5/5 stars. The first Primarch review in third edition is an excellent one.
Background.
The Gorgon. The Great Iron Father. And also the first Primarch to be betrayed and perish at his brother's hands during the opening phases of the Horus Heresy. Ferrus Manus is a tragic figure, yet he is also a stern and uncompromising leader of the Great Crusade and Primarch to the Iron Tenth; The Iron Hands. To me, it remains a surprise that the Iron Hands stayed loyal to the Emperor. They were so close to Horus that many in the legion displayed the Eye of Horus on their armour. They also had a surprisingly close relationship with the Emperor's Children. The man himself is noted as a craftsman whose equal might only be found in Vulkan. And of course, he had a highly unusual physiology himself with those silvery hands and eyes. He prized physical strength above all things and despised weakness. The kind of excess that caused a fall from glory for his brothers.
Strengths.
I want to firstly note Forge Breaker. This is a AP=2, D=3 war hammer that slams opponents around with an additional critical hit on 5+. Although his lower initiative when using it might prove a problem in challenges, the native +3 on strength is simply amazing. This weapon alone will win you challenges.
His individual gambit in challenges will set his toughness to 8 for the following strike step. This is an almost must-do gambit and potentially in the first round as well.
His individual gambit in challenges will set his toughness to 8 for the following strike step. This is an almost must-do gambit and potentially in the first round as well.
The medusan carapace give access to a bunch of ranged weapons that cover pinning, shock, and panic which makes Ferrus Manus an excellent inflictor of conditions.
As Sire of the Iron Hands, he can grant prime slots to breachers and tactical squads if they fill up the primary detachment. But more importantly, all infantry in the first turn gain feel no pain to allow them to better take an even greater beating at the start of the game which when combined with their S-1 effects to incoming firepower makes them amazingly stable.
Weaknesses.
As a primarch, Ferrus Manus has no real weaknesses. With the ability to go to T=8 in one challenge round, and T=7 otherwise, he is a beast. Battlesmith is just the icing on the cake.
Overall.
An excellent character and army wide boost. Excellent in challenges as well. Ferrus Manus is truthfully a combat beast. It is a good question as to whether he regularly wins against his beloved brother, Fulgrim, in challenges. Fulgrim has the initiative on him though and lots of attacks. Yet he will be hard pressed to damage Ferrus Manus with his T=8 gambit and lack of critical hits on his own blade. In return, Ferrus Manus will hurt Fulgrim for sure. Its a knife edge challenge that may come down to gambits employed and who gets the charge. Difficult to predict but arguably Ferrus Manus has the edge in S and T most of the time and should win statistically in my personal opinion.
His points cost is also in the high bracket for Primarchs. This is well justified give his army-wide boosts and his potential in combat. He really is up there in terms of the sheer damage that primarchs can dish out. Overall then, a very, very worthwhile Primarch to take.
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