Editing Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Adeptus Custodes (section)

==Special Rules==
*'''Aegis of the Emperor:''' Lore wise, it's the blessing of the Emperor; Gameplay-wise it gives all units with this rule a 5+ invulnerable save and a 6+ against wounds caused in the "psychic phase". Now your Custodes are Terminators on steroids and opponents won't be able to so reliably use psychic powers alone to bypass your high saves.

*'''The Emperor's Chosen:''' In a pure Custodes detachment, all your infantry and biker units get a +1 to their invulnerable saves, up to a maximum of a 3++. Correction to the above, ''now'' your Custodes are Terminators on steroids.  Your actual Terminators are even TOUGHER. See "Talons of the Emperor" for interaction with Sisters of Silence.
**This means that your ''basic'' Custodian is running around with a 4++ save and 3 wounds, making stuff like singular lascannons, thunder hammers, and powerfists less threatening, as well as a 6+ save against mortal wounds caused by psychic powers. Your opponent's only real choices are to find more [[dakka]] (be it through bringing more weapons or focusing fire) or using other methods of inflicting mortal wounds such as Stratagems. Once the Custodians get on a bike or don some terminator armor, they only get more resilient.

*'''Shield Host:''' The Custodes finally have rules for the different shield hosts, allowing for some gamey combos. Want to protect a huge blob? Maybe see about the extra aura distance of the Emissaries. Want to have a character absolutely fuck up another character in melee? Shadow keepers have a relic for that. Want to make an Imperial Knight live forever? Aquilan Shield has him covered like a condom. But, honestly, let's stop bullshitting. The juiciest piece is the Dread Host reserve bomb.

*'''Sworn Protectors:''' The ObSec equivalent for Custodes is special- '''''all''''' Custodes {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} and {{W40Kkeyword|Bikers}} can use it, not just Troops. This means that unlike the majority of other armies, you can use deep striking scoring Terminators and jetbikes to snatch objectives from under your opponent's nose, and with The Emperor's Chosen they have a good chance of surviving the inevitable counterattack. You'll need it, too- this is the Custodes' only real way to compete in objective games (outside of simply slaughtering the enemy completely) due to their cripplingly low average model count.
**This is especially potent against armies that cut down on Troops to save points for other parts of their forces- their equivalent rules only apply to Troops, so if they only have a few of those they'll be hard-pressed to deny you objectives.

*'''Witch Hunters''': Re-roll all failed rolls to wound when attacking a {{W40kKeyword|PSYKER}} in the Fight phase.

*'''Psychic Abomination''': Sisters of Silence can ''never'' be targeted by any psychic power, friend or foe. Additionally, when not in a transport they force <u>enemy</u> {{W40kKeyword|PSYKER}}s to subtract 1 from all Psychic and DtW tests they take if a unit with this rule is within 18" of them. This stacks for each unit with the rule that's present up to a maximum of -4, so having enough Sisters of Silence near a unit will make psychic tests practically impossible for them.
**If you have a hater-boner for your friend playing a psyker-heavy army, include an auxiliary detachment with an indomitus crusader librarian and take the reliquary of Gathalamor. -4 to psychic test and 50% chance of d3 mortal wounds on a failed psychic ability means they will be SMITING THEMSELVES.
**The above may now only be useful against Grey Knights and Tzeentch, as they are the only factions who can Smite Spam without any penalty.  
**The Index Imperium FAQ to this rule explains that it completely shuts down the ''Smite'' power if they are the closest target. It does not skip over them and affect the next nearest target. This is incredibly useful against opponents who heavily spam the power, opponents who were once praying to get to play you in tournaments.
** Negative to cast modifiers also make it easier for you to Deny The Witch through e.g. Impregnable Mind WT or Spark of Divinity strat as it becomes easier to beat their total and cancel their power.
*'''Null Maidens''': Sisters of Silence can be taken in any army with the {{W40kKeyword|Imperium}} keyword as a Vanguard detachment, even though they have no HQ units to fill the HQ slot. However, this detachment will not grant its customary +1CP as a Vanguard detachment normally would. Sadly White Dwarf October updated this rule and now taking an {{W40kKeyword|Astra Telepathica}} HQ doesn't allow the detachment to retain the +1 CP.
*'''Talons of the Emperor''': The one we've been waiting for, Sisters of Silence in a detachment of Custodes, in a battle-forged army, no longer interrupts the detachment being "Adeptus Custodes" for the purposes of The Emperors Chosen and similar rules. The Sisters, though, do not gain these rules themselves. This applies to all factions that have at least one faction keyword in common with the Sisters.
===Shield Hosts===
*If your army is battle-forged, select a Shield Host for each detachment of Custodes; all Custodes within that detachment, except Trajann, gain <Shield Host> special rule.
*If your army is led by a Custodes Warlord, you may give the <Shield Host> relic to an AC character within the <Shield Host> detachment instead of one from the Codex. You can give your <Shield Host> warlord their respective warlord trait, and that detachment can use their respective strategem.

'''Shadowkeepers:'''
*WLT: "Lock Warden": -1 HR vs. Characters, -1 to Character saves (including Invuln).
**Other than higher damage weapons this is the only real way for your characters to increase their damage output against those pesky hero’s running around with 4+ and 3+ invuln saves. This does not specify that it is in the fight phase either, so have fun shooting your bike captain with a hurricane bolter at characters and watching them melt. One funny way to run this is with a normal captain with a spear, give him the Gatekeeper relic alongside this warlord trait, and now you're shooting 6 spear shots at a character with -2 ap essentially. Combo with the strat for double shots and that's 12 spear shots now. 

*Relic: "Statis Oubliette": Select one enemy Character at 3" of the bearer at the start of fight phase. This character has his Attacks value halves (rounded up) and Shadowkeepers units can reroll their Wound rolls of 1 against them.
**Note that there is no range limitation to not benefiting from the rerolls to 1, so that dreadnought, land raider and any mates they have in the back line can join in the fun. Functionally a bit meh if you’ve brought big boss along (which you will have).

*Strat: "Grim Responsibility" (1CP): Enemy attacks suffer a -1 malus to their Strength value when targeting a Shadowkeeper unit (any phase).
**Superb for those moments when your units would be up against strength 10 weapons which would otherwise wipe them out. Also an amazing way to counter bolter or flamer spam. Suddenly making all of those weapons St3 means they need 6s to wound your bikes or vehicles. Obviously good against St3 weapons to turn them St2. Tons of application with this strat. Force Lascannons to wound on 4s against your Telemon. Force meltas to wound on 4s against your tanks. Amazing. 

'''Solar Watch:'''
*WLT: "Sally Forth": 6" Aura of +1" to move and advance and, while within this aura, units that have advanced can shoot with Rapid Fire weapons, at a -1HR, in the shooting phase.
**Turns smashfucker and his mates on bikes into even faster monsters that can still fire after advancing up the field, and even at -1 to hit 10 hurricane bolters in rapid fire range will kill something.

*Relic: "Swiftsilver Talon" (Guardian Spear): Standard melee profile and Assault 4 S4 AP-1 D2 shooting. AND it allows the bearer to fire and shoot even if he made Advance or Fall Back this turn.
*Strat: "Eagle Strikes" 0CP: After enemy Character is destroyed, +1 CP to next opponent strat (Once Per BR).

'''Emissaries Imperatus:'''
*WLT: "Voice of the Emperor": While within 9", Imperium units use the warlord's leadership, +3" range to OTHER Auras (this has been applied to the leadership range).
*Relic: "Vexillus Dominatus": <6" Re-roll failed leadership for Imperium Inf/Bikes. While within 6", EI Custodes are considered to be 3 models when counting for securing objectives. (1 = 3, 2 = 6, 3 = 9...)
*Strat: "The Emperor's Hand" 1CP: Ignore modifiers when shooting/fighting. 

'''Aquilan Shield:'''
*WLT: "Revered Companion": Halves damage against the Warlord.
*Relic: "Praesidius": Storm Shield, -1 to Wound rolls that target this character.
*Strat: "Shield of Honour" 1CP: Imperium Character <3", resolve all attacks vs an Aquilan Shield unit instead.

'''Dread Host:'''
*WLT: "All-Seeing Annihilator": 6" Aura, all melee gain additional hit on 6s.
*Relic: "Admonimortis": A Castellan Axe with S+3 AP-3 D3 in melee. Your ONLY infantry melee weapon with a flat Damage value in the entire Custodes list, perfect to reliably hunt down characters or monsters.
*Strat: "The Golden Light of the Moiraides" 1/2CP: Select in the charge phase; Teleported units, 3d6 drop lowest for charges out of deep-strike. 1CP = 1 Unit, 2CP = up to 3 Units.