ISSUE 69
23 May 2015

Editor: Jes Bickham
jes@whitedwarf.co.uk

Publisher: Paul Lyons
paul@whitedwarf.co.uk

And so the lords of Mars are finally revealed: prostrate yourself, readers, as the forces of the Cult Mechanicus are brought to bear. The sinister figures of the Tech-Priests Dominus and their cybernetic vassals are united in worship of the Machine God, and joined in battle by the lethal zealotry of the Electro-Priests. With a new Codex offering fascinating background reading for this deadly new faction, there has never been a better time to smite the enemies of man! And why not combine the Cult Mechanicus with their military forces, the Skitarii Legions? We give you some examples on page 18 in our Sons of the Omnissiah feature – along with an exclusive new formation for Warhammer 40,000 in Theatre of War.

In short, it’s another thrilling week in the world of Citadel miniatures and Games Workshop – see you next week for more!

Within the Cult Mechanicus the rank of Dominus is given only to those Tech-Priests who have displayed a talent for war. As shapers of destruction they bring the cold, calculating logic of the Adeptus Mechanicus to the battlefield. Woe betide any who oppose their will.

A wizened and ancient, hunchbacked spectre, the appearance of the Tech-Priest Dominus belies his true nature – each is a master of warfare in its many guises, the commander of one of the vast armies of the Machine Cult unleashed to hunt down lost treasures, execute techno-heretics and defend the forge worlds, all by the will of the Tech-Priests Dominus.

Equipped with a baffling array of weapons and wargear, little of the Tech-Priest’s flesh remains, a trinity of titanium limbs and a sea of mechadendrites supporting his one remaining biological hand, withered flesh still gripping a skull-topped staff; even his face has been replaced with a dispassionate mask of piercing optics and sucking cables. The kit actually includes two separate heads for you to choose from: the cowled one you see here, and another wearing a priestly klobuk (which you can see opposite) for he is amongst the masters of the priesthood of Mars.

The Tech-Priest is armed with a terrifying array of weapons, with a volkite blaster or eradication ray as his main weapon and a phosphor serpenta or macrostubber as a backup weapon. His fourth arm is attached to a tall power axe, the iconic weapon of the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus. This weapon, wrought millennia ago, even has a vox-unit built in – you can just imagine bursts of machine-cant rattling out as he orders his congregation into battle.

Above: A Tech-Priest advances imperturbably towards the front lines accompanied by Kastelan Robots and a Datasmith.

Left: Hanging on a sturdy bionic arm (one of three, no less) the Tech-Priest carries a volkite blaster, a weapon that kills through subsonic combustion.

Right: The Tech-Priest’s one real hand looks thin and feeble compared to his mighty bionic limbs.

Left: A power pack provides the Tech-Priest’s many weapons with all the power they need. Above it sit sanctus canisters, filled with fluids to sustain life, suppress emotion and other, more sinister purposes.

Centre: A phosphor serpenta. The kit includes an alternative macrostubber too.

Right: Even the Tech-Priest Dominus wears a rad-cleanser.

Tech-Priests devoted to the understanding of the Motive Force, the Corpuscarii Electro-Priests harness vast amounts of electricity within the dynamo generators on their backs and unleash it upon the unworthy in sheets of lightning.

With bulky dorsal generators grafted onto their backs and a halo of transistors like a crown upon their heads, the Corpuscarii Electro-Priests are living batteries, willing hosts to the unstoppable energy of the Omnissiah’s Motive Force.

Unlike the sinister Tech-Priest Dominus, the Electro-Priests are men of flesh and blood, though their muscular frames crackle with the barely restrained power coursing through the sub-dermal cybernetic implants that trail around their bodies. Called electoos, these vein-like augmentations resemble something between war paint and a circuit board, and hold so much power the Electro-Priests’ eyes have burned out. More importantly they channel power to the electrostatic gauntlets with which they loose arcing lightning into the foe, killing the unworthy with jagged bolts of electricity.

Above: Corpuscarii Electro-Priests advance ahead of Kataphron battle servitors, bathed in their own electric glow.

Left: A layer of sub-dermal implants run beneath the Electro-Priest’s flesh. These carry the vast currents that flow through their bodies.

Right: Each Electro-Priest wears holy vestments decorated with sacred depictions of the Motive Force.

Left: The Corpuscarii have powerful dynamo generators grafted onto their backs.

Right: Thick cables transfer power to their deadly electrostatic gauntlets.

The violent brotherhood known as the Fulgurite Electro-Priests crackle with stolen energy, plundered from those defeated in mortal combat. Every blow from their electroleech staves steals the victim’s anima, siphoning it into their capacitors.

A bizarre and ancient schism within the orders of the Electro-Priests has divided the priesthood into two opposing factions: the Corpuscarii and Fulgurite sects. The Fulgurites believe it is their duty to deny the galaxy’s unworthy creatures the Motive Force of the Omnissiah – they crusade to steal away the electrical life force of their enemies, drawing it away from their victim through the haft of their electroleech staves, down thick insulated cables that run from each end of the stave, and into the capacitors they wear upon their backs.

As priests they conduct their violent battle-sacrament clad in holy raiment: sturdy rubberised gloves and boots with inches-thick soles insulate the Electro-Priests against the lethal electrical discharges as they bludgeon their enemies, while the electoos that run across their torsos are bared to the world as a sign of their unflinching faith.

Above: Electro-Priests of the Fulgurite sect prepare to reclaim the Motive Force from the alien heresies that are the Eldar ghost warriors.

Left: Every Electro-Priest is functionally blind, their eyes destroyed by the terrible power coursing through their veins.

Right: A capacitor grafted to the Fulgurite’s back stores the Motive Force looted from the bodies of the Electro-Priest’s foes.

Above: The Fulgurite Electro-Priests carry electroleech staves into battle. The remarkable technology in these arcane weapons can sap every iota of anima from their victim with a single touch, leaving nothing but a lifeless corpse.

The mysterious and secretive Cult Mechanicus is home to some of the Imperium’s deadliest warriors, congregations of Tech-Priests, servitors and robots that stride to war with the zeal of priests marching on a crusade, eager to stamp out heresy and punish the unbeliever.

The priesthood of the Cult Mechanicus are not peaceful supplicants to an unseen god, but warriors devoted to the Quest for Knowledge. In every corner of the Imperium where the Adeptus Mechanicus holds sway, the Cult Mechanicus gathers in Battle Congregations, drawing upon countless Kataphron battle servitors and the automaton robots of the Legio Cybernetica to do their bidding. The army advances to the clamour of grinding gears, whirring servos and the blare of binharic cant unleashed from every vox caster and augmented larynx.

Codex: Cult Mechanicus is the ultimate guide to this brotherhood of destruction, an army of religious zealots devoted to the jealous gathering of knowledge and the utter obliteration of the Omnissiah’s foes. The book details the history of this warlike conclave, showing how the Cult organises itself and readies for battle, explaining the forge worlds of the Omnissiah, the Battle Congregations and the warriors within them, from the all-powerful Tech-Priest Dominus to the mindless Kataphron Servitors. Rules for all of these new units allow you to bring the armies of the Cult Mechanicus to the battlefield as never before, with four Formations including Cybernetica Cohorts, Elimination Maniples and the schism-defying Numinous Conclave (Electro-Priests unite!). The Codex also has new Warlord Traits, Tactical Objectives, a brilliant army special rule in Canticles of the Omnissiah, which represents the manifested faith of the Cult as they beseech the Omnissiah, Arcana Mechanicum and much more.

Above: A Tech-Priest Dominus stands flanked by a pair of Kastelan Robots on the Codex cover.

Above: Glorious artwork shows the armies of the Cult Mechanicus in battle throughout the book, including this stunning piece of an Electro-Priest meting out the Omnissiah’s wrath upon an unfortunate Ork.

Above: Galleries of Citadel miniatures painted by the exceptional Studio army painters and world renowned ’Eavy Metal team show the Cult Mechanicus in the colours of Mars, Metalica and Ryza forge worlds.

For Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, no goal is more important than the Quest for Knowledge, no treasure greater than the archives of information upon the forge worlds. For collectors who feel the same, we present the Dominus Edition of Codex: Cult Mechanicus.

The Dominus Edition of Codex: Cult Mechanicus is strictly limited to only 900 copies, and is sure to sell out quickly. Make sure you pre-order your copy to avoid disappointment. It’s available online only from:

www.games-workshop.com

The Dominus Edition is a labour of love devoted to the lords of the forge worlds. Each comes sealed in a presentation box, detailed with brass foil depicting the icon of the Cult Mechanicus. This box opens to reveal a copy of Codex: Cult Mechanicus with a finish unique to this edition: the outer treatment gives way to a tipped-in page with unique numbering and the cover art from the standard edition.

Beyond the Codex you’ll find a decorative envelope that contains an illustration of Holy Mars (something no Tech-Priest should ever be without), and beneath this a layer of foam that holds even more treasures. In custom-cut hexagonal slots you’ll find 36 Tactical Objective cards, six Canticles of the Omnissiah cards and six Ryza tokens. These brass effect tokens are labelled with the icon of the forge world of Ryza, and are perfect for marking battlefield objectives. This edition is a sister piece to the Ruststalker Edition of Codex: Skitarii – and they look absolutely amazing side by side.

6 Canticles of the Omnissiah cards & 36 Tactical Objectives

Harness the mysteries of Mars and unleash the Omnissiah’s wrath in your games with these datacards.

When the Cult Mechanicus wages war it does so for its own mysterious purposes, often to secure a precious relic of technology or to safeguard the treasures of the Omnissiah. These datacards allow you to bring those missions to life with 36 Tactical Objectives cards, including objectives such as Reclaim Lost Knowledge, where you must sweep the foe from critical areas, or Destroy, Record, Rejoice, where you are rewarded for bringing death to the war machines in the enemy army.

The set also includes seven Canticles of the Omnissiah cards (six for the Canticles, and a seventh to explain how they work), which reflect the Cult harnessing the power of the Omnissiah on the battlefield, for instance with the Litanies of the Electromancer or Shroudpsalms.

By Rob Sanders
Hardback | 192 pages

The lost forge world of Velchanos Magna lies contested. Tech-Priest Torquora must see the battle won.

The anxiously awaited sequel to Adeptus Mechanicus: Skitarius is here at last, as Rob Sanders continues the story of an unfolding war between the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Iron Warriors Legion of Chaos Space Marines, and some truly monstrous allies.

In this novel Sanders has perfectly encapsulated the nature and character of the Machine Cult, with vivid, absorbing depictions of the weapons and wargear of the Adeptus Mechanicus in battle and the glorious image of Tech-Priest Omnid Torquora, our hero in this violent adventure. If you enjoyed the first book, or just want some no holds barred Adeptus Mechanicus action, this one is for you.

If Adeptus Mechanicus: Tech-Priest has grabbed your interest, you might want to pick up the previous novel, Adeptus Mechanicus: Skitarius, too. If you’ve already got it, and you’re thirsty for more why not try out Titanicus by Dan Abnett – the brilliant descriptions of Titan warfare are unmissable.

Released this week alongside the new Cult Mechanicus models and Codex is this massive transfer sheet designed with Mars in mind. With more than 1000 transfers on the sheet, you’ll have everything covered, from robot designators to chemical compound warnings.

Nothing finishes off a great paint job better than putting on all the right unit markings and this new Mars transfer sheet helps you do just that. Designed specifically for the Cult Mechanicus armies of Mars it covers essential individual and unit markings such as Kastelan Robot markings, Kataphron numbers, Martian origin stamps and even kill markings. The transfer sheet is exceptional quality, with the carrier film shaped around the individual transfers to make removing them as easy as possible.

1. Robot designators. Such markings are unique to a Kastelan and are never repeated within a single Kastelan Robot Maniple.

2. Forge world origin stamps (all of these show Mars, of course). These can be used anywhere on manufactured equipment.

3. Forge world maker’s plates.

4. Weapon designator markings – put them on powerful guns to act as warnings or guides.

5. Adeptus Mechanicus icons and Mars forge world indicators.

6. Short form Mars origin stamps.

7. Cogitator identifiers.

8. Archeoscript.

9. Cog symbols and maker’s mark sigils.

10. Numbers.

11. Cog seals.

12. Cog ciphers. What does it all mean…?

13. Rad counters

14. Skulls and cog symbols for use anywhere.

15. Battle Congregation designator badges.

16. Archeoscript.

17. Port and socket markers.

18. Cult icons.

19. Unknown. Possibly obsolete unit markings, meaning now unknown.

20. Kill markings and campaign badges.

21. More archeoscript.

22. Kataphron clade markings; small digits are individual marks.

23. Kataphron and Kastelan designator marks.

24. Mysterious seals. If you don’t understand the code, don’t touch…

25. Legio designators.

26. Kataphron markers (large digits reflect units, small ones individual servitors).

27. Adeptus Mechanicus glyphs for general use.

28. Compound and chemical warning sigils.

29. Kataphron recognition codes (one per servitor).

30. Edging trim, cog design.

Want to show your allegiance to Forge World Metalica? With this transfer sheet, you can.

This new, large Adeptus Mechanicus transfer sheet for the forge world of Metalica provides all the transfers you need for your force, be they the legions of the Skitarii, the Cult Mechanicus, or both.

The sheet includes Skitarii squad markings (bearing the hammer-clenching fist icon of Metalica), vehicle recognition numbers, Kataphron markings, forge world maker’s plates and origin stamps (bearing the ‘MTA’ code of Metalica and a millennium of forging!) for the vehicles, not to mention a generous smattering of mysterious sigils, kill markings, campaign badges, archeoscript, arcane iconography, cog trims, hazard markers and much, much more. Get them now and have the legions of Metalica looking their very best.

All of these transfer sheets are available online only, while stocks last, so be sure not to miss them. You can pre-order them right now direct from the Games Workshop website:

www.games-workshop.com

The Adeptus Mechanicus of Ryza need feel poor relations no longer with their very own transfer sheet.

This large transfer sheet includes all the markings and designators you could possibly need for your Ryza legions, Skitarii and Cult Mechanicus alike, including squad markings, maniple and cohort designators, vehicle recognition markings and everything else you need for the sons of the rust-red world of Ryza.

Skitarii squad markings and forge world maker’s plates all bear the cog-embellished ‘R’ of Ryza , while separate Ryza icons, numbers and other symbols, in a variety of sizes, can be combined to allow you to produce your own squad markings, maniple designators and vehicle recognition numbers if you want to. All in all, these are some of the best transfers we’ve ever made.

The Skitarii Legions are proud to wear the colours of their founding forge worlds, rejoicing in their role as holy warriors of the Machine Cult. Legions of the Omnissiah is the key to painting your own Skitarii army.

Legions of the Omnissiah continues our series of painting guides designed to help you get your own army painted to exacting standards. Within it you’ll find specific guides for painting two different Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii armies: the Lost Macroclade, an army of Martian Skitarii, and a Metalican force known as the Armageddon Excarnaclade.

Both armies are accompanied with enthralling history and stories, as well as detailed stage-by-stage painting guides to help you reproduce the techniques used on the models. If you want a gorgeous looking Skitarii army, this book is a great place to start.

Legions of the Omnissiah is also available to download as a digital edition for iPad and eBook see page 1 for more details.

From forge worlds across the Imperium the congregations of the Cult Mechanicus set off on violent crusades to recover the lost treasures of Mankind. This painting guide details how to paint three such armies.

It’s a good week to be a fan of the Adeptus Mechanicus – and painting your army – as it also sees the release of a second painting guide: Crusaders of the Machine God. Within the whopping 128 pages of this softback guide you’ll find detailed background, history and unit markings for the three Cult Mechanicus armies: the Emperygenic Congregation of Mars, the Ryzan Xenophagist Expedition and Metalica’s Bioextinction Congregation.

The history of each army is described in detail and the painting tips within should have you recreating the armies in no time – it’s the perfect companion to this week’s Cult Mechanicus releases.

Crusaders of the Machine God is also available to download as a digital edition for iPad and eBook. See page 1 for more details.

Paint Splatter provides handy tips and stage-by-stage painting guides for the week’s key releases. This week we look at the new Electro-Priest models.

Although the Corpuscarii and Fulgurite factions of Electro-Priests are forever at odds on how the Motive Force of the Machine God should be worshipped and used (especially in battle), they are in accord when it comes to colour schemes. The difference between the two is the wargear they are armed with. The guide we’ve included below covers both types of Electro-Priest – all you need to choose is Fulgurite or Corpuscarii.

When we talked to the Studio army painters about the Electro-Priests they offered one crucial piece of advice: make sure that you water your paints down sufficiently, especially when tackling their skin – otherwise you might obscure the electoos that crisscross their flesh. A good rule of thumb is to get your paint to the consistency of single cream (like you’d find in a supermarket’s fridge section). It is always better to build up colours with a couple of coats of paint that is heavily watered down than to clog details with a single coat that is too thick.

PAINTING ELECTROSTATIC GAUNTLETS

For the Electrostatic Gauntlets, paint the gloves Abaddon Black, then layer them with Dark Reaper and Fenrisian Grey. For the finger-caps, use Warplock Bronze layered with Brass Scorpion and then washed with Agrax Earthshade.

Next week: painting blue and gold.

When the dominions of the Adeptus Mechanicus are threatened, the scions of the Machine God answer with devastating force, deploying the faithful warriors of the Skitarii Legions, the battle congregations of the Cult Mechanicus and other, even mightier allies.

The Adeptus Mechanicus is among the most powerful and furthest reaching institutions in the galaxy, with forge worlds, research bases and Explorator fleets operating across the length and breadth of the Imperium. This naturally makes the Priesthood of Mars a widespread and influential organisation, and through ten millennia of dealings with the Imperium, the Tech-Priests of the Cult Mechanicus have fought alongside every possible organ of Mankind’s many armies, from the regiments of the Astra Militarum and the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes to the agents of the Inquisition.

In spite of these varied alliances, the Adeptus Mechanicus remains a secretive and sometimes insular organisation. Most likely when the Adeptus Mechanicus’s priesthood, the powerful Cult Mechanicus, plans for war, they will look to their own Skitarii Legions first and foremost. Under the command of the Tech-Priests, these many arms of the Adeptus Mechanicus fight for the same goals, practise the same creed and wear the same vestments. The Skitarii often make war on their own, but they are the Tech-Priests’ to command, and when the Tech-Priests so will it, the full might of a forge world will be felt.

MADE FAMOUS

The pages of Black Library novels are loaded with examples of the Adeptus Mechanicus cooperating with (or coming to blows with) the wider Imperium. Check out Priests of Mars by Graham McNeill, the opening novel in a trilogy focusing on the Adeptus Mechanicus, or take a look at Rob Sanders’s Adeptus Mechanicus: Skitarius and Tech Priest (the second of which is released this week).

The army you can see below is formed of the warriors of Forge World Metalica, the unification of the Skitarii Legions and Cult Mechanicus. The Metalican Skitarii have always been considered expendable by the forge world’s priesthood, their lifeblood the currency with which the priesthood of Metalica wage war against their many foes. The deployment of the Armageddon Excarnaclade, for instance, was a literal death sentence for its warriors, who found themselves face-to-face with the mightiest of Khorne’s champions. Not that they lost the war – in fact, the Imperium won a great victory on that accursed world and the Skitarii played a crucial part in it – but such were the horrors the courageous Skitarii warriors had witnessed that a total purge was required in the aftermath, the survivors terminated and stripped for parts.

To one outside of the mysteries and methods of the Cult Mechanicus, such an outcome smacks of cruelty and callousness, but in truth such emotional distinctions are irrelevant to the logically-minded Tech-Priests Dominus who invariably lead such formations. Indeed, many times it has been remarked that a Dominus views the warriors scurrying about on the battlefield with an insectoid detachment, concerned only with how they will help him achieve the most effective victory – after all, Kataphron Servitors are easily repaired or replaced, and there is no shortage of mortals hoping to join the Skitarii cohorts .

An alliance between Cult Mechanicus and Skitarii forces thus focuses on the Dominus leading it. Imagine a megalomaniacal Tech-Priest orchestrating every aspect of the battle, like a virtuoso composer directing a symphony of carnage. At a whim Kataphrons rumble forward, guns blazing; a blurted command has Skitarii Vanguard loosing precision volleys, and the merest whim has the faithful dying in droves for the glory of the Omnissiah.

THE IMPERATIVES

As the holy warriors of the Machine God, the Skitarii are regularly blessed by the divine presence of the Omnissiah – or so they believe. Throughout the course of a battle Tech-Priests overseeing the flow of combat from orbiting command barges are able to directly intervene in the unfolding events, seizing control of their Skitarii minions for long enough to ensure a particular objective is achieved. Unlike psychic possession or other, clumsy involuntary mind control methods, the Tech-Priests connect directly to the Skitarii in question via data-tethers.

For the Skitarii, this is a euphoric moment – as the Tech-Priest takes over, they perceive it as direct communion with the Omnissiah, and readily surrender all control to him.

Mars is the ancient home of the Adeptus Mechanicus and is more steeped in tradition and ritual than any other forge world. As one might expect, its alliances are also older than any other, so to reflect this, for our second example we’ve created a force that includes elements of three interlinked brotherhoods, all drawn from the Red Planet: the Cult Mechanicus, the Skitarii Legions and House Taranis, an Imperial Knight Household of holy Mars.

An army like the one you can see here is ripe for expansion too: the image of dozens of Skitarii Vanguard and Rangers forming a bodyguard for the Tech-Priest Dominus is irresistible, and by adding just a few more units to the Cult Mechanicus elements of the force, it can become a Battle Congregation, which means the whole army is Battle Forged. (Indeed, we’ve got an exclusive formation for just such an army – the Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation – in this issue’s Theatre of War. Turn to page 22 for more on this.)

One of the great things about an alliance such as this is that it unlocks a wealth of potential in your games – Imperial Knight armies are by their very nature almost always outnumbered, even if they have little to fear. Similarly, the Cult Mechanicus and the Skitarii might have some of the deadliest weapons available to Mankind, but they lack the towering engines of destruction that you see in the likes of Gorkanauts, Wraithknights or even Tyranid monsters such as Tyrannofexes.

The addition of an Oathsworn Imperial Knight detachment really turns that on its head and also adds another dynamic to the way you’ll play with your army: even the most cold-hearted Tech-Priest won’t needlessly sacrifice such an avatar of the Omnissiah’s power as an Imperial Knight – they are too precious and revered for that. Likewise, the Noble pilot of an Imperial Knight is simply too honourable and heroic not to protect the Skitarii and Electro-Priests fighting alongside it.

OTHER ALLIES

There are many within the Imperium who have favourable relationships with the scions of the Omnissiah. The Vostroyan Regiments of the Astra Militarum are drawn from a planet ruled by the techtriarchy, a council which includes Adeptus Mechanicus luminaries. These gruff, insular warriors may not worship the Machine God as the Skitarii do, but they fight alongside the Cult Mechanicus just the same.

Likewise, the Iron Hands Space Marines have long held ties to Mars; indeed, they share the credo that ‘the flesh is weak’ and venerate their own Techmarines and Iron Fathers. The Adeptus Mechanicus are certainly not afraid to call on such ancient alliances and turn the Space Marines’ destructive power to their own ends…

In Theatre of War we present missions, mini-games and scenarios designed to get you having fun on the gaming table with your Citadel miniatures. This week the Studio rules team present a brand new Formation to use in your games – the mighty War Convocation!

When the Adeptus Mechanicus face a threat of sufficient severity they will muster a War Convocation – a formation resembling something between a religious pilgrimage and a military crusade. The most experienced and dangerous Tech-Priest Dominus will be elevated to the rank of Alpha-Dominus and given command over a Cult Mechanicus Battle Congregation, Skitarii Battle Maniple and an Oathsworn Detachment drawn from an allied Imperial Knight Household. Such an assembly of military might is awe inspiring in scale and lethal in terms of power, but it is further supplemented as the armouries of the forge worlds are emptied. An enemy facing an Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation must contend with faith-filled warriors and Mankind’s deadliest weapons.

The War Convocation is a Formation that unites three different Detachments taken from three Codexes – Codex: Skitarii, Cult Mechanicus and Imperial Knights. Not only is it a dread-inspiring alliance of Adeptus Mechanicus-aligned warriors, but the special rules and bonuses your warriors get make it an exciting reward for collecting all these models, and great fun to play with.

Theatre of War is a regular feature all about giving you more things to do with your Citadel miniatures. Within it you’ll find ideas to try in your own games.

If you try out the Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation, why not let us know how your games went?
team@whitedwarf.co.uk

When the Adeptus Mechanicus gathers its warriors for battle, its armies have the power to rival any who stand before them. Able to call upon the combined strength of valiant nobles of the Knight Houses, the Priesthood of Mars’s most fanatical zealots and legions of Skitarii, the panoply of military power at their disposal knows almost no limit. War Convocations represent a formidable deployment of Mars’s might; equipped with the best weapons and technology and led into battle by a calculating Alpha-Dominus, the machine brothers of a War Convocation fight as a single, terrible whole.

FORMATION:

• 1 Cult Mechanicus Battle Congregation Detachment (see Codex: Cult Mechanicus)

• 1 Skitarii Battle Maniple (see Codex: Skitarii)

• 1 Imperial Knight Oathsworn Detachment (see Codex: Imperial Knights)

RESTRICTIONS:

None.

SPECIAL RULES:

The Machine Brotherhood of Mars: All units in this formation have the Canticles of the Omnissiah special rule (see Codex: Cult Mechanicus), even though they do not all have the Cult Mechanicus Faction.

Alpha-Dominus: If this Formation’s Tech-Priest Dominus is your Warlord, you can re-roll the result when rolling on the Warlord Traits table in Codex: Cult Mechanicus.

Might of the Adeptus Mechanicus: All weapon and wargear options taken by units in this Formation, including any Relics of Mars or Arcana Mechanicum, are free. Furthermore, all weapons with the Gets Hot special rule carried by a model in this Formation no longer has the Gets Hot special rule.

This week the priesthood of the Cult Mechanicus is reinforced with a new Tech-Priest Dominus, along with the Fulgurite and Corpuscarii Electro-Priests. Here we present the rules for using them in your games of Warhammer 40,000.

Artificer Armour

Each suit of artificer armour is a work of art, its electrofibre bundles and ceramite plates customised to the wearer via a hundred cybernetic interfaces.

Artificer armour confers a 2+ Armour Save.

Refractor Field

The refractor field distorts the image of the wearer with a cloak of energy.

A refractor field confers a 5+ invulnerable save.

Voltagheist Field

When incoming projectiles or energy beams threaten an Electro-Priest these tiny voltaic ghosts will often intercede.

A voltagheist field confers a 5+ invulnerable save. Furthermore, a model with a voltagheist field has the Hammer of Wrath special rule, resolved at Strength 4, and does not suffer the penalty to their Initiative for charging enemies through difficult terrain, but fights at its normal Initiative in the ensuing combat.

Mechadendrite Harness

The metal cables and spidery armatures that augment the Tech-Priests of the Cult Mechanicus can fulfil a hundred different tasks.

A model with a mechadendrite harness can fire all of its ranged weapons in the Shooting phase. In addition, a model with a mechadendrite harness is also equipped with a dataspike.

Dataspike

A dataspike can stab into the cortex of enemy machines and steal their secrets.

Dataspike: When a model equipped with a weapon that has this special rule makes Melee attacks, it makes an additional attack with this weapon at the Initiative 10 step. This does not grant the model an additional Pile In move.

Scryerskull

Some of the Machine God’s servants continue their work even beyond death.

At the start of each of your turns, a model with a Scryerskull can choose to identify a single Mysterious Objective anywhere on the battlefield.

Electroleech Stave

The powerful capacitors built into the length of each electroleech stave allow them to drink every iota of electric force from those they strike.

Electroleech: Any To Wound roll of 6 made by an electroleech stave has the Instant Death special rule.

Electrostatic Gauntlets

Corpuscarii wear metal apparatus around their wrists that channels tremendous electrostatic potential from their dorsal generators.

Eradication Ray

The eradication ray spells death to any caught in its pallid light.

A shot from an eradication ray has a different profile depending on how far the target is from the firer. If it is not clear which of the profiles to use, the controlling player can choose.

Macrostubber

The macrostubber is an antique pistol able to hurl out clouds of solid slugs.

Burst Pistol: A weapon with this special rule fires five shots when fired, but is otherwise treated as a Pistol.

Phosphor Serpenta

Even if a target survives the burning white spheres of the phosphor serpenta, the phosphorescent glow can guide an ally’s volley to strike the same target.

Range S AP Type
18” 5 4 Assault 1, Luminagen

Luminagen: A unit that suffers one or more unsaved Wounds, glancing or penetrating hits caused by a weapon with this special rule counts its cover saves as being 1 point worse than normal until the end of the phase. Furthermore, units can re-roll the dice to determine their charge range against the afflicted unit until the end of the turn.

Volkite Blaster

Volkite weapons impart so much thermodynamic energy to the target that those under their shimmering rays simply combust.

Deflagrate: After normal attacks by this weapon have been resolved, count the number of unsaved Wounds caused on the target unit. Immediately resolve a number of additional automatic Strength 6 AP5 hits on the same unit equal to the number of unsaved Wounds. Models in the target unit must still be in range in order for these additional hits to take effect. Any further Wounds caused as a result of this special rule do not cause any further hits.

Slithering, floating, stalking with avian gait, the Tech-Priests Dominus scour their surroundings with carrion eagerness. Ever vigilant for lost treasures they can pluck from the corpses of the worlds they conquer, their minds boil hot with data, and their spines are bent under the immense weight of knowledge they have torn from an unwilling universe. Despite their crooked appearance, these warrior magi are amongst the deadliest and most determined of all the Omnissiah’s hunters. To the Tech-Priests Dominus, the armies of the unenlightened are little more than specimens upon which they can demonstrate the supremacy of the Machine God. Alien, heretic and traitor alike are considered mere vermin, victims ready to be exterminated with the most advanced weaponry ever devised by Man.

WARGEAR:

• Artificer armour

• Volkite blaster

• Macrostubber

• Power axe

• Mechadendrite
harness

• Scryerskull

• Refractor field

SPECIAL RULES:

• Canticles of the Omnissiah

• Feel No Pain

• Independent Character

• Relentless

Master of Machines: In each of your Shooting phases, instead of firing one of his weapons (controlling player’s choice), a Tech-Priest Dominus can choose either to repair a single friendly vehicle that he is in base contact with or embarked upon, or to restore a Wound lost earlier in the battle. To do either, roll a D6. If the result is a 2 or more, your attempt was successful: if repairing a vehicle you may restore a Hull Point that the nominated vehicle lost earlier in the battle, or repair a Weapon Destroyed or Immobilised result suffered earlier in the battle; this is effective immediately. If restoring a Wound, either the Tech-Priest Dominus or any model with the Skitarii or Cult Mechanicus Faction in his unit regains a Wound lost earlier in the battle; this is effective immediately.

OPTIONS:

• May replace volkite blaster with an eradication ray - 15 pts

• May replace macrostubber with a phosphor serpenta - 5 pts

• May take items from the Special Issue Wargear and/or Arcana Mechanicum lists.

Fulgurite Electro-Priests crackle with the life energies of those they have personally slain. Their quest is to locate the Motive Force that animates all things, rip it from the bodies of the unworthy in the heat of battle, and hoard it on behalf of the Machine God. To do so they use electroleech staves – eldritch weapons that suck the bioelectricity from living creatures, drawing it out in one great draught and harnessing it within their core capacitors. Once stolen, that sacred energy can be used to power the holy instead of the heretical, crackling around them in such measure it can even burn away incoming projectiles. Those that a Fulgurite strikes with his holy weapon will topple to the ground like fallen trees, their synapses severed and their suddenly inert bodies as lifeless as if rigor mortis had set in days ago.

WARGEAR:

• Electroleech stave

• Voltagheist field

SPECIAL RULES:

• Canticles of the Omnissiah

• Feel No Pain

• Zealot

Siphoned Vigour: If a unit that contains one or more models with this special rule completely destroys an enemy unit (i.e. causes the last model in the enemy unit to be removed as a casualty) in the Assault phase, all voltagheist fields in the unit confer a 3+ invulnerable save instead of a 5+ invulnerable save until the end of the battle. This includes catching an enemy unit in a Sweeping Advance.

If several units with this special rule are involved in a multiple combat, be sure to resolve each unit’s close-combat attacks separately to determine which (if any) of the units completely destroy an enemy unit.

OPTIONS:

• May include up to fifteen additional Fulgurite Electro-Priests - 18 pts/model

The nomadic warriors of the Corpuscarii Electro-Priests blaze so bright they burn like living torches as they stride across the battlefield. Such is their desire to bring the Omnissiah’s glory to unenlightened machines that they have voluntarily become living batteries. Upon inception to their order, the Corpuscarii have dorsal generators grafted to their spines. These allow them to funnel living lightning through the cybernetic electoos that thread their body like artificial veins. Unfortunately for their foes, theirs is a generous creed; when their order marches to war they use electrostatic gauntlets to send coruscating bolts of energy searing across the battlefield, granting warriors and war machines alike the holy rapture of electrocution a moment before they are reduced to smoking ruin.

WARGEAR:

• Electrostatic gauntlets

• Voltagheist field

SPECIAL RULES:

• Canticles of the Omnissiah

• Feel No Pain

• Zealot

Shock: Whenever a model with this special rule makes attacks with its electrostatic gauntlets in the Shooting phase or the Assault phase, each To Hit roll of a 6 causes 2 additional hits on the target. Snap Shots never cause additional hits as a result of this special rule.

OPTIONS:

• May include up to fifteen additional Corpuscarii Electro-Priests - 18 pts/model

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 the mysteries of the Omnissiah and get tearful with the Electro-Priests.

THE QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE

The Adeptus Mechanicus are driven by a relentless hunger for knowledge, its Tech-Priests always craving greater understanding, with which they can fill the databanks of their forge worlds. Though they cherish all information, from ancient manuscripts and data-records to the combat logs of the Skitarii Legions, there is one treasure the Adeptus Mechanicus covet above all others: the Standard Template Constructs.

Ancient devices created before the dawn of the Imperium, the STCs contained much of Mankind’s wisdom and knowledge, and though most of them have been lost in the millennia since Humanity’s first attempts to colonise the stars, the Cult Mechanicus remain hopeful that more will yet be recovered. To that end, even now vast fleets of Adeptus Mechanicus space ships ply the galaxy in explorator fleets investigating any whisper of these lost relics. Should they hear tell of an STC, even an unconfirmed rumour, the Cult Mechanicus will mobilise as much force as they are able – and they will readily fight against any foe, be they traitors, xenos or even the Daemons of Chaos. To find an STC is the culmination of a Tech-Priest’s life’s work, the single greatest act they could ever accomplish.

THE TECH-PRIESTS

A THOUSAND RANKS

Astonishingly, the oft-mentioned ‘thousand ranks of Tech-Priest’ may even be a gross understatement, for only the databanks of the Adeptus Mechanicus themselves hold meaningful records of the secretive scholar-priests who make up the Priesthood of Mars. There are Tech-Priests who study every possible aspect of technology, science and life, from Magos who specialise in understanding biology, perfecting medicines and comprehending the mysteries of the mortal form to the humble Lexmechanics who pore over vast quantities of cogitator-stored data with holy zeal.

It is interesting to note that no Tech-Priest is more (or less) likely to take to the field of battle than another. A Genetor, who specialises in understanding the human body as a machine, may well also have such an aptitude for destruction that he is raised to the rank of Dominus – indeed, such an individual would doubtless possess valuable knowledge in the area of dealing death.

The complex hymns, war-blessings and techno-incantations of the Adeptus Mechanicus are known as the Canticles of the Omnissiah. They are a method by which the Cult Mechanicus optimise their subroutines and calibrate their combat systems for imminent action, but also a means by which they praise the Machine God. To those around them, these Canticles sound like hymns and prayers of binharic cant, blurted from vox-casters, speakers and throats alike. The effects, however, are astonishing as limbs are invigorated, weapon systems become more accurate and the Cult Mechanicus are surrounded in a blazing aura.

A Tech-Priest Dominus is an amalgamation of warrior and savant, girded for war in the name of the Omnissiah. The new Dominus miniature comes with a choice of two heads that each encapsulate different aspects of their extra-human nature. The hooded head matches the traditional image of a Tech-Priest, as long seen hunched over damaged machines in the midst of battle. The tall klobuk, on the other hand, projects even more strongly his priestly aspect – you can just picture him leading his Battle Congregation in fervent worship before the battle begins.

The Tech-Priest Dominus also comes with a couple of other options in the kit – his main gun can either be the volkite blaster seen on page 2 (or just over on the left) or an eradication ray, which you can see here. There is also a macrostubber for his secondary weapon – a sub-machine gun with a dizzying rate of fire.

Notes from the worlds of Warhammer. This week: steam power.

STEAM TANK

The Empire Steam Tank is probably the most impressive steam-powered innovation seen on the battlefields of the Old World. A battleship of the solid ground, it mounts a cannon in its hull and even has a Steam Gun set into the turret atop its hull. As long as the Imperial Engineer can keep the boiler stoked and the pressure high, a Steam Tank is an all but unstoppable engine of death, able to grind over whole regiments, leaving crushed and mangled bodies in its wake.

DEATH FROM ABOVE

The Dwarfs have a number of inventions that harness steam power to great effect but among their greatest must be the Gyrobomber and Gyrocopters, both of which are propelled by steam-driven screws. The Gyrocopter can even be equipped with a gun that looses a billowing cloud of super-heated steam – such is the heat of this weapon that enemies are often boiled alive in their armour like Marienburg lobsters in a pot.

STORMFIENDS

The strange weapons of the mutant monstrosities known as Stormfiends are a hideous hybrid of warpstone and steam power. Furnaces, boilers and valves keep the hideous Chaos-tainted power under high pressure until it is used to power salvoes from ratling cannons, poison wind mortar bombardments and other, equally horrendous weapons.

GRIMM’S FIST

The second Dwarf of his line to possess a deadly steam-driven gauntlet, Grimm Burloksson’s arm is the perfect tool for an engineer who does lots of hammering (of either grobi or engines).

Jon Hart is a prolific hobbyist who we have featured in White Dwarf and on the What’s New Today blog many times. His Dark Elf Supreme Sorceress caught our attention for the subtle shading in her hair, which adds a wonderful sense of depth to her flowing locks (the shades in her hair even match her intricate eye make-up). We were also very impressed by the freehand detail painted inside her skirts – a close inspection reveals that she’s thrown her lot in with a very dark power indeed.

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.

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

WHAT ABOUT THE NECRONS?

Since reading Codex: Skitarii I’ve been wondering how the Adeptus Mechanicus feel about the Necrons. Do they hate them, fear them or envy them?

- Darren ‘gauss jealousy’ Metcalf

GROMBRINDAL SAYS

No polite greeting? What would your ancestors say? All the same, the priesthood of Mars and the Necrons make for an interesting comparison and rumours and conspiracies abound. On the face of it, the Adeptus Mechanicus are, of course, appalled by the (as they see it) disgraceful, arcane, alien science behind the Necrons and their wargear. But there must be elements within the Cult Mechanicus who covet their self-repairing metal bodies and the technology that created them.

The answer to your question is: yes, I think openly they hate the Necrons and, while they may not admit it, many fear their technology. Envy? Oh, I imagine so.

- Grombrindal

When the power of the Motive Force flows through an Electro-Priest’s body, there is one very grisly side effect: the Electro-Priest’s eyeballs are caused to overheat and boil, eventually getting so hot they burst or simply melt. The aqueous humour running down the priest’s cheeks is referred to as the Omnissiah’s Tears. Though grisly, this is not an issue for the Electro-Priests, who thereafter perceive the world in a crackling vision of the Motive Force.

This massive bony appendage is the business end of a Bastiladon, the most heavily armoured war beast in the jungles of Lustria. While Bastiladons might not be the most aggressive of the creatures used by the Lizardmen, their durability and strength are legendary. When the bony tail-club strikes it does so with enough force to smash trees into splinters, shatter a Giant’s thigh bone or reduce a rank of Chaos Warriors to bloody paste.

Thanquol and Boneripper come with no less than 21 extra little rats in the kit and we love them. Our favourite is this tiny one clutching a chunk of warpstone with all the jealous enthusiasm of a starving man clutching a loaf of mouldy bread.

This week saw several of the White Dwarf team engaging in honourable battle against the Warhammer World crew. One of the more memorable encounters saw a Tau strike force poised for victory after a hard-fought battle against the Red Corsairs. These Chaos Space Marines – led by Huron Blackheart himself – had been so badly mauled by the firepower of the Tau that only two remained. Victory was surely in the hands of Ke’lshan, if they could only kill off those last two models…

Two heroic Riptide pilots, Shas’vre Vasl’lon and Shas’vre Ve’tau, with the glory of battle singing in their veins, decided to storm towards the reeling Chaos Space Marines, determined to crush them rather than use their deadly ion accelerators. With nothing but violence in their minds, they hurled themselves upon the foe – only to fail to actually kill their victims and, in fact, handing the victory to Chaos. An object lesson in sticking to the plan.

The forces of the Necrons continue to awaken in the White Dwarf bunker, as two separate Necron dynasties gain some very welcome additions to their ranks.

The Xonthar Dynasty continues to grow as more tomb worlds awaken. In their battles against the Imperial Knights of House Terryn, squadrons of Tomb Blades have been sighted with increasing regularity, using their incredible speed to threaten the flanks and rear of the Knights and circumnavigate their ion shields.

The Novokh Dynasty has found a rising star in the fearsome form of Overlord Galmakh, the Moon Killer, whose Decurion recently put a Militarum Tempestus strike force to flight, and even now amasses more power in the Ultima Segmentum.

Above: The Talons of Xonthar, a squadron of Tomb Blades operating out of Oblivios. The thrumming of their grav-engines has become a much-feared sound.

Above: Overlord Galmakh gained fame before the Great Sleep by destroying moons to forever shatter the gravity of worlds that defied his rule.

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