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NOTE: "Daemons" refers to units from Codex: Daemons of Chaos, the Avatar of Khaine and daemon princes, summoned greater daemons, spawns and summoned lesser daemons from Codex: Chaos Space Marines unless the new Codex: Grey Knights has a different definition of daemon.

With the Grey Knights codex release imminent, I thought I'd post my Grand Master here, along with his proposed rules:


Grand Master Ignatus Faust -

WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
6 5 4 4 3 5(6) 4 10 2+

Wargear: Terminator Armour, Spear of Tempests, Iron Halo, Storm Bolter

Special Rules: Grey Knight (duh), ATSKNF, Stubborn, Independent Character, Psyker, Eternal Warrior, Grand Strategy, Stoic Guardian, Hammer of Daemons

Psychic Powers: Tempestuous Ascension, Holocaust

Spear of Tempests: This spear, reforged from the remnants of a venerated hero of the Horus Heresy, is dull and appears rusted, but when brought to bear against an enemy of the God-Emperor it displays it's true nature, psychic lightning dancing from it's tip, intense winds buffeting the enemy. The Spear of Tempests is a Nemesis Force Weapon that increases the wielder's Initiative by 1 (already included in profile). Furthermore, the spear can be used once every game turn to nullify any psychic power on a roll of 5+.

Stoic Guardian: Grand Master Faust rose up through the ranks of the Grey Knights from Battle-Brother, to Justicar, to Chaplain and finally to the rank of Grand Master. He knows more than perhaps any other man how to keep the hearts of others safe from the taint of Chaos. Even after his ascension to Grand Master, the former Chaplain tirelessly stands guard over his Chapter, making sure that they continue to foil the plans of Chaos. Any Grey Knights in an army including Grand Master Ignatus Faust are Stubborn. Furthermore, any unit that Faust joins will gain the counter-attack special rule as long as Faust is part of the unit. However, should the esteemed Chaplain fall, all Grey Knight units within 12" must immediately take a morale test at -1Ld, ignoring the stubborn special rule (the dude who made them stubborn IS dead after all...)

Hammer of Daemons: While all Grey Knights are psychic, most of them can't actively control their powers. Faust, however, is a powerful psyker with a discipline only matched by his fellow Grand Masters. Faust may use 2 psychic powers every turn, although he may only use a specific power once per turn. Furthermore, any daemons assaulting a friendly unit within 18" of Faust must pass a leadership test on a -3 modifier. If this test fails, no model in the unit may claim an extra attack for charging.

Tempestuous Ascension: Focusing his mind, Faust empowers his allies with power from the Warp, increasing their already potent battle skills. Any models (friend or foe!) firing a weapon with or attacking with the rending special rule within 12" of Faust when he casts this power on the game turn that he successfully casts this power will rend on a roll of 5+, as opposed to the normal 6+. In addition, Faust and any squad he is attatched to gains 1I and the Rending USR for all their shots and attacks for the remainder of the turn.


As always, I have no ideas about points costs, so I leave that up to your judgement. Thoughts?

Overall, I think this is a reasonable profile, although I think BS6 is pushing it, as I don't think any marine has it.

Although you've given him a spear that is not a nemisis force weapon, which I find odd: he's a Grandmaster, a NFW in his hands would count as a force weapon anyway (at least by the current rules). But if you do change it, then his psychic power becomes overpowered: S8 force weapon attacks with rending, which will basically kill anything short of a monolith in one round. Maybe if you remove the 'rends on a 5+' part, then that would end up balenced.

As for points cost, I think maybe 270 give or take. Probably a little more, as the eternal warrior and 4+ save will make him near-impossible to kill without a railgun battery.

Oh, and one last note, you haven't made him an IC. If this is deliberate, then fair enough, but you may want to put it in.

Sergeant Telion has BS6.

Okay, my mistake, but you take my point. It's very rare to get BS higher than 5 on a marine.

Probably would have been best to wait until after the new codex is released, so that you don't have to deal with people putting it into terms of the prior book like DBW there.

Other then that, he is pretty Mary Sue. Better Psyker then other Grey Knights, better against Demons then other Grey Knights, etc. I think you should probably tone him down a bit if you ever want someone to play against him without rolling their eyes. My suggestion would be to change his unique power to gives his unit +1 Str (stacking with Hammerhand) and +1 I or +1 Str and Rending... maybe an option for either?

Being a grey knight Grandmaster => better at psyking and against daemons than other GKs.

JFC man, I'm not making this up. Did you even read his "fluff", he makes it quite clear he isn't at Grand Master levels (who yes, are good psykers, not Librarian level typically and yes, the epitome of purity) his is "better" then other Grand Masters, which as you pointed out are already among the most powerful individuals in the Imperium of Man.

AlmightyWalrus wrote:
Stoic Guardian: Grand Master Faust rose up through the ranks of the Grey Knights from Battle-Brother, to Justicar, to Chaplain and finally to the rank of Grand Master. He knows more than perhaps any other man how to keep the hearts of others safe from the taint of Chaos. Even after his ascension to Grand Master, the former Chaplain tirelessly stands guard over his Chapter, making sure that they continue to foil the plans of Chaos. Any Grey Knights in an army including Grand Master Ignatus Faust are Stubborn. Furthermore, any friendly psyker within 12" of Faust can negate a perils of the warp roll on a roll of 5+.

He doesn't empower lesser Grey Knights, he empowers ALL other Grey Knights, including other Librarians (among the most disciplined Psykers in the galaxy) and other Grand Masters, because "he knows more than perhaps any other man how to keep the hearts of others safe from the taint of Chaos". So, despite the entire Grey Knights chapter being the most pure, most disciplined, most incorruptible force in the IoM, his character is the one that knows best...

AlmightyWalrus wrote:Hammer of Daemons: While all Grey Knights are psychic, most only have passive psychic powers over which they have no control. Faust, however, is an incredibly gifted psyker with a discipline that only his fellow Grand Masters can hope to match. Faust may use 3 psychic powers every turn, although he may only use a specific power once per turn. Furthermore, any daemons assaulting a friendly unit within 18" of Faust must pass a leadership test on a -3 modifier. If this test fails, no model in the unit may claim an extra attack for charging, and the charged unit has counter-attack for this turn (test for this as normal).

Cool, best psyker in the game with built in super sanctuary versus demons. But hey, at least he leave in a blurb about how other Grandmaster can "hope to match". Ignoring the fact that the best Psykers in the (still unconfirmed) leaked codex are GK Librarians, not Grand Masters.

Anyway, I'm not going to sit here and attack his Mary Sue special character anymore. If his opponent lets him play with it, that's totally fine. I just was trying to point out how slanted his rules and fluff are away from balanced or reasonable. At least Draigo is mostly just expensive on the table top, even though his fluff is on the ridiculous side. This character is both overpowered and fanwank and is pretty much the opposite of good character design. Where are his flaws? What is his purpose besides just being better at everything then other Grey Knights?

It's a little off topic but are you aware of the irony in your characters name? Faust is famous in the occult for having sold his soul to either the devil or a demon (can't remember which at the moment) for knowledge

@Magister, okay, fair point. The stubbon thing should have a range, and the perils negation is stupid (hell, even the best librarians: Tigurius and Mephiston, can't do a thing against perils).

As for the 'super sanctuary' if it weren't for the counter attack bit, it wouldn't be that bad. It just means any unit within 18" has a chance of having defensive grenades in effect.

As for the fluff... I'm not going to even try to defend that, okay.

@Warboss I.I. It's a devil, and look to Mephiston: he's named after a devil. Okay, not quite the same, but GW do that sort of thing all the time.

And, again off topic, it looks like it won't be too long 'til we can do comparrisons. At least, we should be seeing some models soon.

Yeah, the counter-attack part added on top of everything else is essentially why I thought the rule was off.

Instead of ripping on you, Walrus, I wanted to suggest some changes to him to make him more balanced. Take them for what you will, but I felt like I hadn't added much constructive feedback.

How about dropping the existing "Hammer of Daemons" ability and change it to "Units within 12" of Faust assaulted by demons count as having defensive grenades.". Lets call it Warded Perimeter.

Let's give him a balanced psychic power (+1 Str and +1 Ini for his squad seems pretty good and thematic), and Power Level 2, like other Grand Masters can have. Let's also say he has Holocaust and Psychic Communion. Pretty solid psyker, who has to make choices on what he does each turn.

To represent his Chaplain like demeanor, lets have any squad he joins become Fearless and heck, lets let him say "Get Behind Me Satan!" (ignore Perils) on a roll of 5+, not for other psykers, just himself.

So you end up with a GM with a Master-Crafted Nemesis Force Halberd (better then your current one), Psychic Power Level 2, a unique psychic power which buffs his unit. The "bonus" of making his unit fearless, but also making them better against Demons. And finally, the unique ability to ignore Perils of the Warp on a 5+. There, he is a tough nut to crack, great in CC, but with enough a force multiplier to make him seem like a Grand Master. Far more balanced, with a bit of a give and take on what you want or CAN do in a turn. Seems completely reasonable at 225 points (Mordrack at 200, Draigo at 275; you end up in the middle, which seems alright).

i think the bs is pretty bs. like, he is a gk gm and all but bs 6 is a bit too much.... bs 5 would be better....

Wow, first time I've read my own post and wanted to bang my head against a wall >.<

Firstly, this guy is intended to be fielded with the new dex, so no S8 force weapon with rending on 5+.

In hindsight, I can agree with both defensive grenades and counter-charge being a tad silly. The blurb about keeping other GKs pure was to underline just how much GK chaplains matter in keeping the battle-brothers pure, same thing with the perils negation. The BS6 was there because, at the time and as far as I understood, the GKGMs in the new dex all were rumored to have that.


How about this?

Grand Master Ignatus Faust -

WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
6 5 4 4 3 5(6) 4 10 2+

Wargear: Terminator Armour, Spear of Tempests, Iron Halo, Storm Bolter

Special Rules: Grey Knight (duh), ATSKNF, Stubborn, Independent Character, Psyker, Eternal Warrior, Stoic Guardian, Hammer of Daemons

Psychic Powers: Tempestuous Ascension, Holocaust

Spear of Tempests: This spear, reforged from the remnants of a venerated hero of the Horus Heresy, is dull and appears rusted, but when brought to bear against an enemy of the God-Emperor it displays it's true nature, psychic lightning dancing from it's tip, intense winds buffeting the enemy. The Spear of Tempests is a Nemesis Force Weapon that increases the wielder's Initiative by 1 (already included in profile). Furthermore, the spear can be used once every game turn to nullify any psychic power on a roll of 5+.

Stoic Guardian: Grand Master Faust rose up through the ranks of the Grey Knights from Battle-Brother, to Justicar, to Chaplain and finally to the rank of Grand Master. He knows more than perhaps any other man how to keep the hearts of others safe from the taint of Chaos. Even after his ascension to Grand Master, the former Chaplain tirelessly stands guard over his Chapter, making sure that they continue to foil the plans of Chaos. Any Grey Knights in an army including Grand Master Ignatus Faust are Stubborn. Furthermore, any unit that Faust joins will gain the counter-attack special rule as long as Faust is part of the unit. However, should the esteemed Chaplain fall, all Grey Knight units within 12" must immediately take a morale test at -1Ld, ignoring the stubborn special rule (the dude who made them stubborn IS dead after all...)

Hammer of Daemons: While all Grey Knights are psychic, most of them can't actively control their powers. Faust, however, is a powerful psyker with a discipline only matched by his fellow Grand Masters. Faust may use 2 psychic powers every turn, although he may only use a specific power once per turn. Furthermore, any daemons assaulting a friendly unit within 18" of Faust must pass a leadership test on a -3 modifier. If this test fails, no model in the unit may claim an extra attack for charging.

Tempestuous Ascension: Focusing his mind, Faust empowers himself with power from the Warp, increasing his already potent battle skills. If the power is successfully cast, Faust gains 2S, 1T and the rending special rule for the remainder of the game turn. In addition, any models (friend or foe!) firing a weapon with or attacking with the rending special rule within 12" of Faust when he casts this power on the game turn that he successfully casts this power will rend on a roll of 5+, as opposed to the normal 6+.

Added IC, changed the spear a little, toned down the crazy OTT fluff that I don't know how I got in there in the first place, changed Stoic Guardian and Hammer of Daemons and altered TA to affect models within 12" instead of units. Still, rereading what I appearently wrote almost makes me want to vomit >.<.

Oh, and I'm aware of the fate of poor Faust, yes

EDIT: Edited in the toned-down, more sensible version to the first post.

Certainly an improvement. Although once the new codex is out, you might want to check some of the special rules and weapons. For example, exactly what an NFW does, as GW haven't been 100% clear on that.

That was my intent. This is more or less a rough draft of what he'll be when they release the Codex.

Yes, certainly an improvement. From my understanding however Nemesis Force Halberds give +2 Initiative, so you may want to make your special Spear at least that good. I still think his psychic power is a little OTT, but its less of an issue with only mastery level 2.

What part of the psychic power is it you're feeling is a tad OP?

AlmightyWalrus wrote:What part of the psychic power is it you're feeling is a tad OP?

Compare it to hammerhand: +1 strength, or might of titan: +1 strength, +d6 armour penitration. While not as good against vehicles, strength 6 force weapon attacks are going to hurt, especially with the odd wording that let's ALL of the attacks from an NFW inflict instant death. And the extra toughness makes him really hard to kill.

Also, you haven't specified when you use the power: Assaault phase of begining of the turn.

AlmightyWalrus wrote:What part of the psychic power is it you're feeling is a tad OP?

First, I have a "fluff" issue, as I think Grey Knight leaders (besides Librarians) should have powers that bolster their squad or add other advantages to the army. Draigo has a flamer power, but besides that, You have Heroic Sacrifice, Psychic Communion, Warp Quake, Astral Aim, and Hammerhand that are all geared towards group advantage. Having a self buff seems odd.
Second, its out of line from most buff powers, as it boosts both strength and toughness, which is not typical (almost nothing boosts toughness regardless). Reducing both to +1 would be slightly better, but the toughness boost is still large.
Third, it lasts a full game turn. Very few abilities last a full game turn, no buff abilities do.
Finally, the abuse of positioning him near 4,6, 8... 15 Psy/Assault Cannons makes it absolutely ridiculous. For a quick and simple example, consider...

Him+5 Purgation Knights in a Razorback with Assault Cannon+Psybolt Ammo.

You move within 24, disembark, fire 4 Psycannons+TL Assault Cannon = 12 Str 7 shots that rend 1/3 of the time.
Add in some terminators nearby, or another Razorback (remember, 12" to the unit) and you can easily increase the firepower of 1/2 your army.

Honestly, I think you need to tone down the buff (or remove it) and leave the aura, since at least that feels more like a GK power.

How about "Fausts squad gains +1 Initiative and attacks gain Rending. All units within 6" (including his own) Rend on a 5+"?

Magister187 wrote:

AlmightyWalrus wrote:What part of the psychic power is it you're feeling is a tad OP?

First, I have a "fluff" issue, as I think Grey Knight leaders (besides Librarians) should have powers that bolster their squad or add other advantages to the army. Draigo has a flamer power, but besides that, You have Heroic Sacrifice, Psychic Communion, Warp Quake, Astral Aim, and Hammerhand that are all geared towards group advantage. Having a self buff seems odd.
Second, its out of line from most buff powers, as it boosts both strength and toughness, which is not typical (almost nothing boosts toughness regardless). Reducing both to +1 would be slightly better, but the toughness boost is still large.
Third, it lasts a full game turn. Very few abilities last a full game turn, no buff abilities do.
Finally, the abuse of positioning him near 4,6, 8... 15 Psy/Assault Cannons makes it absolutely ridiculous. For a quick and simple example, consider...

Him+5 Purgation Knights in a Razorback with Assault Cannon+Psybolt Ammo.

You move within 24, disembark, fire 4 Psycannons+TL Assault Cannon = 12 Str 7 shots that rend 1/3 of the time.
Add in some terminators nearby, or another Razorback (remember, 12" to the unit) and you can easily increase the firepower of 1/2 your army.

Honestly, I think you need to tone down the buff (or remove it) and leave the aura, since at least that feels more like a GK power.

How about "Fausts squad gains +1 Initiative and attacks gain Rending. All units within 6" (including his own) Rend on a 5+"?

Now that you put it that way, it might be a tad silly. Guess I'll copypaste your idea.