Skitarii" are armies of specially augmented cybernetic warriors sworn to a specific Forge World and serve alongside the Collegia Titanica and Taghmata Omnissiah as the military forces of the Mechanicum. [11] It is a term equivalent to the Imperial Guard as it generally includes almost all combat personnel and armour that the Mechanicus possesses. Skitarii are also known as Tech-Guard (or Tech Guard) to outsiders, and the singular form of Skitarii is "Skitarius." The term "Skitarii", however is often used to reference only the augmented infantry. [1]

A Skitarii Cohort, supported by Titans from the Legio Ignatum, march against the foes of the Omnissiah.Relics of Mars - Relics of Mars are items of terrifying power that are sometimes bestowed upon a Skitarii Alpha or Sicarian Princeps by a senior Tech-Priest for them to field test. Since that day Ruststalker manufacturing has spread to every Forge World and the troops have fought on the front line of the Cult Mechanicus' many wars. 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:

For this reason the Infiltrators are seen as wise and holy heroes by their Skitarii brethren, talismans against data corruption that fight a selfless war on the front line. Only to the enemy is the truth revealed. There is little virtue left inside these merciless prowlers, and what personality remains is interested only in death. Yet the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus revere ancient technology. To them, the wargear and weapons designed during the Dark Age of Technology were the pinnacle of design and everything since is but a poor substitute. But these ancient weapons are not just superior: they are considered vastly superior, inspired by the Machine God Himself and, as such, regarded as sacred instruments of destruction. Hyet, in comparison to the average Skitarii, the Secutarii focus more on durability and defensive potency in their weapon load-outs to better endure the tempestuous and savage battlefield conditions where Titan-grade weaponry is unleashed. Though it would never even occur to the Ballistarii to boast of such kills, their Tech-priest masters ensure their deadly accuracy is well known across the Imperium. Warhammer 40,000 is full of cool and characterful guns, from the humble lasgun and the iconic bolter to the weird and wonderful weapons used by xenos species and Chaos forces. 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.They will wade through poisonous swamps and bubbling lakes of tar to arrive at the front line on schedule, wave after wave of Skitarii marching around chains of Onager Dunecrawlers in imitation of Mars' nomadic caravanserais. Their tireless pace echoes the constancy of their dutiful souls -- it is said that a Skitarius would rather walk himself to death than disobey a direct imperative.

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. Almost imperceptibly, it grows closer and closer -- and then darkness lights up with blazing gunfire. The Skitarii, for whom the engagement never ended, close in again and again until the deed is done. Omnispex - An Omnispex carries a raptor-class machine spirit that can read heat emissions, data signatures, and biological waveforms even at extreme range. Should it be kept focussed for an extended period of time, it will determine the weak points of those it scrutinises and pass them on to its master. The Secutarii's second battlefield role is to sweep in behind the God-engines of the Collegia Titanica and destroy whatever has weathered their fearful firepower, for while a Titan might shatter a mighty fortress or blast a tank company to ashes in mere solar minutes, its might cannot be squandered on the eradication of those few survivors left in its wake. While the Titan will press on to more important targets, the Secutarii will mercilessly hunt down and slay those that would seek to escape the wrath of the Machine God.Binharic Omniscience (Alpha) - The Skitarii find their minds possessed by blessed binary, the entire battlefield reduced to a series of zeros and ones through which the causal path to the enemy's demise is clear as day. Rapt in this display of the Omnissiah's might, the Skitarii bullseye the foe with merciless, inhuman efficiency. Hazard Optimisation (Gamma) - Commanded to bring their ranged weapons to bear by gamma-level imperatives, the Skitarii stalk forward into firing positions. Their Tech-priest masters, unwilling to risk full possession at this critical moment, gently increase each cohort's accuracy to a higher lethality. In Andy Chambers's short story Deus ex Mechanicus, Praetorians are in fact servitors, rather than living humans. They move on tank treads and are armed with powerful weaponry, such as plasma cannons. [3] Collectively, they have fought alongside the Astra Militarum, the Adepta Sororitas, the Adeptus Astartes, and even the Primarchs of legend. Throughout the millennia the Skitarii Legions have fought with impeccable skill and discipline even when the colossi and ravaging daemons slaughter them in droves. In doing so they have assimilated a functionally infinite amount of information for their masters. Tirelessly searching the galaxy for high-value targets alongside their Skitarii Ranger escorts, the Ballistarii stalk from the ochre mists with their oculist lenses flaring. To fall under the azure beam of their omnispex is to have but a heartbeat left to live. For a Ballistarius sniper, making a killshot is as easy and as natural as drawing breath.

Chordclaw - A Transonic Weapon in the form of a needle-fingered gauntlet capable of turning a man's muscle, bone and fat to jelly. Transuranic Arquebus - The precision and inhuman efficiency that typify the Skitarii legions are epitomised by these long-barrelled heavy weapons. Firing a shell of depleted transuranium, a Transuranic Arquebus can puncture a tank from one side to the other, the resultant pressure wave also pulping any biological creatures that may be sheltering inside. The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

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] Because of this, Skitarii Vanguard are assigned to the most hazardous warzones the galaxy can offer. They bear this duty stoically and in solemn silence, fighting to the last in the name of their inhuman god. Cataphractii: Armour units. The range of armour goes from small transports to heavy walkers and superheavy tanks such as Baneblades. [19a]