Alright then – the feeling is that Games Workshop is going to be releasing more and more add-ons to supplement the armies they’ve already released sort of like supplement books back in 3rd edition. We’ve already got dataslates and formations and they appear to be coming back around again and with the Inqusition style books (GK, SoB, Inquisittion) all being given their own book, tournament organisers will need to look at how armies are being built for tournaments. Again.

That’s another post though; for now – let’s look at the new Assassins.

Rules taken from Natfka:

“Rules

Assassins now come with a few new rules that I really think may make them playable again. For one, getting a -2 to Look out sir makes it much harder to just shrug off Assassin’s hits (this was always annoying). The other is the extra wound. Assassins have historically came with 2 wounds through he last several editions, and an extra wound was just needed over all this time.

Lets take a quick look at each one.

Operation Assassinate: All Assassins have this rule, and grants you an extra victory point if the enemy’s warlord was removed as a casualty by a model with this rule.

Independent Operative: Cannot be joined by Independent characters.

Lightning Reflexes: 4++

No Escape: -2 to look out sir rolls against the assassins hits.



Vindicare:

Of course the Vindicare is all about his rifle and its ammmo. Not much has really changed here

Deadshot: All hits are precision shots, excluding snap shots

Spy Mask: has ignore cover, excluding snap shots

Ammo:

Shield Breaker: No invul saves allowed

Turbo Penetrator: S10 against vehicles, against everyone else d3 wounds per hit

Hellfire: wounds on a 2+



Callidus:

The Callidus of course is back to her sudden appearances. She comes with hit and run, move through cover, and a cool new rule Reign of Confusion

Reign of Confusion: Can re-roll seize the initiative, and opponent suffers a -3 to the first roll for reserves in the game.

Polymorphine: Can set up 1″ from enemy units, or go into reserves to enter from an opponents board edge. First round appearing can only be hit by snap shots.

Neural Shredder: Template wounds on a 4+ AP2

Phase Sword: Only ignores invulnerable saves on a 6+ to wound, AP2

Poison Blades: Poisoned 3+, with rending



Eversor:

I have always found the Eversor lacking, but with a long list of special rules, he may once again be hitting the table. He comes with melta bombs, and a power sword, and a poisoned pistol (4+)

Frenzon: Roll 3d6 for charge range and gains 3 attacks on the charge.

Sentinel Array: Can overwatch at full bs

Neuro-Gauntlet: Fleshbane, shred

Biomeltdown: d6″ s5 hit upon death

Feel no Pain

Furious Charge

Move through cover



Culexus

My old favorite, now with preferred enemy psykers.

Life Drain: No armor saves, 6 to wound is instant death, against psykers the wounds are instant death

Etherium: All shot and attacks against him are resolved at BS and WS1

Psyk-Out Grenades

Animus Speculum: Add up all psyker units within 12″ and add up to 3 dice from your own pool., This is how many shots you get for your animus speculum. 18″ S5 AP1

Psychic Abomination: Psykers friend or foe get a -3 ldr, do not generate any warp charge, and can only harness warp charge points on a 6.”

Points are very similar to what they were before (+5 I think?) and with the rather vast improvements, this is a solid update (more please GW). 3W is big change but the usual 4++ is there and a reduction to LoS! rolls – now not just the Vindicare can snipe models without any necessary extra rules benefit. Extra VP for ganking the Warlord is a frustrating mechanic that’s not needed but is in GW’s style. It’ll pop up here and there but there are much better methods and uses for these assassins than going after the warlord.

So Vinidicare – still has auto precision shots and now has Ignores Cover except when snap shooting. Still has similar ammo options before with Shield Breaker (ignores invulnerables), Turbo Penetrator (S10 against vehicles; D3 wounds against others) and Hellfire (wounds on 2s). Basically you’re picking off key models with the Vindicare still but it’s generally not that useful for dropping tough ICs (they will still get a 4+ LoS! and if they have a decent invulnerable save you’re not dropping multiple wounds from them often). Single wound models like Sanguinary Priests, Guard Priests, Sarges’s, Heavy / special weapons, etc.? You can smack them goodbye pretty reliably though and if Warlords ever get down to single wounds; well you can start pegging then. Also, with Turbopenetrator now being a flat S10 with AP2 along with Ignores Cover, you can reliably drop vehicles too. No tank hunter though so AV13/14 is still not going to be dropped with absolute ease. All this being said – you’re only exploding on a 6; not great.

Callidus – A lot more sneaky than before finally. She has two deployment options really – anywhere within 1″ of the opponent as a supped up Infiltrate or enter from reserves on the enemy’s board edge. First turn she comes in = snap shots only against here which helps with durability but this isn’t going to save her from an entire army of shooting. She also allows you to re-roll the Seize and has a -3 effect on the opponent’s first reserve roll. Not that useful against armies with lots of reserves but if the opponent has a handful of units coming in, this can throw a spanner in the works. Otherwise she’s a bouncy she-devil in combat with Hit and Run, a template that wounds on 4’s AP2, AP2 sword (only ignores invuls now on a 6) and a 3+ poisoned rending blade for those pesky MCs. Her biggest issue is going to be durability in combat but if you can get her into the backfield bouncing around she can prove a very strong annoyance.

Eversor – The Eversor is still the “I destroy things in close combat” but without the extra equipment of the Callidus my initial impressions are he doesn’t stack up. He can get a ton of attacks on the charge but he’s only AP3 or poisoned attacks depending what you’re poking. He still explodes so can be useful for throwing into a blob and trying to kill a bunch of stuff and he’s got a very other special rules but I’ll take the less efficacy against hordes / masses of Marines for a AP2 template and disruption capacity from the Callidus.

Culexus – Here we go. Ignores armor in combat; instant death on rolls of 6 or if you are a Psyker (to which one already has preferred enemy). Mini invisibility with all attacks being resolved at WS/BS1 along with the new psyk-out grenades. Gun is charged by Psykers and Warpcharges (up to 3 unspent) and is 18″ S5 Ap1. More psykers = more death as usual here. All Psykers within 12″ have -3Ld (so more Perils land), no warp charges generated and only harnessed on a 6. And the big one, Maledictions and Blessings are invalidated within 12″. In summation: fuck you psykers. This will become very much like Skulls when the new Inqusition book drops – there is a very particular application and that application is quite common (here it’s psyker based armies). Whether or not it leads to Psyker heavy armies reducing or it being used as a balancing factor within the tournament scene so that psyker based armies don’t just lol dominate and keep this feeling like rock paper scissors 6th edition. The issue of course with the Culexus is if there are no psykers around a lot of his effects just don’t do jack; you’ve got a decent combat character and can use your own Warp Charges to get a direct positive effect with its gun but you also have a Psychic null zone for your own models. If there are opposing Psykers – beast of a model to have. If there’s not… one of the other assassins is a much better call.

All in all – a good release by GW. Impressive.