If you like playing with flyers in Horus Heresy don’t miss this big change for most Legion Astartes Aircraft the can have big impact on the tabletop!
Hellstrike missiles in 30k were always hard to locate rules for. For awhile they were not even included in the 30k books themselves and you had to rely on the entry in the IA:2 Vehicles of the Space Marines entry ( Pg 248)
But now with the new Red book release for crusade forces we have lots of changes and a complete weapon’s appendix. Checkout their profile now.
Picture via Michael Montelongo of 30k’s Forgotten Legion
Wow take a look at that! First off Ordnance is removed, so the flyer can actually move and shoot these bad boys. Second they got sunder to re-roll those armor pen rolls against all targets. And lastly AP2 for that +1 result to the armor pen chart when you do get though!
Good news for players with Fire Raptor and Storm Eagles as both of these ships can be upgraded to have these missiles, which really add a much needed punch to any engagement.
Checkout the rest of the Age of Darkness Changes:
Thanks to Garro from the 30k Heresy forums for putting this list together and sharing !
Age of Darkness rules changes
– The ‘imperial armour units in age of darkness games’ rule has been replaced. Instead of ‘any unit’ it is now a fixed list of units.
– Clarification of having multiple characters with the ‘must be warlord’ rule. Simply put, you can’t. Only primarchs override this.
– Tank squadrons have command tank upgrade which is +10pts over old price
tanks with pintile-mounted options have multi-meltas added for same price as havoc launcher.
HQ Choices
– Moritat chain fire rules updated to include the overheat rules from the jan 2016 FAQ.
legion command squad base cost is -25 pts
– Additional LCS members are -5 pts
Elites Choices
– Veteran tactical squads -25 pts to base cost
– Veteran Marines are -3 pts each
– VTS has additional weapons from FAQ added
– Techmarines are -10 pts each base
– Servo-automata has heavy bolter, multi-melta, and missile launcher added to their wargear options
apothecarion detachment has list of units removed, may join any unit will ‘legiones astartes’ rule that isn’t in terminator armour or have the daemon rule
– Apothecarion detachment can purhcase jump packs and SM bikes, allowing them to join like equipped units.
– Dreadnoughts all have +1 attack (to base 3) as per FAQ
– Volkite culverins in contemtpor dreads replaced with the twin-linked version
– Legion rapier squads thudd guns only have frag rounds to start with. May purchase additional rounds as in Book 6, including phosphex
Troops Choices
– Legion tacticals squads are -25 pts base
– Legion assault squads are -75 pts base
– Additional assault Marines are -2 pts each
– Breacher squad -25 pts base
– Additional Breacher marines are +5 pts each
– Tactical support squad can take additonal close combat weapon for 2 pts; rotor cannon and volkite charger upgrades are now free upgrades
– Reconnaissance squad is -25 pts base
Dedicated Transports
– Legion dreadnought drop pods are +35 pts
Fast Attack
– Legion Seekers are -20 pts base
_ A dditional marines are +5 pts
– Sunfury missiles on Lightning is +10 pts
– Kraken missiles are +10 pts
– Phosphex bomb cluster -10 pts
– Electromagnetic bomb charges are -10 pts
– Tarantulas are +5 pts each
– Tarantula squads lose forward deployment
– Dreadclaw drop pods +15 pts
– Dreadclaw listed as only carrying regular and contemptor dreads, not Leviathan or Dreadeo types
– Landspeeders are -10 pts each
– Hunter killer missiles are -5 pts each now
– Javelins are -20 pts each
– Javelins gain strafing run USR
– Units attacking a Javelin in close combat suffer a -2 to hit while it isn’t immobilsed
Heavy Support
– New jetbike unit
– Just regular jetbikers with multi-melta as basic, base squad is +30 pts over normal jetbike squad
– May only go to 5 men in total, additional jetbikes are +15 pts over normal jetbikes
– May upgrade to volkite or plasma for cost, all of the squad must be the same
– May take sergeant upgrade
– Deathstorm drop pod has automated weapons rule, basically old rule of automatically shooting all units within range (enemy or friend) when it arrives
– LR Phobos is -25 pts
– LR Proteus is -20 pts
– Land Raider Achilles can take thudd gun ammos same as rapiers, at same price
– Achilles-Alpha can take additonal ammo types
– Vindicators are now squadrons as in Book 6 with additional rules from FAQ
– Spartan is +10 pts
– Laser destroyers are free upgrades on Spartan
– Flare shield is +20 pts
– Sicaran Venator may take second pintle-mounted weapon
– Sicaran is +30 pts and can take a pintle mounted weapon
– Kharybdis is -25 pts
– Deredeo dreadnought has third arm option, heavy lascannon option S10, AP2 heavy 2, Exoshock
– Exoshock – if a hit scores a penetrating hit, then on a 4+ a second automatic pen is caused ignoring cover
– Whirlwind Scorpius can take pintle-mounted weapons
– Malcador is now heavy support with -25 pts base cost
– Battlespeed now allows it to fire its main weapon (top turret) at full BS skill before or after moving flat out
– Malcador is 1-3 in squadrons
– Malcador receives wider range of wargear selection covering basic stuff like pintle-mounted weapons
Lords of War
– Typhon is +45 pts base
– Falchion is +25 pts
– Falchion can take a neutron wave capacitor which adds the ‘feedback’ and ‘shock pulse’ special rules to its Volcano Cannon
Rites of War
– Orbital Assault – dreadnought and contemptor talons can take dreadclaws or dreadnought drop pods even in talons of 2 or 3
– Rapier batteries can take drop pods
Checkout the Legion Specific Sister Red Book Changes
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 also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at the Las Vegas Open, each of which attracts thousands of players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the 2011 Adepticon 40k Team Tournament. He was even featured for his painting in issue #304 of Games Workshop’s White Dwarf Magazine.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), 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 1980s, 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.
