Welcome, Grand Master, to Codex Assassins. Within these pages you will find everything you need to unleash the devastating warriors of the Officio Assassinorum against the enemies of the Emperor.

Imperial Guard army suffering badly because it lacks units which can take on the enemy in an assault? Sounds like the bio-alchemical nightmare of an Eversor Assassin would come in handy...

Assassins also give you a chance to show off your painting skills if you want. Each of them is a character model - the miniatures have lovely areas of detail which you can really spend some time on. Just have a look at some of the Assassin miniatures shown on the inside covers and then say with all honesty that you wouldn't like at least one sitting on your shelf!

There are many weapons the Imperium can bring against treacherous commanders, alien leaders and subversive cultists. It commands the vast might of the Imperial Guard and Navy, which have the power to raze whole worlds and slaughter any number of foes. It can call upon the aid of the Space Marines to bring swift and final vengeance against those who would threaten the Emperor's domains. The gigantic Titans and other war engines of the Adeptus Mechanicus can obliterate cities. Yet all these fail to instil the dread which the enemies of Mankind fee! at the mention of a single word - Assassin!

The Officio Assassinorum is responsible only to the fabled Senatorum Imperialis - the High Lords of Terra who interpret the Emperor's Will. Silent, deadly and ruthlessly efficient, an Assassin can strike at the heart of the problem, quickly and cleanly removing those who would dare oppose the Emperor. Impassive and impersonal, an assassination sends a clear message to heretics and rebels - no one is beyond the Emperor's justice.

The Officio Assassinorum is divided into a number of different Temples, each specialising in a certain manner of death. From the shape-changers of the Callidus Temple to the horrifying psyker hunters of the Culexus Temple, the Officio Assassinorum's servants deal death in many, many ways.

Assassins are highly skilled, with very specialised wargear. They are a simple solution to offsetting certain weaknesses in an army, or for further bolstering your strengths. Having problems dealing with pesky Eldar Warlocks or Ork Nobz? Why not field a Vindicare Assassin to pick them off from afar! Is your

As befits such proud and dedicated warriors. Space Marines are contemptuous of assassination, and will have little to do with assassins under most circumstances. There are even rumours which implicate the Officio Assassinorum in the downfall of certain Space Marine Chapters - the mysterious loss of the Fire Hawks' fleet in the warp, the unexplained destruction of the Crimson Fists' Chapter fortress on Rynn's World, the disastrous ambush of the Angels of Retribution at Alantor X and several other less well-known incidents have all been laid at the assassins' door. No definitive evidence of such activities can be brought to prove these accusations, but a trail of coincidences gives ample fuel for the conspiracy theorists. Whether assassins truly brought about any or all of these disasters, and whether they were operating at the behest of the High Lords of Terra or in accordance with questions which are unlikely to ever be satisfactorily answered.

This Codex breaks down into the three main sections listed below, each of which illuminates a different area of using Imperial Assassins in your games of Warhammer 40,000.

The Officio Assassinorum. This section contains the different game rules and army list entries for the Assassins you can include in your army.

Painting and gaming advice. Included are some tips on painting and modelling Assassins. There are also some ideas about different ways you might like to use Assassins in your games.

Background. A collection of background material from various sources, including information on the terrible times of the War of Vindication. (*If you want to read these stories then you have to buy this Codex for yourself.* - Red Elf`s comment.)

IMPORTANT NOTE.You must have an Imperial army of some description (Space Marines, Imperial Guard or Sisters of Battle, for example) to use an Assassin. If you don't have one of these armies, you're going to have to come up with a very good reason why an Assassin should be supporting your cause!