Tactical support squads are mobile fire-support units that replace the utilitarian bolter of their comrades with more specialised weapons, enabling them to cope with particular battlefield threats or enemies. Operating in close order with the Legion’s other troops, the support squad’s firepower enables a battlefield strike force of Space Marines to act with even more versatility and engage a wider range of targets on its own terms. The most common armaments used by tactical support squads are flamers, which are ideal for urban warfare, bunker and trench clearance, as well as eradicating xenos life forms from an area. Rapid-firing rotor cannon are used against large numbers of lightly-armed foes, thermic energy meltas for tank-busting, and, where available, plasma and volkite weapons against the most heavily-armoured and monstrous enemies.
| LD | CL | WP | IN | |||||||||||
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | LD | CL | WP | IN | SAV | INV | |
| Legionary (⌀32mm) | 7 | - | - | - | ||||||||||
| Legionary (⌀32mm) | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | - | - | - | 3+ | - |
| Legion Tactical Support Sergeant (⌀32mm) | 8 | - | - | - | ||||||||||
| Legion Tactical Support Sergeant (⌀32mm) | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | - | - | - | 3+ | - |
Some weapons strike with such force that they cause terrible wounds that can lay low even the most formidable combatant.
When a model is allocated a Wound inflicted by a weapon with this special rule, it does not suffer only one Wound but instead suffers a number of Wounds equal to the number in brackets associated with the specific variant of this special rule, with all of the Wounds inflicted using the same AP and special rules as that of the initial Wound. Roll to save against each Wound inflicted separately, but note that Wounds caused in excess of a given model’s remaining Wounds do not spill over to other models and are lost. This special rule has no effect on models that do not have a Toughness value.Some weapons rely not on the speed of their wielder, but on their sheer length or cunning design to inflict harm upon the foe before they can react.
A model making attacks as part of an Assault using a weapon with this special rule, adds the value of (X) that is included as part of this special rule to its Initiative Characteristic. If a model has more than one weapon with this special rule then that model only increases the value of its Initiative by the value of the special rule on the weapon whose profile is used by that model to attack during the Fight sub-phase. A weapon that is not used to attack does not modify the model’s Initiative Characteristic – models that may attack with more than one weapon, or models claiming the bonus for having a second weapon, may only add the value of the highest variant of this special rule and do not add the values together.These melee weapons are sheathed in disruption fields that allow them to cleave armour as though it were paper and annihilate flesh or bone with ease. They are both difficult to master, for a single mis-stroke can lead to catastrophe in a close packed melee, and expensive to manufacture and maintain, and so are mostly found only in the hands of the finest warriors in the Legiones Astartes.
All weapons listed here are counted as ‘Power’ weapons for those rules that affect such weapons. A model that is eligible to select a power weapon may take any of the weapons included in this Profile.| Ranged Weapon | |||||||
Ranged Weapon | R | FP | RS | AP | D | Special Rules | Traits |
| Power sword | |||||||
| Power sword | - | User | 3 | Melee, Rending (6+) | - | ||
| Power axe | |||||||
| Power axe | - | +1 | 2 | Melee, Unwieldy | - | ||
| Power maul | |||||||
| Power maul | - | +2 | 3 | Melee | - | ||
| Power lance | |||||||
| Power lance | - | +1 | 3 | Melee, Reach (1) | - | ||
| Ranged Weapon | |||||||
Ranged Weapon | R | FP | RS | AP | D | Special Rules | Traits |
| Power fist | |||||||
| Power fist | - | x2 | 2 | Melee, Unwieldy, Specialist Weapon | - | ||
| Gravis power fist | |||||||
| Gravis power fist | - | 9 | 2 | Melee, Brutal (3) | - | ||
| Thunder hammer | |||||||
| Thunder hammer | - | x2 | 2 | Melee, Unwieldy, Brutal (2), Specialist Weapon | - | ||
| Lightning claw | |||||||
| Lightning claw | - | User | 3 | Melee, Shred, Rending (6+), Specialist Weapon | - | ||
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 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.R | FP | RS | AP | D | Special Rules | Traits |
- | x2 | 2 | Melee, Unwieldy, Specialist Weapon |
R | FP | RS | AP | D | Special Rules | Traits |
- | User | 3 | Melee, Shred, Rending (6+), Specialist Weapon |
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.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.This datasheet has Troops Battlefield Role. Full list of Legiones Astartes units sharing same Battlefield Role follows: