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. The vast majority of your Admech will be painted at this point. But there will probably be some random bits that need some extra TLC. For example, on all my plasma or arc weapons, I paint them with Baharroth Blue, and then trace the raised lines with Retributor Armor. It is unknown if the Skitarii make use of other vehicles employed by the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, though one can presume that it is possible, if their Forge World is industrious enough to outfit its forces with them and fulfill its production quota. Hypaspist Skitarii were the most basic augmented infantrymen of the Tech-Guard and were armed with cybernetically hard-linked Lasguns similar to those used by the soldiers of the Astra Militarum. Hypaspists were generally more powerful and skilled soldiers than standard Guardsmen as a result of the cybernetic enhancements that made them stronger and more accurate than normal humans and the psychosurgery they had undergone to suppress their emotional reactions and make them immune to panic or fear. However, this enhancement also made Hypaspists less independent and able to think for themselves in combat.

The Adeptus Mechanicus make heavy use of Taser Weapons, vicious prods and lances powered by hyperdynamo capacitors that store vast amounts of potential energy. When a solid impact is made with the enemy, the energy is blasted through their body, then re-harnessed by the weapon using the electrothief prongs at the weapon's tip. The Forbidden Runes (664.M41) - After the disastrous Battle of Elixia, Skitarii survivors are sent to extract the runic inscriptions upon the ancient standing stones of Grave's End. In doing so, they open a long-forgotten gate into the Warp. Elixia is consumed by a daemonic invasion, its remaining populace subject to Exterminatus within the solar week. The Omniscient Mask - Legend has it that the wearer of the Omniscient Mask can read the souls of men, each rendered as legible as the binaric calligraphy of the Illuminatoria. An object of great veneration amongst the Skitarii, those under its gaze fight all the harder, for each warrior fears he will be found wanting in the eyes of the Omnissiah's chosen. Wash the Retributor Armor with Nuln Oil. Let the Nuln Oil pool in the place where the red and gold meet, but take care to not let it spread all over the red. Don’t worry about it too much though, as the next step is…Plasma Caliver - As volatile as it is deadly, the Plasma Caliver exchanges range for a truly terrifying rate of fire. A squad of Skitarii armed with several Plasma Calivers lights up the night with each volley. To say they risk life and limb in the process is a grave understatement, yet to their Tech-priest masters, such collateral damage matters not at all. The Red Planet's Due - In imitation of the ancestor cohorts that first ground their limbs to stumps upon the dunes of Mars, the Skitarii cut off their lower legs and replace them with bionic prostheses of inviolate alloy. The original maniples to cross the desert reaches of Mars on foot were armed only with Galvanic Rifles. They escorted their masters from north to south across an equatorial belt infested with cannibal servitors and rogue machine intelligences.

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. Rho-Mu 31 - Rho-Mu 31 was a Protector of the Forge of Magma City on Mars who served Mechanicus Adept Koriel Zeth, the Mistress of Magma City. Despite appearing distanced and cold towards strangers he retained some decidedly human traits, including humour. Plasma Caliver - As volatile as it is deadly, a Plasma Caliver exchanges range for a truly terrifying rate of fire. A squad of Skitarii armed with several Plasma Calivers can light up a night with each volley. To say their users risk life and limb in the process is a grave understatement, yet to their Tech-priest masters, such collateral damage matters not at all. The Skitarii seek to grow ever closer to the Machine God by augmenting their bodies with inviolate metal. Each new wound is a chance for bionic revelation. Such is their fanaticism that even healthy organs and body parts are cut away and replaced.

Heavy Support

To face a Skitarii Legion is to fight against warriors that are less than human, and yet far more deadly. As with so much of the Cult Mechanicus' business, the truths of the Skitarii's creation are kept a close secret. Most Skitarii are born into the service of the Mechanicus either as natural-born human menials of the Cult Mechanicus who are cybernetically-enhanced specifically to serve as Skitarii or they are genetically-engineered clones or vat-born humans who are cybernetically enhanced from the moment of their accelerated "birth," much like certain types of Servitors. Others are repurposed from mind-wiped convicts or warriors handed over as punishment for failure or desertion. 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. Each Skitarius is but a single cog in a war machine that spans the entire Imperium. Controlled by the neurosync imperatives of their masters, the Skitarii are organised into War Cohorts capable of overcoming any foe. They work in glorious concert, every footstep or twitch of the trigger finger optimised to further the cause of the Cult Mechanicus.

The Ruststalkers were originally devised as cybernetic assassins, sent into the Red Planet's wastes to hunt down feral servitors and other undesirables excommunicated from the Cult Mechanicus. They proved so effective at their task they were repurposed and militarised into groups known as "killclades." 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. Digital Weapons - The Imperium's Digital Weapons, though ostensibly supplied by the Adeptus Mechanicus, owe their provenance to nimble xenos technosavants. Though short ranged, they can be triggered to discharge potent laser blasts or jets of flame just as the enemy believes the wearer to be at his most vulnerable. The Flames of Heresy (ca. M31) - During the cataclysmic events of the Warmaster Horus' betrayal, the brotherhood of the Mechanicum is broken apart. In the Heresy's aftermath the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Skitarii Legions are born anew. 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.

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Plasma cavilers are good but are a bit too expensive for a whole 3 per squad. plus your one round of 's away from losing your special weapons from gets hot! Arc rifles are str6 and ap5, but they will melt the circuits of anything with armor.