Codex · Adeptus Custodes

Campaign55

Scenarios2

Attackerthe Custodes gang, forced to fight on ground that punishes its small numbers

Defenderthe enemy war-host, fielding its full model count across a spread of objectives

Deploythree or four scattered objectives across the table; the enemy deploys spread to hold them all; the Custodes deploy together, unable to cover more than one or two

Objectivecontrol a majority of the scattered objectives at game end - a footrace the Custodes are built to lose

Victorywhoever holds the majority of objectives at game end wins; a tie goes to the side that took more enemy fighters Out of Action

Rewardsa Custodes win against the odds is worth double Reputation; an enemy win advances its control-track and proves the counter

Control Trackan enemy majority pushes the control-track one step toward them and marks the world Contested; a Custodes majority (against the spread) pushes it toward the Watch and is the hard-won upset the campaign remembers

ATTACKER AND DEFENDER Here the Custodes gang is the attacker, forced to fight on ground that punishes its small numbers. The enemy war-host defends, fielding its full model count across a spread of objectives.

BATTLEFIELD AND DEPLOYMENT Scatter three or four objectives across the table. The enemy deploys spread to hold them all; the Custodes deploy together, unable to cover more than one or two at once.

OBJECTIVE Control a majority of the scattered objectives at game end — a footrace the Custodes are built to lose, and must find a way to win regardless.

ENDING THE BATTLE AND VICTORY Whoever holds the majority of objectives at game end wins. A tie goes to the side that took more enemy fighters Out of Action.

REWARDS A Custodes win against these odds is worth double Reputation; an enemy win advances its control-track and proves the counter the whole roster is built around. An enemy majority pushes the control-track one step toward the enemy and marks the world Contested, while a Custodes majority against the spread pushes it toward the Watch — the hard-won upset the campaign remembers.

Attackerthe enemy war-host, seeking to seize or destroy a relic of the Throne

Defenderthe Custodes gang - a handful of demigods holding a reliquary no squad could defend

Deploythe reliquary at the centre; the Custodes deploy around it in a tight bubble (No-Custodian-Fights-Alone up); the attacker deploys around the board edges and may field its full model count

Objectivehold the reliquary - a single central objective the Custodes cannot afford to leave, and cannot be in two places to defend

Victorythe Custodes win by controlling the reliquary at game end with at least one Custodian alive; the attacker wins by controlling it, or by taking every Custodian Out of Action

Rewardsa Custodes win holds the relic and advances the world's control-track toward the Watch; an attacker win seizes the relic and shifts the marker the other way

Control Tracka decisive Custodes hold pushes the control-track marker one step toward the Talons; a marginal hold leaves it unchanged; an attacker seizure pushes it one step toward them - the siege of a single sacred site standing in for the war for the world

ATTACKER AND DEFENDER The enemy war-host is the attacker, seeking to seize or destroy a relic of the Throne. The Custodes gang is the defender — a handful of demigods holding a reliquary no ordinary squad could defend.

BATTLEFIELD AND DEPLOYMENT Place the reliquary at the centre of the table. The Custodes deploy around it in a tight bubble, close enough that No Custodian Fights Alone is in effect across the line. The attacker deploys around the board edges and may field its full model count.

OBJECTIVE The reliquary is a single central objective the Custodes cannot afford to leave and cannot be in two places to defend. The attacker must take it, or break the defenders holding it.

ENDING THE BATTLE AND VICTORY The Custodes win by controlling the reliquary at game end with at least one Custodian still standing. The attacker wins by controlling it, or by taking every Custodian Out of Action.

REWARDS A Custodes win holds the relic and advances the world's control-track toward the Watch; an attacker win seizes it and shifts the marker the other way. A decisive hold pushes the control-track one step toward the Talons, a marginal hold leaves it unchanged, and an attacker seizure pushes it one step toward them — the siege of a single sacred site standing in for the war for the whole world.

Favours8

Roll	Favour	Patron
2	The Palace Armoury. The forges of Terra open their vaults to you. Before the next battle, one Custodian may take a single relic-grade weapon or a suit of master-worked plate at no cost, to be returned to the Armoury when the campaign ends — the Throne lends its finest to those who guard it.	the Imperial Palace and the High Lords of Terra (the Ten Thousand answer no mercenary, only the Throne they guard)
3	A Sister Seconded. The Silent Sisterhood spares you one of its own. For the next battle you may field one additional Sister of Silence beyond your usual limit, seconded from the Anathema — a null-maiden lent to the Watch where the warp runs too near the world.	the Imperial Palace and the High Lords of Terra (the Ten Thousand answer no mercenary, only the Throne they guard)
4	The Artificers Hand. A master artificer of the Palace tends your gear. Before the next battle you may repair one damaged relic or restore a Custodian's bionics at no cost, and one weapon gains Master-crafted for that battle — the hands that keep the Ten Thousand's armour bright and their blades keen.	the Imperial Palace and the High Lords of Terra (the Ten Thousand answer no mercenary, only the Throne they guard)
5	Inquisitorial Writ. A writ of the Ordos clears your path. For the next battle you may re-roll one failed roll of your choice, and the enemy may not call upon any hired reinforcement — the authority of the Throne overriding lesser powers wherever it is invoked.	the Imperial Palace and the High Lords of Terra (the Ten Thousand answer no mercenary, only the Throne they guard)
7	The Throne Provides. The High Lords grant what the Watch requires. Gain a bonus to your next post-battle income or Reputation, or heal one Lasting Injury on a Custodian — the Throne provides for those who stand between it and the dark, as it always has.	the Imperial Palace and the High Lords of Terra (the Ten Thousand answer no mercenary, only the Throne they guard)
9	Watchers In The Dark. The Sisterhood's agents mark the enemy for you. Before the next battle, learn one detail of the enemy's plan — choose to know their deployment or one of their reinforcements — and deploy after seeing it. These are the silent watchers who see what the witch would keep hidden.	the Imperial Palace and the High Lords of Terra (the Ten Thousand answer no mercenary, only the Throne they guard)
11	The Captain Generals Favour. The First Captain marks your service. For the next battle, once per round your gang may re-roll a failed Aegis guard on any Custodian, and your Leader gains +1 to its Leadership — the regard of the Captain-General steadying every blade of the Ten Thousand.	the Imperial Palace and the High Lords of Terra (the Ten Thousand answer no mercenary, only the Throne they guard)
12	The Emperors Regard. The highest honour the Throne can grant. For the next battle every Custodian in your gang re-rolls failed Aegis guards, and the first Custodian that would be taken Out of Action is instead Seriously Injured and fights on — the Emperor's own regard laid upon those who guard His seat.	the Imperial Palace and the High Lords of Terra (the Ten Thousand answer no mercenary, only the Throne they guard)

Gang Tactics36

Roll	Tactic	Timing
11	Aegis Wall. Play at the start of your turn. Until your next turn, every Custodian in your gang may make its Aegis guard reaction on a 3 or higher rather than a 4 or higher. The whole line raises its guard as one, and the first blow of the round finds gold turned edge-on to meet it.	your turn
12	The Silent Advance. Play at the start of the battle. Every Sister of Silence in your gang may make a full move before the first round begins, the null-field carried forward so the enemy's casters wake already inside the dead-zone. The quiet reaches the witch before the war does.	start of battle
13	Lone Champion. Play when a Custodian charges into melee with no friendly model within 3". For that fight it may re-roll one failed Hit roll and one failed Aegis guard each round — the demigod who needs no brother at his side, and asks for none.	when a Custodian charges alone
14	Strike From The Vault. Play in the end phase. Remove one Allarus Custodian from the table; in your next turn it re-enters by deep strike anywhere more than 6" from an enemy, landing where the enemy is weakest and least ready for it.	end phase / deployment
15	First Blow Turned. Play when a Custodian passes its Aegis guard. That fighter may immediately make a single free attack against the enemy whose blow it just turned aside — the parry answered in the same breath by the riposte.	reactive
16	Brotherhood Closes. Play at the start of your turn. Until your next turn, treat every friendly Custodian as within 6" of one another for No Custodian Fights Alone, wherever they actually stand. However scattered the line, none of the Ten Thousand fights alone this round.	your turn
21	The Throne Endures. Play when a Custodian becomes Seriously Injured. It ignores the Seriously Injured effect for the rest of the round, standing and fighting as though whole — the demigod that will not lie down while the fight is unfinished.	when a Custodian is Seriously Injured
22	Execution. Play when an enemy within 3" of a Custodian is Seriously Injured. That Custodian may make an immediate free attack against it — the misericordia's mercy, the killing stroke given without hesitation.	when a fighter is Seriously Injured nearby
23	Watchful Guard. Play when a Custodian on Guard makes an overwatch reaction. It gains a free Aim before the shot and may hold its Guard afterward rather than spending it — the sentinel who answers and does not lower his spear.	reactive / overwatch
24	Null Smother. Play when an enemy Psyker attempts a Wyrd Power within 12" of a Sister of Silence. That power fails automatically and the Psyker suffers Perils on a double — the Silence tightening its grip at the very moment the witch reaches for its craft.	when an enemy Psyker manifests
25	The Vexilla Raised. Play at the start of the round if a Custodian Warden bears the Vexilla. Until the next round the banner's aura reaches 12" instead of 9", and friendlies within it re-roll all failed Nerve tests — the standard lifted high for the whole gang to see.	start of round
26	Dawneagle Run. Play at the start of your turn. One Vertus Praetor may move up to double its Movement this turn and still charge — the jetbike screaming across the field to end a fight the gang could not otherwise reach.	your turn
31	The Anvil Holds. Play when an Allarus Custodian or a Brute is charged. It counts as having gone on Guard and may make a reaction attack before the charger strikes — the anvil meeting the hammer, and not the other way about.	reactive
32	Hunters Patience. Play at the start of the battle. Choose one enemy fighter; for the rest of the game your Custodians re-roll failed Wound rolls against it — the quarry marked at the outset and hunted without haste until it falls.	start of battle
33	Golden Reprisal. Play when a Custodian is taken Out of Action. Every friendly Custodian within 12" re-rolls failed Hit and Wound rolls until the end of the round — the brotherhood answering the fall of one of its own with cold and immediate wrath.	when a Custodian is taken Out of Action
34	Shield Brothers. Play when a Custodian within 6" of another Custodian is hit by an attack. The second Custodian may interpose, taking the hit in its brother's place — the shield-wall of the Ten Thousand, one warrior's body given without a moment's thought.	reactive
35	Purge The Witch. Play at the start of your turn. Until your next turn, every friendly attack against an enemy Psyker is dealt at +1 Damage — the whole gang turning its wrath on the witch the Sisters were made to end.	your turn
36	Unbroken Line. Play at the start of the round. Until the next round, no friendly Custodian may be moved, knocked back or pushed by any enemy effect — the line of the Ten Thousand standing exactly where it chooses, immovable.	start of round
41	The Emperors Eye. Play at the start of the battle. Reveal all Hidden and infiltrating enemy setup within 12" of any Custodian, exposing them where they lie — nothing approaches the Ten Thousand unseen.	start of battle
42	Relic Drawn. Play at the start of your turn if a Custodian carries a relic weapon. That fighter re-rolls all failed Hit rolls in melee this turn — the ancient blade of the Ten Thousand answering the hand that has earned it.	your turn
43	Adamant. Play when a Custodian would be taken Out of Action. Roll a D6; on a 4 or higher it is Seriously Injured instead and fights on. The gold does not break where a lesser warrior would fall.	reactive
44	Silence Advances. Play at the start of your turn. Every Sister of Silence extends her Silence to 12" until your next turn — the dead-zone widening across the field as the null-maidens press forward together.	your turn
45	No Ground Given. Play when your gang would be forced to make a Bottle or retreat test. It passes automatically, and no Custodian may be compelled to fall back this round — the Ten Thousand hold, because holding is what they are for.	when the gang would fall back
46	Thunderbolt Charge. Play when a Vertus Praetor charges. Its interceptor lance is dealt at +1 Strength and +1 Damage on this charge, above what the Lance already grants — the full weight of the Dawneagle's speed driven through a single point of the enemy line.	when a Vertus charges
51	Guard Eternal. Play at the start of the round. Until the next round, each Custodian's Aegis may be used a second time against a different attacker — two blows turned where one is the rule, the guard of the Ten Thousand held without tiring.	start of round
52	The Long Watch. Play between battles. One Custodian that suffered a Lasting Injury may have it healed as though it had spent the recovery, tended in the halls of the Watch — the gang that cannot recruit cheaply husbands the demigods it has.	campaign / between games
53	Null Maidens Vigil. Play when an enemy Psyker within 12" of a Sister of Silence attempts a Wyrd Power. The Sister may move up to 3" toward it before the power resolves; if she brings it within her Silence, the power fails — the dead-zone closing the last distance to smother the witch.	reactive
54	Golden Tide In Miniature. Play at the start of your turn. Until your next turn, treat every Custodian in your gang as having one additional Attack in melee — the handful striking with the weight of a host, each demigod worth the squad it stands in for.	your turn
55	Captains Command. Play at the start of the round if your Leader is on the table and not broken. One friendly Custodian within 12" may immediately make a free move or go on Guard — the Shield-Captain's word moving the line before the fighting begins.	start of round
56	Perils Of The Null. Play when an enemy Psyker within 9" of a Sister of Silence rolls a double on any dice. It suffers Perils of the Warp at once — the null-field turning the witch's own misfortune into ruin.	when an enemy Psyker rolls a double
61	Undying Guard. Play when a Brute becomes Seriously Injured. It ignores the effect and fights on at full capability until the end of the round — the war-engine of the Ten Thousand refusing to fail while the enemy still stands before it.	when a Brute is Seriously Injured
62	Close The Vault. Play during deployment, or reactively when an enemy would deep-strike or infiltrate within 6" of a Custodian. That enemy is set up 6" further away, or its infiltration is denied outright — the Ten Thousand allow no unseen approach to the ground they hold.	reactive / deployment
63	Blade And Banner. Play at the start of your turn if a Custodian Warden is on the table. Until your next turn, friendlies within 9" of the Warden add 1 to their Hit rolls in melee — the sight of the standard driving every blade home. The banner does not merely steady the line; it sharpens it.	your turn
64	The Handful Holds. Play when your gang is reduced to three fighters or fewer. Every remaining Custodian re-rolls all failed Hit, Wound and Aegis rolls until the end of the battle — few because they are enough, and never more dangerous than when there are only a few left standing.	when reduced to three models or fewer
65	Witch Hunter Ascendant. Play at the start of your turn if a Sister of Silence has taken an enemy Psyker Out of Action this battle. Until your next turn, every Sister re-rolls failed Wounds against Psykers and denies them any save — the hunt proven, the null-maidens ascendant over the witch.	your turn
66	Emperors Champion. Play when a Custodian takes an enemy Leader or Champion Out of Action. Your gang gains bonus Reputation, and until the end of the battle that Custodian re-rolls failed Hit rolls — the demigod that has proven itself against the enemy's best, and hunts for more.	when a Custodian wins a challenge

Alliances2

Whothe psyker war-hosts the Silence is made to hunt (seer-councils, witch-cults, the Zoanthrope-brood) - natural prey; and the swarms and tides that out-body the gold - natural predators

Termscampaign-only map-level enmity: the Custodes may declare a psyker-reliant war-host their quarry (bonus Reputation for taking its casters Out of Action), and are themselves hunted by out-activating swarms (which gain the initiative in scenarios against the gold); no shared gang lists

No Mercenaries, Only Prey names the Talons' place in the wider war: the Ten Thousand hire no swords and seek no truce, and so their only lasting bonds are enmities. This stands throughout the campaign, for the Watch has no peace to offer and none to seek. The Custodes may declare a psyker-reliant war-host their quarry — a seer-council, a witch-cult, a Zoanthrope-brood — and earn bonus Reputation for taking its casters Out of Action. In turn they are hunted by the swarms and tides that out-body the gold, which seize the initiative in scenarios against them. There are no shared rosters here, only predator and prey.

Whoan Inquisition retinue (any Ordo - the Talons answer the Throne, not one named Inquisitor)

Termscampaign-only: the Custodes lend the throne-elite bodyguard and the Sisters-of-Silence null-maidens onward as a requisition; no Inquisition fighter joins a Custodes gang in a normal battle, and no Custodian is re-authored downstream - the units are inlined by reference

The Emperor's Requisition binds the Talons to an Inquisition retinue — any Ordo, for the Ten Thousand answer the Throne, not one named Inquisitor. The bond opens only in the campaign's later phase, as the war deepens and the Watch consents to second its elite. Its terms are campaign-only: the Custodes lend their throne-elite bodyguard and the Sisters-of-Silence null-maidens onward as a requisition. No Inquisition fighter joins a Custodes gang in an ordinary battle, and no Custodian is remade in another's roster — the lent units are inlined by reference, the same demigods answering elsewhere.

Legendary Names3

XP cost (random): 12

XP cost (chosen): 20

He Who Held Alone is the honour-title given to a Custodian who stood in a fight with no brother at his side and walked away from it. Once per battle, while it is in melee with no friendly model within 3", such a fighter re-rolls all failed Aegis guards and all failed Hit rolls for one round — the demigod who needed no shield-brother and proved it. But the enemy learns the name as surely as its own dead do: any gang that has faced him before may, once per battle, turn one fighter's full attacks upon him as a free Focus, the horde recalling exactly which king to drown.

XP cost (random): 12

XP cost (chosen): 25

The Captain-General's Line is the tradition of Trajann Valoris, the First Captain, carried by a Shield-Captain who has earned the right to bear it. Once per round, gang-wide, one friendly Custodian may re-roll a failed Aegis guard — the Captain-General's presence steadying every blade of the Ten Thousand. Yet the tradition is a target painted in gold: such a leader may never be held in reserve or kept off the table, for the Captain-General leads from the front, always deployed in the opening zone where the enemy can see him, and always where it will come for him first.

XP cost (random): 12

XP cost (chosen): 20

The Silent Blade is a named officer of the Anathema, a Knight-Centura the witch-cults have learned to fear by name. Her Silence reaches 12" rather than 9", and against any enemy Psyker within it she re-rolls failed Wounds and denies every invulnerable save for the whole battle — a dead-zone that hunts. But she is soulless, and it shows: she can draw no comfort from the Vexilla aura nor any re-roll granted by Leadership, the null in her cutting both ways and setting her apart from the brotherhood's steadying will.

Sub-Plots2

Reward: the Psyker is not merely killed but taken - dragged to the Watcher's Cells; the gang gains bonus Reputation, and until the end of the campaign may once re-roll all Silence-related dice in a single battle, the interrogated witch's knowledge turned against its own kind

This sub-plot begins when a Sister of Silence takes an enemy Psyker Out of Action while it is within her Silence. The witch is not merely killed but taken, dragged in null-shackles to the Watcher's Cells. Your gang gains bonus Reputation, and once before the campaign's end you may re-roll all Silence-related dice in a single battle — the interrogated witch's stolen knowledge turned against its own kind.

Reward: the gang may declare a Vendetta against the enemy fighter that dealt the blow; the next time the two gangs meet, every Custodian re-rolls failed Hit and Wound rolls against that named fighter, and taking it Out of Action restores the fallen brother's lost advancement or grants a free recovery step

This sub-plot begins when a Custodian of your gang is taken Out of Action and suffers a permanent Lasting Injury, or is lost outright. You may declare a Vendetta against the enemy fighter that dealt the blow. The next time the two gangs meet, every Custodian re-rolls failed Hit and Wound rolls against that named enemy, and taking it Out of Action restores the fallen brother's lost advancement or grants a free recovery step — the brotherhood of the Ten Thousand collecting a debt it never forgets.

Terrain2

The Golden Vault is a reliquary-shrine of the Ten Thousand — gold-chased plate, dormant Auramite, and the regenerative machinery of the Throne's own forges. A Custodian that ends its activation within 3" of the Vault and is not in melee repairs one lost Wound; a Brute repairs one Wound, but no more than once per game. The Vault cannot restore a fighter already Out of Action, and only friendly Custodes fighters draw anything from it — the shrine mends only the gold it was raised to serve.

The Null Pylon is a black monolith of Pariah-gene alloy, a silent pylon the Sisterhood raises where the warp runs too close to the world. While a Sister of Silence is within 3" of the Pylon, her Silence extends to 12" instead of 9", and any enemy Psyker that begins its activation within that field suffers Perils of the Warp on any double it rolls that activation — not merely on a failed Wyrd test. Where the Pylon stands, the witch's craft is not only smothered but made a danger to the caster itself.