Armoury of the Age of Darkness

Designed to rip and tear flesh, some weapons are fearsome and intimidating tools of warfare. Whether by the gnashing teeth of a chainblade or the jagged edges of flechette ammunition, these weapons scythe great holes in the lines of even the toughest of infantry and the largest of warriors.

Some warriors are trained or equipped to make the most of the force of a charge. When they slam into enemy ranks, it is with the force of a thunderbolt.

1. Select Target Unit.
2. Check Target.
3. Declare Weapons.
4. Set Fire Groups.
5. Select Fire Group To Resolve.
6. Make Hit Tests.
7. Make Wound Tests.
8. Select Target Model.
9. Make Saving Throws & Damage Mitigation Tests.
10. Select Next Fire Group.
11. Remove Casualties.

Some weapons trade precision for indiscriminate destruction, high explosive impacts that can devastate a wide area. From artillery shells to high energy blasts, such weapons are popular tools of destruction on the battlefields of the Horus Heresy.

The steel warriors of the Mechanicum are unlike any other force in the galaxy, unflinching automatons of logic engrams and gears. Though far more rugged than even the Emperor’s Legiones Astartes, they are bound to the unchanging dictates of their programming and lack the tactical flexibility of flesh and blood warriors.

• Models with the Automata Type cannot gain any Tactical Statuses and are considered to automatically pass any Check made to avoid gaining a Tactical Status. However, if a Unit that contains any Models with the Automata Type also includes any Models that do not have the Automata Type, that Check must be made using the Characteristics of one of the Models that does not have the Automata Type and is not automatically passed.
• When targeting a Unit that includes any Models with the Automata Type, the effects of the Poisoned (X) Special Rule only trigger on a Wound Test with a result of a ‘6’ before modifiers are applied, regardless of the value of X for that variant of the Special Rule.
• A Unit that includes one or more Models with the Automata Type may not make Reactions.

These massive engines of war are unlike the soulless warriors of the Mechanicum, for at their heart rests a mortal warrior whose instincts and experience guides their steel body on the field of battle.

• When targeting a Unit that includes any Models with the Walker Type, the effects of the Poisoned (X) Special Rule only trigger on a Wound Test with a result of a ‘6’ before modifiers are applied, regardless of the value of X for that variant of the Special Rule.
• A Model with the Walker Type may attack with all Weapons they have in each Shooting Attack they make, including as part of a Reaction. Note that this does not allow Weapons that do not have the Assault Trait to be used to attack as part of a Volley Attack.
• In Step 1 of the Resolution Sub-Phase, when deciding how many Models a Player controls in a Combat, a Model with the Walker Type counts as a number of Models equal to that Model’s Base Wounds Value.

From armoured transports, to fleet orbital shuttles and even more esoteric modes of travel, mounting infantry atop faster moving transports is an ancient tactic. The best transports offer a safe haven for fragile infantry as well as a means to traverse even the most difficult terrain at speed.

• All Models with the Transport Sub-Type have a Transport Capacity Characteristic, which determines the maximum number of Models that can Embark upon it - one Model per point of Transport Capacity, unless another Rule states otherwise.
• Only Models with the Infantry or Paragon Type may Embark or Disembark upon a Model with the Transport Sub-Type.
• A Unit may only Embark on a Model with the Transport Sub-Type if all Models in the Embarking Unit have the same Faction as the Model with the Transport Sub-Type.
• A Model with the Transport Sub-Type may only have a single Unit Embarked upon it at any one time (Models with the Specialist Sub-Type, Command Sub-Type or Paragon Type that have joined a Unit are considered part of that Unit and may Embark alongside it).
• A Unit may not be partially Embarked on a Model with the Transport Sub-Type - either all Models or no Models in a Unit may be Embarked on a given Model.
• If a Model with the Transport Sub-Type has a Unit Embarked upon it, the Embarked Unit is not considered part of the same Unit. The two remain separate Units for all purposes.

1. Once a Reposition Reaction has been declared, the Active Player must completely resolve the Target Unit’s movement.
2. Once the Target Unit has finished its move, the Reactive Player may move the Reacting Unit. When making this move, each Model in the Reacting Unit may move a number of inches up to the Base Value of its Initiative Characteristic.
3. Once the Reacting Unit has completed this move, the Movement Phase continues as normal.

• Buildings are not, and cannot be, controlled by any Player.
• Buildings may be targeted by Shooting Attacks and Charges.
• Buildings have the Armour, Transport Capacity and Hull Points Characteristics.
• Buildings may never be moved by either Player, and no Rule, Special Rule or other effect can move or re-deploy a Building.
• All Glancing Hits inflicted on a Building inflict 1 point of Damage and no roll on the Vehicle Damage Table is ever made for a Building.
• Buildings are all considered to have the Transport Sub-Type and any Player may Embark a Unit onto a Building, but only one Unit may be Embarked on a Building at any one time.

Warriors trained to break the foe’s lines are often at the forefront of their host, but are ill-suited to holding ground in the face of an enemy counter-attack.

• If an attack made for a Unit that includes a majority of Models with the Vanguard (X) Special Rule causes the last Model in an enemy Unit that is Controlling or Contesting an Objective to be Removed as a Casualty.
• If a Unit that includes a majority of Models with the Vanguard (X) Special Rule has at least one attack made for it in a Combat that results in one or more enemy Units that had at least one Model within 3" of an Objective at the start of that Assault Phase either Falling Back from Combat or being Massacred.

• That Model is in Base Contact with an enemy Model in the same Combat.
• That Model is no more than 2" from another Model in the same Unit which is in Base Contact with an enemy Model.

Transport vehicles are designed to balance armour and capacity, attempting to mount the most protection without compromising how many warriors they can carry. Yet, some warriors are plated in such imposing armour or even spawned in such an aberrant nature that they occupy far more space than any regular fighter. Such warriors are mighty in both power and stature, but prove more difficult to ferry into battle.

• As part of the effects of the Panic (X) Special Rule.
• If a Unit has had 25% or more of the Models that were part of that Unit at the start of a Shooting Attack Removed as Casualties due to that Shooting Attack, then the Controlling Player must pass a Leadership Check for that Unit or it gains the Routed Status (see the Rules for Panic in the Morale Sub-Phase
• The Controlling Player of a Unit that loses Combat must take a Leadership Check for that Unit in the Resolution Sub-Phase and if the Check is failed then the Unit gains the Routed Status.
• Other Rules may also apply the Routed Status, these Rules will specify how and when this occurs.

• The Controlling Player of a Unit that includes any Models that are Routed must make all Shooting Attacks for that Unit as Snap Shots.
• The Controlling Player of a Unit that includes any Models that are Routed may not declare any Reactions for that Unit.
• A Unit with the Routed Status may not move in the Move Sub-Phase of the Movement Phase - any effect that would force them to move or Rush in the Movement Phase has no effect.
• In the Rout Sub-Phase of the Movement Phase, a Unit that includes any Models with the Routed Status must Fall Back.
• Any Models that have the Routed Status and move into contact with any point on the Battlefield Edge that is within the Controlling Player’s Deployment Zone stop moving, and any Models that have the Routed Status and begin the Rout Sub-Phase in contact with any point on the Battlefield Edge that is within the Controlling Player’s Deployment Zone remain Stationary.
• If a Unit that includes one or more Models with the Routed Status enters contact with an edge of the Battlefield within the Controlling Player’s Deployment Zone as part of a Fall Back Move, a Leadership Check must be made for that Unit once all Models in the Unit have completed their moves. If that Leadership Check is failed, then all Models in the Unit are immediately removed from play as Casualties. However, if that Leadership Check is passed then the Unit remains in play and all Models in the Unit lose the Routed Status, but gain the Suppressed Status.
• In the Assault Phase Charges may not be declared for a Unit that includes any Models with the Routed Status and any Rule or effect that would otherwise force such a Unit to make a Charge has no effect.
• A Unit that includes any Models with the Routed Status in the Resolution Sub-Phase of the Assault Phase must always Fall Back at the end of that Sub-Phase.

• The Controlling Player of a Unit that includes any Models that are Pinned may not choose to have that Unit move, Rush or Charge in any Phase and any effect that would force them to move or Charge has no effect.
• A Unit that includes any Models with the Pinned Status that is Locked in Combat makes any Pile-in Moves as normal, but may not choose to Pursue or Disengage during the Resolution Sub-Phase.

Some weapons cleave flesh with ease, inflicting terrible wounds that no mortal toughness can resist. Though of less use against armour and steel, such munitions are capable of tearing bloody holes in the ranks of advancing infantry and stalling any attack in its tracks.

Whether by dint of superior skill or exemplary wargear, some warriors are better able to place strikes on enemy weak points. Such attacks can fell even the most powerful foes with a single well-placed shot.

Long range artillery fire is the terror of any infantry advance, striking its targets no matter what cover they seek or where they attempt to take shelter.

Template weapons shoot clouds of fire, gas or other lethal substances, rather than shells or bullets.

Whether by skill or the merits of a weapon’s design, some warriors are capable of sweeping strikes that scythe through the ranks of the foe.

• The Controlling Player of a Unit that includes any Models that are Stunned may not declare any Reactions for that Unit.

Some units are drilled to hold the ground captured by the vanguard. Vigilant and steadfast, they are vital assets in any battle, standing sentinel over the vital objectives captured in any assault and holding back the foe’s counter-assault.

• The Controlling Player of a Unit that includes any Models that are Suppressed must make all attacks in any Shooting Attacks declared for that Unit as Snap Shots.

Those blessed by the powers of biomancy are temporarily remade, their physiques swollen and warped for strength and resilience far beyond the merely human. It is not only their strength that swells, but also their rage. Under the effects of a biomancers influence even the most veteran warriors are lost to fury and bloodshed.

1. Once the Focus and Target Unit have been decided, make a Manifestation Check.
2. If the Manifestation Check is successful, then no Volley Attack may be made for the Target Unit, but all Models in the Target Unit gain a bonus of +2 to their Strength and Toughness Characteristics.
3. If the Manifestation Check fails then there is no further effect.

Heavy beams and armour-piercing cannon rarely inflict superficial damage, but always blast and break the hull of their target. Such weapons are superior tank killers, their sheer power prized over lesser weapons when the objective is to apply maximum damage without concern for finesse.

By force of will a trained battle-psyker can channel the eldritch power of the Warp into their weapons and magnify their power greatly. Such power can come at a great cost, and if the psyker’s control wavers, they may be devoured by the very power they sought to chain.

Channelling the power of the Warp itself, a trained biomancer can rend steel and smash ceramite with their bare hands. Such is their fury that neither warriors of flesh, nor engines of iron can stand before them.

Volatile fuel, overpowered reactors or dangerous munitions can cause some war engines to explode when destroyed. Such explosions can prove devastating to friend and foe alike.

Some weapons are so terrifyingly potent that their use instils abject fear in even the most strong-willed warriors. In the face of such wanton power the target can only flee or prepare for death, for few would live to tell of the true horrors of the Age of Darkness once they were unleashed on the battlefield.

With a snap of their fingers or sweep of their arms, a pyromancer can cause the very air to ignite in a storm of flame hot enough to burn flesh and sear metal.

Exotic beam weapons of arcing energy or sequential explosions triggered by the death of the first victim, some weapons cause not a single casualty, but a slew of them. Such weapons are wielded with grim efficiency against close packed formations of troops on the battlefields of the Horus Heresy. The most well-known examples are the volkite weapons of Mars, but many others are known.

In the heart of a melee, a pyromancer cares not for the subtle interplay of blades, and instead simply sows flame and cinder with wild abandon.

Billowing clouds of smoke or fields of electromagnetic interference can hide warriors from the foe’s sight. That which cannot be struck, cannot be harmed and needs not the protection of heavy and encumbering armour.

An invisible shield that no blast or beam can penetrate, by means of this power a telekine keeps their allies safe from harm and confounds the brute tactics of the foe.

The crack of the sniper’s rifle or the burst of heavy artillery, both signal a sudden and indiscriminate death and send infantry scurrying for cover. Such weapons are meant as much to pin the foe in place as to kill them, breaking up advancing ranks of troops and shattering defensive formations.

By force of will a telekine can bind the foe with invisible chains, leashing them to the spot and making them easy prey for allied guns.

Some weapons are designed for use in personal challenges rather than the vulgar press of battle. Often light and perfectly balanced, they provide a key edge in duels and bouts of honour.

In a glance, a diviner can sense where to direct fire to best harm the foe. It matters not if the foe hides, flees or stands defiant, for their future has already been decided.

On the battlefields of the Horus Heresy, precision proves far more valuable than wanton carnage, allowing attacks to be placed on the most valuable targets and not the chaff of the enemy army. Whether through well-honed skill or artfully crafted weapons, warriors capable of such feats are highly sought after in any host.

Some warriors exude such a terrifying aura that even those hardened by war and death are apprehensive in their presence. Whether this is due to a reputation for cruelty or brutal slaughter or the result of some technological device or psychic glamour makes little difference in the effect it has on the battlefield. Wise commanders will seek to keep their distance and engage such fearsome enemies at range rather than risk their wrath.

Brute force stimulation of terror within the psyche of the foe can be more devastating than any artillery bombardment. By means of such tools does the telepath steer the foe to defeat.

Some weapons are designed not only to kill and main, but also to shock and disorient the foe. Such weapons may rely on blinding flares, bursts of enervating energy or even subtle poisons to slow and disable the enemy, but their effects are the same. Debilitated and vulnerable, warriors struck by such weapons become easy prey.

Subtle manipulation of the foe’s fear can leave them confused and distracted, chasing ghosts even as the telepath’s allies draw close.

Hatred can be a force as potent as any munition, driving troops to fight harder and more ferociously. The Horus Heresy would stoke old hatreds and spawn many new ones, granting canny commanders ample opportunity to set troops against their chosen foes.

The ultimate art of the thaumaturge, and one they are loath to employ in any but the most dire of situations. Only at the very point of death can it be halted, and only with great risk can it be reversed. Thus, only the most valued warriors are deemed worthy of such an invidious salvation.

1. Once the Focus and Target Unit have been decided, make a Manifestation Check.
2. If the Manifestation Check is successful then, before any Models in the Target Unit are Removed as Casualties, the Controlling Player of the Target Unit must select one Model being Removed as a Casualty and roll a Dice. If the Dice roll for the chosen Model is equal to or higher than a ‘4’, then that Model is not Removed as a Casualty and is returned to play in Unit Coherency with its Unit and with its Wounds Characteristic set to its Base Value, as listed on that Model’s profile. This Psychic Reaction has no effect on Models that do not have a Wounds Characteristic and if the result of the Manifestation Check causes Perils of the Warp, then this instance of Perils of the Warp is resolved after any Models are returned to the Unit.
3. If the Manifestation Check fails then there is no further effect.

It takes a rare talent to seal the breaches in the Warp that other psykers create, yet on the battlefields of the Horus Heresy this can mean the difference between victory and defeat. For if the Warp is calmed, then the enemy’s psykers find their power withered and lessened.

1. Once the Focus and Target Unit have been decided, the Target Unit’s Controlling Player makes a Resistance Check for that Unit.
2. If the Resistance Check is failed, then all Models in the Target Unit suffer a penalty of -2 to their Willpower Characteristic when attempting to Manifest any Psychic Power or Psychic Reaction. If any Model in the Target Unit makes attacks with a Weapon that has the Psychic Trait, then the Strength Characteristic of all Hits inflicted is reduced by 1.
3. If the Resistance Check succeeds then there is no further effect.