One Ancient, five Intercessors, 125 points. In the Tacticus Firestorm Force detachment this little squad gets the Rapid Fire bonus at full 24" range, shoots at +1 to hit around objectives, and holds those objectives with OC 18. It's one of the units I put in almost every Ultramarines list, and here's exactly how I run it.
Written for Warhammer 40,000 11th edition, November 2026. Points and rules change with balance updates; I update this page when they do.
The unit (125 points)
| Unit | Loadout | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Ancient (my Warlord) | Bolt pistol, bolt rifle, ceramite fists | 40 |
| Intercessor Squad (5 models) | 4 Intercessors with bolt rifles and bolt pistols, one with a grenade launcher; Intercessor Sergeant with a bolt rifle and a power fist | 85 |
| Total | 6 models, all Tacticus | 125 |
Give the Ancient the Tempered in Battle aura (+10 points) and the unit is 135 points; more on that below. Without the Ancient, the Intercessors on their own are 85 points for five (170 for ten). They're Battleline, move 6", and have two wounds and a 3+ save each. The Ancient joins them as a Support character, so the whole thing moves and fights as one unit.
Why the Tacticus Firestorm Force makes them scary
The detachment costs 1 Detachment Point, and its rule is the whole reason this squad hits so hard: every Tacticus unit gets its Rapid Fire bonus at the weapon's full range, not just at half range. Normally you have to walk into 12" to get the extra shot. Here you get it at 24", from turn one.
And every model in this squad is Tacticus, including the Ancient. That means all six bolt rifles and the grenade launcher's krak shot get the extra attack from across the table.
Two bolt rifle modes: pick your target
The bolt rifle has two profiles, and you choose one each time you shoot. With the detachment rule, both of them get their extra shot at full range:
- Saturation: two strength 5 shots per model, plus one from Rapid Fire. That's 3 shots per model, 18 from the squad. This is the one for clearing infantry and hordes off objectives.
- Focused Fire: one strength 6 shot that does 2 damage, plus one from Rapid Fire. That's 2 shots per model, 12 from the squad, every one of them doing 2 damage. This is the one for elite infantry with two or more wounds, and light vehicles.
On top of that, the grenade launcher gives you a choice of frag (four shots with Blast, great against big squads) or krak (strength 10, AP -2, 3 damage, with Rapid Fire too, so two krak shots at 24"). It's the squad's answer to a tank or a monster.
The Intercessors also have Bolter Discipline: +1 to hit when they're on an objective or shooting at something that is. So most of the time they're hitting on 2s. Put that together with the detachment rule and the fire output is honestly insane for 125 points. They can delete a unit in a single Shooting phase.
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
Why the Ancient is a must: OC 18
An Intercessor has an Objective Control of 2. The Ancient's Honour of the Company gives his unit +1 OC, so every model in the squad goes to OC 3. Six models at OC 3 is OC 18 on one objective.
That's really hard to shift. Your opponent can't just touch the objective with a few models and take it; they have to kill a lot of Space Marines first. And if you need even more, the For the Emperor! stratagem (1 CP, Command phase) gives a Tacticus unit on an objective another +1 OC for the turn.
The Ancient also has Raise the Banner: if his unit controls an objective at the end of your Movement phase, that objective stays yours even after you walk away. That's how this squad plays: take an objective, lock it, move on to the next one. Run them around the table, grab, secure, repeat. Be tactical about it.
The stratagems I use with them
- Relentless Assault (1 CP): when the squad shoots or fights, pick what you need. Against infantry it gets Sustained Hits 1 (extra hits on 6s); against monsters and vehicles it gets Lethal Hits (6s wound automatically). With 18 Saturation shots hitting on 2s, Sustained Hits adds up very fast.
- Point-blank Brutality (1 CP): if the squad gets stuck in melee, it can still shoot. Its guns (except Blast) get Close-Quarters and Ignore Cover, so your opponent tying them up in combat doesn't switch them off. Then the Sergeant's power fist finishes the job in the Fight phase.
- Explosives (1 CP): both the Ancient and the Intercessors have the Explosives keyword. If they didn't advance, pick an enemy unit within 8" and roll six dice: every 4+ is a mortal wound. Great for finishing off a character or a wounded unit.
- For the Emperor! (1 CP): the extra +1 OC when an objective is really contested.
Their Tactical Mainstay ability helps too: they can start an action even while engaged or battle-shocked, and doing an action doesn't stop them shooting.
Enhancements: the one I recommend
I run my Ancient without an enhancement to keep him at 40 points, but there are two Tacticus-only options worth knowing:
- Tempered in Battle (10 points): an aura that lets friendly Adeptus Astartes units within 6" re-roll Leadership tests. This is the one I'd pick. A battle-shocked unit drops to OC 0, so re-rolling those tests makes your objective squad even harder to push off. With it, the unit goes up to 135 points.
- Cyber-familiar (15 points): after both armies deploy, you can redeploy up to three of your infantry units, even into Strategic Reserves. Handy against armies that deploy to counter you. With it, the unit is 140 points.
Like this kind of news? Get the WIZY weekly: one email every Sunday, no spam.
How I play them
- Deploy on or near an objective. From turn one they're already shooting at 24" with the full Rapid Fire bonus.
- Pick the right bolt rifle mode every turn. Saturation for hordes and light infantry, Focused Fire for elite infantry and light vehicles, krak grenades for tanks.
- Secure and move. End your move on an objective, let Raise the Banner lock it, then use the squad's 6" move to go after the next one.
- Save 1 CP for Relentless Assault on the turn that matters, or for Point-blank Brutality if something charges them.
For a Tacticus list, they're a staple. I think they're one of the best units you can always have in the army. If you want the other side of my list, see my Ultramarines OP Combo with Marneus Calgar and ten Terminators.
What you need to build it
Images: Games Workshop
- The Space Marines Intercessors box: five or ten models, with the grenade launcher and sergeant options.
- A Space Marines Ancient with the company banner.
- If you're starting out, the Space Marines Combat Patrol is a good value way into the army.
My take
This is the squad that wins games quietly. Your opponent watches the Terminators and the tanks, and meanwhile five Intercessors and a banner are sitting on OC 18, shooting at 24" with every extra shot, and taking objectives one after another. If you play Ultramarines in a Tacticus list, take an Ancient with them. How are you running your Intercessors this edition?
Follow WIZY Blog on Reddit: r/HolyWizy
Sources
- Warhammer 40,000 app (Games Workshop): Space Marines datasheets and stratagems warhammer.com
Written by the WIZY creator
A lifelong gamer and Warhammer painter from Calgary, Canada, and the maker of the Crusade Journal and the WIZY RPG game. I write about games, hardware, Warhammer and crypto in plain English, and I check every fact against its source.
