Another week, another FAQ from Games Workshop. This week we’ve got an update to Codex: Chaos Space Marines, shoring up some errors and filling a couple of gaps. There’s not a lot here, but then the Codex itself is pretty solid as far as rules go. Or at least, it doesn’t have anything that seems to be terribly broken, but there are a few things we were hoping to see here that didn’t get addressed, and we’ll point those out later.
The Errata
Two things changed here.
Dark Disciples are now Toughness 4
This was a weird one – and one I wasn’t expecting. This errata changes the Toughness characteristic on the disciples to 4, making them a bit tougher to wound. That’s cool, since it makes the ablative wounds on the Apostle that much tougher to remove. They’re still just rocking 1 wound and a 4+ save, though.
Edit: Because a reader pointed it out (thanks, ThePants999), it’s worth noting that Apostles needed an adjustment – it’s a mixed toughness unit with no actual rules way of resolving that, since wound allocation happens after rolling to wound, which is a problem that 9th edition rules do not provide a framework for solving when it comes to mixed toughness units. I expected the resolution to this to be something more akin to Grimaldus’ Mindless Followers rule, but then it turns out they also have T4, in order to account for this issue. So while I was surprised to see this as the resolution they chose, it’s also hilariously the only easy resolution they could have landed on, thanks to how 9th edition rules work for making attacks. Fun stuff, and something I’ll pester Rules Rob to cover in a future Ruleshammer.
Chosen can take Power Fists
One option conspicuously missing from the Chosen datasheet was the option to take a power fist, which is weird because it was definitely an option on the sprue. Now one chosen in every five can take a bolter and a power fist, giving the unit a 2-damage option to play with. That’s something you might consider, even with the -1 to hit.
FAQ/Updates
Three additional questions here with answers, mostly clarifying what we already all knew.
- A model with the Stimulated by Pain Warlord Trait can’t go below its starting attacks total regaining wounds. This was a weird situation that could happen because your Attacks boost caps at +3, but you could lose 4-5 wounds with some warlords and then regain them, which in theory could have left you with fewer wounds than you started! This clarifies things and ensures it won’t happen.
- The 6″ range extension on the range of powers from the Liber Hereticus Relic does not affect the size of the aura on Cursed Earth. That range is an aura, and not a power range, so it doesn’t have any effect. If you were relying on this, tough break.
- Index: World Eaters – World Eaters can’t take Psykers. This was left out of the White Dwarf article but everyone knew it was the case. If you were one of the people arguing for Khorne psykers, you’re a shithead.
What’s Not Here
These updates are all well and good – and it’s neat that we have T4 Disciples now – but there are a number of bigger issues that haven’t been resolved yet. The biggest one is the Forge World units in the Compendium don’t have the TRAITORIS ASTARTES keyword or the UNDIVIDED keyword, which messes up their ability to work with the rest of the army. Most events have already ruled on this but not having official language for it sucks. There are also a few adjustments we’d have liked to have seen, like tweaks to Tide of Traitors and Voidbreaker Plate. Additionally, Death Guard and Thousand Sons armies could use some updates, both for how they handle AGENTS OF CHAOS like Abaddon and Cypher, and also to give Plague Marines and Thousand Sons the ICON keyword if they take an icon, which currently doesn’t happen. These are some fairly important changes and I hope we see them in the next few weeks.
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