Venatari Custodian

A squad of Adeptus Custodes Venatari Custodians in flight using their Auramite Pinions.

A Venatari Custodian, also known as a Custodian Venatari, is a warrior of the Adeptus Custodes who has been tasked with serving as part of an airborne assault force of Custodians through the use of a sophisticated pattern of winged Jump Pack called "Auramite Pinions."

Role

A Venatari Custodian armed with a Venatari Lance.

Vaunted as a high honour among the Legio Custodes dating back to the time of the Great Crusade, the role of Custodian Venatari is reserved for a scant few -- those with the skill to serve as specialists in hunting direct threats to the Emperor amidst the sprawl of the Imperial Palace's walls and its spire-tops.

While Custodes Shield Companies patrol the vast hallways and cavernous rooms of the Imperial Palace on Terra, the Venatari are elevated above, making their domain among the rooftops and spires, overseeing and assessing the threat of all who enter or leave.

Their predatory instincts have earned the Venatari the nickname of "the Emperor's Hunting Eagles," standing as immobile and vigilant as the birds of prey of Old Earth atop the mountain peaks before swooping into a killing dive.

Veterans of the Custodes' "Blood Games" in which they test each other to penetrate the Imperial Palace's defences, their ranks contain those with the proven skill to master the rare, sophisticated flight system and archeotech weapons they wield.

Unit Composition

• 3-10 Venatari Custodians (Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras)

• 3-6 Venatari Custodians (41st Millennium)

Wargear

A Custodian Venatari in combat as depicted on a card for Horus Heresy: Legions.

• Custodian Armour

• Refraction Field (Horus Heresy era only)

• Auramite Pinions - A form of winged Jump Pack used only by the warriors of the Adeptus Custodes.

• Archeotech Kinetic Destroyer - Kinetic Destroyers are master-crafted Archaeotech Pistols used only by the Venatari Custodians.

• Tarsus Buckler - The Tarsus Buckler is a small auramite shield used to protect a Venatari Custodian while in combat.

• Misericordia

• Venatari Lance (Replacement for Kinetic Destroyer and Tarsus Buckler) - A Venatari Lance is a two-handed Power Weapon wielded by the Venatari Custodians that also contains a single-barrel archeotech repeater for ranged combat.

• Melta Bombs (Horus Heresy era only)

• Plasma Grenades (Horus Heresy era only)

• Krak Grenades (Horus Heresy era only)

Sources

• Forge World Legio Custodes Custodian Venatari Squad
• Forge World Custodes Datasheets
• Horus Heresy: Legions (CCG)