Blood of Baal focuses on the titanic clashes between the Space Marines of the Blood Angels Chapter and Tyranids from Hive Fleet Leviathan. The book contains a host of new rules for both forces and today we’re taking a look at what’s inside for the Sons of Sanguinius.
This article was originally published on the Warhammer-community site.
The third book in the Psychic Awakening series contains new datasheets, Stratagems, Relics, Special-issue Wargear and a new Litany of Battle. But before we get into all of the awesome new rules, let’s hear what Chief Librarian Mephiston has to say about his Chapter.
Who Are They?
The Blood Angels are glorious, golden-haired heroes clad in the finest armour, wielding beautifully crafted weapons of war. However, there is a darkness at the heart of these warriors – a terrible flaw that threatens to drive them to savagery.
The Red Thirst is the Blood Angels’ darkest secret – a hunger for the blood of the living that can overcome them in the heat of battle. The Black Rage is even more destructive. It’s a gene-memory of the death of their Primarch Sanguinius at the hands of arch-traitor Horus.
A Blood Angel who succumbs to the Black Rage goes mad with fury. Such battle-brothers are inducted into the Death Company where they will make one final glorious head-long charge into the enemy and hence be added to the list of martyrs of the Chapter. These curses are also the Blood Angels’ greatest salvation for they bring to the warriors of Baal a humility and understanding of their own failings, which makes them among the noblest of the Space Marines.
As well as being noble, the Blood Angels are compliant with the Codex Astartes and have now been brought in line with their fellow Space Marines battle-brothers. They now have the Angels of Death ability, which gives them access to And They Shall Know No Fear, Bolter Discipline, Shock Assault and Combat Doctrines. The Assault Doctrine is going to prove very popular with Blood Angels players thanks to their unique Chapter trait.
The destructive yearning inside every Blood Angel is represented by a new army-wide rule called Savage Echoes. Combined with the Shock Assault rule and the Assault Doctrine itself, your Blood Angels will brutalise their way through enemy lines.
The Blood Angels have an unusual number of psykers in their ranks, which is believed to be part of Sanguinius’ gene legacy. In fact, they are unique in having Librarian Dreadnoughts – these walking war machines contain the interred remains of a powerful psyker. Amongst the incredible Relics in the Blood Angels’ fortress-monastery there is one that can increase the range of your Librarian Dreadnought’s powers – you can now protect your battle-brothers with Shield of Sanguinius from even further away.
Chaplains of the Blood Angels Chapter now get access to the Litanies of Battle from Codex: Space Marines. They also get a new, Chapter-specific Litany! This fits in perfectly with the Blood Angels’ desire to get stuck in – chant the Invocation of Destruction and watch your warriors tear through the armour of their enemies.
Of course, while the Blood Angels like to rip their foes limb from limb, they can also be quite tactically flexible. In case you want to cut down the enemy in a hail of bolt rifle fire, they have a new Stratagem that helps you do exactly that.
But wait, what’s this? Death Company Intercessors? It was thought that Primaris Space Marines might be immune to the Black Rage, but the legacy of Sanguinius flows in their veins.
When they succumb, they are arranged into Intercessors squads and unleashed on their enemies. The Black Rage gives them an extra attack in a turn when they charge, so with the Shock Assault ability and Savage Echoes, that means five attacks! Just imagine how much devastation a Death Company Intercessor with a thunder hammer is going to cause… Lots.
The battle to banish the Tyranids from the Baal System also included the Blood Angels’ Successor Chapters, and Blood of Baal has new rules for one of the most storied – the Flesh Tearers.
Alongside new Warlord Traits, Stratagems and Relics, they get a new Chapter-specific rule, which replaces the Blood Angels’ Red Thirst rule and makes them even deadlier in combat than their primogenitors.
Going back to their parent Chapter, let’s have a look at the Lord of Death.
Mephiston
Mephiston is the only Blood Angels Space Marine to ever overcome the Black Rage. While many in the Chapter hold him up as an icon of hope, there are those who question what price he has paid to overcome the curse.
Having now crossed the Rubicon Primaris, Mephiston is more resilient in battle with an extra Wound and an extra Attack to boot.
As Chief Librarian, Mephiston knows Smite and any other three psychic powers from the Sanguinary discipline, and he can attempt to manifest up to two of these in the psychic phase. He also carries the lethal force sword Vitarus – cast the Quickening psychic power to give him an additional D3 attacks and watch him cut down all who face him.
As well as this awesome new Mephiston model, the Blood Angels now have access to all of the Space Marines Vanguard units from the Infiltrators to the Eliminators. There are also a number of updated datasheets for units such as Astorath the Grim and the Sanguinary Priest. The Tyranids will regret the day they ever entered the Baal System!
Blood of Baal and Mephiston are available for pre-order from Saturday, along with the Blood Angels Crimson Spear Strike Force – a money-saving Battleforce that is an ideal start to a Blood Angels army or the perfect way to grow an existing one. In the meantime, read all about the noble Chapter Master of the Blood Angels in Dante by Guy Haley.
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