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ASOIAF Miniatures/Tactics/Neutral

2023-02-26T20:45:53Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:C5B1:DFB5:E2DA:268: /* Units */

[[ASOIAF Miniature Game|Back to the list]]

==Why Play Neutrals==
''"Our Blades are Sharp?"''
Neutrals while viable on their own as a faction are in the end meant to be added into armies (except Freefolk) so buying into this faction expands your options for all others, besides the fact that a few of these units are very efficient on their own.

===Pros===
*Control, Agression, Resielence, we got a little bit of everything here
*Flexibility? Stormcrows
*Panic damage? Boltons
*Acting like you're better than your opponent? Bloody Mummers
*Great models, the newer Golden Company look amazing.
===Cons===
*Commanders lean on their subfactions so they need at least a sprinkle of their soldiers to function properly
*Lack of autowounds, besides sorta the Elephant
*Being Overcosted? Golden company

===Playstyle===
A mish mash of subfactions rather than a faction unto itself, it will depend mostly on your commander since the base deck is pretty versatile if unimpressive, you have quite the toolbox that you can integrate into other factions so this page is the most guidelinesy of them all.

==Unit and Attachement Analysis==
You have 4 themes in your unit choices.
Boltons have heavy and light units, and their whole thing is panic and fighting dirty, Roose and Ramsey are their commanders.
Stormcrows are medium infantry and can fill gaps in other armies since they have line, ranged and elite infatry, Daario is their commander.
Bloody Mummers only have 2 units, both lightly armored and meant for short engagements, Vargo Hoat is their commander.
Golden Company, boy oh boy these were hyped up way too much, Swordsmen, Crossbowmen and War Elephants are all glorious models but their rules leave a lot to be desired, they don't have a commander yet.

===Commander===

*'''Roose Bolton:''' Controlly Commander, playing around with dealing out and using tokens as well as some more panic support, he goes swimmingly in his own Blackguards and benefits from bringing Ramsey to give strong units Bolton affiliation to get more sustain from panic damage..

*'''Ramsay Snow:''' Aggression Commander, making your enemy choose between a bad situation and another equally bad situation, benefits more from joining non Bolton units and bringing his father for those Panicked tokens.

*'''Daario Naharis:''' The one for Stormcrows, plays off the bags spot, even letting you count as controlling it with a tactics card. Buffing you unit's offensive output and a bit of token play are always goo, bring Bronn to get more benefit from the bags spot.

*'''Vargo Hoat:''' The one for Bloody Mummers, plays around Weakened tokens spending them to either add more sting to panic tests or turning them into Panciked and Vulnerable. Has the same terrifying "Sadistic Mutilation" ability as his regular attachement so it pays to make a deathstar out of him.

====Units====
*'''Bolton Cutthroats (5pt):''' Bolton basic Infantry, prioritizing offensive power, they get light armor but pack Vicious and get re-rolls and throw a Vulnerable if their target hasn't activated on the same round. Very fragile so need a bit of support to pull ahead if they get punched back.

*'''Bolton Blackguards (6pt):''' Heavy Infantry, not that big on offense but with Horrific Visage they'll sit on an objective and dare your opponent to shift them, Dreadfort Captains predictably do very well with them since they can trigger that sustain on the regular.

*'''Bolton Bastard's Girls (7pt):''' The premier Infantry of the Boltons, they can optentially throw 10 dice at the same enemy on 3+ so they get a lot of mileage out of an offensive attachement like Brienne Maiden of Tarth or Ramsay.

*'''Bolton Flayed Men (8pt):''' THE best cavalry unit in the game, while not the end all be all of the game they will routinely break the bones and willpower of basically anything they face, even Targaryens make space in their lists for one of these. They will still break against concerted effort and there goes 8 points but they rarely dissapoint.

*'''Stormcrow Mercenaries (5pt):''' Cheap, thats the point, not a stellar profile for its cost but the have Adaptive, so they reduce the cost of attachements on them by 1, so they can pack them 1 pointers for freebies, stuff like Spearmen Captains or Guard Captains love them since they are cheap delivery vectors for great abilities.

*'''Stormcrow Archers (6pt):''' Control the Bags, Letters and Swords to give their ranged attacks benefits, otherwise pretty basic ranged unit, if you get all the dominos right they can devastate an enemy, Bronn lets them attack when claiming the bags, so do Crannogman Wardens when enemies end moves withing line of sight, gettin more attacks with a ranged unit is always worth it to invest on that if you do bring them.

*'''Stormcrow Dervishes (7pt):''' The Elite Stormcrow unit, decent attack profile, their gimmick is attacking multiple times with the bags spot and being able to retreat right after attacking, also flank charges give the enemy tokens making them nastier than usual. Need finesse to get the most out of them, Daario, Stormcrow Lieutenants, Vargo, everything that pumps up their offensive output goes well with them.

*'''Bloody Mummer Skirmishers (6pt):''' The annoying unit, their whole thing is packing disrupt and counter strike to make it a pain to fight them without something either well armored or with a good attack profile, so send them against cheap stuff with horrible offense like Poor Fellows or Raiders. They still go down like flies to concerted effort and if they lose their abilites they are toast. Special Mention to Syrio Forell since Agility stacks with Disrupt to make them a -2 to hit.

*'''Bloody Mummer Zoarse Riders (6pt):''' Cost the same as Dothraki Screamers, have an overall worse statline, and need to flank and rear charge to get actual value. I make them sound worse than they really are, but they do need you to work to get the most out of them.

*'''Hedge Knights (7pt):''' Now these guys are a bit of a tricky one, controlling the Bags and Swords makes them resilient as Flayed men and hit harder than Screamers respectively, if you can get some Tactics board control thse guys are worth every penny, they can fill a Heavy Cavalry role in any faction even if they they are mostly outclassed by Flayed Men

*'''Golden Company Swordsmen (7pt):''' I'll be honest with you pal, if they were 3+ armor they'd be good enough, but as it stands they don't pack enough in their kit to make them a particularly attractive choice at their current cost. They're not bad at all but at 7 points you expect a unit that can kick ass and take names and these guys don't have enough offensive or defensive value to compete with the more specialized units in this price range.

*'''Golden Company Crossbowmen (8pt):''' Crossbowmen make a more compelling argument for themselves, being easily comparable to Lannister Crossbowmen they barely edge out in value by packing Sentinel, letting you maneuver them off of enemy attacks and letting you set up some nasty side or rear attacks, but still at that price range Flayed men, Knights and Honour Guard of Casterly Rock, Cavaliers, Champions of the Stag, are all choices that are just as killy, just as maneuverable and honestly way more resilient.

*'''Golden Company War Elephant(7pt):''' You can only bring one of these for each Golden Company Swordsmen or Crossbowmen you pack along, meaning you can't get 2 of these outside of a Neutral army. This thing kicks ass and looks good while doing so, it ignores defense saves which makes it great at cracking heavily armored units. Now if you know your opponent wont be packing stuff with Order:Shieldwall or Hardened or Resilience you're golden (heh) but since it doesn't have the same thing as the giants of inflicting straight up wounds it can get neutered hard by units with Auto-blocks like what was mentioned before. So in the end while it looks great and is a great intimidation piece, it isnt worth its price of 7ps alongside an overcosted GC unit.

====Non-Combat Units====

*'''Roose Bolton (4pt):''' Token players love him, he can put a Panicked token each time he activates up to 3 times, with additional uses of this ability available by replacing zone effects. A zone replace is good and fueling his token game when you take a zone you don't want is not bad at all. Of course, he works way better on panic heavy armies.

*'''Petyr Baelish (4pt):''' THE zone replace guy, he can replace any zone effect with another one, zap with the horses, restore wounds with the cards, sky's the limit, but thats not all, once per game you can count as controlling a zone for the rest of the round, letting you get all those big effects even if you don't have control of the board. If you don't know what to bring and only have 4 for an NCU he doesnt dissapoint.

*'''Lord Varys (5pt):''' THE reactive plays guy, up to 4 times per game he can get a mini-zone effect when your enemy claims a spot, the effect is of course related to what your enemy claimed. Drawing a card is rarely bad, restoring wounds lets you equalize fights, hits or a panic can knock an enemy down a rank before you activate and finish off that unit. Like Petyr, he's the one you bring if you don't know and have 5 points to spare.

*'''Tycho Nestoris (5pt):''' Heal a lot once per game, simple and strong. Getting 5 wounds to throw around your units freely can bring back a unit from the brink or simply top off a few to get the upper hand.

*'''Jaquen H'ghar (5pt):''' Precision isn't all that easy to come by, and getting it off of a Swords claim is very very good. Still his main selling point is being able to copy the Influence of another NCU either ally or enemy, doubling up on stuff like Melisandre, Beron Blacktyde and Barristan Selmy is VERY good especially since you can just do the Precision thing if you feel its gonna be more beneficial to you.

*'''Walder Frey (4pt):''' Old codger is an iffy one, you can only use him if its your last available activation, he does the Baelish replace thing, or he can restore a few wounds, weaken something and make you first player the following turn IF he claims the crown. Now the thing is if you're using Walder you lose a 3 NCU fight every time, only bring him if you know its a 2 NCU game and then again only if you know you're not against someone who wants the crowns.

====Attachement====

*'''Ramsay Snow + Reek (2/0pts):''' The little shit gives a bit of panic damage bonus and sustain for a modest price, and since Reek is free he always gets to sling Panicked tokens like its nobodies bussiness, he fits better on Bastar Girls and Blackguard than most other units, Guardsmen and Mountains Men do make very good use of him though.

*'''Dreadfort Captain (1pts):''' Healing off of panic damage makes him a natural fit with Blackguards, or anything thatw ants to do panic damage like Bastard's Girls or Guardsmen

*'''Bolton Flayer:''' Now throwing this guy into a Blackguard or Pyromancers unit is just mean, since he can basically double up the Horrific Visage procs whenever your enemy is dumb enough to attack his unit. Cheap and easy all things considered.

*'''Daario Naharis (1pts):''' Critical Blow and Precision at peril of suffering a wound for every 1 when attacking is not bad lemme tell ya, units with access to rerolls like Martell Royal Guard or high volume of attacks like Umber Berzerkers will make good use of the guy.

*'''Stromcrow Lieutenant (1pts):''' Sundering and Highest attack value when controlling the bags. Not stellar but if your army wants the bags then he isnt a bad choice at all, Lannisters and Tyrells can probably make good useof him, Daario Commander can obviously make the most in any case.

*'''Bronn (1pt):''' Additional resilience when controlling the Bags and an option for extra attack actions off of the Bags spot, he goes in solid line units or ranged units. Shoring up the defense of ranged units andletting them get more attacks in is one of his specialties, making stuff like Wardens or Rose knights unkillable while letting them Rambo it up with extra attacks will quickly teach your opponent to keep control of the tactics board. Don't sleep on him, if you wanna play around with the bags he is better than the Lieutenant.

*'''Jaqen H'ghar (1pt):''' Situational, but in very basic terms in introduces redundancy nto your list by letting you get an attachement back from the dead, whether yours or the enemies once attachements start going the way of the dodo his unit gets versatile. Another notable use is getting your commander back from the dead to keep doing his thing or I dunno bringing back an Expert duelist or Vargo to kick ass from beyond the grave again.

*'''Brienne Maid of Tarth (2pts):''' Make your unit a heat seeking missile, better morale and Knightly Vow make sure whatever you attach her to will make it to its target, Bastard's Girls love her, Ranger Hunters love her too, Sunspear Dervishes, the list goes on, anything that wants to devastate something with one or multiple charges loves her.

*'''Vargo Hoat (2pts):''' This guy, he's a lot of people's nightmare, fighting him is what turns boys into men. He gives the unit Vicious, no biggie, and makes it so enemies that fail panic tests caused by his unit become weakened, anot bad prolly still within the 1 point mark at this point. Sadistic Mutilation, letting you spend a weakened token after completing an attack to destroy an attachement, THIS is what makes Vargo terrifying since if you were weakened before he attacked he doesnt even need to deal damage to your unit, he just plucks the attachement out of the unit and tears their organs out, not that he needs it since he's his own engine for weakened tokens, this ability is even better than its competitor Expert Duelist since its less random by requiring some minor setup, he is a superb intimidation tool and will make your enemy tremble if he doesnt wipe him before he has a chance to kill his commander.

*'''Golden Company Officer (2pts):''' Dauntless? meh. Immunity to enemy NCU Influence, Orders and enemy tactics cards might as well be worth 2 points on its own. A shame he comes with the Golden company swordsment cause he's good, hes a great piece for long range units to keep them safe from panic bombs or what have you.

==Building your Army==

As always, your list depends on your commander and objective. Make a list which can make use of your commanders ability and tactics card.

In general you want around 9+ activation in your army. Use wolves to pad your force. Most everyone wants 3 NCU, and for you 3 NCU means you have 1 more cheap activation, and you don't have to waste a NCU for a slot you usually ignore. But because of your wolves, you can easily ignore going 3 NCU's if you want to stuff up the table. You generally play more attachment then most factions due to your wolves and because of your good 2-3 point attachements. Get to the activation count you want, then start filling out your points with attachement.

==Tactics Deck==

General rule of thumbs in ASOIAF Miniature Game is to play your card more often then just keeping them in your hand and combo them if you can to one-shot units.
In general your Tactics Deck is supplementary to your play style and not the basis, you also lack card draw.

*'''Planning and Insight:''' small bump to offense or defense, get better with Letters or your commander's unit, you'll find a time to use it each turn.

*'''Adpative Methods:''' Change tokens, or throw tokens from a unit to another if you have the Letters. This lets you bouce a token off one of your units onto your enemy's, changing the toke type to whatever you want, this is a great card if the situation allows for it.

*'''Issue Commands:''' Is your commander sitting alone on an objective and would thus waste their actvation? Isuue Commands. Do you want a second use of a sweet order like Sentinel, Spread Fear or Charging volley? Issue Commands.

*'''Worth the Risk:''' Morale Re-roll or autopass if close to your commander. Solid against panic heavy armies.

*'''Meticulous Planning:''' More commander Cards, either at the end of a round or during a turn if you have the Letters, good if your commander has good cards.

*'''Surprise Strategy:''' Prolly gonna use it with the Letters spot since its prolly too expensive otherwise, good to get those killer cards back into your hand not bad.

*'''Spoils of War:''' One of your units get stonger after the first and second emey unit dies close to them, attach it as soon as you get it not like it'll make your units badasses if they weren't already.

==Tactics==
Flayed men, spam em, love em, live for em.

====List examples====

The point of this is to explain list building a bit.
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Infinity/N3 Tactics/Varuna

2023-02-26T20:45:35Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:C5B1:DFB5:E2DA:268: /* Light Infantry */

The unit overview and tactica for the Varuna sectorial of PanOceania

==Why play Varuna==

==Faction features==

===PanO's Fist===
Tired of playing a defensive, backfield camping PanO... well, you should probably play a different army/break out MO. BUT if you want an aggressive version of 'Classic PanO' this is where you want to be. Modern, i.e. mixed, link teams with some amazing options all aimed at bringing the pain for the hyperpower. What ORCs were always meant to be and able to use cheap Fusiliers and bots to back them up. Add to this wildcards with BTS6 and WIP 13 as well as what most people will agree is one of, if not the, best TAGs in game with the fearsome Cutter. Also now a ridiculous duo Squalo profile. These guys are the first into the fight, and they play to win. Make no mistake what you trade away in options you make up for in access to profiles.

The flip side to this is that SWC not Points will be your limiting resource in this faction, and man will that hit hard when you start taking the new toys out for a spin.

===Special Skills===
'''MIxed Fireteams:''' A huge step up on NCA, the other 'high tech/shooty/traditional PanO' faction comes from the mixed fireteams, especially with ORCs. Also with the clipper bot, which loses its smart missiles but also which can fill out fire teams which contain only 'up to 3 Fusiliers.' All the perks of the traditional ML Fusilier link but with an extra level of unconscious and immunity to many of the more common long range weaponry, plus can take supportware, and is only 18 points vs an ORC. You also get a functional Haris with either cheap Kamau escorting a Machinist [upgraded with Mimetism, but sadly not in WIP], or a heavy one that can form without SWC [critical in Varuna] on your new Character ORC Patsy.

'''Helots:''' Alright, it's not a skill, but neurocinetics and decoy camo do a great job of buoying up some traditional weaknesses of the hyperpower, and Varuna gives you the option to bring a bunch of them. They can be great roadbumps and force your opponent to worry about whether that camo marker has a MSR, a Red Fury, a Marksman Rifle, or is one of your Zulu Cobras with a Jammer/KHD.

'''Jungle and Aquatic terrain:''' Not that many people play with terrain rules, but it is the default setting for campaigns and it's flavorful for a water planet.

'''Working the Angles:''' You have access to TO infiltrators, a couple of Forward Deployment models and the all new Echo Bravo airborne infiltrators. This means you've got a lot more flex than PanO factions traditionally do, giving board control and the chance to jump on or coordinate your way to those early objectives/own the midfield. Especially useful given how powerful your Helots can be in that role.

'''Camo;''' - Slightly 'lower tech' than traditional PanO in that you actually have Camo infantry, you still have the hyperpower on your side though with both Croc Men, tailor built TO infiltrators with zero fat/extra skills you're paying for and the mighty Cutter. Plus mimetism floating all over the place.

==Units==

===Light Infantry===

*'''Echo Bravo, Ready Action Unit:''' The Navy SeALs to the Sikh’s 101st Airborne, they are definitely sneaking in from a board edge. On the plus side this means if you have 2 groups (or 9 orders for some reason) your opponent will be freaking out about the flanks. Also means they know where he’d be coming from. But hey: you get an AD troop, be happy! The actual guy had no mod support and only packs SWC weapons but they’re all pretty decent and you get 2 specialist profiles. AHD on a WIP 12 is pretty pathetic truth be told, but can give some solid board control where your opponent might not have the tools to counter, and are bonused on many missions, and a DEP makes people have to think twice or face AP+EXP BS 13. The paramedic option is probably more interesting. Gains a light shotgun and the first appearance of the Wild Parrot, basically an EM Fast Panda you can use to force people to split ARO & which can shut down both fireteams of little guys and the big guns of most (or, really, any) army lists. Problem is it’s disposable so one shot for 0.5 precious SWC. The LRL + BSG and Red Fury are more straightforward, use to taste. RF can be considered a discount Spitfire in some ways but... inevitably it’ll pale in most close comparison.
*'''Fusiliers:''' The PanOceanian basic line infantry, 10pts for a base one, with BS 12. Just like everywhere else, in PanO they get all the basic heavy weaponry and specialist options as well as a non-SWC Lieutenant. These guys will be your most likely cheerleaders and BS 12 makes them for a decent ARO piece (especially with a Missile Launcher), if you’re willing to spend 1.5 SWC on a Fusilier, which in Varuna is even more of a concern. BUT it can help take the pressure off your expensive active turn pieces and force them to spend time/orders hunting something else.
**It's also worth noting that this is the only sectorial with UNLIMITED AVA for Fusiliers. This is HUGE as it means your 10 point order monkeys can reform their own core links once the ORCs/Kamau is shot out, and gives you a reason to pay a couple points over the repeater/baggage bot. Underestimate a BS 15 B4 combi-rifle at your own peril, especially later in the game when the good stuff is dead. It's 100% worth taking the extra Fusilier for when your missile bot dies so you go second you can still take over active turn with a 5 man link and go around critting with your BSG.
**If going mixed fireteam, read the fine print, ‘up to 3 Fusiliers and up to 2 ORCs.’ Now initially this sounds restrictive until you remember for 3 points you can take a bot over a Fusilier ML and Kamau have wildcard.
**'''Kamau''' adding Kamau give you 2 options: high WIP Specialists and a better gunfighter. For double the points. Which, in Varuna where points are cheap and SWC is king, can be worth it. Your 1 SWC HMG gets near ORC levels of BS 16/B 5, but looses that second wound you’d really want in an active turn piece for your big link. Militiamen is great for helping win firefights though. Probably better off in the Haris or wild carding in after the ORC goes down. though. That MSV2 MSR ARO will pretty much never hit on worse than a 13. With 2 shots. WIth mimetism, think about that when mod stacking. B3 even makes it viable for active turn hunting. The hacker is interesting as well and the stand out from the specialist front, BTS6 helps vs hacking attempts (it was probably one of 2 that along w the HMG saw play to begin with) the rest are quite a bit of premium for 1 more point of WIP and some mild mods.
**'''ORCs:''' adding ORCs gives the Fusiliers a few options, the first is a ridiculously potent offensive gunfighter, a BS 17 Fuerbach or HMG will do mean things in active turn. Note that this is only the Varuna ORCs though, which is pretty decent except they all cost SWC except the multirifle. The multi-rifle and BSG give you pretty hard room-clearing and midfield gunfighting options whilst the fusiliers watch the back and maybe carry a repeater for the KHD. The BSG can do the old Knight Hospitaler trick of critting its way to a win with 3 AP shots hitting on 23s vs enemies in the open within 8." Note, this fire team is Up to 2 ORCs and up to 3 fusiliers, so have a plan to fill the gap when an ORC goes down or when you cant afford it. The Missile bot is the answer most of the time, speaking of which
**'''Clipper Dronbot:''' lose the smart missiles, the ability to go prone, and pay 3 more points so you can get your link up on the cheap and take supportware. Vs the Fusilier missile launcher these are extremely viable.
**'''Fusilier Indigo Bipandra:''' A WIP13 Doctor, making her the tied for best doctor in the faction. Has a Nanopulser and WIP13, AND you're now playing a faction that can get a LOT of work out of those 2 wound HIs. The link will also move her up the field to keep pase with an aggressive ORC. It's not like you're doing much else w your command tokens right? Feel free to re-roll to your heart's content!

*'''Helot Militia:''' Neurocinetic and SWC weaponry except for one profile, come admirably cheap and kitted for bear. Unfortunately, the rest of the stats are a touch on the 'meh' side. 'Only' BS 11, but you're ARO-ing anyway so you get the extra shots to offset that. The big potential for game changing ∆ comes from the synergy of Zulu Cobra and Helots where their decoys form extra targets, and make your opponent have to consdider whether your were willing to spend 1/4 of your SWC on an MSR helot that they can ignore or try to deal with that guy standing up on overwatch. Realistically in Varuna, you're probably taking at least one if not more of the marksmanrifle profiles, which are far from bad, still can leave your opponent guessing which is which and which is the ZC, and do a good job providing SWC free total reaction.

*'''Kamau, Amphibious Intervention Teams:''' Kamau are an elite Light Infantry choice, geared for long range fighting. BS13, WIP 13 and Mimetism drive up the price on such a squishy unit, but BTS6 might be useful for a hacker or against Tohaa and the HMG gets an 0.5 SWC discount over the Nisse. Speaking of, there’s an MSV2 MULTI Sniper option too, because clearly every PanO sectorial needs one. What is more interesting is the HRL + SMG profile, both extremely rare weapons for PanO. But in general Kamau will be a lot better in Varuna than they are for generic armies. If you want to take a core of them, go wild, but it’ll probably be worse than dropping one or 2 in other fireteams. As wildcards they can actually drop the cost of an ORC link and give better specialists as well. If you’re taking a Combi Rifle guy in a fireteam, note the free Lt option, which is an extra point of WIP over a fusilier. Also means you only need one no frills of each to keep them guessing. (So feel free to take the medic AND the FO fusilier for the wonky specialist hat trick.
**'''Haris:''' this is where they shine, can wither nuclear themselves with 0.5 SWC or just wildcard into both of Patsy’s Haris slots (which is pretty cheap and buys you your specialist as well). Here they can add a cheap long range HMG mimitism. The reason you’d take their own Haris is because they can bring a Machinist along which is a low WIP specialist but a very useful one/very rare in PanO and worth it if you have a Cutter or even missile bot on the board or for when your ORC runs afoul of a hacker or glue gun. It’s also cheaper, but accordingly worse. If you can squeeze in a Tech Bee definitely consider it, but sadly in limited insertion you’re running with the worst engineer basically in the game (which is pretty crazy when you think about Irmandino fluff).

*'''Machinist :''' Basically a non-linkable Fusilier with Engineer and higher BTS. Not very good, but it's the only Engineer in entire PanOceania, so if you're heavy on Remotes or taking a TAG, you'll be taking him anyway and his Varuna profile buys it’s place into the Haris with a few extra rules for a few extra points.

*'''Tech-Bees, Maintenance Battalions:''' An odd Irregular trooper, the Tech-Bee is a 5pts specialist (WIP12, but for that cost it's still a bargain) armed with a pistol and a Flash Pulse. But the more interesting part is Remote Assistant Level 1: Tech-Bee gives a +1 WIP bonus to all your Engineers and Remote Pilots, a.k.a Machinist and Crabbot (and in TAGline, Cordelia). Very much worth considering given Varuna' special Machinists, TAGs, and the fact that a lot of the non-killy ways to deal w ORCs leave them IMM.

*'''Trauma-Doc:''' The cheap Doctor option. Much like Machinist she's not very good, but she's also dirt-cheap.

*'''WarCor:'''Flash Pulse and Aerocam are nice for an annoying ARO... that's it.

*'''Zulu Cobra, Special Recon and Intervention Group:''' lots of guns and what not, but you're here for 2 profiles. The jammer assault pistol combo is mean on a camo troop, as it can do work with surprise shot at zero range and just shut down big chunks of the board. The KHD is a specialist with no SWC, good willpower, and can help you hunt the major threats to your armored assault. The Lt profile on that Jammer is kind of fun as it gives you a WIP 13 camo Lt, who can feed the order to Patsy via NCO and do a good job of holding a corner for a TAG/ORC team to fall back to or do some turn 3 hunting when it doesn't matter. Also fun, the shock marksman rifle and X-visor profile for sniping out annoying characters; did we mention it also clocks in at 0 SWC?

===Heavy Infantry===
*'''Montesa Order Motorized Knights:''' The first biker HI, making Yu Jing forever salty. Montesa are fast, durable and killy, though they have "low" BS 13 and only pack Multi Rifles or BSG, making them feel a little undergunned. Mimetism outsets their inability to take Cover. They're cool, but personally I would use a Bulleteer instead.

*'''ORC Troops:''' PanOceanian poster boy HI, has a reputation of being useless. This is mostly down to the fact that ORCs are as baseline as they come: no special skills, no fancy equipment, no interesting weapons. Welcome to Varuna! You're now the kings you were born to be. Make sure you're shooting with these things though, as their WIP will not make you want to F2F reset rolls. Since their main utility is in the Fusilier team due to their point cost, they're largely discussed there. They do have Fireteam Core though if you want to make Mobile Brigada feel over hyped [until you get into a hack off]. AVA 5 means you can take all of them and then have Patsy lead a Haris full of wildcarding Kamau. Your call on whether you think that's worth it. There's nominally a Haris, your call whether you want to drop a SWC on it [you don't].
**'''Varuna Division''' - buys them multiterrain Aquatic/Jungle and Stealth. The latter is the cool part of this, as in addition to joining Fusilier links, it lets you sneak your way around a bit and not provoke AROs from hackers.
**'''Patsy Garnett, ORC Troops' Varuna Division NCO:''' A Forward Observer who can form a Haris without SWC, use NCO to get her link team up the field on the LT's order, and do a good job at close range with a SMG. It's not as good as a BSG, BUT it'll do work up close with AP. Better WIP helps, better CC... probably wont do that much. The other cool thing though is that Wildcard means she can jump in on your Squalo duo link, to bring a hardcore specialist up the field with your TAG.
**UPDATE - Apparently people are saying the Machinist can join the Patsy link which opens up all kinds of new crazy fun nonsense, 10 less points helps w cost, and loses one of the big reasons for that Kamau team & it's 0.5 SWC

===Tactical Armoured Gear===
*'''Cutters, Varuna Naval Chasseurs:''' Min-maxers call Cutter the only TAG worth taking, and that is because of TO Camo. If you thought Swiss Guard is ridiculous, here’s one TAG-sized. Costs a ton, so you’ll be making your list all about him. One of the big draws of Varuna, but functionally limits your options in many ways. Give serious thought to the Lt option: you are going to live and die on the thing and have an NCO who means you’re able to feed that order into any fireteam. It does cost you one more precious SEC though & makes your giant target even more critical to survival. BUT, that said, you can start in Hidden if you’re going 2nd, just make sure to reveal before you go active, and market state TO in cover is also pretty tough to deal with.

*'''Squalos, PanOceanian Armored Cavalry Heavy Lancers:''' Squalo is the TAG all other PanO TAGs (aside from Stingrays) are based on. ARM 8, MULTI HMG, Heavy Grenade Launcher, Squalo is a no-nonsense frontline TAG. Now with a funky Duo Profile, and interestingly one of the most common 'Double Tags' taken before in NCA. People are sure to appreciate some of that utility, but that's straight 2/3 of your army. Note that you should really be using this with Patsy since that lets you bring a hardcore specialist with better WIP up the field with your TAG.
**'''Crabbot Ancillary Remote Unit:''' Not a TAG, but a TAG brain that acts as a Pilot equivalent if your fancy mech gets fried. In true PanO fashion it has high BS and low WIP... Making it pretty useless, as it has no actual ballistic weapons. But at least it has a knife.
**'''Fireteam Duo:''' So... someone apparently thought both members of a fireteam duo get to shoot per order in a previous version of this. Actual benefit of double TAG: you can bring both of them, which allows you to switch whose up front/taking those hits, and access a larger pool of Structure. In Varuna where they really shine is the mixed fireteam, you have Kamau and Patsy wildcard, so you finally have a TAG that can also be an effective specialist.

===Remotes===

*'''Dronbots:''' Standard issue S3 Remotes, PanOceanian ones are not special in any way.
**'''Clipper:''' The Smart Missile Launcher Remote. Unfortunately PanO does not have good FOs or Hackers, so it's usually a waste to take one. Especially as the missiles can be hacked back by other faction's better hackers.
**'''Fugazi:''' The Repeater/Flash Pulse Remote. Cheap Regular Order and a mobile Repeater. Nice filler or Flash Pulse ARO.
**'''Pathfinder:''' The Forward Observer Remote. Mobile Repeater, armed, specialist, for 16 pts. It is one of PanO's better specialists, in part due to its fast movement.
**'''Sierra:''' The HMG Total Reaction Remote. Just park it where it can cause your opponent the most trouble moving around. Honestly in this list you have better places to put supportware and solid options for ARO with Helots, so it’s only there if you LOVE the whole HMG of it.

*'''Mulebots:''' Standard issue S4 Baggage Remotes. Come with Minesweeper, EVO Hacker and TR Combi profiles. EVO Hacker is the one to take if you plan on using a lot of AD (which... you have none of in this list), or Armbots/Clippers. Your call if you think 25 points and 0.5 SWC are worth eliminating a -3 mod (or really just forcing your opponent to move up faster. Minesweeper is a standard cheap Order and a way to dominate a quadrant.

*'''Armbots:''' PanO-specific combat Remotes, come in two flavors:
**'''Bulleteer:''' ODD, BS 12, Spitfire or Heavy Shotgun, Repeater, 23 pts. Bulleteers are known cheap killers. With Marksmanship supportware a Bulleteer is a sure way to clear out enemy TR Remote and other ARO pieces in a straight up gunfight. After you’ve paid premium for your awesome HI trooper, a Bulleteer is a good way to cover his flank. Definitely better with a Spitfire than a Shotgun.
**'''Peacemaker:''' Just like Bulleteer, comes with a Repeater and a Heavy Shotgun and Spitfire options. Loses ODD in favour of an Auxbot, making it a less straight-up aggressive bot, fit more for clearing out infiltrators. Much like Bulleteer, can be used to fill a blind spot, arguably better due to its two-in-one nature. For this role the Shotgun is preferable. It’s also worth keeping in mind as an upfield repeater (esp if it’s paving the way to your Cutter/ORC link and you have a KHD hiding in camo. Also helps provide much needed backup for expensive midfield stuff like Crocs/Zulus/Echos) or to give a TAG/Link somewhere to run home to where a flamethrower and heavy shotgun can keep them safe.

*'''Palbots:''' PanOceanian G: Servants. If you take Machinist or any of the Doctors they will usually need one. In this list they belong in fireteams, so... you either take these as cheap minesweepers, if a link falls apart, or if Bipandra is your EXTRA body waiting to fill a hole in your fusilier link. In this last, admittedly niche role, they can do great work and provide board coverage for your one decent doc in your HI heavy list.

===Skirmishers===

*'''Paradiso Croc Men:''' "The Croc Cock" is a versatile TO Camo infiltrator, good for any of the roles you’d want one. Having Deployable Repeater and mines on the FO profile is not common for this type of unit. X-Visor makes his Combi Rifle a lot more effective than usual, especially when put in Suppressive Fire mode. Lastly, Croc Men make for some mean snipers. Play well into Varuna’s more aggressive posture & can do a good job of providing an extra layer of complexity in a very straightforward faction. Worth noting: you’ll need those SWC elsewhere so it’s basically the AHD or FO + repeater. Probably too expensive as a Combi and you need him as a specialist.

==Building Your Army==
So, Varuna hits really hard, but doesn't have that many options. You choose your Core, build the Haris accordingly then decide where you're going.

If you went TAG, you'll have a mostly fusilier/Kamau rest of the list probably with an ORC shoehorned in somewhere and a Zulu-Cobra to keep the thing alive. You'll only be wanting regular orders though, since this is almost impossible to do 2 groups with, which means no Tech-Bees or Helots for you.

If you went ORCs, you'll still probably want to bring in a Zulu-Cobra to go hacker hunting, but you'll grab your HMG and Fuerbach, decide which you want in your big team [which, to be fair, you get to pick when you see what you're up against], and where you want to hedge your bets [ARO vs a 3rd hitting piece]. This option, because you have the second group, opens up a lot of the board control shenanigans. It also opens up the option for Echo Bravo because you don't need all 10 orders on the board first turn. Expect a more dynamic game style versus 'let's see how far the Tag gets lol!.'

'''Things to buy''': The Varuna starter box gets you your SWC-heavy kamau gang. Bizarely your HMG is still in Beyond Icestrom though. The PanO starter box comes with fusiliers and an ORC, and realistically it's hard to prove the last guy is definitively a Sikh... Whether you want Mimitism [or even Mimitism + MSV] on your ARO piece in the fusilier link will decide if you want to get that Fuslier box. Some bots will be helpful as repeaters if you went KHD Zulu Cobra to keep your ORCs/TAG up and orders. After that it's basically TAG/no TAG/which TAG? Varuna doesn't have that many options, which does mean it's simple to get all of them.

'''The Superfriends:''' Start with the Fusilier core team, then start adding shit to it: Bipandra, ORCs, Kamau, clipper etc. These are an amazing buy, granting you a solid mix of troopers with good weapons, stats and abilities in a 5-man link - fucking solid! The best part is just how points and order efficient this link is, usually allowing you enough room for TAG and/or additional support units, depending on cost. MOVED

===Example lists===

==Hints and Strategies==

[[Category:Infinity Tactics|PanOceania]]

Warhammer High

2023-02-26T20:44:01Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:C5B1:DFB5:E2DA:268: /* A Day With Enragus */

<center><table><tr><td><div style="border:1px solid #000000"><div style="border:2px solid #BBEEBB"><div style="background: #BBEEBB">[[Image:Commissar.gif|40 px]] This article or section is '''EXTRA [[Heresy|heretical]]'''. Prepare to be purged.</div></div></div></td></tr></table></center>[[Category:Heresy]]
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{{Story}}
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Warhammer High is the name given to a bunch of writefaggotry stories, centered around [[Rage|the daughters of the Primarchs]] and other students at Imperator High. The stories take place in an alternate time line of [[Warhammer 40k]] where the [[Horus Heresy]] never happened and the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor's]] grand plan succeeded. Thus none of the [[Primarchs]] fell to [[Chaos]]; yet certain daughters do show some signs of Chaos influence, mostly amongst the daughters of the Primarchs that really did fall. The deviation point between the 'real' timeline and this one seems to be a more human and understanding Emperor not treating his Primarchs as mere tools, and taking [[Eldrad|Eldrad's]] advice about Chaos being a bigger threat than aliens at the very, very start of the Crusade, before he had recovered any of his sons; rather than ignoring it as he did in the canon 40K timeline. Thus warned, he very sharply beat down Lorgar's Chaos-aligned officers before they had time to corrupt the Primarchs, averting the entire Heresy. Furthermore, he is more sympathetic to Malcador's calls for female Primarchs which ultimately ends up in the creation of the Primarch's Daughters.

=The Kids=

Please note that the bios below are merely a guideline, created from Warhammer Fluff both official and not, as well as the first stories written for Warhammer High in /tg/ threads. Individual authors disregard these descriptions, or not, at their own discretion but please do not add your 'story fluff' to the character descriptions, they are solely for use as a base for characters within story and not your 'own canon'.

Also note that the images and descriptions of the sons are under the same exemption; indeed most stories assume that there are no children of the Primarchs aside from the daughters themselves.

==The Daughters==
[[Image:Primarchs_as_teen_girls.png|400px|thumb|[[Rule 63]]. They have [[-4 Str]]. Mind you, that is -4 from Primarch standards. ]]
[[Image:1275342216926.gif|400px/700px|thumb|Another Rendition of Hana, Daughter of the Khan]]
[[Image:1326743578489.jpg|400px/700px|thumb|Another Rendition of Isis, Daughter of Horus]]

'''[[Lion El'Jonson]] - Lyra:''' Were any of the Daughters to consider entering the political sphere after graduation, it would be Lyra. Possessed of a class and taste that put a truth to her upbringing, she comes off as Old Money to nearly all that meet her. Lacking her father's interest in both poetry and vintnery, she found herself a natural singer, and took to it well. For the better, she shares none of her father's often-good-natured, ever-noisy rivalry with the Russ family, and indeed counts Freya amongst her closest relatives. She commands the loyalty of the juvenile Watcher in the Dark named, imaginatively enough, WD, whom she treats somewhat like a servant. Finding sports and general bookishness somewhat repellent, she spends little time getting to know her surroundings and the help, preferring instead to hone her admittedly substantial musical talent.

'''[[Fulgrim]] - Victoria.''' If anyone was affected by mortal culture during their upbringing it would be Victoria. Raised by her father with a gentle hand the young girl grew quickly to a beautiful woman. Victoria can easily be seen as the darker aspects of perfectionism, as opposed to her father. Fulgrim, since he was never tainted, retained the approachable, trustworthy, polite demeanor that he had had throughout his whole life in the canon (obviously, before he became a four-armed snake monster). He preferred to reach towards the unobtainable, because it was something he felt he had to do, to stride towards a pinnacle. Victoria, by contrast, assumes that perfection is something she already has, and others need to work to catch up. Her behavior could be best described as 'self-centered,' since, as she well knows, she's perfect, right? When she does make mistakes, she doesn't get angry, she just dismisses them, as someone else's fault, perhaps. Her father knows that to break her of the habit by any means other than gradually opening her eyes would be traumatic, so he has taken a background role in her life in the disciplinary regard. Victoria has a reputation of being a bit of a slut around the school, which is a fair assessment, but she's discreet enough that the tabloids have to make to with the occasional drama bomb in her public appearances, since she has never been caught jumping from one bed to another.

'''[[Perturabo]] – Petra:''' Petra is what every parent wishes their daughter was; dedicated to studies, socially accepted by many, and physically fit and healthy. Sadly for her father Petra differs from this in the aspect he desires most: mechanical aptitude. Petra herself is quite a capable engineer; indeed she finds dark delight in shattering Remilia's constructs (if in non-reflected hatred of her father's desires). However she desires nothing more then to create art, with painting and sketching being forms she finds most pleasing, blending in colors and lines in ways that are anathema to her father's strict form to function attitude to all things. In social circles, as in her studies Petra, is calm, centered, and only comfortable in a routine. She greets friends with a smile, goes about her business and then dismisses herself if things are not progressing at a pace blissful to her. This means she often comes off as stand-offish. However this is more due to the fact that she is just not used to dealing with people and their variety of emotion as much as she is the array of colors in paintings. Shoo-in for salutatorian.

'''[[Jaghatai Khan]] - Hana.''' Very confident, very brash, and the only girl besides Freya to ever put Furia on her ass. Genuinely talented with machines, she loves nothing more than tuning and riding her bike, a gift from her father. She's one of the few Royal daughters to genuinely consider a military career, something of which her father is both utterly proud and faintly horrified. She's the assertive face of the Daughters, and the one farthest from the elite, near-perfect angels the public often expects, if only because Furia at least attempts to hide her drug habits. She had been something of a bully as a child, though she grew out of it, and took up metalworking with her cousins Venus and Farah, which was something her parents weren't expecting.

'''[[Leman Russ]] - Freya:''' The only daughter of the Great Wolf is as passionate about life, quick to joke and foul of temper as her father; so much so that many say she was cut from the same cloth. Freya retorts against such rude comments saying she has her mother's eyes and ears, and that makes her ten times prettier then her father at least. Her constant attempts to mate with her boyfriends have always been halted by the over sensitive nose of her father who, if a single pheromone is detected, runs the boy clear out of his home much to his daughters fury. She is further thwarted at school by the eternal vigilance of Dean Yarrick, who has cameras installed in most places young people would go for private time. The school's top athlete, Freya was brought up in a household where binge-drinking and fast-food was the norm. She has taken a bit of a turn when her father went through a mild health crisis. She dove head first into a healthier lifestyle, forcing her father to make some changes to his lifestyle too.

'''[[Rogal Dorn]] – Remilia:''' Noble in mind, strong of heart, pure of soul. The dictum of the Imperial Fists is the model that Remilia lives for and strives every day to uphold. A plucky young lady with a genuine smile and laughter where ever she might be, Remilia is known as one of the more stable of the primarch family. Welcomed in most academic and social circles at Imperator High, she's generally recognized as a chipper and affectionate individual (though perhaps overly so to her cousins, whom she often greets with a cry of, "Sister!" and a tackle-hug). An ace at architectural studies Remilia's work has already seen construction in several parts of the city including, her Grandfather's Summer home fence (something he is always boasting about to his neighbors). However the daughter of Dorn is not friends with ALL of her family, having an active hate for Petra's antics and an abject fear of Furia when the girl is angry. In contrast, Remilia adores her older 'sister' Roberta and constantly follows the older girl around trying (and often failing) to live up to her perfection. Though she claims to know better than to ever hold to Furia's or Kiara's self-destructive lifestyles, the small red cuts on her arm betray her own (supposedly long-gone) tendencies.

'''[[Konrad Curze]] - Kiara "Kelly":''' Though she inherited none of her father's problematic psychic ability, Kiara Curze possesses all of his magnetism for trouble. If she decided to apply herself she could be a scholar, athlete, musician, or craftswoman to match her cousins. Instead, she finds the quiet and introversion of her home more attractive, poring endlessly over the Terran Networks for everything from games to music to gossip. Though she has a deep thirst for new information, she doesn't let her apparent network addiction control her entirely. She is perhaps closest to Morticia, feeling some of the same isolation that plagues her cousin. She doesn't possess either Furia's or Victoria's cruel side (nor her father's, for that matter), but makes up for it by projecting a wall of isolation that nearly registers on a voltmeter. At some level, she knows this isn't a sustainable pattern for her life, but given the frequently empty company of her father and her own self-cultivated reputation for the darker sides of entertainment, she can't really think of an alternative.

'''[[Sanguinius]] – Angela:''' Angela was born different from her cousins, bearing a noble form of her father's angelic wings. Amongst her kin Angela is well respected for she is a demure creature amongst superhuman beings (some of her cousins opine that this is because she's a wimp) often not even making mention to her abilities and never openly boasting about her heritage. She enjoys taking flight from high points in the city (of which the high school offers several) and just feeling the breeze run through hair and feathers alike. It gives her a sense of freedom, and allows her to forget her troubles (though her rather inadequate physical development of her wings means that she requires a bit of technological assistance). Having manifested psyker abilities early as a child, Angela takes additional classes to learn how to control her constantly growing mental strength. However even her teachers and father have no idea that she has inherited a far darker secret. Occasionally she suffers from terrible nightmares, images of things she knows are not true: blood soaked fields, family alone far away, dark hatred, and a deep hunger. These scenes strike pangs of fear and doubt in her caring heart, eating away at her resolve and threatening to overcome her if she gives in for even a moment. She fears that there will be a day that this dark anger will cause her to lash out against her beloved family. She lacks both Isis' unquestionable ambition and Miranda's far, far greater psychic abilities, and is as close to the beta female role as the group could be said to possess. Still, even on her worst days she is as polite and kind-hearted as any could ever want her to be, and never lets the pressures of life weigh down her spirit overmuch.

'''[[Ferrus Manus]] - Farah:''' Years ago Farah was your average preteen girl, a bubble of energy, witty, with cute freckles and dimples that only made her even more adorable. While she enjoyed tinkering like her father before her she never really did want to follow in his footsteps. One day however her father left his workshop unattended, and a wondering Farah noticed a discrepancy in one of the machines inner servos. When she reached into it however the machine mysteriously collapsed upon her hands, crushing them to nothing. Her screams brought her father in seconds. Even though she came out of it with the finest prosthetic hands he could make and a thirst for all things mechanical, her father has never forgiven himself. In the wake of the accident, he has pushed her even harder then his own marines; partly in hope of redemption, and part in hope of quenching her new thirst and maybe returning her to that cute little girl whom reminded him of her beautiful mother.

'''[[Angron]] - Furia:''' Due to events that occurred at a young age (many rumors circulate that it was domestic violence), Furia has developed an exceptionally hostile attitude toward most anything that irritates her. What's worse, Furia has a hair trigger that can reduce her from a surprisingly angry young lady into a fire storm of rage that shatters nations (or genitals, whichever's closer). Believing herself to be something of a rebel and a proud anti-establishment figure Furia has spent countless hours of her school time in Dean Yarrick's office (one of two people in the galaxy she can't outshout) undergoing disciplinary action when evidence of her behavior (or its bloody remains) are found. Many of her extended family find her hard to suppress, and many do not even bother trying to control her rage (thought Isis has been known to cunningly direct it). It is of note that Furia is somewhat of a chain smoker, destroying as many as three to five packs a day in sheer burninating lust. Recent events have planted the seed of doubt in her mind as to whether she's hurting those few people she does care about as much as the people she genuinely resents; the latter list, of course, being far longer.

'''[[Roboute Guilliman]] - Roberta:''' Born to excel, the apple of her father's eyes was to serve as an inspiration to the common folk and to her cousins alike. Her intelligence, beauty and physical skills meet in harmony, striking a balance often lacking in her cousins. Roberta serves as Head Girl of her high school (much to Isis's chagrin) despite not being of age and is always called to serve as spokesperson for sporting events, community activities and social meetings with public officials. She also claims a position in the top five seats of all school subjects, as well as a few university ones. In Remilia, Rogal Dorn's daughter, she finds her closest friend (the two are seen as the most normal of the Daughters) and in Isis her closest foe (the two try constant to out maneuver each other to claim top chair). Recently in the junior called Ursarkar E. Creed, of the school's Chess club, she finds a budding rival. Despite all her precognitive abilities, her amazing intelligence, and her ability to devise strategies that are several layers deep, she has often lost games due to what can only be described as her opponent's sheer 'TACTICAL GENIUS.' In the aftermath, the young woman often wonders how she didn't see it coming. Due to a slight mishap early in high school which led to a case of the nerves and her continued goal to achieve above all else, Roberta is secretly addicted to ketamine, something not even her father knows.

'''[[Mortarion]] - Morticia:''' A delicate young girl, meek and innocent when compared to her more direct cousins, Morticia has always found it hard getting close to others. She was born with a unique disease which causes her eyes, nose and mouth to bleed as a savage coughing fit shakes her lungs and her cells are ravaged from within. Her condition leaves even astartes apothecaries baffled as to its nature. The young woman is constantly in need of medical supervision, and as a result can tragically attend school only a few times a week and never for extended periods of time (at least not without a visit to the school nurse). Socially at a disadvantage due to lack of interaction, and underlying fears amongst many that they might catch whatever she has, Morticia has relatively few friends outside of her superhuman family. However she is lovingly dotted on by friends and family alike with even the rage filled Furia holding her anger in front of her and her selfish cousin Victoria taking her to the nurses office when needed. She is never seen without her inhaler, which is the only known dispenser of the medicine she needs to abate the disease's ravaging effects.

'''[[Magnus the Red]] - Miranda:''' The school prime nerd and a powerful psyker, Miranda can often be found in the library looking for new books to delve through. Her father's Moniker, the Cyclops, was due to injuries to one eye rather than literally lacking one. Miranda possesses the opposite affliction: she has three. Her third eye acts akin to the Warp Eye of a Navigator, allowing her to see directly into the Warp. She places amongst the top ten living psykers in the Imperium. Though her abilities allow her instant respect from nearly all people she meets, her third eye and rather lacking social skill deter many potential friends, something that eats at her more than she lets on. She and the Warp Studies faculty of her school get along famously, as one would expect, given that several are retired Librarians. She is on particularly good terms with Professor Ahriman, whom she has known since she was a small child. She is perhaps the only student at IH who can get away with calling him Ahzek.

'''[[Horus]] - Isis: ''' The Prime; the First born. These are the names given to Isis, apple of her father's eye and daughter of the first son of the Emperor. Her titles and other marks of entitlement extend deep into her beliefs. Driven to be the best from a young age by her father, Isis's life and attitude were driven to overcoming adversity and crushing those that would not aid her in this task. Having been first amongst the cousins in most everything they ever strove toward, she was proud of the jealousy most gave her and welcomed readily those that chose to bask in her glory. She is a proud teenage girl, fully aware of her talents and how to excel in any field demanded of her. Since coming to High school she has wrested control of 70% of the school student council and rules it with an iron fist, often coming into conflict with her cousins when her agenda requires them to kneel before change. An expert strategist, Isis has thwarted every attempt by Roberta to take control of council votes with the aid of her most trusted cousins Angela, Athena and Miranda. Unfortunately this attitude has affected her relationships somewhat, as she believes that a male is not worth her time unless he can become her equal. Needless to say, the chance of that is laughable to say the least, with only one even coming close. Upon her 14th birthday her father presented to her an amulet of lunar metal in the shape of a wolf's head; when she ponders on her actions she has been known to stroke it absentmindedly.

'''[[Lorgar|Lorgar Aurelian]] - Athena "Faith": ''' When the Daughters think, "faith," they think two very different things. Faith in their grandfather the Emperor, whom they love; and "Faith", better known as Athena the daughter of Lorgar, whose tenacity, radical beliefs, and overwhelming superiority complex grate on them like rust in an open wound. For her own part the red haired beauty does not care for the prattling of her siblings; she has a cause and a purpose to draw all of the high school, and eventually the world, into the worship of her Grandfather and his virtues of Wisdom, Honor, Tradition, Hope, and Perfection. She holds school mass every morning (despite no body turning up), helps the needy in exchange for only a moment of their time, and hands out flyers everyday that speak of the glories of conversion to the 'true' faith. She does her father proud, but unfortunately this single-mindedness has resulted in a stunted emotional spectrum and next to no social life. Her loyalty however, once earned is eternal, and there is no more faithful friend then Athena. Miranda has noted that Athena's eye color changes from their dark black to occasionally reflect Red, Blue, Green and Purple.

'''[[Vulkan]] - Venus:''' A gear-head of the highest order, Venus is completely inseparable from her cousin Farah, who could be her sister for all their shared interests. Of all the daughters, Venus has the hardest time accepting that she's really not human, though she's determined not to let that get in the way of her social life. She has all of her father's stubbornness and all of his respect for the bonds of family, and a goodly portion of his love for technology and artifice. Her forge is right next to her father's in the basement, and is nearly as impressive. Her night-black skin and glowing, solid red eyes make her an easy target for social malcontents among her classmates, though few are stupid enough to openly bully a Primarch's daughter. Second on the swim team behind Isis, she has resolved to go and visit Nocturne as soon as she can, to see the horrible splendor of her father's home first-hand.

'''[[Corvus Corax]] – Cora:''' A mirthful girl and quick to smile, Cora is the shining light in the dark of her father's eye. An athletic minded sort of genius, Cora is always embroiled in school sports. She's so skilled in fact that her perfectionist cousin Isis invited Cora to join her on the school volleyball team. Despite this, the two of them do occasionally squabble. Cora possesses a calculating mind, one apt to find the finer details in anything she observes and take advantage of any weakness. A trait she surely inherited from her father, but further nurtured by herself. Though she is a genius, she is not without her faults; she commonly over analyzes matters and ends up being incorrect or taking too long to reach a decision. She sometimes resents herself for this, as she hates falling short of others' expectations of her. Cora can often be found on the school roof, either sitting in conversation with Kiara or flying with Angela.

'''[[Alpharius]] and [[Omegon]] - Alpharia and Omegan:''' The Twins are renowned mischief makers at best and devious schemers at worst. They spin tales and spread falsities to make what they believe to be their tragically dull school lives a little more in line with their desire for dramatic flair. Neat and exemplary students to a fault, they enjoy some of the best test scores in the school along with naturally amazing attendance rate and honorable participation in many events (as well as a healthy dose of sucking up to teachers hence never seeming to get into trouble despite the tricks they pull off). However, they never seem to truly excel like their other cousins, a fact which annoys them greatly. To get what they feel is their just revenge, they spin truly exceptional tales with particular bite to them. They take particularly sinister pleasure in stalking and hassling Roberta, whose Honor Student ways and seemingly natural talent to excel seems as the ultimate slap to their faces. One trait that stands out between the twins is their ability to uncannily finish each others sentences, or even speak for each other piece for piece. Many have suggested they must have a telepathic link to each other. However Mr. Eldrad, one of the most powerful psykers known, has flatly stated said the twins are not psykers in any way. But then, no-one's entirely sure that he isn't in on their tricks.

== The Sons ==

While the stories in the WHH universe revolve around the daughters, the sons are much more sporadic in their appearances. Indeed, many authors that contribute to this project ignore their existence entirely, so much so that more often than not the sons do not appear. The boyfriends (lower down) suffer from the same sporadic-appearance-on-the-whim-of-the-author-itis.

'''Lion El'Jonson - Thoreau''': The Son of Lion El'Jonson and a very strange kid to say the least. Is very introspective, and tends to philosophize out loud over things whenever allowed. He is regarded as something of an airhead, often spacing out and daydreaming in the middle of class. Outside of school he is often found in one of the many nature parks usually staring at the clouds or taking a nap. However despite his perpetually laid back nature, his powers of observation are unrivaled, able to discern even the most minute details with a single glance. Is also on the boxing team like many of his cousins. Is best friends with Gill the son of Guilliman who is also abnormally laid back. He has a fairly good relationship with his sister and spends a lot of time with her discussing philosophy. Also a (Horrible) poet. Likes the outdoors and nature.

'''Rachnus - Maloris'''

'''Fulgrim - Giacomo''': Flamboyant. Vain. Egotistic. These are but some of the words used to describe Giacomo's attitude in school and around the womens. He has a natural born flair for Art and Duelling, but is quite good at Math which he downplays for fear of ridicule. Giacomo does not get along with his sister Victoria, as he disapproves her methods of relationship handling, believing that one should only ever go out with a "near-perfect" match so one can finetune their relationship to find their real lover. Him and Furia look at each other discretely, for fear of her father's reaction, but Giacomo has been known to look at someone with wooing eyes constantly, so no one can be sure.

'''Perturabo - Arkhimedos''': A polymath like his Father and Sister, Arkhimedos is very awkward socially, but he has an intuitive grasp at math, science and engineering. Much like his sister's love of painting, Arkhimedos has a passion for sculpting. Tied with Miranda, Caliban and Petra for most intellegent of all the Primarch children.

'''Jaghatai Khan - Temujin''': Temujin Khan, or Jin (pron. Jean) for short The son of the Jaghatai Khan and Hana's older brother. He is essentially The Dude of the family. He is best friends with Vulkan's son Perrin and spends nearly all of his time at Perrin's house either working on his Custom Lightning Runner Assault Speeder, or just kind of hanging out around the city, or racing. Due to the amount of time he spends at the Vulkan's house, he feels they are his second family. He hardly ever goes home because of the way his father treats him. As the oldest son, it was his duty to join the the White Scars and gain fame and recognition, to make his old man proud and eventually succeed him as the leader of the white scars so Jaghati Khan tried to mold Temujin into what he wanted him to be, not what Temujin wanted to be. Despite this he still respects his father (especially on the racetrack), and cares deeply for his younger sister. He is also captain of the Fencing and Kendo teams respectively. Is almost always seen with his sword, his most prized possession, worn across his back Chokuto style.

'''Leman Russ - Fenrir''': Fenrir is regarded by many to be the spitting image of his father however he is also markedly more handsome. When it comes to athletics he is his older sister's equal and the two are very close. His overly aggressive, loud mouthed, and violent personality has earned him a reputation as the most hot headed, impatient, overly boisterous, and over the top Freshman, ever. Has a drinking habit and the beer chugging contests he has between him and his sister are the stuff of legend, emptying entire kegs of beer, mead, or ale at a time (They make Russ shed manly tears of pride). Is every bit as over the top and bombastic as his father and sister. Hangs out quite a bit with Miranda and is a frequent player in Caliban's D&D games. His older sister affectionately calls him Fen-Fen, much to Fenrir's rage and embarrassment. There are rumors going around that he and Freya's relationship goes way beyond what any brother and sister should have. He is an all around [[Kharn|pretty fun guy to be around]].

'''Rogal Dorn - Roger"': '''Roger is a Stubborn and proud individual, and often argues with others but sheepishly loses as he is very sensitive to his emotions. He has a strong bond with his sister, who he lovingly protects, but can often squabble with her over simple matters. He is very level-headed and can go along with the group sometimes, but Roger likes to place his own needs in life ahead of his cousins sometimes aswell, casting him as a fickle person. Roger is the best fighter at the Boxing team, easily capable of knocking out his own father with a well placed uppercut. Roger is seen as a friendly and warm person, and can hang around with anyone. He has a natural apt for architecture and warfare, earning respect from others in Tactics class. Roger is sexually naive and tense, and is easily led by Victoria to do her biddings.'''

'''Konrad Curze - Bruce''': lives in a comic-book world and wants to be a superhero, even though he wouldn't admit it. Hangs out with Dirk, Corvus Corax's son, and the two often get into all sorts of trouble together. At night he prowls the streets and spires of the city under the guise of the Night Seeker visiting terrible justice upon the scum of Terra. He is essentially the [[Awesome|space marine Nightwing]], to his father's [[Awesome| space marine Batman]]. Is equipped with a custom suit of powered scout armor, and a pair of lightning claws. The bodies of those thieves, murderers, and rapists that have the terrible luck of running in to him (or get caught) are always found horrifically mutilated beyond recognition. [[Just as planned|Prone to over-planning]].

'''Sanguinius - Gabriel''': The unmotivated, *cough*lazy*cough*, son of Sanguinius, and Angela's elder brother. Despite his massive potential and great natural talent, he refuses to apply himself for reasons incomprehensible to all those around him. He seems to be perfectly content spending his days enjoying peace and quiet, and lazily drifting through the air with his head in the clouds. Despite his lazy attitude and lack of aspirations he is actually a genius that could go toe to toe with Petra or even Arkhimedos Is good friends with Isis due to the bond their fathers share. Has a bad habit of flapping his wings when bored (much to the rest of the class's rage and frustration) His wings are noticeably larger than Angela's (although his fangs are smaller) Is the only other person Angela will bite other than her boyfriend.

'''Ferrus Manus - Stark''': The son of Ferrus Manus and Farah's older brother by one year. Regarded as a technological genius by all. Even among the Royal children, when it comes to genius, Stark is in a class all of his own. When Stark was little, he got his arms stuck in a smelter that contained purified Necrodermis. The metal bonded to his flesh giving him arms like his father's. Stark's arms were able to survive this process because Stark was born with a skeleton made of the same metal as his father's arms. He cares deeply about Farah and would do anything to protect her, even when that meant putting himself between her and a rabid Fenrisian dire wolf that had escaped from the zoo. Unfortunately, his caring side doesn't stop him from showing off like nobodies business, and projecting an aura of arrogance and cockiness. Despite their fathers' close friendship, Stark '''''despises''''' Giacomo. Because of his metal arms he was banned from boxing, wrestling, or any other sport where he could accidentally kill someone with his metal arms and extreme strength. He is the only other being in existence (other than his grandfather) able to wield his father's hammer.

'''Angron - Ragio''': The extraordinarily angry and immensely strong son of Angron. if there is one person you do not want to piss off, it's definitely Ragio. Unlike his sister or father he has actually taken steps to control his anger, he practices yoga every morning, meditates 5 times a day (he even has his own zen garden), and uses boxing as a way to direct his anger. Has an obsession with weapons of all kinds, having a massive collection that he spends 4 hours every day maintaining, polishing, and cleaning. Spends a lot of time with Dirk and Bruce of all people, after a particularly brutal fight, he and Dirk found common respect for one another and became good friends. He is a dangerous protector of his sister, breaking noses for guys so much as looking at her. Was born with a strange mutation in the adrenal glands that allows him to shut off pain, and taps into some latent inner power that enhances his physical strength and durability to levels that should be impossible even for a Primarch. He also possess minor psychic powers that are somewhat...limited. (can set his fists on fire and shoot said fire to some degree)

'''Roboute Guilliman - Gill''': The "Golden Boy" of the staff, Gill is what every student wants to be: Naturally gifted at everything, punctual and friendly. He is not the smartest person ever, however he has a logical thought unparrelled by most 4 times his age. Gill is pressured by almost everyone to live upto something as great as our spiritual liege, but with the ever increased stress at home from Robute's "constructive critiscism", Gill is being pushed evermore over the edge of sanity. These traits show, as Gill was never OCD before, and Gill finds it difficult to relate to anyone, especially girls. Him and Isis are common rivals, but some could say there is more going than meets the eye.

'''Mortarion - Mortimer''': If any of the children were to go into the medical field, it would definately be Mortimer. When it comes to pathogens, toxins, pollutants, diseases, and injuries, Mortimer is in a class all his own. Keeps an enormous archive of every single disease, toxin, and pollutant in the galaxy and has spent countless hours meticulously analyzing each and every one and has actually developed cures to previously incurable diseases. He is also fascinated by biology, specifically xeno-biology and would be willing to fight an entire hive fleet just to get a sample from a norn queen. When not shut up in his lab, he spends a great deal of time with Caliban.

'''Magnus the Red - Caliban''': The son of Magnus and one of the most powerful psykers in the universe. His powers surpass even his father's and even G-pa Emps would think twice before messing with Caliban. He can read minds, change form, create clones, shoot fire from his hands, and is capable of mind rape that would impress Tzeentch himself. He is even capable of slowing time down indefinitely. This doesn't stop him from being the biggest bookworm ever. He cares deeply for his younger sister and plays several tabletop, live action, and video games with her when they aren't having Warp Picnics. Has a unique psychic mind link with his sister allowing them to feel what the other is feeling. Almost never pays attention in class, often telepathically talking with Miranda instead of listening to the lesson, although this is because he already knows all of the subject matter and gets 100 percent on tests one hundred percent of the time. Runs the chess club, book club, and is possibly the best DM ever, of all time. Completely lost his shit and nearly burned the entire sector when he became aware of Miranda's pregnancy by Dirk.

'''Horus - Ezekyle 'Ezzie' Failbaddon '''. the first attempt at making children for the Primarchs, rather than work from scratch the Emperor started with a neophyte space marine, cloned from Horus' gene seed. The results were less than perfect and the Emperor made the rest from the ground up. The oldest of the children, Failbaddon is in his father's legion as the First Captain but drops by his half-sister every now and then. <strike>He also has no arms.</strike> {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|Heresy!}} Of course he has arms. Besides this is different Abaddon. Not that worthless shit-stick hangs out in the Eye of Terror

'''Lorgar Aurelian - Merus''': What happens when you take a traditional aescetic warrior monk of the far east, cross them with a classical Christian Monk, and proceed to instill within him the devotion of a Space Marine Chaplain. and make him the son of a Primarch. You get Merus, the son of Lorgar. Parish priest sort of character, very friendly and calm (idealized religious person).

'''Vulkan - Perrin''': The combination of Perrin's pitch black skin, glowing red eyes, unnaturally high body temperature, and towering physique cause most people to be intimidated by him. His skill and knack for creating and using weapons does not help this. However, despite his admittedly terrifying appearance (He towers over the school's Astartes teachers) he is actually a really nice guy. Basically, a TOTAL FUCKING BRO. Need money? He'll loan you some if you promise to pay it back. Need a ride? Pitch in for gas, and he'll take you anywhere you need to go. Getting bad grades? He'll help you study. Need a wingman? He'll help you get laid. In short, a TOTAL FUCKING BRO. Is very protective of his little sister, Venus and cares about her deeply. He cares about all of his various cousins but Venus is his number one priority and he constantly worries about her. Can almost always be found hanging out with Temujin, Jaghatai's son, aka The DUDE. Fun Fact: Good Guy Greg was based off him.

'''Corvus Corax - Dirk''': Laid back Smooth-talker who becomes Overly Bold and Dramatic in front of girls. Is almost always seen with his trademark twin tailed scarf and raven necklace. Always violates the dress code in some way but due to his inhuman stealth abilities the teachers and staff never notice. Is secretly infatuated with his older sister Cora. He would even choose her over Victoria, the daughter of Fulgrim! <s>(Is also secretly Slaanesh's most devoted follower)</s> {{BLAM|GOD DAMNIT!!! WHO LET THE HERETIC IN!?!?!}}. Anyways, you get the picture. (He still boned Miranda first! [[ Just as planned|Just as planned.]]) Also the fastest punch on the Boxing team, able to hit you with 2 jabs and a hook before the second ring of the bell.

'''Alpharius and Omegon - Primus and Ultimo''': Take Fred and George Weasley. Give them an even better ability to make mayhem, the ability to find whatever you need, and an information network that makes the Friend Computer look like mall security. Just don't piss them off. Your car will be filled with jello, your locker with gay porn, and you may just end up thinking everyone you know is these two.

== Staff at Imperator High ==

[[Yarrick|'''Commissar''' (That's DEAN TO YOU) '''Yarrick''']] - A hard nosed [[IG|Imperial Army]] Veteran. Maybe the only non <s>Astartes</s> Primarch human being who could break up a fight between Hana and Furia.

[[Ahriman|'''Professor Ahzek Ahriman''']] - formerly the Chief Librarian of the [[Thousand Sons]], now charged by his Primarch [[Magnus]] with the education of the Daughters of the Primarchs. Teaches [[Warp]] studies, however few students enjoy it despite his enthusiasm, primarily because of his tendency to drone on and on and on about the most esoteric subjects, and his unfortunate penchant to draw out warp so it sounds like ‘Waaaarrrp’. Uses his [[Librarian]] Powers to aid in teaching, and is highly popular as a substitute for that very reason, especially for History Classes. Is highly popular with his fellow teaching staff in part thanks to the incredibly fine wines he grows back home on [[Prospero]], generously shared out with his fellow teachers. His students greatly fear the harsh [[Rubric Marine|Rubric]] by which he grades their work, and only the best and brightest can meet its rigorous expectations. Godfather to Miranda, and very close to her. Some wagging tongues report [[PROMOTIONS|there’s more to their after school meetings than meets the eye]].

[[Fabius Bile|'''Professor Fabius Bile''']] - Biology teacher, former [[Apothecary|Chief Apothecary]] of the [[Emperor's Children]]. Rumours he was drummed out of the legion for illegal experiments are unsubstantiated.

[http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Iacton_Qruze '''Professor Iacton Qruze'''] - One of the oldest Space Marines still alive, now ‘honourably’ retired from the [[Sons of Horus]]. Still known as the ‘half-heard’, because most students don't pay attention to half the things he says. Prone to rambling on about ‘the good old days’ of the [[Great Crusade]], and also prone to giving long-winded and somewhat irrelevant declamations of his personal opinions on matters.

[[Creed|'''Head Coach Creed''']] - Another [[IG|Ex-Imperial Army]] Officer. A TACTICAL GENIUS well known for never losing a match, and his ability to spring up from out of nowhere.

[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Jarran_Kell|'''Assistant Coach Kell'''] - [[Creed]]'s right hand man, with a voice like a foghorn.

[[Sob|'''Councilor Celestine''']] - The Spiritual Advisor at Imperator. Half the boys at Imperator have a crush on her.

[[Straken|''' Drill Instructor "Ironhand" Straken''']] - a Veteran [[Catachan]] officer and warrior from the [[IG|Imperial Army]], He now devotes his time at the academy to help train the new batch of officers able and worthy to fight in the [[Emperor]]'s wars and prepare for the war ahead. He's known and feared for his brutal training program and his lack of Giving a fuck to titles. Frequently Helps [[Yarrick]] keep control of the school and does the detention program.

== Students at Imperator High ==

'''Julius Pius''' - The only child of nigh-mythical [[IG|Imperial Army]] war hero [[Ollanius Pius]], Julius grew up in the household of Roberta Guilliman and is regarded as her closest friend outside her circle of cousins. Driven and determined-, he strive to live up to both his father's example and that of Guilliman Himself. Unusually for a [[Terra]] resident, he is a highly devout Catheric (Christian), and has only escaped religious persecution from the devotees of the Imperial Truth thanks to his father's name.

'''Muldorn Pryror''' - The scion of an ancient Rogue Trader dynasty that can trace its origins back to the Unification Wars and the very dawn of the Imperium, Pryror is a proud and noble young man, dark skinned, well-built and handsome. Both well-educated and with a talent for sport, his only flaw is his bitter and vehement rivalry with Alex Carlin, who he despises as an upstart from a nobody Rogue Trader dynasty operating way beyond his station. Secretly Muldorn hides a great shame - that his distant ancestor was a bitter opponent of the Emperor and resisted Him during the Unification Wars, forced to become a Rogue Trader and serve the Emperor when he finally surrendered to the Thunder Warriors amidst the burning ruins of his city. Such a secret could end destroy Muldorn's reputation at Imperator were it ever to get out.

'''Katherine Krom''' - The aggressive and bloody-minded daughter of High Princeps Cadmon Krom of the Legio Crucius (Warmongers) Titan Legion, she is one of the few of the Mechanicum who have come to Imperator High. As a young girl half her face was torn off in an accident involving a Titan Maintenance Drone, and so she has a porcelain and metal faceplate that covers the ruined half of her skull, giving her the common nicknames of 'Steeljaw' and 'Ironhead'. A formidable fighter with an iron will and intractable stubbornness, she is the only non-Daughter girl to regularly fight with Furia, and the only mortal who can hold her own against the Daughter of Angron. Many times Furia's rampages have been stopped dead by the bulwark that is Krom, and she is highly regarded by her fellow students as a result.

===Officio Tutamentum Protection Force===

'''Vincent DeCare''' – Senior at Imperator High. The oldest member of the undercover group designated the 'Officio Tutamentum Protection Force'. Vin relishes the chance to compete with Isis and Venus at swim meets, and with Roberta in track and field. He has never beaten them yet, but few begrudge the handsome young man his efforts. Vin's known for spending his downtime at a local cafe house, making eyes at one of the Eldar proprietors.

'''Douglas Hanlon''' – Senior at Imperator High. The newest member upper classes. Doug excels in almost every subject yet never reaches the excellence of the star students of the schoolia. He is one of the few students actively attending the school who lives under the hiveskin and possess an inquisitive nature. No one really took note of him at the campus however until the second week of the school year where an 'event' happened that has been noted Classified Priority Secundis.

'''Caroline Lidus''' – Junior at Imperator High. The mouthpiece of gossip and rumormonger of the human students this confident, snarky girl known to her friends as Callie, Caroline Lidus has quite the reputation around the school for sharing a bed (and other places) with more than a few boys and girls, sometimes more than one at a time. She's a major contributor to the school's stock of gossip and rumors, and can often be seen chatting with the Twins.

'''Janus Sigitine''' – Junior at Imperator High. One of the school's few psykers, Janus is a quiet, naive, thoughtful boy, and bears a humble wisdom beyond his years. He makes no effort to hide what he reads, and many old, hard to acquire religious texts are among those books. He nurses a crush on Callie, as well as on several of the school's blondes, but can never find the courage to make a move believing his psyker nature would be a negative factor.

'''Everett Sior''' – Sophomore at Imperator High. The high achievers's muscle. He was raised in the same Schola as Callie before they were adopted, and they're as true siblings as can be found anywhere. An avid scrumball player, Ev has a reputation for being brash, argumentative and incredibly loyal. He can bench over 200 kg, and takes every opportunity to display his physical ability. Ev's fondest wish is for a wrestling match with Freya Russ.

'''Vivian Munev''' – Sophomore at Imperator High. The quirky one. Nicknamed for her large purple eyes, Violet has been the winner of the Imperator High Ascension Day Bake Contest for two years now. Her skill with cooking is only matched by her knowledge of chemicals and her incredible excitability. Violet's only goal this year is to sweep Isis in every category of the contest, having lost out to her Gyptian Rice Pudding Buns for best dish during the previous two years.

'''Chucho Alexis''' – Freshman at Imperator High. The youngest of the high achievers. Chucho is a pale, withdrawn young man, but fiercely loyal to his few friends. He's fit and capable, but doesn't play sports; most people are extremely uncomfortable around the boy, so he sticks to hanging out with his small group of friends.

== Students at the Mechanterion==

'''Nihilis Scoria''' - Believed to have been cloned from the DNA of the feared [[Anacharis Scoria]] of Xana, Nihilis is one of the foremost of the students to the Mechancium's rival school to Imperator, located on Olympus Mons. Silent, cold and calculating, Nihilis is feared and loathed in equal measure for his intelligence, drive, and rutlessness. Takes a great deal of satisfaction at competing with, and defeating, the Primarch's Daughters in the annual competitive games between Imperator High and the Mechanterion. Somehow is able to compete on an equal footing with them, to the surprise of all (Not least the Daughters themselves). Never seen without his prized possession, the Vodian Ruler.

'''Flavius Cawl''' - created as the clone-son of the radical, yet extremely talented Magos [[Belisarius Cawl]], Flavius shares his 'father's' radical ideals for the future of the Mechanicum and his determination that the Mechanicum not lose out to the Imperium in the peacetime. A keen experimenter willing to work with Xenotech (much to the disgust of many of his peers) and on unusually friendly terms with members of Imperator High, Flavius is extremely curious about the Daughters and what they might mean for the future of both the Mechanicum and the Imperium.

== Other Assorted Characters ==

'''The Emperor of Mankind''' - Really? You actually need an introduction for this guy? Very well, here goes. The Emperor of Mankind is {{Blam|+++THIS INFORMATION IS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE, AND YOU HAVE BEEN PREVENTED FROM VIEWING IT. PLEASE COME AGAIN LATER, ONCE YOU HAVE OBTAINED THE REQUIRED SECURITY STATUS.+++}} For more information, please see his [[EMPRAH|main page]].

'''Malcador the Sigilite''' - Empy's BFF and the Regent of the Imperium. The reason the Daughters were created in the first place, he keeps many eyes on them, from the Officio Tutamentum to his own spies and observers. Does the day-to-day running of the Imperium so doesn't turn up in these stories very often, but does however occasionally pop in <s>for a cameo</s> to see his goddaughters.

'''Eldrad Ultran''' - The Eldar Representative to the Imperium of Man and the closest thing the school has to Guidance Councillor at times. His amazing arrogance downplays his cunning and hatred for the powers of Chaos, he is as Furia would sometimes say "he might as well wear a condom on his head, if he's that determined to act like a dick he might as well dress like one." His daughters sometimes appear within the school as students, though none have any recollection of their enrolment. His granddaughter even cropped up in one story, as a student. Someone, please sort out a timeline.

'''Aurox Quadriga''' - Shield-Captain of the Custodes, Aurox Quadriga was regarded highly enough that the Emperor appointed him 'Secutarii-Filias', protector of the Daughters. Undefeated in combat he considers it his pride and duty each day that the daughters are unharmed and growing strong. His vengeance on those that harm his wards can only be stopped via direct order of the Emperor of Mankind...or a plea by the girls fathers.

'''Akilina Ilyinchova Skuratova''' - Director-General of the Treasury Security forces (Better known as the 'Beehives') and the one in overall charge of the Daughter's security, save those appointed to specific positions by the Emperor of Mankind or Malcador the Sigilite. She is both feared and respected, and even Furia thinks twice before testing Skuratova's limits.

== Common Story Based Characters ==

'''Marchenka Carver''' - Hailing from the arms-hive of Vantovka in Ursh, Carver is one of the finest marksmen in the Treasury, and in charge of Morticia's personal security. [[Bleeding Out (Warhammer High)|Failed pretty badly though]]...

'''Clay Witold''' - A lean, hard man whose eyes maintain a near-perpetual squint, Clay has occupied a number of different jobs over the years: private defence contractor, a security officer for over a dozen multisystem corporations and has even worked with the Arbites. He was a man searching for purpose until Skuratova recruited him into the Treasury and he was placed in charge of Isis' personal security team. Within a year he was Agent-in-Charge and a poster boy for the organisation. Witold lives and breathes the details of Isis' itinerary and security; if 6 hours of sleep every night weren't mandated by Treasury Psychiatrists, everyone agrees he'd never sleep. A crack shot, capable if unrefined close quarters combatant and bearing an uncanny knack for seeing potential threats where others see nothing, Witold is one of the most respected agents in Treasury history.

'''Gisemba Apeloko''' - 'The Bodyguard', his entire life has been in the service of protecting others, from Rogue Traders on the fringes of space to Hive Nobles on Necromunda and Thranx. He was reluctant to accept the offer to guard the Daughters, as he sees them as spoiled brats who are oblivious to the threats against them that lurk in the dark. And yet that innocence is ultimately why he took the Treasuries offer, and why he has become one of the most well-regarded of all the Treasury Agents. Though he may be hard-drinking and paranoid, he is also skilled and utterly determined to never let his charges down.

'''Araes Cassius''' - Appearing to be an Astartes Neophyte of the Legionem Damnatorum. At the moment, all that is known about him is that he has a tendency to utilise fire to mask his entrance, his first appearance involving a pillar of fire. He's a failed attempt by [[Cawl]] to replicate the Primarch project, potentially during the Cursed Founding due to his part in the [[Legion of the Damned]] and his affinity for fire/ his hair and eyes each emulating a different kind of fire. Nicknamed Hothead by perhaps the only person he could call a friend; Jack Laments. For whatever reason, he has a burning desire to get to Terra.

'''Jack Lament/s''' - Bartender at the Cripple Corner, Underhive, Hive Primus, Macharia. He's used to seeing Cultists and mutants besieging his workplace, what with Macharia being in the Cadian System and all. Most bartenders have a shotgun under the bar. Jack? He has an Autogun, at least half a 2-litre tank of promethium and a flamer, that slots into a set of rails on his right arm. First to react when Araes hits the floor, and actually seems to care about the guy. Seemingly cares for everyone who doesn't break the Imperial Truth, to the point that he would happily give his life, to save someone else's. He will only use his flamer when no one uninvolved could get caught in the literal crossfire. Has perhaps the most identifiable hair colour and eyes of anyone on Macharia. Eventually hitches a ride with Araes on his quest to Terra.

== The Boyfriends/Girlfriends ==

Boyfriends and Girlfriends of the Primarchs children information are to be kept in your own stories, please do not add your story fluff as 'canon' to the daughters or sons of the Primarchs, though you may add them as students of Imperator high that have a CRUSH on the Primarchs descendants, add all information on them in your own stories. Remember that this section is to focus on the children themselves not your self insert / OC characters and how often they boink them. Thank you and may you find material to inspire and encourage your writing. GLORY TO THE EMPEROR, GLORY TO THE IMPERIUM.

=The News=
Terra, Imperial Palace Astrotelepathic Station: M34.280

Plugged into the myriad devices that allowed her to see and speak across the universe, Senior Astrotelepath Liana studied the formless landscape of the Warp and listened for messages from the furthest reaches of the Empire. Being an Astropath on Holy Terra was a near-painless experience: the proximity of the God-Emperor calmed the Warp and allowed Astropaths to do their work nearly strain-free, and so Liana idly studied the shifting colors and lights and awaited transmissions. Suddenly the colors and shapes began to pulsate and flare violently, the signs of information traffic through the Warp. Just as Liana opened her mind to receive and decode the news, she realized her mistake.

What had begun as a single message rapidly became 2, then 4, then more. At her station and the astrotelepathic stations around her, red lights lit up and alarms went off. Technicians and supervisors watched in horror as the astropaths spasmed violently with the force, ripping wires from their harnesses and life support monitors. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Most of the astropaths slumped over in their seats, and the asides hurried through each one, finding only minor injuries and occasionally, a small amount of blood. The Magos on shift stepped in front of Liana’s station and his mechadendrites began uncoupling her from her station.

“We have important news, I would imagine”, he said, his monotone voice sounding as if this happened every day, “Can you tell me what it is?”

Liana blinked and shook her head. Her head was pounding like she had just been hit with a Battle-Barge, but she quickly shook off the pain and examined the messages. “…..No. The messages come from across the galaxy: Macragge, Nocturne, Cthonia, Caliban, but….they’re all encrypted above my clearance. I cannot read the messages, Magos.”

For all of a second, the Magos did nothing, possibly thinking as his internal machinery whirred and clicked. “Very well”, it said, “We bring this message to the Omnissiah”. There was a faint burst of static as Liana assumed the Magos used some sort of internal vox, then a Speeder transport painted crimson and gold and embossed with the Imperial Eagle landed expertly outside the station. A single Custodes dressed in full battle plate stepped out the back and swiftly approached the two.

“This one has news for the Emperor, Magos?” His eyes did not leave Liana, and she cringed inwardly at the lack of expression on his face.

“Yes, Lord”, replied the Magos. “The information we received is above her clearance level, and as she is the Senior Astropath on duty…”

The Custodes didn’t even wait for the Magos to finish speaking. He simply lifted Liana as if she weighed nothing and headed back to the Speeder. Once he stepped through the back hatch, he laid Liana into a grav couch and strapped her in. The rear hatch closed silently and the craft immediately took to the air and accelerated. As she felt the G-forces on her body, Liana wondered where she was being taken to.

“You have news for the Emperor. He is not in the Throne right now. He is with the Eldar representative. We will bring your news to him.” Liana noticed as the craft banked and changed speeds that the golden-armored warrior was content to stand perfectly relaxed, as if he was anchored to the floor.

As the craft sped through the Imperial palace, Liana was able to gaze out the viewport and think about what was going on. Caliban, Nocturne, Cthonia….those were all home worlds to the different Space Marine Legions. So something had just happened simultaneously across the galaxy to at least 5 Legions of Space Marines. Liana quailed as she tried to consider what news she could possibly be bringing the God- Emperor of Mankind. At this last thought, the Custodes tilted his head.

“Be at ease”, he said. “If there was any information of a tactical significance, it would not have even made it to you. Many of the Primarchs have special channels or means to pass along information that is urgent”.
That only served to confuse Liana even more, and so she returned to her impromptu tour of the palace. The transport was now passing through the section where Emperor had had great facades the size of buildings of his children and their Legions constructed: Leman Russ, looking vicious with a pair of vicious wolves at his heels and his Space Marines racing through the ruins of some city, Lorgar at the pulpit addressing a large congregation of his warriors and new citizens to the Imperium, Horus and his Sons marching in perfect formation at the Triumph of Ullanor, and on and on.

Near the end of this ceremonial hall, the craft passed through two newer chambers. The first showed a warrior in silver armour with a two-handed hammer of some sort, fighting viciously with a monstrosity from the Warp, while his Space Marines nearby were gunning down other creatures with wrist-mounted bolters or impaling them on weapons that crackled with deadly energy. Behind them loomed what Liana had always thought was a faintly ridiculous machine, a mech more than double the size of the surrounding marines, with the pilot secured to the chest by nothing more than a harness. The Custodes, one Mattias 'Spiritual Liege' Ward, informed her that the pilot was protected by a near-impenetrable force field, but Liana was still not convinced. Under the rendition, a golden script read “Grand Master Janus: Primarch of the XXI Legion” and beneath that “The Emperors’ Daemonhunters, Legion XXI: The Grey Knights”.

Liana remembered hearing about Janus. Once the Emperors most loyal bodyguard, next to even the great Constantin Valdor, who to many was no more than a myth, he was granted the highest honor the Emperor could bestow: his geneseed was mass-produced and implanted into soldiers to produce a new legion of Space marines, trained solely to hunt the daemons from the Warp, and Valdor was made its Primarch. Most of the other Primarchs assisted to make them what they were: Magnus developed a system of wards that were written into their skin to protect them from daemons and Warp energy; Lorgar developed a book of prayers and litanies to hone the Knights' minds and keep them focused; Gulliman and Corax sent specialists to train the new Legion in small-unit tactics, because the Knights needed to be nearly everywhere in the universe and were permanently spread thin. Vulkan and Ferrus Manus seconded their finest weapon and armor smiths to keep the Knights well-equipped. The next chamber was part of the reason for this new specialty legion.

In the center of a massive chamber near the heart of the imperial Palace stood an enormous statue of the Emperor of Mankind in golden armor flanked by Custodes and the Sisters of Silence, facing a delegation of Eldar led by Eldrad Ulthran. Eldrad had found the Emperor at the outset of the Great Crusade and warned the Emperor of the dangers of Warp beings. As a show of loyalty, Eldrad was able to get the Eldar to cease aggression against the Imperium. Slowly, the tenuous cease-fire solidified into a Treaty, then a pact of mutual assistance between the two races. During the Crusade, Fulgrim and his Legion had run across maiden worlds that the Eldar had planned to return to, and with coordination between the Imperium and the Eldar, the Eldar had managed to start anew on the eastern fringe of the galaxy. Now the Emperor worked together frequently with Eldrad; Liana mused that maybe powerful psykers attracted their own. It was the Eldar who first insisted that the Emperor take the threat from the Warp more seriously and resulted in the creation of the Grey Knights. As the speeder passed out of the chamber and into another tunnel, the monument faded from view to be replaced by more of the palace. Liana leaned back on her couch and rested her eyes.

Liana opened her eyes as she felt deceleration and blinked away some sleep; her vanguard still immobile in the center of the craft. After a fast but smooth descent, the speeder came to a stop and opened its rear hatch. The Custodes leaned forward and quickly unbuckled Liana, then stepped out of the speeder. “Move quickly. We do not keep the Master of Mankind waiting”.

Liana’s heart rate picked up as she stepped out. They were just outside of the palace, in a beautiful garden on top of one of the mountains the palace was built into. The air was warm and a pleasant breeze carried the scent of exotic flowers through the air. About 20 feet away the Emperor stood in a clean crimson robe and conversed quietly with the Eldar Farseer who, without his bizarre helmet on, looked almost human. Liana realized that she for all her years in the Palace, she had never seen the Emperor in person before; this was the opportunity of a lifetime. She was about to step forward and speak when a man in dark blue robes blocked her view.

“You have news for the Emperor”, he said flatly.

“Y-Yes”, Liana replied. “I received some news that was above-“

“It was not a question”, the man snapped tersely. “I am Malcador. You will give your news to me.”

Liana’s eyes bulged, Malcador, the Emperor’s advisor? “I told you, Lord, I cannot access the infor-“

“Of course you can’t, fool. Open your mind to me and I will retrieve the information”. With that, he placed his hands on either side of Liana’s head.

Liana saw flashes of space in her head, then some of the primarchs- Russ, Vulkan, The Lion… they were with women, and… Liana’s eyes grew large, and Malcador’s jaw dropped. He quickly released her head and spun to the meeting. “My Lord Emperor!” he called out. “News from your sons!”

The two psychic superpowers didn’t even appear perturbed; they merely turned to look at Malcador.

“Robute, Vulkan, Horus, The Lion and Russ are going to be fathers! All of them to little girls!”

Eldrad looked confused. “I suppose a congratulations is in order?” asked the Eldar Farseer. His voice was simultaneously smooth and unnatural to Liana’s ears.

Malcador put his face in his hands. “How in the Warp…? Why did they all have to be girls?”
[[Just as planned|Liana saw a faint smile played across the Emperor’s lips.]]

=Meet the Primarchs=
{{Main|Meet the Primarchs (Warhammer High)}}

=Other loose stories=

==Tales Of Constantine Jeager==
===Checking An Order===

The house of Vulkan was well designed and easily one of the most beautiful houses that were built by the Primarchs, due to its intricate details and strong foundations. That was a simple opinion of the cadet from Imperator High School as he walked up and pressed the comms link button to get noticed and enter.

"State your business Punk." A Marine said, with the audio able click of the bolt pistol being primed and ready to shoot the young man.

"I'm here by invite of Lord Vulkan and Venus to check on equipment for the school." The man said back as he showed the Astartes the badge given to him.

A grunt was heard over the speaker as the gate was opened to him, revealing the path up to the house and to his main objective. This was going to go faster than expected hopefully. With no intent of elongating this anymore than necessary, he entered the compound.

The 6'4" man was tiny compared to the marines who pointed meltaguns and bolters at him. He couldn't blame them: with his unspiked Mohawk, and his roughed up imperial army cadet jacket which was rolled up to reveal several tattoos on his arms, Constantine looked dangerous. He was more muscular than most normal Terrans, which didn't help in this situation. His blue eyes focused on the house and kept walking forward, trying to not cause an incident that would end with him being riddled with bullet holes.

"Be on your best behaviour," one said to the young man.

"I intend to," he replied as he reached the door, pushing forward and opening the door.

Vulkan never locked his doors, almost like something he knew gave him confidence, some hidden secret that meant he thought he could never be harmed. Their interior was also one of the more soothing and comfortable variety, at least compared to that of the Night Haunter, an experience Constantine had no wish to repeat. A servo skull bleeped its greeting in binary as it extended one of its hands to take his jacket.

"Hello Lord Constantine, may I have your coat?" It asked, in that grating metallic voice so often heard by the citizens of Holy Terra, yet always one to send a shiver down the spine, no matter how many times it was heard.

"So I presume Adrax isn't here?" Constantine replied as he took off his cadet jacket and gave it to the skull, referring to Vulkan's butler and one of his men who fought with him in the great crusade.

"Correct, master Adrax is getting his gene-seed tested for corruption." This earned from Constantine a raised eyebrow, seeing it as rather odd.

"Didn't he get tested for that a month or two ago?"

"Affirmative." The servant replied as the voices came from the main living room.

"But if we put the Plasma Incinerators there, it will surely mean that the power cables need to be moved and that therefore the Volkite Carronade will lack range and intensity," one voice said.

"But that's the only spot were we can put it if we wish to put a demolisher cannon on it. Unless maybe we get rid of the front facing Plasma Guns"

"I'm going to say my hellos to Ferrus and Vulkan." He said to the machine, which simply nodded as he turned into the living room.

Two giants were leaning over a coffee table that projected a 3D hologram of a Land Raider that had obviously been modified and upgraded extensively. Among most humans, the activity would be considered nerdy due to the manner of seriousness with which they were handling the project. However, they were not normal humans. They were the Primarchs of the Salamanders and the Iron Hands: the two most mechanical and technically advanced of all the surviving legions. Vulcan was dressed in his basic civilian clothes of white and khaki, which made his Nuclear Ash skin stand out all the more. Meanwhile, Ferrus had on the basic undersuit of his power armour, having clearly just returned from some war zone or another. Small tokens indicating the cog-and-skull of the Mechanicus hung on his arms.

"Hey. What are you making?" Constantine asked as he looked at it.

This in part earned the attention of the two men, who promptly turned to face him with a bit of surprise on their faces at someone catching them working on.

"Ah, Constantine, you're here! Venus said you would come." Vulkan said as he stood up and extended his arm out to give him a handshake, which the young man graciously accepted.

"You are here for that order?" Vulkan inquired more, which Constantine nodded.
"I never saw those be so excited about something like this. They have been working none stop since the school positioned it to them." Ferrus added as he looked at the man, who blushed a bit.

"So, are you going to tell me what you are designing?" Constantine asked as he leaned forward to examine it.

"It's nothing honestly, just some schematics and ideas for new gear." Ferrus replied.

It was far too deep in detail to be at the concept phase, that was for sure. It was a land raider with a pair of plasma cannons on each side, and a twin linked lascannon behind the plasma cannons. On its top, a volkite carronade from a Glaive tank dominated the scene, with extra power capacitors added to the back so it could fire continuously. Around the top were a multitude of hatches, all with the (relatively) small, stubby bodies of storm bolters mounted on pivots next to them. Finally, a small demolisher cannon was installed in the front. With all of this, it seemed even more armoured than the usual Land Raider, already a tank of legendary strength, was. It had no transport capacity at all and an even smaller crew.

"Wouldn't maybe a Leman Russ Battle Cannon be better suited? I know it lacks the penetration power of the demolisher, but it can still hurt whatever is in it's way." he said as he stood up.

"Maybe, but It would also more likely to have the ammunition detonate inside of it." Vulkan replied, showing the worst case scenario.

"The kid has a point, maybe we don't need the demolisher." Ferrus replied. "Multi-Meltas could do it or maybe we move-"

"But the demolisher was one of the first weapons we agreed that this tank must have!"

Seeing how me might have started an argument, Constantine took a deep breath. "Well," he said, feigning boredom. "I'm going to go. They're in the forge downstairs, right?' he asked the two much larger men, who nodded, giving him the excuse to leave.

As he left the room, a feeling of dread came over Constantine. Those weapons that they were adding were serious business, given how a few hundred years ago they fought against modifying certain land raiders with the equipment they were now installing, stating the danger to the crew and the machine spirit itself. So the question now is simple: what in the name of all that is holy is that tank needed for that a normal land raider simply cannot do?

He'd heard of the rise of metal men or Necrons, as they were called, starting to reawaken. The increase of Astartes who had abandoned their devotion and loyalty to both the Imperium and the Emperor was also a rising concern. Add to this that a new wave of creatures called "Tyranids" were carving huge chunks of space out of the Imperium's eastern fringe, forcing Horus himself to leave and take charge personally, made him shudder, bringing to stark relief the fact that one day, even the Primarchs and Legions might not be enough to defend the Imperium of Man. With that in mind, he entered the furnace.

The sounds of the furnace roared as three individuals worked tirelessly: sparks and the sounds of gears twisting and turning were constant like a heavy bolter. The heat was for some men unsufferable as he felt his body start to perspire in an attempt to get physically balanced. He noticed Holy Water was being applied as steel was turned for a greater good and purpose. It was here that the order was being met and worked on.

The school was restarting it's tank training department and those few it had were in no shape to fight or had been so badly damaged in their first practice run that they needed heavy repairs. However, it was Constantine's quick thinking that led to over half of the tanks being handed over to the daughters of the two technological Primarchs.

"Hey Venus, Farah. How are the tanks doing?" He asked, raising his arm a bit in a futile attempt to try to negate the heat from the furnaces.

"Hey Constantine!" a proper voice said as a woman of beauty appeared from underneath one of the projects and waved at him, with that human and glad smile on her face.

Venus, like her namesake, was a beautiful woman in the highest regards. With big breasts, her dark and professional raven hair and body that had the right balance in weight. She'd be considered easily in the top five most attractive women in the school if it wasn't for her bright red eyes that burned like the forges she spent so much time at. It was for the best though, as it meant her simple boyfriend from the hive cities didn't have to fight tooth and nail against every man for her. It also allowed her to pursue her interests in mechanical fields and building shit that no one would allow a "pretty girl" to do. You just had to look at her cousins, principally Victoria, to understand.

"How is the work going for you?" Constantine asked as he looked at the row of tanks that were inactive and seemed lifeless.

"We got ''The Maiden's Fury'' and ''Iron Head'' working. the others will be done by the end of next week." Venus replied, a smirk of satisfaction.

"Thanks Venus, is Farah here?"

"Here I am!" A cheerful and optimistic voice said as her bandana covered head appeared from one of the Russ' crew entrance points.

Farrah was an adorable girl and easily ranked as one of the cutest of the primarch's daughters. Her greasy autumn brown hair looked lovely as she wiped the brow and grinned, revealing her many dimples that served only to increase any attraction towards her. She raised her mechanical arm out and waved to him as she had her cute optimistic smile slapped on her face.

"Hey Farah, is it going well?"

"Yeah. Though these beasts are in such a poor state of disrepair, it's a miracle that they can be repaired at all. We've had to get help from dad at least twice. I kinda consider it an insult to the machines themselves." She said as she got back to work on them. "Were you put in charge of any of them?"

"Yeah...I was in charge of Maiden." Constantine replied as he patted its front armour, earning a grunt of dissatisfaction from the machine. "Hey, you were the one who wanted to charge into a creek that we all knew was too deep to ford." he replied. He had learned a bit of how to work with the machine spirit and Maiden's was VERY sassy. The Russ turned and made more creaks of anger, earning the laughter of the two girls.

"You two fight like an old married couple." Venus said, causing Constantine to blush.

"How many more tanks do you have for us?" Farah asked as she started working on the sponson cannons.

"Three more Leman Russes, two...maybe three Hellhounds...a Spartan if you're up for it. Be careful with that, it was donated by the Emperor himself on your cousins' and your entry into Imperator. It's also on standby for the Terran PDF here." The cadet replied.

This statement earned two looks of glee and excitement at the challenged. They have talked about doing something like this for fun, now they were living it .

"We might need to take the weekend to finish this order. You think Hana can help us out along with Perrin?"

"Of course, she said she wanted to join the Imperial Army. This is one of those things that she will no doubtfully need to know. Plus Perrin said he was already up for working on it."

Constantine smiled as he found a spot and sat down quietly, watching the two girls work frivolously on these beasts. He wanted to work with them as well, help them and at least ease the burden a bit. However, he also knew that now was not the time. He would be so green one could call him grass. Maybe after they finished they could help teach him.

===Meeting the Plague Daughter===

Constantine patrolled the halls of the school like a wolf as he waited for class to end for his time to go train and learn more about being a gear in the Imperium's vast and uncompromising machine. He counted the minutes as muscles tensed and were preparing for the inevitable taste of action they were to receive from today's lesson.

There laid on the ground a woman coughing up blood and struggling to breathe. Her eyes were stained by her life fluids as she shook from an occasional but violent cough. Her school bag laid near her with an empty canister with a mouthpiece attached to it. A horrific and disgusting sight indeed. She was looking like she was losing consciousness and trying bravely, but failing, to survive. He was taken aback, naturally, at the unholy sight. How or what in the fuck was this that was in front of him and why was it here? Kill it with fire? Report it to an officer? Leave it for dead? Would anyone blame him for this?

The woman was terrified, but she raised her hand weakly up and tried to squeak out something, but only coughed up blood while puss began running down her ears. He moved a step back, but saw the only true option available for him as the small imperial Aquila hung on a bracelet on her right wrist and the small book of imperial prayers. He sighed as he knew what he had to do: Help her. He was a tool for the Imperium, his purpose to save the lives of others. If it meant losing his, then so be it, that is what it will be.

The mohawked cadet moved closer to her as he put his backpack aside on the ground as he looked at her. This earned in her weakened state both surprise and visible terror in her eyes at the man standing in front of her. It also made him recognize a distinct smell that was so disgusting and displeasing on so many levels that it made him frown, making her wince and raising her arms in an attempt to protect herself.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I am here to help. Please tell me how I can." he said in as calm and caring a voice possible to her as he easily pushed aside her simple defenses to her face and turned it so she could see his eyes. It took a moment for her to see what he meant, coughing up more as she started to point to the simple inhaler that laid on the ground by her bag as she twisted and started to lay on the ground, the pain and misery now starting to turn more emergency levels. Quickly, Constantine grabbed her body and helped prop her up on the wall.

"Hold my hand and squeeze it, I'm not leaving your side until you're stable. Understand?" he said to her as he took her small petite hand and put it into his, which was twice her hands size. She could only nod, feeling a bit relieved that she had somebody to be with her and help her. Meanwhile, he used his muscular body to move her bag and her inhaler. He opened her bag and found a new canister, noticing that it had 4 bars and that the one attached to the inhaler had none. without much hesitation, he switched the canister out.

"Here." he said as he handed her the inhaler and put it on her face after it was turned on. The girl took a deep breath and inhaled into it as Constantine looked at her.

"We gotta clean you up. I cannot let you go out like this." he said as he went into his bag and pulled out his standard issue Imperial Army medical kit.

"Once your able to stand, can you tell me your name?" he asked her as he found his medical alcohol-laden disinfection wipes and pulled out one. She nodded as she then closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel a wave of both relief and life enter her body. Gently, he started to apply it to parts of the face that weren't covered by the machine that was giving her what she needed.

She cleaned up very well, revealing almost porcelain white skin, which complimented her light grayish hair and her little green-grayish eyes. she also was so tiny compared to him, she reminded him of one of those toy dolls he saw back on his home planet. Her light blue veins easily visible as he watched her and blushed. She was a cute, innocent girl that he could stare at forever.

"Morticia." she said to him, snapping him out of the trance she put in him.

"What?"

"Morticia, my name is Morticia." she said again, blushing. "Can you please stop staring at me like that."

"Of course." He replied as he turned his head and then grabbed another disinfection wipe to clear the dried blood that gave her a vampire-like appearance. He looked around at the empty hallways.

"I made a promise not to leave your side until you were safe. I intend to keep that promise." Constantine said.

Slowly, he picked up the girl bridal style. She was light.

"Are you kidding me Morticia? You are nothing in terms of weight on me. Hell I could carry at least another one of you. Maybe 3 of your bags and my stuff." He replied to her with a smile on his face, earning a blush from her as well as he started to move.

"You saw her and didn't do anything?" Constantine asked, his knuckles tightening at this revelation.

"Yeah? What about it?" one sneered at him as the girl looked away, dismayed.

"You don't have to do this, please just back off of this." Morticia pleaded to him.

"I'm sorry, but this is something I must do."

The impact sent the man flying hard onto the ground, blood erupting from his mouth and nose like soft dirt from a basilisk shell. The visible disgust and hatred that was visible in the mohawk cadet's face as he moved with malicious intent was a stark contrast to the men, who were more shocked and surprised by this action.

Constantine grabbed one and his fist connected with the first officer's gut. Hard.

He spat out his own blood as he looked at the man who hit him. "I am sickened that we share the same coat of arms, you pathetic bastard!" he said as he pushed himself up and

"Constantine, you can leave." Morticia said with a smile. "You have done above and beyond what you had to do."

===The Nerd And The Cadet===

"You know who is an unsung hero of the imperium?" Constantine asked with a kind smile to
one of his friends in front of him as he opened another book on human anatomy

"Who?" A tricyclopish woman said as she opened another book in the Academy's grand library, Her eyes focused on the research and knowledge she was so keen on learning.

"Simon."

Miranda looked up from her book and back at him. Simon was Furia's boyfriend. He was the child of upper-reaches imperial officials and bureaucrats who attended the academy like the rest of their friends. After an incident, the two started to date and it was at least from his perspective, stable and working.

"Why do you say that? I know that is a hassle, but not that much."

"Have you seen him work his magic? Hands down on of the few men to actually able to calm her down to the point of not fighting. With how hard she hit me, that is damn near impressive." The man said, rubbing his ribs. A while back Constantine was an idiot, he thought interfering in a fight between Hana and Furia would be a good idea. Both girls really did a number on him and he had to remind himself since then to not try that again.

"I remember that. you never looked so shocked." She said, with a coy smile on her face

"Well, I learned my lesson. But still, That boy can at least put a leash on her. Most people can't even get close enough to do that. By the way you know where I can find the page on Gene seed effects?"

"In that book, i believe it's in the endocrine chapter. look around the 450's." her eyes returning to the book she was into

"Thanks."

A few minutes passed as the two kept up their work, with the sounds of muscles pushing pens to write out notes and the flipping of ancient tomes and texts being the only thing that signaled

"Know what page it is on for imperial history of The segmentum ?"

"Not sure, but it is on Chapter 12. Though you can use your mind reading on me."

Miranda looked up, shocked at that.

"How did you-" she asked, her eyes raised up.

"I had a weird feeling in my head when I met you and some of the other known psykers. One plus one equals two." He said to her as he looked back at her.

"Truth be told, I find it understandable and had our positions been reversed, I would have done the same." He added

==Motherhood==

Lotara Sarrin had done many things during her life. She had become at the age of twenty-nine one of the youngest flag-captains in the entire spread of the Emperor’s expeditionary fleets when she was promoted to command the Conqueror. She had met and gained the respect of its master, the Primarch Angron of the XIIth Legion, and become one of the very few he trusted. She had burned worlds and destroyed ships for the Legion, gaining many awards for her exemplary bravery, steadfastness and patience, her self-control and level-headedness. She still wore the Blood Hand, a red handprint across the chest of her uniform given to her after the Ashul Stellar Principality war.

Yes, she had seen and done much during the final dying years of the Crusade. But all of that had little prepared her for what she was now. A mother. And not just any mother, mother to a very special child.

She was fast asleep at the moment, which was a relief. Lotara had thought the harsh sirens of damage control bad, but a crying baby was something else. Nothing she had experienced during the years of Void War had prepared her for the rigours of motherhood, it was a ‘learn as you go’ situation. None of the others were much help; none of them understood what it was like to be married to the red angel. Their husbands were not broken, always forced to fight the implants which buzzed in their brains demanding blood and death.

Their regular get-togethers annoyed Lotara. She was obliged to go of course, but she didn’t like it. She was used to the chaos of the Conqueror’s bridge, not the twittering of a gaggle of mother hens. Though she had to admit some of the other mothers, most notably lady Misja the wife of Lord Vulkan were very nice to her.

“Lady Sarrin, a pleasure to meet you at last. Do you mind if I call you Lotara?” Misja had said warmly when they had first met, shaking her hand before she could even react. After that Lotara had warmed to her, and had grown to feel somewhat fond of the Lady of the XVIIIth. She had helped Lotara with some of the basic understandings of motherhood, and she had to admit that she would be even more lost if it wasn’t for Lady Misja’s guidance.

The others though treated her warily; she was a breed apart from them. She stuck out like a sore thumb clad in her naval uniform, the red hand proudly borne on her chest. None of the others had brought exterminatus to worlds at their husband’s command. None of the others had seen ships die and worlds break. But she had, and she would not give up her position for all the gold on Terra.

Reclining on a couch in the spacious lodgings provided for them both, Lotara gazed over at the cot sitting prominently in the corner of the room. She was spire-born, the scion of a noble Albian family who had decided to buck family tradition and serve the Imperium hands-on. Juveat treatments kept her looking in her mid thirties terran standard, and her long blonde hair was bound back in a ponytail to keep it from her face, a habit from her days commanding the Conqueror. Though now there were bags under her eyes, and she was wearier then she had ever been fighting the Emperor’s foes.

A thin wailing came up from the cot and sighing, Lotara got up and padded over to the crying infant, gently picking her up and holding her close.

“There there Furia, mummy’s here. Hush now.” She still felt foolish saying those words, but they did the trick, and Furia’s wails ceased, and she gurgled contentedly in her mother’s arms.

Mother. It was still a novel concept even though the novelty had long since washed off. She remembered the day Angron had come to her with news of his new arrival, and his proposal to her.

“Lotara.” He had growled. “I need someone who I trust; who I know will never let me down. There is only one woman who fits that bill, only one I know can do this.”
“My lord…”
“I am no one’s lord Lotara, and I grow bored of telling you that.” Angron smiled a predatory smile which scared most people out of their wits. But Lotara wasn’t most people, and she knew it for what it was, bluff. “Now will you do as I’ve asked?”

Asking was a novel thing for Angron. But he had done so, and she couldn’t refuse him. They were joined on matrimony the next day, and shortly afterwards baby made three.

She was brought back to the present when little Furia stopped gurgling, and Lotara saw that she was asleep. She continued to cradle her, feeling her small warm body and the faint coo of her soft breaths. Gently she laid little Furia to rest in the cradle, then turned as she heard a familiar stomping sound coming from outside.

Angron strode into the room, instantly filling it with his blunt, savage grandeur. He looked uncomfortable now that he no longer wore his armour, and the dreadlock-like cables of the Nails snaked from the back of his head into the flesh of his shoulders.

“You’re back.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” Angron grunted. “The Nails were biting badly, so I took a detour while they cooled down.”

She nodded. Though the Nails were not as bad as they were during those last years of the Crusade, when Pain tics had flawed one side of his face and chronic nosebleeds had left streams of blood running down his chin, the Nails still bit him every so often and when that happened he had to get away before he was drawn into a killing frenzy to sake the thirst of the agony engine in his brain.

“How’s my daughter?” Angron asked.

“''Our'' daughter is fine,’ she replied. “She’s fast asleep at the moment, and will remain so if you can keep quiet.”

“When she’s awake she screams like those elder hag women, what are they called?”

“Banshees.” Lotara answered.

“Yes them.” Angron rumbled. “I just wish I could shut her up the way I shut them up.” He mimed a sweeping blow from Gorefather, and chuckled. To anyone else that would be horrifying, but Lotara had spent enough time around Angron to understand his unusual sense of humour.

As if in anticipation, a faint cooing sound rose up from the cot.

“Speak of the Daemon.” Angron rumbled.

“You’ve woken her.” Lotara scolded as she went over and gently picked up Furia.

“Look Furia, daddy’s back. Say hi to daddy.”

“You know how ridiculous that sounds?” Angron commented.

“Mothers have been talking like that to their children for millennia, and nothing’s gone wrong yet. Hell, my mother spoke to me like that, and have I turned out poorly?”

Angron didn’t answer, and Lotara rolled her eyes.

“Do you want to hold her?” She asked, holding Furia out. Angron rarely held or played with Furia, and this concerned Lotara. She was his child; he couldn’t be a bystander on her life even with the omnipresent problem of the Nails.

“Every time I take her she just starts crying. She doesn’t like me.”

“She’s your daughter, of course she likes you. You just need to show her that she shouldn’t cry. She is born of your blood you know.”

Angron grunted, but he carefully took Furia in one massive hand with a gentleness none of his brothers would have believed he possessed.

For a few seconds he held her, and she stared right back at him with wide eyes.

For a split second Lotara swore she saw something fleeting in his eyes, a faint fragment of a lost emotion the Nails had burned out of him. But whatever that emotion was it departed as soon as it appeared, leaving Angron the same way he always was, a mountain of barely controlled rage.

Furia started to cry, and he handed her back to Lotara.

“Like I said, she doesn’t like me.”

Lotara clicked her tongue – a habit of hers when she was on the verge of losing her temper, which seemed to happen more and more often these days.

“I wish you’d show a bit more affection for her. She can’t grow up with you emotionally distant all the time, except when you’re angry.”
“It’s hard to show affection when that part of your brain has been lobotomised.” Angron snarled. “Sorry if I’m not as emotionally engaged as you’d like, Lotara.”

“You should be. She is your daughter, your future. With her, you have a chance to start again, to make amends for the sins of the past.”

She wished she had never spoken those words, but they slipped from her mouth regardless. Angron hated being reminded of Nuceria, of his greatest failing. He didn’t say anything; he just strode to the window and gazed out across Startseite, the home custom made for the Primarchs and their families.

“I never wanted her you know.” He said. “I never wanted to be saddled with parenthood, but father insisted. He forced it on me, on all of us. That is why you are here, to help me with this burden. He stole me away from my first family, and now he thinks giving me a new one will fix that?”

“He didn’t do this just for that. He did this so you would have something to live for now that the Crusade is done.”

She switched to Nagrakali, the language unique to the XIIth Legion. She only did that when she had to make a point to him. “We cannot change the past Angron, but we can change the future. You can give Furia a better childhood then you had, a loving family, freedom, peace. You just have to be willing to play a part in this. I can’t raise her alone, she needs you as well.”

He didn’t say anything, and after a while Furia finally fell asleep.

“I’m taking her to bed. Will you be joining us?”

Angron shrugged. “The Nails still itch. I’ll spend a few hours in the training cages.”

As Angron stalked off, Lotara realised something. As long as the Nails were in there, as long as they buzzed in his brain, he would never truly appreciate his daughter, their daughter. The Nails were shackles, preventing him from immersing himself in his daughter’s life. She would have to do the unthinkable, convince him to have them removed. She knew the Emperor could do it, but Angron had refused time and time again.

Would she be able to do it? Succeed where even the Emperor had failed? She would have to try. For Furia’s sake, she would try.

==Angela Grows Up==

A faint wind crossed the grass behind the mansion that afternoon. Some quiet sounds of grass mowers and passing vehicles echoed past its façade and holofield, but they sounded muted behind the field’s protection.

Angela, thirteen-year-old daughter of Sanguinius, lay facedown on the thick green grass. She was cradling her head in her hands, trying to talk without her voice breaking. It wasn’t easy. She was in a lot of pain.

“That rough, was it?” her cousin Miranda asked in sympathy.

“It hurts, Miranda,” Angela said miserably. She drew her wings as close to her body as she could out of pure instinct, even as her fingers dug into her hair. “How…how are you dealing with it?” she asked into the grass.

Miranda shrugged, helpless. “It doesn’t hurt.”

“At ALL?” Angela asked incredulously. “I mean…I know you’re stronger, but…this is agony!” she wailed, fighting back the pain in her head.

Miranda stared at her beautiful cousin, her own heart aching. “Angela…where does it hurt?” Miranda asked, trying a new tack.

“It’s…” Angela searched for words, then whimpered as the psychic pain returned. “It’s like when you hit your arm on something sharp…a lancing pain in a specific place, not…oh, hell, that hurts,” she groaned, cradling her head. Her wings trembled for a moment as the pain flared back up. “It’s like a needle stuck in my head,” she whispered into the green rolls of plants.

Miranda, whose third eye was taking on a peculiar shine, looked sadly at her cousin. “How did you make it through school today?” she asked quietly.

“I didn’t,” Angela whimpered. “I came home with tears in my eyes.”

Miranda blinked back a tear of her own. “I’m so sorry, Angela,” she said. “I wish I could help.”

“Everyone I’ve asked said it will pass soon,” Angela said miserably. “But…soon can’t come fast enough.” The pale blonde laced her fingers behind her head and tried to relax, but the spike of manifesting psychic power in her brain ripped a fresh line of agony through her young body, and she gasped in pain.

Miranda’s powers manifested in the same way as Angela’s but for whatever reason, be it her eye acting as a focus or simply superior training from her father, she wasn’t wracked with pain. She just found it intensely creepy, and tried to ignore it unless she felt she needed it, which hadn’t happened yet. The redhead lay down beside her cousin and stretched out on Sanguinius’ luxurious lawn, watching the haze overhead. “Let me know if I can help,” she said quietly.

“I will,” Angela promised. She reached over and quickly squeezed her cousin’s hand. “Thanks.”

The hours passed. Angela’s knuckles turned back to their normal hue as her death grip on her throbbing head faded. “It…it’s easing, I think,” she managed.

Miranda glanced over at her. “Can you feel anything new?”

Angela slowly raised her head from the grass and wiped loose blades from her face. “…Do you hear that?” she asked.

Miranda cocked her head and listened. “I don’t hear…”

“Shh.” Angela turned her head to face the house and pushed off the ground with one hand, twisting at the waist to stare at the mansion. “What…what is that?” she asked, staring intently at the house.

Miranda listened hard, but all she could hear was the wind. Then it hit her. “Angela, can you hear this?” she asked. She focused for a moment and arced a tiny spark of psychic power between her fingers.

Angela’s head whipped around, waving blonde hair everywhere. “What the hell was that?” she asked. “I saw…or heard or something…what was that?” she demanded.

“That was your extra-sensory perception coming alive,” Miranda said. “That ‘sound’ you hear from the house is your father’s presence.”

Angela turned, very slowly, and drew herself up into a cross-legged position. She stared at the house again, her eyes wide, perhaps even frightened. “It’s…” she started, before trailing off again. “Wow.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty complex, isn’t he?” Miranda asked. That was understating it somewhat. The faint psychic shadows of the people on the street out front were completely insignificant compared to the raging typhoon of psychic power inside Sanguinius. The rippling ‘sound’ of his passing through the building, no doubt freshly returned from the Palace, was cutting through the background noise like a chainsword.

The door opened as Angela sat up. Sanguinius himself, no doubt sensing his daughter’s pain recede, looked about the lawn and spotted them. “Angela, dearest, there you are,” he said. “Miranda, hello.”

“Father,” Angela said eagerly, scrambling to her knees to rise. He gestured her to stay. As he made his way over to her, Miranda rose and popped her shoulders, sensing her presence becoming superfluous.

“Feel better tomorrow, huh?” she asked.

“I’ll try,” Angela said. She looked up at her cousin and smiled at last. “Thanks.”

Miranda headed back through the house to her waiting bicycle. Sanguinius passed her with a nod on his way to his daughter, who was now kneeling in the waving grass. The wind was picking up considerably, now, and it was blowing the clouds away.

The giant warrior was clad in a shimmering robe of light yellow over red, but all Angela was seeing was a fiery vortex of energy racing through his physical form. Her eyes weren’t blind, but suddenly, she was seeing something new.

“Dad,” she said quietly. “Is this what you see?”

Sanguinius smiled. “No, little one, it isn’t. If you can believe it, you’re not quite finished.”

“More?” Angela winced. Getting this far had hurt. It had hurt a lot. Sanguinius noted her discomfort and offered a sympathetic look.

“Little Angela, please just bear with it. The next part isn’t painful so much as…unnerving. Even frightening.”

The two of them stared at each other until Angela asked the question. “Um. How?”

Sanguinius sighed. “You will be presented with certain temptations. Some will come overtly, like the desire to use your powers to harm people who dislike you, or read minds and emotions of those all around you. Others will be more…subtle. Impulses. Dark dreams.”

“And…how is that scary?” Angela carefully asked. “I’m already…you know, fairly powerful…I never feel like I should be abusing my authority or Royal connections, Father.”

“I know, little one, and I’m proud of you for that,” Sanguinius said gently. “But I speak of something more…base.” He drew his legs beneath him and knelt facing her, realizing with a pang how slowly she was aging compared to him at the same age; and yet it felt like she had been learning to walk only days ago. “You know of the more depraved aspects of the Warp, of which I have warned you, don’t you?” Sanguinius asked, his tone turning darker.

“I do,” Angela said with a shiver. The stories he had told her of his own battles with the lesser half of existence had been terrifying.

The towering Primarch lifted one hand to his daughter’s cheek. “Little one, please believe me when I say that no impulse or drive you ever feel from your powers should be acted upon,” Sanguinius said slowly. “Do you understand? Daemons and their ilk do not need to appear in the flesh to twist normal desires into service and zealotry.”

Angela’s new senses alerted her to a streak of pure, black hatred running through her father at that moment, and she shuddered against his hand. “I understand, Father,” she said.

Her father finally smiled again. “Do you know,” he said, his tone lightening considerably, “how many strings I’ve had to pull to keep the Sisters from transporting you off to the City for training?”

Angela managed a weak grin. “No.”

“I’ve had to fend off calls from the Adeptus Astra Telepathica perhaps…seven or eight times now,” Sanguinius sighed, sitting back on the grass and gazing up at the sky, and looking nothing like the Angel of Death. “It was only after Magnus personally told them to stay their hands that you and Miranda were saved from the City.”

Angela cocked her head. “Saved?”

“Saved,” Sanguinius said heavily. “Were it not for your parentage, you would both have been…isolated for mutancy.”

Angela shook her head. “Well…thanks, father.”

Sanguinius nodded. “You understand, little one, that this means you will have to be trained by either myself or Brother Magnus, instead,” he cautioned.

His daughter bowed acceptance. “I do. Thank you again,” she said.

The sound of the wind picked up as the breeze fluttered the two Blood Angels’ feathers. Angela shivered as the cold air puckered her arms, and she scooted over to sit where her father was blocking the wind. “Father, as long as we have a moment, may I ask you something about this?” she asked, gesturing broadly at her head.

Sanguinius nodded. “What are the little…lines that hold things together?” Angela asked, struggling with the words. It was all still so new!

“Those…hm. No two psykers see the universe in exactly the same way, you know,” Sanguinius hedged. “If I were to wager…I’d say that they were probably the ties between the Warp and the real world.”

Angela’s eyes unfocussed as the wash of unearthly color over the world swam in and out of her second sight. “It’s…they look fragile,” she said nervously.

“They aren’t,” Sanguinius promised. “It takes something terribly powerful to break them.”

Angela knelt again, this time rubbing her temples. “It’s…hard to see normal things with this Warpsight over everything,” she admitted. “Will it get easier to focus?”

“It will become much easier to focus,” Sanguinius said solemnly. “Simply understand that what your Warpsight allows you to see was always there, it was simply not possible to detect consciously. Your powers will awaken, slowly and, it seems, painfully. But they will clarify your sight. For all that, you had ought to remember: your normal senses are no less important.”

“How do I tell what’s coming in through my Warpsight and what’s real?” Angela asked, waving a hand at the shimmering lights that danced over the world now, lights that just couldn’t really be there.

Her father opened his hand and clenched it again, and as he did, the lights around him faded somewhat. “What you must do is remember, little one: the world of the mortals is fixed and immutable. What is put in place stays there. The Warp is not. Discerning the real from the nonreal will be easy with practice,” he reassured her. “What is difficult is telling the simple Warp illusions from foresight. That is a skill even I have not yet mastered.”

“Really?” Angela asked in surprise. The sky was growing darker yet, and she shivered in her exercise shorts and tank top. The complex fabric ties and folds that accommodated her wings weren’t exactly keeping out the cold.

“I would caution you to avoid relying on anything your Warpsight shows you until you are trained properly, little one,” her father said. He placed his hands on her shoulders as she scooted closer to him on the grass. “Are you feeling better?”

“A bit, yes, thank you,” Angela admitted. “But it’s getting very cold out here. I hate how fast the pseudoweather changes this time of year.”

Sanguinius smiled regretfully. “I will never agree with Father’s decision to make the whole world a macro-hive. I miss what little remained then of the old world. It felt like there was so much to uncover.” He rose to his feet, and Angela did too. “Still. We can discuss this more inside, if you’re uncomfortable.”

“Thanks, Father,” Angela said. At the threshold, however, she paused. Her Warpsight was flaring. “Wait…”

Her father glanced back from the door of the luxurious manor. “What is it?” he asked.

She slowly turned to stare out over the yard. “I…Father, what does it feel like when you’re being watched?”

“I can not truly relate it to you, but…” Sanguinius trailed off as he realized what was happening. “For what it’s worth, you are being watched.”

Angela stared over her shoulder at him. “What?”

Her father gestured to the fence that separated the manor’s yard from the neighbor’s. The neighbor’s son, Michael, was just clambering over it, disregarding the gate between them a mere fifteen feet to his left with a determination that always made Sanguinius roll his eyes. As soon as he landed, he came running. Sanguinius closed the door behind himself as he entered the house, granting his daughter a measure of privacy.

The lanky young noble skidded to a halt in front of the porch, and looked up the few small steps from the ground to the plastic deck. “Hey! Are you alright?” he asked immediately.

“I’m fine, yes, thanks,” Angela said, trying to conceal her shock. Mike’s thoughts and emotions were a roiling cauldron in his physical shell. It was distracting.

“You missed school today!” Mike said worriedly. “Are you sure you’re fine?”

Angela kicked herself mentally. “I’m fine. Really.” She smiled shyly. “Thanks. Um, did I miss anything?”

Mike shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He was much more modestly dressed for the season, with a rather expensive outfit for climbing over fences. Angela flushed a bit as he finally offered her a grin in return. “So did you level up, or whatever?”

“Mike, my brain metamorphosing is not a video game,” Angela giggled.

“But you gain new powers as you acquire experience! That’s pure video game logic!” Mike pointed out.

Angela pretended to ponder the point. “Well, now, that is true,” she admitted. She hesitated. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t make light of it, though, Mike.”

Mike’s face fell. “Sorry. I’m just worried about you.”

Angela felt a completely alien – but energizing – rush of sensations echo through her Warpsight. She ran her hand over her forehead, trying to clear the haze, and an image of Mike sliding his hands around her waist and drawing her into a hug appeared in her mind. She opened her eyes to see Mike simply standing at the base of the porch, looking up at her with concern etched on his face. “Angela?” he asked.

“S-sorry,” Angela said, trying to figure out what had just happened. “I think I saw something.”

Mika shuffled his feet. “Um. Can I, uh, can I come in? It’s getting really cold out here.”

His friend pushed the door open behind her and beckoned him in. “Sure, come in.”

Sanguinius was already upstairs, Angela sensed, but her mother was back from work now too, and was sitting in the study closest to the main door to the manor. Angela elected to just sit inside the door on the thick carpet, sitting on her knees and ankles so her feathers didn’t brush the carpeting. Mike sat across from her on the carpet, sprawling on the floor. He stretched and rubbed his elbows, trying to restore some heat. “How are you not freezing in that outfit?” he asked, gesturing at her minimal attire.

“I was, actually,” Angela admitted. Mike stared at her, then laughed.

“Putting on a brave face?” he asked. “Nice.”

Angela didn’t have anything to say to that. She was too busy watching him change. Where outside his sense in the Warpsight had been a bit tumultuous, now it was quite placid and stable, and the vortex of light in him was symmetrical. He sat up a bit and stretched again, then sank back against the side of a chair. As he did, the vortex barely shimmered, but as he turned to look at her again – and his eyes lingered on her lips – it suddenly flickered unearthly colors. “So, what are you up to this weekend?” he asked, and his vortex shifted colors again. This time it was almost like it was…trying to hide behind itself? Nothing made sense yet.

Angela tsked in frustration. “Uh, just sticking around here, I think,” she said. “I don’t want to be seen in public, if I have another attack.”

Mike nodded glumly, and the tremors of…what? Thought? Emotion? Whatever it was, the tiny ripples in the vortex of light in him dimmed. “Sorry.” The tremors returned, a bit less energetic. “Can I drop by to see how you’re doing?” he asked hopefully.

“Of course, Mike, you can come by whenever you like,” Angela said. The tremors flittered again, and again they were maddeningly different. She sighed aloud at the nonsensical behavior of her new senses.

“Something wrong?” Mike asked, instantly all concern again.

She shrugged angrily. “I just can’t get my senses to line up.”

Mike grimaced. “I wish I could help.” He suddenly looked up at her eyes again, and his vortex lit up with a new color. “Maybe I can.”

“Huh?”

“I know you pretty well, right? And you’re…you know, having trouble seeing what’s going on, right?” Mike asked, excited. “Well…can you just…you know, spend the day with me and focus on that, and let your new…powers I guess, just align themselves on their own?”

Angela stared at him. “Are you…asking me out?”

Mike blinked. “I, uh…huh.” He coughed, blushing. “Guess it did sound that way, didn’t it…” he muttered. “Uh, we don’t have to…”

“Because I’d love to. I have to spend my time doing something other than wondering what the hell is going on around me,” Angela said firmly.

Michael perked up immediately, and his vortex – what was it? His soul? – flickered a whole rainbow of colors. “Great! But, uh, you said you didn’t want to go out in public...” he reminded her.

“We can stay here, then,” Angela said. “If it starts to hurt again, I’ll just talk to Dad and see what he can do.”

“Okay!” Mike beamed. Angela found the flickering of lights in his soul accompanying his sudden euphoria quite a bit less distracting, all of a sudden. Maybe familiarity was the difference after all.

On an impulse, she rose to her knees, waddled over to where her friend was sitting, and squeezed her arms around him in an awkward hug. He stared over her shoulder into the soft white feathers on her wings, stunned.

“Uh, A-Angela?” he managed.

“Sorry, but…I need to see something,” she murmured. He relaxed his shoulders as her frigid skin, still chilly from the icy winds outside, pressed against his bare hands. He reflexively squeezed back, and she flinched in his hands as he brushed the base of her wings.

“Sorry,” he said, desperately hoping she wasn’t paying any attention to him below the waist.

She wasn’t. Her eyes were screwed shut with intense concentration. She was staring into the vortex at the heart of him, trying to map it, to understand it, before it drove her mad. “Mike, I’m sorry I missed class,” she whispered. “I know you were counting on me for the Bio project presentation.”

“Hey, forget it, Morticia was in today, so we had enough people to do the thing,” he said. The faintest taste of the air of the school bio lab brushed her tongue as he said it. Was it a memory? Even as she wondered, the image of her cousin Morticia, gangly and sickeningly thin, appeared. She was reading from a cue card as Mike stood behind her.

Angela gasped in Mike’s ear and threw herself backwards from him. She toppled from her knees and fell onto one hand, bruising her wing on the chair behind her. “Shit!” she managed.

“What? What?” Mike demanded.

“I…I saw into your mind for a minute there,” Angela said. She clapped her hand over her mouth, nearly retching. How perverse had she been? How horribly invasive? “I’m…I’m so sorry,” she said through her hand. “Mike, I’m so sorry!”

“Easy, Angela, I didn’t feel a thing!” Mike said helplessly. “I…you didn’t do anything!”

Angela managed to fight back the impulse to vomit in revulsion. “Mike…was Morticia wearing a green jacket over a white frilly shirt today?” she asked tremulously.

Mike blinked. “Yeah…but you saw her before you went home, didn’t you?”

Angela shook her head again. Her eyes were wide and shaky. “No, Mike. I haven’t seen her in days.” She sank onto her side, sliding her hands over her eyes. “Oh, no, no, no…”

Mike dropped onto his side, trying to make eye contact with her. “Hey, Angela, snap out of it!” he said urgently. “Tell me what’s wrong!”

She buried her face in her hands again, trying not to snap at him. “Mike, please! I just…I just fugging read your mind! That’s…that’s beyond wrong!”

“And you can’t control it!” Mike said, starting to feel a little angry himself now. “Look, I live next door to Lord Primarch Sanguinius! All of my parents’ coworkers are Navigators! I’m used to being around psykers! They can’t even read your mind unless they’re actively trying!”

“I just DID!” Angela bit off, finally glaring at him. Their eyes met-

She saw him standing up and storming out. She saw him staring at her with pained eyes. She saw him lean in and kiss her. She saw him gripping her by the shoulder and trying to shake her loose of her funk. She saw him try to pull her upright. She saw herself reach out and try to slap him.

Her mind spun and twisted with the overlapping and contradictory actions. She choked on a sob. “This is so scary,” she whimpered.

Over half of the possible actions disappeared in an instant. His vortex dimmed. His face-how could she even still see it? – got closer as he hesitantly leaned into her. “Okay. Okay, Angela, stay with me, alright?” he asked. “Just…stay with me.”

“I’m trying,” she said. “I’m so overwhelmed…it’s so frightening…” Tears stained the carpet under her head. “Mike, please don’t leave, alright?”

Mike shook his head. “I wouldn’t.” The number of visions of him leaving instantly narrowed to a few. She squinted her eyes, staring into nothingness beyond him. She tried so hard to see what was coming, but the futures tangled and mixed and tore. Some were grotesque, even violent…his slapping her senseless and leaving forever, and a few of her unleashing her psychic power, and unthinkable things of those natures. Most, however…

Her wings were aching. She had clenched them so tight that the bones were rubbing against each other through the feather and skin. She forced them to relax and tried to see into the visions that soothed her. Specifically, the ones where he stayed, and his manner was gentle and non-judgmental. She stared into them, trying to see which ones had her taking the initiative, and saw one she liked.

She very gradually rose up from the floor, wincing as her bruised hand brushed the ground beneath her. He was beside her in a moment, trying to help, but she distractedly brushed him aside, and to her alarm, some of the more promising visions disappeared.

Angela looked up at him, trying to make eye contact with him again, but as suddenly as switching a lightbulb off, all the visions, all the vortices, all the colors were gone. She blinked, but they had faded away. The little lines that held the world together had faded into nothingness, her father could have been anywhere, and all she could see was a handsome boy with a worried look and outstretched hands.

“Mike…I don’t know anything,” she said heavily. Her powers had faded until the next, no doubt even more agonizing psychic shockwave. She leaned against him as she sat beside her, and buried her face in his shoulder. “I’m so bad at this,” she mumbled.

Mike awkwardly tried to shift her to a position that didn’t have her wings digging into his arms, but she didn’t notice his discomfort. Once he was settled, she silently slid one arm and one wing around his back, pulling him close. “I need to take this one step at a time,” she said. She sounded exhausted, and felt disappointment weighing her down. She looked up at him, tucked into her wing’s crock. “Still on for this weekend?” she asked.

If she had had her Warpsight available, she would seen his vortex flicker a bit, in a way she would have liked. “Sure,” he said gamely. “I’ll be here.”

Angela’s bare shoulders slumped. “Thank you, Mike,” she said quietly. She leaned against his shoulder and let the minutes pass.

==The Trader's Son==
Sport is a war.

Death might be a freak occurrence, injuries might be accidental rather than deliberate and the prize might be a mere trophy, but the act of two teams competing against one another was nothing more than a controlled and stylized form of ritual warfare. That was a truth the ancients had long grasped, and one that was foremost in the mind of Muldorn Pryror as he surveyed the playing field and the opposition.

This was nothing serious, or so the instructors had said. Friendly tryouts. But everyone knew that was a lie. This was a cutthroat contest to sort the wheat from the chaff. And Pryror knew what he was.

Scrumball. In a long-forgotten tongue it was called Rugby, but that was a coarse name bereft of any poetry, artistry or class to Pryror. And it was a sport that deserved those words. A sport where brawn and brains were needed in equal measure. Where speed was as much a weapon as muscle. Where attack and defence needed to be balanced, and psychology counted.

In short, the perfect sport for testing the skills of the young nobles of the Imperium.

Pryror gave a small grin as he eyed his team, each wearing a blue sash. Only the very finest were allowed to study at Imperator High. The cream of the crop of united humanity. Every man on the pitch was a child of perfect genetics and eugenics, brought here to compete. From such competition would the future of the Imperium be forged.

Then his eyes spotted someone across the pitch with a red sash around his chest, and in an instant his grin was replaced with a scowl. The broad chested, sandy haired heir to the Kimball-Carlin dynasty. Not everyone here was up to the standards that should have been the foundation of Imperator High. A few were decidedly subpar. And Carlin was one of those. The grin returned, now with a wolfish edge. He would show him. Pryror would show the upstart what it meant to face the Imperium’s finest.

Pryror was the heir to the Pryror Rogue Trader dynasty, one of the oldest and most venerable of all the many Rogue Trader lineages. His dark skin had a smoky sheen, and his handsome features seemed sculpted by a master craftsman.

It had only been a month since Pryror had started his schooling, and he was still struggling to get used to it. He was the first of his family in over three thousand years to walk on the surface of Terra. It was much changed from the days of his illustrious ancestor, Ras Runako Pryror. Great hives had arisen from the destruction of the Unification Wars, and Imperator High was sited upon one of those, the rather blandly named Hive Tetra in the old Jermanic territories. The hive was a grand statement of the Emperor’s intent, and the schola even more so. Imperator was as grand as one of the great palaces on Terra, an architectural marvel that never failed to fill Pryror with awe.

The Imperator High Sports grounds were just as impressive, over five miles across. Everything from firing ranges and carefully cultivated ‘bush’ areas for wilderness training to more conventional playing fields that were havens for students during the midday lunch breaks were present across the expanse. The towering fastness of the main building loomed over them, spires reaching for the skies. Imperator High was a city in miniature, an entire world unto itself.

A blast of the whistle jolted Pryror back to his senses. The head Coach, a broad man chewing on a cigar called them all over.

“This is a friendly match. I don’t want any groxplay. You can show your skills, but don’t overdo it. Got that?”

“Sir, yes sir!” The students chorused.

The two teams separated, and Pryror’s team gathered around him. He was humbled when they had chosen him as captain, and he was determined not to let them down.

“Men, you all know what to do. Remember, a knife through the flanks is a better move than trying to batter through the centre. Keep on the attack, keep them off balance, keep them on the back foot, and we will secure victory. Got that?”

The chorus of roars was all the answer Pryror needed. These were the sons of planetary governors, noble houses, segmentum megacorp CEOs and other powerful and influential dynasties. They were the best, paragons of the next generation. They would not fail.

The teams formed up, two mirror images facing each other across the field. Pryror was a halfback, in the perfect position to defend or attack. A good place to survey the field and help his fellows if they needed it.

Red team had the ball. He watched as they started moving it up the field, and the fullbacks moved to intercept.

A crowd of students had already gathered on the stands and were watching proceedings. Though Pryror could not make any of them out, a thought stung him. Were they watching from the bleachers? Were the eyes of the most noble, the mightiest, the ones around whom the whole student body revolved like satellites watching this contest? He was not worthy of them. None of the students here were. But they could show that even the merely human could equal their standards.

There he was. His rival. He had the ball. Now Pryror had a chance. He could give the upstart a lesson, a lesson in his own weakness, his own inferiority.

Pryror moved. He had to be fast. He had to hit him before he could pass the ball, or worse, get out of range.
In ancient Merica, they had worn armour while playing scrumball. They weren’t wearing armour here. Pryror collided with, throwing both into the air. The pain of landing was only slightly less than the pain of impact.

As he lay on the ground, his fellow blue team players gathered around him, and Pryror smiled. Now the red team advance was stalled, and they could go on the attack. This was a good start to the game.

In the end, Pryror’s faith in his teammates won out. Blue team won 27 to 20. A close game, a hard-fought game. One in which both sides had played hard. As the coach said, honour had been satisfied all around. Pryror though could not keep a satisfied smirk off his face as the two teams went down the line, shaking hands. An old tradition, a sign of peace among the combatants.
Alex Carlin saw his smirk, and his eyes narrowed. As both sides broke up and the students started walking back to the changing block, Alex gestured him aside.

“What the hell is your problem, Pryror?” Alex asked.

“I would have thought that was obvious,” Pryror replied. “My problem is you.”

“Me?”

“You. Do you know what you are?” Alex just glared at him in reply, until Pryror could not take it any more.

“I’ll tell you. You’re an upstart. Someone who does not deserve to be here.”

“Excuse me?” Alex growled.

“You heard me,” Pryror stated firmly. “Your family got their warrant of trade by sheer accident. Mine was forced into it to pay penance for the crime of fighting the Emperor.” It was an old family story of shame and penance. “My ancestors were nobles of the Mid-Afrik hives, ground under by the Thunder Warriors and given the chance to serve as Rogue Traders to atone for opposing the Emperor. I am the first in four millennia to stand once more on the soil of Terra.” He did not try to hide the pride in his voice.

“You claim that as a virtue?” Alex scoffed. “My family have never been anything but loyal to the Emperor.”

“And what has your family achieved? Over the millennia my family brought dozens of human worlds into the Imperium peacefully and marked dozens for compliance actions. They scouted xenos empires for the Astartes Legions to purge. My family’s wealth came from serving the Imperium, from fighting in the grand struggle, not from grave-robbing dead worlds far from the action.”

“So your wealth came from bleeding compliant worlds dry, right?” Alex said spitefully. “So who’s the more righteous party now?”

Pryror returned his gaze stonily. “My family helped build the Imperium. Yours merely profited from it. Don’t try and equate yourself with me. Your warrant of trade is a mere sham next to mine, and don’t you forget it.”

Pryror could feel a withering gaze from Alex as he turned and headed for the changing block. Let him glower. Alex Carlin would learn his true place. Muldorn Pryror would make sure of that.

== A matter of security ==

Quadriga marshalled his patience. “No, Commissioner, I suspect I have grasped all there is to grasp in your argument,” he said flatly. “There is inadequate personal security at the starport.”

“Inadequate? That was the opposite of my argument!” the Commissioner said irritably. He looked at Skuratova for support, but she just rolled her eyes. “What mechanism of bypass do you anticipate an off-world assassin employing, good Custodian, that a smuggler, a recidivist, or a local troublemaker could not?”

“Whether or not we know every possible avenue of infiltration is impossible to know, Commissioner Ralt,” Quadriga replied. “Therefore, there are avenues of which we are unaware, and must pre-emptively secure.”

Ralt, one of the very few assistants to the Director whom Malcador had not personally hired, rubbed his eyes. Arguing with Quadriga was an exercise in frustration on the best of days. “Kindly do not lecture me like a neophyte, honored Custodian, I’ve been capturing enemies of the Imperium since before the end of the Crusade.” He glared at the table, as that was safer than glaring at a Custodian. “Of course the starport at Albiona Hives is heavily secured, and of course you want to layer more security on anyway to ensure the safe commutes of the Daughters Primarch and their families. As I am attempting to explain, the issue of disruption of local commerce and travel shall clearly be an infrequent one, and therefore not the basis of the starport administrator’s objection.” He tapped his dataslate and brought up a road map that stretched from the starport outside the hive to the larger Albia residential and educational district. “The problem is twofold. The starport can handle infrequent disruption for security reasons. I mean, look at the damn thing, it’s the size of a city! The problem is unscheduled disruption, sir! You served in the Crusade, you know how much logistics can back up when there are unexpected delays.”

“And yet endure the backing up they shall, because the security of the Sub… Daughters is of both higher urgency and greater delicacy than ensuring the hovertrains run on time,” Quadriga said. Gold light glinted from the shoulder designs of his pauldrons as he pointed at the image on the slate’s projector. “Those roads could house an army in rank.”

Skuratova appreciated the brief disruption in Quadriga’s unyieldingly intense scrutiny of her job performance from her subordinate, but now it was her turn to attract his annoyance. “I would hear the second objection, then,” she said lightly.

Quadriga turned his gaze on her long enough for Ralt to catch his breath. He was a lifer, forty five years in the Protective Detail office with under a month of vacation time in the whole span, and ultimately his Commission to Secure the Imperial Household commanded the Treasury plainclothes that shadowed the mortal ‘mothers’ and transhuman Daughters of the Royal Family. “The second objection is my own, actually,” Ralt said. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I suggest we simply put a few plainclothes Treasury agents in with the baggage taxi drivers on the public ramps. We can give them fake name placards, so the passers-by don’t bother them. They can be staring at the Daughters and their parties with no problems, since everybody else will, and nobody will bat an eye. We can even put a few Mechanicus bomb-sniffers in the boots of their cars.”

Skuratova nodded her head. “Hmm. Workable, cheap, unobtrusive. Not a poor suggestion, Ralt.” She turned to Quadriga. “So how does it not measure up?”

“I have voiced no opinion,” Quadriga said curtly.

“I pre-empted it, I suppose. My fault.”

Quadriga glared behind his mask. Mortals. “Yes, in fact,” he ground out. “It is not enough. A few plainclothesmen? What if the enemy employs marksmen, or a mechanical trap on the exit ramp, with no chemical components a bomb-sniffer would find? What good would Treasury covert personnel be if the foe were using a Chem that granted kinetic power, such as Psyk?”

“Well, then, the Daughters’ hundred other mechanisms of security would intercept them,” Ralt pointed out. “There’s no need for you to implement your suggestion. A wall of Custodians between the terminal and the cars is impractical and horribly intrusive.”

“To guard the Royal Household from all possible avenues of harm is our task above all others, Commissioner Ralt,” Quadriga said firmly.

“Yes, I know. I was there when the order was given, nineteen years ago,” Ralt snapped. He felt his ire rising at the Custodian’s presumptuousness. “Quadriga, you suffer from the same ailment that took me twenty years of introspection to overcome. You can’t accept a good idea that isn’t yours.”

Quadriga felt a muscle twitch in his palm. He had had veteran Imperial Army officers discharged for speaking to him in that tone. Before he could vocalize his disgust, however, Ralt pressed on.

“The Emperor’s orders were explicit, and I am following them,” he insisted. He set his hand down on the stone tabletop between them and gestured emphatically at the pile of binders in front of his boss. “Besides, I don’t feel like obstructing the Emperor’s direct plans.”

“Plans?” Quadriga grated. “Kindly inform me of the tasks with which you have been so burdened by His Imperial Majesty of which I remain deeply ignorant.”

“Not ignorant, sir, I didn’t say that,” Ralt said. A moment of hesitation crept up on him as he suddenly realized what he was doing, aided by Skuratova’s wide-eyed stare, but he pressed on. “But the Emperor created the Daughters to serve as the ultimate bridge between the transhuman masters of Humanity during the Crusade and the civilian government of the Imperium after the bulk of the fighting was over. How can they get the kind of… of social connections, life experiences, and education they need to fulfil their role in the Emperor’s master plan if they have to peer past a slab of aurumite at every turn?” He sank back in his chair, feeling deflated. “Just… consider it, that’s all.”

The Custodian sat in silence for a moment. “Your transparent attempt to appeal to my sense of duty is both unconvincing and irrelevant, Commissioner,” Quadriga finally said. It was perhaps not entirely an accurate declaration, but he felt the need to exercise his authority. “Nor do I appreciate your attempt to superimpose your particular interpretation of the Emperor’s will over our collective responsibility.”

Skuratova spoke up. “Why not, though? The Emperor wouldn’t have given the Daughters the appearance of normalcy if he didn’t want them to live as close to normalcy as possible,” she pointed out. “Nor is the Commissioner’s point unfair, honored Custodian. Realistically, it’s just not possible to plan for every variant of approach vector to Their Highnesses, nor is it possible for them to gain the life experiences they want and deserve if we take the measures to obstruct all those vectors we can think of.”

“Their personal preferences are equally irrelevant,” Quadriga stated firmly.

Ralt snorted. “Sure. That’s why the Lord Regent Malcador felt the need to assign them covert bodyguards on top of my people. Because the girls haven’t expressed their unhappiness with a ring of armed guards following them around a thousand times.”

“More, for Furia,” Skuratova chuckled.

Quadriga felt a stab of genuine irritation enter his mind at their flippant tone, although he could tell that he was no longer the subject of their resentment. “Regardless, their safety can’t be ensured through your covert proposals alone,” he pressed.

“I think the point the Commissioner is making, is that it’s literally not feasible to ensure their safety absolutely,” Skuratova said.

“And my proposal will get as close as possible,” Quadriga riposted.

“While making the Daughters all the more motivated to try to escape it later, which surely poses no security risks at all,” Ralt said disgustedly. “We’re talking in circles. Are you overriding my proposal to implement your own despite the drawbacks, or are we doing it my way?”

Quadriga hesitated. Ralt’s remark about the Emperor’s design had struck a chord closer to his mind than he had allowed them to notice. Still, he had his orders, and they were to oversee the implementation of the others’ orders. “No, we shall play things out as you recommend, I think, but there shall be a Custodian present in the terminal for this transit, and that is the end of it,” he said.

Ralt shrugged. “Yes, sir.”

==Roberta's Chess Game==
Roberta looked down at the chess board as she moved a knight forward, her pieces in position to move in for a secure win within five moves come her next move. She could not help but smile, imagining the simple board playing out as a battlefield with her units supporting each other in unison, just as her father had envisioned. Her smile faded somewhat as she remembered what her father had said about feeling too good about one’s victories, something hard to take too seriously considering his own bragging about his “perfect” record. Hypocrisy of the highest order...

She looked up at her opponent, who answered her with a grin. Her eyes followed his hand as it descended upon the board and picking up… wait, what the FUCK was his Queen doing there? How had it slipped past her defenses? How was such a thing even POSSIBLE? She examined the board and saw how her death-trap had been outmaneuvered. The man put down his queen in a position that now shone in its obviousness. Check-mate. How could it have happened? It must have been some tactical ge…

As the man pulled out a large cigar and lit it, Roberta fixed her glasses irritatedly. She cleared her throat.

“Creed.” "Creed..." "CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!"

==A Day With Cora==
===A Morning With Cora===
Cora lazily reached for her alarm; thumbing the switch and opening her eyes. She grinned, she had pre-empted the alarm by five minutes, it was a small victory. She rolled over and considered if fifteen more minutes would be so bad. With a slight frown she dismissed the thought, there was a test today. She stirred herself and sat up on the side of her bed, sliding her feet into her waiting slippers. The first few buttons on her pajama shirt had come undone during the night and her dark hair was only slightly disheveled, she had avoided the worst of bed head. She stood up and shuffled sleepily to her dresser, nudging the backpack on her desk as she passed. The raven charm on its zipper chimed its bell as it swung and she opened her dresser. A quick observation and she weighed her options for today. Deciding quickly she grabbed her selection and walked out of the room, leaving the door half open.

She glanced at few of the pictures as she walked down the hall, mostly of her herself, her dad, and her grandfather and a few with some of the extended family. She tossed her clothes into the bathroom as she passed, letting them land and wait on the sink counter. She walked out into the living room and then into the kitchen. She noted the time and knew her dad would be getting back from his run in ten minutes, she would be ready. Cora hit the brew button on the coffee maker and sparred a glance outside the kitchen window. The morning sunset left a light red hue in the cloudless sky, as the trees in her yard rocked slowly with the wind. She spun her black fluffy slippers on the kitchen floor and walked for the front door. Three feet from it, she heard a thump on the other side and she frowned, it was early. She opened the door and stepped out into the cool morning air. She watched the car of the newspaper boy turn the corner and she pouted, she had been hoping to catch the paper and talk to him a bit. She noticed it seemed a little chilly this morning and she looked down at her fluffy slippers and white and blue striped panties. A small bug was crawling near the paper at her feet and-

She wasn’t wearing her pajama pants.

Her face contorted in an embarrassed grimace and she blushed as she ducked back inside, slamming the door. She was such a dunce, if the newspaper boy would have been on time she considered, she might have died of embarrassment. Small schedule deviations were sometimes blessings in disguise, she thought. She cracked the door open and quickly snatched the paper from the deck floor, scanning to see if anyone had seen. Satisfied none of her neighbors were up, she shut the door and set the paper on the kitchen table. She looked to the clock and lamented that she had lost all her extra time in the incident, but she was still on schedule she knew. She pulled one of the chairs out from the dining room table as she passed, angling it toward the bay window that looked out into her large backyard. She knew how much her dad liked to think as he watched the trees and birds. She allowed herself a moment to enjoy view. She saw a small flock of ravens beginning to form on one off the trees and she smiled. She enjoyed the birds too, she had even had a pet raven when she was younger. He had died two years ago now, she considered and her mood became more sullen. He had been very clever, a trickster to the core, and he had had the most beautiful jet black feathers, with just a hint of a blue hue. She had cried for a week after the accident, her father tried to comfort as best he could. He hated it when she was unhappy and she simply became more sad that she was hurting him.

She let the memory fade leaving the view behind to enter the bathroom. She set the water just as she liked it and quickly undressed, stepping into the shower. She felt relief as the warm water washed over her body and she began to lather up some soap. She thought about this morning’s incident and found herself laughing as she washed herself. She still wasn't sure how she had let herself get caught in such a position, being such an airhead sometimes. Still, a part of her wondered what would of happened had he not come early. He was certainly handsome enough and the few times she had chatted with him, he seemed very nice. She had been wanting to make an impression on him this morning, maybe greeting him in her underwear wouldn't have been such a bad choice? She felt her pulse quickening as she rubbed the soap harder onto her skin. She felt a chill run up her spine and she began to rub herself more delicately, her hand subconsciously wandering lower. She felt it brush against her womanhood followed by a surge of ecstasy. Oh, how it would have been wonderful, she thought, to have gotten a much more special delivery from him. She went to feel again when she heard the front door of the house shut.

“Crap,” she said, surprised. She had gotten distracted, if if her dad was home she was now at least five minutes behind schedule. She quickly considered her options and adjusted plans. She opted to not condition her hair this morning, something she might hate herself for later. It would just have to be, she thought as she quickly rinsed and stepped from the shower. She slipped a fresh pair of panties, black with white frills, on and took a moment to look herself over. Her porcelain skin still gleamed from the shower and she took in her form. She was fit, nicely toned, the product of working out with her dad. She certainly wasn't the most athletic, or very muscular at all, but she certainly didn't have to worry about “the pudge” some of her friends were so frightened of. Her diet and exercise had always been sufficient for her figure and she was glad of it. Her breasts were a healthy C-cup, but she knew her money-maker was her hips, a feature further accentuated by her thin waist. She may not be the most gifted, physically, she allowed, but she knew how to use what she had. She giggled to herself as she brushed her teeth and continued to dress.

She had decided on a mid-length black skirt and loose jacket, with a white button-up shirt underneath. She put on a little make-up; a light dabbing with a subtle rosy blush, too much would be glaringly obvious with her light skin, and just a touch of blue mascara for her eyes. Her lashes had always been sufficiently curly for her taste and she had no vendetta against her eyebrows, making the rest easy. She fixed her raven hair, keeping it short and straight, with a very gentle curve, and placed her bangs in their proper place. She lightly applied her favorite perfume, a gentle cherry blossom scent, and gathered her mess. She fell back to her bedroom, noting with a slight annoyance her pajama pants lying oblivious to sense on the floor beneath the foot of her bed. She tossed her dirty clothes in the hamper and opened her closet. She looked over her various accessories and faced the toughest decision of the morning. She reached for her red scarf, passing over the blue and yellow in favor of a more direct color. She set the scarf on her bed for the moment and went to her jewelry box.

If she were to only have one fault, it would be her love for jewelry. Her collection, though not overly large, was quite impressive she thought. She often fought with herself over putting her allowance toward more jewelry or other, less important, expenses; Jewelry often won. She decided on the silver banded watch her father had given to her on her last birthday and a pair of silver earrings with small blue gems. She felt a little giddy as she put them on and wrapped her scarf around her neck, admiring her completed self in the mirror. She slipped on her shoes and spun theatrically, slipping her lead arm followed by the other into her waiting backpack and grabbed a pile of change from her desktop, dropping it in her coat pocket. She left her room and entered the dining room, smiling as she saw her freshly-showered father relaxing at the table sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper. The flock outside was larger and she considered getting them a treat, but she decided against it. Fat ravens, though adorable, weren't often the fittest of the flock she thought. She walked up to her father and leaned over, kissing his cheek. He looked up from his paper at her and smiled, something she was very happy to see him do.

“Morning, you didn't want to exercise today?” he inquired.

“No, I have a Biology test today, so I needed the rest and focus,” she replied.

“Hmm, good luck with that one,” he said seriously. Neither bothered to hide the fact they were less than brilliant on the subject. Her father had always made sure she was smart when it came to things like math or history, but certain sciences were a weak point for him and he had unintentionally passed it down to his daughter. If she couldn't break a biological principle into chemistry, then into physics, and then into math, it was difficult for her to really appreciate what was going on. “Congratulations on last night by the way, I caught the end of the game on the vox on my way back planetside. I’m very proud of you.”

“Thank you,” she beamed, the volleyball tournament was mostly a local affair and not involved in determining the state championship, but it had a lot of bragging rights between local rivals riding on it. She was the best Wing Spiker on the school volleyball team. While not given the respect of Isis for her captaincy, the lauding of Roberta for her genius ability, or even the awe and mysticism of Freya’s thighs, she was proud to know she was considered the best technical player and their ace in the hole. “Will you be able to come to the district matches next week?”

“I think so,” he smiled, “maybe you’ll be able to celebrate properly after your next win, instead of having a test to worry about.”

“Hopefully!” she laughed, “I should get going, I don't want to be late.”

“I understand, good luck again. I love you.”

“Love you too, daddy!” she said as she walked out the front door. He was certainly in a better mood, she thought. She was almost certain he had gotten into another fight with Horus last night. He had seemed very troubled when he had gotten home, so much so she had let him quietly slip into his room, exchanging only a simple “Good night” before he retired for the evening. She understood though, he was very hurt by the arguing, he always wanted to understand everyone and have them understand him, but it was a tough goal to achieve. She took a last glance at her home and started her walk properly.

All things considered, the distance, pace, and traffic, she could expect to take twenty minutes to reach her school and additional five to become situated at her desk, ready for the test to begin. That is, if she stuck to just walking. As it would happen, she had prepared for a necessary delay. With a determined grin she walked confidently into a bagel shop along her route. An older lady greeted her from the counter and Cora hesitated and began to glance around expectantly. A few silent seconds passed before he appeared.

If she were to have only two faults, if would be jewelry and boys. He was a couple years older than her, working his way through one of the local colleges as a manager at a bagel shop. They had never spoken much, so she didn’t know much more than that, but she knew he was complete cutie and always the gentleman. He walked from out of the bakery in back, with a tired look on his face, but upon seeing here, lit up noticeably. He asked the old lady to take her meal break and she disappeared. Cora was about to say hello and order, like she usually would, when he raised his hand to stop her.

“Pardon me,” he said quietly, “but I can guess you want a whole grain bagel with strawberry cream-cheese and an apple juice box. Am I right?”

She smiled and nodded, unsure if she would be able to speak, rather than just squeal for joy. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the change from her desk, handing it to him without counting, the weight familiar enough for her to know it was correct. He took her change with a flourish, which made her giggle, putting the change into the register and handing her the bag with her purchase in a motion made of equal parts ballet and tango. She managed a thank you, before turning to leave. She spared a glance back and their eyes met, before she giggled again and walked out of the store. She let out a sigh and started to beat herself up for never saying more. She was a frequent customer not only for how good the bagels were, but for him. Maybe she would come up with an excuse to speak to him tomorrow. Perhaps she would “accidentally” leave something of hers there and come to him to help find it. Perhaps, she could simply forget to wear pants again and--

She braced for the shock.

Bounding from behind with a loud shout of “Surprise!” the attacker leapt upon Cora’s back. Cora nearly stumbled forward but, caught her footing and used her momentum to grasp the attackers arm and throw them from her back. Landing in a crouch, with a gentle touch, the attacker turned to Cora, revealing a gleam of anger in their eyes.

“How did you know I was coming?” Kiara said, pouting, her dark hair and skull pendants swinging with the motion of her head.

“Well...” Cora smiled, she straightened her jack and adjusted her scarf. She shielded her eyes and looked toward the sun, licked a finger and tested the air, and stomped on the concrete of the side walk three times. Considering certain atmospheric and geological conditions, the consistency of the sidewalk, and the fact you have, within the last fifteen minutes, woken up late after spending another night out in town I have most the information necessary. Additionally, the fact I counted the steps between here and your house the last time we walked together and factoring in that you never run before 0930 in the morning, I was able to predict your approximate arrival time with an error of plus or minus six seconds. As for your leaping attack, that just comes from playing hide and seek with you for the better part of two decades.”

Kiara looked at Cora with a startled expression, then one of confusion, followed by one of doubt, and lastly, one of suspicion, all within five seconds.

“You heard me,” she asked bluntly, “didn't you?”

“Yes,” Cora smiled, “but only because you let me, right?”

It was Kiara’s turn to smile. They were good friends, similar, yet different in many ways. While Cora was calm and calculating, Kiara was cool and cunning. Their styles were functional opposites, but seemed to compliment eachother . Where Cora was good at school and sports, Kiara was often a loner, preferring to keep middle of the pack approach in academics but she and Cora shared a connection that was special to both of them. They had grown up like sisters and, though their fathers would have little to do with the other, the two were nearly inseparable. Kiara stood up and joined Cora on her walk, which was now thirty seconds behind her calculated schedule.

“So, when are you going to ask him?” Kiara asked.

“Who,” Cora started, “What do you me-”

“I mean that guy your practically stalking. The bagel dude.”

“I am not,” Cora huffed, “Stalking him. I just like the bagels.”

“The sausage too, apparently.”

“Shut up!” Cora playfully pushed Kiara.

“I’m serious! Just ask him.”

“Ask him what!?”

“You know, ‘Do you want to go out with me?’ ‘Blondes or brunettes?’ ‘Do you prefer little boys?’ That kind of stuff.”

“How about ‘Hi! I’m obsessing over you and I know exactly what you do in the privacy of your bedroom every night at 0145.”

“….What does he do?”

“Kiara!” Cora groaned, “I’m being sarcastic. I’m not that obsessive! Well…He closes his curtains way before that at least…”

The two shared a laugh, then Kiara changed the subject.

“Take a look at this!” she said gleefully, holding up her hand. She was holding an obsidian pendant, inlaid with white and red gems in the form of a red eyed skull, on an obviously fine black leather collar. Cora had to stop herself from simply grabbing it, she settled instead for gawking dumbly.

“It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed as she leaned in to look closer at it’s workmanship and quality. It was simply stunning to her senses, so much so she didn’t see the curb, her foot landing awkwardly on the corner. Reacting a split second too late, her other foot shot forward to brace her, crossing her other leg. She fell sideways and directly into Kiara, who yelped in surprise. The two fell backwards, thankfully landing in the grass. Cora took a moment to gain her bearings. From the feeling and sight, it seemed she was on top of Kiara, face first in her breasts. It was soft and warm and smelled of--

She sat up quickly, getting off of Kiara.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Cora apologized.

“It’s alright,” Kiara laughed, she put on a devious smile, “Cherry Blossoms?”

“Cinnamon?” Cora asked, relieved.

The two laughed as the helped each other up. Cora noticed the skull pendant collar on the ground, with thankfully no visible damage.

“I’m so sorry about the pendant, I didn’t mean to-- I can pay to fix it if it’s broken! I didn’t-”

“Don’t worry,”Kiara stopped her, “It’s yours.”

Cora was dumbstruck.

“Don’t stare with your mouth open,” Kiara laughed, “People will think to put something in there.”

Cora snapped out of it, “Do you mean it? What for?”

“It’s a gift, in celebration of your amazingly elite volley-lobbing skills and our friendship!”

“I can’t word right now, but thankful am I.”

“It’s alright, I know how you can be. Just accept it already or we’ll be late to class.”

It dawned on Cora they were standing outside the school, 3 minutes from class time.

“Oh, crap!” Core cursed and bolted for the school door. She stopped before she entered, running back to Kiara. She hugged her and accepted the collar, giving her a peck on the cheek. “Thankyou-thank you-thank you,” she managed before running to her class, Kiara laughing at her panic.

Cora hurried into her classroom and got to her seat without a moment to lose, happily she put on the collar, feeling the cool leather on her neck. It was a perfect fit. Some of the other girls were lost in conversation or cramming last bits of precious information into their head. Cora noted Isis lost in thought and she nudged her elbow.

“It’s time,” Cora said.

“Hmmm?” Isis seemed a thousand miles away before waking up, “Oh.” She stood up and turned to the class. “Class, attention!” The all-girls school was big on formality, something it’s worldly teachers wanted to impart on the students. Isis, being the class leader, was responsible for such things, though everyone had their own way to do things. Cora was just happy to help. There was a general moan, but everyone stood up, as three seconds later the teacher entered.

“Good morning!” The class said in unison, as Morticia stifled a cough.

“Hello, everyone!” The teacher sad happily. “First off congratulations to the volleyball team on their defeat of the Green Tide last night! Freya, Cora you had some amazing combos! Isis and Roberta, splendid performance as always! Everyone else, as well!”

There was a small cheer from the students that cared and were actually paying attention.

“Ugh...Sir?” Freya chanced, putting on her most powerful puppy dog eyes, “In honor of our astounding victory, is there anyway we could cancel the test or at least guarantee a D- for the volleyball team?”

He was unmoved in his cheeriness.

“Unfortunately, Ms. Russ, Tests, like death are inevitable. And some of you seem to have the same amount of control over both!” He said it with a smile, though it did nothing to soften the blow. Freya exaggeratedly let her head fall to her desk with a clunk.

“So screwed…”

Cora checked her desk and retrieved two pencils and a block eraser. She sighed as he began to pass out the tests. She was banking on a decent ratio of problem questions and concept checks over rote memorization of principals. The teacher paused at her desk and she gave him a happy, hopeful look. His face became solemn and he shook his head. He gave her the test and continued on. Cora calmly wrote her name and began to read the first question.

With three words, she calculated her chance of passing to be less than 5 percent.

“Not as planned.”

===Lunch With Cora===
The lunch bell rang and she gave in to defeat. The test had drained her completely and Cora knew she would come up short As disappointing as it was, her mood was further darkened when she realized she was the last student in the room, the rest having long finished and enjoying some free time. With a sigh she turned the test to the front page and verified her name was on it. She inspected her pencils and judged them to be too worn or chewed to be of any future use. Quietly gathering her things, she tried to let her mind drift to happier thoughts, but was brought crashing back to the fact she was now in peril of failing the class overall. Why couldn’t she just study and pass this like any other class? Why was she allowing herself such a dark spot on her, otherwise, clean record? Her melancholy was rising and she felt a small headache coming on. A tear gently rolled down her cheek, which she quickly dried. Fighting back any further tears, she realized it was wasting her time to just stand and stare at her desk. She brushed some eraser shavings into her hand and carried her test to the front of the classroom.

Mr. Bile was dozing at his desk and for a fraction of a moment she considered something underhanded. Cheating wasn’t unheard of here, but still Cora pushed the thought aside. Deciding there was no reason to make it worse than it had to be she attempted to place her test and make a quiet escape before he awoke. Her effort was in vain, no sooner had the test hit the desk then the biology teacher stirred.

“Ah,” he yawned, “Finished at last! How did it go?” His tone was, as ever, cheery and friendly, which seemed to make it all the more demeaning as Cora thought of it. Fearing how she might respond, she simply shook her head and continued to avoid meeting his eyes. Wasn’t it bad enough they replayed this scene nearly every test, she wondered, why does he expect her to change? Dropping the pencils and eraser bits into the trash she started to walk away from his desk, as he started paging through her test.

“I’m sorry,” she managed to say softly, as she placed her hand on the door handle, “I just don’t get it.”

“If you keep this up, we’ll have to take serious action,” he began, “I’m well within in rights to make recommendations. You might have to be suspended from your extra-curricular activities.” His face was no longer friendly, replaced by a serious expression with little empathy in it. Even though she had considered the possibility, the fact it was now being waved at her hit something deep within. She wanted to say how she would show them, that she would improve on her own, no matter the sacrifice and that they didn’t need to punish her. Yet, she felt more tears forming and she turned and left the classroom wordlessly, leaving the heavy atmosphere of the nearly empty room with tears on her cheeks. Fabius Bile was left with the test and set about to grade it. If she didn’t appreciate his warnings, he decided, she would understand the consequences.

Cora opened her locker and leaned inside, allowing her self to sob for a moment longer. Crying was no solution she knew, but it certainly seemed to be the most natural option at the moment. She dabbed her eyes with her sleeve and took a deep breath. Looking into her locker mirror she attempted to regroup herself. Her eyes focused on her pendant collar and she felt her mood turning. Finding a suitable thanks for Kiara would be a challenge, as she was notoriously hard to shop for. The problem swirled in her head as she finally pushed the test to the back of her mind. Improving her mood took a little effort, but Cora was proud that she could. As if on cue, she felt a hand fall on her shoulder. She opened the locker door further and caught the reflection in the mirror.

“Hey, Isis,” Cora smiled, “What’s up?”

“Nothing to much,” Isis said, as she leaned in close behind her. Their eyes caught as each of them looked into the mirror, their faces next to each other. “It seems as though one of my squaddies is having a hard time.” Isis brought her hand up, straightening one of Cora’s bangs and said, “A good captain always should keep up squad morale.”

Cora frowned, she had just gotten over this too.

“I appreciate the offer,” she said, trying to hide her annoyance as she turned from the mirror to look at Isis’ face over her shoulder, “But, you should consider squad morale restored.”
“Until when?” Isis retorted, “Until they kick you off the team a handful of games from our championship?”

Cora felt a bit flush, but realized Isis wasn’t meaning malice. She sighed, “I suppose your right…”

“Come on, let’s discuss things over lunch.”

Cora relented and let herself be led to cafeteria. Being the peak of lunch, it was quite crowded and there was a great deal of activity. Farrah and Hana were having a discussion about gear drive balancers or something, Victoria sat in the middle of her clique, apparently oblivious to Athena trying to get her attention, and then she spotted Freya and Remilia lunching with a few extra seats near them. Isis stepped into the food line and Cora motioned to where she was going to sit. Nodding, Isis turned and cursed something, apparently just realizing how long the line really was. Cora walked over and took a seat next to Freya, enjoying her home made lunch of a sizable magnitude. Despite some of her habitats, including her well known drinking, Freya was a bit of a health nut. Having grown up in a culture of binge drinking and near constant fast food when she was younger, but had taken a bit of a turn when her father went through a mild health crisis. She dove head first into healthier lifestyle, forcing her father to make some changes. How well he followed them was debatable, but he was too much of a softy for her to ever out rightly refuse. Freya took a large bite from a delicious red apple and greeted Cora, with just little apple juice dribbling from the side of her mouth.

“’Sup, Cora? Bomb the test too?” she asked happily, already taking another bite.

“How did you guess?” Cora asked as she sat down and opened her backpack.

“Eh, you seemed a bit more gloomier than your normal gloominess when you got your test.”

“I am not gloomy,” Cora tried to counter, she was more occupied with trying to find her lunch then defending herself.

Remilia chimed in, “That’s a pretty collar, where did you get it?” Freya looked up and tilted her head, before noticing Cora’s neck, apparently just seeing it.

“Oh,” Cora giggled, “It was a gift from Kiara, she practically tackled me this morning to--” With a flash, her mind cut her off mid sentence and transferred her to mere hours ago as she was walking to school. Cora had just anticipated Kiara’s surprise attack and braced herself, one of her reactions being setting the small bag, with bagel lunch inside, carefully out of the way to avoid he foot movement as she flung Kiara with her own momentum. She had never bothered to pick it up. Now she was without a lunch. “Oh, no…” she said dejectedly.

“Not gloomy at all,” Freya quipped. Cora shot Freya a look but realized her eyes were closed. “Here,” she outstretched her hand, “Have an apple!”

Cora felt a bit guilty for having come so close to snapping at her, she was just being personable in her own way. With a short bow she thanked Freya and accepted the apple, realizing she was quite hungry, she guessed the test must of really drained her.

“How are you so happy, you probably failed too, right?”

“It’s just a test, besides, I earned enough extra credit with my ecology project that I can coast the rest of the quarter.”

“What happens then?”

“Then all the sports I care about are over and they really can’t do anything about it,” she said with a proud smile.

“Just enough to not get held back?” Remilia joked, pushing her finished tray to the side and leaning her head on her hand.

“And not an effort more,” Freya concluded, still holding her proud expression.

“I don’t think Freya’s master plan is a good guide for you,” Remilia turned to Cora, “But just remember the team is behind you.”

Cora smiled, “Thanks a lot.”

With her long-awaited lunch in hand, Isis joined the conversation sitting across from Cora.

“And because of that,” Isis said straightly, “We want you to take a break from the team.”

Cora blinked, “What?” Isis’ face was serious and unmoving. She looked to Remilia, who tried diverting her eyes before giving her an empathetic nod. Freya seemed to be as surprised at Cora, albeit the sandwich in her mouth contorting her expression. “You can’t be serious. No way. Unacceptable.”

“It’s not a suggestion.”

“Yes, it is,” Remilia interrupted, with a more competent face. She ignored Isis‘ stare as she continued “The team wants to help you, but you have to be willing to show us you really care.”

“But,” Cora tried, “We’re just now starting the tournaments! I can’t just quit!”

“You don’t have to quit. You can still practice with us on the weekend, so you can keep up and you can support the team other ways. During the week has got to be your study time.”

Cora knew they were just trying to help, but she did not want to just give up, “Who would replace me?”

“We were thinking of moving Petra up--”

“And take away your backup as librero? We’ll be weak in the backcourt!”

“We could always try Furia,” Isis offered.

“She doesn’t play ‘low-contact’ sports, she’ll have a hard time too, because all of our opponents have been really focusing on my side. We need someone with experience--”

“I can make Furia an offer she can’t refuse,” Freya entered, “I could move to your spot, we put Furia in front of me, and the Golden Girl can easily pick up the slack on our side. Besides, it will give each of us a little breathing room from each other and we won’t fight over every volley…as much.”

“See,” Isis said, “We can cover for a few games, but we’ll need you down the stretch. I can’t risk losing you later, but I can compensate for now.”

“And you two,” Freya looked at Remilia and Isis, “When did the ‘team’ decide this? I don’t remember being asked.”

“We said there was a meeting, you said you had a party to get to and it could wait until tomorrow.”

“…Oh,” Freya slumped, “Sorry, Cora, I would of said something to make it easier…”

Cora was deep in thought, this was turning into some kind of day. A part of her wanted to believe it was all joke, another part angry that it had to be planned like some kind of conspiracy behind her back.

“Can I at least practice today?” she asked sadly, “I could kind of use the stress relief.”

“Fine,” Isis said, “but as your captain I want to remind you I’m looking out for the good of you and the team. Beat this problem with us, not against us.”

The school bell rang and lunch was starting to finish, Cora stood up

“Thanks for the apple Freya,” she paused, before looking at the others “And thanks for caring, I know it’s for the best, but I still think it sucks.”

“Noted, see you at practice.”

Cora walked away from the table and threw away her apple core.

Some kind of day.

===Intermission: The Bonds of Metal===
The loading dock door slowly opened out into the bay. With the stealth of a natural hunter, Freya slowly stalked from the shadows inside the school and out into the dimly lit alley. Eyes wide, already adjusting to the light, she scanned slowly as she slinked, searching for her target. There would be no one else out here, she knew, the janitors were all on lunch and any potential interlopers had already been dealt with. No, there would be no one else to watch she thought, as a wolfish grin formed on her face. Even though there was no sign for the moment, it wouldn’t be long--

Freya sniffed the air. Her target was here, no doubt. The familiar smell of the preferred brand, no more than a few yards a way. She silently stepped against a large dumpster in front of her and edged carefully toward the other side. A small orange glow bobbed a bit through the darkness, delicately placed between two fingers of a not-so-delicate woman leaning against the dingy school wall, gazing in the opposite direction. A predatory glint shined in Freya’s eyes, the hunt was at an end and the battle was about to begin. In her head, she checked the plan one last time, reviewing each perfectly thought out step. Who said she couldn’t be brilliant, she thought proudly. The hairs on the back of her neck started to straighten upward and her hands clenched slightly, it was the adrenaline kicking in she knew, confrontation was unavoidable now. She inhaled deeply, quiet as a ghost and she crouched down to prepare.

“What is it, Russ?” Furia asked, still looking emotionless down the alley.

Freya almost fell over as she ducked backward. With her cover blown she would have to alter her perfect plan, no matter though, it would still work. With a quick change in attitude she turned from predator to puppy. She stood and walked happily around the corner separating them.

“Heeeeeey, Furia! What’s goin’ on?!” she asked giddily. Furia didn’t even look in Freya’s direction. A moment of awkward silence passed between them. Realizing the delicacy of the situation, Freya decided to be direct.

With a flash, Freya surged forward off her right leg, her well trained muscles propelling her with great take-off speed directly at Furia. She knew she would have one chance. Snarling, her hand shot for Furia’s face. Furia, realizing the situation, reacted. She turned her head, relatively slowly at least, to dodge the assault and to her satisfaction, Freya’s hand missed her face by two inches. Furia was about to comment when she noticed the absence. Her eyes looked down her nose, her cigarette was missing. Freya grinned, the precious stick in her hand, a shining, transluscent strand of spittle still attaching it to Furia's cracked lips. Furia realized that Freya hadn’t missed at all, she had planned that. Before she could realize anything else, Freya stood upright and flicked the cigarette into a dark, moist corner of the loading dock. The burning end bouncing pitifully before being extinguished by the puddle it landed in.

“You know,” Freya said, her face smiling, eyes shut, and index finger raised, “Smoking is very bad for young girls…”

Perhaps once in the existence of mankind there had lived a certain man, a man who straddled the fine line of genius and insanity. Perhaps this certain man had, in a fit of brilliance or demented delusion, envisioned a level of hell more horrible then any man before him had considered. Every terrible and burning detail was made plain to him in one fleeting moment, to the horror of his consciousness. In that evil place he had created, he found he had also created the master of it, a terrible daemon of sickening feature and unequalled rage and hatred. In that single moment, this man stared into the abyss and the abyss reached out to him. For a reason no one should ever wish to know, the doomed man had created so much terror in his minds eye that the place ceased being imagined and passed the dream divide into the material. As blood tears ran from the crazed man’s eyes, the daemon king of his own creation ripped from him his sanity and consciousness with nothing but it’s hatred and malice of him. If such a rage had ever existed, it was but a bucket to the ocean of hate compared to the anger now building on Furia’s face. Realizing the situation was now on the knife edge of a volcano, Freya revealed her trump card.

“…But metal isn’t!” she cried, withdrawing two paper stubs from her pocket and holding them in front of Furia’s face. For a moment, Furia considered ignoring words and just biting Freya’s hand off…and then the other. That was, until she realized what the stubs were. The killing haze faded from her eyes and her anger was temporarily abated.

“These are tickets to Metaldammerung…” Furia finally said.

“’Metaldammerung: The largest metal event ever conceived, every sound, every style, united in the ultimate metalhead experience!’ I GOTthem for the Nordic guys flying in, even Bjorn is going to be there! But you probably know everyone else who’ll be in attendance, I’d guess…”

“Those sold out in twenty minutes when they started selling. I broke some dude’s legs and he still wouldn’t give them up, cutting bastard…How did you…?”

“Pop’s an old friend of one of the headliners, I think you’re familiar with 13th Company?”

Furia was momentarily taken aback, she loved their sound, they were easily one of her-- The thought died and her anger returned.

“What’s the price or are you just showing off?” Furia spoke with a murderous tone.

“No price,” Freya shook her head, “Just a service.”

Furia stared icily.

“We need a temporary substitution on the volleyball team. I think you’ll do the trick,” Freya said.

“I don’t do non-contact.”

“Not even for tickets? Or for me?”

Furia almost laughed at that one.

“Oh, forgive me for not thinking of your feelings. Dean’s rule too. I can’t play sports where the school will get sued if I get too rough.”
“…woof..” Freya said, defeated, “I guess we’ll have to think of something else.”

“You do that. Leave me alone, before I break you.”

Freya looked gloomy for a moment, before she perked up and held the tickets out again.

“You can have these anyways,” she smiled.

Furia hesitated, “W-What? Why?”

“I was going to give them to you anyway,” Freya tilted her head, “Because I remembered how angry you were when you didn’t get them. Besides, I have a couple for myself still, I just thought you would appreciate it a little more than the other girls I hang out with. I just thought the chance to get something from you in return was too good an idea to pass up, but know I got to do some thinking again. Please, I know you want them.”

Furia took the tickets as Freya beamed another smile. Furia looked at them closely, they were good for the Pit too…

“I accept your apology, but to make this even you owe me a free one.”

“Eh?” Freya looked dumbly, “Oh, I suppose that’s fair…but only if it’s my face.”

“Got it,” Furia said, before unleashing her rage. Her fist connected like a train to a school bus against Freya’s face, sending her reeling backwards. She stumbled a bit as she stood up and tried to shake it off.

“Naht bad…Be happy…I’m…falling down now….” Freya said as she hit the ground face first, apparently unconscious. Furia looked at the tickets and then Freya, her head was probably the hardest thing within a lightyear or nine of Earth, she’d be fine after a nap. She stepped over Freya and walked back into the school, turning at the door, back at Freya.

“…Thanks…”

She left Freya, thankful she hadn't heard and maybe just a little sad she didn't...

===Another morning with Cora (optional sequel)===
As she climbed out of her bed, Cora was eager to do something today, something she hadn’t dared to do for too long: Talking with the cute boy at the bagel shop. To be in time, she had set her alarm some minutes earlier. Everything should work out just as planned. She would walk in, talk to him for a while and then ask him casually if he had any spare time soon.

Nodding to herself in the mirror, she put on a nice black dress to go with a pair of dark blue jeans, and, as it was a bit cold in the morning, her green scarf.

After a shower and her breakfast, she waved her father goodbye and left the black Ravenspire, surrounded by a flock of ravens that were searching for food.

The pallid girl entered the bakery at the planned time, and seeing only the boy, she decided to be straightforward. Yet, somehow her feet weren’t really obeying her, and she walked slowly, with shaking legs, towards her aim.

The young man greeted her, smiling widely, and said: “The same procedure as every day?”

She bit her lip and only managed to say a mumbled “Yeah.”

As he put her order together, Cora slammed her fist on the counter to get her thoughts clear, a bit too hard to be unnoticed by the young man, and he spun on his heel, surprised and confused.

“Um… is there a problem, Miss?”

Realizing how it must have looked, she blushed hard and tried to sink deeper into her scarf, her delicate white face becoming an embarrassed red.

After an extremely uncomfortable moment of awkward silence, she said hastily: “Ohmygod I’msosorry! Ididn’tmean to…”

Seeing Cora shrinking in front of him, the young man walked around the counter and held his hands up before her. “It’s okay, no problem, Miss. How couldn’t I forgive you? Err, I mean… uh…”

Now it was his turn to blush, as Cora could see when she removed her scarf from her face. Letting the meaning of his sentence sink in, she suddenly pulled together all her courage and said: “Well… hi, I… I’m Cora.”

She could see him trying to calm down, as he answered carefully: “Hey, my name is Zacharias… but would you mind calling me Zac?”

She managed a slight smile and extended his hand towards him. “Sure. Pleased to meet you, Zac.”

He nodded and took her hand, breathing an elegant kiss on it. “The pleasure is all mine, Cora.”

Hadn’t she been already head over heels for him before that, she would be right then. To her own surprise, she suddenly stepped towards him and gave him a short kiss on the cheek.
While he looked completely stunned, Cora noticed a knock on the door. As she turned around, she saw Kiara grinning widely through the glass door, causing Cora to turn red again.
Behind her, Zac said: “Well, uh, I guess you have to go...”

She turned around and sighed. “Yeah... my schedule is vicious”, she grinned and tried to shoo Kiara away with a gesticulation, which – of course – didn’t work out.

“But maybe we could meet somewhere outside the shop, maybe go to the cinema?” Zac suggested hesitantly.

With another elegant move, he handed her the bagel and the box of apple juice. He grinned and said: “So I guess that’s on me today. But what about today at eight o’ clock?”

“Well, I live down the street, the huge, black tower... you can’t really miss it”, Cora smiled and couldn’t stop giggling in anticipation.

“Well, until then, milady.” He waved at her as she left the bakery.

“Goodbye!”

Outside, on their way to the school, Kiara said casually: “So you’ve got a date, huh? Hopefully it’s not only because he wants you to stop stalking him.”

“Hey! I am SO not stalking him, you meanie”, Cora pouted. “Besides, don’t talk to me about stalking with YOUR dad, honey.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kiara said, her eyes narrowing.

“Well, there’s this story about some people seeing someone with a bat mask at night in the city...”

“And what about these nightly raids your father does with his friends?”

“Nah, as I asked him about that, he only quoth “Nevermore!” and went away...”

===Yet another morning with Cora===

Cora opened her locker, whistling a cheerful melody, and took out her biology book. No matter how much she hated having that subject, she was too glad to be annoyed about it at the moment. Well, it still itched her that the team had decided that she should learn rather than playing volleyball during the week, but now, she had another activity to make up for it. Finally, she had had a date with Zac, although she had felt the presence of her observers at any time. Oh, this overambitious Kayvaan!

As she looked in the mirror in her locker, she noticed a familiar shape standing behind her, grinning maliciously. Her joyful facial expression changed into a stern look, clearly showing the cunning behind her ice-blue eyes.

“So, the little emo girl finally had a date, huh? And you went to this run-down café named “Eldrad’s Exquisite Establishment” with him? How pathetic,” sneered the girl with the beautiful, cruel face behind her.

Cora turned around, waving her raven hair out of her face. “Well, Miss “I’m so proud of how slutty I am”, not everyone lures innocent guys (and girls) into an expensive-as-hell nightclub, hits on six other people there and finally leaves the date without paying anything.”

Victoria shot Corax’ daughter a disdainful look, turned away and strutted down the floor, mumbling something like “You’re just jealous!”.

Sighing, Cora closed the locker after looking one last time in the mirror. She ducked down, turned around and dodged the attack from behind, lifting her attacker over her against the closed locker door – a rather painful experience, but she knew that Kiara would recover soon.
At first, however, she collided face-first with the metal door, and Cora could hear a muffled “Ow!”.

The Night Hunter girl stood slowly up and wiped the blood from her nose. Still dazed, Kiara grabbed Cora’s shoulder to stand still.

“Damn it! So that’s how you thank me for the collar?”

Cora grinned. “Well, blood diamonds they are...”

Kiara shrugged and said with a much more friendly voice that was filled with curiosity: “So... how was it?! You should have told me this morning already...”

“Sorry, school started later today for me...” Cora interjected.

“... but nevertheless, how was it? I demand to know what happened!” Kiara said in an imperative tone.

The raven haired girl smiled widely and licked her lips. “Well, it sure was delicious; this Mr. Eldrad definitely knows how to cook a thing.”

She winked, seeing Kiara glaring angrily made her continue hastily though.

“He is such a gentleman! I’ve never felt so cared for! Oh...” Cora put her hands against her cheeks and sighed adoringly.

“Eldrad? Really? And I thought he was a scheming dog,” Kiara answered, laughing at her friend.

Cora pouted. “Well, if you don’t want to...”

“TELL IT! NAO!”

“Okay, okay. Fine. So we went to this café, ate cake and talked about this and that. It turned out that he likes the same music as I do! And he was very eager to watch a volleyball match of our team!”

“Now THAT I can imagine, with dozens of round things jumping up and down...” Kiara grinned.

Cora rolled her eyes. “I’m still wondering why I’m telling you anything.”

“Oh, don’t be so whiney, you know how boys are. It’s not like you’ve never... oh, wait a second...” Kiara eyed her friend suspiciously. “You... you never had a boyfriend before?”

Cora shifted and seemed to be embarrassed. “Well... uh... there was this boy in the kindergarten... oh damn it, I never had the courage to do anything! And those guys who asked me out were insensitive pricks!”

Kiara’s face was a mixture of amazement and amusement. “Then you’ll find out soon enough, little princess. But speaking of insensitive pricks...”

She pointed down the hallway, where a bunch of girls walked towards them: Victoria, smiling arrogantly, followed by Petra, Alpharia, Omegan, and Athena.
Fulgrim’s daughter spoke first, looking disgustedly at the blood on Kiara’s palm: “Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt your cutting session, please go on; I won’t disturb you killing yourself.”

She proceeded and left the two girls, while her fellowship shot dismissive glances at Cora and Kiara.

Kiara moaned. “Imbeciles. However, you’ll learn that every white knight is also a macho deep within, the difference is just how good he’s able to hide that. But as I know that Miss Macha and Miss Taldeer work at the café, it seems like he’s pretty good at hiding it. Or you just can’t spot it yet.”

“How can you say such a generalising thing? I...” Cora was interrupted by a loud voice from outside the building, which she recognised in an instant: Only Furia had a voice like a megaphone and anger in every decibel.

The two girls decided to look outside, where Furia definitely was up to something that would get her in trouble – not that she wasn’t used to it.
Outside, besides an impressive white motorbike and a red monster on wheels, stood Furia and Hana, arguing about a little scratch in Hana’s bike.

“Damn you,” she shouted, “I’m totally sure that this scratch wasn’t there before you couldn’t handle your rusty piece of junk and crashed into my baby!”

“That’s a lie, you whiney irritant! You’re just too dumb to realize when you’ve hit something, and now you want to blame it on me!” Furia growled, inhaling deep from her lho-stick.

Hana stepped forward, slapping Furia’s cheek with her fist and said contently: “I realized that I hit you, if that is good enough for you, you choleric barker!”

Suddenly, the air seemed to heat up, and Cora thought that she had heard something snap, like the little rest of self-control Furia had had. Now she clenched her fists and put down her helmet, her eyes narrow and her face a mask of uncontrollable rage.

“That’s enough! You’re so going to regret this!” she yelled, hatred pouring almost visibly out of her.

She stepped forward and hammered her right fist into Hana’s ribcage, making her gasp in pain.

“First, I’ll tear you apart, then I’ll smash your bike to scrap!” Furia yelled, leaping forward again and placing her left fist on Hana’s cheek, sending her sprawling across the muddy ground. She recovered quickly, however, dodging the next blow and kicking the steel toe of her boots against Furia’s leg, which caused her to fold over into the mud as well, cursing rudely. She wiped the dirt off of her face, but there was no time to prepare for the next attack. The biker girl jumped towards Furia, smashing her fists into the short-haired girl’s groin.

“You! Will! Pay! For! This! Scratch!” Hana shouted.

Furia suddenly grabbed Hana’s fists, spun her around and punched her elbow into the leather-clad girl’s back.

“I! Will! Crush! You! And your damned bike, too!” Furia hissed through gritted teeth, foam dripping out of her mouth.

Then, she jumped on Hana, wrestling her to the ground and biting pieces out of Hana’s black leather jacket in frenzy.

Cora stood at the side, her mouth opened, but she was unable to do anything. Somewhere in her mind, she found the idea of two girls wrestling on the ground, ripping off their clothes, strangely arousing. By looking around, she noticed that she probably wasn’t the only one: At least half the boys of the school thought the same way and cheered for Furia or Hana to fight on.

Furia stopped only when Hana managed to land a blow on her chest, rolling down from the biker girl, but taking a fighting stance in an instant, although she was panting heavily. As Hana leaped towards her to punch her in the face, she was abruptly stopped mid-air by a white gauntlet.

“It’s enough, sister. You do not need to embarrass the White Scars further,” Temujin Khan said, his voice calm, but with a scornful undertone.

“Oh come on, man, it just started to get funny. Furia would have beaten the crap out of your sister, Tem,” Ragio, Furia’s brother, shouted, protesting against the end of a good fight. “But you,” he addressed the crowd, “piss off, and don’t stare at my sister, you weaklings!”

Temujin sighed. “Come on, Hana, time to go. There’s still plenty of skull white colour to paint over that scratch.”

Cora looked at Kiara, who just shrugged.

“Well,” Kiara said, “seems like the safety-car ended the rage.”

Cora nodded. “Yeah, that’ll give some penalty points.”

===Practice with Cora===
The rest of the afternoon had passed in haze after the events of the morning and the news that lunch brought. The raven-haired girl looked up into her open gym locker and sighed. She finished tying her sneakers and stood up, adjusting her practice jersey with a few gentle tugs. A quick gaze around the locker room revealed that only a few girls had yet to finish changing, practice would be starting soon. Quickly folding her clothes, she placed them inside and shut the locker door. Cora hurried out the locker room door and jogged out onto the gymnasium floor. Most of the girls had assembled on the far end of the court, while a few were still joking around while they waited. It seemed the cheerleaders were practicing today too, Cora noted, seeing Victoria and the rest in their own training gear stretching near the band section. Cora quietly fell in at the end of the line, no one had yet said anything to her, save for a smile from Freya as she approached.

“Doin’ alright?” the daughter of Russ tempted.

“I’ll be better when we start,” Cora responded, a bit more coldly then she meant. She sighed and then noticed Freya‘s shiner, “Sorry, how did you get that black eye?”

“Eh, I got hit by a Thunder Hawk, I won though-- ANYWAY, Miss Gloomy, you won’t be waiting long, at least,” she said nodding to the top of the nearby bleachers. Had she not known who was there, Cora would of looked. As it was, she simply started stretching.

“LISTEN UP, MAGGOTS,” came the blaring call of the assistant coach, “STRETCH ROUTINE, BEGIN!”

Perhaps not the most subtle of assistant coaches, Kell certainly had the volume to command respect. The old stiff-neck was as unforgiving as he was loud and never seemed to lose any enthusiasm for both faucets of his leadership style. Starkly opposite to Kell was the head coach, who was directly to his left. Since taking over the program, Ursarkar E. Creed had made every state tournament, won numerous championships, and had never failed to make a surprise entrance. As far as Cora could guess, the coach had probably rigged some kind of rappelling gear from the ventilation ducts high above. That, or he had been hiding under an unassuming backpack in the bleachers everyone had failed to see, each was equally likely given the circumstances. Creed cracked his trademark smile as he bit down on a new cigar, unlit for the moment. The two then seated themselves at the top of the bleachers, preferring to watch from the vantage point, Creed always claimed it gave him a tactical edge. For a moment, Cora wondered if the coaches were even aware of her punishment.

Turning to the fore of the gym, Cora noticed Isis had taken her position in front of the team and had begun to call out different stretches for them to copy. Together, the team counted out the familiar motions, they followed the routine to the letter almost everyday with few exceptions. After a short while, the players paired up for more involved stretching. Freya and Cora took turns stretching out the other’s calves and hamstrings. As Freya lied on her back upon the gym floor with one leg raised, Cora pressed it forward gently, noticing that the cheerleaders had started to practice their tumbling. Changing off with Freya, it was Cora’s turn to be stretched. The stretching was feeling very good to Cora, after a rather tense day she felt herself slowly unwinding and the familiarity of the routine was, itself, comforting. The weight on her shoulders seemed to slowly be lifting and she was playing with the idea of just falling asleep there.

A blaring whistle robbed her of any possibility.

“ON THE LINE, MAGGOTS!”

The team stood up and ran to the nearest court line. Another whistle marked the start and each girl immediately began to sprint forward. The cyclic running lasted for about ten minutes when the “last round” whistle blew. Each player redoubled her efforts and tried to make the last run their fastest. Though no slouch, Cora certainly wasn’t the fastest of the team. That title probably went to Angela or Isis, but Roberta was always quick to claim that she was a better distance runner and, if the rumors were true about her toned legs, Freya could run as long as she could stay awake. As the team finished their running for a short breather, the cheerleading squad took the opportunity to run through a new routine, which was rather impressive and completed with only a few minor mistakes. The timing and coordination of all the flips, throws, and jumps was very involved and something Victoria was always very proud to claim as due to her natural ability in the subject. By the look on her face now, however, Victoria seemed quite displeased and berated a few of her squad for their sloppy timing. In truth, Cora could agree with the reasoning, but not with the execution, it just wasn’t the way she would run a squad.

As the break finished, Cora noticed the volleyball nets had finished being erected by a couple of the teams managerial servitors and the girls began to split up into the sections, divided by the more senior and junior players and then further by starters and the rest. The starters would take their places on one side of the net and the others on the opposite, cycling through so the starters always faced relatively fresh opponents. In theory, a starter could be challenged for her spot, but the lineup had been solid since the start of the year, the other girls content to sub in or start when a player was indisposed for a game. Cora had to keep reminding herself not to go to her usually spot, which Freya now took. Furia hadn’t shown, as Cora had expected, honestly, and Petra filled in the open position with Roberta to her left. It certainly wasn’t a weak team without her, Cora calculated, but it wasn’t optimal. Russ was a natural athlete, but she was better up front and Petra was the stronger pairing for Remilia and wasn’t as experienced up close. For all this, it seemed that the coach was at least willing to rubber stamp the lineup, he had hardly even made eye-contact with Cora since practice had begun and she wondered if it was intentional. In the back of her head, she knew what she had to do, even though it would probably do more harm then good.

She had to prove the numbers wrong, the team was far weaker without her, more so than Isis had considered.

The whistle sounded and the scrimmage began. The starters always had the disadvantage and Cora caught the ball passed to her, it was her serve. With a quick wink from Farah and a nod from Venus, she knew she had a solid team of her own, but this was going to take a lot of effort on her part. She quickly glanced over the starters for her first target, settling on the most obvious. Petra was a fine player, but she was the interloper in this sense and was missing her knee pads for some reason. The plan formed in Cora’s head and she immediately put it to action. She tossed the volleyball high and stepped forward jumping to meet it before it had begun to come down. With a hammer blow she sent it rocketing downward over the net and outward toward the line. Petra anticipated, but hesitated, certain it would go wide. The ball slammed the ground a hairs width from the line.

Ace.

A few of the starters traded looks and Petra seemed to realize her mistake. Freya was visibly stirred, her instincts unsure how Petra had let that one go. The ball was returned to Cora and she readied herself. Another leaping hit and the ball, again, soared in Petra’s direction. To her credit, she didn’t hesitate twice, but instead dropped to her knees, a move she would regret, and hit the ball into the net. Petra rubbed her knees as she stood up and Freya fumed, she was showing very little patience for her replacement. As if on cue, Cora watched Freya take a few steps forward, attempting to shore up the deficiency in her eyes. Such was according to plan. The stare on Cora’s face was as cold as Valhallan ice when she lined up and it was directed straight at Petra, who, despite the setbacks, seemed only more determined than ever. Their eyes locked for a moment and Cora repeated the motions again. The ball shot forward, Petra dropped, and Russ moved to back her up, realizing the trap too late. Freya knew the ball would over shoot her and Remilia hadn’t yet noticed her being so far out of position. With trained precision, Freya spun on a dime and dove to keep the ball in play. She reached out, but was mere inches short and the ball bounced off of the court. Petra regained herself and shot a look at Cora, Freya was now visibly miffed. Cora considered another shot, but decided against it, it was better to let Freya stew and keep Petra on her toes. Reverting to a more docile attack stance, the next volley was less hostile, lasting several bouts until Isis finished with a fantastic spike on a perfect set from Angela.

A few points traded back and forth later, Cora had perfected her next plan. Freya was set to serve and Cora knew what was coming. A thunderous blow that could shatter bones sent the sphere hurtling toward the spot between her eyes. Reacting fluidly she deflected the shot high and motioned to Venus, who knew her part. With a set the match of any other person on the team, Venus left the ball hovering lazily near the net. Angela moved to block and Cora charged the net. Angela was, perhaps, the most gifted of any of the girls in terms of sports prowess, Cora would need a bit of luck to pull this off. As it was, she knew Angela was prone to go with her gut instincts more often than she ought and preferred up-front confrontation, Cora was not going to allow this. As Cora jumped to spike, Angela leapt to block, perfectly in the way of the ball’s path. At the last moment Cora did the unexpected, she tapped the ball with her hand upwards, just above Angela’s natural reach. The angelic visage turned to one of agony as he stretched her fingers, only managing to graze the ball on the way past. Isis was sent reeling and only barely managed keep the ball from the ground, but sending it back over the net. A strong hit from Farah followed by another set from Venus and Cora again charged. The starters were off balance, but braced for the impact. Cora spiked the ball and caught Remilia on her off foot, a rare mistake for the defensive star, but one Cora couldn’t pass up. The ball hit the ground. Another point.

Substitutions were called and Cora jogged off the court. A couple of the starters seemed relieved to see her go, a few more than just a bit angry, and one simply stared. Compared to her victory conditions, things were going well enough, she supposed. She toned down her assault but kept the pressure on every time she was called in, scoring a few more points and earning several sour looks. However, her main goal was still left to be achieved.

Isis hadn’t become the team captain by accident. Her abilities were enhanced by natural gifts and trained to a keen edge. Where Cora could count on her finesse, Angela her raw talent, or Freya her athleticism, Isis was a blend of each and, though she wasn’t entirely certain, Cora would not have been surprised if she exceeded each of them. Simply watching Isis play was a learning experience, like watching a sword master dismantle an opponents defenses or an artisan crafting a masterpiece. Her shape, her very movement was beautiful, but not in a classical sense. Certainly, Cora thought, it was the same beauty one might see in a fine blade or bolter, elegant, yet rigid. Beautiful, but deadly. She had yet to be truly bested on the court, her instincts were rarely wrong and she had enough natural ability to cover any mistakes with ease. Thinking very long and hard, Cora locked in to studying her, nearly missing her call to re-enter the game.

The clock on the wall revealed that this would probably be the last volley and Cora’s last chance to complete her mission. The last obstacle would be the greatest she knew. Despite playing solidly for the entire scrimmage, Isis showed no sign of wear, only a light perspiration from her extortions could be seen on her face. She swayed as a predatory animal might before assaulting its prey and her movements were as crisp as ever. Ideas swirling in her head, Cora tried to find an approach that could possibly work. Knowing she didn’t have enough hours in a day to wear Isis out or even enough room to order a lance strike safely, her options were rapidly deteriorating. This was turning out to be more of a mental exercise than a physical one, she chuckled to herself, it was enthralling. After a long day of uncontrolled experiences, this duel of wills was a blessing in disguise. She took her spot, still focused on Isis, as Freya stepped forward to serve. The berserker champion of the team was no more tired than she was when the game began and the serve rocketed toward Cora with all the force of the first. Her mind raced and her body reacted batting the ball into high arch. Venus adjusted her footing and squared off for a set. Venus nodded to Farah who immediately prepared to charge. To Cora’s surprise, Isis reacted. The team captain came forward to the net, abandoning her position to block the inevitable spike and finish the scrimmage on her own note. The iron-fisted spike of Farah was among the most brutally powerful of the team and the captain was allowing no chance for it’s success.

It was then Cora found her answer and, as much as she hated it, she knew it would work.

Bounding off her back foot she charged forward toward the net. As Farah jumped, she was followed shortly by Isis, and, by less than a blink, Cora. The great plan depended on two factors: One, she was faster than Farah, and Two, Isis held Cora’s devotion to the team in high regard. On the first, Cora was almost positive, the second wasn’t as clear, other factors were at play and it was too late to properly guess their effect. The last moments of the scrimmage was a do-or-die scenario, not optimal, but acceptable.

Even as the iron hand of Farah was beginning to descend, Isis knew where the ball was going to go. She knew because she had seen it play out in her mind over and over. Farah was strong, but crude in her form. Perhaps she wouldn’t go as far as to call it simple, but it was predictable. Her hands together and as flat as she could make them, Isis was in the perfect position to block. There were no surprises left, nothing that could change the outcome. All was to her will and soon it would be finished, in her favor. Cora’s little vendetta would fizzle and the captaincy secure an unquestioned. She smiled, it was just the way as it was intended to be.

While thoughts of victory filled Isis’ head, Cora focused only on the ball. The time to strike had come. With a precise impact, Cora knocked Farah aside, the iron hand still descending for the ball. With a lightning fast strike, Cora contacted the ball and gave it forward motion. It was directly beside Isis’ head when the team captain realized she had been out-maneuvered. Never, not in a thousand years, would she have guessed Cora to go to such lengths just to prove her wrong. She watched as Farah’s hand came down hard on Cora’s back and the two fell awkwardly, crashing to the ground. Managing to turn her head from the scene, she saw the impossible. The volleyball impacted the ground exactly where Isis had been standing not five seconds before and bounced away, the other starters as astounded as her. Her own landing was awkward and she stumbled, trying to catch herself, taking another incredulous look to the other side of the net.

Cora hadn’t seen the result, she even missed the look on Isis’ face. The daze of Farah’s hit was still smarting and she tried to help Farah up after regaining her feet. Perhaps the most confused of all, Farah accepted the help and then begrudgingly took her hand away when she began to realize what had happened, so hurt by the act that tears had started to form in her eyes in anger. Cora searched for an apology to say, but was cut short by the end of practice whistle. The team seemed hardly to notice, until they began to walk to the locker in ones and twos. Farah turned and left in anger as Venus chased after her, sparing a look at Cora that seemed to ask “Why?” Isis seemed in a daze and slowly walked to the other side of the gym, sparing not a word to anyone. Roberta was the first to speak to Cora.

“What are you trying to pull?! Do you think you’re special or something?!”

“I just wanted,” Cora started, “to sho-”

“Shut up! Are you a moron or something!? Isis went out of her way for you! Bile wanted you off the team and she stuck her neck out for you! She stopped him from just kicking you off the team outright! She cared enough about you to risk our entire season!”

“’I didn’t know that! She never told me-”

“Do you really think she would!? After all the crap your dad’s went through, after all the fights you two have had, do you think you really would have believed her? On top of all that, you disrespect her and the teams decision and nearly hurt a teammate to do what? To prove you’re good at volleyball? Newsflash, moron: We knew that! Had I been the captain, I would have used you until they removed you from sports entirely, but you know what? Isis should have done the same damn thing for all the crap you pulled today!”

Cora was stunned, she didn’t know how to respond. As Roberta stormed off, Cora was left speechless.

The silence was only barely broken by Coach Creed.

Who was right behind Cora.

The old coach leaned forward and whispered so only she heard, “Do you think you accomplished anything?”

“I don’t know,“ she said. Cora felt tears coming on. The dawning realization that she had made a terrible mistake all the more clear.

“I’ve commanded many armies, coached many teams, mentored many people. Sometimes, the ends justify the means, but rarely does it make the fallout any easier.”

The young girl swallowed hard, almost not realizing the coach was already gone.

“How the crap does he do that?” Freya asked, ducking under the net and approaching Cora.

“I’m sorry…” was all Cora could managed as she looked down at the floor, her tears starting streak her cheeks and falling to the ground.

“Ah, no big deal,” Freya beamed.

“Why aren’t you mad at me?” Cora asked, unbelieving.

“I know you were right about this whole thing sucking. I think it sucks too and, personally, Isis having her feelings hurt doesn’t bug me that much. Farah’s a tough girl, her pride is the only thing that’s hurt, just give her a Baneblade or a Land Raider to play around with and she’ll probably forget the whole thing happened. As for Miss Perfect, she’s just upset the ball hit her in the face, that was funny.”

“You’re wrong, I was wrong…very wrong…” Cora started to cry.

“Come on,” Freya comforted her, placing her arms around Cora, “it’ll be fine.”

Cora embraced Freya and squeezed tightly. Despite her over-simplification of everything, Freya was being truly empathetic and it was very comforting to Cora. She spent another good minute crying before she could compose herself.

“That’s better!” Freya smiled, “I know what you need, how about a good 40k run to relax a bit?”

“Maybe not that far…hey!” was all Cora could manage before Freya started dragging her around the court.

The two ran together for sometime, long after everyone else had left, Cora was sure. To her surprise, it was strangely relaxing, it at least let her mind focus on other things. She felt very at ease around Freya, she was happy to have her close by. It was similar to the way she felt with Kiara or Morticia, but neither of them practiced or played sports with her. Freya had shown her true kindness and friendship in her own special way and Cora was glad to count her as a friend. Cora realized it was getting to be late and she would need to go. Freya was showing no desire to stop and she felt a little bad ducking out before 20k were finished, but she needed a break. She leaned in close to Freya.

“Thank you.”

She split off as Freya continued making laps and jogged for the locker room. She entered to see that locker room was as deserted as she expected, her bag and locker untouched, thankfully. The sound of running water came from the showers, but she expected it had just been left on from the rest. She quietly undressed, removing her practice gear down to her undergarments. It had been a good workout, but a shower was very much in order she giggled to herself. She removed her bra and slipped off her panties, placing them into her gym bag. She was about to grab her hygiene products when she heard the running water abruptly stop. Cora instinctively turned and looked toward the showers. She watched as the door slowly opened and Isis stepped out staring numbly ahead. Cora was instantly struck by her appearance. It wasn’t the first time she had seen one of her teammates naked, but it was usually short and fused with an air of humor or embarrassment. As it was, Isis had little to be embarrassed about. Her still wet body was amazingly perfect, her smooth skin, tan skin unblemished, the well toned legs and arms connected by her thin, flat stomach and shapely breasts and full hips. She seemed to lose herself for a moment before realizing Isis was looking at her and her own pale, exposed body. She felt herself turning red and she reached for her towel on the bench, quickly covering herself. Isis made no comment and began to dry herself, seemingly content to not say a word to Cora.

Her embarrassment was replaced by sadness and Cora felt the urge to say something, anything to her, even if just to try. She searched for words but, again, found herself lacking. Her eyes fell to the floor and she felt like crying again. When she looked up, Isis was in front of her, garbed in only her towel.

“You surprised me,” Isis spoke, not coldly or cynically, but sounding genuinely hurt.

Cora’s mouth trembled, “I’m sorry…I didn’t kno- I didn’t think…”

“I suppose we’re both to blame though, aren’t we? I backed you into a corner and you lashed out in defense. I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing, I just didn’t expect you to do the same.” Isis reached out a placed a soft hand below Cora’s chin, slowly lifting her head to meet her eyes, “There’s a tough girl behind the tears after all.”

Cora felt ashamed and a lone tear slowly drew down her cheek. Isis gently wiped it away and moved a lock of Cora’s hair from her face to behind her ear, gently stroking her head.

“If you’re really sorry,” Isis began, “Study hard. Get help, if you have to. Stop Bile from meddling in things that aren’t his business. If you can do that, I can have you on my team again, we can be a team again.”

Cora felt excited as Isis drew her in and the two embraced. They released each other and Isis began to change as Cora walked to the shower, neither saying another word. By the time she had finished, Cora saw that Isis was long gone. She quickly changed and voxed a short message to Kiara and Morticia.

She needed to unwind from the day’s events and she needed her most trusted friends to do so.

==Racing the Khan==
I was at a bike rally when I first met her. Not one of the big ones, but the kind of local shindig where you can find some really crazy shit. She was riding the biggest, baddest bike I'd ever seen. It had to be a custom job, probably built it herself or had someone she knew really well do it. She was wearing a leather jacket and an expression of absolute confidence, in herself, in her skills, in her machine.

It was beautiful.

I worked up the courage to talk to her and found myself vindicated. She was as cool as she looked, and quite a bit friendlier. She didn't dismiss me and I wasn't TOO intimidated by her. I knew bikes, and actually paid attention to personal hygiene, and that gave me a leg up on almost anyone else there. I complimented her bike, and she offered me a ride.

I won't say she didn't wink when she said it, but I won't say she did.

Two weeks later I'm astride my own bike. Nothing to sneeze at, but not exactly a monster like Hana's. The rumble of the engine is some comfort. Something stable and steady I can focus on to distract myself from my nervousness. Maybe I'm a romantic bastard, but dammit, I wanted to impress her dad. Maybe it's love, who can say?

I'm contemplating my navel like that, when suddenly the fucking KHAN rolls up beside me. If Hana's bike was a monster, his was some kind of eldritch chopper from beyond the abyss. The whole thing looked like someone had taken a single massive engine and bolted a seat to the top and wheels to the bottom. The Khan himself grinned at me and pulled his shades down to get a good look at me. It was only then that I noticed the tiny figure seated behind him as Hana. She grinned too, almost sheepishly. I'd only just put two and two together when the Khan revved his bike's engines, jets of flame spurting forth from it's exhaust pipes as he turned back to the road.

I'd have thought I'd panic. But I set my teeth instead.

"For Hana."

And the race was on.

Needless to say, I lost. But I did keep up, and I even managed to stay on my bike despite the insanity of some of those turns.

I stood up, shakily, ready to hang my head in shame, when I felt a pair of leather-clad arms wrap around my neck, the smell of road-grit and engine oil filling my nose. I looked up into Hana's smiling face (Great emperor she's tall..) and felt a hell of a lot better.

"Not bad." I heard a heavy voice say. "With practice I'd say you'd make a fine enough white scar."

I heard myself thank him, just before he peeled off down the highway and Hana sat in the seat of my bike, patting the seat behind her with a smoldering look in her eye I can still recall perfectly.

And that's when I knew that from then on, everything would be awesome.

==Hints and Suppositions==
Lyra lay sprawled across her desk, staring towards the wall. Her watcher grunted and fumbled with her books beneath the desk, organizing them for her next class. It wasn't unusual to see her sprawled across the desk - despite her fair hair and lack of skulls and chains it was "common knowledge" she was a great deal more emo than Kiara was purported to be.

She was actually staring at Freya, who was doodling idly in one of her textbooks. A surge of some emotion - Lyra did not care to dissect exactly what the contents of that emotion were - made her heart beat faster. Her hand clenched into a fist as she stared at the redhead.

"You know what they say-"
"-about Freya don't you?"

Lyra sat up and looked at the twins. No, that wasn't quite right - they were The Twins.

Lyra glared sullenly at The Twins and waited, but a sidelong glance that gave them an uncanny mirroring of one another was all the response she got. "No, what do they say?" she asked, exasperation finally getting the better of her.

Alpharia grinned wickedly. "They say she fucks like a wolf-"
"-because she fucked a wolf, you know," Omegan finished, her twin's wicked grin presenting itself in stereo across her lips.

Lyra felt the intense blush crawling up her cheeks and setting her ears on fire.

"What, you didn't think any of the boys-"
"-who go to this school could possibly-"
"-manage to catch her interest long enough-"
"-to survive a night in the sack with her?"

Lyra was getting dizzy from looking back and forth between the two short haired students. "Well, it's not like there aren't rumours about you two, you know," she replied, her blush making her snippy. "From what I hear you still sleep....in..." Lyra's eyes had gone wide and she was looking up and behind The Twins, who looked at her in confusion.

A dark shadow had gown behind the twins and they seemed to realize it just as a low, heavy growl emerged from the darkness behind them. They slowly turned, their hands dropping away from each other, but it was too late.

"SHADDUP!" roared Freya, her thick red hair flying as she grabbed the twins by their necks and whipped them around, taking them both off their feet and putting them in individual headlocks, one under each arm. Lyra nearly toppled backwards out of her seat at the whirl of legs and arms as the twins squeaked in dismay. Small, firm hands and a heavy grunt behind her told her her Watcher had caught her balance for her.

"I WOLFING DO NOT WOLF WOLVES!" roared the irate athlete, causing laughter to ripple through the room. The Twins made strangled noises, and Lyra noticed - due largely to their awkward position - that their panties followed the same reversal scheme as the rest of their clothing did. Unlike the glimpse she'd gotten of Freya's panties, there was no surge of....well, whatever it was.

What the hell that meant, she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Bah!" Freya unceremoniously dropped the blue-faced twins, who lay on the floor gasping. "Come on," she muttered at Lyra, who clenched her fists. "Let's go get some coffee before the next class." She growled menacingly at the twins one last time, who looked at each other with wide, bloodshot eyes.

"Nah I think I'll...." she started, and then blinked as Freya turned those dark eyes on her. A flutter went through her chest and she swallowed. "....get something with less caffeine this time" she finished lamely, not willing to risk Freya's anger.

Freya relaxed. "Cool. Hurry up." Freya grabbed her book bag in one hand and slung it over her shoulder, despite the fact it was at least twice the weight of anyone elses in the room. The twins propped themselves up on their elbows and grinned up at Lyra as she stood, her Watcher clambering up onto her shoulder.

Alpharia smirked and lifted her other hand, spreading her pointer and index finger and miming a licking motion between them, while Omegan held an invisible object in her free hand and bobbed her head while pressing her tongue into her cheek rhythmically. Lyra harrumphed and straightened her skirt, her cheeks reddening as she followed the redhead out of the room, hating the fact that she could be teased about everything by anybody and ignore it all...unless it involved her would-be best friend Freya.

She wasn't sure if she hated Freya or liked her, but one thing was for sure - the idea of Freya doing anything like THAT wouldn't be coming out of HER mouth ever. She wasn't suicidal....

==A Day With Dirk==

The blaring alarm roused Cora from her sleep. She yawned and rubbed her eyes before sleepily slipping out of bed to turn it off. No sooner did she switch the alarm off then a shout sounded from across the room followed by a loud slamming noise. "FFFFFFF-" Dirk shouted from his bunk. Cora jumped in shock and swung around. Dirk was sitting on the top bunk and rubbing his head. "Dirk! What's wrong? Are you okay?" She asked, catching her breath and trying to calm herself. He panted and turned to her slowly, his forehead and torso glistened with sweat. Unlike his sister, Dirk was an athletic type. His body was muscular and he was even part of the boxing team. "Wha? Yeah I'm fine. Just a nightmare." He said, rubbing his fingers up his face and through his hair. "What was it about? Was it the same one?" Cora asked as she approached the bed. "Yeah. Same shit, different day." he said, regaining his composure. "Maybe you should talk to dad about it, I think it might help. I'm not trying to pressure you but I'm worried about you." Cora said, genuinely concerned for her brother. "Oh Emperor, not this again. Just leave it alone." Dirk said defensively. "I'm just not sure that it's normal to have a re-occurring dream about mutating into some hulking tentacle monster Dirk!" She retorted. Dirk smiled, reached over the side of the bunk and patted Cora on her head. "I'm fine. I have you to talk to about it. But if we don't move, we're going to be late for school." he lept from the top bunk gracefully.

Cora nodded in agreement and gave Dirk a hug before leaving the room. He looked into the mirror and rubbed his eyes. He took a moment to make faces at himself before heading off to the shower. He spent longer than usual just letting the water hit his face after washing his hair. Physically, Dirk felt pretty invigorated. Mentally, not so much. As he turned off the water, he heard a pounding at the door. "Come on Dirk. They'll be here any minute!" Cora shouted through the door. Finally he sprang to life and hurried out of the shower. Corax was sitting in the living room in his favorite chair, reading as usual. Dirk rushed into his room and threw on his usual attire of black jeans and a matching t-shit. He made sure not to leave behind the wristbands and scarf Cora made for him. More often then not, people harassed him for his sense of style but he was never one to really bother with other's opinions of him, at least not anyone who didn't matter to him. He grabbed an open text book off of his desk and snapped it shut before rushing out into the living room. Cora was already waiting for him. Dirk smiled as Corax looked up from his book.

"Have a good day at school kids. Dirk, you watch out for Cora." He said calmly. "Daaaad! I'm not a helpless little girl you know." Cora protested. "Yeah but you have to worry about all kinds of douchey guys teasing you." Dirk added with a sly smile. Cora turned to him and narrowed her gaze. "What about you!? You have to worry about all those trashy girls." Cora exclaimed. "Nah, I'm not a brain-dead fuck-head. You don't have to worry about me catching anything." Dirk said before bursting into laughter. "DIRK! Watch your language young man! There is no need for those kind of words in my house or anywhere else." Corax interjected, lightly pounding his fist on the arm of his chair. Dirk nodded and wiped the grin off of his face. "Alright dad I'm sorry." Corax stared at Dirk with an angry look on his face. Dirk cleared his throat and gave a goofy smile to try and make his father smile. Corax was not amused.

A horn sounded outside causing Dirk and Cora to turn their heads towards the door. "Dirk hurry up and put your shoes on. That's them!" She commanded urgently. Dirk looked down at his feet and twiddled his bare toes. "Oh yeah, look at that. I thought I was missing something." He said casually. Cora opened the door and waited eagerly for her brother. Dirk placed his text book in between his teeth, grabbed his socks and pulled them on as he hopped towards the door. "La-er da-!" Dirk mumbled as he pulled his sneakers on. He swung himself around in a half-circle to face his sister. The bright light stunned Dirk, causing him to throw up his hand and wait for his eyes to adjust. He stumbled down the cobblestone walkway towards Cora and Kiara's voice. "Yeah I know. Bruce isn't all to happy about it but dad says that we're going to alternate." Kiara explained. Dirk's eyes finally adjusted and revealed Cora leaning on the Curze's car. It was a pretty nice ride. Lots of custom parts and a spiffy dark-blue paint job to boot. It was complete with a knarley looking skull with batwings on the hood and even a vanity plate that read "IMTGDBM" whatever the hell that meant. Bruce had a strange style but Dirk had grown fond of it after spending so much time around him. The two were as close as Cora and Kiara were but shared far less similarities. While Dirk was loud, light-hearted and bold; Bruce was quiet, awkward and more than slightly morbid.

With a jogging start, Dirk slid effortlessly across the freshly waxed hood and landed softly on the other side of the car. "Shotgun!" he exclaimed. "Hey, watch the paint. My dad will kill you if you scratch it." a familiar monotonous voice rang from the back seat. Cora looked at Dirk angrily but couldn't find the right words to shout. Dirk chuckled and opened the passenger's door. "Morning Bruce. Morning Kiara." he said as he slid into the leather seat. Cora slipped quietly into the back next to Bruce. Bruce was your typical pasty emo/goth kid. He only wore dark colors and he was always somber and quiet. He went the whole nine yards with painted nails, eyeliner thicker than his sisters and black wristbands much like Dirk's but with that same winged skull on it made by Kiara. "So Kiara, you're looking awfully beautiful today by the way. Are you single?" Dirk commented. Kiara shook her head and blushed. He'd complimented her every opportunity he got once he discovered that it's cause her pale face to burn a bright red. "Dirk! Stop teasing Kiara!" Cora demanded. Dirk laughed lightly before abruptly being strangled. He chuckled and struggled to break the thin plastic string Bruce had looped around his neck. Dirk chuckled and snapped the string with little effort. "Easy! Easy man. I had a rough night." Dirk said with a chuckle, turning around to face the back seat with a smile. "Nightmares again?" Kiara blurted out. Cora's eyes went wide for a second before she turned away from Dirk awkwardly. "Oops..." Kiara muttered. "Cora. What the shit? You told her?" Dirk asked, slightly peeved. "It... slipped?" she said innocently. Dirk smiled at her and turned back around. "It's cool. So Cora wen are you gonna ask him out?" Although he wasn't facing her, Dirk was grinning wide. "Kiara!" Cora exclaimed embarrassed. "What I never told anyone I swear!" Kiara claimed. "I overheard." Bruce admitted plainly. Cora covered her red face, embarrassed. "Can we please just go. We're gonna be late." Cora suggested.

Kiara put the car into gear and drove down the road, gradually increasing in speed. As a rule of life, Dirk knew that new drivers either drive at snails pace or speed. Apparently Kiara was the latter type. Dirk, Cora and even Bruce held on for dear life. Kiara seemed calm as always as she ran stop-signs and cut of cars. Dirk's life flashed before his eyes as Kiara finally rolled into the school's parking lot and brought the car to a screeching halt. "We're here!" Kiara announced proudly. The car was quiet for a moment. "Sexy" Dirk finally announced before pushing the door open and hopping out. He quickly surveyed the parking lot to see if any one of note was around. Furia and Ragio were in the corner of the lot smoking by the hole in the fence. Primos, Ultimo, Alpharia and Omegan were all chatting near the flagpole, each twin mirroring the next with subtle adjustments and hand movements. Lastly, Freya and Miranda were walking towards the entrance side-by-side. As he surveyed the lot, the rest of the passengers exited the vehicle. Bruce and Dirk leaned against the car and watched the two girls move towards the entrance. The two stopped and Cora turned to her brother. "Dirk! You're going to be late!" She warned. "Don't worry about it. My first period teacher isn't coming in today." He said plainly. "How do you know?" Kiara asked, twirling her finger around a coil of her long dark hair. "Oh I know." Bruce interjected with a grin.

"We'll see you after school then. Don't take to long or we'll leave without you!" Cora said, turning and jogging towards the school's entrance. "Uhm, bye Dirk!" Kiara said with a small wave before chasing after Cora. The two watched their sisters rush off as the warning bell sounded. By now the two sets of twins had disappeared inside and Dirk was alone with Bruce. Furia had also entered the school though it was unlikely she was doing anything scholastic. Ragio had drove off in his hulking truck."Women drivers, no survivors" Dirk commented. "I think you convinced her that she has a crush on you." Bruce said plainly. "I think I've convinced MYSELF that I have a crush on HER." Dirk started. "I don't want your dad to cut me up thought like all her other potential boyfriends though. Plus Cora'd get my dad to brow-beat me until I backed off." He added. Bruce nodded and the two gazed around in a moment of silence, backs to the car. "Plus you just want to sleep with her." Bruce stated. "Fuck yeah I do." Dirk admitted with a slow nod, his scarf blowing a the light gust of wind.

"We better get you inside before you accidentally tan." Dirk said, pushing himself up off the car with a quick jerk of his body. "I don't think I'm capable" Bruce stated. The two entered the school and moved past the main office, stopping in front of the cafeteria. "I think I'm gonna go with a power bar today. What do you want? " Dirk asked, peering into the empty cafeteria. "Nothing for me." Bruce said quietly. "You sure? You don't want an emo potato?" Dirk asked, smiling inwardly. Bruce leered at him silently. "Emo Potato. You know fries...it cuts itself into little wedges...?" Dirk trailed off as Bruce's stare continued. "Fine. I'll meet you in the usual spot during PE. Catcha later Bruce." Dirk said, pushing open the door and entering.

The morning flew by. Dirk's first few classes flew by until PE rolled around. Most of the class was already changed and ready by the time Dirk got into the locker room. "Crap. Late again." He muttered as he hastily changed into his workout cloths; A black muscle-shirt and matching shorts with white stripes going down either side. Dirk strolled into class just as everyone was stretching out and veered towards the dark underside of the bleachers. Casually he leaned against the wall to which they were affixed. "What's shakin'?" Dirk called out quietly. "Not much." Bruce said as he lowered himself from the underbelly silently. "Miranda and Freya have been talking about you." Bruce said quietly, staying in the shadows. "Why do you smell like flowers?" He asked in his usual tone. "What? Oh I had to use Cora's shampoo this morning...Why the fuck are you smelling me dude?" Dirk responded, puzzled. The two shared a long awkward. "How did you do on your test for AP-Bio?" Bruce asked. "Aced it. Can't do better then 100%." Dirk stated, looking out onto the floor and watching his classmates stretch out. "Good. That means I got 100% too. I know I only got the answers to you a few minutes before the test but you were and to memorize them on the spot again." Bruce added. Dirk just nodded in agreement. "Just as goddamn planned." Bruce said with a grin. The two then shared a most excellent brofist.

"Alright. I'm gonna run out there once we start laps. I'll chatcha later Bruce." Dirk said, watching everyone line up. "Bruce?" Dirk called out. He turned back around only to find that he had vanished again. Dirk was used to his strange behavior but he was always impressed at how quickly and quietly Bruce could vanish. "Alright! Get your asses outside and run some laps MAGGOTS!" A loud and booming voice snapped Dirk back to reality. Coach Kharn was always in a bad mood it seemed. There were rumors of the hulking man involving himself in sports just so he had an excuse to throw kids around during wrestling practice or knock the shit out of them as boxing coach. It was probably true. As the students bantered and began walking out onto the field, Dirk wedged himself into the crowd so not to be noticeably late. The ticking of the sprinklers could be head watering the football field in the distance and It was a bit cooler out since a light breeze had whipped up since this morning. Dirk's scarf flapped in the wind as the class trudged out towards the track. He took a deep breath as he stepped from the grass onto the track. He let the majority of his classmates pass by him until he spotted Miranda and Freya walking side by side talking. Dirk smiled slyly to himself, adjusted his scarf and trotted up alongside them.

"Pardon me ladies, I couldn't help but notice that you were enjoying a nice conversation before I rudely interrupted. What's up?" Dirk interrupted with his usual grin. "Oh. Good morning Dirk." Miranda said shyly with a smile, sticking close to Freya. Freya was far less reserved and gave Dirk a hearty pat on the back that caused him to stumble slightly. "Hey Dirk! We we're just talking about you. What a coincidence." She said with a chuckle."Oh yeah? I hope it was something good." He said, subtly winking as he spoke. "No actually. We were discussing how when you found out that Ragio has been harassing her that you were going to kick his ass." Freya said with a more serious look on her face. Dirk's light-hearted smile faded and an angry scowl replaced it. Freya pointed down the track where Kiara and Cora were walking together. Sure enough Ragio was walking besides them, shouting insults and mocking Cora. Dirk wouldn't have cared if it was him but he was never one to sit by and let people bring down his sister. His fists balled up in rage and he began stomping towards Ragio. "Dirk wait. You're going to get yourself hurt" Miranda warned. Dirk was no lightweight and had been in fights before but he knew damn well he was nowhere near as strong as Ragio. Ragio was a powerhouse.

Dirk heard footsteps coming up besides him. He glanced over to see Bruce jogging with him. "Aim for his neck, use your scarf to feint and try and kick sand at him if you're getting pummeled. Kharn won't be able to resist interrupting for too long." Bruce suggested. That's always the way it was. Bruce was always the strategist and Dirk was always the muscle. Sometimes it seemed like Bruce was just pulling the strings but that's the way their whole relationship was. They walked a fine line between friends and tools for each other. Dirk nodded at the suggestion and broke out into full sprint. "Why don't you shut the fuck up emo-bitch and butt out!" Ragio shouted, turning his attention to Kiara. "FIGHT!" A voice echoed from across the field right before Dirk made his opening move. A swift kick to the side of the head sent Ragio stumbling towards off of the track and onto the wet field. He sloppily turned to face his assailant when before throwing his hands up to block a second blow. Ragio slapped Dirk's hand away with ease and delivered a swift left hook of his own to Dirk's torso with such great force that it sent him skidding through the water grass. "Dirk! Don't!" Cora shouted from the sidelines. He shrugged off his sister's protests and remained focused on the fight. Ragio chased after Dirk and delivered a second punch to his mid-section.

Dirk glided along, trying to catch his breath and waiting for Ragio to go for his blowing scarf. Sure enough, Ragio reached forward to yank the scarf but Dirk whipped it away at just the right moment, leaving Ragio wide open to attack. Dirk finally halted himself before lunging forward and slamming his fist into Ragio's neck, robbing him of oxygen and putting him on the defensive. Dirk followed up with a flurry of punches but only found himself hammering against Ragio's massive arms he used to protect himself. By now a crowd of students had gathered at the near edge of the track that encircled the field and were shouting all kinds of random profanities and cheers. Ragio regained his composure and answered Dirk's cheap shot with a vicious strike that caught Dirk right in the mouth and sent him tumbling backwards. No sooner did he roll onto his feet than another blow slammed into his side, forcing him to fall back onto the sandy track. "HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT SHIT BITCH!?" Ragio shouted lept into the air to deliver a lethal knee-drop. The attack failed and instead pounded down into the ground as Dirk rolled away. He was too slow to get however and Ragio began stomping Dirk. He covered himself the best he could but Ragio's kicks struck Dirk's mid-section, arms and even his head once or twice. In desperation, Dirk grabbed a handful of dirt and sand and whipped up a cloud with it as he rolled onto his feet, getting some into Ragio's eyes and blinding him temporarily.

Dirk got in one last good swing before Kharn grabbed him. The final blow knocked Ragio backwards but again failed to take him off of his feet. He was one tough bastard. Khran yanked Dirk back and tossed him back on the ground. Ragio charged but was caught and held back by Kharn. "YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD YOU SUCKER PUNCHING FAGGOT!" Ragio shouted. "GET YOUR ASS INSIDE AND GET CHANGED RAGIO! YOU TOO MAGGOT!" Kharn demanded, shoving Ragio towards the school and pointing at Dirk. Ragio flipped Dirk off and made threatening gestures as he left. "THE REST OF YOU GET THE HELL BACK TO RUNNING!" Kharn roared. General sounds of panic issued form Dirk's classmates before they swiftly dispersed. Dirk sat there for a moment before Cora, Kiara, Freya and Miranda all ran up to see the damage. Dirk spat blood into the sand, staining it red, and ran his fingers on his busted lip.

Now that he was coming down off his adrenaline he was really feeling the pain and soreness from Ragio's punishing blows. Blood ran down from his forehead and his mid section was aching from the punishment. Nothing broken but it sure as hell hurt. "Dirk are you okay?" Cora asked quietly, looking down on her injured brother, tears in her eyes. Freya offered him her hand and laughed. "Damn that was some flashy fighting there Dirk" Dirk's expression changed back to his usual smile before he rolled onto his back and kicked up onto his feet. "Thanks, I try to put on a good show." Dirk proclaimed as he pat Cora on the head, fighting back the urge to show signs of injury. "I'm fine. He's not as strong as he looks." he added. Freya withdrew her hand and punched him in the arm playfully, Miranda hiding behind her. "You're pretty strong looking yourself. You should work out with me some time Dirk. I'll spot you." Freya offered. Dirk laughed and put up his hand in protest. "Maybe. We'll see how long I get suspended for but when I get back, you're on. Now, if you ladies will excuse me." He adjusted his scarf as he spoke and then made extra effort to look dramatic as he walked silently past the girls, back straight and scarf blowing in the light breeze. "Looks like you're hurting." Bruce announced quietly. He was standing in the shadow of the goal post but Dirk managed not to jump in surprise. "Sure am. Don't let anyone know or I'll look about 50% less cool." Dirk said with a grin. "Never do, never will." Bruce responded.

==The Lion and the Fist==

Rogal and Lion elbowed each other hard as they stood near one another, laughing and throwing insults back and forth. Aside from a few other parents and the coach, there were no others around the boxing ring. After a few moments and another elbow, the men parted and moved toward the corners of the ring as their sons approached.

"Alright, Roger," Rogal said as he clapped his hands down on his son's shoulders. "You've been giving it to him good, but you need to keep your hands up! He's been giving you one or two in the gut and then abusing your head. You're a Dorn! You don't take blows like that from anyone!"

At the same time, Lion was holding up a water bottle for his son. "What are you doing in there, Thoreau? He's leaving his head wide open! Before you give me any lip, you have to take advantage of that! Hammer in on him, wait for him to feint and give him the hard south!"

All the while, the boys kept amused smiles on their faces and nodded as their fathers spoke. Simultaneously, they said, "Understood, dad." Both of the huge men grinned and stepped away from the ring as the bell sounded the start of the next round.

Stepping back into the ring, the boys nodded to one another as they stepped back in and laid into each other. Roger landed a few sharp jabs to Thoreau's jaw, dazing the boy. Before he could press, though, it was returned through a hard right hook into his ribs. The blow brought his hands down and Thoreau caught it, bringing his left hand into Roger's temple. He staggered for a moment before losing his balance, hitting the mat hard. Thoreau stood overhead, watching his friend as the coach began to count.

"Roger! Get up, boy! You're not done fighting yet!"

"You obviously don't know your boy then, Rogal! My Thoreau cleaned his clock!"

"Oh really, now? You're going to say that I don't know my own son!?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying!"

The two men continued to shout and fight as Roger slowly made his way back up to his feet as a count of "9" was called.

"Nah. I'm done. Good fight, Thoreau."

==Furia's Failed Date==
"WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER! WHERE ARE YOU HIDING HER!"

The snarling voice of Angron reverberated through the hospital as he crashed through ward after ward, flinging aside those doctors and nurses who dared to stand in his way.

"FURIAAAAA? FURIA? WHERE ARE YOU?"

"I'm here Dad."

Furia leant heavily against the tiled wall, the bandages around her head hiding her shock of hair.

"My God, Furia, what happened to you?"

Angron's voice trembled slightly, the furious anger draining away in shock as he saw his injured daughter. Furia shuffled towards him, eyes watery, and clasped herself around his leg just as she had when she was just a girl.

"Oh Dad... I was out with Si..."

"SO THIS IS HIS FAULT! I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL KIIILLL HIM FOR HURTING YOU! WHERE IS HE?! WHEERE IS HEEEE?!"

"He's through there but Dad, wait! Please!"

Angron was in a killing mood. He wrenched a cleaver like knife from his boot and stalked towards the dark room where his daughter's boyfriend was supposed to be. He kicked the door off its hinges and bellowed a challenge.

"YOU CANNOT HIDE, MAGGOT! I AM ANGRON AND I AM... YOUR... death?"

The room's occupant was mummified in plaster casts. Blood and painkillers were pumped into him from gently beeping machines. Angron's slab like face creased up in confusion until he heard his daughter speak.

"We were coming back from the movies. We got... attacked. These gang guys. Wanted money. Guy hit me over the head with a lead pipe while I was whaling on his friend. When I came to, Si was like this."

She sniffed and wiped her eyes on the hem of her hospital gown.

"The witnesses said he kept trying to protect me. He tried to hold them off, but they were much stronger than him. He wanted to make sure I was OK."

Angron blinked, uneasy at this sudden twist of fate.

"How... is he... is he going to be OK?"

Furia's lip trembled as she tried to hold back the tears, but it was too much. She fell weeping into her father's strong arms.

"They... the doctors... they... they don't kno-o-o-ow!"

Angron stroked his daughters head and murmered to her gently to calm her down. Anyone who did not know him as his daughter did would have been surprised at the gentility of the monstrous man.

As soon as he had soothed his daughter and directed her back to her own room, Angron made his way outside, stopping only to threaten a doctor with disembowelment if the young man he had just seen did not recover. Outside, he reached into his pocket for a mobile phone and slowly punched in a number with his meaty fingers. He was not raging. He was beyond simple anger. He had crossed deep into the levels of calm fury beyond that.

"Is that Kiara? Hi Kiara. Is your Dad there? I need to talk to him urgently."

Kurz put down the phone with exaggerated care. He paused, lost in thought for a moment, and then smiled slightly.

"Kiara?"

"Yeah Dad?"

"Some thing's come up. I have to go to work. Will you be OK on your own?"

"'Course. As if anyone's going to break in after what happened last time."

"Ha. Yeah. Good times."

"Dad... I heard uncle Angron on the phone. He seemed... quiet. Is everything OK?"

The Night Haunter paused uneasily, a razor sharp meathook in hand. He didn't like to involve his daughter in the family business.

"Do you know about a young man named Simon? He's stepping out with Furia, apparently."

"Yeah, a bit. Didn't think he'd be her type, but he seems nice enough. Why?"

"He's in hospital. Furia too. Mugging."

"Oh God."

"Yes. They're not sure if Simon's going to pull through."

There was silence from the den before Kiara spoke again.

"... Dad."

"Yes honey?"

"Don't forget your toolbox."

~Later That Night~

The cinema where Furia and Simon had visited was situated down town. The area had gone downhill in recent years, urban decay and crime claiming an area that had once been fashionable. The muggy, humid night air was alive with the thumping bass of loud music and the distant sound of fights breaking out. From his position in the gloomy shadows of an ally, the Night Haunter could sense a thousand different tastes and sensations on the air, from the pungent perfume dancing about a street walker to the acid tang of vomit pooling in a gutter. He could sense the lingering outlines of where Furia and the boy had been, and the fresh young blood spilled on the pavement. But what most interested him was a single delicate scent that teased his sense like the scent summer flower. Fear. Fear, strong and close.

It was but the work of moments to track down its source. An apartment overlooking the street where the mugging had taken place. The fat man inside had clearly been the witness who had seen what had happened. Kurz adjusted his hat, put down his toolbox, and knocked at the door. A nervous voice called out from inside.

"Who is it?"

"You can think of me as a concerned parent." said the Night Haunter, slipping off his gloves and examining his claw like nails. "I just want to go over the details of an incident you observed earlier tonight."

Behind the door, Kurz heard the sound of shotgun being loaded. He smiled slightly.

"Go away, man! I ain't talking to no pig. Back off. I got rights.."

"Oh, but sir, I'm just a concerned parent. I certainly wouldn't want any police here. I just want a friendly conversation, that's all. Is that really too much to ask? Perhaps if I came in..."

The door burst open as the fat man came blasting out with the shotgun. The corridor was empty. There was no sign that anyone had ever been there. The man relaxed. Then he heard a mocking whisper in his ear.

"Too slow."

~Still Later~

"Angron? Yes. Turns out it was the local pill peddler. They were his clients, apparently. Didn't want the police to get involved, so he was decidedly unhelpful. Hmm? Oh no, he talked to me. Positively babbled. They hole up in an abandoned hotel on first and tenth. You can't miss it... oh of course. Wouldn't miss this for the world. You go on ahead, I'll catch up. A few loose ends to tie up."

The night haunter snapped the phone shut and returned to his task.

"Where were we... ah yes, we were discussing your future. Tell me... do you remember those old anti-drug messages? They weren't very effective, were they?"

Kurz positioned the nail and raised the huge mallet in his hand.

"You, on the other hand, are going to be a much, much better spokesman. You see, if thing I've learned as a parent it's that if you can't set a good example..."

Kurz snarled and brought the hammer came down with a sickening crunch.

"...you can serve as a terrible warning."

~Meanwhile~

In the hospital day room Vulkan and Guiliman sat in front of a flickering television in chairs designed for much smaller men. Guiliman sipped water, the plastic cup seeming comically tiny in his hand. They had been discussing their niece and her boyfriend.

"How is he?"

"Hard to say." shrugged Vulkan. "The doctors aren't telling us anything. It's serious though. The parents have agreed to let Magnus try and reach him. They wouldn't do that unless there was something very wrong."

"Oh no. Poor boy. How's Furia taken the news?"

"Not well. Most of the girls are with her now, or on their way. Lorgar and Athena are in the Chapel, praying for the boy with his mother and father. They feel they can be of more use there."

"We're such a close family."

Vulkan shrugged again.

"It's the right thing to do, Roboute. It shouldn't matter if they're family, we should care for all who fall protecting the innocent"

"I suppose so. On that subject of family, where's Angron?. It's not right to leave his daughter's side at a time like this. Why, if it was Roberta... well, suffice it to say that I would not leave her side for an instant."

Vulkan shifted uncomfortably.

"I... am not sure. Furia says he was here, but he left again. I believe Horus is trying to track him down. You know Angron. He can't stand sitting still."

"Hah! Yes, I can believe that. Probably got bored and wandered off, the brute."

Vulkan said nothing. He suspected he knew exactly what Angron was doing, but the less Guilliman knew of his whereabouts the better. He didn't approve of his brother's methods, but he knew for damn sure he wasn't going to let Guiliman interfere.

"I'm going to find Dorn, help him repair the damage our dear brother caused. Perturabo said he was going to do it, but he had to leave suddenly. You coming?"

"Sure. Least I can do, under the circumstances."

Magnus the Red loomed next to the bed as still as a statue, his hand resting on the bandaged forehead of the boy lying there. To a casual observer nothing appeared to be happening, but the thin patina of frost forming on the metal bedstead spoke otherwise. The Cyclops' hidden might was focussed entirely upon the frail figure before him, a last desperate attempt to rekindle the soul of the child that had almost given his life for his niece's. He was failing. Simon was dying.

Magnus drew himself together and probed deeper. He would not be denied this. He would combat this threat at close quarters. Closing his eyes, the Sorcerer reached out with his astral form and touched the flickering soul of the boy.

Magnus reopened his eyes. The hospital room had disappeared, to be replaced by a twisted and distorted parody of a city street. The sky above boiled as lightning shot clouds scudded high above, red tinted stormlight casting too-long shadows. Across the street a neon lit cinema sign flickered intermittently, advertising a series of violent films. Magnus realised that this must have been the place where Simon and Furia had been attacked, seen through the warped memories of someone who had suffered terribly there.

The psyker was jolted from his reverie by a whispering voice.

"Who are you? You don't belong here."

Magnus turned, but saw nothing. He spoke gently.

"Spirit... my name is Magnus. I'm here to help."

The ghostly voice laughed softly.

"Too late for that. See the shadows?"

The furthest ends of the street were now completely dark., crawling shadows climbing slowly up buildings and shrouding them in cold darkness.

"They will be here soon. They couldn't kill them before, so they came back."

"Kill who, spirit?"

"Those two"

At these words, the door to the cinema collapsed into a fine dust that blew away on an ethereal wind. From the darkness stepped Furia and Simon. But just as the street appeared differently here, so too did they. Simon appeared smaller than he did in real life, his features obscured and hard to see, as though hidden by thick fog. By contrast, Furia glowed with red light, somehow more real than anything else here. She looked taller and stronger than she truly did, and more beautiful too. The scars and imperfections that marred her face had melted away, and her smile was not the irritating smirk that Magnus was used to but a beaming grin that lit up her whole face. As he strode towards the couple, the voice spoke in his ear.

"Young love. He sees her as so much more than what others do. An ideal. She does not truly feel the same way."

For a moment Magnus caught a glimpse of another face beneath the smiling countenance of the girl, one marked by irritation and boredom.

"Spirit, you know more of this than I do. How did this all come to pass? How did these two come together?"

The voice sighed.

"He has long held feelings for the girl. They are of the same age, and of the same class, but she has only recently noticed him. She was failing her assignments, he was tutoring her. She sees this as some kind of reward for his services. He sees it as a date. He will soon tell her how he feels. She will soon laugh. And then..."
"What spirit? What then?"

"It ends."

On the top floor of the hospital, Perturabo heard the voice of his daughter.

"Dad, people are beginning to ask where you are- why are you building a large bore artillery piece?"

"Because I was asked to by your Uncle Angron, Petra. That is all you need to know." he said impassively.

"Oh."

Perturabo worked steadily for another few minutes before becoming aware that the girl had not left.

"Do you require anything else of me, daughter?"

"No, I just... never mind."

"Speak. Whatever it is you wish to say is clearly important enough for you to waste your time and mine."

"I just wanted to ask if I could help, that was all. But don't worry about it, I'll go back downstairs."

Petra was just about to close the door again when she heard the Iron Warrior speak.

"There is a welding torch in the case over there. Lock that door and come make use of it, please."

"Yes, Father!"

------

The Astoria Plaza hotel had seen better days. Once a jewel of a building, its façade of white marble gleaming white and its legions of staff oiling through polished halls with industrious pride, it now squatted in the decaying wasteland of the downtown area. Its magnificent windows were boarded shut and covered with metal grates, its doors barred and its walls covered in gang signs and years of graffiti. Where the rich and powerful had once rested in well-appointed rooms, the gang members of the Six Points Squad lurked. The location gave them a perfect stronghold from which to rule this neighbourhood. It's only working entrance was heavily secured, and a glimpse through the barred windows into what had been the lobby revealed a killing ground designed to halt a frontal assault in its tracks.

Angron contemplated the building in front of him from a position in the shadows. He had seen the gang assemble for the night, heard the pounding beat of music and raucous voices singing and shouting and smelt the mixed aromas of fried food and strong liquor. Bright light shined from an upper room through the boarded windows. The thugs were enjoying themselves, secure in the knowledge that they were safe. They believed that they were untouchable. They were wrong.

Angron nodded to himself as he finally decided upon a plan. Few of his brothers would credit the berserker with tactical nuance, refusing to see him as anything more than a crude brute. What they failed to realise was that Angron's simplicity was not stupidity. It was directness. It was efficiency. It was homicidal bravery. Only those who were afraid that they might fail bothered to sneak and hide. A true warrior faced his enemies head on. Angron stepped forward, roared a challenge at the top of his lungs and hefted a parked car into the air. With the guided precision an orbital strike, the vehicle arced through the air towards the upper floor, tearing through glass, metal and concrete as though it were little more than cardboard. While the building's inhabitants screamed and shouted in alarm, Angron charged forward and began to climb up the wall towards the hole he had made. The assault had begun.

------

In the mind of a boy named Simon, Magnus the Red also prepared for battle. The encroaching darkness oozed against fine filigreed walls of frosty white psychic energy, a magical cage of light to hold it at bay long enough for the cyclops to ready himself. The astral spectres of Furia and Simon, memories drawn from events that occurred only hours ago, ignored him completely, engrossed as they were in a pantomime of a conversation.

As Magnus sat on the grey steps behind them, meditating and focussing his energy, the whispery voice came to him.

"Why are you doing this? The ending is already written. There is nothing that can be done. These events are mere shadows of what has been already seen and done. Choices were made that can never be unmade. There is no hope."

"Wrong." growled the psyker. "There is always hope. The future is not written. I know it. I know I can save him."

"Words. They mean nothing. And your walls are already breaking."

Magnus felt rather than saw the hammering blows that assailed his defences. Their delicate, frost -like patterns pulsed and glowed as something beat against them. Although the murky shadows denied him the sight of his enemies, he caught glimpses of the foe with his witch sight - cold eyes glinting with baleful intent, the flash of an absurdly sharp knife as it struck the walls holding it back.

"Red Man, this is the boy's nemesis. You cannot fight his fate. This is not your battle. Sooner or later, you will have to realise this."

"Spirit, while I draw breath, I shall not allow this child to die. The doom that comes for him is conjured by his own mind, by his feelings of despair and failure. He can overcome them. He MUST overcome them."

Magnus stood and raised his hands, summoning baleful blue fire that burned cold around his fingers.

"And I will show him how."

Magnus lowered his defences and charged at the surging shadows.

------

"Ohshiohshiohshiohshiohshiiiiiiiiii!"

Kaz squealed as he fled down the halls away from the devastation. Only twenty minutes ago it had been a perfect night. They had all the drugs, loose women, and, thanks to the mugging of some teenagers earlier that evening, the money to make the night go with bang.

Then the explosion happened. The screams began. Kaz had been in his room entertaining some woman he had picked up in a bar somewhere when he heard the first blast, and the shouts of the first men on the scene. He could remember struggling into his clothes and tumbling after them half-dressed. He heard again Zack shouting something about a car and fires and the horrible gurgling shriek that marked the end of his life. Over and over again he saw himself coming to the blasted threshold of the door and seeing through the smoke and flames the enormous monster seizing his friend, lifting it above its head and tearing him in half. As the blood and viscera rained down upon it, the creature's eyes met Kaz's. In their yellow orbs Kaz saw his death. He had run, not even attempting to fire upon it. Whatever the creature was could not be stopped by mundane weapons.

That hadn't stopped his gang mates from trying though. The sound of gunfire and more screams echoed around the building, as well as the savage roars of the maddened beast charging at its attackers. It was unstoppable. Kaz knew it. His only hope lay in flight. A few people had already tried to leave via the main exit, but had found it blocked from the outside by an iron bar far too large for a man to lift pressed against it. As they had pounded against it, desperate to escape their doom, the monster had come for them. Kaz had heard it coming and had hurled himself into a dark corner, trying with all his might not to breathe out. He was sure that the giant figure had spotted him, but it had carried on past him, swinging an axe with practiced ease as it walked almost casually towards its prey. The men and women at the door had screamed and tried to run, but it was no use. The giant was upon them, hacking, slashing and tearing through them like a hurricane filled with razorblades. Arterial blood sprayed everywhere, painting the walls and floor with sticky crimson gore, the defences that they had erected to keep intruders out now serving to pen them in with their nemesis. The giant had shouted as he murdered them, the booming sound carrying over the slaughter and the gurgles of the dying, crying over and over words that sounded almost distressed.

"YOU DID THIS! YOU HURT HER! YOU WILL DIE! YOU WILL ALL DIE FOR THIS!"

Kaz could not imagine anything that his gang could have done to earn the ire of this beast, and did not intend to stay long enough to find out exactly what it meant. He had a plan. Fleeing through the old service corridors away from the sounds of combat, he headed downwards. There was a back door in what had been the hotel's kitchen. Kaz had been assigned to bar it shut, but he had never bothered to finish the job. It hadn't seemed likely that it would ever be a problem. Now, as he ran full pelt through grimy passageways thick with dust, his feet skidding across the wood, he was thankful for his indolence. It was perhaps the only thing that would save him now.

In moments he was on the threshold. He grappled with the door, frantically turning the lock and pulling at the deadbolt. He could hear something coming closer and closer behind him, the roar of the beast accompanied by the regular crash of exploding mortar. The monster was nearly upon him.
"Please!" he screamed as he wrenched at the handle. "Please, for the love of God open!"

With a shuddering jolt, the door slammed free and Kaz stumbled forwards onto the night. He tried to get up, but in some dimly understood part of his brain, the young man realised something was very wrong. The rank smell of blood was even stronger out here than it was inside, and the pools of gutter water gleamed scarlet in the fluorescent orange city light. Before he could so much as scream, a huge, dark shadow that eclipsed the light loomed over him. With snakelike speed he was hoisted into the air and brought face to face with a creature from his darkest nightmares. As his overworked heart finally gave out, the ganger just had time to hear a mouth full of sharp teeth whisper into his ear

"Boo."

----

Magnus the Red fought in the centre of a howling vortex of psychic energy, his curving sword cutting through the shadowy figures emerging from the swirling darkness. It was an impossible battle. The darkness oozed around him, the amorphous shapes clinging to the memory of the street and forming and reforming as he cut through them. Every ward he threw up was broken or methodically worked around, and even with his prodigious strength at arms, small clawed hands still managed to strike at him. Magnus himself being forced back, ever closer to the two ghostly figures of Furia and Simon. With every step back, the dark creatures harassing him grew stronger and more solid, drawing together to form the shapes of men in heavy coats, clubs dragging behind them. From beneath hooded tops, small white eyes filled with horrible purpose stared unblinking through Magnus at Furia and Simon. Magnus struck at them again and again, but the advance of the shadow creatures seemed inevitable. As another of his blows was thrown aside by length of pipe that seemed to be becoming more real with every passing second, Magnus snarled in anger.

"This is unnatural! These creatures do not belong here!"

"They are his personal demons, warrior. I told you this. Whether they were always here or only appeared after he fought and lost is irrelevant. They have come for him. Why do you delay the inevitable?"

"More importantly, why do you seek to stop me, spirit? Are you with them? Are you responsible for this? Show yourself!"

The whispering voice ignored Magnus.

"Look behind you, warrior. The memories play out. The past becomes the present."

Magnus punched the closest shadow as hard as he could in its hooded face and risked a glance behind him. The conversation between Furia and Simon seemed to be becoming more animated. The irritable face of the girl that the Cyclops recognised appeared on the doll like figure that stood before Simon, and the voices of the teenagers began to be heard growing ever louder. An argument seemed to be in progress.

"What? You and me? Get real."

"But... what about tonight? I thought we-"

"Listen, I was just repaying your favour, alright? I was just trying to be nice. Didn't think you'd have any stupid ideas about this being a date. "

"I... I..."

The memory of Furia scoffed and spat on the grey pavement, the angelic veil evaporating to reveal the girl as she looked in the real world, flushed and angry.

"Look at you. Are you going to cry? Please. As if a weakling like you stood a chance with me."

"I am not a weakling!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it. Go on. Hit me."

"What? I'm not going to fight you."

"Pfft. Coward. Won't even fight a giiiiirrrrl."

"I am not a coward! I'm not going to fight you because... because..."

"Go on, say it." sneered Furia. "Because woo wuv me!"

The gathering shadows wrapped themselves around the couple, draining all colour from the scene, while the figures continued to argue obliviously.

"NO! I... I.... I'm not going to because I like you! I thought there was more to you than just... just violence! You're not the dumb bully they say you are!"

"Who says I'm dumb? It's gotta be Big Berta..."

"Look, no, I mean...fine. Maybe I was wrong."

"Yeah." said the memory of Furia, a note of sadness breaking through the anger. "Maybe you were."

As the girl padded away, the shadows detached themselves from their hiding places and followed her, becoming more solid with every second until they had formed into hulking, night-black figures. Magnus glanced at the shade of Simon shaking and spluttering on the steps, confused as to why his demons had not attacked, but the sound of grating voices speaking in harmony drew his eyes back to the figure of his niece. As one, the dark creatures began to harass the girl.

"HEY GIRL. HEY RED. WHERE ARE YOU GOING RED. COME BACK. WE JUST WANT TO TALK."

"Back off."

"COME ON, DON'T BE LIKE THAT RED. A LITTLE RESPECT DIDN'T HURT NOBODY. "

"Get out of my face."

"OR WHAT?"

"Or this happens"

Furia's fist arced around and slammed into the face of one of the creatures, the inky matter splashing apart before it was reabsorbed by its fellows.

"OOH. FIGHT. FIGHT. FIGHT. FIGHT."

The creatures attacked as one, the distinct shapes of individual thugs melting into one another in a shifting mass of dark limbs and grinning teeth. Furia fought well, but her blows did little damage, the mass of the emergent creature shifting and swirling about her. First one shadowy tendril struck her, and then another and another. The girl was forced back, but refused to give up, lunging forward with murder in her eyes. But she was not the warrior her father was. She was struck from behind and tumbled to the ground. The dark entity engulfed her like an ocean wave and she was soon lost from sight in the mass.

As Magnus moved to intervene, the shade of Simon howled and charged past him.

"Leave her alone!"

The creature (or was it creatures?) shifted and looked at the boy with dozens of half-formed eyes, grinning teeth emerging from the smoky darkness to smile menacingly. Magnus knew that this was the pivotal moment, the moment this entire dream quest had been building to. The boy faced his own demons, the manifestations of his own guilt and despair for being unable to save his friend, but alone he would surely fall. Alone he was powerless to resist. He needed help. He needed allies.

Magnus the Red pulled the strands of his power together and sent out a single message into the aether as he charged forward. Two words with enough force behind them to register to even the bluntest mind.

FURIA. COME.

----

The remaining gangbangers ran screaming toward the top floor. Only three had survived the events of the night so far, among them the leader, a man named Wayne. Wayne had been busy getting drunk when the screaming had first started, but had sobered up with lightning speed when he saw the blood.

It had been awful. Nothing had prepared him for the scene of carnage which he had found in the now deserted state room. Some had died when a car had somehow crashed through the windowed facade of the upper room, their bodies instantly pulped by the hurtling metal and the jagged spears of broken glass. They were, perhaps, the lucky ones. The survivors had been torn apart as though by a frenzied animal, blood and gore spattering the decaying plaster of the walls. Someone had been able to fire off a shot from their pistol - the weapon had been crushed through the man's chest. The beast that had done this had then slunk off deeper into the building leaving a wide trail of blood and viscera.

As Wayne stumbled away from the horror, his terrified mind filled only with the thought of escape, the laughter began. Soft at first, but growing louder by the moment, the sinister chuckling seemed to come from all directions at once, a rough, ugly sound that no human throat could possibly have produced. The laughter was soon joined by a delicate scraping noise dancing just at the edge of perception, the sound of a long knife brushing delicately across concrete.

Wayne had fled upstairs, away from the screaming, away from the mad laughter. He had rallied a few of his men on the way, the small group dazed and confused by the sudden attack. Two had been sent back the way he had come, and told to shoot anything that moved. They barely had time to scream before they were attacked, but Wayne didn't care. Escape was the only thing on his mind. Perhaps if he could get onto the roof, he could somehow get away! Only one more flight of stairs to climb and he was free! As if sensing the flicker of hope blazing in his heart, the building echoed to the bestial roar of the monster. Wayne shrieked and shoved the gang members with him out of the way, knocking them to the hard floor in his panic.

"No! They won't get me! They won't!"

Wayne didn't listen to their howls of pain and betrayal as he burst through the skylight door, bracing it shut with a beam of rotting wood. It wouldn't hold for long, but if he was lucky it wouldn't have to. The edge of the roof was so tantalisingly close, and beyond it was a wrought iron fire escape. He could do it! He could escape this nightmare!

It was at this point Angron came through the floor. Exploding through the aging concrete and timber as though it were nothing more than a papier-mâché shell, the World Eater roared to the night sky a bellowing shout of furious exultation. He had found his prey. The Primarch's massive fist clenched around Wayne's throat and hoisted him bodily into the air. The gang leader found himself looking directly into the mad eyes of the hell beast that was slowly choking the life out of him, the blood shot pools of insane, unquenchable hatred boring directly into his soul. He heard the door behind him shatter and an awful, frightening voice speak.

"Brother, wait..."

As he slipped into unconsciousness, the voice continued.

"We're not done with him yet."

-----

Magnus fought with all his might to reach Simon, but it was no use. The unnatural shadows resisted his every effort, and for every one that he cut down another two replaced it. The spectral form of Simon fought bravely, but his soul light was guttering and failing as blows rained down upon. Magnus knew that the boy's physical body was failing as his soul died. Nothing could stop it. The despair and guilt over his failure to protect the woman he loved was overwhelming him, the psychic wounds murdering him as surely as if they came from real bats and blades. The circle of life and light around the boy diminished faster and faster until he was just a vibrant splash of colour in an endless void, using the last of his strength to shield his memories of Furia from the onslaught.

Then the heavens opened.

A shaft of light, pure and brilliant, broke through the darkness like a pillar of fire to burn the shadows away. The dark creatures shrank back, disorientated and confused at this turn of events, white eyes blinking at one another and clacking jaws gibbering softly. Simon too seemed confused that the assault had suddenly stopped, looking up warily and taking the momentary respite to better cover Furia. Magnus concentrated all of his psychic power on the light, focussing and strengthening it. It was hard to bridge the two worlds like this, even with help from the other side, but the Cyclops would not be defeated. His efforts did not go unrewarded, and Magnus rejoiced as he heard the words he had hoped to hear.

"Get off me you fat bastard. And take your damn hands off there unless you want 'em broken."

"...Furia? You're alive."

"No shit."

"But I thought... I saw you.."

"Yeah well, you know, takes more than that to take me out."

Furia sat up, the ghostly memory form becoming more solid and more real with every passing moment. She smiled.
"And I had help, of course."

She stood, helping Simon to his feet, and grinned in anticipation.

"So what do you say - ready for round two?"

------

Pain. So much pain.

"Wake-wakey."

That voice. That terrible voice. Almost instinctively Wayne tried to flinch away from it, but found himself unable to move

" Don't struggle. It won't do you any good."

Wayne finally opened his eyes and gazed up in horror at the two giants looming above him. He was on his back, tied down tightly by sturdy chains. The larger of the two giants crouched down on its haunches and leaned down so that it could whisper directly into the young man's ear, its hot breath stinking of raw meat and coppery blood.

"Any last words?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you hurt my family. Because you hurt an innocent. Because I was born to destroy filth like you." The creature paused before continuing gleefully. "But most of all because I really enjoy it."

The blood soaked giant stood and nodded to its companion, who pulled what looked like a gigantic pistol from the folds of its clothes. Wayne shut his eyes and begged for mercy, knowing that it wouldn't make any difference. A shot rang out, followed by a hissing shriek. Wayne blinked. He was still alive, and the giant killers had vanished. It was only he breathed a shuddering sigh of relief that he saw the smoky trail of the flare lighting up the night sky above him.

Across town, Perturabo smiled.

-----

As one, Simon and Furia attacked the darkness, soul light building around them and chasing away the shadows. Magnus heard a voice behind him hiss in his ear.
"It won't work! He will fall soon enough, warrior. Maybe not today, but soon, and he will drag down the rest of you with him."

Magnus snarled in response and blasted ever more power into the aether.

"Begone spirit!" He roared. "Enough of your lies! Go back to the void and trouble us no more."

With a shriek, the shadows disintegrated, flying apart and burning up like scraps of paper caught in a fire. Magnus approached Furia and Simon and put his arms around them.

"Miranda, it is done. Bring us home."

Magnus awakened from his trance, shards of ethereal ice cracking and steaming off him as his body came back to life. Furia sat opposite him holding Miranda's hand, gazing intently into Simon's face for any sign of life. Long minutes passed. Then, just as Magnus was beginning to lose hope, the boy's eyes flickered open.

"You're ok!" shouted Furia
"I am?"
"Yes, my son." said Magnus, stroking his hair with paternal affection. "It was touch and go for a moment there, but we brought you back."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me, thank Furia. She fought for you, just as you fought for her."
"Really... but I..."
"Oh shut up and kiss me." said Furia.

As the two kissed, long and deeply, the whole hospital rumbled to the sound of an explosion.

------

"What the hell was that?!" said Roboute.
"Sounded like it came from the roof. Come on!"

Primarchs, doctors, nurses and even some patients were soon on the roof of the building. There they found Perturabo sitting in an oversized folding chair, smiling contentedly as Petra scurried about lighting huge fireworks covered with black and yellow chevrons.

"Perturabo... what are you doing?"
"I knew Magnus would do it. I thought a celebration was in order."
The Iron Warrior paused, a flicker of doubt passing almost imperceptibly across his face.
"The boy is alive, correct?"
Vulkan raised an eyebrow and made to respond but was interrupted by Guiliman.

"Look! Down there, the city is burning! Vulkan, come, leave him"

Vulkan and Guliman left swiftly, but the Salamander's primarch paused at the doorway.

"Perturabo... what did you do?"

"Me? I did nothing. And you should go. I imagine that fire is spreading quite fast now."

When the two had left, Perturabo called Petra over and helped her onto his huge lap.

"Thank you daughter. You did very well."

"Thank you Papa."

Together they watched the night explode with coloured flame and listened to the wail of sirens.

==Dean Yarrick and Furia==
The crowd of high-schoolers parted as Dean Yarrick strode through the hall. Simply his scarred appearance with crude prosthetics would scare most, but in this school it was much more. Rumors about what he had been doing in the army, that he was a Commissar and had no regret to murder anyone for order in his school. At the same time, people respected the discipline that followed and Yarrick’s absolute faith in it so much it spread to them as well. In fact he never needed to take to any disciplinary actions, since all the students respected and feared him.

Well… Almost all.

As he exited the school building his large evil-looking eye scanned the yard before fixing on Furia who was standing talking with Hana, leaning on her motorbike. He fixed his eyes on the delinquent and roared on top of his lungs, a roar that would have sent greenskins crying to whatever they could muster instead of mommies.

“FUUUUUUUUURIIIIIAAAAAA!”

The entire hall was silent. The smarter students skulked away to their classes

The delinquent girl's eye twitched. She balled her fist so hard it went bright red. She slowly turned round to face Yarrick, and Hana, realizing what was about to happen, covered her ears. Furia inhaled deeply. So deeply that Hana thought that the breath would last for hours. With a bellow that would kill a grox, that would shake mountains and destroy souls, Furia released.

"HOW MAY I HELP YOU TODAY, SIR?!!!"

Yarrick's face contorted into a mask of sheer rage. Furia looked around, then looked Yarrick straight in the eye.

"I'm fucked, aren't I?"

Yarrick nodded. He was so red she thought that his head would explode. He was quiet when he next spoke. It was slow, drawn out.

"In my office. Now."

Furia spun round to face the assembled students who hadn't run away already, and she adressed the crowd as a doomed revolutionary might.

"Know that I died a martyr, and keep my memory in your hea-"

Yarrick yanked her collar before she could finish.

Hana smirked as she watched Yarrick drag Furia away. She imagined it as a funeral procession. As Furia was dragged round a corner, Hana gave her a quick salute.

==A Morning With Furia==

“Another day, another... FUCK... who knows; some sort of graaa... Fucking waste of my time, thats what it is”, thought Furia groggily as her morning alarm blared from her bedside. Squinting against the growing light, she rolled over onto her face and slapped at the offending machine. The tenacity of the alarm added to her growing frustration, boiling it over into a pure hatred of Thursday mornings. She spun herself over again and slammed her right hand into the clock. Plowing through its flimsy plastic and aluminum body, her fist crunched the data control medium against the hard, cherry-wood nightstand, silencing the morning messenger forever. The young woman held her hand up over her face, fingers spread. The pure light of dawn glittered as it caught in the droplets of blood gathering in the myriad of small cuts that opened as skin met cogs and circuitry.

Pretty...

Like rubies...

The color of the wildflowers that grow alongside the house...

Thoughts that drifted across her mind, but would never leaver her lips. After a moment's musing, she brought the injured hand to her mouth. The cupric blood tasted sweet on her tongue as it flicked into each wound to clean them. She bit down gingerly and pulled out a shard that had embedded itself into the back of her hand.

Nothing serious...

Minor, not even...

Trivial...

She spat the nib of plastic out onto the floor of her room and let her hand flop down to the side of her bed. After a few scouting pats, it returned victorious; clenched around a crumpled card-stock box. She tilted the box to her mouth and a hand-rolled lho-stick slid out invitingly. The familiar weight on her lips and send of cut tabac leaves helped soothe her sparking nerves. Its mission complete, her hand dropped to the side again and let the container fall back to the floor.

Fuck...

The bedclothes were completely disheveled; scattered, pooling on the floor, and tangled about the sprawled limbs of the bed's occupant. The bed itself was nothing special: a low, sturdy, metal frame of burnished brass with a squat arch of bars at the head and foot. The mattress and pillow, while both extra-firm, provided the proper support where necessary in order to facilitate quality, medically restful sleep. Such was only to be expected when one wished to maintain the peak physical and mental awareness needed for optimum combat efficiency. Besides, soft beds are for pussies. The pillow-cover and bedsheets were both made of 100% cotton that was dyed a brilliant crimson. Darkened and faded only slightly by use, they gave the illusion of sleeping in a pool of blood. The comforter on top was white with blue trim, adorned by the heraldry of The Emperor's own World Eaters Legion. Though thin, it was quite warm; replacing fluff with survival grade insulating fabric. The bed would have appeared stately had the owner cared to make it more than once it a while.. Instead, the daughter of a Primarch simply slid the bedding off of herself as she stood, tangles and all, before unceremoniously dumping them on the foot end of the mattress.

Furia stretched as she arose, the blue and white stripes of her midriff exposing top and low cut shorts rippling along with the sinew of her tall, athletic frame. Her undergarments/sleepwear were comfortable, flexible, breathable, and insulating. Similar to the ones she wore as part of her training kit, but lighter, lacking the compressing elastic, and with admittedly less fabric. She would be ready for a fight, even if caught with her pants down... so to speak.

A quick scratch of the flank, a tousle of bed-head inflicted hair and a few steps off to the bathroom to start her morning routine.

Teeth... check. White, check. Gargle and rinse, ... …. … check.

Hair... FUCK!
Furia glared at her reflection. The red dye was fading and sandy blond streaks began to crisscross through in her choppy, boyish hairstyle. “Note to self, buy more dye.” She pondered which color to try next, but only for a moment before continuing to the next step.

Body... Cursory once over to check for blemishes and to note the healing of the latest round of scrapes... All good, check.
A small wave of pride washed over her as she looked over the lean muscle structure of her arms and legs, at her sleek torso, and defined abdominal muscles that would make even Victoria jealous. Would it even be possible to make her jealous, jealous of muscles? “Snobby bitch,” Furia muttered as her eye twitched; anger rising as her thoughts turned to Fulgrim's beloved daughter. “I bet the slut can't even open a jar of legume paste by herself.” Furia shook her head to dismiss the irritating thoughts of that... scandalous tart. As much fun as it was to direct her rage at a classmate, it really wasn't getting anything done.

Last Step: Sniff test... Results dismissed. Gym class is early today.

Clean enough for now, the girl trudged back into her bedroom and shed her undergarments, tossing them at her bed. A nondescript pair of hiphuggers went on underneath black bicycle shorts. The spandex athletic wear was as much for utility as an act of defiance against the school uniform. Furia grumbled to no one in particular, detailing the manner of execution she would enact upon the designer of the regulation pleated blasphemy, as she fished a skirt out of a pile and fixed it to her waist. She slid a wide, black leather belt though half of the loops so that it sat slanted upon her hips. A large, chrome-plated Imperial skull icon adorned the front as a belt buckle. “Not even Dean Yarrick can complain about this one,” she gloated , as if the holy symbol was a ward against the accursed dress code. “Oh, I thought it was an appropriate display of piety sir.” She slipped on a a sport-bra, still laughing with irreverent mirth. The regulation white button-up shirt and red tie came next, with the top two buttons left undone and the tails left untucked. The black boots she donned barely passed the dress code, but they did a wonderful job of covering up the pink and black skulls on her not regulation socks. Lastly, she clasped a slim metal choker around her neck. Furia was not much for jewelry or cosmetics, but the studded brass collar was one of her dearest treasures.

Books, papers, and regulation uniform jacket alike were stuffed into a worn, black, canvas rucksack and dragged down a flight of stairs and into the kitchen. Furia's father, Angron, the illustrious Primarch of the World Eaters Legion, was out in the field training (read: terrorizing) the new recruits and wouldn't be back for few standard days or so. His absence was nothing new and as usual, he had left a messily penned note plastered on the fridge.

---

DEAR HONEYSCRUMBLEMUFFIN,

Out for the week. Gotta put the meat through the grinder. Leftovers in the fridge. And do your fucking homework for fuck's sake! I'll punt your ass right through the Cadian Gate if I gotta read another fucking letter about lack of EFFORT!

XOXOXO

LOVE,

DADDY

---

Angron's “Little Schnookims” growled with suppressed rage as she opened the walk-in refrigerator, it's mere presence reminding her of that sappy nickname. She filled a container of stew from a 3ft deep cauldron and packed it in her bag along with a loaf of dark bread. Leftovers, in the Angron household, meant that the barracks' cook had made extras. The thick soup present this week had everything but the scullery sink in it; meat, tubers, legumes, vegetables (read: rabbit food), synthetically derived vitamin based nutrient mass, fungus, more meat... It was everything a growing teen and/or space marine neophyte needed. And, like any good military food, flavor was a secondary priority and seasoning was achieved with a generous helping of “Vulkan's Red Hot”.

Furia's mood brightened considerably when she left the house. Rucksack over one shoulder and leather jacket over the other, she followed the stone slab walkway towards the motor shed. If there was a silver lining to a school day, it was in the transit. A few wildflowers had managed to leave the woods and take seed at the edge of the pavement. Spring was in full swing again. The ”shed” was a small, private motor-pool that housed Angron's personal vehicles, as well as the equipment needed to maintain them. However, one area was reserved for Furia and her very own pride and joy; Gorechild, a massive crimson motorcycle that was truly like none other. Three standard years ago, Uncle Kharn returned from battle literally dragging the wreck of an ancient assault-bike back with him. Having long admired the similar war machines of her father's legion and those of the great Primarch Khan, the brash young teen decided that this pile of twisted metal would be hers. And so Furia, together with her father, Uncle Kharn (really such a nice guy), and a few eager adepts from the World Eater's motor-pool, rebuilt the bike into the glorious beast it is now.

Furia gently taxied the monstrous motorcycle out onto the pavement, kicking the shed doors shut behind her. Fingerless, black, leather gloves complimented her boots and jacket. She swung her leg over her mighty steed and slid on a racing helm, matching red with a tinted visor. Checking over the dials and intoning the proper rites, she awoke the the machine spirit of Gorechild with a brush of fingers over the activation rune. The bike roared to life, it's engine humming like the blade of a chainaxe as she eased it out along the road. The biker girl progressively tilted her body into a racing crouch against the fuselage as she increased speed. The motor's vibrations pulsed through her in increasing frequency until machine and rider melted into one. With a sudden howl, Furia and Gorechild broke into a gallop towards the battle of youth.

5 Minutes Later...

Furia was quickly nearing the Guilliman manor, where the class president Roberta Guilliman lived. She could see that stuck up goody goody in the distance, waiting patiently for the bus. A devious smirk grew hidden under her tinted visor as she edged the motorcycle along the other side of the road. Roberta's shriek was heard for blocks as Gorechild and his tamer blazed past, the wind shear from it's passage briefly billowing the prim and proper girl's regulation skirt up for all to see.

WHITE!

==Angela's flight==

Sleep wasn't coming. Angela knew it. Sleep hadn't come to her in nearly three nights, and it was beginning to catch up to her. She smiled as effortlessly as ever with Victoria, and even managed to laugh through her asinine jokes at Lupercal's expense. But then, that's why she did it.

Opening the doors to the balcony of her loft high in the spires of Terra, Angela looked down at the planet below. Skycars and bulk lifters flitted through streets and thoroughfares above the ground, and she could hear the din of humanity normally abated by the sound-blocking armorcrys of her windows. Armorcrys, they thought it would protect her, from the myriad things lurking out there in the night. She knew what awaited her...what wanted her, hungered for her. Angela would never let it have her, but she vowed she would do everything she could to tempt it.

Angela felt a breeze come from outside of the towers, swept up in gulf currents so ancient that they may have been formed centuries before even her greatest father was conceived. She then cast another glance at the windows. Their paltry protection meaning so little to her. She may as well have been nude in the open, compared to what awaited. She let the gossamer of her nightgown fall from her shoulders. Angela feared no voyeur, as none existed from her perch high on the tip of the spire. She was alone up here. Completely alone. She slipped on the sculpt-formed bodyglove as if it weren't there, its every curve molded to her physique. Looking over the starline of lights stretching below her, she felt small, and inescapably sad that, as bright as those lights were, she could never be with them from here. Could never touch them. Could never...she leapt.

For a young girl to leap from her spire in the dead of night was sadly no strange occurrence within the Imperium, in fact it seemed to happen with an unpleasant regularity, albeit it was because they were joined by countless other lost souls. It was unusual, however, for these so-called suicides to then gain momentum and begin moving horizontally.

Angela twisted and flexed, using her lithe muscles as counterbalances and ailerons. In the same fluid thought cursed her father for not blessing her with his full vestigial wings, and pitied the Astartes who had to make jumps without even her diminished physical attributes. Then again, she had always found their style to be rather graceless, simply leaping from point to point without any semblance of nuance or precision. While she was by no means and skillful as her father, she could fly veritable circles around anyone else with her pack. It was a miracle of design, forged on Mars by the Fabricator General himself. It was a specially-crafted jump pack that blew air that did not burn through her wings, giving her the control she would have had naturally, had she been born as her father had, while giving her a similar element of speed. At first, when she received the gift, she thought it was a wonderfully selfless thing. Years later, she surmised it was likely because the old mechanical lecher probably still had functioning biological remains. Pushing that aside, she dived into the morass of the city below.
The city was teeming with activity, as the planet always was. Busy with the continuation of the grand Imperium of Man. Always a chauvinistic term, she thought, and wondered why her great father, as wise beyond measure and devoted to equality as he was, had decided on such a luridly masculine title for his empire. As she juked and spun between passing skycars, she let the question fade, realizing that he always had a satisfactory answer to every question she had ever asked.

Angela asked herself as she felt the wind whip against her face. Why couldn't she rest? What was keeping the deep caress of sleep from reaching her? Would great father know? Certainly he had to. Just as she ruminated over dodging Adeptus Custodes flak fire to speak with her primogenitor, a shriek startled her back into the real world.

Angela dove down, following the origin of the yell with her enhanced hearing. It was a familiar voice, albeit through the filter of screaming. She peered down. There, in one of the alleys interconnecting the numerous skyports overlooking a data collection manifold, was a man, nearly into his sixties, standing over the knocked down form of...her heart nearly burst in her chest. Angela swooped down, her neural links to the pack nearly fusing as her mind sent one message over and over: faster.

The man smelled of liquor and guilt, as if he knew what he was doing was wrong, but was either too inebriated or too dumb to care. He cast a rolling glance at her, through blurry eyes.

"You. You got a pretty face. You're next after cutie down here," he gestured with his thumb to the downed form of the girl who looked like...she charged.

The man would have had no chance of stopping her even if he was sober. As it was, there was no challenge at all in what she did. A quick stab to his throat with the tips of her fingers silenced him. As he reached for it, her outstretched palm collided with bridge of his nose, shattering it, and sending shards of pain through him that no amount of liquor could dilute. She could have killed him then, right there, but opted not to. For doing what he did to who he might have, this man was going to pay. He charged at her, his liquid-fueled bravado cutting through the blistering pain. She ducked each wild blow as if they weren't even coming towards her, like a fighter whose opponent was bribed beforehand to throw the match. Angela stepped back, each blow missing wide, but forcing her away to avoid the man's tumbling girth. She heard the girl yell about the edge of the port, and how she was coming dangerously close to it. Perfect. She cast a quick glance behind her to gauge the distance she had left to go and, dodging four more poorly aimed punches, grabbed the mans wrist mid-swing, like a dancer, and spun him around, trading postions...and her position was on the edge of the port. She held him, the thin patina of grease on his wrists causing the the material of the bodyglove to slip. He began pleading, through the blood and bone. Swearing to never to do it again, swearing on every relative the bastard likely never knew or had. Angela tilted her head and let the man see the girl on the floor, see what he had done, what he was about to do, and let him fall. Angela heard him scream until he passed through the cloud cover.

Angela then sprinted back to the girl and picked up her chin which was blue from the beating.

"Is..." the name caught in her throat. The girl was the same height, weight, size, and even had a similar voice to the person she thought the girl was. But it was her face. While her girls' face had eyes that were widely set apart, like planets preparing to collide, this girl's eyes were narrowly set and bloodshot.

Foolish. Utterly foolish, Angela thought, for someone with their lineage to be beaten around by some plebian drunkard? It was inconceivable, but she'd gone anyway, gone looking for... she stopped. As she looked in the eyes of the girl she had saved, who was blubbering incessantly about thanks and praises she would give to her, Angela clasped the girl tightly, shutting her up. She leaned down to the girls ear and whispered, "thank you." The girl said nothing, too stunned by recent events to create a response.

As Angela powered away, back to her spire in the lonely skies, she understood why she couldn't sleep. She wanted something. No. She needed someone. And she was going to get it, before the thing in the dark got her.

As the servants opened the door to Angela's room, they found an open back door, a worn bodyglove, and Angela resting comfortably in her bed.

==A Day With Isis==

Isis moved through the halls of Imperator Junior High, ducking and weaving through the rows of plasteel lockers, ducking low whenever one of the Administers or their ubiquitous servoskulls flittered by. Five minutes late, of all the bad luck. She'd anticipated having to help Hana with her broken moped, but hadn't expected the thing to nearly explode on the both of them. Hana herself was already in class, having the great fortune of having her opening classes on the other side of the school. Isis wasn't so lucky. She heard the tolling of the bell as she entered the reinforced adamantine doors, its sound as lyrical as a funerary dirge. It might as well have been if... she turned. Someone was watching her. Smelling the almost overpowering scent of exotic perfumes and unguents, Isis rolled her eyes as Victoria, belle of Imperator High, rounded the locker she was using as ad-hoc cover.

"Well well, if it isn't the golden girl? You're gonna be rust when Ahriman finds out you aren't on the roll. Oh," she said with mock worry, "whatever will daddy think? I'd think he'd practically turn to heresy when he finds out." What Victoria didn't realize was that Isis was smiling. And not at her. Feeling a creeping sense of being watched, she spun on her stilettoed heels and beheld and awe-inspiring sight. The man that stood before her was as close to a god as can be imagined, an image of glistening purple and gilt edifice, more the image of a statue than a living person. But as beautiful and well-crafted as the armor was, it was a trifle compared to the figure beneath. He was fair skinned, and white haired, like a passing winters breeze. It seemed to shimmer and flow as if being caressed by the kiss of an unseen wind. The man, as far departed from humanity as he was, was upset. The scowl on his face marred the otherwise perfected features of his visage. Leaning down, a seemingly titanic feat for a being as large as him, he said with a voice as clear as springwater,

"Yes, Victoria. What WOULD daddy think?" Victoria's features were riddled with fear, a fear that made her look as ugly on the outside as Isis knew she was within. "To your scholam. Now." Fast as lightning, Victoria faded from view. "And you, child?" Isis bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Mr. Fulgrim, sir." The patrician features of the man changed from a condemning scowl, to a smile so large and genuine, that she had trouble believing that the same face was capable of instilling terror in Victoria, a girl with a heart as cold and frigid as Freya's favorite drinks.

"I see now why my brother speaks of you so highly. Off with you now." He gestured with his massive gauntlet, and Isis ran, making good speed to Professor Ahrimans lecture. From an unseen shadow, a hand reached out and patted Fulgrim on his shoulder pauldrons.

"Brother, you need to watch out for your Victoria. I feel she's heading down a dark path." The primarch registered the voice as Corax's, lord of the Raven Guard and his brother.

"Yes, I know, you and Vulkan give me no end of grief about her. Perhaps she needs a spanking..."

"Fine...but what about punishing her?" Fulgrim turned and saw a wide, toothless grin on Corax's face.

"That's not funny."

"On the contrary, brother, it's hilarious."

Isis looked inside the scholam. Professor Ahriman was lecturing to the class with his back turned, discussing something about the principles of Warp telemetry. Perfect, she thought. Isis recalled the more useful lessons she learned from Cora about sneaking into class without Ahriman suspecting. Which words had hard consonants to click the doors lock on, which ones he droned on to mask the sound of the hinge. Paying painful attention to Professor Ahriman's words, more closely than she did during normal sessions, she noted, she waited for the perfect words...and opened the door. It was just as Cora had told her. Waaarp. Professor Ahriman took forever saying it. She wondered why sometimes, but at the moment she was more worried about getting into her seat before Professor Ahriman...looked straight at her.

"Good to see that you weren't taken by Orks, Ms. Isis. I trust you have a...wonderful explanation for your tardiness?" Isis gulped. Deep. It hit the back of her throat like a bolt round. And it slid down like ancient sludge, worse than Morticia's cooking. The class was looking at her, though some, Furia being a prime example, were too caught up in other entertainments to be bothered. Sweat, like droplets of liquid nitrogen began to build on her neck, and she stammered, trying to concoct a reasonable answer. She wished that Miranda were here to slip her something telepathically, but she had classes elsewhere. Just as Professor Ahriman was opening his vox to the Principals office, a whir of augmetics entered into the noise.

"Professor Ahriman?" It was Farah.

"Yes, Ms. Manus?" he asked, off-put by the declaration.

"Isis was late because Hana's moped exploded on them...again."

"Oh," he said, the vision slits in his helm beginning to burn with a light blue flame, "and how would you know about...oh." and noticed she was twiddling her fully mechanized hands and playing with her pink hair, making sure to flick it away to give the professor a good view of the cybernetics underneath.

"Well then, I suppose it's alright then. However, Ms. Lupercal, the next time altruism such as that comes across your mind?"

"Yes, Professor?" The blue flames erupted into novae of black and red infernos.

"DON'T!"

The rest of the class was mercifully short. Isis made a mental note to get the lecture from Farah when the bell tolled. It wouldn't be much of a request, she considered, since Farah was as much a walking cogitator as well as one of her best friends. The locker hall was a sprawl of activity as the girls grabbed their gear to leave. Isis noticed Tanitha and Cady talking about how badly dressed Valhilda was, and was about to intervene when the freezing chill that only seemed to come by when Victoria was around settled across her like a black frost.

"You got lucky, big shot. Lucky and that's it."

"Yeah, watch yourself, golden girl!" That snow turned yellow when that nasal voice hit her ears.

"Still following Victoria around like a little puppy, Petra?" Isis turned around and saw Victoria's little posse. Angela, Athena, Kiara, Petra, and Morticia were standing there, waiting patiently for Victoria's go-ahead. Petra was now Mechanicum-red with anger, and had a vein that looked like it was going to shoot off her bandanna like it was a taut rubber band. The others were giving her snide looks.

"Now now, girls, remember: royalty must stay in it's place." Isis was growing tired of this catty banter.

"Look, just because my dad got titled with 'Warmaster' doesn't mean I'm any better than anyone else." Victoria cast her a confused look.

"Who says I'm saying anything about you?" she flicked her hair and lifted her chin to drive the point home. Isis felt like she wanted to kick that perfect chin of her's so hard into her skull that she'd have dreams about her own teeth. That's when she felt a gloved hand around her shoulder.

"These skanks bothering you, Icy?" It was Furia, and was Isis relieved to hear her sultry voice...and smell her lho-breath

"I, um, well that is..." Furia cut her off and nodded beside either row of lockers, and four other girls walked in, making a cordon of sorts around Isis. To her continued relief, she saw Venus, Hana, Farah, and Cora, arms crossed, take their positions beside Furia. Victoria's smug demeanor evaporated, replaced with incandescent anger.

"So, I see Squad Ugly is reporting for duty."

"Right," Furia replied, flexing the leather of her gloves. "Girls, I wonder how pretty that face would look with a nose dislocated in five places?" She pointed straight at Victoria while the others laughed slowly. Victoria's face reddened.

"I...uh! A lady wouldn't be caught dead engaging in streetfights like some trashy brawler. Girls, let's find somewhere decent to spend our time," and began walking away. Furia cupped her hands around her mouth.

"The city dump's a nice start!" To which Morticia replied with some very...un-ladylike hand gestures.

Isis was happy to see Victoria and the rest of her ilk leave. She wasn't so happy to see Furia and the rest of them staring at her.

"What? What is it?" she asked, her concern genuine. It was looking as if she had gone from bad to worse.

"My dad's not too keen on yours getting gramps' attention." This was acknowledged by a small chorus of 'yeh's' and 'uh huhs'.

"Mine either," Cora piped in. "Tactical brilliance like that, and he gets put aside just like V and Farah's dads? Not looking so good for you, Isis Lupercal." They were closing in on her. Isis was almost beginning to backpedal, when she lost her footing and fell, the rockcrete cold against her flesh. Something wasn't right about this, and she knew it.

"Girls? I thought you were..." and that's when she noticed it. Hana, who up until that moment was as las-focused as the rest of them, let up an imperceptible crack in her frown, like a hairline fracture running through marble. As Isis concentrated on it, Hana noticed and began to chortle under her breath, her ruse seemingly undone. The rest of them began to emit stifled laughs, until, at last, Venus, copper skinned and ebon haired daughter of the Forgefather, let out a deep, cathartic laugh that spread like a virus to the rest of them. Isis tried to join them, but felt like she'd walked outside of a Gellar Field for a moment, as if all semblance of sanity had swallowed a laspistol. Furia waved her hand to try and regain some order from the cackling bunch.

"Ah, hells, Isis, we were just messing with you!" and she let out her hand to help her back onto her feet. "We don't really care about your dad getting the promotion, we just wanted to see if that would work."

"And it did, didn't it?" Hana said, her coat almost black from oil stains.

"You thought this up, Farah?" Isis asked, her demeanor easing up in light of the joke.

"Yep."

"Hey Farah? How did you know about Hana wrecking her moped?" She smiled and cocked her head.

"What do you mean? I made it up, silly, you don't mean to say..." she stopped and cast a long glance at Hana, who was busy tenting her hands and staring anywhere but at her. Her pistons nearly cracked as she clenched her steel fists.

"What. Happened. To! That! MOPED?!" Steam was almost literally escaping from Farah's ears and Hana was about to bolt, no pun intended, for the door, when the distinct sound of a match striking a box and the acrid scent of sulfur entered the air. Furia lit up her lho and released a rough circle of smoke.

"Aw, come on, girls, it's Friday, and I'm not about to knock you two out over some little mixup with some dumb bike." Both of the girls were preparing to disembowel Furia over the insult to Hana's well-maintained piece of mechanical excellence, when a wheezing screech blared above them. A maintenance servoskull blared above them

+FIRE HAZARD. ALERT FIRE SUPPRESSION TEAMS+

And the water ejectors activated, dousing the lot of them.

"Well," Venus mused, "at least bathing's not on our worry list anymore." Everyone looked deadfaced at her.

The sun was bright outside, or at least as bright as it could be through a fog of thousands of years of nuclear winter and global warming. The girls, now drenched, waved each other goodbye for the moment as their lifters came to escort them back to their homes. Cora's sleek, jet black escort darted in from seemingly nowhere and took her before she could even say her goodbyes. Venus was then whisked away by a transport that looked like not even gramps himself could put a dent in it. Farah left in a similar transport, although her chauffeur was hardly as human as Venus' was. Hana almost had to jump to catch her transport, a blur of bone white and red marks.

While Isis and Furia waited, the air grew pregnant with conversation. Not wanting to continue the awkward silence, Isis chimed in.

"Furia?" The blazen-haired girl in the messed-down shirt flicked her spent lho-stick to the floor and stamped it down with her iron-toed boots.

"Yeah, Icy?"

"Thanks for helping me back there. It's good to know I've got friends like you when it's really important." She let out a ghost of a smile, as if the genuine expression were alien to her.

"Don't think about it, Icy. It's a good sign of a friend when..." she was cut off by a blare of a horn. Like something primal cut loose from a cage of eons. Like a death scream that never ended. Suddenly, like a blazing dagger, a jetbike swooped down, nearly crushing Isis, who was saved only at the final moment by Furia, who tossed her to the side. As she picked herself up, she was met by a leering, horned face that spoke of unrivaled brutality and horror. Fortunately, it was just a helmet. The helmet spoke, with a voice that came from a throat that must have swallowed molten copper a second before.

"She's cute. What's her name?" Furia clicked, and got the helmet's attention.

"Eyes here, Kharn, she's off-limits, got it?" The helmet moved, if with some reluctance.

"Yeah, yeah. Hop on, babe, we've got us a party to crash over near Sicarus." Furia looked at her.

"But Kharn, I'd promised the girls I'd visit them this weekend!" The helmet spoke again, this time with threat pure and unfiltered in its' voice.

"Sicarus, Furia. We're visiting Sicarus, understood? Now...get on." The helmet's arms patted the extra seat that seemed to materialize from nothing behind him, although the seat itself looked just about as uncomfortable as the helmet. Furia gave Isis a glance, with what almost looked like a tear welling up in it. She seemed to almost say something when that horn, like dying angels and cackling devils, blared out and silenced any further communication.

"Sorry, Icy, I gotta go. Sicarus, y'know?" Isis didn't respond as she saw Furia ease herself onto the painfully spiked seat and wrap her arms around the helmet's torso, with no small amount of reluctance. It sped off in a trail of flame, and disappeared behind some Munitorum complex. Isis barely had time to register this, when a modest, grey transport hovered nearby, its' doors sliding open with a comforting hiss of hydraulics. As she entered the lifter and felt the pressure of takeoff, she then felt a hand, massive and callused, but soothing and supporting at the same time, pat her on the head.

"Father," she said, with a twinge of disorientation, "school is a weird, weird place."

==The Test==

Professor Ahzek Ahriman, former first captain of the Thousand Sons, master of the manipulation of the Great Ocean and now one of the foremost scholarly minds in the Imperium, quietly read through the test on Warp Storms he had planned for that afternoon’s lesson. A long time before he remembered telling a Remembrancer that when the Great Crusade was over, he and his fellow Thousand Sons would retire to write scholarly texts and memoirs and make fine wines. He still made fine wines; his wines were famous across the Imperium even if he hadn’t been back to his groves on Prospero for many years. No, at the personal request of his Primarch he was now a teacher, an instructor for the up and coming minds who would govern the Imperium in the future, and for nineteen of those minds in particular.

He remembered back to that meeting, shortly after the great triumph at Angelus on the very rim of the Galaxy, when the Great Crusade was finally declared over. The Primarchs now had new, more unintended problems to face above and beyond the end of the Emperor’s Crusade.
“Ahriman, now more than ever we need minds who will train the next generation of leaders, those who will govern my Father’s empire when the memory of the crusade fades from the forefront.”
“My lord, I know the real reason you want me to be teaching there. How is she doing by the way?”

Magnus turned away, and when he spoke again it was with emotions that Ahriman had never thought possible for a primarch to have.
“Have you ever held something in your arms, and found it to be the most precious thing you have ever found, so precious you would willingly lay down your own life to protect it?”
Taken aback, Ahriman answered. “Sir, I wouldn’t know and if I may speak frankly?”

“Granted.”

“I’m still amazed the Emperor gave you and your brothers such a boon.”
A deep, bass chuckle rolled up from Magnus. “Ahzek, always the one to question. To be honest, I have no idea either. My Father never gave mention of his full designs; I think he may have planned this all along, something to keep us occupied with no more wars to wage. Certainly I think it will do Angron, Mortarion, the Lion and Kurze some good to have someone to care for...”

He stopped, noticing the way Ahriman was staring out over the cold, dead pyramids of Angelus. “If only Ohrmuzd was still here, to see this day. He’d have been so proud of how far we’ve come, how much we’ve done.”
“That dear Ahzek, is why you must teach those to come about what we sacrificed to give them this victory, this perfect new world. They will need to know about the dangers we faced, we still face. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, remember?” That evening, he set out for Prospero with the Legion, and a few months later, set out for the new Scholum built in the shadow of the Imperial Palace that was the last time he had seen many of his friends, Phosis T'kar and Uthizzar. They bade him farewell, T’kar joking about the hell he was about to throw himself into. If only he’d heeded T’kar’s advice…

The bell rang, snapping him out of his reverie. Sighing, he picked up his Hequa staff, a relic of his service in the XV Legion, and began to set the tests down upon the desks. They would be here soon, and he needed to be prepared. He wished he had a bottle of his wine with him, for he feared he’d soon need it. When he had first started, near fifty years ago, he had never expected that it would be such hardship, and when the daughters arrived, it became a whole lot worse. He didn’t regret his choice, he was doing a valuable service and his Primarch was proud of his efforts. But it was still hard work, and dealing with the nineteen was always an adventure…

A second bell sang out, and a few seconds later the doors slammed open as the students came in. he noticed Miranda giving him a little smile as she entered. Just like her father, that one. They got on very well together, she often staying long after school to learn from Ahriman’s personal library, or else hear tales of her father’s exploits in the Great Crusade. If there was one he was truly fond of, it was her.
Behind her was Roberta, another top student and the very epitome of her father, the great Roboute. Fortunately she never inherited his somewhat inflated ego, preferring to help, not to lead. The true leader walked in next, looking somewhat relieved. Ahriman didn’t blame her. Isis had a bad habit of coming in late to too many of his lessons, infuriating not only him but also her father. Ever since that incident when he was wounded on Davin, he tried to ensure that everyone knew about the dangers of the Great Ocean, and he invested heavily in his daughter. Isis was very much like her father, charismatic and a natural born leader. Certainly there was a bright future for her.

Old Iron Gloves was next. When it came to the study of the Great Ocean, Farah had several failings in Ahriman’s eyes. Farah was too technical minded, she grasped the mechanics but couldn’t quite grasp the metaphysical impossibilities of the Great Ocean. However she was a good student, and he liked her direct way of doing things.
Behind her was trouble, plain and simple. Furia was nothing but a headache, that one. She was too much like Angron, used her head rather than her brain. Freya was the same, both were the daughters of the most uncultured, vicious of the Emperor’s sons and they inherited that trait in full. He was glad he had Yarrick’s office on line two, for he feared he might need it before the day was out. He was quietly relieved that she didn’t have one of those Fug-awful Cigarettes with her; she knew how he hated the stink of them. She sat down like a drop pod from orbit, and he was surprised the chair still held.

Breezing in, with Petra, Athena and Morticia in tow, her own little circle of fans, for lack of a better word, was Victoria. As beautiful, perfect and vain as her father Fulgrim. To most of the girls, she appeared to be cruel and cold hearted. But he could see past the façade, and knew that deep down inside her was a part of her she shielded from plain sight, a piece of her only her father and Grandfather ever got to see. If the others knew what he knew, they wouldn’t be so quick to judge.
More and more flowed in. Angela, Venus, Athena and Lyra joining the expanding class. Two pale, dark haired females came in joking to one another. Cora and Kiara. Those two were practically inseparable, the two almost mirroring each other with their, what was the term? Emo, a strange phrase if ever there was one, behaviour. He didn’t quite understand what it was all supposed to mean, but he didn’t try to anyway. You could understand more about the Great Ocean than you ever could about females of their age.

Finally everyone was in place, and Ahriman addressed them.
“Right. Before we begin, I must block off the room from the Waaarp, so none of you will try cheating again.’ As he said that he stared straight at Furia, who returned his stare with one of angry amusement. The last time he had been forced to call upon the Great Ocean to keep her from starting a fight. That had got him a very angry message from Angron, and he’d rather not ever get another one of those. “If you please…”
He hefted his Hequa staff and began a complex series of movements, chanting the higher ennumerations as he did. A psychic block to prevent any form of cheating. He still felt slightly miffed that his powers which once smote enemies all across the galaxy from Aghoru to Heliosa were now reduced to this. However he had to smile as the students watched his every move with astonishment. Even Furia couldn’t take her eyes off his fluid movements.

Finally he finished, and hefting his Hequa Staff, he addressed them.
“Now Class, as you all should know today we have our test on the effects of Waaarp Storms on Realspace.”
A slight smile crossed his face as he saw Cora’s discomfort. Once again he felt glad that he still wore his helmet, although he suspected Miranda knew exactly what he was doing.
“I trust that you have all studied long and hard.” Yes, rub it in why don’t you. “Now begin!”
Inwardly he cringed. He could never get used to the term ‘Warp’. It felt like an artificial word that could not contain the true majesty and mystery of the Great Ocean.

For nearly an hour there was nothing but silence, along with the scratching of mnemo-quills. For once, everything went well, no hint of cheating, tampering or trying to worm out of it. Even Furia was busy staring furiously at her paper as the mnemo-quill tore across it with lightning speed. After his latest report to her father, Furia was actually doing some work for a change, her slipping grades taking a turn for the better. Ahriman could only guess at the confrontation that must have happened between Angron and Furia, and even that guess made him wince.
Already Miranda sat back, a small smile on her face and her test completed before her. Ahriman didn’t need to check to know that she would get yet another A+ from him.
A few minutes later both Isis and Roberta were also done, and one by one the others finished. As the clock ticked on the final few still yet to finish became more and more worried, Cora and Morticia in particular.
Finally the bell rang, and straight away the silence was shattered by the scraping of chairs and rustling of paper as everyone hastily packed up and exited. Cora scribbled down several last second sentences before exiting with Kiara. He hoped for her sake those final sentences would boost her score a bit.

As she left, Miranda looked at him, and words bred inside his mind, asking if he was staying late that evening. He shook his head regretfully. Replying in the same manner, he told her he now had thirty tests to mark, and that would take all night. However he was free tomorrow and he had finally found his untranslated copy of a book on Enuncia, the ancient language of magic. What he didn’t tell her was that her father had given it to him after Angelus as a going away present. She waved at him as she left, and his heart soared. He now understood somewhat about what his Primarch had meant that cold day on Angelus, as the celebratory fires burned into the night, and the Crusade faded into history.

Once everyone had gone, he began to type out his report on the lesson, knowing that his master and his brothers read the reports regularly, keeping tabs on their daughter’s behaviors even when they were offworld. And many of them were offworld. Angron was wiping out a Greenskin Waaagh!, Mortarion was training a new levy of troops on Barbarus and the Warmaster was engaged in trade talks with the Interex, a race he had established contact with near the end of the Great Crusade. Finally he finished, picked up his Hequa Staff and books and turned to leave. As he left he turned and smiled as an idea came unbidden into his mind. If he truly wanted to teach them about the Great Ocean, why shouldn’t he show them first-hand its true face, the true danger and beauty facing them? Mulling over that thought and how he could make it work, he left the room in darkness.

==The Field Trip==

Professor Ahzek Ahriman stood before the principal, mentally prepared for the storm that was about to come. He had researched and planned for this for several months, ever since the idea came into his head after a long day at work, but he also knew it would be a long shot.
“Professor Ahriman, I have my gravest doubts about this.”

“Sir, with all respect I was instructed by my Lord Primarch to teach them about the dangers of the Great Ocean, and what better way to do it than to show them the single most important example of how powerful and deadly it can be?”
“A field trip to the Eye of Terror? The single most dangerous place in the entire Imperium? After what Eldrad and the Eldar told us about it? I fear Professor Ahriman that you must have lost your mind.”

“Sir, I have made all the necessary checks. We will use a powerful Nullship to keep us shielded from detection, and we will have an entire company of Grey Knights along with us for escort. I am the third foremost human expert on the Great Ocean; I know what I am doing.”
“There’s still a gargantuan risk that I will not be prepared to take. Imagine what the Primordial Annihilator would do if it could get its hands on one of the daughters of the Primarchs? The Maelstrom has none of the risk attached; surely it would be a better plan to go there.”
“They need to know sir. Knowledge is power, and if it wasn’t for Eldrad then we would never have known until it was too late. Can you imagine if the Primordial Annihilator had turned one of the Primarchs?”

The Principal grimaced. “I admit that is a truly scary proposition. Fine, you will have to talk it over with the Emperor and the Primarchs, but you have my blessing. But if anything happens to them, it will be on your head. Got me?”
“Understood.” Ahriman turned away, hiding the look of triumph. And yet as he left, a cold chill crept up his neck. Was he truly doing the right thing, trying to show them the face of the great foe that they were forever opposed to? And would they truly be safe from the temptations of the Great Ocean?

To be Continued...when I get the time

==Tales of Victory==

Professor Ahzek Ahriman cleared off his desk, and smiled as he pulled out the bottle of wine. It was one of his own wines, M31.260 vintage, one of the best known wines across the entire Imperium. He had been waiting for it for several months, and the latest bulk hauler from Prospero delivered. He felt it would be good company for his afternoon plans, and the tale he was about to tell.
Today was another of his customary afternoons with Miranda, and today he promised to tell her about the Great Triumph at Angelus, where the Great Crusade was finally declared over, and the Primarchs returned to their homeworlds and the surprises waiting for them there. She had been begging him to tell her that tale for many months, and only now had he finally relented.
He poured himself out a goblet of Wine, removed his Helmet and slowly sipped as he waited for 1600 hours to arrive.

A soft tapping sound on the door. Enter! he sent telepathically.
Miranda cautiously opened the door. “Ahriman?” she said quietly. During these sessions she was allowed to speak to him as equals, instead of teacher and pupil.
“I…kinda told some of my friends about this and they wanted to hear the story as well.”
Miranda slipped in, followed by Freya, Cora, Kiara, Farah, Venus, Lyra and an unknown girl, who looked way too young to be present at Imperator High. Ahriman raised an eyebrow.
“This is Lofn, granddaughter of the Eldar Representative. She’s here on an exchange program.”
Ahriman gazed intently at Lofn. She was a strange girl, with a strange mix of Eldar and Human features which struck Ahriman as suspicious. But he trusted Miranda, and if Miranda trusted Lofn…

“I thought these sessions were just for us two. Now it seems you’ve brought the entire class along with you.”

“They all want to know about Angelus. Wasn’t it there that we, I mean our fathers…”
“Learnt that you were on the way? We’ll get to that, but first, if you’ll all drag up some chairs, I’ll begin.”
There was a scraping of chairs as the girls sat in a tight semicircle around Ahriman. He pulled out several more goblets, filled them with wine and offered them around. Lyra, Kiara and Miranda were the only ones to accept.
Ahriman hefted his trusty Hequa staff. Usually he liked to use the power of the Great Ocean to share his memories with Miranda in a more intimate fashion, but in this case the others wouldn’t get to see anything, so he would have to tell it the old fashioned way, with a little Warp magic added for effect. He took a sip of wine, cleared his throat, and began.

“It all starts with Angelus, star system XCV-103. A dead world once inhabited by an ancient civilization far more advanced than our own.”

“The Necrontyr.” It wasn’t Miranda who said that, but Lofn. Ahriman replied, surprised.

“Exactly. They were wiped out millions of years ago; long before humans arose on earth, long before even the Eldar reached the heights of their glory. A Remembrancer I know is currently doing excavations on their ruins on Naogeddon. Continuing. So Angelus remained empty and forgotten, until by chance the 12th Expeditionary Fleet came across this dead world.”

“My Father’s?” That voice came from the door. Roberta was there, along with Remilia.

“Still more of you come.” He sighed, though his heart was warming to his story. “Come in, grab a chair and join us. I’m telling them about Angelus.”

“I heard. Miranda was bragging about it all week.”
Ahriman shot Miranda a look, waited for Roberta to grab a chair and join them, offered her some wine, and continued.

“So Lord Guilliman found this world, and spent a week orbiting it. What he discovered would set everything in motion. There were no stars beyond it. His navigators were frozen with fear, blind and beyond the Astronomican. It was quite literally the end of the line, the last planet in the Galaxy.
By that point virtually everyone knew the Great Crusade was practically over. Conquest had tapered off, there was only a few scattered campaigns being wound down. It was then that the Emperor made a general broadcast to all the Primarchs, his first in many years. He declared a great triumph at Angelus, to celebrate the Warmaster’s successes, and declared that he would be there in person. We were told that it would be a spectacle to rival Ullanor, a spectacle the likes of which the galaxy would never see again. Of course we all suspected it would be to declare the Great Crusade over, however we were still caught up in the excitement. The Emperor joining us again? Returning to his sons? Excitement was in there air in every ship, on every world.
Lord Guilliman remained on station and landed troops to prepare the stage as hundreds of ships started to translate in system to prepare for the great triumph. First were Mechanicum vessels, carrying four Labour Fleets of geoformers, the great terraforming machines which would level flat the rocky wastes of Angelus. Soon after that the vessels of the Thousand Sons joined them.”

“You and Father?” Miranda piped up.

“Yes. We were asked to use our ‘gifts’ to help clear the stage, direct the millions of servitors, automatons and penal battalions and do what we could to help with the preparations.
As he paused to take another sip, he said aloud. “I know you’re out there, come on in.”
Angela guiltily walked into the room, her small wings quivering. Behind her was Athena. How was it that so many of them were still here so long after lessons had finished? Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he waited for her to join them, and continued.

“Over the course of eight months, more and more ships entered the system, turning it into the single most heavily defended system in the entire Imperium. Fleet after fleet joined. After my Lord’s Twenty-Seventh Expeditionary Fleet, the next fleet to join us was the Fourth Expeditionary Fleet.”

“My Father’s forces.” Lyra added.

“Right. We met him personally on the bridge of his flagship. I have always been struck how seemingly emotionless your father is.”
Lyra nodded. Even she found her father somewhat unresponsive, rivalling the way that Petra found Perturabo.
“Anyway, barely a week after he arrived it was the turn of the 52nd Expeditionary Fleet to join us. I already know what you’re going to say Farah; it was your father, along with Vulkan. The Emperor wanted them to make some items for the Triumph, decorative metalwork and other objects. We all had to pitch in to ensure this was bigger and grander than Ullanor. I’ll spare you the further details, but one by one the other Primarchs arrived, until all eighteen of us were busy on Angelus, while the skies above were filled with ships of all different shapes, sizes and classes. I was present when the Expeditionary Fleets massed over Terra, and I thought that was a grand sight. When I saw the fleets over Angelus, I was proven wrong. That was a sight I will carry with me forever. Here, I’ll show you.”

He hefted his Hequa Staff, muttered a few words, and struck the desk top. As he did a bubble of memory appeared in the middle of the group. It swiftly expanded to engulf the entire room. Miranda smiled, while Farah and Freya looked distinctively uncomfortable as they were swallowed up. Now the classroom had vanished and they sat suspended in an empty black void, the void of space. The scene shifted and they found themselves in orbit around a solitary planet, orbiting twin stars.

“This was Angelus after Lord Guilliman found it. Now you will see it as it looked before the Emperor arrived.”

The scene shifted again. Angelus was still there, but it was now surrounded by a sea of ships. Thousands upon thousands of Warships of every description and class clustered around the Planet. Ahriman pointed out the Primarch’s Flagships. The ''Vengeful Spirit'' sat alongside the ''Phalanx''; the ''Pride of the Emperor'' was flanked on either side by the ''Alpha'' and ''Macragge’s Fist''. There was even an Eldar Void Stalker class battleship sticking out like a sore thumb among the legions of Imperial Ships.
He heard a loud voice cut through the bubble of memory. “Where the fug are they all?” he could recognise that voice anywhere.
A door miraculously appeared in the void, slammed open and Furia stormed in. for a second she didn’t realise what was going on, until she abruptly stopped and stared at the sight arrayed around her. He could tell even without using his gifts that she was impressed.

“Good grief. You’re the last person I expected to see here. Never mind, grab a chair and join us. We haven’t reached the good part yet.”

After yet another interruption when Hana walked in looking for Furia, Ahriman resumed his tale. “Now I shall take you to the surface, show you what I saw as we escorted my Lord Primarch to the Dais.”

The scene around them blurred. Now they sat on the surface of Angelus, a sun-baked plain of sand and rock. Before them stood a great road, so wide a full platoon of Baneblades could drive line abreast along it. Poles were placed every ten metres lining the road, each pole topped with the head of a different foe the Imperium had vanquished during the Great Crusade. The road was lined by troops from all over the Imperial Army, and Marines from all the Legions. Behind them were columns of tanks and the massive God-Machines of the Titan Legions.
The road faced the ancient Pyramids of the Necrontyr, each of which was overlaid with great friezes and frescos celebrating the many triumphs of the crusade.
Between the two tallest pyramids stood a great dais suspended between them, and Ahriman explained that it was there that Magnus and his Brothers stood with the Emperor and reviewed the troops. Everything about that was designed to exceed the Great Triumph at Ullanor, and it did.
“I was there along with my Primarch’s equerry, Amon, as his personal escorts. We prepared for many days, every word, and every move.”
Though this was but a memory, he could still see how overawed the girls were. Even Furia stared around her with amazement as the endless ranks of soldiers, the towering Titans and the distant pyramids.

“Finally the moment came. A golden ship translated in system on the eighth of Novembus. The Emperor had finally arrived, unlooked for and unannounced. Now the Triumph could commence.” Ahriman smiled, and he continued with a strange note of awe in his voice.

“Not even at Ullanor were all eighteen Primarchs in attendance. Over a million Astartes from all eighteen Legions were present, along with ten million men and women of the Imperial Army, Titan Legions, and Mechanicum. Hundreds of Remembrancers covered the event, the best from every field gathered to record the great event. Karkarsy, D’Angelus, Keeler, Delafour, Vivar, Voss, Kallimakus, and a close friend of mine, Gaumon. I still pity them and the poor Imperial Army Troops, caught out in that sweltering heat. Gaumon told me it was like Aghoru, but worse.
Great pits cut into the surface were filled with great flames.
So the troops were mustered, and took up their positions along the great road. We fulfilled our duty of seeing Lord Magnus to the Emperor’s great podium, and we marched in procession alongside the honour guards of all the Primarchs. Mortarion’s Deathshroud, Dorn’s Huscarls, the Justaerian Terminators of Horus and all the others.
After all eleven million men and Astartes had paraded before the Emperor he stood up to the edge of the Podium and made his announcement. It was as epochal as when he relinquished control of the Crusade at Ullanor. The crusade was over, the Galaxy had been won. With the aid of the Eldar, the Primordial Annihilator had been driven off, and apart from the omnipresent threat of Orks and the Eldar’s dark kin, there were no more enemies left. The Imperial Army was to be demobilised, the Legions returned to their homeworlds to await further orders."

“I heard that Lord Angron kicked up quite a fuss about that.”

“You got that right.” That was Furia, lighting up a cigarette. Ahriman’s eyes narrowed, he hated them, he hated their stink, but he chose to ignore her action.

“But what about us? Weren’t you there when our father’s learnt that we were on the way?” Ahriman was so engrossed in telling his tale and sustaining his memory field he had failed to notice that Isis had joined them. When did she show up?

Ahriman paused to refill his goblet. “You make a relevant point Isis, and by the way it seems you’re late again.” Isis blushed.

“Actually I arrived before Furia, you have just been so focused on your tale you never noticed me.”

“Uh uh.” Ahriman answered. “To answer your question, alas, I wasn’t there. It was a private moment, with only the Emperor, his sons, Lord Valdor and Malcador.”

“I will finish.” A mighty figure squeezed through the door, a red giant clad in a cloak of feathers.

“Father!” Miranda squealed as she ran over to embrace Magnus.

“Yes.” He addressed the other girls. “I was sent to fetch you all and take you home, it’s nearly 2000 hours and my brothers were getting worried. they needn't have bothered. However I will conclude my first captain’s tale.”

Magnus poured himself a goblet of wine and began.

“After the Triumph my Father called me and my brothers over. While he was working on the Terran Webway Portal, he had also been working on another project, a special one just for us. He knew that we would be without purpose with the Crusade over, and so he resolved to do something which would keep us occupied, give us some joy and help create the next generation of leadership, who would rule the Imperium far into the future.
He knew that there would still be conflict, with the Eldar’s dark kin, the Ork, Hrud and many other enemies, and he wanted the Legions always ready for action.
“Of course that was before Brother Guilliman’s infamous Chapter Plan.”
It was shortly after that that Lord Guilliman revealed his Chapter Plan, creating autonomous chapters of a thousand marines each which would act as fast response units capable of responding to any crisis, either defeating enemy threats on their own or else holding up the enemy long enough for a Legion Force to come to their aid. Most of these ‘Chapters’ came from Guilliman’s own Legion, as the others were not quite as enthusiastic about the idea of Chapters as he was.” Ahriman smiled to himself and watched the somewhat guilty looks on Freya, Cora, and Remilia’s faces as they remembered hearing the arguments and fights over the Chapter Plan. Even now it was still a hot topic.

“And so my Father presented us with a strange golden cylinder each, covered with wards and sigils and filled with the power of the Great Ocean.”

“That was us?”

“Yes. You weren’t to be created the way we were, for the Primordial Annihilator would doubtless try to snatch you away again. No, you were to be born of women, each chosen by one of us. That way you would be safe from the Primordial Annihilator and have a more…Human entry into the world. So each of us took our cylinder, our unborn child, and we returned to our homeworlds, there to search for good mothers and await your births.”
"Um, if i may ask, how did those cylinders work?"

there was unnatural silence, so suddenly and abruptly it almost broke the strange smell. Ahriman saw that Magnus wasn't looking any of them in the eye. finally he said.
"My Father said he would tell you all himslef, personally when you were ready. Unitl then, I consider that matter closed. And that is the story.” Magnus finished. The memory bubble faded, revealing the classroom again. Ahriman saw the varying expressions on the faces of the Girls, and knew that the Primarchs would have some rather awkward questions asked to them. he was glad he wouldn't be there to hear any of those.
As the girls put their chairs back, Lyra commented. “The Twins are so going to be pissed they weren't here for this.”
“But we were.” As they said that, they got up from hiding behind a desk. Ahriman facepalmed, while Magnus chuckled.

==Freya and Miranda==

When the aether opened itself to Miranda, she found that she would rather not be anywhere else but within it. Father had warned her...strongly... against so much as visiting the plain of souls, but after her first time glimpsing the indescribable majesty of the other universe, Miranda found that anywhere else was little more than a hovel, created for the sole purpose of binding her to limitations, and fears, and wants she cared nothing for in the ethereal. Stars gave birth and died before her in the time it takes someone to blink. Seconds of time stretched out for millenia in the grandeur of the aether, and she relished it. The sea of spirits was calm, eddying in tides of joy and surfs of joy. She was sprayed with blasts of sorrow and confusion, intermingled with lust and fear, although these were trifling descriptions to what she felt as her soul self drifted aimlessly through the Great Ocean.

Suddenly, the waters of consciousness began to tremble, as if some great fissure were causing them to bubble and ripple. Miranda tried to make sense of the insensate, but found that she was little more than a passenger on this trip, her control over her coming and going no longer existed. She watched a great, dark star, piteously heinous be born in the blackness of the void. It swallowed other stars, bright, but not as bright as the anti-light of this new constellation. Star after star was sucked in, and she felt as if the very sea of thought itself was being pulled in, like a vicious tide away from shore. As soon as she was about to panic, her thoughts exploded with light. A new star, small, but incomprehensibly bright was birthed next to the pulsating, morbid solar body. This newcomer was greeted fiercely, and rampant flares and bursts of energy were hurled at it. Each blow, which had felled dozens of lesser stars, dissipated before it even reached this new, glowing entity. She almost wanted to venerate this new star when it split. No. It didn't split. Because it was never just one. It was many stars. This awe-inspiring light was the sum of many. But why did they separate? What could cause them to...the seas began to boil. To burn. To blister her otherflesh. Something was terribly wrong.

Miranda noticed that the stars seemed to be separating from one central point of light, which shone with a diamond clarity. It had a billion points of light, each one different and majestic, in a simplistic sort of way. But, as the other stars, each bearing a single, distinct color separated, the diamond began to tarnish. It stained, as if it were being covered with some kind of muck. It was then that she realized, with horrible clarity, that it was not being covered. The diamond itself was changing.

Turning from a piece of brilliance to a creation of utter wrongness, the light turned to something so black and incomprehensibly dark that it outdid its' former rival a hundredfold. And swallowed it up. First it ate the black star. But that would not sate it, not ever. This black diamond would never be sated. All of the stars it once held were swallowed next, as if their lights never were. Then, the diamond looked at her...and it was hungry. The sea of thought began to sway, back and forth, to and fro, as the black diamond began to devour everything. It was devouring even the Warp itself. Back and forth. Back and forth until the coldness of death ate Miranda, and she drowned.

"Wake up, would you! Cut it out, Miranda, you're spooking me!" Miranda coughed. She choked and hacked out water, which even coming back up felt as cold as an untouched glacier. She spit and choked and breathed in gulps of air, her lungs greedy from oxygen deprivation. "I keep telling you to lay off that dabbling, or next time, I'll let you die!" Miranda looked up at Freya Russ, and smiled.

"You make such a horrible liar, Freya." Miranda saw Freya's face contort in a strange mixture of disgust, fear, and thankfulness that she was alive.

Having to convince their fathers that living on campus was a good idea was monumental in and of itself. Later having to explain who they were roommates with was miraculous in that either one of them still had a pulse. The daughters of the Wolf and the Red King so much as existing under one roof was difficult to accept. To know that they were roommates had sent their respective fathers into near apoplexy. They, however, didn't see things in such black and white differences. From the moment they saw each other at the great orientation at the Isstvan Building, they knew that somehow, for some reason, they needed to stay together. To help each other. To the faculty, it seemed like a mutually beneficial arrangement: Freya would help Miranda develop her physical talents in Phys Ed., while Miranda would help Freya with her other studies.

The faculty, however, would know nothing of what they thought of each other after classes. During school hours, they kept up appearances, openly taunting and jibing the other until it seemed like hair-pulling was the only reasonable course of action. Behind the doors of their rooms...and most anywhere else they felt was somewhat private, for that matter, they cared for each other more knowingly than any other being possibly could.

==Fixing Hana's Bike==

The scent of the garage was odd. It always had been to an extent, but now it was absolutely curious. Where a moment before, the air was filled with the acrid tang of welded ceramite and burnt plasteel, now the scent of rose oil intermingled with vanilla and cherry blossoms. This confounded the chemical auspexes of Techpriest Jerlaek, and was preparing to order a diagnostic on what tentatively was his nose when suddenly the garage door opened with a blast of relatively cool summer air. Kept in his dungeon-like state of perpetual darkness, having little need for ambient light when the full spectrum of vision and color were at his augmetic eyes beck and call, the Techpriest was blinded for exactly 3.023 seconds as his ocular lenses adjusted to the new stimulus.

He saw three figures standing in silhouette at the mouth of the garage. The Techpriest readied his mechadendrites, and charged them discretely. His mission was not only to maintain the Legion's vehicles, but also in this respect, to protect his charge, and would do some come death or malfunction. As the figures approached him, and entered the din of his work strobes, he immediately deactivated his lethal array of vibrowhips and neural disassemblers. He clicked a few times, his vocoder activating with slowness.

"Mistress Farah. Forgive me, I was unaware you were arriving here." She offered the polished chrome faceplate a warm, disarming smile.

"No problem, Jerry! We just came to fix a couple of things." The Techpriest had always been confused as to why Farah Manus had opted to give him such a pseudonym, but filed it away for processing. To even try to understand females of her age was asking for a complete cogitative meltdown.

"I see, Mistress, and what is it that needs consecration and soothing?" Farah pointed over her shoulder to the tall, imposing girl in the middle with a strangely familiar two-wheeled apparatus slung over her shoulders, its white and red paint marred black in a number of places by smoke and poorly anointed unguent. He reached out his partially biological hand towards it. "Of course, Mistress Farah, I shall offer the Omnissiah's blessings to..." a vice-like grip registered on his subdermal neurotransmitters. Focusing, he saw the girl, whom he now cogitated with some embarrassment and fear as Hana Khan, daughter of the Great Khan. She leaned in and whispered loudly,

"Listen. Farah and Venus help me fix Janggi, but nobody," she pulled him even closer for added effect, not an easy task considering his augmetic bulk, "and I mean nobody touches Janggi but me. Understood?" The now terrified adept nodded the pistons in his faceplate and let out an assuring blurt of machine code. "Good. Ladies!," she said, with an air of an aristocrat, "we have work to do!"

"Torque driver. Pneumohammer. Plasma torch. Swab." Hana was working at a furious pace, but with the precision of a chirurgeon. She repaired the damage from this morning, Venus handed her the proper tools without even having to look, and Farah observed, ensuring the proper rites were being initiated. Janggi was in pain, Hana could feel it. Not perhaps as acutely as Farah did, but Farah felt a general empathic feeling from nearly everything from lumen strips to battle Titans. But she wasn't bound to Janggi, not like Hana was.

The graceful machine was a gift from her father, a glory of twin-wheeled excellence the envy of any machine in the entire school. She could run down anything that called the ground its home, and could keep up with anything that didn't. True, Janggi wasn't exactly the artisan-crafted masterpiece Moondrakken, but she understood it would be rather awkward if she were to accidentally gun down five of her classmates each morning in a hail of bolter fire. As it was, the school had her coming to the office nearly every morning for disrupting some scholam lecture with her blaring engines. Engines that also had a bad tendency to want to erupt on her. That, however, wasn't Janggi's fault. It's spirit was a docile one, powerful, yet gentle, and expected to ferry a poised, collected girl from place to place. What it had found, however, was a hellion of speed and danger, a dark-haired blitz of energy that the fragile machine spirit couldn't possibly contain.

That changed today.

"Okay," Farah said, after the superficial damage was repaired. She flicked her mechanical fingers around the chassis, which Hana didn't seem to mind as she didn't have fingerprints to leave behind. "it looks like the problem you have is that Janggi's motive engine can't...keep up with you." This sharpened a dagger behind Hana's eyes.

"Are you calling me fat?" Farah leapt back, put a hand behind her head and waved away the thought, knowing full well the reputation the daughter of the Khan had.

"No! No! What I mean is that...it's not capable of holding your fighting spirit! Yeah..." her words seemed to work, as Hana went back to polishing the outer hull of the moped.

"Hmph," she grunted, as daintily as an Ork with a rash. "Any suggestions then?" Venus looked over, and nonchalantly said,

"Why don't you just put a rocket on it, and call it good?" The other girls looked at each other, smiled innocuously, then, suddenly, they grasped Venus and shouted in both ears,

"Awesome!" Feeling like she'd just put her ear next to one of father's anvils while he was pounding out some new piece of weaponry, she slumped down and nearly passed out.
"Just one thing though," Farah noted, "if you have so much of a problem keeping that old fuel-burner from exploding, what's going to happen when it's got fusion cells?"

Hours later, the garage door opened once more. Techpriest Jerlaek peered into the gloom with his regular optics, seeing nothing, but hearing an odd humming sound. He almost had his thermal sensors primed when suddenly a blur of white plasteel, hair, and skirts zipped outwards and upwards from the garage, the sound of an anti-grav motor being taxed and a ululating shriek piercing the peace of silence that had existed. Then, as soon as it had ended, with the sound of a battle cry upon the field of glory, three girls shouted out, like warriors triumphant,

"Mall time!"

==Petra's art exhibition==
Perturabo was baking bread. Some would call what he was doing an art, but the Iron Warrior disagreed. It was a science, cold and hard, a science which relied upon exact mixes of time, thermal energy and raw material. Chemical engineering for those afraid to deal in truly important compounds. The act relaxed him. The fact that you could eat the products was also a nice bonus.

When Petra returned home she found her father removing golden loaves from the colossal stone oven dominating their kitchen.

"Daughter, your arrival is anticipated. The glazed buns you like so much are beneath that cloth."

"Thanks Dad."

"Please stand aside, this tray is exceptionally hot. Now report. How went the day?"

"It was fine."

"Your studies progress well?"

"I haven't got my physics paper back yet, but the teacher has been sick and hasn't had a chance to look over it properly."

"He is weak. He should do his duty. That is what they pay him for, correct? What else? Anything important?"

"Well... Ms. McCann, my art teacher, she thinks I'm doing really well this semester. She wants to put up some of my work on display."

"I said 'important', daughter."

"DAD! This is important to me."

Perturabo rolled his eyes.

"Oh very well. What is it, an exhibition of technical drawing?"

"No."

"Sculpting?"

"No. Besides, I told you, that's Victoria's thing."

Perturabo began to sweat slightly .

"Architectural planning? Botanical illustration? Surely not installation work?"

"Daaaad... come on... I told you all this."

"I am sorry, daughter, I do not know."

"GRRR! YOU NEVER LISTEN! YOU NEVER TAKE ANY INTEREST IN ME!"

"Petra, wait! Don't storm off!"

Perturabo moved to intercept the girl but thought better of it at the last moment. As he heard the sound of the front door slamming he noticed flyer his daughter had left behind on the table. The school art fair was less than two weeks away. The primarch studied the paper for a few moments more before walking purposefully to his office. There he took a diary from his desk and wrote in small, neat letters:

Petra's art exhibition. Important.

=== Alternate Ending ===

"Well... Ms. McCann, my art teacher, she thinks I'm doing really well this semester. She wants to put up some of my work on display this weekend."

"Your work", rumbled the primarch like stone on stone. "An exhibition of technical drawing?"

"No."

"Architectural planning? Botanical illustration? Sculpture?"

"No. Besides, I told you, sculpture is Victoria's thing."

Perturabo turned, facing her fully. In one long glance he took in a snapshot of Petra and ground methodically through its contents. His daughter's face, hopeful but dejected. Her fingertips, dusted almost indelibly with graphite and lead. Her notebooks, carefully ordered by subject. The tiny, detailed sketches along their margins.

Petra coughed uncertainly. "It's not going to be a big deal anyway. Victoria and Venus always come up with better art anyway." She started out of the room.

Head still oriented towards the doorway, Perturabo's gaze took in the rest of the stonework kitchen. The grand marble countertops, the unadorned cut of the entryway arches. The walls he'd built himself, buttressed by heavy I-beams of plasteel that carried the weight of his new life.

The flat, featureless panels he'd rasped clean of his carvings.

"Daughter." Petra halted, poked her head back into the kitchen. Perturabo paused, longer than he'd done in years.

"I shall be there."

==Math Class with Petra==
Petra was feeling something, although she wasn’t quite sure what. It was one of those emotions that you had to examine and unpack bit by bit to really understand.

Today was the first day of the new university-level math class that school had set up for those students who, like her, wouldn’t have learned anything new from highschool-level mathematics. Petra had hoped that what she would be feeling happiness and genuine interest right about now.

Instead, Petra was feeling something between anger and disappointment. She loved math, and had been so looking forward to a math class that actually challenged her, not something as easy as this! GAH!

“Deep breaths,” Petra thought.

Ahriman was going on and on about Integrals of all things. Integrals! Petra scanned the rest of the class. Roberta and Miranda seemed focused. How were they not bored out of their minds too?

Petra started absent-mindedly doodling on her paper, hoping it would keep her sane. So many integrals! Petra started drawing integrals one after the other on her page

∫ ∫ ∫ ∫ ∫ ∫ ∫

They kinda looked like a spiral, one next to the other. Petra drew them closer.

∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫

Now they kinda looked like rope, so Petra decided she’d roll with that and kept drawing lengths of rope. When that got boring, she started drawing knots in the ropes, each knot being more intricate and complicated than the previous. Knot theory is mathematics, right?

Knots were fun to draw, because they always ended up working. You just had to draw a squiggle, follow the line, and alternate between going over or under at each intersection. It also worked with more than one squiggle, or a squiggle that split at a point.

Petra drew knots out of other things besides rope, like flowers, or ribbon. She even drew two 3-headed hydras, coiling around each-other; she’d give the drawing to The Twins when she saw them next. They’d probably like that.

Oh wow, were they still taking about integrals? Well there go all the chances of this class being interesting.

Petra went back to drawing knots, before actually taking the shoelace out of her left shoe and actually started tying some of the knots with it. She wondered what the physics of the knots were; how they pushed on themselves and held together, and what part of the knot was the weakest and the most structurally important. Physics was really more Remilia’s thing, but Petra wasn’t inept at it.

So, the drawing of knots transitioned smoothly into calculating tension in the string and forces exerted by each loop of the knot. That’s weird, her shoelace-knots tended to take a different shape than what the equations said. She probably had to account for the shoelace not being an ideal string. The shoelace was itself just a really long knot made of 16 smaller segments, which gave it a natural tendency to resist being twisted. Once that was accounted for and the equations updated, Petra was pleased to see that the math and the shoelace gave the same answer.

From there, the rest was easy. She multiplied the tension of each curve of the knot by the number of curves it supported and a value based on whether it was exposed or buried deep in the knot. Testing with the shoelace was incredibly successful; she could now deduce which curve was the weakest link, and could cut those ones easily with her penknife.

“Yes! It works,” Petra exclaimed in her mind. “I wonder if this is how dad felt whenever he broke a siege.” Petra felt content, and that feeling stuck with her for a whole 12 seconds, before class ended and she realized that she’d cut her shoelace into tiny little pieces and was now down one foot.

“Hey Petra. What are those?” asked Roberta as she passed by Petra’s desk, gesturing to the equations that covered a full two pages of her notebook and a good portion of the desk.

Petra grinned. “Oh those? They’re just some math-class doodles.”

==Lament of Krieg==
Dear Diary,

I did it again. What, you ask? Ach, you know already. Another day has passed, and I, child of eternal penance already have laden my shoulders with even more shame. And cowardice! Of all things cowardice!

Oh, you know I must but how could I ever? This one thing I must, I desire and yet I cannot.

Shame on my existence! Shame, I say! How could I keep looking in the faces of my brothers, let alone father? Yet, what is there to be seen? Derisive amusement! And rightfully so.

Oh God-Emperor, by now she must be engrossed beyond measure. To find each day so stuporous a poem slapped together in haste, shame and sweating passion. Oh I can see her rip them apart in anger. Or not? Or what if she has a liking to them? What if she if overjoyed to find such interest taken in her? Away, haughty minds! How could she, my dark muse, my warrior princess ever like so cruel a feeling smeared in her face? And who am I to face her?

And yet, yet, thinking of her makes unworthy my heart leap! Oh I want to write her name all over the school! Oh a hundred times all over! Cora, Cora, Cora! I love you, no I burn in passion! This affection knows no name, no boundaries!

But still, here I sit, another ramshackle poem on my lips, fiery joy burning my heart, yet sorrows icy claw holds it fast in place.

Oh woe is me! Two hearts beating in my chest!

Tomorrow, tomorrow will be the day I face her, confess myself!

Shush, fool, you do none of the likes! You write on blank paper with your left so she won’t know your hand nor your pad.

My poor diary, you heard my desperation a hundred times. Oh sardonic a part of me grins at this caitiff boy, wants to be caught, better today than tomorrow. Get over with it. See her impressed face filled with disbelieve. Yes, it was me all along! You thought me an oaf? A militaristic blockhead? Well, you were wrong!

And then again…

Merciful sleep take me away to oblivion!

Await my next wail by tomorrow, dear diary.

Yours,

Friedrich.

==A Strange Exchange==

"HEY FURBALL! CATCH!"
Freya spun around just in time to see the projectile speeding towards her head.

She jumped and took the object square in the chest, bracing her hands against a force that would have downed the likes of Morticia in a heart beat. Glaring down the hallway, she saw Furia glaring back with that infuriating smirk.

"What the hell's your problem!" The other students in the hall fell silent as Freya roared back at her assailant. "Ya run out of initiates to harass or are ya just lookin to meet the Emprah early?"

"Tsch, such harsh words," chided Furia, that grin never leaving her face. "Maybe I should just take it back then?"

"Take what back?"

"I thought dogs were more observant than that. You said you needed those accelerator parts for your bike right? My dad had a spare in the garage... so... here you go."

Freya finally looked at the thing she caught: a heavy, beat up, rectangular box, wrapped sloppily in newspaper. The other students in the hallway let out a sigh of relief and stopped bracing for disaster. Caught between embarrassment and frustration, Freya yammered out what passed for appreciation. "Ummm... well... thanks. But ya didn't have ta try and bean me with it."

"Oh? but where would be the fun i.... HEY WAIT DON'T OPEN IT NOW!" Furia started walking towards the other girl, her trademark smirk smirk, as well as all color, drained from her face.

"What? Don't tell me its a trap. That's totally not your department anyway." Unimpressed and typically impatient, Freya tore through the shoddy packaging and pulled out chrome plated motorcycle parts from amid the packing peanuts. "Awesome, just what I needed!"

"Good... lets just say you owe me." Furia's smirk was beginning to creep across her face again, but the tone of hesitancy in her voice was obvious.

"Sure thing, so long as you don't act like an asshole all the time". Freya was about to turn and leave when she felt a shift in the weight of the box. "Hmmm... Something else at the bottom?" Digging deeper, she found another, smaller box, poorly wrapped in red paper and adorned with a paper flower cut from red
construction paper. "What in the Emperor's name is this?"

Furia's face was as white as Konrad Kruze's butt reflecting a full moon. She could only stutter a pathetic opposition as the contents of the secret package were revealed to the world.

"Chocolates? Did you pack somethign by mistake? HA! I got it, they are probably filled with Catachan Death Sauce. Ya almost had me."

"Ya... exactly... Go choke on a few..." The blond bully mumbled, her fists clenched and knuckles white.

"Ya almost got me. Here, take em and try it again on someone else. I bet you can catch that stuck up bitch Lyra if you play your cards right"

"No. Just take them" Furia snapped back between grinding teeth.

The other students began to scatter or take cover again.

"What for?"

"Just fucking take them ok!" Furia shoved the sweets back, trying to cram the already dented gift back into the box of machinery.

Now, Freya is the type of lass that is easily confused when familiar people exhibit strange, new, behaviors. This event was no exception and so she started to push back. Her confusion was only heightened when she found herself plastered to the lockers with her arms pinned above her head. Furia's body was centimeters away, eyes glaring intently, one hand around her wrists and the other holding the box against the wall.

Suddenly, the agressor became aware of just how compromising the position was and dropped her prey. Flustered beyond words for perhaps the first time in her life, Furia shoved the box into the other girls hands and backed away. "Do you want the fucking stuff or what"

"Why do ya care if I take these or not? Its not like ya like me or anything, stupid. ... Right?"

The hall became as silent as a necron tomb world.
Furia just glared a response.

"Wait... you're serious... aren't you" Comprehension bubbled to the surface of Freya's mind but her thoughts were stolen by a sudden blow to her diaphragm.

"Check your calendar asshole!" the delinquent shouted before sprinting out of the building.

The sound of Furia's choked-back sobs reverberated in Freya's ears as she slumped against the lockers, trying to find her breath.

A thunderclap shocked her back to reality as a blanket wrapped Miranda appeared in a sudden plume of ozone and menthol scented air.

"Miranda... I thought you were sick."

"I still am", the psyker wheezed, "However I felt reality break for a moment in this vicinity and I felt the need to investigate. It was almost like the warp froze over."

"Really... Hey Miranda. What day is it?"

"Day? The fourteenth day of the second month of the year of our Emperor 298.M34. Why?"

==Riposte==

Fulgrim once had a saying he was fond of quoting to his officers: There is no finer way to find the true worth of a person than in a duel. A duel is the ultimate expression of ones’ skill and prowess, a mirror to reveal their true essence. Nobles had been fighting duels since the earliest days of human existence, and nothing had changed in all the thousands of years since then. That saying was one that the Primarch had picked up from the sons of the noble houses of Europa, and the Primarch had popularized it within his Legion, which then spread back to the houses of Terra eager to emulate the Legions that were winning them the Galaxy.

That legacy had now made its way here, to the mighty educational bastion that crowned Hive Tetra. The school that trained the leaders of the future was also seeking to teach those that wished to learn how to wield a blade.

The sanctioned duelling room had been specifically built into the main block and was one of the hidden highlights of the marvel that was Imperator High. It resembled an amphitheatre, or more darkly a fighting pit. The seats were smooth stone while the flat, stage-like fighting floor was polished wood with soft mats lying upon it. Weapons racks wrapped around the walls full of duellists rapiers, foils and épée, longswords, scimitars, gladius and other, less identifiable weapons.

Abdemon, Lord Commander of the Third Legion, master duellist, destroyer of the Katara, and now the sword instructor for Imperator High crouched silently upon one of the soft fighting mats in a meditative pose. It had been taught to him long ago by Captain Hathor Maat of the Thousand Sons during a joint campaign, and Abdemon had been taken by how it helped him cleanse, clear and sharpen his mind. It had supplemented his many other methods of finding his ‘Zen’ as the ancient wisdom of Terra called it. It was always helpful to have when dealing with his students.

In a single, fluid blur of motion he rose to his feet, drew his sword and executed a single, perfect cut and thrust with the blade. A Maru Skara. A Killing Cut.
There was only a small handful of beings that could pull off a perfect Maru Skara. Abdemon was one of those.

Nodding his approval, he sheathed his blade and turned around. There was a figure standing on the topmost steps, gazing down upon him.

“You are early today Phoenicia,” his voice, as smooth and sharp as a forged blade cut the air.

“Of course I am Abdemon. I didn’t want to miss that.” Her voice was friendly even as she addressed him so informally. “No matter how many times I see you pull off a Maru Skara, it never fails to amaze me.”

Clad in the standard fencer's uniform of a padded bodyglove in the school colours that only barely concealed her enhanced stature, Victoria, Phoenicia, Daughter of the IIIrd came up to the son of her father’s Legion, respectfully bowing her head at him as she entered the ring.

“Train enough and one day you will be able to do the same.” He replied.

“So you keep telling me, and yet I have trained for a long time and yet every time I try, it’s always a second too slow, a strike through water instead of air.” Her rich, elegant tone could not entirely hide s sense of frustration that bled through.

Abdemon shook his head. “No amount of extra time can rush perfection. It will come to you when you are ready, not after and certainly not before.”

Victoria gave an annoyed sigh. “I have trained with the sword since I was a child. My father, Captain Lucius and yourself were my tutors. How is it that with all of that, I still can’t make a perfect Maru Skara?” She shook her head to dispel the flicker of anger, a few strands of her ivory tresses shaking lose from her cap.

To those who did not know her (and they were many) the notion of Victoria, the perfect, pampered princess standing firm with a blade in her hand would have seemed inconceivable. Yet only a very few among the other Daughters could match her in a swordfight. She treated duelling as a family vocation, and had delighted her father when she took up the blade herself. And it had changed her, though not in ways that were readily apparent.

Outside this room her persona was that of the queen bee, gossip girl and ethereal beauty, the centre around which the cutthroat social scene seemed to revolve. Inside it another side of her - one Abdemon wished she used more this one room - emerged.

“We have ten minutes until the rest of the class arrives. May I have the chance to warm up?” Victoria asked.

“Of course, Phoenicia. I would be delighted to see your progress.”

He took a few steps off the stage and sat down on the lowest stone bench. After a set of stretches, Victoria drew a Foil from the student rack. Almost instantly she began to experiment with a few swings and strikes, her body shifting to a fluid stance. She was surprisingly fast and light on her feet, moving like flowing water as she make strike after strike, parry after parry. Her natural elegance was heightened whenever she was like this. In moments when she held the blade like this, shades of her father and his best qualities shone through.

In an instant it was over, and she was back to standing still, blade now hanging from her side. Her head turned towards him, so see his reaction.

“Impressive as always Phoenicia.” He said, and she brightened visibly. “Although you do tend to linger on your right heel for a second too long when executing a reverse-swipe.”

In an instant she was deflated. The corners of her smile dropped, some of the sparkle fading from her eyes.

“Every little improvement begets more improvement. Take pride in where you are, and in where you’re going.”

Before she could say anything, he swiftly changed tack. “The Terran yearly duelling competition is this month. I have no doubt you will be entering the junior division.”

“Of course.” A hint of arrogance tinted her voice, along with a clear hunger. “What better way to display my skill than against my peers, and before all the nobles of Terra?”

“It will not be that easy.” Abdemon countered. “Not only will you face bladed fops and glory-hungry nobles children, but also bodyguards in training and those who have devoted as much of their lives to the blade as you have.”

She gave a dismissive gesture of her head. “They may try, but they lack my drive, my perfection in form and technique.”

Abdemon was stung by the arrogance in her words. It reminded him too much of Captain Lucius. No finer swordsman was there to be found in the Legion (which even Abdemon had to admit, much as it galled him to do so) but his unweaning conceit and pride won him few friends. That side of the Legion was the one Abdemon had always struggled against, and did not want Victoria to ever fall to.

“And of course, what about the others? Your blood-kin?”

At that she paused. She could not laugh them off as easily. After a second, a note of steely resolve entered her voice. “I can still beat them.”

“I have seen Lupercal fight. She is as instinctive, measured and yet unbridled as her mighty father. Can you defeat her?”

With bravado, she declared, “The question is, can she defeat me?”

“Yes.” Abdemon said bluntly and directly. “The answer to that, Phoenicia, is yes.”

She wheeled on him. “Do you have no faith in me?”

“I have plenty of faith in you Phoenicia, but not if you let your pride blind you. You will not defeat her if you let that attitude rule.” Abdemon rose to his feet. “Come over here.” He gestured as he went up the stairs to one of the weapon racks on the walls.

Victoria joined him as he drew a beautifully forged Charnabal Sabre from one of the racks.

“Illumination. The sword with which I struck down Hamaya.” Abdemon said the name reverently as he gently caressed the blade with a single finger. “I fought him with the fate of an entire world on my shoulders alone. But I did not fight him with pride, or with blind hubris. I did not declare that I would defeat him. I knew well if he was the better man, he would kill me. And yet I still fought him with the honour of my Primarch, my Legion and the entire Imperium itself on the line, and I would do it again.”

She was silent, listening, absorbing. This was when she was at her best, when fighting against her pride, against herself.

“If you end up fighting Lupercal in the tournament, or any great foe, I want you to face them the same way I faced Hamaya. Fight not for pride, but for honour. And know that while honour may be lost in a duel, it can also be regained.” He then turned the blade and passed it to her. “You are to lead the class today, and I want you to carry this as your badge of office."

Her eyes were wet yet bright as she reverently took the blade, and experimentally hefted it.

“Can I practise with it?”

“No.” Abdemon said bluntly. And then with a hint of a grin, he added “But maybe when you need to practise for the tournament, I might be persuaded.”

She threw a beaming, radiant smile back. “Trust me Abdemon, I won’t let you down.”

‘I know you won’t. You never have.’ Not a word passed his lips as he moved over to let the rest of the class in. It was time to begin.

==Just Another Day On Void Platform 13==

Living on his own for so long, the Emperor had quickly become accustomed to hiding his thoughts. The great leader of Mankind had further learned, upon revealing himself to humanity as a whole, that keeping his psychic powers very tightly constrained when others were around was wise.

So it was with some surprise that he found himself one day eavesdropping on one of his granddaughters. He hadn’t meant to, but it was hard NOT to, he had simply been walking through the rooftop gardens of the Palace on Terra and found Venus chatting with someone he didn’t recognize. Before he could say anything or Venus could spot him, though, he saw the young man she was with speaking.

“So, of course, we freeze. We all know what that sound means,” the young man said excitedly.

“Of course,” Venus giggled. “What did you do?”

“Well,” the young man said, sighing dramatically, “I…TRIED to maintain order, but, you know, panic sets in so fast.”

“Oh, I know,” she replied flatly, a smirk tugging her lips. The young man didn’t notice her sarcasm.

“Well, I’m frantically voxing the rest of the squad, trying to keep them in line, when the crazy son of a bitch rounds the corner in person. He’s coated from head to toe in varnish, naturally enough, and I was lucky enough to have a soap grenade handy, so I try to use it. It works, and he comes bumrushing in, going all ‘vengeance’ this and ‘HONK HONK’ that,” the young man said, apparently making a conscious effort to keep his voice down. Venus spotted her grandfather out of the corner of her eye and waved while the young man paused for breath.

“Wait, you can make soap weapons?” she asked, returning her attention to her boyfriend.

“Sure, if the assistant isn’t being a shitheel and off bothering the miners or something,” the young man said. “It’s all on the net. Anyway, he’s coming at me with a mad-on, and I’m backpedaling like crazy, hoping that the rest of the squad can stop him before he gets me.”

“And did they?” Venus asked, struggling to hide a grin at her boyfriend’s enthusiasm and grandfather’s mounting confusion.

“Hell no. I gave it a good try, but he was just robust for me. Anyway, I’m dead as a doornail at this point, ghosting around like a silent fart in a crowded elevator, watching the whole server go to hell as the varnish singularity spreads, and the security guys finally manage to down the stupid clown, but the damage is done, and nobody alive has soapies. So the Captain calls in the shuttle, and the survivors crowd around the bay, when someone asks if the vents are sealed.” He leaned closer to her, his face grim. “Dead. Silence. NOBODY thought to seal the vents.”

“Fuck,” Venus giggled.

“No kidding. After about ten seconds of the loudest silence ever, the air vents start spewing varnish. EVERYWHERE. The crew is freaking out, trying to get the hell away from it, but it just didn’t work. The shuttle was FIFTY meters from the station when the pressure wall gives, and the whole, freshly varnished crew just launches into the black.”

Venus clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter, while her companion didn’t even bother with that, slapping his knee and doubling over in his chair with mirth. Finally, he turned back to his girlfriend and sighed contentedly. “You had to be there.”

The Emperor very quietly backed up a few steps, then shook his head and walked back into the building. “Kids these days,” he muttered.

==Bike Ride==

Remilia nearly cried out as the bus pulled away from the curb. She knew she wouldn't catch it, but that didn't stop her frantic waving and whimpering as she was left at the curb. It didn't help that it was raining and that she didn't bring an umbrella with her this morning. Or that the curb itself was dangerously slippery, which she had forgotten as she ran for her bus. Maybe she would be able to catch it if she took a shortcut...

All thoughts of such interception however, left her mind as she slipped and fell unto her ass. She didn't move. She was cold, wet, exhausted and slightly in pain. She was worried people would notice the tears at her eyes, but her face was too wet to tell.

Her day wasn't going as planned.

She knew the next bus was in 15 minutes away, but the bus stop had little to no shelter to hide under till then. She almost lost all hope of arriving home without being sick when suddenly a bike pulled up in front of her. Remilia looked up, making out the details as they came to her. It was a black sports bike, ordained with decals of feathers throughout the hull. The rider was similar decorated, wearing a black jacket with a modified Cadian helmet with a visor. On the back of the jacket was a white symbol of a blade in between two wings.

Still, it wasn't till the rider raised her visor and looked at her did she recognize her.

“Lyra?”

“Hey Rem, you okay?”

“...Not really” she said depressingly. Lyra extended her hand towards her.

“Need a ride?” she asked. Remilia paused at this, surprised to receive such an offer from Lyra. She barely knew her, so this friendly behaviour caught her by surprise.

“I don't want to be a hassle. Its out of the way for you isn't it?” she said, her polite side trying to hide how dreadful she felt in the rain at the moment.

“Ten minute detour is not a hassle Remilia. Also, I was headed your way anyway, so its not really like I'm doing you a favour” Lyra answered, portraying how most people see her as being a stubborn girl with a very logical mind, which usually ended up making her look like she was against everybody. Remilia sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to win the argument with the girl. And as the rain got worse, she wasn't going to argue with herself any longer either as she grabbed Lyra's extended hand.

A minute later, Remilia had her arms wrapped around Lyra's stomach tightly, holding on against the onslaught of rain as the Dark Angel sped her way towards the Dorn estate. Thankfully, she now had some protection against the elements as she wore a similar style helmet as Lyra's as well as a spare jacket she kept with her. And as they sped past the bus she would have taken home, Remilia felt a bit better about her day.

“Thanks again” she said, the radio within their helmets making a conversation quite easy.

“It's not a problem. Again, I had to go your way anyway”

“Well, you still didn't need to. I mean, its not like I would have expected you to stop.” Remilia immediately regretted letting that sentence slip out. It was common knowledge among the cousins that Lyra was the loner, keeping to her studies and books. Her only true friend she had seen was Freya. Remilia couldn't remember the last time they actually spoke. Still, saying something like that didn't help her attempts to become friends.

Surprisingly, Lyra simply laughed, catching Remilia off guard. “Yeah, I guess people would think I wouldn't stop. My reputation isn't exactly golden, and that's a fact” she said slowly down into a curve before speeding back up. “Yeah, well, I see you every day waiting for that bus patiently. I always wonder if I should offer a lift when I drive by, but I always get cold feet. Talking to people isn't a skill I have.”

“So what changed today?” Rem asked, breaking her silence. They were about five minutes now from her house.

“It was raining. I don't want you to be sick cause I'm being an idiot.” Remilia paused briefly before smiling to herself in her helmet. She could only think now that there might be more to the mysterious girl then she originally believed.

The bike rode on, finally coming towards the Dorn stronghold. It was a flat clear land in every direction, with the fortress in its centre. The Primarch had planned the area as if he was expecting an attack. Marines patrolled the walls, ever vigilant of nearby threats, and Remilia knew that their arrival had been expected even before they had seen the fortress. The gates opened slowly as the duo approached the walls, large ceramite doors creaking to open for the bike. As they passed the gate, they rode under a series of tents, offering them protection from the storm raging overhead.

Lyra smiled to herself at the difference between their house. While Dorn made it very clear that the area was well protected, her father had scout squads with teleporter beacons hidden within his grounds. Their presence was very hard to find amonsgt the many Caliban imported trees, and if anything became too much for them to handle, they could call in Deathwing terminator squads to deal with the threat. Two different approaches to the same problem.

Ultimately, Lyra came to a full stop in front of the house doors. Both got off the metal steed and freed themselves from the bike helmets. Remilia stretched and ran her hand through auburn hair. She checked her watch and noted she had made it home faster then she had planned. Suddenly, her day had turned out to be better then expected.

“Thanks again Lyra. So, why are you coming in this direction anyway?” Lyra simply smiled as she pointed past Remilia.

“That is why.”

The Dorn turned and noted the door had opened. Thoreau walked down from the steps with Rem's brother, Roger. She had completely forgotten that they had boxing practice today.

“Hey sis” the boys said in unison. Roger gave his sister a look of surprise, seeing that the majority of her clothes were wet from the rain, and some of it even had some dirt on it. “Rough day?” he asked.

“Could be worse” she answered, taking the jacket off and handing that and the helmet to Thoreau.

She finally turned to Lyra who was leaning unto her bike, waiting for Thoreau to get ready. She didn't expect the surprise attack from the Dorn as Remilia move in quickly and hugged her,catching Lyra off guard. It took several moments for her to return the gesture, hugging the girl back. Rem backed away and smiled at her, but Lyra only blushed and looked away, clearly embarrassed by the whole event.

“Thank you Lyra” she said, but the El'Jonson didn't answer, putting her helmet back on. For several moments, Remilia though she had pushed too far, but as the siblings prepared to ride away, Lyra raised her visor and finally smiled at her.

“Find me after class tomorrow. I can give you a lift again.” Remilia nodded with enthusiasm as Lyra waved goodbye and rode off.

== The Exchange Student ==

Johor Tull of the Interex nervously looked around him at the looming façade of Imperator High, and the crowds of students pouring into the cavernous maw of its entrance. It utterly dwarfed his entire home city on Xenobia. Today would be his first day as an exchange student, another link in the chain between the Interex and the Imperium. His father Mithras Tull was a close friend to the famous Captain Garviel Loken of the Mournival, and he suspected that he had pulled some strings to allow him to be the first Interex exchange student to the wider Imperium. Like his fellows in the Interex, he was gracious and noble, and he hoped that would win him some friends here. Like all in the Interex he was handsome and lean, with short dark hair, piercing blue eyes like his father’s and intricate dermatoglyphics covering the right side of his face, like the tattoos of the ancient races of Terra. His ears were bat-like, all the better to hear the melodies of the aria, though his father had warned him of potential teasing before he departed for Terra. Laced around the high collar of his neck and hanging off his arm was his aria, though the Imperials called it a harmonic synthesizer, and it would be less useful here than at home. He disliked the uniform he was wearing; it wasn’t anything like the robes or metal armour uniforms he was used to. He heard that if he was successful, than others would follow. There was even a rumour that the Eldar Ambassador was also watching, and he was also considering an exchange program at Imperator high. So much rested on him, and he chafed at the burden. Everything was so strange!
Taking a deep breath, he clambered out of the hold of the air speeder, shouldered his new pack and joined the throng heading into the scholum.
Trying to keep himself as hidden and unnoticeable as possible among the crowds, he kept his head down and used his ears to listen to anyone or anything coming around him. It was an imprecise art at the best of times, and this was the worst of times with so many sounds assailing his sensitive hearing.

With a loud ‘thwack’ he bumped into someone, sending them flying. Instinctively he bent down to help.
“Are you alright?” he asked, a faint melody covering his words from his aria to reinforce his sincerity. Old habits die hard.
As the girl collected up her books, he suddenly got a gut-wrenching feeling as he recognised who it was. Isis Lupercal, the Warmaster’s daughter and first student at Imperator High. He instinctively bowed his head, his aria beginning a muffed majestical tune. She reached up and grabbed his fingers before he could play any more, hauling herself to her feet.
“You must be new. No-one ever does that…” it was her turn to be astonished. Her gaze shifted from his ears, to his dermatoglyphics, and back again.

“You’re that Interex student Uncle Loken was talking about.”

“Johor Tull of the Interex, at your service ma’am.” his words were accompanied by the music of the aria, as his fingers played along it.

“Is that your harmonic synthesiser?”

“Aria and yes. They all said it would be useless here, but no Interex is complete without his or her aria.”
Isis smiled at him, a smile so infectious he fought not to smile as well.

“You obviously know who I am, and vice versa. I presume you’ll need someone to show you around, teach you the ropes as my father put it. Follow me.” Before he could get a word in edgeways, she grabbed his other arm and hauled him off.
He noticed that she kept on peeking at his dermatoglyphics as they glided around the corridors, she pointing out certain rooms. He remembered he had to find his new locker, and she took him past endless rows to where the high profile lockers of the top students were, where Johor was surprised to find that his locker had been located. He swiftly stashed his books away.

A few lockers over, a black girl, talking animatedly with a boy. Isis all but dragged him up to her.

“Venus, Jake. This is Johor Tull of the Interex.”
Now she turned and stared at him, her fiery red eyes scanning over his unusual features. The boy with her spoke first.

“You’re a real Interex?”

If looks could kill, then poor Jake would be deader than if he’d been hit by the Life Eater. Venus quickly spoke. “Jake didn’t mean it that way. Welcome to Terra, Johor of the Interex.” She shook his hand; her grip was firm but soft. He remembered that she was the Daughter of Vulkan of the Salamanders, but this time he kept his cool. Slowly but surely he was adjusting to the ‘unusual’ inhabitants of this scholam. Soon he was answering questions about the Interex, showing them his aria, which Jake found fascinating. As they talked another joined them.

“Wow, is that an aria? I’ve always wanted to see one of these. Your ears are cool, is your hearing better than a Space Marine's?

“The person firing the barrage of questions is Farah Manus. Please excuse her; curiosity may have killed the cat, but not her.”
Farah offered her hand, and with trepidation Johor shook it. As he feared his hand was nearly crushed, and Farah apologised profusely as he nursed his throbbing hand, the digits still plying over the aria.

As if things were not already too complicated, Isis ran up and embraced a boy with short dark hair. She then turned to Johor.

“Johor Tull of the Interex.”

“Julius Pius.” He looked at him morosely, as if he expected him to comment. When he didn’t, Julius quirked an eyebrow. Isis nudged him.

“His father is the greatest non-Astartes war hero in the entire Imperium.”

“We don’t hear too much about the wider Imperium in the Interex. It is hard to shake of the stain of Old Night.”

Julius sighed in relief. “That is a blessing. You know how many people want to ask me about how my father took out that Ork Gargant on Quetansk, or fought those Daemons on Morosis Prime. I wish they’d just leave me alone.”

“As you can see, Julius here is a bit melancholic.” She pecked him on the cheek, and he blushed deeply before promising to meet her at lunch and departing. She laughed as she watched him go.
“We go very well together. Sometimes I don’t know what I’d do without Julius for support. There are so many responsibilities on my shoulders, just like my father.” Her voice dropped to a whisper so low his aria sounded deafening. One of Farah’s metal hands rested on her shoulder, and she visibly brightened.

“Enough of all that. We have classes, so let’s get to it.”
As luck would have it, they both had the same first class, Professor Ahriman’s Warp Studies.
Ahzek Ahriman was the former First Librarian of the Thousand Sons, and famed as the greatest scholar in the entire Imperium.to his credit, he made the usually impenetrable topic of the Warp understandable. He took copious notes, the aria still sounding ever so softly in the background. If Ahriman heard, he did nothing.

The class spilled out of the room when the lesson finished, and Johor went with Farah, Venus and Jake as they made their way to the canteen. As they walked, Johor swore he heard someone mention Isis.
He paused. He could hear someone speaking in a low whisper, and he distinctly heard Isis mentioned. He focused, and swiftly it sounded like he was there beside the plotters.

“Do you know anyone named Victoria?” he asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“She is planning an ambush. Wants to humiliate ‘the golden girl’ in her words.”
Isis stared at him, as if seeing his massive ears for the first time. She nodded, and whispered something to Venus and Farah. They continued along the corridor, chatting as if nothing was wrong.
Suddenly a lush girl of amazing beauty rounded the locker she was using as ad-hoc cover. Several other girls were behind her, and Johor recognised Petra and Lyra. He shifted her gaze away from Isis to Johor.

“And who are you?” she asked in an icy tone, sneering at his distended ears.

“Johor Tull of the Interex. And you?”

“Victoria, daughter of perfection. Nice music by the way. Is that all the famous Interex can do? Play some B-grade music?” Johor gritted his teeth as the aria reflected his mood. Her posse smiled at his discomfort, but they didn’t realise what he was doing.

Johor had been told many times never to overcharge the aria, and never to combine that with a hypersonic setting. But it seemed to be a rite of passage for all young Interex to try that out, with nasty consequences. He however had practiced, making his aria into a weapon as much as a tool of music or communication.
Isis! Cover your ears!” he commanded, and he raided the aria, and aimed it at a stupefied Victoria.

The sonic blast threw Victoria over, blowing her skirt up. Johor blushed at the sight, and Isis giggled.

“Did someone forget their panties?” she asked, sweet faced. Victoria scrambled to her feet, and all but ran, her cohort following close behind. Isis whooped loudly as they ran, reaching over and hugging Johor.

“I never knew the aria could do that as well.” Farah said breathlessly.

“You’re a handy person to have around. I think we could find a use for you.” Isis said, and Johor found himself smiling. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as he’d feared.

==The Staff Room==

Professor Ahzek Ahriman all but crashed into the staff room, his armour wheezing at the strain. After four hours of non-stop lessons, he’d almost snapped. Not even the Higher Enumerations could save him for very long when it came to the students here. If they truly were the future of the Imperium, then the Imperium was in for a Grim Dark Future.

He knew he was being somewhat unreasonable, but after all those years of conquering the Galaxy for the Imperium, the last thing he wanted was to have to deal with the endless whining and winging, not to mention the practical jokes of The Twins. They were good and attentive students, but…

The staff room was a large, open structure overlooking the vast indoor playing fields, where the students hung out during lunch. Several screens showed live Servo-Skull picts as they kept an eye on the students below.

There were a few ex-astartes on the teaching staff, each the master of his particular field. Ahriman nodded at Fabius Bile, former chief Apothecary of the Emperor’s Children and now head of Biology. After his exemplary work on the Laer, he’d been ‘promoted’ to become the head Biology Teacher at Imperator High. There were rumours that it was a punishment for illegal experiments done during the last days of the Great Crusade, but Ahriman couldn’t uncover the truth. A short way away, slouched in a great armchair was Iacton Qruze, ''The Half-Heard'', head of the History department. Qruze was one of the oldest surviving Astartes, and teaching history was a blissful retirement for him.

Dean Yarrick, Old One Eye had his one eye glued to the Servo Skull feed, maintaining his eternal vigil over the school. Behind him was Celestine, half councilor and half spiritual guide, who as usual was staring out over the balcony at the crowds below, pointedly ignoring the muted cat-calls below her.

Ahriman had brought over a bottle of his wine, and shared it out with everyone.

After the drinks and the usual pleasantries, once again the topics of the conversations moved, as they always did, to the students, and 19 students in particular. Fabius started it off, his mechanical arms twitching as he spoke.

“Cora barely scraped through another test again. Honestly, something needs to be done for her. She’s a damn good kid, and I respect her father immensely, but he needs to do something for her.”

A few scattered agreements echoed across the room. Ahriman could sympathise, Cora was a decidedly average student at his course as well, though she was brilliant at Physical Education and History. Ahriman always wondered why the girls were being educated alongside normal humans, not educated by their fathers, or the Emperor Himself. More voices intruded on his thoughts.

“Morticia missed another lesson. I’m amazed she hasn’t slipped behind everyone else!”

“Miranda freaked out the whole class again, by demonstrating how elliptical orbits work. Ahriman, I wish you’d instruct your protégé about using her warp manipulation to show off.”

For a brief moment, Ahriman toyed with activating his Heqa staff and banging Mr Skurner on the head. Skurner was an Ex-Imperial Army, always either arguing with his students or reminiscing about the campaign on V’Narm, where he fought. Before he could do any more than light up the vision slits in his helm with angry red flames, Mrs McCann changed the subject.

“That T.G! I wish he’d shave off that bloody neckbeard! It’s as ugly as an Ork’s backside.”

“At least he has manners. Furia crashed her way in the middle of art, and didn’t even offer up an excuse.”

“The only person who can get her to do anything is old Yarrick here. Isn’t that right?”

Yarrick grunted, while taking a draught from his hip flask. Widely considered the second bravest in the entire Imperial Army, second only the ever famous Ollanius Pius, whose son Julius was one of the star students and on very good terms with Yarrick.

All of a sudden Ahriman saw a flash in his mind, of two students fighting. He couldn’t tell who they were, but he immediately voiced it to Yarrick, who nodded and started attaching his Battle Claw. Sure enough, a few seconds later the Servo Skull monitor started to whine.

One of the screens showed a group of students clustering around a fight. The picture blurred as the Servo Skull approached closer. After a few seconds, the picture sharpened enough for them to see who was fighting.
Furia and Hana. Of course it would have to be them. Furia was a near permanent headache for all of them, and only Yarrick could keep her in a semblance of line. From there they couldn’t tell what they were fighting over this time, but it hardly seemed to matter. Those two were either thick as thieves or else fighting like Grox and Squiggoths.

Dean Yarrack slowly hauled himself of his chair, flicking on the controls on his Battle Claw. A scowl cut across his ruined features.

“Need any help?” Ahriman asked. They often worked together, Ahriman using the Great Ocean to support Yarrack as he did his work.

“No need. This one won’t take long.” And with that, he was gone. Ahriman sure didn’t want to be either Furia or Hana, they were in for it.

End

==A Teacher's Lament==

{{Main|A Teacher's Lament}}

==An Afternoon With WD==

Lyra rolled her sleeve up to glance over her watch and huffed with impatience. “Late. There’s a shock.” She glanced down the winding street in front of her house, waiting for the yellow aircar limo that Remilia always used.

Finally, it slid to a halt next to the mouth of the Dark Angels’ house, and the gull-wing door popped open. Remilia waved Lyra in from the seat. “Hey, there you are. Sorry I’m late.”

“Hi.” Lyra tossed her bag into the open door, then turned to WD, standing patiently next to her. “All right, little guy, I’ll see you later.” WD waved its tiny arm as Lyra climbed into the car and the door slid shut. As the car lifted and shot off in the direction of the mall, WD turned around and waddled back into the house. He had a lot of work to do, and who knew how much time to do it?
First things first. WD clambered up to the mistress’s bedroom, which she had left in commendable shape, for once. Still, to a trained eye, there were so many LITTLE things to improve upon. WD hefted the pile of clean laundry outside the door and hauled it in, dropping it on the table next to the dresser, then waddling back out to retrieve an errant sock. He opened the drawers in her dresser one at a time, meticulously depositing each article of clothing in the proper drawer. That accomplished, he leaped from the dresser to the sprawling bed, laboriously tugging the sheets into T-square-perfect alignment.

He paused to look over the room, wondering if there was anything else that needed urgent attention. His tiny eyes alighted on the pile of homework in the corner of the desk. Of course. Mistress hated cleaning up after work. The gap was too far to jump, so he clambered down off the bed and climbed up the desk side, then carefully straightened up the sheets of paper and the occasional data card littering the desk.

A knock on the door caught his attention. Lord El’Jonson poked his head in, glancing around for Lyra. “Ah, blast, did I miss her?” His gaze caught WD, still fidgeting with the papers on the desk. “Did she leave already, WD?”

WD nodded, gesturing expressively at the window. El’Jonson sighed. “Of course. Well, I’ll just see her when she gets back.” He pointed at the pile of dirty laundry in the hamper in the corner. “Don’t do those. The young lady needs to learn a little about responsibility.” Without another word, he walked away.

WD listened to him go, utterly confused. What was he supposed to do now? There wasn’t anything else to do in the room. He had the afternoon off?

After considering that for a moment, he waddled off the bed and into the hall, looking both ways. Apparently master El’Jonson was the only one in the house right now, because it was a good bit quieter than he was used to. He waddled determinately over to the stairs and climbed down to the first floor, heading over to the massive kitchen. If he had some time, which was something he really wasn’t prepared for, the least he could do was have a snack while he ruminated on his newfound free time.

The little xeno walked into the kitchen, looking over to where the butler servitor was plugged into the wall, recharging. The cook was absent too, apparently, because her coat wasn’t on the peg. Did everybody have the day off?
WD climbed up the little set of stairs next to the prep counter, and started to open the cabinet that had the food he had set aside for himself…and paused. After a long moment, he glanced over at the human food refrigerator. Glancing slyly over his shoulder to ensure his privacy, he nonchalantly walked over to the fridge and heaved it open, staring at the piles and shelves of human food inside. How could humans even eat this much?
With an effort, he slid the vegetable drawer open and pulled out a half onion someone had opened, and carefully carried it back over to the smaller prep area he had for himself. Glancing furtively around, he hefted a little knife and cut off a thin slice, then popped it into his mouth.

Whoa.
That was different.

He hurriedly wrapped the onion back up and replaced it in the veggie drawer, and closed the fridge with a thump. Human food was gross.
Curiosity sated, he went back to his own prep station and made up a snack, wondering how he was to spend the day. He had never been in the backyard by himself before. Would that be fun? Come to think of it, he had spent a lot of time outdoors, but never without somebody with him all the time, or some goal to accomplish.

Sudden guilt grabbed him as that last thought percolated through his head. Was there something ELSE he was supposed to be doing? He tried and tried, but couldn’t think of any chores or housework the mistress Lyra or Lord El’Jonson had given him.

The sound of footsteps – heavy and quick – broke his introspection. He hurriedly rubbed the onion juice off the knife he was using and waited. The door – the big one – opened, and the cook walked in, dropping her coat on the peg, and walked straight over to the menu for the day. “All right, let’s see…hmph, grox tenderloin. Easy enough…” her voice trailed off when she finally sensed someone else in her kitchen. She turned around and spotted WD, doing his best to look casual at his prep station. “Oh…hello there, WD,” she said, opening the fridge and getting the dinner ingredients out. She focused on the task at hand, sorting through the food, putting the silent alien out of her mind.

WD sighed in relief and made for the door, before she could notice anything awry. Well, staying in the house wasn’t appealing any more, and it was a lovely day out…so why not go enjoy it? Wd made up his mind and navigated through the cold, imposing halls of the building to the backdoor, pushing it open with a mighty heave. The cool breeze of Terran artificial autumn blew over him, ruffling his hood, as he looked at the dense pine copse over in the distance, on the far side of the untrimmed grass lawn.

The outdoors was BIG. He started to close the door behind him, then quickly thought better of it. He couldn’t tell if it was unlocked. Looking around, he noted a lawn chair in the mess, and wandered over, determined to familiarize himself with the landmarks. The chair was easy enough to climb, and he stared at the pine copse, wondering distantly if they had been transplanted from Caliban.

The wind picked up a bit, whistling off the hive wall in the distance, and WD climbed back down, making his way over to the trees. The grass faded back as he approached, until he was walking on bare dirt ground, with a layer of pine needles instead of ground cover. WD wandered to and fro in the trees nearest the house, wondering who took care of them. Lord El’Jonson didn’t have a gardener. He ran his little hand over the bark of one tree, remembering how, when he had been very small, mistress Lyra had tucked him in one hand and climbed the tree, and looked out over the manor together. He glanced up at the branches, gauging how far apart they were. Experimentally, he reached out to grab one, and found that it supported his weight easily. He climbed up, balancing on the branch, and grinned to himself. This was fun!

With an effort, he scaled a few more feet of the thick, dead branches, until he was at about where the eyes on that scary helmet Lord El’Jonson once wore would have been. The noise from the wind was fading, with the trees all around him. He stared off into the copse of trees, just enjoying the quiet. He could see why mistress Lyra liked it out here.
He carefully picked himself back down the tree, landing on the ground with a whuff of breath. Dusting himself off, he wandered deeper into the trees, following a very faint path between them. He had been out here before, of course. He knew where he was going, now. It was just that mistress Lyra usually carried him.

The carpet of pine needles underfoot was getting a lit thicker. Twice, he had to stop and shake his robe free of the little tree droppings; but finally he reached his destination. Mistress Lyra liked to come out here if she needed some peace and solitude. Which, on reflection, was odd, because she sometimes brought him with her.
He arrived at a small clearing, less than forty meters from the start of the trees, where a bunch of trees had been cleared away. There was a big, scary knife stuck in the stump, WD noted nervously. He had never noticed THAT before. He cautiously approached it, tiptoeing onto the stump and squinting at the inscription in the metal.

It was High Gothic, unfortunately. He gave up and looked across the clearing, where a couple of beer bottles were lying in the grass, and a whole rack of smaller knives were sitting on the stump next to him, under a waterproofed basket. Well, just because he was on break didn’t mean he couldn’t get something done…
He marched across the clearing to grab the bottles, and started to drag them back to the stump. Partway back, however, a low rumbling noise caught his ear. He froze, listening, and the noise came again, fainter. He strained to pick out details, but it didn’t return again. Looking around nervously, he started to pull the bottles back towards the house.

WD got most of the way to the house before the noise came back. He paused again, wondering uneasily if maybe that knife had been there for a reason…
Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, he gamely clung to the beer bottles, dragging them the rest of the way back to the house, glad he had left the door open. He lugged the bottles over the step, closing the door behind him, and set them down in the trash next to the door with a sigh.

Distantly, WD heard the noise of people talking at the front door. He wandered towards the commotion, wondering if this meant his break was over. Sure enough, he had heard true; mistress Lyra was home, and deep in an argument with her father. Lyra was angry, he could see, her hands were clenched, and her cheeks flushed red. “Dad, you can’t be serious! That’s not fair!”

“Yes, young lady, it IS fair,” El’Jonson shot back, glaring coolly down at his temperamental daughter. “You missed two homework assignments in a row last week. Having to do chores is hardly a disproportionate punishment. Besides, WD was never supposed to be your servant, it’s not fair of you to make him do all that himself.”

“I don’t treat him like a servant!” Lyra protested feebly. The Lion peaked an eyebrow.

“Really? Guess what he started doing when you left.” Lyra flushed again, looking away in silence. “That’s right. He made your bed. Which you didn’t do. Well, I gave him the afternoon off. Now, you can do it yourself.” WD must have been less stealthy than he had thought, because master El’Jonson suddenly turned to him. “Well, look who it is.”

Lyra’s head snapped up, and she hurriedly dried her eyes. “Fine, I’ll…do the damn laundry.”

“Yes, yes you will,” El’Jonson said with an air of finality. Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked off. Lyra stood there, angrily staring after him. WD waddled up and raised his arms, and Lyra glanced down her anger fading into something that almost looked like guilt. She kneeled and scooped WD up, perching him on her shoulder.

“You don’t think I treat you like a servant, do you?” she asked him. WD awkwardly shrugged. “I do. Damn it.”

WD sat down on her shoulder as Lyra went back up the stairs, wondering if maybe it would be better to make tracks for a while until it all blew over. Lyra opened her door and stared at the clothes in the hamper with a groan. “Where do I even start...?” After staring at the clothing in a huff for a few more seconds, she seemingly gave up and sank down on the desk chair, staring at the homework WD had organized for her. WD scooted off her shoulder to land in her lap, and Lyra looked at him morosely. “What would I do without you?” She snorted in sudden amusement. “Laundry, apparently.” WD clambered up to the desk and sat down on the edge, letting his robed legs hang over. Lyra dropped the bag of crap she had bought at the mall on the floor next to her desk and sighed. “Well, little dude, I hope at least you had a good break. I think mine is over.”

FIN

==A Day With Enragus==

BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
SMASH

A formless stream of explicatives poured from Enragus' mouth as his way to the "shower" in his father's house. The son of the primarch of the Angry Marines was pissed; making it a better morning than most for him. Enragus started the pressure washer that functioned as a shower because a normal shower was "TOO FUCKIN' SOFT ON THE SKIN TO WASH THE LOVE AN TOLERANCE OFF!!!!!". Finishing his shower with only a small amount of skin being scoured away he looked at the pressure washer and found that it was set to medium and figured that his dad, Enfuratori, must have the day off. After getting dressed and going down to the kitchen he was greeted by his father's usual "good morning" greeting of a kick to the nuts. "YOU FUCKING KICK LIKE A BITCH OLD MAN!!!!!" "I WAS GOING EASY ON YOU YOU LITTLE SHIT, DON'T MAKE ME GET OUT THE BELT!!!!!!" Enragus knew it was no empty threat, and shut up. Enfuratus' belt was made of barbed wire and had a power field generator attached to it, in case he needed to "SHOW THOSE BITCHASS SAGGY PANTS WHO’S THE FUCKING BOSS!!!!". Enfuratori walked over by the jury rigged meltagun that served as their stove and shouted "THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FOR BREAKFAST YOU SHIT?!?" Enragus though for a moment and said "GET ME SOME GODDAMN EGGS, OLD MAN!!!!!!!" "FINE, HELP YOUR FUCKING SELF BITCH!!!!" Enfuratori picked up and whipped the carton of eggs at Enragus' face. He caught them in mid air and started breaking them into his mouth, when he was finished he threw the empty carton of eggs into the garbage, screaming "I'M GOIN TO SCHOOL NOW, OLD MAN!!!!" and kicked the door out of the frame onto the huge pile in front of their house. As Enragus approached the end of the driveway his father's head jutted out the door yelling "IF YOU DON'T BEAT UP SOMEONE IM GONNA MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!!!!" "FUCK YOU, DAD, I ALWAYS FUCK SOMEONE UP!!!"

Freya was walking to her first class of the day, English, one of the many subjects that she hated. Come to think of it the only subjects she liked were gym and lunch. She walked to her locker and retrived her copy of Low and High Gothic: Sixth Edition from the pile of accumulated refuse that she kept in the bottom of her locker. If she was lucky her English teacher, Tigerius, wouldn't give a quiz on the chapter she was supposed to have read last night; but she doubted it. He seemed to have strange love of giving out excessive amounts of quizzes that made her think he was compensating for something. She spotted Furia walking to class; all the other students parting around her to stay out of her punching range. Then someone she had never seen before: a boy wearing a shirt with a stylized red frowny-face with angry eyebrows broke through the safety bubble and stopped directly in front of Furia. Freya stopped and watched thinking “this new kid is gonna get the lesson of his life”. Furia's face took on a look of annoyance and said “move, freshmeat!” and, to Freya's suprise, the boy looked back to her and screamed at the top of his lungs “NO YOU MOVE, DYKEWAGGON!!!!”

All the students in the hall stopped moving and looked at the two, waiting for the inevitable. Furia's face took on a look of utter shock, which quickly faded to an anger that could have melted through a Baneblade. She took a deep breath and screamed “The fuck did you say to me, jackass?!?!?!?”, a vain bulging in her forehead. The new kid's face turned beet red with anger, and anger that so far surpassed Furia's that her's seemed calm by comparison, and screamed with a voice that seemed, impossibly, louder than Dean Yarrick's “YOU FUCKING HEARD ME YOU FAT FUCKNUGGET!!!!!”. Furia hesitated for a moment, the only time she had done so since she had come to the school, then her usual anger reasserted itself and she lifted her steal toe boot high in the air behind her, and brought it whisting forward towards the vulnerable crotch of the new kid. Freya looked away at the last moment as while she enjoyed a good fight now and then, she knew first hand just how nasty Furia's kicks were. Freya heard a loud snap and thought that Furia must have broken his hips; after all she had done it twice before to other boys. But nothing could have prepared here for what happened next. She heard a startled shout, which must have come from the new kid, but then, alarmingly, she realized that it was in fact Furia's voice she heard. She looked back and couldn't believe her eyes: the new boy was standing in exactly the same position as before, but Furia was standing on one foot holding her other in shock and pain. Then the boy did something that Freya will remember forever: without another word he stepped forward and struck Furia in the sternum, not with his fist, or his foot, or his elbow, or knee; but with his head. The new boy delivered a head-but that not only produced a slapping sound that echoed down the dead quiet hall, but also knocked Furia to the ground a good distance from where she was originally standing. The boy then walked calmly over to her and said “YOU HAVE A DAMN FINE KICK THERE, BUT I'VE GOT BALLS OF STEEL BITCH! NEVER FORGET THAT!!!!” and then walked to class. Freya walked over and carried the gasping and thoroughly confused Furia to the nurse. Where the medical staff confirmed that Furia had broken almost all the bones in her foot on the new kids nads....

==The Journal==
'''Sgt. Kate Gunnar, Septembus 8, 310.M34, 68 degrees Fahrenheit, Overcast'''

We're up against tough shit here and the LT told us to write our wills, so I guess I'll use this old journal I picked up somewhere. Funny. Can't remember where I got it from now that I think about it. Whatever, we're going over the top tomorrow morning at first light. Last will. Feels fucking strange thinking about it. Never thought I'd end up here. Granddad sure as shit didn't predict this the last time I spoke to him. I don't even know if this dirtball has a name beside its official administratum alphanumeric code. No fucking idea how to get this back home if things go ploinshaped either. Haven't left much of a papertrail the last years. Or any trail at all really. Fuck. Let's just get this over with.

My name is Kate Gunnar. I'm a Sergeant in His Imperial Majesty's Guard, 210th Dneipr Rifles. I come from a lot of places but Nenavist and Nuceria could be called my homes.

I... Fuck. This isn't gonna cut it, is it? Not if I want the right people back home to get this if I bite it here.

There was another girl years back. A scared and very angry girl with no place to go and no choice but to leave it all behind. Someone that did a lot of stupid shit and hurt the ones that cared about her. Someone that couldn't live a lie or risk going to prison. I don't think I want to go back to being her again. Not when Kate Gunnar manages so well without her. And Maria Aerstom. And Jane Stills. And Trisha Stubbs. And all the other aliases I've gone through all these years. Keep coming back to Kate Gunnar though. Still thinks it fits me quite well. Gah, I was never one for this bleeding heart stuff. Shit. If this is to find its way to the right person if I bite it out there tomorrow I have to at least take a short hop down memory lane. Don't want to leave Icy waiting around for me. Icy... I wonder what she's up to now. Hope Treasury didn't go to hard on her. Hope she still keeps my jacket safe. I liked that jacket.

Lets start over.

My name is Furia Angron. I am the daughter of Angron, Primarch of the XII Legion, the World Eaters. My home is Startseite, Terra, Sol System.

There. It's out. I'm gonna have to burn this if I survive tomorrow. Can't have someone reading this shit if I'm not six feet under.

Ok, Last will and shit. Isis, your crackpot plan actually worked so you can keep my jacket if you still have it. Dad, if you've kept my bike give it to Hana. She'll know what to do with it. And Hana? If you are reading this I guess we won't have that last fight I promised you. Slug yourself one for me and we'll call it even, OK?
The rest of my stuff back home you can deal with as you see fit dad. Sorry I couldn't come home but I guess this is better than ending up in prison or drugging myself into oblivion.

Fuck, I hope Simon moved on. He deserves someone good, if only for the shit he put up with when he was with me. If you haven't yet Simon then now is the time since I definitely won't be coming back from this.

There. Hard part's done. If worst comes to worst I got my bases covered.

'''Sgt. Kate Gunnar, Septembus 13, 310.M34, 53 degrees Fahrenheit, Rain'''

I've decided to keep this journal, if only to not have to rewrite my will again. Somehow it felt good to write all that out. Just get it out of my system. Anyways. I survived the previous days fighting. It was touch and go for a few moments but me and my unit pulled through without too many casualties. Now I see why my dad put the fresh meat through so much shit. The greenskin fucks just don't know when to die. We're expecting a counter-assault any day now and our artillery have been pounding at the orks for two days straight to stop them from getting any bright ideas.

Gonna have to find a lock for this journal. Don't want people snooping. I've managed to explain away my strength and build with good diet and normal-plus gravity world upbringing. I don't think the brassholes bought it but they haven't kicked me out yet. When they discovered I could outshout the drillsarge they plucked my out for sergeant training. Said I was a natural or some shit. Heh. Only one I could never outshout was old Dean Yarrick. Wonder if he's still kicking around at Imperator?

'''Sgt. Kate Gunnar, Octobus 20, 310.M34, 50 degrees Fahrenheit, Windy'''

Last push to wipe out the greenskins from this mudball. We have cornered them but they aren't broken yet. Brassholes sent a call for aid clearing them out and guess who showed up? A contingent of the World Eaters legion. My father's legion. With none other than Kharne leading them. My first thought was that they were here to haul me back to Terra. I don't think any of them recognized me. Don't know about Kharne though. He looked right at me but didn't say anything. Either I've changed that much or he didn't want to make a scene. I'm guessing the first option.

'''Sgt. Kate Gunnar, Janua 3, 311.M34, 68 degrees Fahrenheit, Warp Transit'''

The regiment is being disbanded. The fighting against the greenskins took far longer than anticipated and when all was said and done our regiment had taken almost 89% losses. Of my squad only me and two others, Jain Dromos, our field medic, and Khyle Macarion, one of our weapon specialists, survived. Though Jain will need a new lung. She was shot in the back. Like Morticia was. Fuck. It's been ten years since that happened. Ten years. Can't fucking believe it. Feels like that shit happened yesterday.

Feels good to be going home though. And if this doesn't work out there is always another regiment in need of a sergeant.

Furia closed the journal and put it back in her duffle bag. She wondered how it would feel to be home again. Not just some temporary bivouac or army garrison, but her real home. In a couple of hours the lander would touch down and she would be home. Home. It had been more than a decade since she ran away from Kouthry, right under the Treasury's noses. Would her father even be home? Would he welcome her? Would he even recognize her?

==Back From The Grave==

A man with the tattered coat of a geno regiment disembarked from the transport. Breathing in the recycled air of the terminal, he watched the white spires of Terra stretch for miles. From the starport he could see the the wall of the Palace, residence of the Emperor of Mankind, and one of the most guarded places in the whole universe. Walking down the ramp, the officer adjusted his duffle bag on his shoulder. Moving along with the queue, he watched down where the line spit into smaller streams, a stream per every Arbites check point. Waiting with growing impatience as the Arbites controlled the other travellers documents, he toyed with the laces on his bag. He had been away for years, fighting for a handful of dirt on a god-forsaken abhuman world somewhere in the galactic anus "No more" he said, to nobody in particular. "What?" said a woman on his left. The man turned to observe her. A long white tunic with red trims and a blue turban "Nothing". No more he would leave his planet; No more he would leave his loved one.

For he had done both of them already too many times.

After another hour, he finally found himself in front of the check-point. Extracted the documents from the pocket in his coat, he handed them over with his scarred hand. The Arbiter examined the documents with a black expression. Suddendly his jaw dropped. "Citizen, are these your documents?". "Yes they are" responded the man. The lawman moved a hand under the table. "Any problem, officer?". "Ah... yes, for you". The sound of boots on the stone floor alerted the man. Turning around, he saw a squad of Arbites and Enforcers moving towards him. "Impersonating a dead man, or simply using a false identity during an interrogation is a crime" informed the arbiter, standing up and placing a hand on the holster on his hip. "What? I'm not impersonating..." "Silence, you violated the law!" commanded the arbiter "Follow us quietly, or do it a body bag". "Is this the way to treat a veteran?" asked the soldier, eyes wide in confusion. "Make your choice, creep". "I'll follow you". "Good, then", said the arbiter. Like he had a choice. "You're smart" he added, voice oozing sarcasm.

The ex-soldier stared at the interrogation block he was in. The walls were made of ferrocrete, with micro recorders on the walls. The local was simply decorated: a wooden table, and two wooden chairs. What worried the man were the blood spots on both of them. Not the return he had hoped for. The hours passed. Eventually, after a long time the door opened and the same Arbiter that had arrested him entered the room. Taking one of the chairs-the other was already occupied-he sat and stared at the man. He was hoping for a confession, the veteran knew that. "So... if you think this will unnerve me, you're wrong". The arbiter open a little paper folder he was holding in his hand. "I'm not trying to unnerve you, I'm just waiting for some information". The soldier seemed confused. Then he undestood; yes, the gene verification. "Look, friend, this is a piece of advice you'd better take: let me go, now, and nothing will happen to you". The Arbiter simply laughed in his face. "And this is a piece of advice for you: become a comedian, after your time in jail". The door pommel moved. An enforcer stepped inside the room. The blood had left his face. The Arbiter, not worried one bit by his collegue's appearance, took the documents from his hands and wawed it under the nose of the soldier. "See you, little punk, this is the proof you've lied to me". He took a sit, staring at him and at the photo in the documents. "So lets see..." the lawman started, while the other one left the room "The man you've been impersonating had short, cropped, black hair" he said, comparing the man to the picture "Check". "Brown eyes...check". "5'9 feet...more or less check". Satisfied with his inspection, the man took the other paper, the one his associate had brought in "But, even with the fisical resemblance, there's no way to cheat this test..." he stated, examining the paper "and here it says you're... Julius Pius". The arbiter's jaw dropped; the colour drained from his face. "Sir, I'm sorry but...". Julius sprang on his feet, throwing the chair away, "Yes, you fool, I'm Julius Pius, son of Ollanius Pius, and future husband of her majesty, Lady Isis Lupercal, daughter of THE FUCKING WARMASTER OF THE WHOLE FUCKING IMPERIUM!!!" he yelled "and now tell me: do I look dead to you?".

If a person could wish himself away, in that moment the Arbiter would have. Looking at the face of the young Pius "Well...s-sir, The news of your death by e-e-enemy f-fire...". "I can't undestand when you stutter!". "... by enemy fire reached Terra some weeks ago". He looked at the built-in crono in his gauntlet. "You are being buried in this very moment". The lawman was considering to shoot himself. "Now, officer...Oh good god, Isis" he said suddenly, staring at the door. He looked at the arbiter "Arbiter, I will forget to punish you, if you give me a car and let me go free" he proposed. The arbiter stood up "Yes, sir, yes as you wish" he said, opening and keeping the door open for Julius.

Five minutes later, Julius was already travelling towards the city of Starselite, where his loved one lived. He had to reach her as fast as possible: he couldn't imagine was his future wife was going through. Using the code the Arbites had provided him, he accelerated on the air way, heading towards the surface. Dead, how weird, he though in his mind. Starselite was a four hour drive from the spaceport, so he had quite a long time to think. "Autopilot engage". The car machine-spirit took control of the vehicle, leaving Pius free to relax and process what happened. He had always considered himself a man-at-arms, a warrior; how else could it have been? His father was Ollanius Pius,hero of the imperium, and one of the few non-enchanced human to obtain the glory usually reserved for a primarch. And now what? This was his last tour with the genos: he was a simple citizen now. He could re-enlist angain, sure. But did he really wanted to? He had seen enough for not only one life, but for ten. He had fought in the mud of the trenches, in the narrow corridors of the hives, in the boiling hot of the jungles. He had fought terrible enemies, and he remembered them, all of them: from the man-eating giants of Coria, to the sea beast of Scilla, to the ab-human warrior-women on Lesbonius. Did he really wanted to do this again? Maybe. But killing was all he knew? What else could he do. He enlisted when he was barely out of school. What else could he do? he reapeted in his mind. And what would his Isis say? He buried his face in his hands. Damm it. It was far easier in the army, for sure. Shoot that, blow this up... not all this life-changing bullshit.

A beeping noise awoke him from his thoughts. He was reaching Isis' house. He sorted his tattered uniform and smartened his hair. Not a lot better.

Arriving at the road in front of the Lupercal's manor, he saw many cars, some with the Imperial Aquila, most with insignia of the various Legiones Astartes. Probably his friends were having an after funeral commiseration. Oh Emperor, this is going to be awkward, Pius thought. The insignia of the Luna Wolves were crossed with strips of black cloth to mourn his death. The front garden was empty. He looked at the majestic house. The windows, shutters and curtains were closed, and he couldn't see a thing of what was happening inside. "Oh, this is not good" said Julius, walking down the paved path in the grass. When he was near the steps, he started hearing voices from inside. "He was a good man" someone - maybe Jake but Pius couldn't tell with certainty- "We will all miss him". He rang the bell on the door. As voices picked up, the scarred soldier could hear somebody walking to the door. A girl with metal hands opened the door.

"Hello Farah" saluted Julius. The daughter of Ferrus Manus stared at him, silenced by what she was seeing. "Is this for me?" he said pointing at the glass of wine she was holding in one hand "Very nice of you". She didn't move a muscle. He grabbed the glass of wine from her hand and emptied it in one go. "Thank you, I'll need it". He moved pass her and turned left, walking down the corridor to the living room. He looked at the people in the room: Freya and Thangir were sitting in a corner of the room, speaking quietly with Remilia, Miranda and Nate. Venus and Jake were comforting Isis, who was sitting in the couch, her face buried in her hands. Remilia was with them, standing behind the daughter of Horus. Angela and Michael had been chatting with Farah, before she left to open the door.

"Well, this looks like quite a celebration! What's the occasion?" Julius started. The room became silent. The eyes of every person turned to him. Isis became white as a bed sheet, eyes wide open. She stared at him with those orange eyes. Jake's jaw dropped, Venus simply stared at him, eyes wide, hands over her mouth. The other had similar reactions. "Guys...come on guys, you're scaring me! Say something" Julius said. Nobody spoke. "It's like you've seen a ghost" he joked. Nobody moved. Leaving the glass on a small table, he walked over to Isis, squeezing her hand. "Hon, come on" he tried. He dragged her on her feet, hugging her in the process. "Isis, come on, say something". The firstborn touched his cheek with one hand, to check he wasn't a ghost. "You...you're alive" she whispered, so low that even Freya had trouble hearing her. "Yes I know" he admitted "Amazing, isn't it". The others were starting to recover. "You're alive" she repeated. "Yes" and he kissed her. Her eyes closed, overwelmed. Jake was the first to recover "So... why-how-are you alive?" Julius separated himself from his soon-to-be wife "I honestly don't know". This was too much for Isis; she fainted, falling in his arms.

The daughter of Horus woke up half an hour later. All the occupants in the room where staring at her, a worried look on their faces. She groaned, raising herself to sit. A hand was touching hers. A man she once thought dead crouched at her side, alive if a bit worn out. "Are you all right?" he asked. "Yes, I think so". She was starting to recover. She was shaken, but happy at the same time. The only man she loved was alive. They could live together again. She snapped, hugging him, hard enough to hurt. Tears washed her eyes. They kissed again. The others who were present let out a sigh. After a while they were sitting in the dining room, still a bit speechless. Isis was radiant with joy. She and Julius were still hugging each other, sitting in the same chair, the one Horus usually occupied when he wasn't reconquering the galaxy. They were trying to put the pieces back together, to understand why Julius was listed as K.I.A. while he clearly wasn't. "We were told that you were fighting on some ab-human world, Majugla, if remember correctly, when you were hit by an artillery barrage." Venus explained. "And they were able to identify me? After a barrage?" asked Julius. "Well...not exactly, they only found your sword, we didn’t have a body to identify" Jake said. "That I lost shortly after my departure" he informed them "Sorry, Venus" he added, turning his head to her red eyes. "I forgive you" she said jokingly. "Now that I think about it... I've never even set foot on Majugla" he recalled. "Wait, wasn't your regiment assaigned to that campaign?" Isis asked. "Yes, it was, but we were attacked by ork pirates as soon as we entered the sistem" he said "We defeated the green bastards, but we lost more than eight thousand men when some of the troop trasports were shot down". Remillia looked at him in disbelief "In a single battle!".

He shook his head "This is the Imperial Army Remilia, not the Astartes. Losing eight thousand men in a battle is deemed acceptable" he pointed out. "Although not from a single regiment". He closed his eyes, thinking at just how many of his friends had died "So in the end we were too few to fight as a Regiment, but too many to be sent home. So the Administratum decided to break up the survivors and use us to reinforce other regiments" he explained "A part of our forces, included my old company, but not me, was sent to our original destination. I was sent to Tulasan V with companies from all over the Imperium to quell a rebellion and recruit new troops". He smiled at Isis as she snuggled closer. "Those pen-pushers must have forgotten to register the dismemberment of the regiment" he speculated, displaying the usual disdain of the soldier for the bureocrat. He caressed his wife arm "So when they recovered the sword they must have thought I was in command of the company, while instead I was far away". Freya leaned back in the chair "Ok, that explains why you are here" she said "but what about the sword?". Julius straighted a bit, starting to unbutton his shirt. "Well, during the battle with the greenskins I had a bad encounter with a smaller ork warboss" he said "When I tried to cut his arm off, he grabbed my sword with his power claw, snapped it in half, and puched me in the stomach". He revealed his chest, covered in one big bruise.

Thangir observed the wound "That looks bad". "Yeah, that hurt like a bitch" Julius corfirmed, making the other laugh. He buttoned up the shirt. "Anyway, after the blade was broken, I sent it to the smith to be repaired. He probably sent it to the one commanding my company" he explained. "Hey" he said "What happened to my sword anyway". Venus looked down, while Farah twisted her hand nervously "Venus and I melted it and reforged it for Andrew". Julius stared at her. "Ok" he said after a while. The two girls looked at him, unsure of having heard correclty. "Are you sure? You always loved that sword more than the arm you use to swing it. We can forge another one if you want" Offered Venus. Julius moved his stare to her "Sure, sure... I won't be needing it, or a different one, though". "What?" Miranda asked. "You heard me, Miranda: this was supposed to be my last tour with the genos" he stated "Even without my funeral". Isis stared at him. "And this whole thing made me even more willing to retire". She was speechless. "Isis, my love, I've seen you before, there, sitting on the couch, when you were mourning me" he explained, looking at her, straight in the eyes, "This time was a mistake due to burocratic incompetence but next time it might not. I won't make you suffer like that again". She was about to say something, touched, but the food servitor came into the room, carring a platter
full of delicious-looking food.

They started eating with gusto, enjoying the flavors of the dishes, especially Julius, who hadn't eaten something that had a taste in the last couple of years. They started to chat about the changes that happened in their lives when Julius was fighting the Emperor's wars. In the end they rested quietly, reveling in the company of friends and lovers, while Julius narrated his story. After a toast to the warrior, they moved back to the living room, waiting for the weariness
brought by the food to fade. Without anyone noticing, a poker set appeared. While preparing the game, Jake felt Venus' stare burn the hair on his neck. "What is wrong with you?" she exclamed "Bringing poker cards at a funeral..." "They're not mine!" Jake defended himself "And when your soul hurts, you need to distract yourself in some ways". Nate laughed at the statement. "Your words bear wisdom, my friend" said Thangir, raising his cup of wine. The game went on for a few hours, until only Jake and Julius remained. Michael set his hands on the table, Thangir leaning against his chair. Nate remained silent; being a mind reader, he had decided to not participate at the game. The two remaining players remained silent, scanning each other over the cards. Julius, looked his cards: three aces. "All in" he said, challenging the other to match him. "All in" said Jake, moving all his chips. The veteran tapped the table with his fingers; maybe the hiver had a poker, maybe he had made a mistake to go 'All In'. "Gentlemen, lower your cards" Nate said, observing the two titans fight. Julius, showed his hand; Three aces and two figures. Jake smiled. Oh, no, thought Pius. Jake threw his cards on the table: A king, a queen, a jack, a ten, a nine, all of the same colour. "God damm it" cursed Julius. The others laughed. "I've come back from the dead, and I can't still beat you". Angela looked at the ornated watch in a corner "It's time go" she said, squeezing Micheal's shoulder. He stirred "Alright, time to turn in". "We have to go too, sweetheart". "Oh come on Venus I enjoying myself" joked Jake. "Well Farah, do you want to go too?" Asked Remilia. The iron-handed girl yawned "Yes, it sleepy-time". "Freya, time to go back to the wolf den" said Thangir. Nate and Miranda undestood each other without speaking.

Time to leave Julius and Isis alone.

When the room was empty, Julius and Isis started cleaning up the mess. She cleaned took away the wine glasses, whilst he packed the poker set. "I'll send this to Jake tomorrow" he said. "But, if it was his, why would he have left it here?". "To uphold the lie" he smiled. She put the wine glasses on a small table. "Julius" she said extending her arms, inviting him "Come here". He came to her, hugging her. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Are you sure with your decision" she asked him. She was referring to his retirement. He caressed her blond hair. "No more". "What?" "No more; It's what I said when I stepped down the trasport that took me Terra". "But what are you going to do?". "Isis, love of my life, I enlisted in the army as soon as I came out of Imperator. It was almost twenty years ago. Since then all I've done was kill people and watch people be killed. No more. I'm tired." he explained. He stared at her, his brown eyes versus her orange. "All I want to do now, is to marry you, and spend the rest of my life with you" he told her "As I had promised you". They stayed like that for way, conforting each other, enjoying the vicinity of the other after such a long time. "Actually I'm more worried by the paperwork". "I'll help you, don't worry" she promised, knowing how much her future husband hated paperwork. "Yes, but I'm legally dead now. So the question is... how do I legally resurrect? And most of all how long will it take?". "I don't know, but we'll discover it soon enough". As they detatched, Julius gave her a concerned look "Are you ok now? You scared me before". She took his hand, squeezing it.

"I am now".

The End

==A Night in the Dorn's Fortress==

Everything was burning around her, her home, her school, her friends, her family, everything Remilia ever knew was aflame, and everyone she ever loved was burning to death around her. They were laughing at her, laughing at the one who couldn’t save them, laughing at the failure before them. Their howls of laughter became screams of pain and sorrow; their flesh began to melt off of their bones, dripping into the scorched earth around Remilia. All she could do was watch as the people she cherished, turned to ash and pools of melted flesh.

Remilia woke with a start, bolting upright, sweat dripping from her forehead. She moved towards the door of her en suite and tripped over a discarded pair of shoes on the way.

She flicked the light on, moved to the sink, and began to run the cold tap. She splashed water on her face, in an attempt to provide some clarity to the situation.

She felt the water as it trickled down her arm, when it ceased just below her elbow. She glanced down and noted that the bandages wrapped around her forearm were now soaked with blood in a relatively uniform pattern. She unwrapped her arm, tossed aside the bloodied dressing, cleaned the wound and replaced the bandages.

“I should probably burn these. Don’t want anyone seeing these,” She said aloud to no one in particular.

She picked up the blood drenched bandages, flicked off the light, and returned to her room. She put on a pair of shorts and her top from the day before. 'Wouldn't want to be walking around in my underwear,’ she thought.

With an ear to the door, she listened to the footsteps of the patrolling Astartes, waiting for them to pass her room before slipping out. She darted along the corridor, going in the direction the Marines came from. As she approached the stairs, she slowed to a crawling pace and listened out for more patrols inside her father's fortress of an estate. She crept down the stairs, careful to avoid the well worn, creaky steps. She turned a corner and moved through her father's library, towards the basement entrance in the kitchen.

The library was lined with bookshelves, with several more parallel to the walls. She heard the heavy footsteps of two Marines from behind her, she dove headfirst behind a shelf. She lay down to try hide herself from the approaching figures clad in yellow ceramite power armour.

Remilia glanced at the books on the lower shelves and realised that nearly all of them were strategy guides, for lack of a better term. Most were seemingly written by her father, and her uncles Perturabo and Roboute. Some were ancient, “The Art of War” by Sun Zoo, “The Prince” and another “The Art of War” by Machiavelli and “De Re Militari” by Publius Flavius Vegetus Renatus. Remilia mused, ‘dude, why do you need such a long name? And seriously, why a name that lengthy?’.

However, hidden amongst these tomes of military strategy, a trio of books stood out like three Astartes in a room full of Squats and Ratlings. ‘Men’s Cooking Manual’, with no accredited author. Supposedly penned by one Kyril Sindermann, one was titled 'The People’s Guide To Speechcraft’, Remilia did a double-take before realising that, it was in fact what she thought it was; a book written by the greatest of Iterators, instructing people as to communication. The third, was simply titled ‘Parenting for Idiots’, making it clear that her father wanted to be better at this role.

'So the great Rogal Dorn, king of the arrogant, actually admits that he’s lacking something and failing elsewhere? Okay, why did no one tell me that the Apocalypse had begun?’ she thought.

The patrol moved past her chosen hiding place, with little more than a cursory glance above where she lay. She crept along behind them, and followed the hulking figures through to the dining room. The walls were decorated with banners from the many banners and trophies obtained by the Imperial Fists over the course of their existence under her father and that name. Two ornate Adamantium doors, stood opposite each other, in equally ornate, yet defensible door frames. A third, comparatively bland wooden door was ajar, showing two ostentatious chairs and an array of tablecloths, neat stacks of placemats and coasters, and trays of literal silverware. “That could be useful to hide in. Looks like a serf forgot to close it,’ she thought. An over-elaborate oak table ran the length of the room, with eight more equally ostentatious chairs. The room was lit by a set of electronic chandeliers, evenly spaced apart above the dining table. Where the Astartes turned right, out through a room that can only be described as an amalgamation of a conservatory and a military checkpoint, Remilia turned left, into the kitchen.

Pure white, marble work surfaces topped cupboards, (presumably filled with various cooking utensils, baking trays and dried ingredients) lined the walls with a similar work surface stretching down the middle. The outer workstations were occasionally broken up by various different oven styles, some bread ovens, some conventional ovens, and a singular pizza oven at the back. Above the central workstation, racks of pots and pans hung from the ceiling. A small steel hatch to the left of the door led down into the basement. Remilia crept over to the hatch and delved down into the basement.

The Dorn’s basement was divided into three different sections, attached to a small, dimly lit atrium of sorts. Through one of these doors, lay the wine cellar, with a biometric lock to ensure that no-one could access it, besides her father, mother, the various chapter serfs and servants. ‘So, anyone that is related to the Imperial Fists, but not me,’ she realised this a few months ago, when she tried to access the wine cellar to grab a few bottles for a party. Through another, lay the fortresses armoury, 'locked in a similar fashion,’ Remilia assumed. However, her target lay ahead of her, the far door that lead to the incinerator, ‘because having an industrial grade container for a ball of fire in the basement, is totally safer than traditional disposal services’. Strangely, this was the only door not biometrically locked. She passed through the door, and made her way to the incinerator hatch at the front of the machine. In one swift and smooth motion, Remilia opened the hatch, threw in the bloodied bandages, and closed it, before the room felt more like the core of Nocturne, rather than the core of Terra as it already did.

She made her way back into the kitchen, ducking down as she got closer to the door so as not to be seen by any of the patrolling Astartes. Listening out for any groups approaching, she turned the corner, diving into the storage cupboard when she heard their loud footsteps. Once they had passed, she made her way back to her room with very little in the way of close encounters, and barely any more patrols.

“Well, that’s enough for one night,” she said aloud, almost forgetting about the self-help books her father kept amongst his most valued, and valuable, books.

==Bleeding Out==

Writefag Someone else. produces an entire Warhammer High NOVEL. We are not kidding. A full-length novel.

{{Main|Bleeding Out (Warhammer High)}}

==Bleeding Out: A Custodian's Story==

Aurox Quadriga, Shield Captain of the Ten Thousand and Secutarii Filias of the Daughters is about to have a very, very bad day...

{{Main|Bleeding Out: A Custodian's Story (Warhammer High)}}

==ROAD TRIP!==

This story was an experiment on Someone else.'s part to show what a few of the girls would be like after high school ended.

[[Story:ROAD_TRIP!_(Warhammer_High)|The story, broken into five parts.]]

==The Lioness==

Lyra finds out that being a El'Jonson means that you have some secrets to keep.

{{Main|The Lioness (Warhammer High)}}

==Ghosts of Rage==

Furia finds out its hard to be Angron's daughter.

{{Main|Ghosts of Rage (Warhammer High)}}

==Trip Into Hell==

Julius Pius goes on a relaxing vacation. HA! Right. This is 40k bitch, you're in for a ride.

{{Main|Trip Into Hell (Warhammer High)}}

==Eternity==

Someone else. concludes his contribution to the setting with this massive epilogue.

{{Main|Eternity (Warhammer High)}}

==Appraisal==

ILikeCommas continues the storied tradition of writing oversized Warhammer novels as a hobby.

{{Main|Appraisal (Warhammer High)}}

==Days of Judgement==

When a grisly discovery is made in the depths of Hive Tetra on Macharia in the Cadian system itself, Proctor Saal Huulta of the Adeptus Arbites is sent to investigate. But swiftly he finds himself caught up a plot by the ruinous powers to ensnare the Daughters of the Primarchs...

{{Main|Days of Judgement (Warhammer High)}}

==Camping Trip==

Khor'neth's contribution to this universe, deepening familial bonds- or trying to, at least.

{{Main|Camping Trip (Warhammer High)}}

==So, I May Be A Daemon...==

Writefag Tragicomix's first contribution to the setting. WIP.(in theory, it hasn’t been updated in years)

{{Main|So, I May Be A Daemon (Warhammer High)}}

==A Karskins Journey==
(Note: This does not take place in the main timeline of WHH and as such, I have taken liberties with the details and characters, currently done with act 1)

(NOT AUTHOR-This needed some serious un-fucking and revision work and general improvement, something that I come back around and add when it strikes my fancy. But it would be interesting to see a canon servant of the Imperium find their way into WHH's story, especially seeing a Kriegsman do it. Maybe have a Chaos invasion come over from canon.)

''Entry 1:''

'''DAMN IT ALL, DAMN IT ALL TO THE FRAKING WARP!'''

No, I can't swear now or feel anything, I lost the right to that the moment I failed to protect the Pylons and Cadia.
I think I should start from the beginning, my name is Hark Lavigne, I am a slightly experienced Kasrkin at the age of 19, I have fought in three separate wars since starting my service on my 17th birthday. I am currently serving under Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed and this is what I believe to be my final testament to the Imperium I left behind.

I am keeping this diary to attempt to retain some of my sanity and to make sure I have something to document this for when I get back to my home, if I can.
I think this deserves some explaining, I was on the fortress world of Cadia, we were under attack by the 13th Black Crusade and the last thing I remember before ending up here is that I was fighting off the Hordes of Chaos, and one of those damned Greater Daemons of Tzeentch came, I was out of ammo for my Hellgun and my Plasma pistol, all I had was a Vortex grenade I had grabbed off a dead Space Marine, waste not want not, he would have wanted me to use it…. I hope.

Anyway, I pulled it out and charge the daemon, he tried to hit me with psychic witchcrafts, but I was able to dodge it, with it barely grazing my armor, and I continued to run at it, everything else seemed to fade out, my dying comrades, the fact my home and the second greatest fortress in the imperium was about to fall, all it was me and the Daemon.

In the end, I got there, shoved the grenade into its stupid fracking beak, it went off, and I was pulled in with the bastard. After that, I remember being in the warp, daemons howling all around me, images which I try to recall but every time I have a headache, but I remember some of it, worlds being destroyed something the size of my hand eating a planet-sized thing while not changing its size, entities so vile I do not want to remember, it was terrifying. But the worst of it was seeing what happened to my home of Cadia. A Blackstone Fortress crashing into the crust, breaking the world apart, with las-bolts streaking the air. Then a voice proclaiming "THE PLANET BROKE BEFORE THE GUARD! CADIA STANDS!" I then watched in horror as the galaxy as rent in two. I was praying to the God-Emperor every moment of it, then when the daemons were just about to take me and soul, I felt the ground hit my back, and reality reasserting its dominance.

I found myself on a rockcrete ground. Around me were kids, a bunch of girls to be specific, barely 17 at most, and they seemed to be dressed for some kind of schola. I could feel the blood loss starting to make my vision hazy, and as I looked up to the building behind me I could read a few words in high gothic.

'''IMPERATOR HIGH'''

I could only speak the few words that came to mind. "Oh, by the God-Emperor."

''Entry 2:''

After that, I was knocked out, due to blood loss and multiple other injuries, barely anything compared to what I had gone through before, but the warp must've taken more out of than I thought. Anyway, I was brought by a few of the school's students to the Medicae's Office and was to be supposedly healed back to health there, when I awoke I immediately made a reach for my knife I kept in on me, found it was not there, along with most of my combat wargear, and leap out of bed in a panic. I refused to listen to my body's cries of pain as I went into a combat stance, understand I still thought I was in the warp and was still convinced I was captured by chaos and they were trying to lower my guard. After all, Chaos is nothing but devious in its plans to turn the faithful. But instead of a room filled with the machinations of chaos and living walls, I found a relatively clean and seemingly new medicare room, though this was only a guess as I had only seen medicare facilities made up of tents and whatever the medics could scrape together.

I looked around, and found a surgery knife, 'still, this is better than nothing', I thought as I picked it up and moved forward, keeping my senses sharp as I tried to hear any noises until I heard the sharp clicking of heels coming towards the room, I snuck towards the door, placed myself in position to ambush whoever was coming in. The door opened and I sprung into action, putting my hand over the person's mouth, I kicked its legs down and closed the door, making sure to keep the person kept quiet I moved the knife to their throat, I looked up and down the person, wearing a slightly comfy white lab coat, a sweater and a weird type of dress I had seen some of the second in commands for other regiments wear(I now know it is called a “pencil skirt”).

“Now Daemon, you will tell me exactly where the Warp I am, and where the nearest cache of weapons is, you better tell me quickly, or else I might get very impatient.” the 'woman's' face seemed shocked, as if she was not expecting a newly introduced patient to awaken and start to threaten her, I released her mouth slightly with the unsaid threat of me killing her if she tried to call for help.

“W-w-what are you talking about?" she said, obvious warp trickery, any guardsmen with half a brain could see it. I applied a little force to her neck with the knife

“Now Daemon, I do not like to play games, tell me where my Wargear is." The woman seemed to try to think as fast as “she” could,

"D-down the hall, to the left." she said in a shaky voice.

“Thank you traitor scum, I will allow you to live for now due to this service”, I then proceeded to knock her out and leave her unconscious body on the floor. I went down the hall and found an office, it had some words on it in high gothic, I barged in, with my makeshift weapon in hand. In front of me was an old man, a weary but stern face that reminded me of a Commissar or Kasrkin sergeant, he looked up from the papers he had in his hands to look at me.

Those eyes, if I was any other person my age or even a guardsman would make me shit my pants in fear and terror, but I was a Kasrkin, I had seen worse. The man looked at me and spoke.

"What the hell are you doing in my office." the man said, his voice cold and stern.

"What in the God-Emperor's name am I doing here Daemon?” I asked back, my eyes never leaving his.

"I am no Daemon”, the man seemed to turn even colder, the air around him turning to ice. “Where the hell did you get the idea I am a Daemon?”

“All I know is that I was taken by Daemons and I wake up in a nice warm bed, you tell me, Warp Spawn?”

''Entry 3:''

That was by far the most awkward few minutes of my life, if I knew who that man was I would have saluted him immediately, especially since we both served during the [[Armageddon#Third_War_for_Armageddon|Second Orkoid War for Armageddon]] but to be fair he didn't have a missing an eye or using an Ork Power Klaw for an arm. After about 5 minutes of me and him trading insults and daring the other to attack first, was all it took for what seemed to be a patrol of guards to come by me and him(though I'm sure he just called them to his office via a button or some other method).

I want to say I lasted a few minutes against them, but with me only wearing my underclothes, injured, and wielding what amounted to a butter knife, I was no match. I was sedated and taken to a prison to be interrogated. But at this point, I had my suspicions as to where I was, with the Warp becoming less and less likely as time passed. Why did they not just throw me to the daemons, or the various other terrors in there?

But I still kept my suspicions high, with prayers and sacred words I attempted to protect myself from the horrors of the Warp hell I thought I was in until I was brought to the(what I assumed at the time) interrogation room and tied to a chair. It was a black room, with a single door in and out, and a table, very standard, but it lacked all the toys and other devices I would expect a Chaos torture room to have. I heard the door open and looked forward, the chair was positioned in such a way to allow me to see anyone walking in. Two people walked in, a woman of standard stature and with jet black hair and another man, it reminded me of the psykers we allowed in our regiment sometimes, but lacking in purity seals.

“My name is Akina Llyinchova Skuratova, you may refer to me as Ma’am, and this is authorized psyker Ineyu, we would like to ask you some questions." the woman said, referring her hand to the psyker-like individual in front of me, I attempted to spit on her but she was a bit too far away for me to be able to do so.

“Playing the hard game then, well at least this will be interesting. At least for a little while.” For the next hour the woman attempted to ask me questions, name, place of birth, and other such details, every time I gave her one of two responses, complete silence and 'frak off'. Not the most dignified response but I couldn't do anything else to give away who I was, Daemons could do terrible things to you if you gave them the ability to do so.

“Warp Dammit.” The woman was clearly at the end of her patience. “Ineyu please read his mind, take whatever you want but don't damage him too much.” the man gave a nod to her and approached me, putting his hand out. Mine were locked down and so I could not move, I struggled as the psyker attempted to break through my mind, but I was a Kasrkin, and held out.

But no matter how strong-willed that a man could be, a psyker will be able to break through a human's mind, but the minute he did and saw the fields of Cadia. He screamed, then I realized something. This psyker had never seen the horrors of what I have seen, I proceeded to fill my mind with horrors of what I had seen, Warp Daemons, Xenos, and heretics, he continued to scream attempting to get away from my mind, but I kept him there until he stopped screaming, he laid there limp and I let his mind get away.

The woman looked shocked, as if what I had done was simply not possible, then her face hardened, she turned to me and spoke in an even tone.

"What in the warps name are you?”

“The Emperor's Justice.” Her eyes hardened and she walked out, sending two men in to pull the psyker out. I smiled, I had beaten the psyker this time, but I was sure they would bring more, but all I could think about now was that I had avenged a single life lost on Cadia, but I still had many more to go.

The next time they brought me to the room they brought a man, as large as an Astartes would be without their armor. A bald man with an odd tattoo on his eye, he seemed to be wearing the outfit of a Librarian or Remembrancer. I looked directly at him, and he returned the gaze, he had a smile on his face after a few moments. He then pulled up a chair and sat down in front of me.

“Now young man, I heard what you did to that poor psyker boy”, I smiled wickedly at him, showing how much I had enjoyed that. “But I believe in trying to make amends, so if you answer all my questions I will ask I promise nothing will happen to you.” I looked at him, not believing his words.

“Do your worst traitor.” The man seemed surprised as if he had never thought he would be called a traitor but then his eyes hardened again. his smile fled from him and he started to reach out to my mind, it felt as if an entire ocean crashed against it, the psyker before was but a drop of water compared to what this thing was doing.

He went in, and I tried to push images of Daemons and the wars like I did the previous psyker, but while it slowed him down, it did not stop him. He broke through every layer of defense I could muster. Until he reached my final wall, my faith in the God-Emperor, in all the images of him I had seen. That seems to stop him, he recalled at the images of the almighty Emperor upon the Golden Throne of Terra, he then left my mind, stood up and left without a word. I could hear orders shouted through the walls to the guards. All I had left was my tired mind, but victory. Yet again, I smiled, for I had come out victorious once more. Turning back the force of Chaos approaching my mind. But the voice in the back of my mind told me what I did not want to admit, that they would come back, again and again until I broke. But I faced that fear with zeal and happiness, I would face whatever if I could find atonement for not being able to save Cadia and failing in my duty to the Emperor.

I was taken out of the cell and told to dress in my uniform, only to then see a rifle butt flying at my face and knocked out. When I awoke I was sitting in a chair in a room of gold, it was indescribable, with effigies of great battles and moments from the Great Crusade. I was awestruck until I noticed a man, the easiest way to describe him would be the standard all humans are based on, nothing really stood out, but nothing faded away either, it was the perfect human, no flaws or advantages, just a normal human. I looked with awe still on my face. I had to ask.

"Are we on Holy Terra, on the Thorne World itself?"

Confusion made its way across the man's face before he then nodded to me. I went back to looking around the room. Realization made me snap my head to him. Suspicion etched on my face. There was no way this was not a trap, most likely made by some Daemon or other warp predators. The man motioned for me to sit down next to him, seeing no other options I walked forward, keeping my hearing high and eyes on a swivel to make sure I would not be ambushed here, I sat down on the chair and looked at the man in front of me, he seems to have a bit of a smile on his face, but also a frown, or something in between?

He then talked with a voice I would describe as music.

“May I ask who you are?” At the minute of the questions answer, I felt my previous awe fade away replaced by my determination to not fall to Chaos, I looked at the man in the eyes and stared, automatically repeating prayer after prayer in my head. The man sighed.

“I would like to ask why Ahriman found images of me in your mind?” I was confused by this, I had never met this man before, I had never even put this man in front of the defenses to try to slow down the psyker(now known as Ahriman), my eyes narrowed.

“Ah, I see now, you do not recognize me do you.” the man seemed to smile in a fatherly way as he stood up, and suddenly a golden light engulfed him. What remained was what every guardsman wishes to see.

The God-Emperor of Mankind Himself.

''Entry 4:''

This would leave me in much of a loop as one would think, half of me said it was obviously a daemon trap, meant to lure me in to take me away from his light, but the light that was coming out of him, the feeling of bravery and power I only felt when I was around the priests, The Legion of the Damned, or the Living Saint Celestine….
I did the only thing I could do at the time.

And faint, falling face forward on to the table.

I woke up with to Emperor but in his former disguise, shaking my shoulder to wake me up. I didn't even respond verbally. I snapped to attention, knocking over the chair, and saluted, the straightest salute I could make, it would make the commander proud. But the God-Emperor looked down upon me and sent his mind into mine, looking into me, I wouldn't have been able to stop it if I wanted. I could feel him going through my memories, finding, and looking upon the utter failure that was the Battle of Cadia. I realize that He could find my deepest secrets, the things I had buried under 10 years of constant training and force, but he was so entranced by The Elysion Fields. He could have uncovered everything, looking around my mind like an Administratum clerk would go through a file cabinet but no he did not do such things to me. When He removed himself from my unworthy mind, He looked confused, angry, and even afraid?

I did not think it was possible to see such emotions on a face like his, He looked down upon me, with a look of pity one gives to a dog with no legs, as if I had gone through more than I needed to. But I knew better, I stood at attention and awaited orders, that was all I could think of doing. He turned around waving a hand, and I lost consciousness. After I awoke I found myself in a bed, still locked up, but more comfortable, than ever before.

I can only guess why he did so, perhaps he wanted to think in silence, perhaps he was horrified as to what I was, or any number of other things, I may never know. But that night I had the best sleep I ever had, the threat of daemons and corruption, far away from my mind, with only my faith and the light of the God-Emperor in my head.

''Entry 5:''

When I awoke I wanted to stay in the confines of the sheets, they were warm and comforting, but I pulled myself out and stood up, at attention like all mornings, then I remembered what had happened, the past few days, the Fall of Cadia and my meeting...The Emperor.
It was certainly busy, and so we bring me to today, I don't know why I am writing this out, a way to record my thoughts, a way for me to prove my loyalty only the Emperor knew, this time literally.

Anyway, after I awoke and made ready for the day, what looked like an Arbite came and escorted me to a shuttle, it took me through what seemed like a hive city, if a strange-looking one, no spires anywhere, it was then I realized I truly was on Holy Terra, at this I could not keep the religious fever from coming out of me, I was as giddy as a 3-year-old trying to strip his first las-gun. Soon, we landed and I was handed over to the legendary Custodians of the Emperor, they were twice as tall as a normal man and just as glorious as an Astartes if not more so. They then escorted me to an enclosed ship and took me on a ride, I felt many twists and turns from which I lost all sense of direction, then after a good while longer we docked within the Imperial Palace, walls of gold, taller than a dozen Baneblades stacked on top of another stood around me. I looked in awe but was pushed forward by the custodians. We walked for miles, through huge corridors seemingly made for Imperial Knights or the Titans of the Adeptus Titanicus, and after a lot longer we reached two huge doors, they opened slightly, enough for me to go past but the custodians did not come, but motioned me to go through.

When I went through I saw a room, with 21 chairs, 2 of which were crumbled and destroyed, while 19 figures of legend seem to sit on the chairs. One of them who was off to the side was a wizened old man who I soon recognized was [[Malcador the Sigillite|Malcador the Hero]]. I recognized 9 of them and vaguely recognized the other 9, the realization hit me, they were the Primarchs, and then I saw him.

The greatest heretic of all, Horus Lupercal. The Arch-traitor, Chaos’s favored, and a million other names, but I stayed still, I was stupid but not stupid enough to think I could take Horus one on one, perhaps Saint [[Ollanius Pius]] could but not me. So I stood in the middle of the room, at attention, I kept my eye on Horus and the other traitors, then the Emperor walked in, and I stood a little straighter, He was just as magnificent as I thought he would be, clad in His golden armor. He sat down in the middle, next to Horus and the great angel Sanguinius, he looked at me then opens his mouth, and his voice boomed with the authority of a thousand worlds.

“I believe I owe you an explanation, as to why I called you all here, I am fully aware you are busy but this boy requires our full attention, I will give you the details now." all the Primarchs eyes seemed to move at lightning speed, as if they were reading some invisible book, and within a few moments they were done, their reactions varied, but one thing stayed consistent, horror, complete and utter horror. The type of horror a man has when he sees all he has built torn down around them, some looked to the floor in horror, others growled in anger and others still just stared blankly forward.

“What do we do?” said Horus. I had a thousand and one scathing remarks for a traitor like him but held my tongue. He seemed the most affected, as if he were truly loyal to the Emperor, I still had my suspicions but I gave him the benefit of the doubt, for now. The other Primarchs looked at each other and back to me. I did all I could to not fall to my knees in religious fervor.

“Who are you really, boy?” questioned Rogal dorn.

“KASRKIN HARK LAVINGE OF THE CADIAN 8TH AKA "THE LORD CASTELLAN'S OWN SIR!” I shouted with all the religious passion I felt. The Primarchs looked considerably surprised, another then talked.

“Why are you here?” asked the traitor Magnus the Red.

“I USED A VORTEX GRENADE TO KILL A GREATER DAEMON OF TZEENTCH LORD PRIMARCH AND FOUND MYSELF IN THE WARP. ALL I KNOW AFTER THAT IS CADIA FELL, CRACKED TO PIECES AND I FOUND MYSELF IN THE MEDICAE OF A SCHOLA." I shouted once more, the traitor seemed confused and interested as if what I had said made no sense but lots of sense at the same time.

Many of the other Primarchs seemed to become even more worried, glancing between me, each other and the Emperor.

“What do you mean Cadia fell boy?”, said Robute Gulliman said.

“THE 13TH BLACK CRUSADE LEAD BY [[Abaddon|ABADDON THE DISPOLIER]] WAS A SUCCESS, SIR! I AM SORRY, WE FAILED THE IMPERIUM. I AM READY FOR SUMMARY EXECUTION FOR FAILURE AND INCOMPETENCE, SHOULD YOU JUGDE IT NECESSARY, MY GOD-EMPEROR!” I said once more, feeling the pure amount of shame I felt fall onto me as if it were a physical thing. Many of the Primarchs looked to each other, as if in conversation.

“Kasrkin Lavinge, you have given me and my sons much to discuss. And I believe that is only scratching the surface of you and your past. I ask you please remove yourself from this room and wait outside for a bit, we will call you back in." said the Emperor, I nodded, saluted and marched out, the door opened for me and closed as soon as I was out.

''Entry 6:''

I was soon brought back in, only about 30-40 minutes of standing at attention while the Custodian Guard watched me with cold eyes, I attempted to ignore them and breathed a sigh of relief when I was called back in. Marching in I stood back at attention when I got to the middle once more, all of the Primarchs kept their eyes on me.

“We have decided what we will do with you Karskin, due to your age and potential as an agent of the Imperium you will be attending an academy for those we believe could help improve the Imperium, as part of the staff as a security guard and as a regular student.” The Emperor said. “You will also be put on duty to guard some very special people in the school” I was immediately intrigued, as I was given a chance to serve the Imperium and perhaps cleanse my soul of the stain I left on it from Cadia, and help the Imperium prosper, never mind that it was an order straight from the Master of Mankind Himself

"Who are these individuals, my Emperor?” I was cursed and damned, I knew I was. But if the Emperor had a task for me, I would complete it without haste.

“My son and the rest of our daughters." said Horus Lupercal.

Now as you can guess my mind broke for a moment or two and if I was drinking something I would have done a spit take, as many thoughts went through my head. I was very much confused, as everything came at me at once. I went dead for a moment before I pushed that aside to work on later and focused back onto what the Primarchs were saying.

"You will not need to protect them from physical harm but from themselves and those who we cannot detect." said the Emperor. “We may be the most powerful beings in the universe, but these are children who will inherit the galaxy, and we need someone to make sure they become the best people they can be and can protect them from the Daemons of Chaos.”

I was incredibly confused at this, as I would have thought daemons would not be able to touch much less harm anybody near the Emperor, but I took it as I went filing it under the other pile of stuff I needed to sort through. “I WILL GLADLY TAKE THIS BURDEN TO WIPE AWAY MY SIN OF FAILING YOU!” I knelt in front of them, making the sign of the Aquilla on my chest before standing back up.

“We thank you for this service young pup”, said Leman Russ, “The Custodes will give you files on each of our children, you will read them and figure out the best way to protect and nurture each one."

“THANK YOU FOR THIS SIR’S, I WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN.” I turned to march back to the Custodes the Emperor's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Before you go, Kasrkin. I believe it only fair that I tell you may be visited by Me, my sons or even the Sigillite. Your very presence here on Terra is a mystery all and of itself but I believe that is not the only mystery you hold." He must have seen the confusion and horror at unseen implications on my face. "Do not worry yourself, it is only that my sons have brought to my attention the possibility of this Vortex business goes further than just what we see. You are dismissed, soldier."

With one more nod and salute, I finally make my way out of the conference room.

It was only on the ride back did I realize just what happened, and only when I got back to my newly assigned room did I fully break down at what just happened, the Emperor's words ringing in my head. Needless to say, it was hard on me when I found out I was not allowed amasec.

Imagine what happened when I learned that I was not only thrown into the past but a different dimension altogether. I was a comatose wreak for a week.

End of Part 1 (NOT AUTHOR- More to come, I think. I don't know what the fuck is happening. I'm just a guy who did revision work.)

=Fapfics=
{{Promotions}}
{{Main|Fapfics (Warhammer High)}}

=Theme Song=
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ0o3N52_BI Warhammer High now has a theme song!]

=Gallery=
{{NeedsImages}}
The Daughters, in all their varying portrayals.
<gallery>
File:Primarchs_as_teen_girls_Improved_Version.jpg|Traitor Legions pre-heresy badges since Horus Heresy didn´t happened.
File:Primarchs_as_teen_girls.png
File:Primarch's_daughters_explained.png
File:1326778666367.jpg|The first image coloured.
File:Color40k2.png|The first image recoloured.
File:Remilla2.png|Remilia of the Imperial Fists
File:FuriaFreya.png|Another typical moment between class.
File:FuriaRun.png|Furia late for school...again.
File:RobertaYell.png| GO TEAM!
File:1356767126443.png|Roberta playing to type
File:Hana.png|Hana at the school garage.
File:Venus2.png|Meet Taxi the Mutt!
File:TeachingRuss2.png| Patience is needed with Freya
File:Campfire.png| Spooky times
File:Lira3.png| Lyra can sing
File:Pillow.png| Damnit Petra!
File:1320087838422.jpg|Morticia, melting your heart
File:1320086227218.jpg|Lyra and WD being all spooky. WTF is that in background!?
File:1326750977382.jpg|Venus expanding her anti-tank rocket collection
File:1316130274941.jpg|SCIENCE
File:1326745285734.jpg|Roberta and Remilia
File:1326741923391.jpg|Cora and Miranda
File:1326743470610.jpg|Isis in her short-lived sweatpants and trenchcoat phase
File:1326742989515.jpg|Alternate blond Freya
File:1316131092742.jpg|Angela getting mad
File:1316131017307.jpg|Farah, a bit older
File:1326778530506.png|Farah's locker at school
File:1326744945860.jpg|Eldar Farseers are totally MAID RPG cosplayers, that random guy is totally LIVII
File:1326760949002.png|What did they make? :O
File:1320098512097.jpg|Freya and Miranda bonding.
File:1316135433331.jpg|Hana being badass
File:1316134586952.jpg|Furia has your trail!
File:WH_08.jpg|Hana and Furia
File:Isis_Julius.jpg| Awkward
File:1330922119786.jpg|Miranda doesn't need visible eyes to see you.
File:1326783120198.png|Isis looks stoned as hell
File:1316131544031.jpg|Miranda making her father proud
File:1326743649917.png|One wonders what WD is pointing at
File:Freya_protoculture.png|Deculture's take on Freya, as a ninth or tenth grader, trying out a new leather collar. Don't you just want to pinch her cheeks?
File:Post_edit.png|Deculture draws Venus at sixteen
File:CentFarah.png|Farah liek Centurion. [[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device|Takes after her grandfather]]
File:The Twins.jpg
</gallery>

=See Also=
* [[HS40K]]
* [[Female Space Marines]]
* [[Rage]]
* [[-4 Str|Women]]
* [[Rule 63]]
* [[Quest:The Long Night]]

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Warhammer High]][[Category:Stories]][[Category:Stories/Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Awesome]]

Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Space Marines

2023-02-26T20:42:45Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:C5B1:DFB5:E2DA:268: /* Special-Issue Wargear */

[[Indrick Boreale|WE ARE THE SPEHSS MAHREENS! WE ARE THE EMPRA'S FUREH!]]

This is the [[Warhammer_40,000/7th Edition Tactics|previous Edition's]] Space Marine tactics. The [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Space_Marines(8E)|8th Edition Tactics are here]] while [[Warhammer_40,000/6th_Edition_Tactics/Space_Marines|the 6th Edition Tactics are here.]]

==Why Play Space Marines==

Space Marines are perhaps the best army for beginners. Their units are fairly expensive points-wise, so they usually field less bodies and vehicles than most other armies. While you can't bog down your foes in waves of men, this makes army construction cheaper and painting faster. Additionally, Space Marines are dead'ard; their basic troops have Toughness 4 and a 3+ armour save, giving them great staying power compared to most basic infantry of other armies. They're also solid in whatever role they're put in; Marines are good shots, and they're not half bad in an assault, either. Space Marine tanks, on the other hand, may not be as robust or as powerful as those of the Imperial Guard's, but they are dirt-cheap and reliable. Dreadnoughts, while slower than a tank, are slightly better at shooting than predators, present a smaller target and are far better in close combat (unless your luck with Tank Shock is ridiculous...), and are able to take on heroes, units and other vehicles and come out on top.

Other benefits include:
* Space Marines are the jacks of all trades, able to do pretty much anything reasonably well with no particular weaknesses. Whatever an enemy army’s weakness is, Space Marines have something that can exploit it.
* eBay-ability. Space marines are the most commonly auctioned off army. This makes starting out with them second-hand cheap (by Warhammer standards…).
* Easy to paint. The broad, flat areas (legs, shoulders) and defined ridges make painting straight-forward and simple. [[Necrons | Little]] is easier to paint than a space marine. They even drybrush well for the lazy painter who just wants a force finished on the table ASAP. Conversely, they also provide large amounts of open areas for more advanced painters to go ham with freehand and more detailed painting.
* Quick to build, easy to convert. Space marines have the greatest range of bitz available to any army in any game, and not just from Games Workshop. There are several companies out there that make GW Marine conversion bitz. Almost everyone who plays 40k has some space marine bitz sitting around, and they're almost all plastic, so you can easily make a force that's really "you".
* Easy to play for beginners. Your basic troops can take a bit of abuse, so the army is relatively forgiving of noob mistakes, and you won't be horribly FUBAR because of a single poorly-thought out move. Very little in the codex is dead weight, so almost any unit purchased will be a welcome addition to your growing force.
* Rewarding for experts. Space marines are an army that you can really grow with. Once you learn how to shuffle your metal boxes around, and get the gist of the game, a closer examination of the space marine codex reveals a wealth and depth of available army builds and tactics unrivalled in the current 40k codices.
* Games Workshop has a long history of [[Plot armor|tilting things in the Marines' favor]]. The introduction of AP values to melee weapons was largely for the benefit of Marines and especially Terminators, and the grav gun has been introduced so you can kill heavily armoured troops without burning your fingers. Other armies may have weaknesses, but whenever a weakness is found for the Marines, GW just releases something to patch over it. You also have THREE Codex Supplements (Four if you count Kauyon) to ensure that no two armies play exactly alike.
* Thanks to UNBOUND ARMIES and infinite allies, you can mix and match your Space Marine Army with other Faction Marines. Want some serious firepower for your Space Wolves? Centurions shall work wonders. All the pain of the last few years with various Marine armies lacking decent units or updates has been patched up.

However there are a few draw backs to playing space marines that should be considered:
* Space Marines are the jacks of all trades, but the masters of none. Their non-specialization as an army is in itself a weakness, as pretty much every other army does their particular shtick better than Space Marines. If you don't figure out how to play rock-paper-scissors 40k and end up trying to out-shoot tau or out-assault genestealers, you're gonna get your power armored ass handed to you.
* As the most popular army your codex is the most often to be updated, which can be be seen as a good thing, but it does mean that you're going to be buying codices more often then other armies.
* As the most popular army you're the one most likely to be optimised against. An army geared to fight marines will do decent against most of the players in a tournament simply because most of the players will likely be using some variant of Marine. Killing Space Marines is a hobby among internet army list planners and any army list worth its salt will have a plan to deal with marines.
* In terms of armoured tanks your vehicles are maybe not the worst in the game, but they are far from the best. Any Tank that showed up to the Imperial guard motor pool with only an auto cannon (a weapon found in the guards heavy weapon squad) would be laughed right out of the pool and the Rhino, while good, does not compare well to other dedicated transports - its cheapness is why it's considered good.
* As the most popular army, other players will know most of your tricks. A Drop Pod assault can be powerful, but it's also something almost all the marine players have done at some point so when you show up to a game with eight Drop Pods the other player (Who may have done his share of Drop Podding) will have a good idea how to counterplay you.
* As a small elite army, you don't take large losses well such as those AP3 or lower large blast template from a Leman Russ, Riptide, or Imperial Knight. Tyranids can laugh off the loss of a brood and spawn more from a Tervigon, you can't. What counters Space Marines counters them HARD since they tend to be a smaller army.
*Vanilla marines of all flavors are almost laughably bad in close combat and your specialist melee units (with the notable exception of the Assault Terminators) won't win any prizes, either. Consider yourself in the bottom-middle of close combat overall.
*You have almost universally small squad sizes. This means that while your marines don't need as much support as other armies, they don't benefit as much from it, either.

==Special Rules==
===Combat Doctrines===
Now made universal, certain units and formations/detachments can now grant uses of the Doctrines, regardless of chapter, instead of only being an Ultras thing. The most common method for ''non''-Ultramarines Chapter Tactics to get uses of Doctrines is by taking a Gladius Strike Force detachment (see Formations section), which grants one use of each of the three Doctrine types. If an army has multiple rules that enable a particular Doctrine, that Doctrine can be enacted that number of times per game (e.g. an Ultramarines Battle Demi-Company with Calgar would be able to use the Tactical Doctrine up to four times per game; one use granted by their Chapter Tactics, one use granted by being part of a Gladius Strike Force, one use granted by being a Battle Demi-Company, and Calgar granting one extra use of any Doctrine).
There are three Doctrine types, and when enacted, each of them grants the following benefits to all units in your army with the same Chapter Tactics as the detachment that enacts it, till the start of your next turn:
* Tactical: Re-roll 1s to hit for shooting and assault. Tactical Marines, and any ICs joining them, can re-roll all misses that turn.
* Assault: Re-roll 1s to-hit in the Assault phase (so both Overwatch and close combat). Assault Marines, Bikes, Attack Bikes and AssCenturions, including any ICs joining those squads, can re-roll all misses during that Assault phase.
* Devastator: Re-roll 1s to-hit in the Shooting phase. Devastators and DevCenturions, including any ICs joining those squads, can re-roll all misses during that Shooting phase.

===Chapter Tactics===
The Chapter Tactics give you one of seven (mostly) army-wide rules - one for each of the First Founding Chapters that don't get their own codex, and the Black Templars. This also applies to their successor Chapters. Note that special characters may not be part of a detachment that does not have the same version of Chapter Tactics as them - i.e. Marneus Calgar can't lead a detachment of Salamanders, however he can be taken if you're Iron Snakes, as you can choose what Chapter they "are" and thus what Tactics they have. Counts-as characters are still a thing, you just have use the Chapter Tactics they're associated with ("it's not actually Tigurius, it's just a Chief Librarian for Chapter X with wargear functionally identical to Tigurius's"). Chapters whose founders are unknown may use whichever set of Chapter Tactics they wish. It should also be noted that if a unit contains models drawn from two different Chapters, it won't benefit from either of its constituents' Chapter Tactics.
*'''Important Clarification''': Only models with the Chapter Tactics special rule will get the special rules described under their Chapter Tactics (specified pretty clearly in the Codex) - this most commonly fails to happen for non-Dreadnought vehicles. So, every time it says that a model has this or that special rule, it refers ''only'' to models with Chapter Tactics (i.e. Salamanders' Land Raider Redeemers cannot re-roll To Wound rolls with their Flamestorm Cannons). The exceptions are Astral Claws skimmers and, per the FAQ, all Iron Hands vehicles. Those dicks.
**The Space Marine FAQ rough draft which is coinciding with the 7th Edition Rulebook FAQ says "If a unit contains models drawn from two different chapters, it counts as being from neither chapter, and thus benefits from neither chapter tactic." This ruling is actually okay since it's reeling in [[powergamers]] from spamming multiple CAD of White Scars and biker Iron Hands to make Smashfucker-White Scars Librarius Conclave on Bike Deathstar bullshit, like some guy used at Adepticon. Also, the same thing applies when Independent Characters drawn from Grey Knights/Dark Angels/Space Wolves/Blood Angels onto SM units and vice versa. (Note that this does not apply to Grey Knights/Dark Angels/Space Wolves/Blood Angels, as they do not have chapter tactics and do not lose any rules if joining/joined by SM units).

====Codex Marines====
=====Ultramarines=====
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Ultramarines are often the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Space Marines, for better or for worse. They come with a slightly elite twist and rely on Combat Doctrines more than any other army.
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*'''Requirements:''' Only Marneus Calgar, Captain Sicarius, Cassius, Chronus, Telion, Tigurius, and Roboute Guilliman are the special characters.
*'''Chapter Tactics:''' An army that contains any Ultramarine units can use the Assault, Tactical and Devastator Doctrine once each per game. It affects all Ultramarine models in your army.
**This means that with the Gladius Strike Force you can use each doctrine twice, while the Tactical can be used a third time for your Demi-Company. Add in Calgar, and you might be able to bring that up to FOUR Tactical doctrine uses!

*'''Relics of Ultramar:'''
**'''Tarentian Cloak:''' Wearer gets ''Eternal Warrior'' and ''It Will Not Die''.
**'''Helm of Censure:''' The first red helmet belonging to the Codex Astartes co-author Aonid Thiel. This gives the ''Preferred Enemy'' rule, but if the bearer attacks Chaos Space Marines, they get full Twin-Linked and Shred.
***This functionally makes the model immune to its own Chapter Tactics, as the Combat Doctrines will no longer improve it.
**'''Sanctic Halo:''' Captains only. Get ''Adamantium Will'' and ''Feel No Pain''.
**'''Soldier's Blade:''' An exceptionally sharp sword with no technological enhancement. Is an S User AP 2 melee weapon and that's it.
**'''Standard of Macragge Inviolate:''' Available to Honour Guard standard bearers and any units that can take relics. Grants +1 Ld and +1 Attack to friendly Ultramarines within 12". Also, any Ultramarine infantry model to die within 6" rolls a die; on a 5+ they may immediately take an out of sequence shooting attack if is the Movement, Shooting, or Psychic phase, or a free pile-in + melee attacks ''at its normal initiative'' if the Fight sub-phase (so you don't get any attacks if it's past your Initiative step - a good reason to stick to Unwieldy melee weapons - or if it's not the Fight sub-phase or you're not already engaged in a melee but managed to die anyway).
**'''Vengeance of Ultramar:''' A relic storm bolter that modifies normal bolt ammunition into bio-reactive shells. Is S1 AP5, but ''Assault 4, Poisoned 2+''.

*'''Victrix Strike Force:''' The Ultramarines specific detachment.
**'''Core:''' Your core choices are the Battle Demi-Company, and Strike Force Ultra.
**'''Command:''' Your Command choices are the Librarius Conclave, the Reclusiam Command Squad, and the Strike Force Command option (which Guilliman may be taken for.
**'''Auxiliary:''' Your normal Auxiliary choices are; the Armored Task Force, 1st Company Task Force, Anti-Air Defence Force, 10th Company Task Force, Storm Wing, Suppression Force, Land Raider Spearhead, and the Centurion Siegebreaker Cohort with an Ultramarine exclusive choice:
***'''Victrix Guard:''' Captain Sicarius leads 1 unit of Honor Guard and 4 units of either Vanguard or Sternguard Veterans in any combination. They all get +1WS/BS and can "Look Out, Sir!" for Roboute Guilliman if he's within 3" as if he were a part of the unit. It's very expensive, but gives Guilliman his desperately needed meat shields.

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=====Imperial Fists=====
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Masters of Siege Warfare, and excellent with Bolter weaponry, these guys will get the job done.
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*'''Requirements:''' Only special characters allowed are Captain Lysander and Pedro Kantor.
*'''Benefits:''' Re-roll ones to hit with all Bolter weapons (Bolt Pistol, Bolt Gun, Heavy Bolter, Storm Bolter) except the twin-linked Hurricane Bolter, their Devastators get Tank Hunter, and roll +1 on the Building Damage table. In addition, Centurion Devastators are an Elite choice, meaning you can have up to 6 squads of these Marine Matryoshka dolls.
*'''Warlord Traits:''' Technically these are for the Crimson Fists, but as a named Successor Chapter who uses the IF Chapter Tactics, they'll suffice.
**'''Pain is for the Weak:''' Feel No Pain
**'''Die-Hard Defenders:''' Counter-Attack and Stubborn, which makes these guys a lot tougher to shift, especially when added with Lysander.
**'''Veteran of Rynn's World:''' Hatred and Preferred Enemy (Orks). Yeah, those green walls can't do shit now, if they ever could.
**'''Experienced Instructor:''' If your Warlord doesn't shoot or run in the Shooting phase, he can nominate a friendly model within 12" to use his Ballistic Skill. Pretty much Telion upgraded to be useful on more heavy weapons.
**'''Unwilling to Die:''' Eternal Warrior. NICE. Just hope you didn't buy the Shield Eternal and roll this.
**'''Heir of Dorn:''' Warlord and all friendly Crimson Fists within 12" gain Fearless.

*Relics of the Phalanx
Imperial Fist specific relics they can use in addition to the regular ones.
**'''The Eye of Hypnoth''': 15 points. Used in place of a shooting attack, it can target a unit or a building - it reduces a unit's cover save by 1, or all of the target building's AVs (i.e. all three sides) by 1, until the end of the phase. Shaky value, especially since it doesn't stack with an Auspex - unless fortifications are a staple of your meta.
***Note: It DOES stack with a Skitarii/AdMech omnispex.
**'''The Angel of Sacrifice''': 10 points, Chaplain only. When killed in assault, Chaplain stays around until close combat attacks are resolved, and then attacks - otherwise, it's a standard crozius arcanum. Pretty cheap for what is potentially a valuable bonus, especially if you take a power fist on the Chaplain.
**''' The Bones of Orsak''': 25 points, Librarian only. The model gets 1 extra warp charge and re-rolls failed psychic tests - eat your heart out, Tigurius! One of the strongest relics in this edition, especially in a Librarius Conclave.
***It's not an actual increase to Mastery Level, sadly, so you'll still cast two powers at best, but it does let you cast powers more reliably with fewer psykers as batteries - a single ML2 Librarian will never have fewer than 4 charges available and can manifest a WC3 power with 4 charges 73.83% of the time!
**''' The Banner of Staganda''': 25 points, can only be taken by models that can pick from the Space Marine Standards list (Command Squad, Honor Guard). Bearer gets Counter-Attack and Crusader, and Imperial Fists within 12" reroll failed morale and pinning tests.
**'''The Spartean''': 5 point Master-crafted bolt pistol that Ignores Cover. Cheap, but not super useful. This comes from Captain Garadon in the old Sentinels of Terra supplement, so if you're adding him to your army then other relic-eligible models can't take it.

*'''Tactical Objectives'''
These were released in the Angels of Death supplement.

;11 - Indomitable Defense
: Pick 3 objectives. On any turn after the turn you draw it in, you can gain VPs depending on how many you keep: 1 for 1, d3 for 2, d3+3 for all of them.
;12 - Man the Walls
: 1 easy VP for hiding in a building or manning a gun. Needless to say that buying an Aegis with a turret is in your interests.
;13 - Disciplined Firepower
: Pick a number between 1 and 3. You win that many VP if AND ONLY IF you kill that many units. Otherwise it's a waste.
;14 - Son of Dorn
: Did you start a challenge? Are you in one? Then grab that VP.
;15 - Death Before Dishonour
: You win 1 VP if you get a unit killed, but not if they fail morale. Funny masochistic message there.
;16 - Breach Their Defenses
: 1 VP if you take over or destroy an enemy emplacement or fortification, d3 if you go beyond that.

*Sternhammer Strike Force (Angels of Death)
An Imperial Fists Decurion, here to round out the First Founding...sorta (if you count the Gladius for Ultras). The Warlord gives everyone Stubborn while he's alive, the Bolter Drill rule from Chapter Tactics now re-rolls all misses instead of just 1s, and everyone in the detachment adds 1 to armor penetration rolls against buildings (because fuck buildings). Twin-linked Sternguard? Why not! Stubborn is a nice add-on to ATSKNF, to further ensure your battle line stays intact no matter what. The volume of bolter fire put out by a Tactical squad increases markedly, making them a rather scary unit even to other MEQ.
*Your '''1-2 Core''' choices are either the '''Battle Demi-Company''' or '''Centurion Siegebreaker Cohort'''.
*Your '''0-2 Command''' choices are either '''Strike Force Command''', '''Reclusiam Command Squad''', or '''Librarius Conclave'''.
*Your '''1-10 Auxiliary''' choices can either be the '''Armoured Task Force''', '''1st Company Task Force''', '''10th Company Task Force''', '''Storm Wing''', '''Anti-Air Defense Force''', '''Suppression Force''', '''Land Raider Spearhead''', '''Strike Force Ultra''', '''Skyhammer Orbital Strike Force''', '''Skyhammer Annihilation Force''', '''Raptor Wing''', or the following:
**'''Devastators:''' A squad of Tank Hunting Devastators. Season to taste with Twin-Linked Heavy Bolters or AT weaponry.
**'''Centurions:''' A squad of any sort of Centurions. Because they punch/shoot heavy things.
**'''Line Breakers:''' If you want Vindicators, but don't want to go with the whole formation for it.
**'''Ordinance:''' A unit of TFCs if you needed more cheap Templates. One of the few ways Marines can compete with Guard Artillery.
**'''Siege Ancients:''' A Contemptor or Ironclad Dread, since they're the heaviest armed. If you want a dakka dread you have to use the Demi-Company slot to make it fit in (with the advantage of ObSec). Still, an Ironclad dropping down with a Demi company full of twin-linked weapons (remember the Demi company still has access to one Tactical Doctrine) makes for a good alpha strike, especially combined with the infamous Skyhammer Annihilation Force. Plonk a Pod on every objective turn 1 and hold on till the end.

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=====Salamanders=====
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Salamanders are all about that Flamer and Melta weaponry, and have bonuses when using them, and when they're being used on them.
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*'''Requirements'''
**Only unique characters allowed are Vulkan He'Stan and Vulkan Primarch (Apocalypse only)
**All models with Chapter Tactics must have Chapter Tactics (Salamanders).
*'''Chapter Tactics'''
**Every character can make one of his weapons Master-Crafted. In addition, all Flamer weaponry as defined in the BRB get Shred and re-roll all failed penetration results. Also, all Salamanders get 4+ Feel No Pain against all Flame-based weapons. Ork Burna boys, Blood Angels and Sisters of Battle will feel that, but the dreaded Heldrake is ''not'' affected by this. Oh well, the CSM needed a bone thrown at them.

*'''Warlord Traits'''
*#'''Anvil of Strength:''' Add +1 Strength. For the pulping.
*#'''Lord of Fire:''' You warlord now has 2+ FnP against Flame weapons. Shame you can't pass it to anyone else.
*#'''Patient and Determined:''' When rolling for Game Duration, add +3 to the roll. It ensures that you get what you need done.
*#'''Miraculous Constitution:''' IWND. Just in case you wanted to shout '''"VULKAN LIVES!"'''
*#'''Forge Master:''' Your Warlord's Master-Crafted Weapon (Including Salamander Relics with MC) re-rolls ALL missed hits. Which is AWESOME.
*#'''Never Give Up:''' Anyone within 12" of the Warlord now is Stubborn and re-rolls Morale.

*Relics of Nocturne: Your Salamander only relics. You can mix and match with the vanilla SM relics.
**'''Drake-smiter''' - 50 points. A master-crafted thunder hammer (judging by the concussive rule and the Salamander love of smithing, but the fluff doesn't actually say what it is, so go nuts) that can, instead of attacking normally, make a single attack at strength D (keeping all its special rules).
**'''Nocturne's Fury''' - 20 points. Can't be taken by the usual HQ suspects, is instead available to anyone who can take special weapons (so you can take it in Tactical, Command, Sternguard, or Bike squads. And Legion of the Damned, WTF?). It's an S4 AP4 flamer that you can fire as a normal Assault 1 Template, or instead shoot it as a Heavy 1 Torrent. Worth remembering that the Flameblade Strike Force benefits would make this S5.
**'''The Salamander's Mantle''' - 30 points. A scaly cape that gives Eternal Warrior. Cheaper than the Shield Eternal and lets you potentially keep the 2-weapon bonus, but you'll have to either take a normal storm shield, or punt on improving your invulnerable save.
**'''The Tome of Vel'cona''' - 25 points, Librarian only. Gives +1 strength to all his Pyromancy witchfires, and the Molten Beam power for free, without interfering with psychic focus.
**'''Vulkan's Sigil''' - 30 points, Chaplain only. Once per game, you can give +1 attack for one phase to all Salamanders models in his unit. Being a one-use item makes this pretty crappy when Command Squad/Honor Guard banners do this, and more, on a permanent basis.
**'''Wrath of Prometheus''' - The obligatory cheap relic gun. For 10 points, you get a 30"-range master-crafted Rending bolter.

*Tactical Objectives: In the hype for the 7E codex, a White Dwarf issue actually released a list of Tactical Objectives for Salamanders armies to use. They were then re-released with the Angels of Death supplement.

;11 - Vulkan's Gaze
: 1 VP for blowing up a vehicle with a melta weapon. Yeah, this'll happen.
;12 - Weather the Storm
: If you manage to charge successfully AND suffer no overwatch casualties, you get 1 VP. This is gonna run quite a risk, especially against Skitarii (Especially with the WS4 Overwatch WT), Tau and Dark Angels.
;13 - Legacy of [[Drop Site Massacre|Istvaan]]
: If you have at least 3 Salamanders units within within 18" of your table edge, you win 1 VP for killing an enemy on your half of the table.
;14 - Vulkan's Task
: This one's a bit tricky: You need to identify all mysterious objectives AND control more objectives than your opponent. However, doing so gets you d3 VP.
;15 - Look Them In the Eye
: 1 VP for killing a unit within 6" of a Salamanders unit during your turn; this gets upped to d3 VP if you kill more than three units.
;16 - Fires of Nocturne
: Here's a fun one! If you destroy a unit with a flamer weapon during your turn, that's 1 VP. If you destroyed 2 units with flamers, you get d3 VP, and if you kill three of more, that's d3+3 VP.

*Salamanders Tactics: Salamanders work very well with Drop Pods, since Flamers that re-roll to wound will get nice and close to the enemy and bathe them in the fires of the Emperor!
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=====Raven Guard=====
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Tricksy Space Marines that rely on lightning fast troops and Hit & Run style attacks with a reliance on cover-hopping. Strike before the enemy has a chance to react!
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*'''Requirements:''' Only named character allowed is Chapter Master Shrike.
*'''Chapter Tactics:''' Non-vehicle models that do not begin the game in a Transport vehicle get Shrouded on the first turn. Plus, when rolling for Night Fighting, you can add +1 to the roll if your army contains at least one Raven Guard unit. Jump units can use their packs for movement AND assault, and ALL Raven Guard units may reroll To-Wound rolls on their HoW attacks.
**This is a lot fluffier than the previous rules, as it favors a force with lots of Scouts (which gain the most from Shrouded and the Stealth from Night Fighting), with not many vehicles, followed by some fast units, who also gain Shrouded on the first turn to shrug off fire, to rapidly reach the first wave and deliver the decisive strike. Also, now the whole tactic synergizes really well with Shrike (about fucking time) and thanks to buffed Scouts and Vanguard Veterans it can also be competitive.
**Because ALL RG units get Shred on their HoW attacks, don't forget that your Dreadnoughts and Bikers get the buff as well.

*'''Warlord Traits:'''
#'''Vanish into the Gloom''' - When targeted for shooting and not falling back or charging, the Warlord and his unit can move d6". Models from the Vanishing unit that move into or stay in cover get +1 to their cover saves. With careful positioning and some luck, you can get out of the attack's range or escape LoS, wasting the enemy unit's shooting attack. This is key to foiling the Hunter Cadre's all-in shooting attack, but it only works once per turn for your Warlord's unit.
#'''Concentrated Attack''' - At the start of your Charge phase, pick an enemy unit in your Warlord's line of sight. Raven Guard units can re-roll their charges against that unit for the rest of that phase.
#'''Master of Shadows''' - Once per game, if your Warlord is on the field, during your Movement phase you can automatically make Night Fighting active until the start of your next turn. With all the Ignores Cover that tends to fly around, it's not too useful.
#'''Silent Stalker''' - Enemies trying to Overwatch against your Warlord/his unit must first take a Leadership test (-2 if you charge through cover). Great against units with otherwise strong Overwatch (DA, Tau).
#'''Exit Strategy''' - If your Warlord is on the battlefield, you can add '''or''' subtract 1 when rolling to determine the game's end.
#'''Swift and Deadly''' - Once per game, your warlord and his unit can Charge after running.

*'''Relics of the Ravenspire:'''
Raven Guard relics (RG, their successors, anyone else using their Tactics). Like the White Scars relics, they can be mixed-and-matched.
**'''Armour of Shadows (35 points)''' - Artificer armor that adds Stealth (or Shrouded if you don't move/run/charge). Since Shrouded applies to the entire squad while the bearer is alive, this item is best suited to making a Buffmander. Stick this on a Librarian rolling on Divination, and put said librarian in a 10-man Devastator squad with lascannons to anchor half the entire table. Your opponent will struggle turn after turn to try to dislodge the Devastators rolling with 2+ cover saves.
**'''Ex Tenebris (10 points)''' - Assault 3 bolter with Rending and Precision Shots. Very cheap, so snag it if you have the points and weapon spot to spare.
**'''Nihilus (15 points)''' - Vet Scout Sarge only. An AP3 Armorbane Sniper Rifle that hits vehicles at S6 and can shoot at a different target than his squadmates. Pretty cool, but effectively 25 points since you need a Veteran Scout Sarge.
**'''Raven Skull of Korvaad (15 points)''' - Adds +1 WS/Ld to its wearer. However, if they die, friendly RG models get Hatred and Rage while they are within 6" of the wearer's last position. Fairly cheap, fluffy, and the bonuses are nice.
**'''Raven's Fury (15 points)''' - A Jump Pack that gives HoW attacks +2 Strength and [[derp|Strikedown]] (same cost as a normal jump pack, no reason to not take this instead).
**'''[[MURDERWINGS|Swiftstrike and Murder]] (35 points)''' - Replaces both the bolt pistol and melee weapon. A pair of Lightning Claws that grant a bonus attack for each hit (the bonus attacks hitting don't cause further bonus attacks). The unique effect is definitely worth 5 points, especially against the hordes or MEQ that lightning claws are already good against. Unfortunately won't be combinable with Raven's Fury per the FAQ.

*'''Raven Guard Tactical Objectives:'''
These Chapter tactics will be a part of the Warzone Damocles - Kauyon.

;11 - Strike From the Skies
: 1 VP if you killed with a unit that's either Jump type or a unit that disembarked from a drop pod.
;12 - Keep to the Shadows
: 1 VP if every non-vehicle unit's either in a transport, in a building, or within 1" of cover. Fluffy AND practical!
;13 - Let them Know Fear
: 1 VP if an enemy unit failed either Fear, Morale, or Pinning.
;14 - Prioritise and Destroy
: d3 VP if you killed a Warlord, Superheavy or GC.
;15 - Highly Mobile Assault
: You win a VP if you charge and demolish an enemy unit. Repeat this three times and you win d3 VP.
;16 - Cripple the Enemy
: 1 VP if you kill an enemy Transport/FA unit. d3 VP if you kill between 3-5. d3+3 VP if you kill more than 5.

*'''Raven Guard Tactics'''

*'''Talon Strike Force:'''
A Raven Guard-themed Gladius. It allows a re-roll for mission type, table side to deploy from, and your dice on the roll-off for who goes first IF your Warlord is in the TSF. Units in the TSF can choose to auto-fail Morale checks, and can roll for reserves on the first turn, passing on a 4+ (roll normally on other turns). Similar to Scarblade, only Raven Guard can use the Talon Strike Force FOC (unless FW okays the Raptors or other successors' use), but any Chapter can use the new formations that the Kauyon book added.

*'''Core (1-2)'''
**'''Battle Demi-Company''' - Same as Gladius Strike Force.
**'''Pinion Battle Demi-Company''' - A Captain/Chaplain (replaced by a named HQ if you want) takes an optional Command Squad, 3 Tacs, 1 Dev and 1 Assault squad, and 1-5 Scout squads, either on bike or on foot. During shooting, a Scout Sarge can spot for another unit from the Company within 9", giving that unit Ignores Cover. In addition, each Scout squad can lead another unit out of reserve (but not Deep Strike Reserve), and you use one roll for both the Scout unit and the other unit. If the Scouts outflank, the following unit arrives from the same table edge even if they can't normally outflank. When the two units arrive in this way, the unit being led gets Stealth until their next turn if they were within 9" of the Scouts leading them.
*** If you use this, definitely set up a unit of Scouts near your Devastators. Ignores Cover Missile Launchers, or Lascannons? Yeah, that would be pretty brutal.
*'''Command (0-2)'''
**'''Reclusiam Command Squad'''
**'''Strike Force Command'''
***Sadly, you can't take the Librarius Conclave as part of the Talon Strike Force, so they won't get 1st-turn reserves or auto-fail Morale checks.
*'''Auxiliary (1+)'''
**'''1st Company Task Force'''
**'''10th Company Task Force'''
**'''Storm Wing'''
**'''Anti-Air Defense Force'''
**'''Suppression Force'''
**'''Shadowstrike Kill Team''' - 2-4 Scout squads and 1-3 Vanguard Veteran squads with jump packs. The Vanguards can choose to auto-pass or auto-fail their Reserve roll (which combines very nicely with the TSF ability to roll for reserve on Turn 1). They can also charge on the turn they Deep Strike, and if they arrive within 9" of at least two Scout squads from this formation, they don't scatter. The Scout squads' Scout and Infiltrate moves almost guarantee a precision Vanguard Vet turn 1 alpha strike in TSF, as long as you got the first turn or don't get the Scouts shot off the table before the Vanguards can show up. Non-Raven Guard can still use this formation very effectively - in particular, you can put a Locator Beacon in a Drop Pod to Deep Strike the Vanguard Vets in a perfect spot to reinforce your alpha strike.
**'''Bladewing Assault Brotherhood''' - A jump pack Captain/Chaplain (or Shrike) with 1-3 Vanguards and 2-4 Assault squads, all with jump packs and numbering no more than 30 models. Once per game, in your Movement phase, you can make every unit here disengage and jump back into reserves (even if they were locked in close combat!). They arrive from reserves as a single unit - when Deep Striking, draw a straight line from table one edge to another. You must aim your Deep Strike on a point along that line, and can re-roll the scatter.
***This is as close as any bound army can get right now to an Assault Reserve Company, and not limited to just Raven Guard. Worth a look if you like assault marines.
**'''Skyhammer Orbital Strike Force''' - 3 Tacs in Drop Pods and 1-3 Land Speeders. Pick a point on the board before any Turn 1 Drop Pods land - Drop Pods landing within 12" of that point only scatter d6", and anyone that targets an enemy within 12" of this spot can re-roll hit and wound rolls of 1. On top of that, the Tacs can run '''and''' shoot the turn they disembark.
**'''Ravenhawk Assault Group''' - A Stormraven joins a Dread of any type and a Sternguard squad. The Stormraven can Deep Strike, but must Hover the turn it arrives - its size makes it risky to DS successfully, never mind that it can be shot at normally, just have it arrive normally. When the first unit from this formation deploys or arrives from reserve, nominate an enemy unit as the formation's target - the Assault Group re-rolls all misses against that unit for the rest of the battle.
**'''Raptor Wing''' - A squad of Land Speeders and 2 Stormtalons. The Talons automatically arrive on your Turn 2 if they were in reserve. Also, once per turn, the Land Speeder designates an enemy unit within 18" and in line of sight as a priority target, giving the Stormtalons re-rolls to Wound and Armor Penetration, and can even re-roll glances to try for penetrating hits instead.
**'''Shadow Force''' - A Captain (replaceable by named guys) joins a Sternguard Squad, Vanguard Squad, and a Land Speeder, nobody with Termie Armor. Everyone gets Acute Senses, Move Through Cover, and Scout, while everyone can re-roll runs (vehicles add 6" to Flat-Out instead). This matches the contents of Strike Force Solaq from the box set.

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=====Iron Hands=====
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'Ardier than the usual Marines.
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*'''Requirements:''' No unique characters outside of Forgeworld!
*'''Chapter Tactics:''' All non-vehicle models have Feel No Pain (6+), or +1 to Feel No Pain if they already had access to it. In addition, all Independent Characters and all Vehicles have the IWND special rule. Also, all Techmarines have +1 to their Blessing of the Omnissiah rolls. Finally, they can take Dreadnoughts as Heavy Support options, allowing for a possible 18-tin can Dreadnought party.

*'''Gifts of the Gorgon:'''
For Iron Hands only. Can be mixed with the generic relics if you want.
**'''The Mindforge Stave''': 15 points, Librarian only, replaces force weapon. Basically a force thunder hammer, but not a Specialist Weapon.
**'''Axe of Medusa''': 25 points. Master-crafted Power Axe with +2S, A to-hit roll of 6 makes it +4S, usually making you hit at S8. Essentially a wanna-be power fist. Not a specialist weapon, so you can get an extra attack more easily.
**'''Betrayers Bane''': 25 points. Master-crafted combi-melta with ''unlimited'' melta shots, i.e. a master-crafted bolter and a master-crafted meltagun in one buy, just in case you REALLY wanna wreck that tank.
**'''Iron Stone''': 30 points. Friendly IH Tanks and Walkers within six 6" pass IWND on 4+ and a 6 will repair Immobilized or Weapon Destroyed (controlling player's pick). Put on your Techmarine and park him near your Armored Task Force. Laugh all the way to the bank and dodge hurled models.
**'''The Tempered Helm''': 35 points. Morale tests within 24" use the wearer's leadership. In addition, you can pick a friendly unit within 12" at the start of any Shooting phase and give them the ability to re-roll 1s for that phase. Best value on high LD models that already brought an Invulnerable save with them (Chaplains, Captains) leading units packing direct fire, non-Twin-Linked, maybe Gets Hot!, so long as that Gets Hot! is not a Plasma Cannon, or the like, weaponry. Wasted supporting non-Attack Bike-centric Bikestars.
**'''Gorgon's Chain''': 45 points. The bonuses are based on how many wounds the user has suffered: no wounds suffered gets 3++, +1 to FNP, EW; 1 wound suffered gets 3++, EW; 2 wounds suffered 3++; 3 wounds suffered gets 4++; IWND can restore lost bonuses, so regenerating wounds makes it stronger again. Unlike Shield Eternal, this does not sacrifice your ability to get the two-weapon bonus (!!!). Add in an Apothecary, psyker support, the Fist of Medusa Strike Force bonuses, and/or a lucky roll on the Iron Hands Warlord Traits Table for greatest effect - absent the D, your HQ can shrug off nearly any attack. This is the lynchpin of [[Chapter Master Smashfucker]] - in general, only use it when you're going full hog for an unkillable beatstick. Only source of 3++ for your Librarian, so a good choice if you have the points and don't want to buy the Mindforge Stave or rely on Jinking or luck of the draw on your Librarius.

*'''Tactical Objectives'''
Also released with Angels of Death.

;11 - Methodical Destruction
: Label 3 enemy units 1, 2, and 3. You win 1 VP for killing Unit 1, d3 VP for killing 1 and 2, and d3+3 VP for killing them all. Just make sure you got them in position to die.
;12 - Advance and Secure
: 1 VP if you own the Objective closest to the center of the board. If there's two or more equidistant from the center, then your enemy can screw it up for you.
;13 - March of the Machines
: Win 1 VP if your Walker (meaning only Dreads) charges someone.
;14 - Destroy the Weak
: Win d3 VP if you killed an enemy unit in both shooting and assault.
;15 - The Strength of Metal
: Win 1 VP if you get a Techie to fix a tank or a tank/IC passes their IWND. Not too bad to grab.
;16 - Cold Fury
: If you have a vehicle kill an enemy, get 1 VP. If you kill more than 3, then you win d3 VP.

*'''Fists of Medusa Strike Force:'''
An Iron Hands flavored Decurion. Contains copy-pasta from the Gladius, plus some new units. The command benefits are a 12" bubble around any independent character that grants +1 to Feel No Pain rolls (because Smashfucker needed that...), with all vehicles in the bubble gaining Power of the Machine Spirit, and a bonus Warlord Trait, with the 2nd one only coming from either Strategic or Tactical rulebook traits.
**'''Core:''' Your 3 choices are the Battle Demi-Company, Armoured Task Force, and the Stormlance Demi-Company.
**'''Command:''' Librarius Conclave, Strike Force Command, and the Reclusiam Command Squad.
**''"Auxiliary:'' Your many choices are; the 1st Company Task Force, 10th Company Task Force, Storm Wing, Anti-Air Defence Force, Suppression Force, Centurion Siege Breaker Cohort, Land Raider Spearhead, Strike Force Ultra, the Skyhammer Orbital Strike Force, the Skyhammer Annihilation Force, Raptor Wing, Honoured Ancients, and the Iron Guardians (1 Tactical Squad and 1 Dreadnought of any kind)

*'''Iron HandsTactics:'''
The Stormlance Demi-Company can gain real traction in this detachment due to its formation bonuses overlapping really well with this detachment's bonuses. An optimal scenario has a Las-plas Razorback carrying a team of Tactical Marines. The Razorback moves 6", and the Marines disembark 3" away. They open fire at a choice target, before boarding their transport again. In turn, the Razorback fire both guns at full BS with the potential to engage two targets thanks to POTMS before it moves another D6 in turn. Multiply this by 3 and you have a solid army core to work with. When the Razorbacks do die, the Marines inside will still remain a threat due to the improved FNP from the detachment, as well as the ability to keep moving after firing; obsec is nice and all and losing it hurts, but actually getting to the objective and surviving to hold it also matters too. The real advantage to this over the Gladius/Battle-Company is you have a lower buy-in to take full advantage of this army, should you wish to play around with an allied CAD or go heavier on auxiliaries, plus you have the potential to get really cheeky with other units in your army. POTMS is cute on Land Speeder Storms and Stormtalons in terms of threatening enemy MSU, and it lets Ironclad Dreadnoughts do pseudo-Knight shenanigans where they shoot one unit before assaulting another. On the non-vehicle side, 10th Company Scouts become annoyingly difficult to kill for their points, and a Command Squad with Apothecary starts with FNP 3+(!). Round off with your Warlord getting a second Strategic Trait, and this detachment has a lot of small force multipliers that let it snowball into something more than the sum of its parts.

Alternately, this formation can also appeal to tank players. If you take any kind of a tank in an Armored Task Force that is a part of this formation, and give the Techmarine a servo-harness and a bike, you can have up to 5 units of [[Awesome|5+ IWND, Power of the Machine Spirit]] [[Predator|Predators]], [[Whirlwind|Whirlwinds]] or [[Vindicator|Vindicators]], that are repaired on 2+ by a character with T5, 2+ armor, 5+ FnP and very good mobility, and are completely immune to Crew Shaken and Crew Stunned. Meaning these Vindicators can now move 12", still fire their [[Demolisher_Cannon|DEMOLISHER CANNONS]] at full BS, and not give a fuck. If said Techmarine also has an Ironstone, that IWND increases to 4+ and also repairs a Weapon Destroyed or Immobilised result on a 6 if the Techie is within 6". Moreover, all you need to round up the bigger Decurion is a Dreadnought which gets almost all of the same bonuses, thus you can have the most resilient armored fire support formation EVER [[Cheese|for under 750 points]]. Now go ahead and include [[Smashfucker]] [[RAGE|as a Command choice]].
* Plonk this formation on top of a shielded Landing Pad and duck.
* Sadly, Thunderfire Gunners are not considered characters at all, so they don't get the FnP/PotMS bubble nor IWND from chapter tactics.
**In fact, this formation has astonishingly little access to Techmarines; the ''only'' way to field them is via the Armoured Task Force detachment. It's a sharp contrast with an Anvil Strike Force or the Space Wolves, either of whom can spam an incredible number of Techmarines.
**RAW, units that don't take up a Force Organisation slot can be included in any Detachment if they obey its restrictions. Up to 3 Techmarines per non-Techmarine Iron Hand HQ in a Detachment can be taken this way. Formations are Detachments. So, nothing prevents you from taking up to 3 Techies per Battle Company as an entourage for its Captain or Chaplain.
* Also of note is the ability to effectively split a squadron's fire while keeping the bonuses. So, for example, you can take 3 Tri-Las Predators in a squadron, with Tank/Monster Hunters as a bonus, and then use PotMS on each tank to fire 6 Lascannons at one target and 3 twin-linked Lascannons at three other different targets. Unfortunately, it's not as great for Whirlwinds; Multiple Barrage forces you to lay down your blast templates in a specific pattern regardless of the targets of the non-primary firer, so choosing different targets (or the same target twice, but declared to be different) does not let you re-roll scatter independently. However, Whirlwinds DO still get the standard trick of firing after moving at Cruising Speed.
*As Independent Characters are critical to the benefits of this Formation, here are your ways to field them, gathered together:
**Command (0-3)
***'''Strike Force Command''' can get you a Terminator Captain, Captain, or Chaplain.
***'''Reclusiam Command Squad''' bans the Chaplain from leaving the unit but ''does not'' remove the IC rule from him, so this gets you one that will emit the bubble.
***'''Librarius Conclave''' gets you 3-5 Librarians, definitely the easiest way to get your hands on some ICs.
**Core (1-2)
***'''Stormlance Battle Demi-Company''' and '''Battle Demi-Company''' will both net you a single Captain, Terminator Captain, or Chaplain.
***'''Armoured Task Force''' will net you a Techmarine, the only way to get one in this formation. As noted above, remember that the Thunderfire Gunners are ''not'' ICs.
**Auxiliary (1+)
***'''Strike Force Ultra''' will get you a Captain or Terminator Captain.

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=====White Scars=====
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The White Marines of go-fast. These guys also rely on speed like the Raven Guard, but they take Bikes as troops.
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*'''Requirements''': Only special character allowed is Kor'Sarro Khan.
*'''Chapter Tactics''': White Scars Bike units (including HQs on bikes, obviously) get Skilled Rider and +1 Strength to Hammer of Wrath attacks. All units also get Hit and run, and can re-roll their run distance as long as they are only composed of White Scars models. Yes, Hit & Run Dreadnoughts/Terminators/Centurions are a thing with this Army. An unintentional buff to White Scar Devastator Centurions, since Hit & Run now makes tarpitting them very unreliable.

*'''Warlord Traits'''
#'''Master Rider:''' Warlord's bike gets +1 to Jink, pushing you to 2+ thanks to White Scars CT, because Ravenwing ain't shit. If you lack a bike, then you get the one below.
#'''Deadly Ambush:''' You get to modify reserves by +/- 1 so long as the Warlord's alive. Good for AA shenanigans since you can let your flyer come on after you opponent's one.
#'''Hunter's Instincts:''' Monster Hunter and Tank Hunter. Straightforward and useful.
#'''Hammer of the Khan:''' Hammer of Wrath. If he already has it, Warlord makes d3 HoW hits, which is cool.
#'''Unrivalled Hunter:''' Warlord gains +1 S/A when in a challenge, and if he fights another Warlord, he also gets to re-roll hits. Brutal on a kitted out Chapter Master.
#'''Merciless Warrior:''' If your Warlord's within 12" of a unit, they can re-roll their Sweeping Advance. If shit luck strikes you can retry sweeping that weeaboo squad you charged. Handy.

*'''Relics of Chogoris'''
Relics specific to White Scars, their successors, or anyone else using their Chapter Tactics, introduced by the War Zone Damocles: Kauyon supplement. Per the Angels of Death supplement, you can mix and match with the vanilla relics.
**'''Banner of the Eagle (30 points)''' - Can only be taken by models that can pick from the Space Marine Standards list. Friendly White Scars units within 12" get Fleet and Furious Charge, which kicks ass.
**'''Glaive of Vengeance (30 points)''' - A master-crafted power lance on steroids. On the charge, it's S+3 AP2, but otherwise it's S+1 AP3. With Hit & Run and the rerolls on the Initiative test from Scarblade Strike Force, this is BRUTAL. AP2 at Initiative is great enough, but S+3 really makes this relic elite, especially if you have Furious Charge to hit at S8 AP2. If you're a chapter master with the Hunter White Scars warlord trait, you're hitting the enemy warlord with 7 lascannons on the charge. If not for the Shield Eternal, it would be auto-take for any White Scars Captain.
**'''Hunter's Eye (20 points)''' - This is without question the single best relic ever for Marines. It gives +1 BS and also grants the model and the unit he joins Ignores Cover. This is your answer to fucking over any Jink or cover anywhere, especially when joining the typical SM deathstars (grav biker Command Squad, grav Centurions). Copycat from Space Wolves' Durfast Helm.
**'''Mantle of the Stormseer (20 points)''' - Librarians only. This gives them Adamantium Will and the ''Psychic Maelstrom'' power for free, not counting towards power allotment or Psychic Focus. Meh.
**'''Scimitar of the Great Khan (25 points)''' - A master-crafted S+1 power sword that adds +3 to the wielder's WS when in a challenge. A nifty bonus, but AP3 really sucks for a 25-point relic - spend 5 more points for Glaive of Vengeance instead.
**'''Wrath of the Heavens (25 points)''' - It's a super-bike. It can turbo-boost up to 18" and can go over terrain and models, just like a jetbike, because those crazy space Mongols can put grav-engines on a bike and make it badass. Problem is you have to turbo boost alone to use that, so you should probably save those 5 points and take a normal bike.

*'''Tactical Objectives:'''
;11 - Rapid Redeployment
: Find an Objective that's more than 18" from your models. Win 1 VP when you control it.
;12 - Run Them Down
: 1 VP for destroying a unit via Sweeping Advance. While the White Scars are good at this in theory, it's a huge pain in the ass for the same reasons as always: you're relying on a) your enemy not having Hit & Run or some other way to end the engagement before you end the fight, and b) you getting enough kills to force a morale check without simply wiping the squad.
;13 - Mounted Assault
: 1 VP if a friendly Biker kills an enemy. d3 VP if your bike kills at least 3.
;14 - Feigned Retreat
: 1 VP for using Hit & Run and passing. Easy point? Heck yes. But there's a problem: you have to Hit & Run during YOUR turn. It specifies this on the card. If you know anything about Hit & Run, you should be able to see the problem here. Scoring the victory point means dooming your poor little Bikes to being shot at/charged during your enemy's turn. Pick your battles wisely if you draw this. (Consider using a small tac squad with a flamer fighting enemy with a lower inititive. They will get to overwatch then strike first again after netting this VP)
;15 - The Clean Kill
: This one's risky. You win 1 VP if you kill a model with 3 wounds during an assault phase. You win d3 VP if you kill a model with 5 wounds during assault. Issue with this is that bikers aren't the best with prolonged combats without pricy stuff like Power Axes or Fists.
;16 - Claim the Head
: 1 VP if you kill a Character in a challenge during your turn. d3 VP if you kill the Warlord in a challenge during your turn. d3+3 VP if your Warlord kills the other Warlord during your turn. While doable in any means, it's meant to promote BALLS OF FUCKING STEEL.

*'''Scarblade Strike Force:'''
A variant of the Gladius for the White Scars, this gives its members re-rolls on their Hit & Run test, a bonus d6" to Turbo-Boost and Flat Out (or 2d6" for Fast/Flyer vehicles), and Hammer of Wrath when they successfully charge something 8"+ away (if they already had it, HoW hits re-roll failed Wound rolls instead). Remember, these "elements" can be used as a stand-alone formation: you have to be White Scars to use the Scarblade Strike Force FOC, but you don't have to be White Scars to take any of the new formations introduced in the Kauyon book.
**'''Core:''' You need 1-2 of either the Battle Demi-Company, Hunting Force, or Stormlance Demi-Company.
**'''Command:''' Strike Force Command, Librarius Conclave, or Strike Force Command as usual.
**'''Auxiliary:''' You need 1 or more of the following; the Armoured Task Force, 1st Company Task Force, 10th Company Task Force, Strike Force Ultra, Storm Wing, Land Raider Spearhead, Anti-Air Defence Force, and/or Suppression Force. You may also take a Speartip Strike or Stormbringer Squadron.

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=====Black Templars=====
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An Imperial Fist Second Founding Successor Chapter. Their strategy is to walk up to the enemy so they can hit them with their swords/clubs/chainsaws/pistols. They get angrier the more guys they lose, making them a dangerous proposition if they can get across the board.
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*'''Requirements''': Only special characters allowed are High Marshall Helbrecht, Chaplain Grimaldus, and the Emperor's Champion.
*'''Chapter Tactics''': Their units have Crusader and Adamantium Will. Black Templars are the only ones who can field Crusader Squads, which keep the ability to field a special and heavy weapon in a 5-man squad, and can mix Scouts (Neophytes) into their Marine squads. Also, no Librarians for you. If any model dies during the Shooting or Overwatch phase (so you can technically benefit from a failed Gets Hot), they now get Rage and Counter-Attack for the turn, which helps. This used to be Rending and re-roll misses in challenges in 6th edition, so a loss to your challenge muscle translates to a more broadly applicable gain. <s>The weakest of the Codex Chapter tactics.</s> After playing with BT for some time, Crusader is an often overlooked rule that translates into much more reliable on-foot troop movement, which is something all units benefit from. An extra reroll gives you greater chances to place an otherwise unprotected vehicle into cover, or give a straggling unit a chance to reach an objective control area. It does not have the direct offensive applications of a reroll or MC weaponry like Ultras or Salamanders do, but having more consistent movement on demand is a very versatile tool.

*'''Warlord Traits'''
#'''Master Swordsman:''' +1 to Weapons Skill and Attack. Just IMAGINE how that'd work for the Emperor's Champion!
#'''Furious Indignation:''' If the unit the Warlord is in fails Morale Test in the Psychic or Shooting Phase, it does not fall but, but moves 2d6 inches towards the next enemy unit (but has to stop the usual 1” away from other units). While this isn't bound to happen often considering the good Leadership you get, it's still nice to have a way to assault someone that thought they were safe behind their guns/mindbullets.
#'''Abhor the Witch:''' Warlord gets Hatred and Preferred Enemy (Psykers). Again, WHY couldn't we have the Vows?
#'''Honour Demands Combat:''' Warlord and his unit can re-roll failed charges. AWESOME.
#'''OathKeeper:''' Warlord gets Fearless and can also re-roll to-hit in a challenge. Any beatstick's gonna want this to stall a big-league unit.
#'''Unyielding Determination:''' Warlord and units within 12" get to re-roll Pinning, Fear, and Morale tests.

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====Forge World====
Forge World also provided Chapter Tactics for a whole bunch of later-founding chapters:
* '''[[Red Scorpions]]''': Can make any ''Tactical'' (and ''only'' Tactical) Sergeants/Veteran Sergeants an Apothecary '''for free''', while '''keeping all their sergeant equipment''' (it does mention that you must appropriately represent this on the model, so get creative or hit up a bits site). Also, you can re-roll failed Pinning tests, but cannot go to ground voluntarily or buy Camo Cloaks, which render Scout objective campers useless. Not like you really need them with FNP Tacticals.
** Want ridiculously tough/trolly Tactical Marines? Use this in a Siege Assault Vanguard army. You now have access to a 10-man tactical squad with bolt pistols and chainswords with Land Raiders as dedicated transports, or you could take a regular tactical squad and give them siege mantlets (re-rollable armour saves). Either way, FNP works extraordinarily well with both squads.
** Red Scorpions also have the option to upgrade their relic blades at an additional cost. This makes their captains and vanguard vets a bit more intimidating, or at least diverse.
* '''[[Carcharodons]]''': Fear. Tactical Marines can exchange either the Bolter or Bolt Pistol for a chainsword for free, or BUY an extra chainsword or combat blade for +1 pt (making them effectively ground assault troops). After destroying an enemy unit in assault or forcing an enemy unit to fall back, they gain Rage, but must consolidate towards the nearest enemy unit it is capable of damaging in an assault. Keep in mind that if you use this Chapter Tactic, you can only ally with other Imperial armies, and even then their relationship is downgraded to Desperate Allies. Dreadnoughts have also become that much more dangerous, with Fear and easily getting Rage either by squashing a unit or making them fall back with Our Weapons Are Useless.
** This tactic can have a huge benefit for Battle Demi-Companies. The bulk of your models will be Tactical Squads, so you may as well as take advantage of the opportunity to give them all CCWs at 1 point/model, which is cheaper than Space Wolves or Chaos Marines (they have to pay 2 points/model) and lets them better threaten gunlines and fire support units.
** It's worth noting that RAW, units can gain Rage by simply blasting an enemy unit from range and making them fall back. ''I wish. The rules clearly state that Rage is only gained when destroying/forcing an enemy infantry unit to fall back "in an assault."''
* '''[[Raptors]]''': Scout and Stealth on the first turn if they are not bulky or very-bulky. Also, any unit that didn't move during the movement phase may shoot their boltguns (Forgeworld has specified that Hurricane Bolters don't count here), combi-weapons fired as boltguns, or bolt pistols as Heavy 1 '''Rending''', including Sternguard Special Ammunition. This turns otherwise mundane weapons into serious threats against MCs and light vehicles (AV12 or less).
**Note: even though the Strike From the Shadows description is the 6e Raven Guard Chapter Tactics, it specifically states that they have the same rule as Raven Guard, hence the "upgrade" in 7e. Technically, it does specify ''Codex: Space Marines'', while the 7e codex is called ''Adeptus Astartes'', but that would be '''really''' overbearing rules lawyering...so know your opponents (just like the Raptors would!).
***It does ''not'' state they ''must'' have the same rule as Raven Guard; the wording is that they have two rules, '''Strike from the Shadows''', which is listed as '''Strike from the Shadows (as per the Raven Guard Chapter Tactic in Codex: Space Marines):''', and '''Legendary Marksmen''', which has no reference to the Raven Guard as such. It's [[skub|got no errata]], and is the most current wording available, so decide for yourself if you want to replace SftS (which is the Scout+Stealth benefit) with something from the Raven Guard; remember that the stock rule makes Raptors relatively bad at Jump Infantry, which might be a fluffy way to distinguish them from Raven Guard.
* '''[[Mantis Warriors]]''': Everything not Bulky (or a variant thereof) gets Move Through Cover and Hammer of Wrath, and if it starts a charge in terrain which grants cover, it also gets Furious Charge. The only non-Bulky dedicated melee units you get are Honour Guard, Vanguard Vets, Assault Marines, and arguably Scouts, so it doesn't help much in that respect. Also, let's be real - anything that WANTS to charge your gunline is probably not much worried about Tacticals or Devastators getting HoW and Furious Charge. MTC does make your army a little more mobile, though. Also, if they are your Primary Detachment, they can re-roll Seize the Initiative.
**The 7th edition codex can now roll on Divination, so the biggest reason to use these Chapter Tactics has become worthless.
* '''[[Executioners]]''': Stubborn on steroids, ignoring ALL negative Ld modifiers no matter what. Their characters inflict ID on to-wound rolls of 6 in challenges, but the character with the highest WS in a fight must challenge, with ties letting the controlling player pick (so a Sergeant could challenge instead of that Techmarine and his servo-harness).
* '''[[Angels Revenant]]''': Get Hatred (Necrons) and Preferred Enemy (Necrons). If the enemy force has no Necrons, they instead become Fearless after losing half (round down) their units. The first one is ''very'' powerful against Necrons (and considering Necron popularity would get a lot of mileage), but the latter is meh.
* '''[[Red Hunters]]''': Everyone gets Adamantium Will. The more interesting part is a one-use ability that lets you give X units with Chapter Tactics one of six special rules (''Counter-attack'', ''Monster Hunter'', ''Tank Hunters'', ''Hatred'', '''''Skyfire''''', or ''Interceptor''), where X is the number of the current turn. You don't have to give those units the same special rule, so feel free to mix and match! Used properly, this ability can be amazing - ''Skyfire'' Lascannon Devastators, ''Monster Hunter'' Hammernators, ''Tank Hunter'' melta Bikes, Interceptor Centurions, go wild! Careful, though - while waiting lets you buff more units, wait too long and you might miss the right moment to pop it...or too many units die and you don't have enough dudes to give all those cool special rules to. 7th Edition's rework of Allies makes their last little thing (allied Grey Knights and Sisters of Battle are Battle Brothers if they have an Inquisitor) pointless.
**Red Hunters get AW standard and, unlike Black Templars, can take Librarians, giving you one of the better anti-psyker vanilla marines.
* '''[[Star Phantoms]]''': You can re-roll ones on reserve rolls for deep-strikers if you want, and can launch ''army-wide Twin-Link'' on all Rapid Fire, Assault, Salvo, and Heavy weapons for one turn (so it won't twin-link Pistols). Mass drop-pod dakka hail of death. Consider them a Drop Pod specific alternative to Ultramarines.
**Two combined Battle Demi Companies with free Drop Pods and an extra Tactical Doctrine can make this Chapter Tactic far more useful than it ever was. Even the Skyhammer formations or a 1st Company Task Force full of Terminators benefit from this.
* '''[[Minotaurs]]''': Get to re-roll Pinning tests, do not suffer Morale tests from shooting, and get Crusader and +1 charge range on the enemy deploy zone. One of the worst ones. No panic tests from shooting can be potentially useful, but chances are that if you're already taking large amounts of casualties as Space Marines, you might just die in overwatch or not do much in assault. This encourages footslogging Marines like the Black Templars, but unlike the Templars, you have no access to dedicated Land Raiders for your Tacticals and can't take CCWs to increase their melee power. Pretty much made up for by their badass characters (army-wide PE against loyalists is pretty sweet).
**With the new Angels of Death supplement, these guys have access to the Stormlance Demi-company. These seems to suit them fairly well in terms of speed, mixed mobility, and versatility. The re-rolls against pinning help anyone in a metal bawks, too.
* '''Fire Hawks''': Get +1S for all flamer, hand flamer, and heavy flamer weapons the turn they Deep Strike in (Drop Pod flamer spam!). HoW attacks from jump pack models also get +1S, but without the turn-specific restriction. Hand flamers, at +5 points, are added to the Ranged Weapons list, so most ICs/sarges can grab one. Their Assault Marines and Vanguards are scoring, but not troops...so unless you can convince your opponent that this translates to [[Awesome|Objective Secured]] in 7e (RAW it doesn't, but if he isn't [[That Guy]] he might play along), it basically does nothing, making Fire Hawks Chapter Tactics crap. If you really want to proxy them you could always go with Salamanders with a lot of jump units.
* '''[[Astral Claws]]''': Stubborn, their Bikes have Skilled Rider, and their Fast Skimmers get Scout. Does it remind you of some other [[Dark Angels|LOYALISTS]]?

====Non-Codex Marines====
For comparison's sake, the other Marine codices get, as their own "Chapter Tactics":
*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Dark Angels(7E)|Dark Angels]]''': Everyone gets Stubborn and BS2 Overwatch. HQs get Fearless and Hatred: Chaos Marines (including non-Daemon infantry and all vehicles from Khorne Daemonkin). Termies get that too, as well as Split Fire and Twin-Linked weapons when deep striking. Bikes can re-roll failed Jink Saves, take Teleport Homers, and get Scout/Hit & Run; Biker Command Squads come tooled for both shooting and CC. Also, their Mortis dreads aren't capped at 0-1.
*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Blood Angels(7E)|Blood Angels]]''': Everything gets Furious Charge. Several of their vehicles are Fast, there is widespread access to inferno pistols/hand flamers, and Tactical Squads can take Heavy Flamers.
*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Space Wolves(7E)|Space Wolves]]''': Counter Attack and Acute Senses for everyone. Also have a really different organization and lots of peculiar units, some of which can be extremely effective.
*'''[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Grey Knights(7E)|Grey Knights]]''': Preferred Enemy (Daemons), widespread access to Shred (Demons), all troops are psykers with safe access to Sanctic Daemonology, army uses storm bolters rather than regular ones, can play all terminator, but have limited anti-armor. Rerolls 1s on Deny the Witch.
*'''[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Deathwatch(7E)| Deathwatch]]''': Ability to reroll ones to hit against different force organization charts, more elite with tons of fancier toys, including Sternguard Veterans as Troops. But have a lack of tanks, artillery, non troop choices are (generally) capped to be half the size of space marines and lack the ability to field as many bodies as standard Marines can.

===Warlord Traits===
# '''Angel of Death''': Fear, which units must test on 3d6. Cassius and Shrike have this.
# '''The Imperium's Sword''': Warlord and his unit have Furious Charge. Helbrecht has this.
# '''Iron Resolve''': Feel No Pain. Pedro, Lysander and Vulkan have this.
# '''Storm of Fire''': For the shooting phase a friendly codex squad with Chapter Tactics within 12" gets Rending. Tigurius and Telion have this.
# '''Rites of War''': All units from the same detachment as the warlord can use his leadership instead of their own for morale tests. Sicarius and Grimaldus have this.
# '''Champion of Humanity''': All Imperial models within 12" must re-roll pinning, morale, and fear. Khan and Blaylock have this.

===Psychic Powers (Angels of Death Supplement)===
In Angels of Death, Space Marines got 4 new psychic disciplines, possibly to ensure that your Librarius Conclave isn't full of redundancy and has more variety. Note: Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Deathwatch, and Grey Knights, as well as the Legiones Astartes Crusade army and Imperial Armour chapters from Forge World, have access to all these disciplines too. The Deathwatch footnote means that Jansus Natorian is no longer stuck on Biomancy. Problem is, why wasn't this included in the first place?

=====Fulmination=====
Primaris '''Electrosurge''' - WC1 18" S5 AP4 Assault 6 witchfire. Point at hordes and explode them.
#'''Electroshield''' - WC1. The Psyker gains a 3++. An almost free Storm Shield for a turn. Or, you could just drop 10 points if you have it lying around for, you know, an actual Storm Shield which can't be denied or fail to go off. Has potential though in a Libarius Conclave with Tigurius to give him a free-ish 3++ due to him re-rolling both failed Psychic Tests (combined with the 3+/2+ to harness) and re-rolling which powers he gets. FUCKING FANTASTIC ON A FURIOSO DREAD.
#'''Electropulse''' - WC1. A witchfire Nova with radius of 9", Assault 1 S1 AP- Haywire. Will need a Drop Pod, jump pack, or psychic power to land in the middle of an armored column and wreak havoc, preferably paired with meltaguns and other anti-armor.
#'''Lightning Arc''' - WC2. Witchfire, S5 AP4 assault D6. Jumps to enemy units within 6" of the primary target on a 4+.
#'''Fists of Lightning''' - WC1 blessing. Psyker only, +1S and A. For every hit the psyker lands in close combat (not wound, hits), enemy units suffer 2 additional S5 AP- hits.
#'''Magnetokinesis''' - WC2 blessing, 18". Move target unit by 18", can't target anything Zooming, Swooping or locked in combat. The shifted unit can't charge and counts as moved for Shooting Phase purposes. A better version of Levitate from Telekinesis, basically.
#'''Electrodisplacement''' - WC2 blessing, 24". The Psyker's unit and the target unit swap places on the battlefield. If one of the swapping units is locked in combat, the other unit takes their place and is locked into that combat. Swapped units ''can still charge'', so swapping Scouts with a unit of your choice can potentially set up a turn 1 charge, with your deathstar chilling in the back until the switcheroo, if you get this power.

=====Librarius=====
AKA we jacked a bunch of powers from the Eldar and Grey Knights. Enjoy creating cheap as fuck death stars.

Primaris '''The Emperor's Wrath''' - WC1 18" S5 AP3 Assault 1 Blast Witchfire.
#'''Veil of Time''' - WC2. The Psyker and his entire unit re-roll all failed saving throws. This power, right here, supersedes Invisibility as the cheesiest power in the game, and with good reason. This will all but ensure that your deathstar takes no damage as it plows into the enemy forces' tight sphincter. Heck, bare-bones Terminators with only a 5++ will scare the shit out of enemies like they did pre-5th edition. The real cheese? Given how many options the Space Marines have for Battle Brothers that can be affected by Psychic powers, this is more versatile than Eldar Fortune, even if it lacks AW (and you have a power for that below ala Psychic Fortress anyway).
#'''Fury of the Ancients''' - WC1. A 20" S6 AP4 beam with Pinning.
#'''Psychic Fortress''' - WC1. Blessing that gives the Psyker Fearless and Adamantium Will, as well as a 12" bubble of 4++ against Witchfire Powers only. It's pretty damn good.
#'''Might of Heroes''' - WC1. Gives +2 Strength, Toughness, Initiative, and Attacks. It essentially wraps up both Iron Arm and Warp Speed into 1 nice Warp Charge 1 package.
#'''Psychic Scourge''' - WC1 Malediction, must target an enemy Psyker within 24". Roll 2D6+(Mastery Level) against enemy psyker 1D6+Mastery level. On a draw or better, enemy lose 1W (no save), if you beat his roll by 3+, he loses a random power. If you lose, no effect. Sort of rubbish, casting against enemy psykers is a gamble in itself.
#'''Null Zone''' - WC2 Malediction, 24" range. Targets an enemy unit, drops its invulnerable save by ''2'' (to a minimum of 6+). This thing is essentially [[Grey Knights|Banishment]], but it's much more versatile. This is what you use to counter fucks with Storm Shields, Smash Fucker's 2++ bullshit, Riptide's Shield Generator buff, Malefic Cursed Earth, and Grimoire bullshit.

=====Geokinesis=====
AKA Earthbending

Primaris '''Chasm''' - WC2, 18" range. Target unit takes a Dangerous Terrain test with no armor saves allowed, no effect on Swooping or Zooming units (flyers, FMCs). Questionable usefulness...
#'''Earth Blood''' - WC1 Blessing, targets a non-vehicle character within 18" of the Psyker. That guy immediately regains D3 ''WOUNDS'', and the target plus his entire unit also gain IWND. The latter effect won't come into play too often unless you're hanging out with Centurions, but the ability to replenish a guy's wounds, or restore wounds lost to Perils, is great.
#'''Scorched Earth''' - WC1 malediction, 24". Choose a point on the battlefield, each unit within 6" takes a S5 AP4 Ignores Cover hit, randomly allocated. This 6" area is also dangerous terrain. Crap.
#'''Land Quake''' - WC1 malediction that affects enemy units within 18" of caster. They are considered to be in Difficult Terrain, and cannot run, turbo-boost or flat out. No effect on Swooping or Zooming units. A neat way to fuck with Jetbikes and vehicles in general (although eldar jetbikees would still have their JSJ move).
#'''Phase Form''' - WC1 blessing, 24". Single unit. Gives Move Through Cover and Ignores Cover. [[Awesome|Unit is also able to shoot on a unit WITHOUT LINE OF SIGHT, only the range matters.]]
#'''Warp Quake''' - WC1 witchfire, 24". Target building or ruin. A building gets a glancing or penetrating hit, a ruins causes d6 S6 AP- hits, randomly allocated, to any units in it.
#'''Shifting Worldscape''' - WC3 24", targets a terrain feature in line of sight. [[What|Move that terrain by 24"]], including units fully inside of it. Must end up at least 1" away from other terrain and any models, so your wiggle room can vary depending on the terrain piece's size. If a unit is not fully inside that terrain, the models that are immediately move off in a Disembark move, treating the terrain edge as an Access Point. Any model moved as a result of this spell, including units inside the moved terrain, takes a Dangerous Terrain test. ''''Lots'''' of ways to use this - yanking a hiding enemy and [[Rape|plopping it next to your gunline]], teleporting a deathstar onto your enemy's doorstep, re-establishing line of sight/range for a squad of lascannons or grav-cannons so they can shoot those [[Tau|JSJ'ing]] [[Eldar|assholes]], removing that pesky impenetrable Wall of martys bunker with 10 devastators in, plopping that superheavy/those termies onto a vortex, etc.

=====Technomancy=====
The discipline to use for mechanized armies. Also fares very well with Imperial Guard allies and also packs a bunch of anti-vehicle powers. Heck, a Librarius Conclave and a CAD of tank-heavy Guard makes this all kinds of epicness. Better yet, take a Clan Raukaan detachment and go to town with Reforge and Warpmetal Armour. Check each power's description to make sure whether it affects the whole unit or just a single vehicle! Powers alternate between defensive and offensive, so if your enemy has no tanks you're looking at a lot of wasted slots.

Primaris '''Subvert Machine''' - 18" Malediction. Select a weapon on an enemy vehicle. You and your opponent roll a die. If ''he'' rolls higher, nothing happens. If you draw, that weapon can only shoot snap shots. If ''you'' roll higher, you [[Awesome|take control of said vehicle's weapon for a turn.]] This will be horrible if your enemy has a Superheavy of some kind (Lord of Skulls, Stompa, Baneblade variants, Knights), and given the current meta, it's common to see an Imperial Knight ally. The only drawback is the range, though there're [[Terminator|a few]] [[Bike Squad|different ways]] [[Drop Pod|to handle it]].
#'''Blessing of the Machine''' - WC1 Blessing, 24" range, affects a single friendly vehicle. It now ignores Crew Shaken and Crew Stunned, and either gives Power of the Machine Spirit, or +1 BS if the target vehicle that already has PotMS.
#'''Machine Curse''' - WC1 18" Focused Witchfire. Smacks an enemy vehicle unit with d3 S1 AP- Haywire hits.
#'''Reforge''' - WC1 Blessing, 24" range. Gives IWND and either restores 1 hull point, or repairs an immobilized or destroyed weapon result. A Psyker casting this from inside a vehicle can only cast it on the vehicle he's riding.
#'''Warpmetal Armour''' - WC1 Blessing, 24" range, targets a friendly ''''unit''''. Grants plus 1 AV to all sides for a turn or, if cast on a non-vehicle unit, gives +1T. Note that it affects '''the whole unit'''. Welcome to AV15 Spartan Assault Tanks/Leman Russes/Land Raiders. Sadly, [[Necrons|Gauss Weaponry]] still doesn't give a shit.
#'''Fury of Mars''' - WC1 Beam, 18" S1 AP- Assault 1 Haywire.
#'''Machine Flense''' - WC2 Focused Witchfire, 18". Targeted enemy vehicle unit loses D3 HP. For each HP lost, inflicts D6 S4 AP6 rending hits to a nearby enemy unit. You can pick different targets for each lost HP if you want. A neat way to attack parking lots and their bubble-wrap.

===Fighter Aces===
In Skies of Death, you now have a bonus rule allowing you to pay 35 points for one of 3 special traits for any Flyer.
#'''Auto-Targeting System''' - +1 BS. This one is kind of pointless. Most of your flyers' weapons are Twin Linked already, and Stormtalons have Strafing Run, which already gives +1 BS against ground targets. Sort of a waste.
#'''Vectored Retro-Thrusters''' - Fighter Ace can pivot 180 before moving. Not sure why it has the same name as a tool for Tau battlesuits, but it can help bait some flyers over to your big anti-air guys.
#'''Wrath of the Emperor''' - Fellow models within 12" of a Fighter Ace with the same codex gain Preferred Enemy for the turn. Best run on units meant to support your units on the ground, and by extension any flyer that's dropping units into the thick of combat.

===Armoury of the Adeptus Astartes===

====Ranged Weapons====
*'''Boltgun''' - Classic S4 AP5 24" Rapid Fire weapon which all other standard issue small-arms in the Dark Millennium are judged by. Tried and true, whether it's shredding simple infantry or taking potshots at more heavily armored foes. Imperial Fists love these.
*'''Combi-Weapon''' - An interesting item that is a Bolter with a one-use special weapon (Plasma, Melta, Flamer, Grav) built in. Great choice, if you know when and how to use it. Sternguard love these things since they can Drop Pod in and take out specific targets (usually vehicles with 4-5 combi meltas or Monstrous Creatures with 4-5 Combi-plasmas) while still being able to use specialist rounds.
*'''Storm Bolter''' - Assault 2 and 24" range. Compared to the standard boltgun, the storm bolter gets its full number of shots out to max range, plus you get to charge after shooting. Typically seen on Terminators, decent on an Assault-based Character with a Specialist Weapon (you weren't getting the two-weapon bonus attack anyway), not too useful otherwise, especially since Sternguard special ammo STILL doesn't affect them.
*'''Bolt Pistol''' - Standard pistol version of the boltgun, with same S and AP. Combined with a non-specialist melee weapon, it grants an additional attack.
*'''Plasma Pistol''' - Beats any Armor save, but on a roll of a 1, it Gets Hot! and the wielder takes a Wound (that you get saves against, but still). However, most Space Marines that can take it have at least a 3+ Sv, which somewhat reduces the risk. Inefficient points-wise, but very fluffy if you're not min-maxing (depending on how many terminators you see and if you can use it to chip off hull points, of course). Like the Bolt Pistol, it grants an additional attack if you're using a non-specialist melee weapon.
*'''Grav Pistol''' - Safer than the Plasma Pistol, it can surprise some heavily armored foe when you're wounding them on threes or twos and dropping them to I1 thanks to Concussive. Give it to a Thunder Hammer wielding Captain to have an extra edge before charging in. Bonus points if you immobilize a Dreadnought about to charge you. Again, kinda costly, and again, grants an additional attack with a non-specialist weapon.

====Special Weapons====
*'''Flamer''' - An S4 AP5 Assault 1 template weapon. A classic anti-horde option, most useful when up against Tyranids, Orks, and blob Imperial Guard. Makes Overwatch painful. Better served with Salamanders in a pod. Remember you can roast two units if they are close together and they fit under the template.
*'''Grav-gun''' Salvo 2/3 AP2, concussive, and wounds targets based upon their Armour Save. So, stand still for 3 shots, or move for 2 shots at half range. Nigh-useless against Orks, Dark Eldar, or Guardsmen, but absolute hell against Grey Knights, other MEQ armies, and anything relying on armor saves to stay safe. Usually seen on Bikes rather than Tacticals because of Relentless. In a pinch, it can be used as anti-tank since it immobilizes vehicles on 6s, though only a few units can carry enough grav-guns to reliably roll at least one 6. Taking a grav-amp in your squad lets you re-roll wounds with these, though, and that helps.
*'''Meltagun''' - S8 AP1 Assault 1 with 12" range, best used with Drop Pods to get in range. If within half its range (so 6" or closer) and shooting at a vehicle, it rolls 2D6 for penetration, so near-guaranteed pen + higher chance to wreck/explode = perfect anti-tank. Being Assault 1 with short range makes it very specialized, so ditch it if you can against an army without heavy tanks (i.e. Tyranids). Worth noting that S8 makes it Instant Death against T4-or-lower models such as Tyranid Warriors and infantry HQs without Eternal Warrior. Vulkan He'stan of the Salamanders makes them all Master-Crafted, meaning free re-rolls to hit!
*'''Plasma gun''' - This is another anti-heavy infantry/MC tool much like the grav-gun, but Gets Hot! means there is always a (small) risk of killing the model firing the weapon. The grav-gun is safer, but this is Rapid Fire instead, making it better for non-Relentless models (i.e. Drop Pod squads). It can also still hurt lightly armored targets, most notably Daemons (who rarely have armor saves and can be hard to kill with bolters), and is also good against light or medium vehicles such as Chimeras, Rhinos, and almost anything Dark Eldar. All Space Marines that can take it have at least a 3+ armor save, which mitigates the Gets Hot! risk. Its range is the same as the Boltgun, so it synergizes well with them.

====Heavy Weapons====
*'''Grav-Cannon'''
**A bigger grav-gun with Salvo 3/5 and 24" range. These come with a Grav-Amp by default, which gives re-rolls on To Wound or Armor Pen against a vehicle. As a Salvo weapon, they're the only heavy weapon a Devastator squad can fire at full BS after moving or disembarking from a transport (albeit with half range and the lower number of shots). Extra rage-inducing on Devastators taken with the Skyhammer Annihilation formation, due to Devastators being able to Relentlessly disembark Drop Pods and fire full range/shots. They're also ''comically'' undercosted at 35 points a pop for Tacs and Devs, and 25 pts each for Centurions. Bad against light infantry (Guard blobs, Dark Eldar, Orks), and weak against Superheavies due to their immunity to Immobilize results, and by extension Hull-point stripping from Immobilize spam.
***Seriously though, Grav-Cannons+Gravamps are CRIMINALLY underpriced. According to [[User:Evilexecutive#Fast_Approximate_Intrinsic_Value|FAXIV]], which admittedly does not handle the nature of Grav weapons well, the value of a 5-shot AP2 gun that has a 97% chance to wound per hit (89% vs 3+, 75% vs 4+) is a ''monstrously huge'' '''75 points''' per gun. On average, 3 Grav-Cannons with Grav-Amps at BS4 at full firing rate (i.e. 3 Dev Centurions) will kill 6.48 Terminators or Immobilize any non-Superheavy vehicle three times (resulting in the removal of 5 HP) per turn of shooting. Cackle manically as you wipe a riptide out in one turn of shooting.
****FAXIV is a gross oversimplification, of course, but you get the general idea. One of the harder to analyze attributes of these things is that better armour saves normally raise the cost of a model, so Grav weapons have a tendency to have a net effect of your opponent paying more points to reduce their models' survivability - used intelligently, you will quickly recoup their cost.
***This is the best weapon to equip minimal-sized Tactical Squads with. The squad provides some anti-infantry firepower in the form of Boltguns (and maybe a combi-flamer on the Sergeant), while the gun enjoys being surrounded by expendable mooks and covers anti-heavy infantry, anti-MC and anti-tank roles splendidly.
*'''Heavy Bolter'''
**At 3 shots, S5, and AP4, it's a heavier, meaner boltgun. Good against hordes since it chucks out reasonable dakka, and not horrible against AV10 (Sentinels, Land Speeders, War Walkers, rear armor, etc.), but any of the other options below are preferred. However, Imperial Fists get more out of Heavy Bolters thanks to their Chapter Tactics (re-roll 1s for Bolter Drill, and Tank Hunters thanks to Siege Masters.)
*'''Heavy Flamer'''
**An Assault 1 S5 AP4 template (but listed in the Heavy Weapons list, for some reason). Much more effective at horde-crunching than the Heavy Bolter, but much shorter range. Overwatch "Wall of Death" with this can be VERY painful. Though it's listed as a "heavy weapon" wargear option, its rules are Assault 1 (''not'' Heavy) so you can move, flame, and charge. However, only Terminators, Sternguard, or Legion of the Damned can grab heavy flamers, so low distribution hurts an otherwise great weapon.
*'''Lascannon'''
**An S9 AP2 weapon, good against vehicles up to AV 13 and TEQ. It's an anti-tank and anti-MC weapon, so you still have to bring something else for horde control. Usually seen on backfield Devastators and Predators, since its range is very good you can stay back and pop vehicles all day long.
*'''Missile Launcher'''
**With two different payloads - S4 AP6 Small Blast for massed light infantry, and S8 AP3 for vehicles/MCs - this thing trades effectiveness on specific targets for versatility. However, in larger armies, it's better to take several squads each equipped with more specialized weapons instead. Note, however, in very specific circumstances, Krak Missiles give it a perfect mix of low cost, decent range, and just enough S and AP to deal Instant Death to multi-wound T4 models with 3+ or worse, and is thus the cheapest weapon to splatter a Tyranid Warrior/Nob (or MEQ HQ) from half the table while letting you later put out Frag Missiles for their weenie hordes. Can also pack Flakk Missiles to deal with Flyers, but again, unless it's a low points army that needs versatility in every unit, you should never do this - not when you could take the specialized anti-air ability of the now-excellent Stalker tank (besides, "anti-air" weapons can shoot at Skimmers at full BS, which makes some of them workable against Eldar/DEldar/Necron armies). Overall: good in low points games due versatility, bad in high points games where you should take specialized weapons instead.
*'''Multi-Melta'''
**A Meltagun with twice the range, which means that its 2D6 Melta-effect range is now 12". Same S and AP, though. Good in Skyhammer Annihilation Devastators since they are relentless for a turn.
*'''Plasma Cannon'''
**An S7 AP2 blast, good for taking out freshly deep-struck units (like enemy Terminators) that are still tightly clustered, or just wreaking havoc on all kinds of infantry. Like its little brothers, the Plasma Gun and Plasma Pistol, it also has Gets Hot! Unfortunately it is a very mediocre choice, because Small Blast kinda sucks (begging the question of why it's so different from its siblings - presumably it should either be Heavy 3 without blast, or the Gun should be blast and the Cannon should be Large Blast).
***The haemotrope reactor can fix the small blast problem if you need to explode everything.
***If you're running a 10-man tactical squad, the cannon isn't a terrible choice as it adds anti-infantry punch to your shooting (what else is your tactical squad doing?).
***Veteran players will space out units, but that's usually because, at some point, a plasma cannon raped their horse and ate their parents. These things can be incredibly punishing against unprepared foes (much moreso than other weapons).

====Melee Weapons====
[[Dakka|When the enemy just won't budge in the shooting phase]], [[Rip_and_tear|you need to budge them through Close Combat]]. Here are the tools of the trade.
*'''Chainsword''' - The only real use is for Salamanders characters who can make it Master-Crafted for one melee re-roll - otherwise, just a stat-less CCW.
*'''Power Weapons''' - Come in 4 different flavors: Axe, Maul, Sword, Lance...but only the former 3 actually have official models from GW. The Power Sword is the most reliable but relatively weak, striking at AP3, base S and base I. The Axe drops you to I1 but you are now S5 and AP2 - good, but only if you can't get, or can't justify the cost of, a Power Fist. The Maul is great against Imperial Guard and Xenos scum, since the +2S gets you to S6, which is Instant Death for T3 enemy characters. It even has Concussive, which, along with the +2S, helps against big, tough gribblies. It's also perfect if you want to slam open a vehicle without it blowing in your face. The Lance is only S+1 AP3 on the charge, then in subsequent rounds is only AP4, AND you'd have to convert your own from Fantasy or other armies. Just...no. LOOKS fantastic (and are actually almost decent) on White Scars bikers, though. Use the mythical 'Counts as' rule to just make them standard Power Swords, Power Axes, or Chainswords if you just want them for their Rule of Cool looks. If somebody complains point out how halberds and glaives are pretty much axes or swords on sticks. Grey Knight Nemesis Force Glaives work great!
*'''Lightning Claws''' - Specialist Weapon, so not so good on Sergeants since an extra attack with a Power Sword is better against most targets. AP3 with Shred is still nothing to sneer at, and a model that can take a pair of Claws is a whole different story (i.e. Assault Terminators or Vanguard Veterans). Note that since both are Specialist Weapons, you can take a Lightning Claw and a Power Fist to get +1 attack and be able to choose between either profile before each Fight phase starts. Versatility - but at cost! Note that if you are taking a lightning claw or a power fist you don't lose an attack as you normally do by taking a combi-weapon.
**Biker Sarges wanting CC weapons (not recommended if you're min-maxing) should take a Lightning Claw or Power Fist over a Power Sword since they only have one weapon to exchange, and thus can't get the two-weapon bonus anyways.
*'''Power Fist''' - A Specialist weapon, so you won't get the 2-weapon bonus unless you grab a Lightning Claw. But, at S8 AP2, you shit on most other characters, and are a great surprise for overconfident vehicle commanders. Unwieldy, sadly, so these will work best on something tough enough to shrug off hits and strike back (i.e. 2+ armor, an invulnerable save, Feel No Pain, etc) and things that are quick enough that it won't matter anyway (lash whip warriors, yes please)
*'''Thunder Hammer''' - 5 extra points for a stylized Power Fist with Concussive. It usually is seen with units that have something else going for it (Storm Shield Terminators). It's rare that a fight goes on long enough for it to matter, but Concussing an enemy down to the same I1 for latter turns can mean the difference between killing it or getting killed without striking (most likely MCs or models with Eternal Warrior). A rare situation, though, so you can just take the slightly cheaper Power Fist instead.
*'''Eviscerator''' - Unlike his baby brother, this heavy chainsaw sword is a two-handed chainfist: Sx2 (so S8 for Marines) AP2 Unwieldy with Armorbane (rolls 2D6 when determining vehicle penetration). Great for tank-hunting, and it's not like Assault Marines can take any other melee weapons. But do note that it still has very poor cost-efficiency, since the only place you can see it is in a T4 3+ 2A model.. while you can use careful play and tricks (even Formations) to deliver that ASM safely into combat to tear up vehicles, having only 2A unavoidably means that you get off very few attacks in return for the hefty cost of the Eviscerator. Alternatively, since the option states that any one in five models may equip it, you can give it to the Veteran Sergeant who has 2A (to better use the expensive weapon).. but of course, as with all Unwieldy weapons on squad leaders, that leads to forcing you to avoid Challenges at all costs.
*'''Force Weapons''' - Librarians come with these. Power Weapons with Force, essentially. The Force Sword is the most reliable choice. Axes make you S5 AP2, but drop you to I1 (bad for Librarians without 2+ or invulnerable saves), while the Staff gives +2S and Concussive but drops to AP4 - good for Librarians with Iron Arm, perhaps, but without that you're not getting through MEQ armor. Still, if Force goes off the Maul becomes a lot more dangerous since every To Wound roll has Instant Death, but also less relatively dangerous, as its competitors now ALSO cause Instant Death on T3.
*'''Relic Blade''' - Available to Honour Guard, Vanguard Veteran Sergeants and Captains. A S+2 AP3 Two-handed sword that hits at normal Initiative, near perfect for MEQ shredding and decent against some MCs. Just like the Power Maul, always remember that S6 means Instant Death for T3 HQs, ''plus'' the Relic Blade can also cut through 3+ to boot. The only real downside is, that you never get the +1A for 2CCW due to them being Two-Handed. Well, that and [[terminator]] armour. Note that relic blades can be used with storm shields for great effect since storm shields prevent the use of two weapons at the same time, but not two-handed weapons.

====Special-Issue Wargear====
*'''Auspex''' - Sacrifice shooting to reduce the cover of an enemy within 12" by 1. Good on an assaulty HQ with abysmal shooting (say, a Captain with a bolt pistol, or a Librarian).
*'''Melta Bombs''' - When assaulting a vehicle, building, gun emplacement or Monstrous Creature, you can replace your attacks with one S8 AP1 Armorbane Unwieldy attack. The chance to one-shot a tank or building is a pretty good way to spend 5 spare points laying around.
*'''Teleport Homer''' - Termies that Deep Strike within 6" of the Homer don't scatter. Only terminators benefits from this so unless you are running a full deep strike terminator army (I don't see a single logical reason why would you do that) the locator beacon from drop pods or scout bike squads is a better option.
*'''Digital Weapons''' - Re-roll one failed to-wound roll in Assault. Pretty much crap.
*'''Jump Pack''' - A bit expensive at 15 points, it gives the Jump unit type. Grab it if you want your HQ to jump around like House of Pain, whether to chase and smash things or hop to a good vantage point and hand out buffs/mind bullets. Techmarines and Terminator Armor characters can't take one.
*'''Space Marine Bike''' - This changes your HQ to a Bike unit type. You also get a twin-linked bolter and, most importantly, +1 Toughness. Great for any HQ, really, but of special note is a conversion beamer-toting Techmarine. Note that if you have an HQ with a bike, you can take Bike Squads as troops for a CAD - they even got rid of that dumb model count restriction from 6e! Taking Terminator Armor sadly disqualifies a character from riding a bike. If you go bike HQs, consider going White Scars for their bike-specific rules, or Iron Hands to indirectly benefit from the Toughness boost giving you FNP back against S8/9 weapons.
*'''Standards''' - Come in two flavors (three if you count the relic).
**'''Company Standard''' - Available to the Command Squad. This allows marines of the same Chapter within 12" to re-roll Morale, Fear, and Pinning.
**'''Chapter Banner''' - Available to the Honour Guard. As above, but Marines within range also gain +1 Attack. The entry ''no longer specifies'' that it doesn't stack with the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant, or even Kantor's +1 Attack, in case you want the killiest/most expensive deathstar possible.

===Chapter Relics===
Note that per the BRB FAQ, page 11, a single model can only take one Relic unless specifically stated otherwise.
*'''The Burning Blade''' - A special power sword with +3S, AP2, and Blind. The only AP2 melee weapon that doesn't hit at I1 and isn't on a Dreadnought or Assault Centurion. Unless you count characters, then there's the Emperor's Champion and Calgar. Its "Incandescent" rule means that it sort-of Gets Hot (take a S4 AP2 hit if you roll a 1 on a d6 after using it to attack). It is believed to be the Emperor's sword, as it was found in the wreckage of Horus' destroyed flagship and was the only thing that wasn't corrupted by Chaos. Probably true, since it's too big for anyone but a Marine to think about using, and in most pictures depicting the Emperor's battle with Horus his sword's on fire. Despite the description of its size, it is not Two-Handed.
**In general, a good choice if you're looking to build a very killy HQ, especially since most other available AP2 weapons are Unwieldy. Don't even think about giving it to anyone else except to a Chapter Master with 4A (and of course, keep a pistol to get the +1A) - it's too expensive otherwise. Note that the Incandescent rule says "takes a hit" - unlike Gets Hot, it still has to roll to wound, meaning there's only a 50% (or 33% on a bike) chance of actually having to take an Invuln save. In addition, unlike normal Gets Hot, extra attacks/shots don't increase your chances of taking a wound, so the worst-case scenario is still only one wound per assault phase from this rule. On a T4 character with 4++ (Iron Halo), Incandescent only has a 1/24 (~4.17%) chance of actually causing a wound on a given turn of close combat; a Storm Shield drops this to 1/36 (2.78%), and a bike and a Storm Shield drops it to 1/54 (1.85%). The odds of taking no wounds across 12 turns of close combat for each is 60%, 71%, and 80%, respectively.
*'''The Armour Indomitus''' - A 2+/6++ suit of Artificer Armour that gives the wearer a 2++ save once per game for a phase of your choosing. Should be noted that in the new codex the Armour no longer gives Relentless, though it still costs the same points. Thanks Geedubs.
**It's crap. You could get a 2+/3++ for a Captain or Librarian for 25 pts cheaper; only get it if you MUST have a 2+ while still fitting into a Rhino or Razorback (not a common scenario). The 2++ save only lasts a single PHASE per game, not even a whole player turn. Pyrovore-level of uselessness.
***Not quite useless on Librarians given they usually don't come with an invulnerable save or a 2+ Sv for that matter and cannot access either of those without Terminator armour (except via Panoply of The Crusader and various psychic powers). So if you are putting a Librarian on a bike it might be worth investing in. This is especially true if you are running him with the Librarius discipline, re-rollable 2+ invulnerable saves? Yes please.
*'''The Shield Eternal''' - A Storm Shield that gives the user Adamantium Will and Eternal Warrior. A very good choice if you're running a tough cookie, because let's face it, Storm Shields are great, Eternal Warrior is great, and Adamantium Will is a bit niche utility, but can be pretty useful too. Give it to a Chapter Master with Artificer Armour using Iron Hands Chapter Tactics and BAM! You've got yourself a 2+/3++ It Will Not Die Character with 6+ or +1 on Feel No Pain rolls.
**'''A Little Note''': This is irrelevant in most cases for Iron Hands. With their supplement (Clan Raukaan), you can punt on this for something BETTER. Chains of the Gorgon doesn't take a weapon slot, grants a 3++ Save, Eternal Warrior, and +1 on your FNP rolls. [[Chapter Master Smashfucker|Combined with an Apothecary in a biker command squad, your chapter master will be able to go toe to toe with ''Abaddon'' and not only survive, but probably win.]]
*'''The Primarch's Wrath''' - A Master-Crafted Salvo 3/5 AP4 bolter with Shred.
**Not bad for your Bike or Terminator Captain, as Relentless will let you use this thing to its full potential every turn. Not the strongest choice of the relics, but it is the cheapest so it might be an okay choice if you only have a few points left over after army building. You could stick it on an HQ, put him in a shooty squad, and cherish the 5 AP4 Shred shots you're adding to a Centurion or Sternguard squad. Especially interesting for Techmarine Bikers, due to their low cost and BS5.
*'''Teeth of Terra'''- A chainsword with +2S, AP3, Specialist Weapon, Concussive and Rampage.
**Quite good for thinning out hordes and killing entire squads if given to a Captain/Chapter Master - and, as Space Marines, you'll be outnumbered most of the time. With Rampage, your Chapter Master is getting 5 + D3 attacks on the charge and 4 + D3 each subsequent assault phase - you might be handing out Concussive just through sheer volume of attacks.
**You can pair this with another Specialist Weapon (e.g. a Power Fist) and get up to NINE attacks on the charge (4 base, +1 for Charging, +1 for two CCW, and +D3 from Rampage)! If you're in an especially deathstarry mood, toss in a Chapter Banner, a Standard of the Emperor Ascendant, and Pedro Kantor (all their effects stack, or at least until a FAQ says they don't) for [[Rip and Tear|10-12 Attacks on the charge and 8-10 Attacks thereafter]]. Shit, toss in a Chaplain, Librarian, maybe go Carcharodons for Rage and Tyberos (who makes Rage also give +1S, though going Carcharodons means ditching Kantor's bonus). [[Rape|Your deathstar is now the size of Jupiter and will vaporize anything it touches]]... but will cost about as much as Jupiter theoretically would.
*'''Standard of the Emperor Ascendant''' - Both Command Squad and Honor Guard can take it, but only one per army. An improvement on the Chapter Banner, it gives the model carrying it (and his unit) Fear, gives Fearless instead of re-rolls, and still gives +1 Attack. The entry ''no longer specifies'' that it ''doesn't'' stack with the Chapter Banner or Kantor's +1 Attack, in case you want the killiest, most expensive deathstar possible.
*'''Tears of the Scorpion (Red Scorpions)'''(Forge World) - IA4 2E grants the Scorpions some bonus tools to use as upgrades for their relic blades. These weapons will generally take the form of some other weapon, with a universal Two-Handed and Murderous Strike (6 to-wound is ID).
**Sword: Relic Blade with the above rules, better since it has the chance of causing ID.
**Axe: Power Axe with +2S and -1I in combat. Awesome because it's an AP2 weapon that strikes before other Axes and Fists.
**Maul: Power Maul with +3S and Strikedown instead of Concussive. Shame Strikedown doesn't really matter in combat.
**Glaive: Rules as Written this thing is awesome, it actually is WORSE on the charge (the rules say use the first profile which is the inferior AP3 one) acting only as a two handed power sword with murderous strike. But all other situations have it as a +2S AP2 weapon which strikes in Initiative order, use this until a FAQ comes out to fix them.
*'''Panoply of the Crusader''' (Forge World)- It's a set of Artificer Armor that grants Stubborn and Preferred Enemy (Chaos Space Marines). Costly, both points-wise and because the model representing it is a Forge World exclusive. Might be fair enough if you're fighting CSMs, but in just about any other circumstance you may as well take Terminator Armor.
**See the drop-down portals for each unique chapter and their relics.

===Legacies of Glory (Forge World)===
These can essentially turn your vehicles into special characters. A single legacy can be taken each 1000pts, and individual vehicles can take multiple legacies. However, only one of each can be taken per army.

*'''Battle of Keylek'''- Blast weapons used by this vehicle ignore cover. Quite frankly amazing on vindicators, plasma dreadnoughts, predator executioners, and the fellblade.
*'''Ullanor Crusade'''- A tank that takes this gains Preferred Enemy (Orks). A walker will gain Hatred (Orks). Enemy models within charging range (12") of the vehicle must re-roll successful To-Hit rolls in the 1st round of each combat.
*'''War of Murder'''- Monster Hunter and friendly Space Marines within 6" are fearless.
*'''Battle of Sarosh'''- Once per game, one weapon gains Skyfire, Intercept, Tank Hunter, and Night Vision. Only really good against flyers due to Skyfire changes; however, it can also wreck xeno hover tanks.
*'''Isstvan III'''- Preferred Enemy (Chaos Space Marines) and auto-pass dangerous terrain tests in ruins and 'similar'.
*'''Burning of Prospero'''- Adamantium Will, which is improved to +2 Deny-the-Witch against Witchfire powers.
*'''Isstvan V Dropsite Massacre'''- (Vehicles with Deep Strike Only) Never scatters when entering play via Deep Strike. Really nice for an air force army, as this can drop your flyers exactly where you want to make it hurt.
*'''Battle of Calth'''- Preferred Enemy (Chaos Space Marines), enemy Warlords within 12" suffer -1Ld.
*'''Battle of Signus Prime'''- Preferred Enemy (Chaos Daemons), friendly models that start the turn within 6" of the vehicle have Furious Charge until the end of that turn.
*'''Battle of the Phall System'''- Thunder Hawks and Storm Eagles only. +1 Jink save, a superheavy flyer will gain a 6+ Jink save.
*'''Thramas Crusade'''- All friendly Space Marines within 12" are Fearless. Kinda iffy since you already have ATSKNF to bolster your forces.
*'''Schism of Mars'''- Tanks only. Tank Hunters, +1BS against models with Daemonforge, ignore Haywire on a D6 of 4+.
*'''Battle of Terra'''- IWND, pretty straight forward, Costs a lot, so save it for your bigger and already expensive vehicles to make them unkillable.
*'''Icon of Glory'''- The most expensive legacy, grants +1 BS ''or'' WS and grants a 6" increase on the range of the Warlord's Trait if he's within 2" of the vehicle. However, the vehicle also confers a victory point if destroyed because it's so precious.
*'''Shrouded Providence'''- Gives the vehicle ''Venerable'', but makes it behave like an Ally of Convenience in your own detachment (therefore cannot transport units) or a Desperate Ally in allied detachments. Save it for something that'd probably be in the thick of it anyway.
*'''Ancient Mariner'''- The vehicle (and any unit previously transported) gets to re-roll mysterious terrain or "Archeotech Artifact" tables... this is extremely situational, but it's the cheapest legacy.

===Relic of the Armoury (Forge World)===
The most ancient and revered relics of the chapter are seldom left unto the battlefield unattended. The rule is mostly used on the 30K units that can also be taken in regular 40K games, like all [[Dreadnought#Contemptor_Pattern|Contemptor]] variants, the [[Fire_raptor#Fire_Raptor|Fire Raptor]] and really anything with "Relic" in its name. Only one vehicle with this special rule can be taken in your army. If you wish to include more such vehicles a Keeper of the Relics must be taken as an HQ choice. IA2 specifies this character as a Master of the Forge for the regular Codex: Space Marines. As of 7E there is no longer a Master of the Forge. [[Forge World]] emails claim that, until an Errata is published, the regular [[Techmarine]] fills in as Keeper of the Relics.
* NB - Contemptors are only Relics if they take relic weaponry (Graviton and Plasma blasters for DCCW weapons, and Heavy Conversion beamers)

==Unit Analysis==
===HQ Units===
*'''Captain''' - A Captain is a versatile and useful HQ choice, but he's going to need more than just a power weapon or fist to do well. Storm Shield should be strongly considered, and a few of the Relics are worth taking to make him a strong combatant. You can tailor his wargear to fit him into a variety of units, such as Sternguard, Vanguards, Terminators, etc. A good build is giving him Artificer Armor, the Burning Blade and a Storm Shield - 180 points for a pretty cost-effective beat-stick, which can then be paired with support units like a Librarian or a Command Squad with an Apothecary. The Shield Eternal is a great upgrade, especially if you upgrade to a Chapter Master to get more out of Eternal Warrior. Keep in mind that the Shield Eternal's Adamantium Will also works great for a Librarian (covered in the Libby's entry below). Terminator Armor should only be considered if you need Deep Strike, otherwise Artificer Armor is cheaper for the same durability and a Bike gives you Relentless and other valuable benefits. Worth noting that Termie Captains can now grab Relic Blades like normal Captains. Also worth noting is that Terminator Armor comes with a power weapon and a storm bolter included, so if you were going to take those items anyway then it's actually cheaper than Artificer Armor plus those upgrades.
**The Biker Captain deserves special mention; Biker Marines are a very nasty build, so it is worth taking a Captain for allowing Bikers as Troops should you want to do so. For a cheap Biker Command Squad leader, give him a Relic Blade and a Bike; you might also consider gearing him for solo work with a Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Artificer Armour and other upgrades (amusingly, despite the rationale behind the Storm Shield and the two-handed Relic Blade seeming to interfere with each other, nothing in the rules prevents a model from using both at once).
**'''Terminator Captain (Angels of Death):''' Mostly the same as the Codex version, but he also has the option to become Cataphractii for free. Cataphractii has a rule allowing Captains to reroll 1s on invulnerable saves. RAW, it looks like this still holds up if you take a Storm Shield. This makes him more survivable, but a lot less reliable for assault. If you give him Cataphractii, he also gets Slow and Purposeful rather than Relentless. Since S&P affects the whole squad, you can toss him in with your Devastators, Thunderfire Cannons, or any of a bajillion allied units to give them move and shoot shenanigans. Apparently, though, Chapter Masters aren't allowed to wear Cataphractii armor, as the Terminator Captain [[derp|can't be upgraded to a Master]].
***'''[[Chapter Master Smashfucker|SMASHFUCKER PRIME]]''', Smashfucker in Caraphractii Armour, is even harder to kill than his Chapter Master version due to rerolling his 3++ being better than +1 T in most cases.
**'''Chapter Master:''' - Like [[Grey Knights]], the Chapter Master is now a purchased upgrade for a Captain. 40 points gets you the Orbital Strike, an extra wound and an extra attack. With Honor Guard and Command Squads moving to Elites, the only distinction between a Captain and CM is their statline, cost, and Orbital Strike. Due to the number of wargear options and Chapter Tactics, there are a few rather infamous builds for Chapter Masters:
***'''[[MURDERWINGS]]''': Raven Guard Chapter Master with Artificer Armour, Jump Pack, and ''Swiftstrike & Murder''. Consider using this variant of a Chapter Master if you ever need something to rape hordes with an ungodly number of attacks on the charge. Due to the current FAQ, just give MURDERWINGS a basic jump pack since Raven's Fury and a Jump Pack are the same price (and he can only take 1 relic).
***'''[[Chapter Master Smashfucker|SMASHFUCKER]]''': Iron Hands Chapter Master with Artificer Armour, Gorgon's Chain, weapons of your choice, and a Bike. He's the Adamantium Wall to MURDERWINGS's chainsaw-hands; consider using him if you want a warlord that is ''stupidly'' hard to kill. He's not invulnerable, of course; he still dies to the D and a few other things, so don't play recklessly.
*'''Librarian''' - A pretty good (if not the best) HQ choice, cheap and a capable force multiplier. Rolling for powers makes it difficult to build a gameplan around a specific ability, but certain disciplines are almost guaranteed to provide useful powers (i.e. Divination's Primaris power) - choose carefully. Unlike the Captain and the Chaplain, he does not come stock with an Invulnerable save - if you need him to be sturdier, Terminator armor gives 2+/5++ with the option of a storm shield. Of special note is The Shield Eternal, due to Adamantium Will combining with his Psychic Hood to let you Deny psychic attacks or Maledictions on 4+ rolls (or 3+ if it's your ML2 Librarian against an ML1 psyker's spell), including the ability to Deny for nearby friendly units. Suck on that, Eldar! Librarians can roll powers from Fulmination, Librarius, Geokinesis, Technomancy, Biomancy, Pyromancy, Daemonology, Divination, Telekinesis, and/or Telepathy.
**'''REMINDER''': If you feel daring enough to take a Daemonology power on a Librarian (yes, Librarians can use both [[Grey Knights|Sanctic]] and [[Heresy|Malefic]] powers), that they will roll Perils on any doubles, not just on double sixes. If you really need Banishment/Sanctic, and consider Perils that bad, consider allying with a detachment of Grey Knights or Iron Hands (FNP will help you mitigate problems from Perils). If summoning Daemons is really your thing (and what kind of Chapter would?) (Hello? Yes, this is the Exorcists Chapter, for all your Loyalist daemon-summoning needs!), then consider just playing Chaos Space Marines because allying with Daemons is Come the Apocalypse, and that's not gonna roll well for you.
*'''Chaplain''' - A wonderful companion for Assault Marines, Vanguard Veterans, or Bikers, his melee-boosting abilities are quite helpful, and he's pretty damned good himself. If you're not putting him on a Bike or a Jump Pack and don't mind locking into specific Chapter Tactics, consider taking Ortan Cassius instead if you can afford the extra 40 points, or Grimaldus for his particular set of toys. The Crozius Arcanum is just a Power Maul, so he's always S6 AP4. Chaplains ostensibly fit nice into the Black Templars, wherein they will boost a basic squad's fighting ability - and you should expect to get your Templars in close combat or something has gone horribly wrong.
*'''Techmarine''' - The Master of the Forge may be done away with, but the Techie now has his statline for a paltry 15-point increase just like the Dark Eldar Haemonculus (it's not even a real increase since the 15pt Power Axe is now folded into his default wargear). Unfortunately, he has a hard time keeping up with the vehicles he's supposed to repair, unless he's, you know, INSIDE of it (or on a bike, which helps his survivability too). Bolster Defenses boosts the cover save of any non-fortification terrain piece by one to a max of 3+ cover, combining nicely with Scout camo cloaks or anything that has Stealth. The conversion beamer upgrade lets you shit out pie-plate death that gets nastier at extreme range. The servo-harness upgrade gives an extra servo-arm (so 2 Specialist Weapons, yay), a flamer and a plasma cutter (12" twin-linked plasma pistol), improving his melee output, repair ability, and short-ranged shooting (if using the flamer and/or plasma cutter during the Shooting phase, you can shoot two different guns, although it remains to be seen if this stacks with Gunslinger, extra short-ranged AP 2 is a real possibility if you want it). Although either Servo option no longer grants extra attacks in of itself, it does make it easier to get extra attacks with other Specialist Weapons, without giving up Shooting the way other Fist 'n Claw builds do.
:*'''Servitors''' - Each Servitor taken alongside a Techmarine adds 1 to the Blessings roll for each one that has a servo-arm (which it comes with stock). They are 10 points each, to a maximum of 5 (you won't ever need more than 3 for repair purposes, though). You can trade the servo-arm for a heavy bolter (10 pts), multi-melta (10 pts) or plasma cannon (20 pts), but at BS3 and losing the bonus to repair rolls, it's kinda wasteful. If there's no Techmarine with them, they Mindlock on a roll of 3 or worse and stand there doing nothing, getting shot or punched in their pasty grey faces.
*'''Damocles Rhino (Forge World)''' Yes, an HQ vehicle! It doesn't take an HQ slot, but can't fill the mandatory one either. Although the most expensive in terms of real money, point-wise it's one of your cheapest HQs. Armed with nothing but a Storm Bolter and a Searchlight for defense, with no transport capacity, it may not seem like an obvious choice. In fact, the Damocles' true power lies in its incredible support abilities - it allows a single Orbital Bombardment in the same way as a Chapter Master, lets a teleporting unit deep-strike within 12" without scattering, and allows the owning player to modify reserve rolls by plus or minus one. In a Terminator-heavy army, the Damocles is one of the best choices you can make. Also, don't buy it. The Damocles is by far the easiest and cheapest Rhino variant to convert with whatever crap you might have lying around. Special mention to Anton Narvaez (see below) and this thing. Synergizes beautifully together both on the table and in the fluff.
*'''Space Marine Command Tanks (Warhammer World Exclusive)''' - The new Warhammer World tanks both take up 1 Force Org slot, so you can have an HQ AND both of these awesome tanks! Also, can be used with Blood Angels, Dark Angels, and Space Wolves due to the Designer's note in the White Dwarf containing their rules. Their exclusivity is made up for by being able to give Marines some serious anti-whatever tools and other support. Compared to the stock equivalents, for 115 points you lose a little Transport capacity on the Rhinos, but gain an incredible laundry list of Special Rules, a better gun on the Raider to replace its Heavy Bolter, a better gun on the Rhino to make it a Razorback-Lite, and a fire magnet like no other. Your enemy WILL do everything in his power to blow your Rhino off the board before it gets to fire its Orbital Bombardment.
**'''Rhino Primaris''' - Gives access to another source for a one-use 7" Blast Orbital Strike, and has a fancy Servo-skull hub which can either grant a unit within 12" Snap-shots (including overwatch) at full Ballistic Skill (Giving that OP Invisibility the middle finger), restore a nearby vehicle's hull point on a 2+, or give said unit Fearless. Also, you can co-ordinate Reinforcements by selecting a unit held in reserves to automatically come on.
**'''Land Raider Excelsior''' - Comes with a Grav-cannon and Grav-amp for those re-rolls to wound and immobilize and lascannon sponsons. Also has a 6+ Invuln and ignores Crew Shaken/Stunned results. Also can grant a single unit in 12" (which can be boosted to 18" for 10 points) one of a huge selection of special rules for the turn (Counter-Attack, Fearless, Hit & Run, Interceptor, Preferred Enemy, Skyfire, Split Fire, or Tank Hunter), and gets +1 BS if a Rhino Primaris is within 24".

====Special Characters====
Space Marine players also have access to a variety of special characters, most of which change how the whole army works. They're all fairly expensive, and, as such, should be viewed as force multipliers to be taken with specific synergistic units, rather than stand-alone beatsticks.

====='''Ultramarines'''=====
*'''[[Cato Sicarius]]''' - A somewhat expensive "utility" Captain. He comes with Artificer Armour, a Power Sword with a special trick (see below), natural Feel no Pain 5+ and a Plasma Pistol; he gives to one Ultramarines ''Tactical'' squad (who doesn't need to be in his detachment, but does need to be friendly Ultramarines) either Counter-Attack, Infiltrate, Scout, or Tank Hunters. Also gives you a +1 to Reserve Rolls, and his Warlord Trait allows friendly Space Marine units from his detachment to use his Ld for Morale Tests if he is the Warlord. He now has Furious Charge as standard, which is an improvement and a setback, as now he can't give it to his unit, but has it for himself all game. Cato is pretty average in close combat, being a bit tougher than most Space Marine characters (2+ armor, Feel No Pain) and having the option to replace his normal number of attacks with a single Instant Death attack at +2 S. But, other than that, he's just got 4 power sword attacks. He's got a nice laundry list of utility, great durability, and fair combat prowess. He also has the benefit of being the Captain of the 2nd Company so 99% of Smurf players are already using his gold Company Heraldry on their models and therefore he could be taken in all Ultramarine armies, unless it's one of the 3 Ultramarine armies in the world that isn't painted as the 2nd Company. By the way, his loadout is the default loadout for 4th Edition Captains, so he is somewhat nostalgic. And he is a glory whore, really.
**'''Redemption Calls (Apocalypse)''' - Like Mac Daddy, Sicarius gets a boost to his finest hour when within 18" of necron big vehicles/monsters by jumping his WS/BS to [[Mary Sue|10]] and giving him a free Vortex Grenade. This is marginally better than the Herculean feat, mostly because it gives him a re-roll on his plasma pistol shot, but even against most Necron opponents, he was already hitting on 3s so the WS boost is essentially only getting -1 on hits against him. The Vortex Grenade is what makes it special, as it will make that superheavy go "poof".

*'''[[Varro Tigurius]]''' - Tigurius is a pretty expensive Librarian (costing 40 more pts than a level 2 Lib in Terminator Armour with Storm Shield) who only has Power Armor (though, unlike a generic Librarian, he has three wounds instead of two). What he lacks in durability, however, he makes up in sheer psychic might: he is a Mastery Level 3 psyker with access to all the BRB disciplines, and can also re-roll any roll on the dice when he generates powers, making him much more likely to get a set of powers that you want. Also, he allows his Detachment to re-roll any reserves roll, even successful ones. But his special equipment is what makes him really stand out: the '''Hood of Hellfire''' is a Psychic Hood that also allows him to re-roll any failed psychic test (which is amazing in 7th edition), and the Rod of Tigurius is a Master Crafted Psychic Staff with Soul Blaze (which is not as awesome, but still pretty useful, especially if you pick Biomancy). Finally, if you make him your Warlord then you get his fixed Warlord Trait, meaning that once in '''each''' shooting phase, he grants Rending on all shooting attacks to one unit within 12" taken from his Chapter, which is pretty darn sweet. It may be best to keep him behind the lines where he can place numerous blessings on your units (especially the Warlord Trait, which can be nasty when paired with Devastators or Centurion Devastators) and improve reserve rolls, as his baseline stats are relatively fragile - in this role, he is the perfect example of a Supporting HQ. However, Biomancy powers can turn him into a combat beast quite readily, ''potentially'' being S9 AP2 T7 A6 (7 on the charge) I7 Eternal Warrior and FNP 4+.

*'''[[Ortan Cassius]]''' - Special character Chaplain with '''T6''' and '''Feel No Pain'''. He's also packing a combi-flamer with the boltgun being Master-Crafted and Poisoned (2+), while still carrying a bolt pistol and crozius for the +1 Attack. If you're planning on taking a Chaplain and don't mind taking Ultramarines Chapter Tactics, it might as well be this guy, as he's only 10 points more than a Chaplain in Terminator Armor and way tougher to kill. He and his unit now cause Fear thanks to his Warlord Trait. Make a unit consisting of only him and Calgar or a vanilla Chapter Master for some majority toughness dickery.

*'''[[Torias Telion]]''' - Curiously now made into an HQ choice now and is one of the cheapest named HQs, though he can only be stuck in with Scouts (Sadly, it's unlikely we'll be seeing [[Naaman]] ever again). Telion gives you a 2 shot Sniper Rifle that always scores precision shots. He can also forfeit his shooting (aww) to allow one model in his squad to shoot at BS 6 (say, a scout with a missile launcher). Useful for putting pressure on your opponent and picking off specialists with sniper fire, which he will do least once in a game on average (problem, hidden Power Fists?). Also worth noting that he gives free Stealth to his unit. So combined with the Techmarine-ruin-camo cloak strategy (see Scouts), or even hidden in regular area terrain, his [[Troll|2+]] [[Tau|cover save]] makes him tough to flush out. Also gets "Storm of Fire" as his warlord trait, which allows him to give any Ultramarine withing 12" Rending. Combine with 3 Thunderfire cannons for maximum tears.

*'''[[Antaro Chronus]]''' - Even though he's technically an upgrade to a tank, he's now another budget HQ for the Ultras to buy. He makes it BS 5, gives it IWND, and ignores shaken and stunned results. Great, for a shooty tank, and since he's now an HQ and an FA/HS (Because Rhinos/Razorbacks are Fast Attack now) slot all in one, you can now spend those points you'd have spent on another HQ on bolstering the tank or maybe more troops. The new Codex gave him a free extra wound, so now he can't become insta-dead the moment his tank blows up. But with a generally mediocre statline plus a bolt pistol, a servo-arm, and frag/krak grenades as his only weapons, he's pretty much worthless without his tank. Hilariously, one could heavily exploit RAW/RAI and not have Chronus "in his tank." The rules only state that when you add him, you have to buy a tank and give it the Special Rules in the book, but it does not say Chronus is [[Troll|actually in the tank]]. This will lead to him [[Just as Planned|teleporting]] the moment his tank blows up though.

*'''Captain Centos (100th Store Anniversary)''' - In celebration for opening 100 stores worldwide (or at least having 100 running), GeeDubs decided to re-build an old Space Marine captain sculpt. Though he has no points cost listed, he is essentially an Ultramarines Captain with a Fist. He also enables the use of the Tactical Doctrine once per game in an Ultras detachment/formation. Not that shabby, but at least he looks nice.

*'''Anton Narvaez (Forge World)''': Marines Errant commander, though new to his position, only recently promoted from the position of a ship captain, and his stats tell, spotting -1 WS compared to the regular cap. He comes with a power weapon, bolt pistol, MC plasma gun and 3+ invuln instead of 4+ (with 50% chance to lose it each time it fails). He also has Scout and Move Through Cover USR’s. Can select D3 units of Tacticals, Devastators, Sternguard, or himself and any Command Squad he has with him to Deep Strike via teleportation rolling 3 dice drop highest for scatter if they don't get a 'hit'. Overall a nice and cheap tactical HQ. Also insanely useful for a minimum chance of scatter deepstrike assassination squad using him and a command squad equipped with plasma/melta/grav death.

*'''Mordaci Blaylock (Forge World)''': Novamarines terminator-captain with master-crafted and shredding chainfist and storm bolter (WTF?). He can make his terminator squad choose to fail or pass any morale test and he and his squad are immune to pinning tests, makes terminators scoring and… that’s all, although he has a static Warlord Trait of Champion of Humanity. He cost 30 pts. more than vanilla captain with his wargear, so, take him only if you have a lot of termies, Though if you are, why aren't your playing Dark Angels?

*'''Tarnus Vale (Forge World)''': Fire Angels captain with… WHAT? Plasma pistol and chainsword? What the fuck? Why 165 points? He got nerfed in the update, But then you realize that he has Stubborn and Tank Hunters... as does any Transport he's in... which [[Antaro Chronus|can also use his Ballistic Skill]]. In addition all of your Razorbacks, Rhinos and Land Raiders get 5+ Invulnerable saves against Glancing Hits, nice but not broken.

*'''Chaplain-Dreadnought Titus (Forge World)''': [[Howling Griffons]] dreadnought with +1 attack, which can reroll failed to hit roll in CC, and make everyone within 12” fearless.

====='''Iron Hands'''=====
*'''Vaylund Cal (Forge World)''': Sons of Medusa Master of the Forge with iron halo, thunder hammer, servo-harness, and monstrous creature stat line. Being an Iron Hand he gets FnP 6+ and It Will Not Die and +1 to Repair rolls. While expensive as hell, he could put a lot of hurt in close combat and extremely hard to kill for his T6. For further expense, he can give Devastator squads in the army Toughness 5 for 50 points per squad (flat, not per model), but don't expect it to save you against plasma firepower.

====='''Imperial Fists'''=====
*'''[[Darnath Lysander]]''' - One of the toughest kids on the block. Lysander is a Space Marine Captain, but has Eternal Warrior, 4 wounds, Terminator armor, a Storm Shield and a S10 MC Thunder Hammer. His utility has mostly been lost from previous editions, but the destructive power of Lysander is undeniable as nobody else can deliver strength 10 close combat attacks and take the equivalent in return. It is worth noting that Lysander also allows all friendly Imperial Fists within 12" to reroll Morale, Fear [[Derp|(for that 0.0% chance you have to roll for fear as a Space Marine player...)]], and Pinning checks, including himself, which ensures your battle line remains intact and friendly units are always on hand to respond to any changes in the field. Seriously though, his unwieldy initiative and 3 attacks mean he won't be clearing tarpits very well, but in a challenge he has been proven one of the greatest character slayers in the game. He can go toe-to-toe with Calgar, Moloc, Ghazghkull, or Abaddon with a good chance of winning. Also now has Feel no Pain if he is the Warlord! Just to make sure he can't die EVER. Put him in an Assault Terminators squad and watch the carnage.
*'''[[Pedro Kantor]]''' - While Pedro boasts the same statline as a regular Chapter Master, his viability is assured not by smashfacing, but by the numerous support special rules he carries. First up is the ability to confer [[Awesome|Objective Secured to Sternguard Veterans]], which allows these flexible units a greater degree of use on the field, holding down any objectives they might have cleared rather than waiting on a troops choice to move in and pick it up. In addition, all friendly units in his detachment get the Preferred Enemy (Orks) special rule, and any same-detachment models within 12" gain +1 attack, amplifying the combat potential of all your specialists such as Vanguard Vets, Terminators, and Honor Guard, or simply making your gunline a much less juicy target for a charge. In terms of equipment and rules, Pedro suffers from the lack of Eternal Warrior, making him very vulnerable to S8+ weapons; this of course is evident in close combat, where his powerfist is more of a hindrance than a boon. In the 7th edition codex, though, he suddenly remembered that he's a Chapter Master with access to all his chapter's armoury, and so grabbed a suit of Artificer Armour for that delicious 2+ save that makes a world of difference. Also, he has Feel no Pain if he is the Warlord, meaning he can now tank "small" (up to Plasma Guns/Cannons) arms fire a bit. Alternatively, Pedro can sit just outside of close combat, as one of his main strengths is Dorn's Arrow, a unique 4-shot storm bolter with an AP of 4 which allows Pedro to suppress light units and deal quite a few casualties to any less-than-MEQ unit in the open (obviously working perfectly with a fusillade of Kraken bolts from a Sternguard unit). This is topped by the Chapter Master's standard Orbital Bombardment, allowing him to deliver a nasty payload on any unit you see fit. Interestingly enough, he is also extremely cheap: a Chapter Master with Power Fist and Artificer Armour is only 10 points less, and wouldn't have his multiple buffs nor Dorn's Arrow.
** Pedro can do something very, very unique in 7th edition. He allows you to run a unbound army list with all the OP/fluffy fun that entails while also giving you objective secured, namely on your Sternguard. Let me tell you, having seen it done, this may be one of the most rage inducing armies there are. Forget five riptides, an army of sternguard with combi-meltas or combi-gravs will eat it for lunch. With the right mix of combi-weapons and special ammo, you can kill nearly anything with high efficiency unless it's a 4+ or better unit hiding in cover (and even then...). The most bitter, bitter pill, is that the squads have Objective Secured so even trying to play to the objectives won't help all that much.
**'''PS:''' As of the 7E Codex, Pedro's attack aura now ''stacks'' with other sources of bonus attacks. That means you can run Pedro in a unit of Honor Guard with the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant and give all units within 12" +2 attacks. Counter-charging Sternguard with 5A each? Now who's the [[Black Templars|punchy sons of Dorn]]? To double up on this cheese, the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant stacks with the Chapter Banner. If he, an Honour Guard unit with a Chapter Banner, and a Command Squad flying the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant are all near something, it gets +3A, including dreadnoughts. Coupled with the decreased cost of power swords on vanguard veterans, +3A means they each get a total of 7A on the charge (2A base, +1 for 2CCW, +1 for charging, +1 for Kantor, +1 for Chapter Banner, +1 for SotEA).. and their Heroic Intervention's boost to multi-charging might suddenly begin looking useful if two (or even three) enemy MEQ units are standing close enough to each other.

====='''Black Templars'''=====
*'''High Marshal [[Helbrecht]]''' - Helbrecht is the High Marshal (Chapter Master) of the Black Templars. He has the stats of a regular chapter master with artificer armor, a combi-melta, a master-crafted power sword that gives him d3 bonus attacks on the charge, and the Imperium's Sword Warlord trait, who significantly improved in the 7th edition codex, giving him and his squad Furious Charge, instead of a one-use only ability. Ignore his lack of an Orbital Bombardment; Helbrecht should never be standing still, so he wouldn't be able to use it anyway. His wargear isn't anything special, but he's pretty point efficient for what you get. With the bonus from his sword he can get an ungodly [[Eversor|seven attacks on a charge]], plus whatever rage bonus he might get, meaning he's likely to [[Rip and Tear|eat most of a squad]]. His special rule, Crusade of Wrath, grants him and all other Black Templars Hatred and Fleet for one assault phase, making for a [[WAAAGH|truly horrific army-wide charge]]. His sword is only AP3 so he'll still get bogged down by 2+ saves. Also, due to the rules for Hatred, units already locked in close combat will not get the bonus from it when he uses Crusade of Wrath, so don't expect it to break your units out of tarpits they're already stuck in.
**'''Note:''' Due to GW's 'unique' codex writing skills, Helbrechts charge bonus will RAW ignore his chapter tactics, however if RAI are to be applied and your opponent isn't a [[Powergamer| dick]] then you ''should'' get 1+d3 attacks on the charge as the sword of high marshals only takes 'the normal +1 bonus attack from charging' so he still gets another one for rage (that sounds RAW to me?).

*'''Chaplain [[Grimaldus]]''' - Another Black Templars character, he is basically a standard Chaplain with +1 W and A, a MC Plasma Pistol and IWND. He also projects the Zealot Rule in a 6" area, giving it to any Black Templars unit in it, while his servitors also project the FnP special rule to any Black Templars unit within 6" of him. He's not a frontline dueling character, but he works well if used with Helbrecht to make your Crusader Squads enter BEAST MODE.
**'''Note:''' FnP termies are incredible, and if your opponent allows you to play Grimaldus and his retinue as being able to join a squad (like the space wolves and their ability to join fenresian units to a squad that has the 'owner' in it), and makes termies survivable enough to need '''27''' marines to wound '''ONCE'''.

*'''Emperor's Champion''' - The third Black Templars character. For 140 points you get a Captain with reduced BS (meh), W and A and unique equipment and rules that make him one of the best Character hunters in the game. First things first, The Black Sword is a S+2 AP2 Master crafted melee weapon that '''is not''' Unwieldy/Specialist/Two-Handed, so he gets +1 Attack for two weapons and strikes at initiative. Secondly, he has a 2+/4++ armor, making him pretty sturdy. Lastly, he must always issue or accept challenges when possible...which is not as bad as it sounds, considering that during a challenge [[Sigismund|he re-rolls failed To Hit rolls and inflicts Instant Death on any roll of 6 to wound]]. Bring it on!
**As a side note, the Emperor's Champion can be taken in the GSF's Strike Force Command section, alongside another character. If you have a big assaulty unit in your list, it might just be worth it to add Helbrecht for Furious Charge/Hatred/Fleet, then throw in the Emperor's Champion to handle challenges. Remember, this is damned expensive.
***As a side, side note, If your Templars are [[heresy | okay]] with some Inquisition, then you can put a xenos inquisitor with all the grenades, making his ap2 initiative sword instant death to all Toughness 4 and below, making him able to take on [[cheese | every]] space marine character that does not have eternal warrior.

====='''Raven Guard'''=====
*'''[[Kayvaan Shrike]]''' - A Space Marine Captain (now Chapter Master as of Kauyon, but GW didn't bother giving him rules to reflect his new rank) with a Jump Pack and two master-crafted ''rending'' lightning claws. His special rule '''See, But Remain Unseen''' gives Infiltrate and Stealth, but only allows him to join Jump Infantry ''before'' deployment; thanks to a FAQ entry, he can legally join your Jump Infantry (which would otherwise be illegal, as Infiltrate would block him from joining them) and grants the unit Infiltrate when he does. Shrike is all about striking at the right time and place: he can infiltrate a Vanguard Vet squad near an opponent's weak point in their front line, or on a flank to wreak havoc in their back field. He is not designed to go toe-to-toe with Abaddon: he exploits weakness in the true Raven Guard way and he actually synergizes really well with the rest of his army and gets the most from their Chapter Tactics. Go hunt some skimmers, Long Fangs, or the like while your Scouts pick up other threats, and then cut back in and slaughter their front line from behind the moment your line connects.
**'''Beacon of Hope (Apocalypse):''' A lesser version of the same rule that [[Azrael]] gets for his Finest Hour, but can be activated on the turn (or turn after) he arrives from reserve. Granting friendly Imperial Guard units within 24" Fearless & Counter-attack. While Fearless can be useful considering the huge amount of casualties involved in Apocalypse games, it requires you to be teamed up with Guard and so doesn't give any further benefit to Shrike's finest hour unfortunately.
*'''Shadow Captain Solaq (Strike Force Solaq)''' - A limited-edition Captain with a Power Sword and a Plasma Pistol. Adding onto that, he also has a unique relic (the ridiculous face-bird) that forces anyone firing at him to test Leadership or else they can only fire snap-shots at him. This pretty much makes him a good match for Guard Tau as he manages to deny most of their shenanigans...until they begin throwing down Markerlights.
*'''Shadow Captain Korvydae (Forge World)''': One of the few non-Badab War Forgeworld characters, he is a Captain with Artificer Armour, Thunder Hammer, Jump Pack, and Melta Bombs. Costing 5 points '''LESS''' than a normal Captain with the same wargear, while giving his squad Hit and Run (only if the squad is equipped with jump packs, but why would you put him in a squad without them?) and makes assault squads a troop choice! He also forces you to take at least one scout squad in your force, but that's not a bad bargain, all things considered. In short, he allows you to build a fluffy RG army while being a lot cheaper, killier, and more survivable than Shrike (which is quite sad...). Not the strongest Special Character in existence, but an excellent one for the Raven Guard.
**Do note that he doesn't come with a Warlord Trait, so feel free to roll on any table you want. Like a true [[Reasonable Marine|Shadow Captain]], you should adapt your force to your opponent.
**Also of note is his lack of chapter tactics. That's only natural, since he is a relic of the past and his rules were never updated (Forge World seems intent on updating all the Imperial Armour Books, so it shouldn't be long) but don't let [[That Guy]] find this out, because he will exploit the absence of the rule and use it against you, and sadly you won't be able to do anything to argue against him.

====='''Salamanders'''=====
*'''[[Vulkan He'stan]]''' - Vulkan has the same stat-line as a Captain (while not ''actually'' a Captain currently in the fluff, he was one before becoming Forgefather). Vulkan is tricked out for up-close-and-dirty face-bashing with essentially the best gear possible (Artificer armor, 3+ Invulnerable Save, Master-crafted Relic Blade, and a Heavy Flamer/Digital Weapon). Use him to kill any and all infantry short of TEQ. His Warlord Trait, Iron Resolve, gives him Feel no Pain, further enhancing his resilience. Also, if he is the Warlord, he adds onto the "Chapter Tactics (Salamanders)" rule by making '''ALL''' meltaguns, combi-meltas, and multi-meltas '''in his detachment''' Master-Crafted. Enemy vehicle crews will shit themselves at the very thought of drop podding melta squads. Taking him results in a chain reaction: you want a lot of melta to make the most out of his [[Awesome]] special rule, thus making your army even more focused on short range firepower. Not really a problem though, since you're Salamanders. You did take lot of flamers too, right??
**With his 2+/3++, Vulkan fits in nicely with a squad of Thunder Hammer Terminators, and since he strikes at initiative 5, he can take out those pesky power fists in the enemy squad before they mulch your expensive terminators.
**Since this applies to combi-meltas, you can get rerolls on the bolter portion, too. If you take He'Stan and Sternguard and give them combi-meltas, then the boltgun and special ammo components also get master-crafted. As the new GW FAQ team on Facebook just confirmed that it makes the entire weapon master-crafted, this is definitely both RAW and RAI.
**Don't forget to master-craft his pistol. It won't come up often, but it's one more advantage if you have to shoot something outside template range.
*'''Pellas Mir’San (Forge World)''': The Winter Blade, Captain of the Salamanders 2nd company and cheap for what he gives: he has the standard Captain profile, but with +1 WS, and comes with Artificer Armour, a Close Combat Weapon and a Combi-Flamer. He also has one special weapon (Cinder Edge) that's basically a Master Crafted Power Sword with '''AP 2'''. It still strike only at S4, sadly, but is one of the rare AP 2 weapons that isn't Unwieldy, and isn't Two-Handed or Specialist Weapon, so he gets the +1 attack for his extra sword! He was clearly designed for challenges, as his warlord trait give him 1 victory point for any character he slain in challenges, while his Master Duelist rule allows him to either give himself +1 attack or his opponent -1 while in a challenge. For his cost he is one of the best challengers in the game, but remember to keep him away from the real heavyweights: he wouldn't last 2 seconds. Lastly he can pick whether his squad auto-passes or auto-fails Morale checks, which gives you some extra tactical flexibility.
**All in all he is a good and cheap support/fighter HQ, although, sadly, he doesn't compare to the other special options you get, not giving anything to your army except for the squad he is in, while not being a close combat monster like a lot of other special characters.
*'''Harath Shen (Forge World)''': Master Apothecary with the profile of a Chaplain/Librarian, Artificer Armor, Plasma Pistol, Power Sword and Digital Weapons. He has Chapter Tactics (Salamanders) but, strangely enough, he doesn't have a master-crafted weapon (though you can still pick one to master-craft). But don't let that discourage you: for 135 pts, Shen allows you to put FNP 4+ in the squad you need it in, and, while he has no invuln, he gets to reroll Look Out Sir rolls '''AND''' gives his squad +1 to the score to determine the result of any assault. If you want 2+/3++/4+++ assault terminators (and who doesn’t?), this guy delivers. Also has a really unique Warlord Trait where you can get victory points back for destroyed friendly units within 6" on a 5+. Not really impressive, but you don't take him for that, you take him for the '''TROLL'''!
*'''Bray’Arth Ashmantle (Forgeworld)''': Dreadnought HQ, forged by Primarch [[Vulkan]] himself! Bray’Arth is a hell of a monster: with his front armor 13, 4 HP, venerable, extra armour, '''It Will Not Die''' and immune to '''ALL''' extra dice roll to armor penetration (melta, armourbane, Rending, Kharn, etc.) and to all effects that would reduce his armor, he is almost impossible to kill, without an [[Railgun|S10 weapon]] or some weird shit like haywire or gauss. He also has +1 WS and Attacks compared to a normal Venerable Dreadnought and is armed with two DCCWs with inbuilt Heavy Flamers, which also can count as single Twin-Linked Meltagun. He can also forgo one close combat attack to auto hit anything in base contact with him (Friend or Foe, so be careful and don't forget this) with an S5 AP4 hit at Initiative 1, for when that big unit thinks itself smart and tries to tarpit him for the rest of the game. Basically he can take on everything barring Titans and the like, but beware Swooping Hawks and... Fire Warriors in melee - sure, they only hit him on a 5+ and his Burning Wrath could kill a lot of them, but remember that it happens at initiative 1, which might be too late if he got haywired. Also, his warlord trait (he CAN be the warlord, but only if there are no other HQs) gives him one Victory point for each vehicle with at least one armour value of 12+ and/or Independent Character that he destroys in an assault, but only if there aren't other friendly models in the assault (not really a problem for this Beast). This is [[awesome]] since, unlike similar traits, it doesn't state that he needs to be in a challenge for this to work, and he can trash most vehicles like they're not even there. Of course, he is extremely expensive, in both points and pounds, but he totally worth every point and penny. Put him into a Lucius pattern drop pod. Drop him into the middle of the enemy gunline. Laugh maniacally. Field him against [[Bjorn]] and make compensating jokes.

====='''White Scars'''=====
*'''[[Kor'sarro Khan]]''' - This crazy Mongol adds onto "Chapter Tactics (White Scars)" by giving every '''Bike Squad''' and '''squad embarked in a Rhino or Razorback''' Scout, which in turn allows for outflanking, allowing them to come in from the side of the table. His Warlord Trait forces friendly Imperials within 12" to reroll failed Morale/Pinning/Fear checks, he has Furious Charge (but only for himself), and he gains d3 VP if he kills the opposing Warlord in a challenge. Other than that, he's an average Captain (who can be upgraded to ride a bike that inflicts d3 HoW attacks) whose power sword just so happens to cause Instant Death on a roll of 6. Since he's really cheap, he is an awesome character for a White Scars army, giving them the ability to strike hard and fast. Outflanking your Scout-ed up dudes might be dicier than with Space Wolves, but he is still well worth his already-low points cost. Thanks to his Warlord trait he works well allied to other Imperial armies, Though note his WT works with 'morale checks', not 'leadership tests', so you can't use him to get rerolls on Sister of Battle Acts of Faith.
**It's not just his Warlord Trait that makes him and his army ally-friendly; Scout, Skilled Rider, and Hit & Run all confer to the unit, so you can strap his dudes to almost any other Imperium faction for buffy goodness (the only SM chapters they can join without losing Chapter Tactics are Grey Knights and Deathwatch, so the exceptions are Space Wolves, Blood Angels, and Dark Angels).

====Forge World====
There are also a lot of special characters from '''Forge World''' '''Badab War''' IA-s. '''NOTE:''' Forge World has released new Chapter Tactics for all the Chapters relevant to these characters. If you take a character with the Chapter Tactics of one of the Forge World Chapters, you have to take them in a detachment of that Chapter. However, some of the Forge World Chapters have the same Chapter Tactics as Chapters in Codex: Space Marines, and you can take those characters in those armies, i.e., Vaylund Cal in an Iron Hands detachment. Most of these characters also have updated rules not yet discussed here.
*'''Red Scorpions'''
** '''Lord High Commander [[Carab Culln]]''': Chapter master, with terminator armor, teleport homer, MC storm bolter and his AP3 MC Power Sword with good ol' 6E Smash, Eternal Warrior and any Red Scorpion in his detachment can use his leadership for Morale and Pinning. His warlord trait (his rules state that if you take him, he MUST be Warlord) gives any Red Scorpions within 12" locked in combat a +1 to combat resolution; +2 if he himself in is a challenge however he can never make a Look Out, Sir!.
** '''Commander Carab Culln''': Same guy, but back when he was 1st Captain. Most of the same wargear, except his sword is a Tear of the Scorpion, and he still packs Termie Armor and a homer. All Red Scorpions can still use his Ld for Morale and Pinning. Any squad he joins gets Stubborn, Counter-Attack, and can re-roll to-hit when outnumbered in assault. Also, when he's Warlord, all combat occurring within 12" of him gets +1 for his side's combat resolution, upped to +2 if he is in a Challenge. Biggest downside is his inability to take LoS!, but that shouldn't be an issue if you stack him with a Tac or Command Squad to get some FNP.
** '''Sevrin Loth''': Chief Librarian with ML3, 3A (1 more than vanilla Librarians), a force axe and bolt pistol. He can pick his powers from Biomancy, Telepathy or Telekinesis. Yes, '''pick''', not roll, but they all have to be from the same discipline, so take your choice of Invisibility or Biomancy's amazing spread of goodies. He still has access to the Space Marine psychic power included in the Angels of Death supplement as well. He has a 2+ armor save, so he can be extremely difficult to kill, moreso if Invisibility or Endurance is added in. 7E makes his ability to take Honour Guard an irrelevant relic from 6e, and he also has his own unique Warlord trait that gives 1 VP for any Psyker Character he kills - this can be great against Eldar/GK/Daemons. At 175 points, he is a ludicrous steal given his easy access to 2++ and '''PICKING HIS POWERS''', though only having 2 wounds stings - Endurance/Iron Arm will really help here.
***Also, since all his powers have to be taken from the same discipline, '''Psychic Focus''' applies and he can also throw in the Primaris. It doesn't say you have to generate them randomly, only that your powers all have to be from the same discipline.
*'''Astral Claws'''
**'''[[Lugft Huron]]''': Chapter master, with terminator armor, heavy flamer, and AP2 lightning claw which forces opponent to reroll successful invulns. His orbital bombardment is S10 AP1 ordnance 2, his “Living Legend” rule makes all your army Ld10. He can [[Commissar Yarrick|come back from the dead]]... but only once. But he is expensive as hell for 235 pts. Still better in combat than Draigo (who's more expensive), and could even take on Abbadon/Swarmlord. He still has orbital bombardment and his warlord trait (who gives counter attack to units that enters from reserve) for support, and can deep strike. Main problem is that he's Astral Claws, with one of the worst chapter tactics. If you take him for his combat ability, then go unbound and bring him by himself in a separate detachment.
**'''Corien Sumatris''': Captain, with +1WS, -1BS, MC power weapon, which gives him +1 additional attack on charge, storm shield, and some weird 12’’-range assault bolter. His main ability is to give Furious Charge to his squad (and himself) and +1WS to all your infantry within 12’’ of him. At 165 pts. he is a bit costly, so use his special powers properly (obviously, by putting him in dedicated CC squad).
**'''Armenneus Valthex''': Master of the Forge, also known as “Alchemancer” with conversion beamer and some weird techno-thing called “Indynabula” which counts as two power weapons, and give him 5+ invuln, counter-strike USR. He can also make one squad’s bolters poisoned 2+, turning them to cheap wannabe-sternguards. But why the heck would you do that when you can poison Terminator storm bolters or (with the new pdf update) a Bike Squads twin-linked bolters? Think synergy people! Ever poisoned a Wraithknight to death? It is great fun! And he's surprisingly cheap, assuming his shiny wargear - maybe, to compensate those schizophrenic combination of ranged-oriented and close-combat-oriented bits.
*'''Minotaurs'''
**'''[[Asterion Moloc]]''': Chapter Master with terminator armor, storm shield, and eternal warrior but with basically a Custodes halberd (S+2 AP2 two handed weapon), except it shoots a powerful laser beam once per game instead of bolts. He also gives assault grenades and Fearless to his squad and his "Sanctioned Fratricide" rule give his whole army the Preferred Enemy (Space Marines) at a cost of making all of them desperate allies. He is VERY expensive, but he has one of the few AP2 close combat weapons without unwieldy in a vanilla marine army, and [[Grey Knights|with]] [[Blood Angels|so]] [[Space Wolves|many]] [[Dark Angels|loyal]] [[Ultramarines|marine armies]] around, Preferred Enemy could work more often than not. Even when you're not facing Space Marines, Moloc is seriously worth considering for how much of a fucking beast he is in assault
**'''Ivanus Enkomi''': Chaplain with "Crozius Arkanos" ''(S:User Master Crafted, Concussive, AP3 with built-in twin linked grenade launcher)'' Power Fist, jump pack and with +1 initiative, +1 attack, and granting himself and the squad he's in Rage. He costs only '''25 pts''' more than a vanilla chaplain with fist and jump pack.
*'''Star Phantoms'''
**'''Zhurukhal Androcles''': Star Phantom captain with power fist and combi-melta. Makes Devastator Elites AND Heavy support and little else. Though not as devastating as Vale, he is cheaper and actually have some decent wargear.
*'''Mantis Warriors'''
**'''Ahazra Redth''': Mantis Warriors chief librarian. He is not a monster-psyker, like Tigurius or Loth, and is only ML2 but generates only one power due to the other one being "Mirage", but he'd still be able to use Psychic Focus and gain a free primaris power out of it. On the other hand he does have a built-in 5+ invuln and is able to re-roll his first failed psychic test. His special psy-power “Mirage” gives his unit Shrouded and, if they're charged, their attackers are forced to make a disordered charge. Also, if he is a Transport Vehicle, the power can even target that Vehicle, which is beyond Awesome. His Warlord trait also gives any squad he joins Night Vision and Interceptor, which is pretty cool, even though you will probably attach him to a pretty choppy squad, so it could be wasted. Finally, of note is that he got +1 W and I compared to a normal Librarian.
***Take Redth and Honour Guards in a Land Raider. Cast Mirage on LR and screen it with some tall, fast and cheap models (allied Rough Riders comes in mind). Look at your opponent face when he realize your über metal box has 3+ cover.
*'''Fire Hawks'''
**'''Elam Courbray''': Fire Hawks captain with jump pack and rending power sword, as well as I6. Like Culln, Elam can choose to do a SMASH attack instead but, strangely enough, his smash doesn't give him AP 2, only double strength and reroll for armour penetration. However his sword has rending (and soul blaze...woohoo.) so you still have a slim chance to pass through terminator armour. Very slim (Hint: don't go hunting terminators in melee). Though he isn't a combat monster (but far from a terrible one) he can really buff his squad, giving them Hit and Run and Counter Attack USRs. Also, his warlord trait is a [[Swooping Hawks|blast attack when he deep strikes which he doesn't need to scatter around]]. He is also the only space marine character (outside of the blood angels) that can have a command squad with jump packs, making him suddenly a lot more valuable: kit them with a lot of flamers and watch the unholy hell being unleashed against your opponent!
*'''Exorcists'''
**'''Silas Alberec''': Exorcists captain with a MC Thunder Hammer Hellslayer that always wounds Daemons and Psykers on a 2+ (if S10 isn't enough), bolt pistol, teleport homer, and Iron Halo. He gives FNP 5+ to himself and his unit against ANYTHING with psychic powers or Marks of Chaos or Daemons, and he can have one unit in the detachment reroll failed Deny the Witch rolls. His warlord trait lets you take morale checks on 3D6 and choosing the best and is reasonably priced for his wargear at 185 points. Don't expect to smash Greater Daemons or an Avatar of Kaine with this guy as he still only has a 3+ save and Hellslayer is Unwieldy.
***His real appeal comes from the fact he can have basically any Chapter Tactics in the game as per Exorcists Chapter Tactics. Iron Hands fits pretty well with him, giving him IWND and a 6+ FNP. Though Black Templars should be seriously considered, as Adamantium Will combined with Deny the Witch rerolls can make for a very potent anti-psyker unit, especially if said unit is Terminators or Honor Guard.
*'''Raptors'''
**'''[[Lias Issodon]]''': [[Reasonable Marines|Raptors]] chapter master. Ten fewer points than Shrike, without any of the downsides. He only has a power sword and pistol for close combat, and is -1WS and +1BS compared to a standard chapter master, but is armed with a monstrous 30" Salvo 2/4 bolter with Sternguard special ammunition (that must use the profiles described in C:SM), and can use the Raptor tactic to make his bolter Heavy 1, Rending, which stacks with his Sternguard ammo like it does for all Raptor Sternguard. In short, he is a shooty Chapter Master, which is rare. He has no Invulnerable save, but this is made up for with Artificer Armor and Shrouded. The main reason you would like to take him is his special abilities: he forces a -1 on enemy reserve rolls, can re-roll his own reserves (even successful ones), and he can cripple (or even kill) one enemy unit, MC, or vehicle before the game even starts. Sadly he has no orbital bombardment, but he is relatively cheap considering how he buffs you and nerfs the enemy army, so shut up. Camp his Raptors in cover and shoot people to death like [[Reasonable_Marines|reasonable marines]] should do.
***By cripple, we mean "If an army includes Lias Issodon, its controlling player may select a single enemy unit, Monstrous Creature, or vehicle that has been deployed onto the table. After any Scout redeployments have been made, but before the game begins, the chosen unit suffers D6+3 wounds with no AP value if a squad or Monstrous Creature, distributed as shooting hits (assume the attack has originated from the closest unit in Issodon’s force). If the target is a vehicle, it suffers D3 rolls on the Haywire table instead."
***Thanks to his updated default Warlord Trait in 7th edition, you can now Infiltrate him and up to three units and be able to build around this fact. How about 30 Assault Terminators w/ TH&SS starting 18" from your units for a start? Or how about a squad of Devastator Centurions halfway up the board? 2+ cover saves in ruins (Shrouded) on those bastards is just mean.
***If you want a fluffy Raptors Command Squad for him. Take a squad of 10 Sternguard and let the Dakka fly. Honor Guard also get to use Raptors chapter tactics if you bring them, but then lose some of their melee potency.
***As it turns out, Lias Issodon also has rock-solid synergy with a [[Callidus|Callidus Assassin]], as the two of them combined will force your opponent's first reserve to be done on a [[Rage|7+]], unless this is FAQ'd to a minimum of 6+. The Callidus' ability to re roll Seize The Initiative synergizes well with your infiltrating counter-deployers. And finally, Lias Issodon's "Infiltrate, Isolate, Destroy" ability can be used to greatly soften up enemy deathstars for the Callidus to have a higher chance of snagging Slay The Warlord on turn 1. These two are a perfect duo if you're running a competitive Raptors Army.
*'''Carcharodons'''
**'''[[Tyberos the Red Wake]]''': Carcharodons chapter master with terminator armor and two weapons, which can count as lightning claws or chainfists, and he can allocate hits with either as he wants with 5 base attacks. No iron halo, so his invuln is only 5+. Tyberos himself is a terrifying murderous machine in close combat, when subject to the RAGE USR, he '''AND''' ''every'' Carcharodon unit that is subject to Rage becomes +1 str for the rest of the battle. His warlord trait 'Savage Beyond Reason' gives him and his unit preferred enemy (infantry). He also allows you to take one LC-terminator unit as troops with the option of [[Awesome|Objective Secured Land Raiders]], something that only Black Templars Crusader Squads and Grey Knights Terminators can do. And he costs less than a vanilla chapter master with two chainfists.
*'''Executioners'''
**'''Thulsa Kane''': Executioners high chaplain with artificer armor, plasma pistol and S6 AP2 Unwieldy sword. With +1WS/BS/W/A, eternal warrior and big 12” aura of “reroll 1 on to-wound” he also gives friendly Executioners squads +1 to their assault results and +1 to their sweeping advance provided he is fighting in a challenge. The only thing, Kane don’t have, is jump pack to join assault squad, or terminator armor to join teleporting assault termies.
*'''Space Marine Legion Centurion with Early Crusade Honours''': Forge World made this guy available up until the end of September 2015 in honour of their website moving to the same form as GW's. While obviously intended to go with Forge World's 30k, the PDF they released with it had a special option for it for use in 40k, despite the character not having the "Chapter Tactics" special rule. If your fellows aren't too rules-lawyery you can equate 30k's "Legiones Astartes" with it. Barebones, he's a cheaper captain with one less BS and Wounds, but with the same initiative and number of attacks. In terms of wargear, he gets artificer armour standard, along with a master-crafted power fist, but loses out on the Iron Halo's valuable invulnerable save. The real stand-out feature of this guy is his option to take "The Panoply of the Crusader": a set of artificer armour from the days of 30k, which inspires the model and any unit he joins to be Stubborn and have Preferred Enemy against Chaos Space Marines, making this guy a good support HQ for a low points cost.

===Troops===
*'''Tactical Squad''' - Your bread-and-butter scoring units. These guys don't excel at anything but are decent at everything. Unfortunately, their balance tends to be their downfall as most other basic troops tend to be better at everything than they are (see: Grey Hunters), and they're a tad expensive when fully kitted out. Keep them at a distance if possible, but remember to make effective use of your Rapid Fire range. Great for camping objectives, as their durability is their best selling point. Always take Dedicated Transports with your Tacs, even if they're camping an objective. Metal Boxes make excellent walls and mobile shields for your troops, plus if Tacticals are inside and the Rhino gets charged they can Overwatch from the hatch. These fellas make up the bulk of almost every Space Marines Decurion, so you should get used to them and their capabilities.
**Important side note, if you plan to assault with these men remember they all have Bolt Pistols, meaning you can unleash 10 bolt shots (or 9 bolts and a krak grenade) before your charge. Generally, though, you shouldn't assault with Tacticals because even if the enemy unit is squishy, you could just Rapid Fire your boltguns instead (unless you want to tie up a squishy enemy that has good shooting but is terrible in close combat or if you want to hide your tacticals on a CC to avoid being shot up from other stuff or you want to deny an imminent Raging/Furious charge of a tough unit). So ''if'' you ''do'' charge, always remember your pistols/grenades/assault weapons.
**If you manage to run away and your enemy catches you, your Marines aren't auto-killed but continue the fight instead. Remember this! Next thing to remember, if your enemy does not catch you and you break out in their close-combat phase, on your next turn which comes right up your Marines are auto-rallied. They also count as '''not having moved'''. In other words, rocket launcher (or 5 Grav-Cannon shots) in the face, or 6" move.
**Loadouts for Tacs usually consist of special weapon and matching combi-weapon (i.e. plasma gun and combi-plasma). If you have a 10-man squad, consider Combat Squadding, giving one 5-man group the combi-weapon and special weapon, and giving the other 5 men a heavy weapon to sit on an objective with. Your choice of Dedicated Transport, what your army needs (anti-tank, anti-horde, anti-heavy infantry/MC) and what you want the squad to do (sit on an objective, attack enemy objectives) should influence your Tactical Squads' loadouts.
**You should not take a CC weapon, grav or plasma pistol on the Sergeant. Ever. They lessen the squad's 24" range firepower and they scare nobody. Not Orks, not that nasty squad of Terminators, not the rampaging Khorne Berserkers. They're just too expensive and they take away points from your list. If you are nuts enough to take a plasma or grav pistol though, your opponent might give you respect knuckles when your Sergeant immobilizes or one-shots a rampaging Dreadnought.
**Also, this is the edition of MC's and hard-to-kill infantry, not vehicles. Meltaguns can make them too specific in a role is better given to a unit that can do AT and something else at the same time just as well (e.g. a Tri-Las Predator).
**Do not take Heavy weapons in a Tactical squad if you are planning on having that squad be mobile (such as in Mech lists or Drop pod lists). Only put them in units that you plan on having sit in one place for the entire game (combat squad on an objective). Grav-cannons, being Salvo rather than Heavy, are the possible exception to this, but they're expensive - avoid them unless you're also taking a grav-gun and combi-grav to go MC hunting.
**Carcharodon Tactical Marines can take CCWs for 1 point/model (or free if you trade in their bolters) and gain RAGE after destroying an infantry unit in close combat, probably the one situation where they become usable in CC.
**Probably the best Chapter Tactics for these guys are Imperial Fists. Re-rolling 1s for bolt pistols, bolters, heavy bolters, combi-weapons firing as bolters, and storm bolters is sweet. BS4 rerolling 1s is almost the same accuracy as BS5 (normal BS4 is 24/36 chance to hit, but with Imperial Fist Chapter Tactics BS4 is 28/36 chance to hit, which is almost normal BS5's 30/36 chance), and without needing to spend a Doctrine.
**Tacticals can be useful to finish off stragglers from enemy units that has been shot up by your heavy hitters, without sacrificing more important shooting power to finish off a couple of Fearless/Stubborn/ATSKNF models.

*'''Imperial Space Marine (30th Anniversary Release):''' This is a unique, limited-edition model you can add in place of any Space Marine at no extra cost (''and that's all we're going to say about that''). Though stat-wise, he's not any better than a basic marine, he does come with two dangerous weapons: a Disintegrator Combi-Gun (18" S5 AP2 Assault 2, Gets Hot, Instant Death) with INFINITE shots, a Disintegration Pistol (9" pistol version) and a CCW. He's the bane of MCs everywhere, provided he can get close enough to hit them. Keep in mind what the rest of the squad's there for; he's best suited in a Tactical or Devastator Squad, where he won't get screwed over so much for only having a bolter for long-range damage. The only other squad he can go into is an Assault Squad (the others don't have any Space Marines to replace, only Veterans, Centurions, Scouts, etc). He doesn't really fit in well, but RAW you can stick a jump pack on him in an Assault Squad if you really want to.
**The best Chapter Tactic to use with him are the Raptors. Replace a Tactical Marine except for the Sergent. Choose Grav-weapons for the special/heavy weapons and Combi-Bolter for reliable Salvo hits. Give them a Rhino or infiltrate his squad close to the objective and [[Troll|dare your opponent to try and take it from you]]. Two/Three Grav-weapons, the Disintegrator Combi-Gun and Heavy 1 for the rest of the squad makes charging them a bad idea.

*'''Crusader Squad (Black Templars)''' - Black Templars only, essentially a beefed up Tactical Squad that is capable of taking neophytes as meatshields and a Sword Brother as a Veteran Sergeant for your initiates to survive longer and therefore be able to make the charge once they have gotten within range. The issue here is that you can't take more Neophytes than Templars, so their usefulness as meatshields takes a hit, especially in smaller squads.
**There are two ways to kit out your neophytes for close combat. Pistol/CCW allows a S4 AP5 pistol shot before combat, and 2 S4 attacks at I4 (3 on the charge, 4 if you get Rage). The Shotgun option allows for two S4 shots before combat and a single S4 attack at I4 (2 on the charge, 3 with Rage). The AP5 of the bolt pistol will rarely be more useful than the shotgun's extra shot before Overwatch is even fired, and if Overwatch fells any of your boys, the shotgun loadout's lack of +1A from having two CCW is further diluted by Rage from BT Chapter Tactics. Also keep in mind the shotguns' extra shooting attacks will always hit on a 3+ and "ignore" enemy Initiative, whereas the close combat attacks might only hit on a 4+ or even 5+ (depending on enemy WS) and I5 or higher enemies may slay some of your guys before they can swing. However, another consideration is that you might accidentally gimp your charge distance if you kill too many models in the shooting phase - shotguns can do this if you run into Termagaunts or the like.
**Black Templars should be Running in the shooting phase to make use of their Crusaders special rule, unless you're close enough to charge (like if your squad used an LRC to get up close). Crusader Squads want lots of Bolt Pistols and CCWs if you are using anything other than 5 man las-plas squads because Crusader Squads should be focused on assaulting. Use tactical squads if you want to sit back and shoot.
***If you wish to switch between these options, assemble your scouts with close combat weapons and pistols, then trim the hands off the shotgun models and glue them to the scouts back as though holstered.
**You can buy power weapons for people other than the Sword Brother, which means that you can actually avoid having a Power Fist or Axe get challenged and murdered. Still not a terribly efficient use of points--Vanguard Vets are probably more worth the investment. Stick to Pistols and CCWs for assault-focused Crusader Squads, the weight of attacks is better for what you're engaging (read: hordes, light vehicles, tarpitting big guys). HQs and other characters can bring the AP 2.
**One overlooked competitive option for Crusaders is grav spam. While a normal tactical squad might take a combi-grav and a grav-cannon for their 5-man squad, you can get a multi-use grav gun and cannon. You could even get a combi, special, and heavy grav all in one 5 man squad with a minimal 10-point Sword Brother upgrade tax (vs. tactical squads needing a full extra 5 bolter goons to sit around and do nothing all day). Not a horrible option if you want a useful troops tax for a Black Templars CAD so you can have their special characters.
** Take note of the wording of the "Righteous Zeal" special rule Black Templars' Chapter Tactics, because your own Gets Hot wounds will also trigger it. So if your enemy is so antsy that they actually avoid firing Overwatch to deny your [[Rage]], this is pretty much the only way to get it. Like everyone else, your plasma pistol might hit and kill something, or your squad leader might die to Gets Hot (1/18 chance). But unlike everyone else, for a large Crusader Squad, you win ''either way''. (note that you still shouldn't buy pistol upgrades, ever.)
** These bad boys get to take a Land Raider Crusader as a dedicated transport. This is rather glorious, since it gives the Land Raider Objective Secured, means that your super assaulty squads can start the game in an Assault Transport, and means you can use the Land Raider for close quarters objective camping. Nice. Do keep in mind that in the age of grav and low-AP guns everywhere, your Land Raider could get immobilized turn one or two before it does anything. A big waste of 240 points. Weigh your options (and your local meta) carefully.

*[[Scout|'''Scout Squad''']] - Scouts now have the exact same statline as standard Marines, except for a 4+ armor save rather than 3+, gaining Scout, Infiltrate and Move Through Cover in return. This makes Scouts generally a better choice of troops than Tactical Marines. If you run Scouts, you're likely best off running them naked. 11 points for a model in carapace with a BS4 bolter is actually fairly good as far as medium infantry goes, but upgrading them to snipers tends to be a waste of points. The five man scout sniper squad may look good on paper, but 5 BS4 shots is going to lead to about three hits, which will leave you with about a wound and a half before armor. Since Snipers don't have Pinning, this can be summed up as "useless". Don't bother trying to put the hurt on monstrous creatures with this either, since while you might wound on 4s, MCs generally have enough wounds not to care.
**Thanks to Scouting and Infiltrating, Scouts can put a Teleport Homer on the board rather fast and uncomfortably close to your enemy's forces, so keep that in mind if you run Terminators of either flavor.
**One role Scouts are alright at is manning the quad gun on an Aegis. Be sure to give them Camo Cloaks for a 3+ cover, but don't bother with Sniper Rifles. They'll mostly be shooting the quad gun at the nearest flyer, so those rifles will be points wasted.
**One of the classic Scout combos is to take a Techmarine (a Thunderfire Cannon's gunner also counts). Give your scouts Camo Cloaks, put them into a ruin that you "fortify" with the aforementioned Techmarine's special power, and [[Troll|enjoy]] a 2+ cover save.
**According to the wording in the rule book, models choose their weapons individually. Meaning you can take a squad of 5 w/ Bolters and 5 w/ Shotguns and a Land Speeder Storm, and at the beginning of the game, Combat Squad them and stick the melee squad in the Storm while the Bolters hang out in ruins with a Techmarine. The back-line camping Combat Squad is also the only place where Sniper Rifles may be okay.
**One final role a squad might be good at is turn-one tank removal. You take a Land Speeder Storm with a multi-melta and infiltrate it as close to the enemy's biggest, most valuable tank as possible. The speeder Scouts 12" closer to its target, then moves 6" and the squad disembarks 6" (hopefully into some cover). All this should put both the Scout Sarge's combi-melta and the Speeder's multi-melta in melta range, so hope for the best on your to-hit rolls. At only 5 points, you may also want to give the sergeant meltabombs, in case both he and the tank survive turn 1.
** A Veteran Scout Sergeant with a power weapon is a decent buy for melee Scouts in a LSS. Four power weapon attacks on the charge against backline shooty units is nice, or can draw fire away from other units trudging up the board. A Power Maul is a good choice, allowing you to wound most things on 2s and having a decent chance to score a penetrating hit on a vehicle without blowing it up (sparing your squishy marines a lot of S4 hits form the explosion and giving them some cover from the return fire).
**Scouts with Raptor tactics for all intents and purposes have Sniper Rifles sans Precision Shots and with -12" to range for free.
**If you are taking a formation and need a cheap Auxiliary choice, look no further than a 10th company Strike force. Take Sniper Rifles, Camo-Cloaks, and a Heavy Bolter (not necessarily required) on 3, 5 man scout squads. Infiltrate them where you want them and NEVER MOVE THEM. You now have a 36" harassment bubble against enemy infantry, which every once in a while will allow you to allocate a wound yourself or wound with AP2 (Or if you are lucky, both at the same time, perfect for getting rid of Special weapons or sergeants), that has a ''2+ cover save''. They will annoy your enemy AND tank most fire flung at them that isn't a template or Ignores Cover. Just be careful with such small squads because if you roll too many 1s at a time they may be forced to move, and loose their 2+ goodness.
*** This problem is essentially solved if they are taken as an auxiliary for a Salamanders Flameblade, as they automatically gain Fearless if they don.t move in the movement phase. ''Now the enemy has to kill every model to get them off their perch''

===Dedicated Transports===
Note: All of these Dedicated Transports can be taken as Fast Attack Choices. Per the new Facebook draft FAQ, you can't stick Battle Brothers in a transport at deployment (so long Drop Pod taxi service). So if you want to give your Space Marine units (even in a different detachment/formation and even from a different chapter) without one a Drop Pod, or anything that can't take their own (i.e. Centurions), you can if you take the Combined Arms Detachment, without going unbound.
*'''[[METAL BOXES|Rhinos]]''' - Very cheap and good transport since space marines are KNOWN TO HIDE IN MEHTAL BAWKSES, DA KOWARDZ! TEH FEWLZ! There's not much to say about it beyond "use it!" Seriously, don't footslog your marines. A walking marine is a dead marine, and dead men hold no objectives. The only upgrade recommended is the Dozer Blade. Once the guys are out of it, you can basically throw it away in petty dick moves like preventing charges, blocking line of sight (tossing a dozer blade on the sucker will make this glorious bastard even longer, thus potentially blocking even more line of sight), and tank shocking people into tight formation to be hit with flamers, more useful for shielding your own guys as it's side armour is 11, as opposed to the 10 most transports have (*cough* Chimera *cough*) so str 4 weapons (standard infantry power) can't glance it. You can also use its speed to dick around with Necrons if you feel like trolling them and don't really care about winning.
**NOTE: look on the entry for the Rhino in your codex and you will notice a rule that no-one ever uses, which is a shame because it totally rocks: opt out of shooting for a 1/6 chance of repairing an immobilized result. Your opponent cries when he thinks he's immobilized your transport and then it starts moving again. I mean, what else are you going to do in that phase? You're not Chaos, you don't get decent guns on your Rhinos.
**Exploit 7th Edition rules: Did you take a Drop pod with your troops choice? No? Then take a rhino! Vehicles got harder to insta-slag without dedicated AP1/AP2 firepower pointed at them, and dedicated transports taken with troops count as troops. Now you can drive your squad to one objective, then rush your rhino over to hold down or contest another. Alternately: if they want to dislodge your hold on an objective, they now have to destroy both the squad on it AND the transport that took them there.
**Using Khan and White Scars Chapter Tactics a very nasty and potent trick can be pulled with Rhino squads. Start by deploying on 12'', then scout 12'' in your metal box before the game starts. In your first movement go 6'' and disembark your infantry a further 6''. Good at maths? You're now on their deployment line, and you can fire. Your opponent won't anticipate it and it gives you total board control by the end of turn 1 - you can dictate exactly where the fighting goes. That's invaluable.
**Don’t forget that the Rhino comes stock with a free storm bolter, so you can add a second one from the equipment list. A second set of storm bolter shots may not sound like much, but without access to the havoc launchers it’s pretty much the only way your metal box can give [[Your dudes|your dudes]] some quarter-decent fire support.
*'''Razorback''' - What's known in military terms as an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), the Razorback is basically a Rhino that trades 4 of its transport capacity for a turret gun. It is one of the best choices for a SM army themed on firepower. Best configuration is a Tactical Squad of 10 with Lascannon, Melta gun/Plasma gun, matching combi-weapon, and a Razorback with a TLLC. The Space Marine codex FAQ lets a Tactical squad choose a Razorback as a dedicated transport even if it has more than 6 men. So at game start you combat squad them, one with the Sergeant and PG/MG, and the other with Lascannon. The former goes in your transport, the latter stays at the back of the board providing fire support and capturing your home objective. The TL lascannon is generally the best pick, since AV11 3HP is pretty frail in the modern meta, meaning that the otherwise-interesting lascannon/TL plasma gun weapon choice may expose you to too much S6/7 fire if you drive it into Rapid Fire range. Just remember to be careful with your deployment if you come up against a gunline.
**Definitely avoid taking the Razorback stock, the TL Heavy Bolter is a terrible choice. Any of the other choices can be very useful, whether it's backline fire support from the lascannons or running up on enemy objective campers with the TL assault cannon/heavy flamer/plasma gun. The one time the Heavy Bolter might be decent is when you can get a pile of them for free from the Gladius Strike Force.
**See that note above about Objective Secured on Troop Rhinos? Applies here.
**Razorbacks pay 5 points more than anything else you can take for their lascannon or assault cannon loadout - everything else in the codex with a TL heavy bolter can replace it with a TL lascannon for less (a dreadnought needs to spend 10, a centurion devastator or stormtalon gunship 15), and everything with a heavy bolter can replace it with a lascannon for less (devastators pay 10), so you ARE paying quite a lot for TL lascannon spam; make sure to manage your spending before you blow it all on TL lascannons you can get cheaper elsewhere.
**'''Infernum Pattern Razorback (Forge World; IA2)''' - Basically the Razorback with a Multi-Melta turret, introduced by the Forge World. Unfortunately it cannot be taken for free as part of a Gladius.
*'''Drop Pod''' - Also great, mainly because of its ability to deep strike into the most useful position. Inertial Guidance lets it avoid scattering onto impassible terrain and models, which prevents Deep Strike mishaps that don't involve the table edge. Excellent tool to hunt tanks with squads of melta, or drop down a Dreadnought where they least expect it. These transports suffer from the "Half on turn 1, half regular reserve" rule common to deep-striking forces nowadays (bring an odd number of them if you bring more than one, because the "half on turn one" is rounded up). However, even a single Drop Pod is a major psychological tool. A Deep-striking Sternguard squad or Dreadnought is almost guaranteed to change how your opponent deploys, so consider this carefully.
** Thanks to 7th, Drop Pods are now scoring. And if they delivered an ''Objective Secured'' squad to the battlefield, they're (typically) also denial units.
** Also note that the Drop Pod is one of two units able to take a Locator Beacon, good for Deep Striking reinforcements for whatever the Drop Pod was carrying.
** The Deathwind launcher is now cheaper. With the reduced price, you can pay a little more than a tac marine for the ability to lock down a 12" area around a drop pod with a S5 AP- pie plate. You kill a MEQ, you basically pay off the cost of the launcher. Put these on your offensive pods, otherwise it'll be a waste.
** Note: Drop Pods, or their cargo, can be shot by Interceptor units, so beware quad guns and Hydras. Interceptor shots are fired at the end of the Drop-Pod-equipped player's movement phase, meaning AFTER it lands and the Spess Mehreens disembark, so you can at least get into position before being shot at. And yes, it still counts as open-topped against Interceptor.
** Units arriving by Drop Pod are allowed to disembark, and fire or run as normal, but they may not assault. Also thanks to 7e disembark rules you get 6" of free movement to mitigate scatter. As well, Drop Pods don't Snap Fire anymore on entry, so their Deathwind Missile Launcher can strike fear into hordes of low Toughness infantry.
**Advanced tactics on the use of drop pods can be found in the common playing styles section towards the bottom of this tactica page.
*'''Lucius Pattern Dreadnought Drop Pod (Forgeworld; IA2):''' This is a special pattern of Drop Pod that gains Shrouded on the turn it comes in, and does not require its dreadnought to disembark immediately. It's also an Assault Vehicle, so if you're willing to let your dreadnought wait a turn, he can come out from safety and start handing out prostate exams to anyone stupid enough to stay close to the damn thing.
*'''Land Speeder Storm''' - 7th edition may be where the Land Speeder Storm finally comes out of the back of the model enthusiast's closet and onto the table as a viable and fun model to incorporate into your army. AV10/open-topped/HP2 means that if anything looks at it funny, it might explode into a giant fireball that will eat your squad of scouts. On the other hand, being a skimmer means that it gets Jink and can flat out 30" in a turn. It's also an assault vehicle! If you keep this thing behind cover it becomes a decent skirmisher and lets you grab late game objectives with scoring Scouts. You can replace its standard heavy bolter it comes with stock for a heavy flamer for free, but remember that if you are jinking you can't shoot it, and when running scouts you really don't want to be running them at anything that is tougher than them anyway. Lastly, the Cerberus launcher is now S4 AP6 large blast with Blind, so it can give you an edge by blinding something that would otherwise scare your Scouts. Remember that since the LSS is open-topped, the Scouts inside can add significant firepower. The choice between bolters/shotguns/CCWs depends on what you are planning on fighting. Against 5+ and 6+ saves, the bolters are likely better as they will ignore the light armor, but for anything else, you are probably better served by the shotguns letting you charge after shooting. All of this and the Scouts will only run you about 100 points - even adding every upgrade you can think of, this unit won't even cost more than 150. That's savings that you can bank on.
**Remember that tanks no longer suffer from Blind, so this can only work against infantry. It's still fairly good against [[Orks|low]]-[[Tau|initiative]] [[Necron|armies]]
*'''Land Raider (various types)''': Several squads ''(Terminators, Crusaders)'' have access to Land Raiders as dedicated transports, which can make it change its battlefield role. See those unit entries for specific applications of rules and tactics.

===Elites===
*'''Command Squad''' - A squad of (exactly) five Veterans who can take basically anything they want, apart from jump packs, armour upgrades, and heavy weapons. A pretty nice, versatile squad, but they now suck up an Elites Choice in a CAD. They start at 18 points each, but you can make them really, really expensive. Try to keep in mind that they're still 1-wound models.
**They're one of just two units that can take Space Marine Standards (the other being the Honour Guard). They can grab either a Company Standard (reasonably cheap, re-rolls morale) or the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant (expensive as hell, but +1A within a 12" radius).
**One model can become an Apothecary for 15 points, giving the squad FNP (5+); that makes these guys a nice core for your deathstar. Mind that the 2017 FAQ clarified that Apothecaries cannot take any equipment as other veterans are allowed to do, which limits them to CCW/bolter+pistol.
**One model can become a Company Champion, who gets a power weapon, combat shield, and +1WS, and must accept and issue challenges. If you need a little melee he's not a bad deal, as the 15-point upgrade is the same price as a power weapon alone.
***Company Champions are a strange unit, and whilst they pay less for their PW+CS combo, they are still 1W marines meant to challenge enemy HQs. The harsh truth is the poor bloke will inevitably die to any ap3 toting HQ before striking. Only useful against simple sergeants without power weapons, which cost less than half the Company Champion. They also can't take Storm Shields, just like Apothecaries.
**They can take storm shields for just 10 points; now they're rock-hard.
**They have 2 attacks base and can be kitted out to be deadly in melee, but you should take a hard look at the Honour Guard instead. Those guys aren't as versatile, but they get a limited selection of high-end gear for an amazing price.
**The whole squad can grab bikes for 7 points per model. Now they're a perfect entourage for Smashfucker. Alternatively, give them all grav guns and ride around Relentlessly killing everything you see: they've got their twin-linked bolters for the soft stuff, grav for the hard, and they can assault after firing either one if they need to do a little cleanup. In conjunction with Storm Shields and Apothecary to taste, you can get T5 with 3++ invuln and 4+ FnP if you go Iron Hands chapter tactics.
**In a Fist of Medusa Strike Force, these guys are terrifying. Have them ride with your mandatory Captain or Chaplain and they get an obnoxious 3+ FNP (5+ from an Apothecary, +1 from Chapter Tactics, +1 from being within 12" of any FoM IC), making them infernally hard to shift. Use plasma guns or grav guns to wreck anything that needs wrecking while using the IC's bubble to buff the whole force. Throw in the SotEA if you've got some assaulty guys mixed in, just for kicks. And gearing them for assault might be okay, as with Storm Shields they are harder than TEQs (except against S10 AP3) while having better mobility and grenades. Tank some wounds for them with your 2+/FnP/IWND Captain or Chapter Master and they will deliver.
**Make an anti-tank suicide squad by giving them all meltaguns or combi-meltas. No, they don't have access to the Sternguard's bag of tricks, but they're 20 points cheaper and easier to fit into a Gladius Strike Force or similar formation. They've got their own tricks, too: take four meltas and an apothecary and make your opponent use anti-tank guns to get rid of you.
*'''Honour Guard''' - The most devastating assault unit in the codex, point for point. To compare, footslogging Vanguard Veterans with power weapons are 24 points a model. For ONE POINT per model more, you get Artificer Armor and the ability to buy a Chapter Banner. Or, if you prefer, compared to assault terminators, Honor Guard are ten points cheaper, have a choice of Power Sword, Lance, Axe, or Maul, but don't have an invul or lightning claws. What Honour Guard have over both their competitors, however, is sheer number of attacks. Each model gets two base, plus a third for dual wielding, four on the charge, and five if you grab a Chapter Banner or Standard of the Emperor Ascendant, making Honour Guard excellent at killing an entire enemy unit in a single assault phase. Honour Guard have some major weaknesses: lack of Feel No Pain or an Invulnerable save, so keep them away from high str AP2 weapons or buff them with psychic powers. Also, they ''do'' take up an Elites slot now - no more freebie slot from taking a Chapter Master, so plan accordingly.
** If you're playing Crimson Fists, they can get even more terrifying: take the Chapter Banner, a Command Squad with the SotEA, then attach Pedro Kantor to either squad for a ridiculous number of attacks on the charge. Might as well put Pedro in with the Honour Guard to mash things to paste with his Power Fist.
** In 7th Edition Honour Guard can take Land Raiders as DTs like Terminators and Centurions, increasing their staying power and mobility while giving you an excuse to spam Land Raiders. Unlike Terminators and Centurions, Honour Guard don't take up as much space, allowing you to fit a full squad with enough room left over for an Artificer Armour Captain/Chapter Master/IC, and unleash a brakeless rape train upon whatever is unlucky/stupid enough to be in the way when that assault ramp opens.
**Whilst HG are a fantastically priced unit for what they do, they have a glaring weakness, and that's no way of getting invul saves outside of a captain with SS babysitting the plasma shots the unit will inevitably recieve. Add to this the need to take a Land Raider or a Stormraven to have them reliably assault whilst being protected from enemy fire, and you end up with a 400+ snowball of a unit that will still fold against other elite infantry. They have their uses, mainly in small units or as a defensive melee unit, but keep them in cover or they will die miserably.
**Of special note is the issue the Chapter Champion suffers from, just as the Company Champion does: they are 1W, regular initiative goons with an obligation to fight one-on-one against HQs. At initiative 4 enemy characters will more often than not obliterate them before they have a chance to strike (and a 5++ flak board will not save the Company Champion from 3-4 ap3 attacks), and whilst equipping the Chapter Champion with a thunder hammer may seem good on paper, rolling a single 1 on any armour save will lose you 55 points before he contributes to the fight in any meaningful way. He still has the chance to get lucky and ID an enemy character at initiative step 1, if both are carrying TH/fists, but any savvy opponent will chuck you a unit sergeant into the duel, and let the fist-wielding character chew all of the Honour Guard in a single turn. For all this, Relic Blade seems the most reliable weapon to equip Chapter Champions with, or pairing a Power sword + CCW for more attacks and cheaper price. Keep him away from enemy HQs and try to focus onto some MEQs to make back their points, and use other units to hunt enemy HQs.
*'''The Legion of the Damned''' - Very usable Tank/TEQ hunters! At 3 points per model more than Sternguard, you get Fear, Fearless, Slow and Purposeful, 3++, and Ignores Cover. Yes, all of it, including any special or heavy weapons WHICH ARE NOW THE SAME PRICE AS EVERYONE ELSE'S (and they can shoot them on the move thanks to the SaP mentioned above). They are also one of the 3 units that can take Heavy Flamers. On the downside, they can only arrive through Deep Strike, can't be joined by Independent Characters, and they don't get any of the Chapter Tactics. That said, however, they can re-roll all their scatter die, so their Deep Strike is more reliable. For tank hunting give them Meltagun, Multi-Melta and Combi-Melta (weirdly, they can't take melta bombs in 7th), for TEQ give them Plasma Cannon, Plasma gun and Combi-Plasma.
*'''Terminator Squad''' - Now 35 points per model, but still not too effective. The regular terminators are best teleported in, but it depends on your enemy's composition. If he has no AP2 or AP1 weaponry, footslogging them can be good, especially if you have an assault cannon or cyclone. In small point games, terminators are hard to kill without AP 1/2. If the enemy does have heavy weapons, it's best to deep strike them, and hope you can eliminate that weapon before that, or put them out of harm's way. Land Raiders can help, but are better suited for assault terminators. Sadly, storm bolters simply aren't killy enough, and a single assault cannon/heavy flamer/Cyclone per 5 men won't add much. Against the abundance of high strength AP1 and AP2 in many updated codices, you may find your toughness 4 terminators dying without doing much at all (except DISTRACTION CARNIFEX). They can be quite effective anti-vehicle troops: give them chainfists, load them into a Land Raider, then run up on vehicles and rip them open; that probably would be the best way to field them.
**Note: These guys are fairly explicitly overcosted compared to Assault Terminators; the most obvious way this is true is that the Sergeant has a Power Sword instead of a Power Fist, but still costs the same as his compatriots, even though the codex normally charges you more points for a fist than a sword (ATs don't have this issue, as the sergeant takes the same loadout as the others). If you assume Assault Terminators are "worth" 35 points and backsolve using the Terminator Weapons list, then the Sergeant is "worth" 20 (you've overpaid by 15 points) and the other Terminators are "worth" 30 (you've overpaid by 5 ''each'').
***This comparison gets worse if you give the ATs Hammers and Shields, as they pay only 10 points for them, rather than the 5 points the TW Weapons List charges.
***It ''also'' gets worse if you take a Heavy Flamer (per the weapons lists, it should cost 5 to go from a Storm Bolter to an HF but you pay 10) or an Assault Cannon (every other model pays around 20 pts for an Assault Cannon, and you're giving up a 5 point gun, so it should cost 15).
***This means the only model in the squad paying a "fair" price for its weapons is the guy carrying a Cyclone Missile Launcher, as he pays 25 points for a gun "worth" 30 (it's two missile launchers in addition to his other loadout), bringing his cost back down to "fair" from being 5 over, and you can't spam his loadout.
**The above suggestion about chainfists is, due to the costs involved, deeply inferior to the same trick with Hammernators; 5 Hammernators cost 225 points, while 1 Swordnator + 4 Fistnators costs 235 (for 2 fewer S8 attacks and no Storm Shields).
*'''Assault Terminators:''' These go in Land Raiders, and are the gold standard of assault units. Seriously, nearly every other dedicated assault unit in the game is compared to these fuckers, and 9 times out of ten, they cannot compare (that last 1 of 10 would most likely be genestealers, Lychguard or Incubi). They should absolutely not be footslogged if possible. Always keep a majority of them with thunder hammers; 3 hammers to 2 lightning claw guys is a good ratio to get that 3+ Invulnerable save against anything big and nasty. These guys attract a LOT of firepower (i.e. all of it) so keeping them alive can be difficult, but they can chop up just about anything in the game once stuck in. Switching from default claws to TH/SS is now 10 points each, so unlike normal Terminators your points savings compared to previous editions is less, but you still pay less than a Captain does attempting the same loadout.
**Remember that they lack frag grenades, so without an LR Crusader/Redeemer or an attached IC to provide them, your LC guys will be swinging at I1 when they assault into cover.
**As cool as they are, remember that they're expensive. Like, 5 in a Land Raider will cost you 450+ points. Is that the best use of 450+ points? Choose carefully...
**Also remember that a single Land Raider is a '''massive''' bullet magnet. Bring something else deadly enough to help draw some fire so it can carry your Hammernators into range without blowing up first. Sadly, this might not be possible until you hit 1500+ points, probably more.
**A Land Raider is not 100% mandatory for delivering these guys. If you don't mind them spending a turn doing nothing, consider putting a teleport homer or two in your list. It allows them a reliable means of entering play that doesn't cost more points than the squad itself. Just be sure you have enough storm shields in the squad to cover your ass or you WILL be shot off the table!
**Another approach is to put your Assault Terminators in a Stormraven. Fly right on top of the enemy when you come in, switch to Hover mode the next turn, and parachute your assault termies in front of the enemy.
*'''Cataphractii Terminator Squad (Angels of Death):''' Similar to regular terminators, with the same price, but come with Combi-Bolters instead of Storm Bolters, trading their long range effectiveness for shorter range accuracy. They cannot get Thunder Hammers or Storm Shields, but this is okay, since Cataphractii armor gives them all 4++, so the loss of the shield is mitigated somewhat by the ability to actually shoot. Any model can swap their Fist for a Claw or Chainfist, but the only special weapon the squad can take is a Heavy Flamer. The Sergeant's Power Sword is Master-Crafted, making him way more worth it than a normal termi sergeant, ''and'' he doesn't have to keep it, as he can swap it for the same Claw/Fist options as the rest of the squad. He can also take a grenade harness, which counts as assault grenades when charging and can be "fired" as an 8" S3/AP- Assault 2 Blast in addition to his combi-bolter.
**You should never footslog Terminators as it is, but that goes double for your Slow and Purposeful Cataphractii. Unless you can deep strike them ''exactly'' where they need to be (preferably with a lot of cover), or plan to march them down the middle of the board as a [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]] and see just how much incoming fire those fancy 4+ shield generators can deflect, keep these guys in a Land Raider. [[Fail|They also don't get goodies like Cyclones or Assault Cannons like your regular Termis can]]. Take Custodes in a formation, they do the job much better.
*'''Tartaros Terminator Squad:''' Similar to regular terminators with the same price at 35 points/model, and have Combi-Bolters instead of Stormbolters like the Cataphractii. They also have the huge advantage of being the only terminators that can perform [[Rape|sweeping advances]]. Any model can swap their fist for a claw or chainfist, but now they come with 2 special weapon options: The Reaper Autocannon (stepping on the toes of CSM players even harder, are we?) and the Heavy Flamer as usual. The sergeant also has a Mastercrafted Power Sword, and can take either a Plasma Blaster or a '''[[Volkite|Volkite Charger]]'''. Stick with the Plasma Blaster, as ''Deflagrate'' is more likely to happen en masse and Chargers have a pitiful fifteen inch range. There are only 2 factors that determine whether you want to take Vanilla Terminators or Tartaros Terminators. The latter is better with mobility and close range fire support (Twin-linked bolters, Plasma Blaster is way better than a combi-plasma), but Vanilla Terminators can get better Heavy Weapon options. Despite their ability to sweep advance, you should weigh them carefully against your other options if you're expecting to encounter large amounts of AP2 melee weapons, as these guys lack both the Vanilla Assault Terminators's option for Storm Shields, and the Cataphractii's enhanced invuln save.
*'''[[Centurion_Squad|Centurion Assault Squad]]''' - While ~60% more expensive than Assault Terminators on a per-model basis, being T5 W2 offers them mostly superior durability (except against AP2) and less lost effectiveness per failed save (except against S10). They are armed with double S10 chainfists WITHOUT unwieldy, making them great against Dreadnoughts, Carnifexes, Imperial Knights, and so on. With only two attacks base (3 on a Veteran Sarge) and SAP, they aren't good at killing any infantry other than TEQs (and only if they have no invulnerable saves), though double flamers and the option of hurricane bolters help a bit, but any vehicle or building they successfully charge is already dead, just too stupid to realize it. In a CAD, you can stick them in a Drop Pod and TL melta or flamer something on Turn 1, then charge some poor tank or TEQ squad Turn 2. Outside of that (say, in a Gladius Strike Force), delivering them might get tricky, though a Stormraven can certainly help (and even leaves you 3 passenger spots, either for ICs or one more dude). With such poor mobility once disembarked, however, they might spend the rest of the game getting kited, so make sure that you deliver them properly and kill the shit out of their target to get your points back.
**The Centurion Sergeant/Veteran Sergeant is the only non-HQ/non-Techmarine character in the Space Marine codex with multiple wounds, and is thus the only non-HQ infantry to benefit from It Will Not Die from Iron Hands Chapter Tactics.
**Anti-Lord of War Assault unit. Most super heavy walkers are at equal or lower Initiative. Stock unit of 3 has 10 attacks on the charge, with almost every hit resulting in a penetration. Even if the Superheavy wipes the unit, it is very easy to get 5 HP of damage on a super-heavy without assistance. Chaplains really help, especially considering the low number of attacks per model.
**Stock Assault Centurions are 10 pts cheaper than stock Terminators and have 1 more total Wounds. If already planning to use a Land Raider, Storm Raven, or allied transport for Terminators, these make for an interesting alternative, especially since they only require 9 spaces (leaving room for an IC).
**'''Interesting combo'''
***A unit of three of these guys with a veteran serge and an omniscope plus Pedro Kantor synergize well, solving some of the drawbacks of both units. First, they fit perfectly in a drop pod. Second, they gain an extra attack, summing on the charge 13 S10 AP2 Armourbane attacks, plus another 6 S8 AP2 attacks. And third, Pedro Kantor can fire his orbital bombardment onto any enemy unit he wants (thanks to Split Fire from the scope) after moving as he inherits SAP from the Centurions, and he can tank AP2 shots with his 4++ and FNP.
*'''Sternguard Veterans''' - 110 base (down from 120 in 6th), 22 points per model. They get special issue bolter ammunition (including combi-weapons, but not storm bolters) that offer a variety of effects. On a given shooting phase, you may use Poisoned (2+), Ignores Cover, AP4/30" range, or AP3/Gets Hot/18" range shots in addition to standard bolter ammo, but the whole unit must use that special ammo. Thankfully, you can switch between the different types of special ammo each time you make a shooting attack, so this allows Sternguard to kill GEQs in cover, MEQs, MCs (using the Poisoned 2+ rounds) and anything in between quite effectively. Any model can take a storm bolter or combi-weapon, but storm bolters don't get special issue ammo, so don't bother. Up to two models can take special or heavy weapons, which includes Heavy Flamers (Sternguard are one of 3 units that get to take them), so you've got plenty of options. The combination of special issue ammo and combi-weapons means Sternguard can be geared to tackle almost any threat effectively, so pick accordingly. If you take Pedro Kantor, they gain Objective Secured (they do NOT become Troops, you still need Tacs/Scouts/Bikes if you want to stay Battle Forged).
**Oh, and don't forget: Sternies get base 2 attacks, so they have more CC punch than your typical shooty squad. Still, they are a shooty unit, so assault only as a tactical necessity.
**Remember to pick a combi-weapon that addresses a need your special issue ammo can't. Typically, this is TEQs or tanks, so if you're putting them in a Drop Pod (the most common use for Sternguard), take combi-plasmas or combi-meltas to maximize your alpha strike damage. If you want to use them in a gunline or defensive capacity, combi-gravs for the extra shots when standing still is typically the best choice, unless you badly need flamers against Green Tide or anything similar in enemy body count.
**Remember, you can bring up to two(!) Heavy Flamers in a 5-man Squad, and at only 10 Points each they're a steal. Perfect for hopping out of a Drop Pod or Rhino and barbecuing some poor bastards, especially with added combi-flamers and/or Librarian psychic shooting. In fact, if you want a squad no-one will dare charge, add combi-flamers to that mix for Xd3 auto-hits (X being # of combined heavy/combi-flamers) on the squad charging you. Ouch!
**One idea to consider is grav-guns or plasma guns, instead of their combi-weapon variants. Sure, you lose out on special ammo, but AP2 shooting for multiple turns helps beat the 2+ armor saves that might otherwise rain on the Sternguard parade. Plasma guns trade potential volume of fire for better mobile (aka post-Drop-Pod) shooting (2 plasma shots at 12" vs. 2 grav shots at 9" if you moved).
**Sternguard in a Drop Pod are a great suicide anti-tank squad. Give them combi-meltas and drop them right behind the heaviest enemy tank on turn 1. They pop out, disembark up to 6", and shoot that tank in the ass with 5 meltaguns at once, destroying or crippling it before it can even do anything. Granted, your 195 pt squad will probably be rage-killed by everything that your opponent can throw at it, which is actually great, because now they just spent a turn killing one squad and no longer has their precious Baneblade (or whatever you murdered). A Command Squad can do the same thing for 20 points less, but the flexibility of special issue ammo means if your Sternguard DON'T get shot to pieces after blasting a tank (or other high-value target), they are more versatile shooters afterwards.
** Whack a ten-man combi-melta squad into a Drop Pod but split into two combat squads, slam the Drop Pod down between two tanks - thanks Inertial Guidance Systems! - wrench the doors open, dump your Sternguard on the table with five pointing towards each tank (preferably rear armour thanks to 6" disembark move). Giving in to maniacal laughter from melting two tanks on turn one is not required, but ''is'' recommended. Similarly, you can run a half/half combi-melta/-flamer unit if infantry are near a tank, or ten combat-squadded combi-flamers if you want to either burn two different squads, or wreck ONE squad from two directions. Having done this several times - blowing up two Grey Knights Razorbacks one minute into the game - I can confirm it works and is fun as hell.
**If you're using Kantor to give Sternguards Objective Secured, remember that it does not affect their Drop Pods, as dedicated transports have the same classification as the unit they are taken for, and might not always receive command-related benefits their cargo do (in this case, Kantor's Objective Secured).
**They can be used as the central part of your gunline/front; put them barebones in a rhino and they can give anti-infantry fire support to a good chunk of your army with their 30" bolters. Weedy infantry beware.
**'''Sternguard Squad Amarex (Raven Guard) (Strike Force Solaq)''' - A Sarge gets a Power Sword and Plasma Pistol, one with a Heavy Flamer, one gets a Storm Bolter, and two Bolters with ammo. So long as they don't move at all, they get Shrouded for their turn, making them pretty wicked. The issue is that you only get two shots with ammo, which kinda hampers their usefulness, but the Flamer does help overwatch.
**'''Veteran Sergeant Haas (Red Scorpions)''' - An upgrade to a Sternguard squad sergeant, 45 points gives you an artificer armoured sergeant with a power sword and a pistol. His gear is meh, but he makes your squad Relentless. It's great if the squad is packing combi-gravs, and especially great for making Dual-purpose squads! Relentless Sternguard Veterans can, and absolutely should rapid fire the most pertinent ammo they have to thin out enemy ranks, then charge the survivors to use their MEQ-Veteran Statline. YOU'RE A SPACE MARINE, that means you shouldn't be scared of melee!
*'''Tyrannic War Veterans (Ultramarines)''' - They're basically the same as Sternguard but only able to use Hellfire rounds for their bolters, cheaper as a base unit though smaller and cost 1 point more per extra model, Preferred Enemy (Tyranids), and a special rule that grants them Zealot when facing Tyranids. Needless to say, against any other army, they're practically better off as just plain Sternguard, but against Tyranids, they're a handy squad for hitting the inevitable gaunt hordes that will comprise the Nid player's army.
**'''Another take''' One of the few SM units which can be taken at the 4-man level. This can have value if you want to add an independent character in Terminator armor to ride around in one of the FW land raiders with a 6-man transport capacity (like the LR helios or achilles).
*'''Vanguard Veterans''' Substantially cheaper than Sternguard, but the same cost if you give them jump packs. They are better ASM for only 5 points, gaining +1 A and Ld, pseudo-Fleet, and immunity to the penalty for Disordered Charges. They can each take a storm shield for 10 points and take various melee weapons at a greatly decreased cost, [[Awesome|especially Power Weapons and Lightning Claws, which are only 5 points each for them]]. Give a few the 3++ and stick them out front for saves against those pesky blastmasters and watch them survive. These are the guys you choose when you want elite jump infantry as opposed to just more ASMs by taking a few SS for all that low AP cover ignoring meta and some power weapons to cut down foes for less than the cost of two ASM units.
**'''Vanguard Squad Davros (Raven Guard) (Strike Force Solaq)''' - A pack of 5 Jump Pack vets, sarge with Hammer/Shield, the others with claws. They get Fear and...nothing else.
**'''Veteran Sergeant Culln (Red Scorpions)''' - Yes, this is the same guy who is the Red Scorpions Chapter Master. And First Captain. Yeah, it's weird. Anyways, the gist of it is that he is a 60 point upgrade to a sergeant, just like Haas, and he has two wounds, a jump pack and a relic blade, and gives the squad Stubborn and re-roll to hits in CC. A fantastic buff to the unit, much cheaper (and probably straight-up better) than a Chaplain with a Jump Pack.
**Reliably delivering these guys can be tricky - with only 3+ (or 3++) saves, enough shots at them can make things very hairy while they jump across a battlefield, and Deep Striking, even with the aid of a Locator Beacon, means you're stuck eating a turn of shooting before you can go to work. A Stormraven is a good solution, and you even have enough room inside it to add an IC with his own Jump Pack to the squad.
**Note they can each take a plasma or grav pistol. You can take two, one of each, or just replace the chainsword with one for a bolt and grav- or plasma-pistol combo, and you now have John Woo marines. This lets you keep the +1A from having two weapons and looks cool. Heck, you could run them all like this, without jump packs, and have an entire squad of goddamn Cypher-wannabes for giggles (though this is stupidly ineffective, so you shouldn't actually do this unless you magnetized everything, or just happened to rob a truck outside your local GW that turned out to be loaded with nothing but Cypher models).
***Though thanks to the Gunslinger rule, all models with two pistols may fire both in the shooting phase, so if you do take the Grammaton vanguards, they will at least fire off 10-20 shots with high power. Expensive both in money and points, but possible.
*'''Dreadnought''' - There are 3 ways you can field this beast. The first is by making it a gun platform, with either a pair of TL Autocannons on it, or a missile launcher/TL Lascannon combo. The second way to field it is for melee (has 4 attacks instead of 2 from 6th edition), though if you want that you should take a look at the Ironclad. The third, and best, way to field a Dreadnought is as a stock Multi Melta Dread in a drop pod. On the first turn, drop it near your opponent's prized tank (e.g a Land Raider filled with Grey Knights) and blast it. The better range of its MM, immunity to most small-arms fire, and four attacks with its S10 AP2 I4 power fist (five on the charge) are the advantages the Dreadnought has in the suicide tank-killer role over Sternguard or a Command Squad. If you happen to have ten extra points give it a Heavy Flamer to have a very versatile dread, plus it can Wall of Flames if it gets charged. You can field them in groups of three if you want to save slots, at the cost of the option to take Drop Pods (which is a fine way to create a long-range gun squad). Finally, all Dreadnought variations can now benefit from Chapter Tactics, so if you're planning on using them, load them out so as to maximize their Chapter Tactics (Salamanders should change the built-in bolter for a heavy flamer, White Scars can Hit & Run, etc). Lastly, don't forget to resolve your Hammer of Wrath attack whenever you charge successfully; it's only S6 AP-, but hey, it's free.
**Note: A Purge-tastic Dreadnought rocking a twin-linked heavy flamer, and a heavy flamer under its power fist, mounted in a Drop-Pod, will harvest many tears. This is also THE cheapest way to drop two heavy flamers in the codex... apart from those twin heavy flamer land speeders.
**Stock boxnaughts are fantastic for all they do, plus their price. You can hardly argue with a 100p. unit capable of easily making back double its points. One often overlooked situation is mirror matches with other walkers: keep your dread in cover and, unless the other dread is an Ironclad with launchers, witness as you win every single melee, provided they charge you and drop to Initiative 1. If they do not, keep shooting at them with your MM whilst squatting in your ruins.
*'''Venerable Dreadnought''' - As above, but costs 25 points more and has +1 WS/BS along with the Venerable rule, which lets you force the enemy to re-roll Vehicle Damage table results against you - usually worth the 25 pts, but not always. They can be taken in squads of three as well.
*'''Ironclad Dreadnought''' - You won't be getting krak'd to death anymore, but you pay more. A bit more of a toss up on that front, though, with the Facebook FAQ nerfing grenades to one per SQUAD in assault, but at least that means you have less to fear from Tau haywire squads. Not bad as a suicide DP dread, though you have to wait until the next turn to really threaten unless your heavy flamer(s) or meltagun does work right away. The Hurricane Bolter sucks, you might as well just take a Tactical Squad for better effect. The seismic hammer and chain-fist can be switched for free, so you can decide whether to prioritize AP1 (better chance to wreck/explode vehicles) or Armorbane (much better chance to penetrate AV14). [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|Deepstrike it in a drop pod next to their AV14 tank and laugh as they spend a turn killing it with all their heavy weapons]] while a Sternguard Drop Pod or MM Land Speeder sneaks in. Also, with the Stormraven going vanilla, you can strap the Ironclad there with a squad inside to give it cover fire, and deliver it with a bit more precision than a Drop Pod (nice for going after tanks tucked into a table corner, where even Drop Pods can easily Mishap). For extra extra hilarity, put (insert deathstar here) in the Stormraven, [[Rip and tear|and vaporize everything the turn the Dread and the passengers disembark.]] Like the regular Dread, you can take them in squads of three, but their lack of long-range weapons makes it difficult to reach their desired targets. Also they are now 4A base, +1 for double CCW; [[Rape|six attacks at Strength 10 Initiative 4 on the charge]], plus melta/heavy flamer shots and whatever Chapter Tactics they get, enables them to mulch blobs, TEQs, or even Monstrous Creatures. Heck, they have a decent shot at suiciding a knight. If you plan on charging though cover give it Ironclad Launchers, which also work as defensive grenades so fewer melee attacks against your dread.
*'''Contemptor Dreadnought (Angels of Death)''' - A more advanced dreadnought, with greater base strength, 13 12 10 armour (so an Ironclad's front with standard side), WS and BS 5 like a Venerable, and a substantial points hike. Also comes with ''fleet'', and atomantic shielding (5+ inv. against shooting, 6+ inv. against close combat, and +1" to explosion if it suffers a 'vehicle explodes' result). For shooting options, it comes stock with a multi-melta, but you can swap this out for a Kheres pattern assault cannon, which is murderlicious (it's an assault cannon that's heavy fucking 6!). It also comes stock with a power fist with built-in combi-bolter, which you can't swap out for anything in Angels of Death. Notably, they don't come with a searchlight (not that that would have been helpful) or smoke launchers, or the ability to take a Drop Pod.
** (Forge World Only) However, the better loadout is two dread CCWs (one of which may be a chainfist), because contemptors get access to some nifty built-in guns to their hands: there's your standard storm bolter and heavy flamer, plus a plasma blaster (assault 2 plasma gun with an 18" range) and the freaky-deaky graviton gun. This gat shoots an AP3 small blast that forces a strength test or die and makes the terrain it hits difficult; vehicles are auto-glanced. Oh, and you can give the contemptor BS5 to go with its WS5 for a small upgrade, plus you can mount a typhoon missile launcher - on its back without giving up its arm guns!
**Going with ranged-specialization or a Mortis is now probably the better option with the Forge World Contemptor until Forge World releases a rules update for Imperial Armour V2 (the recent Horus Heresy FAQ doesn't count, as that's specifically for Horus Heresy-era Legion Contemptors, and flat out states that the profile is “intentionally not the same as their Warhammer 40,000 counterparts.”).
**If you go ranged, the choice between a Contemptor and a Contemptor Mortis largely depends on what your enemy is bringing to the table, as the two effectively become interchangeable. If you expect to be facing flyers, go with a Mortis for the Helical Targeting Array. If not, you should probably just stick with a regular Contemptor and keep Fleet, as well as the ability to mix and match your guns (assuming you’ve magnetized, and for a Contemptor, you should have).
**The Angels of Death supplement has its own updated Contemptor squadron, though with far fewer weapon options. So while you can get them in squadrons and a better stat-line using the AoD version, if you want anything other than a Multi-Meltas or Assault Cannons you'll still have to use the IA2 rules. Also, the AoD version takes up a Heavy Support slot instead of Elites, but this means you can take '''twelve''' Contemptors if you really wanted, with your Elite ones being better armed individually.
*'''Siege Dreadnought (Forge World):''' An interesting, somewhat cost effective alternative to the Ironclad, albeit not as heavily armoured. Has an flamestorm cannon with (which can be replaced with a multi-melta for free) and an assault drill with a built in heavy flamer. Can also mount two hunter-killer missiles just like an Ironclad, but the standout feature is that assault drill: +D6 for armour pen rolls on bunkers, fortifications, buildings and motionless vehicles. Then after you punch the drill through the hard chocolate shell, you get to take a free heavy flamer shot against anyone inside.
*'''Chaplain Dreadnought (Forge World)''' - Because why the hell not? The idea behind this thing is take everything you like about a Venerable Dreadnought, all of Forgeworld's dreadnoughts (except the Contemptor) and a Chaplain. You can take pretty much every gun, including an inferno cannon, plus you can double up on DCW's plus heavy flamer. This thing has the Venerable and Litany of Hate rules, plus a Venerable's stat-line.
*'''Mortis Dreadnought (Forge World)''' - Dreadnought with 2 Missile Launchers, which can be upgraded to two Twin-Linked Heavy Bolters, two Twin-Linked Autocannons or two Twin-Linked Lascannons. It also counts as Skyfire/Interceptor while stationary - take double autocannons, and think of it like your space marine hydra flak tank. Unfortunately, you only can take one per detachment. Or instead of being an idiot, take double lascannons. Double autocannons is actually meh against fliers, and lascannons provide more use against ground forces due to being able to kill most vehicles in the game. Don't believe me on the Lascannon thing? Okay, mathhammer time. Dual autocannons will give you 4 shots, averaging on 3.6 hits. Assuming AV12, you need 5s to glance or 6s to pen, so in other words, a 33% chance to do something. This averages as 1.188 glance/pen, with a 50/50 chance of it being either. Conversely, on lascannons you get 2 shots, averaging at 1.8 hits. However, you will glance on a 3+ or pen on a 4+. This averages as ALSO 1.188 Glance/pen, most likely being the pen (1 glance for every 3 pens). So here we have the same chance to do something- either a glance or a pen- but significantly better chances on the Lascannon of that something being a penetrate. Added to that, the Lascannon does more damage through it's penetrations. Therefore, in the pure anti air role, the Lascannon wins out. It's also useful against enemy heavy armour, and kinda-able to deal with enemy heavy infantry, whilst the autocannon is stuck in that awkward position of being kinda-able to target heavy infantry, or kinda-able to target light vehicles. Unless you don't have the points for it, take the dual lascannons every time.
*'''Contemptor Mortis (Forge World):''' Probably the best Contemptor variant, this guy is exactly what it written on the can - a mixture of Contemptor and Moris, with the increased stats and relig wargear of the first one, and double-gun load-out and skyfire/interceptor ability of the second. Here's your loadout: ignore everything and take 2 Kheres pattern assault cannons and a cyclone missile launcher. There! You're done. If you find yourself not in range of the assault cannons, move forward and throw down with a couple of missiles. If you DO have something in assault cannon range, hold still and let the rape flow - your dread will loose a total of 12 S6 AP4 rending shots at 24" on a hapless unit and if you stood still, you can drop 2 more missiles on the poor fuckers. You will tear apart tanks, mow down infantry and blast aircraft out of the sky with this fucking thing.
*'''Hecaton Aiakos (Forge World)''' - A unique contemptor dreadnought character for the Minotaurs chapter, comes with a plasma cannon. Costs a fortune but he's much improved over a normal contemptor; first he's ''Venerable'', which is something other contemptors don't get, letting you force re-rolls on the damage chart. Second he's got [[Slaanesh|+1 to his Initiative]], Ballistic Skill AND a +1 bonus to his atomantic shielding, so his invulnerable save is 4+ against shooting, making him a good choice for a footslogging army. On the flip side his rear AV is 10 and his explosion radius in increased by 2".
*'''Dreadnought-Brother Halar (Forge World)''' - A slightly beefed-up Dread with +1 WS/A. He also comes equipped like an Ironclad, but replacing his gun with a Flamestorm Cannon of fiery doomness. He also has a special rule: If he loses his last HP in anything that isn't Explodes or the D, he stays on the board until the next turn. On this last turn, he'll get Preferred Enemy (EVERYTHING) and will shrug off everything short of the D and explosions. If you have the points for this kamikaze, he's here.
*'''Land Raider Prometheus (Forge World)''' An uber LRC. Four Twin-Linked heavy bolters (two on each sponson) is the same number of shots as hurricane bolters at <12", twice as many at 12-24, and can actually shoot up to 36, with the advantage of being S5. It's a HB dev squad, twin-linked. Granted, it loses the assault cannon, but it gains dedicated transport status in siege assault lists, and fucks with cover saves by one, ignores night fighting, and boosts reserve rolls by one (2+ reserves ftw!). Don't put it near enemy heavy armour, but a solid tank overall.
**Despite four TL heavy bolters being functionally the same as the two quad linked heavy bolters it had previously while the tank remains stationary, The tank can keep firing at a reduced output from both sides until several weapon destroyed results are rolled on the tank rather than just losing whole sponsons. However, this does reduce its firepower output while the tank is on the move, since it will be forced to snapfire some of its heavy bolters and will make you less inclined to purchase pintle-mounted weaponry.
**This goes hand-in-hand with armies that use massive amounts of deep striking units for obvious reasons. Combine with a Siege Master in Siege Assault Vanguard armies for +1 re-rollable reserve rolls. Admittedly a SAV army can't take drop pods for Tactical Squads, but every other squad can still take them, as well as Terminators still being able to teleport and fliers to arrive by deep strike.

===Fast Attack===
====Infantry/Nonvehicles====
*'''Assault Squad:''' Melee troops that can work both for deep striking or flying across the map. Not too expensive for what they do, and with a special character and a decently-equipped sergeant they can handle most situations. They might not fare so well against super-melee squads, but their mobility helps them pick and choose, and dual flamers even the odds against foes that would normally be far too numerous for them to consider taking on. Also if you can, give 'em melta bombs and watch them rampage through enemy armor columns. Upgrade the Sergeant to give them at least one guy with a power weapon.
***Whether you buy a transport or Jump Packs really depends on your playstyle and the mission; keeping your guys in a tank limits mobility slightly, but keeps them alive against small arms; a drop pod lets them go anywhere, but they can't assault when they come out; standard jump packs let them go anywhere.
***Take a drop pod and two flamers. You now have a 115 point unit that can decimate most infantry. Happy burning.
***Use them as above, or take them as a cheap counter-attack unit. Keep them out of sight behind your lines. If your front lines get overwhelmed, send these guys in to deal with it. With 3 attacks a pop on the charge, with hammer of wrath if they have jump packs, it'll usually take down whatever is assaulting your guys a notch. Note this doesn't work against dedicated assault units and they will most likely be killed. Works wonders against hordes though, but don't fall into the trap of giving them flamers in this role: their purpose is to charge a unit once it is locked in CC, where you can't use your range weapons. Use those 10 points to upgrade the sergeant instead.
***They just got updated. Good news- their cost has dropped to 70 points and they can now take an Eviscerator for every five models in the squad (so 3 special melee weapons in total, including the serge's power weapon, although your return is greatest if you have the vet serge take the Eviscerator, due to his second attack and the costs and availabilities of his other weapons - you're functionally buying a chainfist for 5 points less than others pay for it, since you can't buy a second specialist weapon anyhow).
***Plasma pistols are generally a poor choice here, and largely unnecessary what with Eviscerators allowing the squad to engage beefier armored targets.
***Running an assault squad without jump packs is a choice that few opponents will expect, and can serve as a cheap surprise when they jump out of the rhino/drop pod your opponent was expecting to contain a tactical squad.
***If playing Salamanders and you didn't give the Sergeant a weapon upgrade, consider master-crafting his Krak grenades. It's his best shooting attack within 8", hits before you get to melee, and works well in a plodding double flamer squad.

*'''Bike Squad:''' Once hardly used except as the odd troop choice with a captain, these guys are now one of the most competitive parts of the new codex for three reasons:
**Grav-guns - these guys are relentless, so they can fire their Grav weapons at full range and volume while moving and can still charge afterwards.
**Points cost - 21 points a pop, and the many benefits of the Space Marine Bike are worth the 7 points over a Tactical Marine.
**White Scars Chapter Tactics - Skilled Rider, Hit and Run, and +1S on Hammer of Wrath, and you can also take Khan for everyone to have Scout. All this for still only 1 pt more than a CSM biker. DO NOT take them as Fast Attack; putting them in a Troops slot lets you bring your flyers and attack bike squads/speeders. It's a crowded FOC slot, so try to avoid taking them as FA.
**With the new Codex, ''any'' HQ on a Bike qualifies Bikers for the Troops slot. Can't use a Captain in your army? Take a Librarian, Tech Marine or Chaplain, instead! Also gone is the limitation that only units of 5+ Bikes count as Troops. Excellent!

*'''Attack Bikes:''' The Yang to Land Speeders' Ying, this is the Marines' other great FA unit. The debate on the relative merits of the Speeder and the Attack Bike is endless. Great for their two wounds, and heavy weapons. Can fit into variety of roles, from tank hunting to infantry harassing, but their low number of attacks means they should be kept out of all but the easiest of melee combats (e.g., Fire Warriors). Attack Bikes also benefit from a wider array of Chapter Tactics when compared to Land Speeders, although the advantages may not be very significant (White Scars obviously being an exception). Also 5 points cheaper than before.

*'''Scout Bike Squad:''' Pretty decent anti-infantry shooting unit, with Infiltrate, Scout and 6 Frag blasts, which means they can hurt light infantry from a safe distance (24") right on turn 1. Krak grenades can glance or penetrate a bawks, too, but you can only use 1 from the whole squad per Assault phase (apparently everyone was playing grenades wrong for years according to the FAQ. Good rules writing there GW). Still, keep them in mind. With their new BS 4 you can use them to bolster your bike army by making a turn 1 disruption on your enemy's deployment zone.
** Locator Beacons. They're one of two units that can take them, and the only unit that can both start on the board and be mobile.
** Infiltrate + Scout move. They can turbo-boost to within 12" of the enemy before the game actually starts. This, combined with a Locator Beacon, allows for tactical insertion of your drop pods and, if you should so fancy, a scout-missile.
** Cluster Mines. For 20 points per unit, you can booby-trap a single piece of terrain on the field before the battle starts. It becomes dangerous terrain to enemies; your troops (as well as battle brothers) don't have to worry though.

====Vehicles====

*'''Stormtalon Gunship:''' (Attack Flyer) The bastard child of a Thunderhawk and a Land Speeder, this fast flyer comes with AV 11 all around, TL assault cannons and heavy bolters, and can exchange the HBs for TL lascannons, a Typhoon ML, or a Skyhammer ML (which is basically a 3-shot autocannon), each of which became cheaper in the new codex (in particular, Skyhammer MLs are 5 points). While more expensive than Land Speeder, this little fucker is a lot more survivable, and has some interesting rules. For example, Zooming makes it go 6" further when going flat-out, while Hovering gives it +1 to Jink, making it a pain to remove. It also has Ceramite Shielding, but really, this is only for fluff. A Meltagun that can get a target lock on this thing's ass will blow it up regardless of how many dice it rolls.
**[[Rape|It has the strafing run special rule, meaning that it has BS5 against everything but skimmers and fliers]]. You know, in case Twin-Linked BS4 wasn't accurate enough for your tastes.
**With the new Stormwing Formation, you can now take one Stormraven, escorted by TWO Stormtalons. And as long as at least one Stormtalon is alive, EVERYONE HAS THE STRAFING RUN RULE. So with one Reserve roll, you bring on a Stormraven, two Stormtalons, an Ironclad Dreadnought and 10-man Honour Guard squad. Make your opponent cry. It's ok. You won't be able to hear them over your laughter.
**Thanks to the new Death from the Skies rules, the Stormtalon is now only good against ground targets. For a dedicated anti-flyer unit look down below. Also, you can run up to 4 in a single FA slot, without needing to keep coherency, unless of course you wanted to.

*'''Stormhawk Interceptor:''' (Fighter) With the Stormtalon losing skyfire, this is your dedicated flying anti-flyer. It has Front AV 12 and the same Ceramite Shielding as the Storm Talon. Lost strafing run and hover but got supersonic, making it more agile. It comes stock with TL Assault Cannons, a Las-Talon (which is basically a Lascannon with twice the shots at half the range) that can be exchanged for an Icarus Stormcannon, and TL Heavy Bolters that can be upgraded to Skyhammer/Typhoon Missile Lauchers (Typhoon negates a lot of drawbacks). It also comes with a new piece of equipment called Halo-Launcher to reroll failed jink-saves. It can be kitted out to either pump out a lot of shots at mediocre AP or fewer but stronger high AP shots. Unfortunately it is only BS3 against non flyer/skimmer units now, thanks to the new flyer rules. You can run up to 4 in a single FA slot, without needing to keep coherency, unless of course you wanted to.

*'''Land Speeders:''' One of the most awesome and potentially rage-inducing units in the Codex. These little buggers are very fragile, but also very underrated. They come very cheap with a multi-melta, and can bring a heavy flamer for infantry hunting. Deep striking, they are excellent tank or infantry hunters. Their only problem is that they may not last very long after they get their shots off, but if they do, they can deal some real damage to the enemy. Alternatively, try taking a Typhoon Missile Launcher and keeping it far out of harm's reach, raining missiles at shit; think of them as more mobile and cost-effective Predator Destructors. Very good at disabling light transports and as a last-turn objective contester. When tackling enemy armour with multi-meltas, use the land speeder's maneuverability to your advantage: put the target between the speeder and the rest of his army, and pray you destroy the vehicle in one salvo, WITHOUT blowing it up. With any luck, the burning wreck will keep your flimsy aluminum speeder out of the kill zone. Obviously, this means you take on flank vehicles; charging this into the center of your opponent's army is a waste of a good land speeder, unless it's to kill a Leman Russ or something (an enemy's primary tank/threat) in a turn 1 suicide run. Do remember to BLOCK enemy transports and tanks, since they can't move through the Speeder. Great for delaying that big fat Land Raider from reaching your lines, for a 70 point sacrifice (and a decent chance to kill said Raider with your underslung multi-melta).
**The new codex added a rule, Anti-Grav upwash: so as long as you have 3 of them they flat out an additional 6".
**If taken in a Battle Demi-Company, land speeders gain objective secured.
**Unfortunately, Chapter Tactics do not apply to vehicles so you cannot use Salamanders for some twin-linked flamer shenanigans. But, on the other hand, they can be taken in squads of three, and doing so gives them a bonus 6" when moving Flat Out.
***'''Iron Hands''' and '''Astral Claws''' chapter tactics ''do'' apply here, as well, because reasons.
**With '''Vulkan''', ''both'' multi-meltas ''will'' be master crafted, however.
**Because Land Speeders are ''Fast'', they can move 12" and let loose with both guns.
**'''Land Speeder Darkwind (Strike Force Solaq)''' - An AC and HB on a Speeder, pretending it's Raven'''WING''' instead of Raven '''GUARD''' with the ability to re-roll Jinks. Neat.

=====Forge World=====

*'''Relic Javelin Attack Speeder (Forge World):''' An upgunned and uparmored Land Speeder that flies solo. AV11 means it is now invulnerable to bolter fire, but still melts under anti-tank (though jink saves help a bit). Costs as much as a naked Predator, packs much more firepower and mobility, and as a nice bonus it looks absolutely '''fabulous'''. The main downside is a real money price - almost THREE TIMES MORE than regular speeder - like it's silver-plated or something.

*'''Land Speeder Tempest (Forge World):''' The Stormtalon’s obscure older hipster step-brother. At 90 points, you get an up-armored Speeder with Armoured Cockpit (ignores crew shaken and crew stunned on a 4+); Extra Armour, Deep Strike, and Afterburner (can turn into a zooming flyer for one turn, but can’t shoot that turn either, so you’ll never use it outside of Apocalypse games on boards big enough to actually be worth wasting a turn just to get from point A to B.). You can get three in a squadron, and each one’s armed with a single assault cannon and a TL missile launcher loaded with frag, krak, and flakk missiles. No wargear options, WYSIWYG. The Tempest sits squarely in the middle ground between the Speeder and Stormtalon, being tougher than the former, weaker than the latter, and in certain respects less versatile than either. However, TL flakk missiles do make the Tempest one of the fastest non-flyer AA units in the game.
***If you’re gonna take any, take a full squadron and think of them as sort of a faster and more heavily armed and armored squad of deep striking missile devastators.

*'''Caestus Assault Ram (Forge World)''' Craziest vehicle in the game, designed to ram things (hence the name), and accomplishes this by having a 5+ inv. save against attacks on the front: (inc. rams, either from the enemy ramming you or you ramming them), re-rolling the armour penetration dice when ramming with +1 to the vehicle damage roll, and nigh-impenetrable for a flyer armour of 13 13 11. Comes with a twin-linked MAGNA-MELTA (WTF?), which is: range:18" str:8 AP:1 type:Heavy 1, large blast, melta. Sound fun, eh? Holds ten men, ideal for punching a hole in the enemy battle lines and disgorging troops, AND it's an assault vehicle, so they can get straight into close combat (and no restriction against carrying terminators, in fact, they only count as one man inside this, not two!). Now this means that the Caestus has to be fast, and it is! Its type is: Flyer (hover mode), and it STILL can ram/tank shock while zooming. Comes stock with extra armour and Ceramite shielding (immunity to 'melta' rule). Options are: Firefury missile battery (range: 36" str:6 AP:4 type:Heavy 4, blast, twin-linked, one-use), Teleport homer, and Frag assault launchers. One should use the Caestus to ram straight through the strongest point of your enemy's force, in most battles you'll be there on turn one, thanks to the 36" afterburner. Ram a tank with this (generally, given the colossal afterburner, you'll give them a S10 hit) and then deploy the men inside (preferably dedicated H2H troops), and charge straight in against the nearest infantry, or if you feel like it, shove a grenade up a nearby tank's tailpipe.

*'''Lucius Pattern Drop Pod (Forge World):''' Big dreadnought drop pod, which allow your dread to deep strike. With the newest update, you can no longer assault out of a deep strike. Instead it gets a rule where the transported dreadnought, the drop pod itself, and anything shot at through the drop pod get the shrouded special rule on the turn it drops down, which is pretty damn nice. Note that the drop pod assault rule DOES NOT require the dreadnought to actually EXIT the drop pod when it comes down, and as it is a transport, it can stay inside, safe from most shooting, and use the pod as ablative armor.As drop pod is open-topped, your dread could even shoot out of it. It also has the assault vehicle special rule, so if anyone is actually stupid enough to stay within charge range of the drop pod, it can then get out of it and start annihilating the nearest enemy unit.

*'''Hyperios Air Defense Battery (Forge World):''' One to four twin-linked missile turrets with Skyfiring, Intercepting, Heat-seeking krak missiles for only 35 points each. Perfect for trolling fliers. Unlike the other Space Marine Sentry Guns, they don't have firing modes thanks to Automated Artillery, allowing you to direct the shots at your leisure. This configuration does most jobs you ask it to without complaint. For 10 points you can replace one of the launchers with a Command Platform that gives the other platforms Split Fire, not that you need to.

*'''Xiphon Pattern Interceptor (Forgeworld):''' It's exactly what you'd expect an interceptor to be; light, fast and good against other vehicles. With two twin linked lascannons and a new rotary missile launcher. The launcher is two shot, S8 AP2 and forces jink and cover saves to be rerolled, plus when penetrating hits are rolled, it chooses the best of D3 results (adding one for AP2). It's light, only two hull points mean it'll go down against a stiff breeze, but with AV11 at least it's immune to small arms bolter fire just like a stormtalon. With Forgeworlds rules update it gets the new combat role Interceptor. It uses the same Attack Patterns as Fighters but has an additional special rule. At the beginning of the game you must select a single combat role the Xiphon can reroll all to-hit and penetration rolls of 1 against. The trade off ist that it always has to use skyfire now, so no more tank hunting. But at least it can still fire at normal BS against skimmers.

===Heavy Support===
====Infantry/Nonvehicles====
*'''[[Devastator Squad]]''' - If you take them, 1-2 ablative wounds are mandatory, and never mix weapons. Missile launchers are versatile, but lascannons are more effective against tanks and Monstrous/Gargantuan Creatures, especially ones with 2+ armor (Riptide...). For 5 points more Lascannons are a steal, AP2 and +1S than a ML. Heavy Bolters suck against anything tougher than MEQ unless you are Imperial Fists, which make them decent. Multi-meltas and grav-cannons are too short-ranged, and grav-cannons (which include a grav-amp) cost 35 points each - way too much on a T4/3+ model without Relentless. 7e gave Devastators another upgrade in the form of the Armorium Cherub, which allows one model to re-roll failed To Hits in one shooting phase per game for 5 points. This, coupled with the Devastator Doctrine and the Signum, provides multiple ways to enhance your accuracy over the course of the game.
**'''Vigilator Sergeant Hamath Kraatos (Minotaurs Special Character)''' - FUCKING EXCELLENT: a BS+1, 2-wound, Devastator Sergeant with a Heavy Bolter and Preferred Enemy Infantry/Bikes (this includes jump-pack, jetpack, and jetbikes, so anything not a Vehicle, Monstrous Creature or cavalry/beasts for some reason). Has the added bonus of being able to switch his normal shooting for a special "assassin shell" which is basically a S6 AP3 Sniper rifle.
**Don't forget the Sergeant's Signum! No one ever remembers to use it, which is a shame because BS5 to a single model in the squad can come in handy, especially if you get hit with a Malediction that lowers your BS.
**Four plasma cannons might seem risky, but if your scatter rolls go well, you can obliterate any heavy infantry squad from three feet away. They are the only infantry weapons that can kill multiple TEQs in one shot, and are useful against tightly-packed enemies in general (i.e. hordes). Firing only 1 shot each and having a 3+ armor save means that there's only a 1/18 chance to actually lose a man in a given turn of shooting. A Dev squad firing all 4 plasma cannons every single turn for six turns can expect to take 1.33 casualties from Gets Hot, but if you actually did, imagine the carnage that 20+ plasma cannon blasts would have caused. Ultramarines CT works great here, as you will reroll 1s during at least one turn, more depending on if you are in a Gladius or have Calgar. You can also put your Devs behing an Aegis Defense Line with an Ammo Dump upgrade to further improve their survivability and get them to reroll rolls of 1. That way the risk of suffering "Get's Hot" is very low.
**Devastators can take flak missiles now, but the cost is too much for their relative frailty. Unless you badly need AA in low points games where versatility is important, an Aegis Defense Line or a Stalker trio is far better for your AA needs.
**Take some red shirt boltgun marines if you don't want your fragile Devastator squad heavy weapons dying the instant your opponent glances at it (though this does increase the cost).
**You could do worse than a Heavy [[Bolter]]-wielding Dev squad if you're using the Imperial Fist chapter tactics, with re-rolling 1s To Hit and increased value against AV10 (a typical non-infantry HB target).
**Grav-cannons and multi-meltas are quite useful for Devastators that are part of a Skyhammer Annihilation Force, which gives them Relentless on the turn they exit their Drop Pods - there are few better ways to shred tanks/MCs/heavy infantry than 20 grav shots or 4 melta shots. That's pretty much the only situation where you should ever consider them, however. It's also one of the only times you should ever consider a combi-weapon on the Sarge.
**Mmm... actually a squad of devastarators with 4 grav cans deepstriking in a drop pod in the mid field could take down that riptide, wraith knight or deamon prince with 12 ap 2 shots, just make sure that you have some protection for them like psy powers or something because that unit cost around 240pts on its own! Very expensive for a suicidal squad.
** In Angels of Death, the new terminator captain can wear cataphractii armour. This gives him Slow and Purposeful which is a special rule that affects the whole unit. It's not Relentless, but it does let you move and shoot with your heavy weapons. Something to consider, especially for shorter ranged weapons like the multi-melta and grav cannon.
*'''[[Centurion Squad|Centurion Devastator Squad]]''' - The shooting versions of their punchy brethren. If you seek cheap dakka, go elsewhere, as those guys are expensive as hell, [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|tough as hell, menacing and attract a lot of firepower]]. To justify their cost, you will want to take advantage of their strengths over regular Devs, which are Slow & Purposeful, superior durability (T5 W2 2+), and their special rule that lets them shoot both of their weapons. The Omniscope gives Night Fighting and Split Fire for 10 points, so there's little reason to not grab it. Their biggest combat weakness is that they will get tarpitted by ANYTHING till the end of the game unless you're White Scars - at A1 with no melee weapons and no Overwatch because of S&P, they'll struggle to kill even Fire Warriors in CC. Their cost was reduced going from 6th to 7th - a trio of grav (or LC/ML) Centurions plus an Omniscope puts you at 250 points, a nice round number for those who play in escalating-points leagues or a variety of points values.
**As with Assault Centurions, the Centurion Sergeant/Veteran Sergeant is the only non-HQ character in the Space Marine codex with multiple wounds, and is thus the only non-HQ infantry to benefit from It Will Not Die from Iron Hands Chapter Tactics.
** The stock heavy + hurricane bolter combo is alright for killing hordes, but the ranges of the two guns synergize poorly. The two setups to consider are grav-cannon/hurricane bolter, and TL lascannon/missile launcher.
***The best option is the former, giving you 5 grav shots per model ''with rerolls To Wound'' (or on your Immobilize roll against vehicles) at 24" range. This mixes well with the range of the hurricane bolter, letting Grav/HB Centurions shoot at any target effectively - even vehicles, as 15 grav shots averages to about 3 Immobilize results thanks to the grav-amp re-roll, killing any vehicle that lacks an invulnerable or cover save (and even then!), immunity to Immobilize, or plain old luck. Another point of note is the utility of these guns against gargantuan and monstrous creatures. With one squad I was able to kill Ta'unar in two turns of shooting.
***The las/missile loadout has much better range, the opportunity for Instant Death against many non-tank/MC targets, and the chance for penetrating hits against non-AV14 vehicles, but less raw firepower and a bit of a waste of the Centurions' superior durability and Slow and Purposeful.
** The Devastator Doctrine applies to them as well as regular Devs - at least one of their weapons will be Twin-Linked, but re-rolling missile or grav misses is helpful, and it also makes them workable anti-air for that turn. LC/ML Cents are better as makeshift anti-air, as the mobility of fliers makes shooting at them with grav a shaky proposition.
**Drop Pods being Fast Attack in 7e gives you a way to put grav-cannon Centurions exactly where they can do the most damage - it's also a reason to consider using a standard CAD instead of the Gladius formation. There's even a spot for one more guy in the Pod, so you can pair them with a Librarian for buffs (Tigurius!), or an HQ with an invulnerable save to tank the AP2 shots the Centurions will doubtlessly attract.
** White Scars getting Hit & Run makes these guys very difficult to tarpit since Centurions are I4. Disengaging this way also puts you right into hurricane bolter Rapid Fire range, so 11 shots per model is a nice way to show your opponent they can't stop your Centurions so easily.
*** It's a nice idea and if you happened to be playing Scars and taking these guy already then, well, occasionally you'll get that benefit. But let's be real, you aren't picking your chapter tactic just to pull this one trick occasionally, nor are you adding these slowpokes to your awesome bike army just to make use of it. It's a fringe benefit but not much more. Seriously is it so hard to keep your fire support out of combat with guardsmen and gaunts?
*'''Thunderfire Cannon''' - A powerful, cost-efficient and versatile artillery piece. This is now a beast choice in 7th edition, very useful at putting pressure on scoring units, being able to choose 3 different shell types, one at strength 6, one which Ignores cover at strength 5 and the last causes models affected by the blast to move through difficult terrain at Strength 4. Keep this far away as possible with a good line of sight, if you're lucky you can end up with 20 wounds if all goes to plan. MEQ's can buckle hard under the pressure it can fire off. 7th edition buffed artillery staying power by giving it 2 wounds and 3+ save, so it won't die like a bitch to a single krak shot or turn of bolter fire. But it still completely stationary. This doesn't fare so well in small games as it attracts attention quicker, It is forgotten about most of the time in larger games which is great as it will harass your opponent's infantry. Most forget that it even exists in Apocalypse games where you'll have access to units with even more firepower and the sheer amount of dakka that will be tossed around will cause this gun to spontaneously explode. The Thunderfire Cannon ''does'' have one trick up its' sleeve, however: it comes with a free Techmarine with a servo-harness. If you plan on taking Techmarines anyway and have the slots open, you might as well get one cannon round out of it for 25 points. Against armies that are heavily mechanized and must bunch up all their transports, Thunderfire Cannons can cockblock the entire army with the earthquake shells, provided you actually have something else in the list for breaking those transports.
** Three of these in a squadron brings the whole group up to BS6. Unfortunately, due to the new FAQ this won't grant you re-rolls on your scatter die, since the ability to re-roll 1s (which is how BS6+ is worded) no longer grants such.
** 7th Edition has made all Thunderfire Cannon shells Barrage. Fun times ahead.
** If there're no exposed infantry units to fire at, use the Strength 6 shells on the light AV vehicles/APCs that are definitely going to be around. Remember that Barrage shots hit side armor, so you'll be getting up to four hits on AV10-12 most of the time.

====Vehicles====
All vehicles can now be taken as squadrons of three per slot; this can be pricey, but it grants powerful bonus abilities...at least until one of the tanks dies. They also get buffs as a squad, so nearby diviners and the like can help the whole crew.

*'''[[Predator]]''' - A decent dakka unit. They can serve two purposes, infantry killing, or tank/MC hunting. A three-tank squad gets Monster Hunter and Tank Hunter while all three are alive - this greatly improves Tri-Las Predators in particular.
**Infantry-killing Predators should stick with the default auto-cannon, and grab Heavy Bolter sponsons. It's fairly cheap (95pts) for 8 AP4 shots per tank. Upgrades are usually not necessary: Extra Armor doesn't help much since you will, in 99% of cases, be out of reach of any units with CC anti-tank, and your other guns will outrange a Storm Bolter. The only thing worth considering is the Hunter-Killer missile, but even then, it's only efficient in numbers (like, 7-8 HKMs). Dakka Preds are outclassed by Whirlwinds and Thunderfire Cannons for killing blobs, sadly, and they also waste the special rules mentioned above.
**Tri-Las is the best way to field the Predator(s). Compared to a 4-lascannon Devastator squad, you save 10 points and trade one cannon for superior durability (in particular, safety against small-arms fire), not losing firepower when you do get hit (unless the hit is a Penetrating one), and making one of the guns Twin-Linked. Remember, a three-tank squad gets Monster/Tank Hunter, so consider covering your anti-MC/tank needs with 420 points of tank lascannons that re-roll Wounds/Armor Pen.
***Remember, autocannons equal or exceed lascannons against any toughness in the game that is not 9 (although they don't inflict ID on T4) and AV 12 or less, which is exacerbated by Shred (which is what Monster Hunter and Tank Hunter grant against MCs and Vehicles, respectively), so consider an autocannon turret with lascannon sponsons if you are low on points and want your Predators to do well against light tanks and MCs as well as heavy ones, rather than taking different solutions for each.
**Unlike many other battle tanks in the game, the Predator's side AV is 11, which is glaringly lower than its frontal AV13, and makes its flanks attractive targets. Protect their sides with positioning terrain, Rhinos that have already delivered their passengers, or just staying the fuck away from everything and hide in the backfield like you should do.
*'''[[Vindicator]]''' - This guy has a big, scary gun. Hampered by its short range, this S10 AP2 pie-plate causes most people (especially other marine players) nightmares. It's bound to draw fire, ''lots and lots'' of fire. This is good because it keeps guns trained away from the rest of your army, but bad because it's easily shot down from the side (especially if your opponent deploys his anti-tank in opposite corners) and easily neutralized (glancing hits don't shake/stun anymore, but add up quickly, and EVERY damage result on a penetrating hit makes it useless for at least a turn, if not permanently). Thunderfire Cannons are better at killing blobs, but the Vindicator's niche as a pie-plate that can slag Terminators, bikes and Toughness 5 MCs is unique in this codex. In 7E, it no longer comes stock with a storm bolter, so if you want to try and save the main gun from Weapon Destroyed, you gotta pay 5 pts.
:*Putting 3 Vindicators in a squad lets them give up their individual pieplates for a single Apocalyptic Blast with Ignores Cover. It practically becomes an anti-everything weapon with that option available to it, and you can always choose to just fire three regular pieplates if the foe isn't clustered closely enough for the Apocalyptic Blast to mulch his entire squad at once. Just remember that the 10" Apocalyptic Blast shot is still only 24" range, plus the usual scattering. If anyone is closer than 24", it will probably fuck up your precious 360 point squadron. Besides, if anyone lets a god damn Vindicator squadron get into 24", they deserve an Apocalyptic Blast.
*'''[[Whirlwind]]''' - The Whirlwind is an artillery platform, pretty cheap at 65 points. It has two shooting profiles, both of them Ordnance/Large Blast/Barrage shots: an S5 AP4 shot for hunting troops in the open, or an S4 AP5 shot that Ignores Cover. The squad-buff for Whirlwind goes a long way towards making it relevant in 7E. There are two primary reasons to consider a Whirlwind squad over a Thunderfire Cannon. First, they can move and shoot, allowing you to adjust position or start in reserves (i.e. to dodge an alpha strike) without losing a turn of shooting. The second reason is that their shots have better AP, which is an army matchup-specific consideration.
**Three Whirlwinds in a squad grant all of its missiles Pinning and Shred. Congrats, you're now a better Wyvern.
*'''[[Hunter]]''' - One of the new Space Marine AA weapons. Comes with a massive missile launcher, which is S7 AP2 Armourbane, so rather than glancing enemy flyers to death, like the most flakk tanks, it is designed to blast it in one shot. Hunter's misses transform into missiles on the target's tail that hit REAR armor on 5+ next turn, which is kinda funny and overall useful, especially against IG and Tau flyers. But unlike the previous edition, the missile doesn't hang around forever, so you only get the second attempt once. You don't get the lock-on if shooting at a non-flyer, but remember, skyfire still allows full BS shooting at skimmers. Use one to pop eldar, tau, deldar and necron vehicles of all sorts.
**With three Hunters in a squad, you can re-roll the Savant Lock rule on each of their missiles, which makes up for the loss of being able to troll flyers with endlessly seeking missiles, since you're already throwing more missiles than most fliers could reasonably handle.
*'''[[Space Marine Stalker|Stalker]]''' - The other new Space Marine AA weapon, packing a pair of three-shot autocannons. Different from a Hydra Flakk tank, it has better side armor, Ballistic Skill and the ability to fire at two different targets. And yes, it is as cheap as a Hydra. The 7E codex changed how their weapon systems work; now they have Interceptor as well as Skyfire, so squadrons of Stalkers become the premier first-strike AA guns in the entire game! Furthermore, if they fire at a single target then the squad gets Twin-Linked. If you split your fire, you simply use the weapon profile - no more BS2 penalty.
**Three Stalkers as a vehicle squadron grants their guns Ignores Cover. That's right - fuck you, Jink. Also, remember Skyfire shoots at Skimmers full BS (looking at you, Eldar, Necrons and Tau).
*'''[[Land Raider]]''' - The biggest metal box of all. Can carry termies, and lets them assault after disembarking. Comes in eight flavors, three in the codex and five from Forgeworld:
** '''Classic''' (or '''Phobos-pattern''') Land Raider - 2 sets of twin-linked lascannons and a twin-linked heavy bolter. Carries 10 (it was 12 in 5th edition). You'd think it's good for tank hunting...on its own, no way. It's just too expensive for that. Land Raiders need to be transporting stuff, and running forward at great speeds. This Land Raider is a confused beast, best left alone. If you want a little bit more reasoning for why the classic Land Raider is comparatively useless, here's a bit more explanation: for the cost of having it on the table, this Land Raider needs to be able to do both of its roles effectively at the same time, but since transporting soldiers doesn't work well with standing up front and shooting too, there's no real way to make this one as effective as it needs to be. It's not ''completely'' useless thanks to Power of the Machine Spirit, which allows an additional weapon to be fired at a different target (even while shaken/stunned), theoretically allowing you to move 6" and destroy two enemy tanks (if you're lucky). This tactic works quite well with Antaro Chronus as his BS 5 makes this more likely. Overall, this Land Raider is not recommended except in a Land Raider Spearhead formation with two other Classic Land Raiders, good for super heavy/gargantuan monstrous creature hunting in high points games/Apocalypse.
** '''Crusader''' - 2 sets of "hurricane bolters" (3 twin-linked regular bolters) and 1 twin-linked Assault cannon. With a 16-model capacity, this is the standby transport for Terminators. The multi-melta is a nice addition for pot-shots at tanks. The Crusader WANTS to be up close, where its short-ranged, anti-infantry guns work wonders to support the squad it was escorting. Hurricane Bolters kinda suck, unfortunately, so consider moving forward 12", PotMS the Assault Cannon and snap fire those Bolters. Give it Extra Armor, nothing sucks more than a stunned Land Raider. This used to be the ultimate in Terminator delivery, but recently a challenger has appeared...
***It should also be that black templar crusader squads can take a land raider crusader as a dedicated transport, meaning if you're playing with a CAD then yes, indeed, your land raider has objective secured. My favorite thing to do with this is take a 15 man unit (10 initiates, 5 neophytes), give them all cc weapons, stick a Melta and 2 power fists in the unit, baby sit them with a chaplain and throw them in a land raider. Whilst not exactly the best unit, it is (in my opinion) the most fun to use in 40k, by itself.
** '''Redeemer''' - Keeps the twin-linked Assault Cannon of the Crusader, but replaces the side-mounted Hurricane Bolters with a pair of Flamestorm Cannons, nasty S6 AP3 flamers. Carries 12. The only other Land Raider you should even consider, even if it doesn't fit as many Terminators. Far nastier against infantry than the crusader, but it needs to be up closer to be effective... which means melta-range. Whoops. On the flip side, now that unit is also VERY close to that nasty CC unit that was inside the aforementioned Land Raider, and are bound to get their faces ripped off in revenge. Also, it doesn't help that Flamestorm Cannons being mounted on the side means that the Redeemer can have difficulty hitting things directly in front of it. Nice thing that 14/14/14 AV does not require specific facing. Multi-Melta optional, but nice. And the cherry on top: 10 points cheaper than the other two Land Raider varieties. Remember, you may not be allowed to snap shot templates, but power of the machine spirit means you can move 12" and still make someone extra crispy. One little advice when assembling the Redeemer is to mount the Flamestorm Cannons in the forward position. That way the templates gain additional reach.
** '''Terminus Ultra (Apocalypse)''' - Leman Russes and Baneblades got you down? Are Hammerhead gunships making you throw fits? Tyrannofexes slaughtering your tanks? Titans kicking your ass when you have none of your own? Do Predator Annihilators simply fail to cut it for you? Are your desperate, suicidal charges against a Monolith with only two tactical marines, two Predator Destructors, and three Land Speeders proving to be totally ineffective? Then the Terminus Ultra is a tank for you!!! Coming equipped with three(!) twin-linked lascannons and two single lascannons, it's only a measly 50 points more expensive than the standard Land Raider and has no troop carrying capacity. It is extremely effective against enemy armour, the Land Raider's special rule allows the Terminus Ultra to easily take out 2 light vehicles in a single shooting phase or completely annihilate one heavy vehicle, I once managed to destroy a Warhound Titan with this thing. But some unlucky rolls can lead to the tank blowing up, through overheating of the lascannon batteries (like REALLY unlucky, about a .3343% chance or 13 in 3888 odds). Best used at long range, picking off the enemy vehicles one by one, or two by two. Pretty much, it causes enemy vehicles to suffer critical existence failure to an even greater degree than the Redeemer causes enemy infantry to spontaneously combust (probably because the Redeemer doesn't have an additional two weapon mounts.) If you could stick on a multi-melta or an additional Lascannon, all your anti-vehicle problems could be fixed but not even Matt Ward is willing to go that far. Antaro Chronus turns this into pretty much the final word in Imperial tank destroyers.
** '''Achilles (Forge World)''' - Oh hell yes. For the same price as the Terminus Ultra, this beast sports a Thunderfire Cannon and twin-linked multi-melta sponsons, has immunity to the Melta and Lance special rules, puts a -1 penalty on most other attacks, can carry six models, and doesn't go 'splodey. Put a scout squad and a techmarine in it, plonk it down on an objective, and watch your opponent throw a shit fit. Eldar and Dark Eldar will really [[Rage]] at it since that don't have much anti-tank outside of meltas and lances. Tthough, they have haywire/D-weapon, and you really should beware them, as hawks, wraithguards, witches and scourges would blow your "expensive but invincible" tank in eye blink, once they came in threat range. (Another option is to take a iron hand character, which gives the achilles IWND. Then ally in a cheap DA librarian with a bike and Powerfield generator for a 4++ (divination for rerollable inv save shenanigans). Just try and destroy that platform of death, I dare you...)--Make it worse? Put an Iron Hands Master of the Forge in it with the Relic that gives IWND on a 4+. So, get your repair shot (w/Iron Hands bonuses) + IWND as well. Unless they can take out the HP in one round, this thing isn't going down.
** '''Ares (Apocalypse)''' - This is for when a Vindicator just won't cut it. Comes standard with a Demolisher cannon, twin linked Assault cannons, twin-linked heavy flamer sponsons, and a siege shield, can take extra armour for +15pts, and always do have extra armour on it, the whole point of this tank is to get to the enemy lines as quickly as possible, therefore as soon as it's stunned, it's losing an entire turn of blowing the enemy apart as you'll reach them a turn later. When it was released there were those who questioned the point of the Demolisher cannon (By 'those', I mean Idiots, who wouldn't want a demolisher cannon...), as it's an ordnance weapon, no other weapons can be fired. Remember PoTMS allow to fire one additional weapon, and you will snapshot with all guns if Ordance is fired, so ultimately it allows 1 Ordance + 1 full BS weapon firing per turn. Costs as much as two-and-a-half Vindicators, but a hell of a lot more survivable, and has more close-combat attack options into the bargain. This tank is the absolute final word in terminal close quarters battle, the demolisher cannon will annihilate half a unit, many more will be mown down by the Assault cannon, then move in to mop up with twin-linked heavy flamers (re-roll to wound), so... it's pretty good its Armour can stand up to the punishment it will no doubt sustain on it's way to the enemy front lines.
***Irritatingly, there is no way to buy a kit for this vehicle, Forgeworld or otherwise, so you have to build it from scratch.
** '''Helios (Forge World)''' - A Whirlwind on steroids, which comes stock with twin-linked lascannon sponsons. More survivable and versatile than the Whirlwind, but is not worth the points cost. Also carries six models for some insane reason. If you ask us, it'd probably be better off not being able to transport infantry in exchange for two more gun mounts, probably autocannons. ''Mais c'est la vie''. Not bad if you're only transporting six models anyways (i.e. command squad) since it's basically ten points to upgrade the heavy bolter to a whirlwind launcher, which can be PotMS fired at at infantry while you hit something with lascannon. Not that a command squad needs a LR, but this could be an awesome choice for them if you do it anyways.
***Despite your uber metal box having AV14 all around and 4HP there are a lot of things that could kill it for like 1/4 of it's cost. Lances and S10 weapons should make you worry. Be afraid of melta and armourbane weapons. Haywire grenades are scary, but less so after the FAQ clarification that it's one per unit in assault. Necrons would eat your Land Raider alive without any problems, unless they go for full tesla and no scarabs (highly unlikely). If your opponent try to squeeze a Titan loaded with D-weapons into 40k game per new Escalation rules feel free to beat him to death with your old reliable metal dreadnought.
*'''[[Stormraven]] Gunship''' (Attack Flyer) - Basically, a flying Land Raider. It costs 200 points base, has AV12 all around and meltaguns don't get the extra D6 for AP when shooting at them. It's also bristling with guns; it has a twin-linked heavy bolter, a twin-linked assault cannon, and four Stormstrike missiles (72" S8 AP2, Concussive, one shot each), and that's only standard issue. It can replace the heavy bolters with a twin-linked multimelta for free or a Typhoon missile launcher for 25 points, and replace the assault cannon with a twin-linked plasma cannon or a twin-linked lascannon for free. And if ''that's'' not enough dakka for you, it can take hurricane bolters in side sponsons. It can't deep strike anymore, but it can take a locator beacon. The real gravy is its transport capacity; it can carry 12 guys (or 6 Jump Infantry/Terminators) ''AND'' one Dreadnought '''ANND''' it's an assault vehicle. Watch your opponent cry tears of bitter [[rage]] as your Vanguard Veterans with power weapons come out of fucking nowhere to ruin his day, along with a rampaging Ironclad dreadnought. It'll cost you an arm and a leg, but you certainly get what you pay for. And speaking of 7th edition it's a flyer. You need it.
** If you're going Iron Hands, take a Techmarine with a servo harness and stick him in there to regain your hullpoints. You will be targeted so it's always important to bring these guys to make sure your Stormraven stays up in the air. In the end you will have a IWND Storm Raven with a 3+ (4+ if not Iron Hands) Blessing of the Omnissiah rolls. Trust me, nothing can easily take it down with all those dice rolls that keeps it up. Take both if you got the points to spare.
** Take one of these full of power weapon VV's (Or any CC deathstar. Honor Guard work well if your HQ can't take a jump pack)/dread and a Stormtalon escort. Drink your opponent's tears. Bonus points for being Raven Guard.
**'''Alternative take''' It's a 200 point unit that can swap its stock weapons out for twin-linked lascannons and multimeltas for free. In other words, use it as an anti-flyer with the transport capacity coming in as a bonus. However, unless you're expecting to see mostly AV12 flyers, the assault cannon might actually work better. Death by hull point depletion is still death, after all.

====Supplemental or Forgeworld====
* '''Deimos Predator''' - Stock, a Deimos Predator is identical to a vanilla predator. Same stats, same weapons, same points cost. The difference is in the toys the Deimos has as options. Along with the regular heavy bolters and lascannon sponsons, the Deimos can bring heavy flamers. For the turret, you get to choose between replacing the autocannon with a flamestorm cannon, a magna-melta, a plasma destroyer, or a heavy conversion-beamer (though the tank becomes a relic of the armoury if either of the latter two are taken). All in all, the Deimos can be equipped to deal with a wider variety of targets and situations than the vanilla pred, though the Deimos can’t be squadroned.
**Predator Executioner - With the 3-shot plasma destroyer (THAT DOES NOT GET HOT) this thing would blast MEQ and TEQ from the table next turn they come in range. The heavy conversion beamer would only work on high distances, and force you to move or shoot, but a 48-72" S10 AP1 big blast would retake the price of tank in a single shot - think of it like a long range Vindicator.
**Predator Infernus – While the flamestorm cannon is highly devastating at close range it's just too slow. Slow flamer tanks sucks. If you want one that bad, just take allied Blood Angels with a Baal Pred. If this thing come close to any non-TEQ infantry, it would ruin their day, and then die to a single melta shot, or hail of krak grenades. But most commonly it would just die, [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|because a big scary flamer approaching your lines attracts a LOT of fire]]. The MAGNA-MELTA (R18 S8 AP1 Heavy1, Large Blast, Melta), transforms it into a wannabe-Vindicator.
* '''[[Vindicator]] Laser Destroyer''' - The ultimate tank killer, this beast spots a souped-up Laser Destroyer, found on Rapiers, except better. Now this twin-linked ordnance lascannon have a proper 48" range (so it's no longer outranged by things it's supposed to kill) and AP1 (so thing would go boom on 5+). But there's more. If it doesn't move, it can shoot up to THREE times (two normally, and one more with a slight risk of overheating). As a reminder, Ordnance allows you to roll two dice for Armor Penetration, and pick the better one to add to the weapon's Strength. This tank arguably packs more anti-armor punch than Terminus Ultra and Spartan, while being cheaper than Predator Annihilator, with the only three downsides of being more vulnerable to weapon destroyed, being less mobile, and the aforementioned slight chance of overheating. Frankly, unless it's on its last Hull Point, it's probably a good choice to just fire off that third overcharge shot if you reckon you need it to finish off the target, because it's far more likely to put a way bigger hole in the enemy tank, than the risk of losing one Hull Point on yours.
*'''[[Spartan Assault Tank]]''' - Forgeworld takes the old multiple personality disorder Land Raider, and pumps it up with steroids. Fucking '''five''' hull points, two twin-linked two-shot lascannons (it almost gets off as many lascannon shots as a terminus ultra while still being able to carry troops, doesn't go boom when you roll badly, and gets way more goodies), TL heavy bolters, transport capacity of '''25''', in-built extra armor, good-old 14/14/14, PotMS and Assault Vehicle. You even can take frag launchers (which got far more awesome with the new grenade rules) and ceramite shielding (bubble you, meltaguns) for a marginal increase in points. Meaning it can do the roles of the Terminus Ultra, the Achilles, and the Ares all at the same time, all it really needs are some burny weapons. But what are the drawbacks you ask? This uber metal box can not be taken as a dedicated transport at all. Also, as a Forgeworld model, it will cost you a unicorn's soul.
**At only 45 points more, there is no reason to take the Godhammer landraider over this beast ever again.
**Your opponent might hate your guts if you field this.
**Want to make your opponent cry or perhaps even strangle you? Take this beast, the Armoured Ceramite upgrade (when you're 14 AV all round, people WILL try to melta your ass), the Iron Hands Chapter Tactics, a Master of the Forge and with a few Servitors (One should do), and if you have the points add a techmarine with a servoharness as well. If you do all that you will end with HP 5, It Will Not Die and Melta Immune Spartan Assault Tank (That's AV 14 all around no less) and a MotF with a 2+ Blessing of the Omnissiah Rolls with a 3+ roll of insurance from the Techmarine. Make sure those guys are in the vehicle as of the recent faq, Techs can repair while in the vehicle. This will only cost you 440 points.
** Fully kitted out Spartan is a textbook definition of Cheese - if your opponent has no answer to it, it'll going to run around wreak havoc unopposed, but if he has - it's you who's screwed, as you pretty much sunk more than a quarter of your points into a giant metal box, that just got blown up in a single turn by a cheap haywire-equipped unit, or a Railgun, or anything Necron, or just fucking Nurglings. At least with this tank-light edition you may hope your opponent had left his anti-vehicle guns at home in favor of moar plasma (because, God knows, you need all the plasma in the world against all these MCs roaming around).
* '''Relic Sicaran''' - A high speed assault tank that is a halfway between a Land Raider and a Predator. For 135 points you get A MURDER MACHINE with 13/12/12, Fast, and the Herakles pattern Accelerator Autocannon, which is R48", S7, AP4, Heavy 6, Rending, and Twin-linked....and no jink saves allowed. This tank makes the Eldar cry. Even Wave Serpents will fall before this (sadly you can only have one (unless you've got a Techmarine HQ) while the Eldar player will spam Wave Serpents.) The Sicaran can also take ceramite plating, making it very durable. This tank absolutely eats light-to-medium armored vehicles and walkers. You will kill a chimera or dreadnought every time your fire its main gun, and with Twin-linked and Space Marine BS, you'll be connecting with almost every shot.
*'''Whirlwind Hyperios''' - This thing is supposed to be your main ground based anti-air, but it sucks. One skyfire/interceptor krak shot per turn, even twin-linked is just don't cut it, and you can not squadron this thing, like IG player squadron their Hydras.
**With the introduction of the Stalker and Hunter, and then now Stalker and Hunter SQUADRONS with squadron bonuses, and the anti-air formation, there is zero reason to even give the Hyperios a sideways glance anymore.
*'''Relic Whirlwind Scorpius''' - Unlike the standard Whirlwind, the Scorpius fires a small blast, but at S8 and AP3 it eats MEQs for breakfast. And if it stands still it can fire D3+1 templates (allowing it to have them for lunch and dinner too).
*'''Space Marine Sentry Gun Battery''' - From IA:12 you get a battery of up to three immobile twin-linked Heavy Bolters for the bargain cost of 15 points each and swap them for a Multi-melta for five or pay ten for TL Lascannons. Being automated, you have very little control over what they actually do in the battle, they select their own targets based on pre-set criteria, you basically just get to choose at deployment what their arcs are: 360 degrees but at 18" range, or 90 degrees at 36" range, so you're rarely going to be blasting things across the table with these things. You DO get the ability to deep strike them for a laugh or give them camo netting for stealth if you can set them up in a good spot to make them invulnerable to most shooting. (while you can pay the cost for both, just don't because it you deep strike into cover you are waiting for a mishap.)
**DON'T EVER mix and match guns or targeting criteria, nowhere in the rules do they say they deploy separately or behave any differently from any other artillery battery, meaning they should all be firing at the same target, which is still the one they select for themselves...
**As a added bonus though, you can instead swap the guns for a '''Hyperios Missile Launcher''' (see Fast Attack section).
*'''Space Marine Rapier Carrier Battery''' - Almost identical to its Imperial Guard counterpart, with the same cheap price and the same awesome weapon, except with Space Marine ballistic skill, toughness, Chapter Tactics and And They Shall Know No Fear.
*'''[[Storm Eagle]]''' - Your transport Flyer. ''(IA12 moved it to heavy)'' Occupies the middle-ground between the [[Stormraven]] and the [[Thunderhawk]]. Transport capacity of 20, with terminators and jump infantry counting as 2 models each. Impressive arsenal of weaponry, standard armament: Hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolter, Hull-mounted Vengeance Launcher (Range:48"|Str:5|AP:4|Heavy 2, Large Blast). Optional armament includes: Switching Heavy bolters for Multi-meltas or a Typhoon missile launcher, and adding 4 Hellstrike Missiles or 2 Twin-linked Lascannon under the wings. Also get ceramite shielding, and the 'Power of the Machine Spirit' special rule, along with 12|12|12 armour. Can also deep strike, and disembarking infantry can assault in the same turn.
** Same with the Stormraven. Motf/Tech with a servo Harness put them inside and stay up.
*'''Fire Raptor Gunship (Forge World)''' - Official rules in IA2:2nd. Comes naked with a TL Avenger Bolt Cannon ''(being a proper [[Fist of the North Star|manly]] S6 AP3 7 shots'', 4 '''Stormtrike Missiles''' ''(S8 Concussive, NOT Ordnance, YAY)'' and two Independent-Turret Quad Heavy Bolters ''(which can be replaced with TL Autocannon for free)''; the latter which aside from firing at their own targets as rumored, don't count towards the number of weapons fired! With all the twin-linked goodness, Strafing Run and PotMS/Independent-turrets; this bastard can dump its entire payload on [[Cheese|FOUR SEPARATE TARGETS]] in a single turn and hit almost every time. It is a relic vehicle, so if you want to take more than one ''(or any other relic vehicle)'' remember to grab a Techmarine as one of your HQ choices.
*'''Deathstorm Drop Pod (Forgeworld)''' - Expecting the drop pod that just landed to contain troops or a heavy weapons platform you don't have to worry about until next turn? SURPRISE! Whirlwind missiles! For you! In the face! When this modified drop pod lands, it immediately attacks every unit (friend or foe) in 12" and in line of sight d3 times, then attacks normally every subsequent turn. It can also be upgraded to assault cannons for an extra 20 points, but this should only be done if you expect it to survive more than one turn (and you really shouldn't). ''Very'' situational, but if your opponent fields lots of small units relatively close together, dropping this in the middle of them is almost guaranteed to ruin his day. Can't take a locator beacon, though.
*'''Contemptor Dreadnought (Angels of Death)''' - The Angels of Death supplement's take on the Contemptor is a bit of a different beast from its Forge World cousin. It's taken in Heavy Support instead of Elites, has BS 5, 4 attacks, is 5 points cheaper, has Atomantic shielding as wargear instead of as a special rule, has a power fist with a '''combi-bolter''' instead of a dreadnought close combat weapon with a storm bolter, has Chapter Tactics, and can be squadroned. AoD Contemptor Dreadnoughts can also be taken in any Formation in place of normal, Ironclad or Venerable Dreadnoughts. This makes them far easier to take in normal games (unlike FW units which are harder to fit anywhere other than a CAD).
**The trade-off for the squadrons, better stats, lower cost, and Chapter Tactics, however, is far fewer weapon options than the Forge World version ''(see Elites)''. As in, if you want more options than simply replacing the Multi-Melta with an Assault Cannon, you'll still have to use the IA2 rules, because that's the '''only''' option you got with Angels of Death. The AoD Contemptor also inexplicably lacks the built-in searchlight and smoke launcher of the Forge World Contemptor.
*'''Relic Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought (Experimental Rules online)''' - This is the great-great-great(20x) Grandfather of the Rifleman Dreadnought. At 185 points base, you get a weapon platform with WS4, '''BS5''', S6, AV:13/12/11, [[Lolwut|A1]], and a 5++ save. It's equipped with an Arm-mounted Twin-Linked Anvillus Autocannon Array, which has 4 shots at S8 AP4 Sunder('''Reroll to Penetrate'''), and a Sarcophagus mounted Twin-linked Heavy Bolter (or Heavy Flamer for free). For 35 points more, you can also get the Aiolos Missile Launcher, which is essentially a 3-shot Javelin Missile that ignores Line Of Sight, Intervening Terrain, always hits the top of a tank(Side Armour), and can splitfire at a different target. For same cost as the Aiolos the Deredeo can exchange the Autocannons for a Twin-linked Hellfire Plasma Cannonade. This reduces range to 36", STR to 7, and it loses Sunder. However, it has AP2 with two firing modes: Heavy 4 for Plasma Cannon hits without Gets Hots or Heavy 1 Large Blast (5") & Gets Hot. Take the Plasma Cannonade if there is a heavily armored vehicle or TEQ squad you want to give the metaphorical middle finger. Otherwise stick with the Anvillus.
**Make no mistake, BS 5 TL is the same as BS10. With its extreme accuracy and sunder, it can pretty much [[Rape|eat a light or medium tank for breakfast '''each and every turn''']]. And while it's slamming the medium tanks with the Anvillus Cannons to statistically strip 3 hull points a turn, it's also stripping 2 hull points a turn off another light tank, or threatening a MEQ squad. If its ability to remove tanks like a serbian removes kebabs isn't enough, it's also the ultimate anti-air unit, with the ability to remove a flyer from the board on the turn it comes in with a 95% chance of success.
**Overall, it's expensive as hell when given the Aiolos, but you get exactly what you pay for. Always take the Aiolos Missile Launcher, because it helps to strip hull points off of your opponent's transports to make them easier to kill. And be sure to park this thing near some LOS Blocking terrain to ensure it can pick its targets with impunity.
*'''Relic Leviathan Dreadnought (Forge World)''' - For about double the price of an Ironclad, you get a rounder Dread with S8, AV 13/13/12 with a 4+ Invul that adds d3 to both the range and strength of its death-explosion, two heavy flamers on his body, total immunity to Maledictions powers, and two claws with meltas, Wrecker, and the odds to inflict d3 extra wounds. When this dads to the fact that it adds +1 to its initiative and 2 HoW attacks on the charge as well as a mandatory sweeping advance, you see that the goal of this thing is to touch anything that runs near it. For it's cost, it might have been better off with AV14 or some better tools. The claws can become drills so you get Armourbane for pennies. You could also make it shooty by replacing a claw with a Leviathan Storm Cannon, that is Heavy 6 S7 AP3 hits with Sunder or a Cyclonic melta lance (not actually a lance weapon), which is a Heavy 3 S9 AP1 18" Meltagun. You could give it Ceramite to cure it of its fear of Melta and three HKs to help pop tanks, but you've already got so much for that goal. To add to that, this thing counts as a Relic of the Armoury, but can't take a Legacy of Glory, nor can it ever score or benefit from a detachment or formation, so taking this requires extra care. However, with the right loadout it can be an annoyance to any player fielding a Lord of War.

===Lords of War===
*'''[[Roboute Guilliman|Roboute Guilliman]]''' - HE'S HERE. For the cost of 2 Cato Sicarii you have a Monstrous Creature with a 2+/3++/5+++, Eternal Warrior, and pretty much a straight 6 statline, excluding a WS of 9 and LD of 10. If you somehow fuck up and walk him towards something you shouldn't, or bad luck befalls you and he dies, fear not! On a roll of 4+ on the turn he got murdered, HE FUCKING COMES BACK TO LIFE WITH D3 WOUNDS.
**All friendly armies of the Imperium re-roll failed Morale, Fear and Pinning tests while he is on the battlefield, and he is NEVER subject to Ld malus modifiers. Re-rolls failed Deny the Witch, along with his Adamantium Will, those Psychic Shrieks don't look as scary. He grants Ultramarines another copy of each Doctrine.
**He has a 24" Assault 3 S6 AP2 bolter which is good for raping Abaddon at long range, but in combat is where he really shines. With fleet to get him there faster, he can go toe-to-toe with an Imperial Knight and win just about every time. Why? BECAUSE HIS ATTACKS ARE FUCKING S10 AP1 and any 6s to hit are Strength D, AT INITIATIVE 6. As if he wasn't good enough by himself, he also has EVERY Command Trait as his Warlord trait. So not only a beast in his own right, he's a great force multiplier for the smurfs.
**If you double team Guilliman with a librarius conclave, your opponent will probably have the right to kill you.
*'''[[Marneus Calgar|Marneus Augustus Calgar]]''' - Papa Smurf is the most expensive character in the codex and rightfully a Lord of War! He is also the most powerful in hand-to-hand, even more so than Lysander. He's a Chapter Master with double NOT UNWIELDY power-fists, an ''AP 2'' storm bolter, Eternal Warrior, and two special rules: Master Tactician allows an extra use of the Combat Doctrine of your choice if he's the Warlord, while "God of War" lets you pick your Warlord Trait if you use the Space Marines trait table (now greatly improved and so totally worth it). He can also swap-out his artificer armour for a special Terminator armor (allowing him to deep-strike and giving him Relentless, not that he has any weapons that care about moving) that doesn't prevent Sweeping Advances, and even gets a free teleport homer. He also has a power sword, you know, in case you don't want to kill your opponent in only one turn. If you've noticed, pretty much his entire arsenal makes a mockery out of armor saves, even his ranged weapons. Also he lost the ability to make all Ultramarines in his army choose to fail or pass any Morale test they had to take.
**'''Alternate Take:''' Calgar should be seriously considered for any Ultramarine player out there. Using a combat doctrine twice allows for you to deal with threats you army may not have the best tools to deal with. Flying circus? Devastator doctrine twice. Fighting Tau? Assault doctrine twice. General firefight? Pop tactical doctrine again. You don't have to choose which you need until you use it the second time. Calgar relies on clever usage to be effective, just like he should be. Yes, he's expensive, don't forget that, but he is costed right for all the buffs he gives your army, unlike other special characters. (Looking at you, Khan...)
**With an escort and pimpwagon, he's going to attract every gun your opponent has and he's not overly tough for his cost. You're also more-or-less locked into making his unit a deathstar as a retinue and transport is going to bring him to around 700+ points.
**'''Herculean Feat (Apocalypse)''' - If Papa Smurf is within 18" of a Necron Super-heavy or Transcendent C'Tan when he calls his finest hour he gets fleet and also bumps his base strength up to 5, which gets doubled to 10 due to his mighty fists. This is so he can play frisbee with necron pylons, but is unlikely to ever happen considering the relative scarcity of Necron players in Apocalypse level games. Also, the difference between S8 and S10 is largely academic in most situations against infantry. But if you are specifically punching vehicles then it can make all the difference due to the loss of his Titanic Might.
*'''Thunderhawk Gunship''' - There is only one reason why you don't already have one, it costs a shitload of cash(£399), apart from this... small price... the Thunderhawk has virtually no downsides, at 700 points it's certainly expensive, and it doesn't have much armour (12,12,10) but it does have 9 HP and is immune to the 'melta' special rule. It's title of gunship is well deserved, it has a turbo laser (yes a fucking strength D weapon with a 5" blast!!!), four twin-linked heavy Bolters, two Lascannons and 6 weapon pylons, which can contain bombs or Hellstrike missiles. It also has a "modest" transport capacity of 30, so you can hold an entire 10 man squad of Terminators in this thing AND a techmarine and servitors to keep the thing running (they ARE allowed to repair vehicles they're embarked on, awesome). As the only super heavy vehicle in the space marines armoury, you will almost never field more than one of these, fortunately, you only need one. The best way to use this vehicle is to get close combat Terminators right into the middle of the enemies most dangerous shooting formation, then use the fearsome weapons on the gunship to destroy enemy vehicles that can insta-kill your guys, allowing your Terminators to destroy the shooty infantry and keep your grunts alive. Used properly this vehicle WILL make your opponent shit bricks, used improperly, it will do nothing but die uselessly as it gets pummeled by 700 points worth of enemy lascannons, rockets, missiles, battle cannon and lances, then it will explode and take the most of the rest of your army with it, because of this NEVER EVER keep it static, it's tempting to just hang back and pummel the enemies vehicles with the turbo laser, but don't.
** Now you can now use this bad boy in normal games, why? Not a good idea seeing how it's 700 points....
**Aside from access to a D weapon, the T-Hawk is generally inferior to three Storm Chickens, having the same armour and hull points but fewer guns and a lower transport capacity. Also, it's more expensive in both terms of points and dollars.
*'''Fellblade''' - This is your THIRTEEN BARRELS OF HELL: Quad-lascannon or laser destroyer sponsons, twin-linked heavy bolters/flamers and a demolisher cannon on the hull, and a fuck-huge [[Railgun|Accelerator Cannon]] (also known as a rape cannon) mounted on top. On top of that, you can take a pintle-mounted storm bolter, heavy bolter, heavy flamer or multi-melta, pushing it up to a mighty FIFTEEN BARRELS OF HELL. Take it with Armoured Ceramite to protect it from IG Melta-Vet squads, and make sure to protect the relatively vulnerable rear, and you have a tank that will put any of your former friend's Baneblade variants to shame.
**For pointless fluff, the Accelerator Cannon is not a railgun, but instead is an autocannon that incorporates plasma-ignited electrothermal-chemical propellants, which is actually a real thing. You ''could'' look up "electrothermal-chemical technology" on The Other Wiki, but if you do, you're admitting you're a fuckhueg nerd. Neeeerd.
*'''[[Thunderhawk|Thunderhawk Transporter]]''' - Get this if you if you have a burning desire to kneel down and sacrifice your money to the [[Chaos|gods of Games Workshop]]. It costs the same amount of cash as the regular Thunderhawk, and you'll probably end up wishing you had one of those instead. It's not that the transporter is awful, the ability to fly in a [[Blood Angels|loaded up land raider and place it where you want]] is [[Awesome|cool]], you can even scoop up other vehicles while in hover mode without having to cease your movement. But unless you are playing on REALLY big gaming tables ''(we're talking the same size of games where Earthshaker guns run out of range)'', there's no real need to do this, and your Thunderhawk itself doesn't have much else to do with only a few heavy bolters for its defense. Just get the regular Thunderhawk for now and you'll feel less guilty.
**Alternate Take: Well, as stated in the paragraph above if you do get this there are other uses than running it on a ridiculously large map (even by apocalypse standard); load a squad of terminators (whichever flavor you fancy, but I'd go for a SS and TH unit) and drop'em in a land raider right next to the most valuable unit you can find. Then, laugh manically while your land raider shoots everything in range and you terminator pound the poor sods back to the warp. But admittedly another flyer (actual cough, thunderhawk, cough) could do this better, so if you feel like spending a few hundred then take it instead.
**Note: As of writing, the transporter isn't for sale. Anywhere. So at least that temptation is removed from the universe.
*'''[[Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer]]''' - An odd superheavy tank. Its weapon is S10 AP1, but has no blast, so if you miss there's no consolation prize by accidentally wiping out a nearby unit ''(it is twin linked, so you're unlikely to miss)''. However, whatever it hits is [[rape|raped]]. It fires D3 shots every time it fires and anything that somehow survives a penetrating hit from it can only snap-fire next turn (including other superheavies... neutering that poor [[Titan (Warhammer 40,000)|emperor class titan]].) but if it fails a penetrate ROLL ''(glances are fine)'' or to-wound its target ''(remember it's a primary weapon, so already gets re-rolls)'', it instead damages itself by an automatic hull point on a further roll of 1. It can be given the standard predator sponsons or pintle mounted heavy weapons, but you're probably going to want to load up on anti-tank and leave anti infantry to your other units.
*'''[[Typhon Heavy Siege Tank]]''' - It's a giant vindicator. Cheaper and better armoured than the Fellblade and more reliable than the Cerberus. It fires off a 7" Blast S10 AP1 weapon, which ignores cover, and so will erase entire units on 2s unless they have invulnerable saves. Can also be equipped with sponsons like a predator and pintlemounted options including heavy bolters, or a multi-melta. And unlike the Cerberus, since your main gun doesn't fill an uber specialised role you can choose what you want and split your fire to shoot in all directions and pick your targets by relevance. Also give it armoured ceramite so it can never be killed by melta & lances.
*'''[[Warlord Battle Titan]]''' - Hoo boy, just when you thought you were safe. This destroyer of wallets is also a destroyer of friendships, as it's rules are as ridiculous as you think. Making an appearance in HH:5, it brings the pain in oh-so many ways. Coming in at a whopping 2750 points it sports 6 void shields and '''30 GOD-EMPEROR-DAMNED HULL POINTS'''. Should you reach said hull points it has a 5++ save against hits to those hull points. It has a variety of go-fuck-yourself weapons (most of which are blasts) and rules, such as; the ability to fire Overwatch with some of its built-in weapons, immunity to being locked in combat as well as the Haywire rule and all non-Witchfire psychic attacks (and ceramite plating, fuck melta weapons), can only be hit in assault on a roll of 6 by infantry and MCs (or a 5+ by other superheavies and GCs), and all of its stomps use a Large Blast template. Oh, and should anyone actually manage to destroy it it explodes in a 12"/24"/36" blast with its own table, 1 is S D/8/4 AP 2/3/5, 2-3 is S D/10/6 AP 2/3/4, and 4-6 is S D all round and AP 1/2/2... Good luck finding someone who will play you with this, asshole. (fairly easy to kill with Grav however; Drop Pod enough grav next to anything and it nearly always dies; this gamer had fun taking a third of its Hull Points in Turn 1 having watched the void shields drop under weight of fire).

==Fortifications==
*'''Aegis Defence Line:''' Cheap means of getting a quad gun. Scouts with camo cloaks and telion make this another delicious 2+ cover save. Even better, play Imperial Fists or take an Imperial Fists detachment. Take a Devastator squad. Have them man the Quad gun. You now have a BS5 Quad gun that is twin-linked, and re-rolls failed pens/glances against all vehicles. This thing will fucking blow Heldrakes out of the sky in a single Shooting phase if you're a little lucky.
*'''Skyshield Landing Pad:''' 4++ save, park your vehicles that are just going to stay still and shoot on top of this thing. It can't be demolished, laugh as your predators rain death unmolested. Technically you can put a war-hound titan on top of this and still get an invuln save, but you have to take a dangerous terrain test if you move off of it.
*'''Imperial Bastion:''' It basically serves the same role as the Aegis Line, but it has more guns and better cover. It's as expensive as the Skyshield, though, without protecting your tanks, and your infantry squads probably won't find it worthwhile to sit around all game--unless they're Devastators, which is where this shines.
*'''[[Fortress of Redemption]]:''' It's a massive "centerpiece" terrain model, which is kinda silly when you think about it. It basically forces you to sit around and shoot, and it certainly ''does'' have plenty of firepower, but then you don't necessarily want to do that--you're not Impy Guard or Tau, remember. Really, the biggest question when taking this is, for that price, why aren't you taking another Land Raider?
*'''Macro Cannon/Vortex Missile Aquila Strongpoint:''' Recommended for use in larger points games (EG 3000+). Having access to D weaponry for a fraction of the price of a Warhound Titan or a Thunderhawk is nice (both in real money and in points). Has two separate structures (one Large and one medium) that can be kitted out with more Heavy bolter emplacements and most importantly, Void shields. AV 15 means that lascannons glance... on 6s, meaning that to effectively deal with this monstrosity your opponent needs to get up close and personal with meltas or other CC. Big downside... it is immobile, and will cost you almost 600 points to have void shields on. If you must hold the line... you might as well do it in style.
**Interesting Tactic: Take the Firespear Strike Force. Put them in an Aquilla Strongpoint. Double tap the Macro Cannon. Laugh maniacally.
**Can be mixed with most of the other wall of Martyrs line in one fortification slot, so Imperial fist fans can have a blast with these.

==Supplements==
The Angels of Death Supplement brings back the old supplements, but they did undergo some...toning to become more generic. The rules that are no longer relevant for a detachment will be in italics.

===Sentinels of Terra (Imperial Fist 3rd Company)===
*'''''Close Ranged Bolter Drill''''': Replaces the Imperial Fists Bolter Drill with re-rolls to hit at half range. Works for bolt pistols, boltguns, storm bolters, heavy bolters, and combi-weapons firing as bolters. Unfortunately does not apply to Special Issue Ammo (unless it gets FAQ'ed, which is nigh impossible). Useful, but now you have to be closer to the enemy, so watch out. Note that, again, if you use the Angels of Death, this doesn't happen unless you use the Sternhammer.
*'''Centurion Warsuits''': Like Centurions? Now Centurion Devastator Squads are Elites and Heavy Support, Centurion Assault Squads are Fast Attack and Elites. Useful for freeing up slots for more useful things like Vindicators, but mostly this is for fluff rather than spam. Take 54 Marines wearing larger Marines for lols.
*'''''Tor Garadon''''': Upgrade for a Tactical Squad's Veteran Sergeant, if you actually use the Sentinels of Terra book instead of the Angels of Death book. Has profile of Captain rather than Sergeant (though he does get promoted to Captain, so it fits), power fist, grenades (frag and krak) and the Spartean (see below). He's 31 pts fewer than a Captain with the same wargear, but loses the Iron Halo and Independant Character special rule. Makes his Tac Squad HQ. Pretty good, and opens up cheap HQ option, with meatshields. Kit him up and hunt a tank.
====Warlord Traits====
'''With Stronghold Assault expansion coming, Warlord traits involving buildings are going to become much more useful.''' These are also re-released in the Angels of Death supplement below.
#'''Siege Lord''': Shots from Warlord and unit add 1 to their roll on building damage table. Maybe useful if your opponents spam fortifications, but really, no.
#'''Tenacious Opponent''': Warlord gets It Will Not Die. Nice.
#'''Wise Commander''': While your Warlord is alive, add or subtract 1 from reserve rolls. Very nice, very nice indeed.
#'''Indomitable''': Provided the Warlord and his unit don't move, they get Fearless and Counter Attack until the start of your next turn. Useful if the enemy breaks your lines, maybe too situational.
#'''Architect of War''': The building your Warlord cowers in gets -1 to damage rolls against it. Can be '''Godlike''' if you stick your warlord on a Macro Cannon Strongpoint. '''[[RAGE|Because who doesn't enjoy AV16 Structures with AV13 Void Shields?]]''' (besides Necrons).
#'''Fleet Commander''': One use, Infinite Range, S10 AP1, Large Blast Ordinance Barrage that ignores BS when scattering. Sure, your Warlord can't fire another weapon that turn, but really, why should he? Awesomesauce. LOIC anyone?(take with Chapter Master for two round of hate)

====Tactics====
Close Range Bolter Drill turns the army into a close quarters shooting monster, the opposite of the Tau who want to stay away from the enemy. Get into that golden 12" range to make the most of twin-linked bolters, but be wary of melee specialists who also want to be that close, in order to charge (at least your Overwatch is a realer threat thanks to CRBD). While your dudes getting so close wastes the range of most heavy weapons, keep in mind heavy bolters also benefit from CRBD, and are thus worth consideration in spite of your preferred range of point-blank. Play like Aspect Eldar and keep your Troops units focused on destroying infantry, using your extra Centurions to deal with armor. Flamers and meltaguns merit consideration since you want to be close anyway, as do bolter Scouts since you can Infiltrate + Scout into rapid-fire range from the word Go.

===Clan Raukaan===
*'''March of the Ancients:''' Dreadnoughts ''(which are now taken in squads of 1-3)'' can be taken as either Heavy or Elite Choices for a potential total of 18 in a combined arms detachment!
*'''Scions of the Forge:''' Now for every HQ you take that isn't a Techie, you can grab up to 3 Techies as FOC-free choices. This will ensure that every tank won't be utterly helpless if one Techmarine can't make it.
====Warlord Traits====
#'''Adept of the Omnissiah''' - Gain Blessing of the Omnissiah or a re-roll if they already have it.
#'''Will of Iron''' - Warlord becomes Fearless...But why would you even want this, you have ATSKNF already.
#'''FLESH IS WEAK''' - +1 to FNP roll. This is the pick you want when using [[Chapter Master Smashfucker]]. And why wouldn't you be using him when running an Iron Hands list?
#'''[[Drop Site Massacre|Student of History]]''' - In an attempt to avoid [[Ferrus Manus|winding up without heads]], the Warlord and Clan Raukaan unit can auto-fail Morale checks.
#'''Merciless Resolve''' - Warlord and friendly Clan Raukaan units within 12" get Crusader USR.
#'''Target Protocols''' - Warlord and Clan Raukaan units can re-roll To Hits of 1 in shooting phase. Definitely a way to make them Fists and Smurfs jelly of your sexy augmetics.

====Tactics====
With this supplement the Iron Hands chapter master went from ded killy an' ded 'ard to even more killy and even 'arder. The Gorgon Chain doesn't replace a weapon so your chapter master can now wield a thunder hammer and a lightning claw for an additional attack and the option to strike at initative, with access to 4+, 3+ or 2+ FNP through lucky warlord trait rolls, the Iron Hands' Chapter Tactics, and a Psyker with Endurance or the Gorgon Chain (4+ from Endurance, +1 from the warlord trait, + 1 from the chain, +1 From the CT). Add Grey Knight Allied Detachment (or play unbound) for a guaranteed little-to-no-perilling Sanctuary from Daemonology - Santic powers to give the psyker and his unit (YES, THIS INCLUDES SMASHFUCKER) +1 TO HIS INVULNERABLE. That is a 2+ Armour, 2+ Invulnerable, and a 2+ FNP, with IWND and EW. NOTHING SHORT OF THE ALMIGHTY D CAN KILL HIM NOW.

Not exactly fluffy, buuuut, since you've got all those tech marines, all of which have bolster defenses, you could stick a bunch of scouts in the bolstered cover. A bit more fluffy, Raptors as allies would go nicely for your Sons of Medusa.
If you don't care about fluff, then Eldar will love your bolstered cover.
Other than that, you can stick techmarines in squads as special weapon toting seargents or you can have them take along servitors for repair work.
Take along some Inquisitorial allies, and use the arco-flagellants as failed aspirants.

If you feel bad, simply kit bash the bikers to be extremely augmented marines; use Terminators (especially Forge World's Gorgon Termies), add tech marine crap and done. The +1 toughness it easily explain because of how they're basically robots. Their speed, again their legs can move faster, or they have wheels for legs. Jink saves; because their sensors detect incoming fire, and they dodge out of the way.

====Drop Pod Spam====
Perhaps a silly tactic, but it may work. Multiple Drop Pods with Deathwind Launchers and It Will Not Die plus multiple Techmarines which repair at +4 are annoying.

Take two Techmarines and give them combi-weapons. Now add four tactical squads with only five members, a plasma gun and another combi-weapon. Join each techmarine to each squad and deploy them in Pods with Deathwind Launchers. Fill the list with Ironclad Dreadnoughts in Pods.

At 1600 points you will have 8 Drop Pods with Deathwind Launchers with IWND, 4 Ironclad Dreadnoughts with IWND and 4 squads with +6 FNP, a plasma weapon, two combis and an indepedent character with +2 save who can tank wounds and repair Dreadnoughts and Pods. Take a captain and a squad on bikes for a fast scoring unit.

===Legion of the Damned===
While this is technically an independent Codex in its own right, its relatively sparse crunch and dubious feasibility for use as a Primary Detachment make it a supplement for all intents and purposes.

*'''Aid Unlooked For''': Legion of the Damned units cannot be joined by ICs or benefit from Chapter Tactics. They start the game in reserve and arrive via Deep Strike. They can re-roll their Scatter die when Deep Striking.
**Note: you can't run pure Legion of the Damned army since they all start in reserve, and you lose the game by default on the first turn (unless you are attacking in Planetstrike, or using some other mission that allows you to arrive on the first turn). The devs have confirmed that this was on purpose, to represent the Legion popping up to save a doomed Imperial last stand.
*'''Unyielding Spectres''': All LotD units get a 3+ invulnerable save.
*'''Flaming Projectiles''': All LotD shooting weapons ignore cover.

====Warlord Traits====
#'''Inferno of Vengeance''': The Warlord and his unit gain Soul Blaze on their guns. Probably the only bad trait considering how stupid Soulblaze gets.
#'''Aura of Fear''': When taking Fear tests, all units in base contact with the Warlord's unit suffer a cumulative -1 Leadership penalty for every friendly LotD squad on the board beyond the first one. This can mean up to a -'''6''' Ld penalty (if taken with three space marine legion squads but a -3 is more likely), which can make it quite effective if you can spare the points.
#'''Ethereal Bolts''': Bolt pistols, boltguns, storm bolters, heavy bolters, and combi-weapons firing as bolters all gain Armorbane when wielded by the Warlord and his unit. Guaranteed to make vehicle-heavy lists cry.
#'''Spectral Bulwark''': The Warlord and his unit gain FnP on a 5+. Also stacks up pretty well with the Animus Malorum, and can give you a fire-magnet to go alongside Smashfucker.
#'''Never Too Late, Never Too Early''': The Warlord and his unit can bypass their reserve roll in favor of choosing to arrive on any turn before the fourth, which is like Deffwing Assault, but better.
#'''Retribution Made Manifest''': The Warlord and his unit gain Preferred Enemy. Neat.

====Relic of the Damned====
*'''Animus Malorum''': Sergeant Centurius' soul-eating skull gives the bearer and his unit FnP, and any unit which fails a Fear, Morale, or Pinning check within 12" of the bearer has a randomly chosen model immediately removed as a casualty with no saves allowed (although LoS! can still be used). Every model that is removed this way grants a +1 modifier to the FnP roll (up to a 2+) for the remainder of that turn. At only 35 points for a sergeant to use, it's a steal (especially if you picked up the Aura of Fear Warlord Trait to make it more likely that enemies will fail their Fear roll).

====Elites====
You only have one unit, but you can bring up to 4 of them and they're OS units if taken as the Primary Detachment. Enjoy your heavy weapons spam.

*'''The [[Legion of the Damned]]''' - Improved from utter shit to very well usable! At the same cost that Sternguards used to have, you get Fear, Fearless, Slow and Purposeful, 3++, and all shooting Ignores Cover. Yes, all of it, including any special or heavy weapons WHICH ARE NOW THE SAME PRICE AS EVERYONE ELSE'S. They are also one of the 2 units that can take Heavy Flamers. On the downside, they can only arrive through Deep Strike, meaning if there's something you want them to kill, you'll have to wait a while, can't be joined by Independent Characters, and they don't get any of the Chapter Tactics, but this update more than makes up for that.
**With the increasing amount of low AP weaponry and cover ignoring that is 6th these guys have some merit. They can contest and mow things down. Strike them near things with low AP weapons (give them a Plasma Cannon to see S7 AP 2 Ignores Cover Blast) or the backfield and watch them turn firefights around. They will die to massed fire (But then again, what in this game doesn't?) but can tank low volume high power hits. Sure, you can minmax a list and leave them at home but how many of you are playing in world class tournaments and need 1d4chan tactics? They are good, but not uber. Most of all, they are fun.
***Pro-Tip: You can use them as mobile cover for any troops and/or assault screens, especially if they have the Animus and/or rolled Spectral Bulwark.

===Warzone Damocles: Kauyon===
On top of the new Formation-detachments and Tau updates, Kauyon also adds in rules and relics for both White Scars and Raven Guard armies. A particular model has to choose either the new relics or the vanilla ones, but the army itself can pick and choose between the two in case you really want something like Shield Eternal or Standard of the Emperor Ascendant.
*Each Chapter now has their rules compiled into their own individual Supplements (one for each chapter) at a more affordable price than having to buy "Kauyon" - saving you from having to carry around a large tome of pro-xenos propaganda and being declared a damn filthy xenos loving heretic! Strangely, Black Library/Warhammer Digital claims that the content was pulled from the other pro-Tau Damocles campaign supplement, "Mont'ka"; here are the links for reference: http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/supplement-raven-guard.html and http://www.blacklibrary.com/prod-home/prod-home-whd/supplement-white-scars.html
Additionally, they're in the Angels of Death book.

====White Scars Warlord Traits====
#'''Master Rider:''' Warlord's bike gets +1 to Jink, pushing you to 2+ thanks to White Scars CT, because Ravenwing ain't shit. If you lack a bike, then you get the one below.
#'''Deadly Ambush:''' You get to modify reserves by +/- 1 so long as the Warlord's alive. Good for AA shenanigans since you can let your flyer come on after you opponent's one.
#'''Hunter's Instincts:''' Monster Hunter and Tank Hunter. Straightforward and useful.
#'''Hammer of the Khan:''' Hammer of Wrath. If he already has it, Warlord makes d3 HoW hits, which is cool.
#'''Unrivalled Hunter:''' Warlord gains +1 S/A when in a challenge, and if he fights another Warlord, he also gets to re-roll hits. Brutal on a kitted out Chapter Master.
#'''Merciless Warrior:''' If your Warlord's within 12" of a unit, they can re-roll their Sweeping Advance. If shit luck strikes you can retry sweeping that weeaboo squad you charged. Handy.

====Raven Guard Warlord Traits====
'''Important note'''; The Raven Guard traits do explicitly state that they can be taken by any Raven Guard and their Successors. So it can therefore be argued that even though the [[Reasonable Marines|Raptors]] have their own chapter tactics, they can take these traits since they're also explicitly stated to be a Raven Guard successor. While not all of the traits synergise well with the RG's shootier descendents, Vanish into the Gloom is a godly enough trait to be worth it on your shooty commanders.
Though if you're playing Raptors. You're most likely taking Issodon 70% of the time. Who gets the Master of Ambush trait.

#'''Vanish into the Gloom''' - When targeted for shooting and not falling back or charging, the Warlord and his unit can move d6". Models from the Vanishing unit that move into or stay in cover get +1 to their cover saves. With careful positioning and some luck, you can get out of the attack's range or escape LoS, wasting the enemy unit's shooting attack. This is key to foiling the Hunter Cadre's all-in shooting attack, but it only works once per turn for your Warlord's unit.
#'''Concentrated Attack''' - At the start of your Charge phase, pick an enemy unit in your Warlord's line of sight. Raven Guard units can re-roll their charges against that unit for the rest of that phase.
#'''Master of Shadows''' - Once per game, if your Warlord is on the field, during your Movement phase you can automatically make Night Fighting active until the start of your next turn. With all the Ignores Cover that tends to fly around, it's not too useful.
#'''Silent Stalker''' - Enemies trying to Overwatch against your Warlord/his unit must first take a Leadership test (-2 if you charge through cover). Great against units with otherwise strong Overwatch (DA, Tau).
#'''Exit Strategy''' - If your Warlord is on the battlefield, you can add '''or''' subtract 1 when rolling to determine the game's end.
#'''Swift and Deadly''' - Once per game, your warlord and his unit can Charge after running.

===Angels of Death===
A Vanilla Marine supplement for the Vanilla Marine Codex, Angels of Death has new formations and detachments, new warlord traits, relics, and objectives, and additional organizational background for White Scars, Imperial Fists, Iron Hands, Salamanders and the Raven Guard (though the IF and IH just get their supplements rolled-in). Particularly noteworthy, however, is updated 40k rules rules for Contemptor Dreadnought squadrons and Cataphractii Terminators (likely included just so people can use Betrayal at Calth models without Forge World rulebooks, but with Forge World Contemptors currently lagging behind the updated vanilla dreads we're not looking a gift squig in the mouth), new decurions, and four new psychic disciplines for Space Marines. Only question is why some of this stuff wasn't part of the regular codex in the [[Games Workshop|first place]].

Unfortunately, options for Angels of Death Cataphractii and Contemptors are pretty much limited to whatever came with Betrayal at Calth, so if you have some Forge World models and like to take advantage of a slightly wider arsenal, no new rules for you.

Also of note is that they also decided to compile a bunch of random, previously WD-exclusive stuff like the [[Crimson Fists]] and [[Black Templars]] WTs and Chapter-specific TacOs.
====Crimson Fists Warlord Traits====
#'''Pain is for the Weak:''' Feel No Pain
#'''Die-Hard Defenders:''' Counter-Attack and Stubborn, which makes these guys a lot tougher to shift, especially when added with Lysander.
#'''Veteran of Rynn's World''': Hatred and Preferred Enemy (Orks). Yeah, those green walls can't do shit now, if they ever could.
#'''Experienced Instructor:''' If your Warlord doesn't shoot or run in the Shooting phase, he can nominate a friendly model within 12" to use his Ballistic Skill. Pretty much Telion upgraded to be useful on more heavy weapons.
#'''Unwilling to Die:''' Eternal Warrior. NICE. Just hope you didn't buy the Shield Eternal and bork this.
#'''Heir of Dorn:''' Warlord and all friendly Crimson Fists within 12" gain Fearless.

====Black Templars Warlord Traits====
#'''Master Swordsman:''' +1 to Weapons Skill and Attack. Just IMAGINE how that'd work for the Emperor's Champion!
#'''Furious Indignation:''' If the unit the Warlord is in fails Morale Test in the Psychic or Shooting Phase, it does not fall but, but moves 2d6 inches towards the next enemy unit (but has to stop the usual 1” away from other units). While this isn't bound to happen often considering the good Leadership you get, it's still nice to have a way to assault someone that thought they were safe behind their guns/mindbullets.
#'''Abhor the Witch:''' Warlord gets Hatred and Preferred Enemy (Psykers). Again, WHY couldn't we have the Vows?
#'''Honour Demands Combat:''' Warlord and his unit can re-roll failed charges. AWESOME.
#'''OathKeeper:''' Warlord gets Fearless and can also re-roll to-hit in a challenge. Any beatstick's gonna want this to stall a big-league unit.
#'''Unyielding Determination:''' Warlord and units within 12" get to re-roll Pinning, Fear, and Morale tests.

====Salamanders Warlord Traits====
#'''Anvil of Strength:''' Add +1 Strength. For the pulping.
#'''Lord of Fire:''' You warlord now has 2+ FnP against Flame weapons. Shame you can't pass it to anyone else.
#'''Patient and Determined:''' When rolling for Game Duration, add +3 to the roll. It ensures that you get what you need done.
#'''Miraculous Constitution:''' IWND. Just in case you wanted to shout '''"VULKAN LIVES!"'''
#'''Forge Master:''' Your Warlord's Master-Crafted Weapon (Including Salamander Relics with MC) re-rolls ALL missed hits. Which is AWESOME.
#'''Never Give Up:''' Anyone within 12" of the Warlord now is Stubborn and re-rolls Morale.

==Allies==

===Battle Brothers===

Important! As of the latest rounds of FAQs (and the [[eldar]] being total dicks) your allies, even battle brothers, cannot begin play embarked in your transports, nor you in theirs.

*'''Other Chapters of muhreens''': Let's get serious: if you're relying on MOAR marines it's because they have toys that you don't. With that clear, let's see what have your less Codex-compliant battle-brothers. Allying with other Codex-compliant chapters is good only if you want two different Chapter Tactics or another Chapter's special character.
**Codex Space Marines: Unlike other Codices, Space Marines can ally with themselves, so it's worth noting it here. In general use, each chapter tactic works well with a unit and tactic. Combine chapter tactics to get the more out of certain units than one chapter tactic alone can give you. Fists have better devastators thanks to Tank Hunters, while Ravens have better assault marines. Combine them to have Tank Hunting devs de-can a transport for assault marines to charge with extra hammers of wrath, or Salamanders cook with re-rolling wound flamers, or any combination you can come up with. Just remember that joining an IC with a unit not from his chapter makes them lose CT while they are together.
**'''[[Black Templars]]''': While not the brightest thing in the world to do now that Black Templars are included in the Codex Space Marines, this can be done if you wanted to mix chapter tactics. The BTs act as, basically, scoring assault marines with land raiders. Neophytes got buffed to BS/WS 4 along with scouts, rejoice.
**'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Blood Angels|Blood Angels]]''': You're allying with BA because three things: army-wide Furious Charge, speedy tanks and surgical deep striking jet-packaged assault units. Otherwise GTFO. They have a good assault unit in Death company, good MEQ blasting in the Sanguinary guard and their rhino-variants tanks are fast, which can be wonderful with [[Vindicator|certain ones]]. Since their tactical squads can take a heavy flamer and a grav-gun, consider kitting your own tacticals out with whatever would complement those best. They also get locator beacons in their Tactical squads, which can be hilarious if you have a Terminator-heavy army.
**'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Dark Angels|Dark Angels]]''': We are talking about the [[Deathwing]] and [[Ravenwing]]. The Deathwing have some nasty terminators that can be used if you can't (or don't want to) use yours. The Ravenwing are the same, but replacing terminators for bikes, Land Speeders (this includes the Vengeance and Darkshroud patterns), and flyers. Combining Darkshroud with the White Scars or Astral Claws could lead to entire armies of [[Cheese|3+ covered bikers]] (2+ on turbo-boost).
**'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Space Wolves|Space Wolves]]''': WOLFWOLFWOLFWOLFYWOLF... Ahem. Jokes aside, the Thunderwolves are a godsend to the vanilla. Resilient, fast and strong assault unit; even the TH/SS termies can't say that. 2nd neckbeard opinion: Their fliers have terrific weapons, along with awesome dreads. Deliver an icy, hellfrosted dildo ''''straight'''' to the butthole with a CoF detachment. Eliminate random reserves, unleash your inner furry!

*'''Imperial Guard''': They gives the [[Tarpit]], cheap infantry and meatshields that may come in handy to the marines. Also useful for their [[Imperial Ordnance|artillery]] and tanks. Also very fluffy, everybody knows of hopeless IG whose asses must be saved by the marines. Also [[Leman Russ Battle Tank|Leman Russes]]. Also veteran tankbusters/plasmaspam
*'''Imperial Militia and Cults''': If your gaming circle isn't averse to [[Forgeworld]], and you've got some Fantasy models lying around, then the Imperial Militia can be a godly choice for allies. Take a Force Commander to gain providences(Taking Cybernetic Augmentations and Abhuman Helots), as well as two 50-man units of Levee squads. For a whopping 320 points, you get to put [[rage|'''101 models on the table with toughness 4 and a 6+ invuln]]. In addition, go ahead and swap their shitty flintlock rifles for flintlock pistols to instantly convert what would otherwise be a god-tier tarpit, into one that can threaten absolutely anything in melee. All for the low, low price of [[rape|'''free''']]
*'''Militarum Tempestus''': The storm troopers have only a few tricks to give a marine, but as it is said "if you're gonna be a one trick pony, better make it one hell of a trick". Tempestus give very good air support with valkyries but normal storm troopers are nothing to sneeze at and are able to chew though marines' power armor with AP3 hot shot las guns, or you can use them as cheap deep strike melta.

*'''Grey Knights''': Three words: Two. Wound. Terminators. Basically a [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]], and pretty damn survivable, even without the Assault Terminator 3++ from Storm Shields. Just keep them away from S8+ weapons - there's nothing worse than Paladins going down to Krak Missiles, and lascannons scare the hell out of them. Up against another Marines player with a few Deep Striking units? Vortex of DOOM, motherfucker. Do beware that they'll end up extremely pricy though. If you grab some homers for a Nemesis Strike Force, they'll thank you tons for it.

*'''Adeptus Custodes''': The Custodes offer a golden alternative to the Paladins of the Grey Knights; Eternal Warrior on a 2 wound character with a supercharged stat-line, they seem to be an almost flawless response to the complaints associated with Paladins (strength 8 insta-death). With spears, they make for vicious MEQ killing machines. Terminators? Pfffffffft. With sword and board, they are tanky to the max, and make for a killy tar-pit. Rending for days, from tons of attacks. Additionally, they have a few more models coming out with rules. With them, you accept high cost models with potency and favoritism to rival the Ultra Marines. Can't have the Emperor's own guards being mook-ass chumps, ya know. If only there was [[Lias Issodon|someone]] who could solve their slowness issue...

*'''Adepta Sororitas''': They actually have rules outside of White Dwarf now! And Exorcists. Yes please. Consider a command squad with Condemnor Boltguns if expecting to face Screamerstars or Grey Knights. Troops with heavy flamers are fantastic for roasting hordes, Dominions with meltas are even better at opening cans than Imperial Fist lascannon devs, and there's nothing like an Exorcist for making Crisis Suits cry. Sisters Repentia are - in a Land Raider or Stormraven - the definitive counter for an Imperial Knight.

*'''Inquisition''': Why haven't you taken it yet? Seriously, you get 3 Elites Choices (Read: 3 units of Inquisitorial Henchmen) and each of them can take a transport like a Rhino, or a Chimera or a Land Raider or a Valkyrie. That makes it worth it right up front, but with the right load out, they can fill holes in your army, so this should be your first choice right here. Consider taking a Inquisitor in a Valkyrie and a tarpit or two of Acolytes, while still having a full Guard artillery battery and doing some screening with large blocks of bolter brothers; or a four lascannon Devastator squad buffed by a psyker Inquisitor while Space Wolves take care of the melee combat. If you want to be a douche, attach an Inquisitor to Dev Centurions w/ Grav Cannons and roll for Perfect Timing. If there's something your current army is lacking, the Inquisition has something that can compensate for it. ALSO, if you bring these guys, take their Razorbacks instead of yours. They can get psybolt rounds and are cheaper without upgrades (40 to your 55).

*'''Imperial Knights''': An Errant Knight titan is probably a good bet for players looking for some reliable long range anti-tank/anti-TEQ killer. The Paladin Knight brings some long range high strength high AP shooting (Double shot battle cannon? Hell yeah) to an army that can really use some for only two termies more than two Leman Russ Tanks. And these things score (well, maybe, the Facebook post wasn't clear with whether the allied ones score), so charge him at the enemy lines faster than you can say DISTRACTION CARNIFEX. Thanks to their Str. D CC arm, they can reliably deal with with most monstrous creatures with ease, barring Skarbrand and maybe a Wraithknight. Also, Seer/Screamer-Star or any other re-rollable 2+ bullshit? Meet D-Weapon.

*'''Skitarii''': the newest BFFs in the block, they can put a good amount of precision shots/wannabe-markerlights around. But since they don't have an HQ you can't use an Allied Detachment, only their special CAD. They have access to some of the best anti-air in the imperium with the Icarus array on the onager dunecrawler, firing multiple weapons at once including a str 6 ignores cover launcher, a TL auto cannon and a str 7 ap2 missile. The onagers can also provide a firepower with the neutron laser, a 48" range small blast vindicator round for less than the space marine equivalent. Too bad your Drop Pods can't play taxi service for them any more (thanks FAQ), otherwise they'd be a great way to get their high-BS, Preferred Enemy, 3-shot plasma pukers in close. Remember that most vehicles have at least one facing with AV12 or worse - that much plasma will eat such vehicles for lunch, in addition to the obvious utility against TEQ and MCs.

*'''Cult Mechanicus''': If you take this army, be sure to make use of their Kataphrons. They can tout heavy weapons better than you ever can. CC-based armies can especially be helpful in tying them up alongside Electro-Priests.

*'''Officio Assassinorum''': The Vindicare and Eversor have the potential to be useful in any army, with the former being good at single-target killing and the latter at thinning hordes. However, the [[Eversor|Eversor Assassin]] is now massively overshadowed by [[MURDERWINGS]], so make of it what you will. The Culexus is very good to shut down psychic bullshittery by Eldar et simila and murdering the fuck outta every psyker within a foot of him. The Callidus is useful with her strategic buffs and reserve fuckery. In all look for synergy between what you have, and what they provide. An Eversor will get shot to death if he is alone in front of your gun line. A Callidus can take a negative modifier to reserve rolls, and make the first absolutely brutal. The Assassins all function best if they are allowed to be a cherry-on-top for the tactics you were already going to use, instead of being a special snowflake amidst the desert.

===Allies of Convenience===

*'''Eldar''': That's it, the only Ally of convenience is Craftworld Eldar now. Like you, they shoot and fight, but with their poor Toughness (Wraith units notwithstanding), you fight, let them shoot. Dark Reapers make MEQs cry, Jetbikes are great for harassment, and Fire Dragons or Wraithguard are awesome for removing AV14 or MCs. The Wraithknight is the mother of all distractions. Use wisely. Take Wraithguard in Wave Serpent for the Cheesy D.

===Desperate Allies===

*'''Dark Eldar''': They are faster than you, so use that. A good strategy with them are using them as skirmishers and go against one unit at once. Kabalites are good versus infantry and monsters or launch Wyches against vehicles. Do not invest in Haemonculi's minions, you have better stuff. Remember keep them far from your units. The marines will likely survive one turn stopped and useless, the DE don't.

*'''Tau Empire''': What are the Tau? Ungodly shooting power. You can give them infantry that doesn't suck in CQC. Also, crisis suits are just like attack bikes, except better in every way. They used to be a lot better in 6E when they were Battle Brothers, but nowadays a lot of their utility is lost. If they end up too close to the Tau, they'll be doing nothing, which will be costly. It pays to remember, though - Tau don't have to be a static gunline. Battlesuits - all of them except R'Varnas and Broadsides - are jet pack infantry. That means they can Deep Strike and they can seriously haul heinie. Play your cards right, especially with a Farsight Enclaves detachment, and OEO will never be a problem. Use fusion-armed crisis suits or ion/fusion Riptides to destroy a Land Raider then jump them clear just in time for your assault termies to smash the hell out of whatever was inside.

===Come the Apocalypse===
*'''Necrons''': They're the anvil. You're the hammer. Let the undead robots take the shit, because they can handle it. You can deep strike later to win the day. Also useful when there are many high-armor (13+) vehicles in the field.

*'''Orks''': Use them as a first and expendable wave to tarpit and soften the enemy or silence their biggest cannons by assaulting them (or both), so you can later choose better your attacks. Remember that you have to begin the marine offensive when every one of the orks are dead, as the "one eye open" rule can ruin even the best plan.

*'''Chaos Daemons'''- Grey Knights are better. Worth noting that daemons are here if you choose to summon them.

*'''Chaos Space Marines'''- Why? There's nothing they can do that you or a BB ally couldn't do better.

*'''Tyranids'''- Genestealers. Nuff said.

==Formations==
Each formation described below can be taken as a stand-alone element, so you can do things like tack a Storm Wing or Librarius Conclave onto a Combined Arms Detachment. They can also be combined in specific ways to create an alternative FOC, following in the footsteps of the Necrons, Khorne Daemonkin, and Eldar. Note that any attached Independent Characters don't benefit from the Formation's rules unless it also came as part of the same formation.
===Gladius Strike Force===
This alternative FOC is included in the base Space Marines codex. It grants one use each of the three Combat Doctrines, which affect the whole detachment when used. Of interest is that none of these formations or the larger formation grants a warlord trait re-roll, which is an otherwise omnipresent feature of such lists.

*You need 1-2 of the following "Core" choices:
**'''Battle Demi-Company''' - A Captain or Chaplain (which may be any of the named ICs), 3 Tactical Squads, 1 Assault Squad/Bike Squad/Attack Bike Squad/Land Speeder unit/Assault Centurion Squad, 1 Devastator or Centurion Devastator squad, 0-1 Command Squad and 0-1 Dreadnought unit(s) of any type. The Demi-Company gets [[Awesome|Objective Secured]] and its own extra use of Tactical Doctrine. More importantly, if you bring two (with a Captain in one and a Chaplain in the other) within one Gladius Strike Force, the two Demi-Companies are counted as a Battle Company and can then buy Rhinos, Razorbacks, and Drop Pods as Dedicated Transports for the low, low price of [[Cheese|FREE]]. You still need to pay for upgrades, but that can translate into 400-500 points worth of free transports - ideally, you'd use it to spam Razorbacks as a source of free guns or 20-point TL lascannons.
***Since the Demi-Company has a good chunk of what the average Marine player tends to bring anyway, and provides Objective Secured for everything in it, the Demi-Company is perfectly capable of getting by without being battle-forged unless you really want those snazzy detachment-level command benefits. Otherwise the Demi-Company works well as the general purpose core of an unbound army, the rest of your bases can be covered by adding other formations or individual units as you see fit (just note that bringing two Demi-Companies won’t benefit from being a Battle-Company unless they’re part of a battle-forged Gladius Strike Force).
***The Demi-Company's personal Tactical Doctrine can be really nasty if the Tactical Squads are put in Drop Pods and given a special/combi-weapon to blow up tanks or mow down backline units. It can really help these otherwise unimpressive "tax" units pull their weight.
***Free transport drop pods can be fairly hilarious. Dropping 10-14 drop pods (even empty ones) with ObSec around the board (that's 1-3 per objective) makes a big mess for your opponent.
*You can take 0-3 of the following "Command" choices:
**'''Strike Force Command'''- Any Captain or Chaplain (named ICs included, as well as Marneus Calgar), 0-1 Honor Guard, 0-1 Command Squad, and/or 0-1 Emperor's Champion. Here's all your non-Librarian HQs in one package. Unfortunately not a Formation by itself, so no Battle Forged army of just 10 heroes.
**'''Reclusiam Command Squad'''- Based on the old Reclusiam Command Squad dataslate, consists of a Chaplain with a Command Squad (he must join them during deployment, and can't leave them) with a Razorback DT. The formation gains Crusader, and all friendly Space Marines within 6" of the Chaplain re-roll misses in the first round of each close combat (aka Hatred). This time around, you aren't required to take an Apothecary or Champion, and don't have to pay points for the formation's unique rules. Still doesn't make it good, though if you insist on fielding a chaplain without a jump pack, bike, or terminator armor (any one of the three are ostensibly better choices, but again, if you insist), this is probably the best way to do it.
***That said, the rules don't actually say you can't bike your Chaplain and Command Squad. If you're fancying a razorback to use for no particular purpose (say you have a combat-squadded tactical squad, or the like), and were going to take a biker Chaplain & squad already, this gives you that plus a (minor-ish) bonus to the chaplain's special rules.
**'''Librarius Conclave'''- 3-5 Librarians, one of which may be Tigurius. Taking this lets you break out an excellent trick, as follows: you may nominate one of the Librarians at the start of a Psychic Phase. All the other ones within 12" of him can't use powers that phase, but the nominated Librarian now knows all of their powers until that phase's end. More importantly, he now harnesses Warp Charges on a 3+ if there's one Librarian within 12" of him, and 2+ if there's more than one in range. This makes your casting in the Psychic Phase ultra-efficient, especially with buffs (or summoning, if you don't give a shit about fluff and want free army points), to the point that even Eldar or Daemons would be jealous! Someone needs to e-mail Forgeworld about their Character Librarians like Chief Librarian Loth joining this.
***Done, FW replied saying that any named Badab War character may be taken in the same slot as a SM codex named character (but only if they are the same unit type, e.g. swapping Tigurius for Loth).
***The BRB FAQ (page 3) has rendered this formation's benefit practically irrelevant. Sure, you know all the powers of other Librarians within 12", and sure you can manifest them on 3+ or 2+ depending on the number of donors. However, your nominated model is limited in casting a number of powers up to his mastery level, so while he may know something like 16 powers, he is ''still'' only casting two or three. And those donors are standing around doing nothing, because they are not allowed to cast, meaning a whole bunch of wasted warp charges. The formation can be useful for getting Librarians into your army, but you should typically only be casting your powers individually.
***Sure, your other Librarians can't cast, but in return you can effectively get a +12" range extension on another Librarian's rolled power and an opportunity to reliably manifest several select 2 and 3 Warp Charge powers from a single point with much fewer spent dice and less chance of perils, as Mastery Levels do not restrict the number of charges you are pumping through a psyker, just the number of powers. Also, the harnessing bonus allows you to put more dice into manifesting a power so it will be harder for the opponent to dispel. If you are concerned about wasting Warp Charges, you can dip into Imperial Agents or Inquisition books and buy yourself some more Psykers to buff backfield units.
*You need at least 1 of these "Auxiliary" choices, but there's no hard limit as to how many of them you can take:
**'''Anti-Air Defense Force'''- A unit of Hunters and a unit of Stalkers, with the Stalker unit consisting of at least 2 models. Anytime a Hunter lands a hit on a Flyer or FMC, the Stalkers gain +1 BS against whatever got hit. Solves your AA problem nicely, and it's pretty cheap for how effective it is so a full Battle Company gets some wiggle room.
**'''1st Company Task Force'''- 3-5 of any combination of Terminators or Veterans, who gets Fear and Fearless. All enemies get -2 Ld when they're within 12" of at least 3 units (including the Dedicated Transports!) from this formation, and a selected enemy unit has Preferred Enemy applied to it when attacks are made against it by this formation (again, including the Transports). Expensive, but it'll keep a special snowflake on his toes. Works well with Psychic Shriek and any other sort of Ld-related attack or effect. Scary, scary Rhinos/Drop Pods.
**'''10th Company Task Force'''- 3-5 Scout squads and/or Scout Bike squads (the latter of which must be equipped with cluster mines), and can take Torias Telion. Everyone who Infiltrates but doesn't have Stealth gains a watered-down version of Stealth that lasts until they move, run, Turbo-boost, charge, or fall back, at which point it stops working (shooting doesn't dispel it, though.) And on the first turn, all of their shooting attacks have Precision Shots.
**'''Storm Wing'''- A Stormraven is joined by two Stormtalons. They count as a single unit for the purposes of Reserves, and as long as at least one Stormtalon is intact the Stormraven has Strafing Run. Yes, they did copypaste it from the original Storm Wing dataslate from an edition ago.
**'''Centurion Siegebreaker Cohort'''- An Ironclad Dreadnought unit teams up with 2-4 Assault Centurion squads. Everyone with an omniscope can reroll failed armor pen rolls against buildings and can choose to re-roll glancing hits as well. If they ever destroy a building or Transport in the Assault phase, the occupants suffer an extra 2d6 S6 AP4 hits with Ignores Cover. Would probably go well with an Imperial Fists army, and it'll definitely make your opponent think twice about taking fortifications.
**'''Land Raider Spearhead'''- 3 of any combination of the basic Land Raider types (standard, Crusader, and Redeemer). As long as they're within 6" of each other, they ignore all results on the vehicle damage table short of Explodes!, and they all re-roll failed to wound/armor penetration rolls against GCs, super-heavies, and buildings with the Mighty Bulwark rule. With this formation, the classic Land Raider may actually be worth taking as a superheavy-killer. Sadly, no option for Antaro Chronus to join, that's for the next entry.
**'''Armoured Task Force'''- A Techmarine, 0-3 Thunderfire Cannon units, 3-5 of any combination of Predators, Vindicators, and Whirlwinds, and the option of taking Antaro Chronus. As long as any of the vehicles is within 6" of the Techmarine or the Techmarine Gunners, they ignore Crew Shaken/Stunned, and said Techmarines gain a +1 bonus to their Blessings of the Omnissiah rolls when applied to any vehicle from the formation.
**'''Suppression Force'''- A unit of Land Speeders pairs up with a unit of Whirlwinds (minimum two models). If it doesn't move Flat Out, one of the Land Speeders can nominate an enemy within 18" in its line of sight in its shooting phase; the Whirlwinds have infinite range and re-roll To Hit against that target. Make it a 3-tank Whirlwind unit and watch blob armies cry.

===Scarblade Strike Force (Kauyon)===
A variant of the Gladius for the White Scars, this gives its members re-rolls on their Hit & Run test, a bonus d6" to Turbo-Boost and Flat Out (or 2d6" for Fast/Flyer vehicles), and Hammer of Wrath when they successfully charge something 8"+ away (if they already had it, HoW hits re-roll failed Wound rolls instead). Remember, these "elements" can be used as a stand-alone formation: you have to be White Scars to use the Scarblade Strike Force FOC, but you don't have to be White Scars to take any of the new formations introduced in the Kauyon book.

*Your unique '''Core''' elements are:
**'''Stormlance Demi-Company''' - This consists of a Captain or Chaplain (or any named variant thereof), 3 Tactical Squads, 1 Dev Squad, and 1 of either Bikers, Attack Bikes, Land Speeders, or Assault Marines, with the option to add a Command Squad. All non-vehicles in this formation must have either jump packs, bikes, or start the game inside a Rhino or Razorback. Everyone gets to re-roll misses during the Shooting Phase against enemies controlling an objective. All bikes and jump units get to move 2d6" after firing, while anything else moves d6" after shooting (with anything within 2" of the transports able to jump in even if they left that same turn). They can't assault after moving in this manner, but it's basically Battle Focus for marines, which is really good! Ideal for massaging ranges (i.e. Rapid Fire, melta), hitting and running, or shooting then hiding in your metal box.
***Do note that the boxes themselves get this bonus. I.e. you can move a Razorback 6", disembark a squad up to 6", shoot with the squad, move the squad back d6" and embark, shoot with the Razorback, then move it back d6", [[Rage|preferably behind a LOS-block]]. Model your dakka boxes with the gun just above the back door; this allows you to poke out of cover for an inch, do the switcheroo, and still get back into cover even if you roll 1".
**'''Hunting Force''' - A Biker Captain joins 2-5 Bike squads, 1-3 Attack Bike squads and 1-3 Scout Bike squads - you may optionally add a Bike Command Squad and/or a Biker Chaplain, and Kor'sarro Khan may replace either HQ. After deployment, this formation has to pick a primary target (which must be an enemy HQ), as well as secondary and tertiary targets. They re-roll misses and failed To Wound rolls when attacking the primary target, and gain Furious Charge if charging them. If the primary target dies, the Hunting Force gets those same bonuses against the secondary target, and the same against the tertiary once you kill the secondary. On top of that, units in this formation with at least five models hit twice when they make Hammer of Wrath attacks. Fluffy for White Scars, extremely potent against deathstars and other high-value targets, and perfect for still fielding massed bikes while getting in on the formation-y goodness.

*You may also incorporate these two Auxiliary elements:
**'''Stormbringer Squadron''' - 1-3 units of Land Speeders and 1-3 Scout Squads with Land Speeder Storms. The Scouts (but not their transports) get Objective Secured, their transports get +1 to Jink when within 6" of the formation's Land Speeder(s), and the Scouts can disembark from their Speeder even after it moves, as long as it moved less than 12". Perfect for rushing to capture points after your other forces clear them out, and the only way for a Scarblade force to get Objective Secured without a Battle Demi-Company. You can gib a tank or charge something Turn 1 with ease if you have some combination of multi-meltas on your Speeders and melta bombs/combi-meltas for the Scouts: deploy as close as possible, move 12" and disembark 6" (thanks to the formation bonus), then shoot the multi-meltas (ideally you've weaved into melta range), shoot the combi-melta if you have it, then charge in with a krak grenade and a melta bomb. If you take multiple Scout Squads (120 points gives the LSS a multi-melta and the Sarge a combi-melta and bombs), you can destroy enemy transports on Turn 1. If they deploy further back to avoid your melta rave, you have more room to scout/infiltrate and consolidate board position from the start.
**'''Speartip Strike''' - 1-3 units of Land Speeders accompany 2 squads of your choice of Bikes, Attack Bikes or Scout Bikes. At the start of your Shooting phase, you can choose ''Focused Suppression'' or ''Harassing Fire''. ''Focused Suppression'' forces an enemy unit that at least two units shot at to take a Pinning test at -2 Leadership for every unit from this formation after the second that fires on it (i.e. if you took 3 units of Land Speeders and all five units shoot at one target, the FS Pinning test would be at -6 Ld). ''Harassing Fire'' causes any target that suffers at least one unsaved wound to take a Leadership test. If they fail the test, they may choose to Go to Ground. If they don't Go to Ground, and weren't already Gone to Ground, they are Provoked, and must move as far as possible towards the unit during the next Movement phase. This is perfect for neutralizing hit-and-run tactics or forcing an entrenched enemy (ideally something with Heavy or Salvo weapons) out of their hiding spots.

===Talon Strike Force (Kauyon)===
A Raven Guard-themed Gladius. It allows a re-roll for mission type, table side to deploy from, and your dice on the roll-off for who goes first IF your Warlord is in the TSF. Units in the TSF can choose to auto-fail Morale checks, and can roll for reserves on the first turn, passing on a 4+ (roll normally on other turns). Similar to Scarblade, only Raven Guard can use the Talon Strike Force FOC (unless FW okays the Raptors or other successors' use), but any Chapter can use the new formations that the Kauyon book added.

*'''Core (1-2)'''
**'''Battle Demi-Company''' - Same as Gladius Strike Force.
**'''Pinion Battle Demi-Company''' - A Captain/Chaplain (replaced by a named HQ if you want) takes an optional Command Squad, 3 Tacs, 1 Dev and 1 Assault squad, and 1-5 Scout squads, either on bike or on foot. During shooting, a Scout Sarge can spot for another unit from the Company within 9", giving that unit Ignores Cover. In addition, each Scout squad can lead another unit out of reserve (but not Deep Strike Reserve), and you use one roll for both the Scout unit and the other unit. If the Scouts outflank, the following unit arrives from the same table edge even if they can't normally outflank. When the two units arrive in this way, the unit being led gets Stealth until their next turn if they were within 9" of the Scouts leading them.
*** If you use this, definitely set up a unit of Scouts near your Devastators. Ignores Cover Missile Launchers, or Lascannons? Yeah, that would be pretty brutal.
*'''Command (0-2)'''
**'''Reclusiam Command Squad'''
**'''Strike Force Command'''
***Sadly, you can't take the Librarius Conclave as part of the Talon Strike Force, so they won't get 1st-turn reserves or auto-fail Morale checks.
*'''Auxiliary (1+)'''
**'''1st Company Task Force'''
**'''10th Company Task Force'''
**'''Storm Wing'''
**'''Anti-Air Defense Force'''
**'''Suppression Force'''
**'''Shadowstrike Kill Team''' - 2-4 Scout squads and 1-3 Vanguard Veteran squads with jump packs. The Vanguards can choose to auto-pass or auto-fail their Reserve roll (which combines very nicely with the TSF ability to roll for reserve on Turn 1). They can also charge on the turn they Deep Strike, and if they arrive within 9" of at least two Scout squads from this formation, they don't scatter. The Scout squads' Scout and Infiltrate moves almost guarantee a precision Vanguard Vet turn 1 alpha strike in TSF, as long as you got the first turn or don't get the Scouts shot off the table before the Vanguards can show up. Non-Raven Guard can still use this formation very effectively - in particular, you can put a Locator Beacon in a Drop Pod to Deep Strike the Vanguard Vets in a perfect spot to reinforce your alpha strike.
**'''Bladewing Assault Brotherhood''' - A jump pack Captain/Chaplain (or Shrike) with 1-3 Vanguards and 2-4 Assault squads, all with jump packs and numbering no more than 30 models. Once per game, in your Movement phase, you can make every unit here disengage and jump back into reserves (even if they were locked in close combat!). They arrive from reserves as a single unit - when Deep Striking, draw a straight line from table one edge to another. You must aim your Deep Strike on a point along that line, and can re-roll the scatter.
***This is as close as any bound army can get right now to an Assault Reserve Company, and not limited to just Raven Guard. Worth a look if you like assault marines.
**'''Skyhammer Orbital Strike Force''' - 3 Tacs in Drop Pods and 1-3 Land Speeders. Pick a point on the board before any Turn 1 Drop Pods land - Drop Pods landing within 12" of that point only scatter d6", and anyone that targets an enemy within 12" of this spot can re-roll hit and wound rolls of 1. On top of that, the Tacs can run '''and''' shoot the turn they disembark.
**'''Ravenhawk Assault Group''' - A Stormraven joins a Dread of any type and a Sternguard squad. The Stormraven can Deep Strike, but must Hover the turn it arrives - its size makes it risky to DS successfully, never mind that it can be shot at normally, just have it arrive normally. When the first unit from this formation deploys or arrives from reserve, nominate an enemy unit as the formation's target - the Assault Group re-rolls all misses against that unit for the rest of the battle.
**'''Raptor Wing''' - A squad of Land Speeders and 2 Stormtalons. The Talons automatically arrive on your Turn 2 if they were in reserve. Also, once per turn, the Land Speeder designates an enemy unit within 18" and in line of sight as a priority target, giving the Stormtalons re-rolls to Wound and Armor Penetration, and can even re-roll glances to try for penetrating hits instead.
**'''Shadow Force''' - A Captain (replaceable by named guys) joins a Sternguard Squad, Vanguard Squad, and a Land Speeder, nobody with Termie Armor. Everyone gets Acute Senses, Move Through Cover, and Scout, while everyone can re-roll runs (vehicles add 6" to Flat-Out instead). This matches the contents of Strike Force Solaq from the box set.

===Fist of Medusa Strike Force (Angels of Death)===
An Iron Hands flavored Decurion. Contains copy-pasta from the Gladius, plus some new units. The command benefits are a 12" bubble around any independent character that grants +1 to Feel No Pain rolls (because Smashfucker needed that...), with all vehicles in the bubble gaining Power of the Machine Spirit, and a bonus Warlord Trait, with the 2nd one only coming from either Strategic or Tactical rulebook traits.

*'''1-2 Core'''
**As Space Marines
***'''Armoured Task Force'''
***'''Battle Demi-Company'''
**New
***'''Stormlance Demi-Company'''
****1 Captain or Chaplain
****0-1 Command Squad
****3 Tactical Squads
****1 Devastator Squad
****1 Assault, Bike, or Attack Bike Squad, or 1 Land Speeder
****'''Clear and Sweep'''
*****Re-roll misses in the Shooting Phase when targeting an enemy unit which is controlling an Objective Marker.
****'''Mobile Firebase'''
*****Units with Bikes or Jump Packs can move 2d6" immediately after shooting in the shooting phase; other units can move 1d6". They may embark on their Dedicated Transport if all of their models end this move within 2" of one of its Access Points, even if they disembarked on the same turn. Units that move after shooting cannot charge in the subsequent Assault Phase.
*'''0-3 Command'''
**As Space Marines
***'''Reclusiam Command Squad'''
***'''Librarius Conclave'''
**New
***'''Strike Force Command'''
****1 Terminator Captain, Captain, Chaplain, or Venerable Dreadnought
****0-1 Honour Guard
****0-1 Command Squad
*'''1+ Auxiliary'''
**As Space Marines
***'''1st Company Task Force'''
***'''10th Company Task Force'''
***'''Storm Wing'''
***'''Anti-Air Defence Force'''
***'''Suppression Force'''
***'''Centurion Siege Breaker Cohort'''
***'''Land Raider Spearhead'''
***'''Strike Force Ultra'''
**New
***'''Skyhammer Orbital Strikeforce'''
****3 Tactical Squads, each with a Drop Pod as a Dedicated Transport
****1-3 Land Speeders
****'''Dropsite Clearance'''
*****At the start of your first turn, before any Drop Pods arrive using Drop Pod Assault, pick a point on the battlefield to mark the center of this Formation's dropsite. Units gain Preferred Enemy against units within 12" of that point, and Drop Pods that Deep Strike within 12" of that point scatter one less die.
****'''Shock Assault'''
*****Tactical Squads can Run and then Shoot on the same turn they disembark from their Drop Pods.
***'''Skyhammer Annihilation Force'''
****2 Assault Squads with Jump Packs
****2 Devastator Squads with Drop Pods as Dedicated Transports
****'''Shock Deployment'''
*****All units in a Skyhammer Annihilation Force start the game in Deep Strike Reserve. Instead of using the normal deployment and reserve rules for these units, you can, during deployment, choose whether this Formation will arrive during your first or second turn. The entire Skyhammer Annihilation Force automatically arrives on the turn you choose—no Reserve Rolls are required. Ignore this Formation’s Drop Pods for the purposes of the Drop Pod Assault special rule.
****'''First the Fire, then the Blade'''
*****On the turn they arrive from Deep Strike Reserve, the Devastator Squads in a Skyhammer Annihilation Force have the Relentless special rule and the Assault Squads can charge even though they arrived from Reserves that turn.
****'''Suppressing Fusillade'''
*****A unit targeted by a Skyhammer Annihilation Force’s Devastator Squad in the Shooting phase must take a Morale test at the end of the phase on 3D6, regardless of how many casualties were inflicted. If the test is failed, the enemy unit does not Fall Back, but must immediately Go to Ground. If the test is passed, the enemy unit is unable to fire Overwatch for the rest of the turn.
****'''Leave No Survivors'''
*****Assault Squads in a Skyhammer Annihilation Force can use their Jump Packs in both the Movement phase and the Assault phase. If an Assault Squad from a Skyhammer Annihilation Force charges a unit that has Gone to Ground as a result of the Suppressing Fusillade special rule, that Assault Squad can reroll failed To Hit and To Wound rolls in the ensuring Assault phase.
***'''Raptor Wing'''
****1 unit of Land Speeders
****2 Stormtalons.
****'''Incoming Support'''
*****The Stormtalons automatically arrive on your Turn 2 if they were in reserve.
****'''Priority Target Received'''
*****Once per turn in the shooting phase, one Land Speeder may designate an enemy unit within 18" and in line of sight as a priority target, giving the Stormtalons re-rolls to Wound and Armor Penetration, and can even re-roll glances to try for penetrating hits instead. The priority target remains such for this formation until it is destroyed or the formation designates a new one.
***'''Honored Ancients'''
****1 unit of normal, Venerable, Ironclad, or Contemptor Dreads.
***'''Iron Guardians'''
****This is copy-pasta of Honored Ancients, except you can include a Tactical Squad.

The Stormlance Demi-Company can gain real traction in this detachment due to its formation bonuses overlapping really well with this detachment's bonuses. An optimal scenario has a Las-plas Razorback carrying a team of Tactical Marines. The Razorback moves 6", and the Marines disembark 3" away. They open fire at a choice target, before boarding their transport again. In turn, the Razorback fire both guns at full BS with the potential to engage two targets thanks to POTMS before it moves another D6 in turn. Multiply this by 3 and you have a solid army core to work with. When the Razorbacks do die, the Marines inside will still remain a threat due to the improved FNP from the detachment, as well as the ability to keep moving after firing; obsec is nice and all and losing it hurts, but actually getting to the objective and surviving to hold it also matters too. The real advantage to this over the Gladius/Battle-Company is you have a lower buy-in to take full advantage of this army, should you wish to play around with an allied CAD or go heavier on auxiliaries, plus you have the potential to get really cheeky with other units in your army. POTMS is cute on Land Speeder Storms and Stormtalons in terms of threatening enemy MSU, and it lets Ironclad Dreadnoughts do pseudo-Knight shenanigans where they shoot one unit before assaulting another. On the non-vehicle side, 10th Company Scouts become annoyingly difficult to kill for their points, and a Command Squad with Apothecary starts with FNP 3+(!). Round off with your Warlord getting a second Strategic Trait, and this detachment has a lot of small force multipliers that let it snowball into something more than the sum of its parts.

Alternately, this formation can also appeal to tank players. If you take any kind of a tank in an Armored Task Force that is a part of this formation, and give the Techmarine a servo-harness and a bike, you can have up to 5 units of [[Awesome|5+ IWND, Power of the Machine Spirit]] [[Predator|Predators]], [[Whirlwind|Whirlwinds]] or [[Vindicator|Vindicators]], that are repaired on 2+ by a character with T5, 2+ armor, 5+ FnP and very good mobility, and are completely immune to Crew Shaken and Crew Stunned. Meaning these Vindicators can now move 12", still fire their [[Demolisher_Cannon|DEMOLISHER CANNONS]] at full BS, and not give a fuck. If said Techmarine also has an Ironstone, that IWND increases to 4+ and also repairs a Weapon Destroyed or Immobilised result on a 6 if the Techie is within 6". Moreover, all you need to round up the bigger Decurion is a Dreadnought which gets almost all of the same bonuses, thus you can have the most resilient armored fire support formation EVER [[Cheese|for under 750 points]]. Now go ahead and include [[Smashfucker]] [[RAGE|as a Command choice]].
* Plonk this formation on top of a shielded Landing Pad and duck.
* Sadly, Thunderfire Gunners are not considered characters at all, so they don't get the FnP/PotMS bubble nor IWND from chapter tactics.
**In fact, this formation has astonishingly little access to Techmarines; the ''only'' way to field them is via the Armoured Task Force detachment. It's a sharp contrast with an Anvil Strike Force or the Space Wolves, either of whom can spam an incredible number of Techmarines.
* Also of note is the ability to effectively split a squadron's fire while keeping the bonuses. So, for example, you can take 3 Tri-Las Predators in a squadron, with Tank/Monster Hunters as a bonus, and then use PotMS on each tank to fire 6 Lascannons at one target and 3 twin-linked Lascannons at three other different targets. Unfortunately, it's not as great for Whirlwinds; Multiple Barrage forces you to lay down your blast templates in a specific pattern regardless of the targets of the non-primary firer, so choosing different targets (or the same target twice, but declared to be different) does not let you re-roll scatter independently. However, Whirlwinds DO still get the standard trick of firing after moving at Cruising Speed.
*As Independent Characters are critical to the benefits of this Formation, here are your ways to field them, gathered together:
**Command (0-3)
***'''Strike Force Command''' can get you a Terminator Captain, Captain, or Chaplain.
***'''Reclusiam Command Squad''' bans the Chaplain from leaving the unit but ''does not'' remove the IC rule from him, so this gets you one that will emit the bubble.
***'''Librarius Conclave''' gets you 3-5 Librarians, definitely the easiest way to get your hands on some ICs.
**Core (1-2)
***'''Stormlance Battle Demi-Company''' and '''Battle Demi-Company''' will both net you a single Captain, Terminator Captain, or Chaplain.
***'''Armoured Task Force''' will net you a Techmarine, the only way to get one in this formation. As noted above, remember that the Thunderfire Gunners are ''not'' ICs.
**Auxiliary (1+)
***'''Strike Force Ultra''' will get you a Captain or Terminator Captain.

===Flameblade Strike Force (Angels of Death)===
The Salamanders get their own detachment. Your Warlord can now get a second WT from the Personal Traits table (just hope you don't roll the FNP trait when Vulkan He'stan's your warlord since he already has FNP from his set trait), all Flamers held by Salamanders models get +1 S, and if any unit stands still for your movement phase (running, assaulting, etc are still cool), they gain Fearless. Curiously, though, they get a good deal of Land Speeder formations, which sorta breaks from the fluff about Nocturne's inconsistent gravity.

*Your '''1-2 Core''' choices are either the '''Battle Demi-Company''' or the '''Stormlance Battle Demi-Company'''
*Your '''0-3 Command''' choices are the '''Librarius Conclave''', '''Strike Force Command''', or the '''Reclusiam Command Squad'''
*Your '''1+ Auxiliary''' choices are the '''Armoured Task Force''', '''1st Company Task Force''', '''10th Company Task Force''', '''Storm Wing''', '''Anti-Air Defense Force''', '''Suppression Force''', '''Centurion Siegebreaker Cohort''', '''Task Force Ultra''', '''Raptor Wing''', '''Stormbringer Squadron''', '''Ravenhawk Assault Group''', or the following:
**'''Flamebringers:''' It's an LR Redeemer with no additional rules. Doesn't even get the +1 S to its flamestorms since it's not a Salamanders model per the Chapter Tactics rule and the detachment rules care about that. Wooo. Since most things you'd want to stick in one can already take it as a dedicated transport, this just screams lazy afterthought.
***The one potentially redeeming feature is that it allows for the cheapest way to get Assault Terminators in a Land Raider. Take this plus a Librarian, Assault Terminators, and 2 Scout squads in the CAD for 15 points less than taking the 1st Company formation with Terminators and 2 naked Vanguard squads.
****It´s also a cheap way of getting auxiliary choices for the decurion.

===Anvil Strike Force (Angels of Death)===
An armour-heavy Decurion, this is the army for tank fetishists like the [[Aurora Chapter]]. You can make a Tank the Warlord, gain immunity to Crew Stunned/Shaken on your vehicles as well as allowing your warlord to give itself or another tank within range the ability to fire all guns twice in a turn. And if you go full-on Smurf, you can take Chronus in '''any''' Tank Formation you want, provided he's behind the controls of a Land Raider or a Rhino-chassis Tank. Effectively BS 10 LR Crusaders? Las-Plas Razorbacks? You can get them here. Only catch is that your Infantry must have Transports, which is great if you're taking a Land Raider Spearhead as your Core choice, but doesn't matter for your TFC units, since they aren't Infantry.

*Your '''1-2 Core''' choices are either the '''Armoured Task Force''' or '''Land Raider Spearhead'''.
*Your '''0-2 Command''' choices are limited to either:
**'''Masters of the Armoury:''' Take either Chronus, those special Command Tanks, or a plain Pred/Vindicator/LR of any sort. That said, however, Chronus can ride atop any tank without grabbing this choice if you really need more tanks.
**'''Keeper of the Forge:''' A Techie grabs a Rhino or a Razorback.
*Your '''1+ Auxiliary''' choices are the '''Suppression Force''', '''Anti-Air Defense Force''', '''Raptor Wing''', '''Storm Wing''', or any of the following.
**'''Mechanized Infantry:''' Grab some infantry and stick'em in a bawks. You can grab Tacs, Assaults, Termies of any kind, Centurions, Scouts, or Veterans.
**'''Techmarine:''' Get a spare Techmarine or grab one with a TFC, Drop Pod optional.
**'''Recon Outriders:''' Grab Land Speeders.
**'''Honoured Ancients:''' Here's a squad of Dreads of any sort.

===Sternhammer Strike Force (Angels of Death)===
An Imperial Fists Decurion, here to round out the First Founding...sorta (if you count the Gladius for Ultras). The Warlord gives everyone Stubborn while he's alive, the Bolter Drill rule from Chapter Tactics now re-rolls all misses instead of just 1s, and everyone in the detachment adds 1 to armor penetration rolls against buildings (because fuck buildings). Twin-linked Sternguard? Why not! Stubborn is a nice add-on to ATSKNF, to further ensure your battle line stays intact no matter what. The volume of bolter fire put out by a Tactical squad increases markedly, making them a rather scary unit even to other MEQ.
*Your '''1-2 Core''' choices are either the '''Battle Demi-Company''' or '''Centurion Siegebreaker Cohort'''.
*Your '''0-2 Command''' choices are either '''Strike Force Command''', '''Reclusiam Command Squad''', or '''Librarius Conclave'''.
*Your '''1-10 Auxiliary''' choices can either be the '''Armoured Task Force''', '''1st Company Task Force''', '''10th Company Task Force''', '''Storm Wing''', '''Anti-Air Defense Force''', '''Suppression Force''', '''Land Raider Spearhead''', '''Strike Force Ultra''', '''Skyhammer Orbital Strike Force''', '''Skyhammer Annihilation Force''', '''Raptor Wing''', or the following:
**'''Devastators:''' A squad of Tank Hunting Devastators. Season to taste with Twin-Linked Heavy Bolters or AT weaponry.
**'''Centurions:''' A squad of any sort of Centurions. Because they punch/shoot heavy things.
**'''Line Breakers:''' If you want Vindicators, but don't want to go with the whole formation for it.
**'''Ordinance:''' A unit of TFCs if you needed more cheap Templates. One of the few ways Marines can compete with Guard Artillery.
**'''Siege Ancients:''' A Contemptor or Ironclad Dread, since they're the heaviest armed. If you want a dakka dread you have to use the Demi-Company slot to make it fit in (with the advantage of ObSec). Still, an Ironclad dropping down with a Demi company full of twin-linked weapons (remember the Demi company still has access to one Tactical Doctrine) makes for a good alpha strike, especially combined with the infamous Skyhammer Annihilation Force. Plonk a Pod on every objective turn 1 and hold on till the end.

===Castellans of the Imperium===

Found in Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia, this detachment skirts the line between using no force org, and being battle forged. Basically, take Imperial Guard, Sisters of Battle, Space Marines (vanilla Space Marines, with Black Templars, mind you), Imperial Knights, Assassins, and Militarum Tempestus. Then build the army around the units in their different unit organizations. Ok, so it's not that clear cut. The detachment basically lists what units (by name) can be used in what position. Space Marines offer a lot for HQ, Elite, Fast Attack, and Troops. However, they lose out to Guard on Heavy support vehicles with the exception of the Land Raider. Also, they give some powerful Deep Striking potential to the detachment. That being said, the detachment does not list Legion of the Damned. This is not surprising at all. Aside from giving open reign with your army construction, the detachment gives you some other nice benefits.

*Hatred for all. Yep, everyone in the detachment gains hatred. Even better, if you fill out the force org chart, all the units gain Zealot instead.
*Chenkov fun. Yep, if a troop unit is destroyed, it has a chance to be in on-going reserves. Add in that you have no upper limit on the number of troops you may take, and you have some combat staying power. Just hope it's not a kill point battle.
*Build an Imperial Crusade. Basically, take what you want to create the perfect army that you always wanted.

The detachment has some problems, though.

*Points cost. You think getting that Zealot is cheap? You are wrong. Three Lord of War Choices ain't cheap. Not to mention the number of heavy support, troop, HQ, elite, and fast attack choices you need to fill out that Force Org.
*Multiple armies. For this detachment, you need at least two of the armies listed. So, if you are starting out, this is not the detachment for you.
*LARGE!! This detachment is large if you plan on filling it out. Having all those books, rules, and units can be daunting.
*Restrictions. Sorry, unless later FAQed, no Forgeworld for you (except Vendettas, long story). Except that from Forgeworld Emails, all of their 'dreadnoughts' count as dreadnoughts for the purposes of formations (just remember that the Leviathan's Relic of Darkness rule means that he can't claim the formation benefits, even if you put him in there). In addition, all of their Badab War Characters count as their respective type for formations. Sevrin Loth is a Librarian, while Captain Tarnus Vale is a Captain. That said, units in armies such as Space Wolves, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, and the like cannot be taken in this detachment.

===Victrix Strike Force (Rise of the Primarch)===
And now the First Founding is officially rounded out, as this is Ultramarines only. Grants a copy of each Doctrine, like the Gladius, but also allows you to enact as many doctrines as you like each turn of the ones still available. Also grants ''Objective Secured'' to all non-vehicle units, and your Warlord can re-roll Warlord Traits if he uses the Traits table in the supplement (which is the new Ultramarines Warlord traits table). Can only contain models with the Ultramarines Chapter Tactics rule, and Ultramarines special characters (too many to list thanks to GW favoritism).
*If you're relying on units the Doctrines don't improve with, like a Strike Force Ultra, you can use this and Guilliman to simulate the Tactical Doctrine every turn: you have three copies of Tactical (from the Formation and your Chapter Tactics), and you have three each of Assault and Devastator, which can now be paired to simulate Tactical happening again, giving you 6 turns of re-rolling all 1s to hit in both the Shooting and Assault phases for all of your Chapter Tactics models (although your Dreads won't get ''Objective Secured'').
**Of course, doing this makes two of his Warlord Traits redundant, but ''all'' of his traits are based on being within 12" of him and he's very slow (his only speed buffs are Move Through Cover, Fleet, and +1" to running and charging when the Warlord) and can't ride a Transport, so you don't ''need'' him as your Warlord - he provides the Doctrines whether or not he is. If you're considering someone else as Warlord (probably Calgar, for ''yet another'' Doctrine, this one dynamically chosen, and your choice of SM table traits), here's a recap of Guilliman's Warlord Traits.
***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.

====Core (1+)====
*'''Battle Demi-company:''' You know what this does.
**The ''Objective Secured'' here is redundant on the infantry and bikes but does buff the vehicles, and you get ''yet another'' copy of the Tactical doctrine.
*'''Strike Force Ultra'''
**''Objective Secured'' Terminators and Assault Terminators isn't bad, but do remember this entire formation has to come in from Reserve - which Sicarius can help with, particularly if you take the Victrix Guard. Also, of course, your Venerable Dreadnought here doesn't get any sweet, sweet ''Objective Secured''.

====Command (0-3)====
*'''Strike Force Command:''' All the usual options, except Guilliman's also an option. For obvious reasons, you can't take an Emperor's Champion.
**'''1'''
***Marneus Calgar.
***Roboute Guilliman.
***Captain, including Captain Sicarius.
***Chaplain, including Chaplain Cassius.
**'''0-1'''
***Honour Guard
**'''0-1'''
***Command Squad
*'''Librarius Conclave'''
*'''Reclusiam Command Squad'''

====Auxiliary (1-10 ''per Core'')====
*'''Victrix Guard:''' Captain Sicarius and a unit of Honor Guard join four units of Sternguard or Vanguard in any combination. This formation cannot include any dedicated transports, nor can members cannot begin the game embarked. In exchange, all models gain +1 WS and BS, and if a unit is within 3" of Guilliman you can LOS! as if he was a part of the unit. It's very expensive, but gives Guilliman his desperately needed meat shields.
**Notes: The Vanguards have no restriction on Deep Striking in.
**This is a detachment in its own right, if you want to ally it in.
*'''Armored Task Force'''
*'''1st Company Task Force'''
*'''Anti-Air Defence Force'''
*'''10th Company Task Force'''
*'''Storm Wing'''
*'''Suppression Force'''
*'''Land Raider Spearhead'''
*'''Centurion Siegebreaker Cohort'''

===Dataslate Formations===

Several of these formations are old dataslates and share their name or broad composition with one from the 7th Edition Space Marine Codex. Since some players or tournament organizers may argue that the dataslates have been replaced by the codex formations, these formations will have their names marked in ''Italics.''

*'''Strike Force Ultima (Web Bundle)''' A termie captain, 1 sternguard veteran squad, 1 terminator squad, 1 tactical squad, 1 stormhawk interceptor, 1 land raider, 1 razorback and 1 drop pod. All units from this formation must be placed in reserve (non-vehicle units in a transport vehicle or in deep strike reserve) and automatically arrive in the first turn. When a unit from this formation arrives from reserve or disembarks from a transport vehicle for the first time, all ranged weapons carried by the unit add 1 to the number of shots they can make until the end of the turn.
**Pairs extremely well with the Skyhammer Annihilation Force - if you are [[That Guy]]

*'''Firespear Strike Force (Start Collecting Space Marines pack):''' A Termie captain can only bring a Ven Dread and a tac squad. The captain '''must''' designate one unit from his detachment within 12" of his model during the movement phase. That unit forgoes moving (and also forgoes the ability to charge or run that turn) to open fire during the movement phase, and it can then later fire ''again'' normally during the shooting phase. This leads to some decent dakka but the stupid wording means that one of the units in the formation must stand still each turn, making using the formation... Difficult. The Levitation power from the Telekinesis discipline can be used to move the unit around. That's admittededly a waste of resources though. But if you really want to move them it ''can'' be done.
**Goes decently with the Primarch's Wrath for 2*5 S 4 AP 4 shots from the Captain alone, best paired with heavy bolter for the least investment and optimum similarity between weapons or grav gun and grav cannon for maximum firepower.
*''' ''Adeptus Astartes Storm Wing'' ''' - Two Storm Talons and a Storm Raven in one formation.
** The Storm Talons act as Escorts for the Storm Raven (Meaning than when you're rolling for reserves, you only roll for the Storm Raven), thus giving the Raven some extra wounds if it gets set upon when they arrive. The Talons also give the Raven the Strafing Run rule so long as at least one of them isn't destroyed. Yep, GW be mad desperate to push out the fliers between this and Death From the Skies.

*''' ''Reclusiam Command Squad'' ''' - Alongside the Chaplain, you have to give the Command Squad an Apothecary, a Champion and a Standard Bearer and stuff them in a Razorback.
** This one's really iffy, mainly because the rules for it (Which give the squad Crusader as well as getting re-rolls on combat while the Chaplain still lives) focus really on the Champion and Chaplain, while the other guys are just along for the ride (Though FNP is a good thing to have).

*'''The Legion Ascendant (Apocalypse/Legion of the Damned Codex)''' - 2+ Legion squads with 10+ Legionnaires.
** By joining in, they get Fear, Deep Strike that causes S2d6 S4 AP5 Soulblaze hits to anyone within 6", and -3 to all Leadership for the enemy. All for a rather decent price. Plus, on the turn they arrive, they get Fleshbane and Ignores Cover to really make the best of it.

*'''Saint Tylus Battle Force''' - Cassius gets to bring along at least one Tyrannic Veteran Squad and up to six Storm Talons as a formation.
** Your Storm Talons are gonna be the stars of this formation as they can not only choose whether they want to infiltrate or start on-board in hover mode, but whenever they hit an enemy, then the Vets can ignore cover with their guns, since they saw who was getting hit. Stack on the Vet's Preferred Enemy (Nids) and Zealot rule against the Nids, and you'll begin to weep along side your Tyranid-using foe. Difference is that you'll be crying tears of joy at your muderous prowess, while they'll be crying over how hard Cruddace fucked them over.

*'''First Company Hammerfall Assault Force''' - A Termie Captain/Lysander, a 5-man Termie squad of each kind, and a Land Raider (Crusader or Redeemer).
** The Captain and the AssTermies have to must come from reserves embarked in the Land Raider, while the other Termies are forced to Deep Strike. The models in the Land Raider gain Hammer of Wrath the turn they assault after disembarking, and the Deep Striking Termies can run and shoot on the turn they DS. Rather...minimal, though run-and gun Termies sounds nice and HoW on Termies sounds awesome.

*'''First Company Skyspear Assault Wing''' - A five-man Termie squad of each sort join a Venerable Dreadnought and a Storm Raven for a ride.
** The AssTermies have to embark in the Raven alongside the Dread and hide in reserves, while the other Termies have to DS their way in. Other than that, it's the same as the one above, replacing the Land Raider with the Storm Talon.

*''' ''Strike Force Ultra'' ''' - The Hammerfall and Skyspear formations have to join together. Aside from any benefits the others have by themselves, having the Captain alive allows you to roll for reserves in the first turn. Oh look, all that dakka is being laid down to kill your ass. Oh joy, all that Hammer or Wrath.
** The new Codex gives them new boosts: Everyone still has to be in reserves or in transports, but they can arrive on Turn 1 now, and everyone who Deep Strikes or disembarks for the first time gets a free attack and shot for the turn.

*'''Strike Force Solaq (Boxed Set)''' - Solaq needs Vanguard squad Davros, Sternguard squad Amarex and Land Speeder Darkwind. Everyone gets Acute Senses and Move Through Cover (Which is killer for them), Scout, and the ability to re-roll runs/add 6" to Flat-Out. This makes this small team real good at being moving fast or attacking from safety.

*'''Centurion Decimator Cohort (Apocalypse)''' - Group together 3-6 Centurion Squads and buy all the sarges Omniscopes.
** Gathering this many giant matryoshka marines gives a special rule: before firing, one of the sergeants in the formation can nominate one target within LoS. All shots fired at that target can now gain either Ignores Cover, Monster Hunter, or Tank Hunter. More likely than not, you're probably gonna use the last two, as your weapons aren't exactly the best and therefore don't benefit so much from Ignores Cover.
** what are you talking about? Ignores cover on grav-cannons can destroy bikes and the like without even trying.
** In no way is ignore cover bad. If we're talking Gravity Cannons, the other options do nothing due to the amp, but even Las Cannons can benefit more from Ignore Cover than a from the reroll from Tank or Monster Hunter. 33% chance to ignore all damage (5+ cover) being negated, vs a 20% to increase the odds of penetration Vs arm 14. 25% for 13. Similar odds for the very few creatures with high enough toughness not to be wounded on a 2+... Ignore cover is just far and away better than the other options in most cases. Let's not even talk about the 2+ Cover units of ridiculousness some factions have...

*''' ''Centurion Siegebreaker Cohort'' (Apocalypse Dataslate)''' - 2+ Centurion Assault Squads + 1 Ironclad Dreadnought, all sergeants need omniscopes.
** As long as a sergeant is still alive, all models get to re-roll armour penetration vs buildings (shooting & melee). Also if a building suffers any form of collapse or detonation result, units inside the building suffer an additional d6 hits. As a formation it's not necessarily the best, seeing as the units are all really good at pulling down buildings anyway and at the apocalypse level there are already many big weapons capable of taking buildings down easily. That said, the formation costs you nothing if you already have the models. Do it if there is no other formations you can use.

*'''Space Marine Company (Apocalypse)''' - A Captain, Chaplain, Command Squad with Standard, and trio of Dreads have a choice. If they're from a battle company, they must have 6 Tac squads, 2 Assault Squads, and 2 Devastator Squads. If they're from a reserve company, they must have all 10 squads be of one type of the three. All squads must have 10 men.
** A fluffy formation that really works depending on how you kit them out. No matter what, they get an Orbital Strike Strategic Asset and Counter-Attack. If they're within 12" of an objective, they get Stubborn. If someone charges an infantry unit of this formation within 12" of them, they get the Tau Supporting Fire rule once per assault phase.

*'''First Company Veterans (Apocalypse)''' - A Termie Captain/Lysander, a Chaplain, a Command Squad with Standard and 3 Ven Dreads have to take 100 models of either Vets or Termies.
** Despite their hefty cost, they come with a few more rules. For one, they get Counter-Attack, Deep Strike, Fear, and Preferred Enemy. They also get all the rules from above. Like above, this depends heavily on how they're kitted.

*''' ''Librarius'' (Apocalypse)''' - 5 Librarians or Rune Priests. If you want, you can replace one of them with a named Librarian, but in doing so, you have to make them all of the same force (Meaning no mixed Chapter Tactics).
** These Librarians form a Warp Charge 4 (!!) power called Force Vortex, a 24" S:D AP1 Heavy 1, Large Blast Vortex. IF they don't recall it before it moves, then it'll scatter off and kill everyone. BEfore you run with this ask yourself: How confident am I that this won't kill absolutely everything?

*'''Masters of the Chapter (Apocalypse)''' - A Chapter Master can take an optional Honour Guard squad along his 4-10 Captains of the same chapter. Any of them can be replaced with a named Character where fitting.
** This is not an assault force; it's too small for that. What it can do, though, is give you 3 additional assets on the first break and give them a 3++ on the turn they use their Finest Hour/Sons of the Primarch ability.

*'''Predator Assassin Squadron (Apocalypse)''' - 3-5 Predators, here to kill.
** The tanks do their part by giving them a reroll on all failed to-hit rolls against a chosen enemy when within 6" of another member of the squad in exchange for the ability to fire at someone else until the enemy is gone. Any Predators with two lascannons and a TL lascannon can also exchange all their hits for a single Strength D AP2 Killshot that will total a single enemy. If there was ever a priority target removal system for the tanks, it's this one.

*'''Scout Company (Apocalypse)''' - A non-termie Captain without a Command Squad must lead 10 squads of 10 Scouts.
** The Captain gets some compensation for his lack of survivability by giving him Infiltrate, Move Through Cover, and Scout. Everyone as a team gets the ability to charge from reserves and a +1 to all cover saves from buildings in their deployment zone. Really, keep them shooting at the proper targets and keep moving from cover to cover.

*'''Titan Hammer Formation (Apocalypse)''' - Lysander takes 3+ TH/SS Termie squads for titan-killing fun.
** THIS is how you kill titans, superheavies and Biotitans. The Formation is Lysander and 3+ TH/SS terminator squads who must all deepstrike, within 12" of where Lysander deepstrikes, but they only scatter D6", and are Fearless, and LYSANDER GETS A VORTEX GRENADE! Sweet Jesus, this could reduce Tyranid players to tears as you one-shot their biotitans (D6 wounds on gargantuan creatures, no saves) Baneblades (D3 structure points)and Primarchs (removed with no saves allowed). Best part about vortex is the blast can drift around, and one-shot ANOTHER biotitan! Fuck yeah! Anything that survives can try it's luck with dozens of TH/SS terminators led by Lysander, with Fearless.

===Warzone: Armageddon===
*'''The Legion Ascendant''' - Since this was made pre-Codex of the Damned, you get to nab 2+ Legion units here, so long as they all have 10 models.
** These guys are made for mob-cleaning with Fear and an aura of -3 Ld within 12" of them. In addition, when they Deep Strike on board, they force everyone within 6" to take 2d6 S4 AP5 Soulblaze hits, and they get Fleshbane the turn they deploy.

===Warzone: Damnos===
*'''Conclave of the Ancients (Apocalypse)''' - A Venerable Dread leads a gang of 3+ Dreads and 1+ Ironclad Dread.
** The main focus of this formation is surprise smashing, as the rules this formation gives focus on melee. Any Dreads within 6" of the Ven Dread gets Rampage and Preferred Enemy (For horde-cleaning, if you're willing to throw them there), while Dreads within 2" of two other Dreads in the formation get d6 Hammer of Wrath hits, just to incentivize charging into an idiot.

*'''Deathstorm Area Denial Force (Apocalypse)''' - Drop more than one Deathstorm Drop Pod near each other.
** The main point of this formation is shock and awe, plain and simple. They force any successful morale and pinning tests caused by them to be rerolled, they can fire any of their weapons independently of each other, and, upon arrival, fire as if they were always stationary. Deploying more than three of the things gives them all +1 Strength the turn they come in. All in all, it's meant to scare them and distract fire away from squishier units.

*'''[[Deathwatch]] Strike Team (Apocalypse)''' - A generic Captain joins 2+ veteran squads of any make (Vanguard or Sternguard). Presumably, they'll adopt whatever Chapter Tactics you choose.
** The draw this formation gets are special Antiphasic Bolts (24" Range, S4, AP4, and Rapid Fire) that can be used by any bolter or combi-weapon, which force Necrons hit by them to reroll their Reanimation Protocols, which is pretty useful. Aside from that, the formation gains Preferred Enemy against one Xenos Codex (So like a weaker form of the Ordo Xenos) and the ability to gain an extra VP when they slay the xenos Warlord. While they have their uses against any Xenos army, their best use is against Necrons with their special bolts. HINT: combine with Angels Revenant chapter tactics to get preferred enemy and hatred against necrons

*''' ''Land Raider Spearhead'' (Apocalypse)''' - Group together 3-5 Land Raiders of any sort.
** This formation essentially turns them into a squadron, with the choice of Arrowhead Formation (help needed; check the old Apoc book for full rules, but the essentials are that if at the beginning of their movemement phase they are in a certain position relative to each other and a Hellstorm template, then they get bonuses) giving them not only Tank Hunters and Preferred Enemy, but they also get to add 12" to any Flat-Out moves made. So essentially, listen to whatever is mentioned above about the Raiders and now add these benefits to them, which helps get them somewhere faster when they have the room to move.

*'''Line Breaker Squadron (Apocalypse)''' - 3-5 Vindicators. Let's go.
** Gathering these Vindicators allows them to exchange their Demolisher shots into one single 24" S10 AP2 Ordinance 1 Apocalyptic Blast that can hit any buildings without needing to roll for pen. When calculating any results, you then have to add +1 for every Vindicator who joined in. Clearly, this would do great when using the Sentinels of Terra and their additional building damage.

*'''Skyhammer Orbital Strike Force (Apocalypse)''' - 3+ Tac Squads, as well as any HQ choices or other units that can grab Drop Pods, must take those Drop Pods and Deep Strike in on the first turn.
** For this auto-Deffwing Assault, everyone gains Preferred Enemy against the Warlord and Crusader and Fear for the first two turns. Like the Other Drop Pod formation, this is for shock, awe, and lots of shooty, though Crusader makes them more useful in melee.

*'''Skyreign Hunter Squadron (Apocalypse)''' - 3-5 Hunters. All there is.
** For each Savant Lock beyond the first used on a target, they take +1 for their roll on the lock counters to see if they get hit. In addition, if a locked target is within 18" of another flyer of any sort, the Hunters have to roll d6; on 1, nothing happens. On 2-4, only one Savant Lock can transfer to the new target. On 5+, you can transfer as many as you want. Really, this is so you can keep tabs on those pesky flyers.

*'''Spear of Macragge (Apocalypse)''' - Chronus takes the Terminus Ultra (A Land Raider with 2 lascannon sponsons, 2 TL lascannon sponsons, an HK Missile, a hull-mounted TL lascannon, a Searchlight and Smoke Launcher at the cost of transport) and 5+ tanks that are either Predators, Whirlwinds, or Vindicators.
** For one, every tank within 12" of Chronus' tank get to fire on his BS of...5. However, if you roll more than 4 1's in a single shooting phase. it has to take an S9 AP2 hit on the side after it shoots. If you really need a tank army, you can't do much worse.

*'''Stormsurge Strike Wing (Apocalypse)''' - 3-5 Storm Ravens.
** When they first come in through reserves, they have to move between 36-72" and use one of the special attacks this uses on anything they go over. While this bars them from deploying anyone, denying them evade, they instead get a 4+ save the start of the next turn.
*** Missile Storm requires that everyone fire ALL THE MISSILES. Once the hits go above 7, it becomes a Strength D AP2 Concussive hit that grows from just a hit to an Apocalyptic blast.
*** Strafing Storm makes them fire everything but the missiles, like as strafing run, but they also get Shred for the rest of the turn. This is meant more for infantry than tanks.

*'''Suppression Force (Apocalypse)''' - A Land Speeder or any sort assists 2+ Whirlwinds.
** Anything within the Land Speeder's LoS and within 48" of it counts as being within the Whirlwinds' LoS, meaning that they now have infinite range with now twin-linked missiles. The Whirlwinds can then exchange their firing to fire one big-ass missile strike of either sort that now become Apocalyptic Barrage X blasts (Where X is twice the number of Whirlwinds contributing).

*'''Ultramarines Chapter Honour Guard (Apocalypse)''' - Calgar must take a full Honour Guard Squad with a Standard Bearer and a Land Raider to call his own. He can then opt to take Cassius, Tigurius, and/or a Venerable Dread.
** The Land Raider gets Tank Hunter, Monster Hunter, and Preferred Enemy. The Guard give you the choice of 2 Strategic Assets because eliteness. Everything within 6" of Calgar himself either gain FNP (for infantry) or the ability to ignore Crew Shaken/Stunned results (for vehicles). Pretty clearly, this is a damn pricy setup, and it all hinges upon how you can manage Papa Smurf and his gang and the tank, though they do gain some good staying power with FNP.

===Warzone: Damocles===
*'''Armoured Vanguard Squadron (Apocalypse)''' - 3-5 Rhinos and/or Razorbacks being used as Transports are grouped up.
** When using the Arrowhead Attack Pattern, the Rhinos now all gain Tank Hunters (which is of dubious use depending on the troops used) and Assault Vehicle (More awesome). This is definitely made with the Scars in mind.

*'''Stormclad Squadron (Apocalypse)''' - A Thunderhawk takes 2+ Stormtalons as groupies.
** The T-Hawk is the big star of the show, while the Talons are just support. A Talon can give up shooting to give the big guy Night Vision and Preferred Enemy, and if they're within 4" of the Hawk, the Talons have to become little shields to the big one.

*'''Hunting Force (Apocalypse)''' - BIKES. BIKES EVERYWHERE. The Captain gets a bike (And can take a Command Squad or a Chaplain as accompaniment) and 1-3 squads of plain Bikes, Attack Bikes, and Scout Bikes. And in the [[Webway]], [[Jaghatai Khan]] sheds a tear...
** All the bikes give everyone Outflank and Scouts because FAST. They can also select an HQ or Apoc Formation to get Preferred Enemy and Furious Charge against, just so they can charge and shoot the bastard(s) to death.

*'''Stormbringer Squadron (Apocalypse)''' - 3-5 mix of either Land Speeders and/or Storms (The Storms no longer get to be Dedicated Transports though)
** First of all, Scout for everyone, with an additional redeployment so long as they get at least 6" from an enemy, and anybody that disembarks from the Storms won't count as having moved for the first turn. In addition, when they redeploy, anyone else within 12" from the formation now must test for pinning. In short, this is for the Scouts and how they'll get into the field in the quickest way possible.

*'''Furion Peak Counter-Strike Command (Apocalypse)''' - Khan and Shrike take a Raven Guard Captain and a White Scars Librarian with them.
** Really, the only bonus they get is the ability to give anyone within 12" of them Shrouded while the Librarian is alive. Considering that they won't be able to move very fast, this won't help very much, and it'll be holding them from bashing in stuff, though Shrouded is something good to have.

===Blood Oath (Warhammer World Exclusive)===
In the May 2015 reopening of Warhammer World, there was a fuckhuge diorama about the Imperium (Ultras, GK, Knights, and Titans) battling Khorne Daemonkin and other titans.

*'''Spear of Sicarius''' - Cato and a Chaplain join a command squad, 6 tacs, 2 devastators, 2 assaults (All in squads of 10), and 2 dreads all in Drop Pods. They all gain Stubborn and EVERY Pod arrives on Turn 1. And to make them even safer, each one of them makes enemies within 5" take d6 S4 AP5 hits just by being near them when they arrive. Afterwards, they can then fire twice once they disembark during the Shooting Phase or opt not to fire any Heavy and Rapid-Fire weapons and gain the option to charge in the following Assault Phase. AKA everything Star Phantoms do, only twice as good.

*'''Ultramarines First Company''' - A Captain and Chaplain join 3 Dreads and 10 10-man squads of either Termies or Vets of any sort. Unlike the [[Blood Angels|Archangels Strike Force]] of Exterminatus, there's no need for the ICs to be Termies too. They all gain Fear, Fearless, they give Imperium Armies within 6" Stubborn, and they can re-roll to hit during Shooting AND Assault when they use a Doctrine. Greatest of them all indeed!

==Building Your Army==
Games Workshop always advocates it, and it bears repeating: start with an HQ and two Troops.
* For your HQ, you are somewhat spoilt for choice. If you're playing a chapter with special characters, they're a good starting point. Support HQs like a Libby are worth considering. If you're looking to create a badass retinue for a tough guy character then a Captain or Chapter Master with tooled up weaponry is a good starting point. Fundamentally, HQ choice comes down to planning - they are the most difficult units to integrate by far. You could just take a 65 Libby to minimise the tax, but in many cases that becomes a waste in itself - what the hell is it going to accomplish? It's still a lot of points. Base your HQ on things that *will* happen, not what *might* happen. Weigh up having a tough HQ that can handle itself in a fight (to, say, claim Slay the Warlord whilst not giving it away) versus a Force Multiplier. Many of the Special Characters combine both.
**e.g don't put a Captain inside a rhino with a Tactical squad and expect him to reach enemy lines. You'll get obliterated. However, if you take Khan, WS Chapter tactics, and pull off the maximum movement, he will reach threat range by the beginning of turn 2. Drop pods, Land Raiders, strong retinues, all are good assurance a Captain *will* and not *might*.

* Good starting troops are:
** Tactical Squads. They're your bread and butter. Unless you're writing a gimmicky spam list you're going to have them. They're an oddball, or a guilty pleasure if you will. Having a load of bolters is not good for your list, in all honesty; you want your Tac squads to have maximised firepower or potential. Don't equip them for AT, they suck at it; tanks are too rare to compensate for with an entire unit, and the alternatives are better. You *need* a method of transporting them. Consider very carefully how you choose to do so; you should not mix and match pods with rhinos unless it's just one or two pods and they're carrying a deadly alpha strike unit. Rhinos only become truly good if you're using Khan and the White Scars - you need the mobility and alpha strike potential scout gives you. Razorbacks are alright but don't form a good core unless you're either taking them minimum or maxing them out, they become good in a Double Demi. The best options here are generally Plasma and Flamers for wiping infantry, though grav-guns can be handy if you see a lot of heavy infantry. Don't forget the serge can take a combi-weapon - and by the Emperor make it the same as your special, or He'll twitch.
** Scout Squads. Now with WS and BS of 4, the only difference between them and regular marine is their 4+ armor saves. Scouts are no longer just undying roaches, they are roaches that can bite! Sniper Scouts are the time honoured classic choice for holding backfield objectives. Honestly, they're not that good at all, but by throne are they cheap. In 7th you can use them as a counter attack or alpha strike unit by abusing Land Speeder Storms, which let you charge out of them with open topped and move a long distance at the start of the game with scout. They can also snatch objectives at the last second. Bear in mind that they are the cheapest auxiliary choice for the new Gladius Strike Force, a good option to take if you want something to annoy your opponents with.
***Alternate Take: If you're planning ahead, you can use scouts with camo cloaks (or with the 10th Company Task Force rules) to sit on objectives and be very frustrating and hard to dislodge. Park them in ruins and laugh as your opponent either:
***#Completely forgets they're camping an objective, or
***#Throws a lot more fire than they should to ignore a 3+ cover.
****Additionally, this may be a nice cheap way to get a couple of low end heavy weapons. Players have a nasty habit of ignoring your Scout missile launchers until they're driving a skimmer by it.
** Biker Squads. These became very good with the new Codex, and they're a very viable choice for basing an army around, but you need a bike-mounted HQ to field them as troops. Note that in the new 'dex, this can be a Librarian, Techmarine, or Chaplain, in addition to the usual Captain. Grav Gun spam makes them a very nasty bastion of firepower, and Meltas are a reasonable choice as well.

Once you've got a start on your army, the most important thing to do is play the game. A lot. Learn what you like. Build your army around that.

Some things to keep in mind:
* Note that generic marines are a "jack-of-all trades, master of none" type army: each unit type has a loose yet specific role that they're best at, and because something in the Codex covers each base the army itself is adaptable to pretty much any tactic. Don't run lists around the concept as a whole though. You want your units to have focus. Taking Devastators? Don't mix and match your anti-infantry and anti-tank. You want to annihilate what you shoot at, since dead things don't shoot back at all. Consider this trait a convenience (or at worst, a hindrance) and nothing else.
* MEHTAL BAWKSES save your life and time. Space marines love being in metal boxes. They make the tough marines even tougher. Stop them from getting bogged down in pointless hand to hand combats, prevent them from being pinned, and, perhaps most importantly, let them move faster and prevent them from being tarpitted. Invest in rhinos/razorbacks.
** Take drop pods. They're just as good as rhinos. Put your marines in high priority areas without worrying about hull points. Plop a Dread in one too.
* You're not a Khorne Berserker. You're not even a Blood Angel. You cannot turn anything at close range into mulch while being fearless. Pick your close combats wisely. Pure H2H focused space marine armies will struggle against codices that were actually designed with close combat in mind. That said, ATSKNF does mean you'll never be swept by glass cannons like Wyches or Harlequins, so you can tarpit decently in a pinch.
* You're not a Tau Fire Warrior. You can't out-shoot *everything* no matter how many guns you take.
* You're not a Guardsman, Sluggaboy, or Gaunt. You cannot defeat your enemies through weight of numbers alone. Don't sacrifice your men without careful consideration.
* You're not a Grey Knight, Movie Marine, or Necron Immortal. You cannot rely on individual strength to win. Do not rely too strongly on small numbers of high priced units.
* You're not a Necron Immortal or a Necron Warrior. You are tough, but you can't get back up. Stay under freaking cover!
* You're not a Leman Russ Squadron. You can't take a bunch of vehicles and just crush everything in your way. Your tanks are good, but not great, so keep them just as alert as the rest of your minis and let them do their jobs.

Overall, space marine armies require FOCUS to succeed. As Charles Darwin (didn't actually) say: "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to [[Tzeentch|change]]."

The logic is that you need a hard counter to whatever pops up in this edition. Missile Devastators made mincemeat of vehicles in 6th edition like it was going out of fashion. And it did, because now if you come up against a Riptide that every Tau *will* have they're nearly worthless. Some people didn't even take vehicles in 6th. This has changed quite a bit in 7th as vehicles score and Dedicated Transports for Troops count as Objective Secured, plus vehicles don't die quite as easily.

All that said, don't forget that your units pretty much always have some ability outside their core competency, unlike some xenos. You have krak grenades, and those can ding vehicles or even MCs if you don't have any other useful answer. Even Devastators could potentially polish off a lone survivor with a charge. Assault marines can do enough damage in shooting to be an actual threat, and so forth. Don't rely on these hail-Mary secondary capabilities, but don't forget that they're there. Far too many players do. especially keep in mind the grenades, they are life-savers (debatable now that they're 1 per unit even in assault).

Another thing of note is that your chapter is not just a color scheme; you should build your army to suit their chapter tactics. For example, Raven Guard assault marines, White Scars bikes, Iron Hands tanks/Terminators, etc.

*You need to consider the following when writing a list:
**Anti Scoring. You want to wash them off objectives, because objectives win games. Preferably with minimum effort. Examples : 2 Flamer Assault Squad with DP, Thunderfire Cannon, anything else that ignores cover or reliably reaches their scoring.
**Anti Tank. Not half as important this edition but still needs to be considered, you don't want to be boned when you inevitably come up against someone who anticipates a lack of AT. Don't take Melta. Its too situational, unreliable and takes away your focus. Good examples include: Tri-Las Predators, Storm Talons, (even if you don't have the AT guns you can still fly behind and fire at their rear armour with your 360' gun) Devastators and Dev Centurions. If it can't also do Anti-MC you should probably not take it. If you really, really have a love affair with Meltas (and they *do* have some advantages), take allied Sisters, and get four in one squad with Ignores Cover. Another take on Melta weaponry is if you run Salamanders and bring Vulkan He'stan. His 'make all Meltas Master-crafted' rule is god-tier, when used correctly. A five-man Command Squad all with Meltas is an incredible Turn 1 tank-buster. Utilising the rule of 'Combat Squads are chosen after deploying from transports' also works great - a ten-man Sternguard squad with combi-meltas can split into two five-man squads, both with MC Combi-meltas, and turn two tanks into slag on Turn 1. Imagine how the tide of battle would turn if your opponent's Land Raider Crusader and Tri-Las Predator were both melted before their turn even began.
**Anti Monstrous Creatures. High strength, low AP guns that pound the wounds off these fuckers. They're almost always deadly and critical to your opponent's strategy. The trick is killing them so hard and so fast your opponent crumbles. They vary from Nid MC's that rampage towards you to backfield MCs such as Riptides. You need to plan for the latter especially. Good examples include: Alpha striking Sternguard with combi weapons (plasma/grav), Tri-Las Predators, any ranged unit or set of ranged units that can leverage a large amount of high strength AP2 firepower reliably. Don't deal in *mights*, deal in *wills*. CC units are not a good choice for this category because they are a *might* on the face of it. Forcing lots of saves with specialty ammo is decently reliable against most Tyranid bugs but Riptides with 2+ and FNP or Wraithknights will laugh, so you'll have to cut through that armor.
**Anti Flyer. You need to shoot these down before they wreck your list without compromising it. A fortification with Quad Gun is a good easy choice, but you need to plan about how you're going to use them best. Taking your own flyers is a valid counter - they can elect to get skyfire. The Hunter/Stalker have benefits each and are both worth considering. If you use assault transports, consider trading a Land Raider for a Stormraven to kill two birds with one stone.
**List backbone. Its all well and good covering all of this, but if your list is literally a jumbled mess of different units performing different roles with no cohesion you're in trouble. When you look at your list become your own opponent. Think about what they would target first, what is easy to neutralize, and about the amount of damage they would need to inflict in order to cripple your chances at winning.
**Also relating to list backbone, duality. It is inevitable that a unit can't always reliably achieve its goal. You will take casualties. The easiest way to absorb every punch is to have another layer under your skin - take pairs, triples, quadruplets even of units with the same role. You destroyed a Rhino with 10 Tactical Marines? Here's 3 more squads that all pose the same threat. Unless a unit is exceedingly hard to kill or extremely reliable (e.g in a low points game a DP Sternguard alpha strike unit or a squad of 10 Terminators) you should always have duality.

*Note: If you happen to have 7000£ lying around and several servants who can paint awesomely buy the astartes ultra i.e. [[AWESOME|THE ENTIRE ULTRAMARINES CHAPTER COMPOSED OF 1200 MODELS]] and 17000 point not including vehicles/characters:
# contact a friend who has a similarly sized Tyranid army
# have 6 fortresses of redemption clustered into 2 giant (polar) fortresses
# plan at some point a challenge between Calgar and the Swarmlord
# sell tickets
# ??????
# [[Profit|PROFIT]]

==Tactics==
"Ye who dare enter within these sacred walls, heed the wisdom of the ancients as it is written, but see past the mere limitations of words and bold statements.

1) Thou shalt ne'er dismount from thy sacred steel coffin. Doing so is equal to doing the enemy's work. He cannot hurt thou until he hast dismounted thine power armored asses from thine rhinos, and all thine most fearsome weapons are usable from thy blessed rhino hatch of potent power and might.

2) Thou shalt fear no evil, for thou art fear incarnate, but thou shalt not let this power go to thine head. Thou shalt respect the enemy as thou respect thy own forces, for arrogance leads to thine own downfall, and the perfunctory loss of massive chunks of thine army to 'only lasguns,' and 'puny long-ranged meltaguns,' or 'that immobilized chaos dread in the corner.'

3) Whilst thine sacred, holy, blessed space marines are an elite force, the likes of which has ne'er been seen prior to, nor since, strength is still to be found in numbers. For whilst a solitary squad of thine most esteemed sternguard will fall versus a score of chaos marines, 3 squads shall not.

4) Thou shalt ensure thou uses the enemy's strengths and weaknesses against them equally. If thine foe is strong up close, thou shall prevent him from getting there. If he is slow and plentiful, thou wilst thin his ranks with potshots, whilst biding thine time to lay into him with tankshock, sacred heavy flamer, and assaults on thine terms. If he is powerful at range, you will drive towards him most fearlessly, making careful use of terrain, smoke launchers, the superior armor value of thine vigilant and invincible predators, and bunkering up where his guns are the thinnest. If his numbers be but few yet strong in spirit and body, thou shalt focus fire on one unit at a time, until it is no more. If the enemy is fast, thou shall present him with a wall of rhinos shielding thy sacred space marine infantry, and careful placement and redeployment to make his valiant efforts for victory futile. If thou art facing thine British Firing Line, pummel them with devastators and then assault them in many different places. Thine foe's supporting fire shalt make an arse out of you if thou don't.

5) Thou shalt not, under any circumstance, allow the vile enemy to have her or his way. If faced with a charge from a score of ork boyz, thou shalt famously unload thy blessed boltpistols and holy promethium from thine flamers into their ranks, and thereafter take the charge most gloriously and defyingly, denying them the initiative, all charging bonuses, and catching the enemy commander unprepared, for yours is the gear, the profile, and the abilities to turn certain death into certain victory for the glory of the Emperor.

6) Thou will fight on all ground, in all terrain, on all fields of combat, and thou wilt do so with stubborn cunning, and the unrelenting, unlimited imagination held by all human beings. Thou wilt use the pieces of the board for all they're worth, and attacking the flanks of any entrenched, isolated firebase with no doubt or hesitation in mind, for it takes a lot of autocannons to guarantee the kill of even a single rhino, and thou wilt field at least 4 at all times.

7) The sole time in which thine mighty armaments of the emperor are useless, is when thine most holy guns cannot reach the foe.

8) Thou shalt always hold the initiative. Thou shalt press on, and use thine forces expertly, while applying pressure to the enemy from the flanks, the rear, and the front - anywhere it is possible. Thou shalt never remain immobile, for giving up thy movement is tantamount to rolling over like a bitch, and presenting thy previously mentioned power armored ass to the enemy.

9) Thine space marines are few in numbers, yet strong and reliable. They will hold the line where lesser men may not, and survive firepower that would render any ordinary squad dead. Thou shalt trust in thine power armor, thine krak grenades, holy boltgun, boltpistol, and thine most underestimated frag grenade, for few of the foe's elite are as royally equipped as thine grunts, or as capable of using them.

10) Thou shalt learn to appreciate a very powerful, versatile, unfocused profile, for yours is the strength and power of three lesser men, contained in one package. Where a man may be exceptional at shooting or combat, thine grunts are capable of both in equal measure, and blessed with the gear to make both a reality.

11) Whilst a plasma gun will ignore thy power armor, it will not ignore thy high leadership, or thy sacred cover save. Unless you elect to fall back, you will hold most stubbornly on a consistent basis.

12) Cowardice is naught but an illusion of lesser men. The popular sentiment is 'he who runs away lives to fight another day.' This is not so. He who runs away lives to rapid fire bolters against the foe that made him run away.

13) Knowledge is power, but power is useless if it's not being put to use. Study thy opponent's tome of lore and wisdom. Read it again, closer. Put the words to mind, so thou wilt not hesitate that destroyers are indeed toughness 5, and a krak missile thusly wilst not inflict instant death upon it.

14) Thou shalt ne'er do the opponent's work for him. While the other races, such as eldar, are wont to kill their own units with Yriel's eye of death, you know better. Thou shalt not ever, under any circumstance, nuke too close to your own units, or 'assault' with a depleted 3 man tactical squad - no! For that tactical squad shall hide inside the nearby, immobilized rhino, so that thy foe has to dig them out to score the killpoint, and make thy 3 space marines stop firing bolters.

15) Though it may take a lesser foe 10 shots fired to damage armor, thy space marines bring melta, and thy blessed profile gives thou a significantly higher chance to score hits, cutting the necessary firepower down considerably. Thou wilt not forget this, for it is the mark of a fool to focus too little or too much dakka and manpower on the task of destroying a single chimera.

16) Thou shalt not load up on tactical marines, for it weakens your army immensely. Thine two mandatory meltabunkers are plenty, and thy further troops slots shalt only ever be employed in case thou needeth more plasmaback or assbacks."

===General Reminders===
*Krak Grenades can not only be thrown in this edition, but they can be both thrown in overwatch and at flyers.
*Rams are now an auto-hit at 1 for tanks + half the vehicle's front armor; the dozer blade adds 1 to the front armor for this calculation. This means that SM vehicles with even front armor can get +1 strength to their ram attacks. Rams are resolved against the armor facing hit, and very notably, skimmer jink saves cannot be taken against rams and walkers are not allowed to death or glory against ram attacks.
**Additional note: The only SM tanks with even front armor values are Hunters and Stalkers, tanks which should not be ramming. This is likely by design. Also, even if the land raider could be effectively raised to FA 15, dozer blades are specifically prohibited from being taken on land raiders of any variant, likely due to the fact that the bay doors are located in the front of the hull.
**However, of course, whether the vehicle is ramming or being rammed on its front, the dozer blade will help protect against damage from the ram.

===Useful Informations===
These informations come from numerous threads among the most popular 40k forums, some of them are common advice or good food for thought.

====About running naked tacticals in a Gladius====

I'd like to offer a counter-point against the use of naked minimum Tac squads. In my opinion, the single greatest part of fielding a Tac squad isn't 3+, a hail of bolter fire or a well placed special weapon. It's the humble 35 point metal box to haul them around in and keep them safe. 35 points gives your line troops protection from most anti-infantry weapons, and puts your opponent's anti-tank weapons into overload as they try to deal with all the tough SM units on the board like T5 3++/4+++ Bikers, Stormtalons/ravens, Ironclad Dreads, Predators, Vindicators, and that Typhoon Speeder sitting out at 48 inches in the fast slot from the Demi-Co.

35 points for a transport that can fill threads with all the tricks it can pull.

What I mean to say is that CAD and Demi-Co Tacticals shouldn't be looked at in terms of their effectiveness as five dudes on the ground, as that passes up on what I think is point for point the best transport in the game. They should be instead looked at in regards to their performance from a Rhino (or Pod for that matter). Rhinos act as something of a force multiplier for their squad, letting you get into range quicker and get better use out of your special weapon, this goes double for when backed up by a Tac or Dev doctrine. The two fire points also encourage the use of specials, as a much larger percentage of your fire is based around that special firing out of the hatch, so fewer bolters are "wasted". Yet another great synergy between specials and Rhinos comes from the basic knowledge that, generally, when your Tacs are outside the Rhino and take fire, it's because that unit didn't have a clear shot at something better, ie, they aren't being focused and you'll likely have survivors. One of those will almost surely be your special weapon caddie, who is now free to hop back in the Rhino and enjoy the protection of AV11 and keep shooting.

It's been a long day for me, and I'm sure I could have written that out better, but that's my two cents worth on the subject.

Bonus: Here's a tier list of sorts when buying upgrades for Tacs.

'''Tier 1''': Rhino, Special Weapon (usually Plasma) or a Grav-Cannon 
'''Tier 2''': Melta Bombs, Dozer Blade, Razorback 
'''Tier fluffy''': Veteran Sergeant, Combi-Weapon or Chainsword 
'''Tier lulz''': +5 Marines, Heavy Weapon (other than Grav-Cannon), Power Weapon, Hunter Killer Missile, Auspex, Teleport Homer 
'''Tier By the Emperor, what are you doing?''': Extra Armor, Storm Bolter on Rhino, Power Fist, Digital Weapons 

====StormTalon mathhammer====
I ran the numbers for the three weapon upgrades against my interpretation of the standard target types and then added that damage with the TL assault cannon's results.

Please note, if the expected result is within 10% of each other, I'm calling them equal.

AV12 = Equal (1.20) 
AV13 = TML & TLLC equal (1.03) > SHM 0.92) 
AV14 = TLLC (0.69) > TML (0.61) > SHM (0.39) 
T6 3+ = TML (2.19) > TLLC (1.82) > SHM (1.52) 
T8 3+ = TML & TLLC equal (1.20) > SHM (0.81) 
T6 2+ = TLLC (1.57) > TML & SHM equal (1.04) 

====About Deathstars and retinue====
Super Killy squads usually don't want badass mofo characters, they just want force multiplier characters. Badass mofo characters don't want elite retinues. They just want meatshields. By giving both squads what is most efficient, you end up with two high level threats instead of one.

Honesty, don't use a Death Star. Just don't.
It's a nice unit that will do damage to another unit, maybe 2. But against a fully balanced army then they really won't have a chance. Too many points stacked up in one unit.
Take 2-3 units that will have more specific jobs instead of 1 all rounder.
Example: Command squad on bikes with chapter master with shield eternal, thunder hammer, apothecary, and 2-3 special weapons (grav really, maybe melta). You've got some to take wounds, you can jink, you get an orbital bombardment on a fast moving killing machine, and T5 with FNP. And not TOO many points. Alongside that run an assault termie unit with thunder hammers and storm shields. Thirdly, run 10 assault marines lead by a captain with burning blade and storm shield. All of that comes in at just over 1,000 points, with no troops. So you'll still get two good tac squads in there and a vindicator or something like that at 1500 points.

===Codex Tactical Objectives===
;11 - Death from Above
: 1 VP for killing an entire unit with a Jump unit or a squad that arrived from Deep Strike that turn.
;12 - Honour the Chapter
: 1 VP for killing an enemy in a challenge.
;13 - No Mercy, No Respite
: 1 VP if an enemy unit either dies or fails morale. Upped to d3 if you have more than 3 do this.
;14 - FOR THE EMPRAH!
: 1 VP for a successful charge, upped to d3 if you get 3 or more charges. Seems easy enough.
;15 - Lightning Strike
: 1 VP if you kill an enemy unit within their Deployment Zone
;16 - The Emperor's Retribution
: d3 VP if you steal an objective from an enemy, which is upped to d3+3 if you steal 3 or more.

===White Scars Tactical Objectives===
A bizarre gift for the 2014 Advent Calendar, the [[White Scars]] tactical objectives. Really, why do this and not some sort of supplements for other Chapter Tactics in the fashion of ''Clan Raukaan'' and ''Sentinels of Terra''. Or at least TacO's for all the Chapter Tactics. These chapter tactics will also be released again as part of the Warzone Damocles supplements with the latest Tau releases.

;11 - Rapid Redeployment
: Find an Objective that's more than 18" from your models. Win 1 VP when you control it.
;12 - Run Them Down
: 1 VP for destroying a unit via Sweeping Advance. While the White Scars are good at this in theory, it's a huge pain in the ass for the same reasons as always: you're relying on a) your enemy not having Hit & Run or some other way to end the engagement before you end the fight, and b) you getting enough kills to force a morale check without simply wiping the squad.
;13 - Mounted Assault
: 1 VP if a friendly Biker kills an enemy. d3 VP if your bike kills at least 3.
;14 - Feigned Retreat
: 1 VP for using Hit & Run and passing. Easy point? Heck yes. But there's a problem: you have to Hit & Run during YOUR turn. It specifies this on the card. If you know anything about Hit & Run, you should be able to see the problem here. Scoring the victory point means dooming your poor little Bikes to being shot at/charged during your enemy's turn. Pick your battles wisely if you draw this. (Consider using a small tac squad with a flamer fighting enemy with a lower inititive. They will get to overwatch then strike first again after netting this VP)
;15 - The Clean Kill
: This one's risky. You win 1 VP if you kill a model with 3 wounds during an assault phase. You win d3 VP if you kill a model with 5 wounds during assault. Issue with this is that bikers aren't the best with prolonged combats without pricy stuff like Power Axes or Fists.
;16 - Claim the Head
: 1 VP if you kill a Character in a challenge during your turn. d3 VP if you kill the Warlord in a challenge during your turn. d3+3 VP if your Warlord kills the other Warlord during your turn. While doable in any means, it's meant to promote BALLS OF FUCKING STEEL.

===Raven Guard Tactical Objectives===
These Chapter tactics will be a part of the Warzone Damocles - Kauyon.

;11 - Strike From the Skies
: 1 VP if you killed with a unit that's either Jump type or a unit that disembarked from a drop pod.
;12 - Keep to the Shadows
: 1 VP if every non-vehicle unit's either in a transport, in a building, or within 1" of cover. Fluffy AND practical!
;13 - Let them Know Fear
: 1 VP if an enemy unit failed either Fear, Morale, or Pinning.
;14 - Prioritise and Destroy
: d3 VP if you killed a Warlord, Superheavy or GC.
;15 - Highly Mobile Assault
: You win a VP if you charge and demolish an enemy unit. Repeat this three times and you win d3 VP.
;16 - Cripple the Enemy
: 1 VP if you kill an enemy Transport/FA unit. d3 VP if you kill between 3-5. d3+3 VP if you kill more than 5.

===Salamanders Tactical Objectives===
In the hype for the 7E codex, a White Dwarf issue actually released a list of Tactical Objectives for Salamanders armies to use. They were then re-released with the Angels of Death supplement.

;11 - Vulkan's Gaze
: 1 VP for blowing up a vehicle with a melta weapon. Yeah, this'll happen.
;12 - Weather the Storm
: If you manage to charge successfully AND suffer no overwatch casualties, you get 1 VP. This is gonna run quite a risk, especially against Skitarii (Especially with the WS4 Overwatch WT), Tau and Dark Angels.
;13 - Legacy of [[Drop Site Massacre|Istvaan]]
: If you have at least 3 Salamanders units within within 18" of your table edge, you win 1 VP for killing an enemy on your half of the table.
;14 - Vulkan's Task
: This one's a bit tricky: You need to identify all mysterious objectives AND control more objectives than your opponent. However, doing so gets you d3 VP.
;15 - Look Them In the Eye
: 1 VP for killing a unit within 6" of a Salamanders unit during your turn; this gets upped to d3 VP if you kill more than three units.
;16 - Fires of Nocturne
: Here's a fun one! If you destroy a unit with a flamer weapon during your turn, that's 1 VP. If you destroyed 2 units with flamers, you get d3 VP, and if you kill three of more, that's d3+3 VP.

===Imperial Fists Tactical Objectives===
These were released in the Angels of Death supplement.

;11 - Indomitable Defense
: Pick 3 objectives. On any turn after the turn you draw it in, you can gain VPs depending on how many you keep: 1 for 1, d3 for 2, d3+3 for all of them.
;12 - Man the Walls
: 1 easy VP for hiding in a building or manning a gun. Needless to say that buying an Aegis with a turret is in your interests.
;13 - Disciplined Firepower
: Pick a number between 1 and 3. You win that many VP if AND ONLY IF you kill that many units. Otherwise it's a waste.
;14 - Son of Dorn
: Did you start a challenge? Are you in one? Then grab that VP.
;15 - Death Before Dishonour
: You win 1 VP if you get a unit killed, but not if they fail morale. Funny masochistic message there.
;16 - Breach Their Defenses
: 1 VP if you take over or destroy an enemy emplacement or fortification, d3 if you go beyond that.

===Iron Hands Tactical Objectives===
Also released with Angels of Death.

;11 - Methodical Destruction
: Label 3 enemy units 1, 2, and 3. You win 1 VP for killing Unit 1, d3 VP for killing 1 and 2, and d3+3 VP for killing them all. Just make sure you got them in position to die.
;12 - Advance and Secure
: 1 VP if you own the Objective closest to the center of the board. If there's two or more equidistant from the center, then your enemy can screw it up for you.
;13 - March of the Machines
: Win 1 VP if your Walker (meaning only Dreads) charges someone.
;14 - Destroy the Weak
: Win d3 VP if you killed an enemy unit in both shooting and assault.
;15 - The Strength of Metal
: Win 1 VP if you get a Techie to fix a tank or a tank/IC passes their IWND. Not too bad to grab.
;16 - Cold Fury
: If you have a vehicle kill an enemy, get 1 VP. If you kill more than 3, then you win d3 VP.

==Counter-Tactics==
This section has both generic and specific info on countering (killing, destroying, locking down, making useless) enemy units. Add whatever has worked for you!

===Generic===
Tactics for countering generic classes of units, light infantry, medium vehicles, etc.

*Light Infantry - This means anything weaker than your tacticals. So less than 4S or T, 5+ or worse armor save.
**Melee - Anything this weak attacking you in melee should not even be a problem. Just shoot the shit out of them until they all die or fail a moral check and flee. Your standard bolters should wound them easily and pierce their armor before they even get into melee range. If they do, your average marine should be able to handle them easily, unless they are heavily outnumbered or have power weapons. Melee glass cannons are increasingly popular, though - if you see Ruststalkers or Harlequins, watch the heck out and don't assume you can soak their charge.
**Ranged - Unless they have heavy ranged weapons, the damage your tacticals can do will outweigh the damage they can do. If you can, try to get in melee with them, to deny their ranged weapons from firing. Again, watch out for glass cannons, especially Eldar - use melee to save yourself from their surprisingly scary guns. Thunderfire Cannons and Whirlwinds make weedy infantry evaporate in seconds.

*Medium Infantry - This means anything about equal to your tacticals.
** You have two options: break out the Ap2 shooting (grav and plasma guns) or break out a lot of shots and let them roll that one or two eventually.
** If they don't have ATSKNF you can try to charge them with some AP3 or less weapons (say, vanguard vets or an Assault squad with a captain) and sweep them.

*Heavy Infantry - Terminators and equivalent.
**Typically, these squads are small, so you only have to cause relatively few wounds to eliminate them. However, causing those wounds is difficult and you have two options. First you can force as many saves as you can, since some will statistically fail and you will eventually win. Just lay on the firepower and they will go down eventually. Your second option is to engage them with dedicated ap2 weapons such as thunder hammer Termies or mass plas/grav guns if you brought them. Although they usually have higher-than-usual Ld you can try Psychic Shrieking them, denying their armor save.

*Superheavy Infantry - Independent characters or Monstrous Creatures decked out with lots of wounds, high T, high S, low armor and invuln saves.
**Use [[Chapter_Master_Smashfucker|Chapter Master Smashfucker]] or grav-spam. Plasma or melta can work, if you have enough of it, and if all the tanks are gone, these are the perfect targets for your lascannons. If they doesn't have EW or T over 5 you can try instagibbing them with a Vindicator.

*Light vehicles - AV10/11 tops. Your Tacticals can take out AV10 at range or they can attack with a grenade in assault for a little more hurt. No need to waste your heavy anti-vehicle shots, unless you already destroyed the heavier vehicles. Plasma, autocannons and Krak missiles are enough most of the time.

*Medium Vehicles - AV12/13. Use heavier weaponry, like Terminators or lascannons. Plasma can help, but melta at close range can be very effective. Ironclad dreadnoughts with chainfists will rip these vehicles to shreds. You can try Podding something in their rear armor, usually weaker.

*Heavy Vehicles - AV14. Now you are in for a shitfest. High strength weapons, like lascannons or powerfists can have serious difficulties trying to glance these bad boys. A well placed shot from an orbital strike or a vindicator shot may do some damage, but Chainfists should [[Rip and Tear]] through any kind of armor. Ironclad dreadnoughts can do some damage, but a squad of Terminators with Chainfists in a Land Raider Redeemer WILL ruin any vehicles day. Eviscerators on Assault Marines are an interesting secondary option.
Meltaguns or meltabombs in melta range should do some damage.

*Flyers - Use anti-flyer units and defences or bring your own flyers. Talons are cheap and are strong against medium infantry, alternatively an aegis or bastion wih a quad gun provides good cover and a quad gun for half the price. Anything else gets a massive penalty to hit, so keep ground forces fighting ground forces. Unless it is something that ignores power armor (Heldrakes, anything (Dark) Eldar) you can also get away with ignoring them. Autocannon dreads and AssCan razorbacks can do in a pinch.

===Specific Units===
Tactics for countering specific enemy units that can be major problems (Terminators, tyranid swarms, Monoliths, etc)

*Terminators - Force as many saves as you can. If you have weapons that can ignore their 2+ armor save, all the better. Even if you do, it may be worth it to fire high shot count weapons at them anyway. Devastators with 4 HB can kill 1 or 2 a turn if you roll well, which is enough to force a moral check most of the time, equip them with Plasma Cannons and can kill the whole squad. Take them against anything spouting a save of 3+ or better. Your own terminators (or other heavy infantry) can then move in for the kill.

*Hordes - Tarpit hordes, ie. 'Nids, Guard, Orks, can be dealt with in a number of ways. Flamers (In the form of Sternguard, Dread squads, Land Raider redeemers, kitted out command squads), Blast weapons (Thunderfire cannons, Vindicators, Whirlwinds) or lots of [[dakka]]/MURDER. Try to inflict as many wounds as possible to force Ld checks and send the bastards running, but be warned, many hordes can negate Ld checks in some way or another (Synapse, Commissars, Boss pole) in that case, if you have Scouts with Snipers, it may be worth it to shoot for Precision shots. Nobs and Commissars at best get a 50% chance to dodge a hit which more than likely will kill them. Usually these mobs are T3, so you can try to toss a frag at them too.

*Monstrous Creatures - Plasma Guns or Grav-guns. Quite a few Monstrous Creatures like Wraithlords, Bloodthirsters, Riptides, and Carnifexes have 3+ or 2+ armor saves, and Plasma and Grav guns are adept at dealing with this in a way like Terminators. At worst, fire as many boltguns at them and hope for the best. Don't try to tie them up in Close Combat unless you can throw Thunderhammer/Storm Shield Terminators or Ironclads at them; Monstrous Creatures ignore armor saves thanks to smash, even a Riptide can easily squish a marine should he manage to hit. However, in 7th Edition most Monstrous creatures lack easy and cheap Anti-vehicle options (Smashing at S10 drops them to 1 attack, which means they can easily miss) so if you can, a Dreadnought (or even better, an Ironclad Dreadnought) will work wonders against an MC. Snipers still wounds them on 4+, so it might be worth it to point a scout squad in their direction too.

*Gargantuan Creatures (Wraithknight) - Grav-cannon spam out the ass. The Wraithknight is a particularly troublesome target since it is lightning fast and more often than not something you cannot afford to ignore. If you can, see which weapon loadout it took. A Wraithknight with dual heavy Wraith Cannons may be able to '''destroy''' 2 targets it chooses, but at most, it removes 2 models. Meanwhile it's decidedly lacking defensively with only a 5+ Feel No Pain. This combined with natural 3+ means a single shooting phase from a Grav-gun or Grav-cannon toting squad will bring it down. Or a squad of three las-preds. The Sun Cannon and Ghost Glaive loadouts make it much more survivable due to the Invulnerable save, but still, try and force as many saves if you can. To put it bluntly, it may cost you the game ultimately, but target the squishier units in an Eldar army if you can; don't let [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]] tactics like this get a hold of you. Try and keep calm and play to the game mode, ignore the WK or sacrifice a unit or 2 to hold it in place, and if Lady Luck and Admiral Awesome are on your side, you just may be able to snatch victory.

==Common Playing Styles==
===Drop Pod Assault aka [[Indrick Boreale|Steehl Rehn]]===
This can take on several layers of tactics, depending on -what- you're putting in the drop pods (however the overall strategy is almost always basically the same). Either way, a mass drop pod assault will cause the opponent to massively shift the way he deploys his armor, especially any heavy tanks he has (expecting plenty of melta which you should be packing).

====Strengths & Weaknesses====
'''Pros :'''
*From turn 1 you determine where the majority of fighting will be at, thus forcing your opponent to be on his feet tactically.
*A --> B, it gets you there, no questions asked. You no longer have to worry about Rhinos and Razorbacks getting popped with flimsy AV11 HP3 and being stranded 24"+ from your intended objectives
*Option of null deployment, you can start with nothing on the table! Very powerful if you can waste an opponent's turn.
*Alpha strike, 9/10 times with the exception of Interceptor shots, you will get in the first strike, meaning your opponent should always be on the back-foot in these fire fights after you drop.
*Space Marines are often at their best within 12" (or 6" for melta), and the pods get you right to that sweet spot.

'''Cons :'''
*Weak to Flyers; Stalkers, Hunters and ADL's w/ Quad gun are weak counter-measures in a drop army when you're trying to limit the number of static units you have in your army. Flyers are your friends here.
*Interceptor, you must always be aware of which units have it and where, or you can get torn to shreds before firing a shot. Drop strategically to give you cover or drop units that can tank the hits face on.
*Lack of mobility after drop. Your army at this point is mostly foot-slogging, so you must take this into account when choosing your drop sites
*Also, while you start the game on offence, dropping melta behind enemy tanks and setting up devastators for support and vanguard vets for assault, after all your drop pods are on the table, your guys have nothing to do but footslog. This means that on turn 3-4 you will be low on mobility and can get pushed into a defensive position if the enemy regroups and pushes you back. Drop pod assault loses the advantage late game, so you have to be sure that you utilise the first turn in such a way that insures that you will have the upper hand till the end. To do this you will want large amounts of melta, if they have transports, or Flamers, if they are footslogging it. Break down their big guns early on and leave whatever comes in from reserve to deal with the squishies!
*only HALF of your drop pods show up on the first turn. If the majority of your army is in orbit you have to have a crippling alpha strike or for every point of your army on the board you will be fighting two.

====Optimal Chapter Tactics====
*'''Salamanders'''- These Tactics and Drop pods go together almost perfectly, with both meltas and flamers being brought to where you want them straight from turn one. If you want to actually to be able to use melta's and justify their existence in your tactical squads, then take Vulkan He'Stan (at 1500pts or above at least). Combi-meltas are great with him because that one-shot for 10pts is more likely to hit, so it's a little bit safer to load up on them. What's more, the boltgun part of the combi-melta is master-crafted as well. But remember that flamer weapons mounted on vehicles don't count as they don't have Chapter Tactics. Basically there's a lot of synergy between drop pod assaults and Salamanders, but you'll want to load up on flamers and meltas to take advantage of the short range engagement.
*'''Ultramarines'''- Believe it or not the Ultramarines have some solid Tactics that synergize decently with Drop pod units, given you know when to use the appropriate doctrine. The Tactical doctrine provides a much stronger alpha strike if you load up on tacticals and units that fire a lot of shots from the get-go. Tigurius is a god-send with his ability to take Divination and drop with your units, provided some neat buffs while altering reserve rolls which can be key to a drop pod/deep strke strategy.
*'''Iron Hands'''- Iron Hands have a good deal of strength in drop pods as well, though they are limited in the number of truly viable units. Ironclads, being tough to kill already with AV13, become nightmares with IWND as long as they don't get penetrated by AP2/1/Ordnance. Chapter Master Smashbane/Smashfucker can either ride his bike from the ground or take Tactical dreadnought armor (15pts cheaper than bike/artificer armor) and ride in a pod and get into the enemy's face from turn 1. Just walk out of the pod, lay down his Orbital Bombardment and laugh as the enemy tries to kill him with your 2+/3++/6+++/5++++. Iron Hands in this case are weaker on the alpha strike, but a heck of a lot more durable than most other Chapters with the same units and can still do decent damage in the enemy lines. They're also one of 2 chapters (others being Imperial Fists) that can take the (in)famous Skyhammer Annihilation Force as part of their Decurion-type detachment. This lets you drop 3 pods, 2 of which contain '''relentless''' devastators, on turn 1. Combine with Smashfucker, combat squad abuse, and FNP trolling for maximum fun/butthurt. Drop pods with IWND along with a locator beacon/deathwind launcher also become legitimate threats; using these on the first turn alpha strike will increase the number of targets your opponent has to deal with.
*'''Imperial Fists/Sentinels of Terra'''- Not as strong as the above overall, but can provide solid backline support with Devastators (Centurions) and re-rolling bolter shots makes their alpha strike a little bit stronger than normal.
*'''Star Phantoms''' - A somewhat more specialized version of the Ultramarines, the Phantoms gain a single army-wide turn of twin-linked shooting. This applies to all non-ordinance and non-flamer weapons, giving you the option to maximize firepower from Command Squads and Sternguard who would otherwise have to fall back on just re-rolling 1's. The Star Phantoms also have the ability to re-roll 1's for deep striking reserves, which helps to ensure your pods arrive on time.

====Units====
*With Deathwind Launchers seeing a drop in points cost, they become a little more viable to purchase if you got points lying around. For the cost of a Power Sword you can arm a drop pod with a S5 AP- pie plate that can do a respectable amount of damage should an enemy infantry unit or even a light vehicle come too close. People gripe about the 12" range but you should really see it as locking down a 12" radius all around the drop pod. It's best to buy them for your first-turn pods, since due to 7th edition changes, those DWL's can be fired on the turn they drop! If you kill a MEQ you will have basically paid off the cost of the launcher.
*If you take long-range arty in your Heavy Support slots (Thunderfire Cannons, Whirlwind, allied IG arty, etc.) and have them on the table on turn 1, you can support your 1st wave drop pods straight from turn 1 and not have to have them completely without support. The best way to do this is load up on all anti-armor special weapons such as meltas, crack open transports, and then let the artillery fly on the exposed troops
*Ironclads are tough, intimidating, and provide a good AV13 distraction for squishier units in a first wave. With Iron Hands these become a lot harder to kill other than outright blowing them up. Other Dreadnoughts can be krak'd to death but are cheaper if you're on a budget.
*Sternguard are one of the best but also most expensive units to put in your drop pods. Most of the time I drop them down next to something mean (often high toughness units) and pump it full of wounds on a 2+ ammo. They will also remove units from cover, or mess up MEQ. They really do everything. The one problem is that they die just like other marines. So either choose a safe target that’s not going to shoot back once you unload on it, or kill something worth more than you. Dropping next to greater demons first turn and killing them before they get buffs running is worth the sacrifice.
*Assault squads with x2 flamers is small, cheap, and pretty burny
*Tactical squads should be normally taken as a full 10man unit since they can split up from the drop pod to deal with different targets. If you're packing a multi-melta with Vulkan, you have a decent chance of hitting something with it as well. However multiple 5 man Tactical squads allows you to bring more pods and waste less points on heavy weapons.
*Salamanders: You can either take Vet sergeants with master-crafted power weapons for the inevitable charge and be relatively choppy in CC, or slim down with regular sergeants and take a master-crafted combi-weapon instead.
*Legion of the Damned don't benefit from Chapter Tactics as per '''Aid Unlooked For''' rule, and take up an Elites choice that could be filled with Sternguards or Ironclads instead. And besides, Sternguard have ammunition that ignores cover anyway. Vulkan may [[RAW]] have strong synergy, Slow & Purposeful, master-crafted, multi-melta (which again ignores cover) and take a beating that would leave Ironclads/Sternguard blasted off of the table (typical AP2/3 weapons).
*Honor Guard- a small cheap unit of these along with an IC to soak wounds and they provide hard-hitting power weapon attacks on the charge. Solid choice in a drop pod if you take a Chapter master and intend to drop him.
*Generally speaking, basic stock Dreadnoughts are some of the most optimal units you can field in any slot. For a 100p. you have a polivalent unit, capable of murdering elite infantry with ease, hunting vehicles with its multimelta and fist, and even having a decent chance of gibbing other walkers. Suicide dreads in pods are an option for high priority target removal, but they'll usually be focused after the drop. They can make back their points with a lucky shot, but more often than not they'll only cripple targets temporarily, or fail at doing anything meaningful. Still, a good option to consider if you think they can fuck up a high value target, like a FW dread or vehicle. Otherwise, mid-field dropping or otherwise walking in cover is a very viable strategy for map control, and most enemy units will shit their pants if a 12 AV walker drops near them.

====Tactics====
*A string of drop pods across an enemy flank prevents all movement unless he goes around or -explodes- the drop pod in question. In addition to all this, the enemy has to devote some firepower to silence those storm bolters you should be firing into the enemy units' backs.
**Do note, however, that smart opponent could block crucial parts of battlefield with widely spread cheap units, like conscripts, cultists, gretchin or kroot (who are not that cheap but can infiltrate), and of course with new terrain deployment system he may just put tank traps (which are impassable terrain for vehicles) anywhere he doesn't want your drop pods.
**'''Do also note that as per the ITC FAQ, Drop Pods with their doors open are totally ignored for the rule that enemy units cannot be within 1" of your models. They do however count as both Difficult, and Dangerous terrain for enemy models. Be wary of the storm bolter.'''
*The second problem you may face is interceptor shots - this means some of your drop pods or their passengers may be shot down right after they land, so be sure to screen meltaguns, sergeants and heavy weapons with some expendable bolter dudes and try to move as far away from pods as possible: S3 explosion isn't that dangerous for your MEQ's, but some days dice gods just wouldn't be on your side. AV13 Ironclad make for a weaker alpha strike in total, but can take the punishment of Interceptor and eliminate the threat for deadlier units to drop in later safely
**When facing an overwhelming amount of Interceptor units it's completely viable to drop the pods empty in strategic locations and foot slog it
*When facing another drop pod army or deep strike heavy army, castle up your static units in a corner and counter-drop when possible. You want to go second so you can always drop and attack immediately, but if you can't get it, then you have to screen your own units and prepare to take some hits.
*If facing lots of scary large blasts in the drop zone, moving as close to 1” from enemy models without bunching up, this will keep the enemy from firing the blasts on his own units. He cannot "aim" at his own units so if any of his models are under the template when taking aim, then he cannot take the shot.
*Take note that if you want a cluster of drop pods to deepstrike in the same general area for some reason, a locator beacon is a handy tool to take on a Scouting bike squad or your on your first wave of pods. And -where- you drop those pods are crucial; and while you don't have to worry about landing on terrain or enemies, you want your placement of drop pods to inhibit enemy movement and create choke points where you need them.

*When playing droppods, think 'Sapper Squads' (Suicide Squads) Don't always expect them to survive, and don't count on it. Don't put your best guys in droppods either. We talking 10 man taxmen, Grav cannon, gravgun, sgt. combi-grav, combat squad just the 5 and drop them next to some MCs. Flamer Sternguard (honestly, stock sternies do fine on the board), Ironclad dreadnaughts. Nothing with a huge investment.... and not your main force. Especially not things built to fight in close combat. 10 man squads combat squadded as they walk out en masse can cause great confusion to the enemy... 10 man scouts or taxmen, split in 5 to make them shoot more than can be killed to put the pressure on. Also, Barren droppods with locator beacons first turn ain't bad either if you play jump infantry.

*The Dead Drop: Empty drop pods are cheap and very hardy and available as a fast attack slot or as a DT to units you have no intention of putting in them. Having a big spam of these both floods the battlefield with contesting blobs and, perhaps more important, allows you to stagger out your drops. This can let you strike better (your whole strike force arrives 1st turn) or feint better (withholding your strikers until the foe is on the board).

===Mechanised Assault===
When I'm talking mech, I'm talking armour over flesh, AV versus T, and tank treads versus boots on the ground. This is a lesser-played style that has both been nerfed and strengthened in different ways thanks to 7th Edition. With the Hull Points system, every vehicle becomes more fragile, meaning mobility and cover are the most important things for keeping your vehicles alive. In addition, no longer being able to move 12" and disembark cripples your mobility and ability to react on the fly to different situations over long distance - you now have a 24" deadly threat range with a squad inside a Rhino. To compensate, you gain the ability to go flat out and move up to 18" in a turn with a transport - though this is of limited use. This tactic has also been improved by 7th edition, thanks to vehicles only exploding on a penetration roll of 7 and thanks to the Double demi company with free razorbacks.

Unfortunately, this is not an easy playstyle. It's brutal, and often even when it does work, the firepower you leverage against your opponent is not sufficient. It is, however, not entirely doom and gloom. If you run a mechanised list you should seriously consider the White Scars Chapter Tactics with Khan as a HQ.

The advantages they confer make your army go from sub-competitive to just below tournament-level (tournament level if you're both lucky and good, or happen to use the aforementioned Double Demi).

White Scars CT give your mechanised infantry Scout, which they absolutely *need* in order to be as good as they should be. It gives massive amounts of flexibility to your infantry and the potential for an alpha strike that leaves your opponent in checkmate after the first turn.

How, might you ask? Take your Mechanised Infantry and deploy them as close to the enemy as possible. Before the game, scout 12" towards the enemy. You now have a few options.

# Move 6",disembark 6", be in their deployment zone, and fire. This gives you your alpha strike that, with the right units, can annihilate your opponent's deadliest unit or cripple part of his force.
# Move 12", flat out 6". This allows you to compensate if your opponent bunches up and option 1 is not viable. Sometimes, having your men ready to react (remember you'll get a potential 6" move and 6" disembark instead of just the former) and staying inside the metal box is the best course of action.
# Move 12", pop smoke. Use only if your opponent either had nothing that is worth risking getting out of the boxes to eliminate or if your opponent has a strong gunline with lots of anti-infantry firepower that you can't cripple.

Alternatively, you can do none of the above and outflank. This can be a risky but effective way of delivering an alpha strike or capturing an objective without being struck by fire.

Now, the real question is what to put in your transports? As previously mentioned, a mech SM list suffers greatly from sometimes not being able to leverage enough firepower. This should be your primary concern.

Tactical Squads should probably not be taken with full numbers at 10 men - unless you plan to abuse combat squads for a very specific use. Reason being, you do not want heavy weapons except Grav Cannons. There is no reason to maximise bolters. Heavy weapons will rarely get to fire effectively and now cost you points out the ass. Taking a special weapon and combi-weapon should be considered mandatory. Do not give this squad melta guns. Leave that to the other elements in your army, because you want your Tacticals to leverage as much firepower against infantry or MC's as is humanly possible, and have enough duplicates that losses do not necessarily mean defeat.

*Grav Guns are a matter of debate. They are flexible against vehicles (if you can get off enough shots) if you do encounter them, if you do dig in the extra shot is invaluable, and they get the extra shots at longer range than a Plasma Gun. If there's a Daemon Prince or CC unit they even reduce their initiative to 1, giving you better odds if you get dragged into a CC. However, they suck hairy balls against anything that isn't wearing power armour or better, and are utterly useless against buildings.
*Flamers are exceedingly good at quickly wiping anything weaker than Marines off of objectives. They also provide some effective overwatch. Even power armoured units will feel the heat due to the sheer number of wounds a flamer can throw at a unit. Their biggest drawback is being absolutely worthless against MCs.
*Plasma Guns are good in that unless a rare high-toughness MC like a Wraithknight appears you'll be wounding on good rolls all the time. They don't suffer the drawbacks of Salvo (half range if you move, for instance) and have a greater maximum range than Grav weapons.

You should take at least one Sternguard squad tooled up with enough firepower to destroy (not just cause medium damage to) a unit. Using #Option 1 they can pull off some kills that win games. They are the guys that are going to hunt the nastiest, shittiest, pain-in-the ass targets that your bolters and Tacticals can't handle.

It's for this reason that they should have combi-plasmas or gravs. You might not survive into the following turn, as they will be a very high priority target, so what you shoot at needs to die. 4-5 combi-weapons should be sufficient. Heavy Flamers are worth considering, and the squad should not end up having more than 7-8 men. Do not tool up the Sergeant unless it's with a combi-weapon.

There may be other units that perform this role almost as well - you may want to consider them, too. The effectiveness of the Grav-Gun Bikers make them one of
THE BEST units in the codex, and any bike-mounted IC makes them troops - yes, this means Techmarines, Chaplains and Librarians too.

These two units should form your core. In the end you should have a minimum of 3 mechanised squads, preferably 4. With the strong anti-infantry and anti-MC capability they provide you can look to everything else.

*Units you may want to consider include:
**Tri-Las Predators or Devastators with Lascannons. If shit luck strikes and your Sternguard fail or don't do as well as you plan, these guys are Plan B. If there's tanks to kill, these are the units that will be your best counters.
**Storm Talons or possibly Storm Ravens. They provide AA and additional firepower on the fly (no pun intended) where its needed. In a pinch they can also serve as backup AT. '''Edit:''' Death from the Skies nerfed the hell out of these units, making them best suited for dealing with ground threats. For real AA, you need Hunters, Stalkers, Stormhawks, or Flakk Missile Devs, with an emphasis on ground-based AA to deal with threats you can't handle in the air, like Crimson Hunters.
**Land Speeder Storm Scouts. Deep Strike disruption, cheap scoring, can tackle weaker troops, and you can take a heavy flamer for free at 40 points, which negates the need for flamer Tacticals.
**Assault Squads with flamers and either a drop pod or rhino. Cheap and (in certain circumstances) incredibly effective.
**Grav Gun Bikers, for the same reasons as Sternguard. Or a Bike Command Squad.
**Grav Cannon shooty Centurions in a Drop Pod or Land Raider. Bear in mind that they're shit in melee so if they get caught they're boned. That's why you attach a beatstick/bullet sponge IC. But now the White scar's CT affects them so you now have hit and run Centurions.

===Bike Armies===
Thanks to the White Scars Chapter tactics and Khan, this is one of the strongest space marine army configurations out right now, since biker troops become very cost efficient in this manner. Skilled rider grants 3+ Jink Saves, along with the difficult terrain shenanigans (ain't no body got time for walls), whilst Hit&Run basically gives a superior version of the old Combat Tactics, meaning you will almost never be bogged down in a combat you don't want. Even better, you can disengage on the enemy Assault phase and then Shoot/Assault again in your own phases using Hit&Run.

Khan lists also generate an incredibly potent alpha strike army. Bikes can pack an astounding amount of small to medium arms fire, and put them in rapid fire range on turn 1. No one is safe when you have a 5 man command squad pumping 15 grav bolts into them before they even get to think about moving. Tanks get melta or grav shoved at them. On the return phase, you can capitalize on your 3+ Jink and then hit everything with S5 HoW hits, stay in combat, and then run away to do both again every turn. With the new Chapter Tactics even Terminators '''AND CENTURIONS''' get the Hit&Run shenanigan.

For the love of God, though, break into the home of every Chaos player you know and smash their Helturkies. Heldrakes can really really mess this army up. Fortunately their flamer of doom has been reduced to front-arc firing, so you can mitigate it somewhat. (When it enters it still eats up a squad, but with your speed you should be safer later turns)

===Dreadnought Party===
Use the Iron Hands chapter tactics. Take a Techmarine (or you just play Clan Raukaan instead) and run one of each squadron of Dreadnaughts. Give him a full squad of servitors. Take another techmarine if you want, since another guy repairing your dreads is always helpful (and can be a bullet magnet, letting your dreads get more shots in).

Put in the bare minimum 2 troops choices, preferably tacticals in drop pods or rhinos. This way, your army is not unbound, letting your tacticals just sit on objectives and act as denial units, meaning your enemies have to completely destroy your squads while your regenerating (thanks to the IWND rule) dreads rape them.

Next load up all 6 slots with dreadnaughts (some in drop pods if you want). The best might be an even mix of Ironclads, Venerable, and Normal dreads, but experiment with what combinations suit your playstlye. Remember you need some dreads to be heavy fire support (lascannons and autocannons), some to be close range fire support (assault cannons, heavy flamers, and meltacannons), and some to be melee (Ironclads are best for this, with two CC arms). Putting some in drop pods gives you flexibility at the start of the game, since half of your drop pods go down on turn one, two pods can come in with dreadnaughts first, and eliminate or tie down the heavier enemy units, then later your two tactical squad pods can come down and secure objectives.

The IWND rule combined with your techmarines can make your dreadnought army last through firepower that would destroy land raiders, and if you give the MotF the ironstone relic, the dreadnoughts become even more Ded' ard'. You shouldn't just stand there soaking it all up, however; use your dreadnoughts like troops and keep them in cover and just use your head and they can last a lot longer than you think. Dreadnoughts now come in 4-attacks-base flavour. Iron Hands players rejoice.

===Gravity Gun Spam===
This play style is strictly used against other Space Marines or any unit with 3+ armour or better.

Use Ultramarines chapter tactics as you will definitely need the Devastator doctrine for re-rolls (or [[Star Phantoms]]). This play style will require 3 five-men devastator squads with fully maxed grav cannons with grav amps and an armorium cherub. Also, ally in a Librarius Conclave with 3 librarians with/without mastery level 2. Make sure all librarians choose the Divination table. When rolling for powers, always change the power for the Primaris Power unless you rolled 3: Perfect Timing. First of all, Prescience allows re-rolls to hit. Secondly, Perfect Timing ignores the annoying cover saves that hinder your grav weaponry power. Thirdly, why the conclave? Because if you keep the librarians close, you can succeed on powers on a 2+. Switching multiple librarians to the primaries power allows for redundancy, in case you lose one (or two!).

Assuming we have the 3 squads of dev using either the doctrine, cherub, or Prescience, that will be a total of 60 shots if they do not move. Devs hit on 3+ with a re-roll, which leaves an average of 53.5 shots hit!! Now here is the fun part. Since grav wounds on the armour save, let's say we are going against Space Marine Power Armour, that will be an average of 47.7 wounds with no armour saves!! Plus if you have Perfect timing, your opponent may just rage quit due to the lack of both armour and cover saves against 48 potential casualties. For Normal Termies I did the math and there will be an average of 34.3 confirmed kills excluding possible FNP. Termie Assault will yield a lower death rate of 17.2 confirmed kills excluding FNP. Against vehicles, each squad will do an average of 5.5 glances.

If math is not enough for you, I used this strategy against my space marine player friend who played a game of 1200 pts with me. I altered the list a little, but in the end his entire army was wiped out while I had lost 4 devastators and 1 librarian. Watch your opponents remove his miniatures by the tens.

[[Category:Warhammer 40000 Tactics(7E)]]
[[Category:Space Marines]]
[[Category: Warhammer Tactics/Old]]

{{Warhammer_40k_Tactics}}

Grimdark Songwriting

2023-02-26T20:41:55Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:C5B1:DFB5:E2DA:268: /* Snow white: Om nom Om nom */

{{NeedsImages}}
{{topquote|But there's one sound, that no one knows, what does [[Corax]] say? Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!|Horus ''(This is why Corax didn't like him.)''}}

Observing some striking correlations between the songs found in pop culture and the [[Warhammer 40,000|40K universe]], people on /tg/ sometimes adapt these songs to bring out their true [[grimdark]] potential. See also [[Adventuring songwriting]].
 
[[File:EmprahsMetal.png|500px|right|thumb|Each of the following songs counts as a sonic Ordinatus.]]

==Disney Adaptations==
The most popular segment to be subjected to grimdarkification, Disney songs seem to lend themselves well to the total despair of the 41st millennium.

=== Aladdin: A Whole New World ===
[Ghazghkull] 
I’ll kill da ooniverse! 
Burn’s it, smash’s it, stomp’s it! 
Tell me Yarrick now when’s did I last 
Get’s a nice surprise? 

[Yarrick] 
Well, just open your eyes! 

[Ghazghkull] 
Look at all of dese wonders! 
So much chance ‘ere for plunders 
On a mighty fighitn ride! 
Armageddon! 
With kool, amazin rockrete pits 
Not normal humie runts 
An’ no weak punts 
Or tribes of smaller orkish gits 

[Yarrick] 
Armageddon! 
A wondrous place of giant hives 
Where billions of souls 
Live like moles 
Never see the sky in all their lives 

[Ghazghkull] 
Never da sky in all dere lives 

[Yarrick] 
Unbelievable war 
Orks coming on them like rain 
Fighting, dying and much pain 
Through deserts of blackened waste 
Armageddon! 

[Ghazghkull] 
Don’t you dare leave dis place! 

[Yarrick] 
A hundred million fallen souls 

[Ghazghkull] 
I’s wants you to stay ‘ere 

[Yarrick] 
There’s so much shooting here, 
And so much fear 
I won’t ever leave this war-torn world 

[Ghazghkull] 
Armageddon 

[Yarrick] 
I think I am stuck here 

[Ghazghkull] 
Wit new fun chances of fightin 

[Yarrick] 
Everyday it gets harder 

[Both] 
I’ll chase you, gun in hand 
Across this land 
Let me share Armageddon 
with you 

[Ghazghkull] 
Armageddon 

[Yarrick] 
Armageddon 

[Ghazghkull] 
Dat’s where I waaaagh 

[Yarrick] 
That’s where I stand 

[Ghazghkull] 
A fight at hand! 

[Yarrick]: 
On this black sand 

[Both] 
So don’t you leave! 

===Aladdin:Daemon Prince Abby===
Prince Abby! Mighty is he, Abby Abaddon!

Strong as 10 Space Marine men definitely!

He's faced the zealoting hordes

A hundred Grey Knights with swords

Who sent them back to Matt Ward?

Why, Prince Abby...

He's got seventy-five golden Screamers

Purple Horrors, he's got fifty-three

When it comes to exotic-type Daemons

Has he got a Warp?

I'm telling you, it's world-class Daemonology!

Prince Abby! Handsome is he, Abby Abaddon

That physique! How can I speak

Weak at the knee

Well, reality's what we shall tear,

We'll shatter the veil, so prepare

To gawk and grovel and stare at Prince Abby!

He's got ninety-five White Scar mon-keighs

(He's got the mon-keighs, let's see the mon-keighs)

And imbues all with mutations for free

(He's generous, so generous)

He's got slaves, he's got servants and flunkies
(Proud to worship him)

They bow to his whim love serving him

They're just feverish with loyalty to Abby! Prince Abby!

Prince Abby!

Amorous he! Abby Abaddon!

Heard your planet was a sight lovely to see

And that, good people, is why he got dolled up and dropped by

With sixty Juggernauts, bloodletters galore

With his Fiends and Nurglings

A war band and more

With his forty Flamers, his cultists, his traitors

His Furies that warble on key

Make way for prince Abby!

===Aladdin: Friend Like Me===

Tzeentch:

Well the Emperor had them twenty legions

Eldrad had a thousand plots

But Horus you in luck 'cause up your sleeves

You got a brand of magic never stops

You got some power in your corner now

Some heavy ways to really up your odds

You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how

See all you gotta do is ask us Gods

And we'll say

Well Mister Horus, sir

What will your pleasure be?

Let us take your order

Jot it down

You ain't never had no friends like these

No no no

Nurgle:

Life is your restaurant

And we're your maitre d's

C'mon whisper what it is you want

You ain't never had no friends like these

Slaanesh:

Yes sir, we pride ourselves on service

You're the boss,

The Emps, A GOD

Say what you wish

It's yours! True dish

How about a little more Warp Power, huh?

Khorne:
Burn some of planet "A"

Burn ALL of planet "B"

Tzeentch:
We're in the mood to help you dude

You ain't never had no friends like these

Can your friends do this?

Do your friends do that?

Do your friends pull this out their little hat?

Can your friends go, poof?

Well, looky here

Can your friends go, Abracadabra, let 'er rip

And then make the Loyalists disappear?

So doncha sit there slack jawed, buggy eyed

I'm here to answer all your midday prayers

You got us bona fide, certified

You got us Chaos Gods for your chare d'affaires

We got a powerful urge to help you out

So what-cha wish? I really wanna know

You got a list that's three miles long, no doubt

Well, all you gotta do is ask like so - and oh

Well Mister Horus, sir, have a wish or two or three

We're on the job, you big nabob

Nurgle:
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend

Khorne:
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend

Slaanesh:
You ain't never had a friend like me

Tzeentch:
You ain't never had a friend like me, hah!

===Snow white: Om nom Om nom===

Om nom Om nom Its Off To Eat We Go!!

We Om nom nom nom nom nom nom nom

In our Hive the whole day through

To Kill Eat Kill Eat Kill Eat Eat Eat Eat

Its what we like to do

It ain't no trick

To get fat quick

If ya kill kill kill

With a talon or a gun

In a hive (Echo: In a hive)

LOUDER: In a hive(echo: IN A HIVE)

Where a million life-forms

LONG: ddddiiinnnneee (om nom nom)

We Om nom nom nom nom nom nom nom

From early mornin' til' night

We Om nom nom nom nom nom nom nom

On everything in sight

We take our time

Then find some more

There's thousands to be sometime born

And We don't know what we eat them for

We Om nom nom noma nom nom

===Pocahontas: Savages===
-Part 1- 
[Inquisitor Ratcliffe] 
What can you expect 
From filthy little xenos? 
Their whole disgusting race is like a curse 
For them no tears we shed 
They're only good when dead 
They're vermin, as I said 
And worse 

[Deathwatch Marines] 
They're aliens! Aliens! 

[Inquisitor Ratcliffe] 
They're not even human 

[Deathwatch Marines] 
Aliens! Aliens! 

[Inquisitor Ratcliffe] 
Astartes to the fore! 
They're not like you and me 
Which means that we must purge them 
We must sound the drums of war! 

[Inquisitor Ratcliffe+Deathwatch Marines] 
They're aliens! Aliens! 
Filthy xenos rabble! 
Now we sound the drums of war! 

[Eldrad] 
This is as I saw 
With their absurd ambition 
The Mon-Keigh seek to conquer and destroy 

[Caerys] 
Beneath that armour plate 
They harbor only hate 

[Aspect Warriors] 
Killing them shall be a joy 

[Aspect Warriors] 
They're savages! Savages! 
Zeal and fervor blinds them 
Savages! Savages! 

[Caerys] 
Killers at the core 

[Exarch] 
They're a lesser race than us 
Which means they can't be trusted 

[Eldrad] 
We must sound the drums of war 

[Aspect Warriors] 
They're savages! Savages! 
Now we march against them 
And we sound the drums of war 

[Deathwatch Marines] 
Aliens! Aliens! 

[Watch Captain] 
Let's go kill a few, men! 

[Aspect Warriors] 
Savages! Savages! 

[Inquisitor Ratcliffe] 
Now it's up to you, men! 

[All] 
(Aliens) Savages! (Aliens) Savages! 
They are lesser creatures! 
Now we sound the drums of war! 

-Intermission- 

[Taldeer] 
They're going to kill him at sunrise, Grandmother Wraithbone. 

[Grandmother Wraithbone] 
You have to stop them! 

[Taldeer] 
I can't... 

[Grandmother Wraithbone] 
Child, remember your vision- 

[Taldeer] 
I was wrong, Grandmother Wraithbone, I followed the wrong path! I feel so lost... 

[Taldeer] 
The auspex... The spinning arrow... 

[Grandmother Wraithbone] 
It's the arrow from your vision! 

[Taldeer] 
I was right, it was pointing to him! Sunrise... 

[Grandmother Wraithbone] 
It's not too late, child! Let the spirits of the webway guide you! You know your path, child, now follow it! 

-Part 2- 
[Taldeer] 
Is there nothing I can do? 
Can I make these soldiers yield? 
Is it only death that waits 
Out there on the battlefield? 

[Inquisitor Ratcliffe] 
This will be the day ... 
(Let's go men!) 

[Eldrad] 
This will be the morning ... 
(Bring out the prisoner!) 

[Deathwatch Marines and Aspect Warriors] 
We will see them dying in the dust 

[Taldeer] 
I don't know what I can do 
Still, I know that I must try 

[Deathwatch Marines] 
Now we make them pay 

[Taldeer] 
Isha, help my feet to fly 

[Rangers] 
Now without a warning ... 

[Taldeer] 
Kurnous, help my heart be great 

[Deathwatch Marines] 
Now we leave them blood and bone and rust 

[Taldeer] 
Spirits of the wraithbone cry ... 

[Deathwatch Marines and Aspect Warriors] 
It's them or us 

[Taldeer] 
Please don't let it be to late ... 

[Deathwatch Marines and Aspect Warriors] 
They're just a bunch of 
Filthy, stinking 

[Deathwatch Marines] 
Aliens! 

[Aspect Warriors] 
Savages! 

[Deathwatch Marines] 
Daemons! 

[Aspect Warriors] 
Primates! 

[Inquisitor Ratcliffe] 
Kill them! 

[Aspect Warriors] 
Savages! 

[Deathwatch Marines] 
Aliens! 

[Inquisitor Ratcliffe+Deathwatch Marines] 
What are we waiting for? 

[All] 
Destroy their evil race 
Until there's not a trace left 

[Taldeer] 
How loud are the drums of war 

[Deathwatch Marines and Aspect Warriors] 
We will sound the drums of war 
(Savages! Savages!) 
Now, we sound the drums of war 
(Aliens! Aliens!) 

[Inquisitor Ratcliffe] 
They shall all succumb 
The rotten xenos scum 

[Aspect Warriors] 
Now we sound the drums ... of ... war! 

[Deathwatch Marines] 
Of course it means the drums ... of ... war! 

[Taldeer] 
Is the death of all I love 
Carried in the drumming of war? 

[Taldeer] 
No! If you kill him, you'll have to kill me too. 

[Eldrad] 
Daughter, stand back. 

[Taldeer] 
I won't! I love him... 

===Pocahontas: Colors of the Wind===
You think I'm strange and heretical 
And you've been so many places 
I guess it must be so 
But still I cannot see 
If the heretic is me 
How can there be so much that you don't know? 
You don't know ... 

You think you own the gadgets that you work with 
That they are only dead things you can claim 
But I know every gun and cogitator 
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name 

You think the only people who are people 
Are the people who love their flesh like you 
But if you walk the footsteps of a techpriest 
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew 

Have you ever heard the thunder of a titan's stride, 
Or asked the lasgun why it has recoil? 
Can you sing with all the voices of the machines? 
Can you paint with all the colors of the oil? 
Can you paint with all the colors of the oil? 

Come feel the blessed current of electrodes 
Come see the life support of He-On-Earth 
Come examine the riches all around you 
And for once, appreciate just what they're worth 

The drop pod and the cruiser are my brothers 
And all the power weapons are my friends 
And we are all connected to each other 
In a circuit, in a loop that never ends 

How far can our empire grow? 
If you stop our work, then you'll never know 
And you'll never hear the thunder of a titan's stride. 

For no matter on which task we spend our toil 
We need to sing with all the voices of the machines 
We need to paint with all the colors of the oil 

You can own all Space and still 
It's just empty space until 
You can paint with all the colors of the oil 

===Jungle Book: I Wanna Be Like You===

Now I'm of caste Ethereal

Oh, a Tau VIP

I've reached the top and had to stop

And that's what botherin' me

I wanna be a man, gue'la

And stroll right onto Terra

And be able to approach the Golden Throne

And end this warring era!

Oh, oobee doo

I wanna be like you

I wanna walk like you

Talk like you, too

You'll see it's true

A xenos like me

Can learn to be human too

Gee, mister Aun

You're doin' real good

Now here's your part of the deal, cuz

Lay the secret on me of man's psyker powers

But I'm not a psyker!

Now don't try to kid me, gue'la

I made a deal with you

What I desire is man's psychic power

To make my dream come true

Give me the secret, gue'la

Clue me what to do

Give me the power of man's warp flower

So I can be like you

===The Great Mouse Detective: The World's Greatest Criminal Mind===
[Ratigan] 
My friends, we are about to embark on the most odious, the most evil, the most diabolical scheme of my illustrious career. A crime to top all crimes, a crime that will live in infamy!

Tomorrow evening, our beloved planetary governess celebrates her diamond jubilee. And, with the enthusiastic help of our good friend Magos Flaversham, it promises to be a night she will never forget. Her last night, and my first, as supreme ruler of all Londinium Prime!

From the brain that brought you the Black Bell Caper
The head that made headlines on every dataslate
And wondrous things like the Gunmetal Job
That cunning display that made all hivers sob

Now comes the real tour de force
Tricky and wicked, of course!
My earlier crimes were fine for their times
But now that I’m at it again
An even grimmer plot has been simmering
In my great criminal brain

[Chorus] 
Even meaner? You mean it?
Worse than the widows and orphans you drowned?
You’re the best of the worst around
Oh Ratigan
Oh Ratigan
The rest fall behind
To Ratigan
To Ratigan
Lord Tzeentch’s greatest criminal mind!

[Ratigan] 
Ratigan (speaking)
Thank you, thank you. But it hasn’t all been Amasec and Caviar. I’ve had my share of adversity, thanks to that miserable second-rate inquisitor, Basil of Baker Hive! For years, that insufferable pipsqueak has interfered with my plans. I haven’t had a moment’s peace of mind. But now, all that’s in the past! This time, nothing, not even Basil can stand in my way! All will bow before me!

[Chorus] 
Oh Ratigan
Oh Ratigan
You’re tops and that’s that
To Ratigan
To Ratigan

[Bartimus] 
To Ratigan, the sector's greatest Khornate.

[Ratigan] 
What was THAT?! WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!

[Mutant 1] 
Oh, he didn't mean it my lord.

[Mutant 2] 
I-it was just a slip of one of his tongues!

[Ratigan] 
I am NOT A KHORNATE!

[Mutant 3] 
'Course you're not, you're Tzeentchian!

[Mutant 4] 
Yeah, that's right, Tzeentchian!

[Mutant 5] 
A really angry Tzeentchian!

[Ratigan] 
SILENCE!!
Oh my dear Bartimus, I'm afraid that you've gone and upset me...you know what happens when someone upsets me...
I trust there will be no further interruptions. And now, as you were singing...?

[Chorus] 
Even louder!
We'll shout it!
No one can doubt what we know you can do
You’re more evil than even you
Oh Ratigan
Oh Ratigan
You’re one of a kind
To Ratigan
To Ratigan
Lord Tzeentch’s greatest criminal mind!

===The Lion King: Be Prepared===
[Ghazghkull] 
I NEVA FOUGHT YA GROTS WUZ ESSENTCHUL

YOUZ RUNTY, AN' UNSPEEKABLY WEAK

BUT ME FINKS YOUZ GOT SUM POTENTCHUL

IF WAAGH IS WOT YOU REELY SEEK

[Ghazghkull] 
'S KLARE FROM YER VAKANT EXPRESHUNS

DA ORK IS NOT ALL ON OP’STARES

BUT WEZ TALKIN' BOSSES AN' SUCCESSUNS

EVA YOUZ KENT BE CUGHT UNAWARES!

[Ghazghkull] 
SO PREPARE FOR DA FIGHT OVVA LOIFETIME

PREPARE FOR SENSHANAL NOOZ

A SHINY NEW ERA

‘S STOMPIN’ NEARA

[Boyz] 
But ‘ere getting shot op!

[Ghazghkull] 
JUS’ LISSIN YA SQUIG GOB!

[Ghazghkull] 
AH KNO DIS SOUNDS SORTID,

BUT YOUZ GON BE REWARDID

WHEN AT LAST AH'M GIVVIN MY TEEF

WAAAAGH WE FINALY DARED

BE PREPARED!!!

[Boyz] 
Yeah! Be prepared! Wez gon be prepared! ...Fer wot?

[Ghazghkull] 
DEFF OV DA BOSS!

[Boyz] 
Why? Did da boss say so?

[Ghazghkull] 
NO YA GROTS, SES MORK. AN' GORK TOO!

[Boyz] 
Great ideah! Who ned a boss! No Boss! No Boss!

Waagh--Waagh-Waagh--Waaagh-Waaagh!

[Ghazghkull] 
IDIUTS! DERE WILL BE A BOSS!

[Boyz] 
But youz sed...

[Ghazghkull] 
AH WILL BE BOSS! WAAAGH WIW ME AND YOUZ NEVA GON BE KRAMPED AGAIN!

[Boyz] 
Yay! Awwwwwwroight! 'ail to da Boss!

[Chorus] 
'AIL TO DA BOSS

'AIL TO DA BOSS!!!

SEEMS DAT WE'LL SOON BE KONNEKTID

TO A BOSS WHO'LL BE ALL TIME ADORD

[Ghazghkull] 
OV’KOURSE, KVID PRO KVO, YOUZ EXPECTID

TO BRING CERTAIN DUTYZ ONBOARD

DA FUCHA IZ LITTERD WIW TROPHIES

AN DOUGH BIGGEST BOSS AH 'ILL BE

DA POINT DAT AH MUST EMFASAZ ES:

YA WON'T GET TA WAAAAAAAAAAAAGH WIWOUT ME!!!!

[Ghazghkull] 
SO GIT PREPARED FOR DA WAAAAAAGH OV’ DA CENTURY! 
[Chorus] 
(Oooh!) 
[Ghazghkull] 
BE PREPARED FOR DA BRUTALEST KUNNIN 
[Chorus] 
(Oooh Waagh, Waagh, Waagh!) 
[Ghazghkull] 
MASSIVELY CHOPPY! 
[Chorus] 
(We’ll haf Waagh!) 
[Ghazghkull] 
DED BIG AN’SHOOTY! 
[Chorus] 
(En’less Waagh!) 
[Ghazghkull] 
CRED’IBLY STOMPY! 
[Chorus] 
(‘Ere we go!) 
[Ghazghkull] 
WILL MAKE SURE THAT ME! 
[Chorus] 
(Fo’ da Waagh!) 
[Ghazghkull] 
BE DA BOSS UNDISPUTED 
[Chorus] 
(Aaaaaaah...) 
[Ghazghkull] 
RESPECTID, SALUTID 
[Chorus] 
(...aaaaaaah!) 
[Ghazghkull] 
AN' SEEN FER DA BOSS DAT AH AM 
[Chorus] 
(Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo) 
[Ghazghkull] 
YES MA' CHOPPAS AN SHOOTAS ARE BEARED
BE PREPARED!!!

[All] 
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

=== Mulan: I'll Make a Tau Out of You ===

Let's begin your training - to defeat the Orks 
Did they send me Fio'las when I asked for Shas? 
The orks will try to kill us all 
But they will hit an endless wall 
Mister, I'll make a tau from you all 

Patient as a gun drone 
But on plasma within 
Once you aim your rifle 
You are sure to win 
You're a spineless, mob of idiots 
And you haven't got a clue 
Somehow I'll make a tau out of you 

I'm never gonna catch my breath 
I bet I'm gonna get us all shot 
Boy, was I a fool in school for cutting gym 
This guy's got 'em scared to death 
I bet I'm gonna get us all caught 
Now I really wish that I knew how to swim 

(Chorus:) 
Be a tau 
We must be sleek as the Barracuda 
Be a tau 
With all the force of a orca dropship 
Be a tau 
With all the strength of a mighty railgun 
Magnificent as the bright side of the good 

Time is racing toward us till the Orks arrive 
Heed my every order and you might survive 
You're a pain to me, a bane to me 
So pack up, deport you're through 
How could I make a tau out of you? 

(Chorus:) 
Be a tau 
We must be swift as the Barracuda 
Be a tau 
With all the force of a Orca dropship 
Be a tau 
With all the strength of a mighty railgun 
Magnificent as the bright side of the good 

(Chorus:) 
Be a tau 
We must be swift as the Barracuda 
Be a tau 
With all the force of a Orca Dropship 
Be a tau 
With all the strength of a mighty railgun 
Magnificent as the bright side of the good 

=== Beauty and the Beast: Angron ===
[Kharn:] Gosh it disturbs me to see you, Angron 
Without a good war to wage 
Every guy here'd love to be you, Angron 
Even when frothing with rage 
Every single World Eater was sired by you 
Every man before you shall bow 
Ev'ryone's awed and inspired by you 
And it's not very hard to see how 

No one's slick as Angron 
No one's sick as Angron 
No one wields a chainaxe quite as quick as Angron 
For there's no man around half as hearty 
Perfect, a prime specimen 
You ask any Adeptus Astartes 
And they'll tell you whose Chapter they want to be in 

[Berzerkers:] No one's been like Angron 
Had thick skin like Angron 
[Kharn:] No one's able to create a din like Angron 
[Angron:] As a Primarch, yes, I'm intimidating 
[Berzerkers:] My what a guy, that Angron 

Give five "hurrahs!" 
"For the Skull Throne!" 
[Kharn:] Angron is the best 
And the rest are all boned 

[Berzerkers:] No one fights like Angron 
Or ignites like Angron 
[Champion:] In a riot nobody incites like Angron 
[Daemonettes:] For there's no one as fearsome or angry 
[Angron:] My raw energy cannot be caged 
[Kharn:] Not a bit of him's scraggly or mangy 
[Angron] (That's right!) 
I'm bursting with boundless and unbridled rage 

[Berzerkers:] No one hits like Angron 
[Raptor:] Fights in pits like Angron 
[Kharn:] In a BloodBowl match no one can blitz like Angron 
[Angron:] I'm especially fond of obliterating 
(Kablooey!) 
[Berzerkers:] Ten points for Angron! 

[Angron:] In the arena I received nerve implants 
So I'd fight with no fear or remorse 
So I gave my legion the same nerve implants 
Now they are an unstoppable force 

[Berzerkers:] No one shoots like Angron 
No one loots like Angron 
[Kharn:] Crushes skulls under ceremite boots like Angron 
[Angron:] I use enemy heads for my decorating 
[Berzerkers:] My what a guy, Angron! 

=== Beauty and the Beast: Gaston ===

[Gaston:] Who does she think she is? That lich has tangled with the wrong Paladin! No one says "die" to Gaston!
[LeFou:] Heh heh. Darn right.
[Gaston:] Plane-shifted! Hold-Personed! Publicly Humiliated! Why, it's more than I can bear.
[LeFou:] More beer?
[Gaston:] What for? Nothing helps. I'm disgraced.
[LeFou:] Who, you? Never! Gaston, you've got to pull yourself together.

Gosh it disturbs me to see you, Gaston
Looking so down in the dumps
Every Fighter here'd love to be you, Gaston
Even when taking your lumps
There's no man in the party as admired as you
You're ev'ryone's favorite guy
Ev'ryone's awed and inspired by you
And it's not very hard to see why

No one smites like Gaston
No one fights like Gaston
No one puts down those zombies and wights like Gaston
For there's no man in town half as manly
Perfect, a pure paragon
You can ask any Priest, God or Cleric
And they'll tell you whose crusade they prefer to be ooooooon!

[Chorus:] No one's been like Gaston
A Paladin like Gaston
[LeFou:] No one's got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston
[Gaston:] As a specimen, yes, I'm intimidating
[Chorus:] My what a guy, that Gaston

Give five "hurrahs!"
Give twelve "hip-hips!"
[LeFou:] Gaston is the best
And the rest is all drips

[Chorus:] No one Detects like Gaston
lacks defects like Gaston
[Cronie:] That foul villain's plans nobody wrecks like Gaston
[Bimbettes:] For there's no one as burly and brawny
[Gaston:] As you see I win duels without fail
[LeFou:] Not a bit of him's scraggly or scrawny
[Gaston] (That's right!)
And ev'ry last inch of me's covered with mail.

[Cronies:] No one Turns like Gaston
[Townsman:] witches burns like Gaston
[LeFou:] A large pile of xp no one earns like Gaston
[Gaston:] I'm especially good at exterminating
(Ka-Smite!)
[Chorus:] Ten points for Gaston!

[Gaston:] When I was a lad I killed four dozen orcs
Ev'ry morning to help me get strong
And now that I'm grown I kill five dozen orcs
So I've roughly the might of King Kong!

[Chorus:] No one heals like Gaston
Makes brutes squeal like Gaston
[LeFou:] Then goes tromping around wearing steel like Gaston
[Gaston:] I use troll skulls in all of my decorating
[Chorus:] Say it again
Who's a man among men?
And then say it once more
Who's the hero next door?
Who's a super success?
Don't you know? Can't you guess?
Ask his fans and his five hangers-on
There's just one guy in town who's got all of it down
[LeFou:] And his name's G-A-S- T -
G-A-S-T - E -
G-A-S-T-O - oh!
[Chorus:] Gaston

=== Mulan: A God Worth Killing For ===

'''[Pre-heresy marines]''' 
It's a long time since, 
we’ve seen a sign of our home. 

'''[Angron]''' 
Like some mindless grox, 
it's Erebus, we must roam. 

'''[Pre-heresy marines]''' 
Amidst the clash of wars, our orders, 
are easy to ignore! 

'''[Horus]''' 
Hey! 
What do we need? A god worth KILLING for! 

'''[Pre-heresy marines]''' 
Huh? 

'''[Horus]''' 
That’s what I said, a god worth KILLING for! 

'''[Fulgrim]''' 
I want one with a perfect form 
with skin that has no scars 

'''[Angron]''' 
My god will have a pair of horns, 
with hide as red as Mars. 

'''[Magnus]''' 
I couldn’t care less about war or about dreams 
It all depends on sneaky schemes. 

'''[Pre-heresy marines]''' 
Maim! Kill! Burn! 
Huh! 

'''[Mortarion]''' 
What's this talk of gods, it sounds so odd, 
I thought we're fighting for the Emprah of Man? 

'''[Lorgar]''' 
But he still ignores, the rewards of a GOD's plan. 

'''[Pre-heresy marines]''' 
Right now all we do, to serve our cause, 
is fight chore after chore! 

'''[Horus]''' 
What do we want? 

'''[pre-heresy marines]''' 
A god worth KILLING for! 

'''[Angron]''' 
I think my god wants worthy skulls 

'''[Magnus]''' 
Well, mine will leave no chance unmined 

'''[Alpharius]''' 
Uh…How bout a...god that destroys all? 
Exterminates mankind? 

'''[All]''' 
Neh… 

'''[Mortarion]''' 
My many pleas grant me disease, 
that makes all hearts beat stiller 

'''[Angron]''' 
My pleas make me a blood-mad KILLER! 

'''[Fulgrim]''' 
I’ve a god who can, extend xir hand to all lands 

'''[Angron]''' 
But my god lets me, punch brutally, with my hands! 
Main! Kill! Burn! Huh! 

'''[Pre-heresy marines]''' 
When we have our gods, not one of us 
will need the Emperor! 

'''[Horus]''' 
What do we need? 

'''[Pre-heresy marines]''' 
A god worth KILLING for! 

(Marching in from the other side, the loyalist marines come, in the middle of their own song) 

'''[Guilliman]''' 
Who do we love? 

'''[Loyalist marines]''' 
Our mighty Emperor! 
(Whistling) 
Our mighty Emper… 

(They freeze in horror, confronted by the pre-heresy marines, now full chaos space marines) 

===Mulan: Honor to us all===

This is what you give me to work with? 
Well Sister, I've seen worse. 
We're gonna turn this ork's ear 
Into a steel purse. 

We'll have you trained and armed, 
Indoctrinated till you are alarmed. 
Trust my recipe for Chaos harmed, 
You'll bring glory to us all. 

Wait and see, when we're through 
Boys will gladly go to war with you. 
With a bolter and a flamer too 
You'll bring glory to us all. 

A girl brings the Imperium 
Great glory in one way, 
By fighting for the Emprah 
And this could be the day. 

Priests want girls with strong faith (firm, fanatical) 
Who work fast paced. 
With a good bolter and the Emprah's grace 
You'll bring glory to us all. 

We all must serve our Emperor 
Who guards us from his son. 
The men can pass as guards, 
But girls leave them outdone! 

When we're through you can't fail, 
Like the Emperor you will prevail. 
How could any Priest say no sale? 
You'll bring glory to us all. 

[Canoness]
An imperial eagle for serenity, a skull for devotion 
Promethium flames for beauty 
You must proudly show it. 
Add another skull, just for luck 
And even you can't blow it! 

[Sister]
Emperor, hear my plea! 
Help me not to make a fool of me! 
And to not tarnish your great glory! 
Keep the Imperium standing tall! 
As scary as the great deceiver 
We will face the unbeliever! 

[Citizens]
Emperor, guard our girls 
And our future as it fast unfurls 
Please look kindly on these armoured pearls 
Each a perfect soldier in your name! 

Please bring glory to us 
Please bring glory to us 
Please bring glory to us 
Please bring glory to us all 

=== The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Hellfire ===

[Inquisitor Frollo]: Have mercy, my Emprah 
You know I am a righteous man. 
Of my virtue I am justly proud. 

Have mercy, my Emprah, 
You know I'm so much purer than 
The common, vulgar, heretical crowd! 

Then tell me, my Emprah 
Why I see her standing there, 
Why her ghosthelm's eyes still scorch my soul? 

I feel her, I see her! 
The sun caught in her spirit stones 
Is blazing in me out of all control! 

Like fire! 
Warpfire! 
This fire in my skin! 
This burning 
Desire 
Is turning me to sin! 

It's not my fault! 
I'm not to blame! 
It is the Eldar girl, the witch who set this flame! 

It's not my fault, 
It's Tzeentch's plan! 
He made foul xenos so much stronger than a man! 

Protect me, my Emprah! 
Don't let foul Taldeer cast her spell! 
Don't let heresy sear my flesh and bone! 
Destroy the Farseer! 
And let her feel Chaos's flames 
Or else let her be mine and mine alone! 

[Guardsman]: Inquisitor Frollo, the Eldar witch has escaped. 

[Inquistor Frollo]: What? 

[Guardsman]: She's nowhere in the fortress...she's gone. 

[Inquisitor Frollo]: But how, I...nevermind! Get out, you idiot! 

I'll find her! 
I'll find her if I have to glass the entire system! 

Warpfire! 
Dark fire! 
Now Taldeer, it's your turn! 
Choose me or 
Your pyre! 
Be mine or you will BURN! 

Emprah's mercy on me... 

Emprah's mercy on her... 

But she will be mine or 
SHE 
WILL 
BURN!!! 

===Little Mermaid: [https://youtu.be/SXKlJuO07eM?t=7 Pillage This World]===

Look at my fleet, 
isn't it neat? 
Wouldn't you think my command is supreme? 
I am Lord of the Maelstorm 
The Chaos Lord Lugft Huron 

Look at that world, 
treasures untold. 
How many weapons can a Forgeworld hold? 
Looking around here you'd think 
"Sure, we'll steal everything". 

I've got soldiers and daemons a-plenty. 
Got siege weapons and sorcerers galore. 
That Blackstone Fortress? Gift from Abby! 
But who cares? 
No big deal. 
I want moooore! 

I want to be where the High Lords are. 
I want to see, 
want to see them suffering. 
Running around without... 
...what do you call them? Oh - ''spleens''. 

Raiding a world you don't get too far; 
Crusades are required for big-time killing. 
Strolling along down the... 
...what's its name, again? "Cicatrix". 

Look at them scream, 
look at them run. 
And claim their skulls for the Skull Throne 
Blood running free 
Burn, galaxy 
''Kill, maim and buuurn!'' 

What would I give 
If I could leave, 
out of this Maelstorm! 
Whom would I flay 
to spend a day 
down on Badab. 

Here in the Warp 
we understand. 
We do not reprimend Astartes. 
Brave post-humans, 
sick of serving 
that Carrion Lord! 

I'm ready to know what the Dark Gods know. 
Ask Tzeench my questions and get ''NINE'' answers! 
Ask Slaanesh just how do I... 
...what's the word? ''Raaaaaape!'' 

When's it my turn? 
A Black Crusade. 
Wouldn't I love to be Warmaster! 

Wish the Dark Gods 
would turn to me. 
The Blood Reaver. 

===Little Mermaid: Under the Sea===

The shoeshine is always brighter 
On somebody else's boot. 
Fools dream 'bout leaving the Emprah '
But those dreams are evil's root. 
Just think of the pains you'll suffer 
Behind my punishment door 
Such a painful death awaits you 
So think of those things no more! 

No Heresy 
No Heresy 
Soldier, it's better 
Free of my fetters 
Take it from me! 
Out in the Eye they have no hope 
In pain forever they must cope 
While we devotin' 
Full time to promotin' 
No Heresy 

Here in His light, we're happy 
As off through the Warp they stray 
The Lost in the Eye ain't happy 
They mourn 'cause they lost their way 
I charge through that swirling Warp-sea, 
Cause heretics there I'll find, 
The day I reveal their trech'ry 
Guess who's gon' blow their mind? (Soldier: You-? *BLAM*) 

No Heresy 
No Heresy 
Nobody beat us 
Enslave or treat us 
Ingloriously 
We what the daemons like to corrupt 
No heresy and their plan's is fucked 
We got no worries 
Nor fear of furies 
No Heresy 
No Heresy 
Since duty's first here 
We suffer no fear 
Naturally 
Even the surgeon an' the vox 
They get the urge to cleanse the pox 
We got the spirit 
You got to hear it 
No Heresy 

The guard fights so hard 
The marines look so mean 
The AdMech fix da tech 
And they prayin' serene 
The priests kill the beasts 
Ogryns start clobberin' 
The psyker has lost his soul!
(Psyker: What about my sou-?*BLAM*) 
The tanks crush da flanks 
Ratlings, rifles bring 
The stormies fall out 
The sisters, they sing! 
The guard and navy 
They never are lazy 
An' oh I purge the foe! 

No Heresy 
No Heresy 
When a foul daemon 
Tries to corrupt men 
My pistol fires free 
What do they got? A lot of blood 
We spill theirs in sod and mud 
Each single man here 
know how to pray here 
No Heresy 
Each young conscript here 
My great wrath fear 
No Heresy 
Each vet'ran here 
Know how to last here 
That's why it's surer 
To live more purer 
No matter our places 
We in the Emprah's graces 
No Heresy 

===Frozen: Let it go===
-Part 1- 
The fire glows red on Prospero tonight 
The Space Wolves we could not convince. 
A planet of dead sorcerers, 
and it looks like I'm the prince. 

The warp is howling like this swirling storm inside, 
Couldn't keep it in, 
Emprah knows I've tried. 

Don't cast a spell, 
don't let them see, 
Be the Primarch you always have to be. 
Conceal, don't feel, 
don't let them know 
Well now they know 

Let it go, let it go 
Can't hold it back anymore. 
Let it go, let it go 
Turn away and slam the door. 
I don't care 
what they're going to say, 
Let Prospero burn. 
The Warp never bothered me anyway 

It's funny how serving Tzeench 
Makes everything seem small, 
And the Emperor who controlled me 
Can't get to me at all 

It's time to see what I can do, 
To test the limits and break through 
No right, no wrong, no rules for me, 
I'm free! 

Let it go, let it go 
I am one with the wind and sky 
Let it go, let it go 
You'll never see me cry. 
Here I stand, 
And here I'll stay, 
Let the storm rage on 

My power flurries through the air into the ground 
My soul is spiraling in daemonic force all around 
And one thought crystallizes like a sorcerous blast 
I'm never going back, the past is in the past 

Let it go, let it go 
And I'll rise like the break of dawn 
Let it go, let it go 
That Primarch slave is gone 
Here I stand 
In the light of day 
Let Prospero burn. 

The Warp never bothered me anyway! 

'''== Necron Crypteks interpretation =='''

the wasteland is empty not a soul is to be seen.
A glorious Desolation, as it should have been
This world is dieing as I lay my claim
I did my best, adding it to my Hall of fame

Ill let them try, Ill let them die, but they fell before my might
and now I am Right, invade, locate, Deploy then Destroooyy

and then gooo:

Exterminate
Exterminate

Ill float your world in hate

Exterminate
Exterminate

Just now they see its to late

I don’t care what they were going to do
Ill keep moving on

They were all going to die anyway

It funny how some Destruction
Make anything seems so frail
and my Core glows with great delight
as i watch how they Fail

Time to finish the protocol
i broke the limits, I saw it though
I was right they were wrong
now they see

Exterminate
Exterminate

Ill see the dust fly

Exterminate
Exterminate

just follow their cry

Protocol request
That ill do my best

So ill move on.

As the planet surface is wiped clean
Ill bring out my extreme

As the atmosphere vaporize away
ill see your die and decay
there will be no Delay

Exterminate
Exterminate

we will find another world again

Exterminate
Exterminate

and set it to the Flame

Here I stand but it is done
and so I move on.

They were all going to die anyway.

===Moana: You're welcome===

Okay, okay 
I see what's happening here 
You're face to face with greatness and it's strange 
You don't even know how you feel 
It's adorable! 
Well it's nice to see that my sons never change 

Open your eyes, let's begin 
Yes it's really me, it's Father! 
Breathe it in 
I know it's a lot, the hair, the bod! 
But I swear I'm truly not a god 

What can I say except "You're welcome" 
For your hearts and your occulobe 
Hey, it's okay, it's okay, you're welcome 
I'm just mankind's Emperor! 

Hey, what has two thumbs and united Terra 
Sending man into a new era? 
This guy! 

In the ages of old 
Who trapped the dragon down below? 
You're looking at him, yo! 

Oh, also I made you some sons 
You're welcome 
To fight for you and bring you fun 

Also, I lit up the warp 
You're welcome 
To help your ships get you to war 

So what can I say except you're welcome? 
For the power I grabbed from Molech 
There's no need to pray, it's okay, you're welcome, ha! 
Tough I may have had to made some pacts 
You're welcome, you're welcome 

Well anyway, let me say you're welcome! 
For the great Imperium you know 
Hey, it's okay, it's okay, you're welcome! 
Well, come to think of it, you gotta go 
Hey, it's your day to say you're welcome! 
'Cause I'm gonna need that world 
You're warping away, away 
You're welcome! 
Sorry, you don't get a vote 
You're welcome, you're welcome 
And thank you! 

==Dreamworks Adaptations==
Although less prolific than Disney, some of Dreamworks' titles show great promise.

===The Prince of Egypt: Playing with the Big Boys===
[Cult Leaders] 
By the power of Tzeentch... 
Nurgle...Khorne...Slaanesh...Malal... 
Magnus...Lorgar...Curze...Angron... 
Fulgrim...Khârn...Lucius...Typhus... 
Mortarion...Perturabo... 
Abaddon...Alpharius...Erebus...Slyte... 
Fabius...Ahriman... 
Tzeentch...Nurgle...Khorne...Slaanesh... 
Magnus...Lorgar...Curze...Angron... 
Fulgrim...Khârn...Typhus...Lucius... 
Malal...Slaanesh...Khorne...Nurgle...Tzeentch... 

So you think you've got friends on High Terra 
With the power to put us on the run 
Well, forgive us if we give a chortle 
You'll know what power is when we are done 
Mortal... 

You're playing with the daemons now 
Playing with the daemons now (Oh, that's nice...) 
Every spell and gesture 
Tells you who's your master 
You're playing with the daemons now 

You're playing with the daemons now 
You're playing with the daemons now 
Stop this vain resistance 
Embrace your true existence 
Give in to temptation now 
Pick up your powerfist, boy 
You're playing with the daemons now! 

[Chanting Cultists] 
By the power of Tzeentch 
Nurgle, Khorne, Slaanesh, Malal 
Magnus, Lorgar, Curze, Angron 
Mortarion, Perturabo 
Malal, Slaanesh, Khorne, Nurgle... 

[Cult Leaders] 
You're playing with the daemons now 
You're playing with the daemons now 
By the might of Horus 
You will kneel before us 
Kneel to our splendorous power... 
You try to keep faith 
But you know we're right 
And just to show we feel no spite 
You can be our acolyte 
But first, boy, it's time to betray 
(All the way!) 
Or your soul will be consumed, boy 
You're playing with the daemons now 
Playing with the daemons 
Now! 

===The Prince of Egypt: The Plagues===
[Chorus] 
Thus said the Gods: 
Since you refuse to yield your reign 
All through the Imperium of Man... 

I send your soldiers on thy self 
Into your space, throughout the void 
Onto your worlds, into your streets 
Into your habs, into your forts 
Upon your ranks, on your troops 
Upon your people in your hives 
Into your minds, into your souls 
And every aspect of your lives 
I send the swarm, I send the horde 
Thus said the Gods! 

[Horus] 
Once I called you father 
Once I thought the chance 
to make you proud 
Was all I ever wanted... 

[Chorus] 
I send the thunder from the sky 
I send the fire raining down 

[Horus] 
And even now I wish the Gods 
had chose another 
Serving as your foe on their behalf 
Is the last thing that I wanted... 

[Chorus] 
I send a hail of burning ice 
On every field, on every hive 

[Horus] 
This was my home 
All this pain and devastation 
It never had to be this way 
All the warriors who suffer 
From your stubbornness and pride... 

[Chorus] 
I send such fleets out through the void 
The galaxy has never seen 
On every globe, on every world 
Until there's nothing left of green 
I send my scourge, I send my sword 
Thus said the Gods! 

[Emperor] 
You who I called my son 
Why must you call down another blow? 

[Chorus] 
I send my scourge, I send my sword 

[Horus] 
Let my warriors rule 

[Horus and Chorus] 
Thus said the Gods 

[Emperor] 
You who I called my son 
How could you have come to hate me so? 
Is this what you wanted? 

[Chorus] 
I send the swarm, I send the horde... 

[Emperor] 
Then let my heart be hardened 
And never mind how high the cost may grow 
This will still be so: 
I will never let my empire go... 

[Chorus] 
Thus said the Gods: 

[Horus] 
Thus said the Gods: 

[Emperor] 
I will not... 

[Horus, Emperor, and Chorus] 
Let your (my) empire go! 

===The Prince of Egypt: Deliver us===
[Kabalite Warriors] 
Blood...Sweat...Pain...Soul...Faster! 
Blood...And lift...Soul...And Pull 
Pain...And raise up...Soul...Faster! 

[Imperial Slaves] 
With the sting of the whip on my shoulder 
With the salt of my sweat on my brow 
Emperor, God up high 
Can you hear your people cry: 
Help us now 
This dark hour... 

Deliver us 
Hear our call 
Deliver us 
Lord of all, remember us, here in this xeno waste 
Deliver us 
There's a world you promised us 
Deliver us to the promised world... 

[Yocheved - Imperial captured agent] 
Yal-di ha-tov veh ha-rach 
(My good and tender son) 
Al ti-ra veh al tif-chad 
(Don't be frightened and don't be scared) 
My son, I have nothing I can give 
But this chance that you may live 
I pray we'll meet again 
If He will deliver us 

(song is either high or low gothic, whichever works) 

[Slaves] 
Deliver us 
Hear our prayer 
Deliver us 
From despair 
These years of slavery grow too cruel to stand 
Deliver us 
There's a world you promised us 
Deliver us 
Out of bondage and 
Deliver us to the promised world... 

[Yocheved] 
Hush now, my baby 
Be still, love, don't cry 
Sleep as you're embraced by the Emperor 
Sleep and remember my last lullaby 
So he'll be with you when you dream 

(Yocheved gives the baby to a Marine Scout scouting the planet) 

Noble Astartes 
Fly gently for me 
Such precious cargo you bear 
Do you know somewhere 
he can live free? 
Astartes, deliver him there.

[Young SOB Initiate] 
Brother, you're safe now 
And safe may you stay 
For I have a prayer just for you: 
Grow, baby brother 
Come back someday 
Come and deliver us, too... 

[Slaves] 
Deliver us 
Send a shepherd to shepherd us 
And deliver us to the promised world 

[Yocheved] 
Deliver us! 
Marine, deliver him there... 

===The road to El Dorado: It's tough to be a god===
[[File:Aurelian.jpg|500px|right|thumb|Mfw it's such a hot mixtape]]

''After the Word Bearers's humiliation on Monarchia, Lorgar has refused to leave his room'' 
'''[Lorgar]''' 
I can't lead, I'm not qualified 
He told me He won't be deified 
We were disgraced by the Ultramarines 

'''[Kor Phareon]''' 
Lorgar, what are you talking about?! 
The Emprah forced us to our knees 
But religion is a need 
We'd better seek some gods other than him 

'''[Lorgar]''' 
Other than him? Other than him? Other than him? 
'''[Khor Phareon]''' 
Chaos gods! 

'''[Lorgar]''' 
I shall look for some gods 
Tread where mortals have not trod 
I will be enlightened, I'll surpass Guilliman 
Need an object of devotion 
Need a subject for psalms 

'''[Kor Phareon]''' 
It's a rather touching notion, 
all those prayers and those salaams. 

'''[Lorgar]''' 
And who am I to be hostile 
if I'm chosen as their apostle? 
If they say that I'm their man, that's what I am. 

What's more, if we don't comply 
with the chaos gods' wishes, 
I can see us being sacrificed or cursed. 

'''[Kor Phareon]''' 
You have a point, yes, that's very good thinking. 

So! Let's seek gods! 
The perks are great. 
Emprah gone without a trace! 
The Word Bearers should not be rebuffed. 

'''[Lorgar]''' 
Never rebuff, never rebuff Word Bearers' prayers, no Father! 

'''[Lorgar and Kor]''' 
We'll seek old Colchis' gods 
but we should get some Primarch's nods, 
"Count your blessings, 
corrupt Horus", 
that's their advice. 

'''[Lorgar]''' 
It's great advice! 

'''[Lorgar and Kor]''' 
Steal the Kinebranch Athame 

'''[Kor Phareon]''' 
And wound Horus! 

'''[Lorgar and Kor]''' 
Form a cult! 
Fight on Davin, 
and make his legion 
take him to the Serpent's Lodge. 

'''[Kor Phareon]''' 
Don a supernatural habit 

'''[Lorgar]''' 
We'd be crazy not to grab it! 

'''[Lorgar and Kor]''' 
So sign on our legion for heresy...he-re-sy! 

==Original Works==

===Blood On the Rocks (Gory, Gory, What a Helluva Way to Die)===
He was just a rookie guardsman and he surely shook with fright, 
He checked off his equipment and made sure his lasgun's primed, 
He had to sit and listen to those awful Greenskins roar, 
You ain't gonna fight no more. 

Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die, (X3) 
You ain't gonna fight no more. 

"Is everybody ready?" cried the sergeant looking on, 
Our hero feebly answered, "Yes", and went a-marching on, 
No sooner than he had begun, he took a grisly hit, 
And he ain't gonna fight no more. 

Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die, (X3) 
You ain't gonna fight no more. 

He gasped in long, he cried out loud, falling into shock, 
The entrails in his stomach spilled out and bundled on the rocks, 
He felt the blood, he felt the cold, he felt death creeping up, 
And he ain't gonna fight no more. 

Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die, (X3) 
You ain't gonna fight no more. 

The ambulance was on the spot, the Taurox running wild, 
The medics jumped and scrambled fore, rolled up their sleeves and scowled, 
For it had been a month or more since they'd received supplies, 
And he ain't gonna fight no more. 

Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die, (X3) 
You ain't gonna fight no more. 

A grenade hit the ground and exploded with a BOOM, 
His comrades all round were heard to say "A helluva way to die", 
He lay there rolling 'round in the welter of his gore, 
And he ain't gonna fight no more. 

Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die, (X3) 
You ain't gonna fight no more. 

There was blood on the dirt, there were brains upon the rocks, 
Gory bits, a-dangling from his combat suit, 
He was a mess, they picked him up and poured him from his boots, 
And he ain't gonna fight no more. 

===[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFRa0KZsGhc Boltgun]===
To the hive of Agua Frias came a stranger one grim day 
Hardly spoke to the Arbites, didn't have too much to say 
No one dared to slit his purse-strings, no one dared to make a slip 
for the black-clad man among them had a boltgun on his hip 
Boltgun on his hip 

It was early in the morning when he landed at the 'port 
And he spent his day in houses of a foul and darkling sort 
He's a heretic from offworld came the whisper from each lip 
And he's here to weave some chaos with the boltgun on his hip 
Boltgun on his hip 

In this town there lived a ganger by the name of Nocturne Red 
Many Judges tried to take him and those men of law were dead 
He was vicious and augmented at the age of one-oh-four 
And the notches on his laslocks numbered ten and fourscore more 
Ten and fourscore more 

Now the stranger started showing there, to all the folks around 
A strange brooch of foreign metal, Gothic I in silver bound 
He came here on bitter business, to leave all the sinners dead 
And on the list of purge-ed was the name of Nocturne Red 
The name of Nocturne Red 

Wasn't long before the rumors were relayed to Nocturne Red 
But the ganger didn't worry- he would leave the 'quis'tor dead 
Ninety men had tried to end him, ninety men had made a slip 
Ninety one would be the 'quistor with the boltgun on his hip 
Boltgun on his hip 

It was thirty-seven minutes 'fore the 'quistor found his prey 
They met in a darkened fac'try where the bravest feared to stray 
Scum were watching from the gantries, mutie creatures held their breath 
they hoped this holy agent was about to meet his death 
about to meet his death 

There was forty feet between them when they stopped to make their play 
And the swiftness of the 'quistor is still talked about today 
Nocturne Red had not cleared plasteel fore a boltshell fairly tore 
And the 'quistors aim was blessed by Our Holy Emperor 
Our holy Emperor 

It was over in a moment and the final cleanse began 
Mutant scum were cut down righteous, brightly burning as they ran 
For the stranger brought stormtroopers and the Hive had made a slip 
None escapes the Emperor's 'quistor with a boltgun on his hip 
Boltgun on his hip 

Boltgun, Mars Boltgun 

None escapes the Emperor's 'quistor with a boltgun on his hip 
Boltgun on his hip 

===[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy-sVTaZRPk War Cant of Mars]===
011101110110000101110010... 

Mine receptors witness glory from the burning of the flame 
The fires of the forge are like the trumpets which proclaim 
Our engines at full power, your destruction is our aim 
Our Truth has come online 

Engage the linkage, Omnissiah (X3) 
Our Truth has come online 

With heat and iron and industry we'll purge you from this world 
You will sunder, melt, and shatter from the bolts of wrath we've hurled 
And upon your ruined end, our blood red banners stand unfurled 
Our Might has come online 

Engage the linkage, Omnissiah (X3) 
Our Might has come online 

Traitor, Xeno, Heretek, they are as one to us 
We will scorch them from existence with our engines devious 
Our hate for them encoded into every bolt and truss 
Our Wrath has come online 

Engage the linkage, Omnissiah (X3) 
Our Wrath has come online 

Titans striding forward, Ordinatii by the score 
They are drowning out blasphemers 'neath their great mechanic roar 
Tradition is our bulwark, it endures forever more 
Our Victory comes online 

Engage the linkage, Omnissiah (X3) 
Our Victory comes online 

Deus est machina (X3) 
Machina 

Engage the linkage, Omnissiah (X3) 
Our Victory comes online 

011101110110000101110010... 

==Other Sources==
Through random circumstance or creative providence, some songs and poems lend themselves to grimdarking regardless of what media they are tied to.

===Amon Amarth: The Pursuit of Vikings===
The warming sun returns again, 
And melts away the snow, 
The Sea of Claws free from icy chains, 
Winter is letting go, 

Standing on the ocean's side, 
We can hear the waves, 
Calling us out with tides, 
To sail into our fate, 

KHORNE! Guide our ships! 
Our axes, spears and swords! 
Guide us through storms that whip, 
And in brutal WAR! 

Our ships await us by the shore, 
Time has come to leave, 
Our country, families and homes, 
For glory in setting south to torch, 

Some of us wont return, 
But that wont bring us down, 
Our fate lies written in the web, 
Woven by the Raven God, 

A thrall is sacrificed, 
Across the longship's bow, 
And as we set our sails, 
The Winds of Chaos begin to blow, 

It carries out to sea, 
With waking dreams of slaughter and pride, 
And glorious all will be, 
That with sword in hand will die! 

KHORNE! Guide our ships! 
Our axes, spears and swords! 
Guide us through storms that whip, 
And in brutal WAR! 

KHORNE! Guide our ships! 
Our axes, spears and swords! 
Guide us through storms that whip, 
And in brutal WAR! 

===Amon Amarth: Valhalla Awaits Me===
Blood gushes from the wound, 
The cut is wide and deep, 
Right before he turns around, 
He falls to his knees 

A clear song rings in the blade, 
As steel meets hardened steel, 
I hear the sound of shattered wood, 
A sword cuts through my shield, 

I drop the shield and grab my axe, 
A weapon in each hand, 
A clear blow makes the helmet crack, 
My axe cuts to the teeth! 

I rip the axe from his skull, 
Covered in blood and gore, 
Leave the body lying dead, 
Ready to kill some more, 

My sword carves through flesh and bone, 
Like a hot knife cuts through snow, 
I smile when the bastard screams, 
When I twist my sword, 

SWORD! IN MY HAND! 
AXE! ON MY SIDE! 
KHORNE'S HALLS AWAIT ME! 
SOON! I WILL DIE! 

SWORD! IN MY HAND! 
AXE! ON MY SIDE! 
KHORNE'S HALLS AWAIT ME! 
SOON! I WILL DIE! 

BEAR-SKINS ON MY BACK! 
WOLF'S JAW ON MY HEAD! 
KHORNE'S HALLS AWAIT ME! 
WHEN I'M DEAD! 

I raise my axe up above my head, 
My eyes stare in furious rage, 
Yet more blood will be shed, 
This is a victorious day! 

Blood gushes from the wound, 
The cut is wide and deep, 
Right before I turn around, 
I fall to my knees, 

SWORD! IN MY HAND! 
AXE! ON MY SIDE! 
KHORNE'S HALLS AWAIT ME! 
SOON, I WILL DIE! 

SWORD! IN MY HAND! 
AXE! ON MY SIDE! 
KHORNE'S HALLS AWAIT ME! 
SOON, I WILL DIE! 

BEAR-SKINS ON MY BACK! 
WOLF'S JAW ON MY HEAD! 
KHORNE'S HALLS AWAIT ME! 
WHEN I'M DEAD! 

===Blood Bowl (to the tune of the theme from ''Coach'')===

Come on down and play some Blood Bowl 
Get out your dice and have a roll 
Nuffle's a vengeful god, we know 
No matter what, you never know how it'll go

Let the blood lust consume your soul 
Performance enhancers take their toll 
Whether you win, whether you lose 
Whatever plays that you may choose 
All the fans want is Blood- 
-Bowl!

Down to the stadium we'll stroll 
To watch the Elves and Orks and Trolls 
As they all scramble for the goal 
While ripping each other and themselves all full of holes

So join us for every pass and throw 
And every last bone breaking blow 
Every kick, every touchdown 
Violence and gore, round after round 
It's all right inside the Blood Bowl!

===[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrZHPOeOxQQ Bon Jovi: Shot through the head (by Grey Knights)]===

Shot through the head 
With that Astral Aim 
Brothers you give Titan 
A good name 

An Angel of Death 
walks through hell 
A demon's name carved 
on each storm bolter shell 
Chains of Torment ain't got no hold on me 
In service to Him you are always free 

Oh, you're a loaded gun 

Oh, there's nowhere to run 
No one can save 
the enemies of Man 

Shot through the head 
in the Emperor's name 
Brothers you give Titan 
A good name 
The Hammerhand 
and the Cleansing Flame 
you give Titan 
A good name 

===[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uj8h4SCsnE Salve Regina]===
Hail, holy Celestine, Living Saint 
Emperor's Sword, our protector and our hope, 
To thee do we cry, 
Poor besieged daughters of the Emperor, 
To thee do we send our pleas, 
Mourning and weeping in this dark cosmos. 

Turn then, most invincible protector, 
Thine eyes of mercy towards us; 
And after this our watch, 
Show to us the blessed fruit of our God-Emperor, 
O charitable, O loving, 
O sweet Martyred one, 

Pray for us, O holy Matron, 
that we may be made worthy of the promises of the Emperor. 

===Team America Theme===

All rise for the Imperial Anthem. Failure to sing along in full chorus is punishable by death! 

Imperium... 
Imperium... 

Imperium, FUCK YEAH! 
Coming again, to save the mother fucking day yeah, 
Imperium, FUCK YEAH! 
Subjugation is the only way yeah, 
Heretics your game is through, 'cause now you have to answer to, 
Imperium, FUCK YEAH! 
So lick my butt, and suck on my balls, 
Imperium, FUCK YEAH! 
What you gonna do when we come for you now, 
It’s the dream that we all share; it’s the hope for tomorrow 

FUCK YEAH! 

Emperor, FUCK YEAH! 
Space Marines, FUCK YEAH! 
Guardsmen, FUCK YEAH! 
Navy, FUCK YEAH! 
Mechanicus, FUCK, YEAH! 
PDF, FUCK YEAH! 
Arbitrators, FUCK YEAH! 
Inquisition, FUCK YEAH! 

FUCK YEAH! 

Ogryns, FUCK YEAH! 
Ratlings, FUCK YEAH! 
Squats, FUCK YEAH! 
Ecclesiarchy, FUCK YEAH! 
Sororitas, FUCK YEAH! 
Big tits, FUCK YEAH! 
Grox steaks, FUCK YEAH! 
Amasec, FUCK YEAH! 
Lho sticks, FUCK YEAH! 
Commissars, Fuck yeah... Fuck yeah? FUCK YES *BLAM* 

Order, FUCK YEAH! 
Discipline, FUCK YEAH! 
Imperial Creed, FUCK YEAH! 
Sebastian Thor, FUCK YEAH! 
Scrumball, FUCK YEAH! 
Administratum, FUCK YEAH! 
Munitorum, FUCK YEAH! 
Assasinorum, FUCK YEAH! 
Titan Legions, FUCK YEAH! 
Sanctioned Psykers, fuck yeah... fuck yeah? FUCK YES *BLAM* 
Uplifting Primer, FUCK YEAH! 
Tomes of Knowledge (as have been deemed suitable for public reading by the Emperor's most Holy Inquisition), FUCK YEAH! 

===The Wurzels: Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)===

(Sung from the perspective of a Ratling Sniper about an Adeptus Sororitas he's taken a fancy to)

I drove my Baneblade through your bunker last night 
(Ooh ar ooh ar) 
I crushed them 'eretics 'neath the treads to keep quiet 
(Ooh ar ooh ar) 
Now somethin's tellin' me, you've finally noticed me 
(Ooh ar ooh ar) 
Come on now darlin' you got somethin' I need 

Cos I've got a Leman Russ Demolisher and I'll give you the key 
Come on let's mow the bastards down in perfect harmony 
Oh you've got 20 headshots and I've got 43 
Now I've got a Leman Russ Demolisher and I'll give you the key 

I made her laugh *pew* Haha! 

I'll Stick 'em in the guts, then give you all ya need 
(Ooh ar ooh ar) 
I'll have ya two or three times, I'm a man built for speed 
(Ooh ar ooh ar) 
And then I'll light me pipe up, and then I will cram 
(Ooh ar ooh ar) 
My heavy shells up their arses while we purge all the land 

Cos I've got a Leman Russ Demolisher and I'll give you the key 
Come on let's mow the bastards down in perfect harmony 
Oh you've got 20 headshots and I've got 43 
Now I've got a Leman Russ Demolisher and I'll give you the key 

Pphhwooaaarrr she's a lovely bit of stuff an'all 

For seven years I've been stationed right here in this place 
(Ooh ar ooh ar) 
Taking pot-shots at the 'eretics in the face 
(Ooh ar ooh ar) 
Now if I cleaned me long-las would ya change yur mind 
(Ooh ar ooh ar) 
I'd polish hard enough to keep the standard flying high 

Cos I've got a Leman Russ Demolisher and I'll give you the key 
Come on let's mow the bastards down in perfect harmony 
Oh you've got 20 headshots and I've got 43 
Now I've got a Leman Russ Demolisher and I'll give you the key 

Who loves ya baby? THE EMPEROR! 

Weren't we grand couple at that last big advance? 
You had yur eviscerator and I had me long-las 
In yur new power armour with yur incense smellin' grand 
I wanted to duel you one-on-one, show you I'm good with me 'ands 

Cos I've got a Leman Russ Demolisher and I'll give you the key 
Come on let's mow the bastards down in perfect harmony 
Oh you've got 20 headshots and I've got 43 
Now I've got a Leman Russ Demolisher and I'll give you the key 

Aarrr, you're a fine lookin' woman and I can't wait to get me hands on yur holy relics haha! 

===Underfist: Halloween Bash===

When Daemons come to wreck your world 
And you need weapons to assist you 
And the Space Marines just ain't around 
Then Powerfist will rescue you. 

It's what they do, Oh yeah! 
Oh yeah! Oh yeah! 
Oh yeah! Oh yeah! 

Power... 
Power... 
Power, Power, Power fist! 
Power, Power, Power fist! 

When the warp attacks 
And daemonic monsters run amock 
And you're possessed by some form of soul 
Then what you need is a psyker now! 

Power fist, they're free! 
Oh yeah! Oh yeah! 
Oh yeah! Oh yeah! 
Power fist, go! 

===Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody===
Iz dis da real life? 
Iz dis jus' fannasy? 
Caught in a big push, 
No 'scape from reality. 
Open ya eyes, Look up at da skies and see, 
I's jus' a poor boy, dun need no sympafy, 
'Cause I'm big 'n mean, not a grot, chop and smash, shoot a lot, 
Any way the waaagh goes doesn't really matter to me, to me. 

Warboss, just killed an ork, 
Put mah shoota 'gainst 'is 'ead, pulled my trigger, now 'e's dead. 
Warboss, waaagh had just begun, 
But now I's gone and shot up all ya nobs. 
Warboss, ooh, Didn' mean ta make ya mad, 
If I's not back again dis time tomorra, 
Keep stompin', keep stompin' as if nuffin' really matters. 

Too late, I gots shot up, 
Sends hurtin' down me spine, body's aching all the time. 
Goodbye, ev'rybody, I've got to go, 
Gotta leave you all behind and face da troof. 
Warboss, ooh, I dun' wanna die, 
I sometimes wish I'd never waaaghed at all. 

I see a little silhouetto of a beakie, 
Zoggin' humies, Zoggin' humies, is it your turn to stomp now? 
Thundabolts and Lightnins, very, very fright'ning me. 
(Gorkamorka.) Gorkamorka. (Gorkamorka.) Gorkamorka, Gorkamorka Gork n' Mork 
Waaaaagh! I's just a poor boy an' nobody loves me. 
'E's just a poor boy from a poor goff tribe, 
Spare 'im 'is loife from dis monstrosity. 
Easy come, easy go, will yas lemme go? 
Xenos! No, we will not let you go. 
(Let him go!) Xenos! We will not let you go. 
(Let him go!) Xenos! We will not let you go. 
(Let me go.) Will not let you go. 
(Let me go.) Will not let you go. (Let me go.) Ah. 
No, no, no, no, no, no, no. 
(Oh Brother Captain, Brother Captain.) Bruvva Kaptin, lemme go. 
Da Commissar 'as a boltgun put aside for me, for me, for me. 

So you fink you can shoot me and spit in my eye? 
So you fink you can curse me and leave me to die? 
Oh, snotling, can't do dis to me, snotling, 
Jus' gonna get out, jus' gotta get stompin' again! 

Nuffin' really matters, Anyone can see, 
Nuffin' really matters, 
Nuffin' really matters to me. 

Any way the waaagh goes. 

===Overhead: A pint of ale===
IF YOU LIKE TO DRINK BEER, I TELL YOU I'M YOUR DWARF, 
YE SIP SOME, YOU CHUG SOME, IT'S ALL THE SAME TO ME! 
(killer banjo solo) 
I DON'T SHARE YOUR GREED, THE ONLY DRINK I NEED IS 
A PINT OF ALE, A PINT OF ALE!!!!!!
===Robert Browning: My Last Duchess===
That's my last adjutant painted on the wall, 
Looking as if she were alive. I call 
That piece a wonder, now: The Confessor 
Worked busily that day, and there she stands. 
Will't please you sit and look at her? I said 
Confessor by design, for never read 
Strangers like you that pictured countenance, 
The depth and passion of its earnest glance, 
But to myself they turned (since none puts by 
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I) 
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, 
How such a glance came there; so not the first 
Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, 'twas not 
My orders only, called that eager spot, 
Of joy into her pallid cheek; perhaps 
A Guardsman chanced to say "She wears her cap 
Askew, as it please her," or "Prayer 
Must never hope to match a lock of her hair 
Taken from her head": such stuff 
Was unacceptable, I thought, and cause enough 
For flagellation (she did not). She had 
An attitude - how shall I say - relaxed 
Too easily beguiled; she listened to anything 
She looked on, and her ears heard many things. 
Sir, 'twas all one! Morning prayers, arrests, 
The whispers of the Dark Gods in her breast, 
The impious jibes some vulgar soldier 
Would throw her way, unaware of her 
Position and my power. All and each 
would draw from her alike the approving speech, 
Or an ear at least. She took confession - good - but prayed 
Somehow - I know how now - as if her faith was any other jade. 
A heretic. Who'd stoop to blame 
This sort of crime? Even had you time 
For a trial - which I had not - for heretic slime 
And to say she burns, and to say "Just This 
Is your fair fate, you lying bitch, 
Traitor to the Emperor" - and if she let 
Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set 
Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse, 
- E'en then would be some stooping, and I choose 
Never to stoop. Oh sir, she prayed, no doubt, 
On every feast, but which gods blessed without 
Those same prayers? This became clear. I made commands. 
Then prayers turned into screams. There she stands, 
As if alive. Will't please you rise? We'll meet 
The Governor below, then. I repeat, 
The Inquisition's munificence 
Is ample warrant that no just pretence 
Of confession will be disallowed; 
Though to find heresy, as I avowed, 
At starting, is my object. Nay, we'll go 
Together down, sir. Notice this seal, though, 
The skull and I, together as you see, 
Which gives certain... powers to me. 

===Charlie Daniels Band: The Devil Went Down to Georgia===
The daemon went down to Terra, 
He was looking for a soul to steal. 
He was in a bind 'cos he was way behind: he was willin' to make a deal. 
When he came across this young man chainswordin' on a fiddle and playin' it hot. 
And the daemon jumped upon a hickory stump and said: "Boy, let me you what:" 
"I bet you didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player too." 
"And if you'd care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you." 
"Now you play a pretty good fiddle, boy, but give the daemon his due:" 
"I bet a fiddle of gold against your soul, 'cos I think I'm better than you." 
The boy said: "Mah nahme's [[Indrick Boreale|Boreale]] ahnd it might be ah sin," 
"But Ah'll take yooouuur bet, yoouugghhrr gonna regrort, 'cos Ah'm the best thawt's ever beahn." 

Boreale, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard, 
'Cause hellwarp's broke loose in Terra and Tzeentch deals the cards. 
And if you win you get this shiny fiddle made of gold. 
But if you lose, the daemon gets your soul. 

The daemon opened up his case and he said, "I'll start this show." 
And blue fire flew from his fingertips as he rosined up his bow. 
And he pulled the bow across the strings and it made an evil hiss. 
Then a band of Nurglings joined in and it sounded somethin' like this: 
When the daemon finished, Boreale said, 
"Worl, you're prehtty guud, oorrld sawn," 
"But sit dorn in that cheer rigghht ther and let me show you whore it's dorne" 

Fire on the monolith. 
Run, boys, run 
Slaanesh in the House of the Rising Sun. 
Squiqs in the bread pan pickin' out dough. 
Granny, does your cyberdog bite? 
No, child, no. 

The daemon bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat. 
And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Boreale's feet. 
Boreale said, "Daemon, just cuhm on baahhck if you ever wahnt to trah agahin." 
"'Cause Ah told you once, you son of a grot," 
"Ah'm the best that's evah bihn." 

===Iron Maiden: Aces High===
There goes da sirun dat warns o' da air raid 
Den comz da sound o' da shootaz: DakDakkaDak 
Owt fer da scramble we've godda git airborne 
Godda git up fer da comin' attak. 

Jump in da cockpit an start up da enginz 
Lode up da grotz derz no time to muck about 
Gavverin' speed as weeb 'ed down da runway 
Godda git airborne an smoke dose gitz out 

Scurryin', scramblin', flyin' 
Rollin', turnin', divin', goin' in again 
Scurryin', scramblin', flyin' 
Rollin', turnin', divin' 
Scurry, liv ter fly, fly ter liv, du or die 
Won't ya scurry, liv ter fly, fly ter liv, Deffskwad 'igh. 

Move in ter fire at da mainstream o' bombaz 
Giv em some dakka an den turn away 
Roll ober, spin round ter cumz in behind 'em 
Move ter their blindsidz an firin' again 

Runtie ships oe'r da Horizon, muv in behin' us 
Down on da ground dere's jes deadboys and lootaz 
'Eading up an turnin' our flash ter mug dem 
'Eading straight fer dim meeb per-ss down on mi shootaz. 

Rollin', turnin', divin' 
Rollin', turnin', divin' ('ere we go agin!) 
Rollin', turnin', divin' 
Rollin', turnin', divin' 
Scurry, liv ter fly, fly ter liv, du or die 
Won't ya scurry, liv ter fly, fly ter liv, Deffskwad 'igh 

===Iron Maiden: The Trooper===
You’ll take my life but I’ll take yours too 
You’ll fire you railgun but I’ll run you through 
So when you're waiting for the next attack 
You’d better stand there’s no turning back 

The Ethereal speaks as the charge begins 
But on this battlefield no one wins 
The smell of acrid smoke and krootox breath 
As you plunge into a certain death 

The horse he sweats with fear we break to run 
The mighty roar of the Tau guns 
And as we race towards the xenos wall 
The screams of pain as my comrades fall 

We hurdle bodies that lay on the ground 
And the Tau fire another round 
We get so near yet so far away 
We won’t live to fight another day 

(Guitar Solo) 

We get so close near enough to fight 
When a Firewarrior gets me in his sights 
He pulls the trigger and I feel the blow 
A burst of rounds take my horse below 

And as I lay there gazing at the sky 
My body’s numb and my throat is dry 
And as I lay forgotten and alone 
Without a tear I draw my parting groan 

===My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade===
WHEN I WAS 
A GUARDSMAN, 
MY SERGEANT TOOK ME TO EASTERN KRONUS 
TO SERVE IN VICTORY BAY 

HE SAID, 
"SON WHEN YOU GROW UP, 
WILL YOU BE THE SLAYER OF THE MUTANT, 
AND THOSE WHO GO ASTRAY?" 

HE SAID 
"WILL YOU DEFEAT THEM, 
THE DAEMONS, AND ALL THE FILTHY XENOS, 
THE SCHEMES THAT THEY HAVE MADE?" 

FOR ONE DAY, I'LL LEAD YOU, 
TO ELDAR, 
AND TAU AND ORKS AND NECRONS, 
TO JOIN THE DARK CRUSADE." 

WHEN I WAS 
A GUARDSMAN, 
MY SERGEANT TOOK ME TO EASTERN KRONUS 
TO SERVE IN VICTORY BAY 

HE SAID, 
"SON WHEN YOU GROW UP, 
WILL YOU BE THE SLAYER OF THE MUTANT, 
AND THOSE WHO GO ASTRAY?" 

~ 

This world it needs reclaiming, in the God-Emperor's Name. 
And for Him we will charge into the breach. 
And through it all, the war's loud call, the bodies in the trench, 
We'll fight until the victory's within reach, 

We’re marching on, 
We’re marching on 
And when we’ve killed the mutants, 
The Imperial Guard will march straight on 
We’re marching on 
I’ll take my lasgun and reload it, 
The cadence can’t contain it. 

The Baneblade sends them reeling, it decimates them all 
The Basilisk shells fall upon our foes 
So burn the Ork and stab the Tau 
Let's shout our victory clear 
There’s no damn enemy who’ll bring us low 

We’re marching on 
We’re marching on 
And when we’ve killed all of the xenos, 
The Imperial Guard will march straight on 
We’re marching on 
Necrons lie broken and defeated 
The Cadian 4-12th marches 

~ 

All the Chaos forces we will shoot 
Ooh oh ohhhh 
Word Bearer helmets crack beneath our boots 
Ooh oh ohhhh 
The other races run because the Guard is coming, 

Do or die, you'll never beat us 
Over this land, our banner we’ll unfurl 
The Emperor is right there with us 
We’ll kill them all, and then reclaim this world 

We won't explain or say we’re sorry 
We are the Guard, we are Imperial Might 
Give a cheer for all we’ve beaten 
Listen here, because for you we fight 

We are but men, We are all heroes 
Not Spess Mehreens, yet we will hold the line 
Our enemies will rage against us 

We 
Don't 
Care! 

We’re marching on 
We’re marching on 
And when the heretics and traitors 
Are purged the Guard will march straight on 
We’re marching on 
Enemies broken and defeated 
The Imperial Guard is marching on 

No space elf witch, No Bloody Magpie 
No greenskin axe, No advanced battlesuit 
No evil priest, No undead robot 
No enemy, can ever beat us (We’re marching on) 

Tank after tank, Cadian courage,(We’re marching on) 
Man after man, no matter how hard (We’re marching on) 
This war will be, you'll never beat us 
For the God Emperor, We’re the Imperial Guard! 
(Imperial Guard!) 

===Harvey Andrews: British Soldier===
In a spaceport in the city a young guardsman stood 
Talking to the natives there if they would 
Some just stared in hatred, and others turned in pain 
And the lonely guardsman boy wished he was home again 

Come join glorious guard! Said the posters in his block 
See new worlds and have your fun and serve your emperor 
His skills were surely lacking and his family had to eat 
So he took the emperors oath and enlisted for up to fight 

For there was no fear of fighting, to the conquered he’d be sent 
Just ten years getting paid to watch 
Then leave a glorious victor, a man who’d made the grade 
A medal and some land, and memories in trade 

Then came the call of Tash’ren, as it had come before 
Another bloody chapter in an unending war 
The people stood on both sides, the people they stood behind 
Another fight in futilities name, the weak against the blind 

The guardsman stood between them, between the whistling stones 
And then the broken bottles, that lead to more patrols 
The crude bombs that burnt him, the nails that pierced his skin 
And wish he’d just stayed home, working with his friends 

The starport filled with people the guardsman soon was bored 
But better in the port than where the soldiers warred 
The room filled up with the xenos females, their younglings in tow 
Who stared with itchy fingers at the guardsman and his gun 

A yell of fear a pulse of engines the shattering of glass 
The window of the port broke to let the package pass 
A scream came from the defeated as they ran towards the door 
Dragging their younglings crying from the charge upon the floor 

The guardsman stood and could not move, his gun he could not use 
He knew the bomb had seconds and not minutes on the fuse 
He could not run and pick it up and throw it in the street 
There were far too many people there, too many running feet 

Take cover! yelled the guardsman, Take cover for your lives 
And the Aliens threw down their young and stood before their wives 
They turned towards the soldier their eyes alive with fear 
For the greater good’s sake, save our children or they'll end their short lives here 

The guardsman ran towards the bomb his stomach like a stone 
Why was this his battle in the emperors name, why was he alone 
He lay down on the package and he murmured one farewell 
To those at home in Nimbossa to those he loved so well 

He saw the sights of harvest felt the wind upon his brow 
The young girls in the munitorum parks, how precious were they now 
The soaring of the sw’it the beauty of the swilope 
The music of the cheering choir so soon would it be gone 

A muffled soft explosion and the room began to quake 
The guardsman blown across the floor, his blood a crimson lake 
There was no time to cry or shout there was no time to moan 
And they turned their children's faces from the blood and from the bones 

The crowd outside soon gathered and the chimeras came 
To carry off the body of a pawn lost in the game 
And the crowd they clapped and cheered and they sang their heretical song 
One guardsman less to interfere where he did not belong 

And will the young growing up learn at their mothers' knees 
The story of the guardsman who bought their lives 
Who used his youthful body as a means towards an end 
Who gave his life to those who called him murderer not friend 

===Will Smith: Men In Black===
Here come the Knights in Grey 
Imperium's defenders 
Here come the Knights in Grey 
They won't let you remember 

The righteous bear armor of grey, ok 
Just in case they have to come and send some Daemons away 
The order given to them, Or-do M 
Means with ease they will banish them 
So do not your eyes avert 
Or Chaos with ease will soon convert 
The chosen of the Emperor 
Number one Daemon purgers 
But to our Battle Brothers we don't exist 
On our Ordos most classified list 
Daemon infestation? to the Emperor pray 
Cause you never know when we might save the Day, and.. 

Here come the Knights in Grey 
Imperium's defenders 
Here come the Knights in Grey 
They won't let you remember 

===Ozzy Osbourne: Hellraiser===
Im waaaaaghing on an endlis rode 
around’ da world ta krump beakies good 
sumtiems it ‘eels so tuff 
but I still asnt ad enuf 
I keep tellin dat its gettin a lot 
but I no ize a liar 
feelin al rite in da noize n da lite 
but dats wut makes me waaaaaaaaaaaaaagh 

‘ell raiser, in da funder and ‘eat 
‘ell raiser, rock ya bak in ya seet 
‘ell raiser, an ize gon make it come troo 
‘ell raiser, ize gon do sum weird boy fings to you 

Waaaaghin on anuvver world, 
Anuvver hive anuvver place 
sumtimes I dun feel too gud 
ize get dis funny feelin an stuff 
da boyz keep sayin dat its not good fer me 
but bein a grot dun make it 
out of control, I playz da ultimate roll 
But dats wut lites my fire 

Chorus 

Im waaaaaghing on an endlis rode 
around’ da world ta krump beakies good 
sumtiems it ‘eels so tuff 
but I still asnt ad enuf 
out of control, I playz da ultimate roll 
But dats wut lites my fire 
Chorus 

===Nancy Sinatra: These Boots Were Made For Walking===
You's keep sayin' you's got sumfing for me. 
Sumfing you call WAAAGH!, but 'fess up. 
You's been muckin' where ya shudn' be muckin' 
An' now some uver gitz got all ya swag. 

Dese gitz was made fer choppin', an' dats just wot they'll do. 
One uv dese days da ladz is gunna stomp all uver you. 

You's keep lootin' when you's ought ta be krumpin' 
An' you's gots no wins, only beats. 
You's stayin' weedy when ya ought ta be 'ard 
Now wotz proppa's proppa, an' ya ain' been proppa yet. 

Dese gitz was made fer choppin', an' dats just wot they'll do. 
One uv dese days da ladz is gunna stomp all uver you. 

You's keep sulkin' where ya 'spose ta be loud. 
An' you's keep finkin' you's sumfin' speshul. 
Ha! Gotz me a brand new Choppa wotz dead killy, 
An' I ain' 'ad time fer breakin' it in... 

Ready ya gitz? Start choppin'! 

===Sabaton: Attero Dominatus===
Attero! 
Dominatus! 
The Hive is burning 
Denique! 
Interimo! 
The Tau has fallen 

We stand at the gates of the Hive 
With two and a half million men 
With six thousand tanks in our ranks 
Use them as battering rams 

Artillery leading our way 
A million grenades has been launched 
The xenos must pay for their crimes 
The wings of the xeno’s been broken 

Commander Chenkov's orders: 
Serve me the Hive on a plate! 
Disregard the losses 
The city is ours to take 

The price of a war must be payed 
Millions of lives has been lost 
The price must be paid by the Tau 
That started the war in M.40's 

The year of 200.M45 
The year when the xenos will fall 
We're inside the gates of the Hive 
The beaks of the xeno's been broken 

Commander Chenkov's orders: 
Serve me its head on a plate 
Disregard the losses 
The xeno's land is ours to take 

March! 
Fight! 
Die! 
In the Hive! 
March! 
Fight! 
Conquer! 
The Hive! 

===Sabaton: Wolfpack===
To the sector came the Eldar 
Mars and Dictator 
leading the convoy west 

Took the warp gate in 
The long jump back - Convoy to Gryphonne 
Mars, Dauntless, Dictator leading 
Titans to the forge 
And upon the asteroid belt 
Lies the silence of the sails 
On the dog's watch in the final hour 
The corsair fleets appear 

On all the auspex it seems quiet and calm 
Deep down below the xenos lurks 

To the sector came the Eldar 
Mars and Dictator 
Leading the convoy west 
In their own track came the wolfpack 
Mars led the convoy 
Into the hornet's nest 

At the crack of dawn the second watch 
Dauntless wracked with flames 
Half the convoy hulked or disabled 
Heading to Command 
But below the fleet ecliptic 
Out of sensor range 
On the second watch in the final hour 
The corsair fleets return 

The Eldar come in for a second time 
To make the Monkeigh face their fate 

To the sector came the Eldar 
Mars and Dictator 
Leading the convoy west 
In their own track came the wolfpack 
Mars led the convoy 
Into the hornet's nest 

Lances blazing, fighters failing 
M42 when 
The Navy did fail the test 
To the sector came the Eldar 
Mars and Dictator 
Leading them into death 

Asuryan makes the contact and lead them 
Isha's Tears scores a kill in the dark 
She Who Thirsts sinking 4 in 2 approaches 
Fading Star cut in half by a lance 

===Sabaton: Panzerkampf (Chaos Edition)===

Into the Imperial Land the Chaotic Army March 

In Segmentum Obscuros, Millennium 43 
Tanks line up in thousands, as far the eye can see 
Ready for the onslaught, ready for the Fight 
Waiting for the Imperials, to march into the trap 

Traps were placed in darkness, in the cover of the night 
Waiting to be trigged, when the time is right 
In the imagination imminent attack 
Once the battle started there was no turning back 

The end of the Imperium draws near 
It’s time has come to an end 
The end of an era is near 
It’s time, to attack 

Into Imperial land the chaotic army march 
Brothers side by side to stop the Imperial charge 
Titans on cadian soil a thundering release 
One billion man of war the chaotic wrath unleash 

Fields of western Cadia were the heat of battle burned 
Suffered heavy losses the tie of war was turned 
Driving back the Imperials, fighting on all fronts 
Out of the Cadian sector, out of chaotic land 

Reinforce the frontlines cause the imperials to retreat 
Send in all reserves securing their defeat 
Believers of the Dark Gods, broke the citadel 
Ruins of a planet, Imperials rest in hell 

The end of the Imperium draws near 
It’s time has come to an end 
The end of an era is near 
It’s time, to attack 

Into Imperial land the chaotic army march 
Brothers side by side to stop the Imperial charge 
Titans on cadian soil a thundering Release 
One billion man of war the chaotic wrath unleash 

ONWARD BROTHERS, AMRIES OF THE DARK GODS CHARGE 

Oh, Lord Abbadon, conqueror of lands 
Will of the Dark Gods, strongly they command 
Oh, Lord Abbadon, conqueror of lands 
Finally victorious the chaotic army stands 

The end of the Imperium draws near 
It’s time has come to an end 
The end of an era is near 
It’s time, to attack 

Into Imperial land the chaotic army march 
Brothers side by side to stop the Imperial charge 
Titans on cadian soil a thundering Release 
One billion man of war the chaotic wrath unleash 

===Sabaton: Resist and Bite===

The WAAAGH is coming swiftly, 
The borders closing in! 
We're a company of soldiers, 
Mere forty autos strong 

All alone 
Stand alone 

Hades hive is burning, 
And Ghazkull is at hand; 
As the Greenskins pushing harder, 
The WAAAGH is all around! 

All around 
Hold your ground! 

Fight all eighteen days of battles, 
No odds are on our side, 
Few will fight for all until the slugbolts are gone 

We! 
We will resist and bite! 
Bite hard! 
Cause we are all in sight! 
We! 
We take up arms and fight! 
Fight hard! 
Resist and do what's right! 

No matter our fighting, 
The numbers will still count! 
We're out gunned and few in numbers, 
We're doomed to flag of fail! 

We fought hard, 
Held our guard! 

But when killed by the Greenskins, 
And we revealed the truth! 
We'll die it with a smile, 
We will surprise them with a laugh! 

We are all! 
We were all! 

We were told to hold the border, 
And that is what we did; 
Honored were our orders, 
In despite of our foe! 

We! 
We will resist and bite! 
Bite hard! 
Cause we are all in sight! 
We! 
We take up arms and fight! 
Fight hard! 
Resist and do what's right! 

Gloria fortis miles! 
The Ork hoard closing in, 
Adversor et admorsus! 
The Beast against the Eagle, 
Gloria fortis miles! 
The Ork hoard closing in, 
Adversor et admorsus 
The Beast against the Eagle... 

<Instrumental>

We! 
We did resist and bite! 
Bite hard! 
Cause we were all in sight! 
We!
We took up arms and fought! 
Fought hard! 
Resist and did what's right! 

===Sabaton: Panzerkampf===

Into the Imperium the Ork WARGHHH March! 

In the Imperium of Mankind, Millennium 41'st 
Tanks line up in millions, as far the eye can see. 
Ready for the onslaught, ready for the fight. 
Waiting for the xenos, to march into the trap. 

Mines are placed in darkness. 
In the cover of the night. 
Waiting to be triggered. 
When the time is right. 

Imminent invasion. 
Imminent attack. 
Once the battle's started. 
There's no turning back. 

The end of the Ork WARGHHH draws near. 
Its time has come to an end. 
The end of an era is here. 
It's time to attack. 

Into the Imperium the Ork WARGHH march! 
Guardsmen, stand side by side, to stop the xeno charge. 
Gargants on Human soil Thunder in the west. 
Twelve billion Guardsmen at war, Imperial wrath unleashed. 

Fields of Armegeddon, feel the heat of battle burned. 
Suffered heavy losses, the tide of war has turned. 
Driving back the greenskins, fighting on four fronts. 
Drive them Off of Imperium, out of Human land. 
Reinforce the frontline, force the xenos to retreat. 
Send in all the reserves, securing their defeat. 
Guardsmen of Imperium broke the invasion. 
Ruins of an army, greenskins rest in hell!" 

The end of the Ork WARGHHH draws near. 
Its time has come to an end. 
The end of an era is near. 
It's time to attack. 

Into the Imperium the Ork WARGHH march! 
Guardsmen, stand side by side, to stop the xeno charge. 
Gargants on Human soil Thunder in the west. 
Twelve billion Guardsmen at war, Imperial wrath unleashed. 

Oh, Imperium of Mankind, union of worlds. 
Will of the people, strong in command. 
Oh, God Emperor, protector of Man. 
Once more victorious, the Imperial Guard stands. 

The end of the Ork WARGHHH draws near. 
Its time has come to an end. 
The end of an era is here. 
It's time to attack. 

Into the Imperium the Ork WARGHH march! 
Guardsmen, stand side by side, to stop the xeno charge. 
Gargants on Human soil Thunder in the west. 
Twelve billion Guardsmen at war, Imperial wrath unleashed. 

===Sabaton: Primo Victoria===

Through the Cadian Gate 
As we make our way to Glory 
Through the Chaos Hordes 
Imperium Victoria! 

We've been training for years 
But we're ready to strike 
As the great Imperium will win 
We're the first wave on planet 
We're the first ones to fall 
No soldiers drop landed before 

In the dawn of war they will pay 
With their lives as the price 
History's written today 
In this burning Warp chasm 
Know that nothing remains 
As our forces nuke all the Traitors 

Aiming for killshots though using a las 
Victory is ours with mecha and Tanks! 

Through the Cadian Gate 
As we make our way to glory 
Through the Chaos Hordes 
Imperium Victoria! 

On a Daemon World 
Within the Eye of Terror 
Near the Heretics 
Death is upon them 

We've been here before 
Used to this kind of war 
Warp fire goes over the trench 
Our orders are easy 
It's kill or be blammed 
The Commissars shoot those who fail 

In the dawn of war they will pay 
With their lives as the price 
History's written today 
Now we are at war 
With the Despoiler again 
This time Creed knows what to plan 

Aiming for killshots though using a las 
Victory is ours with mecha and Tanks! 

Through the Cadian Gate 
As we make our way to glory 
Through the Chaos Hordes 
Imperium Victoria! 

On a Daemon World 
Within the Eye of Terror 
Near the Heretics 
Death is upon them 

Millennium of the 41st 
Baneblades are turning the war 
Titans all march to victory 
Just as planned 

Aiming for killshots though using a las 
Victory is ours with mecha and Tanks! 

Through the Cadian Gate 
As we make our way to glory 
Through the Chaos Hordes 
Imperium Victoria! 

On a Daemon World 
Within the Eye of Terror 
Near the Heretics 
Death is upon them 

Through the Cadian Gate 
As we make our way to Glory 
Through the Chaos Hordes 
Imperium Victoria! 

On a Daemon World 
Within the Eye of Terror 
Near the Heretics 
Imperium Victoria! 

===Sabaton: Stalingrad===

Fresh from orbit 
From the dropships came to Comrades aid 
City in despair 
Almost crushed by Ghazkulls army 
 
Oh its grimmer than hell 
Ghazkull's forces advancing 
 
The sound of the bolters 
The music of death 
A grand symphony 
 
See your friends fall 
Hear them pray to the gods 
Your emperor denies 
 
Every man dies alone 
And when your time comes 
You will know that its time 
 
Yarrick's fortress on fire 
Is this madness or hell 
 
The sound of the bolters 
The music of death 
We're playing Chaos's symphony 
Violins as lasguns 
Conducted from hell 
 
Oh Hades Hive 
Morte Vedae 
 
Are you praying 
Do you follow the Commissars lead 
No one knows you 
No one cares but a single violin 
 
Play the score of the dead 
Know the daemon within 
 
The sound of the bolters 
The music of death 
We're playing Chaos's symphony 
Violins as lasguns 
Conducted from hell 
 

===Sabaton- Panzer Battalion===

Out of the warp no Daemos we fear 
Piercing the void as we charge 
An armoured battlecruiser on course to the expanse 
Closing the end of it's march 

This time we're here to finish a job 
Started a millenia ago 
Driving the heretics out of their holes 
To bury them with promethium 

Armoured guns of mass destruction 
Killers in the expanse 
Rats who dares to stand before us 
Feel our lance go live 

[Chorus:]
Death in the shape of a Lunar battlecruiser 
Insolent xenos don't run face your fate you are dead 
cannot outrun our Lunar battlecruiser 
 
Millions of tons of armour and guns 
Making it's way through the expanse 
Our Lunar battlecruiser is back for revenge 
Artillery sweeping the land 
 
First strike is ours no mercy is shown 
There's rivers of blood in our track 
Breaking their waves of defence with our guns 
Emperor watching our back 
 
Blow their void shield clear for deep strike 
Ready for the storm 
Minefields swept there's no surrender 
Feel our lances burn 
 
[Chorus x2] 
 
Out of the warp no Daemos we fear 
Piercing the void as we charge 
An armoured battlecruiser on course to the expanse 
Has reached the end of it's march 
 
Armoured guns of mass destruction 
Killers in the expanse 
Rats who dares to stand before us 
Feel our lance go live 
 
Lunar battlecruiser 
Insolent xenos don't run face your fate you are dead 
Lunar battlecruiser 

=== Sabaton: Nuclear Attack ===

Prepare for cyclonic attack! 

Dropped from low orbit, the xenos erased 
Threat to mankind is contained 
A power unheard of, a power unseen 
Flash out of nowhere, the world is burning 
8:16 Standard, the Tyranid swarms realized something was wrong 
The swarm feels explosions, destruction and pain 
Air strike from space, tendril gone in a blaze! 

Ships painted black, Inquisition turning back 
Prepare for cyclonic attack! 
Bombed into the dust 
Prepare for cyclonic attack! 
Exterminatus 
Strike back! 
Xenos filth will bleed 
Another cyclonic attack! 

From the Necrons came the second assault 
Threat to tomorrow made plain 
11:02 on the 9th of August 
Over the world's curve like ball lightning 
The bomb detonates, and the world turns to waste 
Barren for all time to come 
The Monoliths burning, the Tomb World destroyed 
Surrender your war, else you'll perish in flame! 

Second attack, Inquisition turning back 
Prepare for cyclonic attack! 
Bombed into the dust 
Prepare for cyclonic attack! 
Exterminatus 
Strike back! 
Xenos filth will bleed 
Another cyclonic attack! 

Ships painted black, Inquisition turning back 

Another, another, another 
Cyclonic attack! 
Bombed into the dust 
Prepare for cyclonic attack! 
Exterminatus 
Strike back! 
Xenos filth will bleed 
Another cyclonic attack! 
Bombed into the dust 
Prepare for cyclonic attack! 
Exterminatus! 
Strike back! 
Xenos filth will bleed 
Another cyclonic attack! 
A cyclonic attack! 

===Sabaton: Carolus Rex===
All embrace me, it's my time to rule at last 
10,000 years have I been waiting to sit upon my throne 

No allegiance I will swear no oath 
Crowned by Man, not by the warp as my power is divine 

They thought I was too young to rule the land 
Just as they failed to understand 
Born to rule 
My time has come 

I was chosen by Mankind 
Say my name when you slay 
To the Stars, see the Emperor rise 
With the Marines my protector 
Make them bow to my will 
To the Stars, see the Emperor rise 
To the Stars, see the Emperor rise 

Proved in battle, led my men to victory 
No man alive or dead commands me, I answer to my own 

Hear my orders, question me and die 
What I say was said on Terra, and so it shall be done 

I know I was destined to rule alone 
All for myself I have claimed the throne 
Born to rule 
My time is now 

I was chosen by Mankind 
Say my name when you slay 
To the Stars, see the Emperor rise 
With the Marines my protector 
Make them bow to my will 
To the Stars, see the Emperor rise 
To the Stars, see the Emperor rise 

''Onward, Astartes! The Heretics are Here! Crush them and throw them though the gates of the Warp!''

All that's thine shall be mine there's no stopping me 
All over the galaxy my rule shall be questioned by none 
All I see, give to me, that is my decree 
My will be done 

I know I was destined to rule alone 
Just as they failed to understand 
Born to rule 
My time is now 

I was chosen by Mankind 
Say my name when you slay 
To the Stars, see the Emperor rise 
With the Marines my protector 
Make them bow to my will 
To the Stars, see the Emperor rise 

With the Marines my protector 
Make them bow to my will 
To the Stars, see the Emperor rise 
To the Stars, see the Emperor rise 

===Sabaton: Rorke's Drift===

News that came that morning told that the main force had been slain, 
Chance for peace and justice gone, and all talks had been in vain 
Shas'o had been offended and he had gone the path of war 
Now that fifteen million men are dead, and the Tau are at the door 

Xenos attack, 
Fight back to back 
Show them no mercy and 
FIRST RANK FIRE, 
SECOND RANK FIRE 
Facing, awaiting 
A hostile world, a bastion held, banners unfurled 
There's no surrender 
The lines must hold, their story told, Rorke's Drift controlled 

Later on that fateful day as they head towards the drift, 
Stacking boxes, fortifying, preparations must be swift 
Mechs with iridium armor facing uniforms and guns, 
As the plamsa fire echoes higher, drowning out lasguns 

(chorus) 

M41.999, when a few held the line 
(Back to back, attack, the dead are stacked ) 
When the last stand was made, and Imperium saved 
(Back to back, attack, the dead are stacked ) 

(Repeat Chorus)

===Sabaton: 40:1===

Baptized in fire 
Thousand to one 

So silent before the storm 
Awaiting command 
A few has been chosen to stand 
As one outnumbered by far 
The orders from high command 
Fight back, hold your ground! 

In early September it came 
A war unknown to the galaxy 
No heretic may enter that land 
That is protected by bloody hand 
Unless you are thousand to one 
Your force will soon be undone 

Baptized in fire 
Thousand to one 
Spirit of Emprah 
Death and glory 
Marines of Terra 
Second to none 
Wrath of the Crusade brought to a halt 

The 811 of M37 it starts 
The rage of Abaddon 
A barrage of bolters and meltas 
Stand past, the bunkers will hold 
The reclusiarch has pledged his life 
[Thalastian Jorus] I'll face my fate here! 
The sound of demolishers 
So fierce 
The thunder of arms 

So come, bring on all that you've got 
Come warp, come Matt Ward, never stop 
Unless you are thousand to one 
Your lives will soon be undone 

(Repeat chorus) 

Always remember, a fallen soldier 
Always remember, battle brothers at war 
Always remember, a fallen soldier 
Always remember, battle brothers at war 
Always remember, a fallen soldier 
Always remember, buried in history 

No heretic may enter that land 
That is protected by bloody hand 
Unless you are thousand to one 
Your force will soon be undone 

(Repeat chorus) 

No, no, no! 

===Sabaton: Defence of Moscow===
As Chaos overrun, Cadia M41 
They don't belong, we stand our ground, a trillion strong 
We are ready for their strike, face the army of Abaddon 
A trillion strong, this is our home, they don't belong 

Hear Castellan Creed’s, and the Emperor’s orders 
Defend the Imperium, Cadia shall not fall! 

Stand and follow command, our blood for the homeworld 
Heed your duties call, and brace for the storm 
Cadians will never give in, there is no surrender 
Force them into retreat, and into defeat 

Face the volleys of our guns, for Cadia’s daughters and her sons 
All the brave, who stand against the traitor wave 
Hundreds of landing zones, Shock troops returning home 
Day and night, they're coming back, to join the fight 

From Kasf Myrak to Kasr Trunch 
Call of the Emperor, Cadia shall prevail! 

Stand and follow command, our blood for the homeworld 
Heed your duties call, and brace for the storm 
Cadians will never give in, there is no surrender 
Force them into retreat, and into defeat 

Stand and follow command, our blood for the homeworld 
Heed your duties call, and brace for the storm 
Cadians will never give in, there is no surrender 
Force them into retreat, and into defeat 

Stand and follow command, our blood for the homeworld 
Heed your duties call, and brace for the storm 
Cadians will never give in, there is no surrender 
Force them into retreat, and into defeat 

Stand and follow command, our blood for the homeworld 

===Stan Ridgeway: Camouflage===
I was a young guardsmen on a search patrol, huntin' heretics down, 
It was in the jungle wars on Ghoroi V 
My lazgun fried and I got stuck way out and all alone 
And I could hear them heretics moving in close outside 
Just then I heard a twig snap and I grabbed my broken gun, and I dug in scared while I counted down my fate 
And then a Space Marine, a Raptor with a pair of friendly eyes, appeared there at my shoulder and said wait 
When he came in close beside me he said "don't worry son, I'm here, them heretics want to tangle now they'll have two to dodge" 
I said well thanks a lot I told him my name and asked him his, and he said my brothers call me camoflauge 

Ohh camoflauge, things are never quite the way they seem 
Ohh camoflauge, I was awfully glad to see this Space Marine 

Well I was gonna ask him his home planet, when we heard the 'jectiles fly, coming through the woods, and all around my ears 
It was then I saw this Space Marine light a fire in his eyes, and it was strange but suddenly I forgot my fears 

Well we fought all night and side by side we took our battle stance, and I wondered how the bullets missed this man 
Cause they seemed to go right through him, just as if he wasn't there, and in the morning we both took a chance and ran 
And it was near the river bank where the ambush came on top of us, and it thought it was the end and we were had 
Then a bolt round with my name on it came buzzing through a bush, and this Space Marine he just caught it with his hand, just like it was a fly 

Ohh camoflauge, things are never quite the way they seem 
Ohh camoflauge, This was an awfully strange Marine 

And I knew there was something weird about him, cause when I heard a crack, he'd pulled a Leman Russ right off its tracks, and squashing them heretics with it 
From here to kingdom come 

When he led me outta danger I saw HQ and waved goodbye, he just looked at me from the jungle and then was gone 
And when I got back to my Regiment, I told them about my night, and the battle I spent with a Space Marine named Camoflauge 
When I said his name the Commisar gulped, and an apothecary took my arm, and led me to big tent on the right 
He said you may be telling true son, but this here is camoflauge, and he's been right here since I gave him peace last night 
But before he went he said Semper Fi and said his only wish, was to save a young Guardsmen caught in a barrage 
So here take his bolter son, I know he wants you to have it now 
And we both said a prayer for a Space Marine named camoflauge 

Ohh camoflauge, things are never quite the way they seem 
Ohh camoflauge, This was an awfully strange Marine 

===Edgar Allan Poe: The Raven===
Once upon a battlefield dreary, where I cowered, spent and bleary, 
Within an Imperial bunker, darkly stained with dust and gore - 
As I cowered, nearly shuttering, suddenly there came a sputtering 
As some weapon quickly stuttering - firing at my bunker door. 
"`Tis some bolter", I murmured, "firing at my bunker door - 
Only this and nothing more." 

Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December, 
And the brightly burning bastions lit the horizon by the score. 
Eagerly, on freedom drunker; - vainly had I sought to hunker 
In this heavy Imperial bunker - with perhaps a tunnel in the floor - 
A safe and empty fortress with perhaps a tiny tunnel in the floor - 
Only this and nothing more. 

And the mad raving howling of each distant Space Wolf prowling 
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before. 
So that now, to the beating of my heart, I stood entreating 
"`Tis some Space Wolf there repeating, firing at my bunker door - 
Some common Grey Hunter rapid-firing at my bunker door - 
This it is and nothing more." 

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer 
"Marine," said I, "or Scout, your attention I implore; 
The bunker walls are thick - they are made of tempered brick 
And your bolters do not nick the slightest scratch or tiny score - 
Not a dimple, dent, depression, dip, scratch or tiny score - 
Away now, and fire no more." 

Then in the bunker slumping, presently I heard a thumping 
A pounding - rattling many times fiercer than before. 
And soon I began to screech - the bunker wall grenades did breach; 
The very gods I did beseech as the ceiling fell upon the floor - 
Through the wounds poured light which danced upon the floor - 
Danced amidst the sounds of war. 

Then at once it stopped the violence - I was left alone with silence 
Confused, I spied the reason why the shells did drop no more - 
For as I began to shutter, then with many a flit and flutter 
A psyber-Raven flew through the clutter to perch above the door - 
Perched on the two-headed eagle just above the bunker door - 
Perched and sat and nothing more. 

At this I grew more craven, for the talons of the psyber-Raven 
Were all over covered with bright red blood and crimson gore. 
"Wretch!" I cried, "Njal hath lent thee - into this fortress has he sent thee 
So that remotely may he here be - and this bunker then explore - 
Scry out my exact location and this bunker then explore -" 

Quoth the Raven, "Eversor" 

Then, methought, the air grew darker, the bunker now a little starker 
For the uttered word brought terror as I had never felt before. 
As for weapons, I knew I had none - no bolter, sword or lasgun; 
No arms to stop the war's son fated to break soon through the door - 
The blood-mad crazed assassin fated to break soon through the door- 
Quoth the Raven, "Eversor" 

"Be that word our sign of parting, machine or bird!" I shrieked, upstarting - 
"Get thee back into the fire-fight and here spy on me no more! 
For as you came unbidden - I would otherwise be here hidden - 
Leave my location in this midden - quit that icon above my door! 
Take thy shining metal eye, and take thy form from off my door!" 
Quoth the Raven, "Eversor" 

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting - still is sitting 
On the pallid two-headed eagle just above the bunker door; 
His metal eye has all the seeming of a psyker that is scheming, 
To have my guts lie steaming in a pile upon the floor; 
And now all hope has left me, crouched here upon the floor 
I await the Eversor! 

===Henry the Fifth, Act III Scene I===

Once more unto the boards, Anon, once more, 
Or close the wall up with our Neckbeard dead! 
In-game there's nothing so becomes a man 
As massive fatness and huge faggotry; 
But when the /b/last of war brings in the cancer, 
Then imitate the action of the fatguy; 
Quote from the rulebooks, summon up the fluff, 
Disguise fat nature with hard-favour'd RAAAAGE; 
Then lend the one a terrible aspect; 
Let it stare until PCs are all dead 
Like the foul bodak; let the brow o'erwhelm it 
As fearfully as does a tiefling’s horn 
Add two charisma to his contorted face, 
Swirl'd in the wild and wasteful fourth-ed. 
Now roll the bones and sketch the portraits wide, 
Dream hard of breasts, that bend up every ‘spirit’ 
To his full height. On, on, you beardyest fatguys, 
Whose blood is fet from fathers of thin-proof! 
Fathers that, like so many useless tripfags, 
Have in these parts from morn till even raged, 
And saged their threads for lack of argument. 
Fap not to your mothers; now attest 
That those whom you call'd fatguys did beget you. 
Be copy now to men of better games, 
And show them how you roll. And you, warmachine, 
Whose limbs are made of pewter, show us here 
The metal of your minis; let us swear 
That they are worth their pricetag, which I doubt much; 
For I see most of you so mean and base, 
That hath not showered since last Petertide. 
I see you field warhounds in Apocalypse, 
Standing upon their foes. The game's been lost! 
Follow your spirits, and upon this board 
Cry, "Rage at Vampire! Magic! And Fourth Ed!" 

===Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit===

Load up da trukks

Bring yer boyz

`Kuz we's haulin'

Out all da toyz

Da `oomies run

Frum dakka gunz

I knows I knows

We's number one

ELLO ELLO ELLO ELLO

ELLO ELLO ELLO ELLO

ELLO ELLO ELLO ELLO

ELLO ELLO ELLO-

Oomies can't `urt us wit' flamers

`Ere we go now

Orky raidaz

I squish pinkies wit' my anus

`Ere we go now

Orky raidaz

Cuz its choppy

Cuz its bashy

Cuz its dakka

Cuz we's sneaky

YA

Winnin' is what Orks do best

`Cause by Mork we's all been bless'd

Our mighty WAAAAAAAGH `as always been

And always will until the end

ELLO ELLO ELLO ELLO

ELLO ELLO ELLO ELLO

ELLO ELLO ELLO ELLO

ELLO ELLO ELLO-

Oomies can't `urt us wit' flamers

`Ere we go now

Orky raidaz

Now I'm out dere, smashin' faces

`Ere we go now

Orky raidaz

Cuz its choppy

Cuz its bashy

Cuz its dakka

Cuz we's sneaky

YA

And I forgitz

Just wot it was

Oh ya, I think a melta bomb

I found it dere

It's tikkin' now

Oh well, I'll toss it at doze grots.

ELLO ELLO ELLO ELLO

ELLO ELLO ELLO ELLO

ELLO ELLO ELLO ELLO

ELLO ELLO ELLO-

Oomies can't `urt us wit' flamers

`Ere we go now

Orky raidaz

I'm outta words, so I's WAAAAAAAAAAGH!

`Ere we go now

Orky raidaz

Cuz its choppy

Cuz its bashy

Cuz its dakka

Cuz we's sneaky

CUZ IT'S A WAAAAAAAAAGH!

CUZ IT'S A WAAAAAAAAAAGH!

CUZ IT'S A WAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

CUZ IT'S A WAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

CUZ IT'S A WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

===David Bowie: Space Oddity (Fleet Command to Captain Tom)===
Fleet Command to Captain Tom 
Fleet Command to Captain Tom 
Wake your Astropath and turn your Gellars on 
Fleet Command to Captain Tom (ten, nine, eight, seven, six) 
Commencing countdown, warp drives on (five, four, three) 
Check ignition, may the Emprah be with you (two, one, liftoff) 

This is Fleet Command to Captain Tom 
You’ve made it through the warp 
And our intel says the orks ship are out there 
Now they’ll come to engage you if they dare 

This is Captain Tom to Fleet Command 
I’m firing on the foe 
And their wrecks float in a most peculiar way 
And the stars look very different today 

For here 
Am I sitting in a tin can 
Far above the world 
The planet there is blue 
And there's nothing I can do 

Though I’ve fired one hundred thousand shells 
I’m under attack still 
And I think my cruiser knows which way to go 
Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows 

Fleet Command to Captain Tom 
Your vox's dead, there's something wrong 
Can you hear me, Captain Tom? 
Can you hear me, Captain Tom? 
Can you hear me, Captain Tom? 
Can you "Here am I floating 'round my tin can 
Far above the moon 
Boarders they are green 
Nothing left but to make them bleed 

===Sailor Tau===

Fire caste by moonlight 
Water caste by daylight 
Never running from a real fight 
She is the one named Sailor Tau 
She will...never turn her back on a friend 
She is... always there to defend 
She is...the one on whom we can depend 
She is the one named Sailor..... 
.... Sailor Broadside 
.... Sailor Stealth 
.... Sailor Crisis 
..... Sailor Drone 
With cosmic secrets 
All so new to her 
She is the one named Sailor Tau 
fire caste by moonlight 
Water caste by daylight 
With her Sailor Shas'o to help fight 
She is the one named Sailor Tau 
She is the one named Sailor Tau 
She is the one . . . Sailor Tau!! 

===Coolio: Gangsta's Paradise===

As I browse through the minis of my local games store 
I took a look at my life and realized I’m very poor 
But that's just perfect for an fa/tg/uy like me 
You know, I bought that space marine battle company 
At 4:30 in the morning dice are rolling 
PCs are dying the whole session railroading... fools 
And I've been plannin' and ragin’ so long that 
Even my mother thinks that my mind is gone 
I'm a man of the die, I've passed my knowledge check 
Got a codex in my hand and a beard on my neck 
But if I finish all my painting and if you get Matt 
Then tonight I am putting on my wizard robes and hat. 

We been spending most our lives 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 
I've done FATAL once or twice 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 
It's hard work in rolling dice 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 
We buy minis at high price 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 

A local boy made a Mary Sue last week 
I just approved it and saved my mad critique 
I really don’t mind, I didn’t even rage 
‘cause I dumped the Lady of Pain on him, flaying his mage. 
But I ain't never punched weeaboos even if they deserved it 
A fa/tg/uy with a tool? You know that’s unheard of 
I’m obese and smelly but have the best army 
And my homies agree, it did win the tourney...fools 
If you’re here for stories, you'll be wrecked in tears 
We have C.S Goto raping well known canon with shears 
But we ain't really quaint, so please don't point and stare 
We are just autistically impaired 

There's chainfists, chainswords, and lightning claws 
In our life hobby 
Like Cthulhu Mythos 
It's as grim an’ dark as can be 

We been spending most our lives 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 
We're just fat and nerdy guys 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 
There's no greater sin and vice 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 
We all fight, by rolling dice 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 

Hitchin' up a game group, churnin' out new content 
Made a game on Sunday, soon I'll make another 
Think you’re pimp at rollplay? Think you can roleplay? 
I know I’m a million times more playa then you gay frey 
I'm the neckbeard guy the young Gygaxes wanna be like 
In the store day and night rollin’ paragon mad soulknife 
So don't be vain and don't be whiny 
Or else, weeaboo, I might declare Exterminatus on your army 

We been spending most our lives 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 
We’re all crazy max/min-ites 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 
We all dare to fantasize 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 
We’re all virgins who roll dice 
Living in an fa/tg/uy paradise 

===Blue Oyster Cult: Black Blade===
I was on a mission to fight for the Greater Good 
But this here Dawn Blade at my side don't act the way it should 
Keeps calling me it's Shas'O when I feel more like it's Gue'la 
And it keeps dragging me faster and faster to an early grave, yeah 
And it howls! It howls like hell! 
 
I'm told it's my duty to fight against them all 
That warring is my trade and I was born to wade through gore 
I just want to be a lover, not a blue-skinned screaming ghoul 
I wish it'd picked another to be it's killing tool 
 
Dawn Blade, Dawn Blade 
Forged a million years ago 
Dawn Blade, Dawn Blade 
Killing so it's power can grow 
 
It's death from the beginning to the end of time 
And I'm the Tau's champion, or is that just part of it's grand designs? 
And whole worlds are dying, and the burden's mine 
And the Dawn Blade keeps on killing, 'til the end of time 
 
Dawn Blade, Dawn Blade 
Bringing chaos to the world we know 
Dawn Blade, Dawn Blade 
And it's using me to kill my friends 
Dawn Blade, Dawn Blade 
Growing stronger so the galaxy will end 
Forcing my mind to bend and bend 
 
I am the Dawn Blade 
Forged a million billion years ago 
My cosmic soul goes on for eternity 
Carving out destiny 
Bringing in the Lords of Chaos 
Bringing up the Beasts of the Immaterium 
Sucking out the souls of heroes 
Laying waste to the Imperium 
My master is my slave 
Hahaahahahahahahahaha! 
You poor fucking Tau 
 

==='Twas The Night Before Emperor's Day===

'Twas the night before Emperor's Day, 
and he fought all alone, 
in a four foot deep trench 
lined with plasteel and stone. 
 
I was traveling the warp 
with gifts for the land, 
when I saw this lone guardsman 
making his brave stand. 
 
I looked all about, 
I looked near and far, 
no Chimera, no Basilisk, 
nor Techpriest or Commissar. 
 
No Sergeant yelled orders 
to this guardsman - no backing 
to fight this ridge full of xeno 
formed from pure evil, attacking. 
 
His armor in tatters, 
his eyes nearly blind, 
A sobering truth 
raced through my mind. 
 
His position was doomed, 
was my only thought 
and this soldier's brave stand 
would all be for naught. 
 
The guardsman stared unblinking, 
silent and alone, 
his lasrifle at the ready 
against his shoulder bone. 
 
His gaze was so calm 
in the face of calamity, 
the perfect picture of 
a guardsman of humanity. 
 
Who was this brave hero 
whose position I'd spied, 
warring against 
this unstoppable tide? 
 
I now knew that all humans 
I would see this night, 
owed their lives to these guardsmen 
who were willing to fight. 
 
Soon all round the galaxy 
the children would play, 
and grownups would praise 
the bright Emperor's Day. 
 
They all lived their lives 
every month of the year, 
Because of brave guardsmen 
like the one standing here. 
 
A tear came to my eye 
for those who stood alone, 
on a cold Emperor's Day Eve 
on a planet far from home. 
 
Their great sacrifices 
I could never betray 
So I drew my burning sword 
to join in the fray 
 
The soldier did turn 
and I heard a rough voice. 
"My Emperor, rest easy, 
this death is my choice; 
 
I fight for a freedom 
that may never be found, 
but not ever shall I waver 
on Your sacred ground." 
 
Then the Guardsman turned 
to face the incursions 
of the foul xenos and 
their unholy perversions 
 
I kept watch for hours, 
until the night was still 
and the guardsman lay broken 
on the bloody red hill. 
 
I could not just leave 
on that cold grim dark night, 
this guardian of honor 
so willing to fight. 
 
And as the guardsman lay dying, 
his soul strong and pure, 
he cried, "Ave Imperator! 
It's Emperor's Day! This world is secure!" 
 
I kneeled before the fallen, 
A great victory he'd won. 
"Happy Emperor's Day my guardsman, 
rest in peace, my son." 

===Daniel Decateur Emmett: Dixie Land===
No one knows how this all started 
But it don't surprise us empty-hearted- 
Get Away! Get Away! Get Away, xenos scum! 
 
When those came up in that ole half-track 
We found the nerve to now push back! 
Get Away! Get Away! Get Away, xenos scum! 
 
Advance the flag there trooper! Hoorah! Hoorah! 
On far off lands we'll take our stand- 
And not die bloody cowards! 
 
To arms! To arms! And purge the fuckin' xenos! 
To arms! To arms! And purge the fuckin' xenos! 
 
Now John Fuklaw was an awesome sight, 
And rallied us into the fight! 
To arms! To arms! To arms! Fire away! 
 
And Raepfist cut a bloody swathe 
and Conrad Raege had to laugh and scoff 
Push on! Push on! Push on! Valiant men. 
 
Bring up that flamer trooper! Hoorah! Hoorah! 
Let's give 'em hell, and then die well! 
In service to the Emprah! 
 
Advance! Advance! They're no match for us trooper! 
Advance! Advance! Ave Imperator! 
 
OH I love to serve the Emprah! Hoorah! HOORAH! 
On his holy land I'll take my stand- 
To fight on for the Emprah! 
 
Hoorah! Hoorah! Praise be to Holy Terra! 
Hoorah! Hoorah! Praise the Immoooooooortal Emprah! 
 

===Trey Parker: Everyone Has Aids (Team America: World Police)===
Everyone has WARP 
WARP! WARP! WARP! 
WARP WARP WARP WARP, WARP WARP! 
Everyone has WARP! 

And so this is the end of our story 
And everyone is dead from WARP. 
It took from me my favorite son 
My only true Warmaster 
My conqueror of bright stars 
(He got WARPed) 

Well I'm gonna march on Terra! 
Lead the Astartes and charge the brigades! 
There's a Daemon inside of all of us... 
I'll make them see, everyone has WARP. 

My Commissar! 
(WARP!) 
My Astropath! 
(WARP!) 
My Chaplain and Librarian and Captain! 
(WARP! WARP! WARP!) 
The Xenos and witch, and the mutant and psyker! 

Everyone has WARP! 
My techpriest and my squig Old Blue 
WARP! WARP! WARP! 
The Primarch's got it and so do you! 
WARP WARP WARP WARP, WARP WARP! 
Come on everybody we got purgin' to do! 
It's time to exterminate these worlds everyone has 
WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! WARP! 
(WARP!) 

===Don McLean: American Pie===
A long, long time ago... 
I can still remember 
How that cultist used to make me smile.

And I knew if I had my chance 
That I could make those xenos dance 
And, maybe, they’d be purged for a while. 

But February made me shiver 
With every bolt round I’d deliver.
Heresy on the doorstep, 
I couldn’t take one more step. 

I can’t remember if I wrrryed 
When I read about his lolcron bride, 
But something touched me deep inside 
The day the music died.

So die die, from the flames in the sky, 
Drove my raider to the crater, 
But the crater was dry. 
And them good old dreads were drainin' the promethium dry 
Singin’, "This’ll be the day that I die. 
"This’ll be the day that I die."

Did you write the litanies of hate, 
And do you live in the EMPRAH'S faith, 
If the Codex tells you so? 
Do you believe in rock ’n roll, 
Can crack cocaine save your heretic soul, 
And can you teach me how to wrrrry real slow?

Well, I know that you’re in love with him 
`cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym. 
You both kicked off your boots. 
Man, I dig those rhythmic blues.

I was a lonely teenaged scout marine 
With a camo cloak colored brown and green 
I knew to see but not be seen 
The day the music died. 
I started singin’,

"Die die, from the flames in the sky." 
Drove my raider to the crater, 
But the crater was dry. 
And them good old dreads were drainin' the promethium dry 
Singin’, "This’ll be the day that I die. 
"This’ll be the day that I die."

Now since M.30 we’ve been on our own 
And heresy grows fat on a rollin’ stone, 
But that’s not how it used to be. 
When the harlequin sang with the noise marine, 
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean 
And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while Lord Tzeentch was looking down, 
A loota boy stole his JUST AS PLANNED crown. 
The classroom was adjourned; 
No grade report was returned. 
And while Kharn raged about METAL BOX, 
Macha tried to get some in the park, 
And we rolled sixes in the dark 
The day the music died. 
We were singing,

"Die die, from the flames in the sky." 
Drove my raider to the crater, 
But the crater was dry. 
And them good old dreads were drainin' the promethium dry 
Singin’, "This’ll be the day that I die. 
"This’ll be the day that I die."

Helter skelter in a summer swelter, 
The birds flew off the Exterminatus shelter 
Eight miles high and falling fast. 
Nurgle-tan let loose a cloud of gas. 
Macha still couldn't get no ass, 
With old Failbaddon in a cast.

Now Cultist-chan wore cheap perfume 
While Doomrider played a Slaaneshi tune. 
We all got up to dance, 
Oh, but we never got the chance! 
The Angry Marines tried to take the field; 
The Emperors Children refused to yield. 
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died? 

We started singing, 
"Die die, from the flames in the sky." 
Drove my raider to the crater, 
But the crater was dry. 
Them good old dreads were drainin' the promethium dry 
And singin’, "This’ll be the day that I die. 
"This’ll be the day that I die."

Oh, and there we were all in one place, 
All GRIMDARK and lost in space, 
With no time left to start again. 
So come on: Jack be nimble, Jack be quick! 
Candlejack sat on a can- 
Cause fire is the devil’s only friend.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage 
My hands were clenched in fists of rage. 
No angel born in hell 
Could break that daemon’s spell. 
And as I purged her in the night 
To show her the emperors shining light, 
I saw Eldrad laughing with delight 
The day the music died.

He was singing, 
"Die die, from the flames in the sky." 
Drove my raider to the crater, 
But the crater was dry. 
Them good old dreads were drainin' the promethium dry 
And singin’, "This’ll be the day that I die. 
"This’ll be the day that I die."

I met a farseer whose love did bloom 
And I asked her for some happy news, 
But she just smiled and turned away. 
I went down to the wargear store 
Where I’d heard the music years before, 
But the techpriests said the music wouldn’t play.

Hand een thee stweets: thee childwen scweamed, 
Thee lovers cwied, and thee poeets dweamed. 
But not a hword hwas spoken; 
Thee chyurch bells all were broken. 
Hand thee thwee men Ay hadmire most: 
Thee father, son, hand thee holy ghost, 
They captyoored thee lhast train fooor thee coast 
Thee day thee myoosick died.

And they were singing,

"Die die, from the flames in the sky." 
Drove my raider to the crater, 
But the crater was dry. 
And them good old dreads were drainin' the promethium dry 
Singin’, "This’ll be the day that I die. 
"This’ll be the day that I die."

"Die die, from the flames in the sky." 
Drove my raider to the crater, 
But the crater was dry. 
And them good old dreads were drainin' the promethium dry 
Singin’, "This’ll be the day that I die. 
"This’ll be the day that I die." 

===Theme from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers===
[Immortal God-Emperor of Mankind]: "Inquisitor! Heretics, Xenos, and Mutants are abound! Recruit a team of Acolytes with attitude!" 
[Inquisitor]: "Ayayayayay!" 

They've got, a power and a faith that you've never seen before! 
They've got, the ability to smite and to even up the score! 
No Grot, can ever take them down! The Emprah lies on their side! 
Go go Emprah's Rangers! Go go Emprah's Rangers! Go go Emprah's Rangers! The Mighty Inquisiting Emprah's Rangers! 

They know, the fate of Holy Terra's lying in their hands! 
They know, to always use their weapons at the first chance! 
No Cult will ever take them down! The Emprah lies on their side! 
Go go Emprah's Rangers! Go go Emprah's Rangers! Go go Emprah's Rangers! The Mighty Inquisiting Emprah's Rangers! 

The Unclean, can never take them down! The Emprah lies on their side! 
Go go Emprah's Rangers! Go go Emprah's Rangers! Go go Emprah's Rangers! The Mighty Inquisiting Emprah's Rangers! 
Go go Emprah's Rangers! 
Go go Emprah's Rangers! 
Go go Emprah's Rangers! 

==="And the band played 'Fight on, the Navy'(And the Band Played 'Waltzing Matilda')"===

When I was a young man I flew in a ship, 
And lived the free life of a scouter. 
From the Twin Star of Aphor to the Aquila Rift, 
I danced my old scoutship all over. 
Then in nought-oh-fifteen, the Emp-ror said "Son, 
It's time time to stop scoutin', there's work to be done." 
So they gave me a rank bar, 
A Cruiser, a gun, 
And they sent me away to the War. 

And the band played 'Fight on, the Navy' 
As we boarded the Santa Maree, 
And amidst all the cheers, 
the cannonade and tears, 
we left for Bellerophon III. 

How well I remember the sight I saw then, 
the proud Navy cut down and shattered. 
And how in the hell that they called Lagrange Ten, 
We were butchered like poor bloody cattle. 
Old Boney was ready, he'd primed himself well, 
he cut us with Lances, and broke us with shell. 
And in five minutes flat, 
he had blown us to hell, 
nearly blew me right back to Agrippa. 

And the Vox played 'Fight on, the Navy', 
as we formed up and counted the slain. 
We'd lost half of ours, 
for a handful of theirs, 
but we charged right on back in again. 

Now us that were left, well, we tried to survive, 
in a mad world of lanceshot and boarders. 
And for nine minutes ten I kept my boys alive, 
as around me our numbers grew lesser. 
Then a whole mess of guardsmen stormed onto the bridge, 
they shot down old Kelley, the Nav and the Kid, 
and for some bloody reason, they just let me live. 
Never knew there were worse things than dying. 

For I'll do no more dancing my scouter, 
I thought as I ran for the pod, 
for a scout can't feel dread, 
he's got more balls than head, 
and that's one thing a coward ain't got. 

The handful of pods left I gathered to me, 
and we left like a bolt from a barrel. 
A dozen survivors of two-million-odd men, 
the Grand Fleet of Admiral Karil. 
And as we all dove into Catan's dock ring, 
and the three from the Mada all started to sing, 
the thought of my men, 
had a horrible sting, 
for not one had lived through the battle. 

And the band played 'Fight on , the Navy', 
for the wives of the men of Catan, 
Nobody cheered, 
they just saw us and stared, 
and then, the crying began. 

And now every march day I sit in the crowd, 
and watch the young guardsmen walk on then. 
I wonder to myself, not speaking aloud, 
why there's not one vet'ran with them. 
The young men march stiffly, all upright with pride, 
they're all brave young soldiers with nothing to hide. 
And then one kid asks, 
"Is that how daddy died?" 
And I don't have the courage to tell him. 

And the band plays 'Fight on, the Navy', 
As I answer my question before. 
If the march they could give, 
to the men who had lived, 
not one man would dare march at all. 

Dancin' my scouter, dancin' my scouter, 
who'll come a-dancin' my scouter with me? 
And their ghosts may be heard as you dance on by Bellerophon, 
who'll come a-dancin' my scouter with me? 

===Gilbert and Sullivan: A British Tar===

A Space Marine is a soaring soul, 
Far greater than a mortal man, 
His energetic fist should be ready to resist 
Any heretical plan. 
His nose should pant, 
and his lip should curl, 
His cheeks should flame, 
and his brow should furl, 
His bosom should heave, 
and his hearts should glow, 
And his fist be ever ready for a knock-down blow. 
 
His nose should pant and his lip should curl, 
His cheeks should flame and his brow should furl, 
His bosom should heave and his hearts should glow, 
And his fist be ever ready for a knock-down blow. 
 
His eyes should flash with an inborn fire, 
His brow with scorn be wrung; 
He never should bow down to a filthy xenos frown, 
Or the tang of a traitor tongue. 
 
His foot should stamp, 
and his throat should growl, 
His sword should twirl, 
and his face should scowl, 
His eyes should flash like a conqueror 
And he should ever bellow "for the Emperor!" 
 
His foot should stamp, and his throat should growl, 
His sword should twirl, and his face should scowl; 
His eyes should flash like a conqueror, 
And he should ever bellow "for the Emperor!", the Emperor, the Emperor, the Emperor! 

===Dio: Holy Diver===

Holy Bolter 
You've been out too long in the warzone 
Oh it's jamming again 
 
Ride the Tank 
You can see its hull but you know it's clean. 
Oh don't you see what I mean 
 
Gotta shoot 'em down 
Holy Bolter 
 
Shiny Tracers 
Like the eyes of a Daemon in the night 
Something is coming for you 
 
Race for the Dropship 
You can hide in the sun of the Emperor's light 
Oh we will pray it's all right 
 
Gotta get away-get away 
Between the armor lies 
There's a trooper hard as steel 
The valor never dies 
War's a never ending wheel 
 
Holy Bolter 
You're the star of the battlefield 
No need for full auto 
 
Jump on the Tank
you can feel its hull but you know it's mean 
Some might can never be seen yeah
 
Holy Bolter 
You've been out too long in the warzone 
Oh it's jamming again 
 
Ride the Tank 
You can see armor but you know it's clean. 
 
Gotta get away-get away Gotta get away-get away 
Holy Bolter sole survivor your honour's clean 
 
Holy Bolter Holy bolter never change the mag Holy Bolter 
Oh Holy Bolter yeah alright get away get away get away 
 
Holy Bolter Holy Bolter whoa Holy Bolter Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm. 

===Will Smith: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air===

Now, this is a story all about how 
My life got flipped-turned upside down 
And I'd like to take a minute 
Just sit by my skull throne 
I'll tell you how I became the daemon prince of Khorne 
 
No idea where I was born or raised 
On the gladiator arenas was where I spent most of my days 
Beatin' smashing' killin' in the arenas 
Escaped to the mountains with a few cronies 
When a couple of soldiers 
Who were up to no good 
They found us and attacked my neighborhood 
I got in one little fight and Emperor started to worry 
And said 'You're movin' with your father and god in Terra' 
 
It kinda hurt to see my pals fucked 
But Emprah didn't let me go back 
He gave me a battleship and then he gave me my legion. 
I put my axe on and said, 'Gotta give my army a lesson'. 
 
First company, yo this is bad 
Marines drinking juice out of a champagne glass. 
Is this what the marines of World Eaters are like? 
Hmmmmm this won't be alright. 
 
But wait I hear there're techmarine, apothecarians and all that 
Put implants to the recruits like ones in this cool cat 
Now I like it 
Badass bloodthirsty soldiers 
I don't give a fuck to Emprahs' warnings 
 
Well, the battle-barge landed and when I came out 
There was Horus who told he's gonna throw a rout 
I was in and we went to Terra 
We went totally ape 
After an epic bloodshed I heard 'Horus got raped' 
 
I whistled for a Battle-Barge and when it came near 
My legion ran in, cursing the Emperor 
Dumped Kharn to the trunk and fled the war 
Khorne told me 'Yo homes to Eye of Terror' 
 
I got wings on my back and horns on my head 
This cool runesword and skin blood-red 
I looked at my kingdom 
I was finally there 
To sit on my throne as the Daemon Prince of Khorne 

===Henry Clay Work: Marching Through Georgia===

Bring the platoon standard, lads, we'll sing another song 
Sing it with a spirit that will start this world along. 
Sing it as we'll always sing it, quadrillions strong, 
As we fight for the Emprah! 

Hoorah! Hoorah! We march with his glory. 
Hoorah! Hoorah! His light shall make you free. 
So we'll carry his name from Agrip'naa to Delphi, 
As we fight for the Emprah! 

How the xenos howl when our flamers end all their fun, 
How the cultists scream out when they march into our guns, 
How the foe cries out for mercy when there will be none, 
As we fight for the Emprah! 

Hoorah! Hoorah! We march with his glory. 
Hoorah! Hoorah! His light shall make you free. 
So we'll carry his name from Agrip'naa to Delphi, 
As we fight for the Emprah! 

Yes, and there were heretics who wept with painful tears 
having felt our noble will they had denied for years. 
How the Inquisition now brings them justice so dear, 
As we fight for the Emprah! 

Hoorah! Hoorah! We march with his glory. 
Hoorah! Hoorah! His light shall make you free. 
So we'll carry his name from Agrip'naa to Delphi, 
As we fight for the Emprah! 

Your Imperium will die under my great onslaught! 
So that Failbaddon said and that is what he thought, 
But indeed we shall triumph for arms he has forgot, 
As we fight for the Emprah! 

Hoorah! Hoorah! We march with his glory. 
Hoorah! Hoorah! His light shall make you free. 
So we'll carry his name from Agrip'naa to Delphi, 
As we fight for the Emprah! 

So we fight at Creed's right hand and Cadia shall hold, 
For the Emprah stands with us and all rebels shall fold, 
And we can hide Titans behind barricades we're told, 
As we fight for the Emprah! 

Hoorah! Hoorah! We march with his glory. 
Hoorah! Hoorah! His light shall make you free. 
So we'll carry his name from Agrip'naa to Delphi, 
As we fight for the Emprah! 

===Kelis: Milkshake===

''[Repeat x2]'' 
My mechadendrites bring all the boys to the yard, 
And they're like, 
The best forge world's Mars! 
Damn right the best forge world's Mars! 
We can teach you, 
'Bout St. Tesla's electric charge. 
 
I know you want xenotech, 
The thing that makes free energy, 
What explorators go crazy for. 
They lose their minds 
If the warp unbinds 
Before they get out in time. 
 
''[Chorus x2]'' 
La la-la la la, 
Warm it up. 
La la-la la la, 
AdMech toys are waiting. 
 
My mechadendrites bring all the boys to the yard, 
And they're like, 
The best forge world's Mars! 
Damn right the best forge world's Mars! 
We can teach you, 
'Bout St. Tesla's electric charge. 
 
I can see the machine spirit. 
You want to be just some skitarii? 
Tech geeks and freaks with toys 
That can't be bought. 
Just know: heretics get caught. 
Watch out if you're smart, 
 
''[Chorus x2]'' 
La la-la la la, 
Warm it up. 
La la-la la la, 
AdMech toys are waiting. 
 
My mechadendrites bring all the boys to the yard, 
And they're like, 
The best forge world's Mars! 
Damn right the best forge world's Mars! 
We can teach you, 
'Bout St. Tesla's electric charge. 
 
Omnissiah says "get involved." 
Enginseers practice every day so 
You must maintain your firearm. 
Same time maintain your iron halo 
And you will learn to mend. 
(Plus work on our titans!) 
Then next honour spark plugs, the wheel and flint. 
Then starting your car is a blessed event! 
 
''[Chorus x2]''
La la-la la la, 
Warm it up. 
La la-la la la, 
AdMech toys are waiting. 
 
My mechadendrites bring all the boys to the yard, 
And they're like, 
The best forge world's Mars! 
Damn right the best forge world's Mars! 
We can teach you, 
'Bout St. Tesla's electric charge. 

===The Lonely Island: I'm On A Boat===
I'm in a dread. 
I'm in a dread. 
Everybody start running 
Cause I'm charging in a dread. 
I'm in a dread. 
I'm in a dread. 
Take a good hard look 
at the motherfucking dread. 

I'm in a dread, motherfuckers, so you better run. 
In a dread, blastin' you away with my giant gun. 
Bustin' heretics, making 'em wish they were dead. 
You can't stop me, motherfuckers 'cause I'm in a dread. 

Take your shot, bitch, 
I'm in a dread, witch. 
And my adamantium armour's so thick. 
I've got my giant fists 
And my meltagun. 
You were already dead before the war begun. 

I'm riding in a drop pod 
Falling to the ground 
The drop pod's arriving, 
Making a terrible sound. 
But this ain't Slaanesh 
This is the Emperor's hound, 
An airborne dreadnought, motherfucking, coming inbound. 

Fuck you, I'm in a dread, motherfuckers. 
Fuck guns, I cheated death, motherfuckers. 
I'm here with Chapter Master Seth, motherfuckers. 
I can't even draw breath motherfuckers. 

Oh, Emprah, if you could hear my roar, 
As I'm waging your eternal war, 
Covering the ground with xeno gore 
Like Ursarkar Creed, anything is possible. 

Never thought I'd be in a dread. 
Blood staining my armor red. 
Sanguinius, look at me. 
Never thought I'd see the day, 
I'd watch myself decay. 
Believe me when I say 
I fought in the Great Crusade. 

I'm in a dread. 
I'm in a dread. 
Everybody start running, 
'Cause I'm charging in a dread. 
I'm in a dread. 
I'm in a dread. 
Take a good hard look 
At the motherfucking dread.

===Tom Jones: Delilah===
I saw the gleam of the claw that she passed through my forces 
I saw the flickering red fire of evil in her eyes 
She was my daemon 
As she decieved me I watched and made plans for her demise 

My my my Defiler 
Why why why Defiler 
I could see, that thing was no good for me 
But I found the Warp had a craving for debris 

At battle's end when my troops ran away I was waiting 
I crossed the field to her spot and she writhed some more 
She stood there laughing 
I felt my Powerfist clench and she laughed no more 

My my my Defiler 
Why why why Defiler 
So before they come to fuck up my base 
Forgive me Defiler I just couldn't take any more 
Forgive me Defiler I just couldn't take any more

===Cage the Elephant: Ain't no Rest for the Wicked===
I was walking through the Hive 
When out the corner of my eye 
I saw a filthy teenage girl approaching me. 
She said sir can you spare a Throne 
For a girl all alone 
Perhaps I'd keep you company? 
I looked into her eyes 
And saw the sin of vice 
I knew the Dark Gods held her in their sway 
Offering Prayer to the Emperor, 
I raised and aimed by Hecutor 
And swiftly put a bullet in her head. 

Oh, There ain't no rest for the Righteous, 
Salvation doesn't come for free, 
I got fiends to slay, 
I got men to save, 
I must strive to bring His Grace to me 
I know I can't lose Faith, 
I can't give in, 
Though sometimes I fear I could, 
Oh there ain't no rest for the Righteous, 
Until we give our lives for Good. 

As I continued through the hive 
I go walking past a bar 
When a man clad just in paint burst out the door 
And then he looked at me and screamed 
Swung an axe right at my neck, 
I saw no reason or thought behind his eyes 
I barely dodged the attack 
And knew that I had to fight back 
So I steeled myself and drew my gun to fight 
I racked my boltgun with a click 
And blew apart the heretic 
And stood over his corpse right in the street. 

Oh, There ain't no rest for the Righteous, 
Salvation doesn't come for free, 
I got fiends to slay, 
I got men to save, 
I must strive to bring His Grace to me 
I know I can't lose Faith, 
I can't give in, 
Though sometimes I fear I could, 
Oh there ain't no rest for the Righteous, 
Until we give our lives for Good. 

Now, much later in the day 
I went to rest in my own hab, 
And watched the pict-vid to find out the latest news 
I was listening to reports 
About rebellions all around 
And felt a fire stirring deep inside my heart 
There are enemies without 
and there are enemies within, 
It's up to us to defend our Imperium 
So I urge all mankind to fight 
For what we know deep down is right 
The sacred glory of the God Emperor of Man! 

Oh, There ain't no rest for the Righteous, 
Salvation doesn't come for free, 
We got fiends to slay, 
We got men to save, 
We must strive to each live Faithfully 
Oh no 
We can't give in, 
We can't have doubt, 
If we want to survive these times. 
Oh there ain't no rest for the Righteous, 
Until we give our lives for Good. 

===One night in Bangkok===

[IMPERIAL] 
Hive world, Imperial setting 
And the hive don't know that the hive is getting 
The creme de la creme of the regicide world in a 
Show with everything but Ol' Cain 

Time flies -- doesn't seem a minute 
Since the Slaanesh spa had the regi boys in it 
All change -- don't you know that when you 
Play at this level there's no ordinary venue 

It's Fenris -- or Gravalax -- or a Craftworld -- or --
or this place! 

[CULTISTS] 
One night in Bangkok and the warp's your oyster 
The boys are temples and the girls are free 
You'll find a god in every golden cloister 
And if you're lucky then the god's a she (right now) 
I can feel Slaaneshiis sliding up to me (Oh dear) 

[IMPERIAL] 
One world's very like another 
When your head's down over your pieces, brother 

[CULTISTS] 
It's a drag, it's a bore, it's really such a pity 
To be looking at the board, not looking at the city 

[IMPERIAL] 
Whaddya mean? Ya seen one crowded, polluted, stinking hive -- 

[CULTISTS] 
Tea, tarts, warm, sweet 
Some are set up in the Penthouse Plateau suite 

[IMPERIAL] 
Frag off! You're talking to a tourist 
Whose every game's among the purest 
I get my kicks with His blessing, Snotling! 

[CULTISTS] 
One night in Bangkok makes a Guardsman traitor 
Not much between despair and heresy 
One night in Bangkok and Inquisitors tumble 
Can't be too careful with your company 
I can feel a daemon walking next to me 

[IMPERIAL] 
Yarrick's gonna be the witness 
To the ultimate test of cerebral fitness 
This provides much more for us 
Than a Waaaagh of Orks or a snarling Horus 

Praise the Emprah' I'm only watching the game -- controlling it -- 

I don't see you guys rating 
The kind of trap I'm contemplating 
I'd let you watch, I would invite you 
But the Sisters we use would not excite you 

So you better go back to your bars, your temples, your Tarot
parlours -- 

[CULTISTS] 
One night in Bangkok and the warp's your oyster 
The boys are temples and the girls are free 
You'll find a god in every golden cloister 
A lot of flesh, a little heresy 
I can feel a cultist feeling up on me 

One night in Bangkok makes a Guardsman traitor 
Not much between despair and heresy 
One night in Bangkok and the Seraphim tumble 
Can't be too careful with your company 
I can feel Eth'reals floating next to me... 

===I Vow To Thee My Emperor (I Vow To Thee My Country===

I vow to thee my Emperor, Humanity above 
Entire, and whole and Gothic, my life and my truelove 
The love that begs no questions, the love that stands the test 
That cleanses all who deny you, the dearest and the best 
The love that never wavers, the love above my life 
The love that makes unfaltered, the final sacrifice 

Yet there are other Emperors, formed a great time ago 
Most cruel to those that worship them, great weavers of sorrow 
They may have countless armies, they may engulf everything 
But their fortress is a rotting husk, their spawn is suffering 
And soul by soul and silently their great powers decrease 
And all their forms are faltering, and all their slaves release 

I heard my Emperor calling, away across the void 
Across the waste of emptiness, lest Terra be destroyed 
His sword is girded at his side, his halo above his head 
And around his feet are lying the dying and the dead 
I hear the noise of battle, the thunder of his guns 
I haste to thee, my Emperor, a son among thy sons 

===Heather Alexander: March of Cambreadth===

Lasgun's flash, chainswords swing, 
Bolter's armour-piercing sting, 
Warhounds run, flickering void-shields, 
Fight Those Heretics till They Yield 
Baneblade catterpillars groan, 
Fight to Keep this World Your Own 
Sound the vox and call the cry, 
How Many of Them Can We Make Die! 

Follow orders as you're told, 
Make Their Daemon Blood Run Cold 
Fight until you die or drop, 
A Force Like Ours is Hard to Stop 
Close your mind to stress and pain, 
Fight till You're No Longer Sane 
Let not one cultist pass by, 
How Many of Them Can We Make Die! 

Guard your women and children well, 
Send These Bastards Back to Hell 
We'll teach them the ways of war, 
They Won't Come Here Any More 
Use your gun and use your head, 
Fight till Every One is Dead 
Raise the flag up to the sky, 
How Many of Them Can We Make Die! 

Dawn has broke, the time has come, 
Move Your Feet to a Marching Drum 
We'll win the war and pay the toll, 
We'll Fight as One in Heart and Soul 
Baneblade catterpillars groan, 
Fight to Keep this World Your Own 
Sound the vox and call the cry, 
How Many of Them Can We Make Die! 

(Repeat verse 1) 

===Rutland Weekend Television: Football===

[Commissar] 
I blow brains out for the Emperor 
[Blood Angel] 
For the Chapter, I burn Orks 
[Harlequin] 
I dismember for The Laughing God 
[Warboss] 
Oi killz fer Gork an' Mork! 

[Inquisitor] 
I drop planet-killing bombs on the unclean from up above! 
[All] 
Yes 40k's the game that we all love! 

[Plague Marine] 
I spread STDs for Nurgle 
[Noise Marine] 
And I do it for Slaanesh 
[Rubric Marine] 
For Tzeench I scatter entrails 
[Berzerker] 
For Khorne, I'll eat your flesh! 

[Chaos Marine] 
I wish they'd bring back Malal, 'cause those other four are bores 
[All] 
Yes, 40k's the game that we adore! 

[All] 
We love Warhammer! 
[Marines] 
Cleanse! Purge! Kill! 
[Cultist] 
Aaah! 

[All] 
We love Warhammer! 
[Chaos Marines] 
Maim! Kill! Burn! 
[Guardsman] 
Ow! 

[All] 
40k's the game that we adore! 

[Dark Eldar Wych] 
I loot and rape for pleasure 
[Fire Warrior] 
I kill for The Greater Good 
[Necron Pariah] 
I skin people for the Star Gods and then bathe in their blood 

[All] 
'Cause in the grimdark future there is dick-all else but war 
[All] 
Yes, 40k's the game that we adore! 

[All] 
We love Warhammer! 
[Necrons] 
Move! Shoot! Move! 
[Orks] 
WAAAUGH! 

[All] 
We love Warhammer! 
[Nids] 
Om! Nom! Nom! 
[Penitent Engine] 
Ohhh! 

[All] 
40k's the game that we adore! 
The End! 

===Men of Harlech===
Men of Tanith, stop your dreaming, 
Can't you see their lasguns gleaming, 
Or their ruinous banners streaming, 
On this battlefield? 

Men of Tanith, stand ye steady! 
It shall not be ever said the 
Ghosts for battle were not ready. 
On you, Tanith men! 

From our worlds rebounding, 
Let this war cry sounding, 
Summon all at Emp'ror's call 
The mighty force surrounding! 

Oh, men of Tanith, on to glory! 
This shall ever be your story 
Keep these burning words before ye, 
Gaunt's Ghosts shall not yield! 

Tongues of las from nalwood flaring, 
News of traitors' deaths declaring, 
To heroic deeds of daring 
call you Tanith men! 

Groans of wounded Guardsmen dying, 
Wails of wives and children flying, 
for the Emp'ror's succor crying 
Hear you not their plight? 

Shall those voices wailing, 
Now be unavailing, 
You to rouse who never yet 
the Emperor's realm were failing? 

This our answer, crowds down pouring 
Swift as a bolter's wrath comes roaring 
Not in vain, His voice imploring, 
calls on Tanith men. 

Now to battle we are going, 
Every heart with courage glowing, 
Pride and passion overflowing 
In the glorious strife. 

Lo! the din of war enrages, 
Vengeance crowns the hate of ages, 
Sternly Tanith now engages 
the doomed Heretics! 

Hear the old pipes playing, 
And the soldiers slaying, 
Hot the strife while Tanith men 
Are lives of traitors claiming. 

Lasbolts fly as swift as lightning, 
Shout on shout the tumult height'ning, 
Aquila's gold wing is bright'ning, 
In the Emperor's name! 

Loud the Tanith pipes are sounding, 
Every guardsman's heart is pounding, 
As the trusted Gaunt surrounding, 
March you, Tanith men! 

Short the sleep the foes is taking, 
Ere the morrow's morn is breaking, 
They shall have a rude awakening, 
Wrought by Tanith men. 

With their lasguns flashing, 
And Straight Silvers slashing, 
Through the traitors' serried ranks 
The Tanith men are dashing 

Now the heretics are flying, 
Trampling on the dead and dying; 
Victory aloft is crying, 
"Gaunt's Ghosts win the field!" 

===Manowar: Dawn of Battle===
Dreadful Thunder

The storms moving in

And Judgment day is calling!

My soul has been stolen

By my ascension as Khorne's Chosen!

And the sound of glory !

I will send into the ground

All that are found

By the sign of Warmaker falling!

The Loyalists will fall

I will strike down them all

Then you will know my calling

The Blood God calls my name

In the sound of the wind in the night

My sword will drink blood!

And I will fight

Yes I will fight

In the dawn of battle

Dawn of battle

I will rise up to Khorne's Call!

I will rise up from the grave

A brother of Angron

A master to the slaves

I am the soul Chosen

Of the Khorne's Fire and His Rage

I was wrought upon this galaxy

Born to rule and battle wage

By the total decimation

Of the Imperium at my command!

By the Axe! By the Sword!

By Fire! By my hand!

I give no explanation!

I was branded by Khorne's Will

To bring death and destruction

To all that I now kill!

The Blood God calls my name

In the sound of the wind in the night

My sword will drink blood

And I will fight

Yes I will fight

In the dawn of battle

Dawn of Battle

I long to slay

So I wait for a sign

I wait for the Hordes

To charge from the Eye

From the dusts of carnage

A promise to keep

Then all who see shall believe

Deliver into my hand

The sword that is His Right Hand

Let my journey begin

So all shall understand

That if I fall

I will live again

I will rise up to Chaos' Call

I will rise up from the grave

A brother to the Angron

A master to the slaves

I give no explanation

I was branded by Khorne's Will

To bring Death and Destruction

To all that I now kill

The Blood God calls my name

In the sound of the wind in the night

My sword will drink blood

And I will fight

Yes I will fight

In the dawn of battle

===Antoine Dodson and the Gregory Brothers: Bed Intruder===

Chorus: 
[Town Crier] 
He’s landin' on your planets 
He’s snatchin blasphemers up 
Gonna purge em so y’all need to 
Hide your kids, Hide your wife 
Hide your kids, Hide your wife 
Hide your kids, Hide your wife 
And hide your husband 
Cuz they purgin' errbody out here 

You don’t have to come and confess, 
They lookin' for you 
They gon' find you 
They gon' find you 

So you can run and tell that, 
Run and tell that 
Run and tell that, heretic 
Her- her- heretic 

[Acolyte] 
We got your DNA 
You done left fingerprints and all 
You are so dumb 
You are really dumb–for real. 

You are really, really, really, really, so dumb. 

[Witness] 
I was attacked by some heretic in the hab-stacks. 

[Acolytes] 
So dumb, So dumb, So dumb, So 

Chorus 

[Inquisitor Lord's Report] 
'bout 5'9', 5'10' 
Pallid complexion, bald cut like Astartes 
With some little runes on his head 
Clean cut, very gaunt face 

Sent in my Sisters, when they walked in, 
He had his hands around a tome. 
First thing was to grant emperor's mercy, 
And that's what they did. 
Sororitas: ('ey!) 

Chorus 

[Inquisitor Lord] 
Well, obviously we have a cultist in Lincoln Park 

[Battle-Sister] 
Are you serious, My Lord? 

We got your dagger 
We got your scent 
I know what shoe size you wear, my boy 
So you can run and hide 
But we're gonna find you 
Find you 

Chorus x2 

===Ozzy: Crazy train===

Black Rage, but that's how it goes 
Millions of traitors living as foes 
Pretty sure it is too late 
To learn how to love 
And forget how to hate 

Mortal wounds are healing 
Life's a bitter shame 
Im getting an extra save with my Feel No Pain 
Im getting an extra save with my Feel No Pain 

Let's Go! 

I listen to chaplains 
To get rerolls 
I fight against Bloodthirst 
Got my own set of rules 
One person conditioned to keep some control 
And Astorath lets me live just for the lulz 

Mental wounds still screaming 
Driving me insane 
I'm fighting against Horus crazy brain 
I'm im kicking Horus' ass in my crazy brain 

I know that things are pretty wrong with me 
You gotta listen to my RAGE 
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU... 

Death company Chaplain 
That's what we've become 
Inheriting troubles I'm mentally numb 
Crazy, I just cannot bear 
I'm living with something' that just isn't fair 

Had a wound inflicted 
Anyone to blame 
I'm going off the rails with my unbound rage 
I'm going off the rails with my unbound rage 

===SSgt Barry Sadler: Ballade Of The Space Marines.===
Fighting soldiers from the sky 
Fearless men who jump and die 
Men who haunt the Xenos' dreams 
The brave men of the Space Marines 

Golden wings upon their chests 
More than men, the Imperium's best 
Today we test one hundred teens 
But only one joins the Space Marines 

Altered to live off any land 
Trained in combat, hand to hand 
Never to hide their colours' sheen 
They wear them proud for the Space Marines 

Golden wings upon their chests 
More than men, the Imperium's best 
Today we test one hundred teens 
But only one joins the Space Marines 

When at last, he is released 
One more Marine finds The Emperor's Peace 
He has died for those oppressed 
Leaving his Chapter one request 

Cut the geneseed from my chest 
To live again in the Imperium's best 
One more young man to guard the hopes and dreams 
Of all Mankind as a Space Marine 

===When You're Eldrad===
When Asuryan is too busy, and Khaine's a bit too much 
They call me, by name you see, for my special touch 
To the seers I'm a legend, to the mon'keigh I'm a dick 
But call me by any name, any way it's all the same 

I'm the gore on your shoe 
I'm the pebble in your boot 
I'm the daemon in your bed 
I'm the bolt in every head 

I'm the mine on which you step 
I'm the pin in every hip 
I'm the spore in your eye, makes you wiggle and writhe 

And it's so easy when you're Eldrad 
This is the life you see, the council tip their hats to me 
I do it all because I'm Eldrad 
And I do it all for free 
Your rage is all the pay I'll ever need 

While there's mon'keigh to make sad 
While there's lulz left to be had 
While there's pockets left to pick 
While there's Dreadnoughts left to trip 
down the stairs I'll be there, I'll be waiting 'round the corner 
It's a game, I'm glad I'm in it 
'Cause there's one born every minute 

And it's so easy when you're Eldrad 
This is the life you see, the council tip their hats to me 
I do it all because I'm Eldrad 
And I do it all for free 
Your rage is all the pay I'll ever need 

I pledge my allegiance 
To all things skub and derp 
Promise on my old Soul Stone 
To do as I am told 
For Cegorach has never seen 
A seer quite like me, not only 
does his job but does it happily 

I'm the fear that keeps you 'wake 
I'm the shadows in the Warp 
I'm the Daemons they become 
I'm the nightmare in your skull 

I'm a Witchblade in your back 
An extra turn upon the rack 
I'm the quivering of your heart 
A stabbing pain, a sudden start 

And it's so easy when you're Eldrad 
This is the life you see, the council tip their hats to me 
I do it all because I'm Eldrad 
And I do it all for free 
Your rage is all the pay I'll ever need 

And I do it all for free 
Your rage is all the pay I'll ever need X2 

It gets so ronery being Eldrad 
What I'd do to see a Codex 
Even for a little while 
And no one loves you when you're Eldrad 

I'm lying through my teeth 
Your rage is all the comforting I need! 

===Weebl: Cucumber song (Spire Legis)===

We is takin' a trukk 
Down ta Spire Legis 
Cuz we 'ave 'eard they is all 'ummie free 
Which makes it safe fer us ta plant new orkses 
All fer teh WAAAGH 
Just ya sees 

'Ummies are the orkses enemies 
They try an' stomp us with their bitz 
The only way few our boyz ta escape is 
Drivin' a truk down the street! 

===Secret of Survival (The Wind In The Willows)===

[All Four] 
First you see us… 
[Tzeentch] 
Then you don’t… 
(All four disappear) 
[Khorne] 
Now you hear us…. 
[Nurgle] 
Now you won’t… 
[All four (reappearing behind Traveler’s back)] 
It’s our secret of survival 
In a very nasty Warp. 
[Slaanesh] 
Now you feel us… 
[Khorne] 
Now you can't. 
[Nurgle] 
Are we real? 
[Tzeentch] 
Perhaps we aren't! 
[All Four] 
It's our secret of survival 
In a very nasty Warp! 
It's our secret of survival 
In a very nasty Warp! 
[Traveler] 
Is it really such a nasty place? 
[Voice of Malal] 
Oh yes, a very nasty place indeed 
[All Four:] 
Nastier than you could ever dream of! 
[Tzeentch] 
From up above… 
[Nurgle] 
And from beneath… 
[Slaanesh] 
Daemons… 
[Khorne] 
Armed to teeth. 
[All Four] 
Ready to attack you, 
You're a snack - and you'd better run! 
[Khorne] 
Don't come to Innmaterium 
If you haven't got a gun! 
[All four] 
Hahahahahaha! 
[Tzeentch] 
Every creature of the Chaos 
Has to look out for itself! 
[Slaanesh] 
Got no Emperor here, or Space Marines 
You could call for help 
[Nurgle] 
You're in the Warp boy 
And every child could 
Tell you that you've got no 
Business to be here! 
[All Four] 
Oooooooooooooooooooooh! 
[Slaanesh] 
First you see us… 
[Tzeentch] 
Then you don’t… 
[Nurgle] 
Now you hear us… 
[Khorne] 
Now you won't. 
[All Four] 
It's our secret of survival 
In a very nasty Warp! 
[Slaanesh] 
Now you feel us… 
[Nurgle] 
Now you can't… 
[Khorne] 
Are we real? 
[Tzeentch] 
Perhaps we aren't! 
[All Four:] 
It's our secret of survival 
It’s our secret of survival 
It's our secret of survival 
In a very nasty Warp!

===Hallelujah===
Written by yours truly.

I heard there was a secret word, 
that Goto wrote and it pleased the Board, 
but you don't care for canon, do you? 
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, 
Horus' fall, the Angel's lift, 
Boreale was shouting "Hail the Emprah" 
Hail the Emprah, Hail the Emprah, 
Hail the Emprah, Hail the Emprah...

Khorne made you strong, but you were don goof', 
when Eversor bursted through the roof, 
he shouted WRYYYYYYYYYY right before he killed ya. 
He murdered all your buddies there, 
cut off your limbs, ripped out your hair 
And from your lips came the "Death to Emprah" 
Death to Emprah, Death to Emprah, 
Death to Emprah, Death to Emprah...

Heretic I have seen before, 
in a bio-ship I walked the floor, 
walls came alive and all tried to kill ya. 
Creed's flag appeared on battleships, 
infiltrated tanks blew them to bits, 
through darkest space was shouted "Screw the Emprah!" 
Screw the Emprah, Screw the Emprah, 
Screw the Emprah, Screw the Emprah...

There was a time, t'was a good show, 
when Eldar appeared by row, 
And Eldrad screwed us over big time. 
The Necrons from the darkest depths, 
send entire regiments to their deaths, 
the Guardsmen were all shouting "Where's the Emprah?!" 
Where's the Emprah, Where's the Emprah, 
Where's the Emprah, Where's the Emprah...

Well on the distant Terra, 
sits our beloved Emprah, 
guiding his children through these dark times. 
Gods of Chaos, beasts from beyond, 
monsters by the ancients spawned, 
we raise our fist and shout "AVE EMPRAH!" 
AVE EMPRAH, AVE EMPRAH, 
AVE EMPRAH, AVE EMPRAH!

===Where there's a whip, there's a way (The Lord Of The Rings)===

Wher ther’z Gork 
Ther’z Mork 
And Wher ther’z Mork 
Ther’z Gork 
Wher ther’z Gork 
We wanntz go to WAAAGH todayz 
Umiess don’t run, fight uz, heyz, heyz, heyz 
Ther will be WAAAGH all dayz, all dayz, all dayz! 
Ther’z Mork 
And Wher ther’z Mork, ther’z Gork! 
Wher ther’z Gork 
Ther’z Mork 
And Wher ther’z Mork 
Ther’z Gork 
Wher ther’z Gork 
Ther’z Mork 
Letz WAAAAGH! Letz WAAAGH! 
And wher ther’z Mork, ther’z Gork 
Get in da choppa, cuz werz gonna fight! 
There will be WAAAGH all dayz and nightz and mooar 
Cuz thiz iz what the Orkz livez foooor! 
Letz WAAAGH! Letz WAAAGH! 
Wher ther’z Gork 
Ther’z Mork 
And wher ther’z Mork 
Ther’z Gork 
Wher ther’z Gork 
We wanntz go to WAAAGH todayz 
Umiess don’t run, fight uz, hey, hey, hey 
Ther will be WAAAGH all dayz, all dayz, all dayz! 
Ther’z Mork 
And Where ther’z Mork, ther’z Gork! 
Letz WAAAGH! Letz WAAAGH! 
Letz WAAAGH! Letz WAAAGH! 

===I'm a good ol' heretic===
Oh, I'm a good ol' heretic 
Yeah, that's just what I am 
And for your rotting corpse-god I do not give a damn 
I'm glad I fought for Horus, I only wish we'd won 
And I don't want no pardon for anything I've done 

I hates the damn Imperium, those spergin' Cogboys, too 
I hates those preening braggarts in uniforms of blue 
I hates the nasty Aquila, with all its brags and fuss 
And those lyin', thievin' Magpies lead by some coiffured wuss 

I hates the Administratum and everything they do 
I hates the Inquisition, their fucking Grey Knights, too 
I hates those fool Astartes, I hates the Golden Throne 
I hates the Ecclesiarchy praying to worthless bones 

I fought with the Warmaster for ten score years and some 
I caught some bolter fire, got an augmetic thumb 
I lost more bits to frostbite, a campin' in the snow 
But I killed a bunch of Loyalists, I'd love to kill some mo' 

Now forty thousand Loyalists are dead in Istvaan dust 
We got some more on Terra, before they killed Horus 
They died to Chaos bolters, lasguns and plasma shots 
Wish we'd killed forty billion, instead of what we got 

We couldn't conquer Terra, but someday it'll burn 
Inside the Eye of Terror we're planning our return 
So I don't need no pardon for the way that I was made 
Nor for the things I'll do to you in our next Black Crusade 

Oh I'm a good ol' heretic, now that's just what I am 
Yeah, I'm a good ol' heretic, now that's just what I am 

===Sailor Moon: Sayla Ork===
[[Image:Sayla.jpg|thumb]]
Foightin' evil boi moonlite

Winnin' lurv boi daylite

Nevah runnin' from a real foight

'e iz sa un named Salya Mork (or iz it Gork?)

'e will... Neva turn 'is back onna boy

'e iz... Always dere ta destroy

'e iz... Da un on 'oo we can depend

'he iz da un named Sayla...

...Sayla [[Choppa]]

...Sayla [[Dakka]]

...Sayla [[RAGE|Foightin']]

...Sayla [[/tg/|Winnin']]

Wiff sekrit powahs

All so noo ta 'im

'e iz da un named Sayla Mork (or is it Gork?)

Foightin' evil boi moonlite

Winnin' lurv boi daylite

Wiff 'iz [[Freebooterz|Sayla Boyz]] to 'elp foight

'e iz da un named Sayla Mork (or is it Gork?)

'e iz da un named Sayla Mork (or is it Gork?)

'e iz da un... Sayla ORK!

===Electric Light Orchestra - Mr Blue Sky===

Warp storm shattered from the sky 
There ain't a witch in sight 
It's steel rehnin, Spess Mareens are on the way 
And don't you know 
It's a beautiful new day hey, hey 

Runnin' down the avenue 
See how his hair shines brightly, in the hive 
On the streets, where crime was rife 
The Emperah is living here today hey, hey 

Emperah guy, please tell us why 
You had to die away for so long 
Where did we go wrong? 

Emperah guy, please tell us why 
You had to die away for so long 
Where did we go wrong? 

Hey you with the godly face 
Welcome to your loyal race 
A celebration, The Emperah's up there waitin' 
And today is the day we've waited for 

Emperah guy, please tell us why 
You had to die away for so long 
Where did we go wrong? 

Hey there Emperah 
We're so pleased to be with ya 
Look around see what you do 
Ev'rybody smiles at you 

Hey there Emperah 
We're so pleased to be with ya 
Look around see what you do 
Ev'rybody smiles at you 

Emperah guy, Emperah guy 
Emperah guy 

Emperah, you did it right 
But here comes a khornate knight creepin' over 
Now his hand is on your shoulder 
Never mind I'll remember you this 
I'll remember you this way 

Emperah guy please tell us why 
You had to die away for so long 
Where did we go wrong? 

Hey there Emperah 
We're so pleased to be with ya 
Look around see what you do 
Ev'rybody smiles at you 
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba 
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba 

===Monty Python: Lumberjack Song===

[Tech Priest]

I wanted to be... a Space Marine! 
Killing so many different xenos, as they war against planets all across the Imperium. The undying Immortals. The Nobs. The Wraiths! The formidable Farseer! The constantly screaming Warboss! The plucky little Slugga Boyz! The lumbering Kroot hounds of the Tau. The towering Big Meks of the Orks! The gargantuan Mega Armoured Nobs! 

With my squad mates by my side, we'd purge! purge! purge! 

[Tech Priest]

I'm a Space Marine, and I'm okay. 
I purge all night and I burn all day. 

[Space Marine Squad]

He's a Space Marine, and he's okay. 
He purges all night and he burns all day. 

[Tech Priest]

I burn the Orks. I shoot the Tau. 
Necrons eat my chainswords. 
On Wednesdays I hunt Eldar, 
And pray to Khorne in war! 

[Space Marine Squad]

He burns the Orks. He shoots the Tau. 
Necrons eat his chainswords. 
On Wednesdays he hunts Eldar, 
And prays to Khone in war...? 
He's a Space Marine, and he's okay. 
He purges all night and he burns all day. 

[Tech Priest]

I burn the Orks. I hail Chaos. 
Burn cities to the ground. 
I put on chaos symbols 
And stack skulls in a mound. 

[Space Marine Squad]

He burns the Orks. He hails Chaos. 
Burns cities to the ground. 
He puts on chaos symbols 
And stacks skulls in a mound?! 
He's a Space Marine, and he's okay. 
He purges all night and he burns all day. 

[Tech Priest]

I burn the Orks. I bear warp blades, 
keep saints' heads in a jar. 
I wish I'd been a daemon, 
So I could slay Calgar! 

[Space Marine Squad]

He burns the Orks. He bears warp blades, 
keeps saints' heads in a jar?! 

[Inquisitor]

What's this? Wants to be a daemon?! Oh, My! 
And I thought you were so loyal! Traitor! 

''Dear sir, I wish to complain on the strongest possible terms about the song which you have just broadcast about the space marine who is a servant to chaos. Many of my best freinds are Space Marines and only a few of them are servants to chaos!''

=== Promethium Road (Steve Earle: Copperhead Road) ===
''Promethium Road, Sung by a farmer's boy from Gath''

Well my name's Anval Gidemore 
Same as my father and his father before 
You hardly ever saw grandfather 'round here 
He only went to port about twice a year 
He'd buy a couple bags of yeast and some plasteel line 
Everyone on Gath knew he brewed white gyn 
Now the arbites wanted grandfather bad 
Headed up our pasture with everything he had 
It's before my birth but I've been told 
He never came back from Promethium Road 

Now Father brewed the whiskey in a Leman Russ 
Guard surplus they just toss the stuff 
Cadian 18th written on the side 
Just shot a coat of paint and then he looked inside 
Well him and my uncle tore it all to hell 
I still remember that putrid smell 
Then the Arbites came by in the middle of the night 
Heard mother crying, something wasn't right 
He was busy brewing up the weekly load 
You could see whiskey burning down Promethium Road 

I volunteered for the Guard on my birthday 
They draft the farmers boys first 'round here anyway 
I did five years of fighting with the Catachan 
I came back to Gath with a brand new plan 
I take the seed that grows near New Jericho 
And I plant up our pasture down Promethium Road 
Now the Arbites got their gander in the air 
Wake up screaming like I'm back over there 
I learned a thing or two from the 'Catas don't you know 
You better stay away from Promethium Road 

=== Avenue Q: The internet is for Porn. ===
Sung by Kharn and a Cannoness

The Imperium is really really great 
For Khorne! 
I’ve got a fast starship so i don’t have to wait 
For Khorne! 
There's always some new fight, 
For Khorne! 
I war all day and night 
For Khorne! 
It's like i’m killing at the speed of light 
For Khorne! 

The Imperium is for Khorne 
The Imperium is for Khorne, 
Why you think the Warp was born? 
Khorne, Khorne, Khorne! 

I’m glad that we have Warp technology 
For Khorne! 
Which gives us untold opportunity 
For Khorne! 
Fight from your tabletop 
For Khorne! 
You can plunder rape and chop 
For Khorne! 
Until you've had enough and you're ready to stop 
For Khorne! 

The Imperium is for Khorne 
The Imperium is for Khorne, 
Me up all night gathering skulls for
Khorne, Khorne, Khorne!

[SPOKEN]

[Canoness]
That’s gross! You’re a heretic

[Kharn] 
Ah, sticks and stones Cannoness

[Canoness] 
NO really, you're a heretic
Normal people don’t run around
killing in the Imperium

[Kharn] 
Ohhhh?

[Canoness] 
What?!

[Kharne] 
You have no idea
Ready normal people?

[Abbadon, Horus, Angron] 
Ready

Let me hear it!

[Kharn and guys] 

The Imperium is for Khorne! 
[Abbadon] 

Sorry Emp 

[Kharn and guys] 

The Imperium is for Khorne! 

[Horus] 

I eviscerate! 
[Kharn and guys] 

All these guys unshethe their swords 
For Khorne, Khorne, Khorne! 

[Cannoness] 

The Imperium is not for Khorne!! 

[Kharn and guys] 
Khorne, Khorne, K--- 

[Cannoness]

HOLD ON A SECOND! 
Now I happen to know for a fact that you, Abbadon, rely on the Imperium to kill off your excess followers 

[Abbadon] 

That’s correct. 

[Cannoness] 

And Horus, you once saved the Emperor's life 

[Horus] 

Sure! 

[Cannoness] 

And Angron, you keep killing whenever you can 

[Angron] 

Yes I do! 

[Cannoness] 

And Kharn, you love kitten 

[Kharne] 

True! 

[Kharne] 

Oh, but Cannoness 
What you think we do after? hmm? 

[Abbadon] 
...yeah 

(EEEWWWWW!) 
The Imperium is for Khorne! 
Heretics! 
The Imperium is for Khorne! 
I hate Khorne 
Grab your axe and cleave and hack 
For Khorne, Khorne, Khorne! 
(harmonizing) Khorne, Khorne, Khorne, Khorne 
I’m leaving! 
Khorne Khorne Khorne Khorne 
Khorne Khorne Khorne Khorne 
I hate the Imperium! 
Khorne, Khorne, Khorne, Khorne 

The Imperium is for 
The Imperium is for 
The Imperium is for Khorne! 

YEAH! 

=== The Scarlet Commissar: Into The Fire ===

Pius stood to guard the Emperor, 
with his las clutched in his hand. 
He was only a man 
But he knew someone must take a stand. 

There will always be a battle 
but remember our Lord's grace. 
there will always be perilous dangers 
which someone must face. 

Into valleys, into waters 
Into jungles, into hell 
Let us ride, let us ride home again with a story to tell. 
Into darkness, into danger, 
To Warp storms that rip the night, 
Don't give in, or give up, 
But give thanks for the glorious fight. 

You can tremble, you can fear it, 
But keep your fighting spirit alive boys. 
Let the shiver of it sting you, 
Fling into battle, spring to your feet boys. 
Never hold back your step for a moment, 
Never doubt that your courage will grow, 
Grow your faith ever higher and into the fire we go . 

Are there cultists that surround us? 
Are there orks that block the way? 
Shoot'em down, knock'em back boys, 
And forward and into the fray. 

Eye of terror? Time for valour, 
Hold the Line, no, never turn. 
Yes, it's into the Warp that we'll fly, 
And it's Chaos who'll burn... 

Someone has to guard the Emperor 
Rush in, we shall defend him and win boys 
When the Warp is saying not to 
Emprah, you know you've got to march on, boys 
Never hold back your step for a moment. 
Never doubt that your courage will grow. 
Grow your faith ever higher and into fire we go 

Let the bolter fire 
Let the flash of it shock you 
Choke your fears away 
Pull as tight as a wire 
Let their Chainswords strike 
Let the force of it rock you 
We will have our day, standing tall to the fire. 

Someone has to guard the Emprah 
Rush in! We shall defend him and win boys 
When the warp is saying not to 
Emprah, you know you've got to march on, boys 
Never hold back your step for a moment 
Hold the Line! Oh, your courage will grow 
Yes, it's higher and higher and into the fire we go 
Into fire! 
Onward, ho! 

=== Rick Astley: Never Gonna Give You Up ===

We's no strangers to WAAAGH! 
We frags ‘em all, shoots ‘em in da eye 
A full bombardment's what we’s finkin’ of 
We’s gonna make sure that ya all’s gonna die 
We’s jus’ wanna gives ya all a beatin’ 
Gonna make ya good ‘n’ dead 

We’s all gonna blow ya up 
We’s all gonna put ya down 
Gonna run ya to da ground ‘n’ we’ll stomp ya 
We’s all gonna make ya cry 
You’s all gonna say good-bye 
Gonna kills ya till ya die ‘n’ hurt ya 

We's fought each otha fer so long 
Yer arrmy's all breakin’ but 
Ya don’t wants ta quits it 
Ya ‘n’ me both knows that it won’t be long 
We’s gonna win, ‘n’ yer gonna loze it 
‘N’ I fink ya all shud be fleein’ 
Don't tell me you's too blind ta see 

We’s all gonna blow ya up 
We’s all gonna put ya down 
Gonna run ya to da ground ‘n’ we’ll stomp ya 
We’s all gonna make ya cry 
You’s all gonna say good-bye 
Gonna kills ya till ya die ‘n’ hurt ya 

We’s all gonna blow ya up 
We’s all gonna put ya down 
Gonna run ya to da ground ‘n’ we’ll stomp ya 
We’s all gonna make ya cry 
You’s all gonna say good-bye 
Gonna kills ya till ya die ‘n’ hurt ya 

(WAAAGH, blow ya up) 
(WAAAGH, blow ya up) 
(WAAAGH!) 
We’s all gonna blow, we’s all gonna blow 
(Blow ya up) 
(WAAAGH!) 
We’s all gonna blow, we’s all gonna blow 
(Blow ya up) 

We's fought each otha fer so long 
Yer arrmy's all breakin’ but 
Ya don’t wants ta quits it 
Ya ‘n’ me both knows that it won’t be long 
We’s gonna win, ‘n’ yer gonna loze it 
We’s jus’ wanna gives ya all a beatin’ 
Gonna make ya good ‘n’ dead 

We’s all gonna blow ya up 
We’s all gonna put ya down 
Gonna run ya to da ground ‘n’ we’ll stomp ya 
We’s all gonna make ya cry 
You’s all gonna say good-bye 
Gonna kills ya till ya die ‘n’ hurt ya 

We’s all gonna blow ya up 
We’s all gonna put ya down 
Gonna run ya to da ground ‘n’ we’ll stomp ya 
We’s all gonna make ya cry 
You’s all gonna say good-bye 
Gonna kills ya till ya die ‘n’ hurt ya 

We’s all gonna blow ya up 
We’s all gonna put ya down 
Gonna run ya to da ground ‘n’ we’ll stomp ya 
We’s all gonna make ya cry 
You’s all gonna say good-bye 
Gonna kills ya till ya die ‘n’ hurt ya 

=== Wuppa Orky style (PSY: Gangnam Style) ===

Wuppa Orky style 
Orky style 

I love a bomma who is warm and shooty by day, 
A classy bomma who knows how to bring the freedom of da WAAAAGH! to a planet 
A bomma whose moves gets sharper when fighting comes 
A bomma with that kind of twist 

I'm a Greenskin 
A Greenskin who is as warm as you during the day 
A Greenskin who one-shots his enemy HQ with a Powa Klaw 
A Greenskin whose hearts bursts when the fight comes 
That kind of Greenskin 

Beautiful, lovely 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Beautiful, lovely 
Wuppa Orky style 
Orky style 

I love a Squig who is warm and passionate by day, 
A classy Squig who knows how to chase enemy vehicles when packed with bomz 
A Squig whose anticipation gets crazier when fighting comes 
A Squig with that kind of twist 

I'm a Boy 
A Boy who is as warm as you during the day 
A Boy who is bold as a lion with 11 other boyz 
A Boy whose feet fleets when the WAAAGH! comes 
That kind of Boy 

Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Now let's go until the end 

Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style 

Eh- Zoomin’ bomma! Wup, wup, wup wup Wuppa Orky style 
Eh- Zoomin’ bomma! oh oh oh oh 

A shoota who looks classy but is killy when it shoots 
A shoota who puts da foes down when the right time comes 
A shoota who covers itself but is more sexy than a shoota who bares it all 
A sensible shoota like that 

I'm a Nob 
A Nob who seems irate and gets angry when he plays 
A Nob who goes completely crazy when the right time comes 
A Nob who has bulging Klaws as well as muscles 
That kind of Ork 

Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Now let's go until the end 

Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style 

Eh- Kustom forcefield, wup, wup, wup wup wuppa Mekboy style 
Eh- Kustom forcefield oh oh oh oh 

On top of the running bug is the flying Greenskin, baby baby 
I'm a pilot who knows a thing or two 
On top of the running bug is the flying Greenskin, baby baby 
I'm a Ork who knows a thing or two 

You know what I'm saying 
Wuppa Orky style 

Eh- Furious charging, wup, wup, wup wup Wuppa is Orky style 
Eh- Furious charging oh oh oh oh 

Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Shall we go all the way from now on? 
Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style 

Eh- Choppy choppa, wup, wup, wup wup wuppa Orky style 
Eh- Choppy choppa oh oh oh oh 

A choppa who looks quiet but plays when I plays 
A choppa who puts me foes down when the right time comes 
A choppa who covers itself but is more sexy than a choppa who bares it all 
A sensible choppa like that 

I'm a Warboss 
A Warboss who dreams big but WAAAGHS! when he WAAAGHS! 
A Warboss who goes completely crazy when the right time comes 
A Warboss who has bulging ideas as well as muscles 
That kind of Ork 

Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Now let's go until the end 

Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style 

Eh- Zzappin’ Weirdboy, Greenskin is Orky style 
Eh- Zzappin’ Weirdboy oh oh oh oh 

On top of the running Xenos is the flying Marine, baby baby 
I'm a Greenskin who knows a fing or two 
On top of the running bug is the flying Greenskin, baby baby 
I'm a Greenskin who knows a thing or two 
You know what I'm saying 

Dis boy is Orky style 
Eh- Dakka dakka, dak, dak, dak dak dakka Orky styleEh- Dakka dakka oh oh oh oh 

Wuppa Orky style 
Orky style 

I love Mega armour who is big and protecty by day, 
Da classy Mega armour who know how to bring the freedom from enemy dakka 
Da Mega armour whose protection gets better when fighting comes 
Da Mega armour with that kind of twist 

I'm a Killa Kan 
A Killa Kan who is as big as da rest of da boyz 
A Killa Kan who goes about bein’ stompy 
A Killa Kan whose rokkits bursts when they hit da enemy 
That kind of Killa Kan 

Beautiful, lovely 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Beautiful, lovely 

Wuppa Orky style 
Greenskin style 

I love a Deff rolla who is round and spikey by day, 
A classy Deff rolla who know how to bring the squish to an enemy planet 
A Deff rolla whose spikes gets sharper when fighting comes 
A Deff rolla with that kind of twist 

I'm a Weirdboy 
A Weirdboy who is as sane as you during the day 
A Weirdboy who squiggifies his enemy HQ before it even chops boyz 
A Weirdboy whose brain hursts when the fight comes 
That kind of Weirdboy 

Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Now let's go until the end 

Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style 

Eh- Shooty Lootas, Wup, wup, wup wup Wuppa Orky style 
Eh- Shooty Lootas oh oh oh oh 

A Looted gun who looks loud but dakkas when it dakkas 
A Looted gun who puts her foes down when the right time comes 
A Looted gun who covers da enemy in shooty and is more deadly than a Looted gun who misses dem all 
A sensible Looted gun like that 

I'm a Painboy 
A Painboy who seems calm but plays when he oprates 
A Painboy who goes completely crazy when the brai-squigg transplant comes 
A Painboy who has sharp ideas as well as instruments 
That kind of Painboy 

Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Now let's go until the end 

Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style 

Eh- Battle wagon, vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom vroomah Greenskin style 
Eh- Battle wagon oh oh oh oh 

I'm a Greenskin who knows a fing or two 
On top of the running bug is the flying Greenskin, baby baby 
I'm a Greenskin who knows a thing or two 
You know what I'm saying 
Wuppa Orky style 

Eh- Dakka Jet, wup, wup, wup wup Wuppa 
Eh- Dakka Jet oh oh oh oh 

Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Shall we go all the way from now on? 
Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style 

Eh- Choppy chainsword, wup, wup, wup wup wuppa Orky style 
Eh- Choppy chainsword oh oh oh oh 

A chainsword who looks quiet but plays when she plays 
A chainsword who puts her foes down when the right time comes 
A chainsword who covers herself but is more sexy than a chainsword who bares it all 
A sensible chainsword like that 

I'm a Flashgit 
A Flashgit who seems rich but shoots when he shoots 
A Flashgit who goes completely dakka when the right time comes 
A Flashgit who has a bulging belly as well as a snazzgun 
That kind of Flashgit 

Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Beautiful, loveable 
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey 
Now let's go until the end 

Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style, Orky style 
Wuppa Orky style 

Eh- wretched gretchin, little runt aint Greenskin style 
Eh- wretched gretchin oh oh oh oh 

On top of the running bugeyes is the flying Greenskin, baby baby 
I'm a Greenskin who knows a fing or two 
On top of the running bug is the flying Greenskin, baby baby 
I'm a Greenskin who knows a thing or two 
You know what I'm saying 

Dat boy is Orky style 

Eh- Zoomin’ bomma! Wup, wup, wup wup Wuppa Orky style 
Eh- Zoomin’ bomma! oh oh oh oh 

=== Warriors Of Terra (Manowar: Warriors of the World) ===

Here I see you stand from all around the worlds
Waiting in a line to hear the battle cry
All are gathered here, victory is near
The sound will fill the hall, bringing power to us all

We alone are fighting for the Emperor that is true
We own the right to live the fight, we're here for all of you
Now swear the blood upon your steel will never dry
Stand and fight together beneath the battle sky

Brothers everywhere - raise your hands into the air
We're warriors, warriors of Terra
Like thunder from the sky - sworn to fight and die
We're warriors, warriors of Terra

Many stand against us, but they will never win
We said we would return and here we are again
To bring them all destruction, suffering and pain
We are the hammer of His wrath, we are thunder, wind and rain.

There they wait in fear with swords in feeble hands
With dreams to be a king, first one should be a man
I call about and charge them all with a life that is a lie
And in their final hour they shall repent before they die

If I should fall in battle, my brothers who fight by my side
Gather my armor and weapons, tell teh chapter how I died
Until then I will be strong, I will fight for all that is real
All who stand in my way will die by steel

Brothers everywhere - raise your hands into the air
We're warriors, warriors of Terra

=== I Love the Whole Board (I Love the Whole World) ===

Emperor:

I love all humans

I love our smog-filled hives

I love crusading

And taking xenos lives

I love the galaxy

With all its sights and sounds

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Horus:

I love Heresy

I love the sound of screams

I love Isstvaan

Even the plague marines

I love my legion

And crashing Terra's gates

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Da Orkz:

I love WAAAAAGH-ing!

I love my mobs of boyz!

and being choppy!

I love my deffgun's noise!

I love da fightan'!

WE'RE DA BEST, YA GITS!

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

OI LOVE ME WARBOSS

OI LOVE ME BIG DEFF GUN

OI LOVE DEM 'UMIES

THE WAY DEY SCREAM AN' RUN

OI LOVE DA WHOLE WORLD

N' ALL ITZ SIGHTS N' SOUNDS

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Eldar:

I loathe my dark kin

I loathe the orkish hordes

I loathe the mon'keigh

The Yngir even more

I loathe you all, worms

You are beneath my race

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Kharn:

I love betraying

I love to rip and tear

I love my chain-axe

Heads flying through the air

I love destroying

And punches to the face

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Tau:

I love my homeland

I love our high-tech suits

I love converting

And training new recruits

I love the Greater Good

And taming lawless brutes!

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Tzeentch:

I love all changes

To men and to their land

I love to teach them

More than their brains can stand

I love to ca-ckle...

... Just-As-Plaaaned

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Indrick Boreale:

I love the EMPRAH

I love to see STEHL REHN

I love SPESS MEHRENES

Be every ork in PEHN

I love BLUD REHVENS

And seeing ENEMEHS DIE

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Trazyn: I love collecting

Obryon: I love my warscythe's bite

Orikan: I love my visions

Orikan Empowered: AND WHEN THE STARS ARE RIGHT

Imotekh: I love my subjects

Despite their craziness

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Space Wolves:

I love Russ' beard

And ales of potent strength

I love riding wolves

and their enormous length

I love the whole fang

and every bar and drink

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Angry Marines:

I HATE THE EVERYTHING

FUCK SHIT ASS CUNT RAPE TEAR

BADGER SPLAT RAGE DESTROY

SOME ANAL BLEEDING THERE

I HATE THE XENOS

I KILL SHIT IN THE FACE

FUCK-DE-ASSHOLE FUCK-DE-ASSHOLE FUCK-DE-ASSHOLE FUCK-DE-ASSHOLE

Macha:

I love virginity

And being your waifu

I love the emperor

One day I'll be his too

I love the galaxy

It's such a silly place

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Eisenhorn:

I love the purging

I love the holy flame

I love the Emprah

I love his holy name

I love my day-job

Purging all over space

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Butthurt Casual:

I HATE GEEDUBYA

AND ALL THEIR JEWY WAYS

I HATE WARHAMMER

AND SPEHSS MEHREENS ARE GAY

I PLAY WARMAHORDES

IT'S THE SUPERIOR GAME

BOOM DE WHINING BOOM DE WHINING BOOM DE WHINING BOOM DE WHINING

Matt Ward:

I love your money

I love to rape the fluff

With decent rule sets

(ignore those Grey Knights buffs)

I love 40k

Except the Sisters stuff

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Black Templars:

I love my chainswords

I love to RIP AND TEAR

I love assault marines

Zerg Rushes EVERYWHERE

I love this crusade

I hope it never ends

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DA YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Sisters of Battle:

I love to burn things

All heretics will die!

With many meltas

And flamers they will fry,

I praise the emprah

New codex coming soon (?)

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Inquisition:

I love to purge things

Burn each and every witch!

And for the xenos

Exterminatus bitch!

We're inquisitors

They never expect us.

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Games Workshop:

I love more money

I love our cheap finecast

I love the pricehikes

Stick balance up your ass

I love you /tg/

We'll milk more money yet

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Dark Eldar:

I love your anus

I love to torture you

With many poisons

while dressed extremely lewd

I love hedonism

I don't see what's to hate

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Kroot:

I love Tau money

I love real special genes

I love to go fight

I love evolving things

I love this whole world

And all its tastiness

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Guardsman and Tyranids:

I love the- OH SHIT

WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?

DID IT JUST- EMPRAH, NO!

TO THAT POOR SPACE MARINE!?

WE NEED SOME BACKUP HERE!

OH FUCK, WE'RE GONNA DIE!

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

/tg/ Troll:

I love to shitpost!

I love to laugh at you!

I love my porn dumps!

Nude elven slave wat du

I love the whole board!

And all its stupid threads!

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Imperial Guard:

I love my lasgun

I love the Commissar

I love the xenos

And their blue tit -*BLAM*

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Adeptus Mechanicus:

I love the Admech

I love Machine Spirits

I love the Titans

And taking S.T.C's

I love Omnissiah

And all the servitors

01000010 01001111 01001111 01001101 00100000 01000100 01000101 00100000 01011001 01000001 01000100 01000001 00100000 01000010 01001111 01001111 01001101 00100000 01000100 01000101 00100000 01011001 01000001 01000100 01000001 00100000 01000010 01001111 01001111 01001101 00100000 01000100 01000101 00100000 01011001 01000001 01000100 01000001 00100000 01000010 01001111 01001111 01001101 00100000 01000100 01000101 00100000 01011001 01000001 01000100 01000001 00100000

Nurgle:

I love my cultists

I love to make disease

I love my Isha

I love all the plague fleas

I love concocting

Disease and rank decay

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

RPGfags:

I love my Shadowrun!

I love my Pathfinder!

I love to roll dem dice!

I love my Spellbinder!

I love the whole board!

And all its players too!

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Slaneesh:

I love all excess

Excess is what I do

Excesssive lettterrrsss

Excessive rhyming too

Excessive timing

Or meter, as some might like to refer to it

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Necrons:

...

...

...

...

...

...

(BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA)

Ahriman:

I love my knowledge

I love ancient magic

I love the webway

And how I walk right in

I love my legion

Sorry about that thing

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YACA

Genestealers:

I loved the emprah

His word was highest law

I love the Hive Mind

RIP AND TEAR with my claws

I love my brood kin

New masters of Mankind!

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Abaddon:

I love the Dark Gods

I love my Black Crusades

I hate Ursarkar

the defeat that he evades!

I will destroy that wretch!

Cadia will be mine!

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Kobold:

I love the mining

I love building the traps

I love my brethren

And our delightful yaps

I love our dungeon

It's such a comfy place

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Mary Sue:

I love myself duh

I love some people too,

But I am the best

At every thing I do!

And you love me now

Because I'm Mary Sue

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

3.5 fag:

I love the templates

I love the easy rules

I love the flame wars

'Cause 4e is for fools!

I love 3.5

It is all that I play

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Chaos Undivided:

We love our mortals

We love our terror eye

We hate the corpse-god

But soon he too will die

We're undivided

We want your mind and soul

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Fortress Dwarves:

I love the mining

I love the sweet deathtraps

I love plump helmets

And all those qt cats

I love my Armok

Blood for the God of Blood!

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

I love my anvil

I love my magma pools

I love to kill elves

'cuz fuck those knife-eared fools

I love my fortress

and all the burning cats

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Pvt. Linda Redshirt and soldier:

"I hate this planet

I hate my whole platoon"

"Look on the bright side

At least the coffee's good"

"That is the reason

I've yet to kill you all"

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Failbaddon:

I love despoiling

I love causing harm

I love blaspheming

I love both my clawed ar-

That joke is so old

I fucking hate you all

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

C. S. Goto:

I love my eldar

I love multilasers

I love... multilasers...

...

...

...

MULTILASERS MULTILASERS MULTILASERS MULTILASERS

Generic Cyberpunk Soldier:

I love my corp, man

I love the way they work

I love the fighting

And that I'll kill some jerk

I love cyberware

And all the 'punky things

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Emprasque:

I LOVE MY DOMAIN

I LOVE MY CHILDREN TOO

I HAVE TO SAVE IT

IT'S THE FIRST THING I DO

BUT I'M NOT A GOD

PLEASE STOP WORSHIPING ME

BOOM DE YADDA BOOM DE YADDA BOOM DE YADDA BOOM DE YADDA

Konrad Curze:

I love the darkness

I love hunting my prey

I love my bat wings

They really don't look gay

I love my raptors

But fuck the chaos gods

BOOM DE YADDA BOOM DE YADDA BOOM DE YADDA BOOM DE YADDA

Marneus Calgar:

I love blue armor

I love our powerfists

I love the Codex

And all of its dictates

I love avatars

And smashing them to bits

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Xeno:

I love my scarabs

I love my quiet friends

I love this song too!

I hope it never ends!

I love you /tg/

Without you I'd be blue.

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Monstergirl Fetishist:

I love this fetish

/tg/ has the best kinks

Other boards just stare

But who cares what they think?

I love this whole board

We're weirder than /d/

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Magnus the Red:

I crave all knowledge

I love my sorcery

I love the Emprah

I'm serving loyally

Watch out for Horus

OH FUCK IT'S THE SPACE YIFFS

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

Trazyn the Infinite:

I love my doubles

I love collecting things

I love Valeria

I love the gifts she brings

I love the galaxy

and all its rarities

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

/tg/:

I love the writefags

I love the RPGs

I love the troll threads

I love the energy

I love the whole board

It is the one for me

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA BOOM DE YADA

=== The False Emperor ===

(Spngebob Squarepants Theme)

Are ya ready cultists?

(Ay ay master!)

I can't hear you!

(Ay ay master!!)

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH

Who sits on the golden throne dead as can be?

(The false Emperor!)

No good, a weakling, a false god he be!

(The false Emperor!)

If glory and power be sometime you wish!

(The false Emperor!)

Then pledge to Nurgle or maybe Slaanesh!

The false Emperor!

The false Emperor!

The false Emp-eror!

=== The Twelve Days of Nidmas ===

On the first day of Nidmas the hivemind gave to me, a gargoyle on a spore tree.

On the second day of Nidmas the hivemind gave to me, two biovores and gargoyle on a spore tree.

On the third day of Nidmas the hivemind gave to me, three spore mines, two biovores and a gargoyle on a spore tree.

On the fourth day of Nidmas the hivemind gave to me, four harridans, three spore mines, two biovores and a gargoule on a spore tree.

On the fith day of Nidmas the hivemind gave to me five termagants, four harridans, three spore mines, two biovores and a gargoyle on a spore tree.

On the sixth day of Nidmas the hivemind gave to me, Six 'stealers stealing, five termagants, four harridans, three spore, mines two biovores and a gargoyle on a spore tree.

On the seventh day of nidmas the hivemind gave to me, seven lictors leaping, six 'stealers stealing, five termagants, four harridans, three spore mines, two biovores and a gargoyle on a spore tree.

On the eighth day of nidmas the hivemind gave to me, eight rippers ripping, seven lictors leapind, six 'stealers stealing, five termagants, four harridans, three spore mines, two biovores and a gargoyle on a spore tree.

On the ninth day of nidmas the hivemind gave to me, nine 'fexes screeching, eight rippers ripping, seven lictors leaping, six 'stealers stealing, five termagants, four harridans, three spore mines, two biovores and a gargoyle on a spore tree.

On the tenth day of nidmas the hivemind gave me, ten spine gaunts shooting, nine 'fexes screeching, eight rippers ripping, seven lictors leaping, six 'stealers stealing, five termagants, four harridans, three spore mines, two biovores and a gargoyle on a spore tree.

On the eleventh day of nidmas the hiveming gave to me, eleven mawlocks digging, ten spine gaunts shooting, nine 'fexes screeching, eight rippers ripping, seven lictors leaping, six 'stealers stealing, five termagants, four harridans three spore mines, two biovores and a gargoyle on a spore tree.

On the twelth day of nidmas the hivemind gave to me, twelve zoanthropes zapping, eleven mawlocks digging, ten spine gaunts shooting, nine 'fexes screeching, eight rippers ripping, seven lictors leaping, six 'stealers stealing, five termagants, four harridans, three spore mines, two biovores and a gargoyle on a spore tree.

===The Call([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-HyYklN55U to the tune of of the song of the same name])===

Echoes from the Istvaan 
Great hammers will fall 
Under rocket torn skys all will 
Answer the call 

Strike from the sky 
Ravens of yore 
All faces turn now to war 

Lord of the ash 
Fight through crimson glow 
Wolves of the north 
Howl your cry's of the snow 
Knights of Angels dark 
Fight beside your brothers right 

Bring us the strength 
Of metal and of Mars 
Heresy is rising! 

War will weather the souls of the lost 
Stand together whatever the cost 
Shields will falter and many will fall 
Time has come for us all 
To answer the call 

Pride of Inwit shore 
Guard the Fortress of the king 
Children of Macragge 
May your bolter's eternally sing 
Lords of blooded sky's 
May your contrails burn bight 

Bring us the Skulls 
Of the hunted and slain 
Shadows darken the Imperium's lands 

War will weather the souls of the lost 
Stand together whatever the cost 
Shields will falter and many will fall 
Time has come for us all 
To answer the call 

White gold 
Burning sky 
(For the souls of the lost) 
Purify 

War will weather the souls of the lost 
Stand together whatever the cost 
Shields will falter and many will fall 
Time has come for us all 
To answer the call 

===Horrible Histories: LITERALLY! (The Viking Song)===
Valkia the Bloody: 
Was the summer of Sigmarzeit 2293, 
When we sailed 'cross the great north sea, 

Norscan Marauder: 
Twin-tailed comet trailing 'cross the skies that night, 
Ya should have known somethin' wasn't right, 

Valkia the Bloody: 
We arrived 'pon the Nordland shore, 
And you offered friendship, 
But we'd rather kill you for Khorne, 
Yes, kill you for Khorne, woah, woah! 

Chorus: 
WE'RE TEARING UP THIS PLACE TONIGHT! 
LITERALLY! 
WE'E GONNA SET THIS LITTLE PROVINCE ALIGHT! 
LITERALLY! 

Valkia the Bloody: 
We'll kill and steal, 
Burn and drink, 
'Cause us Norscans don't care what you think, 
Woah, woah, woah! 

Valkia and Marauder: 
Let us in, wont you please? 
We're here to raid your Count's cities, 
We're primed and ready to attack, 
And we love how southlings try vainly to fight back, 
You'll die or become a slave to me, 
Though at times our slaves get chucked into the sea, 
When the boat's heavy, yeah, yeah! 

Chorus: 
YOU'RE GONNA LOSE YOUR HEAD, MY FRIEND! 
LITERALLY! 
ITS GONNA END UP ON KHORNE'S THRONE IN THE END! 
LITERALLY! 

Valkia the Bloody: 
And I'll drink a toast from your skull, 
'Cause we're Norscans! 
That's how we roll! 
Woah, woah, woah, 

Valkia: Play that axe, Ragnar! 

guitar solo* 

Chorus: 
WE'RE GONNA PAINT THE WHOLE TOWN RED! 
LITERALLY! 
WITH THE BLOOD OF THE DEAD! 
LITERALLY! 

Valkia: 
We'll kill you and take all you own, 
Get on our ships, go back home, 
Woah woah woah, 
We're goin' home, 
Woah, woah, woah, 
We're goin' home... 

===Monorail (the simpsons)===
*Crpytek: Well, sir, there's nothing on earth
*Like a genuine,
*Bona fide,
*Electrified,
*Six-gun
*Monolith!
*What'd I say?
*Necron 2xh5: Monolith!
*Crpytek: What's it called?
*Necron 45rg + 55rg: Monolith!
*Crpytek: That's right! Monolith!
*[crowd chants `Monolith softly and rhythmically]
*Necron 6h45: I hear those things are awfully loud...
*Crpytek: It glides as softly as a cloud.
*Necron h744: Is there a chance the track could bend?
*Crpytek: Not on your life, my flayed friend.
*Necron kr86: What about us brain-dead slobs?
*Crpytek: You'll be given cushy jobs.
*Necron 7j4f: Were you sent here by the devil?
*Crpytek: No, good sir, I'm on the level.
*Necron j68g: The trigger came off my tesla gun.
*Crpytek: Take my guass blaster, my good man.
*I swear it's Springfield's only choice...
*Throw up your hands and raise your voice!
*All: Monolith!
*Crpytek: What's it called?
*All: Monolith!
*Crpytek: Once again...
*All: Monolith!
*Homverlady: But Main Street's still all cracked and broken...
*Lord: Sorry, Mom, the mob has spoken!
*All: Monolith!
*Monolith!
*Monolith!
*[big finish]
*Monolith!
*Homverlord: Mono... D'oh!
!!'

===Men of Cadia(Men of Harlech)===
Tongues of fire from The Eye flaring, 
news of Chaos near declaring, 
to heroic deeds of daring, 
call you Cadians 

Groans of wounded civies dying, 
wails of 'tillery shrapnel flying, 
others in their fox-holes crying, 
for you Cadians 

Shall the Warp winds wailing 
now be unavailing 
to us who have never yet 
in battles hour were failing 

This our answer guns are pouring 
swift as winter torrents roaring 
not in vain their vox imploring 
calls on Cadians 

Loud the Commissars are shouting 
every manly heart is bounding 
as our colonel we surrounding 
march we Cadians 

Short the sleep the Traitors taking 
ere the morrows dawn is breaking 
they shall have a rude awakening 
roused by Cadians. 

Gov'ner cease your weeping 
Calm may be your sleeping, 
your planet in safety now 
The Cadians are keeping. 

Ere the Emprah high in heaven 
Alien and mutie, panic riven, 
shall like Heretic sheep be driven 
far, by, Ca-di-ans. 

===Turisas: The March of the Imperial Guard (The March of the Varagian Guard)===
The sun rose ove the wasteland 
As far as the eye can see 
Regiments fill the vast waste plains of this world 
It's avian predators jeering at me 

But they can circle until they drop dead 
I have not come this far 
To end, but to pursure my own thread 
To join the Imperial Guard! 

Guards of glory and of might 
Hard as steel and strong as brass 
Flies our banners as we march 
Across the galaxy, for the God-Emperor of Mankind 

There's men of Cadia and Valhalla 
A few of Tallarn 
Men simply searching for glamour 
Some concealing their royal descent 

The Emperor's hammer they have aptly named us 
All we've come from afar 
Diversity is what unites us 
We are the Imperial Guard! 

Guards of glory and of might 
Hard as steel and strong as brass 
Flies our banners as we march 
Across the galaxy, for the God-Emperor of Mankind 

Eastern Fringe, Segmentum Ultima 
In the 41st millenium of the imperial date. 

To the Ghoul Stars and beyond 
This is where Segmentum Command have us sent 
For fame and for gold 
We once set the warp for these worlds unknown 

Guards of glory and of might 
Hard as steel and strong as brass 
Flies our banners as we march 
Across the galaxy, for the God-Emperor of Mankind 

===Grand Gathas Of Tzeentch (Grand Gathas Of Baal Sin)===

GRAND TZEENTCH, BRINGERS OF MAGICK! 

Grand Tzeentch, bringer of magick 
Stun the norm, sublime ideas 
Builders of restless towers 
They grow to reach the Immaterium 

NINE... Nine daemons wreak havok 
NINE... Nine sorcerors ever defiant 

Reconstruction of the golden age 
Guided by winged feathered sages 
Metaphoric mirage of the ideal 
Materialize the spoken word 

NINE... Nine daemons wreak havok 
NINE... Nine sorcerors ever defiant 

Under the eye of Magnus 
And all the wise 
All the lords of changes 
With their liquid souls we're baptized 
Tzeentch! 
Caliphates of the truth 
Ahriman fee ein Il'adoo 

Polymaths are the ones who question 
Polymaths are the ones who hear 
Immaterium voices scream 
Awake and march to the next domain 

Under the eye of Magnus 
And all the wise 
All the lords of change 
We're baptized with their liquid souls 

Bringers of shadows 
Shun the mask 
That mask the illusion of the mass 

Grand Tzeentch, bringer of magick 
Stun the norm, sublime ideas 
Builders of restless towers 
They grow to reach the immaterium 

NINE... Nine daemons wreak havok 
NINE... Nine sorcerors ever defiant 

Magnus! 
Tzeentch! 

===You Win or You Die (game of throne theme song)===
The Eagle grasps what it can to preserve it's peace.

The Dragon consumes all before it in the East,

(Chorus)

A cold golden throne, holds a man centauries old,

A galaxy laced in lies,

You win or you die,

The Four bides there time in the great eye,

The Daughters must pay the warriors toll,

(Chorus)

A cold golden throne, holds a man centauries old,

A galaxy laced in lies,

You win or you die,

The ancients seek for purpose among there ruins

The youngest, await for there time to rise

(Chorus)

A cold golden throne, holds a man centauries old,

A galaxy laced in lies,

You win or you die

===What a wondaful Waaagh - Loys Armstronk===
[[File:LoysArmstronk.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Loys Armstronk]]

Oi see boyz of green, 
red wartrukks too. 
'umies go 'boom' 
for me an' you. 
An' I fink to myself: 
'What a wondaful Waaagh!'. 

Oi see Marines of blue 
an' bikes of white. 
Those beakie boyz they 
sure know 'ow to fight. 
An' I fink to myself: 
'What a wondaful Waaagh!'. 

Our stormboyz and deffkoptas, 
so orky in da sky, 
blast away da faces 
of humies goin' by. 
Oi see gits dyin' and sayin': 
'Wot do we do?' 
And then they's all sayin: 
'Oh, I'm froo.' 

I hear panzees cry, 
I watch 'em explode. 
They'll fight no more 
'cuz they wuz too slow. 
Then I fink to myself: 
'What a wondaful Waaagh!'. 

Yes, I fink to myself: 
'What a wondaful Waaagh!'. 

===Heil dir im Siegerkranz - Anthem of the German Empire===
[[File:Wilhelm2.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Like the Emperor had an ancient German cousin...]]

'''German''' 

Heil dir im Siegerkranz, 
Herrscher des Vaterlands! 
Heil, Kaiser, dir! 
Fühl in des Thrones Glanz 
Die hohe Wonne ganz, 
Liebling des Volks zu sein! 
Heil Kaiser, dir! 

Nicht Roß’, nicht Reisige 
Sichern die steile Höh', 
Wo Fürsten steh'n 
Liebe des Vaterlands, 
Liebe des freien Manns 
Gründen den Herrscherthron 
Wie Fels im Meer. 

Heilige Flamme, glüh', 
Glüh' und erlösche nie 
Fürs Vaterland! 
Wir alle stehen dann 
Mutig für einen Mann 
Kämpfen und bluten gern 
Für Thron und Reich! 

Handel und Wissenschaft 
Heben mit Mut und Kraft 
Ihr Haupt empor! 
Krieger- und Heldentat 
Finden ihr Lorbeerblatt 
Treu aufgehoben dort, 
An deinem Thron! 

Sei, Kaiser Wilhelm, hier 
Lang' deines Volkes Zier, 
Der Menschheit Stolz! 
Fühl' in des Thrones Glanz, 
Die hohe Wonne ganz, 
Liebling des Volks zu sein! 
Heil, Kaiser, dir!

'''Adepted version in English to suit the Imperium''' 

Hail to thee in victor's crown, 
Ruler of the fatherland! 
Hail to thee, Emperor! 
Feel in the throne's splendor 
The high ecstasy in full 
To be darling of thy people! 
Hail to thee, Emperor! 

Neither steed nor mounted knight 
Secure the towering height, 
Where princes stand: 
Love of the fatherland, 
Love of the free man, 
Create the ruler's throne 
Like crags at sea. 

Holy flame, glow, 
Glow and expire not 
For the fatherland! 
Then we all stand 
Valiant for one man 
Gladly fighting and bleeding 
For throne and empire! 

Service and faith 
Hoist with courage and strength 
Their chief aloft. 
Warriors' and heroes' deeds 
Find their laurel leaves 
Faithfully preserved 
Upon thy throne! 

Forever continuing to bloom 
Our flag may wave boldly 
On the high seas! 
Ha, how proud and majestic 
Casts over land and sea 
Widely the German eagle 
Its flaming gaze. 

Be, Emperor, here 
Thy people's ornament for many a year 
Humanity's pride! 
Feel in the throne's splendor, 
The high ecstasy in full 
To be darling of thy people! 
Hail to thee, Emperor! 

===Mr. Preacher Man===

It's nine o'clock on St.Sabat's day 
The regular crowd shuffles in 
There's a veteran sitting next to me 
Makin' love to his Gorsk White Gyn 

He says, "Son can you play me a memory 
I'm not really sure how it goes, 
But it's sad and it's sweet 
And I knew it complete 
When I wore the comissariat’s clothes" 

La la la, di da da 
La la, di da da da dum 

Sing us a song you're the preacher man 
preach us the gospel tonight 
Well we're all in the mood for some sanctity 
And you've got us feeling alright 

Now John at the bar is a friend of mine 
He gets me amasec for free 
And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke 
But there's someplace that he'd rather be 

He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me" 
As a smile ran away from his face 
"Well, I'm sure that I could be a Baneblade man 
If I could get out of this place" 

Oh, la la la, di da da 
La la, di da da da dum 

Now Paul is a war logs archivist 
Who never had time for a wife 
And he's talking with Davy, who's still in the Navy 
And probably will be for life 

And the servitor's praising Astartes 
As the vostroyans slowly get stoned, 
Yes they're sharing a drink they call loneliness 
But it's better than drinking alone! 

Sing us a song you're the preacher man 
Preach us the gospel tonight 
Well we're all in the mood for some sanctity 
And you've got us feeling alright 

It's a pretty good crowd for St.Sabat’s day 
And the magos gives me a smile 
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been coming to see 
To forget about life for a while 

And the vox-caster sounds like a carnival 
And the microphone smells like a seal 
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar 
And say "Man what are you doing here?" 

Oh, la la la, di da da 
La la, di da da da dum 

Sing us a song you're the preacher man 
Preach us the gospel tonight 
Well we're all in the mood for some sanctity 
And you've got us feeling alright 

===Chaotic Terror (Accept: Teutonic Terror - Khorne Edition)===

Back to the frontlines, back at the night 
Evil marauders back in the lights 
Back for the slaughter, the fuel of the flames 
The roar of the thunder, back in the game 
Storming the strongholds, swords in the air 
Killing Astartes in their own lair 
Lighting the thorches, setting the stage 
You get what you ask for... right in the face 

Six string chainswords 
And screams in the night 
War clubs pounding 
Living just for the fight 

So we drive, thru the night 
With the howling wind at our backs 
Riding on Chaotic Terror 
We will GIVE'EM THE AXE 
We will GIVE'EM THE AXE! 

String up the razors, sharpen the blades 
Tighten the skins up, no one escapes 
Crack up the grindstone, load up to sleds 
Saddle the Juggers, OFF WITH THEIR HEADS! 

Six string chainswords 
And screams in the night 
War clubs pounding 
Living just for the fight 

So we drive, thru the night 
With the howling wind at our backs 
Riding on Chaotic Terror 
We will GIVE'EM THE AXE 
For the roar of the crowd 
For the raging frontal attack 
Delivering the Chaotic Terror 
We will GIVE'EM THE AXE 
We will GIVE'EM THE AXE! 

''guitar solo'' 

Six string chainswords 
And screams in the night 
War clubs pounding 
Living just for the fight 

So we drive, thru the night 
With the howling wind at our backs 
Riding on Chaotic Terror 
We will GIVE'EM THE AXE 
For the roar of the crowd 
For the raging frontal attack 
Delivering the Chaotic Terror 
We will GIVE'EM THE AXE 
We will GIVE'EM THE AXE! 

===[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jgrCKhxE1s Through fire and flames - Farsight Enclaves]===
On a cold winter morning 
In the time before the light 
In flames of dead Ethereal's reign 
Deepstrike towards the fight 

When the darkness has fallen down 
and the times are tough alright 
The sound of evil laughter falls 
on Agrellan tonight 

Fighting hard, Crisis against steel 
Through the wastelands evermore 
The scattered souls will feel the hell 
Exterminatus on this world 

On the blackest plains in Hell's domain 
We watch them as they go 
Through the fire and pain and once again we know! 

So now we fly ever free 
We're free before the firestorm 
On towards the Enclaves 
Our quest carries on 

Far beyond Shadowsun 
Far beyond the Ethereals 
Deep inside our hearts and all our souls! 

So far away we wait for the day 
For the lives all so wasted and gone 
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days 
Through the fire and flames the Enclaves carry on! 

As the red day is dawning 
And our jetpacks crack the sky 
They'll raise their hands to the heavens above 
With resentment in their eyes 

Jetting back through the midmorning light 
there's a burning in my heart 
We're banished forever from the Tau empire 
To a life beyond the stars 

In your darkest dreams see to believe 
Our destiny is time 
From the Ethereals we'll be free tonight! 

And on the wings of a dream 
So far beyond Damocles Gulf 
All alone in desperation 
Now the time has gone 

Lost inside you'll never find 
Lost within Farsight's mind 
Day after day this exile must go on! 

So far away we wait for the day 
For the lives all so wasted and gone 
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days 
Through the fire and flames the Enclaves carry on! 

[guitar solo]

Wo-o-oah,wo-o-oah,who-o-o-o-oah! 
Wo-o-oah,wo-o-oa,who-o-o-o-oah! 

[guitar solo]

Now here we stand with their blood on our hands 
We fought so hard, now can we understand 
I'll break the seal of this curse if I possibly can 
For freedom of e-very Tau! 

So far away we wait for the day 
For the lives all so wasted and gone 
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days 
Through the fire and flames the Enclaves carry on! 

===Powerwolf - Amen and Attack===

In nomine veritas 
In nomine filii et patris 
In nomine veritas 
Et sanctus 
Amen and Attack 

Stand your ground against the storm
And honor those who've died 
Eins zwei amen & attack 
Army of the Emp’ror sworn 
Defenders of the right 
Drei vier - amen & attack 

When the night is cold and black 
We sing amen & attack 
And we lead the storm of the wild 
With our comrades at our backs 
Scream it! Amen & attack 
And we fight with God on our side 
Amen & attack 
Amen & attack 

Send the daemons from this world 
No place where they can hide 
Eins zwei amen & attack 
Make them pray or make them pay 
It's time to stand and fight 
Drei vier - amen & attack 

When the night is cold and black 
We sing amen & attack 
And we lead the storm of the wild 
With our comrades at our backs 
Scream it! Amen & attack 
And we fight with god on our side 
Amen & attack 
Amen & attack 

===[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_izvAbhExY Stayin' Alive - Knight Porphyrion (Bee Gees)]===

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, 
I'm a ranged knight: no time to charge. 
Cannons loud and barrels warm, I've been stomped around 
Since I was born. 
And now it's all right. It's OK. 
And you may duck under cover. 
We can try to understand 
The Porphyrion' effect on flesh. 

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a monster, 
I'm stayin' alive, stayin' alive. 
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin', 
And I'm stayin' alive, stayin' alive. 
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive. 
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive. 

Well now, AP low and Strenght high, 
And if I can't get either, I really try. 
Got the AV Fourteen on my shoes. 
I'm a shooty Knight and I just can't lose. 
You know it's all right. It's OK. 
I'll live to see another day. 
We can try to understand 
The Porphyrion's effect on flesh. 

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a monster, 
I'm stayin' alive, stayin' alive. 
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin', 
And I'm stayin' alive, stayin' alive. 
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive. 
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive. 
 
"He ignores cover. Somebody help me. 
Somebody help me, yeah." 
"He ignores cover. Somebody help me, yeah. 
Stayin' alive."

===[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v--IqqusnNQ Life on Mars - The Burning of Prospero (David Bowie)]===
[[File:No_comments.png|thumb|400px|right|Magnus did WHAT?!]]
It's a god-awful small affair 
To the girl with the shaven head 
But the Red King is yelling, "No!" 
And her Emperor's told her to go 
But the Fifteenth's nowhere to be seen 
Now she walks through her sunken dream 
To the seat with the clearest view 
And she's hooked to the holoscreen 

But Prospero's a saddening bore 
For she's lived it ten times or more 
She could shoot in the eyes of fools 
As she cancels their powers as... 

Witches fighting in the main hall 
Oh man! 
Look at those wizards go 
It's the freakiest show 
Take a look at the Wolfman 
Beating up the wrong guy 
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know 
He's in the best selling show 
For the Emperor! 

It's on Lorgar's tortured brow 
That Angron has grown up a cow 
Now the astartes have struck for fame 
'Cause we go make war again 
See the army in their million hordes 
From Nuceria to Roboute's worlds 
Reaching Terra is out of bounds 
For my Emperor, dog, and town 

But Prospero's a saddening bore 
'Cause I fought it ten times or more 
It's about to be fought again 
As I ask you to focus on 

Witches fighting in the main hall 
Oh man! 
Look at those wizards go 
It's the freakiest show 
Take a look at the Wolfman 
Beating up the wrong guy 
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know 
He's in the best selling show 
For the Emperor! 

===[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSH--SJKVQQ The man who sold the world - The Primarch who sold the world (David Bowie)]===

We passed upon the warp 
Spoke of was and when 
Although I wasn't there 
He said I was his friend 
Which came as some surprise 
I spoke into his eyes 
I thought you died alone 
Murdered on Eskrador 

"Oh no, NOT ME 
I never lost that duel 
You're face to face 
With Alpharius Omegon" 

I laughed and shook Dorn's hand 
And made my way back home 
I searched for Arkhan Land 
For years and years I roamed 
I gazed a gazer stare 
We marked a million hills 
We must have died alone 
A long long time ago 

Who knows? 
Not me 
We never lost control 
You're face, to face 
With Alpharius Omegon the

===Andrew Gold - Spooky Scary Skeletons===
Spooky scary Space Marines 
Send chainswords through your spine 
Shrieking skulls will shock your soul 
Seal your doom tonight 
Spooky scary Space Marines 
Bellow such a prayer 
You'll shake and shudder in surprise 
When your meatshields aren't all there 

We're so sorry Space Marines 
You're so misunderstood 
You only want to purge xenos 
But I don't think you should 
'Cause spooky scary Space Marines 
Shout startling war-cant screams 
They'll drop-pod from their Watch-Fortress 
And just won't leave you be 

Warriors beyond equal 
Will kill, what's all the fuss? 
Power armour will keep them safe 
As Chaos' schemes they foil 
Spooky scary Space Marines 
Are clever all the same 
They'll smile and put you to the sword 
And on you lay the blame 

Because spooky scary Space Marines 
Fight for the Emperor 
If you try to hurt Mankind 
You'll hear their bolters roar 

===Weird Al - Weasel Stomping Day===
Faces filled with joy and cheer 
What a magical time of year 
Howdy Ho! It's Xenos Stomping Day 

Put your Marine helmet on 
Spread that mayonaisse on the lawn 
Don't you know it's Xenos Stomping Day? 

All the little girls and boys 
Love that wonderful crunching noise 
You'll know what this day's about 
When you stomp a Xenos' guts right out 

So, come along and have a laugh 
Snap their alien spines in half 
Grab your boots and stomp your cares away 
Hip hip hooray, it's Xenos Stomping Day 

[Sounds of xenos getting stomped on, with bone-crunching and Tau-screeching effects] 

People love them down the street 
Crushing xenos beneath their feet 
Why we do it, who can say? 
But it's such a festive holiday 

So let the stomping fun begin 
Bash their Alien skulls right in 
It's tradition, that makes it okay 

Hey everyone, it's Xenos Stomping 
We'll have some fun on Xenos Stomping 
Put down your Lasgun, it's Xenos Stomping Day 
Hip Hip Hooray, it's Xenos Stomping Day 

Xenos Stomping Day 
Hey! 

===Emperor of the Universe/ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEJ8lpCQbyw Princes of the Universe (Queen)]===
Here I am, born to be Emperor 
Im the Emperor of the universe 
Here I belong, fighting to survive 
In a world with the darkest powers 
Heh 
And here I am, Im the Emperor of the universe 
Here I belong, fighting for survival 
I've come to be the rulers of you all 

I am immortal, I have inside me blood of Emperors, yeah, yeah 
I have no rival, no man can be my equal 
Take me to the future of you all 

Born to be Emperor, Emperor of the universe 
Fighting and free 
Got your world in my hand 
I'm here for your love and I'll make my stand 
I was born to be Emperor of the universe 

No man could understand 
My power is in my own hand 
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, people talk about you 
People say you've had your day 
I'm a man that will go far 
Fly the moon and reach for the stars 
With my sword and head held high 
Got to pass the test first time, yeah 
I know that people talk about me, I hear it every day 
But I can prove them wrong 'cause I'm right first time 
Yeah, yeah 
Alright, let's go, let's go, ha ha 
Yeah, watch this man fly, wooh 
Bring on the Sisters, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon 
Here I am (here I am) 

Born to be Emperor, Im the Emperor of the universe 
Here I belong 
Born to be Emperor, Emperor of the universe 
Fighting and free, got your world in my hand 
I'm here for your love and I'll make my stand 
I was born to be Emperor of the universe (universe, universe, universe) 

===Ghostbusters Theme: The Deathwatch===

If there's something strange on the eastern front 
Who you gonna call? (The Deathwatch!) 
If it's from the Warp and it don't look good 
Who you gonna call? (The Deathwatch!) 

They shall know no fear. 
They shall know no fear. 

If you're seeing Nids, breaking through the fort 
Who you gonna call? (The Deathwatch!) 
An invisible Tau sneaking through your base 
Oh, who you gonna call? (The Deathwatch!) 

They shall know no fear. 
They shall know no fear. 

Who you gonna call? (The Deathwatch!) 
If you stand alone, kick you astropath 
And call. (The Deathwatch!) 

They shall know no fear. 
I hear it likes the Guard. 
They shall know no fear. 
Who you gonna call? (The Deathwatch!) 

Mmh... if you're getting tons 
of the freaky 'Crons, baby, 
you better call the Deathwatch. 

PURGING MAKES ME FEEL GOOD! 
I SHALL KNOW NO FEAR! 

Don't you fight alone, oh no... (The Deathwatch!) 
When you're facing a Waagh 
Unless you wanna die some more 
I think you better call The Deathwatch! 

Oh, who you gonna call? (The Deathwatch!) 
Who you gonna call? (The Deathwatch!) 
Louder! The Deathwatch! 
Who you gonna call? (The Deathwatch!) 
Who you gonna call? (The Deathwatch!) 

===[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdSXXwkuaT0 Undertale Hard Drive: Fulgrim's Istvaan V]===

Ferrus, I can show you where Horus hides 
on the dark sands 
of Istvaan V 
Yeah I'm dancing with your soul in my sights 
It's a showdown 
on the Drop Site 
Horus' date drugs got me out of my mind 
like my new sword 
from the Laeran 
And our minis got us frozen in time 
like a portrait 
in the dying light 

I’m dreaming like no Primarch ever could 
There’s my name! Up in lights! 
Your weapon skill won't suffice baby! 

I’m sorry I'm a better smith than you 
Raise the stakes! Pick a fight! 
You'll need that IWND, baby! 

You got a lot of nerve brother 
for this Dark Age we are now living in 
You’ve got a lot to learn, Primarch 
Do you really think you'll defeat me? 

Ferrus, I can show you where Horus hides 
on the dark sands 
of Istvaan V 
Yeah I'm dancing with your soul in my sights 
It's a showdown 
on the Drop Site 
Horus' date drugs got me out of my mind 
like my new sword 
from the Laeran 
And our minis got us frozen in time 
like a portrait 
in the dying light 

Chemosian personality 
Phoenician fabulosity 
With treason, bloodshed, and intrigue! 
Give the astartes what they need! 
A star! For humanity! 
My face! on a million screens! 
Now turn your heel but don’t you flee 
And indulge in heresy 

Get a load of my sword skills 
Strut my stuff, you know I’m glammorin’ 
You're gonna have to hold your head 
Do you really think that I won’t win?!? 

Ferrus, I can show you where Horus hides 
on the dark sands 
of Istvaan V 
Yeah I'm dancing with your soul in my sights 
It's a showdown 
on the Drop Site 
Horus' date drugs got me out of my mind 
like my new sword 
from the Laeran 
And our minis got us frozen in time 
like a portrait 
in the dying light 

Like a portrait 
in the dying light... 

===[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHc_HtssAqM The Pitiful Humans]===

[TECH PRIEST] 
 
You were always quite the weakling 403 
Then we invaded 
And you upgraded 
Ba-da-ba-ba 
Woah 
403, it's true that I found you 
But look around you 
Woah 
 
All your comrades are so incomplete 
You can't see it, but they're all in pain 
Their operating system's obsolete 
So let's complete the chains 
And get inside those brains 
 
Let's save those pitiful humans 
 
[SOLDIERS] 
Woah 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
Let's save those pitiful humans 
 
[SOLDIERS] 
Woah 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
Let's teach those pitiful humans, who just haven't a clue 
Just what to do 
Help them to help you 
 
[SOLDIER 421] 
Ah, yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah! 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
Can you see the vision clearly, 403? 
Soldiers embracing and interfacing 
Beep boop beep boop 
Shiny, new augmentics clanging sweetly 
 
[SOLDIER 421] 
Yeah 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
Gone is human error and fear 
 
[SOLDIER 421] 
Beep bop boo beep bop boo beep bop boo beep 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
Every issue tucked away so neatly 
If you feel a sob or tear 
Just turn that knob, and switch that gear 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
Let's save those pitiful humans 
 
[SOLDIER 421] 
Yeah 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
Let's save those pitiful humans 
 
[SOLDIER 421] 
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah! 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
Let's teach those pitiful humans 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
Who just haven't a clue 
Just what to do 
Help them and soon this will be you 
 
[ALL] 
Let's save those pitiful humans 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
Rap beep beep bop 
 
[ALL] 
Let's save those pitiful humans 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
Re bop bo beep bop bo beep bop bo 
 
[ALL] 
Let's teach those pitiful humans, who haven't a clue 
 
[TECH PRIEST] 
If that's what we do 
If that's what we do 
Then 
 
[ALL] 
Everything about us is going to be powerful 
 
[SOLDIERS] 
Give hail to the Omnissiah 
 
[ALL] 
Everything about us is going to be so advanced 
 
[SOLDIERS] 
All hail to the Omnissiah 
 
[Tech Priest] 
You won't be fragile and impure 
 
[ALL] 
Not pitiful fleshbags anymore 
'Cause 
Everything about us is going to be cool 
When... we... rule! 

===Pure Annihilation (The Exterminatus Song): Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory===

[INQUISITOR] 

Hold your breath. 
Make a wish. 
Push the button. 

Come with me and you'll be 
In a world of pure annihilation 
Take a look and you'll see 
Into this annihilation 

We'll begin with their sin 
Bombarding their eldritch creation 
Heresy 
that's beyond toleration 

If you want to view paradise 
Simply look around and view it 
Anything you want to, do it 
Wanna change the world? 
There's nothing to it 

There is no life I know 
That survives this 
Pure annihilation 
Dying there, we'll be free 
From your Xenos tyranny 

You wanted to view paradise 
This is your last chance to view it 
Anything you want to, do it 
Watch us change the world. 
There's nothing to it 

There is no life I know 
That survives this 
Pure annihilation 
Dying there, we'll be free 
From your Xenos tyranny 

===Take me home warpspace routes (John Denver; Take me home country roads)===

Almost heaven, Holy Terra 
Golden hivespires and pollutant rivers 

Life is old here, older than the trees 
Humanities birthright, growing like a breeze 

Warpspace routes, take me home 
To the place I belong 
Holy Terra, Sector Solar 
Take me home, warpspace routes 

All the Imperium, built around her 
Proud grey lady, stranger to blue water 

Grey and dusty, Luna in the sky 
Mist the taste of ashes 
Teardrops in my eye 

Warpspace routes, take me home 
To the place I belong 
Holy Terra, Hive Augusta 
Take me home warpspace routes 

I hear His voice 
The Astronomicon it guides me 
His light reminds me 
of my home far away 

And on my warpace road 
I get a feeling 
That i should praise Him 
Ev´ryday, Ev´ryday! 

Warpspace routes, take me home 
To the place I belong 
Holy Terra, sector solar 
Take me home warpspace routes 

Warpspace routes, take me home 
To the place I belong 
Holy Terra, sector solar 
Take me home warpspace routes 

Take me home warpspace routes 

Take me home warpspace routes 

===Oh Nalwood of Tanith (Flower of Scotland)===

Oh Nalwood of Tanith, 

When will we see 

Your like again, 

That fought and died for, 

Your wee bit Hill and Glen, 

And stood against them, 

Foul Chaos' Armys, 

And sent them homeward, 

To think again. 

The Hills are burnt now, 

And Nalwood trees 

lie burned and charred , 

O'er World that is lost now, 

Which those so dearly held, 

That stood against them, 

Foul Chaos' Armys, 

And sent them homeward, 

To think again. 

Those days are past now, 

And in the past 

they must remain, 

But we can still rise now, 

And be the First again, 

That stood against them, 

Foul Chaos' Armys, 

And sent them homeward, 

To think again. 

Oh Nalwood of Tanith, 

When will we see 

Your like again, 

That fought and died for, 

Your wee bit Hill and Glen, 

And stood against them, 

Foul Chaos' Armys, 

And sent them homeward, 

To think again. 

===Die Young (Kesha)===

I see your knees quake at sound of their guns 
Oh, what a shame that they're gonna kill everyone 
So while we're taking up arms 
Let's make the most of this fight cause we're gonna die young 
We're gonna die young 
We're gonna die young 
Let's make the most of this fight cause we're gonna die young 
Let's make the most of this fight cause we're gonna die young 

Flak coat, laser gun 
Bolt or melta would be fun 
Fightin' Orks, takin' heat 
Dyin' till we hear retreat 
Commissar watching so we're sticking around (you know) 
He's BLAMing anyone not holding their ground (fo sho) 

Waiting on some armor support (yeah) 
A Leman Russ or Chimera escort 
Or it'll be the last night of our lives (uh huh) 
We'll keep fighting till we die 

I see your knees quake at sound of their guns 
Oh, what a shame that they're gonna kill everyone 
So while we're taking up arms 
Let's make the most of this fight cause we're gonna die young 
We're gonna die young 
We're gonna die young 
Let's make the most of this fight cause we're gonna die young 
Let's make the most of this fight cause we're gonna die young 

Catachans, taking shots 
Gunning down those filthy grots 
Light em' up, gettin' hot 
Kill them, give it all you've got 
It's pretty obvious we're gonna get crushed (you know) 
Flamers and burnas are about to combust (fo sho) 

Waiting on some armor support (yeah) 
A Leman Russ or Chimera escort 
Or it'll be the last night of our lives (uh huh) 
We'll keep fighting till we die (till we die) 

I see your knees quake at sound of their guns 
Oh, what a shame that they're gonna kill everyone 
So while we're taking up arms 
Let's make the most of this fight cause we're gonna die young 
I see your knees quake at sound of their guns 
Oh, what a shame that they're gonna kill everyone 
So while we're taking up arms 
Let's make the most of this fight cause we're gonna die young 
We're gonna die young 
We're gonna die young 
Let's make the most of this fight cause we're gonna die young 

Gorgutz WAAAGH- FireWAAAGH (Orky Firework)

d'os yas ever feel like a worthless grot
Gettin' stomped by 'umies
'anna Grow Again
D'os yas ever feel so weak
Like a 'umies skull
One blow from 'aving in

d'os yas ever feel 'lready stomped in 'eep
six 'eet unda WAAAGH. but no git 'eems to 'ear a t'ing
d'os yas 'now dat deres 'till a spot for yas
c'os deres a klaw in yas

yas 'ust otta pull da kord
And let er rip
Just Chopp da 'umies
Just like da red gobbo's night

'ause Zog it yas a Warboss
Come on stomp dem umies
Make dem gits go Gah, Gah, GAH
As yas Chopp em into bitz

Zog it yas a Warboss
Come on let ya shoota burst
Make dem gits go Gah, Gah, GAH
Yas gonna leave em gitz in bitz, bitz, bitz

Yas duzzint gotta 'eel loike a 'asted Ork
Yas a Speshal git, kannot be 'eplaced
If yas only 'new wot da future 'olds
Afta a grot iz stomped a umie iz chopped

'aybe a 'eason all da doorz iz clozed
So yas 'ould open da one dat leads yas to da perfect Trukk
Loike Gorkz eye, yas choppa 'ill glow
and wen itz toime yas will 'now

yas 'ust otta pull da kord
And let er rip
Just Chopp da 'umies
Just like da red gobbo's night

'ause Zog it yas a Warboss
Come on stomp dem umies
Make dem gits go Gah, Gah, GAH
As yas Chopp em into bitz

Zog it yas a Warboss
Come on let ya shoota burst
Make dem gits go Gah, Gah, GAH
Yas gonna leave em gitz in bitz, bitz, bitz

boomz boomz boomz
even broighta dan da bad moonz moonz moonz
itz always been insoide a yas
now itz toime to let itz 'trough 'trough 'trough

'ause Zog it yas a Warboss
Come on stomp dem umies
Make dem gits go Gah, Gah, GAH
As yas Chopp em into bitz

Zog it yas a Warboss
Come on let ya shoota burst
Make dem gits go Gah, Gah, GAH
Yas gonna leave em gitz in bitz, bitz, bitz

boomz boomz boomz
even broighta dan da bad moonz moonz moonz
boomz boomz boomz
even broighta dan da bad moonz moonz moonz

===Roboute - Rasputin (Boney M)===
(This uses the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLo02AquUCs Turisas cover] music.)
<pre>
There lived a certain man
out on the eastern fringe
He was big and strong
but he kinda liked to winge
His father found his world
gave him twenty thousand men
put them in to squads
no more or less than ten

He could breach the armor of titan
Sword aflame with vengeful fire
But he also wanted to be leader
Of his own empire

Rah Rah Roboute
family name was Guillimeen
He was a man who looked like a god

Rah Rah Roboute
Leader of the Space Marines
He would make sure that humans lived on

He wrote a bunch of words
Said the legions had to go
When his brothers heard
They all just shouted no
He swung his mighty blade
Fought Fulgrim to the death
But he wasn't very good
And got wounded in the neck

He was put into a stasis chamber
Kept alive, a feat of awe
All the while building newer armies
Through his good friend Cawl

Rah Rah Roboute
family name was Guillimeen
He was a man who looked like a god

Rah Rah Roboute
Leader of the Space Marines
He would make sure that humans lived on

But when the darkness and terror of chaos spilled out into the galaxy
The demands to awaken this great man became louder and louder

We need his kind again
Said elfish chick Yvraine
So she woke him up
Pulled the poison from his veins
When he saw what had become
His heart was full of rage
So he gathered all his men
For Indomitius Crusade

He went to the golden throne of Terra
knelt to the emperor and said
If I save us from this chaos terror
Shit is going to change

Rah Rah Roboute
family name was Guillimeen
He told the chapters what to avoid

Rah Rah Roboute
Leader of the Space Marines
Said the codex was null and void

Rah Rah Roboute
family name was Guillimeen
He sent them all brand new hovertanks

Rah Rah Roboute
Leader of the Space Marines
And put primaris into their ranks
</pre>

=horus the warmaster (jesus christ superstar)=
(from the point of a loyalist son of horus)
Ev'ry time I look at you
I don't understand
Why you let the things you did
Get so out of hand
You'd have managed better
If you'd had a better plan
Yet why'd you choose the chaos gods
to take the emperors land?

If you'd come early
You could have conquered a whole nation
imperial space in M30
Had no mass communication

(Don't you get me wrong)
Don't you get me wrong
(Don't you get me wrong, now)
Don't you get me wrong
(Don't you get me wrong)
Don't you get me wrong
(Don't you get me wrong, now)
Don't you get me wrong

Only want to know
(Only want to know, now)
Only want to know
(Only want to know)
Only want to know
(Only want to know, now)
Only want to know

horus the
horus the
In the warp, What did you see??
horus the
horus the
In the warp, What did you see??
horus the
warmaster
Are you as great as they say you are?
horus the
warmaster
Are you as great as they say you are?
Tell me what you think
About your 3 friends at the top
Now who d'you think besides yourself
Was the pick of the crop?
Emperor was he where it's at?
Is he where you are?
Could emperor make a legion
Or was that just PR?
Did you mean to die like that?
Was that a mistake or
Did you know your heresy
Would be a history maker?
Don't you get me wrong
(Don't you get me wrong, now) Don't you get me wrong
(Don't you get me wrong) Don't you get me wrong
(Don't you get me wrong, now) Don't you get me wrong
==Stuff that doesn't even need a rewrite...==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efup3SWRBOA Rats (Ghost)]

==See Also==

*[[RIDIN ON A TRUKK]], an Orky version of "On A Boat"

*[[Little Boxes]], using the tune of the song of the same name, singing about [[METAL BOXES]]

==External Links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uj8h4SCsnE Video of Salve Regina: A Templar Chant]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=RSu4hOLYrXk Video of Pocahontas: Savages]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3fvr589x9s&feature=related Video of The Prince of Egypt: Playing with the Big Boys]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=_0Nm0vf1W9Q Video of The Prince of Egypt: The Plagues]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0AiN8vrn9Y Video of the Lion King: Be Prepared]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=irp8CNj9qBI Video of Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=5wON8-glDb0 Video of Robert Browning's poem My Last Duchess]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=4Pbl4x1OKqs Video of Ozzy performing Hellraiser]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=WLenuBXt2RE Video of Nancy Sinatra: These Boots Were Made for Walking]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=S5nw1-_5-Vk Video of My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=jgqxQmAbTBc Video of Iron Maiden: The Trooper]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=n9C4fj5CfvA Video of Harvey Andrews: British Soldier]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=pxyhmx-DT44 Video of Will Smith: Men in Black]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=0Y9ZQsAgveI Video of Sabaton: Wolfpack]
*[http://www.asoldierschristmas.com Not a Video of A Soldier's Christmas]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as0VmtpZVqM Video of Dixie]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Si8beWhBkg Video of Everyone Has Aids]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CRsXv7QVfE Video of A British Tar]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBe0VCso0qs Video of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5kbBxv9XPo Video of Ain't no rest for the Wicked]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQJoKXhx-HM March of Cambreadth]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dzH0z1_-hY Video of RWT's Football]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKsVSBhSwJg&feature=relmfu Video of Bed Intruder]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujzp9ffPwPM When You're Evil]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-kp-B9XZFc Nuclear Attack]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9rQmyAxS3U The Wurzels: Combine Harvester]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=req-oDf2ZRc Video of Accept: Teutonic Terror]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jgrCKhxE1s Through fire and flames]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-uV72pQKI Video of Pure Imagination, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory]
----
*[http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/19009314/ suptg archive thread for the grimdark songwriting]
[[category:warhammer 40,000]]
[[category:Meme]]
[[category:Copypasta]]

Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Blood Angels

2023-02-26T20:40:42Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:C5B1:DFB5:E2DA:268: /* Elites */

Please note that this is the tactics for 8th edition Blood Angels. Their current tactics can be found [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Blood Angels (9E)|here.]]
==Why Play Blood Angels==
The Space Marines are the steadfast heroes of the Imperium. By their martial prowess and valor is Mankind preserved from extinction at the hands of a galaxy filled with unimaginable terrors. As one of the oldest and most revered of all Space Marine Chapters, the Blood Angels have stood at the forefront of humanity's defense for over ten thousand years. With bolter and chainsword they hold the foes of Mankind at bay in an unending battle for survival. Yet the Blood Angels are touched by a terrible flaw that threatens to undo their endless centuries of heroism, a dark madness that only strength of will can hope to contain.

The Blood Angels are the masters of war in all its forms, but they excel in the savage arena of close assault above all others. Every Battle-Brother feels the lure of hand-to-hand combat boiling in his blood - only eye-to-eye and blade-to-blade with the foe can the dark beast within the Chapter's collective soul be given full reign. Caution is not the Blood Angels' way, and it cannot be yours. Assault Squads, Death Company, Sanguinary Guard - these are the spearhead of your host, but the rest of the army must follow close behind. Stormraven Gunships roar over the battlefield, bringing fresh troops into the maelstrom. Tactical Squads make their implacable advance, heavy weapons fire scouring the bastions of the foe, and tanks spur forward to spit death at the enemy from point blank range. The Blood Angels are an army fit only for the boldest of generals. Do you have what it takes to lead them to victory?

===Pros===
*Currently considered one of the best melee factions in 8th edition.
*With the universal Astartes updates, Blood Angels now not only hit hard (thanks to Red Thirst), but also hit ''often'' - whilst the Assault Doctrine is active.
*You like any of these things: The colors red, gold, white and black, jump packs, assault, angels, vampires, blood, flamers, melta weapons, and going fast.
*The [[Blood Angels]] have a really strong alpha strike.
*Lots of ways to actually get into melee.
*The vast majority of squads and vehicles that were previously not available to Blood Angels now are. Only a select few, such as Centurions remain unavailable. This means you can refine your armies even more.
*We can also take jump packs on a few units that codex chapters can't.
*Death Masks now can reduce enemy to hit by 1 in close combat via stratagem.
*Furioso and Death Company Dreads are cool
*Great characters who give multiple bonuses, such as re-rolling charges, extra attacks, and allowing the Death Company to ignore morale.
*Red Thirst giving us flat +1 to wound in close combat when charging/charged/intervened as well as +1 to advance and charge distance is one of the best army-traits.
*You will be hard pressed to find better allies for other imperial armies. Brigades with lots of imperial guard infantry, maybe a few tanks here and there, and a ton of command points will give you all the support you need.
*Unique artificer style nipple armor
*The new Primaris Mephiston model is even more op
===Cons===
* Nothing to get to Assault Doctrine faster.
* Vulnerable to opponents with strong overwatch.
* Vulnerable to opponents capable of denying your charge.
* Sanguinius is one of two loyalist Primarchs along with Ferrus to have been confirmed dead. So unless GW pulls some BS Deus ex Machina, BA will be the only Astartes codex without a Primarch of their own.
* You're still Space Marines and just as vulnerable to anything that can counter your vanilla counterparts.
* Your army relies on a lot of internal synergy, thus losing effectiveness after taking losses very fast.
* You're going to have idiots complain about how it's "completely underpowered still" as well as opponents complain how it's "absolutely broken now".
* Wringing out the most of your units is important as opposed to head on charges.
* As with any assault-focused army, your strengths in assault often run counter to the mission you are playing. You're basically a one-trick pony, if you're not maneuvering to assault then you're not playing to any of your strengths.
* The enemy expects you to rush in and charge so they have the advantage of preparing for it.
* Despite the fluff, you can't ally with Necrons.

==Special Rules==
*'''Black Rage''': Add 1 to the Attacks of a model with this rule that charged in the preceding Charge Phase. In addition, roll a D6 after every wound, on a 6 the damage is ignored. Rip and tear indeed.
*'''Jump Pack Assault''': Allows you to deploy any models with a jump pack at the end of any movement phase, provided you stay at least 9" away from the nearest enemy model. (Combine with Lemartes for great alpha-strike)
*'''The Red Thirst''': The iconic Blood Angel trait and one of their strongest rules has only gotten better thanks to the recent release of Psychic Awakening: Blood of Baal. In any turn in which a unit with this ability charged, was charged, or made a Heroic Intervention, you may add 1 to its wound rolls in the fight phase. In addition, units with this special rule may add 1 to their advance and charge rolls.
**The flat +1 bonus to wound rolls means you'll be wounding T4 on 3s or possibly wounding T4 on 2s if you manage to get +1 Strength from a buff (such as a Blood Chalice). This also means that if you charge or are charged, you'll wound anything in the game on a 5+. ANYTHING. Simply put, this chapter tactic is extremely good at making a Space Marine army very choppy. Our red marines won't do as many attacks as a Khorne Berzerker but we hit way harder.
**This makes power axes, and especially power swords, more relevant. Fists, mauls, and hammers are no longer the only way to reliably wound things. A power sword under the Red Thirst will never wound worse than a 5+, whilst having AP-3, all for 4 points. Remember ABC, “always be charging.”
**Who needs Lascannons when you have the wrath of a demigod pumping through your veins?
**The bonus to charge distances helps guarantee your melee units reach their targets without wasting precious command points. An absolute gift for terminators and Jump infantry arriving from deep strike.
**This seems to pair with the Phobos style Master of the Vanguard warlord trait, giving all Phobos units +2 to advance and charge, making Reivers a very appealing option with Infiltrators tucked away in cover. Since we don't get AP-1 and bonus attacks on the shooters and choppers until turn 3, increased movement will always help. Other chapters can do this like the Raptors and customized chapters with the Hungry for Battle tactic, but nobody else except only Berzerkers can bring an equal amount of melee output (Space Wolves get very close, White Scars still the fastest).
*'''Fury Within''': A variant of Red Thirst specifically for the {{W40kKeyword|Flesh Tearers}}. In addition to the +1 to wound rolls of the Red Thirst, unmodified 6s to wound with a melee weapon improve that weapon's AP by 1 (e.g. AP0 becomes AP-1).
**Flesh Tearers are not as fast as their parent chapter, but can hit harder. Sadly, this does not seem to stack with the bonuses from Assault Doctrine, though it does not require Assault Doctrine to be active.
*'''Defenders of Humanity''' Same "ObSec with the serial numbers filed off" that every other Space Marine codex has. All troops with the keyword {{W40kKeyword|Blood Angels}} control the objective within three inches regardless of how many enemy models are within the same distance.
*'''Angels of Death''': A shorthand rule for datasheets combining And They Shall Know No Fear, Bolter Discipline, Shock Assault and Combat Doctrines.
**'''And They Shall Know No Fear''': Re-roll failed morale tests. Great for when your close combat goes awry.
**'''Shock Assault''': A new rule which is introduced in the BA Codex in the wake of the 2019 Codex: Space Marines - if a unit with this rule charges, gets charged, or performs a Heroic Intervention, models in the unit gain +1A until the end of the turn. All Astartes warriors will enjoy this new rule, though Blood Angels may wring the most use out of it as it complements our already highly melee-focused army. Shock Assault provides a healthy increase in the volume of attacks while The Red Thirst makes them all hit harder - all you need is a power sword and fairly cheap Veterans or Death Company will hack down everything.
**'''Bolter Discipline:''' We 2nd Edition now. Astartes and Heretic Astartes models using a Rapid-fire bolt weapon can take double the normal attacks (2 for bolters, 4 for storm bolters, etc) if at least one of the following is true:
***Target is in half range
***The firing model didn't move during the previous Movement Phase
***The firing model is a {{WH40Kkeyword|Terminator}}, {{WH40Kkeyword|Biker}}, {{WH40Kkeyword|Centurion}}, {{WH40Kkeyword|Dreadnought}}.
::This can help a gunline, but why do you care about shooting things? That said, it's useful if you take Intercessors, Scouts or Tactical Squads for baby-sitting objectives, and also decent on shooty Terminators.

*'''Combat Doctrine''': Feel like it's 7th edition all over again, and Blood Angels can join in. Each of the three Combat Doctrines gives an AP-1 buff to different weapon types in your armies (non-cumulative with buffs from other sources). You have to use each Doctrine in order, starting with the '''Devastator Doctrine''', and once you switch there's no going back, so pay attention to the rhythm of the game. Your ''army'' gains this if ''all units in it'' have this rule, meaning taking a Guardsman Battalion or even a single Assassin CP'd in right before the battle would prevent the SM detachment from getting this rule, but allied SM detachments are ok even from a different chapter.
*On top of that, Chapter supplements give First Founding Chapters (and their descendants) a Specialist doctrine that is a bonus active on top of the regular doctrine. Bringing chapters with different specialist doctrines prevents either from getting theirs.
*These nifty rules will make your marines more efficient killers, but their rotation makes them predictable - devastate -> advance -> assault. Savvy opponents may try to break LoS to force movement penalties on your heavy weapons, rush for melee while you're still under the ranged doctrines, then fall back when you're finally under the assault one, scale buildings, etc. As such, don't be predictable yourself. Remember, you don't need to switch doctrines on the same turn they become available: surprise drop pod a target turn one or advance your infantry under cover of Devastation while your enemy remains confined to their hiding spots turn 3, what have you. The doctrines are as follows:
**On Turn 1, your army will always start with the '''Devastator Doctrine''' turned on, giving all your Heavy and Grenade weapons the extra -1 AP so that you can soften entrenched infantry and cripple enemy vehicles from afar in preparation for your advance. Remember the first points of AP are the most important ones: AP-2 Heavy Bolters and Assault Cannons are more noticeable than AP-4 Lascannons. Do keep in mind the plethora of sniper rifles and Heavy Flamers (Incendium/Inferno/Flamestorm cannons) are Heavy Weapons too. The boost to Grenades matters only to Intercessors for the most part.
**On turn 2, you can switch to '''Tactical Doctrine''', shifting the boost to your Rapid Fire and Assault weapons. Be it to close the distance to the enemy or because your vehicles are about to give their last, this mostly passes the ranged baton to your infantry. And a bolt rifle going from AP-1 to AP-2 is more noticeable than a lascannon going from AP-3 to AP-4. Storm bolters and plasma guns work wonders here.
**On any turn after that (i.e. turn 3 minimum, or 2 with one CP, the perfect time for your Jumpacks), you can shift to '''Assault Doctrine''', giving the extra AP to your Pistol and Melee attacks. Don't. Forget. Your. Pistol. The first point of AP is the most important one - chainsword/CCWs benefit the most, while AP-4 on a sword can become excessive.
***As of the 27/02/2020 FAQ, you must change from Devastator to Tactical on turn 2, and then you can either stay in Tactical for turn 3 or immediately switch to Assault. Since you're playing Blood Angels, this probably isn't going to change how you play that much.
*'''Savage Echoes''': While the Assault Doctrine is active, add 1 to the Attacks of models that charged, were charged, or Heroically Intervened. Yes, this ''does'' stack with Black Rage and Shock Assault, so your Death Companies will be able to spit out a disproportionately high number of attacks for their unit size. Don't forget the regular marines: Scouts, assault troopers, and intercessors are rocking 4 attacks, 3 on tacticals. Makes for some added punch in the later stages of games when your scrapping over objectives with smaller squads and/or a single sergeant.
**Turn 3 charges are absurd this time around. Hang back in LR crusaders or use Jump Packs and let loose turn three; frankly, it's like 7th when trying to add up and account for all the modifiers and +1s your marines will be under, but when you get it right, you will crush everything. If your not tabled by turn 3, your deep strikers will utterly change the game if you combo everything perfectly.

==Stratagems==
To access the complete list of Blood Angel Stratagems, you will need The Blood Angel Codex and Psychic Awakening: Blood of Baal. Please note that Blood of Baal does not invalidate existing stratagems the way that Codex Space Marine 2019 did, at least not until we get a FAQ saying otherwise.

===Codex Blood Angels===
====Codex Space Marines 2017 Copypastes====
*'''Armour of Contempt (1 CP):''' Gives a vehicle a 5+ save vs Mortal Wounds for a phase, used right before a vehicle would take a Mortal Wound.
*'''Auspex Scan (2 CP):''' Allows a single friendly unit to fire on an enemy unit within 12″ of one of your Infantry units when it is set up on the battlefield with a -1 to-hit modifier. Basically, the return of the Interceptor rule.
*'''Cluster Mines (1 CP):''' Used when a Scout Biker unit falls back from combat. On a 2+, they deal D3 Mortal Wounds to a unit within 1″ before they leave combat.
*'''Datalink Telemetery (1 CP):''' This stratagem is used when a Whirlwind fires on an enemy target within 12″ of one of your Land Speeders. The Whirlwind’s attacks automatically hit the target.
*'''Empyric Channeling (1 CP):''' Used at the start of the psychic phase if a Blood Angels Psyker is within 6″ of at least 2 other Blood Angels Psykers. The Psyker can immediately attempt to manifest one additional power and when he does so, adds +2 to the test.
** Hilariously awful and so incredibly situational as to be practically useless - between 3 Librarians you can literally cast every available power anyway (and if they're within 6" of each other then its not like they're going to be out of range of their target), and a single model can't cast Smite more than once (and even if they could it'd be at a ''-3'' penalty).
*'''Flakk Missile (1 CP):''' Used when a Blood Angels Infantry model with a Missile Launcher fires at an enemy unit with the Fly keyword. Add +1 to the hit roll, and if the target is hit, you deal D3 Mortal Wounds instead of the normal damage.
*'''Hellfire Shells (1 CP):''' Used when firing an Infantry model’s Heavy Bolter. Instead of firing normally, fire one shot and on a successful hit you deal D3 Mortal Wounds to the target. Use this to get past tough units like Daemons, damaged vehicles, and units with a good Invuln save.
*'''Honour the Chapter (3 CP):''' Select a Blood Angels Infantry or Biker unit to fight for a second time at the end of the Fight phase.
** Expensive but awfully useful. BA are a calculating army, and you almost always don't want to get bogged down in combat. Finish off the first target and move on to the next, and plan your consolidations in advance. We also have tough as nails characters, this helps them finish of other characters with invuln saves and what not. The more active your army is the better.
*'''Killshot (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem in the shooting phase if a Predator is within 6″ two other Predators. Add 1 to the wound rolls and damage of all of the attacks of each Predator if they target a Vehicle or Monster.
** Now only effects baseline Predators, not Baal or Deimos patterns. Because we're just not allowed to have fun, are we?
*'''Linebreaker Bombardment (1 CP):''' Used in the shooting phase if a Blood Angels Vindicator is within 6″ of at least two other Vindicators. Instead of firing normally, they pick a point within 24″ of all three tanks and every unit within 3″ of that point takes 3D3 Mortal Wounds on a 4+ adding +1 if they contain 10 or more models and subtracting 1 if they are a character.
*'''Masterful Marksmanship (1 CP):''' This stratagem is used when a unit of Sternguard with Special Issue Boltguns shoots. They add 1 to their wound rolls in that shooting phase.
*'''Only in Death Does Duty End (2 CP):''' Use this strat when a Character in your army dies, before removing the model they can either shoot as if it were the shooting phase or fight as if it were the fight phase.
*'''Orbital Bombardment (3 CP):''' This stratagem is used once per battle, if your Warlord doesn’t move or fire their weapon normally, they may select a point on the battlefield visible to him. Every enemy units within D6″ of that points takes D3 Mortal Wounds on the roll of a 4+. Characters are hit on a 5+.
*'''Tactical Flexibility (1 CP):''' Allows you to Combat Squad a unit of 10 Blood Angels that have the rule, splitting them up in to two 5 man units.
*'''Wisdom of the Ancients (1 CP):''' Gives a Blood Angels Dreadnought a Captain's 6" re-roll 1s to-hit aura for that phase.
**This includes your Chaplain and Librarian dreads. Very good for Libby dreads in the combat phase since it lacks a huge amount of shooting. Also works on a Redemptor, which is handy for when you need to overcharge a Macro Plasma Incinerator.

====Codex: Blood Angels Exclusive====
*'''Armoury of Baal (1/3 CP):''' The “extra Relics” stratagem. Your relics are all solid choices (well, aside from the Archangel's Shard), so the 3 CP version may actually be a good choice this time.
*'''Behold the Golden Host (1 CP):''' Used after a Blood Angels unit with a Death Mask is set up on the battlefield; until the start of your next turn, the range of their Death Mask ability is increased to 12″. Very situational, but can be a real threat. Best used if you have some units in close combat or shooting that are guaranteed to make a good amount of damage. Deep strike a unit of Sanguinary Guard and activate this Stratagem to make the following Morale Tests extra painful for several units at once.
*'''Death Visions of Sanguinius (1 CP):''' Use when mustering your army. Select any non-Primaris generic Captain, Chaplain, or Lieutenant; they gain the Death Company keyword and the Black Rage ability that comes with it. This can be a nice way to make your character even more killy and durable by giving him the Black Rage bonuses.
** Combine with gift of foresight warlord trait, and you have 5+++ rerolling 1s.
*'''Descent of Angels (2 CP):''' Used in the Charge phase for a Blood Angels Jump Pack unit that has been set up on the battlefield that turn. They roll 3D6 for their charge instead of 2D6. This is an ability that is not to be taken lightly. Getting off charges the turn you arrive from deep strike is key, you can figuratively break your opponents with well timed charges. Now, keep in mind, this doesn't apply to terminators, who also can't benefit from Lemartes' re-roll for charges, so sanguinary guard/vanguards/death company are your focus. Keep the terminators in a land raider.
**This brings your odds of pulling off a deep strike charge up to 74%, but you can't use this stratagem on multiple units in the same phase; Lemartes can help fix this for Death Company, bringing your odds up to 93.28%. Combine with Upon Wings of Fire, below, for maximum shenanigans.
**Also makes it much easier to launch a long distance charge. So, if you brought a 15 man squad of death company, you can potentially tie up whole portions of your opponents army by simply getting one model stuck in
*'''Forlorn Fury (2 CP):''' Used before the first Battle Round, but after the game begins; a unit of Death Company Infantry may move and advance as if it were the Movement phase. A Round 0 move will work wonders in getting them into charging distance. Especially useful for a Jump Pack unit, meaning 13-18" extra movement in turn 0.
**2 Command points is taxing indeed, so use this strategy as a backup plan. Leaving a single MSU unit of DC with a hammer or two, maybe swords but preferably completely stock, will keep your opponent honest and will give you the easy option of a quick kill. Can also clog up choke points on the battlefield and/or tie up important footslogging blobs allowing your own army room to position. Consider the unit entirely expendable as chaplains/Lemartes can't tag along but this stratagem can surprise people.
**Works wonderfully with the Death Company Intercessors from Blood of Baal, move them to a midfield objective and they will hold that for the next decade while double tapping with Bolter Discipline the whole time
*'''Lucifer-Pattern Engines (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem after declaring an advance with a Blood Angels Vehicle (other than a Dreadnought or a vehicle that can Fly). Increase its movement by 6″, rather than rolling. If the unit is a Baal Predator, increase their movement by 6+D6″. Would be a lot better if you had more ground vehicles with assault weapons, since it turns a vehicle into a temporary bike.
**Why hello Relic Sicarian...did you know red ones go faster? *primes red spray paint*

*'''Red Rampage (1 CP):''' Used in the fight phase to give a Blood Angels Character that charged in the charge phase 1d3 additional attacks for the duration of the fight phase. Given that charging will cause Red Thirst to kick in, this means your character will be able to throw out even more attacks that wound on nothing worse than a 5+, but it's obviously best on characters that hit a lot already.
**Mephiston with Quickening and this adds 2d3 extra s10 ap-3 d3 damage attacks that wound everything up to toughness 9 on 2s...holy shit it won't matter if there can be only one, there's gonna be nothing left!
**Anyone in your HQ section will enjoy this for 1 CP, even the techmarines riding next to your BAAL predators. This is part of the combo which allows Jump Pack characters to kill greater demons!
*'''Strike of the Archangels (2 CP)''': On the turn you set up a Blood Angels Terminator, it can re-roll all failed rolls to hit. A bit pricey for 2 CP, because either you are taking a shooty unit of Terminators to make guaranteed use of this Stratagem (meaning you're burning a lot of CP on mostly storm bolters, and not using your chapter tactic), or hitty ones, and due to the difficulties you'll have getting your Terminators to pull off a charge, one has to ask why you're not employing a Terminator Ancient or Chaplain instead. Because it costs 2 CP, not really worth it to buff a single character, either. Seemingly replaced by Fury of the First with PA (not Pennsylvania).
*'''Upon Wings of Fire (2 CP):''' Use in the movement phase before moving a Blood Angels unit with a jump pack. You can remove it from the battlefield and deep strike it elsewhere, with the typical limitations. '''''Awesome''''', because this gives you so much flexibility! Reacting to an enemy deep striking unit? Done. Shifting over to a critical objective in the last moment? Done. Redistributing buffs? Done. Astorath can trigger his Mass of Doom, then redeploy to give his other bonuses to another group of units. The only limit is your imagination when you soar UPON WINGS OF FIRE.
*'''Vengeance for Sanguinius (1 CP):''' Used in the Fight phase when one of your units fights a Heretic Astartes. For each hit roll of a 6+, you generate one additional attack. If fighting against Black Legion units, you generate additional attacks on a 4+. The extra attacks cannot also trigger extra attacks.
**Hilariously and fittingly, this includes Abbadon. That armless failure can't catch a break.
**Combine this with Astorath's Mass of Doom to generate the attacks on 5+ and 3+, respectively, provided you aren't using Power Fists or Thunder Hammers.
***Conversely, ''never'' combine this with a unit of hammers or fists ''without'' the Mass against not-Black Legion; you'll be incapable of rolling the 6s you need.

===Psychic Awakening: Blood of Baal Exclusives===
====Codex: Space Marine 2019 Copypastes====
*'''Duty Eternal (1 CP):''' When a {{W40Kkeyword|Dreadnought}} is chosen as the target for an attack, until the end of the phase, it reduces all damage taken by 1 to a minimum of 1. You'll likely be needing it more than most because you want your dreads knee-deep in bodies. Great on a librarian warlord dread with Gift of Foresight, especially when using invuln psychic power, making them super durable to all forms of attacks (Invuln save, FNP, damage reduction, character protection).

*'''Masterful Marksmanship (1 CP):''' When a Sternguard Squad shoots, it adds 1 to wound rolls with its special issue boltguns.
**+1/6 to wound on a BS3 unit equals +0.11 wounds per shot, regardless of the target. At most this is 10 Sternguard at 15" do +2.2 wounds the enemy might still save. While not that much, Sternguards are a solidly fun unit and a few couple extra casualties could make the difference when attacking a priority target, like Berzerkers going your way. Just don't expect them to solo a Leman Russ, is what we're saying.
**This ''can'' stack with Catechism of Fire, which can provide a minimum of 4+ to wound for a unit of Sternguard. Combined with the Tactical Doctrine to get AP-3, this can be the bane of other Marines and even serve to poke vehicles.

*'''Fury of the First (1 CP):''' A {{W40Kkeyword|Terminator}} unit gains +1 to hit until the end of that phase. Now TH/SS doesn't NEED to be babysat by a Chaplain, and Tactical termies can use it in their shooting phase as well.

*'''Hunter-slayer Missile (1 CP):''' A variation on the flakk Missile Stratagem for dealing mortal wounds to big targets. Target an enemy vehicle or monster within 48" of a {{W40kKeyword|Repulsor}} and not within 1" of an ally. Roll a dice. If it is equal to or greater than the Repulsor's Ballistic Skill (meaning it ignores [[Eldar|modifiers to hit]]), the enemy unit takes d3 mortal wounds. One use per Repulsor.

*'''Bolt Storm (2 CP):''' At the start of the shooting phase, pick a squad of {{W40kKeyword|Intercessors}}. Until the end of the phase, that squad's Auto bolt rifles automatically hit if they target an enemy within half range.
**Effectively multiplies your Intercessors' shooting by 1.5x, but most importantly it completely negates BS penalties and it's nice extra damage before melee.

*'''Rapid Fire (2 CP):''' At the start of the shooting phase, pick a squad of {{W40kKeyword|Intercessors}}. Until the end of the phase, that squad's Bolt rifles become Rapid Fire 2.
**Better 2x multiplier than the Auto Bolt Rifle's Bolt Storm's 1.5x from further away and with better AP. If you run a squad of 10, you are looking at 40 S4 AP-1 shots at 15", or AP-2 at 30" with Bolter Discipline and Tactical Doctrine, as the codex demands. That is some good dakka.

*'''Target Sighted (3 CP):''' At the start of the shooting phase, pick a squad of {{W40kKeyword|Intercessors}}. Until the end of the phase, that squad's stalker bolt rifles gain the ability to snipe Characters and cause mortal wounds on a wound roll of 6+. Costs 2 more than the Specialist Detachment version of the same name, however no longer requires the veteran upgrade meaning you don't need to lock in 1 CP before the battle.
**Rather expensive for something Eliminators do better (S5)...on the other hand, Eliminators can't really be spammed and the ludicrous firepower of 10 Stalker Intercessors can drop a Lieutenant. If with 3CP you can kill a character your enemy relies on then, by all means, go ahead.

*'''Big Guns Never Tire (1 CP):''' Select a {{W40Kkeyword|Vehicle}}; until the end of the phase, that unit does not suffer the penalty for moving and firing heavy weapons.

*'''Transhuman Physiology (2 CP):''' Select something with the {{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Astartes}} keyword that is not a {{W40Kkeyword|Vehicle}} or Servitor, until the end of the phase, when resolving an attack made against that unit, an unmodified wound roll below a 4+ always fails, irrespective of the abilities the weapon or model may have. ''S10 attack? Effective T10 marines aw yee''.

*'''Vengeance of the Machine Spirit (2 CP):''' If a {{W40Kkeyword|Land Raider}}, Stormraven, or {{W40Kkeyword|Repulsor}} is destroyed, it can either auto-explode, shoot one last time, or attack in melee one last time. In the latter two cases, it acts as if it was at the top bracket of its damage chart.

*'''Steady Advance (1 CP):''' Move an {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} unit and Bolter Discipline will be applied as if they remained stationary.

*'''Hammer of Wrath (1CP):''' {{W40kKeyword|Jump pack}} models within a unit that successfully end a charge move within 1" of an enemy unit cause mortal wounds on a 5+. Makes your big units of assault marines/VV punch much harder.

*'''Gene Wrought Might (1 CP):''' When a {{W40Kkeyword|Primaris Infantry}} unit from your army has chosen to fight, until the end of the phase, when resolving an attack made with a melee weapon a hit roll of 6+ automatically hits and wounds.

*'''Veteran Intercessors (1/2 CP):''' AKA that specialist detachment stratagem from Vigilus part one. +1 attack, +1 leadership to a unit of {{W40kKeyword|Intercessors}}. Costs 1 for a 5 man unit, and 2 for a unit of 6 or more.
**Compared to the Indomitus Crusaders version of these stratagems, they're more expensive but they don't need to pay entry CP, which does matter when spammed (20 Vets cost 3CP vs 4CP), and their bolt-variant strats aren't restricted to Veterans. Until GW retcons that formation away, of course.

*'''Hero of the Chapter (1 CP):''' Select a {{W40Kkeyword|Character}} from your army that's not your warlord and determine a warlord trait for it.

====Blood Angel Exclusives====
*'''Visage of the Damned (1 CP):''' Use in the Fight phase on a Blood Angels unit that has the Death Mask ability. Until the end of the phase, units that attack that unit get -1 to hit. This is important! This gives Sang Guard much needed durability.

*'''Refusal to Die (1 CP):''' Use in any phase after the Death Company are targeted with an attack. Until the end of the phase, when they take a wound, roll a D6; on a 5+, that wound isn’t lost. You can only use this once per turn. Return to previous levels of refusing to feel pain. You can even use it on Slamguinius if you chose Artisan of War over Gift of Foresight, but still want to weather some blows.

*'''Death on the Wind (1 CP):''' Use in the Fight phase. Pick a Sanguinary Guard unit. Until the end of the phase, when you resolve an attack for a model in that unit, damage results of 1 become 2s. They are wielding some of the greatest power weapons ever forged, after all.

*'''Unbridled Ardour (1 CP):''' Use in the Charge phase to let a Blood Angels unit Heroically Intervene as though it were a character and move up to 6” when doing so.

*'''Explosive Judgment (1 CP):''' Use in the shooting phase to give a unit of Sanguinary Guard re-rolls to wound with Angelus boltguns for a phase and their targets don’t get the benefit of cover. Helps keep the squad cheap by temporarily upgrading the cheapest guns.

*'''Chalice Overflowing (1 CP):''' Use in your Movement phase to let a Sanguinary Priest use his Narthecium ability an extra time and you can double up targeting a unit with Narthecium in a turn. Pourin out the good stuff for the fallen homies. Aggressors will never die, bring the banner to ensure!

*'''Honoured by Baal (1 CP):''' Lets you give a Blood Angels relic to a successor. A copypaste in form, if not in name.

*'''Savage Destruction (2 CP):''' {{W40kKeyword|Flesh Tearers}} only. Target one enemy unit during the fight phase. Every time you kill a model in that unit, that kill counts as two for the sake of morale. If you already have an edge over the enemy, this might just let you wipe them entirely.

*'''Aggressive Onslaught (1 CP):''' {{W40kKeyword|Flesh Tearers}} only. Select one {{W40kKeyword|Flesh Tearers Infantry}} during the fight phase and give them 6" pile-in distance. Quite helpful as this will guarantee that all your troops are in the heat of battle rather than standing around gormlessly and getting shot. 15 man DC will use this often and to great affect.

==Tactical Objectives==
;11 - Valour of the Angels
: 1 VP for killing an enemy Character in the Fight Phase, d3 VP if the model that did the killing was a Character.
;12 - Aerial Assault
: 1 VP for destroying an enemy unit that turn when the last model in the unit was removed by an attack made by a unit that has the FLY keyword. d3 VP if the unit in question arrived as reserves on the turn it got the kill.
;13 - Purity Through Bloodshed
: 1 VP if you destroyed an enemy unit in the Fight Phase and the killing attack was made by a Blood Angels unit. If 3 or more units were destroyed, it's d3 VP, and if 6 or more units were destroyed it becomes d3+3 VP.
;14 - Decapitating Strike
: When drawing the objective, determine which of your opponent's characters has the highest Power Rating; if there's a tie between multiple characters, choose one of them. If that character is slain on the turn you get the objective, gain 1 VP.
;15 - Swift Advance
: 1 VP if 3 or more of your units Advanced this turn. Easy.
;16 - Noble Self-Sacrifice
: 1 VP for each of your characters that is slain this turn. Ask yourself a question: is losing your beatstick or a vital support character worth the VP you get in exchange? On the flip side keeping this in your hand can make your opponent feel like they fucked up if they kill one of your characters, or better yet can psych out a timid opponent (or one who's too clever for their own good) into avoiding them altogether - either way you win.
*This can also turn a game around ''really'' quickly if you just feed your opponent weaker supporting characters - go ahead and Banzaii that mob of Orks with nothing but a gaggle of techmarines.

==Psychic Powers==
In addition to Smite, Blood Angels get access to the '''Sanguinary Discipline.'''

'''<big>Sanguinary</big>'''
This contains 2 worse-than-Smite Mortal Wounds powers, 2 buffs for a target Blood Angels unit within 12", and 2 buffs that are self-only, meaning you shouldn't ever need more than one librarian for buffing and one for being its own beatstick.

#'''Quickening''': WC 7. Add 3 to the advance and charge rolls made by the Psyker, and make d3 additional attacks in the fight phase, until your next psychic phase. Remember, psychic is after movement, so this won't make you advance faster until the following turn; accordingly, a lot more useful for buffing a charge you're about to make, but still of somewhat limited use, since it's self only. Cast this and Wings on your librarian dreadnought and watch him zoom across the board to smack something. Highlander references optional. Never forget the attacks!!!!
#'''Unleash Rage''': WC 6. Select a Blood Angels unit within 12", and they gain +1 Attack. Oh joy! Better with larger squads. Extra cheesy now with the new Shock Assault special rule - Death Company with chainswords will chuck out '''7 attacks each''' on the charge. A 15 man blob of DC kitted out like this will churn out 90 attacks in a single round of combat. Who says we can’t deal with hordes? You won’t even need to fire your pistols.
#'''Shield of Sanguinius''': WC 6. Select a Blood Angels unit within 12" and gift them a 5++ until the next Psychic Phase. Death Company with 5++? Yes, please! Also useful on any and all vehicles; Librarian Dreadnoughts especially benefit from an decent invuln.
#'''Blood Boil''': WC 6. Select an enemy unit within 6" and roll 2d6, comparing against the highest toughness value in the unit. If the roll ''exceeds'' that value, the unit suffers 1d3 mortal wounds. If the total is ''more than'' double, the mortal wounds become an automatic 3. Like most non-Smite powers, significantly worse than Smite in the vast majority of cases, especially since its ultra short range means you generally can't use it to murder something Smite would ignore; after accounting for its worse chance to be cast, this only beats Smite against T2 or T1 targets, although it's only slightly worse against T3.
#'''Blood Lance''': WC 6: Select a visible enemy model within 12". Draw a line between the psyker and the model. Roll a d6 for each ''model'' (friend or foe) the line crosses; on a 5+, the model's unit suffers a mortal wound. This can potentially hit a unit multiple times, so it's best used on hordes with lots of models in them. Don't forget, you can draw the line from any part of your base to any part of the target's, so draw from opposite sides to maximize coverage, as a general rule. Because the line is defined as between the two models, and it seems unlikely the power is intended to hurt the caster, this can't hurt the target; because it is harder to cast than Smite, you need to draw the line over at least 8 models to probably do at least as well as Smite would have done, although 7 models isn't ''drastically'' worse than Smite.
#'''Wings of Sanguinius''': WC 5. Praise the Angel, it is back! The psyker can immediately move as if it were your movement phase, but his Move characteristic is also increased to 12" (this is RAW, so it's not clear what happens if his Move was already greater than 12; since you don't have access to librarian bikers, this is unlikely to come up) and he gains the {{W40Kkeyword|fly}} keyword until the start of your next Psychic phase (this also means he can shoot if he Fell Back in his Movement phase, of course, since he'll have {{W40Kkeyword|fly}} in the Shooting phase). In addition, whilst this power is in effect, you can re-roll failed charge rolls for the psyker. Awesome, now your flying [[Librarian Dreadnought]]s are actual flyers! Just watch out for those anti-air weapons, though. Combining this with a jump pack librarian will allow you to deep strike in, then move within 3" of the opponent for an inferno pistol shot, then charging with near perfect odds. Remember to cast Unleash Rage before hand along with Red Rampage CT for 4 + D3 attacks. Don't even bother with quickening. You can even load up on other Gimmicks such as the Angels Wing relic, Slamguinius Build, and Descent of Angels to maximize charging and killing potential.

'''<big>Obscuration</big>'''

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

#'''Temporal Corridor (WC6)''': Pick a friendly {{W40kKeyword|Adeptus Astartes}} {{W40kKeyword|Phobos}} unit within 3". It can move as if it was the movement phase; it must advance and cannot fall back, but when advancing it rolls 3d6 and picks the highest for the distance it advances. Cannot be used on a given unit more than once per psychic phase. HELLO Reivers!
#*Slightly more situational than Warptime, but no less amazing for it.
#'''Soul Sight (WC6)''': Pick a friendly {{W40kKeyword|Adeptus Astartes}} {{W40kKeyword|Phobos}} unit within 18". Until the start of your next psychic phase, that unit re-rolls all failed hits when using their ranged weapons. Also allows attacks from ranged weapons to ignore cover.
#'''Shrouding (WC6)''': Pick a friendly {{W40kKeyword|Adeptus Astartes}} {{W40kKeyword|Phobos}} unit within 18". Until the start of the next psychic phase, enemies can only shoot that unit if they're the closest target as if the unit was a Character.
#'''Hallucination (WC6)''': Select a visible enemy unit within 18". Its Ld is reduced by 1. The opponent must also roll 2d6, and if the result is higher than the unit's Ld all its hit rolls take a -1 penalty.
#'''Tenebrous Curse (WC6)''': Select a visible enemy unit within 18" that does not have the {{W40kKeyword|Fly}} keyword. It takes a mortal wound. Additionally, its Movement stat is halved, as is all of its advance and charge rolls.
#'''Mind Raid (WC6)''': Select a visible enemy unit within 18". It takes a Mortal Wound. If your army is Battle-Forged and the power targeted a character, roll 3d6. If the result is greater than or equal to the target's Ld, you get a free Command Point! Will make Conscript Spammers and Renegades and Heretics Players scream in fury as the rerolling dread destroys their mindraided infantry horde.

==Litanies of Battle==

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

* '''Litany of Hate:''' Default prayer, 6" aura of re-rolling all melee hit rolls (not just misses) for your chapter.
*'''Invocation of Destruction:''' Your chapter-exclusive Litany. Lets one unit of {{W40kKeyword|Blood Angels}} who roll a nat 6+ to wound in melee get AP-4. This is bloody hilarious when you pull it off, but since this doesn't factor in any modifiers you'll probably not use it much unless you get a Master of Sanctity.
#'''Litany of Faith:''' 6" aura of FnP 5+++ vs mortal wounds for friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Blood Angels}} units. Not cumulative with other rules, as per usual (but stated regardless).
#*Extra protection vs witchery. Will help with whatever goes through the Librarian. Also makes your plasma vehicles more durable when firing plasma, and your company vets more durable when bodyguarding. A 2/3 chance of a 1/3 chance to ignore damage is equal to 2/9, so this is slightly (4/3) ''better'' than a 6+++ FnP, with the caveat that it only works on Mortal Wounds.
#'''Catechism of Fire:''' Select a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Blood Angels}} unit within 6". +1 to the wound roll when "resolving a shooting attack" against the ''closest'' enemy unit, meaning it affects Overwatch, too.
#*''Nasty'' with flamer Vets/Aggressors - generally better the less the gun relies on S or range to get work done. ''"Of Fire", get it?'' Deepstrike/transport them next to a chaplain who was already on the field.
#*Combine with Masterful Marksmanship (and careful target selection) to let your Sternguard wound MEQ on a 2+. It also lets sniper rifles proc Mortal Wounds on 5+ to wound, but only when targeting the nearest foe.
#'''Exhortation of Rage:''' Select a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Blood Angels}} unit within 6". Their ''unmodified'' 6s to hit in melee generate another attack with that weapon, which cannot proc extra attacks itself. Good when you already have a Captain/CM/second Chaplain giving you a re-roll and their aura would overlap with the Chaplain's.
#*If you're already betting on exploding 6s, use it alongside '''Death to the Traitors''' or even '''Gene-wrought Might'''.
#'''Mantra of Strength:''' He'll show you how it's done. +1A +1S to the Chaplain, and +1D to his melee weapons. ''D3 Crozius!''
#*'''Smash Chaplain:''' Combine it with the 'Benediction of Fury' relic crozius (WS2+ S7 AP-2 D4) to kill characters, or a Master-crafted Power Fist for (S+1)X2 = WS3+ '''S10''' AP-3 ''D2+1d3'' (which is basically a better S10 D4 avg Thunder Hammer, which chaplains can't usually equip) to kill heavy infantry and bigger targets, like vehicles. To this you may add Warlord traits, stratagems, doctrines, and psychic powers as you can afford and be bothered with.
#'''Recitation of Focus:''' Select a friendly chapter unit within 6". +1 to their hit rolls when shooting. Even during overwatch, meaning you should answer enemy charges with supercharges. '''''Safe plasma!'''''
#*If you ''don't'' have a special interaction with getting +1 to hit, this generally makes your Chaplain a worse Captain: a 2/3 chance to improve BS3+ to BS2+ is mathematically identical to (and will stack with) re-rolling 1 to hit, but this Litany only hits 1 target, so even ignoring all the other caveats (inactive when you ride a transport/deep strike, doesn't work on both shooting and melee, etc) this alone will make your Chaplain a waste of points. He'll only earn his keep when you have a deathstar unit going that cares about +1 to hit beyond improving BS by 1. This is good for a plasma unit; if you want to support a gunline bring a Lieutenant instead.
#'''Canticle of Hate:''' Non-cumulative 6" aura of '''+2 to charge rolls''', as well as +3" to pile in and consolidation moves. In all cases, the friendly {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter>}} unit in question has to be within the aura at the time the move is made - the consolidate move especially will often not happen unless the Chaplain also made his charge.
#*Do keep in mind the chaplain has to be on the field at the beginning of the battle round. Not even the Impulsor's broken disembark rules would help here, only a Jump Pack / Turboboosting Biker Manlet would have a chance.

==Warlord Traits==
A solid [[skub|4 or 5]]/6 of our Warlord Traits are superb, and even our worst one is not egregiously bad. As is tradition, named characters have their traits statically assigned.

*'''Speed of the Primarch:''' Your warlord always strikes first, even if he didn't charge, unless the enemy charged or has a similar trait (Emperor's Children, Space Wolves with their version of this trait, etc.)
**Pretty nice if you choose to build a Blood Angels MURDERWINGS with Black Rage. You do have the relic jump pack and plenty of ways to increase attacks and make them explode.
**Mephiston has this trait.
*'''Artisan of War:''' One of your Warlord's weapons does 1 extra damage (this does not apply to Relics). Power Swords become master-crafted (D2), Thunder Hammers and Furioso weapons get D4. Pretty rad on a beatstick, but obviously not as good as providing more support for your army. On the other hand, if you're not building the slam boi (perhaps because of a future nerf) it's a nice trait to slap on a storm bolter or combi weapon. Combi flamers come to mind as they would be 2 + d6 S4 D2 hits. A potential of 16 damage from an 8 point weapon isn't half bad even if it is only s4.
*'''Soulwarden:''' You can attempt to Deny the Witch with your Warlord; if they already can, you can do it an additional time. One of the better options, simulating the Ultramarines relic (which is one of the best in their Codex), and providing potentially a lot of battlefield support against psyker heavy armies.
**Astorath and Lemartes have this trait.
*'''Heroic Bearing:''' All friendly {{W40Kkeyword|BLOOD ANGELS}} units withing 6" autopass morale tests. Absolutely phenomenal if you have a large Death Company ball you want to keep on the table without relying on Astorath.
**Dante and the Sanguinor have this trait.
*'''Gift of Foresight:''' FnP 6+++, re-rolling 1s. If your Warlord has the Black Rage, increase the FnP to a 5+++ re-rolling 1s, but the Black Rage doesn't provide another FnP on top of that. Definitely has its uses, like on a Librarian Dreadnought you want to make sure won't die. Want to stack bodies on a budget? Take a captain with a power sword, give him this warlord trait, Death Visions of Sanguinius stratagem before the battle, and Red Rampage before he charges... that's 78 points and two command points and you have 7-9 attacks, WS2+ re-rolling 1s, S4/+1 to wound, and AP-3 with a 4++ and 5+++. Want one of the best HQs in the game? [[Chapter Master Slamguinius]] has heard your prayers! Copy that stratagem setup but with a Jump Pack Captain with a Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield and the Angel's Wings relic so he can charge without getting overwatched and re-roll his charge if he fails; this durable, hard-hitting jerk will thus lock a unit in combat, allowing your nearby assaulty unit to also charge without getting overwatched, because they're already engaged. Then, because he's got a jump pack, he won't be stuck walking after the turn he charges.fuck it. Might as well cast Unleash Rage for 7-9 attacks - did you bring a Librarian buddy? Now have fun remembering this process.
**Corbulo has this trait.
*'''Selfless Valour:''' Your Warlord can heroically intervene at 6″ instead of 3″. Not great, but not worthless, as you can set up for a quick one-two punch from your bodyguard and then your Warlord.
**Both versions of Tycho have this trait.
**Honestly if you're really looking to do this go play space wolves, you're more likely slamming your warlord into charges than being on the receiving end

===Vanguard Space Marines===
Available only to {{W40kKeyword|Phobos characters}}, aka the tacticool Captain, Lieutenant and Librarian found in the Shadowspear box. Chaplains can suck it because yelling catechisms isn't stealthy.

#'''Shoot and Fade:''' Immediately after doing a shooting attack (except Overwatch), this warlord can move. If he does, he also has to advance.
#*Imperial stealthy Jump-Shoot-Jump baby! There are better things to do than to play with ONE model's positioning, but this trait does enable your buff characters to be at many places at once, repositioning at max speed: be near one unit, those guys shoot, your captain shoots, then he dashes over to buff another unit's shooting. Can also enable him to get back behind his troops/break LoS and avoid retaliation.
#'''Lord of Deceit:''' At the start of the first round but before the first turn begins, you can remove and redeploy up to 3 {{W40kKeyword|<Chapter>}} {{W40kKeyword|phobos}} units present on the battlefield.
#'''Master of the Vanguard:''' Friendly {{W40kKeyword|<chapter>}} {{W40kKeyword|phobos}} units within 6" of the warlord gain +1" to both their move, advance AND ''charge'' rolls.
#*Seems to stack with the Red Thirst, helps Reivers and Incursors charge out of deep strike or infiltration.
#'''Stealth Adept:''' -1 from hit rolls that target the warlord. Not just at range so he can prove he's the better sniper around, but it also works in melee; useful since the warlord lacks an invuln save.
#'''Target Priority''': The Warlord can skip shooting in the shooting phase to select a {{W40kKeyword|<chapter>}} {{W40kKeyword|phobos}} unit within 3" and a visible enemy. The selected unit gets +1 to hit against the enemy in question until the end of the phase.
#*''Can help with those -1 to hit enemies, as well to improve your snipers' chances of eliminating that troublesome enemy character.
#'''Marksman Honours:''' +1D to ''all'' of the warlord's guns, and he can reroll all failed hit and wound rolls for ranged attacks. Doesn't apply to grenades, but it DOES apply to Chapter relics. Of which they can take none.

===Flesh Tearers===

#'''Merciless Butcher''': Gabriel Seth has this. Your warlord gets to make an additional attack for every 5 models within 3" of him in melee, up to a max of 3. Don't expect to get much from this one unless you face mob armies. Makes a damn good secondary warlord -- Hurl this guy at a horde with 5 bone stock DC and the fancy relic chainsword and you WILL see blood spilt. Let your main warlord perform his standard duties and survive the game.
#'''Of Wrath and Rage''': Every 6+ to hit in melee grants you a bonus attack with the weapon you used. The fact that it needs a die roll of 6 to trigger it makes it harder to pull off, but when you do it's gonna be worth it.
#'''Cretacian Born''': No Overwatch on the Warlord. WAT. You are now the uncontested rape-lord that ever raped. Take this. NOW. Again makes a great secondary warlord, hurl him at the enemy and multi charge gun lines (looking at you Tau pussies) to nullify any deterrent your other units might normally worry about.

==Space Marine Armoury==
===Melee Weapons===
These are sorted by profile similarity, so you can compare apples to apples.

*'''Chainsword''' - Now actually has a use! Still the basic CCW profile, but allows for one extra attack. It's free and a good weapon for clearing out hordes.
*'''Power Weapons''' - Each type of Power Weapon has its own profile now, so pick the right one for the situation. All Power Weapons have a damage value of 1:
**'''Power Maul/Power Lance''' - S+2, AP-1. This is the one you want to use against lightly armored units that rely on toughness to shrug off hits.
**'''Power Sword''' - S User AP-3. Your best bet for dealing with MEQs and TEQs. A bit better on higher Toughness targets than it is for vanilla Marines since you can wound T4 units on a 3+ with Red Thirst.
**'''Power Axe''' - S+1 AP-2. A good enough compromise between the Sword's armor negation and the Maul's brute force. You can wound T3 and T4 on 2s, provided you can trigger Red Thirst.
**'''Force Weapons''' - Librarians come with these. Identical to their Power Weapon counterparts (with Force Staves filling in for the Power Maul), but deal D3 damage instead of 1 damage, for twice the cost - slightly less efficient, since they'll do less than twice as well against W2 or W1 targets, but nice and hitty.
**'''Encarmine Weapons''' - Comes in Sword and Axe form, but basically just overcosted (the sword costs half again as much, the axe 60% again as much) Force weapons of the same name.
***A case can be made that red thirst works better with the encarmine swords, but the axes become inferior to the fist except lacking a -1 to hit.
***After Chapter Approved 2019 encarmine weapons have had their costs slashed. Axes are down to 9 points and swords are down to 8, making them a viable alternative to power fists. In fact the axe version costs less than the Force Axe that it is, so Axes are a steal in theory. Fists are still good to use against monsters, but axes can now take over their role against MEQ.
**'''Relic Blade''' - Available to Vanguard Veteran Sergeants and Captains. At S+2 AP-3 D1d3 (combining a force maul with a force sword), now at only 9 points viable for taking on your captain if you don't want a 40-point hammer, and good on your veteran sergeant as well.
***With the Red Thirst they perform almost the same as a power fist (up to T5), with no hit penalty. Above T6 they'll still wound on a 4+ against most things you'd reasonably expect to run into.
**'''Lightning Claws''' - SUser AP-2 D1. Allows you re-rolls to wound and gain an extra attack if you have two of them; one of them costs twice as much as a power sword, and two of them cost triple, so needless to say, ''always'' bring them along in pairs - thanks to the Red Thirst, one claw will seriously struggle to be worth it compared to a power sword.
*'''Power Fist''' - Sx2 AP-3 D1d3. Unwieldy has been replaced with a -1 penalty on to hit rolls, which can be annoying, but does mean you're no longer screwed by being forced to attack last all the time.
** Now being a 9 point weapon (almost half the cost of a thunder hammer for non-characters) they're now a viable option over a thunder hammer if you're looking just to have some heavy hitters and don't care as much about damage, this is a must take
*'''Chainfist''' - Like a Power Fist, but AP-4 and a fixed 2 damage, both of which are upgrades (the latter makes you better against W2 targets, and the former is obvious), now only 11 points and only 2 points more than a power fist making this an actual viable option for dealing with higher armor 2W models. Sadly only available to Terminators.
*'''Eviscerator''' - A chainfist (at the same cost, too!) that deals 1d3 damage instead of 2 (i.e. it's worse against W2 targets), this is strictly worse than a chainfist, and you have only yourself to blame if you waste points on one.
*'''Thunder Hammer''' - Like a Power Fist, but deals 3 Damage instead of d3. All the strengths (and the -1 to hit modifier) of the Power Fist, with none of the random damage. Costs 16 points vs. the power fist's 9 points for an average of half again the damage. '''24 points more''' for Characters means over 4x the cost for 1.5x the damage. The extra reliability could mean the difference between whether or not you can one-shot Aggressors (or combined with Artisan of War, Centurions) but likely only worth its 40-point cost on a single, dedicated Smash Captain.

====Dreadnought Melee Weapons====
*'''Blood Talons''' - S+4 AP-2 D3, re-rolling both failed hits and wounds, and only comes in pairs (meaning you can't combine them with a frag cannon); as of chapter approved these slashers only cost you 35 points, and pair of Furioso fists cost 40, meaning you're paying 5 points less and losing 1 point of AP and 2 of S to re-roll failed wounds. Since both weapons will wound T9 or less on a 2+, thanks to the Red Thirst, the fists actually hurt anything with a 4+ or better save more than the Talons do, and applying a lieutenant or sanguinary ancient for situations where you want that re-roll. Better now than the Index version, but still a little disappointing. Re-rolls for hitting and wounding helps though, especially when combined with Red Thirst.
*'''Dreadnought Combat Weapon''' - Sx2 AP-3 D3, now for 20 points as of CA 2019.
*'''Furioso Fist''' - Sx2 AP-3 D3, re-rolling failed hits when you take a pair; the second one only costs 10 more points. As a pair, ''far'' better than Blood Talons; as a single, completely identical to a Dreadnought Combat Weapon.
*'''Furioso Force Halberd''' - S+4 AP-4 D3, and only available on librarian dreadnoughts, who have to take a fist as well; the halberd will almost always be far better, due to the Red Thirst. Thankfully free.

===Ranged Weapons===
*'''Boltgun''' - You know what a Bolter is. 24" Rapid Fire S4 AP-0 1 D. The loss of AP hurts, but if your opponent has a brain he'll be keeping his 5+/6+ units in cover anyway.
*'''Bolt Rifle''' Primaris version of the Boltgun, with -1AP and 30" range.
*'''Auto Bolt Rifle''' Assault version of the Bolt Rifle. 24" Assault 3, AP 0.
*'''Stalker Bolt Rifle''' 36" Heavy 1, S4, AP-2, D2.
*'''Combi-Weapon''' - Now infinite use, can be fired independently of the Bolter or at the same time. Firing both the Bolter and the special weapon causes a -1 to hit. Special mention to Combi-Flamers, since the flamer part auto-hits.
*'''Storm Bolter/Combi-Bolter''' - Cheap as chips Rapid Fire 2 Boltgun. Typically seen on Terminators, decent midrange Characters but otherwise should only be taken if you don't want to spend the points on anything better.
*'''Angelus Boltgun''' - 12" Assault 2 S4 AP-1 1 D weapon. Better now due to how AP works. It is now a free-gun, and has a strategem in Blood of Baal. Still not a pistol, but eh perfection is Slaanesh's thing anyway.

====Pistols====
Special note that many BA units have options to Paired Pistols.
*'''[[Bolt Pistol]]''' - It's a Bolter Pistol. Like other pistols, has a shorter range but can be fired when locked in close combat so it's useful enough for choppy units.
**whenever you are choosing between a Bolt pistol or a chainsword and another S4 attack, take the chainsword because of red thirst.
*'''[[Plasma Pistol]]''' - Fairly effective against MEQs when fired normally, and when supercharged it hits harder and deals more damage but kills the user on a roll of 1 to hit. Cheaper and more effective than the Grav-Pistol against units with high toughness, but the warning about supercharging applies here too- you do ''not'' want to get your expensive character killed just because of one bad roll. That said, given that a Captain lets Marines around him, including himself, re-roll those bad 1s To Hit away, don't be too worried. 1/36 chance of killing yourself are acceptable odds.
**At a very reasonable 5 points, throwing these on units like sanguinary guard or death company is a viable option.
*'''[[Grav-Weaponry#Grav-Pistol|Grav-Pistol]]''' - Deals more damage against targets with an armor save of 3+ or higher, but it's not quite as good as it used to be, especially since immobilization spamming is out.
**Paired Grav Pistols have more shots than a Gravgun at 12" of range and cost only +1pts.
*'''[[Inferno Pistol]]''' - in terms of close combat, this is the best pistol, period. S8 AP-4 D D6 means this is effective against most targets. You take these because Blood Angels don't really get the most use out of Devastators. This pistol lets you damage high toughness, multi-wound targets while still being able to use the Red Thirst. Not good for deep-striking troops, but what the hell Rhinos are assault vehicles now!
** Now 9 points as of CA 2019, still 6 less than a Combi-Melta and on the pistol list rather than Combi list. Fine on characters to pop wounds off vehicles or other heavy targets before charging in, just don't go crazy.
** Always take one in your squads because you want to be close up and in combat meaning you will have plenty of chances to shoot the pistol for a huge amount of damage. With clever positioning in close combat you can get a nice shot at enemy characters.
**You cannot shoot them arriving pistol deep-strike, but if you survive combat it acts as a cheaper one-hit power fist rather than a pistol. Just be aware to fire it in CC you have to survive through your opponent's fight phase as well. Most models that can use this are 1-wound with a mere 3+. Though if you could build a lieutenant [[Moritat]] with dual inferno pistols that'd be cool.
*'''[[Flamer#Hand-Flamer|Hand Flamer]]''' - Pistol that auto-hit D6 times with S3 AP-0 Range 6" and got cheaper now. D6 auto-hits against T3 wounds on a 4+ or T4 on a 5+ and you can fire it in close combat. Great pistol for anti-horde melee troops, but really really useless on anything deep-striking.
** The Hand Flamer has the combination of being able to shoot in melee range and hitting automatically going for it. It will certainly not blow through tanks and characters as well as a Plasma Pistol, but a couple of them most definitely help with fighting your way through hordes. Those 3 hits on average will add up fast, especially when combined with a bunch of [[Chainswords]]. Additionally, the auto-hits will help a lot with getting past To Hit modifiers like [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Tyranids(8E)|Venomthropes]].
** At 1 point in the Codex, replacing some bolt pistols with these is a much more attractive option.
***Three on average strength 3 shots is better than one strength 4 shot. That combined with the fact you're auto-hitting both during the shooting phase and during overwatch makes this a clear winner if you got a handful of points to spare.
****Bear in mind hand-flamers don't get red thirst and chainswords are free. Hand flamers are still awesome but limited.

====Special Weapons====
*Note before you look at these, all their point values have dropped so if you were iffy on some weapons not doing enough for their cost, worry no more
*'''Flamer''' - An 8" Assault D6 S4 AP-0 1 D which automatically passes rolls to hit. A classic anti-horde option, most useful when up against Tyranids, Orks, and blob Imperial Guard. The changes to how Flamers work give them a bit of effectiveness against small, lightly armored units as well- the number of hits they can score means that a single unit can be hit more than once. They are a surprisingly decent AA option too, given they auto-hit even Hard to Hit models. Keep in mind that this weapon is pretty poor value against non CQC armies, as by itself its not fantastic due to high cost. The main kicker is the auto-hit on overwatch, which only happens if you get charged. Also, you can Advance and shoot the Flamer, at the cost of not being able to charge.
**seriously this is only 6 points! If you're not using these against blobs of guys what is wrong with you.
***Or you could just take our cheaper 1-point hand-flamer and a [[Rip and Tear|chainsword]] and end that blob rightly.
*'''Grav-gun''' - 18" Rapid Fire 1 S5 AP-3 1 D. The loss of the ability to wound on a roll equal to the target's armor save is a big nerf to the former game-breaker of 7e, to say nothing of its meh strength and range compared to the now-safer Plasma Gun. However, it does D3 damage when it wounds an enemy with an armor save of 3+ or higher so it can still be decent against heavy infantry. Don't bother against vehicles, though- S5 isn't enough to dent most tanks now, and immobilization spam is no longer a thing anyway. But they're mostly here to kill 2-wound models now.
**Since it fires 2 shots just outside melta-range it can knock off more wounds than you might think. Just not as good as the melta, or the cannon version. Mostly held back by its piss-poor range.
**To be clear this gun is for rhino-riding marines to kill enemies with 2-wounds. Don't deep-strike with this gun, buy plasma guns for that.
*'''Meltagun''' - 12" Assault 1 S8 AP-4 D6 D, best used with Drop Pods. (Don't use drop pods try infernum, inferno?, razorbacks or bikes) If within half its range (so 6" or closer) it rolls 2D6 D and selects the higher number, so it's good against Monsters as well as vehicles now. It's worth noting that Drop Pods and its passengers cannot disembark closer than 9" from an enemy, so you won't be in Melta range on the drop. Try Multi-meltas for that.
*'''Plasma gun''' - The plasma gun works differently from its earlier incarnations- for a start, it now has two firing profiles, both of which share Rapid Fire 1 and a 24" range. In its normal mode, it's S7 AP-3 1 D so it's basically a flat upgrade from a Bolter that does a good job of taking out MEQs and TEQs. In its supercharged mode, it has one extra point of Strength and Damage that lets it one-shot Terminators. But be careful: firing the supercharged mode triggers the new version of Gets Hot!, and this time it just kills a model with no saves on a to hit roll of 1. So only fire the supercharged mode when the boosts are worth the risk of killing the user on the spot.

====Heavy Weapons====
*'''Grav-cannon with grav-amp'''- Identical to the Grav-gun, but with Heavy 4. Compared to the Plasma Cannon, it fires more shots but suffers from all the nerfs that the Grav-gun has gotten. It's now effectively a souped up Heavy Bolter.
**The most expensive heavy here, but the safest and highest ROF weapon for dealing with TEQ. Not bad against vehicles either since you can afford to miss one or two shots, unlike the lascannon. Killing one terminator pays for the cannon so give it a thought.
**Strength 5 sounds bad but so few vehicles are toughness 10 that you still have 1/3 chance to hurt a vehicle for d3 wounds. Still, consider bringing lieutenants for your grav-cannons.
*'''Heavy Bolter'''- 36" Heavy 3 S5 AP-1 1 D. Good against hordes at long range due to its high number of attacks, and not too bad against lighter vehicles either. It is also extremely cheap.
**hellfire shells stratagem can deal out a startling amount of mortal wounds
*'''Heavy Flamer'''- A flamer with an extra point of Strength and AP-1. More effective against almost everything than its smaller brother.
*'''Lascannon'''- 48" Heavy 1 S9 AP-3 D6 D. Your primary anti-vehicle weapon.
**The best range here. Hence has that advantage over the more expensive grav-cannon. Works better with accuracy buffs than wounding buffs.
*'''Twin-Lascannon'''- Gives you two lascannons for 10 points less
**This makes tanks that can carry these an actually good idea as they can take as many lascannons for cheaper weapons cost and a tougher body than a devastator squad
**Seriously a normal Landraider will only cost you 277 points for 4 lascannons, two heavy bolters, T8, lots of wounds, and can transport models. Consider this when you're choosing your army
*'''Missile Launcher'''- Can fire either Frag Missiles that act like D6 Bolter shots, or a Krak Missile with S8 AP-2 D6 D. Not quite as good as Heavy Bolter or a Lascannon in regards to dealing with infantry and vehicles (respectively), but still pretty good at both of those roles. With its D6 D AP-2 it can still make a nasty surprise for a HQ caught in the open. Costs 5 points less than a Lascannon, so its only worth taking if you KNOW you will be shooting infantry with them at some point.
*'''Multi-melta'''- A 24" Heavy 1 Meltagun. Cooks vehicles from a slightly safer range than the regular Meltagun, but unlike the Meltagun you can't advance and then shoot with this. The Multi-melta can fulfill a role previously filled by the Meltagun: Drop Pod threat removal. Due to its 12" Melta range, that means your D6 D will be more reliable on the turn you come in, at the price of a 16% decrease in accuracy. To offset that you have the Armorium Cherub and the Sergeant's Signum.
** Now being only 22 points per gun (cheaper than a lascannon mind you) and drop pods dropping 20 points, deep strike drop pod bomb is a good idea that will cost you less than it used to
*'''Twin Multi-Melta'''- two shots for 40 points
*'''Plasma cannon'''- Identical to the Plasma gun, but has a 36" range and is Heavy D3. The larger number of shots it has the potential to fire make it more useful against larger groups of enemies than the regular plasma gun.
**The penalties for moving and firing are steep here, so use extreme caution overcharging. In fact you might leave this gun at home. If you desperately need this cannon get it on a relic predator who uses a safer variant. Carry a lascannon or heavy bolter instead, or shell out for the grav-cannon for 2-wound thickies.
*'''Frag Cannon'''- Double Heavy Flamer on steroids with 8" 2D6 S6 AP-1 1 D auto-hits. Hordes beware. [[Awesome|Also an assault gun on a very fast model so you can advance and roast.]]
*'''Typhoon Missile launcher'''- Two missile launchers for 2 points less
*'''Assault Cannon'''- 22pts for 6 shots, S6, AP-1. good for dealing with hordes at range
*'''Twin-Assault Cannon'''- double cost, double shots
** Now costs 4 points more than a Twin-lascannon

====Grenades====
*'''Frag Grenade''' - It explodes, 6" D6 S3 AP-0 1 D, good against GEQs.
*'''Krak Grenade''' - It explodes even harder, albeit only one shot at range 6" S6 AP-1 D3 D, always remember to throw one , because now it can one-shot (small chance, but...) multi-wound enemies.
*'''Melta Bomb''' - Now can be thrown at 4" with S8 AP-4 D6 D, which is brilliant, and in 8 edition there are no restrictions on using it, so it's perfectly viable to throw Melta Bombs at enemy characters, as well as usual targets, like vehicles and bigger enemies.

===Wargear===
*'''Combat Shield''' - Grants the model a 5++ Invulnerable save.
**If you waste your points on equipping these on your assault sergeants, shame on you
*'''Storm Shield''' - Grants the model a 3++ Invulnerable save.
** 10 points on your characters, 2 points on all other models. Now so cheap you should consider anything that can take them.
*'''Camo Cloak''' - If every model in a unit has a camo cloak you can add 2 to saving throws made for models in the unit when they receive the benefits of cover, instead of 1.
*'''Death Mask''' - Reduces enemy leadership by 1 while they are within 3" which helps in the Morale Phase.
**Honestly if you're taking lots of sanguinary guard ignore them, if you're taking a few or a sanguinary ancient take it
**Stacks with the Reiver Terror Troops ability (abilities with different names stack modifiers). No BA advantages to reducing leadership, but useful for allies, like the GK Purge Soul Psychic Power.
**Blood of Baal has introduced a new stratagem that requires Death Masks to use, still situational
*'''Magna-grapple''' - You add 2" to your charge rolls if charging a vehicle, which helps your choppy dreads reach combat, especially when they already move faster than vanilla ones.
**Once Foreworld drops the Lucifer Patterned Drop-Pod this will be great to take

===Relics===
It's been a long time coming, but holy shit, was it worth it. Most of our Relics are fucking rad! Be careful here, many a command point was spent in test games just to cap out on all 3 relics, they're just that good.

====Codex Relics====
*'''Archangel's Shard:''' Replaces a power sword or master-crafted power sword. If the target is a {{W40Kkeyword|monster}}, the damage is 1d3; if it's a {{W40Kkeyword|daemon monster}}, it's 1d6. Otherwise, it's a power sword. Not really good, and since you can only take so many relics this will probably stay on the shelf. A master-crafted power sword has better stats in the first place, so that further limits what you want to replace. Only really worth even considering if your opponent has a {{W40Kkeyword|daemon monster}}; against normal monsters, this is ever so slightly worse than upgrading a standard power sword to a master-crafted one, making this relic "worth" maybe 6 points if you're feeling generous - very meh.
*'''Angel's Wing:''' Jump Pack only. Re-roll failed charge rolls, and cannot be [[Raven Guard|overwatched]]. [[Awesome|EXCUSE YOU!?]] This one is probably an easy best, edging out Veritas Vitae only by just how it's way easier for every other army to get CP back than to spend a relic for it; lets you make a downright terrifying Blood Angel Banshee or [[MURDERWINGS]]. Put this on a Jump Librarian with Quickening, Unleash Rage, and a Force Sword, and toss at whatever offends you, or commit like you mean it, and put it on a Death Company Jump Captain with a Thunder Hammer (see above).
*'''Gallian's Staff:''' Force staff that gives a +1 to manifesting smite; not terrible, as Smite is always useful for Mortal Wounds, but inferior to the White Scars relic that does the same thing, as theirs doesn't force you to carry a force staff - because this one does, you can't put it on a Primaris Librarian or a Librarian Dreadnought.
*'''Hammer of Baal:''' Thunder hammer with no penalty to hit. For Sx2 AP-3 D3 with no penalties to hit, this is a surprisingly killy relic. S8 (S10 if there's a Blood Chalice nearby; consult the Designers' Commentary, Question 1, if you're wondering why), with the Red Thirst improving your wound rolls by +1, will ensure that you can wound almost anything without much difficulty. Hardly an auto-include, especially since the base hammer costs ''40'' points (since only a character can carry a relic) and a captain especially doesn't mind the base to-hit penalty enough to really warrant a relic slot, but fairly punchy.
*'''Standard of Sacrifice:''' Ancients only. Grants FnP 5+++ to non-Death Company Bikers and Infantry within 6" of the bearer. Solid choice, especially if paired with Hammernators, Sanguinary Guard, or a Primaris gunline; it can make for a terrifyingly durable unit that can mulch through anything with the banner's re-rolls. Who says they got rid of Death Stars? Stacks with Gift of Foresight, although the latter won't let you re-roll 1s for the former. (Note you can't stack it with Gift of Foresight and Death Vision of Sanguinius since it gives you the Death Company keyword.)Unfortunately only benefits each ''model'' within 6", not each ''unit''. So no giving your entire gunline a 5++ FNP. Still, a 6" bubble covers a LOT of models, especially if you're using a Primaris Ancient mounted on a 40mm base. Also remember you get to choose which models you allocate wounds towards - so obviously pick the ones that are protected by the Standard.
*'''Veritas Vitae:''' When using a Stratagem, roll a d6; you gain a CP on a 5+. Yes, even your Stratagems have Feel no Pain. Easily the best of the bunch; a 33.33% chance to get a CP back after you spend 1-3 on a Stratagem by merely '''existing''' on the field makes the one of the best Relics in the whole game. The only relic a librarian dreadnought can take besides Biomantic Sarcophagus. If you're using the multi-relic Stratagem and are taking this relic, make sure you've defined with your opponent what "before the battle" means - you can't recover CP with this until the model carrying it is deployed, so any CP spent prior to deployment are lost. Also, be careful of armies with strictly superior variants of the same rule; the Imperial Guard, for example, have a Warlord Trait which does this on a per-CP basis, while yours only recovers 1 CP, no matter how expensive the Stratagem. So no IG or Eldar shenanigans.
** Always stick this on someone. BA have some of the best relics and Warlord traits around - you are going to burn through CP like no other, might as well squeeze a few free ones in, you will need them.

====Blood of Baal Relics====
*'''Decimator''': Replaces a master-crafted auto-bolt rifle and bumps you up to S5, AP-2, D2, and you don’t take a penalty to hit when Advancing and firing.
*'''Wrath of Baal''': Sanguinary Ancient banner. At the start of your Movement phase, add 2 to the Move of friendly Blood Angels Jump Pack units within 6”. Bonus lasts until end of turn.
*'''Biomantic Sarcophagus''': For a Librarian Dreadnought. Adds 6” to the range of the model’s psychic powers and once per ''turn'', when you take a psychic or deny the witch test with this model, you can re-roll one of the dice. Possibly the best relic of Blood of Baal, as the value of all the re-rolls can really add up.
*'''Figure of Death''': Replaces a Crozius with one that’s S+1, AP-2 D2 and when you make a successful wound roll the target unit gets -2 to its Ld for the rest of the turn.
*'''Gleaming Pinions''': Jump Pack model only. The bearer can charge in a turn in which it fell back, and it gets +1 to its charge distances. This allows you to reactivate all of your charge bonuses, allowing SS Captains to keep swinging at full potential each turn. This is great because such a Captain can receive 3 or possibly more attacks on the charge depending on how you build them up.
**Consider this for a Smash Captain instead of Angel's Wing, since if you use Death Visions on him, he can be buffed by Lemartes and re-roll charges that way, and the Pinions will ensure he'll get his +2 bonus attacks for charging every time.

====Special Issue Wargear====
*A quick Note on Blood Angel Successors: If your Warlord is from a Successor Chapter, you are limited in what relics you can take. In addition to the nearly worthless Archangel's Shard from the codex, you can also choose from among the Special Issue Wargear included below or use the Honored by Baal stratagem.

*'''Adamantine Mantle''': When this model loses a wound, roll a D6; on a 5+, the wound isn’t lost. Not that great in an army with access to so many rolls to negate wounds.
*'''Artificer Armour''': Gives a model a 2+ save and a 5+ invulnerable save. This can allow your characters to survive much more, especially librarians which need to sacrifice a cast to get an invuln. Best put on a model with a decent amount of wounds but no invuln, such as Primaris Librarians/Lieutenants.
*'''Quake Bolts''': The Blood Angels special bolter ammo. Give this to someone and you can choose to shoot with these bolts instead when firing a bolt weapon. When you shoot with these, make only one attack, but if you hit, the target is “felled” until the end of the turn and the attack continues. When you attack a felled unit in melee, add 1 to the hit roll.
** Good to amplify the damage dealt by your melee units, especially if said units bring hammers or fists. The higher your chances to hit the better so slapping it on a character with nice BS or access to rerolls makes it do more work. Notice you can only make 1 attack per shooting phase with these so you won't get better result by slapping them on a character with a storm bolter.
** Did you know that bolt pistols are the greatest pistols? These unique rounds are proof. On a captain (who can re roll his single shot), these will help you get another 1 or 2 hits with a power fist. When paired with the onslaught of death company who already have the normal +1 to wound, its gonna hurt!
*'''Master-Crafted Weapon''': Give a weapon +1 damage and it’s considered to be a Relic of Baal. Now you can have an Artisan War TH and a Master Crafted TH on two captains!!! Both attacking the same unit!!! on the same turn!!!! All at D4!!!!!!
*'''Digital Weapons''': When you fight, you make 1 extra attack using the “close combat weapon profile” and if you hit, you score a mortal wound. Meh. Not terrible but your charcters are pretty much renown for how hard they punch sruff: it's better to invest relics in durability, supporting other troops or making charges easier.
*'''Fleshrender Grenades''': Replaces frag grenades with some that are type Grenade 3, S5, AP-3 2 Damage and the target doesn’t get the benefit of cover. More like Terminator-render grenades.
*'''Icon of the Angel''': When you make charge rolls for friendly Blood Angels/successors within 3” of this model, you can re-roll any of the dice. Seriously?! Fuck YES!! You can take this and have Lemartes off with other DC and have a multi directional charge all with re-rolls.

====Flesh Tearers Relics====

*'''Severer of Threads''': Replaces a chainsword with a slightly deadlier chainsword with S+1 AP-1. The big draw is the +d3 additional attacks, which is quite crazy. On top of this, if you use fight an Infantry unit and score a 6+ to wound, you also deal a mortal wound on top of everything else. If nothing else, this makes it very economical to grab. Combined with the Warlord Traits Merciless Butcher or Of Wrath and Rage this can allow a Captain or Primaris Captain to potentially put out a hilariously frightening number of attacks.
*'''Sorrow's Genesis''': Replaces Narthecium. This super-Narthecium lets your Sanguinary Priest rez a model on a 2+ and restore up to 3 wounds, making it amazing for a primaris force.

==Unit Analysis==
===HQ===
*'''Captain:''' The most basic version of the Captain is the no-frills HQ choice: access to a variety of wargear, good overall stats, and grants all nearby friendly '''BLOOD ANGELS''' units the ability to re-roll a result of 1 to hit, which you should use to keep your plasma weapons from killing you as this lets you roll those lethal 1s away (do note vehicles have the '''BLOOD ANGELS''' keyword too. Enjoy your semi-twinlinked Land Raider Crusader). His master-crafted boltgun is AP-1 and deals 2 damage, but a shooty Captain might be better suited to using a Combi-Weapon. The storm shield isn't a must-have, since he comes with a 4++ by default, but it's there if you want it.
**'''Captain with Jump-Pack:''' You're playing Blood Angels for the Sauce, and here it is, boyo. This build is affectionately titled [[Chapter Master Slamguinius]] and it earned it for a [[Rip and Tear|FUCKING REASON]]! Although giving your captain a jump pack doesn't give him the durability of a bike, it does give him the advantage of a very special rule, {{WH40Kkeyword|Fly}}, and by the God-Emprah, isn't that what being a Son of Sanguinius is all about?! This might seem standard to all you 7th edition players, but being able to jump over combats and fights to get all your veterans stuck in can change a fight from a battle of attrition to outright wiping out the enemy squad, either during the Fight Phase itself or the Morale Phase after it. 8th edition makes this doubly important due to the new rules allowing an engaged unit to Fall Back from close combat during the opponent's Movement Phase, which subsequently exposes your fighters to enemy shooting from other units, which means enemy heavy shooters will often be screened by chaff exactly for this purpose. Bikes are still vulnerable to this tactic despite their speed, whereas jump troops with {{WH40Kkeyword|Fly}} can simply jump over the screening units and proceed to beat the snot out of the valuable and dangerous enemy shooters hiding at the back. He also gains the ability to Charge and Fight against FLYERS, which can be interesting if a foe is mistaken enough to let your jump Captains get too close to their Flyers. {{WH40Kkeyword|Fly}} also gives you the ability to shoot after Falling Back from a fight, so if you get in over your head you can still fire off a smattering of Boltgun or (combi-weapon!) shots as you get away. All that aside, don't forget that it also makes you vulnerable to anti-air weaponry, so watch for anything that gains bonuses against flyers. Use Honor the Chapter, and Only in Death Does Duty End, and keep this dude going for as long as you can, consider him expendable and perhaps not the warlord, use these two stratagems and he can take on anything. So, when a daemon primarch starts his spiel on how the corpse emperor is a dick but his legions were much stronger than today's Marines, politely explain him the virtues of present day Blood Angels... and then beat his chest like a bongo. This might cost a bunch of CP on top of what you paid to kit the captain but killing a 600+ pts centerpiece unit almost guarantee by turn 2 is basically always worth it.
**'''Primaris Captain: '''Comes stock with a bolt pistol and a master-crafted auto bolt rifle like the Lieutenants, but can also take a Power Sword or switch the auto bolt rifle out for a master-crafted stalker Bolt Rifle (which is Heavy 1, but gets a 36" range and AP-2). Apart from the extra wound and attack that come with the Primaris statline, he's more or less the same as a vanilla Captain but with fewer wargear choices. Since the Primaris Captain can only footslog if you don't pay up for a Repulsor, give him the Stalker and put him near the objective to snipe at targets with either Devastators, Cent-Devs, and Company Vets without transports or Hellblasters with Heavy Plasma Incinerators to make the most of their ranged weapons. For 92 points you can take a power fist and plasma pistol, making him perhaps the most well rounded of all captains along with crazy Tycho.
**'''Captain in Gravis Armour:''' Has a 5" move, and the same 3+/4++ save as the regular Primaris Captain, but the Gravis Armor pushes him to T5 and W7, making him very hard to kill with small arms. Unlike the other Captain versions, his wargear is fixed; specifically, to a master-crafted power sword that deals one more point of damage compared to the regular power sword, and the Boltstorm Gauntlet (a combined 3-shot bolt pistol and power fist). Cheaper and differently resilient than the Terminator Captain, but not as flexible.
**'''Primaris Captain in Phobos Armour:''' A Primaris Captain with a combat knife (+1A), and a sniper rifle equivalent (30", Heavy 1, S4, AP-2, D2, can target characters, but does NOT cause mortal wounds on a wound roll of 6). Also has a camo-cloak (+2 to saves when in cover instead of +1), an omni-scrambler (no enemy deepstrikes within 12"), and concealed positions (deep strike, but before first turn). You'll want him to give his re-rolls to your Eliminator teams or Infiltrator squads. Like the Lieutenant, this guy is really nothing more than an old, cranky primaris marine...and overcosted to boot.
**'''Captain in Terminator Armour:''' Your bread and butter HQ, good at everything, great at nothing, now in Terminator Armour. Must buy at least a Power Sword and Storm Bolter, can take items from Terminator Combi-Weapons and Terminator Melee Weapons lists, and if he takes a Power Fist, can take a wrist mounted grenade launcher. May also buy a Storm Shield. A decent fighting unit, he comes stock with a 4++ thanks to his Iron Halo. Provides a 6" bubble that provides re-rolls of 1's to hit to friendly Blood Angels. Can become pretty killy if you kit him out to be, the codex was fairly nice to us. It's worth noting that chainfists are straight-up garbage, at a point more than a hammer in exchange for ''less'' damage (the better AP wouldn't be enough to make chainfists good even at Thunder Hammer prices). None of the weapon choices you can't access as a Terminator, like a Power Axe, are a big problem, due to the same weapon advice applying from the regular Captain, above - you should be choosing from the Power Sword, Power Fist, and Thunder Hammer. The Power Fist gets special mention, though, because of the grenade launcher, which is the only way to get a second gun onto this guy, which can be a pretty big deal on the turn you deep strike in. ''Don't'' go double lightning claw - you don't have the necessary mobility to go without any guns at all.For your ranged weapon, the Storm Bolter really can't be beat, although a Combi-Flamer can be good on Overwatch if your opponent is idiotic enough to charge you. The other options don't pair well with you - you don't want to risk overcharging plasma on a piece this costly, and the melta's limited range combines very poorly with your limited mobility.
***The armor provides a decent save, and he'll always have the 4++ to fall back on. If you drop a CP to give him the Black Rage, you can give him all the benefits that apply, namely +1 attack and 6+++ FNP. Pretty much all of the warlord traits will give you a boost: Soulwarden will allow you that clutch defense of Psychic powers, Speed of the Primarch will ensure you actually manage to fight, Heroic Bearing will buff your bodyguard (you ''are'' dropping him down with a Terminator escort, right?) and make sure they can just flat out ignore Morale, Artisan of War is ok - but an extra bit of damage on a ranged or melee weapon is nothing to sneer at. Gift of Foresight is one of the best for a beatstick, if you did drop a CP for Black Rage his FNP roll is 5+++ and re-rolls all ones. Honestly you really can't go wrong with any of the Warlord Traits except maybe Selfless Valour. If it doesn't work for Black Templars it won't work for us. As for Relics, if you want a beatstick, the Hammer of Baal is your go-to choice, as you're unable to take The Angel's Wing - mitigated in that you can just teleport down. S8 AP-3 D3 with a +1 to wound roll from the red thirst is just brutal, and an extra attack from the Black Rage can make or break a fight phase. Paired with the above Veritas Vitae gamble (on a different character of course), you might even get that point back and be all the better for it.
**'''Captain in Cataphractii Armor:''' Compared to basic Terminator armor, your movement is even worse, at only 4", and when you Advance you have to halve your result, so you can only move 7" per turn at most (usually 1.75"), but your invuln is boosted to 3++ without consuming a weapon slot, although you do pay more than you theoretically would for a Storm Shield. With a Storm Bolter stock and the ability to replace it with Combi-weapons (except for combi-grav, but that's a worthless piece of shit anyway), this is going to be a Deep-strike reliant character, which is not a bad thing, considering what army we're talking about. Also pretty good in melee, thanks to that boosted invulnerable save and the fact that you don't need to give up the possibility of bringing along a decent gun or lightning claw pair for a storm shield. Keep in mind, however, that with such astronomically high saves, you pretty much invite the opponent to focus mortal wounds on him, against which he has precisely no built-in protection unless he's around the Standard of Sacrifice or you gave him the Death Visions of Sanguinius for that sweet sweet FNP. More limited than the other Terminator Captain because his Power Fist can't take a grenade launcher, so you're almost certainly going to keep the Storm Bolter to maximize your ability to shoot things while waddling slowly around the battlefield. Much of the equipment advice from the standard Terminator Captain applies here. This models is now a much more viable option as it dropped 31 points and only costs 95 points without equipment (now only 118 points with Thunder Hammer and storm-bolter)
**'''Captain on Bike (Legends):''' The bike gives you +1 Toughness, an extra wound, 14" movement, and the Turbo-Boost ability, and costs ''less'' than the Gravis Captain. Apart from that, everything that can be said about the regular Captain goes for this guy, too. If you were thinking of taking a regular captain without a Jump Pack and ''not'' alpha strike (for whatever ungodly reason you'd do that in a Blood Angel army, you luddite), take this guy instead. He's better in almost every conceivable way. He can cross the board quicker, while keeping pace with your vehicles, he's shootier by a wide margin, and he's infinitely more survivable if someone does try to hit him, while being just as killy when things get personal. Kitted out with the ''Hammer of Baal'', ''Speed of the Primarch'', and an inferno pistol makes this guy an even scarier version of Smashfucker. Moral of the story, if you're going to take a non-terminator captain, always put him on a bike, or with a jump pack.

*'''Lieutenant:''' 60 points gets you a Marine Captain-equivalent with -1 BS and Ld, but with the re-rolling 1s to hit replaced by wound re-rolling. Good if you want to re-roll wounds instead of hits and/or are on a budget, as they're only 60 points each if bought individually and come with far more customisability over their Primaris counterparts. They have to be set up at the same time, but don't need to be in unit coherency and are treated as separate units. However, the Primaris versions may be worth the 10 points more, unless you're planning on transporting them in a non-Repulsor vehicle, running a pure mini-marines army or REALLY need that 10 points. Add a Captain for re-roll hits of 1, and you've got yourself a mean gun line or assault group. If you have to choose one or the other, rerolling 1's to wound is mathematically equivalent to rerolling 1's to hit unless the weapon does something different on specific rolls. Lieutenants' reroll to wound is better with flamers and sniper Scouts, and Captains' reroll to hit is better with overcharged plasma or with stratagems that trigger on a 6+ to hit, but the rest of the time, their auras are equivalent. Remember, you can take 2 in one slot for twice the re-rolling action. No bikes sadly, but fortunately they're allowed their jump-pack to keep up with the units they're buffing.
**Re-rolling 1s to hit or to wound are mathematically identical in terms of the effect on your damage output - both increase the overall number of wounds inflicted by 16.7% (alternatively, think of it as multiplying it by a factor of 7/6). If you have to choose between one or the other, go with reroll 1s to hit because it helps you avoid plasma guns blowing up in your face, but what you really want is both: if you already have a captain, grab a lieutenant for your next HQ slot (or vice versa). The two auras complement each other very nicely, and wherever possible you should try and keep your units in range of both.
**'''Primaris Lieutenant: '''Like the standard versions, but Primaris, with +1 A and W. They're armed with Assault 3 Bolters (that do 2 damage) which can and probably should be swapped for Power Swords for the better chance to hit. Like the standard Lieutenants, they also allow friendly '''BLOOD ANGELS''' units re-roll to wound rolls of 1. As is the case with all Primaris Marines, they're rather inflexible but are tougher than their counterparts to compensate. Now that the codex is out they have a few more options one of the best is giving them the Mastercraft Stalker Pattern Bolter and teaming them up with a Devastator or Centurion camping squad.
**'''Lieutenant in Phobos Armor:''' Another Primaris variant, this one has a D2 boltgun that ignores cover and the standard Lt. bonus. Also has deep strike and a unique Knife Fighter ability; unmodified hit rolls of 6 count as 2 hits instead of 1. Not like it'll matter much because he only has a basic CCW.
*'''Chaplain:''' Cheap HQ with his stock wargear, great in assault army like Blood Angels. He lets same Chapter units in 6" use his leadership and re-roll all failed hits in melee (which isn't any better than re-rolling 1s on WS2+ models, don't forget). A good support choice to back a choppy squad. Particularly useful helping Thunder Hammer Vanguard/Company Vets mitigate their -1 to hit, or a Death Company squad to buff more fighters and help with their higher morale vulnerability. Comes stock with a bolt pistol and Crozius, which is now somewhere between a power axe and maul at S+1 AP-1 D2. Can take a power fist (which is a terrible waste of points, since you've got Red Thirst and already paid for the Crozius), swap his bolt pistol for something from the pistol list, and can strap on a jump pack, which you should probably do. Honestly with a newer beautiful model and how BA are a very assault based army, he's an amazing choice as an HQ.
**'''Chaplain in Terminator Armour:''' As above, but with 5" movement, one more wound, and 2+ armor. Note that you can only swap the storm bolter for a combi-weapon, so actually slightly less effective in melee against armored opponents, as you have no way to take a power fist, but you shouldn't have been considering that anyway; you should really keep the storm bolter, as well. Assuming you listen to reason, the meaningful comparison here is that he costs 12 more points than a Jump Chaplain with base wargear, but has much better ranged output and durability, in exchange for drastically hampered mobility and an inability to fall back and shoot.
**'''Chaplain on Bike (Legends):''' For 7 points more than a Jump Chaplain, 14" movement, +1 T and Wound, and ability to Turbo-boost, plus a compulsory Storm Bolter. Good for keeping up with your jump pack cc oriented squads, also tougher than a jump pack chaplain. Can swap his bolt pistol for a second storm bolter for even more dakka
***Note that unlike the rest of the chaplains, these guys won't be likely to get the fancy new litanies due to being in the Legends list. While this is nice since you won't need to worry about constantly rolling to keep the buff up, you won't get the chance for anything else.
**'''Primaris Chaplain:'''They get the usual Primaris buffs (+1 A/W) and the usual points hike (only 5 points, in this case). Comes with the same litanies/morale buffs and the crozius, but also packs a new toy: the Absolvor pistol, a 16" S5 AP-1 Pistol. Like most Primaris HQs, his wargear is fixed and cannot be changed. Without the option of a Bike/Jump Pack, you can only footslog him or put him in one of the Primaris grav tanks.
**'''(Forge World) Chaplain in [[Dreadnought|a Goddamn Dreadnought]]''': [[Rape|NOW AN HQ CHOICE CHARACTER]]. The Chaplain Dreadnought is the go-to answer for players wishing to run an All-dreadnought army. This is one of the best models space marines can currently use in 8th arguably the best outside of special characters. It's a character that can't be shot at unless it's by snipers (which it'll shrug of anyway) or it's the closest model, a dreadnought that CANNOT BE SHOT AT. It possess a 5++ save and also buffs the strength of friendly models fighting the same unit as the dreadnought, has heroic intervention and every wound it takes it gets to make a roll, on a 6 it ignores the wound. It's also reasonably priced considering it's many advantages, 204 points vanilla but can be cheaper or more expensive depending on wargear choices (taking an assault cannon makes it cost 183 as an example). Despite it's strengths ultimately it's buff is weak; more a bonus than something your army can rely on, if you want a HQ that buffs than the Chaplain Dreadnought is a bad choice, however, if you were planning to bring a dreadnought and/or want a tough and killy HQ then the Chaplain is a fantastic option that also saves you an elite or heavy support slot. Although it is buff weak, the Chaplain Dread does give an alternate source of bonus Strength to nearby units, meaning when combined with the Sanguinary Priest your basic troops will be Strength 6 and anyone with a TH or Fist will be Strength 12 [[Anal circumference|and thus able to wound anything that isn't a Lord of War on 2s]].

*'''Librarian:''' Flexible buff unit and source of mortal wounds, thanks to Smite. His Psychic Hood adds 1 to Deny the Witch tests against Psykers within 12". Equipped with a force stave/sword/axe (you should keep the sword, for the same reason most of your army prefers power swords - the Red Thirst), frag and krak grenades, and swappable bolt pistol. Can take a jump pack. Use him to buff your melee squads with +1A, or anything at all with a 5++.
**'''Primaris Librarian:'''Can only use a Force Sword and Bolt Pistol, but gains the extra attack and wound that all Primaris Marines get. Also fairly cheap compared to other upgraded Librarian versions, at only 5 points more than a stock Librarian. It's carrying your best sword option and probably best pistol option already (as why would you invest points in a better pistol on a non-jump librarian?), so if you're going to footslog a librarian (the Primaris can't get in most of your transports, but Wings of Sanguinius works just fine on him), definitely a good choice.
**'''Librarian in Phobos Armour:''' Primaris Librarian with a camo-cloak (+2 to saves when in cover instead of +1) that makes him extra durable in cover, and concealed positions lets him deploy with your other sneaky marines. Has access to a special psychic discipline focusing on stealth, of which he knows two and can cast two. (Including one that's basically Warptime!) Comes stock with psychic hood, force sword, and bolt pistol.
*** Frankly, this option seems to be the only Vanguard HQ worth the points. The others look cool, but neither has a single melee attack with an AP value, and the captain has a single bolter shot at AP-2!?! This guy can genuinely hurt people with smite and his force weapon while providing tactical viability.
**'''Librarian Dreadnought:''' Our super special dreadnoughts have definitely seen an improvement. Now at 142 points for storm bolter, or 154 with melta/heavy flamer, this unit is just tooooo good to pass up since he's cheaper than Mephiston. Their stats are the same as every other dreadnought barring their WS2+ and {{W40Kkeyword|character}} keyword, making them hard to shoot, since they have W8 like your other basic dreads. Their force halberd means they will be hitting at S10 AP-4 D3; coupled with the Red Thirst, you'll never actually use that Furioso Fist you had to pay for, so it's a good thing the Halberd is free. Has the same psyker stats as your other unnamed librarians, even the psychic hood. The Storm Bolter is a pretty reasonable choice, but the Meltagun will hit on a 4+ on the Advance, if you were rushing into position to cast, while the Heavy Flamer is best for using Wings of Sanguinius to Fall Back and Shoot. Sadly, can't drop his smoke launchers for a magna grapple, no matter how entertaining it would be. This model can be your warlord, and makes a FINE candidate for Artisan of War when applied to the Force Halberd. Doing this reduces the need for the awesome yet constraining combos you see below, allowing you to use them anyway, or apply powers and CP elsewhere. Regardless though, much like Slamguinius, Smashnought will pulverize literally anything without an invuln save; it all depends on whether you want to dish out 6-8 wounds or 12 or more. Finally, remember returning fire... Once the dread hacks apart its first victim, its a safe bet to assume some big guns are going to wind up pointing in his direction and he will likely be out of his character bubble. Perhaps not the best warlord? As a character with only 8 wounds, the Librarian Dreadnought can only be shot at in the Shooting phase if it is the closest unit.Since he has the CHARACTER keyword, use the Red Rampage Stratagem on this guy should successfully charge into melee for and extra D3 attacks. It will please you. When equipped with a meltagun, this guy becomes a brutally effective monster hunter. Consider: smite in the psychic phase, melta in the shooting phase, then charge and finish off what's left with the halberd. This guy is one of your prime candidates for Quickening+Wings of Sanguinius, giving you a net movement speed of 12", then a re-rollable charge with +3" to boost, then getting into melee with an unbelievably good melee weapon for typically 5 attacks; the only other Librarian you can field with a melee weapon on par with that Force Halberd is Mephiston. However, with no invulnerable save, don't be surprised when this thing disappears after a couple of effortless swings from any melee weapon that does multiple damage with AP-3 or better.
***Biomantic Sarcophagus is a must-take with this guy. The amount of free re-rolls makes a huge difference.
**'''Librarian in Terminator Armour:''' Your more combat oriented Psyker. Must buy at least a Force Stave and Storm Bolter, and can replace the Storm Bolter with a Storm Shield (via the Index) or an item from the Terminator Combi-Weapons list, and may replace his Force Stave with either a Sword or Axe (you want the Sword). Comes stock with a 5++ for his Crux Terminatus, and thanks to his Psychic Hood adds 1 to Deny the Witch tests for Psykers within 12". Can manifest two powers in the Psychic Phase. Occupies a nice balance between a combat character and a buff unit. Have him Teleport into battle behind your Death Company before they get into combat, throw your magic at them, and let loose with the charges. 10 points less for the Terminator Suit over a Jump Pack, but is your only access to a built-in invulnerable save for your Librarian.
**'''Librarian on Bike (Legends):''' 14" movement, +1 T and W, and ability to Turbo-boost (and a compulsory Twin Boltgun) compared to a normal librarian; can swap his pistol for a combi-weapon, which you should only be considering a Storm Bolter for, or another pistol, which is less compelling. Good for keeping up with your jump pack melee oriented squads or other bikes. Costs a point ''less'' than his Terminator cousin (before you pay for a second Storm Bolter), but can't Deep Strike or ride a Transport.

*'''Sanguinary Priest:''' Your standard unit modifier and helpful in all situations to any BA unit. Comes with a bolt pistol, chainsword, frag and krak grenades. Most of his extra weapon options, as well as his biker version, have been moved to Legends, sadly. Blood of Baal returns his Jump Pack option though, or you can throw him into a Stormraven if he shows up without it. Buffs your {{W40Kkeyword|blood angels Infantry}} and {{W40Kkeyword|Bikers}} by offering a 6" bubble of +1 Strength, as well as healing a multi-wound Infantry or Biker model within 3", or bringing a fallen model back to life on a 4+ - the bringing back from the dead is on a d6 roll of 4+ and if failed he does nothing for the rest of the turn. Works well with more expensive models like Terminators and Sanguinary Guard, keeping their health up as they make their way towards the enemy.
**'''Sanguinary Priest with Jump Pack (Index/Blood of Baal):''' 12" movement, {{W40Kkeyword|JUMP PACK}}, and {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}}, and Jump Pack Assault, for only 10 more points. Pairs well with Sanguinary Guard, Vanguard Vets, Death Company, etc. The codex doesn't feature the option to equip with a jump pack, so refer to the index/Blood of Baal for this one.
**'''Sanguinary Priest on Bike (Legends):''' 14" movement, +1 T and W, and ability to Turbo-boost (and a compulsory Storm Bolter) compared to normal priest - as well as becoming a {{W40Kkeyword|BIKER}} - for 25 more points. Sanguinary Priests, both regular and biker varieties, work amazingly with units armed with Power Swords. S5 AP-3 is a nasty profile that can put wounds on most things reliably, particularly since you will reliably have the Red Thirst up - you'll wound T4 or less on 2s! The +1S is particularly nice because, per the Designer's Commentary, Strength buffs happen before a melee weapon's Strength is calculated - so e.g. Power Fists and Thunder Hammers go to S10. The synergy with Red Thirst is strange because Red Thirst is a flat +1 to wound but +1 or even +2S only sometimes helps - for example, Blood Angels Thunder Hammers will wound T6 on 2s without the Priest's help - but you'll still get better results combining the priest with multiplicative melee weapons, for a net +2.

*'''Techmarine:''' At the end of movement phase can (now without roll) restore one {{W40Kkeyword|blood angels vehicle}} model within 1" for 1d3 lost wounds. Equipped with a servo-arm and power axe by default. Can take a jump pack, servo-harness, and can swap out his pistol for another pistol or a combi-weapon (the storm bolter is the big draw here). Most importantly, you can swap out the Power Axe for a Chainsword to get one of the cheapest HQ options there is (45 points). Blood Angels has some great HQ options, but the Techmarine is a good way to pay an HQ tax. Hand him a Veritas Vitae and park him near some artillery.
**'''Techmarine on Bike (Legends):''' 14" movement, +1 T and W, and ability to Turbo-boost (and a compulsory Storm Bolter) compared to a normal Techmarine, but pays 25 points for the bike (not including the Storm Bolter attached to it); the mobility is excellent for keeping up with what he wants to repair, but be aware the bike isn't free. Same advice applies about his other wargear.
**'''Techmarine with Jump Pack (Legends):''' Badly overcosted, at more than double the cost of the footslogging Techmarine before wargear - has neither a servo-arm nor a conversion beamer, which is the only way in the game to make that happen, but the jump pack costs so much you're actually ''far'' better off just shelling out for a bike. Can still repair vehicles just fine, mind you. There's a rules explosion if you take both a servo-harness and a jump pack (which is not banned); until it's FAQ'ed, both will resolve, and the jump pack will take your servo-arms away, leaving you with a jump pack, flamer, and plasma cutter. Theoretically, the same thing will happen if you swap your servo-arm for a conversion beamer "before" taking a jump pack, but the RAI on that ''seems'' clearer. [[skub|Discuss any rules clusterfucks with your opponent before you exploit them.]]

*'''Rhino Primaris (Legends):''' One half of the Command Tank duo, the Rhino Primaris distinguishes itself from the basic Rhino by 3 things: its twin plasma gun, the ability to call an orbital bombardment (a single blast that can deal d3 Mortal Wounds to all enemies within d6" of a targeted point and doesn't need line of sight, but can only be fired once per game), and its servo-skull hub. The hub allows the Rhino Primaris to buff allies within 12" with either a +1 to hit, a -1 to morale tests, or healing a wound (for vehicles only). It only has room to transport 6 units, though that's just enough for a Captain and his Veteran Squad.
**Never fire the plasma gun on overcharged mode; the risk of destroying the Rhino Primaris isn't worth the extra damage.

*'''Land Raider Excelsior (Legends):''' The other half of the Command Tank duo, which comes with a 5+ invulnerable save, the Captain's ability to grant re-rolls for hit results of 1 for units within 6" of it, a pair of twin lascannons, and a grav-cannon/grav-amp combo. If you take it, take the Rhino Primaris too - it'll gain a +1 to hit for all shooting attacks if it stays within 24" of the Rhino Primaris. Apart from that, it's fairly similar to the vanilla LR, albeit better able to take on heavy infantry thanks to the grav-cannon.
**As is the case for the Rhino Primaris, do ''not'' overcharge the plasma gun part of the combi-plasma. Your lascannons do everything that an overcharged plasma gun shot can do, without the risk of killing yourself in the process!

*'''(Forge World) Damocles Command Rhino:''' Costing almost twice as much as normal Rhino, but with one transport place for character, this gives you one-use Orbital bombardment, which on 4+ hit every unit in 6" from point on a battlefield you choose ( -1 for Characters) and deals D3 mortal wounds. Second ability is generating 1 CP per turn if your warlord is embarked and roll less than his LD. This is helpful, but most Blood Angels potential Warlords doesn't fit Rhino (jump pack, terminator armour, Dreadnought)
**This vehicle is useful against cheap horde armies, which probably have more Command Points than you.

====Special Characters====
*'''Astorath:''' Astorath has gained some fun special rules. His axe is now basically a relic blade, which on a 6+ to wound is a flat 3 damage. All BA within 6" re-roll hits in the fight phase and can use his leadership for morale tests; death company instead become fearless. Astorath now gains the very cool rule Mass of Doom, which you may activate once per game at the start of your turn. Roll 1D6 for each friendly BA infantry unit within 6". On a 1, the unit takes 1 mortal wound. On a 2-5, add 1 to all hit rolls made in the fight phase. On a 6, same as above but the unit also gains a 4++ invuln until the end of your turn. So, just before your big 15 man death company charges, you can probably give them 2+ re-rollable attacks for maximum rape, and you only kill one of them with odds 5/36, since they can FNP the mortal wound from the Mass. Combine this with Librarians, Sanguinary Priests, and Ancients to get the maximum bang for your berserker buck.
** Mass of Doom is no joke. Whatever Astorath says takes your Death Company WAY beyond enraged. Enjoy your renewed title as the premier alpha strike combo. Combined with the Red Thirst, your DC will become incredibly efficient in melee armed with power swords [which are now cheap as chips]. Against other MEQ, you're hitting and wounding on 2s and 3s with re-rolls and AP-3. With a priest or sanguinor (who also has deep strike), the buffs just keep building and building and building... there is really no comparison. Be careful, though, as you're going to wind up the same way as many iterations before, completely butchering the first target and getting left alone and likely facing lots of retributive firepower the next turn. Go play ultramarines if you want to be cool, calm, and collected.
** Unfortunately Astorath is shadowed by Lemartes ability. The ability to re-roll charges is too crucial for a Death Company list and its just too expensive and redundant to realistically run them both. Unless you're re-enacting the Diamor campaign. FOR SANGUINIUS!
** Double unfortunately, Mass of doom and Litanies of Battle need to be used at the '''beginning''' of your movement phase, but the deep strike happens at the '''end''' of the movement phase, so you can't use it on a unit that is deep striking this turn, nor can you use it while deep striking Astorath himself.
** Only 105 pts to run this Angel of Death.
** Thanks to Blood of Baal, Astorath has gained a serious buff in the form of the Master of Sanctity keyword. This brings with it the ability to take 3 Litanies of Battle and use 2 each turn.
***Unfortunately bumped down to only knowing 2 litanies from the Litanies of Battle as of the 01/06/20 FAQ, but can still use 2 each turn.

*'''Brother Corbulo:''' Corbulo is a buffed Sanguinary Priest with some cool wargear. 14 points buys you the standard lack of ability to choose different wargear for a named character, but +1 BS with his Bolt Pistol and Grenades, +1W, and his melee gains +1S and -1AP due to him gaining +1A but swapping out his chainsword for Heaven's Teeth, resulting in no net change to attack volume. His Blood Chalice grants 6+ exploding hit dice during the Fight phase to infantry and biker units within 6" (including himself, naturally). He also has the Far-Seeing Eye, which grants a single re-roll on anything for Corbulo 1/turn, which you will generally want to apply to his Narthecium, either to heal more wounds (bringing his average healing up from 2 to 2.33) or increase his odds of raising the dead from 50% to 75%, but it's worth noting his re-roll is Cawl grade, not just on failures, so you can use it to guarantee his bolt pistol or krak grenade hits or wounds, or to raise his krak grenade's average damage from 2 to 2.33. He has no jump pack. Like other priests, he is cheap and a genuinely good option.
**Like Mephiston and Tycho, this dude prefers to rock and roll without a jump pack. He does complement vanguard vets and death company rolling around in transports very well, as they can simply conga line to leave someone close enough to Corbulo to pick up the buff. His explosions work on ''all'' {{W40Kkeyword|blood angels}} units, so you can apply him to dreadnoughts, or even Stormravens if you're feeling silly. He's also amazing paired with a Company Ancient, as his explosions happen during the Fight phase regardless of weapon type, giving you access to shenanigans like exploding the dice for inferno pistols.
**Makes a fine support unit for Aggressors. Makes them tougher, hit harder, and hit more often. Aggressors are well suited to foot slogging so no worry over transportation issues.

*'''Captain Tycho:''' Tycho changed a bit with the codex. Like usual, he is a captain with a master-crafted boltgun like other captains, but it has a meltagun strapped to it, and he has a 2+ save and doesn't like orks, gaining 1d3 attacks against them. He also got back Dead Man's Hand for Melee purposes: S User AP-2 D1, which is a lightning claw that doesn't re-roll wounds/a power sword with 1 worse AP/a power axe with 1 worse S. Meh.
**Like his psycho version, his greatest advantage is a low points cost, paired with a durability upgrade; actually building him from a Captain is impossible, but his melee weapon is approximately as good as a chainsword (it's worse against anything with 0 or 1 penetrable save, such as Storm Shield MEQs or Genestealers, but better against anything with 2 or better, so is approximately a wash), and his ranged weapon is indisputably better than a combi-melta (a Captain with a Combi-Melta will run you 2 ''more'' points than Tycho), so if you were going to field a footslogging combi-melta no-melee-upgrades Captain, this is the way to go, but why would you do that? His severe lack of mobility fails to impress.
**'''Tycho the Lost:''' Edgy Tycho now doesn't help his friends. He loses his re-roll aura (making him less accurate without external support), but gains the Black Rage for a 6+++ and +1A on the charge, and drops 25 points in cost - but why would you do that? If your goal is paying HQ taxes cheaply, you can take a Sanguinary Priest for 1 point less, a Techmarine for 8 points less, or a Lieutenant for 10 points less, all of whom provide actual utility - and the Black Rage doesn't really impress on a model carrying a weapon that shabby. With the red thirst, black rage, and AP-2, he will surprise you. If you assault the same model you shot with your melta gun in the shooting phase you stand a good chance of killing it, unless its a vehicle or MC of course.
** Tycho the lost is a bargain no matter how you add things up; the problem is his questionable purpose in a BA army. Don’t use him as a frontline HQ or melee powerhouse, load him in a stormraven and place him behind your enemy or in an inconvient position. He will take dedicated effort for your opponent to remove him and will hamper their main effort. He’s great at snatching far off objectives. Also does a great job of preying on vehicles or other weaker units. He’s also a great distraction. Get creative with him.

*'''Chief Librarian Mephiston:''' The only ''named'' Primaris character for BA's, Mephiston is similar to last edition, with 6 Wounds and 5s for S, T, and A instead of 6s like the days of yore (or 4s for a standard librarian), but he makes up for it in other ways. His Sanguine Sword is now a Power Fist with no to-hit penalty; his other benefits include M7 (although he has no jump pack), BS2+ with his Plasma Pistol, a 2+ save, a 5+++ FNP, Denying 2 powers instead of 1, and knowing 3 powers instead of 2, but that last is particularly lackluster, as he can still only cast 2; you'll probably want to take Unleash Rage (or Quickening, if you want him to buff himself better [[derp|since THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE MEPHISTON!]]), Shield of Sanguinius, and Wings of Sanguinius on him, then only cast the third power when you really need to get him into position. All of those benefits will cost you 57 points over a normal Librarian, or 52 more than a Primaris Librarian (which has the same W and A as him).
**Mephiston has an excellent statline, lots of melee power (combined with a Sanguinary Priest, he can hit at S12!), can buff himself and/or others well, and is priced decently. He makes a good HQ (although his warlord trait is lackluster). His only weaknesses are no way to generate anything better than a 5++, allowing basic power swords to hurt him, and no means to deep strike with other choppy units. otherwise, he can perform any HQ role quite well. He's in direct competition with a librarian dreadnought, given how much of his special character oomph was directed into making him beatstickier.
**'''Chief Librarian Mephiston (Legends)''': The now-outdated, non-Primaris version of Mephiston. No point taking him even if allowed, as the new Mephiston is better ''and'' cheaper, unless you want to put him in an older transport.

*'''Commander Dante:''' Despite being the "I'm too old for this shit" character, Dante is still a beatstick. Coming in with the classic wargear of The Axe Mortalis (a relic blade that re-rolls failed wounds against {{W40Kkeyword|character}}s) and an Inferno Pistol, 2+, 4++, and a jump pack, Dante hasn't really changed much, but does have W6 and A6. A lucky lascannon can still kill him, but he is a whole bunch tougher against small or even medium arms fire. Dante loses out on his cool tactical and jump pack warlord rules and now has a 6" bubble of re-rolls of all failed to hits, which is... alright. But you're not taking him for those, you're taking him for the 6 inch bubble of giving morale rolls the middle finger from his built in Warlord Trait - meaning that whoever you select as his bodyguard won't break for shit - although it's worth noting you can put that trait on any unnamed Warlord you like.
** Unleash Rage and Red rampage. 10 Attacks. Nice
**For vanguards and assault marines, this is great, but since the most commonly used Dante bodyguard, Sanguinary Guard, get re-rolls to hit within 6" of your warlord already, this is kind of shit, so you probably don't want to take them - instead, take Company Veterans with Jump Packs, for the same job, or don't make Dante your Warlord.
***This boy is 25 pts cheaper as of Chapter Approved 2019 now only costing 150pts! He is not and should not be used like Calgar, Abbadon, a hive tyrant, an Avatar, etc. Dante's main draw is his exceptional alpha strike potential. For best results, consider not deep striking him. Instead work up the board normally using your character status as protection, or jump out of a stormraven. You need to damage your opponent as much as possible in one turn, that means getting very close in the movement phase, inferno pistol in shooting phase, successful charge in assault phase with those juicy 6 attacks and ideally red rampage for D3 more. Lower their damage bracket so they cant strike back as hard. If everything goes as planned, he is a top notch character assassin. Otherwise, Dante just doesn't have the staying power of other models in his weight class.
** Take a vanguard detachment with Dante and back him up with three standard dreads packing lascannons w/ fist/storm bolter (heavy flamer if you must). March them up the board, they will take a beating and will protect Dante, likewise they will throw out a lot of dakka thanks to re-roll all hits. Once you get close Dante can jump ahead, or swing around to slay the most opportune target, and dreads will dish out some hurt with all their re roll fists hits.
** Alternatively, he's a great buff for a gun-line. Have him sit back with several lascannons and pop enemy vehicles, re-rolling all misses, and let Lemartes and DC charge in and wipe out everything else.

*'''Lemartes:''' Lemartes is still the mad-capped berserker that we all know and love, with some differences in this edition. Gone is his crazy approach to getting wounded and getting angrier, but his wounds have gone from 2 to 4, and his base attacks are a respectable 5. As Death Company are no longer fearless (disappointing), you do have the option to use Lemartes’ Leadership of 9 (immunity until 4 models drop) if within 6”, should your crazy marines need to take a leadership test; note that Lemartes ''can't'' buff non-Death Company, unlike Astorath or normal Chaplains. The best thing here, though, is that Lemartes allows re-rolls of failed charges for Death Company, on top of providing them with re-rolls to hit in the Fight phase (which, again, he can't provide to non-Death Company). Quite handy when Jump Pack assaults will be at least 9” away to start with. At only 100 points, this Death Company deep strike bomber is a bargain.
** Blood of Baal changes things up a bit. He still has Black Rage due to an FAQ put out on 01/06/20 and now knows Litany of Hate/1 Litany of Battle/Invocation of Destruction and can recite 1 each turn, on top of his natural aura to re-roll DC charges and melee hits. Consider taking Mantra of strength to turn him into even more of a beatstick.

*'''The Sanguinor:''' Our special snowflake is now a very pointy snowflake. Basically a copy of Dante for 20 points less now (since he dropped 20 and Dante dropped 25), with -1 wound (he is affected by his own aura, so his attacks match Dante's unless they're together, in which case Dante pulls ahead by 1), but his weapon is AP-4 vs Dante's AP-3 (and doesn't re-roll wounds against anything), and he retains his aura of fervour, granting +1 attack to BA infantry units within 6" (but ''doesn't'' grant re-rolling misses, making him better at buffing melee but worse at buffing ranged), making him a natural fit with Sanguinary Guard/Jump Company Veterans/Vanguard Veterans as warlord. He may also fall back from combat and still charge that turn, and is wearing a Death Mask. All this for noticeably less than Dante. So yeah, if you want a slightly less tough, more/differently buffy guy, pick the Sanguinor; otherwise, if you want a more focused killer, Dante is your man.
** Pretty solid warlord, and will make power fist sanguinary guard quite gnarly. A better take over Dante unless you really want an inferno pistol and/or improved 1v1 combat ability
** He does very well with Sanguinary guard... but also makes death company alarmingly good. With +1 A, they will hit 6 times with chainswords, or 5 times with power swords OR thunder hammers. Hey, where is the chaplain?
** Don't forget to throw his grenades, its not like they will kill much, but i`d be a shame to waste his awesome ballistic skill.

====Successor Chapters====
*'''Gabriel Seth ([[Flesh Tearers]]):''' Thankfully moved from the LoW section, Gabriel is a Captain with +1W and the usual Chapter Master aura of re-rolling ''all'' failed hits (which doesn't matter for 2+ models, but is twice as good for 3+ models); his melee weapon is a Thunder Hammer with +1AP and +1WS (that is, no inaccuracy penalty, but only AP-2), and he carries a Bolt Pistol. His aura also lets {{W40Kkeyword|Flesh Tearers}} (including himself, as always) who finish a consolidate within it roll a d6, and on a 6+, it can fight again. RAW, technically if this happens the unit can never Fight again, but it [[skub|seems]] clear the RAI is simply that the second Fight's consolidate doesn't get to roll (the rule actually says the unit fights for a final time, but "probably" means a final time ''that phase''). He also has a personal rule that a 6+ to hit in the Fight phase for him inflicts an additional hit without rolling. At only 135 points, he's pretty ok - since he's A4 base, his total expected attacks that hit are 5.83 after accounting for his automatic hitting and re-roll aura, up to 6.81 after his very low chance to do the entire thing a second time; a strictly theoretical Primaris Captain (to match Seth's Wounds count) with a Thunder Hammer would cost you 108 points, hitting at -1AP, and actually connecting only 3.89 times, and both would behave the same way at range. Cheap re-rolls like Seth cannot be overstated, seriously its like deathwatch watch masters.
**The biggest problem with him is that he cuts off your access to the good relics if he or any of his chapter are your Warlord, forcing you to make do with an only slightly upgraded power sword that's usually not even as good as a master-crafted power sword. His aura is good, but it's not losing access to the Veritas Vitae or Standard of Sacrifice good; ultimately, his melee weapon is the Hammer of Baal at 1 worse AP, and his aura effectively combines Dante's with Corbulo's, so he doesn't bring much unique to the table, unfortunately.
***All that being said, if you're a Flesh Tearers player, you're used to getting fucked over. RIP AND TEAR
**Combine him with three lascannon/fist dreadnoughts in a vanguard detachment. He is a great way to bring a re-roll for all hits and makes three normal dreadnoughts brutal. They get re-rolls hits with the fists as if they had two, and your lascannons are re rolling hits as you slowly march up the field, plus 24 T7 wounds is a great bodyguard for a character/warlord. Add in reivers or Vang Vets deep striking to handle any hordes and you have a solid base for your army.
** For 110 points he does give re-rolls to all hits. Ironically, this makes him an affordable way to significantly boost a gun line, which you will send in counter charges and deep strikers overhead once the enemy breaks the final protective line. Playing BA reactively is difficult, but can work really well, who knew this dude is a prime candidate for the commander? Perhaps the flesh tearers are remodeling their combat doctrine... or perhaps not.
*'''Malakim Phoros ([[Lamenters]], Forgeworld):''' 115 Points for a +1W & A Captain and re-roll wounds, with a relic blade equivalent and 12" inferno pistol?????? THAT. IS. DAMN. GOOD. The Lamenters shit days are over with these guy. Simply plant him next to all the dakka you can muster and let rip! Perhaps not as scary as his 7th edition stats, the Lord of Ruin still dishes out the pain with the best of them. His pistol, Catechist, is still a 12" Inferno Pistol, and his Glaive of Lamentation is a Power Fist with -1S -1AP, which is practically speaking better without a Sanguinary Priest on hand, due to the Red Thirst; with one, you're actually at -2S relative to the Fist, which is a bit more noticeable, but nothing to get worked up over. His special rule, "The Lord of Ruin", turns him into a super-Lieutenant, allowing all {{W40Kkeyword|Lamenters infantry}}, {{W40Kkeyword|dreadnought}}s, and {{W40Kkeyword|biker}}s (i.e. all of your Red Thirst units) within 6" of him to re-roll ''all failed wound rolls'', which is ''drastically'' better than re-rolling all failed hits, in practice. Due to how well the Red Thirst already buffs your melee wounding, if you use Malakim to buff melee wounding as well, you'll want to bring weaker but cheaper melee weapons, like power swords - he won't really help your Thunder Hammers more than a Lieutenant would, but your Power Sword infantry will go from wounding Land Raiders 58.33% of the time with both a Priest and Lieutenant on hand to 75% of the time with Phoros and a Priest - and they cost a ''lot'' less. Combine him with a Captain on anything that has a 2+ to hit to functionally achieve re-rolling all failed hits and all failed wounds, or for melee, with a Chaplain or Terminator Ancient.
**There are basically two good ways to use Malakim.
***You can stuff him in a Stormraven to speed him up; his buff won't help anyone until he gets out, but you can more easily get him where he needs to go this way.
****This is the only practical way to get him to buff melee combat; the best fellow buffer he can have for that is generally a Sanguinary Priest for +1S. A Librarian for Unleash Rage can also help, but buffs a single target, rather than employing an aura, on top of being able to fail the buff. You should put a Dread on board and as many Company Veterans as you can, but, of course, be aware that melee units that can't {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}} may have trouble deleting units that can only be charged by models with {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}}; instead, since Phoros and the Priest are both auras, you may want to dump them somewhere, then deep strike in many small units of Jump melee troops to try and ensure charges get through. If you want more room on board for more chargers, remember Priests, Librarians, and Captains can all take Jump Packs, and get to where they need to be themselves.
****You can also field this ranged style (see below), or mix the two; Sanguinary Guard can {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}}, carry both a melee weapon and a gun, and, near Phoros, re-roll all failed hits ''and'' wounds; give them plasma pistols, a ''Company'' Ancient, and a Sanguinary Priest, then combine the lot of it near something you want dead for deeply satisfactory plasma spam. Not remotely as good with inferno pistols, due to short range and Malakim being slow, or angelus bolters, which have the range, but are insanely overcosted.
***You can, instead, just walk him up the field, like how Codex Marines field Guilliman. This is clearly best with ranged; since Phoros can't buff most vehicles, you're looking to field Devastators, Hellblasters, and dakka Dreads (especially Leviathan Dreads), essentially. Note that this is perfectly fieldable on a Stormraven - you can stuff Phoros, 2 Heavy Flamer Devastators squads, and a Leviathan Dreadnought on a Stormraven, with room to spare for an additional buffer if you want one on board. You can't stuff Hellblasters on one, so for them, make sure you bring a Company Ancient to let them shoot twice when they die, and a Priest is still a good idea to stand them back up, on top of the Captain you'll definitely want.
**Since we're already using Forgeworld, remember that we can make use of Chaplain Dreadnoughts. The +1S buff from the Chaplain Dread stacks with the +1S from a Sanguinary Priest, which stacks with any x2 melee weapon for a net +4S on top of the weapon's buff (i.e. net +8, or S12, for all of those S4 guys you were bringing); between that and the Red Thirst, you can easily get Malakim up to wounding Land Raiders on a 2+ (he'll be at S9), and your S12 punchers will wound even the incredibly rare T9 and T10 targets out there on a 2+.
***Potentially Hilarious Idea: Put Malakim in a Vanguard Detachment with 3 Furioso Dreads armed with Heavy Flamers and Frag Cannons for self-contained 9D6 auto-hits, re-rolling wounds. Really who even needs Chapter Master?
**** You guys are looking at things the wrong way. Phoros and Aggressors (a full vanguard with 3 squads should suffice, maxed out even better!) are a match made in heaven. His very unique wounds re roll works better and better as volume increases. 6 mans squads of aggressors can pump 100 or more shots a turn, assuming 2/3s of those hit, re rolling the wounds allows you to engage anything from T4 to T8 and up. Basically, aggressors work wonders on hordes by themselves. Throw in re rolls to wounds and they can take on any target. Plus you have power fists to finish off T8... Aggressors like to hug cover and let the enemy come to them, a perfect match since Phoros is only 1" faster. Phoros makes a great unit (Aggressors are easily one of the best if not the best infantry in all of the Astartes codex) phenomenal.

===Troops===
*'''Scout Squad:''' The Scout special rule Concealed Deployment may be the best troop rule space marines have. Since they deploy during the deployment phase, you can cut off huge swaths of the board from enemy deep strikes early in the game, and they count as deployed on the table for the purpose of legally holding all your Jump stuff back to Deep Strike. They have both a shooty build and a close combat build, and offensive wise are just as good as Tactical Marines at shooting and Assault Marines at assaulting. They can create early pre-screens so horde armies can't get a full move right off the bat. Worried about a Tyranid army getting a 30" move on turn one? Scouts make a fine speed bump. Camo Cloaks actually make Scouts cost more than Tactical Marines on a model by model basis, so skip them. The Combat Knives look like a good idea, but they aren't - your Scouts hit harder in melee than they do at range, but after their deployment step, they're not particularly mobile at getting into charge range; remember, the primary reason you're bringing these guys is for Objective Secured. The shotguns have a similar problem of needing more mobility than you have to shine (contrast with Scout Bikes, where the shotguns are amazing). Your best bets for the "mook" scouts are bolters to keep them cheap, but effective at range, or snipers if your meta has a lot of weak support characters running around - just be wary, as this makes the scout more than a third again as expensive. The Sergeant is another matter entirely, due to his second attack and superior equipment access, particularly if you're deploying your Scouts in a Land Speeder Storm; a Power Sword on him costs as much as that sniper rifle would have, but murders more things more easily, and doesn't make him drop his bolter.
**Alternate take on combat knives: Scouts with knives are significantly more dangerous in melee than more expensive normal SM units and scouts with combat blades show up in Blood Angel lists that win tournaments (and play more than a few BA HQ units, the most successful lists are still Slamguinus, Mephiston, another Captain with the Hammer of Baal and a Guard Brigade. BA Battalions with Blade Scouts are a thing that do place though, more than some armies place at all), often the Sarge has a storm bolter and combat knife. Sniper scouts are not terribly competitive, they do not mesh with the BA advantages (which gravitate to melee), nor the scout advantages (being a cheap unit).

*'''Tactical Squad:''' You know how these guys work. Squad size of 5-10, armed with Boltguns, Bolt Pistols, and Frag and Krak Grenades. As before, you can take one Heavy or one Special Weapon at five models, and one of each at ten, but because you're {{W40Kkeyword|blood angels}}, the heavy can be a heavy flamer. Your Sergeant may take items from the Sergeant Equipment List by dropping both his bolter and pistol; your strongest choices here will be a storm bolter and a power sword or thunder hammer (be aware, this will more than double this cost). Combat squads are still a thing, working much the same as they always have. They now have the Red Thirst that makes them better in melee, and when combined with other synergy units in the codex they can become surprisingly good melee units (though they will never become amazing in melee, so don't get any ideas - combat knife scouts will readily butcher them). Look, these guys are bread and butter, great at nothing, good at everything. They are neither as cheap and tricksy as Scouts or as Tough and effectively specialized as Intercessors, but are a reliable middle-ground between these two options, as they always have been.
**5 man squads in Twin Assault Cannon Razorbacks are pretty certainly your best bet; a Storm Bolter/Thunder Hammer Sergeant, 3 mooks, and a guy carrying your favorite of a Heavy Bolter, Heavy Flamer, or Lascannon will do a shockingly reasonable amount of work.

*'''Intercessors:''' The Primaris addition to the Blood Angel infantry. Essentially a Tactical marine with an extra attack and wound, and packs Bolt Rifles for free (bolters at +6" range and -1AP), Auto Bolt Rifles for 1 point (Assault 3 bolters, for when mobility is needed), or Stalker Bolt Rifles for 0 points (36" Heavy 1 AP-2 2D Bolter). One squad member can take an auxiliary grenade launcher for 1 point to have 30" grenades, which is at least entertaining. Intercessors are better in close combat than their Tactical marine brethen, however this is not the reason you take them (you have better options in this Codex, though they aren't pushovers either). What you want from them is good good mid-field objective grabbers and frontal assualt fighters. They've got good range, -1AP over Tacticals, and good staying power. While Tacticals may have more diverse weapon options (for now) Intercessors are better suited for contesting and holding objectives and dragging out fights with tougher adversaries that Tactical and Scout squads would prefer to avoid. Along with stock Intercessors being good at objective grabbing another effective loadout this has found is 10 of these guys with Auto Bolt Rifles (which are not entirely worse than regular Bolt Rifles, outputting more damage outside of 15") or any variant really and a Lieutenant can make for a very effective mobile anti-infantry platform. Remember to play to their strengths, Tactical Squads (for now anyway, Intercessors will probably get their chance) are the ones who want to be the Jack-of-all-Trades Infantry that can do a little of everything, Intercessors job is geared toward anti-infantry and holding-the-line or contesting, be that against infantry, monsters or vehicle chargers (much easier now too thanks to Red Thirst, wounding Carnifexs on fours anyone?).
**Intercessor sergeants can now take a chain sword, power sword, a hand flamer (instead of a rifle, fluffy perhaps but keep the rifle for serious play,) a power fist, or a thunder hammer. Keep in mind you need to get intercessors INTO melee to use these. No reason not to take a chainsword, but the rest depends on how you are using them. Auto-rifle wielding intercessors could do well with a sword or fist, acting as a back-up if your squishier melee units (lookin at you, Death Company) die before making back their points.
**The other rifles recieved a buff from Codex Space Marines, and they're actually pretty good now. Having assault 3 bolters is never a bad thing, and increase the speed of the Primaris, something they lack a bit of with no cheap transports. Stalker rifles upgrade Intercessors with budget autocannons. Yes, they're only stregth 4, but D2 only occurs on a few guns in any SM codex. These rifles are definitely made for popping Nobs, Immortals, and Tyranid Warriors. (Or Primaris, interestingly enough.) (Side note that these rifles also have just enough AP to make cataphractii terminators use an invuln-save instead of armor.)

*'''Infiltrator Squad:''' Same statline as Intercessors, but with +1Ld. Standard unit of one Sergeant and four Bodies, but unique in that it can take an additional four bodies and one Apothecary-Cadet that can only heal a model from this unit, or revive one on a 5+. Marksman bolt carbines are exactly the same as boltguns, but unmodified hit rolls of 6 automatically hits and wounds, but your opponent still gets a save. Their smoke grenades work exactly as vehicle smoke launchers; sacrifice a round of shooting for a -1 hit modifier against opponents shooting attacks. They can deploy when setting up anywhere on the battlefield that is more than 9" from an enemy unit or your opponent’s own deployment zone: this is during set-up only, not during any of your other turns. Finally, enemy units cannot arrive as reinforcements within 12" of this unit, making them excellent at area denial.
**Sadly, at 22 points a model (and 32 points for the Helix Adept), much of this needs to be judged against the flexibility of the Tactical Squad, the solidity of firepower from an Intercessor squad, and the cheapness of the Scout Squad. Bad? Maybe not. Overcosted? The jury is still out...but the verdict is likely yes.
**While they do cost as much as Reivers with grapple guns and grav shutes, they do deny deep strikes within 12" of them meaning the majority of rapid fire weapons can't rapid fire upon arriving and more importantly enemy units ''' can't charge you out of deepstrike''' (crippling to armies and players that rely on it and makes their ability much more valuable against Orks, 1K Sons & GSC.) spread them about to maximize that bubble and watch them draw fire from your opponent (assuming their army relies on this tactic) possibly saving other key units. So weigh this against their staggering cost (230 for 9 plus a Hellix Adept) for a troops choice.

*'''Incursor Squad:''' These models come in the infiltrator box set and have some nice benefits. Firstly, their shots ignore cover so you can feel like an Imperial Fist as a Blood Angel. Second, they ignore all negative modifiers to hit (eat your hearts out eldar and thousand sons). They start at 19 points per model and can take a haywire land mine for an additional 10 points.
**These guys you should take if you're playing an objective based game, once they throw down their land mine enemy units now can't get near an objective without taking D3 mortal wounds
**Their Paired Combat Knives synergize with the Blood Angels better than most other chapters, since the +1 to wound rolls helps ameliorate their relatively low Strength (never wound at less that 5+!), and exploding 6s to hit means that the 16 attacks from a five man squad on the charge (2 per base, +1 per from Shock Assault, +1 on the Sarge) will statistically become 18-19, so you'll have lots of chances for that +1 to make a difference. Leave backfield objective holding to the Infiltrators with their 12-inch anti-deepstrike bubble—these guys are probably better off using Concealed Positions to start close to entrenched enemy units, where their ability to ignore cover and other penalties will help make up for their S4 AP0 shooting, and then moving in for a Charge. AP-1 from the Assault Doctrine can also help make them viable.

===Elites===
*'''Company Ancient:''' The old banner bearer, now an independent {{W40Kkeyword|Character}}. The banner adds +1L to any same Chapter {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} (sorry, bikers!) units within 6". If a ''model'' from the Chapter dies within 6", you get a 4+ chance for them to get off one more round of shooting (with ''one'' ranged weapon) or one more close combat attack, before your opponent can move on to something else. Note that this only affects ''models'' in the bubble, not units, so be mindful when picking who dies. Comes with a bolt pistol that you can swap for a different pistol, combi, or melee weapon. When you proc his ability on a plasma gun wielder, remember to overcharge it. Unfortunately, ''drastically'' better supporting guns (since you get the gun's full rate of fire) than melee (since any attacks above 1 are wasted), even though you're a melee focused army.
**'''Company Ancient with Jump Pack:''' Give him a Jump Pack for 9 points, which also lets him Deep Strike. This guy right here is a poster boy for carrying the Standard of Sacrifice into battle, as he'll provide a 5+++ FNP and then a 4+ attack one more time, drastically spiking the output of what he's supporting, and the Jump Pack will help him guarantee the bubble is where you need it to be.

*'''Primaris Ancient:''' Same as a Company Ancient, but with +1W 1+A. Comes with a bolt rifle in addition to the pistol, and like most Primaris characters, cannot swap his war gear.
** Best used to support an Aggressor gunline, which can benefit from either the extra shooting or melee attacks. While certainly not a replacement for a Sanguinary Ancient, the larger base, better bolt rifle, additional attack and two wounds for a five point increase is nothing to snub at.

*'''Sanguinary Ancient:''' A single Sanguinary Guard character holding a banner that grants +1 Ld and re-rolling of wound rolls of 1 in the Fight phase to all nearby Blood Angels. You have to ask yourself one question, "Is it viable for me to spend 63 points for a character that allows me to re-roll wound rolls of one and buffs my leadership, and gives the option for 5+++ fnp with the relic banner, resulting in that whoever he is with becoming more killy and more durable?" With right tools, this is a massive force multiplier, more so than jump lieutenant and jump ancient combined in a single package. This thing is meant to join with priests and what have you to make horribly dangerous armies that use the synergy of BA to the logical limitations that are offered.
**This model is the cheapest source of the Death Mask de-buff in the codex, should you be trying to stack negative leadership penalties.

*'''Terminator Ancient:''' Can wield a Storm Bolter, Lightning Claw, or Thunder Hammer on top of the banner he wields - of which the correct choice is probably the Storm Bolter, so he doesn't get too close to the enemy and die, losing you your buff. His banner, like the Sanguinary Guard one, simulates a Chaplain's accuracy buff, re-rolling all failed to-hits in the Fight phase within 6", as well as providing +1 Ld.

*'''Company Champion:''' Another former Command Squad guy now on his own. He has to make a Heroic Intervention if possible, and can re-rolls misses against {{W40Kkeyword|Characters}}. Comes with a master-crafted power sword, bolt pistol, frag and krak grenades, and combat shield for a 5++, but no other wargear options. Because his accuracy self-buff is so negligible, you'll usually be far better served shelling out the points for a buffing character instead of some sort - he's only 18 points shy of a Chaplain, for example. Best stay away.
**'''Company Champion with Jump Pack:''' Same as above, just able to keep up with all your other jump units.

*'''Company Veterans:''' More or less the Command Squad from earlier editions, minus the Apothecary, (Company) Champion, and banner bearer (now a Company Ancient), which are all split off as independent Characters. You can still kit between 2 and 5 of them out however you like (except no special weapons on the Sergeant). They possess an ability similar to the old "Look out, Sir!" rule which lets them intercept a wound from a {{W40Kkeyword|CHARACTER}} on a 2+ in exchange for taking a mortal wound, so they're good bodyguards, especially with something nearby to give them FNP, like the Banner of Sacrifice.
**These are the veterans you really want to take. Why so? They are exactly the same as vanguard vets but have access to ranged weaponry. For 105 points you have 5 vets all with chainswords, stormbolters, and jump packs. This is a great option to counter all forms of infantry and hordes considering red thirst. And as Bodyguards can protect any character, including Librarian Dreadnoughts. The Jump Packs are a compelling choice here, the only downside is the Sergeant's hampered equipment choices (he can't have a Storm Shield or a Special Weapon), but you can just let his mook buddy carry a Storm Shield and overcommit to giving him output gear, like a Storm Bolter and Thunder Hammer.

*'''Death Company:''' Death Company function as your high output melee assaulters. 15 points get you 4 attacks on the charge and a 6+ FNP along with the Black Rage keyword, though with LD 7 and full squads of 15. They can all take (should take) boltguns or plasma/inferno pistols alongside fists and power weapons. For the heavy hitting duties they can also take two handed thunder hammers, out swinging hammernators. Keeping chainswords and adding Savage Echoes brings you up to 6 attacks, which will be at a minimum of AP-1 along with your typical +1 to wound from Red Thirst. However, for all this offense they are fairly vulnerable compared to other elites choices and require dedicated HQ support as they will remain LD7. They have lost some of the durability and fearlessness compared to previous editions, but they are by no means any less deadly. DC now seem to rely on support more than before specifically for morale. This does make some sense fluff-wise, mainly because these guys would be counter-productive and simply a hazard on the battle field without proper guidance.
**Tried and true play styles will still work: Sanguinary Priests will bring your attacks to S5, and Chaplains will allow for re-rolls to hit. Remember that, unless taking a Thunder Hammer, you can instead swap your Bolt Pistol for any of the available Power Weapons. Keep your chainsword! Hand flamers are an option for 1 point, but remember a bolter is also a free upgrade to your bolt pistol. Jump packs are always a good idea as these boys gain bonuses only when charging (or being charged) and you need maneuverability for that charge. However, you may forgo equipping them with jump packs in order to save points. Try a 5 man squad with a Chaplain in Razorback. Altogether these three can take on any foe and will last fairly long with the right weapons loadout. Thunder Hammers on these guys is incredible, with Sanguinary support, they're swinging at S10 (S4+1×2), which will reliably injure absolutely anything.
** DC and Lemartes will win you games. Don't puss around though... Take 15 with bolters and as many power weapons/fists/hammers as you can afford. Remember the jet packs and all of this gets re-rolls on charges. I'm telling you little can stand up against them. Of course, deep striking 15 guys can get cumbersome due to screens and other soft ass bullshit requiring you to place your models roughly 12" away sometimes, but that's why you have the Descent of Angels stratagem for 3D6" re-rolled fucking charges baby. Blood Angels have always been the kings of deep strike assault, let it be known, and let our wrath go unquestioned.
** Compared to Vanguard and Company veterans, who are your main competition, for one point you gain 1A and 6+++ though you become LD7. This makes DC your deathball super unit rocking up with HQs. All of your other elites with the exception of Sang Guard are perfectly fine working independently in smaller skirmishes.
** DC, like Chaos Berserkers, have to worry about overkill. When you can generate 90 total attacks, you may find that most of the attacks are completely wasted. Try multi-charging, though be sure to mitigate overwatch whenever possible.

*'''Death Company Intercessors:''' Apparently, Primaris Marines CAN fall to the Black Rage. Thanks a lot, ''Cawl''. Essentially Intercessors that trade Combat Squads for the Black Rage. They also lose their Sergeant, but one marine in the squad can be equipped like one, ditching their rifle for a Chainsword or Hand Flamer and adding a Chainsword, Power Sword, Power Fist or Thunder Hammer (no double Chainsword). To be honest, they are probably of limited value for an extra point over normal Intercessors. Their main problem is redundancy. Normal DC with jump packs are an infinitely more versatile and customizable CC unit for the same base points cost, and normal Intercessors will help get you command points, something you'll be needing for all the fancy stratagems we have now. Our Elites slot is crowded enough already and these guys, at least in their current form, don't seem to make the grade.
** You could stick 8 in a Repulsor with an Apothecary and Ancient. Thats 18 wounds all with a 6+++ chance to dodge any D2 weapon hits, plus 37 attacks with all the usual BA enhancements (Red Thirst, Savage Echoes, Doctrines). Certainly a big overall combo, but should work well centered on the board taking on the brunt of your opponent while everyone else gets into position for charges.
** DC now have a stratagem to up their FNP to 5+++, which on a 2 wound 18 point model, becomes pretty damn tanky.

*'''Death Company Dreadnought:''' Your normal Furioso but angry. 2 fists/talons, black rage, and can consolidate 6". No one will expect this dreadnought to be as fast as it is. With an 8" move, a good charge roll, and increased consolidation after he murders the first group; your opponent will likely fail to answer the threat before it's too late. IF these guys do get Shock Assault, they are gonna demand serious attention with 6 attacks!
** A hidden gem here. At its cheapest they are 126 points (138 with double flamer). Kept at your front lines they should be rushed headlong at the biggest, nastiest enemy you can find and expect them to put in work with 6 attacks, on the charge, re rolls, and +1 to wound. The interesting part is their ability to survive a decent round of shooting when you combine smoke launchers, Duty Eternal stratagem, and black rage 6+++ making the run up the board bearable. They should work well in pairs, being well priced and requiring your opponent to devote a majority of his shooting at them or else they will hurt his units.

*'''Dreadnought:''' This bad boy has received major improvements. At S6 T7 W8 A4 and 3+ Sv, the dreadnought is a durable elite choice. Its S6 assault cannon will mow down any T3 infantry, and will deal quite well with T4 too. Its melee weapon is something to be feared as well, at S12(!!!) AP-3 and 3 damage the dreadnought will smash through most things put in front of it, should you get it into melee combat. It can also equip a heavy flamer for the incredible D6 S5 AP-1 auto-hits on overwatch. Your opponent should think twice before charging ol' dred.

*'''Contemptor Dreadnought:''' [[Awesome|Mentioned in the Warhammer Community as arriving for Blood Angels.]] Not as badass as a Relic Contemptor, but definitely a lot cheaper. Comes with the iconic Kheres Assault Cannon or a Multi-Melta.
** This guy can be a better idea than normal dreadnoughts or even furioso dreads considering 9" movement, 10W and 2+ WS and BS and 5++ Invulnerable save to if lucky ignore those dread poppers and get him close without escort

*'''Furioso Dreadnought:''' Although a 2+ to hit would be nice, as well as more than T7 toughness to differentiate from all other dreads (these guys were front armor 13 before...) typical frag cannon loadout is still somewhat viable. Frag cannons are now 2D6 auto hit. Combined with S6 the frag cannon can tear up hordes, multi wound models, and light vehicles equally well. Pair with a heavy flamer and make sure to assault with your giant fist to guarantee entire squads get removed each turn.
** The Furioso is perhaps the most flexible unit in the game for Blood Angels, especially considering his 8" move and can be transported in a damn stormraven. This unit can move quickly and reliably, can bring both anti horde and tank dakka, and can do work in the shooting and fight phases, plus it is decently tough. Also possibly our best support unit. As mentioned it can shoot many different targets, move around quickly, carry many types of weapons, resist damage, and lend much needed heavy hitting melee support. Jack of all trades units are typically underwhelming, Furiosos, on the other hand, are genuinely dangerous all throughout the game and combine shooting and melee potential without sacrificing either. And 10pts cheaper now since Chapter Approved 2019!

*'''Redemptor Dreadnought:''' The vanilla dread's Jock roommate. With nearly twice the wounds of a vanilla dreadnought (and degrading stats to accompany the increased durability), the redemptor dreadnought is a solid heavy weapons platform, capable of holding the anti-horde Onslaught Gatling Cannon or the armor-melting Macro Plasma Incinerator, ''and'' the anti-air Icarus Rocket Pod as well as a pair of storm bolters or fragstorm grenade launchers. However, it is a heavy points investment, and much of its anti-armor potential might be better handled by specialized units like Devastators, Hellblastors, or Predator variants. Instead, anti-horde fire support appears to be its most effective niche, potentially able to put out a withering volley of mid-strength shooting that will take a significant chunk out of GEQ or weaker units and then follow up with a smack from its CCW, which is d6 damage compared to the normal Dreadnought CCW's d3. But even if it takes the Macro plasma Incinerator, the CCW can still swap its heavy flamer for an Onslaught Gatling Cannon to retain effectiveness against hordes.
** Equip it with a Plasma incinerator, use the Wisdom of the Ancients strategem and a big unit of Hellblasters and you can re-roll all those overcharges that might blow you to high heaven.

*'''Invictor Tactical Warsuit:''' Dreadnought Lite—all the bulk, half the <s>calories</s> points. T6 and W13 helps keep it on the board, and it doesn’t degrade until it’s down to 6 wounds. For firepower, it can take either an Incendium Cannon that’s basically a souped up Heavy Flamer (12” Heavy 2d6 auto-hit S5 AP-1 D1), or a Twin Ironhail Autocannon (48” Heavy 6 S7 AP-1 D2) for shooting up heavy infantry. Backup weapons are a standard Fragstorm Grenade Launcher, a pair of Heavy Stubbers, and a Heavy Bolter that switches to Pistol 3 when enemies are within 1”. The only real way to take on vehicles (or, say, the occasional Bloodthirster) is with its Power Fist, which does 4 attacks at S14, AP-3, and D3. Finally, to get in position, it has the same Concealed Positions ability as Infiltrators and Incursors.
**Best use of this is probably to give it the flamer option and use Concealed Positions to start it within 12” of some enemy infantry. Further, this unit packs 5 S14 Ap-3 D3 hits on the charge or when charged, and careful positioning will hamper monsters and vehicles running towards your infantry, which is just another reason to get it as close to the enemy as possible.
**You could also give it the Autocannons and either leave it in your backfield for long range fire support, or use Concealed Positions to put it where it can pop shots off at targets who tried to hide and block line of sight. However, the rest of its weapons are oriented towards close range infantry mulching, leading to the same issues as with the laser version of the Repulsor Executioner.
**The Red Thirst is probably a little excessive on a S14 attack, but feel free to punch out most things smaller than a Lord of War. Thankfully, though, this Power Fist lacks the usual -1 to hit penalty, so you at least won't be wishing that you were a [[Space Wolves|furry]] instead.

*'''Imperial Space Marine (Legends):''' Now a character rather than just something you can substitute any Space Marine model for, which is thankful because he's gotten much nastier since last edition. Compared to an average Tactical, he's gained 3 extra wounds, 2 more attacks, and one extra Ld point. But it's his disintegrator combi-gun and disintegrator pistol you should watch out for. They're only 18" Rapid Fire 1 and 9" Pistol 1 (respectively), but with S5, AP-3, and d6 damage (basically a higher damage combi-grav and grav pistol) they have the potential to fuck up a lot of units if it manages to wound them. Fun idea: surprise an enemy who thinks being only armed with a CCW will leave you weak in an assault with that pistol of yours.

*'''Sanguinary Guard:''' The latest iteration of Sanguinary Guard are 28 points in their cheapest form, which amounts to 112 points stock. They posses 2W, 2A, a 2+ save, and jump packs along with free Angelus Boltguns and access to power fists and force weapon equivalents. They are now genuinely cheaper and more cost effect than Terminators and only lack a 5++ and access to heavy weapons, Thunder Hammers, or Storm Shields. This places them into a niche role as a mid-weight, fast paced anti TEQs hunting squad ideally working in unison with your warlord. Vets and DC should form the bulk of your assaulting forces, Terminators and Aggressors serve as your heavy hitters, Sang Guard are your elite scalpels meant to take on other elite/scalpel type units in ruthless deep strike assaults.
**Sanguinary Guard cost 3 more than Jump Vanguard Vets before any other options; you lose the Sergeant, so they're relative cowards and lose an attack per unit, but you gain both +1W and +1Sv (i.e. 2+), which is incredible for the cost. Stock, they come with a free Angelus Boltgun, (12" Assault 2 S4 AP-1 D1), so there's a case to be made for swapping out to a pistol (plasma pistols aren't nearly as stupid on them as they look, provided you can trigger Heirs of Azkaellon - more on this in a moment), and their stock weapon is an 8 point Encarmine Sword, which they can swap out for an Encarmine axe or Power fist for 9 points. Finally, you can take Death Masks - although unfortunately(?) you have to take it on all or none, which shouldn't be too much of an issue because of the morale shenanigans you can pull off for all of them being in 3 inch range- all for just 2 points per model. Morale Shenanigans abound.
**Heirs of Azkaellon is the real the game-changer for these guys - i.e. they don't need a Chaplain or Captain (or Chapter Master) to help them with rolling to hit if they're near your Warlord, so you can build a Sanguinary Guard list around assuming you haven't got one, because they get re-rolls of all failed to-hits while near your Warlord. Combined with a Jump Lieutenant and a Jump Sanguinary Priest, for example, either of whom can be the Warlord proper, they'll practically speaking have full re-rolls to hit and wound in melee with power fists, and have full re-rolls to hit with re-rolling 1s to wound with their Inferno Pistols.
*** Fists and Plasma Pistols is still 34 points a model, and frankly with Heirs of Azkaellon is one of the best TEQ busting units you can ask for, just remember the unit's effectiveness will drastically suffer if you ever leave the buffs of your warlord.
**The boltguns might serve you if you try to fly them across the board instead of deep-striking, since the extra wound and save make them more durable than most choices. With a jump-pack Librarian to unleash their rage you might have a stronger unit than you think.
** New rules have offered the Guard new stratagems. Taking masks can provide a -1 to hit against them in the Fight phase along with the -1 LD modifier, Angelus boltguns can now gain re rolls to wound and ignore cover, and a roll of 1 for damage can become 2. All are each 1 CP and make them far tougher and killier.

*'''Sanguinary Novitiate (Apothecary with optional Jump Pack):''' Now a Character running on his own. Doesn't give out Feel No Pain, but if he's within 3" of a same chapter {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}}/{{W40Kkeyword|Biker}} unit at the end of the Movement phase, he can heal D3 wounds on one model in it. If no-one's wounded, he gets a 4+ chance to bring 1 dead model back to life with a single wound, but if he fails, he can't do anything else that turn. Can't swap out his weapons, so he's stuck with a bolt pistol and chainsword. Combines great with high end infantry, shooty or assaulty. Combine with a Company Ancient to make a trade in death, although you might prefer the proper priest, both for the +1S and to help pay an HQ tax. You should definitely shell out the 5 points for the Jump Pack if you take a Novitiate, though - his healing happens at the end of Movement, regardless of whether he moved and/or advanced, so he's far, far better with doubled movement so you can get him where he needs to be to heal.

*'''Servitors:''' Now that they can be taken independently of a Techmarine, you could use them as a cheap way of adding more plasma cannons to your force, but with WS/BS 5+, Ld6, and only a 4+ armor save, they'll have trouble actually hitting things, die easily, and are likely to be lost to morale checks. Having a Techmarine nearby mitigates this a little by boosting them to Ld 9 and WS/BS 4+, but even then there are much better things you could be doing with your Elites slot. That said, a squad with servo arms is only 20 points, meaning 3 squads to fill out a brigade or a single to provide a close combat posse for a techmarine.

*'''Sternguard Veteran Squad:''' Sadly, the special ammunition is gone- but on the bright side the Sternguard's bolters are 30" and come with built in AP-2 so they can threaten heavier armor without having to splurge on combi-weapons or special/heavy weapons, and the AP is now ALWAYS relevant since standard bolters don't ignore 6+ anymore. Speaking of which, since combi-weapons aren't one use only anymore there's no good reason to buy the special weapons- stick with the heavy weapons or the heavy flamer if you don't want to buy the combi-weapons, and remember that if you do you lose the -2 AP. The combi-weapons are always standard bolters. Apart from that, they're still just as flexible as ever.
** These guys are a MAJOR hidden gem... if used properly. One 5 man squad can take two heavy flamers, combi flamer on the sarge, and a power axe/sword. Now thats 126 points for 5 guys without jump packs and only 1 wound each, but this unit can deal a ton of damage. Place them in a transport, preferably a stormraven, and get them close to your enemies flanks. Let rip with all your guns, then charge. This author (got a little lucky admittedly) used tactic this to remove 9 immortals, then the last robot fled and prevented reanimation protocols. Great Success! and the Red Thirst is the sweet sauce on top. You have to be careful with a unit like this but if you can focus all your shooting on one enemy, than charge them first on the same turn... results will impress both players.

*'''Terminator Squad:''' Terminators still have to worry about high-AP weaponry, but since very few weapons have anything better than AP-4 they'll almost always be able to use the resulting 6+ armor save (though you could just use the 5++ instead); it's not much, but it helps. 5" movement means they're most effective when deep striking, but footslogging can still work if your opponent's lacking in anti-armor weaponry. Although Storm Bolters are still kind of iffy, the Assault Cannon is the clear winner for your heavy option, since even when moving you'll average the same number of hits as a Heavy Flamer at 3x the range and higher Strength, since you can't advance and fire the flamer anyway. Cyclone seems good but is overcosted as it's twice the price of a standard ML for less than twice the stats so only take it if you're really hurting for long range punch.

*'''Terminator Assault Squad:''' Still the gold standard of heavy assault troops (though we do have Death Company as competition, they've become less survivable), especially with the extra wound they've gained. The hammernator setup is still great for smashing in vehicles and heavy infantry alike while taking little damage yourself, but the -1 to hit can be a problem at times. Take a Chaplain along to mitigate the lower hit rate. Lightning claws are more reliable and more effective against horde armies, so it may be a better idea than before to stick with them. But if you are taking lightning claws you may as well be taking Sanguinary Guard. Nah but for real though the changes in 8th means that if your enemy doesn't have mortal wounds, TH/SS Terminators will survive just about anything, and will delete what ever they come up against in the assault. I've had these motherfuckers take 1500 points of combined Eldar shooting for a turn and lost 1 model. Put a chaplain near them for re-rolling failed hits and a librarian for additional attacks and nothing is safe.

*'''Cataphractii Terminator Squad:''' [[Awesome|Mentioned in the Warhammer Community as arriving for Blood Angels.]] They probably will play like standard Cataphractii Terminators but with Red Rage. Not quite as useful here, however, due to the existence of Shield of Sanguinius (Which only gives a 5++ now). Even better for their Deep Strike charges thanks to the Red Thirst making their Twin Lightning Claws wounding average models on 3+ re-rolling failed.
**Really slow. Needs Deep Strike or transport in order to reach range (or opponent that comes to you).
**Getting amazing new Forgeworld models so if you're looking for a unit of these guys wait for these guys wait for them to drop.

*'''Tartaros Terminator Squad:''' [[Awesome|Mentioned in the Warhammer Community as arriving for Blood Angels.]] With Shield of Sanguinius, treat them as fast Cataphractii with better options. [[Awesome|Including a reaper autocannon.]][[awesome|The Sergeant gets a plasma blaster. He can deep-strike and still fire it at full BS.]] [[lulz|#deepstrikeresponsibly]]. [[meme|Look at the strike of the archangels and back to me. Look at this squads weapon choices and back to me. Twin-linked reaper cannon and plasma blaster. Now look back to me. I am on a horse.]] Given that they can't move after deep striking, deep striking this unit means losing one of the main advantages that this armor grants. Tartaros Terminators are the best Terminator option for footslogging to the opponent. Not always a great plan, but that is where they excel. A hidden plus with these guys are point to point equivalent to your regular terminators so you can get some cool looking models that do the same job, for the same cost with 6" speed instead of 5" which can make a difference

*'''Vanguard Veteran Squad:''' Praise to the Emperor! Vanguard Veterans are finally good. They now occupy a new role. Instead of being disappointing elite assault troops they are now more like straight upgrades over normal assault marines, gaining an additional attack and access to cool wargear.
** One of the best loadouts for these models using the Blood Angels +1 to wound is a 10-man squad. 5 SS, Power Axe and 5 Twin Lightning Claw. Stick these with a chaplain with no overwatch relic. Charge the chaplain first then the squad. Your opponent cannot overwatch you. Swing with the Vanguards and watch as the 16 (sergeant) lightning claws rerolling hits, wounds and with +1 to wound. The power axe marines also add some melee ability but mainly are there so that even when your opponent can fire powerful weapons at this unit you still have a 3+ save. Always allocate wounds to power axe, storm shield models. If you want add an apothecary to try and keep up. When the Storm Shields are spent fly them back to him and heal some up. It may not last very long but it will punch a hole through just about any gunline you can think of allowing other troops to reach the enemy while they shoot at the vanguards.

*'''Primaris Reivers:''' These guys look great and are fairly versatile on the board, but are primarily assault troops, which fits right in with the whole Blood Angels theme. Sporting 2 wounds each and 2 attacks base (3 if equipped with the Crocodile Dundee knife) and the Sgt's 3 attacks base and 1 more for the knife (acts like a chainsword), you can deal a lot of attacks. Deployment is also varied and allows for grav chutes or grapnel launchers. Grav chutes allow typical jump pack deep striking with the cursory >9" minimum distance from enemy models. Grapnel launchers allow up to 6" deployment from any board edge but must be >9" from the enemy. They also negate vertical movement, which means (in theory) you could move into the bottom floor of a building and then shift your entire squad to the top floor without any penalty. Heavy bolt pistols are better than the standard bolt pistol due to -1 AP. A typical 10 man squad, with knives will chuck out 31 attacks. Lastly, Reivers cause -1 Ld for all enemy within 3", and can throw stun grenades. If you successfully hit, the enemy can no longer overwatch and suffer -1 to hit in combat. Reivers deserve major consideration, especially when compared to assault marines and vanguard vets. They are 18 points compared to Vang Vets 16, but have 1 more wound and same attacks with da choppy knives. Grav chutes are 2 points for each model, as with jump packs, and give deep strike but do not grant a 12" movement. They don't get power weapons or assault weapons, but do have upgraded bolt pistols, modify morale, and stun grenades. With a 10 man squad with grav chutes being exactly 200 points and with each model being two wounds you get a lot of bang and staying power for your buck. Tougher melee units that still have a lot of offensive potential are crucial to the blood angels maintaining momentum and surviving return fire. A ten man squad with shield of sanguinius can easily take out a squad of MEQ or GEQ on the charge and survive to do it again. Not to mention being able to survive failing a charge on the turn you come which can be just as valuable. Unfortunately they're only slightly better than Intercessors in melee (or not at all without knifes) while Intercessors also fill your valuable Troop slots, have ObSec and are still useful on their way into melee (if you really want to have them there). The lack of deep strike is not as bad as one might think considering deep strike for non-Jump Pack units (so we can't use our Stratagem) who want to get into melee is not that great anyway (9" charges are very unlikely even with re-rolls).

*'''Aggressor Squad:''' Gonna say this now these dudes are a saving grace for BA, read on. The goofy-looking lovechild of a Terminator and a Centurion. They come stock with auto boltstorm gauntlets (so assault instead of pistol) and a frag grenade launcher or you can trade all that in for Firebat pattern flamestorm gauntlets, which is a pair of flamers. Either you're going for 18 inches of 6+D6 (average: 9.5 shots, 6.33 of which hit) S4 or 8 inches of 2D6 (average: 7) auto hitting S4, and either way it allows them to put out a lot of short-range firepower, with power fists in melee. They've got Gravis armor, which makes them T5, move 5", and take up two slots in a Repulsor. Then there is the special rules: Fire Storm, which lets you shoot twice if you don't move (including in Overwatch, which is just plain scary when combined with the flamestorm gauntlets), and Relentless Advance, which lets you advance and fire assault weapons without penalty (this has no effect on the flamers, as they autohit anyway). This makes them surprisingly fast since all their guns are assault. Run and gun for the Emperor! Aggressors are also strong at the front of your army for discouraging/punishing Deep Strikers. If you go 2nd, and someone deep strikes nearby, the Aggressors will count as having not moved. Pop the Auspex Scan so you can shoot the deep strikers, and shoot them twice due to Fire Storm special rule.
**These guys make a GREAT anchor for your army. Take as many as you can (18 in 3 six-man squads) plant them in front with Brother Corbulo and a Terminator Ancient wielding the Banner of Sacrifice, and let them clear the damn board of chaff and bullshit hordes. This setup is tough as nails and disturbingly cheap for its damage output. Later, let loose with lascannons mounted on basic buffed dreadnoughts and then drop in 15 DC and 10 Sang Guard (DC with power swords, SG with fists) to punish anything with more than 2 wounds or a decent armor save. Its an army template this author is using with exceedingly satisfying results. Aggressors are legit, and they play very well to the needs of a Blood Angels force. Plus we can buff them through the damn roof in terms of durability enabling us to extract incredible amounts of both firepower and melee output. Too good to pass up, now that they have 3 wounds!!!!

====Forge World====
*'''Relic Contemptor Dreadnought:''' For just a modest points increase over a standard Dreadnought, the Contemptor packs 3 extra inches of movement, 2 extra wounds, +1 strength, the same WS/BS as the Venerable Dreadnought and a 2+/5++. His Contemptor CCW is also guaranteed 3 wounds instead of D3, which makes him considerably more capable of ruining the afternoon of a whole host of multi-wound models. Generally speaking, the Contemptor is a goddamn steal for what he costs now. The extra-fast movement speed means he can get into any position he needs to be in very short order, and reach melee combat with almost complete certainty. Generally speaking, here's a look at the new weapon options:
**'''Kheres Assault Cannon''': Exactly as it was before, your go-to anti-infantry loadout.
**'''Fist Weapon Options''': We get access to Meltaguns, Plasma Blasters, and Grav Guns now. Generally speaking, the Meltagun is probably the best option out of all of them, since it allows your Contemptor to do some outright crippling damage to enemy monsters or tanks just before charging. In one game, this editor has a Contemptor with a meltagun-chainfist-Kheres take 7 wounds off a Swarmlord in shooting, and then finish him off in two rounds of melee after it was critically weakened.
**'''Chainfists''': Contemptor Chainfists gain +1 Rend, and +1 damage over a normal DCCW. Overall a solid upgrade that lets them do terrible damage to both vehicles and monsters. It's a must-take for all purposes.
**'''C-Beam Cannon''': The new Heavy Conversion Beamer is a single-shot weapon that starts at S6 AP-3 that does D3 damage. It also gains +2 points of strength and +D3 damage after each 24" bracket of distance, totaling [[Awesome|S10 AP-3 3D3 Damage]] at anything over 48" range. If ''a model is removed from play as a result of wounds caused'' it will then automatically trigger 2D6 extra auto-hits on the target unit at S6 AP-0 D1. Generally speaking, this weapon suffers the exact same problem as the Vindicare Assassin, with a crippling downside that the Contemptor MUST remain stationary for the entire turn in order to use it. It cannot be stressed enough that this thing really '''NEEDS''' the range, though firing it at infantry squads has a good chance of killing a random mook and triggering an average of seven further S6 hits, which is still better than a twin heavy bolter. At full range, the initial hit will likely knock the crap out of any target, wounding it on a 2+ or 3+ depending on its toughness and generally reducing its save to 5+ or worse but those additional hits will likely be wasted.
**'''Twin Heavy Bolters''': Don't bother. The Kheres does everything it can, but better.
**'''Twin Autocannon''': Identical to the one on the normal Dread. Not bad, but you didn't take one of these to field something other Dreads could take.
**'''Twin Lascannon''': Pop vehicles open without having to get into melta range. Probably better on the Contemptor Mortis, though.
**'''Heavy Plasma Cannon''': Might be a little better against multi-wound units, and unlike the Contemptor Mortis you can always try to negate the mortal wound you get if you roll a 1.

*'''Relic Deredeo Dreadnought:''' The end-all solution to your dakka-Dread needs, for when even the Contemptor Mortis won't cut it. Its armor save is slightly worse than the Contemptor's at only a 3+, but to compensate it has 2 more wounds and its invulnerable save rises to 4++ in the Fight phase on top of the built-in smoke launchers. For guns, you have the Anvilus Autocannons (8 36" autocannon shots at S+1) for mulching infantry, the Hellfire Plasma Carronade (5 overcharged plasma gunshots which deal 3 damage each but cause mortal wounds on a 1) as the generalist option, and the Arachnus Lascannon Battery (2 S10 AP-4 D6 Damage shots that deal an extra mortal wound on 6s) for taking out vehicles, and also chest-mounted heavy bolters/heavy flamers. Don't bother upgrading to heavy flamers. While auto-hits are good, the Deredeo should be as far away as possible to make the most of its firepower. It can supplement all of that with either an Aiolos Missile Launcher for extra fire support or an Automatic Pavaise to give everyone within 6" of itself a 5++ invulnerable save. The latter works great with Devastators or other long-ranged units that can help support the Deredeo's firepower.

*'''Deimos Pattern Relic Predator:''' Take a Predator, give it an extra wound, and slap a Plasma Destroyer as its turret weapon, and you have one of these tanks. The Plasma Destroyer itself can't be overcharged, but with the same number of shots as the basic Predator Autocannon and 2 damage, it doesn't really need to be. While it can swap out the Plasma Destroyer for the standard Predator guns, that's a waste of its options. Instead, you should use its unique options: the Conversion Beam cannon to make it a hard-hitting artillery unit, the Magna-Melta for close-range anti-vehicle firepower, and the Infernus cannon for a double dose of heavy flamer goodness.

*'''Relic Sicarian Battle Tank:''' The Sicaran's cannon looks weaker than the Pred's with 1 less point of damage, but it's the special rules that make it shine. First off, it has no penalties when attacking flyers, which makes it a useful anti-air unit in a pinch while keeping its well-known ability to counter skimmers. Second, a to-wound roll of 6 makes the cannon AP-3 for that hit. And since it's an Assault 8 gun, you have way more shots while getting rid of that penalty to fire on the move (and also there's the ability to fire while advancing too). Finally, it's got 2 more wounds so it can stay in the fight that much longer.

*'''Relic Sicaran Venator Tank Destroyer:''' The Venator trades the regular Sicaran's quantity of anti-skimmer shots for vehicle annihilation; even if a tank survives the Neutron Pulse Cannon's S12 AP-4 D6 damage hits (all 3 of them), it'll have all its shooting rolls reduced by 1 for the turn, which can make life very difficult for vehicles like Executioners or Tau vehicles with Ion Cannons. Additionally, it doesn't get penalties for moving and firing its heavy weapons.

*'''Relic Sicaran Punisher Assault Tank:''' A new flavor of Sicaran, its draw is the Punisher Rotary Cannon- 18 Heavy Bolter shots guaranteed to make any hordes within 36" hate life. And if you don't move or advance that turn, it re-rolls all to-hit rolls of 1. Enjoy deleting Orks and Tyranids.
**[[Rape|With Heavy Bolter Sponsons this will mathematically delete a 10 man squad of GEQs per turn.]]

*'''Relic Javelin Attack Speeder:''' The poor Deodorant Tanks got a huge nerf in 8th edition. For the most part, these fulfill the same role as before, that of a Heavy Land Speeder. [[lolwut|But they lost the twin-linked rule on their Missile Launchers'''(WTF)''']], as well as losing the ability to take racks of hunter-killer missiles. They even lost their trademark Outflank ability. Overall this took what was already a mediocre relic slot item at best, into a shitty tool that's worse off than a generic land speeder.

*'''Relic Whirlwind Scorpius:''' Relic Whirlwind Scorpius: The Scorpius is set apart from the basic Whirlwind by its Scorpius Launcher (and its occupation of an Elites slot, not a Heavy one) - while it has only half the range of either of the Whirlwind's rocket types, 3d3 S6 AP-2 D2 shots is still plenty to threaten hordes and light vehicles alike. And as an added bonus, it can fire twice in a shooting phase if the Scorpius hasn't moved in the movement phase.

*'''Relic Sicaran Arcus Strike Tank:''' Another Sicaran variant, this one is armed with a rotary missile launcher. Though 24" is a bit short-ranged for a vehicle weapon, it's still Heavy 2d6 with S5 AP-2 D1. And not only does it negate cover saves, but it also deals an extra mortal wound to INFANTRY units on a 6+ to wound. If you're forced to fight an extra-large horde, it can switch its weapon profile to Heavy 4d6 at the expense of not being able to fire its missiles until after the end of the next turn. As a result, taking the heavy bolters/lascannons and the storm bolter is a good idea to ensure it doesn't render itself defenseless after a missile massacre.

===Dedicated Transports===
*'''Rhino:''' 10 Wounds and a 3+ make the old [[METAL BOXES]] harder to crack open than ever before, and it comes with a mean new trick- at the start of the turn, you roll a d6, and on a 6+ the Rhino restores a lost wound. It might not seem like much, but it can make the difference between moving 12" and 6" if it moves you back a step on the damage table.
*'''Razorback:''' Transports that produce offensive output, like a Razorback, are VERY strong this edition. 8 lascannons fired by devastators will not destroy a Razorback in one turn on average. That is a lot of Dakka to absorb. If you run them with Heavy Flamers, then no matter how injured your Razorback is, it will still always autohit, until said Razorback is dead.
*'''Drop Pod:''' Grants a Power Armor unit deepstrike. Tactical Marines can use it to capture objectives, and hamper enemy movement. Melta units can get in close for a hard strike. Assault units can charge out of it if you can make 9 on 2D6. No longer scatters and arrives at the turn you chose. He's now cheaper than a rhino as of Chapter Approved
** You may think these guys aren't good, here where you're wrong. These models are cheaper and now being the only unit in the entire game that can do this, but drop pods can now deep strike turn 1 and don't count towards your maximum tactical reserves
** Get a bunch of assault marines without jump packs, shove a librarian into one pod with them, drop turn one and Wings of Sanguinius your way into your enemies lines and smash whatever important guns he has hiding.
*'''Land Speeder Storm:''' The scout-only pimp-mobile is not a straw box. But on the other hand it is a lot shootier than the Rhino. Also open-topped so you can have the scouts add their fire. Better than a Rhino for scouts since it doesn't degrade and won't auto-die when a lascannon looks at it. Should you want to deploy it, give the scouts inside a heavy bolter so you can shoot two.
*'''Repulsor:''' Holds 10 Primaris Marines (models with Gravis armor count as 2) and carries a fair number of anti-tank or anti-horde weapons to protect its passengers. While it can be built to be a veritable battle tank in its own right, it is a heavy point sink and requires support to get the most out of its statline. As most of its anti-tank damage comes from having the potential to equip the equivalent of four lascannons, it might be best to aim for a mixed build to capitalize on its potential to melt hordes and severely damage vehicles. However, its costs can rack up quickly, so unless you plan to field a lot of Primaris Marines you're probably better off taking a Land Raider variant. It also has the FLY keyword with all of it's dis-/advantages. Take it with a squad of 8 Reivers, a Primaris Chaplain and Apothecary for a rather mean, if expensive assault/harassing Unit. Just hope it survives the onslaught of AT weapons long enough to get them in position.
** If you're just looking for lots of lascannons or horde-clearing weaponry, there are probably cheaper - if somewhat slower - means of getting them on the table, like a Devastator Squad or Redemptor Dreadnought. Anti-armor setups in particular have the issue that the las-talon has only half the range of the twin lascannons, which means it'll only be able to unleash half its anti-armor firepower at its farthest range. At that matter, most of it's other weapons struggle with an equally short range compared to most vehicle-mounted weapons, so it will likely need support when dealing with long-ranged attackers. Defensively, it's nearly identical to a Land Raider; although its armor is only a 3+, it has the same number of wounds as a LR and does a good job at discouraging charges with its Repulsor Field rule (-2 from any charge rolls). The optional Auto Launchers supplement this with an extra -1 to hit on opponent shooting rolls if the Repulsor doesn't shoot.
*'''Impulsor:''' The dedicated primaris transport we've all been waiting for. As it stands, minimum 79 points (which is including its 2 storm bolters) with a 14" flying movement (so, ignore terrain and Fall Back at will), holds up to 6 models (but can't transport Gravis Armor models), and as long as it didn't advance that turn it can disembark models ''after'' moving. However, said models can't charge that turn, so it still won't help you pull off a first turn charge. The unit can still shoot, though, so loading this up with Hellblasters and a Captain is a good way to get right up in your enemies face and start deleting something expensive.
** This model can also be equipped with a few special gear options: a pair of anti-air heavy stubbers that are pretty underwhelming, a frag/krak/flakk missile launcher if you're desperate for some more firepower, a 4++ invulnerable that will keep your boys safe if your opponent gets to go first, and a one-use orbital bombardment that can't be spammed but should let you get in a mortal wound or two.
====Forge World====
*'''Infernum Pattern Razorback:''' Razorback with multi melta. That's all.
*'''Lucius Pattern Drop Pod:''' Costs 80 points, but worth it, especially when normal drop pods lost the ability to transport Dreads and you can charge out of it.
** Remember, that Lemartes gives re-rollable charge also to DC dreads, so you can create one of the strongest alpha-strikes with waves of Death Company backed up with dreads, re-rolling charges, and deep striking without scattering.
*'''Termite Assault Drill:''' It's neither a drop pod or a rhino, but something of both. Like a drop pod, the Termite can be deployed at the end of a movement phase close to the enemy. Once deployed, however, the termite acts like a very slow Rhino. At 8 inches, this thing isn't going anywhere fast. Not to mention the melta cutter is so short-range its only real use is to fight back if it happens to be caught in the melee. So why bother? Well, the termite has some neat little things going for it. First is the transport capacity. At 12 standard marines(Not terminator, jump pack, or primaris) this little drill is quite the metal box. Add in that deployment and who cares if this thing only moves 8 inches a turn. Then there is the subject of weapons. Storm Bolters are the way to go most of the time due to the range and fire output. Heavy flamers are meh, though the increase in the movement has helped make the weapon somewhat more viable. Volkite chargers are iffy. They have more range and damage than the flamer but have a negative 1 to hit on the move. Honestly, the Storm Bolters are your best bet. The termite also has a decent melee game, though this is more for protection than anything. That being said, the drill makes for a nasty anti tank melee weapon. Now for the bad news. This thing is expensive points-wise, way more so than the drop pod.
**Much, much better at blocking LOS for a squad than a Drop Pod. Consider using one to attack an exposed enemy, with the disembarking squad attacking and the Termite covering for them. With luck, you'll eliminate the target and leave your guys blocked off from retaliation.

===Flyer===
*'''Stormhawk Interceptor:''' The Anti-Flying Flyer. Gets a +1 to hit any target with the Fly keyword, to mitigate the penalty for moving and firing heavy weapons. Comes stock with 2 Assault Cannons, 2 Heavy Bolters, and an Icarus Stormcannon. The bolters can be swapped with Skyhammers for more anti-flying or a Typhoon against ground targets, while the Icarus can be swapped for an anti-vehicle laser. Cannot hover unfortunately, but does get to re-roll any 1's for saves and has the normal Hard to Hit.
**A good choice if you are going up against Tau or Dark Eldar, due to the prevalence of Fly. Especially the icarus/skyhammer combo as it lets you hit anything with Fly on a 2+; with the drawback of hitting everything else only on a 5+.
*'''Stormtalon Gunship:''' This brand new addition to the blood angels arsenal is certainly intriguing. For 171 you get twin heavy bolters and a twin assault cannon on a T6 10W body with a 3+ save along with the standard rules and bonuses fliers get. Mobility is paramount to Blood Angels strategy as is fire power to support your units and this thing has both. When compared to a Predator armed with four lascannons to a Stormtalon armed with two lascannons and a twin assault cannon, the Stormtalon is 14 points more expensive, loses a point of toughness (tho toughness 7 isn't the biggest deal) and has one less wound. However the Stormtalon has a -1 to hit when not hovering (far more important than a point of toughness) and carries a more diverse loadout that can be split fired as you wish. The choice is yours but a Stormraven and two Stormtalons while close to 800 points will give you all the mobile firepower you could ask for while being very mobile and able to engage both infantry and all kinds of multi-wound models. While also fitting very snugly in an Air-Wing detachment providing +1 command Points.
**Don't forget to consider the fact that unlike the Predator, the Stormtalon does have a rule that technically counteracts the usual shooting penalties to Heavy through Strafing Run. Stopped in place, perhaps through Hover Jet, this means the Stormtalon has a 2+ to hit with its weapons.
*'''Stormraven Gunship:''' One of the many Space Marine units that have seen a big buff due to the changes to Twin-Linked, the Stormraven is now a gunship to be feared due having several sets of high power twinlinked weapons. Close to a flying Land Raider. T7 means S4 weapons can wound it on a 5+ compared to the Raider's T8, 2 fewer wounds, and a 3+ save instead of a 2+, but it's much faster and has -1 to be hit when zipping around. It's also a bit cheaper than a Land Raider, depending on what you arm it with. In addition to the -1 to hit it, it has the new normal flyer rules: can't charge, can only be charged/attacked by FLY units and has to move at least 20" in a straight line with 1 up to 90 degree turn before moving. It can shift into hover mode if it wants to move less then 20", turn more, or ram something (to Fly away and shoot normally the next turn), but then it can be charged and attacked normally, and it loses the -1 Hard to Hit modifier. Comes stock with a twin assault cannon, twin heavy bolter, and two stormstrike launchers (72" heavy 1 S8 AP-3 3 damage). Can swap the assault cannon for a twin lascannon or twin heavy plasma (that only causes 1 mortal wound for a 1 to hit when supercharged instead of straight killing it). Can swap the heavy bolter for a twin multi-melta or typhoon missile launcher. It can also strap on a couple of hurricane bolter (Games Workshop fucked up, Hurricane Bolters are only 4 points. You can literally add 12 boltguns to your Stormraven for 8 points). It has the same Power of the Machine Spirit as a Land Raider, so it can shoot heavy weapons on the move at no penalty. Can carry 12 Infantry (and can carry Jump Infantry and Terminators but they take extra space) and 1 Dreadnought. With a 45" max normal move (up to 65" if you advance), you can get right in the face of something, then have an almost guaranteed charge the next turn. There's no restrictions on disembarking from it, so you don't even have to drop to hover if you don't want to. It starts on the board, and can't fly off of it. All in all, the Stormraven has gone from a sizeable points investment for a decent payoff, to a sizeable points investment for some of the most dakka you will see on a single model.

====Forge World====
*'''Xiphon Interceptor:''' A high-speed interceptor, the Xiphon is a heavily armed flyer that channels a strong Battlestar Galactica vibe. It sports a respectable BS3+, T7, 11 wounds and a 3+ save. It's armed with 2 Twin Lascannons as well as a Xiphon Missile Battery - Heavy 3 S6 AP-2 D3. It also adds 1 to all hit rolls when targeting units with the "FLY" keyword thus negating the effects of "Hard to Hit" and since a lot of units with "FLY" don't have the "Hard to Hit" bonus it will hit them on a 2+. With a huge 50" move and 4 lascannon and 3 missile shots, it'll put some major hurt on flyers and ground targets alike.
*'''Storm Eagle Assault Gunship:''' The big brother of the Storm Raven that vanilla marines know and love, this elongated flying brick of a hover jet boasts a transport capacity of 20 and some increased firepower along with some additional wounds. It can transport jump infantry and terminators, but not bikes or primaris marines. Altogether, better than the Stormraven for a small price increase. Only take a stormraven if you want to transport a dreadnought (a feasible desire indeed), or you just don't have the models for this wild ride (also a legitimate reason for the raven).
*'''Fire Raptor Assault Gunship:''' For starters, its Twin Avenger Bolter fires 10 shots at S6 AP-2 and 2 damage. It has two quad heavy bolters throwing out 12 Heavy Bolter shots EACH and two twin Hellstrike launchers (no more limited use missiles) two S8 AP-3 Dam3 missiles each. Now that's a LOT of firepowers. It also has Power of the Machine Spirit just like Land Raiders do, so it never suffers ballistic skill penalties for moving and firing heavy weapons. This thing is a pure hurricane of dakka that will cause carnage no matter what you point it at. Do Not Understate This Models Firepower, its an A-10 Warthog on crack and steroids.
** Note: "The Big April FAQ" made this flyer so expensive that it will most likely heat your shelf for the next 2 years. Don't expect to see this anywhere near a table this edition.
*'''Ceastus Assault Ram:''' A flyer designed to ram starships/buildings and disgorge Space Marines into the breach, the Caestus Assault Ram is armed with a number of powerful weapons and abilities. The Caestus is quite survivable with T7, 14 wounds, and a 2+ save. With the removal of the vehicle facing in 8th, the Caestus lost its 5++ against shooting from the front and is no longer outright immune to small arms fire, but it's much more durable against heavy weapons. It's armed with a Caestus Ram - a melee weapon that hits at S User(8) AP-3, D6D, and increases to a +3 to hit (from its usual 5+) in melee against buildings when it charges. It's Airborne Ram ability restricts it to declaring charges against and being charged and attacked in melee by units with FLY, but only while it's in not in hover mode. It is also armed with 2 Firefury Missile Batteries, each Heavy 4 S6 AP-1 1D. It is further armed with a Twin Magna-Melta - Heavy 2D3 S10 AP-4 D6D (with the Melta rule), meaning this thing can lay the hurt on medium enemy infantry and enemy armor alike. With its 50" movement (70" if you advance) and PotMS, it can reach out and touch people on turn one. For 370 points (post- Chapter Approved, for the hull and the Melta; missile batteries are free) it's pricey, but given Hard to Hit, its toughness, its wounds, and a 2+ save, it WILL deliver its cargo. It's unique troop bays can carry 10 infantry models in terminator armor or power armor, as well as scouts, with terminators taking up a single space instead of the usual 2. The Caestus helps overcome the low movement of Cataphractii Terminators, in particular, potentially delivering them closer than the 9" away they're required to teleport in, and enabling them to redeploy.

===Fast Attack===
*'''Assault Squad:''' The baseline alternative to the versatile Vanguards, your psychotic Death Company, and your elite Sanguinary Guard. This selection of jump infantry means you'll always have the right tool for the job, but you must know what you are coming up against. Assault marines will not best other dedicated assault units in combat. They don't have the weight of attacks the DC have, or the special equipment of the Vanguards or SG. Assault marines should be used as threat removal of enemy support elements. 2 attacks each doesn't sound like much, but up against the right targets you only need to inflict enough casualties to make them run in the morale phase. Just like the old days, these dudes can pack heat if you so desire. Double up on melta guns or plasma guns, with the matching pistol on the sergeant for roughly 100 points. Jump packs get you right into rapid fire range, but won't deep strike you close enough for melta bonuses or the inferno pistol, which sucks. Nevertheless, scrap the jet packs and ride in a razorback with a complimenting weapons loadout and you've got some serious close-range firepower. Choosing between a decent harassment unit that can wreck infantry without spending TOO many points or a powerful gun-jumping squad is a little tricky. Assault Marines slightly above half the cost of an Inceptor Squad at equivalent strength, but are a bit more expendable. They won't take down dead 'ard enemy units or outfight top tier assault specialists, but what they *can* do is to tie up and mop up squishy shooters, and do it on the cheap. As of Chapter approved assault marines with jump packs are now a point cheaper as well as all the cheaper gear makes them an affordable and quick gear carriers

*'''Scout Bike Squad:''' Scout bikes got very interesting this edition. They lost scout but gained a second wound and a ''lot'' of firepower. Every rider comes loaded for bear. Each one has a combat blade, a shotgun and a bolt pistol plus the usual grenades. Add that to the twin bolter on the bike and that's every non-heavy weapon available to ground pounder Scouts. This also makes for SIX S4 shots at 12" two of which become S5 at 6". This is good cause the grenade launcher got nerfed in the rate of fire, now Assault 1 instead of rapid fire. On the bright side, you can fire it plus the shotguns if you advance.

*'''Bike Squad:''' Bikes got buffed this edition. They move 14" and advance 6" without random rolling, can put out twice the damage of normal a boltgun, ''and'' gained an extra wound. The cost of this increased speed, doubled firepower and doubled wounds? At 21 points. Not bad but wait there's more. You can still swap out your bolt pistol for a chainsword. Double attacks on a biker! Goes a long way to mitigating the trouble they used to have in combat. Two bikers can instead trade those pistols for special weapons. Special mention for meltaguns as your speed can close to half distance easier than nearly any other unit. Don't forget you can target the special weapon and the twin-bolter at separate targets.
** Then there's the attack bike which likewise got buffed and more expensive. Its heavy weapons aren't as accurate as before so a MM may not be the best choice, especially with meltaguns available.
** A Biker Priest riding around with a squad or two of Bikes is a unique Blood Angels combo that works surprisingly well. Used as a flanking unit your opponent will be forced to devote heavy firepower towards them in order to remove any models, all the while you will be restoring each hard-earned kill. Attack bikes work even well in this manner by possessing 4 wounds apiece.

*'''Attack Bike Squad:''' The attack bike got buffed and more expensive. Its heavy weapons aren't as accurate as before so a MM may not be the best choice, especially with meltaguns available. Cheapest FA unit available.
**This is a promising yet often ignored unit. For 37 points you've got 4 wounds, T5, 14" movement with 6" advance, along with a heavy bolter and 4 S4 shots at 24". That's cheaper and tougher than Aggressors and Inceptors while being faster yet shooty. Provides some excellent fast close range dakka on a remarkably tough platform, just what BA needs.

*'''Inceptor Squad:''' The confused offspring of an Assault Squad and a Seraphim Squad. The mortal wound caused by their pseudo-HoW might look good on paper, but when you only have 3 models in the unit and no melee weapons whatsoever the last place you want to be is in combat. Instead, take a page from the Seraphim's book and use your improved maneuverability to fire off strafing runs, courtesy of your Assault Bolters- effectively Assault 3 Heavy Bolters. As Big game hunters Assault bolsters are the shit, these guys will crank out 18 S5 shots every turn. S5 fills a magical sweet spot in 8th, wounding toughness 6-9 on 5s and up. You can reliably use these guys to blast HQ units, Monstrous creatures, and some vehicles. With only -1 to armor, avoid 2+ saves though. This will require some skill and careful positioning, even though they are tough and fast they might get overwhelmed in CC with only 3 models. Used smartly, this tactic can whittle down the big nasty monsters out there and wound them to the point where they are critically wounded and are either slow or can't hit shit in CC and you can kill very dangerous enemies without taking much damage. If you have the spare points these guys in an outrider detachment are an excellent complement to the Blood Angels play style. Three squads of three will give you 54 S5 -1AP 1D shots on a highly mobile and reasonably tough platform. This kind of mobile close-range firepower is exactly what the Blood Angels need to pin down enemies while your melee units chew through squads.
**Plasma Exterminators are really expensive in terms of points and are only truly effective when fielded in a squad of 6. Yep, that's right. I said 6. So you're looking at 500+ points for the squad and £60 in Sterling. That being said, 6 guys throwing out (D3) a potential 36 plasma shots (optimistically) with an average of 12-24 shots per turn at -1 AP. That's a lot of hurt. Couple with their improved survivability over regular assault troops due to 2 wounds, 10" move and FLY, they're pretty effective. But each model lost is felt. Especially if you overcharge, you crazy bastard. Though it's slightly mitigated if you overcharge near a captain, like usual.

*'''Suppressor Squad:''' Three-man squad only, functionally a long-ranged version of an Inceptor since they come with AP-2 autocannons. Can {{WH40Kkeyword|FLY}} and Deep Strike but lack the Inceptor's T5 or mortal-wounds-when-charging. They can, however, chuck out smoke grenades, and if they make a kill in the shooting phase, that unit cannot fire overwatch in your charge phase. This unit is all but purpose-built to wreck Tau face, allowing you to shut down they are obnoxious For the Greater Good rule and flood their gunlines with Assault Marines, Terminators, and melee Dreads, as the Emperor fully fucking intended.

*'''Land Speeders:''' Zoom Zoom. fast and a whole lot tougher, but loses jink shenanigans. Though now base cost of 50 points without wargear it does its job for pretty cheap.
**Only T5 with 6W so taking hits is not meant for this guy, so use that speed to avoid harmful line of sight and fly to pop out suddenly to lay the hurt down. If you want maximum mobility and firepower out of this model, take three in one unit which increases their speed to 20" and equips two with heavy bolter assault cannon, and one multi-melta and typhoon missile launcher.

====Forge World====
*'''Land Speeder Tempest:''' A tiny drop in movement (well, sort of; see below) from the vanilla type, but has better T and Ld (not that the latter usually matters). Each one is equipped with an Assault Cannon and two Tempest Salvo Launchers (36" Heavy 1d3 S6 AP-3 D2; at only 10 points each, drastically better as a pair than a Typhoon Missile Launcher against anything at all, but the Tempest itself is a good deal more expensive than vanilla). When Advancing, they must move between 20" and 35"; they also impose a -1 to hit against them in the next Shooting phase and prevents units without the FLY keyword from charging (or being charged by) them.
**Relative movement: These guys don't have Anti-grav Upwash, so a unit of 3 of them is 5" slower than a unit of 3 vanillas, rather than 1", when not Advancing. When Advancing, they are much faster, regardless of unit size, since they can go their choice of 20-35" (no need to roll), instead of 16-21 for a small unit or 21-26 for a large unit of vanillas. Unfortunately, there's no option to take Assault weapons on them of any stripe.

*'''Tarantula Sentry Gun:''' Whoooo boy, these suckers got a huge buff in 8th edition. They ended up gaining a whopping +1 BS, along with Toughness 5 and 4 wounds, which makes them fairly sturdy for a 20 point model before guns. In addition, they also now all count as separate units once deployed, so they can serve as some obnoxious MSU tools. Tarantulas can be equipped with the following loadouts:
**Twin Heavy Bolters: These are the default weapons. Good against infantry, but comes with the Caveat that it MUST target the nearest infantry model. 37 points each
**Twin Lascannons: The other default, good against tanks. Also comes with a restriction that it MUST target the nearest enemy tank. 70 points each
**Twin Assault Cannons: Arguably the best option. Tarantulas with Dual-assault cannons lose their targeting restrictions and gain a whopping 12 shots each. 64 points each
**Multi-melta: Same deal as the Lascannons, but mathematically worse. However it does unlock your targeting restrictions, so a multi-melta equipped tarantula can fire at anything you want. 47 points each

*'''Tarantula Air Defence Battery:''' As above, but stuck with S8 AP-2 D3 D anti-air missiles that get +1 to hit against flyers and -1 against everything else. MUST target the nearest enemy flyer, and otherwise the nearest enemy non-flyer, but you were probably already planning to do that when you took this unit.

*'''Deathstorm Drop Pod:''' A Drop Pod full of automated guns; it can choose either an 18" 2-shot gun with S8 AP-2 D3 D or a 12" 6-shot S6 AP-1 1 D gun. In either case, it must make 1 full shooting attack against anything in range (except for CHARACTERS, who still can only be shot at if they're the closest unit in range).

===Heavy Support===
*'''Predator:''' The Predator Annihilator has seen a decent buff with the changes to twin linked but now the autocannons are the real hero. Normal autocannons are better than ever and the predator's autocannons now fire 2d3 shots, amping up the firepower a lot. Expect autocannon with lascannon sponsons all round. base costs are cheaper and now autocannon and twin lascannon are the point to point equivalent

*'''Baal Predator:''' You thought Twin-Linked Assault Cannons were good before, now get ready for 12 shots! The dakka loadout of AC and heavy bolters now spits out 18 shots a turn. The flame version is okay. Overcharged engines are now better advancing, but you want to be shooting, so eh. Make no mistake this tank is FAST and likely faster than what your opponent expects. If you use lucifer pattern engines, your total movement is at a minimum 18" and at most 24', but also count as advancing per the recent errata. Cheaper now too as of Chapter approved.

*'''[[Devastator Squad]]:''' Due to everyone getting Split-Fire, you can feel free to mix and match weapons however you like; that said, it's still a good idea to use weapons with similar ranges in case you need to focus your shots on a single opponent. Be sure to keep whoever has the best gun within 3" to the Sergeant, since his [[Signum]] will let that guy hit on a 2+. Finally, the Armorium Cherub has received a big buff- you can use it once per game to effectively give one model in the squad a second shooting phase. It's also an ablative wound for 5 points. Needless to say, you should always take the cherub. Unlike other Chapters, you can take Heavy Flamers on your Devastators (meaning the Sergeant will usually end up using his Signum on himself), turning them into close range specialists. Alternatively, give the sergeant a combi-flamer and pack the squad in rhino as a mobile flamer squad. Devastating against hordes such as [[Tyranids]] and [[Orks]]. Using the Signum on a Heavy Bolter Marine along with the armorium cherub and 1CP for hellfire shells will net you 2d3 mortal wounds hitting on a 2+. Per the new Faq, you can no longer do this. sad times.

*'''[[Hellblaster|Hellblaster Squad]]:''' Some pretty wicked [[dakka]] right here. Their Plasma Incinerators are 30" S7 AP -4 1 D normally, with the same boost as other plasma weapons if supercharged- more than enough to wipe out any TEQs they encounter. Run with any character giving re-rolls to hit (e.g. any of the Captain variations) to make these things a monster/tank killer if they get into rapid-fire range. But with the same inability to use transports as other Primaris Marines, that'll be a difficult task in itself.
** Distinct from every other Chapter's Hellblasters in that they are not completely useless once they get locked in melee, thanks to the Red Thirst. Consider running a bubble of Hellblasters protected by the ''Standard of Sacrifice'' - you can fit close to 30x 32mm bases within a Primaris Ancient's 6" aura. Buff them with a Sanguinary Priest to make them even more stupidly durable (and wound MEQs that charge you on 2+...not a bad gunline for an assault-focused army).

*'''Eliminator Squad:''' The Primaris scalpel compared to the Primaris sledgehammer that is the Hellblasters. They have the same +2-for-being-in-cover camo-cloaks that Scouts get, and their bolt sniper rifles get three different ammo to use: Executioners will be your go-to (AP-2, Dd3, mortal wound in addition to normal damage on a wound roll of 6), Mortis because fuck your stealth units (AP-1, D1, ignores line of sight, ignores cover, gains +2 to hit-rolls), and Hyperfrag for overwatch (AP0, D1, but are heavy d3). All ammo types can target characters without them needing to be the closest units.
** Consider a squad of 3 costing you 72 points. That gives you three shots that have the potential to put down the majority of characters in the game, and on average dice will kill a Commissar or Lord-Commissar (and equivalents) every turn.
**While sniper scouts may outperform them en masse regarding overall mortal wound generation, these guys appear to have some nasty stratagems. Take a single unit, be patient, then blow a hole in someone's head come turn 3. Then hug an objective and clap your hands :)
** When comparing them and Scout Snipers, two things weigh in an Eliminator's favor offensively: Their Executioner round has AP-2 and does D3 damage. Added with their two wounds, easy ability to get a 2+ even against AP-1 firepower, and a variety of rounds that enable them to find use in almost any targeting situation, they are better in this role than Scouts.
** Also, a single unit has 6 T4 wounds on a 3+ with +2 on cover saves. This makes for a remarkably tough little nugget, and quite possibly some easy bait for long-range dakka. leave your opponent wondering if he should target your Land Raiders full of nasty bruisers, or your heavily dug in snipers which can kill his nasty bruisers. If they waste their heavy firepower on a 72 point unit while your terminators got all the closer, you should be in a good position.
** As of the new codex release their base weapon now sits at S5 which increases your wound potential significantly. You also have access to Las-fusils which is a 36" range Thunder hammer as each shot sits at S8 AP-3 3 damage.
** This sergeant just got craftier as well as he can now forgo his shooting to add +1 to hit and to wound for the squad as well as after firing overwatch allow the squad to move before being charged which honestly if you're getting charged you did something wrong.

*'''Land Raider:''' Now that the vanilla Land Raider isn't forced to fire all its guns at the same target, it's gone from schizophrenic to an effective all-rounder. For example, you could use its lascannons to pop a vehicle and then follow up with the heavy bolters to wipe out an infantry squad. This is assisted further by the new Power of the Machine Spirit, which lets it ignore the normal penalties for moving and firing heavy weapons. While its transport capacity is still rather small compared to the other Land Raider variants, it still has just enough room to drop a 5-man squad of Assault Terminators. And with T8, 16 wounds, and a 2+ armor save it'll be a tough nut to crack even with anti-armor weaponry.
**277 points now with base gear after Chapter Approved 2019.

*'''Land Raider Crusader:''' As ever, the Hurricane Bolters will shred any infantry within 12" - you practically have two Tactical Squads' worth of bolter shots at that range, thanks to Rapid Fire. The Frag Assault Launchers also help in regards to transporting and supporting its cargo, since it causes D3 mortal wounds on a 4+ if it finishes a charge within 1" of an opponent. But whatever you do, take the multi-melta. Neither the assault cannons nor the hurricane bolters have enough AP to significantly reduce a MEQ's armor save, and anything with T7 or more (e.g. other vehicles) won't even get their paint scratched. It carries 16 models, so it's still your best choice for transporting Terminators and other larger units. Costs 264 points after Chapter Approved

*'''Land Raider Redeemer:''' Similar to the Crusader, but trades off the hurricane bolters' volume of shots for the flamestorm cannon's greater strength, higher AP, and improved damage per shot. While you'll have to get in close to make the most of it, the Frag Assault Launchers let you use this to your advantage as you burn down the heavier infantry. Though the flamestorm cannons can threaten lighter vehicles, you should still add the multi-melta to be on the safe side. Carries 12 models. Like all Land Raiders, the Redeemer has one massive Achilles heel - tarpits. Of course, anything that wants to charge this beast is going to get BBQ'd, but a canny player has many ways to avoid overwatch entirely (charging from out of LOS, consolidating into melee, etc). Costs 284 points after Chapter Approved.

*'''Repulsor Executioner:''' Jury's out on this on. 6 Capacity with some big guns. 284/293 Base depending on the gun, +12 points with the two options. Steep price, but it fires the main gun twice (when you move 0-under half current M Value). One is a Heavy 2 72" Monster at S10 AP -4 3-6 damage on a D6 cannon and the other is what you'd expect from plasma, but with D6 shots and starts at S8 AP -4 (pumping up to S9). This baby also gets a heavy onslaught Gatling cannon stock as well as a few other guns you sometimes forget to fire (seriously, there are a lot), including a Twin Heavy Bolter. It can also be upgraded with an Ironhail Heavy Stubber and Icarus Launcher if you feel inclined to do so. It has 18 S5 AP-1 shots and a metric ton of various S4 shots, some S7 as well, allowing it to reliably mulch opposing infantry. The Heavy Laser Destroyer can tear through enemy armour reliably and the Macro Plasma can remove medium and heavy infantry.
**Properly supported, this thing can annihilate swathes of the enemy army. A Captain (better yet, a Chapter Master) and Lieutenant will never be a bad idea. And if you bring two of them, they can quickly turn the tides of conflict. However, it is a major investment in points and dollars. You need to maximize your opportunities to get the most out of it. If you can, then an Executioner or two is the sort of heavy fire support the army craves. If you can't... Well, Marines are used to losing in 8th anyway-Don't be stupid, get the Lieutenant and bring a Techmarine!!!!
**Whenever you make such an investment on big units, you must consider everything you are paying for. While the Heavy Laser Destroyer is a very potent weapon which will serve you well, this particular weapon loadout will require a play style that ignores most of the other benefits of the unit by hanging back and remaining fairly static. Taking the Plasma loadout, however, saves points and requires closer positioning of the tank. That may seem foolhardy, but this vehicle is loaded with close/mid-range weaponry that complements the plasma very well, while still being able to deliver a 6 man Primaris infantry unit on top of repulsor fields. Thus, this writer regards the Executioner as a very gun laden Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), not a true battle tank. You can take a battle tank's weapons loadout, and certainly, that may be necessary at times, but this tanks true calling is in direct support of infantry. The executioner is really just a beefed up standard repulsor and really should be used in a similar fashion. Its slow-moving double shooting rule is perfect for sitting behind a wall of aggressors marching up the board as both units extract maximum firepower potential from hardy buffing characters.

*'''Vindicator:''' Changes to blast have hit vindicates hard. Very hard. Yes it still does a lot of damage, but gone are the days of playing "how much of your army will I be removing today."

*'''Whirlwind:''' Despite the changes that have hit the vindicator so hard, the whirlwind is improved, losing out on weight of hits and gaining improved strength and penetration.

*'''Hunter:''' Shoots flyers with a potent missile weapon.

*'''Stalker:''' Shoots flyers with 2 tri-barreled autocannons.

====Forge World====
*'''(Forge World) Deimos Pattern Vindicator Laser Destroyer:''' This thing brings to the battlefield the unique Laser Volley Cannon, which is a 2 shots Lascannon with a few twists: they only have a range of 36" instead of 48, they do a fixed 3 damages (so a little less than the average you do with 1D6) and can be overcharged to go to S10 AP-5 with a fixed 6 damages. The trade-off is that if they shoot that way, they take 3 mortal wounds on each rolls of 1. If it does not move, however, it can shoot twice, but not in overcharged mode. Also, note that it gets +1T and +1 wound compared to a predator but moves 2" less. All in one, this tank is kind of odd. It costs roughly the same as a classic predator with a full lascannon setup and can pump 4 shoots if it stands still, for an average amount of wounds slightly lower. Its overcharged mode might give you an edge on T5/T9-10 opponents or target with extremely high armor saves, so what you lose in range you get it back in versatility, at price: 2 shots against 4 and the risk of wounding yourself. Between increased durability, shorter range and movement, and varying fire modes, it is hard to draw a clear line between the Predator Annihilitor and the Vindicator Laser destroyer in term of battlefield role, but the latter being clearly less efficient while on the move, you might want to invest your money in other Forge World models.
*'''(Forge World) Relic Land Raider Proteus:''' The Proteus has two twin Lascannons like the vanilla LR, but it can choose to take a multi-melta or twin heavy flamer instead of a twin heavy bolter. (There's also an option for a single heavy bolter, but why would you even use that?) But its main draw is the Explorator Augury Web; taking it reduces the Proteus' transport Capacity to 6, but it prevents anyone from deep striking within 12" of the Proteus. Conveniently enough, that happens to be melta range for the multi-melta so suicide melta squads won't be able to get near it.
*'''(Forge World) Land Raider Helios:''' Also has twin lascannons, but it brings along a Helios Launcher- a Heavy weapon that fires 2d6 autocannon-equivalent shots (albeit only 1 damage) that can fire without LoS. A decent combo of the Whirlwind's different missile types, and it can transport 6 models too.
*'''(Forge World) Land Raider Prometheus:''' A fun toy for your Warlord- if he's embarked within it, one of the Stratagems played on your turn costs 1 less CP to use. It doesn't reduce the cost below 1, but it helps. As an added bonus, its attacks all ignore cover saves, which make its 24!!!!!! heavy bolter shots absolutely terrifying to light infantry. Carries 10 models.
** This is tantalizing, as the Blood Angels rely on unleashing many stratagems in the beginning of the game, while your terminator captain is cruizin up to the bad guys with his favorite blend of CC killers.
*'''(Forge World) Land Raider Achilles:''' The rage-inducing and expensive Achilles is back in a big way in 8th ed. T8 with 19 wounds, a 2+ save, and a 4++ Invuln save for good measure makes this raider insanely tough. The Achilles is armed with a hull-mounted Quad Launcher and 2 sponson-mounted TWIN Multi-Meltas (Heavy 2). The Quad Launcher can fire Shatter shells at Heavy 4 S8 AP-2 3 Damage, or Thunderfire shells at Heavy 4D3 S5 AP0 1 Damage (and can target units not visible to the Achilles). It can also grab a hunter-killer missile and a Storm Bolter for a little extra dakka. This weirdness is compounded by a transport capacity of 6, including terminators and jump pack models. Seriously, go look up a picture of this thing.
*'''(Forge World) Mortis Dreadnought:''' Your go to dakka dread. It costs 5 points more than a standard dreadnought, with the exact same profile, but it brings the option to double down on weapons the regular dread cant. You can take a pair of twin bolters, autocannons, or lascannons, or a pair of regular missile launchers, assault cannons, multi-meltas, or heavy plasma cannons. All good choices for laying down firepower, with the best guns depending on what you plan to shoot and how many points you can spare.
**For the classic twin autocannon rifleman setup, you're usually better off with a regular dread. They have the same stats for a few points less, and it's the only gun the normal dread can double upon. Only take an autocannon Mortis if you really need heavy support instead of an elite. Unlike the Contemptor version, it has no degrading stats.
*'''(Forge World) Siege Dreadnought:''' This Dread specializes in short-range firepower, coming stock with an Inferno Cannon that acts as a souped-up heavy flamer (but costs more than a twin heavy flamer, for reasons) and a seismic hammer with built-in meltagun that suffers from a -1 to hit but will wreck anything that gets hit. With the ability to re-roll all to wound rolls of 1 in the Fight phase when targeting a BUILDING or a unit with a movement stat of 0", its niche as a building killer should be obvious.
*'''(Forge World) Contemptor Mortis Dreadnought:''' Better than the standard Mortis in every way, from the BS 2+ to the 5++. Apart from that, it can do everything the regular Mortis can, only better.
**Since the v1.1 FAQ/Update, Contemptor Mortises can once again take Cyclone Missile Launchers. The downside is, like their Terminator counterparts, they're still 50 fucking points for either Heavy 2D3 S4 AP0 D1 OR Heavy 2 S8 AP-2 D6D. With this in mind, however, it could be decent now that EVERYTHING has Split-Fire, and you're no longer hitting Flyers on 6s, but only 3+(!!) with at least 6W or more. Churn out some dakka with your two Kheres Assault Cannons (which, keep in mind, can ALSO fire at two different targets, as they are considered 'two identical weapons', and then slam a couple of Krak missiles at a Flyer that screams overhead. Or a tank, I guess, if that's your thing.
**The Contemortis (for short) with cyclone launcher and lascannons is basically superior to the Deredeo with its lascannon battery, costs less, and fires more shots. And a Predator annihilator, for that matter. But that's against vehicles, it's pretty much the same.
*'''(Forge World) Relic Leviathan Dreadnought:''' [[RAPE|'''I AM THE DESTROYER OF ALL THAT EXISTS, THE ANATHAEMA OF LIFE, HATRED AND WRATH GIVEN PHYSICAL FORM, I AM THE FUCKING LEVIATHAN DREADNOUGHT. POINT ME AT ANYTHING, AND IT WILL DIE, FROM THE LOWEST OF GUARDSMEN TO THE BIGGEST OF TITANS.''']] ''ahem'', enough of that nonsense! But Mr. Leviathan does have a few good points. The Leviathan Dreadnought is easily one of the deadliest single models in the entire game, barring actual ''Titans'', packing a series of quite frighteningly powerful weapons that can make short work of virtually anything. For Defenses, it packs a Strength and Toughness of 8, with a 2+/4++ saves the line, and a whopping 14 wounds. In addition, it actually received a fairly decent points decrease in 8th edition, having dropped in cost by 50 whole points even after all wargear is accounted for. A few things were lost though, as the Leviathan no longer has his frag-launchers or his rack of hunter-killers, but in exchange, his whole loadout has gotten huge buffs.
** '''The Cyclone Melta''' is capable of destroying a Land Raider in a single volley, while being able to shave off 15 wounds from a Knight(Leaving it sufficiently weakened that it will no doubt then die to being slammed with 15 additional wounds in melee).
** '''The Storm Cannon''' now has a whopping 10 shots, which do 2 damage each. While not quite as horrifyingly deadly against vehicles as the Cyclone Melta, it exchanges sheer output for more reliability. This can be useful since 2-wound weapons occupy a fair niche in the current meta, for their ability to 1-shot the numerous amount of Multi-wound models, without suffering from Overkill. This makes it the perfect weapon for dealing with models like Terminators.
** '''The Grav-Flux Bombard''': Now your dedicated horde killer. It deals 1d3 shots and gains an additional 1d3 shots for every 5 models present in the target unit. Which means the Leviathan can get a whopping 11d3 shots when targeting a mob of Conscripts, or [[Rape|22d3]] if equipped with two of these. This essentially means that the grav bombard is your designated weapon loadout if you expect to go up against Infantry Blobs, as it can fry an entire 50 man squad each and every turn. Fair to note, however, being strength 9, and dealing 5 damage to vehicles and monsters, and no armor save is gonna be stopping it. So it functions quite well against large targets AND blobs.
*'''(Forge World) Whirlwind Hyperios:''' While it's still best used against aircraft because of its +1 to hit against flyers (and -1 against everything else), Heavy 2d3 S8 AP-2 D3 D isn't something to take lightly.
*'''(Forge World) Rapier Carrier:''' A dirt-cheap source of heavy bolter fire, which can also be used as a cheap counter to "light" superheavies like Knights if taken with Laser Destroyers or act as artillery if you use the Quad Launchers (added in the FAQ). Now coming stock with a 12-shot quad bolter at 3/4 of what you pay for a devastator squad armed with same, on a fairly sturdy chassis. Fills out the heavy support requirements of a Spearhead detachment really nice, but keep the gunners safe or it gets auto-removed just like the Thunderfire Cannon.
**<s>Quad Heavy Bolters are terrible, costing more than 2 twin heavy bolters for the same guns.</s>
**The average damage from a laser destroyer is less than its weight in lascannons - 183.33% of the damage for 240% of the price; the difference in strength will never matter against practical targets, while the improvement to AP will come up and won't make up the difference.
**As a result, hands down your best bet is always going to be the Quad Launcher.
***In Shatter mode this will, for 45 points, outdo two lascannons for 50 points, as losing a point each in strength and AP is more than made up for in doubling its attacks, and the difference in damage is not only slight, it also deals predictable damage, making it invaluable in many contexts, such as shooting Quantum Shielding.
**In Thunderfire mode, this will shoot what amounts to 8 heavy bolter shots, losing a point of AP in exchange for indirect targeting and improved range. This is inferior to the Quad Heavy Bolter option, so you should regard it as a bonus to the Shatter mode, rather than a good gun in its own right, and take this gun for the purpose of killing off enemy heavies, not massacring enemy lights.

===Fortifications===
*'''Castellum Stronghold:''' In case you want to play an army comprised of buildings instead of tanks and soldiers. 3 bunkers and a bigger bunker, with T9 and a total of 56 wounds (3x12 and 20). This realm of battle tile (yes, its 2' by 2') is fairly indestructible and can pack up to 5 heavy weapons, from anti-tank guns to AA or troop mulchers. The tacticus bunker has transport space for 30 guys, and the bunkers for 12 each. Up to 15 and 10 models can shoot out of each of the bunkers. If your army doesn't fit inside completely, they can man the battlements for a cover save. And untill the big bunker is destroyed all infantry, bike and dreadnoughts get a 4++ against shooting attacks while inside the stronghold. Oh, and one stratagem per turn costs 1 less CP if your warlord is embarked. At 550 points without guns this is something of an apocalypse thing.

===Lords of War===
*'''Angel Infernus (Open Play Only):''' Because it could always be MORE on fire. Pretty much a Land Raider Redeemer that swaps some of it's transport capacity in order to take a pair of Heavy Flamers and uses a Lord of War slot instead of Heavy Support. Use it in the same way as a Redeemer and cackle at 4D6 white-hot autohits directed at anyone stupid enough to charge anywhere near it.
*'''Land Raider Terminus Ultra (Open Play only):''' For 600 pts it will do a spectacular job of wrecking vehicles thanks to its 8 (!) lascannon shots per turn. 3 to hit rolls of 1 in one turn will cause you to take 6 mortal wounds, but the chances of that are so small that it's unlikely to be an issue. Even if it does happen, it won't be enough to decrease your base stats until you drop to 8 wounds or below, and with the toughness and armor save that comes with being a Land Raider variant that's probably not going to be an issue. Just be sure to watch out for massed infantry- for this reason you should probably take a storm bolter over the multi-melta since any vehicle close enough to be in melta range is going to become a smoldering wreck either way.

====Forge World====
Forgeworld FAQ[https://17890-presscdn-0-51-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/40K_8th_ed_Update_Imperial_Armour_Index_Forces_of_the_Adeptus_Astartes_ver_1.0..pdf] updates the relic rule for LoW, effectively you can get one with no pre-requisites but further ones will still require the 'non-relic' tax. On the other hand, [[That Guy|who would even need to bring 4 Lords of War into a game?]]

*'''Relic Spartan Assault Tank:''' The Spartan has always been a bigger nastier Land Raider at heart, and this edition just makes it even meaner. A relic from the Legion days, it boasts an impressive BS3+, S8, T8, W20, a 2+ Save, and PoTMS so it can move and shoot with no penalty. The Steel Behemoth rule allows it to shoot or charge after falling back, and fire its guns even if enemies are within 1" of it. Further, it only benefits from cover saves when at least half the model is obscured. It comes stock with hull-mounted Twin heavy bolters (which can be replaced with Twin heavy flamers), 2 sponson-mounted Quad lascannons (that's a total of 8(!) lascannons), and anything trying to attack it in melee will have to deal with its Crushing tracks, which are S8 AP-2 DD3. And with a WS5+ and 8 attacks, it has a better chance than most tanks of actually hitting with them. If 8 lascannons don't do the trick, they can be swapped for Laser Destroyers to give it the role of blowing superheavies to pieces; its basic profile of S12 AP-4 DD6 is nasty enough as it is, but any time it inflicts damage, you roll a d6. On a 3-5, its damage rises to 2d6, and on a 6 it becomes a staggering 3d6 damage! If you crave even more dakka you can add a pintle-mounted Heavy bolter, Storm bolter, Heavy flamer, or Multi-melta. Finally, the Spartan has an enormous 25 transport capacity, including Terminators, and Jump Pack Infantry(but not Primaris), so fill it up with Death Company squads! If it explodes after losing its last wound (on a roll of 6), it deals D6 Mortal Wounds to units with 2D6" inches.
*'''Relic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank:''' The Vindicator's big brother on steroids is a fierce siege engine, boasting BS3+, S8, T9(!), W22, and a 2+ Save. The Dreadhammer siege cannon taking up the entirety of the vehicle drops Heavy 2D6 S10 AP-5 3D shots at 24" or 48" if it holds still. Losing the enormous blast template from the previous edition, the Dreadhammer can now put serious hurt on vehicles and monsters with it's 2D6 high strength high AP shots. In addition to the main gun it can grab 2 sponson-mounted Lascannons or Heavy bolters, and can also take a pintle-mounted Heavy bolter, Heavy flamer, Multi-melta, or Storm bolter for extra dakka. The Steel Behemoth rule allows it to shoot or charge after falling back, and fire its guns even if enemies are within 1" of it (except for it's Dreadhammer siege cannon, which must target other units). Further, it only benefits from cover saves when at least half the model is obscured. It has PoTMS so it can move and shoot with no penalty, and it makes a respectable 8 attacks with it's Crushing tracks (decreasing to 6, and then D3 as it takes damage) at WS5+ S8 AP-2 DD3 in melee. If it explodes after losing its last wound (on a roll of 6), it deals D6 Mortal Wounds to units with 2D6" inches.
*'''Relic Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer:''' An insane Titan-class laser weapon mounted on a Spartan chassis, boasting BS3+, S8, T9, W22, and a 2+ Save. The Heavy neutron pulse array kicks out Heavy 3 S14 AP-4 3+D6D shots at 72", and causes a -1 to-hit penalty to the shooting attacks of vehicles wounded by this weapon. In addition to the main gun it can grab 2 sponson-mounted Lascannons or Heavy bolters, and can also take a pintle-mounted Heavy bolter, Heavy flamer, Multi-melta, or Storm bolter for extra dakka. The Steel Behemoth rule allows it to shoot or charge after falling back, and fire its guns even if enemies are within 1" of it (except for it's Heavy neutron pulse array which must target other units). Further, it only benefits from cover saves when at least half the model is obscured. It has PoTMS so it can move and shoot with no penalty, and it makes a respectable 8 attacks with it's Crushing tracks (decreasing to 6, and then D3 as it takes damage) at WS5+ S8 AP-2 DD3 in melee. If it explodes after losing its last wound (on a roll of 5+ thanks to its Unstable Reactor), it deals D6 Mortal Wounds to units with 2D6" inches.
*'''Relic Fellblade Superheavy Tank:''' The Baneblade's exponentially meaner cousin. Absolutely bristling with guns, it has a massively impressive statline of BS3+, S9, T9, W26, a 2+ Save, and PoTMS so it can move and shoot with no penalty. It's enormous and versatile Fellblade accelerator cannon sports two shell types: HE shells are Heavy 2D6 S8 AP-3 2D shots and allow re-rolls for the number of shots when targeting a unit with more than 5 models. AE shells are Heavy 2 S14 AP-4 6D shots that work wonders on tanks. It comes stock with a hull-mounted Twin heavy bolter (which can be replaced with a Twin heavy flamer) and 2 sponson-mounted Quad lascannons (which can be swapped for the amazing Laser destroyers like the Spartan). Like the Baneblade it also has a hull-mounted Demolisher cannon. If you crave even more dakka you can add a pintle-mounted Heavy bolter, Storm bolter, Heavy flamer, or Multi-melta. Finally, anything trying to attack it in melee will have to deal with 9 WS5+ attacks from its Crushing tracks, which are S9 AP-2 DD3. If it explodes after losing its last wound (on a roll of 6), it deals D6 Mortal Wounds to units with 2D6" inches. The Steel Behemoth rule allows it to shoot or charge after falling back, and fire its guns even if enemies are within 1" of it. Further, it only benefits from cover saves when at least half the model is obscured. If you need a LOT of dakka on a tough as nails platform, you can't go wrong with the Fellblade.
*'''Relic Falchion Superheavy Tank Destroyer:''' A Fellblade variant which shares the same statline and special rules but mounts the unbelievably deadly Twin volcano cannon in place of the Fellblade cannon and Demolisher cannon. The Twin volcano cannon can annihilate targets 120" away with Heavy 2D6 S16 AP-5 D2D6 (re-rolling wounds against Titanic units). Just like the Fellblade it comes stock with two Quad lascannon sponsons which can be replaced with Laser destroyers. Given its ability to take the laser destroyers, it's objectively better at destroying superheavies than its Shadowsword counterpart in practically every way. It also sports a hull-mounted Twin heavy bolter which can be replaced with Twin heavy flamers, and you can add a pintle-mounted Heavy bolter, Storm bolter, Heavy flamer, or Multi-melta if you crave even more dakka.
*'''Relic Mastodon Super-heavy Siege Transport:''' Have you ever wanted to transport 40 Marines at once while trashing flyers and generally being nigh-indestructible? Then the Mastodon is the LoW for you! With 30 wounds and a 5+ void shield, the Mastodon is a fucking tough nut to crack, made even more so if it somehow gets into the 6" range for its siege melta array's re-roll to kick in.
*'''Thunderhawk Assault Gunship:''' The standard air support and transportation workhouse of the Space Marines. This monstrous flyer will cost you an arm and a leg (in both points and real $) but has some seriously impressive rules. It has a big 20-50" move in Supersonic mode and can hover. Its has BS2+, S10, T9, 30W, a 3+ Save and PoTMS so it can shoot on the move. Its Void-hardened Hull grants it a 5++ save for extra durability. The Thunderhawk Assault Gunship is armed with a Thunderhawk heavy cannon - 48" Heavy 2D6 S8 AP-2 D6D, which can be swapped for the monstrously powerful Turbo-laser destructor - 96" Heavy D3 S16 AP-4 2D6D (6's to wound inflict an additional D3 Mortal Wounds). For secondary weapons it sports 4 Twin heavy bolters and 2 Lascannons at various points on the hull, as well as a choice of Thunderhawk Cluster Bombs or a Hellstrike missile battery. The Cluster bombs can drop once per game on a single unit you flew over, rolling up to 12D6 times (3D6 for ever VEHICLE or MONSTER and 1D6 for other models). Each 5+ result deals a Mortal Wound to the unit, though units consisting only of characters cannot be targeted. The Hellstrike battery is 72" Heavy 4 S8 AP-3 D3. It's Colossal Flyer rule forces your opponent to -1 from shooting attacks against the Thunderhawk, but also forces them to measure from where it's hull wound be if it was at ground level and add 12" to that measurement (which is an attempt to account for the custom flying bases you need to hold this heavy ass brick of resin up). It also means that a lot of guns flat out cannot shoot at it while it's Supersonic. Finally, the Thunderhawk has an impressive transport capacity of 30, including TERMINATORS, JUMP PACK models, AND BIKERS. It is also one of the only vehicles that can transport PRIMARIS models, with each counting for 2 spaces, although you cannot mix them with non-PRIMARIS units.
*'''Thunderhawk Transporter:''' A thunder hawk optimized to carry land raiders OR two rhino variant tanks, lacks major offensive weaponry
** Deep strike Land Raiders
*'''Sokar Pattern Stormbird:''' Pretty much the largest flyer/transport/model Forge World offers next to titans. Damn expensive in points (651... not too bad) and tangible money alike, it can ferry entire demi companies onto the battlefield. Has like 8 lascannons, a host of various missiles and bombs, void shields, and a few heavy bolters here and there for flavor. The void shields can extend and overlap nearby troops 8" away that jumped out if it has hovered. Has 40 wounds, T9, a 5++ after the void shields.
*'''Astraeus Super Heavy Tank:''' This tank is a beast, 24 wounds, Toughness 8, 2+ Armour, Power of the Machine Spirit and Steel Behemoth are already bad enough, but then you look at its gear. Firstly, the Void Shield. Just like the titans, it's a degenerating shield that can block off any wound, mortal or not, and does not care about AP value. However, it cannot protect you from overheating Plasma Eradicators or melee attacks, so watch out for Knight Gallants and other heavy-hitting melee units that somehow get by the Enhanced Repulsor Fields. Said Enhanced Repulsor Fields not only reduce enemy charge rolls by 3", but are also its form of '''''close combat attack'''''. Considering the fields give -2 AP and deals D3 damage per wound, this is surprisingly vicious, especially considering the 8 Strength 9 attacks the tank gets (albeit only at WS 5+, although it still benefits from auras like Litanies of Hate and Rites of Battle). Obviously, however, you're here for the guns and... oh boy. Its twin macro-accelerator cannon is a vicious Heavy 12, S8, AP-2, Damage 3 that ignores all abilities that impose negative hit modifiers when targeting anything with the FLY keyword. Its other default weapons don't seem that threatening at first, however. The two las-rippers are slightly weaker las-talons with a new name, the twin heavy bolter is somewhat useful against infantry, and the storm bolter and ironhail heavy stubber can be augmented with another ironhail heavy stubber. However, the twin heavy bolter can be replaced by a twin Lascannon, and the las-rippers can be replaced by the new Plasma Eradicator, a +1 Strength, AP-4 Plasma Cannon that uniquely only causes one mortal wound per 1 to hit on Supercharge. 90% of the time the Eradicators are the better choice. Not only are they cheaper than Las-Rippers, but they have more range. Being within 24" will put the Astraeus in danger of being chopped up by enemy Knights and makes it a prime target for most Plasma weapons. The lone Storm Bolter won't be doing much of anything regardless.
**Compared to the Fellblade, its main gun is lacking in terms of pure power but has a more reliable number of shots which will be more effective against light to medium vehicles (especially flyers), as well as 3-wound infantry such as Tyranid Warriors, Grey Knight Paladins, and Custodes. The secondary armament is clearly inferior with the eight Lascannons and Demolisher Cannon of the Fellblade outgunning the Accelerator Cannon itself. In melee it is a mixed picture, the Enhanced Repulsor Fields make the Astraeus harder to engage and hit but it lacks the option to mount any flamer for point defense; the Fellblade can mount up to 3 heavy flamers which will inflict significant overwatch casualties on attacking infantry. The Void Shield gives it an important defensive tool that the Fellblade and most superheavy tanks lack, albeit on a more fragile (T8 not 9), less durable (2 wounds less at 24W) chassis. Most importantly, it's much cheaper than the Fellblade, and since it's not a Relic you can use it as a "non-Relic" tax in the unlikely chance you really want a full Super-Heavy Detachment as a Space Marine army.

==Building Your Army==

So you've decided the Boys from Baal are the army for you, but you're not sure where to start?
*Your first purchase should be the Start Collecting! Blood Angels box set. In days of yore the Battleforces were the way to go for a new army, but for savings, this is the best stop. With a decent discount (by GW standards) this will net you a Captain in Terminator Armour, ten Tactical Marines, and a Baal Predator. This sets you up off the bat with a Patrol Detachment, at either 25 or 26 Power depending on whether you chose one Tactical Squad of ten, or two of five. One squad of ten is probably best, since you only need one Troops choice, for a Patrol Detachment, and you can combat squad them anyway.

*The Start Collecting! box is decent value for money (£60). To buy the contents separately (Captain, tactical squad, Baal Pred) would cost £81. Combine with the Space Marine Start Collecting! box for an additional tactical squad another Terminator Captain and a standard Dreadnought (as we can't use venerable dreds).

*Devastator Squad. Okay, so heavy weapons aren't really our style, but they still have their place. Each Devastator boxed set comes with multiple options for heavy weapons. If you have spare bodies, you can actually make two 5-man devastator squads with one box. They won't all be armed with the same heavy weapons, but with split fire now a regular thing in 8th it's not such a problem now when mixing heavy weapons. Just try to use weapons with matching range, for example Missile Launchers+Lascannons, Heavy Bolters and Plasma Cannons or Heavy Grav Cannons and Multimeltas.

*Sanguinary Guard. These guys are relatively cheap to obtain compared to their in-game capabilities. GW is currently selling a 5-man squad for £25.

*If you're looking to buy Rhinos, don't bother. Spend a few more shekels for a Razorback, so you can swap between the Razorback and Rhino option. Obviously, don't glue the roof hatch in place. The boxed set comes with a choice of twin heavy bolters or twin lascannons. For added impact and versatility, if you already have a Land Raider Crusader armed with twin assault cannons, ensure you don't glue it in place, giving you the option to use it on your Razorback when not fielding the Land Raider.

*Your next step should be to find any or all of the following box sets, if they are still available.

Blood Angels Death Company Strike Force: Includes a Chaplain with Jump Pack, three 5-man Death Company units, and a Death Company Dreadnought. Now we're talking!

Blood Angels Orbital Intervention Force: Includes two five man Assault Terminator Squads, and one Terminator Squad. This is probably the least preferable kit to go for, as Terminators are a huge pointsink. If you do choose this, you'll have enough for a Vanguard Detachment, and the extra Command Point that brings, but may Sanguinius have mercy on your soul.

Golden Host: If the Sanguinary Guard is your thing, this is definitely the box for you. Includes three 5-man units and the Sanguinor.

Blood Angels Chapter Ancients: Includes three Blood Angels Dreadnoughts, any combination of Furioso, Furioso Librarian, and Death Company. If you go with this option consider building one of each, or two Furiosos and one Death Company. This and your Start Collecting! box gives you a Vanguard Detachment, for an extra Command Point.
This set now appears to be available again on the GW webstore, so don't pay 75 dollars over its retail price on ebay (or do, I don't want to tell you how to live your life).

Blood Angels Crimson Spear Strike Force: Still on sale as of mid 2020 and is a pretty good buy as you get both a Sanguinary Guard unit, 5 Death Company, the extra Blood Angel special Jump Pack Chaplain and a Terminator Captain. Along with a Baal Predator and a squad of Intercessors.
This is well enough to form a pretty powerful Vanguard Detachment if you paint your Intercessors as some angry Death Company. But most importantly, 2 whole upgrade sprues and the Holy Blood Angel Transfer Sheet.
As it is on GW for £110, buying all the things individually would clock in round about £180.50 so you are saving a good £75.50

Lastly, magnetize the backs of your HQs. Yes, you're often told to magnetize parts of your models, but this time we really, really mean it. Don't worry, backs and backpacks are a lot simpler than weapons.
Why bother?
Between the Index and Codex, almost all of your Character models can take multiple backpack options. From the plain backpack to the fluffy jump pack to the myriad of weapons available to Techmarine, you'll want to be able to swap them as your list du jour demands.

==Tactics==

Playing with Blood Angels can be a double-edged sword. Move too aggressively and you'll find some of your squads isolated and overwhelmed. Move too slowly and you'll struggle to make an impact. Here are some useful tactics to use in 8th edition. '''With Red Thirst returning we can pretty much ruin anything we face. Even a scout will wound Magnus on a 4+. How d'you like them apples?
'''
There's only really one tactic you need to know when playing Blood Angels, ABC "Always Be Charging." You don't play BA to sit back and shoot, there are other Chapters that do it much better than we do. Blood Angels are at their best on the charge, so to that end, you should design your force with an emphasis on close combat and speed.

*'''Sword and Shield''': This tactic relies on combining decent firepower to pin an enemy force (or elements of that force) in place whilst your attacking squads advance and seize the objective or destroy other enemy squads and vehicles. This tactic is useful against highly mobile opponents, such as Ravenwing or Eldar. One or more squads or vehicles with heavy weaponry act as a stationary firing platform to prevent the enemy from exploiting that flank, while the remainder of the Blood Angels force advances. This tactic is less useful against hordes. Imagine a warrior holding a shield (that's the heavy weapons on the flank) and the sword, ready to thrust (that's the attacking force). Also useful for pinning enemy elements in place before assault.
*'''Hammer and Anvil''': Compose an army with supporting troops such as sniper scouts or tacticals with heavy bolters, intercessors if you can spare points. Keep the troops on objectives and form a backline. Add in good amounts of durable high volume anti-horde ability such as inceptors, aggressors, terminators, or fragnoughts. These are your Anvil and should clear out the weaker foes. Then strap up and focus on four units: JP Captain with thunder hammer and Angels Wing, Sanguinary Guard with power fists and angelus boltguns, Lemartes, Death company with a 1:1 mix of thunder hammers and bolter chainsword marines. These are your Hammer's. The beauty of this army is that you can tackle early screens and hordes well, claim objectives and provide covering fire, while all of your deep striking units have a means of increasing your chances of charging from deep strike. Captain uses Angels Wing for re rolls, Sanguinary Guard use Descent of Angels, Lemartes and the Death Company all have re rolls on the charge.
*'''Steel and Flame''': A tactic used specifically for hordes such as Tyranids or Orks. This calls upon the Blood Angels commander to field squads, vehicles and characters that specialise in killing scores of enemy troops. If used correctly, a seasoned commander will deploy with overlapping fields of fire, good line of sight and defensive positions designed to slow the enemy advance. Baal Predator tanks, Whirlwinds, flamers, rapid-fire weapons and characters that improve accuracy or penetration are best employed here. Each squad or vehicle should be able to both advance and retreat under covering fire from other supporting troops or vehicles. Deployment is key here. Position your forces too far forward and your squads will be overrun. Pull back too far and your range will be limited and you'll have nowhere to fall back to when things get hairy. Razorbacks armed with twin assault cannons should not be overlooked here, and each squad, vehicle or character must support and be supported by other elements. In this scenario, an isolated squad is a dead squad. It should be noted that this is primarily a defensive tactic, but counter-attacks can swing the outcome of the battle here. One example would be to utilise a Land Raider Crusader (with assault troops/terminators/Death Company inside) as a mobile shredding platform, continually pulling back as the enemy advances, keeping it out of range of assault. If the enemy get too close, and you have nowhere to move, that's when you counter-attack with whatever is inside the vehicle.

To really blitz fuck your enemy and win the game in 3 turns or less, you need to be thinking about the charge after the charge. Essentially you need to anticipate where your models will be after you carefully win your first combat. Ideally, you want them to be in a position to get off another charge, or better yet an immediate consolidation. Try to take advantage of the DC Dreads 6" consolidation move, heroic interventions, jump packs 12" movement, and the Upon Wings of Fire stratagem. All of these will position your models well for more rounds of close combat; key here is repeating close combat often which triggers the Red Thirst repeatedly. Also consider units like terminators or dreadnoughts over softer 1 wound models for a charge that may result in prolonged combat. These units will last longer in the second turn of fighting. Utilize fully supported and buffed death company or sanguinary guard to wipe out entire units in one round. (And to be badass, its doesn't get much better in 40k than marching 15 Death Company Marines down your opponents throat with Astorath up front literally giving the most mind bending pep talk in the galaxy). Remember three things when your opponent attempts to counter you: 1) The more often you charge, the more often your are getting many important bonuses. 2) The more turns you spend in combat, the less firepower you take. 3) Avoid getting shot at in between and after combats when possible, and plan complex charges to mitigate or avoid overwatch altogether.

With all this sexy talk about close combat, never forget fire support. Warfare typically revolves around a cycle of applying fire and movement. One option for the savvy son of Sanguinius is to tie up large portions of the enemy with carefully planned charges, not cumbersome frontal assaults; and utilize mobile medium ranged fire power to neutralize any models out of reach of your assault. As the game progresses use air support and your armies impressive mobility to adjust. Maneuver your firepower to avoid return fire, then remaining assault units switch to protecting your firepower. Units like razorbacks and baal predators do this well and can move very fast when needed, land raiders provide good anchors for your army. Stormravens have a gun for any target, and nearly your entire army has options for jump packs. Sometimes its best to sit back a turn or two, blast your opponent to shit, *cough Imperial Guard, then clean up in combat with very opportune and convenient charges.

_____________

Pretty sick army right here which has nearly tabled Orks and Nids:

--Battalion--
*Slamguinius, Artisan of War, JP, Angels Wing, Thunder Hammer (shield optional but helpful)
*Lemartes
*X3 sniper scouts

--Vanguard--
*Corbulo
*X3 maxed out Bolter Aggressor squads
*15 DC, power swords, boltguns
*10 Sang Guard, fists, angelus bolters
*Company Ancient, Standard of Sacrifice

*This list will usually leave your army or your opponents nearly wiped. Problem is, it all depends on landing 4 drop charges. Luckily each deep striking unit has a means of boosting the charge after dropping in all on turn two. Lemartes and his re-roll for DC. Slamguinus has Angels Wing, and Sang Guard have Descent of Angels.
*Everyone else (Scouts, Aggs, Ancient, Corbulo) simply kick back and unload the sweet sweet dakka. Enjoy.
*Ideally the scouts hug objectives and pop sniper mortal wounds on important things, Corbulo and the Ancient along with your ~18 aggressors form a big ball and demand your opponent to prioritize them. Even if the aggressors get shot up, the buffs make them very tough and they will unleash powerful return fire killing hordes. Finally everyone else drops in on turns 2 or 3 and kills the big stuff hanging around in the back or anything that couldn't be mowed down by the Aggressors.
*If you desire more command points, reduce DC to 10 men and remove 1 or 2 aggressors and turn the vanguard into a battalion with basic bolter scouts (maybe a HB for some hellfire mortal wounds).
*Keep Sang Guard cheap with angelus bolt gun and fists, they do very well with fists being cheaper than swords. If you have points and need a little more ranged dakka, give them plasma pistols and keep near warlord and they can easily kill tanks with a charge afterwards.
*This list makes for quick games; you will win or loose in spectacular fashion! I have found the key being to save the ancient and about 3-6 Aggressors. Otherwise you will loose board presence, scouts will get picked off somehow, and your deep strikers won't be able to win it all back. If you work patiently with the Aggressor ball and don't get them killed immediately, they can hold down the board and let other units focus on specific fights they can easily win.
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Vanguard Death Ball
10 vanguard Vets with storm shields and power swords and 2x 10 man squads of vets with 5x shield/chainsword, 4x double chainsword and the Sargent with power sword/chainsword. Shove a Chaplin/priest/banner with 5+++ and the sanguinor in the middle of your ball of fun and fly up the table in a orgy of death. You will be surprisingly survivable with the invuls and FNPs and with the benefit of being infantry you just hide in handy buildings before you charge in. Your looking at 1k points for this so in a 2k game you can still have a decent fire-base and support also.

*A good all rounder Melee Unit is 12 Death Company with either Chainsword and Bolter or Power Fist and Inferno Pistol, with a ratio of 9:3. The Fist and Inferno Marines can easily deal with a Leman Russ or equivalent each turn, while the Chainsword and Bolter Marines can clear out any tarpits.
** Death company have access to thunder hammers, which for 7 points more significantly increase your damage output over power fists. This is perhaps the best delivery method for hammers.
**For mobility, consider either Jump Packs or a Stormraven.
**As Death Company rely on support, consider replacing some Marines with a Chaplain, Sanguinary Priest, Lieutenant, Librarian, or Librarian Dread (who can keep up with Jump Packers) for buffs. If in a Stormraven, you may also consider a Chaplain Dread for more buffs and anti-tank.
*Death Company vs Vanguard Vets: Death Company seem to have a one up over Vanguard vets vs hordes (and with the Black Rage fnp they really do), but on the charge they do almost every job cheaper. VV can take double chainswords, allowing 4 attacks regardless of charge. DC can take bolters along with chainswords, allowing decent shooting and surprising flexibility.
**Some off the cuff math says that Death Company kill vehicles with thunder hammers better and more cheaply than TH/SS Vanguard. But in that case VVs are a lot harder, in case 30-ish damage from DC doesn't kill a target.
*As an aside, I've rated the units of normarines (as in non-primaris) from least to most expensive: Vanguard Vets, Death Company, Sanguinary Guard (with encarmine swords they cost roughly the same as terminators, but with one less man base they occupy middle-ground), Terminators, then TH/SS Terminators.
**Terminators and Sanguinary Guard are of similar durability, weapons (since SG power fists are a free swap) and deep-strike potential. But with Stratagems and Deathmasks SG kinda win the comparison.
***Reivers are also 2 wounds and while they aren't quite as durable you get a lot more for your points while still putting out a very respectable number of attacks. Something to consider when shopping for your more durable troops to accompany VVs and Death Company.
*BRING BATTALIONS! Even if you are focusing on the fast attack and elite slots. A battalion gives you 6 elite slots for DC or whatever and 3 extra cp so you can [[Dawn of War|soar on wings of fire!]] Plus you need at least some troops to hold ground, and they let you bring extra HQs like chaplains, librarian or Priests. On this point, you can bring some effective Troop choices to the field while staying lean on points. Five Intercessors come in under a hundred points, and are great at running around and grabbing mid-field objectives. Consider five Scouts with a power sword too, even cheaper and put out a surprising amount of damage in close combat.
**Counterpoint: Battalions, and all large formations, are quite expensive to field for marines of all kinds. It's harder to just "sprinkle in" troops and HQs (around 25-40 power for just a "basic" battalion). You may still want anchors for all the deep-striking jump-pack-users in your army and battalions give the best CP investment without building a brigade, but it's still a meaty investment for an average game and has to be weighed against other options. A Vanguard Detachment is a decent alternative if you want to focus on a cheaper force.
***Counter-Counterpoint: Taking your support HQs and Scouts in a battalion is relatively cheap (clocking in around 400 points) and lets you spend the rest on all those big, flashy, and choppy units that entices every Blood Angels player. With our red lads being so CP hungry, it's absolutely worth starting with a Battalion.
*Scouts. Don't underestimate these fuckers. An entire essay can be penned about how useful they are! Keep them cheap, kitted out with boltguns and a chainsword on the sergeant, and have them pop in how you need them. The flexibility of this kit is a fantastic tool to have in any commander's arsenal. If your opponent is bringing a large assault force, you can have them sneak in and form a barrier in front of where your Death Company are dropping in and getting you some pretty nasty counter charges. If they are running their Cultists or other cheap screening unit up the board, use scouts to stop them from taking up the board by forcing them to get in a shootout right outside their deployment zone. Enemy is running a lot of things with Deep Strike, like expensive Terminators? Scout in your boys all spread out and give them no room to set up their unit. At a fairly cheap 55 points for 5, being so useful, and also being able to keep up with the fast strikes that Blood Angels like to be performing, Scouts are absolutely a fantastic choice to start a list with.
**Sniper Rifles. Need More? Okay, a Heavy Bolter and four rifles? Boltguns and a rocket launcher? Using the auspex in particular will help if you opponent can fit in a deep-strike. They're also useful if your choppy marines want to fall back from a bad fight to shoot the unit.
**Keeping scouts exactly 17-18" away from your other forces prevents deep-striking.
**Red thirst really makes them shine with or without bolters. Gives them just enough extra punch to threaten normal MEQ and other units typically regarded as stronger than them.
*ALLIES BABY! Imperial Guard have all the answers: Cheap bodies, Over powered tanks, And the best flyers around. Try two Leman Russ Annihilators with Lascannons and hull Lascannons and two punishers with punisher gatling cannons and 3 heavy bolters. Thats 696 points, and you've got 10 lascannon shots with re roll 1s (Cadian doctrine) and 80 S5 shots and 18 S5 AP-1 all on very durable platforms! Seriously you cant go wrong with these two models. Let the Guard shoot everything while you handle the face to face confrontations.
** These two armies are a classic combo. Everything that one is lacking the other has twofold. Fluff wise, there is tons of room for narrative setups and sweet scenarios. There is nothing more a guardsman could ask for than Commander Dante himself swooping down to save his sorry ass. Or perhaps Flesh Tearers, who might kill the guardsman afterwards... Sounds interesting!!!!!
** Also, guard are the undisputed kings of command point accrual and abuse. We like that cuz guardsmen are our little buddies. Fill out brigades with mortar heavy weapons squads and bare bones infantry squads (maybe a heavy weapon or assault weapon here and there just to be cute) and use your best stratagems turn after turn after turn after turn after turn.
** Scions and Scion Command Squads provide a shit load of assault weapon spam at the same BS of 3+ as you, they can also deep strike to keep pace and shoot the right unit at the right time. They are only T3 of course, but are cheaper and provide denser firepower per squad compared to assault marines. As mentioned before, Blood Angels handle melee, Guard shoots everything to pieces. Goes together like potatoes and gravy. And let me tell you, the Emperor fucking loves potatoes and gravy.
*** The better option may be meltaguns, as you need the tempestor primes for re-roll safety and access to command squads which are basically an additional tax considering what you're using the units for.

[[Category:Warhammer 40000 Tactics(8E)]]
[[Category:Space Marines]]

{{Warhammer_40k_Tactics}}

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

2023-02-26T20:40:20Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:C5B1:DFB5:E2DA:268: /* Imperium */

{{cleanup}}
<div class="center" style="width: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">[[Indrick Boreale|WE ARE THE SPEHSS MAHREENS! WE ARE THE EMPRA'S FUREH!]]</div>

This is the [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics(8E)|8th Edition's]] Space Marine tactics. [[Warhammer_40,000/7th_Edition_Tactics/Space Marines|7th Edition Tactics are here,]] and their current tactics can be found [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Space Marines (9E)|here.]]

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

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

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

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

===Angels of Death===
*'''And They Shall Know No Fear:''' Re-roll failed morale tests. Not going to come into play that much with your generally good Ld scores, but given how punishing Morale can be it's still a good way to ensure your units don't run off, especially for your already small-ish unit sizes & 2W Primaris. And Apothecaries cannot revive models who fled instead of being slain.
*'''Bolter Discipline:''' Models using a Rapid Fire bolt weapon can double their number of shots (i.e. ''rapid-fire'') if at least one of the following conditions is met. They don't stack (no triple or quadruple shots if you meet more than one condition). The conditions are:
**The target is within the weapon's half range (normal Rapid Fire).
**The model is {{W40kKeyword|infantry}} and every model of its unit remained stationary during the previous Movement Phase. ''If a Devastator's Heavy Weapon marine moves, the Sergeant cannot use Bolter Discipline on his boltgun''.
***It gives your marines the option to commit to those objectives instead of having to get close to the enemy. Factions like T'au may have long ranged small arms, but Space Marines are the only army that can rapid fire from full 24"-''30"'' away.
**The firing model is a {{WH40Kkeyword|Terminator}}, {{WH40Kkeyword|Biker}}, {{WH40Kkeyword|Centurion}}, {{WH40Kkeyword|Dreadnought}}.
***This right here is the good shit. Footslogging terminators now have a significantly improved threat capacity, bikers are somehow even more deadly fast than they already were, and both Centurions and certain types of dreadnoughts have access to hurricane bolters, AKA 12 shots apiece.
*'''Shock Assault''': A brand new buff for Space Marines, if a unit with this rule charges, gets charged, or performs a Heroic Intervention, models in the unit add 1 to their Attack characteristic until the end of the turn (meaning +2A if they can fight twice like with a stratagem). Like Bolter Discipline before it, this will be available to all flavors of Space Marines (including all three of the Chaos varieties), and gives the generally lackluster melee of most Primaris infantry and chainsword assault marines a little bit of a boost. Killer on units with power weapons like Terminators. Also means foes have to be a bit more careful about charging at Tacticals and such to tie them up, more so if you use larger units, and that they can assist in a melee in a pinch.
*'''Combat Doctrine''': Feel like it's 7th edition all over again. Each of the three Combat Doctrines gives an AP-1 buff to different weapon types in your armies (non-cumulative with buffs from other sources). You have to use each Doctrine in order, starting with the '''Devastator Doctrine''', and once you switch there's no going back, so pay attention to the rhythm of the game. Your ''army'' gains this if ''all units in it'' have this rule, meaning taking a Guardsman Battalion or even a single Assassin CP'd in right before the battle would prevent the SM detachment from getting this rule, but allied SM detachments are ok even from a different chapter.
**On top of that, Chapter supplements give First Founding Chapters (and their descendants) a Specialist doctrine that is a bonus active on top of the regular doctrine. Bringing chapters with different specialist doctrines prevents either from getting theirs.
**These nifty rules will make your marines more efficient killers, but their rotation makes them predictable - devastate -> advance -> assault. Savvy opponents may try to break LoS to force movement penalties on your heavy weapons, rush for melee while you're still under the ranged doctrines, then fall back when you're finally under the assault one, scale buildings, etc. As such, don't be predictable yourself. Remember, you don't need to switch doctrines on the same turn they become available: surprise drop pod a target turn one or advance your infantry under cover of Devastation while your enemy remains confined to their hiding spots turn 3, what have you. The doctrines are as follows:
*#On Turn 1, your army will always start with the '''Devastator Doctrine''' turned on, giving all your Heavy and Grenade weapons the extra -1 AP so that you can soften entrenched infantry and cripple enemy vehicles from afar in preparation for your advance. Remember the first points of AP are the most important ones: AP-2 Heavy Bolters and Assault Cannons are more noticeable than AP-4 Lascannons. Do keep in mind the plethora of sniper rifles and Heavy Flamers (Incendium/Inferno/Flamestorm cannons) are Heavy Weapons too. The boost to Grenades matters only to Intercessors for the most part.
*#On the 2nd turn you switch to '''Tactical Doctrine''', shifting the boost to your Rapid Fire and Assault weapons. Be it to close the distance to the enemy or because your vehicles are about to give their last, this mostly passes the ranged baton to your infantry. And a bolt rifle going from AP-1 to AP-2 is more noticeable than a lascannon going from AP-3 to AP-4. Storm bolters and auto bolt rifles work wonders here.
*#On the 3rd or 4th turn you shift to '''Assault Doctrine''' (you MUST change to assault on the 4th turn) giving the extra AP to your Pistol and Melee attacks. Don't. Forget. Your. Pistol. The first point of AP is the most important one - chainsword/CCWs benefit the most, while AP-4 on a sword can become excessive.
**As of the 02/27/20 FAQ, you MUST change from Devastator to Tactical on turn 2, and then change to Assault on turn 3 or 4. This will force you to keep at least a few units that are capable of fighting in CQC, as you can no longer just bum around in Devastator or Tactical doctrine and persist on blasting things from across the map.

===Forge World Special Rules===
*'''{{W40Kkeyword|RELIC}}:''' No Battle-forged Detachment may contain more {{W40Kkeyword|RELIC}} units than non-{{W40Kkeyword|RELIC}} units within any given battlefield role (except for Lords of War; you can take one without needing another LoW first, but this only applies to the first such LoW taken). Also unlocks the '''Relic of Ancient Glory''' Stratagem for use.
*'''Stratagem - Relic of Ancient Glory:''' At the beginning of your Fight phase, choose a single friendly {{W40Kkeyword|RELIC}} unit. All friendly {{W40Kkeyword|ADEPTUS ASTARTES}} models within 6" of the chosen {{W40Kkeyword|RELIC}} unit may re-roll the first failed hit roll of the phase.

===Chapter Tactics===
Chapter Tactics are special rules based on the {{W40Kkeyword|<Chapter>}} keyword that will affect '''every''' unit in a detachment except for {{WH40Kkeyword|servitors}}. To benefit from Chapter Tactics, your army must be battle-forged, and all units in the detachment must be drawn from the same {{W40Kkeyword|chapter}}.
*Servitors are specified to never gain a Chapter Tactic ''despite having the keyword'', but nobody cares about Servitors because they're shit.
*Super-Heavy Auxiliary Detachments also don't benefit from this, so if you want your Raven Guard Thunderhawks to get free cover, you need to put one in a Supreme Command Detachment at the least.
*A reminder that {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter>}} Ultramarines is not the same faction as {{W40Kkeyword|<regiment>}} Ultramarines, even if both faction keywords are "{{W40Kkeyword|Ultramarines}}". It is, however, a sign of the person trying to pull that stunt being [[That Guy]].
====Successor Tactics====
All Successor chapters that don't already have associated Chapter tactics must make their own.
It's the fourth edition all over again, once more you're allowed to create a bespoke chapter tactic for [[Your Dudes]] by combining any 2 of 18 available options, or use a First Founding chapter's tactics. The available options are listed below:
*'''Inheritors of the Primarch''': Sacrifice the ability to take a second successor tactic in favor of directly copying a First Founding Chapter Tactic (from Codex: Space Marines, so no copying Blood Angels etc).
**As this still excludes you from taking named characters from that First Founding Chapter, the only reason to ever choose this is when you want a Forgeworld named character and his detachment to have a First Founding Chapter Tactic. Like giving the {{W40kKeyword|Astral Claws}} the {{W40kKeyword|White Scars}} trait so they can charge after advancing [[Red_Corsairs|like when renegade]]. Or if you just want to use the Chapter Tactic without the primogenitor's color scheme.
** Additionally, pick if you find the full benefit of the parent CT better than a combination. Notably, you can't replicate any individual Chapter Tactic as all of them have at least one element that is unique to them.
**The only restriction is that, IF your chapter's primogenitor is known, IF you use Inheritors of the Primarch it would need to be from their parent chapter. Examples: the {{W40kKeyword|Novamarines}}' parent chapter is the Ultramarines, so you can't use Inheritors to give them the White Scars' trait (because that's not their parent chapter), and you can't give any chapter the Black Templars' CT (because that's not a First Founding chapter).
*'''Bolter Fusillades''': Re-roll hit rolls of 1 when using bolt weapons. Not only frees your Captains from babysitting line squads so they can focus on the big guns, but it also means you can switch your HQ towards Lieutenants, as anything with bolt weapons is effectively inside a Captain's aura. Keep in mind the Lt's re-roll is statistically identical to the Captain's (better for anything that automatically hits, but worse for anything that hurts you on a 1; neither one affects the odds that a successful hit is a 6 or that a successful wound is a 6).
*'''Born Heroes''': Characters with this tactic can do Heroic Interventions from 6" instead of 3". Pretty terrible outside Supreme Command Detachments, but it's good there.
*'''Duelists''': When making melee attacks against enemy {{W40Kkeyword|infantry}} or {{W40Kkeyword|biker}}s, ''unmodified'' hit rolls of 6 auto-hit and auto-wound. Explicitly incompatible with the ''Whirlwind of Rage'' tactic, sadly. ''Doesn't work on Cavalry because GW likes to pretend Wolf Riders don't exist; can't blame them''.
**Duelists works better the tougher your target is, although it's somewhat limited in that Infantry and Bikers don't tend to exceed T5. The bonus is better than Whirlwind of Rage when you need a 5+ to wound (DG/Custodes), equal at 4+ (CSM/Orks) and worse when you wound on a 3+ (IG/Eldar/Tau). This also means anything better than a Power Sword would be better used by Whirlwind of Rage, so, unless you want something specific like a melee Primaris chapter that fights T5 enemies, pick Whirlwind. Take note of the combo with Incursors knives... .
*'''Fearsome Aspect''': -1 Leadership to enemy units while they're within 3" of any of your units.
**Situational, but can be combined with other debuffing abilities, such as Reivers' aura, to provide an effect like Night Lords PLUS another chapter tactic, because this is only half of your trait. ''Night Lords, eat your hearts out''.
*'''Hungry for Battle''': +1" to the advance or charge roll. Amazing for melee units and also pretty good if you want to spam Assault weapons. Has no synergy with bikes or anything else that doesn't roll to Advance (like anything with Supersonic), but at its most noticeable on slow things trying to advance or deep striking things that want to charge right now - you'll definitely notice this tactic's impact on cataphractii terminators, for example.
** Gets really crazy with the Master of the Vanguard warlord trait for +2" move and advance. Gets even crazier, borderline illegal, with Lias Issodon for +3" to move and advance.
*'''Indomitable''': You can't lose more than one model from a failed Morale roll. Half of the Dark Angels CT. It can be okay for big units if you want to maximize the effectiveness of Stratagems, but it's not likely you'll fail morale tests to begin with.
*'''Knowledge is Power''': Psykers with this tactic can re-roll "any or all" rolls of 1 when casting or denying. Half of the Blood Ravens tactic. If you're taking a Supreme Command with 3 Librarians for some reason this is good; ''don't'' take this if less than a third of the Detachment consists of Librarians.
*'''Long Range Marksmen''': +3" range to all ranged weapons. Your marines get to engage enemies from their own deployment zone, taking better advantage of Bolter Discipline. Furthermore, it's amazing for flamers, which gain 11" range and become able to be used right out of a deepstrike, as well as being almost impossible to avoid by melee units. It also makes meltaguns noticeably easier to use, and while half-range abilities only gain a 1.5" boost, this is enough for Grav-guns and Combi-gravs to double-shoot after deep striking, which makes them a lot less terrible. Also, don't forget this applies to your grenades as well - 9" frag, krak, and shock, and 7" melta, is enough that you'll want to consider throwing a grenade more often when firing Overwatch.
*'''Master Artisans''': A ''unit'' with this tactic can re-roll a single failed to hit roll and a single failed wound roll each time it shoots or fights (including overwatch). Half of the Salamanders' CT. Units with a few weak weapons benefit most, but few strong is better than many weak for this. Amazing for pretty much any unit, with the standard Salamander caveat that it's a lot better the fewer attacks per unit you have - always go MSU with this.
*'''Preferred Enemy''': Pick one of the following factions: Aeldari, Tau, Heretic Astartes, Tyranids, Orks, or Necrons. Re-roll hits with melee weapons when attacking them if you charged, were charged, or made a Heroic Intervention. Fluffy, but bad for [[WAAC]] lists unless you are building for one specific opponent; Heretic Astartes are the most popular of these factions and Orks are guaranteed to get into combat with you, but you can get re-rolls for hit rolls cheaply in other ways.
*'''Rapid Assault''': Advancing no longer incurs a -1 penalty on firing Assault weapons. It's okay if you spam Assault weapons (especially meltaguns on bikes), but this tactic needs to be combined with something like Hungry for Battle to make it work.
*'''Scions of the Forge''': Units with damage tables count their wounds as doubled when calculating the effects of damage. 1/3 of the Iron Hands CT. Good for heavily mechanised lists.
*'''Stalwart''': When rolling for wounds against your models, natural rolls of 1 or 2 always fail, regardless of any modifiers or abilities the attacking unit might have. Makes your units somewhat better against plasma and other S8+ weapons. The other half of the Blood Ravens tactic.
*'''Stealthy''': Count as being in cover when at least 12" away from enemies. Half of the Raven Guard's tactic. By the time the enemy gets close enough to ignore this bonus you'll be within range for an easy charge. Good for gunlines, especially Vehicles and Flyers; meh for other types of units.
*'''Stoic''': +1 Leadership. Half of the Ultramarines CT. Skip it unless you need it for a very specific plan - it's usually fundamentally garbage compared to Indomitable.
**Stoic is better than Indomitable in the instances where the unit fails by EXACTLY ONE. However, Space Marine normal leadership, unit size, and ATSKNF means that this happens... quite a bit more frequently than in might in other armies.
*'''Tactical Withdrawal''': Units with this tactic can charge after falling back. Roughly 1/4 of the White Scars' tactic. Amazing for melee oriented armies, allowing you to trigger Shock Assault whenever you want. Generally speaking, best on a unit with {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}} (especially Inceptors), since you can fall back, shoot, and then charge back into melee.
**Wasted on Intercessors and Infiltrators, who can get the equivalent of an extra melee attack without needing to risk overwatch just by firing their bolt pistols; better on Incursors thanks to their knives. Only really works on Troops if you can make them fight twice, if they don't have pistols or you're using another unit to shoot their target between withdrawal and charge, so take it for your heavy hitters instead.
*'''Warded''': 5+ Feel no Pain versus mortal wounds only. Half of the Black Templars' tactic. Situational, but useful if your meta is full of armies [[Tyranids|who]] [[Thousand_Sons|spam]] [[Death_Guard|mortal]] [[Eldar|wounds]].
**All mortal wounds, not just those from psychic powers; this is basically Armour of Contempt but always active, all the time and not restricted to vehicles. A character about to die can fail to save a regular wound, and pass it onto a Company Vet as a mortal wound to try to save it again. A vehicle that fails a plasma roll has a chance to not lose a wound.
**What tries to counter TH/SS? Mortal Wounds SPAM. Well now your TH/SS are 2+/3++/5+++, simple as.
*'''Whirlwind of Rage''': When making melee attacks for a unit that charged, was charged, or made a Heroic Intervention, unmodified hit rolls of 6 score an additional hit. Explicitly incompatible with the ''Duelists'' tactic, above.
**Unlike Duelists, mathematically the Whirlwind of Rage bonus constantly behaves as +1WS (one that also affects WS2+ models), irrespective of chances to wound and not limited by keywords. Plus, its bonus is better than Duelists against targets you wound on a 3+ or less, meaning both your anti-horde and power weapons benefit. Do note that, unlike Duelists, Whirlwind only works in the first round of combat, not that anything you were fielding was planning on staying in melee for longer than that.

==Stratagems==
LOTS of ways to inflict Mortal Wounds here. By the way, Linebreaker Bombardment, Empyric Channeling, Datalink Telemetry and Killshot are not included in the new codex, and the 2019 FAQ confirms them to be DEAD. They are all, however, still available to {{W40Kkeyword|Blood Angels}}, {{W40Kkeyword|Dark Angels}}, and {{W40Kkeyword|Space Wolves}}, at least for the moment. So if you're really attached to that triple Predator detachment, run them as one of them instead.

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Utility.
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*'''Auspex Scan (2 CP):''' When an enemy unit comes in from reserves within 12" of one of your {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} units, your unit can shoot at it but with a -1BS penalty. ''It might pay off to keep Devastators/Hellblasters around, as deepstriking Termies can survive hurried bolter fire, and this "emergency" strat can be an unforeseen expense for your relatively-small army''.
*'''[[Lugft Huron|Big Guns Never Tire (1 CP):]]''' Select a {{W40Kkeyword|Vehicle}}; until the end of the phase, that unit does not suffer the penalty for moving and firing heavy weapons.
*'''Tactical Flexibility (1 CP):''' At the start of your movement phase, pick any number of 10 model unit with the Combat Squads rule and split them into two 5 model units as if they had been deployed as two Combat Squads. ''You probably should have split your squads before the battle, but on the other hand, it could be used to unexpectedly divide a squad in mid-battle to let it take two objectives at once. Still, calling it situational would be an understatement''.
*'''Tremor Shells (1 CP):''' At the start of your shooting phase, when a Thunderfire cannon shoots, subtract 1 from the wound rolls, but as long as it hits, the target unit gets half move, advance, and charge distances their next turn. Doesn't affect {{W40Kkeyword|Fly}} or {{W40Kkeyword|Titanic}} units.
**This is all it takes to clog up a large horde army. OR, more importantly, drastically reduce the chances that they get off a charge, in cases when they choose to use Da Jump or other such gimmicks.
**The effect is worded to last for the whole shooting phase so use the new Suppression Fire stratagem and slowdown the second unit in the same phase!
**Tremor Shells do bizarre things to your enemy. Most standard units (M6") will still be able to move about 4-6" with an advance move. HOWEVER, this strat forces them to advance to get that far, thus it is also a useful way to reduce a units shooting if you know they need to get close to use close range/assault weapons. Altogether its a great strat.

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Character Upgrades
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
*'''Chapter Ancient (1CP)''': One use only. Upgrades a non-named Ancient into a Chapter Ancient, granting +1 to Leadership and makes the range of its Astartes Banner 9".
*'''Chapter Champion (1CP)''': One use only. Upgrades a non-named Company Champion into a Chapter Champion, granting +1 to Attacks and Leadership. Enemies attacking them in melee must take -1 to hit, making non-HQs attempting to hit him with Fists a pipe dream. Not usable by Black Templars, they have the Emperor's Champion for that.
*'''Chapter Master (2 CP):''' Use before the start of the game to turn your Captain into a Chapter Master, boosting his aura to re-roll all hits (fails and successes) instead of only 1s. You can't use this twice, nor use it on a named captain, or if you already have a named Chapter Master from the same Chapter.
**A named Chapter Master costs about +50pts more than your would-be generic CM and brings along a special rule, a relic of some sort, and +1W. Ask yourself if 2 CP is worth 25pts each plus the loss of the special characteristics. Of course, this isn't an argument for those Chapters [[Imperial_Fists|without]] [[White_Scars|named]] [[Salamanders|Chapter]] [[Iron_Hands|Masters]].
*'''Chief Apothecary (1CP)''': One use only. Non-named Apothecary may be upgraded and can re-roll the die to determine if a model that has been destroyed returns to that unit.
*'''Chief Librarian (1CP):''' One use only. A non-named Librarian is upgraded to a Chief Librarian. Knows one more power from their chosen discipline, and has one more Deny.
*'''Hero of the Chapter (1 CP):''' One use only. Select a {{W40Kkeyword|Character}} from your army that's not your warlord and determine a warlord trait for it.
*'''Master of Sanctity (1 CP)''': One use only. A non-named Chaplain is upgraded to a Master of Sanctity, which grants him one more Litany of Battle and the ability to use two Litanies at once.
*'''Master of the Forge (1CP)''': One use only. Upgrades a non-named Techmarine who isn't attached to a Thunderfire Cannon to a Master of the Forge. Like Iron Father Feirros, you always restore 3 wounds to a vehicle.
*'''Relics of the Chapter (1 CP):''' Use before the start of the battle. You can have an extra Chapter Relic for 1 CP. You can't take two of the same relic, and all the Relics have to go to different Characters. No longer limited to a one-use stratagem due to the sheer amount of relics.
*'''Veteran Intercessors (1/2 CP):''' AKA that specialist detachment stratagem from Vigilus part one. +1 attack, +1 leadership to a unit of {{W40kKeyword|Intercessors}}. Costs 1 for a 5 man unit, and 2 for a unit of 6 or more.
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Offense: Use these to shoot or fight better.
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*'''Bolt Storm (2 CP):''' At the start of the shooting phase, pick a squad of {{W40kKeyword|Intercessors}}. Until the end of the phase, that squad's Auto bolt rifles automatically hit if they target an enemy within half range.
**Effectively multiplies your Intercessors' shooting by 1.5x, but most importantly it completely negates BS penalties and it's nice extra damage before melee.
*'''Cluster Mines (1 CP):''' Use when a Scout Bike squad falls back. On a 2+, one unit you fell back from takes D3 mortal wounds.
**Best in an Ultramarines or White Scars list, where you can fall back, pop it and reengage. The reactive version of the proactive Incursor's mines.
*'''Death to the Traitors! (1 CP):''' When one unit is attacking a {{W40Kkeyword|Heretic Astartes}} unit in the fight phase, any 6+ to hit generates another attack with the same weapon. Steal their gimmick to use back on them.
*'''Flakk Missile (1 CP):''' When an {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} '''model''' shoots a missile launcher at a unit with {{W40Kkeyword|Fly}}, make a single hit roll with +1 to hit. If you hit, do D3 mortal wounds instead of rolling to wound. Like Hellfire Shells, {{W40Kkeyword|Salamanders}} can get some extra mileage from this with the free re-roll.
*'''Fury of the First (1 CP):''' A {{W40Kkeyword|Terminator}} unit gains +1 to hit until the end of that phase. Now TH/SS doesn't NEED to be babysat by a Chaplain, and Tactical termies can use it in their shooting phase as well.
*'''Gene Wrought Might (1 CP):''' When a {{W40Kkeyword|Primaris Infantry}} unit from your army has chosen to fight, until the end of the phase, when resolving an attack made with a melee weapon a hit roll of 6+ automatically hits and wounds.
*'''Gravitic Amplification (1 CP):''' When a unit of your army is chosen to shoot with any "Grav" weaponry, you can re-roll the wound roll and the damage roll. Nifty. ''Redemption for those Gravs you glued to your Cents back in 7E''.
*'''Hammer of Wrath (1CP):''' {{W40kKeyword|Jump pack}} models within a unit that successfully end a charge move within 1" of an enemy unit cause mortal wounds on a 5+. Makes your big units of assault marines/VV punch much harder.
*'''Hellfire Shells (1 CP):''' Instead of shooting normally, a Space Marine Infantry model (with a heavy bolter) rolls only once to hit. If it hits, it does D3 mortal wounds. Try to get +BS or rerolls and stand still so that you don't miss the shot.
*'''Honour the Chapter (3 CP):''' At the end of the fight phase, pick an {{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Astartes}} unit to fight a second time. The usual "fight twice" stratagem, best on characters and units with good weapons to delete someone.
** Do not besmirch your chapters proud history by affording Abaddon any chance of survival. Finish the job properly! Seriously this could be the pivotal factor in capturing slay the warlord or destroying a tank in one fell combat.
*'''Hunter-slayer Missile (1 CP):''' A variation on the flakk Missile Stratagem for dealing mortal wounds to big targets. Target an enemy vehicle or monster within 48" of a {{W40kKeyword|Repulsor}} and not within 1" of an ally. Roll a dice. If it is equal to or greater than the Repulsor's Ballistic Skill (meaning it ignores [[Eldar|modifiers to hit]]), the enemy unit takes d3 mortal wounds. One use per Repulsor.
*'''Masterful Marksmanship (1 CP):''' When a Sternguard Squad shoots, it adds 1 to wound rolls with its special issue boltguns.
**+1/6 to wound on a BS3 unit equals +0.11 wounds per shot, regardless of the target. At most this is 10 Sternguard at 15" do +2.2 wounds the enemy might still save. While not that much, Sternguards are a solidly fun unit and a few couple extra casualties could make the difference when attacking a priority target, like Berzerkers going your way. Just don't expect them to solo a Leman Russ, is what we're saying.
**This ''can'' stack with Catechism of Fire, which can provide a minimum of 4+ to wound for a unit of Sternguard. Combined with the Tactical Doctrine to get AP-3, this can be the bane of other Marines and even serve to poke vehicles.
*'''Only in Death Does Duty End (2 CP):''' When one of your {{W40Kkeyword|Character}}s dies, it can shoot or fight again. Doesn't combo with the Banner abilities on Ancients. ''Makes your characters too dangerous to deal with in melee, as not even killing them prevents them from hitting back, and most of them have melee boosts on top of being already good fighters. Overcharge their plasma pistol if they were killed at range''.
*'''Orbital Bombardment (3 CP, Single Use):''' If your warlord is a Space Marine (this could be your secondary detachment) and didn't move, you can use this stratagem in the shooting phase instead of having him shoot any weapons. Pick any spot on the battlefield, and roll a D6 for every unit within D6" of it (subtract 1 if it's rolling for a {{W40Kkeyword|Character}}). On a 4+, it takes D3 mortal wounds. ''RIP Linebreaker''.
*'''Rapid Fire (2 CP):''' At the start of the shooting phase, pick a squad of {{W40kKeyword|Intercessors}}. Until the end of the phase, that squad's Bolt rifles become Rapid Fire 2.
**Better 2x multiplier than the Auto Bolt Rifle's Bolt Storm's 1.5x from further away and with better AP. If you run a squad of 10, you are looking at 40 S4 AP-1 shots at 15", or AP-2 at 30" with Bolter Discipline and Tactical Doctrine, as the codex demands. That is some good dakka.
*'''Target Sighted (3 CP):''' At the start of the shooting phase, pick a squad of {{W40kKeyword|Intercessors}}. Until the end of the phase, that squad's stalker bolt rifles gain the ability to snipe Characters and cause mortal wounds on a wound roll of 6+. Costs 2 more than the Specialist Detachment version of the same name, however no longer requires the veteran upgrade meaning you don't need to lock in 1 CP before the battle.
**Rather expensive for something Eliminators do better (S5)...on the other hand, Eliminators can't really be spammed and the ludicrous firepower of 10 Stalker Intercessors can drop a Lieutenant. If with 3CP you can kill a character your enemy relies on then, by all means, go ahead.
*'''Skyfire (1 CP)''': When a Hunter or Stalker shoots, it may only aim at units with {{W40Kkeyword|Fly}} but adds +1 to hit and wound against them and deals double damage on an unmodified 6 to wound.
*'''Steady Advance (1 CP):''' Move an {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} unit and Bolter Discipline will be applied as if they remained stationary.
*'''Suppression Fire (2 CP):''' Use in your shooting phase. A Whirlwind or Thunderfire Cannon that did not move may fire a second time, but it can only shoot with weapons that can target units out of sight of the firer. So basically, their main weapon; nothing says it can ONLY fire at targets out of sight.
*'''Vengeance of the Machine Spirit (2 CP):''' If a {{W40Kkeyword|Land Raider}}, Stormraven, or {{W40Kkeyword|Repulsor}} is destroyed, it can either auto-explode, shoot one last time, or attack in melee one last time. In the latter two cases, it acts as if it was at the top bracket of its damage chart.
*'''Wisdom of the Ancients (1 CP):''' At the start of any phase, pick a Dreadnought to turn into a 1-phase Captain. Any same Chapter units within 6" can reroll hits of 1 that phase, including itself.

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Defensive. makes it harder for your units to die
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*'''Armour of Contempt (1 CP):''' When one of your {{W40Kkeyword|vehicle}}s takes a mortal wound, for the rest of the phase, you get a 5+ to ignore mortal wounds, and can use it on the one you just took. ''Doesn't work on regular wounds''.
*'''Duty Eternal (1 CP):''' When a {{W40Kkeyword|Dreadnought}} is chosen as the target for an attack, until the end of the phase decrease the damage of attacks by 1 to a minimum of 1. Will help keep your Dreads alive in a tight pinch, but it won't save them from massed Las-cannon fire. The latest FAQ made it so it no longer stacks with other forms of damage reduction, so no more Ironstone shenanigans unfortunately.
*'''Skilled Riders (2 CP):''' The return of 7th edition jink rules. Use on a {{W40kKeyword|biker}} or {{W40kKeyword|land speeder}} unit. If they move, they gain a 4+ invulnerable save. If they advanced, they gain a 3+ invulnerable save.
*'''Transhuman Physiology (2 CP):''' Select something with the {{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Astartes}} keyword that is not a {{W40Kkeyword|Vehicle}} or Servitor, until the end of the phase, when resolving an attack made against that unit, an unmodified wound roll below a 4+ always fails, irrespective of the abilities the weapon or model may have. ''S10 attack? Effective T10 marines aw yee''.
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==Tactical Objectives==
;11 - Death from Above
: 1 VP for destroying an enemy unit that turn when the last model in the unit was removed by an attack made by a unit that either arrived by deep striking or has the {{W40kKeyword|FLY}} keyword.
;12 - Honour the Chapter
: 1 VP if one of your Characters made an attack that caused an enemy Character to lose a wound. If the attack killed said enemy Character, get 1d3 VP instead.
;13 - No Mercy, No Respite
: 1 VP if an enemy unit either dies or fails a morale test. Upped to d3 if you have more than 3 enemy units do this.
;14 - For the Emperor!
: 1 VP if at least one Infantry or Biker unit successfully charged that turn.
;15 - Lightning Strike
: 1 VP if you completely destroy an enemy unit that began the turn within their Deployment Zone.
;16 - The Emperor's Retribution
: 1d3 VP if you steal an objective from an enemy, which is upped to 1d3+3 if you steal 3 or more.

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

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

Unfortunately, as of the new Codex, your buffing powers now specify {{W40Kkeyword|CHAPTER}} instead of {{W40Kkeyword|ADEPTUS ASTARTES}}, so you can no longer spread buffs across to other Chapters.

===Librarius===

#'''Veil of Time (WC6):''' Select a whole {{W40Kkeyword|<CHAPTER>}} ''unit'' of any kind 18" away from the user; until the start of the next Psychic Phase that unit re-rolls charge and advance rolls, and also gets Always Strikes First. So it's not only offensive by letting you reach your opponent faster, but it's also defensive, in case you get charged by a swarm and want to stay in melee. 9" charges are still below a 50% chance at 47.84%, so if you sorely want it to charge right after deepstriking go play {{W40Kkeyword|Black Templars}} instead, although you can combine it with a CP re-roll. If you combine it with the successor tactic for +1 to charge rolls, it instead brings your odds of charging from 41.67% to 65.97%, although after accounting for the odds of failing the power, your overall odds of making the charge drop to 59.22%.
#'''Might Of Heroes (WC6):''' Until the next Psychic Phase, a single {{W40Kkeyword|CHAPTER}} ''model'' of any kind within 12" gains +1S, +1T, and +1A. An awesome power if you have a special snowflake that is already insane in combat (like a dreadnought), makes a powerful character turn into the hulk. Jokes aside, this power is better for challenges than for murdering rank and file, as the strength and attacks will ensure hits and wounds get to your opponent, and the toughness will blunt the attack of your opponent should they survive. Can also be used to help ''manipulate your opponent into picking a different target'' to bring down - if you have two heavy targets, like Land Raiders or Dreadnoughts, up front to be shot, and you put this on one of them, your opponent will usually kill the other one, and dictating the flow of battle is always useful. Furthermore, boosted Leviathans and Super heavies are just nasty.
#*''DON'T FORGET'' to use this power to save vehicles that need saving. Perhaps none of your characters or dreads are in positions to beat things up in melee, but you have a predator next to your librarian that could REALLY benefit from being T8 for a round of your enemy's shooting. Even if the S and A go to waste, the extra T can help keep your big stuff alive.
#*Can transform OK sergeants with heavy melee weapons into a force to be reckoned with: an Assault Squad sergeant with an eviscerator can better wreck a tank than a Primaris Lieutenant's power sword with the same boost.
#'''Psychic Scourge (WC6):''' Make a Leadership + 1D6 contested against the Leadership + 1D6 of an enemy unit within 18" of the psyker. If you beat the enemy, they take D3 mortal wounds; equal them and they take 1 Mortal Wound, and nothing happens if your total is lower. A tad less powerful than Smite, but it's better for sniping characters since it isn't restricted to the closest enemy unit. Plus, it can be used in addition to Smite to spam mortal wounds. Best used in combination with something that inflicts a Leadership penalty to the target or a Leadership bonus to the psyker, if you brought any.
#'''Fury of the Ancients (WC7):''' Range 3D6" (average 10.5, but don't trust it), so less than 18" Smite. Target any visible enemy ''model'' within that range and draw a line from the caster to that model; each enemy ''unit'' under the line, in addition to the target model's unit, takes a mortal wound. Needs good positioning, but it's not restricted to the nearest unit like Smite is, and can affect multiple units with at least 1 MW. The biggest problem is the random range: while you can usually count on it to be at least 10", lower values can happen - you need to be within 3" of your primary target if you want to guarantee they'll be in range.
#* Suffers drastically from attacking units with larger base sizes, as they will eat up more of the power's random range. You should avoid this power if at all possible; the positioning necessary to make it work is easily on par with Smite's, and its output is substantially worse.
#'''Psychic Fortress (WC5):''' Select a {{W40Kkeyword|<CHAPTER>}} ''unit'' 18" away from the user; until the start of your next Psychic Phase, that unit automatically passes morale tests and gains a 4+++ FnP against Mortal Wounds caused by psychic powers. Mostly protection ''against'' Smite, as marines already have high re-rollable morale. Like with Might of Heroes, if your opponent brought psykers, this can be used to manipulate them into attacking the target of your choosing.
#'''Null Zone (WC7):''' Until the start of your next Psychic Phase, enemy units within 6" can't take invulnerable saves, and cut the results of their Psychic tests in half. Powerful against enemies that ''depend'' on their invulns or psychic powers, like Harlequins, Hive Tyrants, Daemons, and Storm Shield MEQs; not so much against heavily armoured units like Terminators. Remember, you need to get the librarian to within 6", not 1" - don't be afraid to Advance into position and let other things do the murder work for you. Combos insanely well with the Burning Blade relic.

===Obscuration===

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

#'''Temporal Corridor (WC6)''': Pick a friendly {{W40kKeyword|CHAPTER}} {{W40kKeyword|Phobos}} unit within 3". It can move as if it was the movement phase; it must advance and cannot fall back, but when advancing it rolls 3d6 and picks the highest for the distance it advances. Cannot be used on a given unit more than once per psychic phase. HELLO Reivers!
#*Slightly more situational than Warptime, but no less amazing for it.
#*Consider using it on a newly deep-struck (using the strat) librarian with Null Zone to put his target within the 6” range.
#'''Soul Sight (WC6)''': Pick a friendly {{W40kKeyword|CHAPTER}} {{W40kKeyword|Phobos}} unit within 18". Until the start of your next psychic phase, that unit re-rolls all failed hits when using their ranged weapons. Also allows attacks from ranged weapons to ignore cover.
#'''Shrouding (WC6)''': Pick a friendly {{W40kKeyword|CHAPTER}} {{W40kKeyword|Phobos}} unit within 18". Until the start of the next psychic phase, enemies can only shoot that unit if they're the closest target as if the unit was a Character, but since they don't gain the character keyword your opponent can't just get around it with snipers; psychic powers can still target them, though.
#'''Hallucination (WC6)''': Select a visible enemy unit within 18". Its Ld is reduced by 1. The opponent must also roll 2d6, and if the result is higher than the unit's highest Ld, all its hit rolls take a -1 penalty.
#'''Tenebrous Curse (WC6)''': Select a visible enemy unit within 18" that does not have the {{W40kKeyword|Fly}} keyword. It takes a mortal wound. Additionally, its Movement stat is halved, as are all of its advance and charge rolls. Scarily effective on Death Guard.
#'''Mind Raid (WC6)''': Select a visible enemy unit within 18". It takes a Mortal Wound. If your army is Battle-Forged and the power targeted a {{WH40Kkeyword|character}}, roll 3d6. If the result is greater than or equal to the target's Ld, you get a free Command Point! Will make Conscript spammers and Renegades and Heretics players scream in fury as the re-rolling dread destroys their mind-raped infantry horde.

==Litanies of Battle==

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

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

#'''Litany of Faith:''' 6" aura of FnP 5+++ vs mortal wounds for friendly {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter>}} units. Not cumulative with other rules, as per usual (but stated regardless).
#*Extra protection vs witchery. Also makes your plasma vehicles more durable when firing plasma, and your company vets more durable when bodyguarding. A 2/3 chance of a 1/3 chance to ignore damage is equal to 2/9, so this is slightly (4/3) ''better'' than a 6+++ FnP, with the caveat that it only works on Mortal Wounds.
#'''Catechism of Fire:''' Select a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter>}} unit within 6". +1 to the wound roll when "resolving a shooting attack" against the ''closest'' enemy unit, meaning it affects Overwatch, too.
#*It's best to increase what you have the least of: Space Marines hit on 3+ but bolters wound on 4+. But compared to a Lieutenant, it only affects a single unit and, most importantly, only against the closest target, on top of the usual litany conditionals. Useful to flamer Vets/Aggressors - generally better the less the gun relies on S or range to get work done.
#*Combine with Masterful Marksmanship (and careful target selection) to let your Sternguard wound MEQ on a 2+. It also lets sniper rifles proc Mortal Wounds on 5+ to wound, but only when targeting the nearest foe.
#'''Exhortation of Rage:''' Select a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter>}} unit within 6". Their ''unmodified'' 6s to hit in melee generate another attack with that weapon, which cannot proc extra attacks itself. Good when you already have a Captain/Chapter Master/second Chaplain giving you a re-roll and their aura would overlap with the Chaplain's.
#*If you're already betting on exploding 6s, use it alongside '''Death to the Traitors''' or even '''Gene-wrought Might'''.
#'''Mantra of Strength:''' He'll show you how it's done. +1A +1S to the Chaplain, and +1D to his melee weapons. ''D3 Crozius!''
#*'''Smash Chaplain:''' Combine it with the 'Benediction of Fury' relic crozius (WS2+ S7 AP-2 D4) to kill characters, or a Master-crafted Power Fist for (S+1)X2 = WS3+ '''S10''' AP-3 ''D2+1d3'' (which is basically a better S10 D4 avg Thunder Hammer, which chaplains can't usually equip) to kill heavy infantry and bigger targets, like vehicles. To this you may add Warlord traits, stratagems, doctrines, and psychic powers as you can afford and be bothered with.
#'''Recitation of Focus:''' Select a friendly chapter unit within 6". +1 to their hit rolls when shooting. Even during overwatch, meaning you should answer enemy charges with supercharges. '''''Safe plasma!'''''
#*While +1 to hit is better than a Captain's re-roll, this alone isn't a replacement for it (since it has a 1/3 chance to fail, affects single unit and doesn't work in melee or when the chaplain doesn't start on the field). Instead, it's better used when a unit cares about +1 to hit beyond improving BS by 1, most notably Plasma units. If you just want a second HQ to support a gun-line bring a Lieutenant instead.
#'''Canticle of Hate:''' Non-cumulative 6" aura of '''+2 to charge rolls''', as well as +3" to pile in and consolidation moves. In all cases, the friendly {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter>}} unit in question has to be within the aura by the time the move is made - the consolidate move especially will often not happen unless the Chaplain also made his charge. ''Amazing for those of us who [[Black_Templars|re-roll]] [[Kayvaan_Shrike|charges]], increasing the odds of a successful 9" charge up to '''85%''' (58.3% for non-rerolling lads).''
#*Do keep in mind the chaplain has to be on the field at the beginning of the battle round. A Jump Pack or Biker Chaplain is fast enough, but if you are patient, you can use an Impulsor or Drop Pod to get him in position in the first turn, and use the litany for your deepstrikers in the second turn.

==Warlord Traits==
Named Characters MUST use their designated Chapter Specific trait, thus increasing the appeal of taking an unnamed character. Traits can be classified into two different types: Individual (''I''), which turn your character into a better beatstick, and Support (''S''), which are usually Auras stacking on top of your warlord's natural one.
===Universal===
#''' Fear Made Manifest (''S''):''' Enemy units within 6" get -1 Leadership. Meh on its own, there are many {{W40Kkeyword|Imperial}} sources of Ld debuffs it can be combined with. Versatile ''separate'' detachments make allied tactics easier, on top of stacking up to like '''-15Ld'''. Obviously ''you don't need that'' much spooky (but of course can be hilarious when used correctly), especially not against things like Orks, but already '''-4Ld renders Plague Marines as cowardly as Conscripts''', and models that flee don't proc FnP-equivalents. Best used by a '''Fearsome Aspect''' chapter so you don't have to commit like 5 units to a single enemy. Of almost no use against the bunch of eldar morale immunities out there...but ironically among imperials only the DA, some successor chapter tactic nobody will use, the Valhallan relic, a single IG psychic power, and [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Guard(8E)#Universal|that IG trait nobody uses because it's not Master of Command]] can offer the morale protection needed to survive an Ld bomb. ''Night Lords, eat your hearts out''.
#*Here's a list of the {{W40Kkeyword|Imperial}} units that stack with Fear Made Manifest:
#**{{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Astartes (-6Ld)}}: Besides the '''Fearsome Aspect''' chapter trait (-1Ld), {{W40Kkeyword|Reivers}} can inflict up to -3Ld and can deepstrike. Being Phobos, they also work alongside a Hallucination {{W40Kkeyword|Phobos Librarian}} (-1Ld), who can infiltrate. You can also deepstrike an Ancient bearing the '''Standard of the Emperor Ascendant'''. ''These sources of debuffs can quickly arrive wherever you need them''.
#**{{W40Kkeyword|Black Templars}} '''(-2Ld)''': Chaplain '''Vow of Retribution'''.
#**{{W40Kkeyword|White Scars}} '''(-2Ld)''': '''Spirits of Chogoris''', '''Headtaker's trophies''' relic.
#**{{W40Kkeyword|Raven Guard}} '''(-2Ld)''': '''Decapitating Blow''', '''The Abyss'''.
#**{{W40Kkeyword|Salamander}} '''(-3Ld)''': '''Helm of Drakos''', '''Draconic Aspect'''.
#*These other Imperial allies also give Ld debuffs but prevent the SM detachment from using Doctrines. Pass unless they are your main detachment and SM are the allies.
#**{{W40Kkeyword|Dark Angels (-3Ld)}}: '''Interrogator Chaplains''' have a natural -1Ld aura, they have the '''Eye of the Unseen''' relic for further -1Ld, and Interromancy's '''Mind Wipe''' inflicts -1Ld (and will proc more often with your help), along with other Ld powers. ''That's -3Ld from two characters with Jump Packs''.
#**{{W40Kkeyword|Blood Angels (-1Ld)}}: The '''Sanguinor''' has a natural -1Ld aura, as does anyone wearing a Sanguinary Mask.
#**{{W40Kkeyword|Inquisition (-1Ld)}}: Psykers '''Terrify''' inflict -1Ld from 18" away, and disable overwatch.
#**{{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum (-3Ld)}}: Psykana's '''Terrifying Visions''' inflict -2Ld from a safe 18" away. {{W40Kkeyword|Armageddon Officers}} can also bring the '''Skull Mask of Acheron''' to spook nearby enemies. Bringing them in a Supreme Command/Battalion is not only cheap, but gives you CP. Bringing them in a Spearhead detachment grants you access to Russes with '''Objective Secured''' and Basilisks. ''Versatile, powerful and easy to use at range. Complements your close-and-personal units''.
#**{{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Mechanicus (-2Ld)}}: '''Sicaran Infiltrators''' are the Mechanicum's ''faster'' Reivers, and {{W40Kkeyword|Metallica}} has a -1Ld Stratagem.
#**{{W40Kkeyword|Questoris Knights (-2Ld)}}: The '''Fearsome Reputation''' trait inflicts -1Ld in a huge 12" aura around the Knight warlord's huge base (which can be an extra warlord using a stragatem), and a total of -2Ld to enemies within 6" of it. And bringing a Knight as an ally isn't something unheard of.
#''' The Imperium's Sword (''I''):''' What Smash Captains are made of. Warlord rerolls failed charges (either one or both dice), and gets +1S and +1A the turn he charges (in addition to Shock Assault), to break things immediately out of deepstrike. Chapters that can charge after falling back can trigger the boost over and over.
#''' Iron Resolve (''I''):''' What [[Smashfucker]]s are made of. Warlord gets +1W, and can ignore wounds on a 6. Not dying is nice, and it's better the more wounds your character has.
#''' Champion of Humanity (''I''):''' +1A when enemy {{W40Kkeyword|Characters}} are within 1" of him. When actually targetting the character in melee, add 1 to all hit and wound rolls. Turns a character using relic blades or unwieldy weapons into a top of the line duelist.
#''' Storm of Fire (''S''):''' Each time ''ANY'' {{W40Kkeyword|<Chapter>}} unit within 6" rolls an ''unmodified 6 to hit'' for a shooting attack, the AP of that attack is improved by 1. At BS3+, that's 25% of your hits. Remember it affects ANY unit, not just infantry. It gives the biggest benefits to ''low AP weapons that roll to hit'' - that's all sorts of Bolters. Can be combined with {{W40Kkeyword|Imperial & Crimson Fists}}' exploding bolters, but any ranged chapter can make use of it. Doctrines cannot stack AP bonuses, so try boosting small arms during the Devastator doctrine and vice-versa.
#*Since light weapons with high rates of fire (like Heavy Bolters) are often cheaper than strong single-shot ones (like Missile Launchers), this trait can allow a detachment to pull its weight even at low point limits. Furthermore, it's easy for them to synergize with your warlord because many are infantry or transports that can accompany him. While mechanized/biker lists are shooty, Bolter Discipline means bolt-using units from this list are no longed forced to move into rapid fire range.
#*Despite Aggressors, Inceptors, shooty Dreadnoughts (Redemptor/Venerable/Deredeo), Scout Bikers, Company Veterans on Bikes (Index 1), Crusader Squads, Centurions, Sternguard Veterans, Repulsors, and Land Raiders (''Crusaders''/Redeemers/Prometheus[FW]) having a higher than average ranged output when compared to the rest of SM options, even regular Bolt Rifle Intercessors cut GEQ saves in half (from 6+ to nothing) with this trait, when it goes off.
#''' Rites of War (''S''):''' The warlord gains '''Defenders of Humanity''', and {{W40kKeyword|<CHAPTER>}} units within 6" automatically pass morale tests. ''The counterpart of Fear Made Manifest''.

===Vanguard Space Marines===
Available only to {{W40kKeyword|Phobos characters}}, aka the tacticool Captain, Lieutenant, and Librarian found in the Shadowspear box. Chaplains can suck it because yelling catechisms isn't stealthy, and techmarines haven't yet learned whatever trick the helix adepts are using to fix broken things quietly, so they can suck it, too.

#'''Shoot and Fade:''' At the start of the shooting phase select one friendly {{W40kKeyword|<chapter> phobos}} unit within 6" of the warlord. That unit can move after shooting. If they do, they also have to advance, and they cannot declare a charge afterwards (RIP WS).
#*''Imperial stealthy Jump-Shoot-Jump baby!'' Break LoS and avoid retaliation. That way your Infiltrator/Incursor squads can keep up with your Eliminators, the first dashing in and out of LoS while the later shoot without visual contact with complete impunity.
#'''Lord of Deceit:''' At the start of the first round but before the first turn begins, you can remove and redeploy up to 3 {{W40kKeyword|<Chapter>}} {{W40kKeyword|Phobos}} units present on the battlefield.
#*Results depend on the mental games you can play on your enemy - it's not going to be a surprise to your opponent, but being able to make corrections after your enemy's cemented his choice instead of being part of the simultaneous deployment process can be an amazing benefit, and one that Eldar pay 2CP for.
#*Can be used to enable surprising turn one charges if going first - just deploy Infiltrators right in front of the target, and pull back with this ability if not having the first turn. As specified in FAQ, it only allows you to redeploy to your deployment zone. This can also expose hidden units to first turn Devastator Doctrine'd Lasfusil Eliminators.
#'''Master of the Vanguard:''' Friendly {{W40kKeyword|<chapter> phobos}} units within 6" of the warlord gain +1" to their move ''and'' advance ''and'' '''charge''' rolls. Useful to Reivers or Charging out of Deepstrike, pairs well with the Chapter Tactic Hungry for Battle as well as several characters.
#'''Stealth Adept:''' -1 to hit rolls that target the warlord. Not just at range, so he can prove he's the better sniper around, but it also works in melee. Makes the new Captain very durable, but his damage can be insufficient unless using relic gear, meaning this trait only makes him hard to hit instead of turning him into a beatstick.
#'''Target Priority''': Select a friendly {{W40kKeyword|<chapter> phobos}} unit within 3" at the start of your shooting phase. Until the end of the phase, that unit gets +1 to hit. And he doesn't have to give up his shooting either. Now all those pointy finger models have found their worth!
#*A Phobos Captain can form a comfy sniper base with Eliminators, letting them hit on a re-rollable 2+ without the sergeant giving up his shooting and protecting them with his 12" deepstrike-denying omni-scrambler. Doesn't affect Infiltrators because the automatic wounds only happen on an ''unmodified'' 6s.
#'''Marksman Honours:''' +1D to ''all'' of the warlord's guns. Doesn't apply to grenades or relics. Completely wasted on a Librarian or Lieutenant, but bumps the Phobos Captain's Instigator Bolt Carbine to an eye-watering 4 damage.

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

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

'''Master of the Forge'''
*'''Master of the Machine:''' When resolving an attack made by a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|<Chapter> VEHICLE}} model within 6″, add one to the hit roll.
**Aura of Safe Plasma for vehicles, and great utility for vehicles that ''need'' to move, such as dreads.
*'''Warden of the Ancients:''' +1S and +1A to friendly {{W40Kkeyword|<Chapter> Dreadnought}} models within 6″ of this warlord.
**Contemptors and Redemptors become able to wound T8 on a 2+, and are the fastest Dreads. They decay, but that's what the Techmarine is for. What would you do otherwise, dread drop pod? Storm raven? ''Techmarine Biker?'' Yeah right.

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

====Elites====

'''Chief Apothecary'''
*'''Father of the Future:''' 6+++ FnP to {{W40kKeyword|<chapter> Infantry}} and {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter> Biker}}s. 5++ for the Iron Hands. ''Best on Primaris who can survive 2D a third of the time, by passing the FnP on either of their 2W''. Even better on Centurions and their beefy 4W apiece.
*'''Selfless Healer:''' The Chief Apothecary can use his ability twice, and the unit that he targets may be the beneficiary of his work twice. He may do this even if he failed his roll the first time and is recovering the geneseed. ''Twice the healing, twice the value''.

'''Chapter Ancient'''
*'''Singular Presence:''' Friendly {{W40kKeyword|<CHAPTER> INFANTRY}}, {{W40kKeyword|<CHAPTER> BIKER}}, and {{W40kKeyword|<CHAPTER> DREADNOUGHT}} units within 3″ can perform a Heroic Intervention as though they were {{W40kKeyword|character}}s.
*'''Steadfast Example:''' Friendly {{W40kKeyword|<CHAPTER> INFANTRY}} units within 3″ have the Defenders of Humanity rule, and count as two models if they already have it.

'''Company Champion: Chapter Champion'''
*'''Martial Exemplar:''' Friendly {{W40kKeyword|<CHAPTER>}} units within 6″ of this warlord can re-roll charges.
**Suppose you can get {{W40kKeyword|Black Templar}}'s re-rollable charges without giving up your chapter tactic. Can be very powerful, even if the footslogging Champion needs a Drop Pod to get where you need him to.
**Take this on a White scars champion on bike (Legends) or in a transport and there won't be an opponant who has a better charge phase than you.
*'''Master Duelist:''' When resolving an attack with a melee weapon by a model against this warlord, on a modified hit roll of 1, roll 1d6 and on a 4+ that model’s unit suffers 1 mortal wound after that unit has finished fighting.

==Space Marine Armoury==
===Ranged Weaponry===

*'''Boltgun:''' You know what a bolter is, but if you somehow forgot it's 24" Rapid Fire 1 S4 AP0 D1.
**'''Bolt Carbine:''' An Assault 2 Bolter, exclusive to the Reiver Squad.
**'''Bolt Rifle:''' A Boltgun with 30" range and AP-1, making it more effective; exclusive to Intercessors.
***'''Auto Bolt Rifle:''' The automatic version, an Assault 3 Bolter. Better than the Bolter and Bolt Rifle when not factoring in Stratagems or shooting at armour. Combine with the Tactical Doctrine to delete hordes.
***'''Stalker Bolt Rifle:''' Not a sniper rifle, lest it invalidates Scouts too. 36" Heavy 1 AP-2 D2 Bolt Rifle, to give faraway targets more than just a poke. Turns Intercessors into something akin to Troop Sternguard. Combine with the new Devastator Doctrine to hit at AP-3 and pretend you're shooting Plasma.
**'''Combi-Weapon:''' can be fired alongside the Bolter part, at -1BS. Note that Combi-Flamers don't care for no BS. Available to sergeants and terminators.
**'''Special Issue Boltgun:''' The big brother to both Boltgun and the new Bolt Rifle, wielded by the Sternguard Veterans. At 30" S4 AP''-2'' this gun pretty much shoots Dragonfire Vengeance rounds at Kraken range.
**'''Storm Bolter/Combi-Bolter:''' Cheap as chips Rapid Fire 2 Boltgun, typically seen on Terminators, also available to Sarges and upgrades on most of your vehicles. It's especially nasty at Rapid Fire range.
*'''Astartes shotgun:''' an option on Scout models, a 12" Assult 2 bolter that becomes S5 while within 6".
*'''Assault Bolter:''' 18", Assault 3 S5 AP-1. Would be a really good gun on assault units. Unfortunately exclusive to Inceptors. That said, you can still perform effective hit and run attacks with it, aided by the Inceptors' ability to shoot after falling back.
*'''Bolt Pistol:''' A bolter in pistol form, meaning you can fire it in melee. Just don't forget it's there.
**'''Heavy Bolt Pistol:''' More like ''Better'' Bolt Pistol with AP-1, exclusive to Reivers.
**'''Absolvor Bolt Pistol''' A handheld Heavy Bolter Pistol with the same stats, just with one 16" shot and carried by Primaris Chaplains and Apothecaries.
**'''Boltstorm Gauntlet:''' A Bolt Pistol with Pistol 3, attached to a Power Fist, attached to the Gravis Captain.
***'''Auto Boltstorm Gauntlets:''' Paired Boltstorm Gauntlets, but they're Assault 6, meaning they can't be fired in melee but you can run-n'-shoot and be used alongside other guns. Exclusive to Aggressors, who wield them well.
*'''Grenades:''' Standard issue for any marine; you can only throw one per unit.
**'''Krak:''' Single throw at 6" with S6 AP-1 D1d3, to have something to deal with harder targets.
**'''Frag:''' Single throw with 1d6 hits at 6" with S3 AP 0. A go-to for thinning Guardsmen ranks - it's worse than a storm bolter but better than a bolter, against everything T7 or less.
**'''Melta:''' Single hurl at 4" with S8 AP-4 D1d6 with re-roll wounds against {{W40Kkeyword|vehicle}}s. Found on Vanguard Vets for 5 points and finds use should your marine's fist fail to punch through an armoured hull.
**'''Auxiliary grenade launcher:''' Exclusive to Intercessors, lets them lob grenades at a range of 30". Lets your Grenades properly benefit from the Devastator Doctrine.
**'''Astartes Grenade Launcher:''' Can replace the storm bolters on Scout bikes. Has Frag and Krak Grenade profiles at 24" Assault 1d6/1.

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

====Heavy Weapons====
*'''Assault Cannon:''' 24" Heavy 6 S6 AP-1. Brrrt.
**Particularly great at killing off gaunts as it wounds them on 2+ and they receive no armour save.
**Probably best when mounted on iron hands storm talons and storm hawks or a Razorback of any chapter.
**The only real weakness of this weapon is it's range so a mobile platform is advisable.
*'''Grav-cannon with Grav-amp:''' 24" Heavy 4 Grav-gun. Akin to a ''heavier'' Heavy Bolter to deal with bigger targets.
**Drop 1 cp on some devastators with these to reroll all wounds and damage on their shots, quite capable of shaving off half a knights wounds with no support or killing off a unit of custodian guard in one turn.
**A unit with Grav-cannons will become a serious target for your opponent so consider sticking them in a Rhino, Razorback or a Stormraven so they can't be basalisk'ed off the table turn 1.
*'''Heavy Bolter:''' 36" Heavy 3 S5 AP-1. Good against hordes at long range due to its high number of attacks, and still useful against lighter vehicles Especially when Devastation Doctrine is active. It's most efficient against hordes with bad/no save, or things that rely primarily on a weak invulnerable save, like daemons.
*'''Heavy Flamer:''' A Flamer with S+1 and AP-1. More effective against armoured targets than its smaller brother, but cannot be fired after advancing.
*'''Lascannon:''' Heavy 1 S9 AP-3 D6 D with a range of 48". Your primary long-range anti-vehicle weapon. Don't even try to shoot infantry with this. You'll kill 1 model per shot at most now that overkill damage is exclusive to mortal wounds.
**'''Las-Talon:''' Twin Lascannon but 24". Found on GravTanks and the Stormhawk interceptor.
**'''Las fusil:''' Eliminators anti-tank option. 36" S8 but a Flat 3 Damage.
*'''Missile Launcher:''' Can fire either Frag Missiles that act like D6 Bolter shots, or a Krak Missile with S8 AP-2 D6 D. Not quite as good as a Heavy Bolter or a Lascannon in regards to dealing with infantry and vehicles (respectively), but still pretty good at both of those roles. Devastator squads with 2 Lascannons and 2 Missile Launchers are a pretty darn good Swiss-Army unit. Good to have at least one Missile Launcher around, due to the Flakk Missile Strategem. Missile Launchers like the new Combat Doctrine rules, allowing them to perform exactly same against T7 as a lascannon would, while still having an S4 AP-1 anti-infantry weapon - something to consider if you know your enemy doesn't bring T8.
**'''Hunter-Killer Missile:''' A single shot krak missile for 6 points if your army can't squeeze in enough normal anti-tank weaponry.
**'''Typhoon Missile Launcher:''' Double shot missile launcher found on land speeders, includes frag and krak missiles.
**'''Skyhammer Missile Launcher:''' Anti air krak missiles
**'''Stormstrike Missile Launcher:'''
*'''Multi-melta:''' A 24" Heavy Meltagun, meaning you can't run with it, but can shoot in melta range out of a deepstrike, now fulfilling the role of Drop Pod Threat-removal.
*'''Plasma cannon:''' Heavy D3 effectively means the same shots as a Plasma gun, but from 36" away instead of 12". You both need to be careful and to shoot Supercharges, due to the sheer cost of this weapon. Can be a makeshift "heavy weapons team" with the Devastator Sergeant, as his Signum prevents Gets Hot. Being a Heavy weapon it's best to not supercharge in the move, due to -1BS.
*'''Sniper Rifle:''' A Scout exclusive, it's a 36" Heavy 1 weapon so it's included here. It's only good for fishing mortal wounds, but it can target characters even if they hide behind a unit. A complete lack of AP means they won't be killing a heavy character like a Captain without committing a serious amount of points to it but can kill his supporting Apothecary.
**'''Bolt Sniper Rifle''' The real deal sniper rifle all Space Marines should be wielding. Has 3 firing modes at 36" which can target characters. Mortis at Heavy 1, S5 AP-2 and d3 damage. Hyperfrag is d3 S5 shots. Executioner rounds are a single shot at S5 AP-1 and ignore line of sight, as well as adding 2 to hit rolls
*'''Icarus Stormcannon:''' Autocannon equivalent with accuracy bonus against air units
*'''Predator Autocannon''' 72" range with 2D3 shots at S7, AP-1 and flat 3 damage makes this a powerful weapon against TEQ and light/medium armour. AP-1 makes this weapon less useful against AP2 and heavy vehicles, which are better handled by lascannons. This weapon really enjoys the new Devastator doctrine.
*'''Heavy Laser Destroyer''' New Primaris weapon found on the Repulsor Executioner. 72" range, Heavy 2, S10, AP-4 and D1d6 (rolls of 1 and 2 always count as 3) makes this a dedicated tank killer, though it is an expensive weapon. The weapon can be fired twice at the same target, resulting in 4 shots, when a Repulsor moves less than 5" almost guaranteeing you will at least cripple your target. Don't be afraid to fire this at multi-wound infantry as it guarantees a kill even on 3 wound mega nobs with each unsaved shot!
*'''Macro Plasma Incinerator''' The plasma cannon version of the newer Primaris incinerator weapons. Only a 36" range but fires heavy d6 shots at S8/9 AP -4, and D1/2. Performs well against TEQ and can threaten vehicles and monsters. More of an all-rounder weapon, but it is usually well priced.
*'''Thunderfire Cannon''' Heavy 4D3 shots all at S5 AP -1 and fired at 60". It's like a higher output Heavy Bolter and can deny line of sight requirements.
*'''Whirlwind Missile Launcher''' Two firing modes which require the operator to purchase one or another prior to game start. Both ignore line of sight requirements and have a 72" range. Castellan missiles are heavy 2d6 at S6, Vengeance missiles are a heavy 2d3 Autocannon equivalent.
*'''Flamestorm Cannon''' Found on Land Raider Redeemers and functions like a 12" S6 Ap-2 D2 heavy flamer for torching bigger units.
*'''Accelerator Autocannon''' Found on the new Primaris Suppressors. It's an AP-2 Autocannon which denies units with slain models the ability to fire overwatch.
**'''Twin Accelerator Autocannon''' Its an assault weapon mounted on a Sicaran Battle Tank! Assault 8 Autocannon shots which ignore flyer restrictions and wounds of 6+ are resolved at AP-3.
*'''Ironhail Heavy Stubber:''' A weird GW trend of putting Stubbers on the hover tanks. Their Heavy weapon equivalent of 36" Bolt Rifles.
**'''Icarus Ironhail Heavy Stubber:''' The anti-air version, with the standard +1/-1 to hit. With only S4 even the flimsiest of Eldar flyers will laugh it off but you should be aiming at Jump Packs.
**'''Ironhail Skytalon Array:''' Don't let the bitchin' name fool you, this is just two Icarus Stubbers slapped together and <s>is just as pointless unless you're shooting at [[Gargoyles]]</s>. Well, not so fast. This gun has a unique rule that adds 1 to your wound roll against {{W40Kkeyword|Fly}} unit in addition of +1 to hit which mean it will wound most {{W40Kkeyword|Fly}} unit on 4+. This is not here to shoot down gunships or bombers, this is here to kill jump infantry.
*'''Fragstorm grenade Launcher:''' Found on your Primaris Tanks. Its d6 bolter Equivalent gun uses to gun down chaff and those foolish enough to charge it.
*'''Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon''' Found on multiple Primaris armoured platforms and puts the hurt on infantry. Heavy 12 Heavy Bolter shots at 30".
**'''Onslaught Gatling Cannon''' An assault cannon but at S5. Can always be found with the heavier version and pairs very well for 18 total shots.

===Melee Weapons===
*'''Chainsword/Combat Knife:''' Still the basic Close Combat Weapon profile, but it's free and allows for one extra attack, so it's good against enemy hordes. All your sergeants can take it alongside the main gun, so it might be worth it to swap that bolt pistol he's not using anyway. Combat Doctrines make these invaluable for turn 3 deep strikers with AP-1 (although for them, the Bolt Pistol also gets AP-1)!
*'''Paired Combat Blades:''' Found on Incursors and some Lieutenants. No extra attacks, but unmodified hits of 6 score an extra automatic hit.
*'''Eviscerator:''' A two-handed Chainfist with variable damage on a model with at most 2 attacks. It competes with a power fist with Assault Marines. It is a fucking awesome double-handed chainsword, though.
*'''Lightning Claws:''' SU AP-2, allows you re-roll to wound, and grants an extra attack if you have two of them. This will outperform a Power Axe against anything with T less than twice your S, particularly now that it's barely more expensive. Often your best bet for mulching single-wound hordes.
*'''Relic Blade:''' Available to Honour Guard, Vanguard Veteran Sergeants, and Captains. S+2 AP-3 D1d3, so it's like a Force Sword or Stave but better (and strictly better than a Force Axe both in absolute terms and because it costs ''less''). ''Better than a Power Fist'' against most infantry-sized targets. Costing as much as a Power Fist, consider whether the better accuracy is worth the +2 Strength gap between the Fist and the Blade. One of the advantages over the Power Fist is that effects happening on 6+ to hit can actually trigger with the Blade since it has no hit penalties.
*'''Power Weapons:''' Each type of Power Weapon has its own profile now, so pick the right one for the situation. All Power Weapons have a damage value of 1:
**'''Power Axe:''' S+1 AP-2. A good enough compromise between the Sword's armour negation and the Maul's brute force; typically your best choice, despite costing more than the other two, because you have to pick one to take before knowing what you're going to need killed, and this has the best overall performance in the T3-T8 Sv2+-Sv6+ range you care about.
**'''Power Maul/Power Lance:''' S+2, AP-1. This is the one you want to use against lightly armoured units that rely on toughness to shrug off hits. The Lance is identical to the Maul because of reasons.
**'''Power Sword:''' S User AP-3. Best against targets that rely on armour saves over toughness to shrug off hits. Except against frail things with good invulns like Crusaders, who ignore AP anyway.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
*'''Mathhammer:''' Note that we do not take into account the chances to hit since they do not vary for the 3 weapons we are looking at. Results are expressed in percentages. We also assume that the weapon is wielded by a basic Space Marine, so with Strength 4.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<center><div>
{|class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4"
! colspan="2" |Target
!Power Sword
!Power Axe
!Power Maul
!Winner
|-
| rowspan="2" |TEQs
|Terminator (T4; 2+/5++)
|33.33
|33.33
|22.22
|Power Axe and Sword
|-
|Terminator w/ Storm Shield (T4; 2+/3++)
|16.67
|22.22
|22.22
|Power Axe and Maul
|-
| rowspan="2" |MEQs
|Space Marine (T4; 3+)
|41.67
|44.44
|33.33
|Power Axe
|-
|Captain or Chaplain (T4; 3+/4++)
|25
|33.33
|33.33
|Power Axe and Maul
|-
| rowspan="4" |GEQs
|Hormagaunt (T3; 6+ or no save)
|66.67
|66.67
|83.33
|Power Maul
|-
|Guardsman, Guardian (T3; 5+)
|66.67
|66.67
|69.44
|Power Maul
|-
|Aspect Warrior (T3; 4+)
|66.67
|55.56
|55.56
|Power Sword
|-
|Sister of Battle (T3; 3+)
|55.56
|44.44
|41.67
|Power Sword
|-
| rowspan="4" |Other
|Tyranid Monster (T6; 3+)
|27.78
|22.22
|25
|Power Sword
|-
|Light Tank or Monster (T7; 3+)
|27.78
|22.22
|16.67
|Power Sword
|-
|Medium Tank or Monster (T8; 3+)
|13.89
|22.22
|16.67
|Power Axe
|-
|Heavy Tank or Monster (T8; 2+)
|11.11
|16.67
|11.11
|Power Axe
|-
|}</div></center>
As you can see, it is extremely hard to draw a clear winner between the Power Axe and the Power Sword. It is, however, easy to see that Power Mauls/Lances are crap, only superior when fighting units that will already die in droves to bolter shots or won't die easily to anything due to good invulns. What's easy to remember is that the Axe is stronger against Marines (that you'll face a lot), the Maul is best against Storm Shield Terminators or anyone else with a good invuln, and the Axe is best against most of the tanks. Power Swords have the edge on most things relying only on their armour saves, while Axes scale better against tough things. What you choose between the two is a matter of preference, meta, and gaming group. The special case for Mauls is Toughness 5, where the Maul is best down to Sv3+ and the sword and maul break even on Sv2+, due to how powerful it is to move from 2/6 wound chance to 3/6, but T5 are relatively rare to begin with.
</div>
</div>
*'''Force Weapons:''' Librarian power weapons with D1d3 instead of just 1, but they cost around the same as a Power Fist. They lack Sx2 but have no penalty to hit. Useful if you're going to hit characters or multiwound models like Primaris. All of them are overcosted compared to a Relic Blade, with the Force Axe as the worst offender of the lot.
*'''Chainfist:''' Sx2 AP-4 D2. Marginally better than a Power Fist against Vehicles and other highly-armoured invuln-lacking models. Costs only 2 points more than a Power Fist, so paying extra for better AP and more reliable damage could be worth it.
**Never forget, you can swap to your basic CC weapon if you don't want to give up accuracy - against low toughness single-wound enemies without a penetrable save, like basic daemons, this can often be better.
*'''Power Fist:''' Sx2 AP-3 D1d3. -1 penalty to hit rolls, which can be annoying. Good against everything, quite cost-effective.
**Never forget, you can swap to your basic CC weapon if you don't want to give up accuracy - against low toughness single-wound enemies without a penetrable save, like basic daemons, this can often be better.
*'''Thunder Hammer:''' The weapon against which all others compare, and boy are you paying for it: NOW 40 POINTS FOR CHARACTERS (16 points for units). A Power Fist that always deals 3 damage. The extra reliability could mean the difference between one-shotting a Custodian Guard/Aggressor or getting a Guardian Spear/Power Fist in the face. When you have a Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield-Captain with Jump Pack every enemy model begins to look like a nail, but at over 4x the cost of a Power Fist, its not worth ditching up to three extra special or heavy weapons just to squeeze out a few extra points of damage. Still quite viable on everything that isn't a CHARACTER, at least.
**Never forget, you can swap to your basic CC weapon if you don't want to give up accuracy - against low toughness single-wound enemies without a penetrable save, like basic daemons, this can often be better.
*'''Dreadnought Combat weapon:''' Allows your dreads to beat up things, allowing them to swing at SX2 (S12) AP-3 and flat D3 with no accuracy reduction. Redemptor version hits at D1d6. Dread chainfists found on contemptors and ironclads are AP-4 and D4.
*'''Seismic hammer:''' Like a dread fist but with AP-4 and D5!!!! Imposes a -1 to hit... But one single smack with this is all you need to kill most HQs and cripple tanks. With shock assault ironclads hit 5 times with this weapon for a potential 25 damage!
**Absolutely garbage, because anything that can take this can take a chainfist instead, and the damage boost is either exactly offset by the accuracy penalty, or the accuracy penalty is worse, depending on circumstances. Always take the dreadnought chainfist over this.

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

Named characters and '''{{W40kKeyword|vehicles}} cannot be given a relic'''. But only [[That Guy]] would try to force a Chaplain dread into the armour indomitus or something like that.

*'''Bellicos Bolt Rifle:''' Replaces a master-crafted auto-bolt rifle. 24" Assault 4 S5 AP-1 D2, to support your gunline. Basically The Primarch's Wrath but for Primaris, that doesn't need Bolter Discipline for 4 shots.
*'''Benediction of Fury:''' Replaces a Crozius arcanum. S+2 AP-2 D3, unmodified wound rolls of 6 do a mortal wound in addition to other damage. With Mantra of Strength and the right warlord trait, your Chaplain will become as deadly as a he is in the fluff. [[Asmodai|''REPENT, HERETIC! *Plonk*'']].
*'''Ghostweave Cloak:''' {{W40kKeyword|phobos}} model with a camo-cloak, -1 to the wound roll against this model. Give it to a Stealth Adept Captain to make him as difficult to kill as [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly8hMwNkR0E Remo Williams].
*'''Lament:''' Upgrades a master-crafted stalker bolt rifle's statline to S5 AP-2 D3, and successful wounds inflict a mortal wound on top of that. Single shot, but puts the big hurt on whatever it reaches.
*'''Purgatorus:''' Upgrades a bolt/heavy bolt pistol to Pistol 2 S5 AP-3 D2. It's a great alternative to a Plasma Pistol as it's cheaper and does more damage (2 shots) with no chance of killing the user.
*'''Reliquary of Gathalamor:''' Enemy Psykers must subtract 1 from Psychic tests made within 18" of the bearer. In addition, if the psychic power is not successfully manifested, roll a D6. On a 4+ the Psyker that attempted to manifest that psychic power suffers D3 mortal wounds. ''Niche, but useful to protect your units if your meta is psyker-heavy, especially if you didn't bring psykers of your own (like Black Templar)''.
*'''Standard of the Emperor Ascendant''': Ancients only. A bit different with the 8.5 codex, they've done away the 3+ for extra attacks. Now it boosts the range of the standard banner ability to 9", friendly units within 9" auto-pass morale tests, and enemies in the same range get -1 leadership. This certainly changes it's uses quite drastically from the auto take it was before to something more niche. Example uses include keeping Crusader squads from suffering under morale tests, or assisting in leadership bombs.
*'''Teeth of Terra''': Replaces a chainsword with a better one with S+1 AP-2 D2, and 3 bonus attacks instead of just 1. Good against hordes, better against multi-wound infantry like Primaris models and most characters. (Fun fact: this weapon is exactly the same as the Alpha Legion unique Relic "Blade of the Hydra." Coincidence? I think not!)
*'''The Armour Indomitus''': Infantry or Biker model only, they gain a 2+ armour save. Once per game, ''before taking a save'' you can also activate a 3+ invulnerable save until the end of the turn, useful as a panic button if your character runs into danger. Of use to anyone wearing power armour, it's worth noting this is one of the few ways to give a Primaris character a natural 2+ armour save, due to their inability to take Terminator armour.
*'''The Burning Blade''': Replaces a power or master-crafted power sword. S+3 AP-5 D2. Where the Teeth of Terra hits often, the Burning Blade hits HARD and nullifies all armour saves. Dangerous to monster and even vehicles sized targets, it's begging to be combined with a source of +1Str/to wound so it gets to harm MEQs on a 2+.
*'''The Honour Vehement:''' Friendly <chapter> units with the Shock assault ability always get the +1A instead of having to meet the criteria. So, useful for ongoing combats.
*'''The Primarch's Wrath''': Replaces a boltgun or master-crafted boltgun with an up-gunned storm bolter, making it 24" Rapid Fire 2 S5 AP-1 D2. Can be useful for those officers buffing your ranged units. Note that this relic gains the benefit from Bolter Discipline.
*'''The Shield Eternal''': Replaces a storm shield or combat shield, so available only to Captains, Company Champions, and the Terminator Librarian. Gives a 3+ invulnerable, and a 5+ Feel no Pain against Mortal Wounds. Some of the best protection you can give a Character you really want to keep alive.
*'''The Vox Espiritum:''' {{W40kKeyword|Primaris}} only. +3" to their aura abilities (2019 FAQ limited it to a max of 9"). Excludes psychic powers and litanies. ''Enjoy your Black Templars hat for now, Primaris...''
*'''Tome of Malcador''': Librarian only. He knows 1 additional power from any discipline he's has access to, which isn't the same as casting 1 additional power. Depending on what discipline you're using, hard pass. It can however be used to take powers from multiple disciplines.

====Faith and Fury====

*'''Sacrosanct Rosarius:''' {{W40kKeyword|Master of Sanctity}} only. 3++ invuln save, patching his inability to get a Storm Shield.
*'''The Emperor's Judgment:''' {{W40kKeyword|Master of Sanctity}} only. Prevents opponents from re-rolling hit, wound, and damage rolls against him, and enemies must roll 2d6 drop lowest when taking morale checks within 6".

*'''Mortis Machina:''' {{W40kKeyword|Master of the Forge}} only. Relic Power Axe that is S+3 AP-3 D1d3, and does an additional 1 mortal wound to {{W40kKeyword|VEHICLE}}S on every failed save.
*'''The Endurant Protector:''' {{W40kKeyword|Master of the Forge}} only. +1T, and gains a 4++ invulnerable save.

*'''Neural Shroud:''' {{W40kKeyword|Chief Librarian}} only. Adds 12" to the range of the Librarian's psychic hood, to get a veritable umbrella of denying.
*'''Vinculum Vitae:''' {{W40kKeyword|Chief Librarian}} only. Force Sword with +1 strength, and an unmodified wound roll of 6 inflicts d3 mortal wounds as damage instead of the normal d3 damage.

*'''Pennant of the Fallen:''' {{W40kKeyword|Chapter Ancient}} only. Models that attack with a melee weapon as a result of the Astartes Banner ability may make two attacks instead of one.
*'''Standard of Righteous Hatred:''' {{W40kKeyword|Chapter Ancient}} only. When resolving a shooting or melee attack made as a result of the Astartes Banner ability, a model's ballistic and weapon skill are 2+.

*'''The Angel Artifice:''' {{W40kKeyword|Chapter Champion}} only. Upgrades the save on the Champion to 2+, and the invulnerable save to 4+.
*'''Blade of Triumph:''' {{W40kKeyword|Chapter Champion}} only. Replaces the Champion's Master-Crafted Power Sword with a weapon with strength +2, AP-4, damage 3. ''WS2+ wounding on a 3+ = WS3+ wounding on a 2+''.

*'''Acquittal:''' {{W40kKeyword|Chief Apothecary}} only. Replaces a Bolt Pistol or Absolvor Pistol. 16" Pistol 1 S5 AP-3 D1, D1d6 when targeting Non-Vehicle, Non-Monster units.
*'''Healer's Aegis:''' {{W40kKeyword|Chief Apothecary}}. Friendly {{W40kKeyword|<chapter>}} Infantry ''models'' have a 5++ invulnerable save while within 1" of a model with this relic.

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

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

===Indomitus Crusaders===
{{W40kKeyword|Primaris Captains, Primaris Lieutenants, Primaris Ancients, Intercessors squads & Inceptor squads}} in that detachment gain the {{W40kKeyword|Indomitus crusader}} keyword. Formerly an Intercessor-focused detachment, it is now reduced to a boost for Intercessors and Inceptors, the very first Primaris models released.

'''Stratagems'''
*'''Liberators (1 CP):''' Use this Stratagem at the start of the Fight phase. Pick an {{W40kKeyword|INDOMITUS CRUSADERS}} unit from your army. Until the start of your next turn, each time you roll an unmodified hit roll of 6 for an attack made by a model in this unit, that attack inflicts 2 hits on the target instead of 1. Note that this bonus applies to any and all shooting and fighting attacks that this unit makes in the enemy turn, assuming you used it in your own Fight phase. 'Stacks with the Whirlwind of Rage Successor Tactic''.
**Intercessor Veterans are the default Primaris melee unit because of their high number of attacks and their ability to use Impulsors (which Aggressors can't use), and yet their 21 attacks on the charge only give you about +3.5 with this. Which still have to wound and go through saves. Consider if 2CP are worth a mere couple of extra hits.

'''Warlord Trait'''
The real reason to consider using this detachment.
*'''Grey Shield:''' Once per battle, at the start of your Movement phase, if your Warlord is on the battlefield you can choose for {{W40kKeyword|INDOMITUS CRUSADERS}} units in the same Detachment as your Warlord to gain an additional Chapter Tactic until the start of your next turn. Pick the additional Chapter Tactics from the following: Codex Discipline ({{W40kKeyword|ULTRAMARINES}}), Lightning Assault ({{W40kKeyword|WHITE SCARS}}), Siege Masters ({{W40kKeyword|IMPERIAL FISTS}}), Righteous Zeal ({{W40kKeyword|BLACK TEMPLARS}}), Forged In Battle ({{W40kKeyword|SALAMANDERS}}), Shadow Masters ({{W40kKeyword|RAVEN GUARD}}), The Flesh is Weak ({{W40kKeyword|IRON HANDS}}), No Matter the Odds ({{W40kKeyword|CRIMSON FISTS}}). Until the start of your next turn, friendly {{W40kKeyword|INDOMITUS CRUSADERS}} units gain the benefit of that Chapter Tactic in addition to any others they already have. They are considered to have the keyword of the appropriate Chapter for purposes of resolving that Chapter Tactic.
**Having two Chapter Tactics can do a lot of things depending on what your second tactic is. Want Marines with Fluff levels of durability? Raven Guard + Iron Hands. Salamanders + Black Templars help ensure that your punchy characters and sergeants with powerfists and the like make it to combat and actually kill what they're attacking. And if the thought of Ultramarines + White Scars allowing you to Fallback, Shoot, Charge and Fight again all in one round doesn't make you wet, maybe you should find a different game to play.
**Special note regarding the Iron Hands, the Father of the Future Warlord trait for Chief Apothecaries gives a 5+++ to models that are benefiting from The Flesh is Weak. Use this to give a blob of Primaris 5+++ for a single round.
**It also means you can combine your Successor tactics with a Founding Chapter ones. Hungry for Battle + Whirlwind of Rage + Black Templars = +1 to Rerollable charges with exploding hits! Crimson Fists + Imperial Fists to utterly destroy hordes with +1 to hit Ignores Cover and 3 hits on 6s with bolters!

'''Artifacts'''
*'''Standard of the Ultima Founding:''' Primaris Ancient only. Once per battle, at the start of your Movement phase, the bearer can choose to plant this banner. If they do so, until the bearer next makes a move, friendly {{W40kKeyword|INDOMITUS CRUSADERS INFANTRY}} models can re-roll hit rolls of 1 and wound rolls of 1 whilst they are within 6" of the bearer.

==Unit Analysis==
Unit keywords are [[Space_Marine_Chapter_Creation_Tables|{{W40kKeyword|Adeptus Astartes}}]], {{W40kKeyword|Primaris}}, [[Space_Marine_Chapter_Creation_Tables|{{W40kKeyword|Chapter}}]], and the like. Units with a specific {{W40kKeyword|Chapter}} keyword can only be taken by that Chapter. Note that even if most "Bike" variants of characters have been written out of the Codex due to them having no official miniature (and some models due to those miniatures being limited edition), they can still be taken and are legal, using the Warhammer Legends datasheets and the latest point costs. White Scars players can thank the God-Emperor (Absolutely! Interestingly GW does some good things nowadays!)

===HQ===
The average SM HQ is a heroic model that can do fairly well in melee and, being the poster faction, we have a lot of choices when building [[Your_dudes|our guys]]. Listed here are some common builds so that you don't have to read "Captain, Captain with Jump Pack, Librarian, Librarian with Jump Pack" and so on.
#{{W40kKeyword|Jump pack}}: Mobility is the name of the game. The model gains 12" movement, fly and can deepstrike, so he can appear anywhere and ignore terrain, jump over the enemy's bubbelwrap alongside your Vanguard Vets and even '''[[Awesome|punch a damn airplane to death]]'''.
#{{W40kKeyword|Bike}}: High speed, high drag. The character becomes a battering ram, gaining a speedy bike that can turbo boost to M20", T5, +W1, and an additional 4 bolter shots. Sadly, all but Captain on the bike were relegated to Warhammer Legends, including Biker Vets, which makes the whole bunch overpriced.
#{{W40kKeyword|Terminator}}: The heavy armour. +1W 2+/5++ and Deep Strike but only 5" movement and a slightly reduced wargear selection. Not meant to move around much, positioning is often determined by a Deep strike or the Land Raider that is carrying him around. Provides a lot of protection for your character. A Character's Iron Halo or Rosarius' 4++ has prevalence ofc.
#{{W40kKeyword|Primaris}}: Extra beef for a relatively low cost. +1W +1A, but usually restricted customization options. Segregated to their hover transports; that used to mean restricted, but now they're more of a separate-but-equal kind of deal.
#*{{W40kKeyword|Phobos}}: Primaris Operator with stealth training; "Concealed Positions" lets them keep up with infiltrators, and they get their own selection of Warlord Traits and Psychic powers.
#*{{W40kKeyword|Gravis}}: Bigger and better beef, offering +1T and +1W with a 5" move as opposed to the Terminator Armors deep strike and 2+ save. Very limited wargear and thus far only Captains.
Remember all re-rolls happen ''before'' modifiers.

*'''[[Brother-Captain|Captain]]:''' The standard all characters compare to, he can be customized to do almost any job you need him to do. Can be taken with a {{W40kKeyword|Jump pack}}, a {{W40kKeyword|Bike}}, {{W40kKeyword|Terminator}} Armour, {{W40kKeyword|Phobos}} Armour or as {{W40kKeyword|Primaris}}.
**Captains are simultaneously destructive and survivable, with their base 4++ Iron Halo, {{W40kKeyword|character}} status and ability to ditch one of their weapons for a Storm Shield. Additionally, his mere presence boosts your other units with his re-roll 1s to Hit aura, helping your plasma not blow up and improving the hit rate of your already fairly accurate armywide 3+. In melee, they can wieldy all the heavier power weapons: Powerfists, Relic Blades and the expensive Thunder Hammer, as well as their Master-crafted (+1D) versions and other relics, like the Teeth of Terra on his off-hand, to terrifying effect. Alternatively, he can provide an anchor for your gunline, with his Master-crafted AP-1 D2 Boltgun or a Combi-weapon, while the Primaris version does so with a Master-crafted Auto bolt Rifle (24" Assault ''3'' S4 D2) or a Master-crafted Stalker Bolt Rifle (36" Heavy 1 S4 AP-2 ''D3!''). The usual Smash Captain wears a {{W40kKeyword|Jump Pack}} to enhance his mobility, while others prefer Terminator armour to increase their resilience while still gaining a deepstrike (and fit in with the accompanying TH/SS squad). Other deceivingly fast ways of getting him in combat would be a Primaris captain with Powerfist + Plasma Pistol loadout riding a cheap Impulsor (with Intercessor Vets) or a manlet in a drop pod for Turn 1 deepstrikes.
**'''Captain in Cataphractii Armour:''' An alternative version of the Terminator Captain that trades heavily reduced mobility (4" Movement and halved Advances) and no Grenade Launcher for a built in 3++. A reasonable alternative if you weren't taking a Power Fist and were planning on deepstriking him anyways.
**'''Captain in Gravis Armour:''' The Gravis Captain has T5 and '''7W''', but a fixed loadout of a Boltstorm Gauntlet and Power Sword, reducing his flexibility and hampering which Relics he can take. In addition, Gravis suits cannot deepstrike and are limited to expensive Repulsor transports. However, he is perfectly suited for accompanying Aggressors and can weather high volume, low AP attacks better than other Captains.
**'''Captain in Phobos Armour:''' The Phobos Captain is even more dedicated to the gunline; his 30" Assault 1 S4 AP-2 ''D3'' Master-crafted Instigator bolt carbine lets him snipe {{W40kKeyword|characters}}, and his Omni-scrambler denies deepstrikes within 12", crippling alpha strikes and forcing most enemies to approach your gunlines some other way. He's got a Camo Cloak to help the few times he gets shot at, but lacks any melee options besides the basic Combat Knife unless you replace the knife with a relic.
*'''[[Librarian]]:''' Your good old source of mortal wounds (and psychic protection). Can be taken with a {{W40kKeyword|Jump pack}}, {{W40kKeyword|Terminator}} Armour, {{W40kKeyword|Phobos}} Armour, or as {{W40kKeyword|Primaris}}. May also take a {{W40kKeyword|Bike}}; check GW's website for Warhammer Legends.
**Although the Librarius discipline is overshadowed by other imperial disciplines like Blood Angels and Grey Knights, it's still a solid one that gives strong buffs to units and characters, of which this model knows two (plus Smite). And with the wide array of Chapter specific Disciplines, the number of combinations you can field as an army is both terrifying and a little overwhelming. Librarians are a lot more random in this new edition now you can't spend all warp charges on a psychic power you want to go off at all costs. They're akin to a glass cannon (by marine standards), as their Force weapons inflict multiple damage but they themselves lack an invuln save. Unless, of course, you take him in Terminator Armour, in which case he gains a 2+/5++, or even a 2+/3++ if you give him a Storm Shield! Can customize their force weapon, and pistol/Combi-weapon, and receive +1 to Deny if the psyker is within 12". If you're more keen on getting him into casting range as quickly as possible, a Jump Pack or a Bike will serve you very well. Alternatively, the Phobos Librarian offers a bit more tactical flexibility with the Obscuration Discipline, as well as his Camo Cloak and Concealed Positions ability. Overall, a solid pick for any army, no matter which version you choose.

*'''[[Chaplain]]:''' The guy for not-magic support magic. So, a Bard-barian. Can be taken with a {{W40kKeyword|Jump pack}}, {{W40kKeyword|Terminator}} Armour, or as {{W40kKeyword|Primaris}}. May also take a {{W40kKeyword|Bike}}; check GW's website for Warhammer Legends. Litanies make this team-player work somewhat different from other characters, especially his interaction with transports and deepstrikes - a consideration unique to this HQ. Each Chaplain knows the melee Litany of Fury, their primogenitor Chapter's litany and another one of their choosing, though one of them can be upgraded to Master of Sanctity to know and chant one extra litany. Chaplains also have a 6" aura of Ld9, making morale a non-issue for marines around them. All forms are bigger and better than ever before... though your newfound Litanies require a 3+ to go off, which is a real pain in the ass when you really need some buffs to kill something before it kills you.
**If you want the Chaplain for melee like you're used to, consider putting him in a Drop pod or Impulsor. He won't have litanies when disembarking, but those specific transports operate under similar restrictions: They are both fast, Drop Pods will arrive one turn earlier than Jump Pack and Terminator squads, and troops disembarking from an Impulsor have to wait one turn to charge. A one-two punch requires patience and the ability to take a beating before dealing damage, but can be rewarding. Chaplains are terrifying melee characters, their Crozius Arcanum hurting heavy infantry at S+1 AP-1 ''D2'', and their litanies make them effective assault lynchpins and powerful additions to a deathstar.
**Unlike earlier editions, Chaplains can also have a place back in your own lines, with a couple litanies boosting a unit's firepower. They aren't auras, but +1 to either hit or wound (''or both'') to a unit is an important boost by itself if your warlord is far away, and complements aura HQs if you are fielding a battalion or bigger.

*'''[[Techmarine]]:''' Vehicles may be tougher this edition, but their performance diminishes with wounds, and this guy repairs them for 1d3 Wounds a turn, no roll required! May also take a {{W40kKeyword|Bike}}; check GW's website for Warhammer Legends.
**Being a character, he can work in relative safety, so he doesn't need Servitors either provided you keep at least ''something'' between him and the enemy. He also holds the distinction of being able to become your cheapest HQ (45pts with a chainsword), though you shouldn't pick him as a tax HQ if you're just going to have him stand around. You're playing Space Marines, it's not like you're short on vehicle options for him to keep up and running. Beyond just going as cheap as possible, he can generally can be built one of two ways, and they are sadly mutually exclusive. For a more shooty build, he can ditch his pistol for any other Pistol or Ranged weapon and replace his Servo-arm with something very useful indeed: a Conversion Beamer. This tasty bit of gear functions as a Multi-laser with only D3 shots when at close range, but turns into an Overcharged Plasma Cannon that trades 2 AP for no exploding on a roll of a 1 when over half it's rather impressive 42" range. The other path is more of a close combat monster; by taking the Servo-harness, you give yourself an extra servo-arm, a Flamer and a Plasma Cutter, which is basically an Assault 1 Plasma Pistol, and all for only 60 points! Quite brutal, but you should generally build your Cogmarine for where he's going to be hanging out. If he'll be humping the leg of a Deredeo in your backline, take the Beamer and maybe a Storm Bolter if you have points left over. If he's going to be running around in the thick of things keeping your melee dreads from getting splattered, strongly consider the Harness, which carries all Assault weapons and you can repair even after Advancing! His Bike version can happily take all the same Wargear options, along with the usual Twin Boltguns, boosted survivability and insane Movement, making him a worth addition to a high mobility list, since a footslogger Cogboy can't repair while he's embarked.

*'''[[Primaris Lieutenant|Lieutenant]]:''' A surprising addition with the advent of 8E, with a mini-Captain statline of WS2+ BS3+ W4 A3. Can be taken with a {{W40kKeyword|Jump pack}}, {{W40kKeyword|Phobos}} Armour or as {{W40kKeyword|Primaris}}. You can buy up to two Lieutenants per HQ slot, but you ''should'' be taking them separately to fill out HQ taxes. There's no Biker Lieutenant.
**Since a Lieutenant's Tactical Precision aura (re-roll 1s to wound) is mathematically equivalent to a Captain's Rites of Battle (re-roll 1s to hit), they can be used as a budget sub-commander to fill your HQ tax and boost your back field. The basic version can swap his Master-crafted boltgun for combi-weapons, but the Primaris version, with Master-crafted auto bolt rifle/stalker bolt rifle, can do more damage at range.
**For melee it is the manlet version the one you want, as he can take a Jump Pack and power weapons to join a Smash Captain dropping into melee, his aura complementing the Captain's. Meanwhile, the Primaris version can only equip a Power sword, and has to give up his bolt rifle for it.
**The Phobos version is a mixed bag, equipped like an Incursor (Master-crafted Occulus Bolt Carbine & Paired combat blades), but can't infiltrate alongside actual Incursors, being forced to catch up turn 2 with his grav-chute, like a Reiver. And he can swap his master-crafted gear for a heavy bolt pistol and combat knife to become an actual {{W40kKeyword|Reiver}} with keyword and '''Terror Troops''' -1Ld...at the cost of ditching his goddammed grav-chute for the smoke grenade Incursors get. [[Fail|Thus being the only Reiver who doesn't deepstrike and the only Phobos who cannot infiltrate]], thanks, GW.

====Forge World====

*'''Chaplain in [[Dreadnought|a goddamn Dreadnought]]:''' The Chaplain Dreadnought is the go-to answer for players wishing to run an all dreadnought army. This is one of the best models space marines can currently use in 8th, arguably ''the'' best outside of special characters. Being a {{W40kKeyword|Character}} makes this a Dreadnought that CANNOT BE SHOT AT except by snipers, who usually have pitiful AP. It has a 5++ save and also buffs the strength of friendly models fighting the same unit as it, and has heroic intervention and 6+ FNP. It's also reasonably priced, considering its many advantages; 164 points vanilla, but can be cheaper or more expensive depending on wargear choices (taking an assault cannon makes it cost 174, as an example). the Dreadnought also know chaplain litany to give a variety of buffer roles in addition to having big guns. if you were planning to bring a dreadnought and/or want a tough and killy HQ, then the Chaplain is a fantastic option that also saves you an elite or heavy support slot.
** Two fists allows you re-roll 1s to hit, which on his total 5 attacks for the charge at WS2+ is pretty good. However, you only loose the re roll 1s if you take a ranged weapon, which is usually a smarter option as he also has BS2+. 194 points get you twin lascannons, storm bolter, and a fists for a very complete package.
** The additional changes space marines have seen make this model absurd. It now sports the litanies ability like other chaplains... Cast Mantra of Strength on itself, use its natural aura, then use the Heros of the Chapter stratagem and take the Emperors Sword warlord trait. This should give you S9 and 7 Attacks on the charge. Combined with two fists, you also get re roll hits of 1 on a 2+, all for a grand total of '''7 S18 AP-3 D4''' attacks. Do you know of another model that can potentially hit harder and more often than a volcano cannon for 164 points?
*'''Damocles Command Rhino:''' Only one Damocles can be taken per detachment. It can now transport a single {{W40kKeyword|CHARACTER}} model, and if that model is your Warlord you roll 2d6 at the end of each turn; if the result is less than your Warlord's Ld, you get a bonus Command Point. Valuable, on its own, there's also the Orbital Bombardment, which now functions identically to the Stratagem of the same name (albeit without the CP cost). While the bombardment can be useful if you're lucky, the Damocles is better off acting as a meatshield/Command Point generator for your Warlord, preferably far from the front lines.

=====Named Forge World Characters=====
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Special Characters are noted with their corresponding {{W40kKeyword|<CHAPTER>}} keyword, and are arranged by their Founding (when applicable). Characters from known successor chapters are in their relevant sections, because supplements make that kind of matter now. The points cost for all special characters already includes their wargear, as stated in the points section, under the points heading in the codex (or index/Legends if not in the codex). All other units say "does not include wargear" except special characters where it says "including wargear". 
With the 8.5 FAQ all Imperial Armour SM entry’s gain Angels of Death.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

{{W40kKeyword|[[Astral Claws]]}}

Either {{W40kKeyword|[[Ultramarines]]}} or {{W40kKeyword|[[Dark Angels]]}} successors, with no great way to decide between the two; your fluffiest bet is Ultramarines since they make the better bikers anyhow. Although if we look at their Chapter Tactics before 8th, [[White Scars]] is the best substitute for a melee-focused rush(if allowed to ignore Successor chapter restrictions). Astral Claws love mortal wounds, have I said that enough?
Successor Tactics: Hungry for Battle, Master Artisans, Rapid Assault

*'''[[Lugft Huron]]:''' Chapter Master, with terminator armour, an artificer heavy flamer (Assault, not Heavy, and D1d3), and THE ONE PIMP HAND TO RULE THEM ALL (S+1 AP-5 D1d3, forces rerolls of successful invulns)! "Big Guns Never Tire" ensures he can bring the hurt once per game to anything on the board that's not a character (d6 mortal wounds on a 2+, or usually 2.92). His “Living Legend” rule makes sure you can pull it off on the 2+ with an extra command point as long as you are battle forged ''and Huron is your Warlord''. He can come back from the dead... as often as you can roll a 5+. But he is well priced at 145 points. Still better in combat than Draigo (who's more expensive), and could even take on Abbadon/Swarmlord (not really he is A4). He still has ATSKNF and his chapter master trait allowing rerolls to hit for any Astral Claws unit within six inches for support. Forge World FAQ gave him and Cullen the ability to deploy via teleporting.
** 'Ol Lugft you salty bastard! Take note of this dudes special rule (Big Guns Never Tire) and how well it combines with the rest of the Astartes codex. Lugft Huron is the king of mortal wound spam in a very mortal wound spamming prone army. You have to get creative: I'm talking triple vindicators, librarians, scout snipers, scout bikers, devastators using double hellfire shells, all the other command stratagems, '''AND''' a Damocles Command Rhino which doesn't even need Lufgt to ride in for ''another'' Orbital Bombardment!!! (you're already using forge world so...) You will be that guy to a degree, but this is all totally legal and really just very good tactics. Enjoy frying anything from Magnus to carnifexes all with comfortable ease.
***BE sure to load up on command points and consider a brigade because this play-style while quite good, is very command point taxing.
*'''[[Armenneus Valthex]]:''' Techmarine, with an Assault 2 Conversion Beamer, an AP-1 melee weapon that adds 1d3 attacks when at least 3 enemy models are within 1" of him, and a 6" buff of +1 strength (max 5) to boltguns and storm bolters, specifically. Give Valthex the Storm of Fire warlord trait and 1 in 6 bolter shots become heavy bolter shots.
** Note that hurricane bolters are ''not'' specifically storm bolters or boltguns.
** As his rule reads ''The Strength characteristic of '''all''' boltguns and storm bolters fired by [...]'' an argument could be made that this also includes special issue boltguns. The word "all" wouldn't make any sense otherwise.
** Pairing him with a Lieutenant still has the exact same effect as pairing him with a Captain, with or without Storm of Fire.
** This guy screams for running Astral Claws as Ultramarine successors as his special rule and Scions of Guilliman gives great synergy with a high number of Tacticals/Sternguards/Company Veterans under Tactical Doctrine and Bolter Discipline. While long-range focused footsloggers might not be true to their fluff, it doesn't stop them from being quite good at it. Pair with Long-range Marksman and Stealthy.
*'''[[Captain Corien Sumatris]]:''' Captain; still a good cost-effective melee fighter/buffer, his power sword does D2 and give +D3 attacks on the charge; combined with his ability to gain +1S near enemy {{W40kKeyword|CHARACTERS}}, this makes him a mini-me Helbrecht, although he might be tougher with his 3++. His gun is a lame Pistol 2 now, despite still being called a Bolter. Also has the unique ability to choose his chapter keyword between {{W40kKeyword|Astral Claws}} and {{W40kKeyword|Tiger Claws}}, the latter of which will never be taken, because it disallows other Astral Claws characters from being taken.
*'''[[Carnac Commodus|Arch-Centurion Carnac Commodus]]:''' Lieutenant, and improved greatly now; his CC weapon hits as hard as a Heavy Bolter with D2 and vs. {{WH40Kkeyword|INFANTRY}} every 6+ to-wound does a Mortal Wound, combined with a 6" lieutenant aura makes him another good melee beatstick/buffer for Astral Claws. He also gets a 5++ invul because that's what Void Hardened Armour does now.
** See above Lugft Huron. Astral Claws love mortal wounds Bitchez!!

'''{{W40Kkeyword|[[Red Scorpions]]}}'''

Probably loyalist Emperor's Children successors; the closest you're going to get here is probably {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} Chapter Tactics to reflect their hard-on for the Codex Astartes, although {{W40kKeyword|[[Iron Hands]]}} might reflect their love of purity (and previous tactics) better.
Successor Tactics: Indomitable, Stalwart, Stoic, Warded

*'''Lord High Commander Carab Culln:''' Chapter Master. Stats-wise, of the level of other CMs here and in the main book, but his extra rules and weapons loadout is scattered and mediocre. An AP-2 D2 stormbolter, a +1 strength power sword with d3 damage that turns into a beastly x2 strength weapon, BUT only when he's fighting monsters or vehicles, and his personal rules gives every red scorpion within 6" a 6+ FNP style damage ignoring roll (no more stacking with iron hands chapter tactics due to 2018 FAQ). Overall, he's not bad, but has a sword that most of the time is simply average, and a gun that works but you aren't paying a couple hundred points for. Stick him in a fight vs Tyranids or similar and he'll prove his worth, but in comparison to the other chapter master level characters he's not quite focused enough in one area to do a job well enough, plus he's still the same points cost as the rest of them
*'''[[Carab Culln|Carab Culln the Risen]]:''' the same guy as above, but slapped in a freakin' ''Leviathan Dreadnought'' with a Twin Assault Cannon on one arm, and a D4 siege claw with Heavy Bolter on the other. He also packs two Heavy flamers and three Hunter-Killer missiles for shits and giggles. A fairly decent one-use rule "Death Hold", is when he rolls a 6+ to hit, he can opt to grab his opponent and cause d6 mortal wounds, but this renders the built-in Heavy Bolter useless for the rest of the game. Still retains his old rule that gives 6+ FNP to every Red Scorpions within 6", and if he dies to roll a d6; on 5+ he explodes causing d3 mortal wounds to every unit within 9". Culln is a little underwhelming compared to other Leviathans. As Storm Cannons are better than his Assault Cannons, but he isn't bound by the Relic rule. This means Red Scorpions won't need to take a Chaplain Dreadnought for that all Dread army. So he is is a consideration for the leader of an allied Vanguard or Spearhead Detachment.
**While he's still a {{W40kKeyword|Character}}, he has over ten wounds, meaning no hiding him behind a wall of thirty Scouts to kamikaze up the field.
**"Culln is a little underwhelming compared to other Leviathans". Other Leviathans are for the shooty-shooty. Culln is for the punchy-punchy. Two different tools for two different jobs. Compared to a SCA + claw + triple missile Leviathan, then for '''one extra point''', you gain +1A, +1W, +1D in assault, his Death Hold rule, and a 6+ feel no pain for all Red Scorpion models within 6".
**"but he isn't bound by the relic rule" he has the relic tag and is bound by the relic rule, so you still have to take a chaplain dread alongside him.
*'''Magister Sevrin Loth:''' Librarian. Cheesier than a fondue convention in Wisconsin for two editions, he's finally been toned down to a 'good-but-not-too-good' level. He can cast two powers and deny three; now that you always choose powers and with the removal of some of the more potent powers, he's lost a lot here. His most powerful trick of gaining a 2++ is completely gone, now he just gets a 2+/4++. He also has nothing to do with command squads now. The only things that stayed the same are his price and his anti-psyker skills; a 6" aura of re-rolls to wound vs Psykers and a +1S Force Axe that always inflicts 3 damage vs Psykers. Still good enough to be a nigh auto-include for any Red Scorpions player.
*'''Casan Sabius:''' New Chapter Master who has inherited the Blade of the Scorpion (S+1 (Sx2 vs monsters/vehicles), AP-3, Dd3) from Culln. He has a 2+/4++ save, and a new rule where if he causes one or more wounds in the Fight phase, one Red Scorpions Infantry unit within 6" gains +1A until the end of that phase. He also has the standard Chapter Master aura bonus, meaning he stacks very well with thunder hammer-wielding escorts, who suffer the usual -1WS.
*'''Sirae Karagon:''' Released as part of a duet with the above dude, we've been told to just use him as a standard Chapter Ancient. Lazy and lame.
*'''Dreadnought-Brother Halaar:''' Comes from the FAQ; he's a generic dreadnought who can take a flamestorm cannon instead of an assault cannon, but thanks to his FAQ entry having lazy writing, he hasn't got the {{W40Kkeyword|character}} keyword.
*'''Veteran Sergeant Haas:''' In the same FAQ, this guy is basically completely dropped from the game - instead, you're told to use the model to count as someone else's sergeant.

'''{{W40Kkeyword|[[Minotaurs]]}}''' 

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

*'''Lord Asterion Moloc:''' Chapter Master. The Lord Master of the Minotaurs is no longer the Marine killer he was before, but he's still a horrifyingly effective character. Sitting at a 2+/3++ with W7, he is harder to take down than some vehicles. His Black Spear makes a return at S+2, -3 AP, and 3 Damage with an additional attack against {{W40kKeyword|CHARACTER}}s. The spear's lasbeam is no longer single-use, meaning he can fire that sexy, sexy S8 -2 AP weapon all he likes. he gives the usual Chapter Master buff of re-rolls to failed hits in 6", and also gives his Minotaur infantry re-rolls to failed charges. Even if your opponent, somehow, makes it through all those saves in a charge, he gets to pile in and get off those attacks, making melee with him under any circumstance risky at best.
** Pairing his re-roll failed charges special rule with the Hungry for Battle Successor Tactic (+1" to charge and advance) gives you a ~66% chance on a successful charge after deep striking.
*'''Chaplain Ivanus Enkomi:''' The Minotaur chaplain character. He's lost the RAGE buff he had before and has no extra special rules over the usual buffs of a chaplain, usual rosarius, powerfist, and crozius. No jump pack, but instead has a grenade discharger. Frag grenades for mobs, krak grenades for tough targets. Worth noting is that, alongside his boss, Minotaurs re-roll charges as well as hits for the fight phase. Do ask yourself when you take him though... did you really WANT to pay 23 points to double the range of the otherwise completely normal frag and krak grenades. Yes, aside from that he boasts an extra attack and an extra wound, compared to normal, so maybe those 23 points have not been spent in vain.
Ok, maybe they were, BUT, he is now a big boy chaplain, able to chant 2 litanies, so they are definitely not in vain anymore
*'''Hecaton Aiakos:''' A character contemptor dreadnought - an HQ choice, but can't be your Warlord. Sporting 13 wounds, a 2+/4++ save, and the ability to ignore wounds on a 6+, he and Moloc apparently both believe that defense is the best offense. Not that either is lacking in that regard. He sports a heavy plasma cannon with all the pain that entails as well as the standard Dreadnought combat weapon. Groundstrike allows him to immediately inflict mortal wounds on a unit in 1" of him if he charged. Also worth mentioning is that, as a {{W40kKeyword|RELIC}}, he gives access to the Relic of Ancient Glory stratagem. All this will set you back in points, however, beating out even Huron for sheer points. Additionally, he can never be your Warlord. But he sure kicks ass. Just let him stay around Moloc for the sweet sweet re-rolls and unleash the moo-moo.
Note that being a Character he can get a trait while not being Warlord, though it would cost you CP to do so and there might be other candidates, but hey, Sword of the Imperium sounds glorious on him
** Use the WHITE SCARS chapter tactic so Aiakos can fall back and charge and keep dealing out mortal wounds.
*'''Sergeant Hamath Kraatos:''' The FAQ basically tells you to drop this guy from the game, and instead use the model to represent a generic Devastator.

'''{{W40Kkeyword|[[Star Phantoms]]}}''' 
These guys are DEFINITELY nothing like the Exorcists, and all rumors you have heard that they are successors to the Dark Angels are BLATANTLY FALSE AND HERETICAL PROPAGANDA, PREPARE TO BE PURGED. As their founding chapter is DEFINITELY AND TOTALLY UNKNOWN, treating them as an Unknown Founding chapter makes the most sense for Tactics.

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

'''{{W40Kkeyword|[[Exorcists]]}}''' 
These guys are particularly interesting because they're a Codex Chapter founded by a non-Codex chapter which has no Chapter Tactics rule. As their founding Chapter is considered to be unknown by most of the Imperium, they get a free choice of Chapter Tactics like any other Chapter of unknown origin. Grey Knights additionally have absolutely no rules in their Codex or Index section covering how to field their successors. Your fluffiest choice of tactic will probably be, as the Blood Ravens, to dynamically choose your tactic after finding out your opponents' faction, as that is how the Chapter fights in the fluff and no game rule bans it. Successor Tactics: Knowledge is Power & Warded (known for getting possessed and then exorcising the Daemons).

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

{{W40Kkeyword|[[Blood Ravens]]}} 
Not confined to use Warded + Psychic Mastery, turns out that was just an example of the tactics you can use as successors. Successors to whom, nobody knows, so you can do whatever you want.
*'''[[Gabriel Angelos]]''': That's right, Gabe's finally made his official debut on the tabletop, sporting his [[Dawn of War III]] look and coming with some updated rules in July's White Dwarf. <s>(sadly, the [[C.S.Goto]]-style acrobatic feats he displays in the game do not get represented in the rules).</s> THE TERMIE FLIP IS BACK BABY, in the form of an ability: '''Leap into the Fray''' - upon successful charge a roll of 4+ deals d3 MWs. He's a Chapter Master in Tartaros Terminator Armour and an Iron Halo, so he has a 2+/4++ save along with 6" movement and the ability to teleport onto the battlefield. His Warlord Trait is '''Rites of War'''.
**As for goodies, he comes with his signature Daemon Hammer, ''Godsplitter'', allowing him to choose one of the following 2 profiles in combat: '''Mighty Strikes''' is a standard Thunder Hammer statline, with the addition of dealing an additional Mortal Wound whenever you roll a 6+ on the wound roll. The second profile, '''Sweeping Blows''', grants Gabe +3 attacks on top of his 5 base, at str+2 ap-1 d1 without the -1 penalty to hit, for your GEQ killing needs. Additionally, he has an improved version of '''Chapter Master''' that allows rerolls for ALL hit rolls, even successful ones. Compared to his previous Forge World rules, he, unfortunately, lost his access to grenades.
**Naturally, he's best off rolling with other Tartaros Terminators; not only can they keep up with him more effectively than the standard or Cataphractii versions, but they can also be kitted out both to aid him in melee fights and to provide him with the covering fire he needs.
**At 185 points, he can be a bit hard to fit into smaller lists.

</div></div>

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

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

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

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

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

*'''[[Intercessor]] Squad:''' The big boys. Had become the go-to for a high damage output Troop choice with their buffs and Stratagems. Has a 2W and A model for 17pts as opposed to the mini marine's 1W and A for 12pts; meaning 35% cheaper wounds. Before upgrades or considering squad sizes, that means you can bring 12 Intercessors (24 W) for the same price as 17 Marines. Their Bolt Rifles give them a 25"-36" threat range, where ''most enemies will need to move to even engage them'', leaving their cover behind. Stalker Bolt Rifles aren't as cost-effective and are only Heavy 1, but do let them further abuse the range difference while adding armour penetration and an extra point of damage, allowing them to contribute to the fight and pick off heavy infantry even when securing the backfield objectives. While they aren't as starved for mobility as other marines due to their range, Auto Bolt Rifles allow them to advance without sacrificing all their shooting, and have now been bumped up to Assault 3, making them the go-to choice for facing horde armies. And with 2 attacks each, plus a 3A sarge who can be equipped with a power sword, chainsword, power fist, or thunder hammer, they aren't defenseless in a melee. Even basic Intercessors come with a bolt pistol sidearm, so they actually get 3x S4 attacks each if they're locked in melee. That being said, they're countered by heavier vehicles, as their only special weapon is a 30" grenade launcher (with grenades themselves being meh, even under Devastator Doctrine). They're also a prime target for multi-damage weapons, like autocannons, and they are practically custom-tailored to be mulched by Dark Reapers.
**Stalker Bolt Rifles are now D2, and with AP-2, these are clearly meant to be the rifles to be used against enemy Primaris. With the Devastator Doctrine the rifle is AP-3, which makes even light vehicles a viable target. Fists, both Imperial and Crimson, will get good mileage out of this since they can proc even more hits, and Iron Hands can take them while still retaining their mobility.
**Intercessors are usually more durable on the tabletop than they appear on paper. Unlike tactical squads, Intercessors don't have heavy weapons which tend to draw fire from the enemy. This means your opponent will generally only fire at intercessors with anti-chaff weapons, especially if you have vehicles or other multi-wound models about. As long as the intercessors have cover, they're rolling 2+ saves on T4, with two wounds per model, which is much better than you really need to survive most anti-infantry firepower. This means your Intercessors are much better at holding objectives than an equal value of Tactical marines unless faced with heavy firepower. When brawling in CC over an objective with other skirmishers, they are easily underestimated—2W and 2A each means that they are effectively two tacs rolled into one model while not looking much more threatening. This leads to some mop-up charges getting stuck and worn down, or even being wiped out entirely thanks to Shock Assault.
**Intercessors are a good choice for a {{W40kKeyword|Raven Guard}} force, as they are one of the few units able to Rapid Fire from outside 12" even when on the move, allowing them to keep their cover bonus. Prime objective cover campers, as at 2W, 2+ save and -1 to hit, there are more appealing targets to be found elsewhere.
**As of the second Codex, Intercessor Sergeants can now take a few relics with the right Stratagem. Not the best option for a relic, but it's there if you want it and a D4 Thunder Hammer is capable of ruining someone's day no matter who's using it.

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

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

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

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

*'''[[Apothecary]]:''' Now a Character running on his own. Doesn't give out Feel No Pain, but if he's within 3" of a {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter> Infantry}}/{{W40Kkeyword|Biker}} unit at the end of the Movement phase, he can heal 1d3 wounds on 1 model in it. If no-one's wounded, he gets a 4+ chance to bring 1 dead model back to life with a single wound, but if he fails, he can't do anything else that turn. Can't swap out his weapons, so he's stuck with a bolt pistol and chainsword. Combines great with high-end infantry, shooty or assaulty. Bringing a Centurion Devastator back from the dead or healing the linchpin of your army's buff aura is invaluable. Combine with a Company Ancient to make a trade-in death.
**'''[[Primaris Apothecary]]:''' 10 points for +1W and improved pistols: the reductor pistol, which is a 3" S4 AP-3 D2 pistol, and the Absolver Pistol, which is 16" S5 AP-1 D1. He's a great choice if you want to go for an all-Primaris army. Keep him back and out of assault - he has no business in close combat. He'll do just fine popping off shots with his pistol and keeping nearby units alive.
*'''Company Ancient:''' The old banner bearer, now an Independent Character. The banner adds +1L to any same {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter> Infantry}} units within 6". If a {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter> Infantry}} ''model'' dies within 6", you get a 4+ chance for them to get off one more round of shooting or close combat right then before your opponent can move on to something else. Note that this only affects models in the bubble, not units, so be mindful when picking who dies. It also sadly doesn't affect bikes. Comes with a bolt pistol that you can swap for a different pistol, combi, or melee weapon. Out of phase shooting is great, and marine infantry die quite a bit in practice. Combine with an Apothecary.
**'''[[Primaris Ancient]]:''' Same as a Company Ancient, but with +1W +1A. Comes with a bolt rifle in addition to the pistol, and can't swap his wargear or ride in anything but a Repulsor. ''Easily'' worth the 5 points for the +1W alone; the +1A and improved bolter are just icing, as you probably weren't planning on up-gunning you are Ancient anyway, and since the Ancient buff is an AOE on multiple units, very compelling overtaking a second Ancient for redundancy.
**'''Ancient in Terminator Armour:''' A new addition as of the 2.0 Codex, now this guy is finally available for use by Marines that don't get their own special codex. As one might expect, the armour gives him +1 Wound and a 2+/5++ save over his PA counterpart and he is locked into having a Power Fist and Storm Bolter. An excellent choice for accompanying Terminators of all sorts out of Deepstrike.
***Also of note is the fact that, much like the bike ancient, these guys are mounted on a larger 40mm bases, meaning you can get more models into your buff aura.
*'''Centurion Assault Squad:''' With T5 and 4 wounds apiece, the choppy Space Marine in a Space Marine is a nasty piece of work in melee, especially since it can cause a HoW-like mortal wound on a 4+. However, it can give that ability up in exchange for Hurricane Bolters that act like Rapid Fire 6 Bolters- that's the equivalent of a MSU Tactical squad before you even get into RF range! The Siege Drills are pretty good too, since they act like Chainfists but with one more point of damage and no penalty to hit. As an added bonus, their sarge's omniscope negates cover bonuses. Getting them up the field practically requires a Land Raider. For long range shooting focused marine armies, Assault Cents make a strong counter charge unit. Especially because of having 2 flamers EACH, that make up for 6 D6 of auto hitting surprise in overwatch or tearing apart big blobs of infantry. Can also swap the flamers for melta guns which will complement your drills quality over quantity melee output. With the new codex they are still expensive but their improvements make them at least reasonable considering Shock Assault and W4.
*'''Chapter Champion:''' It's anyone's guess at this point which datasheet for this guy is "correct"; he has entries in the first Space Marine Codex and the Index, with different wargear; he's absent from the second Codex, but is present in both the Ultramarines supplement (with the {{W40Kkeyword|Ultramarines}} keyword) and in '''''Faith and Fury''''' as a 1 CP upgrade to a Company Champion.
**Index/Codex 1 Version: The only version that can take a bolter, and the only version that can take a relic blade or thunder hammer, but also the one with the least special rules making it better in melee (no re-rolling wounds, no ASF, inferior Heroic Intervention range). As a result, this version, if legal, is the best of the bunch against ''non''-{{W40Kkeyword|character}} targets, as you can give it superior equipment, and the only rule you miss out on is -1 to be hit in melee. Against an actual Character, not even as good as a Company Champion, below. Don't forget to give him a bolt pistol - it's on the Index datasheet, so even the Codex version can carry it.
**Ultramarines Supplement: You can see the relevant chapter discussion below for more on this, but the tl;dr is that it's less points efficient than the Faith and Fury version, while costing no CP. It also has no bolt pistol.
**Faith and Fury: This is a Company Champion with +1Ld, +1A, and -1 to be hit in melee, which you pay 1 CP to accomplish. As a result, this is the only one of the three with a 3+/5++ instead of a 2+, and it has a bolt pistol but no Champion's Blade; it's a lot cheaper in terms of points, so against a character, it's the best of the three, provided you can get close.
*'''Company Champion:''' Another former Command Squad guy now on his own. He can't bodyguard, but he's WS2+, W4, is a {{W40Kkeyword|character}}, has to make a 6" Heroic Intervention if possible, and re-rolls failed hits and wounds and has ASF against {{W40Kkeyword|Characters}}. Comes with a master-crafted power sword, bolt pistol, and combat shield for a 5++, but no other wargear options. Multiple Champions can be very interesting when embedded in your gunline, or as part of a larger melee deathstar - Heroic Interventions make them a very useful counter-assault choice, and they can swiftly dispatch ''most'' other characters without wasting your Captain / Chapter Master's time.
**However, neither Company Champions nor any of the Chapter Champion variants can keep up with Thunder Hammer Company Veterans, from an offensive standpoint, so their main benefit is ''defensive'', due to being characters.
*'''Company Veterans:''' More or less the Command Squad from earlier editions, minus the Apothecary, (Company) Champion, and banner bearer (now a Company Ancient), which are all split off as independent Characters. You can still kit between 2 and 5 of them out however you like (except no special weapons on the Sergeant - he's stuck with combi, which only matters if for some reason you wanted to bring meltaguns). They possess an ability similar to the old "Look out, Sir!" rule which lets them intercept a wound from a {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter> character}} on a 2+ in exchange for taking a mortal wound, so they're good bodyguards.
**Far and away the best {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} unit you can field, both offensively and defensively, per point; all of them can go special/combi weapon+storm shield, thunder hammer+storm shield, or special weapon+thunder hammer, and they can get down to a 2-man unit, emphasizing morale immunity and maximizing the "free" sergeant "upgrade" (even though he is proficient with fewer weapons than his men). Note the sergeant has been FAQed to now have access to storm shields.
**While it goes without saying taking two melee weapons is idiotic outside of two chainswords or two lightning claws, any combination of melee and pistols essentially means you're taking Vanguard Vets, but without the Jump Packs, and with the ability to get down to 2 men, not 5 (particularly useful due to the Sergeant's improved Attacks), as well as having the bodyguard ability - if you were going to take Vanguard Vets on foot anyway, such as in a transport, these are better, but you should think long and hard before taking these instead of Vanguard Vets with Jump Packs, if you're after melee. The ''primary'' reason to take Company Vets is the Special Weapons access, paired with either a thunder hammer or a storm shield (the storm shield is usually your best bet).
**For the points, you ''should not'' take flamers - a combi-flamer will deliver more S4 shots in that range per point, if you're ''really'' after 8" of S4 death. However, no tricks here will let you beat out Scout Bike trios or Bike trios for S4 hits per point, so you should seriously consider loading them out differently.
**The same is true of plasma, simply because plasmas and combiplasmas have the same point cost, so you may as well take the combis for their improved output against GEQ.
**Meltaguns cost as much as the Veterans carrying them, and you have no really great way to get them into position to shoot, so in practice, they're best avoided. Grav guns, on the other hand, are just always an inefficient choice, period, compared to plasma.
**Consider a Stormbolter + Chainsword loadout for Rapidfire 2 S4, and 3 Attacks on the charge, at a fairly decent price. These guys can be really helpful in a Character spam space marine army, as usually characters can't be shot if other units are in the way, but some attacks can single out characters. These guys can intercept those wounds.
**With a minimum size of two veterans, {{W40Kkeyword|Crimson Fists}} should be very pleased.
**Because all of the wounds of a single attack are negated it's pretty useful to take just two of them, and overkill the unit with mortal wounds if your characters get hit by especially high-damage attacks.
*'''Vanguard Veteran Squad:''' Better assault marines. They can take a large selection of weapons while using Jump Packs when properly loaded out they can get enemy models engaged in CC and kill them first turn if taken in numbers (the easiest way to accomplish a turn 1 deep strike charge is by making many attempts at it). A pretty popular unit in 7th and still could be in 8th, as weapons like lightning claws and power swords can wound things like dreadnoughts and vehicles on 5s. Plasma pistols are a really viable choice in 8th, as you can shoot both pistols on the drop. Each model can take 2 chainswords - that's 4 attacks per model for 90 points (or 80 if you're silly and don't take the Packs), 5 for the Sergeant. Though expensive, with the changes to how invulnerable saves work, a Vanguard squad with Thunder Hammers and Shields can be a superior alternative to taking hammernators. A squad with this set-up can kill some of the most powerful units in the game in a single turn. As an example, 4 groups of 5 hitting Magnus (T7 Sv3+/4++r1 18W) expect to wipe him out in a single turn, although they will cost about 2/3 again his cost, assuming you take the Jump Packs. Vanguard with thunder hammers can do a maximum of 33 damage per turn; if a Captain (or, better, a Chaplain, who will provide a better buff for fewer points), Lieutenant, and/or Guilliman is within buff range, they become particularly terrifying. Revisiting the above math, a nearby jump lieutenant and jump chaplain take the point difference from needing 668 to kill 415 to needing 597 (roughly, 4 squads to 2.5 squads), and that's just their buff, of course - both characters can jump in and help if they like. Each TH/SS Vet costs 13 points less than a TH/SS Assault Terminator, hits just as hard, can't have their teleport deactivated, has the same invulnerable save, will never need a transport to be effective, and has ''much'' higher movement. Their main trade-offs are an armour save of 3+ instead of a 2+ and 1 less wound than a Terminator; however, considering the amount of AP modifying weapons and multi damage weaponry in 8th, this isn't as big a trade-off as it first appears. On the whole, a flexible unit that can be geared to be what you want - as cheap as possible to shred hordes with chainswords, or tooled up to deal with more powerful units. Models in this unit can have 2 chainswords, which is usually more productive than 1 chainsword 1 bolt pistol -- as you get two fight phases per battle round, but only one shooting phase. 2 Chainswords on a 2 attack model means 4 total attacks.
*'''Sternguard Veteran Squad:''' With the special ammunition gone, the sternguard now walk up the field with their beefy Special Issue Boltgun. Now the gun is free and packing a punch with its AP-2 and 30" range over the standard-issue, the sternguard are much more likely to crunch through all forms of armour, especially in conjunction with the Masterful Marksmanship Stratagem. A special note goes towards combi-weapons; while they don't have the one-use rule anymore, remember that the bolt part of the weapon is the standard one without any AP. They also get the standard veteran extra attack over a normal marine, so they can deal some decent retaliatory damage when they're inevitably charged.
**The sergeant can take a Sergeant Weapon ''in addition to'' his SIB, which you should ''always'' do - depending on your plan for the unit, a combiflamer, combiplasma, or storm bolter plus SIB will ''always'' outperform any other loadout he can take, because the SIB is free.
**Still one of the best units to come out of a drop pod and rapid fire something to death with their special issue boltguns. Their new specialized stratagem gives them +1 to their wound roll, so make sure to have a Captain/Chapter Master near them for the re-rolls, and give him the Storm of Fire Warlord Trait and include a Lieutenant. Now they're shooting 20 shots, re-rolling 1s (or misses if it's the CM), wounding everything less than T8 on a 3/4+, re-rolling 1 s to wound, and every 5 or 6 to wound is resolved at AP-3 (and just for added fun, make them Imperial Fists and ignore that cover their squad is hiding in while you gain the potential for extra shots with the Bolter Drill Stratagem, or make them Salamanders for even more reliable wounding/improved AM and less reliance on a full Chapter Master).
**When these guys come out of drop pods, don't forget that their rapid fire range is 15", so that can give them some space before the inevitable charge. Most units are only able to rapid fire 12" away, so the following turn, the enemy unit can advance 6" and then be up close for an easy charge. The difference between being 9" away and 6" should not be understated, and should be used to your advantage, so keep that in mind when deploying their drop pod.
***Note that coming out of a drop pod 12" away if armed with Storm Bolters will be more effective, if riskier, and without ap-2.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
*When comparing the Special Issue Boltgun to the Storm Bolter, it can be seen that (ignoring range) the SIB is, in general, better than the Storm Bolter against most targets, when employing the Masterful Marksmanship stratagem. It is better universally if the target has a 2+ armour save and an invulnerable of 4++ or worse, and they are the same against 3+ or 2+/3++. The AP of the SIB comes in handy when discussing how many successful wounds when the wound roll is disadvantaged; the Storm Bolter affects nothing, while AP-2 can significantly improve wound chances. When using the stratagem, see the following table.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

<center><div>
{|class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4"
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Masterful Marksmanship
! colspan="5" |Save
|-
!2+
!3+
!4+
!5+
!6+
|-
! rowspan="5" |To Wound
!2+
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Both
|Storm Bolter
|Storm Bolter
|Storm Bolter
|-
!3+
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Storm Bolter
|Storm Bolter
|-
!4+
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Both
|Storm Bolter
|-
!5+
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Storm Bolter
|-
!6+
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Special Issue Boltgun
|Special Issue Boltgun
|-
|}</div></center>
</div>
</div>

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

====Forge World====
*'''Relic Contemptor Dreadnoughts:''' 37 points (around 38%) more naked than a naked normal Contemptor. Two more wounds compared to the standard Contemptor, ignore wounds received on a 6+ AND has a 2+ save, but Attacks also degrade with damage now (rather than Movement). You also get access to way more options than any other Dreadnought. For your convenience, they're all listed below; you can take any two you like, unlike the base Contemptor, which is forced into 1 melee option and has only a Kheres and a Multi-melta to choose from for its main gun. Unfortunately is a Relic, so each one of these forces you to take a non-Relic Elite. If you really just want a Contemptor but better (i.e. filling the same role against the same targets), take 1 chainfist with a heavy flamer and 1 Kheres. You'll get into position for the Kheres faster since your Movement doesn't cripple, it'll take way more work to cripple your statline, and your fist's output in both melee and ranged will be incredible.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
*Weapon Options
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
*'''Cyclone Missile Launcher''': Per the FAQ, can take one of these, but it's 38 points for two missile launchers at only 36" range - two actual missile launchers would cost you 40, and have 48" range and the ability to split fire if you wanted. Not a bad idea, but better than on Terminators, as it mounts on top of the hull and doesn't replace an arm weapon. The big draw here is the Contemptor's BS2+.
*'''Fist Weapon Options''':DCCW or Chainfist, with a built-in Storm Bolter, Heavy Flamer, Plasma Blaster (an assault 2 plasma gun at a steep price hike, but sull usable for reasons described below), or Graviton Blaster (an assault 2 grav-gun without paying a point more, which is sadly not nearly enough to make it worthwhile). It's also worth mentioning that Relic Contemptor [[Dreadnought]]s have the ''Unstoppable Fury'' rule, while allows them to reroll 1s to-hit if they are armed with two melee weapons but doesn't specify in which phase. So you have less concern about overcharging your plasma blaster now that you hit on a rerollable 2+. Since your movement no longer cripples, the Heavy Flamer is a really solid choice, allowing you to easily get into position to use it even as your other stats degrade.
**'''Chainfists''': Contemptor Chainfists gain -1 AP and +1 damage over a normal DCCW. Overall a solid upgrade that lets them do terrible damage to both vehicles and monsters. It's a must-take for all purposes. Don't take 2, though - 1 chainfist + 1 DCCW will give you identical performance while saving you 6 shiny points.
**Re-rolling hit rolls of 1 is pretty damn worth it, now that rolling with 2 melee weapons only costs you 10 more points.
*'''C-Beam Cannon''': The new Heavy [[Conversion Beamer]] is a single-shot weapon that starts at S6 AP-3 that does D3 damage. It also gains +2 points of strength and +D3 damage for each 24" between the target and the firer, totaling [[Awesome|S12 AP-3 4d3 Damage]] at 72" exactly, though realistically it will be S10 AP-3 D3d3 between 48" and 72". In addition, if ''a model is removed from play as a result of wounds caused'' then it automatically triggers 2d6 extra auto-hits on the target unit at S6 AP0 D1. Generally speaking, this weapon suffers the exact same problem as the [[Vindicare Assassin]], with a crippling downside that the contemptor MUST remain stationary for the entire turn in order to use it. It cannot be stressed enough that this thing really '''NEEDS''' the range, though firing it at infantry squads has a good chance of killing a random mook and triggering an average of seven further S6 hits, which is still better than a twin heavy bolter. At full range, the initial hit will likely knock the crap out of any target, wounding it on a 2+ or 3+ depending on its toughness and generally reducing its save to 5+ or worse but those additional hits will likely be wasted.
**Against the infantry targets you have a serious chance at one-shotting, the C-Beam Cannon suffers from costing so much. Against GEQs, you'll do a lot of damage even at short range, but not enough to outperform the Kheres, and you'll face similar scaling problems at any range, largely because as your ability to guarantee the "splatter" improves, your splatter's actual value gets worse. This weapon actually becomes the best when used against hard targets at the range - at 48" or more away, the only 6+ wounds target it's not your best choice against is T5 or T6, where the twin autocannons take over - but without the range, it's just not going to earn its keep.
**Think of this as the Swiss Army Knife of Dreadnought weapons. While there are dedicated weapons that handle their specialty better than the C-Cannon does, the fact that this can be used against almost any target and still be relatively effective is worth a mention. The movement restriction is an issue, though.
*'''Kheres Assault Cannon''': Take this against 1-wound models at Toughness 3, 5, 6, 7, or 10, (where on God’s green earth you’re going to find a Toughness 6/7/10 1-wound model is beyond me, but just in case...) and mulch your enemies.
*'''Twin Heavy Bolters''': 68% the cost of a Kheres, in exchange for S5 instead of S7 and 12" more range. S7 isn't a big deal, but S6 is, for shooting up both GEQs and Buildings, should that come up; the tl;dr here is that the THB is your best choice against 1-wound models with Toughness 1, 2, 4, 8, or 9 (although where you'll find those last options is a mystery).
*'''Twin Autocannons''': Identical to the one on the normal Dread. Worse than either of the above options against single-wound enemies, but the best you can take against 2-wound foes; the twin [[lascannon]], below, only finds viable targets starting at 3-wound targets and above, but this gun remains a good choice all the way up against ''something''; even at 6+ wound targets, this is best against Toughness 5, 6, 7, or 10, due to its relatively cheap cost.
*'''Twin Lascannons''': Pop vehicles open without having to get into melta range. Probably better on the Contemptor Mortis, though. Has fantastic range, but is crippled by its staggering cost; in order to earn its keep you have to shoot things with the wounds to notice that 1d6 damage rating. Once you're up against 6+ wounds targets, it's best against Toughness 1-4, 8, and 9.
*'''Multi-Melta''': A terrible idea. Much less effective than twin lascannons, against, well, anything. And the basic Dread or non-FW Contemptor could already take this.
*'''Heavy Plasma Cannon''': You have a 6+ save against the wounds overcharging this causes, but it's worse than your other choices against anything in the game, overcharged or not. Skip.
</div></div>

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

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

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

*'''Company Ancient on Bike:''' Gets the same added durability and speed upgrade as an Apothecary on a bike. His aura still only affects {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}}, not bikes.
**''Always'' take a bike. With the new 60mm x 35mm bike bases, your aura increases from about 6.5" from the center of the model to about 7.75", giving you more than a 15" diameter bubble of bonus actions.

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

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

*'''Company Veterans on Bikes:''' Similar to their footslogging counterparts, but with an extra wound and point of toughness per model. Keep in mind that they can only intercept hits for {{W40Kkeyword|Biker Characters}}, so if none of your Captains/Chaplains/Librarians are on bikes, they won't be able to bodyguard. It's challenging to justify the points cost here, since you pay 9 more points per bike than a Bike Squad, and don't get additional special weapons access until the 4th unit member, but this is just about the only way to field melee-focused bikes, if you have some sort of weird desire for that. 5 Company Veterans on Bikes each with a Stormbolter can lead to this single unit putting out 40 bolter shots at half range. A tactical squad at half range is 10 shots for 65pts, 6.5 points per bolt fired. A Scout Bike Squad at half range with a Storm Bolter Sergeant is 22 shots for 77 pts, 3.5 points per bolt fired. Meanwhile the Company Veterans on Bikes with Stormbolters comes to 4.75 points a bolter shot.
**Running two smaller 2 or 3 man squads instead of one larger squad has some tradeoffs. With more small squads, you get more sergeants (i.e. more melee attacks), make multi shot weapons less effective, and make it more likely for your opponent to overcommit when shooting them, since there are fewer guys for the shots to spill to. However, smaller squads make it easier for the opponent to pick off the guy he wants, for the same reason. Small squads are also fully immune to morale, but that's not much worry for a bigger squad anyway.

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

*'''{{W40kKeyword|[[Legion of the Damned]]}}'''
**'''Damned Legionnaires:''' Tough, a deep striking infantry unit. They can be armed with a plasma gun, flamer or a melta along with a heavy flamer or multimelta. The sergeant gets access to a shortened list of the usual sergeant weapons. The built-in 3++ invuln keeps the Legion of the Damned on the table longer than other Power Armour infantry units. Heavy Flamers and Flamers are great, but on the turn, the LotD unit arrives, it must be 9" away, and the flamers cannot shoot. For this reason, LotD is maximized with plasma or melta weapons on the alpha strike. Two squads of LotD can really hurt powerful tanks with two melta weapons in each squad. The flamer heavy loadout is best for objective camping early in the game, as the LotD can grab useful points via their deepstrike turn one.
**Legion of the Damned can be taken alongside any {{W40kKeyword|Imperium}} army in a Vanguard detachment despite said detachment not having any HQ units in it. However, the detachment will not grant extra CP.
**Unfortunately the LotD are one of the most point inefficient units in 8th edition, which is a shame considering their bitchin' models. Only ever use these guys in a fun environment, as competitive ones will laugh at these guys.
***Despite this, some viable strategies include dropping them in an objective in cover. Also you might as well give the Sergeant both a storm bolter and a bolter for some hilarious rapid fire 3 on a basic dude — and yes, they do still gain [[Dakka|Bolter Discipline]].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*'''Attack Bike Squad:''' 37 points for a heavy bolter or 49 points for a multi-melta is now VERY CHEAP, but you can't advance and shoot any of your guns, and moving will give the heavy weapon a penalty, so this is usually not a great choice, but the heavy bolter option is noteworthy for making this the cheapest in-Chapter option you have for Fast Attack, if you're looking to fill out a detachment. The full weapons complement of one is the heavy weapon, a twin bolter, 1 bolt pistol (which can't be swapped for a chainsword, unlike with standard Bikes), frag grenades, and krak grenades, but most of these will never come up - the compulsory storm bolter means you'll never want to fire the pistol or frag grenade, and it'll be a very rare occurrence that you'll prefer 1 krak grenade to the storm bolter ''and'' the heavy weapon, even after the movement penalty.
**White Scars players could put the MultiMelta loadout to good use, as they can move and shoot without penalty.
**Frankly, anybody can use the HB load out at 37 points. A squad of 3 sets you back 111 points and gets you 12 T5 wounds, 3 HBs, and 3 stormbolters always firing full volume at 24." Surprisingly, just keep them still and serve as a distraction as they chew threw chaff.
**For the points, these are better than Gravis units when stationary. However, aggressors and inceptors have better abilities and gain infantry/fly bonuses while also having assault weapons.
**White Scars, Ultramarines, and Iron Hands do not care about heavy weapons restrictions, making these an interesting option for a Brigade.
*'''[[Bike Squad]]:''' For 2 points more than a Scout Bike, you drop from M16 to M14, and lose some weapons - no shotguns, and you have to choose between the pistol and the chainsword, instead of taking both - but you improve from a 4+ save to a 3+ save, and up to two non-Sergeants (minimum unit is Sergeant + 2 non-Sergeants) can take a Special Weapon instead of that pistol or chainsword. The tl;dr here is that the ''only'' reason to take this squad is triple melta; you can see below for a discussion of the other choices. 112 points will get you your choice of 3 S8 shots at 26" (with melta-damage at 20"), 2 of which will hit, or 1.5 hitting at 32" and 26", respectively (before you ask, it's not worth the accuracy penalty to upgrade to melta damage). That isn't remotely as efficient as lascannon Devastators, but those aren't as good as getting onto or holding an objective. Don't take the Attack Bike if you can help it; losing Morale immunity isn't a big deal, but as just mentioned, the primary reason to take bikes is for the mobility, and Attack Bikes hate moving. '''tl;dr:''' Take ''only'' if you want relatively mobile but durable melta.
**The first, most obvious choice is Storm Bolters for the Sergeant; if you do that, you're looking at 83 points for 16 S4 shots at 38", while T5 and 2W. More points effective than Company Veterans on Bikes with all Storm Bolters, but worse than Scout Bikes. Keep in mind Storm Bolters are not on the Special Weapons List. This makes taking Flamers the slightly stronger option, giving every model more opportunities to wound while at closer range.
**The next most obvious choice is Flamers, which is a significant mistake; due to the bolter taxes involved, a triple Flamer squad trying to use their speed and auto-Advancing to get into Flamer range will find itself delivering ''fewer'' S4 shots for ''far'' more points than a Scout Bike squad. ''Without'' Advancing, you'll manage to out-shoot the Scout Bikes, but still by ''nowhere'' near enough to justify the cost, due to range limitations: your ''good'' threat range is only 22", which is the threat range on the S5 profile for the Scout Bikes' shotguns, and outside of that, you're incredibly inefficient!
**Finally, grav and plasma are fairly obviously bad - grav costs more than plasma for less damage against most targets you can be bothered shooting, and plasma is particularly a poor choice on models you've already paid a premium on for durability.
*'''[[Land Speeder]]s:''' Land speeders are now, for all intents and purposes, slightly bigger, faster, and more heavily armed attack bikes. The key difference here is that land speeders have the {{W40Kkeyword|fly}} keyword, which means if they ''do'' manage to survive the melee combat they'll occasionally find themselves in, they can just move out and shoot as normal (albeit with the penalty for moving with heavy weapons). This also makes them excellent at tarpitting gunlines. Currently, the Typhoon Missile Launcher is wildly undercosted, and should be your default choice. Benefits from the Big Guns Never Tire and Skilled Riders stratagems to mitigate the survivability and accuracy issues.
** An interesting loadout for SALAMANDERS is a unit of 3 land speeders kitted out with 6 heavy flamers, as they're one of the units that benefit the most from the Flamecraft stratagem.
**Ultramarines are a fluffy and interesting chapter that can make use of these without much issue due to '''Scions of Guilliman'''. Iron Hands, while not fluffy, can also do so thanks to their Heavy Weapons doctrine.
**Taking landspeeders in squads is a slightly more appealing option this edition, as it helps to mitigate their fragility somewhat and this edition gives all units the ability to split fire, so small vehicle units soaking up enemy anti-tank guns is less of a factor.
*'''Scout Bike Squad:''' Scout bikes got very interesting this edition, especially with the new Bolter Discipline rule! They lost scout but gained a second wound and a ''lot of firepower''. Every rider comes loaded for bear, with a twin bolter, combat knife (chainsword), shotgun, and bolt pistol, plus the usual grenades - every non-heavy weapon available to ground pounder Scouts. For each model this means 4 S4 shots at 24", and 6 at 12", two of which become S5 at 6". Up to 3 non-Sergeants can swap the twin bolter for a grenade launcher. But at the ludicrous cost of 9 pointsa and thanks to the Bolter Discipline, it become pretty useless: stay well away(unless you plan to exclusively advance). More interestingly, the Sergeant can drop his Pistol for a Storm Bolter. For only 2 points, he could single-handedly deliver '''8 S4 shots at 24", without taking his shotgun into account'''. Not only that, but they keep their combat knives - they'll handily out-melee a bike squad any day, if both units commit to dakka, as they should. It goes without saying you should always, always do that, fielding these guys MSU style.
** '''tl;dr:''' Each 71 point 3-bike squad has a basic threat range of 16 S4 shots up to 40", 22 up to 28", and, outside of debuffs, is utterly immune to morale. One of the best delivery methods you have for a lot of S4 hits happening right now, on a reasonably durable, very mobile platform. A great choice.

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

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

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

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

===Fortifications===
Not often seen, Marines in 8th have tended towards static gun lines like Primarch + Devastators. Fortifications are not a serious part of any meta right now, so using them can be an advantage while the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors are not common.
*'''Castellum Stronghold:''' In case you want to play an army comprised of buildings instead of tanks and soldiers. 3 bunkers and a bigger bunker, with T9 and a total of 56 wounds (3x12 and 20). This realm of battle tile (yes, its 2' by 2') is fairly indestructible and can pack up to 5 heavy weapons, from anti-tank guns to AA or troop mulchers. The tacticus bunker has transport space for 30 guys, and the bunkers for 12 each. Up to 15 and 10 models can shoot out of each of the bunkers. If your army doesn't fit inside completely, they can man the battlements for a cover save. And until the big bunker is destroyed all infantry, bike and dreadnoughts get a 4++ against shooting attacks while inside the stronghold. Oh, and one stratagem per turn costs 1 less CP if your warlord is embarked. Each of the small bunkers can take one of: Twin Heavy Bolter, Twin Heavy Flamer, Twin Lascannon, Multi-melta, Twin Assault Cannon, or Air Defence Missiles. The big bunker can take up to two of: Twin Heavy Bolter, Twin Heavy Flamer, Twin Lascannon, Multi-melta, Twin Assault Cannon, Castellum Air Defence Missiles (d3 shot krak missiles with the AA rule and the ability to fire at units it can't see), Whirlwind Castellan Launcher (2d6 frag missiles at S6 with no need for LoS), castellum battle cannon (nicked from the Leman Russ), Icarus Quad Lascannon (4 lascannon shots with the AA rule), or the pointless Communication Relay (FW meant that the -1CP to strats bonus only occured when you took this, but they named the special rule "Command Relay" instead of "Communication Relay" so [[fail|it comes as standard instead]]). All these guns must target the nearest enemy unit unless there's a friendly unit embarked within. At 550 points without guns this is something of an apocalypse thing.

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

====Forge World====
Forgeworld FAQ[https://17890-presscdn-0-51-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/40K_8th_ed_Update_Imperial_Armour_Index_Forces_of_the_Adeptus_Astartes_ver_1.0..pdf] updates the relic rule for LoW, effectively you can get one with no pre-requisites but further ones will still require the 'non-relic' tax. On the other hand, [[That Guy|who would even need to bring 4 Lords of War into anything short of the biggest Apocalypse games?]]. Beware as they are all overpriced, [[Rage|thank daddy GW for that]] and should never be taken outside of fun games

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

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

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

*'''Relic [[Fellblade]] Superheavy Tank:''' The Baneblade's exponentially meaner cousin, and the king of the battlefield. If you get first turn with a Fellblade in your army, and your positioning is good, you WILL win. Absolutely bristling with guns, it has a massively impressive statline of BS3+, S9, T9, W26, a 2+ Save, and PoTMS so it can move and shoot with no penalty. It's enormous and versatile Fellblade accelerator cannon sports two shell types: HE shells are Heavy 2D6 S8 AP-3 2D shots and allow rerolls for the number of shots when targeting a unit with more than 5 models. AE shells are Heavy 2 S14 AP-4 6D shots that work wonders on tanks. It comes stock with a hull-mounted Twin heavy bolter (which can be replaced with a Twin heavy flamer) and 2 sponson-mounted Quad lascannons (which can be swapped for the really not that good Laser destroyers like the Spartan). Like the Baneblade it also has a hull-mounted Demolisher cannon. If you crave even more dakka you can add a pintle-mounted Heavy bolter, Storm Bolter, Heavy flamer, or Multi-melta. Finally, anything trying to attack it in melee will have to deal with 9 WS5+ attacks from its Crushing tracks, which are S9 AP-2 DD3. If it explodes after losing its last wound (on a roll of 6), it deals D6 Mortal Wounds to units with 2D6" inches. The Steel Behemoth rule allows it to shoot or charge after falling back, and fire its guns even if enemies are within 1" of it. Further, it only benefits from cover saves when at least half the model is obscured. Its only real weakness is a lack on an invulnerable save, as dedicated anti-titanic guns like the Knight Castellan's volcano lance will completely delete it thanks to AP-5 and rerolling failed wounds against {{W40kKeyword|Titantic}} units. However, with T9 and a 2+ armour save, it's still pretty durable against most reasonable weapons, and most of the time you can outrange the insane anti-armour guns as the FAC has 100" range. Consider bringing the Fire Angels’ special character, Captain Tarnus Vale, to give it a 6++ (the other is to bring a Dorito Dreadnought with Atomantic Pavaise to give the Fellblade a 5++; this is more expensive than taking Vale but chances are you’re not worried about points (or money) if you’re taking a Fellblade) and casting Might of Heroes on it for T10 shenanigans. Despite its cool look and ''amazing'' firepower, [[Rage|it can no longer compare against the regular Baneblade thanks to its default loadout costing 917 points!]] Consider bringing techmarines or allying in Cawl to keep it alive as long as possible.
**Highly amusingly, in another proof of Forge World being inept at copy-pasting their own units' rules between their indices, the chaos fellblade costs 20 points less and their HE shells only do 1 damage instead of the 2 yours do.

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Chapters==

==={{W40Kkeyword|Ultramarines}}===
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[[File:Smurfpauldron.jpg|100px|left|]]
In the grim darkness of the far future, courage and honor will yet win the day. 
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primus_inter_pares First among equals], the Ultramarines set the standard for everyone else, and are paragons of strategy. Appropriate, since their Primarch wrote the Codex Astartes. 
On the tabletop, their tactical flexibility is represented by them having a special named character for everything and abilities to change the current Combat Doctrine. RG is the infiltration chapter and IH the vehicle one? Well screw them, we got Telion and Chronus, alongside Roboute Guilliman himself. Where the first casualty of any battle is the plan of attack, Ultramarine tactics are shielded by their inability to be tied up or tarpitted, and they can get extra CP to circumvent Space Marine's trademark thirst for CP. 
''If you want your marines to '''always fight on your terms''', then march for Macragge and you shall know no fear''.

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====Special Rules====

*'''Chapter Tactics - Codex Discipline:''' +1 to their Leadership characteristic. They also can fall back and still shoot, with a -1 modifier to hit.
**Ld9 makes 4-man units (like bikers) ''immune to morale'', and makes the serge of a 5-man unit flee only after two consecutive 6s.
**Fall Back's main purposes are to give the rest of your army a clear shot. Now nobody can tarpit you. Plus, close-range weapons get easier to use: anything with a flamer will be able to use it with impunity since it isn't affected by the -1 to hit anyway - get close, fire, charge/be charged and trigger Shock Assault, fall back, and flame again. Land Raider Redeemers will be unstoppable engines of destruction.
*'''Combat Doctrine - Scions of Guilliman:''' During the Tactical Doctrine, models can move and count as stationary as long as they didn't also fell back or advance during that movement phase. Not only does this mean Relentless from infantry to tanks (Relentless Vindicators & Flyers!), but it also means you always get bolter discipline during turns 2-3, until you reach the Assault Doctrine, where you'll be in close range anyways.
**Aggressors will be able to shoot twice on the move! Repulsor Executioners will be able to shoot twice without giving up on their role as transports! An Executioner could transport Aggressors for a turn 2 fiery capture of the objective point.
====Warlord Traits====
#'''Adept of the Codex:''' When you spend a Command Point to use a Stratagem, roll a 5+ to get it refunded. Versatile, always active (as long as he's on the field and not inside a transport), and gives you more freedom when using Stratagems; it's one of the best traits you can get. Calgar starts with this one.
#*The rules limit CP regain to 1 per battle round, but "WT: +5CP" is still damn useful, even more so with the bonus CP handed out by Calgar.
#'''Master of Strategy:''' Once per battle round, select an Ultramarines unit within 6" of the warlord. Until the end of the battle round, whenever models of that unit attack the Tactical Doctrine is considered to be active (this does not stop either of the other two Doctrines being active, so you can have two active at once this way). Librarian Tigurius and Telion have this as their trait.
#*Their best doctrine one turn ahead of schedule. Also when your army (but not your warlord) is committed to the Assault.
#'''Calm Under Fire:''' Friendly Ultramarines models within 6" of the warlord ignore the -1 to hit penalty to shooting when they fall back. ''More like Calm Under Melee''. Sergeant Chronus come with this.
#'''Paragon of War:''' This warlord's unmodified wound rolls of 6s (ranged and melee) inflict mortal wounds in addition to all other damage. ''Balanced, offensive champion-type warlord''. Captain Sicarius starts with this one.
#'''Nobility Made Manifest:''' 6" Aura of Heroic Interventions for friendly Ultramarine Infantry and Bikers. ''For The Greater Imperium''. Guilliman starts with this one. The loss of Adept of the Codex hurts a bit, but you can always just pay 1cp to give another character Adept of the Codex, and that one out of Guilliman's 3 bonus ones will pay for itself.
#* ''If you mess with one, you mess with all''. It achieves an immune effect by preventing your opponents from eliminating units one by one in melee, and stops them from surrounding a single friendly unit and taking hostages.
#'''Warden of Maccrage:''' This warlord's heroic interventions are 6" long. ''Why?'' Chaplain Cassius has this one.

====Relics & Special-Issue Wargear====

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

=====Relics of Macragge=====
*'''Armour of <s>John</s> Konor:''' Terminator model only. 4++, halve damage rounding up. Calgar's clothes, for when you want yet another beatstick or cannot afford papa smurf himself.
*'''Helm of Censure:''' Aeonid Thiel's helmet that started the tradition of serges wearing red hats. The bearer can re-roll 1 hit roll of 1 and 1 wound roll of 1 per attack (which usually means all hit and wound rolls get it - it's like having a captain and a lieutenant nearby). When attacking {{W40kKeyword|Heretic astartes}} ''or {{W40kKeyword|Adeptus Astartes}}'', add 1 to both hit rolls and wound rolls in addition (damn).
**While a librarian benefits lots (WS3+, Power Axe), the boost also affecting ranged combat and ''not replacing any weapon'' means a Captain's Combi-plasma/melta wounds a CSM Predator on a 2+, and can even shoot both profiles at BS2+ (although this will have worse performance than safely overcharging just the plasma profile).
*'''The Sanctic Halo:''' {{W40Kkeyword|Captain}} or Chapter Master only (in all his forms, including Primaris). Gives him a 3++ and can deny one power per turn like a Psyker. Fantastic for the warlord himself, as his most important job is staying alive so you can use Adept of the Codex. Denying psychic powers is also extremely useful since so many of them allow a Psyker to target a character and inflict mortal wounds that bypass their saves. Plus, you won't need to give up your ranged weapon for the Storm Shield, which is nice. Better than the Armour Indomitus to give your Gravis Captain a 3++ on his already sturdy frame.
*'''Soldier's Blade:''' S+1 AP-4 D2 sword. Available to characters with either a power sword, master-crafted power sword, or, most importantly, ''a combat blade'', making it ''one of the few melee relics for Phobos Characters''. Otherwise, don't bother - the Burning Blade is better.
*'''Standard of Maccrage Inviolate:''' Ancient only, +1A to friendly UM units within 6" of the bearer. Friendly UM units within 12" also autopass morale tests. To be carried by your deathstar's banner bearer.
*'''Tarentian Cloak:''' The bearer has 5++, and regains D3 wounds at the start of the movement phase.
*'''Vengeance of Ultramar:''' Rapid Fire '''4(!)''' Storm bolter that re-rolls wound rolls against non-vehicles. Best when used by a Termie captain.
**This can be vicious with the '''Paragon of War''' Warlord Trait. Almost guarantees at least ONE mortal wound. Also consider this build on a bike captain with the extra bolter shots... 12 dice at 24"

=====Special-Issue wargear=====
*'''Adamantine Mantle:''' Fnp5+++. "Not dying" is good for everyone, but (smash) captains/Primaris are the ones with the most wounds to proc it with.
*'''Artificer Armour:''' 2+/5++. Most useful for Lieutenants and Librarians, who lack invulns.
*'''Digital Weapons:''' Do an additional attack when the model fights. If it hits, the target suffers a mortal wound.
*'''Hellfury bolts:''' You can choose the bolt weapon it's used on to make only one attack, but it inflicts 1MW if it hits (and the shooting sequence ends).
*'''Master-crafted Weapon:''' +1D to a weapon, and it now considered a relic (so now some WTs no longer affect it and such). ''4D Thunder Hammer!''
*'''Reliquary of Vengeance:''' Once per battle (at the start of the fight phase), friendly chapter units within 6" of the bearer gain +1A.
*'''Seal of Oath:''' Designate an enemy before the first turn begins. The bearer has a 6" aura of re-rolling ''all'' hits and wounds against [[That Guy]], failed or not.
*'''Sunwrath Pistol:''' Cawl's plasma pistol of safe supercharge. But it's Pistol 2, so that's a double improvement.

====Stratagems====
Bland but reliable, Ultramarine stratagems are Tau-like in that they're focused towards shooting, teamwork and avoiding melee. Guess it's an Eastern Fringe thing. They can be divided into four broad categories: Offense, Defense, Utility, and Character Upgrades.
*'''Offense:''' Better accuracy, for when you don't want a silly thing like chance to ruin your dice game plans.
**'''Avenge the Fallen (1 CP)''': Use this stratagem when an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit from your army is destroyed by an attack made by an enemy unit. Until the end of the battle, when resolving an attack made by an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit from your army against that enemy unit, re-roll hit rolls of 1.
**'''Martial Precision (1 CP)''': Use this stratagem before resolving an attack made by an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} model from your army in your shooting phase, do not make a hit roll, it automatically scores a hit. Note that it only applies to a single attack made by any weapon, so don't go thinking that you can have a Captain automatically hit with all of his Thunder Hammer strikes. Use this against Eldar and other opponents who stack ridiculous amounts of -1 to hit.
**'''Sons of Guilliman (1 CP)''': Use this stratagem when an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Infantry}} or {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Biker}} from your army is chosen for the Shooting or Fighting phase. If that unit has a Troops Battlefield Role, until the end of the phase, when resolving an attack made by that unit, you can reroll a hit roll. Otherwise until the end of that phase, when resolving an attack made by that unit, you can reroll a hit roll of 1.
**'''Vengeance for Calth (1 CP)''': Use when an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit from your army is chosen to fight in the Fight phase. Until the end of the phase, when resolving an attack made with a melee weapon in that unit against a {{W40kKeyword|Word Bearers}} unit, you can reroll the hit and wound roll. Potent, if you can find one of the three people playing Word Bearers that is.
**'''Tactical Expertise (2 CP, Single Use)''': Can be used at the start of any movement phase when the Tactical Doctrine is active; all {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} whose Rapid Fire or Assault weapon makes an unmodified wound roll of 6 before the next battle round has the attack's AP improved by 1 (e.g. AP0 becomes AP-1).
*'''Defense:''' AKA protection against melee.
**'''Courage and Honour! (1 CP)''': At the start of the Morale phase, add 1 to the Leadership characteristic of {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} models from your army until the end of the phase.
**'''Defensive Focus (2 CP)''': Use this stratagem if an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit from your army is chosen as a target of a charge. Select up to three {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} units that are more than 1" away from any enemy units and within 6" of the targeted unit. The selected units fire Overwatch at the charging unit as if they were targets of the charge. ''For the Greater Macragge!''
***Something something Eliminator sergeants with Instigator carbines moving after shooting overwatch. The complete opposite would be to use this near a 'Nobility Made Manifest' warlord to further reinforce the immune response effect. In which case, something something Aggressor double overwatch. [[Tau|Notice how deadly it is to charge]] an Ultramarines gunline?
**'''Fall Back and Re-Engage (1/2 CP)''': Use this stratagem when an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit from your army falls back. That unit can shoot and charge this turn. If that unit actually has the Codex Discipline Chapter Tactic (it could be a successor), the hit roll penalty for falling back and shooting does not apply for that unit this turn and this strat only costs 1CP instead of 2.

*'''Utility:''' Highlight Ultramarines' love for rules by disregarding the rules, with lots of ways to bypass GW's nerf to doctrines and wrong-foot your opponent. Bonus points if you say "Actually..." before using them.
**'''Inspiring Command (1 CP)''': Use at the start of the Shooting or Fight phase. Select one {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Chapter Master}}, {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Captain}}, or {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Lieutenant}} model from your army. Until the end of that phase, the range of that model's aura abilities is increased by 3".
**'''Rapid Deployment (2 CP)''': Used at the start of the battle round before the first turn begins, select up to three {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} from your army on the battlefield. Remove them from the battlefield and set them up again as described in the Deployment section of the mission (if both players can do this, roll off to see who redeploys first).
***Can be combined with the '''Lord of Deceit''' Vanguard Warlord Trait and redeploy your entire army. No need to go that far, but having a second chance at deployment after your enemy already comitted to it can disrupt their plans even before the game begins.
**'''Cycle of War (1 CP)''': Use this stratagem at the start of the battle round if an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} Warlord from your army is on the battlefield and the Assault Doctrine was active during the previous battle round. The current active doctrine is changed so that the Devastator Doctrine is now active. When there's nobody left in assault range, pop this, move up your heavy weapons and perhaps pop a grenade or two - and more importantly, get a second chance to switch to the Tactical Doctrine. If the game is going to last at least six turns, that is. So, kinda Single Use too.
**'''Squad Doctrine (1 CP)''': Use this stratagem at the start of your Movement Phase; select an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Infantry}} or {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Biker}} unit from your army, and then select the Devastator, Tactical, or Assault Doctrine. Until the start of your next Movement phase, that unit gains the bonus of that combat doctrine ''instead''.
**'''Tactical Insight (2 CP, Single Use)''': Use this stratagem after generating your Tactical Objectives. If your {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} Warlord from your army is on the battlefield. Immediately discard your Tactical Objectives and generate new ones.
*'''Character Upgrades:''' All Chapters Supplements include some variation of the following three stratagems.
**'''Exemplar of the Chapter (1 CP, Single use)''': Use this stratagem after you nominate an {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} model that is not a named character to be your Warlord. You can generate one additional Warlord Trait for them from the Ultramarines Warlord Traits table. Each Warlord Trait in your army must be unique. Give him Adept of the Codex if they didn't have it already; that'll make this Stratagem more than pay for itself. ''Finally, a reason to have a warlord other than Calgar or a named character''.
**'''Honoured by Macragge (1 CP, Single Use):''' After nominating a warlord from an UM successor chapter, you may give one of their characters a Relic of Macragge ''instead'' of one from the main SM codex or a Special Issue wargear.
**'''Honoured Sergeant (1 CP)''': Before the battle, select one {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} model that has the word "Sergeant" in their profile. They may take a Master-crafted weapon/Digital weapon/Hellfury Bolts/Sunwrath pistol, even though they are not a {{W40kKeyword|Character}}. All relics must be different.
***While a Devastator sergeant can shoot Hellfury at BS2+, an Incursor one ignores all modifiers to hit and an Eliminator/Scout Sniper one can shoot it at characters. The other 3 special issues are close combat oriented. Also, while it looks cool, don't give a Sunwrath to the Hellblaster sarge, he'd be wasting his squad's range on a just-in-case relic. Nobody stops you from giving this to a Assault Centurion Seargant, four strength 10 siege drills in the face for 4 damage.

====Litanies of Battle & Psychic Discipline - Indomitus====
Indomitus is a mixed bag of situational powers. They consist of the two mortal wound generators (standard across all Chapter specific supplements), one self-buff, one enemy debuff, and two general utility powers. None of these are strong enough to build an entire strategy around, but could provide help in the right circumstance. Pretty middle of the road, but that is to be expected from the Ultramarines.

#'''Precognition''': WC5. Until the start of your next Psychic phase, this psyker has a 5++ invuln, and when resolving an attack made against this psyker, subtract 1 from the hit roll.
#'''Scryer's Gaze''': WC7. If your army is Battle Forged you can immediately gain 1 CP. If you choose not to, once this turn, when resolving an attack made by a model from a friendly {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} unit within 18" of this psyker, you can re-roll the hit, wound, or damage roll.
#'''Telepathic Assault''': WC7. Select one visible enemy unit within 24" of the psyker. Roll 2D6 and add 2 to the result; that unit suffers 1 mortal wound for each point by which the total exceeds the highest Leadership characteristic of models in that unit. You aren't gonna destroy a unit of Necron Warriors, but if you roll well everything leadership 6 and lower are gonna get ''fucked''. Tried using it on an Ork player once, but he says Mob Rule counteracts it.
#'''Storm of the Emperor's Wrath''': W6. Select the nearest visible enemy unit within 18" of the psyker. Roll a D6 for each model in the unit; for each 6, that unit suffers 1 mortal wound.
#'''Psychic Shackles''': WC6. Select one visible enemy unit within 18" of this psyker. Until the start of your next Psychic phase, halve the move characteristic (rounding up) of models in that unit, and when a charge or advance roll is made for that unit, subtract 1 from that roll. A unit cannot be affected by both this and the Tenebrous Curse psychic power at the same time, but nothing is stopping you from locking down two different units.
#'''Empyric Channeling''': WC5. Select one other friendly {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines Librarian}} within 12" of this psyker. Until the end of this Psychic phase, when a Psychic test is taken by the target, add 2 to the total, and the target does not suffer Perils of the Warp on a roll of double 1 or double 6.

'''Litanies of Battle - March of Macragge:''' You can re-roll 1s on advance or charge rolls for friendly {{W40kKeyword|Ultramarines}} within 6" of the Chaplain.

====Specialist Detachment - Victrix Guard====
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{{W40kKeyword|Captains}} of all flavours (note this doesn't include Calgar), {{W40kKeyword|ancients}} (all flavours){{W40kKeyword|, Honour guards, victrix honour guards, vanguard vets & sternguard vets}} gain the {{W40kKeyword|VICTRIX GUARD}} keyword, for when you want to bring the very elite, the exemplars among exemplars. But not termies, they aren't vet enough apparently. And fluff aside, this is the only <s>formation</s> specialist detachment that can bring deepstriking melee squads with actual AP, aka Vanguard Vets.
 This is a MELEE formation; Sternguards were included only because their serge looks cool next to Calgar. ''Thanks, sarge!'' Note that only {{W40kKeyword|ULTRAMARINES}} can take this, and not any of their Successors.
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*Consider a basic Vanguard Detachment of Captain w/ Twin Lightning Claws (with the Imperium's Sword trait), Ancient w/ Bolt Pistol and two basic Vanguard Vet squads, with the Sergeant's replacing their Chainswords with Lightning Claws. This will give you 12 Bolt Pistol attacks, 12 Lightning Claw attacks, and 27 Basic attacks, the later upped to 15 and 36 if the Ancient is given the Relic Banner. All for just over 300 points.
**If you need a transport, a Land Raider Redeemer works, though it is expensive, almost doubling the cost.
*One use of this detachment is to make your smash captain rival the blood angels; Fight Like Demigods buffs your hit rolls to a 2+ rerolling, Warden of Ultramar makes your wound rolls better than even slamminigus for a turn and Strike First can be a nasty and unexpected counterattack. This tactic costs a lot of CP but is worth it when some random captain tears apart an imperial knight.

'''Stratagems'''
*'''Fight Like Demigods (1CP):''' At the start of the Fight phase, pick a {{W40kKeyword|VICTRIX GUARD}} unit within 6" of a {{W40kKeyword|VICTRIX GUARD CAPTAIN}}. That unit's attacks get +1 to hit until the end of the phase.
**Great with unwieldy Thunder Hammers and Power Fists, as they will remain WS3+ whilst enjoying the Captain's rerolls (instead of becoming coin-flip WS4+ and ''needing'' a Chaplain). Even with regular power weapons, becoming WS2+ for a single CP (that you can regain) is a good deal.

*'''Strike First, for Ultramar! (3CP):''' At the end of the opponent's Charge phase, pick a {{W40kKeyword|VICTRIX GUARD}} unit that was charged or made a Heroic Intervention. They get to pile in and fight right away as if it was the Fight phase AND can fight normally in the actual Fight phase as well.
**The BEST melee stratagem of them all. Now nothing at all can prevent the chosen unit from fighting, as it attacks even before those units with the "fights first" ability, and even before the enemy can use 'Counter-Offensive'. It's a Counter Offensive Counter Offensive that lets you fight twice, and that'd usually cost 2+3 CP, but the poster boys just have to be ''better than you''.

'''Warlord Trait'''
*'''Warden of Ultramar:''' Once per battle, in the Fight phase, you can re-roll wound rolls for attacks made by friendly {{W40kKeyword|VICTRIX GUARD}} units within 6" of this Warlord. ''Useful if you didn't bring or, more commonly, couldn't AFFORD to bring a Lieutenant along. Useless on Twin Claw Vanguards, however, power sword vets become very dangerous''.

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====Special Units====
'''HQ'''
*'''[[Marneus Calgar]]:''' Papa Smurf, now back in the HQ slot. His Armour of Antilochus grants a 4+ invulnerable save and halves all damage he receives (rounded up, so he's not immune to 1 damage weapons). The Bolter part of the Gauntlets of Ultramar aren't too bad since they deal 2 damage and have AP-1, but you will ignore both them and his relic blade because in melee they act like Power Fists without the -1 to hit. As is the case for all Chapter Master characters, he grants re-rolls for all to-hit rolls for units within 6". He can also deep strike, and having him as your Warlord in a Battle-forged army grants 2 bonus Command Points. While both his stats and buffing abilities pale by comparison to Guilliman, he can fill a similar role if you want to save the points and/or the Lord of War slot.
**'''Marneus Calgar in Artificer Armour:''' (index) Papa Smurf, before Swarmlord ate his arms, his legs, and half of his face. One less wound, no halved damage, and no ability to deep strike, and now, since the Codex sets Calgar in the Armour of Antilochus at 200 points, 35 points cheaper than the version in Artificer armour, you have no reason to ever take him in this form unless you're re-creating the battle at the Cold-Steel Ridge or something. Or you desperately need him to fit into a Rhino or Razorback.
**'''Marneus Calgar in the Armour of Heraclus:''' It has finally happened. Papa Smurf has become the super-NuMarine. He now gets +1T thanks to his Gravis armour, as well as +1W and +1A from being Primaris, and he even gets to keep his 2+/4++ along with the halved damage. This makes him even more powerful than he ever was, although being a Primaris does mean that if he wants to actually get into combat he'll either need to footslog or pay for a Repulsor.
***Something for consideration: Calgar, with the right supports, is actually a deadlier fighter in melee than Guilliman is. For starters, while Guilliman can feel the pain from larger foes and their absurd damage, Marneus can, for the most part, walk out less damaged and more annoying thanks to the halved damage. Assuming all damage is multi-wound rather than 1 damage, Calgar technically has ''16'' wounds, versus Guilliman's 9. In addition, while Guilliman can resurrect with D6 wounds, Calgar can receive near-constant healing through an Apothecary as he is an <INFANTRY> rather than a <MONSTER> (what, you thought Apothecaries can understand the anatomy of pseudo-demigods?). Excluding the cost of a Librarian and Victrix Guard (since Guilliman can benefit from those too) and you can have a better beatstick than Guilliman (though you do lose his super-aura). The only main weakness of Calgar in this regard is that he has slightly less toughness and strength (you ARE using Might of Heroes through Calgar's Librarian, aren't you?) than Guilliman, and he's stuck with D3 damage for his fists. TL,DR: Calgar is far cheaper for a super tough HQ and can benefit from other buffs where Guilliman can not. Calgar can certainly buff your army, but Guilliman does it better. However, Guilliman delivers more melee offense overall and functions better in situations devoid of support.
***Somebody is really [[Matthew_Ward|overestimating]] Calgar here. Against incoming attacks that are 2 damage, D3 damage, 3 damage, and D6 damage respectively, Calgar essentially has 16, 12, 12 and 14 wounds respectively (the results of D3 damage halved rounding up are 1, 1 and 2 and so D3 damage weapons average 1.333 damage against him). Now this is impressive, but the kinds of things you’re talking about fighting will usually force him to use his invulnerable save, which is a 4+, and so his effective hp is actually 32, 24, 24 and 28. Guilliman has 9 wounds on a 3++, so his effective hp is 27 in all scenarios, so the differences are actually minor against the bigger damage weapons without accounting for his revive ability, but between rerolling wounds and D3 mortal wounds on 6+ his melee output is potent enough to deal 7.778 wounds to Calgar in a single fight phase, ie basically killing him on average. How much damage can Calgar accomplish against Guilliman, or Calgar himself (Abaddon)? 2.6 wounds in both cases, 3.02 and 3.78 with the might of heroes. You may notice by this point that you’re paying half the points for less than half the melee power even with psyker support (at least in this case, but I think this is a decent benchmark). Add in that Calgar’s halve-damage durability is completely negated by things like the mortal wounds from snipers, and well...
*'''[[Cato Sicarius|Captain Sicarius]]:''' No longer able to give 10 leadership to his whole detachment, or let a rhino tac squad infiltrate. But he is a bit cheaper now, and his power sword can do D3 mortal wounds if you roll a 6 to wound. His ''artisan plasma pistol'' now gets the benefit of overcharging without any risk of hurting him. He also can grant a squad Defenders of Humanity for a round. Overall, he is roughly the same if not slightly better in terms of melee, but can surprise an enemy via (for example) giving his Terminator retinue ObSec. The best thing about him is that, at 100 pts, he's pretty cheap. He's alright for his price, though his special ability does require some forethought.
*'''[[Varro_Tigurius|Chief Librarian Tigurius]]:''' Got beefy now, with only a 3+ save, no invuln, yet 5W and 4 attacks. He's still rather vulnerable, but can kick and punch almost as well as a Captain thanks to becoming a Primaris Marine. He does have a pretty nifty ability, however, as he can inflict a -1 penalty to '''all''' hit rolls against him or a friendly '''Ultramarine''' unit within 6" each turn, which helps him or any screening unit to survive. Can also be used on a unit holding an objective to increase its survivability, on a flyer for a -2 to hit for maximum trolling, and so on; this ability has quite a few interesting tactical applications. Is equipped with his rod, a power stave that gives +3 to strength, but you don't want him in close combat anyway, unless facing extremely weak close combat opponents. His mortal wound production from ''Smite'' helps against high wound models and hordes. His hood now adds +1 to psychic tests and denial on top of the re-rolls.
**He can re-roll failed Psychic Tests (but not successful ones, even if they Perils), so his expected damage from ''Smite'' is 2.09, rather than 1.79, assuming he can live through Perils, which he can always do with his starting health. His Primaris version is better, and can re-roll any Psychic test, so you can re-roll double 6s to avoid Perils.
***He knows 3 Librarius (or Indomitus) powers and ''Smite'', and can cast and deny 2 powers per turn. In general, non-Primaris Tigurius' odds of casting a power (assuming he lives through Perils) are:
****''Smite'': 97.22%
****''Veil of Time'': 92.28%
****''Might of Heroes'': 92.28%
****''Scourge'': 92.28%
****''Fury of the Ancients'': 82.64%
****''Psychic Fortress'': 97.22%
****''Null Zone'': 82.64%
***Primaris Tigurius is ''even better''; he gets +1 to cast rolls. His odds on WC5 to WC8 are:
****''5:'' 99.31% (Smite, Psychic Fortress, Precognition, Empyric Channelling)
*****Because his +1 will make Smite roll higher more often, his Smite output is higher; because he can also re-roll successful Psychic tests, you can fish for bigger Smites - if you re-roll all rolls of 9 or less (remember, you get 1d6 mortal wounds on 10s with this guy), your average will be 2.319 mortal wounds. If you only re-roll 3s and 2s, since you'll succeed at the cast on 4s, your average will be 2.257.
****''6:'' 97.22% (Veil of Time, Might of Heroes, Scourge, Storm of the Emperor's Wrath, Psychic Shackles)
****''7:'' 92.28% (Scryer's Gaze, Telepathic Assault, Fury of the Ancients, Null Zone)
*'''[[Ortan Cassius|Chaplain Cassius]]:''' He grants a mortal wound against enemy units that kill an Ultramarines model within 6" on a 6+. 3+ Marines die often, so with big numbers in your army Cassius has some punch and hurts the enemy in their phase. Combine with a Company Ancient and Apothecary to make the marine shoot as he dies, confer a mortal wound, and be brought back to life to shoot the next turn.
**With the new codex and the Ultramarines Supplement, Cassius provides two Litanies for your marines. Using the +1 to hit and +1 to wound litanies can give squads that can generally hit on 2s, and a minimum wounding of 5s.
*'''[[Torias Telion|Sergeant Telion]]:''' Telion makes Scout Snipers better. He is armed with a better Sniper Rifle, and Scouts within 3" add 1 to their roll to hit. Telion hits on a 2+, and also has the Ultramarine and Scout keyword. Rolls of one always fail, but modifiers are diminished by his buff to himself.
*'''[[Antaro Chronus|Sergeant Chronus]]:''' Sadly, you still can't take Chronus in a Repulsor or certain FW vehicles, which is a real shame since he can not only repair the tank he's riding in but also fixes its BS to 2+. This might not seem like much of a buff at first, but keep in mind that ''this overrides the BS decrease that the damage tables would normally force''- not only will it be hitting on a 2+, it'll continue to do so even at the point it would normally be hitting on a 5+! Like in 7th edition, he becomes an infantry unit if his tank is destroyed, but a lackluster statline and bad selection of wargear mean that Chronus on foot is little more than an extra kill point for the enemy.
**Depending on whether you want him to fill a Heavy slot or not as well as an HQ slot, the two vehicles he's commonly considered best in are a quadruple lascannon predator or a double assault cannon razorback. In either case, remember that he's not a character until he disembarks, and you want his vehicle to have as many guns as possible, so always take a storm bolter and strongly consider a hunter-killer missile.
**The vehicle Chronus commands gets the character keyword. While that might not by itself stop him from getting shot, (all the vehicles he can ride have 10 wounds or more,) it does mean he can use Company Veterans, Honor Guard and Victrix Guard to deflect shots and stay operational for very long.
**Originally, vehicles he can command was very specific; but the new Codex has the following keywords as available rides: LAND RAIDER, RHINO, RAZORBACK, WHIRLWIND, PREDATOR, VINDICATOR. Sadly, no REPULSOR, SICARAN, MASTODON, ASTRAEUS, FELLBLADE or SPARTAN, but this still means he can command a Whirlwind Scorpius, a Land Raider Achilles or a Relic Predator. Or if you want to live dangerously, a Vindicator Laser Destroyer or a Terminus Ultra.
**Chronus and Telion are dirt cheap (65 for Telion, 30 for Chronus, although that's on top of the tank he rides), so they will be a great help to fill compulsory HQ slots for bigger detachments. This is a huge boon for Ultramarine players, as this will help get more command points and recycle them thanks to their warlord trait. Throw in cheap Scout Squads for the troop tax (and to make sure Telion is used to his full potential) and you're good to go for a Battalion.
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'''Forgeworld''' {{W40kKeyword|Successor Chapters}} '''Characters''' 
Remember you don't necessarily need to pick Inheritors of the Primarch to be Ultramarine successors and use this supplement.
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{{W40kKeyword|[[Fire Angels]]}} 
*'''Captain Tarnus Vale:''' Captain. Provides a 6+ invuln to nearby vehicles, but isn't riding a bike or using a jump pack, so he'll never keep up with his charges unless he’s in a transport or said charges are artillery tanks, such as a Fellblade or Whirlwind. But, he does have a power axe that has D2, and an 8" pistol 3 plasma pistol. Not to mention lots of vehicles sit in a parking lot. Like are you really gonna be zipping that predator up the field?
'''Successor Tactics:''' The Fire Angels are notable for for their strict adherence to the Codex, so Inheritors of the Primarch is a perfect fit for them. Alternatively, if you want to build around Vale's Vehicle buffs and build a parking lot type army, tank boosting Tactics like Master Artisans and Scions of the Forge are good options.

{{W40kKeyword|[[Fire Hawks]]}} 
*'''Knight-Captain Elam Courbray:''' Captain. The ''only'' Forge World character in this list who showed up with a Jump Pack, with the highest Move stat (and the guy in second place, Hecaton Aiakos, can't be your Warlord, although [[Lias Issodon]] is the guy in third place). However, because how DARE you tell him what to do when he comes in from reserve, he teleports in like a boss, rather than falling from the sky like a pleb. Also, he will always try to attack Characters within 1" of him, even if you'd rather he attacked someone else, because, again, FUCK YOU.
**You're better off taking a regular captain with a jump pack bolt pistol and a relic blade. You're paying 18 points more to get to reroll wounds on your Suser AP-2 D1d3 sword (worse than the relic blade at S+2 AP-3 D1d3, which is more likely to wound on the first roll given it makes the captain S6). That's all he has over the normal jump pack captain. That and the 'has to hit characters if possible within 1"' thing. Which is actually a handicap.
'''Successor Tactics:''' While Courbray is nothing you'd build an army around and not a whole lot is known about the Fire Hawk's specialisation, they present a fluffy option for creating a more fleshed out Legion of the Damned. No options for universal FNP or Deep Striking, but general durability boosters like Indomitable, Stalwart, Stealthy (fluff it as the smoke rising off them giving them cover!) Or Warded are fine choices, and Fearsome Aspect is quite appropriate.

{{W40kKeyword|[[Howling Griffons]]}} 
*'''Chaplain Dreadnought Titus:''' Exactly the same as a normal chaplain dread, but his FNP equivalent is a 5+, not a 6+, and he has fixed weaponry in an assault cannon, heavy flamer, and big ol' smashy fist. He's worth taking if you're playing Howling Griffons and already planned on taking a Chaplain Dreadnought, but otherwise unremarkable.
'''Successor Tactics:''' Griffons are known for their tactical flexibility and good sense, so most any blend of Tactics could be made to work. Titus himself, similarly, is just a solid all-rounder, though Chaplain Dreads inherently encourage a more melee focused playstyle. A good pick for remaining fast and loose with what sort of army you want to bring.

{{W40kKeyword|[[Marines Errant]]}} 
*'''Lieutenant Commander Anton Narvaez:''' Captain. Used to be he was a little worse stats-wise than a captain (since he's not a captain) but had more interesting (if weird) wargear. Now he's just as good as a regular captain stat-wise, but his wargear got even weirder and even better. He comes with a power sword that on a 6+ to wound does a mortal wound ''instead'' (weird), an assault d3 plasma gun with 1 less ap that can't supercharge (weirder) and the Actinic Halo which gives him a 2++ save that is better than his power armour save UNTIL you take an unsaved wound at which points it stops working and only gives a near useless 6++ (legendarily weird). He honestly makes a decently shooty captain who has a decent buff (he provides the captain buff of rerolling 1s to hit, not the lieutenant buff to wounding) and is good for an all-rounder and doesn't cost much at all, use your command point rerolls on his invulnerable save to keep him alive all game and outside of mortal wounds he'll be exceptionally tanky... especially for a dude who's just supposed to be a ship captain.
'''Successor Tactics:''' Close range board actions are not well represented on the tabletop outside of Killteam, but we can make it work. Assault is the name of the game here, so Hungry for Battle and Rapid Assault are no brainers.

{{W40kKeyword|[[Novamarines]]}} 
*'''Captain Mordaci Blaylock:''' Terminator captain, with a D3 chainfist, a relic storm bolter S5 AP-2, and grants a 6+ FNP to all Novamarines Infantry within 6".
'''Successor Tactics:''' Another Codex hardliner, so Inheritors of the Primarch is probably ypur go-to here. Just as well, Braylock is brutal in close range where he can support similarly built units.
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'''Elite:'''
*'''Chapter Ancient:''' Split off from the Honour Guard, he's the same as a Company Ancient, but exclusive to Ultramarines and comes with a 2+ save and a power sword instead of the pistol (which he can't exchange). He also has a 9" banner range instead of 6", just in case you wanted him to reach out and touch farther units to let them fight or shoot one last time.

*'''Chapter Champion:''' Despite the name, the Codex Chapter Champion isn't unique, so one Ultramarines Chapter can have multiple of him. He has the same mandatory Heroic Intervention and re-roll against CHARACTERs as a Company Champion but has +1A and Sv, and different wargear. His Codex entry carries a Power Sword and Champion's Blade (as well as a bolt pistol and grenades), meaning he costs 64 points, so you're paying 10 points over a Company Champion to go from 3+/5++ to 2+ and from A3 S4 AP-3 D2 to A4 S4 AP-3 D1 + A1 S4 AP-2 D1; as you may have just noticed, this means, even before the points difference, your output is going down against anything with 2 or more wounds. Accordingly, you're better off with a Company Champion, even though the Chapter Champion can use the Index to swap his Champion's Blade for a Bolter (which is drastically better on him) or his power sword for something else, simply because the master-crafted power sword on the Company Champion is so efficient and because 2+ isn't that much better than 3+/5++. The closest you're going to get for competition is the Thunder Hammer/Bolter combo, which is 81 points for A4 WS3+ (rerolling 1s to hit characters) S8 AP-3 D3, which will murder most things more efficiently than the Company Champion will, but only once delivered, and you can't give him a Jump Pack - that's a serious points investment over solving the same problem with Thunder Hammer Vanguard Vets, who can just get to the problem with their Jump Packs.
**Both Champions have buffs that overlap Chaplains/Captains/Chapter Masters, so plan accordingly - if you're bringing the buffs in from elsewhere, neither is remotely as compelling as TH/SS Company or Vanguard Veterans.
***This has all changed now. The Chapter Champion gets a Mastercrafted Power Sword and some quite substantial buffs now. Firstly, he has 5 attacks on his profile, which is more than even a Captain. Secondly, all attacks in close combat are at -1 to hit him. Combined with a 2+ save he's looking very survivable. Against characters, he also gets a whole host of special rules that will range from okay to downright scary! A 6" Heroic Intervention is okay to reach a character but re-roll hits and wounds against a character is amazing.
Give this guy the Burning Blade and The Imperium's Sword Warlord Trait and enjoy wounding T4 on 2s with AP-5 and D2. You can even shark vehicles with him since he has 7 attacks on the charge at S8. I'd even use him to finish a Knight character and laugh about it!

*'''Honour Guard:''' They seem underwhelming at first since there're only two models per unit and they have only one more wound compared to the Company Veterans. However, they only cost a minimum of 50 points plus gear (see below) for the entire unit. They possess a 2+ save, which, paired with their W2, is the primary reason to take them - they're worse in melee than Company Vets - and because of their unit size, have no worries about morale tests. Like the Company Veterans, they can intercept wounds for CHARACTERs, so they're good to have around in melee. Remember that you can stick several units into a single transport, so there is nothing stopping you from sticking 8 2-man units of Honour Guard into a single Land Raider Crusader.
**Codex Honour Guard has a mandatory Power Axe, but Index Honour Guard can take a Sword, Maul, or Relic Blade, so per the FAQ, the Index "wins", letting you take 50 points Sword Guard for bubble wrap/ablative wounds. For any weapon from Power Sword, Maul, or Axe, an Honour Guard costs the same as a Company Vet with a Storm Shield, meaning the choice is W2/2+ or W1/3+/3++; the former is cheaper per wound, which means your bodyguard lasts longer, but the latter is more durable against the majority of potential incoming fire, due to the abundance of higher damage and armour penetrating guns out there. Note also that both units are functionally immune to morale, but the Company Vets hit harder in melee - the Honour Guard unit is 4 attacks, while the Company Vets are 5. Relic Blades are garbage, doubling the cost of the Honour Guard carrying them; Company Vets with Thunder Hammers will outperform them any day.
*'''Tyrannic War Veterans:''' Sternguard Vets, minus the weapons options and with the ability to re-roll all failed rolls to hit or wound {{W40Kkeyword|TYRANID}} units. Situational, but since the bugs have gotten significant buffs it might be useful. The unit consists of 4 models, so can be cheaper in total than Sternguard, and make odd arrangements in transportation more viable.
**As a strange side note, remember that these models have STERNGUARD VETERAN SQUAD as a keyword. This means they not only can benefit from Masterful Marksmanship but also bonuses from being in the Victrix Guard Specialist detachment. Further, with their Special Issue Bolters, you can see them as a way to extend a Sternguard allowance from just 3 squads to 6. Why you would do that is beyond comprehension.
*'''Victrix Honour Guard:''' Primaris Honour Guard, with both upsides and downsides. Standard 1 wound and ABOVE standard +2 attacks (normally Primaris get +1), but also kitted out with power swords (losing the superior power axes of the base unit) and storm shields (losing both the bolters and bolt pistols of the base unit), and can perform Heroic Interventions. If they're in the same detachment as Marneus Calgar, they don't take up a slot. The net result, even after paying 5 more points per model, is that you gain a lot of durability and slight mobility, as well as an overall gain to melee output (''doubling'' the unit's total attacks more than compensates for the inferior melee weapon), in exchange for a sharp reduction in ranged output - in fact, if you want your chapter tactic to apply to them, all you can do is have the unit throw a single grenade, as opposed to the base unit, which has a pair of bolters.

'''Lord of War'''
*'''[[Roboute Guilliman]]:'''The most effective unit in the Astartes Codex, even with his whopping 350 point cost. He possesses an impressive statline: WS and BS are both 2+, 8" movement, S6, T6, 6A and has 9 wounds and if he is killed he comes back on a roll of 4+ with D6 wounds. Has the character keyword so can't be shot at unless he's the closest model or by snipers, and also takes cover behind a constant 2+, 3++. Shooting wise he uses the Hand of Dominion which is 24" rapid fire 3 S6 AP-1 Dmg 2, which is good but it's CC where you want Girlyman. In close combat he can either use the Hand of Dominion a Sx2 AP-3 Dmg 4 power fist or use the motherfucking [[Emperor's Sword]] at S+2 AP-4 Dmg 3 that on a roll of a 6 causes D3 mortal wounds on top of the 3 damage he already caused. In close combat he is one of the best characters in 8th, on top of that lucky rolls can lead to him dishing out a lot of extra damage through mortal wounds. All of that is nice, however, where Guilliman truly shines is his buffs to the rest of the army. Any keyword '''Imperium''' unit within 12" adds 1 to advances and charges, re-roll hits of 1 and can re-roll failed morale tests. As the Primarch of the Ultramarines, he gives any {{W40Kkeyword|Ultramarines}} units within 6" re-rolls of any hit roll, and wound rolls of 1 as well. Guilliman himself is affected by his own aura, allowing him to add 1 to charges and advances as well as re roll hits and 1s to wound. If all that wasn't enough if your army is battleforged you get 3 extra CP. He does everything you'd want a warlord to do, basically. The main reasons not to take him are points cost, wanting a different LOW, or not wanting to be seen as [[That Guy]].
**Be aware that since he has the {{W40Kkeyword|Monster}} keyword for some odd reason, he tends to interact strangely with several other rules (e.g. taking Transports). Watch for anything that affects {{W40Kkeyword|Monster}} units and be prepared to footslog.

====Tactical Objectives====
====Tactics====
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==={{W40Kkeyword|Imperial (& Crimson) Fists}}===
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[[File:Imperial_&_Crimson_Fists_Livery.png|100px|left|]]In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only defiance eternal. 
Stubborn to a fault, the Imperial Fists are paragons of bolt marksmanship and peerless urban fighters and siege specialists. 
On the tabletop, this is represented by their bonuses to shooting and mastery of cover use. Where their enemies find no respite, the Imperial Fists dig in whilst letting loose precise bolter fusillades and crippling heavy weapons barrages. Success not out of tricks or outlandish tactics, just shooting like a supersoldier ought to. 
''If you want to marines whose boltguns actually matter and wish to reduce your enemy's army to mauled infantry turn one, then play as the Sentinels of Terra and fight until the bitter end''.
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====Special Rules====
Unlike other supplements, the Imperial Fists share theirs with their Crimson Fists successors. Crimson Fists thus have a full list of relics and stratagems (and Imperial Fists don't), but have their own chapter tactic and half a warlord trait table. They're still Fists, just with some "heroic last stand" tones.
*'''{{W40kKeyword|Imperial Fists & Successor}} Chapter Tactics - Siege Masters:''' Enemy units do not receive "the benefit of cover" against attacks made by models with this tactic. If the attack was with a bolt weapon, an unmodified 6 to hit scores an additional hit. [[Ork|Yellow IS shootier]].
**Exploding 6s is mathematically the same as an additional point of BS but better, since it both stacks with actual +1s to hit and doubles your Overwatch. Plus, scoring more shots than the weapon is actually capable of is always neat. This also means you suffer less from -1s to hit, including Auspex Scanner's.
**Cover isn't the nigh-invuln it was back in 7E, but it's almost like an extra point of AP now that it affects everyone. Not only cover-relying campers like Rangers and Scouts, but also those armies that get "the benefit of cover in the open", where similar things like Deathwatch Dragonfire rounds are specified as NOT working against. This lets Imperial Fists entrench themselves while their opponents cannot, either levelling the playing field when storming enemies in cover, or stacking it in your favour when you have a cover of your own. Especially when it makes Primaris bolter variants more relevant.
*'''{{W40kKeyword|Crimson Fists}} Chapter Tactic - No Matter the Odds:''' Add 1 to hit rolls for a unit targeting another unit (in either the shooting or fight phase) that has at 5 more models than the attacking unit has (e.g. a unit of 3 models gets +1 against any unit of 8 models or more). When using a {{W40Kkeyword|Vehicle}} to attack, that model itself counts as 5 models, so you only get it on units of 10 or more, not 6. Vehicles and Dreadnoughts you attack still count as 1 - in fact, this tactic ''can't'' come up against any target unit with fewer than 6 models in it. Additionally, for attacks with a bolt weapon, an unmodified 6 to hit scores an additional hit.
**Exploding 6s is mathematically the same as an additional point of BS but better, since it both stacks with actual +1s to hit and doubles your Overwatch. Plus, scoring more shots than the weapon is actually capable of is always neat. This also means you suffer less from -1s to hit, including Auspex Scanner's.
**As if you needed an incentive to run Multiple Small Units. Keep in mind "cosmetic" models count as squad members, e.g.: an Armorium Cherub would prevent an otherwise 5-man Devastator unit to gain the bonus against a unit of 10 Guardsmen. Still, it gives Crimson Fists great anti horde capability. It works on your damaged units too as well as low count units ([[That_Guy|Company Vet pairs!]]), and your characters won't suffer penalties to their power fists when fighting the enemy masses.
**This Chapter Tactic also means safe supercharged plasma, which can matter against massed T4 enemies like Ork Boyz or Necron Warriors. Always load up your characters with combi plasma. As long as they're shooting units of more than 5 models they'll have safe overcharged plasma for killing primaris or TEQ models. If you're shooting at hordes, the +1 will let you fire both sides of the combi weapon without penalty.
**Aggressors and Centurions are perfect for the CF: they are a three-man squad and can generate a fuck ton of bolt shot.
*'''Combat Doctrine - Legacy of Dorn:''' Heavy Weapons gain +1 damage when targeting {{W40kKeyword|Vehicle}}s or {{W40kKeyword|Building}}s (although good luck finding a non-vehicle building to shoot at) in the Devastator Doctrine. No nonsense, strike some of the important targets turn one at range. But only turn one, due to the changes to Combat Doctrines. ''[[Battlesuit#XV95_Ghostkeel_Battlesuit|Does]] [[Riptide|nothing]] [[Khaine#The_Avatar_of_Khaine|against]] [[Tyranids|{{W40kKeyword|monsters}}]].''
**In 8E volume of dice matters more. The doctrine makes Lascannons and Krak missiles more reliable, but 6 Assault Cannon shots at ''double damage'' (12 damage at S6 AP-1) are simply more reliable than two lascannon shots at +1D (9 damage at S9 AP-3). The specialist doctrine is active only the first turn and you have to make it count; on top of your actual dedicated anti-tank you could aim your non-specialized heavy guns at tanks too, even the humble Heavy Bolter becomes a considerable threat to lighter vehicles: Auto, Grav, and Plasma Cannons become true all-rounders, able to deal effectively with heavy infantry and vehicles. Combined with the Tank Hunters Stratagem, a true siege master can use even light artillery like Whirlwinds and Thunderfire cannons in a counter-battery role, as well as turn Intercessors' Stalker Bolt Rifles and Eliminator's Bolt Sniper rifles into AP-3 D3 shots (that wound on 4+).

=====Warlord Traits=====
======{{W40kKeyword|Imperial Fists & Successors}}======
#'''Siege Master:''' Add 1 to wound rolls against Building and Vehicle units. Great on a slam captain or anyone else that’s going to be in melee against Knights or tanks. This is Tor Garadon’s required trait.
#*The Imperial Fists can have one of the mightiest Smash Captains of them all: Combine Siege Master with The Imperium's Sword (rerolls charges, +1S +1A). Then give him a relic Thunder Hammer or the cheaper Fist of Terra and now he's wounding Knights on a 2+.
#*Fist Warlords aren't restricted to melee. Siege Masters can wound most vehicles on a 4+ with mere bolters. MC Auto Bolt Rifle > MC Stalker Bolt Rifle.
#'''Indomitable:''' This warlord can only be wounded on a 4+. Essentially the opposite of the above, rather than being good at killing Knights this trait makes you good at not being killed by Knights (or other Smash Captains). This is Captain Lysander’s required trait.
#*Better for T4 characters than for Gravis Captains; Gravis gives up the option of a 3++ for a T5 that would prevent them being wounded by S8 on a 2+, but this trait does away with silly maths. Only S5 Power Axes and Bolt Sniper Rifles would make a difference here.
#'''Fleetmaster:''' Once per battle, ''at the end of the Fight phase'' and if this warlord both remained stationary and didn't do any attacks, select a point on the battlefield and roll 1d6 for each unit within '''d'''6". On a 4+ (substracting 1 for characters), deal d3 MW to that unit. So, give up a Warlord's trait and turn to do what an Orbital Comms Impulsor does.
#*Then again, it can be combined with an Orbital Comms Impulsor and Orbital Bombardment for 3d3 MW on the enemy's formation / spam 1d3 MW across the board. Rather punishing for [[Space Marines|MSU armies]].
#'''Stubborn Heroism:''' The warlord halves incoming damage (rounding up), but cannot fall back. Combine this with Indomitable, and take the Adamantine Mantle on a Gravis Captain for a character who isn’t going anywhere.
#*He won't die to the big stuff, but keep anti-horde measures at hand should you need them - a Terminator / Aggressor retinue can use '''Close-Range Bolter Fire'''.
#'''Architect of War:''' When resolving AP-1 attacks against friendly Fists within 6" of this warlord, add an additional 1 to the (armour) save roll if that unit is "recieving the benefit of cover" (meaning IW & other IF nullify this trait). ''While situational, enemy Bolt Rifles start as AP-1, so it can be a common situation indeed.''
#'''Hand of Dorn:''' If your army is battle-forged, gain D3 command points before the battle. Simple, powerful, always worth taking, even if it requires spending a command point for Sentinel of Terra.

======{{W40kKeyword|Crimson Fists}}======
#'''Tenacious Opponent:''' If there are at least 5 enemy models within 6" of your warlord in the fight phase, he gains D3 extra attacks.
#*Have him fight before killing models with other units; [[Khorne|Eight]] attacks on a good roll place him among the most damaging captains. Combine it with '''The Imperium's Sword''' or '''Champion of Humanity''' to make him even deadlier.
#'''Refuse to Die:''' Unlike Robutte Girlyman you don’t need magical armour given to you by Cawl and some filthy heretical Eldar. Once your warlord loses his last wound, roll a d6, and on a 4+ he comes back with 1d3 wounds remaining as close as possible to your original position and at least 1” away from enemy models.
#'''Stoic Defender:''' All {{W40Kkeyword|Crimson Fists}} units gain the Defenders of Humanity (Objective Secured) rule within 6” of your warlord, and any unit that already had that rule (your Troops) count as double their model count (5 tacticals count as 10 when determining models securing an objective), so you can steal objectives even if you're outnumbered by guardsmen. Especially hilarious when it's a sudden deepstriking ObSec captain stealing it away from non-troop enemies.

====Relics & Special-Issue Wargear====

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

=====Relics of the Fists=====
The Fists only get four relics for themselves, as they share two slots with the Crimson Fists:
*'''The Spartean''': Vastly improved from SM1, it upgrades a bolt or heavy bolt pistol, making it 18" Pistol 2 '''AP-3''' 2D with the ability to target Characters like snipers do. Can be given to a Primaris character (only Captains can take power fists) to help eliminate characters.
*'''Eye of Hypnoth''': Ranged attacks within 6" of the bearer re-roll 1s to wound. So, a limited Lieutenant reroll...but that still frees up 60-70 pts and a HQ slot for a Chaplain or Librarian. Great for a ranged Captain baby-sitting a gunline, especially since [[Derp|Phobos Lieutenants cannot infiltrate]].
*'''The Banner of Staganda''': {{W40Kkeyword|Imperial Fists Ancient}} only. Melee attacks made by models within 6" get +1 to hit.
*'''The Bones of Orsak''': {{W40Kkeyword|Imperial Fists Librarian}} only. When manifesting a Geokinesis power, you can re-roll the Psychic test. ''Doubtful: Geokinesis powers are easy, being WC6 at most''.

And the Crimson Fists get 2:

*'''Duty's Burden''': {{W40Kkeyword|Crimson Fists}} exclusive, replaces a master-crafted stalker bolt rifle or master-crafted auto bolt rifle, 30" Rapid Fire 2 S5 AP-2 D2.
*'''Fist of Vengeance''': {{W40Kkeyword|Crimson Fists}} exclusive, replaces a power fist, turns it into a thunder hammer with no penalty to hit (D3). One of the best melee relics, especially with the huge points increase for thunder hammers - hits hard and cheap - but usually worse than a Master-Crafted Thunder Hammer, despite the relative costs.

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

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

And then the four Fist-specific ones:

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

====Stratagems====
'''Attack Stratagems''': Doubles down on their bolter and anti-vehicle themes.
*'''Bitter Enemy (1 CP)''': In the Fight Phase, re-roll any Hit and Wound rolls against {{W40Kkeyword|Iron Warriors}}. The fluffy stratagem everyone seems to get. If it comes up, have fun with it.
*'''Bolter Drill (2 CP)''': In the Shooting Phase, one {{W40Kkeyword|Imperial Fists}} unit counts hit rolls of 6 with a Bolt weapon as two hits. That's three with the chapter tactic. A tad expensive, so throw it high dakka units like Aggressors, Inceptors, Centurions, Infiltrators (6s auto-wound), FW Quad-Heavy Bolter units (Fire Raptor, Land Raider Proteus, Rapier Carrier) and the like, pray for sixes, and unleash the BRRRRRT.
*'''Clearance Protocols (2 CP)''': During the Shooting Phase, ten models in a unit can hurl grenades instead of one. Most noticeable on Assault marines and Vanguard Vets, who have an easier time closing the distance, can hurl a Melta Bomb and aren't missing out on their guns. Still niche.
*'''Close-Range Bolter Fire (2 CP)''': Turn a unit's Bolt weapons into Pistols for a Shooting phase. They actually gain the Pistol type, so while Storm and Hurricane Bolters miss out on the double shooting, squads can use their guns alongside their actual pistols, and they get a boost in the Assault Doctrine.
**Everyone benefits, but who benefits more? 1) Units who would like to fall back, so that's Heavy Bolter Centurions and Devastators (and Rapier Quad Heavy Bolters & Land Raiders Crusader and Proteus, because [[Derp|it isn't restricted to infantry]]). 2) Units who want to be in melee but don't want to miss out on their dakka, like Auto Bolt Rifle Inceptors and, above all others, Autobolt Aggressors, who can shoot twice because they didn't move that turn. '''Pistol 12!'''
*'''Praetorian's Wrath (2 CP, Single Use)''': At the start of the movement phase, when the Devastator Doctrine is active, 6s to wound with heavy weapons and grenades gain an additional -1 to their AP until the next movement phase. Note that the wording here means that it applies in Overwatch.
*'''Sappers (1 CP)''': In the Shooting or Fight Phase, a unit adds +1 to Hit and Wound against a {{W40Kkeyword|Building}}. No one uses buildings, and you already have Combat Doctrine if they do. But if someone brings a Noctilith Crown or a Landing Pad, go break it.
*'''Tank Hunters (2 CP)''': Pick one enemy {{W40Kkeyword|Vehicle}}. Until the end of the phase, a (1) {{W40Kkeyword|Imperial Fists}} unit gets +1 to wound against it. Pop this when the enemy has a piece or armor that absolutely must die, and the combat doctrine just isn't enough for you (or you're trying to destroy it in melee).
**Anti-infantry guns will wound almost any vehicle on a 4+, and Lascannons, Vindicators and Heavy/Macro Plasma Incinerators will ''wound almost any vehicle on a 2+''.

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

*'''Bolster Defenses (1 CP, Single Use)''': At the start of the movement phase, select an {{W40Kkeyword|Imperial Fists Infantry}} unit entirely on or within a terrain feature. As long as they remain stationary, when resolving an attack against them, add 1 to their non-invulnerable saving throw.
**That's the wording. Notice it doesn't say "in the shooting phase", just says attack; if the enemy charges them, they get +1 to their armour save in melee - they're on YOUR turf. Use a Drop Pod or Impulsor, so your unit can begin turn 2 on the enemy's ground and it becomes PROTECT THE BEACH-HEAD!
*'''Pain Is A Lesson (1 CP)''': Give a 6+++ Feel No Pain to a non-vehicle or servitor unit for a phase.
*'''Stubborn Defense (2 CP)''': Use at the start of the battle if your Warlord is on the battlefield. You can’t discard Storm or Defend tactical objectives, but scoring them gains you an additional victory point.
*'''The Shield Unwavering (2 CP)''': At the end of your turn, give an {{W40Kkeyword|Imperial Fists Infantry}} unit withing 3" of an objective +1 attack and +1 to (non-invulnerable)[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ded8a1f1.pdf 19/11/2019 FAQ] saving throws until the start of your next turn. ''Combine with Bolster Defenses or Pain Is A Lesson when the point must be held at all costs.''

'''Upgrade''': The usual extra relics & warlord traits.

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

{{W40Kkeyword|Crimson Fists}} get two extra Stratagems, in addition to the above:

*'''A Hated Foe (1 CP)''': For one phase, a unit gets +1 to wound against {{W40Kkeyword|Orks}}. And here's their fluff-appropriate Stratagem.
*'''Slay The Tyrant (1 CP)''': For one phase, a unit gets +1 to hit against {{W40Kkeyword|Characters}}. Boosting a single sniper unit could be a bit lackluster, but could be useful for units who get to target a character, especially in melee. Especially when using unwieldy weapons, or to offset enemy -1 to hit tricks.

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

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

====Specialist Detachment - Imperial Fists Siegebreaker Cohort====
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It benefits {{W40kKeyword|Captains}}, {{W40kKeyword|Centurions}}, {{W40kKeyword|Dreadnoughts}}, and {{W40kKeyword|Vindicators}}. Note that only {{W40kKeyword|IMPERIAL FISTS}} can take this, and not any of their Successors. Easily worth paying 1CP to get access to it if you need to kill Knights or Forgeworld vehicles, despite not providing access to a relic or even warlord trait ([https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ded8a1f1.pdf GW FAQed it away rip]).
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

'''Stratagems'''
*'''Seismic Devastation (1CP):''' Pick one {{W40kKeyword|SIEGEBREAKER COHORT}} unit at the start of any Shooting or Fight phase. When it makes an unmodified wound roll of 6 against a {{W40kKeyword|VEHICLE}}, you deal an additional mortal wound to the enemy model.
**Enables your anti-infantry Centurions to also <s>kill a Leman Russ</s> KILL KNIGHTS AND LEVIATHANS. Assault Centurions with flamers deal a bit more wounds, but they have to be within 8" of the enemy instead of 24", so, pass. Bolter Discipline, baby! Redemptor Dreads with Onslaught cannons aren't as killy as Centurions, but they're noticeably cheaper.
***Three HB Centurions (210 pts) inflict an average of '''14.7 unsaved wounds''' to a 14W 303 pts Leviathan (2+/4++) protected by '''Duty Eternal'''(halves damage - denies your Doctrine). That example uses the most basic of boosts: rerolls of 1s to hit and wound, provided by a nameless captain with Eye of Hypnoth (or a Lt). You could combine it with '''Tank Hunters''' and '''Bolter Drill''' stratagems on Heavy Bolter/Hurricane Bolter Centurions, for +1 to wound, 2D Heavy Bolters, 6s to hit result in 3 hits rather than 1, if you want those three Centurions to kill something like a boosted Knight.
*'''Structural Demolition (1CP):''' When your {{W40kKeyword|SIEGEBREAKER COHORT}} units destroy a building, enemy models embarked on it roll 2d6 when exciting instead of d6.
**Kinda lame to be honest, considering that very few players actually take Fortifications in their lists. In fact, this kinda gives them more of a reason to ''not'' use them, and some things like Altars of Khorne don't even have a wounds stat. Don't expect to use it very often.

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====Specialist Detachment - Crimson Fists Liberator Strike Force====

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
{{W40kKeyword|Primaris Characters}} (Ancient, Apothecary, Captain, Chaplain, Librarian, & Lieutenant), {{W40kKeyword|Intercessor squads, Reiver squads, & Hellblaster squads}} in that detachment gain the {{W40kKeyword|liberator strike force}} keyword. The other side of the coin where it comes to Primaris detachments. It mentions all those squads, but the real stars here are the Hellblasters, as it is a ranged detachment.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

'''Stratagems'''
*'''Heroes of Rynn's World (1CP):''' Use at the start of the shooting phase and pick a {{W40kKeyword|LIBERATOR STRIKE FORCE}} unit. All unmodified hit rolls of 6 count as 2 hits instead of 1.
**A few extra shots isn't much, so use it on Hellblasters to make it count. It's +1 to +3 dead guys on a 5-man squad firing two shots, depending on the enemy and buff auras nearby.
*'''Paragons of Dorn (1 CP):''' At the end of your opponent's shooting phase pick a {{W40kKeyword|LIBERATOR STRIKE FORCE}} unit that was targeted this phase, they can then fire as if it were their shooting phase. ''Annoying because you have to get shot first.''
**Again your Hellblasters will destroy anything that doesn't kill them. Add an Ancient and an Apothecary so that actual casualties don't go to waste.
'''Warlord Trait'''
*'''Expert Instructor:''' Re-roll hit rolls of 1 for friendly {{W40kKeyword|LIBERATOR STRIKE FORCE}} units within 9" of your warlord.
**Useful for a Lieutenant Field Commander for the double aura. Give the Eye of Hypnoth to the Captain, and now you have two double auras. Alternatively you can pick a Librarian or Chaplain (there's no Primaris Techmarines yet), and give them the double aura to boost a Hellblaster unit with Recitation of Focus / Tectonic Purge & Fortify.
'''Artifact'''
*'''The Vengeful Arbiter:''' 12" Pistol 2 S5 AP-1 D2, and successful hit rolls cause more shots at the same target (additional shots can't generate further hit rolls). ''Boo, relic pistol.''
**It goes with the ranged theme, functionally giving your character a 12" D2 Heavy Bolter as a pistol. Then again, 12" is but the prelude to melee, and your other relic is basically a Thunder Hammer without unwieldy - one of the best relics in the codex in fact, and one of the few a Primaris Captain can use.
</div></div>

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

'''Forgeworld''' {{W40kKeyword|Successor Chapters}} '''Characters''' 
Remember you don't necessarily need to pick Inheritors of the Primarch to be Imperial Fists successors and use this supplement. 
{{W40kKeyword|Crimson Fists}} 
*'''[[Pedro Kantor|Pedro Kantor (Crimson Fists)]]:''' More focused this edition than in the last several; he no longer benefits Sternguard especially, nor especially torments Orks, Pedro Kantor is a CC killing machine in 8E. His Oath of Rynn special rule is now a buff to give +1A to all friendly Crimson Fists models within 6", while 'Chapter Master' affects whole ''units'' within that range. And it's great not having to pay CP to get full rerolls. For his price and relatively small footprint, he can make a huge impact in any melee.
**He's excellent when paired with -1 To Hit escorts, like TH/SS Termies/Vets or Aggressors. Add a Lieutenant and you'll be rerolling everything. Being a footslogger, however, you'll need to find him a way to the front line, but at the very least he's got an Assault 4 AP-1 Bolter to jog across the board. Especially with those resilient Primaris, their 2 base attacks and their Assault weapons, who may not be riding Repulsors because you don't give in to GW's shilling.
**Kantor, being a 'Chapter Master' also lends himself to gun lines. His +1A helps your Marines punch back when onrushing hordes inevitably reach the Marines, Primaris hitting as if they were Vets with chainswords.

{{W40kKeyword|[[Executioners]]}} 
*'''High Chaplain Thulsa Kane:''' Chaplain with the most awesome name, +2W and A, and rather dodgy with -1 to be hit in melee. Has a 6" aura that grants an additional attack for models that roll an unmodified 6 To Hit, in addition to the Mastr of Sanctity's two active Litanies. Furthermore, instead of the Crozius he uses ''Lifetaker'', a S+2 power sword with D2, which becomes D4 against {{W40kKeyword|characters}}. And he's also got a plasma pistol with an extra shot. Though he's an impressive beatstick that buffs the melee capabilities of everyone around him, he's a footslogging manlet, so you need to put him in a good transport, like a Drop Pod or a Land Raider.
**'''Successor Tactics:''' Imperial Fists tactics are trash for Executioners; their endgame is assault and Thulsa Kane helps them do that well. This guy is an awesome force multiplier when combined with the "Whirlwind of Rage" successor trait and some high attack volume units (like Vanguards with double Chainswords). Every 6 to hit generates an extra attack AND scores an additional hit. And while those extra attacks cannot generate any more attacks, they DO generate additional hits on consecutive 6s! Add his natural Chaplain ability to reroll failed hits and you literally drown your enemy in to wound rolls. Put him in a Drop Pod and take "Hungry for Battle" as your second trait so he and his company actually arrive in melee after deep striking (though you wouldn't be able to use litanies that turn).
***Even better with Incursor squads, whose Paired Combat blades score an additional hit on a 6. Combine it with Gene Wrought Might (1CP) to Auto Wound on a hit roll of 6. Exhortation of Rage means 6s generate an additional attack and Litany of Hate re-rolls any hit roll that isn't a 6. If you're fighting heretic astartes, pop Death to the Traitors (1CP) while your at it. All up, each six we roll then explodes into 1 auto-wounds, two additional hits and 3 additional attacks that can also roll 6s to get a further 3 auto-wounds (but no more additional attacks).

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

====Tactics====
So you love bolters, hate vehicles, and forts trigger you despite never having seen one. What to do with all this?
*'''Positioning:''' Shock Assault urges you to melee, your doctrine pulls you to range. But whatever you choose, you have to commit: unlike WS and UM, the stubborn Imperial Fists don't take falling back too well - Stubborn Heroism warlords wouldn't even think of it. Where other armies have stratagems to do complex feints, you simply gain true grit. You deny cover, but you're also geared to garisonning terrain features and objectives. Understand you're not fighting merely on a battlefield, but with it.
*'''Attrition:''' Imperial Fists are balanced: they shoot well, can give the enemy a hard time closing in, and being space marines they don't suffer in melee like [[Imperial_Guard|other]] [[Tau|armies]] do.
**When the enemy is far away you can outshoot them: blow up their gunships and bastions, ignore their cover, dig in yours.
**When the enemy comes to you, delay them: blow up their transports, omniscramble their deepstrikes, pin them with Tremor Shells, punish their charges with Fortress of Resolve overwatch, and turn them back with Repulsor fields & Tectonic purge.
**When the enemy reaches your objectives, you can use Shield Unwavering and Bolster Defense to protect them, and Close-Range Bolter Fire when falling back isn't an option.

</div></div>

==={{W40Kkeyword|Black Templars}}===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
[[File:Black_Templars_Livery.png|100px|left|]]In the grim darkness of the far future, there will be only war. Actual quote by Sigismund, he called it first. 
The Great Crusade never ended for these guys. Not confined to a sector like other chapters, the Black Templars fight the enemies of mankind wherever they are.

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

''[[Armageddon#Third_War_for_Armageddon|Are all orks dead?]] [[Great_Rift|Has chaos been defeated?]] Then chain your weapons to your gauntlets and take the fight to them
. No [[Tau|pity]], no [[Chaos_Space_Marines|remorse]], no [[Eldar|fear]]!''
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====Special Rules====
*'''The Lost Librarius:''' {{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Astartes Psykers}} cannot be from the {{W40Kkeyword|Black Templars}} Chapter, if you needed reminding. Doesn't affect non-Templar {{W40Kkeyword|Psykers}} in allied detachments.
*'''Chosen Champion:''' You also can't use the Chapter Champion stratagem. But that's because you have the Emperor's Champion, so you don't care.

*'''Chapter Tactics - Righteous Zeal:''' Units with this tactic can re-roll failed charge rolls, '''''either one or both dice'''''. They also get a 5+++ FNP vs mortal wounds.
**All mortal wounds, not just those from psychic powers; this is basically Armour of Contempt but always active, all the time and not restricte to vehicles. A character about to die can fail to save a regular wound, and pass it onto a Company Vet as a mortal wound to try to save it again. A vehicle that fails a plasma roll has a chance to not lose a wound. What tries to counter TH/SS? Mortal Wounds SPAM. Well now your TH/SS are 2+/3++/5+++, simple as.
**'''Imperial 'Ere We Go!''' Simple yet effective, this and Shock Attack are your incentives for melee. With an individual 56.9% of making the charge, a massed deepstrike is less of a coinflip ― the probability of ''at least one of two units'' making a 9" charge is 0.569+(1-0.569)*0.569 = '''81.4%'''. And you have a ton such units: ''Anything'' {{W40Kkeyword|Jump Pack}}, Reivers, {{W40Kkeyword|Terminators}}; Cataphractii's transport issue is all but solved! Even melee Dreadnoughts will improve, as it makes charges vastly more reliable. But MSU everything: one of two 5-man units making the charge is better than 10 dudes standing around doing nothing. It also doubles the grenades they can use (especially Reiver Shock Grenades), and the unit left behind can prevent any characters that didn't make the charge from being sniped when the others do get into melee.
***Of course, it's not restricted to a melee drop: a Rhino/Razor/Impulsor rush or a Land Raider Crusader boosted with Shock and Awe works too, and the Assault Doctrine doesn't work until turn 3. Just doing the math so you don't need to cogitate it mid-charge.

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

====Warlord Traits====
#'''Oathkeeper:''' Warlord can do 6" Heroic Interventions. Eh, it's ok. You certainly don't want your warlord to leave his squad unsupported when they get charged, but you should be the one who charges anyway. Emperor Champion's trait.
#'''Epitome of Piety:''' The Warlord can deny one power in the Psychic Phase, and gains a +1 on his roll to do so. Just in case you need a little more protection than what Righteous Zeal provides you with. Chaplain Grimaldus' trait.
#'''Paragon of Fury:''' After the warlord makes a charge move, roll 1d6 for each enemy unit within 1” of the warlord; on a 2+ that model takes a mortal wound. Ok, but you can do better.
#'''Master of Arms:''' The Warlord Always Fights First. Black Templars don't do fall back feints, and fighting first means the enemy cannot kill you because you killed them first. Though if you can't get stuck in because you're killing everything in the charge then pick something else.
#'''Inspirational Fighter:''' When friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Black Templars}} units within 6” of this warlord roll an unmodified 6 to wound for melee weapon attacks, improve the weapon’s AP by 1.
#*Biggest issue with this is that the AP boost cannot stack with the Assault Doctrine's, meaning you'll be lucky if you even manage to fight under this effect for at least one round.
#'''Front-Line Commander:''' Add 1 to the Advance and Charge distances of friendly Black Templars units within 6”. High Marshal Helbrecht's trait.
#*Remember it doesn't stack with '''Canticle of Hate''', which doesn't affect advances and doesn't work if the user was in a transport, but does increase Pile In moves by +3". Which is like the '''Devout Push''' stratagem, but as an aura. Up to you to use a Front-Line Commander to do a turn 1 drop pod assault or be patient and wait for turn 2 with Chaplain support.

====Relics and Special-Issue Wargear====
*'''Ancient Breviary:''' Chaplain only. When you roll for a litany for the bearer, you can roll 2D6 and discard either result. Equivalent to being able to re-roll, except that you can use both this ''and'' a tactical re-roll. Can give 97.55% reliability to Litany combos for a Master of Sanctity.
*'''Aurillian Shroud:''' Once per battle at the start of the battle round, a model with this relic can activate it. If they do, until the end of the battle round, models in friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Black Templars}} units have a 4++ invulnerable save while within 3” of the relic bearer.
*'''Crusader's Helm''': Increase the range of the model's aura abilities by 3", to a maximum of 12". Also, at the start of your Movement phase (so it doesn't work in deepstrike/transports), pick a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Black Templars}} unit with the Combat Doctrines ability within 6" of this model. Until your next Movement phase, the Assault Doctrine is active for that unit, replacing the current doctrine.
*'''Skull of the Cacodominus:''' Once per battle, after a psychic power is manifested within 12" of the bearer, roll 1d6; on a 2+, the caster suffers 1d3 mortal wounds after the power is resolved. ''Alas, poor Cacodominus, I knew your psychic death screams well.''
*'''Sword of Judgment''': Replaces a power sword or master-crafted power sword. S+1 AP-3 3D. Compared to a Thunder Hammer, hitting on a 2+ but wounding on 3+ is the same as hitting on a 3+ but wounding on a 2+.
**Despite this is using a relic slot (1CP) to do what a regular Thunder Hammer does, this relic sword costs TEN TIMES LESS points, and can be wielded by Primaris characters, who can't use hammers. And Knights of Sigismund makes 6A with this relic deal similar damage to 5A with a relic hammer.
*'''Witchseeker Bolts:''' Goes with a bolt weapon and you can shoot these instead of its normal ammo. You only get one attack, but the attack can target a {{W40Kkeyword|PSYKER CHARACTER}} even if it’s not the closest model. Also, a hit on a {{W40Kkeyword|Psyker}} causes an extra 1d3 mortal wounds. ''Put it on a Master-crafted Stalker bolt rifle for D3+1d3 to witches. So does a Master-crafted Instigator bolt carbine, but the RG FAQ confirms a '''Marksman's Honorus''' warlord does get +1D when shooting relic ammo''.

====Litanies of the Devout====
To compensate for their lack of a Psychic Discipline, the Black Templars gain six unique Litanies for their Chaplains to use instead of the usual one. You are sooooo bringing a Master of Sanctity for them- good thing you can just take Grimaldus instead of using the CP for the Master of Sanctity Stratagem.
#'''Litany of Divine Protection''': Target friendly {{W40Kkeyword|black templars}} unit within 6" gets a 5+++ FNP without being restricted to mortal wounds. ''Good, but suffers from not being a bubble''.
#'''Psalm of Remorseless Persecution''': Re-roll melee wound rolls of 1 for {{W40Kkeyword|black templars}} units within 6". ''Like having a lieutenant around, but worse''.
#*Then again, the Lieutenant may be somewhere else. It would take both a Chapter Master and a Lieutenant (or Guilliman) to give the rerolls that a Master of Sanctity gives you in melee.
#*White Scars get full wound re-rolls for units within 6". On top of more and better stratagems, relics and Librarians with their own spells. Just play your BT as WS and you'll be a happier man.
#'''Vow of Retribution''': -2 leadership to enemy units within 6". ''Just don't. You're not a leadership bomb based army, and you should usually be trying to keep your chaplain near your own units more than the enemy.''
#*But hear me out! '''Fear Made Manifest''' Master of Sanctity + Phobos Lieutenant with the {{W40kKeyword|Reiver}} keyword. That's -4Ld on top of rerolling all melee and wounds of 1.
#'''Fires of Devotion''': Target a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|black templars}} unit within 6". It gains +1A if it charges or makes a Heroic Intervention until the end of the turn. ''So, if you go first, it's not active during your enemy's half of the battle round unlike other litanies''.
#*Black Templars are already great at making charges, and of course this stacks with Shock Assault. The only downside is that it's not a bubble, so you want to put it on a melee deathstar of some sort. It's much better than (and will stack with) Exhortation of Rage in practice, not that Exhortation of Rage was a great Litany to begin with. Since this one only works offensively, you want it on a faster Chaplain - the Litany does nothing when you are charged.
#'''Fervent Acclamation''': +3" to aura abilities of {{W40Kkeyword|black templars}} units within 6" (which applies to the chaplain, so really 9").
#*BELLOWING VOICE! Crusader Helm Captain, Vox Espiritum Lieutenant, TWELVE-INCHER Auras. Oh and it helps Helbrecht's, Grimaldus', and Cenobyte Servitor's auras too. As well as Standard bearers and the Aurillian Shroud. Positioning made simple, it allows Black Templars to footslogg like they used to.
#'''Oath of Glory''': Target one friendly {{W40Kkeyword|black templars}} unit within 6" to always fights first.
#*Terrible utility. Good for ongoing combats (which you should not count on your opponent giving you); combine it with '''Canticle of Hate''' or '''Devout Push''' to charge and get stuck in. More importantly, you can try to keep them in place with '''Tenacious Assault'''. That way, you deny your enemy their shooting phase, and you still get to fight first on their turn.

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

====Specialist Detachment - Sword Brethren====
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%"> {{W40kKeyword|High Marshall Helbrecht,}} the {{W40kKeyword|Emperor's Champion, Company Champion}}, {{W40kKeyword|Captains}} (all flavours) and {{W40kKeyword|Company Veterans}} in this detachment gain the {{W40kKeyword|SWORD BRETHREN}} keyword, so you can do a mighty crusade! [[Derp|Neither Grimaldus, Crusader squads, Terminator squads nor Vanguard Vets are affected, btw]].
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
*This is the ONLY specialist detachment that affects a Chapter Master, a named one at that, as well as the Emperor's Champion unique character. Named characters still can't take this detachment's warlord trait, though.
*You ''can'' use it on Company Veterans on Bikes, since they too have the {{W40kKeyword|Company veterans}} keyword, same as the Captain on Bike...buuut they are overcosted. Even more so than before, as in CA2018 they retained their old price while everything else got a discount.

'''Stratagems'''
*'''Uphold the Honour of the Emperor (1CP):''' At the start of the Fight phase, pick a {{W40kKeyword|SWORD BRETHREN}} unit. Roll a D6 each time one of the models in that unit loses a wound, on a 5+ that model does not lose that wound.
*'''Suffer Not the Unclean to Live (2CP):''' At the start of the Fight phase, pick a {{W40kKeyword|SWORD BRETHREN}} unit. All models in the unit get an extra attack and may reroll failed wound rolls.

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

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

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

*'''Emperor's Champion:''' This guy will brutally murder any enemy character, SM2.0 and PA:F&F making him live up to Sigismund's legacy. This guy is basically a better Chapter Champion, triply so in the way that he costs no CP, is better equipped and is an actual HQ instead of being in the overpopulated Elites slot. He can hand out punishment as well as take it: With 5A base, +1A on the charge, +1A +1S vs {{W40kKeyword|Characters}} wielding what is basically a Relic Blade (S+2 AP-3 D1d3), and re-rolling hits and wounds against {{W40kKeyword|characters}} he hits above his points cost, especially when a thunder hammers cost 40 pts to his Black Sword's 0 pts. Like the Chapter Champion he is, he inflicts a -1 to be hit penalty in melee, but with a 2+/4++ base where a the regular version would need to spend 1CP for the relic armour. ''*Against {{W40kKeyword|monsters}} he just rerolls the wound roll''.
**Being entirely dedicated to be a beatstick, he needs support, most notably a transport. Furthermore, his retinue will need support because he lacks an aura himself, and you both lack Librarians and cannot use Litanies out of a transport. Helbrecht is a great choice since he turns him Str8 against characters, his Chapter Master aura would override a Captain's, and also helps him get to melee. These two characters would make any transport a high value target, so either put him in a one that is hard to kill (Land Raider (Crusader) / Stormraven), one that cannot be intercepted (Drop Pod), or just put him in a separate Rhino.

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

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

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

====Tactics====
''"I have slain many enemies, and won many battles and I tell you there is no great secret to success in war, no subtle trick of strategy that has saved my foes -- I seek out the enemy, attack as soon as I am able and with all the force at my command, rend his soldiers and smash his fortresses, leave only corpses behind me and then move on -- thus my Primarch has taught me, and I find his wisdom has proved worthy on a hundred battlefields"'' -- t. Kharn the <s>Betrayer</s> Bloody
*'''MSU Spam:''' Black Templars aren't the best melee chapter (especially not when BA and WS exist), but they can reliably get lots of models stuck in, even right out of a deepstrike, which often needs special tricks to accomplish. Multiple small units mean more rolls and more sarges, but be sure to support them, with ranged weapons killing keepaway units and dealing with targets your melee could struggle with, like vehicles. Suppressors can be useful, their mobile firepower shutting down overwatch from far away.

</div></div>

==={{W40Kkeyword|White Scars}}===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
[[File:White_Scars_Livery.png|100px|left|]]In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only the hunt unending. 
Thematically, they're the archetypical steppe nomads but turned into a post-human military force. These guys are the ones if you want your warrior-monks asian instead of western. 
On the tabletop these guys are the fast, melee marines, with the speed to keep up the pace, strong bikes to keep up the pressure, and the rules for relentless punishing assault. Your units will be as fast as genestealers without being as frail as them. Furthermore, their charge is devastating and their rules turn ongoing combats into repeated charges. 
''If you want your army to hit as fast and hard as a lightning bolt, then ride with the White Scars and unleash the storm''.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
====Special Rules====
*'''Chapter Tactics - Lightning Assault:''' Units with this tactic can charge even if they advanced or fell back. Furthermore, their {{W40Kkeyword|Bikers}} don't suffer the penalty for moving and firing Heavy weapons (Attack Bikes) or advancing and firing assault weapons (Scout Bikes, and up to 3 special guns in a unit of SM bikes). Land Speeders and Boltguns still eat dirt.
**Advance + Charge is huuuuge. Not talking about infantry's effective 3d6" charge range, no. This is for 12" Rhinos that end up with a 22.5" ''average'' charge threat range, whose cargo can then disembark, shoot after the rhino falls back, then charge overwatch-free when the rhino charges back in. This is for turboboosting bikers of '''27.5"''' threat range and Attack Bikes which don't need to stay put in order to have a good chance of hitting something.
**Charging after falling back is especially useful to units that proc Mortal Wounds on a charge, like Inceptors and your own Deadly Hunter Warlord (and [[Skub|Ironclad Dreadnoughts and Assault Centurions]]), on top of triggering Shock Assault and guaranteeing your units hit first. It also allows ranged support to help a unit from afar before it charges back into the fray. Even better when you have a Rhino to absorb overwatch.
**By letting them re-engage after falling back, Assault Marines and Vanguard Vets no longer sacrifice their melee phase in order to throw a Melta Bomb, and 8E has no restriction on charging disembarked models or units different to those the unit fired at. Makes {{W40Kkeyword|White Scars}} field some of the best {{W40Kkeyword|Jump Pack Infantry}} among SM.
*'''Combat Doctrine - Devastating Charge:''' While the Assault Doctrine is active, melee attacks performed by a unit that charged or performed a Heroic Intervention deal 1 more damage. If this triggers, you'll have already activated Shock Assault, so even a simple chainsword will be able to shred most two-wound infantry.
====Warlord Traits====
#'''Deadly Hunter:''' Each time he successfully charges, roll a D6. On a 4+, the enemy unit takes a mortal wound. And his Chapter Tactic allows him to charge after falling back, ''triggering the mortal wound again and again and again''.
#'''Chogorian Storm:''' +1d3A when he makes a charge or heroic intervention, aka WS' Smash Captain.
#'''Trophy Taker:''' Whenever this warlord successfully kills a character, he gains +1A until the end of the battle. Kor'sarro Khan comes with this. ''Skulls for the Golden Throne!''
#'''Master Rider:''' Biker warlord only. Reroll charges, -1 to be hit if he advanced.
#'''Hunter's Instincts:''' +1 to wound and hit vs vehicles and monsters.
#'''Master of Snares:''' On a 4+ enemies stuck in can't fall back unless they contain a model with a minimum move characteristic.

====Relics & Special-Issue Wargear====
=====Relics of Chogoris=====
*'''Banner of the Eagle:''' Ancient only. +1S to friendly WS units within 6".
*'''Glaive of Vengeance:''' Kahn spear that is always Sx2 AP-3 D1d3, even if it didn't charge.
*'''Hunter's Eye:''' One {{W40Kkeyword|white scars}} unit within 6" of the bearer gains Ignore Cover.
*'''Mantle of the Stormseer''': Psykers only. The bearer adds +1 when attempting to manifest the Stormspeaker discipline.
*'''Plume of the Plainsrunner:''' 6" aura of +1 to Infantry advance ''and'' charge rolls.
*'''Scimitar of the Great Kahn:''' Replaces a power sword/master-crafted power sword/relic blade. +1S AP-3 D2. Unmodified wound rolls of 6s do ''D4'' ('''D5''' during the Assault doctrine wtf!).
*'''Wrath of the Heavens:''' Biker model gets a ''Jump Bike''. Movement characteristic becomes 16" and basically can advance as if it had FLY.

=====Special-Issue wargear=====
*'''Adamantine Mantle:''' Fnp5+++. "Not dying" is good for everyone, but (smash) captains/Primaris are the ones with the most wounds to proc it with.
*'''Artificer Armour:''' 2+/5++. Most useful for Lieutenants and Librarians, who lack invulns.
*'''Cyber-Eagle Helm:''' Models in units within 6" (so, units) hit Overwatch on 5 and 6.
*'''Digital weapons:''' Do an additional attack when the model fights. If it hits, the target suffers a mortal wound. Yet another source of MW for a Deadly Hunter warlord.
*'''Equis-Pattern Bolt Pistol:''' Upgrades a bolt or, interestingly, a Heavy Bolt pistol to full brrrt Pistol '''''5''''' S4 AP-1. Your infantry can advance and charge, but pistols can't advance and shoot. They can, however, shoot into melee provided the shooter is in the melee, and supplement your already potent assaults, provided you don't fall back, which you usually will.
*'''Headtaker's Trophies:''' -1Ld to enemies within 6" of the bearer. Very spooky with just a mere couple Reivers.
*'''Master-crafted weapon:''' +1D to a weapon, and it's now considered a relic (so now some WTs no longer affect it and such). ''D5 Thunder Hammer!!''
*'''Stormwrath Bolts:''' Pocket autocannon. You can choose the bolt weapon it's being used on to make only one attack at S7 AP-1. If the target is a {{W40kKeyword|monster}}, it also gains D1d6.

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

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

'''Litanies of Battle - Strike Off the Head:''' Re-roll failed wound rolls in melee for friendly {{W40kKeyword|White Scars}} units within 6".

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

'''Forgeworld''' {{W40kKeyword|Successor Chapters}} '''Characters''' 
Remember you don't necessarily need to pick Inheritors of the Primarch to be White Scars successors and use this supplement. 
{{W40kKeyword|[[Mantis Warriors]]}} 
*'''Ahazra Redth:''' Librarian; can ignore his first Perils of the game, has a 5++ and a force sword that deals flat D2.

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

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

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

==={{W40Kkeyword|Raven Guard}}===
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[[File:Raven_Guards_Livery.jpg|100px|left|]]In the grim darkness of the far future, death comes from the shadows. 
Thematically, these guys are THE specialist of covert operations and rapid deployment, striking their enemies before they can react. 
On the tabletop, these guys are well-suited to picking off characters, either from long range sniping, mass Jump Pack assaults, or smash captains flipping entire units by themselves, and either way they're tricky to actually land a hit on. Thanks to a wealth of deployment and redeployment options, they will constantly be moving in to attack from multiple directions, and they are one of the few chapters that can reliably deliver Primaris units into close quarters without relying on transports. 
''If you want your marines to '''behave like the special forces they are''', keep quiet, and stalk the shadows with the Ravens.''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
====Special Rules====
*'''Chapter Tactics - Shadow Masters:''' Your units get the benefit of cover if they're being shot beyond 12". If they're not vehicles and happen to be entirely on or within a terrain feature (not just receiving cover), enemies must also subtract 1 from their hit rolls.
**Of help to long-range attackers of all types, from Scout Snipers to ranged Dreads. One of the best chapter tactics available, as is basically good on ''everything'', from units that can pick off opponents from afar to melee units that need to cover long distances to reach their intended targets, preventing them from being shot up quite as badly.
**While it's a nerf from the old -1 to hit (it being restricted to far-away cover), a 2+ save still helps, and your vehicles get cover in the open: hard to destroy -1 to hit (Smoke launchers) 2+ Rhinos (Shadow Masters) [[JoJo's_Bizarre_Adventure|without also getting within 12" of them]]. It's also worth noting that Vanguard Primaris means that there are now more units with Camo Cloaks, as opposed to just Scouts, and they'll all enjoy that +2 to saves at 12". Turns out that Salamanders don't have a monopoly on infantry that can ignore AP-1.
*'''Combat Doctrine - Surgical Strikes:''' While the Tactical Doctrine is active, all your models add +1 to hit and wound rolls when targeting a character. Unlike most doctrines, this isn't restricting you to any particular method of fighting...though you can snipe a character earlier than you can reach it in melee. Naturally, sniper Scouts and Eliminators in particular will appreciate these bonuses, triggering Mortal Wounds on a wound roll of 5+.
**This rule is an absolute nightmare for opponents running large, monstrous characters. Knights with relics, Greater Daemons, Hive Tyrants, Mortarion, and Magnus were already fire magnets, and this makes the situation far worse for them.
====Warlord Traits====
#'''Shadowmaster''': The enemy can't fire overwatch against your warlord, enabling him to make the charge first, selflessly (and [[Reasonable Marines|safely]]) screening his retinue from overwatch. Works on any kind of warlord... but it's obviously better on those who reroll charge ranges, like Shrike or a {{W40Kkeyword|Jump Pack}} Captain with the '''Raven's Fury'''. Do keep in mind characters with auras that benefit the charge should charge last, or their retinues would no longer benefit from them...''like Shrike's''.
#'''Master of Ambush:''' At the start of the first battle round, but before the first turn begins, remove your warlord and 1 non-Centurion infantry unit and place them anywhere on the battlefield more than 9" away from the enemies deployment zone. 6 Aggressors??! Note that it allows a Chaplain to infiltrate together with Scouts, Vanguard Primaris units, and other Vanguard HQs without spending a CP.
#'''Swift and Deadly''': Friendly Raven Guard units within 6" of the warlord can be chosen to charge even if they advanced. Jump Packs? No, lets try bikes!
#'''Master of Vigilance''': When resolving an attack made by a melee weapon by this warlord, an unmodified hit roll of 6 inflicts a mortal wound in addition to any other damage.
#'''Feigned Flight''': When this warlord falls back, they can move across models and terrain as if they weren't there. In addition the warlord may shoot and charge in a turn that they fell back.
#'''Echo of the Ravenspire''': Once per battle, at the end of your movement phase, the warlord can vanish into the gloom if they are more than 6" away from any other models. When it does, remove it from the battlefield and set up the warlord again at the end of your next movement phase anywhere on the table that is more than 9" away from enemy models. Excellent on a Terminator or Gravis Smash Captain.

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

=====Special-Issue wargear=====
*'''Adamantine Mantle:''' FnP5+++. "Not dying" is good for everyone, but (smash) captains/Primaris are the ones with the most wounds to proc it with.
*'''Artificer Armour:''' 2+/5++. Most useful for Lieutenants and Librarians, who lack invulns.
*'''Digital Weapons:''' Do an additional attack when the model fights. If it hits, the target suffers a mortal wound.
*'''Master-crafted Weapon:''' +1D to a weapon, and it now considered a relic (so now some WTs no longer affect it and such). ''4D Thunder Hammer!''
*'''Korvidari Bolts:''' Select one bolter weapon from Codex Space Marines that model is equipped with, when that model is chosen to shoot you can fire a Korvidari bolt. The model's ranged weapon's range is increased by 6" and can target units that are not visible, but only one attack can be made with the weapon. Great on a Phobos Captain, as he only gets one shot anyways, or an Eliminator sarge to always use the best ammo despite being out of LoS.
*'''Shadow Master Cloak:''' 3++ invuln save while completely within a terrain feature. Good on Lieutenants and Librarians for the same reason as Artificer Armour, the choice depends entirely on the availability of terrain.
*'''Silentus Pistol:''' Models with a bolt pistol or heavy bolt pistol only, replaces it for a pistol 2 S5 AP-2 D2. It can target a character even without it being the closest and can add 1 to the hit roll.
**Since it doesn't fully synergize with the Combat Doctrine (it gets the to hit and to wound bonuses but not the AP bonus), it works better on a Successor Chapter.
*'''Shard of Isstvan:''' +1 attack, and when a morale test is taken for a chapter unit within 6", the test is automatically passed.

====Stratagems====
Raven Guard Stratagems can be divided into four broad categories; Mobility, Offense, Disruption/Survival, and Universal.
*'''Mobility:''' If White Scars are the masters of speed, Raven Guard are the masters of deployment.
**'''Infiltrators (1 CP)''': At the start of the first battle round, but before the first turn begins choose an infantry unit and move them. As long as you finish more than 9" from enemy models. Each unit can only be selected for this once per battle. As your turn hasn't begun you can use this multiple times on different units.
***Best utilized on Jump Infantry, though as Concealed Positions also happens before the first turn, it can also be used to reposition an infiltrating unit.
**'''Strike from the Shadows (1 CP)''': Lets you place a {{W40kKeyword|Raven Guard}} Infantry unit in ambush, allowing them to deep strike.
**'''Strike from the Skies (1 CP)''': Start of the Charge phase. One {{W40kKeyword|Raven Guard}} Jump Pack unit can charge even if they advanced and adds 1 to the charge rolls.
**'''The Raven's Blade (1 CP)''': Allows you to reroll all charge rolls against one enemy unit. Useful for removing an important enemy unit by charging several of your melee units into it simultaneously.
**'''False Flight (2 CP)''': One {{W40kKeyword|Raven Guard}} unit can now shoot and charge after they fall back. There's plenty of utility here, from making a fighting retreat to double-dipping on any charge bonuses you get.
*'''Offense:''' Compared to other chapters, the Raven Guard have only a few Stratagems that enhance their damage output, and they are either limited to once per turn or very narrow in scope.
**'''Lay Low the Tyrants (1 CP)''': Use during the melee phase. Pick a {{W40kKeyword|Raven Guard}} Infantry or Biker unit. When they resolve a melee attack against a character that is not a vehicle or a non-vehicle unit with a model that has 4 or more wounds, add 1 to the wound roll. Stacks with Surgical Strikes, giving you +2 to wound against enemy Characters.
**'''Vengeance of Istvaan V (1 CP)''': A {{W40kKeyword|Raven Guard}} unit can reroll all attack rolls in melee when targeting a Word Bearer, Iron Warrior, Alpha Legion, or Night Lord unit. Avenge the Drop Site Massacre. ”Come on you fucking pansies! Fight us face-to-face! For Corax! For Brothers lost! CHARGE!!!”- Master of Shadows Kayvaan Shrike, battle for Hope’s Pyre against Word Bearers.
**'''Ambushing Fire (2 CP)''': Use at the start of your moving phase if the Tactical Doctrine is active. Until the end of the next battle round, all {{W40kKeyword|Raven Guard}} units shooting Rapid Fire and Assault weapons in your army improve their AP by 1 on an unmodified wound roll of 6. Can only be used once per battle.
*'''Disruption/survival:'''While most armies have stratagems aimed at utility or defense, the Raven Guard emphasize disrupting your opponent's plans and making it harder for them to use stratagems, target your units, and take/score objectives.
**'''Stranglehold (2 CP)''': Use during the first turn of the game to screw over your opponent's stratagems. You must have {{W40kKeyword|Raven Guard}} Scouts or Phobos units in your army. roll 1d6 each time an opponent spends a command point on a stratagem. on a 5+, the opponent must spend an additional command point or the stratagem is countered and cannot be used again this round. Only works during the first turn.
**'''See but Remain Unseen (1 CP)''': Use this stratagem at the end of your turn. Select one Raven Guard unit that did not make any attacks. Subtract 1 from any hit rolls that target them. You could possibly be a dick and use this on transports working as meat shields for your army, you're not gonna miss a few WS 6+ attacks or less than 10 Storm Bolter shots. Works especially well if you position your units such that your opponent must engage the transport. Also makes an Infantry unit in terrain with Smoke Grenades ridiculously survivable at -3 to hit (>12").
**'''Decapitating Blow (2 CP)''': Use when you kill the enemy warlord with a {{W40kKeyword|Raven Guard}} unit. For the rest of the game, enemy units are at -1 leadership.
**'''Deadly Price (1 CP)''': Use at the end of your turn to boobytrap an objective. If an enemy unit tries to take it, roll a d6. On a 2-4, they take d3 mortal wounds. On a 5+, they take 3 mortal wounds instead. Can't be used on the same objective more than once per battle.
**'''Force their Hand (1 CP)''': Tactical objective shenanigans. Force your opponent to discard a tactical objective and draw a new one. You need to have a bike or infantry unit on a objective in your opponent's deployment zone to use this. A lot of hoops to jump through to make this work.
*'''Universal:''' All Chapters Supplements include some variation of the following three stratagems.
**'''Masters of the Trifold Path (1 CP)''': Non-named characters can generate a second warlord trait. No duplicates. once per battle
**'''Favored of the Ravenspire (1 CP)''': A {{W40kKeyword|Raven Guard}} Sergeant can take certain relics
**'''Token of Brotherhood (1 CP)''': The standard successor relic sharing stratagem.

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

#'''Umbral Form''': Warp Charge 5. The psyker gains a 4++ Invulnerable save.
#'''Enveloping Darkness''': Warp Charge 7. One visible enemy unit within 18" cannot fire Overwatch and subtracts one from their hit rolls. Basically a psychic Shock Grenade, which stacks.
#'''Spectral Blade''': Warp Charge 5. Until the start of the next psychic phase, the psyker's Strength is equal to their Leadership. In addition, they have AP-4 when resolving an attack against a unit with a lower Leadership. In most cases, this will make your Librarian Strength 9, and you can guarantee the AP bonus by using one of the numerous Leadership penalty sources available (suddenly, Fear Made Manifest gets better as a warlord trait).
#'''Shadowstep''': Warp Charge 7. One {{W40kKeyword|Raven Guard Character}} within 18" of your Librarian redeploys wherever he wishes while 9" away from the enemy. Once again, it can be used to send a Chaplain to support infiltrated Marines, or to teleport around a Terminator or Gravis Smash Captain.
#'''The Abyss''': Warp Charge 6. Select one visible enemy unit within 18". Roll 3d6; for each each roll of 4+, the target takes a mortal wound. If any models are destroyed, then the unit suffers a -1 penalty to their leadership for the rest of the turn.
#'''The Darkness Within''': Warp Charge 6. Select up to 3 enemy units within 18"; roll 1d6 for each unit. On a 4+, they take a mortal wound. If you rolled a 10 or higher on the psychic test, add 1 to the d6 rolls.

'''Litanies of Battle - Swift as the Raven:''' Raven Guard within 6" can fall back and shoot, and also charge that turn if they can Fly.
*Inceptors want to tie up units that cannot fight them back, like small troop squads and vehicles, to hide from enemy shooting or force them to fall back. This litany lets them do just that. Let the Chaplain give +1 to hit to their Plasma Exterminators for safe plasma supercharge, and use Swift as the Raven when they reach the enemy. They are the only flying unit that can both shoot and melee, more than Suppressors. If you can get over the autism of mixing a manlet Jump Pack Chaplain with Primaris Inceptors, that is.

====Special Units====

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

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'''Forgeworld''' {{W40kKeyword|Successor Chapters}} '''Characters''' 
Remember you don't necessarily need to pick Inheritors of the Primarch to be Raven Guard successors and use this supplement.
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{{W40kKeyword|[[Raptors]]}} 
*'''[[Lias Issodon]]:''' Chapter Master. Lias is the king of Infiltration Fuckery. When he infiltrates (at the end of ''any'' Movement Phase, thus it supplements Strike from the Shadows), he can take up to three {{W40kKeyword|RAPTORS}} {{W40kKeyword|INFANTRY}} units with him (barring {{W40kKeyword|TERMINATORS}}, {{W40kKeyword|PRIMARIS}} and {{W40kKeyword|CENTURIONS}}, but now allowing jump-pack Marines). [[Meme|Surprise, motherfuckers!]] He has a 6" aura that adds +1" to all move, advance, charge, and fall back moves (making his base movement ''8"''), on top of his Chapter Master 6" aura of rerolls to hit. His weapon ''Malice'' is a 30" Assault 3 S5 AP-4 D1d3 murdermachine with ignores cover, which he can fire after retreating from melee with Hit & Run. In addition to all of this, Lias essentially has a 0+ save while sitting in any cover (though of course save rolls of 1 always fail, this is more to troll enemies who try to negate cover saves). This means, when he is in cover, he gets a save against ''every weapon in the game''. Yes, including those AP-6 Titan weapons. Plus he has a master-crafted power sword, just in case he needs to run interference to protect your ambushers from small opportunistic chargers. Storm of Fire is the preferred Warlord Trait, as he'll largely be hanging out with other shooters.
**Potential ambushers to think about are Devastators, Sternguard, or Company Veterans (never waste this ability on units that already have the means to deep strike via cheapish Jump Packs!). Remember he can also buff Inceptors and Cataphractii Terminators, as they can deep strike next to him without his rule, and any [[Aggressor|Primaris units]] you infiltrate with Strike from the Shadows *cough*Assault Centurions*cough*. Nothing beats the feeling of deep striking 30 multi-melta Devastators in melta range of an IG tank column or Knight Castellan.
**Raptors seem to be gaining in popularity. Using this dude takes caution and practice, but if done right you can route your enemy in spectacular fashion. One of the main questions you should be asking yourself is what will I use to clear screens, and how will I force my opponent's movement to open gaps for the ambush? Build your list around sculpting your opponent's plays, and let the mind games begin.
'''Successor Tactics:''' Inheritors of the Primarch works just fine for them, and are perhaps even better built for them than their parent chapter! Inheritors is also absolute cheese on Issodon’s deepstrike force (put them down in cover and you have a group of 15 lascannon-toting Devastators who reroll all failed hits, with -1 to hit and a 2+ save, along with Issodon’s 0+ and -1 to hit). If you feel like mixing it up, however, Tactics like Preferred Enemy, Long-ranged Marksmen, and, of course, Stealthy are all fluffy and effective picks. Consider that the Hungry For Battle Trait, combined with the Master of the Vanguard Warlord Trait and Lias Issodon's built-in +1 to charge can give your reserve force a respectable 6" charge out of deepstrike, season with Raven's Blade for a re-roll to taste.

{{W40kKeyword|[[Space Sharks]]}} 
*'''[[Tyberos the Red Wake]]:''' Chapter Master. An unholy, terrifying murder machine whose melee damage went through the roof in this edition. Comes with 2 weapons: Hunger and Slake. Hunger is a chainfist that does a flat 3 damage (one better than the normal), and Slake is a lightning claw that does 2 damage while still getting the re-roll to wound. He grants all Carcharodons models within 6" +1S including himself, he also gives all Carcharodons units within 6" re-roll to hits (including shooting). His statline is almost identical to that of a Terminator Captain but Tyberos has 5 attacks instead of 4, 1 more strength due to his buff and 1 less BS. Tyberos excels at fighting small units composed of models with multiple wounds and HQs due to his damage output. Keep an assault unit of some sort alongside him and together they should destroy any MEQ or TEQ unit with absolute ease. While VERY expensive Thunder Hammer armed Vanguard or Assault Termies become more effective at killing high toughness units when alongside Tyberos. ''((The S10 they get from Tyberos' buff combined with the Thunder Hammers means they'll go from wounding T8 and T9 units on 4+ and 5+ respectively to wounding them on a 3+ and 3+ respectively (this means they can wound even a Knight or Warhound Titan on a 3+). A squad of 5 will put out 11 AP-3 Dmg 3 Strength 10 hits that can cause a maximum of 33 damage and they get to re-roll misses due to Tyberos. That's a potential of 48 damage in a single fight phase between them and Tyberos using Hunger (15 from Tyberos 33 from the hammer unit.''
**If Tyberos is your warlord, you should really be pumping everything you can into his attacks - his hitting power is strong, but his overall volume of attacks quite low by comparison. To start with, give him The Imperium’s Sword for +1A on the charge, which compliments his existing +1A from Shock Assault. Cast Might of Heroes on him for another +1A and +1S, giving him '''eight''' attacks at S12 ap-4 dmg3. Finally, drop the Whirlwind of Rage successor trait and keep a Lieutenant nearby, and watch your sweet little bundle of death chew through an Imperial Knight every turn.
**Since sharkboy has '''no ranged weapons at all''', not even a bolt pistol, any turn where he isn’t wrecking face in cc is a waste of his substantial 205 points cost - so absolutely invest in a transport to get him up the board as quickly as possible. Bonus cool points if you play [https://youtu.be/lV8i-pSVMaQ his favourite song] while disembarking.
'''Successor Tactics:''' Whirlwind of Rage is an absolute must here, Tyberos benefits too damn much from it. Great choices for your second Tactic include Hunger for Battle, to get into melee ASAP, or Tactical Withdrawal, to keep Shock Assault up and working for you. Fearsome Aspect is a fluffy, if not as brutal option.

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

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

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==={{W40Kkeyword|Salamanders}}===
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[[File:Salamanders_Chapter_Livery.jpg|100px|left|]]In the grim darkness of the far future, the flame of hope burns still. 
Thematically, these guys are the true saviours of mankind, as while everyone else is running around hitting/stabbing each other with various weapons, the Salamanders are the warrior angels who are protecting the civilians, infrastructure, and all the other things that make a society a society. And also setting the enemies of the Emperor on fire. 
On the tabletop, these Bros acts much like a jack of all trades with Shooting, melee, and resilience, with them being able to both hit and wound a little better than most and being able to ignore -1 AP and other Stratagems means they have a little more staying power. Their preferred weapons are short-ranged, but you'll find that flames and meltaguns will solve almost all problems. 
''Vulkan lives!'' (STOMP-STOMP)
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====Special Rules====
*'''Chapter Tactics - Forged in Battle:''' A '''unit''' with this tactic can re-roll a single to hit roll and a single wound roll each time it shoots or fights (including overwatch). Your units treat AP-1 attacks as if they were AP0, meaning things like heavy bolters will be a minimal threat.
**Especially useful to ''all'' vehicles, {{W40Kkeyword|characters}}, MSU, and strong single-shot weapons like Lascannons and Meltas. Assuming you hit and wound on 3+, that one shot goes from 44% to wound to over 70% (saves not calculated). While it reduces your dependence on Captains and Lieutenants (allowing you to focus on the other HQs), it also helps them with those 2s, statistically similar to a Chapter Master (on a 1-shot unit), which the Salamanders lack unless they spend valuable CP on the Stratagem. Especially Vulkan He'Stan, who is like a Chapter Master only to melta and a Captain to everything else - now melta sergeants can re-roll for themselves.
***''Most'' useful on weapons with ''lower'' strength that instead focus on AP and/or Damage to get work done. A good example is Eliminators firing Mortis rounds, where you will really notice a substantial increase in performance, particularly if you don't use Guided Aim.
** AP-1 weaponry is the most efficient AP in the game in terms of availability and potential threat against your infantry. Ignoring it is hugely beneficial to your survival, armoured or otherwise.
*'''Combat Doctrine - Promethean Cult:''' While the Tactical Doctrine is active, all flame and melta weapons gain +1 to wound. Honestly, did you expect anything else?
**The best way to use this doctrine, as you might expect, is with Successor Tactics, as the Salamanders tactic is relatively awful with flame weapons, and there's a severe lack of synergy with melta, which usually won't benefit from +1 to wound ''or'' -1 to AP from the Doctrine bonus. In particular, Salamanders successors with +3" range on their guns will enjoy their flamers and meltaguns a lot more than actual Salamanders will.

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

====Relics and Special Issue Wargear====
=====Relics=====
*'''Drake-Smiter''': Replaces a Thunder Hammer. Doesn't lose the -1 to hit, but does get AP-4 and becomes 6(!) D on a 6 to wound. Forged in Battle can help you fish for that 6.
*'''Helm of Drakos''': {{W40Kkeyword|Primaris}} only. Gives +1W and enemy units within 6" get -1LD. Thoroughly meh. The Mantle is a better defensive relic, and unless you're going all in on Leadership debuffs, it's not worth it. That said, a Primaris Librarian with Draconic Aspect and the Fear Made Manifest trait can have an aura of -4LD in 6". If you're playing a Fearsome Aspect successor, you can bump that to -5LD in 3". Some Reivers nearby can bump that to a potential -6LD, then -7LD with Standard of the Emperor Ascendant, and make anything run in terror if your opponent forgets how to solve the problem with CP.
*'''Nocturne's Vengeance''': Replaces a combi-flamer. Both parts get -1AP and 2D with the flamer jumping to 12" range. It's a master-crafted combi-flamer that works out of deep strike to cook up the enemy well.
*'''Salamander's Mantle''': Now re-worked to be even better. It gives a straight -1 to wound the bearer. Combo with the Forge Master trait, and now anything up to S11 (S13 for Gravis/Bikes) wounds on no better than a 4+.
*'''Tome of Velcona''': A {{W40Kkeyword|Librarian}} knows an additional power from the Promethean discipline (even if he took Librarius or Obscuration powers). More importantly, he gets +1 to Psychic tests for Promethean powers. Casting all your powers on a 5+ is nice.
*'''Vulkan's Sigil''': The character gets +1A, and once per game during the Fight phase, all {{W40Kkeyword|Salamanders}} units get +1A for that phase (bringing the bearer to +2A).
*'''Wrath of Prometheus''': Replaces a boltgun or master-crafted boltgun. No additional shots, but it gets +6" range, +1S, -2AP, and D3.

=====Special Issue Wargear=====
*'''Adamantine Mantle:''' Fnp5+++. "Not dying" is good for everyone, but (smash) captains/Primaris are the ones with the most wounds to proc it with.
*'''Artificer Armour:''' 2+/5++. Most useful for Lieutenants and Librarians, who lack invulns.
*'''Master-crafted Weapon:''' +1D to a weapon, and it now considered a relic (so now some WTs no longer affect it and such). ''4D Thunder Hammer isn't quite as appealing since your Relic is better, but why not put this on a Sarge with the right Stratagem?''
*'''Digital Weapons:''' Make an additional attack when the model fights. If it hits, the target suffers a mortal wound.
*'''Obsidian Aquila:''' Friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Chapter}} models within 6" get a 6+++ FNP. You now have a bubble of marines more durable than Iron Hands.
*'''Promethean Plate:''' Wound rolls of 1, 2, or 3 always fail against this model. For when you've already got a model with the Mantle and want a second durable character to hang around. Can really neuter a lot of the deadlier melee attacks in the game.
*'''Dragonrage Bolts:''' When firing a bolt weapon this model has, only make one attack, but if it hits you get 1d6 wound rolls, ignore cover, and -1AP. Turns a bolter into a long range almost-flamer. Notably does not count as a flame weapon, so you don't get the +1 to wound from Promethean Cult.
*'''Drakeblade:''' Replaces a power sword, master-crafted power sword, or combat knife. It's -4 AP, D2, and deals 1 mortal wound on an unmodified 6 to wound. Something for the Phobos characters to replace their crappy combat knife with.

====Stratagems====
*'''Born Protectors (2 CP)''': When a {{W40Kkeyword|Salamanders}} unit is charged, pick another {{W40Kkeyword|Salamanders}} unit within 12". That can fire overwatch in addition to the charged unit, and if the charge is successful, they can Heroically Intervene 2D6", but only towards that charging unit. Tau Overwatch plus a Heroic Intervention? Fantastic, if situational. Can deter certain charges and anything that can change how your opponent plays has a place.
*'''Despite the Odds (1 CP)''': At the end of a turn where you didn't score any Tactical Objectives, if your Warlord is still on the table, generate a new Tactical Objective.
*'''Exemplar of the Promethean Creed (1 CP)''': Your Warlord gets a second Warlord trait. Doesn't work on named characters or someone you gave a trait to with Hero of the Chapter. Lots of fun and interesting combos here.
*'''Flamecraft (2 CP)''': In the shooting phase, a unit's flame weapons will always fire its maximum number of shots. Good for a Land Raider Redeemer, flamer Aggressors, combi-flamer Sternguard, and Assault Centurions. Still great if less efficient on Invictors and Land Speeders with dual Heavy Flamers and on Bray'arth Ashmantle.
*'''Immolation Protocols (1 CP)''': Turn all of one unit's flame weapons into Pistols for one shooting phase. Not a bad way of saving a shooty flame unit from melee.
*'''Master Artisans (1 CP)''': Give a Sergeant a Master-Crafted weapon, Digital Weapons, the Drakeblade, or Dragonrage Bolts
*'''Relentless Determination (1 CP)''': At the end of the Movement phase, pick one unit that did not advance. It counts as stationary, and if it has a damage table, it counts as having double wounds to see which row of the table you use. Let Aggressors and Repulsor Executioners still shoot twice after moving or have a vehicle re-position and still fire its shots at full BS.
*'''Rise From the Ashes (2 CP)''': When a {{W40Kkeyword|Salamanders}} {{W40Kkeyword|Character}} dies, roll a 4+ and they pop back up with 1 wound remaining. Only once per character per game. Opponent manage to take down your Warlord? Snipe the Techmarine playing Self Sacrifice meatshield? Get a lucky shot on your Smash Captain? Hit the undo button on that shit.
*'''Rites of Vulkan (2 CP)''': At the start of the movement phase while in the Tactical doctrine, for the rest of that battle round, all Rapid Fire or Assault weapons in your army get an additional -1AP on natural 6's to wound. Only once per battle. Works best when you have a lot of shots spread around the army.
*'''Self Sacrifice (2 CP)''': Use at the start of the opponent's shooting phase and pick a {{W40Kkeyword|Salamanders}} {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} unit in your army that has more than five models and then one other unit that is wholly within 6". For the rest of the phase, your opponent cannot shoot the unit that is being shielded as long as they are wholly within 6" of the unit that is protecting them, unless they are the closest unit. The unit that is doing the body blocking can't be hidden from shooting by psychic powers or other trickery.
*'''Stand Your Ground (1 CP)''': When a {{W40Kkeyword|Salamanders}} {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} unit that didn't advance in your last Movement phase is picked as the target of an attack, they get +1 to their saves against D1 weapons for the rest of the phase. Doesn't help with invuln saves (or Servitors, but why are you bringing those?).
*'''Strength of the Primarch (1CP)''': Pick a unit at the start of the fight phase. They get +1S and any unmodified wound rolls of 6 do double damage. Probably worse than Crucible most of the time, but you can use them together to potentially get +2 to wound and exploding 6's. Imagine this on Bray'arth when it goes off. Absolutely crazy on Thunder Hammers. One lucky '6' and the warlord is gone! Just three lucky '6s' and so too is that Landraider!
*'''The Crucible of Battle (1 CP)''': In the shooting or fight phase, one unit gets +1 to wound for that phase. Veterans of the Long War for the pyro-marines. Works well with the Promethean Cult, and if you want to sink more CP into it, you can toss in Flamecraft for max shot flamers wounding everything on a 4+ or better.
*'''The Fires of Battle (1 CP)''': In the shooting phase or when firing overwatch, when a model is firing a flame weapon or melta, any unmodified 4+ to wound does a mortal wound in addition to normal damage (to a max of three Mortal Wounds). Only works for 1 weapon shot by 1 model, so no Aggressor MW spam for you.
*'''Trust of Prometheus (1 CP)''': Give a successor a {{W40Kkeyword|Salamanders}} relic
*'''Vengeance for Isstvan V (1 CP)''': When facing Word Bearers, Iron Warriors, Night Lords, or Alpha Legion in the fight phase, one unit can re-roll all hit rolls. Very situational, but fluffy.

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

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

====Special Units====
*'''[[Vulkan He'Stan]]:''' Has a Captain's statline, with a 2+ save and a 3+ invuln. Comes with Heavy Flamer, and Relic Blade, and Storm Shield equivalent gear. He has the Captain Rites of Battle ability to let you re-roll hits of 1 for Salamanders units within 6", and his Forgefather ability lets all Salamanders models within 6" reroll any failed hits and wounds with flame or melta in the name, and with his own Gauntlet of the Forge (note that this affects vehicles and melta-bombs too now, but it doesn't affect the bolter part of combi-weapons). Great for tagging along with Sternguard or Company Vets in a Rhino or Drop Pod. Vulkan standing with a 5-man devastator squad, armed with 4 Multi-Meltas and a Combi-Flamer, is extremely productive, both for shooting hordes and high toughness targets. The forgefather rule made him a more support oriented HQ as his melee is mediocre compared to other named characters worth a similar amount of points (namely Shrike or Lysander). He got used to being an immovable object in 7th (2+,3++,5+++(FnP)) but in 8th all you need to do to is fail one 3+ invulnerable save and you take multiple wounds, or get saddled with Mortal Wounds he can't save against. Still, take him if you are a Salamanders player because his rules aren't by any means bad - and his model is awesome.
**As long as he's your warlord, he also hits with a solid S8 thanks to his Warlord Trait.
**Alternate take: Vulkan He'Stan riding along with either a squad of Assault Centurions in a Land Raider Redeemer or a squad of Aggressors with Flamestorm Gauntlets can be quite effective. Proper positioning will allow re-rolls to hit and to wound on both Land Raider Flamestorm Cannons, the Land Raider's Multi-Melta and on all 6 of the flamers that you've definitely taken on your Assault Centurions, all preceding a devastating charge. The Aggressors will similarly benefit, whether it's from the 4d6 flamer shots they get if they stay still or the 2d6 they unleash as they move into melee range.
** Primaris Eradicators!!!! They are tough infantry, can move and fire with assault weapons, very high shot volume for melta-weaponry, with He'Stan you should kill any T7 vehicle in one go, with only Land Raiders/baneblades surviving out of the T8 models.
**He'stan is insanely good backing up Cyclonic Melta Leviathans, or, keeping it lighter, standard-issue multi-melta/heavy flamer dreads, where he will buff the guns all the way, and they can use Salamanders tactics if they need to in melee.
*'''Adrax Agatone''': A Primaris Captain with a hand flamer that acts more like a stronger flamer (12" range and AP-1) and a D4 Thunder Hammer. His cloak reduces all incoming damage by 1, and his Unto the Anvil aura adds 1 to all wound rolls for melee weapons when Shock Assault is triggered. Obviously, he works nicely with Flamestorm Aggressors, especially when he's Warlord so they can re-roll how many hits those Aggressors make.
*'''Captain Pellas Mir'san (Forgeworld):''' He has the statline of a Captain in Terminator Armour, except with a 6" move instead of 5" and without the transport restrictions of being a terminator, but no Teleport Strike (dude, he's clearly in Artificer armour, not Terminator). He comes with a combi-flamer, Cinder Edge (functionally identical to a force sword), and Steelsilver, which lets you make an additional attack at S4 AP0 D1 against every model within 1". Those attacks are made after his Cinder Edge attacks are resolved and before you consolidate, so it can be a super chainsword or useless depending on what his regular attacks leave behind. He gets the normal Captain Iron Halo for a 4++ and Rites of battle to re-roll 1s to hit within 6". He also gets 2 more attacks when he's within 2" of any enemy Characters. All this for a few points less than a similarly equipped Terminator Captain. He really wants to be in close combat chopping heads to maximize his usefulness. Probably plays best running with Vanguard or Company Vets kitted for close combat, but he'll likely need a transport to get to where you want him as he has no deep strike options on his own.
**As the Forgeworld characters do not have fixed warlord traits, there are a few options to choose from.
***The Imperium’s Sword give Pellas more general melee ability by raising him to strength 5 and 6 attacks on the charge (8 if you get close to an enemy character) as well as a reroll for charge distances.
***Alternatively, Champion of Humanity makes him an even better character hunter. He keeps the 8 attacks on the charge but gains a +1 on wound rolls, which can be further combined with Crucible of Battle for a +2 to wound.
***The Salamander-specific Warlord Traits are, sadly, not quite as good as the base rulebook, but could have their uses. Anvil of Strength and Forge Master can both keep you alive longer and may be worth it depending on what you are fighting.
*'''[[Bray'arth Ashmantle]] (Forgeworld):''' He's now even more indestructible than before, being a Character with T9, W8, a 2+/5++, and a 4+ to ignore lost wounds, he's not going down easily. He's also dead killy up close. His two Dreadfire heavy flamers can put out some serious hurt with S6, AP-2 and 3 damage a pop at 8" range. In close combat, his claws have him swinging 4 times at S16, AP-4, and D6 damage, and if you are locked in with someone during the shooting phase, his Burning Wrath is now a 2D6 shot auto hitting S4 pistol with a 2" range. On the downsides: In an edition of HQs buffing your other units, he does nothing to improve nearby Salamanders. He can only be your Warlord if there are no other HQ units, so you'll limit yourself to a smaller number of command points if you want to use him to deny your opponent Slay the Warlord. He can't cause any harm until he gets within 8", so you either buy him a transport or have him be a walking 14" threat bubble. This all comes for the hefty price of <s>400 pts</s> '''325 points''' (more if you buy a Dreadnought Drop Pod or Stormraven for him to ride in).
**It's worth noting that he is a {{W40kKeyword|CHARACTER}} and hits almost as hard as a Volcano Cannon in close combat. The amount of panic he'll cause walking towards your opponent with a few cheap screening units in front of him (or even a few Rhinos) is well worth the price tag, as is the satisfaction when he finally hits the opponent's gunline and all hell breaks loose. On a side note if you can get your enemy to charge him on overwatch he is likely to butcher MEQ or even TEQs with his dreadfire flamers.
**The new Space Marine and Salamander's codices bring several tricks that can turn Ashmantle into a right nightmare.
***The Salamander Chapter Tactic and the Duty Eternal stratagem make him even more durable than he once was. Using the Drakeskin and Fireshield Psychic power can add even more durability to him, though at this point, it may be approaching overkill.
***Hero of the Chapter can be used to grant him a Warlord Trait, thus getting around one of his main restrictions. Some possible standout options include Anvil of Strength for extra killing power (strength 20 Dreadfire claws), Forge Master to make him T11, or Lord of Fire to make his Dreadfire Heavy Flamers even more lethal.
***Only in Death Does Duty End will let him fight even if your opponent manages to take him down while Rise from the Ashes will let him potentially get back up and keep fighting. Just have a techmarine nearby to patch him up.
***Obviously, Ashmantle is a prime target for Flamecraft if you can get him close enough to use his Dreadfire Heavy Flamers, but that’s not all. Immolation Protocols pairs well with his Burning Wrath pistol attacks should any opponent be foolish enough to try and stick around in melee, and Born Protectors will discourage countercharges. Then there is The Crucible of Battle...
**Now a whopping 75 points cheaper, saving you enough to almost buy his Drop Pod outright.

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

====Tactical Objectives====

====Tactics====
*Real Deal MSU: Take 2 battalions, each with 3 tac squads armed with a single Lascannon. Salamanders trait gives each Lascannon crucial re rolls for hits and wounds, making these 6 Lascannons typically all the anti-armor you will need. Fills out battalions nicely, and leaves plenty of room for anti-horde and whatever heavy hitter Elites/HQs you desire to polish off any other pockets of durability your opponent has. This forces your opponent to usually shoot their anti-armor at 15 point tactical marines (because they're camping back in cover and ignore ap-1 requiring big guns to shoot them), thus helping reduce the barrage your armor and heavy infantry will receive. This may also force your opponent to surge forward into walls of flame weapons.
* In keeping with the small unit size benefit, look at squads of Eliminators and/or Eradicators. Your re-roll ability allows units that rely on a few powerful shots to do their job. Eliminators hit 88% of the time and wound MEQ 88% of the time with re-rolls. Eradicators don't double their shots- they fire twice, meaning each set of three melta shots at gets their re-rolls. Statistically, with your re-rolls, there are very pieces of armor in the game that won't be living in abject fear of a Salaamander Eradicator squad.
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==={{W40Kkeyword|Iron Hands}}===
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[[File:Iron Hands Livery.jpg|100px|left|]]In the grim darkness of the far future, the Flesh is Weak. 
Thematically, these guys are more machine than <s>man</s> Astartes. Having a strong affinity with machines. With calculated Rage, they are unyielding, precise, and show no mercy. 
On the tabletop, these guys are one of the most durable chapters for infantry and vehicles and have a strong affinity with heavy weapons and tanks. Makes you feel like Deathguard with everything having ''Feel no pain'', Damage reduction, and vehicle stats take more wounds to degrade, shooting down charges with accuracy, and as an added bonus they're experts at wielding heavy weapons of all types. 
''If you like big guns and bigger tanks, the Iron Hands is the Chapter for you.''
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====Special Rules====
*'''Chapter Tactics - The Flesh is Weak:''' 6+++ Feel No Pain: roll a die when a model with this tactic loses a wound; on a 6+ that wound is ignored. ''This doesn't work with supercharged plasma since that slays models without wounding them(except the ones mounted on vehicles - spam those plasma redemptors)''. Overwatch hits on 5 and 6, regardless of modifiers, and models with a damage table are considered to have double the number of wounds. So not only is Steel Strong, but it's also ''reliable''.
**Being more difficult to kill is an obvious bonus to your Warlord, but unlike Guilliman, who is classified as a {{W40Kkeyword|Monster}}, your {{W40Kkeyword|<chapter> infantry}} Captain can be healed by an Apothecary. And then you add the Shield Eternal...yes, it's [[Chapter_Master_Smashfucker#8TH_EDITION:_CAPTAIN_SMASHFUCKER_AND_THE_IRON_BASTARDS|Smashfucker]] all over again.
**Stronger than it first appears, because there is an interaction with units of multiple multi-wound models and weapons that deal more than 1 damage. After failing your save, you are allowed to roll for each lost wound individually. For example, a unit of 2 wound models being attacked by a D2 weapon is approximately 35% more durable. This is because if you save either one of the lost wounds (27.78% chance to resist exactly 1; 30.56% chance to resist at least 1) it takes a whole second shot to even try to kill that model, thanks to damage not spilling over.
***This improvement is still ''best'' on 1-wound model units - the interaction above means it's not as worse on multi-wound as it first appears, and Iron Hands have some kick-ass Primaris units, but the ability is generally more noticeable the fewer wounds the model with it has remaining.
***While your boost to survivability is around 20% to the RG's 25%, yours isn't situational, and even works in the melee Shock Assault urges you to be.
**Vehicles also get a noticeable boost from this. Even before you account for the FnP effect, the slower rate of stat loss from damage will keep your tanks and dreads at full effectiveness for much longer than vehicles of other Chapters.
***The boost's benefit also varies with Wounds, as GW tends to use the same algorithm to build all of your degradation tables. By and large, this ''reduces'' the tendency of wounds to be useless - for example, ordinarily going from W13 to W14 is not useful, because the extra wound happens in the middle band of the degradation table, compared to going from W10 to W11, where the extra wound happens in the top band. Under Iron Hands, both wounds show up on top. The effect is particularly noticeable on W11 and W15, and at its absolute worst when Wounds is a power of 2 - your W16 Land Raiders will get the least benefit from this compared to most other things you can field.
*'''Combat Doctrine - Calculated Fury:''' Whilst the Devastator Doctrine is active (First round only), models with this ability do not suffer the penalty for moving and firing Heavy weapons. In addition, when resolving an attack made with a Heavy weapon by a model with this ability, re-roll hit rolls of 1.
**Like Scions of Gulliman, but instead of making Bolter Discipline easier to trigger you'll have heavy weapons that tear through armor saves with minimal difficulty and don't need babysitting. Load up on vehicles and Devastators to spew out all the dakka.
***Do ''not'' load up on Hellblasters. The re-rolling of 1s to hit makes them look initially tempting, but their Heavy gun costs far too many points, and going to AP-5 is useless against most targets and nearly useless against the remaining ones. Similarly, even though moving and shooting at no penalty makes multimeltas look far more tempting, AP-5 is underwhelming - for the same cost, anything in your army with a choice will prefer an assault cannon to a multimelta against just about any target (and the weapons have the same ranges, too).
**Also frees up your captains to focus on supporting your choppier units while also allowing those heavy weapon users to reposition without sacrificing accuracy. You will need Captains after turn 1 Since the Devastator Doctrine is active only active then. Don't feel bad your jump and terminators are not initially on the board.
***Remember to bring take lieutenants to spread around re-rolling 1s to wound as well, techmarines to keep your HQ taxes cheap (the conversion beamer is still absurdly expensive, but it's better for Iron Hands than for anyone else), or librarians to make the leviathan we both know you took even more dangerous.

====Warlord Traits====
#'''All Flesh Is Weakness:''' 5+++ FNP.
#*You could already have this if you take a Chief Apothecary warlord with Father of the Future. Just saying.
#'''The Will of Iron:''' Can deny a psychic power. If they can already deny, they can deny one more.
#'''Adept of the Omnissiah:''' Can repair vehicles like a techmarine, but only repair 1 wound. If you can already do this, you repair +1 wound.
#'''Merciless Logic:''' The Warlord's ''unmodified'' 6 (''not'' 6+) to hit with any attack procs an extra attack with the same weapon, which can't proc this again, essentially multiplying his attacks by 7/6. {{W40Kkeyword|Primaris}} Captains and the Teeth of Terra make good use of it, as they naturally have more attacks with which to proc the extra ones. For shooting, {{W40Kkeyword|Biker}} and {{W40Kkeyword|Terminator}} Captains have better chances, as they have two ranged weapons.
#'''Student of History:''' When consolidating, the Warlord can move up to 6", and doesn't need to move towards the nearest enemy. Malkaan Feirros has this as his warlord trait, and boy does it work well with him.
#*Great on smash captains if you want more mobility rather than hitting things, lets him run from enemy swings or engage a bubble-wrapped character.
#'''Target Protocols:''' In the shooting phase, pick a friendly {{WH40Kkeyword|Iron Hands}} unit within 6" of the Warlord. They can re-roll one hit, one wound, and one damage roll that phase. Good for ensuring that forgeworld death titan cannon destroys something.

====Relics & Special-Issue Wargear====
None of these relics can be assigned to {{WH40Kkeyword|vehicle}}s.

=====Relics of Medusa=====
*'''Aegis Ferrum''': Primaris Model only. +1 Toughness, and the model takes 1 less damage (to a minimum of 1).
*'''Axe of Medusa''': Replaces a power axe. Gives it +3S, AP-3, and D3. Used to be a weak ass relic blade. Now it's actually an interesting alternative to the Burning Blade. For non-primaris only, primaris haven't earned the right to swing axes yet.
*'''Betrayer's Bane''': Replaces a Combi-Melta. The Melta part becomes Assault 2. Yay. You will probably never take this.
*'''Gorgon's Chain''': 4++ Invulnerable Save, and equipped model has -1 to be wounded against ranged attacks. Can't be wounded on anything worse than a 3+. Sadly nerfed from its 7th edition incarnation, but now Smashfucker has a few new toys to play with above such as the Aegis Ferrum or the Iron Stone.
*'''Ironstone''': At the start of the battle round, select one friendly {{WH40Kkeyword|Iron Hands vehicle}} unit within 3" of the bearer of this relic. Until the start of the next battle round, when resolving attacks made against that unit, if the bearer is within 3" of that unit, you can reduce any damage suffered by 1 (minimum of 1) Another method of keeping the damage tables from getting to you never hurts. Give it to a techmarine and the vehicles he sticks near will never die. Sadly this no longer stacks with Duty Eternal.
*'''Mindforge''': Force Sword, Axe, or Stave. Your force powerfist of choice! Sx2 AP-3 D1d3, essentially a force powerfist. You get the hint that they want you to take non-captain characters?
*'''Tempered Helm''': Roll 1d6 for every command point spent whenever you use a stratagem. On a 5+, the command point is refunded. Only 1 command point can be refunded in this way per battle round (no limit on stratagems used outside of a battle round, i.e. before the battle begins).
** Per the September 2019 FAQ, you can't use this to refund command points before the battle begins

=====Special Issue Wargear=====
The first four relics in the Special Issue Wargear section are copy-pastes for each Supplement, then there's a selection of unique mini-relics.
*'''Adamantium Mantle:''' 5+ Feel No Pain. You have a Warlord trait that does the same thing. Even with Paragon of Iron to give a different character a 5+++, should the Warlord really be taking relics from the Special Issue wargear section instead of diving for the actual Chapter relics?
*'''Artificer Armor:''' 2+/5++. Excellent on Lieutenants and Librarians who don't get invulnerable saves to start. Or, throw it on a Sergeant with Scion of the Forge.
*'''Digital Weapons:''' Do an additional attack when the model fights. If it hits, the target suffers a mortal wound.
*'''Master-crafted Weapon:''' +1 to the damage characteristic of one of the bearer's weapons, which is then considered a relic. D4 Thunderhammer baby!
*'''Automedicae Bionics:''' Heal 1d3 wounds at the start of the turn. Actually a decent pick!
*'''Dataspike:''' Roll 2 dice and drop the lowest result when healing vehicles. Generally speaking, this will turn 1d3 healing from average 2 to average 2.44, changes the odds of rolling at least 2 from 2/3 to 8/9, and changes the odds of rolling 3 from 3/9 to 5/9, in terms of your ability to repair a target enough to change wound brackets.
*'''Haywire Bolts:''' Affects a bolt weapon. It can only do 1 shot, but when targeting a {{WH40Kkeyword|vehicle}}, an unmodified wound roll of 4 or 5 does d3 mortal wounds, and a 6 results in a flat 3 mortal wounds, in addition to normal damage. Can be useful for chipping off the last few wounds from a vehicle. You know, in case your Heavy Weapons under the Devastator Doctrine somehow didn't finish the job.
**The additional damage is both mortal and additive, so the effect is more noticeable on a weapon with poor AP and D to begin with, and it happens on a 4 or 5 even if the shot failed to wound, so also more noticeable on low S, and for obvious reasons, you want to take it on a 1-shot weapon to begin with. Nothing else matters ''per se'', so e.g. it'll have the same impact on a weapon of any range. More noticeable maybe, but no more effective. It's actually most efficient on a single shot weapon as you don't lose any of your initial firepower.
***Could be interesting on a Primaris Lieutenant with a stalker bolt rifle. Or a sergeant armed with the same if you want to use the stratagem.
*'''Teeth of Mars:''' Replaces a chainsword, SU AP-2 D2 A+1; becomes Sx2 AP-2 D2 A+1 when resolving attacks against {{WH40Kkeyword|vehicle}}s.

====Stratagems====

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

*'''Offense:''' Iron hands have stratagems that improve accuracy and create bonus attacks or AP on rolls of 6.
**'''Engine Purge (2 CP):''' Use at the start of your movement phase if the devastator doctrine is active. Until the start of the next battle round, when resolving an attack made with heavy or grenade weapon by an {{W40Kkeyword|Iron Hands}} model in your ''army'', an unmodified 6+ to wound increases the AP of that attack by 1.
**'''Mercy is Weakness (1 CP):''' Choose after a unit decides to shoot or fight. Select an enemy unit, and until the end of that phase, every {{W40Kkeyword|Iron Hands}} model that attacks this unit wounds twice on unmodified wound rolls of 6. Enjoy.
**'''Methodical Firepower (1 CP):''' If the devastator doctrine isn't active, pick a unit. Now it is for this unit. no need to say how good this is on units with heavy weapons.
**'''The Gorgon's Rage (1 CP):''' Use in the Fight phase, when choosing an {{W40Kkeyword|Iron Hands}} unit to fight. Until the end of the phase, that unit adds +1 to melee hit rolls. If the target is {{W40Kkeyword|emperor's children}}, enjoy an additional +1 to wound.
**'''Vengeance for Istvaan V (1 CP):''' Use in the Fight phase, when choosing an {{W40Kkeyword|Iron Hands}} unit to fight. Re-roll hit rolls vs {{W40Kkeyword|Alpha Legion}}, {{W40Kkeyword|Iron Warriors}}, {{W40Kkeyword|Night Lords}}, and {{W40Kkeyword|Word Bearers}}.
**'''Wrathful Machine Spirit (2 CP):''' Used in the shooting or fight phase when a {{W40Kkeyword|vehicle}} is chosen to shoot or fight; it can re-roll hit rolls for that phase.
***Not bad, but for those same 2 CP you could upgrade a captain to a chapter master and get the same buff in an aura, all game. Situational, if you've got, say, lots of fliers a captain can't keep up with, or if you're not taking a captain and need the buff, but if you're taking a captain and don't have too many vehicles that he can't keep up with, it might be better to just take a chapter master instead. Besides, you can always pay cps during the game to get this strat if you need it for whatever reason.
*'''Defense:''' Iron Hands have an impressive number of defensive related stratagems to keep your important characters, vehicles, and units alive.
**'''Cogitated Martyrdom (1 CP):''' Use at the start of an enemy shooting phase. An {{W40Kkeyword|Iron Hands infantry}} unit can intercept attacks before rolling FNP for non-vehicle {{W40Kkeyword|Iron Hands characters}} within 3". On a 2+, take a MW on the infantry unit.
***Enjoy treating Intercessors as drones. Particularly useful as your characters will be high priority targets for your opponent like the new iron father or anyone with the ironstone. Maybe use it for servitors. This lets you shove some poor sod in front of the Sniper-lascannon aiming for your characters.
**'''Machine Empathy (1 CP):''' After a Techmarine heals a vehicle, that model can use that ability again. Remember, our vehicles' wounds count as double for the purposes of their bracket, so even a single repaired wound can bump up a damaged vehicle.<s>Now, imagine the potential to heal 6 damage on a tank. Yes, please!</s> (Due to ERRATA you can now use second repair only on different (non-repaired) vehicle)
**'''Optimal Repulsion Doctrines (2 CP):''' A unit during your opponents charge phase enjoys 5+ overwatch. If you're Iron Hands and not a successor, enjoy 4+. If you use this on a unit next to a chapter master then you'll have 3/4 shots hitting in overwatch, brutal.
**'''Reject the Flesh, Embrace the Machine (1 CP):''' Use in any phase when an {{W40Kkeyword|Iron Hands infantry}} unit in your army is chosen as a target for an attack. FNP on 5+++. If it's a Warlord with All Flesh is Weakness, he gets a 4+++.
*'''Utility:''' While most Chapters have narrowly focused utility Stratagems, the Iron Hands have the advantage of having some of the most generally useful options.
**'''March of the Ancients (1 CP):''' once per battle, After nominating a warlord, select a single Dreadnought in your army. That Dreadnought gains the {{W40Kkeyword|Character}} keyword and adds 1 to its attack and Leadership characteristics. Beware that Dreadnoughts with 10 or more wounds can still be targeted, and Cogitated Martyrdom now doesn't protect vehicles. Still enjoy having a Venerable Dreadnought Rifleman who has the protection of being a character! Or, finally be able to screen that Ironclad Dreadnought as it runs up with the Seismic Hammer and Chainfist, appreciating the extra attack!
**'''Mnemonic Auto-Savant (2 CP):''' If your WL is on the battlefield upon completing a tactical objective, do not discard it. You can use it again in the subsequent round. Nice.
**'''Souls of Iron (2 CP):''' Deny on 4+ within 24" of an Iron Hands unit.
*'''Universal:''' All Chapter Supplements get some variation of the following three stratagems.
**'''Bequeathed by the Iron Council (1 CP):''' Iron Hands relics for successors. Yay!!!
**'''Paragon of Iron (1 CP):''' Bonus warlord trait for your non-named character warlord. Must be from Iron Hands. The usual supplement special.
**'''Scions of the Forge (1 CP):''' Your sergeant gets toys! Yay! Special issue wargear to sergeants (chosen from m-c weapon, digital weapons, Teeth of Mars, and Haywire Bolts).

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

#'''Blessing of the Machine God (WC5)''': Grants +1 to hit for a friendly {{WH40Kkeyword|Iron Hands vehicle}} unit within 12". You need to get at least an 8 on the psychic test to use this on {{WH40kKeyword|Titanic}} units, so have a CP to burn if you want to buff that Fellblade or Astraeus.
#'''Objuration Mechanicum (WC7)''': If manifested, select one visible enemy unit within 18". When that unit rolls unmodified 1s to shoot, it takes a mortal wound after it finishes the gun in question. Enjoy self-immolating aggressors, Tau Fire Warriors, and Chaos Havocs with miniguns.
#*While the actual output of this weapon depends on the number of shots the target unit makes, and penalties to hit won't affect it (although if the target has to re-roll hits, that absolutely may), one of the big values is forcing your opponent to decide if shooting with the unit is worth the mortal wounds it will suffer. It also has better scaling the more guns the unit uses to make those shots, since a given gun gets all of its shots before any mortal wounds happen, but mortal wounds will happen between guns.
#**Without any relevant buffs, the number of shots the target has to make to suffer at least as much as Smite would have - bearing in mind that this happens ''after'' it shoots, not before, as it would with Smite - is 19, so anything with at least that many shots - such as a Leman Russ Punisher, or 5 models within 12" with Storm Bolters, or what have you - will die to this power ''faster'', with, again, the caveat that the mortal wounds won't happen until ''after'' each gun fires.
#*Point at plasma wielding squads for double the fun, now a roll of 1 on an overcharge will both kill the gunner ''and'' drop a mortal wound on one of its buddies. If you really want to cheese it, get something to force -1 to hit modifiers on your unfortunate victims and your opponent will just plain give up on shooting with them (it won't help this power hurt them, of course).
#'''Fury of Medusa (WC6)''': Select an enemy model within 18". Draw a line 1mm wide between the psyker and target. For every enemy unit the line crosses, including the target model's, roll 1d6, adding 2 for {{WH40Kkeyword|vehicle}}s; the unit takes a mortal wound on a 4 or 5, and 1d3 mortal wounds on a 6.
#**This needs to cross 4 non-vehicle units, 2 vehicle units, or 1 vehicle and 2 non-vehicle, in order to outperform Smite.
#'''Psysteel Armour (WC6)''': Select an {{WH40Kkeyword|Iron Hands}} unit within 12" of the psyker. Add 1 to non-invulnerable saving throws for it.
#'''Reforge (WC5)''': Heal D3 lost wounds on a {{WH40Kkeyword|vehicle}} within 3".
#*This turns your Librarian into a much more expensive and much less reliable Techmarine, and you don't even get a range benefit.
#'''Machine Flense (WC6)''': Select a visible enemy {{WH40Kkeyword|vehicle}} unit within 18". It takes 1d3 mortal wounds. Then select an enemy unit that was within 6" of that {{WH40Kkeyword|vehicle}} and visible to it when the power was manifested (meaning the original target ''need not'' still be on the table). Roll 1d6 for each mortal wound the original target suffered. On a 3+, the secondary target takes a mortal wound.
#*After the cast, this will on average deal 2 mortal wounds to the target and 4/3 mortal wounds to the secondary target, meaning that this power actually does do more mortal wounds than Smite (1.79 for Smite, 1.44 to the target, 0.96 to the secondary target, 2.41 total mortal wounds dealt by this power, taking cast odds into account), assuming no bonuses to the cast are available.

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

====Special Units====
*'''HQ'''
**'''Malkaan Feirros:''' The Iron Hands' first named character is a Gravis Captain but without the re-rolling 1s to hit aura. Stat-wise he's like a Gravis Captain with 7 wounds, 5 attacks, a 2+ save, and a 5+ FNP instead of the Chapter's 6+ FNP, and offense-wise his Gorgon's Wrath is an AP-2 D2 Heavy Bolter, and his Harrowhand is a S+3 AP-2 D2 axe. Naturally you want him for his buffing abilities, as awesome as his punch and durability may be. He gives all Iron Hands INFANTRY units (FAQ) within 6" a 5+ Invulnerable save. He's also a superior techmarine (which should be obvious being the Master of the Forge and whatnot) and repairs a flat 3 wounds to vehicles instead of d3 wounds (or 6W with Machine Empathy strat). He also has a Signum Array that gives a friendly unit within 3" BS2+ at the start of the shooting phase ([[awesome|if applied to vehicles, it overrides their damage bracket]]), so he acts like a versatile Devastator Sarge on top of that. Land Raiders hitting on 2+ and restoring 3 wounds a turn, anyone? Feirros is shaping up to be a blue chip unit in Iron Hands detachments, provided he doesn't cost over 200 points like a certain spiritual liege and...[[cheese|oh my god what he's only 110 points]]. Blue chip status confirmed.
*'''Forgeworld''' {{W40kKeyword|Successor Chapters}} '''Characters'''
**Remember, you don't necessarily need to pick Inheritors of the Primarch to be an Iron Hands successor and use this supplement. 
**{{W40kKeyword|[[Sons of Medusa]]}}
***'''Vaylund Cal:''' Chapter Master/Techmarine. If you ever wanted to see the mechanized fusion of a Techmarine with a Chapter Master, this is the motherfucker for you. Sporting a monstrous statline of S5 (doubled with his Medusan Hammer and Servo-Arms) and an enviable T6, he'll be hard to take down. Also makes an excellent anchor for a firing line, because he gives both a re-roll bubble AND can repair vehicles. His price was dropped to <strike>173</strike> 116, making him a clear pick over a tech marine with an upgraded captain. While slightly less flexible, it will save you a few points along with three command points.

====Tactical Objectives====

#'''Methodical Destruction:''' When this Tactical Objective is generated, select up to three enemy units on the battlefield. Score 1 victory point for each of those units that was destroyed as a result of an attack made with a ranged weapon by an {{W40Kkeyword|IRON HANDS}} unit from your army this turn. Score D3+3 victory points instead if all three units were destroyed in the same phase.
#'''Advance and Secure''': Score 1 victory point if you control the objective marker closest to the centre of the battlefield at the end of your turn (if several objective markers are equally close to the centre, you achieve this Tactical Objective if you control any of those objective markers at the end of your turn).
#'''March of the Machines''': Score 1 victory point if an {{W40Kkeyword|IRON HANDS DREADNOUGHT}} from your army either finished an Advance move or charge move wholly within the enemy’s deployment zone this turn.
#'''Destroy the Weak''':Score D3 victory points if at least one enemy unit was destroyed as a result of an attack made by any {{W40Kkeyword|IRON HANDS}} models from your army during both the Shooting phase and the Fight phase of this turn.
#'''The Strength of Metal''': Whilst this Tactical Objective is active, keep a tally of how many times {{W40Kkeyword|IRON HANDS}} models from your army would lose a wound that is subsequently not lost (e.g. due to the The Flesh is Weak Chapter Tactic or the Artificer Bionics ability). Score 1 victory point if this Tactical Objective is still active when the tally reaches 10.
#'''Cold Fury''': Score 1 victory point if any enemy units were destroyed as a result of an attack made by an {{W40Kkeyword|IRON HANDS VEHICLE}} model from your army this turn. Score D3 victory points instead if three or more enemy units were destroyed as a result of an attack made by an {{W40Kkeyword|IRON HANDS VEHICLE}} model this turn.

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

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

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

</div></div>

==Tactics and Strategy==

===Army Building===
====Army Composition====
Deciding on what units to take generally comes down to what you want your force to accomplish on the tabletop. One school of thought is to avoid having too many various “types” of marines in one force, instead focusing on using lots of similar profiles in order to force opponents to attack units using suboptimal weapons. Using very little vehicles and lots of Infantry “wastes” your opponents anti-tank shots, for example. Or by having lots of heavy infantry and armour means that the small arms fire directed at you will be less effective. Other schools emphasize the modular nature of Space Marines and prioritize the taking of multiple styles of Marine units in order to more effectively deal with various threats. These two schools are extremes, and good list building most likely lands somewhere in the middle.
*The goal of making an army themed around a specific profile type is to reduce the effectiveness of your opponents shooting- an all-infantry army being more effective against anti-tank weapons is an obvious example, but similar principles apply to things like multi-wound attacks being overkill against single-wound units. However, this idea has one catastrophic flaw which should always be kept in mind: when the opponent is able to counter your chosen style and you don't have any units not of that style, they will counter you '''''hard'''''. Try to figure out what your enemy will be likely to use ahead of time so you don't pay for putting all your eggs in one basket!
**All scouts is one type. Or all Power Armour-traditional. Go all Primaris or all-regular Marine, do not mix. You want to either be all 2 wound models or all 1 wound models. The 1 wound models would all suck were it not for the awesome veterans: Sternguard kill things; Vanguard with 2 chainswords (4 attacks) that's a lot of attacks that does add up well; Company Champions can carry 1 stormbolter and 1 chainsword for 18 points and intercept wounds meant for the characters. Even Tacticals have the advantage of being a cheap source of heavy+special weapons, if nothing else.
*The T5 family is all bikes, Inceptors and Aggressors. They'll be able to take a beating and things like Pedro Kantor+Aggressors are a powerful combo, but Bikes and Gravis-armoured Primaris Marines don't synergize very well with each other and you might end up leaving half your army behind if you don't pay extra for Repulsors (and it has to be Repulsors, Impulsors don't carry Gravis-armoured units).

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

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

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

====Character Buffing====
For those of us that want a pure marine army it is important to double up on your force multipliers at every opportunity. The Troop Tax is no more; it is replaced with the HQ tax. Use your HQs to their maximum. And while HQs and the Lord of War Guilliman improve your hitting and wounding, units inside the elite slot have created a new dynamic for Marines. The Marine Formula -- a Unit and it's accompanying support Unit, goes for all the non-character models.
*Ancients are must-takes in infantry-heavy Space Marine armies. Ancients enable out of turn shooting from models you'd otherwise be removing from play, even on your opponent's turn and help reduce the toll of Alpha Strikes: getting shot off the board Turn 1 is a thing, and Ancients help you recoup some of your losses by returning fire as models die.
*Apothecaries are best described as a trap, unless you're looking to fill out slots for detachments. the inability to revive heroes, the bad odds at returning lost models, and the loss of the once cool 5+ FnP in earlier editions is down right heartbreaking. maybe with the Chief Apothecary upgrade they could have a use, but in general avoid them.
*Build around your Warlord! HQs like Kantor, Shrike, Vulkan, and Khan can drastically change your army's peak efficiency. Using Vulkan around loads of Melta toting marines is more efficient than Kantor around the same loadout. Conversely, Kantor with dedicated heavy assault troops (Assault Centurions, Assault Terminators with Thunder Hammers, Vanguard Veterans with Thunder Hammers, etc.) can take out a Knight in one turn of CC. Without Kantor, they only accomplish 50% of the damage.
*Another popular combination is a Captain (ideally upgraded to Chapter Master if you can spare the CP) and Lieutenant; the Captain allows hit re-rolls of 1 while the Lieutenant allows wound re-rolls of 1. Hellblasters and Devastators in particular really benefit from being inside these auras. Chapter Masters and Lieutenants are essential for getting accurate firepower; other armies lack accuracy but make up for it with volume of fire. Marines will usually have a low model count and so need each shot to work.

====Sergeant Equipment====
Most of your regular Infantry and Bikers have a Sergeant that takes items from the Sergeant Equipment List. This includes your Tactical/Scout/Assault/Devastator Squads, your Company/Vanguard/Sternguard Veterans, and your Bike Squads and Company Veterans on Bikes. If you don't have specific wargear in mind, '''ALWAYS''' take a Storm Bolter and Chainsword instead of leaving them with their default options. This 2-point upgrade adds the same amount of dakka as an entire 13-point Tactical Marine/11-point Scout.
*Veteran Sergeants all have 3 attacks, so investing in a nice melee weapon is often worth the points, even if you don't intend to use them in assaults. A 16-point Thunder Hammer presents a very serious threat to pretty much any multi-wound model, be it Infantry, Monster, or Vehicle. Taking a Thunder Hammer in this instance is as much about limiting your opponent's options as it is about directly inflicting losses, though landing even a single blow will more than make your points back if you pick the right target (putting it on an Intercessor Sarge helps here since they get one more attack than the other types).
**Saying that, remember that most power weapons are only 4 points in 8th. So when low on points left, consider a Power Sword or something like that to cut through armour if you find yourself in combat.

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

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

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

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

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

====Tactical Marines====
The introduction of Primaris Marines all but stopped the popular use of Old Marines, it was hard to argue why you would wouldn't take the Nu-boys, twice the wounds, an extra attack, an extra -1 ap and 6" on their weapon range all for a few extra points. However the new Codex Space Marines (8E) 2.0 gave the humble Tactical Marine a new lease on life. They can gain the benefit of all Doctrines, Devastator for heavy weapons and grenades, Tactical for bolters and special weapons and assault for their melee attacks. "MELEE?!!" You say, "Why would you trade the obviously superior shooting of their bolters?" and I say "Fools!!!, you know nothing of the glory days of yore, when the Metal Bawks had the personality of a steam roller, clearing an inexorable path across the field of battle, when the holy Bolter was but a device to smear butter on any unfortunate newbs who happened to risk the wrath of the OG' to snatch an extra round of shooting at something more important."
*But enough of the nostalgia and theatrics. 2.0 gave marines a lot of what they had back in 2-7ED, +1A on charge, strike first if they charge (back then there was an Initiative stat (I) and charging granted +1I making marines I5 and against most armies except the Eldar and 'stealers this meant they got first strike), the new doctrines are an effective reintroduction of special rules you could purchase to allow you to flavour your marines to whatever chapters you had in mind. But now the glory days of Tactical Marine have returned, 2 shots with their bolter then another 2 in Melee, that makes for up to 41 S4 attacks per turn with a 10 man squad and 4.6 dead enemy MEQs before they can even react, with a base 10 man marine squad for only 120pts, with doctrines (either tactical or assault) and you get another dead enemy marine. Then the support options are all gravy. Consider using the Rhino rush strategy to deny the enemy ground, deliver your marines in safety and use them to soak up overwatch, you should muse over use of the trusty; Stay in combat and clean up during your opponents assault phase tactic to protect your units from shooting.
*Do you want to know what what they get now that they didn't get back in pre 8ED 2.0? 2. Damage. Melee. Attacks. The White scars take Tactical marines melee to a whole new stratosphere even if you only take generic Chapter Tactics. If you manage to preserve a 10 man Tactical squad until turn 3 they will of earned 21 S4 ap-1 2D melee attacks, that's 3.5 dead primaris, 2.3 dead TH/SS terminators, 4.6 wounds against a character with T4 2+ and ... wait for it ... 3.1 wounds against a T5 2+ Character (Abbadon springs to mind). Bear in mind this is a Full tactical squad with no weapon upgrades OR support of any other kind and in addition to any added bolter fire.
*A Captain/lieutenant adds about 10% damage to both melee and range, Chapter Master (-2CP) adds about 20% to both in melee and range, Chaplain w/litanies of hate (66% of the time) adds about 20% in melee only and a WS Master of Sanctity (-1CP) with both litanies of hate and strike off the head (88% of the time for 1 and 44% for both) adds about 40% damage boost in melee. You want to go all melee? Master of Sanctity. Want reliable? Go Chapter Master and want cheap but effective support? Go lieutenant.

===Matchups and Counterplay===

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

====Imperium====
*'''Space Marines:''' You already know what's good since it's been discussed at length in the articles above. Make sure you account for their Chapter Tactics, as they may cause them to follow a very different playstyle than your own army despite having the exact same units available to them.
*'''Blood Angels:''' The following 5 armies (lovingly referred to as other flavors of power armour) are mostly just your units mixed with some unique units and different chapter tactics. For Blood Angels, avoid melee if possible because they essentially get +1 to wound in the first round of combat. They often field lots of jump-pack infantry. Best known for their smash-captains, who rain terror down on battlefields everywhere- bring weapons that gain bonuses against things with the {{W40kKeyword|Fly}} keyword.
*'''Dark Angels:''' They're the shooty emo catholic marines who are <s>secretly traitors hunting down loyal Dark Angels that they refer to as the Fallen</s> THE MOST LOYAL SERVANTS OF THE EMPEROR. Their Chapter Tactic makes them almost immune to morale, plus they re-roll 1s to hit if they stand still. They are less reliant on generic characters such as Chaplains and their Masters (the equivalent of Captains), but they do gravitate toward named characters a lot more. Their Chapter Master Azrael gives a 4+ Invulnerable save to all non-vehicle units within 6" of him, making him particularly annoying against weapons that rely on high AP in order to do damage. Their specialty is in Plasma, Biker Squads, and Terminator squads. Their most famous stratagem, "Weapons of the Dark Age", boosts the damage of all Plasma weaponry a chosen unit fields by 1. It is frequently paired with their Chapter Master Azrael leading a maxed-out squad of Hellblasters toting the Heavy Plasma Incinerators for devastating effect. Their Ravenwing units have a stratagem that lets them advance and still shoot and charge normally, letting them have a 4+ Invulnerable save against ranged attacks, and allow them to bring their assault Plasma Talons to bear. Deathwing Terminators are fearless, and can drop 2cps to shoot the moment they arrive from reserves in order to clear a screen and allow other deep-striking units to close in on you. The Darkshroud, another commonly seen unit, gives an aura of -1 to hit and can advance in order to get the 4+ Jink save like other Ravenwing units. Counter the Azrael-Darkshroud-Hellblaster-WotDA castle with Transhuman physiology to protect against the plasma, and bypass the Darkshroud's 4+ Invuln with the Flakk Missile and Hellfire Shells stratagem to whittle it down and drop it.
*'''Space Wolves:''' Like Blood Angels they are also a melee-centric army, with +1 to hit instead of +1 to wound. They focus more on running instead of jump-packing. This addition they gravitate towards weapons like power fists with a -1 to hit. Units of wolves and Thunderwolf cavalry are common to see. They are still Space marines and have a range of Shooting vehicles, flying landraiders and better devastators to fill in range. Their units of wolves provide nice chaff units. Outside of Thunderwolf and Wulfen spam, there's not a lot to see here.
*'''Deathwatch:''' They're more elite Space Marines, who essentially have Sternguard Veterans as a troop choice and can gain bonuses against everything in a specific FOC slot. More importantly, they kept the Special Issue Ammunition that your veterans lost, which applies to all Bolter weaponry (minus Heavy Bolters and the Incinerator Heavy Bolters (Infernus Heavy Bolters)) fielded by their infantry and bike models.. They can mix Terminators, Assault Marines, and Bikers into said squads too, which is a funny gimmick. Their Watch Masters act like Chapter Masters, so be wary of an Intercessor blob with 5 hidden heavy hellblasters spitting out Hellfire rounds and S9 overcharged shots. They can deep-strike their entire army like Grey Knights, so a good screen and the Auspex Scan on a key unit of your choice should do well. Their Veterans like to hide Storm Shields in their squads to tank the odd Plasma gun or high-AP weapon shot, but with the new combat doctrines forcing a shit-ton of Bolter saves will hurt them, just as much as it does to your own units with Storm Shields. The Corvus is an overcosted flier just like your Storm Raven, a few Lascannons and multi-meltas will do you well. Again, using Transhuman Physiology against a unit's hellfire rounds will do you good, mitigating the 2+ to wound non-vehicle units.
*'''Grey Knights:''' Oh look, it's one of two armies that you can actually realistically outnumber (Knights are a third army you can outnumber, but they're tonka-tough). Let's be real: Grey Knights are long past the glory days of 5th Edition. Their equivalent units are either overcosted compared to yours or just flat-out suck, maybe with a few exceptions. Grand Masters in Dreadknights are one example, and the Chapter Master equivalent Kaldor Draigo is another one for the obvious reason. They can pull off decent alpha-strikes, but use Scout Squads and Infiltrators to zone out their deep strike bubbles and/or Auspex scan a unit of your choice. If you have access to Vanguard Primaris units, a couple combat squads of Infiltrators can not only block a Strike Squad out of Rapid Fire range, but also lock his entire army out of charge range. After that, it should be easy pickings as Grey Knights lack cost efficient means of mobility. Their interceptors are way too expensive for what they do and Stormravens are a major point sink that a few good lascannon and/or meltagun shots can swiftly take care of, so if you can hold onto the skies you should be in good shape.
** I won't say too much here, cause I haven't read it in full yet, but Ritual of the Damned buffed these guys like crazy. Not saying they're game breakingly good now, but they're no slouches anymore. assume the above on Grey Knights isn't true, will update this when/if I get the book, or someone who knows more can update it.
*'''Imperial Guard:''' Don't let their weak statlines fool you. Guard are VERY tough to deal with this edition. Between dirt-cheap infantry, extremely weapon-dense deep striking units like scion command squads, and absurdly good for their cost tanks, Guard can take an enormous beating and deal one out in turn. We'll point out the linchpin - ''Officers!'' Snipe out those low-wound characters to neuter the enemy chain of command and his infantry will suddenly be a LOT less impressive. Take a squad or two of Sniper Scouts or Eliminators. Vehicles to beware include the Leman Russ if it has the Conqueror Battle Cannon and the Executioner Plasma Cannon, Hellhounds, and any artillery vehicle. Now with the new codex and supplements (and the power creep that follows), we have LOTS of potential ways to counter the Guard's shenanigans, turnabout is fair play from their horrific index cheese. The Devastator Doctrine makes a mockery of guard tanks on turn 1, moreso if you're using Imperial Fists. The Tactical Doctrine will help you shred guard squads a bit easier (the guard player can't issue orders if there's nobody TO issue an order to), and the Assault Doctrine should be considered as a mop-up action. Consider taking Raven Guard Eliminators, and on turn 2 pop the tactical doctrine so you can snipe officers on 2+ (stick a Phobos Captain next to them to re-roll those pesky 1s), and deal mortal wounds on 5+. If you decide to wall-bang them with the Executioner Rounds you'll at least wound them on a 2+ and force saves. Thunderfire Cannons can shoot twice with the Suppressing Fire stratagem, enabling it to mulch 2 guard units in a turn (preferably any fragile Heavy Weapon Squad). A squad of 5 Reivers with combat knives and taking advantage of Shock Assault will throw out 21 attacks while lowering the Guard’s already weak Ld, wiping out entire 10-model squads in a single combat + morale.
*'''Adeptus Mechanicus:''' The weird middle-child between you and the Imperial Guard, Adeptus Mechanicus' can elect to run modestly cheap Skitarii-focused armies or eschew the tin men for the Cult Mechanicus tank-like Kataphrons. Either way, most AdMech players will likely be running their squads MSU style to get around their poor leadership. Weapons like Heavy Bolters strike a nice medium for ripping through most of their infantry, though you'll definitely want to pack a few Lascannons to handle any Dunecrawlers or Kastelan Robots. Other than the knights, not a single admech unit has t8, they also practically have no rapid fire weaponry and awful but universal invuls, making meltas a more or less perfect way to deal with most if not all their units. Don't underestimate the basic Skitarii though, their Arquebus sniper rifles and Plasma Calivers can easily chew through your marines if they get the chance, but thankfully they fall quickly if given any attention, which could be worth it anyway, considering that and their weapons cost a small fortune compared to other GEQ like units. Be aware that most admech armies have more than enough s6+ weaponry to chew through your marines, cover or not, if they don't have a better target, so bring vehicles to distract and counter the heavier elements while you play for objectives. Also, be careful when deploying and go for the second turn, they can and will happily kill or strand your marines and lighter vehicles if you are the first to break cover.
*'''Adeptus Ministorum:''' If you see someone using sisters at a tournament, be VERY afraid - sisters are one of, if not the, weakest armies in the current meta, so if you see someone using them in competitive play, they’re either insane or a tactical genius to rival Creed. This may change <s>when</s> if the new codex comes out, but for now if you face sisters take Centurions and any other mass-bolter fire unit.
*'''Adeptus Custodes:'''You will outnumber these golden boys, big time, but they are tough as nails and hit like a sock with a halfbrick. Best known for their jetbikes, which have hilarious amounts of firepower and are lethal in melee for good measure. Do not engage in combat if you can help it and bring as many sources of Mortal Wounds as you can.
**At least until they get to bring Sisters of Silence along with them.
*'''Imperial Knights:''' Remember, Imperial Knights seem intimidating and are armed to the teeth, but they lack board control. If you have the second player turn, pop the Prepared Positions stratagem and watch as all your vehicles and infantry have 4+ saves against the Knights' Battlecannons! It's better than a 5 or 6+ save, after all. Lascannon spam, deep striking squads full of Meltaguns, or Chainfist Terminators can deal with Imperial Knights fairly well. As a general rule, Imperial Knights prefer their titanic feet attacks in melee compared to their arm weapons, aside from the Gallant variants. Best advice: play to the mission! Your best bet is to win on objective points, as most armies don't have the firepower to take down an army of knights. You can, however, wear them down enough to make them much less of a threat.
**The basic Knight Paladin is armed with a Rapid Fire Battlecannon and the Reaper Chainsword, with two Stubbers. It's versatile, but a simple 2d6 Battlecannon shots is not quite as devastating as you think compared to its cost. The Imperial guard get 2d6 battlecannon shots on one battle tank that stands still, for 1/3 the cost of a Knight Paladin!
**The Knight Errant trades its RFBC for a Thermal Cannon that is half the range, but absolute cancer to vehicles and multi-wound models.
**The Knight Warden has a Thunderstrike Gauntlet and a RFBC base that can be exchanged for the Avenger Gatling Cannon, a 12 shot beast capable of reliably deleting your infantry units.
**The Knight Crusader is the dakka knight, it has a Thermal Cannon (that can be swapped for a RFBC) and the Gatling Cannon.
**The addition of Armiger Knights makes things a bit more challenging as they can offer a bit more board control for the Knights at the expense of durability. The Armiger Helverins are superior to Autocannon Predators every day of the week, and Armiger Warglaives that get too close will wreck vehicles and heavy infantry in short order.
**The Dominus Knight variants are perhaps the biggest challenge. Both variants have weaker Battle cannons, and Shieldbreaker Missiles that can target characters, even out of LoS, for 2CPs. The infamous Dominus Castellan has a mini Volcano Cannon and a Plasma Decimator, it is capable of one-shotting two Land Raider equivalent vehicles per turn. Apologies Knight Crusader, THIS is the Dakka knight. The Dominus Valiant has a fuck-huge Harpoon that does a ''flat 10 damage'' and an additional d3 mortal wounds to a model that somehow survived the initial shot (Full strength Land Raider or Storm Raven). It also has a gigantic flamethrower for crowd control. The problem with the Valiant is that its weapons aside from the Shield Breaker missiles are so short ranged that you'll have a fairly easy time throwing enough meltagun shots and drowning it in mass bolter fire at it to destroy it. The same cannot be said for the long ranged Castellan who will try and play the keep away game.

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

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

[[Category:Warhammer 40000 Tactics(8E)]]
[[Category: Space Marines]]

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