Adeptus Custodes | Warhammer 40,000 Tactical Guide

• Small model count means you need to make each one count, and each one lost is a heavy blow
• Despite their close combat strengths, their shooting is fairly lacklustre, needing support or concentrated efforts
• Basically needs Forge World to function as a “full” army, with many of those units fulfilling vital roles
• Reliance on certain tricks and strategies in certain situations
• Can really struggle against extreme lists such as hordes, Vehicle/Monster heavy, -1Dmg rules or Mortal Wound spam

ANATHEMA INFANTRY units get this, making them totally immune to Psychic Powers, never being able to be targeted by them, making any PSYKERS within 18” get a stacking -1 to Cast (to a max of -3), and you get +1 to Wound PSYKERS and DAEMONS within 6”.

Obviously these are all pretty clear cut in what they do, the main benefits will be against Psyker heavy armies, using your Sisters as ablative Smite shields as well as moving in to make other powers trickier to cast, which for some armies can spell the difference between victory and defeat.

It’s Deep Strike. Get your meaty combat units into position with minimal reprisal, or set up pincer or flanking manoeuvres with oncoming Bikes and footsloggers.

Your “pure” rule, needing to be a CUSTODES only army (though you’re still allowed ANATHEMA, UNALIGNED and AGENTS of course), this is for your INFANTRY and BIKERS, letting them know Kung Fu. 

After Deployment, but before knowing who has the first turn (grumbles in Necron Command Protocols), you choose a Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Ka’tah. Each Ka’tah is made up of two Stances, and you can activate one of these Stances in each of your Command Phases, but you must do them in order, you can’t go back, and you can’t skip. In addition, each Stance can only be used once, but there is no requirement to use both Stances before you move on to the next Ka’tah. 

Look it sounds complicated, but it’s not in practice, once you get used to it. Think of it like this-

Where the difficulty comes is deciding which ones to use, and in what order, as whilst the rules are solid and can lead to some potent advantages, and there is some manipulation possible, mistiming can be a waste. If you can plan ahead for when a particular unit will benefit the most, or your whole army is expecting to do something, it will serve you well, and you have some some flexibility by sheer virtue of being able to select one of two rules (generally) in a given Command Phase, letting you delay a better or more useful rule if you need to.

A Shield-Captain in stats, though with only a 3+ Sv (he’s not wearing his greaves you see), and swaps out the reroll 1s to Hit Aura for a bunch of special rules. They go back up to a 2+ in Melee, and also can’t be hit on better than 4+, cos they parry. They also always FIght First and get a 6” Heroic Intervention, if in Engagement Range other CUSTODES get +1 to Charge that unit, and have a choice of 3 melee profiles (the jury is out whether they are the names of weapons or fighting styles. You do you boo) – 

• Behemor gives you Str+2 AP-4 D2, with 4s to Hit MONSTERS and VEHICLES automatically wounding, making them decent at carving up big things as well as good all rounder profile, just watch out for -1 Dmg.
• Hurracanis gives -1 D1 but double attacks, helping cleave through light infantry, though Str 5 lets you down a little bit.
• Victus makes you hit at Str+1 AP-4, and a hefty Dmg 3, as well as rerolling wounds vs CHARACTERS, offsetting the lower Str. 

Overall the Blade Champion is an odd choice, being primarily a beatstick in an army that can kind of already do that well enough, and doesn’t offer a huge amount of buffs or support to the army. He’s flexible and great in combat, and not massively costly at 110pts, but might not be a go to choice.

The basic (well, only) leaders of the Sisters of Silence, they have the same base wargear choices as the units themselves (albeit their Boltgun is Master crafted for AP-1 D2), and have a fairly reasonable statline as one would expect on a Character (better WS/BS, with more A and W). They also come stock with a 5++ and a reroll 1s to Wound Aura for ANATHEMA CORE within 6”. At 50pts base, or 55 with Greatblade, they’re a cheap way to fill a HQ slot and get some Psyker mitigation in the army, even if just by themselves. Whilst they won’t do much in the way of heavy lifting compared to a Custodes, they can still pack a nasty surprise with their Greatblade, with 4 Str 5 -3 D2 attacks not to be sniffed at by lighter Characters. Or as seems to be the way with all Special Characters, just pay a bit more and get someone better in Aleya.

Effectively a GUARDIAN CAPTAIN with +1W, the Captain-General is an absolute weapon. His Axe hits at a whopping Str 10 -3 Dmg3, with Str 5 on the Ranged profile, he also has a 5+++ and grants reroll 1s to Wound as well as Hit in his Aura. Whilst he has to be your WARLORD, he gets two of the best all-purpose Traits, grants +1 CP, and once per game can use his Moment Shackle to either immediately Fight after an enemy unit, reduce the Damage of a failed Save to 0, or Fight Again at the end of a Fight Phase. All for a paltry 170pts. He pretty much verges into autotake territory, being tougher and more killy than other HQs, as well as having more buffs and utility to offer. Generally, you’ll want to find the points to run him unless you’re really adamant on having certain combinations of Relics/Traits/Commander abilities elsewhere. Note he doesn’t have a GUARDIAN/ALLARUS/VERTUS Keyword, so has no impact on the Host of Heroes limitation. 

A GUARDIAN CAPTAIN with permanent Genetic Alchemy, can reroll a Hit, Wound, Charge or Save once per Battle Round, and his Guardian Spear gets AP-4 and you can’t use any “ignore wound” abilities against it. For 30pts more than a normal Spear Captain, he’s obviously a clear upgrade just for the defensive buff alone, let alone the rerolls and better melee. Obviously having set Relics, Traits and no Captain-Commander access limits him a bit, but if you have the points spare, he’s well worth the upgrade.

Take a Knight Centura with a Greatblade, but give her +1A, +1Str, a Misericordia, Fight First and fight on death if she didn’t get chance to Fight. For 20pts more. Yeah, it’s pretty much a no brainer if you were going for a Sword Centura, as well as the interaction obtained with the Teleport Homer Stratagem, should the need arise.

The “basic” Sister of Silence, packing a fairly standard human statline, though with slight boosts here and there (Take a Sister of Battle with +1” Mv, WS and A, and you’re there), packing a Boltgun and the Daughters rule. That’s about it really. For 12pts they aren’t tremendously survivable or killy for their cost, but that’s not why you’re taking them. They are comparatively cheap to full up Detachment slots so you can take more efficient Custodes units elsewhere, are great to act as Action caddies and Objective holders, and act as a decent enough Psychic defense force to help protect your Custodes, sticking them out in front to absorb Smites and help try and mitigate other powers. A squad or two isn’t breaking the bank, and opens up options for you to use them and other parts of your list for.

A Custodian Guard that for 5pts more trades out his Spear for effectively an Assault version of a Heavy Bolter that packs an underslung Adrathite blaster (same stats as the Spear version above just 15” range). Whilst lacking in melee stats, you can buy them a Misericordia for a paltry 3pts, which you should just to give them the ability to fight back against lighter units which might try to get them locked down. Coming in squads of 3-5, these guys are a dependable back line support choice, letting you add some solid firepower to the army for a reasonable cost, as well as offering some much needed Dmg3 in the midrange. Whilst you’ll take a -1 to Hit if firing both profiles, it’s often worth it for the extra firepower and BS2 will often make it fine to do, and being Assault weapons you can Advance and fire both with no downsides.

Take a Guardian with a Spear, and pop them in Terminator Armour. With +1A and W they are both more offensive and tougher (though D2 weapons will sting), and From Golden Light offers you utility in Deployment. In addition, their Slayer of Tyrants ability to Pile In and Consolidate towards enemy CHARACTERS instead of the closest model gives them some combat shenanigans, though they do have end the move with at least one model in Engagement Range, and obviously you can only attack them if eligible (so no charging something else to loop round and hit them), so it’s fairly niche. Coming in squads of 1-6 they have some flexibility, though not so useful for Secondaries anymore, and they go to battle with either Spears or Axes, as well as a Balistus Grenade Launcher for some good ranged punch, with 18” Assault 3 Str 5 -3 D1 Blast making a mess of hordes and heavy infantry alike. For 65pts Allarus are well costed with good offense and defense, making them ideal for taking and holding Objectives alike.

Custodes that carry a potent Banner into battle, offering one of three Auras to CORE and CHARACTERS within 6”. The Defensor offers Light Cover, bumping units into a scary 1+ save (or 0+ for Shield bearers), effectively making ranged AP-1 weaponry against them useless, and still affording a mighty 3+ against AP 2. The Imperius grants +1A, really bumping up the melee prowess of all your units no matter what they are. Finally the Magnifica offers Dense Cover, ensuring you will be tricky to hit no matter the weapon fired at you. Provided you don’t encounter Ignores Cover, the Magnifica is generally the best choice as it will always provide a benefit whereas Light Cover might not, being only useful vs AP 1 and 2, though they are very common weapons. The Attack bonus is potent, but getting to combat with less casualties is generally better. Each Banner is also 1 per army, so you can’t spread out the benefits too widely, so consider what you want them to do and deploy accordingly.

No matter which of the three different types you choose, these DREADNOUGHTS all have a robust statline with 9” Mv, S and T7, 9W, 5A and a 2+/5++/6+++, so whilst they don’t have the 4++ from Aegis, they do have a minor shrug vs everything. They don’t have Ka’tah, so don’t worry about them when deciding Stances and such.

Prosecutors that trade out their Boltguns for a Greatblade. The main issue is you have CUSTODES for melee, being tougher and hitting harder, alongside having more rule access to help them do their job. The advantage Vigiliators have however is their cost, with a full squad of 10 setting you back a mere 140pts, a steal for their output if you can get them there, as most units outside of elite heavy infantry won’t be able to withstand 21 Str 5 -3 D2 attacks. Whilst a Rhino is pretty much a necessity for them, they won’t stick around for long after making combat, but a unit can take their pound of flesh and trade relatively well, meaning they can’t be ignored, especially if used in conjunction with other melee focused units and support.

A variant of the Allarus, swapping their weapons for a Lastrum Storm Bolter for anti infantry, and a Solerite Gauntlet for a harder hitting melee attack at Str 10 -4 D2. For 10pts more their Bolter can be swapped out for Firepike (a Str 6 Heavy Flamer with 15” Range for horde clearance), or an Twin Adrathic Destructor ala the Achilus, giving them some heavy lifting anti-elite punch. You can also freely swap out their Gauntlet for a Talon, basically a Lightning Claw with +1 Str for even more anti-horde. Whilst they hit harder in melee, their basic ranged output is roughly comparable at 12” and slightly less effective past that, and they do lose some utility via the Slayer of Tyrants rule as well as certain Keyword interactions. This is all whilst being a pretty hefty 10pts more expensive, and before any ranged upgrades if you’re so inclined. They are good, but will be very dependent on what you want them to actually be doing, and generally other units will be more efficient outside of certain cases in melee.

Sisters of Silence that get an AP -1 Flamer, and a pregame move of 6” for themselves, or the Transport they’re in. For only 2pts more than a Prosecutor, they are useful to get themselves and other Sisters into position and onto Objectives, moving their Rhino into a more advantageous position (say to block an avenue to your Custodes or to tag an enemy early doors), as well as offering some good anti horde. Really their only downside is being in the already hotly contested Fast Attack slot, and not being ObSec. 

Take a VERTUS PRAETOR, and trade out his Hurricane Bolter for a Lastrum Bolt Cannon, being a Heavy Bolter but with Str 6 and D1 instead. Oh and you have 1 less Wound and you pay 10pts more for the privilege. AND this is all presuming their weapons get updated to be the same as the Vertus. It’s all very silly. There are some alternative ranged weapons, though you pay even more for them, with +5pts netting you an Adrathic Devastator (a Heavy 2 Str 6 version of the other ones discussed, still rocking an 18” range), or for a whopping 15pts you get a Twin Las-Pulsar for Heavy 4 Str 8 -2 D3 Dmg shots at 24”. Both are good upgrades, they just make the already expensive Agamatus even pricier. Generally not worth the price of admission, though if you find yourself with like 90pts lying around (lol) you could upgrade your Vertus to these guys with Las…or just take another Praetor…

A Custodian Guardian takes off his greaves and straps the best looking jump pack ever onto him, downgrading to a 3+ Sv but a 12” FLY Mv. They come with either a Kinetic Destroyer and Tarsus Buckler, or a Venatri Lance, either one setting you back 55pts. The Destroyer and Buckler combo bumps them back up to a 2+, nets you a 2 shot Str 6 -2 D2 Pistol at 18” with exploding 6s, as well as Str 6 -2 D1 attacks in melee. Alternatively the Lance makes you hit harder in combat, with Str 6 -3 D2 with +1 A. The Destroyer version is generally better, making you more survivable, with inferior melee for ranged punch, which is offset by them being Pistols and thus usable in melee anyways acting as pseudo extra attacks. In squads of 3-6 they offer swift Infantry able to pepper away at elite infantry before assisting with clearing lighter units in melee, as well as being very useful for the all important Objective capping.

This weirdly named hovercraft (seriously, Grav-Attack what? Speeder? Platform? Where’s the rest of the name?) has a reasonable defensive profile at T6 8W 3+/5++, and comes with a Twin Arachnus Blaze Cannon, which fires either a Beam at Heavy 2 Str 7 -4 Dmg 3 at 36”, with the added bonus of rerolling wounds vs VEHICLES (which at Str 7 you’ll need), or for infantry duties it has Burst to fire 6 shots at Str 5 -2 D1, at 24”. It’s fast at 16” FLY, and cheap for 95pts, but it doesn’t really offer a huge amount of damage. It is useful for support fire, as well as for skirting the flanks to soften targets or threaten charges or weakly defended Objectives, giving you some options for its use.

The Dreadnought that makes the Leviathan look small, this big lad rocks an impressively chunky statline with S and T8, 4A, 14W and a 2+/4++/6+++. Weapons wise he comes stock with a Spiculus Bolt Launcher for light infantry hunting, hitting with 5 shots at Str 5 -1 D1 at 24”, or 10 shots if you Remained Stationary. His arms can be any combination of three weapons. For melee the Caestus has you covered with Str 16 -3 D4 and +1A, alongside a built in Plasma Flamer Projector, for a tasty 2D3 shots at Str 6 -2 D1. Ranged wise you have the option of the Illiastus Accelerator Culverin or a Arachnus Storm Cannon, with the Storm Cannon setting you back 15pts per arm. The Culverin fits a middle niche, with Heavy 4 Str 7 -3 and D2, whilst the Storm Cannon offers similar statlines to the Blaze Cannon on the Grav-Attack above, though at a stronger Str 8 on the Beam and Str 7 on the Burst, making it more effective against either of those preferred targets. Solid and dependable, the Telemon is pricey at 280pts base, though with only the Storm Cannons costing extra that will only budge slightly. It’s not CORE, so doesn’t benefit from much in the way of support, but given it’s already stellar statline it’s not that much of a sting. It degrades pretty harshly however, so make sure to get it doing work as soon as possible, and whilst twin guns might sound promising to assist with fire support, a Caestus to help support an offense as well as be more of a threat to being pinned down by light units is usually worth the sacrifice of some shooting.

A floating battle tank, with a decent T7 14W and 3+/5++, it comes with a Twin Lastrum Bolt Cannon for some light anti-infantry firepower (see the Agamatus above, but, you know, twin), and a turret of either an Illiastus Accelerator Cannon for 8 Shots at Str 7 -3 D2, or a Twin Heavy Arachnus Blaze Cannon with the usal Beam and Burst profiles, but at Str 9 and 3+D3 Dmg on the Beam, and 8 shots at Str on the Burst, with a further +12” Range on both. It’s quick at 14” with FLY, letting you ensure line of sight and cover are avoided with relative ease, and it offers some solid firepower to the army. At 205 regardless of loadout it’s not the cheapest thing around, but it helps to fill a gap otherwise missing from the army, mainly further anti horde as well as ways to soften up harder targets from a distance. 

Take a Caladius, bump it to T8 and 18W, but downgrade it’s Blaze Cannon to the one on a Grav-Attack, for the option to Transport 6 CUSTODES INFANTRY around. A much faster and (generally) more robust alternative to the Land Raider, though with less offensive output, and 18W is a major downside for Terrain interactions. The extra capacity helps a bit, especially as you can have two small units inside to pop out and do separate things, but at 250pts it’s a costly investment.

Replace the Transport capacity of the Orion with a Magna Blaze Cannon, netting you either D3 Shots at Str 14 -4 6+D3 Dmg Blast, or 3 Shots at Str 9 -3 D3 Dmg (why you’d ever use that profile is beyond me though). Incidentally neither of those profiles have reroll wounds vs VEHICLES like other Blaze weapons do, so in some instances they can be less reliable at wounding them. You also lose all the bolt weapons as well for some Bombs, letting you do D3 Mortals to everything within 6” of a point you flew over on a 4+ (or 5+ for a non-VEHICLE/MONSTER CHARACTER). You’re also 50pts cheaper. But it doesn’t really do much, outside of anti tank, which whilst sorely needed by the army, is a big ask for something not massively cost effective. Whilst as chunky as the Orion, it also has the same issues, namely being so big some missions will prevent you from deploying and being able to do anything with it turn 1.