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Question related to fiction I'm writing: is there any evidence in fluff that the Imperium has people other than tech-priests who know how to maintain vehicles?

Because it seems to me that all this maintenance is entirely too much work for just the tech-priests and their servitors. Surely the average army has some grease monkeys who know how to take a vox system apart or replace electrical fuses?

I myself am curious if tank crews also help to maintain their vehicles out of combat, things like replacing wheels and tracks and bore sighting the gun.

I don't' have any citations, but I'd guess that tank crews, and dedicated maintenance platoons, would be able to do nearly all of the work with most equipment. Field maintenance is too common and routine for techpriests to be involved.

If nothing else, traitors and genestealer cultists keep tanks running, and we can assume that the techpriests don't all rebel with the boys.

 Polonius wrote:
I don't' have any citations, but I'd guess that tank crews, and dedicated maintenance platoons, would be able to do nearly all of the work with most equipment. Field maintenance is too common and routine for techpriests to be involved.

If nothing else, traitors and genestealer cultists keep tanks running, and we can assume that the techpriests don't all rebel with the boys.

Yeah swapping a drive wheel, replacing tracks, repainting the hull or other basic jobs are more crew side work that can be done by less specifically trained groups. That's more running field repair work and every day keeping the tank in working order.

If it comes to more advanced like engine work, vox systems and replacing larger more complex parts that are not running repairs.
Then techpreist/enginserr jobs.

Tech-priest handle anything software related - or at least I think thats how it works. Instead of computers or ai, they get brains and stick it into a machine, and that powers its software.
All the machine spirit stuff is just appeasing the still thinking part of the brain to do what they need it to.

All hardware stuff can be done by regular people.

Exactly.
Anything which can be handled by unbolting one bit, and fitting another, with nothing more than spanners and jacks, and no real understanding beyond follow the manual, gets done by the crew.

Actually fixing a broken system, or dealing with software, or adapting a system to do something outside specs, needs the enginseer.

Jokaero are also capable of fixing vehicles.

A lot of the Imperium have general mechanics, a good example is a couple of duders from Gaunt's Ghost use to service vechiles and wood cutting machinery before enlisting.

The mechanicum generally has the Know how on how to build machinery, but it isn't totally exclusive to them

Simple maintenance things like refilling oil or fixing a tire can be done by the crew. Vehicle crews usually get some training from the AdMech to be able to do this with the proper rituals.
Anything remotely complicated has to be done by a full-fledged member of the AdMech. Tinkering with technology without being an AdMech member is heresy.

No one has said Tech-Marines either. But I guess that is a similar thing.

I think as other people have said, swapping out parts couldn't be that hard, especially utilising specialist servitors.

Maintaining basic parts would probably go to the tank crew.

I think it would be more about Tech Priests/marines not allowing others to conduct big repairs due to their reverence of the machine.

Mechanics within the Astra Militarum and across the imperium undoubtedly contribute, but for serious repairs and issues of machine-spirits, it falls to the tech priests.

Tank crews are trained for basic repair and upkeep of their vehicles. FOr instance, repairing a thrown track/replacing a tire, changing the oil of the engine or other minor fixes.

But should you need to say repair the gun targeting system? Tech Priest
Remove and replace the entire engine? Tech priest
Repair the Transmission system? Tech Priest
Baneblade acting funny? Tech Priest


The involvement of the Mechanicus goes way up when you start entering into the larger and older machines. If your Leman Russ is acting up, you will get a single priest or your might fix it yourself. But if its the mighty Baneblade or its variants. THen a whole team will swarm over the machine and tend to its needs, hell Baneblade's have a dedicated Priest as part of the Baneblade's Crew.

As the machines get bigger and older, the more priests appear. Until you end up at machines the Mechanicus own and operate themselves such as Titans. Obviously a Titans crew isn't gonna fix ANYTHING onboard their massive machine. A Knight's pilot is unlikely to know much if anything on how to repair their machine.

 Engine of War wrote:
Tank crews are trained for basic repair and upkeep of their vehicles. FOr instance, repairing a thrown track/replacing a tire, changing the oil of the engine or other minor fixes.

But should you need to say repair the gun targeting system? Tech Priest
Remove and replace the entire engine? Tech priest
Repair the Transmission system? Tech Priest
Baneblade acting funny? Tech Priest


The involvement of the Mechanicus goes way up when you start entering into the larger and older machines. If your Leman Russ is acting up, you will get a single priest or your might fix it yourself. But if its the mighty Baneblade or its variants. THen a whole team will swarm over the machine and tend to its needs, hell Baneblade's have a dedicated Priest as part of the Baneblade's Crew.

As the machines get bigger and older, the more priests appear. Until you end up at machines the Mechanicus own and operate themselves such as Titans. Obviously a Titans crew isn't gonna fix ANYTHING onboard their massive machine. A Knight's pilot is unlikely to know much if anything on how to repair their machine.

Yeah.. A Leman Russ, chimera, or such if ots a track or such its a crew job, your truck got a flat, crew.

Aircraft though are more likely to a be a techpriest.

Baneblade, even if you could change a track there just getting too heavy duty and large.
The parts are simply too heavy, too big to work on for normal non augmented crews.

A leman rusd track a human could work with but blame blade tracks are 2-3 times the size and wright.

-Guardsman- wrote:
Question related to fiction I'm writing: is there any evidence in fluff that the Imperium has people other than tech-priests who know how to maintain vehicles?

Because it seems to me that all this maintenance is entirely too much work for just the tech-priests and their servitors. Surely the average army has some grease monkeys who know how to take a vox system apart or replace electrical fuses?

Guardsmen do basic maintenance and upkeep on their mounts. But highly technical stuff is the area where the techpriests come into the picture.

Imperial Armor Volume 1 describes Departmento Munitorum field workshops, where battle damage is repaired and mechanical problems are addressed. These workshops are attended by Mechanicus advisors to handle serious issues and keep an eye on things, but are staffed by the Munitorum.

These field workshops are also where several variant tank patterns got their start, when supply shortages or necessity required jury-rigging or non-STC replacement weapons to be fitted.

Probably best to go by the rule of thumb; If you can do it with the tools you find in your garage so too can the IG.

The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer has basic maintenance routines in its pages.

The Cain books reference lay-members of the Mechanics, or people who have some training but aren't fully fledged members of the cult. Similarly references to artisans who can do plumbing and construction and stuff but not necessarily the super hardcore engineering.

 Flinty wrote:
The Cain books reference lay-members of the Mechanics, or people who have some training but aren't fully fledged members of the cult. Similarly references to artisans who can do plumbing and construction and stuff but not necessarily the super hardcore engineering.

Yeah. Its like jobs you can do yourself in garage vs a mechanic required,

In the Guard 5th edition codex (I think), there was a bit of fluff that stated that Enginseers got really upset when the tank crews fixed their tank. Instead of the Enginseer rubbing oil and smoking it with incense.

-Guardsman- wrote:
Question related to fiction I'm writing: is there any evidence in fluff that the Imperium has people other than tech-priests who know how to maintain vehicles?

Because it seems to me that all this maintenance is entirely too much work for just the tech-priests and their servitors. Surely the average army has some grease monkeys who know how to take a vox system apart or replace electrical fuses?

sure there are all sorts of people who can fix vehicles and equipment. But they all take the same reverence as techpriests. Saying chants, applying oils, while doing prayers. Tech priests teach others how to perform said maintenance.

If I am remembering correctly, in Titanicus the Leman Russ Vanquisher Crew that a portion of the story follows has a dedicated tech adept of the Mechanicum as a dedicated member of their crew. He wasn't just a mechanic either, he had solar panels coming out of his body to recharge inorganic components, and was able to interface with an acquired vehicle with his mechadentrites. Of course they were PDF on a Forge World but still you think PDF tanks would be on the lower end of the supply line for "every tank gets a priest" deal if it was rare.

Perhaps also there is a difference between tech priest and engineseer? Like are engineseers basically just mechanics? Cause that might be able to explain every MBT getting one?

The BA found the stc Baal variant of the predator and super charge their engines and wont tell anyone else. The Tech priests got kinda gacky over that.

You impertinent guardsmen!

Only with the proper application of Adeptus Mechanicus rites can field repairs be applied!

Indeed, without such rites a machinespirit is liable to be dissatisfied and allow itself to drop components!

Now leave me in peace to rebolt your transport's armor plates.

*shaply intakes breath*
"Cowboys!"
*shakes head*
*humms*
"Righty tighty
Lefty loosey
Righty tighty
Lefty loosey"
*humms*
Now for the rite of sealing
*applies the ball of his fist to solidly pound the panel two times over*
"Good as new".