TACTICA: Vindicare Assassin

The Vindicare is a popular Imperial Assassin with new players, but it takes a lot of skill to “earn back his points”. New players are often inspired to add him to their army by the portrayal of the Imperial Assassin in Vindicare, a short story by C. S. Goto (in Takes from the Dark Millennium), and by the “Assassin” in Relic’s 40k-based computer game, Dawn of War.

Veteran players often choose him because of the memorable story of Agent Morias Skult (Vindicare Temple, 2nd Class) who took out an Ork Gargant with a single shot to the fuel line. The resulting explosion killed 800-900 Orks. Sadly, the mission was only 86.3% successful. The High Lords have very high standards for their Assassins.

If the Eversor is the Officio Assassinorum’s sword, then the Vindicare is the scalpel. This tactica discusses the Vindicare, highlights his strengths, and gives you some suggestions for fitting him into an army.

VINDICARE 101.
Although he rarely leaves his perch, the Vindicare is no slouch in close combat. He shares all of the combat statistics of an Imperial Assassin, but lacks a Power Weapon. What he lacks in close combat strength he gains as a Marksman.

The Temple Vindicare Assassin is armed with the Exitus Rifle (and three special rounds of ammunition), the Exitus Pistol, a Spy Mask and a Stealth Suit. Combined with the Marksman special ability, the Vindicare is designed to be 40K’s deadliest sniper.

The Marksman ability is what makes the Vindicare one of the most feared models in the game. This ability allows him to ignore targeting restrictions and target any model in range and line of sight. That means that hidden Power Fists aren’t hidden from him and Independent Character status offers no protection.

The Exitus Rifle is a specially designed Sniper Rifle with an AP value of 2. In addition, the Assassin has access to three special rounds: the Shield-Breaker (ignores Invulnerable saves), the Turbo-Penetrator (inflicts 2 wounds, Armor Penetration of 3D6), and the Hellfire (wounds on a 2+).

My favorite is by far the Hellfire round and I almost always use it on my first shot (usually targeting a hidden Power Fist or Icon Bearer). Nothing makes your opponent rethink his strategy than popping a model with your first shot.

The Exitus Pistol is a healthy S5 AP2 pistol. Most players forget that this pistol is often better than the Exitus Rifle when it has range. It hits on a 2+, wounds most enemies on a 3+ and is AP2. If the Vindicare doesn’t move, he can take two shots at a target within 12″. If you are out of special ammo and your opponent is close, don’t forget to pull out this gem of a pistol.

The Vindicare’s Spy Mask reduces his target’s cover save by one and allows him to roll 2D6x5 for determining how far he can see when Night Fighting, giving him an average of 35″. His Stealth Suit forces the Night Fighting rules to be used when targeting him (and halves the distance if the Night Fighting rules are already in effect).

WHEN TO USE A VINDICARE.
I regularly use the Vindicare in my Daemonhunters army, but rarely in my Witch Hunters lists. I dust him off from time-to-time to remind people that I might dust him off from time-to-time. In my mind, this has the beneficial side effect of keeping Daemonbomb armies to a minimum.

The best time to use a Vindicare is if you expect to face a Daemonbomb army. He’s also effective against opponents that rely too heavily on hidden Power Fists (or Resurrection Orbs) or an opponent that uses a single model for a large portion of his army’s Leadership, such as Standard Bearers, Books of St Lucius, Rites of Battle, Master Voxes, Commissars, etc. The Vindicare is unparalleled at disrupting lines of communication.

HOW TO USE A VINDICARE.
The Vindicare is easy for a new player to use, but improves in effectiveness with the skill of the player. He is user-friendly; I often refer to him as the “Point-and-Click Assassin”. The secret to a Vindicare is choosing his target.

You want to deploy the Vindicare in a safe location with a clear view of the battlefield. I generally place him out of my opponent’s path (the direction I expect him to advance), but in a location where he has a line of sight to that path. I place him in the best cover I can find.

Where you place your Vindicare determines how many targets he has and how vulnerable he is to assault and enemy shooting. Take great care in placing him (I usually have a location picked out before I put down my first model).

The next thing you need to know before you start the game is who your targets are going to be. Don’t wait until the beginning of your turn to decide. Re-read what I just said. If you can’t think a turn or two in advance, then the Vindiare isn’t for you; go with the Eversor or Callidus.

Every army has a soft spot; you just have to find it. Here are some things to look for: Tau Ethereals, Daemon Vessels, Icon Bearers, Eldar Exarchs, Spiritseers, Shadowseers, Necron Lords, Imperial Guard Standard Bearers, Synapse Creatures, Death Company Chaplains, Apothecaries/Medics, Dark Eldar Sybarites, etc.

As befits a scalpel, the Vindicare can be used to shave Victory Points in later turns. A single wound on an Independent Character costs him half his Victory Points. As does bringing a Monstrous Creature below half wounds. A single wound can also deprive a unit of Scoring Unit status. If used carefully, the Vindicare can deny objectives to your enemy and earn extra Victory Points.

Almost as important as who to target is who not to target. Don’t go after a model you can’t kill with one shot. That typically means you want to avoid 3 wound models (and 2 wound models after you use your Turbo-Penetrator). Don’t go after vehicles. It’s tempting with the 3D6 Armor Penetration, but most players don’t realize that it only averages an Armor Penetration of 10.5. Don’t go after a multi-wound model with an Invulnerable save (unless you have to). Don’t go after a model that won’t have an impact on the game.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Master Snipers and Power Generator Strategems are very effective with a Vindicare in Cities of Death. When combined with Space Marine Scouts (or Ratlings) this can make for a very deadly unit.