Ultramarines Sternguard + Tigurius + Apothecary in 11th Edition: 380 Points of Tacticus Firestorm Force

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10 Sternguard, Chief Librarian Tigurius and an Apothecary, 380 points. This is a very strong combo. Right now, in my opinion, it's one of the strongest combos for Tacticus Marines. The Sternguard Veteran Squad brings the guns, Tigurius brings mortal wounds and a better save, and the Apothecary keeps bringing Marines back. Here's how it all works together, with my own painted models.

Written for Warhammer 40,000 11th edition, November 2026. Points and rules checked against the official Warhammer 40,000 app, run in the Tacticus Firestorm Force detachment. Points and rules change with balance updates; I update this page when they do.

Related: Ultramarines Dreadnoughts in 11th Edition: Ballistus, Brutalis and Redemptor in Ironclad Champions (610 Points) · Ultramarines Jump Pack Chaplain + Vanguard Veterans in 11th Edition: 195 Points, Lance, Sustained Hits and the Pistol or Shield Question

The unit (380 points)

This is exactly how the unit is built in my app list. Both characters are attached to the Sternguard.

The Apothecary: this is why the unit doesn't die

The Apothecary's Narthecium heals D3+1 wounds in your Command phase. Sternguard have 2 wounds each. So on a min roll, which is 2, you can fully revive one Space Marine with 2 HP. Or if you have one Space Marine sitting on 1 HP, you heal him up and technically bring a second one back with 1 HP. And if you do a max roll, which is 4, you heal 4, meaning you can bring 2 models back. Every turn.

I feel like making the Apothecary way stronger is one of the best things they did in this edition.

Then there's the Enhancement, Tempered in Battle. Friendly Adeptus Astartes units within 6" of the Apothecary can re-roll Leadership rolls. Usually you cannot re-roll Leadership. Basically, you can't. You either have to pass it with the Insane Bravery stratagem, or you have this Enhancement, and then everyone within 6" of that Apothecary gets the re-roll. It's very powerful. It's 10 points.

Apothecary weapons

The stratagems that make it work

For the Emperor! (1CP). In your Command phase, one Tacticus unit within range of an objective gets +1 OC until the end of the turn. Combine that with the Apothecary keeping the unit alive and you hold the objective. And because this detachment gives you so many stratagems, you have lots of CP to spare for it.

Relentless Assault (1CP). You can always have this one. When the unit is selected to attack in the Shooting or Fight phase, its attacks get Sustained Hits 1 against anything that's not a Monster or Vehicle, or Lethal Hits against Monsters and Vehicles. Regular infantry, you get the Sustained Hits. Big stuff, you get the Lethal Hits. It's a very powerful stratagem for this unit alone.

Point-blank Brutality (1CP). This lets an engaged Tacticus unit shoot with Close-Quarters and Ignores Cover. It's not bad, because you can shoot in combat. But honestly, I don't see the point of it. You can fall back, shoot and charge again with the Tactical Doctrine, which you get for free once per battle as an army rule. So why spend CP on this?

I guess there's one scenario. You're tied up with both units and you don't want to move because you're afraid of Overwatch. Then you shoot point-blank instead. That could be it. But that's very situational, and I'm not quite sure how useful it's actually going to be.

Tigurius is bonkers

Next is the main man, Chief Librarian Tigurius. That guy is bonkers. He's a Psyker Level 3, he has a 4+ invulnerable save, and his Hood of Hellfire gives him Feel No Pain 4+ against psychic attacks and mortal wounds.

Telepathic Assault (psychic level 1). In your Shooting phase, as long as he's not battle-shocked, you roll one D6. On a 1 the unit is battle-shocked. If you don't roll a 1, you pick a visible enemy unit within 24" and it takes 2D3 mortal wounds. 24 inches, 2D3 mortals. I think it's bonkers. I think it's very powerful.

Prescience (psychic level 2). If you have nothing to shoot and you expect to get shot at, you always have this one. Same deal, roll a D6 in the Movement phase, a 1 means battle-shocked. Otherwise the unit gets +1 save until the start of your next turn. So now your Space Marines are saving on a 2+ instead of a 3+. If you know you're going to be attacked by a bunch of weapons, with AP or with no AP, it's a very strong defensive psychic ability.

And yes, he can do both in the same round. He's Psyker Level 3, Prescience is level 2 and Telepathic Assault is level 1, so 2 + 1 = 3. Prescience in the Movement phase, Telepathic Assault in the Shooting phase. That's exactly what I thought, I just wanted to confirm because it's been a bit of a debate, and the Ultramarines subreddit confirmed it. That makes him even more bonkers.

Tigurius weapons

He also carries a bolt pistol.

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Why the Sternguard are so good: the guns

It's their weapons. Each Artificer Firearm has three profiles and you pick the one you want for the target you're shooting at:

• Damnatus: 12", 1 shot, S9, AP-3, D3+2, Assault, Melta 2. For tanks and big stuff.
• Infernus: 24", 2 shots, S5, AP-1, D1, Assault, Rapid Fire 2. For hordes.
• Purgatus: 24", 1 shot, S7, AP-2, D2, Assault, Rapid Fire 1. For elite infantry.

You're basically a Swiss Army knife. It gives you so much choice. It's insane, godly insane. And on top of that, the detachment rule (Codex Fire-patterns) makes Rapid Fire work up to the weapon's maximum range for Tacticus units. So you always shoot at rapid fire range. It's simply too powerful. Plus Veteran Marksmen lets them re-roll hit rolls of 1.

Sometimes I even ask myself why I bother with the heavy bolters. I'd rather have all of them carrying the special weapons. But the heavy bolter does have a nice amount of shots: 36", 3 shots, S5, AP-1, D2, Heavy, Rapid Fire 2 and Sustained Hits 1. Especially in rapid fire range. So I still think it's quite strong.

My conclusion

I have a feeling this Sternguard combo should be a staple in an army. I'm even thinking about making a pure Tacticus Marine army because of how powerful it is, especially with tanks supporting it on the second front. With all those re-rolls on top, it just starts to feel broken.

My Calgar and Terminators combo still stands as one of the most powerful ones in my opinion. But this one is close behind.

If you want to build it yourself, the Sternguard come in their own kit, and the Space Marines codex has the full Tacticus Firestorm Force detachment.