Although the Adeptus Mechanicus have collective millennia of military data to access when preparing their thralls for combat, the whims of individual Tech-Priests result in wildly varied battle plans. Many favour disciplined Skitarii legions, while others surround themselves with fanatical disciples, or trust only in the divine mechanical purity of their robots. In the new Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus, you’ll have plenty of methods to pick from.
As with the Space Marine and Tyranid Detachments we’ve seen before, all five Adeptus Mechanicus Detachments may be used by any commander of the Machine Cult, regardless of what forge world they call home. Each offers a unique Detachment rule, four Enhancements, and six Stratagems to augment your army, be they stomping automata or cybernetic scouts.
The Quest for Knowledge is the highest purpose to which a Tech-Priest can pledge themselves, and millions of would-be explorers disappear into the stars in search of lost archeotech. Finding such artefacts requires immense focus, and in battle these Explorator Maniples pursue Acquisition at Any Cost by singling out key objectives to survey and seize for themselves.
You get re-rolls for Wound rolls of 1 when safeguarding or clearing out your chosen objective, but that’s not the only benefit of designating an Acquisition objective marker. Your Enhancements synergise perfectly with the Detachment rule – a skilled Genetor gives their entire unit a formidable invulnerable save while defending their prize.
The Explorator Maniple’s Stratagems likewise work with objectives. Are violent intruders threatening your precious loot carefully-excavated samples? Trigger a Reactive Safeguard and leap back inside a nearby TRANSPORT to make a clean getaway preserve the Omnissiah’s inheritance. Even if your valiant defenders fall to enemy fire, Cached Acquisition of their data-logs will ensure you keep hold of the objective.
Don’t worry if simply smashing everything in sight is more your speed – the genius of the Tech-Priests has you covered. The Cohort Cybernetica is a Detachment that almost exclusively supports thundering legions of Kastelan Robots and other vehicles, as you truly unleash the Omnissiah’s war machines.
Advanced Cyber-psalm Programming provides a simple but effective Detachment bonus, giving LEGIO CYBERNETICA units access to your Doctrina Imperatives army rule. This returns unchanged from the faction’s Index, allowing you to make your robots tougher and more accurate when defending, or deadlier and more agile on the attack.
Enhancements and Stratagems are where the real magic happens. Would you like to shrug off the blast of a volcano cannon as if it were a mere lasgun, once every round? Call the Necromechanic. Lazy and sullen machine spirits refusing to erupt in sacred fire and take their enemies with them when the strength and certainty of steel fails? A spot of Emotionless Clarity will teach them (and anyone nearby) the error of their ways.
Access to the Protector Imperative also gels brilliantly with the new Auto-Divinatory Targeting Stratagem. The bonus to Hit rolls granted by the
ability wouldn’t normally stack with other Hit roll modifiers… but this Stratagem directly
changesthe Ballistic Skill characteristic of your tanks and automata to 3+, so you can benefit from both at once.
That’s all we can reveal from the ancient tech-vaults of Mars for now, but there’ll be more to see from Warhammer Community in the coming data-cycles. What kinds of armies will you be creating when Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus goes on pre-order this week?