true, but obviously in matched play it can only be used once per phase.
  • The eternal hunt (2CP, Single Use): Use this strat at the start of the movement phase if the Assault doctrine is active. Until the start of the next battle round, Pistols and melee weapons gain yet -1AP on unmodified wound rolls of 6.
• Survival/utility: While the White Scars are extremely fast and deadly, they have a limited number of stratagems that focus on defense or utility options.
  • Ride Hard, Ride Fast (1 CP): Use it on a unit that just advanced. Enemies shooting at it get -1 to hit until the start of your next movement phase. Unstoppable -2 to hit Smoke Launcher'd transport.
  • Quarry of the Khan (1 CP): If your WS warlord is on the field when you first generate a Tactical Objective, this strat guarantees your it is Kingslayer, which your warlord is good at.
  • A mighty trophy (1 CP): Use it when a WS kills the enemy warlord with a melee weapon. Your White Scars now autopass morale tests.
• Universal: All Chapters Supplements include some variation of the following three stratagems.
  • Khan's Champion (1 CP): Give one of your "sergeant"s a Master-crafted weapon/Digital weapon/Headtaker's trophies/Stormwrath bolts. Remember all relics in your army must be different and handed to different characters.
    • Stormwrath bolts restrict the weapon to "make a single shot with this stats", but it DOESN'T change a profile's rules: an Eliminator Sergeant can snipe characters with Stormwrath bolts with +2 to hit that ignore cover/inflict a MW on a 6+ to wound. Unsure an Armorium Cherub could reload a Devastator sergeant's boltgun, but his Signum would give him BS2+.
    • The other three SI wargear are melee-oriented; a Master-crafted power weapon or Digital weapon for Vanguard Vet/Primaris sarges. A Reiver with Headtaker's trophies, however, can inflict -2Ld on his own.
  • Tempered by wisdom (1CP, Single Use): You can generate a second warlord trait for one of your WS characters that isn't a named character, from the White Scars Warlord Trait table. All warlord traits must be different.
  • Gift of the Khans (1CP, Single Use): After nominating a WS Successor character as your warlord, you can give one Relic of Chogoris to one of your WS Successor characters instead of giving them a relic from the regular SM codex or a Special Issue wargear.

Litany & Psychic Discipline - Stormspeaker

Stormspeaker contains several standout powers that can combo together to spectacular effect. The discipline relies on lashing your opponent with blasts of wind and lightning, shielding your units from enemy fire, and speeding your units into the enemy's lines while hampering the ability of their units to advance and charge.

• Blasting gale (WC7): Targets an enemy unit with 18". Target cannot advance and rolls one fewer die for charges. Stacks with Tenebrous Curse, too!
  • This can be a bit tricky to use and requires a good understanding of your opponent's move values. Very good for handicapping units that rely on the ability to charge after advancing.
• Lightning call (WC7): The closest enemy unit within 18" takes d3 mortal wounds. Then roll a die. On a 4+, deal one additional mortal wound. rinse and repeat until you fail, with the target going up by one each time (5+ on the second roll, 6+ on the third).
• Ride the wind (WC6): +2" to advance and charge. Due to the psychic phase happening after the movement phase, it will be rare to get use out of this power in both phases. If your opponent tries to fall back, you can hopefully catch them thanks to the bonus from the advance rolls (provided the unit isn't shot off the table first).
  • This is a very solid power that works well with a wide array of White Scar units thanks to the Chapter Tactic. Great for helping deep striking units make that 9" charge.
• Storm-wreathed (WC6): Select an friendly unit within 12", enemy units cannot fire overwatch on it. In addition, roll a die for each model that charged and got within 1" of an enemy. On a 6, it causes a mortal wound.
  • The Mortal Wounds are a nice bonus if they happen, but the real benefit is the ability to turn off overwatch, especially if your are facing auto hitting weapons like flamers.
• Spirit of chogoris (WC6) Enemy unit has -1 leadership and -1 on hit rolls. This is yet another solid power. Combine with Ride Hard, Ride Fast for an additional -1 to hit penalty.
• Eye of the Storm (WC6): Roll a d6 for each enemy unit within 12". Add 1 if the enemy has fly. On a 4+, cause a mortal wound.
  • A very good one for a close support librarian. Keep him out of unfavourable combat via screens, give him a jump pack for supreme positioning and a combi weapon for some fire support and he'll make his points quickly especially in the MSU meta.

Litanies of Battle - Strike Off the Head: Re-roll failed wound rolls in melee for friendly White Scars units within 6".

Special Units

• Khan on Bike: Cannot be customized, but his Khan's Spear (S:User AP-3 D1d3) becomes StrX2 when he charges or makes a heroic intervention (but not when charged unlike Shock Assault), akin to a non-unwieldy Power Fist on the charge. Cannot take a Storm Shield, but his Buckler improves his armour save by 1 against melee weapons.
• Kor'sarro Khan: Grants +1 Str to his chapter's units that charged that turn. On-foot units with mid-strength weapons like Vanguard Veterans with Power Axes and Lightning Claws assault terminators get the most benefit. His buff to Str is by Unit, so large units of Assault Marines can carry his buff wide. Their resultant Str 5 is productive. Wide, stringy assault units strung out before multiple enemy units, like three tanks, are great. They charge one of the enemy units and then use their pile in to get within 1" of the other units. On a turn, they charge they can only target the unit they charged. The next turn, those enemy units are locked in melee, and unable to shoot.
  • Kor'sarro Khan on Moondrakkan (White Scars): On bikes he naturally pairs with melee high-speed assaulty units. His buff applies to all WHITE SCARS, so the marines he travels well with are the many Infantry Fast Attack options. Jump Pack Assault, Veteran Vanguard. and Bike Squads with Chainswords carry his force multiplier far and fast, and the last one is a perfect fit for the Born in the Saddle Stratagem. Do note, he can only have a bike if taken from the Index. Yes it is fucking stupid that you need the Index to field the only Bike-Chapter character on an actual bike.
  • Primaris Kor'sarro Khan: Sure he's got improved stats, a cyber-hawk that deals a mortal wound on a 4+ in the shooting phase and Moonfang's now S+2, but the real deal is that his new "+1 to wound rolls for melee weapons" aura is better than Biker Kor'Sarro's old +1 to Str on the charge. Wounding MEQ on a 2+, that's like a non-unwieldy power fist too.
    • Whats the catch? Figure a way to get him to melee. No bike, can't use a drop pod. A Repulsor is expensive and prone to being a fire magnet. Impulsors might work but they can't carry Aggressors, and their meanest occupants are Vet Intercessors and Reivers. Vanguard Vets, Deep striking terminators, and Bikers can catch up to him, but not vice versa, so you either commit with a Repulsor or you give him glorified tactical as a retinue.
    • Alternate opinion: Vet intercessors have 4 attacks a piece with 5 attacks on a thunder hammer sergeant that can be mastercrafted up to damage 5 in assault doct that can swing twice. The real downside is that he only provides a re-roll 1's bubble that can't be upgraded to a chapter master re-roll all bubble because he is named.
    • Alternate alternative: You can use the encirclement strat to put him in the reserves and deepstrike him along the edges of the map.

Forgeworld Successor Chapters Characters
Remember you don't necessarily need to pick Inheritors of the Primarch to be White Scars successors and use this supplement.
Mantis Warriors

• Ahazra Redth: Librarian; can ignore his first Perils of the game, has a 5++ and a force sword that deals flat D2.

Successor Tactics: Guerrilla tactics are much benefited by Inheritors of the Primarch here, and the White Scar's Tactic is generally superior in every aspect then any combination of Successor tactics when coming to that end. That being said, if you are trying to squeeze every bit out of Ahazra you can, Knowledge is Power can help preserve his "ignore first Perils" bit around for as long as possible.

Tactical Objectives

• Rapid Redeployment: Pick an objective marker more than 18" away from your army (if none are available, use the one furthest away). Gain 1 CP if you control it at the end of your turn.
• Run Them Down: Score 1 CP if you destroyed at least one unit with a White Scars unit that advanced this turn.
• Mounted Assault: Score. 1 VP of you destroyed an enemy unit with a Biker or Land Speeder model, d3 VP if you destroyed at least 3 this way.
• Feigned Retreat: Score 1 VP if one of your units fell back this turn.
• The Clean Kill: Pick an enemy unit (if possible, it needs to be one that has not lost any wounds yet). d3 VP if you kill it by the end of the turn, but if it hasn't been killed by then this objective is automatically discarded.
• Claim Their Heads: Score 1 VP for each enemy Character killed by a melee attack this turn, up to a maximum of 3. If one of them was the Warlord, you get an extra d3 VP.

Tactics

• Primaris Devastating Charge and Lightning Assault makes Primaris close combat vible.
  • Incursors - With the Gene-Wrought might Stratagem, on the charge every 6 to hit is 2 automatic wounds at D2 -1 AP.
  • Inceptors - completely disposable source of mortal wounds. Run a unit of 6 with assault bolters. shred infantry, mortal wounds, tarpit, repeat. also, Strike for the heart makes these guys tarpit 6+d6 when consolidating
  • Reivers - these guys are only 16 points each, running deep striking horde & a Phobos Librarian with Temporal Corridor or Ride the Wind power.
• Bikes: White Scars signature and have a lot of abilities revolving around it. Bikes are one of the fasted units, being able to Advance 20" + 2d6" to charge. Scouts can fire and advance, while Spacmarines are more durable.
• Speed of the foot: on foot your ground troops can cover 6" + d6" + 2d6".
• Assault Terminators: With the proper support, White Scars have probably the fastest terminators in the game. A terminator librarian with the Plume of the Plain Runner Relic and the Ride the Wind Power will let your assault terminators make a charge on a 6+. Activate the Fierce Rivalries stratagem, and now they need a 6+ on 3d6. If that was not enough, you can use Fury of the First to make them hit harder. Even if your opponent falls back, your terminators can still advance and catch them, making up for one of their traditional weaknesses.
• Leviathan Dreadnought: Take a Leviathan and use Encirclement. Congratulations you now have a 14 wound, 2+/4++ monster on your opponent's board edge. Shoot something and use Fierce Rivalries to all but ensure your charge. You did bring a meele weapon right?

Raven Guard

In the grim darkness of the far future, death comes from the shadows.

Thematically, these guys are THE specialist of covert operations and rapid deployment, striking their enemies before they can react.
On the tabletop, these guys are well-suited to picking off characters, either from long range sniping, mass Jump Pack assaults, or smash captains flipping entire units by themselves, and either way they're tricky to actually land a hit on. Thanks to a wealth of deployment and redeployment options, they will constantly be moving in to attack from multiple directions, and they are one of the few chapters that can reliably deliver Primaris units into close quarters without relying on transports.
If you want your marines to behave like the special forces they are, keep quiet, and stalk the shadows with the Ravens.

Special Rules

• Chapter Tactics - Shadow Masters: Your units get the benefit of cover if they're being shot beyond 12". If they're not vehicles and happen to be entirely on or within a terrain feature (not just receiving cover), enemies must also subtract 1 from their hit rolls.
  • Of help to long-range attackers of all types, from Scout Snipers to ranged Dreads. One of the best chapter tactics available, as is basically good on everything, from units that can pick off opponents from afar to melee units that need to cover long distances to reach their intended targets, preventing them from being shot up quite as badly.
  • While it's a nerf from the old -1 to hit (it being restricted to far-away cover), a 2+ save still helps, and your vehicles get cover in the open: hard to destroy -1 to hit (Smoke launchers) 2+ Rhinos (Shadow Masters) without also getting within 12" of them. It's also worth noting that Vanguard Primaris means that there are now more units with Camo Cloaks, as opposed to just Scouts, and they'll all enjoy that +2 to saves at 12". Turns out that Salamanders don't have a monopoly on infantry that can ignore AP-1.
• Combat Doctrine - Surgical Strikes: While the Tactical Doctrine is active, all your models add +1 to hit and wound rolls when targeting a character. Unlike most doctrines, this isn't restricting you to any particular method of fighting...though you can snipe a character earlier than you can reach it in melee. Naturally, sniper Scouts and Eliminators in particular will appreciate these bonuses, triggering Mortal Wounds on a wound roll of 5+.
  • This rule is an absolute nightmare for opponents running large, monstrous characters. Knights with relics, Greater Daemons, Hive Tyrants, Mortarion, and Magnus were already fire magnets, and this makes the situation far worse for them.

Warlord Traits

1. Shadowmaster: The enemy can't fire overwatch against your warlord, enabling him to make the charge first, selflessly (and safely) screening his retinue from overwatch. Works on any kind of warlord... but it's obviously better on those who reroll charge ranges, like Shrike or a Jump Pack Captain with the Raven's Fury. Do keep in mind characters with auras that benefit the charge should charge last, or their retinues would no longer benefit from them...like Shrike's.
2. Master of Ambush: At the start of the first battle round, but before the first turn begins, remove your warlord and 1 non-Centurion infantry unit and place them anywhere on the battlefield more than 9" away from the enemies deployment zone. 6 Aggressors??! Note that it allows a Chaplain to infiltrate together with Scouts, Vanguard Primaris units, and other Vanguard HQs without spending a CP.
3. Swift and Deadly: Friendly Raven Guard units within 6" of the warlord can be chosen to charge even if they advanced. Jump Packs? No, lets try bikes!
4. Master of Vigilance: When resolving an attack made by a melee weapon by this warlord, an unmodified hit roll of 6 inflicts a mortal wound in addition to any other damage.
5. Feigned Flight: When this warlord falls back, they can move across models and terrain as if they weren't there. In addition the warlord may shoot and charge in a turn that they fell back.
6. Echo of the Ravenspire: Once per battle, at the end of your movement phase, the warlord can vanish into the gloom if they are more than 6" away from any other models. When it does, remove it from the battlefield and set up the warlord again at the end of your next movement phase anywhere on the table that is more than 9" away from enemy models. Excellent on a Terminator or Gravis Smash Captain.

Relics & Special-Issue Wargear

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

Relics of the Ravenspire

• The Armour of Shadows: Treat AP-1 attacks against the wearer as AP0. In addition, an unmodified hit roll against them of 1, 2, or 3 always fails (i.e. it's harder for elite units to hit you, but worse melee units won't notice). Watch as your opponent's WS2+ smash unit hits as well as a guardsman.
• The Ebonclaws: Replaces Lighting Claws. SU AP-3 D1d3 A+1, re-rolls wounds.
• Ex Tenebris: Replaces a mastercrafted stalker bolt rifle, mastercrafted occulis bolt carbine, or mastercrafted instigator bolt carbine. Replaces the profile with 36" Assault 3 S4 AP-2 D2, it can target enemy characters even if they are not the closest, and it adds 1 to its hit rolls and ignores cover. Was made by Corax and supposed to be given to Konrad Curze. Probably would have helped his shooting. Consider putting this on a Primaris Captain who's supporting your backline to snipe characters, or even better, a Primaris Lieutenant (+1 to hit increasing him to 2+ to hit) since he's cheaper and his buffs stack with the Phobos Captain, who also has a sniper rifle. Since it's a relic, it sadly does not stack with the Marksman's Honors trait.
  • The +1 to hit bonus stacks with the Combat Doctrine, allowing even a Lieutenant to ignore a -1 to hit penalty on other sneaky characters. So it's wasted on a Captain.
• Oppressor's End: Replaces a combat knife with S+1 AP-2 D1 A+1. Against an enemy character, the damage improves to 3. Not shabby, but the only HQs that can this are the Phobos Captain and Lieutenant... and they'd probably rather take Ex Tenebris.
• The Raven Skull of Korvaad: Once per turn, you can re-roll a hit roll, wound roll, or damage roll. In addition, if the model carrying this relic is destroyed by an enemy unit, you can add 1 to the hit rolls of any Raven Guard unit targeting that enemy unit for the rest of the game. Kind of begs for martyrs, which should be easy to find with Templars, but this does have its uses regardless.
• Raven's Fury: Jump Pack model only. Can charge even after advancing, and re-rolls failed charge rolls. It also inflicts a mortal wound on its charge target on a 4+. While its extra speed might be ignored so your other Jump Infantry can keep up, and Champions don't have access to them, it is of great help to a Shadowmaster RG Warlord to get that charge.

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.
• 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!
• Korvidari Bolts: Select one bolter weapon from Codex Space Marines that model is equipped with, when that model is chosen to shoot you can fire a Korvidari bolt. The model's ranged weapon's range is increased by 6" and can target units that are not visible, but only one attack can be made with the weapon. Great on a Phobos Captain, as he only gets one shot anyways, or an Eliminator sarge to always use the best ammo despite being out of LoS.
• Shadow Master Cloak: 3++ invuln save while completely within a terrain feature. Good on Lieutenants and Librarians for the same reason as Artificer Armour, the choice depends entirely on the availability of terrain.
• Silentus Pistol: Models with a bolt pistol or heavy bolt pistol only, replaces it for a pistol 2 S5 AP-2 D2. It can target a character even without it being the closest and can add 1 to the hit roll.
  • Since it doesn't fully synergize with the Combat Doctrine (it gets the to hit and to wound bonuses but not the AP bonus), it works better on a Successor Chapter.
• Shard of Isstvan: +1 attack, and when a morale test is taken for a chapter unit within 6", the test is automatically passed.

Stratagems

Raven Guard Stratagems can be divided into four broad categories; Mobility, Offense, Disruption/Survival, and Universal.

• Mobility: If White Scars are the masters of speed, Raven Guard are the masters of deployment.
  • Infiltrators (1 CP): At the start of the first battle round, but before the first turn begins choose an infantry unit and move them. As long as you finish more than 9" from enemy models. Each unit can only be selected for this once per battle. As your turn hasn't begun you can use this multiple times on different units.
    • Best utilized on Jump Infantry, though as Concealed Positions also happens before the first turn, it can also be used to reposition an infiltrating unit.
  • Strike from the Shadows (1 CP): Lets you place a Raven Guard Infantry unit in ambush, allowing them to deep strike.
  • Strike from the Skies (1 CP): Start of the Charge phase. One Raven Guard Jump Pack unit can charge even if they advanced and adds 1 to the charge rolls.
  • The Raven's Blade (1 CP): Allows you to reroll all charge rolls against one enemy unit. Useful for removing an important enemy unit by charging several of your melee units into it simultaneously.
  • False Flight (2 CP): One Raven Guard unit can now shoot and charge after they fall back. There's plenty of utility here, from making a fighting retreat to double-dipping on any charge bonuses you get.
• Offense: Compared to other chapters, the Raven Guard have only a few Stratagems that enhance their damage output, and they are either limited to once per turn or very narrow in scope.
  • Lay Low the Tyrants (1 CP): Use during the melee phase. Pick a Raven Guard Infantry or Biker unit. When they resolve a melee attack against a character that is not a vehicle or a non-vehicle unit with a model that has 4 or more wounds, add 1 to the wound roll. Stacks with Surgical Strikes, giving you +2 to wound against enemy Characters.
  • Vengeance of Istvaan V (1 CP): A Raven Guard unit can reroll all attack rolls in melee when targeting a Word Bearer, Iron Warrior, Alpha Legion, or Night Lord unit. Avenge the Drop Site Massacre. ”Come on you fucking pansies! Fight us face-to-face! For Corax! For Brothers lost! CHARGE!!!”- Master of Shadows Kayvaan Shrike, battle for Hope’s Pyre against Word Bearers.
  • Ambushing Fire (2 CP): Use at the start of your moving phase if the Tactical Doctrine is active. Until the end of the next battle round, all Raven Guard units shooting Rapid Fire and Assault weapons in your army improve their AP by 1 on an unmodified wound roll of 6. Can only be used once per battle.
• Disruption/survival:While most armies have stratagems aimed at utility or defense, the Raven Guard emphasize disrupting your opponent's plans and making it harder for them to use stratagems, target your units, and take/score objectives.
  • Stranglehold (2 CP): Use during the first turn of the game to screw over your opponent's stratagems. You must have Raven Guard Scouts or Phobos units in your army. roll 1d6 each time an opponent spends a command point on a stratagem. on a 5+, the opponent must spend an additional command point or the stratagem is countered and cannot be used again this round. Only works during the first turn.
  • See but Remain Unseen (1 CP): Use this stratagem at the end of your turn. Select one Raven Guard unit that did not make any attacks. Subtract 1 from any hit rolls that target them. You could possibly be a dick and use this on transports working as meat shields for your army, you're not gonna miss a few WS 6+ attacks or less than 10 Storm Bolter shots. Works especially well if you position your units such that your opponent must engage the transport. Also makes an Infantry unit in terrain with Smoke Grenades ridiculously survivable at -3 to hit (>12").
  • Decapitating Blow (2 CP): Use when you kill the enemy warlord with a Raven Guard unit. For the rest of the game, enemy units are at -1 leadership.
  • Deadly Price (1 CP): Use at the end of your turn to boobytrap an objective. If an enemy unit tries to take it, roll a d6. On a 2-4, they take d3 mortal wounds. On a 5+, they take 3 mortal wounds instead. Can't be used on the same objective more than once per battle.
  • Force their Hand (1 CP): Tactical objective shenanigans. Force your opponent to discard a tactical objective and draw a new one. You need to have a bike or infantry unit on a objective in your opponent's deployment zone to use this. A lot of hoops to jump through to make this work.
• Universal: All Chapters Supplements include some variation of the following three stratagems.
  • Masters of the Trifold Path (1 CP): Non-named characters can generate a second warlord trait. No duplicates. once per battle
  • Favored of the Ravenspire (1 CP): A Raven Guard Sergeant can take certain relics
  • Token of Brotherhood (1 CP): The standard successor relic sharing stratagem.

Litany & Psychic Discipline - Umbramancy

As a discipline, Umbramancy focuses on shadows, disruption, and making your solo-operators more deadly. Its two mortal wound powers are somewhat weak, but the rest of the powers are fairly solid, if somewhat limited by targeting restrictions. Two of the powers (Umbral Form and Spectral Blade) only affect your librarians themselves, while a third (Shadowstep) only affects characters, and the last (Enveloping Darkness) can only affect a single enemy unit. Nevertheless, there are several combos that present themselves (The Abyss + Spectral Blade), (Spectral Blade + Umbral Form), (Shadowstep + Enveloping Darkness/The Abyss/Smite), (Spectral Blade + Enveloping Darkness + a unit of Reivers).

1. Umbral Form: Warp Charge 5. The psyker gains a 4++ Invulnerable save.
2. Enveloping Darkness: Warp Charge 7. One visible enemy unit within 18" cannot fire Overwatch and subtracts one from their hit rolls. Basically a psychic Shock Grenade, which stacks.
3. Spectral Blade: Warp Charge 5. Until the start of the next psychic phase, the psyker's Strength is equal to their Leadership. In addition, they have AP-4 when resolving an attack against a unit with a lower Leadership. In most cases, this will make your Librarian Strength 9, and you can guarantee the AP bonus by using one of the numerous Leadership penalty sources available (suddenly, Fear Made Manifest gets better as a warlord trait).
4. Shadowstep: Warp Charge 7. One Raven Guard Character within 18" of your Librarian redeploys wherever he wishes while 9" away from the enemy. Once again, it can be used to send a Chaplain to support infiltrated Marines, or to teleport around a Terminator or Gravis Smash Captain.
5. The Abyss: Warp Charge 6. Select one visible enemy unit within 18". Roll 3d6; for each each roll of 4+, the target takes a mortal wound. If any models are destroyed, then the unit suffers a -1 penalty to their leadership for the rest of the turn.
6. The Darkness Within: Warp Charge 6. Select up to 3 enemy units within 18"; roll 1d6 for each unit. On a 4+, they take a mortal wound. If you rolled a 10 or higher on the psychic test, add 1 to the d6 rolls.

Litanies of Battle - Swift as the Raven: Raven Guard within 6" can fall back and shoot, and also charge that turn if they can Fly.

• Inceptors want to tie up units that cannot fight them back, like small troop squads and vehicles, to hide from enemy shooting or force them to fall back. This litany lets them do just that. Let the Chaplain give +1 to hit to their Plasma Exterminators for safe plasma supercharge, and use Swift as the Raven when they reach the enemy. They are the only flying unit that can both shoot and melee, more than Suppressors. If you can get over the autism of mixing a manlet Jump Pack Chaplain with Primaris Inceptors, that is.

Special Units

• Primaris Kayvaan Shrike:He’s been spoiled as a Vanguard Chapter Master. He’s finally got a gun (even though it’s a pistol), still has the Raven's Talons, the jump pack, and that fuck-ugly emo hairstyle. He now lets you re-roll all hit rolls as per the Chapter Master rules revision. His gun, Blackout, is an 18" AP-2 D2 bolt pistol that can target characters and do mortal wounds on 6+ like the usual sniper rifle. In addition, he now has 6 wounds and a 14" move. Combine all that with Winged Deliverance (re-roll charges for units within 6"), and... hoo boy.
• Shadow Captain Korvydae: This guy was dropped from the game in a FAQ; instead, you're told to use the model to represent a generic Captain.
  • Good model for a Raven's Fury/Thunder Hammer Captain. They make decent character assassins, as the sheer speed at which they can close with a target can catch people off guard.

Forgeworld Successor Chapters Characters
Remember you don't necessarily need to pick Inheritors of the Primarch to be Raven Guard successors and use this supplement.

Raptors

• Lias Issodon: Chapter Master. Lias is the king of Infiltration Fuckery. When he infiltrates (at the end of any Movement Phase, thus it supplements Strike from the Shadows), he can take up to three RAPTORS INFANTRY units with him (barring TERMINATORS, PRIMARIS and CENTURIONS, but now allowing jump-pack Marines). Surprise, motherfuckers! He has a 6" aura that adds +1" to all move, advance, charge, and fall back moves (making his base movement 8"), on top of his Chapter Master 6" aura of rerolls to hit. His weapon Malice is a 30" Assault 3 S5 AP-4 D1d3 murdermachine with ignores cover, which he can fire after retreating from melee with Hit & Run. In addition to all of this, Lias essentially has a 0+ save while sitting in any cover (though of course save rolls of 1 always fail, this is more to troll enemies who try to negate cover saves). This means, when he is in cover, he gets a save against every weapon in the game. Yes, including those AP-6 Titan weapons. Plus he has a master-crafted power sword, just in case he needs to run interference to protect your ambushers from small opportunistic chargers. Storm of Fire is the preferred Warlord Trait, as he'll largely be hanging out with other shooters.
  • Potential ambushers to think about are Devastators, Sternguard, or Company Veterans (never waste this ability on units that already have the means to deep strike via cheapish Jump Packs!). Remember he can also buff Inceptors and Cataphractii Terminators, as they can deep strike next to him without his rule, and any Primaris units you infiltrate with Strike from the Shadows *cough*Assault Centurions*cough*. Nothing beats the feeling of deep striking 30 multi-melta Devastators in melta range of an IG tank column or Knight Castellan.
  • Raptors seem to be gaining in popularity. Using this dude takes caution and practice, but if done right you can route your enemy in spectacular fashion. One of the main questions you should be asking yourself is what will I use to clear screens, and how will I force my opponent's movement to open gaps for the ambush? Build your list around sculpting your opponent's plays, and let the mind games begin.

Successor Tactics: Inheritors of the Primarch works just fine for them, and are perhaps even better built for them than their parent chapter! Inheritors is also absolute cheese on Issodon’s deepstrike force (put them down in cover and you have a group of 15 lascannon-toting Devastators who reroll all failed hits, with -1 to hit and a 2+ save, along with Issodon’s 0+ and -1 to hit). If you feel like mixing it up, however, Tactics like Preferred Enemy, Long-ranged Marksmen, and, of course, Stealthy are all fluffy and effective picks. Consider that the Hungry For Battle Trait, combined with the Master of the Vanguard Warlord Trait and Lias Issodon's built-in +1 to charge can give your reserve force a respectable 6" charge out of deepstrike, season with Raven's Blade for a re-roll to taste.

Space Sharks

• Tyberos the Red Wake: Chapter Master. An unholy, terrifying murder machine whose melee damage went through the roof in this edition. Comes with 2 weapons: Hunger and Slake. Hunger is a chainfist that does a flat 3 damage (one better than the normal), and Slake is a lightning claw that does 2 damage while still getting the re-roll to wound. He grants all Carcharodons models within 6" +1S including himself, he also gives all Carcharodons units within 6" re-roll to hits (including shooting). His statline is almost identical to that of a Terminator Captain but Tyberos has 5 attacks instead of 4, 1 more strength due to his buff and 1 less BS. Tyberos excels at fighting small units composed of models with multiple wounds and HQs due to his damage output. Keep an assault unit of some sort alongside him and together they should destroy any MEQ or TEQ unit with absolute ease. While VERY expensive Thunder Hammer armed Vanguard or Assault Termies become more effective at killing high toughness units when alongside Tyberos. ((The S10 they get from Tyberos' buff combined with the Thunder Hammers means they'll go from wounding T8 and T9 units on 4+ and 5+ respectively to wounding them on a 3+ and 3+ respectively (this means they can wound even a Knight or Warhound Titan on a 3+). A squad of 5 will put out 11 AP-3 Dmg 3 Strength 10 hits that can cause a maximum of 33 damage and they get to re-roll misses due to Tyberos. That's a potential of 48 damage in a single fight phase between them and Tyberos using Hunger (15 from Tyberos 33 from the hammer unit.
  • If Tyberos is your warlord, you should really be pumping everything you can into his attacks - his hitting power is strong, but his overall volume of attacks quite low by comparison. To start with, give him The Imperium’s Sword for +1A on the charge, which compliments his existing +1A from Shock Assault. Cast Might of Heroes on him for another +1A and +1S, giving him eight attacks at S12 ap-4 dmg3. Finally, drop the Whirlwind of Rage successor trait and keep a Lieutenant nearby, and watch your sweet little bundle of death chew through an Imperial Knight every turn.
  • Since sharkboy has no ranged weapons at all, not even a bolt pistol, any turn where he isn’t wrecking face in cc is a waste of his substantial 205 points cost - so absolutely invest in a transport to get him up the board as quickly as possible. Bonus cool points if you play his favourite song while disembarking.

Successor Tactics: Whirlwind of Rage is an absolute must here, Tyberos benefits too damn much from it. Great choices for your second Tactic include Hunger for Battle, to get into melee ASAP, or Tactical Withdrawal, to keep Shock Assault up and working for you. Fearsome Aspect is a fluffy, if not as brutal option.

Tactics:

Objective Defense: The Ravens can defend an objective simply because of how difficult it is to hit them. You can take things to an extreme with just a couple vanguard troops: keep them close and have a squad use their smoke bombs (and thus not shoot) and use See But Remain Unseen. Next, have a Phobos Librarian use Shrouding on the other squad to force the enemy to target the -3 to hit squad. That's an auto-miss on BS4+. And Deadly Price stacks with Incursor mines, meaning your units can barely be shot at, and anyone who wants to contest the objective is greeted by a flurry of mortal wounds. On top of now being too close to Incursors. Happy haunting!

Aggressor Rush: The First Axiom of Victory is to be other than where the enemy desires you to be. Your enemy doesn't want Aggressors near his lines, or defending the objectives he placed. The First Axiom of Stealth is to be other than where the enemy believes you to be. Your enemy believes Chaplains cannot move quickly without giving up their litanies. 10,000 years later, Corax's tennets remain true. Risky, but devastating when your enemy isn't prepared to meet & greet six Aggressors buffed by a Chaplain. Add support to it, like a couple of Invictors, and your enemy simply won't be able to take care of your stealth ball of hate fast enough. The enemy HAS to move back to avoid the charge, and that more than 5" (Aggressor move) + 7" (average charge) = 12". Congrats, your mere presence FORCED the enemy back and gave you cover in the open (>12") to top it all!

Salamanders

In the grim darkness of the far future, the flame of hope burns still.

Thematically, these guys are the true saviours of mankind, as while everyone else is running around hitting/stabbing each other with various weapons, the Salamanders are the warrior angels who are protecting the civilians, infrastructure, and all the other things that make a society a society. And also setting the enemies of the Emperor on fire.
On the tabletop, these Bros acts much like a jack of all trades with Shooting, melee, and resilience, with them being able to both hit and wound a little better than most and being able to ignore -1 AP and other Stratagems means they have a little more staying power. Their preferred weapons are short-ranged, but you'll find that flames and meltaguns will solve almost all problems.
Vulkan lives! (STOMP-STOMP)

Special Rules

• Chapter Tactics - Forged in Battle: A unit with this tactic can re-roll a single to hit roll and a single wound roll each time it shoots or fights (including overwatch). Your units treat AP-1 attacks as if they were AP0, meaning things like heavy bolters will be a minimal threat.
  • Especially useful to all vehicles, characters, MSU, and strong single-shot weapons like Lascannons and Meltas. Assuming you hit and wound on 3+, that one shot goes from 44% to wound to over 70% (saves not calculated). While it reduces your dependence on Captains and Lieutenants (allowing you to focus on the other HQs), it also helps them with those 2s, statistically similar to a Chapter Master (on a 1-shot unit), which the Salamanders lack unless they spend valuable CP on the Stratagem. Especially Vulkan He'Stan, who is like a Chapter Master only to melta and a Captain to everything else - now melta sergeants can re-roll for themselves.
    • Most useful on weapons with lower strength that instead focus on AP and/or Damage to get work done. A good example is Eliminators firing Mortis rounds, where you will really notice a substantial increase in performance, particularly if you don't use Guided Aim.
  • AP-1 weaponry is the most efficient AP in the game in terms of availability and potential threat against your infantry. Ignoring it is hugely beneficial to your survival, armoured or otherwise.
• Combat Doctrine - Promethean Cult: While the Tactical Doctrine is active, all flame and melta weapons gain +1 to wound. Honestly, did you expect anything else?
  • The best way to use this doctrine, as you might expect, is with Successor Tactics, as the Salamanders tactic is relatively awful with flame weapons, and there's a severe lack of synergy with melta, which usually won't benefit from +1 to wound or -1 to AP from the Doctrine bonus. In particular, Salamanders successors with +3" range on their guns will enjoy their flamers and meltaguns a lot more than actual Salamanders will.

Warlord Traits

1. Anvil of Strength: The Warlord gets +2 to his Strength characteristic (so it happens BEFORE 2x), enabling Power Fists, Thunder Hammers and Boltstorm Gauntlets to hit at Str12. This also allows Relic blades to strike at S8 like a power fist without the -1 modifier. Vulkan He'stan takes this.
2. Miraculous Constitution: The Warlord gets a 6+++ FNP and regains 1 wound at the start of your movement phase. Really good, especially if you have an Apothecary nearby. Vulkan lives! Compared to Iron Resolve, Miraculous Constitution yields more than one wound over time, assuming you are taking on moderate level deathstar units that can't wipe you in one go (Abbadon, Swarmlord, Thunder Hammers, etc..).
3. Never Give Up: At the start of the battle round, pick a unit within 6" of the Warlord to gain Defenders of Humanity for that round.
4. Forge Master: The Warlord gets +2 Toughness. With T6 (or 7 on Gravis/Bike characters), it'll now take anti-tank weapons to bring down your Warlord. Combos well with The Salamander's Mantle to make a character practically indestructible.
5. Lord of Fire: Friendly units within 6" of the Warlord re-roll the number of attacks they make with flame weapons. Adrax takes this one.
6. Patient and Determined: Once per shooting or fight phase, one of the Warlord's attacks automatically hit. Can make a thunder hammers more reliable, and more hits are always nice. Because of your likely native re-roll aura and a Salamander re-roll, you are very likely to get the overwhelming majority of your hits in. Since the relic's additional damage is on the wound roll and not hit roll, you are also more likely to proc that as well, due to more wound rolls being made.

Relics and Special Issue Wargear

Relics

• Drake-Smiter: Replaces a Thunder Hammer. Doesn't lose the -1 to hit, but does get AP-4 and becomes 6(!) D on a 6 to wound. Forged in Battle can help you fish for that 6.
• Helm of Drakos: Primaris only. Gives +1W and enemy units within 6" get -1LD. Thoroughly meh. The Mantle is a better defensive relic, and unless you're going all in on Leadership debuffs, it's not worth it. That said, a Primaris Librarian with Draconic Aspect and the Fear Made Manifest trait can have an aura of -4LD in 6". If you're playing a Fearsome Aspect successor, you can bump that to -5LD in 3". Some Reivers nearby can bump that to a potential -6LD, then -7LD with Standard of the Emperor Ascendant, and make anything run in terror if your opponent forgets how to solve the problem with CP.
• Nocturne's Vengeance: Replaces a combi-flamer. Both parts get -1AP and 2D with the flamer jumping to 12" range. It's a master-crafted combi-flamer that works out of deep strike to cook up the enemy well.
• Salamander's Mantle: Now re-worked to be even better. It gives a straight -1 to wound the bearer. Combo with the Forge Master trait, and now anything up to S11 (S13 for Gravis/Bikes) wounds on no better than a 4+.
• Tome of Velcona: A Librarian knows an additional power from the Promethean discipline (even if he took Librarius or Obscuration powers). More importantly, he gets +1 to Psychic tests for Promethean powers. Casting all your powers on a 5+ is nice.
• Vulkan's Sigil: The character gets +1A, and once per game during the Fight phase, all Salamanders units get +1A for that phase (bringing the bearer to +2A).
• Wrath of Prometheus: Replaces a boltgun or master-crafted boltgun. No additional shots, but it gets +6" range, +1S, -2AP, and D3.

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.
• 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 isn't quite as appealing since your Relic is better, but why not put this on a Sarge with the right Stratagem?
• Digital Weapons: Make an additional attack when the model fights. If it hits, the target suffers a mortal wound.
• Obsidian Aquila: Friendly Chapter models within 6" get a 6+++ FNP. You now have a bubble of marines more durable than Iron Hands.
• Promethean Plate: Wound rolls of 1, 2, or 3 always fail against this model. For when you've already got a model with the Mantle and want a second durable character to hang around. Can really neuter a lot of the deadlier melee attacks in the game.
• Dragonrage Bolts: When firing a bolt weapon this model has, only make one attack, but if it hits you get 1d6 wound rolls, ignore cover, and -1AP. Turns a bolter into a long range almost-flamer. Notably does not count as a flame weapon, so you don't get the +1 to wound from Promethean Cult.
• Drakeblade: Replaces a power sword, master-crafted power sword, or combat knife. It's -4 AP, D2, and deals 1 mortal wound on an unmodified 6 to wound. Something for the Phobos characters to replace their crappy combat knife with.

Stratagems

• Born Protectors (2 CP): When a Salamanders unit is charged, pick another Salamanders unit within 12". That can fire overwatch in addition to the charged unit, and if the charge is successful, they can Heroically Intervene 2D6", but only towards that charging unit. Tau Overwatch plus a Heroic Intervention? Fantastic, if situational. Can deter certain charges and anything that can change how your opponent plays has a place.
• Despite the Odds (1 CP): At the end of a turn where you didn't score any Tactical Objectives, if your Warlord is still on the table, generate a new Tactical Objective.
• Exemplar of the Promethean Creed (1 CP): Your Warlord gets a second Warlord trait. Doesn't work on named characters or someone you gave a trait to with Hero of the Chapter. Lots of fun and interesting combos here.
• Flamecraft (2 CP): In the shooting phase, a unit's flame weapons will always fire its maximum number of shots. Good for a Land Raider Redeemer, flamer Aggressors, combi-flamer Sternguard, and Assault Centurions. Still great if less efficient on Invictors and Land Speeders with dual Heavy Flamers and on Bray'arth Ashmantle.
• Immolation Protocols (1 CP): Turn all of one unit's flame weapons into Pistols for one shooting phase. Not a bad way of saving a shooty flame unit from melee.
• Master Artisans (1 CP): Give a Sergeant a Master-Crafted weapon, Digital Weapons, the Drakeblade, or Dragonrage Bolts
• Relentless Determination (1 CP): At the end of the Movement phase, pick one unit that did not advance. It counts as stationary, and if it has a damage table, it counts as having double wounds to see which row of the table you use. Let Aggressors and Repulsor Executioners still shoot twice after moving or have a vehicle re-position and still fire its shots at full BS.
• Rise From the Ashes (2 CP): When a Salamanders Character dies, roll a 4+ and they pop back up with 1 wound remaining. Only once per character per game. Opponent manage to take down your Warlord? Snipe the Techmarine playing Self Sacrifice meatshield? Get a lucky shot on your Smash Captain? Hit the undo button on that shit.
• Rites of Vulkan (2 CP): At the start of the movement phase while in the Tactical doctrine, for the rest of that battle round, all Rapid Fire or Assault weapons in your army get an additional -1AP on natural 6's to wound. Only once per battle. Works best when you have a lot of shots spread around the army.
• Self Sacrifice (2 CP): Use at the start of the opponent's shooting phase and pick a Salamanders Infantry unit in your army that has more than five models and then one other unit that is wholly within 6". For the rest of the phase, your opponent cannot shoot the unit that is being shielded as long as they are wholly within 6" of the unit that is protecting them, unless they are the closest unit. The unit that is doing the body blocking can't be hidden from shooting by psychic powers or other trickery.
• Stand Your Ground (1 CP): When a Salamanders Infantry unit that didn't advance in your last Movement phase is picked as the target of an attack, they get +1 to their saves against D1 weapons for the rest of the phase. Doesn't help with invuln saves (or Servitors, but why are you bringing those?).
• Strength of the Primarch (1CP): Pick a unit at the start of the fight phase. They get +1S and any unmodified wound rolls of 6 do double damage. Probably worse than Crucible most of the time, but you can use them together to potentially get +2 to wound and exploding 6's. Imagine this on Bray'arth when it goes off. Absolutely crazy on Thunder Hammers. One lucky '6' and the warlord is gone! Just three lucky '6s' and so too is that Landraider!
• The Crucible of Battle (1 CP): In the shooting or fight phase, one unit gets +1 to wound for that phase. Veterans of the Long War for the pyro-marines. Works well with the Promethean Cult, and if you want to sink more CP into it, you can toss in Flamecraft for max shot flamers wounding everything on a 4+ or better.
• The Fires of Battle (1 CP): In the shooting phase or when firing overwatch, when a model is firing a flame weapon or melta, any unmodified 4+ to wound does a mortal wound in addition to normal damage (to a max of three Mortal Wounds). Only works for 1 weapon shot by 1 model, so no Aggressor MW spam for you.
• Trust of Prometheus (1 CP): Give a successor a Salamanders relic
• Vengeance for Isstvan V (1 CP): When facing Word Bearers, Iron Warriors, Night Lords, or Alpha Legion in the fight phase, one unit can re-roll all hit rolls. Very situational, but fluffy.

Litany & Psychic Discipline- Promethean

1. Flaming Blast: WC6. Pick a spot within 24" that the psyker can see. Each unit within 3" of that spot takes a mortal wound on a 4+. Could be useful for pinging the last wound off of a character if your Eliminators don't finish it off, or singeing several units that are all clumped up, but Smite is probably better most of the time.
2. Fire Shield: WC6. A unit within 18" imposes -1 to hit against ranged attacks and -1 to charge distances.
3. Burning Hands: WC6. Until your next Psychic phase, when the psyker is attacking with the base CCW, any hits cause a mortal wound instead of rolling to wound. If you plan to get your Librarian into close combat against something with a good invlun maybe, but you've already got a force weapon.
4. Drakeskin: WC6. Pick a unit with 12" to get +1T until the next Psychic phase. Between this and Fire Shield, a Salamanders Librarian can make one target significantly more durable turn after turn.
5. Fury of Nocturne: WC6. Pick a visible enemy unit within 18" and roll 2D6. If you roll higher than their highest toughness, they take D3 mortal wounds. Worse chance of causing damage than Smite, but you can pick the target. Could be useful for sniping low T characters.
6. Draconic Aspect: WC6. Until your next Psycic phase, all enemy units with 12" get -2LD. Potentially makes for a decent leadership bomb if combo'd with the Helm of Drakos and the Fearsome Aspect tactic and/or Fear made manifest trait.

Litany of Battle - Selfless Saviours: Within 6" of the priest, friendly Salamanders units gain Heroic Intervention.

Special Units

• Vulkan He'Stan: Has a Captain's statline, with a 2+ save and a 3+ invuln. Comes with Heavy Flamer, and Relic Blade, and Storm Shield equivalent gear. He has the Captain Rites of Battle ability to let you re-roll hits of 1 for Salamanders units within 6", and his Forgefather ability lets all Salamanders models within 6" reroll any failed hits and wounds with flame or melta in the name, and with his own Gauntlet of the Forge (note that this affects vehicles and melta-bombs too now, but it doesn't affect the bolter part of combi-weapons). Great for tagging along with Sternguard or Company Vets in a Rhino or Drop Pod. Vulkan standing with a 5-man devastator squad, armed with 4 Multi-Meltas and a Combi-Flamer, is extremely productive, both for shooting hordes and high toughness targets. The forgefather rule made him a more support oriented HQ as his melee is mediocre compared to other named characters worth a similar amount of points (namely Shrike or Lysander). He got used to being an immovable object in 7th (2+,3++,5+++(FnP)) but in 8th all you need to do to is fail one 3+ invulnerable save and you take multiple wounds, or get saddled with Mortal Wounds he can't save against. Still, take him if you are a Salamanders player because his rules aren't by any means bad - and his model is awesome.
  • As long as he's your warlord, he also hits with a solid S8 thanks to his Warlord Trait.
  • Alternate take: Vulkan He'Stan riding along with either a squad of Assault Centurions in a Land Raider Redeemer or a squad of Aggressors with Flamestorm Gauntlets can be quite effective. Proper positioning will allow re-rolls to hit and to wound on both Land Raider Flamestorm Cannons, the Land Raider's Multi-Melta and on all 6 of the flamers that you've definitely taken on your Assault Centurions, all preceding a devastating charge. The Aggressors will similarly benefit, whether it's from the 4d6 flamer shots they get if they stay still or the 2d6 they unleash as they move into melee range.
  • Primaris Eradicators!!!! They are tough infantry, can move and fire with assault weapons, very high shot volume for melta-weaponry, with He'Stan you should kill any T7 vehicle in one go, with only Land Raiders/baneblades surviving out of the T8 models.
  • He'stan is insanely good backing up Cyclonic Melta Leviathans, or, keeping it lighter, standard-issue multi-melta/heavy flamer dreads, where he will buff the guns all the way, and they can use Salamanders tactics if they need to in melee.
• Adrax Agatone: A Primaris Captain with a hand flamer that acts more like a stronger flamer (12" range and AP-1) and a D4 Thunder Hammer. His cloak reduces all incoming damage by 1, and his Unto the Anvil aura adds 1 to all wound rolls for melee weapons when Shock Assault is triggered. Obviously, he works nicely with Flamestorm Aggressors, especially when he's Warlord so they can re-roll how many hits those Aggressors make.
• Captain Pellas Mir'san (Forgeworld): He has the statline of a Captain in Terminator Armour, except with a 6" move instead of 5" and without the transport restrictions of being a terminator, but no Teleport Strike (dude, he's clearly in Artificer armour, not Terminator). He comes with a combi-flamer, Cinder Edge (functionally identical to a force sword), and Steelsilver, which lets you make an additional attack at S4 AP0 D1 against every model within 1". Those attacks are made after his Cinder Edge attacks are resolved and before you consolidate, so it can be a super chainsword or useless depending on what his regular attacks leave behind. He gets the normal Captain Iron Halo for a 4++ and Rites of battle to re-roll 1s to hit within 6". He also gets 2 more attacks when he's within 2" of any enemy Characters. All this for a few points less than a similarly equipped Terminator Captain. He really wants to be in close combat chopping heads to maximize his usefulness. Probably plays best running with Vanguard or Company Vets kitted for close combat, but he'll likely need a transport to get to where you want him as he has no deep strike options on his own.
  • As the Forgeworld characters do not have fixed warlord traits, there are a few options to choose from.
    • The Imperium’s Sword give Pellas more general melee ability by raising him to strength 5 and 6 attacks on the charge (8 if you get close to an enemy character) as well as a reroll for charge distances.
    • Alternatively, Champion of Humanity makes him an even better character hunter. He keeps the 8 attacks on the charge but gains a +1 on wound rolls, which can be further combined with Crucible of Battle for a +2 to wound.
    • The Salamander-specific Warlord Traits are, sadly, not quite as good as the base rulebook, but could have their uses. Anvil of Strength and Forge Master can both keep you alive longer and may be worth it depending on what you are fighting.
• Bray'arth Ashmantle (Forgeworld): He's now even more indestructible than before, being a Character with T9, W8, a 2+/5++, and a 4+ to ignore lost wounds, he's not going down easily. He's also dead killy up close. His two Dreadfire heavy flamers can put out some serious hurt with S6, AP-2 and 3 damage a pop at 8" range. In close combat, his claws have him swinging 4 times at S16, AP-4, and D6 damage, and if you are locked in with someone during the shooting phase, his Burning Wrath is now a 2D6 shot auto hitting S4 pistol with a 2" range. On the downsides: In an edition of HQs buffing your other units, he does nothing to improve nearby Salamanders. He can only be your Warlord if there are no other HQ units, so you'll limit yourself to a smaller number of command points if you want to use him to deny your opponent Slay the Warlord. He can't cause any harm until he gets within 8", so you either buy him a transport or have him be a walking 14" threat bubble. This all comes for the hefty price of 400 pts 325 points (more if you buy a Dreadnought Drop Pod or Stormraven for him to ride in).
  • It's worth noting that he is a CHARACTER and hits almost as hard as a Volcano Cannon in close combat. The amount of panic he'll cause walking towards your opponent with a few cheap screening units in front of him (or even a few Rhinos) is well worth the price tag, as is the satisfaction when he finally hits the opponent's gunline and all hell breaks loose. On a side note if you can get your enemy to charge him on overwatch he is likely to butcher MEQ or even TEQs with his dreadfire flamers.
  • The new Space Marine and Salamander's codices bring several tricks that can turn Ashmantle into a right nightmare.
    • The Salamander Chapter Tactic and the Duty Eternal stratagem make him even more durable than he once was. Using the Drakeskin and Fireshield Psychic power can add even more durability to him, though at this point, it may be approaching overkill.
    • Hero of the Chapter can be used to grant him a Warlord Trait, thus getting around one of his main restrictions. Some possible standout options include Anvil of Strength for extra killing power (strength 20 Dreadfire claws), Forge Master to make him T11, or Lord of Fire to make his Dreadfire Heavy Flamers even more lethal.
    • Only in Death Does Duty End will let him fight even if your opponent manages to take him down while Rise from the Ashes will let him potentially get back up and keep fighting. Just have a techmarine nearby to patch him up.
    • Obviously, Ashmantle is a prime target for Flamecraft if you can get him close enough to use his Dreadfire Heavy Flamers, but that’s not all. Immolation Protocols pairs well with his Burning Wrath pistol attacks should any opponent be foolish enough to try and stick around in melee, and Born Protectors will discourage countercharges. Then there is The Crucible of Battle...
  • Now a whopping 75 points cheaper, saving you enough to almost buy his Drop Pod outright.

• Harath Shen (Forgeworld): As a Master Apothecary, Harath deploys to the field armed with more than just a Narthecium. He has the same statline as a normal Apothecary, barring Leadership 9. He is armed with a Power Sabre, which is identical to a Master-Crafted Power Sword (Str: User, AP -3, 2 Damage) and Bloodfire, a Plasma Pistol with nothing special (except for causing a mortal wound rather than slaying the bearer). His Master of Chirurgery rule carries over from his 7th edition iteration, it's similar to the Apothecary's ability but the rolls are passed on a 3+ instead of a 4+, and Harath can heal D3+1 Wounds instead of D3. All of this will set you back 75 Points, as opposed to an Apothecary's 72 Points for the same loadout (although it's worth noting that an Apothecary doesn't have access to weapon options). Which means you pay 3 points for his increased medical abilities and the payment of an HQ tax, if you were looking for that. Overall, he's a support Character who can increase the survivability of your Salamanders, but can also do some damage in combat if absolutely necessary; just keep him away from enemy Characters.

Tactical Objectives

Tactics

• Real Deal MSU: Take 2 battalions, each with 3 tac squads armed with a single Lascannon. Salamanders trait gives each Lascannon crucial re rolls for hits and wounds, making these 6 Lascannons typically all the anti-armor you will need. Fills out battalions nicely, and leaves plenty of room for anti-horde and whatever heavy hitter Elites/HQs you desire to polish off any other pockets of durability your opponent has. This forces your opponent to usually shoot their anti-armor at 15 point tactical marines (because they're camping back in cover and ignore ap-1 requiring big guns to shoot them), thus helping reduce the barrage your armor and heavy infantry will receive. This may also force your opponent to surge forward into walls of flame weapons.
• In keeping with the small unit size benefit, look at squads of Eliminators and/or Eradicators. Your re-roll ability allows units that rely on a few powerful shots to do their job. Eliminators hit 88% of the time and wound MEQ 88% of the time with re-rolls. Eradicators don't double their shots- they fire twice, meaning each set of three melta shots at gets their re-rolls. Statistically, with your re-rolls, there are very pieces of armor in the game that won't be living in abject fear of a Salaamander Eradicator squad.

Iron Hands

In the grim darkness of the far future, the Flesh is Weak.

Thematically, these guys are more machine than man Astartes. Having a strong affinity with machines. With calculated Rage, they are unyielding, precise, and show no mercy.
On the tabletop, these guys are one of the most durable chapters for infantry and vehicles and have a strong affinity with heavy weapons and tanks. Makes you feel like Deathguard with everything having Feel no pain, Damage reduction, and vehicle stats take more wounds to degrade, shooting down charges with accuracy, and as an added bonus they're experts at wielding heavy weapons of all types.
If you like big guns and bigger tanks, the Iron Hands is the Chapter for you.

Special Rules

• Chapter Tactics - The Flesh is Weak: 6+++ Feel No Pain: roll a die when a model with this tactic loses a wound; on a 6+ that wound is ignored. This doesn't work with supercharged plasma since that slays models without wounding them(except the ones mounted on vehicles - spam those plasma redemptors). Overwatch hits on 5 and 6, regardless of modifiers, and models with a damage table are considered to have double the number of wounds. So not only is Steel Strong, but it's also reliable.
  • Being more difficult to kill is an obvious bonus to your Warlord, but unlike Guilliman, who is classified as a Monster, your <chapter> infantry Captain can be healed by an Apothecary. And then you add the Shield Eternal...yes, it's Smashfucker all over again.
  • Stronger than it first appears, because there is an interaction with units of multiple multi-wound models and weapons that deal more than 1 damage. After failing your save, you are allowed to roll for each lost wound individually. For example, a unit of 2 wound models being attacked by a D2 weapon is approximately 35% more durable. This is because if you save either one of the lost wounds (27.78% chance to resist exactly 1; 30.56% chance to resist at least 1) it takes a whole second shot to even try to kill that model, thanks to damage not spilling over.
    • This improvement is still best on 1-wound model units - the interaction above means it's not as worse on multi-wound as it first appears, and Iron Hands have some kick-ass Primaris units, but the ability is generally more noticeable the fewer wounds the model with it has remaining.
    • While your boost to survivability is around 20% to the RG's 25%, yours isn't situational, and even works in the melee Shock Assault urges you to be.
  • Vehicles also get a noticeable boost from this. Even before you account for the FnP effect, the slower rate of stat loss from damage will keep your tanks and dreads at full effectiveness for much longer than vehicles of other Chapters.
    • The boost's benefit also varies with Wounds, as GW tends to use the same algorithm to build all of your degradation tables. By and large, this reduces the tendency of wounds to be useless - for example, ordinarily going from W13 to W14 is not useful, because the extra wound happens in the middle band of the degradation table, compared to going from W10 to W11, where the extra wound happens in the top band. Under Iron Hands, both wounds show up on top. The effect is particularly noticeable on W11 and W15, and at its absolute worst when Wounds is a power of 2 - your W16 Land Raiders will get the least benefit from this compared to most other things you can field.
• Combat Doctrine - Calculated Fury: Whilst the Devastator Doctrine is active (First round only), models with this ability do not suffer the penalty for moving and firing Heavy weapons. In addition, when resolving an attack made with a Heavy weapon by a model with this ability, re-roll hit rolls of 1.
  • Like Scions of Gulliman, but instead of making Bolter Discipline easier to trigger you'll have heavy weapons that tear through armor saves with minimal difficulty and don't need babysitting. Load up on vehicles and Devastators to spew out all the dakka.
    • Do not load up on Hellblasters. The re-rolling of 1s to hit makes them look initially tempting, but their Heavy gun costs far too many points, and going to AP-5 is useless against most targets and nearly useless against the remaining ones. Similarly, even though moving and shooting at no penalty makes multimeltas look far more tempting, AP-5 is underwhelming - for the same cost, anything in your army with a choice will prefer an assault cannon to a multimelta against just about any target (and the weapons have the same ranges, too).
  • Also frees up your captains to focus on supporting your choppier units while also allowing those heavy weapon users to reposition without sacrificing accuracy. You will need Captains after turn 1 Since the Devastator Doctrine is active only active then. Don't feel bad your jump and terminators are not initially on the board.
    • Remember to bring take lieutenants to spread around re-rolling 1s to wound as well, techmarines to keep your HQ taxes cheap (the conversion beamer is still absurdly expensive, but it's better for Iron Hands than for anyone else), or librarians to make the leviathan we both know you took even more dangerous.

Warlord Traits

1. All Flesh Is Weakness: 5+++ FNP.
   • You could already have this if you take a Chief Apothecary warlord with Father of the Future. Just saying.
2. The Will of Iron: Can deny a psychic power. If they can already deny, they can deny one more.
3. Adept of the Omnissiah: Can repair vehicles like a techmarine, but only repair 1 wound. If you can already do this, you repair +1 wound.
4. Merciless Logic: The Warlord's unmodified 6 (not 6+) to hit with any attack procs an extra attack with the same weapon, which can't proc this again, essentially multiplying his attacks by 7/6. Primaris Captains and the Teeth of Terra make good use of it, as they naturally have more attacks with which to proc the extra ones. For shooting, Biker and Terminator Captains have better chances, as they have two ranged weapons.
5. Student of History: When consolidating, the Warlord can move up to 6", and doesn't need to move towards the nearest enemy. Malkaan Feirros has this as his warlord trait, and boy does it work well with him.
   • Great on smash captains if you want more mobility rather than hitting things, lets him run from enemy swings or engage a bubble-wrapped character.
6. Target Protocols: In the shooting phase, pick a friendly Iron Hands unit within 6" of the Warlord. They can re-roll one hit, one wound, and one damage roll that phase. Good for ensuring that forgeworld death titan cannon destroys something.

Relics & Special-Issue Wargear

None of these relics can be assigned to vehicles.

Relics of Medusa

• Aegis Ferrum: Primaris Model only. +1 Toughness, and the model takes 1 less damage (to a minimum of 1).
• Axe of Medusa: Replaces a power axe. Gives it +3S, AP-3, and D3. Used to be a weak ass relic blade. Now it's actually an interesting alternative to the Burning Blade. For non-primaris only, primaris haven't earned the right to swing axes yet.
• Betrayer's Bane: Replaces a Combi-Melta. The Melta part becomes Assault 2. Yay. You will probably never take this.
• Gorgon's Chain: 4++ Invulnerable Save, and equipped model has -1 to be wounded against ranged attacks. Can't be wounded on anything worse than a 3+. Sadly nerfed from its 7th edition incarnation, but now Smashfucker has a few new toys to play with above such as the Aegis Ferrum or the Iron Stone.
• Ironstone: At the start of the battle round, select one friendly Iron Hands vehicle unit within 3" of the bearer of this relic. Until the start of the next battle round, when resolving attacks made against that unit, if the bearer is within 3" of that unit, you can reduce any damage suffered by 1 (minimum of 1) Another method of keeping the damage tables from getting to you never hurts. Give it to a techmarine and the vehicles he sticks near will never die. Sadly this no longer stacks with Duty Eternal.
• Mindforge: Force Sword, Axe, or Stave. Your force powerfist of choice! Sx2 AP-3 D1d3, essentially a force powerfist. You get the hint that they want you to take non-captain characters?
• Tempered Helm: Roll 1d6 for every command point spent whenever you use a stratagem. On a 5+, the command point is refunded. Only 1 command point can be refunded in this way per battle round (no limit on stratagems used outside of a battle round, i.e. before the battle begins).
  • Per the September 2019 FAQ, you can't use this to refund command points before the battle begins

Special Issue Wargear

The first four relics in the Special Issue Wargear section are copy-pastes for each Supplement, then there's a selection of unique mini-relics.

• Adamantium Mantle: 5+ Feel No Pain. You have a Warlord trait that does the same thing. Even with Paragon of Iron to give a different character a 5+++, should the Warlord really be taking relics from the Special Issue wargear section instead of diving for the actual Chapter relics?
• Artificer Armor: 2+/5++. Excellent on Lieutenants and Librarians who don't get invulnerable saves to start. Or, throw it on a Sergeant with Scion of the Forge.
• Digital Weapons: Do an additional attack when the model fights. If it hits, the target suffers a mortal wound.
• Master-crafted Weapon: +1 to the damage characteristic of one of the bearer's weapons, which is then considered a relic. D4 Thunderhammer baby!
• Automedicae Bionics: Heal 1d3 wounds at the start of the turn. Actually a decent pick!
• Dataspike: Roll 2 dice and drop the lowest result when healing vehicles. Generally speaking, this will turn 1d3 healing from average 2 to average 2.44, changes the odds of rolling at least 2 from 2/3 to 8/9, and changes the odds of rolling 3 from 3/9 to 5/9, in terms of your ability to repair a target enough to change wound brackets.
• Haywire Bolts: Affects a bolt weapon. It can only do 1 shot, but when targeting a vehicle, an unmodified wound roll of 4 or 5 does d3 mortal wounds, and a 6 results in a flat 3 mortal wounds, in addition to normal damage. Can be useful for chipping off the last few wounds from a vehicle. You know, in case your Heavy Weapons under the Devastator Doctrine somehow didn't finish the job.
  • The additional damage is both mortal and additive, so the effect is more noticeable on a weapon with poor AP and D to begin with, and it happens on a 4 or 5 even if the shot failed to wound, so also more noticeable on low S, and for obvious reasons, you want to take it on a 1-shot weapon to begin with. Nothing else matters per se, so e.g. it'll have the same impact on a weapon of any range. More noticeable maybe, but no more effective. It's actually most efficient on a single shot weapon as you don't lose any of your initial firepower.
    • Could be interesting on a Primaris Lieutenant with a stalker bolt rifle. Or a sergeant armed with the same if you want to use the stratagem.
• Teeth of Mars: Replaces a chainsword, SU AP-2 D2 A+1; becomes Sx2 AP-2 D2 A+1 when resolving attacks against vehicles.

Stratagems

Iron Hand Stratagems can be divided into four categories; offense, defense, utility, and universal

• Offense: Iron hands have stratagems that improve accuracy and create bonus attacks or AP on rolls of 6.
  • Engine Purge (2 CP): Use at the start of your movement phase if the devastator doctrine is active. Until the start of the next battle round, when resolving an attack made with heavy or grenade weapon by an Iron Hands model in your army, an unmodified 6+ to wound increases the AP of that attack by 1.
  • Mercy is Weakness (1 CP): Choose after a unit decides to shoot or fight. Select an enemy unit, and until the end of that phase, every Iron Hands model that attacks this unit wounds twice on unmodified wound rolls of 6. Enjoy.
  • Methodical Firepower (1 CP): If the devastator doctrine isn't active, pick a unit. Now it is for this unit. no need to say how good this is on units with heavy weapons.
  • The Gorgon's Rage (1 CP): Use in the Fight phase, when choosing an Iron Hands unit to fight. Until the end of the phase, that unit adds +1 to melee hit rolls. If the target is emperor's children, enjoy an additional +1 to wound.
  • Vengeance for Istvaan V (1 CP): Use in the Fight phase, when choosing an Iron Hands unit to fight. Re-roll hit rolls vs Alpha Legion, Iron Warriors, Night Lords, and Word Bearers.
  • Wrathful Machine Spirit (2 CP): Used in the shooting or fight phase when a vehicle is chosen to shoot or fight; it can re-roll hit rolls for that phase.
    • Not bad, but for those same 2 CP you could upgrade a captain to a chapter master and get the same buff in an aura, all game. Situational, if you've got, say, lots of fliers a captain can't keep up with, or if you're not taking a captain and need the buff, but if you're taking a captain and don't have too many vehicles that he can't keep up with, it might be better to just take a chapter master instead. Besides, you can always pay cps during the game to get this strat if you need it for whatever reason.
• Defense: Iron Hands have an impressive number of defensive related stratagems to keep your important characters, vehicles, and units alive.
  • Cogitated Martyrdom (1 CP): Use at the start of an enemy shooting phase. An Iron Hands infantry unit can intercept attacks before rolling FNP for non-vehicle Iron Hands characters within 3". On a 2+, take a MW on the infantry unit.
    • Enjoy treating Intercessors as drones. Particularly useful as your characters will be high priority targets for your opponent like the new iron father or anyone with the ironstone. Maybe use it for servitors. This lets you shove some poor sod in front of the Sniper-lascannon aiming for your characters.
  • Machine Empathy (1 CP): After a Techmarine heals a vehicle, that model can use that ability again. Remember, our vehicles' wounds count as double for the purposes of their bracket, so even a single repaired wound can bump up a damaged vehicle.Now, imagine the potential to heal 6 damage on a tank. Yes, please! (Due to ERRATA you can now use second repair only on different (non-repaired) vehicle)
  • Optimal Repulsion Doctrines (2 CP): A unit during your opponents charge phase enjoys 5+ overwatch. If you're Iron Hands and not a successor, enjoy 4+. If you use this on a unit next to a chapter master then you'll have 3/4 shots hitting in overwatch, brutal.
  • Reject the Flesh, Embrace the Machine (1 CP): Use in any phase when an Iron Hands infantry unit in your army is chosen as a target for an attack. FNP on 5+++. If it's a Warlord with All Flesh is Weakness, he gets a 4+++.
• Utility: While most Chapters have narrowly focused utility Stratagems, the Iron Hands have the advantage of having some of the most generally useful options.
  • March of the Ancients (1 CP): once per battle, After nominating a warlord, select a single Dreadnought in your army. That Dreadnought gains the Character keyword and adds 1 to its attack and Leadership characteristics. Beware that Dreadnoughts with 10 or more wounds can still be targeted, and Cogitated Martyrdom now doesn't protect vehicles. Still enjoy having a Venerable Dreadnought Rifleman who has the protection of being a character! Or, finally be able to screen that Ironclad Dreadnought as it runs up with the Seismic Hammer and Chainfist, appreciating the extra attack!
  • Mnemonic Auto-Savant (2 CP): If your WL is on the battlefield upon completing a tactical objective, do not discard it. You can use it again in the subsequent round. Nice.
  • Souls of Iron (2 CP): Deny on 4+ within 24" of an Iron Hands unit.
• Universal: All Chapter Supplements get some variation of the following three stratagems.
  • Bequeathed by the Iron Council (1 CP): Iron Hands relics for successors. Yay!!!
  • Paragon of Iron (1 CP): Bonus warlord trait for your non-named character warlord. Must be from Iron Hands. The usual supplement special.
  • Scions of the Forge (1 CP): Your sergeant gets toys! Yay! Special issue wargear to sergeants (chosen from m-c weapon, digital weapons, Teeth of Mars, and Haywire Bolts).

Litany & Psychic Discipline - Technomancy

Technomancy is a support discipline that centers around buffing your vehicles and wargear while cursing your opponent's. A heavily-mechanized army will gain the most benefit from this school, but if you are looking to create an Iron Hands version of Mephiston, you are out of luck. Two of the powers (Blessing of the Machine God and Reforge) can only target your vehicles, while two of the mortal wound generating powers (Machine Flense and Fury of Medusa) need to target enemy vehicles to get the full effect (or any effect in the case of Machine Flense). Fortunately, the last two powers (Objuration Mechanicum and Psysteel Armour) are both pretty good without having to target vehicles.

1. Blessing of the Machine God (WC5): Grants +1 to hit for a friendly Iron Hands vehicle unit within 12". You need to get at least an 8 on the psychic test to use this on Titanic units, so have a CP to burn if you want to buff that Fellblade or Astraeus.
2. Objuration Mechanicum (WC7): If manifested, select one visible enemy unit within 18". When that unit rolls unmodified 1s to shoot, it takes a mortal wound after it finishes the gun in question. Enjoy self-immolating aggressors, Tau Fire Warriors, and Chaos Havocs with miniguns.
   • While the actual output of this weapon depends on the number of shots the target unit makes, and penalties to hit won't affect it (although if the target has to re-roll hits, that absolutely may), one of the big values is forcing your opponent to decide if shooting with the unit is worth the mortal wounds it will suffer. It also has better scaling the more guns the unit uses to make those shots, since a given gun gets all of its shots before any mortal wounds happen, but mortal wounds will happen between guns.
     • Without any relevant buffs, the number of shots the target has to make to suffer at least as much as Smite would have - bearing in mind that this happens after it shoots, not before, as it would with Smite - is 19, so anything with at least that many shots - such as a Leman Russ Punisher, or 5 models within 12" with Storm Bolters, or what have you - will die to this power faster, with, again, the caveat that the mortal wounds won't happen until after each gun fires.
   • Point at plasma wielding squads for double the fun, now a roll of 1 on an overcharge will both kill the gunner and drop a mortal wound on one of its buddies. If you really want to cheese it, get something to force -1 to hit modifiers on your unfortunate victims and your opponent will just plain give up on shooting with them (it won't help this power hurt them, of course).
3. Fury of Medusa (WC6): Select an enemy model within 18". Draw a line 1mm wide between the psyker and target. For every enemy unit the line crosses, including the target model's, roll 1d6, adding 2 for vehicles; the unit takes a mortal wound on a 4 or 5, and 1d3 mortal wounds on a 6.
   • • This needs to cross 4 non-vehicle units, 2 vehicle units, or 1 vehicle and 2 non-vehicle, in order to outperform Smite.
4. Psysteel Armour (WC6): Select an Iron Hands unit within 12" of the psyker. Add 1 to non-invulnerable saving throws for it.
5. Reforge (WC5): Heal D3 lost wounds on a vehicle within 3".
   • This turns your Librarian into a much more expensive and much less reliable Techmarine, and you don't even get a range benefit.
6. Machine Flense (WC6): Select a visible enemy vehicle unit within 18". It takes 1d3 mortal wounds. Then select an enemy unit that was within 6" of that vehicle and visible to it when the power was manifested (meaning the original target need not still be on the table). Roll 1d6 for each mortal wound the original target suffered. On a 3+, the secondary target takes a mortal wound.
   • After the cast, this will on average deal 2 mortal wounds to the target and 4/3 mortal wounds to the secondary target, meaning that this power actually does do more mortal wounds than Smite (1.79 for Smite, 1.44 to the target, 0.96 to the secondary target, 2.41 total mortal wounds dealt by this power, taking cast odds into account), assuming no bonuses to the cast are available.

Litanies of Battle - Medusan Furore: Your chaplain adds +1S to all Iron Hands within 6", which might help your Reivers and Incursors edge over their enemies or let your captain pulp some heads.

Special Units

• HQ
  • Malkaan Feirros: The Iron Hands' first named character is a Gravis Captain but without the re-rolling 1s to hit aura. Stat-wise he's like a Gravis Captain with 7 wounds, 5 attacks, a 2+ save, and a 5+ FNP instead of the Chapter's 6+ FNP, and offense-wise his Gorgon's Wrath is an AP-2 D2 Heavy Bolter, and his Harrowhand is a S+3 AP-2 D2 axe. Naturally you want him for his buffing abilities, as awesome as his punch and durability may be. He gives all Iron Hands INFANTRY units (FAQ) within 6" a 5+ Invulnerable save. He's also a superior techmarine (which should be obvious being the Master of the Forge and whatnot) and repairs a flat 3 wounds to vehicles instead of d3 wounds (or 6W with Machine Empathy strat). He also has a Signum Array that gives a friendly unit within 3" BS2+ at the start of the shooting phase (if applied to vehicles, it overrides their damage bracket), so he acts like a versatile Devastator Sarge on top of that. Land Raiders hitting on 2+ and restoring 3 wounds a turn, anyone? Feirros is shaping up to be a blue chip unit in Iron Hands detachments, provided he doesn't cost over 200 points like a certain spiritual liege and...oh my god what he's only 110 points. Blue chip status confirmed.
• Forgeworld Successor Chapters Characters
  • Remember, you don't necessarily need to pick Inheritors of the Primarch to be an Iron Hands successor and use this supplement.
    
  • Sons of Medusa
    • Vaylund Cal: Chapter Master/Techmarine. If you ever wanted to see the mechanized fusion of a Techmarine with a Chapter Master, this is the motherfucker for you. Sporting a monstrous statline of S5 (doubled with his Medusan Hammer and Servo-Arms) and an enviable T6, he'll be hard to take down. Also makes an excellent anchor for a firing line, because he gives both a re-roll bubble AND can repair vehicles. His price was dropped to 173 116, making him a clear pick over a tech marine with an upgraded captain. While slightly less flexible, it will save you a few points along with three command points.

Tactical Objectives

1. Methodical Destruction: When this Tactical Objective is generated, select up to three enemy units on the battlefield. Score 1 victory point for each of those units that was destroyed as a result of an attack made with a ranged weapon by an IRON HANDS unit from your army this turn. Score D3+3 victory points instead if all three units were destroyed in the same phase.
2. Advance and Secure: Score 1 victory point if you control the objective marker closest to the centre of the battlefield at the end of your turn (if several objective markers are equally close to the centre, you achieve this Tactical Objective if you control any of those objective markers at the end of your turn).
3. March of the Machines: Score 1 victory point if an IRON HANDS DREADNOUGHT from your army either finished an Advance move or charge move wholly within the enemy’s deployment zone this turn.
4. Destroy the Weak:Score D3 victory points if at least one enemy unit was destroyed as a result of an attack made by any IRON HANDS models from your army during both the Shooting phase and the Fight phase of this turn.
5. The Strength of Metal: Whilst this Tactical Objective is active, keep a tally of how many times IRON HANDS models from your army would lose a wound that is subsequently not lost (e.g. due to the The Flesh is Weak Chapter Tactic or the Artificer Bionics ability). Score 1 victory point if this Tactical Objective is still active when the tally reaches 10.
6. Cold Fury: Score 1 victory point if any enemy units were destroyed as a result of an attack made by an IRON HANDS VEHICLE model from your army this turn. Score D3 victory points instead if three or more enemy units were destroyed as a result of an attack made by an IRON HANDS VEHICLE model this turn.

Tactics

In the month following the release of their codex supplement but before the October FAQ nerf, the Iron Hands enjoyed an unprecedented level of popularity and brokenness. An article on Warhammer site Goonhammer reported a winrate of 71% overall in 234 qualifying games, far higher than any other faction had enjoyed since the launch of 8th edition. This helps to explain why, on October 17 of 2019, an initial, rather anemic FAQ was amended within hours to include a number of changes to try and get ahead of the situation. As a result of these nerfs, the tactical situational for the Iron Hands is in something of a transitional state. It remains to be seen if the changes will have their intended effect. In the mean time, here is a brief list of several of the most popular units from before the nerfs.

• Stormhawk interceptors, Stormtalon Gunships, and Stormraven Gunships: A popular choice on several competitive lists. All three flyers pair well with the Iron Hands Chapter tactics, and units like the Stormhawk and stormtalon, which have heavy weapons but not power of the machine spirit, benefit greatly from both the Devastator doctrine and the chapter doctrine.
• Thunderfire Cannons: Another popular competitive choice and almost an auto-take in an Iron Hands army thanks to the interaction between Devastator doctrine and the Chapter doctrine.
• Repulsor Executioners: Initially broken as fuck due to the interaction between Feirros and the Ironstone. Now far less so thanks to the nerfs to both units, but still solid for all the expected reasons.

• Aggressor Bomb: Take a Chief Apothecary warlord with Father of the Future, ForgeFather Feirros, and a large group of Aggressor. Now you have 3 wounds 3+/5++/5+++ models packing a lot of Bolter fire that would endure and overwhelm even a Banblade.

Tactics and Strategy

Army Building

Army Composition

Deciding on what units to take generally comes down to what you want your force to accomplish on the tabletop. One school of thought is to avoid having too many various “types” of marines in one force, instead focusing on using lots of similar profiles in order to force opponents to attack units using suboptimal weapons. Using very little vehicles and lots of Infantry “wastes” your opponents anti-tank shots, for example. Or by having lots of heavy infantry and armour means that the small arms fire directed at you will be less effective. Other schools emphasize the modular nature of Space Marines and prioritize the taking of multiple styles of Marine units in order to more effectively deal with various threats. These two schools are extremes, and good list building most likely lands somewhere in the middle.

• The goal of making an army themed around a specific profile type is to reduce the effectiveness of your opponents shooting- an all-infantry army being more effective against anti-tank weapons is an obvious example, but similar principles apply to things like multi-wound attacks being overkill against single-wound units. However, this idea has one catastrophic flaw which should always be kept in mind: when the opponent is able to counter your chosen style and you don't have any units not of that style, they will counter you hard. Try to figure out what your enemy will be likely to use ahead of time so you don't pay for putting all your eggs in one basket!
  • All scouts is one type. Or all Power Armour-traditional. Go all Primaris or all-regular Marine, do not mix. You want to either be all 2 wound models or all 1 wound models. The 1 wound models would all suck were it not for the awesome veterans: Sternguard kill things; Vanguard with 2 chainswords (4 attacks) that's a lot of attacks that does add up well; Company Champions can carry 1 stormbolter and 1 chainsword for 18 points and intercept wounds meant for the characters. Even Tacticals have the advantage of being a cheap source of heavy+special weapons, if nothing else.
• The T5 family is all bikes, Inceptors and Aggressors. They'll be able to take a beating and things like Pedro Kantor+Aggressors are a powerful combo, but Bikes and Gravis-armoured Primaris Marines don't synergize very well with each other and you might end up leaving half your army behind if you don't pay extra for Repulsors (and it has to be Repulsors, Impulsors don't carry Gravis-armoured units).

Bringing Allies

In general, you use allies to cover your weaknesses, such as the marine's usual lack of hordes or particularly heavy vehicles by bringing in guard, skitarii, or knights, but be aware that you will sacrifice the HUGE benefits of Combat Doctrines unless the other detachments are also drawn from Codex: Space Marines- and even if they are, you'll lose your Chapter-specific Combat Doctrine boost if its Chapter Tactics are different. Before Codex 2.0 and Faith and Fury, allies were something to consider, but with the new doctrine rules and massive influx of ways to fit in FnPs, psychic protection, and point cuts, there's almost no reason to bring anything other than an inquisitor (with their risk-free, no downside but cost ways of being brought) in your marine list.

Specific Mixes

Specific combinations are mainly dependent on your chapter trait but there are some combo's that are great for any army some examples are shown below:

• Grav-Bomb, stick some grav-cannon devastators or grav-centurions in a razorback, stormraven or rhino with a captain. Yeet it up the board ideally keeping out of LOS or at least partially obscured, then drop off your devastators or centurions in cover somewhere just in range of a nasty enemy unit ideally a centrepiece unit with a high armour save (at least 3+). Then drop the 1cp stratagem to re-roll all wounds and damage rolls for the unit and if your using devastators use the armorium cherub too. That's 4 shots each at strength 5 AP -3, hitting on 3+ rerolling 1's and re-rolling all wounds and damage rolls. Usually this is enough to make targeting your devastators a priority for your opponent and in all likelihood they're going to take heavy casualties but the unit will have easily made back its points by then and seriously disrupted your opponents army.
  • If you're Iron hands or a successor then you can move these guys without any penalty to hit and re-roll 1's without a captain so that's something to consider, only works in the devastator doctrine though.
  • Effective against hordes as well so this combo is still good against swarm lists and those army's will have a hard time dislodging your guy's from a ruin.
• Captain and hellblasters, pretty self explanatory stick a bare bones captain near a 10 man squad of hellblasters and fire on overcharged with only a 1 in 36 chance of dying each time you fire, generally works best if you use a impulsor as this allows you to move a fair distance BEFORE DISEMBARKING to shoot with no penalty to hit, if you're within 15" then that's 20 shots at s8 AP-4 which is enough to cripple or kill almost anything without an invulnerable save.
  • Although this unit is a serious threat to your opponent it's unlikely to be killed off early, an impulsor's fairly tough anyway if you give it the shield dome equipment and hide it behind a wall it becomes incredibly difficult to remove turn 1. Not to mention that if you have the right threat saturation in your army then your opponent is unlikely to shoot this thing anyway.
• Aggressor auspex scan, when playing against an opponent like daemons, orks or tyranids it's pretty common to have a swarm of infantry pop up to charge you out of deepstrike, ordinarily this can be a real problem as many of the units available to these armies have ways of getting a very easy charge. This trick's for just such a situation. When you deploy your units leave a nice gap behind your lines where an enemy infantry unit could deepstrike just in range of your agressors ideally a unit of six that hasn't moved, when your opponent tries to deepstrike his infantry play the 1CP stratagem to shoot all your aggressors at his guys TWICE at a -1 penalty, (you should have a chapter master in range anyway so that's not too big a deal) even with a 5 man aggressor unit you should annihilate any light infantry that tries to deepstrike for just 1 cp.
  • With iron hands chapter tactic then you can pretty much get the same effect on normal overwatch, for 1CP you overwatch on a 4+, 75% accuracy near a chapter master.

Character Buffing

For those of us that want a pure marine army it is important to double up on your force multipliers at every opportunity. The Troop Tax is no more; it is replaced with the HQ tax. Use your HQs to their maximum. And while HQs and the Lord of War Guilliman improve your hitting and wounding, units inside the elite slot have created a new dynamic for Marines. The Marine Formula -- a Unit and it's accompanying support Unit, goes for all the non-character models.

• Ancients are must-takes in infantry-heavy Space Marine armies. Ancients enable out of turn shooting from models you'd otherwise be removing from play, even on your opponent's turn and help reduce the toll of Alpha Strikes: getting shot off the board Turn 1 is a thing, and Ancients help you recoup some of your losses by returning fire as models die.
• Apothecaries are best described as a trap, unless you're looking to fill out slots for detachments. the inability to revive heroes, the bad odds at returning lost models, and the loss of the once cool 5+ FnP in earlier editions is down right heartbreaking. maybe with the Chief Apothecary upgrade they could have a use, but in general avoid them.
• Build around your Warlord! HQs like Kantor, Shrike, Vulkan, and Khan can drastically change your army's peak efficiency. Using Vulkan around loads of Melta toting marines is more efficient than Kantor around the same loadout. Conversely, Kantor with dedicated heavy assault troops (Assault Centurions, Assault Terminators with Thunder Hammers, Vanguard Veterans with Thunder Hammers, etc.) can take out a Knight in one turn of CC. Without Kantor, they only accomplish 50% of the damage.
• Another popular combination is a Captain (ideally upgraded to Chapter Master if you can spare the CP) and Lieutenant; the Captain allows hit re-rolls of 1 while the Lieutenant allows wound re-rolls of 1. Hellblasters and Devastators in particular really benefit from being inside these auras. Chapter Masters and Lieutenants are essential for getting accurate firepower; other armies lack accuracy but make up for it with volume of fire. Marines will usually have a low model count and so need each shot to work.

Sergeant Equipment

Most of your regular Infantry and Bikers have a Sergeant that takes items from the Sergeant Equipment List. This includes your Tactical/Scout/Assault/Devastator Squads, your Company/Vanguard/Sternguard Veterans, and your Bike Squads and Company Veterans on Bikes. If you don't have specific wargear in mind, ALWAYS take a Storm Bolter and Chainsword instead of leaving them with their default options. This 2-point upgrade adds the same amount of dakka as an entire 13-point Tactical Marine/11-point Scout.

• Veteran Sergeants all have 3 attacks, so investing in a nice melee weapon is often worth the points, even if you don't intend to use them in assaults. A 16-point Thunder Hammer presents a very serious threat to pretty much any multi-wound model, be it Infantry, Monster, or Vehicle. Taking a Thunder Hammer in this instance is as much about limiting your opponent's options as it is about directly inflicting losses, though landing even a single blow will more than make your points back if you pick the right target (putting it on an Intercessor Sarge helps here since they get one more attack than the other types).
  • Saying that, remember that most power weapons are only 4 points in 8th. So when low on points left, consider a Power Sword or something like that to cut through armour if you find yourself in combat.

Transport Tips

• Razor Rush: Razorbacks hauling troops are way better in 8e than they were in 7e, and in 7e they were free. The unit inside the razorback should do something complementary to the razorback, while maintaining a similar weapons range. If inside a laserback, consider a plasma tactical squad. A razorback with heavy flamers would benefit from a melta/combi-melta tactical squad, or even an assault squad to offer a bit of melee counterpunch. In this MSU approach, it is better to diversify your squads. So while one can bring devastators with 4 multi-meltas inside a razorback (5 if you're using FW's infernus razorback to take another multi-melta), that razorback is going to draw too much attention and those devs are likely to be stranded.
  • Non-Ultramarines watch out. While spammable, Razorbacks aren't disposable. It can be infuriating to not be able to use a twin assault cannon because an enemy managed to touch the transport. Protect your boxes!
• STEEL REHN Revisited: The ability to deep strike on the first turn in Matched Play using Drop Pods is a significant boost to the Space Marines' offensive ability. We shouldn't need to go into detail about what this means for you^{please do, this is a tactics page}, but needless to say it lets you take the fight to the enemy much sooner than most armies can. Seriously though, this can get a bit stupid, this writer has killed entire 2500 point armies in two turns by stuffing the entire army in drop pods, suffering something like 6 models as casualties^How?. Yes, 6 MODELS, not units. Whilst this is ridiculous and broken, it does limit you to non-bulky infantry. You will lack termies, Dreads, or any large vehicles, so play with caution. Of course you could just bring some cheap backfill units, like artillery (Whirlwind anyone?^lmao) to counter this issue. Advised only to be done when you really, really need to win or teach someone a lesson. You will lose friends, you have been warned.

Command Points and You

If you are gonna go for an all-marine army with CPs, it's gonna be hard to balance multi purpose, jack-of-all-whatchamacallsits with specialized elites, HS, Fast attack and HQs in brigades and battalions. Dodging the Troop Tax is viable with the Outrider, Spearhead and Vanguard detachments, but doesn't give as many command points, and CPs are like Psykers, they may do a little, or they may wreck your shit, and it's good to have a few just in case.

• You can build a Space Marine Army around 6 troop choices and burning Command Points. You'd likely need to go cheap on Fast Attack units. In this approach every turn you should use Hellfire Shells, Flakk Missiles and Expert Marksmen. If your model dies, but gets one last shot off with an Ancient, use the Flakk Missile and Hellfire stratagem for Mortal Wounds in your opponent's turn. Use Scouts to control how your enemy deep strikes, and use Tacticals to zone off your Deployment Zone. With a large pool of Devastators in your Deployment zone rerolling because of Lieutenants and Captains, when the onrushing hordes reach your army use characters to defend them, and use Honor The Chapter for a game winning Counter Charge by your heroic character. Use the Standard of Emperor Ascendant to maximize this shooting. Because this build takes up a lot of points and few/no vehicles consider using Assault Weapons on your Tactical Marines so they can Advance every turn. If you prefer this playstyle you should really consider allying with some Imperial Guard/Admech since they provide CPs and infantry screens for far cheaper.
  • As hinted at above, allying with Guard/Admech for CPs is significantly less viable than it once was, with marines losing many of their faction specific rules if they soup another faction in. Also, with all the buff they've received, marines can make a low CP list work much more easily than they once could, to the point where its just not worth it to lose combat doctrines to get allies and CPs.

• • If you're struggling with CP and you would (obviously) rather stay with a pure Marine army, consider trying Ultramarines; two of their best characters grant free CP just by being the Warlord, and one of their unique WTs offers them a way to recycle CPs.

On Primaris Marines

As these are the primary new toys given to Space Marines, a bit of caution should be taken when using them, especially when considering making an Ultima Founding Chapter, or using chapters who have been heavily supplemented by these new Chadmarines. The first and absolutely most important thing is that these guys are specialized to an extent that is jarring in comparison to other units in the codex. Almost every Primaris unit is a one trick pony, being very good at one role and struggling to do anything else:

• For the most part, the characters take their roles deathly seriously, having no options that deviate from their purpose (if they even get options, that is- many of them don't even have that). They also have far fewer ways of accessing a 2+ save, so they have to be more careful around weapons whose AP is -2 or better. On the other hand, their profiles are a flat upgrade over an identically equipped normal character and they can be very nasty in close combat.
• Aggressors are short-ranged shooting DISTRACTION CARNIFEXES that particularly rip apart light to medium infantry from short to mid-range and hit hard in melee, but their guns have to rely on the sheer quantity of the shots they put out against anything with a Toughness score greater than 5 and are sluggish enough to be at risk of getting blasted away before they get into the 18" range that most of their weaponry uses.
• Reivers are ranged or melee harassers with a powerful grenade capable of disrupting enemy units, some powerful deployment methods, and the potential to cause the worst problems for morale, but fare poorly against anything with morale boosts (or morale immunity, either inherently or due to small unit sizes) or armour saves above a 5+.
• Inceptors rely on their ability to deep strike and gun down their preferred prey (light infantry for Assault Bolters, everything else for Plasma Exterminators) but also suffer from range issues on top of poor melee ability, Suppressors combine the Inceptor's mobility with a long-range weapon whose secondary ability is ideal for softening up a unit you want to charge, but their autocannons aren't so hot against vehicles and they have subpar melee as well.
• Infiltrators and Incursors are expensive and not that good against heavily armoured foes, but they are superb for quickly taking and holding objectives. Both can infiltrated and use smoke grenades to be hard to hit. The Infiltrators can bring in a mini-apothecary or count as being in range of a Phobos Captain/Lt.'s aura even if the Captain providing it is on the opposite side of the board, all while having a decent chance to wound even high-toughness units. The Incursors, on the other hand, are slightly better in melee, ignore cover with their guns, and ignore debuffs to hit in the shooting phase while also providing a source of mortal wounds from their haywire mines.
• Eliminators can serve one of two functions. They can either pick off high-value infantry and characters even without a clear line of sight, or they can blast vehicles from afar with what's basically a shorter-ranged but more reliable lascannon. Either way, they can infiltrated to move into optimal positions and are a bitch to hurt with shooting when in cover. While they too are weak in melee the sergeant's optional instigator bolt carbine can act as a panic button if they're ever charged.
• Hellblasters and Intercessors are the exceptions that prove the rule, with the former acting as a solid MEQ/TEQ-killer that can also double as improvised anti-vehicle if needed and the latter being a more expensive but resilient Troops choice that's great at holding down backfield objectives.
• Though the Repulsor does somewhat open them up to versatility, it pays significantly for multi-tasking and is often best for clearing out hordes; the Repulsor Executioner is its vehicle-killing cousin that shares the double-shooting trick of the IG's Leman Russ tanks. The Impulsor, on the other hand, has less transport capacity and can't carry Aggressors or Gravis-armoured characters, but it's much cheaper and can be equipped for either greater resilience or for extra firepower. The Assault Vehicle option also opens up potential for some techniques that don't work with other transports.

These guys are truly Aspect Marines and should be treated as such, even in a full army of the true scaled bastards.

Tactical Marines

The introduction of Primaris Marines all but stopped the popular use of Old Marines, it was hard to argue why you would wouldn't take the Nu-boys, twice the wounds, an extra attack, an extra -1 ap and 6" on their weapon range all for a few extra points. However the new Codex Space Marines (8E) 2.0 gave the humble Tactical Marine a new lease on life. They can gain the benefit of all Doctrines, Devastator for heavy weapons and grenades, Tactical for bolters and special weapons and assault for their melee attacks. "MELEE?!!" You say, "Why would you trade the obviously superior shooting of their bolters?" and I say "Fools!!!, you know nothing of the glory days of yore, when the Metal Bawks had the personality of a steam roller, clearing an inexorable path across the field of battle, when the holy Bolter was but a device to smear butter on any unfortunate newbs who happened to risk the wrath of the OG' to snatch an extra round of shooting at something more important."

• But enough of the nostalgia and theatrics. 2.0 gave marines a lot of what they had back in 2-7ED, +1A on charge, strike first if they charge (back then there was an Initiative stat (I) and charging granted +1I making marines I5 and against most armies except the Eldar and 'stealers this meant they got first strike), the new doctrines are an effective reintroduction of special rules you could purchase to allow you to flavour your marines to whatever chapters you had in mind. But now the glory days of Tactical Marine have returned, 2 shots with their bolter then another 2 in Melee, that makes for up to 41 S4 attacks per turn with a 10 man squad and 4.6 dead enemy MEQs before they can even react, with a base 10 man marine squad for only 120pts, with doctrines (either tactical or assault) and you get another dead enemy marine. Then the support options are all gravy. Consider using the Rhino rush strategy to deny the enemy ground, deliver your marines in safety and use them to soak up overwatch, you should muse over use of the trusty; Stay in combat and clean up during your opponents assault phase tactic to protect your units from shooting.
• Do you want to know what what they get now that they didn't get back in pre 8ED 2.0? 2. Damage. Melee. Attacks. The White scars take Tactical marines melee to a whole new stratosphere even if you only take generic Chapter Tactics. If you manage to preserve a 10 man Tactical squad until turn 3 they will of earned 21 S4 ap-1 2D melee attacks, that's 3.5 dead primaris, 2.3 dead TH/SS terminators, 4.6 wounds against a character with T4 2+ and ... wait for it ... 3.1 wounds against a T5 2+ Character (Abbadon springs to mind). Bear in mind this is a Full tactical squad with no weapon upgrades OR support of any other kind and in addition to any added bolter fire.
• A Captain/lieutenant adds about 10% damage to both melee and range, Chapter Master (-2CP) adds about 20% to both in melee and range, Chaplain w/litanies of hate (66% of the time) adds about 20% in melee only and a WS Master of Sanctity (-1CP) with both litanies of hate and strike off the head (88% of the time for 1 and 44% for both) adds about 40% damage boost in melee. You want to go all melee? Master of Sanctity. Want reliable? Go Chapter Master and want cheap but effective support? Go lieutenant.

Matchups and Counterplay

This is where matchups and counter-play is discussed. Feel free to add what tactics and strategies have worked against specific armies in your own personal experience. For simplicity's sake, let's assume that these are mono-lists and are not relying on allies (AKA Soup).

Imperium

• Space Marines: You already know what's good since it's been discussed at length in the articles above. Make sure you account for their Chapter Tactics, as they may cause them to follow a very different playstyle than your own army despite having the exact same units available to them.
• Blood Angels: The following 5 armies (lovingly referred to as other flavors of power armour) are mostly just your units mixed with some unique units and different chapter tactics. For Blood Angels, avoid melee if possible because they essentially get +1 to wound in the first round of combat. They often field lots of jump-pack infantry. Best known for their smash-captains, who rain terror down on battlefields everywhere- bring weapons that gain bonuses against things with the Fly keyword.
• Dark Angels: They're the shooty emo catholic marines who are secretly traitors hunting down loyal Dark Angels that they refer to as the Fallen THE MOST LOYAL SERVANTS OF THE EMPEROR. Their Chapter Tactic makes them almost immune to morale, plus they re-roll 1s to hit if they stand still. They are less reliant on generic characters such as Chaplains and their Masters (the equivalent of Captains), but they do gravitate toward named characters a lot more. Their Chapter Master Azrael gives a 4+ Invulnerable save to all non-vehicle units within 6" of him, making him particularly annoying against weapons that rely on high AP in order to do damage. Their specialty is in Plasma, Biker Squads, and Terminator squads. Their most famous stratagem, "Weapons of the Dark Age", boosts the damage of all Plasma weaponry a chosen unit fields by 1. It is frequently paired with their Chapter Master Azrael leading a maxed-out squad of Hellblasters toting the Heavy Plasma Incinerators for devastating effect. Their Ravenwing units have a stratagem that lets them advance and still shoot and charge normally, letting them have a 4+ Invulnerable save against ranged attacks, and allow them to bring their assault Plasma Talons to bear. Deathwing Terminators are fearless, and can drop 2cps to shoot the moment they arrive from reserves in order to clear a screen and allow other deep-striking units to close in on you. The Darkshroud, another commonly seen unit, gives an aura of -1 to hit and can advance in order to get the 4+ Jink save like other Ravenwing units. Counter the Azrael-Darkshroud-Hellblaster-WotDA castle with Transhuman physiology to protect against the plasma, and bypass the Darkshroud's 4+ Invuln with the Flakk Missile and Hellfire Shells stratagem to whittle it down and drop it.
• Space Wolves: Like Blood Angels they are also a melee-centric army, with +1 to hit instead of +1 to wound. They focus more on running instead of jump-packing. This addition they gravitate towards weapons like power fists with a -1 to hit. Units of wolves and Thunderwolf cavalry are common to see. They are still Space marines and have a range of Shooting vehicles, flying landraiders and better devastators to fill in range. Their units of wolves provide nice chaff units. Outside of Thunderwolf and Wulfen spam, there's not a lot to see here.
• Deathwatch: They're more elite Space Marines, who essentially have Sternguard Veterans as a troop choice and can gain bonuses against everything in a specific FOC slot. More importantly, they kept the Special Issue Ammunition that your veterans lost, which applies to all Bolter weaponry (minus Heavy Bolters and the Incinerator Heavy Bolters (Infernus Heavy Bolters)) fielded by their infantry and bike models.. They can mix Terminators, Assault Marines, and Bikers into said squads too, which is a funny gimmick. Their Watch Masters act like Chapter Masters, so be wary of an Intercessor blob with 5 hidden heavy hellblasters spitting out Hellfire rounds and S9 overcharged shots. They can deep-strike their entire army like Grey Knights, so a good screen and the Auspex Scan on a key unit of your choice should do well. Their Veterans like to hide Storm Shields in their squads to tank the odd Plasma gun or high-AP weapon shot, but with the new combat doctrines forcing a shit-ton of Bolter saves will hurt them, just as much as it does to your own units with Storm Shields. The Corvus is an overcosted flier just like your Storm Raven, a few Lascannons and multi-meltas will do you well. Again, using Transhuman Physiology against a unit's hellfire rounds will do you good, mitigating the 2+ to wound non-vehicle units.
• Grey Knights: Oh look, it's one of two armies that you can actually realistically outnumber (Knights are a third army you can outnumber, but they're tonka-tough). Let's be real: Grey Knights are long past the glory days of 5th Edition. Their equivalent units are either overcosted compared to yours or just flat-out suck, maybe with a few exceptions. Grand Masters in Dreadknights are one example, and the Chapter Master equivalent Kaldor Draigo is another one for the obvious reason. They can pull off decent alpha-strikes, but use Scout Squads and Infiltrators to zone out their deep strike bubbles and/or Auspex scan a unit of your choice. If you have access to Vanguard Primaris units, a couple combat squads of Infiltrators can not only block a Strike Squad out of Rapid Fire range, but also lock his entire army out of charge range. After that, it should be easy pickings as Grey Knights lack cost efficient means of mobility. Their interceptors are way too expensive for what they do and Stormravens are a major point sink that a few good lascannon and/or meltagun shots can swiftly take care of, so if you can hold onto the skies you should be in good shape.
  • I won't say too much here, cause I haven't read it in full yet, but Ritual of the Damned buffed these guys like crazy. Not saying they're game breakingly good now, but they're no slouches anymore. assume the above on Grey Knights isn't true, will update this when/if I get the book, or someone who knows more can update it.
• Imperial Guard: Don't let their weak statlines fool you. Guard are VERY tough to deal with this edition. Between dirt-cheap infantry, extremely weapon-dense deep striking units like scion command squads, and absurdly good for their cost tanks, Guard can take an enormous beating and deal one out in turn. We'll point out the linchpin - Officers! Snipe out those low-wound characters to neuter the enemy chain of command and his infantry will suddenly be a LOT less impressive. Take a squad or two of Sniper Scouts or Eliminators. Vehicles to beware include the Leman Russ if it has the Conqueror Battle Cannon and the Executioner Plasma Cannon, Hellhounds, and any artillery vehicle. Now with the new codex and supplements (and the power creep that follows), we have LOTS of potential ways to counter the Guard's shenanigans, turnabout is fair play from their horrific index cheese. The Devastator Doctrine makes a mockery of guard tanks on turn 1, moreso if you're using Imperial Fists. The Tactical Doctrine will help you shred guard squads a bit easier (the guard player can't issue orders if there's nobody TO issue an order to), and the Assault Doctrine should be considered as a mop-up action. Consider taking Raven Guard Eliminators, and on turn 2 pop the tactical doctrine so you can snipe officers on 2+ (stick a Phobos Captain next to them to re-roll those pesky 1s), and deal mortal wounds on 5+. If you decide to wall-bang them with the Executioner Rounds you'll at least wound them on a 2+ and force saves. Thunderfire Cannons can shoot twice with the Suppressing Fire stratagem, enabling it to mulch 2 guard units in a turn (preferably any fragile Heavy Weapon Squad). A squad of 5 Reivers with combat knives and taking advantage of Shock Assault will throw out 21 attacks while lowering the Guard’s already weak Ld, wiping out entire 10-model squads in a single combat + morale.
• Adeptus Mechanicus: The weird middle-child between you and the Imperial Guard, Adeptus Mechanicus' can elect to run modestly cheap Skitarii-focused armies or eschew the tin men for the Cult Mechanicus tank-like Kataphrons. Either way, most AdMech players will likely be running their squads MSU style to get around their poor leadership. Weapons like Heavy Bolters strike a nice medium for ripping through most of their infantry, though you'll definitely want to pack a few Lascannons to handle any Dunecrawlers or Kastelan Robots. Other than the knights, not a single admech unit has t8, they also practically have no rapid fire weaponry and awful but universal invuls, making meltas a more or less perfect way to deal with most if not all their units. Don't underestimate the basic Skitarii though, their Arquebus sniper rifles and Plasma Calivers can easily chew through your marines if they get the chance, but thankfully they fall quickly if given any attention, which could be worth it anyway, considering that and their weapons cost a small fortune compared to other GEQ like units. Be aware that most admech armies have more than enough s6+ weaponry to chew through your marines, cover or not, if they don't have a better target, so bring vehicles to distract and counter the heavier elements while you play for objectives. Also, be careful when deploying and go for the second turn, they can and will happily kill or strand your marines and lighter vehicles if you are the first to break cover.
• Adeptus Ministorum: If you see someone using sisters at a tournament, be VERY afraid - sisters are one of, if not the, weakest armies in the current meta, so if you see someone using them in competitive play, they’re either insane or a tactical genius to rival Creed. This may change when if the new codex comes out, but for now if you face sisters take Centurions and any other mass-bolter fire unit.
• Adeptus Custodes:You will outnumber these golden boys, big time, but they are tough as nails and hit like a sock with a halfbrick. Best known for their jetbikes, which have hilarious amounts of firepower and are lethal in melee for good measure. Do not engage in combat if you can help it and bring as many sources of Mortal Wounds as you can.
  • At least until they get to bring Sisters of Silence along with them.
• Imperial Knights: Remember, Imperial Knights seem intimidating and are armed to the teeth, but they lack board control. If you have the second player turn, pop the Prepared Positions stratagem and watch as all your vehicles and infantry have 4+ saves against the Knights' Battlecannons! It's better than a 5 or 6+ save, after all. Lascannon spam, deep striking squads full of Meltaguns, or Chainfist Terminators can deal with Imperial Knights fairly well. As a general rule, Imperial Knights prefer their titanic feet attacks in melee compared to their arm weapons, aside from the Gallant variants. Best advice: play to the mission! Your best bet is to win on objective points, as most armies don't have the firepower to take down an army of knights. You can, however, wear them down enough to make them much less of a threat.
  • The basic Knight Paladin is armed with a Rapid Fire Battlecannon and the Reaper Chainsword, with two Stubbers. It's versatile, but a simple 2d6 Battlecannon shots is not quite as devastating as you think compared to its cost. The Imperial guard get 2d6 battlecannon shots on one battle tank that stands still, for 1/3 the cost of a Knight Paladin!
  • The Knight Errant trades its RFBC for a Thermal Cannon that is half the range, but absolute cancer to vehicles and multi-wound models.
  • The Knight Warden has a Thunderstrike Gauntlet and a RFBC base that can be exchanged for the Avenger Gatling Cannon, a 12 shot beast capable of reliably deleting your infantry units.
  • The Knight Crusader is the dakka knight, it has a Thermal Cannon (that can be swapped for a RFBC) and the Gatling Cannon.
  • The addition of Armiger Knights makes things a bit more challenging as they can offer a bit more board control for the Knights at the expense of durability. The Armiger Helverins are superior to Autocannon Predators every day of the week, and Armiger Warglaives that get too close will wreck vehicles and heavy infantry in short order.
  • The Dominus Knight variants are perhaps the biggest challenge. Both variants have weaker Battle cannons, and Shieldbreaker Missiles that can target characters, even out of LoS, for 2CPs. The infamous Dominus Castellan has a mini Volcano Cannon and a Plasma Decimator, it is capable of one-shotting two Land Raider equivalent vehicles per turn. Apologies Knight Crusader, THIS is the Dakka knight. The Dominus Valiant has a fuck-huge Harpoon that does a flat 10 damage and an additional d3 mortal wounds to a model that somehow survived the initial shot (Full strength Land Raider or Storm Raven). It also has a gigantic flamethrower for crowd control. The problem with the Valiant is that its weapons aside from the Shield Breaker missiles are so short ranged that you'll have a fairly easy time throwing enough meltagun shots and drowning it in mass bolter fire at it to destroy it. The same cannot be said for the long ranged Castellan who will try and play the keep away game.

Chaos

• Chaos Space Marines: Some matchups will play out like a mirror match depending on the Legion traits, but Chaos Space marines have a better combination of USRs, as Death to the False Emperor will come into effect more often than ATSKNF. Like you, they have the shock assault and Bolter Discipline rules, making World Eaters armies horrifying on the charge.
• Chaos Daemons: They often come in four flavors. Khorne Daemons hit like freight trains on the charge with all of their characters granting re-rolls on failed charges, and by paying command points to get Banners of Blood, they will often make their charges out of deep strike. Their shooting is a joke and basic Bloodletters are surprisingly fragile at T3, but a Khorne player worth their salt will make sure to lock you down to prevent you from capitalizing on it. Nurgle is obscenely tough to kill with the Disgustingly Resilient rule but like the Death Guard it's fucking slow. Slaanesh is fragile, but they are very fast and you will likely be staring turn 1 charges in the face if you don't back your shit up as far back as possible. Tzeentch is arguably the easiest to deal with as they are only good at range, and your ranged abilities will exceed theirs. Just remember to take librarians to deny some of their smites. Thunderfire Cannons and anything with an Assault Cannon will do well to hack up their infantry, and good lord deal with any greater daemons before they get close otherwise you're fucked, no other way to put it. Iron Hands and Ultramarine Chapter Tactics will do you well here, overwatching on a 5+ combined with a 6+ shrug will let you weather the storm, and Guilliman's aura will make a Daemon player (or any opponent, really)cry.
• Death Guard: Mortal Wound spam out the ass, lots of rerollable wounds, and Disgustingly Resilient making their units extra-hardy. Fun times abound! They have the stronger Chaos Primarch, Mortarion. Morty is also known as that guy who absorbs all your fire even when he doesn't have any buffs to support him before ramming his rusted, STD-infested scythe up your army's gaping sphincter. Good thing they're slow as shit. Use that to your advantage.
• Thousand Sons: They have the weaker Chaos Primarch, Magnus the Red. Magnus is also known as the guy who dies in 1 turn of shooting even if he receives all of the defensive buffs first. However, "weaker" should still not be misinterpreted as being the same as "weak", because he can still rip and tear with the best of them. Thousand Sons are an army that relies on their psychic phase more than anyone aside from Daemons and Grey Knights, and they've got access to way more powers than either of those. Their Tzaangors can create a nasty suicide unit by either moving forward with Warp Time, or deep striking in front of you and then charging.
• Renegade Knights: See Imperial Knights above. They share a lot of traits with them, but favor melee to a greater extent and can mix and match weapon types to a degree.
• Renegades and Heretics (FW): This will play out much like a Guard match, but the difference is they still have access to morale-immunity on their hordes of renegades. Take Scout Snipers and assassinate their Enforcers like you would a Company Commander/Commissar!

Xenos

• Tau: Tau vs. Marine matchups exist in a weird space as Tau are both devastating at range, and a pain in the ass to charge with their bonuses to overwatch. At the same time, space marine armies (regardless of composition) are strongly middle-range armies. Part of surviving tau is closing in with the enemy with multiple units to force the split of overwatch. Youre not going to outshoot them, and while you should beat them in close combat, you're not a close combat army either. While they have indirect fire options, a huge part of their mechanics rely on line of sight, so cover becomes remarkably important. Tau guns are strong but are usually wielded as BS4+, so anything with minuses to-hit (like Raven Guard units) will fare well against Tau. Ensure to remove supporting drones with bolters before shooting your lascannons at the battlesuits, or your shots will likely be wasted. Sniping buffing characters like Fireblades and Ethereals will make your life easier. Most importantly, Tau often castle up to make the most of their synergies. If they do, don't try take them head-on, instead just play the mission and win on victory points!
• Craftworld Eldar: Classic Eldar are known for two things: psychic powers and hyper-specialized units. Use a few snipers or psykers of your own to shut down or prevent Farseers/Warlocks from supporting their units or debuffing/smiting yours. This will cripple the Craftworlders significantly, as many of their units will begin to struggle against MEQ without their buffs helping them work around their otherwise garbage GEQ statlines. As for units like their aspect warriors, simply take advantage of their weaknesses; Howling Banshees, Striking Scorpions and Fire Dragons are practically helpless at range, while units like Dark Reapers, Swooping Hawks and Shadow Spectres are considerably easier in melee. Wraith units might have devastating firepower and can still easily throw down in a fist fight, but all variants are generally slow and have very limited ranges on their weapons. If you lack heavier firepower to simply punch through their armour and toughness, you can still kite them with relative ease and whittle them down.
• Dark Eldar: This faction is a bit special in that their codex more or less divides itself into three armies so here's an entry for each.
  • Kabals: Death of a thousand cuts. Most of their units will whittle you down with splinter fire since your T 4 doesn't mean a thing to them, and they have a startling lack of multi damage weapons outside of Dark Lances and the like making Primaris units quite useful as short of disintegrators they don't have any cost effective solution to bringing them down. Moreover their infantry fold under bolt fire like guardsmen and are quite afraid of it; luckily Venoms also crumple easily under massed bolter fire, Raiders and Ravagers are slightly tougher but will quickly fall apart under heavier firepower however. That being said, do not underestimate the speed or cost-effective anti-tank their vehicles can bring.
  • Wych Cults: One of the two combat heavy sides to the DE with terrific invuln saves in combat, avoid melee if you can even with your own dedicated CQC units as they will get bogged down pretty quickly and your more ranged units will either be killed or mauled quite badly. However, the good news is outside of combat they're essentially useless and like the one above massed bolt fire will work wonders, even against their transports, and Assault Cannons are just their worst nightmare. Be prepared to fall back as often as you'll be able to open up their units to your fire, but hey, you're the Imperium: when is Guns O' Clock not the solution?
  • Covens: The other combat heavy side that relies on being obscenely tough. Everyone gets an invulnerable save, be it close combat or at range. Quick, but not as fast as the Wyches, so finishing them off with well placed charges can be effective. They can also bring a fair amount of beefy monsters and can harm your Primaris marines a fair bit more reliably. The best way to beat their invuln saves is by swamping them in Bolter fire which doesn't care about armor.
• Harlequins: Death of a thousand honks . . . wait. In all seriousness though these lot are FAST, like insanely fast, like genestealer fast! Okay maybe not that fast, but still they well be in your lines turn 2 at the latest. Unfortunately for you they can and will shred Marines faster than you can blink so avoid melee like the plague. Good news is even though they all have a 4++ or better they're still T 3 so massed bolters will wipe out whole units at a time. Bad news is they'll make sure they have transports, which have 4++ and a -1 to hit so taking them down quick will be a challenge, mortal wounds will bypass those well enough or a well positioned librarian with Nullzone can lead to you wiping out most of their army in one go.
• Ynnari: This particular faction of space elves can be a bit tricky to plan for, but invariably the weakest of the them all. The bad news is they are already tailormade to fuck you up as MSU is their preferred targets, the good news is they're a semi decent close combat army at best so the usual tactics apply. To really shut them down however it's best to bring some psychic denial to stop the new hotness for them Unbind Souls their version of Doom that'll only apply in combat, which means librarians or Black Templars. Next to worry about is their few key strategems which can make any of their characters get back up on a 4+, or the two separate ones they have to give reroll to wound against your units. Be warned you'll probably be facing dual battalions which means lots of elves, hope you brought your bolters.
• Tyranids: Almost an automatic win for you if you have a competent list. Kill off synapse and any significant firepower they may bring. Rub salt in the wound with your plethora of sniper weapons. You truly do not need help here.
• Genestealer Cults: Imperial Guard with Tyranid flavor, or Tyranid with Imperial Guard flavor? In all seriousness, deepstriking Genestealers with armoured support to back it up sounds like a very daunting prospect. As with Nids, avoid melee with anything that has a Rending Claw, Rock cutters/saws, or power hammers if possible. Remember to zone out ambushing units with Scouts. If you're planning on mixing in the new Primaris Vanguard units, remember that Infiltrators and the Phobos Captain can deny deep strikes within 12", making them and scouts your best friends against GSC by pushing them out of charge range. Ultramarines or Imperial Fists work well because the smurfs can fall back and still shoot, and the Fists can ignore cover (which a GSC player worth their salt would spring for). Unfortunately if you're reliant on offensive Librarians for damage, a single Magus will make you cry by giving all GSC units within 6" of it a free Deny the Witch. If that wasn't enough, Jackal Alphuses and Sanctuses will then proceed to heap the pain on characters with their Silencer sniper rifles (AP-1, d3 damage and forces perils on psykers that lose a wound to the shot). Kelermorphs are also bonkers since even if they don't have the relic pistol Oppressor's Bane they will snipe a non-screened Librarian, Chaplain, or Lieutenant with ease.
• Necrons: You shouldn't really need any help killing Necrons, but just in case: play for keeps and don't leave half-eaten units around. If you fail to wipe a unit, Reanimation Protocol will see a bunch of their slain models return (funnily enough, losses to morale do not count). Necron Wraiths and Lychguard with sword and board have especially good invulnerable saves, but a speedy Librarian build (Terminator, Index Bike, Jump Pack) with the Null Zone psychic power will make a mockery of them. The really solid unit Necrons have are Destroyers. Wraiths will constantly absorb firepower, while warrior blobs will harm your units badly if they can waddle into rapid fire range.
• Orks: You shouldn't really need any help killing Orks, but just in case: the most important thing is target prioritizing. Take a lot of infantry mulching guns and unload into the massive units of Ork Boyz your opponent brought, and focus your anti-armour guns on popping their transport open. If you have any dedicated melee units of your own, don't rush into combat; that's playing right into the Ork players hand. Hold them back and let your guns soften the enemy up before intercepting them when they get too close. Also, keep in mind that 'ere We Go! allows orks to pull off charges from a surprising distance, so don't let that catch you off guard. Finally, if you must go toe-to-toe with a Warboss, make sure your character has a Storm Shield: Warbosses hit like a freight train and the Ork player can use the stratagem Orks is never defeated to guarantee that the boss gets a chance to fight. Orks are a volume army (both in T4 wounds and S4 attacks)... snipers picking off key buffing characters and the Warboss can cripple them.

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Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (10th Edition)

General Tactics	General Weapons Terrain
Imperium	Space Marines (Black Templars, Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Deathwatch, Space Wolves) Grey Knights
	Adeptus Mechanicus Adeptus Titanicus Imperial Knights Imperial Guard Sisters of Battle
	Adeptus Custodes & Sisters of Silence Imperial Agents (Inquisition, Rogue Traders, etc.)
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines (Death Guard Thousand Sons World Eaters)
	Chaos Daemons Chaos Knights Chaos Titans
Eldar	Eldar (Craftworlds, Corsairs, Harlequins, Ynnari) Dark Eldar
Necrons	Necrons
Orks	Orks
Tau	Tau
Tyranids	Tyranids Genestealer Cults
Votann	Leagues of Votann

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Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (9th Edition)

General Tactics	General Movement Psychic Fortifications Tactical Terrain Weapons Apocalypse
Imperium	Space Marines (Blood Angels Dark Angels Deathwatch Space Wolves) Grey Knights
	Adeptus Mechanicus Adeptus Titanicus Imperial Knights Imperial Guard Sisters of Battle
	Adeptus Custodes & Sisters of Silence Inquisition Officio Assassinorum Rogue Traders
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines (Death Guard Thousand Sons World Eaters)
	Chaos Daemons Chaos Knights Renegades and Heretics
Eldar	Craftworld Eldar Dark Eldar Harlequins Ynnari
Necrons	Necrons
Orks	Orks
Tau	Tau
Tyranids	Tyranids Genestealer Cults
Votann	Leagues of Votann

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Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (8th Edition)

General Tactics	General Movement Psychic Fortifications Apocalypse
Imperium	Space Marines Blood Angels Dark Angels Deathwatch Grey Knights Space Wolves
	Talons of the Emperor (Custodes and Sisters of Silence) Adeptus Mechanicus
	Adeptus Ministorum (Sisters of Battle and minor factions) Adeptus Titanicus
	Imperial Knights Imperial Guard Inquisition Officio Assassinorum
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines (Death Guard Thousand Sons)
	Chaos Daemons Chaos Knights Renegades and Heretics
Eldar	Eldar Dark Eldar Harlequins
Necrons	Necrons
Orks	Orks
Tau	Tau
Tyranids	Tyranids Genestealer Cults

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Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (7th Edition)

General Tactics	General Movement Psychic Fortifications
Imperium	Space Marines (Siege Assault Vanguard) Blood Angels Dark Angels Deathwatch Grey Knights Space Wolves
	Adeptus Custodes Cult Mechanicus Skitarii Adeptus Sororitas
	Imperial Knights Inquisition Officio Assassinorum
	Imperial Guard (Armoured Battlegroup Death Korps of Krieg Assault Brigade Death Korps of Krieg Siege Regiment Elysian Drop Troops D-99)
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines Khorne Daemonkin Chaos Daemons Renegades and Heretics
Eldar	Eldar Dark Eldar Harlequins Corsairs
Necrons	Necrons
Orks	Orks Ork Dred Mob
Tau	Tau
Tyranids	Tyranids Genestealer Cults

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Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (6th Edition)

General Tactics	General Movement Psychic Fortifications
Imperium	Space Marines Blood Angels Dark Angels Grey Knights Space Wolves
	Adeptus Sororitas Inquisition
	Imperial Guard (Armoured Battlegroup Death Korps of Krieg Assault Brigade Death Korps of Krieg Siege Regiment Elysian Drop Troops) Militarum Tempestus
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines Chaos Daemons Renegades and Heretics
Eldar	Eldar Dark Eldar Corsairs
Necrons	Necrons
Orks	Orks Ork Dred Mob
Tau	Tau
Tyranids	Tyranids

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Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (All)

General Tactics	General (8th) Movement (8th 7th) Psychic (8th 7th 2nd) Fortifications (8th 7th) Tactical Terrain Apocalypse (8th)
Imperium (8th)	Space Marines (8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd) Blood Angels (8th 7th) Dark Angels (8th 7th) Deathwatch (8th 7th) Grey Knights (8th 7th 6th 5th 3rd, AKA Daemonhunters) Space Wolves (8th 7th 6th 5th)
	Talons of the Emperor (Custodes and Sisters of Silence) (8th 7th) Adeptus Mechanicus (8th 7th) Adeptus Ministorum (Sisters of Battle and minor factions) (8th 7th 6th 3rd, AKA Witch Hunters) Adeptus Titanicus (8th)
	Imperial Knights (8th 7th) Imperial Guard (8th 7th 6th 5th 3rd) Inquisition (8th 7th 6th) Officio Assassinorum (8th 7th)
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines (8th 7th 6th 5th) Death Guard (8th) Khorne Daemonkin - 7th Edition Thousand Sons (8th) Chaos Daemons (8th 7th) Chaos Knights (8th) Renegades and Heretics (8th 7th 6th)
Eldar	Eldar (8th 7th 6th 5th) Dark Eldar (8th 7th 6th 5th 3rd Revised) Harlequins (8th 7th)
Necrons	Necrons (8th 7th 6th 5th 4th)
Orks	Orks (8th 7th 6th 5th 3rd) Ork Dred Mob - 7th edition (6th 5th) Ork Kult of Speed - 3rd edition Feral Orks - 3rd edition
Tau	Tau (8th 7th 6th 5th)
Tyranids	Tyranids (8th 7th 6th 5th) Genestealer Cults (8th 7th)

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