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So I've been wanting to use Defiance game's soon to be released Hardsuits as a count as space marine army with IG fluff. Basically, in the fluff, my regiment finds a damaged STC with too many holes that the Ad mech does not care about it; however due to their recent activity with the Tau(my regiment is also seconded to a radical Inquisitor), the Tau awarded them with assistance by using their advanced technology to fill in the holes using their mech suit techology, essentially recreating a near perfect production model of the hardsuit. The entire regiment is then mounted in the hardsuits and only keeps the STC to themselves and the Inquisition.

So is the fluff viable? If not, then what are some ways to justify it?

I think it's a cool idea, but I'd find a different way to work in the STC bit, if only because the Mechanicus wouldn't just let a non-functioning STC go. Hell, they send FLEETS after rumors of STC tech, so to say that it's just not up to their standards would be sorta wrong.

I like the idea as a whole though. Would be cool to have power-armored Guard walking around kicking ass. Then again, too, you'll need to find vehicles for them...unless Russes are still viable with the troops being set in power armor.

 Frankenberry wrote:
I think it's a cool idea, but I'd find a different way to work in the STC bit, if only because the Mechanicus wouldn't just let a non-functioning STC go. Hell, they send FLEETS after rumors of STC tech, so to say that it's just not up to their standards would be sorta wrong.

I like the idea as a whole though. Would be cool to have power-armored Guard walking around kicking ass. Then again, too, you'll need to find vehicles for them...unless Russes are still viable with the troops being set in power armor.

I just got an awesome idea for a vehicle, basically convert a Valkyrie Sky Talon so that its hold a giant metal box under it with doors with its giant suction cups and I can use that as a count as Storm Raven(the hardsuits are being transported inside the box);

but as for the ad mech conflict with the STCs, any advice on how I can fix that?

The Ad Mech worship knowledge and technology. Even a single line of corrupted code is a sacred artifact for them so the chance of them them ignoring even a broken STC blueprint is non-existent.

One thing that I would suggest is your IG come from some kind of planet with widespread industry like mining or space construction where hard suits and powered exoskeletons might make sense.

If you want to throw in the Tau, you could say that your IG are from a lost colony world (not uncommon) just coming back into space aged technology after a long dark age. The Tau "help them out" by bootstrapping their technology base etc (including upgrading their mech/suit technology) and they become a member planet of the Empire.

Apart from what has been mentioned about the Adeptus Mechanicus, there's also the little thingie about the Imperial Guard simply not fielding non-standardised vehicles. At all. Because getting spare parts for anything but the most common patterns is not going to happen when you're on deployment thousands of light years away. What you have here might - might - work for a PDF, if you're willing to stretch the fluff quite a bit and don't care for the rather clear distinction between the Imperium's fighting forces (powered armour is a rather characteristic trait) ...

... then again, there is no "canon" in 40k, so I suppose the only solution for you would be to simply dismiss any and all fluff that could throw a wench into your idea. How close we stick to which source is a decision that each and every gamer has to make for him- or herself.

 Lynata wrote:
Apart from what has been mentioned about the Adeptus Mechanicus, there's also the little thingie about the Imperial Guard simply not fielding non-standardised vehicles. At all. Because getting spare parts for anything but the most common patterns is not going to happen when you're on deployment thousands of light years away. What you have here might - might - work for a PDF, if you're willing to stretch the fluff quite a bit and don't care for the rather clear distinction between the Imperium's fighting forces (powered armour is a rather characteristic trait) ...

... then again, there is no "canon" in 40k, so I suppose the only solution for you would be to simply dismiss any and all fluff that could throw a wench into your idea. How close we stick to which source is a decision that each and every gamer has to make for him- or herself.

The Vostroyans maintain a supply line to their forces in the field no matter where they go. Granted that this is the exception rather than the rule, it is not impossible for fresh reinforcements/supplies to be sent from an armies home planet(s).

 Lynata wrote:
Apart from what has been mentioned about the Adeptus Mechanicus, there's also the little thingie about the Imperial Guard simply not fielding non-standardised vehicles. At all. Because getting spare parts for anything but the most common patterns is not going to happen when you're on deployment thousands of light years away. What you have here might - might - work for a PDF, if you're willing to stretch the fluff quite a bit and don't care for the rather clear distinction between the Imperium's fighting forces (powered armour is a rather characteristic trait) ...

... then again, there is no "canon" in 40k, so I suppose the only solution for you would be to simply dismiss any and all fluff that could throw a wench into your idea. How close we stick to which source is a decision that each and every gamer has to make for him- or herself.

My regiment is seconded to the Inquisition and plans to go the way of the Vostroyans and be willing to put up with difficulties of transporting fresh supplies. However, the ships only supply the parts for the hardsuits, the pilots will be recruited from worlds that the regiment happens to come by(and will be trained as well), in addition, all other vehicles will be standard such as Chimeras, Valkyries, sentinels, etc

There are other ways you can do fluff for a hardsuit.

For example, their homeworld is an oxygen-less moon valuable for mining, where the population live in shielded atmosphere domes/underground in atmosphere bubbles. Surface mining requires pressurized mining suits. The PDF who protect the mining teams have modified mining suits for defence. Thus, Guard regiments raised from the planet use these suits and specialise in hazardous environments.

You don't need Tau to get void-armour...

I think it's a bit too 'special snowflake' and I think you'd be better off running it as SM (or something, I don't know the scale of these models. Maybe Deathwing?) and saying they're an experimental force either attached to the Admech or the Inquisition.

SilverMK2 wrote:The Vostroyans maintain a supply line to their forces in the field no matter where they go.

They send reinforcements to the regiments - that's not a proper supply line. It doesn't matter if a regiment is a few hundred or thousand man above or below strength, as long as the men who are there can fight. Having or not having required spare parts and ammunition is another matter entirely.

PresidentOfAsia wrote:My regiment is seconded to the Inquisition and plans to go the way of the Vostroyans and be willing to put up with difficulties of transporting fresh supplies. However, the ships only supply the parts for the hardsuits, the pilots will be recruited from worlds that the regiment happens to come by(and will be trained as well), in addition, all other vehicles will be standard such as Chimeras, Valkyries, sentinels, etc

Well, if you are deviating from the studio material's line on standardised equipment, there is really no reason to enforce all the other stuff. When they get their own suits, they can just as well bring their own vehicles and pilots as well.

The Inquisition idea on the other hand may be somewhat promising. You could possibly make it so that it's not even just this one regiment that is seconded to the Inquisition's service, but that the world in question is bound by ancient decree to send such regiments into Inquisitorial service - this way, your regiment would actually be a somewhat standard formation rather than being an oddity even on its own world.

It doesn't mitigate the "special snowflake" stigma at all, but I'm sure you are aware of that.

ArbitorIan wrote:For example, their homeworld is an oxygen-less moon valuable for mining, where the population live in shielded atmosphere domes/underground in atmosphere bubbles. Surface mining requires pressurized mining suits. The PDF who protect the mining teams have modified mining suits for defence. Thus, Guard regiments raised from the planet use these suits and specialise in hazardous environments.

The first half is actually a rather cool idea. That said, I don't think it would actually show on the table. Perhaps I'm just being way too picky about this sort of stuff, but if you go about an uberspecial regiment meant to deploy on volcanic or acidic worlds ... and then each and every battle you're still just fighting on grass plains? Meh.

 Lynata wrote:

SilverMK2 wrote:The Vostroyans maintain a supply line to their forces in the field no matter where they go.

They send reinforcements to the regiments - that's not a proper supply line. It doesn't matter if a regiment is a few hundred or thousand man above or below strength, as long as the men who are there can fight. Having or not having required spare parts and ammunition is another matter entirely.

PresidentOfAsia wrote:My regiment is seconded to the Inquisition and plans to go the way of the Vostroyans and be willing to put up with difficulties of transporting fresh supplies. However, the ships only supply the parts for the hardsuits, the pilots will be recruited from worlds that the regiment happens to come by(and will be trained as well), in addition, all other vehicles will be standard such as Chimeras, Valkyries, sentinels, etc

Well, if you are deviating from the studio material's line on standardised equipment, there is really no reason to enforce all the other stuff. When they get their own suits, they can just as well bring their own vehicles and pilots as well.

The Inquisition idea on the other hand may be somewhat promising. You could possibly make it so that it's not even just this one regiment that is seconded to the Inquisition's service, but that the world in question is bound by ancient decree to send such regiments into Inquisitorial service - this way, your regiment would actually be a somewhat standard formation rather than being an oddity even on its own world.

It doesn't mitigate the "special snowflake" stigma at all, but I'm sure you are aware of that.

ArbitorIan wrote:For example, their homeworld is an oxygen-less moon valuable for mining, where the population live in shielded atmosphere domes/underground in atmosphere bubbles. Surface mining requires pressurized mining suits. The PDF who protect the mining teams have modified mining suits for defence. Thus, Guard regiments raised from the planet use these suits and specialise in hazardous environments.

The first half is actually a rather cool idea. That said, I don't think it would actually show on the table. Perhaps I'm just being way too picky about this sort of stuff, but if you go about an uberspecial regiment meant to deploy on volcanic or acidic worlds ... and then each and every battle you're still just fighting on grass plains? Meh.

Base them on a resin lava base or Swamp base and you just solved your problem

on the other hand, I like all of your guy's fluff suggestions would certainly take them into account

btw, these models are going to be on 40mm basing so I'm thinking deathwing, draigowing(or grey knight termie army wing) and loganwing

What if the inquisitor was from a noble house, and he splurged and got his house-guard exo-suits. Or there's some kind of tradition with his house guard that the exo-suits are like medieval armor, passed down from father to son down the ages.

My reccomendation is that you have your army be an independent faction thats simply using Space Marine rules. They are their own independent planet/organization of planets.


Because if the Ad mech found something like this they would be all over it. They would use existing technology to plug in the holes. Yes, the Ad Mech would do this. It might take a thousand years but it would eventually happen.

Here's a scenario for you. The STC for the suits was discovered by a Forge World hostile to the Space Marines due to their "hoarding" of certain STC's like the Baal Predator. Refusing to share the technology with the Space Marines, they instead passed it to Imperial Guard regiments from x world nearby. This was to closely monitor the new techology's progress and capabilities in the field and they're using the Guardsmen more or less as guinea pigs.

Cool model I can see why you want to use it.

Any reson why they can't be advanced Skittari/Pretorians direct from a Forgeworld ?

So IG with Sister allies? That way its actuslly a human in the suit. Or are you going to use marine allies since the suit will increase their S T and I?

 ObliviousBlueCaboose wrote:
So IG with Sister allies? That way its actuslly a human in the suit. Or are you going to use marine allies since the suit will increase their S T and I?

Since its based on a 40mm base, I'm probably going have to go with Space marine terminators(through some sort of termie wing from a codex); maybe some justification for nemisis force weapons if I use the Grey Knights codex is that that its carrying some sort of emp enhanced vibroblade that causes the all organs in the body to stop functioning or somthing

also, the weapon options look almost identical
Chaingun-assault cannon


Grenade Launcher- stormbolter


flame thrower-heavy flamer

 Mr Morden wrote:
Cool model I can see why you want to use it.

Any reson why they can't be advanced Skittari/Pretorians direct from a Forgeworld ?

I prefer to keep it IG so that they can go with my IG fluff but at the same time, I can definitely do an ad mech variant, with the obligatory servo arm and sensors and a black and red color scheme with ad mech heraldry all over it; will make a great tech marine!

Best part is that everything is going to be in plastic; 8 for $30

 Harriticus wrote:
Here's a scenario for you. The STC for the suits was discovered by a Forge World hostile to the Space Marines due to their "hoarding" of certain STC's like the Baal Predator. Refusing to share the technology with the Space Marines, they instead passed it to Imperial Guard regiments from x world nearby. This was to closely monitor the new techology's progress and capabilities in the field and they're using the Guardsmen more or less as guinea pigs.

Only a few chapters are on the wrong side of the Ad Mech. Others are really cozy with the Ad mech(like the Iron Hands)


If they arn't going to give STC technology to Space Marines, they certaintly arn't going to give it to the IG. They would keep it for themselves and arm the Skittarii with them.

I reccomend you either by an Ad Mech force or a non-imperial faction that Count's As space marines.

 Grey Templar wrote:

 Harriticus wrote:
Here's a scenario for you. The STC for the suits was discovered by a Forge World hostile to the Space Marines due to their "hoarding" of certain STC's like the Baal Predator. Refusing to share the technology with the Space Marines, they instead passed it to Imperial Guard regiments from x world nearby. This was to closely monitor the new techology's progress and capabilities in the field and they're using the Guardsmen more or less as guinea pigs.

Only a few chapters are on the wrong side of the Ad Mech. Others are really cozy with the Ad mech(like the Iron Hands)


If they arn't going to give STC technology to Space Marines, they certaintly arn't going to give it to the IG. They would keep it for themselves and arm the Skittarii with them.

I reccomend you either by an Ad Mech force or a non-imperial faction that Count's As space marines.

I'm going with the modified mining void suits idea with the help of the inquisition

Why not just call them Skiitarii? The Mechanicus wouldn't restrict access to wacky military hardsuits if they were giving them to their own IG regiments...

 AnomanderRake wrote:
Why not just call them Skiitarii? The Mechanicus wouldn't restrict access to wacky military hardsuits if they were giving them to their own IG regiments...

Not really into the whole machine worshipping cyber monks in space that is the Ad Mech despite being a cyber punk fan

PresidentOfAsia wrote:

 AnomanderRake wrote:
Why not just call them Skiitarii? The Mechanicus wouldn't restrict access to wacky military hardsuits if they were giving them to their own IG regiments...

Not really into the whole machine worshipping cyber monks in space that is the Ad Mech despite being a cyber punk fan

MONKSSSS IIN SPAAACE!!!!! Sounds like space marines.

If you have them in a smaller number and under the command of an Inquisitor or something, I think that the idea's pretty good, any larger and it starts to get a little iffy.

A different take could always be you're running a 20/25k "count as space marine" army lost in the warp. Those suits look like a suitable "pre terminator" design of armor from the first Human Imperium, before the dark age, and the before the new IoM of the Emperor and his great crusade...