The Black Templars are charging into action with a limited edition Army Set this weekend. They’re swiftly followed by a slew of reinforcements such as the diversely armed and incredibly zealous Sword Brothers and the formidable High Marshal Helbrecht himself.*
The box is also the first place you can get the new Black Templars codex supplement for use alongside Codex: Space Marines. As you’ve come to expect from codexes released for the latest edition of Warhammer 40,000, this book features extensive Crusade rules. For an army that’s already on an eternal crusade, these rules are exceptionally thematic.
Alongside a whole host of Battle Traits, Agendas, and Requisitions, the Black Templars have access to Oaths of Crusade, which make up the core hook to build your narrative games around.
But what exactly is an Oath of Crusade? Well, it goes a little bit like this…
We recommend that you recite this as you deploy your models on the tabletop to strike fear into your opponents but also to invoke good luck.**
But what do these mean in gameplay terms? Put simply, you pick up to four segments of an Oath – Deed, Foe, Condition, and Situation – from a bountiful selection of options. Each segment of the Oath has a goal with requirements for you to fulfil over multiple games, and in return for your zealous deeds, you reap powerful rewards.
Before your Crusade begins, you select each segment of your Oath, and you only earn your rewards once you complete all of the goals for all of the segments. For example, the following Oath will net you one ace reward.
With only one segment, fulfilling this Oath is simple, and it’s a great way of distributing experience across your troops.
If you’re planning on heading on an eternal crusade, the Black Templars would encourage you to recite a more complete and arduous Oath in order to prove your peerless devotion.
What a tongue-twister. That’s a hefty list of requirements, but your toil will be rewarded as you earn pieces of Reclaimed Relics. This brand new category of Crusade Relics can be bestowed on your Characters once you have gathered all of the required pieces during your campaign.
As we covered in our glimpse into the Reclusiam, the Black Templars are committed to recovering relics that have been scattered across the galaxy or stolen by heretics. These rules allow you to make a lengthy Oath of Crusade solely focused on pursuing one of these artefacts, such as the fearsome pistol Penitent’s Roar.
Luckily the reward is indeed worth it, as this pistol packs an almighty punch, making it the ideal weapon for a close-combat focused army like the Black Templars.
Black Templars also gain access to a range of predictably overeager Agendas, such as Fulfil Your Vows – an Agenda with conditions that are determined by the Templar Vow your army has taken. So, if you vowed to Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch, your Agenda rewards you for hunting down enemy Psykers, which the Black Templars just so happen to be really good at.
Last but not least, there are also unique Crusade Relics for your Characters to take. Shackles of the Faithful, for example, make your warrior’s attacks even more grievous as their weapon becomes light as a feather.
If a hero reaches Legendary rank, they can wield the Black Sword of Sigismund, the holiest weapon available to the Black Templars. You’ll need to be extra careful with this Legendary Relic, though – make sure the chain is double-shackled to the appropriate wrist.
You can go on Crusade with your shiny new Black Templars soon, as the first wave is available to pre-order this weekend. Inside the Army Set, you’ll get 13 miniatures, a limited edition version of the codex supplement, a deck of datacards, and a sheet for transfers – everything that you need to set out on your quest of faith.
* The dead Ork on his base makes it very clear he’s scary.
** Perhaps light a tasteful candle or two for extra effect.