Lord Commander Solar Macharius was undoubtedly the greatest Imperial Guard commander of all time. His conquests took the armies of the Imperium across the galaxy to the very borders of intergalactic space. Nearly a thousand worlds were brought under Imperial control within only seven years of fighting, yet upon his death the newly won territories erupted into civil war as Macharius' generals fought over the spoils.

His troops followed him from world to world on one of the greatest human adventures of all time. At the edge of the galaxy Macharius prepared to move onwards but his armies, never beaten by the enemy, wavered and crumbled at the prospect of exploring the psychic darkness at the galaxy's edge. The conquests of Macharius came to an end. No man has ever conquered more worlds nor won so many battles, not since the legendary days of the Great Crusade itself.

An Imperial Guard army of 2,000 points or more may include Macharius. If you decide to take him he counts as one of the army's HQ choices. The army may include a Command HQ as normal, although Macharius is the army's leader being the Senior Officer on the field. He may not be given any extra equipment or wargear. In addition, he may only be used in a battle where all players have agreed beforehand to the use of special characters.

“Some called him a monster, a madman. Indeed the line between ecstatic determination and insane ruthlessness is vague and wavering. It is true that he ordered the bombardment of worlds until they submitted. It is also true that he would have driven his men into the jaws of death for all eternity had they not finally grown weary. It is true that he would sometimes order the butchering of whole worlds that opposed his force. But this was not all that he was. He was magnanimous in victory and many were the times he spared a world that had impressed him with its courage and resolve. He was a deeply spiritual man too, driven ever onwards for the greater glory of the Emperor, not only his own fame. He was consumed by his desires, a passionate man who was willing to pay any price to fulfil his dreams of conquest. The Imperium needed such a man at that time, as it stood on the threshold of greatness once again. The Apostasies had passed, the Treaty of Ceres had reunited Earth and Mars once again and the Conclave of Mount Amalath was witness to such great promises. He was the man to fulfil those promises, to stretch out the Emperor’s grasp once more. It was he who dragged the reborn Imperium through the fires of battle, screaming a new birth cry as its golden age came about, the zenith of Mankind’s power. Without him, who is to say what might not have come to pass, what doubts would have been seeded in the heart of the Imperium once more. No one can dare say they think of him without humble gratitude for the marvels he performed. Many men have been dubbed insane for putting into practice what many Saints have preached. Solar Macharius was such a man.” Extract from General Sejanus’ ‘Breaching the Darkness’

The following Special Character has not been playtested as thoroughly as the ones presented in the army codex and is not necessarily as balanced or fair. Consequently, you must agree with your opponent about whether you can use him or not before the battle begins.

Wargear: Master-crafted bolt pistol, master-crafted power weapon, carapace armour (save already modified above), trademark item (crimson cloak), Helm of Macharius.

Independent Character: Macharius follows the Independent Character special rules in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook.

Commanding Presence: Any Imperial Guard unit within 12" of Macharius takes a Morale or Pinning checks using his Leadership of 10.

Ferocious Charge: To represent Macharius' legendary ferociousness he adds D3 attacks when he charges, instead of the usual +1.

Helm of Macharius: This ornate artefact protects the wearer with a powerful force field. The wearer receives a 3+ Invulnerable save.

Old War Wounds: Macharius suffered debilitating wounds during the Siege of Jakart that troubled him for the rest of his life. To represent this, his WS and Attacks are generated randomly at the start of the battle.

Master Strategist: Macharius' sudden assaults enabled him to launch devastating attacks while the enemy were at their most vulnerable. If Macharius is present then you may choose to go first in any mission where this is normally decided randomly.