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. Skitarii Mandragora: Elite Skitarii that serve as the bodyguards of the Fabricator-General of Mars. [13] The Citadel Journal 21 (1997) - Adeptus Mechanicus Detachments: Skitarii Tech-Guard of the Forge Worlds

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. Mindscrambler Grenades - Sicarian Ruststalkers are equipped with Mindscrambler Grenades harbouring the egg-sac of a Cthellan electrogenesis squid. When detonated, the resultant surge of bio-electricity causes heavy neural trauma in living creatures and artificial sentiences alike. 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. Broad Spectrum Data-Tether - A vehicle-mounted version of that carried by veteran Skitarii, the broad spectrum data-tether projects a Tech-priest's binharic blurts with such clarity it seems he is amongst the ranks of the Skitarii himself. Imperatives delivered via such information relays are more potent and reliable than any other. CULT MECHANICUS: This covers pretty much everything that isn’t a Skitarii – Tech Priests, Electropriests, Robots and Kataphrons.Skitarii recruitment follows no universal role. Some Skitarii began as volunteers who were faithful to the Cult Mechanicus [9b] Others are recruited from the factory workers of Forge Worlds. [22a] Some denizens of Forge Worlds are destined to become Skitarii at birth, having been bred from eugenics programs that emphasize strength and aggression. [19c] When these horrible devices are put to use, their sonic field swoops across a variety of wavelengths until it finds the right molecular frequency to simply pass through whatever armour their foes are wearing. The gory results, though they take a second or two to manifest, are considered by the Tech-priests to be well worth the wait. War of Recovery (104.M36) - Patchy reports cite technological wonders on the planets of the Mortuam Chain. Hoping precious STC databases can be uncovered, an Explorator fleet replete with macroclades of Skitarii is launched. This begins an escalating war against an Aeldari counter-invasion that lasts over a standard century. Victory is finally won when the Skitarii use the very weapons they recover against the foe, and several first generation, munitions-grade STC databases are returned triumphantly to Mars.

Focus on the finer details of the Skitarii Marshal. Use Mephiston Red for any lenses or optics, and White Scar for painting symbols or inscriptions. Take your time and use a fine brush for precision. 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.Begin by applying the base colors to the miniature. Use Leadbelcher for the metallic areas and Wazdakka Red for the fabric parts. Apply thin layers of paint, allowing each layer to dry before moving on to the next.

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.

Detachment Rules

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. 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.