Editing Black Augurs (section)

==Legion Tactics==

The Black Augurs generally specialize in sneak attacks and ambushes, where they can put their precognitive abilities to best use. During the Crusades they preferred to use trickery and some diplomacy to conquer worlds. When that failed it only required one or two engagements to break the spirit of a worlds defence in the face of an army of seemingly magical superhumans. They most commonly preferred to fight in close quarters, (jungles, underhives, etc.) where their psychic abilities and quick reflexes could prove most useful. They were also known to use unscrupulous and "dishonourable" tactics such as hostage taking, execution or torture of civilians to lure out guerillas, and outright massacres to put down civil disturbances. They also proved adept at channeling the ruinous powers and summoning daemons when the time of the Heresy came, something that many of their loyalist brothers had long feared.

''' Sorcery '''

The vast majority of the higher ranking members of the Black Augurs practice sorcery to some degree and to truly excel in the legion one must immerse themselves in it. Powerful psykers known as the Vates act as the legions Librarians and Captains. The Black Augurs have many arcane rituals and practices that they claim channels their psychic abilities. Chanting and burning of incense in combat, inscribing ruins and esoteric symbols directly onto their armaments, and focusing on a single thing to discern prophecies from it or destroy it with gouts of warpflame. They can channel a huge number of psychic powers with their disturbing incantations and sorcerous rites. All can project visions of doom and death into the minds of their enemies to demoralize and confuse as well as cause intense pain in the minds of individuals or small groups. The more powerful can project visions of unimaginable horror and the future death of all their opponents hold dear directly into their minds, often causing them to go mad with grief or anguish. Many high ranking Vates can project blades or projectiles of invisible psychic energy, cleaving or blasting their foes with a flick of the wrist. The most powerful of the Vates as well as the Primarch himself can channel their will so fiercely into another's mind that the strong willed will often black out and the weak's brains boil out of every orifice or explode. 

''' Augury and Foresight '''

Some Black Augur marines can simply channel their combat focus into being able to predict the very near future, dodging bullet and sword swings and knowing when to fire on an enemy behind cover can both come to Black Augur when he enters a trance like battle focus. The things most often used to discern the farther future are the black void of space, storms (solar, thunder, cosmic, etc.), large groups of animals, and the patterns of explosions and debris. The elite terminators called the Haruspices (Haruspex singular) even claim to be able to discern the future in the blood and viscera of their enemies and so use almost exclusively massive power glaives to produce as much of these two things as they can. 

''' Weaknesses and Shortcomings '''

On a more universal scale many members of the legion often suffer from horrific visions while in stasis after a hard fought battle and many neophytes suffer from visions of several of their deaths far in the future while becoming a marine. These visions are not always of the future, many even during the Great Crusade were scenes of cosmic hellscapes and dark creatures that none had ever seen before. The more powerful also speak of dark whispers that persist for days, though the Vates have attempted to suppress these rumours.

While incredibly potent as a tactical tool it is recommended that the common marine try to avoid going into a trance of prescience for too long in battle as they may discern momentary flashes of possible death. This is incredibly painful and distressing to such an extent that more than a few marines have had a vision of their death that is quickly followed by their actual death as a result.