There are many differences among the Chapters of the Space Marines; The Ultramarines are rule-sticklers, the Raven Guard are sneaky, and the Salamanders like burning things a little too much. But among those Chapters (and their descendants), there is one that personifies the anachronism of Warhammer 40,000 like no other.
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The Black Templars are a Second Founding Chapter descended from the Imperial Fists. They retain much of their forebearers’ stubbornness, but are also filled with zealous faith toward the God-Emperor, crusading forth across the galaxy (and the tabletop) to slay the mutant, the heretic, and the witch.
Why Play Black Templars
Do you like melee combat? Do you feel like the regular Space Marines don’t have enough variety in their melee units? Or do you just like miniatures with black and white armour and ornate swords? All of these are perfectly valid reasons to play the Black Templars, as is the fact that they are traditionally harder to play and win with than standard Space Marines.
Playing Black Templars well requires a level of practice that makes them hard to learn but rewarding to master. Once you learn how to maximize the units you have access to, you’ll find a unique army that lets you play melee-heavy Space Marines without losing as many options as the Blood Angels or Space Wolves.
Army Rules
When making a Black Templars army, you have the following restrictions:
- All units in your army must have the BLACK TEMPLARS Chapter Keyword. You cannot include any units that come from another Chapter.
- You cannot include any models with the PSYKER Keyword.
- You cannot include regular Gladiator Lancer, Gladiator Reaper, Gladiator Valiant, Impulsor, Repulsor, or Repulsor Executioner models.
In exchange, you have access to several unique units, as covered below. Otherwise, you function similarly to a standard Space Marines army, including their Army Rule Oath of Moment, and the shared Stratagem Armour of Contempt.
Unique Units
Turns out that roaming the galaxy in search of foes to slay will change your operating procedures a little bit. These units will naturally synergize with each other and can also be combined with any non-banned units from the wider Space Marine Codex.
Epic Heroes
If you’re playing the Black Templars, there’s a good chance you want to include their signature heroes. Each one packs a punch in melee (as can be expected), with the Champion being one of the best duelists the Space Marines can field.
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High Marshal Helbrecht |
Your big bad boss who likes to beat up bad guys. Deals Mortal Wounds to enemies near him in the Fight Phase on top of his already stellar stats. Put him with any solid melee unit and send them into the thick of the fighting. Pairs well with Lieutenants if you have the points for one. |
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High Chaplain Grimaldus |
Trades the High Marshal’s Wound re-rolls for Hit re-rolls (which won’t stack with Oath of Moment) and can activate one of three Relic abilities each turn to boost his offense, defense, or movement. Comes with three Servitors that can tank hits for him, though he loses access to his Relics if they all die. |
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The Emperor’s Champion |
A deadly combatant that absolutely butchers Characters, The Emperor’s Champion is your cheapest Epic Hero and the only one that doesn’t buff his unit at all. Situational, but scary in the right army list. |
Characters
Even if they lack the flash of your Epic Heroes, your unique Characters can supplement your army in unique ways.
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Marshal |
The Black Templar version of a Captain, Marshal trades some flexibility for a small point discount, a Combi-weapon, and a Relic Power Sword. Mostly a side-grade to a standard Captain, consider where your priorities lie when making your army. |
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Castellan |
The Black Templar version of a Lieutenant, he gets a Combi-weapon and a small discount at the cost of losing one Attack in melee – which is rough for an army that focuses on melee. Most of the time, you’ll want to use a standard Lieutenant instead. |
Battleline
Even while crusading, you’ll still need units to grab objectives and take up space. Your Battleline units have a bit more punch in melee than standard Space Marine troops, at the cost of reduced ranged options.
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Crusader Squad |
Your alternative to Tactical Squads. They can take Neophytes (Black Templar Scouts) mixed in with your regular Initiates, and your Sword Brother (Black Templar Sergeant) has a ridiculous number of Wargear options. Neophytes can exchange their Boltguns for Shotguns or a Combat Knife, Initiates can swap their Boltgun for a Chainsword, and two Initiates per squad can take special weapons. As the cherry on top, the whole unit can re-roll Advance and Charge rolls – though, to be honest, you have better options for melee. Use the Crusaders as a mobile back-line problem solver, grabbing objectives or filling out an army list when you don’t have enough points for Primaris units. |
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Primaris Crusader Squad |
Take everything you just read about regular Crusader Squads, remove 75 percent of the options, and buff their stats: congratulations, you now have a Primaris Crusader Squad. A straight upgrade to regular Assault Intercessors. Their only downsides are an increased point cost and the fact that taking Neophytes is now mandatory. They also get the Scouts rule to move before the game begins, which will help them close the distance. |
Infantry
Here’s where the heavy hitters are. Use this unit as the tip of the spear, driving them directly into the toughest enemies on your opponent’s side of the table.
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Primaris Sword Brethren |
Every single one of these veteran warriors can swap their Chainsword for a Power Weapon, and several can bring even more exotic gear. You can tailor this squad to be able to kill whatever type of Infantry you think you’ll face, and with the right Wargear and Detachment, they might even bring down a Monster or Vehicle. Even better, at the start of each Fight phase, you can buff either their Attacks or Damage – and they share this bonus with any attached Characters! |
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Vehicles
Remember the restrictions on Vehicles listed above? Well, you can still access them – kind of. The Black Templars version of each vehicle has the option of swapping their Ironhail Heavy Stubber for a Multi-Melta, and they each cost a few points more than normal. Otherwise, see the Space Marine Guide for more details on your options.
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Black Templars Gladiator Valiant |
Normally a black sheep choice (pun intended), this Gladiator version gets a special mention because it was already designed to be driven face-first into the enemy, so losing the Heavy Stubber for a third Melta weapon isn’t a big deal. |
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Detachments
If you’re going to roam the galaxy picking fights, it pays to be well-organized. The Black Templars have one unique Detachment, but there’s nothing saying you can’t use any of the other options to represent your warband’s specialty.
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Detachment Name |
Description |
Suggested Units |
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Righteous Crusaders |
Don’t you just love the sound of chainswords in the morning? Well, the Black Templars certainly do. A melee-focused Detachment that can pick one of four army-wide buffs that will also affect the strength of your Stratagems. Not for the faint of heart, but powerful in the right hands. |
Primaris Crusader Squads, Primaris Sword Brethren, Land Raiders |
Sample Armies
The time for meditation and prayer is over – now it is time to purge the galaxy. Each of these armies is focused on a particular Epic Hero, but don’t let that dissuade you from creating your own custom Crusade Force to dispense retribution as you see fit.
Marshall Law (Righteous Crusaders)
- High Marshal Helbrecht
- Primaris Crusader Squad
- Tactical Squad
- Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs
- Ballistus Dreadnought
- Land Raider
- Razorback
Strategy
The idea here is simple: put Helbrecht and the Crusaders in the Land Raider and drive directly toward your opponent, shooting the Lascannons at any Vehicles or Monsters you see along the way. The Tactical Squad will divide and conquer: the half with the Heavy weapon will stay back and guard your side of the board, and your Sergeant will lead the other five up your flank in the Razorback.
The Dreadnaught will provide covering fire (and additional anti-tank), and the Jump Pack Intercessors will either Deep Strike somewhere your opponent isn’t looking or run up the board to support your Crusaders.
Iron Resolve (Ironstorm Spearhead)
- Chaplain Grimaldus
- Intercessor Squad
- Primaris Crusader Squad
- Black Templars Gladiator Valiant
- Redemptor Dreadnaught
- Black Templars Impulsor
Strategy
You know how the Black Templars have complimentary Meltas on almost all their Vehicles? This army list is made to make use of that fact. Drive the Gladiator Valiant into Melta range and use your Stratagems (such as Armour of Contempt and Power of the Machine Spirit) to ensure it does enough damage to earn back its point cost.
While your opponent is busy, your Intercessors riding in the Impulsor will hop from objective to objective, claiming them for the God-Emperor before driving the Impulsor into Melta range. The Dreadnought will stomp toward the middle of the board alongside Grimaldus and the Crusaders, who will take up space and hold on to anything valuable in no-mans-land.
Balanced Blade (Gladius Strike Force)
- The Emperor’s Champion
- Intercessor Squad
- Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs
- Infernus Squad
- Primaris Sword Brethren
- Invader ATV
- Black Templars Repulsor Executioner
- Brutalis Dreadnought
- Drop Pod
Strategy
This combined arms Detachment has enough variety to deal with multiple types of threats, making use of the Gladius Strike Force’s many buffs and options. The Emperor’s Champion and the Sword Brethren will ride forward in the Repulsor Executioner, which will drop them off somewhere dangerous and then take potshots at whatever comes into view.
The Brutalis Dreadnought will follow behind, ready to charge anyone who tries to slow the Brethren down. The Infernus Squad will use the Drop Pod to land exactly where they are needed, putting out a pile of anti-Infantry auto-hits, and the Assault Intercessors will stay in Reserves waiting to Deep Strike into the enemy backline.
Finally, the Invader will scoot around the board, adding its firepower wherever it’s needed most, and the regular Intercessors will take objectives.
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