Adeptus Titanicus - Crucible of Retribution - Titan Legions and Knights Houses

 

Welcome back to our coverage of the Adeptus Titanicus supplement Crucible of Retribution.  We get new Titan Legion traits like usual as well as two (2) new maniples and rules for the leaders of four (4) Knight Houses.

THE TITAN LEGIONS

The supplement provides rules for:

•         The Morning Stars, Legio Astarman
•         The Firebrands, Legio Atarus
•         The Iron Spiders, Legio Venator
•         The Fire Wasps, Legio Ignatum
•         The Impalers, Legio Laniaskara
•         The Gatekeepers, Legio Kulisaetai
•         The Unbroken Lords, Legio Damicium
•         The Dark Tide, Legio Tritonis

We are treated to the usual quick blurb about what makes them special along with a full page of rules, stratagems, wargear, and traits.  The rules for the Legio Atarus are the same as those previously published for them, but it’s important to have them in this supplement since their home Forge World is involved in this story.  We’ve included brief descriptions of each Legio to give you a taste of what is coming, but full breakdowns of each Legio are in their own articles.

ASTRAMAN

•         Unyielding sentinels full of cold logic.
•         Astraman is stalwart in the defense and very hard to shift or find easy damage against.

 ATARUS

•         Brash, impetuous, and lovers of fire.
•         The Legio Atarus loves to take the fight to the foe aggressively, and having flaming missiles never hurt.

 IGNATUM

•         Ancient beyond measure and veterans of countless wars.
•         Fire Wasps princeps are an elite force (even amongst Titans) that is deadly accurate, especially at close range or under pressure.

 VENATOR

•         The Iron Spiders have fought the biggest and nastiest creatures around but have suffered from betrayal.
•         They can take Reavers in place of Warlords and place great emphasis on teamwork among their Titans.

 LANIASKARA

•         Ambush masters that hunt giant creatures under the surface of their world.
•         The Impalers focus on speed, hard-hitting assaults, and brutal charges.

 KULISAETAI

•         Call them “Little Mortis,” this Legio relishes the kill and is as methodical as the Legio that helped rebuid it.
•         The Gatekeepers Command checks are untouchable while maintaining a steady advance and heavy fire.

 DAMICIUM

•         Often left for dead, this understrengthed Legio believes those that survive only by great strength of numbers are actually weak.
•         The Unbroken Lords are masters of dealing with Critical Damage and mitigating it while also adding to their durability.

 TRITONIS

•         The first succesionist/Blackshield Legio of the game, the Dark Tide are beholden to none but their own world.
•         Expert hunters of mega-arachnids, the Warlord Titan is common among them while hard-hitting wargear adds to their monster-hunting reputation.

 THE MANIPLES

The book gives us two (2) new maniples, including:

•         Ignus Light Maniples, consisting of 3-5 Warhounds and 1-3 Cerastus Knight Banners.  This maniple focuses on flame weaponry and provides bonuses to them.
•           Precept Battleline Maniples, consisting of 1 Warlord, 1 Warbringer, 1-2 Warhounds, and up to 1 Reaver.  This maniple is a modified Axiom that allows for flexible tactics, hard-to-shift Command checks for a single order, and the ability to adjust the orders given as needed.

The Ignus maniple is something you take if you just want to set things on fire.  We won’t lie; this is something you just scream “BURN!" while using.  The Precept maniple is powerful and provides great bonuses for a single order but allows you to stay flexible if one particular Titan still needs to take on a different role or focus on something important such as repairs.

KNIGHT HOUSES

Knights don’t take a prominent role this time around and the book simply continues the trend of bringing  new household roles, along with the usual 1/3 sheet of lore and Seneschal Traits.  We’re treated to:

• House Col’khak – The deeply-bound-to-the-Mechanicum Household often seen with Legio Atarus.
• House Moritain – Warriors and scholars that would make Guilliman or even the Custodes proud.
• House Gotrith – Brutal butchers, the “iron devils”.
• House Vextrix – Proud, martial, and a Knight House that constantly delivered.  This House is known for its impeccable battle record placing it highly with the Fabricator-General and the Warmaster.