The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth
The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Brother Against Brother
'Too late, Aethon!' shouted Kurtha Sedd. Captain Aethon raised his relic weapon and sent a pair of explosive bolts roaring towards the traitor Chaplain. Quick as a serpent, Kurtha Sedd hooked a Word Bearer with his crozius and yanked him close. The legionary shook in violent death throes as the mass-reactive shots opened his chest.
'What have you done?' shouted Aethon as he strode. 'What happened to you?'
'It's all lies,' replied Kurtha Sedd. 'There is no divinity but Chaos!'
The captain's shock turned to disgust. Old friendships had no place here, not any more. Only violence mattered now.
From the flank, the Word Bearer's Contemptor Dreadnought – Sor Gharax, often called 'The Bull' – stormed from the darkness of the vaults. Its multi-melta sent shimmering beams of superheated energy into a nearby squad of Veterans, turning Brother Heptus to molten slurry. The Dreadnought bent forward and charged, power fist lashing out to crush Brother Ulius into the adamantium vault door behind.
'Grenades,' barked Aethon. A triple clink of metal, and explosions blossomed at the monster's feet, throwing it back. 'Thorias, put it down,' he continued, focussing his combi-weapon's heat beam on the Contemptor as his anti-tank expert Jantor Thorias added a fusion beam of his own. The beast roared, the boiling crater that appeared upon its armour turning to a smoking black tunnel as thick as a man's arm. Squad Ventrus took the chance to hammer bolter shells into its torso, blasting splinters of adamantium from its chestplate. Yet somehow the Bull came on. Aethon ducked under its roundhouse swing and strode on towards Kurtha Sedd without looking back.
Ahead, a trio of Word Bearers hurdled a fallen pillar as one, skidding into gun crouches and levelling a hail of bolter fire at Squad Ventrus. Spent casings tinkled on shattered mosaic floors as detonations rippled from their targets' Terminator armour. The Ultramarines turned their shoulder armour into the fusillade, but Sergeant Ventrus himself was punched from his feet, his helm twisted at an unnatural angle.
Aethon spared a quick glance; Ventrus' Cataphractii comrades were pounding down a wide colonnade lined with bronze representations of the Primarchs. Brother Thaegus backhanded a statue of Lorgar across the hall to plough into the ranks of the Word Bearers before the charge hit home. Power fists swung, lightning claws flashed. In scant seconds all three of the traitor legionaries had come apart in explosions of gore, spattering the priceless tapestries on either side.
Kurtha Sedd's stentorian tones rang out, chanting dark gibberish that made Aethon's skin crawl. The air shimmered around the Chaplain, making his outline ripple as if underwater.
Turning his unease into cold resolve, the captain broke into a run. He fired a stream of shots from his combi-weapon Moricorpus, but the bolts that spat from its muzzle detonated a yard from his opponent's battle plate. Their harsh fires swirled around the Chaplain, a shroud of flame lighting the colonnade.
'You cannot kill me, Aethon,' chuckled Kurtha Sedd, eyes glowing green. 'It is no longer within your power.'
'We shall see,' called the captain, his chainfist revving loud. 'We'll see, old friend, when I carve out your heart.'
Aethon charged, the vault echoing to the boom of his footsteps.
'Your time is nigh!' he shouted. 'Die in the Emperor's name!'
The Miniatures
There are a number of different Citadel Miniatures used in a game of The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth. The models under the Word Bearers player's command are collectively referred to as the 'Word Bearers force', while the models under the Ultramarines player's command are 'the Ultramarines force'.
Legion Veteran The Tactical Squads of the Legiones Astartes are experts in all forms of war, as skilled with their combat knives as they are with their deadly boltgun sidearms.
Captain Aethon A valiant lord of Calth, Captain Aethon's cool and methodical approach to war has turned to fiery rage at the treachery unleashed upon his home world.
Kurtha Sedd The traitorous Chaplain Kurtha Sedd is devoted to the utter ruin of the Ultramarines and the death of the False Emperor. His maniacal fervour is a weapon in its own right.
Cataphractii Terminator Clad in hulking suits of Terminator armour, the Cataphractii lay down heavy fusillades of fire before lumbering in to rip their victims limb from limb.
Sor Gharax, 'The Bull' Once a noble warrior, now a raging madman interred within a mighty Contemptor Dreadnought, Sor Gharax spreads merciless destruction throughout the arcologies of Calth.
Space Marines The Space Marines of the Legiones Astartes are heroes to a man. Selected from the strongest and most athletic specimens in the Imperium, they are genetically enhanced to superhuman levels and trained night and day until they are engines of destruction made flesh. Armed in the finest battle plate the Tech-Priests of the Mechanicum can provide and bearing a powerful boltgun that fires mass-reactive shells, a single Space Marine is the equal of a platoon of lesser men. The eighteen Legions that fight at the Emperor's command are the sword and shield of Mankind itself. They are the angels of death that roar down from the skies to bring violent retribution to those who usurp Man's rightful domain, and bring those worlds that have strayed into compliance with Imperial rule. With such dauntless warriors at their command, the Space Marine Legions that fight at Humanity's vanguard are capable of conquering the galaxy twice over.
The Board
The arcologies beneath Calth's surface are represented in the game by four double-sided board sections, which can be combined in different ways to form the battlefield of the scenario you choose to play.
The board is divided into a number of hexagonal spaces, which are referred to throughout these rules as 'hexes'. Models from the same force can share a hex (see Hex Capacity on page 10 for more details), but models from opposing forces can never share a hex.
Some hexes are filled with rock walls, machinery or other obstructions. These are referred to as blocked hexes, and are denoted by a solid red outline. Empty spaces around the edge of the board sections are treated as blocked hexes for all rules purposes.
Other hexes are filled with debris, fallen masonry and other detritus of war. These are referred to as rubble hexes, and are denoted by a dotted white outline.
Reference Cards
This page of the printed rulebook is a component-photo spread showing the physical Reference Cards (Captain Aethon, Legion Veteran Tactical Squad and Legion Terminator Squad for the Ultramarines; Kurtha Sedd, Legion Veteran Tactical Squad and Sor Gharax for the Word Bearers). The scan used for this transcription has a defect at this page (a duplicate of the Steloc Aethon page is bound in its place), so the page's own text could not be recovered; no rules content is lost, as the cards' full stats and Critical Effects are transcribed under Weapons and the Reference summary later in this book.
Other Components
In addition to the miniatures, boards and rulebook, the box contains a number of other components, which are described below.
Command Cards Command Cards allow players to use tactics and ploys that represent the unique combat doctrines of the Word Bearers and Ultramarines.
A player draws cards from his Command Deck into his hand, from which he can play them (according to the rules on each card). When a card is played it is placed into a face-up discard pile next to the player's Command Deck.
Example card — Concentrated Fire (Ultramarines): The Ultramarines have honed their fire solutions over years of non-stop war. Their weapons drill is beyond reproach, and their responses to the battle cant devised by Roboute Guilliman are all but automatic. At a single word, the Ultramarines level a storm of firepower into the ranks of the foe. Not even the traitor legionaries of the Word Bearers can hope to survive such a lethal fusillade. Play when an Ultramarines unit makes a Ranged Attack, before rolling Attack Dice. Activate another Ultramarines unit that has Line of Sight to the target. Include the models in that unit when determining the number of Attack Dice to roll. If a Critical Hit is rolled, the Ultramarines player can choose to trigger the Critical Effect of a single Ranged Weapon from either unit.
Desecration Marker This is used when the Word Bearers player plays the Foul Desecration Command Card.
Standard Marker This is used when the Ultramarines player plays the Not One Step Back Command Card.
Barricades and Obstructions These markers represent purpose-built barricades (pg 14) or improvised obstructions (pg 32).
Tactical Markers Tactical Markers (in two designs, one for the Word Bearers and one for the Ultramarines) are used to record each unit's tactical points. One side of each marker represents two tactical points, while the reverse represents a single tactical point.
Blast Doors There are three double-sided Blast Door markers included in the game (open on one side and sealed on the other). These are set up on the board according to the scenario guidelines. If doors can be opened or sealed during a scenario, the guidelines will explain how this works.
Models cannot move through sealed doors, and the two hexes either side of a sealed door do not count as being adjacent.
Dice This game uses special six-sided dice, marked as follows:
- Two sides are marked with Hits.
- One side is marked with a Critical Hit. This counts as a Hit, but has additional effects.
- Two sides are marked with Shields, represented by the helix symbol.
- One side is Blank.
General Principles
This page contains various rules terms that are referred to elsewhere in the rulebook, and gives an overview of some key concepts that form the basis of the rules in general.
Activating Units To activate a unit, a player must spend one of its tactical points. An activated unit usually makes an action, though this is not always the case.
Adjacent Hexes Two hexes are adjacent if they share a straight edge, unless that edge has a sealed Blast Door (pg 9) or Obstruction (pg 9) on it.
Counting Hexes If the rules require you to count hexes (for example, they might refer to a unit that is within three hexes of another), count along the shortest route that does not cross any blocked hexes or sealed Blast Doors.
Hex Capacity Each model has a Bulk value (pg 8). A hex can hold any combination of models so long as their combined Bulk values do not exceed 3 points. For example, a Legion Veteran has a Bulk value of 1, while a Cataphractii Terminator has a Bulk value of 2, so a hex could contain three Legion Veterans or a Legion Veteran and a Cataphractii Terminator, but not two Cataphractii Terminators.
Making Actions Units make actions in the Action phase. There are five actions to choose from, detailed on pages 12 to 14. Unless otherwise stated, a unit must be activated before it can make an action.
Occupied Hex An occupied hex is a hex that contains at least one model.
Pinned Units A unit that is adjacent to an enemy unit is Pinned.
Re-rolls Some rules allow players to re-roll dice. To do so, simply roll those dice again. The second result stands, and a re-rolled result cannot be re-rolled unless specifically stated in the rules.
Removed as a Casualty A model that is removed as a casualty is immediately removed from the board and takes no further part in the scenario.
Tactical Points Tactical points represent the number of times a unit can be activated. Units gain two tactical points in the Ready phase of each round, then spend them when they are activated in the Action phase. Units can also be forced to lose tactical points as the result of Command Cards or Critical Effects. Note that if a unit has no tactical points remaining, it cannot be forced to lose any. The number of tactical points that a unit has remaining should be recorded with a Tactical Marker, which should be added, flipped or removed as appropriate.
Units A unit consists of all the models in a single hex. Models can join or leave units by way of a Consolidate action (pg 12) or when Retreating (pg 13), but must otherwise remain in their unit.
Example: It is the Ultramarines player's turn to activate a unit and make an action with it. He activates a unit that has two tactical points remaining by flipping their Tactical Marker to show one point remaining, then makes a Run action (pg 12).
Playing the Game
This section explains all the rules needed to play the scenarios later in this book, showing you how to move, shoot and launch brutal assaults with each of your different units. Some of the Reference Cards and Command Cards used in the game modify these core rules, allowing your units to perform special actions.
A scenario is divided into a number of rounds, each consisting of three phases: the Initiative phase, the Ready phase and the Action phase. These phases are completed in order each round.
Initiative Phase In the Initiative phase, each player rolls three dice. The player who scores the most Hits takes the Initiative for the round. If the result is a draw, both players re-roll all their dice until one player scores more Hits.
Note that in most scenarios, it will be stated that one force has the Initiative in the first round. In this case, players do not need to roll any dice in that round.
Ready Phase Each player draws a card from their Command Deck and adds it to his hand. Each unit on the board then receives two tactical points.
Action Phase Starting with the player that has the Initiative, players take turns to activate a unit (pg 10) and then make up to one action with it. There are five available actions (Advance, Run, Consolidate, Shoot and Assault), as detailed on the following pages.
If a player runs out of units with tactical points remaining, the opposing player continues to activate units, making up to one action for each activation, until he also has no units with tactical points remaining. When neither player has any units with tactical points remaining the round is over and a new round begins.
Round Overview
- Initiative Phase — Players roll to see who takes the Initiative for this round.
- Ready Phase — Players draw a Command Card and all units receive two tactical points.
- Action Phase — Players alternate activating units and making actions.
When no units have any tactical points remaining, the round ends and a new one begins.
Actions
The five actions available to units (Advance, Run, Consolidate, Shoot and Assault) are detailed over the following pages. In some scenarios, additional 'special actions' are available – these will be detailed in the scenario guidelines.
Advance The activated unit moves to an adjacent unoccupied hex.
Pinned! A unit that is adjacent to an enemy unit is Pinned. Pinned units can only make Advance, Consolidate or Assault actions.
Run The activated unit moves up to two hexes. Each move must take it into an adjacent unoccupied hex. If it moves into a rubble hex, or a hex that is adjacent to an enemy unit, the action ends immediately.
Example: Unit A makes a Run action, moving two hexes. Unit B is Pinned, so cannot Run. Instead, it makes an Advance action.
Consolidate Any number of models in the activated unit can each move to an adjacent hex with sufficient capacity. If a model moves into an occupied hex, it becomes part of the unit that is occupying that hex for all rules purposes, including the number of tactical points it has remaining. Any models that move to an empty hex form a new unit, gaining as many tactical points as the unit they left (even if that unit no longer exists because all models have left it).
Example: At the start of the round, Unit A is Pinned by a unit of Word Bearers. The Ultramarines player activates Unit B and makes a Consolidate action. One of the Veterans moves into Unit A's hex, becoming part of that unit. (Note that this unit retains its two tactical points.) The two remaining Veterans move to an unoccupied hex, becoming Unit C. Unit B would have had one tactical point remaining, so Unit C gains one tactical point to match this.
Assault The activated unit makes a Melee Attack (pg 15) against a target unit that is adjacent to it. If it is not adjacent to an enemy unit, the activated unit can move to an adjacent unoccupied hex before it makes its Melee Attack, provided that this hex is adjacent to an enemy unit.
If the target unit still contains at least one model after the Attack has been resolved, it can immediately make a Melee Attack against the activated unit without being activated itself.
If the target unit's hex is unoccupied at the end of the action, either because all models were removed as casualties or because all remaining models Retreated (see below), the activated unit can choose to immediately move into it for free.
Example: The Ultramarines unit making an Assault action moves to an adjacent hex, bringing it adjacent to the Word Bearers unit. It then makes a Melee Attack.
Retreat! After all Melee Attacks have been made during an Assault action, count up the number of models removed as casualties from each unit. If more were removed from the target unit than from the activated unit, the target unit must Retreat.
A Retreating unit immediately makes a Consolidate action, during which all models must leave their hex if possible. However, no model can move into a hex that is adjacent to an enemy unit. Any model that cannot leave its hex must make a Desperate Last Stand.
Roll a dice for each model that makes a Desperate Last Stand. If a Shield is rolled, the model stays where it is and loses any remaining tactical points. If anything else is rolled, the model is removed as a casualty.
Example: Unit A has made an Assault action against an Ultramarines unit. After all Melee Attacks, the Ultramarines unit has lost two models, while the Word Bearers unit has lost none. The remaining Ultramarine must Retreat into the marked hex, as the only other hex he could move to is adjacent to Unit B. If there were a Word Bearers unit in the shaded hex, the Ultramarine would have to make a Desperate Last Stand.
Shoot The activated unit makes a Ranged Attack (pg 15) against a target unit to which it has a Line of Sight. To determine whether it has a Clear Line of Sight to another unit, trace a straight line from the centre of its hex to the centre of the target unit's hex – this is its Line of Sight. If this line does not pass through any occupied or blocked hexes, or cross any sealed Blast Doors, the activated unit has a Clear Line of Sight to the target unit.
Note that Line of Sight can be traced along the straight edge of a hex without counting as passing through it, so long as this straight edge does not pass directly between two adjacent blocked or occupied hexes.
Example: The activated unit has a Clear Line of Sight to a unit in a green hex, as a straight line drawn from the centre of the activated unit's hex to the centre of each green hex does not cross any occupied or blocked hexes. It could make an Obscured Shot (see below) at a unit in a yellow hex, as a Line of Sight drawn from the centre of the activated unit's hex to any part of a yellow hex does not cross any blocked hexes. It cannot make a Ranged Attack against a unit in any of the grey hexes.
Obscured Shots If the activated unit does not have a Clear Line of Sight to its target unit, it may still be able to make an Obscured Shot. To see if this is possible, trace a straight line from the centre of its hex to any point in the target unit's hex. This Line of Sight may pass through occupied hexes, but so long as it does not pass through any blocked hexes or cross any sealed Blast Doors the unit can make a Ranged Attack (see opposite). Models in the target unit, however, add two dice to any Defence Rolls they make and the Attack Roll cannot trigger any Critical Effects (pg 16).
Rubble If the target unit is in a rubble hex, target models in the unit add one dice to any Defence Rolls they make.
Barricades If a unit's Line of Sight crosses a Barricade within the target unit's hex, target models in the unit add two dice to any Defence Rolls they make.
Note that simply standing in a hex that contains a Barricade does not grant this bonus – the attacking unit's Line of Sight must cross the Barricade itself.
Resolving Attacks
When a unit makes a Melee Attack or Ranged Attack, it is resolved as follows:
1) Make Attack Roll For a Melee Attack, total the Assault values of all models in the unit and any weapons they are carrying. For a Ranged Attack, total the Shoot values of the weapons carried by all models in the unit. The controlling player rolls this many dice and gathers any Hits rolled to form the damage pool.
2) Select Target Model The opposing player chooses one model in the target unit to be the target model.
3) Make Defence Roll The opposing player rolls a number of dice equal to the target model's Armour value. Each Shield rolled discards one Hit from the damage pool.
4) Allocate Damage Any remaining Hits in the damage pool are allocated to the target model, one at a time. If a number of Hits equal to the model's Stamina are allocated, that many Hits are discarded from the damage pool and the model is removed as a casualty. If fewer hits are allocated than the model's Stamina, they are discarded. If there are any Hits remaining in the damage pool, repeat steps 2-4 until all Hits have been discarded or allocated, or until all models in the target unit have been removed as casualties.
Example: The Ultramarines player makes a Shoot action with one of his units, and selects a unit as its target. He makes his Attack Roll, rolling six dice (three boltguns, each with a Shoot value of 2) and scoring two Hits and a Critical Hit. This means that there are three Hits in the damage pool. The Word Bearers player chooses one of his Veterans as the first target model and rolls two dice, scoring two Shields! This subtracts 2 Hits from the damage pool, leaving only one. The target model has a Stamina value of 2, so this is not sufficient to cause it to be removed as a casualty.
Example: In this Assault action, the Ultramarines player's Attack Roll scores four hits. The first Defence Roll scores no Shields, so the first target model is removed as a casualty, subtracting two hits from the damage pool (as the target model has a Stamina of 2). The second Word Bearer Veteran becomes a new target model, with the remaining two Hits allocated to him. The Defence Roll once again scores no Shields, meaning that the second Word Bearer is also removed as a casualty.
Critical Effects
All Ranged Weapons and Melee Weapons have a Critical Effect that represents the weapon's unique battlefield role. A boltgun, for example, is capable of suppressing enemy units thanks to its high rate of fire and explosive payload, so its Critical Effect forces a unit to lose a tactical point.
Note that when a model makes an Assault action without using a Melee Weapon, it does not usually have access to a Critical Effect.
Triggering Critical Effects If one or more Critical Hits are rolled at the Make Attack Roll step, the attacking unit's controlling player can choose to trigger the Critical Effect of a single weapon carried by a model in the unit. This must be a Ranged Weapon if the unit is making a Ranged Attack, or a Melee Weapon if the unit is making a Melee Attack. Only one Critical Effect can be triggered per Attack, no matter how many Critical Hits are rolled.
Note that Critical Hits still count as Hits, and are added to the damage pool.
Example: A unit of two Veterans armed with boltguns and a Veteran armed with a missile launcher makes a Shoot action. The controlling player rolls five Hits, two Critical Hits and two Shields. As at least one Critical Hit was rolled he can trigger a Critical Effect. This could be the boltgun's Critical Effect (stripping the target unit of a tactical point) or the missile launcher's Critical Effect (add a dice to the Attack Roll for each model in the target unit).
Damaging Sor Gharax
When a unit makes an Attack with Sor Gharax as the target, the 'Select Target Model' stage of resolving the Attack is carried out differently. Full rules can be found on Sor Gharax's Reference Card, but an example is provided below.
Example: A unit of three Veterans (two equipped with boltguns and one equipped with a missile launcher) makes a Shoot action, nominating Sor Gharax as its target, and scores six Hits. The Ultramarines player draws a Damage Card: the Atomantic Power Core (Armour 3, Stamina 2). The Word Bearers player rolls three dice and scores one Shield, reducing the number of Hits in the damage pool to five. Two are allocated to the Atomantic Power Core, damaging it, so the card is placed face-up in front of the Word Bearers player. As there are Hits remaining in the damage pool, a second Damage Card is now drawn: the Power Fist Arm (Armour 4, Stamina 3). Due to the Atomantic Power Core's Damage Effect the Armour Value is reduced to 2, so the Word Bearers player rolls 2 dice – he will need to score at least one Shield, or the Power Fist Arm will also be damaged!
Sample Damage Cards: Atomantic Power Core (Armour 3, Stamina 2) — Damage Effect: Subtract 2 from the Armour value of each of Sor Gharax's target locations. Power Fist Arm (Armour 4, Stamina 3) — Damage Effect: Sor Gharax no longer counts as being equipped with a power fist and combi-bolter.
Weapons
The Legiones Astartes carry a variety of powerful weapons, each of which has a prescribed battlefield role. In games of The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth, players will find that each weapon has its own strengths, from the boltgun carried by most Legion Veterans to the roaring heavy flamer wielded by some Cataphractii Terminators.
Ranged Weapons
Assault Cannon — Shoot 6 The Kheres pattern assault cannon howls like a hurricane as it tears its targets to pieces with a storm of shots. Mounted upon a Contemptor Dreadnought, this weapon can lay down a hail of lethal, armour-piercing rounds. Care must be taken not to overheat the weapon, as in extreme circumstances the assault cannon can jam, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. Critical Effect: The controlling player can immediately re-roll any number of dice in the Attack Roll that scored a Shield or Blank, and can continue to do so until no Shields or Blanks remain or he decides to stop. However, if the Attack Roll contains four or more Critical Hits after all re-rolls have been made, the weapon is destroyed after the Shoot action has been resolved. (Place the Heavy Weapon Arm Damage Card face-up in front of the Word Bearers player).
Bolt Pistol — Shoot 2 Smaller and more compact than the boltgun, the bolt pistol nonetheless retains its larger cousin's stopping power. At close quarters it is able to blow a hole in even MkIV power armour. Close Assault: A model equipped with a bolt pistol adds 1 to its Assault value. This weapon can only be used in a Shoot action if the target unit is within three hexes. Critical Effect: The target unit loses one tactical point.
Boltgun — Shoot 2 No weapon is as iconic as the noble boltgun. Firing self-propelled, mass-reactive bolts that explode inside their targets, the Umbra, Tigrus, and Phobos patterns of boltgun are the mainstay weapons of the Legiones Astartes. Critical Effect: The target unit loses one tactical point.
Combi-bolter — Shoot 4 Typically wielded by Cataphractii Terminators, the Tigrus pattern combi-bolter generates an impressive rate of fire. Even the staccato boom of these weapons cutting loose is enough to send a mortal foe diving for cover. Critical Effect: The target unit loses one tactical point.
Combi-weapon (Combi-flamer, Combi-melta or Combi-plasma) Combining an advanced-model Phobos pattern boltgun with a special weapon that can incinerate a nearby foe, the combi-weapon ensures its wielder always has the right gun to hand.
When a model equipped with a combi-weapon makes a Shoot action, before rolling dice, the controlling player must choose its fire mode. It can fire as a boltgun, in which case the model is treated as being equipped with a boltgun, or it can fire as its secondary weapon, in which case the model is treated as being equipped with a flamer (for a combi-flamer), a meltagun (for a combi-melta) or a plasma gun (for a combi-plasma).
Flamer — Shoot 4 Projecting great sheets of burning promethium, the Phaestos pattern flamer is an especially dangerous weapon in the close confines of Calth's arcologies. Limited Range: This weapon can only be used if the target unit is within three hexes of the activated unit. Critical Effect: After the Attack has been resolved, make another Shoot action against a unit adjacent to the target unit and within three hexes of the activated unit. Only models equipped with weapons that have this Critical Effect count as part of the activated unit when making this new Shoot action.
Heavy Bolter — Shoot 6 The heavy bolter is one of the most effective fire-suppression weapons employed by the Legiones Astartes. Firing great streams of outsized bolt shells, this man-portable cannon is an infantry killer without compare. Critical Effect: The target unit loses one tactical point.
Heavy Flamer — Shoot 6 By the time of the battle on Calth, Phaestos and Anvilus pattern heavy flamers were in common usage in the Legiones Astartes. Able to project huge blasts of roiling flame, these weapons can immolate several foes at once. Limited Range: This weapon can only be used if the target unit is within three hexes of the activated unit. Critical Effect: After the Attack has been resolved, make another Shoot action against a unit adjacent to the target unit and within three hexes of the activated unit. Only models equipped with weapons that have this Critical Effect count as part of the activated unit when making this new Shoot action.
Multi-melta — Shoot 4 No other man-portable weapon can match the sheer destructive potential of the multi-melta, a gun capable of blasting the leg off a Warhound Titan. Against living battle-brothers, its effects are beyond horrific. Critical Effect: If the target unit is within six hexes of Sor Gharax, the first target model counts its Armour value as 0 when making its Defence Roll.
Meltagun — Shoot 3 Primarily designed for annihilating heavily armoured tanks, the MkII Primus pattern meltagun can vaporise a battle-brother with a searing beam of heat. Critical Effect: If the target unit is within three hexes of the activated unit, the first target model counts its Armour value as 0 when making its Defence Roll.
Missile Launcher — Shoot 5 A deadly tool of war, the shoulder-mounted missile launcher sends high explosive fragmentation warheads blasting out to explode with sudden fury in the midst of the foe. Critical Effect: Add one dice to the Attack Roll for each model in the target unit.
Plasma Gun — Shoot 3 Most commonly manufactured by the forge world of Ryza, the Legiones Astartes plasma gun is temperamental but deadly. It fires rapid volleys of searing energy that make a mockery of power armour's vaunted resilience. Critical Effect: Add four dice to the Attack Roll. If these four dice roll at least two Critical Hits, the firing model is removed as a casualty after the Attack is resolved.
Plasma Pistol — Shoot 3 The Sunspite pattern plasma pistol reduces its target to ash with blasts of plasma energy. However, like the larger plasma gun, this weapon's devastating potency is offset by its potential to misfire, damaging or even killing the wielder. Close Assault: A model equipped with a plasma pistol adds 1 to its Assault value. This weapon can only be used in a Shoot action if the target unit is within three hexes. Critical Effect: Add four dice to the Attack Roll. If these four dice roll at least two Critical Hits, the firing model is removed as a casualty after the Attack is resolved.
Wargear
Grenade Harness This auxiliary system is fitted to Legion Terminator plate, allowing the armour's wearer to trigger a barrage of frag grenades that precede a devastating charge. Frag Assault: When a unit that contains a model equipped with a grenade harness makes an Melee Attack, it rolls one additional dice for each model in the target unit.
Legion Vexilla A proud icon of warrior traditions, the Vexilla is the embodiment of its Legion's honour. Battle-brothers will fight to the death to protect these glorious standards. Protect the Standard: Units containing a model equipped with a Legion Vexilla can re-roll any number of dice when making Melee Attack Rolls and Desperate Last Stands.
Melee Weapons
Contemptor Power Fist — Assault +2 The sheer pressure exerted by a Contemptor power fist is enough to crumple Terminator armour like foil. When swung in anger they can punch a battle-brother clean through a rock wall, pulverising every bone in his body in the process. Critical Effect: The first target model counts its Armour value as 0 when making its Defence Roll.
Chainsword — Assault +1 With its revving motor and churning chain-teeth, the Thunder Edge chainsword is able to chew its way through battle plate amid showers of sparks. Critical Effect: Add one dice to the Attack Roll for each Critical Hit rolled. If these dice roll further Critical Hits, no further dice are added.
Lightning Claw — Assault +1 Generating a distinctive tooth-rattling hum, the energised blades of a Legiones Astartes lightning claw slice through power armour to gouge and impale the flesh beneath. Paired Weapons: Paired lightning claws have an Assault value of +3 instead of +1. Critical Effect: Re-roll up to two dice in the Attack Roll. If a model is equipped with two lightning claws, re-roll up to four dice instead.
Chainfist — Assault +1 A gauntlet augmented by a roaring Charatran pattern chain blade, this weapon is equally effective whether cutting through heavy bulkhead doors or violently dismembering enemy warriors. Critical Effect: The first target model counts its Stamina value as 1 when allocating Hits.
Power Fist — Assault - The power fist is a blunt and ponderous weapon, intended for punching or crushing its victims. Its lack of subtlety is more than made up for by the sheer devastation it can wreck. Critical Effect: The first target model counts its Armour value as 0 when making its Defence Roll.
Power Sword — Assault +1 To bear the Proteus pattern power sword is not only an honour, but also a powerful asset, for its energised blade can hack through ceramite with ease. Critical Effect: The first target model halves its Armour value (rounding down) when making its Defence Roll.
Scenarios
The following pages contain six scenarios that follow key battles fought during the Underworld War. Each scenario presents both players with a new challenge, encouraging quick thinking and strategic planning.
For your first game of The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth, we recommend that you start with Scenario 1: The Wrath of Veridia. This will give both players a chance to familiarise themselves with commanding a force of Space Marines, while also racing against time to escape the radioactive fury of the Veridian star.
Even after completing all six scenarios, there is plenty of opportunity to continue playing. The simplest way to do this is to switch sides, and experience the game with a different selection of warriors and tactical doctrines at your command.
Playing a Campaign For the most rewarding experience we recommend playing all six scenarios as a campaign, with each player controlling the same force throughout. If you choose to do this, the player who achieves a victory in Scenario 6 (pg 32) is the overall victor, but the previous scenarios will have an effect on this victory. Keep track of the victorious player after each of the first five scenarios. If the player who is victorious the most times achieves a minor victory in Scenario 6, it is instead counted as a major victory. Alternatively, if that player suffers a major defeat it is instead counted as a minor defeat, while a minor defeat is instead counted as a draw.
Each scenario features all of the following information:
Forces This section details the forces available to each player. The models that are included in a squad, and how they can be equipped, are detailed on the reverse of the squad's Reference Card.
If a squad is listed as 'depleted', it has all the wargear options of a squad of its type – it simply contains fewer models.
Set-up and Initiative This section gives step-by-step instructions for setting up the forces, which should be followed in order. It also notes which player takes the Initiative in the first round.
Command Cards Before a game, each player creates a Command Deck from which he will draw cards. This section explains how to create this deck and details each player's starting hand of cards. Players still draw a Command Card in their first Ready phase.
Special Rules You will find the scenario's unique special rules in this section.
Victory This section describes the victory conditions for each player.
Map and Components List To set up a scenario, use the listed components and set them up as shown on the map. This also shows deployment zones, objectives and other areas.
Scenario 1: The Wrath of Veridia
The vox broadcast from Captain Ventanus – its desperate message to get underground, or die to the wrath of an angry sun – galvanises all who hear it into action. The Ultramarines must penetrate the arcologies' outer edges and make it inside the automatic blast doors if they are to survive. Veridia's solar flares are catching those who linger, powerful enough to kill even a Space Marine in Cataphractii plate. Yet the Ultramarines are not alone in seeking shelter...
'Keep sprinting! Do not slow!'
Sergeant Cladius of the XIII Legion barrelled through the arcology tunnels. His squad pounded along behind him; the corridors shook to the thunder of their armoured feet. Blazing white light sent stark shadows ahead. Even through the layered ceramite of his battle plate, Cladius could feel the heat of Veridia on the back of his legs.
To tarry here was to die.
Rock dust trickled from cracks in the vaulted ceiling, shaken loose by muffled explosions overhead. Captain Aethon was somewhere nearby, but with the crackling solar flares robbing them of long-range vox and the immediate danger right behind them, proper regroup was impossible.
They had but one option now – get inside, seal the blast doors, and survive.
The Ultramarines hammered down a wide-mouthed vestibule that emerged into a pillared chamber. Its priceless mosaics and friezes were already bleached by baleful energies; triumphal sculptures and statues of ancient heroes lay shattered near their pedestals. Calth had been cast into ruin, inside and out.
To the right other Space Marines were lit in stark silhouette, their shadows casting dark spears towards the safety of the vault doors across the hall.
Cladius shouted over the low growl of the battle above. 'This is Cladius of the XIII. Identify!'
There was no reply.
The sergeant ghosted past a pillar, his tactical drill effected at high speed. He got a clean visual. The other Space Marines were clad in dark red.
XVII Legion. Word Bearers. The death of Calth made flesh.
Bolter fire boomed, and an explosion of alabaster puffed a finger's breadth from Cladius' head. The sergeant ducked behind a statue, blind-firing even as his men sent tight fusillades winging across the hall to suppress the Word Bearers beyond. On the wall ahead shadows merged and tumbled as two legionaries fought to the death, each shouting his own oath of vengeance.
'No time for this!' bellowed a distant Word Bearer sergeant to his men. 'Onward!'
Forces Each player's force consists of one Legion Veteran Tactical Squad.
Set-up and Initiative First, the Word Bearers player sets up his force anywhere in the Word Bearers Deployment Zone.
Then, the Ultramarines player sets up his force anywhere in the Ultramarines Deployment Zone.
The Word Bearers player takes the Initiative in the first round.
Command Cards Each player takes one card at random into his hand, then creates a Command Deck of six random cards.
Special Rules Seal the Blast Doors!: At the end of the third round, Blast Door Primus seals (flip the Blast Door to represent this). At the end of the fourth round, Blast Door Secundus seals. At the end of the sixth round, Blast Door Tertius seals and the scenario ends.
Victory When Blast Door Tertius seals the game ends, and the player with the most models behind sealed Blast Doors is victorious. If both players have the same number of models behind sealed Blast Doors, a player that has the most units behind sealed Blast Doors is victorious – otherwise the result is a draw.
Advice for your first game: With both forces setting up so close together, it's very tempting to launch an all-out attack on the foe from the start. However, it's important to remember that the Blast Doors start closing very quickly, and it will take a couple of turns of movement to reach them. The real key to victory is moving quickly and preventing your enemy from doing the same, either by Pinning them or by using Critical Effects to make them lose actions.
Map and Components: Boards A2, B1, C2; Blast Doors x3.
'The traitor is right,' snarled Cladius. Up ahead, the vault doors were already closing as their servitor systems reacted to the rising heat in the hall.
'Make haste, brothers! Speed is all!' shouted Cladius. The sergeant motioned his own squad to advance and plunged on through the tunnels without a backward glance.
Cladius felt something detonate hard on his power pack, sending him sprawling across a shattered statue portraying Guilliman as a youth. A power-armoured boot pressed him down as a Word Bearer sergeant trampled over him, the traitor slamming his armoured bulk sidelong through the last of the blast doors ahead as it rumbled closed. Cladius saw the traitor sketch an Ultramarian salute as the door thumped home and sealed airlock-tight.
'Damn you all!' shouted Cladius. A blast furnace roar consumed his words. He leapt for the door, scrabbling at it with all his might, but it would not budge. A moment later, the sergeant melted away like a tallow candle before a blowtorch.
Scenario 2: Flood the Vaults
Calth's ring of orbital defences has been poisoned and its planetside fortifications cast down. Even the arcologies beneath the world's surface are under attack. Yet Captain Aethon knows them well, for he called their confines home as a youth. Should he reach a command nexus, he can use his knowledge of the underground realm to win a critical advantage, opening a subterranean vault and freezing hundreds of Word Bearers with a flood of hypercoolant.
Aethon's chainblade juddered as he heaved it through a Word Bearer's guts, halving his foe in a welter of gore.
'No more than you deserve!' roared Aethon, spitting out a tooth as he hacked his victim's flailing torso across the floor.
'We have visual on the command nexus,' said Victurus, one of the Terminator battle-brothers still at Aethon's side. 'Rendrus and his Cataphractii must be close.'
'It's Kurtha Sedd I want,' said Captain Aethon, his fury barely held in check. 'Rendrus missed his chance.'
'With respect, captain,' said Victurus, 'we need all the brothers we can get.'
The vault ahead thrummed with mechanical life, its generator hubs purring low. At its heart was a towering cylindrical edifice. It was lit from within by the flashing red dataslabs of a cogitator bank. A hololith projection of Roboute Guilliman stared into nothingness, the Primarch's presence and charisma palpable even in replica.
'If this broadcast has been triggered,' said the shimmering Primarch, 'a solar event of great magnitude has occurred. Your orders are to yield compromised zones and consolidate intact arcologies.'
Captain Aethon was already powering across the plates towards the command nexus, his fellows doing their best to keep up. In the reaches beyond, flashes of crimson came through the gloom. Bolter shells boomed upon Aethon's Terminator armour, knocking him off balance for a moment. His blood ran cold; failure here was not an option.
A squad of Ultramarines Cataphractii stomped from the shadows. 'Aethon, this is Rendrus.' The sergeant aimed his gun at the distant Word Bearers. 'Our initial teleport strayed. Theoretical: is it true? Are all the XVII Legion corrupt?'
As if in response, a Word Bearer shouted from across the hall. 'Cease fire! We three are still loyal to the Emperor!'
Hesitantly, Rendrus lowered the muzzle of his combi-bolter. Aethon watched in horror as a bolt of plasma flashed from the shadows, burning the Terminator next to Rendrus to molten ruin. A salvo of bolter fire followed it as a squad of Word Bearers formed out to surround the comms nexus.
'Cover me, Victurus!' shouted Aethon.
He barged right through the hololith projection of his Primarch and slid clumsily up to the cogitator bank of the command nexus, his fingers clawing at its red display. 'There's an old hypercoolant reservoir nearby. All Cataphractii, harken close – once I flood the vaults, make for the teleportarium!'
Lethal crossfires blasted across the Vault as Aethon's fingers punched override commands into the cogitator bank. Nearby, Squad Rendrus' heavy flamer turned a trio of Word Bearers into pillars of flame, the bow wave of heat forcing Aethon to turn away.
'Forgive me, my Primarch,' Aethon said through gritted teeth, 'but "compromised" doesn't even come close.'
Forces The Ultramarines Force consists of Captain Aethon and one Legion Terminator Squad. The Word Bearers Force consists of one Legion Veteran Tactical Squad.
Set-up and Initiative First, the Ultramarines player sets up three Terminators in the Antechamber as marked on the map. Then he sets up the rest of his force in the Ultramarines Deployment Zone.
The Word Bearers player then sets up his force anywhere in the Word Bearers Deployment Zone.
The Word Bearers player takes the Initiative in the first round.
Command Cards The Ultramarines player takes two random cards into his hand, then creates a Command Deck of five random cards. The Word Bearers player takes the Would You Fire Upon Your Brothers card and one other random card into his hand, then creates a Command Deck of five random cards.
Special Rules Isolation and Disbelief: At the start of the game, the Terminators in the Antechamber are Inactive. Models that are Inactive cannot gain any tactical points or make actions in any way. At the start of the third round all Inactive models stop being Inactive and can gain tactical points and make actions as normal.
Contingency Override: Captain Aethon has access to a special action while he is in the Cogitator Access hex. If he makes this special action, the contingency override is input (see below). Aethon can attempt to make this action while Pinned, but if he does so, the Word Bearers player rolls a dice for each of his units adjacent to the Cogitator Access hex. If any dice score a Hit, the action is not made.
Victory If the contingency override is input, the game ends and the Ultramarines are victorious.
If Captain Aethon is removed as a casualty, or if the Ultramarines player draws the last card from his Command Deck, the game ends and the Word Bearers are victorious.
Map and Components: Boards A1, B2, C1, D1; Barricades x2.
Scenario 3: Knives in the Gloom
Far below Calth's surface, the battle lines are drawn. Burning Ultramarine corpses and grisly statues of frozen Word Bearers now dot the arcologies' tunnels. Vox comms are down, and an inky blackness pervades the murk, a near-sentient gloom summoned by Kurtha Sedd's offerings to the Dark Gods. Combat knives flash in the gloom, each side striving to break the other's line – and the Word Bearers have just the tool to do it...
A bellowing roar echoed through the dust-strewn tunnels. The sound was not that of a man, but of a mad beast.
'He's getting closer,' said Acholus.
'That's no "he", I'll wager,' replied Daeclus, re-awakening a teleport node hidden under the jagged curve of a shattered amphora. 'That's an "it".'
'Vox silence unless necessary,' snapped Veteran Sergeant Herxes. 'Theoretical: if they can engineer this catastrophe and bring a darkness that even autosenses cannot penetrate, like as not they can pick up on your idle chatter. Practical: we finish placing the locator beacons, secure the entrance, and leave.'
'Aye, sergeant,' said Acholus and Daeclus. Their voxes clicked silent.
The bellow came again, shockingly close. This time it was accompanied by a pounding reverberation, slow at first, but gathering speed.
Herxes barked an oath. 'You two,' he said, 'get to the control panel, now. That thing gets past, Aethon'll kill us himself.' Acholus and Daeclus split off from the squad, running between the churning machineries of the teleportarium.
Herxes motioned the rest of his squad forward. Stomping through the gloom towards them was a monstrous Contemptor Dreadnought the colour of dried blood, five Word Bearers advancing in its lee. The Dreadnought's collared head scraped rock from the uneven ceiling. Curling its massive fist, it smashed a cogitator from its path as it pounded forwards. A beam seared from its multi-melta arm to strike Daeclus. The battle brother was blasted to nothing more than vaporised blood and scattering limbs.
'Bring it down!' shouted Herxes, readying a krak grenade. Bolter shots boomed; some hit home despite the murk. Detonations rippled across the giant's torso, leaving starbursts of cracked adamantium but not slowing it in the least. Even Herxes' hurled grenade did no more than dent it.
Answering salvoes shot out, but in the infernal darkness, they failed to find their mark. Herxes stepped back to the access tunnel entrance and prepared to sell his life as dearly as possible.
To the Ultramarines' flank, two Word Bearers charged towards Acholus, their combat knives flashing in the strobing light of bolter fire. Herxes shouted a warning, but Acholus' reaction was a split second too late, his attention divided between the teleportarium and the battle. The first Word Bearer plunged his blade, dagger-like, into the weak spot under the back of Acholus' helm. Blood spurted like rubies scattered in the darkness.
Acholus kicked back hard, taking the traitor's legs as the second moved in to finish the kill. A flash of azure light, and the second Word Bearer was hammered back, fist-sized holes punched through him by combi-bolter fire. The teleportarium was active, and the Terminators of the 19th Company had arrived to turn the tide.
Forces The Ultramarines Force consists of one Legion Veteran Tactical Squad and one Legion Terminator Squad. The Word Bearers Force consists of Sor Gharax and one depleted Legion Veteran Tactical Squad (one Veteran Sergeant and four Veterans).
Set-up and Initiative First, the Ultramarines player sets up his Legion Veteran Tactical Squad anywhere in the Ultramarines Deployment Zone. He does not set up his Legion Terminator Squad.
Then, the Word Bearers player sets up Sor Gharax and his Legion Veteran Tactical Squad anywhere in the Word Bearers Deployment Zone.
The Word Bearers player takes the Initiative in the first round.
Command Cards The Ultramarines player takes the Melta Bomb and Precision Strike cards into his hand, and then creates a Command Deck of six random cards. The Word Bearers player takes two random cards into his hand, then creates a Command Deck of six random cards.
Special Rules Teleportarium Control Panel: A non-Pinned Ultramarines unit in the Teleportarium Control Panel hex has access to a special action. Each time it makes this action, the Ultramarines player nominates one model from the Legion Terminator Squad that has not yet been deployed and rolls a dice. On a blank, the Terminator is removed as a casualty. Otherwise, the Ultramarines player deploys it by placing it on an unoccupied Teleport Node hex.
Warp-spawned Darkness: For the duration of this scenario, a unit cannot have Line of Sight to a unit that is more than three hexes away.
Victory If the last Ultramarines model on the board is removed as a casualty, or if Sor Gharax makes an Advance action while standing on the Access Tunnel Entrance hex, the game ends and the Word Bearers player is victorious.
If Sor Gharax is removed as a casualty, or if the Word Bearers player draws his last Command Card, the game ends and the Ultramarines player is victorious.
Map and Components: Boards A2, B1, C1; Barricades x3.
Scenario 4: The Labyrinth
The Underworld War rages in earnest, but with the battle lines breached in several places, all cohesion has been lost. The mysterious tunnels of Calth's arcologies are as likely to hide friends as they are foes. Daemonic chanting fills the air, vox contact is breaking down on both sides, and supplies are running low. Only those with quick wits as well as trigger fingers will survive the labyrinth...
'Rejoice,' said Kurtha Sedd, 'for your enlightenment is upon you!' His crozius war maul swept forward, catching an Ultramarine under the chin and sending him flying. 'The Truth shall find you and your False Emperor alike.'
A heavy bolter round detonated upon the Chaplain's chestplate, all but bowling him over. He simply laughed and strode forward, snapping off a shot from his plasma pistol. The blast took the head from an Ultramarine in a puff of bloody smoke. Kurtha Sedd began chanting the Catechism of Immortals whilst the sacrifice was still fresh, and felt the veil between worlds quiver in response. The voices of a hundred invisible entities rose up to join his.
There was no stopping one who had the favour of the true gods, thought the Chaplain. 'The command nexus,' he murmured. 'The Bull must be unleashed once more.' A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Soon the Ultramarines would learn how frail they really were.
That damnable chanting! Aethon could feel it, each syllable clawing at the skin of his face. All around him promethium dripped from the split ceiling, fiery blue dribbles that buckled the air. The underworld was becoming like some primitive concept of hell. He thrust the thought aside; such notions had no place in the Imperium of Man.
'Squad Thaddeus, report,' said Aethon. He heard only sounds of distant battle in reply, the disruption further compounded by the death-knell boom that reverberated through the halls. Down the corridor, next to the vox bunker that represented their only chance of a coordinated attack, was a blast door imprisoning the Contemptor. It hammered its fist over and over into the thick adamantium. Captain Aethon smiled grimly. It was amazing what a bit of local knowledge could achieve.
'Contact,' said Sergeant Lantor, loosing off a shot. The air filled with explosions as a tactical squad of Word Bearers advanced down the hall, blocking the route between Aethon's men and the command bunker. Aethon was about to charge headlong into them when a bolt round detonated in the gap above his thigh plate, almost breaking his hip. The jolt of pain was fierce – potent enough to turn his anger into a merciless focus.
'Lantor, circumvent left,' said Aethon. 'Santus, advance and suppress.' He put his back to a pillar, awaiting the click-thump of Santus' grenade harness discharging before sprinting out. Explosions blasted the Word Bearers, giving Aethon a critical second to reach their ranks. A swipe of his chainfist, a gout of blood, and he was through. The command bunker was within arm's reach. Aethon heard a distant shout – not of pain, but of harsh triumph. His mind raced as the blast door, scant feet away, ground open. There was a rising roar of anger that no human throat could have made as a shadow fell across a frieze of the Ullanor Triumph.
Aethon steeled his mind, and turned to face the Bull.
Forces The Ultramarines Force consists of Captain Aethon, one Legion Veteran Tactical Squad and one Legion Terminator Squad. The Word Bearers Force consists of Kurtha Sedd, Sor Gharax and two Legion Veteran Tactical Squads.
Set-up and Initiative The Word Bearers player sets up Kurtha Sedd and one Legion Veteran Tactical Squad in the Antechamber, and one Legion Veteran Tactical Squad in the Bunker Access Tunnels. He does not set up Sor Gharax. The Ultramarines player sets up one Legion Veteran Tactical Squad in the Nexus Ingress, and the remainder of his force in the Stockpile Chamber.
The Ultramarines player takes the Initiative in the first round.
Command Cards Each player takes two random cards into his hand, then creates a Command Deck of six random cards.
Special Rules Mystic Ward: Once per game, in the Ready phase, the Word Bearers player can beseech the Dark Gods for aid. Until the end of that round, the Word Bearers player can re-roll any number of dice when making Defence Rolls.
The Bull Unleashed: If a Word Bearers unit moves adjacent to the Nexus Blast Door, it opens. If a Word Bearers unit ends an action in the Command Nexus, the Secured Blast Door is opened and Sor Gharax is placed on the marked hex with two tactical points. The Word Bearers player must immediately activate Sor Gharax and make one action with him.
Comms Uplink: If Captain Aethon moves adjacent to the Bunker Blast Door, it opens. If Captain Aethon makes an advance action while he is in the Command Bunker Entrance hex, he activates the communications array (see below).
Victory If the communications array is activated, the game ends and the Ultramarines player is victorious.
If Captain Aethon is removed as a casualty, the game ends and the Word Bearers player is victorious.
Map and Components: Boards A2, B1, C2, D1; Barricades x3; Blast Doors x3.
Scenario 5: Warquake
One by one the cities and spaceports of Calth's surface topple to ruin, consumed by the cataclysm unfolding under Veridia's blue fire. Dozens of yards below, the tunnels shake violently and begin to come apart, the seismic spasms of the tortured planet throwing warriors from their feet. Shafts of killing flame spear down through cracks and fissures. Can Kurtha Sedd turn the mayhem to his own ends?
'I refuse it,' snarled Kurtha Sedd, drawing an octogram in the dust. 'It cannot end in confusion and in dirt.'
He took off his gauntlet and cut his wrist with the edge of his sacrificial dagger, dribbling blood into the wired glass warp-flask Kor Phaeron had given him. Something vile wriggled inside, its sentience stimulated by the offering. The Chaplain felt tremors underfoot; high above, Veridia still ravaged the surface.
'Kor Phaeron,' intoned Sedd, 'answer my call.' There came a shimmer in the air above the warp-flask's wriggling contents, but nothing more. 'Kor Phaeron, I beseech thee. Guide my path.'
Awkward seconds passed. Kurtha Sedd keenly felt the gaze of the Word Bearers stationed at each point of the octogram. 'Kor Phaeron,' he shouted, 'You sent us here! Will you forsake us in our –'
The warp-flask exploded in a blast of light. When Sedd's vision cleared, a massive golden face loomed above him, its hooded eyes set within features illuminated by glowing tracts of text.
'My Lord Lorgar,' gasped the Chaplain.
'Kor Phaeron is gone, my child,' said Lorgar Aurelian, his voice thick as spiced honey. 'He has fled into the void. There will be no reinforcements.'
Kurtha Sedd hung his head, his heart on fire. 'Then we too are betrayed.'
There was a mind-numbing boom as an explosion of titanic magnitude blasted Calth's surface. The tunnels shook around them, rock dust pouring from the ceiling and piling up on the invisible hemisphere that surrounded the Word Bearers' ritual circle. This time, the reverberations did not stop. As rubble began to fall from the ceiling, the Chaplain's despair turned to anger.
'How are we to bring the loyalists low, my lord Primarch? How do you see Calth won?'
'Chaos is all around you, Kurtha Sedd,' intoned the golden apparition, smiling like a benevolent father. 'Harness it.'
The face disappeared. Up ahead, Kurtha Sedd caught sight of bulky blue figures.
'First, kill these fools,' said the Chaplain grimly, loosing a bolt of plasma towards the loyalists. 'Then we make for the pipeline chamber. These tunnels will burn, and Ultramarine and Word Bearer alike shall burn with them.'
Several of Kurtha Sedd's men hesitated. 'Fear not, true believers,' said the Chaplain, his tone bright. 'We shall be reborn in the fires of Calth's demise.'
Forces The Ultramarines force consists of one depleted Legion Veteran Tactical Squad (one Veteran Sergeant and seven Veterans), and one depleted Legion Terminator Squad (two Terminators).
The Word Bearers force consists of Kurtha Sedd and two depleted Legion Veteran Tactical Squads (1 Veteran Sergeant and 5 Veterans in one squad, 6 Veterans in the other).
Set-up and Initiative First, Kurtha Sedd is placed on the marked hex.
Each player then divides his force into five units, each with a total Bulk value of either 2 or 3. Starting with the Ultramarines player, the players take turns to set up a unit, either one of their own or an opponent's. A unit can be set up in any unoccupied hex that is not within two hexes of another unit, and is not within the marked Pipeline Chamber hexes.
In the first round, the Word Bearers player takes the Initiative.
Command Cards Each player takes two random cards into his hand. Then each player creates a Command Deck of six random cards.
Special Rules Jammed Blast Door: If a Word Bearers unit containing Kurtha Sedd ends an action adjacent to the Jammed Blast Door, the door opens. If any other Word Bearers unit ends an action adjacent to the Jammed Blast Door, the controlling player rolls a dice for each model in the unit. The door opens if a Critical Hit is rolled.
Murderflares: At the start of each round except the first, roll a dice for each unit that is on a rubble hex. On a Hit, the controlling player must remove one model from that unit as a casualty. Then roll a dice for each unit that is adjacent to a rubble hex. On a Critical Hit, the controlling player must remove one model from that unit as a casualty.
Seismic Turmoil: In the Ready phase of the first round, each unit gains only one tactical point. From the second round onwards, if both players roll at least one Critical Hit when rolling for Initiative (after any re-rolls), each unit gains only one tactical point in the subsequent Ready phase.
Victory If Kurtha Sedd is in the marked Pipeline Chamber at the start of a round the Word Bearers player rolls three dice, plus one for each other Word Bearers model that is in the marked Pipeline Chamber. If a Critical Hit is scored, the game ends and the Word Bearers player is victorious.
If Kurtha Sedd is removed as a casualty, or if the Word Bearers player draws his last Command Card, the game ends and the Ultramarines player is victorious.
Map and Components: Boards A1, B2, C1, D1; Barricades x3; Blast Doors x1.
Scenario 6: Into the Abyss
Many Ultramarines died before the fires set by the Word Bearers were sealed off, yet through sheer tenacity and a series of cunning manoeuvres, Aethon has brought his betrayers to bay. Kurtha Sedd has one last trick to play – the seismic upheavals have opened a subterranean chasm to reveal an ancient site of power. Battle is joined on the precipice. Can Aethon stop the traitor Chaplain before he summons daemonic allies to turn the tide once more?
'Now!' shouted Aethon, smashing aside the improvised barrier with a sweep of his chainfist as the weapon revved into action. The captain and his men barrelled out onto the chasm's edge, opening fire at the Word Bearers gathered at the lip of the abyss. Sedd stood in their midst, conducting some depraved ceremony; scorn and horror mingled in Aethon's chest at the sight. A knot of Word Bearers leaned from cover on the right, their missile launcher blasting an Ultramarine from his feet.
'Strike,' said Aethon. He was answered by a blue shimmer in the air. Squad Urcus materialised at a run, power fists drawn back. They slammed into the Word Bearers, each punch bursting its target into so much armoured meat.
'Right pincer,' said Aethon, striding towards the ritual circle. From the right came two lines of Tactical Marines, their salvoes in perfect concert. The fusillade hammered into the Word Bearers, throwing two of them into the abyss.
'The Octed is strong here,' called the Dark Chaplain. 'The flames of darkness shall consume you all!'
'Shut up, traitor,' snarled Aethon, sidestepping Sedd's plasma pistol shot. He closed the distance, bringing his chainfist down hard. It gnawed through the pillar Sedd was using for cover, spraying rock dust everywhere.
Sedd's crozius arcanum lashed out, catching the captain on the shoulder. Aethon felt rock give way beneath the edge of his foot, and lurched back as rubble tumbled down into the darkness.
Sedd's sacrificial dagger met him coming the other way. Its point dug into Aethon's armpit, the tip driving between his armour plates and into his ribs.
'Steloc, old friend,' said Kurtha as his Word Bearers were shot down around him, 'forgive me, but you would never have seen sense.'
The Chaplain heaved the dagger home into Aethon's heart, toppling the captain into the abyss. Sedd stood back with arms open wide in benediction, embracing his final damnation forever.
Forces The Ultramarines Force consists of Captain Aethon, one Legion Veteran Tactical Squad and one Legion Terminator Squad. The Word Bearers Force consists of Kurtha Sedd, Sor Gharax and two Legion Veteran Tactical Squads.
Set-up and Initiative The Word Bearers player sets up Kurtha Sedd and one Legion Veteran Tactical Squad in the Ritual Site, then sets up his other Legion Veteran Tactical Squad in the Winding Tunnels. Sor Gharax is deployed in the marked hex.
The Ultramarines player sets up Captain Aethon and his Legion Veteran Tactical Squad in the Ultramarines Deployment Zone. The Legion Terminator Squad is not set up.
The Ultramarines player takes the Initiative in the first round.
Command Cards Each player takes two cards of his choice into his hand, then creates a Command Deck consisting of twelve random cards. In each Ready phase, each player draws two cards instead of one.
Special Rules The Abyss: Models cannot move into Abyss hexes. Any model that is forced to Retreat while in a hex that is adjacent to an Abyss hex is removed as a casualty.
Teleport Assault: At the start of the second round, the Ultramarines player sets up the Legion Terminator Squad. Each model must be placed into an unoccupied hex that is adjacent to one of the Ultramarines units that was on the board at the start of the round. Any Terminators that cannot be placed are removed as casualties.
Vengeance of the Ultramarines: The Ultramarines player can re-roll any Attack Dice that score a blank when making a Melee Attack against Kurtha Sedd's unit. If Captain Aethon's unit is making the Melee Attack, the Ultramarines player can re-roll any dice that do not result in a Hit.
Obstructions: Obstructions block movement and Line of Sight in the same way as sealed Blast Doors. A model with the Relentless Advance special rule can move through an Obstruction, in which case it is removed. If a unit can draw Line of Sight to an Obstruction, it can target it with a Shoot action. If four Hits are caused, the Obstruction is removed.
Victory If Kurtha Sedd is removed as a casualty, the game ends immediately and the Ultramarines achieve a victory. This is a major victory if Captain Aethon is on the board, or a minor victory if he has been removed as a casualty.
If the Word Bearers player has no cards in his Command Deck at the start of any round and Kurtha Sedd is adjacent to an Abyss hex, the game ends immediately and the Word Bearers player achieves a victory. This is a major victory if Captain Aethon has been removed as a casualty, or a minor victory if he is on the board.
If the Word Bearers player has no cards in his Command Deck at the start of any round and Kurtha Sedd is not adjacent to an Abyss hex, the game ends in a draw.
Map and Components: Boards A1, B1, C2, D2; Obstructions x4.
Note: this scan is missing printed pages 34-35, likely a full-page or two-page illustration bridging the scenarios chapter to the background-lore chapter below; no scenario or rules text appears to be lost, as Scenario 6 concludes cleanly at printed page 33 and "A Destiny in Flames" opens a self-contained new chapter at printed page 36.
A Destiny in Flames
The Imperium was forged in the fires of battle, shaped by an aeon of warfare that saw Humanity's scattered worlds melded into a single mighty realm. The founder of this glorious age was the Emperor of Mankind, a being of immeasurable power and presence. Thousands of years old even when the Warp storms around Terra still raged, the Emperor was a psyker powerful beyond mortal reckoning. Not only did he have the vision to strive for a galaxy where Mankind was pre-eminent, but he also had the genius to make it happen.
In order to realise his grand ambitions, the Emperor built armies beyond counting, creating indomitable legions from the techno-barbarian tribes he had brought under his rule during the Unification Wars. He did so not merely through sheer force of will, but via extensive biological and alchemical engineering. Taking the heroes of that time into his labyrinthine laboratories, the Emperor perfected his genetic alteration techniques. Thus were born those who would become the Space Marines – warriors so powerful that each could slay a hundred lesser men.
First amongst the Emperor's creations were the majestic lords of battle known as Primarchs. Each Primarch was a masterpiece of the Emperor's miraculous arts, a towering demigod possessed of supernatural powers. The Space Marine legions were created from the genetic material of these exceptional individuals, each of these warrior brotherhoods bearing characteristics and abilities that echoed those of its progenitor. The greatest of these immortal exemplars was Horus, a king amongst Primarchs whom the Emperor considered like unto a son.
The next step in Humanity's ascendance was taken not on the dusty soil of Earth, but amongst the wastes of Mars. There the Emperor was hailed as the Omnissiah, prophet of the Machine God, who knows all and comprehends all. The Master of Mankind struck a great pact with the parliament of technocrats that ruled the Red Planet, ensuring that his legions were armoured in the finest battle plate and armed with the deadliest weapons Humanity could devise. More than that, the alliance bolstered the Emperor's fleets. Slowly, his influence spread outward until it reached across the heavens.
With his warrior hosts led by the Primarchs and girded for war by the Mechanicum of Mars, the Emperor crushed every threat he encountered. The Space Marines were shock troops without equal, and none could stand before them.
Horus and his brother Primarchs brought hundreds of planets into compliance with the Emperor's edicts. Battle by battle, world by world, Mankind staked its claim upon the stars.
The Great Crusade As the Emperor of Mankind brought Terra's scattered tribes under his rule, a cataclysm of terrible magnitude howled across the cosmos. The Warp storms that had isolated Earth for five thousand years were swept away, and Mankind looked to the stars once more. Before long the Emperor had marshalled his Legions of genetically engineered super-warriors, and taken the fight to the myriad worlds of the galaxy. The alien and the fiend were hurled back to their lairs or destroyed utterly wherever they were found. It was a golden age for Humanity, the beginning of a new and unstoppable ascendancy. And yet even amongst those times of hope, the seeds of disaster were being sown across a hundred worlds.
The Scattering of the Primarchs The creation of the Primarchs was marred by a strange disaster. The prevalent theory is that the Emperor's finest creations were caught up by a strange Warp vortex while they were still in their infancy. They were cast across the heavens, each coming to land upon a separate planet where they quickly matured and realised their peculiar powers. Over the course of the Great Crusade, the Emperor recovered his lost sons one by one. Each had risen to a position of power upon the world he had by then claimed for his own. Many of these were to become the home worlds of the Emperor's legions, and in most cases the Primarchs inducted their loyal followers from that home world into their Space Marine Legion.
Just as the reconquest of the galaxy reached its peak, the Emperor named Horus as Warmaster in his stead, and announced that he was withdrawing back to Earth. Horus fought on, uniting many more planets under the Aquila of Imperial rule. But gifted as he was, the tremendous weight placed upon his shoulders took a heavy toll.
Dismay gave way to confusion, then to resentment. How could the Emperor abandon his own crusade just as victory was within his grasp? It was Horus who strove with every iota of his being to keep the Crusade alive; it was he who fought, bled and mourned at the forefront of every critical battle whilst the Emperor enjoyed the safety and sanctity of his palace.
The seed of doubt soon bore rotten fruit. When Horus was grievously wounded in the Davin system, the powers of Chaos took their chance. They played upon the Warmaster's dark thoughts whilst he was at his lowest ebb, and in doing so, corrupted his recovery.
The cracks that appeared in Horus' devotion were all the Dark Gods needed to drive wedges of dissent between the Primarchs. Through guile, manipulation, and raw emotion, Horus turned many of the Emperor's faithful sons into bitter rebels.
Through warrior lodges and secret brotherhoods, Horus' spiritual malaise spread slowly across the Legiones Astartes. The roster of dishonour grew long. A full half of the Space Marine Legions turned to the Warmaster's side; within a matter of scant years the stage was set for a cataclysmic treason that would sunder the Imperium forever.
The first open sign of Horus' treachery occurred on the doomed planet of Isstvan III. The Warmaster had ordered vast armies of loyalists onto the planet's surface, a force many times stronger than that needed to quell the world's rebellious populace. Horus' true plan became clear only when he sent a barrage of world-killing virus bombs planetside. He intended to scourge the world of all life, including those legionaries who would resist his plan. The aftermath saw brother fighting brother and Primarch duelling Primarch as war spread across the Isstvan system. Only then did the sheer scale of the treachery blighting the Imperium become evident. From the core worlds of the Segmentum Solar to Ultramar on the galaxy's Eastern Fringe, whole legions of traitors and loyalists were locked in a bitter war that would tear Mankind apart.
The Battle of Calth
Under the guise of galactic strategy, Horus isolated those he knew would oppose him, redeploying them from the centre of the nascent Imperium to its furthest reaches. He intended to strike at the heart of the Emperor's domain, invading Terra itself and personally ensuring the Emperor's demise. First, however, he took great pains to stack the odds in his favour before his allegiance to the Dark Gods became clear.
To the Ultramarines, staunchest of all the Emperor's Legions, Horus had given orders to muster upon distant Calth – a neighbouring planet to their home world Macragge. The Legion was to use the world as a staging post to cleanse the Eastern Fringe of Ork infestation. Warmaster Horus had ostensibly ordered the Word Bearers Legion to act in support, but in truth, they had a secret mission of their own.
Soon the stars above Calth played host to the twin armadas of the two Legions, one resplendent in blue, the other marked in deep scarlet.
Many senior officers amongst the Legiones Astartes saw this decision as a diplomatic masterstroke. When the Emperor had punished the zealous Word Bearers for revering him as a living god, the Ultramarines had acted as his iron fist. Guilliman's Legion had destroyed Monarchia, the 'perfect city' the Word Bearers had built to honour the immortal Emperor, and humiliated Lorgar and his Legion in the process. By assigning the two Legions to the same part of the Great Crusade against a foe as savage as the Orks, it seemed Horus hoped to eradicate the bad blood his father had created between the Legions. The bonds of brotherhood would be reforged in the red-hot crucible of battle. Yet his true purpose was more devious than even Guilliman suspected.
The Word Bearers had long been won over to Horus' side; indeed, there were whispered rumours that one of their Chaplains had engineered the Warmaster's downfall during the war for the Davin system. Lorgar's sons were fully complicit with his scheme – not only to keep the Ultramarines from the war that would decide the fate of the Heresy, but also to strike a devastating blow against their loyalist counterparts from which they would never recover.
Once the two armadas had massed in orbit, legionaries from both factions coordinated their muster whilst the ground forces and Titans affiliated to the Word Bearers gathered. The Word Bearers had all the time they needed to set their trap, for Horus had kept hidden the treacheries of Isstvan. The architects of Calth's apocalypse seeded tainted scrapcode throughout the cogitators of its orbital defence network, and ensured their spacefleet was poised to cripple as much of the Ultramarines armada as possible in the confusion to follow. Dark sorceries were conducted in secret, the Word Bearers following rituals penned by Lorgar himself. Each new ritual was intended to thin the veil between reality and the Empyrean, the better to summon strange allies the traitor Primarch had won within the psychic tides of that strange dimension.
Calth To call Calth a cavern world would be to do an injustice to its grandeur. As a jewel in Ultramar's crown, Calth was a highly civilised world of culture and beauty. The planet's cities had been built to survive; it boasted not only shielded starports and extensive orbital shipyards, but also sprawling subterranean arcologies. These covered hundreds of miles under the surface, the perfect refuge in the event of solar catastrophe.
Perhaps grander still, they intended to trigger a cataclysmic solar event by poisoning Veridia, Calth's life-giving star. In doing so they would bring to bear a weapon of galactic magnitude, ensuring the corrupted sun's solar flares scoured Calth's surface more thoroughly than any virus bomb. The doom of the Ultramarines Legion was a matter of hours away.
The attack commenced with the last journey of the Campanile, a starship captured on the system's edge by Word Bearers forces and sent hurtling like a titanic spear into the orbital docks and naval echelons of the Ultramarines fleet. The resultant collisions sowed destruction on an unprecedented scale, for Guilliman's spacecraft fortresses were densely packed and unable to escape.
The sheer force of the disaster sent out an electromagnetic pulse that not only disabled many of the Ultramarines' ships but also shut down the already compromised orbital defence system, allowing the Word Bearers prophet Kor Phaeron to capture it and direct its fire into the heart of the star Veridia. On the planet's surface far below, Kor Phaeron's fellow cardinal in darkness, Erebus, conducted a great ritual, allowing Daemon lords to tear their way into realspace as Calth's sun glowed evilly overhead.
With the Ultramarines armada crippled, the Word Bearers fleet found good hunting indeed. The skies above Calth burned as the corpses of the loyalist fleet veered through low orbit to smash into the world's surface. Eagle-beaked battle barges ploughed great chasms into the planet's crust as they dived to their rocky graves. Bulk landers crushed spire-dotted cities beneath their gravid bulk, and wounded transport ships spilled their contents through the heavens until frozen corpses and super-heavy tanks alike fell from the skies like hail.
The gross act of betrayal that was to reshape Calth unfolded, the Ultramarines there taken completely by surprise.
Even Guilliman, who had spent weeks preparing contingencies for every conceivable eventuality the muster could pose, was caught flat-footed. Reports flooded in of grievous ship-to-ship violence in high orbit, but at first, Guilliman was convinced that he was witnessing simple disaster born of miscommunication. Only when the Primarch's pleas for a ceasefire became vitriolic oaths of vengeance did Lorgar deign to answer his communiqué requests. The heart-stopping truth became clear as the lord of the Word Bearers gloated and leered, drinking in Guilliman's anger and dismay like a fine wine. A devastating war was already unfolding across the Imperium, the scale of the treachery so vast that those loyal to the Emperor had likely already lost.
Just as the contemplation of treachery was alien to Guilliman's Legion, so was the concept of despair. Though he had lost perhaps half of his Legion in the opening attack, the Primarch of the Ultramarines declared open war, marking well the fulcrum upon which his Legion's fate had turned. He ordered the system evacuated, knowing that should Veridia reach the peak of its killing wrath, the sunstorm would incinerate not only those struggling upon Calth, but its neighbouring planets as well.
The Ultramarines fought a dauntless rearguard in a dozen theatres of war as the star's solar flares reached out towards the planet's ravaged surface. Captain Ventanus of the 4th Company broadcast a last order across the planet's vox network, insisting that every living soul retreat to the cavern networks, be they legionary or normal man. The Ultramarines were not the only warriors to retreat below ground. The Word Bearers too recognised the fiery doom descending through the void towards them, and likewise made for the safety of Calth's arcologies. There, in the confusion and mayhem of the cataclysm's aftermath, a new phase of the Horus Heresy unfolded. The Battle of Calth had burned bright, but briefly. The Underworld War had begun.
The Last True Vox 'This is Ventanus, Captain, Fourth. I am making an emergency broadcast on the global vox-cast setting. The surface of Calth is no longer a safe environment. The local star is suffering a flare trauma, and will shortly irradiate Calth to human-lethal levels. It is no longer possible to evacuate the planet. Therefore, if you are a citizen, a member of the Imperial Army, a legionary of the XIII, or any other loyal servant of the Imperium, move with all haste to the arcology or arcology system closest to you. The arcology systems may offer sufficient protection to allow us to survive this solar event. We will shelter there until further notice. Do not hesitate. Move directly to the nearest arcology. Arcology location and access information will be appended to this repeat broadcast as a code file. In the name of the Imperium, make haste. Message ends.'
– Captain Ventanus, Saviour of Calth [mark: 23.49.20]
Ultramarines
With bolter and blade the XIII Legion purges evil from the galaxy. Using judicious force of arms, they bring order and truth to the stars, knowing well that only through violence can lasting peace be ensured. Such is their mastery of the arts of war that their efficiency as a military force is famous across the galaxy.
The Ultramarines fully believe in the notion of Humanity's manifest destiny. They do so not out of dogged obedience to the Master of Mankind, but out of an appreciation of their race's resourcefulness and limitless potential. They believe the children of Earth, with the genius of the Emperor as their guiding light and the Space Marines as their blazing sword, will conquer the sea of stars once more. With the Ultramarines and their brother Legions at the forefront of the Great Crusade, failure is surely impossible. It is this noble goal that defines Roboute Guilliman's every act, and casts the Ultramarines amongst the foremost defenders of Mankind.
The Ultramarines have a long history of self-belief, indomitable courage and inner strength, for they hail from one of the most well-established warrior cultures in all of Mankind's domain. Theirs is the largest Space Marine Legion, for the Ultramarines trace their recruitment base not to a single home world, but to a wider area of space in the galactic southeast known as Ultramar.
In distant Ultramar, every citizen is judged and trusted according to his or her own merit. Discipline, honour and self-reliance are valued above all, whilst physical and mental trials are woven into society at all levels. Because of the quality of the populations from which they recruit, the strength of the Ultramarines is not only in their measured might, but also in astonishing mental acuity and organisational excellence. In both tactics and strategy they are all but unrivalled, their commanders employing the finest military wisdom in the Imperium.
The Ultramarines have always lived in a world of order and logic, reason and efficiency. They are able to assess a situation in terms of theory and hard practicality alike, divining the most efficient route to victory in a heartbeat. Only in matters supernatural do they have a blind spot, and even then, their indomitable will proves no small defence.
Roboute Guilliman Borne to rocky Macragge as an infant, Guilliman quickly rose to pre-eminence. There he swiftly outclassed even the harshest of training academies and brought both barbarian tribes and corrupt rulers to heel. He excelled in physical combat, though it swiftly became obvious that his true genius lay in leadership and planning. By the time the Emperor visited Macragge to investigate rumours of a utopian civilisation, Guilliman had united the planet's people in a noble philosophy of progress, honour and discipline. It was not long before the same ideals shaped the Ultramarines into the foremost warriors of the Legiones Astartes. It is a testament to Guilliman's genius and the might of the Ultramarines Legion that Horus considered the warriors of Ultramar to be one of the few obstacles that could keep him from his ultimate prey – the Emperor himself.
Legion symbols: The proud symbol of the Ultramarines Legion has long been steeped in glory. Veteran Ultramarines often add the Imperial laurels to their legion symbol. A symbol bifurcated by a gladius is common among melee specialists. Heavy elements may adorn their legion symbol with stylised lightning icons.
Steloc Aethon
Amongst those gathered on Calth were Tetrarchs, Captains, and Chapter Masters: an assemblage of nobility enough to conquer a dozen star systems. Yet none felt a stronger connection to Calth than Aethon of the 19th Company.
Steloc Aethon was a native son of Calth, born to a proud family of underworld castellans and brought up in the principal arcology of Gallica Subdelta. For the first ten years of his life Aethon saw neither sky nor stars. His eidetic memory saw him become a master of the arcologies – his fellow cadets called Aethon the White Spider, saying that he knew the labyrinths better than the arachnids that crawled their ceilings. Aethon grew to be an extremely capable warrior and a natural leader of men, and soon duty called him to the planet's surface. There he aided Guilliman in turning the world into a multi-level fortress – the orbital defences were their moat, the surface bastions their curtain wall, and the arcologies their inner keep. By the time the Ultramarines and Word Bearers mustered upon Calth, Aethon had proved a gifted ambassador, and was awarded the title of praetor by unanimous accord.
On hearing that the Word Bearers were to visit his world, Aethon felt hope mingled with trepidation. Half a century ago, he had fought alongside the Word Bearers against the Orks of Ultima Segmentum. There the Word Bearers' fiery passion for the Imperial cause complemented the Ultramarines' cool, logical war doctrine. Aethon had heard that his old comrade, Kurtha Sedd, was to deploy within the same command quadrant. The captain was anxious to reaffirm his friendship with Sedd, for the Word Bearer Chaplain had saved Aethon's life during a planetstrike upon an ork factory world. Aethon knew the Ultramarines' part in the Word Bearers' censure at Monarchia would have shaken their friendship, but over forty years had passed since then. He had no idea of just how far Sedd and his fellows had fallen in the interim.
Ultramarines Tactical Legionary
Decios Renactus — Ultramarines Legion, 19th Company, 1st Chapter Renactus is equipped with latter-issue Mark IV Legiones Astartes battle plate, formally known as Maximus pattern power armour. Renactus' highly advanced, all-enclosing armour represents the cutting edge of Imperial war-tech in the latter half of the Great Crusade. It originally hails from the Martian forge temples of Malevolus, a senior Tech-Priest famous for having fashioned the armour of Horus himself. The fibre bundles and servomotors of Maximus power armour bolster the wearer's might; its bio-systems allow Renactus to fight for weeks without resupply, and its bonded ceramite and plasteel battle plating is proof against even xenos heavy weaponry.
- The auto-reactive pauldrons of Maximus pattern power armour give it a distinctive silhouette. By presenting his shoulder guard to the fore, a Space Marine can adopt a guarded firing stance that allows him to slay his foes at range whilst enduring the worst return fire.
- The Phaeton pattern backpack power unit Renactus wears is standard issue; it is both a life support unit and the primary energy core for his armour.
- It is common practice amongst the Ultramarines to wear their legion's numeral over the knee plate.
Renactus' right shoulder guard bears the insignia of his battlefield role. After Calth, Renactus always bore his legion number upon his left shoulder. Later in his career, Renactus took the white helm of the veteran sergeant.
Ultramarines Legion Terminator
Admus Calocon — Ultramarines Legion, 19th Company, 1st Chapter The legionary depicted here is clad in Cataphractii Terminator armour, a personal war asset that is far heavier than even Maximus pattern battle plate. Also known as Tactical Dreadnought armour, it makes Calocon more akin to a walking tank than a heavy trooper. This armour interfaces with the legionary's black carapace in the same manner as power armour, and hence allows a great deal of flexibility for armour of such density. Even a bolter shell can detonate against its layered ceramite without causing significant harm. Calocon bears the scars of a hundred battle impacts and even thin gouges caused by powered weaponry, though none have pierced through to the wearer beneath. Internal translocation arrays allow Calocon to be teleported into battle, though the process is risky to employ.
Calocon bears the gold filigree and lightning-pattern trim of one elevated to high status in Marius Gage's 1st Chapter. The white of his pteruges is consistent with the colours used to denote veteran status within the XIII Legion. Calocon's armour was scorched black across its left side during the opening stages of the Underworld War, for he was caught in one of the raging firestorms that consumed Calth's surface.
Word Bearers
The Word Bearers are a Legion of warrior fanatics whose history is steeped in blood. They are religious zealots whose conviction is so powerful it can drive them to the heights of personal valour or the depths of villainy. Chanting devotional hymns in deep, sonorous voices, their mighty Legion storms into war, grinding all before it in the name of belief itself. And yet there was a crux point in their history where beatific devotion curdled to the most unholy hatred. Now the Word Bearers chant praise not to the Emperor, but to the Dark Powers of Chaos.
As the Great Crusade spread further and further across the stars, the Emperor became a divinity in the eyes of his people. The Master of Mankind forbade such illogical thoughts; his goal was for logic and reason to rule the galaxy, not blind faith. Even so, amongst the ranks of the Word Bearers there were those whose admiration crossed the line into worship.
When the Emperor was reunited with Lorgar upon Colchis, vast displays of devotion and rapture were laid before the Master of Mankind. Their scale was so great that the Emperor became impatient, demanding war, not veneration.
Lorgar soon led the Legion he had been bequeathed into the stars, but still his progress lacked urgency – each conquest would be followed by a period of reconsecration and monument-building to the glory of Humanity's saviour. The Emperor took exception to these indulgent displays and the slow progress they represented, chastising Lorgar and ordering the Ultramarines to cast down his works, including Monarchia – known to the Word Bearers as the Perfect City.
Slowly, like a seeping poison, Lorgar's bitterness at his censure spread throughout the Word Bearers Legion. Some amongst them – notably the Chaplain Erebus – turned their sorrow into hatred, their dark faith infecting those under their sway. Though the Word Bearers' new creed was at first covert, when Horus declared his plans of secession from the Emperor, Lorgar was swift to offer his allegiance. Their first act of open rebellion would be to strike hard at their rivals, the hated Ultramarines. The planet's death would be a titanic sacrifice to the Chaos Gods that would yield powerful daemonic manifestations. A grand armada of Word Bearers ships set a course for Calth's orbit, bringing with it a secret doom.
Lorgar Aurelian Long before the founding of the Word Bearers, the planet Colchis was dotted with ancient fanes to unknowable entities. Its populace had long looked for the coming of a god-like saviour. When Lorgar descended in a fiery comet and entered the high temple as a golden-skinned youth, they finally found their prophet, and Lorgar found his true calling.
Years later, the Emperor made planetfall upon Colchis, and for a time all Lorgar's dreams, predictions and promises came true. Yet when the Emperor condemned Lorgar's beliefs, the Primarch was devastated. Love soured to loathing, as it so often does in the hearts of bitter men. Kor Phaeron, the Word Bearers' Master of the Faith, preyed on his friend's heartache and need for acceptance. He convinced Lorgar that though the Emperor was not worthy of worship, other powers in the galaxy would gladly accept his devotions. Lorgar listened well, and in doing so sealed the fate of the Word Bearers forever.
Legion symbols: The sacred book of the Word Bearers came to represent a darker knowledge. Each Chapter of the Word Bearers Legion has its own pictorial icon.
Kurtha Sedd
Kurtha Sedd, a veteran Chaplain of the XVII Legion, fought at the forefront of the Great Crusade. He possessed a boundless drive, channelling his faith into acts of selfless heroism. There was an urgency to his every action that saw him climb the hierarchies of power, for Lorgar himself had told the Chaplain the Emperor was watching him, and he had taken the Primarch at his word.
When fighting alongside the Ultramarines against the Ork menace, Kurtha Sedd impressed the Captain of the Ultramarines 19th Company, Steloc Aethon, with his faultless commitment. The two were in many ways alike, for Sedd was a warrior of dauntless conviction, almost obsessive in his furtherance of the Great Crusade.
After Monarchia, the humiliation of Kurtha Sedd's beloved Primarch drove him over the edge. Soon after the Emperor's censure of Lorgar, the Chaplain's despair and rage saw him turn a prayer hall into a corpse-strewn abattoir. When he came to his senses, Kurtha Sedd felt panic in his bones. The all-seeing Emperor had surely witnessed the act from on high – he had disgraced himself utterly in front of his god with the most horrendous of deeds. Retribution could not be far behind.
Yet that retribution never came. The 'incident' was covered up by Kurtha Sedd's fellow officers, and the matter was drowned out by the thunder of war. The foundation of his belief, that the Emperor was divine and omniscient, was irrevocably shattered. Within weeks the Chaplain was working to further the doom of the False Emperor. His belief that Lorgar had lied to him made him unpredictable, and as such he was chosen by Kor Phaeron to lead the ground assault on Calth. Upon hearing he would be deployed alongside Captain Aethon, Kurtha Sedd felt a twinge of regret. Yet it was nothing next to the fires of hatred burning in his soul.
Word Bearers Tactical Legionary
Legionary Toc Derenoth — Ulughar Tactical Squad, 5th Assault Company, Chapter of the Third Hand Legionary Toc Derenoth is pictured in MkIV Maximus pattern armour. Though the battle plate of the Word Bearers Legion was originally slate grey, as the Heresy unfolded, Toc Derenoth and his kin adopted armour of deep crimson. The script that once adorned Toc Derenoth's armour changed too; where his ceramite once bore Imperial truths in calligraphic High Gothic, after the censure of his Legion Toc Derenoth replaced the hymnal text with runic sigils and arcane symbols redolent with hidden meanings.
- After Monarchia, almost all Word Bearers legionaries embellished their traditional iconography with flames and horned skulls.
- Veteran Word Bearers such as Toc Derenoth took to wearing hermetic icons, stylised after the geometric symbols devised by Lorgar to summon and bind entities from the Empyrean. These were displayed quite openly during the muster above Calth. This could be read as a signifier of the contempt Toc Derenoth and his kin had for the Ultramarines and their lack of occult knowledge.
Toc Derenoth wears the stylised symbol of his Chapter, the Third Hand. Lorgar's most devoted sons incorporate fiery daemonic skulls into their icons. A variety of esoteric symbols and sigils are worn by all senior Word Bearers.
Word Bearers Contemptor Dreadnought
Sor Gharax, 'The Bull' — Contemptor Dreadnought, Word Bearers Legion Sor Gharax was once a wise war-priest and mentor to his Legion's recruits. Wounded gravely due to the detonation of a Titan upon the volcanic world of 17-17, Sor Gharax was interred in a special cybernetic sarcophagus to preserve his life. This in turn was installed within the shell of a Contemptor Dreadnought, a personal war engine of surpassing potency. The multiple points of articulation built into the Contemptor allowed Sor Gharax to fight at full effect even in the winding arcologies of Calth.
Sor Gharax's Contemptor is amongst the finest of its kind, a towering construct that possesses the strength of a dozen Space Marines. Those given the honour of joining the Annunake – a Colchisian term meaning 'Princely Sons' or 'Judges of Hell' – fought at the front line of every major Word Bearers engagement.
Unfortunately the trauma Sor Gharax experienced upon 17-17 took a grievous toll. He found his objectivity eroded by crashing waves of bitterness, for he saw his incarceration within a war-shell as unbecoming of a true warrior. His chagrin grew to anger, then to madness. By the time he reached Calth, the beloved leader of men that had once been Sor Gharax was dead, though his body lived on. In its place was little more than a raging, hate-filled monster intent on murder alone.
Reference
Ranged Weapons
| Weapon | Shoot | Critical Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Assault cannon | 6 | Re-roll any number of Blanks or Shields. Do this until none remain or you wish to stop. If Attack Roll contains 4 or more Critical Hits, Heavy Weapon Arm is destroyed after action has been resolved. |
| Boltgun | 2 | Target loses one tactical point. |
| Bolt pistol¹ | 2 | Target loses one tactical point. |
| Combi-bolter | 4 | Target loses one tactical point. |
| Flamer² | 4 | After attack, make another Shoot action against a unit adjacent to target unit. Only weapons with this Critical Effect are counted. |
| Heavy bolter | 6 | Target loses 1 tactical point. |
| Heavy flamer² | 6 | After Attack, make another Shoot action against a unit adjacent to target unit. Only weapons with this Critical Effect are counted. |
| Meltagun | 3 | If target unit is within three hexes, first target model counts its Armour value as 0 when making its Defence Roll. |
| Missile launcher | 5 | Add 1 dice to the Attack Roll for each model in the target unit. |
| Multi-melta | 4 | If target unit is within six hexes, first target model counts its Armour value as 0 when making its Defence Roll. |
| Plasma gun | 3 | Add four dice to the Attack Roll. If these dice roll at least two Critical Hits the firing model is removed as a casualty. |
| Plasma pistol¹ | 3 | Add four dice to the Attack Roll. If these dice roll at least two Critical Hits the firing model is removed as a casualty. |
¹ A model equipped with a bolt pistol or plasma pistol adds 1 to its Assault value. Pistols can only be used if the target is within three hexes. ² Flamer weapons can only be used if the target is within three hexes.
Melee Weapons
| Weapon | Assault | Critical Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Chainfist | +1 | First target model counts its Stamina value as 1 when allocating Hits. |
| Chainsword | +1 | Add 1 dice to the Attack Roll for each Critical Hit. If these roll further Critical Hits, no further dice are added. |
| Contemptor power fist | +1 | First target model counts its Armour value as 0 when making its Defence Roll. |
| Lightning claw | +1 | Re-roll up to two dice in the Attack Roll. |
| Two lightning claws | +3 | Re-roll up to four dice in the Attack Roll. |
| Power fist | - | First target model counts its Armour value as 0 when making its Defence Roll. |
| Power sword | +1 | First target model halves its Armour value when making its Defence Roll. |
Wargear
Grenade Harness: When a unit that contains a model equipped with a grenade harness makes an Assault action, add one dice to the Attack Roll for each model in the target unit.
Legion Vexilla: Units containing a model equipped with a legion vexilla can re-roll any number of dice when making Melee Attack Rolls and Desperate Last Stands.
Resolving Attacks
- Make Attack Roll
- Select target model
- Make Defence Roll
- Allocate damage
If there are Hits remaining in the damage pool, repeat steps 2-4.
Actions
Advance, Run, Consolidate, Shoot, Assault Pinned units can only choose Advance, Consolidate or Assault.
Defence Roll Bonuses
Obscured shots: +2 dice Rubble: +1 dice Barricades: +2 dice