Thousand Sons: Sekhetar Cohort Detachment Guide (11th Edition)

The core rule solves the Sekhetar Robots' two historic problems at once. First, friendly Sekhetar Robot attacks gain the [Psychic] keyword, which folds them into your army's psychic-weapon synergies and makes them count as sorcerous output rather than mundane firepower. Second, friendly Thousand Sons Psykers project an accuracy aura: a robot unit within a short range of a Sorcerer gets a bonus to hit in melee, curing the walkers' notoriously swingy close-combat.

The design intent is a robot-and-character formation: the Sorcerers aren't just casters, they're the targeting computers that make your constructs reliable. That pairing is the whole detachment — a lone robot far from your characters is a shadow of one standing beside a Sorcerer.

Because the robots are durable Toughness-heavy models with an invulnerable save, an accurate, [Psychic]-tagged robot line becomes a tough, hard-hitting midfield anchor. Confirm the exact aura range and hit bonus in the current Faction Pack.

The defensive standout is a protection stratagem that reduces incoming wounds on your robots from high-strength ranged attacks within a short range — a bubble that helps the walkers survive the anti-tank fire that would otherwise delete them. Use it when an opponent's heavy shooting lines up on your robot core, ideally the turn before you push the constructs into the midfield.

As ever, sequence it with your Rituals: a defensive Ritual plus this stratagem can make a robot advance survivable that would otherwise be suicidal. Don't burn it reactively on trivial fire — save it for the volley that actually threatens to break your core. Names, ranges and CP costs are Faction Pack details that shift with errata, so verify the current version before you rely on a specific bubble.

The signature enhancement improves a character's ability to boost the robots further — for instance granting a ballistic-skill bonus to a robot unit it's supporting, so your walkers shoot as accurately as they now fight. That doubles down on the detachment's identity: the Sorcerer is the robots' fire-control as well as their melee-control.

Put it on the caster who will physically escort your main robot block, not a backfield model — the buff only matters when the character is close enough to project it. As with the whole faction, that escorting caster is also generating Cabal Points, so it's pulling triple duty and deserves protection. Enhancement names, the exact bonus and eligibility keywords are Faction Pack specifics and can move with revisions — check the current entry.

The obvious centrepieces are Sekhetar Robots, taken in enough numbers to form a real anchor rather than a token unit. Pair every robot block with a Sorcerer character — an Exalted Sorcerer or Infernal Master — to supply the accuracy aura and, with the right enhancement, a shooting buff too. Round the list out with Rubric Marines to screen the characters and hold objectives, and a Scarab Occult Terminator unit if you want an extra elite hammer.

The Warpflame Thrallband boxed set is a natural collecting on-ramp here, bundling robots with Rubrics, Terminators and Sorcerers. Magnus the Red still fits as a ceiling pick, but the detachment's strength is the robot-and-caster core, not a single monster. Confirm current robot points in the app — they received a launch adjustment.

Take Sekhetar Cohort when you own — or want to build — a robot-heavy Thousand Sons force, or when you like a durable, midfield-anchor playstyle over swarms or a pure marine ball. It's the detachment that makes the new constructs genuinely good rather than a novelty.

The catch is the dependency: robots far from your Sorcerers lose most of what makes them work, so it demands disciplined positioning to keep the aura chains intact. That makes it slightly more demanding to pilot than the forgiving Rubric anvil of Ritual of Regeneration. It's a 3 DP investment, so expect to build your whole list around it. And as always, keep the army a pure Cabal and shield the characters — here they're your fire-control, your buff engine and your Cabal Point generators all at once.