Horus Heresy: Sons of Horus Rules Preview
The Eye of Horus is upon you as the Sons of Horus march to war! Check out their rules teasers from Games Workshop.
This next Legion really doesn’t need an introduction. They were once named the Luna Wolves but their Primarch changed their name to his sons. Now, the Sons of Horus are bringing the war back to Terra in the Horus Heresy. What can the Warmaster’s own Legion do on the tabletop? Let’s find out!
“The Sons of Horus are close-up killers who enjoy a good charge as much as any frothing World Eater or exsanguinating Blood Angel. Unlike them, however, the XVI Legion don’t succumb to the red mist of battle – these Merciless Fighters strike fast and often, overwhelming their opponent at their weakest points with an opportunistic blitz.”
Sons of Horus Rules Preview
The Merciless Fighters ability kicks off with a debuff for the unit attack a Sons of Horus unit. Essentially, for the first round of combat, the enemy units are -1 Strength modifier. That can really help blunt the attack from other Marines as many of them have big bonuses on the charge. For vehicles, it works a little differently. They gain an additional +3 hits when conducting a Ramming attack on non-vehicle targets.
The Sons of Horus also have a unique Advanced Reaction as well. Reactions are a new thing we’re learning about for the ruleset — but that’s going to be a different article. This Advanced Reaction is called Death Dealers and it’s quite fitting.
Essentially, the Sons of Horus are just a tad faster on the draw with this ability. They get to fire at a unit within 12″ that is targeting them AND they get +1 BS to their shots. On top of that, these shots happen before the enemy unit that targeted them — it’s an out of sequence shooting attack! The Sons of Horus shooting attack is resolved and models from the enemy unit are pulled and then they get to resume their shots.
This could be devastating if timed correctly. You’re basically getting to shoot twice at a unit before it’s gotten a chance to fire once. This puts the opponent between a rock and a hard place. Do you shoot first and risk losing your own models before you charge or do you just attempt to charge at full strength and deal with then -1 Strength for the round. Oof.
This is just the tip of Lupercal’s spear on the rules front. There’s more where that came from. The Horus Heresy is launching soon!
