Full list of Black Templars datasheets with the key rules each unit gets, plus notable weapon profile notes and what’s included.
The Black Templars codex lands inside an Army Box first, with a standalone release to follow later. But the box is really just the delivery truck. What matters for your list is the pile of new datasheets riding inside it, so that’s where we’re spending our time below, unit by unit and rule by rule.
All The New Black Templar 40k Rules: REVIEW
Updated on July 30, 2026, by Rob Baer with the latest Black Templars datasheet rules.
We pulled these rules together from GW’s own previews and the wider community breakdowns, then weighed each one the way we’d weigh it building an actual Black Templars list, so the focus below is what a rule changes on the table, not just what it says on the card. The full codex reveal sits over at Warhammer Community if you want the raw source.
The Army Box that carries all this is a 13-model set, a Marshal, the Emperor’s Champion, a 10-strong Primaris Crusader Squad, and a Redemptor, which is exactly the spread of datasheets we’re about to dig into.
New Black Templars 40k Rules Stratagems
Devout Push enables one unit that’s run out of heretics to stay on the front foot by moving back into Engagement Range and keep the momentum going.
For a single CP, Devout Push is the tidy-up tool you’ll reach for when a unit finishes its target early and finds itself standing in the open. Slide it back into Engagement Range and it either keeps swinging next turn or ties up something you’d rather your opponent didn’t get to use. Vicious Riposte and Crusader’s Wrath sit in the same melee-first pile, worth the CP on the turn you already know your unit is about to get hit back.
The second set of strats is where the Epic Deeds earn their keep. For the Emperor’s Honour is the one we’d hold for a specific problem: an enemy hammer character parked next to your line. Spend it and that character has to swing into one of your guys instead of the chaff squad it wanted to delete, which can save a whole troop unit and the objective they’re sitting on. Bombastic Delivery is more of a value play, a free extra litany that doesn’t eat your per-turn one, so you’re stacking two effects in the turn you really need them.
The third set leans on Abhor the Witch and The Emperor’s Will. Abhor the Witch is your 1CP insurance policy for the game where a psyker lands the power that would actually wreck you and you whiff the deny, a coin-flip second chance that’s saved more than a few bodies. The Emperor’s Will is quieter but useful, letting an infantry squad advance and still shoot at no penalty, which is how you claw back the range a melee army usually gives up.
The last set is all situational, but Incendiary Shells is the one that made us sit up. Black Templars want to be in melee, sure, but a max Crusader Squad loaded with shotguns doubling its damage for one CP is a nasty surprise in the shooting phase, especially against a screen you need gone before you charge.
GW also pointed players back at Wisdom of the Ancients from the core Space Marine book, which hands your massed infantry a Tactical Precision reroll for a CP when there’s no Primaris Lieutenant around to do it.
You’d be able to utilize Wisdom of the Ancients to provide your massed infantry advance with Tactical Precision in the absence of a Primaris Lieutenant.
New Black Templars 40k Traits Rules:
Starting out with Warlord traits, we actually didn’t get to see any during the previews, meaning these are all brand new! As for our best picks… Master of Arms looks good, especially if you have a very killy-character like an Emporer’s Champion. Getting them to fight first is a huge boon, especially when they are already a melee fighting machine.
Front-line Commander also looks good giving a slight bonus to its own charge and everyone charging near their target! As a CQC-focused army, this is a lot more impactful than it looks on paper.
Now let’s move on to relics!
New Black Templars 40k Relic Rules:
The Crusader’s Helm was one of the previewed relics, and it does exactly what a melee army wants: it stretches a Marshal’s Rites of Battle aura so more of your board is getting buffed on the way in. On a list built to smash the enemy in melee, more bodies inside the aura bubble is never wasted.
…Supported by a Marshal with the Crusader’s Helm (to ensure they’re all in range of his Rites of Battle aura ability), and a Primaris Ancient to keep them fighting to the last, is certainly an intimidating prospect.
The Aurillian Shroud is the one we’d actually build around. Handing a stack of units a 4+ invuln for a turn is how a foot-slogging Templar list survives the two or three turns of shooting before it reaches combat. If you’re staring down a gunline, popping it early is the difference between charging with a full squad and charging with what’s left.
Page two of the relics is weapon upgrades plus two stat-line fixes worth knowing. Tanhauser’s Bones forces your opponent into a bad spot, either they burn low-AP chaff weapons on your character or their high-AP shots get their damage dropped to 1, so their efficiency tanks either way. It’s less useful into a horde throwing volume of dice at you, but against an elite gunline it’s a real headache. Artificer Armour is the simple pick, a 2+ save behind a 5+ invuln that keeps a key model alive without paying up for fancier wargear.
By swearing vows to a Chaplain on the eve of battle, a Black Templar can become an honoured Relic Bearer. This commitment demonstrates the warrior’s unspeakable devotion to the Emperor, and it lets you field a powerful piece of wargear.
Relic Bearers is why the Chaplain earns his slot more often than not. Swearing vows lets you hand relics to up to four units instead of one, and even middling relics spread across the army beat leaving them on the shelf. It’s not a hard requirement in every list, since a pure Emperor’s Champion beatstick build can skip it, but the moment you want two or three relic pieces on the table, the Chaplain’s the tax you happily pay.
Holy Orb is once per game and swings turns. The D3 mortals are fine, but forcing a unit to fight last is the real trick: pick your unit to swing first and the enemy can’t hit back with theirs until you’re done. Icon of Heinmann keeps a squad standing against high-volume, low-AP fire, so your opponent either over-commits heavy guns into it or watches it survive. And Sigismund’s Seal only touches the one Relic Bearer’s unit, but land that unit into the marked target and the damage output gets silly.
Now let’s check out Litanies and Vows.
New Black Templars 40k Litanies Rules
The Black Templars are lucky enough to receive their own school of Litanies rules call the Litanies of the Devout. In typical psychic-hating fashion, these replace the usual psychic powers that new codexes usually see. We really like that they have been giving the different chapters separate litanies, it’s a really flavorful way to change up the chapters.
Psalm of Remorseless Persecution looks like you’ll be able to grab a ton of attacks so the first one should be able to give you close to the maximum of 6 mortals pretty often assuming you target units that will get a lot of swings in. And who doesn’t like mortals?
Fires of Devotion is also strong, as adding 1 attack can really stack up on big units.
Now let’s cover one of the unique Black Templar-specific mechanics, Vows. Starting with the previewed ones and closing with the final fourth Vow.
Black Templars Vows Rules
Every unit in a Black Templars army (minus Unaligned ones) that has the BT keyword, Combat Doctrines ability, and in a BT detachment gets one of the vows abilities below. The vow is chosen at the end of the Read Mission Briefing step of playing a game.
Long-term squires of the Chapter may remember these from when the heirs of Sigismund first burst onto the scene in Warhammer 40,000’s third edition. Well, Templar Vows are back and more binding than ever! Let’s learn a bit more about them.
The vows feel pretty flavorful with a drawback that comes with each one. Let’s check out what they can do.
If you want to channel the unrelenting aggression of the Black Templars, choose to Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds. The ability to ensure that your units are always gaining an additional attack and improving the AP of their melee weapons by 1 is a formidable combination. You may lose the tactical flexibility of being able to Fall Back, but that’s less of an issue when your enemies all lie in pieces at your feet.
Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds is the aggro pick. Best for a full melee list that never wanted to Fall Back anyway, since you’re locking in the Combat Doctrine in melee and pocketing an extra attack on top. This is obviously the worst for tanks or a shooting element you need to reposition. The key tradeoff is real: no Fall Back means a unit can get held in place for a couple of rounds, so this is the vow for the army that plans to win the fight rather than leave it.
Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch
A throwback to the classic ability to rush towards the nearest Psyker at the start of the game, this Templar Vow enables you to close the distance on your chosen quarry at a terrifying pace. That’s a Move characteristic of 17″ for an Outrider Squad, which could well be the edge they need to get a turn-one charge. And if there’s a Psyker in the way, even better!
Best for a turn-one alpha strike, since a 17″ Move on an Outrider Squad is genuinely scary and can steal a first-turn charge. Worst for the long game, because it’s once per game and a psyker can shut your actions down after. The key tradeoff is that the reroll-ones-in-combat only pays off big into psychic-heavy lists like Grey Knights or Tzeentch, so how much you love this one comes down entirely to your local meta.
Suffer Not the Unclean to Live
It’s the most unapologetically hostile as its Passion element obliges your Black Templars to charge the nearest enemy at all times. Purging heretics is like cleaning stairs – you start at the top and work your way down, rather than picking which to clean one at a time.
Best for stacking with the Litany above, where all those forced charges turn into a pile of auto-hits that add up fast. Worst for a list that wants to pick its fights, because the Passion drags you into the nearest enemy whether you like the matchup or not. The key tradeoff is manageable though, since it reads as a target and not the only target, so you’ve usually got room to charge where it actually helps.
Final Vow: Uphold the Honour of the Emperor
Best for a durable midboard hold, this is the defensive vow that hands out 5+ invulns and auto-fails enemy wound rolls of 1 or 2 against your models. Worst for nothing much, honestly, since the Passion barely bites when you’re charging up the board anyway. The key tradeoff is that it still locks you into a melee-forward game plan, so you’re trading the flexibility to sit back for a squad that shrugs off a surprising amount of incoming.
New Black Templars 40k Wargear Rules
The wargear list is short, but it does steer a few builds. The Pyreblaster is the headline, an auto-hitting flamer that makes a Primaris Crusader Squad a real threat as it closes, with no rolls to sweat when the range finally gets close. The characters’ melee options are the other place to spend attention, since a Templar character lives or dies in the fight phase, and picking the profile that matches your Emperor’s Champion or Marshal’s job is most of the decision. The rest you’ll rarely agonize over.
New Black Templars 40k Points
All of these Black Templars points seem very fair in comparison to the other Space Marine chapters. Helbrecht went up 35 pts, but he also received the primaris update and all of its associated buffs like extra wounds and an attack, plus a much better weapon profile, making the change seem very worth the increase in points.
Another notable point value is for the Primaris Sword Brethren sitting at 22 pts/model, which is quite a bit cheaper than Bladeguard vets. Granted, the vets are more durable, however, the similarity in damage output makes these very attractive as an elite melee threat.
New Black Templars 40k Secondary Objectives
Out of these 3 new options, Bathe Your Blade In The Blood Of Your Foe looks the most interesting by far. This secondary works by essentially having one of your characters challenge an enemy character(of your opponent’s choice) then get a suite of points if they are able to take them out. If your model takes them out personally in melee you get a gigantic 15 points!
If you just kill destroy the character with another model you still make it out with 5 points, making this a great objective with little risk and a massive upswing if you are able to take full advantage of a great melee character. Luckily, Black Templars have plenty of options for melee-focussed character-slaying machines!
Finally, let’s cap it off with the new Datasheets!
New Black Templars 40k Datasheets Rules
First up is High Marshal Helbrecht rules, who is is coming out swinging!
Just as before, his new has a fantastic stat line for a melee king. As he isn’t the most expensive model around, he does have his own weaknesses like a low toughness at only 4.
Luckily he also has a 2+ save and a 4+ invuln, plus if you play him right, he should get the first say when it comes to dealing damage on your turn in melee! The star of the show for him in melee is of course his sword. With two profiles, it has good flexibility and a devastating two-handed profile. 6 Attacks at 8 Strength, -3 AP, and 3 Damage is nothing to scoff at, especially when you consider the different buff options to stack on top.
As the High Marshal, he also has a few good auras that give +1 Strength and re-rolls of 1 to hit for Core units within 6 inches of him. Finally, he has the Chapter Master ability allowing him to select a single Core or Character within 6 inches to re-roll all hits for turn rotation!
Chaplain Grimaldus Rules
Grimaldus has a decent stat line, but his main value comes through his special rules! His Spiritual Leaders Aura essentially makes all core units within 6″ leadership 9, making them much more unlikely to retreat. The servitors that accompany him also soak wounds for him thanks to his Mindless Followers ability.
His Indomitable Resolve ability is a little more unique, giving him a one-time use 50% chance to survive death and return to 3 wounds at the end of the phase. He of course is also a Priest giving him full access to litanies including the new set available to Black Templars.
The Emperor’s Champion Rules
There’s not much to say about the Emperor’s Champion, other than he is an absolute brick house in the fight phase. 5 Attacks at S7, -3AP, and 2 damage is great. In addition to his profile, he also is -1 to hit in melee, has a 4+ invuln, full re-rolls to wound and hit against characters, AND fights first in melee when an enemy character is nearby!
All-in-all this is a monster at taking out opposing characters that might be a little too close to their front lines. The only downside is he can’t take relics, but thanks to his stellar sheet, he might not ever wish he had some.
Primaris Crusader Squad Rules
This update also introduced a Primaris rework of the old Crusader Squads (which can still be fielded if you prefer). Just like other Primaris upgraded squads, these will be a little more expensive, a little more elite, and offer some new weapon options such as the Pyreblaster!
The Pyreblaster is the reason to look twice at this squad. It’s an auto-hitting flamer, so it does its damage the moment you’re in range with no rolls to fail (well, other than how many hits you get), and dropping in from reserves to torch a screen without moving is exactly the trick a melee army wants to open the door for its chargers. In list terms, it turns the Primaris Crusader Squad from a pure melee brick into a unit that clears chaff on the way in.
Primaris Sword Brethren Rules
The fifth and final new Datasheet is the Primaris Sword Brethren. These are very straightforward elites. They are all in on the melee plan and as such have a wide array of melee options. In addition, they also get to ignore the negative effects of the Vow’s Passion that is active! Assuming these act similarly to Bladeguard Vets, they could be an absolute menace on the tabletop.
So here’s the short version of what these datasheets actually change. Helbrecht and the Emperor’s Champion give you two melee characters who genuinely delete enemy leaders, and building around their fight-first tricks is where a lot of games get decided. The Primaris Crusader Squad and Sword Brethren finally give the army a Primaris-era body that hits as hard as it’s supposed to, with the Pyreblaster handling the chaff that used to gum up your charges. And the vow-plus-litany-plus-relic stack is the glue, the reason a Chaplain and a Marshal are worth their slots before you’ve spent a single point on troops.
Want the deep cuts on each piece? Here’s the rest of our Black Templars rules coverage:
- Black Templars Stratagems – every CP option laid out
- Litanies & Vows Rules – the full vow-and-litany breakdown
- Wargear, Points, & Secondaries – costs and scoring in one place
- Black Templars 40k Datasheets – the unit-by-unit cards
- Traits & Relics – warlord traits and relic picks
What are your thoughts on all these rules? Which is your favorite new option?
