A dominion as vast as the Imperium requires all kinds of agencies to keep it running, from the fastidious scribes and accountants of the Adeptus Administratum to the void-faring Imperial Navy. Most of these organisations maintain their own cadres of professional troops for when things get dicey on their own patch. These are the Imperial Agents, a disparate collection of house troops, irregulars, and specialist operatives sometimes seconded to other parts of the Imperial war machine when their expertise may prove useful.
The Inquisition are perhaps the best known of these disparate agencies, a group with absolute unquestionable authority to prosecute their judgement on the citizens of the Imperium.
Overview
Today’s Faction Focus will be a little different, as Imperial Agents aren’t designed to operate as a faction in their own right – you’ll find no Detachment rules, Stratagems, or Enhancements in this Index. Instead, their units get to hang out with other Imperial armies, where their diverse skills can help mitigate a force's potential weaknesses.
If you need a squad of Arbites infantry scuttling between the feet of your Imperial Knights, or deadly Assassins removing high-value targets ahead of your Cadian gunline, the Imperial Agents have you covered.
Faction Rules
How many units of Imperial Agents you can include in your IMPERIUM armies is determined by the battle size, and CHARACTER and RETINUE units have their own allowances – so you’ll never have to choose between Inquisitor Greyfax and her Henchmen. As Assigned Agents, they won’t benefit from the parent faction’s army rule or Detachment abilities, but their presence alone is a worthy trade.
Unit Spotlight
Since every unit is equipped differently, we’ll be looking squarely at the datasheets on offer today. First billing goes to the undisputed master of marksmanship, the Vindicare Assassin – the last word in long-distance problem removal. Their unparalleled accuracy makes them a nightmare for CHARACTERS who think they’re safe hiding amongst their bodyguards. And with the Lone Operative rule, they can stay safely away from enemy forces who’d need to get within 12” to even start shooting back.
Inquisitors take more of a supporting role on the battlefield. They’re capable fighters, but they’re still only Human and don’t appreciate being placed in too much danger. The paramount ability of the standard Inquisitor – insofar as there is such a thing – is Power of the Rosette. This gives a high chance to refund one Command point spent on a Stratagem for their unit – and since they can join any IMPERIUM BATTLELINE INFANTRY unit, the possibilities for cut-price Stratagem activations are endless.
If your long-range forces need a bit of supplementary close-range firepower, give the dependable Imperial Navy Breachers a call. Their diverse armoury packs a respectable punch whether they’re shooting or fighting in close combat, and as a skilled Breaching Team they’re even better when attacking enemy units holding objectives – objectives they can easily claim as their own thanks to an Objective Control characteristic of 2.
You may even be lucky enough to be graced with the presence of one of the most renowned heroes of the Imperium, with Inquisitor Eisenhorn, Inquisitor Coteaz, Lord Inquisitor Draxus, and everyone’s favourite mech-riding fanatic Inquisitor Karamazov all returning. Inquisitor Greyfax has been at the forefront of the Inquisition’s most recent witch-hunting wars, and can deploy her Psyoculum to fashion even basic infantry into a potent anti-psyker force.
The Word from the Studio
“The Agents of the Imperium datasheets cover a diverse range of specialists; everything from Assassins and Inquisitors to Rogue Traders and the Adeptus Arbites,” explains Robin from the Warhammer Design Studio.
“While you could field an entire army of these eclectic warriors, they have been designed first and foremost as allies for an IMPERIUM army, and the rules presented here cover how to incorporate them into such armies. From Space Marines to Astra Militarum, you’ll find the abilities and skills offered by the Agents of the Imperium datasheets add new utilities and tricks to your force.”
Black Library
It’s rare that a story set in Imperial space doesn’t come into contact with at least a few of the elite soldiers and menial drones that keep it ticking, but for true nail-biting action from the heart of human hegemony, the Officio Assassinorum can’t be beaten. Iron Sight and Divine Sanction by Robert Rath are a great pair of short stories to dip your toes into the clandestine world of the assassins, while Execution Force by Joe Parrino expands the scope with a team comprising all four major temples, who must put their mistrust aside to eliminate a powerful sorcerer lord of the Chaos Space Marines.
Finally, Assassinorum: Kingmaker – also by Robert Rath – hands a Vindicare and Callidus assassin duo the most dangerous mission of their lives, navigating the complex hierarchy of a Knight World and the deadly succession crisis that engulfs it. After all, even their prodigious combat skills might not be enough when the miscreants they are hunting pilot building-sized Imperial Knights.
We’re nearing the end of our Faction Focus series, with only two left to go. Tomorrow, we’ll be looking at five Space Marine Chapters who consider the Codex Astartes more of a set of guidelines than strict tenets to live by, and then the Titans of Warhammer 40,000 shake the earth with some thunderous new rules.
