Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Talons of the Emperor (30k)

So we've had rules for the Legions, the Primarchs, and the Mechanicum. It was only a matter of time until the Emprah's BFFs got rules, and here they are.

Why play Talons of the Emperor

There are a number of reasons for playing this army.

• Because you like gold
• Because you like Eagles
• Because you like Eagles made out of gold
• Because the Emperor was right all along
• Because Erebus can fuck a cactus
• Because you want to take Phoenix Terminators with a half-Primarch statline as troops
• You want to model Pillarstodes
• Because one day you might be able to take the EMPRAH as a LoW
• Because you notice that currently, a pack of 5 Custodes goes for $36.00 on Ebay with free shipping.

Special Rules

• Preternatural Skill: If the majority of enemy models have equal or less Weapon Skill compared to yours when fighting in assault, you get +1I. Considering theres no such thing as a WS6 squad you might as well assume you're always I5, unless you're facing a lone HQ model.
• The Sodality: A Custodians unit coherency range is 3" and they always use their usual LD for regrouping. Representing how Custards fight as individuals rather than a squad. Use the 3" to better control the battlefield and reduce the effectiveness of Blast weapons (since 3" blast will actually never touch more than one Custodes).
• Inviolable Psyche: Forgeworld dancing around ATSKNF again, you are immune to fear, and re-roll DtW. However, it does mean you CAN break as a result of bad combat, and you CAN be utterly wiped out because your base initiative is the same as the Marines you're fighting against.
• Bulky: Not a rule specific to the Custodes, but they all have it.

Special Equipment

• Custodian Armour: Artificer Armour, Refactor Fields, and Move Through Cover rolled into one pimping banana suit.
• Guardian Spear: AP2 +1S on the charge, and reverts to a specialist power sword afterwards. Every time you roll a 6 to hit with it, you get another attack, but those extra attacks can't generate any more. In addition, it's a got an 18" AP4 Storm Bolter hidden inside.
• Sentinel Warblade: A Specialist Power Sword with Rending. In addition, it's a got an inbuilt 12" Storm bolter that snap fires at BS2. As it exists now, it's almost entirely inferior to the Guardian Spear, unless you're planning on using Rending to even out long assaults with high toughness models, or you need to crack open AV11+ and you can't get enough Custodes stuck in to use their Krak Grenades (a lucky rend with this sword can glance a Land Raider, though MathHammer doesn't favor your odds). Or if you want to use the Praesidium Shield, of course.
• Praesidium Shield: Provides a 4++, which is re-rollable in CC. A Praesidium Sield precludes two-handed weapons and the +1A for 2 CCW, something that will probably be relevant when the full army list is released.
• Plasma Grenades: Rare enough to mention here, they are assault grenades that can be thrown as S4 AP4 instead of S3 AP-.

Unit Analysis

HQ

As these are temporary rules, no HQ is provided. However you can use one squad of either Sentinels or Custodians.

Elites

• Sentinel Guard Squad: As Custodians armed with sword and board, they are somewhat less killy than their troop counterparts, but are more defensive, this aspect being increased by counting as having defensive grenades if two in the squad are in base contact. These are best used to guard your squishier Custodians, so they don't get wiped when they get charged by a squad with 2+ saves as your improved Invuls allow Sentinels to stick around long enough for rending to enter the equation. It's also worth noting that these guys can theoritecally deal with vehicules thanks to their rending swords, but don't expect too much from them.
  • While expensive, the Sentinels are the very definition of holding the line, as anything without S10 or Instant Death will take a lot of turns to kill them. For sure, they are slow and lack AP2 against TEQs, but they can tank your opponent's most dangerous units, so they are ideal for preventing a deathstar from rampaging through your army. As an example, a 10 man squad of Cataphractii with power fists will kill only 1 of them each round on average.

Troops

• Custodian Guard Squad: Think Terminators, but with all the 4s in their statline replaced with 5s (save for Initiative, but thanks to Preternatural Skill you don't really mind), with situational AP2 at initiative weapons, something that most Space marines (outside of Praetors or Emperor's Children) would never get. They do pay for the high degrees of kickassitude they bring to the table, most notably with actual points and with no transport they are liable to get shot down before doing anything, though with 2 wounds each and a 2+ 5++ they might pull though. With 3 S6 AP2 attacks per Custodian on the charge, they have decent chances to win the first round of close combat with a good margin before AP3 becomes a problem, so make sure the situational nature of their AP2 isn't going to get them killed.
  • Since Custodes pay no extra points for the base squad, it may be worth deploying a lot of small squads rather than big pseudo-deathstars if you expect a lot of 2+. AP3 and only 2 attacks by Custodian are trash if you get charged by TEQs with AP2, even if you outnumber them, so you don't want to see your 9-man squad rammed by 5 angry Tartaros with power fists. While they are more vulnerable to Moral tests if they take too many casualties, small units are also more adaptable : keep a couple of them close so you can charge with all your dudes when the opportunity presents itself without risking losing 495 points all at once.
  • Before bitching about your ultimate elite warriors being butchered by "mere" Terminators because of your shitty AP3, remember these guys are only basic Custodes and remain rather violent in close combat against anything else. Mathammer-wise, even a three-man squad of Custodians can withstand the charge of 20 World Eaters tactical Legionnaries with 2 CCW and win. Anything with 2+ save and AP2 will quickly have the upper hand on your golden bananas if the fight turns into attrition warfare, but otherwise you may be able to murder MEQs or at least keep them locked until reinforcements arrive.

Heavy Support

• Caladius Grav-Tank: Take a Sicaran Battle Tank, and stick it on a Land Speeder. Then give it to the most elite dudes in the Imperium and you have the Caladius. It's a fast skimmer (so you can Jink) with BS5, 13|13|11 3 HP and a flare shield, so keep it front toward your enemy and enjoy your grav-Land Raider with a 4+ cover save. It comes with Outflank, a Machine spirit (so you can Jink AND fire one of your weapons at full BS, pretty cool since the guns of your gilded podracer are nasty) and Grav Backwash (your ennemy suffers a -2 to Hit penalty in close combat as long as the Caladius is not Immobilised). The Caladius comes with two weapons : the turret-mounted Iliastus accelerator cannon and the hull-mounted Lastrum bolt cannon. The former is a twin-linked 60ps S7 AP2 Heavy 3 gun with Rending, Rapid Tracking (no Jink for your ennemy) while the latter is twin-linked 36ps S6 AP3 Heavy 3. Great, but here is the cherry on the top of the golden cake. Both weapons have a brand new fearsome rule : Heliothermic Detonation. If your target has suffered one or more unsaved wounds, they have must pass a Toughness test or suffer Instant Death, and Penetrating hits adds +1 to the Vehicle Damage table. You get this package for just 195 points, or the same as an off the shelf Land Raider Proteus, a bargain for your golden banana warriors.
  • Given some similarities with the Sicaran's accelerator autocannon, it is worth making some comparisons. Against vehicules, the Sicaran remains better for pure saturation and wiping out HP since it throws twice the amount of dakka the Caladius does, especially against Flyers, the Caladius' BS5 being useless in this case. HOWEVER, any Penetrating hit you may score with the Iliastus will have a 33% chance to blow your enemy up, something the autocannon can't even do. Anyway, the Sicaran looks like a jealous little bitch when coming to anti-infantry capabilities as the Caladius can tear apart MEQs and even TEQs or Monstruous Creatures better than most tanks. Well, for the same price the Sicaran can have 4 heavy bolters and will do a better job against 4+ saves and Cataphractii (by pure saturation power), but the golden floater remains more polyvalent overall. This Heliothermic Detonation shit means that Characters, multi-Wounds units and MC will sweat a little if they get wounded, unless they are Eternal Warriors.
  • All in all, the Caladius is maybe the most versatile tank in 30k for its price, both durable, fast, manoeuvrable and killy. With a 60ps range main weapon, a 4+ cover save and a Frontal Armour of 14, it can stay away from your adversary's biggest guns while destroying light vehicles and infantry from afar and survive medium-range fire from the front when you cannot retreat. Just remember it has only a Rear Armour of 11 so any deep-striking/outflanking unit with a bit of anti-armour stuff will wreck it.

Unit Analysis (40k)

Wargear

• Guardian Spear: Different than the 30k variant. Incorporates a regular, rapid fire Boltgun, but can be used to shoot then used in the assault phase. It is Two-Handed and always S+1 AP2. Also comes with the Block rule. Basically pick a single attack against this model's unit and roll a d6 for each model attempting to block. If you beat the enemy's to hit roll with the result (sum total of dice) the attack is nullified.
• Sentinel Blade: Only AP3, but incorporates a Bolt Caster (S4 AP5 Assault 2 12") that fires Snapshots at BS2.
• Power Knife: It's a Power Sword. It's good because it stacks with the Sentinel blade for +1 attack, unless you took a Storm Shield.
• Custodes Vexilla: One Custodes in your army can take this. It's a boosted Company Standard which gives all Armies of the Imperium units within 12" Fearless and +1 Attack, but you lose your Guardian Spear.
• Storm Shield: You know them, you love them. 3+ Invulnerable. Specifically says you cannot take this if you have a Guardian Spear though, which figures, thought it is a shame you can't make space hoplites.

Elites

• Custodian Guard Squad: They're a bit different than their 30k counterparts. First, they have Eternal Warrior (No instant-death shenanigans) and Fearless straight up, along with Adamantium Will. They have 2+ armor without an Invulnerable save, but they can take Storm Shields for 10 points unlike their 30k counter parts. They're all Characters so stick an HQ in there and have the meatshield squad of your dreams. While ultimately quite expensive, when taken in their formation they are highly survivable in either weapon loadout and can match the damage output of just about any other close combat squad. Can make an excellent DISTRACTION CARNIFEX unit and a bodyguard squad to rival Lychguard. Much like their fluff implies, while individually being amazing fighters they lack the tactical flexibility of their brothers the Astartes, with shortcomings in serious long-range firepower, effective anti-armour, and mobility (unless you deep strike. Even then, slow move). Don't use them as end-all units, instead treat them as what they are as powerful add-ons to bolster close combat deficits in your army.

Formations (40k)

• Golden Legion Task Force: 1-3 Custodian Guard Squads. If you have at least 2 units of Custodes, all models within the formation have 6+ Invulnerable saves and if you use all 3 units they all have 5+ Invulns. The bonus is okay, a 6++ or a 5++ is not much but goes ways to improve survivability unless you took Storm Shields. It also makes a squad of all Guardian Spears less risky. It is also the ONLY way to take Custodes in a Battleforged army. Bless you GW.

Allies

30k

The Talons of the Emperor are "Agents of the Imperium" and can only be used by Loyalist Imperial Factions.

40k

The Legio Custodes are Armies of the Imperium, and ally as it implies. Every other ally level isn't worth mentioning.

Battle Brothers

• Adepta Sororitas: They have Immolators and come with shit tons of Melta and flamers. Also can bring warm bodies with 3+ armor saves.
• Space Marines: If you're taking Custodes in a Marines army, it's because they wished their Terminators/Command Squad was as good as you. That, or you needed to borrow their Land Raiders/Spartan Assault Tanks.
  • Grey Knights: Can work with Draigo since on of their weak points is their slow mobility, and Draigo's fixed power of Gate of Infinity will overcome that. Or, you could just hijack a land raider too since Draigo costs around the same points.
• Imperial Guard: They bring the cheap warm bodies to hold objectives, and lots of ranged goodies like the Leman Russ tank and Basilisk artillery. The only thing they cannot give you is Assault Vehicles. Chimeras MAY work but you're hamstrung to only 6 dudes maximum since you're fat Bulky.
• Imperial Knights: Custodes don't bring much to the baby titans that they couldn't already do (scary distraction Carnifexes that rape in Close Combat), but the baby titans do put out rapid-fire ordnance and AP3 miniguns.
• Inquisition: Oh hell yes. Henchmen squads of Acolytes provide the bodies, Mystics and servo-skulls help you in case you wanted to Deep Strike your Custodes into battle. Also, the Custodes make the best bodyguards to an Inquisitor of any kind. The Hereticus Inquisitor can straight-up shut down psychic attacks with the Null-rod, and the Ordo Xenos Inquisitor can help you guys with Rad Grenades to weaken the enemy, and Psychotroke grenades to fuck with the enemy and help you out tonnes. The Ordo Malleus Inquisitor in Terminator Armor will probably blend in the most with you guys. Don't forget they give you easy access to Transports like the Inquisition Land Raiders. Just make sure to hijack it from an Inquisition Squad. Also if you care, this maybe the fluffyist option, if the Adeptus Custodian goes to war in the 41st Millennium, only the Inquisitions gonna know about it.
• Adeptus Mechanicus: They bring loads of ranged firepower, while you guys provide a solid anchor and beatstick. Also take the Vexilla to ensure your slow-moving gunline never retreats! That is really all that there is to say about Skitarii or the Cult Mechanicus.

See Also

• 40k Rules