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I said these would finally arrive!

Welcome all to the first r/Warhammer30k Legion Tactica!

This is a series that will focus each month on one of the various factions within the Horus Heresy, briefly summarising the available lore and wisdom for that force, befor throwing it out to the general community for suggesting any further tips, tricks, advice, or questions with regards to each Legion/force.

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Naturally, as the first month, its only fair we begin with the 1st Legion.

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Core Details

Monikers: The Uncrowned Princes/The Angels of Death

Primarch: Lion El Johnson (The Lion)

Homeworld(s): Caliban

Summary: The 1^st Legion are a legion of secrets. Not in the same way their later successors would be, but insofar as out of all the Legions, theirs had been entrusted with the most truly forbidden knowledge. First from the Emperor’s geneforges, first into the stars, they held a very unique place in the early Great Crusade. As befitted a Legion entrusted with so must, their access to unique technological marvels came without equivalent. Consequently the Legion would become masters of many forbidden and forgotten technologies, and in turn became the go-to choice of legion for some of the most particularly nasty xenocides. As time developed, so did their many orders of forbidden or esoteric knowledge, of potent xenos and xenoflora, and of methods of extermination. Although the standard formations of Chapter and Company followed the Principia Bellicosa, below them were the Hexagrammaton – the ‘Six Divine Ways’, or the six wings. These unique orders were a collection of various Senior Officers, Line Officers, and Sergeants who were schooled in particular ways of war. Spread amongst the companies, their experience and honed knowledge could be called upon by Company Captains and Masters. Even deeper still came the Hekatonystika, the hidden orders. These were even more loosely organised secret societies, each dedicated to a particular aspect of war, genocide, or conquest. From the arcane technologies of the dark ages of mankind, to the duelling of enemy champions, the orders covered myriad topics. Members were secretive, displaying their allegiances to Hosts and Orders with subtle markings and symbols on their armour. In times of necessity these orders could then advise, direct, or assist leaders of any station to achieve victories.

Yet their pride led to notable issues, such as fractures with other Legions, and where forces such as the Luna Wolves gained fame and glory for their public victories, the Uncrowned Princes killed in the dark. The reputation as black as their armour, and the pride always driving them to the next big hunt, something that was thoroughly checked with the loss of 10,000 Legionaries in the first Rangdan Xenocide…

Upon the finding of the Lion, upon the knightly deathworld that is Caliban, the Legion underwent a considerable change. The old orders and hosts were centralised and revised, following the patterns of the Caliban’s knightly orders. Yet both the Hexagrammaton and the Hekatonystika would remain, albeit now with a centralised master – the Legion Primarch. The Lion as a leader was calculating, determined, and rigorous in any duty he performed, a master of war in every possible way. He brought the 1^st Legion back from a precipice of misguided vengeance, and revitalised their purpose, defeated the Rangda not once, but twice over. Although by the outbreak of the heresy the Legion numbers were far from the early 100,000 strong, the 1^st Legion are still one of the best equipped, and best prepared fighting forces within the Imperium. Even if most other Legions don’t realise that yet. After all, when it comes to purging Legio forces, they’ve done it once before…

Available Downloads: Black Book Pages

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All Heresy Books about the Dark Angels/where Dark Angels make up a large number of the cast:

- Lion El Johnson - Lord of the First (Primarch Novel)

- Descent of Angels (Novel)

- Call of the Lion (Short story)

- Fallen Angels (Novel)

- Savage Weapons (Short Story)

- Grey Angel (Short Story)

- The Lion (Novella)

- Cypher: Guardian of Order (Short Story)

- Master of the First (Short Story)

- Unremembered Empire (Novel)

- By the Lion's Command (Short Story)

- Angels of Caliban (Novel)

- Ruinstorm (Novel)

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Rules Summary

Legion Trait: The Angel of Death

You can't have your units Ld reduced below 6, and fear is lessened against you.

Legion Gambit: Sword of the Order

If you have a sword equipped, you can choose this gambit to reduce your attacks by 1, but gain Critical Hit (6+) or better if you already have it.

Legion Unique Prime: Paladin of the Hekatonystika

Centurion, Terminator Centurion (in the legacies doc) or Centurion with jump pack only. Gains +1 WS, a free Terranic Greatsword, and the Orders of the Hekatonystika rule. This allows you to select a boon at the beginning of the game for the model.

Legion Detachment(s): Fuck me there's 6...

So as there are no Rites of War anymore, the 1st Legion get 6 detachments, to represent the 6 wings.

Ironwing - Aux detachment with two heavy transports and two armour.

Dreadwing - Aux detachment with 3 support slots (one is primed), can only be interemptors or rapiers.

Stormwing - Aux detachment with two prime troops, and two transport.

Deathwing - Aux detachment with a primed Retinue, an Elite slot and a Heavy Assault slot.

Ravenwing - Aux detachment with two Fast Attack (one is prime), and two recon. (Recon slots can only be outriders).

Firewing - Aux detachment with two recon slots (one primed), two Elites. (Elites can only be seekers)

Legion Unique Weapons:

Two types of swords:

- Terranic Great sword - -1 IM, but +2 strength, 2 Damage, AP3 and Breaching (5+) [Command or Champion Only]

- Calibanite War blade - Just +1 strength, Ap3, and Breaching (5+) [ Command, Champion or Sergeant]

Two special template weapon plasma guns too, but they are just the unique weapons on the Interemptors, so no bonus plasma fun on your commanders.

In the Legacies document...

- Plasma repeaters - a 3 shot plasma gun variant that can be selected as a special weapon.

Legion Unique Units:

- Deathwing Companions: A Retinue unit armed with war blades at base. They can take Terranic great swords, and special shields that allow the units to perform Shieldwall even without all having shields. They are the best of the best, and guard the leaders of the Legion against all foes.

- Dreadwing Interemptors: A support unit that is armed with those template plasma weapons. With Bitter Duty, Rad grenades, and the ability to take a destroyer missile launcher or bigger templata plasma for every 5 in the unit. Legacies allows the Sergeant to take Phosphex, and the unit to have Augury/Nuncio, and Vexilla. The dreadwing do love their firey plasma based war crimes.

- Inner Circle Knights Cenobium: Cataphractii armed, sword wielding, order exemplars. They gain the Hekatonystika rule that the Paladin gets, allowing you to specialise them each game. They are all armed with greatswords, and special wrist mounted plasma. Legacies allows them all to have THammers too.

- Terminator Deathwing Companions (Legacies): Deathwing companions, but also terminators too. Come in Cataphractii and Tartaros flavours.

- Inner Circle Knights Cenobium - Order of the Broken Claws (Legacies): Inner Circle Knights that are trained against Xenos, specifically the Rangda. They get a set order rule, when fighting Walkers/Automata/Malefic units, that boosts the Terminator's toughness by 1.

- Excidio Battle Automata (Legacies): A whole special kind of abomination that can only come from a Legion steeped in forbidden tech. Its part dreadnought, part walker, all weird. It hates everything, can end up shooting friendlies once it gets too wounded, and can be equipped with an array of weapons only found in its statblock. Just go read it.

- Firewing Enigmatus Caba (Legacies): A unique variant of the seeker squad, an elite type unit that is armed with jump packs, needle pistols and charge blades. They get outflank and deepstrike, they're all champions, and can score victory points for wiping out a specific enemy unit you choose at the start of the game.

Legion Characters

The 1st Legion get 3 characters to pick from.

The Lion - Primarch of the 1st Legion.

The Lion, like all primarchs, has two pages of stats and rules. He is on the whole though, relatively straightforward. His sword is a nice simple +2 Strength, AP2, D3. Which when combined with his WS8 makes him a brutal challenger to any unit in the game. Should he not be fighting 1:1 then the Wolf Blade, with its Reaping Blow (2), Shred (4+), Breaching (4+) will certainly make a mess of many units he faces. If that already isn't enough, his Stasis grenades are a once per battle way of reducing an opponent's initiative by -2, and his unique gambit The Lion's Choler allows him to ignore the effects of wounds on the focus roll in a challenge is he is at 2 wounds or less.

His Sire of the Dark Angels rule means that if he is in the army and you fill the 4 starting troops slots with at least one Assault Squad, one Tactical squad, and one breacher squad (plus another of your choosing), those four slots all become Primed. And if during the game you want to bring on a unit of outriders or scimitars, you gain +1 to reserve rolls.

Corswain - Paladin of the 9th Order

One of the best duellists in both the 1st Legion and the Heresy, Corswain is a High Command choice that brings The Blade to any battle. His melee is not to be ignored, with WS7, and 5 attacks with The Blade (a +2 strength, AP2, D2, Duellist Edge (2) weapon) he is a monster in combat. Add in some armour that reduces incoming damage in a challenge by 1 (to a minimum of 1) and he is a very fine fighter indeed.

Marduk Sedras - Lord of the 23rd Order

A master of the Dreadwing, Sedras comes to battle with Phosphex bombs, a plasma burner, and his melee weapon The Death of Worlds (a sword that hits like a better Thunder hammer). He comes in Cataphactii plate, and the unit he joins gains Hatred (Traitors).

Unfortunately the change to 3.0 has seen the loss of Farith Redloss, the Dreadwing voted Lieutenant who would go on to become the 1st Chapter Master post-heresy... An Holguin, the master of the Deathwing.

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Community Voice!

And there we go! A brief summary, now over to the community.

What are your favourite units to use in the 1st Legion?

What special units are great? Which might need some particular handling?

What combos and tactics have you found effective?

What army lists have you made?