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These are my suggested rules for Sword Brethren in 6th edition. Comments and criticism welcome.

Sword Brethren Squad - 110 points
Composition: 5 Sword Brethren
WS5
BS4
S4
T4
W1
I4
A2
Ld9
Sv3+

(If anyone has a way of writing profiles on Dakka or forums in general that doesn't suck I'd love to hear it! )

Wargear: Bolt Pistol, CCW, Power Armour, Crusader Seals, Frag & Krak Grenades

Special Rules: Maddened Zeal, Teutonic Intervention, ATSKNF, Furious Charge

Maddened Zeal: Seeing one of their own laid low is, to any Black Templar, the greatest insult possible. To the Sword Brethren, who serve together out of friendship and loyalty, it is a crime not only against the Chapter and Emperor in general, but a personal challenge. This rule works just like Righteous Zeal, except it also, once per turn, lets the Sword Brethren squad move into base contact with an enemy unit when consolidating, treating this move as a disordered charge. This rule may not be used on a turn during which the Teutonic Intervention rule (see below) is used, as the Sword Brethren are far too busy dropping through the Atmosphere.

Teutonic Intervention: Veterans of many long wars fought from Battle-barges and Strike Cruisers, the Sword Brethren are experts at deploying swiftly from Drop Pods. If a Sword Brethren squad deploys via Drop Pod Assault it may, if part of the first wave, choose to arrive on turn 2 instead of turn 1 (declare this at the start of the controlling players turn 1). If so, the Sword Brethren unit may perform a Heroic Intervention that turn, despite having disembarked from a vehicle. This charge counts as a Disordered Charge.

Options:
May add up to 5 Sword Brethren to the squad - 22 points per model.

Any model may take replace his Bolt Pistol and/or Chainsword for one of the options below, for the cost listed:
Plasma Pistol - 5 points
Power Weapon - 10 points
Power Fist - 15 points
Lightning Claw - 15 points

One model may be upgraded to an Apothecary with a Narthecium and a Reductor for 25 points.

The entire unit may be equipped with Combat Shields for 2 points per model.

A Sword Brethren squad may select a Rhino, Razorback, Land Raider (any type) or Drop Pod as a Dedicated Transport. See Codec: Black Templars for more information.





Yes, I know, assaulting from Deep Strike is OP yadda yadda, but a full squad with Drop Pod and no upgrades would cost 250 points and won't get onto the board until round 2. It'd also give some teeth to an assaulty army in an edition that kicked assault in the teeth, stabbed it and then farted it in the face.

Eh, seems fine, although as a note they will NEVER be deployed without a drop pod (unless you are trying to spam AV14). It also maybe makes a bit more sense to make them a Sword Brethren Version of Vanguard Vets, so I'd maybe drop the transport options and just give them Jump Packs as a default for a 2-3 point increase per model. (note that even at 25 points, a full naked squad costs less than the original version with a drop pod). I'd then also give them the option to exchange their jump packs for a discount on a Land raider (2-3 points per model discount), similar to... I think blood angels assault squads. This is all assuming that there is nothing in the fluff stating that Black Templars can never have Assault Marines (which to me would seem odd, but then again, what isn't in 40k), in which case just completely disregard my advice.

The thing is, though, no one who isn't Blood Angels use Vanguard Vets, because they're gak. Even in the Blood Angels Codex they're rarely used, because they're simply not worth it. A Deep Striking unit that has to drop close to an enemy to assault but doesn't have any kind of mishap protection isn't ever going to be used, because it's just too unsafe.

As for always being in pods, I'd imagine that being allowed to consolidate into one additional combat, albeit with a penalty, would make them pretty decent in Land Raiders. That'd mean they're good at Drop Pod Assaults and Armoured Spearhead attacks, which are the two preferred forms of attacks of the Black Templars according to fluff.

I love the slightly upgraded statline (properly represents the veterans that marshals come from). Free grenades? Score. Maddened Zeal is amazing

Teutonic intervention is also awesome.

Might be a bit cheap in points cost for the upgrades, but it would give more of a reason to play them

255 points for an assault drop pod filled with upgraded Veterans is a big no-no for me
Land Raiders cost 250 points empty because they are a relatively safe way to deliver a devastating charge
Vanguard (overcosted ok) cost 30 a guy for a worse statline, no zeal, and a very dangerous Heroic Intervention

I can already see some awful cheese incoming here if you think about it ...
A Turn1 (allied) Blood Angels Stern/assault melta drop to open all the cans
followed by a Turn 2 Sword Brethren drop to slaughter all the now squishy targets

Vanguards pay 10 points for the Heroic intervention and it's unsafe at best, your guys are only 22 points each, which should be about their normal cost without the assault drop pod (WS5, upgraded Zeal ...) rule
Their zeal rule should only come into effect at the end of the opponent's shooting phase, forbidding any "hide into the enemy lines" strategy at the first lasgun volley

Zeal already only works at the end of the shooting phase; you don't test for morale until the end of the Phase.

And yes, it's cheaper than Vanguard Bets, but no one ever plays Vanguard Veterans because they're just too darn expensive. Vanguard Veterans also don't have Disordered Charge when performing a Heroic Intervention.

Regarding the statline, they're Death Company without Relentless or FNP (granted, there's the Apothecary, who costs extra) except they're more expensive and take up an elites slot instead of troops. 10 DC without gear is 200 points, 10 Sword Brethren with an Apothecary to get the FNP is 245 points. DC also get access to melta and flamer weapons, as well as Thunder Hammers.

As for dropping in round one with allied Sternguard, how is that any different from dropping in an allied unit of Sternguard round one and then Deathwing-assaulting in with Belial and friends turn 2 and shooting someone do smithereens? Sure, that's more expensive, but you get scoring Terminators and a solid IC in the enemy DZ wreaking havoc. Relative to that Sword Brethren aren't, in my opinion, very boken.

Perhaps an increase to 23 PPM? Any higher than that and we're approaching Purifier levels of cost.

The thing is, you either pay 44 per TL- Storm bolter + 190 pts tax for Belial for one pinpoint accuracy model and you then have to weather the storm (ok you have 2+ saves)
or you can drop multiple cheaper units than will protect themselves by running into CC, and will do a good amount of mayhem as well

The problem is, nobody should be able to have an assault vehicle for less than 200+ points, especially if you Depp Strike at the same time

There are only three units that can assault the turn they come from reserves if I'm not mistaken :
Ymgarl Stealers, expensive and squishy, hard-fought Elite slot
Rokkit-Boyz with named character, quite expensive and extra squishy, dangerous Deep Strike
Vanguard Vets, very expensive and risky

Your unit is relatively cheap and gets very safely in CC, where it is at its best and well protected as long as you don't wipe out the enemy right away

I'd rather price them at 21-22 pts and give them access to a particular pattern of drop pod that is an assault vehicle (I'd probably limit it to some specific units) for a much bigger points cost, maybe at around 85 pts like the Dreadclaw Chaos flyer / drop pod (and only authorizing Initiates in there of course, Noviciates would be smashed to pulp in the crash)

Looks good! I would sure use them thats for sure lol. What about options for storm shields?

TanKoL wrote:

The problem is, nobody should be able to have an assault vehicle for less than 200+ points, especially if you Depp Strike at the same time

Trukks are only 35 points. Raiders are only 60 points. Sure, they've got paper-thin armour, but the point still stands. Then there's Battlewagons at 110 that are hardly paper-thin. You shouldn't have to take a 250+ point Land Raider to be able to be viable in CC, which is where the BT Codex, and a lot of other Codices are currently at. Look at the Chaos Codex: they have exactly one Assault Vehicle (not gonna count the Dreadclaw seeing as it's questionable at best). Then look what that meant for assaulty Chaos armies.

Ideally these Sword Brethren would be part of a new Codex that jacks up costs for ranged options but gives significant buffs to CC prowess instead, promoting a more fluffy type of list. As it is, with the Codex being the oldest in the game, these Sword Brethren wouldn't exactly make Templars OP or anything.

Trukks and Raiders are not assault vehicle, they are AV10 open-topped ... Yes you can assault out of them, but they blow up as soon as you sneeze in their general direction

Agreed the Battlewagon is sturdier, but I never had any problem blowing them up, just aim at the huge flank arc and they're not that durable anymore
So yeah they are kind of the cheap Orkish Land Raider
And yes, CC units are sadly too expensive in 6th Ed due to the firepower around the tables

Oh, I'd LOVE to play Sword Brethren on table with THIS kind of statline and rules.
Assaulting from the first turn of deep-striking wouldn't be THAT OP, since the squad itself can't cap, and they are almost as big point sink as Vanguard Veterans (and hey, they've got the similar rule too!).

i think that they need a buff ... and they should be a little closer to Blood angles death company....

like, they should cost a little more...20 maybe 22, but already have terminator honors...so you can put what you on this guys....like a elite troop cheaper and weaker tham terminators..


imagine a squad of..dont know...with 7-8 guys, with 2 thunder hammers and 2 power sword or claws + chaplain......or even 5 guys with 5 melta...maybe a storm shield on the front....versatile guys...u know ???

this honor cost simply kill this guys....

I'd had been thinking of ways to make SB better recently as well, especially the higher WS part, and I think this just about hits the nail on the head, the Teutonic intervention could perhaps do with a little tweaking of some sort (maybe include a dangerous terrain test) but overall I really like it. Its a thumbs up from me

I like that you like my ideas, but this was dead for over two months. Threadnomancy isn't a good thing.