Editing Only War (section)

==Classes==
===Guardsmen===
Guardsmen are normal soldiers and have access to comrades. They start off with double the starting XP of Support Specialties.
*[[Heavy Weapons Squad|Heavy Gunner]] - Big, strong, and tough, these Guardsmen wield any heavy weapons that are given to the Squad.
*Medic - Dodging deadly weapons-fire and explosions, they risk everything to keep their squad-mates alive.
*Operator - A bit less leery of the strange technology that the Imperial Guard often employ than their compatriots, these Guardsmen are often entrusted with piloting the Squad’s transport or other vehicles. They also die very, very easily.
*Sergeant - Every Squad needs a strong commander to lead the charge into combat, and to stay safely in the back. The Sergeant keeps his men motivated and coordinated through the toughest battles.
*Weapon Specialist - The “average” Guardsman, these guys perfect the use of the [[lasgun]] or other weapons, bringing death to the enemies of the Imperium.

===Specialists===
Most specialists are tied to specific roles. Some do not have access to comrades.
*[[Commissar]] - These men and women enforce morale over the rank-and-file troops with an iron fist and the occasional summary execution. Fortunately, the latter is reserved for Comrades and not other PCs. At least, not without good reason.
*[[Ministorum Priest]] - Bringing the light of the [[God-Emperor]] to the battlefield, Ministorum Priests inspire the troops around them, not just with their preaching, but by fighting their foes with their massive [[Chain Weapon#Eviscerator|Evicerator chainswords]].
*[[Ogryn]] - These immense [[Abhuman]]s are built like rocks (and are about as intelligent as rocks too), and act as some of the Imperial Guard’s most effective shock troops and will obey their superiors with doglike devotion. Just don't expect them to get into a [[Chimera Transport|Chimera]] - they're claustrophobic. Try to get your DM to let you buy "ogryn-proof" versions of other weapons at higher levels, or you'll be stuck using the same Mono two-handed weapon for the rest of the game. Also good for a drop regiment so he can use a RPG or [[autocannon]], assuming you can convince him to get into the [[Valkyrie#In Warhammer 40000|Valkyrie]]. Hammer of the Emperor has the rules you need to make any ranged or melee weapon Ogryn-proof, under 'variant equipment patterns'.
**The other way to make an Ogryn is to be a Guardsman from an Ogryn world, allowing you to play an Ogryn with a Guardsmen class.
*[[Ratling]] - Short and rotund, these small abhumans are used as infiltrators and snipers. They're also notorious for their sticky fingers, so don't bring anything valuable with you if one's assigned to your squad.
**The other way to make a Ratling is to be a Guardsman from a Ratling world, allowing you to play a Ratling with a Guardsmen class.
*[[Psyker Battle Squad|Sanctioned Psyker]] - Feared by their enemies and allies alike, the Psykers of the Imperium are capable of bending the roiling power of the Warp to their will - until that power breaks them.
*[[Tempestus Scions|Storm Trooper]] - The best part about being an OPERATOR isn't operating operationally. It's showing all those pesky grunts how operators operate in operations operationally. Operation operation operation operation.
*Tech-priest [[Enginseer]] - Enginseers wade into battle clad in thick armour, tending to the machine spirits of the Imperial Guard’s many war machines. Gets the most Aptitudes and is able to get his hands on some of the most effective gear the game has to offer before it even starts, so one can make a fair case for this buckethead being the most powerful of the bunch (though the Psyker might mutter some words of dissent into his non-existent beard once he's made it through the first couple of sessions).

===Advanced Specialties===
Added with the Hammer of the Emperor [[splatbook]], advanced specialties allow characters to expand their abilities, or simply add more dakka. Guardsmen may also switch from one Guardsmen class to another (e.g. from Heavy Gunner to Sergeant, though not to Ratling). Alternately, characters can stick to their current class and gain a +5 bonus to a characteristic they have a matching aptitude for. The book suggests making this option available to players once for every 2500 XP their characters earn.
====Guardsmen Advanced Specialties====
*Brawler - A melee fighter, for players who are sick of being told Guardsmen can only beat [[Fire Warrior]]s in close combat.
*Breacher - An explosives specialist, the recommended class for black Scottish cyclopes. Seriously, they even paraphrased the demoman right under the word "Breacher" on the class page. Great for blowing up any-and-everything, and even if no explosives are available they know a thing or two about how to take down fortifications.
*Commander - A Sergeant on steroids, Commanders are leaders forged in combat. They can take up to four additional comrades and use them (and the rest of the squad's comrades) to maximum effect, essentially acting as a one-man party.
*[[Chiurgeon|Field Chirurgeon]] - When keeping your squad mates "alive" simply won't cut it, Field Chirurgeons are soldiers who are meant to keep men fighting. Not quite as medically skillful as a true medic, but better than trying to tape your own arm back on and can do their thing even when supplies are short.  
*Master of Ordnance - This class gives your comrade a mortar and gives you the responsibility of calling targets. Also allows for artillery strikes from orbital ships or basilisks once per encounter. Very useful if you're not in a building or voidship. Just try not to call it down too close to your position.
*Scout - Guardsmen who navigate dangerous terrain, operate where they can't be seen, and act as... well, scouts. Scouts also make for silent knife kills of sentries.
*Sentry - When not being stabbed by scouts, sentries are masters of defense. Effectively a one man heavy weapon squad, sentries dig in and can hold against hordes of enemies that would wipe out a less entrenched position.
*Sharpshooter - Snipers without being Ratlings, Sharpshooters are masters of fighting at extreme ranges.
*Tank Ace - Effectively a Sergeant for tank crews, Tank Aces can turn a Leman Russ into even more of a killing machine.

====Specialist Advanced Specialties====
Do note that while Support Specialists are technically eligible to switch to an advanced specialty as well, Hammer of the Emperor only contained options for Guardsman-class characters. Shield of Humanity changed this by adding the following exclusive options for Enginseers, Ogryns, Ratlings, and Priests.  Commissars, Storm Troopers, and Sanctioned Psykers can go fuck themselves, apparently.

*Enginseer (can also be any “normal” Guardsman from the Crimson Guard)
**Architectus Magnus  - A techpriest treadhead, specializes in driving, repairing and boosting an armored vehicle.
**Crimson Exemplar - An elite Mechanicus warrior with a shit-ton of integrated weapons to directly rape the enemies of mankind at all distances, including melee. Just in case the regular techpriest wasn't broken enough for you.
**Enginseer Prime - Lazy fucks that fight by proxy through a horde of [[servitor]]s. Said servitors can be happily placed in the firing line to provide heavy fire support.
*Ogryn
**Bone'ead - Ogryn sergeant, not really a fine strategist but good enough to impress his fellow lunkheads. Knows tactics better than ''GET 'EM!'', which really impresses their subordinates. Gets to use smaller basic weapons without the Ogryn-Proof trait, making him a very versatile soldier.
**Bulwark - The closest you'll ever come to playing an ogre barbarian in Only War. Smashes anything smaller than [[Ork]] [[Nob]]s and easily matches those of similar size to them. If you get your big hands on some quality and form-fitting armor, you can decently match [[Astartes]] in melee (in tankiness that is, they can still dance around you, which just might be enough for someone to plant a krak grenade on their helmet).
**Gun Lugger - The closest you'll ever come to playing the Heavy from Team Fortress in Only War. Gets to use Heavy weapons without the Ogryn-Proof trait, turning him into a one-man killing machine with the right weapon.
*Ratling
**Fixer - Obligatory 'face' class, a smug as fuck space halfling with a silver tongue and loads of friends. Pair him up with a Commissar to ensure [[blam|hilarity]].
**Longshooter - Specialized sniper, because if you're playing a ratling you might as well fit the stereotype of a Sniping bastard.
**Trailblazer - Ratling infiltrator and survivalist. By that, I, of course, mean '[[kender|thieving bastard]]'. Specialties lie in scouting through wilderness and "acquiring" additional supplies.
*Priest
**Incinerant Priest - [[rip and tear|Scourge and Purge your guts! You are a heretic! That means your guts are unclean! Scourge and Purge!]] Firebrands in every sense of the word, they raise the spirits of the Guardsmen under their watch and burn anything that gets in their way with an impressive array of flame weapons. 
**Praecentor of Penance - Zealous preacher always accompanied by a mob of <s>meatshields</s> penitents in search of absolution. Just as the Servitors are expendable Dakka, the Penitents are expendable Choppa.
**Prelate-at-Arms - The classic paladin with charisma out of the ass and intelligence as a dump stat, now in Future Middle Ages flavor.
**Rector Erudite - A scholar that wandered on the battlefield by mistake. As long as he's there, he can help the squad with his formal education and wealth of knowledge.