Introduction

Welcome to OpenCrusade, a community-driven ruleset and companion for exploring the brutal galaxy of the 31st Millennium. Set during the apocalyptic Horus Heresy, this document serves as a modular toolkit for players and storytellers alike - expanding narrative freedom, adding homebrew factions, and refining existing mechanics for campaigns of betrayal, loyalty, and grim warfare.

OpenCrusade © 2025 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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Standard Units

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Standard Units (units that can be used among all Legions). It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Loyalist Legions

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Loyalist Legions. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Dark Angels

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Dark Angels. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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White Scars

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the White Scars. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Space Wolves

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Space Wolves. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Imperial Fists

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Imperial Fists. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Blood Angels

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Blood Angels. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Iron Hands

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Iron Hands. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Ultramarines

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Ultramarines. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Salamanders

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Salamanders. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Raven Guard

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Raven Guard. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Traitor Legions

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Traitor Legions. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Emperor’s Children

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Emperor’s Children. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Iron Warriors

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Iron Warriors. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Night Lords

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Night Lords. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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World Eaters

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the World Eaters. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Death Guard

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Death Guard. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Thousand Sons

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Thousand Sons. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Sons of Horus

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Sons of Horus. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Word Bearers

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Word Bearers. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Alpha Legion

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Alpha Legion. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Shattered Legions

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Shattered Legions. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Blackshields

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Blackshields. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Legio Custodes

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Legio Custodes. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Sisters of Silence

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Sisters of Silence. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Solar Auxilia

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Solar Auxilia. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Taghmata Mechanicum

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Taghmata Mechanicum. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Castellax Acheron Battle-automata Maniple

Faction: Mechanicum
Unit Type: Automata (Cybernetica)
Allegiance: –
Points Cost: 170 Points
Unit Composition:

• 2 Castellax Acheron Battle-automata

Profile

Wargear

• Two Power Fists
• Shoulder-mounted Heavy Flamer
• Atomantic Deflector

Weapon Profiles

Special Rules

• Stubborn
• Atomantic Deflector
• Support Unit

Options

• May include up to 1 additional Castellax Acheron Battle-automata for +85 points each
• Each model may exchange each Power Fists with:
  • Heavy Bolter – Free
• Each model may replace Heavy Flamer with:
  • Heavy Stubber – Free

Notes

Castellax Acheron Battle-automata are ancient constructs, originally forged for deep-core mining and heavy industrial labor before being repurposed for war. Hailing from the mining forge world of Acheron, a planet renowned for its vast subterranean wealth and, more significantly, as the fabled origin point of a Standard Template Construct (STC) database, these automata represent a blend of brutal function and relic technology. Their sturdy frames, capable of withstanding the immense pressures of the planet’s core and the rigors of extracting volatile materials, were easily adapted to endure battlefield ordnance. The powerful manipulators designed for cleaving through bedrock became potent power fists. The discovery of the STC on Acheron not only bolstered the Mechanicum’s technological archives but also provided the foundational knowledge for refining the Acheron Castellax.

Unit model can be based on Kastelan Robots.

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Gladiar Battle-automata Maniple

Faction: Mechanicum
Unit Type: Automata (Cybernetica, Light)
Allegiance: -
Points Cost: 175 Points
Unit Composition:

• 5 Gladiar Battle-automata

Profile

Wargear

• Chaincannon
• Power claw
• Atomantic deflector

Weapon Profiles

Special Rules

• Stubborn
• Atomantic Deflector

Options

• May include up to 5 additional Gladiar Battle-automata for +35 points each
• May replace Chaincannon with:
  • Heavy flamer - Free (Max 3 per unit)
  • Heavy stubber - +5 pts

Notes

The Gladiar Battle-automata are lightly-armoured Cybernetica constructs designed for frontline assault and fire support. Deployed in large numbers by Mechanicum forces, they combine durable chassis with versatile weapon loadouts, allowing them to suppress enemy infantry with ranged fire or engage in close combat with powerful servo claws. Though less advanced than other automata, their reliability and ease of manufacture make them a common sight in attritional campaigns across the Age of Darkness.

Unit model might be based on UR-025, with slightly larger bases (40mm).

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Ordo Reductor

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Ordo Reductor. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Questoris Knights

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Questoris Knights. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Adeptus Titanicus

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Adeptus Titanicus. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Militia Imperialis

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Militia Imperialis. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Cults

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Cults. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Daemonic Incursions

This chapter includes homebrew rules, units, and narrative expansions for the Daemonic Incursions. It is intended to enrich your Horus Heresy campaigns with custom options, characterful additions, and faction-specific content that remains faithful to the spirit and tone of the Age of Darkness.

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Campaign Rules

Forge your own Heresy across linked battles and escalating conflicts. Includes mechanics for custom missions, warzone effects and narrative progression.

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[Unit Name]

Use this standardized format to create and share custom units, squads, or characters for your Heresy campaigns, with full stat blocks and special rules.

Faction: [Faction]
Unit Type: [Type] ([Sub-type(s)])
Allegiance: [Allegiance]
Points Cost: [X Points]
Unit Composition:

• [Leader Name]
• [Number] [Model Type(s)]

Profile

Infantry / Cavalry / Psyker / Monstrous

Vehicle

Wargear

• [Primary Weapon]
• [Secondary Weapon or sidearm]
• [Melee Weapon]
• [Armour Type]
• [Grenades]
• [Other Equipment]

Weapon Profiles

Special Rules

• [Special Rule 1]
• [Special Rule 2]
• [Special Rule 3]
• [Unit Sub-type-based rules]

Options

• May include up to X additional [model type] for +[X] points each
• May replace [default weapon] with:
  • [Weapon A] [+X pts]
  • [Weapon B] [Free]
• May take the following additional Wargear:
  • [Item A] [+X pts]
  • [Item B] [+X pts]
• [Vehicle-specific]: May include up to X [weapon/hull mount/etc.] for +[X] pts each

Provenance Effects (if applicable)

• [Provenance Name]
  • [Effect on this unit, if any]

Notes

• [Any restrictions, clarifications, interaction with other units, unique traits, or lore background]

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[Campaign Title]

Use this standardized format to create and share narrative campaigns for your Horus Heresy battles. Campaigns link missions through branching outcomes, persistent effects, and narrative progression.

Recommended Force Size: [X Points]
Format: [Format]
Setting: [Setting]
Time frame: [Time frame]
Participating Factions:

• [Group 1] [Factions]
• [Group 2] [Factions]
• [Group 3] [Factions]
• [Group 4] [Factions]

Campaign Flow

graph TD
    M1["Mission 1: [Name]"]
    M2A["Mission 2A: [Name]"]
    M2B["Mission 2B: [Name]"]
    M3["Mission 3: [Name]"]

    M1 -->|"[Condition]"| M2A
    M1 -->|"[Condition]"| M2B
    M2A --> M3
    M2B --> M3

• Mission 1: [Name]
• Mission 2A: [Name]
• Mission 2B: [Name]
• Mission 3: [Name]

Campaign Rules

Persistence & Tracking

• Units may gain battle scars, experience, or bonuses
• Warlords may earn traits or suffer wounds carried into next missions
• Optional XP/Resource system for veteran campaigns

Strategic Assets (Optional)

Epilogue

Write a short narrative resolution depending on the final outcome:

• Loyalist Victory: [Narrative consequence]
• Traitor Victory: [Narrative consequence]
• Draw: [Alternate or unresolved state]

Contributors:

[Mission Name]

Use this standardized format to create and share custom narrative missions for your Heresy campaigns. This structure ensures consistency and clarity while supporting immersive storytelling and balanced scenario design.

Board Size: [Board Size]
Recommended Points Level: [X Points]
Number of Players: [Number]
Theatres of War: [Name]

Mission Briefing

Write a short, atmospheric introduction. Set the stage - describe the world, objective, and context of the battle. Who’s fighting? What’s at stake?

Objectives

List the mission’s primary and secondary objectives clearly.

• Primary Objective: [Description]
• Secondary Objective: [Description]

Deployment

• Deployment Zones: [Description]
• First Turn: [Rule]
• Reserves & Reinforcements: [Rules]

Include a diagram if necessary. It’s recommended to use app.dungeonscrawl.com and attach both .png and .ds files for each mission.

Mission Rules

Include any special rules or modifications for this scenario.

• [Name] [Details]
• [Name] [Details]
• [Name] [Details]

Victory Conditions

Detail how victory is determined.

• Major Victory: [Conditions]
• Minor Victory: [Conditions]
• Draw: [Conditions]

Designer Notes

[Optional section] Use this area to explain your intent, narrative inspiration, or how this scenario fits into a campaign arc.

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