In the vast galaxy of the 41st Millennium countless alien civilisations and species battle for survival against the odds. Some, such as the T’au Empire, are fledglings in the grand scheme of things, while others, like the Necrons, have existed for aeons.
No matter their origin, they all do battle for resources and territory, and each has its own approach to war that includes everything from vast armies engaged in apocalyptic warfare to small, covert teams of elite operatives sent into dangerous kill zones for reasons too numerous to list.
Each team has its own Faction Rule, custom Equipment, and Ploys, representing their approach. After conversing with innumerable xenobiologists and magos biologis, we’ve prepared a brief overview of Xenos Kill Teams teams available at launch, and how they do battle.*
Truculent, bellicose, and unimaginably rowdy, the Orks are a persistent blight on the galaxy. These green-skinned warmongers love nothing more than a straightforward scrap, which makes the Kommandos all the more unusual for their relatively clandestine approach. They are deployed by Warlords who understand that some missions require Gork’s strength to be tempered by Mork’s cunning – but they still pack an almighty wallop.
Kommandos have earned a reputation as brutal Throat Slittas, renowned for their ability to repress the urge to charge into combat at the first sight of the enemy, instead advancing under cover until they can guarantee their knife will taste blood.
These cunning Orks have custom equipment like the hefty Harpoon which can STUN enemy operatives, reducing their APL by 1 if the attack roll contains a critical success. They are just as brutal as any other Ork however, thrashing opponents with a yell of Krump ‘Em!
Most missions the Kommandos undertake are completed through brute strength, but the Comms Boy ensures that anything more delicate than demolishing a bunker goes down without fail – even if they have to do it themselves.
The Kroot are a species of carnivorous avians who work as auxiliaries for the T’au Empire, just like the Vespid Stingwings. Kroot Warsphere swill dispatch mercenary Farstalker Kinbands ahead of them as scouts seeking fresh employers, a versatile group of warriors skilled in the art of the hunt.
Kinbands rely on their inhuman instincts to guide them in battle, reacting to each new development with lightning fast speed of thought. The Farstalker rule allows up to three operatives to change their order in the Ready step, while one operative can also choose to change their order when you Counteract an opponent’s activation – a chance to use a 1AP action for free if all of your own operatives have activated.**
Kroot make use of a range of weapons designed for hunting big game, such as Toxin Shot for their weapons, designed to take down belligerent prey – should their foe prove too powerful, they can Slip Away from combat with ease.
Armed with deadly duals pistols, Kroot Pistolier can cut down enemy gunners in the blink of an eye with a lightning-fast Quick Draw technique.
The nascent T’au Empire conduct war on many simultaneous fronts, their Pathfinder Teams amongst the best in the galaxy at infiltrating behind enemy lines to undertake crucial objectives. Armed with a mix of high-tech gear and state-of-the-art weapons, they work in groups to engage and eliminate enemies at range, using autonomous drones to support their teams.
Markerlights are the cornerstone of the Pathfinder doctrine, and when a team focuses several of these advanced laser targets on an unlucky foe, their operatives unleash attacks with devastating accuracy.
Pathfinders prefer to keep their opponents at bay, and little is effective at disorientating an opponent than a multispectrum Photon Grenade, which blinds with strobing pulses of light. Should one of these T’au warriors find themselves in combat, they can unleash a Point-Blank Fusillade in an attempt to put down the foe before it has a chance to act.
Each kill team is led by a Shas’ui Pathfinder, a cold-blooded veteran who is well experienced in the T’au Empire’s Art of War. They can call on the tactical philosophies of Mont’ka and Kauyon to outfox or overwhelm foes.
Having transferred their intelligence into living metal bodies in aeons past, the Necrons are as powerful as they are ancient, with access to technology that bends time and space. Their slow awakening protocols mean that when a Crpytek wishes to pursue their curiosity, only small groups of operatives like the Hierotek Circle can be spared.
Complex Reanimation Protocols give each incapacitated operative the chance to reassemble themselves in the midst of battle, while their semi-sentient Living Metal skin constantly repairs any near-fatal damage.
Enemies that charge the Hierotek Circle do so at the risk of being seared by an intricate Tesla Weave conjured by a Cryptek. Implacable Necron Immortals can also super charge their weapons with Living Lightning, which arcs from target to target.
Armed with sensor arrays that provide them with Multi-Dimensional Vision, few targets can hide from a Deathmark and its synaptic disintegrator, surgical killers who take out key targets for their Crypteks.
The forces of Chaos don’t have a monopoly on rebellion inside the Imperium, and many disenfranchised Astra Millitarum soldiers find themselves falling to the promises of the Genestealer Cults. Over time entire regiments are infiltrated by the cult, creating sleeper cells of Brood Brothers that engage their enemy with devious guerilla tactics learned through generations of subverting Imperial rule.
Brood Brothers are most effective when they can catch their adversaries in deadly Crossfire. With their senses enhanced by the alien Broodmind, they can eliminate targets through concentration of firepower or clubbed blows that ring out in eerie synchronisation.
Unwavering faith in the Patriarch sustains the Brood Brothers, who clutch Cult Talismans, believing they bring them safety in battle. They are Insidious combatants, relying swiftly retreating and repositioning to bewilder their foes.
Spending most of their life in the shadows, Brood Brothers will enthusiastically rally around the Cult Icon held proudly by an Iconward. This holy symbol instils Broodmind Devotion within nearby operatives, allowing them to perform one last action in the throes of death.
The Leagues of Votann are experts at finding valuable loot amidst voidcraft wreckages and deadly space hulks, with teams of Hearthkyn Salvagers forming the vanguard of many recovery operations. As they often operate alone and isolated for long periods of time, they are some of the fiercest and most independent fighters amongst all the kinbands,
Although the Kin are often level-headed and reasonable in their dealings, any slight or insult (real or inferred) are treated with the utmost severity and those who commit a serious transgression will find themselves the target of a Grudge. Enemy operatives who knock out a Hearthkyn warrior will earn themselves a grudge token, spurring the fallen salvager’s comrades to fight ever more furiously against the subject of their ire.
The smash-and-grab nature of their missions makes the Hearthkyn Salvagers particularly adept at scooping up valuables and high-tailing it out of danger, with a wide assortment of Excavation Tools making the job of securing objectives much quicker and easier. Should they need to knuckle down and muscle an enemy away from their prize, Toil Earns makes them fight even harder against anyone unlucky enough to be stood near their chosen objective.
Embarking on such dangerous salvage missions is made significantly safer by the presence of a Hearthkyn Kognitâar – a skilled Tactician who can process battlefield data at instantaneous speeds. They can direct their kin in both attacking and defensive manoeuvres, and ensure their survival in the most hostile environments.
Where Hearthkyn Salvagers are sturdy brawlers, the specialist pioneers known as Hernkyn Yaegirs prefer quick and bloody skirmishes where their speed and close range weapons keep the enemy on the back foot. They are extremely Resourceful hunters and trackers who excel at adapting to hostile environments, swiftly switching between pre-planned contingencies to avoid unnecessary harm.
Their experiences reconnoitring uncharted worlds and operating far from their kinbands makes them Dauntless Explorers with a head for exploiting their area of operations. The first to the field has a significant advantage – a reality the mercantile Leagues of Votann know well – and Yaegirs begin every game by surging forwards to get a head start on their opponents.
The need to stay light on their feet does mean that the Hernkyn are more lightly armed and armoured than their Hearthkyn compatriots, so the additional protection against fire and shrapnel granted by a KV-Ceramide Undersuit goes a long way. They become Tough Survivalists due to the time spent away from home, and can muscle through minor wounds with sheer grit and determination.
Hernkyn bands attract some of the most daring and headstrong kin for whom combat is merely a chance to show off their skills. The best – or worst – of their kind are the dual-wielding Yaegir Bombasts, whose twinned wroughtlock revolvers strike fear into onlookers as the Brazen Killer’s showmanship turns execution into an artform.
The last of our Kill Team preview days is coming up tomorrow with a look at Space Marines both virtuous and villainous, so if you’re curious what the Angels of Death kill team entails or just want to leap from the shadows as the Nemesis Claw, we’ll see you then.
* Can’t see your Kill Team in this article? Don’t worry, the Wyrmblade will also have free online rules for the new edition.
** Much like the existing Overwatch rule, though Counteract has many more options and stipulations expanded on in the full rules.
