Legio Custodes

The martial traditions and aristocratic rule of the Knight Households demanded a rigid hierarchy and at the apex of this order was the seneschal. For a knight to have attained a rank heavy with such symbolic authority and might, they must have proven themselves both in tactical command and the more insidious battlefield of dynastic struggle, alongside the simple, gruelling prerequisite of having endured long enough to reach such heights.

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.

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.

Some weapons carry only a severely limited stock of munitions. Often intended as weapons of last resort, used at the correct point they can turn the tide of battle.

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.

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.

• 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.

Some weapons are so heavy that, while they can be fired on the move, are more powerful when properly braced and made ready before shooting. Warriors on the battlefield must use their judgement to decide when speed is required and when the full firepower of their arsenal must be unleashed.

Huge artillery cannon and vast laser weapons are commonly employed as the primary armament of the greatest war machines of the Imperium. These weapons are devastating when properly braced and prepared for firing - more than capable of destroying smaller war engines in a single blast.

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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.

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 weapons are capable of breaching armour with a terrifying ease, whether by specially designed munitions, careful targeting or sheer brute power.

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.

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.

Intended to break the lines of the foe or to hold the most dangerous of positions, heavy troops trade speed and manoeuvrability for indomitable toughness and stubborn tenacity.

• A Unit that includes only Models with the Heavy Sub-Type gains a bonus of +1 to its Cool Characteristic for Checks to avoid gaining Tactical Statuses.
• A Unit that includes any Models with the Heavy Sub-Type may not Rush.
• A Unit that includes any Models with the Heavy Sub-Type only uses its Movement Characteristic to determine how far it moves as part of a Set-up Move, not Movement and Initiative totalled.

Some weapons are designed to crack armour and deal massive damage to internal components of armoured fighting vehicles. Few tanks can withstand the firepower of such weapons for long.

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.

Designed to pierce the armour worn by heavy infantry, some weapons have gained a fearsome reputation on the battlefields of the Floras Heresy. While many such weapons are rare or temperamental in use, the sheer power of their attacks more than makes up for this.

Some weapons feature augmented motility and enhanced targeting systems, able to track and lock onto fast moving targets with ease.

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.

When fired, neutronium cascade weapons emit a combination of baleful energy and exotic radiation of such intensity and instability that any target left standing risks continued molecular collapse.

Vile toxins, exotic radiation and all-consuming chemical agents all sap the abilities of warriors in the field even as they kill them. Most terrible are the effects of phosphex, choking the life and strength from those it touches, or the fleshcorroding properties of the dreaded life-eater virus.

A hail of enemy gunfire serves to keep any warrior’s head down, and some weapons are designed specifically to suppress the foe. Only the most steadfast of troops will continue the advance when all they can hear is the whistle and crack of gunshots and the screams of the fallen.

Compact and deadly, pistols are ideal weapons in close quarters. They lack the sheer range of larger weapons, but can be brought to bear with impressive speed and are no less deadly than their larger counterparts.

Some weapons are created to distort and fracture ;etheric space, their detonations causing panic attacks and confusion in the unattuned - but to those trained to channel the power of the Warp, they can trigger a spontaneous and uncontrolled manifestation of power that is often fatal to the psyker and those around them.

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.

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.

Some weapons are wreathed in flame emitted from small projectors, or burn with otherworldly fire, stirring a primaeval aversion in even the boldest warriors.

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.

Blasts of exotic radiation, malignant scrap-code or other targeted attacks can render the systems of complex war engines vulnerable without penetrating their armour. While such weapons are less likely to leave their target as a broken ruin, the deleterious effects of their attacks can render even the most powerful war machines impotent.

Designed to be carefully attached to a target and blast precise holes in the thickest armour, these cumbersome devices are ill-suited to open war. However, when a vulnerable target can be isolated in battle, there are no better tools for piercing its protection.