Note: This section of the rules are extrememly experimental. Be warned that they are not tested to any
degree for real games or even character!
Genestealer Cults do not have access to the Titans and fliers available to other forces. However, Genestealers armies
are a mix of a number of different types of force, combined in many ways and for many reasons. Therefore, instead of
Titans and fliers, a Genestealer Cult force has two other options. Firstly, a Cult may be joined by allies. Secondly,
a Cult may have infected a host species and society other than the Planetary Defence Force, and have different thralls
in the army. These options are not a compensation for the weapons of a Titan or the hitting power of a flier, but add
to the character of a Genestealer force. Therefore, if you do decide to add either or both of these options, you are
not restricted in the points values of these forces, you may use more than a third of the points value for these
options.
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Allies
A Genestealer army of any type (see Thralls, below) may be joined by allies, either Chaos or Tyranids. You can take any
points value in these additional forces, but restrictions apply as to exactly which forces may be selected from the
relevant army list.
Chaos: A Genstealer Cult army will occassionally join with one or more local Chaos cults. Both forces seek a
common goal, and have a common outlook on how to achieve it. If you choose to add an allied Chaos cult to your Genestealer
army, the strategy and initiative values are altered as follows:
- Strategy Rating: 3
- Initiative: 2+ (Genestealer formations), 3+ (Abhuman and Chaos cult formations)
If you include Chaos Cultist forces in your Genestealer Cult the normal faction rules apply. In addition, the only
formations and upgrades allowed are shown in the table below (see the Chaos force list).
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Formation
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Upgrades
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Chaos Cultist Coven
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All upgrades for this formation may be taken
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Tyranids: The Genestealer cult may be acting as a beacon for an invading Tyranid force. If this is the case, the
job of the Cult is to bring down the planet and system from within, and when the Cult has reached a sufficient size to
do this the collective psychic energy gathered acts as a signal for the nearby Tyranid invasion that the planet is
ready to fall. If you decide to add Tyranids to your Genestealer force, the strategy rating is increased to 4, and the
initiative values remain unchanged for the Genestealer Cult and Tyranid armies. If you decide to add Tyranids to your
Genestealer force, then you may not take any Support options for the Genestealer Cult formations. This is
because a Genestealer force acting in this way in unconcerned with the aquisition of extra armour or equipment, only
in destruction at the first opportunity.
Note: If a Genestealer army consists of Ork Brood Brothers, and also includes Tyranid allies, the Ork formations cannot
include Battlewagonz or Stompas. This is because other lists may not have Support Formations. Other Brood Brother host
species (for example Chaos cultists) are unchanged if Tyranid allies are taken.
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Thralls
The Genestealer list described here represents one possible scenario, where the aliens have infiltrated a planet and the
Planetary Defence Forces stationed there. However, this is not the only possibiliity. Genestealer are able to make their
way into a number of societies, and the list can be adapted to represent this. If you decide to use this option, you may
add the formations described below to your Genestealer Cult army. In addition, the strategy value and initiative values
remain the same as described for the standard Genestealer Cult, no matter what race is chosen as a thrall species.
However, there are three restrictions:
- You may use only the formations which are described under the race section below. Not all units or
formations will be available to a Cult, and the restrictions applied to the formations represent this.
- You can only select one race which your Genestealer Cult has infected. Genestealers remain hidden in a particular
society, and are extremely unlikely to cross races or even communities without good reason.
- This new species from which the Brood Brothers are drawn replaces the Planetary Defence Force which is assumed in
the standard Cult list. Therefore, you may only use the Genestealer formations in the following table.
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Core Units
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Auxiliary Units
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Support Units
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Inner Circle
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Rogue Psyker, Ancient Evil, Expand the Coven, Inner Circle Transports
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None available
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Coven
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Commanders, Ancient Evil, Expand the Coven, Rogue Psyker, Coven Trasport
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Children of the Claw, Ancient Evil
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There are a number of potential species which make suitable hosts for a Genestealer cult. Any race which lives in social
groups and which is able to reproduce at a sitable rate may find itself invaded by the aliens. I leave it to your own
judgement and common sense to decide what troops would and would not be available to a cult for any race or force not
listed below. Forces from different hosts use the usual formation restrictions when selecting their forces from the
relevant force list.
Imperial Guards: It is possible that Genestealers have infected not just the PDF, but the ranks of the Imperial
Guards. If this is the case, the formations which you may use are listed in the following table.
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Company
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Company upgrade
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Support formation
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Steel Legion Infatry Company, Steel Legion Mechanised Infantry Company
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Infantry platoon, Tank squadron (Leman Russ Demolishers only), Hellhound squadron, Griffon battery, Flak
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Rough Rider platoon, Sentinel squadron
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Orks: Orks are another reasonably common host species, but far less suitable from the point of view of a
Genestealer. Orks represent an evolutionary dead end, with the Genestealers being caught in a cycle of constant
conflict, even if they are able to remain unnoticed. However, there are reports of Ork/Genestealer Hybrids, and Orks
are certainly a possible species for infection. Genestealers simple have to use whatever stock they have on occassions.
Ork formations follow the standard Ork rules, including those for the number of core units in a formation.
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Formation
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Extras
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Warband
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Boyz, Stormboyz, Kommandoes, Wartrukks, Buggies, Warbikes, Skorcha, Flakwagonz, Battlewagon, Stompa
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Kult of Speed
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Wartrukks, Buggies, Warbikes, Skorchas, Boyz, Flakwagonz
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Chaos: Chaos forces as the host species represents the Genestealer Cult becoming established on a backwards
planet with little organised defence forces. In this situation, the Cult finds things a little easier to become
established, but lacks even the rare armour present in a PDF. It is possible for a Genestealer player to take a Chaos
Cult as the host species, and add Chaos allies to it. But, if this is the case I have to wonder why they just dont play
Chaos. Chaos forces as the thraa species are always thought of as 'undivided' (if fact, they may not be Chaos
worshippers at all), and may not take summoning points or daemons. A Genestealer Cult with Chaos as the host species
results in a fairly boring and one-dimensional force. I doubt that anyone will want to field this type of army, but I
have included it for the sake of completeness.
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Formation
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Upgrades
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Chaos Cultist Coven
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All upgrades for this formation may be taken, except that the Coven may not have any Sacrifice points
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Other Potential Host Species: The galaxy is a vast place, and there are numerous worlds and many species in which
Genestealers have taken a hold. However, the forces in Epic are more restricted. At present, one of the only other
potential host species for the Genestealers are the Tau. My personal thoughts on this are that this new race presents
an excellent opportunity for the Genestealers, and a Genestealer-Tau force would be an interesting one to put together.
Additionally, the Kroot are an enigma for the Genestealers. Would this race provide good homes for the Genestealers, or
would they adapt too quickly and reject the genetic manipulation involved in the Genestealer life cycle?
Unsuitable Hosts: There are a number of hosts which are entirely unsuitable for the Genestealers needs. Marines are
too tough and are unlikely to be hypnotised by the aliens for long enough to become implanted. This also raises questions
of the ability of Marines to reproduce, which has been discussed in detail and is probably best left out of this
article. Similar arguments also go for Chaos Marines. Both the Eldar and their dark kin are also highly unsuitable
for two main reasons. The Eldar life cycle is far too long for the Genestealer infection to mature into a cult, and
the Eldar race is highly sensitive to psychic build-ups, meaning that Genestealers would most likely be spotted
relatively quickly. The Tyranids could obviously not serve as Genestealer hosts, and so I will move on. The Necrons
are highly unlikely to feature in a Genestealer Cult. I can almost picture the scene as a Purestrain Genestealer
spends many minutes trying in vain to infect and genetically manipulate a Necron warrior.
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