Each time a unit in a Crusade force gains a rank, it earns a Battle Honour. Most units choose between a Battle Trait and a Weapon Modification. A Character has a third option: a Crusade Relic, a named piece of wargear with its own rules and its own history.
Relics are the honours people remember. A plasma pistol that hits a little harder is useful. The sword a Captain took from the Warboss who killed his first command is a story, and it is the reason that Captain keeps getting picked for the big games.
What a Crusade Relic is
Three rules decide who can carry one:
- Only a Character model can be given a Crusade Relic. A squad of Intercessors or a Leman Russ never can, however decorated it gets.
- A Character carries one relic at a time.
- The better relics are locked behind rank. Until a Character reaches Heroic, only the lowest category is open to it.
The relics themselves come from your codex, from Crusade supplements, or from your group. Codex Crusade sections publish relics for their faction, and plenty of groups write their own. Each one has a name, a rule, and one of three categories.
The three categories
The category sets two things: the rank a Character must have reached, and how many Crusade Points the relic adds to the force.
| Category | Character rank needed | Crusade Points |
|---|---|---|
| Artificer Relic | Any rank | +1 |
| Antiquity Relic | Heroic or higher | +2 |
| Legendary Relic | Legendary | +3 |
An Artificer Relic is the one a Character can take the first time it ranks up. Antiquity and Legendary Relics are for the veterans, which means they mostly appear in the second half of a campaign. That is by design: the force that has kept a Character alive for most of a campaign has earned something the newcomers cannot match.
Relics and Crusade Points
A force's Crusade Points measure how decorated it is. Each Battle Honour adds a point (two on a TITANIC unit), each Battle Scar takes one away, and each relic adds its category's value. A Legendary Relic is worth three times an Artificer Relic, which is the clearest signal of how much more it is meant to do on the table.
If your group writes its own relics, use those values as a power budget. An Artificer Relic should be a small, situational edge. A Legendary Relic can be the thing the whole table plans around.
A relic, or another Battle Honour?
Taking a relic means not taking a Battle Trait or Weapon Modification at that rank. A few things make the choice easier:
- The relic stays with one model. A Battle Trait improves the whole unit. For a lone Character the difference is small, but for a Character leading a unit it is worth weighing.
- Rank gates reward patience. If a Character is a game away from Heroic, holding out for an Antiquity Relic can beat taking an Artificer Relic now, since the Character can only carry one.
- Story counts. A relic earned for a specific deed, named after it, does more for a campaign than another modifier on a weapon profile.
Writing your own relics
Homebrew relics are where most groups get the most out of this rule. A few habits keep them fair:
- Pick the category first, then write the rule to fit its Crusade Points value. It is easier to cut a rule down to Artificer strength than to argue later about whether it was really Antiquity.
- Write down how the relic was earned, not just what it does. The battle it came from is what makes it worth carrying.
- Agree new relics with the group before they reach the table. A relic written by its owner and approved by nobody is the fastest way to a tense evening.
Relics also make good rewards. A host can offer one for a personal objective, as the homebrew campaign guide describes, which gives a player who is losing the campaign something to fight for.
Tracking relics in Echelon
Echelon keeps a force's relics in one place and puts each on the Character carrying it.
- The Relics panel on the Force tab lists your faction's relics from its codex, then any you wrote yourself, with who bears each one. Writing your own is a Supporter feature where your codex has relics of its own, and until your force has a faction.
- Give one to a Character as a Battle Honour: open its Crusade Card, go to the Honours & Scars tab, choose Add Honour and then Crusade Relic. It costs no Requisition Points. Relics the Character's rank is too low for are greyed out. Giving a Character a second relic makes it give up the first, which goes back to your inventory. Take a relic off on the Equipment tab.
- The relic shows on the Character's Crusade Card with its Crusade Points, and your force's total updates by itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a unit that is not a Character take a Crusade Relic?
No. Only a Character model can carry a Crusade Relic. Other units take Battle Traits and Weapon Modifications when they rank up.
How many Crusade Relics can one Character carry?
One at a time.
What rank does a Character need for each kind of relic?
An Artificer Relic has no rank requirement. An Antiquity Relic needs Heroic or higher, and a Legendary Relic needs Legendary.
Do Crusade Relics cost Requisition Points?
No. A relic is a Battle Honour a Character takes when it gains a rank, so it costs no RP. Renowned Heroes is the requisition that gives a Character an Enhancement, and it is a different thing.
Do Crusade Relics still work in 11th Edition?
Yes. Games Workshop has said the 10th Edition codex Crusade rules carry on working in 11th Edition, and Crusade Relics are part of those rules.
This guide explains Crusade Relics in Warhammer 40,000 Crusade. For the relics available to your faction, consult your codex and Games Workshop rules. Echelon is an independent campaign tracker and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Games Workshop.