CODEX: ADEPTUS ASTARTES DARK ANGELS A WH40k 7 th Edition Fan Update Han Ng
A Note on Copyright: All the stuff here belongs to Games Workshop, Ltd. In publishing this Fan Update, I assert no right to their intellectual property and seek no remuneration. Please don t sue me, GW! The purpose of this Fan Update is to make the playing of Dark Angels more enjoyable during the lifespan of 7 th Edition Warhammer 40k. If Games Workshop wants to use any of my original ideas contained in this Fan Update, I agree to surrender any and all rights to said intellectual property to Games Workshop in exchange for $0.01. Rule Changes to the 6 th Edition Codex: Codex: Dark Angels FAQ v. 1.1 dated October 2014 apply except as further changed here. Azrael, Belial and Sammael no longer make Deathwing Terminator Squads and/or Ravenwing Attack Squadrons Troops. Azrael s Battlefield Role changed from HQ to Lords of War. Nephilim Jetfighter gets Missile Lock back. Blacksword Missiles are now: Range 36, S7, AP2, Heavy 1, One Use Only (think Plasma Missiles). Ravenwing Dark Talon loses Hover Strike, but gains Hover and Power of the Machine Spirit (to get more out of Hover). Ravenwing Black Knights and Ravenwing Command Squads get the Inner Circle special rule rather than Grim Resolve (because they know about the Fallen). Land Speeder Vengeance drops to 120 points base (c.f. 110 points for a Deimos Predator with Plasma Destroyer and no sponsons). For purposes of the Inner Circle special rule, the Chaos Space Marine Faction also includes Chaos Space Marines, Chosen, Raptors, Warp Talons, Havocs, Chaos Terminators, Mutilators, Obliterators, Helbrutes, Chaos Rhinos (and tanks built on the same chassis), Chaos Land Raiders, Chaos Lords, Chaos Sorcerers, Warpsmiths, Dark Apostles, Berserkers, Plague Marines, and Noise Marines (but not Rubricae who are all Thousand Sons, or Cultists who are not Space Marines) out of [Insert Chaos God here] Daemonkin Codices. 2
Detachments: Sons of the Lion Detachment: Mandatory: 1 HQ, 1 Troops, 1 Fast Attack, 1 Heavy Support Optional: 1 HQ, 5 Troops, 3 Fast Attack, 4 Elites, 3 Heavy Support, 1 Fortifications, 1 Lords of War. Restrictions: All units chosen must have the Dark Angels faction. Command Benefits: o If this detachment is chosen as your Primary Detachment, you can choose to re-roll the result on the Dark Angels Warlord Traits table. o Tactical Squads, Assault Squads and Devastator Squads get the Objective Secured special rule. Hunt for the Fallen Detachment: 1 Masters of the Inner Circle Formation 1 First of the First Formation 1 Cavilers of Caliban Formation 0 3 Warriors of the First Legion Formation 0 3 Students of Namaan Formation 0 1 Guardians of the Inner Circle Formation 0 1 Aspirants to the Inner Circle Formation 0 1 Unseen Host of Angels Formation Command Benefits: o All Special Rules for each Formation in this Detachment to apply to the respective Formation (viz. Necron Decurion or Craftworld Warhost). o Units in this Detachment may re-roll failed charge rolls. o Each enemy character slain within 6 of a model in this Detachment with the Inner Circle special rule earns the player an additional Victory Point. 3
Formations: Warriors of the First Legion: 1 Company Master or Azrael 1 2 Chaplain, Interrogator Chaplains, Librarians, or Techmarines (may also take 1 unit of Servitors per Techmarine). Ezekiel or Asmodai may be taken in place of an Interrogator Chaplain or Librarian, respectively. 2 4 Tactical Squads 0 2 Units of Company Veterans 0 2 Dreadnoughts (May not take the Venerable upgrade) 1 2 Assault Squads 1 2 Devastator Squads 0 3 Predators, Vindicators or Whirlwinds o If this detachment is chosen as your Primary Detachment, you can choose to re-roll the result on the Dark Angels Warlord Traits table. o All Plasma weapons (including the Plasma component of a Combiplasma) in this Formation get the Master Crafted special rule. Students of Namaan: 3 Scout Squads o Immediately after determining Warlord Traits, choose either Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill; all units in this Formation add 1 to the chosen characteristic. Secret Forges of the Rock: 1-2 Techmarines (may also take 1 unit of Servitors per Techmarine) 1 3 Deimos Predators (see Imperial Armour Volume 2) 1 3 Mark V Mortis Pattern Dreadnoughts (see Imperial Armour Volume 2) o Vehicles in this Formation get the Extra Armour vehicle upgrade for free. 4
Formations, continued: First of the First: 1 Company Master in Terminator Armour or Belial 0 2 Interrogator Chaplains or Librarians. Each must take Terminator Armour. 1 Deathwing Command Squad 1 8 Deathwing Terminator Squads 0 2 Units of Deathwing Knights 0 3 Venerable Dreadnoughts o If this detachment is chosen as your Primary Detachment, you can choose to re-roll the result on the Dark Angels Warlord Traits table. o Deathwing Terminator Squads in this Formation get the Objective Secured special rule. o Units in this formation gain Feel No Pain (6+). Cavaliers of Caliban: 1 Company Master on Space Marine Bike or Sammael 0 2 Chaplains or Librarians. Each must take Space Marine Bikes. 1 Ravenwing Command Squad 1 5 Ravenwing Attack Squadrons 0 2 Ravenwing Black Knights 0 3 Ravenwing Support Squadrons 0 2 Ravenwing Darkshrouds 0 2 Nephilim Jetfighters or Ravenwing Dark Talons 0 2 Land Speed Vengeances o If this detachment is chosen as your Primary Detachment, you can choose to re-roll the result on the Dark Angels Warlord Traits table. o Ravenwing Attack Squadrons in this Formation get the Objective Secured special rule. o All units in this Formation may re-roll failed Dangerous Terrain tests. 5
Formations, continued: Masters of the Inner Circle: Azrael Ezekiel Asmodai 0 2 Company Masters 0 1 Librarians. 1 2 Interrogator Chaplains 1 Command Squad o All units in this Formation must form a single unit; Independent Characters in this unit may not leave the unit for the duration of the game. A Deathwing Land Raider (of any variant) by be taken as a Dedicated Transport for this unit. o The area of effect for any banner or standard taken in the Command Squad in this Formation is 18 rather than 12. Guardians of the Inner Circle: 2 Units of Deathwing Knights 1 3 Venerable Dreadnoughts o Venerable Dreadnoughts in this Formation gain a 5+ Invulnerable Save o Deathwing Knights in this Formation gain the Counter Attack special rule. 6
Formations, continued: Aspirants to the Inner Circle: 1 Company Master 1 Librarian or Ezekiel 1 Interrogator Chaplain 0 2 Chaplains 2 Units of Company Veterans o The Independent Characters in this Formation must join one of the units of Company Veterans from this Formation and may not leave for the duration of the game. o If any Chaplains are chosen, Chaplains may not be the only Independent Character(s) from this Formation to join a unit of Company Veterans from this Formation. o Units in this Formation gain the Relentless special rule. o A Unit of Company Veterans in this Formation may take a Land Raider (of any variant) as a Dedicated Transport; these Land Raiders may not have the Deathwing Vehicle upgrade. Unseen Host of Angels: 2 4 Ravenwing Support Squadrons 1-3 Ravenwing Dark Shrouds 1 3 Land Speeder Vengeances 1 3 Nephilim Jetfighters or Ravenwing Dark Talons o All units in this Formation gain +1 to their cover saves. This is cumulative with Stealth and/or Shrouded. If a unit in this formation does not have a cover save, it gets a 6+ cover save. 7
Formations, continued: Black and Bone: 1 Company Master, Interrogator Chaplain or Librarian 0 1 Deathwing Command Squad 0 1 Ravenwing Command Squad 1 3 Deathwing Terminator Squads 1 3 Ravenwing Attack Squadrons o Units in this Formation may add or subtract 1 from Reserve Rolls. o Ravenwing Command Squads and Ravenwing Attack Squadrons in this Formation gain Acute Senses. o Deathwing Command Squads and Deathwing Terminator Squads in this Formation do not scatter when arriving by Deep Strike. o If this Formation is your Primary Detachment, you may add 2 to your attempt to Seize the Initiative. Dark Vengeance: 1 Company Master 1 Librarian 1 Tactical Squad 1 Deathwing Terminator Squad 1 Ravenwing Attack Squad o Hatred (Chaos Space Marines) o Models within 12 of a model with the Chaos Space Marine Faction automatically pass Leadership tests and may re-roll failed charge rolls. The Unrelenting Hunt: (See GW-published Dataslate) Dark Angels Librarius Conclave: (See GW-published Dataslate) 8
Designer Notes: I have played Dark Angels since the Angels of Death Codex back in 2 nd Edition. While the brooding, guilt-ridden nature of the chapter and its secret hunt for the Fallen got me into the army, what has struck me over the years as more interesting is how this secret agenda interacts with the chapter s primary purpose of fighting the enemies of the Imperium. The story of the Dark Angels is a microcosm of the story of the Imperium itself. We have a Primarch who, for all his genius, is somehow incapable of connecting emotionally to his closest lieutenant, and the feelings of abandonment on the part of the latter causes him to rebel against the former just as how Horus feelings of abandonment by the Emperor led (at least in part) to the Horus Heresy. As the Horus Heresy destroyed the Emperor s Imperium, Luther s betrayal destroyed Caliban, and the Dark Angels had to rebuild a new, fragmented legion in the aftermath just as the Imperium of the 32 nd to 41 st millennia is a far darker and more fragmented realm than the one the Emperor envisioned. It is governed by fear, and a select few guard the secrets of the past from the majority of Imperial citizens, just as the Dark Angels Inner Circle keeps the chapter s secrets from their own brothers. The Dark Angels are therefore an alternate vision of the ideal Space Marine. While the Codex Astartes re-organized the Astartes legions into chapters to suit the age of the Imperium, the vision of Guilliman is actually more archaic, hearkening to the secular era of hope of the Great Crusade. His space marines are the Astartes as they could or should have been. In contrast, the Dark Angels exemplify the religious Age of the Imperium monastic and secretive. There is an irony to this, because while the Dark Angels fight like the space marine legions of old (e.g. tactical specialization on the company level rather than the squad level, as evidenced by the Deathwing and Ravenwing), their character is very 41 st millennium whereas the supposed poster boys, the Ultramarines and their successors, actually have the archaic vision. From a tactical standpoint, we see this as well, especially in the 6 th edition of WH40k. The Codex Space Marines have the exotic equipment Grav weaponry, the Storm Talon, new Predator variants, Centurions as befits Astartes of a more technological age. In contrast, the Dark Angels rely on the perfection of the trooper, boasting super-elite units such as Deathwing Knights and Ravenwing Black Knights reminiscent of the Lion s reputation for tactical genius in comparison to Guilliman s forte as a builder of systems and empires. While we see a predilection for plasma on the part of the Dark Angels, this is the refinement of old technology not the development of new tools. In this Fan Update, I have updated rules to fit the 7 th edition ethos: Azrael is a Lord of War, the swapping of units between Battlefield Roles is removed. I have also buffed the Ravenwing flyers to try to make them worth their cost, and given a point reduction to the Land Speeder Vengeance to improve game balance. Rather than make extensive 9
rules changes, I have tried to make the Dark Angels fun and fluffy to play via detachments and formations. My thoughts on each follows: Sons of the Lion Detachment: The idea behind this is to show the Dark Angels as the masters of taking and holding ground to reflect the heritage of Lion El Jonson s tactical brilliance. The Hunt for the Fallen Detachment: I will detail the individual formations below, this Decurion is designed to represent a Dark Angels mustering of force to accomplish their hidden agenda, as reflected in the bonus victory points for defeating potential Fallen (or other individuals with knowledge of them) in the presence of a member of the Inner Circle. Warriors of the First Legion: If the Dark Angels are supposed to be all about the plasma, why should they not have a Formation to encourage taking plasma weaponry? Students of Namaan: Even though Veteran Scout Sergeant Namaan died during the Battle of Kallidus Harbour and he has been removed as a playable character, the legacy of the master scout cannot be forgotten. Secret Forges of the Rock: Another formation to encourage plasma (via the Deimos Predator with the Plasma Destroyer) and to give effect to the idea found in IA2 that the Dark Angels have a lot of Mortis Pattern Dreadnoughts. First of the First: The Deathwing formation. Giving the Terminators Objective Secured replicates Belial s 6 th edition special rule. Giving the Formation Feel No Pain (6+) is designed to reflect the Deathwing s status as the premier Terminator force in the galaxy. Cavaliers of Caliban: The Ravenwing formation. Again, Objective Secured replicates Sammael s 6 th edition ability, while the re-roll on Dangerous Terrain tests make sense for a Bike formation that should be able to compete with the White Scars as mounted warriors. Masters of the Inner Circle: Yes, it is a deathstar, but it is actually designed as a support unit (by boosting the area of effect of the cool Dark Angels special banners). The fluff idea behind it is to represent Azrael taking counsel with other high-ranking member of the Inner Circle to decide how best to prosecute the hunt for the Fallen. Guardians of the Inner Circle: Deathwing Terminators not elite enough? This Formation is to represent an even more elite Deathwing force. Aspirants to the Inner Circle: How does one ascend to the Deathwing? This Formation is intended to represent the leadership of a company watching the performance and loyalty of those Dark Angels who could be inducted into the Deathwing soon. 10
Unseen Hosts of Angels: Ravenwing Support without the bikes. This Formation is designed to help a player take advantage of the cover save synergy of the Ravenwing Darkshroud. Black and Bone: According to the fluff, the Ravenwing scouts behind enemy lines to locate the Fallen before signaling the Deathwing teleport in and snatch him. This Formation is designed to represent the combined arms tactics of these two specialized companies. Dark Vengeance: A Formation built out of the contents of the starter box. It is the same as Unrelenting Hunt, but not relentless. Unrelenting Hunt and Librarius Conclave: Identical to the already-published formations. I hope you enjoy my work. Feedback would be welcome. I can be reached at ANevskyUSA@gmail.com. Han Ng. May, 2015. 11