Warhammer 40k Crusade
Core Concepts
Order of Battle | All of the units apart of your crusade force- Add or remove units at any time - Each unit must have a crusade card - Units can not be changed once added |
Supply Used | Total points value of total Order of Battle |
Supply Limit | The maximum number of points in your Order of Battle |
Battle Tally | Number of battles fought with your order of battle |
Requisition Points | Start at 5RP and is spent on Requisitions |
Order of Battle
Your Order of Battle is a list of all the units that are in your Crusade force. This is not necessarily always what you will use in each battle – as your Order of Battle grows, you will have to choose which units you wish to add to your army roster and which ones stay behind. Think of it like a sports team – not every player on the team is on the field at the same time.
Supply Limit
Your Order of Battle has a Supply Limit listed in a certain number of points. The combined points of all your units in your Order of Battle can’t exceed this amount. Your Supply Limit will never decrease, and you can increase it in a number of ways such as the Increase Supply Limit Requisition. At the start of the campaign all Supply Limits are set at 1000 points. Player’s base supply will grow per chapter, explained above in CHAPTERS.
Crusade Points
In addition to its normal point value used for creating an army roster, each unit has a Crusade point total. This is a measure of the various upgrades and Battle Scars that unit has accrued over the course of the campaign. Most units will start at 0 Crusade points and will earn more through gaining experience in battle – and they may lose some through the accumulation of Battle Scars. Keep track of each unit’s Crusade Points on your Order of Battle and/or in Administratum, as Crusade points will affect your battle. Please note that it is technically possible for a unit to have negative Crusade points.
Requisition Points
Requisition Points (RP) are spent to purchase Requisitions, which make permanent changes to your Order of Battle. You start the campaign with 5 RP and gain 1 after every battle, in addition to any that might be earned from other sources like mission rewards. You may not exceed a total of 10 RP at any time. This is the full list of allowed Requisitions. The full text can be found in the Crusade supplements. If there is a conflict between rules as written here, and rules as written in a book, raise it with a Crusade Officer.
Crusade Cards
Every time that you add a unit to your Order of Battle, you must record its details on a Crusade card (the unit’s entry in Administratum). You can enter these details manually or import the entry either from the WH 40K App’s Battle Forge function or from Battlescribe. The relevant details include the name of the unit, its wargear, total points, relevant keywords, upgrades from Requisitions, Battle Honors, Battle Scars, combat tallies, experience points, and Crusade points.
Experience Points
When you add a unit to your Order of battle, it will start with 0 experience points. Units can gain experience points as follows:
- Battle Experience: At the end of a battle, each unit that has a Crusade card that was part of your army list for that battle gains 1 experience point.
- Dealers of Death: A unit gains 1 experience point for every third enemy unit it has destroyed in total.
- Marked for Greatness: At the end of a battle, you can select one unit that has a Crusade card that was part of your army list for that battle; that unit gains 3 experience points. Keep a tally on the unit's Crusade card of how many times it has been Marked for Greatness.
Some types of units don’t interact with the experience point and Out of Action systems at all. None of the following types of units can gain experience, and they automatically pass Out of Action tests:
- Epic Heroes;
- Fortifications;
- Swarms;
- Summoned or replacement units.
Combat Tallies
These are battle statistics such as the number of battles a unit has taken part in, how many it’s survived, and how many units it has destroyed. Generally speaking, Administratum will automatically calculate all of this for you after you input battle results.
Battle Forged Armies
Rules for mustering an army are similar to core mustering rules. Your army must have one Faction keyword to be your army faction.
Some detachment rules list units that you must or cannot include in your crusade army. You must conform to all such rules when building your army
Your units must be selected from your Order of Battle.
They can only be included in your crusade army if
- The unit has the keyword you chose
- You have enough points remaining
- Your crusade army can not contain more than 3 of the same unit, except BATTLELINE or DEDICATED TRANSPORT which your army can have 6.
- You must include at least one CHARACTER and can not have duplicate EPIC HERO in your army
- Every DEDICATED TRANSPORT in your army will need to start the battle with at least one unit embarked inside
Requisitions
Increase Supply Limit | 1 RP | Increases your Supply Limit by 200 points. |
Renowned Heroes | 1-3 RP | When you first start a Crusade force, you can purchase this Requisition the first time you add a CHARACTER unit to your Order of Battle. After that point, you can purchase this Requisition each time a unit from your Order of Battle gains a rank. In either case, you cannot select an EPIC HERO unit, a unit that already has an Enhancement, or a unit that has either the Disgraced or Mark of Shame Battle Scars. You can select one Enhancement that unit has access to (if using this Requisition when that unit gains a rank, this is instead of it gaining a Battle Honour). When doing so, that unit has access to any Enhancements described within any Detachment rules that it could use, even though you have not yet started to muster your army and so have not selected any Detachment rules yet. If the selected Enhancement replaces a weapon that is a Crusade Relic or a weapon upgraded by Weapon Modifications, that Crusade Relic or Weapon Modifications are lost. Recalculate the unit's points value as a result of gaining this Enhancement and update its Crusade card. You cannot make any changes that would cause you to exceed your Supply Limit.This Requisition costs l RP plus 1 additional RP for each other Enhancement that your Order of Battle contains (to a maximum of 3RP). Example: If this Requisition was used to give a unit an Enhancement and one other unit in your Order of Battle already had an Enhancement it would cost 2RP. |
Legendary Veterans | 3 RP | Purchase this Requisition when a unit from your Order of Battle (excluding CHARACTER units) reaches 30XP. That unit's Experience points total is no longer limited to a maximum of 30 and it can now be promoted above the Battle-hardened rank. In addition, the maximum number of Battle Honours that unit can have is increased to 6. |
Rearm and Resupply | 1 RP | Purchase this Requisition before a battle. Select one unit from your Order ofBattle. You can change any wargear options models in that unit are equipped with as described on that unit's datasheet. If you replace a weapon that is a Crusade Relic or a weapon upgraded by Weapon Modifications (pg 288), that Crusade Relic or any Weapon Modifications are lost. Recalculate the unit's points value as a result of any of these changes and update its Crusade card. You cannot make any changes that would cause you to exceed your Supply Limit. |
Repair and Recuperate | 1-5RP | Purchase this Requisition after a battle. Select one unit from your Order of Battle that has one or more Battle Scars. Select one of that unit’s Battle Scars and remove it from its Crusade card (for each Battle Scar removed, that unit's Crusade points total will increase by l). This Requisition costs 1RP plus 1 additional RP for each Battle Honour that unit has (to a maximum of 5RP). |
Fresh Recruits | 1-4 RP | Purchase this Requisition at any time. Select one unit from your Order of Battle. You can add additional models to that unit, up to the maximum listed on its datasheet. Recalculate the unit's points value as a result of any of these changes and update its Crusade card. You cannot make any changes that would cause you to exceed your Supply Limit. This Requisition costs 1 RP plus 1 additional RP for every 2 Battle Honours the unit has, rounding up (to a maximum of 4RP). |
Ranks and Battle Honors
XP | Rank |
---|---|
0-5 | Battle-Ready |
6-15 | Blooded |
16-30 | Battle Hardened |
31-50 | Heroic |
51+ | Legendary |
- Once a unit gains enough XP it will gain a rank
- Only characters can be Heroic or Legendary
- At each rank the unit gains a battle honor
- Three types of honors exist, Battle Traits, Weapon Modifications, Crusade Relics
- Each time a unit gains a battle honor increase crusade points by 1 (or 2 if TITANIC)
- Roll D6 to determine battle traits a unit can not have a duplicate trait. Re-roll if a duplicate is rolled.
Battle Traits
CHARACTER
- Born Hunter- This unit has the Scouts 9” ability.
- Unnatural Toughness- CHARACTER models in this unit have the Feel No Pain 5+ ability.
- Natural Leader- Each time you take a Battle-shock or Leadership test for this unit, you can re-roll that test.
- Deadly Combatant - All melee weapons equipped by CHARACTER models in this unit have the SUSTAINED HITS 1 ability.
- Shadow Stalker - This unit has the Stealth ability.
- Death Incarnate (AURA) - While an enemy unit is within 6” of this unit,worsen the Leadership characteristic of models in that enemy unit by 1.
VEHICLE/WALKER/MONSTER
- Blessed Hull - Models in this unit have a 5+ invulnerable save.
- Focused Gunners - Models in this unit do not suffer the penalty to Hit rolls for making ranged attacks while their unit is within Engagement Range of one or more enemy units.
- Reinforced Superstructure - Each time an attack with a Strength characteristic of 7 or less is allocated to a model in this unit, worsen the Armour Penetration characteristic of that attack by 1.
- Elite Crew - Each time a model in this unit makes an attack, re-roll a Hit roll of 1.
- Archeotech Power Cell - Add 2” to the Move characteristic of models in this unit.
- Auto-Repair Nodes - At the start of your Command phase, one model in this unit regains 1 lost wound.
INFANTRY
- Battle-Scarred Resistance - Models in this unit have the Feel No Pain 6+ ability.
- Vanguard Espionage- This unit has the Scouts 9" ability.
- Obdurate Obedience - Add 1 to the Objective Control characteristic of all models in this unit.
- Resolute Veterans- Each time you take a Battle-shock, Leadership or Desperate Escape test for this unit, add 1 to that test.
- Only the Swift Survive- Add 1 to Advance and Charge rolls made for this unit.
- Headhunters - At the start of the battle, select one enemy unit (regardless of how many units in your Crusade army have this Battle Trait). Until the end of the battle, each time a model in this unit makes an attack against that enemy unit, re-roll a Hit roll of 1 and re-roll a Wound roll of 1.
MOUNTED
- Hunter’s Celerity - Add 2” to the Move characteristic of models in this unit.
- High-Speed Gunnery- Each time this unit Advances, until the end of the turn all ranged weapons equipped by models in this unit have the ASSAULT ability.
- Predatory Urge - You can re-roll Charge rolls made for this unit.
- Mounted Guerillas- This unit is eligible to declare a charge in a turn in which it Fell Back.
- Encircling Raptors - If This unit is in Strategic Reserves, it counts the battle round number as one higher than the current battle round number for the purpose of determining when and where it is set up.
- Tireless Raiders- Models in this unit can make attacks with ranged weapons even when their unit is within Engagement Range of enemy units, but they can only make such attacks against enemy units that they are within Engagement Range of. In such circumstances, those models can target an enemy unit even if other friendly units are within Engagement Range of the same enemy unit.
Weapon Modifications
Must select one model in a unit, and if it’s a CHARACTER or unit champion you must select that model. You select one weapon equiped by that model. A weapon can not be selected for multiple Battle Honors, nor can weapons replaced by Enhancements or Crusade Relics be selected.
Roll 2d6, if duplicate roll both dice again.
- Finely Balanced - Improve this weapon's Ballistic Skill or Weapon Skill characteristic by 1.
- Brutal - Add 1 to this weapon's Strength characteristic.
- Armour Piercing - Add 1 to this weapon's Armour Penetration characteristic.
- Master-Worked - Add 1 to this weapon's Damage characteristic.
- Heirloom - Add 1 to this weapon's Attacks characteristic.
- Precise - Each time a Critical Wound is scored for an attack made with this weapon, that attack has the Precision ability.
Relics
Only CHARACTER models can gain Crusade Relics. A CHARACTER can have any number of relics but the same relic can not be included in your order of battle more than once.
Unlike other battle honors, each time you give a CHARACTER a relic you must increase the units Crusade points by the amount in the table below.
Relic Category | Rank Required | Crusade Point Increase |
---|---|---|
Artificer | Any | +1 |
Antiquity | Heroic or Legendary | +2 |
Legendary | Legendary | +3 |
ARTIFICER (Any Rank)
- Talisman of Command's Favor - At the start of your Command phase, if the bearer is within range of an objective marker that you control, roll one D6: on a 4+, you gain 1 CP.
- The Nullifying Shroud - Each time the bearer's unit ends a Charge move, select one enemy unit within Engagement Range of the bearer. Until the end of the turn, each time a model in that enemy unit makes an attack, subtract I from that attack's Hit roll.
- Artificer Weapon - Select one weapon that the bearer is equipped with (excluding a weapon that has been replaced by an Enhancement or upgraded via the Weapon Modifications Battle Trait). Make a note on the bearer's Crusade card of this weapon and give it a suitable name. That weapon is now a Crusade Relic and each time the bearer makes an attack with it, on a Critical Hit, the target suffers 1 mortal wound in addition to any normal damage.
- Master-Crafted Armour - Add I to armour saving throws made for the bearer.
ANTIQUITY (Heroic/4 or Legendary/5)
- Sigil of Sol - Once per battle round, if the bearer is on the battlefield when you use a Strategic Ploy Stratagem, you can use that Stratagem without spending any CP.
- Cranium Obscura - Cannot be taken by PSYKER models. Each tin1e a Psychic Attack targets the bearer's unit, subtract I from that attack's Hit roll.
- Shadesplinter Cloak - Unless the bearer is part of an Attached unit at the start of the battle, it has the Lone Operative ability.
- Lantern of Detestation - At the start of your opponent's Movement phase, for each enemy unit within Engagement Range of the bearer, roll one D6: on a 4+, until the end of the phase, that unit cannot be selected to Fall Back.
- Shard of Dying Light - PSYKER model only. Each time the bearer makes a Psychic Attack, add l to that attack's Wound roll.
- Archeotech Nano-Med - INFANTRY model only. The first time the bearer is destroyed, you can choose to roll one D6 at the end of the phase instead of using any rules that are triggered when a model is destroyed. If you do, on a 4+, set the bearer back up on the battlefield as close as possible to where they were destroyed and more than 1" away from all enemy models, with D3 wounds remaining. If the bearer was part of an Attached unit when it was destroyed, and its Bodyguard unit is still on the battlefield when the bearer is set back up, it must be placed in Unit Coherency with that unit again to form an Attached unit. You do not need to take an Out of Action test for the bearer at the end of the battle unless it is destroyed again.
LEGENDARY (Legendary/5 Rank)
- Gheist Prism Field - Each time the bearer makes a Normal, Advance, or Fall Back move, until that move is finished, it can move horizontally through models and terrain features (it cannot finish a move on top of another model or its base). If doing so when making a Fall Back move, models in this unit do not need to take a Desperate Escape test.After it has finished moving, select one enemy unit it moved across (if any) and roll one D6: on a 2+, that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.
- Vertebrax of Vodun - At the start of your Command phase, select one friendly model on the battlefield (excluding the bearer) and then select one Aura ability that selected model has. Until the start of your next Command phase, the bearer has that Aura ability.
- Vortex Grenade - The bearer is equipped with a vortex grenade that has the following profile:
Range | A | BS | S | AP | D |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
6” | 1 | 2+ | * | * | * |
Abilities: The bearer can only shoot with this weapon once per battle. When an attack is made with this weapon, if a hit is scored, roll one D6 for each unit within 6” of the target unit (excluding the target unit itself): on a 4+, the unit being rolled for suffers D3 mortal wounds. The target then suffers 3D3 mortal wounds.
- Null-Field Disruptor - Each time the bearer makes a melee attack, invulnerable saving throws cannot be made against that attack.
Out of action
At the end of each battle you must take an out of action test for each unit that’s destroyed. To do so roll 1D6 on a 1 the test is failed and you must choose aDevastating Blow or a Battle Scar
Devastating Blow | You can only select this result for units that have one or more Battle Honors. Select one of that unit's Battle Honors and remove it. Update that unit's Crusade card and reduce its Crusade points total by 1 (or by 2 if that unit is TITANIC) to account for the lost Battle Honour. | |
Battle Scar | That unit gains one Battle Scar (see below). This must be determined before your next battle and that unit's Crusade card must be updated to reflect any changes.Each time a unit gains a Battle Scar, either roll one D6 and consult the table below to randomly determine which Battle Scar that unit has gained, or choose the Battle Scar that you think tells the best narrative.A unit can have more than one Battle Scar, but it cannot have duplicates of the same Battle Scar. If a duplicate result is rolled, roll again until a different result is rolled.A unit cannot have more than three Battle Scars; each time a unit with three Battle Scars fails an Out of Action test, you must select the Devastating Blow result for it. If the unit has no Battle Honors remaining, you must instead remove that unit from your Order of Battle - it is permanently destroyed or otherwise unable to fight any more. Make a note of each Battle Scar a unit has on its Crusade card and subtract 1 from its Crusade points total for each Battle Scar it currently has. Note that this can mean a unit has a negative Crusade points total. |
Battle Scars
- Crippling Damage - This unit cannot Advance and you must subtract 1” from the Move characteristic of models in this unit.
- Battle-Weary - Each time this unit takes a Battle-shock, Leadership, Desperate Escape or Out of Action test, subtract 1 from that test.
- Fatigued - Subtract 1 from the Objective Control characteristic of models in this unit and this unit never receives a Charge bonus.
- Disgraced - You cannot use any Stratagems to affect this unit and this unit cannot be Marked for Greatness.
- Mark of Shame - This unit cannot form an Attached unit, it is unaffected by the Aura abilities of friendly units, and it cannot be Marked for Greatness.
- Deep Scars - Each time a Critical Hit is scored against this unit, that attack automatically wounds this unit.
AGENDAS
-
Battlefield Survivors - At the start of the battle, you can select up to three units from your Crusade army that are on the battlefield. For each of those units, at the end of the battle:
- If that unit has not been destroyed, it gains 2 XP.
- If that unit is not Below Half-strength, it gains 1 additional Experience point.
- Encircle the Enemy - At the end of the battle, for each table quarter, if there are more units from your Crusade army wholly within that table quarter than there are units from your opponent's Crusade army wholly within it, you can select one of those units from your Crusade army. Each of those selected units gains 2 XP.
- Headhunters - Each time a model from your Crusade army destroys an enemy CHARACTER unit, that model's unit gains 2 XP. If the destroyed unit contained your opponent's WARLORD, that model's unit gains 4 XP instead.
- Monstrous Targets- Each time a model from your Crusade army destroys an enemy MONSTER or VEHICLE unit (excluding DEDICATED TRANSPORTS), that model's unit gains 2 XP. If the destroyed unit was TITANIC, that model's unit gains 4 XP instead.
- Eradicate the Masses- Each time a unit from your Crusade army is selected to shoot or fight, if while resolving those attacks six or more enemy models are destroyed, that unit gains 1 XP.
- Critical Objectives - At the start of the battle, your opponent must select two different objective markers. At the end of the battle, select one of those objective markers. If You control that objective marker, you can select up to three units from your Crusade army that are within range of that objective marker. Each of those units gains 2 XP.
- Drive Home the Blade- At the end of the battle, you can select up to three units from your Crusade army (excluding AIRCRAFT) that are wholly within 6" of your opponent's battlefield edge. If your opponent does not have a battlefield edge in the mission being played, you can select up to three units from your Crusade army (excluding AIRCRAFT) that are wholly within your opponent's deployment zone instead. Each of those units gains 3XP.
-
Archeotech Exorcism - At the start of the battle, all objective markers on the battlefield are infested and will remain so until cleansed.
At the start of your Shooting phase, you can select one unit from your Crusade army that is not Battle-shocked and is eligible to shoot. That unit is tasked to cleanse an objective marker and until the end of your turn is not eligible to shoot or declare a charge.
At the end of that turn, if that unit is in range of an infested objective marker that you control, that objective marker is cleansed and that unit gains 2XP.
- Annihilation Directive - Keep an Annihilation tally for each unit in your Crusade army in this battle. Each time a unit from your Crusade army destroys an enemy INFANTRY unit, add 1 to that unit’s Annihilation tally. If the destroyed unit is also a CHARACTER unit, that model's unit also gains 1 XP. At the end of the Battle, each of your units gains 1 XP for every 3 full marks on its Annihilation tally.
Attached Units
All battle honors and scars apply to the attached unit. Rules that only apply if every model has the rule is the exception. If an individual leader or bodyguard is destroyed you must make an individual Out of Action test for the separate unit. Any agendas achieved or bonus xp can either apply to the leader, or bodyguard unit, but not both.
Universal Rules/Points/Balance Sheets
All universal rules, points updates and FAQs from Matched Play apply to this crusade unless explicitly declared here. As of August 10 2023 this means current Index cards.
Mustering Army
- Select Size
- Start Army Roster
- Select Army Faction
- Select Detachment Rules some detachment rules state you must, or can not include a unit in your crusade army, you must follow these rules
-
Select Units
- Total number of points must be equal or less than size in step 1
- Unit has the faction keyword chosen in step 3
- Can not contain more than 3 of the same unit or 6 of the same unit if it’s a BATTLELINE or DEDICATED TRANSPORT
- Must include at least one CHARACTER
- Can not include the same EPIC HERO more than once
- Every DEDICATED Transport will need to start the battle with at least one unit embarked inside it or it will not be able to be deployed and will count as destroyed during your first battle round
-
Select Warlord
- Select one CHARACTER model to be your warlord, it gets the WARLORD keyword
Crusade Blessings
An Underdog in a Crusade battle can select one or more Crusade Blessings from those presented here.The number they can select depends on the difference in Crusade points between the armies, as shown in the table below. The same Crusade Blessing cannot be selected more than once.
Crusade Blessings
Difference in Crusade Points | Number of Blessings |
0-4 | 0 |
5-9 | 1 |
10-19 | 2 |
20+ | 4 |
- Prepared Positions- Until the start of the second battle round, each time a ranged attack is made against one of your units, if that unit is wholly within your deployment zone, it receives the Benefit of Cover against that attack.
- High Strategy- You start the battle with 2 CP.
- Secret Orders - You can select one additional Agenda this battle.
- What Doesn’t Kill You - At the end of the battle, every unit from your army that is not destroyed gains 1 XP.
- Critical Strike- Once per battle, at the start of your Charge phase, you can use this Crusade Blessing. If You do, until the end of the phase, add 1I to Charge rolls made for units from your Crusade army.
- Outmanoeuvre - At the start of the first battle round, select up to three units from your Crusade army. Each of those units has the Scouts 6" ability for this battle.
- Dedication to the Cause - Once per turn,you can re-roll one Battle-shock test taken for a unit from your Crusade army.
- Mass Destruction - At the end of the battle, if at least half of your opponent’s units are destroyed or Below Half-strength, your Crusade force gains 1 RP. If all of your opponent’s units are destroyed or Below Half-strength, your Crusade force gains 3 RP instead.
- Hellfire Shells - Select one unit from your Crusade army. Until the end of the battle, each time a model in that unit makes an attack against a MONSTER or VEHICLE unit, you can re-roll the Wound roll.