The low roar of chainswords and gatling cannons is getting louder and louder as Codex: Imperial Knights and the Chaos Knights Army Set march their way to release. Faced with Fallen Nobles empowered by the Favour of the Dark Gods, the forces of the Imperial Knights have the odds stacked against them – but that’s just how they like it. What better way to win glory than conquering a true challenge?
While the terrifying new Knight Abominant wields blasphemous psychic powers, the Imperial Knights honour the wisdom of their Household’s most grizzled veterans. These Knightly Teachings, offer a range of abilities than can inspire even lesser Knights to prove their worth on the battlefield.
The Knight Preceptor strives to set an example for younger comrades – as such, it has the MENTOR keyword, and can pick three Knightly Teachings from a list of six. Each Preceptor can recount up to two of its teachings in your Command phase, rolling a D6 for each – on a roll of 3+, that teaching was inspiring enough to light a fire in the souls of their ARMIGER-CLASS squires.
Knight armies march to war with only a handful of units, so losing the firepower of even a single Armiger Helverin while it completes a vital battlefield action is a punishing blow. Thankfully, sage pilots can extol the virtues of multi-tasking – or rather, The Folly Of Mercy.
Once you’ve instructed an ARMIGER-CLASS ally within 12”, it can perform an action even while staying mobile and laying down withering fire – perfect for securing crucial Secondary Objectives without missing a beat.
These strict teachers can also expound – at length – on the importance of the Code Chivalric. A Battle-forged army will hit the table wielding the righteous power of two Oaths – with The Warrior’s Hope, you can throw a surprise test and ask students to recite a third!
This teaching permits a nearby ARMIGER-CLASS unit to benefit from the Chivalric abilities for an Oath of your choice – why not ask an Armiger Warglaive to Refuse No Challenge for a bonus to its charge rolls and melee hit rolls? You’ll still need enough Honour points to qualify for those abilities, but you won’t gain the Oath’s Pledge or Troth, so you can act without fear of disgrace.
Occasionally, all that are needed are words of encouragement, a firm iron hand on the shoulder,* and a reminder that The Virtue of Courage can conquer even the most heinous of horrors.
While reciting this inspiring lesson, the MENTOR’s encouraging aura causes nearby ARMIGER-CLASS allies to land an extra strike on all hit rolls of 6. This potent benefit synergises wonderfully with the newly-upgraded reaper chain-cleavers, giving your squires eight hit rolls with the Sweep profile – and up to 16 total hits!**Codex: Imperial Knights contains three more Knightly Teachings to unlock the full potential of your smallest giant war-engines. Combined with everything else these chivalric warriors can bring to the table, you’ll have more than a fighting chance against the Dread Households.
There will be more rules for your Knights – of both loyal and traitorous varieties – coming up soon, so sign up to the Warhammer Community newsletter to avoid missing a single titanic tidbit.
* We don’t actually recommend this, it scratches the paintwork something awful.
** Admittedly, the odds of this are, er… 0.0000595374%. Still, it’s gotta happen sometime!