Warhammer Race List Part 3

Number 8: Daemonhunters

 

 

 

Foundation and role

 

In the backstory of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Ordo Malleus was founded after the end of the Horus Heresy to prevent any further daemonic incursion or influence. It is one of the two original Ordos of the Inquisition, the other being the Ordo Xenos. The Ordo Malleus concerns itself with the daemonic threat that faces the Imperium and for thousands of years has waged a covert war for humanity’s continued survival.

 

An Ordo Malleus Inquisitor is sanctioned to call on the aid of any organization of the Imperium. The greatest threat, that of daemonic invasion, can only be dealt with by the Grey Knights, the Ordo Malleus’s own Chamber Militant.

 

Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness describes the Ordo Malleus – besides being the Daemonhunters of the Imperium – as the secretive inner order of the Inquisition. It is controlled by a council of 169 Masters, whose authority extends even to the Master of the Inquisition. The Ordo’s organization is divided into Chambers, each controlled by a Proctor. The number of Inquisitors in a Chamber can vary from a few score to hundreds.

 

Grey Knights

 

The Grey Knights are a mysterious chapter of Space Marines. They act as the military arm of the Ordo Malleus, the Daemon-hunting branch of the omnipresent Inquisition.

 

 History

 

Legend has it that the Grey Knights were founded on the order of the Emperor himself, at some point between the start of the Horus Heresy and the events of the Second Founding. Though it is uncertain about the details (see below about origins), it is thought that the Emperor ordered the creation of a force designed to fight Chaos.It was the Horus Heresy that demonstrated that a force specializing in fighting Chaos was necessary.

 

Originally they were thought not to be descended from any of the original twenty Space Marine Legions, having been created from a unique gene-seed, rumoured to come from the Emperor of Mankind himself.

 

Another possible source for their gene-seed is a purified ‘cocktail’ of the eight loyal Space Marines from the traitor legions, presented to the Emperor by Malcador the Sigillite, during the Siege of the Emperor’s Palace. Malcador had been charged by the Emperor to gather a group of people whose loyalty, courage and strength of mind was unquestionable. The resulting eight marines possessed paranormal skills that were kept dormant (in respect of the Council of Nikaea’s previous ruling) and had cast aside former loyalty to legion and Primarch. The Emperor is believed to have responded, “Malcador, you have judged well. These eight Space Marines do indeed have a vital role to play in the future of the Imperium, though veiled in secrecy will they be.”

 

Ironically designated Chapter 666, the Grey Knights are permanently attached to the Ordo Malleus branch of the Inquisition. The Grey Knights are unique among the Space Marines as one of the only chapter (other than the Exorcists Chapter) to have full knowledge of the dark secrets of Chaos – they alone completely know of and understand the existence of Daemons and of their appearance in the real world, and they alone are best equipped to battle and defeat mankind’s most terrible enemy. While other Chapters and Imperium forces have some knowledge of Daemons and how to fight them, only the Grey Knights are privy to the darkest, deepest secrets that the Ordo Malleus knows of these creatures and how to defeat them.

 

In the Space Marines’ long history the Grey Knights hold the highest honor of all: no Grey Knight has ever turned to Chaos or betrayed the Emperor.

 

Due to their secret nature, little is known about their operations. Under the great monastery fortresses on Titan lie countless Grey Knight Heroes, although few outside the Inquisition will ever know they existed.

 

 Organisation

 

While the Grey Knights are technically Space Marines, they do not involve themselves with the ordinary activities of the Space Marines. They do not know their Primarch, and are not listed under any Founding. They are instead attached to the Ordo Malleus, charged with uncovering and expunging the heretical taint of Chaos wherever it is found.

 

Each successful recruit is given a suit of Aegis Armour and a Nemesis Force weapon, and is assigned to a squad under the leadership of a Justicar. The Grey Knight can ascend to the position of Justicar, and then from this point may be awarded the Crux Terminatus of the Grey Knights (which would also be accompanied by a suit of Tactical Dreadnought armour). Elite soldiers within the Terminator corps can be promoted to the position of Brother-Captain, or even to the position of Grand Master. Multiple Grey Knights may hold the rank of Grand Master at the same time, working together to guide the Chapter as a form of ruling council. At all times, a Grand Master of the Grey Knights traditionally is a member of the Inner Conclave of the Inquisition. (Note: Tactical Dreadnought armour, or “Terminator Armour,” is worn by both Brother Captains and Grand Masters)

 

 Headquarters

 

The Grey Knights’ fortress-monastery is located on Saturn’s moon, Titan. This world is also home to the Librarium Daemonica, the Imperium’s foremost repository of information relating to Daemons and Daemonology.

 

Although Titan is the Chapter’s homeworld, squads of Grey Knights are scattered throughout the galaxy, in order to best respond to the threat of Chaos, wherever it may strike.

 

Unlike most other Space Marine Chapters, the Grey Knights do not follow the tenets of the Codex Astartes in the matter of force organisation. Due to the unique manner in which the Grey Knights are recruited and trained, each warrior progresses through a series of pre-ordained ranks and will operate in a particular squad led by an individual of higher rank rather than being assigned to a particular battle company. These squads may be called upon to act independently from the main body of the Grey Knight force, and have to operate at full efficiency even when light years away from the rest of their chapter. As such the leader of each Grey Knight squad is obeyed immediately and without question by those under his command.

 

 Recruitment

 

Considering the role of the Grey Knights, potential recruits are put through even more stringent trials than other Space Marine Neophytes. The recruits are drawn from across the galaxy and brought to Titan for testing. The most advanced bio-engineering and psycho-surgery available is utilised to condition the Neophytes, and each recruit must pass the six hundred and sixty six Rituals of Detestation, to prove that he is capable of withstanding horrors that would break even a normal Space Marine. Upon success, the recruit also has their memories and personality erased, the better to ensure their absolute and unwavering loyalty to the Emperor, and to prevent psychic daemons from using one’s own fears and feelings against them. One of the main criteria for selection is that the recruit must show great psychic potential, as the entire Chapter is made up of psykers. Once they begin to undergo the standard process to transform into a member of the Grey Knights, the new Grey Knight is also implanted with silver hexagrammic and pentagrammic purity wards under his skin which cover his entire body. Unlike Space Marines, Grey Knight neophytes are awarded a suit of power armour (or Aegis Armour) and are immediately pressed into service. They then move through the ranks as detailed above. This is due to their elite training.

 

 Combat Doctrine

 

Most engagements will involve a single squad of Grey Knights supporting an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor, or a local force. For the most serious daemonic incursions, several squads of Grey Knights are collected around the presence of a senior Brother-Captain, or even a Grand Master. In these circumstances, tactical squads will attempt to establish a beachhead in the tainted area, before the Terminators and senior Marines teleport down to the surface and engage the primary Daemon, banishing it back to the Immaterium.

 

The very presence of Grey Knights upon the field of battle is painful to Daemons and their kin. The psychic purity and sonorous chants of detestation repel the daemonic and make it hard for them to maintain a grip in the physical universe. This means that Grey Knights gain immense advantages against Chaotic opposition, but the high expense of an individual Grey Knight leads to its own tactical problems – for all their power, Grey Knights will always be badly outnumbered and must focus upon fast application of force.

 

The Grey Knight force also contains a high proportion of troops who can teleport into battle, a high-risk maneuver which can turn the tide of a battle if deployed well.

 

 Equipment

 

As the Grey Knights are an elite chapter engaged in fighting Daemonic infestation, they have access to specialised equipment not available to other Chapters. Among these powerful and arcane items are the Psycannon, a powerful heavy weapon, armed with ritually inscribed silver and blessed ‘bolts’ which are capable of damaging Daemonkin far more than the standard Bolter. Another heavy weapon used by this chapter is a sanctified Incinerator which utilizes promethium which is mixed with sacred oils and then is ritually blessed to give it an even greater effect on the daemons that it is used on. Grey Knights may also utilise standard Space Marine weapons or equipment, although this is much rarer. In addition, Ordo Malleus Inquisitors and Grey Knight Hero units obtain powerful equipment designed to weaken the resolve and skill of warp-spawned foes. This equipment can range from simple Storm Bolters to the powerful Psycannon or relics such as the Grimoire of True Names, and even a legendary Daemonhammer.

 

Nemesis Force weapons

 

These are sanctified Force weapons, usually taking the form of a sword, halberd or spear. Sometimes a rare Nemesis hammer or mace will appear, though Nemesis weapons can take the form of any close combat weapon. Each is consecrated and anointed with sacred oils, psychically charged, and inscribed with religious scripts that are anathema to Daemons. Original Nemesis Force Weapons had Storm Bolters built into the shaft of the weapon, but newer models separated the ranged weaponry from the Nemesis Force Weapon.

 

Like all Force weapons available to the psychic warriors of the Imperium, the power of the weapon itself directly corresponds to the psychic talent of the wielder, and as the Grey Knights are some of the greatest psykers of the Imperium, they are truly devastating weapons in their hands. Because of this the entire chapter is able to wield these, and every member is a hero in his own right. However the power of the weapon is constricted by the user’s own psychic ability, the stronger the psychic power the more potent the weapon becomes. This makes the weapon effectively “evolve” as the bearer progresses through the ranks and masters the weapon.

 

In game terms every Grey Knight is armed with a Nemesis Force Weapon which gives them all a + 2 strength bonus. Ranks above the basic Grey Knight are also able to make their weapon a “power weapon” allowing them to ignore armour saves and finally a Grand Master is able to channel the weapon into giving not only +2 Strength and ignore Armour Saves but also a Force Weapon meaning once passing a psychic test (2D6 must be equal or lower then Leadership, double 1 or double 6 mean the user has been attacked by creatures of the warp. See the Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook for more details) the weapon instantly kills any creature it wounds, regardless of the number of wounds it normally takes.

 

 Aegis Armour

 

The unique suits of power armor and Terminator armour worn by the Grey Knights are incredibly well crafted; anointed and inscribed with prayers and wards, ritually consecrated and psychically charged. Working in tandem with the Grey Knights’ formidable psychic powers, the Aegis Armour protects the wearers from the effects of the Immaterium and the Daemons it spawns. The armour’s ritual blessings and psychic resonance also serve to confound the perception of any enemy, resulting in an effect called the Shrouding.

 

As well as its psychic properties, the armour itself incorporates a Stormbolter which, when combined with the skill of the Knights themselves, can be used with equal effectiveness in both ranged and melee combat. When circumstances dictate, the weapon can be loaded with force-touched ammunition.

 

 The Liber Daemonica

 

A copy of this book, its contents drawn from material taken from the Librarium Daemonica along with the battle rites of the Grey Knights Chapter, is carried into battle by every single Grey Knight, in a compartment in his chest plate. The book is also represented in Grey Knight iconography, on the chestplate and pauldron of both power armor and Tactical Dreadnought armour (Terminator armour). It is a symbol of the greatest weapon against the forces of Chaos – an unshakeable faith in the God-Emperor of Mankind.

 

 Dreadnoughts

Like other Space Marine Chapters, mortally wounded Grey Knights are sometimes placed within the massive battle armor known as a Dreadnought. Unlike other Chapters, however, Grey Knights do not look upon this extension of their life as an honour – all Grey Knights desire to be brought to the crypts underneath the Temple of the Emperor on Titan and laid to rest with their brothers over continuing life inside a machine. As such, Grey Knight Dreadnoughts are extremely rare.

 

 Ships

 

Like other Space Marine chapters, the Grey Knights’ primary mode of transportation is the strike cruiser class of ship that is exclusive to the chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. However, the Grey Knights’ ships are specially modified in several ways. One is the hexagrammic and anti-daemonic wards that are built into the entire ship from bridge to landing struts and every bulkhead in between, similar to those that are placed under the skin of the Grey Knights themselves that lend the ship added protection from the forces of Chaos. Also, the Grey Knights’ strike cruisers are equipped with significantly more advanced armour than the ships of other chapters. This is to allow them to close with more powerful foes and reach their destination safely, since the Grey Knights must fight more powerful enemies than the standard Adeptus Astartes chapters. Finally, the landing and drop pod bays are enlarged to be able to deploy larger numbers of marines faster.The crew of the Grey Knights strike cruisers are all severely mind wiped to stop the possible taint of corruption, and are given a key word which will kill all the crew members on cruiser should it fall into the hands of chaos.

 

The modifications to their ships are made possible by two factors. The first is their fortress monastery’s location in the rings of Saturn, its close proximity to Mars, the greatest forge world in the Imperium of Man, allowing access to technology that was forgotten or is impossible to replicate anywhere else in the Imperium (this could also explain the high quality of all Grey Knights equipment). The other reason is the resources that the Ordo Malleus gives the Grey Knights due to their close working relationship as the Ordo’s Chamber Militant.

 

 Abilities

 

The Grey Knights have many abilities that Space Marines lack. These are psychic based and work on a gestalt principle. Unlike Librarians or Psykers, their power is deemed free of the taint of the warp and they are the only psykers allowed in a Black Templar army.

 

Through prayer and the combined gestalt psychic power of the Grey Knights, they are able to blind their enemies with their sheer faith. For an enemy to fire upon a Grey Knight, he must first determine if he can spot the unit.

 

 Ranks

 

The Grey Knight hierarchy, like that of the Space Wolves and Black Templars, is drastically different from Codex-adherent Chapters. The biggest difference is that the Grey Knights do not have an acknowledged Chapter Master.^[

 

• Battle Brother: The standard Grey Knight. Equipped not only with the famed Aegis suit, the standard armament of a Grey Knight includes a wrist-mounted Storm Bolter of perfect craftsmanship and the Nemesis Force Weapon. Each weapon is unique to its owner having been attuned to his particular psychic signal. They can take the form of a Halberd, Sword, Axe, Hammer, Mace, Maul, Scythe or even a Morning Star. Newly accepted battle brothers will be inducted into fresh squads led by a Justicar, eventually developing their abilities in leadership, weaponry, psychic ability and armed/unarmed combat. Upon demonstration of above average ability in one of these areas they take their place in either the assault Teleport, heavy Purgation squads or become Justicars themselves to lead new batches of recruits.

 

• Justicar: Justicars are the leaders of the latest recruits to the Grey Knights - although it should be noted that such recruits may have been fighting the Emperor's foes for up to a century. This is the first step on the path to becoming a Grand Master. Justicars also lead Grey Knight Terminator squads, although such leaders are usually referred to as 'Brother Captain' (more detailed below).

 

• Terminator: Like all Space Marine Chapters, the battle-brothers wearing Terminator armor are the elite of the Grey Knights. In addition to possessing greater armor, they also use their psychic powers actively as opposed to passively in combat. It is also speculated that they go through the Emperor's soul binding as part of their final initiation, which (if true) would make their willpower and stoicism far beyond even the most dedicated servants of the Imperium. They also have the same special weapons options - incinerators and psycannons (although they are wrist-mounted rather than two handed) - as their power armor-wearing battle-brothers but some exceptionally strong Marines may wield thunder hammers and storm shields.

 

• Brother-Captain: Usually the leader of a Grey Knight Terminator squad, he may also be the force commander. Like his brethren, he wields a Nemesis Force Weapon in combat, and also possesses considerable psychic powers.

 

• Grand Master: The highest rank attainable by a Grey Knight, a Grand Master is - by virtue of his esteemed rank - a member of the Inner Conclave of the Inquisition. A master daemonslayer, the Grand Master always wears Terminator armor and wields a force weapon in combat, and is also a powerful psyker. Few, if any, Daemons have been able to stand against a Grand Master and survive. The death of such a powerful defender of the Emperor's will is always mourned by the Grey Knights and the Ordo Malleus - though no common citizen will ever know of him. Due to the amount of experience, and enemy heads, needed to become such a warrior, Grand Masters are typically ancient, millennia old, marines.

 

Appearance

 

The symbol of the Grey Knights Chapter is an open book, with a sword stabbing through it. In all accounts, this remains constant.

 

However, there are at least two different documented versions of their colours. Earlier portrayals show the Chapter's Aegis armor as being black, with ornate silver gauntlets, shoulderpads, and decorations with the Chapter symbol displayed in gold. The second source depicts the Grey Knights as wearing silver Aegis armour, with ornate gold decoration prevalent on many parts of the armour. The latter is the currently accepted livery, black and silver colour schemes being already well used in several named Chapters, most notably the Deathwatch of the Ordo Xenos.

 

In both cases, each individual Marine bears personal heraldry, either on their shoulderpad, or on a small shield positioned over the left shoulder, facing forward. The heraldry designs incorporate black, white and red, with iconography usually made up of swords and skulls. For Grey Knights and Justicars, heraldry often includes squad markings. However, Grey Knights in Terminator armour are permitted to use their own design, with one half typically depicting their own heraldry, and the other half simple battle honour markings.

 

 Brother-Captain Stern

 

Brother-Captain Stern has served the Grey Knights for many long years and is a prominent Daemonhunter. His most famous act was when he destroyed the Cult of the Red Talon and banished its instigator, the Lord of Change Daemon named M'kachen, back into the Warp for one hundred years and a day.When the vengeful daemon finally returned he vowed to send Captain Stern into the realm of the dead no matter what the cost. He appears on the battlefield to face Stern every chance he gets, or if unable to personally, sends one of his most powerful servants to attempt the deed for him.

 

Stern is approximately 400 years old and has battled M'kachen three times so far. Each time, the Brother-Captain has proven his ability to withstand the power of the Daemon and defeated the creature.

 

Number 9: Witch Hunters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Foundation

 

The Ordo Hereticus (Order of the Witch) was founded much later than the Ordo Xenos and Ordo Malleus, created after the Age of Apostasy which occurred during the second century of the 36th millennium. The ‘Plague of Unbelief’, spread by the insane tyrant Lord Vandire, had severely destabilized the Imperium in a way not seen since the Horus Heresy, in which Warmaster Horus tried to bring down the Emperor of mankind.

 

The Ordo Hereticus was created within the Inquisition as a check on The Ecclesiarchy, ensuring that another man like Vandire could not gain the level of power and control he did. Although the Ecclesiarchy has its own internal regulatory bodies, the Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus act as another line of defence against corruption.

 

 

 

 Role

 

Although primarily concerned with supervising the Ecclesiarchy and the Imperial Cult, the Ordo Hereticus has expanded its jurisdiction to encompass the internal threats to the Imperium: the witch, the mutant, the heretic, the traitor. Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors are considered to be the most sinister of the three Orders, as they must find their foes amongst the population of the Imperium’s millions of inhabited worlds. The arrival of an Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor on a world is met with equal parts awe and trepidation, as none but the Inquisitor know where his attentions will fall.

 

The members of the Ordo Hereticus monitor the Wars of Faith inspired by the Ecclesiarchy, to ensure they remain within the objectives assigned by the Ecclesiarch. They ensure that the teachings preached by priests of the Imperial Cult remain true to the spirit of the Emperor’s will. They regulate the wealth and territory claimed by members of the Ecclesiarchy, to prevent members of the institution from gaining power to a point that threatens the stability of the area they are responsible for.

 

The Ordo Hereticus is also called upon to monitor other Imperial organisations for internal threats, including the Adeptus Arbites, the Space Marines, and even the Inquisition itself. Anyone can fall under interrogation by an Inquisitor, ranging from the lowliest citizen to one of the High Lords of Terra; even another Inquisitor can fall under investigation if it is felt that Inquisitor has overstepped their bounds and/or accumulated too much power. Only the Emperor himself is exempt from inquisition, and it is a brave man indeed who crosses a member of the Ordo Hereticus. This is due in no small part to the fact that being investigated, even for the slightest transgression, is tantamount to a death sentence. Judgement and sentence are usually passed in secret, well before the verdict is reached, and inquisitions are best summed up in the infamous quote by Inquisitor Lord Karamazov, “There is no such thing as a plea of innocence in my court. A plea of innocence is guilty of wasting my time. Guilty.”

 

The most well known Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus is Witch Hunter Tyrus, a staunchly monodominant man who makes extensive use of traditional judgement methods. However his nemesis is a Daemon called Kholoth the Excoriator who tortured him when he was six until Daemonhunter Covonis arrived with four Grey Knights and banished the Daemon back to the warp. Since then Witch Hunter Tyrus has claimed thousands of heretics and mutants in the name of the Emperor.

 

 

 

 Adepta Sororitas (Sisters of Battle)

 

The Adepta Sororitas, also known as the Sisterhood or the Daughters of the Emperor, are a vast organization of priestesses devoted to the worship of the Emperor. Although there are many different Orders within the Sisterhood, the most well known are the Orders Militant, forming the military wing of the Ecclesiarchy.

 

After the Age of Apostasy, the Ecclesiarchy was forbidden from possessing any “men under arms” by the Decree Passive issued by Sebastian Thor. A loophole was exploited by refounding the Daughters of the Emperor as warrior-nuns after merging them into the greater Sisterhood, since they were technically exempt from disbanding in the first place because they were “women under arms”. The Sisterhood is an internal regulator, along with being an external army, ordered to ensure that true faith is spread throughout the Imperium and the galaxy, and to ensure that the Age of Apostasy is never repeated.

 

The Sisters of Battle and the Ordo Hereticus have a common purpose; to protect the Imperium from internal threats, and to regulate the power amassed by the Ecclesiarchy. Recognizing this, the two organizations joined together in their efforts, a relationship formalized by the Convocation of Nephilim. Although the Sisters of Battle remained under the day-to-day command of the Ecclesiarchy, they would respond without question when an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus called upon them.

 

 

 

 The Ecclesiarchy and the Ordo Hereticus

 

 

 

 History

 

 

 

The Age of Apostasy

 

During the Age of Apostasy, early M36, Lord Vandire was informed of a militant order comprised only of women on a distant planet within the Imperium, calling themselves the Daughters of the Emperor. Instead of flying into his usual furious rage upon hearing of that something was not under his control, Vandire decided to “pay them the honor of a visit”. After deceiving them into believing that he held the Emperor’s favor, Vandire adopted them as his personal bodyguards. He renamed them the Brides of the Emperor and his bloody reign continued.

 

On the planet of Dimmamar, a freethinking cult, named the Confederation of Light, lead by Sebastian Thor began to rise in number, denouncing Vandire. An excellent speaker, Thor swayed millions to his cause, warrior and citizen alike, and with his followers, descended upon Terra, especially after a fortuitous warp storm destroyed a fleet Vandire himself had sent to crush the rebellion.

 

For months, the great fortress held. Finally, it was to be one of the Custodian Guard of the Emperor himself who would begin a short chain of events to overthrow Vandire. The leader of the Brides of the Emperor, Alicia Dominica, and her 5 most trusted and able Sisters were taken deep beneath the Imperial Palace. Exactly what happened is unknown, but it is believed that the 6 of them were taken before the Emperor himself. When Dominica emerged from the hallowed chamber, she accosted Vandire in one of his great halls. Alicia Dominica was filled with fury. She uttered her verdict:

 

“You have committed the ultimate heresy. Not only have you turned your back on the Emperor and stepped from His light, you have profaned His name and almost destroyed everything He has striven to build. You have perverted and twisted the path He has laid for Mankind to tread. As your own decrees have stated, there can be no mercy for such a crime, no pity for such a criminal. I renounce your lordship, you walk in the darkness and cannot be allowed to live. Your sentence has been long overdue and it is now time for you to die“

 

His outrageous and infamous reply of, “I don’t have time to die - I’m too busy!” is well known.

 

Alicia then swung her sword in a great arc and cut Goge Vandire’s head from his shoulders. The Age of Apostasy was over.

 

 

 

The Reformation

 

 

 

 Rise of the Witch Hunters

 

 

 

 Ordo Hereticus troops and weaponry

 

The forces of the Witch Hunters and the Sisters of Battle favour flamers and melta weaponry. It has been suggested that this is due to a belief in the power of fire to cleanse the souls of the damned. The Sisters of Battle are the primary military force of the Ordo Hereticus, but an Inquisitor may also requisition Imperial Guard forces and request the aid of the Space Marine Chapters; whether a Chapter assents to such a request can depend upon its current relations with the Inquisition.

 

Previously (before 4th Edition), Space Marines never serve under an Inquisitor when Sisters of the Battle are available - presumably because the Inquisition will not deign to request the assistance of the Adeptus Astartes unless absolutely necessary. This has now become untrue in 4th edition, because Sisters of Battle are allowed to ally with any Imperial Army along with any Daemonhunter army. Furthermore, a Witch Hunters army can have their own Space Marines (generic units without special rules) or join their standard Sisters of Battle, while having an HQ choice of an Inquisitor, to non-generic Space Marine units (with lesser amount of Witch Hunters choices allowed to join, of course). The Imperium is now a united force where Sisters of Battle, Inquisitors, Deathwatch, and Daemonhunters can all ally with either an Imperial Guard Army or a Space Marine Army (but not both) at any given time.

 

The forces of the Witch Hunters are among the most diverse available to players of Warhammer 40,000. The Sisters of Battle alone have as many unit types as most other single armies: when supplemented with the forces of the Ecclesiarchy, Officio Assassinorum, Ordo Hereticus, and their countless Imperial Allies the narrative and tactical possibilities are enormous.

 

A full list of weapons and equipment used by the Ordo Hereticus can be found at the Weapons and Equipment and Vehicles of the Imperium articles.

 

 

 

 Notable Characters

 

Inquisitor Karamazov on his Throne of Judgement

 

 

 

 Karamazov, Inquisitor Lord Fyodor

 

Karamazov is a character in the First Edition of the Witch Hunters Codex. Pyrophant Judge of Salem Proctor. A staunch Amalathian, Karamazov habitually judges and does battle from his massive Throne of Judgement and is generally hated by the Ecclesiarchy and Thorian Inquisitors for his actions on Salem Proctor. Karamazov made the infamous quote that is used to sum up an inquisitorial investigation: “There is no such thing as a plea of innocence in my court. A plea of innocence is guilty of wasting my time. Guilty.” On Salem Proctor, Karamazov arrested Icarael, a “pure” person that the Thorians wanted to investigate. This caused the Ecclesiarchy and the Thorians to hate Karamazov, but it was later revealed that Icarael was tainted by Chaos and worthy of death^[1].

 

Karamazov enters into battle on his Throne of Judgement and carries the Sword of Justice (a master-crafted power sword). He commands from this Throne with the aid of his Lexmechanic and attacks his enemies with the aid of his Execution Servitor (a Gun Servitor that fires a multi-melta weapon). He is a character that has both an Iron Will and an Uncompromising personality, and he prefers to fight in Solitude and Judge the faithful and unfaithful from his Throne^.