All Space Marines take their oaths seriously, but few hold them in such reverence as the Black Templars. They spend the hours before battle in deep prayer and contemplation before declaring an unbreakable vow before the God-Emperor and their brothers. Their ancestral vows are so important that they forgo the usual Space Marine playbook in favour of an Army Rule that better fits the Black Templar modus operandi, backed up by three new Detachments.
Each vow is a solemn do-or-die promise to perform in the eyes of the Emperor. Black Templars follow their chosen Templar Vow with unshakeable conviction – never keeping their eyes off the prize even as other Space Marines chop and change their Oath of Moment target from turn to turn.
ABHOR THE WITCH, DESTROY THE WITCH
Each time this unit declares a charge, if one or more targets of that charge have the PSYKER keyword, you can re-roll the Charge roll. Melee weapons equipped by models in this unit have the [PRECISION] ability while targeting PSYKER units.
ACCEPT ANY CHALLENGE, NO MATTER THE ODDS
Each time this unit makes a melee attack, if the Strength characteristic of that attack is less than or equal to the Toughness characteristic of the target, add 1 to the Wound roll.
SUFFER NOT THE UNCLEAN TO LIVE
This unit is eligible to declare a charge in a turn in which it Fell Back, and each time a model in this unit makes a Pile-in or Consolidation move, it does not need to end that move closer to the closest enemy model, provided it ends that move as close as possible to the closest enemy unit.
UPHOLD THE HONOUR OF THE EMPEROR
If this unit has the INFANTRY keyword:
At the end of your Command phase, if this unit is within range of an objective marker you control, that objective marker remains under your control until your opponent's Level of Control over that objective marker is greater than yours at the end of a phase.
If the mission you are playing features Actions, this unit is eligible to start to perform an Action in a turn in which it Advanced.
This rule replaces the regular Oath of Moment Army Rule shared by other Space Marine chapters, and gives Sigismund’s heirs a wider suite of abilities to pick from at the start of a game. Crusades going up against high-Toughness units like Chaos Knights and big Tyranid beasties can pick Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds to improve their Wound rolls, while enemy Psykers live in mortal fear of Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch.
To access Templar Vows, all you need to do is include units with the Black Templars faction keyword in your army or pick one of the three Detachments found in their Codex Supplement. You’ll have to abide by a few restrictions – no Psykers, naturally – and they’re all laid out neatly in the new Heirs of Sigismund rule.
HEIRS OF SIGISMUND
If an ADEPTUS ASTARTES unit has a second Faction keyword on its datasheet, that Faction keyword is the name of that unit's Chapter. For example, High Marshal Helbrecht has both the ADEPTUS ASTARTES and BLACK TEMPLARS Faction keywords, and is therefore from the Black Templars Chapter.
You cannot include units from more than one Chapter in your army.
If your army includes one or more units from the Black Templars Chapter or you are using one of the Detachments found on the following pages:
ADEPTUS ASTARTES units from your army lose the Oath of Moment army rule (if they have it), and it is replaced with the Templar Vows army rule (see above).
You cannot use the 1st Company Task Force Detachment (see Codex: Space Marines).
Your army cannot include any ADEPTUS ASTARTES PSYKER models.
Your army cannot include the following datasheets from Codex: Space Marines: Gladiator Lancer; Gladiator Reaper; Gladiator Valiant; Impulsor; Land Raider Crusader; Repulsor; Repulsor Executioner; Sternguard Veteran
As in previous Codex Supplements, several datasheets – such as the Gladiator tanks and Sternguard Veterans – have their own Black Templars version with different rules and weapon options, so the originals can’t be taken in these armies. Templars respect the Rule of Three!
This new flexibility gives the Black Templars more ways to channel their zeal than simply hacking anything funny-looking to pieces. Those who adopt the new Vindication Task Force Detachment see it as their holy quest to reclaim and purify the God-Emperor’s rightful domain, and they’re so dedicated to their mission that Crusader Squads will actually give up the chance to get closer to their foes if it puts them nearer to an objective instead. Utter madness.
DETACHMENT RULE
VINDICATION TASK FORCE: PURGE AND SANCTIFY
Each time an attack targets an ANCIENT unit from your army, if that unit is within range of one or more objective markers and the Strength characteristic of that attack is greater than the Toughness characteristic of that unit, subtract 1 from the Wound roll.
Each time a CRUSADER SQUAD unit from your army makes a Righteous Zeal move, that unit can end that move as close as possible to the closest objective marker instead of as close as possible to the closest enemy unit.
It’s also a great way to take the new Crusade Ancient for a spin, as loads of the Detachment’s Enhancements and Stratagems use units with the ANCIENT keyword as the lynchpin of an impenetrable defensive strategy. Layer up their Detachment rule with a Consecrating Aura to make a big Bodyguard squad of 20 Crusaders extra difficult to shift, then keep Refusal to Yield on hand in case someone snipes the boss out from his squad – it’s incredible value for just a single Command point.
ENHANCEMENT
VINDICATION TASK FORCE: CONSECRATING AURA
ADEPTUS ASTARTES model only. Models in the bearer's unit have a 5+ invulnerable save.
REFUSAL TO YIELD
VINDICATION TASK FORCE – EPIC DEED STRATAGEM (1CP)
Where honour is upheld, the emperor's divinity may manifest to grant his pious warrior new strength.
WHEN: Any phase, just after an ANCIENT model from your army is destroyed.
TARGET: That ANCIENT model. You can use this Stratagem on that model even though it was
just destroyed.
EFFECT: At the end of the phase, set your model back up on the battlefield, as close as possible to where it was destroyed and not within Engagement Range of one or more enemy units, with its full wounds remaining.
RESTRICTIONS: You cannot target the same model with this Stratagem more than once per battle.
This Detachment pairs wonderfully with the Uphold the Honour of the Emperor Templar Vow that gives all of your INFANTRY ‘sticky’ objectives, supercharging your ability to take and hold ground with big, resilient Crusader Squads. That’s not to say you can’t just pitch a horde of screaming Templars into the melee, though, and the Companions of Vehemence Detachment gets you there fast with important re-rolls for all of your Charge and Advance moves.
Finally, the Godhammer Assault Force is for those who think that walking is too mundane for the Emperor’s own angels and would rather hurl them up the battlefield in the safety of an armoured Transport. Many of its rules have a little extra oomph if the target hopped out of a Transport that turn, and if that doesn’t make you see endless squadrons of Land Raiders disgorging Sword Brethren when you close your eyes, you need to indulge your imagination.
You’ll be able to get your own crusade going when Black Templar pre-orders go up on the Warhammer webstore this Saturday.
