This weekend sees the release of Codex Supplement: Imperial Fists. Take a moment to build a quick fort out of whatever you have to hand, ready your bolt rifle and read on to learn more about the storied scions of Rogal Dorn.
This article was originally published on the Warhammer-community page.
Who Are They?
The Imperial Fists are a First Founding Chapter renowned for their stoicism and tenacity in battle.* Their discipline and siegecraft is beyond compare throughout the Imperium – it’s with good reason that the Emperor chose the Imperial Fists and their staunchly faithful Primarch Rogal Dorn to mastermind the defence of Terra at the climax of the Horus Heresy.**
For more than 10 millennia, the Imperial Fists have defended the Sol System and crushed the enemies of Mankind all across the galaxy from aboard their matchless star fortress, Phalanx.
On the Battlefield
If you like shooting bad guys with Space Marines, the Imperial Fists are the Chapter for you. Even if your enemies should be skulking in cover, there’s no escape from the withering bolter fire of Dorn’s sons thanks to the Imperial Fists’ Siege Masters ability from Codex: Space Marines.
The new codex supplement contains all of the rules you need to turn your force into a finely tuned Imperial Fists machine, including Warlord Traits, Relics, Stratagems, Tactical Objectives and a new psychic discipline – Geokinesis. Let’s take a closer look at some of them…
First up is the Legacy of Dorn ability, which provides a bonus to the standard Devastator Doctrine. Considering that this enhanced Doctrine will be active from your first turn, it will give you a significant edge against enemy vehicles from the very start of the battle. Make the most of it by eliminating your opponent’s toughest armoured targets with your heavy weapons early.
The annals of the Imperial Fists are filled with storied heroes of the Chapter who fought on in battle despite suffering terrible wounds. The Indomitable Warlord Trait will enable your commander to shrug off even the hardest hits, giving you a huge advantage in duels with enemy Characters and other melee specialists.
The Geokinesis ability offers a variety of useful psychic powers, but Wrack and Ruin, in particular, is an excellent option for punishing enemy units concealed in cover. Hit them with this power, then follow up with a volley of occulus bolt carbines from a squad of Incursors for a nasty one-two combo!
The Imperial Fists have a number of powerful Relics that will help give your Characters the edge on the battlefield. The Eye of Hypnoth, for example, is a great option for a Captain, as it enables you to combine their aura ability with that of a Lieutenant to create a seriously effective force multiplier without having to fork out the points for another Character (or enabling you to deploy your Lieutenant elsewhere).
Imperial Fists armies are renowned for the ferocity of their Shooting phases, crippling or destroying enemy war machines at the outset of the battle with lethally accurate salvoes of heavy weapons fire. Make the most of the Devastator Doctrine being active in your first turn (further enhanced by the Legacy of Dorn ability, of course) by activating this incredible, army-wide Stratagem…
The Ultramarines may have been responsible for creating the vast majority of the Second Founding Chapters, but the Imperial Fists produced one of the most famous – the Crimson Fists – which also feature in Codex: Space Marines.
The Crimson Fists share many of the traits of their parent Chapter and receive additional background and rules in Codex Supplement: Imperial Fists. The book also includes a datasheet for their Chapter Master, Pedro Kantor, new Warlord Traits and Relics, such as this fearsome power fist.
Back amongst the Imperial Fists, Captain Tor Garadon of the 3rd Company makes his debut as a new Primaris miniature and receives a datasheet worthy of his station.
Tor Garadon
As a Captain, Tor Garadon has the usual abilities of his office – a 4+ invulnerable save from his iron halo and the ever-useful Rites of Battle aura ability (which offers re-rolls on hit rolls of 1). He also has a number of other tricks up his power-armoured sleeve.
First up is his Siege Captain ability, which nicely complements his backpack-mounted grav-gun and mighty relic power fist, Hand of Defiance, when it comes to smashing holes in enemy vehicles and buildings. Yes, that’s a total of Strength 12 and 6 Attacks on the charge against such a target – each of which will be dishing out 4 Damage!
Tor Garadon’s Mk X Gravis suit also features a signum array, with which he can guide the firepower of his warriors. If you’ve got a Repulsor Executioner nearby, this ability is absolutely priceless, as it will be able to lay down devastatingly accurate fire even when badly damaged.
Whether you choose to field Tor Garadon as your only unique Character, or as the long-range counterpoint to Captain Lysander’s brutal melee power, he will hugely augment the already-formidable gun lines of the Imperial Fists.
Codex Supplement: Imperial Fists and Tor Garadon are up for pre-order from this Saturday, so if you haven’t already got a Repulsor Executioner or some Devastator Centurions at your disposal, be sure to grab them today!
* In fact, their stubborn refusal to retreat has resulted more than once in the loss of an entire Battle Company as they fought to the last warrior, though never without inflicting horrific losses on their killers.
** You can even read all about it in the Horus Heresy novel, Praetorian of Dorn, and the ongoing Siege of Terra series, starting with Solar War!
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
