Roboute Guilliman
"Leadership is not magnetic personality, that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not "making friends and influencing people", that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations."
― Peter F. Drucker
Si vis pacem, para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war.
- Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus
Roboute Guilliman ("Row-BOOT-ay" "GILL-uh-man" ɹəʊ-buːt-eɪ ɡɪl-ə-mæn) was the Primarch of the Ultramarines, and a man with a staggering collection of nicknames, including but not limited to: Rowboat Girlyman, Roman Gorillaman, Rawbutt Jellyman, Rampant Gullytan, Robot Gigglytan, Raw-Rigged Ginger-Fan, Robot Gulliver, Robust Gilligan, Robit Ghillie Suit, Reboot Gigabyte, Robert Gullible, Roboot Girlymayne, Robot Gorillaman, Robooty Guillotine, Roman Gogillian, R. Googleman Esq. (and any and every combination of the above), Julius Caesar in SPESS, Big Blue Daddy, Papa Ultra Smurf, Big Bobby G, or High Lord Douchebag and Ward's Ever Chosen Robart. Thanks to the rabid fanboying of Matt Ward, most of /tg/ hates him, which is sad, because he's actually one of the nicest and most with-it Primarchs, even if he did cling to tradition so much that it made him look like a total jerkwad; this included an inability to deal with "unconventional" tactics, which occasionally caused friction between his brothers and himself, most famously being partially responsible for turning Alpharius to chaos. Maybe. It's hard to tell.
HE'S BACK, BITCHES!!! Ultramarines players rejoice!
(Everyone else despair)
Life
Unlike most worlds that the other Primarchs landed on, Macragge was a pretty perfect and nice place to live on. However it was a Greco-Roman theme so someone like Magnus or even Sanguinius would have been thrown off a cliff for being defective, plus Guilliman was found by a politician while they were on a hunting trip. Konor was one of the co-rulers of Macragge and took the young boy. Konor was a pretty cool dude, he advocated helping the common man and reforms that would make the world a meritocracy. These were a major influence on Roboute and stayed with him throughout his life. It also says something that Konor's seneschal, Tarasha Euten, was effectively Guilliman's surrogate mother, making him one of the only Primarchs to have a conventional family, a fact that twisted Konrad Curze's nipples to no end (which goes double when she tells him to go fuck himself).
One day while Roboute was coming back after fighting the Macragge's version of the Gauls, he found his home in disarray. Konor was the victim of some Roman politics. The other co-ruler, Gallan, was pissed off at all these reforms and so just sent his army to rape, pillage and burn. Seeing his once peaceful home burning, neighbors looting and killing each other; left the second major impact on Roboute and the most likely source of why he was always so anal about keeping things in order.
After gutting Gallan and restoring order, Roboute worked to make his father's dream a reality. This was the third major impact on his life: though he claimed that Gallan's death was justice, Guilliman came to realize that it was in fact vengeance, and worked to master his emotional self-control. By the time the Emperor reached Macragge, Roboute had ruled for five years and turned the world into a place where you had to earn your place, not just be born, like what his father wanted.
Great Crusade
Generally Roboute was a classic "Jerk with a heart of gold" he was a total asshole for people he didn't think earned their place, and a great number of people he saw as chaotic and unorthodox (although secretly he had great respect for Leman Russ and Jaghatai Khan) but was humble and nice to normal people treating them like equals and very much big on the need to raise the living standards of the Imperium. As a result, many of his brother Primarchs were uncertain about his intentions, and fewer still even liked him. His only friends among the Primarchs were Horus, Sanguinius, Ferrus Manus, and Rogal Dorn and obviously Vulkan FRIENDLIEST OF MEN (Vulkan was everyone's friend, especially yours.)
A good example of this was his dealings with Alpharius. While the common view is that Guilliman was simply annoyed at his younger brother for not having the same tactics as the Ultramarines, in truth it was because Guilliman was thinking after the battle. While the Alpha Legion's methods were great at messing and breaking an army, they left the world a ruined and chaotic mess with very poor public order, mass unrest and paralysed with both fear and uncertainty. By comparison, the Ultramarines' straightforward tactics ensured that planet was mostly intact, which allowed it to be more easily integrated into the Imperium. Curze, however, would strongly disagree on this statement, and so did Alpharius. But since Roby never needed to blow up a world he previously "pacified" by just killing people, maybe Spess Punisher was not the best attorney for Alpharius in retrospect... Or just Curze's standards were a lot higher (but VERY poorly executed): after all, Guilliman didn't change a thing on Nuceria, a beautiful feudal world of charming people enjoying slaves and pit fights and slaves fighting in pits (not to say they were fucking responsible for the mess Angron turned into) after incorporating it in his empire; it was of no concern to Robaut, the only thing he cared about was resources and taxes arriving in time. Truly, Guilliman mirrored the Emperor in more ways he would admit himself. Still better than being butchered by some space sadists AND forced to pay said taxes... Early Crusade Konrad was a creepy but kind of idealistic guy who killed only the guilty and saw fear as a tool to impose order and obedience with minimal (yet imaginative and memorable) bloodshed. Alpharius was just an arrogant asshole devastating whole societies for the sake of OLOLOL JUST AS PLANNED and he didn't even possess the Night Haunter's twisted sense of honour and justice.
He was an extremely skilled tactician, administrator, warrior and designer, and was an unparalleled statesman. While he preferred to form battle plans rather than actually participate in the fighting himself, he still did his fair share of Xeno-killing. In the hopes of passing down some of his strategic expertise, he worked very hard to turn the Ultramarines into an army of thinkers. His primary rule as a commander was "Information is victory", emphasizing that Space Marines needed theoretical knowledge and practical experience, in other words, a sound understanding of the tactical situation and a means to achieve their objective. Given that battle plans proved to be the first casualty, Guilliman soon realized that he would need to refine his own strategies even as he codified them, lest they fall apart in the chaos of warfare. In spite of that, with over 250,000 legionaries, he managed to achieve compliance on the highest number of worlds during the Great Crusade, but was surpassed in military victories not only by the Luna Wolves, but by Space Wolves and Dark Angels as well. Meaning he was either a good diplomat or his crusade encountered much more peaceful human societies not being mutants than average one. Or both. The planets were also model military worlds, and the Ultramarines would not leave until a modern Planetary Defence Force was established. He really should've been put jointly in charge of administration post-Ullanor, which would've made premature, excessive taxation of newly integrated worlds a lot easier to avoid (and therefore fewer worlds would have joined Horus' rebellion).
It is also implied in Know no Fear that Guilliman was maybe a little more tolerant than his father regarding religion, Oll Persson managing to remain a Catholic for 18 years after he settled on Calth (and his neighbors were well aware of his faith). Before screaming "noblebright Mary Sue!", you should know that it fits in with the Roman roots of the Ultramarines, as Romans didn't really give a fuck about what you did at home as long as your loyalty to Rome was absolute. But if you placed your private religion above the Emperor's orders, you were badly fucked. So perhaps Guilliman just exterminated the most dangerous cults, kept an eye on the others and chose a unofficial "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Though above his genius, above his skills as an administrator and a statesman, Guilliman's most noteworthy characteristic is probably being one of the few well adjusted, sensible people in the entire freaking galaxy. Guilliman was one of the few Primarchs who didn't really see the Emperor as his father, and he was the first to state how shitty the Emperor was at raising kids and never fully forgave the Emperor for using him and his Legion as a tool to humiliate Lorgar. He understood how to run an empire, how to inspire loyalty and how to temper the flawed nature of humanity with organisation and discipline. The Emperor's greatest failing was always a lack of understanding in the people he ruled, a flaw that few saw in him, save perhaps for Malcador the Sigillite and Guilliman.
Horus Heresy
When civil war broke out, Guilliman was tricked into taking most of his Legion to Calth for a joint Ultramarines/Word Bearers engagement. While most of his Chapter Masters believed it was just Horus flexing his muscle, Guilliman realized it was partly political: when the Emperor of Mankind rebuked Lorgar Aurelian for spreading the Lectitio Divinatatus, he ordered the Ultramarines to burn Monarchia, capital city of Khur, as an example of what would happen to those who continued to defy the Imperial Truth. Guilliman carried out his orders and didn't show Lorgar any sympathy, but privately confided to some of his officers his discomfort in doing so, feeling that the total humiliation would irreparably damage relations between the XIII and XVII Legions. Guilliman saw this as a chance to mend fences and forge friendships the old fashioned way: by getting Space Marines to kill Orks. Unfortunately, Horus and Lorgar used the Calth muster to kill nearly half the Legion in a surprise attack. When he found out Lorgar's treachery he personally declared to hunt Lorgar down and kill him, only to be attacked by some sort of Daemonic proxy and voided onto his flagship. Guilliman did what any other pissed off Primarch would do: go on a rampage against Word Bearers trying to board the Macragge's Honour by punching them to death. In space. Without a helmet. For half an hour. (Dan Abnett is still pretty proud of that scene).
Anyway, after the Battle of Calth, Guilliman had to contend with the Shadow Crusade, as Lorgar and Angron tore the 500 Worlds of Ultramar a new one. (Except not really, they razed 26 worlds, just 5.2% of ultramar That is only the main fleet's count, both WB and WE were split into smaller fleets after Armatura to terrorise 500 Worlds while Guilliman was chasing Lorgar and Angron with his forces amassed)
After seeing off the Shadow Crusade, Guilliman decided that if his father could not be saved, His ideals would be, setting up a new government called Imperium Secundus, a second Imperium of Man which would reject Horus's alliance with Chaos. Although potentially traitorous, Guilliman's motives at least appeared sincere, he made a big hoohah about not taking the throne himself, since he would look like a Tyrant if he did. Fortunately/Unfortunately, The Lion arrived at Macragge and didn't like where it was heading. Neither brother trusted the other with the job of ruling the next Imperium, so Sanguinius got the job only to settle the matter between the two and was declared regent of the Imperium in the Emperor's absence, which meant fuck all because he promptly got murdered by Horus in the battle of Terra.
Whatever his intentions, Guilliman led over one hundred thousand Ultramarines to Terra with the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves, intent on relieving the Blood Angels, Imperial Fists, and White Scars defending the throneworld. Learning about this and knowing that he could not sustain the assault on Terra anymore once the bulk of the loyalist forces came into the fight, Horus lowered the void shields upon the Vengeful Spirit in an all-or-nothing gambit to win the war by killing the Emprah in a duel. By one collosal fuckup or another, the vastly superior relieving force DIDN'T crush the beleaguered traitor forces. The traitor legions fled Terra, and the rest is history...
41st millennium / Gathering Storm
- We shall give the humans a demigod. A king reborn with a deathly blade. -Prince Yriel.
As we know, after being poisoned by Fulgrim, Guilliman was put into stasis. A popular rumor was that he was slowly healing, though that would be impossible in stasis. After a long battle, Rowboat's plot armour has finally defeated physics and it is confirmed that he does survive boo-boo gets kissed by Saint Celestine Yvraine and Cawl. He feels all better now, as he plays a major role in the third Gathering Storm book. That's right; Gorillaman is back! And in plastic! Somebody call Fulgrim, he'll be pissed! (Spoiler alert. He is really, really pissed. So is Mortarion.)
Also, it seems that Saint Celestine and Inquisitor Greyfax have convinced Roboute to withold final judgement against the Ecclesiarchy for now, setting that aside to deal with the larger problems facing the Imperium. Suffice to say, he is NOT pleased with the whole space Catholicism thing that has been going on while he was asleep.
Essentially, after Roboute was resurrected, he immediately took command of the local imperial forces and used his tactical genius to inspire the combined forces of Chaos to simultaneously shit themselves. Within a month, Girlyman routed the entire invading Chaos force on Macragge in a series of battles and heroic duels worthy of any primarch. Once Macragge is liberated, Papa Smurf then looked to liberate the rest of the Macragge system, this time with help from the Primogenitor Chapters, the Dark Angels, Space Wolves, White Scars, a Sisters of Battle army, the remaining Black Templars, more Guardsmen, a ship containing an entire Knight Household, an entire Imperial Navy battlegroup, and the Mechanicus with an entire Titan Legion backing them. He also declares the independent sovereignty of the five hundred worlds null and void, assuming direct control over his former territories. There was no kill like overkill.
During his coronation as uber-boss of Ultramar, a fragment of Fulgrim disguised as a planetary governor infiltrated the many, many pilgrims and dignitaries who had shown up to verify the Primarch's resurrection, and offered him a golden wreath to wear. The wreath was cursed to show Guilliman all his potential glories and lead him to the embrace of Slaanesh. When he saw through the deception and ordered the infiltrator slain, Fulgrim promised that Guilliman would never take any satisfaction from his victories ever again. Which kind of reinforces the notion that Fulgrim is beyond Butthurt that he did not kill Papa Smurf.
Later, Nurgle inflicted a plague on Ultramar called The Sorrows/Weeping Plague that spread via insects and caused its victims' eyes to rot out. However, the only known cure for the disease was to be admitted to the presence of Guilliman himself. Realising that it was a devious trick to play on the Primarch's compassion and contain Guilliman in Ultramar, he declared that he would not repeat the mistake of defending his own realm while the rest of he galaxy burned and needed to go to Terra for the greater good of the Imperium, and left his Apothecaries to try and find a cure.
After Robby G has finished his job in ousting Chaos from Ultramar, the Ynnari bid their farewell, as they have other psychic mumbo-jumbo to do elsewhere. Roboute and Yvraine said their goodbyes, Roboute said that he is in debt to Yvraine for bringing him back to life and Yvraine telling Roboute to stay safe. Although in all honesty the respect between the two was a tad bit...too close. Like it sounded that there was some sexual tension between the two. Is the implication of Primarch/Eldar attraction heretical? Maybe, but it does show the reasonable and respectable behavior of Roboute even with xenos like the Eldar which has a chronic backstabbing disorder. What a swell guy.
It is known that while heading to Terra on Macragge's Honour (OMG GLORIANA CLASS BATTLESHIP!), the Red Corsairs and daemons, led by Kairos Fateweaver, attack him and his allies. Kairos manages to "bind Guilliman in chains of his own guilt, anger, and disappointment" (Kinky) and toss him into a cell on a Blackstone Fortress, which the Red Corsairs suddenly have. However, his relief comes in the form of none other than Cypher who has been led to Guilliman by the Harlequins and a bunch of Khornate daemons assaulting the Blackstone Fortress which Kairos did not foresee (Not as Planned). Cypher makes a deal with Guilliman, freeing him and the crusader army from bondage and offering the Fallen Angels' support in exchange for a free pass to Terra and the Imperial Throne Room to fulfill his destiny. Escaping through the webway, they are pursued by the Thousand Sons but fight their way through to Luna and continue the battle on Terra's doorstep, and eventually Guilliman winds up having a duel with Magnus himself. Guilliman looks to be losing the fight until he gets saved by the Sisters of Silence, supported by the Imperial Fists and the Adeptus Custodes, who drop in to save the day. When he finally arrives on Terra, Guilliman double crosses Cypher by getting him arrested by the Custodians (though Cypher, being Cypher, immediately escapes Just as Planned).
Guilliman then gets an audience with the Emperor behind closed doors, at which point Big E presumably said, "the Administratum is in shambles, so do your thing and be useful for once you fucking nerd," along with perhaps a few pointed words about that whole draining resources from Terra during the heresy thing. When he emerged, he would say he got all the enlightenment he needed and then declares himself Lord Commander of the Imperium (his old job) before forcibly deposing some High Lords he doesn't like and replacing them. Whilst his deposing of some of the High Lords may seem unnecessary given the desperate/fragile state of the Imperium and the Lord's overall performance, do take note that Guilliman is a Meritocrat and an Administrator first and foremost, so if anyone can save the Administratum and the Imperial Senate, it's him. Thus him rearranging the High Lords is perfectly in character as the High Lords have been repeatedly established as being almost entirely self-serving individuals who are incompetent at best and utterly uninterested in anything other than expanding their personal power at worst- that is, everything Guilliman is not. If anything, it would be even more out of character for Guilliman to just look the other way.
He also hilariously pimpslapped Skarbrand with his Hand of Dominion before using his in-built heavy bolters to make Skarbrand's head into soup (though to be fair, Skarbrand's lot in life, much like Ka'Bandha, the Avatar of Khaine, and An'ggrath, is to get beaten up to make other people look cool a la Worf. Also, Skarbrand had just gotten through a duel with a Black Templars Emperor's Champion and still had that Black Templar's sword stuck in him, which Guilliman took advantage of in the fight by blasting it deeper in); he also resisted Skarbrand's aura of Rage with willpower alone, resisted the temptations of basically all four Chaos Gods, and just generally did a bunch of OP primarch shit. While it is tempting to call this Mary Sue tier stuff, one should keep in mind that as the only active loyalist Primarch there isn't anyone that he could be compared to right now; best to reserve judgement until the Lion wakes up or something.
Tl;dr, Robby came, he saw, and he gave the entire Chaos Space Marines an anal pounding like no other.
Popular Opinion
All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.
- Sun Tzu
Guilliman is mostly hated by the community at large because of Mattards Codex: Space Marines. However, it is worth stating that Guilliman was probably one of the most important figures holding the Imperium together after the Horus Heresy. He's pretty much the only Primarch to realize that the Emperor's ideals were more important than the man himself, which is something that Malcador kept preaching.
He was also the best Primarch when it came to logistics and organization, rivaled only by Perturabo (but Guilliman wasn't an antisocial autistic weirdo, so there's that), which is pretty much one of the only reasons why the Imperium of Man didn't collapse after the Horus Heresy. He was able to train and equip more than twice as many Marines during the Great Crusade than any other Legion, and he wrote the Codex Astartes (still the standard for Space Marine tactics). He is credited with reorganizing the entire governmental and administrative system of the Imperium of Man (yes, the reorganized Administratum ended up running the galaxy into the ground, but the fact that it's still running at all is a good sign).
However as the Horus Heresy series continues, it is revealed that it was actually Malcador the Sigillite who had been creating the foundations for the later Imperium. In fact it is continuously being hinted that Guilliman positioned himself to take over the Imperium after the fall of the Emperor, being almost explicitly stated in Vengeful Spirit. whether through good intentions or through sinister means has yet to be revealed. Funnily enough Kor Phaeron, who hated his guts, identified him as the Primarch best suited to succeed his dad, though given the source, that may well be intended as an insult. Despite this, Guilliman claimed that he had no desire to be Emperor and promised his brothers that if the otherwise impassable Ruinstorm abated, he would immediately send his fleet to Terra. That said, the Blood Angels managed to get back to Terra somehow, despite being on the wrong side of it, so it's unknown just how difficult it was to get back.
Unfortunately, thanks to 10,000 years of propaganda and exaggeration (and Matt Ward's Codex: Space Marines), Guilliman is absolutely perfect in every way and treated as second only to the Emperor through the entire Imperium. This is incorrect, considering that Sebastian Thor is actually the main Imperial saint, and Sanguinius is the primarch most beloved by the common men of the Imperium. Regardless, Guilliman is pretty high on the list and the only Primarch whose body is on public display. This "better than thou" shit is sad and quite paradoxical, since Guilliman himself genuinely recognized some Primarchs were better than him as leaders. He has sometimes been portrayed as petty or jealous of his brother Primarchs but also intelligent enough to acknowledge his own errors when proved wrong. Far from the "perfect in every aspect" figure Matt Ward promoted, the HH Guilliman is actually a man with a lot of very human weaknesses but possessing the humility to admit them as flaws he must deal with.
Astelan, while a prisoner of the Dark Angels goes into detail explaining how Guilliman was purportedly the "greatest" of the Primarchs, but only in the context of what the Emperor intended for them. Astelan describes that Guilliman was "not the most able-minded, nor as charismatic, and not as physically adept" and was the inferior of Horus in every respect. Although Astelan was also a traitor and a fallen angel, so his word is hardly reliable. His greatness came from the fact that Guilliman never once wavered in dedication and service and created his Space Marines to be incorruptible. Guilliman and his Ultramarines were the perfect sons, not necessarily perfect soldiers. It's also worthy of note that much like Rogal Dorn and Lion El'Jonson, Guilliman was a possible candidate for the position of warmaster, but was rejected for the same reasons they were: he didn't get along with many of his brothers.
However, contrary to that, He also did a lot of tricky things in Horus Heresy, like that whole Imperium Secundus thing, and it's popularly theorized that he was bitter that he never got to be Warmaster, which despite his claims that he had no desire to become Emperor, when he appointed the High Lords of Terra he nominated himself for the seat of Lord Commander of the Imperium which was essentially "Warmaster" in all but name, and the titular commander of the entirety of the Imperium's armed forces. So claiming that no man should have the power of a Legion, then place himself at the top of the chain of command for all of the Chapters that his remaining brothers were left with was a bit hypocritical.
Or was it?
It's quite likely that Guilliman's actions in creating the Imperium Secundus, and his later actions during the reformation of the Imperium, are a reference to the Roman practice of [Dictatorship]. A roman dictator was more or less what we think of as a modern dictator, with one key exception. The dictator was given absolute executive and military power over Rome and her holdings in times of crisis, when the gridlock and beaurocratic red tape of roman society got in the way of doing what needed to be done. But as strange as it sounds to our modern minds, dictators were elected to their position, and without exception in all the history of Rome every dictator willingly stepped down and returned power to the senate.
It's highly likely that Guilliman's actions after the emperor's death are a reference to this practice: he set aside the normal moral and legal rules restricting him so that he could restructure the imperium. Despite the fact that he was in the perfect position to assume power over the entire imperium, he relinquished power to the Council of Terra after some sense of stability had returned. This is further supported by how heavily his legion leans on Roman culture, and how much Guilliman himself draws on the famous generals of Rome (Julius and Augustus Caesar, Cininatus, etc).So with that being said, he was no more flawless than the other Primarchs; Even during the Great Crusade, while he was considered to be one of the greatest strategists in the entire Imperium, he was defeated in combat simulations by Corax of the Raven Guard, having to be specifically taught that there is no fixed dividing line between non-combatants and soldiers when people are defending their homes; that under-strength units should not be ruled out as ineffective; and that small units of adaptable troops can be wielded with just as much effect as larger battalions and chapters. Furthermore, Guilliman stuck closely to his tried and true methods, refusing to give credit to what he considered "unconventional" tactics, pissing off many other Primarchs, most notably Alpharius. Even though he would later be shown by his own men how effective such unconventional guerrilla tactics would be and would include then in his codex.
Therefore while he was certainly the Primarch with the greatest mental capacity and adaptability, he was apparently incapable of lateral thinking and would fail to see the flaws in his methods until explicitly shown the error of his ways. ( which certainly indicates that he was definitely not the primarch with the greatest mental capacity or adaptability. Alpharius and Magnus come to mind or even Corax or the Lion whos Legion literally did it all.) Also, though the Codex Astartes undoubtedly did a lot of good things like making sure each chapter could feasibly fight under most conditions no matter their heritage or preference, forcing all of his brothers to split their Legions into Chapters risked a second galactic civil war.
Additionally, although it isn't (entirely) his fault, Guilliman is usually blamed for turning the Ultramarines into such faggots. The Codex is now basically treated as infallible by the Ultramarines (at least the more faggot-y ones; there's at least some who take it with a grain of salt and realize where its strengths and weaknesses lie). even though he specifically said that the Codex Astartes should not be treated as a bible to be followed unerringly... Except for the organizational parts, which he forced on his brothers as part of the post-Heresy reforms and were upheld by the High Lords of Terra as a means of keeping the Astartes in check.
Recently he's been increasingly entrusted to the care of the Mighty Dan Abnett and his faggot level is dropping rapidly. Now, Guilliman isn't portrayed as a power armored Sun Tzu, but as a logistical genius, planning planetary conquest in a way that would leave said worlds in a state that could quickly be returned to order and Imperial rule. His high number of compliant worlds is a direct product of this, helped by his Legion's innate tendency towards discipline, hierarchy and monomaniacal fixation on whatever their objective might be.
This adherence toward a rigid chain of command did end up becoming a double-edged sword later on, since when Guilliman was put into stasis the Ultramarines still tried to follow him (thanks to him being the at the top of the chain) and as such started to forget that the Codex Astartes was only meant to be a guideline, as opposed to a definitive text. More importantly, they slowly lost their ability to adapt to new situations, which was their most famed of traits, until the Tyrannic Wars illustrated the need to improvise new strategies when old ones failed them.
Once upon a time, thanks to the rabid fanboying of Matt Ward, most of /tg/ hated him, but many of them have since come around. Still expect people to bitch endlessly about how he was an absolute narrow-minded hypocritical jerk, but don't feel bad about it.
Ironically enough, Guilliman has something the Imperium needs even more desperately than new technologies and peace: managerial skills, among the primarchs Guilliman was the only one who actually seemed to be bright enough to understand and strongly insist that no empire, no matter how militarily powerful, could withstand without a good administration, keeping the fiscal balance positive and ensuring the population, not just the armies, have a decent enough standard of living and supply lines, it speaks something of most of the denizens of 4chan that so few of them have ever pointed out this simple fact.
On a side note, he likes Shakespeare's work.
Suddenly, Forge World!
When Tempest came out, it immediately forgot that Guilliman's supposed to be just as heavily flawed as the other Primarchs, in Tempest Guilliman is "a paragon among the Emperor's sons", and that he "is as much a statesman as he is an indefatigable warrior." He's also as just as great a strategist, in addition to being the most level-headed, the quickest to react, the smartest and the most analytical, constantly basing new and better designs off of existing materials, as well as refining battle plans thanks to having a mind that calmly and coldly allows him to analyze everything around him and wonder how various things like his marines, his armour and his weapons could all be improved. He observes what other Primarchs do with their warriors makes them better in his own creations, in doing so (specifically copying Perturabo's Siege Tyrants in the rules) they say he's "proving himself once again the master of all of the myriad disciplines of war." This is further evidenced by his rules below where he's the best Primarch at buffing his army, while as a warrior in a straight-up fight he only loses to Horus and Fulgrim(not counting psychic interference or Primarchs with a bit of momentum behind them).
In addition Guilliman's Ultramarines during the Horus Heresy were the most disciplined of all the Space Marines (wrong, as Unremembered Empire pointed out the 1st where more disciplined) as well as the most numerous, the ones who prized intelligence above all to help them formulate the best battle plan, and with the best training/recruitment (also wrong the 1st Legion had Luther who reduced training time for a marine to just 5 years.), not to mention being familiar with the other legions MO's and able to pull them off without any problems which had a lot to do with their rigid chain of command (again this is nonsense, as the raven guard and alpha Legion's M.O.'s where never even attempted by the Ultramarines nor the way that the Vlka Fenryka fought war. If they where capable of that feat they wouldn't have been behind other legions on victories). This goes on to the point that they were considered the biggest threat (before Isstvan) and the book outright states that if the Ultramarines were aware of Horus' rebellion they and their Auxilia would be able to make the 500 worlds a bastion that by itself, would be able to weather the entire heresy and challenge Horus for control of the eastern half of the Galaxy. I guess the Imperial Fists, White Scars, and Blood Angels on Terra didn't really try hard enough. But to be fair the size of the Legion at the time is nothing new since the Ultramarines have always been described as the Legion with the most recruits and the least casualties long before the Wardian plague begins.
A more generous explanation could be that since the books were written after the Heresy in-universe, it could just be a case of "history is written by the winners" kicking in again, since (rather thankfully) "Everything is canon, not everything is true." Or maybe Matt was secretly brought back for that particular book, which would go quite a long way in explaining all of the Smurf wanking in it. It's likely we'll have to wait until the follow-up book on the Shadow Crusade to determine which of those it is. This doesn't entirely go against 40k's history however, while saying the smurfs and their auxiliaries could take on all of the traitor legions at full strength is undoubtedly complete horseshit, Ultramar was always considered to have been one of the greatest threats to Horus' rebellion and was the prime reason that the Battle of Calth took place; to get them all in one place and hit them with a surprise attack, and then pin the Ultramarines in place for the duration of the Heresy. The same applies to Guilliman, who has always been considered to have been one of the most intelligent and adaptable of Primarchs, as well as being gifted with his own brilliance.
Thankfully he still retains at least one flaw, that being he has no creative spark. He made Perturabo's Terminators better, but he'd never have made them on his own. He made his own versions of power weapons that were far better than regular power weapons as they were more precise/lethal when in trained hands, yet he could only do that after studying countless designs of regular power weapons. Even his own armour is artificer armour that he improved in ways heavily influenced by what Vulkan and Perturabo have made.
Well, two flaws actually. His assumption that his and therefore Ultramarine nobility and camaraderie will rub off on to other, less forward thinking legions was a direct contributor to his massive losses at the utterly disastrous Battle of Calth. His belief that the Word Bearers and their Militias could be best bros to his troops if only they spent more time, more closely together helped Lorgar's sons be in just the right position to inflict devastating casualties on the XIIIth from the moment of betrayal. Lets be clear, 100,000 Ultramarines were dead (not casualties, but dead) 12 hours after the battle began and by the end of the surface conflict 145,000 of his sons were killed or permanently combat non-effectives. Considering the total Legion strength prior to the slaughter was 250,000, Calth cost the Ultramarines c.60% of their strength and all for the bargain basement cost of 50,000 Word Bearers, though it's worthy of note that the casualty ratios between the two legions were actually pretty similar, as the Word Bearers were at about 125,000 by Calth. Considering that a force with superior wargear (that the Warmaster made sure his traitors had) striking from ambush against a force that's out of position, deliberately striking at the Ultramarine's command structure, something they're quite weak to, with ALL THOSE ADVANTAGES, they only got a 3 to 1 casualty ratio. Though he did still lose 160,000 marines, it is perhaps no surprise that Imperial history records that Guilliman completely lost his temper and cool at Lorgar when the treachery was realized (insert max troll face here), perhaps this was what allowed him to survive immediately afterwards in the hard vacuum of space for 11 hours without his helmet?
On the other side (and that is a good point) Guilliman and the Ultramarines are not as "noblebright" in Tempest as they can be in other pieces of background. While he promotes meritocracy and progress and refuses to waste any life, Roboute is always described as cold and logical, obsessed with efficiency, and not a kind of crusading philanthropist. FW's Guilliman is first and foremost a statesman and a warlord willing to make the most effective system possible, and Tempest implies he used a kind of political police of his own (the Vigil Opertii) to silence any opposition in Ultramar. Just like the Imperium does. The only difference with the other Primarchs is Guilliman cannot deny HE is responsible for all the authoritarian shit happening in HIS private empire. Feel free to think what you want about Guilliman being OP or a Mary Sue, FW still made him more grimdark than before, even if he remains a nice dude by 30k standards.
Gameplay
30K Guilliman
| Pts | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Sv | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roboute Guilliman: | 400 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4+1 | 10 | 2+/4++ |
True to his legion, Roboute Guilliman is fairly average as far as Primarchs go, both in terms of his stats and his points cost, but it's the rules and equipment you really want him for. He and any unit he joins can re-roll failed charge distances, and the Concussive special rule doesn't do shit against him. All Ultramarines in play gain +1 to Ld while he's in play and he also makes Invictarus Suzerains and Legion Terminators troops as long as he's the warlord. Preternatural Strategy can force opponents to re-roll successful attempts at Seize the Initiative while also granting all units from one entry in the Ultramarines army list Implacable Advance, Interceptor, or Tank Hunters if they don't have it already, and by that they do mean entry, not just one unit, so if you selected Legion Predator Strike Armour Squadron to have Tank Hunters then every Legion Predator Strike Armour Squadron in your army will gain the rule. It also buffs his WS by 1 for each round of combat within a challenge after the first one (e.g. he becomes WS8 on the second round and so on), although it resets back to 7 after the challenge is over or if his opponent swaps out for somebody else via something like Glorius Intervention. Finally, Unyielding Will negates all negative leadership modifiers and allows him to re-roll failed Deny the Witch tests. (Funnily enough, this actually makes him a decent counter for Lorgar's psychic faggotry, though it won't help him deny Lorgars' blessings.)
Guilliman's Armor of Reason gives him a 2+/4++ and the ability to re-roll the first invulnerable save he fails in each phase. (Not per turn, per phase.). As for his weapons, he can choose one of two melee weapons to use in any given assault phase: the Gladius Incandor (a Paragon Blade with Shred) and the Hand of Dominion (a S10 AP1 Power Fist with Concussion). Both of them are Specialist weapons, so regardless of which one he picks he still gets an extra attack. Finally, his gun is the Arbitrator, a S6 AP3 combi-bolter with Assault 2 and Rending- which he might as well have left at home for how often it fires it as he has a Cognis Signum to use instead (+1 BS to a unit instead of firing a weapon himself). Overall, he gives out a nice variety of buffs and can really hold his own in a fight while being one of the best tactician character in the game.
Don't forget, this is all for only 125 points more than M.A.C. daddy, further proof of 30k superiority.
Roboute Guilliman (30K) VS other Primarchs:
Primarch fighting, while fun to see, isn't a very competitive thing to do as it'll usually tie up both Primarchs for the entire game without either of them dying. With that in mind this section is all about how Roboute Guilliman fares against other Primarchs mathammer wise. Please note that all the various abilities, with the exception of Blind, are taken into account (Blind is ignored because it is just too random and unreliable to come into play) and the match-ups assume the Primarchs are the only ones involved in the fighting, so various abilities like Angron's "The Butcher's Nails" and Rampage do not provide any bonuses. Also do note that Preternatural Strategy is taken into account (obviously) so prepare to see even more mathhammer than for the other Primarchs.
- Roboute Guilliman VS Horus
- Horus will use his Talon of Horus (rerollable 3+ is better than flat 2+, and Disabling Strike can counter the slow-burn effect of Preternatural Strategy) and hits 4 times, wounds 3.555 times, 1.778 after saves, then 1.564 for the Armour of Reason and IWND will take that down to 1.231 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.222 times (Gladius), 0.74 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.407.
- Guilliman loses this fight (Quite appropriately).
- Note: Due to the nature of the fight this match doesn't take into account Preternatural Strategy (Because it is balanced by Disabling Strike). Also do note that after the first few wounds inflicted from Horus, Guilliman will have his WS and S significantly reduced, making it even easier for Horus to win.
- Roboute Guilliman VS Angron
- Angron Round 1: Angron has Hatred, so on the first turn he will hits 5.333 times, wounds 4.444 times, 2.222 after saves, 2.008 after Armour of Reason re-roll and IWND take it down to 1.675.
- Angron Round 2: Angron hits 4 times, wounds 3.333 times, 1.667 times after saves, 1.453 after re-roll and IWND will take that down to 1.12 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Angron Round 3 and thereafter: Angron hits 3 times, wounds 2.5 times, 1.25 after saves and 1.036 after the re-roll. Then IWND take it down to 0.703.
- Guilliman Round 1/2/3: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.222 times, 0.926 times after saves and FNP, and IWND will take that down to 0.59 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 4 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.963 times, 1.234 times after saves and FNP, and IWND will take that down to 0.9 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Unsurprisingly, Guilliman loses this fight in 6 rounds, dying directly before he's able to kill Angron as even though he has an extra wound on Angron, he takes too much damage.
- Roboute Guilliman VS Fulgrim
- Fulgrim Round 1: hits 4.861 times (Fireblade is MC), wounds 3.601 times (Child of Terra Warlord Trait), 1.801 times after the Invuln, 1.582 after the Armour of Reason and IWND will take that down to 1.249 at the start of the next turn.
- Fulgrim Round 2 and thereafter: hits 3.714 times, wounds 2.889 times, 1.445 times after the Invuln, 1.226 after the re-roll and IWND will take that down to 0.893 at the start of the next turn.
- Concussed Fulgrim (cannot happen earlier than round 3): Hits 2.708 times, wounds 2.106 times, 1.053 times after the invuln, 0.845 after the re-roll and IWND will take that down to 0.56 wounds.
- Guilliman with Gladius Incandor Round 1/2: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.222 times, 0.74 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.407 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman with Gladius Incandor Round 3 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.963 times, 0.988 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.654 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman with Hand of Dominion Round 1/2: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.083 times, 0.694 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.361 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman with Hand of Dominion Round 3 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.777 times, 0.926 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.593 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- An unsurprising loss for Guilliman. If Guilliman chooses to use the Gladius Incandor, Fulgrim will out-damage him in the long run, and if he chooses to concuss Fulgrim, Fulgrim temporarily loses his extra attacks, but Guilliman cannot put out enough damage to keep Fulgrim concussed, meaning Fulgrim gets back up to his normal initiative, gains his extra attacks back, and beats down Guilliman.
- Roboute Guilliman VS Mortarion
- Mortarion hits 2.5 times, wounds 1.666, 0,833 after saves, 0.625 wounds after Armor of Reason, and after IWND it becomes 0.292 wounds.
- Guilliman Round 1: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.083 times, 1.042 after saves, and IWND take it down to 0.486.
- Guilliman Round 2 and after: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.777 times, 1.388 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.833.
- Easy win for Guilliman.
- Roboute Guilliman VS Ferrus
- Ferrus: hits 2.5 times (Forgebreaker and Servo-Harm), wounds 2.083 times, 1.042 after the Invuln, 0.834 times after the re-roll and IWND will take that down to 0.501 at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 1: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.083 times (Hand), 0.694 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.361 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 2 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.778 times, 0.926 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.593 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman wins this fight.
- Roboute Guilliman VS Konrad Curze
- Curze Round 1: hits 4 times, wounds 3 times, 1.5 times after the Invuln, 1.286 times after the re-roll and IWND will take that down to 0.953 at the start of the next turn.
- Curze Round 2 and thereafter: hits 3 times, wounds 2.25 times, 1.125 times after the Invuln, 0.911 times after the re-roll and IWND will take that down to 0.578 at the start of the next turn
- Guilliman Round 1/2: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.222 times, 1.111 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.778 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 3 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.963 times, 1.481 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.148 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman easily wins this fight.
- Note: Konrad could attempt to even the odds with Hit and Run, negating Preternatural Strategy while gaining the +1 attack for the charge (and sniping some wounds with his knives), but so long as Guilliman uses his power fist by the second round of combat Curze will be locked to initiative 1 and will be dead before it's guaranteed he'll be able to leave combat.
- Roboute Guilliman VS Vulkan
- Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.667 times, 0.833 times after saves, 0.633 times after Armour of Reason and IWND will take that down to 0.3.
- Guilliman Round 1: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.083 times, 0.694 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.139 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 2 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.778 times, 0.926 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.37 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- A long as fuck fight, but Guilliman takes the win 'cause he does marginally more damage.
- Roboute Guilliman VS Lorgar
- Lorgar hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.083 times, 1.042 times after the Invuln, 0.834 after the re-roll and IWND will take that down to 0.501.
- Guilliman Round 1: hits 2.778 times, wounds 1.85 times, 0.926 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.593 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 2 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.963 times, 1.48 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.15 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Even with forcing Guilliman to re-roll 5's and 6's for the first round Lorgar will still lose.
- Note: this doesn't take into account Psychic Powers and with Precognition on Lorgar will easily win. Guilliman's rerollable DtW doesn't do shit, as it only works against witchfires and maledictions, while Lorgar's most powerful spells are blessings.
- Roboute Guilliman VS Perturabo
- Perturabo Round 1: hits 2.667 times, wounds 2.222 times, 1.111 times after the Invuln, 0.911 times after the re-roll and IWND will take that down to 0.578.
- Perturabo Round 2 and thereafter: hits 2 times, wounds 1.667 times, 0.833 times after the Invuln, 0.633 after Armour of Reason and IWND will take that down to 0.3.
- Guilliman Round 1/2: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.222 times, 0.74 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.407 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 3 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.963 times, 0.988 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.654 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Again, Guilliman wins pretty safely. Starting to see a trend here.
- Roboute Guilliman VS Alpharius
- Alpharius hits 2.917 times and wounds 1.702 times (Remember he has Preferred Enemy), 0.851 wounds after the Invuln, 0.643 after Armour of Reason and IWND will take that down to 0.31 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 1: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.222 times, 1.111 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.778 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 2 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.963 times, 1.482 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.148 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman wins really easily, as the damage Alpharius does is almost irrelevant, thus making the claim that he personally killed the lord of the Alpha Legion actually believable...
- Roboute Guilliman VS Rogal Dorn
- Dorn Round 1: hits 2.666 times, wounds 2 times, 1 time after the Invuln, 0.8 wounds after the re-roll and IWND will take that down to 0.467 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Dorn Round 2 and thereafter: hits 2 times, wounds 1.5 times, 0.75 wounds after the Invuln, 0.55 after the re-roll and IWND will take that down to 0.217 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 1/2: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.222 times, 1.111 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.778 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 3 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.963 times, 1.482 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.148 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman easily wins this fight, taking a lot less damage and dishing out more.
- Note: Dorn doesn't use Sundering Blow because he would actually cause less damage with it.
- Roboute Guilliman VS Corvus Corax
- Corvus hits 4 times (Scourge)/3 times (Shadow-walk), wounds 3 times (Scourge)/2.25 times (Shadow-walk), causing 1.5 wounds (Scourge)/1.125 wounds (Shadow-walk) after the Invuln which drop down to 1.286 (Scourge)/0.911 (Shadow-walk) and IWND will take that down to 0.953 (Scourge)/0.578 (Shadow-walk) wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman Round 1: 2.5/1.666 times, wounds 2.0833/1.389 times, 1.389/0.926 wounds after saves and 1.055/0.593 wounds after IWND.
- Guilliman Round 2 and thereafter: hits 3.333/2.5 times, wounds 2.963/2.083 times, 1.975/1.389 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.642/1.055 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Guilliman easily wins this fight
- Note: Like Curze, Corax could try to use Hit and Run to even the odds, having even more bonus than Curze thanks to his uber-Furious Charge, but unlike Curze it wouldn't work for too long as the second time they fight (whether Corax charges or Guilliman catches him) Guilliman will have him concussed (He's using his fist for a reason) for the rest of the fight and will kill him before Corax can escape again, thus making the strategy not viable against Papa Smurf.
- Roboute Guilliman vs. Leman Russ
- Leman Round 1 & 2 (using the Axe of Helwinter): Hits 4.886 times, wounds 4.071 times, 2.035 after the Invuln, 1.817 after the re-roll with IWND taking that down to 1.484 at the start of the next turn.
- Leman Round 3 and on (using the Axe of Helwinter): Hits 3.719 times, wounds 3.099 times, 1.55 after the Invuln, 1.331 after the re-roll with IWND taking that down to 0.998 at the start of the next turn.
- Roboute Round 1 and Round 4+ (using the Hand of Dominion): Hits 1.667 times, wounds 1.389 times, 0.695 wounds after saves, and IWND will take that down to 0.362 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Roboute Round 2 & 3: Hits 0.833, wounds 0.694 times, 0.3472 wounds after saves, and IWND will take that down to 0.014 wounds at the start of the next turn.
- Result: It's not even a challenge. Leman Russ kills Rowboat Girlyman almost effortlessly. What do you expect from trying to go up against The Emperor's Executioner(of primarchs). That furry fucker was designed from the ground up to kill every primarch in the entire game.
- TL;DR version: Surprisingly, despite being one the best army buffers amongst Primarchs and his generally not outstanding (for a Primarch) stats, Guilliman is actually a beast in 1 on 1 fights if they drag on long enough, beating all but the most specialised Primarchs and mathematically losing only to Horus, Angron, Fulgrim and Leman Russ. Truth is that he's very well balanced with a choice of good weapons for offense, a decent defense and an extra ability that benefits both. He loses when his more balls out brothers just dump damage on him but when he has the chance to let his strategy impact the fight he'll typically win. He'll likely fall down the rankings some more when Sanguinius and the Lion step onto the field but with his army buffs he'll remain a great choice.
40K Guilliman
We can rebuild him. We have the technology...
"Why do I still live? What more do you want from me? I gave everything I had to you, to them. Look what they have made of our dream. This bloated, rotten carcass of an empire is driven not by reason and hope, but by fear, hate and ignorance. Better that we had all burned in the fire of Horus' ambition than lived to see this."
― Guilliman is back, and he wants to know what the fuck went so wrong with the Imperium.
But as for now, the hot topic is that HE'S BACK, in plastic, and a part of a "Triumvirate" of sorts with him, Cypher, and a Grey Knight Grand Master named Vorlus. The miniature itself looks somewhat cartoony, and has new armour courtesy of Belisarius Cawl, a Power Fist with a built-in version of his old Bolter (seems Cawl couldn't spring for the Ad-Mech's good stuff), a life support system, and the option of a rather awesome helmet for maximum head protection (No seriously, use the helmet). Bonus points as he is also carrying the Blazing Sword, officially stated to be one of The Big E's weapons. Regardless, the general trend is that he looks really good. Yes, we're still talking about Guilliman. The only real complaint people have is how splay legged he is and how he looks like a Thousand Son with omegas.
Also, the GW community site seems to imply that you can change his two heads on the fly, meaning you can possibly paint and use both of them without committing to either one.
Strangely, the Chaos Gods aren't fazed or angry he's back; if anything they seem to view him as an opportunity. Slaanesh wants to corrupt him, Nurgle wants him as a plaything, Khorne wants his skull, and Tzeentch wants to manipulate is already trying to manipulate him.
| Points | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Sv | Type | Composition | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 350 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2+/3++/5+++ | Monstrous Creature (Character) | 1 (Unique) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wargear | Special Rules | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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He has the almost same statline he has in 30k with a significant buff to his weapon skill and a slightly smaller one to his attacks, but his special rules and wargear are slightly different. The comparison follows.
- He loses:
- It Will Not Die
- Type: Infantry (Character) (see below).
- Accordingly, he also loses Independent Character.
- Master of the Legion, as this is a 30k-only rule.
- He keeps:
- Adamantium Will
- Eternal Warrior
- Fear
- Fearless
- Fleet
- Precision Shots
- Precision Strikes
- He gains:
- Type: Monstrous Creature (Character), hence he also gains:
- Hammer of Wrath
- Move Through Cover
- Relentless
- Smash
- Feel No Pain
- Preferred Enemy (Chaos) (CSM, CD, KDK)
- Absolute Mastery
- If he's the Warlord, he has all six Command traits applied to him at once, rather than rolling for a single WT. As a recap, they are:
- Friendly units within 12" of Guilliman can use his Leadership (10) rather than their own.
- Enemy units within 12" of Guilliman must use their lowest Leadership value, not the highest.
- Guilliman, and all friendly units within 12", have the Move Through Cover special rule.
- Guilliman, and all friendly units within 12", add 1" to the distance that they can move when they Run or Charge.
- In the Shooting phase, Guilliman and all friendly units within 12" of him re-roll To Hit rolls of 1.
- In the Assault phase, Guilliman and all friendly units within 12" of him re-roll To Hit rolls of 1.
- If he's the Warlord, he has all six Command traits applied to him at once, rather than rolling for a single WT. As a recap, they are:
- Lord Commander of the Imperium
- All Armies of the Imperium can re-roll all failed morale, pinning, and fear tests while Guilliman is on the battlefield.
- Primarch of the XIII Legion
- An extra copy of each Combat Doctrine that affects all Ultramarines models in your army.
- Unyielding Will
- His leadership is not subject to any negative modifiers of any kind (no Terrify Telepathy Powers, no Lictor debuffs). along with re-rolling failed Deny the Witch tests.
- Type: Monstrous Creature (Character), hence he also gains:
Guilliman's Armor of Fate gives him a 2+/3++. The improved invulnerable save is nice, but the gimmick is that Guilliman can come back from the dead...half the time, with D3 wounds restored. THE EMPEROR'S FLAMING SWORD is the freaking MURDERSWORD to end them all. He attacks at S10 AP1 (but rule-wise uses both Hand of Dominion and The Emperor's Sword in the same profile, so yeah, Avatar will totally kick his ass) with Armourbane, Concussive, and Soul Blaze. The sword's 2 unique rules are The Emperor's Touch: if Guilliman rolls a 6 to hit it becomes a Destroyer attack, and Whirling Flame: he can sacrifice 6 attacks to hit every enemy model within 1" of him. His relic Power Fist (cannot be used separately) Hand of Dominion comes with the underslung Arbitrator, which is stronger than the 30k variant. It's now 24" S6 AP2 Heavy 3 (made irrelevant by Relentless), and Rending. - you don't bring him because of his dakka, you bring him for his special rules support.
In all, he's a bit of a mix between Marneus Calgar and Saint Celestine in that he gives your army a decent strategic edge with army-wide Ld re-rolls, Warlord traits, and the potential to revive himself. He's also the best non-Forgeworld/Superheavy melee fighter the Imperium has right now. Do not send him up against the Avatar of Khaine though, since Soul Blaze will nullify all of his attacks. .
On the downside he no longer can hide in squads or use non-superheavy transports, which severely limits his mobility and survivability compared to his 30k version. D-strength is particularly nasty because of his inability to hide, doubly so since there's much more D on the table in 40k (it's good for Guilly he's allied with the guys who have it flying out of their asses).
Fortunately GW went out of their way to remedy this obvious weakness. A new formation created for the new Ultramarines detachment called the Victrix Guard allows for the models in the unit to LOS to Guilliman if he is in the formation. So this will give Guilliman plenty of staying power.
All this for 50 points less than 30k Guilliman, proof of 40k supremacy.
| The Primarchs of the Space Marine Legions |
|---|
 Loyalist Corvus Corax - Ferrus Manus - Jaghatai Khan Leman Russ - Lion El'Jonson - Roboute Guilliman Rogal Dorn - Sanguinius - Vulkan |
 Traitor Alpharius/Omegon - Angron - Fulgrim Horus - Konrad Curze/Night Haunter - Lorgar Magnus the Red - Mortarion - Perturabo |