Cypher

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

HE'S COMING, HE'S COMING, HE'S COMING!... Yeah, Right. He came. He's here.

Cypher is a pretty impressive Independent Character who Games Workshop neglected releasing rules for despite his model being available for fucking ever and being referenced every 12 seconds in Dark Angels fluff. He was originally notable for having a 4+ on 3D6 completely unmodifiable proof against everything bullshit saving throw on death that served no function but to prevent the other player getting the victory points for killing him since he was still removed even if he passed it. Thanks, Second Ed Codex: Chaos! With the Dataslate from Digital Editions, nearly everyone can now field this bastard in their 6E army.

He's basically a Fallen Dark Angel who dual-wields pistols - one Plasma, one Bolt, and both possibly archaeotech - and wears a sweet bone white hoodie over his power armor. Whenever he pops up on the Dark Angel radar, the Inner Circle loses its shit and dispatches the Deathwing and Ravenwing to bring the fucker in but they never can. They've claimed kills, but he always fucking shows up again.

Background

Cypher is as elusive as Robert Denby, a living urban legend who either has the patronage of a Chaos god, granting him immortality until he finishes his long mission, a title passed down among agents of the Fallen, a son of a bitch who sold us out to the Machines, or a bunch of random dudes pulling the Spartacus Maneuver. The issue of his identity becomes even more complicated when one considers that "Lord Cypher" was a title used by The Order of Caliban (and in extension, the Dark Angels) who was assigned to embody their traditions and customs and ensure that they would be adhered to at all times. It was specifically mentioned that the Lord Cypher was to completely abandon his old identity upon assuming his position and was given a cloak and hood to keep his appearance concealed at all times- given the nature of this role, it is possible that there has been more than one "Cypher" since the Horus Heresy, with each new one inheriting the equipment and personality of his predecessors.

It seems that Cypher was originally destined to become one of Malcadors Knights Errant and one of the first grand masters of the Grey Knights. In the Pandorax novel Grand Master Epimethius of the original Grey Knights and one of the Fallen Angels is awoken after a ten thousand year sleep and is confronted by a Lord of Change, who is confused at the turn of events by expecting a different person and actually fears the consequences of the change in fate. Epimethius himself states "someone switched places with me. That is now his path to walk". Granted, they don't mention Cypher by name in that book but it does go great lengths in explaining Cypher's motivations in that he selflessly CHOSE to become fallen with the rest of his brethren and is attempting to rewrite his destiny for some unfathomable purpose.

It is not entirely known when Epimetheus was recruited from Caliban prior to the fall, although the Knights-Errant were on Caliban trying to figure out what Luther was plotting and found him in the middle of a downward spiral, but Cypher helped them escape, so the opportunity was there for him to get out or potentially send someone in his place. Not to mention the fact that Epimetheus is an Alpha-Plus Psyker, so if he was a "proper" Fallen he could purge the Dark Angels if they even looked at him funny, and would probably make the entire Inner Circle collectively shit themselves right through their Termie buttplates if they knew about him.

Another theory is that he is being cast through time in a similar manner to the Legion of the Damned appearing wherever and whenever he is needed. This is is subtly hinted at several times in the fluff, first with the minor inconsistency of his phase knife which exists outside of the space-time continuum, so Cypher has it in some instances, but does not have it in other encounters. Secondly, he can fuck with the established timelines and somehow confuse Lords of Change whose JOB it is to know the future (see above) and thirdly, Cypher (and/or Zahariel) is somehow connected to the Ouroboros which was concealed on Caliban, which if you know your philosophy is the representation of time recycling itself eternally. So he could be time travelling, or waiting for eternity to swing back around to try things a little bit better each time round.

Thankfully we have more than just theories to go off, and something that is known for certain: his history with the Order of Lupus. If there has been more than one Cypher since the Horus Heresy, we know who the very first one was, and if it hasn't then we have the most likely candidate. Anyway, the Order of Lupus was a Calibanite Knight Order that was actually a cult that studied and collected knowledge of Chaos. They were wiped out by Lion El'Jonson, save for a single survivor who was allowed to join the Order and later the Dark Angels and became The Lord Cypher, a rank of the Dark Angels. He is the person who introduced Luther to the "truths" of chaos, but kept Luther and the other Dark Angels on Caliban ignorant of the Horus Heresy at large that was going on around them.

In all, the backstory that is Lupus-Cypher actually closes off one possibility. Whilst Epimetheus definitely is a psyker, Fallen Angels also shows that Lupus-Cypher very clearly isn't after having his brain fried by Zahariel. If Zahariel is not the current Cypher, then it is likely still the Knight of Lupus. Therefore it is possible that the two switched places, allowing Zahariel to become Epimetheus whilst Cypher became a Fallen Angel.

What he's up to

Cypher: The most renegade of all badasses or most badass of all renegades.

His actual allegiance is a mystery- he's been just as likely to fight Chaos as he is to assist it and there have been multiple incidents where he showed up to save an otherwise doomed Imperial force or even turn on the very cults he helped create. (He even managed to steal the identity of an Inquisitor at one point without anyone noticing until he had long since gotten away with it.) His intentions regarding the Dark Angels are equally schizophrenic; for every time the Dark Angels have been led astray by him, there's another time where Cypher's trail just happens to lead to the capture of one of the other Fallen or even the discovery of a new recruiting world. Some members of the Inner Circle even theorize that he may be an emissary sent by the Emperor himself to test the Dark Angels' resolve (which is supported by several of Cypher's own statements, including a message he sent to Azrael).

Either way, he is slowly heading in the direction of Holy Terra, a bizarre mission that has the Dark Angels worried as hell. He may even want a word with the God-Emperor. "OH SHIT HE'S GONNA TATTLE ON US!"

In truth it's believed that he has the Lion's sword, which got broken and that he intends to fix it and return it to the Emperor, ergo earning his/their absolution. Or maybe he's going to assassinate the Emperor. Or maybe both somehow, which if the latter is true essentially makes him the 40k version of Friedrich Nietzsche by killing God, especially considering Cypher's connection to the aforementioned Ouroboros and breaking the cycle of burden that seems to linger around the Dark Angels.

Not to mention the whole Starchild thing, which to the best of everyone's knowledge tells us there's a 50/50 chance that if the Emperor is killed he'll reincarnate into a new body just as when he was originally born, or that the last string on his mortal tether being cut will result in the entire human race becoming unprotected warp gates for daemons and enveloping the entire galaxy in a warp storm that makes the Eye of Terror look like an anthill. So Cypher just might be the bearer of the end times. Who knows? Games Workshop sure as shit doesn't.

Either way, the Dark Angels want him dead before they can find out.

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

Or so the rumors go.

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

Also, he is sometimes depicted with green armour even though pre-Heresy Dark Angel armour was black. The Dark Angels who rejected Luther painted their armour green during the Heresy, and were fighting him before the Lion ever showed up on Caliban (this is evidenced by Merir Astellan, who hated both El'Jonson and Luther alike and kept his armor black). The Unforgiven confirms that Cypher changes colour scheme whenever he needs to. His armour is black during that book, but Belial notices that there are still traces of green paint on it (presumably left over from when he played loyalist dress-up during the attack on Piscina in Angels of Darkness). That would at least explain why he shows up all over the place, dressed exactly like a Dark Angel, rustling their collective jimmies

In one instance in the fluff he was being pursued by the combined efforts of a single Black Templar vessel and a Dark Angel fleet. Even though the Black Templar single-handedly managed to apprehend Cypher because they get shit done, the Dark Angel fleet threatens to destroy the Black Templar ship if they won't hand over their prisoner. Begrudgingly, the Templar ship hands over Cypher, starts to send a short message to their High Marshal and then "mysteriously disappears without a trace". Likely into a thousand tiny pieces because the Dark Angels are dishonest, team killing fuck-tards who commit treason to hide evidence of their oh-so-scary Fallen THEY GOT LOST IN THE WARP. The smug Dark Angels then proceed to fly back home, thinking mission accomplished until they arrive and find the cell containing Cypher to be empty. Poof motherfuckers.

Oh, and according to Gav Thorpe's latest novel, Cypher has tracked down a Ravenwing squad, killed an enemy Fallen, willingly thrown down his pistols, and demands to meet with the Inner Circle. Therein follows a series of events where Cypher reveals that The Rock has secretly been host to the Tuchulcha Engine for all this time, and it is part of a triumvirate of entities that when brought together can cross the bridge of time. The other two being the Ouroboros buried within the core of Caliban (and later remains in Caliban's ruins) and a third device/entity held by Typhus. Cypher's involvement in bringing the three together is is accompanied by unusual behaviours from the Watchers in the Dark which serve to convince the Dark Angels of Cypher's importance, if not his sincerity. When they are brought into proximity in the Caliban system they open a rift which appears to stretch back in time to Caliban's destruction, to the interest of multiple factions: Azrael skeptically but hopefully believes to use the rift to prevent the catastrophe, while Astelan thinks to help his rebels win, while Typhus thinks merely to time travel and cause carnage in the name of his dark master.

When shit hits the fan, it appears that the enemies are closer to the rift than the Dark Angels; Ezekiel is the one who convinces Azrael to destroy the rift, since the Fall of the Lion was simply meant to be and who-knows-what could happen if their enemies travelled through, or brought something back forward in time. However, in the aftermath, there is the implication that destroying the rift in the 41st millennium may have been the causal factor in the event which broke apart the planet of Caliban and which initially scattered the Fallen across time in the first place. While Cypher escaped into the time-rift, adding yet more evidence to the theory that he is travelling back through history trying to change events, but his entire motivation for bringing the Dark Angels back to the ruins of Caliban (and therefore uniting the three pieces and destroying 30k Caliban) remains uncertain.

List of Cypher's Achievements / Troll-List

• Circa M31 Cypher presents himself at the Rock to the Dark Angels and their twelve successors, explaining that Fallen Angels are going to be dropping out of time and spilling the beans. So they form the Unforgiven to keep the secret under wraps.
• 632.M32 Destroyed/Disappeared a Dark Angels successor chapter (the Lions Sable) and a Dark Angels Supreme Grand Master, then returned the Lion Helm & Sword of Secrets to the Dark Angels
• 822.M33 Once again, gave back the Lion Helm & Sword of Secrets after the Dark Angels lost them to Orks.
• 997.M33 Corrupted the Angels of Redemption's recruiting world for some reason (more than likely exposed corruption, but since the planet paid it's taxes on time, no one cared). At some point Cypher also guides the Dark Angels to the Feral World of Kimmeria, where Azrael is from.
• M34-M35 Was on the Ur Council during the Nova Terra Interregnum and RULED HALF THE IMPERIUM.
• 624.M36 Fought the C'Tan Deceiver IN THE WARP. The paradox of that shit caused his phase knife to exist outside of the space-time continuum and so he has it, but doesn't have it. Cypher broke physics.
• 665.M38 Impersonated an Inquisitor and deleted the Imperial records about himself and the Dark Angels.
• 200-500.M39 Hangs out with the Alpha Legion NOTHING HAPPENED, A PERSON WHO DOES NOT EXIST DOES NOT ASSOCIATE WITH PEOPLE WHO DO NOT EXIST
• 518.M39 Betrays the Alpha Legion PEOPLE WHO DO NOT EXIST and the Dark Angels incidentally reclaim a hundred planets from them while hunting for Cypher. The High Lords of Terra give them a whole bunch of medals which they wear with pride.
• Late M39 Kills the Grand Master of the Interrogator Chaplains, Belagor delivering this bad ass line "Luckily for you I do not equate justice with torture so I promise you this will be swift."
• 976.M41 Single-handedly saves a planet from Chaos, leaves one loyalist survivor who becomes Cypher's fall guy when the Dark Angels come checking.
• 989.M41 Pisses off Lugft Huron and the Red Corsairs swear to kill him. Get in the queue guys.
• 997.M41 The High Lords of Terra get worried about broadcasts from the "Voice of the Emperor" and send SEVERAL members of the Officio Assassinorum to deal with it. None return.
• 998.M41 Ophidium Gulf Incident
• 999.M41 Gets into a fight with Belial of the Dark Angels who is the chapter's greatest warrior. Belial's weapons fail.
• Late M41 Cypher attempts to kill an Inquisitor who is close to figuring out the secret of the Fallen Angels, the Ravenwing spoil the kill, potentially causing themselves problems later.
• The aftermath of 13th Black Crusade While the "Voice of the Emperor" has caused a lot of uprisings, it becomes clear that the Cadian sector is now more faithful and prepared than it has ever been (much to Abaddon's irritation). The Dark Angels discover the source of the broadcasts was the ruins of Old Caliban and switch it off.
• M42(?) (Some years after the battle of Koth Ridge) Cypher presents himself to the Dark Angels and precipitates a sequence of events whereby it is implied that the Dark Angels of the future are involved with the destruction of Caliban.

6th (and 7th) Edition

His Dataslate comes with some insane(AWESOME) changes and were updated along with the limited edition of the 7E Dark Angels codex.

For one, he can be a non-FOC HQ (But never Warlord) for a Sisters of Battle (eh?), Blood Angels, Grey Knights (Meaning that Kaldor Draigo's even more of a dick than Azrael thought), Imperial Guard, Chaos Space Marines, Space Wolves (How?), Vanilla Marines and Inquisition (WOT) army. I mean seriously, how would even HALF of these armies accept this bastard as an ally?(master of disguise) And the kicker is that he'll cost -1 Ld on your real warlord. He can't join a Dark Angels army, and if he's up against Dark Angels, every model with the Deathwing rule gains Hatred (Everyone).

As an Independent Character, he gets ATSKNF, Fleet, Hit & Run, frag & krak grenades and Infiltrate. His sword also gives him Eternal Warrior and Shrouded. Also note that he has BS 10. THE SHIT, GEEDUBS.

	Pts	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Cypher:	190	7	10	4	4	3	8	3	10	3+

Also, that old rule about his daring escape is around again with three modes if Dark Angels are on the field:

• If a Dark Angel is within D6" when he goes down, he's worth 3 flippin' Victory Points for being caught alive.
• If anyone else is within D6" when he goes down, he awards no extra Victory Points for his capture. If there's both a Dark Angel and another dude around when he drops, it becomes a random roll who gets him.
• If nobody's around D6" when he goes down, he'll just leg it and nobody wins a Victory Point.
• If Cypher's still alive at the end of a game, his side wins d3 extra Victory Points.

If no Dark Angels are on the field then Cypher does not award his kill/victory point unless an enemy is within D6" of him when his last wound is lost or he is otherwise removed from the field.

His guns manage to gain some major use, as his plasma pistol ignores Gets Hot! and they allow him to overwatch at full BS. He can also shoot both pistols twice or shoot them once each before or after running. In assault, he'll also make half his attacks (rounding up) at S4 AP5 (using his bolt pistol) and the rest at S7 AP2 (using his plasma pistol), which usually means 2 plasma shots and 2-3 bolt pistol shots as he have 3 base attacks, +1 for two pistols and +1 on the charge, meaning that anything without 3+ wounds and solid invuln in challenge with him is pretty much dead. Note, that this happens on initiative eight.

He also can bring up to 3 Chosen of Chaos squads with himself, to represent his Fallen subordinates/puppets. Those Chosen does not take any slots, have ATSKNF and Infiltrate and can use Cypher's Ld if he's around at the cost of being unable to take any Chaos-y upgrades, like marks or icons, as well as no dedicated transports.

So, looking back, we can summarize the following:
1- he's awesome
2- he's the dark angel equivalent to my little pony on /tg/
3- his rules are cool, do the fluff justice, and will make DA player you face lose. Their. Mind. Just as planned.

So wait, we call Mat Ward out for this sort of bullshit, but when someone else makes a ludicrously broken model, it's cool?

Rule of Cool. Also I'd say the difference comes in levels of faction wanking. Having ridiculous OP lol characters is ok so long as they fit the narrative. Coming in and saying BTW ULTRAAAA MARRRIIINES because reasons, does not fly. Same for Grey Knights. It wasn't just the Khaldor Draigo blatant wankery it was the fact that the entire faction basically fell into this trap of super powers by virtue of I wear a different colored shirt. I mean look at the First War for Armageddon a FUNG (Fucking New Guy if you don't know that) basically roflpwned Angron (if by roflpwned you mean arrived with more than a company's strength including champions and a grandmaster, then got slaughtered to a few marines). How does that make any character special when even the fresh recruits are smiting Demon Princes. I mean how has the Imperium not steamrolled all opposing forces when it seems like all it would take is implant gene seed fuck the rest of the augments and fire the new recruit into the eye of terror (is this statement a joke? Yes GK are fanboyed and overpowered, but there are only a thousand of them, when there are literally MILLIONS of imperial worlds. Even if the GK could send a single marine to a world to clear it, they need the ships to get them there, and the trips between worlds can take months or even years). This is what makes Cypher stand out as not a bullshit character.... He is special in ways that makes everyone go WTF HOW!!! WHY!!! and to top off what makes him a great character is that he doesn't radically tip the balance towards anyone... at least not as far as anyone can tell so he's not some grand lore altering messianic figure everyone is on the lookout for. When he does do something fuckhueg impactful either its behind the scenes i.e. ruling half the Imperium/Voice of the Emperor or the impact is greatly limited to within the context of the action i.e. basically waving his lion tattooed dick in front of the Dark Angels at their miserable amounts of failure with anything involving him or skullfucking some poor Chaos sod while having him/her/it ask for more the way a ginger mentally handicapped stepdaughter does to a redneck stepfather. Which is Awesome especially when this list includes the likes of Abbadon and Lugft and even then no one is entirely sure what side he's on which makes everyone go OH GOD Russian Roulette whenever he pops onto the scene, turning him into a great plot device (more than he is a character IMO) and less of a Mary Sue instawin button for any side but whatever fucked in the head agenda he's pursuing.

Gallery

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  You will never find a better artwork for him than this... For now at least. Also, possibly the only official illustration that has him wearing appropriately pre-Heresy armour.

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  Possibly the first-ever artwork of him.

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  The dude has a skull fetish, you'd think he wants to be a chaplain.

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  His bolt pistol... No idea why it changes details with every artwork though...