Deep in the vaults of the Imperial Palace, mysterious gene-alchemies and arcane secrets combine to forge warriors unlike any other – the shining golden legion of the Ten Thousand. Where they walk, success follows.
Other factions may crow about their so-called ‘elites’, but if you really want to feel like it’s your finest hour, every hour, an evening with the Adeptus Custodes is the way to do it.
Overview
The Adeptus Custodes are to Space Marines what Space Marines are to mortal men – majestic, hand-crafted paragons of warfare built to serve as the last line of defence between the Emperor and those who would do him harm. Accordingly, even their most basic fighters are the equal of mighty heroes from other factions, and the arena of melee combat is where they truly shine brightest – with the dutiful Sisters of Silence providing specialist anti-psyker support.
Faction Rules
Every Custodian is a close combat expert, drilled in a hundred nuanced and subtle fighting styles – called Martial Ka’tahs – to face every possible opponent. Their rock-solid discipline makes shifting style mid-combat a breeze, moving from iron defence to all-out attack as the situation demands.
Buried under hordes of teeming alien chaff? The Dacatarai Stance will blend them up in moments. Charged by some optimistic but towering brutes? Adopt the Kaptaris Stance and parry their clumsy swings, then enter Rendax Stance in your turn to slice through their armoured hides. It really is that easy to become the undisputed master of the Fight phase.
Custodians deployed as part of a Shield Host exemplify the best qualities of the Ten Thousand – shining with a sliver of the Emperor’s own light, and blessed with a mote of his invulnerability. This Aegis of the Emperor protects them from the most grievous injuries imaginable, for the galaxy is full of unspeakable horrors that threaten even the Adeptus Custodes.
Unit Spotlight
When even the rank-and-file are nigh-immortal legends of battle, those that lead the Adeptus Custodes must be exceptional indeed – and Trajann Valoris does not disappoint. His Watcher’s Axe dices enemies big and small, and even packs a significant punch at range.
By far his most powerful tool is the Moment Shackle, a relic of the Dark Age of Technology that redirects the flow of time to his advantage. Though it can only be used once per battle, its effects are extremely powerful in both offence and defence, and can decisively swing a combat his way no matter how mighty his opponent.
Custodians are superhumanly durable even without a shirt on, and adding suits of Allarus Terminator armour makes them truly immovable. Despite the immense weight of their armour, the From Golden Light ability gives them surprising mobility in the midst of battle, and can hurl them across the field onto distant objectives at critical moments.
But of course, we can’t forget the other aspect of the Talons of the Emperor, the Sisters of Silence. Their excellence in the field of psyker-hunting – and their nature as psychic blanks – turns even the worst of blasphemous magicks and alien witchcraft aside.
Armed with consecrated boltguns, squads of Prosecutors can pick out enemy sorcerers from their minions with unerring accuracy, as the Precision ability allows them to target Leaders who’d normally be hidden within enemy squads.
Weapon Spotlight
All of the weapons carried by the Talons of the Emperor are masterworks, with powerful ranged weapons often built into the hafts of their swords and spears. Even amongst these relics, though, the Executioner Greatblades carried by Vigilators are doom incarnate for enemy psykers, and can rend through sorcerous wards as if they were nothing but air.
If you’re planning on hunting down a colossal Knight Abominant, or the new psychic monstrosities from Hive Fleet Leviathan, a cadre of Vigilators will cut them down to size.
Stratagem Spotlight
With all of their skill and experience, the loss of even one Custodian is a tragedy that few factions can comprehend. Luckily, the Emperor’s finest don’t go down easy, and even should they fall under the furious guns and blades of their foes, these golden heroes will simply rise again to continue the fight.
It can often take entire turns of shooting to bring down even a few of the Adeptus Custodes, so imagine the look on your opponent’s face when an Allarus Custodian simply comes back to life as if nothing ever happened.
The Word from the Studio
“Every one of the Ten Thousand is a literal hero, and our intent designing the Adeptus Custodes datasheets was to capture that feeling on the battlefield”, explains Robin from the Warhammer Design Studio. “Many Adeptus Custodes units have two abilities as a result – the second being a 'Once per battle...' ability that can be used to give the unit a heroic boost at a critical moment.
“This is needed, as the ultra-elite warriors of the Adeptus Custodes – even when supported by the Sisters of Silence – are likely to be vastly outnumbered by their foes. However, their Martial Ka'tah ability cements the Adeptus Custodes as one of the foremost melee armies in the new edition, as the army changes its fighting stance to defeat whatever foes they face.”
Black Library
The Adeptus Custodes don’t get out much – an understandable circumstance for the Emperor’s own bodyguards – but can often be seen hunting down threats to Terra itself. The Watchers of the Throne series, starting with The Emperor’s Legion and The Regent’s Shadow by Chris Wraight, follows the Talons of the Emperor on just such a mission, starring the irrepressible duo of Valerian and Aleya – who themselves can be fielded in your armies with their own miniatures and datacards.
Want to see how the other factions of Warhammer 40,000 are doing in the new edition? Plenty of Faction Focus articles are available to read right now, and more are coming every weekday this month. Tomorrow, we go from the shining nobility of the Adeptus Custodes right down to the hooting hooliganism of everyone’s favourite green tide – the Orks. Strap on yer dakka, boyz, it’s time for da Waaagh!
