Adeptus Custodes - Custodian Tactical Formations: Custodian Warden - Custodian Wardens can be recognised by the ceremonial robes that they wear over their armour. These are a mark of their veteran status, for every Custodian Warden has seen at least five Terran centuries in the Emperor's service. Those Wardens that do not carry the iconic Guardian Spears of their order wield heavy-bladed Castellan Axes, which lend themselves to an elegant and brutal combat style. The Wardens can also fire concentrated volleys of bolt fire from the hafts of their weapons, scything down those who attempt to stay out of their blades' devastating reach. The Wardens are known amongst their comrades as level-headed and endlessly patient watchmen. Upon accepting the robes that mark their station they swear binding oaths to fight as immovable sentinels, a living fortress of auramite and sinew that no foe will ever breach. Each Warden's oaths are personal, written by the Custodian themself after a full Terran year's contemplation sat in meditation upon the precipitous ledges of the Gallowtower of the Imperial Palace. To break their vows would be worse than death to these warriors, and their determination to uphold them bolsters their already formidable wills to something of truly frightening intensity.Custodian Guard - When Shield Companies of the Adeptus Custodes strike out to do battle with the enemies of Mankind, it is the Custodian Guard that form their backbone. These warriors are rank-and-file infantry only insomuch as their numbers are greater than those of the other, more specialised Adeptus Custodes warriors. Even a single one of their number is a terrifying force of destruction, his every shot perfectly placed, his every cut, thrust and stab a masterclass in bladesmanship, footwork and combat awareness that sees enemy corpses fall like dead leaves at his feet. Ferociously strong, phenomenally resilient, utterly without fear or doubt, the Custodian Guard are the equal of many foes' most elite warriors. Their traditional armament is the Guardian Spear, a golden halberd so heavy it would take several men to lift it. Conversely, some Custodian Guard prefer to enter battle armed with a Sentinel Blade and Storm Shield. The Sentinel Blade is a broadsword of daunting size, so large its hilt is flanked with the double barrels of a Bolt Caster that can lay down a hail of short-range fire. It is a testament to the strength of the Custodians that they can wield these powered blades one-handed. When coupled with the armoured bulwark of the Storm Shield -- whose protective powers are augmented with a built-in energy-shield generator -- this potent combination allows the Custodian Guard to cut their foes apart while weathering even the most devastating of attacks.Vexilus Praetors - A Vexilus Praetor is a veteran of one of the Adeptus Custodes' Shield Companies, who bear aloft proud standards known as Vexillas, to war. More than just standards to inspire adulation or terror, their built-in technologies provide invaluable battlefield support to the Custodians fighting in their shadow. Each Vexilla is created on Terra, painstakingly fashioned over a period of one hundred standard years by the oath-sworn artisans of the Tower Aquilane. Upon their completion, these beautiful standards are borne amidst processions of craft-thralls, Adeptus Ministorum Priests and heraldic Servitors to the Auric Eyrie, where they are held upon stasis-podia until required. Each Vexilla is a towering banner topped with the Imperial Aquila, the ultimate symbol of the Emperor's authority. The Custodes alone are permitted to display it as their foremost heraldic icon, and its inspirational effect upon those around them is nothing short of electric. Hefted high above the anarchy of the battlefield, the Vexilla forms a golden beacon of truth and light that fills true servants of the Emperor with awe. Beneath the winged shadow of the Aquila, even the humblest defender of Humanity feels the touch of the Emperor upon their soul. Meanwhile, the enemies of the Imperium cower in dismay; dread clouds their minds and saps their strength at the thought that the Emperor's greatest warriors are poised to tear them apart.Hetaeron Guard - Part of the inner circle of the Adeptus Custodes, the Hetaeron Guard served as the Emperor's closest protectors, aides and confidants, leaving His side rarely but for the direst of circumstances during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras. Selected individually for their service by the Master of Mankind, they represent some of the most potent fighters in the Imperium, almost like demigods of the battlefield. During the earlier years of the Great Crusade, when the Emperor still walked amongst Mankind, the Hetaeron were a regular feature upon the worlds deserving of His attention. Yet as His actions were turned elsewhere, His inner guard would follow too, becoming almost a myth in their absence. In the 41st Millennium, it is said that only 300 of these elite Custodes serve as the personal guard of the Emperor, now called the Emperor's Companions as noted above. They are charged with the eternal vigil over the the Emperor's Sanctum Imperialis chambers at all times and are privileged to always be in His physical presence.Allarus Custodians - The Allarus Custodians deploy with sudden fury to tear the throat from the enemy army. These warriors wear suits of Allarus Pattern Terminator Armour, expertly crafted battle-plate whose worth can be measured in worlds. Allarus Armour is a marvel of craftsmanship. It provides its wearer with an exceptional range of movement and near-unencumbered speed, augmented strength and resilience, and the survivability to stride unharmed from the blast of a Macrocannon shell. Coupled with the protective blessings of the Emperor, Allarus Terminator plate is arguably the most effective man-portable combat armour in the entire Imperium. Just as well, for the battles fought by Allarus Custodians demand nothing less. Their weapons, too, are formidable. They heft Guardian Spears twice the height of a man, or swing massive Castellan Axes that can bisect a Chaos Lord or lop the head from an Ork psyker with a single blow. To supplement these weapons, Allarus Custodians also wield Balistus Grenade Launchers upon their left forearms, which are capable of launching Concussion Grenades that explode amidst bursts of electro-exorcist chaff and overwhelming light and sound. Hand-picked by the Captain-General from amongst the most bellicose of the Ten Thousand, Allarus Custodians relish the chance to plunge into the most lethal battles. So aggressive and heroic are these warriors that, when the situation demands, they have been known to splinter their units entirely after the initial strike and scatter through the enemy's rear lines. Fighting as lone figures, the Allarus Custodians eliminate key targets, sow anarchy and confusion through unsuspecting forces, and completely destabilise the foe's formation before fresh Adeptus Custodes forces arrive to end the conflict. It is an effective tactic that has seen more than one Heretic fortress fall from within.Aquilon Terminator Sodalities - These elite warriors wear a pattern of Tactical Dreadnought Armour, known as Aquilon Pattern Terminator Armour, that was specifically developed for ancient Legio Custodes use. Advancing yet further upon the Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour, the Aquilon Pattern took into account the enhanced physique of the Custodians as being able to bear more weight and strain than even a Space Marine, and so is fitted with additional integrated power systems and capacitors which make up for some of the limitations of the origin-pattern. This enables the Aquilon Pattern to retain the Cataphractii pattern's famous durability, but allows for a higher degree of speed and manoeuvrability the former lacks. Within the ranks of the Legio Custodes, Aquilon Terminator Sodalities were only employed rarely, and only as need dictated, particularly on those rare occasions where they were required to operate under conditions designated as "Zone Mortalis" or required to storm a breach. These elite squadrons are still deployed by the Adeptus Custodes of the 41st Millennium.Sentinel Guard - Sentinel Guard Squads were the defensive formations of the Legio Custodes, designed to function as a mobile bulwark to protect emissaries on hazardous ground and hold defensive lines against the most grievous onslaught in open battle. In order to achieve this, they were equipped with energy field-reinforced Praesidium Shields -- a precursor technology to that later employed by the prototype Legiones Astartes Storm Shields -- which were able to resist the heaviest weapons fire. When deployed outside the walls of the Imperial Palace, their charge was often to protect key aspects of allied detachments and resources liberated from the enemy. However, it had been witnessed during large scale sudden assaults that their close formations also served to disrupt enemy lines. While they still retained the loose unit structures of the Legio Custodes, the Sentinel Guard by their nature utilised a greater synchronicity between warriors in service to the various phalanx formations that could be required of the squad at any given moment. It is unknown if this particular formation is still deployed by the Adeptus Custodes of the 41st Millennium.Vertus Praetors - Vertus Praetors are airborne warriors whom act as the eyes and ears of their Shield Companies, soaring over the battlefield and Voxing word of the enemy's movements. Squads of Vertus Praetors swoop into battle astride powerful Dawneagle Jetbikes. Veteran warriors who have seen battle on a hundred worlds, these Custodians know the true value of speed: not simply to bring the enemy to battle, but to direct their might precisely where and when it is needed most. Wherever they see their comrades hardest pressed, there the Vertus Praetors strike like golden lightning to bolster them. Each Vertus Praetor is a master combatant who has already honed his superhuman skills amongst the ranks of the Custodian Guard. They are expert marksmen, able to place perfect kill shots even while screaming at breakneck pace through tangled ruins or dense forests. Their close-quarters prowess is no less exceptional; a Vertus Praetor can open the throat of a heavily armoured foe in a single pass. They can analyse even the most chaotic conflict in a heartbeat, reacting with incredible speed to evade obstacles and run down their foes, processing battlefield developments with breathtaking rapidity. The exceptional skill of the Vertus Praetors is augmented by their superlative wargear. As well as being protected by auramite armour, these warriors wield enormous Interceptor Lances. Taller end-to-end than an Ogryn, and perfectly weighted, these fearsome weapons boast adamantium blades wreathed in disruptor fields. Vertus Praetors are masters of hit-and-run strikes, driving their lances clean through their precisely chosen targets before ripping them clear again as they speed past.Agamatus Squadrons - The Agamatus Squadrons were active during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras and specialised in the use of the heavy duty, plasma motor-boosted Gyrfalcon Pattern Jetbike as their steeds in battle. The increased power of the design supported not only the heavily armoured Custodian Guard, but also allowed it to mount a powerful Iliastus Bolt Cannon as its on-board armament. The Agamatus Squadrons exploited these war machines to operate both as a rapid response and suppression unit in the field. In this they operated much in the manner of the elite cavalry forces of ancient times, screening the main Legio Custodes force from potential encirclement, reacting quickly to blunt enemy attacks, and hunting down mercilessly any foe which broke and fled before the might of the Custodes, ensuring the utter extermination of the enemy. These squadrons are still deployed by the Adeptus Custodes of the 41st Millennium.Pallas Grav-Attack Squadron - Pallas Grav-Attack Squadrons of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras specialised in the use of the Pallas Grav-Attack vehicle, utilising it as a highly manoeuvrable hunter-killer that was equivalent to the Legiones Astartes Land Speeders, and for its rapid strike capacity greater than that which could be afforded by the use of ground troops alone. These Legio Custodes squadrons often used the superior agility of these advanced vehicles to inflict devastating hit-and-run assaults on the enemy or to hunt down fleeing targets. In addition, these abilities allow the Pallas Grav-Attack Squadrons to be used as reconnaissance units or as skirmishing forces large enough to pin or delay the enemy in place as the main bulk of the Adeptus Custodes detachments are deployed. These squadrons are still deployed by the Adeptus Custodes of the 41st Millennium.Sagittarum Guard Sodalities - Though less common within the ranks of the Legio Custodes than their peers, those warriors who comprised the Sagittarum Guard Sodalities nevertheless fulfilled a number of vital roles within the Custodians' order of battle. Their art of war, in contrast to the rest of the Custodian Guard, was focussed on the slaying of the foe primarily at distance and upon the devastating application of firepower on the battlefield. In addition, the Sagittarum had entered legend as the hawk-sighted sentries of the Terran walls, charged with vigilance over the external borders of the Imperial Palace in ready anticipation of attack. Through solar decades of duty, their ability to recall movement patterns, faces and speech even years after the original incident was honed even more so than that of their peers, and as such their enhanced ability to analyse crowds for anticipated response grew in import upon the battlefields of the Great Crusade. Their skillset was cultivated so that they could precisely exercise the greatest threats of an enemy assault, annihilating it in the actinic fire of their deadly weapons. This particular formation is still deployed by the Adeptus Custodes of the 41st Millennium.Venatari Custodian Squads - The Venatori Custodians are tasked with serving as part of an airborne assault force of Custodians through the use of a sophisticated pattern of winged Jump Pack called Auramite Pinions. While Custodes Shield Companies patrol the vast hallways and cavernous rooms of the Imperial Palace on Terra, the Venatari are elevated above, making their domain among the rooftops and spires, overseeing and assessing the threat of all who enter or leave. Their predatory instincts have earned the Venatari the nickname of "the Emperor's Hunting Eagles," standing as immobile and vigilant as the birds of prey of Old Earth atop the mountain peaks before swooping into a killing dive. Veterans of the Custodes' "Blood Games" in which they test each other to penetrate the Imperial Palace's defences, their ranks contain those with the proven skill to master the rare and sophisticated flight system and archeotech weapons they use. Venatari Custodian Squads were used by both the ancient Legio Custodes and the present-day warriors of the Adeptus Custodes in the 41st Millennium.