Editing The Yaotl (section)

=== Ground Forces ===

The Yaotl do not appear to coordinate in engagements at all beyond the level of an alpha herding its thralls towards the enemy and watching the ensuing carnage unfold. Yaotl do not seem, other than thralls of an alpha fighting in the same general area, to utilize unit-based tactics at all. Yaotl warriors seldom appear to have uniform equipment, body modifications or even to employ a coherent approach to warfare. Their seeming lack of socialization in human terms, however, may simply mean that their means of coordination are simply incomprehensible to the human mind. Mechanicus observers have remarked that Yaotl Riotswarms demonstrate coordination in response to threats faced by Yaotl forces of an entirely different alpha, sometimes located hundreds of kilometers away. Whatever the nature of this response, it is notably slower than that of more conventional species. If not for the unpredictability and chaotic nature of Yaotl assaults, Yaotl ground forces would be easy prey to a resolute and coordinated foe. As it is, the rare advent of Yaotl infantry being encountered outside boarding actions or invasion of a world already nearly bombarded into submission from orbit, they have tended to lose engagements with the Imperial Army.

No two Yaotl warriors are alike. Some have modified their body to the point that they can be easily mistaken for an armored vehicle while others are stripped of all unnecessary tissue and implants and race into enemy lines unarmed at breakneck speed. One common aspect of Yaotl warfare, however, is its heavy reliance on deception; most Yaotl warriors will deliberately disorient victims using a wide variety of technologies and tactics. Against Imperial forces with poor morale or discipline, this generally results in the battlefield degenerating into anarchy as chains of command cease to bind individual soldiers. The Yaotl Riotswarms have two primary weaknesses; the first is a resolute and coordinate foe, who can systematically engage in area denial until Yaotl warriors are forced into ever increasing pockets and eliminated, or through targeting the Alpha of the Riotswarm, easily distinguishable by its self-preserving behavior in contrast to the unpredictable and sometimes suicidal behavior of its thralls. 

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