The new Genestealer Cults Crossfire and Adeptus Custodes Shield Hosts 40k rules are starting to make both armies look pretty strong!
For GSC it feels like they still want to keep the ambush feel alive in the new book and the Crossfire mechanic is a perfect example of that. It basically turns any unit in your army into marker lights, then it just gets better if you maneuver well. The Shield Hosts rules for the Adeptus Custodes just adds another layer of rules to make them even stronger.
Warhammer Community unveiled a bunch of stratagems as well, so there’s a lot to get into! Let’s first check out the Genestealer rules, then hope into the Custodes rules.
Genestealer Cults Crossfire 40k Rules
Whenever a unit with the Crossfire keyword shoots and scores at least five hits (or a hit with a Damage characteristic other than 1) their target gains a crossfire marker. Once an enemy unit has a crossfire marker, it becomes especially vulnerable to attack. First, any further Crossfire units shooting at them add 1 to their hit rolls. Then, if the target is Exposed, they’re in for a world of hurt.
How does a target become Exposed? If you draw a line from the attacking unit’s base to another friendly Crossfire model within sight, and that line passes over the targeted unit, that targeted unit is Exposed (like the picture above).
Attackers add 1 to their wound rolls against the Exposed unit, and if the attackers are within 12” of their target, they ignore enemy cover too. Enemies taking cover in Obscuring terrain have some protection, but unsuspecting foes will fall victim to the Cult’s diabolic pincer attacks.
This is a pretty cool rule and basically turns your units into marker lights that also do damage! If you get both the five hits on a unit and have them exposed, you will have all kinds of buffs. So be sure to order your shots correctly so your better units get the bonuses.
Crossfire Stratagems
If that sounds powerful already, you’d be right, and that’s far from all the Genestealer Cults can do with their Crossfire units. Coming under such heavy fire often renders enemies completely unable to defend against an incoming charge and gives their attackers plenty of time to hack away before risking retaliation.
Covering Fire for 1CP is pretty nice to get your units where you want them without the enemy being able to do anything about it. Coordinated Assault is also a great way to get all of your attacks in before the enemy even has a chance.
A Perfect Ambush
You can even upgrade one of your units to be able to use the Crossfire rule as soon as they arrive from Reinforcements, meaning that your enemies are never safe from the Genestealer Cults.
For 15 points this can be insanely strong. While it will only be for one turn, you’ll be getting +1 to hit, adding 1 to your Wound rolls, and ignoring cover!
Shield Hosts & Fighting Style Rules
Shield Hosts will be familiar to fans of Adeptus Custodes, but they’ve had upgrades befitting these golden demigods of destruction for the latest edition. There are six in total, including favourites like the Solar Watch, and each has access to unique fighting styles, warlord traits, stratagems, and relics of Terra.
No matter which Shield Host a Custodes is pledged to, they are all first and foremost servants of the Emperor, so you can always fall back on the Emperor’s Chosen Shield Host.
The template for every Shield Host, the Emperor’s Chosen gains the Magna Imperator fighting style.
Both of these are really strong. First, re-rolling hits or wounds is always going to be a powerful mechanic. Then, getting a 4+ save against all mortals is nice, especially when you have such few minis.
Each Host has a preferred Ka’tah, which unlocks additional benefits. If you activate one stance of your Shield Host’s preferred Martial Ka’tah in the command phase, you get the benefit of both stances. The stance you didn’t pick may then be used in the next turn – which makes for a potent two-turn combo.
This can really give your army a big swing turn where you combine the two stances. Then, you can still advance it next turn if you need.
The Dread Host is a great example of how all this works. They specialise in the Dacatarai Ka’tah, making them monsters against hordes. If you invoke the Dacatarai Ka’tah as the Dread Host, you can activate either stance at the start of your turn but make use of both. If you then choose to stay in Dacatarai next turn, you may still activate stance two, even though you’ve already had the benefit.
We’ve already taken a look at this stance, but having both of them in one turn would just be really strong!
Gilded Guardians
Pick this shield host when you absolutely, positively, want an enemy force incredibly dead.
We saw rumors about the entire army being able to Heroically Intervene, but this is pretty close so we’ll give the rumor a thumbs up. Then they gain some decent defense against small arms fire.
And that’s not all. Each Shield Host has its own stratagem, such as the Aquilan Shield Host’s ability to close ranks around vulnerable characters – perfect for keeping those slightly squishier Sisters of Silence characters alive.
For 1 CP, keeping your characters alive isn’t too bad.
Warlord Trait & Relic
The Solar Watch live up to their swift and merciless reputation, with a Warlord Trait that lets you get all up inside the business of an enemy force before they can react.
This could really take your opponent by surprise because you can cover a ton of ground and still charge. Even though it’s one unit, it’s still pretty strong.
Their Swiftsilver Talon relic exemplifies their rapid fighting style, a lightweight weapon that compels its bearer to acts of expeditious violence and makes them more mobile.
Falling back, shooting, and charging in the same turn really gives you a ton of flexibility.
If you want to see all the new confirmed and rumored 40k rules we’ve seen so far for Genestealer Cults or Adeptus Custodes, check out the links below:
- Genestealer Cults, Tau & Custodes Rules
- Genestealer Cults Reductus Saboteur & Blade Champion Rules
- Martial Ka’tahs Rules
- Sisters of Silence Rules
All the Newest GW Model Rumors & Previews
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
