CHAPTER CREATOR

Written by Joe "Marik" Law.

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR ABOUT THESE RULES, FLUFF, AND POWER GAMING
These rules are intended to bring your Space Marine chapter some flavour, to make them feel like they're a standalone Codex army while still keeping their Space Marine feel. I studied the most recent army books for Black Templars, Blood Angels, Dark Angels, and Space Wolves and I was actually able to pick out design patterns with each one that I have subsequently used for these Chapter Creator rules. While I have done my best to balance these rules within reason, I am not perfect and I may have missed something. However, if you are worried about ultra-competitive rules balancing for top-tier tournament play then please, look elsewhere. I joined this hobby back during late Second Edition and had my first army around the time of early Third Edition, part of what attracted me to this hobby was the fact that while GW tried their best to balance each army so that the game was fair they still realized that this was a hobby game and thus always left lots of room for customization and homebrew, even to the point of providing rules for various things at one point or another. However lately I've noticed that GW has completely ditched such official creation rules and doesn't seem too keen at ever releasing new ones. I know they have tried to merge such rules like custom Chapters into the Codex themselves, but by doing so they've hit them with the "Balance Hammer" to the point where every Codex Space Marine army just feels like an Ultramarines army with only extremely minor variance (using Chapter Masters). I set out to create these rules to give you, the Space Marine player, a more stable and structured base to create your own Codex-worthy Space Marine chapter without the fear of going completely overboard on them (like I have a tendency to do with my background/fluff). Are some people going to attempt to "Power Game" with these rules? More than likely, but again I don't believe the hobby should be gravitating towards such uber-balanced tournaments and should go back to focusing on story and just good old fashioned fun gameplay. Those who "Power Game" are going to do such regardless of what game they are playing. The rule of thumb I always use is to ask the opposing player for an Army List and if you feel the army violates the sport/spirit of the game through "Power Gaming" or abuse of a Codex armies or homebrew rules, just politely decline to play them as nobody is forcing you to play against them. In the end I hope that these rules and what I've said can help players to gravitate away from "soulless" tournaments and back towards simple, good old fashioned story driven fun. I thank you for taking the time to read these homebrew rules and I always appreciate feedback for them, suggestives for things to add, as well as suggestives to beef up the areas that are underpowered or perhaps pull back some of the areas which are a bit too good. Thank you once again and have fun out there!

THESE RULES ARE OF A HOMEBREW NATURE AND ARE NOT OFFICIALLY SUPPORTED BY GAMES WORKSHOP. IF YOU WISH TO USE THESE RULES IN A GAME OR TOURNAMENT, PLEASE GET YOUR OPPONENT'S (IN THE CASE OF NON-TOURNAMENT GAMES) OR YOUR TOURNAMENT ORGANIZER'S PERMISSION FIRST.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before we begin, in order to use these rules there are a few restrictions. First, you may not take a Chapter Master and must create one using the Hero Creator rules in this document. Secondly, chapters that use these rules no longer benefit from the Combat Tactics special rule as used by Codex Space Marine. Last but not least, it goes without saying that this book requires the use of Codex Space Marines (Fifth Edition as of this document's creation) in order to play your army, also note that certain rules within this document may require another army's Codex in order to use that specific chapter trait.

COMBAT PRACTICES & MUTATIONS

You may pick up to two selections from the Combat Practices & Mutations entry, however you may only ever take one Mutation. Not taking any Combat Practices or Mutations does not yield any special benefit.

Combat Practices
Space Marine chapters train religiously. Though most chapters have standard training practices, most go above and beyond these training practices to specialize in certain areas. Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch: The chapter despises psykers of all kinds, considering them to be heretics and witches. So great is their hatred of such beings that they will never fight alongside a psyker (excluding Grey Knights) and may never take any Librarians. If the enemy army includes at least one unit with psychic powers, all non-vehicle chapter models count as having the Scouts universal special rule and must make this Scout movement if able, moving towards the nearest enemy unit. All units in the army count as having the Preferred Enemy universal special rule against enemy models with psychic powers (excluding Grey Knights). Born in the Saddle: The chapter makes extensive use of tactics involving Bike Squads and can utilize them to great effect. Any squad mounted entirely on Space Marine Bikes (excluding Attack Bike Squads) gain the Hit & Run universal special rule and can Outflank regardless of the scenario being played. Bike Squads taken as Troops choices do not benefit from this combat practice. Cleanse and Purify: The chapter practices and trains with flamer and melta weapons more than they do their own bolters. All Flamers, Heavy Flamers, Meltas, and Multi-Meltas in the army count as being twin-linked. Additionally, any squad which may take a heavy weapon may replace their missile launcher or heavy bolter for a flamer or replace their plasma cannon for a meltagun at no additional points cost. Non-Sergeant units in a squad may replace their Plasma Pistol for a flamer as well. Death From Above: The unit trains excessively in orbital drops using jump packs or drop pods, allowing them more efficiency and accuracy when assaulting positions using such methods. Any unit equipped with Jump Packs or a Drop Pod re-roll failed reserve rolls if arriving by Deep Strike. Also the unit will scatter D6" less (D6" rather than 2D6"). Faith Rewards Strength: Such is the faith and devotion of some chapters that, during the beginning of battle, they are able to shrug off wounds, feeling as though they are invincible. All squads in the army (not including vehicles or independent characters without a squad) have the Feel No Pain universal special rule until the squad they are in suffers a casualty. Fists of the Emperor: All power fists in the army count as being master-crafted. Also, any model which may take a power weapon but does not normally have access to a power first may replace their close combat weapon, bolt pistol, or bolter for a power fist at +25 points. Hammers of the Forge: All thunder hammers in the army count as being master-crafted. Also, any model which may take a power weapon but does not normally have access to a thunder hammer may replace their close combat weapon, bolt pistol, or bolter for a thunder hammer at +30 points. Know Your Enemy: The chapter through means either by that of psyker intuition or from very dedicated planning, intel gathering, and scouting, are able to almost always infiltrate behind enemy lines and strike out at unsuspecting enemies. All units in the army, excluding vehicles, squads mounted in vehicles, and models in terminator armour, count as having the Infiltrate universal special rule. Leave Them No Quarter: The chapter practices extensively in close quarters combat drills, allowing them to capitalize fully on enemy openings when in a close combat situation, leaping into the fray. All non-vehicle models in the chapter have Counter-

Attack. May the Emperor's Light Destroy Our Foes: The chapter practices extensively and trains with plasma weapons more than they do their own bolters. All Plasma Pistols, Plasma Guns, and Plasma Cannons no longer have the Gets Hot! special rule. Never Give Up, Never Surrender: The chapter is notorious for being incredibly stalwart and stern, able to stand in the face of death without flinching. All non-vehicle units in the army have the Stubborn universal special rule. Run Like the Wind: The chapter trains in many running drills and is capable of covering much greater distances at ease than most other Space Marine chapters. All models in the army count as having the Fleet universal special rule. See, But Don't Be Seen: All non-vehicle models excluding Terminators and models mounted on a space marine bike in the army have the Stealth universal special rule. Suffer Not the Alien to Live: All non-vehicle (excluding dreadnoughts) models in the army have the Preferred Enemy universal special rule against one of the following: Eldar (includes Dark Eldar); Necrons; Orks; Tau (includes Kroot and Vespids); Tyranids. May not be taken with Suffer Not the Daemon to Live. Suffer Not the Daemon to Live: All non-vehicle (excluding dreadnoughts) models in the army have the Preferred Enemy universal special rule against Daemons. This includes Summoned Daemons, any units from the Chaos Daemons codex, Daemon Princes, Daemonhosts, Possessed Chaos Space Marines, any vehicle with Daemonic Possession, enemies equipped with Daemon Weapons, and Avatars. Suffer Not the Work of Heretics: All non-vehicle (excluding dreadnoughts) models in the army have the Tank Hunters universal special rule. Take the Fight to Them: Any squad in Power Armour within the army may exchange their bolter for a bolt pistol and close combat weapon at no additional points cost. Talons of the Eagle: All lightning claws in the chapter count as being master-crafted. Also, any model or unit which may take a power weapon but does not normally have access to lightning claws may replace their bolter/bolt pistol or close combat weapon with a single lightning claw for +15 points or both for a pair of lightning claws at +30 points. Trust Your Battle Brothers: The chapter trains with their bolters more than any other weapon in their arsenal, so much that they have learned to wield bolters with a single hand and even use them in close quarters combat as if they were a pistol. All Bolters in the army count as a one-handed weapon and in close combat are treated as a pistol. With the Emperor's Grace: The homeworld the chapter inhabits has very rough terrain, whether it be dense forests, deep mud, or other impediments which make even walking rather difficult, thus causing the chapter to adapt methods to navigating such types of terrain. All models in the army count as having the Move Through Cover universal special rule and models equipped with bikes have the Skilled Rider universal special rule. Additionally, vehicles may re-roll any failed dangerous terrain test. Zeal is Thy Greatest Weapon: The chapter is incredibly aggressive towards their enemies to a point of borderline heresy. All non-vehicle units (excluding dreadnoughts) in the army have the Furious Charge and Rage universal special rule.

Mutations
Some chapters, either through their planet's environment, a genetic trait of the populace they recruit from, or a malfunctioning geneseed, have abnormalities with their body not present in other chapters of space marines. Sometimes these are not mutations, in fact they can sometimes be just practices which the chapter partakes in which causes physical deviations from the norm of a space marine chapter. Bionic Replacements: Some chapters practice extreme rituals or perhaps suffer from geneseed flaws, causing them to replace limbs and organs with bionic versions. All non-vehicle units in the army (excluding Scouts of any kind) count as having a 6+ Feel No Pain save. Note that units must be modelled accordingly to have bionics. Bloodlust: The chapter suffers from a condition similar to or identical to that of the Blood Angels, its members being continually under threat of losing control of themselves during or before combat and succumbing to an uncontrollable bloodlust or the Red Thirst. At the beginning of the game, before any scout movement is made and before the first player makes their turn, roll a D6 for every non-vehicle (excluding dreadnoughts) unit in the army. On a roll of 6 the unit suffers from the effects of bloodlust (mark the unit accordingly). Units with bloodlust no longer benefit from "And They Shall Know No Fear" and instead are Fearless and have the Furious Charge universal special rule. Hardened Body: Usually present in chapter's whose home planet has a corrosive atmosphere or chapters with a malfunctioning Ossmodula zygote. These marines are much more durable than space marines of other chapters. All non-vehicle models in the

army get +1 to their Toughness (their original toughness is still used for things such as instant death). However, corrosive or harmful atmospheres also wreak havoc on the sensory organs of a marine, either that or their malfunctioning Ossmodula or excessive bionics creates hindering effects on the body, slowing down the chapter's reaction time. All models in the army suffer -1 to their base Initiative and have any fall back or consolidate movements reduced by 1". Keen Senses: The chapter, through a genetic trait of the populace they recruit from, a benevolent geneseed malfunction, or a resulting adaptation from the extreme darkness of their homeworld, have a much better sense of sight, hearing, and/or smell than other humans and even other space marines. To represent this, all non-vehicle models in the chapter count as having the Night Vision/Acute Senses universal special rule. Superior Strength: The gravity on the homeworld in which the chapter resides is much higher than normal, causing it's inhabitants to have to adapt much more strength to cope at the expense of reaction time. All non-vehicle models in the army get +1 to their Strength (this does not increase their base Strength, meaning that Power Fists will hit at Strength 9, not Strength 10). However the crushing gravity of the planet has dulled the movement speed and reaction time of the Marines, slowing them down noticeably. All models in the army suffer -1 to their base Initiative and have any fall back or consolidate movements reduced by 1".

CHAPTER TACTICS
Not all chapters adhere strictly to the Codex Astartes. Some either willingly adapt or are forced to change their strategies and the layout of their chapter in order to better suit their needs or strengths. However, with that said, these chapters still adhere somewhat to the Codex Astartes both out of respect on the principles it was built on or out of fear of retribution from the Inquisition. You may choose up to two Tactics to which the chapter regularly employs. Note that any chapter tactics marked with a * or ** are conflicting tactics, meaning that you can't choose two tactics which both have * or two tactics which both have **. For example, if a tactic has no asterisks but another does that's okay or if one tactic has a single asterisk and another has two that's still okay, however if two tactics share the same number of asterisks they cannot be taken together. If you do not choose any Chapter Tactics you may take one additional Combat Tactic instead. Creeping Death: The chapter makes heavy use of tanks and mechanized infantry. All tanks in the chapter count as having Extra Armour at no additional points cost (must still be modelled on the tanks). Any Rhino in the army may also take a Siege Upgrade for +20 points, bringing their Front Armour value up to 13 and giving them a Siege Shield as detailed on page 80 of Codex Space Marines (Siege Shields must be properly modelled on Rhinos that have them). Heed the Wisdom of the Ancients: The chapter has in possession of and uses a larger number of Dreadnoughts than other chapters, either by choice, belief, or perhaps from having suffered countless losses in combat requiring them to sure up their numbers more quickly. You may take Dreadnoughts as Elites or Heavy Support choices and you may take Venerable Dreadnoughts as Elites or HQ choices. Dreadnoughts and Venerable Dreadnoughts count as scoring units. Honour Your Wargear*: The chapter has learned to make full use of their available devastator squads and such squads have become just as ingrained and important to the chapter as their tactical squads have. Any Devastator Squad which numbers ten models may be taken as Troops or Heavy Support choices. Sternguard Veteran Squads may be upgraded to a Devastator Veteran Squad at no additional points cost. Devastator Veteran Squads may take up to four special weapons instead of two, but have the cost of each of these special weapons increased to 15/25/35 points respectively. Devastator Squads count as scoring units. Knowledge is Power**: The chapter is an oddity for a space marine chapter as it employs many more Librarians than is common for a chapter to employ. This could be due to the populace from which they recruit from having a higher number of psykers than normal, they could be obsessed with history, lore, and archaeology, or perhaps both. Librarians count as Elites choices instead of HQ choices and may be upgraded to Chief Librarian for +45 points. A Chief Librarian remains as an HQ choice, may choose three psychic powers instead of two (see the entry for Librarians in Codex Space Marines), and gets +1 Ballistic Skill, +1 Wound, +1 Initiative, and +1 Attack. Chief Librarians have the same upgrade options, wargear, special rules, and psychic power selection as a Librarian.

You may choose to use both of your Chapter Tactics to have your chapter have Knowledge Above All instead. Knowledge Above all has the same benefits as Knowledge is Power, additionally however any Sergeant (not including Scout Sergeants) in the army may be upgraded to a Psyker for +40 points. The Psyker Sergeant has the same stats and options as the normal Sergeant he was upgraded from, but is equipped with a Force Weapon and has either the Smite or Force Dome psychic power (you must choose one and only one for each Psyker Sergeant).

Leave Them No Shelter*: Though the Codex Astartes does not include or recommend use of ordnance weaponry which is in use by the Imperial Guard, some chapters with heavy siege tactics prefer the use of such larger ordnance in combination with their Whirlwinds and Vindicators. The chapter has access to 0-1 Ordnance Battery from Codex Imperial Guard (though each machine is operated by Servitors rather than guardsmen and should be modelled accordingly) at the appropriate points cost. Additionally, you may take 1-3 of a mix of Vindicators and/or Whirlwinds as a single Heavy Support choice. On Wings of Angels:* The chapter makes much more extensive use of their assault squads, utilizing them just as much as a chapter would make use of their tactical squads. Assault Squads count as Troop choices instead of Fast Attack choices. Additionally, Command Squads and Honour Guard Squads may be upgraded to have Jump Packs (if the Chapter Master or Captain they are attached to is equipped with one) at +10 points per model. Assault Squads count as scoring units. Praise the Machine God**: Whether it be that the tactics employed by the chapter require larger numbers of warmachines and, thus, larger numbers of those who can repair them or that they simply are fanatical about their praise and worship to the Machine God, the chapter has many more techmarines than other chapters tend to employ. The chapter may no longer take Techmarines as Elites choices, but instead may upgrade any Sergeant (excluding Scout Sergeants) in the army to a Techmarine for

+30 points (see the Techmarine entries in Codex Space Marines and also note that Sergeants upgraded to Techmarines do not count as Independent Characters). Additionally, Master of the Forges count as Elites choices instead of HQ choices and may be upgraded to a Warsmith for +30 points. Warsmiths remain as HQ choices and get +1 Weapon Skill, +1 Wound, +1 Initiative, and +1 Attack and have all the same upgrade options, wargear, and special rules as a Master of the Forge. Purity Above All: Due to geneseed corruption or fear of geneseed corruption, the chapter employs many more Apothecaries than is normal for a chapter. Any Sergeant (excluding Scout and Terminator Sergeants) within the army may be upgraded to an Apothecary for +30 points. An Apothecary has the same stats, wargear, and options as the Apothecary in the Command Squad listing in Codex Space Marines. Ride Like the Wind*: The chapter has access to and utilizes their bikes more than other chapters, preferring lightning quick deployments and strikes that leave their enemies with little time to react. Space Marine Bike Squads may be taken as either Troops choices or Fast Attack choices, but Space Marine Bike Squads taken as Troops choices must be at least five models strong. Vanguard Veteran Squads may be equipped with Space Marine Bikes instead of Jump Packs for +20 points per model. Additionally, Command Squads and Honour Guard Squads may be upgraded to have Space Marine Bikes (if the Chapter Master or Captain they are attached to is equipped with one) at +20 points per model. Space Marine Bike Squads count as scoring units. Shadows That Move: The chapter makes much more extensive use of their Scout Squads than most other Space Marine chapters, to the point where fully fledged members who are able to become a full Space Marine often choose to remain as a Scout. Scout Squads may be taken as Troops or Fast Attack choices. You may upgrade a Scout Squad to a Hardened Scout Scout for +2 points per model. Scouts (not including the Scout sergeant) in a Hardened Scout Squad have their Ballistic Skill and Weapon Skill raised to 4. A Hardened Scout Squad may take up to two Heavy Bolters instead of the one limited to normal Scout Squads. Scout Squads count as scoring units. Strength Through Leadership: Unlike most chapters, this chapter distributes its Terminator armour amongst its battle companies, gifting it to sergeants and other members of leadership, either that or the chapter has access to a larger number of suits of terminator armour than other chapters. Any Sergeant in the army that is not equipped with a jump pack or a bike and that is not a scout sergeant may replace their Power Armour, Bolt Pistol, Frag and Krak Grenades, and Boltgun for Terminator Armour with a Power Weapon and a Storm Bolter for +25 points. Sergeants upgraded to have Terminator Armour in this fashion may replace their storm bolter and power weapon for a pair of lightning claws or a thunder hammer and storm shield at no additional points cost. For the purposes of dedicated transports, Sergeants in terminator armour may ride inside dedicated transportation for his squad only or inside of a Lander Raider and does not take up any additional space. Through Faith We Gain Strength**: The chapter is either fanatical in their devotion to the Emperor, their religion, or the Imperial creed or they require much stronger spiritual guidance to an extent where they have larger numbers of Chaplains present within the chapter than most other chapters do. Chaplains count as Elites choices instead of HQ choices, but can be upgraded to a Reclusiarch for +30 points. Reclusiarchs remain as HQ choices and gain +1 Ballistic Skill, +1 Wound, +1 Initiative, and +1 Attack. Reclusiarchs have the same upgrade options, wargear, and special rules as Chaplains.

You may choose to use both of your Chapter Tactics to have Faith Is It's Own Reward instead. This has the same effects and benefits as Through Faith We Gain Strength but also allows you to upgrade any Sergeant (excluding Scout Sergeants) in the army to a Priest Sergeant for +30 points. A Priest Sergeant has the same wargear and options as the Sergeant he was upgraded from, however he has a Leadership value of 10 instead of 9 and also has the Liturgies of Battle special rule as well.

HERO CREATION
Part of making a unique chapter is to create special characters for it. There is no limit to the number of Heroes your chapter is allowed to have, just make sure that each is appropriate and has a proper background. These rules use a base template from Codex Space Marine units and allow you to modify them as you see fit. However have care, the more you add to a unit the more expensive it will make that unit. This section will go over how to create Special Characters for your unique chapter. It will explore custom weapons, special rules, Company Tactics, and the actual heroes themselves.

Step 1) Pick a Hero Type

First, pick an archetype you want your hero to follow. In the case of Chapter Masters, normally they will fall under the Veteran Chapter Master archetype, however if you selected Knowledge is Power, Praise the Machine God, or Through Faith We Gain Strength than you may select a Librarian Chapter Master (Knowledge is Power), Warsmith Chapter Master (Praise the Machine God), or a Chaplain Chapter Master (Through Faith We Gain Strength). The Archetypes can be found below. Vehicle Special Characters simply count, stat-wise and points-wise, as the vehicle they are based on, but can choose additional options from the Unique Weapon(s), Special Rules, and Company Tactics sections at their appropriate points costs. WS Veteran Chapter Master or Captain Librarian Chapter Master or Chief Librarian Chaplain Chapter Master or Reclusiarch Warsmith Chapter Master or Warsmith Librarian Chaplain Master of the Forge Apothecary Sergeant Scout Sergeant Terminator Sergeant Biker Sergeant Scout Biker Sergeant 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 BS 5 5 5 5 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 S 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 T 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4(5) 4(5) W 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 I 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 A 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 Ld 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 Sv 3+ 3+ 3+ 2+ 3+ 3+ 2+ 3+ 3+ 4+ 2+ 3+ 4+

The base cost for each one of these Archetypes varies depending on the Archetype chosen. Librarian Chapter Masters, Chaplain Chapter Masters, Warsmith Chapter Masters, Chief Librarians, Reclusiarchs, and Warsmiths have a base cost of 130 points. Veteran Chapter Masters have a base cost of 125 points. Captains, Librarians, Chaplains, and Masters of the Forge have a base cost of 100 points. Apothecaries have a base cost of 30 points and may replace a Sergeant in the army. Sergeants of any type are not Independent Characters and are, instead, upgrades to a squad's already existing Sergeant. They have a base cost of 0 and you must select one appropriate squad type that they can join, replacing that squad's Sergeant. For example, a normal Sergeant can join a Sternguard Veteran Squad, Tactical Squad, Assault Squads, or Devastator Squads. Whatever unit they command they will inherit any base wargear and special rules from that unit in addition to their own unique special rules. Note that any Chapter Master, regardless of type, may take an Honour Guard squad for the appropriate points cost. Once you've decided upon an Archetype you may select their gear and special rules. There is no limit to the amount of gear the character may have on them, but note that they can only carry a maximum of two weapons and can only wear one type of

armour.

Step 2) Pick Wargear

All Veteran Chapter Master have the same wargear and options as a Chapter Master as listed in Codex Space Marines. Librarian Chapter Masters, Chief Librarians, and Librarians have the same wargear and wargear options as a Librarian does (but may take one extra psychic power, same as a Chief Librarian). Chaplain Chapter Masters, Reclusiarchs, and Chaplains have the same wargear and wargear options as a Chaplain does. Warsmith Chapter Masters, Warsmiths, and Masters of the Forge have the same wargear and wargear options as a Master of the Forge does. Apothecaries have the same wargear and wargear options as standard Apothecaries in a Command Squad. Sergeants, Scout Sergeants, Terminator Sergeants, Biker Sergeants, and Scout Biker Sergeants have the same wargear and wargear options as the Sergeant's do in the type of squad they lead. Additionally, you can create Special Wargear items for them that is unique to your Hero (see the Unique Weapons section for how to make melee and ranged Special Wargear, see the Pick Special Rules section for how to create non-weapon Special Wargear as well as the limitations to the number of Special Wargear you may create). Special Wargear, for the purposes of Hero Creation, counts as any non-weapon piece of wargear that isn't available in the Hero's basic options or any melee or ranged weapon modified past it's base characteristics. So if you create your own new piece of non-weapon Wargear or alter any base weapon from the Unique Wargear section, such objects would be classified as Special Wargear. See the Pick Special Rules section for how to create unique, non-weapon wargear.

Step 3) Characteristic Upgrades (Optional)

Some Heroes have spent countless years training in a particular field, increasing their prowess above and beyond what is normal for a Space Marine of their rank or position. You may choose up to three Upgrades from the list below and may choose the same upgrade more than once, however you do not need to choose any upgrades at all. Additionally you may reduce either your Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill, or Initiative Value by one to reduce the Hero's cost by -5 points (this may only be done once). Skilled (+1 Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill) If their new Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill would be 5, costs 10 points. If their new Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill would be 6, costs 15 points. If their new Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill would be 7, costs 20 points.

Example: Your Hero already has a Weapon Skill of 5. You spend two of your upgrade options to increase his Weapon Skill by two to 7. Bringing it up to 6 costs 15 points, then bringing it up to 7 costs 20, for a total of 35 points. So for your Hero to have a Weapon Skill of 7 (up from 5) would raise his points cost by 35.

Fierce (+1 Strength)

If their new Strength value would be 5, costs 15 points.

Ancient (+1 Toughness) If their new Toughness value would be 4(5), costs 15 points. If their new Toughness value would be 5, costs 20 points. If their new Toughness value would be 6, costs 25 points. NOTE: A Space Marine must purchase/pass the Toughness 4(5) mark still if he wishes to obtain Toughness 5 or higher. Alert (+1 Initiative) If their new Initiative would be 5, costs 15 points. If their new Initiative would be 6, costs 20 points. Furious (+1 Attack) If their new Attack Value would be 2, costs 10 points. If their new Attack value would be 3, costs 15 points. If their new Attack value would be 4, costs 20 points.

Step 4) Pick Special Rules

Special rules help to flesh out your Hero and is what sets them aside from regular Space Marines. Special Rules can be as simple as giving the hero and potentially the unit he joins a static special rule or giving him a special ability not normally present amongst other Space Marines. The maximum number of Special Rules or Special Wargear you take is three, four if the Hero does not have any Company Tactics (any combination of Special Rules and Special Wargear, so long as total they do not exceed three/four). This section may also be used to make non-weapon Special Wargear. Special Wargear created for this Hero only has the first two

options for the range of other units in the army that the Special Wargear can effect, also the Special Wargear must always effect the Hero as well. First you must pick which models the special rule effects from the list below. If the result leaves you with a value with a decimal, simply round up.

Just the Hero OR a single squad of a specific type in the army (no added cost, note that for the second option the Hero does not receive the ability, even if he joins the selected squad, otherwise the special rule must be taken twice in terms of cost) The Hero and any unit he joins (cost x2) The Hero and any friendly Space Marine unit with a model within 12" of the hero OR the Hero and all Sergeants in the army (cost x3). The Hero and any friendly Space Marine unit on the table, so long as the hero is still in play (cost x4).

If an special rule confers multiple abilities/special rules and you want to have the Hero/the Hero and the squad he joins/the selected unit be forced to pick one of them than simply use the points cost of the highest cost special rule out of the ability/special rule and add +5 points to the ability/special rule. Note that you can only have a maximum of four options to choose from in terms of special rules which require you to choose a single ability/special rule. Once you've decided how many people the special rule effects it's time to select what the special rule incurs upon the affected hero and/or potential nearby/selected units.

Ballistic Skill (15 points): Instead of firing in the shooting phase, the hero may let another model use his Ballistic Skill this turn instead of their own. This may not be taken solely for the hero and he must be able to confer it to a squad he joins, to squads with models within 12" of him, or a model/squad/unit on the battlefield. Counter-Attack (10 points): The Hero has the Counter-Attack universal special rule. Eternal Warrior (35 points): The Hero has the Eternal Warrior universal special rule. He may not confer this to other units. Fearless (10 points): The Hero gains the Fearless universal special rule. Feel No Pain (20 points): The Hero gains the Feel No Pain universal special rule. May not be conferred to an entire army. Fleet (5 points): The Hero gains the Fleet universal special rule. Furious Charge (15 points): The Hero gains the Furious Charge universal special rule. Fury (15 points): Other models/units receive +1 Attack while the hero is still on the table. This does not apply to the hero and does not stack with other abilities (such as the bonus effect from a Chapter Banner). Hit and Run (20 points): The Hero gains the Hit and Run universal special rule. Vehicles and models in Terminator Armour do not benefit from this special rule. Infiltrate (15 points): The Hero benefits from the Infiltrate universal special rule. Vehicles, units with a dedicated transport, and models/units in Terminator Armour do not benefit from this special rule. Initiative (15 points): An army which includes this hero may re-roll the dice when attempting to seize the initiative. Morale (5 points): Other models/units can use this hero's Leadership value for any Morale or Pinning tests. Move Through Cover (5 points): The Hero benefits from the Move Through Cover universal special rule. Night Vision (5 points): The Hero benefits from the Night Vision universal special rule. Precision (10/15 points): The Hero may re-roll all failed attempts to wound with shooting and/or close combat attacks (use the second points value if you take both). Preferred Enemy (10 points): The Hero has the Preferred Enemy universal special rule against one type of opponent (choose from Space Marines (includes Grey Knights), Imperial Guard (includes non-Grey Knight Inquisition forces), Eldar (includes Dark Eldar), Orks, Chaos Space Marines, Chaos Daemons, Tau (includes Kroot and Vespids), Necrons, or Tyranids). May only be taken up to twice. Rage (-5 points): The Hero suffers from the Rage universal special rule. He can only use this himself or confer it to a squad he joins, he may not confer it to other models outside of this spectrum. The Hero may not take this if he/she already suffers from Rage. The negative point value is not decreased or increased by conferring it to a squad he joins. Rending (10 points): The Hero's attacks in close combat count as Rending. Relentless (25 points): The Hero benefits from the Relentless universal special rule. May not be conferred to the entire army. Scoring (10 points): Choose a single non-vehicle (excluding Dreadnoughts) unit or squad type that isn't already a scoring unit when you choose this special rule. If your army includes this hero, the selected unit type counts as a scoring

unit. Does not use any of the above listed modifiers, costs 10 points for each unit you select that becomes a scoring unit.

Scout (10 points): The Hero gains the Scout universal special rule. Skilled (15 points): Other models/units receive +1 Weapon Skill while the hero is still on the table. This does not apply to the hero and does not stack with other abilities. Slow and Purposeful (-5 points): The Hero suffers from the Slow and Purposeful universal special rule. Specialization (15 points): The Hero can re-roll failed to-hit rolls when shooting with heavy bolters, storm bolters, bolters, and bolt pistols OR plasma cannons, plasma guns, and plasma pistols OR multi-meltas, heavy flamers, meltaguns, and flamers OR Thunder Hammers (does not stack with other re-roll effects) OR Lightning Claws (does not stack with other re-roll effects) OR Power Fists (does not stack with other re-roll effects). You may only choose one. Stealth (5 points): The Hero benefits from the Stealth universal special rule. Vehicles do not benefit from this special rule. Stubborn (5 points): The Hero has the Stubborn universal special rule. Tactical (25 points): So long as this hero is still on the table, you can choose to re-roll any reserves rolls - even successful ones. Tank Commander (25 points): The Hero may be purchased as an upgrade for a Tank if the Hero is not equipped with Terminator Armour, a Jump Pack, or a Bike. If this is taken, the Hero must be assigned to a Tank in the army. See the Tank Commander special rule on page 89 of Codex Space Marines. Any special rules which the Hero has which can not benefit a tank cease working so long as he is commanding a tank, though any abilities which affect other models still work on such other models as per normal. Tank Hunters (15 points): The Hero has the Tank Hunters universal special rule. True Grit (5 points): The Hero counts his Bolter as a one-handed weapon and in assaults may treat a Bolter as a pistol weapon (granting him the +1 Attack bonus if he also has a Close Combat Weapon).

Step 5) Company Tactics (Optional)

Not all companies within a chapter function exactly as detailed with the Codex Astartes. For example, in some chapter's the First Company is treated as a fully mobile company rather than spreading its ranks through other companies as support, such as the Dark Angel's Deathwing Company. If a Hero is present in your army than you can decide whether you wish to use his Company Tactics or use the chapter's Chapter Tactics (you may not use both). The only exception to this is any Chapter Tactic marked with an **, which are considered command structure Chapter Tactics instead of a re-organization of chapter structure and battle tactics. If multiple Heroes on the battlefield have Company Tactics you may only choose to use one or to use the chapter's Chapter Tactics. A maximum of 10 Heroes in your chapter may have Company Tactics (one Company Tactic for each of the 10 Companies within a Space Marine chapter) and the same Company Tactic may not be taken more than once. Also note that once you choose a Company Tactic, other Heroes may not be able to choose from a selection of other Company Tactics due to the overlapping of where those forces are coming from within the chapter. Each Hero may only have a single Company Tactic, but does not have to choose any Company Tactics. Also, Company Tactics may only be taken by Hero models with a minimum of 3 wounds (such as Chapter Masters Captains, Chief Librarians, Reclusiarchs, and Warsmiths). Additionally, the Heroes of your chapter may have no more than two Company Tactics marked with an * (in other words, if you already have two Heroes which have company tactics marked with a *, no other Hero in the chapter may choose one marked with an *). If you do not see a special rule here, you may create one using the Special Rules section found above using the listed points values and multiplying it by 3, unless the special rule only confers to a single unit type of your choosing in which case use the base points value. You may choose up to three special rules to confer to the entire army as a single Company Tactic, not including Rage. Additionally you may add the ability for a single non-vehicle squad/unit type in the army to count as scoring units by adding +5 points onto the final value of the Company Tactic (this may not be used for any of the established Company Tactics found in this section). You may not select the following special rules from the previous section as Company Tactics: Ballistic Skill, Eternal Warrior, Fury, Initiative, Morale, Precision, Rending, Relentless, Skilled, Slow and Purposeful, Tactical. You may take Feel No Pain, however it will only confer itself to the Hero and to Sergeants within the army at x3 its base points value. Rage may be taken as part of any Company Tactic, however it still only reduces the cost of the Company Tactic by -5 points (to a minimum of 0 points). You may add up to two additional Special Rules to any of the below established Company Tactics, however you must add their appropriate points values to the cost at x3 as stated above.

The following is a list of already established Company Tactics.

Ancient Company* (15 points): The hero is a Captain/leader of a specialized company which utilizes more Dreadnoughts than are normally utilized by any company of most other chapters. If this hero is in the army, Dreadnoughts may be treated as Heavy Support choices as well as an Elites choice and Venerable Dreadnoughts may be taken as HQ choices as well as an Elites choice. Dreadnoughts count as scoring units. Assault Company* (15 points): The hero is a Captain/leader of a specialized company which utilizes more Assault Squads than are normally utilized by any company of most other chapters. Assault Squads may be treated as Troops choices as well as a Fast Attack choice and Vanguard Veteran Squads may be treated as Elites choices as well as a Fast Attack choice. Assault Squads and Vanguard Veteran Squads count as scoring units. May only be taken by a model equipped with a Jump Pack. Devastator Company* (15 points): The hero is a Captain/leader of a specialized company which utilizes more Devastator Squads than are normally utilized by any company of most other chapters. If this hero is in the army, Devastator Squads that are ten models strong may be treated as Troops choices as well as Heavy Support choices. Devastator Squads count as scoring units. Favouritism (10 points): The Hero is an influential figure in the chapter and tends to show favouritism towards certain units in his force for one reason or another, in any case these units strive to live up to the glowing affection the hero shines upon them. At the start of battle select D3 non-vehicle (excluding Dreadnoughts) units that belong to the chapter (not including this Hero or any Independent Character). These units gain the Furious Charge and Stubborn universal special rules and they may re-roll a single to-hit roll in the shooting phase and a single to-hit roll in the assault phase each turn. Independent Characters that are part of a favoured unit do not gain these benefits. First Company (Terminators)* (15 points): The Hero is a Captain/leader of the First Company which, in this particular chapter, is composed primarily of Terminators and is kept together as its own company during engagements. If this hero is in the army, Terminator Squads OR Terminator Assault Squads (you may only choose one) may be treated as Troops choices as well as an Elites choice. May only be taken by a model wearing Terminator Armour. If a Hero in your chapter has this company tactic, no other Hero may take the First Company (Veterans) company tactic. Your Terminators Squads become scoring units. First Company (Veterans)* (15 points): The Hero is the Captain/leader of the First Company which, in this particular chapter, is composed primarily of Veteran units and is kept together as its own company during engagements. If this hero is in the army, Sternguard Veteran Squads may be treated as a Troops choices as well as an Elites choice. If a Hero in your chapter has this company tactic, no other Hero may take the First Company (Terminators) company tactic. Your Sternguard Veteran Squads become scoring units. Hussar Company* (15 points): The Hero is the Captain/leader of a specialized company which utilizes more Bike Squads than are normally utilized by any company of most other chapters. If a Hero in the army, Space Marine Bike Squads may be treated as Troops choices as well as a Fast Attack choice. May only be taken by a model that is riding a Space Marine Bike. Mechanized Company (15 points): The Company makes heavy use of mechanized infantry, its squads not equipped with jump packs or bikes almost always being mounted in a rhino or a razorback. If the Hero is in the army, all Rhinos and Razorbacks taken as dedicated transports automatically have Extra Armour at no additional points cost. Siege Company* (15 points): The Company makes extensive use of siege equipment, so much that they also make use of limited amounts of Imperial Guard siege equipment operated by servitors. If the Hero is in the army, a mix of one to three Vindicators and/or Whirlwinds may be taken as a single Heavy Support choice. Additionally they may take a single Ordnance Battery from Codex Imperial Guard as a Heavy Support choice manned by Servitors. Sternguard Company (free): The Company makes heavy use of siege tactics and tends to find very little use for specialized fast moving squads such as Assault Squads or Bike Squads. If this Hero is in your army you may choose to lose two Fast Attack slots on the force organization chart and gain one additional Heavy Support slot (in most games this will leave you with 1 Fast Attack slot and 4 Heavy Support slots). Terminator Sergeants (10 points): If this Hero is in your army, any Sergeant in the army that is not equipped with a jump pack or a bike and that is not a scout sergeant may replace their Power Armour, Bolt Pistol, Frag and Krak Grenades, and Boltgun for Terminator Armour with a Power Weapon and a Storm Bolter for +25 points. Sergeants upgraded to have Terminator Armour in this fashion may replace their storm bolter and power weapon for a pair of lightning claws or a thunder hammer and storm shield at no additional points cost. For the purposes of dedicated transports, Sergeants in terminator armour may ride inside dedicated transportation for his squad only or inside of a Lander Raider and does not take up any additional space. You may reduce this Company Trait's cost by 5 points if squad Sergeants must take the Terminator Armour upgrade. Vanguard Company (free): The Company makes heavy use of fast assault tactics and tends to find very little use for specialized, cumbersome heavy support units and squads such as Devastator Squads or heavy tanks. If this Hero is in your army you may choose to lose two Heavy Support slots on the force organization chart and gain one additional Fast Attack slot (in most games this will leave you with 1 Heavy Support slot and 4 Fast Attack slots).

UNIQUE WARGEAR
It is not uncommon for chapters to have access to unique variations of weapons present in every chapter, weapons taken from the dead bodies of their enemies, or unique pieces of wargear not found within other chapters. These rules are especially useful for Heroes, but as for unique chapter weapons and wargear just remember to use these weapons and wargear sparingly (such as only for Veteran and HQ units).

Unique Melee Weapons

To create a unique weapon you must first select a weapon as a base. You can select from a Close Combat Weapon, Power Weapon, Power Fist, Lightning Claw, Chainfist, or Thunder Hammer. It it not unheard of for Chapter Masters to have alien weapons that they have claimed in battle from fallen foes. All weapons must be created from a base weapon. These base weapons, as the name implies, provides a base for you to work off of and have their own base points cost that is added onto or subtracted from using Weapon Features and Downgrades. Close Combat Weapon (free) Force Weapon (free, Librarians/Chief Librarians/Librarian Chapter Masters only) Crozius Arcanum (free, Chaplains/Reclusiarchs/Chaplain Chapter Masters only) Power Weapon (15 points) Lightning Claw (15 points) Chainfist (25 points) Power Fist (25 points) Thunder Hammer (30 points) Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon (40 points, Dreadnoughts Only, does not include built-in weapons) Once you pick a base for your exotic weapon you can then choose to modify it as you see fit. Custom weapons may not exceed a points value of 50 points and may not have more than three upgrades/features and no more than one downgrade. Any weapon may be Master Crafted for +5 points (master crafted weapons allow the wielder to re-roll one missed to-hit roll each assault phase). A pair of identical unique weapons can be taken for an additional cost equal to the cost of the weapon the unique weapon is based on (for example if the weapon is based on a lightning claw then you may take a duplicate version of that weapon for +15 points). Note that duplicate weapons do not double or duplicate the effects present on the main weapon and are treated as if they were simply a base weapon (this excludes any ranged weapons attached, which cause said ranged weapons to act as a twinlinked weapon). If you wish to create two different unique melee weapons, raise the points cap to 100 points for weapons and choose two different base weapons, then add the rules for these weapons as if you were only placing them onto a single weapon. Weapon Features Built-in Bolter (+3 points) Built-in Storm Bolter (+5 points) Built-in Flamer (+10 points) Built-in Meltagun (+15 points) Built-in Plasma Gun (+20 points) Ignores Invulnerable saves in close combat (+10 points) Will always hit in close combat on a to-hit roll of 4+ (+5 points) Will always hit in close combat on a to-hit roll of 3+ (+10 points) Always wounds on a to-wound roll of 5+ in close combat (+5 points) Always wounds on a to-wound roll of 4+ in close combat (+10 points) Always wounds on a to-wound roll of 3+ in close combat (+15 points) Always wounds on a to-wound roll of 2+ in close combat (+20 points) Counts as Rending in close combat (+10 points) Whenever this weapon wounds a target in close combat, roll a D6. On a roll of 6 the weapon causes Instant Death to the wounded target (+5 points) Whenever this weapon wounds a target in close combat, roll a D6. On a roll of 5+ the weapon causes Instant Death to the wounded target (+10 points)

Whenever this weapon wounds a target in close combat, roll a D6. On a roll of 4+ the weapon causes Instant Death to the wounded target (+15 points) Wounds inflicted by this weapon in close combat cause Instant Death (+25 points) Wounds inflicted by this weapon against targets with psychic powers cause Instant Death (+15 points) Gives +1 Strength when rolling to-wound (+3 points) Gives +2 Strength when rolling to-wound (+5 points) Doubles strength when rolling to-wound (+20 points) Increases Strength value to 10 when rolling to-wound (+25 points) Weapon gives the user +1 Attack in close combat (+5 points) Weapon gives the user +D3 Attacks in close combat (+10 points) Weapon gives the user +D6 Attacks in close combat (+20 points) Every enemy model in base contact with the wielder fights with one less Attack (to a minimum of 1) (+10 points) Wielder may re-roll failed to-hit rolls in close combat OR when shooting, depending on the weapon (+10 points) Wielder may re-roll failed to-wound rolls in close combat OR when shooting, depending on the weapon (+10 points) Models which suffer a wound from the wielder half their Strength halved (rounded up) for the remainder of that close combat round (+10 points) Doubles strength value when attacking vehicles in close combat (+5 points) Wielder gets 2D6+Strength when attacking vehicles in close combat (+15 points) Attacks made by the wielder against vehicles treat any vehicle with an armour value greater than 12 as 12 instead (+10 points) The wielder may use an additional psychic power this turn, but will not gain this weapons effects in close combat this turn (+15 points, Librarians/Chief Librarians/Librarian Chapter Masters only) The weapon counts as a Witchblade (see the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook) (+25 points)

Weapon Downgrades You may choose a maximum of two Weapon Downgrades, however the weapon's point cost may never be reduced under 0 points (may never be a negative value). Two-handed weapon (-5 points) Does not provide +1 Attack bonus for having two close combat weapons (-5 points) Reduces the wielder's initiative value in close combat to 1 (-5 points) Whenever the wielder rolls a 1 when rolling to-hit (after any re-rolls) the wielder must make an armour save or receive a S4 hit (-5 points) Be creative and thoughtful of the unique weapons you give your Hero and make such weapons reflect the Hero's background. Perhaps he managed to kill a Necron Lord and pry its Warscythe from its hands and now uses it in battle (40 points, Power Weapon; ignores invulnerable saves; 2D6+Strength armour penetration against vehicles) or perhaps they bested a member of the Eldar race, claiming their Witchblade (25 points, Close Combat Weapon; Witchblade).

Unique Ranged Weapons

Not all the unique weaponry carried by Heroes are those of the melee variety, some are variations of weapons already in use or perhaps some very exotic and rare variation on a weapon. Using these rules you should be able to create a wide variety of different weapons and variations. Much like Unique Melee Weapons, all Unique Ranged Weapons require a base to go off of. Such bases and their points costs are as follows. Non-independent characters subtract 5 points from the cost of the below weapon bases (to a minimum of 0/free). Bolter or Bolt Pistol (free) Shotgun (free) Storm Bolter (3 points) Sniper Rifle (5 points) Flamer (5 points) Heavy Flamer (10 points) Meltagun (10 points) Plasma Pistol (15 points) Plasma Gun (20 points) Heavy Bolter (20 points) Autocannon (20 points) Multi-melta (20 points) Missile Launcher (20 points) Plasma Cannon (30 points)

Assault Cannon (35 points) Lascannon (40 points) Demolisher (60 points, only available to Rhinos and Land Raiders) Battle Cannon (60 points, only available to Rhinos and Land Raiders)

Weapon Modifications If a weapon Modification gives two point values the first is for Pistol, Rapid Fire, and Assault Weapons while the second is for Heavy weapons. A weapons type always counts as whatever it is after each upgrade. Example: a weapon that starts out as Assault but is modified to Rapid Fire does not count as an Assault weapon but instead counts as a Rapid Fire one.

Assault Modifications (5 points): Weapon is switched from being Rapid Fire to Assault 1. May only be taken by Rapid Fire weapons. Coaxial Weapon (5 points plus cost of coaxial weapon): You may attach a single Rapid Fire or Assault weapon to this weapon. May only be used on vehicle-mounted weapons and only on a primary weapon. Explosive Projectiles (15/30 points): Weapon now has the Blast effect. If an Ordnance weapon takes this, use the secondary points value and the weapon itself will have Large Blast instead of just Blast. Extended Cannon Barrel (15 points): Adds 12" to the range of the weapon, only usable on non-template Heavy weapons other than Missile Launchers or Assault Cannons. Extended Barrel (5 points): Adds 6" to the range of the weapon. Only usable on non-template Pistol, Assault or Rapid Fire weapons. Extra Penetration (10/20 points): Increases the Armour Penetration value of the weapon by 1 (to a maximum of 1). This Modification can be taken more than once. Hurricane (25/45 points): The weapon is in either a hex-linked configuration (for Rapid Fire and Assault weapons) or a quad-linked configuration (for Heavy weapons). Each shot from a Hurricane weapon counts as being Twin-Linked and, thus, Hurricane may not be taken with Twin-Linked (as it already is). If taken for a Rapid Fire or Assault weapon, triple the number of shots the weapon gets. If taken for a Heavy weapon, double the number of shots the weapon gets. Dreadnoughts may take Hurricane only for Rapid Fire or Assault weapons only (see the entries for Dreadnoughts in the Unit Creation section, but Land Raiders may take any type of Hurricane weapon (see the entries for Land Raiders in the Unit Creation section). May not be taken for weapons with a template range or Pistol weapons. Lancing Rounds (5/15 points): Weapon now has the Lance effect. Melta Rounds (5/15 points): Weapon now has the Melta effect. Piercing Rounds (5/15 points): Weapon now counts as Rending. Pistol Variation (free): Decreases the weapon's range to 12" and makes it the Pistol type. Can only be taken by Rapid Fire or Assault weapons that do not use templates. Poison Rounds (X/X points): Weapon no longer has a Strength value. Instead, the weapon will always wound on a towound roll of either a 4+ (5/15 points), a 3+ (10/25 points), or a 2+ (15/40 points). Powerful Shot (5/15 points): Adds +1 to the weapon's Strength value. Weapon Strength cannot exceed 10. This Modification may be taken more than once. Rapid Fire Modifications (free): Turns an Assault weapon into a Rapid Fire weapon. This modification can only be taken by Assault weapons. Rapid Mechanisms (10/20 points): Gives the weapon one additional attack. Not usable on Pistol and Rapid Fire weapons. This may only be taken up to twice. Spray (10/20 points): The weapon no longer has a range, instead it uses a standard flamer template instead. Can't be taken for Pistol Weapons and Rapid Fire weapons must first be converted to Assault weapons using Assault Modifications. Super Heavy (30 points): The weapon now counts as an Ordnance weapon and may only be mounted on vehicles. Can be used on any non-Pistol, non-template weapon. Suppression Rounds (5/15 points): Weapon now has the Pinning effect. Twin-Linked (5/15 points): Weapon counts as being Twin-Linked.

Weapon Drawbacks You can take any number of weapon drawbacks, however, you may not select the same drawback more than once unless otherwise noted.

Gets Hot! (-5/-10 points): Weapon has the Gets Hot! effect. If the weapon already has Gets Hot! than this drawback may not be taken and may not be taken for weapons on vehicles. Less Lethal (-5/-10 points): Weapon has its Strength reduced by 1. Can't be taken if the weapon's Strength is already

1. May be taken more than once.

Reduced RPM (-5/-10 points): Weapon has one less attack. Can't be taken by Pistol or Rapid Fire weapons and can't be taken by weapons that only have one attack to begin with. Reduced Range (-5/-10 points): Weapon has its range reduced by 6"/12", first value is for Assault and Rapid Fire weapons and the second is for Heavy weapons. May not be taken by Template weapons. May be taken up to twice. Weakened Penetration (-5/-10 points): Weapon has its Armour Penetration reduced by 1. Can't be taken if the weapon already has no AP value. May be taken more than once.

UNIT CREATION
Chapters will occasionally have specialized squads or vehicles types outside of the spectrum of a strict Codex Astartes chapter. The following rules will detail how to create your own unique squad or vehicle, however before we begin there are two blanket rules that must be touched on. First, you may not create more than six new units, they can be any combination of squads or vehicles but they may not total more than six new units in total. Second, you may not create more than two new units per force organization slot (so you can't create more than two new HQ units, more than two new Elites units, etc). Heroes do not count towards these limits. A custom unit will always be based on one of a few different established unit types as detailed below. These can then be modified within the scope of that type of unit and each entry will have their own rules and restrictions to go along with them.

Step 1) Choose Base Statline

Each unit or vehicle you will create has a base characteristics they will use. Select such from one of the following. Space Marines (16 pts per model, 26 pts for Sergeant) A Space Marine unit will start with the same characteristics of a Space Marine and Space Marine Sergeant from a Tactical Squad and will maintain all the same special rules. Terminators (40 pts per model) A Terminator unit will start with the same characteristics of a Terminator from a Terminator Squad and will maintain all the same special rules. Scouts (10 pts per model, 20 pts for Sergeant) A Scout unit will start with same characteristics of a Scout and Scout Sergeant from the Scout Squad entry and will maintain all the special rules for it as well except for Infiltrate, Move Through Cover, and Scouts. Dreadnought (20 pts) A Dreadnought starts out with the same characteristics as a standard Dreadnought, however will not have Smoke Launchers, a Searchlight, and will not come equipped with any melee or ranged weapons. Rhino (30 pts) A Rhino starts out with the same characteristics as a Rhino, however will not have any weapons or wargear that the Rhino comes with. Land Speeder (50 pts) A Land Speeder starts out with the same characteristics as a standard Land Speeder from a Land Speeder Squadron. Land Raider (140 pts) A Land Raider starts out with the same characteristics as a standard Land Raider, however will not have Smoke Launchers or a Searchlight and will not come equipped with any weapons.

Step 2) Choose Wargear & Wargear Options

Once you have selected the base unit type, it's time to select that unit's wargear. Each unit will have different wargear and wargear option selections. Space Marines, Terminators, Scouts Scouts and Space Marines will start with a close combat weapon and either a bolt pistol or bolter and Terminators will start with a storm bolter and either a power first or a power weapon OR a pair of lightning claws OR a thunder hammer and storm shield. You may replace any of their basic weapons with custom weapons from the Unique Weapons section, simply take the total cost of a new weapon, divide it by 3 (rounding down to a minimum of 0) and then add the result of each custom weapon made to the points value onto each model in the squad. For Space Marines and Scouts, ranged weapons must be based on a bolter, bolt pistol, shotgun, or sniper rifle. For Terminators, simply subtract the weapons listed cost (in the Unique Wargear section) and then divide the result by 2 (new weapon costs can't be lower than 0). These weapons may only ever be replaced by melee, rapid fire, assault, or pistol weapons.

Next comes the squad's wargear options. Space Marine squads can choose to use the options of a Tactical Squad, Assault Squad, or Devastator Squad, though you may choose for them not to have any of these options which will reduce the point cost of each Space Marine in the squad (including the Sergeant) by 1. Scout squads always use the options available to a Scout Squad, but may choose to have none of the same options which will reduce the point cost of each Scout in the squad (including the Sergeant) by 1. Terminator squads always use the options available to a Terminator Squad, but may choose to have none of the same options which will reduce the point cost of each Terminator in the squad (including the Sergeant) by 1. Squads may also add onto their options by including more weapon and special weapon options. For Space Marines and Scouts, in order for a weapon to be available to any member of the squad it must cost 4 points or less (using the formula from earlier) and, for ranged weapons, must be based on either a bolt pistol, bolter, shotgun, or sniper rifle. For Terminators, these weapons simply must not exceed more than 5 points the cost of the weapon they are able to replace (using the formula from earlier). Special Weapon are any melee, rapid fire, assault, pistol, or heavy weapon that do not comply with the rules listed above. To get the points cost of these weapons, use the Unique Wargear section. The points cost you get is not divided, instead that points cost will be the points the weapon will cost as an upgrade to one of the squad member's other weapons. Space Marines' special weapons follow the same as present in a Tactical Squad and may only take one special weapon for every 5 Space Marines in the squad (including the Sergeant), however a squad of Space Marines have the option of taking four regardless of however many Space Marines are in the squad at no additional points cost, however the unit will count as a Heavy Support choice (unless they would count as an Elites or Headquarters choice, see later). Scouts' special weapons follow the same as present in a scout Squad and may only take a single special weapon. Your new Scout unit may take one special weapon for every 5 Scouts in the squad (including the Sergeant), however the unit will automatically count as an Elites choice. Terminators' special weapons follow the same rules as present in a Terminator Squad and may only take one special weapon for every 5 Terminators in the squad (including the Sergeant). Custom Terminator squads may never count as Troops, Fast Attack, or Heavy Support choices. Space Marine squads may be equipped with Jump Packs for +2 points per model or with Bikes for +9 points per model, however if they take these options they will lose all weapon options which are heavy weapons or based off of an assault cannon and the unit will become a Fast Attack choice (unless they would count as an Elites or Headquarters choice, see later). Scout squads may be equipped with Jump Packs for +2 points per model or with Bikes for +7 points per model, however if they take these options they will lose all weapon options which are heavy weapons or based off of an assault cannon and the unit will become a Fast Attack choice (unless they would count as an Elites or Headquarters choice, see later). Additionally, a Space Marine squad may be equipped with Artificer Armour at +15 points per model, however if they do they will automatically be counted as an Elites or Headquarters choice. Alternatively, a Space Marine squad can downgrade its armour to Scout Armour (4+ Save) for -1 point per model in the squad. Dreadnoughts Housing the still living bodies of those in the chapter which have become too injured to fight on their own power, the Dreadnought is a symbol of the chapter's heritage and of their commitment to battle. Each dreadnought has two weapon points, one where each arm would be. A Dreadnought may attach either melee or ranged weapons to these arms as created using the Unique Wargear section, but in either case may only have a single weapon per arm. Hurricane Weapons may only house Rapid Fire or Assault weapons, as quadlinked heavy weapons prove too cumbersome for dreadnoughts. Simply add the points value of each weapon to the Dreadnought's cost. Additionally, Dreadnoughts may be given one of two types of Armour Upgrades: Siege Armour or Raider Armour. Siege Armour costs +30 points and brings the Dreadnought's Front and Side Armour values up to 13. Raider Armour costs +50 points and brings the Dreadnought's Front and Side Armour values up to 14. The only other option available to a Dreadnought (not including special rules) is whether you wish to add the Extra Armour wargear to the dreadnought for a cost of +15 points. Rhinos The Rhino is a great tool for space marine chapters as most of their tanks, apart from the land raider, are based off of this hardy

design. Virtually all of the Rhino's traits are taken care of in this section except for Special Rules. Not that you may not simply take a Rhino without adding at least adding 20 points worth of features onto it. Created vehicles must be given options as well, they can't select from other unit options. This is done simply by figuring out point differences and anything that costs equal to or less than the weapon the new weapon is replacing is free and anything higher will cost an amount of extra points equal to the point value of the weapon minus the point value of the one it is replacing. A Rhino may have a single primary weapon in the form of a turret or fixed position weapon, however if it does so it will lose its transport capability. A Rhino may be given a turret for +10 points. The turret sits on top of the vehicles and, unless obstructed, can shoot in any direction needed. Any ranged weapon created with the Unique Wargear section can be placed into this turret at the weapon's full points cost. If the Rhino does not take a turret it may instead take a single forward-facing weapon for no additional points cost and has access to a siege shield for +10 points. This option, however, can only fire in a straight line in whichever direction the vehicle is facing. The Rhino has a slot at the front for another single weapon. This can be a smaller weapon for no added cost other than the cost of the weapon (can only be Rapid Fire or Assault) or it can be mounted in a heavier forward sponson for +10 points plus the cost of the weapon (can be any weapon other than Pistol or Ordnance). In either case, the weapon has a 90 degree arc of fire directly in front of the Rhino. Twin-linked Heavy weapons and coaxial weapons can't be used in this sponson. You may also take side sponsons for an added cost. Each side sponson is mounted on the side of the vehicle and has a 180 degree field of fire directly to the side that the sponson is facing. The cost of these side sponsons will be equal to the points cost of the weapon being placed in both sponsons (just the points cost of one, you don't need to cost both weapons) plus one half of the weapon's cost. A sponson may only house a single weapon (no coaxial weapons) and the weapon may not be twin-linked if it is a Heavy weapon. Ordnance weapons may not be placed in sponsons. The last weapon option a Rhino-based vehicle can have is a pintle-mounted weapon. This can be selected from the ranged weapons section of the Unique Wargear list at the listed point value and may only be a Rapid Fire or Assault weapon and cannot cost more than 25 points. This pintle-mounded weapon has a 360 arc of fire, so can fire in any direction needed. Next you can select how thick the vehicle's armour is naturally without extra armour. There are three options you can select from: Siege Armour, Battle Tank Armour, and Raider Armour. Siege Armour will increase the Rhino's Front Armour value to 13 at an added cost of 15 points to the vehicle's cost. Battle Tank Armour will increase the Rhino's Front Armour value to 14 and the Side Armour value to 13 at an added cost of 40 points to the vehicle's cost and the vehicle will always count as a Heavy Support choice (unless it would be a Headquarters or Elites choice, see later). Raider Armour will increase the Rhino's Front Armour and Side Armour value to 14 at an added cost of 50 points and the vehicle will always count as a Heavy Support choice (unless it would be a Headquarters or Elites choice, see later). Any vehicles created using the Rhino base can, if you wish, have the following Options...

May take any of the following:

a hunter-killer missile (+10 pts) a dozer blade (+5 pts) extra armour (+15 pts) smoke launchers and a searchlight (+5 pts) frag assault launcher (+5 pts)

Land Speeder First and foremost, custom Land Speeders automatically lose the ability to take 1-3 per Fast Attack choice and each selection for a Custom Land Speeder takes up a slot on the force organization chart (normally a Fast Attack slot unless otherwise noted). Each Land Speeder has three Weapon Points, the first of which is a passenger gun which has a 90 degree arc of fire in front directly in front of the vehicle. This weapon may be any Rapid Fire, Assault, or Heavy weapon created from the Unique Wargear section, however this weapon may not have a lascannon, plasma cannon, or autocannon as a base, and may never exceed a cost of 50 points. The second weapon slot is a forward-facing, undercarriage-mounted weapon. This weapon costs +5 points (plus the cost of the weapon), may be any Rapid Fire, Assault, or Heavy weapon created from the Unique Wargear section, however this weapon may not have a lascannon, plasma cannon, or autocannon as a base, and may never exceed a cost of 50 points. The last weapon slots are mounted on either "shoulder" of the land speeder and is also forward-facing. This weapon costs +10 points (plus the cost of the weapon), may be any Rapid Fire, Assault, or Heavy weapon created from the Unique Wargear section, but may never exceed a cost of 55 points. If the selected weapon is twin-linked, the model must have a weapon on each side of the chassis and not just on one side. Also note that if you take all three weapons options and all three are Heavy weapons, the Land Speeder counts as a Heavy Support choice (unless it would be a Headquarters or Elites choice, see later).

Finally you may select the armour of your special Land Speeder. There are four armour options for your custom Land Speeder: Enhanced Armour, Siege Armour, Battle Armour, and Raider Armour. Enhanced Armour will increase the land speeder's Front and Side Armour values to 11 at an added cost of 15 points to the vehicle's cost. Siege Armour will increase the land speeder's Front Armour value to 13 and Side Armour value to 11 at an added cost of 25 points to the vehicle's cost. Battle Armour will increase the land speeder's Front Armour value to 14 and the Side Armour value to 13 at an added cost of 40 points to the vehicle's cost and the vehicle will always count as a Heavy Support choice (unless it would be a Headquarters or Elites choice, see later). Raider Armour will increase the land raider's Front Armour and Side Armour value to 14 at an added cost of 55 points and the vehicle will always count as a Heavy Support choice (unless it would be a Headquarters or Elites choice, see later). Land Raider A Land Raider starts out with a transport capacity of 10 models and has two weapon points (forward and side sponsons) with currently no weapons in them. However, the Land Raider may remove it's ability to transport any models in order to take a topmounted weapon, which can be in the form of a forward-facing only weapon or a turret weapon. Adding a turret onto the Land Raider will cost you +25 points plus the cost of the weapon. This turret can house Ordnance weapons and has a 360 degree arc of fire (you must model it so that the weapon's barrel can clear the track housing). Instead of a turret, you can add a top-mounted, front-facing weapon for +10 points plus the cost of the weapon. A front-facing weapon can house Ordnance weapons, but can only fire forward in the direction the vehicle is facing. In either a turret or front-facing weapon, the Hurricane weapon option may be selected for the appropriate points cost. If neither of these options are taken you may take a forward-facing Earthshaker Cannon for the vehicle for +70 points. The vehicle comes equipped with a front sponson which has a 90 degree arc of fire directly in front of the vehicle. You may leave this sponson empty, allowing you to add 2 to the maximum transport capacity of the vehicle. You may select any non-Hurricane, non-Ordnance ranged weapon from the Unique Wargear section to place into this turret at the appropriate points cost plus 5 points. The vehicle also comes equipped with two side-facing sponsons, each having a 180 degree field of fire on the side of they vehicle the sponson is on. Both sponsons must be equipped with the same ranged weapon, chosen from the Unique Wargear, however only use the point value from one weapon plus 5 points (instead of paying for the weapon twice). You may decide to completely remove these sponsons, adding 2 to the maximum transport capacity of the vehicle. Weapons mounted in side-sponsons may not be Ordnance weapons, but may take the Hurricane option so long as the base weapon used is not a Lascannon, Plasma Cannon, or Autocannon. The vehicle may also be equipped with a pintle-mounted weapon chosen from the ranged weapon section of the Unique Wargear list. This pintle-mounted weapon can either be a Rapid Fire, Assault, or Heavy weapon but can't exceed 25 points in cost. The pintle-mounted weapon has a 360 arc of fire that it can shoot in, so it may shoot in any direction like a turret. Any vehicles created using the Land Raider base can, if you wish, have the following Options...

May take any of the following:

a hunter-killer missile (+10 pts) a dozer blade (+5 pts) extra armour (+15 pts) smoke launchers and a searchlight (+5 pts) frag assault launchers (+5 pts)

Step 3) Unique Traits & Special Rules

During this step you will decide what special rules the unit or vehicle has. Any created unit may have up to four Special Rules chose from the Special Rules section of the Hero Creation. The following Special Rules may not be taken from the Special Rules section of Hero Creation: Ballistic Skill, Eternal Warrior, Fury, Morale, Skilled, Tactical. For squads created from Space Marines, Scouts, or Terminators, divide the points cost of the special rule by 4 (rounded down. Special Rules with negatives are also reduced as well, not increased). The number you receive will be the cost added to each member of the squad (or subtracted if the Special Rule started off negative). Any special rule chosen will use the face points value and will only effect the unit itself, it will never effect nearby units. For vehicles simply use the face points value of the Special Rule, do not divide like you would for non-vehicle created units. A Dreadnought upgraded to a Special Character may take Special Rules which affect more than just the vehicle or affect units other than the vehicle as if they were a Hero, however the Dreadnought must also be made Venerable for +60 points (increasing the dreadnought Hero's base Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill to 5 and gaining the Venerable special rule). Hero Dreadnoughts have the same restrictions and design process as any other Hero and may take stat upgrades as well. Hero Dreadnoughts automatically count as Headquarters choices.

Additionally, you may increase the stats on any unit you create using the system provided in the Hero Creation section. Take the amount of points it would cost for the upgrade, then divide it by 2 for Space Marines, Scouts, or Terminators (rounded up). The vale you are left with is the cost increase of each squad member in the unit. For Vehicles, only divide the result by 2 (rounded up) and add the result to the vehicle's point cost. Each unit can increase a stat a maximum of twice (so you can raise two stats by one or one stat by two, though you don't have to raise any of the unit's stats at all). Lastly, a Space Marine squad can also be given Veteran status, which will increase their unmodified Attack value to 2 (Sergeants with an Attack value of 2 already do not see this added bonus) for a cost of +3 points per model.

Step 4) Finishing Up
Now that you have your new unit or vehicle all figured out it's time to figure out where they belong on the Force Organization Chart. Space Marines Use the following reference to find out what Force Organization spot your new Space Marine squad occupies. If the squad does not meet any of these conditions then the squad is a Troops choice.

If the squad is equipped with Jump Packs or Bikes, the squad is a Fast Attack choice. If the squad can take more than two Special Weapons, the squad is a Heavy Support choice. If the point cost of each non-Sergeant member of the squad is 25 points or more, the squad is an Elites choice. If the point cost of each non-Sergeant member of the squad is 35 points or more, the squad does not occupy any Force Organization slot but can only be selected to accompany an Independent Character (as if they were an Honour Guard or Command Squad).

Scouts Use the following reference to find out what Force Organization spot your new Scout squad occupies. If the squad does not meet any of these conditions then the squad is a Troops choice.

If the squad is equipped with Jump Packs or Bikes, the squad is a Fast Attack choice. If the squad can take more than one Special/Heavy Weapon or non-Sergeant members of the squad have a points cost of 20 points or more, the squad is an Elites choice.

Terminators Use the following reference to find out what Force Organization spot your new Terminator squad occupies. If the squad does not meet any of these conditions then the squad is an Elites choice.

If the point cost of a member of the squad is 50 points or more, the squad does not occupy any Force Organization slot but can only be selected to accompany an Independent Character (as if they were an Honour Guard or Command Squad).

Rhinos Use the following reference to find out what Force Organization spot your new Rhino occupies.

If the point cost of the vehicle is 40 points or less, any squad which may take a Rhino and/or a Razorback as a Transport may take your new vehicle as a Transport. If you do not wish to have the vehicle act as just a Transport, the vehicle is a Fast Attack choice. If your new vehicle has no Ordnance weapons, has no weapon with a range greater than 24", and costs no more than 120, the vehicle is a Fast Attack or Heavy Support choice (your choice, you must choose when you make the unit, however). If your new vehicle has an has an ordnance weapon, a weapon with a range greater than 24", or costs more than 120 points, the vehicle is a Heavy Support choice.

Land Speeder Use the following reference to find out what Force Organization spot your new Land Speeder type occupies. If the vehicle does not meet any of the below requirements, it is a Fast Attack choice.

If the vehicle has three separate Heavy weapons or has a points cost of 100 points or more, the vehicle is a Heavy Support choice.

Dreadnoughts always count as Elites choices unless they become Heroes and Land Raiders always count as Heavy Support choices. Once you have found the unit's force organization spot you're done! Congratulations, you've made a unit for your unique

chapter.

THE FINAL TOUCHES

Once you have your chapter's Special Rules (Combat Practices & Mutations), Force Organization (Chapter Tactics), Special Characters/Heroes (Hero Creation), and New Units (Unit Creation) done, all that's left is to put the final finishing touches. Such finishing touches vary, but they will help you flesh out your army even more. The first thing to do is make sure your chapter has an background and homeworld which can help reflect the rules you have created for them. However, it is better to have such thing's planned out before you try to tackle the creation of a Chapter. You can also add some flair of your own to the Chapter by restricting or removing the ability to use certain units. The chapter doesn't have to have Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch for them to hate distrust psykers enough to not want them in their ranks, for example, which could mean the chapter not allowing the selection of any kind of Psyker in the army. The chapter could be limited on certain types of units even, allowing you to place 0-1 restrictions on units or removing the ability for the chapter to take them entirely. Just remember, these rules will only help you make rules for your chapter, where a chapter really shines, however, is in the details. The details of their past, the details of how they behave, the details of their homeworld, and so on and so forth. Once you have everything down, open up a word program and use that to allow you to create your own Codex. Please note though that you should only include your background info, pictures, special rules, special character/Heroes, and the new units you've created. Do not include rules that are already in a Codex, Games-Workshop doesn't care for people doing such and you may get contact by them asking you to remove the rules for such units (thus it's best to just leave in what you've created).