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

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Regardless of origin, all find a fanatical faith in the Omnissiah soon after their inception. It is then that their true transformation begins. Like most codexes, AdMech get a set of subfactions, here representing the forces of different Forge Worlds. Almost all units in the book have a keyword that you replace when you add a unit to your army, and If your army contains any detachments then you benefit from some extra rules for your chosen subfaction. Units in a detachment gain a trait, here called a Dogma, that gives them extra baseline abilities, and each named Forge World also has a Stratagem, Relic and Warlord trait associated with them. These follow the standard pattern for recent 9th books which is: Pendulin: To be clear, the unit named “Servitors” doesn’t get Dogmas. So don’t worry, your Kataphrons still get their Forge World buffs. Knight of the Cog A character that gains a trait can use the Warlord Trait, with the additional rider here that the subfaction Warlord Traits are only available to Tech Priests, not Skitarii.

The Dark Mechanicum Skitarii themselves have become changed and mutated by the power of the Warp as much as by their dark masters' twisted modifications and use of heretekal Warp-based technology. Apply washes to add depth and shading to the miniature. Use Nuln Oil for the metallic areas and Agrax Earthshade for the fabric parts. Apply the washes carefully, allowing them to flow into the recesses to create shadows and definition. The Skitarii Legions do not fight alone, for they escort the vast goliaths of the Centurio Ordinatus to war, and even march in the shadow of the god-machines of the Titan Legions. It is the Skitarii that bolster the battle robots of the Legio Cybernetica and they who act as bodyguards for Tech-priests brave enough to take the field. You then make a Charge roll for the charging unit by rolling 2D6. The result is the maximum number of inches each model in that unit can be moved if a Charge move is possible. For a Charge move to be possible, the Charge roll must be sufficient to enable the charging unit to end that move: Balisteria: Artillery units. The range of artillery goes from Thudd guns to the massive Ordinatus pieces. This includes both the vehicle/machine, as well as the crews manning them. [Needs Citation]

Secondary Objectives

Speaking of getting started, Necromunda is also getting an amazing new starter set, called Hive War. Eternal Vigilance - The Skitarii have their eyelids removed upon inception, for they must harvest data for their masters at all times. To prevent them from losing their sight to the hot grit of their Forge Worlds, goggle-like augmetics filled with blessed salves are sealed into place. The targeter arrays inside them are miracles of the Omnissiah, their sophistication the bane of the Skitarii's foes.

This anachronistic combination is not due to the available materials or a desire for aesthetically pleasing weapons. Nor is it out of practicality; far from it. Trees don't grow on Mars (or any other Forge World, for that matter) and haven't for thousands of standard years. Technological advances have made bolt action rifles obsolete and the dynamos that power many Skitarii weapons have been superseded by more conventional power sources. The Praetorians represented the most elite troops to be found amongst the Skitarii. They were super-enhanced humans augmented by a wide array of cybernetics and integrated heavy weapons. However, many old Imperial sources also suggest that Praetorians are instead an elite Skitarii type similar to Imperial Guard Storm Trooper units, but possessed of advanced bionic augmentations, putting them somewhere in combat effectiveness and elite status between Storm Troopers and Space Marines. Some Praetorians are in fact a form of Combat Servitors, rather than living, cybernetic humans. They move on tank treads and are armed with powerful heavy weaponry, such as Plasma Cannons. All of these different variations of the Praetorian Skitarii are completely plausible, and based on the preferences of the Mechanicus Magi who build them.

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The Citadel Journal 21 (1997) - Adeptus Mechanicus Detachments: Skitarii Tech-Guard of the Forge Worlds