TEXT: 102 
  WARHAMMER 
  40,000 
  ASTARTES 
  Forged in the dark days following the Horus 
  Heresy, the Crimson Fists are among the most 
  lauded of the Imperial Fists' successor 
  Chapters. Having teetered on the brink of 
  annihilation, the Chapter has a new-found 
  hope in the wake of the lndomitus Crusade. Yet 
  in a galaxy of eternal war, new threats are 
  never far away for the Crimson Fists. 
  . 
  .: .... 
  CRIM90N FISTS 
  DORN'S SUCCESSORS 
  By Andy Clark & Robin Cruddace 
  JANUARY 2019 
  IJ] 
  rave and tenacious, the Crimson Fists 
  Chapter of Space Marines have battled 
  the enemies of the lmperium with a stoic 
  ferocity for nigh on ten millennia. 
  Founded in the wake of the Horus Heresy, they 
  are one of several successor Chapters of the 
  noble Imperial Fists and they can trace their 
  genetic legacy back to the Primarch Rogal Dorn, 
  with whom they share their temperament and 
  bearing. Following their creation, the Crimson 
  Fists forged their own destiny, these indomitable, 
  pragmatic and highly skilled warriors carving their 
  names indelibly into Imperial history. They 
  adhere rigidly to the precepts of the Codex 
  Astartes, making a virtue of humility and proudly 
  maintaining the honour and legacy of Rogal Dorn. 
  Throughout the Chapter's long and glorious 
  history, the Crimson Fists have become noted for 
  their expertise in fighting the many alien races 
  that assail the Imperium. In particular, they have 
  proven time and again their aptitude for battling 
  the ferocious and bestial Orks. Though originally 
  a fleet-based Chapter, the Crimson Fists have 
  become well-established as defenders of the 
  Loki Sector in the Segmentum Tempestus, where 
  countless Ork empires still thrive. While the 
  Crimson Fists have engaged in countless battles 
  against a broad spectrum of opponents across 
  the span of the galaxy, their actions against the 
  Orks have yielded experience and knowledge 
  that has proven vital to Humanity. 
  Na• e: Rynn's World 
  Designation: 
  For• erly Agri World 
  >> Update exnt: 
  Fortress ldorld 
  Gravity: l,.l,,c 
  Tarran standard 
  Te• perature/ 
  Climate: Temperate 
  Population: Pre-war 
  200 million <16 
  million in New Rynn 
  City) Current 
  census pending. 
  New Rynn 
  City 
  I 
  I 
  I 
  I 
  Planetary Governor: 
  Chapter Master 
  Pedro Kantor 
  Syste•: 
  Rynn System 
  Sector: Loki Sector 
  Tithe Grade: 
  Adeptus non 
  Sub-ref/// Rynn's 
  World Incident> 
  ldaaagh! Snagrod 
  
  THE RYNN'S WORLD INCIDENT 
  Following the Crimson Fists' successes during the 
  Voltigern Crusade, the High Lords of Terra granted 
  them full feudal rights to Rynn's World. Operating from 
  their newly built fortress monastery, the Crimson Fists 
  launched a brutal campaign that shattered the Ork 
  forces across the Loki Sector, fracturing the powerful 
  empires into hundreds of disparate, rival warbands 
  that lacked the power to threaten the sector. 
  In the closing stages of the 41st Millennium, the Ork 
  Warlord Snagrod, Arch-Arsonist of Charadon, launched 
  a massive Waaagh! that united the warring factions 
  bordering the Loki Sector. Pedro Kantor, the Chapter 
  Master of the Crimson Fists, recalled all of his forces to 
  Rynn's World in preparation for a counter-attack, but 
  no sooner had the companies assembled than Waaagh! 
  Snagrod reached the Rynn System. 
  The Chapter's orbital defences annihilated the initial 
  waves of Ork Roks, Kroozers and Bomma skwadrons. 
  Then, tragedy struck when one of the planet's missile 
  augury machine spirits suffered a catastrophic failure. 
  A single plasma warhead tumbled from its plotted 
  trajectory and slammed into the Crimson Fists' fortress 
  monastery. Designed to punch through void shields and 
  bore deep into the dense hulls of warships, the missile 
  ripped its way into the heart of the fortress monastery 
  and detonated within its vast arsenal. Ordnance fit to 
  INDEX ASTARTES 
  conquer worlds flashed to annihilating fire in a 
  heartbeat, and the monastery, miles of defences 
  around it, and six full companies of Crimson Fists were 
  erased from existence. Only the handful of Space 
  Marines manning the outermost perimeter defences 
  escaped the full fury of the blast. Whether by pure 
  chance or some blessing of the Emperor, those Space 
  Marines included Pedro l<antor. United by the 
  indomitable will of the Chapter Master, those survivors 
  managed to battle across the planet through 
  overwhelming numbers of Ork invaders to reach the 
  world's capital, New Rynn City. There, they reunited 
  with the battered remnants of the Chapter's few 
  remaining companies, who were both shocked and 
  buoyed to find their Chapter Master still lived. 
  The siege of New Rynn City itself was to grind on for 
  eighteen months. Through the inspired leadership of 
  Pedro Kantor, and thanks to the heroic sacrifice of 
  scores of Crimson Fists, the lmperium won out against 
  impossible odds. Wave upon wave of Orks crashed 
  against Kantor's lines, but the Space Marines never 
  wavered, and countless greenskins were brought down 
  by bolter fire. When ammunition ran dry, the Orks fell 
  instead beneath chainblades, combat knives and 
  ceramite-clad fists. Still the Crimson Fists held firm, 
  channeling in that desperate hour a measure of the 
  close-quarters might of the long dead Alexis Polux. The 
  greenskins were finally repulsed from Rynn's World, but 
  the damage had been done. 
  
  _WARHAMMER 
  -
  40,000 
  DOCTRINE AND ORGANISATION 
  When the Imperial Fists Legion divided into 
  individual Chapters after the Horus Heresy, the 
  Crimson Fists received the majority of the 
  Legion 's most level-headed brethren. Where 
  many of the old Legionaries railed against the 
  changes wrought by the implementation of the 
  Codex Astartes, the Crimson Fists embraced 
  them. As a result, the Chapter has maintained the 
  combat doctrines set down by Roboute Guilliman 
  before his long sleep in stasis; they train in all of 
  the aspects of war the Adeptus Astartes may face, 
  and can adapt swiftly and smoothly to the varying 
  strategic landscape of any given conflict. 
  The Crimson Fists run endless training exercises 
  and receive subliminal tactical inloads that 
  prepare them to face the many foes the lmperium 
  has encountered. That said, it cannot be ignored 
  that their foremost area of expertise lies in 
  battling Orks. The Crimson Fists have faced every 
  manner of greenskin threat across thousands of 
  war zones in the last ten thousand years, and 
  have developed tried-and-tested strategies for 
  combating the brutish xenos. 
  In the wake of the Rynn's World disaster, with 
  their Chapter reduced to a shadow of its former 
  strength, the Crimson Fists were forced to adapt 
  their tactics. Their numbers were severely 
  Battle-brother Dorvok, 
  Cri•son Fists Intercessor 
  104 
  Crimson Fists display squad, but not 
  co•pany, markings. 
  JANUARY 2019 
  ALEXIS POLUX, 
  THE CRIMSON 
  FIST 
  A giant of a man 
  whose great 
  strength belied a 
  coldly logical mind 
  and fierce intellect, 
  Alexis Polux was 
  the first Chapter 
  Master of the 
  Crimson Fists. His 
  talents ranged from 
  the vast and 
  terrible ballet of 
  void warfare to the 
  crunching savagery 
  of close combat. 
  Following the Horus 
  Heresy and the 
  splitting of the 
  Imperial Fists 
  Legion, Polux led 
  his Chapter for over 
  eight centuries 
  before his eventual 
  fall in battle upon 
  the planet HR8518. 
  depleted, the majority of their relics and much of 
  their materiel lost, and they were no longer able 
  to obey the tenets of the Codex Astartes, though 
  this did not stop them attempting to do so 
  wherever possible. The Crimson Fists became 
  adept at fielding their forces in guerilla actions, 
  infiltrating enemy territory to launch devastating 
  raids against high-priority enemy targets and 
  setting aside notions of personal glory in favour 
  of completing their missions with the best 
  possible kill-to-casualty ratio. 
  One of the Crimson Fists' primary aims ever since 
  the defeat of Waaagh ! Snagrod has been the 
  rebuilding of their Chapter's numbers. The 
  Apothecaries have worked tirelessly to induct 
  new battle-brothers from the Chapter's traditional 
  recruiting grounds - feral worlds such as 
  Blackwater, Trachan and Fordari II - but it is not a 
  process that can be rushed . Other Chapters have 
  made the mistake in the past of compromising 
  the quality of individuals they inducted or 
  gene-seed they used to rapidly rebuild their 
  numbers, and cautionary rumours of the dire 
  consequences still circulate amongst the Adeptus 
  Astartes. The Crimson Fists are too measured and 
  methodical to allow such recklessness to 
  endanger their future, but this has meant that 
  - until the coming of the lndomitus Crusade -
  their climb back from the brink of extinction was 
  extremely slow, every death a tragic setback. 
  • 
  The Chapter symbol is borne on 
  the bearer ' s left pauldron. 
  A red-striped 
  helmet marks a 
  Lieutenant's rank-
  Mk II (awl-pattern bolt rifle 
  BoltstorM gauntlet 
  " 
  THE GAUNTLET STAINED RED 
  The Crimson Fists have an extensive calendar of sacred days to honour the Emperor and the 
  Primarch. Amongst these are the Days of Foundation, the Feast of Blades and the Festival of 
  the Bloodied Fist, in which a number of the Chapter's promising Scouts undergo their final 
  trials before becoming a full battle-brother. The last of these trials requires the aspirant to 
  travel to the death world of Blackwater and kill a barb-dragon with their bare hands. Those 
  that succeed submerge their left fist into the blood of their prey, symbolizing their right to 
  wear the crimson gauntlet that is the Chapter's namesake. Should a battle-brother be 
  subsequently promoted to the 1 st Company, he will have earned the honour of painting his 
  right gauntlet red as well. A new sacred day has been added to the Crimson Fists' traditions 
  - the Day of Renewal - marking when the Chapter and its gene-banks were unexpectedly 
  replenished by the lndomitus Crusade. The Crimson Fists renew their vow on this day to repay 
  their debt to Roboute Guilliman. 
  
  SONS OF DORN 
  The Imperial Fists were one of the original 
  twenty Space Marine Legions created at the 
  dawn of the Great Crusade. They were 
  founded from the gene-seed of their Primarch, 
  Rogal Dorn, who was ever the Emperor's 
  praetorian and sternest, most inflexible 
  guardian. Throughout the Imperium's golden 
  era of expansion, on through the dark days of 
  the Horus Heresy and into every age of 
  turbulence and bloodshed since, the Imperial 
  Fists have maintained their unblemished 
  reputation for honour, heroism and might. 
  They are renowned for their mastery of siege 
  warfare, and for their near-fanatical tenacity 
  in the face of overwhelming odds. Their 
  successor Chapters, meanwhile, have come 
  to epitomise other aspects of Dorn's legacy; 
  the Black Templars fight with all the ferocity 
  and single-minded determination that Dorn 
  could bring to bear. By comparison, the 
  Crimson Fists possess their gene-sire's 
  noblest traits: his determination, his 
  selflessness and his relentless pragmatism in 
  the face of even the darkest horrors. 
  CHAPTER MASTER PEDRO KANTOR 
  Pedro Kantor has served as Chapter Master of the 
  Crimson Fists for almost a century. He first rose to 
  prominence as a sergeant in the Battle of Melchitt 
  Sound, where he led the boarding action against 
  the Ork Kill Kroozer, Da Grow/a. The Kroozer was 
  disabled in the attack, allowing the Strike Cruiser 
  Crusader to break the Ork line of battle and scatter 
  the greenskin fleet into the outer system. 
  When Waaagh! Snagrod hit Rynn's World, Kantor 
  was one of a handful of Crimson Fists fortunate 
  enough to survive the fateful missile strike that 
  levelled the Chapter's fortress monastery. Kantor 
  witnessed the rippling explosions that tore the 
  heart from his Chapter, but stoically set aside his 
  grief to consolidate what power he still 
  commanded. Weighing up his options, Kantor 
  resolved to make for New Rynn City, where a 
  small force of Crimson Fists stood as sentinels 
  alongside the local garrison. The trek took ten 
  days through a landscape choked with Ork 
  warbands. During the daylight hours, Kantor and 
  his men were forced to seek shelter where they 
  could - lying up against the ruins of an agri-plex 
  one day, hiding out in an abandoned quarry the 
  next. Kantor arrived at New Rynn City wearied to 
  the bone, his armour slick with the blood of slain 
  Orks. Scarcely half of the Crimson Fists who had 
  embarked upon the journey survived to reach the 
  city gates, and not a warrior amongst them was 
  unwounded. Still their resolve never wavered. No 
  sooner had Kantor arrived than the greenskins 
  came to New Rynn City in force. What the Orks 
  INDEX ASTARTES 
  found before them was no faltering garrison, but a 
  vengeful and determined force of Space Marines. 
  Under Kantor's unwavering leadership, New Rynn 
  City remained inviolate, and eighteen months 
  later it became the staging area for the offensive 
  that drove the Orks from Rynn's World. 
  In the aftermath of the fighting, Kantor was 
  presented with a choice few Chapter Masters 
  have ever had to make. Rynn's World had been 
  saved, but the Crimson Fists were a shadow of 
  their former glory. He could lead the remnants of 
  his devastated force in a vainglorious last 
  crusade, slaughtering as many foes as possible 
  but ultimately leaving nothing remaining of the 
  Crimson Fists but epitaphs etched into gold and 
  stone. Or he could marshal his resources and look 
  to the eventual rebuilding of the Chapter, though 
  to take such a route would require a truly 
  humbling admission of defeat even in victory. It is 
  to Pedro Kantor's credit, and a mark of his 
  superior character, that he chose the latter path. 
  Since that time, history seems doomed to repeat 
  itself over and over again, the Crimson Fists 
  slowly regaining their strength only to be caught 
  up in yet another brutal war - every loss a terrible 
  blow to the future of the Chapter. To Pedro 
  Kantor's credit, he has never once wavered from 
  his chosen path, and he has continued to fight for 
  the survival of his Chapter. Following the Noctis 
  Aeterna and the opening of the Great Rift that 
  split the lmperium in two, Kantor and the 
  Crimson Fists found themselves once again 
  besieged upon their home world. 
  JANUARY 2019 
  RYNN'S MIGHT 
  Rynn's Might was a 
  legendary Land 
  Raider in the 
  service of the 
  Crimson Fists. 
  According to 
  Chapter records, 
  the uncrewed Land 
  Raider survived the 
  rogue missile that 
  destroyed the 
  Chapter's fortress 
  monastery during 
  the Invasion of 
  Rynn's World. 
  Thereafter, the 
  vehicle's machine 
  spirit launched a 
  solo war against a 
  rampaging Ork 
  warband, killing the 
  Warboss and many 
  of his followers in a 
  night of slaughter. 
  Rynn's Might did 
  not survive the 
  encounter, but its 
  example serves as 
  a reminder that a 
  Land Raider is not a 
  machine to be 
  taken lightly, 
  whether crewed or 
  otherwise. 
  105 
  
  WARHAMMER 
  40,000 
  NOTABLE CONFLICTS 
  The Crimson Fists have fought in many notable 
  conflicts, their honour rolls full of great victories, 
  valorous triumphs against the odds and selfless 
  acts of heroism that have saved billions of lives. 
  Below are recorded but a handful of heroic 
  conflicts from the last ten millennia. 
  THE SCOURGING OF URALEK PRIME 
  Uralek Prime was the scene of the Crimson Fists' 
  first ever large-scale martial action as a Chapter. 
  Though only partial records remain of the battle, 
  it is known that Chapter Master Alexis Polux led a 
  masterful campaign to liberate the Imperial 
  colony on Uralek Prime. The colonists had come 
  under attack from several fast-moving tribes of 
  Aeldari Exodites, who hit them again and again 
  with remarkable ferocity. The xenos were 
  determined to eradicate every last human on the 
  face of the planet; the Crimson Fists were equally 
  as determined that they would not succeed. 
  During the early stages of the conflict, the 
  Chapter's partially-recovered histories suggest 
  that Polux relied heavily upon his orbital 
  superiority, laying waste to great swathes of the 
  lush forests that gave the Exodites cover and 
  facilitated their hit-and-run tactics. With his 
  enemies flushed out into the open, Polux led a 
  series of textbook drop assaults that saw the 
  Exodite tribes smashed and scattered. Those 
  THE BATTLE OF TRAITOR'S GORGE 
  THE BLOODIED 
  GAUNTLET 
  The Chapter 
  symbol of the 
  Crimson Fists is a 
  left-hand gauntlet, 
  raised and 
  clenched. It 
  symbolises not only 
  the strength and 
  determination of 
  the Crimson Fists, 
  but also their 
  defiance of heretics 
  and traitors. The 
  Crimson Fists 
  symbol is derived 
  from that of their 
  parent Chapter -
  the Imperial Fists 
  - albeit painted red 
  in honour of Alexis 
  Polux, the first 
  Chapter Master of 
  the Crimson Fists. 
  The symbol is 
  usually shown as a 
  crimson fist on a 
  black field 
  surrounded by a 
  crimson border. 
  The tale of Traitor's Gorge is one known only to Pedro Kantor 
  and the warriors who fought at his side that fateful day in the 
  Jaden Mountains. It begins a half-year after the reclamation of 
  Rynn's World from Waaagh! Snagrod. Although the planet was 
  officially designated as secured, isolated pockets of 
  greenskins still held out in the wilderness. Several warbands 
  were known to be lurking in the Jaden Mountains, launching 
  raids that the beleaguered populace of Rynn's World could ill 
  afford. Pedro Kantor himself chose to lead the campaign to 
  purge the greenskins from their mountain fastnesses, taking 
  an under-strength force of Crimson Fists into a battle for every 
  crag and cavern. His foes were tenacious and their numbers 
  far in excess of even the most pessimistic predictions. Stirred 
  to fury by Kantor's purge, the Ork warbands united into a 
  single force that assailed the Space Marines in Traitor's 
  Gorge. Though only two dozen in number, the Crimson Fists 
  fought like heroes of legend and reaped a tally of greenskin 
  lives before being forced to retreat. Officially, Kantor and his 
  warriors overcame the odds with a heroism that would have 
  gladdened the Emperor himself to see, repelling the Orks' 
  assault before pursuing their broken foes back into the gorge 
  and purging them to the last. In truth, however, the Space 
  Marines received aid unlooked-for when a band of Aeldari 
  Rangers slipped from the shadows and provided just enough 
  covering fire to allow Kantor's men to regroup and drive their 
  enemies back. The words that passed between Kantor and his 
  strange saviours are known only to those that were there that 
  day, and those battle-brothers are sworn to secrecy ... 
  106 
  JANUARY 2019 
  xenos that broke through to the colony's defences 
  found themselves faced by the superior 
  firepower of Crimson Fists Devastator Squads 
  and battle tanks, and were rapidly cut to pieces. 
  Though the Space Marines' casualties were not 
  insignificant, the Aeldari were utterly devastated 
  and the colony on Uralek Prime freed to flourish 
  into a world-spanning civilisation. 
  Chaplain - 'There is only 
  the Emperor.' 
  Brethren - 'He is our 
  shield and our protector.' 
  - Battle-cry of the Crimson Fists 
  THE WAR OF THE BEAST 
  In the 32nd Millennium the lmperium came 
  under threat from the largest Ork Waaagh ! ever 
  encountered. Led by a Warboss known only as 
  the Beast, the lmperium - still recovering from 
  the Horus Heresy - was plunged into a fight for 
  survival once more. On Ardamantua, the Imperial 
  Fists - gene-sires of the Crimson Fists - battled 
  the Beast's colossal armies and were virtually 
  wiped out. The last surviving Imperial Fist -
  Captain Koorland - enacted the Last Wall 
  
  protocol, calling for the successor Chapters of the 
  Imperial Fists to be reunited once more. The 
  Crimson Fists joined the Black Templars, Fists 
  Exemplar, Iron Knights and Excoriators in the 
  defence of Terra as an Ork Attack Moon entered 
  the Sol System. A huge assault was launched on 
  the moon and the Ork onslaught was defeated. 
  Following the successful defence of Terra, the 
  Crimson Fists joined the crusade to Ullanor, the 
  planet where the Beast made its lair. Chapter 
  Master Ouesadra of the Crimson Fists was among 
  the many warriors killed by the Beast during the 
  fighting and though the leader of the Orks was 
  supposedly slain by the Primarch Vulkan, the war 
  with the greenskins continued for several more 
  years. Koorland was killed during the war and 
  with him the Imperial Fists Chapter died. The 
  Crimson Fists - alongside their fellow successor 
  Chapters - donated a portion of their strength to 
  rebuild their parent Chapter. 
  THE DEATH OF TORKVAR THE DREAD 
  During the era of dark omens that preceded the 
  coming of the Great Rift, the Khornate warlord 
  Torkvar the Dread invaded the Laernoth System. 
  Leading a brutal warband of Renegade Space 
  Marines known as the Gorehounds, Torkvar 
  ripped through the Astra Militarum regiments 
  defending the industrial world of Laernoth IV and 
  spread a blood madness that saw trillions of its 
  INDEX ASTARTES 
  labourers degenerate into frenzied killers. Into 
  this cauldron of carnage plunged a force of just 
  thirty Crimson Fists, led by the tactically brilliant 
  Captain Julias and provided with very specific 
  mission parameters. Julias' entire force was made 
  up of Veteran battle-brothers and specialist 
  Techmarines, who swiftly went to ground amidst 
  the madness engulfing Laernoth IV and put their 
  plans in motion. Utilising a series of kill team 
  strikes against key targets, the Crimson Fists 
  steadily destabilized the thermal macro-reactors 
  that governed the planet's continent-sized tank 
  manufactora. Though hunted constantly by their 
  Khornate foes, the Crimson Fists fought only 
  those battles they had to, ensuring that every 
  blow they struck was a telling one. Six months 
  after arriving on Laernoth IV, the surviving two 
  thirds of the Crimson Fists strike force were 
  extracted via Stormraven Gunship, fighting a last, 
  furious battle as they made their escape. In their 
  wake, Torkvar and his chosen champions were left 
  crowing of the cowardice and weakness of 
  Imperial warriors. Their bragging was cut short, 
  however, when the critically destabilized reactors 
  detonated in a vicious chain reaction that scoured 
  eighty-six percent of all life from the planet's 
  surface. Only when the firestorms had died down 
  did the Adeptus Mechanicus reclamation force 
  make planetfall, easily gunning down the last of 
  the Chaos forces and reclaiming the subterranean 
  riches of the planet for their own. 
  BATTLE GROUP 
  VENGEANCE 
  The Crimson Fists 
  were once a fleet-
  based Chapter, but 
  Waaagh ! Snagrod 
  virtually obliterated 
  their entire starfleet. 
  Pedro Kantor made 
  a diplomatic request 
  to the Imperial 
  Navy forces at 
  Ramilies Star Fort 
  Goliath Vigilant - in 
  exchange for a 
  permanent garrison 
  of Crimson Fists. 
  Battlefleet 
  Tempestus made 
  several squadrons 
  of Imperial Navy 
  escorts. a trio of 
  cruisers and the 
  Emperor-class 
  battleship Throne's 
  Fury available to 
  the Crimson Fists. 
  This allied void 
  armada has 
  become known as 
  Battlegroup 
  Vengeance, and 
  they have borne 
  out Kantor's 
  strategic genius in 
  their every action, 
  from the Kielden 
  Reach to the 
  second cleansing 
  of Badlanding. 
  
  WARHAMMER 
  40,000 
  CAPTAIN 
  CORTEZ 
  Captain Alessio 
  Cortez epitomises 
  the rugged survivor. 
  He is renowned for 
  his stubborn 
  temperament and 
  his dogged pursuit 
  of the foe. fighting 
  on through broken 
  bones. collapsed 
  organs and even. 
  famously, a 
  severed arm, which 
  he took the time to 
  reclaim only after 
  his greenskin foes 
  were all dead. 
  During the Battle of 
  Steel Cross, Cortez 
  slew an Ork 
  Warlord, having 
  first disarmed the 
  greenskin by 
  trapping its blade in 
  his torso. While 
  battling craftworld 
  Aeldari on 
  Shaebach, Cortez 
  suffered seventeen 
  wounds including a 
  punctured heart. 
  While defending 
  the Fortress of 
  Maladon, he 
  endured twenty-
  one hours of 
  constant battle. 
  Almost every bone 
  is his body has 
  been broken at one 
  time or another. 
  and the Captain 
  has been declared 
  technically dead 
  eleven times to 
  date. 
  Captain Cortez was 
  last seen in battle 
  with Aeldari 
  Corsairs amidst the 
  stellar phenomenon 
  known as the 
  Wheel of Fire. The 
  Chapter's veteran 
  brethren, however, 
  are convinced that 
  Captain Cortez yet 
  lives and will return 
  to aid the Crimson 
  Fists again in this 
  darkest hour. 
  108 
  HOPE REKINDLED 
  When the Great Rift ripped across the galaxy, 
  Rynn's World found itself far to the galactic south 
  of the primary anomaly. Like so much of the 
  lmperium Sanctus, however, this did not save the 
  planet from an outbreak of unregulated psychic 
  phenomena and warp storm activity. The Daemon 
  Prince Rhaxor - a warlord of terrible might -
  assailed the Crimson Fists' home world and the 
  Chapter - barely restored to half strength - faced 
  annihilation all over again. 
  In their darkest hour, however, the Crimson Fists 
  were saved from annihilation by the arrival of the 
  Indomitus Crusade. Roboute Guilliman himself 
  led the relief of Rynn's World, linking his forces to 
  the surviving Crimson Fists and the Rynnsguard 
  planetary defence force, before working with 
  Pedro Kantor seemingly as equals to coordinate 
  the annihilation of the daemonic menace. 
  'We have been wounded sorely. 
  Yet still we stand with fire in our 
  hearts. Let them think us beaten. 
  We shall teach them otherwise.' 
  - Pedro Kantor, 
  Chapter Master of the Crimson Fists 
  In the wake of the planet's second salvation, 
  Archmagos Cawl's freighter-hulk delivered an 
  equal measure of redemption to the Crimson 
  Fists themselves in the form of company after 
  company of Primaris battle-brothers. The 
  technologies to fashion new Primaris warriors 
  were gifted to the Crimson Fists' Apothecarion, 
  and hope kindled anew in the hearts of those 
  battle-brothers who had survived the daemonic 
  invasion of their world. 
  In the aftermath of the battles, Pedro Kantor had 
  much to do. The Daemons had brought ruin to 
  much of the planet. The Chapter, so painstakingly 
  rebuilt, was once more decimated. Its numbers 
  would swiftly be replenished by a great influx of 
  Primaris Space Marines from the holds of 
  Archmagos Cawl's ship, but these warriors -
  potent and timely reinforcements though they 
  were - had never known Rynn's World, and did 
  not appreciate the Chapter's rituals. They 
  required swift cultural integration to ensure that, 
  like a wounded body fitted with a hurried 
  prosthetic, the Chapter did not reject these 
  newcomers for the strangers they were. As awed 
  by Roboute Guilliman as Pedro Kantor was, the 
  Chapter Master of the Crimson Fists was simply 
  too overstretched to do more than thank the Lord 
  Commander of the Imperium for his timely 
  JANUARY 2019 
  arrival. Meanwhile, equally pressed for time, 
  Guilliman spent but three days on Rynn's World 
  as his crusade refitted itself. 
  Before he left, Guilliman summoned Pedro 
  Kantor. Arriving late and still in the same 
  uncleansed battle garb, the Crimson Fists 
  Chapter Master felt trepidation as he stood 
  before the Primarch. Guilliman, who did not miss 
  much, instantly read Kantor's discomfort. For the 
  first time in months the Primarch laughed - not 
  out of spite, but astonished mirth. 
  'Be at ease, Chapter Master,' he said. 'I have not 
  summoned you for censure, but to speak earnestly. 
  Rogal Dorn thought there was no higher purpose 
  to the existence of the Adeptus Astartes than the 
  unification of Mankind. I see that in you also. And 
  his determination. We - I - need warriors who 
  fight bravely even when faced with great tragedy. 
  I have seen with my own eyes how you inspire 
  intense loyalty in those around you. And I see 
  you hold duty above glory or vengeance. My 
  brother would be proud. Reassemble your 
  Chapter, Pedro Kantor, and look now to the future 
  rather than the past - the Loki System, and the 
  lmperium entire, has need of you.' 
  This speech inspired Kantor beyond the ability of 
  words to describe. The thought that his genesire 
  would have approved his choices stilled many 
  questions that had long churned in his mind, and 
  he set about the restoration of the Crimson Fists 
  with a will. Yet the galaxy does not stand still; the 
  war for the survival of Humanity raged on, and 
  with the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum the 
  lmperium's battlefields had redoubled and its 
  plight become more desperate than ever before. 
  Even as he worked to build his Chapter's 
  numbers back to full strength, and to integrate 
  the Primaris Space Marines into the Crimson 
  Fists' ranks, Kantor ordered other plans set in 
  motion, some of which he had discussed with 
  Guilliman on the day of the Primarch's departure. 
  The turbulent years of destruction and the long, 
  slow fight to rebuild had left the Crimson Fists 
  with a greater than normal strength of veteran 
  warriors, whose expertise was now desperately 
  needed amongst beset neighbouring systems. 
  Kantor therefore authorised the deployment of 
  veteran kill teams to nearby war zones. Their 
  duty was either to escort Techmarines and 
  Apothecaries while they aided local Imperial 
  forces, or else to strike carefully aimed blows to 
  destabilise enemy forces, remove tyrannical war 
  leaders from power and the like. For the first time 
  in many decades the Crimson Fists were able to 
  despatch a substantial number of veteran xenos-
  hunters to join the ranks of the Deathwatch, 
  sharing their invaluable Ork-hunting expertise 
  with their fellow Space Marine Chapters. 
  
  Kantor also wasted no time in despatching strike 
  forces to worlds that seemed in the greatest need 
  of aid. Provided with such a sudden 
  replenishment of martial strength after so many 
  years of hand-to-mouth survival, some Chapters 
  might have charged recklessly into every battle 
  they could find, feeling the need to prove their 
  worth anew or exorcise a long-felt desire for 
  vengeance. Not so the Crimson Fists. Pedro 
  Kantor's deployment of his warriors was 
  measured, carefully planned and meticulously 
  orchestrated. Crimson Fists strike forces arrived 
  upon Vigil us, plunged into war zone Ryza and 
  initiated hammerblow offensives upon half a 
  dozen worlds in the Loki Sector. Always, they 
  deployed just enough strength to ensure the 
  maximum conquest to casualty ratio; always they 
  struck at the most strategically consequential 
  targets. Always they demonstrated that long 
  years of hardship had taught the Crimson Fists 
  how to husband their strength and fight without 
  ego or undue optimism. They must get the 
  GENE-SEED 
  As successors of 
  the Imperial Fists, 
  the Crimson Fists 
  use gene-seed 
  derived from the 
  Primarch Rogal 
  Dorn. Historically, 
  theirs has always 
  been a stable 
  genetic stock, 
  though they lack 
  the Betcher' s Gland 
  that allows them to 
  spit manufactured 
  acid and the 
  Sus-an Membrane 
  that enables them 
  to enter a state of 
  auto-hibernation. 
  The stability of their 
  gene-seed has 
  proved a mighty 
  boon in the 
  Crimson Fists' 
  attempts to 
  repopulate their 
  Chapter's ranks. 
  INDEX ASTARTES 
  absolute most out of every shot fired, every blow 
  struck, every warrior deployed before falling back 
  the moment victory threatened to become 
  pyrrhic. With each victory, the Crimson Fists 
  removed another greenskin infestation, another 
  demonically possessed rogue governor or alien 
  despot from power and strengthened the 
  Imperium's hold upon the Loki Sector. Such was 
  Guilliman's command to Pedro Kantor, the last 
  words he had spoken to him before boarding his 
  transport and continuing about his long crusade. 
  'Make of this sector a fortress, untouched by alien 
  hand, untainted by the touch of the Ruinous 
  Powers. Create a stronghold of Imperial space 
  that, in direst need, can become the lynchpin of 
  the entire segmentum. Lay low the works of the 
  tyrant and the despot, Pedro Kantor, and in their 
  place raise fortifications of adamantine and 
  ceramite so that, in our darkest hour, you might 
  do for the Segmentum Tempestus what you have 
  done for your noble Chapter.' 
  JANUARY 2019 
  109 
  
  CODEX SUPPLEMENT: CRIMSON FISTS
  Codex: Space Marines contains a number of rules that apply to Space 
  Marine Detachments. Amongst these are the Chapter Tactics ability, 
  Stratagems, Relics and Warlord Traits, some of which are unique to 
  specific Chapters. These rules also describe which of those rules apply 
  to successor Chapters. The Crimson Fists are a successor Chapter of the 
  Imperial Fists, but we feel that their unique approach to war is such that 
  they warrant a set of bespoke rules to better reflect their background. As 
  a result, if your army includes CRIMSON FISTS Detachments (that is, any 
  Detachment which includes only CRIMSON FISTS units), you can either 
  continue to use the rules for Crimson Fists as presented in Codex: Space 
  Marines (i.e. that Detachment has the Chapter Tactics ability and uses 
  the Imperial Fists' tactic, and can use the Imperial Fists' Stratagem etc.), 
  or you can use the rules for Crimson Fists presented here. All Crimson 
  Fists Detachments in your army must use the same rules though - so 
  make it clear to your opponent before the battle begins which rules set 
  you are using. Also note that these rules have been designed to be used 
  in all types of games, including matched play games. 
  If your army is Battle-forged, Troops units in CRIMSON FISTS 
  Detachments gain the Defenders of Humanity ability. In addition, 
  INFANTRY, BIKER and DREADNOUGHT units (other than SERVITOR 
  --'0:-.!"!4,~llr· units) in CRIMSON FISTS Detachments also gain the No Matter the 
  Odds ability. 
  WARLORD TRAITS 
  If the Warlord of your army is a CRIMSON FISTS CHARACTER, you can 
  pick their Warlord Trait from the Crimson Fists Warlord Traits table 
  below instead of picking one from the Space Marines Warlord Traits 
  table (see Codex: Space Marines). Alternatively, you can roll one D3 and 
  consult the table below to randomly generate a Warlord Trait for them. 
  If your Warlord is Pedro Kantor, he must have the Tenacious Opponent 
  Warlord Trait. 
  03 RESULT 
  1 TENACIOUS OPPONENT 
  This Warlord fights all the harder when he is outnumbered by his 
  foes and all seems lost. 
  If there are at least 10 enemy models within 6" of this Warlord 
  when he fights in the Fight phase, add D3 to his Attacks 
  characteristic until the end of the phase. 
  2 REFUSE TD DIE 
  Countless times have the enemies of Mankind tried to slay this 
  stoic Warlord in battle. None have succeeded. 
  The first time this warlord is reduced to O wounds, roll one D6. 
  On a 4+ set him up again at the end of the phase, as close as 
  possible to his previous position and more than l" from any 
  enemy models, with D3 wound remaining. 
  DEFENDERS OF HUMANITY 
  The warriors of the Adeptus Astartes are sworn to defend the Imperium 
  of Mankind. While a single Space Marine still stands, the light of 
  Humanity will never fade. 
  A unit with this ability that is within range of an objective marker (as 
  specified in the mission) controls the objective marker even if there are 
  more enemy models within range of that objective marker. If an enemy 
  unit within range of the same objective marker has a similar ability, 
  then the objective marker is controlled by the player who has the most 
  models within range of it as normal. 
  No MATTER THE ODDS 
  The Crimson Fists have a well deserved reputation for stoicism in battle. 
  Even when they are facing seemingly impossible odds, when their foes 
  surround them on all sides, still they emerge bloodied but victorious. 
  Add 1 to hit rolls for attacks made by this unit that target an enemy 
  unit that contains at least twice as many models as their own. For the 
  purposes of this ability, CRIMSON FISTS DREADNOUGHT units from your 
  army count as 5 other models. 
  Designer's Note: If you are unsure of your own Chapter's founding 
  Chapter, and you feel the rules presented here reflect its character and 
  fighting style better than those in Codex: Space Marines, you can choose 
  to use the rules in this article instead of those in Codex: Space Marines. 
  3 STOIC DEFENDER 
  When this Warlord plants his feet, he and his warriors will hold 
  their ground with implacable determination. 
  All friendly CRIMSON FISTS INFANTRY, BIKER and 
  DREADNOUGHT units have the Defenders of Humanity ability 
  whilst they are within 6" of this Warlord. If a Crimson Fists 
  unit already has this ability, then each model in that unit counts 
  as two models for the purposes of determining who controls 
  objective markers, whilst that unit is within 6" of this Warlord. 
  
  STRATAGEMS 
  If your army is Battle-forged, and includes any CRIMSON FISTS 
  Detachments (excluding Auxiliary Support Detachments), you have 
  access to the Stratagems below in addition to those in Codex: Space 
  Marines, and can spend Command Points to use them. Note that for the 
  purposes of the Limits of Command matched play rule, the Bolter Drill 
  Stratagem below is considered to be the same as the identically named 
  Stratagem used by the Imperial Fists in Codex: Space Marines. 
  BOLTER DRILL 
  Crimson Fists Stratagem 
  The Crimson Fists maintain strid .fire discipline at all times. 
  standing shoulder to shoulder with their battle-1,rothc.-s as they 
  1111leash devastatingly ac,11rate 1·01/eys o( bolter/ire into thef,n•. 
  Use this Stratagem _just before a CRIMSON FISTS INFANTRY 
  unit attacks in the Shooting phase. Cntil the end of the 
  phase, each time you make a hit roll of 6+ for a model 
  from that unit firing a bolt weapon, that model can 
  immediately make another hit roll using the same weapon 
  at the same target (these bonus attacks cannot themselves 
  generate any further attacks). For the purposes of this 
  Stratagem, a bolt weapon is any weapon profile whose 
  name includes the word 'bolt' (e.g. boltgun, bolt rifle, 
  heavy bolter, boltstorm gauntlet). Duty's Hurden and 
  Pedro Kantor's Dorn's Arrow are also bolt weapons. 
  A HATED FOE 
  Crimso11 Fists Stratagem 
  Long have the Crimson Fists.fimght 11g11i11st the Ork e111pires 
  infesting the Loki Sector a11d l1eyo11d. "/11ey /1m·e bm1cd 11111,h 
  ji-om their battles abo11t how l>cst to slay these lm1tish xc11os. 
  Use this Stratagem at the start of the phase. Sekel one 
  CRIMSON FISTS unit from your army. Until the end of the 
  phase you can re-roll wound rolls for attacks made by that 
  unit when targeting ORK units. 
  SLAY THE TYRANT 
  Crimson Fists Stratagem 
  Since the lndomitus Crusade 1101.,tacd their ranks, the Cri111so11 
  Fist have redoubled their ej}i>rts to liberate planets e11slC11·ed by 
  xmos tyrants, a task that ca11 only lie 11lti111atcly achined l>y 
  cutting the hcad/ron1 the l1ody. 
  Use this Stratagem at the start of the phase. Select one 
  CRIMSON FISTS unit from your army. Until the end of the 
  phase add I to hit rolls for attacks made by that unit when 
  targeting CHARACTERS. 
  CHAPTER RELICS 
  If your army is led by a CRIMSON FISTS Warlord, then before the battle 
  you may give one of the following Chapter Relics to a CRIMSON FISTS 
  CHARACTER in your army instead of a Chapter Relic from Codex: Space 
  Marines. Named characters such as Pedro Kantor cannot be given 
  Chapter Relics. Note that your army can have more than one of the 
  Chapter Relics (from Codex: Space Marines and/or from here) by using 
  the Relics of the Chapter Stratagem from Codex: Space Marines. Also 
  note that the Fist of Vengeance is the same Chapter Relic that features in 
  Codex: Space Marines, but is reprinted here for your convenience. 
  Note that these relics replace one of the character's existing weapons. 
  Where this is the case, if you are playing a matched play game or are 
  otherwise using points values, you must still pay the cost of the weapon 
  that is being replaced. Write down any Chapter Relics your characters 
  have on your army roster. 
  Fist of Vengeance 
  This master-crafted power fist is blood red, and chipped and marked with 
  hundreds of battle scars. Forged many years before the cataclysm that 
  almost destroyed the Crimson Fists, the Fist of Vengeance was recovered 
  from the ruins of the Chapter's fortress monastery, miraculously untou'ched 
  by the devastation that surrounded it. In the years since that dark day, this 
  symbol of resilience and defiance has been borne into battle by many heroes 
  of the Chapter. 
  CRIMSON FISTS model with a power fist only. The Fist of Vengeance 
  replaces the bearer's power fist and has the following profile: 
  WEAPON 
  The Fist of 
  Vengeance 
  Duty's Burden 
  RANGE 
  TYPE 
  Melee 
  Melee 
  s 
  AP 
  0 
  x2 
  -3 
  3 
  Presented to Chapter Master Kantor by Roboute Guilliman upon the day 
  of his departure from Rynn's World, this masterfully crafted bolt rifle serves 
  as a mark of the Primarch's recognition for all the Crimson Fists have 
  achieved, and a stark reminder of all there is yet to do. Bestowed upon 
  those champions of the Chapter who face especially trying and crucial 
  battles, Duty's Burden is an exceptionally lethal and utterly trustworthy 
  weapon whose determined machine spirit echoes that of the Crimson 
  Fists themselves. 
  CRIMSON FISTS model with a bolt rifle, master-crafted auto bolt rifle or 
  master-crafted stalker bolt rifle only. Duty's Burden replaces the bearer's 
  bolt rifle, master-crafted auto bolt rifle or master-crafted stalker bolt rifle, 
  and has the following profile: 
  WEAPON 
  RANGE 
  Duty's Burden 
  36" 
  TYPE 
  Rapid 
  Fire2 
  s 
  AP 
  0 
  -2 
  2 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/1st-8th Editions (Prior)/8th Edition (2017)/1) Codex & Index/Outdated/40k 8e - Codex - Space Marines - Supplement - Crimson Fists.pdf