Check out the full 40k rules for Chapter Master Kayvaan Shrike from the Raven Guard codex supplement book. It’s death from above time!
We’ve seen bits and pieces of his rules so far, and without a doubt, he looks to be a master of precision strikes.
Primaris Kayvaan Shrike: Raven Guard Full Rules REVEALED
First things first Shrike is only 130 points, he’s not that expensive and with his chapter master ability, he may just be in every Raven Guard list.
Starting off with Shrike’s new stat line, he’s still T4 but has a giant 14″ movement and 6 attacks (now 7 when he charges in thanks to shock assault). He’s meant for quick and tactical attacks over anything else. Remember he gets +1 to Hits and Wounds against characters with the Surgical Strike ability paired with the Tactical Doctrine.
Blackout is an 18″ pistol that can target characters and hits hard. It can also cause a few lucky mortal wounds. He really shines in melee. His Raven Talons are only S4 but if the Assault Doctrine is active, they’re boosted up to a -4 AP 2 damage lightning claw that rerolls wounds. That’s potentially 14 damage from one model if you make all your wound rolls!
Shrike is a Chapter Master now letting you re-roll all hit rolls for friendly units within 6″. However, he’s also giving a re-rollable charge bonus to Jump Pack units and Phobos units within 6″ of himself. We might be seeing largely primaris lists to take full advantage of this. Keep in mind it looks like you will need to take something else with the no overwatch ability to charge first as Shrike may need to charge last to keep his re-roll bubble active.
If you attacking with him solo, however, he has the Shadowmaster warlord trait that negates enemy overwatch!
He also has two more abilities; Iron Halo and Grav Chute
- Iron Halo: 4+ Invulnerable save -he is a chapter master after all!
- Grav Chute: You can deep strike him in anywhere on the battlefield more than 9″ from any enemy at the end of any movement phase. Wa assume normal reinforcement rules apply here
Finally, this is a nifty little rule that probably won’t make too much of a difference in-game besides one more dead model. But when he charges in, on a 4+ you can dish out a mortal wound. It’s nice if you really need to chip off a wound of something like a Knight before it dies.
With Shrike’s rules under our belt, what do you think about the new Chapter Master? What Jump/Phobos units will you be bringing along with him for the max re-roll output? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and sign up to get your free hobby updates newsletter (with discount coupon codes) each morning as well!
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures. Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including the Adepticon Team Tournament and American Team Tournaments, and is on a first-name basis with almost every major company in the space.
He’s all gaming all the time. With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. He advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1908s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
