Editing Nobledark Imperium Imperial Forces (section)

== Imperial Guard ==

=== Standard Imperial Tactics ===

The standard Imperial infantry composition is to field a battalion of Imperial Guardsmen combined with a detachment of Eldar Guardians as auxiliaries. Unlike previous mixed-forces regiments throughout galactic history, this arrangement tends to work rather well, as unlike those previous combined regiments both sides feel fairly safe that the other side isn't going to shoot them in the back. Both groups can and do fight on their own, but work spectacularly together. In theory, the regiment structure works by Imperial Guard forces taking the brunt of the enemy fire and the Eldar acting as flankers. In practice, the more fragile but heavier-hitting Eldar like this arrangement because it means they won't be the primary targets of enemy fire, whereas the Imperial Guard like this arrangement because even though they start out taking brunt of the blow the Eldar auxiliaries will tear through enemy forces fast enough that they never become the targets of focus fire. As with everything in the Imperium, this varies from world to world. Specialist forces like Catachans, Kriegers, Harlequins, or Aspect Warriors function differently, and follow their own rules.

If there is any weakness to this arrangement, it's that Eldar and humans tend to only take orders from their respective species, which causes there to be two people in charge of a given regiment. If the two commanders can't come to an agreement, the army sputters, which can lead to one or the other going in alone.

After the Tau Empire was absorbed into the Imperium, Imperial commanders were eager to try to incorporate Tau Fire Warriors into this formation. The Imperium had seen how effective the Tau were at long-ranged combat, and saw great potential in their ability. In theory, the idea was to have a third group of Tau Fire Warriors providing long-range support fire from behind the Guardsman infantry, and if all worked as planned then half of the enemy army wouldn’t even be able to show up to the battle in the first place. In practice, however, this did not work for several reasons. First, the Tau were essentially a combined-arms force already (save for close combat), and didn’t appreciate being shoehorned into a long-range only role, even if they were talented at it. Secondly, much like Eldar and humans, Tau like to be commanded by Tau, so in an Eldar-Tau-human battalion you end up having three arguing commanders instead of just two. Third, and perhaps most importantly, Eldar and humans have worked together long enough to trust that one is not going to shoot the other in the back. This is not true of the Tau, especially given their attitude towards the Imperium for much of their history. When you factor in that in this arrangement the Tau are supposed to be in the back of the formation, and thus in the perfect position to potentially shoot their allies in the back, the other soldiers start to get paranoid and morale drops. Eventually, it was decided to keep Tau divisions as their own separate forces, called in especially for any enemy that has started to work out a viable counter, however soft, to the traditional Guardian & Guard one-two.

Eldar opinions on human weapons, like just about everything else in the Imperium, vary from Craftworld to Craftworld. Craftworlds like Alaitoc would sneer if offered human weapon as a sidearm, whereas Ulthwé Eldar would take two in addition to their own weapon and then ask if you have any more. Most Eldar see human weapons like modern soldiers do knives; crude, simple, and inelegant compared to their primary weapon, but if you're stuck in the trenches in a do-or-die moment it's better to have the other guy get shot/stabbed rather than you. Therefore, Eldar that use human weapons use them as a sidearm or last resort weapon, if at all. It helps that many human-made weapons are based on STC designs, and therefore easily replaceable and about as fragile as a brick (being designed for maximum durability), in contrast to the more delicate and precision-made (though still pretty tough) weapons of the Eldar. Therefore, an Eldar can be less careful with their sidearm and make sure their primary weapon is functioning at maximum efficiency.

=== Imperial Infantry Command Structure ===

As the Imperial Guard does not prescribe specific organizational arrangements for anything below battalion level, the vastly different cultures and traditions that exist across the Imperium change the size of the smaller units as they see fit. Terra does set minimum sizes on how large units must be before the unit can be recognized as aforementioned self-declared units by the wider Imperial Guard, however. 

The lowest level of the Imperial Guard is the squad size. Guardsmen often operate in pairs for specialized tasks to keep confusion as low as possible between other in the same squad. The smallest recognized size for these squads is 10 soldiers per squad, further broken into 5 pairs, although a command squad might only have 6 men. At least 4 squads form a platoon, with one squad being a command squad, bringing the total number of men in platoon to at least 36 Guardsmen. Some battalions, like the Kriegers, assign 7 squads to a platoon, bringing their platoon size to 76 Guardsmen.

Eldar squads attached to Guardsman platoons come in the smallest size of 5 Eldar per squad, but their size can be bigger depending on their world of origin. Notably, Maiden world Eldar tends to be organized into larger sizes as they experience more attacks on their homes compared to the Craftworlds. 

For the platoons to form into a company there must be at least 4 platoons with a company command squad, thus bringing the number to at least 150 men. Again, these numbers vary; Cadian Shock Troops often deploy around 300 per company, whereas the Kriegers use 10 platoons per company then adding the Company HQ with at least 1 Grenadier squad totalling in at least 704 Guardsmen, not counting transports which they are often deployed with.

The smallest size battalion uses at least 2 companies and battalion HQ before being deployed, bringing the numbers to 306 Guardsmen per battalion. The expected regiment holds at least 3 battalions and 1 support platoon, which have 7 squads and 1 HQ, totalling to 1000 men. More often than not, regiments like the Vostroyans use 3 infantry battalions and 2 standardized (organized not by 7 squad and HQ but like the infantry 3 squad with 1 HQ) support battalions coming up to 1,536 men. The Krieger regiments far exceed these expectations by using 4 standardized support battalions and 6 infantry battalions, boosting their numbers to 14,146 men including the regimental HQ.

The corps used to garrison a world often use the smallest size, with only 5 regiments totalling to at least 5,000 Guardsmen, and these troops are used more to raise PDF than to actually keep the peace. If there are still insurgents who disrupt the peace and do not accept the Imperial Truth, these garrison corps can double or triple in regiments. This puts the tripled corps from at least a small 15,000 to a gigantic 200,000 Guardsmen. The PDF used to aid the garrison corps may number from around a low 400,000 up to millions at a time on heavily populated planets like on hive worlds. 

In more peaceful systems, the lax Guardsmen armies deployed to ‘guard’ the place would only be using the tinniest size, thus only have 20,000 on-paper Guardsmen at any one time, with a majority of the corps in reserve. In the more active systems, particularly garrisoning systems not too far from a front, the numbers would go up to around 40,000 to 60,000 troops at any given time. When the Imperial Guard does deploy an army to the frontline the commanders always request at least 100,000 soldiers for the more daring, but preferentially use 180,000 men if they are fortunate enough that they can requisition such numbers.

 - Additional info in thread XI, including number of troops in each Segmentum. Actual number of troops never agreed upon, left here as placeholder.

=== Forces of the Imperial Guard ===

==== Cadian Shock Troopers ====

[[File:Cadian.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Typical Cadian combat uniform.]]

Most 'Cadian' Regiments are not, in fact, from Cadia, nor do they even have a drop of Cadian blood in them. “So why name them Cadian?” I hear you ask. The Cadians were one of the few who proved themselves in the Great Crusade as versatile and adaptable enough troops that the Imperial Army could deploy them on most fronts. The organizational structures and equipment used by the Cadians were introduced to many different worlds as the original Cadian regiments toured the modern Imperium and beyond in the Crusade Era. The 200 year expansion period saw the diverse traditions of regiments being used all over the galaxy, as newly integrated worlds threw their armed forces into joining the Imperial Army and subsequently be sent to the far-flung reaches of the Imperium. The War of the Beast saw almost all Cadian regiments be recalled to the defense of either Cadia or, if they were close enough, Terra itself. With the absence of many regiments from Ultima Segmentum and Segmentum Tempestus, the worlds in these places were forced to raise totally new regiments from scratch for either self-defense or as requisition to be deployed to the fronts. 

At the time, many of the Imperial, Hive and Fortress worlds saw the effectiveness in Cadian regiments as they fought against or with the Cadians during the Great Crusade, and the industrial capability to manufacture standard Cadian equipment was already present on many Imperial worlds. Forge, Argi, and Feudal worlds, on the other hand, used the local traditions, organization, and equipment of their planetary elite troops to form their own Guardsmen regiments, as the Argi and Feudal worlds typically lacked the industry to produce and equip a Cadian regiment and the Forge worlds refused to form Cadian regiments, as these worlds dismissed the relative lack of artillery and armored vehicles characteristic of the Cadian doctrine, and formed the Skitarii armies instead. 

The adoption of Cadian regiments on so many different worlds shows the versatility and efficiency of the Cadian doctrine. After the War of the Beast, the original Cadian regiments would be sent to refortify the Cadian Gate. Many of the displaced Cadian civilians would be reorganized into colonist groups, leaving their homeworld to settle the vast Imperium. The same adaptable traditions thus carried over to Cadian colonies and frontier worlds when they raised their own Cadian regiments. 

Cadian infantry regiments from Cadia proper are known as “Cadian Shock Troops”, while off-world or imitation regiments are known as “Cadian Foot Troops”. Cadian Shock Troops would often have at least two detachments from other branches of the Imperial Guard; the 203rd Cadian Shock Troop, for example, has self-propelled heavy artillery and armored detachments. Cadian Foot Troops often don’t follow this rule and only deploy with one such detachment. 

In a Cadian infantry regiment, a squad is made of 10 people that operate in 5 pairs. The sergeant keeps up morale and plans out tactics with the lieutenant, the latter of whom typically operates as a vox-caster, though these officers can also be equipped with melee weapons. A heavy weapons team is included to allow long range suppressive fire on the battlefield - usually with a heavy stubber. A medic works to keep the soldiers in fighting condition with the help of an underling that tags along into battles. The rest of the squad is made up of two pairs of weapon specialists, normally Lasgunners, rounding out the squad.

The sergeant is equipped with a chainsword and Laspistol for leading charges or CQC. Alternatively, the sergeant can be armed like the lieutenant, who is given a las-carbine for self-defense. The heavy weapons team normally uses an offensive heavy stubber that fires 12.7mm rounds or a lighter defensive stubber firing 7.92 rounds. One member of the heavy weapons team carries and fires the weapon, while the other member feeds ammo, spots targets, guards the gunner, and act as a makeshift bipod. Both members are also equipped with a Lasgun and a Laspistol. The medic fights with a Lasgun and heals with a medikit, which comes with medicinal drugs, chemicals, surgical tools, sedatives, injectors, bandages, and a medical cogitator which can detect almost every aliment known to man. To help the Medic is the underling, who carries extra supplies, guards the Medic, or helps in surgery, depending on the conditions. The weapon specialists mostly carry Lasguns, although one or two of the four might have flamers instead. These specialists can be armed with just about any weapon that can be held by two regular human arms, and some can also serve a dual role of vox-caster as well. The specialists act as either a flanking force while the heavy weapon team suppresses the enemy, or as the center line that lays down fire.

==== Fenrisian Line Regiments ====

Seeing the effectiveness of Cadian troops after encountering them in battle during the Great Crusade, Fenris adopted the Cadian Doctrine and deployed Cadian Foot Troops of their own to the front. Yet The War of the Beast changed the Fenrisians' outlook regarding the Cadian Doctrine; when faced with the Ork threat, several Cadian Foot Troops were entirely wiped out within the first week of the war due to the Fenrisians' lack of mortal manpower. The Death world bred heroes for the Space Wolves, not the infinite manpower required for regiments of Foot Troops. The Fenrisians abandoned the Cadian Doctrine after the war and switched to the Fusilier Doctrine that the famous Mordian, Praetorian, and Scintillan regiments used. 

Sacrificing quantity for quality, the Fenrisians can always request Space Wolves regiments to merge with a Fenrisian Line Regiment, to devastating effect. The Flak Armor of the typical Fenrisian Line Guardsman uses extra metal plates compared to a Cadian's. Infantry under the Fusilier Doctrine would stand shoulder to shoulder, forming into lines facing the enemy before firing. The Fenrisian Line Regiments took this tactic and expanded it with the introduction of self-propelled artillery to provide mobile defense and keep up with infantry during attacks. In Fenrisian regiments officers are encouraged to outgun the enemy via volley fire, and if that fails just charge them. Fenrisian line infantry are better trained than Cadians in melee combat, with some even wielding swords into charges.

Fenrisian Line Regiments often differ in tactics depending on whether they come from one of the Fenrisian colony worlds or Fenris itself. Old World Fenrisians are more wild and less coordinated in their approach, and typically operate in 5-10 man squads for the best kill-to-loss ratio. New World Fenrisians are more ordered and coordinated, though they are still wilder than anyone outside your average Death Worlder. The two groups work best together, with New Worlder regiments holding the line and securing targets and Old Worlders scouting ahead and harrying supply lines.

==== Armageddon Outriders ====

[[File:Rock_rider.png|300px|thumb|left|Common 'uniform' of a biker scout for the Outriders.]]

Everybody knows the Steel Legion. Reflections of their world in microcosm. Steel and fire and ash; unstoppable waves of armor, Basilisk barrages like monsoon rains, choking clouds of lung-burning gas. Less well-known is the fact that there are two parts to the Steel Legion. The first and largest are the heavy mechanized infantry they are famous for. The second is the Outriders. 

The Outriders are all crazy. The infantry regiments of the Steel Legion recruit from inside the hives — the factory and forge workers — but the Outriders recruit from outside the hives, and there are only two ways to make a living out there. 

The first is prospecting and wildcat mining, delving deep into ancient and much-abused Ork-built structures with jury-rigged and second-hand equipment in search of veins of valuable materials. Everything from gold electrical circuits to adamantine armor plate. Most valuable of all is components of the old teleporter system. The Mechanicus has decided it wants planetary teleporters more than it hates Ork 'technology', and pays staggering sums for the smallest scraps. This description alone should tell you everything you need to know about how difficult and dangerous the job is. 

The second is Ork hunting. The Administratum and PDF will pay good thrones for Ork skulls. Two for a squig, five for a grot, and starting at forty for an Ork, more for larger or special types like Weirdboys and Brainboys. Reimbursement is included for promethium spent burning the bodies, and the PDF doesn't check too hard to make sure you're not claiming driving-around promethium as Ork-burning expense. 

Outrider legends tell of Billy-Joe Hammerlord, who drove through an entire warband on his bike to take the head of a Warboss and earned enough to retire. The story grows wilder and more fantastic every retelling, thus by now the old stories claim the warband stretched from one horizon to the other, the Warboss carving paths through the rubble for his army to march through just by dragging his axe along the ground behind him, and Billy-Joe himself earned enough to buy himself a fleet, became a Rogue Trader, and went on adventures with Prince Yriel.

Officially, all the Orks on Armageddon are Feral. Most places, Feral means stone axes and weird squigs. But this is Armageddon. The world still remembers in her bones when she strode among the stars and slapped aside Battlefleet Solar like so many childrens' toys. A lot of the Orks are just waving around scrap-metal axes. On the other hand, depending on what armories they've broken into, they might be tossing around vortex bombs. 

The point is that Outriders are all crazy. In some ways they sort of resemble Orks themselves. They move around in a wide assortment of walkers, fat-tire buggies, and motorbikes, made of scrap metal and spare parts. Most of these vehicles may have started life on an assembly line in a Mechanicus factory, but after generations of repairs and modifications nothing of the original vehicle can be found. Most of them are old - a good vehicle is a heirloom, passed down from father to son, with each generation adding a bit more to it. They stick spikes on the vehicles and stick Ork skulls on the spikes, and judge each other by how skull-laden their bosspoles are. When an Ork warband and an Outrider clan are fighting, it sometimes gets hard to tell which is which. 

Outriders prefer las-weapons over slug, so there is that.

A common rite of passage among the Outriders is for the father to cripple an Ork with shots to its limbs, then for son finish it off with a knife. This marks the transition from childhood into adolescence. True manhood is often not considered to begin until the son repeats the ritual as the father. It is important not just to kill Orks, but to ensure that Ork-killing will continue into the far future. 

The point is that Outriders are all crazy, but they are Ork-killing crazy so they make excellent candidates for the Imperial Guard. Sometimes entire clans get recruited into their own regiments. Sometimes restless young men come in on their own to the recruiting office and get incorporated into the regular Steel Legions as scouts and cavalry. Most of the time they insist on bringing their own vehicles, and most of the time the Munitorum lets them, though they insist that the Outriders repair their vehicles with standard issue parts. Since most of the time their vehicles are kitbashes of Sentinels and Chimeras, this is usually not too difficult. 

For all their skill and lunatic courage, the Outriders are not famous for the good and simple reason that there just aren't as many of them as the normal Steel Legions. Armageddon outside the hive walls does not support high population densities. Thus, they just fade into the background as 'specialized auxiliaries' of the Steel Legion. But those who have met them have given rise to a proverb: “Armageddon has many faces, and all of them are lethal."

==== Elysian Drop Troopers ====

Elysium does, in fact, produce forces for the Guard beyond its famous Drop Regiments. There are Elysian tank regiments, Elysian artillery regiments, Elysian footslogger regiments. They are all, universally, nursing a mild grudge against the universe in general and the Drop Regiments in particular for the way everyone is continually surprised by their existence. 

"I thought Elysium did, you know, drop troops." "FUCK YOU."

But nobody cares about them. [muffled FUCK YOU in the distance] Let's talk about the Drop Regiments. 

The Elysian Drop Regiments are somewhat unique in the Imperial Guard for being descended from a naval boarding force. Elysium was, and is, a major trade hub in a sector unfortunately plagued with human pirates, Ork Freebootas, and a superfluity of places for them to hide. As a result, Elysium committed much of its PDF force to anti-piracy operations, stationing regiments on merchant vessels and escort ships for boarding and counter-boarding operations. 

No war can be won with defense alone, however, and the Elysian PDF regiments assigned to anti-pirate duty began experimenting with methods of striking at the pirates in their lairs. Thus the modern Drop Regiments began to take shape. The first attempts were amateurish and improvised; in some cases regiments used civilian shuttles and Void Maneuvering Packs instead of proper assault ships and grav-chutes. Still, a couple of victories proved the concept worthy of further development, and Elysian high command invested in additional training and equipment.

The first battles of the Drop Regiments were void-borne affairs, fought in microgravity in and around hidden asteroid bases. As more and more pirate bases were expunged, however, they were forced to track down their opponents in ever more diverse locales, from fairly conventional planets to burning Mercurial environments to floating gas-giant bases. But, in the end, it was mostly done. The pirates would never be fully expunged from the sector — fucking Orks — but it was safer than it had ever been before. Trade was flourishing, new worlds were being colonized, and the Elysian PDF found itself somewhat underemployed. So, when the next Founding came around, the course of action was obvious. 

The modern Elysian Drop Regiments distinguish themselves from the usual run of air cavalry in three ways. 

First, they continue to train for operation in a very wide variety of environments: zero-g and vacuum, high gravity, extreme temperatures, toxic atmospheres, they have the tools and training to operate in them all. Most drop regiments only train to operate within the usual 'human-habitable' range of environments, giving the Elysians a distinct niche and edge. 

Second, they have very good relations with the Imperial Navy due to their past as, essentially, naval armsmen specialising in hunting pirates. Thus, they have an easier time securing air and orbital support, and have the doctrine and training to make the maximum use of it. They are comfortable with inter-service cooperation in a way few regiments are. This includes good relationships with the Void Wolves, with joint training exercises being commonplace.

Third, general superiority of training and equipment. The Drop Regiments have become a point of planetary pride, and as a prosperous trading hub Elysium can afford to ensure they are equipped and trained to the highest standards. And with far more volunteers than they can accept, the training academies can accept only the best recruits.

Combined, this results in the Drop Regiments being frequently deployed to the stranger battlefields of the Imperium, executing their distinctive lightning strikes in environments an unprepared human could not even hope to survive in, much less fight in.

==== Lucifer Blacks ====

Humans in general have a tendency to survive in places where they aren’t intended to go. Such is the case of the Lucifer Blacks, one of the original regiments of the Old Hundred, the original one hundred regiments that were not disbanded at the end of the Unification Wars and would serve as the basis for the Imperial Army. The Lucifer Blacks were one of the last people on Old Earth to be discovered by the outside world, living deep underwater in pre-Strife underwater habitats at the bottom of Old Earth’s Great Ocean (also known as the Pacific Ocean) in a region controlled by the Pan-Pacific Empire. It is thought that these habitats were originally meant as simple residential habitats or research stations during the Dark Age of Technology. By the time of the Age of Strife, however, the Lucifer Blacks were cut off from the rest of the world until their rediscovery by the horrendous contraptions of the Pan-Pacific Empire. This lifestyle in the inky darkness, surviving off of mesopelagic fish and geothermal power from hydrothermal vents, is what gave the regiment their name.

Living underwater in an environment where literally one wrong seal could mean the difference between life and death tended to foster an extremely calm and measured attitude in people. To the Lucifer Blacks, a crisis was the absolute worst time to panic, as panic is what led to rash decisions and rash decisions are what get you killed. This led the regiment to be infamously known for their ability to be calm and clear-thinking under fire, as well as a very dark and (ironically) dry sense of humor. Additionally, living nearly 4000 meters below sea level in conditions where most light was artificial tended to make one very good at fighting in the dark. The Lucifer Blacks often used this to their advantage in battle, using smoke grenades and other implements to approximate the low-light conditions in which they had the advantage over their foes.

However, at the same time the Lucifer Blacks were not the most numerous people. When one lives in such a hostile, enclosed environment, the primary constraint on population size was not food or materials, but simply living space due to the number of habs present. When the Lucifer Blacks were first discovered and subjugated by Narthan Dume, Dume decided that one of the best ways to use the highly disciplined — but not very numerous — Lucifer Blacks were as elite shock troops. The calm, detached nature of the Lucifer Blacks in high-stress combat situations made them especially hard to break. The fact that the Lucifer Blacks preferred to fight in the hermetically sealed all-black bodysuits they typically wore for extra-habitat activities only added to their intimidation factor.

When the Pan-Pacific Empire fell and the tyranny of Narthan Dume finally toppled, the Lucifer Blacks were one of the first regiments of the Pan-Pacific Empire to pledge their loyalty to the Warlord. The Warlord was somewhat suspicious of the Lucifer Blacks at first, but as with the Assassins of the Salt Wastes he wasn’t fool enough to deny himself potentially useful resources. And the Lucifer Blacks more than delivered on their promises of loyalty, even serving in a secondary role alongside the Night Lords during the Vhnori Resurgence as the two fought against the attempted resurgence of the Pan-Pacific Empire.

Eventually, in return for their exemplary service, the Warlord — now the Steward — granted the Lucifer Blacks settlement rights on extrasolar worlds. The Lucifer Blacks mostly chose to settle on Ocean Worlds that approximated their old home. Even today, many people on Ocean Worlds have distant Lucifer Black Ancestry. As part of the Old Hundred, the Lucifer Blacks also still exist on Earth, living in the same oceanic trenches as their forefathers, though ten thousand years of gentrification and integration into Old Earth’s infrastructure mean that the modern Lucifer Blacks have lost a lot of their original culture and aren’t as incredibly stoic and tough-as-nails as their forefathers. Imperial nobles often like to have Lucifer Black bodyguards when they can’t get someone like a member of Terra’s Children, though in reality having a Lucifer Black bodyguard usually amounts to little more than a display of prestige.

==== Ohmsworld Regiments ====

===== The 12th Ohmsworld Armored Regiment =====

The 12th Ohmsworld was in the final stages of being reconstituted when the insurrection began, with the veterans of previous Ohmsworld regiments and even a junior Ulthwe Farseer combining their efforts to ready the troops. As such, it was not only at full strength when the Duke announced his secession, it also had expert — if not exceptional — leadership. With aid from the Skitarii, the 12th led the charge into Ohmsworld's primary hive and quickly overwhelmed the Ducal Guards, many of whom were Ohmsworld veterans themselves and subsequently defected to the Imperial forces. More importantly, they managed to seize the Guards' stock of Chimeras, giving Ohmsworld a powerful mobile army. With the easing of pressure on Ohmsworld as the Imperium advances, the 12th has even begun contemplating direct offensive actions, as opposed to the firefighting they had done before. Whether this leads them to glorious victory or fatally overextends their already undersupplied lines, only time will tell.

Home World: Hive World <br>
Commanding Officer: [[Nobledark_Imperium_Notes#Tabletop_Crunch|Psyker]] (Farseer Eldian Sylandriel, provisional/brevet Colonel) <br>
Regiment Type: Mechanised Infantry <br>
Doctrines: Survivalists: Ash Wastes, Scavengers* <br>
Regimental Drawbacks: Poorly Provisioned <br>

Characteristic Modifiers: <br>
Starting Aptitudes: +6 Agility <br>
Starting Talents: Warp Sense, Paranoia, Rapid Reload <br>
Starting Skills: Common Lore: Imperium, Deceive, Linguistics: Low Gothic, Psyniscience, Forbidden Lore: Psykers, Operate: Surface <br>
Starting Aptitude: Agility <br>
Tutelage of Mars (replaces Accustomed to Crowds): The Mechanicus has taken a great deal of interest in Ohmsworld's archaeotech, so while Mars would never officially sanction it, the local techpriests have given the people of Ohmsworld some basic training in technological mysteries to aid them in maintenance. Ohmsworld troopers may offer Aid in Tech-Use tests as if they were trained in Tech-Use, though this bonus goes away if they actually become Trained in Tech-Use. Those who ARE trained in Tech-Use gain +10 to all Tech-Use tests that involve respiratory or air filtration equipment... <br>
Hivebound: Hive worlders seldom endure the horrors of the open sky or suffer the indignities of the great outdoors. Whilst outside of an enclosed or artificial environment (such as a hive city, voidship or similar), they suffer a –10 penalty to all Survival Tests, due to their continued unfamiliarity with such places.
Wounds: Characters from this regiment reduce their starting Wounds by 1. <br>
Standard Kit: Universal Standard Kit, one M36 Lasgun and four charge packs per PC, one suit of flak armour per PC, two frag and two krak grenades per PC, 1 Chimera Transport per Squad, one respirator per PC, one micro-bead per PC, one survival suit per PC, one auspex per Squad <br>
Favoured Weapons: Autocannon, grenade launcher <br>

*Special note: Everyone on Ohmsworld knows that scavenging is necessary; as such, scavenging is explicitly allowed by Guard and Munitorum authorities. However, regiments are also under orders to deposit all scavenged materiel into a collective equipment pool; hoarding is very much frowned upon. This doesn't mechanically alter the Scavengers Doctrine, just modify its ingame usage.

===== The 3rd Special Defence Regiment =====

As with all things on Ohmsworld, the archaeotech comes first, and even the most vicious assaults often devolves into hand-to-hand combat as all sides struggle desperately to avoid damaging the precious filtration systems. As such, most close-combat specialists present during the rebellion had been consolidated into solely defensive forces. These specialists ranged from press-ganged hivers, to the few Arbites who had survived the Duke's initial purge, to any and all Ogryn on the planet, and — in the case of the 3rd Special Defence Regiment — even maintenance workers skilled at handling heavy tools. Indeed, the leader of the increasingly diverse regiment is herself an Ogryn Bone'ead; 'Boss Foreman' Mogda Gruk took to her implants exceptionally well, with her intelligence even rating slightly above Imperial average. Though astoundingly ugly even by Ogryn standards she is well-loved by the troopers under her command, especially since she seems little changed from her days as foreman for her hive's Ogryn workforce.

Home World: Hive World <br>
Commanding Officer: Maverick (Brevet Colonel Mogda Gruk) <br>
Regiment Type: Siege Regiment <br>
Doctrines: Hardened Fighters, Close Order Drill <br>
Regimental Drawbacks: Poorly Provisioned <br>

Characteristic Modifiers: <br>
Starting Aptitudes: +3 Agility, +3 Perception, +3 Toughness, +2 Weapon Skill, -3 Intelligence <br>
Starting Talents: Paranoia, Resistance: Fear, Street Fighting, Combat Formation, Nerves of Steel <br>
Starting Skills: Common Lore: Imperium, Deceive, Linguistics: Low Gothic, Tech-Use <br>
Starting Aptitude: None <br>
Tutelage of Mars (replaces Accustomed to Crowds): The Maechanicus has taken a great deal of interest in Ohmsworld's archaeotech, and while Mars would never officially sanction it, the local techpriests have given the people of Ohmsworld some basic training in technological mysteries to aid them in maintenance. Ohmsworld troopers may offer Aid in Tech-Use tests as if they were trained in Tech-Use, though this bonus goes away if they actually become Trained in Tech-Use. However, those who ARE trained in Tech-Use gain a +10 bonus to all Tech-Use tests that involve respiratory or air filtration equipment... <br>
Hivebound: Hive worlders seldom endure the horrors of the open sky or suffer the indignities of the great outdoors. Whilst outside of an enclosed or artificial environment (such as a hive city, voidship or similar), they suffer a –10 penalty to all Survival Tests, due to their continued unfamiliarity with such places. <br>
Wounds: Characters from this regiment reduce their starting Wounds by 1. <br>
Standard Kit: Universal Standard Kit, one combat shotgun with a mono bayonet and 8 shotgun magazines per PC, one suit of flak armour per PC, one respirator per PC, four empty sandbags and one entrenching tool per PC, two frag grenades and two photon flash grenades per PC, one auspex per Squad, one micro bead per PC <br>
Favoured Weapons: Heavy flamer, flamer (as delicate as the filters are, they are surprisingly heat-resistant)

===== Century Omega 7-13 =====

When the Duke announced his secession, the Mechanicus authorities on Ohmsworld immediately decided to move in support of the Imperium — not out of any real love for the Imperium proper, but out of fear that the resources they needed for further research would be cut off. Under most circumstances, they wouldn't even have gone that far — after all, no sane man would cross the Mechanicus. Problem was, the Duke was anything but sane; during secret negotiations between Mars' representatives and the Duke, the latter made it clear that he would brook no opposition nor equal (that Mars would be his superior never seemed to cross his mind). The fact that many hereteks had thrown in their lot with the Duke in exchange for independence and freedom of work only hardened the opinions of Ohmsworld's Mechanicus against them.

Even so, their insurrection was costly, with the already small Skitarii centuries being further depleted to the point where they were eventually consolidated into a single unit. Century Omega 7-13 now functions as a semi-independent organization within Ohmsworld's military; in general, the Magi's goals tend to align with Ohsmworld's, but sometimes they send Omega 7-13 detachments on independent missions, their actual agenda known only to the senior adepts of Mars.

Home World: Lathe Worlds <br>
Commanding Officer: Phlegmatic (Centurion/Magos Rho-1) <br>
Regiment Type: Grenadiers <br>
Doctrines: Cyber-Enhanced, Iron Discipline <br>
Regimental Drawbacks: The Few <br>

Characteristic Modifiers: +3 Intelligence, +3 Ballistic Skill, +3 Toughness <br>
Starting Talents: Bombardier <br>
Starting Skills: Tech-use (Trained), Common Lore: AdMech, Common Lore: Tech, Linguistics: Low Gothic, Linguistics: Techno-Lingua, Logic, Common Lore: Imperial Guard, Common Lore: War <br>
Starting Aptitudes: Willpower <br>
Tutelage of Mars (replaces Isolated by Machines): Gain a +10 bonus to all Tech-Use tests that involve respiratory or air filtration equipment...<br>
The True Flesh: Lathe World characters possess the Mechanicus Implants Trait. In addition, the potentia coil is specifically enhanced to meet the needs of integrated weapons.<br>
Soldiers of the Omnissiah: This regiment cannot include Support Specialists used in other Guard regiments; the Mixed Regiment rules must be used in those cases. Guardsmen from these regiments always count as Techpriests for purposes of prerequisites, regardless of current Speciality or Advanced Speciality.
Wounds: Characters from this regiment generate Wounds normally.<br>
Standard Kit: Universal Standard Kit, one Lathe lasrifle with an attached auxiliary grenade launcher weapon upgrade per PC, three krak and two frag grenades per PC, one suit of light carapace armour per Player Character, one deadspace earpiece per PC, one combi-tool per PC, two grenade launchers per Squad, Common bionic respiratory system, bionic heart<br>
Favoured Weapons: Integrated Weapons<br>

===Doctrines of the Imperial Guard===
In addition to the famed Cadian Doctrine, many regiments have also developed their own unique methods of fighting which have then spread throughout the Imperium. While this is hardly an exhaustive list, it provides a decent look into the sheer diversity of the Guard.

====Infiltration Doctrine====

Infiltration doctrine is a light infantry doctrine focused on stealth and mobility. It omits vehicles and heavy artillery from the TO&E almost entirely, relying on crew-served weapons for heavy firepower, which can be dismantled and carried by an infantry squad. On the offence, infiltration regiments use their stealth and lightweight equipment to close with enemy formations undetected and from unexpected directions; once all elements are in position, they launch an overwhelming surprise attack from close range, using their crew-served weapons and snipers to suppress the enemy and ensure they cannot mount an organized defence. On the defense, they use the same qualities for hit-and-run raids, whittling down the enemy and melting away into the night when the enemy tries to bring their firepower to bear. 

Infiltration regiments are usually equipped with specialized equipment such as camo-cloaks and night-vision goggles, but these are less important than how the regiment is trained. The nature of their operations require that officers and NCOs be trained to a higher standard of independence than normal, as units as small as squads will often be trusted to maneuver individually in support of the overall objective. This usually cultivates a sense of being elite; combined with the looser chains of command infiltration regiments usually operate with, other regiments usually consider them insubordinate and undisciplined. 

In combat, infiltration regiments are used to secure and move through terrain that mechanized regiments cannot. They are also used in combined-arms strategies to scout out enemy positions, assassinate officers, and destroy enemy strongpoints in advance of the main armored thrust. Infiltration regiments also maintain their effectiveness easier in the face of enemy air and orbital superiority thanks to their ability to fight while remaining hidden and dispersed. Finally, infiltration doctrines are popular among PDF forces incapable of maintaining large mechanized armies. As powerful as they are within their specialty, however, their lack of vehicles and artillery makes them perform poorly outside of it.

====Armageddon Doctrine====

Armageddon doctrine is a maneuver- and terrain-focused mechanized infantry doctrine. Developed by the Steel Legion in their endless battles against the Orks, Armageddon doctrine TO&E is extremely vehicle-heavy, with sufficient Chimeras to carry the entire regiment, strong organic artillery support, and at least a modest tank detachment. Mechanized scout detachments — Salamanders, Sentinels, and bikes (preferably jet-bikes) — are common, but can also be delegated to other specialized regiments. The Steel Legion itself uses the Outriders for this purpose, but other regiments have alternative solutions. Likewise, organic combat engineering support is common, as are air defense vehicles; Hydras in particular are valued for their ability to sweep aside Ork hordes in addition to aircraft. Soldiers are heavily armored in carapace.

In combat, Armageddon doctrine is often described as 'operationally offensive, tactically defensive'. Using the scout detachment to survey the terrain and enemy dispositions, the regiment seeks to seize vital terrain features before the enemy and fortify it, forcing the enemy to assault a fortified position on a terrain of the Imperium's choosing. To this end, Armageddon-style regiments usually carry copious amounts of barbed wire, mines, and other defensive implements; vehicles are equipped with dozer blades to dig out entrenchments. This is where the engineering detachment comes in. The scout detachment, if present, harasses the enemy on its approach, although this is not a vital component of the doctrine.

At the level of individual squads, Armageddon doctrine emphasizes close cooperation between infantry and armor; full mechanization means each squad has a Chimera, which they are responsible for defending from threats and vice versa. 

Few worlds adopt the Armageddon doctrine in full. Although many other mechanized infantry forces adopt its emphasis on mobility, terrain, and forcing of the enemy to attack fortified positions, few worlds can afford to equip their regiments with the same weight of metal as Armageddon and thus do not adopt the full TO&E. In addition, the emergence of the Brain Boy caste has thrown the doctrine into flux; with the Orks no longer throwing themselves as eagerly into near-suicidal charges, the strategy has lost some of its effectiveness. Although the core of the strategy remains sound, the arguments at Steel Legion HQ about how to adapt to a changing galaxy continue long into the night.

====Fast Attack Doctrine====

A light-armor and occasionally bio-cavalry doctrine focusing on the use of speed and maneuverability as weapons. 

There is no standard TO&E for Fast Attack regiments, due to the wide variance in equipment used. Salamander scout tanks, Sentinels, motor- and jet-bikes, a thousand varieties of armored car and riding beasts. A very few forge-worlds even have super-heavy fast-attack companies, equipping tanks as heavy as Baneblades with antigrav units to allow them to keep up with lighter forces. 

Whatever the equipment, all Fast Attack units operate similarly: using overwhelming speed to strike at an enemy's weak points before an effective response can be mustered. The 'classic' pattern of attack is to punch straight through the enemy line and rampage through the rear areas, but that is hardly the only tactical possibility. Outflanking maneuvers, hit-and-run raids — speed opens many possibilities. 

Fast Attack regiments are usually deployed as part of combined arms strategies, scouting for slower units or exploiting breakthroughs created by heavier ones. On their own, while fast and generally well-armed, they are also more fragile than a true tank unit and lack staying power. This varies, of course; the dynamics of a horse cavalry unit differ from Sentinels and Salamanders, which in turn differ from jet-bikes. But the general principle holds; as with so many other things in the Imperium, there is strength in diversity.

Fast Attack units, like Infiltration units, are often popular among PDF forces which cannot sustain heavy tank formations but can build light tanks and armored cars or breed horses, which contributes to the wide variance of regiments following the doctrine.

=== Scion Tempestus ===

==== Difference between Stormtroopers and Scions ====

The Tempestus Scion, also colloquially known (somewhat incorrectly) as Stormtroopers, are specialized heavy infantry regiments that are always broken down into smaller units. Once divided into battalions or companies, they are attached to other units within the Imperial Army but can also serve under the Inquisition or Sororitas. The Scions are known for their high dropout rates in the intense training period, but prove in combat at being the best CQC non-melee soldiers in the Imperial Army. 

Scions and Stormtroopers differ in role and function within the Imperial army, and thus differ in their training and equipment as a result. Veteran Guardsmen or raw volunteers are first trained and deployed as Stormtroopers in the Imperial Guard. Stormtroopers are only trained to fight in ground wars and are equipped and assigned as such; Stormtroopers are often given the task of assaulting fortifications and clearing buildings. In contrast, Scions are volunteer veteran Stormtroopers who are retrained to fight inside void ships and infiltrate behind enemy lines. The Scions' weapons are unchanged for the most part, but their armor is a lighter version of Stormtrooper armor that can withstand the vacuum of the void.

==== Equipment ====

Stormtroopers are sent to the frontlines as the first ones to clear out bunkers, trenches, and buildings. Missions of that nature mean that Stormtroopers are given the deadly ‘Hellgun’ pattern Lasgun to eviscerate enemies at point-blank range. The Carapace Armor worn by Stormtroopers is the innermost armor worn by Diffusion squads. This armor can prevent shrapnel or shots at less than 50m from disabling the Stormtrooper, allowing them to clear tight spaces in relative safety from explosives and suppressive fire. Apart from these rather remarkable pieces of equipment, Stormtroopers maintain the same basic kit as the typical Guardsman — just with more explosives. The Scions, when first founded, noted that the Carapace Armor accelerated exhaustion and hindered the movement of the user. These two factors played an important role in crippling operators on independent infiltration missions. The Tempestus Scion thus developed the ‘Cephalon Armor’, which was a lighter version of Carapace Armor with the same bodily armor coverage while still being stronger than Flak Armor. Cephalon Armor also comes with a built-in antenna and shoulder mounted pic recorder that a commanding officer can use. Apart from an additional void survival kit. the Scions' basic kits are otherwise almost the same as a Stormtrooper’s.

==== Standardization ====

In terms of equipment, Scions all carry the same Scion basic kit and standard CQC weapons, though they can always carry extra things with them or swap out weapons due to their armor being lighter. This keeps all Scion companies mostly standardized while still maintaining enough flexibility to complete very specific missions. All Scion squads are expected to take on CQC & infiltration missions and equip themselves accordingly. 

Stormtroopers, on the other hand, vary greatly from the world to world, just like the Guardsmen regiments they're attached to. All Stormtroopers are expected to be assigned the task of clearing cramped locations and fortifications. How they are trained and equipped to accomplish this changes from regiment to regiment. The Cadian Kasrkins, for example, are made for storming buildings in urban combat while the Cadian Guardsmen maneuver quickly in street fighting. Kreiger Grenadiers, on the other hand, charge at fortifications and trenches en masse before everybody throwing a grenade and jumping inside. Kreiger Grenadiers would hold even more extra grenades than Kasrkins. Hive world Stormtroopers might always carry Meltaguns or Flamers due to the importance of high damage in fast reaction time weapons in urban warfare. Stormtroopers from Feudal worlds, on the other hand, might only have a Lasgun and a single grenade while carrying a shield with several melee weapons. In short, each Stormtrooper detachment is as varied and differentiated as the Guard regiments themselves. The only thing standard is that they all wear some variation of Carapace Armor.

==== Notable Regiments ====

See [[Nobledark Imperium Scion Regiments| Scion Regiments]]