Killzone Upgrade: Shadowvaults

Some of these missions can also be augmented with the Killzone Upgrade: Shadowvaults set. This set provides several new elements, including a scenery piece that can be incorporated into the game board and new models that can become a part of a player’s army. These are broken into two categories - Attacker’s Upgrades and Defender’s Upgrades.

If the mission you are playing uses this set, then it will state so and also specify which upgrades each player has access to. Each of these upgrades costs a number of points that must be paid when mustering your army. Any upgrades a player takes must be included on their army roster.

1. Determine Mission

Players determine which mission to play from the Boarding Action missions presented on this page. This will determine the deployment map that players use, as well as the specific mission briefing. Players can either simply agree which they will use with their opponent, or, if playing these missions as part of an ongoing campaign, play them in the order below.

2. Read Mission Briefing

Each mission has a mission briefing that will detail the aims of the battle. Each mission will also list one or more additional mission rules that will apply for the duration of the battle, and a series of objectives that award victory points. Players should read and familiarise themselves with these before proceeding.

3. Muster Boarding Patrol

Players must first muster their Boarding Patrol, as described in Arks of Omen: Abaddon. If the Mission Briefing allows either player to take any Killzone Upgrade: Shadowvaults upgrades, they may do so and add these to their army roster. Each player must then provide a copy of their army roster for their opponent to read through. If, when players compare their points total, one player’s is at least 30 points less than their opponent’s, then the player with the smaller points total is the Underdog, and they may receive an Underdog Bonus as detailed in the mission they are playing.

4. Create the Battlefield and Place Objective Markers

Players now create the battlefield and set up terrain features. Missions are played on Boarding Action battlefields and the position of all terrain features - Walls and Hatchways - and objective markers that must be placed on the battlefield will be shown on the deployment map of the mission players are playing. Each mission will also specify which Hatchways start the mission open and which start the mission closed. If either player has any of the Defender’s Upgrades in their army, these will be set up on the battlefield in this step.

5. Form Boarding Squads

Each unit in a player’s Boarding Patrol that has a Unit Strength of 10 must now be split into two units, each containing 5 models. When splitting a unit, make a note of which models form each of the two new units. From this point onwards, these split units count as independent units for all rules purposes.

6. Generate Starting Command Points

Each player starts with 1 Command point.

7. Deploy Armies

Players alternate setting up their units one at a time, starting with the Defender. For each of a player’s Entry Zones (as shown in the mission map), that player sets up one unit within that Entry Zone.

If a unit has a pre-battle rule that allows it to be set up anywhere on the battlefield, that unit is instead set up wholly within 6" of its Entry Zone. That Entry Zone is then considered to have had a unit set up within it, and cannot have another unit set up within it before the start of the battle. If one player finishes deploying all their units, their opponent then deploys the remainder of their units, until either both players have set up one unit per Entry Zone, or all units have been deployed.

If both players have units with abilities that allow them to be set up after both armies have deployed, players must roll off after all other units have been set up and alternate setting up these units, starting with the winner.

8. Determine Reserves

Any units in a player’s army that do not start the battle on the battlefield, will start the battle in Strategic Reserves. This does not cost any Command points to do so.

In the Reinforcements step of a player’s Movement phase (starting from the first battle round onwards), that player can select one of their Strategic Reserves units for each of their Entry Zones that has no models within it and set those units up within those Entry Zones.

If one or more of a player’s Strategic Reserves units has a rule that would allow them to be set up in a location other than the battlefield (e.g. Teleport Strike) then in each of that player’s turns (starting from the second battle round onwards), one of those units can be set up on the battlefield as described by their rule that turn, instead of being set up within an Entry Zone. Any Strategic Reserves units that have not arrived on the battlefield by the end of the fourth battle round count as having been destroyed (this does not apply to units that are placed into Strategic Reserves, after the first battle round has started).

9. Determine First Turn

Players roll off and the winner takes the first turn.

10. Resolve Pre-battle Abilities

Each player can resolve a single pre-battle ability that units in their army may have, irrespective of how many units in their army may have them, starting with the player taking the first turn.

11. Begin the Battle

The first battle round begins. Players continue to resolve battle rounds until the battle ends.

12. Ending the Battle

The battle ends after five battle rounds have been completed. If one player has no models remaining in their army at the start of their turn, the other player may continue to play out their turns until the battle ends.

13. Determine Victor

At the end of the battle, the player with the most victory points is the winner. If players are tied, the battle is a draw.

Each player can score a minimum of 90 victory points from mission objectives (any excess victory points awarded are discounted). If every model in a player’s army was painted to a Battle Ready standard, that player is awarded a bonus 10 victory points. This gives players a maximum total score out of 100 victory points.

14. Campaign Outcome

If playing this mission as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, players will need to make a note of certain aspects of the game’s outcome, as described in the Mission Briefing. Each player should make a note of these now.

MISSION BRIEFING
An Inquisitorial way station with knowledge of the Rock’s location is stormed. The forces of Chaos have breached it, slaughtering all in their path. They are here for one reason: the data stored within the way station’s infocores.

MISSION RULES
Shadowvaults: In this mission, the Imperium player can use the Defender’s Upgrades, and the Chaos player can use the Attacker’s Upgrades.

Rapid Offence: The Chaos player has the first turn.

Hide the Intel: Before the battle, at the start of the Deploy Armies step, the Imperium player must secretly select one of the objective markers to hide the intel within. That player should make a note of this.

Search the Terminal: Units from the Chaos player’s army can perform the following action:

Search the Terminal (Action): One or more units can start to perform this Action at the end of the Move Units step of your Movement phase if they are within range of an objective marker. The action is completed at the end of the turn. If completed, the Imperium player must reveal if that objective marker contains the intel. If it does not: remove that objective marker from the battlefield; otherwise, remove all other objective markers from the battlefield and make a note that the unit that performed this action is carrying a copy of the intel. Note that other units from the Chaos player’s army can continue to perform this action on that objective marker in order to gain their own copy of the intel.

Underdog Bonus: If a player receives an Underdog bonus, that player starts the battle with 1 additional Command point.

Campaign Outcome: If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, make a note of whether the Chaos player identifies which objective marker contained the intel, and if so, in which battle round they did this in. How quickly the Chaos player is able to find the intel will affect on how quickly they can move against the Rock. This will have an impact on the Drastic Defence mission.

MISSION BRIEFING
The fighting aboard the ship has reached a critical juncture, with fierce, bloody battle raging around vital enginarium and teleportarium locations. Should the former fall, the forces of Chaos will have the means to deny power to vital ship functions. Should the latter fall to the heretics, they will have the means to rapidly reinforce multiple areas of the war zone. The Emperor’s loyal warriors must stop at nothing to ensure the forces of Chaos are thwarted.

MISSION RULES
Separate Locations: When setting up the battlefield, each game board represents a different location within the ship. It is not possible to move units from one game board to another unless using the Activate Teleportarium action (see below), and units on one game board cannot affect units on the other.

Activate Teleportarium: Units from your army can perform the following action:

Activate Teleportarium (Action): One unit from your army can start this action at the start of your Command phase if it is within the Teleportarium Control Zone. The action is completed at the end of your next Movement phase. If successfully completed, select one friendly unit within the Teleportarium and remove it from the battlefield. Set that unit up on the battlefield anywhere within the Enginarium and not within 9" of any enemy models. Until the end of the turn, that unit cannot move.

Underdog Bonus: If a player receives an Underdog bonus, that player starts the battle with 1 additional Command point.

Campaign Outcome: If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, make a note of which player wins the battle and secured ultimate control over the teleportarium controls. This will have an impact on the Geller Field Collapse mission.

MISSION BRIEFING
The forces of Chaos have succeeded in collapsing the Geller field generators, exposing the ship to the raw power of the empyrean. Warp energy runs rampant through corridors and chambers and the laws of realspace cease to function. For the Imperial defenders it is imperative the Geller fields be restored. For the heretics who oppose them, all they have to do is stop the lackeys of the False Emperor and the ship is doomed.


MISSION RULES
Empyric Strike: If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, before the battle, at the start of the Deploy Armies step, the player who won the Take the Teleportarium mission can select one of their units to set up in a teleportarium chamber instead of setting it up on the battlefield. If they do so, then in the Reinforcements step of one of their Movement phases they can set up that unit anywhere on the battlefield that is more than 9" away from any enemy models.

Warp Tears: From the second battle round onwards, at the start of the battle round, roll one D3 and, until the end of the battle round, the two Warp Tear Zones shown in the table below are connected to one another. When two Warp Tear Zones are connected, they are said to form a Warp Tunnel.


Warpshift: Each time a model makes a ranged attack, if a connected Warp Tear Zone is visible to it, that model can make that ranged attack through it so long as there is not any friendly units within the Warp Tear Zone at the other end of the Warp Tunnel. If that model does so:

• When determining which units are visible to that model, check visibility from any point within the Warp Tear Zone at the other end of the Warp Tunnel.
• When measuring the distance to an enemy unit, the distance is the combined total of the distance from the attacking model to the Warp Tear Zone it is shooting through and the distance from the Warp Tear Zone at the other end of the Warp Tunnel to the target.
• If there are any enemy units within the Warp Tear Zone at the other end of the Warp Tunnel, that attack must be made against one of those units.

Underdog Bonus: If a player receives an Underdog bonus, that player starts the battle with 1 additional Command point.

Campaign Outcome: If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, make a note of which player wins the battle. If the Chaos player wins, the ship is destroyed in the warp, but if the Imperium player wins it will be able to return later to aid in the defence of the Rock. This will have an impact on the Retake the Elevator mission.

MISSION BRIEFING
Having recovered the data of the Rock’s position, the forces of Chaos have attacked the Dark Angels’ fortress monastery and achieved surprise over its defenders. Desperately racing to throw back their attackers, the Rocks garrison is hurriedly establishing defensive positions from which to blunt the heretics’ assault and launch the counter-attacks to drive them from the Rock forever.

MISSION RULES
Shadowvaults: In this mission, the Imperium player can use the Defender’s Upgrades, and the Chaos player can use the Attacker’s Upgrades.

Preparedness: If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, before the battle, in the Generate Starting Command Points step, the Imperium player starts with the additional number of Command points shown in the table below based on the outcome of the Find the Signal Data mission.


Forward Positions: Before the battle, the Imperium player cannot set up any units from their army within their Backup Entry Zones. Once the first battle round has started, they can only use these Backup Entry Zones when setting up any Strategic Reserve units from their army in an Entry Zone.

Hold At All Costs: For each objective marker on the battlefield, if, at the end of the turn there are no models from the Imperium players army within range of that objective marker and it is controlled by the Chaos player, then that objective marker is overrun, and is removed from the battlefield.

Underdog Bonus: If a player receives an Underdog bonus, that player starts the battle with 1 additional Command point.

Campaign Outcome: If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, make a note of which player wins the battle. If the Imperium player wins, they will have bought valuable time for their fellow defenders to reach their regrouping points before being overrun, but if the Chaos player wins, they will be able to push through the outer defences of the Rock at a more rapid pace. This will have an impact on the Rapid Withdrawal mission.

MISSION BRIEFING
The hordes of Chaos drive ever deeper into the Rock. A force of defenders deployed to stall the heretics’ advance is close to becoming encircled by the rapidly encroaching traitors, and the time has come for them to withdraw.

MISSION RULES
Shadowvaults: In this mission, the Imperium player can use the Defender’s Upgrades, and the Chaos player can use the Attacker’s Upgrades.

Fall Back: The Imperium player has the first turn. In addition, units from the Imperium player’s army are eligible to shoot in a turn in which they Fell Back; if they do so, then until the end of the turn, each time a model in that unit makes a ranged attack, it requires an unmodified hit roll of 6 to score a successful hit against the target.

Trapped: Other than setting them up in Strategic Reserves, the Chaos player cannot make use of any rules that allow units to be set up anywhere other than on the battlefield. The Imperium player cannot make use of any rules that allow a unit to be set up anywhere other than on the battlefield and cannot set up any units in Strategic Reserves - if they have more units than they are able to set up on the battlefield, then those units do not partake in the battle (but do not count as destroyed).

Encirclement: The Chaos player cannot use the Initial Reinforcements or Later Reinforcements Entry Zones until the battle rounds shown in the table below. If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign and the Chaos player won the Drastic Defence mission, they will be able to use these Entry Zones in earlier battle rounds as shown.


It’s Too Late for Them: Each time a Morale test is taken for a unit from the Imperium player’s army, it is automatically passed.

The Doors are Sealed: Units cannot perform the Operate Hatchway action on the Hatchways labelled 1 to 6. Starting in the third battle round, at the start of each battle round, the Imperium player rolls one D6, and for each objective marker they control they can add 1 to the roll or subtract 1 from the roll: if the Hatchway whose label corresponds to that result is closed, open it.

Escape: At the end of the Imperium player’s turn, they can choose for any units from their army that are within any Escape Zones to escape. For any that do, remove those units from the battlefield, they count as having escaped and have not been destroyed.

Underdog Bonus: If a player receives an Underdog bonus, at the start of the first battle round, that player can select one unit from their army and it can make a Normal Move of up to 6".

Campaign Outcome: If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, make a note of which player wins the battle. If the Imperium player wins, more of their troops will have escaped to prepare future traps and ambushes for the Chaos player’s forces. This will have an impact on the Desperate Holdout mission.

OBJECTIVES

MISSION BRIEFING
There is nowhere left to retreat to. This is the final line of defence. As the forces of Chaos move in for the kill, it is time for the defenders to make their last stand. They must achieve victory, or they will be slaughtered.

MISSION RULES
Shadowvaults: In this mission, the Imperium player can use the Defender’s Upgrades, and the Chaos player can use the Attacker’s Upgrades.

Mine the Hatches: Before the battle, at the start of the Deploy Armies step, for each half of the battlefield, the Imperium player secretly selects four Hatchways within that battlefield half to sabotage and makes a note of their selections.

When playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, if the Imperium player was victorious in the Rapid Withdrawal mission, they can sabotage one additional door within each battlefield half.

Each time a unit from the Chaos player’s army opens a Hatchway, if that Hatchway has not been opened before, the Imperium player must reveal if it was sabotaged. If it was, roll one D6: on a 2+, that unit suffers 1 mortal wound and, until the end of the Chaos player’s next Movement phase, halve the Move characteristic of models in that unit and those models cannot make ranged attacks.

Push Through: The Chaos player has the first turn.

Ready and Waiting: At the start of the battle, units from the Imperium player’s army count as having Set Overwatch and Set to Defend. Until the start of the Imperium player’s first turn, those units also count as Holding Steady.

Null Blockers: In the Reinforcements step of the Chaos players Movement phase, each time they set up a unit on the battlefield, that unit cannot be set up within 9" of any objective markers or within 9" of any of the Imperium players Entry Zones.

Underdog Bonus: If a player receives an Underdog bonus, that player starts the battle with 1 additional Command point.

Campaign Outcome: If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, make a note of which player wins the battle. If the Chaos player wins, they will have dealt a devastating blow to the Rock’s defenders, earning the favour of their Chaos masters. This will have an impact on the Hunt the Damned mission.

OBJECTIVES

MISSION BRIEFING
The defenders of the Rock are on the counter-attack, eager to kill the invaders of their fortress. To reclaim fallen levels, they turn to an elevator which will grant them swift access. Unsuspecting of attack, the heretics guarding the lift are little prepared for what is coming.

MISSION RULES
Shadowvaults: In this mission, the Imperium player can use the Attacker’s Upgrades, and the Chaos player can use the Defender’s Upgrades.

Lift Defenders: Before the battle, the Chaos player cannot set up any units from their army within their Lift Entry Zones. Once the first battle round has started, they can only use these Lift Entry Zones when setting up any Strategic Reserve units from their army in an Entry Zone.

Teleportarium: If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, and the Imperium player won the Geller Field Collapse mission, during deployment they can select one unit from their army and set up this unit in a teleportarium chamber instead of setting it up on the battlefield. If they do so, when that unit arrives from Strategic Reserves, they can set it up either wholly within one of their Entry Zones, or anywhere on the battlefield that is more than 9" away from any enemy models.

Emplaced Defenders: Before the battle, after Determining Reserves, the Chaos player decides who has the first turn.

Underdog Bonus: If a player receives an Underdog bonus, that player starts the battle with 1 additional Command point.

OBJECTIVES

MISSION BRIEFING
The forces of Chaos are defeated, yet many of their warriors remain. Like poison they linger. They must be exterminated.

MISSION RULES
Shadowvaults: In this mission, the Imperium player can use the Attacker’s Upgrades, and the Chaos player can use the Defender’s Upgrades.

Reinforcements from Below: During deployment, the Imperium player can select up to two units from their army to be set up in the lift instead of setting them up on the battlefield. These units can only be set up in the Lift Entry Zones later in the battle (and no other units can use these Entry Zones). The Imperium player cannot use the Lift Entry Zones when setting up any Strategic Reserve units from their army in an Entry Zone until the third battle round. If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign and the Imperium player won the Retake the Elevator mission they can use the Lift Entry Zones from the second battle round onwards instead.

Trapped: Other than setting them up in Strategic Reserves or using the Reinforcements from Below rule, the Imperium player cannot make use of any rules that allow units to be set up anywhere other than on the battlefield. The Chaos player cannot make use of any rules that allow a unit to be set up anywhere other than on the battlefield and cannot set up any units in Strategic Reserves - if they have more units than they are able to set up on the battlefield, then those units do not partake in the battle (but do not count as destroyed).

Go to Ground: At the end of the Chaos player’s Command phase, they can choose for any units from their army that have every model within any Escape Zones to escape. For any that do so, remove those units from the battlefield; they count as having escaped and have not been destroyed.

Underdog Bonus: If a player receives an Underdog bonus, at the start of the first battle round, that player can select one unit from their army and it can make a Normal Move of up to 6".

Campaign Outcome: If playing this battle as part of the Rock Besieged campaign, congratulations; you have reached the end of the campaign! The Chaos forces have dealt a savage blow to the forces of the Imperium, yet the Rock remains in the hands of its rightful owners. The winner of this battle is the overall victor of the campaign, the amount of further destruction wreaked on the fortress as a result being critical in how far back the Imperium war machine has been set.

OBJECTIVES