HEAVY SUPPORT Heavy support squads provide the Legions’ infantry with mobile, Space Marine-portable firepower sufficient to bring down hordes of enemy troops or smash armoured vehicles apart in withering hails of weapons fire. Although tanks and field artillery outrange and outgun heavy support squads in most cases — as well as of course often being much more heavily protected by armour plate, heavy support squads have all the flexibility of the infantryman to their advantage, and are able to disperse in terrain, climb heights to attain better fields of fire, and go where a battle tank or even a Dreadnought cannot. | ||
M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Sv | Base | |
Legionary (base: 32mm) | |||||||||||
Legionary | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 3+ | 32mm |
Legion Support Sergeant (base: 32mm) | |||||||||||
Legion Support Sergeant | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 3+ | 32mm |
These weapons are grafted to the same targeting system for greater accuracy.
When attacking with a weapon that has this special rule, the controlling player may re-roll all failed To Hit rolls.Some weapons can inflict critical strikes against which no armour can protect.
If a model has the Rending special rule, or is attacking with a Melee weapon that has the Rending special rule, there is a chance that their close combat attacks will strike a critical blow. For each To Wound roll equal to or higher than the value listed, the target automatically suffers a Wound, regardless of its Toughness. The controlling player may choose to resolve these Wounds at AP 2 instead of the weapon’s normal AP value.The Space Marines of the Emperor’s Legions are genetically engineered, psycho-indoctrinated warriors with superhuman abilities, and minds and souls tempered for war. Each of the Legions has its own idiosyncrasies and character – the product of their gene-seed and the unique warrior cultures fostered by their masters.
Any unit with this special rule will have a number of additional special rules and abilities specific to their ‘named’ Legion, all of which will be defined in other Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness publications. A Space Marine unit may only have one such ‘named’ rule, e.g., Legiones Astartes (Sons of Horus). Space Marine units from a different Legion may only be included in an army using an Allied Detachment and in conjunction with the Allies in the Age of Darkness chart.The humble vexilla displays the heraldry of a particular squad, proclaiming not only its designation in the Legion but also its proud legacy in the annals of the Great Crusade.
A unit that includes at least one model with a Legion vexilla adds +1 to the Wounds score used to determine if they win a Combat in the Assault phase. In addition, a unit that includes at least one model with a Legion vexilla may, before any dice are rolled to determine Fall Back distance, choose to Fall Back only a distance equal to the roll of a D6 instead of 2D6 (or 3D6 if a Cavalry unit), and if forced to move off the edge of the battlefield will instead stop moving, with any model that would have moved off of the battlefield ending its Fall Back move prematurely when it reaches 1" from the edge of the battlefield.This energy scanning device has the effect of alerting the user to the concealed presence or imminent arrival of enemy troops in the vicinity.
A unit that includes at least one model with an augury scanner gains all of the following benefits:A nuncio-vox is a beacon and communications array that allows constant co-ordination with other elements of an army – be they in a neighbouring region or in orbit high overhead. This allows precision reinforcements to be deployed nearby and strikes to be targeted with deadly accuracy.
While at least one model with a nuncio-vox is present on the battlefield and not Embarked in a Vehicle or Building, the controlling player may re-roll any Scatter rolls made (whether as part of a weapon attack or the deployment of a model or unit), as long as the model with the nuncio-vox has line of sight to the unit targeted by the attack or the point chosen as the target of the deployment. In addition, a unit that includes at least one model with a nuncio-vox ignores the -1 penalty to Leadership imposed by the Night Fighting rules.Some weapons are fuelled by unstable power sources and risk overheating with each shot – often to the detriment of their wielder.
When firing a weapon that Gets Hot, roll To Hit as normal. For each unmodified To Hit roll of 1, the firing model immediately suffers a single Wound with an AP value equal to that of the weapon that was used to attack (Armour Saves, Invulnerable Saves and Feel No Pain rolls can be taken, but not Cover Saves or Shrouded rolls) – this Wound cannot be allocated to any other model in the unit. A Vehicle instead rolls a D6 for each roll of a 1 To Hit. If this roll results in a 1 or 2, the Vehicle suffers a Glancing Hit.Assault weapons either fire so rapidly or indiscriminately that they can be fired while a warrior is moving.
A model attacking with an Assault weapon makes the number of Attacks indicated on its profile regardless of whether the bearer has moved or not. A model carrying an Assault weapon can make a Shooting Attack with it in the Shooting phase and still Charge in the Assault phase.
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These are heavy, man-portable weapons that typically require reloading between each shot or bracing to counter their recoil.
When making a Shooting Attack, a model with a Heavy weapon attacks the number of times indicated. If a model equipped with a Heavy weapon moved in the preceding Movement phase, they can only make Snap Shots with that Heavy weapon during the Shooting phase. Note that weapons with the Blast special rule cannot fire Snap Shots. Models that make Shooting Attacks with Heavy weapons in the Shooting phase cannot Charge in the ensuing Assault phase.
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Some weapons are capable of breaching armour with a terrifying ease, whether by specially designed munitions, careful targeting or sheer brute power.
When rolling To Wound for a model that has the Breaching (X) special rule, or is attacking with a weapon that has the Breaching (X) special rule, for each To Wound roll equal to or higher than the value listed in brackets, the controlling player must resolve these wounds at AP 2 instead of the weapon’s normal AP value. This rule has no effect on models that do not have Wounds, such as models with the Vehicle Unit Type.The ancient volkite weaponry employed by the armies of Terra in the earliest years of the Great Crusade fired arcing blasts of energy rather than solid projectiles.
After normal attacks by this weapon have been resolved, count the number of unsaved Wounds caused on the target unit. Immediately resolve a number of additional automatic Hits on the same unit using the weapon’s profile equal to the number of unsaved Wounds – these can then be saved normally. Models in the targeted unit must still be in range in order for these additional Hits to take effect. These additional Hits do not themselves inflict more Hits and do not benefit from any other special rules possessed by the attacking model, such as Preferred Enemy (X) or Precision Strikes (X).Pistols are light enough to be carried and fired one-handed.
A model attacking with a Pistol weapon makes the number of Attacks indicated on its profile regardless of whether the bearer has moved or not. A model carrying a Pistol weapon can make a Shooting Attack with it in the Shooting phase and still Charge in the Assault phase. A Pistol weapon also counts as a close combat weapon in the Assault phase. In addition, all models with two Pistol type weapons can attack with both in the same Shooting phase. This follows the normal rules for shooting.
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Coming under fire without knowing where the shots are coming from, or having ordnance rain down from the skies, can shake the resolve of even the bravest warriors, making them dive flat and cling to whatever cover presents itself.
If a non-Vehicle unit suffers one or more unsaved Wounds from a weapon with the Pinning special rule, it must take a Leadership test once the firing unit has finished its Shooting Attacks for that Phase. This is called a Pinning test. If the unit fails the Test, it is Pinned. As long as the Test is passed, a unit can be called upon to take multiple Pinning tests in a single turn, but only once for each unit shooting at them.This weapon has been crafted with one aim in mind – to pierce the hides of armoured vehicles.
If a model or weapon has this special rule, it rolls an additional D6 for armour penetration when targeting a Vehicle model, or, when targeting a model with the Automata or Dreadnought Unit Type, re-rolls all failed rolls To Wound instead. These effects apply to both Shooting Attacks and close combat attacks.This class of grenade contains only a small explosive charge, and is intended primarily to disorientate and distract the foe while closing on a fixed position.
A unit that includes at least one model with frag grenades makes attacks at its normal Initiative Step during an Assault after it has successfully Charged through Difficult Terrain or Dangerous Terrain, but still suffers any penalties to Charge rolls imposed by Difficult Terrain or Dangerous Terrain when resolving a Charge through Difficult Terrain or Dangerous Terrain.This class of grenade encompasses a variety of shaped charges, plasma detonators and crude bombs, all intended to disable armoured vehicles.
The controlling player may choose to have a model with krak grenades that is Engaged or otherwise in base contact during the Assault phase with a Building or Fortification, or a model with the Vehicle, Dreadnought or Automata Unit Type, inflict one automatic Str 6, AP 3 Hit on the target in Initiative Step 1 instead of attacking normally. Any model in a unit that is chosen to inflict Hits using krak grenades may not otherwise attack or make use of any other special rule or item of Wargear that inflicts Hits or Wounds on a model in the same Assault phase (but may participate in Sweeping Advances as normal).Made from high grade composite armour plating over an augmenting musculature of electro-fibre bundles, power armour features its own energy systems, sensors and environmental seals. Legiones Astartes power armour is the signature wargear of the Space Marine Legions and subject to an on-going evolution in design stretching back to the Thunder Warriors of the Unification Wars of Old Earth, fused with the wisdom of the Mechanicum of Mars and technological relics recovered over the years of the Great Crusade. At the outset of the Horus Heresy, the most common patterns employed by the Legions are the ‘Crusade’ and ‘Maximus’ types, with the ‘Iron’ pattern favoured for siege and close assault work, although there are considerable customised panoplies and many other Legion-specific sub-patterns in service.
Power armour provides a 3+ Armour Save.Skyfire weapons excel at shooting down enemy aircraft.
A model which has this special rule, or that is firing a weapon with this special rule, fires using its normal Ballistic Skill when shooting at Flyers and Skimmers, but it can only fire Snap Shots against other targets.Forged by the master craftsmen of the Mechanicum, these superior variations of power armour are often highly embellished with ciphers of strength and durability, while some of wildly differing designs are far older than the present age and owe their origins to the forgotten zenith of human technological might.
Artificer armour confers a 2+ Armour Save.Some weapons strike with enough force to make a mockery of anything except the most reinforced of armoured shells.
Attacks with this special rule may re-roll failed Armour Penetration rolls against Vehicles and Buildings (both with Shooting Attacks and in close combat) and re-roll Glancing Hits, in an attempt to instead get a Penetrating Hit, but the second result must be kept.This datasheet has Heavy Support Battlefield Role. Full list of Legiones Astartes units sharing same Battlefield Role follows: