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Hello

With all the Heresy books out there, I wanted to know if there is more information on the Thousand Sons, then what I have now.

A Question:
Has there been any information on their preffered fighting style, (Drop Pod Assualts, Attrition War ect)?
Are there some units that they are more likely to use over others?

This is what I have gathered from the web over time, feel free to correct me if I have misunderstood something.

Fellowships:
1. Company: Sekhmet (Scarab Occult), Ahzek Ahriman, Chief Librarian, Corvidae.
2. Company: Unknown, Phosis T´Kar, No title, Raptora.
3. Company: Unknown, Hathor Maat, No title, Pavoni.
4. Company: Unknown, Ankhnu Anen, No title, Corvidae.
5. Company: Unknown, Baleq Uthizzarm No title, Athanaean.
6. Company: Devastators, Khalophis, No title, Pyrae.
7. Company: Training, Phael Tron, No title, Raptora.
8. Company: Unknown, Auramagma, No title, Pyrae.
9. Company: Hidden Ones (Scout Auxillia), Amon, Equerry to Magnus, Unknown Cult.

Cults / Magister Templi / Powers / Symbol:
Pyrae: Khalophis, Pyromancy & Technopathy, Scarlet Phoenix.
Corvidae: Ahzek Ahriman, Divination, Black Ravens Head.
Raptora: Phosis T´Kar, Telekinetic, Unknown Symbol.
Pavoni: Hathor Maat, Physiokinesis & Healing, Colorful Feather.
Athanaean: Baleq Uthizzar, Telepathic, Third Eye.

In Game Powers:
Pavoni: Biomancy.
Corvidae: Divination.
Pyrae: Pyromancy.
Raptorae: Telekinesis.
Athanaean: Telepathy.

Psyker Ranks (low to high):
Neophyte.
Zealator.
Practicus.
Philosohus. (at this paint the marines undergo the "Dominus Liminus". This test divided the advanced psykers, effective librarians, from the less psychically gifted marines. If passed the marine could wield the "heqa" staff which appearto have been a force weapon.
Adept Minor.
Adept Major.
Master.

Markings:
The Thousand Sons Star on the left shoulder, with cult markings in the middle.
The right shoulder has the fellowship markings (Scarab for the 1th Fellowship).

Titan Legion:
Legio Astorium.
Canis Vertex: Warlord Titan that is located on Prospero.

Astra Millitarum:
Spire Guard.

Jehuty wrote:
Hello
A Question:
Has there been any information on their preffered fighting style, (Drop Pod Assualts, Attrition War ect)?
Are there some units that they are more likely to use over others?

Good research!

A1)
''At the beginning of the Crusade, they fought as tenacious and energetic expanders of the Imperium, and were not considered particularly distinct from the main body of the Legiones Astartes''

From reading about them in the HH series they seem like the standard foot-sloggers backed up with a selection of armour (very Ultra-Marines). This is further backed up by the Battle for the Fang by the tactics used. The Thousand Sons don't seem opposed to fighting alongside normal humans, using the Spire Guard both pre and post Heresy. (Probably now classed as cultists)

A2)
I expect the Thousand Sons to use the following units most (I have built a 3500pt army accordingly)

Ahriman
Sorcerers
Thousand Sons
Cultists
Rhinos
Vindicators
Terminators
Havocs
Daemon Princes
Tactical Marines


Units I would expect them to avoid the like the plague:
Spawn - The Change! Their worst nightmare
Possessed - Possession is the last thing they want, they want control
Mutilators / Obliterators - Thousand Sons don't obsess over physical weapons

Don't forget about the guardian of the library! He rides a landspeeder in times of battle:
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Ankhu_Anen

There's also a fair amount to know about their space fleets.

They also had a unique way of recruiting off world humans. Ahriman got particularly attached to one of these neophytes.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here's a complete list of notable members both heresy and post: http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Known_Members_of_the_Thousand_Sons

Did you mean heresy units when you asked what units they use? A lot of the questions will be definitively answered in their FW HH book, unfortunately it's due to be book 7 currently so still a year out at least.

yeah i am more interested in what units they would favor before/during the Heresy.

As i understand things the Thousand Sons were able to win alot of battles through diplomacy.

The Luna Wolves seem to favor the fast drop pod assault, to take out the enemy leaders.
The Death Guard looks like they favor the boots on the ground, and win through attrition.
ect.

Follow up question, can anyone remember if it is said what kind of weapons Canis Vertex had?

Its a shame the Thousand Sons FW HH book is a eternity away, since it would hold alot of answers.

Well they would use their psykers a lot in battle, but that's not really a tactic... I don't know how I would explain it. They weren't attrition like the DG or drop assault like the SoH though haha, I know that much.

In terms of what units they used, I imagine all of them. There's nothing that seems particularly out of character for them. All legions had access to and would use everything. I could potentially see them not using Destroyers if they saw them too distasteful.

Forgeworld had some thoughts on TS fighting style at last weeks open day.
Basically as the smallest legion they were more focused on surgical strikes closer to modern chapters than legion forces.
Remains to be seen how they will capture this in the rules (should be HH book 7,maybe 2017?)


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The fellowships aren't split according to psychic discipline. Although some are lead by a magister templii of one of the cults. This means that some legionaries serve two masters.

The cult rankings also include adept exemptus, magister templii magus (Magnus) and ippissimus (the emperor)


Automatically Appended Next Post:
What is the source for the scarab being 11th fellowship symbol? At the moment theres very little info on right shoulder pads :-(

We know a bit more on cult symbols. The athaenean also use an owl apparently.

My personal theory for the raptora symbol is a hooked sickle, which appears on the collected visions art of ahriman and fits the raptors name.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I believe Canis Vertex used magical fire in the battle for Tisca, so no idea what it actually had.

Judging from their book, it seems to me that the TS were kind of generic as far as their Units go, so probably a majority of footslogging Tacticals, and some Devastators, though I doubt that they'd employ Assault Marines (they're the smart guys). They probably had a Psyker attached to every squad (there is something like 1 Psyker for every 3 non-spykers, so it's perfectly logical) for extra firepower.

I'd been thinking a year ago of starting a TS loyalist decendent chapter. I was going to take red scorps and count their apothecaries as a psyker protecting his squad with shield/healing powers. Then lots of LotD as the deepstrike/ignores cover/3++ could represent a squad of elite battle psykers. And of course Sevrin Loth and an allied Tigurius (along with 1 or 2 extra ML2 psykers).

A cool idea. Grey knights could make good allies. Or blood angel librarian dreadnoughts.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
On topic, in collected visions there is art of:

Heavy support units (missiles /heavy bolters /lascannon)
Support units (plasma)
Legionaries
Terminators (including as cult leader bodyguards )
assault marines (lots of power weapons,could be veterans)
Guardians of the library (psychic veterans?)
Land speeders
contemptors
Rhinos

The novels mention land raider formations, divisions of elite terminators, coordinated arial assaults in storm-birds (iirc )
They also had a robot division. And something called disc riders

Poly Ranger wrote:
I'd been thinking a year ago of starting a TS loyalist decendent chapter. I was going to take red scorps and count their apothecaries as a psyker protecting his squad with shield/healing powers. Then lots of LotD as the deepstrike/ignores cover/3++ could represent a squad of elite battle psykers. And of course Sevrin Loth and an allied Tigurius (along with 1 or 2 extra ML2 psykers).

Some would suggest that this already exists in the form of the Blood M̶a̶g̶p̶i̶e̶s̶ Ravens

A chapter:
- With lots of secrets
- Lots of Psykers
- A love of shiny things
- No idea of who their founding Primarch / Chapter is
- Who could be the Thousand Sons fleet who were sent away from Prospero when Ferrus came howlin' and survived intact
- Who's symbol is a Raven (symbol of the Corvidae sect in Thousand Sons)