Genestealer Cult 8th Edition Codex: Leak Compilation

Jan 16, 2019

Time for another leak and rumor compilation, this time we have Warhammer 40k Genestealer Cult 8th Edition Codex, rumors, leaks, previews. As with the other compilations the Warhammer 40k Genestealer Cult 8th Edition Codex will feature both Games Workshop community info and any other Internet leaks and rumors as they come!

Check back everyday as new leaks and rumors for Warhammer 40k 8th edition Genestealer Cult 8th Edition Codex will be added, without notification.

Pre-orders January 2019 26th Release Date February 8th 2019:

  • Genestealer Codex: $40

New and Updated Units:

Warlord Traits:

Stratagems:

  • Sabotaged! (1CP) – When an enemy unit is destroyed and has an explosion  effect, do not roll any dice – that effect automatically triggers.
  • Confusion in the Ranks (3CP) – Choose an enemy unit in your opponent’s army. Select one of its aura abilities – that ability cannot be used  until the start of your next turn.
  • Final Detonation (3CP): Use this stratagem at the start of the fourth  battle round. Roll a D6 for each unit on the battlefield. On a 1-3, the  unit being rolled for cannot advance this battle round. On a 4+, the unit  being rolled for suffers a mortal wound and cannot advance this battle  round.
  • The Anointed one Rises: Use this stratagem if an Abominant is slain. At  the end of the phase, that model is set up again, as close as possible to  the previous position and more than 1″ from enemy models, with D3 wounds remaining.
  • Density Analysis Lenses (1CP) Ignore cover on chosen target.
  • Inhuman Reflexes (2CP): A unit gets a 5++, or has its invulnerable save increased by 1.
  • Industrial Brutality (1CP) – Double the attacks of all mining weapons in an acolyte squad (rock saw, rock drill or rock cutter only).
  • Frenzied Hammering (2CP) – Select a unit of Aberrants – each model in that unit increases its attacks by D3 (roll once for the whole unit), but takes a -1 to hit rolls.
  • Strength of Faith (1CP) – 5+ feel no pain, but only vs. mortal wounds in the psychic phase.
  • Demolition Claw (1CP) – When a unit with demolition charges makes its attacks while embarked within a goliath truck/rockgrinder. That units demolition charges are not expended in the attack.
  • Deliverance Broodsurge (1CP) – Allows a unit embarked on a Goliath Truck to disembark after it moves, though for each one that disembarks roll a D6 – for every roll of 6+ the unit takes a mortal wound.
  • Numbers beyond counting (3CP) – Remove a unit from the board, next turn  deploy it via Cult Ambush at its full strength.
  • Breaking Formation (2CP) – You may deploy a unit with the VEHICLE keyword

Relics:

Warhammer Community Sneak Peaks

Gene-sects

The new codex includes six varied gene-sects of the Genestealer Cults. Having emerged on different worlds across the galaxy, these cults have developed their own beliefs and sub-cultures that set them apart from others of their kind. Each cult not only has its own Cult Creed but a bespoke Stratagem, Warlord Trait and Sacred Relic that represent these idiosyncrasies. For example, the Cult of the Four-armed Emperor is renowned for its well-planned and highly effective ambushes, so if you want to make the most of your army’s Cult Ambush rule (see Part 1 of our rules preview), you’ll want to use this Cult Creed.

 

Their meticulous preparation also offers the cult a Warlord Trait that grants D3 additional Command Points (again, great for using Stratagems that interact with the Cult Ambush) in addition to a handy re-roll, and even a means of countering a key enemy Stratagem.

However, if you prefer brawn over brains, the cult known as the Twisted Helix will serve you better – check this devastating Cult Creed:

That’s right – we’re talking Strength-5 Acolyte Hybrids and Strength-6 Aberrants – which is doubled to 12 if armed with heavy improvised weapons or power hammers! You can also make your Twisted Helix Patriarch nothing short of apocalyptic by juicing him up with the Elixir of the Prime Specimen.

And if you like the idea of all your eggs in one basket, you can increase your Patriarch’s Attacks and Strength characteristics further still with the Biomorph Adaption Warlord Trait, and bolster its profile to mind-blowing levels with the Might From Beyond psychic power.

Let’s take a quick look at the other four Cult Creeds.

For fans of War Zone Vigilus, you’ll be pleased to know that the Pauper Princes – the main gene-sect present on that embattled world – are also featured in the codex. Their Cult Creed sees them fight with an almost rabid ferocity, ensuring they’ll be getting plenty of hits in once combat is joined.

If you favour a more militaristic approach to your cultists, the Hivecult may well be exactly the gene-sect you’re looking for.

The tech-savvy Bladed Cog have learned to splice and augment their hybrid genetics with cybernetic enhancements for a formidable combination of alien, man and machine.

If you like the idea of an army dominated by Atalan riders and Achilles Ridgerunners, the hardy cultists of the Rusted Claw will be a natural fit.

The new Cult Creeds are certainly set to give your army a powerful boost! Next up, let’s take a quick look at another sub-faction within the army – the Neophyte Regiments of the Genestealer Cults, otherwise known as…

Brood Brothers

These units are drawn from the cult’s followers that have infiltrated the ranks of their world’s Planetary Defence Force or Astra Militarum regiments. The most common of them form a direct part of the Genestealer Cults army, complete with their own datasheets – Brood Brothers Infantry and Heavy Weapons Squads, Cult Sentinels and Armoured Sentinels, Cult Chimeras and the Cult Leman Russ.

Brood Brothers units can also be drawn directly from the Astra Militarum faction, representing military assets that have been subverted by the cult. They form their own Brood Brothers Detachment, one of which can even be included in a matched play army for every Genestealer Cults Detachment. Instead of the Cult Creed shared by their Genestealer Cult brethren, Infantry units in Brood Brothers Detachments gain a bonus to their Leadership as well as the Unquestioning Loyalty ability (also featured in Part 1 of our rules preview series).

Genestealer Cults: Rules Preview – Part 1

The Day of Ascension is almost upon us – Codex: Genestealer Cults is up for pre-order this Saturday! To celebrate, we’ll be taking a look at some of the amazing new content in the codex over the course of the coming week – be sure to check back regularly for your daily dose of Genestealer Cults goodness.

But before we go any further, we’ve got some insights from the brains behind Codex: Genestealer Cults.

There are a number of advantages to being a hypnotically indoctrinated army of alien hybrids. Let’s take a look at their army-wide abilities.

Unquestioning Loyalty

The Genestealer Cults have always had some iconic and powerful Characters, and this upcoming release more than doubles the choices available to you. As of this weekend, you will have a huge choice of new characters to field, each providing useful bonuses and abilities to augment your army. Where this army has the edge over other factions that benefit from a large cast of supporting Characters (such as the Astra Militarum or Harlequins) is that the Genestealer Cults Characters are very difficult to eliminate while surrounded by their loyal kin.

Essentially, each time one of your Characters fails a saving throw or suffers a mortal wound, and is within 3? of a friendly Genestealer Cults unit with the Unquestioning Loyalty ability, you can roll a dice. On a roll of 4+, a model from the nearby unit is slain but your Character remains unharmed! This is a huge advantage* for lightly armoured characters who may otherwise be prime targets for enemy sniper units. Should your precious Character suffer a few wounds despite this, it’s nothing that the Hyber-metabolism Stratagem can’t fix!

Cult Ambush

This ability is at the very heart of everything it means to field the Genestealer Cults in battle. It represents the culmination of all the cult’s cunning machinations and careful planning that has led them to this battlefield. Cult Ambush gives you all the tools you need to start every battle on the front foot** – if you can maintain the momentum, victory will surely be yours.

The ability takes two forms according to how you choose to set up your units, so let’s take a quick look at each.

Setting Up Underground: During deployment, you can set up Infantry and Bike units with the Cult Ambush ability underground. At the end of any of your Movement phases, some or all of these units can emerge anywhere on the battlefield that is more than 9? from enemy models. The freedom you’ll have to suddenly strike your opponent’s forces in great force from any direction will cause mayhem with their battleplans.

Setting Up in Ambush: Were you wondering what those 28 ‘blip’ counters that come with the codex were for? They are, in fact, Cult Ambush markers designed to help you play horrible mind games with your opponent as you set up!

Instead of setting up a unit underground or on the battlefield, you can choose to place an ambush marker anywhere within your deployment zone. You can place a marker for each unit you choose to set up an ambush – even Transports and larger Vehicles such as a Cult Leman Russcan be set up in this manner! The crucial detail here is that you don’t need to assign which units are represented by each ambush marker – you can decide that later. There is also a sneaky Stratagem that enables you to place additional ambush markers to further confound your opponent.

If you have the first turn, you reveal all of your ambush markers at the start of your first Movement phase. If your opponent goes first, you instead reveal all of your ambush markers at the end of their first Movement phase, and they cannot move anywhere within 9? of any ambush markers beforehand.

These markers are revealed one at a time – each time you do so, you select one unit from your army that you set up in ambush, then set up one model from that unit within 1? of that ambush marker, followed by any other models in the unit. All units set up in this manner must be wholly within your deployment zone – that is, unless you further mess with your opponent by changing the nature of your ambush.

Through cunning use of Cult Ambush, you can effortlessly deny a flanking manoeuvre, pull back from a charge threat, or force mismatches on your opponent once they have committed their forces to battle. Alternatively, you can press your early advantage, assailing your opponent with coordinated attacks and savaging their forces from the outset with a large horde of Purestrain Genestealers thanks to this utterly devastating Stratagem.

It’s fair to say that the Genestealer Cults have the ability to play in a manner quite unlike any other Warhammer 40,000 faction. If you’re looking to pre-ordering your codex – or a Limited Edition or Special Edition of the book – you can do so from this Saturday!

* Somewhat less of an advantage for the unfortunate (in)human shield.
** Or claw, depending on hybrid generation.

Pre-order Preview: Genestealer Cults

If you’ve been patiently hanging on for the release of the Genestealer Cults ever since the earliest teaser at the Vigilus Open Day, don’t worry – the wait is finally over. (Well, it will be next weekend, anyway!) Indeed, a monstrous haul of new Genestealer Cults characters, units and even a terrain piece will be up for pre-order next weekend, along with a codex packed with new background and rules. Let’s break it down.

Atalan Jackals

Jackals act as the eyes and ears of the Genestealer Cults. They ride a variety of rugged Atalan-class exploratory machines, of which the most common are dirtcycles and four-wheeled Wolfquads. These outriders are swift and skilled at evading enemy fire as they speed around the battlefield. The Wolfquads also offer the Jackal packs some handy fire support with a heavy weapon mount.

Jackal Alphus

A Jackal Alphus is far from just the leader of a cult’s Jackal packs – they can coordinate targeted strikes on priority threats and even take matters into their own hands with well-placed shots from their high-powered sniper rifle.

Locus

These mysterious, austere characters serve as bodyguards to their gene-sect’s Magus or other senior cult leaders. They are poised to strike at a moment’s notice should any threat to their master reveal itself, their actions so sudden and swift that their intended target often has little or no warning as to the Locus’ intervention – usually with terminal consequences.

Magus

This new miniature sees a Magus available separately for the first time. A Magus serves as the cult’s spiritual leader, fortifying the minds of their kin against the psychic influence of their enemies. Each Magus is a formidable psyker, wielding subtle Broodmind powers to confound their foes or galvanise their fellow cultists to frenzied acts of devotion.

Clamavus

To their fellow gene-sect members, the Clamavus is the spreader of truth – a hero who broadcasts the emancipatory creed of the cult far and wide. They use a scrambler array to thwart the enemy’s battleplans, all the while inspiring their kin with booming oratory amplified by their suit’s integrated proclamator hailer.

Sanctus

In order to meet their agenda or deter prying eyes from their clandestine activities, a Genestealer Cult must sometimes resort to less subtle forms of intervention by eliminating the problem directly. Whether by a sniper’s bullet or a knife in the dark, those assassinated for the survival of the cult will invariably have been the mark of a camo-cloaked Sanctus.

Nexos

A Nexos is a consummate strategist. By analysing and interpreting every subtle ebb and flow of battle, they can identify vulnerable positions for their kin to exploit, pointing out potential flanking routes and subterranean passages perfect for arranging sudden ambushes.

Tectonic Fragdrill

Tectonic Fragdrills can make a pinpoint assault on the most volatile parts of the planet’s crust, resulting in a localised earthquake. The Genestealer Cults have learned to harness these machines to cause maximum disruption to their foes on the battlefield.

Brood Brothers

Before their long-planned uprising, the third and fourth generation Neophyte cultists will often seek to infiltrate their world’s Planetary Defence Force and Astra Militarum regiments, providing the cult with trained soldiery to call upon when the time comes. This handy combined set features 10 Cadian Shock Troops, a 2-man Cadian heavy weapon team, and a Genestealer Cults Upgrade Frame with which to subvert them to your cause.

Codex: Genestealer Cults

The essential book for all fans of Genestealer Cults, featuring army background, miniatures showcases and all the rules you need to field your Genestealer Cults miniatures in games of Warhammer 40,000. The codex also comes with a card sheet containing 28 Cult Ambush markers and a 9? range ruler, used when setting up Genestealer Cults in ambush.*

Codex: Genestealer Cults – Collector’s and Limited Editions

If you want to commemorate Ascension Day with a super-shiny version of the codex, there are not one but two to choose from! The Collector’s Edition includes the same content as the standard codex but is made with a soft-touch cover with artwork on front and back, black page edges and a black ribbon bookmark.

Meanwhile, the Limited Edition is designed to resemble a defaced Imperial book and is presented in a specially designed box containing exclusive gaming accessories.

Dice and Datacards

No codex launch would be complete without dice and datacards! The Genestealer Cults Dice set includes 20 grey dice with purple swirls and red pips, and featured the Genestealer Cults icon in place of the 1. The Datacards: Genestealer Cults pack features 71 handy reference cards, catering for all their Tactical Objectives, Stratagems and Broodmind psychic powers.

 

What are Achilles Ridgerunners?

Achilles Ridgerunners are traditionally employed by mining guilds and geological surveyors as exploration vehicles. Their pilots range into hazardous frontier environments to scan for promising resource deposits and communicate their location back to base.

Although not specifically designed for military use, like so many of the utilitarian machines favoured by the Genestealer Cults, these rugged vehicles have proven remarkably effective as outriders and scout vehicles.

The heavy mining lasers mounted on the Achilles Ridgerunners are typically used to unearth rich seams of valuable minerals and rare metals, but these powerful beams can just as easily be utilised to sear through the armoured hulls of vehicles or other high-value targets of choice. As is their practice, the warriors of the Genestealer Cults have learned to supplement this fearsome weapon with additional firepower in the form of heavy stubbers.

Outriders of the Insurrection

On the battlefield, Achilles Ridgerunners act as excellent vanguard strike vehicles, able to put the enemy on the back foot right from the start with their Scout Vehicle ability:

The vehicle is armed with a pair of heavy stubbers, but its primary armament of heavy mining laser can be switched out for a missile launcher or even a heavy mortar.

Each Achilles Ridgerunner also has repurposed surveying equipment as standard, the default option being flare launchers, which offer a handy mix of self-preservation and a burst of speed for a nearby unit of Cult Bikers.

Instead of flare launchers, you can customise your Ridgerunners with a survey augur that robs the enemy of cover, or a spotter who increases the range of the vehicle’s ranged weapons.

The Day of Ascension looms, and we’re sure that you followers of the Genestealer Cults out there are raring to join your brethren and rise up! As a reward for your loyalty, the Four-armed Emperor has decreed that we can treat you to a preview of one of the new units you’ll soon be able to get your two, three or even four hands on – the Biophagus!

What is a Biophagus?

A Biophagus is a specialist in gene-manipulation and bio-alchemy, responsible for industrialising the process of contaminating and indoctrinating new recruits into the cult. To that end, they are often found posing as medical staff and aides, where they can infect their victims with new genetic concoctions they have created in order to leave their victims more susceptible to the cult’s subtle influences.

The Science of War

When a Biophagus accompanies their cult’s forces to battle, they like to experiment with an assortment of biological cocktails on the Aberrants that act as both their bodyguards and test subjects. On the battlefield, this is represented by a powerful ability to enhanced the physical prowess and ferocity of nearby Aberrants:

They can even be accompanied by a ‘medical minion’ in the form of an Alchemicus Familiar. Once per battle, this handy assistant will enable their Biophagus master to roll two D3 for their Genomic Enhancement ability and choose which result to apply. This enables you to better customise your Aberrants to the enemy at hand (e.g. more Attacks with which to slaughter hordes of Infantry, or a useful boost to Strength for taking on larger, more resilient targets like Vehicles or Monsters).

A Biophagus is no front-line brawler, but when it comes to the crunch, they’re more than able to defend themselves. In fact, the debilitating toxins bound within their injector goad can prove lethal to any but the hardiest opponent:

If you’re a fan of Aberrants (giant, mutated, hammer-, pick- and road sign-wielding gribblies? Of course you are!), you’re going to want to get hold of a Biophagus to join your cult. Look out for more Genestealer Cults previews coming soon. Which of the new units showcased at the New Year Open Day 2019 are you most looking forward to adding to your cult? Let us know on the Warhammer 40,000 Facebook page.

Genestealer Cults

The day of reckoning is nearly at hand – until then, we’ve got a preview of some incredible new Genestealer Cults models.

This time around, we’re bringing the upper echelons of the cults to life with a cast of new Characters. These are an unlikely pack of civilian revolutionaries – from freedom-fighting assassins to vox-hacking technicians who use cunning rather than brute force to help you claim victory for your cult:

These guys are going to give the Genestealer Cults a unique feel on the tabletop, with each offering unusual tactical tricks for your army to master.

We’ve also had a closer look at the Atalan Jackals, rapid-assault outriders of the Genestealer Cults, as well as the Jackal Alphus, a mounted sniper who’s perfect for leading an armoured column:

And, Genestealer Cults will be receiving their very own scenery piece with the Tectonic Fragdrill. This massive industrial mining machine allows you to quite literally undermine your enemy’s best-laid plans:

True to form, some new Genestealer Cults are hidden, to be revealed at a later date from where you least expect it – so stay tuned…

See it yet? We’ll give you a hand…

Yep – he’s planning to infiltrate somewhere that looks very much like Warhammer World itself! Looks like he’s planning a visit.

Thanks for joining us for an incredible day, whether you’ve been here at the Open Day in person, or you’ve been following along online.

If you fancy joining us for the next Warhammer World Open Day, tickets for the New Years Open Day, on January 5th, go on sale Monday. We hope to see you there!

 

The Genestealer Cults are coming – and it looks like they’ve been busy scrounging, scavenging and repurposing the works of the Imperium for their own nefarious purposes…

And don’t worry–- we haven’t forgotten about your codex. You’re next.

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