Skitarii Vanguard and Ranger

Skitarii Ranger

A ranger of the Skitarii of the Adeptus Mechanicus is a hunter of sentient Creatures, just as tech-priests are hunters of knowledge - especially the enemies of the Omnissiah. Skitarii Rangers are the unstoppable cyborgs of the Skitarii Legions who do not rest until the deed of blood is done, for they are driven ever onward by the need to seek out their enemies and ensure their destruction.

They do this not by drop-pod strikes fired from above or by sudden teleportation into the midst of the enemy, but by tracking their prey over the course of solar weeks or even months until they can run no more. Once the designated target is in their crosshairs, the air fills with the pop and crackle of galvanic weapons, even as the Skitarii continue their restless advance. The stench of electrocuted corpses is never far behind.

To fight the foot soldiers of The Cult Mechanicus is to kill or be killed, for the Skitarii Rangers never give up as they hunt their enemies, and their endurance is legendary.

In the lean and hungry days of mankind's hominid ancestors, a hunter would kill far larger prey by pursuing them to exhaustion. Skitarii rangers hunt the far reaches of the galaxy on this principle - once dispatched, the rangers will slowly but relentlessly go after their prey.

At first, their victims, from bands of Pirates to xenos war hosts, can slip out of the net of Skitarii gunfire easily enough. If they escape far enough, solar months will pass, even standard years - long enough for the horror of the first engagement to be all but forgotten.

Meanwhile, the Skitarii Rangers march in silent, unstoppable lockstep through trenches and ruins, their noose tightening a little with each passing night. Just as their prey thinks itself safe, a constellation of blue will-o'-the-wisps appears on the horizon.

Skitarii Vanguard

The Skitarii Vanguard, informally known as the Rad Troopers, serve as the vanguard of the Skitarii cohorts of the Adeptus Mechanicus' Forge Worlds.

They are feared throughout the Empire, as they weaponise the baleful radioactive energies of the Forge Worlds and are capable of operating in the galaxy's most hostile war zones.

Equipped with pack generators that release powerful radioactive by-products, these Omnissian martyrs are so saturated with radiation that even approaching their peculiar curse causes them to succumb. Their baroque carbines fill the air around their foe with noxious emanations, corrupting the very atmosphere even as they drive hyper-radiated bullets into the flesh of their victims.

Should their enemies survive the worst of the shooting, a critical level of radiation poisoning can still be achieved by the proximity of the Skitarii vanguard, who will watch with silent interest as an enemy who thought the worst was over stumbles, strangles and dies of radiation poisoning.

In the many civil wars The Cult Mechanicus has fought, the Vanguard has learned to endure and weaponise its deadly radioactive emissions. So much radiation bleeds from a Skitarii Vanguard's Equipment that enemies in close proximity are weakened and fatigued; for non-Skitarii, being stationed in the same barracks is a death sentence.

This multi-part plastic kit contains everything needed to build either ten Skitarii Rangers or ten Skitarii Vanguard. There are 124 components in the box - 23 heads, 12 of which are variants of the Vanguard helmet/rebreather, 25 weapons, a small decal sheet, a Citadel oval base (60 x 35.5 mm) and ten Citadel round Bases (25 mm).