IRON LORDS(Currently revising due to Angels of Death supplement) The Iron Lords are a successor Chapter to the Iron Hands. Very little is known about them except their dedicated blockade of the Grendel Stars. This is the home of the Barghesi, an enigmatic alien race listed as "hyper violent" and to be avoided at ALL costs by the Imperium. The Iron Lords have made it their duty to isolate and exterminate this apparently space faring race but have yet to succeed. That the full resources of a marine chapter have not been able to deal with this threat is testament to the danger of the Barghesi. Their mission is compounded by the invasion of the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Kraken. The Iron Lords believe that if the Tyranids were to consume the Barghesi, something unique in their genetic makeup would make them an even greater threat than they already are, which is saying a LOT. But what that might be, remains a mystery.
The Iron Lords are a Third/+ Founding Chapter. I prefer to think of as having split from or created as one of the many Forge World defense detachments the Iron Hands deployed to support the Mechanicum since the Crusade Era. Perhaps from a chapter assigned to the now lost Forge World Tigrus.
Iron Lord is also the title given to the leaders of the Iron Hands Clan Companies, which is distinct from the Iron Fathers who stand in place of the typical Chaplains and form the Iron Council, though some individuals like Autek Mor may fill both roles. But I wonder if perhaps the Iron Lords had ambitions to create a reflection of the Iron Hands of Medusa on the opposite side of the galaxy, focusing their hatred more against xenos than chaos. It is possible that if not for the Tyranid invasion they would be defending or reclaiming Forge World Tigrus from the Orks.
Iron Lords Assault Terminater - Codex: Space Marines
Iron Lords Insignia - CODEX: Space Marines
MY IRON LORDS (some facts found in the fluff mixed with a lot of my own interpretation and preferences based on their blockade mission)
My Iron Lords were originally built around the idea of a colony building a new blockade fortress on a single planet. The blockade is a collection of scattered ships and planetary defense installations trying to hold back the Tyranids in space and on the ground while maintaining order in a colony populated mostly by prisoners and refugees. The Astartes forces are being run down faster than they can be replaced so support from across the Imperium has been critical but cannot be maintained. There's no chance of wiping out or staving of The Kraken indefinitely so ultimately the success of their blockade hinges on wiping out the Barghesi before their forces are depleted or their defenses overrun. The simple thing to do would be to destroy the planets utterly and leave the territory, however that would likely divert the tendril fleet towards the Ultramar system which is already beset by other tendrils. In any event, Exterminatus has not yet been deployed and likely for a very good reason.
Ultimately their mission remains not only to destroy the Barghesi before their genome can be absorbed by the Tyranids but also to keep the Hive Fleets focused on a distant battlefield as long as possible and deny them as many planets as they can.
My Iron Lords army is built around Drop Ship Assault and Boarding Action. They have suffered considerable losses over time and must spread those forces around the system. They have adopted the Clan structure of their Iron Hands fore bearers to keep their remaining company ships more independent and better armed. Compared to other chapters they are undermanned and against their enemies only their best have any hope of surviving. They have adapted their tactics to the unique conditions but are ill equipped to create new gear or replace their lost equipment efficiently. As such they rely heavily on their Techmarines, again inheriting a tradition from their Medusan heritage.
Their best strategy for exterminating the remaining Barghesi is to seek them out and progressively drive them into the heart of the star system. This job is left mostly to the Imperial Navy and the Skitarii.
The best way to deal with the Tyranids is to battle them in space, shooting down their hive ships and burning them in the atmosphere. With their ships spread across the system it takes constant coordination to get them in position in time to surround a hive ship before it can disgorge its deadly payload. Since so many hive ships are much larger and often come in groups, destroying them can be very difficult with their limited ships. Sometimes they are forced to board the hive ships to destroy their power cores, stranding them in space long enough for the rest of their fleet to arrive. Any Tyranids that fall onto a planet are hunted down as quickly as possible but they can never be totally sure of their eradication. But Every face to face encounter with the Tyranids has lead to casualties and many grievous injuries.
The Iron Lords have become more receptive to working with other factions than most Astartes but they despise alien life with an intensity most of their brethren would find distasteful.
The Iron Masters remains aboard their own warships and only engages in ground battles to ensure the chapter's most venerable veterans can be recovered and to prevent any infestation from gaining a hold.
Iron Captains are in charge of each clan ship and are responsible for patrolling their designated sector. In combat they follow the charge and guarantee the powerful weapons they escort get where they need to go.
Iron Fathers are the morale officers and diplomats coordinating the different faction's efforts.
Psykers are not especially effective against the tyranids but they work well in detecting their presence before they enter threat range. They are much more effective in tracking and killing the Barghesi but there's not enough to go around.
Techmarines are critical in maintaining functionality without access to replacement equipment or shipyards. Their superior equipment is also a key factor in their survival against larger xenos.
Centurions have been necessary to alleviate the loss of regular troops. In boarding action they have proven invaluable to muscling through the xenos hordes.
Dreadnoughts are unfortunately rare for the Iron Lords. Too few casualties can be recovered to transplant into a sarcophagus and while they are brutal in boarding action, they are slow and ponderous, making them difficult to recover quickly. The units they do have end up traveling with vehicles that can carry them and acting as area security or fire support for fellow infantry.
Veterans are quintessential to the fight against these brutal xenos. They are few in number but possess the skills and equipment necessary to reliably beat their enemies. Loses of such experienced soldiers is grave and takes more time to replace than they have to spare. As such their leaders are valuable assets to be protected at all costs. The Iron Lords cannot condense their specialists like most chapters so they must be spread out among their forces to keep strength spread as evenly as possible.
Terminator armour is vital for boarding actions and combating larger tyrannid monsters. But they cannot afford to pool this potent gear in one place like most chapters. Veterans are allowed any gear that suits their strengths, including this armor.
Apothecaries: So much of their gene-seed has been lost and unrecoverable that preserving what they have left is paramount. Injuries happen frequently and quickly and every dead or incapacitated soldier drastically reduces the chance of mission success. On mission there is little time to drag back a marine and most incapacitating wounds are fatal. The Iron Lords train all their troops as medics and carry more nartheciums than usual. However most times their medics end up gutting their fallen brethren to recover their gene seed on the go rather than attempt to heal or recover them under fire.
Newly inducted Scouts have the lowest survival rate against their xenos enemies. As such they are never deployed alone and are always accompanied by more experienced brothers and often one Veteran leader.
ALLIESThe Grendl Stars falls outside all normal jurisdictions of Imperium law and therefore requires unique methods to keep sealed. Ultimate authority falls to the Iron Lords who maintain the blockade, have the closest home world and control the few safest routes through the area. Getting permission to enter the forbidden zone is relatively easy, but getting there can be very hard. On the other side, getting permission to leave is extremely difficult and requires extensive screens and inspections, after which getting out is as hard as getting in. Anyone who wanders into the area by mistake is arrested by blockade forces and deposited in the colony after an extended interrogation. Anyone who enters the Grendl Stars should not plan on ever leaving without the permission and might of the Iron Lords. The system is like an island penal colony surrounded by sharks, making it one of many corners of the galaxy ideal for exile.
- The Ultramarines + Praetors of Orpheus, Omega Marines (These have the closest home worlds, though reinforcements in any direction are rare) The Iron Hands home world is on the opposite side of the galaxy, far out of practical reach.
- Astra Militarum Imperial Navy (makes up the vast majority of the blockade fleet and provides an inordinately small number of troops strictly for the purpose of defending installations in the system) If the Barghesi could decimate a whole legion of astartes imagine how well regular guardsmen would fare. The only boots on the ground are those garrisoned at installations. Otherwise the bulk of their efforts are spent coordinating ships around inhabited planets for bombardment or interception of tyrannic fleets.
- Adeptus Mechanicus (Skitarii and Cult hunting parties do most of the tracking and killing of the Barghesi while the Tech-Priests work tirelessly to create and maintain the blockade's war machines) Restrictions on research, experimentation and development are much more lax here, allowing techs to tinker and develop new ways of fighting the xenos hordes with relative freedom, though access to resources is restrictive.
- The Inquisition (At least one Ordo Xenos Inquisitor has chosen the Barghesi as his personal targets. He works independently of the blockade forces along with a coven of self-exiled Sororitas to try and keep the Colony and Installations free of corruption or infection) Normal police and guard forces are wholly inadequate under these conditions so only specialists are employed to man the colony and other installations.
ENEMIESBarghesi: a non-game faction that is lethal enough to take an entire astartes chapter to task and virulent enough to warrant a system wide quarantine by the Imperium.
Tyranids: Their primary and most lethal enemy. Attacks tend to be relatively frequent in space across the system but conflict aboard ship or on the ground is not nearly as common.
Dark Eldar: Raiders and slavers appear irregularly to collect Barghesi for their arenas. This wouldn't be much of a bother except that they have included blocked forces and colonists as equal opportunity targets.
Tau: Scouting fleets are rare in the area and typically turn back quickly enough that they are not a meaningful threat.
Orks: Like vermin they are everywhere and can appear randomly with inconsistent force makeup.
Chaos: being on the opposite edge of the galaxy from the Eye of Terror, Chaos Marines and their allies do not come here, but Chaos cults and Daemonic incursions are an inherent problem with a colony of prisoners and refugees. Inquisitorial enforcement helps to a degree but can't guarantee anything in the long run.
Just what are the Barghesi anyway?That's the big question that defines the Iron Lords Chapter. What we know is very little but allows us to make some inferences. First, they are described as "hyper-violent" perhaps a non sequitur in the era of grim dark. In this case that would suggest that every encounter with the species has resulted in a terrifying gory mess. Next is the blockade of a whole star system. If the species was restricted to its home world then the planet would have been destroyed and this would be a non-issue, so somehow the species has traveled to other planets in the system. This would more likely be due to their own technological or super natural abilities, though the possibility of being a deposited species exists. The entire system is marked as absolutely forbidden by the Imperium, meaning only those with special permissions may go there and those that do are in extreme danger. This restriction may represent any number of things ranging from practical concern for being in an undeveloped hostile star system in the Eastern Fringe to the threat of being attacked by alien ships or even potentially bringing back some virulent contagion carried by said aliens. That being said, no one may go to the Grendl Stars without express codified permissions and none should plan on leaving if they do.
But the Barghesi themselves possess some genetic trait that has concerned the Iron Lords so much they've dedicated their entire chapter to eradicating them. Furthermore they have not been able to, which tells you something. What kind of aliens could take an entire astartes chapter to task and still persist, and what could be in their genome that causes them to shudder at the thought of the tyranids acquiring it?
There is also a record from the Great Crusade of the Barghesi almost entirely wiping out a White Scars legion. This means they have been a potent threat for a long time, but never a primary one when surrounded by Orks, Tau, Necrons and Tyranids. How could such a species smash a marine legion and remain in play while so many others were wiped out?
The Dark Eldar will occasionally raid the system looking for Barghesi to capture and drag back to their gladiatorial arenas, which means that for some of the most lethal and sadistic species in the galaxy, the Barghesi pose a worth while challenge. One that requires an entire raiding party to acquire and that can stand and be contained in their blood sport pits.
Furthermore, what genetic ability do the Tyranids not yet possess? They have so very many abilities it's almost too much to count, so what could they be missing and what ability would make their already overwhelming threat level rocket even higher from its acquisition?
Potential Genetic Abilities (These currently make the most sense to me)
Invisibility: (Predator style) True invisibility that could defeat most natural or technological sensors would make these aliens very difficult to track and hit, especially if their vessels incorporated similar cloaking technology. Psykers or special tech would be key to tracking them. Assume their physical attributes to be similar or far superior to astartes. If the Tyranids could fully cloak everything from their tiny rippers to their massive Hive ships, it would mark a fundamental shift in their war with the entire galaxy.
The Iron Lords would require specialized equipment and a lot of help beating the bushes one planet at a time. Why not destroy all the planets instead? why waste perfectly good globes if you don't absolutely have to? It is a requirement. Their locations must be detectable and they must be capturable by the Dark Eldar. Their stealth abilities must outstrip that of the tyranids current sneaky and smokey tactics.
Currently this is my personal favorite. It makes them extra dangerous but still meat and bone that can be broken and killed. Even if it is more difficult to do so. And in game terms an enemy made up of invisible units of any kind is a royal pain to deal with, but not impossible.
Phase Shifting: Similar to invisibility depending on how it is achieved, but with the benefit of being removed from normal space thus rendered immune to harm. An alien species that could blink in an out of phase could potentially pass through anything and be impervious to damage. Assume such an ability could only last for a short amount of time and impact their ability to move. This ability could manifest itself in a wide variety of ways. Imagine tyranids monsters or projectiles that could ignore armor, walls, ship hulls or hive ships that could ignore enemy fire, expel boarding parties in an instant. Such an ability could make the Tyranids unstoppable.
Such an ability could potentially demand the use of uniquely adapted technologies or close combat tactics. Being able to defeat any enemy armor would be no small thing when combined with the ability to ignore any attack. IF such creatures could fly or float about and move without need of traction then they could move while out of phase. If they could only phase out for a brief span of time then it would be a matter of extreme attrition to track them all down. With the ability to pass through solid objects they could not even be contained without special stasis field equipment. They might have to rely heavily on Librarians to psychically combat them, which would not be easy and likely would have compelled a different chapter to take up this mission.
Shape Shifting: (Odo style) An amorphous species that could simulate other life forms or objects is a potent camouflage and ambush ability. Combine that with cunning use of mimicry and the ability to fool sensors and you could have all the worst enemies of all time pitta against you at once. The tyranids consume bio matter to reorganize it into different bio forms for different purposes, which all takes time and hive ship facilities. But what if a bio-morph could change on the fly to suit the needs of the moment or if multiple tyranids could combine into a larger monstrous form on the spot? Such an infinitely adaptive organism would be unstoppable except for the requirement of the hive mind to hold it all together. If the synapse connection could be broken then perhaps such creatures could be defeated all at once, but the ability to alter ones self instantly means no amount of planning can be levied.
This kind of ability would require exhaustive sweeps and demand the use of force fields to contain them. To destroy creatures that could simulate an ally perfectly or sneak through the tiniest of crack, or even transform into any number of lethal organisms would be terrifying. In the end, depending on how powerful their abilities are, it may in fact be easier and safer to just destroy the entire star system outright.
IRON LORDS TACTICS (my own interpretations and preferences based on the above)
Each of the 10 companies is organized like a clan, similar to the Iron Hands, Salamanders or Black Templars. Each Clan operates its own Battle Barge or Strike Cruiser that is home away from their home world. Each Clan Ship is escorted by 2 or more Gladius and Nova Frigates. It may be that the Iron Lords employ one of the largest collections of the controversial Nova Class Frigate of all Astartes chapters. Though they have the support of the Imperial Navy, the number of ships enforcing the blockade doesn't get any bigger so far outside Imperium territory. As such the Iron Lords must maximize the lifetime of their ships with carefully timed and defensive tactics.
Each Clan Ship includes an entire Clan Company along with their armory and squadrons of gunships maintained by techmarines as befits and Iron Hands successor. An Astartes fleet is designed for orbital bombardment and boarding actions, the dominant strategies employed by the Iron Lords. However this Chapter relies on its Gunships perhaps more than any other vehicle. The Battle Barge of the 1st Clan Company functions as a second Fortress Monastery that coordinates the entire blockade and hosts some of their various allies and is the second stage of training for Neophytes after their indoctrination on Sternac.
Being surrounded by extraordinarily lethal alien hordes has done much to color their organization and deployment protocols to maximize their survival and ability to recover their injured and equipment. Even so, they continue to lose both faster than they can be replaced.
Even with their upgrades, new Neophytes (Scouts) have a low chance for survival on any given mission, but they cannot be equipped with power armor any faster with the restrictions on resources. To increase their chances of survival, Neophytes are spread out between all 10 clans to be closely trained and protected by their senior battle brothers and a Veteran taskmaster. This breaks from codex practice but increases chances of survival and advances their speed and difficulty of their training. As a result, Iron Lord Initiates tend to some of the most battle hardened in the quadrant.
Veterans are the key to their battles, especially boarding actions on Tyranid Hive Ships which require exceptional skill and speed. When contact is made with enemies in the field, especially on the ground, time is critical and they cannot afford to condense their veterans in one place like codex chapters. Instead they spread their veterans as evenly as they can across the clans and give each one freedom to choose whatever war gear suits their talents.
The Iron Lords have adopted the Clan Council structure like the Iron Hands, as well as the eschewing of Chaplains in favor of Iron Fathers, which are of much greater value.
Each clan is organized similar to a Battle Company and with their own individual armories, they can adapt quickly. They also keep small caches of ammo and ground vehicles secured in planetary installations alongside their Guardsmen garages and planetary defense weapons. There are several positions in the blockade that each clan swaps for in turn every year, with the exception of the 1st Clan Company which is dedicated to exterminating the Barghesi on their home world.
Most of their combat happens in space against tyrannic hive ships, so the coordination of their ships and deployment of boarding teams tends to matter far more than how they are deployed on the ground.
Each clan is built on the same basic organization to keep their strength evenly spread. The 1st Company has the same foundation but prepares for its missions differently and has access to most of the chapter's relics.
Iron Master (Chapter Master) + Retinue (Honour Guard/ Command Squad)
Iron Champion (Captain) + Retinue (Command Squad)
Iron Father (Chaplain + Master of the Forge) + Servitors
Librarian + Retinue (Command Squad/ Veterans) / Enclave (3-5 Librarian Formation)
Techmarines + Servitors/ Thunderfire Cannon
10 Veterans (Sternguard/ Vanguard/ Terminators)
40 Tactical Marines (includes Bikers)
20 Assault Marines (Jump Pack/ Centurions)
20 Devastators (Centurions/ Attack Bikes)
10 Neophytes (Scouts/ Snipers/ Scout Bikers)
1-3 Dreadnoughts (any type)
1+ Gunships (usually a Stormraven or a Thunderhawk but it depends)
Chapter Tactics (Iron Hands)
The Flesh is Weak (All infantry gets FnP6+. Other sources count as +1 instead of their normal value)
Machine Empathy (Characters and vehicles gain IWND. Techmarines get +1 to repair)
March of the Ancients (Dreadnoughts count as elites or heavy support)
Scions of the Forge (For each HQ other than tech marines, you can take up to 3 techmarines that don't use a slot)
Gifts of the Gorgon (Can use Iron Hands and Space Marine relics)
Reject the Flesh, Embrace the Machine (Models get +1FnP while within 12" of an Independent Character)
Strike Cruiser (get an additional Orbital Bombardment)
Tyrannic Vets (Preferred enemy Tyranids)
Rarified Equipment (Veteran Sergeants may replace their regular war gear with Terminator Armour, a Storm Bolter and Power Weapon for 15p)
Iron Lords unique Relic - Entropy Shield (no actual rules)
4+ invul Save. All enemy attacks (other than D) against this model are made at -1S. Enemy models in base contact with this model have -1T.
Iron Lords Clan Company Collection
Iron Master (Hooded Chapter Master)
Artificer Armour
Hoody Servitor with aura 15p - can re-roll FNP rolls+ Retinue - Hooded Honour Guard x4
Iron Master "Smashbane" (Bike Chapter Master)
Artificer Armour, Space Marine Bike
+ Retinue - Biker Command Squad
+ Biker Techmarine
Ancient Iron Master (Cataphractii Terminator Chapter Master)
+ Unique Transport - Venerable LR Crusader
Iron Champion (Hooded Terminator Captain)
+ Retinue - Terminator Command Squad
Iron Father (Techmarine)
+ 4 Servitors
Librarius Enclave (Hooded Librarian, Hooded Termi Libi, Termi Libi)
+ Retinue - Command Squad
Space Marine Command Tanks
Damocles
Venerable Dreadnought
Techmarines (SA 1, SH 2, TfC 2)
---Veteran Squad +Termi Sgt x8 (Dark Angels, Replace Chapter Tactics, +Special Issue Ammo +1pe)
+Combi-weapon 10pe x4, Power Weapon 15pe x6, 2 Special Weapons, 1 Heavy Weapon, Storm Shields 10pe x8, 2 Terminators
+ DT Drop Pod 35p
Tactical Squad A "Grav" x10 170p
+Combi-melta 10p, meltagun 10p, Multi-melta 10p
DT
Rhino 45p
+ HKM 10p
Tactical Squad B "Melta" x10 180p
+Combi-grav 10p, grav-gun 15p, Grav-cannon 15p
DT
Rhino 45p
+ HKM 10p
Tactical Squad C "Plasma" x10
Tactical Squad D "Flamer" x10
Scout Squad x10
DT
Land Speeder Storm 40p
+ HFlamer
Assault Squad x10 285p
+ Jump Packs 30p, 2 Flamers 10p, 2 Eviscerators 50p, Grav-pistol 15p, Combat Shield 5p, Melta Bomb 5p, Thunder Hammer 30p
Centurion Assault Squad x5
Devastator Squad x10
Centurion Devastator Squad x5
---
Dreadnought 135p
+HFlamer 10p, Frag Cannon 25p (Blood Angels/Deathwatch)
Astartes Storm Wing 500p
Stormraven 245p
+ TL Lascannon, TL Multi-melta, 2 Hurricane Bolters 30p, Locator Beacon 10p, Extra Armour 5p
Stormtalon 125p
+ TL Lascannon 15p
Stormtalon 130p
+ Typhoon Missile Launcher 20p
Stormeagle
