A number of us have
Legio Custodes armies these days (don't ask) and it's been suggested we could do with creating an army list for them, so I'm starting this thread to discuss it (I don't have any Custodes myself and I'm not planning to champion the army but I can start off the discussion and maybe inspire someone to take it on).
For those not familiar with them the Legio Custodes are 1,000 golden armoured marines, created before the Space Marines and stronger and more powerful than them. They are the Emperor's bodyguards and Terra's guardians and they aren't known to have fought off Terra since the end of the Horus Heresy, so this would be a 30k list for historical Horus Heresy games only. They could still play any normal other epic army (there are known to be small numbers of tyranids and necrons about), with the exception of Tau who were in an equivalent level of technology to our stone age at the time.
There have never been any 40k rules for them, but there will be by this time next year as they fought in the Battle of Prospero alongside the Space Wolves and Sisters of Silence and this will be the 6th FW Horus Heresy Imperial Armour book. Custodes appeared in the old FFG collectable card game though, and we know some from that (though GW are changing a lot in their current more detailed telling of the Heresy so this could change). It'll be a bit guesswork for the moment then.
There's a battle story in the collected visions book from the Battle of Prospero that illustrates how much more powerful Custodes are than regular SMs:
Quote:
Each Custodian that fell had taken at least five of enemy with them...In a few scant minutes Valdor and his Custodian Guard had destroyed or routed more than five tirnes their number of Space Marines, including a squad of Terminators and three of the deadly Red Sorcerers of Prospero.
Fearless would probably be appropriate for some to all Custodians. In this fight with the 'at least two hundred' Thousand Suns Valdor attacks with a formation of 30 Custodian Guards in a formation to just 5 left by the end. They are described as having an 'indefatigable spirit' and 'fight on they did. As each of fell, the remaining warriors doubled, then re-doubled their efforts'. (the Custodians look like they're loosing but it turns out it's a planned trap and 10 Custodian jetbikes attack towards the end, distracting and supporting and allowing them to kill all but a few of the two hundred Thousand Suns, who are getting then getting run down by the jetbikes). If we're to extrapolate epic stats from this Custodians would be powerful indeed.
Probable units for the army:
The EmperorSupreme Commander
Constantin Valdor with Ares Guard Command Squad (armed with Guardian Spears, power axes with bolters built in)
Captain (seems to be titled
Shield Captain) but no Librarian or Chaplain.
Grav Rhinos that have skimmerCustodes Land RaidersCustodian Terminators (they're in Catapharcti Terminator armour which is heavier and slower with a stronger inbuilt forcefield, we have rules for it already and to match Cataphracti Terminators should probably have an invulnerable save but a special rule preventing them from consolidating after an assault).
Custodian Terminator Assault Squad (differently from 40k SM ones these all seem to be armed with flamer weapons, also again in Cataphacti Terminator armour)
Custodian Guard armed with boltersCustodian Foot Knights (armed with guardian spears with inbuilt bolters and large shields)
Custodes Jetbikes or Cavalry (they're called two different things and we could have them the same or not, see
here,
here and
here for photos).
[http://images.wikia.com/warhammer40k/images/archive/9/9c/20120121043813!Legio_Custodes_Sagittarus_Heresy_Dreadnaught.png]Custodes Contemptor Dreadnought[/url]
Custodes Recon Squad (as is normal with Heresy scouts squads they have full power armour unlike 40k SM scouts).
Custodes Titans (according to the Black Library novels they have their own golden custodian titans)
Spaceship(s)
I can't find any images of Custodians with heavy weapons but they have 'Imperator lances' which seems to be some kind of heavy flamer weapon.
According to Horus Heresy: Collected Visions:
Quote:
The Custodians have access to all of the myriad types of weaponry and wargear that are used by the Space Marines, including transport and fighting vehicles. They also have access to the Emperor's personal transports and battleships so that they can always be at his side.
Should we just stick with existing units or add in others? Which other vehicles should be in the Legio Custodes list? Vindicators, Land Speeders, Whirlwinds, Predators, Sicarans? Stormbirds and Drop Pods in the list but none of the shoddy newfangled Thunderhawks? Superheavies like Fellblades, Typhons, ect?
Significantly, what stats should The Emperor have in EpicA? Anyone have any suggestions? Rough power level of an epic Greater Demon or a bit better? We definitely want to use the Emperor in our games, not representing him in the army is not an option. He did personally fight at the fore-front of the Great Crusade for 200 years,so it's reasonable for him to fight.
I've read maybe a third of the Horus Heresy BL novels and I know there are some others that feature the Custodes. If anyone else have read these and they have relevant information then please chip in.
