Additional Rules
Epic 40K - Genestealers

Rules and Profiles


Back To The Main Page
Back To Additional Rules


General Notes and Design
Special Rules and Statistics
Genestealer Cult Fate Cards
The Coven and Inner Circle
Brood Brothers and Brood Armoured
Ork Brood Brothers - Claw Bruverz
Daemons, Mutants and Beastmen


Strategy Rating

A Genestealer Cult army has a strategy rating of 3.

Special Rules

A Genestealer Cult army uses only the special rules listed here and in the detachment and troop profiles. No other special rules are used, even those rules considered as 'standard' for races which are present in the army, for example the Ork Initiative rules and the Tyranid rules for Objectives and Hive Minds are not used, any Tyranid allies will use these rules, but a Genestealer Cult army will not - even when troop types on either sides follow slightly different sets of rules. This is also true for other armies not using Genestealer Cult rules, so Purestrain Genestealers in a Tyranid army do not get their Hypnotic Gaze. This is partly because a Genestealer Cult army has grown and developed in a specific environment, where some skills are honed while others atrophy, and partly due to the engineered nature of Genestealers by the Tyranids.

The following special rules are not applied across the entire Genestealer Cult army. They are only used where the troop profiles or detachments indicate.

Hypnotic Gaze
If a Genestealer detachment wins a close combat (not a firefight or any other type of combat) then, after casualties are removed but before the enemy falls back (after phase five of the close combat proceedure on page 25 of the Epic Rulebook, but before phase six), any stands still in contact with a Genestealer stand with this ability is automatically removed as a casualty - having been hypnotised and implanted or destroyed. The Hypnotic Gaze ability comes into effect after the normal casualty removal, so the enemy detachment may choose to remove as casualties those stands facing Genestealer stands with the Hypnotic Gaze ability in preference to others, effectively choosing death above enslaving. These additional casualties have no other effect on the outcome of the combat for the purposes of blast markers, etc. Other stands in the enemy detachment, those not directly in combat (base to base contact) or who are assaulting Genestealer stands without this ability, fall back as normal, abandoning their comrades with no additional penalties.

Brood Telepathy
If a detachment with this ability loses a close combat or firefight it must retreat as normal, but the detachment is not marked as broken and it may counter-attack. This ability only applies while the Patriarch and/or Magus are on the table (not in reserve, etc) and includes all units and vehicles in the detachment. Note that this ability is the same as the last half of the Synapse Creatures ability for Tyranids on page 97 of the Epic Armies Book.

Protect the Father
If the Patriarch is killed in battle, all infantry stands (not vehicles, light vehicles, walkers, cavalry, bikes, support weapons, etc) in detachments with this ability are subject to rampage until the end of their following turn. Note that this ability only affects Cultist detachments, and not supporters such as Beastmen, etc as detailed in the detachment notes.

Profiles

At first glance, there seems to be an unfeasible number of units available to a Genestealer Cult army. However, on closer inspection, there are very few types of vehicle and armour (and the main reason that the Hydra is in there is to give the army a fighting chance against air attack. It was either that or some Interceptor aircraft, and although it is possible that the Cult could 'liberate' an Interceptor, finding somewhere to land and fuel it would be extremely difficult). This is deliberate. A Genestealer army is built on its troops, and uses whatever vehicles and heavier support that it can scavenge and steal. The infantry are there to provide a whole variety of roles and are very flexible, with the Cult able to draw on a large variety of groups with different skills and uses.

Genestealer Cult Army - Genestealers
Unit Speed Range FP Assault Armour Notes Points
Patriarch 15cm - - 6 4+ Commander, Hero, Psyker, Hypnotic Gaze 50
Magus 10cm 30cm 1 2 3+ Commander, Hero, Psyker, Hypnotic Gaze 40
Purestrain 15cm - - 6 4+ Hypnotic Gaze 10
First Gen Hybrid 15cm - - 4 4+ Infiltrate, Hypnotic Gaze 10
Second Gen Hybrid 10cm 15cm 1 3 3+ Hypnotic Gaze 9
Third Gen Hybrid 10cm 30cm 1 2 3+ Hypnotic Gaze 8
Fourth Gen Hybrid 10cm 30cm 1 2 3+ Hero, Hypnotic Gaze 15
Psyker - - - - - Psyker 10

Genestealer Cult Army - Human Brood Brothers
Unit Speed Range FP Assault Armour Notes Points
Brood Brothers 10cm 30cm 1 1 3+ - 7
Brood Brother Support 10cm 30cm 1 1 3+ Heavy Weapons 14
Brood Cavalry 10cm 30cm 1 1 3+ Assault, Cavalry 10
Brood Bikes 35cm 15cm 1 1 4+ - 8
Brood Walker 20cm 30cm 1 1 4+ - 8
Support Weapon 10cm 45cm AT 0 4+ - 18

Genestealer Cult Army - Ork Claw Bruverz
Unit Speed Range FP Assault Armour Notes Points
Ork Claw Bruverz 10cm 30cm 1 2 4+ - 9
Ork Shooty Bruverz 10cm 30cm 1 2 4+ Heavy Weapons 17
Ork Toof an Claw Bruverz 10cm 30cm 1 2 4+ Assault, Jump Packs 12
Ork Biker Bruverz 35cm 45cm 1 1 4+ - 13
Ork Boar Bruverz 10cm 30cm 1 2 4+ Assault, Cavalry 13

Genestealer Cult Army - Cult Sympathisers
Unit Speed Range FP Assault Armour Notes Points
Daemon 15cm - - 4 4+ Save, Rampage 11
Daemon Hound 15cm - - 4 4+ Save, Rampage, Cavalry 17
Possessed 10cm 15cm 1 2 3+ Rampage 8
Beastmen 10cm - - 2 4+ - 5
Beastman Champion - - - - - Assault 1
Mutants 10cm - - 2 3+ Stubborn 5

Genestealer Cult Army - Vehicles
Unit Speed Range FP Assault Armour Notes Points
Coven Limo 25cm - - 2 6+ Transport[1] 8
Chimera 25cm 45cm 1 1 5+ Transport[2] 14
Leman Russ 25cm 45cm 3 1 6+ - 32
Hellhound 20cm 15cm 3 1 5+ Close Support 12
Griffon 25cm 30cm Barrage 0 5+ Artillery 19
Hydra 15cm 30cm 3 1 5+ Flak 28
Truck 25cm - - 1 4+ Transport[2] 5
Ork Buggy 35cm 30cm 1 1 4+ - 11
Ork Wagon 30cm 30cm 1 2 5+ Ork Transport[1] 14
Ork Stompa Slysa 20cm 30cm 2 3 5+ Flak 30

Next Page - Genestealer Cult Fate Cards
Top of Page

Date: 19/09/2001
Feedback on these rules: cybershadow@epic40k.co.uk