Tempestus Scions

Stormtroopers are the elite commandos of the Imperial Guard. Armed with their trademark Hellguns and Hellpistols, these troopers take combat to the heart of the enemy with blinding speed and deadly precision. Their accuracy is aided by their carapace armor's integrated targeting system.

Storm troopers can be divided roughly into three different categories: Imperial Storm Troopers, Inquisitorial Storm Troopers and Grenadiers.

Imperial Storm Troopers are the closest equivalent the Imperial Guard have to an elite force; they act as shock troopers and special forces, conducting raids behind enemy lines and acting as the spear head for attacks. They are selected from graduates of the Schola Progenium for their outstanding skills in the arts of war, but lack the iron leadership that would earmark them to become a Commissar or Imperial Guard Officer or the affinity for space warfare that would make them a naval officer. They are usually not from the same regiment as those they serve with. Due to this, their superior equipment and training, they are often called "Glory Hogs" or "Toy Soldiers" by most normal guardsmen.

Inquisitorial Storm Troopers are used by the Inquisition to guard their fortresses and the Black Ships as they make their purity runs across the sectors, as well as augment an Inquisitor's forces with relliable and effective soldiers. They are selected from families with a record of unwavering faith and duty to the Inquisition. They are trained and equipped in a manner similar to Imperial Storm Troopers, albeit lacking the rapid insertion and infiltration skills, as they are not expected to undertake such missions.

Grenadiers, unlike Storm Troopers, are formed from the best members of a regiment. This practice is normally found in highly martial worlds, such as Cadia or Krieg. They are selected while they are still in the Youth armies or during training and enrolled in special academies where they receive additional training. They are utterly dedicated to the preservation of the Imperium and follow an ethos of duty and honor that is both impressive and intimidating. Unlike Imperial Storm Troopers, who are looked upon with disdain by the standard guardsman, Grenadiers are looked up to and seen as a model to follow and emulate, as Grenadiers are from the same world as the rest of the regiment. Grenadiers are often given different names, depending upon the world, such as the Cadian kasrkin. ( See Kasrkin )

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