The Horus Heresy It is a time of legend. Mighty heroes battle for the right to rule the galaxy. The vast armies of the Emperor of Earth have conquered the galaxy in a Great Crusade – the myriad alien races have been smashed by the Emperor’s elite warriors and wiped from the face of history. The dawn of a new age of supremacy for humanity beckons. Gleaming citadels of marble and gold celebrate the many victories of the Emperor. Triumphs are raised on a million worlds to record the epic deeds of his most powerful and deadly warriors. First and foremost amongst these are the Primarchs, superheroic beings who have led the Emperor’s armies of Space Marines in victory after victory. They are unstoppable and magnificent, the pinnacle of the Emperor’s genetic experimentation. The Space Marines are the mightiest human warriors the galaxy has ever known, each capable of besting a hundred normal men or more in combat. Organized into vast armies of tens of thousands called Legions, the Space Marines and their Primarch leaders conquer the galaxy in the name of the Emperor. Chief amongst the Primarchs is Horus, called the Glorious, the Brightest Star, favorite of the Emperor, and like a son unto him. He is the Warmaster, the commander-in-chief of the Emperor’s military might, subjugator of a thousand thousand worlds and conqueror of the galaxy. He is a warrior without peer, a diplomat supreme.
As the flames of war spread through the Imperium, mankind’s champions will all be put to the ultimate test.
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Chapter I Space Marine Legions Emperor’s Emperor s Children
III Legion “We are His children. Let all who look upon us know this. Only by imperfection can we fail him. We will not fail - Primarch Fulgrim
Long ago, during the Age of Strife, warp travel became impossible and all the worlds which humanity had claimed were cut off from one another, forced to fend for themselves without the support of their neighbors in other star systems. The Libram ex Dominar, one of the few surviving texts from this time, tells that Chemos was one such world, a mining colony dependent on interstellar trade for food. The planet's rulers made every effort to extract enough raw food from the harsh environment to feed their people, but Chemos was a world dying a slow death. This all changed when one day the guards on the walls of Callax, the largest remaining factory-fortress, saw a meteor descend from the clouds, trailing fire across the sky before impacting barely a mile from the fortress walls. Though little manpower could be spared, the ruling Executive of Callax sent a handful of scouts to investigate the impact site, hoping for some evidence of human survivors on other worlds. What they found became legend. In the centre of the crater, surrounded by the whitehot remains of a stasis capsule, was a child, barely more than a baby. Orphans were normally put to death on Chemos - the Executive spared no resources to look after those who were unable to return their investment by working in the factories but the captain of the Callax scouts looked into the eyes of the child and saw something more than human. In defiance of tradition, the captain of the scouts appealed to the Executive. Because of his value to Callax, the captain was allowed to adopt the infant as his own. He named his adopted son after an old legend long-since discarded by the people of Chemos, the mythical god of creation Fulgrim. The child named after this legend soon created a legend of his own, one that would become known to all the people of his world. Fulgrim grew unnaturally fast, becoming a strong, capable man. At half the age of his fellow workers he was able to fulfill his obligations to the Executive, working for days without rest. Not only was he physically proficient, he quickly grew to understand the technology of the machines he worked with, and began to contemplate their improvement. By the fifteenth anniversary of his fall from the sky, Fulgrim had risen from the ranks of the workers, first becoming an engineer then one of the Executive itself. Learning of the slow deterioration in Callax and the other settlements of Chemos, Fulgrim set himself the task of saving his
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world. One by one he convinced his fellow members of the Executive to fight against the entropy that was destroying Chemos. Under Fulgrim's leadership, teams of engineers traveled far from the factory fortresses, reclaiming long-dead outposts in the planet's most inaccessible regions. The ancient mines were reopened and expanded, bringing more and more minerals into Callax and allowing the construction of more sophisticated machines. Recycling efficiency grew until, at last, Callax was producing more that it consumed. Seeing his people prosper, Fulgrim took pride in fostering he reemergence of art and culture, reclaiming the spirit of humanity that had been sacrificed so long ago in the struggle or survival. As Callax grew, the other settlements began to ally themselves with Fulgrim. Fifty years after Fulgrim fell from the sky he rose to sole rulership of Chemos. It was not long after this that the planet's isolation came to an end. From the grey sky came a flight of dropships, armoured and battle-scarred, each bearing the same symbol, a two-headed eagle. On hearing of this, some fragment of memory stirred in Fulgrim. Chemos had no formal army, but the dropships' landing zone had been surrounded by the Caretakers, the police-soldiers responsible for maintaining order in the factory-fortresses. Fulgrim sent word to the Caretakers to stand down and allow the visitors from above into Callax.
In his spartan quarters, Fulgrim was faced by armoured warriors from the stars. Their faces bore the scars of many battles, and from their shoulders hung scrolls listing their achievements. Their armour and weapons were finely-worked, and their banners and pennants were works of art. Fulgrim recognised that these men were not merely
advanced, but civilised - his lost brothers from the stars had preserved the arts he had longed to return to Chemos. From the midst of these warriors stepped their leader, the Emperor of Humanity. Fulgrim surveyed him and, without a word, knelt and offered his sword. On that day Fulgrim swore to serve the Imperium with all his heart. From the Emperor himself, Fulgrim learned of Terra, of the Great Crusade to reclaim the galaxy, and of his own origins. Though the story was fantastic he knew it to be true, and at the Emperor's request Fulgrim travelled to Terra to join his Legion, the Emperor's Children. Unlike the other Legions fighting in the Crusade, the Emperor's Children were few in number - an accident had destroyed nearly all of the precious gene-seed and, with the Primarch himself lost, the rebuilding had been a slow process. Fulgrim addressed the two hundred warriors who were then all that the Legion could muster. To them he gave the sacred task of bringing the Emperor's wisdom to all the stars in the sky. "We are His children," the Book of Primarchs relates he told them, "Let all who
look upon us know this. Only by imperfection can we fail him. We will not fail!" So inspired was the Emperor by the words of his newly-found son that he bestowed on Fulgrim's Legion a unique honour: the Emperor's Children would be permitted to display the Imperial Eagle on their armour's chestplates, the only Legion then allowed to display the symbol in such a manner. Fulgrim was anxious to begin his conquest of the unknown regions of the galaxy, but realised that his two hundred warriors were far too few to undertake a crusade on their own. With the Emperor's blessing he and his Legion joined the Luna Wolves, and Fulgrim fought side-by-side with his brother Horus, aiding him in his newly-assigned task of pacifying the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy. The Warmaster himself praised Fulgrim and his Legion, declaring them the living embodiment of the Adeptus Astartes. Swelled by new recruits drawn from Chemos and Terra, the Emperor's Children finally mustered the strength to undertake a crusade alone, and Fulgrim proudly led his warriors into the unknown. To countless worlds he brought the rule of the Emperor, crushing any resistance in the certain knowledge that any who fought against the Emperor fought against Humanity itself. From the growing ranks of his Legion, Fulgrim selected a few individuals, the bravest, strongest and noblest, to become Lord Commanders, each given charge of a full battle company. Fulgrim taught the Lord Commanders personally, taking care that they were worthy of the honour of being the representatives of the Emperor. In turn the Lord Commanders passed Fulgrim's words on to the officers under their command, and they to their squads. In this way, through their leaders, each Space Marine of the Emperor's Children Legion followed the Emperor himself. To honour the Emperor, they strove for perfection in all things: battlefield doctrine was obeyed to the letter, tactics and strategy were studied in minute detail and perfected, and the Emperor's decrees were memorised by every Space Marine, adhered to in every way. While the Emperor's Children, like many Legions, considered the
Emperor a man, not a god, their reverence and adoration for him bordered on the fanatical.
Chemos During its isolation, the archivists of Chemos recorded a picture of a bleak, unforgiving world. Warmed by two small, distant suns and surrounded by a nebular dust cloud, it experienced neither day nor night, only a perpetual grey twilight in which the stars never shone. Settled long ago as a mining colony, the cities of Chemos had fallen into decay since their isolation from Terra. Without resources from other worlds thousands starved, and eventually it fell to a few hardy fortress-factories to keep humanity alive on Chemos. Short of food, water and energy, the people of Chemos were forced to limit themselves to the meagre supplies available-all citizens worked every waking hour, operating the vapour mines that drew moisture from the thin air, and the huge synthesisers that endlessly recycled food, turning yesterday's waste into today's sustenance. Recreation, art and leisure were sacrificed in order to ensure survival, and efficiency became the only value adhered to. After coming under the rule of Fulgrim and its rediscovery by Imperial forces, Chemos quickly expanded its industrial base tо become an important source of processed minerals. The fortressmonastery of the Emperor's Children was established in the centre of Callax, drawing recruits from the strongest, bravest and most intelligent of the planet's population. Though Fulgrim himself never returned to Chemos, he took great care to see that his will, as the emissary of the Emperor, was followed. The recruits from Chemos proved themselves strong and resourceful fighters, but even so only a handful of them passed the rigorous tests imposed by Fulgrim to satisfy himself that they were worthy of becoming one of the Emperor's Children.
Combat Doctrine The Legion accepts nothing less than perfection in all their endeavors, and work ceaselessly to perfect their military operations. Each and every Space Marine trains every waking hour for his assigned task, whether it is foot soldier, driver, gunner, scout or sniper. Every aspect of battle is analyzed and used to their advantage, from terrain and weather to deployment or reserves. Nothing is left to chance. In combat the Emperor's Children are as brave as any Space Marine who ever lived. Sustained not merely by the example of their peers but by a deep individual belief in their duty, they fight to the best of their abilities in all conditions, whether the battle is a massive attack or a simple patrol. It is widely believed that no Space Marine of the Emperor's Children had ever been routed in
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battle. Similarly, the Legion is highly demanding of forces allied with it - signs of hesitation or inefficiency in the Imperial Guard or even their brother Space Marines are not tolerated. The principle of leading by example is ingrained into every fiber of the Emperor's Children, and they have little patience for any other regime.
Desire for Perfection The Emperor's Children do not literally deify the Emperor, but the strength and passion of their belief in him is equal to that of Word Bearers. Following Fulgrim's lead, the Legion believe that the Emperor represent the pinnacle of Humanity, and that only by following his example was it possible to attain one's full potential as a Human Being. Any person or group who resist this goal is below contempt, not worthy even of consideration as a brother Human. However the Legion's near-worship of the Emperor is extremely hierarchical. The Emperor's perfection is thought to be embodied first by the Primarchs, by following their example, then the officers of the Legions, the Captains and Lieutenants, and finally the Sergeants and Space Marines themselves. The Emperor's Children believe that the Emperor would eventually achieve total conquest of the galaxy, and with all hindrances removed there would remain no obstacle to the perfection of Human civilization. While their studies of battle are allimportant, the Space Marines of the Legion are taught reverence for the cultural aspects of civilization - music, art and sculpture among others. Artisans are brought from all the worlds of the Imperium to fashion the Legion's armor, weapons and vehicles to the highest standards. The diversity of Humanity is highly prized, and there are few restrictions on the avenues of learning available to the Legion.
Gene-Seed An absolute excellence is demanded of the Apothecaries who handle and work on the precious genetic material. This ethos quickly merged with the Legion's general belief in perfection, so that the Emperor's Children gene-seed is perhaps the most pure and stable of all the Legions. Only the finest physical specimens are chosen for implantation, so that the mutation rate of the gene-seed is practically
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zero. Every enhancement produced by the gene-seed function at peak efficiency, allowing the Space Marines to achieve their full potential in battle. No other Space Marine Legion achieved such a goal.
Emperor’s Children Characters Emperor’s Children Space Marines gain the following benefits: +10 to any one Characteristic of player’s choice, which also may be split into two +5 Characteristic bonuses, and the Do or Die Solo Mode ability (once per combat gain +3 to WS & BS per Rank; up to +24 WS & BS on Rank 8).
Mirroring the Phoenixian This Demeanor means that the Emperor’s Children are driven by desire to copy their Primarch, who’s in turn, is an embodiment of the Emperor, beloved by all. They strive for perfection, be it arts, war, music, sculpture, etc.
Iron Warriors
IV Legion “Iron Within, Iron Without! - Chant of Iron Warriors
The Iron Warriors are a Legion of the First Founding, formed when the Imperium was young and the Emperor walked amongst his people. As with the other Legions, they were created after the Primarchs had disappeared. Although the Iron Warriors did not know their Primarch, during those early years they did inherit common characteristics, notably an affinity for technology and a coldly efficient logic, both of which served them well when calculation was needed, but left them lacking in faith. On Olympia the Emperor found the Primarch from whom the Iron Warriors had been fashioned Perturabo. Dark and melancholy, with a mind like a razor; he was warlord to the Tyrant of Lochos and, like his Legion, was a master of siege craft. By a curious twist of fate, Perturabo had been put in the one place where there was nothing for him to learn but the extent of his own superiority. Olympia was a rugged and mountainous world, its population concentrated within a multitude of city states. The ready availability of quarried stone and the terrain made the control of strategic passes and high ground the key to military security. The young Perturabo was discovered climbing the sheer cliffs below the city state of Lochos. Aware that this was no ordinary child, the city guard brought him before the Tyrant of Lochos, Dammekos. Intrigued by the strange, dark child, Dammekos took him into his household as if he were his own family. Perturabo never trusted the Olympians and, although Dammekos took time and trouble to win the trust and affection of the boy, Perturabo did not respond with any warmth. Many saw him as a cold youth but when one considers that he had been cast alone into a strange world with no
Perturabo is fanatically devoted to the Emperor and is ready to embrace missions that the other Primarchs avoided. The Iron Warriors' indisputable success then leads to them being 'typecast' to the extent that they became an automatic choice for a siege or garrison mission. But all troops need time for rest and reorganization if they are to be at their best. Clearly some authority chooses to keep the Iron Warriors in action despite the harm it is doing.
clue as to his own origins or the reason for his unusual abilities, this is perhaps harsh. When the Great Crusade reached Olympia, Perturabo pledged his loyalty to the Еmperor and, as was his custom with his Primarchs the Emperor granted Perturabo command of a Space Мarine Legion and suzerainty of the planet as the Legion's home. The deposed Tyrant of Lochos spent the last few years of his life trying to marshal support to reclaim Olympia. He failed, but created an undercurrent of unrest that was to be harnessed many years later. There was little time to delay. With the Great Crusade in full swing, Perturabo recruited new Iron Warriors from amongst the Olympians and conducted a lightning campaign against the nearby world of Justice Rock and the heretical Black Judges. The new recruits served well and their triumphant return was celebrated in the Palimodes Fresco. The Iron Warriors led by Perturabo were devastating siege troops. Expert engineers with cross-training from the Priesthood of Mars, they quickly built on their already impressive reputation. Whilst the Iron Warriors were determined to serve Mankind and their Emperor, their specialization was an unfortunate one. The nature of siege warfare is long periods of dull, back-breaking labor broken by the most brutal, merciless combat imaginable. Men, even Space Marines, cannot withstand hell indefinitely and combat fatigue began to brutalize the Iron Warriors. The custom existed that once the siege lines were complete the besieged must either surrender or expect no quarter. With each campaign the Iron Warriors came to prefer the latter. Battle was to these Space Marines a release from the tedium of life in the siege trenches. As the Crusade moves forward, many Iron Warrior citadels are established on liberated worlds guaranteeing a safe line of communications. Tiny numbers of Iron Warriors garrison the new fortifications. Where the likes of Russ, Vulkan and Magnus refuse to split their forces, Perturabo obeys his orders with increasing bitterness. The Iron Warriors are turning into a garrison Legion with tiny deployments all over the Imperium. For example, the infamous Iron Keep on Delgas II is garrisoned by one squad of ten Iron Warriors despite the world having a disgruntled population of almost 130 million. Resentment begins to build up throughout the Legion and particularly with Perturabo himself.
It is widely claimed that Perturabo is envious of Rogal Dorn. Given Dorn's well-attested vanity, one can imagine how frequent reference to the perfection of the defenses of the Emperor's palace on Terra might antagonize his brother Primarch. Dorn has this effect on a great many people but Perturabo broods on it and let each boast become an open wound that a cunning manipulator could pull and prod to elicit a response. It is undoubtedly true that the other Primarchs keep Perturabo at a distance. This may be attributable to his technical genius that is far in advance of any of the others. Perturabo can match wits with Adeptus Mechanicus Magi on anything from warp drives to macro cannons.
Combat Doctrine The Iron Warriors follow a simple method. They commence battle with a sustained bombardment utilizing every gun at their disposal. The basis of this is a complex fire plan in which every weapon is directed with utmost care at the optimum target for maximum effect. Where possible, the Iron Warriors will coordinate with Titan Legions to add to their own considerable firepower. The bombardment can last for weeks. They handle their weaponry well, with formations moving forward to fire and then redeploying before any reprisal. Often their entire force will move laterally to bring their fire against enemy weak points, with the result that counter-attacks flounder helplessly in the teeth of the Iron Warriors' weapons. Where possible, field fortifications will be used to reinforce the line. Iron Warrior doctrine includes extensive use of fortifications to tie opponents down with the absolute minimum number of troops. This in turn keeps the bulk of the Iron Warriors troops fresh and available for assaults. When a breach has been forced in the enemy defenses it will initially be probed by veterans and infiltrated, then the gap will be prized open with firepower until a storming force can be unleashed. These storming forces are based around fast moving heavy armor which can move instantly from relentless barrage to lightning-fast advance. Breaches are then widened until the defenses are shattered. For the key moments in battle when a position absolutely must be taken, the
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Iron Warriors adopt an ice-cold ferocity that is comparable to the Blood Angels or World Eaters but only when the moment is right and never for longer than necessary. Once they have an opponent at their mercy, the Iron Warriors are content to surround them and destroy them at their leisure, always preferring to let shell and laser beam do their work for them. The Iron Warriors are expert sappers, engineers and miners.
Gene-seed The Iron Warriors bear the gene-seed of Perturabo. They have a marked tendency toward suspicion and paranoia but are also extremely intelligent with naturally well-developed problem solving abilities
Iron Warriors Characters Iron Warriors Space Marines gain the following benefits: +5 to Ballistic Skill and +5 to Intelligence, Siegecraft Talent and the Master of Arms Solo Mode ability (Rank 1: all hand-held ranged weapons are Reliable in hands of an Iron Warrior; Rank 3: all vehicle weapons operated by an Iron Warrior gain Reliable quality; Rank 5: once per combat add +5 to BS; Rank 7+: all hand-held ranged weapons never jam while in hands of an Iron Warrior). Also, Iron Warrior Space Marine may start play with any one Good Quality cybernetic implant.
No Task is Impossible This Demeanor means that Iron Warriors believe that there is no fortress that cannot be taken, no force capable of standing against them, no task that is impossible for them. This arrogance often costs them too many lives. They tend to rely on machinery too much.
New Talent: Siegecraft The Astartes of the Iron Warriors Legion are renowned for their ability to craft fortifications that have stood the tests of the worst enemies of Mankind. If he has time to prepare the battlefield (1d5 hours at a minimum), the Iron Warrior may improve Armor Points of a cover by a number equal to his Intelligence bonus. Alternatively he can change the type of terrain from normal to difficult and from difficult to arduous. The effects are permanent.
Quintus, smashing though countless levels of debris and mouldering architecture, through the planet's crust and into the geosphere before finally coming to a halt near the liquid core of the planet. His descent left a scar in the virtually inviolable adamantium strata of Nostramo, the result of the supernaturally resilient Primarch's violent birth into a world that knew no light. The cratered pit his descent had carved into the planet was closed oft and regarded with fear and suspicion. Theoretically, the only way the Primarch could have reached the surface was to have swum through molten metal, borne upwards through volcanic vents to the surface. The Arcana Progenitum of Nostramo Quintus details the incident in vague, awkward terms:
"...a glowing child-form it was, crawled from the Pit onto the broken street, hissing molten metal dripping from its limbs. It was a daemon, no less, with the body of an infant but the expression of an old man, its eyes black and cold as obsidian." Due to the pollution-clogged atmosphere, Nostramo was barely better lit at noon than at midnight. A shroud of perpetual darkness kept the planet swathed in dull greys and deep blacks. Only the rich could afford the Nostraman idea of light, little more than dim blue illuminalion-strips in the ceilings of the ruling hierarchy's luxurious dwellings. The adamantium that riddled the planet's crust, Nostramo's chief export to its neighbouring worlds, was the reason for the thousands of metalworks and chemical plants that scarred the landscape and choked the air with noxious filth. The vast majority of the planet lived in abject poverty as foundry workers, whilst the rich grew in affluence, trampling down or killing any who dared oppose the status quo. Murder, theft and extortion were rife. Crime ran unchecked, the only gesture toward law enforcement was the horrific brutality meted out by the hierarchy's hired thugs upon those who opposed them. Depression was inescapable, and overpopulation was prevented not by war, disease or legislation, but by suicide.
- Primarch Konrad Kurze, the Night Haunter
Unlike many of his brother Primarchs, Konrad Curze raised himself, and his survival instincts and iron constitution undoubtedly carried him easily through whatever rigours the pollution-choked city of Nostramo Quintus could throw at him. He spent his early life stalking silently through the streets, feasting on the pack animals that prowled the barrens around the hive-like cities. He did not ascend to heights of intellectual prowess, he was not schooled by the finest tutors in the land nor taught the blade or axe by noble mentors. Rather he rose to the top of the food chain, at first eating rats and other vermin, then the black, lean dogs that stalked the choked streets, and finally the corpses of the many victims of Nostramo's corrupt society. His powerful form, clotted with filth and blood, fuelled the citizenship's fears of this feral menace.
Konrad Curze's earliest memory was of descending from the heavens in a crackling ball of light to the night-shrouded planet of Nostramo. His embryonic form impacted on the dense cityscape of Nostramo
One of the better known facts about Konrad Curze was that he was cursed by visions of horrifying potency throughout his life. Rather than seeing the myriad possibilities the future could hold, as the
Night Lords
VIII Legion “At times, in raptures of pain, I saw what was to occur laid out before me
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sorcerous Eldar claim they are able to, the visions he would experience were inevitably dark and troubled, the blackest paths the future could take unwinding before him. Among the most debated writings of Curze's history are the revelations contained in volume two of 'The Dark.
"At times, in raptures of pain, I saw what was to occur laid out before me. In these waking dreams, I took countless lives with my bare hands, heads taken as trophies. I died again and again at the hands of my father. My sons butchered and maimed their brothers. My name was to become synonymous with dread. But most vividly and with most frequency, I saw my world pierced by a lance of purest light, splitting it, shattering it into dust." Some unrecorded event during his maturation pitched Curze into a destructive cycle of persecution and murder, with his focus always upon the structured criminal elements of Nostramo's society. This vigilante war may well have started small, with Curze merely intervening when he witnessed something he thought wrong, hut soon he deliberately hunted down those members of society that transgressed. At first, several prominent figures among the city's corrupt hierarchy went missing. Others were quick to fill their shoes. Later that year, as an unusually long and swelteringly hot summer set in, those who protested loudest also began to disappear. The citizens of Quintus quickly ceased voicing their objections. Bodies of known criminals were being found splayed, gutted like fish by the cruel attentions of an unseen assailant. The corpses of hierarchy officials were found hung by their feet from high windows. Headless bodies were found mutilated, opened so that their corruption could be exposed to the acidic air of Nostramo. Many of the corpses found that summer were unrecognisable due to the severity of the beatings they had fallen prey to. Body parts blocked the storm-drains, the beggars and children of the gutters quick to divest them of expensive jewellry and rich fabrics. It was obvious that Сurzе had no compunction in putting to death those that defied his law in displays of horrific brutality. Within the year, the crime rate of Nostramo had fallen away to nothing. Society was transformed, and the ripples were felt all over the planet. Quintus developed a self-imposed curfew; none strayed out later than early evening. The midnight streets, previously buzzing with activity, were as silent as the grave. Mothers threatened disobedient children with the depraved attentions of the Night Haunter. Soon the name became more commonplace, used by the populace as a whole. Rumours of a hideous, dark creature that stalked the alleyways and tunnels, its filthy claws ever ready to disembowel those who strayed, abounded within the city. The citizens of Quintus lived a half-life of fear, silent lest their words should be taken as heresy. Nostramo was ripe for the rule of the Night Haunter. The Dark King soon enough, Konrad Curze saw a glimpse of salvation for his world. There was simply no crime left, no killers aside from himself. He was the only object of fear and hate left in his city. No longer did his people live in cringing anticipation of being robbed or shot whilst they slept, now they
feared only him. He had taken the burden of evil upon himself, and found he was more than able to stand it. It seemed his martyrdom lent him strength, and soon even he began to refer to himself as Night Haunter. The following excerpt is taken from the last Annals of Ghereticus, a noble of some standing before he swore fealty to the Primarch. "He was waiting for us, the few nobles left alive in Nostramo, and as he squatted engulfed in shadow we thought he was (fragment missing). He dwarfed the luxurious throne he was perched in, the magnitude of his presence incredible. I could hardly breathe as he (fragment missing), his pallid, sunken features coming into the light of the glow-strips. Just then, I thought he was going to leap, and I could not move. But it seemed he had a use for us. We were to become his mouthpiece, the instruments through which he would command the people of Nostramo. His word was absolute: anyone straying from his path would be killed; not by us, or by enforcers. He would find the transgressors himself, and make an example of them. There was something in his tone then that made me want to run. Nonetheless, we had no choice but to obey." And so Night Haunter became the first monarch of Nostramo Quintus, absorbing accumulated knowledge with diligence almost akin to greed. Night Haunter ruled with temperance and reason unheard of until word came to him that some injustice had been done, whereupon he alone would hunt the offender through empty streets until exhaustion forced his quarry to collapse. He would then proceed to mutilate his prey, although not beyond recognition. This unpredictable pattern of benevolent wisdom and hideous vengeance ushered the shocked populace into new realms of efficiency and honesty. Exports of adamantium to their neighboring worlds tripled, The society existed in a terrible harmony of shared wealth and shared fear. None dared have more than his neighbor and under the shadow of Night Haunter's rule, the city grew well-lit and prosperous. And as Nostramo Quintus led, the rest of the planet followed, anxious to keep the Night Haunter from their doors. Imperial historians have correlated Night Haunter's rule over Nostramo Quintus and its surrounding cities with the time the Great Crusade reached the fringes of the galaxy where Nostramo orbited its dying sun. The following is a fragment of Astropath Thoquai's personal records, transcribed during the Great Crusade as the Imperial battle barge Divinity's Sword entered Nostramo's system. So far sixteen Imperial Scholars have been fatally chastened after unwisely expressing their concern over the implications therein. "I felt I knew well why the Emperor's ship changed course for that bleak orb, even before consulting the cards of the Lesser Arcanoi. They described great wealth, prosperity, stability. The Moon, the Martyr and the Monster lay in a triangle. The King lay reversed at the feet of the Emperor. Strangely, the
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sign of Hope was also reversed, and the horrific aspect of Death, ever present, lay above the entire tableaux. But the course was set, my misgivings as a mere breath against the maelstrom of his will." The history of Nostramo was littered with references to an event called the Coming of the Light. The Emperor's arrival on Nostramo had such an indelible impact in the minds of Nostramo's citizens that the world was irrevocably changed. Though the Emperor's arrival brought hope to the populace, it ultimately brought a terrible curse. When the eternally dark skies above Nostramo played host to the lights of the Emperor's fleet, the entire population of Quintus, one by one, overcame their fear. They stood in the cold streets, faces uplifted to the sky, many for the first time in their lives. Undeniably, light was coming to their world. It was growing brighter by the minute. Men stood as children, mouths agape, eyes shielded from a light they could not understand. Many went into seizures of confusion and fear, many cried in joy, many crawled on their bellies, convinced they would all die. The Emperor of Mankind had watched the way that this world worked from his divine auguries. The citizens were clean and efficient, working towards a common good with determination and silence. The night streets were completely empty as the entire planet slept. Evidently they lived in ignorance of the glory of the Imperium, but their King, undoubtedly possessing great authority and able to command unquestioning respect, had molded the society into a model of productivity. Matchless efficiency. Natural conformity. Total obedience. Due to the entourage of scribes, attendants and aides that accompanied the Emperor on his journey to the centre of Nostramo Quintus, it is possible to accrue a detailed account of the meeting between the Emperor and Night Haunter. Even some of the Emperor's words to the Primarch have withstood the ravages of time. “The Delegation of Light, as it came to be known, entered the city of Nostramo Quintus on foot. The drizzle of acidic rain ceased as if in acknowledgement of the Lord of Humanity's presence. Before them were the citizens of Nostramo, few of whom could bear to look directly at the glowing form of the Emperor, but many of whom wept as the healing light of his radiance reflected from the rain-slicked streets upon their pale faces. Those who dared to glance directly at the burnished gold of the Emperor's power armor found their delicate sight lost to them forever, the shining image of mankind's savior burned indelibly into their jet-black eyes.” Strangely, not one of the citizens made a single sound at the passing of the Delegation. In his subsequent report, Captain Lycius Mysander of the Ultramarines mentioned that the pleading look in the eyes of those who dared to raise their faces must have been because the poor creatures had never seen any real kind of light before. Scholars have since speculated that perhaps they sought deliverance
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from the regime of fear shackling them to what were almost certainly bleak, joyless lives. At the end of the sprawling broadway that led to Night Haunter's faceless tower stood the towering Primarch, his lank hair shielding his face from the
light as the Delegation marched towards him. The crowds parted like dead wheat before a summer breeze. The Emperor opened his arms wide as he approached Night Haunter. Suddenly, Night Haunter began to shake violently, his hands flying to his eyes, as if to claw them out. A thin scream issued from the Primarch's palsied lips, and he dropped to his knees. His closest advisors were taken aback; this was greater in severity than even the fits they had recently witnessed. Then, with a benevolent smile, the Emperor stepped forward and gently placed his glowing hands on the Primarch's head. His screaming stopped, his hands dropped to his sides, and his body became still. Night Haunter's advisors, fearing the worst, started forward, only to be stopped by the sheer force of the newcomer's presence. The Emperor spoke to the Primarch, and his reply echoed clear across the plaza. Since that day, it has echoed across the gulf of time. "Konrad Curze, be at peace. I have arrived, and I intend to take you home." "That is not my name, father. I am Night Haunter, and I know full well, what you intend for me." The glimpse of hope given to the citizens of Nostramo by the arrival of the Emperor was ripped cruelly away from them as the Emperor left with their monarch. Many were at first overjoyed that the Night Haunter had been taken from their midst, so that they could talk and act freely once more without fear of gory retribution. But despite the nominal presence of the Administratum, the society soon degenerated into a seething morass of corruption. In fact, the punctual reports of Administrator regent Balthius, stationed upon Nostramo after the Emperor's delegation left for Terra, grew steadily less frequent, eventually straying into depression and irreverence. It is rumored by Administratum scholars of the period that he took his own life. Worse still for the populace of the planet, the Emperor had shown that there was civilization outside of Nostramo's tenebrous star system, that there were better places in the galaxy, and that these places had light and splendor. The curse inflicted upon the citizens was that of futile hope, as each
knew in their hearts that these places were far beyond their reach. The Еmperor`s light had lobbed Nostramo of its last defense against the darkness: ignorance. Night Haunter quickly adapted to the teachings of the Imperium, though his manner remained dour and silent, even when introduced to his brother Primarchs. With the Primarch of the Emperor's Children, Fulgrim, as his tutor, he learned the complex doctrines of the Adeptus Astartes perfectly, committing them to memory with consummate ease. He often referred to Terra as a paradise, and his physique adapted to the diurnal cycles so unusual to his home planet. Soon, Night Haunter was incepted as the spiritual and military leader of the Night Lords, his genetic progeny, an entire legion of sons to whom the prodigal father had returned. As the Great Crusade pushed onward once more, Night Haunter demonstrated a highly unusual grasp of military strategy, and his new Legion adapted to his tactics with intelligence and dedication. Although he excelled in many theatres of war, he was completely oblivious to the subtleties of negotiation and parley. It simply did not occur to Night Haunter to use anything less than total and decisive force to achieve his objective. This tendency spread quickly throughout the Night Lords' upper echelons until it was accepted without question. Where a simple surgical strike would suffice, Night Haunter regularly used excessive force to achieve his aims. On several occasions, the Primarch is recorded expressing the opinion that by utterly crushing the transgressor in full view of his compatriots, an enforcer not only solves the original problem beyond all doubt but ensures that those who observe it dare not stray from the path of Imperial law. Ultimately, the actual physical presence of the enforcer is not necessary to enforce the law. This was the belief underpinning Night Haunter's political and military tactics from the beginning. Over the first few years of his rule as Primarch of the Night Lords, his legion utterly destroyed traces of heresy with the fanatical thoroughness of witch hunters. Night Haunter molded his sons into an efficient, humorless force of warriors to whom killing was second nature, achieving their goals by any means necessary. It is recorded that early in his career as a military commander, Night Haunter led his finest warriors against a temple devoted to the worship of an agricultural deity, burning the entire settlement to the ground. Night Haunter encouraged his legions to decorate their armour with icons of fear and death to further enforce their already terrible reputation. Winged skulls, death masks, screaming faces and other hideous images were painted onto the legion's power armor with the greatest of care. Even the shrunken heads of their enemies often adorned the armor of the Night Lords. The tactic proved incredibly effective. Soon the extreme measures of the Night Lords became infamous, the mere mention of their presence in a system enough to ensure that civilized planets paid all outstanding tithes, ceased all illegal
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activity completely and killed those who bore deformities rather than invite a purge from the Night Lords. As his Space Marines fell in the front lines of battle, Night Haunter ordered new recruits from his home world of Nostramo. He knew the citizens of his home world would obey him without question, and was convinced that they would work towards the common good of the Imperium with the same dedication they evinced as his subjects. What Night Haunter did not know was that Nostramo had spiraled into the corrupt and decadent society it had been before he arrived. Only the most ruthless, hardy criminals remained healthy and strong on the cut-throat world of Nostramo, and it was these men, possessed of strength and vicious nerve but absolutely no scruples, that ended up populating the Night Lords' ranks. Warrior cults emerged within these black-eyed, pale recruits, pacts were made and oaths sworn. Incidents of the Night Lords' culling of defenseless populations increased with worrying frequency. Although a son of the Emperor was answerable to none but the ruler of Mankind himself. Night Haunter's behavior was looked upon with suspicion by his brother Primarchs. The scars left by his former life on Nostramo ran deep. Despite the fact that he spent time with his peers, the Primarch kept himself at a distance, never able to join in their camaraderie or share their joy. He still fell into convulsions, plagued by visions of his own death, of his Night Lords fighting war after war with the other Legions of the Adeptus Astartes. But despite the concern of his companions, he would not reveal any more than dark hints of the cause of his tormented spirit. This feeling of isolation gradually grew into paranoia, and the gulf between Night Haunter and the brotherhood of the Primarchs widened. It has been concluded that when Fulgrim came to his aid after a violent fit, Night Haunter felt that he could confide his fears in Fulgrim. Given Fulgrim's reaction, it seems likely the Night Lords Primarch told of his certainty that he would be killed by his own father, that their children would die fighting amongst themselves rather than their enemies, and that the light the Emperor had brought to Nostramo would destroy it forever. Fulgrim in turn confided Night Haunter's story to Rogal Dorn, who took exception to this slight on the Emperor's name. The following description of subsequent events hints at a confrontation between Rogal Dorn and Night Haunter, and given some of the writings it is obvious that the two came to blows. The excerpt is allegedly part of an account by Lord Princeps Ichabod Lethrai of the victory banquet held in honor of the pacification of the Cheraut System in 7232826.M29. It is kept in a solution of oils to prevent its degeneration, and is among the most closely guarded texts within the cloister-archives of the Library Sanctus. "...Lying on the stone floor, breathing shallowly, was Rogal Dorn. Blood soaked his robes, great gouges of flesh were missing from his torso. Crouching on the giant warrior's chest like a hideous white gargoyle
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was the hunched, pallid form of Night Haunter, his flesh covered in a film of sweat. He was panting heavily, and matted hair fell down over his jet-black eyes as he turned to face us. He was weeping, but his face was contorted into a snarl, his features wracked with hate and guilt in equal measure." The events immediately following this incident are not recorded, but it appears that the Primarchs held a conference amongst themselves, with Night Haunter exiled to his chambers. What decision they reached has been lost to history. When the council of the Primarchs disbanded many hours later, they found Night Haunter missing, his honour guard butchered to a man. The corridors, walls and ceiling of the cloisters leading from his quarters were slick with blood and peppered with pieces of shattered bone. Night Haunter had already mobilised his legion's craft. By the time the Primarchs had enough
craft ready for pursuit, Night Haunter had already entered the warp. Without the supernatural skill and incredible prescience of the Emperor's Primarchs, many of Night Haunter's pursuers could have been lost that day as the rogue vessels delved deep into the heart of the Empyrean. The journey, malleable within the warp, may have taken hours or months; no reliable records exist. But one thing was certain, despite their valiant pursuit, his brothers arrived too late. The Night Lords' ships orbited Nostramo, hundreds of weapons trained on the shrouded planet, the rays of the system's dying sun glinting from barrels too numerous to count. As the fabric of space buckled and twisted, disgorging the few craft able to keep pace, the lances and mass drivers of Night Haunter's flagship opened fire upon the planet. Beam after beam of incandescent light joined the fusillade, all concentrating upon the same point, a weak spot in Nostramo's adamantium crust theorised to be left by the Primarch's initial landing. The lasers of the Night Lords' ships focused a blinding lance of pure energy into the planet's core, and with a cataclysmic explosion, the dark planet burst apart. In the wake of his terrible act Night Haunter became dangerously unhinged, leaving a trail of devastated worlds across the galaxy. Few civilized worlds were totally without blemish and the pretexts on which Night Haunter launched full-scale invasions became less and less credible, Imperial reconnaissance craft followed in the wake of the Night Lords' fleet, reporting back to the Emperor's throne room across unimaginable stretches of time and space. The atrocities the Night Lords are wreaking in the Emperor's name are abhorrent. Blasphemous acts and horrendous violence became the signature of the Night Lords' visitations, the fleet pressing ever onwards so as to avoid retribution. The tastes of the Legion twist from physical sadism and torture into the infliction of psychological damage, with the dark-armored warriors beginning to slow their frantic orgy of destruction into premeditated campaigns of mind-numbing terror. They become connoisseurs of pain and despair, taking weeks in the infliction of misery and fear upon a planet, feeding upon the dark emotions they conjured. The Night Lords make sure to invade helpless, backward planets where the population could barely comprehend that Hell had come to their world, feeding on their confusion and fright like leeches.
Combat Doctrine
frightened. Repeated instances have shown that the Night Lords will not give quarter, and are entirely bereft of mercy. Any poor soul offering to surrender will have his pleas answered by mutilation and painful death. The Night Lords are masters of stealth, able to infiltrate a position quickly and silently. These arts appear to be innate to the legion, and come to the fore during the sick games they use to drive their prey into paroxysms of terror. The Night Lords adorn their armour with imagery of death; this is because they know that fear can be used as a weapon just as effectively as a chainsword or bolter. Given their predilection for picking on weaker foes, a fully-armoured Night Lords champion armed with a devastating array of weaponry is always more than a match for the foes he chooses to fight.
Gene-seed The gene-seed of the Night Lords seems to be pure. Although the Night Lords are distinguished by jet black eyes and pale skin, the real legacy of Night Haunter may be psychological. There is a tendency for paranoia and self-destructive behaviour in the Night Lords, and it is said that their Librarians have a pronounced vulnerability to being wracked with painful seizures in which they experience visions, oblique or not, of the future. Night Haunter is believed to have only been able to see the darkest path of all possible futures, a terrible curse, and the visions tended to be self-fulfilling.
Night Lords Characters Night Lords Space Marines gain the following benefits: +5 to Weapon Skill & +5 to Agility, Concealment & Silent Move skills and the Terror of Nostramo Solo Mode ability (Rank 1: re-roll failed Concealment, Shadowing & Silent Move skills; Rank 3: +1 to Agility bonus when calculating movement; Rank 5: +10 to Concealment, Shadowing & Silent Move skills; Rank 7+: +1 to Initiative rolls per further Rank). Night Lords possess an Oversensitive Occulobe: The organ that allows the Space Marines to see in low light conditions has become overly sensitized, working exceptionally well in the dark but suffering in full light conditions. The character can see in total dark as if it were merely low light, and low light as if it were full light. However, should he remove his helmet in full light conditions he will suffer -10 to all Awareness tests.
Ave Dominus Nox! The Night Lords adopted the modus operandi of their Primarch without exception, and thrive in sowing fear and confusion among their enemy. It is very rare that the Night Lords voluntarily fight a force able to withstand them; they much prefer to attack the weak and
This Demeanor means that the Night Lord is a merciless killer, enjoying the fear of their prey. They trust their Primarch far more than even the Emperor of Mankind. Their criminal heritage is obvious, and they remain ruthless criminals even being Space Marines. After their Primarch’s encounter with Rogal Dorn and an almost uncontrolled outrage that engulfed the Legion, it is highly unlikely that a Night Lord may work well with other Space Marines, preferring to be a lonely hunter instead. More trust and faith Night Lords put into their Primarch, more insane and unsocial they become.
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World Eaters
XII Legion World Eaters. So you shall be, then, little brothers. You’ll learn to cut the rope. We shall bleed, and be brothers. - Primarch Angron
The legend of Angron, Primarch of World Eaters Legion, is incomplete and there is much that is not known, or so shrouded in dark legend that the true facts are impossible to discern. Carpinus' Speculum Historiale speaks of Angron's world De’shea as technologically advanced, ruled over by a caste of wealthy elite who lived in decadent opulence while the populace of their cities lived in abject poverty in the slums surrounding their walled palaces. To distract the populace from their daily woes, the rulers of this world held regular death games in colossal arenas with cybernetically enhanced gladiators who battled in mortal combat to satisfy the bloodlust of the people. It was on this world that the Primarch Angron was eventually to be discovered, but how he came to be there is unrecorded. However it came to pass, it is known that Angron was discovered by a slaver who chanced upon the bleeding figure of the Primarch, surrounded by scores of alien corpses, high in the northern mountains. History does not record to what race these aliens belonged, but many Imperial scholars believe them to have been Eldar. Angron had been grievously wounded, but was alive and, seeing that all his wounds were to the fore, the slaver realised that Angron must be a formidable warrior. Taken as a slave, Angron was nursed back to health and bioneural implants were surgically grafted to his cerebral cortex. Relics from the Dark Age of Technology, these would boost a warrior's aggression and strength in battle and turn him into a frenzied killer. Angron was taken to the planet's capital where his obvious potential as a gladiator was soon realized and he was bought by the largest and most patronised arena in the city. The cells below the arena were home to several thousand cyber gladiators, and Angron now took his place amongst them. After only a few months, Angron had gained a bloody reputation as a proud warrior of fearsome skill with a strong sense of martial honour. He killed hundreds of warriors, in single and multiple combats, but those who fought well, he spared. Angron was a firm favourite of the baying crowds, and while he appeared to relish the life of a gladiator, he was always plotting ways to escape his life of slavery. He was a troublesome slave, with an instinctive anti-authoritarian streak and several times attempted to break out of the arena's dungeons. The fighters were held under extremely heavy security, with hundreds of heavily armed guards constantly on duty, and every attempt met with failure. Within a few years, his fame had spread to every corner of the globe and his reputation as a fearsome killer was well established. Thousands flocked to watch Angron fight and, under his tutelage, the
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gladiators became deadlier and deadlier until no other arena's warriors could stand against them. Following another failed escape bid, Angron finally understood that he could not succeed alone. His unbending warrior's code and training methods had made him a well respected leader amongst the gladiators and, with the largest death games on the planet rapidly approaching, Angron began planning his most daring escape attempt yet. For these games, Angron was permitted to stage a vast display of battle involving every one of the arena's gladiators and, at its height, as the crowd drowned the arena in cheers, Angron's followers turned on their guards, butchering them and fighting their way free. Against soldiers armed with guns their casualties were horrendous, but nearly two thousand managed to escape into the city, stealing what weapons and supplies they could before battling their way into the mountains. Angron's army took refuge in the highest reaches of the northern mountains, close to where he had been discovered by the slaver many years ago. The rulers of the planet immediately dispatched a force to destroy the escapees, but woefully underestimated the capabilities of Angron's slave army. Within days, a few pitiful survivors was all that remained of the once proud host, stumbling back to the city, their weapons taken and comrades slaughtered. For the next few years, many such forces were sent against Angron's slave army and each one was defeated, cut to pieces by the psychotic fury of the cybernetically enhanced warriors. But attrition and hunger were taking their toll on the slaves and soon they numbered less than a thousand. On a mountain named Fedan Mhor, as darkness fell, Angron was
finally surrounded by no less than five vastly superior armies and it looked as though the slave rebellion was finally over. Not even the Primarch could stand against such numbers and the following day's battle would surely see him dead. It was around this time that the Emperor came to De’Shea, drawn by the psychic aura of the Primarch. The Emperor had observed Angron in secret from orbit for some time, watching with pride as he led the slaves in battle. Now he descended to the planet's surface, offering Angron leadership of the World Eaters Space Marine Legion and a place at his side. But, to the Emperor's surprise, Angron refused. His place was here, with his fellow slaves, and he would die before deserting them. Angron and the slaves dug their graves during the night, a signal to their enemies that they would fight to the death rather than surrender. The Emperor knew that even though Angron was a Primarch, he would perish in the coming battle and, bringing his ship into low orbit, teleported Angron away from Fedan Mhor. Without their leader, the morale of the slaves was destroyed and the following morning they were slaughtered by the combined armies of the planet's rulers. In space, as the Great Crusade continued, Angron eventually took command of the World Eaters, but never forgave the Emperor for his abduction from the planet and what he saw as a betrayal of his martial honor. Knowing how effective at boosting a warrior's prowess the psycho surgery could be, Angron ordered the Techmarines of the World Eaters to duplicate the process, using the implants in his head as a template. However, the art of this technology's construction had long since been forgotten and the early attempts at reproducing it were unreliable, often triggering uncontrollable and unstoppable psychotic episodes in the recipients. Eventually, the Techmarines were able to construct working implants that heightened aggression and strength, grafting them to whole companies of World Eaters Space Marines. Initially, the enhanced companies were highly successful, quickly gaining a fearsome reputation as terror troops. No mercy was offered by the World Eaters, only bloody death at the end of a chain-axe. The Liber Malum speaks of whole systems surrendering wholesale rather than face the wrath of the World Eaters. But it was only a matter of time before the Legion's use of psycho surgery on its recruits became widely known. Following the infamous Ghenna Scouring, where an entire planet's population were butchered in a single night of bloodshed, the World Eaters were censured by the Emperor and commanded to cease the use of implants. Angron paid little heed to this and ordered the work of the Techmarines to continue, until almost every Space Marine in the Legion had undergone the ritual surgery. Blood rites become an increasingly important part of the Legion's heritage as their slaughter continues across the galaxy, and it becomes a common practice for Space Marines to compete in the number of enemy skulls they could take in battle.
Combat Doctrine The World Eaters have only one desire: to slay their enemies in close combat. To this end, the Legion casts aside their long ranged weapons and takes up the chain-axe and pistol. The thirst for blood and slaughter has become such an overpowering need to the World Eaters that when battle is joined they rampage across the battlefield, often breaking all the tactics and strategy. Some units still fight the old way of War Hounds (the old name of the Legion), but since the mass implementation of Angron’s neuro-implants, the Legion slowly changes its preferences from various types of combat strategy to close melee only.
Gene-seed The Space Marines of the World Eaters have a physical need to shed blood and kill, a driving imperative that sends them into a berserk fury of unrestrained bloodthirsty psychosis. This urge is difficult to control, especially after the World Eater has undergone a neuro-surgery, sanctioned by their beloved and feared Primarch.
World Eaters Characters World Eaters Space Marines gain the following benefits: +10 to Strength, +2 Wounds, Frenzy talent and the Triumph Rope Solo Mode ability (Rank 1: Righteous Fury for Melee Weapons doesn’t need a re-roll to confirm – but only when Space Marine is in frenzied state; Rank 3: Righteous Fury activates on 9+ in frenzied state; Rank 5: Righteous Fury activates on 8+; Rank 7: Righteous Fury activates on 7+).
Maim! Kill! Burn! This Demeanor means that the World Eater rarely can control his frenzy. He tried to kill as much as possible, preferring close combat and collecting heads as trophies.
Death Guard
XIV Legion “Give a man a gun and he will want to fire it. - Primarch Mortarion
When the Emperor's twenty nascent Primarchs were scattered across the galaxy, the Stygian Scrolls tell of one who came to rest on a bleak moor, strewn with dead and scattered with the carnage of battle for
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leagues in every direction. The planet was Barbarus, perpetually shrouded in poisonous fog, whose mountainous crags were ruled by warlords with fantastic powers and horrific appetites, and whose human settlers, stranded there millennia before, were crowded into the lowest valleys, beneath the choking mists. They lived lives of unrelenting terror, ekeing out a peasant's existence by day beneath a dim sun which never burned completely through the fog, and cowering by firelight after dark from the terrible beings which moved unseen above. The greatest of these overlords stood in triumph on the battlefield, revelling in his massacre until the silence was shattered by a child's cry. Legend tells that the warlord walked the sea of corpses for a day and a night in his creaking battle armour, drawn by the wail of the infant. For an instant, he considered ending its young life; but no mere human ought to be able to breathe the poisonous miasma of the heights of Barbarus, much less cry out as this child did. For long moments he contemplated the thing which appeared human but was clearly more; then he gathered up the infant and carried it from the carnage. For all his dark power, until that moment he had not had what this child now promised: a son and heir. Born of death, upon a field of death, the warlord christened the infant Mortarion: child of death. His master tested the infant's limits. When he had determined precisely how high into the toxic clouds of Barbarus's peaks the child could survive, he erected a stony keep and fenced it behind black iron. Then he moved his own manse beyond, to the highest crag, where the atmosphere was deadly even to the nascent Primarch. Mortarion grew to adolescence in such a world, of citadels of weeping grey stone and cast-iron fences, where the very air was death, and the sun never more than a distant smudge. It was a world of constant war, against opposing lords who came with golem armies of stitched together dead one day, then tormented shapeshifters, more monsters than men, the next. To survive, Mortarion learned at the foot of his overmaster, and learned voraciously, everything his master would teach him. Mortarion devoured it all: from battle doctrine to arcane secrets, from artifice to stratagem. He learned and he grew, shaped by his grim environs, but a child of the Emperor for all that - superhumanly resilient to the poisonous air around him and superhumanly strong even in the absence of sufficient sunlight or nourishment. Mortarion possessed an intellect which was highly keen and which asked questions his lord was not wont to answer. Increasingly, the questions centered around the fragile things in the valleys below, which the warlords preyed upon for their corpses to reanimate, or victims to accurse. His master kept Mortarion as distant from the human settlements as he could, but his very act of denial fed the maturing Primarch's obsession. The day finally came when Mortarion would be denied no longer. Mortarion slipped through the dungeons from his keep. The last thing he heard was the voice of the overlord, the only father he had known, roaring in the miasmic darkness from the high battlements as Mortarion descended from the mountain, renouncing the
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Primarch for his betrayal, warning Mortarion that to return would mean death. Descending beneath the mists was a revelation to Mortarion; his lungs were filled with air free of poisons for the first time. He smelled aromas of food being prepared, of crops freshly harvested; heard voices unmuffled by fog and, for the first time, heard laughter. The young Primarch realized that he was among his own kind, that the 'fragile prey' of the warlords were his own people. And with the realization came rage. He determined to bring them the justice denied them by the dark powers which moved above. Mortarion's acceptance amongst the human settlers of Barbarus was no simple thing. However like them he felt himself to be, to them he was little different from the monsters above. Towering over even the tallest of them, gaunt and pallid, with hollow, haunted eyes which betrayed the horrors he had seen, Mortarion terrified most of the settlers. They looked upon him with suspicion and fear. It stung the young Primarch, but he bided his time, using his great strength to work the fields for their meager harvest, knowing that his opportunity to prove himself would come. When it did in the twilight hours, he was ready.
From the darkness came shambling dark things. A lesser lord led his corpse-like thralls into the settlement, taking with silent, remorseless strength those they could carry off for their master's dark purpose. The peasants fought back as best they could, with torches and farmer's tools rendered into makeshift weapons. It was all they could do not to run, much less offer a meaningful fight. They had played out the futility of this scene their whole lives, and they knew how it would end. Until, that is, Mortarion strode into their midst. Towering over them with an enormous two-handed harvesting scythe, he charged into the ranks of the enemy with all his rage-born might, and drove them from the village. Their dark lord smiled at him as he neared, and withdrew into the poisonous heights where this rebellious human could never reach him. He was still wearing his contemptuous smile when Mortarion caught up with him on the mountainside and exacted his vengeance for the 'fragile prey' below. After that night, Mortarion's place among the settlers was never in doubt. As he matured, Mortarion taught the settlers of Barbarus what he
knew of warfare. Word of his exploits spread, and many others made the perilous journey to learn. Slowly, villages became strongpoints, and the villagers more effective defenders. Eventually, Mortarion went amongst the people, traveling from settlement to settlement, teaching, building and, when occasion demanded, defending them. Always, however, his ultimate justice was denied; the dark powers could always retreat into the impregnable bulwark of their poisonous mists. His people could only fight in defense. That had to change. Mortarion recruited the toughest, most resilient of Barbarus' population, forming them into small units which he drilled himself, teaching them not only defence but also attack. He turned blacksmiths from toolworking to weaponsmaking when time allowed, and crafters to the shaping of armor. And, with the best artificers he could find, he bent his formidable intellect to the problem of the poisonous air. When next a warlord descended from above, and the villagers mounted a defense successful enough to drive his unholy army back, Mortarion and his retinue of warriors, masked with crude filtering hoses and breathing gear, advanced into the fog after them. For the first time in living memory the prey brought death into the realm of death, killing the warlord and massacring his army. Mortarion continually improved his warrior's breathing apparatus, and he and his Death Guard, as his retinue came to be known, campaigned ever higher into the dark powers' domain, encountering ever more virulent pestilence. The constant exposure to ever higher doses of toxins toughened his Death Guard, traits which proved transferable to each new iteration of the Death Guard, growing tougher as though emulating their champion himself. Only the most toxic peaks were denied Mortarion and the Death Guard and they warred for months across the poisonous spine of Barbarus, until only one grim manse stood against them, one which Mortarion knew well. The concentration of death about it overcame his force, threatening even Mortarion himself, and so he withdrew. Upon his return, however, his world was destined to once again spin out of his control. Mortarion and his brethren arrived to find the village alive unlike he had ever known it. On
everyone's lips was word of the arrival of a stranger, a great benefactor who brought promise of salvation. The Primarch's mood darkened; this day of deliverance was one he had worked for all his life, and he found himself altogether unhappy to see it co-opted by the arrival of some newcomer of uncertain agenda. Taletellers say Mortarion flattened the massive wooden door of the hall upon his entrance. Seated at banquet, he found the elders and a stranger who was their opposite in every imaginable way. Where they were gaunt and pale, he was robust, his flesh bronzed, his physique utterly perfect. The people greeted Mortarion's arrival expectantly. Despite the affect wrought upon him by Barbarus's poisons, the connection between the new benefactor and their defender was nevertheless plain to them all. As plain as father and son. However, Mortarion was oblivious to any connection. He greeted the stranger with barely masked hostility, which quickly turned to outright anger at the stranger's utter unflappability. The elders spoke of the new arrival's promise to unite the people of Barbarus within a great expanding brotherhood of humanity which could help them be rid of their persecution from above. Mortarion felt his moment of triumph slipping from him. Twisting the haft of his ever-present scythe until his knuckles whitened, he declared that he and his Death Guard needed no help to finish their quest for justice. It is said that the benefactor quietly challenged the stormy young Primarch's assertion, pointing out the Death Guard's failure to reach the last high citadel, and then threw down a gauntlet. If Mortarion could defeat the high overlord alone, he would withdraw and leave Barbarus to its own means. But if he failed, they would join his Imperium of Man and Mortarion would swear total fealty and allegiance to him. Over the protests of his Death Guard, he spun on his heel and struck out alone for the last manse standing against him, the keep of the overlord he had called father. If some part of him knew that even he could not survive the highest reaches of Barbarus, he did not acknowledge it. Mortarion climbed ever higher, driven by the inevitability of the imminent conflict with his once master, driven by his desire to bring final justice for the people of his world. However he was mostly motivated by a compulsion to prove himself to the stranger below. The confrontation, when it finally came, was mercilessly brief. Mortarion, choking in air so toxic that the hoses of his protective breathing gear began to rot away, struggled to the very gates of the overlord's citadel, calling out his defiance. The last thing he saw as he fell to his knees, the world turning grey as he was overcome, was the Overlord of Barbarus coming for him, to fulfill the promise he had made generations before. Then the mighty stranger stepped between them, defying the deathfog, and felling the overlord with a single blow of his gleaming sword. Mortarion was true to his oath. When he recovered, he bent his knee to the stranger and swore himself and the Death Guard to his service. Only then did the Emperor of Man reveal himself as the young Primarch's true father, and the destiny such service would bring: command of the
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fourteenth Legion of the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines. The Libram Primaris, or Book of Primarchs, tells how Mortarion brought the relentlessness, remorselessness and resilience of his personal Death Guard to the Legion built of his own genetic material, and how in turn they adopted his retinue's title as their own. The resulting prowess of the Death Guard was recognised from the moment Mortarion took command, but the young Primarch never settled in Imperial society outside of battle. Mortarion was a grim, driven Primarch, fixated on reckoning with the oppressors of the galaxy. The easy camaraderie of the other Primarchs was alien to him. The Shadow Journal of Bellerophan, Dark Angels Librarian, confides that, of them all, he found kindred spirits in only two: Night Haunter, the dread master of the Night Lords, and Horus, the Warmaster of the Imperium, the right hand of the Emperor. Horus above all others recognised the value of the Death Guard. He would often place Mortarion and his Legion in the centre of his battleline, counting on the enemy's inability to oust them so that he could either lever his advance from the rock of Mortarion's immovable position, or use it as the anvil upon which the Imperial hammer, in the form of his Luna Wolves, or the Haunter's Night Lords, would break the foe. It was a mercilessly effective combination. In the charismatic Warmaster, Mortarion found a mentor who seemed to understand his goals and appreciate his methods. So close did Mortarion appear to be to Horus, in fact, it is believed that at least two of the other Primarchs, Roboute Guilliman of the Ultramarines and the ever watchful, ever taciturn Corax of the Raven Guard, approached the Emperor with concerns about where the master of the Death Guard's loyalties lay. The story of his allegiance to the Emperor won through his own failure was by then well-known, and anyone with even a passing familiarity with Mortarion knew that the pallid Primarch chafed at it. The Emperor is said to have dismissed their concerns with a wave; loyalty to Horus was de facto loyalty to the Emperor.
Combat Doctrine Mortarion is welleducated, if narrowly. Matters of culture, history, philosophy are often alien to him, but on the subject of dealing death, he is a prodigy. Mortarion believes that victory comes through sheer relentlessness, and communicates that ethic throughout the Death Guard. Their weapons and armor are rarely the most expertly artificed, certainly not the most beautifully ornamented, but function without flaw. The Death Guard does not maneuver fancifully, or confound their opponents; they pick the best ground upon which to fight, and
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then smash their foes after they broke themselves against the Death Guard line. There is no environment which Mortarion and the Death Guard fear. What Mortarion and his adepts can not devise means to compensate for, the Death Guard overcomes through sheer resilience. Mortarion learned battle in a theatre of rocky mountainous terrain, without benefit of machinery. Though his considerable intellect allowed him to grasp the value of such support when his elevation to Primarch of a Space Marine Legion made such things as tanks and transport available, the primacy of the foot soldier remains ever the trademark of the Death Guard. Mortarion preferrs to utilise huge waves of infantry, well-equipped and highly-trained on an individual level. He demands that they are able to function and fight in almost any kind of atmosphere, and gives little emphasis on specialised units using jump packs or bikes. In fact, the Death Guard do not have dedicated Assault and Tactical squads as such; all his Space Marines are expected by Mortarion to be equally adept with bolter, pistol and close combat weapon, to fight with whatever weapon circumstance dictated. Such doctrine lent itself well to the use of Tactical Dreadnought armour, and the Death Guard regularly use Terminators. The Death Guard are particularly renowned for their success at such high-risk missions as space hulk clearance.
Gene-Seed The Space Marines of the Death Guard always reflected the gaunt, shadow-eyed, quality of their Primarch, which gave the lie to the hardiness with which they were made. They also possess much higher resistance to toxins and poisons, than other Space Marines.
Death Guard Characters Death Guard Space Marines gain the following benefits: +10 to Toughness, Resistance (Poisons) Talent and the Never Fall Solo Mode ability (Rank 1: if Critically Damaged, increase Toughness by +5; Rank 3: if Critically Damaged, increase Toughness by +10; Rank 5: if Critically Damaged, increase Toughness by +15; Rank 7: if Critically Damaged, increase Toughness by +20). Death Guards possess an Hyperactive Oolitic Kidney: This organ works far better than similar organs of other Space Marine Legions, adding +20 to Toughness tests when rerolling failed tests versus toxins and gases (for a total of +60, as this bonus stacks with a bonus from MultiLung and Resistance [Poisons] talent).
Skies of Barbarus This Demeanor means that the Death Guard characters are grim and harsh marines, who rarely make jokes and in good terms with other Space Marines. The only chance to gain a friendship of Death Guard is to prove your worthiness in combat. Death Guard Space Marines often squabble even amongst themselves because of the bad character of most of them.
Thousand Sons
XV Legion “As I am your son, they shall become mine. - Primarch MAGNUS THE RED
When the Primarchs were mysteriously scattered from their incubation on Terra, the infant Magnus fell upon the remote colony world of Prospero. He could hardly have been more fortunate: a grotesque cyclopean mutant who might have been feared and shunned on any other world came instead upon a hidden planet of kindred spirits: a commune of outcast human psykers. It would not be the last time Magnus's destiny would be so conveniently manipulated. The original settlers of Prospero had chosen the world for its remoteness from Terra, and had gone to great lengths to sever contact with Humanity. Their single citadel was situated deep in the planet's ventral mountain range. Nourished by vast underground hydroponics for sustenance and techno-psychic collector arrays for sustainable energy, it was a construct of extraordinary beauty. The so-called 'City of Light' glittered amidst the desolation of Prospero, all gleaming silver towers, soaring obelisks and majestic pyramids. Within this carefully-artificed reclusium, far from the sight of Man, its commune of human refugees devoted themselves completely to the pursuit of knowledge and the mastery of the nascent mutation which had set them apart: their developing psychic powers. Legend tells of Magnus arriving like a portentous comet, streaking through the thin atmosphere of Prospero and coming to rest in the central pla/a of the city. The vulnerability of their sanctuary to approach from above was something the adepts of Prospero failed to recognize: a failure for which they would suffer greatly in times to come. Magnus became a ward of the scholars of the commune. Perhaps they recognized their kinship in a mutant cast out among mutants. Perhaps they recognized his potential. What is known is how quickly the young Primarch himself began to manifest the sort of powers which had caused his mentors to flee into isolation; and how utterly he brought those powers under his control. Magnus mastered every psychic discipline, quickly surpassing the abilities of the greatest adepts in the commune. By the time he approached physical maturity, Magnus had grown into a giant in the psychic and intellectual, as well as the physical, sense. Then came the day that Magnus opened his cyclopean eye upon the Empyrean, and instead of channeling power from the Warp, Magnus instead saw into it, and life on Prospero was changed forever. The instant his single enormous eye saw into that place of power, Magnus the Red went from student to absolute master. The Warp is no more a lifeless place than the physical world, and the arrival of so prodigious a psychic presence as Magnus did not go unnoticed. More than one consciousness sensed the new life
across the Immaterium and more than one recognized him for who he was. More than one came to find him. The Apocrypha of Skaros records the day the Emperor and his host arrived upon Prospero.
'It was as though they were friends of old; of many years acquaintance. Magnus's mutant visage disturbed not the Emperor of Man, who embraced his lost Primarch and proclaimed him his own.'
It has been suggested that the face-to-face meeting of Emperor and Primarch was a virtual afterthought, their minds having long since found each other across the Warp. The Emperor had chosen as his vanguard force for the expedition his fifteenth Legion, the Space Marine progeny infused with Magnus's own gene-seed. The Apocrypha records the moment Primarch and Legion were united.
'The Warp-lost Primarch heard his Emperor, and spoke but a simple response, "As I am your son, they shall become mine." Then he knelt and in that moment accepted Primacy of the fifteenth Legion: his Thousand Sons.' The discovery of their lost master could not have come sooner for the Thousand Sons. Formed from Magnus's own gene-seed, the Legion was disposed toward psychic mutancy in disproportionate numbers; a circumstance the fledgling Imperium was ill equipped to handle. Deep factionalism divided those who recognized the benefit of stable mutations such as the so-called 'Navigator Gene' of the Navis Nobilite. The Navigator Houses' 'third eye' allowed them to steer a course through the Immaterium making warp travel possible, but some perceived the increasing and seemingly random nature of human mutation as a destructive internal threat. An entire Legion of potential mutants was seen as a dangerous development. The fifteenth Legion had suffered terribly from the spontaneous, uncontrolled manifestation of psychics amongst their ranks, and those who survived to receive training became amongst the most powerful librarians of the epoch. Many more did not. Moreover, the increasingly vocal anti-mutant 'witch hunting' crusades within the Imperium had seized upon the out-of-control Legion as evidence of the danger of psychic mutation. Cries that demanded purging the Imperium of psykers completely were not uncommon, and those directed at the remote and superhuman Space Marines of the Thousand Sons were among the most strident. Magnus came just in time to save the Legion from the threat of destruction. Relocating its entire depleted strength to Prospero, Magnus turned the might of his
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intellect to their instruction in the ways of the psyker. There are scholars, especially among the Librarians of certain Space Marine Chapters, who suggest it was during this time that another threshold was crossed. They believe that the crisis of controlling an entire Legion's destructive psychic mutancy caused Magnus to seek shortcuts, or explore more perilous paths. Magnus joined the Great Crusade with vigor. He led the Thousand Sons alongside the Emperor, the other rediscovered Primarchs with their Legions and all the fighting forces of Man. They fought in a grand campaign radiating outward from Terra, liberating colonies long isolated and claiming new worlds for the glory of the Emperor. That the Thousand Sons accomplished their victories through guile and deception as often as by strength of arms did not initially draw concern. Victory was victory after all. However, the further the Emperor's realm expanded, the more tenacious grew the opposition...
Combat Doctrine The Thousand Sons are well known for preferring to avoid close combat, instead relying upon their mastery of psychic power and sorcery to carry the day. Guile, feint, confusion, misdirection and even balls of fire and lightning striking from the sky are their hallmarks; all stratagems better used at range. Many were the occasions a Thousand Sons detachment would accomplish through illusion or trickery what a brother Legion would pay for dearly in blood.
Knowledge is Power For the Primarch Magnus, knowledge is power. He believes there is no discipline his intellect can not master; no secret he can not unlock and make serve his purpose. For the Thousand Sons, knowledge is salvation, the means to controlling the psychic legacy of their Primarch's gene. Every book is sacred, every writing worthy of study, every document a resource to be drained. The ultimate knowledge is sorcery, the way to final enlightenment, the key to the universe. The Thousand Sons are dogmatic, swearing oaths of loyalty and singing the Imperial
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hymns. They fight for the expansion of the Emperor's realm with diligence, and their loyalty is unquestionable.
Gene-Seed Magnus is unquestionably the most profoundly mutated of the Emperor's Primarchs, both physically and psychically, and the Legion imprinted with his gene-seed reflected that with a high percentage of Thousand Sons manifesting some level of psychic ability. Early in the Legion's history a small, but significant percentage were prone to physical mutation. Magnus the Red managed to stop this mutation, but even not the Emperor knows for how long…
Thousand Sons Characters Thousand Sons Space Marines gain the following benefits: +5 Intelligence & +5 Willpower, Psyniscience and Mediation skill and the Ascension to Enumerations Solo Mode ability (Rank 1: any emotion may be calmed at will as a Free Action, also Space Marine re-rolls all failed WP tests to resist a psychic power; Rank 3: Space Marine may automatically succeed at WP test once per game session, count as rolling 01 on 1d100; Rank 5+: he may Push when using Psychic Powers at +1 above maximum per each further Rank).
Teachings of Magnus This Demeanor means that a Thousand Sons will never allow the destruction of any knowledge, be it even xenos or tainted, they value it above all, as they were taught by their Primarch Magnus the Red. The safety of knowledge is a priority over human lives sometimes. They seek the understanding of Great Ocean in a hope to embrace its secrets.
Luna Wolves
XVI Legion “When the traitor's hand strikes, it strikes with the strength of a Legion. - Primarch Horus
The Space Marines of the Luna Wolves Legion were created using human stock taken from the violent hive gangs inhabiting a planet called Cthonia. This planet exists in one of Earth's closest neighboring systems. Being within reach even for non-warp spacecraft, Cthonia had been colonized, built upon, tunneled and mined since the dawn of space travel. As such, all natural resources had been stripped away and used up millennia before, and the ancient mining technology had long since been rediscovered and removed by the Adepts of Mars. The planet that remained was largely redundant and abandoned, completely riddled with catacombs, crumbling industrial plants and exhausted mine-workings. Fierce gangs inhabited the lawless depths of Cthonia,
enjoying freedom from the rigors of Imperial citizenship; but at the time of the First Founding they provided an easy source of Human specimens whom nobody would miss. One report talks of socalled 'recruitment squads' rounding up thousands of gangers and shipping them away, chained together in the holds of prison-shuttles, to gene-laboratories on Luna. Here they were modified using the genetic code of the Primarch Horus. It is more common for Space Marine genetic stock to be gleaned from feral or primitive worlds, however after the usual hypnopsychological indoctrination process, the Luna Wolves recruits emerged as excellent and ferociously loyal specimens. Horus was the first of the Primarchs to be recovered by the Emperor, having been cast much closer to Terra than the others, and was found at a much younger age. As a result, Horus was for many years the Emperor's only son, and there was a great affinity between them. The Emperor spent much time with his protege, teaching and encouraging him. Horus was soon placed in command of the Luna Wolves Legion - ten thousand Space Marines created from his own genetic code. With these warriors to lead, Horus accompanied the Emperor for the first thirty years of the Great Crusade, and together they forged the initial expansion of the young Imperium. The two fought together on many occasions. At the fortified city of Reillis, a Human settlement unwilling to accept the Emperor's beneficent will, the defending army used secret tunnels to infiltrate behind the besieging Imperial army and hundreds of shock troops swamped the command encampment. Unprepared and unarmored, the Emperor and Horus fought back to back until a plasma blast stunned Horus and sent him staggering to the floor. The Emperor stood over the Primarch and refused to give ground until reinforcements arrived to drive their attackers back. On the Ork-infested planet of Gorro, Horus repaid the debt by hacking the arm from a huge, frenzied Greenskin warlord as it struggled to choke the Emperor's life out of him. Then came the day that the Emperor divined the presence of a second Primarch in their proximity and immediately set out to find him, leaving Horus in temporary command of the massed Legions of the Great Crusade. While he rejoiced at the discovery of one of his brothers, Horus was determined that the Emperor would always remain most proud of him, his first son. As other Primarchs were discovered, the Emperor's time was pulled more and more in other directions and, while many of the other Legions now had their destined leaders, Horus was often given overall strategic command. It was a position he relished, proving himself time and again a consummate general, winning praise and decorations from the Emperor for his achievements and conquests. He had the approval and admiration of all the Space Marine Legions, including their Primarchs. It is said that as well as being a great warrior and strategist, Horus was fiercely intelligent. He was charismatic, persuasive and had an innate understanding of psychology. He could read men in order to use their strengths or exploit their weaknesses. These skills made him a well-loved
leader, but also allowed him to find non-military solutions when others would simply have attacked. On many worlds, a blunt explanation of the destructive might at his disposal and a day's parley with the planetary leaders was enough to bring them into the Imperial fold without bloodshed. Horus always took trouble to follow the local Human customs and modes of greeting if he thought it would lessen the chance of a hostile reaction to his arrival. His practice of taking part in local rituals to establish ties for later exploitation soon became Imperial policy. Horus was also skilled in getting the best out of the other Primarchs and their respective Legions. Many of them excelled in a particular style of fighting, and Horus encouraged this diversity and endeavored to deploy them to war zones that would suit them best. If a sudden strike was needed, he would send the White Scars or the Night Lords. If a protracted campaign was expected, then the Death Guard or the Salamanders were used. When precise timing or covert operations were required, the Alpha Legion was favored, and if simple ferocity was called for, other Legions were brought to the fore. Horus wielded the Space Marine Legions as a lesser commander would wield the squads of his army, positioning them so that each could perform to their advantages and win glory for all. There is also evidence that he sent dispatches detailing the World Eaters' most ferocious victories to the Blood Angels Legion and vice versa, presumably to foster a competitive rivalry. Likewise, it can be assumed that Horus was well aware of the feud between the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels. These two Legions were repeatedly deployed in joint actions, spurring them both on to greater military feats in order to outdo each other. His own Legion had all the glory of being the greatest Primarch's personal guard, and they shared Horus's credo of fighting to be the best. Under his inspiring command, the Luna Wolves were always at the forefront of the latest campaign,
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pushing the boundaries of the Imperium ever wider, driving further and further into the galaxy and striving to conquer and liberate more worlds than the other Legions. In the Aartuo, Keskastine and Androv Systems, the Luna Wolves are known to have moved swiftly on to planet after planet as soon as the local armies had been subdued. The Ultramarines and the Iron Warriors, who were fighting alongside Horus's Legion at this time, were repeatedly left to mop up any final pockets of resistance and establish garrisons on the conquered worlds. The Luna Wolves officers apparently refused point blank to assign any troops to these duties, insisting that every man was required for the ongoing crusade. Further rebellion flared up on a number of the planets after the Luna Wolves had left, and it is believed that the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman subsequently had words with Horus on the matter.
Combat Doctrine The Legion is a flexible fighting force, which can perform well and adapt quickly to any combat situation. It is trained to respond sharply and decisively to the tactical orders of its Warmaster and consequently the chain of command within the Legion was very efficient. Horus has a favoured doctrine of “tearing the throat out of the enemy” by eliminating their high command in a swift strike, it is a well-used tactic.
Gene-Seed The Legion's gene-seed is believed to be reliably pure. Some of Space Marines possess obvious traits of Horus himself, they are called “Sons of Horus” and are often more successful than others.
Luna Wolves Characters Luna Wolves Space Marines gain the following benefits: +5 to Weapon Skill, +3 to Perception & +3 Agility, and the Son of Horus Solo Mode ability (Rank 1: +1 to team Cohesion when in Squad Mode; Rank 3: once per combat add +5 to all Dodge & Parry tests; Rank 5: +1 to Disposition by all Imperial forces; Rank 7+: +1 per every further Rank to team Cohesion if selected a squad leader).
For Lupercal! This Demeanor means that the Luna Wolves are incredibly loyal to the Warmaster, sometimes even more that to the Emperor. They seek glory most of all, and they prefer speartip operations instead of long campaigns.
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Word Bearers
XVII Legion “I need to know who I can trust. I need to know that my sons will follow me where I must go. - Primarch Lorgar
Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers Legion of Space Marines, was known as one of the most scrupulous and dedicated followers of the Imperial Cult. His zeal in persecuting the enemies of the Emperor was almost unmatched by any of his brother Primarchs and many were those who felt him to be the most devoted of the Primarchs. It was on the world of Colchis that his character was to be formed, one of the first worlds settled in Mankind's exploration of the stars. Its continental masses were dotted with strange, crumbling edifices, and no amount of exploration and research could fathom their purpose. Explorators at the time of the Great Crusade put the date of its first settlements somewhere around the 16th Millennium, though it is impossible to be certain. Imperial scholars and historians believe that the world of Colchis was once highly advanced technologically, but fell into anarchy during the turbulent time known as the Age of Strife and that its population regressed to the level of a feudal society. Few records remain of the society that arose from the ashes of the Age of Strife, save those penned by Lorgar himself, and these are sealed in the deepest vaults of the Library Sanctus on Terra. Various fragments of these records are reproduced in the Speculum Historiale, the exhaustive history of the Great Crusade penned by the historian Carpinus. In his description of Colchis, Carpinus tells of a caste of priests calling themselves the Covenant who rebuilt the shattered society of Colchis on the promise that a great leader would one day come to deliver them from the darkness their world had descended into. With harsh religious observance, the Covenant's strict dogma became a gigantic, monolithic belief structure that permeated every facet of daily life on Colchis. Of Lorgar's coming, Carpinus speaks of a fiery comet smashing into the foremost temple of the Covenant bearing the infant Primarch, while Lorgar himself often made oblique references to his 'pilgrimage' to Colchis. Another tale tells of the arrival of a strange, golden-skinned child at the doors of the Covenant's largest temple, asking to be schooled in their ways. The child was taken into the temple and given the name Lorgar, growing to manhood within its walls and quickly mastering the many tenets and codes of faith imposed by the Covenant. Lorgar became a devout member of the Covenant, taking fiery words of faith to every corner of the globe, where the power of his oratory and charisma won him many supporters. He rose rapidly through the ranks and though the people of Colchis loved him, he had enemies within the Covenant who grew jealous of his popularity and challenge to their power. The Speculum Historiale speaks of a tale told by Lorgar to Konrad Curze, Primarch of the Night
divine being promised by Lorgar, and less than a year after the final battle, a mighty, sky-borne vessel descended to the temple on a trail of fire. The Apocrypha of Skaros tells that the Emperor and Magnus the Red descended to Colchis with two squads of Thousand Sons Space Marines, to meet its mighty war leader. Lorgar dropped to one knee, immediately recognizing the Emperor from his visions, and swore his undying fealty to him. Under Lorgar's rule, every facet of the Covenant's belief structure was devoted to the worship of the Emperor and the population of Colchis rejoiced, united behind their new and wondrous god. The elaborate celebrations and pious displays of devotion lasted for many months, and recent translations of some of the more obscure passages within the Speculum Historiale infer that the delays enforced on the Great Crusade by the lengthy shows of fealty Lorgar offered chafed at the Emperor, who wished to resume the conquest of the galaxy as swiftly as possible. Lords, during the victory celebrations on Boraint following the defeat of the Arch-Heretic of Dulorth. Lorgar spoke of strange dreams and visions that afflicted him in his early years. In them he saw a mighty warrior in gleaming armour with a helm of bronze and a shining sword. A giant in blue robes with but a single, unblinking eye stood behind him, speaking of his lord's coming to Colchis and that Lorgar must be ready for him. Lorgar was convinced that this mighty warrior was the divine leader the Canticles of the Covenant had promised and, at the urging of Kor Phaeron, his closest friend, began spreading the word that their god would soon be amongst them. People flocked to hear his words and waves of popular support followed Lorgar wherever he preached. This was the opportunity Lorgar's enemies within the Covenant had been waiting for and they denounced him as a heretic, fearing the threat to the status quo and their power. Lorgar's supporters rallied round him, fighting and killing the soldiers of the Covenant who came to arrest him. Lorgar himself fought with strength and passion for his cause, and each time the Covenant's warriors came for him, he slew them. His enemies had vastly underestimated the depth of belief in Lorgar's words an d the Covenant split into two factions, each deeply opposed to the other's belief, and each believing that only they could save their people. A holy war of horrific proportions erupted, with more and more of the population forced to choose sides as the battles grew larger and spread across the planet. For six years the fighting raged across Colchis and many were the atrocities carried out in the name of holy righteousness. Lorgar's supporters were outnumbered, but they were led by a Primarch, and his strength and power were beyond compare. Lorgar fought many battles, learning the ways of war with astounding rapidity. His inspired words roused his armies to undreamed of heights of courage and devotion, binding them to the promise of their saviour's coming, and the priests of the Covenant could do nothing to stop him. Eventually, Lorgar led his people to victory, storming the temple he had trained in and killing all the priests within. With the end of the war, the people awaited the arrival of the
At the conclusion of the celebrations the Emperor offered Lorgar command of the Word Bearers and bade him take his best and bravest warriors to become Space Marines for his praetorian guard. Lorgar accepted the honour the Emperor offered him and decreed that he would leave Colchis and take his place at the Emperor's side. He appointed faithful followers to minister to his people in his absence, garbed himself in his battle gear and departed with the Emperor and Magnus. Lorgar led his Legion throughout the glory years of the Great Crusade, setting out to eradicate and destroy all forms of blasphemy and heresy that threatened the Emperor's realm. All manner of ancient scrolls, books, artworks and icons were burned and smashed before the advancing ranks of the Legion. In their place, vast monuments and cathedrals, all dedicated to the Emperor, were erected upon the mounds of dead of those who had resisted conversion. The greatest Chaplains of the Legions produced enormous works on the divinity and righteousness of the Emperor, and Lorgar himself delivered countless speeches and sermons, converting millions to the Emperor with his words alone. The progress of the Word Bearers was slow, but complete. None escaped the crozius or the bolter. Entire worlds were scoured of the living for their refusal to submit to the will of the Emperor.
Combat Doctrine The Word Bearers follow the words of their Chaplains with utter loyalty and faith in battle, and they in turn interpret the will of Lorgar. Often, the Word Bearers use local population, converting in to the Imperial Creed and using it as a cannon fodder. If they meet a totally heretical of xenos regime, they use heavy
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orbital bombardment before finishing the remaining pockets of resistance with one final strike.
Gene-Seed The gene-seed of the Word Bearers is known to be pure, however the Space Marines of the Word Bearers have a marked tendency towards dogged, unquestioning belief and stubbornness that verges on insanity.
Word Bearers Characters Characters Word Bearers Space Marines gain the following benefits: +5 to Willpower & +5 to Fellowship, and the Righteous Zeal Solo Mode ability (Rank 1: once per combat +2 to Toughness bonus; Rank 3: once per combat +2 to all Damage upon activating this ability; Rank 5: once per combat +2 to all Penetration upon activating this ability; Rank 7: Toughness bonus increases by +4 while the ability is still active).
Strength of Faith This Demeanor means that the Word Bearers believe that the Emperor is not only the creator of Primarchs and an ultimate ruler, but also a living god. They will do anything to seed this belief while they conquer worlds and they will prefer to build majestic shrines and temples in the name of God-Emperor before moving on to another target of Great Crusade. Of course, all literature and art they deem heretical should be destroyed.
Alpha Legion
XX Legion “It would have been too easy. - Primarch Alpharius
Towards the end of the Great Crusade, an advance patrol cruiser of the Luna Wolves Legion entered an unnamed system, searching as ever for lost human worlds. Swarming towards it came a horde of small space ships, of varying types and appearances, mainly one and two-man fighters. Despite the ships being of primitive design and apparently from more than one origin, the attack was highly coordinated. Dozens mobbed the Luna Wolves' Thunderhawks, while others braved the batteries of turret defence guns to shoot at the huge cruiser. However, the weapons of the fighters made little impression and the attack soon broke off. The Luna Wolves cruiser gave chase, eager to show these puny attackers the power of the Adeptus Astartes. It was only after the first impact that the bridge crew realised they had been lured into a minefield. Manoeuvring to escape resulted in two more explosions and damaged the engines seriously enough that the cruiser was forced to halt in place until repairs could be made. The horde of fighters renewed their attacks, leaving the outnumbered Thunderhawks hard-pressed to defend
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against them. Two days later, the rest of the Luna Wolves fleet arrived, summoned by the cruiser's distress signal. The legion's Primarch, Horus, was shuttled straight to the stricken cruiser, furious at the crew's failure to deal with such insignificant attackers. He found the command deck in a state of high alert, for a small group of the enemy had somehow managed to board the cruiser. They had split up to evade capture in the ship's endless corridors and service decks, and those that had not already been found and eliminated now seemed to be converging on the bridge. Horus waited for them. As five men burst onto the deck, he shot four of them through the head before they even had a chance to act. Without pause the fifth shot rang out, but the last man was different. More than foot taller even than the Luna Wolves Space Marines, he had piercing green eyes and looked almost a match for Horus himself. Somehow, even at such close range, the man sidestepped fast enough that the bolt shell only grazed his temple and exploded against the bulkhead behind. As the man charged forwards, a second shot slammed into his shoulder, but still he did not slow. More shots were fired by guards and bridge officers as well as Horus. The man staggered under multiple impacts, but incredibly came on through the firestorm to launch himself at the Luna Wolves Primarch. Then at the last instant, with his hands inches from Horus's throat, the man stopped. The two stared at each other for a long moment, before Horus started laughing. He had found the last Primarch. The new arrival called himself Alpharius, and claimed to have been travelling this area of space for many years. However, he remained tight-lipped as to where he had originated. Various worlds in that locale were subsequently brought into the Imperial fold, but Alpharius always denied that any of them was his home. The conglomeration of planets he had been leading was persuaded to join the Imperium with little further bloodshed. The wounds Alpharius had suffered healed quickly, but it seems that rather than sending his discovery straight back to Terra to meet the Emperor, Horus kept the Primarch with him for some months. Horus was most impressed with Alpharius's remarkable success against his cruiser - trapping it, boarding it and then penetrating right to the bridge - and during this time he allowed his new found brother to take tactical command in the various actions that occurred. Alpharius was clearly just as impressed with Horus - with the huge martial power he wielded and with his instinct for when and when not to use it. Eventually, Alpharius was taken back to the epicentre of the ever-expanding Imperium and reunited with the Emperor. There was the usual rejoicing, pomp and circumstance, but records on Terra suggest that the two spent little time together. Alpharius was quickly sent to take command of his legion, while the Emperor had many pressing affairs of state. The Alpha Legion, as it was now named, was the last of the Adeptus Astartes Legions to be created. With astounding prescience, the Emperor had ordered their founding just a few decades before. The new Space Marines were tall and strong, much reminiscent of their Primarch, and were possessed of a cunning intelligence. Alpharius led his army,
created in his image, to the outer reaches of the Imperium, eager to join battle and emulate the glories of the older legions. His first campaigns were well planned and highly successful, and he worked to develop and mould his legions tactics. He advocated that the best attack comes from many directs at once, assaulting the foe on all sides, in every way. He insisted on having options open, never relying on any one thing, individual person or single victory to win the day. He was always prepared with a back-up plan, a flanking force was always in perfect position, and Alpha Legion infiltrators invariably struck behind enemy lines at just the right moment. Alpharius added to this doctrine by seeking as many other advantages as he could. He would bargain for allies, encourage treachery within the enemy army and develop a network of informers and spies within the populous. Underground rebel groups and activists would be contacted and persuaded to provide diversionary attacks, demonstrations or bombings at agreed times. By the time a battle started, the Alpha Legion would have so many factors to its advantage that it was virtually impossible to lose. The legion soon gained a reputation for devastatingly coordinated campaigns, and while these methods took longer to execute than a simple frontal assault, they were far less costly in troops, enabling Alpharius to spread his forces more widely. Most of the other legions had taken planets to be their headquarters and base of operations, generally the worlds where their Primarchs had been found. They had constructed glorious cathedral-like fortresses and many had taken over government of their world and even the surrounding systems. But Alpharius clearly did not believe in this high profile approach. He is thought to have established several bases, but kept their locations hidden from everyone outside the legion. Only the whereabouts of smaller staging posts and supply depots were made known, and even this information was highly restricted. It is thought that Alpharius worked tirelessly to improve and develop his officers, encouraging them to think for themselves and listening to their counsel. He instigated programmes of training, constantly setting challenges to overcome, even in the midst of battle, to force his troops to adapt and improvise. There are even documented occasions when, shortly before or during major offensives, the Primarch simply disappeared, in order to assess how his legion would perform without him.
Alpharius did not seek glory or honours for himself, and rarely attended victory celebrations. Consequently, he never spent much time with the other Primarch's and it was many years before he met all of them. His first encounter with Roboute Guilliman of the Ultramarines was reputedly strained. Guilliman believed in rigid structure and hierarchy, and had a firm battle doctrine that his legion never wavered from. He was in the process of documenting the 'correct' tactics and operation of a Space Marine force, tried and tested during his long years of command, and suggested that the young Alpha Legion should adopt this 'codex' behaviour. However, this attitude was anathema to Alpharius' belief in initiative and adaptability, and a heated debate over tactics and ideology ensued. When it became clear that Alpharius would not bow to his experience and superiority, Guilliman pointed out the thousands of victories and battle honours his legion had won, and told his younger brother that he could never hope to compare. After that meeting, Alpharius pushed his legion even harder, seeking out the most difficult challenges for his forces. He knew he could not equal the number of worlds conquered by the older legions, for they had been founded centuries earlier, but he seemed determined to win their respect for his legion's martial prowess. On the world of Tesstra Prime, the population was violently resistant to the idea of Imperial rule. Alpharius deliberately delayed his assault a full week, allowing the planet's armies to amass and dig in around the sprawling capital city, and when battle commenced there was close to a million soldiers arrayed against the Alpha Legion. However, the week had not been spent idle. The Space Marines had deployed so that they could attack from various directions, while leaving huge sections of the defensive line untouched. Just as the assault was launched, bombs detonated within the city demolished dozens of bridges and blocked major supply routes. The defending Tesstran commanders found themselves unable to move troops and supplies into the areas under attack, or out of the areas that were being ignored. The divided forces tried to hold out against the relentless advance of the Alpha Legion, but the lack of ammunition and reinforcements made it a hopeless task. And, of course, while help could not be brought in, retreating sliders found they could not get out fast
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enough either. Thousands ended up herded together down the few remaining escape routes and were cut to pieces in and endless rain of bolter shells. It was two days before enough of the defenders could be redeployed to mount a serious counter-attack. However, officers in the Tesstran army had somehow been compromised and these traitors betrayed details of the plan. The counter-attack advanced into a trap, and found itself beset by armoured Space Marines on all sides. Within a week, the Tesstran forces had suffered ninety percent casualties. When he was asked why he had not simply seized the capital before the defending armies had arrived, Alpharius replied "It would have been too easy."
Combat Doctrine Alpharius' doctrine is to attack the enemy in as many different ways as possible, all at the same time. What this means in practice varies depending on the scale and location of the conflict. Tactics confirmed as having been employed by the Alpha Legion include flank attacks, tunneling to undermine or bypass defences, teleportation of air drops behind enemy lines, diversionary attacks, infiltration, disguising troops and vehicles in enemy colours, disabling enemy transportation (both vehicles and routes), sabotage of fuel and ammunition dumps, poisoning of water and food supplies, atmospheric and ecological tampering, triggering of volcanic, seismic and tectonic activities, bribery and coercion of enemy troops (including officers), enlisting into enemy forces, impersonation of enemy officers, distribution of Imperial propaganda to incite unrest
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and rebellion, organisation of civilian riots and other pro-Imperial activity. Generally a number of these tactics will be employed in careful coordination, often resulting in labyrinthine secret plots. Due to their employment of a large number of completely unorthodox tactics, the Alpha Legion are able to deploy smaller forces than might otherwise be necessary. Combat is only ever really regarded as part of their overall strategy. They also don’t hesitate to use ordinary humans in their plot, either as servants and soldiers, or even as cannon fodder.
Gene-Seed Any information on the Legion’s gene-seed is kept concealed, but given the legion's predilection for secrecy that would not be surprising. All is known that Alpha Legion Space Marines look very similar, much more similar, than other Space Marines.
Alpha Legion Characters Alpha Legion Space Marines gain the following benefits: +5 to Intelligence & +5 Perception and a Deceive skill as a Trained one, they treat all Tactics skills as Basic and the Diversionary Tactics Solo Mode ability (Rank 1: re-roll all failed Tactics skill tests; Rank 3: +10 to all Tactics skills; Rank 5: re-roll all failed Fellowship tests; Rank 7+: re-roll all failed Intelligence and Perception tests).
Heads Heads of Hydrae Alpha Legion is highly secretive Legion, they never talk much, and even if they talk, they usually don’t tell anything. Even those newly recruited possess a secretive and introvert nature. One never may know when an Alpha Legionnaire speaks truth – in fact, they are most deceptive Legion. They always prefer to keep their secrets, and even their best friends (if any) may never count on Space Marine’s sincerity.
Chapter II Character Creation Stage 1: Generate Characteristics Characteristics are generated one at a time. For each, roll 2d10, add the resulting numbers together, and then add 30. Follow this procedure once for each of your Characteristics until you have the results of all nine. Note that one or more of your Characteristics may be further modified by your Legion in Stage 1: Select Legion. Since you are playing a character who represents one of the Imperium’s mightiest defenders you may reroll any one result of your choice. Should you choose to do this, you must keep the new result, even if it’s worse than the old one.
Stage 2: Select Legion After generating your Characteristics, your next step is to determine your Space Marine’s Legion. There are 18 Legions of the Emperor’s Space Marines created by the beloved Master of Mankind to conquer the galaxy. The particular principles and traditions of a Space Marine’s Legion encompass the majority of his adult life, and the guidance of the other Space Marines of his Legion shapes him above all other influences. When you select your Legion, you gain certain modifiers to your Characteristics, a starting Solo Mode ability, and a special Demeanour. You may find a selection of Legions (nine out of the total eighteen) on pages 1-21.
Stage 3: Select Speciality Once you have chosen your Space Marine’s Legion, the next step is to select his Speciality. In the Horus Heresy, a character’s Speciality defines his role and function within his Legion. To determine your Speciality, you make a selection from those available (note that some Legions are restricted and may not select certain Specialities).
Table 2-1: Specialities Speciality
Restrictions
Apothecary Assault Marine Devastator Marine Librarian Tactical Marine Techmarine
Thousand Sons Night Lords Death Guard -
Stage 4: Movement, Wounds, Fate and Experience Points Wounds. To determine your Character’s Wounds roll 1d5 and add 18 to the result.
Fate Points. Roll 1d10 on Table 2-2 to determine your Space Marine’s starting Fate Points.
Table 2-2: Fate Points Dice Result
Fate Points
1-7 8-9 10
3 Fate Points 4 Fate Points 5 Fate Points
Movement. The number of meters a character may move depends on his Agility bonus. Note that Space Marine’s power armor increases his normal Agility bonus for calculating the Movement rate by 1.
Table 2-3: Movement per Round Ag
Half
Full
Charge Run
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30
6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60
Experience. In Horus Heresy all Space Marines start already having 12,000 XP. Beginning Characters also receive 1,000 XP to spend on Characteristic advances, Skills and Talents.
Stage 5: Starting Equipment Space Marine Standard Issue: Astartes power armor (Mark II-IV), Astartes bolt pistol, 3 Astartes frag grenades, 3 Astartes krak grenades, Astartes combat knife, repair cement, one Legion Trapping.
Space Marine Speciality Standard Issues Apothecary Standard Issue: Astartes bolter with fire selector, reductor and narthecium. Assault Marine Standard chainsword, Astartes jump pack.
Issue:
Astartes
Devastator Marine Standard Issue: Astartes heavy bolter with backpack fire supply. Librarian Standard Issue: Astartes bolter with fire selector, force weapon of choice. Tactical Marine Standard Issue: Astartes bolter with fire selector, one clip of Special Issue ammunition (not exceeding 25 Requisition) per Mission. You must still meet the Renown requirement for this ammunition. Techmarine Standard Issue: Astartes bolter with fire selector, Astartes servo-arm (as a part of his power armor), and one other Commoncraftsmanship cybernetic.
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Space Marine Legion Standard Issues Emperor’s Children Standard Issue: may upgrade one of their Standard Issue weapons or armor to Exceptional quality. Iron Warriors Standard Issue: may add up to 2 upgrades to their Standard Issue weapons. Night Lords Standard Issue: may choose one more Character Trapping. World Eaters Standard Issue: Astartes chainsword (instead of Astartes combat knife). Assault Marines receive a chainaxe instead of chainsword. Death Guard Standard Issue: Astartes bolter with fire selector, one clip of Special Issue ammunition (not exceeding 25 Requisition) per Mission. You must still meet the Renown requirement for this ammunition. Thousand Sons Standard Issue: Thousand Sons’ khopesh (instead of Astartes combat knife). Librarians receive a Heqa-staff as a power weapon of choice. Luna Wolves Standard Issue: Astartes chainsword, one clip of Special Issue ammunition (not exceeding 25 Requisition) per Mission. You must still meet the Renown requirement for this ammunition. Word Bearers Standard Issue: May choose second Character Trapping, metal-encased copy of “Lectitio Divinitatus” (or a copy of “Book of Lorgar”). Alpha Legion Standard Issue: May substitute any amount of Standard Issue grenades for other grenade types (not exceeding 15 Requisition). Also may take one clip of Special Issue ammunition (not exceeding 25 Requisition) per Mission. You must still meet all Renown requirements.
Stage 6: Legion Trappings All Legions are proud of their heritage and their Primarch, and they have specific adornments they wear into battle aside from Legion heraldry. A character starts with one (or more) Legion trapping from this section. Imperial Eagle Pendant (Emperor’s Children). This pendant in form of two-headed eagle of the Emperor is typically worn on neck. Whenever Space Marine spends a Fate Point to receive a bonus to a test, he adds +5 more to his chance of success. Aquila Engraving (Emperor’s Children). A proud Space Marine has an engraving of an Imperial Eagle on one of his weapons. This weapon gains Reliable quality, if it’s a melee weapon, it becomes Proven (2). Icon of Art (Emperor’s Children): A masterpiece of artwork, a picture depicting Primarch or the Emperor, a parchment with a glorious hymn, or a masterful engraving on Space Marine’s armor.
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• • • •
Picture of Fulgrim: add +5 to Charm tests; Picture of the Emperor: -1 Corruption point; Glorious hymn: add +5 to Command tests; Ornamental engraving: +2 to Fellowship tests.
Cogwheel amulet (Iron Warriors): A symbol of Mechanicus of Mars, painted on armor or worn by a Space Marine. +5 to Fellowship tests vs Adeptus Mechanicus. Self-made Tool (Iron Warriors): Some tool for repairs that an Iron Warrior had made himself and used for many years. When using this tool, a Space Marine adds +2 to his Tech-Use tests and to BS tests to un-jam a weapon. Imagery of Death (Night Lords): Some horrific visage, a human skull or a skin from a victim’s face adorns the armour of a Space Marine. Each time a Night Lord gains such trapping, roll 1d10. On result of 10 he also gains Fear rating 1, if he displays this trapping. • Human skull: +3 to Intimidate tests. • Mummified hand: +3 to Parry tests. • Screaming face: +3 to Interrogation tests. Skull-Mask (Night Lords): A skull helmet similar to that worn by Chaplains of some Legions. Adds +5 to Intimidate tests and serves as a normal power armor helmet. Angron’s Neuro-Implants (World Eaters): This is not normal trapping, but an implant, available only to World Eaters – it increases aggressiveness and ferocity of a Space Marine. Activation of Frenzy is a Half Action instead of Full Action now, but each round of combat a Space Marine must test Willpower to resist an urge to enter the Frenzy. All bonuses and penalties for Frenzy are doubled. Add +2d10 Insanity points if a Space Marine has this Trapping. Cannot be removed and thus its effects are permanent.
Skulls for Trophies (World Eaters): A recent practice to collect skulls becomes popular among the warriors of Angron. Each skull of a powerful enemy killed in a single combat adds +1 to WS tests.
•
Chalice of Blood (World Eaters): A brass chalice hung at the waist. Some World Eaters practice blood drinking rituals, they drink blood of their fallen enemies and may restore 1 Wound at the end of the ritual. This practice is shunned upon by their brothers from other Legions.
•
Vials of Barbarus’ Air (Death Guard): Several vials (1d5) of prized air of Barbarus, each is a powerful toxin. May be used as a grenade, which forces all living targets in 5m radius area to make a Hellish (60) Toughness test (bonuses vs inhaled poisons apply), or suffer 3d10 E damage, ignoring both armor and Toughness. Environmental Coat (Death Guard): A coat made of materials which resist corrosive toxins in the atmosphere. Provides wearer with +2 bonus to all Toughness tests. Scarab Amulet (Thousand Sons): An amulet in form of a scarab, worn on neck or somewhere on Space Marine’s armor. Serves as a weak Psy-Focus, providing +5 to Invocation tests, but also providing wearer with +5 bonus to all Meditation tests. Tabard (Thousand Sons): Tabards of Thousand Sons bear occult heraldry of Prospero and are worn from the waist. • Legion heraldry: add +1 to the character’s effective Rank for determining Thousand Son’s Solo Ability effectiveness, but subtract 1 from Squad Base Cohesion. • Occult heraldry: -3 to all Psychic Phenomenae rolls. • Prospero heraldry: +2 to all Scholastic and Forbidden lore tests. Wolf Pelt (Luna Wolves): A part of wolf’s hide, worn on any part of body, usually as a mark of a natural leader feared by his enemies. Adds +2 to Intimidate tests and to tests to resist or repair Cohesion damage. Tooth Amulet (Luna Wolves): An old amulet made of teeth of some vicious animal, often these teeth are glued to boltgun or chainsword instead of being worn on neck. Add +2 to damage by this weapon on Righteous Fury. Engraved Armor (Word Bearers): Space Marine’s armor is fully engraved with several Chapters from “Lectitio Divinitatus”. Add +3 to resist Fear effects and Cohesion damage. If these engravings come from the “Book of Lorgar”, add +3 to BS or WS tests on the first round of battle instead, also add +1d10 Corruption points permanently.
• •
Ornamental iconography: +2 to Fellowship tests; Holy texts: +2 to Willpower tests; Litanies of hate: +1 Damage if Space Marine hits his target with a Charge Action. Strange iconography: this new and strange iconography created by order of Chaplain Erebus shows twisted and horned faces and eight-pointed symbols. +3 to Strength tests, +2d10 Corruption points.
Heraldry Book (Word Bearers): A flaming open book on Battle-Brother’s shoulder plate was not painted, but masterfully forged from metal. Counts as Charm. If Space Marine follows a new trend, implemented by First Captain Kor Phaeron, he may wear a screaming horned head instead of book. This gives a re-roll on failed Righteous Fury tests, but permanently gives +2d10 Corruption points too. Hooded Robe (Alpha Legion): Such a robe is a common sight among all ranks of Battle-Brothers of Alpha Legion. They not only conceal faces and features, but also serve dozens of different goals, known only to those from among the Legion. • Robe of Secrets: choose one Forbidden Lore and add +3 to all Tests on it; • Seeker’s Robe: +3 to all Scrutiny tests; • Dark Robe: +3 to all Concealment tests. Hydra Symbol (Alpha Legion): A special marking, showing a two-headed hydra, usually work on one of shoulder plates or a chest plate. This symbol shows that a Space Marine is utterly dedicated to the ways of Alpha Legion. Adds +3 to Deceive tests.
Stage 6: Starting Skills & Talents All Space Marines go through a period of training and hypnodoctrination that provides them an array of useful skills and abilities. Starting Skills: Awareness, Ciphers (Legion), Climb, Dodge, Common Lore (Adeptus Astartes, Imperium, War, Great Crusade), Concealment, Drive (Ground vehicle), Intimidate, Literacy, Navigation (Surface), Silent Move, Speak Language (Low Gothic, High Gothic), Tactics (choose one), Tracking. Starting Talents: Ambidextrous, Astartes Weapons Training, Bulging Biceps, Heightened Senses (Hearing, Sight), Killing Strike, Nerves of Steel, Quick Draw, Resistance (Psychic powers), True Grit, Unarmed Master, Unarmed Warrior. Starting Traits: Unnatural Strength (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2).
Tabard (Word Bearers): Tabards of Word Bearers are decorated with iconography of the Legion, or holy quotes from “Lectitio Divinitatus”.
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Stage 7: Giving Characters Life •
•
•
•
Consider your character’s appearance. What color is his hair, if he has one? Does he have any distinguishing features? Does he have any similarities with his Primarch, or not? Decide where do your loyalties lie? Is it the Emperor, or your Primarch who comes first? Or don’t you distinguish between your two Lords? Choose a personal Demeanour that best fits your character (you may choose it from Table 2-4 or invent your own). This can contrast or compliment your Legion Demeanour. Your personal Demeanour may change over time as your character develops during the game. Give your Space Marine a name, either by thinking one up your own, or choosing one from Tables 2-5 – 2-13.
Table Names
2-5:
Emperor’s
Children
1d5 Roll
Emperor’s Children first name
1 2 3 4 5
Gai Julius Solomon Marius Saul
1d10 Roll
Emperor’s Children last name
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Kaesoron Demeter Vayrosean Tarvitz Kafen Likaon Charmosean Goldoara Telonius Testis
Table 2-6 Iron Warriors names 1d5 Roll
Iron Warrior name
1 2 3 4 5
Forrix Berossus Dantioch Toramino Kroeger
Table 2-7: Night Lords Names 1d10 Roll
Night Lord name
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Cyrion Mercution Sevatar Sheng Vandred Uzas Variel Xarl Halasker Malcharion
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Table 2-8: World Eaters Names 1d10 Roll
World Eater name
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Dreagher Jareg Horzt Gheer Kunnar Anchez Hyazn Vanche Shinnargen Ehrlen
Table 2-9: Death Guard Names 1d5 Roll
Death Guard first name
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Nathaniel Ullis Ignatius Solun Kalas Andus Merik Tollen Peer Kaleb
1d10 Roll
Death Guard last name
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Sendek Ral Holgoarg Kargul Grulgor Ujioj Temeter Decius Hakur Voyen
Table 2-10: Thousand Sons Names 1d10 Roll
Thousand Son first name
1 2 3 4 5 6+
Ohrmuzd Hathor Ankhu Thosis Phael no first name
1d10 Roll
Thousand Son last name
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Amon T’Kar Khalopis Auramagma Maat Hastar Imhoden Uthizzar Thothmes Luxanhtep
Table 2-11: Luna Wolves Names 1d10 Roll
Luna Wolves first name
1 2 3 4
Ezekille Tarik Iakton Falk
5 6 7 8 9 10
Sergar Garviel Luc Tibalt Callus Nero
1d10 Roll
Luna Wolves last name
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Jubal Kruze Targost Loken Sedirae Marr Moy Ekaddon Kibre Vipus
Table 2-12: Word Bearers Names 1d10 Roll
Word Bearers name
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Sor Talgron Deumos Khadmon Uhrlon Kol Badar Bachari Paeblen Arshaq Torgal Tor Ralon
Table 2-13: Alpha Legion Names Alpha Legion official name Always Alpharius
1d5 Roll
Alpha Legion name
1 2 3 4 5
Mathias Herzog Ingo Peck Sheed Ranko Kordassis Althix
Stage 8: Power Armor History Your power armor may have up to 200 years of history behind, and may have seen even days of Unification Wars! Choose your power armor by rolling on Table 4-8 Power Armor Marks, and then on Table 4-9 Tides of War to know more about your armor’s glorious history.
Stage 9: Play Horus Heresy With all of this complete, you are now ready to play Horus Heresy!
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Rank 6 New skill may be chosen at this rank. Lore: Forbidden (Genetic manipulation). Cost: 1,500.
Chapter III Specialities The Space Marines are finest warriors of the Emperor, conquerors of the Galaxy in the name of the Imperium of Man. In Horus Heresy you can choose to play all standard Specialities, keeping in mind that some of them are prohibited to certain Legions (Table 2-1: Specialities). However, the following changes apply to two of the specialities below.
Apothecary Rank 2 Tech-Use skill may be chosen at Rank 2 instead of 3 at the cost of 400 XP.
Librarian Use the new description of Librarian’s Special Ability instead of old one: Special Ability: Battle Psyker The Librarian begins the game with a Psy Rating of 3 and access to two Psychic Techniques from the following list: Compel, Inspire, Shortrange Telepathy, Augury and Reading. All Ranks Lore: Forbidden (Daemonology, Traitor Legions and Heresy) are not available anymore.
Rank 4 Binary Chatter talent may be chosen at Rank 4 at the cost of 500 XP.
Great Crusade Advances Rank 1 Great Crusade Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Lore: Common (Great Crusade) Lore: Common (Imperium) Lore: Common (Terran history) Lore: Forbidden (Xenos) Interrogation Sleight of Hand Awareness Carouse Climb Concealment Dodge Drive (any) Intimidate Lore: Common (Adeptus Astartes) Lore: Common (Tech) Lore: Common (War)
200 200 200 400 400 400 200 200 400 800 300 600 400 400 400 400
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill
-
30
Navigation (Surface) Search Silent Move Speak Language (any) Survival Swim Tech-Use Trade (any) Hunter of Aliens Resistance (Cold) Resistance (Heat) Astartes Weapon Specialization Signature Wargear Sound Constitution (x2)
400 400 300 200 300 200 800 600 1,000 300 300 1,500 500 500
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Astartes Weapon Training -
Rank 2 Great Crusade Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Ciphers (Xenos Markings) Lore: Common (Imperium) +10 Lore: Common (Terran history) +10 Interrogation +10 Sleight of Hand +10 Awareness +10 Carouse +10 Charm Climb +10 Command Deceive Demolition Gamble Inquiry Literacy +10 Logic Scrutiny Speak Language (any) +10 Survival +10 Swim +10 Tracking Trade (any) +10 Wrangling Hatred (Orks) Hatred (Eldar) Air of Authority Polyglot Resistance (Poisons) Signature Wargear (Master) Sound Constitution (x2) Total Recall
400 200 200 400 400 300 200 800 400 300 400 400 200 800 200 400 400 200 400 200 400 400 200 500 500 1,000 500 500 1,000 1,000 500
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Lore: Common (Imperium) Lore: Common (Terran history) Interrogation Sleight of Hand Awareness Carouse Climb Literacy Speak Language (same Skill group) Survival Swim Trade (same Skill group) Fel 30 Int 40, Fel 30 Signature Wargear (same item) Int 30
Rank 3 Great Crusade Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Lore: Common (Great Crusade) +10 Lore: Common (Imperium) +20 Lore: Common (Terran history) +20 Lore: Common (Tech) Lore: Forbidden (Adeptus Astartes) Interrogation +20 Sleight of Hand +20 Awareness +20 Carouse +20 Ciphers (Legion Runes) +10 Climb +20 Concealment +10
200 200 200 200 400 400 400 800 200 200 400 800
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill
Lore: Common (Great Crusade) Lore: Common (Imperium) +10 Lore: Common (Terran history) +10 Interrogation +10 Sleight of Hand +20 Awareness +10 Carouse +10 Ciphers (Legion Runes) Climb +10 Concealment
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Drive (any) +10 Evaluate Interrogation Intimidate +10 Literacy +20 Performer (any) Pilot (any) Search +10 Security Silent Move +10 Speak Language (any) +20 Swim +20 Tactics (any) Trade (any) +20 Hatred (Human insurgents) Orthoproxy Rapid Reaction Rapid Reload
800 400 400 400 200 400 800 400 800 800 200 200 400 400 500 500 500 300
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent
Drive (same Skill group) Intimidate Literacy +10 Search Silent Move Speak Language (same Skill) +10 Swim +10 Trade (same type) +10 Ag 40 -
Rank 4 Great Crusade Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Lore: Common (Great Crusade) +20 Lore: Common (Tech) +10 Lore: Forbidden (Xenos) +10 Lore: Scholastic (Primarchs) Charm +10 Command +10 Deceive +10 Demolition +10 Gamble +10 Inquiry +10 Logic +10 Performer (any) +10 Scrutiny +10 Shadowing Survival +20 Iron Discipline Iron Jaw Sprint Scourge of Insurgents
200 200 400 200 800 500 400 400 200 800 400 400 400 400 800 1,000 500 600 1,000
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent
Lore: Common (Great Crusade) +10 Lore: Common (Tech) Lore: Forbidden (Xenos) Charm Command Deceive Demolition Gamble Inquiry Logic Performer (same Skill group) Scrutiny Survival +10 WP 30, Command T 40 -
New Talent: Scourge of Insurgents The character has developed a deep hatred towards those human populations which reject the rule of the Imperium and refuse to rejoin Humanity. However, this is not a blood-fuelled rage of the uncontrollable madness of death but rather a cold, calculated skill drilled into the character through countless hours of training. The character gains a +10 to his Weapon Skill and +2 to melee weapon Damage when combating human insurgents. It is up to the GM to decide exactly which enemies count as insurgents.
Rank 5 Great Crusade Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Lore: Forbidden (Religions) Lore: Forbidden (Warp) Lore: Forbidden (Adeptus Astartes) +10 Lore: Common (Tech) +20 Concealment +20 Ciphers (Legion Runes) +20 Dodge +10 Drive (any) +20 Evaluate +10 Intimidate +20 Navigation (Stellar) Performer (any) +20 Pilot (any) +10
400 400 800 200 800 200 500 800 400 400 400 400 800
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill
Lore: Forbidden (Adeptus Astartes) Lore: Common (Tech) +10 Concealment +10 Ciphers (Legion Runes) +10 Dodge Drive (same Skill group) +10 Evaluate Intimidate +10 Performer (same Skill group) +10 Pilot (same Skill group)
32
Search +20 Security +10 Silent Move +20 Tracking +10 Wrangling +10 Peer (Imperium) Peer (Adeptus Astartes) Signature Wargear Sound Constitution (x2) Great Crusade Veteran
400 800 800 400 200 1,000 500 500 1,000 1,000
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Search +10 Security Silent Move +10 Tracking Wrangling Fel 30 Fel 30 -
New New Talent: Great Crusade Veteran Space Marines who wage war against xenos races of the Galaxy or human civilization which refuse to rejoin the Imperium for years automatically confirm any Righteous Fury results against alien or renegade human enemies without needing to re-roll the Ballistic Skill test or Weapon Skill test.
Rank 6 Great Crusade Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Lore: Forbidden (Religions) +10 Lore: Forbidden (Warp) +10 Lore: Scholastic (Primarchs) +10 Lore: Forbidden (Xenos) +20 Charm +20 Command +20 Deceive +20 Demolition +20 Gamble +20 Inquiry +20 Logic +20 Navigation (Surface) +10 Scrutiny +20 Good Reputation (Adeptus Astartes) Good Reputation (Imperium) Hammer Blow Last Man Standing Paranoia Sound Constitution (x2) Unbowed and Unbroken Wisdom of the Ancients
600 600 400 400 800 800 400 400 200 800 400 400 400 500 1,000 1,000 500 500 1,000 1,500 1,000
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Lore: Forbidden (Religions) Lore: Forbidden (Warp) Lore: Scholastic (Primarchs) +10 Lore: Forbidden (Xenos) +10 Charm +10 Command +10 Deceive +10 Demolition +10 Gamble +10 Inquiry +10 Logic +10 Navigation (Surface) Scrutiny +10 Fel 50, Peer (same Talent group) Fel 50, Peer (same Talent group) Nerves of Steel Fel 30 Int 40
Rank 7 Great Crusade Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Lore: Forbidden (Adeptus Astartes) +20 Chem-Use Evaluate +20 Interrogation +10 Navigation (Surface) +20 Pilot (any) +20 Security +20 Tactics (any) +10 Tech-Use +10 Tracking +20 Wrangling +20 Bling Fighting Bolter Drill Fearless Signature Wargear (Hero) (any) Sound Constitution (x2) Strong Minded Hatred (any) (x4)
400 800 400 400 400 800 800 400 800 400 200 800 1,500 1,000 1,500 1,000 1,500 500
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Lore: Forbidden (Adeptus Astartes) Evaluate +10 Interrogation Navigation (Surface) +10 Pilot (same Skill group) +10 Security +10 Tactics (same Skill group) Tech-Use Tracking +10 Wrangling +10 Per 30 Astartes Weapon Training -
33
Rank 8 Great Crusade Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Lore: Forbidden (Religions) +20 Lore: Forbidden (Warp) +20 Lore: Scholastic (Primarchs) +20 Dodge +20 Interrogation +20 Medicae Tactics (any) +20 Into the Jaws of Hell Good Reputation (Imperium) Master Orator Sound Constitution (x3)
800 800 800 600 400 800 800 1,500 1,500 1,000 1,000
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent
Lore: Forbidden (Religions) +10 Lore: Forbidden (Warp) +10 Lore: Scholastic (Primarchs) +10 Dodge +10 Interrogation +10 Tactics (same Skill group) +10 Iron Discipline Fel 50, Peer (Imperials) Fel 30 -
Legion Advances Emperors Children Legion Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Trade (Artisan) Trade (Artisan) +10 Trade (Artisan) +20 Performer (any) Performer (any) +10 Performer (any) +20 Tactics (any) Tactics (any) +10 Tactics (any) +20 Paranoia Peer (Nobility, Remembrancers) Talented (any) Heightened Senses (Smell, Taste, Touch) Duty unto Death Call to Vengeance
200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 500 500 800 400 800 1,500
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Trade (Artisan) Trade (Artisan) +10 Performer (any) Performer (any) +10 Tactics (any) Tactics (any) +10 Fel 30 WP 45 Fel 40
34
Thousand Sons Legion Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Lore: Forbidden (Archaeotech) Lore: Forbidden (Archaeotech) +10 Lore: Forbidden (Psykers) Lore: Forbidden (Psykers) +10 Lore: Forbidden (Warp) Lore: Forbidden (Warp) +10 Lore: Common (Terran history) Lore: Common (Terran history) +10 Logic Logic +10 Logic +20 Talented (any Lore) Total Recall Polyglot Warp Sense Wisdom of the Ancients Unshakable Faith Foresight Psy Rating 1 Psy Rating 2 Summon Tutelary Infused Knowledge Emperor’s Tarot Cults of Prospero Peer (Psykers) Warp Conduit Ninth Enumeration
200 200 200 200 200 200 100 200 200 200 200 500 500 500 800 1,000 800 600 400 800 2,000 800 400 400 500 1,000 1,500
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Lore: Forbidden (Archaeotech) Lore: Forbidden (Psykers) Lore: Forbidden (Warp) Lore: Common (Terran history) Logic Logic +10 Int 30 Int 40, Fel 30 Psy Rating, Psyniscience, Per 30 Int 40 Int 30 WP 35 WP 45 WP 45 Int 40 Psy Rating, Psyniscience, WP 35 Psy Rating, WP 50 Fel 30 Psy Rating Psy Rating, Strong Minded, WP50
New Talent: Summon Tutelary Tutelaries are beings invisible to those without a psychic sight, tiny shards of Primordial Creator. To summon and bind one to a Space Marine’s will is a great task undertaken only by those experienced and strong-willed enough. As soon as this Talent is chosen, Space Marine may summon his Tutelary as a Half-Action and dismiss as a Free Action. Tutelaries cannot remain in the area with any psychic dampening, or in presence of superior psychic power, and they retreat into the Great Ocean at this time. You may always summon your powers through Tutelary and, by spending a Full Action to concentrate, see through it as with your own eyes. As soon as Space Marine summons his tutelary, he may choose one of the benefits it provides per round: - Re-roll your Psychic Phenomenae test if you rolled an undesirable result. You can’t re-roll the same test twice. - Increase your Psy Rating by 1 before rolling a Focus Power test. - Increase your Psy Rating by 1 when determining Psychic Power’s effects. - Gain +20 to your Awareness test. Example Tutelary names: Aaetpio, Aanaa, Aaoxaif, Ahaozpi, Cpusa, Dtoaa, Dxagz, Ephra, Eutpa, Izixp, Lairz, Leaoc, Mtndi, Navaa, Ndazn, Nlirx, Otroi, Paeoc, Rlemu, Rxao, Saiinou, Saaiz, Siosp, Sioda, Tplau, Utipa, Vaasa, Xpaxn, Xrinh, Yasen, Zaabo, Zarzi.
New Talent: Emperor’s Emperor s Tarot Once per Game Session, the Battle-Brother may read the portents of the Emperor's Tarot. This requires a successful Focus Power WP test. Should he succeed, the character has divined the truth of a situation, reading the strands of time to see a fragment of the future and past at once. The character may make a single Common Lore, Scholastic Lore, or Forbidden Lore Test treating the Skill as trained. If he has the Skill trained he may instead re-roll the Test if failed. The character is also prone to visions of the future during his use of the Emperor's Tarot and the GM may wish to seed prophetic glimpses into the use of this psychic power.
New Talent: Cults of Prospero The Librarian is trained in the skill of combining his power with others. Only Thousand Sons Librarians with this Talent may act as a focus or lend their own psychic power to an attempt to Combine Powers. At the start of his turn a character with the Cults of Prospero Talent may choose to declare that he is combining his psychic potential with those nearby to enhance his psychic powers. This character then becomes the Focus for the power. Any other Thousand Sons character within a distance up to twice his Willpower Bonus in metres can choose to lend support to the Focus at this time. Characters who lend support must expend a Half Action during their next turn to reflect the concentration of offering such aid. In addition each supporting character cannot use a psychic power on his next turn. The Focus then attempts a psychic power following the normal rules; however, each supporting Thousand Son can also add his Psy Rating to both the attempt and its effects.
35
New Talent: Ninth Enumeration The character has learned to swiftly cut himself off from the warp to protect himself from harm and cocoon his mind against the worst of its effects. Once per game session the character may ignore a Psychic Phenomenon result he has rolled (including a result which would indicate rolling on the Perils of the Warp Table) completely negating its effects or alternatively he may become completely immune to any mind-influencing psy or warp power as long as he wishes. Such rapid dislocation from the warp is stressful and traumatic to the character’s mind, however, and he suffers 1d10 Damage (reduced by Willpower bonus only) as a result, and may not make any Focus Power Tests as long as he remains cut off from the warp and for 1d10 Rounds after.
Luna Wolves Legion Advances Command Command +10 Acrobatics Acrobatics +10 Tactics (any) Speak Language (Chtonian) Fearless Thunder Charge Hardy Talented (Command) Combat Formation Counter Attack Double Team Exemplar of Honor Peer (Imperial Guard, Imperial Navy) Air of Authority
200 200 200 200 200 100 800 1,000 500 500 500 800 500 800 500 500
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Command Acrobatics Int 40 WP 40 Fel 30 Fel 30
Word Bearers Legion Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Lore: Forbidden (Religions) Lore: Forbidden (Religions) +10 Lore: Forbidden (Religions) +20 Speak Language (High Gothic) Speak Language (Colchisian) Interrogation Interrogation +10 Interrogation +20 Charm Charm +10 Charm +20 Scrutiny Scrutiny +10 Master Orator Inspire Wrath Orthoproxy Unshakable Faith Unbowed and Unbroken Litany of Hate
200 200 200 100 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 500 800 500 500 700 1,000
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Lore: Forbidden (Religions) Lore: Forbidden (Religions) +10 Interrogation Interrogation +10 Charm Charm +10 Scrutiny Fel 30 Fel 30 Fel 40 -
Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Carouse Carouse +10 Carouse +20 Chem-Use Chem-Use +10 Chem-Use +20 Intimidate Intimidate +10 Lore: Scholastic (Chymistry) Lore: Scholastic (Chymistry) +10 Trade: Chymist
100 100 100 200 200 200 100 200 200 200 200
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill
Carouse Carouse +10 Chem Use Chem Use +10 Intimidate Lore: Scholastic (Chymistry) -
Death Guard Legion Advances
36
Paranoia Stalwart Defence Duty unto Death Abhor the Witch Hatred (Psykers)
500 400 800 1,500 500
Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
WP 45 -
World Eaters Legion Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Intimidate Intimidate +10 Intimidate +20 Battle Rage Berserk Charge Flesh Render Furious Assault Mental Rage Crippling Strike Fearless Street Fighting Disturbing Voice Crushing Blow
100 200 200 400 600 500 600 800 400 400 400 400 400
Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Intimidate Intimidate +10 Frenzy WS 35 Frenzy WS 50 S 40
Night Lords Legion Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Intimidate Intimidate +10 Intimidate +20 Acrobatics Acrobatics +10 Acrobatics +20 Speak Language (Nostraman) Pilot (Personal) Frenzy Talented (Pilot: Personal) Talented (Concealment) Talented (Silent Move) Assassin Strike Lightning Reflexes Sprint Street Fighting Death from Above Blind Fighting
100 200 200 200 200 200 200 400 400 500 500 500 500 800 400 400 1,500 400
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Intimidate Intimidate +10 Acrobatics Acrobatics +10 Acrobatics, Ag 40 Pilot (Personal) -
Iron Warriors Legion Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Demolition Lore: Common (Tech) Lore: Common (Tech) +10 Lore: Common (Tech) +20 Tech-Use Drive (all) Drive (all) +10 Bolter Drill Concealed Cavity Electro Graft Use Logis Implant Technical Knock The Flesh is Weak (x3) Last Man Standing Eye of Venegance Binary Chatter Peer (Adeptus Mechanicus)
200 100 200 200 200 200 200 600 200 400 600 400 800 800 1,000 400 500
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Lore: Common (Tech) Lore: Common (Tech) +10 Int 30 Nerves of Steel Fel 30
37
Alpha Legion Advances Advance
Cost
Type
Prerequisites
Interrogation Interrogation +10 Ciphers (Alpha Legion) Concealment Concealment +10 Silent Move Silent Move +10 Deceive Deceive +10 Deceive +20 Tactics (all) Scrutiny Command Inquiry Talented (any Tactics) Combat Sense Double Team Foresight Combat Formation Total Recall Guerilla Tactics
100 200 100 100 200 100 200 100 200 200 200 100 100 100 500 600 500 500 500 400 400
Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Skill Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent Talent
Interrogation Concealment Silent Move Deceive Deceive +10 Per 40 Int 30 Int 40 Int 30 -
New Talent: Guerilla Tactics The Alpha Legion became masters of rapid deployment, stealth, and guerilla tactics. Each Battle-Brother was expertly trained in covert operations and members of the Alpha Legion are revered for their ability to operate secretively and silently, even in their bulky power armour. The Battle-Brother does not take the penalties to Silent Move and Concealment normally inflicted by power armour.
Cohesion New Cohesion rules. Cohesion represents a Battle-Brother’s faith in his comrades and his connection to the rest of his squad, company or fire-team. Generated at the star of a Mission, Cohesion is a pool of points that may be spent by the Space Marines during play to allow them to act more closely with each other and perform special battlefield maneuvers known as Squad Mode abilities. Cohesion depends on which player character has taken the role of the squad leader. This reflects the leader’s command abilities and natural charisma, as well as his Battle Brother’s faith in him. It’s important to remember that Solo Mode abilities may be used in Squad Mode, but active abilities always cost 1 Cohesion point. To work out the size of the pool of Cohesion points use the squad leader’s Fellowship Bonus as a base modified using Table 3-1: Cohesion Modifiers (only the highest bonus from each category applies).
38
Table 3-1 Cohesion Modifiers Modifier
Bonus
Rank 4+ Rank 6+ Command skill Command skill +10 Command skill +20 Talented (Command skill) Per Space Marine from your Legion
+1 +2 +1 +2 +3 +1 +1
Bonds Bonds of a Legion Of course, when a Space Marine fights alongside with Battle-Brothers from the same Legion, their trust in each other is beyond question. This may be represented by the following optional rule: if there are more than 10 Space Marines from the same Legion fighting together in a Support Range, count them as having an unlimited supply of Cohesion points. Also when fighting together with his Legion, a Space Marine may freely use his Solo Mode abilities even when in Squad Mode. Treat these abilities as abilities with a Cohesion point cost of zero. Presence of the Primarch in the Support Range increases a Space Marine powers even further – all Cohesion point cost of all his abilities is reduced by 1, to a minimum of zero.
Squad and Solo Mode Abilities Abilities Squad mode Legion Attack patterns Legion
Description
Emperor’s Children Unending Self-improvement. Action: Free Action. Cost: 3. Sustained: No. Effects: When the Battle-Brother fails his Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill, he may add +10 to WS or BS next round. Improvement (Rank 4th): This ability may be sustained. Iron Warriors Siege Breaker. Action: Full Action. Cost: 3. Sustained: Yes. Effect: While this ability is in effect, the Battle-Brother and who’s in Support Range of him may ignore 1 Armor Point provided by cover per each uneven Rank obtained (up to maximum of 4 AP ignored at Rank 7th). Night Lords Deathly Strike. Action: Reaction. Cost: 2. Sustained: No. Effects: A Battle-Brother may order a Deathly Strike at the beginning of combat, if no side is surprised. They gain a Surprise Round immediately. Improvement (Rank 4th): In addition, a Battle-Brother and all in the Support Range of him may make one extra attack during the Surprise Round. World Eaters Insatiable Rage. Action: Free Action. Cost: 2. Sustained: No. Effects: Until the start of next turn a Battle-Brother and all in the Support Range of him gain +15 to WS and Strength. Improvement (Rank 4th): The bonus to WS and Strength is +30 instead. Death Guard Give No Ground. Action: Free Action: Cost: 2. Sustained: Yes. Effects: While this ability is in effect, the test to avoid Pinning when caught in a kill zone created by the Battle-Brother or those in Support Range of him increases to Very Hard (-30). Improvement (Rank 4th): The Battle-Brother and those in Support Range of him receive +2 temporary wounds. Thousand Sons Storm of Bolts. Action: Full Action. Cost: 3. Sustained: Yes. While this ability is in effect, the Battle-Brother and those within Support Range of him may use any Psychic Powers which require a Half Action and still make a BS test as a Standard Attack. Improvement (Rank 4th): While this ability is in effect, firing at semi-auto and full-auto is also a Half Action instead of Full Action. Luna Wolves Wolf Pack. Action: Free Action. Cost: 3. Sustained: Yes. Effects: While this ability is in effect, the Battle-Brother and those in Support Range of him may re-roll any failed Dodge and Parry tests. Improvement (Rank 4th): There’s also a bonus of +10 to all Dodge and Parry tests and to Weapon Skill tests when outnumbering the opponent. Word Bearers Holy Wrath. Action: Half Action. Cost: 3. Sustained: No. Effects: When the BattleBrother or those in Support Range of him make a successful Standard Attack with a melee weapon, they may immediately make an additional Standard Attack with that same weapon, against the same foe, as a Free Action. If this blow also hits, then they may make another Standard Attack and so on, up to a total number of extra attacks equal to their Agility Bonus. Improvement (Rank 4th): Summoning the Holy Wrath is a Free Action. Alpha Legion Tactical Finesse. Action: Full Action. Cost: 3. Sustained: Yes. Effects: While this ability is in effect, the Battle-Brother and those within Support Range of him may make any Melee or Ranged attack which requires Full Action as a Half Action. Improvement (Rank 4th): The Cost is reduced to 2.
Squad mode Legion Defensive Stances Legion
Description
Emperor’s Children For the Emperor! Action: Full Action. Cost: 2. Sustained: Yes. Effects: While this ability is in effect, the Battle-Brother and all in Support Range of him receive +10 to Dodge and Parry tests and +4 Armor Points to all locations as long as they don’t move. Improvement (Rank 4th): The bonus to Dodge and Parry increases to +20. Iron Warriors Courage under Fire. Action: Free Action. Cost: 1. Sustained: No. Effect: When this ability is used, the Battle-Brother and all in Support Range of him may immediately recover from being Pinned. Improvement (Rank 4th): The Space Marine may also make a Half Move as a Free Action. Night Lords Death Incarnate. Action: Reaction. Cost: 2. Sustained: No. Effects: If the BattleBrother is under attack, he may give up his Reaction to make a Free Action melee attack against one target. Improvement (Rank 4th): This extra attack cannot be Dodged or Parried. World Eaters Feel no Pain. Action: Free Action. Cost: 2. Sustained: No. Effects: Until the start of next turn a Battle-Brother and all in the Support Range of him use their training and berserker wrath of a World Eater to ignore their wounds, halving all Damage (after Armor and Toughness bonus reductions), rounding up. The Space Marine cannot Dodge or Parry this round and must use any Attack action. Improvement (Rank 4th): The restrictions on Dodge and Parry are lifted. Death Guard Only in Death... Action: Free Action: Cost: 2. Sustained: No. Effects: When BattleBrother uses this ability he may ignore all Critical Damage inflicted on him during this round. Improvement (Rank 4th): The ability may be sustained for number of rounds equal to Battle-Brother’s Toughness bonus. Thousand Sons Knowledge is Power. Action: Half Action. Cost: 3. Sustained: Yes. While under the effect of this ability, the Battle-Brother and those within Support Range of him receive +1o to any Willpower Tests and opposed Tests to resist a Psychic Power (including Dodge tests). Improvement (Rank 4th): The bonus increases to +20.
39
Luna Wolves Bonds of Brotherhood. Action: Full Action. Cost: Special. Sustained: No. Effects: When the Battle-Brother uses this ability he may spend up to his Fellowship bonus of Cohesion points to give one or more Battle-Brothers in the Support Range 1 temporary Fate Point per point of Cohesion spent. Luna Wolf may distribute these Fate points as he likes. This ability may be used only once per game session. Word Bearers Armor of Faith. Action: Free Action. Cost: 3. Sustained: Yes. Effects: While this power is in effect, the Battle-Brother and those in Support Range of him increase their Armor Points of all locations by +2. Improvement (Rank 4th): Armor Points of all locations are increased by +4. Alpha Legion Swift Advance. Action: Free Action. Cost: 2. Sustained: Yes. Effects: While this ability is active, the Battle-Brother and all in Support Range of him, who successfully Dodge a Ranged attack may make a Full move as a Free Action. Improvement (Rank 4th): They may also reload a weapon as a Free Action if it takes normally not more than a Full Action to reload.
Squad mode Space Marine Attack Patterns Ability Name
Description
Bolter Assault Action: Full Action. Cost: 3. Sustained: No. Effects: Both Battle-Brother and those in Support Range may make an immediate Charge Move and a Standard Attack with a bolter or bolt pistol (including variants of these weapons). Alternatively, they may use their Standard Attack to throw a grenade. Improvement (Rank 4th): They can make Semi Auto Bursts and Full Auto Bursts instead of Standard Attack with their bolt weapons. Fire for Effect Action: Half Action. Cost: 2. Sustained: Yes. Effect: While this power is in effect, all Space Marines in Support Range may use their Reactions to make a Standard Attack with a ranged weapon. Improvement (Rank 4th): Space Marines may make Semi Auto Bursts and Full Auto Bursts instead of a Standard Attack with their ranged weapons. Fire Support Action: Half Action. Cost: 1. Sustained: Yes. Effects: While this ability is in effect, Battle-Brothers do not suffer the normal -20 to hit when using the Suppressing Fire and Overwatch actions. Improvement (Rank 3rd): Calling for Fire Support becomes a Free Action. Furious Charge Action: Free Action. Cost: 3. Sustained: No. Effects: Using this ability the BattleBrother and those in Support Range of him may make an immediate Charge Move and a Standard Attack with a melee weapon. In addition, such is the fury of such an attack that all Battle-Brothers involved may re-roll Damage for their attacks. Improvement (Rank 5th): Battle-Brothers can make Multiple Attacks instead of Standard Attack with their melee weapons. Squad Advance Action: Half Action: Cost: 1. Sustained: Yes. Effects: While this ability is in effect, Battle-Brothers may use their Reactions to make a Tactical Advance Action. Improvement (Rank 3rd): The Calling for a Squad Advance becomes a Free Action. Tank Buster Action: Free Action. Cost: 1. Sustained: No. The Battle-Brother may nominate another armed with either a heavy weapon or an explosive (this could be himself) to initiate a Tank Buster manoeuvre as part of an Attack Action against an armoured vehicle or fortification. For every Space Marine in Support Range, the nominated Battle-Brother may add either +5 to his Ballistic Skill to attack or move 2 meters closer to his target (if he is trying to plant a charge or grenade). Improvement (Rank 4th): The nominated BattleBrother may add +10 to his Ballistic Skill or move 5 meters closer to his target for every Battle-Brother in Support Range.
40
Squad mode Space Marine Defensive Stances Ability Name Dig In
Description Action: Full Action. Cost: 3. Sustained: Yes. Effects: While this ability is in effect,
the Battle-Brother and those in Support Range of him can double the Armor Points provided by any cover they are currently using. This bonus applies to each individual Battle-Brother so long as they remain stationary. Improvement (Rank 5th): The Battle-Brother and those supporting him may move freely. The benefits of doubled Armor Points applying to all cover they use for the duration of the ability. Go to Ground Action: Reaction. Cost: 1. Sustained: No. Effect: When the Battle-Brother or another member of his squad has been hit by a ranged attack, then this order can be issued. Both the BattleBrother and those in Support Range of him may immediately make a free move up to their Agility Bonus in meters to find cover. Note that the effects of hit are worked out before any Battle-Brothers may move. In the case of hits from semi or full auto weapons, only the first hit is worked out before the Battle-Brothers move and the remaining hits after they have gone to ground. Improvement (Rank 4th): The free move to cover may be up to twice the Battle-Brother’s Ability Bonus. Regroup Action: Full Action. Cost: 2. Sustained: No. Effects: The Battle-Brother may order a Regroup to allow himself and those in Support Range of him to move up to twice their Agility bonus in any direction, just as if they had made a Full Move Action. In addition, Regroup move does not trigger enemy Overwatch or Suppression Fire. Improvement (Rank 4th): Battle-Brothers may also reload any weapons they are currently carrying, provided doing so would only be a Half Action or a Free Action. Soak Fire Action: Reaction. Cost: 2. Sustained: No. Effects: A Battle-Brother may use the Soak Fire ability whenever another member of his squad currently within his Support Range is hit by a Semi or Full Auto fire attacks and would be eligible to make a Dodge Test to avoid the attack. These hits are then divided evenly between the original target, the Battle-Brother, and those supporting him, provided they would normally be eligible targets for the attack. Regardless of the number of Battle-Brothers soaking fire, the original target always takes at least one hit. Note that Battle-Brothers soaking fire cannot Dodge attack allocated to them. Improvement (Rank 4th): Both Battle-Brother and those supporting him may soak singleattack ranged weapons, dividing the Damage evenly between those involved. Strongpoint Action: Full Action: Cost: 3. Sustained: Yes. Effects: A Battle-Brother can establish a Strongpoint, nominating either himself of a member of his squad within Support Range as the Centre of the Strongpoint. The Centre must remain stationary for the ability to remain in the effect. The Centre may then Call Targets either as a Free Action in his turn or as a Reaction. All Space Marines in Support Range of the Centre (including Centre himself) then gain a +20 to BS and WS tests against a Called Target, may re-roll Damage against it, and may use their Reactions to make Standard Attacks against it. A target remains marked in this way until either the Centre moves (ending the Strongpoint) or the Centre marks a new target. Improvement: This ability cannot be improved. Tactical Spacing Action: Full Action. Cost: 1. Sustained: Yes. While this ability is in effect, the BattleBrother and those in Support Range of him can share their Reactions. Improvement (Rank 5th): All members gain an additional Reaction while this ability is in effect.
Solo mode Space Marine Abilities Ability Name
Description
Burst of Speed Required Rank: 1. Action: Free Action. Effects: Once per game session, a BattleBrother can increase the character’s Agility Bonus by 2 with all the usual associated benefits for a number of Rounds equal to his Rank. Improvement (Rank 3rd): Burst of Speed also adds a +10 to all Agility tests based on movement. Improvement (Rank 5th): The bonus to Agility Bonus increases to +4. Improvement (Rank 7th): This ability allows the Battle-Brother to ignore the need to make Agility tests when running or charging in difficult terrain. Feat of Strength Required Rank: 1. Action: Free Action. Effects: Once per day of game time, a BattleBrother may perform a Feat of Strength. This ability effectively increases his Unnatural Strength train by one level. This effect lasts for a number of Rounds equal to his Rank. Improvement (Rank 3rd): Feat of Strength also adds +10 to all Strength tests and Strength-based Skill tests for its duration. Improvement (Rank 5th): Feat of Strength lasts a number of Rounds equal to twice the character’s Rank. Improvement (Rank 7th): Feat of Strength increases the character’s Unnatural Strength trait by 2 levels. Renewed Vigour Required Rank: 3. Action: Free Action. Effects: Once per game session, a BattleBrother may call upon his Renewed Vigour. For a number of Rounds equal to his Rank, he can ignore the effects of a single critical hit, such a Stunning, level of Fatigue or unconsciousness. Improvement (Rank 5th): This ability also restores number of Wounds equal to a Battle-Brother’s Rank. Improvement (Rank 7th): The Battle-Brother can ignore all of the critical hits effects he is currently suffering form for the duration of the ability. Extreme Endurance Required Rank: 5. Action: Free Action. Effects: Once per game session, a BattleBrother may use his Extreme Endurance to fortify his constitution, granting him a re-roll on all Toughness tests for a number of hours equal to his Rank. Improvement (Rank 7th): The Battle-Brother may add +20 to the result of the re-roll.
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Mental Fortress Required Rank: 5. Action: Free Action. Effects: Once per game session, a BattleBrother may use the Mental Fortress ability to re-roll a failed Willpower test to resist a psychic power or an attempt to subvert his will. Improvement (Rank 7th): The Battle-Brother may add +20 to the result of the re-roll. Emperor’s Grace Required Rank: 7. Action: Free Action. Effect: Once per game session, a BattleBrother can call on the Emperor’s Grace to recover spent Fate Points. For a number of rounds equal to his Rank, whenever the Battle-Brother spends a Fate Point, he should roll 1d10. If he scores equal or less than his Rank, the Fate Point is immediately recovered.
Solo mode Legion Abilities Legion
Description
Emperor’s Children Do or Die. Effect: Once per combat gain +3 to WS & BS per Rank; up to +24 WS & BS on Rank 8. Iron Warriors Master of Arms. Effect: All hand-held ranged weapons are Reliable (or lose an Unreliable quality) in hands of an Iron Warrior; Rank 3: all vehicle weapons operated by an Iron Warrior gain Reliable quality; Rank 5: once per combat add +5 to BS; Rank 7+: all hand-held ranged weapons never jam while in hands of an Iron Warrior. Night Lords Terror of Nostramo. Effect: Re-roll failed Concealment, Shadowing & Silent Move skills; Rank 3: +1 to Agility bonus when calculating movement; Rank 5: +10 to Concealment, Shadowing & Silent Move skills; Rank 7+: +1 to Initiative rolls per further Rank. World Eaters Triumph Rope. Effect: Righteous Fury for Melee Weapons doesn’t need a re-roll to confirm – but only when a World Eater Space Marine is in frenzied state; Rank 3: Righteous Fury activates on 9+ in frenzied state; Rank 5: Righteous Fury activates on 8+; Rank 7: Righteous Fury activates on 7+. Death Guard Never Fall. Effect: If Critically Damaged, increase Toughness by +5; Rank 3: if Critically Damaged, increase Toughness by +10; Rank 5: if Critically Damaged, increase Toughness by +15; Rank 7: if Critically Damaged, increase Toughness by +20. Thousand Sons Ascension to Enumerations. Effect: Any emotion may be calmed at will as a Free Action, also Space Marine re-rolls all failed WP tests to resist a psychic power; Rank 3: Space Marine may automatically succeed at WP test once per game session, count as rolling 01 on 1d100; Rank 5+: he may Push when using Psychic Powers at +1 above maximum per each further Rank. Luna Wolves Son of Horus. Effect: Add +1 to team Cohesion when in Squad Mode; Rank 3: once per combat add +5 to all Dodge & Parry tests; Rank 5: +1 to Disposition by all Imperial forces; Rank 7+: +1 per every further Rank to team Cohesion if selected as a squad leader. Word Bearers Righteous Zeal. Effect: Once per combat +2 to Toughness bonus; Rank 3: once per combat +2 to all Damage upon activating this ability; Rank 5: once per combat +2 to all Penetration upon activating this ability; Rank 7: Toughness bonus increases by +4 while the ability is still active. Alpha Legion Diversionary Tactics. Effects: Re-roll all failed Tactics skill tests; Rank 3: +10 to all Tactics skills; Rank 5: re-roll all failed Fellowship tests; Rank 7+: re-roll all failed Intelligence and Perception tests.
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Chapter IV Skills and Talents New Skills The following skills are new in Horus Heresy: Ciphers (Legion Runes): Each Legion of the Adeptus Astartes has its own form of ciphers used to communicate between its Battle-Brothers. These closely guarded secrets are almost never taught to those outside the Legion and constitute a reliable way for those within the Legion to quickly identify each other. Lore: Common (Great Crusade, Imperial Army, Imperial Truth, Terran History) Great Crusade: Information about battles, compliances and stages of Great Crusade led by the Emperor, beloved by all. Imperial Army: Basic information about ranking system, logistics, uniforms, tactical and strategic practices of the Imperial Army, as well as particularly famed regiments, ships and generals and admirals. Imperial Truth: Understanding of main principle of the Emperor, a dogma of atheistic galaxy destined for Humanity to conquer and rule for eternity. Knowledge of most important philosophies which support atheism. A necessary skill for an iterator. Terran History: Knowledge of history of Terra, its eras, long-gone cultures and empires, artists, philosophers, generals and despots. Lore: Forbidden (Religions, Genetic Manipulation) Religions: Knowledge of different religions of humanity, their rituals, holy texts, practices and prayers. This heathen knowledge is frowned upon by the Emperor himself. Genetic Manipulation: Sacred and forbidden lore of the Emperor’s greatest works, ancient sciences of genetic manipulation which were used in Space Marine and Primarch creation projects. Lore: Scholastic (Imperial Truth) Imperial Truth: Deepest knowledge of the Emperor’s guiding dogmas for the Humanity. The weapon of best iterators. Speak Language (Chtonian, Colchisian, Nostraman, Davinite, etc): many planets have their own languages, and some of them don’t bear a similarity with Gothic.
Obsolete Skills The following skills are obsolete and not used anymore in Horus Heresy:
Ciphers (Chapter Runes, Inquisition, Mercenary Cant), Lore: Common (Adeptus Arbites, Deathwatch, Ecclesiarchy, Imperial Creed, Imperial Guard, Imperial Navy, Jericho Reach), Lore: Forbidden (Black Library, Heresy, Inquisition, Traitor Legions), Lore: Scholastic (Codex Astartes, Legend), Speak Language (Kroot, Tau)
New Talents All new Talents in Horus Heresy were listed and described earlier, in Chapter III. These are: Scourge of Insurgents, Great Crusade Veteran, Summon Tutelary, Emperor’s Tarot, Cults of Prospero, Ninth Enumeration, Guerilla Tactics.
Obsolete Talents The following skills are obsolete and not used anymore in Horus Heresy: Deathwatch Training, Scourge of Heretics, Slayer of Daemons, Rite of Sanctioning.
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are no storm bolters available at all, there are only very few experimental models of tentative models – these are called Tentative Storm Bolters and possess Twin-Linked quality instead of Storm.
Chapter V Armoury
Plasma Weapons.
Rules on Renown and Requisition remain the same, only a few new weapon qualities are added.
Plasma weapons were widely used by devastator, assault and veteran marines of all sorts. Plasma cannons are too heavy and dangerous to use even by Space Marines, so these are used only when mounted. Different plasma guns are a more common sight on a battlefield than in 41st Millennium. The technology is a little bit better and more stable too.
New Weapon Quality: Fast The size and speed of this weapon makes it hard to Parry. Opponents that would Parry an attack against a weapon with the Fast quality take a -20 penalty on their Weapon Skill Tests.
New Weapon Quality: Proven
Melta Weapons.
Weapons with a Proven rating treat any damage die roll lower than the Proven rating as if it were the Proven rating instead. Thusly a Proven 3 weapon would treat any die roll of 1 or 2 as a 3 for the purposes of calculating damage.
Melta weapons are an uncommon sight at the battlefields, only highly specialized devastator Space Marine units use them. Inferno pistol and multi-melta technology is even rarer and still is an experimental one.
Great Crusade Era
Flame Weapons. Flamers are common and widely used.
There are some differences in weapons available for Space Marines in Horus Heresy and Deathwatch, because of 10,000 years difference between 41st and 31st Milleniums.
Rotary Cannons. Assault Cannons are under development as well. Only some beta patterns undergo a field testing. These are called Rotary Cannons.
Bolters.
Lascannons.
Bolters are main and rapidly evolving weapons of Adeptus Astartes and have several different designs; later patterns are obviously better in their damage and armor penetration capabilities, though their range is reduced. All three patterns available are still widely used by Legions.
Lascannon technology is cumbersome and requires a lot of energy, that’s why all lascannons have to be mounted.
Power Mauls. Thunder hammers do not exist yet, so Space Marines use less powerful and less advances versions of these – power mauls which are visually almost the same, the only exception is a lighter, though still very powerful force of impact.
Storm Bolters These weapons are still being under research by Adeptus Mechanicus. Actually, there
Table 5-1: Ranged weapons Name
Class
Range RoF
Dmg
Pen Clip
Rld Special
Wt Req
Renown
Bolt Weapons Astartes Bolt Pistol Astartes Mark I Bolter Astartes Mark II Bolter Astartes Mark III Bolter Astartes Boltgun Astartes Heavy Bolter Tentative Storm Bolter Captains Bolt Pistol
Pistol Basic Basic Basic Basic Heavy Basic Pistol
40m 150m 120m 100m 200m 150m 100m 30m
2d10+3 X 2d10+3 X 2d10+4 X 2d10+4 X 2d10+3 X 2d10+8 X 2d10+4 X 2d10+4 X
4 4 4 5 5 6 5 4
12 15 16 30 20 40 32 12
Full Tearing Full Tearing Full Tearing, Reliable 2Full Tearing Full Accurate, Tearing 2Full Tearing 2Full Twin-Linked, Tearing Full Accurate, Tearing, Reliable
5,5 18 18 18 17 68 26 5,5
5† 5 10 15 15 20 35 Special
Respected Famed Distinguished
10 8 8 8
16 40 12 30
5Full Blast (1), Volatile 4Full Volatile 3Full Volatile 4Full Overheats, Volatile
70 27 6 35
35 20 25 30
40
4Full Volatile
30
30
Respected Distinguished Respected
S/2/S/3/S/2/S/2/4 S/-/-/-/10 S/2/4 S/3/-
† The additional weapons beyond standard issue. Plasma Weapons† Astartes Plasma Cannon Astartes Plasma Gun Astartes Plasma Pistol Barrage Plasma Gun
Mounted Basic Pistol Heavy
150m 100m 30m 120m
S/-/S/2/S/2/S/3/5
2d10+11 E 1d10+9 E 1d10+8 E 1d10+7 E
Plasma Gun Mark II
Basic
120m
S/2/-
1d10+12 E 9
† All Plasma weapons may be fired on Maximal setting for the following effects: Range +10m, +1d10 Damage, +2 Pen, uses 3 ammo. Adds Recharge and Overheats qualities to the weapon, but increases any Blast quality by +2. Melta Weapons† Astartes Meltagun Astartes Multi-melta
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Basic Heavy
20m 60m
S/-/S/-/-
2d10+8 E 13 4d10+6 E 13
6 12
2Full 2Full Blast (1)
14 72
25 45
Respected Respected
Salamanders Infernus Pistol Salamanders Meltagun
Pistol
10m
S/-/-
2d10+10 E 15
2
Full -
5
40
Basic
20m
S/-/-
2d10+10 E 15
4
2Full -
14
40
Distinguished Distinguished
† All Melta weapons deal an extra 1d10 Damage at Short range or closer. Flame Weapons Astartes Flamer Basic Astartes Hand Flamer Pistol Astartes Heavy Flamer Heavy Solid Projectile Weapons Astartes Shotgun Basic Astartes Assault Shotgun Basic Astartes Rotary Cannon Heavy Las Weapons Astartes Lascannon Mounted Launchers Astartes Cyclone Missile Mounted Launcher Astartes Missile Heavy Launcher Auxillary Grenade n/a Launcher
20m 10m 30m
S/-/S/-/S/-/-
2d10+2 E 3 2d10+2 E 3 2d10+6 E 6
6 4 10
2Full Flame 2Full Flame 2Full Flame
15 6 65
10 10 15
-
30m 30m 100m
S/2/S/3/5 -/-/10
2d10+3 I 2d10+4 I 3d10+2 I
18 20 100
Full Reliable, Scatter Full Reliable, Scatter 2Full Tearing
10 10 50
5 7 20
Respected
300m
S/-/-
6d10+6 E 10
6
2Full -
75
30
Respected
300m
S/2/-
†
†
12
3Full †
95
25
Famed
250m
S/-/-
†
†
8
Full †
50
10
-
45m
S/-/-
†
†
4
2Full †
+3
15
Respected
Exotic Ranged Weapons Atomizer Cannon Heavy
50m
S/-/-
4d10+4 E 8
25
80
50
Famed
Conversion Beamer Astartes Sniper Rifle††
Heavy Basic
100m 200m
S/-/S/-/-
†E 1d10 R
† 0
4 6
85 4
40 20
Hero -
Gravition Cannon† † †
Heavy
100m
S/-/-
†E
†
4
3Full Blast (5), Devastating, Volatile, Toxic 2Full 2Full Accurate, Felling (1) Toxic 2Full -
85
40
Hero
0 0 4
† Varies with ammunition
† At distances up to 15 meters, it does 1d10+9 Damage and has a Penetration of 2. Over that distance and up to Short range it does 3d10+9 Damage with a Penetration of 8 and gains the Felling (1) quality. Against targets further than Short range it does 6d10+12 Damage with Penteration of 14 and possesses the Felling (1) and Blast (2) qualities. †† This needle rifle is equipped by a suppressor (all tests to hear the shot are made at -20 penalty to Perception) and 30x scope which allows to shoot at extremely long range without any penalties due to range. ††† Pins and knocks down 1 target of up to Enormous size for 2d10 rounds unless it succeeds in Arduous (-40) Strength test, each round target receives 1d10 I damage, +1 damage per its size above normal. This damage ignores armor completely. May be also used on broad setting, pinning and knocking down multiple enemies, Strength test has -30 penalty, power lasts for 1d10 rounds after which a reload is required. Any Action attempted while pinned requires to succeed in an Opposed Strength test vs Strength =50 (x2 Unnatural) on a broad setting, and vs Strength =70 (x2 Unnatural) on focused beam setting.
Table 5-2: Grenades and Missiles Name
Class
Range RoF
Dmg
Pen Special
Wt
Req Renown
Astartes Blind Grenade Astartes Frag Grenade Astartes Frag Missile Astartes Incendiaty Grenade Astartes Incendiaty Missile Astartes Krak Grenade Astartes Krak Missile Astartes Nova Grenade Astartes Plasma Grenade Astartes Plasma Missile Astartes Stun Grenade Concussion Grenade Concussion Missile Photon Flash Grenade Melta Bomb
Thrown Thrown Thrown
SBx3 SBx3 SBx3
S/-/S/-/S/-/-
2d10 X 2d10 X 1d10+4 E
0 0 4 0
Smoke Blast (5) Blast (8), Devastating (1) Blast (3)
0,8 0,8 2 1
10 1 5 15
-
-
-
-
1d10+3 E 0
Blast (5)
2
15
-
Thrown Thrown Thrown Thrown Thrown Thrown Explosive
SBx3 SBx3 SBx3 SBx3 SBx3 SBx3 -
S/-/S/-/S/-/S/-/S/-/S/-/S/-/-
3d10+4 X 4d10+6 X 1d10 E 1d10+12 E 2d10+12 E 4d10 I 6d10 I Special 6d10+7 E
6 10 0 8 12 0 3 5 0 15
Blast (1) Blast (3) Blast, Volatile Blast (3), Volatile Blast (5) Concussive, Blast (3) Concussive, Blast (5) Blast (5)
0,8 2 0,8 2 3 0,8 0,5 1 0,5 4
1 5 15 20 25 10 18 20 5 12
Distinguished Distinguished -
Class Dmg
Pen
Special
Wt Req Renown
Melee Melee Melee Melee Melee
1d10+3 R 2d10+3 R 1d10+5 R 2d10+5 R 2d10+3 R
4 5 4 5 4
Balanced, Tearing Unwieldy, Tearing Unbalanced, Tearing Tearing, Unwieldy, Felling (1) Tearing
10 20 12 25 15
5 15 15 20 15
Distinguished Respected Famed Distinguished
Melee Melee Melee Melee Melee Melee
2d10 E 1d10+6 E 1d10+6 E 1d10+8 E 1d10+6 E 2d10 E
10 8 8 6 6 9
Power Field, Tearing, Unwieldy Power Field, Tearing Power Field, Tearing, Razor Sharp Power Field, Unbalanced Power Field, Balanced Power Field, Unwieldy
48 30 28 10 5 25
40 30 30 20 20 30
Famed Distinguished Distinguished Respected Respected Distinguished
† Varies with ammunition
Table 5-3: Melee Weapons Name Chain Weapons Astartes Chainsword Astartes Chain Greatsword World Eaters’ Chainaxe World Eaters’ Chain Great Axe Astartes Chain Halberd Power Weapons Astartes Chainfist† Astartes Lightning Claw†† Night Lords’ Lightning Claw†† Astartes Power Axe Astartes Power Sword Astartes Power Fist†
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Omnissiah-Axe (Astartes-pattern) ††† Melee Iron Warriors Omnissiah-Axe†††† Melee Astartes Power Maul Melee Thousand Sons’ Khopesh Melee Thousand Sons’ Spear-staff Melee Death Guard’s Power Scythe Melee Executioner Power Axe Astartes Power Claymore Word Bearers’ Crozius Arcanum Force Weapons ††††† Astartes Force Staff Astartes Force Sword Thousand Sons’ Heqa-Staff †††††† World Eaters’ Force Axe Traditional Weapons Astartes Combat Knife Emperor’s Children Dueling Blade Ceremonial Sword
2d10+6 E 2d10+7 E 2d10+4 E 1d10+5 E 1d10+6 E 1d10+7 E
14 10 18 8 8 9
30 25 30 10 15 25
Distinguished Distinguished Distinguished Distinguished Famed
Melee 2d10+8 E 6 Melee 2d10+6 E 6 Melee 1d10+7 E 7
Power Field, Unbalanced Power Field, Unbalanced Power Field, Unwieldy Power Field, Fast Power Field Power Field, Unbalanced, Razor Sharp Power Field, Unwieldy, Felling (1) Power Field, Unwieldy, Devastating Power Field, Balanced
22 18 10
25 15 -
Famed Distinguisged Chaplain only
Melee Melee Melee Melee
Balanced, Force Balanced, Force Balanced, Force Unbalanced, Force
5 5 5 5
25 25 25 35
Respected Respected Respected Respected
Razor Sharp, Balanced -
2 3 5
3 5 3
-
1d10+1 I 1d10+2 R 1d10+2 I 1d10+4 R
6 7 8 6 7 7
0 2 0 2
Melee 1d10+2 R 2 Melee 1d10+3 R 3 Melee 1d10+3 R 2
† This weapon doubles wielder’s Strength bonus. †† When wielded in pair, add +2 damage per Degree of Success ††† Functions as a combi-tool. †††† Adds +1o to Fellowship tests vs Adeptus Mechanicus, also functions as a combi-tool. ††††† All Force Weapons add +1 to both their Damage and Penetration per Psy Rating of Librarian. When he damages an opponent, he may channel his psychic power into enemy as a Free Action. If he succeeds in an Opposed Willpower test, he deals further 1d10 E Damage, ignoring both armor and Toughness bonus of his victim. Force weapons can’t be destroyed by a power field. †††††† When wielding a Heqa-Staff, a Librarian may substitute a Half Action attack for a Half Action Focus power test, ignoring the restrictions on using multiple psychic powers in turn. As an another option, he may channel his own psychic power into the staff, and make a single ranged attack as a Half Action with the following statistics: 20m per PR, S/-/-, 3d10 +PR, Pen=PR, Proven (PR).
Special Issue Ammunition. Acid Bolts. These weaker bolts contain powerful acids, capable of eating through flesh and most armors alike. Effect: 2d10 E damage, Pen=2, Toxic, when target suffers damage it also receives an extra 1d10 E damage ignoring both Toughness and armor at the end of round. High Grade Promethium. High-grade promethium, as the name suggests, is of a much better quality and allows a flamer to fire further with a cleaner jet. Effect: Adds +20 to Flame weapon Range. Metal Shard Bolts. Tipped with proximity detonators, these rounds explode after leaving the barrel, spraying out cones of shrapnel and making them ideal for dealing with massed foes or those behind cover. Effect: Reduce Damage and Penetration by -2, but add a Blast (2) quality to Bolt weapon. Organgrinder Bolts. These bolts contain multiple explosive cores which burst only after main detonation. This often means that a bolt fully explodes only within its target, decimating and grinding its intestines. Here is the nickname of these mauler bolts. Effect: If target suffers damage, test Toughness with -10 per point of damage, or suffer 2d10 X damage more, it ignores both Toughness and armor. Purified Plasma. A pure mix of plasma for plasma weapons mitigates their reputation of constantly overheating.
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Effect: Plasma weapons doesn’t Overheat when fired on Maximal setting. They keep their Recharge quality though. Stalker Rounds. Designed for sniping these rounds make a sniper rifle completely silent as the round exits the weapon with only a hushed hiss. Effect: No tests to detect shots are possible (only those with Paranoia talent may try an Awareness test with -30 penalty). Used only with Astartes sniper rifle. Tempest Bolt Shells. These bolt shells incorporate tiny plasma shock generators that emit electromagnetic and thermal radiation when the shell detonates. Effect: Inflict +3 damage to creatures with Machine trait and to machinery, adds Shocking quality, damage type changes to Energy. Tracer Bolts. These bolts leave a distinctive trail in the air for a second or two, thus making targeting easier. Effect: Bonus +5 to BS. Firer is easier to hit this turn in fog or darkness, as his enemies gain +5 to hit him too.
Table 5-4: Special Issue Ammunition Name
Req.
Acid Bolts 25 High Grade Promethium 10 Metal Shard Bolts 5 Organgrinder Bolts 40 Purified Plasma 20 Stalker Rounds 5 Tempest Bolt Shells 15 Tracer Bolts 7
Renown Respected Distinguished Respected Respected -
Unique Legion Gear
Luna Wolf Mantle (Luna Wolves). A cured hide of great beast, it adds +5 to WS tests made to Parry.
5th Company Banner (Thousand Sons). Almost whole 5th Company of Thousand Sons was destroyed by Orks during Kamenka Troika campaign, so that Primarch Magnus had to reduce number of Companies to 9 instead of 10. To honor the fallen Thousand Sons keep numerous banners of 5th Company and carry them into battle. Bearer of such a banner receives Hatred (Orks) talent and receives +5 to his Strength when fighting them.
Raptor Jump Pack (Night Lords). Similar to the common Crusade Jump Pack, Raptor Jump Pack is used exclusively by Night Lords Legion. It resembles terrifying bat wings and provides normal benefits, with the exception it triples base move when making short jumps and grants Flyer (18) trait when used on the full power. It can also be used on full power for up to 10 minutes at a time before needing an equal time to cool down.
Ash of Monarchia (Word Bearers). Some Word Bearers carry with them the ash from the world of Monarchia, to use it as a sign of their grief, rage and sorrow. Then applied to face, Space Marine receives +5 bonus to all Fellowship tests for 24 hours.
Red Crested Helmet (Luna Wolves). A distinguished Luna Wolf Space Marine could have an honor to wear a helmet with a red crest on top of it. All Battle-Brothers will surely be uplifted by a mere sight it. Add +1 bonus to Cohesion if Luna Wolf is a leader, and increase his effective Rank by 1 for purposes of calculating Cohesion and Squad and Solo Mode abilities.
Bloodbath Scabbard (World Eaters). This intricate mechanism invented by World Eaters Techmarines is linked directly to activation button of their melee weaponry. As soon as chainsword or another weapon comes to life, it splatters blood over it making its easier for World Eater to go berserk – activation of Frenzy talent becomes a Half Action instead of Full Action. Camouflage Cloak (Alpha Legion). This cloak made of shifting fabric of an unknown origin gives its wearer +20 bonus to Concealment and Disguise tests. When stationary, wearer counts as being one Range bracket further away for purposes of hitting or spotting. Chain of Kajor (Death Guard). This chain is an amulet made of pieces of armor of fallen Death Guard, who died during the Compliance of Kajor. Any Space Marine who carries such an item gains an additional +5 WS against psykers if he already has Hatred (Psykers) talent. Clavis (Iron Warriors). A clavis is a special silvered vambrace, granted only to Techmarines or to Iron Warriors. It may bypass almost any Imperial lock, granting +30 bonus to Security tests and allowing to use the skill even if Space Marine doesn’t possess it. Crusade Jump Pack (All Space Marines). A rather new invention of tech-priests of Mars, Crusade Jump Pack allows a Space Marine to double its base movement every turn, or, alternatively, it may grant Flyer (15) trait when used on full power. When used on full power, it needs to cool down every 5 minutes of use. Deshret Helmet (Thousand Sons). Special type of MkII or MkIII helmets, used by Thousand Sons Legion. These helmets visibly differ from common ones, and grant a wearer +5 bonus to all Focus Power tests.
Siege Auspex (Iron Warriors). The siege auspex is a powerful scanner that can see through the densest materials to find their weak points. These items are used for finding stress fractures, reinforced or up-armoured areas, hidden passages, power conduits, and the numerous other items of interest to a siege engineer. The machine-spirits of a siege auspex, while canny, can only see so far through solid objects and have a fixed range of about 30 metres. Things like energy fields, thick bulkheads, iron, stone, armaplas, and plasteel can reduce the range of the unit or blind it all together. GM’s should take into consideration the materials being scanned and adjust the siege auspex’s range accordingly. The Emperor’s Standart (Emperor’s Children). A Battle-Brother who carries The Emperor’s Standart may enter Squad Mode as a free action, and also receives +10 bonus to Willpower tests. This bonus is extended to all Battle-Brothers who may draw a line of sight to him.
Table 5-5: Unique Legion Gear Name
Req.
Renown
5th Company Banner Ash of Monarchia Bloodbath Scabbard Camouflage Cloak Chain of Kajor Clavis Crusade Jump Pack Deshret Helmet Luna Wolf Mantle Raptor Jump Pack Red Crested Helmet Siege Auspex The Emperor’s Standard
25 5 15 25 20 35 15 10 10 25 15 13 25
Distinguished Respected Respected Distinguished Respected Respected Respected Respected
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Armour Astartes Power Armor Astartes power armor is the high standard against which other forms of Imperial protection are measured. Each suit contains many complex subsystems and it is the synergy of advanced technology with Space Marines physiology that makes a Battle-Brother in power armor so deadly. This combination yields the following effects (roll 1d10 for your armor type):
Table 3-8: Power Armor Marks 1d10 Roll
Power Armor
1 2
Mark II “Crusade”. Mark II “Crusade” with Mk3 helmet. Mark III “Armorum Ferrum” with Mk2 helmet. Mark III “Armorum Ferrum”. Mark III “Armorum Ferrum” with Mk4 helmet. Mark IV “Maximus” with Mk3 helmet. Mark IV “Maximus”. Mark IV “Maximus” with Mk5 helmet. Mark V with Mk4 helmet. Mark V.
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Most effects are the same for all armor types. These are:
Common armour traits (all types). Enhanced Strength: +20 to Strength. Life-Sustainer (with any helmet): Armor is environmentally sealed with an oxygen supply. Bio-monitor and Injectors: +10 to Toughness tests vs all poisons. Has 6 doses of pain suppressor, which ignores all Critical Damage effects for 1d10 rounds. Stunned maximum time is 1 round. Vox-link: Serves as a standard vox, transmits biomonitor feed. Magnetized Boot Soles: Can be activated to provide the equivalent of Magboots. Nutrient Recycling: Sustains for 2 weeks, after that make a Toughness test (with cumulative -10 penalty for every 2 weeks spent) or suffer one level of Fatigue. Recoil Suppression: Fires Basic weapons onehanded. Giant Among Men: Base Movement +1. Poor Manual Dexterity: Delicate tasks suffer a 10 penalty unless using equipment designed for Space Marines.
Mark II “Crusade”. Armor Points: 9 (body) / 7 (head/arms/legs) Weight: 280 kg. Auto-senses (with helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +5 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Improved Strength: +25 to Strength. From the Beginning: the armor and helmet have seen early days of the Great Crusade, so the wearer receives +15 to Fellowship tests when dealing with other Space Marines. Poor Nutrient Recycling and Manual Dexterity: Sustains for 1 weeks, and delicate tasks suffer a -20 penalty.
Mark II “Crusade” with Mk3 helmet.
Mark VI “Corvus” armor will be developed in later stages of Horus Heresy, so it may not be immediately available in the beginning of play. However, its effects are listed below too.
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Armor Points: 9 (body/head) / 6 (rear attacks head)/ 7 (arms/legs) Weight: 285 kg. Auto-senses (with Mk3 helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +5 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Improved Strength: +25 to Strength. From the Beginning: the armor has seen early days of the Great Crusade, so the wearer receives +10 to Fellowship tests when dealing with other Space Marines. Poor Nutrient Recycling and Manual Dexterity: Sustains for 1 week, and delicate tasks suffer a -20 penalty.
Mark III “Armorum Ferrum” with Mk2 helmet. Armor Points: 10 (body) / 9 (arms/legs) / 7 (head) / 6 (rear attacks arms / legs / body) Weight: 295 kg. Auto-senses (with Mk2 helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +5 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Improved Strength and Injectors: +25 to Strength and 2 extra doses of pain suppressor. From the Beginning: the helmet has seen early days of the Great Crusade, so the wearer receives +5 to Fellowship tests when dealing with other Space Marines. Poor Nutrient Recycling and Manual Dexterity: Sustains for 1 week, and delicate tasks suffer a -20 penalty.
Mark III “Armorum Ferrum”. Armor Points: 10 (body) / 9 (head/arms/legs) / 6 (all rear attacks) Weight: 300kg. Auto-senses (with helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +5 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Improved Strength and Injectors: +25 to Strength and 2 extra doses of pain suppressor. Poor Nutrient Recycling and Manual Dexterity: Sustains for 1 week, and delicate tasks suffer a -20 penalty.
Mark III “Armorum Ferrum” with Mk4 helmet.
Armor Points: 10 (body) / 9 (arms/legs) / 6 (rear attacks arms/legs/body) / 7 (head) Weight: 290kg. Auto-senses (with Mk4 helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +10 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Called Shot Full Action is a Half Action. Improved Strength and Injectors: +25 to Strength and 2 extra doses of pain suppressor. Poor Nutrient Recycling and Manual Dexterity: Sustains for 1 week, and delicate tasks suffer a -20 penalty.
Mark IV “Maximus” with “Armorum Ferrum” helmet.
Mk3
Armor Points: 7 (arms/legs) / 9 (body/head) / 6 (rear attacks head) Weight: 250kg. Auto-senses (with Mk3 helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +5 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades.
Mark IV “Maximus”. Armor Points: 7 (arms/legs/head) / 9 (body) Weight: 220kg. Auto-senses (with helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +10 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Called Shot Full Action is a Half Action.
Mark IV “Maximus” with Mk5 helmet. Armor Points: 7 (arms/legs) / 8 (head) / 9 (body) Weight: 220kg. Auto-senses (with Mk5 helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +5 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Called Shot Full Action is a Half Action.
Mark V “Heresy” with Mk4 helmet. Armor Points: 8 (arms/legs) / 7 (head) / 9 (body) Weight: 200kg. Auto-senses (with Mk4 helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +10 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Called Shot Full Action is a Half Action.
Mark V “Heresy”. Armor Points: 8 (arms/legs/head) / 9 (body) Weight: 200kg. Auto-senses (with helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +5 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Called Shot Full Action is a Half Action.
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Mark V “Heresy” with Mk6 helmet.
Table 5-6: Tides of War
Armor Points: 8 (arms/legs/head) / 9 (body) Weight: 200kg. Auto-senses (with Mk6 helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +15 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Called Shot Full Action is a Half Action.
1d10 Roll
Mark VI “Corvus” with Mk5 helmet. Armor Points: 8 (arms/legs/head) / 9 (body) Weight: 170kg. Enhanced Agility: +10 to Agility. Auto-senses (with Mk5 helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +5 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Called Shot Full Action is a Half Action.
Mark VI “Corvus”. Armor Points: 8 (arms/legs/head) / 9 (body) Weight: 170kg. Enhanced Agility: +10 to Agility. Auto-senses (with helmet): Dark Sight trait. Gives +15 bonus to all Awareness tests. Immunity to photon flash and stun grenades. Called Shot Full Action is a Half Action.
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Power Armor Traits
1 Battle Scarred. This suit of armor is very old, and it has seen earliest days of Great Crusade. It gives its wearer a bonus +3 to BS and Willpower. Re-roll this result if you have Mk4 or Mk5 armors. 2 Emperor’s Finest. The wearer of this armor participated in early days of Great Crusade, waging wars against xenos together with the Emperor himself. Re-roll this result if you have Mk4 or Mk5 armors. Add +1 bonus to all Characteristics. 3 Touch of Primarch. This armor was worn on the glorious day when your gene-father was discovered by the Emperor and reunited with his own Legion. Add +1 Fate Point every session for combats only. 4 Hero Spirit. A hero amongst Space Marines wore this suit of armor, and now it’s yours. Add +3 to both WS and Toughness. 5 Battered by War. This armor has seen one of heaviest battles against xenos during the Great Crusade. +10 to Intimidate tests, -5 to Charm tests. 6 Lightning Fury. This power armor belonged to a mighty assault squad veteran of your Legion. Add +1 bonus to Initiative. 7 Terror be thy Friend. The previous wearer of this armor was known for his cruelty and savage butchery on the battlefield. This trait was inherited by his suit of power armour. Increase your Fear Rating by 1 when attacking or moving towards the enemy. 8 Death is Joy. The wearer of this power armor did well against Ork hordes. Add +1 to Critical Damage inflicted and to damage to Hordes’ magnitude. 9 Lead from the Front. This armor belonged to a famed sergeant of your Legion. Add +1 to Cohesion, even when not a squad leader. 10 Unblemished. This armor is brand new from Mars forges. Add +10 to all Fellowship tests when armor is clean and repaired. Re-roll this result if you have Mk2 or Mk3 armors.
Chapter VI
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Psychic Powers Space Marine Librarians A Space Marine Librarian starts with Psy Rating 3. Psy Rating (PR) is a measure of a psyker’s power and his ability to draw this power from the Warp. Not all Legions have psykers though. It’s a wellknown fact that Primarch Mortarion of Death Guard despises any use of psychic force, and his Legion doesn’t have any Librarians at all, and Primarch Corax of Raven Guard is known for his little trust of psykers.
Using Psychic Powers The step-by-step process of using a psychic power is described below: • Choose the Power Level (Fettered [1/2 PR rounding up, no Psychic Phenomenae], Unfettered [normal PR, Psychic Phenomenae on 2 doubles] or Push [+3 PR, automatic Psychic Phenomenae]): The power level at which the psyker uses his power (reflecting how deeply he is drawing from the Warp) influences the likelihood of the psyker successfully manifesting the power, and also determines whether there are any unwanted side effects such as Psychic Phenomenae.
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Make a Focus Power test: This is a Willpower test, the difficulty of which depends of the power level chosen. You always add a bonus to this test, equal to 5x your PR. In some cases, the target may Oppose this test. Apply the Effects: Depending of the psyker’s final Psy Rating, the power will have variable effects such as increased range, area of effect or damage. Depending of the factors described above, the power may also generate Psychic Phenomenae or even Perils of the Warp.
Sustaining Psychic Powers Some Psychic Powers can be sustained beyond a single round. This requires a Half Action only. If psyker wants to sustain multiple powers, he reduces PR for summoning next power by number of total desired powers to sustain. For example, if Librarian sustains one power, and wants to sustain another, his effective Psy Rating drops by 2, etc. This is true only for powers to be sustained, nonsustainable powers doesn’t reduce Psy Rating of psyker. If a character suffers Psychic Phenomenae while maintaining multiple powers, this additional energy he is channeling is likely to go out of contol, adding +10 to the result rolled on Psychic Phenomenae table for each power he has active.
Starting Psychic Powers A rank 1 Librarian starts with any two of these psychic powers: Compel, Inspire, Short-range Telepathy, Augury and Reading.
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Common Powers
7-8
All Librarian Space Marines have an access to these psychic powers. These are most common ones, used throughout all seventeen Legions (except Death Guard, of course).
9-10
Compel Action: Full Opposed: Yes Range: 5m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: WP 40 Description: This power allows the psyker to force other to briefly act against their will. The power may affect a number of targets equal to the psyker’s PR. Those affected must follow a single simple command like “Flee”, “Fall”, “Attack your friend”, etc. In the command is a potentially suicidal act, the target gets a +20 to his opposed WP test.
Inspire Action: Half Opposed: No Range: 5m x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: A number of targets in equal to the psyker’s PR immediately overcome the effects of Pinning and gain +10 resistance against Fear. Targets should remain in Range to keep these bonuses.
Short-range Telepathy
As above, plus the psyker determines the best advantage or tool that the subject can use for the situation. As above, plus the psyker may offer a single sentence of advice concerning the clearest path of their answer.
Reading Action: Full Opposed: No Range: 5m x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: Diviners can read a person’s aura, their projection into the Warp. The level of information he gains depends of the PR: 1-3 The psyker impressions about the three strongest emotions that the subject is currently experiencing, his psychic ability and a rough idea of his mental and physical wellbeing. He also understands if the target has any psychic capability. 4-5 As above, plus he gets +10 to Fellowship tests he makes against target while Reading is active. He also learns exact Wounds, Fatigue and PR of target. 6-7 As above, plus the psyker learns Insanity points, addictions or madness he is suffering from, and psychic disciplines which target possesses. 8-10 As above, plus number of Corruption points become known.
The Gate of Infinity
Action: Free Opposed: No Range: 50m x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: The psyker can send his thoughts into the minds of those around him, touching a number of targets equal to his PR. Alternatively, he may chose to make a generalized broadcast to every mind within range. Targets who do not wish to be open to such a communication can resist with an Opposed Willpower test.
Action: Extended (3) Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: No XP cost: 2,000 Prerequisites: Rank 5, WP 50 Description: The Librarian creates a rift through which he and his allies might pass. He chooses an exit point for the rift and any point within 10km x PR. The size of the rift is 2m x PR in radius. It will remain open for 1 Round x PR or until Librarian himself passes through it, at which time it will instantly close. This power is incredibly taxing and requires at least 12 hours recovery before it can be used again.
Augury
Machine Curse
Action: Extended (10) Opposed: No Range: Special Sustained: No XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: The psyker receives a vague answer to his specific question. Results depend on psyker’s PR: 1-3 The psyker determines the most dangerous opposition that the subject will face. 4-6 As above, plus the psyker also determines other negative forces (up to his PR) that may be present.
Action: Full Opposed: No Range: 20m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: WP 45 Description: The Librarian calls down a terrible curse upon single vehicle (such a battle tank) or a number to mechanical devices (such as guns or servitors) equal to his PR. If a single vehicle is targeted then it may not move or fire any of weapons for a number of Rounds equal to the Librarian’s PR as in shorts and sparks alarmingly. If a number of mechanical devices is chosen then they will be rendered useless or switched off – cogitators will need to be restarted, guns will jam, etc.
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Might of Heroes
Iron Without
Action: Half Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: none Description: While this power is in effect, the Librarian’s melee attack all have their Damage and Penetration increased by a number equal to his PR.
Action: Extended (5) Opposed: No Range: 1km x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 2,000 Prerequisites: Rank 5, WP 60 Description: With the power of an orbital barrage, the Librarian calls down a mighty iron hammer of psychic energy with the power to lay waste to entire towns. The Librarian chooses a point within range and calls down the Iron Without. It has a radius of 100m x PR. Anything within the area of effect is subjected to a moderate earthquake, inflicting 3d10 x PR damage on all structures, possibly causing them to collapse (inflicting up to 3d10 I damage on any targets within this radius from falling debris, etc). Creatures within the area must make a Hard (-20) Agility test to remain standing. This power cannot be used Fettered, and doesn’t work indoors. It’s extraordinary taxing and inflicts 1d5 levels of Fatigue on the Librarian. In addition, he may not attempt to use the power again for at least 24 hours.
Emperors Children Powers Ultimate Sacrifice Action: Half or Reaction Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,500 Prerequisites: Rank 3, WP 50 Description: When this power is in effect, and Space Marines are fighting against a Horde, the enemy must pass a Willpower test in order to direct its ranged attacks at any other target than the Emperor’s Children Librarian.
Night Lords Powers
Shining Exemplar
Fear the Darkness
Action: Full Opposed: No Range: 5m radius x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: While this power is in effect, the Librarian can allow a number of allies equal to his PR within range of power to use one of his characteristics.
Action: Half Opposed: Yes Range: 25m x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: WP 40 Description: The power affects a number of foes equal to the Librarian’s PR. Those affected count all enemies as having the Fear 1 trait. Enemies that already cause Fear have their Fear rating increased by 1 (to maximum of Fear 4). If the power is sustained, targets may attempt a WP test at the start of their turn to shake off its effects, the test is made with -5 x PR penalty.
Fury of the Emperor Action: Full Opposed: No Range: 10m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: WP 40 Description: The Librarian creates a psychic apparition in a form of two-headed imperial eagle which charges in a straight line towards the enemy. All those caught on its way suffer 1d5 x PR Energy damage with Penetration equal to PR and must make a Pinning test with a penalty of -5 x PR.
Cloak of Terror
Iron Warriors Warriors Powers
Action: Half Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: The Night Lord Librarian shrouds himself into an invisible psychic cloak of fear and misery, gaining Fear 2 trait as long as he sustains this power. Every 2 degrees of success on Focus Power test increase Fear rating by 1, to maximum of Fear 4.
Iron Within
Nightmare Seizures
Action: Half Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: Rank 3, WP 50 Description: While this power is in effect, the Iron Warriors Librarian counts as equipped with an invisible to those without psychic sight Astartes Thunder Hammer (2d10+5 E, Pen 3 x PR, Power Field, Concussive, Unwieldy).
Action: Extended (spec.) Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: No XP cost: 2,000 Prerequisites: Rank 5, WP 50 Description: The Librarian of Night Lords experiences the same nightmares as his Primarch Night Haunter has. This psychic power can’t be activated; it may only activate itself unexpectedly.
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The chance of activation is equal to Librarian’s PR on 1d100 roll, and is checked every night after a battle or some other stressful event (meeting with Primarch or the Emperor, etc). If the power is activated, Night Lord suffers from nightmares and visions of future, full of death, betrayal and brothers slaying their brothers. He receives +1d5 Insanity points and +20 to all tests for the next day, because he predicted some of the events of this day.
World Eaters Powers Blood Chainaxe Action: Half Opposed: No Range: 10m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: none Description: The World Eaters’ Librarian hurls a blazing crimson chainaxe into one enemy, it flies at a strait line towards its target. Any creature (friend or foe) that the chainaxe passes through on its path suffers 1d10 x PR Rending damage that is not reduced by Toughness bonus. Armor and cover protect as normal.
Primarch’s Strength Action: Half Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: Focusing his hatred and will, the World Eaters’ Librarian enhances his strength and summons up a deep well of rage. While this power is in effect, he adds +5 x PR to his Strength (to a maximum of 95).
Luna Wolves Powers Wolves’ Howl Action: Full Opposed: No Range: 20m radius x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: The Librarian emits a terrifying warp-howl of a hundred thousand wolves which hits the battlefield around him. All those within range of the power (friends or foes, not including the Librarian) make a Fear test with a penalty of -5 x PR. In addition, anyone in the area must make a Toughness test with +10 bonus or be deafened for 1d10 rounds.
Teeth of the Wolf Action: Full Range: 1m x PR XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none
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Opposed: No Sustained: Yes
Description: While this power is in effect, the Librarian of Luna Wolves or a target of his choosing increases his WS by +5 x PR (to a maximum of 95).
War Cry Action: Half Opposed: Yes Range: 5m radius x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: WP 40 Description: With a terrifying cry, the Librarian demoralizes and stuns nearby foes (equal to his PR). Those affected cannot use Reaction from the end of the Librarian’s turn to the start of his next turn.
Word Bearers Powers The Golden Son Action: Full Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 2,000 Prerequisites: Rank 5, WP 50 Description: The Librarian is transformed into a radiant being suffused with the power of Primarch Lorgar. While this power is in effect, the Librarian gains the Fear 3 trait against any enemies in sight, while friendly Space Marines within 20m instantly regain 1d5 lost Cohesion if they have suffered any Cohesion damage, otherwise they gain 1 bonus point of Cohesion.
Glory of the Emperor Action: Half Opposed: No Range: 10m radius x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 2,000 Prerequisites: Rank 5, WP 50 Description: The Librarian bathes a number of allies equal to his PR in the glory of the Emperor. This divine light heals Wounds equal to the Librarian’s PR (Critical Damage cannot be restored). Channeling this power is difficult and draining, and a Librarian of Word Bearers may use it only a number of times per day equal to his Willpower bonus.
Righteous Blast Action: Half Opposed: No Range: 20m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: Rank 3, Corruption 10 Description: This new psychic power discovered by Word Bearers Librarians under command of First Captain Kor Phaeron, unleashes forward raw hatred and the most concentrated spite. It inflicts 3d10 + PR Energy damage with Penetration of 10 and the Flame and Tearing Qualities to a single unfortunate target.
Alpha Legion Powers
Cults of Thousand Sons
Hydrae Shroud
The Thousand Sons Legion is unique amongst other brother Legions, because many of its Space Marines possess a psychic ability of different power and potential, often much greater than abilities of their brothers from other Legions. This power is harnessed and developed by Legion five cults: Corvidae, Pyrae, Pavoni, Athanaean and Raptora. All cults have a different choice of psychic powers available to its members, and purchase of psychic powers from another cult is difficult and its XP cost is increased by 3.
Action: Half or Reaction Opposed: Yes Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,500 Prerequisites: Rank 3, WP 40 Description: While this power is in effect, the Librarian is effectively invisible to all others, though he may be discovered by other means like auspexes or Psyniscience test. Even an attack by the psyker doesn’t make him appear, enemy is just allowed an opposed Willpower test every turn the Librarian makes an active Action (any Full Action).
Mark of Doom Action: Half Opposed: Yes Range: 5m x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 2,000 Prerequisites: Rank 5 Description: As long as this power is in effect, all successful melee or ranged attacks against one target will gain a bonus to damage equal to the Librarian’s PR. In addition, any instances of Righteous Fury from these attacks against him automatically occur without the need to pass a WS or BS test.
Mask of Shadows Action: Half or Reaction Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: WP 50 Description: The Librarian hides his mind from sight, confounding the efforts of enemies to psychically engage him. While this power is in effect, the Librarian receives +30 to his opposed WP test to resist enemy psychic power which target him. In addition, the psyker suffers no ill effects to Cohesion or Willpower as a result of Fear.
Divination (Covidae cult) Action: Extended (3) Opposed: No Range: Special Sustained: No XP cost: 750 Prerequisites: WP 40 Description: The psyker can use this power to locate and track down a single object or person in his immediate vicinity. The psyker can find anything, but there must be some degree of familiarity. The psyker’s Focus Power test is modified as follows: • The psyker in intimately familiar with target: +10 • The psyker possesses a portion of the subject: +5 • The subject is surrounded by others of its kind: -10 • The subject is within 50m x PR from psyker: +5 • The subject is over 2km away: -10 If the psyker successfully manifests the power, and the target is within number of kilometers equal to one-half of PR rounded up, then he gets a rough idea of where the subject is located, based on his PR: 1-3 The psyker knows the rough direction of the subject. 4-6 The psyker knows the specific direction of the subject, and roughly how far away it is. 7-9 As above, but psyker knows exactly how far away it is.
Possibility Shield (Covidae cult) Action: Half Opposed: No Range: 5m radius x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: WP 40 Description: While this power is active, the psyker and a number of allies equal to his PR within range of the psyker gain a +10 bonus to any one test each Round. In addition, the psyker adds +5 x PR to his Dodge and Parry tests.
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Veil of Time (Covidae cult) Action: Half Opposed: No Range: 5m radius x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,500 Prerequisites: Rank 3, WP 40 Description: Each round the Librarian has a pool or re-rolls, equal to ½ to the PR used for this power (rounding up), which he may use only for himself. Any re-rolls not used by the beginning of the Librarian’s next turn are lost. A re-roll my never itself be re-rolled.
Battle Precognition (Covidae cult) Action: Full Opposed: No Range: 5m x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 2,000 Prerequisites: Rank 5, WP 50 Description: As long as this power is active, the Librarian gains +20 bonus to all WS and BS tests, and Ballistic Skill tests against him are at a -30 penalty. Additionally, all allies in range benefit from this protection, as all Ballistic Skill tests against them suffer -10 penalty. This power cannot be used at Fettered level.
Foreshadow (Covidae cult) Action: Full Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: No XP cost: 750 Prerequisites: none Description: Until the end of his next turn, the Librarian gains a +30 bonus to any one skill test.
Astral Aim (Covidae cult) Action: Half Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,500 Prerequisites: Rank 3, WP 30 Description: The Librarian and a number of allies equal to his PR can shoot targets they would not normally be able to see, such as through walls, in complete darkness or through shrouding mist. When resolving a shooting attack against such targets, ignore any penalties to hit which cover or concealment would grant the target. Cover functions as normal, however, and doors, walls and bulkheads will still provide armor points to those on the other side.
Divine Shot (Covidae cult) Action: Free Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: No XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: WP 35 Description: This power enables the Librarian to make near impossible ranged shots, allowing him to strike virtually any target you can perceive. When the near-infinite paths of potential future trajectories are analyzed, the Librarian shoots and while the damage may vary, the attack cannot be avoided in any way. In effect, he automatically hits
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any one target you can see within weapon Range. He may guide as many shots as his PR.
Flaming Death (Pyrae cult) Action: Full Opposed: No Range: 30m Sustained: No XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: The Librarian shoots a cone of flame which hits everyone on its path. The qualities of this raging fire are as follows: 2d10+6 E, Pen 2 x PR, Flame.
Hellfire (Pyrae cult) Action: Half Opposed: No Range: 50m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: Rank 3, WP 40 Description: The Librarian picks a point within range and engulfs it in a cloud of flame with a radius 2m x PR. All those within the area will suffer 1d10 Energy damage x PR with Flame quality.
Cleansing Flame (Pyrae cult) Action: Half Opposed: No Range: 1m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: none Description: The Librarian is momentarily surrounded by a flame which lashes outwards of him in all directions, inflicting 2d10 +3 x PR Energy damage with Flame and Shocking qualities to all targets in the range.
Endure Flames (Pyrae cult) Action: Half Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: The Librarian can endure the most severe flames, as long as this power is active. He is immune to damage from all weapons with Flame quality, and reduces the damage inflicted by Plasma, Las and Melta type weapons by half before reduction for armor and Toughness bonus (round the results down).
Firestorm (Pyrae cult) Action: Full Opposed: No Range: 30m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 1,500 Prerequisites: Rank 5, WP 50 Description: The Librarian creates a number of bolts of flame equal to his PR and hurls them at his foes. Each bolt deals 1d10 +2 x PR Energy damage with Flame quality.
Iron Arm (Pavoni cult)
Seal Wounds (Pavoni cult)
Action: Half or Reaction Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 750 Prerequisites: none Description: While this power is in effect, the Librarian gains one additional Reaction each round that may be used only to Parry, with a bonus on the Weapon Skill test to Parry equal to 3 x PR. In addition, the Librarian increases his Unnatural Strength trait for any actions by this hand (damage, Strength tests, etc) by one. Note that this power prevents the Librarian from using this arm for any other purpose.
Action: Half Opposed: No Range: 5m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: WP 40 Description: The Libraries repairs damaged flesh with the powers of Pavoni temple. The target removes 1d10 +1 x PR damage. If used more than once in 24 hours, then target should make a Toughness test or suffer 1d5 damage instead of healing.
Lightning Storm (Pavoni cult) Action: Half Opposed: No Range: 30m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: The Librarian conjures up lethal bolts of lightning, dealing 1d10 Energy damage x PR with a Penetration equal to his PR. Any creatures within 1m x PR of target will also be affected by Lightning Storm.
Blood Boil (Pavoni cult) Action: Half Opposed: Yes Range: 10m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 1,500 Prerequisites: Rank 3, WP 40 Description: The target of a Blood Boil will suffer 1d10 Energy damage +2 x PR which is not reduced by armor or Toughness. If the target is killed by this attack then he explodes in a hot crimson shower, spattering those nearby with scalding blood. All creatures within 5 meters of an exploding target take 2d10 Energy damage to their least armored location. Manifesting Blood Boil is taxing for a Librarian, and inflicts 1 level of Fatigue upon him, whether or not the target resists.
Cellular Control (Pavoni cult) Action: Half Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: WP 50 Description: The Librarian may modify his body chemistry for the one of the following effects per PR: • Gain immunity to all poisons. • Ignore the effects of extremes of temperature, and reduce all damage from weapons with Flame quality by 1. • Increase any one Characteristic by +10. • Gain immunity to Fatigue. • Count as though wearing a void suit in vacuum (he still needs to breathe). • Gain Regeneration (3) trait. • Gain Fear rating 1 against your enemies. • Receive +30 bonus to Disguise tests.
Astrotelepathy (Athanaean cult) Action: Full Opposed: No Range: See below Sustained: No XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: Librarians may use their gifts to send psychic messages and communications across the vastness of the void in the same manner as an Astropath. It requires one full round to activate a message of roughly 10 words or one image it contains. The range is based on the Librarians Psy rating: 1-3 Same system 4-7 Sub-sector 8-9 Sector 10 Galaxy
Dominate (Athanaean cult) Action: Full Opposed: Yes Range: 10m x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,000 Prerequisites: Compel, WP 50 Description: The psyker may take over the mind of another, controlling him as if he was a puppet. The Librarian may control only a single target who has his total Wounds less than 3 times the psyker’s PR. For as long as the psyker maintains this power, he can divide his Actions between himself and the target. The dominated target suffers -10 to all tests due to the crudity of the control. Any action deemed suicidal allows the target an opposed Willpower test to break free.
Long-range Telepathy (Athanaean cult) Action: Free Opposed: No Range: 50km x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 750 Prerequisites: WP 40 Description: This functions just the same as Short-range telepathy, but with an extended range. In addition, once the Librarian learns this power, he no longer incurs a chance of invoking Psychic Phenomenae when using either Short- or Longrange Telepathy unless he Pushed it.
Mind Probe (Athanaean cult) Action: Extended (5) Range: 1m x PR XP cost: 750
Opposed: Yes Sustained: Yes
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Prerequisites: Long-range Telepathy Description: This power allows the psyker to peel back the layers of another’s mind to read the basic surface thoughts and beyond. It works only against a single target, and if the psyker wants to perform the Probe without the target’s knowledge, then the psyker takes a -20 penalty to his Focus Power test and cannon Push the power. The amound of information gained depends of his PR. 1-3 The psyker makes initial contact and learns basic information about the target such as his name, mood, Insanity level and state of physical health. 4-5 As above, plus the psyker can sense the thoughts uppermost in the target’s mind, he also learns the target’s Corruption level. 6-7 As above, plus the psyker can sort through target’s memories over the last 12 hours. The psyker can also glean less casual information that the subject hides, such as simple passwords or recent secret experiences. 8-9 As above, plus the psyker gains detailed information about people, places or objects that the target considers important, as well as how all these relate to each other. The psyker learns target’s beliefs, motivations, personal goals, contacts and hidden ciphers. 9-10 As above, but psyker reads target’s mind as an open book, no secrets are hidden from him. He may even break through implanted personalities and memories now.
Weaken Resolve (Athanaean cult) Action: Half Opposed: Yes Range: 5m x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: This power can affect number of foes equal to PR. Those affected have their Willpower characteristic reduces by -5 x PR (to a minimum of 1). If this power is sustained, targets are allowed a new opposed Willpower test at the start of each of their turns.
Kine Shield (Raptora cult) Action: Full Opposed: No Range: 5m radius x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 1,500 Prerequisites: WP 40 Description: The Librarian fashions a spherical shell around himself and nearby allies. It provides 2 AP x PR against all kinds of ranged attacks or hazardous environmental effects. However, it doesn’t stop melee attack or creatures that may pass through it without restriction.
Force Barrier (Raptora cult) Action: Full Range: Self
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Opposed: No Sustained: Yes
XP cost: 1,500 Prerequisites: WP 40 Description: While this power is in effect, and as long as the Librarian does not move, he gains 3 AP x PR to all locations. In addition, if this power is manifested with a PR of 5 or more, all ranged attacks count as having a Penetration of 0.
Mind over Matter (Raptora cult) Action: Half Opposed: No Range: 5m x PR Sustained: Yes XP cost: 500 Prerequisites: none Description: While this power is in effect, the Librarian may lift, move or push any objects which weight doesn’t exceed 10 kg per PR. Lighter objects, with weight of 5 kg per PR can be thrown for 1d10 +1 per every 5 kg of weight Impact damage. The Librarian may also use objects at the distance, as if operating by his own hands. In case situation needs a Characteristic test, he uses a Willpower test instead.
Ripping Apart (Raptora cult) Action: Full Opposed: Yes Range: 10m x PR Sustained: No XP cost: 2,000 Prerequisites: Rank 3, WP 50 Description: The Librarian tries to rip his target apart by his psychic power. Inflict 1d10 +1 x PR Impact damage to the target, and +1 Critical damage to the targeted body part per degree of success on opposed Willpower test.
Psychic Blade (Raptora cult) Action: Half Opposed: No Range: Self Sustained: Yes XP cost: 2,000 Prerequisites: Rank 5 Description: Once manifested, treat the Psychic Blade as a sword wielded by the Librarian (though it doesn’t require a free hand) that required no Melee Training to use, but cannot Parry. To strike with it, the psyker uses their Willpower rather than Weapon Skill. On successful hit, the weapon deals 1d10 +2 x PR Rending damage with Razor Sharp and Felling (1) qualities. In addition, the weapon has Penetration equal to PR x 2.
