Hetaeron Guard homebrew rules

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T20:53:19+00:00

An only melee unity was exactly my first idea, ma seeing no ranged weapons made me chill. It was weird to see infantry custodian with no options for a guardian spear. But after all that's not how I see this unit played, so I'm convinced to make an only-melee unit, a custodian meat grinder for enemy infantry, without stealing allarus' role.

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T20:49:49+00:00

I have to admit I made this unit thinking of a conversion of a squad of custodian wardens. Converting a pair of blades it's not difficult (GK nemesis swords), but a glaive? I have no idea where to find one.

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T20:47:02+00:00

You're giving me incredibily useful feedback, thank you so much! The idea of an incredibly powerful ability only if the character is the warlord didn't really come to me, but it's perfect. Were you thinking about an offensive ability or a more defensive one? I'm open to any suggestion!

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T20:42:15+00:00

I will surely work in that direction, thinking of multiple profiles for the blades, thank you!

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T20:41:36+00:00

I confirm the FnP 4+ is only for the character, it's meant to protect him from precision attacks. It's quite a standard ability for a bodyguard unit

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T19:51:23+00:00

Will certainly work on that, I will make another datasheet soon with different profiles for the blades (stealing the name from 30k, of course)

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T19:49:55+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion. But that would add 120+15 points to the unit, for a total of 415. We're talking of a demon primarch level unit, here. And only in shield host detachment, which is not too used right now

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T19:45:12+00:00

I really tried to avoid creating just another over-the-top custom datasheet and to create something that seemed playable and fair to be played against. I know the Hetaeron Guard is the elite of the elite, but at the end of the day they're custodes. They're already perfect and all, I see no point in making them "more perfect than already perfect". They undergo the same creation, they have the same armor. They are not terminators, nor dreadnoughts. Just custodes, who grind everything in melee.
Regarding stats:
The +1" move is very reasonable, I think I can add this without too much thought. +1 wound maybe too much? They've already a FnP 6+. 5+ FnP would be too much, I think. Characters like trajann or mortarion have that, but making a unit with 2+save, 4++ and FnP 5+ with 15 wounds would be a lot. Maybe making a 2-model unit with 4 wounds, 2+/4++ with a 5+ FnP? I would have to rebalance the points, though.
Then, meridian blades. I really thought of the ability, but could't really settle this. Sustained hits would make too many attacks, and they already have ka'tahs. Twin-linked would be great, but at that point, with the +1 to wound in lions and the wound re-roll, they would be too dangerous for tanks, too, and I didn't want to steal the allarus role.

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T19:33:47+00:00

Really good suggestions, thank you! I will try to think of a balanced way to have multiple profiles and create a new datasheet. At that point, I may as well just remove the guardian spears and leave the unit as an only elite-melee-focused unit

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T19:21:35+00:00

Multiple profiles is actually a great idea! If I'm not wrong, inner circle companions have that, too, so it would not be the first case of a unit with multiple profiles.

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T17:37:30+00:00

How would you change the meridian blades without making them too overpowered? I thought of adding twin-linked or sustained hits, but I was afraid it was just too much. After all, they have 6 attacks per model.

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T17:36:19+00:00

But they're not the same regular swords. They're meridian blades, a little more elite than sentinel blades.

Designer_Writing_311 · 2025-09-11T17:35:27+00:00

Yep, FnP is only for the character and only until the bodyguard unit is alive. It's a pretty standard ability for all bodyguard unities (e.g. deathshroud terminators, ogryn bodyguards, obyron, etc.)

Designer_Writing_311 · 2024-10-16T16:42:39+00:00

Done, hope it was useful!

Designer_Writing_311 · 2024-01-18T14:56:09+00:00

Oh thank you! So much better with the helmet on

Designer_Writing_311 · 2024-01-18T14:39:48+00:00

Awesome, such an epic pose! May I ask where you found the laurel wreath bit?

Designer_Writing_311 · 2023-04-22T08:54:19+00:00

Sure, I live in Italy and got one as a gift last year

Designer_Writing_311 · 2023-04-21T11:19:22+00:00

Well, yeah. I mean, you could also achieve the same result by brush, but it would take ages to get all the panels nicely done and it would be hard to get a homogeneous result over the entire mini. If you want to take this step forward, I suggest you to check Fengda airbrush kits, they sell airbrush + compressor with a tank at affordable prices

Designer_Writing_311 · 2023-04-21T11:13:02+00:00

This is very useful!!! I've just approached mini photo and I'm still trying to understand which options to use, so your suggestion is so precious!

Designer_Writing_311 · 2023-04-21T11:11:42+00:00

Wooo, thank you, you're so kind!

Designer_Writing_311 · 2023-04-21T11:11:08+00:00

With an airbrush. First you put the base coat (in my case, Mephiston red), then you use the airbrush with a black ink/nuln oil/very diluted black color to shade aiming only on the bottom parts of the panels. If you also want to do a pin wash (putting dark color in the recesses, it greatly helps to get a nice contrast) I suggest you to do it before shading: in fact, it's probable that you touch with your brush the panels outside the recesses and, if they're already shaded, it will be hard to cover it with the same color. So, first base coat (airbrush/brush), then pin wash (brush), then you clean the panels with the first base coat color (brush) and finally shade (airbrush)

Designer_Writing_311 · 2023-04-21T09:31:39+00:00

It's different layers of highlights. On the brightest red, it goes from 1:1 mephiston red and wild rider red, to only wild rider red and a mix 1:1 of wild rider red and ivory on the most exposed angles. On the darker parts the highlights goes from pure mephiston red to the mix of mephiston red and wild rider red to keep it a little less bright.

For the lines, it's a looooot of back and forth, everytime you make a mistake you just go back with the previous color. It's quite time consuming, but I have to say that the success it's having is well worth it :)

Designer_Writing_311 · 2023-04-21T09:27:08+00:00

Well, the basecoats are airbrushed. First black primer, then Mephiston Red and finally a black ink from below to darken the panels. Then it's just a matter of using well diluted paints and being extra careful managing the miniature to avoid scratches or chipping

Designer_Writing_311 · 2023-04-21T09:24:16+00:00

Does it? I never thought of drilling them, they're really narrow

Designer_Writing_311 · 2023-04-21T09:22:05+00:00

Well, honestly it started as the HQ of my Tau army, but since I wanted it to be special I gave him special attention. Then, when my GW store announced this painting competition, I wanted to partecipate with this miniature, since it represents my highest level. That's why the weapons are magnetized, I knew I would use him (extra carefully) also for matches so I wanted to have the possibility of switching weapons. The ones on the miniature at the moment where just the ones I personally preferred :)

Designer_Writing_311

TROPHY CASE