Games Workshop - Warhammer 40,000 - Adeptus Mechanicus: Skitarii Marshall

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The Skitarii are the armed forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the faction that produces and maintains virtually all vehicles and engines of war in the Imperium. As such, in addition to peculiar Mechanicus vehicles such as giant land crawlers, the Tech-Guard has access to every type of vehicle used in the Astra Militarum, Navis Imperialis aircraft such as the Valkyrie, the Marauder, the Thunderbolt or the Vulture, and are known to have utilised the Rhino armoured personnel carrier. Like most 9th Edition books, you can’t mix units with multiple different keywords in the same detachment, so you’ll definitely get some of these, so let’s take a look. There are seven named Forge Worlds, four flavours of Custom Forge World with unique abilities you can select, and a fifth Custom type letting you create the AdMech equivalent of a successor chapter.

Those are the big standouts here with the Warlord trait being less exciting than it looks on initial read due to keywords, and the relic being a strict nice to have. Not technically in this section but still relevant, Cawl still exists, and while (as we’ll get to) he’s been toned down quite a bit, he can still hand out full re-rolls to one Mars unit a turn, Chapter Master style, and that’s still extremely good for a shooty army, so he’s another draw. The Occlusiad (550.M37) - The north-western fringe of the galaxy is ravaged by the Apostles of the Blind King, rogue Tech-priests who view Humanity's existence as an affront to the Machine God.As mentioned above, however, not all members of the Tech-Guard are so skilled, and some are merely remotely controlled or pre-programmed cybernetic weapon platforms, though these variants are primarily used to guard static locations. The level of cybernetic enhancement may vary between each Skitarii. Some may have a few genetic and bionic enhancements, while others may have replaced whole organ systems with advanced technology. The Adeptus Mechanicus never deletes anything, and its appetite for knowledge knows no bounds. A Skitarii Legion's sacred duty to protect its Forge World is second only to its quest for hard data -- information for their masters to digest, or to archive away unheeded to gather the dust of aeons. All Adeptus Mechanicus detachments (any detachment exclusively made up of ADEPTUS MECHANICUS units, excluding UNALIGNED and AGENTS OF THE IMPERIUM units) gains two rules – Forge World Dogmas and Knight of the Cog (the latter can’t be gained by an Auxiliary Support Detachment, which you’ll see is important in a moment). Troops in those units also gain Objective Secured, as is now familiar from other 9th edition codexes. Forge World Dogmas Warhammer Community: Tridents, Harpoons, and Very Large Spears: Learn to Fish with these Aquatic Imperial Knights (Posted on 17/12/2021) (last accessed 17th September 2023) Praetorians: These are the elite of the Skitarii. They are super-enhanced (bionically/cybernetically/chemically/genetically etc) humans who are augmented with a huge array of cybernetics and heavy weapons. They are, essentially, a sort of counterpart to Obliterators. However, many old sources also suggest that Praetorians are instead an elite Skitarii type following the fashion of Imperial Guard stormtrooper units, but with slightly more augmentations, putting them somewhere "between" storm troopers and Space Marines. All of these are completely plausible, and based on the preferences of the Magi who build them. [Conflicting sources]

Ironstrider Ballistarii are mounted upon the same long-legged combat walkers as their Sydonian Dragoon counterparts, able to walk the most hostile of terrain for years on end without rest. The monotask servitor charged with the duty of steering the Ironstrider is often the first component to fail, its long-suffering body finally wheezing its last. Gundrill Symbiosis (Beta) - The Skitarii blend their souls with the Machine Spirits of their weaponry until gun and wielder become one. A split second of silence follows as the Skitarii meditate upon sacred firing doctrine -- then the night lights up as deadly accurate firepower criss-crosses the battlefield, scything down the foe wherever they may hide. Prehensile Dataspike - Usually mounted on a tail-like Mechadendrite, the dataspikes favoured by the agents of the Adeptus Mechanicus can stab into the cortex of enemy machines and steal their secrets within a couple of heartbeats. This sensory assault, though broad in spectrum, is calibrated precisely by the Tech-priest sanctioning the despatch of these macabre assassins. Those Skitarii sent to fight alongside the Infiltrators are given null-codes that transmute these frequencies used into harmless song; to them, the constant barrage of neurostatic coming from each domed helmet is nothing more than a soft psalm to the Omnissiah's glory. Ironstrider Engine - Taking his inspiration from the stilt-legged seekers of the Sydonian Mask, the Tech-priest Aldebrac Vingh perfected the Ironstrider Engine in the early 33rd Millennium. His achievement was profound indeed. The strange bipedal apparatus he invented is as close to a perpetual motion machine as the Adeptus Mechanicus have ever seen, its efficiency close to perfection. Acting as a dynamo as it walks, once started the Ironstrider engine essentially powers itself. There are prototype models still circumnavigating the equator of Mars today. Sadly Vingh, never the most politically astute of his Tech-priest kin, was all but ostracised by his jealous colleagues. After his death the secrets of the Ironstrider Engine were lost. So it is that the Ironstriders of today are never switched off, lest their relentless Machine Spirit fade away forever. Thousands are put to use as mounts in the Skitarii cohorts, their riders lowered into the saddles of ever-circling 'striders by articulated cranes that overlook the Iron Stables. Others are guided onto industrial treadmills and cog-steps where they pound away in their hundreds, used to power inefficient but far deadlier machineries of destruction. Such is the way of the Tech-priest; to turn a work of genius into yet another weapon of war.

Unusually, the heraldry of Metalica's Skitarii is dictated by their battlefield role. Skitarii Vanguard and Rangers wear metallic armour plates and white robes with red linings. Sicarians usually wear white battle plate, forgoing red altogether. All of Metalica's Skitarii bear gunmetal prostheses and cybernetic enhancements made from the very same substance that covers the planet's surface. Its Alphas and Princeps wear metal mined from the peaks of the planet's titanium mountains. The vehicles of Metalica's War Cohorts are arrayed in the bone white of their Forge World's heraldry, though it is never long before they bear the marks of fire and destruction. Though Metalica's legions are fiercely independent from the cloying touch of Mars, the hammer and fist icon of Metalica is depicted in deep red in honour of their Martian forefathers. The Breath of Mars - The Skitarii filter air into their lungs via cognis rebreather tubes that plunge deep into the chest. When necessary they can draw upon a reservoir of polluted gases harvested from their homeworld.

This practice of using seemingly-outdated weaponry appears a little odd until one remembers the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus revere ancient technology. To them, the wargear and weapons designed during the Dark Age of Technology were at the pinnacle of their design and everything since is but a poor substitute. But these ancient weapons aren't just superior: they're vastly superior, inspired by the Machine God Himself and, as such, regarded as holy instruments. At least that is what the Tech-priests believe. To tamper with the design of one, even slightly, would be a terrible heresy. After all, who has the right to challenge the creations of a god? Army special rules for fielding an Adeptus Mechanicus list, with rules for 7 named Forge Worlds plus custom rules for a Forge World of your own, as well as the new Doctrina Imperative and returning Canticles of the Omnissiah abilities Regardless of origin, all find a fanatical faith in the Omnissiah soon after their inception. It is then that their true transformation begins. Skitarii are used to defend Mechanicus Forge Worlds, manufacturing installations elsewhere in the Imperium and often accompany high-ranking Tech-priests and magi as their bodyguards. Skitarii also serve as the armed forces that defend the Mechanicus' Explorator vessels that explore the galactic frontier. The combat archives of the Skitarii Legions are so extensive it would take a Lexmechanic a thousand lifetimes to comprehend them. Even the Secutors that assess Skitarii battle doctrine have only scratched the surface. Only the Omnissiah knows the true sacrifice His selfless legions have made in His name:Cognis Manipulator - Similar in design to servo-arms, the hydraulic pincers jutting from many Skitarii vehicles have been adapted to channel their host's machine spirit in times of adversity. Such appendages can effect field repairs on damaged hulls and weapon systems even in the heat of battle. In battle, Skitarii fight with near-robotic discipline and base their firing vectors and positioning on mathematical formulae guaranteed to bring about maximum success. While the Imperial Guard focuses on broad sweeping assaults, Skitarii units generally focus on maximizing their strength against vital enemy units and installations. [25] While Skitarii fighters do not require any boost in morale, they do receive regular enhancements from combat drugs that can cause sudden bursts of energy, strength, and regenerative power. However, many of these drugs are extremely dangerous and cause horrific side effects mere minutes after their use. [23] That’s not all – if you’ve ever wanted your Tech-Priests to rummage around inside other factions’ technology and create strange new artefacts, you’ll want to take your Adeptus Mechanicus force on Crusade. Keep an eye on Warhammer Community to find out more about that in April. The Citadel Journal 21 (1997) - Adeptus Mechanicus Detachments: Skitarii Tech-Guard of the Forge Worlds At first their victims, ranging from pirate warbands to xenos warhosts, slip the net of Skitarii gunfire easily enough. If they flee far enough solar months will pass, even standard years -- long enough that the terror of the initial engagement is all but forgotten.