ISSUE 65
25 April 2015

Editor: Jes Bickham
jes@whitedwarf.co.uk

Publisher: Paul Lyons
paul@whitedwarf.co.uk

What a release we’ve got for you this week – Assassinorum: Execution Force is here and it puts you in the whisper-quiet shoes of the Imperium’s deadliest operatives.

This new four-player cooperative board game is not only fantastic fun to play, it also sports four jaw-to-floor brand-new Assassins miniatures representing the esoteric (and utterly lethal) temples of Vindicare, Callidus, Eversor and Culexus. You can read all about Execution Force over the page – and we’re also very proud to present the full rules for using the Officio Assassinorum in your games of Warhammer 40,000 later in the issue, in a handy eight-page section you can pop out of your White Dwarf by simply (and carefully!) bending out the staples in the centre of the magazine. And we haven’t even mentioned Paint Splatter, Parade Ground or... too late! Enjoy the issue.

Chaos Sorcerer Lord Severin Drask prepares to enact a ritual that will eradicate the Achyllan System and engulf the Imperium in Chaos. To halt his plans, an Assassinorum Execution Force has been unleashed in a race against time to infiltrate his lair and kill him.

All of the models in Assassinorum: Execution Force can be used in your games of Warhammer 40,000, too. For full rules for using the Assassins found in Assassinorum: Execution Force, including the Officio Assassinorum Detachment and the Execution Force Formation

Rules and even more background for the Assassins are also available as a Digital Dataslate. See page 1 for more details.

The Achyllan System, nestled within the Segmentum Solar, is threatened by a terrible atrocity. Lord Severin Drask, the most powerful psyker of the treacherous Crimson Slaughter, plans to sacrifice Achyllan’s star in a dire ritual that will create a Warp rift comparable to the Eye of Terror, right in the heart of the Imperium. Should he succeed, Mankind is doomed. Desperate to halt Drask’s schemes, the High Lords of Terra have sanctioned the deployment of an Assassinorum Execution Force. Drask must die, no matter the cost.

Assassinorum: Execution Force is the board game that enables you to recreate the desperate mission to kill Drask and halt his ritual: a cooperative game for one to four players. Inside the box you’ll find four new plastic Imperial Assassins (the Vindicare, Callidus, Eversor and Culexus), 15 Chaos Cultists, three Chaos Space Marines, a Chaos Familiar and the Sorcerer Lord Severin Drask, plus gorgeous game boards for the Astropathic Sanctum and the Temple of Shades, dice, counters and all the game cards you’ll need.

Above: As Drask’s evil ritual nears completion, the Execution Force makes its final attack. As Klara Rhasc battles against Drask in the centre, the other Assassins hold the Cultists and Chaos Space Marines at bay.

Thanks to the way that Assassinorum: Execution Force works, no two games will play quite the same way: event cards ensure that plenty of random occurrences take place, from Chaos Space Marine patrols to howling data Daemons, and there are no guarantees that the Assassins will all make it through to battle against Drask. In fact, our experience is that unless all the players can coordinate their plans, and fight for the good of the mission, your highly-skilled operatives will find themselves face down in a pool of blood at the feet of a Chaos Space Marine.

Execution Force sees the Assassins infiltrate the blood-splattered confines of Achyllan’s Astropathic Sanctum, searching for a way to reach the mysterious Temple of Shades. The Sanctum shows the signs of having been recently seized by the Chaos worshippers, blasphemous runes daubed in blood signifying its consecration to the Dark Gods, and the Assassins must either sneak past or eliminate the patrols of Chaos Cultists and Chaos Space Marines who stalk its halls, searching for a teleporter that will take them to the orbiting Temple of Shades.

There are 12 special room tiles which are shuffled and placed onto the main game board as they are discovered. This random system means the game is different each time you play it, as you search out the teleportarium and the control bank. Once you’ve found them both, your Assassins must enter the Temple of Shades to confront Drask. The Temple of Shades is a separate game board for the game’s final confrontation – a reviled yet glorious shrine to Chaos, bedecked with a huge Chaos star, where Lord Drask and his Familiar are conducting their ritual, guarded by Chaos Space Marines.

High-quality counters mark out which renegades are alert to the presence of your Execution Force, keep track of injuries inflicted on your miniatures and also track the special abilities that the Assassins have at their disposal. Character cards explain the rules for the miniatures in the game. Each Assassin has their own card, explaining their special abilities and wargear, as do the Chaos Cultists, Chaos Space Marines and Lord Drask.

Assassinorum: Execution Force is a cooperative game in the truest sense of the word – up to four players command the Assassins in an effort to thwart Drask and his minions. The Chaos worshippers are controlled by the game itself – a clever system explains how they will act in any situation. This gives the game a remarkably rewarding feeling as you help each other to victory. You and your Execution Force win or lose together.

Left: Each Assassin has their own double-sided card containing all the information you need.

Centre: Chaos Space Marines can match the Assassins one-on-one…

Right: …but Chaos Cultists must attack in greater numbers.

Left: The teleportarium will enable the assassins to reach Lord Drask.

Centre: The control bank.

Right: The Chaos Stars in rooms indicate how many Chaos Cultists are found within.

Left: Drask’s ritual site. Each turn, the Familiar moves on to the next square – if Drask isn’t dead before the familiar reaches 16, the game is over!

Right: 44 counters help you keep track of effects throughout the game.

Viktor Zhau is equipped to deal death from afar, the Vindicare renowned for making his mark before his target ever knows their life is in danger. Armed with a powerful long-range exitus rifle, and provided with advanced targeting data by his spy mask, the Vindicare has a precision other marksmen dream of. His exitus rifle has ammunition for every task, from bursting protective force fields to blasting the armoured head off a Terminator Lord.

Left: At his waist Zhau wears a powerful exitus pistol and a selection of specialist exitus ammo.

Right: The model leans against crumbling masonry, which fittingly displays a shrouded death angel.

An abomination cursed by the Pariah gene, Noctus Kord has been trained and engineered to stalk and kill enemy psykers. The aura of paranoia and fear that surrounds him is magnified by his wargear, especially the war helm known as the animus speculum, which focuses the terror of his null aura into a weapon that severs its victim’s connection to the Warp, snuffing out their souls to leave them like a marionette with the strings cut.

Left: The baleful eye of the animus speculum serves as a weapon that focuses the Culexus’s null aura.

Right: Kord also carries a brace of psyk-out grenades that can tear bloody rents in the minds of psykers.

Expert in the art of sowing discord and panic, Klara Rhasc is a lithe murderess. Thanks to the mysteries of polymorphine, the Callidus Assassin is able to infiltrate her foes and locate her mark undetected. She carries a phase sword, a blade capable of shearing effortlessly through armour with every thrust, and a neural shredder that attacks its victim’s nervous system, causing even the most resilient foes to collapse in convulsing agony.

Left: Rhasc is armed with a trio of stilettos strapped to her thigh, each laced with deadly toxins.

Right: The neural shredder projects a cone of psionic disruption that destroys minds in an instant.

Sylas Torq is a raging force of destruction, his body enhanced through surgery and augmentation to make him an unparalleled killer. His actions are driven by hyperadrenaline compounds that transform him into a butcher with only one focus: his mission. With the bladed fingers of his neuro-gauntlet, Torq can rip through flesh and armour, leaving neurotoxins to finish the job while he reaps a bloody toll with his executioner pistol.

Left: Eversor Assassins are skull-faced slaughterers, weapons of terror and carnage.

Right: The executioner pistol can loose bolter rounds or neurotoxin-laced needler shots.

Forge World make highly-detailed resin models, large-scale kits and books for Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 and the Horus Heresy. This week we take a look at the new Imperial Gun Emplacement and a new terror of the skies, the Xiphon Interceptor.

IMPERIAL GUN EMPLACEMENT

If big guns and defensive fortifications are your thing, the Imperial Gun Emplacement is for you. This 2’ by 2’ resin board section fits perfectly with the Realm of Battle Gameboard and looks great alongside Forge World’s Imperial Strongpoint, which features the same battlement designs.

Hunkered down in the central emplacement is a double-barrelled turbo-laser destructor much like those carried by Warhound Titans. More than capable of blasting an enemy tank to smithereens, it makes this defensive emplacement a terrifying prospect to come up against.

XIPHON INTERCEPTOR

Based on ancient designs, Xiphon Interceptors were developed by the Legiones Astartes for use during the Great Crusade. Formidable fighter craft, they were deployed not only in the airspace above war zones but also in space, where they excelled against other void-capable craft. As the Horus Heresy unfolded, however, the Legionnaire pilots soon found themselves hunting each other.

Like many war machines of the Horus Heresy, the Xiphon Interceptor is austere, functional and warlike, its wings and tail fin swept aggressively forward like a raptor ready to ensnare its prey, two turbo-jet engines and a huge afterburner powering the streamlined craft across the skies. A Legionnaire pilot can be seen behind the clear plastic canopy that comes with this resin kit, one armoured gauntlet grasping the craft’s joystick, the other on the console that controls the Xiphon’s formidable array of weapons.

Left: A pair of twin-linked lascannons are mounted on either side of the hull. Combined with the missile launcher, they make the Xiphon an extremely capable dogfighter.

Right: Lurking beneath the Xiphon’s hull is the rotary missile launcher, its most deadly weapon. Using a sophisticated tracking system, these missiles can lock on to the weak spots of enemy aircraft, striking right where they can cause the most damage.

These kits and the rest of the Forge World range are available directly from Forge World. To find out more visit:
www.forgeworld.co.uk

By Joe Parrino
Hardback | 128 pages

Four Imperial Assassins are despatched on a deadly suicide mission: Severin Drask must die.

Severin Drask of the Crimson Slaughter has embarked upon a diabolical scheme to tear a Warp rift in the Segmentum Solar, allowing raw Chaos to overrun Mankind. A hastily assembled Execution Force is despatched to kill him – a mission so deadly that surely none can survive.

Assassinorum: Execution Force is the perfect companion story to go along with the new boxed game released this week: a 128-page novella that unfolds the tale of the four Imperium Assassins sent to thwart the Crimson Slaughter in the Temple of Shades. Within the story Parrino does an exceptional job of giving you a look at what each of the Assassins are like, from the cool and calculating Vindicare to the raging, berserk, mindset of the Eversor. The action is visceral, vivid and exceptionally violent and the image of the Eversor running into battle is unforgettable (you’ll know the bit we mean when you read it). If you like the look of the Execution Force game, you’ll enjoy this book. Our only advice – listen to The Emperor’s Judgement first.

Take your quest to the Sol System in Halls of Terra, an expansion for Warhammer 40,000: Relic, by Fantasy Flight Games. Can you make allies to aid your cause or will intrigue and duplicity claim your hero’s life?

Learn more at:
fantasyflightgames.com

By Joe Parrino
Audio Drama | 75 minutes

Klara Rhasc has been despatched to slay a heretic prophet, but her greatest threat is a rival assassin.

Tevrat is a world on the brink of rebellion, held in the sway of a lunatic ecclesiarch – the target Callidus Assassin Klara Rhasc has been sent to slay. But as Rhasc readies her death blow, the perfect kill is interrupted by a raging Eversor. What follows is a desperate battle, as Rhasc receives new orders that seem impossible.

Assassinorum: The Emperor’s Judgment is a corking audio drama set prior to the events of Execution Force. The voice cast’s vibrant performance bring Rhasc’s deadly mission to life, as the heroine of the tale goes toe-to-toe with her murderous rival. This story is a great introduction to Execution Force and the perfect companion piece: listen to it as you paint the models in the boxed game.

Auroch Digital have released a sequel to the cult classic for Windows, Mac and Linux. Chainsaw Warrior 2: Lords of Night takes the fight into the jungle. New weapons, new abilities, one hour to save the world.

Find it on Steam:
http://bit.ly/CWlotnSteam

These Black Library books and audio CDs are also available as eBooks and MP3 downloads.

For more information visit:
www.blacklibrary.com

Warhammer Visions has grown! Now in a huge new format (taller than a Codex!) with more photos than ever before, White Dwarf’s sister magazine is packed from cover to cover with astounding miniatures photography.

Bigger and better than ever, the new Warhammer Visions kicks off with a showcase of the Omnissiah’s favoured warriors, the Skitarii, and ends with stage-by-stage painting guides showing you how to paint them. In between you’ll find a gallery of Warhammer 40,000 war machines, the latest offerings from the bizarre world of Blanchitsu, a vast Imperial Army of the Month, 26 pages of Golden Demon entries (with bigger pictures and more detailed shots than ever before), the start of Ghazghkull Thraka’s first Waaagh!, readers’ models from all over the world, and plenty more besides. And all this for the same price it was before. Get it while it’s hot, people!

Warhammer: Visions is available in print from Games Workshop stores, independent stockists and newsstands, and in an enhanced digital edition for iPad. For more information, visit the Apple App Store.

As the time for the Great Ascendency approaches, some amongst us in Skavenblight have bowed our heads in fear-respect to the Great Horned One. In obsequiousness to the Ratkin God, here’s what we’ve created.

Having occupied the first seat on the Council of Thirteen, Grey Seer Thanquol has been plotting and scheming more than ever. Having declared his services, and those of all Skavendom to the Three-Eyed King, he is now seeking a way to overthrow the Lord of the End Times and claim dominion over the world himself. At least, that’s the plan. Sadly his minions have been less than cooperative and Archaon is a distrustful master with more than the usual number of eyes firmly fixed on his backstabbing underling. Thanquol continues to plot nonetheless.

This rendition of Thanquol and Boneripper was painted following the tips and advice given in the Thanquol painting video on the Games Workshop webstore. It’s amazing how simple techniques such as shading and drybrushing can create such a great-looking model. The only major difference is Boneripper’s fur, which has been painted a sickly off-white to match that of the Verminlord Soothgnawer, who can be seen over the page. You’ll also notice that Boneripper’s got two warpfire projectors and two warpfire braziers. The best of both worlds, apparently…

Lord Kreeskuttle is reckoned to be the strongest and most aggressive brawler in the Realm of Ruin. In his former Skaven-life he ruled Clan Rictus with an iron fist and killed many Dwarfs, earning the dubious honour of the Horned Rat’s attention. Following his death, Kreeskuttle was deemed worthy of becoming a Verminlord and now stalks the Realm of Ruin in search of worthy foes to stab-kill (preferably in the back). With the barriers between words crumbling, however, Kreeskuttle has set his eyes on the mortal realm once more.

Kreeskuttle has been painted in the traditional black armour of Clan Rictus, his dark, greasy fur a sure sign of his power. His armour was painted with fine edge highlights of Dark Reaper and Fenrisian Grey to give the impression it’s hard and glossy, the warpstone shards painted a similar way to make them look like they’re glowing with malign power. In contrast, Kreeskuttle’s skin has been blended through a range of tones so it looks smooth and muscular. His tails were given an additional wash of Carroburg Crimson to make them look fleshy and raw.

Left: Dark-furred and dark-armoured, Kreeskuttle is champion to the Warlord Clans. As such, he’s armoured for war, his sensitive nose and eyes covered by a bladed helm.

Right: Kreeskuttle’s armour is engraved with Skaven sigils and runes laced with warpstone. The glowing effect was achieved by painting the rune as normal, followed by a highlight of Moot Green around the edge of the armour next to it.

During the assault on Karak Eight Peaks by Clan Mors, Soothgnawer was one of the two Verminlords that aided the Skaven war effort. While the Verminlord Deceiver Lurklox tried to broker (unsuccessfully) an agreement between Queek Headtaker and Skarsnik, the Warpseer Soothgnawer found an ally in the shamed Grey Seer Kranskritt. Using his powers of guile and persuasion, not to mention his fearsome presence, Soothgnawer encouraged his grey-furred accomplice to hamper-sabotage Queek ‘s war efforts. This the Grey Seer undertook with great relish, if not a little fear.

Soothgnawer was painted using the same colours as Thanquol and Boneripper on the previous page; the three are part of a much larger, all-conquering Skaven horde. To represent the fact that Soothgnawer was once a Grey Seer, his fur has been painted a mangy off-white, which contrasts well with his dark blue armour. The horns were painted Mournfang Brown, washed with Agrax Earthshade and highlighted with Pallid Wych Flesh to make them stand out from the rest of the pale model. After all, a Verminlord’s horns are a sign of his status, so they need to look impressive.

left: Like the Grey Seers he watches over, Soothgnawer’s fur is a distinctive white. His eye sockets, long empty, emit the sickening green glow of warpstone.

Right: The scry-orb carried by Soothgnawer shows Thanquol’s rune etched into it. Though Lord Skreech claimed Thanquol as his protégé, Soothgnawer nevertheless kept a close watch on the sometimes unfortunate, yet ambitious, Grey Seer.

For more miniatures-filled Parade Grounds, take a look at Warhammer Visions 16, available to pre-order now. Inside you’ll find two Parade Grounds, one featuring Warhammer 40,000 war machines, the other Fast Attack units.

Most kills made by the Imperial Assassins take place silently and out of sight. Against the greatest enemies of the Imperium, however, the death sentence must be served upon the battlefield. Here we present the rules for using your Assassins in Warhammer 40,000.

Imperial Assassins are among the best-trained killers in the galaxy, relentless agents who will go to any lengths and suffer any hardship to complete their mission. Over the millennia countless warlords have fallen to their bullets and blades, leaving armies and insurrections leaderless, weak and ripe for destruction.

Over the following pages we present the rules for Imperial Assassins in Warhammer 40,000, with a new Detachment, Datasheets for each of them and a Formation that enables you to unleash an Assassinorum Execution Force.

OFFICIO ASSASSINORUM DETACHMENT

Compulsory: 1 Elites
Optional: None

Restrictions:
The unit chosen must have the Officio Assassinorum Faction.

Command Benefits:
Operation Assassinate.

FACTION AND ALLIES

All Imperial Assassins (Vindicare Assassin, Callidus Assassin, Eversor Assassin and Culexus Assassin) have the Officio Assassinorum Faction, shown by the icon below. They are part of the Armies of the Imperium and ally as such, as described in the Allies section of Warhammer 40,000: The Rules.

Vindicare Assassins are cold, calculating killers who eliminate their targets with contemptuous ease. They aim to bring inglorious death to the enemies of the Emperor with a sniper’s bullet, and have elevated the skills of the marksman to an art form. It is said that a Vindicare can pick out a target’s jugular vein or pupil from extreme range, even should the distance be traced through the ruins and smokestacks of an underhive.

One of the temple’s maxims is that a clean kill can only be made from an excellent firing position, and Vindicare Assassins have been known to occupy a given location for weeks, waiting for their quarry to reveal himself before finally taking the perfect shot. By meditating on the immortal glory of the Emperor, these superb marksmen can slow down their metabolism to an almost hibernatory state. Though an operative’s heart beats perhaps once per minute when in this state, subliminal triggers ensure he is roused into total focus the instant his target shows himself, and a kill shot swiftly follows.

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

WARGEAR:
Blind grenades (see defensive grenades)
Close combat weapon
Exitus rifle
Exitus pistol
Spy mask

SPECIAL RULES:
Fearless
Infiltrate
Move Through Cover
Stealth

Deadshot: All successful To Hit rolls made by a Vindicare Assassin, excluding Snap Shots, are Precision Shots. Wounds from Precision Shots are allocated against a model (or models) of your choice in the target unit, as long as it is in range and line of sight of the firer, rather than following the normal rules for Wound allocation. A character that has a Precision Shot Wound allocated to it can still make a Look Out, Sir roll. Note that Snap Shots and shots from weapons that scatter, or do not roll To Hit, can never be Precision Shots.Independent Operative: A model with this special rule can never be joined by another character. If a model with this special rule is your army’s Warlord, it never has a Warlord Trait.

Lightning Reflexes: A model with this special rule has a 4+ invulnerable save. In addition, they do not suffer the penalty to their Initiative for charging enemies through difficult terrain.

No Escape: Enemy characters suffer a -2 penalty to their Look Out, Sir tests against any Wounds inflicted by a model with this special rule.

The Callidus temple is the subtlest of the ancient temples of the Officio Assassinorum, specialising in the artful deception of the enemies of the Imperium. The methods of the Callidus Assassin are those of utmost cunning and duplicity. On the battlefield, they get as close to the chosen target as possible before making the kill at a critical time, often at the crux point of a conflict already in full flow. With the commander of an enemy force suddenly slain, the balance of the battle can be skewed dramatically in favour of the Imperium.

To achieve this exacting task, the Callidus temple specialises in the use of the shape-altering drug Polymorphine. Polymorphine enables a trained Callidus Assassin to completely change her appearance and infiltrate the enemy force. They can lengthen bones, stretch skin, change shape: all to assume the guise of a thrall or bodyguard and get close to their mark. Once in striking range, the stolen identity sloughs away, and the Callidus uses her phase sword to deliver the Emperor’s justice.

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

WARGEAR:
Neural shredder
Phase sword
Poison Blades

SPECIAL RULES:
Fearless
Fleet
Infiltrate
Hit & Run
Move Through Cover
Precision Strikes

Independent Operative: A model with this special rule can never be joined by another character. If a model with this special rule is your army’s Warlord, it never has a Warlord Trait.

Lightning Reflexes: A model with this special rule has a 4+ invulnerable save. In addition, they do not suffer the penalty to their Initiative for charging enemies through difficult terrain.

No Escape: Enemy characters suffer a -2 penalty to their Look Out, Sir tests against any Wounds inflicted by a model with this special rule.

Polymorphine: When a Callidus Assassin is deployed using her Infiltrate special rule, she can be set up anywhere on the table that is more than 1” from any enemy unit, whether deployed enemy units can draw a line of sight to her or not. If a Callidus Assassin starts the game in Reserves, she can choose to move on from the enemy board edge when she arrives. In either case, during the first game turn, or during the game turn in which the Callidus Assassin arrives from Reserves, enemy units can only fire Snap Shots when targeting her.

Reign of Confusion: If your army includes a Callidus Assassin, you can re-roll the dice when attempting to Seize the Initiative. In addition, your opponent suffers -3 to the first Reserve Roll he makes during the game.

The Eversor is possibly the most gruesome weapon of the Officio Assassinorum. The temple specialises in shock and terror tactics, instilling fear of Imperial retribution in the hearts and minds of all who hold positions of power.

An Eversor distils the brute force of an entire strike team into a single human body, and hence rarely has just a single target. His mission will be to rip the heart out of the rebel operation, wreaking havoc and destruction. Such brutality ensures the renegade leaders are destroyed in one fell swoop, and no would-be successors may take over.

In order to better enact these one-man killing sprees, the Eversor temple trains its operatives to be utterly ruthless and completely dedicated to the Imperium. The temple engineers its inductees to be super-human killing machines, their bodies driven far beyond normal human capabilities. Once this process is complete, the temple introduces a range of stimms and implants to alter the Assassin’s state of mind into a boiling cauldron of murderous intent.

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

WARGEAR:
Power sword
Melta bombs
Executioner pistol
Frenzon
Neuro-gauntlet
Sentinel array

SPECIAL RULES:
Fearless
Feel No Pain
Infiltrate
Furious Charge
Move Through Cover

Bio-meltdown: If an Eversor Assassin is ever reduced to zero Wounds, before removing the model as a casualty, each nearby unit (friend or foe) suffers a Strength 5 AP- hit for each model it has within D6” of the Eversor Assassin. After resolving any additional damage, remove the Eversor Assassin from play as a casualty.

Fast Shot: Whenever an Eversor Assassin fires his executioner pistol, he does so 4 times. All of these shots must be at the same target, but can be any mixture of bolt pistol and needle pistol shots.

Independent Operative: A model with this special rule can never be joined by another character. If a model with this special rule is your army’s Warlord, it never has a Warlord Trait.

Lightning Reflexes: A model with this special rule has a 4+ invulnerable save. In addition, they do not suffer the penalty to their Initiative for charging enemies through difficult terrain.

No Escape: Enemy characters suffer a -2 penalty to their Look Out, Sir tests against any Wounds inflicted by a model with this special rule.

The Culexus temple is the most sinister of the Assassin temples. Its operatives are skull-helmed harbingers of death, whose merest touch can extinguish the victim’s soul. Even amongst the upper echelons of the Officio Assassinorum, this temple is viewed with extreme caution. This is not because of the way that the Culexus operate, nor any particularly hideous methods they use to kill their targets. It is because the Assassins possess a very rare genetic defect that occurs in less than one in a billion individuals. They are Pariahs, and they have, or appear to have, no presence in the Warp – instead, there is simply a void.

This unusual condition makes the Culexus Assassin a natural predator against psykers, who cannot see, nor comprehend, their soulless foe. The very presence of a Pariah makes those around them fearful and increasingly paranoid, and the Culexus preys upon this panic. When he strikes it is with the power to drain souls with the merest touch – a horrific ability amplified by his skull helm.

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

WAEGEAR:
Animus Speculum
Etherium
Psyk-out grenades

SPECIAL RULES:
Fear
Fearless
Infiltrate
Move Through Cover
Preferred Enemy (Psykers)

Independent Operative: A model with this special rule can never be joined by another character. If a model with this special rule is your army’s Warlord, it never has a Warlord Trait.

Lightning Reflexes: A model with this special rule has a 4+ invulnerable save. In addition, they do not suffer the penalty to their Initiative for charging enemies through difficult terrain.

No Escape: Enemy characters suffer a -2 penalty to their Look Out, Sir tests against any Wounds inflicted by a model with this special rule.

Life Drain: Armour saves cannot be taken against Wounds inflicted by a Culexus Assassin’s close combat attacks. Any close combat attack inflicted by a Culexus Assassin that rolls a 6 To Wound has the Instant Death special rule. Any close combat attack inflicted by a Culexus Assassin that is allocated to a Psyker has the Instant Death special rule.

Psychic Abomination: Psykers, friend or foe, within 12” of a Culexus Assassin have -3 Leadership, do not generate any Warp Charge (i.e. they do not add dice to their owning player’s Warp Charge Pool in the Psychic phase) and only harness Warp Charge points on a 6. A Culexus Assassin can never be targeted or affected by psychic powers – other units in the Culexus Assassin’s vicinity that are hit by beam or nova powers, or by Witchfire powers that use templates, are hit/affected normally. Any blessing or malediction psychic powers affecting a unit immediately cease to be in effect if the unit moves within 12” of a Culexus Assassin or vice versa.

The agents of the Officio Assassinorum are a deadly scalpel deployed when the sledgehammer of the Imperium’s armies is too blunt and unsubtle a weapon. These masters of the art of death are perhaps the most proficient in the entire human race. Unleashed only on the direct sanction of the High Lords of Terra themselves, their influence extends from the coldest reaches of the Halo Zone to the dark heart of the Eye of Terror. Yet there have been those times in history when even the assignment of an Imperial Assassin was deemed inadequate for the kill in question. At such times, the High Lords have ordered the despatch of an Execution Force – a number of Assassins working in concert. Where a single operative may find his skills wanting in the final reckoning, the combined lethal repertoires of the major temples will be more than sufficient to exterminate the foe. To send forth an Execution Force is to deploy such a precise and specialist weapon that their replacement, should they be lost, would take decades. As a result these forces are assembled only rarely, and only when the future of an entire sector – or even the Imperium itself – hangs in the balance.

FORMATION:
1 Callidus Assassin
1 Culexus Assassin
1 Eversor Assassin
1 Vindicare Assassin

RESTRICTIONS:
None.

SPECIAL RULES:
Preferred Enemy (Warlord).

Operation Assassinate: If the mission you are playing uses Victory Points, you receive one bonus Victory Point at the end of the game if the enemy’s Warlord was removed as a casualty as a result of a Wound inflicted by a model with this special rule.

VINDICARE ASSASSIN WARGEAR

EXITUS RIFLE
Exitus weapons are marvels of Imperial technology, and their ammunition perhaps even more so. They carry shield-breaker rounds with disruptive flux cores that scramble even the most sophisticated force fields; turbo-penetrator rounds capable of punching through the hull of a spaceship; and hellfire rounds so toxic that not even extra-galactic creatures can survive their searing kiss.

Exitus rifle
Range - 72”
S - X
AP - 2
Type - Heavy 1, Sniper, Exitus Ammo

EXITUS PISTOL
Just like its larger rifle equivalent, each Exitus pistol is precision engineered to complement the lethal skills of its individual wielder. It is usually employed when a Vindicare Assassin needs to escape from a horde of angry heretics, or an army of disciples sent into a fury by the execution of their master.

Exitus pistol
Range - 12”
S - X
AP - 2
Type - Pistol, Sniper, Exitus Ammo

EXITUS AMMO
Each time a Vindicare Assassin fires a weapon with this special rule, choose one of the three following types of ammunition and apply the chosen ammunition’s rules to that shot:

Shield-breaker: Invulnerable saves cannot be taken against Wounds, glancing hits, or penetrating hits from a shield-breaker round.

Turbo-penetrator: Against vehicles, shots from a turbo-penetrator round count as Strength 10. Against all other targets, shots from a turbo-penetrator round inflict D3 Wounds, rather than just 1.

Hellfire: Shots from a hellfire round always wound on a 2+.

SPY MASK
The Vindicare’s distinctive mask contains nutrient cartridges that allow him to hunt for months at a time without need to resupply, as well as a comms-thief sensor and a wide-spectrum auspex visor that can pick out the Assassin’s victims at incredible distances.

All successful To Hit rolls made by a Vindicare Assassin, excluding Snap Shots, have the Ignores Cover special rule.

CALLIDUS ASSASSIN WARGEAR

POISON BLADES
The needle-like poison blades a Callidus keeps about her person enable the operative to make her kill even when appearing defenceless. Each Callidus trains in the art of driving these blades through weak spots in armour, scaly hide, or the eye sockets of protective helms

Range -
S - User
AP -
Type - Melee, Rending Poisoned (3+)

PHASE SWORD
The phase sword is thought to utilise alien technology, though the Callidus temple keeps its nature a close secret. Worn as a long blade attached to the forearm, this weapon is able to phase in and out of realspace by molecular realignment, bypassing not only physical armour but also its metaphysical equivalents.

Range -
S - User
AP - 2
Type - Melee, Phasing Hits

Phasing Hits: Each successful To Wound roll of a 6 made by a Phase sword results in a Phasing Wound. Invulnerable saves cannot be taken against Phasing Wounds.

NEURAL SHREDDER
The neural shredder is an exotic and extremely rare weapon originally used by the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. It fires a burst of energy that destroys the minds of those caught in its sights, leaving the Assassin’s victims no more than brainless, drooling meat.

Range - Template
S - 1
AP - 2
Type - Pistol, Neural Shock

Neural Shock: Hits caused by this weapon always wound on a 4+. This special rule has no effects on vehicles or buildings.

EVERSOR ASSASSIN WARGEAR

EXECUTIONER PISTOL
The executioner pistol is a menacing hybrid of needle and bolt pistol. It is able to change modes at the twitch of a finger, firing hypertoxin darts one second and mass-reactive shells the next. Many of the Eversor’s victims are treated to both.

Needle pistol
Range - 12”
S - 1
AP -
Type - Pistol, Poisoned

Bolt pistol
Range - 12”
S - 4
AP - 5
Type - Pistol

FRENZON
The cocktail of distilled combat stimms that pump through the Eversor’s circulatory system can drive an operative into such a berserk state that he becomes a living whirlwind of violence.

An Eversor Assassin rolls 3D6 when determining his charge range, adding the results together. In addition, an Eversor Assassin receives 3 bonus Attacks in a turn in which he charged, rather than just 1.

NEURO-GAUNTLET
This killing apparatus, worn as an exoskeletal hyper-alloy glove, has neurotoxin injectors fitted in place of fingernails. Even the faintest scratch triggers the delivery of a fatal dose.

Range -
S - User
AP -
Type - Melee, Fleshbane, Shred

SENTINEL ARRAY
The sentinel array processes targeting information at dizzying speed, enabling its wielder to efficiently engage targets even when he is at risk of becoming overwhelmed.

An Eversor Assassin fires Overwatch using his full Ballistic Skill.

CULEXUS ASSASSIN WARGEAR

ANIMUS SPECLUM
The animus speculum is an elaborate helm primarily used to dampen the vile aura of the Culexus en route to his target. Its polarity can be reversed in order to magnify the soul-draining horror of its wearer to lethal levels.

An animus speculum is a ranged weapon that is fired in the Psychic phase instead of the Shooting phase. Firing the animus speculum does not prevent the Culexus Assassin from Running or shooting another weapon at the same or a different target in the Shooting phase. The animus speculum can fire Snap Shots but cannot be used to make Overwatch attacks.

Range - 18”
S - 5
AP - 1
Type - Assault X, Absorbed Warp Charge

Absorbed Warp Charge: When firing an animus speculum, first add up the combined mastery levels of all Psyker units, friend or foe, that are within 12” of the Culexus Assassin, and pick up that many dice. You can then add up to 3 more dice to this hand by removing them from your own Warp Charge pool. The total number of dice in your hand is the number of shots the animus speculum now fires.

PSYK-OUT GRENAGES
Psyk-out grenades are produced using an extremely rare substance thought to be a by-product of the esoteric processes that sustain the Astronomican. Upon detonation, each grenade scatters a dense cloud of psi-refractive particles across the target area.

Shooting Phase
Range - 8”
S - 2
AP -
Type - Assault 1, Blast, Psi-shock

Psi-shock: If a unit containing at least one Psyker (i.e. a model with the Psyker, Brotherhood of Psykers/ Sorcerers or Psychic Pilot special rule) is hit by a weapon with the Psi-shock special rule, one randomly determined Psyker model in that unit suffers Perils of the Warp in addition to any other damage.

Assault
Models that are Psykers do not gain bonus Attacks when charging a Culexus Assassin. However, if the Culexus Assassin is already locked in combat from a previous turn, or has gone to ground, its grenades have no effect and the attackers gain bonus Attacks as normal.

ETHERIUM
The etherium is built into the Culexus’s synskin and makes his physical form ghost-like and absent from the physical world, just as his mind is absent from the spiritual plane.

Whenever enemy units target a Culexus Assassin with shooting or close combat attacks, the shots or attacks are always resolved as if the attacking unit had Ballistic Skill and Weapon Skill 1.

Deep within the Temple of Shades, Lord Severin Drask of the Crimson Slaughter begins his diabolical ritual to open a massive Warp rift in the Achyllan system. In Assassinorum: Execution Force, you must try to stop him. Here we take a look at this great new game.

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

Above: The Assassins start at the entrance to the Astropathic Sanctum (A). Each Assassin can perform two actions a turn, enabling them to move, shoot, fight in close combat, heal themselves or sprint. Here, most of the Assassins advance up the main gallery, the Eversor rolling a dice to sprint an extra two squares. You’ll notice there are two Cultists nearby. They cannot see the Assassins due to the walls and columns (represented by the red lines) in the way. Likely they’ll remain unaware of their presence until it’s too late.

The aim of Execution Force is simple: the Assassins must infiltrate the Astropathic Sanctum on Achyllan Prime, activate the Teleportarium and teleport to the Temple of Shades. There they will find their mark, the Chaos Sorcerer Lord Drask. They must kill him to complete their mission.

Unfortunately for the Assassins, the Sanctum is crawling with Cultists and Chaos Space Marines. Using their skills, training and wargear, they must avoid or dispatch these Renegades, causing as little alarm as possible. As the bodies pile up, that becomes increasingly difficult.

Of course, before you start rolling dice, you need to decide who’s going to use which Assassin. They all have their own unique abilities, all of which come in handy in certain situations. The Vindicare, for example, excels at long-range executions, while the Callidus can sneak past Renegades unseen.

Over the next few pages we look at how a game of Execution Force works, taking key events from one of our own games as examples. Did we complete the mission, though, or did our Assassins die horribly in the attempt? Let’s see how it went...

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

1: Callidus Assassin Klara Rhasc reveals the first room. Taking three cards from the Room deck, the one with the lowest number in the top corner is placed on the board.

2: A startled Cultist stands in the room. Phase sword drawn, Rhasc uses her second action to perform a Hit and Run, killing the heretic and sprinting into the corridor.

3: In his death throes, Rhasc’s victim lets out a terrible scream. A nearby Cultist On Patrol (within six squares of where his comrade died) instantly goes On Alert.

4: Unaware of the violence happening elsewhere in the Astropathic Sanctum, these Cultists continue their patrols, desperate to please their Lord. Heretical sycophants…

5: Walls block Rhasc’s line of sight to the next room. Fortunate, really, because it may contain more Cultists and there are plenty around for her to deal with already.

6: At the start of every Chaos turn an event card is drawn. A few turns in, a Random Sweep is drawn, resulting in a dreaded Chaos Space Marine appearing.

7: Vindicare Zhau lurks in the corridor. Using his Deadshot ability, he executes the new arrival, the only Assassin that can kill a Chaos Space Marine in a single shot.

8: The Culexus Noctus Kord reveals two Cultists in a room. With only one action left, he can fire the Animus Speculum, but he’ll only be able to kill one of them…

9: Fortunately the Cultists are stunned by his arrival. Caught unawares doing something nasty, they’re unable to do anything until next turn while they gather their wits.

10: Sylas Torq reveals two Cultists in a room. His metabolism fuelled by Frenzon, he makes an additional action and shoots both in the head without remorse.

11: The more Renegades there are On Alert, the more event cards are drawn each turn. It pays to be stealthy in this game. Or deathly efficient, your choice…

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

RENEGADES ON PATROL
Unaware of the Assassins in their midst, some Renegades will begin their move On Patrol. Their movement is dictated by the red arrows on the floor which indicate their patrol routes. The Cultist with the autogun, for example, is On Patrol and has rolled a 5 for his movement, so he follows the red arrows around the corner and into one of the unrevealed rooms (A). The Cultist with the autopistol, however, is On Alert. He’s heard something and runs full-tilt down the corridor (B), ignoring the patrol routes and heading straight for the source of the commotion. Little does he know what awaits him…

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

12: Zhau reveals the Control Bank, allowing the other assassins to use the Teleportarium to get to the Temple of Shades. But will he make it in time to aid his fellows?

13: When the first Assassin teleports to the Temple of Shades, all the Chaos Space Marines in play are recalled to the Temple by Drask, too. Bad news for the Assassins.

14: Noctus Kord unleashes the Soul Horror – his Omegon Tactic. Reeling from the foulness of his presence, all Renegades within six squares of him are left stunned, including Lord Drask.

15:Like Kord, Rhasc has been wounded. Unwilling to leave the teleport pad, she spends her turn using her synskin to heal herself. But has she left her allies unsupported?

16: Lord Drask is incredibly tough. Better armoured than a Chaos Space Marine and with a higher Stamina than anyone else in the game, he’s going to be hard to assassinate.

17: Drask’s familiar is the game’s turn counter. Should it reach turn 16 before the Assassins kill Drask, the forces of Chaos win. And no, you can’t kill the familiar.

18: His hypermetabolism boosted by Combat Drugs and Frenzon, Torq moves twice to get behind Drask to shoot him in the back. Sadly his shot has no effect!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
On turn 15 the Assassins finally made it into Drask’s lair. Though the Eversor didn’t hurt the renegade, the Culexus wounded him in the following (and final!) turn with the animus speculum. The Ritual nearing its conclusion, Drask found himself face to face with Sylas Torq. Unable to breach the Sorcerer’s armour, Torq enacted his own Omegon Tactic – grabbing Drask and exploding in a spectacular bio-meltdown, killing himself, Kord and the Chaos Sorcerer. The Assassins had won, but at terrible cost. How will you fare when you take on Operation Deathblow?

Citadel Legends is an in-depth look at our favourite kits – not just for the models they build, but for the wealth of interesting and exciting components that come on their sprues. This week we travel to the College of Light to get a closer look at the Luminark of Hysh.

Above: The Wizard Lord Jovi Sunscryer orders his Acolytes to move the Templehof Luminark into position alongside State Troopers from the city of Talabheim.

The Luminark of Hysh can also be built as a Celestial Hurricanum, a war machine of the Celestial Order. In place of the Luminark’s aether lenses is a rotating orrery, an Orb of Sorcery burning at its heart. When the planets align, the Wizard can call down shards of ice and flaming comets to smite his foes.

The Luminark of Hysh is surely one of the most bizarre war machines in the Empire, combining sorcery and arcane knowledge with mastery of science and engineering.

Released in 2012, the Luminark of Hysh marked a departure from the black powder weapons commonly associated with the Empire, heralding a new age of wondrous war machines the likes of which we’d only seen in illustrations of epic Warhammer battles. Indeed, the Celestial Hurricanum – the other way of building the kit – was based on artwork from a previous edition of the Warhammer Rulebook.

While many people love the Luminark for its innate weirdness, colourful battlefield presence and exciting painting opportunities, others love the kit for the wealth of modelling options it includes.

The sprue comes with a huge number of components, many of which are optional parts. Should you build a Luminark of Hysh, you’ll have a whole celestial orrery to add to your bits box (or vice versa). Similarly, the burning braziers, telescopes, scrolls, candles and even some of the Acolyte arms and heads are optional parts, making them perfect for conversions.

1: Barded warhorses pull the Luminark into battle.

2: The shields on the horses’ barding feature the Serpent of Light, the rune of Hysh.

3-: The Luminark’s chassis is covered in Griffons and twin-tailed comets

5: The wheels have details on both sides: hammers and swords on one side, the twin-tailed comet and the eight runes of magic on the other.

6: The walls of the Luminark are lined with potions, books, and scrolls. These versatile pieces have been spotted on countless conversions.

7-11: Telescopes: five of them. All the better to see you with.

12: These skulls have the honour of being mounts for burning braziers.

13-14: Candles, loads of them. They provide reading light for the Acolytes. They’re also great for conversions.

15: Purity seals, symbolising battle honours and lack of heretical thoughts.

16: Spell book. Hardback, 96 pages, embossed dust jacket, full colour (when painted).

17-20 The Luminark’s aether lenses. Mounted on a Serpent of Light, they convert the Wizard’s spells into beams of incandescent light.

21-22 The half-magical, half-mechanical gizmos that power the Luminark.

23-27 The Luminark kit can also be built as a Celestial Hurricanum. These parts make up the bulk of a vast spinning orrery…

28 …while these planets can be placed in various slots around its circumference.

29 The Wizard can be built as either a Light or Celestial Wizard. A base is provided so you can build the Wizard Lord on foot, leaving his Acolytes to operate the Luminark.

30 The Wizard’s magic staff comes with two different heads – a flaming comet or two golden serpents.

31 Components for two studious Acolytes. The book tucked under the arm is a popular piece for preacher style conversions…

32 …while the Acolyte heads wearing light-reflecting goggles have a habit of turning up in Inquisitorial retinues.

Paint Splatter provides handy tips and stage-by-stage painting guides for the week’s key releases. This week we set our sights on the Vindicare Assassin.

For our example of a Vindicare Assassin we’ve focussed on using neat edge highlights to get a great final result. To do this, use the smallest brush you have, brace your hands to avoid shake and keep your paints well watered down. Another good tip is to keep the exitus rifle and vignette base separate as you work on the model, only gluing it together when it is all painted. That way, you can easily get at all the recesses and hidden details.

Next week: large armour plates.

Join us for a round-up of the week as we share comment, opinion and trivia on all the latest releases, plus other fun tidbits that have cropped up in the White Dwarf bunker. This week we delve into Assassinorum: Execution Force, show off a Tau Commander and ogle a squig.

VICTORY OR DEATH:
COOPERATION AND ACHIEVEMENTS

From the moment your Execution Force sets foot inside the Astropathic Sanctum, their ability to work together will be tested. Which Assassin is going into that room first? The Vindicare is cut off – do you go back and rescue him from the Chaos Space Marines or leave him to die? The game has a way of challenging your cooperative spirit – someone has to roll the dice for the bad guys, and the first time your ‘friend’ wounds your Assassin with a lucky shot from a Cultist’s autopistol, you’ll see them differently. The key to winning the game is to keep a cool head, adopt the calming rituals of the Vindicare and focus on the mission…

But there are only so many times you can forgive a berserk Eversor for alerting all the sentries. And cooperation becomes even more essential if you aim to complete any of the extra achievements. The back page of the Execution Force rulebook is loaded with 12 such achievements – at the end of the game, turn to the list and see which you’ve managed. When you’ve played the game through a couple of times, you might want to aim for a particular achievement. Want to earn ‘No Witnesses’? You’ll need to move fast and be ultra-violent in your tactics. Aiming for achievements adds some real cooperative fun to your games.

ASSASSINS

THE TEMPLES

The Officio Assassinorum can trace its origins back to the earliest days of the Great Crusade, when the Emperor proclaimed his intention to conquer the stars in the name of Mankind. Shadowy individuals, loyal to the Emperor, sought out those who resisted, and sanctioned them. In time, great temples were established where the skills of these men and women could be taught to others, and thus the Officio Assassinorum was born.

Within an Assassinorum temple, youths are taught the art of killing. They are stripped of mercy and sentiment, emotions that are replaced by unbending faith and an unbreakable will to punish the enemies of the Emperor.

BY IMPERIAL DECREE

In the 41st Millennium a majority of two thirds is required within the Senatorum Imperialis, the High Lords of Terra, before an Imperial Assassin is deployed. This helps ensure that their extraordinary power is never misused, such as it was during the Reign of Blood.

The new format Warhammer Visions goes on pre-order this week and we’re really proud of it and all the extra content we’ve crammed inside. The pictures of the Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii are a wonder to behold and the first instalment of our Warhammer Fest 2014 coverage is a feast for the eyes.

Best of all, it’s massive! With its pages 59% larger than the previous edition, it’s 47% larger overall! Or, to skip the dirty numbers: just look at it, alongside the original Warhammer: Visions magazine. The four-page gatefold looks especially impressive in this new format.

The battlefields of the Dark Millennium have proven a fertile hunting ground for the agents of the Officio Assassinorum over the years. In the maelstrom of war, an Assassin can often find their mark as easily as in the tortured hallways of a Chaos temple or the ramshackle alleyways of an Ork encampment.

Using an Imperial Assassin in your army breathes a narrative into any game you play – a sub-plot that adds to the story of your game. As soon as your opponent sees the Assassin in your ranks, he’ll be on guard to protect his Warlord. As for which Assassin you use, with Execution Force you have access to all four: if your opponent leans on psykers, deploy the Culexus to the field. Does his warlord hide at the back of the throng? Consider a Callidus or Vindicare. Of course, if you want to go the whole hog – take all four as an Execution Force and unleash hell.

This XV8 Battlesuit Commander was painted by Steven Garcia, who was inspired by How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Tau Empire, for iPad. While he used the guide for most of the model, Steven also added his own flair to the colour scheme, with a non-metallic metal finish throughout, and a striking blue glow on the power cells and gun barrel acting as a spot colour. Steven painted the glowing effect with Guilliman Blue, followed by Lothern Blue and White Scar. To see the painting guide, get on to the iTunes store and search for ‘How to Paint Citadel Miniatures.’

If you’ve painted a miniature that you think is worthy of a place in White Dwarf then why not send a picture to:

team@whitedwarf.co.uk

If it’s something we can use, we’ll be sure to get in touch.

Are your Ogres struggling to stave off their appetite until lunchtime? Do you need some meaty goodness to take on campaign? Look no further than the rack of ribs found in the Ogres kit. It’s the perfect bit of snack-related plunder for your next conversion.

The Callidus Assassin’s phase sword and neural shredder both glow with green energy. We asked the ’Eavy Metal team how they did it: “This effect was achieved with a basecoat of Caliban Green, and then highlighted by mixing in Warpstone Glow, followed by Moot Green,” they said. “The final highlight was done with a mix of Yriel Yellow and White Scar. It’s important to leave the darkest colours in the recesses, so that there is a strong sense of contrast.”

The standard weapon of the Warp Spiders Aspect Warriors, death spinners work by loosing a cloud of writhing mono-molecular wire which thrashes about with lethal results. Flesh caught within this flailing spider’s web is sheared from bones and even armour can be sundered, cut to pieces by the lethal filament. Any weapon which can slice its victim to bits with invisible monofilament is all right by us!

It turns out that our regular Bit of the Week has been a bit of a hit down in the catacombs of the Design Studio. Each week the designers and sculptors seek out the ‘bit’ in question and add it to a results board that keeps track of all the bits we have featured in the magazine so far. A few weeks back they even held an impromptu vote to determine their bit of the year – the resounding favourite was the Targeter Squig that comes in the Flash Gitz kit.

Above: The Targeter Squig, Bit of the Year according to the miniatures designers.

Some of the White Dwarf team’s favourites. Special mentions must go to the ‘cheeky’ Nurgling and the beloved powder monkey.

Notes from the worlds of Warhammer. This week: assassinations.

SHADOWBLADE
Nobody, save Shadowblade himself and perhaps Crone Hellebron, know quite how many foes have fallen to the blades of the enigmatic Dark Elf Assassin Shadowblade. A master of stealth and an expert in every conceivable means of murder, he has perpetrated countless killings on behalf of the Cult of Khaine. Legends abound as to his exploits, from the single-handed assassination of the crew of an entire Hawkship to killing the nine Burgomeisters of Kreisswold in a single night.

DEATHMASTER SNIKCH
Arguably the most accomplished murderer in the Warhammer world, Deathmaster Snikch has conducted some of the most famous killings of all time, from the death of Celestial Wizard Heinrich Frisen to the killing of King Belegar’s brother, Lord Dromgar. Without a doubt, Snikch’s greatest kill takes place during the End Times, as he did what was previously thought impossible and claimed the scalp of High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer.

THE PHOENIX KING
One of the great mysteries of the End Times is the murder of King Finubar the Seafarer, who was found killed behind the magically sealed doors of his sanctum. Speculation at the time of Finubar’s death was rife as to quite how he had been slain, and who had perpetrated the killing. Those who claimed that the blame must in some way lie with Malekith were, of course, not wrong, but few could have imagined that his accomplice in this act would be none other than Teclis. Fewer still could have imagined the horrors that Malekith’s Daemons would wreak on the Phoenix King.

The White Dwarf is a font of hobby knowledge, a metaphorical repository of useful facts. If you have a question about Warhammer 40,000 or Warhammer, need a bit of painting advice or you’re after a few tactical tips, drop us a line:

team@whitedwarf.co.uk

HOW MANY TEMPLES ARE THERE?

Greetings, oh beloved bearded one, I have a question, if I may: there are Citadel miniatures for four types of Imperial Assassins. But are there other temples we don’t know much about?

- Brian ‘Ordo Sicarius’ Faracomb

GROMBRINDAL SAYS

Well, hello to you too. You may ask, and the answer is thus: there are an undisclosed number of temples within the Officio Assassinorum. The four we know best (Vindicare, Callidus, Eversor and Culexus) are the most influential in their service to the Imperium. Others that exist include Venenum, masters of poison, and Vanus, who kill with information. If you want to know a little more about the Vanus temple, you could do worse than check out the Assassinorum Execution Force novella and The Emperor’s Judgement audio drama. Throughout both stories Klara Rhasc and her companions are ably assisted by the distant Kuriel Adamta, a Vanus infocyte.

- Grombrindal

The Royal Court of Xonthar Resplendent is the ruling elite of the Xonthar dynasty, a newly-awoken force that have spent much of their time since the Great Sleep battling the Eldar of Craftworld Ulthwé. Early battles saw them annihilated by the black-clad Eldar; however, complex reanimation protocols and self-repair rituals keep their forces strong, even in defeat.

Ruled by its Phaeron, Nemesor Varagon Drakvir, Xonthar has been aggressive in striving to reclaim that which was lost and many worlds have felt their wrath. In battle Drakvir is accompanied by his Royal Court, foremost amongst whom is Overlord R’zhan R’drah, Regent of Oblivios, a necessary, but untrustworthy, second in command, who musters the Xonthar Decurions when Drakvir is otherwise engaged. Of late, Xonthar has found itself facing a new foe, the towering Imperial Knights of House Terryn. Their haughty attitude has ired the egomaniacal Drakvir, who now readies his dynasty for total war.

Left: His Eternal Magnificence Nemesor Varagon Drakvir, Phaeron of the Xonthar Dynasty. Clasped in his fist is a resurrection Orb. Imperial Ordo Xenos agents report he is never seen without it.

Right: Overlord R’zhan R’drah, Regent of Oblivios. The same agents reason that R’zhan may indeed be the source of Drakvir’s sense of paranoia.

Above: Lord Henghast Zo, Regent of Jadoris, Lord Stygos M’rrith, Regent of Darkliss, and Illuminor Tranz, the Dustwalker. Tranz serves as Drakvir’s court vizier, a role that gives him ample chance to spread suspicion and doubt about R’zhan.

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