Warhammer 40,000 Black Templars Guide

If you like your heretics, aliens, and witches purged and burnt, then the latest Space Marine chapter to get their codex for 9th Edition Warhammer 40,000 might be for you. The Black Templars are a successor chapter of Space Marines, meaning that their line comes from one of the first founding chapters, in this case, the Imperial Fists. The Black Templars are on an eternal crusade to put the Emperor's enemies, of which there are many, to the sword and they entered Warhammer 40,000 9th Edition with a brand new boxed set, followed up with a whole host of reinforcements. In this article, we'll take a look at what the different products they have are, and what they contain.

Black Templars Army Set

The best place to start with the Black Templars is the Black Templars Army Set. You can read our full preview here. The Army Set contains:

• Limited Edition Codex Supplement: Black Templars with classic artwork cover by John Blanche from the 3rd edition of Warhammer 40,000
• Black Templar Data Cards
• Black Templars Transfer Sheet
• Emperor’s Champion
• Marshal (Primaris Captain)
• Primaris Crusader squad (four Neophytes, five Initiates, and a Sword Brother)
• Redemptor Dreadnought

The Black Templar's Army Box has 525 points of units before you start adding equipment, so it's a solid base for building up your Black Templar's force or adding the new miniatures to an existing force.

Black Templars Codex Supplement

If you don't want to start with the Army Set, you can pick up the Black Templars codex supplement separately and build your force up that way. The Black Templars codex supplement does require the Codex Space Marines to use, as it only details the Black Templars special rules and the unique Black Templars units.

Black Templars Combat Patrol

The Black Templars Combat Patrol is a very cost-effective way to start playing the Black Templars or to quickly reinforce your army. The Combat Patrol contains:

• 1x Primaris Marshal
• 1x Primaris Crusader Squad, comprising one Sword Brother, five Initiates, and four Neophytes
• 5x Intercessors
• 1x Primaris Impulsor
• 1x Black Templars Upgrade Frame
• 1x Black Templars Transfer Sheet, containing two-hundred and twenty-six Black Templars transfers

The Combat Patrol has 445 points before you start adding equipment and offers a slightly different force option to that in the Army Set, with more troops and transport rather than the Dreadnought. The Emperor's Champion from the Army Set can be bought separately, but not including him in this set allows you to reinforce your Army Set with the units from this one without doubling up on them.

The upgrade frame included in the set is the same as the upgrade set available separately, and we go into more details on it below. But in this set, it's perfect for giving the Intercessors and Impulsor the required Black Templars feel.

High Marshal Helbrecht

High Marshal Helbrecht is the Chapter Master of the Black Templars, holding absolute authority over the entire Black Templars chapter. We take a detailed look at Helbrecht in our preview, but in summary, he's a combat monster, very much leading from the front.

Chaplain Grimaldus & Retinue

Grimaldus rolls out with an entourage of three Cenobyte Servitors to ensure that the rest of your Black Templars are killing witches, heretics and aliens right. As well as being a powerful Chaplain and inspiring nearby friendly units, he's also Devout, which means he has the chance to deny psychic power usage each round. The servitors also protect him, and each are removed before your enemy can start to attack Grimaldus himself and even then, once per battle, on a 4+, Grimaldus isn't taken out and is instead restored to three wounds and is once again ready to bring the Emperor's justice to His enemies.

Each of the Cenobyte Servitors carries a different sacred icon. The first improves nearby unit's advance rolls from a straight D6 roll, to D3+3. The next stops wounds being removed on nearby units on a 6+, including Grimadlus himself. The last adds +1 to Litanies rolls, increasing the odds of success for the special abilities that Grimaldus can use at the start of each turn.

Black Templars Castellan

The Black Templars Castellan, like the Marshal from the Black Templars Army Set, is a named rank within the Black Templars. The Marshal is a uniquely armed Primaris Captain, and the Castellan is a Primaris Lieutenant armed with a combi-flamer and master-crafted power axe.

You can read our Castellan preview for more details.

Black Templars Sword Brethren

The Black Templars Sword Brethren are an elite Black Templars unit. The box contains a Castellan and four Sword Brethren. The Castellan unit is different from the one detailed above in their own box and comes armed with either a master-crafted power sword or Astartes chainsword and a heavy bolt pistol, auto-plasma, or skull relic.

The Sword Brethren come armed with heavy bolt pistols and either chainswords or power swords, and a mix of the unit's members can upgrade to other weapons. Not all of the units can take the same weapons though, and most are limited to one member in a four-man unit. The box provides enough for two pyre pistols, and one of each plasma pistol, power maul, power axe, a set of paired lightning claws, or a thunder hammer.

At the start of the game, a Black Templar player can select from one of four Templar Vows, which offer unique benefits to their army, at the cost of a passion, a thematic restriction that ties into the vow. The Sword Brethren, as veteran warriors, can ignore the passion, while still getting the benefit of the vow.

Black Templars Upgrades and Transfers

The Black Templars Upgrades and Transfer set allows you to take standard Primaris and other units, and give them the Black Templars treatment. The upgrade sprues are also included in the Black Templars Combat Patrol, so the Intercessors and Impulsor there can be made to look like Black Templar units. The sprues contain:

Shoulder Pads

• 12x Mk X Tacticus armor shoulder pads (including 2x for use with Sword Brethren/unit leaders)
• 6x Mk X Gravis armor shoulder pads
• 1x Mk VI power armor shoulder pad

Vehicle Upgrades

• 1x multi-melta for use with Black Templars vehicles
• Decorative vehicle components, 5x Black Templar Icons and 1x relic sword/chassis decoration weapon

Six Relics of the Black Templars Chapter:

• The Aurillian Shroud
• Skull of the Cacodominus
• Sword of Judgement
• Witchseeker Bolts
• Ancient Breviary
• The Crusader's Helm.

Heads

• 4x Initiate Heads
• 1x Marshal's head, with circlet/coronet
• 4x Neophyte heads

Neophyte Weapons and Options

• 4x arms with combat shotguns
• 1x arm with bolt carbine
• 1x arm holding a grenade
• 1x arm carrying an Initiate's helmet

Extra Options, Accessories, and Decorations

• 1x arm option with a choice of two hands, each holding different reliquaries
• 1x Astartes chainsword in scabbard
• 1x Black Templars backpack with a recess along its top edge for use with accessories or Relics
• 3x purity seals
• 3x larger honorific ribbons
• 1x sanctified grenade
• 1x ribbon
• 2x lanterns
• 2x relic bones
• 2x burning candle stacks

Transfer Sheet

• 240 Black Templars transfers

Black Templars Expansion

If you're looking to expand on the Black Templars, they have a very clear playstyle if using the units we detailed above, and really want to close up with the enemy, shooting as they close the distance. Expanding your force from either the Army Set or Combat Patrol will depend on your particular playstyle, but using any of the units out of the 40K Indomitus box that was released last year would suit the Black Templars just fine. Of particular note, the Bladeguard Veterans are an outstanding unit, and already look like they belong in a Black Templar army, and the Outriders, chainsword wielding with bike-mounted twin bolt rifles, the Outriders are able to close with the enemy fast or keep your flanks safe while the rest of your army storm the center.

The copies of Black Templars Products used to produce this preview were provided by Games Workshop.