Wyrdvane Psyker

A Wyrdvane Psyker is a human Sanctioned Psyker who does not have complete control of his or her powers but has been assigned for service to the regiments of the Astra Militarum. Wyrdvane Psykers transform the howling might of the Warp into a deadly weapon of Imperial supremacy.

Wyrdvane Psyker squads are formed from those Scholastica Psykana inductees not able to control their burgeoning powers without guidance and aid. Some have not yet completed the gruelling training to become a Primaris Psyker.

Others will never achieve that goal, introverted beyond rescue by the horrors of their own minds. As individuals, such psykers are unpredictable and unsafe. Yet in concert, these deadly mutants can be a valuable asset to an Imperial Guard unit on the battlefield.

Role[]

Eerily attuned to one another, Wyrdvane Psykers draw strength from communion, linking their thoughts to better slaughter the foes of Mankind. Corposant lightning crackles around them as they marshal their powers, moans and wails spill from their lips, tangled amid stringy ropes of vomited ectoplasm.

Armoured battle tanks buckle inwards as the psykers focus their power, crumpling upon their horrified crews like a ration-pack in an Ogryn's fist. Heretics are incinerated amid billowing clouds of psychic flame, domes of protective telekinetic force enfold quivering allied Guardsmen, while pervasive many-voiced whispers talk warriors into madness or horrified self-destruction.

Only once a choir of Wyrdvane Psykers have proven their ability to work as a controlled, cohesive whole will they be permitted to take to the field unsupervised. The psykers are formed into potential squads based on the omens of the Emperor's Tarot, and must endure numerous inhumane tests before they are declared battle-ready. They must demonstrate their ability to guard one another's minds, to stabilise their companions' more volatile powers and enhance those that flounder or fail.

Many will not survive the trials to which they are subjected, and even those that do are still destined to be treated with fear, revulsion and mistrust by their fellow Guardsmen. Many commanders will leave a Commissar or two in close proximity to a group of Battle Psykers, just to be safe.

Horror stories abound amongst the Astra Militarum of Wyrdvane Psykers bursting spontaneously into flame in the midst of battle, or else becoming possessed by terrible entities and slaughtering friend and foe alike. However, the Scholastica Psykana's screening stamps out many such potential disasters before they can occur, and for every uncontrolled explosion of Warp energy there are a dozen battles where the Wyrdvanes prove their worth.

Insular in the extreme, squads of Wyrdvane Psykers are only too aware of their comrades' superstitious disgust. Yet for all this, they are loyal and dedicated soldiers of the Imperium, risking their very souls to fight in defence of the Emperor's realm.

Indeed, while most officers would be loathe to admit it, a squad or two of Wyrdvane Psykers is often worth several times their number of "proper" Imperial Guardsmen, and as Humanity's psychic potential squirms ever closer to the surface, Wyrdvane Psykers have become an increasingly common presence in Astra Militarum regiments of the 41st Millennium.

Indeed, as the hour darkens and Mankind's cause becomes ever more desperate, some whisper darkly that these dangerous mutants may one day replace good honest soldiers altogether.

Psychic Abilities[]

The psykers who accompany the soldiery of the Astra Militarum perform a variety of battlefield roles, but each one is a deadly tool of war. Whether channelling the energies of the Warp to protect and embolden their allies, or to confound and destroy the foe, each commands powers capable of turning the tide of battle.

Psykana Discipline[]

Terrifying Visions - The psyker fills his enemies' minds with nightmarish images and visions of torment, seeking to send them fleeing in terror.
Gaze of the Emperor - The psyker cages the immense power of the Immaterium within his physical form, and his eyes blaze with the Emperor's vengeful fury, unleashing pure psychic energy to smite the Master of Mankind's foes.
Psychic Barrier - The psyker weaves an aegis of pure psychic energy around his allies, against which enemy fire sparks and spatters harmlessly.
Nightshroud - Calling upon the power of the Empyrean, the psyker cloaks his allies in a flowing curtain of shadow, concealing them from the enemy.
Mental Fortitude - Drawing on boundless reserves of inner strength, the psyker shields his allies' minds from mortal fears and the threat of sorcerous assault, dramatically improving morale.
Psychic Maelstrom - The psyker unleashes the full telekinetic might of his mind, summoning a roiling psychic tempest that envelops his enemy, lifting them from the ground and wrenching them about like a rag doll.

Biomancy Discipline[]

Biomancers specialise in manipulating biological energy and processes with the power of their minds. They are masters of the flesh, learning to shape and influence the physical forms of themselves, their allies or their enemies, according to their will.

Smite - Lethal bolts of bio-lightning leap from the psyker's fingertips, tearing his foes apart.
Iron Arm - By transmuting his flesh into living metal, the biomancer can wade through enemy fire unscathed and pulp skulls with his bare fists.
Enfeeble - As the psyker channels his powers, tendrils of Warp energy lash over his victims, every caress sapping vitality from their bodies.
Endurance - Reaching into the essence of his allies, the biomancer knits together bones, heals flesh and banishes fatigue so that they carry on the fight.
Life Leech - With a twist of his gnarled hands, the wrathful psyker rips the life force from his enemy, hoarding the stolen essence and using it to reinvigorate and restore his own injured flesh.
Warp Speed - The powers of the Immaterium flow into the psyker, heightening his speed to supernatural levels. A blur is he amongst his enemies, felling the unrighteous with blows too swift to see.
Haemorrhage - Focussing his mutant mind, the psyker reaches forth and sets a fire within his victim's flesh. Within moments, the unfortunate foe's blood begins to boil in its own veins, tearing him asunder as it bursts from every pore.

Divination Discipline[]

Diviners seek to discern the hidden past of the galaxy and know the course of events yet to come. These abilities allow diviners to look into the twisting strands of the Immaterium in search of the answers they seek, and sometimes even influence the outcome of fate itself.

Prescience - The psyker can effortlessly predict the paths of bullets and swords. By focussing his Warp-sight even more closely, he can guide his allies' aim, bringing a swift and merciless death to their foes.
Foreboding - Thanks to his Warp-gifted insights, the psyker and his allies are aware that their foes are about to charge, even before the foes themselves have realised it.
Misfortune - With a click of his fingers, the diviner twists fate so that his followers' blows punch through the weakest points in their opponents' armour.
Perfect Timing - As soon as his consciousness pierces the veil of the Warp, a rush of images floods the diviner's mind, foretelling the actions of his enemies, down to the merest microsecond. Armed with this information, the diviner's allies can predict exactly when their foes will peer out from behind cover and expose themselves to a lethal head shot.
Precognition - Having already witnessed the one true path to victory, the diviner strides across the battlefield like an avenging god of war. Whilst the premonitions run true, he is all but undefeatable, proof against bullet and bolt, blade and bombardment. However, should his self-wrought prophecies fade, or turn false, he will surely be doomed to ignominious defeat.
Scrier's Gaze - The diviner can see the battlefield clearly in his mind's eye, with the vantage point of a hunting hawk and the precision of a laser. The to and fro of armies and war machines is but the scurrying of ants beneath his omniscient gaze. Thus can the diviner direct exactly when and where they are most needed, leaving no clue behind as to how this trickery was achieved.

Pyromancy Discipline[]

A pyromancer is a master of fire and flame, a psyker who is able to create searing infernos out of thin air. Pyromancy is one of the most spectacular and destructive forms of psychic ability, and those who face a pyromancer in combat are oft reduced to nought but a pile of charred bones.

Flame Breath - A torrent of psychically-generated flames pour forth from the psyker's eyes and mouth, engulfing the target.
Fiery Form - Bullets and shells pass straight through the pyromancer as he transforms into an incandescent being of living Warpfire, striking out at his foes and setting their souls ablaze.
Fire Shield - With a sweep of his arms the psyker throws up a towering wall of flame to protect his allies.
Spontaneous Combustion - Focussing his anger, the pyromancer can melt or incinerate his foes in a heartbeat. Yet when his rage boils over, the unfortunate victim's body explodes in a blast of ash and roaring flame. Who can say how many will fall victim to his wrath before it is sated?
Sunburst - The psyker sings a wild song whose notes were old when the universe was young. As he does so, an incandescent aura appears about him, growing ever brighter and hotter with every refrain. Only when the song is ended does the aura explode, discharging its pent-up fury in a blinding, supernoval flash.
Molten Beam - The pyromancer claps his hands together and turns them outward towards the foe. As he does so, a white-hot beam of blazing energy bursts from his palms. It melts armour to slag and vaporises flesh, leaving only ghastly shadows in its wake.

Telekinesis Discipline[]

Telekines are able to manipulate the material world with the power of their minds, translating sheer mental power into physical force. These psykers can lash their foes with psychic energy, erect invisible force shields to protect themselves and even rend apart the fabric of reality.

Assail - Using nothing but the power of his mind, the psyker tears a boulder or rock from the ground and hurls it at the foe.
Crush - By reaching out his arm and clenching his fist, the psyker entraps his foe in a choking and crushing mass of psychic force. Gritting his teeth, the psyker continues the assault until flesh, armour and bone alike are ground to powder.
Gate of Infinity - The psyker punches a corridor through the roiling Immaterium, allowing him to cross great distances in the blink of an eye.
Objuration Mechanicum - Weapons jam and engines seize up as the telekine uses his powers to wrench and twist the inner workings at the hearts of nearby machines.
Shockwave - The psyker slams his palms together and the noise is magnified a hundredfold, releasing a shockwave that snaps bones and knocks foes off their feet.
Telekine Dome - Bullets bounce off of thin air and are deflected alarmingly towards friendly forces as the psyker erects a barrier of shimmering psychic energy about himself.
Vortex of Doom - The telekine opens a tear between the material realm and the howling destruction of the Warp, unleashing energies that utterly consume his foes.

Unit Composition[]

3-9 Wyrdvane Psykers

Wargear[]

Flak Armour
Laspistol
Wyrdvane Stave
Chimera or Taurox as dedicated transport

Sources[]

Codex: Astra Militarum (8th Edition), pp. 70, 101
Codex: Astra Militarum (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Wyrdvane Psykers," "Elites-Wyrdvane Psykers"
Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook (6th Edition), pp. 418-422