GW wanted to show off the power of troops with these new Genestealer Cults, Tau & Adeptus Custodes 40k rules- check it out!
Unfortunately, GW has pushed back the release for the Adeptus Custodes and Genestealer Cults codex books. At least we know they are coming early in 2022, so not much longer to wait. Plus we expect GW to release plenty of rules to hold us over.
Warhammer Community just unveiled two rules for each faction, so it’s not a ton, but it’s better than nothing. Let’s first check out the rules for each faction we’ve seen so far, then jump into the new stuff!
Reductus Saboteur Rules
Starting with the new Genestealer Cults 40k rules we see a weapon that the new Reductus Saboteur will use.
As you might expect for a demolitions specialist, the Reductus Saboteur is equipped with explosives of every description, from blasting and demolition charges to frag grenades. What’s more, before battle is joined, a Reductus Saboteur will saturate the battlefield with remote explosives that they can detonate from afar when the enemy draws near – and they’re especially effective against larger, more cumbersome targets.
This new weapon Remote Explosives looks fantastic. Getting a decent amount of shots with Blast and a triple base-damage modifier against vehicles and monsters built-in, make this thing an absolute powerhouse of damage.
Because the damage bonus is so high, you’ll probably want this character to chip away at vehicles and monsters any time it can, as a damage potential of 18 is pretty dang high for a solo unit with a ranged attack…
As if that wasn’t enough, they can perform a special Plant Explosives action, leaving a booby trap in place for an area denial threat. Should your opponent ignore the danger, they’ll suffer explosive consequences.
This is a unique rule because your opponent can choose to ignore it or avoid it. If they ignore it, you get to control the field and affect your opponent’s decision-making, which is powerful in a competitive scenario. If they ignore it, you get a decent amount of mortal wounds for free!
Even if your opponent attempts to hunt them down, they’ll find that these masters of concealment are all but impossible to pinpoint while in cover thanks to their combination of Cloaked and Clandestine abilities.
Getting another +1 to saves while in cover is pretty big, making the Reductus Saboteur even harder to take down if you place them correctly and thanks to their decent range, it shouldn’t be too hard to do and still be effective. Additionally, not being targetable within 12″ makes abusing its own 24″ range much easier!
It seems like it always gets -1 to hit regardless of being in cover, which could also make this unit an absolute menace to deal with for your opponents to deal with.
New Genestealer Cults 40k Rules
Thankfully, Acolyte Hybrids get a well-deserved buff to their Toughness in the new codex, offering them greater protection against Strength 4 weapons (boltguns, we’re looking at you) and from the multi-shot Strength 6 guns that are their current nemesis.
Hey, can’t complain about a better statline with extra toughness. Plus, with the Cult icon, they will be more survivable than ever.
This calls upon reinforcements lurking in the shadows to restore them to fighting strength – in the case of Acolyte Hybrids, that’s D3 destroyed models from the unit.
This is pretty sweet and while it might not be broken, over time it can bring back a decent amount of models if you can use it for a few turns.
Now onto the Blade Champion 40k rules for the Adeptus Custodes!
Blade Champion Adeptus Custodes 40k Rules
First up for the Champion we get a peek at his weapon profile.
This phenomenal warrior has mastered three different fighting styles with which he can cut his way through every type of enemy with contemptuous ease. With six Attacks as standard, he can hit a whopping 12 times when using the Hurricanis technique!
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The way that this is worded seems to imply you get access to all three options with one weapon loadout! If that’s true, this model will be nigh unstoppable in melee and can easily put a hurting on a variety of target types. Assuming the Blade Champion can get into melee he will be a huge force multiplier.
That’s where his Consummate Swordsman ability kicks in, for his skill with a blade enables him to fend off the attentions of even the deadliest foes.
Even more so, you can feel free to challenge any model in melee thanks to his extremely good defensive ability Consummate Swordsman which makes 1-3 hit rolls auto fail! Not to mention if they actually get a hit through, he gets a +1 bonus to his save in melee.
Another trick up the Blade Champion’s auramite sleeve is his Legacy of Combat ability, which extends the range from which he can make Heroic Interventions and, crucially, allows him to strike first in melee as well.
All that and we didn’t even mention that the Blade Champion has a Leadership characteristic of 11. That’s a statement of adamantium willpower and determination if ever there were one.
Fight first rules are critical to melee-centric models, being able to alpha strike opposing units and prevent as much swing back damage. His additional ability to intervene from further away is a great boost to mobility, allowing him to abuse his CQC defensive buffs more frequently.
New Adeptus Custodes 40k Rules
To maximise the consistency of the Custodian Guard, the melee profiles of their guardian spears and sentinel blades have been adjusted, with both weapons swapping D3 Damage for a flat Damage of 2.
They also both provide their wielder with an additional point of Strength – that’s a whopping Strength 7 with a guardian spear – so they can easily fell anything they face on the battlefield.
At a minimum of S6, you will be wounding a ton of armies on 2’s and will even be wounding some vehicles on 4’s. Then, going to flat 2 Damage instead of D3 just makes a ton of sense, it speeds the game up and gives you the average of the dice roll. With AP -3, and the other upgrades, they should be able to whip up on all kinds of armies!
What’s more, the ranged profile of the sentinel blade has been improved to match the damage output of the guardian spears – after all, they fire the same masterwork ammunition.
D2 and -1Ap isn’t too bad when you consider the fact it’s pistol 2, meaning it can be fired into combat. Also, they mention in the article that every Custodes will have a Leadership of 11. They are going full Spinal Tap on this one!
New Tau 40k Rules
You’ll no doubt be pleased to learn, then, that the range of both of their primary weapons has been increased. The pulse carbine, for example, now has a very healthy reach of 24″ (a handy boost for the Pathfinders you picked up in Kill Team: Chalnath, too!).
Just what Tau needed, more range to sit further back… Seriously though, this is a pretty good buff overall.
With an enormous 36″ range, Fire Warriors armed with pulse rifles will be able to outrange the Troops units of almost any other faction, giving them a crucial early advantage as well as the ability to Rapid Fire up to 18″. What’s more, they now come with a handy pip of AP for some added punch.
With more range and getting a small bump in AP, we might see more footsloggers than ever for Tau.
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How do you feel about the new 40k rules previews- which faction are you most excited about Tau, Genestealer Cults, or Adeptus Custodes?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Joined: 2019
Socials: @paschbass
Bio: Dark Eldar Dracon and Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the third edition in 1998. He also loves camping because you can only paint so much! He joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the main daily writer since 2020.
Maybe one day, he’ll finish converting all his Ad Mech models and turn into a true tech enjoyer, complete with sad and happy robot noises!
