GW revealed three sets of Adeptus Custodes Captain-Commander rules for upgrading your Shield Captains into more renowned heroes.
With the codex coming soon we’ve seen a decent amount of new rules for the Adpetus Custodes, but this time the characters take the spot. It looks like they are trying to make the three types of Commanders a little more different from one another, other than just the armor they have. They will be very similar to how other armies can upgrade their characters for a few extra points (maybe a lot since they are Custodes) and then they gain these new rules.
Warhammer Community unveiled the new rules just days ahead of the new codex. Let’s first look at the Ka’tahs (as some of the rules deal with them), then check out the new rules!
Adeptus Custodes Martial Ka’tahs Rules
Think of it as an á la carte menu of devastation. You pick three martial ka’tahs at the start of the battle, each containing two stances, and perform those ka’tahs in order.
They show us a bunch of options, but it feels very similar to how the Ad Mech rules work. With advancing the rules throughout the game depending on what you need.
Here are some, but not all, of the new selections
Calistus is the perfect opener, a light aperitif with notes of sustained gunfire. You can choose to get up-close and personal by boosting your Advance rolls or to lay a withering barrage as you approach. These may be performed in either order, so you could soften up your foes before advancing to secure the kill or vice versa.
These are two interesting ones if you need a bunch of movement to either secure objectives or to just get to your opponent!
When fighting hordes of infantry, Dacatarai is a tasty choice. The first stance allows your Custodian Guard to effortlessly manage the ebb and flow of hordes, preventing them being overwhelmed by swarms. The second stance lets you go on the offensive, allowing you to trade that extra pip of damage Custodes are set to get* for more attacks – perfect for clearing out swathes of puny foes.
If you’re fighting hordes with low wounds, this is going to destroy factions. The first stance is so insanely powerful against a horde army. Basically, you force them to a single inch of consolidation or pile, making it super hard for them to get all those models to attack. Then getting more attacks is always nice as long as they don’t have lots of wounds.
Mop up your foes with the Kaptaris Stance, which lets your Custodes parry and deflect attacks or lock units into combat, preventing them from falling back. Ideal for maintaining the upper hand by controlling the battlefield.
This stance basically turns your Custodes into Dark Eldar Wyches. It looks like they win ties, but this could really change the tide of a battle and keep your units safe from return fire.
Guardian Captain-Commander Adeptus Custodes Rules
A Captain-Commander, however, can make nearby units even stronger by eliminating the need to choose from the two stances of a particular ka’tah.
Being able to use rules like this on both a character like a Shield-Captain, and Adeptus Custodes core unit make this possibly quite strong. We’ll have to see how the other characters can really benefit from this.
This might not seem like a huge deal at first, but it’s the most expensive points upgrade – and for good reason. Each martial ka’tah forces you to choose between two fantastic stances, often with similar but differing bonuses. Take Salvus, for example. Using Master of the Stances, you can get both of these effects at once.
Shooting twice and adding 4″ to the range is pretty sweet. Then with the rules above, you’ll be able to take advantage of both for a character like an Adeptus Custodes Shield-Captain, and a core unit.
Allarus Captain-Commander
The heavy armour of the Allarus Terminators requires a different fighting style, favouring powerful blows that take advantage of their enhanced strength, with the full confidence that their wargear will keep them safe no matter the odds.
Being able to intervene or pile in any direction will let them get to whoever you want and with the extra move, you’ll be able to pull off some cheeky maneuvers.
Of course, Allarus Terminators are incredibly difficult to take down, especially when you give them this upgrade.
You’ll want him to take at least one wound to get the extra attack, then if he gets close to death, you’ll be gaining two attacks which for a Captain-Commander is super strong.
Vertus Captain-Commander
The Fierce Conqueror ability makes your mounted leader a unit-eraser unto himself, delivering eight Strength 7, -3 AP, Damage 2 attacks to a massive threat bubble given his base 14″ Movement.
You’ll want to get him stuck in with at least 6 models, as you’ll be getting 8 attacks hitting on 2’s, with super high strength and serious damage!
If you know you’ll be up against tough targets, consider choosing Tip of the Spear to ensure each strike inflicts grievous damage.
Re-rolling all your ones in combat is seriously strong, especially considering you already hit on 2’s. So overall these new Shield-Captain rules for the Adeptus Custodes look strong, but we’ll know more for sure when we have all the rules to review at once!
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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!
