Dawneagle Jetbike
It is the 41st Millennium, and our Golden Wonders got a newish new Jetbike in town. By the Emperor is this vehicle sexy, arguably better looking than the already sweet looking Gyrfalcon Pattern Jetbike. If this bike looks familiar to you, that is because it was ripped straight out of the old artworks of the Custodes in these Jetbikes during the Great Crusade. It is also much smaller in size than the older Gyrfalcon. Much like a pug. How cute.
The drivers of these golden vehicles are called the Vertus Praetor. Dawneagles are often driven by Shield-Captains as well, so much so that a very special bike was built for shield-captains only. Its name is Auric Aquilas, and it protects its rider with a glorious golden force field (read: 3++ and reroll charges).
Vertus Praetor
Vertus Praetors are the shiny, fast moving Jetbikers of the Adeptus Custodes in the 41st Millennium. Eat your heart out Sammael! They ride Dawneagle-pattern jetbikes, as opposed to the Gyrfalcon jetbikes of the Agmatus squadrons back during the Heresy.
Vertus Praetors are members of the Adeptus Custodes and mirror the heavy cavalry employed by Human armies since the very dawn of time. In battle they range ahead of the main body of the Custodes' force and devastate their foes with crushing lance charges with their Interceptor Lances.
Each biker is equipped with an Interceptor Lance (with the same stats are the traditional Guardian Spear but with the ability to re-roll wounds on the charge) and either a Hurricane Bolter or a Salvo Launcher. The Salvo Launcher serves as a much needed source of anti-armor firepower. The weapon itself has two firing modes; a tank bursting Melta Missile (24" Heavy 1 S8 AP-4 D6 with the ability to re-roll wounds against vehicles) and an anti-air Flakkburst missile. (Note: for a 1 CP stratagem, if an entire unit of Praetors fires flakkburst missiles at a unit with the FLY keyword you get to reroll all failed wounds for those attacks. Good shit.) Although these are highly powerful weapons, they aren't as exotic as the Lastrum Bolt Cannon, Adrathic Devastators and Corvae Las-Pulsers of the Gyrfalcon jetbikes, possibly insinuating that even the Custodes have been effected by the technological decline in the Imperium.
Agamatus Custodians
Remember what we said about the Gyrfalcon Jetbikes and the fact that their apparent disuse insinuates the technological decline of the Imperial Banana Lads? Well, all of that's bullshit. Riding out of the Imperial Palace at 150 miles per hour, I present the Agamatus Custodians. These boys are the next step up from your standard Vertus Praetors. They replace the standard Hurricane Bolter/Salvo Launcher with one of three choices: the Lastrum Bolt Cannon, which is three S6 Ap-2 D1 shots at 36" range for no extra cost, the Adrathic Devastator, which is two S6 AP-3 D3 shots at 18" for an additional 5 points per model, or the Twin Las-Pulser- four S8 AP-2 Dd3 shots at 24" for an additional 15 points per model. Aside from that though, they maintain the exact same statline and keep everybody's favorite pointy stikk, the Interceptor Lance. They're quite a bit more expensive, but they're far better at popping big units at range and at melee. They also look really damn cool.
Forces of the Adeptus Custodes | ||||||
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Command: | Companions/Hetaeron - Shield-Captain - Blade Champion | |||||
Troops: | Allarus Custodians - Aquilon Terminator - Custodian Guard Custodian Warden - Sagittarum Guard - Sentinel Guard Vexilus Praetor - Venatari - Warder | |||||
Walkers: | Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought - Telemon Heavy Dreadnought Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought | |||||
Transports: | Coronus Grav Carrier - Grav-Rhino Rhino - Venerable Land Raider | |||||
Vehicles: | Caladius Grav-Tank - Dawneagle Jetbike Gyrfalcon Pattern Jetbike - Pallas Grav-Attack | |||||
Flyers: | Ares Gunship - Orion Gunship - Stormbird | |||||
Titans: | Warlord-Sinister Pattern Battle Psi-Titan | |||||
Spacecraft: | Drop Pod | |||||
Auxiliaries: | Sisters of Silence - Solar Auxilia |