Codex · Imperial Guard

Campaign56

Scenarios2

Attackerthe Tempestus (the whole gang begins in reserve and grav-chute drops onto a key target/objective, guts it, and extracts)

Defenderthe opposing gang (dug in around a high-value objective it did not expect to be hit from above)

Deploythe defender deploys normally around the central objective; the ENTIRE Tempestus gang begins in reserve and may grav-chute deploy from round 1, placed anywhere >=6" from an enemy

Objectivethe Tempestus wins by taking the central objective Out of Action / into its control and extracting fighters off the board edge; the defender wins by holding the objective and preventing the extraction

Victorythe Tempestus wins if it controls or destroys the objective AND extracts at least half its fighters as survivors; the defender wins if the objective still stands and is uncontested at the end, or if the Tempestus fails to extract

Rewardsthe Tempestus gains reputation for the objective gutted AND a bonus for every fighter extracted as a survivor (the strike preserved); the defender gains reputation scaled to how many Scions it pins down or takes Out of Action before extraction

Control Tracka Tempestus success is a decapitation - it does NOT hold the district (the strike extracts) but it strips the defender's Control-Track claim on it; a defender hold locks the claim outright

THE ATTACKER The Militarum Tempestus Scions. The whole gang begins in reserve and grav-chute drops onto a key target, guts it, and extracts before the defender can answer.

THE DEFENDER The opposing gang, dug in around a high-value objective it did not expect to be struck from above.

BATTLEFIELD Set a single high-value objective at the centre of the table, with the defender's positions and terrain arranged around it.

DEPLOYMENT The defender deploys as normal, around the central objective. The entire Tempestus gang begins in reserve; from the first round onward its fighters may grav-chute in as an Aerial Insertion, each placed anywhere more than 6" from an enemy.

THE OBJECTIVE The Tempestus must take the central objective — holding it, or putting its defenders Out of Action — and then extract fighters off the board edge. The defender must hold the objective and stop the strike from getting away.

ENDING THE BATTLE The battle ends when the Tempestus has extracted its survivors, when it bottles out, or when the defender has driven off or destroyed the strike.

VICTORY The Tempestus wins if it controls or destroys the objective and extracts at least half its fighters as survivors. The defender wins if the objective still stands uncontested at the battle's end, or if the strike fails to extract.

REWARDS The Tempestus gains reputation for the objective gutted, with a bonus for every fighter extracted as a survivor. The defender gains reputation scaled to how many Scions it pins down or takes Out of Action before they can escape.

CONTROL TRACK A Tempestus success is a decapitation, not an occupation: the strike does not hold the district, but a clean result strips the defender's claim on it. A defender hold locks that claim outright.

TACTICS For the Tempestus, this is the pure expression of the drop: place the insertion, gut the target, and be gone. For the defender, the answer is to punish the landing — a strike caught in the open the round it arrives can be broken before it strikes.

Attackerthe Tempestus (a surgical decapitation cell sent to kill one specific enemy fighter - the marked warlord)

Defenderthe opposing gang (protecting its leader/champion, who is the sole objective)

Deploythe defender deploys normally with its nominated Leader or Champion as the marked target; the Tempestus deploys along one edge or from reserve, its whole purpose the marked kill

Objectivethe Tempestus wins by taking the marked enemy fighter Out of Action; the defender wins by keeping that fighter alive to the end of the battle

Victorythe Tempestus wins the instant the marked fighter is taken Out of Action; the defender wins if that fighter is still standing (not Out of Action) when the battle ends or the Tempestus bottles/extracts

Rewardsthe Tempestus gains a large reputation bounty for the marked kill and a bonus if it extracts survivors afterward; the defender gains reputation for keeping the target alive and for every Scion it takes Out of Action

Control Trackthe marked kill strips the defender's Control-Track claim on the contested district (its warlord fell); the defender keeping the target alive locks its claim

THE ATTACKER The Militarum Tempestus Scions — a surgical decapitation cell sent to kill one specific enemy: the marked warlord.

THE DEFENDER The opposing gang, protecting the nominated fighter who is the sole objective of the battle.

BATTLEFIELD Any standard battlefield; the terrain matters only as cover for the hunt.

DEPLOYMENT The defender deploys as normal and nominates one Leader or Champion as the marked target. The Tempestus deploys along one board edge or begins in reserve to grav-chute in — its whole purpose the marked kill.

THE OBJECTIVE The Tempestus must take the marked enemy fighter Out of Action. The defender must keep that fighter alive to the end of the battle.

ENDING THE BATTLE The battle ends the instant the marked fighter goes Out of Action, or when the Tempestus bottles out or extracts without the kill.

VICTORY The Tempestus wins the moment the marked fighter is taken Out of Action. The defender wins if that fighter is still standing when the battle ends or the strike withdraws.

REWARDS The Tempestus gains a large reputation bounty for the marked kill, with a bonus if it extracts survivors afterward. The defender gains reputation for keeping the target alive and for every Scion it takes Out of Action.

CONTROL TRACK The marked kill strips the defender's claim on the contested district — its warlord fell. Keeping the target alive locks that claim.

TACTICS For the Tempestus, everything bends to one fighter's death — screen the mark's guards away, paint the target, and put the drop in range of the single kill. For the defender, the marked fighter should never be left in the open; a wall of bodies between it and the strike is worth more than any counter-attack.

Favours9

Roll	Favour	Patron
2	Favour 2. The Schola Progenium quartermaster stands with the strike — the storekeeper who issues the Progenium's best to those who earn it. While this patron favours your gang, once per battle you may re-roll a single failed Ammo test on a hot-shot weapon, the quartermaster having kept your fighters in fresh charge-packs. He expects the kit returned as well-used as it was issued.	the Schola Progenium quartermaster (elite kit issued at cost to the storm-troopers who earn it)
3	Favour 3. A sanctioned Munitorum supply-drop answers your requisition — a canister of standard kit dropped to the strike between insertions. While this patron stands with your gang, you may begin each battle with one extra frag or krak grenade issued free to a fighter of your choice. The Munitorum asks only that the paperwork be filed; the Tempestus rarely bothers, and the drops come anyway.	a sanctioned Munitorum supply-drop (standard kit dropped to the strike between insertions)
4	Favour 4. The Schola's surgeons stand with the strike — the Progenium keeps its finest in the field by mending them fast. While this patron favours your gang, once per post-battle sequence you may re-roll a single Lasting Injury result on a Scion, the surgeons pulling a fighter back from a wound that would have ended a lesser soldier. The Schola tends what it has already made; it does not waste it.	the Schola's surgeons (the finest cannot be cheaply replaced, so they are cheaply repaired)
5	Favour 5. An Inquisitorial requisition writ is pressed into the officer's hand — the Ordos lend the strike a favour, and expect it called in for their own ends later. While this patron stands with your gang, once per campaign you may ignore the Rare or Illegal restriction on a single hot-shot or special-weapon requisition. The Inquisition's seal opens doors; what it asks in return is left unwritten, and always paid.	an Inquisitorial requisition writ (the Ordos lend the strike a favour it can call in)
6	Favour 6. The drop-fleet armoury answers — the void-crews who rig the strike's insertion gear issue a fresh piece to the cell. While this patron favours your gang, you may equip one fighter with a grav-chute or a target-designator free of charge for the coming battle, drawn from the fleet's stores. The riggers take pride in a clean drop; give them one.	the drop-fleet armoury (a fresh grav-chute or designator issued to the strike)
7	Favour 7. A veteran Tempestor lends the strike his tutelage — an old officer who has led more drops than the cell has fought battles. While this patron stands with your gang, one fighter of your choice may add +1 to a single Advancement roll this post-battle sequence, drilled sharper by a master of the insertion. The veteran teaches only those who listen; the rest he lets learn the hard way.	a veteran Tempestor's tutelage (an officer teaches the strike a sharper drill)
8	Favour 8. The Schola's honour-roll opens to the strike — a place on the Progenium's list of its finest, earned in blood and precision. While this patron favours your gang, you gain bonus Reputation for each enemy Leader or Champion your gang takes Out of Action this battle, the Schola crediting the cell for every hard kill. A name on the roll is not given; it is worked down to, one confirmed target at a time.	the Schola's honour-roll (the gang's Reputation buys a name onto the list of the finest)
9	Favour 9. An Ordo Xenos ammunition tithe reaches the strike — a case of targeted rounds cut for the hardest quarry the Inquisition can name. While this patron stands with your gang, once per battle a single hot-shot attack may treat its target as having no cover and no invulnerable-cover bonus, the specialist load finding a fighter that thought itself hidden. The Ordo tithes the rounds freely; it expects them spent on the things it fears.	an Ordo Xenos ammunition tithe (targeted rounds for the strike's hardest job)
10	Favour 10. A Lord Commissar's commendation falls on the strike — the highest patron the Schola offers, marking the cell for greater work. While this patron favours your gang, once per campaign you may summon the Lord Commissar to the field as a Dramatis Persona for a single battle, the Schola's cold iron made legend fighting at the strike's side. His attention is an honour and a warning both: the finest are watched most closely of all.	a Lord Commissar's commendation (the Schola's highest patron marks the strike for greater work)

Gang Tactics36

Roll	Tactic	Timing
11	Aerial Insertion. Play this tactic before the battle begins. Up to three additional friendly fighters that would otherwise deploy normally may instead begin in reserve and grav-chute in as an Aerial Insertion, dropping from the first round more than 6" from any enemy. The strike commits deeper to the drop than the enemy prepared for.	Pre-battle
12	Mark The Kill. Play at the start of any round. Choose one enemy fighter in line of sight of a friendly officer; until the end of the round, the first friendly hot-shot attack against that fighter treats it as having no cover. The mark is called before a shot is fired.	Start of round
13	Bring It Down. Play in any round when a friendly fighter shoots a target with more than one Wound on its profile, or a vehicle. That attack gains +1 to its Damage. The strike focuses everything it has on bringing the hardest thing on the field down.	Any round
14	Surgical Strike. Play as a Reaction when a friendly fighter that arrived from reserve this round makes its first shooting attack. That attack may be resolved as though the fighter had Aimed, even if it did not. The blade goes in exactly where it was aimed.	Reaction
15	Take Aim. Play in any round when a friendly fighter makes a ranged attack after Aiming. That attack ignores the target's cover bonus to its save. The Scion has time, and takes it.	Any round
16	Precise Placement. Play before the battle begins, after deployment zones are set. One friendly fighter deploying from reserve this battle may be placed up to 3" closer to an enemy than the drop normally allows, though never within 3". The insertion is walked in tighter than doctrine permits.	Pre-battle
21	Drop And Gut. Play as a Reaction when a friendly fighter arrives from reserve within 6" of an enemy. That fighter may immediately make a free shooting attack with a hot-shot weapon before the enemy can react. It lands already firing.	Reaction
22	Carapace Discipline. Play in any round when a friendly Scion would suffer a Flesh Wound from a ranged hit. Roll a D6; on a 4+, the carapace turns the blow and the Flesh Wound is ignored. The Progenium's plate holds where a lesser fighter's would not.	Any round
23	Cold Nerve. Play at the start of any round. Until the end of the round, friendly fighters within 6" of a friendly officer automatically pass Nerve tests. The storm-troopers do not flinch.	Start of round
24	Mark Target Relay. Play in any round when a friendly officer issues 'Mark Target!'. The Order may be relayed to a second friendly fighter within 6" of the first, so two guns fire on the same painted kill. The mark passes down the squad.	Any round
25	Hot Shot Overcharge. Play in any round when a friendly fighter makes a ranged attack with a hot-shot weapon. That attack gains a further -1 AP, the charge-pack pushed past its safe rating. Should the attack miss, the weapon cannot be fired again until it is Reloaded — the overcharge burns the cell dry.	Any round
26	Scalpel Not Hammer. Play at the start of any round. Choose one enemy fighter; until the end of the round, friendly fighters gain +1 to Hit against that fighter and -1 to Hit against every other enemy. The strike commits to one kill and ignores the rest.	Start of round
31	Clean Extraction. Play at the end of any round. One friendly fighter within 3" of a board edge that is Standing may immediately move into reserve, removed from the table as though extracted. It has done its work and is gone before the answer comes.	End of round
32	Vantage Drop. Play before the battle begins. One friendly fighter deploying from reserve may be placed on any terrain feature at least 3" tall, regardless of the usual placement rules, so long as it is more than 6" from an enemy. The Scion drops straight onto the high ground.	Pre-battle
33	Designated Marksman. Play in any round. Nominate one friendly Scion; until the end of the battle, that fighter may re-roll a single failed Hit each round with a hot-shot weapon. The squad's best shot is given the room to work.	Any round
34	Storm Of Las. Play at the start of any round. Until the end of the round, friendly fighters firing hot-shot weapons on Rapid Fire count their target as one point of Toughness lower. The volume of armour-piercing las is simply too much to weather.	Start of round
35	Preysight Lock. Play as a Reaction when a friendly fighter with a target-designator Aims at an enemy. Until the start of your next round, every friendly hot-shot attack against that enemy gains +1 to Hit. The mark is locked and shared.	Reaction
36	No Cover For You. Play in any round when a friendly fighter shoots an enemy in cover. That attack ignores the enemy's cover entirely, treating it as standing in the open. The strike drops where the cover does not reach.	Any round
41	Insertion Feint. Play before the battle begins, after both gangs have declared their reserves. You may re-declare which of your fighters begin in reserve, feinting one drop to mask another. The enemy braces for a landing that does not come.	Pre-battle
42	Plasma Focus. Play in any round when a friendly fighter fires a plasma weapon. That attack may be fired at its maximal setting without the risk of overheating for this shot alone. The specialist pushes the coils and trusts the drill.	Any round
43	Melta Breach. Play as a Reaction when a friendly fighter with a meltagun ends its move within short range of an enemy vehicle or barricade. It may immediately make a free shooting attack against it. The breach is burned open on the way in.	Reaction
44	Disciplined Withdrawal. Play at the end of any round. One friendly fighter may make a free move of up to 3" directly away from the nearest enemy, provided it ends the move in cover or out of line of sight. The strike gives ground on its own terms, never in a rout.	End of round
45	Second Strike. Play in any round when a friendly fighter that has already shot this round is activated again by an Order. It may fire a second time at -1 to Hit. The officer wrings one more shot from a gun that has already spoken.	Any round
46	Painted For The Drop. Play at the start of any round. Choose one enemy fighter; until the end of the round it is painted, and any friendly fighter arriving from reserve this round may target it ignoring cover. The mark is set for the insertion to answer.	Start of round
51	Armour Of The Schola. Play in any round when a friendly officer would be reduced to no Wounds by a ranged hit. Its Schola refractor field is given a re-roll on its invulnerable save against that hit. The Progenium's best does not fall cheaply.	Any round
52	Silent Insertion. Play before the battle begins. Fighters your gang deploys from reserve this battle do not trigger enemy reactions or overwatch on the round they arrive. The drop comes down before the enemy hears it.	Pre-battle
53	Command Override. Play as a Reaction when a friendly officer is within 6" of a friendly fighter that has just failed a Nerve or Cool test. The officer overrides the failure and the test is passed. The Voice of Command brooks no hesitation.	Reaction
54	Elite Reserves. Play in the post-battle sequence. One Scion Aspirant that fought in the battle and survived gains a bonus experience point toward its promotion to a full Tempestus Scion. The Schola marks a cadet ready for greater trust.	Post-battle / campaign
55	Hot Shot Fusillade. Play at the start of any round. Until the end of the round, friendly fighters may fire hot-shot Basic weapons as though they had the Rapid Fire (1) trait. The line pours out everything its charge-packs will give.	Start of round
56	Drop Zone Control. Play in any round while a friendly fighter is within 3" of a Drop Zone terrain feature or an objective it controls. Until the end of the round, friendly fighters may arrive from reserve within 3" of that point rather than the usual distance. The corridor belongs to the strike.	Any round
61	Mark And Melt. Play as a Reaction when a friendly fighter fires a meltagun at a target that has been marked this round. That attack gains +1 to its Damage. The mark is called, the breach is burned, and nothing behind the armour survives.	Reaction
62	Aspirants Blooding. Play in any round when a friendly Scion Aspirant takes an enemy Out of Action. That Aspirant immediately gains a bonus experience point. The cadet is blooded, and the Schola takes note.	Any round
63	Surgical Retreat. Play at the end of any round. Up to two friendly fighters within 6" of a board edge may move into reserve, extracted from the field. The strike breaks contact clean, ready to drop again elsewhere.	End of round
64	Cold Precision. Play at the start of any round. Until the end of the round, friendly fighters do not suffer the -1 to Hit penalty for firing at long range with hot-shot weapons. The Scions steady, and the distance stops mattering.	Start of round
65	Break Their Armour. Play in any round when a friendly fighter hits an enemy with a hot-shot weapon. Until the end of the battle, that enemy suffers a further -1 to its save against hot-shot attacks, its plate cracked and worked open. The armour, once broken, stays broken.	Any round
66	The Scholas Finest. Play before the battle begins. If your gang fields no Conscripts and no hired guns — only Scions of the Schola — one fighter of your choice gains +1 to a single characteristic check of its choosing for the whole battle. The finest fight best when they fight alone.	Pre-battle

Alliances2

Whothe Inquisition (an Ordo drawing the Tempestus as its sanctioned storm-trooper escort) - or any allied Imperial force needing a surgical strike, phase-gated

Termscampaign-level requisition pact: the Tempestus is the Inquisition storm-trooper core-common, drawn as sanctioned muscle by REFERENCE from this dossier (single source of truth on cadian.md requisition_source), NEVER re-authored in the Inquisition House; while the secondment stands, the ally may field a small Scion escort and the Tempestus gains a favour in exchange - an elite escort lent to the Ordos, not a fixed pairing

The Militarum Tempestus Scions are the Inquisition's storm-trooper core — and in a campaign an Ordo may draw them as its sanctioned escort. Under the Inquisitorial Secondment, an allied Inquisition force, or any Imperial commander needing a surgical strike, requisitions Scions by reference from the strike's own muster, never re-mustered elsewhere. While the secondment stands, the ally may field a small Scion escort in its own battles, and the Tempestus gains a favour in return. It is a phase-gated pact, opened only when the campaign brings the two forces together — an elite escort lent to the Ordos for a season, not a fixed pairing. No Inquisition fighters join a Tempestus gang for a normal battle; the arrangement lives entirely at the campaign level.

Whoa rival gang the Tempestus has humiliated with a clean surgical kill, or an Imperial commander who resents being shown up by the storm-troopers' precision - a blood-feud, phase-gated

Termscampaign-level enmity: while it stands, the two gangs may not agree map-level non-aggression and each gains a reputation bounty for taking the other's fighters Out of Action; the feud sharpens as the Tempestus keeps proving the point battle by battle

Not every Imperial force is glad to be shown up by the storm-troopers' precision. A rival gang humiliated by a clean surgical kill, or a commander who resents watching the Tempestus do in one drop what cost him a company, becomes an enemy. Under the Wasteful Command Feud, while the enmity stands the two gangs may not agree any map-level non-aggression, and each earns a reputation bounty for taking the other's fighters Out of Action. It is phase-gated, opened when the campaign sets the two against each other, and it only sharpens as the Tempestus keeps proving the point battle by battle.

Legendary Names3

XP cost (random): 6

XP cost (chosen): 12

THE LORD COMMISSAR OF THE STORM-TROOPERS

A Commissar of the Tempestus remembered as the Schola's cold iron made legend — a discipline officer whose presence alone steadies a whole strike. Taken for 6 experience at random or 12 chosen.

Once per battle, this Commissar may issue 'Mark Target!' to the entire gang at once; every friendly hot-shot attack against the marked target that round treats it as having no cover and -1 to its save.

Its standard, though, is unyielding: a friendly Scion within 6" that flees, bottles, or leaves the table without orders may not be recovered normally in the next post-battle sequence. The Schola's iron does not forgive.

XP cost (random): 6

XP cost (chosen): 12

THE MARKSMAN OF THE MOST CONFIRMED KILLS

A Tempestus Scion or Scion Gunner remembered for the sheer count of precise kills — a marksman whose tally is spoken of across the Schola. Taken for 6 experience at random or 12 chosen.

This Scion re-rolls a single failed Hit with a hot-shot weapon each round for free, and every enemy it takes Out of Action at range earns the gang a bonus point of Reputation — the confirmed count, still climbing.

It will not fight in melee while a target remains at range: as long as any enemy stands on the table more than 3" away, this Scion may not declare a Charge. The marksman kills at distance, or not at all.

XP cost (random): 6

XP cost (chosen): 12

THE TEMPESTOR WHO LED THE DEADLIEST DROP

A Tempestor Prime or Tempestor remembered for the insertion that gutted an impossible target — the officer who brought a strike down where no one believed it could land. Taken for 6 experience at random or 12 chosen.

Once per battle, when this officer issues an Order to a fighter arriving from reserve, that fighter may make a free Aim-and-shoot the moment it lands — the deadliest drop, led again.

The legend binds him, though: this officer must always begin in reserve to grav-chute in, and may never start a battle on the table. The man who led the deadliest drop leads every drop.

Sub-Plots2

Reward: The Marked List: that officer may, once per battle, nominate one enemy Leader or Champion at deployment as 'marked'; the first friendly hot-shot attack against that fighter each round treats it as having no cover and -1 to its save. Claimed once per campaign.

The Marked List. When a single friendly officer has personally taken three enemy Leaders or Champions Out of Action across separate campaign battles, it has kept a list — names worked down one at a time, each crossed off in blood — and this sub-plot is claimed.

Once per battle thereafter, at deployment, that officer may nominate one enemy Leader or Champion as marked. The first friendly hot-shot attack against that fighter each round treats it as having no cover and -1 to its save. The reward is claimed once per campaign, and the names on the list only grow.

Reward: The Schola's Investment: the gang may permanently promote one Scion Aspirant to a full Tempestus Scion at no credit cost, and once per campaign may recover a Scion from a fatal injury as though it had survived - the Schola judges this cell worth the further investment. Claimed once per campaign.

The Schola's Investment. When the gang has ended three separate campaign battles with every fighter it fielded surviving — no Scion taken Out of Action and left unrecovered — it has kept a strike team perfectly intact across a season, and the Schola takes notice.

The Progenium judges the cell worth further investment. The gang may permanently promote one Scion Aspirant to a full Tempestus Scion at no credit cost, and once per campaign may recover a Scion from a fatal injury as though it had survived. The reward is claimed once per campaign — the finest are not mustered cheaply, and the Schola protects what it has already made.

Terrain2

THE DROP ZONE

A marked deployment point — a cleared insertion corridor the strike drops onto, its coordinates burned into every Scion's descent.

A friendly Scion arriving from reserve within 3" of the Drop Zone adds +1 to its Precision Drop bonus, or gains that bonus for the shot even without the skill. A gang that controls the Drop Zone as a territory may deploy one extra fighter from reserve each battle — the corridor the strike owns, and no one else lands in.

THE SCHOLA ARMOURY

A cache of hot-shot weapons and carapace plate — the Progenium's kit stored forward, close to the fighting it was issued for.

A friendly Scion within 3" of the Schola Armoury may re-roll a failed Ammo test on a hot-shot weapon once per battle. A gang that controls the Armoury as a territory gains, in each post-battle sequence, one free hot-shot volley gun or one free set of carapace repairs — the storm-trooper kit that never runs short.