Palanite Enforcers

Emblem of the Palantine Enforcers. Do not expect them to follow Peel's Principles.

"All tyrannies rule through fraud and force, but once the fraud is exposed, they must rely exclusively on force."

– George Orwell

"Ignorance is no shield against the wrath of the Palanite Enforcers - nor are hab walls, sanitation servitors, flak armour or the bodies of law-abiding citizens. Citizens found to be breaking the law will be made an example of. Citizens are reminded that failing to bear witness to a law-breaker being made an example of is itself a crime."

– Pax Helmawr

The Palpatine Palatine Palestine Palanite Enforcers are the local law enforcement agency on the Hive World of Necromunda and a playable faction within the game.

They aren't the galaxy spanning agency of the Adeptus Arbites: Where the Adeptus Arbites are recruited from the Schola Progenium and other high minded institutions and expected uphold Imperial Law to the highest standard, the Palanite Enforcers act as Lord Helmawr's personal army, and enforce the will of the Imperial House. In this regard they are the police equivalent of a Planetary Defense Force, whereas the Arbitrators are the Imperial Guard of law enforcement (or more precisely the Militarum Tempestus). The Palanites are given wide remits to perform their duties and are provided access to the finest weapons and ordnance that House Helmwar can afford. They are also easier to copyright, which is more than can be said for the totally not Judge Dredd Robocops.

Organisation

Recruitment

These aren't your average bucket-heads.

Enforcers are selected from individuals within the Hive population who demonstrate particular strength of will and initiative, often from those who were once criminals or rebels themselves.

Such individuals are gathered up, sometimes forcibly, and subjected to a grueling regime of training intended to strip the candidate of all sense of self; even forgetting their own names. They are subjected to this regimen over and over again until the trooper that comes out the other side is harder than anything they can encounter within the depths of the underhive, or they do not recover from breaking point and are discarded. Sounds like a good way to recruit Arbites to boost their much-too-low-to-do-their-jobs numbers. And it’s horrible 40k is bad enough for this to be a thought at all.

Successful candidates are given new names and assigned to positions far away from the place from their initial recruitment to limit any connections they might have had with their old lives. Instead they come to treat their new squadmates as family, but are encouraged to continually police themselves and eradicating any weak links within their own chain of command.

Hierarchy

The lowest official rank is simply Patrolman, though rookies are afforded even lower status and not trusted with specialised equipment until they have proven themselves with time spent in the field. Patrolmen and Patrolwomen may eventually develop into more specific roles like Sniper, Beast Handler, or Counter-Insurgence as they gain experience and progress in training. The most prevalent specialisation is Subjugator, who are heavy enforcement troopers (basically the riot squad) that are equipped with heavier flak armour and get deployed in response to excessive instances of gang violence.

The smallest organisational unit is called a Squad and contains half a dozen patrolmen and is led by a Palanite-Sergeant or Subjugator-Sergeant depending on their squad's particular role. Additionally, there are other specialists who technically hold rank equivalent to sergeants, notably the Haunts, who are dedicated psyker hunters.

Any number of Squads are gathered into the next organisational unit called a Patrol, commanded by a Palanite Captain or Subjugator Captain, though other individuals hold equivalent rank to Captains such as Scrutinators (presumably forensic specialists) and Proclamators (maybe lawyers or negotiators). Captains are often given the autonomy to command in any way they seem fit, so there is no fixed arrangement of squads and can be equipped and assigned based on whatever the Captain decides he requires.

Above Captains are the Proctors, who don't see tabletop field duty and instead oversee command of the Precinct Fortresses within a hive sector.

Wargear and Special Rules

Unlike most gangs in Necromunda, the enforcer patrols come equipped with standard issue wargear. Each member is always issued a Stub Gun, Flak Armour and an Armoured Undersuit. Subjugators have their "Flak Armour" replaced with "Layered Flak Armour" which is essentially Flak Armour +1. Additionally, their Flak/Layered Flak suits can be upgraded to be "Hardened", which reduces the penetrating power of ranged attacks against them.

While in the 1995 edition the Enforcers were issued all equipment for free but unable to collect any loot from skirmishes or swap for better gear by shopping, the 2017 edition allows them to gain new equipment from scavenging, but unfortunately are still not permitted to use any gear that is not on their rather limited equipment list.

Rookies (Juves) are free thanks to the Fresh from the Academy rule, but the rest of the "gang's" cost mounts up quickly. If a Captain has been upgraded to Subjugator, then at least two Patrolmen must also be upgraded to Subjugators. As befits their role as riot police, Subjugators are the only members of the squad permitted to use Grenade Launchers, Assault Shields, and SLHG Pattern Assault Rams. Conversely, only normal Palanite members may take Enforcer Bolters, Sniper Rifles and Concussion Carbines. Although if you are a cheapskate, you can still equip them with regular old Stub Rifles, Combat Shotguns, Autopistols and Shock Batons. They all wear Flak Armour for protection. Nothing for this faction comes cheaply.

Palanite Enforcers also have exclusive access to a unique set of skills called Palanite Drills that are unavailable to any other gang, which is a primary skill for all members representing their ability to both act as a cohesive unit by assisting each other in response to certain threats, and to guarantee effective takedowns/captures.

White Dwarf 477 introduced a variant of the Palanite Enforcers called the Badzone Enforcers, the guys who staff the Precinct-Fortresses in the especially nasty parts of Necromunda. Unlike regular Palanite Enforcers, they can hold territory like a standard gang, have a much greater variety of weapons they can use (though the best stuff is restricted to the Captains and Sergeants), and can mix and match Enforcer and Subjugator gear as they see fit. However, their poor access to supplies and reinforcements causes their Enforcer Bolters, Enforcer Shotguns, and Concussor Carbines to be treated as Scarce if used by Patrolmen and instead of getting rookies they bring in Enlisted Hive Scum, which are exactly that- they're so expendable they don't even benefit from group activations and gang hierarchy. They can still become Patrolmen if they survive long enough, though.

Gallery

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Playable Factions of Necromunda
Clan Houses:	Cawdor - Delaque - Escher - Goliath - Orlock - Van Saar
Noble Houses:	Catallus - Greim - Ko'iron - Ran Lo - Ty - Ulanti - Spyrers
Others:	Ash Waste Nomads - Corpse Grinder Cults - Cult of the Redemption Ironhead Squat Prospectors - Palanite Enforcers - Ratskins - Scavvies