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As Games Workshop has announced that it will be releasing a new Warhammer 40k Black Templars Codex Fall 2021, and they have already revealed the gorgeous miniature of the Emperor’s Champion, it’s time to take a deep dive into who the Emperor’s Champion is, what he does, and what his fate will be.

1. The first Emperor’s Champion was Sigismund, who was left on Terra to defend it when the Emperor of Mankind, Rogal Dorn, and Sanguinius left the planet to confront (and ultimately kill) Horus Lupercal to end the Horus Heresy. Sigismund was given the Armour of Faith and the Black Sword and given the sacred charges that he would never forget or relinquish.

2. Though the Emperor’s Champion is most commonly associated with the Black Templars there can be, and has been, an Emperor’s Champion in any and all of the Space Marine Legions at any given time. It is much less common in the present, but happened frequently in the Great Scouring after the Horus Heresy.

3. The Emperor’s Champion is selected by visions that the champion himself experiences on the night before a battle. As the Space Marines kneel and pray before the Chaplain, one of them may receive visions that come from the Emperor. These visions include images of great battles and the forces of the Imperium throwing back the enemy–especially the heretic.

4. When this Space Marine receives these visions he must present himself in front of the Chaplain, where the Chaplain will interrogate him in ceremony on the visions he has seen to discern if the visions are genuine, consulting the Liber Divinitus. There has never been a known experience of a marine failing to get the visions authentic.

5. If a Black Templar Emperor’s Champion has visions while he is with the Deathwatch, he must gain the acceptance of one of his battle brothers. He can take up the mantle of Emperor’s Champion if the Watch Fortress or Watch Station has the proper armaments.

6. The proper armaments for an Emperor’s Champion are taken by the Chaplain from a sealed stasis casket. They are the Armour of Faith, and the Black Sword. The Black Sword is a power weapon that great enhances the strength of the Emperor’s Champion. The Armour of Faith is power armor that has been intricately inscribed with catechisms and blessings, and is much stronger and tougher than standard power armor–especially against the powers of the heretics.

7. The vows of the Emperor’s Champion are the same vows that Sigismund took when he was left to defend Terra in the Horus Heresy: “Suffer Not the Unclean to Live”, “Uphold the Honour of the Emperor”, “Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch”, and “Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds.”

8. Perhaps one of the most misunderstood facts about the Emperor’s Champion is that the title is temporary. It is granted on the eve of battle and may last with the Emperor’s Champion through a single battle or prolonged campaign, but ultimately the Emperor’s Champion relinquishes the Armour of Faith and the Black Sword and returns to the chapter (or, often, he fights until he dies).

9. According to tradition, there is only one Emperor’s Champion per chapter, but in practice–because the Black Templars do not abide by the Codex Astartes rules to only have 1000 Space Marines in a chapter–there will often be an Emperor’s Champion in every Crusade that is being carried out by the Black Templars. (It is unknown to anyone except the High Marshal himself how many Crusades there are and how many Black Templars are counted among the ranks.)

10. The Emperor’s Champion faces his foes in one-on-one combat, dueling the most dangerous and important enemies. The Emperor’s Champion will not use trickery, traps, or deception to ensnare his enemy, but will meet him face-to-face in a “fair” duel.

11. The Emperor’s Champion does not follow orders from anyone in the Chapter, but instead follows his own visions he receives from the Emperor to determine who the most important targets are for him to attack. The Black Templars (and other chapters, when an Emperor’s Champion appears there) do not follow or lead the Emperor’s Champion, but they do consider it a huge honor to be fighting alongside the Champion and their morale is boosted.

12. Though the role as Emperor’s Champion is temporary, which is to say that the Champion will relinquish the role when the battle is over, it is not common for an Emperor’s Champion to survive every battle. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to the Chapter that the sacred armaments of the Armour of Faith and the Black Sword to be returned to the Armoury and Chaplain.

Stay tuned this fall when the Black Templar Codex Supplement drops and we’ll do a deep dive into the chapter. (I have already started assembling and painting Black Templars in anticipation of this incredible faction.