Don’t miss all these BIG rules that have been revealed for the new Imperial Knights Points, Units, & Freeblades in 8th Edition Warhammer 40k!
Imperial Knights are right around the corner. It’s probably a good idea to pre-order your codex if you haven’t already. Here is the latest breakdown on what we’ve already heard rumors on for the last several week’s rules wise for the Knight warlord traits, artifacts, and rules.
Let’s take a look the latest for the units themselves, and what the Freeblades will be getting in the new book.
Dominus Class-Knight
These knights will have the same stat line from normal Knights except they’ll have 28 wounds. They can not take a melee weapon. You’ll still get 12 attacks at strength 8 with titanic feet.
Dual Plasma Core Explosion: roll 2d6 and if you roll a 6 on one of the rolls, everything within 2d6 range suffers D6 mortal wounds. If you 6s on both dice, the range is increased to 3d6 inches.
The chassis will cost about 500 points for the Dominus Knights. Both arm weapons will cost 0 points. But you will have to pay for the missiles and extra dakka.
Knight Castellan
Base Loadout: 605
- 2x Siege Breaker Cannons: 48″ range heavy 2D3, S7 -1AP D3 damage.
- Shield-Breaker Rockets Heavy 1 S10 -4AP D6 damage. The Shield breaker missile can only be fired once per turn, invulnerable saves cannot be taken by wounds from this weapon.
- 4 melta guns (well 2 assault two melta weapons)
- Plasma Decimator 48″ Range 2D6 Shots S7 -3AP 1D Overcharged: S8 -3AP 2D. The bearer suffers 1 mortal wound after all shots have been resolved. There is a relic replacement for this weapon called “Cawl’s Wrath”. Cawl’s Wrath: (Mechanicus Only) S8 -4AP 2D Overcharged: S9 -4AP 3D and the bearer suffers 1 mortal wound for hit rolls of 1.
- Volcano Lance: 80″ range heavy D6. S14 -5AP 3D3 damage. Reroll failed wound rolls when targeting titanic units.
Knight Valiant
Base Loadout: 595 Points
- Conglaguration Cannon: 18″ 3D6 S7 -2 2 Damage autohits!
- Tundercoil Harpoon 12″S16 -6 10Damage extra d3 MW to vehicles and monsters
- 4 melta guns (well 2 assault two melta weapons)
- Siege Breaker Cannons: 48″ range heavy 2D3, S7 -1AP D3 damage.
- 2x Shield-Breaker Rockets Heavy 1 S10 -4AP D6 damage. The Shield breaker missile can only be fired once per turn, invulnerable saves cannot be taken by wounds from this weapon.
It will also cost a few more to rotate the Dominus’ ion shields
Canis Rex
This is a named Freeblade Character Knight.
Loadout: 450 POints
- Las-Impulsor: 36″ range Heavy 2D6 S6 -2AP D3 damage. High Intensity: 18″ range Heavy D6 S12 -4AP D6 damage.
- Freedom’s Hand: S16 -4AP 2D6 damage with minimum 6 flat damage.
Canis Rex has the following Freeblade Quality and Burden. His Warlord trait is -1 ld to all enemies within 12″ warlord trait for 450 points.
- Legendary Hero : Once per battle, you may reroll a single dice for this model.
- Obsessed with Vengeance: Freeblade can only target and charge the closest enemy unit.
The cool thing about this model is that when this model dies and does not explode, you can get sir Hektor out of the knight within 3″ and the model doesn’t count as destroyed until Hektor is killed. He has a pistol that is S5 -2AP 2D.
Armiger Warglaives
The Thermal Spear and Chainsword are going to cost 0 points on their loadout. Bringing these guys down to 160 points.
Loadout:
- Thermal Spear- D3 -4AP D6 damage
- Chain Cleaver- SX2 -3AP 3 damage
Armiger Helveren
The Helveren will cost 170 points base with no cost to wargear either.
Loadout
- 2X Armiger Autocannons- Heavy 2D3 S7 -1AP 3 damage.
Imperial Knights Point reduction
- The Chasis for knights is going down to 285 points. (35 point drop)
- Avenger Gatling Cannon has gone down 20 points.
- All other point costs for knights are the same.
Imperial Knights Detachments
- If your army consists of more than one Knight and is Battleforged, all Knights must be from the same Household.
- They will all gain the same household tradition with the exception of Freeblade Knights.
- If your detachment has 3 or more Knights, you must select 1 Knight to gain the Character keyword.
- You only gain Command Point benefits for taking 3 or more Knights in a detachment.
- Command Points will only be obtained by taking 3 Questoris Knights or Dominus Knights (You don’t get command points for spamming Armigers.)
Imperial Freeblades
Freeblades will get qualities and burdens since they do not get buffs from Household traits. You may choose a single quality or roll 2D6 and get 2 random qualities. You may also pick 2 burdens or roll for 1. At the start of your turn, you must roll a leadership check and if you roll over your Knight’s Morale, the Burden activates. There is also a way to make them +1 Morale to help with passing this old style leadership test:
Qualities
- Legendary Hero : Once per battle, you may reroll a single dice for this model.
- Last of their Line: Reroll hit rolls of 1 for attacks against units with 10 or more models
- Indomitable: Add 1 to Freeblades wounds and LD
- Peerless Warrior: Roll a d6 and on a 1-3 add 2 to move characteristic. On 4-5, improve weapon characteristic by 1. on a 6, improve the ballistic skill by 1.
- Mysterious Guardian: Freeblade can perform heroic interventions 6″.
- Sworn to a Quest: Reroll hit rolls of 1 when it targets a Warlord and gains Objective Secured.
Burdens
- Exiled in shame: Freeblade cannot be affected by stratagems
- Weary machine spirit: Half wounds for warlord when determining statline characteristics
- Haunted by Failure: Reroll hit rolls of 6
- Obsessed with Vengeance: Freeblade can only target and charge the closest enemy unit.
- Driven to Slaughter: Freeblade cannot fall back and BS changes to 6+
- Impetuous Nature: Every move the Freeblade makes must take it closer to the enemy model and must declare a charge against every enemy unit within 12″
The combination of Mechanicus and Questor rules will be enough to fill a normal sized 8th edition codex, here is the rumored breakdown:
- 120+ page codex
- 12 Knight Datasheets (one fortification)
- 9 Traditions (House Rules)
- 29 Stratagems
- 6 Generic Warlord Traits, including the 4+ inv we saw already, command point buffs, and re-rolls etc.
- 9 House Warlord Traits including a -1 to hit your warlord out of 18″
- 22 Relics! Wow if Cawl’s super plasma cannon, and the 2+ sv above any indication, these will be worth more than a second glance.
- Freeblade chart, which includes 6 bonuses and 6 drawbacks to use for customizing your very own character. Canis Rex comes preloaded with a bonus and a negative already (as well as a warlord trait).
Knights are going to be absolutely ridiculous for any Imperial army. You don’t have to run an army of Knights! Just ally one in to be a backbone for the rest of your units.
What do you think about the Codex? What Knights will you be getting? Let us know in the comments over on our Facebook Hobby Group.
Catch the Latest on Warhammer 40k
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
