Horus Heresy: More Stats Revealed & Advanced Characteristics Explained
Games Workshop is showcasing a ton of new unit profiles for The Horus Heresy and talking about Advanced Characteristics, too!
We got a peek at the stat-line for the Space Marine Legionnaire as well as a little bit about the new (some would say returning) Advanced Characteristics. Today, GW is pulling the covers off the rules and giving us a proper explanation.
“Every unit in Warhammer: The Horus Heresy now has an expanded statline which includes three new characteristics: Cool, Willpower and Intelligence, or CL, WP and IN. Alongside Leadership (LD), these four stats are known as Advanced Characteristics, and they deal with mental aptitude – whether that’s bravery or sensitivity to the Empyrean.”
via Warhammer Community
Advanced Characteristics
So how will these new Advanced Characteristics be used in the game? The short answer is that they are used for new Characteristic Checks. Players will roll 2D6 with the goal of rolling equal or under the value for a successful check. Typically, when a unit has to make a check, the lowest stat is used. There are TWO important exceptions to this. If a Sergeant is in the squad, they take the check for the unit. Likewise, if a Commander joins a unit they lend their stats to these checks.
Now that we know how these checks will be used we need to know what these checks are used for. Leadership is essentially still used the same way it is currently. It’s a measure of how well the unit is at receiving and following orders. It’s also used to gauge panic and used to rally fleeing units. The Cool stat is typically used to avoid debuffs that target the unit. Think of things like penalties for suppressive fire.
Willpower is primarily used for psychic powers — either resisting them or manifesting them. You want a high Willpower for ensuring your Psychic tests work and they can also help reduce the damage you take for Perils of the Warp.
Finally, Intelligence is used when interacting with Technology. This one is a little vague but in game terms it could be used by a Techmarine to repair a tank or used by a specialist equipped with an augur to track enemies. I have a feeling there may also be objectives that require Intelligence checks to interact with them.
As you can also see, the spread between stats can vary quite a bit. Vulkan, for example, has a Leadership of 12 while he has 10s in the other stats. Advanced Characteristics don’t stop at 10. Magnus as an example has a WP of 11. And if you think that’s impressive Horus Ascended has a 14 Leadership! That’s right, 12 isn’t even the max stat.
While it might seem odd that Tech-thralls have a 12 CL, but when you think about the types of checks it’s against, it makes sense. They are basically mindless so walking into danger like suppressive fire isn’t really going to phase them.
Then you’ve got other units like the Charonite Ogryn. They have a 2 Intelligence. So hopefully they won’t need to repair a tank for you. However, they are really hard to break thanks to their Leadership of 12 and Cool of 10.
Personally, I like the way these Advanced Characteristics give some extra flavor and diversity to the unit types. But I am concerned about these types of checks making the game run even longer. Sure, they might not add that much time to your games. But those extra rolls will add up over time. Let’s just hope the rules make these types of checks impactful and not tedious in the long run.
Are you excited to see these old school stats return to the tabletops of the Horus Heresy?
