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Hello all.

I posted on here previously about being new to 40k and wanting to start a harlequin army, but the more I thought about it the more scared I got about ruining them with poor painting skills. So I looked for another army to try and happened upon the talons of the emperor box set and more generally the adeptus custodes. I absolutely love their lore and style. They do however seem like a very niche army. Would it be possible to create a semi-viable army out of them, and what allies should I consider? I was thinking to maybe ally them with maybe a blood angel golden host as It fits the aesthetic but who knows.

Thanks,
A lost newbie

Rules are in index imperium II.

inFERNal_inFERNo wrote:
Hello all.

I posted on here previously about being new to 40k and wanting to start a harlequin army, but the more I thought about it the more scared I got about ruining them with poor painting skills. So I looked for another army to try and happened upon the talons of the emperor box set and more generally the adeptus custodes. I absolutely love their lore and style. They do however seem like a very niche army. Would it be possible to create a semi-viable army out of them, and what allies should I consider? I was thinking to maybe ally them with maybe a blood angel golden host as It fits the aesthetic but who knows.

Thanks,
A lost newbie

They are very much a niche army. Really, as far as 40k is concerned, they're not actually an army, it's one infantry unit and a couple copy-pasted Space Marine vehicle options. Up until recently the Custodes basically never left Terra except to occaisionally shepard the Black Ships there, so they had no role in the greater 40k universe.

30k and the Horus Heresy stuff as them expanded more through Forgeworld, but that's 10,000 years earlier and they haven't been adapted to 8E yet IIRC.

They're beastly CC units, but they're expensive and prime targets for lots of the multi-damage weapons available in the game and are a bit awkward currently, most lists I've seen for Custodes generally gun 15-20 Custodes and some sort of Inquisition HQ with some assassins in support.

Well that's a bit depressing. Looks like I'll have to go back to the drawing board on picking an army yet again. Any suggestions?

Well, if you choose any Imperial army, it is still possible to Include some Custodes as allies, they just can't be a functional army on their own.

Sadly all of the other imperial armies are too mainstream/boring aesthetically for my liking, but maybe someone could have some suggestions. I also really like the idea of either a mono-tzneetch or thousand sons army. Does anyone have any experience with tzneetch?

Yeah, AdMech is both super popular and visually boring..

Oh, I had completely forgotten about admech. I like the looks of their models a lot. To get started would the start collecting box work for them? And would a squad of custodes be able to be worked in somewhere?

inFERNal_inFERNo wrote:
Oh, I had completely forgotten about admech. I like the looks of their models a lot. To get started would the start collecting box work for them? And would a squad of custodes be able to be worked in somewhere?

The AdMech Start Collecting is pretty decent.

You'd probably want the Custodes in a separate detachment so you don't lose your Forge World trait ny taking them. Probably a Patrol given how expensive Custodes are (unless you want to go up to 3 squads for a Battalion which would be half your army). Since that Patrol would be generic "Imperium" keyword, it would also be a good spot to put a Primaris Psyker, Celestine or other useful Imperium HQ unit since Custodes don't have their own HQ anyway.

Fluff wise I like the idea of using an Inquisitor as a Custodes HQ. I could see an Inquisitor needing their support as a reason for Custodes to be dispatched on a mission.

They can also get in Custodes Land Raiders, which is kind of nice even if they can't share it with a Custodes squad due to space.

Custodes are a very competitve army. Seen them place very highly in large tournaments. Different variations of them, but after both tournaments both players would prefer not to have the land raiders and just spam custoed and guilliman. I think 45 of them and G-man fit into a 2k list?

Last tournament, there was 3 V-LR, 15 custodes, primaris psykers and g-man, and at worst...... 8 died in one game.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
So yes, build custodes however you want, they dont need much help. Are crazy strong

I run two lists with my custodes army. Its a for fun army and loses horribly to some lists but can be quite fun vs others.

First is 3 land raiders with 3 squads of 5 custodes. 2 Ordo Malleus inquisitors to deepstirke in since they cant ride in the transports.

Second is 2 Land raiders and 2 squads of custodes with 3 contemptors and 1 inquisitor.

Both are fun lists but are never meant to be competitive or anything. I hope they get some more units and options. I would not recommend them as a starting army. They are my 4th army for when Im bored of my Eldar or Scions.

I fell in love with the Custodes. I ended up with 40 of them, 2 land raiders, and a Contemptor. I also got their 30k Terminators, spear-armed Contemptor and super-sized Dreadnought (can't remember the name at the moment).

They are a cool looking, fun, elite army. Sadly, they have no HQ :( . I'm keeping my fingers crossed that either Chapter Approved or Fires of Cyraxus will give them one. Also hoping for 40K rules for some of their 30k units. Doing that would make them much more rounded and likely a viable army.

Im Currently playing in a slow grow with them and so far I have had nothing but success.
Our current points level is 1.5k and I am running a patrol detachment using:
Celestine + 2 Gemini
10 Custodes
10 Sisters of Silence
Evesor Assasain
Null Madain Rhino
Venerable Land Raider

You dont have to take to many casuilties though before it becomes a struggle.

I really don't understand why they can't release 40K rules for some of that awesome FW Custodes stuff. Don't they want to sell those models? At minimum they should release rules for a Custodes HQ, one can be built from the plastic kit*, so it wouldn't even violate their precious 'no-model, no-rules' policy.

(* The specific plastic kit I'd personally use for that is Neave Blacktalon, though.)

I was thinking of what a standard Custodes HQ would look like. I'm thinking something like:

M6 WS2+ BS2+ S5 T5 W7 A5 Ld10 Sv2+

Give him an Iron Halo, and the ability for all units within 6 inches to reroll missed hits.


One of the following weapons options

Paragon Spear: Close combat: S+2, Ap-4, 3 damage Shooting, S4, AP-2, Assault 4


Blazing blade: S+1, Ap -3, D6 damage Shooting: S5, pistol2, Ap-1


If he takes the Blazing Blade, he may also take either a power knife, or a Master Crafted Storm Sheild

MC Storm Sheild: 3+ Invulnerable, 5+ save to any damage inflicted.