Command auramite-clad battle tanks and walkers with new Adeptus Custodes Warhammer 40k Solar Spearhead detachment rules.
So, you’ve heard of the Adeptus Custodes—the Emperor’s golden guardians, the galaxy’s ultimate flex. But what happens when these demi-gods of war roll out in their ancient, auramite-clad battle tanks and hulking walkers? You get the Solar Spearhead detachment, a golden tide of unstoppable war engines that hits harder than an Ork at a headbutting competition.
Walking Legends & Rolling Relics
In the grim vastness of the Imperium, the vehicles of the Custodes are almost mythic in stature. These aren’t just machines; they’re relics as old as the Imperium itself, painstakingly maintained by generations of artisans. From venerable Land Raiders to imposing combat walkers, the Solar Spearhead breathes life (or fury) into these golden behemoths and joins the Grotmas Calander rules for December.
When battle calls, these magnificent vehicles unleash torrents of destruction, crushing foes beneath their tracks or tearing them apart with wrathful precision. They’re more than tools of war; they’re embodiments of the Emperor’s wrath, ready to remind the galaxy why the Custodians are unparalleled in their craft. You can download the full rules here.
New Rules for Glorious Combat
The new Adeptus Custodes Warhammer 40k detachment rules introduce the Auric Armour rule, which captures the unyielding nature of Custodes vehicles. These golden machines grow deadlier as they take damage, granting bonuses at each stage of their durability:
- Starting Strength: Objective Control bonuses ensure these war engines dominate the battlefield.
- Below Starting Strength: Vehicles re-roll hit rolls of 1, keeping their firepower deadly accurate.
- Below Half-strength: The ferocity doubles down, with re-rolls for both hits and wounds of 1, turning a battered engine into a cornered predator.
Complementing this is the Moritoi Ancients rule, providing Adeptus Custodes Walker units with bonus movement and enhanced Advance and Charge rolls. This mobility transforms these heavy units into terrifyingly fast juggernauts, allowing them to chase down enemies or reinforce crucial positions.
Adeptus Custodes Warhammer 40k Detachment Enhancements That Pack a Punch
The detachment’s enhancements offer unique ways to fine-tune your golden warriors. Whether you’re improving survivability or amplifying melee prowess, there’s a tool for every battle plan:
- Adamantine Talisman (25 pts): Boosts melee stats, turning already terrifying units into even more devastating combatants.
- Augury Uplink (25 pts): Grants the bearer a Feel No Pain 5+ ability, making them remarkably hard to bring down.
- Honoured Fallen (Aura, 15 pts): Helps nearby infantry and mounted units re-roll hit rolls of 1, ensuring the Emperor’s will is executed with precision.
- Veteran of the Kataphraktoi (10 pts): Brings tactical flexibility, letting selected units shoot after Falling Back.
These enhancements reflect the rich traditions of the Custodes while providing meaningful gameplay options for players.
Stratagems Built for Supremacy
The Solar Spearhead detachment’s stratagems provide a potent toolkit to outmaneuver and outlast foes. Here are some highlights:
- Unstoppable: Forget obstacles—vehicles can move horizontally through models and terrain, an apt reflection of their relentless advance.
- Relentless Persecution: Grants vehicles the ability to shoot and charge after advancing, embodying the Custodians’ unyielding pursuit.
- Punishment Inescapable: Ignores cover and modifiers for ranged attacks, ensuring that no foe escapes unscathed.
These stratagems not only enhance the Custodes’ signature precision but also add new layers of tactical depth, making their armored units formidable on the tabletop.
A Detachment Steeped in Lore
The new Adeptus Custodes Warhammer 40k Detachment isn’t just about crunch—it’s brimming with narrative flavor. Each rule and stratagem ties into the Custodes’ rich lore, from the ancient machine spirits that guide their war engines to the reverence paid to these relics of battle.
Take the Adamantine Talisman, for instance, which carries remnants of an ancient Land Raider’s essence, channeling its undying fury into the bearer. Or the Honoured Fallen aura, a testament to the awe-inspiring presence of interred champions, inspiring those around them to greater acts of valor.
These details bring the detachment to life, bridging the gap between the tabletop and the storytelling that makes Warhammer 40,000 so captivating.
Sample Army List With the New Adeptus Custodes 40k Detachment
Creating a formidable 2,000-point Adeptus Custodes army using the Solar Spearhead detachment rules requires a strategic blend of resilient infantry and powerful vehicles. Below is a sample army list designed to maximize the strengths of the Custodes’ golden war engines and elite warriors. -30
Detachment: Solar Spearhead
Total Points: 1,965
HQ
- Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike (165 pts)
- Equipped with: Hurricane bolter, Interceptor lance
- Enhancement: Adamantine Talisman (+25 pts)
- Role: Fast-moving leader providing melee support and enhancing nearby units with improved melee capabilities.
- Trajann Valoris (140 pts)
- Equipped with: Watcher’s Axe
- Role: Supreme commander offering strategic flexibility and combat prowess.
Troops
- Custodian Guard Squad (225 pts)
- 5 Custodian Guards equipped with: Praesidium Shields, Sentinel Blades
- Role: Durable frontline unit holding objectives and providing close combat support.
- Prosecutors (50 pts)
- 5 Prosecutors
- Role: Help hold backline objectives for cheap
Elites
- Custodian Wardens (250 pts)
- 5 Custodian Wardens equipped with: Guardian Spears
- Role: Elite infantry with enhanced durability and combat skills, ideal for holding critical positions.
- Allarus Custodians (325 pts)
- 5 Allarus Custodians equipped with: Castellan Axes, Balistus Grenade Launchers
- Role: Deep-striking unit capable of targeting high-value enemies and disrupting enemy lines.
Fast Attack
- Vertus Praetors (210 pts)
- 3 Vertus Praetors equipped with: Hurricane Bolters, Interceptor Lances
- Role: Highly mobile unit for rapid response and flanking maneuvers.
Heavy Support
- Telemon Heavy Dreadnought (240 pts)
- Equipped with: Arachnus Storm Cannon, Caestus, Twin Plasma Projector
- Enhancement: Augury Uplink (+25 pts)
- Role: Heavy fire support with significant durability and anti-armor capabilities.
- Caladius Grav-Tank (215 pts)
- Equipped with: Twin Iliastus Accelerator Cannon, Twin Lastrum Bolt Cannon
- Role: Fast-moving tank providing ranged firepower against various targets.
- Caladius Grav-Tank (215 pts)
- Equipped with: Twin Iliastus Accelerator Cannon, Twin Lastrum Bolt Cannon
- Role: Additional fast-moving fire support to complement the first Caladius.
Dedicated Transport
- Coronus Grav-Carrier (200 pts)
- Equipped with: Twin Arachnus Blaze Cannon, Twin Lastrum Bolt Cannon
- Role: Transport for Custodian Guard Squad, providing mobility and additional firepower.
Strategic Overview:
- Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike: Leads the Vertus Praetors, utilizing high mobility to engage key targets and support other units with enhanced melee capabilities from the Adamantine Talisman.
- Trajann Valoris: Accompanies the Custodian Wardens or Allarus Custodians, offering command abilities and combat support.
- Custodian Guard Squad: Deployed via the Coronus Grav-Carrier to secure and hold objectives.
- Custodian Wardens and Allarus Custodians: Serve as the main assault force, with the Allarus capable of deep striking to disrupt enemy formations.
- Vertus Praetors: Provide rapid response to threats and can outflank enemy positions.
- Telemon Heavy Dreadnought and Caladius Grav-Tanks: Deliver heavy fire support, targeting enemy armor and fortified positions.
This army list leverages the Solar Spearhead detachment’s strengths, combining the durability and combat prowess of Custodes infantry with the mobility and firepower of their advanced vehicles.
The inclusion of enhancements like the Adamantine Talisman and Augury Uplink further bolsters the effectiveness of key units. However, points are always changing, so be sure to keep up with the latest Field Munitorum here!
Final Thoughts on the new Adeptus Custodes Warhammer 40k Detachment
As the golden war engines of the Adeptus Custodes rumble into battle, they remind the galaxy of one immutable truth: nothing escapes the gaze of the Emperor. With the Solar Spearhead, the Custodes bring a dazzling blend of tactical might and narrative richness that’s bound to leave its mark on the battlefields of the 41st Millennium.
See All the New 40k Detachment Rules Here
What do you think about the new Adeptus Custodes Warhammer 40k Detachment rules from the first Grotmas Calendar?
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!
