The Black Templars Army Set is arriving for pre-order this weekend – it’s stuffed full of cool new miniatures covered in knightly details. The box also contains a codex supplement full of fanatical rules, including a section on the Relics and Relic Bearers of the Chapter.
As you might expect from a chapter that worships the emperor with such intensity, the Black Templars are obsessed with dusty old relics – to the extent that they even send out whole fleets to recover items which they – ahem – misplace.*
By swearing vows to a Chaplain on the eve of battle, a Black Templar can become an honoured Relic Bearer. This commitment demonstrates the warrior’s unspeakable devotion to the Emperor, and it lets you field a powerful piece of wargear.
You may recall the tasty upgrade sprue we previewed when we introduced you to the rest of the Black Templars. If you want to go a step further – like every good Black Templar should – you can use one of these upgrades to single out your Relic-bearing miniature on the tabletop.
Those who remember the earliest incarnations of the Black Templars will be familiar with Holy Orbs, masterpieces of arcane ordnance which combine explosives with the most sacred of ointments. When these Relics blow up in the face of a heretic, they’re getting more than a splash of holy water thrown at them.
Also among these Relics is the Icon of Heinmann. This symbol carried into battle by the late Castellan Heinmann represents his stubbornness in the face of utter defeat. On the tabletop, it reduces incoming Armour Penetration, allowing bearers of your Relics to shrug off armour penetration.
As a crusading force, the Black Templars also frequently find new relics on their travels throughout the galaxy. The Chaplains responsible for reclaiming these numerous artefacts have tomes that speak of many powerful and sacred relics scattered around the many worlds of the Imperium.
You can seek these out as rewards for various deeds in Crusade battles. We’d love to talk about these thematic rules right now, but a skull-faced Space Marine is giving us a very stern look which means we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.**
The Black Templar Army Set is available for pre-order this weekend. As part of our pre-order weekend promise, anyone who pre-orders over the weekend is guaranteed to receive a set – even if we have to go questing into the darkest reaches of the factory to forge more copies of the box.
Join us over on Facebook and Twitter to let us know which of your Black Templars you’ll be appointing as your trusty Relic Bearer.
* They should make better use of those chains they’re always wearing, if you ask us.
** In fairness, those skull helmets only really have one expression, and it’s somewhere between stern glare and bloodcurdling scowl.