Heretic Legion
A shroud of darkness blankets the world. Smoke and brimstone spew from the yawning Gates of Inferno, enveloping the lands where people have abandoned God and openly wage war against His Creation. It is a grim reality that a full third of humanity has bent its knee before the idols of Hell. The main satanic military force on Earth are the Heretic Legions, raised from amongst these citizens of the damned.
Spies are sent into Hell’s domains under special absolution by the Cardinal Protector. Most are caught, never to be seen again, save for some whose eternally screaming heads are returned to New Antioch, branded with bleeding runes that mock the Holy Trinity.
Yet some do make it back to the light, whispering of the horrors they have witnessed: of firstborn cast into the mouths of the burning statues of Baal and human flesh sold by the pound in dreadful markets. They speak of the great idols of the Golden Calf and rapturous men and women who prostrate themselves before them. Inverted pyramids and towers plunge into the depths of these cities, built of iron and black stone. Within these pits stand sacrificial altars where weeping captives are slowly sliced to death over agonising days and weeks with wicked knives made of infernal basalt. Cathedrals to the princes of Hell hang from grand arches of volcanic stone, while the condemned are crucified on hundreds of upside down crosses.
Accounts speak of sprawling factories made of mutilated flesh and metal, their forges yielding endless munitions for the ongoing war. Guided by the teachings of Tartarus’ smiths, alchemists toil over colossal weapons and armoured warmachines, wielding the forbidden secrets of their patrons’ metallurgy to forge instruments of death and suffering beyond the grasp of any human engineer. Once proud cities of Earth, where churches have been toppled and entire populations subjugated, are now dedicated towards bringing down the very Throne of Heaven.
Amongst the forsaken citizens who endure within the earthly domains of Hell, the greatest status is afforded to the soldiers fighting in the Great War. But joining the elite units of the army of damnation is no easy task. Those who wish to win a place amongst the Heretic Legions must make an unholy pilgrimage to the burning bronze Gates of Hell, where even from leagues away, the infernal heat sears both flesh and spirit until the pain becomes unbearable. In the Valley of Tears, the great road that leads to the Gate, paved with wailing souls and lamentations, is littered with endless mounds of charred bodies. Many are still half-alive, writhing in agony, trapped in a grotesque twilight between life and death, their wickedness deemed insufficient. These discarded souls are doomed to writhe in agony until the Day of Judgement.
Those who make it within sight of Hell’s Maw are considered worthy and are initiated into the Legions, taking unbreakable vows that chain them into darkness for all eternity, their bodies branded with the mark of the demon lord that has claimed them. The Armouries of Hell then equip them for battle, and Heretic Priests beckon forth new supplicants as dictated by the whispers of the archdevils. Thus, a new Heretic Legionnaire is born. They hail archdevils as their masters and are thus damned.
Yet there are some who push further on: to the very Gate itself and beyond. Their very flesh ignites, never to recover, but those with the blackest souls can enter the Inferno itself. Amongst those, the Anointed are especially revered amongst the Legions. They are the paragons of unhinged brutality – men and women of colossal vigour and unyielding devotion. Having tread the accursed path to the shores of the Lake of Eternal Flame, where the damned wither and contort in ceaseless torment, the Anointed emerge forever scarred by the embrace of abyssal fires. The blackened and burnt flesh of the Anointed will never heal, but in exchange, they are granted the right to wear heavy Gehenna armoured suits and gain strength to wield weapons that a normal man could barely lift. It is said that glancing into their eyes, one can see the reflection of the very flames of Hell, forever etched in their vision.
Though the vast bulk of the Heretic Legions are made of mortal humans, Hell often sends their own abhorrent progeny to reinforce their mortal foot soldiers: nightmarish War Beasts made of captured and possessed creatures, and dreaded Artillery Witches who act as mobile artillery, supporting lightning assaults.
Captains
Elite
Choristers sacrifice themselves upon black altars, and if worthy, rise after nine days, finishing their own beheading as their severed heads begin to sing. Their hymns conjure visions of Hell, sapping the strength and resolve of all who hear, the Chorister’s cold blood forming diabolic symbols in rhythm with their unholy chorus. Those who hear their song find their minds flooded with visions from the Pits of Hell, weakening both their resolve and strength, as the dreadful music eats away at their very soul.
Infantry
Infernal Brand Mark
NEGATE FIRE
A Heretic who has made a holy pilgrimage into Hell itself is branded by their patron devil with an ever-burning mark. Mortal fire no longer has the power to harm them.
Reinforced Armour
-2 INJURY MODIFIER
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
Infernal Bomb
| Range | 36" |
| Hands | 1 Hands (Ranged) |
RELOAD, SHRAPNEL, SCATTER, IGNORE COVER, IGNORE LONG RANGE, IGNORE ELEVATED POSITION, BLAST 3"
Artillery Witches stalk the battlefields, hurling ordnance assembled in the death factories of Hell’s Third Circle. They are completely mute, and no one has ever seen their faces, leading some to question if they are even alive. Rumours suggest that they too, were manufactured in Hell. They can call forth an endless number of Infernal bombs from a portal to Hell that they manifest at will, summoning them to their hands from a gate of midnight blackness.
A Heretic Trooper or
Chain Maw
| Range | Melee |
RISKY, IGNORE ARMOUR, +1 INJURY DICE, +1 DICE
Shredding Claws
| Range | Melee |
| Hands | 2 Hands (Melee) |
RISKY, CUMBERSOME, +1 INJURY DICE
Many unfortunates fall into the hands of Heretic warbands, captured in raids, purchased from the slave markets, or seized by watchful patrols. Such Wretched are branded with cursed flesh-eating tattoos as a safeguard against escape and heavily drugged to degrade and dull their will, while still leaving their aggression intact.
Mercenaries
Sword / Axe
| Range | Melee |
| Hands | 1 Hands (Melee) |
CRITICAL
Because of the martial traditions of many proud nations and due to the advances in armour technology, swords and axes are extremely popular, especially amongst elite units and officers. They are supremely useful for finishing off downed opponents and causing profusely bleeding wounds.
Reinforced Armour
-2 INJURY MODIFIER
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
Goetic Warlocks are nightmarish creations forged in the death factories of the Third Circle of Hell. Captured priests, prophets, vicars, rectors, and monks are tortured in fiendish machines that burn away their flesh with hellfire, encasing their still-living skeletons in infernal suits of armour, and stamping them with Goetic runes. The process is so agonising that the victims, driven by desperation, willingly enter into demonic pacts, seeking an end to their unbearable suffering. Thus, a new Goetic Warlock is born, now a ruthless predator, driven to hunt the very mortals they once swore to protect.
The mere gaze of a Warlock induces necrosis. In close quarters, they clasp their enemies in a merciless embrace. Drawing on Goetic power, they portal to a secluded location, where they can savour the prolonged destruction of their victim, slowly shredding them into pieces. They revel in the grotesque act of skinning their victims alive, transforming the remains into repulsive vellum for dark grimoires and profane religious texts. Some even wear the faces of their victims to power their illusionary spells, confounding their enemies.
Due to the rarity of the victims required to create Goetic Warlocks, these abominations are reserved for the most renowned Heretic commanders, with the greatest need and the most influential connections in the twisted web of Heretic politics. Mammon, the mighty devil of Greed, offers his personal battalion of Warlocks to the highest bidder.
Combat Helmet
NEGATE SHRAPNEL
The simple combat helmet has proven its value on the battlefield time and again.
Reinforced Armour
-2 INJURY MODIFIER
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
- Place the model to one side, along with any MARKERS it may have. It is inside the Sin Eater and cannot be affected in any way or carry out any Actionsexcept as described below. While it is in the Sin Eater it is considered to be Down for the purposes of Morale Checks. A Sin Eater can only have 1 devoured model at a time.
- When it is Activated, it can take a Fight Actionand must target the Sin Eater. Add-3 Diceto the roll for the Melee Attack, and do not use any of the model’s abilities or any of the special rules for its weapons.
- If the Sin Eater is taken Out of Action, before removing them from the battlefield, deploy the devoured model within 1" of the Sin Eater and place it Down. If this is impossible, the model is taken Out of Action. In either case, the Sin Eater is then removed from the battlefield.
- If a devoured model is still inside a Sin Eater when the game ends, it is considered to have been taken Out of Action.
- Each time the Sin Eater is Activated, place 1 Blood Markernext to the devoured model. As soon as a devoured model has 6Blood MarkerS, it is immediately taken Out of Action and is no longer considered to be inside the Sin Eater.
- A Sin Eater that has a devoured model inside it can take a Purge Action.If it does so, take a Success Roll for the Sin Eater with+4 Dice. If the roll is a Failure, nothing happens. If the roll is a Success or Critical Success, deploy the devoured model within 1" of the Sin Eater and place it Down. If this is impossible, the devoured model remains inside the Sin Eater. Once released the model can be Activated normally.
Tenderizer Maul
| Range | Melee |
| Hands | 2 Hands (Melee) |
HEAVY, +1 INJURY MODIFIER
Reinforced Armour
-2 INJURY MODIFIER
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
Combat Helmet
NEGATE SHRAPNEL
The simple combat helmet has proven its value on the battlefield time and again.
Sin Eaters were once mortal men and women, but their overwhelming greed, combined with the corrupting influence of the Hellgate, turned them into an abominable form that matches their inner foulness. Sin Eaters are among the few creatures outside Beelzebub’s followers that he deems worthy as their boundless gluttony mirrors his essence.
Armoury
Variants
Promotions
