

Taking traditions from the techno-shamanic orders of Medusa, the Iron Fathers were gifted war-smiths - though, unlike their brethren in the Salamanders Legion, they cared little for aesthetics and sought only brutal efficiency in their works. Within the Xth Legion, the Iron Fathers sat outside of the Legion command structure, their wisdom leveraged in an advisory role, or utilised to mediate disputes over operational command between elements from different Clans. Following the massacre at Isstvan V however, many would lead battlegroups directly where required, their martial fury equal to their technological skill.
| LD | CL | WP | IN | |||||||||||
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | LD | CL | WP | IN | SAV | INV | |
| Iron Father (⌀40mm) | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | ||||||||||
| Iron Father (⌀40mm) | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 2+ | 4+ |
Many Iron Fathers were inducted into the secrets of the Legio Cybernetica, even accompanying battle-automata honoured by the Legion on the battlefield. These act as an extension of his own will, cutting down any who would threaten him.
This Special Rule allows an Iron Father to be accompanied by a Unit of Battle-automata.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.
Attacks made with the Blast (X) Special Rule use a Blast Marker to determine how many Hits are caused.The [Allegiance] Trait is used in the following Legiones Astartes datasheets:
Infantry units include all types of foot soldiers. Infantry are fairly slow moving, but can cross almost any terrain and make the best use of cover to avoid enemy fire.
Infantry is the most basic Type, and is applied to most Models in the game. A Model with the Infantry Type uses the Core Rules without modification, gaining neither benefit nor penalty. Models with the Infantry Type may Embark and Disembark upon Models with the Transport Sub-Type.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.
Attacks made with the Shred (X) Special Rule can sometimes inflict an extra point of Damage.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.
With a Weapon that has the Breaching (X) Special Rule there is a chance that a Wound Test may result in the Wound ignoring Armour Saves.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.
Attacks made with the Critical Hit (X) Special Rule have a chance to automatically cause a wound and inflict 1 extra point of Damage.Template weapons shoot clouds of fire, gas or other lethal substances, rather than shells or bullets.
Weapons and attacks with the Template Special Rule use the Flame Template to determine how many Models they Hit.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.
Unsaved Wounds inflicted by attacks with the Deflagrate (X) Special Rule can cause additional Hits.Some weapons feature multiple weapons systems linked to the same trigger. Often each weapon will have a specific role, but in extremis, both can be fired simultaneously, blasting the foe with a variety of deadly munitions.
A Weapon with this Special Rule can fire multiple profiles simultaneously.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.
Weapons and other attacks that have the Panic (X) Special Rule have a chance of inflicting the Routed Status on the Target Unit.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.
A Weapon with the Limited (X) Special Rule can only be used to attack a limited number of times per Battle.The beams of energy generated by melta weaponry dissipate over long ranges. When used at close quarters, however, their effect on armoured vehicles is devastating.
This Special Rule increases the amount of Damage against Vehicles when Shooting Attacks are made within a specific range.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.
Weapons with the Shock (X) Special Rule have a chance of inflicting Statuses on Vehicles even if it does not penetrate their armour.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.
Weapons and other attacks that have the Pinning (X) Special Rule have a chance of inflicting the Pinned Status on the Target Unit.An Ancient Terran innovation, pairing a bolter with another secondary weapon to allow elite formations of warriors to project superior firepower at the climactic moment of battle. Most often used to break through enemy lines or to stymie the onslaught of enemy armour, these weapons are the mark of the elite of the Legiones Astartes, issued to the most skilled of warriors to maximise their worth.
Each Combi-weapon will have two components; a bolter Primary component and a Secondary component. Unless otherwise specified, each Combi-weapon has the following components:| Ranged Weapon | |||||||
Ranged Weapon | R | FP | RS | AP | D | Special Rules | Traits |
| Bolter (Primary) | |||||||
| Bolter (Primary) | 24 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | Combi | Bolt |
| Flamer (Secondary) | |||||||
| Flamer (Secondary) | Template | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | Template, Panic (1), Limited (1), Combi | Flame |
| Meltagun (Secondary) | |||||||
| Meltagun (Secondary) | 12 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 3 | Melta (6), Limited (1), Combi | Melta |
| Plasma gun (Secondary) | |||||||
| Plasma gun (Secondary) | 24 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | Breaching (6+), Limited (1), Combi | Plasma |
| Volkite charger (Secondary) | |||||||
| Volkite charger (Secondary) | 15 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 1 | Deflagrate (5), Combi | Volkite |
| Grenade launcher (Secondary) - Krak | |||||||
| Grenade launcher (Secondary) - Krak | 24 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | Combi | - |
| Graviton gun (Secondary) | |||||||
| Graviton gun (Secondary) | 18 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | Blast (3"), Breaching (6+), Shock (Pinned), Pinning (1), Limited (1), Combi | Graviton |
This energy scanning device pierces weather, camouflage and obscuring smoke, alerting the userand their squadmates to the concealed presence of enemy troops in the vicinity, allowing attacks to be directed more effectively.
Augury scanners allow attacks to ignore Shrouded Damage Mitigation Tests.The Master of the Legion Trait is used in the following Legiones Astartes datasheets:
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.
Models with the Bulky (X) Special Rule take up more space on Transport Models.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.
The following Rules apply to all Models with the Heavy Sub-Type:The wargear of many Legiones Astartes warriors and war machines incorporates a variety of targeting and stabilisation systems, enabling larger weaponry to be brought to bear even at close ranges.
Models with this Special Rule can make Volley Attacks with other Weapons.
Many warriors are steady hut sure, slow to advance but no less deadly for it.
Models with this Special Rule cannot Pursue fleeing enemy Units.Representing the elite of any army, commanders oversee the disposition of their troops, set strategy for the coming battle and often stand at the forefront of the conflict. The actions of such heroes can change the tide of battle in an instant.
The following Rules apply to all Models with the Command Sub-Type:This datasheet has High Command Battlefield Role. Full list of Legiones Astartes units sharing same Battlefield Role follows:
| Melee Weapon | |||||||
Melee Weapon | IM | AM | SM | AP | D | Special Rules | Traits |
| Thunder hammer | |||||||
| Thunder hammer | -2 | A | +3 | 2 | 2 | - | Power |
Utilised by Techmarines and the adepts of the Mechanicum, cyber-familiar is a term that encompasses a variety of semi-autonomous devices such as servo-skulls and other smaller drone units tied into the direct neural control of their operator. These are an extension of their master’s will and provide them with a host of additional senses and capabilities.
Cyber-familiars grant a bonus to Intelligence Checks.Some warriors are so inured to pain and suffering that nothing but the most grievous of hurts will slow their onslaught. The only way to stop such a berserk is to hit them again and again until at last they fall, the toll of their hurts far more than any mortal warrior should be capable of bearing.
Feel No Pain (X) is a Damage Mitigation Test that may be taken in addition to a Saving Throw.The Iron Hands Trait is used in the following Legiones Astartes datasheets:
An army without war engines is easy prey for the foe, and without specially trained warriors to repair those machines they will soon fail in the face of the Horus Heresy’s fury. Battlesmiths are charged with seeing to the care of the metal behemoths that lead every assault, keeping them operational and ensuring their guns never fall silent.
A Model with the Battlesmith (X) Special Rule can repair Vehicles, Automata and other mechanical Units.Crafted to a standard which rivalled many of the Mechanicum’s pre-eminent forges, the power axes wielded by the Iron Hands were outfitted with advanced power emitters and blades of dense Medusan alloy, such that a well-placed blow could inflict ruinous damage to even the most heavily armoured foe.
| Melee Weapon | |||||||
Melee Weapon | IM | AM | SM | AP | D | Special Rules | Traits |
| Artificer Power Axe | |||||||
| Artificer Power Axe | -1 | A | +1 | 3 | 1 | Breaching (5+), Shred (5+) | Power |
This device allows the wielder to witness the battlefield through the senses of the battle-automata under their command, and direct them accordingly.
Cortex controllers allow Automata to make Reactions.Many mechanically-minded combatants take to the battlefield bearing additional mechanical arms mounted upon their armour, or even upon their body itself, to aid repairs to armoured vehicles.
A Model with a servo-arm repairs additional Wounds or Hull Points when using the Battlesmith (X) Special Rule.Many Iron Fathers were inducted into the secrets of the Legio Cybernetica, even accompanying battle-automata honoured by the Legion on the battlefield. These act as an extension of his own will, cutting down any who would threaten him.
This Special Rule allows an Iron Father to be accompanied by a Unit of Battle-automata.| Ranged Weapon | |||||||
Ranged Weapon | R | FP | RS | AP | D | Special Rules | Traits |
| Volkite charger | |||||||
| Volkite charger | 15 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 1 | Deflagrate (5) | Assault, Volkite |
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.
The following Rules apply to all Models with the Automata Type: