BREAKING: Adeptus Custodes Rules Reveal Tidal Wave

GW spilled a LOT of details on the new codex today. Here’s the latest:

Here’s what GW’s codex designer talked about today on Twitch regarding the new codex:

Forge World:

• The codex meshes with the Forge World range – so the existing FW model range will sync with the codex. No word on when the 8th Edition Forge World rules will arrive.

Custodian Guard

• Rank and file of the army.
• Spears, Sentinel blades, or Stormsheilds.
• Only TROOPS choice in the codex.
• You can take the current Custodian 5 model box and turn it into a 3-man unit, an HQ leader and a ELITES Vexilla. So 3 units from a single box.

Custodian Wardens: (veterans with 500 years of service)

• Veteran Custodian Guard: Castellan Axes (S:8 AP-2, D3 damage), A:4
• Castellan Strike Strategem: 1CP, Select 1 unit armed with Castellan Axes, – Axes become AP-3

Miseracordia: (dagger of mercy)

• Grants +1A (strikes as power sword) 4pts. Usable by most models in the army.

Custodes Transports:

• Venerable Land Raider, BS2+ 6+ ignore damage.

Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought:

• 5+inv., 6+ ignore damage. Provides heavy weapons the army can’t easily get.

Allarus Custodes:

• Terminator Armor, can teleport, can take spear or axes. Unit-size of 3-10

Jetbikes:

• Very potent and there will be “not many” of them in your army.
• Hurricane bolters, or salvo launchers (flakburst or melta missiles), lances.
• Have a strategem to take down flyers
• 14″ move, 6″ advance without rolling.

Command Points:

• “you wont have many”
• “you will go through them quickly”

Shield Captains:

• Standard HQ. You can build one of these out of any Custodes boxed set (Guard, Allarus, Wardens, Jetbikes)
• Re-roll hits rolls of 1’s for Custodes within 6″

Captain General Trajaan Valoris:

• Named Character HQ, Watchers Axe: Sx2, Moment Shackle, Re-roll hit and wouwnd rolls for Custodes Units, has a 3+i save.

Vexilus Praetor:

• Standard bearers.
• All unit boxes can make one except jetbikes.
• Gives a morale buff to all nearby Imperium units.
• There are 3 types of banners they can take:

Strategems:

• Unflinching: Makes your overwatch more effective.
• Victor of the Blood Games: Choose a Custodes Character, 1 free reroll for them each turn.
• Shorn of the Mantle: Use when your warlord is killed. Lets you define another warlord on the spot, denying the “slay the Warlord” victory condition.
• Castellan Strike Strategem: 1CP, Select 1 unit armed with Castellan Axes, – Axes become AP-3

Relics:

• Preatorian Plate: Given to an Custodes character, then select any Imperium character. You can teleport the Custodes character to the defined Imperium character inthe fight phase, placing him within 3″ of the Imperium character. He CAN be placed within 1″ of enemy models.
• Auric Aquillas: a superior jetbike, 3+I save, and reroll charge rolls.
• Auric Shackles: Reduce A characteristic of enemy characters. Score extra D3 victory points if you slay enemy warlord.
• Wrath Angellus: Relic Vexilla – Call down orbital bombardment – mortal wounds on units within 6″ of a spot, enemies hit on 4+, Custodes hit on a 6+
• Formularis Agressor: Relic Vexilla – Shoots lightning bolts, and acts as a Power Stave in melee.
• Faith Absolute: Relic Vexilla – Grants Deny the witch to bearer. Army has very few psychic defenses.
• Obliteratum: Allarus Terminator grenade launcher:  Assault 1 S:10 AP:-4 D:D3

Warlord Traits:

• Champion of the Imperium: Lets Custodes units in your army perform Heroic Interventions
• Emperor’s Companion: Reroll damage inflicted by the Warlord’s weapons. (D3 damage for example)
• Radiant Mantle: -1 for enemies to hit the warlord
• Peerless Warrior: Take a bonus attack for each to-hit roll of 6

Notes – Anecdotes:

• No Custodes weapons inflict Mortal wounds.
• Army is vulnerable to Mortal Wounds. – make sure to watch out for threats that inflict them.
• Custodes army was outnumbered 9-1 against Orks in a test game and went toe for toe with VPs.

Alternative Color Schemes:

• There are non-gold schemes.

~ Have at it!

Author: Larry Vela

Dad, Gamer, Publisher, Pilot, Texan. All games all the time since junior-high. I started BoLS Interactive in 2006. I’m a lifelong tabletop & RPG gaming enthusiast, and internet publisher working to entertain and inform my readers every day. I've been playing RPGs and Tabletop Games since the 1970s. I'm been playing and covering Warhammer and Warhammer 40K for over 35 years.