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

Product Information

Hyperaction Protocols (Alpha) - The Skitarii feel the press of an invisible hand upon their minds as the Machine God drives them to assault the foe. They wield blades, goads and lances with the pinpoint skill of master Secutors, making their foes seem clumsy and blunt by comparison. Sagitarii: These are the heavy weapon operatives. These only include dedicated heavy weapons squads, as heavy weapons attached to Hyspasist squads are still called Hyspasists. [32]

Due to their extensive modification, the Skitarii can excel in almost any environment. Each legion hails from a hyper-industrialised Forge World -- extreme doses of radiation are nothing to those who have trodden the toxic wastes of Mars. Even in the time-ravaged fringes of the Halo Stars the Skitarii Legions march onward. They have painstakingly conquered worlds across the breadth of the galaxy, and whatever perils they face, their march falters not.

Secondary Objectives

The Skitarii are fearsome foes, relentless in the pursuit of the Omnissiah's agenda and equipped with the most advanced weaponry in the Imperium. Ultimately, though, each is but a cybernetic vessel for the will of the Tech-priests. In the heat of battle, the Skitarii will be remotely controlled by data imperatives that boost their minds and bodies to inhuman levels.

One who looked for technological consistency in Skitarii augmentations would be sorely disappointed. A soldier of the Mechanicus may have a punchcard skullslot and leather bellows for lungs, whilst at the same time housing quantum bioware in his brain. For a Sydonian Dragoon to attempt this would risk his steed toppling, but the gyroscopic stabilisers attached to each Ballistarius' Ironstrider engine compensate. This gives the appearance that time has slowed down around the squadron as it lopes on the spot or creeps forwards with macabre grace. 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] Once you have selected an eligible unit to declare a charge, you must select one or more enemy units within 12" of it as the targets of that charge. The targets of a charge do not need to be visible to the charging unit.Tools of Conquest - The weapons of the Skitarii are ancient and revered in form. They are all modified either to fire advanced ammunition types, or to harness the most baleful power sources yet discovered.

To compare a maniple of Skitarii to a platoon of Imperial Guardsmen is to compare a well-oiled gatling gun to a simple iron hammer. The Skitarii do not simply crush their foes, but instead pitilessly blast them into bloody chunks of flesh. Even as they do so they record every tiny screed of data for later analysis. Mighty heroes fight at the forefront of battle.Some CHARACTER units have ‘Leader’ listed on their datasheets. Such CHARACTER units are known as Leaders, and the units they can lead – known as their Bodyguard units – are listed on their datasheet.The first Sydonians settled a vast cratered area of Mars swathed in dense acidic mist. In the schisms that haunted Mars' past, those with stilt-augmetics could stalk these mists and yet live, their elevation allowing them to escape the worst effects of the acidic fog whilst remaining hidden from the enemy.