Space Marines Preview: New Units

In today’s Space Marines preview, we’re looking at the new units, new wargear and new abilities in the new codex (that’s a lot of ‘news’), from las fusils and haywire mines to the awesome fourth part of the Angels of Death ability – Combat Doctrines. We’ve got a lot to cover, so without further ado, let’s get cracking…

This article was originally published on the Warhammer-community site.

First up, let’s look at some of the BRAND-NEW UNITS that will be making their debut in the codex!

Incursor Squad

This squad is an alternative build from the multipart Infiltrator kit (we’ll have more on the cool new stuff for them a bit later). In addition to being armed with occulus bolt carbines that rob the enemy of cover, Incursors are equipped with awesome multi-spectrum arrays that prevent them from suffering any negative modifiers when using ranged weapons. If you want a unit that can drive an enemy unit from cover with punishingly accurate volleys at rapid-fire range from the outset of the battle, you’ll want yourself an Incursor Squad (or several).

Aeldari Rangers will soon learn to fear Incursors, for cameleoline cloaks will offer no protection against such guided bolter fire! As if that wasn’t cool enough, Incursors are also armed with paired combat blades that give them an extra edge in combat.

Like their Infiltrator battle-brothers, Incursors carry smoke grenades and can set up in concealed positions, but the squad is also equipped with a haywire mine that can be planted mid-battle. Once primed, the first enemy unit to move within 3″ of the haywire mine risks suffering D3 mortal wounds (or D3+1 if it’s a Vehicle) before the mine is then removed. By fielding a number of small units, you can lay enough haywire mines to make it near-suicidal to approach – it’s ‘Area Denial 101’ and Incursors are, without a doubt, some of its finest practitioners!

If you fancy being more unapologetically aggressive than sneaky (we’re talking a fist-to-the-jaw level of aggression here), our next entry has a number of ways to help.

Impulsor

An Impulsor is a fantastic all-round support vehicle. In addition to a huge variety of weapon options and other handy upgrades, it’s also a nifty transport option for your Primaris Space Marines, able to bear six models (perfect for shifting a squad of five and an accompanying Character) safely to battle within its armoured hull. If you need to race forward and claim an objective, an Impulsor is the perfect delivery system thanks to its Assault Vehicle ability.

To better protect its valuable cargo, an Impulsor can be equipped with a shield dome for a 4+ invulnerable save. But this is more than just a transport vehicle – instead of a shield dome, you can take an ironhail skytalon array for some solid anti-air firepower, or a bellicatus missile array for a choice of three missile warheads (frag, krak and Icarus). Alternatively, equipping your Impulsor with an orbital comms array enables you to call down some seriously heavy fire support in the form of an orbital bombardment!

With all of these options from just one vehicle, we’ve got a feeling that Impulsors are going to be popular options among Space Marines armies in the very near future. Speaking of popularity, next up is everyone’s soon-to-be favourite gunfighting war machine of death!

Invictor Tactical Warsuit

An Invictor Tactical Warsuit is, in essence, a Redemptor Dreadnought that has been stripped back and redesigned with lighter, sound-dampening materials for use on covert operations. Why is this cool? Because their design makes them so stealthy that they can even set up in a concealed forward position like the Infiltrators and Incursors! In addition to a hard-hitting Invictor fist, the warsuit is armed with a powerful primary weapon in the form of flame-throwing incendium cannon and a twin ironhail autocannon with which it can unleash your choice of fiery or high-velocity death.

Of course, we couldn’t talk about the Invictor Tactical Warsuit without mentioning the pistolised heavy bolter strapped to its hip. The warsuit’s pilot can use its Invictor fist to draw and fire it, even at point-blank range! How cool is that?!

On that note, a number of you have been asking whether or not you can assemble the Invictor Tactical Warsuit with the heavy bolter clutched in its fist. Well, we can happily confirm that you can!

That’s not all! With new multipart plastic kits to call upon, the Infiltrators and Eliminators will soon have access to powerful new wargear options (by which we mean a selection of new and interesting ways to deliver grievous death to the Emperor’s enemies). Let’s take a look…

Infiltrator Squad

As before, Infiltrators are able to set up in no man’s land with their Concealed Positions ability and use their omni-scramblers to keep enemy reinforcements at bay – a huge advantage when it comes to maintaining control of the battlefield. However, instead of assembling one of your Infiltrators as a Helix Adept, you can equip one of your squad with an Infiltrator comms array.

This handy bit of kit lets them concentrate on the merciless destruction of the enemy without having to worry about the proximity of a Phobos Captain and Phobos Lieutenant for their handy aura abilities – perfect for when you’re sneaking around behind enemy lines.

Finally, we’ve got the squad with such a choice of awesome ammunition it would make a Vindicare Assassin’s synskin turn green with envy…

Eliminator Squad

Primaris Space Marines wearing camo cloaks and armed with 8-foot-long guns – what’s not to love? These deadly marksmen can now target enemy Characters with all three of their bolt sniper rifles’ ammo types (executioner, hyperfrag and mortis rounds), and their ammo profiles have been ramped up – for starters, they’re now all Strength 5!

Alternatively, you can assemble your Eliminators with las fusils, which are the first dedicated anti-tank weapons for your Primaris infantry. A couple of so-armed units will reduce even the toughest vehicles to molten slag in short order – they’re called ‘Eliminators’ for good reason!

The Eliminator Sergeant can also play one of two crucial roles in the squad. The Guided Aim ability enables him to forgo his own shooting to add 1 to the hit and wound rolls of the Eliminators under his command – making sure those crucial kill-shots get the best chance of success.

Meanwhile, a Sergeant equipped with an instigator bolt carbine is perfect for luring your enemies into a trap (the hearts of a thousand Raven Guard players just skipped a beat). All you need to do is place your ‘hapless’ Eliminators in charge range of an enemy unit, and when your foe has committed, simply withdraw (after firing Overwatch for good measure). Your opponent’s unit will be left exposed, ready to gun down or counter-charge at your leisure while your Eliminators mock (and shoot) them from a safe distance!

Non-codex Chapters

So, with all this exciting news of new units, we’re going to take a moment just to explore how the new codex affects Space Marine Chapters of the First Founding who are not strictly codex-compliant – specifically the Blood Angels, Space Wolves and Dark Angels. Don’t worry, if you like your Space Marines chisel-jawed and handsome, hairy and scary or robed, we’ve got you covered. In addition to the bespoke units featured in their respective codexes, these Chapters will also have access to the new units from Codex: Space Marines as follows:

Blood Angels, Space Wolves and Dark Angels:

• Captain in Phobos Armour
• Librarian in Phobos Armour
• Lieutenant in Phobos Armour
• Eliminator Squad
• Incursor Squad
• Infiltrator Squad
• Suppressor Squad
• Invictor Tactical Warsuit
• Impulsor
• Primaris Repulsor Executioner

The full datasheets and matched play points values for each of these units will soon be available as a free PDF download for each of these Chapters, along with the rules for the Shock Assault ability.* Essentially, if you collect one of these Chapters, you can still pick up Codex: Space Marines for all the expanded lore, background and aforementioned datasheets, but you don’t need it to add the new units to your collection and use them in battle – your codex is still fully functional!

Believe it or not, there’s still more! We’ve been keeping one last part of the new Angels of Death ability up our sleeves… until now!

Angels of Death: Combat Doctrines

Combat Doctrines represent the structured way in which adherents of the Codex Astartes overcome any adversary. First of all, they bombard their enemies from afar with heavy weaponry, then they advance on their positions while delivering punishing volleys of bolter fire, before charging in to crush whatever’s left in brutal melee.

Veterans of previous editions may remember that the Ultramarines had a form of this ability a number of years back. Now, it doesn’t just apply to them, but to all of the Chapters (and any successor Chapters you’ve created) that use the rules from Codex: Space Marines. Here’s how it works…

Your Space Marines will begin the battle with the Devastator Doctrine active. At the start of any of your turns (after the first), you can choose to change from the Devastator Doctrine to the Tactical Doctrine, and again on a later turn, from the Tactical Doctrine to the Assault Doctrine. Once you’ve changed doctrines, you can’t go back – your Space Marines are already committed –but your current doctrine will remain active for the remainder of the battle unless changed. Here are the benefits you can look forward to while each doctrine is active – suffice it to say that your opponent’s saving throws are in for a shock!

That is loads to look forward to. Even so, you may have noticed that we didn’t cover the incredible new miniatures for Kor’sarro Khan and Chief Librarian Tigurius – after all, with both having crossed the Rubicon Primaris, they’re more powerful than ever.

Well, fear not, as we’ll be taking a look at both of these mighty heroes over the next few days as we investigate each of their Chapters’ codex supplements. On that note, if you want to match the prescient foresight of Tigurius, sign up to our newsletter to ensure you’re always up to speed on all the latest Warhammer information!

---

* The Deathwatch and Grey Knights will also be gaining the Shock Assault ability – and in the case of the Deathwatch, access to the Primaris Repulsor Executioner – in their own updates at the same time!