Our third set of Datasheets continues the love for Space Marine players. I'm gonna go ahead and just binge off these in one go. While some of these Chapters have lots of Datasheets, this should still be far less than what we saw on Friday.
DARK ANGELS
The Dark Angels saw a significant change in their special rules with the reveal on WarCom. Let's see how their signature units will support the Chapter.
Here we see our first Detachment with a Restriction in place. This one is simple, you can't include any units from another Chapter. I think maybe they should have worded this to mention the Faction Keyword, just so you're not referencing the rules in the Space Marine Index to understand how this Restriction works. But most player probably know the intention here.
Grim Resolve
The new Detachment rule allows Dark Angels to maintain OC 1 when Battle-shocked, potentially keeping them in control of objectives. While I think most would agree that this is not as powerful as Combat Doctrines, Battle-shock is legitimately looking like a thing. The big issue I think most players will have is this rule is just kinda boring.
Unforgiven Fury
Oh wow! This is awesome! Looks like they're going to be playing up that Battle-shock thing for the Unforgiven. First, this 1CP strat grants LETHAL HITS to a unit, an ability that combos well with Oath of Moment, but if any units in your army are currently Battle-shocked, you crit on 5s. This will be particularly nasty on any units with SUSTAINED HITS.
Armour of Contempt
Looks like not every strat in specific detachments will be new. This makes sense, honestly, since just because you're playing a specialized force doesn't mean that force wouldn't know the most important strategies of the faction. Imagine a detachment based around Hive Fleet Hydra not having access to Endless Swarm.
Intractable
Fall Back and Shoot and Charge for 1CP. We've seen strats like this already, but that make them less awesome.
Fire Discipline
Holy! For 1CP you're unit gets ASSAULT, HEAVY, and IGNORES COVER? Obviously ASSAULT and HEAVY are mutually exclusive, but it does mean this strat is exceptionally flexible!
Grim Retribution
For 1CP you get to shoot back at an attacking unit that destroyed one of your models. We've seen that Overwatch is still powerful, and I imagine that strats like this will be too. Your opponent will need to watch out that they either attack with tough units, or overwhelming force.
Unbreakable Lines
Oh wow! We've seen strats like this in a few factions such as Guard and Death Guard, but they've been 2CP. This 1CP strat reduces damage by 1 for the rest of the turn! Again, there doesn't appear to be limit to this, potentially causing all damage on the unit to bounce.
Shroud of Heroes
This is such a weird synergy, but it does help keep Dark Angels effective against Battle-shock heavy armies like Tyranids and Chaos Knights. This is similar to the Phoenix Gem we saw for Aeldari, but it only brings back the unit with 3 Wounds, unless the unit is Battle-shocked. Then it brings them back with full wounds.
Stubborn Tenacity
+1 to Hit if the Character is leading a unit below Starting Strength, +1 to Wound if that unit is also Battle-shocked. While again, these rules help maintain effectiveness for damaged units, I prefer to plan around dealing damage.
Heavenfall Blade
Like this enhancement! +1 to Attacks, Strengths, and Damage! And its doubled when the unit is Battle-shocked.
Pennant of Remembrance
This is the first enhancement we've seen that is really restrictive, requiring it to be used for a Bladeguard Ancient, Primaris Ancient, or Terminator Ancient. This gives the lead unit a 6+ FNP, with a 4+ FNP while Battle-shocked. That is an impressive jump in durability.
Azrael
Wow! Lion's Wrath is no joke! He is absolutely going to shred Infantry! This definitely makes his unit a prime target for Unforgiven Fury. He also just grants 1CP in your Command Phase, a 4+ Invuln, and a once per game 4+ FNP against Mortals. Oh! And he can join Hellblasters!
Belial
The master of the Death Wing looks like he's been crafted to be an assassin style character. Not only do all of his weapons come with PRECISION, but he grants PRECISION to his unit on Crits. He also just gets to strike back with Mortals when his unit gets attacked in Melee.
Sammael
Oo! I really like The Raven Sword! He grants Advance and Shoot and Charge to the Ravenwing unit he's leading. He also has Greyfax's rule for forcing Desperate Escape tests on the enemy.
Ezekiel
The Chief Librarian is also setup to kill Characters, though his sword is ANTI-CHAOS. He comes with the Psychic Hood all Librarians do, can force Battle-shock on an enemy, and he grants +1 Attacks in melee to his unit. And if you're actually trying to Battle-shock your own units so that you can get access to the strange buffs the Dark Angels have, he forces a Battle-shock test on nearby units when he dies.
Asmodai
Fitting a Chapter dedicated to hunting down traitors, the Chief Interrogator Chaplain also has plenty of PRECISION, forces Battle-shock on enemy Characters, and grants a CP if he kills one. He also grants full re-rolls to Hit in melee for his unit.
Ravenwing Talonmaster
Thanks to the special Talonmaster rule, you're free to leave this special Character speeder independent. He also has an aura style ability that grants IGNORE COVER to nearby mounted and flying units, buffing before they start marking targets. Finally he gets that free move when an enemy gets close to him.
Lazarus
While a bit more mixed in theme than the previous Epic Heroes, Lazarus is still potent with both a whopping 3+ FNP against Pyschic and Mortals and a 4+ Fight on Death.
Deathwing Strikemaster
Besides access to all the fun Terminator melee weapons, the Strikemaster also grants LETHAL HITS, with an additional +1 to Hit and Wound on units Below Half-Strength.
Deathwing Command Squad
It feels like this unit is slightly more restrictive than it used to be, the wargear more closely echoing core Terminator units. Unfortunately, this might mean players will have to change out some of their models in existing builds.
Deathwing Terminator Squad
Strangely, this unit gets the same rule as core Terminators, just under a different name.
Deathwing Knights
Inner Circle returns! Well, at least for Deathwing Knights . . . It's now -1 to Damage, again with no limit. Does this literally mean this unit is immune to Damage 1 weaponry?
Ravenwing Command Squad
The bike version of the Command Squad gets the same special rules as the Terminators do. So which you bring is going to be determined by if you want speed or durability.
Ravenwing Black Knights
Black Knights are positioned as an ANTI-MONSTER/VEHICLE unit, fitting their ancestry.
Ravenwing Darkshroud
Interesting! Though the weaponry on this speeder is underwhelming, it grants an AURA of both Stealth and the Benefit of Cover.
Ravenwing Landspeeder Vengeance
Similar to the Invicta, this Land Speeder gets to make a retributive strike to punish an enemy that manages to destroy one of your units.
Ravenwing Dark Talon
Oh wow! That rift cannon is a thing! Plus not only can this unit strafe with some mortal wounds, it can seriously pin an enemy unit in place.
Nephilim Jetfighter
Many people have noted the lack of -1 to Hit against Aircraft. But not only does the Nephilim come with it, it gets -1 to wound against models with Fly too.
Lion El'Johnson
We've already previewed The Lion, and he's an absolute beast! I just can't imagine playing Dark Angels and not bringing this beautiful model.
BLOOD ANGELS
We've already seen Red Thirst, which looks generically strong. In many ways you're trading the consistent damage it brings for the incredible flexibility of Doctrines. But lets see if their rules make up for it.
Angels Sacrifice
Did the enemy manage to kill one of your combat hungry Characters? You now get re-roll Hits against that unit.
Aggressive Onslaught
Is your unit just outside of the newer, more restrictive rules for Consolidation? For 1CP you can get another 3" to get to grips with your next target.
Armour of Contempt
I'm guessing nearly all Chapters will get this.
Red Rampage
Is +1 Attack and Strength not enough to bring down your charge target? How 'bout LANCE and LETHAL HITS too?
Only In Death Does Duty End
Of course the Sons of Sanguinius get the Fight on Death stratagem. I feel like these Stratagems could be used consecutive for one hell of a round of combat.
Relentless Assault
While Blood Angels don't get a Fall Back and Shoot and Charge strat, they do still get to Fall Back and Charge.
Artisan of War
Improved AP and Save are generically good, especially with how hard it is to get high AP.
Visage of Death
So this is proving to be an interesting way to depict models as scary, or in the case of Rippers a nuisance. Halving OC might legitimately be pretty good, though not as good as actually inflicting Battle-shock.
Archangel's Shard
LANCE is very nice, though I feel they could have gone ahead and made this ANTI-CHAOS 4+ instead of 5.
Icon of the Angel
Blood Angels are all about tearing things up in melee. Trapping units with them is definitely good.
Astorath
Man he needs a new model! Maybe this will be the Edition the Sons of the Angel get love. We've already got new Dante. The Exectuioner's Axe looks pretty good, but granting Fight on Death and a once per game DEVASTATING wounds is awesome!
Baal Predator
Assault cannons with TWIN LINKED are already pretty awesome. But this Predator variant can Advance and still fire all its guns at Infantry.
Brother Crobulo
A 5+ FNP and his unit gets another +1 to attacks? Freaking awesome!
Captain Tycho
Blood Song has some odd stats, but MELTA 2 and DEVASTATING WOUNDS are going to absolutely destroy Infantry. He also comes with three powerful weapon rules to give his unit. His ability to go berserk when he gets hit is gravy.
Chief Librarian Mephiston
Mephiston is a beast! Not only is Vitarus one of the better melee weapons we've seen, but his Psychic powers all function in combat. Fights First is awesome, and while Transfixing Gaze can perils, -1 WS and potentially -1 Attack is brutal.
Command Dante
+1 to Charge and Hit is great! And not only does he force Battle-shock on enemies, he does so at -1!
Death Company Dreadnought
While sharing Black Rage with the rest of the Death Company, the Death Dread also gets to shoot and fight back for each attack that targets it!
Death Company Intercessors
We got to see Cawl's failure in the preview. While not the most impressive, they're ability to Overwatch or Heroic Intervention for free is still good.
Death Company Marines
The First Born that succumb to the Rage get SUSTAINED HITS 1 if below Starting Strength and SUSTAINED HITS 2 if below half strength. I've said my peace here.
Death Company Marines with Jump Packs
Assault Marines with re-roll Charges is always nice.
Furioso Dreadnought
The blood angels melee Dread looks like it can definitely tear things up. Additionally, it gets one of those rules that lets it just hand out mortals in combat.
Gabriel Seth
We saw him in the reveal too, and he definitely looks like he can destroy most Infantry.
Lemartes
Lemartes grants -1 Damage! What's up dude! I thought you were trying to give your fallen brothers honorable deaths not make them immortal! He also grants LETHAL HITS in melee.
Librarian Dreadnought
Nice! He just gets EXTRA ATTACKS with the Halberd. Additionally, Blood Lance is amazing Pychic power for trying to break through some enemy armour. He grants an Aura of 5+ FNP to everything around him. But the real kicker is he can attempt to teleport a unit once per turn.
Sanguinary Guard
Been waiting to see what they did here. San Guard were absolute terrors in 9th! Encarmine blades look like they've got the same stats as master-crafted power weapons though. The interesting thing here is that they've had their defenses buffed with -1 to Hit and -1 to Wound if your Warlord is in this unit.
Sanguinary Priest
Alright! Another way to get improved AP! This is crucial for assault armies.
The Sanguinor
I'd really like to see a new model for this too. He grants re-roll Battle-shock and Leadership, which on Marines is huge. He can also just jump into Engagement Range with an enemy from Reserves. Now why can't the Mawloc have that?
Tycho the Lost
They decided to let you field Tycho as either a regular Captain or after he succumbed to the Black Rage. In addition to giving a unit Advance and Charge, he gets a special Deadly Demise that's extra effective when fighting a Warlord.
Sanguinary Priest with Jump Pack
Another "Sir Not Appearing in this Picture", and hopefully more hints we've got jump packs coming. He's identical to his walking counterpart.
SPACE WOLVES
Sagas were probably the rule I was most interested in from the Faction Focus. They have potential to be one of the strongest or weakest Detachment rules we've seen. Each one is a stacking Army Wide buff. But to get them, you need to have certain things happen. The nice thing is that you don't have to pick a Saga ahead of time. So if you were trying to get Saga of the Bear, but ended up scoring Beastslayer, you can pick it instead.
Champions of Russ is our first Detachment that really includes some restrictions in it. This is mostly to make room for the Space Wolves unique units. But the loss of the Apothecary is kinda big.
Armour of Contempt
Yep, the Rout get it too. 'Nuff said.
Go for the Throat
Oh neat! We get strats that combo off of Sagas. So by default this is improved AP, but can also grant LANCE.
Runic Wards
A 5+ FNP against mortals and psychic attacks (4+ with Bear) feels more useful as a strat than a character ability.
Death Howl
Not only does this let you Consolidate further, but if you've completed Majesty this forces a Battle-shock test.
Warrior Pride
There you go! I really like Sagas now! For 1CP you just count as having completed a Saga for a turn.
Relentless Assault
A flat Fall Back and Shoot and Charge would have been better, but this is still nice.
The Pelt of Balewolf
Another means for the Vlka Fenryka to inflict Battle-shock. GW wants Wolves to be scary!
Black Death
Do you want Saga of the Beastslayer? This how you get Saga of the Beastslayer!
Wolf Tail Talisman
Okay, we really need to see if this can reduce damage to 0. I'm starting to see just a few of these rules . . .
Frost Weapon
And here's one for if you want a character to try and grab Warrior Born.
Logan Grimnar
We're just starting with the big man himself (at least until Russ returns.) The Axe of Morkai looks okay, as does the 1CP. But that once per game army-wide re-roll Charges and Hits in melee is awesome!
Logan Grimnar on Stormrider
He actually doesn't change between profiles. Just one can join Terminators and the other can join Thunderwolf Cavalry.
Njal Stormcaller
Did I miss Njal getting a new model? He looks so freaking awesome now! He gets an interesting set of powers. SUSTAINED HITS 2 is so thematic for his attacks. But Stormcaller grants Stealth, and Runic Armour strangely only gives -1 to Wound for Psychic attacks.
Bjorn the Fell-handed
I was kinda hoping the Trueclaw would have a bit more punch. It's good Strength and Damage but I feel it could use at least -3 AP. He gets to halve damage which is really nice, and strangely he gets a Vect ability. He's still a great model, I was just expecting something a little different.
Arjac Rockfist
Does your opponent have monsters? Well they probably still do because there's not anything to easily pair with his ANIT-MONSTER keywords. Might have to mine the Space Marine Index if there isn't something here. Still Wounding on 2s is nice, and he's pretty good for taking out Characters.
Ulrik the Slayer
Ulrik's ability basically lets him issue his own Oath of Moment, though he doesn't get full re-rolls unless he targets a Character, Vehicle, or Monster. Also if you hate Battle-shock, he can grant units around him Ld5+.
Ragnar Blackmane
Okay, between Frostfang, Advance and Charge, and +2 Attacks and Strength on the Charge, Ragnar will reliably end things.
Krom Dragongaze
In addition to having a below Strength ability, Krom can force a unit to take a Battle-shock test.
Harald Deathwolf
He grants DEVASTATING WOUNDS to Thunderwolves. The fact he can shrug off a failed save once per Phase is just icing.
Canis Wolfborn
If your in an Infantry meta, you can use Canis Instead. Unlike Harald, his rule applies to all weapons. And he also has a rule for dishing out mortals on the Charge.
Wolf Guard Battle Leader in Terminator Armour
Oh wow! Caught an error! I'm sure there have been others but this is the first one I remember seeing. LETHAL HITS is nice, but giving Terminators a 4+ FNP is crazy!
Wolf Lord on Thunderwolf
The generic Wolf Lord on Thunderwolf gets a nice set of abilities with a free Stratagem once per battle round for any unit and +1 to Advance and Charge for his unit. You'll probably want to include him alongside other heroes.
Wolf Guard Battle Leader on Thunderwolf
This version of the Wolf Guard keeps Tactical Precision, but instead of extra durability gets to make a once per game move in response to being shot at.
Blood Claws
+1 Attack and Strength on a Charge is good for any assault unit.
Grey Hunters
Fall Back or Advance and Shoot is a lot of tactical flexibility for any Battleline unit.
Wolf Guard
The standard bodyguard unit for Space Wolf Leaders gets +1 to Hit while being lead.
Lukas the Trickster
Lukas gets -1 to Hit, which is a generically useful defensive buff. But his real trick is a chance to inflict some mortals and Battle-shock if the enemy kills him.
Wolf Guard Terminators
Another Terminator unit that has lost a little bit of flexibility in Wargear, Wolf Guard are still a fantastic unit. And their Battle Leader makes them oppressive!
Hounds of Morkai
We saw these in the faction focus. They're good at what they do, though you'll probably want a Character to kill a Psyker whenever you can.
Wulfen
The Space Wolves fallen brethren come with a 4+ Fight on Death making them a potentially good distraction unit.
Wulfen Dreadnought
The great wolf claw gets to be AP -3! Why not the Trueclaw? Either way, the Space Wolves melee 'Nought gets mortals on the Charge to help them really break enemy units apart.
Murderfang
Murderfang also gets surprisingly reduced AP. But he at least gets TWIN-LINKED and the ability to fight back when targeted.
Thunderwolf Cavalry
Oh wow! The Ferocious Charge rule will really pair well with Harald's DEVASTATING WOUNDS. Now if we can just get them better Crits.
Fenrisian Wolves
Often taken as cheap screeners, wolves are OC 0 now. So you can screen with them and try to tie up units, but they're not holding objectives.
Skyclaws
Re-roll charges and +1 to Hit on the charge is a nice pair of rules for assault marines.
Long Fangs
The literally long in the tooth Heavy Weapons team not only gets an Armorium Cherub, but can re-roll 1s if it Remains Stationary. This is a nice set of rules for anything with a Lascannon.
Stormfang Gunship
Not only is the Helfrost a brutal weapon, but it gets to apply a movement debuff too. Strangely, the wording on this rule marks the target specifically as Frozen. Maybe there might be interaction for that later?
Stormwolf
There's an interesting rule for a Transport. If the Transport hasn't moved yet, a disembarking unit gets Advance and Charge! Given how Aircraft move, I'm not sure how useful that will be, unfortunately.
Wolf Guard Pack Leader
A nice attachment to any unit, this Character gives the unit a once per battle re-roll Battle-shock. Useful, but incredibly points dependent.
Wolf Guard Pack Leader with Jump Pack
Identical to the foot leader, but meant for your Skyclaws.
Wolf Guard Pack Leader in Terminator Armour
Okay, his ability is pretty useful. But you've got better options for leading your Terminators.
Iron Priest
Showing the strong connections of the Priesthood of Mars, this model is almost identical to a standard Tech Marine
Cyberwolf
Another popular list filler, the Cyberwolf also gets OC 0. Interestingly, this unit doesn't have Leader but still has to be attached to a unit. I'm sure we'll get an FAQ on that.
Wolf Scouts
No model here. Is this another sign new Scouts might be on the way? Either way, it gets the ability to go in Strategic Reserves if you're outside of 6" A nice, flexible unit.
Space Wolves Venerable Dreadnought
Yes! Wolves get to keep their Ven Dread! And this potent piece brings an Aura of re-roll Hits and Wounds of 1!
We end with an Armoury datasheet for those repeated weapon options that just couldn't fit on the cards. Space Wolves do have a fair amount of specialty weaponry.
BLACK TEMPLARS
Templars are probably the Chapter I have the least amount of experience with. After all, when I started there was just the big four. And I just haven't happened to have had many friends who like these extra fanatical Space Marines. Still they've had some beautiful models recently, and their Detachment rule is a nice selectable buff. Let's see what other rules they get.
Again, we get some more restrictions. The obvious one is that no Psykers can be in your army. But Templars also seem to have their own Gladiators, Impulsors, and Repulsors.
Fervant Acclamation
Like many armies where you have to pick an option, for 1CP Templars get to give one Unit another option. The restriction here is that unit must be lead by a Character.
Devout Push
Templars get a D6" move towards an attacking unit for 1CP. What's interesting is that if they've take the vow "Abhor the Witch", its 6" instead, but it's just an option to move closer to a Psyker. If they want to move closer to the firing unit, they still can.
No Escape
For 1CP you can potentially trap a unit in combat, or at least force a Desperate Escape test. Always useful!
Armour of Contempt
Templars were not going to be the Chapter that wasn't getting Armour of Contempt.
Crusader's Wrath
Nice! They get an improved AP strat too, this time with the bonus if they vowed "Suffer Not the Unclean", they get +1 to Strength.
Vicious Riposte
What's better than 4+ Fight on Death? Well, obviously just Fight on Death would be better, but getting it on 3s if you're in Honour the Emperor is good too.
Perdition's Edge
Improving Strength and AP by 1 is nice. But if you know you're in a high Toughness meta, you'll reliably get the +1 attacks too. And I'm expecting that to be the case to start.
Sigismund's Seal
The buff for if we're in an infantry heavy meta. I'm honestly not expecting this, so this might be the one left in the Reliquary.
Witchseeker Bolts
It's curious this is for ranged weapons. Never really thought of Templars as snipers.
Tannhauser's Bones
Even if you never take Honour the Emperor, this is a fantastic survivability buff.
Chaplain Grimaldus
Grimaldus was a popular include in Templar armies in 9th, and with a Commander style ability he'll probably still be popular. Right off the bat, he always has re-roll hits in melee. But each battle round he can choose from Advance and Fall Back and Charge, 5+ FNP, or improved AP. All fantastic buffs!
Crusade Squad
The classic templar unit comes with re-rolls for Advance and Charge. A very reliable unit for getting stuck in.
High Marshal Helbrecht
Looks like Hellbrecht will be a beast in combat, with high AP on both the sweep and strike. Additionally, as long as you took one of the special weapon vows, his crits on 5s will destroy things. If that wasn't enough, he gets mortals on the charge too.
Primaris Crusader Squad
The new hotness with new models gets the same rule as their First Born brethren but can also make a Scout move.
Primaris Sword Brethren
These will reliably let you take "Suffer Not the Unclean" and still have an answer to hordes. They'll have an answer for nearly anything they fight.
The Emperor's Champion
While the Black Sword isn't as impressive as Hellbrecht's, Skillful Parry is an excellent survivability buff and Sigismund's Heir helps him in those Epic Challenges.
Castellan
Another model that might prove useful backup if you're not taking LETHAL HITS for a game. As a bonus he also grants Fall Back and Shoot and Charge.
Marshal
Even if you take Hellbrecht, you might want a generic Marshal for both his free strat ability and his version of Finest Hour.
Black Templars Gladiator Lancer/Reaper/Valiant
Hmm . . . I wonder if Templars are getting their own Gladiator when their book drops? Funny thing is the only difference I can spot is the multi-meltas on the Lancer and Reaper.
Black Templars Impulsor
Again, it's got a multi-melta. On brand, but did this really need its own Datasheet?
Black Templars Repulsor/Executioner
Same thing here.
We finally end with another Armoury sheet for all the wargear that ran over. Gotta say, I'm curious about that last set of Datasheets. Not really sure what's going on there. Would it really have broken Marines if their hover tanks could have multi-meltas?
DEATHWATCH
Okay! Now here's something new!
Deathwatch come with a special rule to address their strange Kill Team variants. One complaint Deathwatch players have had in the past is that Kill Teams like Cassius can be really obnoxious to run. Let see how they simplified things.
The first simplification is that you normally use the Toughness value that is most common in the Kill Team. If there's a tie for number of models with a given Toughness, you always use the highest value. For Transports, Kill Team models that wouldn't normally fit count as 2 models, but can otherwise hop on board just fine. Finally, all Kill Teams count as Infantry for terrain.
Deathwatch also has quite a few restrictions. This makes sense since these are supposed to be veteran Space Marines. Interestingly, all flavors of Primaris are fine.
Armour of Contempt
Yep.
Teleportarium
You get to choose either two Kill Teams for this strat, or one unit without the Keyword. Looks like this is a standard feature on all their unique strats. This one does what you think it would, teleporting those units.
Adaptive Tactics
You can swap out Mission Tactics for up to two Kill Teams for 1CP. However, this is a swap, so you still only get the one. Not sure how this works with Tactics you've already chosen.
Hellfire Rounds
Looks like special issue ammunition is back as a collection of Strats. Don't think this was revealed before. In this case it's ANTI-INFANTRY 2+ and ANTI-MONSTER 5+.
Kraken Rounds
Improved AP and range is always good!
Dragonfire Rounds
In this case its ASSAULT and IGNORES COVER. Probably the most situational of these strats.
Thief of Secrets
Wow! This is improved Strength, Damage, and AP and it gets better as soon as you destroy a model.
Beacon Angelis
Deep Strike and free Rapid Ingress! If you really like hitting hard and fast, this might be the enhancement for you.
The Tome of Ectoclades
Oh wow! This is actually better than Guilliman's! This enhancement gives you Oath of Moment on two enemies for one battle round. Fantastic!
Osseus Key
This is a nice little debuff to hand out every round. Since I sincerely think we'll see plenty of Vehicles, this might be auto-include. Well, after The Tome of Ectoclades.
Watch Master
Although he needs to be your Warlord to get the full benefits, he grants Advance and Fallback and Shoot and Charge and can Vect a stratagem. Very useful, even if I'm a bit underwhelmed otherwise.
Watch Captain Artemis
This Watch Captain makes sure you can always use a strat on the unit he's leading . . . if you've got the CP. He also gets back up and stays in the fight on a 2+, though only with 1 Wound.
Kill Team Cassius
And here it is! The craziest single unit in the game! Why doesn't Kill Team have bespoke rules for this again? Either way, this unit gets DEVASTATING WOUNDS and re-roll Battle-shock. Brutal when combined with Hellfire rounds!
Deathwatch Veterans
We had this unit spoiled before, and I still find the rules interesting. That's about all I can say there.
Deathwatch Terminator Squad
Another unit eagerly awaiting new Terminator models. This unit has kept its flexible wargear upgrades. It also inflicts Battle-shock tests on charges and can use a Teleport Homer.
Veteran Bike Squad
Other than access to Deathwatch weaponry, this is just a Bike squad.
Corvus Blackstar
The Deathwatch fighter can strafe enemy units for mortal wounds on 5s. Otherwise, it's got decent weapons.
Proteus Kill Team
The Proteus Kill Team comes with +1 to Hit when targeting a unit that isn't Below Half-strength. This is the more useful half of this bonus in my opinion.
Fortis Kill Team
The unit designed to finish off what the Proteus Kill Team starts. These two are obviously meant to be fielded in pairs.
Indomitor Kill Team
The Gravis armoured Kill Team can work alongside both, possibly even forming a 1-2-3 punch. Still, of the three I think the Proteus is most useful.
Spectrus Kill Team
The Deathwatch Infiltrators can return to Strategic Reserves when you need them to. Considering how deadly some of their ranged weapons are, this could be lethal way to outflank an enemy.
Finally we get another of those overflow armoury pages.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Okay! That was another binge! And I'm betting CSM will be pretty bad too. Space Marines are going to kill me! Either way, I think I have an image in my head for each of the Chapters.
Dark Angels are weird. So many of their buffs involve things happening that you don't want to happen. Otherwise they feel very flexible and able to bring answers to nearly any situation. They'll be good, I just think they'll likely be best in Gladius. But maybe some skilled players will prove me wrong.
Blood Angels are definitely vicious. They have a lot to play up their shock assault angle. They're going to miss the opportunity for an army wide Advance and Charge, but their detachment rule is at least a constant and consistent buff.
Space Wolves are all about their characters, not all of which are impressive, but enough are to get the point across. I do think a skilled player will be able to get their Sagas up early and often, but they're definitely not a "blind charge" kind of army.
Templars on the other hand might be. It would be nice if their Enhancements weren't built around Vows you haven't taken yet. My guess is that they're going to want LETHAL HITS a lot, so it might be safe to start there. But of the three melee Marine Chapters, they definitely feel like the most simple and pure "get stuck in" force.
Deathwatch has me a bit stumped. I really can't tell if they'll be good. My gut says Doctrines are just better than Tactics. I do think it's cool that their Kill Teams feel designed to work together. And though I think having to constantly pay CP for special issue ammunition is a bit rough, Hellfire rounds will likely put in a lot of work.
But this has only just scratched the surface! I'll be honest, since I'm mostly a Tyranid fanboy, I'm going to be devoting my deep dive to that faction and maybe GSC. But I feel like there's a lot of depth between these Indexes and their parent Index. We've likely only seen the barest hints of the potential combos between these forces.
Just wait until the actual books come out!
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