In advance of the upcoming release of Codex: Space Marines and as promised, Games Workshop dropped a massive FAQ update on us today (remember when we said fifteen books needed FAQs? Turns out it was more). There’s a lot to digest, so we’re poring over every word of the updates and noting what’s changed and our thoughts on what it means for the faction. In this article we’re looking at Raven Guard and the changes to the Raven Guard Supplement.
Initial Take
Honestly, there’s not a lot of changes, here. It’s mostly just cleaning up old 8th ed rules. Expect Raven Guard to play mostly the same. The book only contains one data sheet (Shrike), and he gets brought in line with 9th ed rules regarding Chapter Masters. He’s still viciously good for his points, even though he takes a slight nerf regarding his Aura abilities.
Kayvaan Shrike
- Blackout (his cool pistol) updated to reflect character targeting changes in 9th.
- Adds the Death from Above deployment rule from the 9th ed Space Marine Codex.
- Adds the Rites of Battle (Aura) ability that we see on 9th ed Captains.
- Changes his Chapter Master ability to fall in line with the 9th ed Chapter Master ability.
- Changes his Diving Charge ability to impact an enemy unit within Engagement Range rather than 1”.
- Removes the Grav Chute ability (it is replaced by DfA).
- Adds the Aura tag to Winged Deliverance.
Warlord Traits
- Master of Ambush continues to exclude Centurions, and the Warlord can only re-deploy if they have the Infantry keyword.
- Swift and Deadly gets an Aura tag, and is changed to only impact Core and Characters.
Relics
- Ebonclaws get an extra attack.
- Ex Tenebris gets updated language regarding targeting.
Special-Issue Wargear
- Silentus Pistol gets updated language regarding targeting.
- Shard of Istvaan gets an Aura tag, and the language is cleaned up a bit.
Stratagems
- Strats have been grouped into the groups shown in the new codices.
- See, But Remain Unseen updated to exclude Buildings.
- Strike From the Shadows updated to clarify when the strat is used in the pre-game order of operations.
Psychic Powers
- Psyichic Powers have been assigned types that match the ones used in 9th ed books (Blessing/Witchfire/Malediction).
No New FAQs
Well, there we have it gang! No faction-busting or unanticipated changes to our favorite group of mopey mall-goths, so keep those blades sharp and your eyeliner dark, out there! Thanks for reading, and I hope you’re enjoying 9th edition as much as I am!
