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Noble Stances

The Dire Avengers being the most numerous and diverse of the Aspect Warriors have evolved a set of fighting styles and postures that adapt to the various, myriad challenges faced by the average Dire Avenger, by merit of the versatile nature of the niche they fulfill. As a result, their style of war is broad and simple in their application and often take the form of them assuming various postures or stances that augment their ability to perform specific roles in the heat of battle. The stances of war that are pivotal to their battle strategy are based off the teachings of Asurmen, the first and most powerful of their kind, who emphasize the understanding of the subtle mechanics of the balance of power and the transfer of it as induced by movement. They also incorporate tremendous knowledge on the posturings and workings of the humanoid shell, and as a result of their expertise, their style of combat is centred around using their opponent's momentum against them, or their own momentum to their advantage. Their methods of war are revered by them as the Noble Stances, a set of movements and postures that give them tactical viability that befits their niche. They are further augmented by their highly advanced armour and weaponry, making them a force to be reckoned with.


Sharpshooter Stance

Prior to engaging the enemy, the Dire Avengers will go down on their knees, and using the added stability gained from their grounded posture, shoot with greater accuracy over a considerably longer distance than would be permitted from their usual standing firing positions. Shots are fired at a steady rate with a fixed pace set between shots, thus reducing the scattering that would otherwise prevent the Shuriken Catapult from reaching the full potential of its complete range. Into specifics, what is actually done is a blend of both controlled bursts and purposeful aim, a powerful merging that greatly extends the capabilities of the weapon. However, the drawback is that the Dire Avengers sacrifice their mobility to maintain their stance. The stance is often used with devastating effect with the Shuriken Storm technology, as the range of the shots are likewise increased. This stance is used primarily to create and maintain firing zones across the battlefield, to deter enemies on the approach.

Controlled Bursts, Set by the Duality of Precision and Intent:
Shuriken Catapult changes to the following profile: Range24" Strength4 AP4 Heavy2.

Legendary Leadership:
If an Exarch or Diarch is present in the squad, the squad gains a +1 to Cover Saves when the squad is in Cover. This Cover bonus extends itself to Cover generated by the Conceal Psyker Power, after the Exarch passes a Psychic Test to represent the Exarch's efforts in maintaining a cohesive fighting formation within his squad while ensuring the Power's concealing mist appears to the enemy to cover the extent of the extremities of their formation.


Defender Stance

The Defender Stance constitutes the core fundamentals of the essence of Asurmen's teachings, which form the backbone of the philosophy of war of the Dire Avengers. There is little doubt it is the trump within their arsenal. However, it is by its nature a double-edged sword and used in desperation against the greatest of foes.

Central to the tenets of Asurmen's teachings, known as "The Way", is "The Flow". The warrior, in this case the Dire Avenger, is, in respect to "The Flow", the direction of intent, also known as the medium of "The Flow". In conjunction with "The Flow" is "Balance", an abstract term, in reference to the focus of discussion, can simply be expressed as the sum of the conflicting movements of "Flow" when two opposing forces meet. As eloquently stated by Asurmen, "Flow, by its nature, holds no distinction between mediums, favouring the subtle knife to the blunt cudgel." Thus the fundamental of "The Way" is control, over the element "Flow", expressed in more mundane terms to mean the movement of force.

This theory is the first edge that forms the sword that is the Defender Stance. The second edge is knowledge of the humanoid body, a knowledge that spans every known weaknesses, strengths, a fluid understanding of the movements both subtle and gross, complete with every calculated response to every nuance of triggered reaction. In practice, the manipulation of "The Flow" becomes the fluid blending of attacker and defender, the weighing of "Balance" becomes the annihilation and merging of two forces into one. In other words, through means of anticipation, one attains the optimal position and timing to apply force, turning one's force against his own. In essence, the Defender Stance is "The Way" exemplified, "The Way" in action. The Avenger Stance is a subset of it, both anticipating their opponents through analysis of movements, the difference being one is defensive by nature, reacting instead of acting. This is also the crucial downside of the Defender Stance, requiring being first assaulted, and of all the imminent risks it entails. Their only defense is the knowledge gained from anticipation and the means by which they would blend their attack with the opponent's, in essence evading and attacking simultaneously.

“The Way” Manifest:
All enemies suffer -1 to-Hit penalty in Assault with Dire Avengers. All Attacks by the Dire Avengers are made last and have an Initiative of 0. This means they come before Power Fist Attacks. For any Attacks that are made against the squad that fail to Hit, the Attacking squad suffers a single Wound at a Strength of X+1, where X is the Strength of the Attacking squad. Thus a Power Fisted Space Marine Sergeant that fails to Hit is inflicted with a Strength 9 Wound that ignores Armour. This ability only works against man-size models.

Seamless “Flow”:
In regards to the above power, Attacks dealt unto the Exarch always require 6's to Hit.