Ordo Malleus
From Warhammer 40k
|
[edit] Overview
The Daemonhunters (the Ordo Malleus or "Order of the Hammer") are a playable army in the tabletop wargame. Along with the Ordo Hereticus (Witch Hunters) and the Ordo Xenos (Alien Hunters) they make up the Inquisition. As of yet Alien Hunters are the only one of these three not to have an official army book or miniature range.
Aided by the Grey Knights Space Marine Chapter, it is the task of the Ordo Malleus to destroy the physical manifestation of Chaos, Daemons. Games Workshop only recently produced an official army book for the Daemonhunters, focusing its main attention on the Grey Knights space marines.
[edit] Foundation and Role
In the backstory of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Ordo Malleus was founded after the end of the Horus Heresy to prevent any further daemonic incursion or influence. It is one of the two original Ordos of the Inquisition, the other being the Ordo Xenos. The Ordo Malleus concerns itself with the daemonic threat that faces the Imperium and for thousands of years has waged a covert war for humanity's continued survival.
An Ordo Malleus Inquisitor is sanctioned to call on the aid of any organization of the Imperium. The greatest threat, that of daemonic invasion, can only be dealt with by the Grey Knights, the Ordo Malleus's own Chamber Militant.[1]
Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness describes the Ordo Malleus - besides being the Daemonhunters of the Imperium - as the secretive inner order of the Inquisition. It is controlled by a council of 169 Masters, whose authority extends even to the Master of the Inquisition. The Ordo's organization is divided into Chambers, each controlled by a Proctor. The number of Inquisitors in a Chamber can vary from a few score to hundreds.[1]
[edit] Playing Style
A player's Daemonhunter army can consist of a variety of troops drawn from other Imperial forces. It may field Inquisitorial Storm Troopers, Inducted Imperial Guardsmen, Allied Space Marines using the "by the authority of the Immortal Emperor of Mankind" rule. They may also call upon the Vindicare, Callidus, Eversor and Culexus temples of the Officio Assassinorum.[2]
Alternatively following the second run print of Codex: Daemonhunters players can take Daemonhunters as an added on section to their current army.
This gives a collector quite a large amount of flexibility, especially if they already have an army when they begin to collect as it essentially gives the option of fighting as Daemonhunters with a restricted amount of allied Imperial forces or fighting as Space Marines, Imperial Guard or Witch Hunters with a restricted amount of Daemonhunters.
When taken as an ally attached to another Imperial Force the Daemonhunters are restricted to 1 HQ Choice, 1 Elite Choice, 2 Troop Choices and 1 Fast Attack Choice. Heavy Support Choices may not be taken.
Playing as Daemonhunters does come with a price however, for starters if any Grey Knights are fielded any daemon packs (small units of relatively weak daemons) get the "Sustained Attack" special rule which allows them to re-enter the board from their owners table edge should they be destroyed. This rule was designed to combat the effectiveness of Grey Knights against Daemons and to represent the fact the Grey Knights only respond to huge Daemonic attacks.
In addition the "adversaries" special rules allow your opponent to use a greater daemon or daemon packs (which automatically return to the board when killed if Grey Knights are present) even if they are not usually allowed to do so. This was designed to encourage Daemonhunters to actually fight daemons.
[edit] Inquisitorial Storm Troopers
The Inquisition characters maintain a string of fortresses scattered throughout the galaxy, some hidden, some extremely well known and the object of numerous dark legends. Inquisitorial Storm Troopers are charged with the protection and security of the Inquisition fortresses and the infamous Black Ships as they make their purity checks throughout the Imperium.
[edit] Notable Daemonhunters
Below are characters notable for serving the Daemonhunters. For other Grey Knights that are notable for fighting Daemons (such as Grand Master Mandulis or Justicar Alaric), but not necessarily for fighting with the Daemonhunters, see Notable Members.
[edit] Brother-Captain Stern
Brother-Captain Stern is a character in the First Edition of the Daemonhunters Codex. He has served the Grey Knights and banished the Lord of Change M'kachen. This incident follows Stern every chance it can and is called the Strands of Fate and the Daemonic Nemesis (M'kachen's ability to appear in battle against Stern or intertwine their fates together).[3]
[edit] Inquisitor Lord Torquemada Coteaz
Inquisitor Lord Torquemada Coteaz is a character in the First Edition of the Daemonhunters Codex.[2] He gained his reputation for being a fearsome Daemonhunter through years of action against the Daemonic. He is now known as the High Protector of the Formosa Sector.[2]
With his power and popularity, he has a retinue of thousands, and he arms himself with rare weapons (like his Anointed Daemonhammer), Artificer Armour, his Glovodan Eagle, and Daemonhunter Relics.[2]
[edit] Grey Knights
The Grey Knights are a mysterious chapter of Space Marines. They act as the military arm of the Ordo Malleus, the Daemon-hunting branch of the omnipresent Inquisition.
[edit] References
- (August 2001) "Index Astartes – Purge the Unclean". White Dwarf: Australian Edition (260). ISSN 0265-8712.
- Counter, Ben (2004). Grey Knights. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-087-4
- Counter, Ben (2005). Dark Adeptus. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-242-7
- Counter, Ben (2008). The Hammer of Daemons. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 978-1-84416-511-7
- Merrett, Alan (2006). Horus Heresy – Volume IV: Visions of Death. Nottingham: Black Library
Justicar at "Dictionary of Genealogy & Archaic Terms"
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It was imported from the Wikipedia article "Daemonhunters". The previous authors can be seen on this page's history.
Cite error:
<ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
