Black Templars Supplement: A Thought Experiment.

[Sea-People]

This is the result of me having too much time on my hands while B&C was down. The current Templar rules are... disappointing, so I put together a hypothetical supplement that still could potentially happen. I don't expect anything to actually come out, nor do I intend to email this to GW or something like that. I just thought I'd have a little fun giving the Templars some flavor.

 

I will not be changing points, adding units, or adding wargear besides relics. These all can be addressed through Chapter approved or a new marine release. I will however be adding stratagems, warlord traits, relics, and some new rules to existing dataslates. I intend this to be something like the Rogue trader codex. Short and flavorful, and maybe even strong. So without further ado...

 

Universal Special Rules

Righteous Zeal: INFANTRY, BIKES, DREADNOUGHTS may re-roll one or both of the die results in the Charge Phase. VEHICLES add one to their hit rolls in the fight phase (I personally BT already have a good chapter tactic, I just updated to be a bit better. Marines are not great in combat, but I'll get to that.)

 

Adamantium Will: BLACK TEMPLARS with the CHARACTER keyword may attempt to deny one psychic power per turn. (Templars don't get access to goodies like null zone, they need some way to deal with psykers besides one power a turn.)

May not take Librarians (duh)

May not take tactical squads

May not take scout squads

May not take assault or devastator centurions

(hey, it needs to have some downsides from C:SM lol).

Unit Dataslate Changes/ Additions

Crusader Squad

- neophytes may take sniper rifles

- One in every five initiates may take a power weapon instead of their boltgun or chainsword

- One initiate may take a heavy weapon

- One initiate may take a special weapon

- If this unit contains 10 or more models, add 1 to the attack characteristic of all models in the unit.

(the changes here are meant to encourage large, full size squads with lots of power weapons and specials. Genestealers already have the +1 attack rule, so there is precedent)

Intercessors:

- One in every five models may take a power sword in addition to their wargear. (again, more choppy choppy. I'm not adding Primaris crusader squads because there aren't any currently existing units that really fit the mold).

Cenobyte Servitors

- Gain CHARACTER keyword

- Relic of Helsreach: BLACK TEMPLARS units within 12” auto-pass morale. BLACK TEMPLAR INFANTRY units within 6” gain +1 attack. BLACK TEMPLARS INFANTRY units within 6” gain a 5+ invulnerable save. (Basically turn them into something useful. More attacks and survivability on that black tide foot-slogging across the board. the MOST ZEALOUS chapter should be buffed by their holy relics, lol.)

Warlord Traits

 

- as an aside, perhaps take some of the combat oriented traits from C:SM, but replace a handful with the following:

Oathkeeper: 6” heroic intervention for warlord and BLACK TEMPLARS INFANTRY within 6” of warlord. (current trait made better).

 

Champion of the Feast of Blades: Always fights first. Re-roll failed wounds against characters. (standard, fluffy, good.)

Unmatched Zealotry: Warlord gains +D3 attacks in the fight phase. +3 attacks against psykers. (because psykers are bad, lmao).

Relics

 

- These replace the relics in C:SM
 

Crusader’s Helm: +3” to dataslate abilities. This also applies to Warlord Traits. (can you say 9" heroic intervention...)

 

Blessed Hull: Vehicles only. Add +1 to this vehicle’s BS, WS, Strength, Toughness, Wounds, and Armor Save characteristics. This vehicle also gains a 5+ invulnerable save (Might sound OP, but consider that this is basically Might of Heroes + a few extra goodies for a whole game. That one Land Raider is NOT dying!)

 

Witchbane: Replace power sword or relic blade. S: +1, AP: -3 Damage: D3. Always wounds Psyker’s on a 2+. Damage 3 against psykers. Psykers may not take invulnerable saves against this weapon. (pretty self explanatory)

Standard of Sigismund: Usual Banner effects. BLACK TEMPLARS INFANTRY units within 6” gain +1 attack. (because banners, and more choppy choppy.)

Stratagems:

 

- Copy/Paste the usual subjects from C:SM, replace the ones that don't make sense for Black Templars.
 

Veteran Sergeants 1CP: All sergeants of TACTICAL, ASSAULT, or DEVASTATOR SQUADS, and Sword Brothers in Crusader Squads, gain +1 WS, Leadership, and Attack. (Also add this to generic C:SM Basically Something like the Heavy Stubber Stratagem from the Knight Codex. Make your sergeants a bit better for one CP).

Abhor the Witch 1CP: Deny a psychic power on a 4+. On a 6+ the enemy suffers perils of the warp. (upgraded current strat.)

Marshal’s Household 1CP: Use During Deployment before the battle begins. Select a unit of Terminators, Sternguard Vets, Vanguard Vets, Company Vets, Company Vets on Bikes, or Honor guard. Add one to the WS, Leadership, and attack characteristics of models in that unit. (inspired by the Skarboyz and 'Ard boyz stratagems. Make elite marines better in combat.)

No Pity! No Remorse! No Fear! 1CP: Use when a BLACK TEMPLARS INFANTRY, BIKE, or DREADNOUGHT unit is chosen to fight in the fight phase. Roll a D6 for every model in the selected unit. For each roll of a 6+ the target enemy unit suffers a mortal wound. Add 1 to the die roll if the BLACK TEMPLARS INFANTRY unit has 10 or more models. Add an additional 1 to the die roll of the target enemy unit has 10 or more models. (This is a big one. It gets better the Bigger the unit. Maybe make it cost 2CP on a unit with 10+ models? The idea is to compensate for marines being bad in the fight phase by CRUSHING THE ENEMY WITH RIGHTEOUS ZEAL! Imagine a max unit charging 30 ork boyz...)

 

Devotion Chains 2CP: Target BLACK TEMPLARS INFANTRY, BIKE, or DREADNOUGHT unit adds +d3 to its attack characteristic in the fight phase. This stratagem costs 1CP when used on CHARACTERS. (more attacks for a big squad, turns into Red Rampage on Characters.)

 

Furious Indignation 1CP: Use when a BLACK TEMPLARS INFANTRY, BIKE, or DREADNOUGHT takes a wound. Add 2 to the charge distance in the next controlling player’s charge phase. (ensures you get that charge off.)

I Have Dug My Grave in this Place 2CP: Use when a BLACK TEMPLARS INFANTRY, BIKE, or DREADNOUGHT model is slain. Roll a D6 for that model and every other slain model from the same unit for the duration of the phase. On a 4+ that model and every other model from the same unit slain during that phase may shoot as if it were the shooting phase or fight as if it were the fight phase. Add one to the die roll if the army contains the Standard of Sigismund. (Another big one. pay 2CP to get a banner on any unit you want. Ensure that your pricey big squads get their points back. Your Crusaders turn into wulfen in the fight phase, and Imagine hellblasters in the shooting phase.)

 

I think a supplement like this could be done in like maybe 30 pages. Hope you guys enjoyed what could have been!

[Medjugorje]

Centurions in general are very templar-like i think. Devastor Squads must be out if there would be a unit which have to.

 

- Centurions used like Siege weapons / towers, Trebuchets, ...

 

in addition i would ad the Stratagem: "destroy them all"

2 CP If a Black TEmplar unit shot at a enemy unit which is the nearest enemy and this unit still exist the BT-Unit can shoot again against the same unit.

 

and btw... if you change "deny the which" it should be not be a 50:50 thing - like on 3+ instead of 4+.

[Medjugorje]

we saw a lot of attemptions for better BT-rules.

 

But there is just one real way - the righteous ZEAL - and writing GW:

 

40KFAQ@gwplc.com

[Schlitzaf]

Honestly....these are actually pretty good. Well written friend. The threee addendums I would add would be;

1) Lose Scout/SM Bikers replace with a Biker Crusader Squad

2) Any model that can take a flamer may instead take a Power Weapon.

2b) Keep Heavy or Power Weapon on Crusaders

3) Add to our tactics whenever a non-character models attack using a MELEE Weapon of an AP -1 or greater it may attack an additional time with that weapon.

 

3 important as 1A Power Weapons beside Fists (Fists get weird as they deal 0.35 ‘wounds’ but 0.7 damage for ‘25’ points compared to 0.44 wounds for ‘24’ points. So have this weird inbetween zone of efficiency).

[Kallas]

I would hazard against either:

 - the plethora of +Attack abilities, or

 - NPNRNF gets changed somewhat

 

With the Standard of Sigismund, a Cenobyte Servitor and a big enough squad with Chainswords, each model is kicking out 5 Attacks. That's equivalent to an Ork Boyz Mob with a Psychic Power. Now, I'm not saying BT shouldn't be good in melee, but the combination of those things would allow Tide squads to utterly wipe the floor with a lot of other infantry without much difficulty.

 

If we have a 20-strong Crusader Squad (assuming current point values it's around 240pts, plus the Cenobytes at 6pts and the Ancient for at least 63pts so about 300ish points, so fairly expensive - they do go to 20, right?) it'll cause 10 Mortal Wounds from NPNRNF, or 6 to a unit that's less than 10-strong (which is pretty brutal in and of itself). Then on average they'll kill 23 more Boyz (which includes a Painboy, but without any Captain/Lieutenant rerolls involved) when they actually make their attacks. Against, say, Genestealers, they'll kill 10 with MWs, then kill an average of 21 more, easily wiping them out (which is actually an equivalently costed unit, where the Boyz would be slightly cheaper).

 

While that is involving a Relic (plus the relevant character for it), a specific buffing unit and a Stratagem, they're easily capable of wiping out hordes. Without the Stratagem (ie, any other Tide squad in the same turn) they're still kicking out a bunch of attacks which will rip through Hordes (which in and of itself is fine), I would just warn against making things stack too much.

 

Personally, I would recommend making NPNRNF something like the I Have Dug My Own Grave Stratagem, or similar to the Wulfen Death Frenzy ability:

2/3CP: Use at the start of any Fight Phase. Models in Crusader Squads that are slain during this phase can, immediately after the enemy unit that killed them has finished attacking, pile in and attack before being removed as a casualty even if they have already fought this phase.

 

This would have a similar effect (ie, your units are more stabby) but would be less of an alpha strike type ability and would not bypass a lot of defences, as Mortal Wounds do. As it would be a fairly expensive Stratagem it would also be a key one to use, rather than one that could be used in most turns; further, as it would affect multiple units at once, it wouldn't be as susceptible to the enemy interrupting combat and killing off another unit, as they would still get to fight back as they die, so I feel it would reflect the zealotry of the Black Templars a little better than just pouring buckets of Mortal Wounds into the game.

 

Overall, however, I think your ideas are solid. After GW revealed that the Farsight Eight will be in CA2018, I think there's a reasonable chance to expect more of these mini-expansions in the future - and Black Templars especially should definitely get one.

[Sword Brother Adelard]

Standard of Sigismund? Have I missed something?

 

Ah, seen.