The secretive agency known as the Officio Assassinorum employs various means to exert the Emperor's Will. Not much is known about these assassins, but the same could not be said for the tabletop. Explore this list to see which of these assassins excel the most in the tabletop.
4. Vindicare Assassin
Vindicare Assassin equipped with an Exitus Rifle
Settling in the shadows of an Imperial Ruin, sniping off key targets one by one, we have the Vindicare Assassin. The Assassins of the Vidicare Temple are skilled sharpshooters both in the lore and the tabletop. There’s been a falling off for these snipers in 9th edition; changes to the game being denser with line of sight blocking terrain and alterations to the bodyguard rule make it difficult to justify taking these assassins in most lists. However, they’re still reasonable to take if you have an extra 100 points and you’re missing units that could take out enemy characters. It may take more than one turn now, but that’s why the Vindicare is unfortunately at the bottom of this list. Regardless, its Exitus rifle is still nothing to scoff at, especially with its 72” range and Double Kill strategem giving it the potential to kill two characters in one turn.
Vindicare Assassin Strengths
- With its Faultless Aim rule, hits are almost guaranteed as it can ignore negative modifiers
- Spymask and the special rule of the Exitus rifle also make it harder for an opponent to save against wound rolls
- Has a 4++ Invulnerable Save
What the Vindicare Assassin Excels In…
- Killing Characters. Its rules revolve heavily around killing enemy characters.
Details: https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Vindicare_Temple
3. Eversor Assassin
Eversor Assassin torching Tyranid Genestealers
Sowing fear and chaos, following on this list is the Eversor Assasin. The Eversor is third on the list due to many factors; one of these is how an overhauling of Space Marines and Chaos Space Marines now having two wounds and Armour of Contempt is making it challenging for the Eversor to eradicate them.
Nevertheless, the Eversor is still exceptional when dealing with light infantry such as Guardsmen, Skitarrii, Hormagaunts, and the like. While it does have eight attacks on the charge, it doesn’t stop there; Killing Rampage enables him to attack again whenever he kills an enemy model in the combat phase. In the lore of Warhammer 40k, Eversors are used to instill fear upon the Imperium’s foes, who said they couldn’t do that for the tabletop as well.
Eversor Assassin Strengths
- Can challenge backline objectives with deep-strike and charge on the same turn
- Has a 4++ Invulnerable Save
What the Eversor Assasin Excels In…
- Counters Light Infantry. With its re-roll wound rolls, its Neuro-Gauntlet enables it to do some heavy damage on low-save infantry.
- Getting Into Close Combat. With Independent Operative and Frenzon special rules, the Eversor could get into combat the turn it arrived quickly.
Details: https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Eversor_Temple
2. Culexus Assassin
An Assassin of the Culexus Temple who specializes in taking out Psyker targets
Second on this list would be the blank psyker monstrosities of the Imperium of Mankind, the Culexus Assasin. Culexus Assasins are notorious for being the anti-psyker units of the Officio Assasinorium and being psykers. They perform very well and are worth every point when facing off against Psyker-heavy armies such as Eldar, Grey Knights, or the Thousand Sons.
The Culexus could have been first in this list, but alas, not every army in Warhammer 40k is Psyker-reliant. Taking Culexus Assasins are very situational and are probably the only assassins worth switching for when using the Shadow Assignment Strategem in tournaments.
Culexus Assassin Strengths
- Good unit to deep strike behind enemy lines to obstruct the enemy’s psychic phase
- Etherium makes them incredibly hard to hit
- Has a 4++ Invulnerable Save
What the Culexus Assassin Excels In…
- Countering Psykers. Abomination rule counters Psykers, but weapons also gain additional benefits when targeting Psykers.
Details: https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Culexus_Temple
1. Callidus Assassin
A Callidus Assassin attempting to terminate Commander Shadowsun of the T’au Empire
And the best Imperium assassin in 9th Edition is the all-female Assassins of the Callidus Temple. In all intents and purposes, the Callidus Assassins are far more like actual Assassins than the overkill nature of previous assassins mentioned in this list. They deal in subtlety and saboteur both in the lore and the tabletop.
The Callidus Assassin could set up disguises with Polymorphine and be set up D6+3” away from any enemy model at the end of any of your movement phases, giving it a threat range of 4” to 9”. Once you’ve killed your first target and are raring to apprehend another, if you’re not confident she’ll reach the charge, the Acrobatic strategem allows her to advance and charge while forcing enemies to subtract 1 to hit for attacks on the Callidus.
The Callidus Assassin performs well in 9th edition due to Reign of Confusion, a rule that can potentially force your opponent to spend more of their precious Command Points. With how scarce Command Points are in 9th edition right now, having this ability is particularly powerful. With intelligent positioning and precise strategy, the Callidus Assassin could live until the end of the game, having done its role by killing key targets and sowing confusion with its Reign of Confusion.
Callidus Assassin Strengths
- Hit and Run rule enables the Callidus to shoot and charge the turn it fell back.
- Is a good all-rounder against all types of infantry
- Has a 4++ Invulnerable Save
What the Callidus Assassin Excels In…
- Distraction. The Callidus is very good at sowing distraction on enemy back-lines.
- Destroying Command Point Combos. Some armies rely on Command Points; having the Callidus’ Reign of Confusion will force foes to think and risk more.
Details: https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Callidus_Temple
