Talons of the Emperor

Homebrew by skooma

The Adeptus Custodes, known as the Legio Custodes during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras, is the Imperial adepta responsible for protecting the Imperial Palace and the physical body of the Emperor of Mankind, as well as serving as His most important emissaries, His companions, and the keepers of His many secrets.

The Sisters of Silence are an all-female order of Imperial Witch Hunters tasked with hunting down rogue psykers and other psychic threats across the galaxy. They also help to enforce the Imperium's rigid laws on the use of psychic powers.

Together, these two ancient orders form the Talons of the Emperor, combining the peerless martial prowess of the Adeptus Custodes with the psychic null abilities of the Sisters of Silence.

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Composition

↘ 8 TALONS OF THE EMPEROR operatives selected from the following list:

  • CUSTODIAN GUARD¹ with one of the following options:
    • Guardian Spear
    • Sentinel Blade; Storm Shield
  • SISTERS OF SILENCE PROSECUTOR
  • SISTERS OF SILENCE VIGILATOR
  • SISTERS OF SILENCE WITCHSEEKER

LEADER: You must select one TALONS OF THE EMPEROR operative; they gain the keyword LEADER and gain +1 Wound.

¹ These operatives count as two selections each.

Common Abilities and Options

Psychic Null:
PSYCHIC ranged weapons cannot inflict damage on this operative. For the effects of PSYCHIC actions, this operative cannot be selected and is never treated as being within those actions’ required distances. Whenever an operative is within 6" of this operative:

  • That operative cannot perform PSYCHIC actions or use PSYCHIC additional rules.
  • That operative cannot use PSYCHIC ranged weapons.
  • PSYCHIC melee weapons have no weapon rules and cannot have Dmg stats higher than 3/4.

Unnerving Presence:
In the Strategy Phase, select one Psychic Blank effect below. Until the end of the Turning Point, all friendly SISTERS OF SILENCE operatives have the selected effect.

  • Null Dread: Whenever an enemy operative is within 3" of one or more friendly SISTERS OF SILENCE operatives, worsen the Hit stat of that enemy operative's weapons by 1 as if it were injured.
  • Eerie Silence: Whenever an enemy operative within 8" of one or more friendly SISTERS OF SILENCE operatives is selected for an enemy Firefight Ploy, roll one D6. On a 5+, that enemy operative cannot be selected for that ploy during this activation.

Leader:
This model gains 1 Wound

Custodian Guard
A 3
M 5"
S 3+
W 18
Weapons
ATK
HIT
DMG
Guardian Spear (Lethal 5+)
4
3+
3/4
Sentinel Blade (Rng 8", Acc1)
4
3+
3/4
Guardian Spear
Strike (Brutal, Lethal 5+)
2
2+
4/6
Sweep (Brutal, Sweep*)
1
3+
4/6
Sentinel Blade (Shock)
5
3+
4/6
Abilities
*SweepMartial Ka'TahStorm Shield2AP: Transhuman Physiology
Options
Leader

*Sweep: Whenever this operative performs the Fight action with this weapon profile, if it isn't incapacitated, it can immediately perform a free Fight action afterwards, but you must select this weapon profile and it can only fight against each enemy operative within its control range once per activation or counteraction using this weapon profile. This takes precedence over action restrictions, and you can continue to perform free Fight actions until this operative is incapacitated or has fought against every enemy operative within its control range.

Martial Ka'Tah: This operative can perform the Reposition, Shoot and Fight actions more than once during each of its activations, but each action cannot be performed more than twice.

  • This operative can perform the Charge action during an activation in which it has performed the Reposition action.
  • Whenever this operative performs a Shoot action after the first time it has performed a Shoot action during that turning point, worsen the Hit stat of its ranged weapons by 1 for that action.

Each friendly CUSTODIAN GUARD operative can counteract regardless of its order.

Storm Shield: Whenever an operative is shooting this operative, worsen the x of the Piercing weapon rule by 1 (if any). Note that Piercing 1 would therefore be ignored.

Transhuman Physiology (2AP): This operative regains 2D2 lost wounds.

This action cannot be performed more than once per Turning Point by your kill team.

40IMPERIUM, ADEPTUS CUSTODES, <SHIELD HOST>, CUSTODIAN GUARD
Sister Of Silence Prosecutor
A 2
M 6"
S 3+
W 8
Weapons
ATK
HIT
DMG
Boltgun
4
3+
3/4
Gun Butt
4
4+
2/3
Abilities
Psychic NullUnnerving Presence
Options
Leader
32IMPERIUM, ANATHEMA PSYKANA, SISTER OF SILENCE, PROSECUTOR
Sister Of Silence Vigilator
A 2
M 6"
S 3+
W 8
Weapons
ATK
HIT
DMG
Executor Greatblade (Lethal 5+)
4
3+
4/6
Abilities
Psychic NullUnnerving Presence
Options
Leader
32INQUISITORIAL AGENT, IMPERIUM, ANATHEMA PSYKANA, SISTER OF SILENCE, VIGILATOR
Sister Of Silence WitchSeeker
A 2
M 6"
S 3+
W 8
Weapons
ATK
HIT
DMG
Flamer (Rng 8", Sat, Tor2")
4
2+
3/3
Gun Butt
4
4+
2/3
Abilities
Psychic NullUnnerving Presence
Options
Leader
32INQUISITORIAL AGENT, IMPERIUM, ANATHEMA PSYKANA, SISTER OF SILENCE, WITCHSEEKER
Equipment

Misericordia:
Friendly CUSTODIAN GUARD operatives have the following melee weapon:

NameATKHITDMG
Misericordia (Relentless)44+2/2

Herald of the Blackships:
Once per battle STRATEGIC GAMBIT in the first or second turning point. Each friendly ANATHEMA PSYKANA operative wholly within your territory can immediately perform a free Dash action in an order of your choice, but each that does so must end that move closer to an opponent’s drop zone or killzone edge.


In Auramite Clad:
Once per Turning Point, when an enemy operative resolves a critical success to Strike a friendly CUSTODIAN GUARD operative, you can inflict that weapon’s Normal Dmg instead of its Critical Dmg.


Vratine Faceplate:
ANATHEMA PSYKANA operative only. The operative gains the following ability for the battle:

Vratine Faceplate: Once per battle, when damage would be inflicted upon this operative from an attack dice, subtract 3 from the damage inflicted (to a minimum of 0).


Ploys

Firefight - Brotherhood of Demigods:
Use this Tactical Ploy at the end of the Firefight phase. Select one friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES operative to perform one free Dash action (this does not count as an activation).


Firefight - Talons:
Use this Tactical Ploy when a ready friendly TALONS OF THE EMPEROR operative within 6" of enemy operatives or within 2" of the centre of an objective marker is activated:

  • If that operative is an ANATHEMA PSYKANA operative, select one ready friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES operative Visible to and within 3" of it.
  • If that operative is an ADEPTUS CUSTODES operative, select one ready friendly ANATHEMA PSYKANA operative Visible to and within 3" of it.

Both operatives are activated at the same time and you can perform their actions in any order.

On completion of these activations, your opponent may then activate two operatives in succession.


Firefight - Esoteric Servo-Skull:
Use this firefight ploy when a friendly CUSTODIAN GUARD operative is within control range of an uncontested objective marker you control. Spend one of your Servo-Skull tokens and place it on that objective marker.

While that token is there, you control that objective marker. Remove that token when an enemy operative contests that objective marker, or at the end of the Turning Point.


Strategic - By the Emperor's Will:
Select one friendly CUSTODIAN GUARD operative. Until the end of the Turning Point, you can ignore any changes to that operative's stats from being injured.


Strategic - Empyrean Passage:
Select either one friendly CUSTODIAN GUARD operative or up to two friendly ANATHEMA PSYKANA operatives wholly within your territory. Remove the selected operatives from the killzone and set them back up wholly within your deployment zone.


Strategic - Acquire Servo-Skull:
Gain a Servo-Skull token.

For each friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES operative, roll one D6. For each result of 6, you gain 1CP (to a maximum of 2CP).


TacOps
Seek And Destroy: Sweep & Clear

Reveal: The first time an enemy operative is incapacitated while contesting an objective marker, or the first time a friendly operative performs the Clear action (whichever comes first).

Additional Rules:

When an enemy operative that contests an objective marker is incapacitated, that objective marker gains one of your Swept tokens (if it doesn't already have one) until the Ready step of the next Strategy phase.

Mission Action: Clear (1 AP)

  • An objective marker the active operative controls is cleared for the turning point.
  • An operative cannot perform this action during the first turning point, or while within control range of an enemy operative.

Victory Points:

  • At the end of each turning point after the first, if at least one objective marker (excluding your objective marker) is cleared and enemy operatives do not contest that marker, you score 1VP. If that marker also has one of your Swept tokens, you score 2VP instead.
  • If friendly operatives control an objective marker that has one of your Swept tokens, you score 1 VP.

You cannot score more than 2VP from this op per turning point.


Seek And Destroy: Dominate

Reveal: The first time an enemy operative is incapacitated by a friendly operative.

Additional Rules:

Each time a friendly operative incapacitates an enemy operative, that friendly operative gains one of your or two of your Dominate tokens if that enemy operative had a Wounds stat of 12 or more.

Victory Points:

At the end of the third and fourth turning point, you can remove Dominate tokens from friendly operatives that aren't incapacitated. For each you remove, you score 1VP.

You cannot score more than 3VP from this op per turning point.


Seek And Destroy: Rout

Reveal: The first time you score VP from this op.

Victory Points:

Whenever a friendly operative incapacitates an enemy operative, if that friendly operative is within 6" of your opponent's drop zone, you score 1VP; if this is true and that enemy operative had a Wounds stat of 12 or more, you score 2VP instead.

You cannot score more than 2VP from this op per turning point.


Security: Plant Banner

Reveal: When you perform the Plant Banner action.

Mission Action: Plant Banner (1 AP)

  • Place your Banner mission marker within the active operative's control range, wholly within your opponent's territory and more than 5" from a neutral killzone edge. Operatives can perform the Pick Up Marker action on your Banner mission marker.
  • An operative cannot perform this action during the first turning point, while within control range of an enemy operative, or if a friendly operative has already performed this action during the battle.

Victory Points:

At the end of each turning point after the first, if your Banner mission marker is wholly within your opponent's territory and friendly operatives control it, you score 1VP; if that's true and no enemy operatives contest it, you score 2VP instead. Note your Banner mission marker must be in the killzone (not being carried) to score.


Security: Martyrs

Reveal: The first time a friendly operative is incapacitated while contesting an objective marker.

Additional Rules:

Whenever a friendly operative is incapacitated while contesting an objective marker, that marker gains one of your Martyr tokens.
Note that this is only the first time each operative is incapacitated, so if an operative is incapacitated, set back up (e.g. HIEROTEK CIRCLE Reanimation Protocols) and then subsequently incapacitated again, a second Martyr token cannot be gained as a result.

Victory Points:

At the end of each turning point after the first, if friendly operatives contest an objective marker that has one or more of your Martyr tokens, you can remove any of those tokens. For each token you remove, you score 1VP; if friendly operatives also control that marker, you score 2VP instead.

You cannot score more than 2VP from this op per turning point.


Security: Envoy

Reveal: The first time you select an envoy.

Additional Rules:

As a STRATEGIC GAMBIT in each turning point after the first, select one friendly operative to be your envoy until the Ready step of the next Strategy phase. You cannot select an operative you selected during a previous turning point or an operative that's ignored for the kill op.

Victory Points:

At the end of each turning point after the first, if your envoy is wholly within enemy territory and not within control range of enemy operatives, you score 1VP; if this is true and your envoy has not lost any wounds during that turning point, you score 2VP instead.


Recon: Flank

Reveal: As a STRATEGIC GAMBIT.

Additional Rules:

Divide the killzone into two flanks (left and right) by drawing an imaginary line that's just like the centreline, except it runs from the centre of each player's killzone edge. An operative contests a flank while both wholly within it and wholly within their opponent's territory. Friendly operatives control a flank if the total APL stat of those contesting it is greater than that of enemy operatives.

Victory Points:

  • After you reveal this op, at the end of each turning point after the first, for each flank friendly operatives control, you score 1VP.
  • In the fourth turning point, ff friendly operatives also controlled that flank at the end of the third turning point, you score 2VP instead.

You cannot score more than 2VP from this op per turning point.


Recon: Retrieval

Reveal: The first time you score VP from this op.

Mission Action: Retrieve (1 AP)

  • If the active operative controls an objective marker that hasn't been searched by friendly operatives, that operative is now carrying one of your Retrieval mission markers and that objective marker has been searched by friendly operatives. Friendly operatives can perform the Pick Up Marker action on your Retrieval mission markers.
  • An operative cannot perform this action during the first turning point, while within control range of an enemy operative, or if it's already carrying a marker.

Victory Points:

  • The first time each objective marker is searched by friendly operatives, you score 1VP.
  • At the end of the battle, for each of your Retrieval mission markers friendly operatives are carrying, you score 1VP.

Recon: Scout Enemy Movement

Reveal: The first time a friendly operative performs the Scout action.

Mission Action: Scout (1 AP)

  • Select one ready enemy operative visible to and more than 6" from the active operative. That enemy operative is now monitored until the Ready step of the next Strategy phase.
  • An operative cannot perform this action while it has an Engage order, during the first turning point, or while within control range of an enemy operative.

Victory Points:

At the end of each turning point after the first, for each monitored enemy operative that's visible to friendly operatives, you score 1VP. Note that it doesn't have to be a friendly operative that performed the Scout action.

You cannot score more than 2VP from this op per turning point.