deusvult9

The proposed Adeptus Mechanicus sub-mod for Ultimate Apocalypse, tentatively named Forgeworlds at War, incorporates many new units that have various sources of inspiration. I have drawn from GW codices, novels, wiki entries, fan-made models and art, and even just general faction descriptions. Below is a list of squads with descriptions and brief explanations of their sources or inspiration.

~~~Units that are explicitly detailed in official sources

Magos Explorator
Tech-Priest Dominus
Skitarii
Vanguard
Rangers
Ruststalkers
Infiltrators
Dragoon
Ballistarius
Onager
Kataphron Breachers
Kataphron Destroyers
Fulgurite Electro-Priests
Corpuscarii Electro-Priests
Kastelan Robots
Avenger Strike Fighter
Knight Errant
Knight Paladin
Knight Warden
Knight Gallant
Knight Crusader
Warhound
Reaver
Princeps Alpha (Warlord)

~~~Units that have been mentioned somewhere at least semi-official

Skitarii Alpha-Primus
Skitarii officer typically in charge of a contingent of any size from a single Cohort to a Planetary Defense Force. Although their level of autonomy is subject to their commanding tech-priest's will, they serve as the tactical field command and data-hub for the contigent, able to parse all information in real-time and integrate it into the battle-plan while issuing orders via wireless lingua-technis.

Myrmidon Tribune
Lower-middle Myrmidon officer. The Auxilia Myrmidon is a priestly order rather than a strictly military one, so ranks have religious significance as well. I'm including the 3 lowest ranks only to keep down on the clutter and because, apparently higher ranks are quite rare and large detatchments of Myrmidons are uncommon.

Fabricator Minoris
Low-ranking tech-priest ordained in, you guessed it, fabrication. Assisted in his work by the typical servitors.

War Savant Siege Engineer
Also a Myrmidon but ordained in the construction of field fortifications... and their demolition. Secondary builder unit.

Forge Sentinel Auxiliary
Basically a menial with a gun. They would typically be deployed anywhere the Tech-Priests felt Skitarii would be a waste. Might possess some minor augmentation but not enough to be considered a cybernetic unit.

Praetorian Heraklii
Praetorian Polemistii
Praetorians are large servitors based on Ogryns or specially vat-grown specimens. Very powerful and equipped with the heaviest servitor weaponry. The Heraklii are ranged specialised. The Polemistii are melee oriented and were originally named Pugnators based on a brief novel mention, but alongside Heraklii I opted for another bit of laticized Greek to match.

Velox-Pattern Servitors
Melee servitors built for speed. In the mod they'll also stealth.

Medicae-Caladrius
Originally just Medicae, but the IG has that unit already and I wanted to get some of the Roman mythological creatures in there somewhere. Will probably look vaguely avian to match.

Techsorcist
Tech-priest ordained in the mysteries of the Warp and how to counter them. The order was founded after a warpstorm opened a rift close enough to a forgeworld for them to suffer regular daemonic incursions. Anti-daemon technologies and methods became a hot study topic.

Stasis Clerk
Based off a single named mention, so I don't know what the lore is, but in the mod they have numerous stasis-related abilities. I had originally planned for a whole line-up of these specialist priests rather than just two, but the Logi are already taken by the IDH and I'm still mulling over the feasibility of a Genetor. As I read through more of the books maybe something will jump out at me.

Acuitor Mech-Assassin
Hidden Calixian order of assassins that operate chiefly via mechanical hijacking or failure.

Barque
A Mechanicus transport shuttle.

~~~Units that are based on vague non-specific references or a game-based need (i.e. I made them up)

Artisan Adept
Middle-rank tech-priest of the Artisan Order. Is quite skilled and is assisted by the very best help the Mechanicus can offer. Also a secondary builder. I felt that if any faction deserved multiple heavy builders it's this one. The two will offer different bonuses for their use as well as abilities fitting their specialties.

Arma-Types
Basic gun servitor, but that name is taken so I added the Latin, err, High Gothic for weapon

Cacula
While not mentioned by any specific names, they often describe support servitors or skulls lugging around ammo, spare parts, or whatever. That's these little guys.

Myrmidon Secutors - Bellatores
Myrmidon Secutors - Telumarii
Well, the Secutors are a thing for sure but I wanted to give them some variety similar to their 30K versions. So the Bellatores practice close quarters doctrine while the Telumarii seek to embody long-ranged annhilation. While not strictly split on melee/ranged lines, in practice that's probably how they're best used. Centurii are technically in command of platoons but here I've made them squad leaders.

Myrmidon Magnatechnis
Some of the more dedicated and eccentric tech-priests are often described as undergoing obscene levels of augmentation seen as excessive even amongst their kind. These guys are those for the Myrmidons; they have become massive shambling hulks outfitted with massive armaments and defenses to overcome whatever situation they feel they will encounter. I borrowed the idea for them from a pre-codex fan-made army model; it was originally a regular Magos Militaris but I felt it would fit better in the Auxilia Myrmidon.

Gun Skiff
A gun ship basically. None of the other Imperial factions employ a dedicated gunship, so I've always felt it was missing and I didn't want to have to borrow units to fill out the aircraft roster.

~~Ordo Reductor~~
Alright, here's where I took the biggest liberties; I made all of these from very little to not-quite-scratch. The only unique unit provided to them in the 30K lore is the Thallaxi shock-troops. Otherwise they are seconded a list of Army and SM tanks and artillery but have nothing unique despite several mentions of specialist siege-engines that are above and beyond anything else. Realizing that Reductor-manned Basilisks and Whirlwinds would be boring and repetitive, I took into account several things when conceptualizing a list for them: at the time of the 13th Black Crusade their engines are said to be unparallelled, coveted, unique, and in great demand; during the Great Crusade, while any raids or standard engagements on the Reductor's part were handled by the Thallaxi, the Magi Reductor themselves took direct part in sieges wherever possible in which they prided themselves as having no better and few equals perhaps among the Primarchs; due to the Ordo's majority loyalty and their relative autonomy during the Horus Heresy, they have retained a great deal of superior archaic weapon technologies (and have since guarded them jealously); and perhaps most telling, the Ordo Reductor is described as being comprised of forgeworld outcasts who were "either dangerously heretical in their leanings or overly-independent and perhaps psychologically unstable." So put it all together and these are the engines a bunch of near-unhinged technotheistic siege junkies might have come up with.

Venator
A multi-purpose stalker. (lat. hunter)

Siphonarius
A flamer/alchym stalker (laticized greek, flamethrower; yup, the greeks had flamethrowers, look it up)

Arco-balista
Manned vehicle armed with a variant of the lightning cannon. (from lat. arcubalista: crossbow)

Falcataex
Manned vehicle armed with array of volkite weaponry. Main weapon can be charged for an effect similar to the volkite carronade. (lat. scythe or one who scythes)

Fragorator
Manned vehicle armed with either a plasma mortar or a grav-flux mortar. (lat. thunderer)

Obicus Colossus
Manned vehicle firing large explosive shells akin to the Bombard. (I reverse derived Obicus from the etymology of the english word howitzer. It began in czech haufnice, then was adopted by german haubnitze, then dutch howitzer, and the english took it from there. However the french adopted it as obusier and then the italians as obice from whence we have high gothic obicus)

Vastator
Manned melee vehicle with gravitic ram. Moves slowly and requires setup for firing weapon very short range making them only any good for buildings or anything too stupid to get out of the way. (lat. one who lays waste [to])

Dromon Reductor
Titanic aircraft. The Big Papa of gunships. The one you call when a world need be scoured. Remember the siege-breaking psychopaths? This is their baby and their diva. The hand of the Machine God bestowing blessed ruination upon his myriad unfathomable wonders. Okay, I'm just having fun now, but seriously, it's a large gunship with an armament and ability set designed to level battlefields from the air. A Reductor Covenant is nomadic in nature and travels the galaxy in ships known as galleases, so in keeping with the archaic naval scheme I gave these much smaller, atmosphere capable craft the designation dromon.