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Imperium of Man · Unit

Tempestus Scions

Storm troopers raised from childhood by the Schola Progenium, the finest unaugmented human soldiers in the Imperium.

Astra Militarum

Category
Elites
Faction
Astra Militarum
Related characters
1

Illustrated by Jakub Palmowski (“Epsilic Eagles Scion”, used with permission) · Additional gallery art by Jakub Palmowski (“Epsilic Eagles Scion (Plate 2)”), Jakub Palmowski (“Epsilic Eagles Scion (Plate 3)”) (used with permission)

Lore & origins

Tempestus Scions, often called Storm Troopers, are among the best unaugmented soldiers in the Imperium. They fight alongside the Astra Militarum and the Inquisition, but officially belong to the Militarum Tempestus, a branch of the Adeptus Administratum. Unlike ordinary Guardsmen, they are not raised by planetary tithe. They come from the orphans of the Schola Progenium, the same institution that trains commissars, and they are drilled in war from childhood.

Their training at the Ordo Tempestus makes them experts in special operations. They learn to use advanced wargear such as targeters and grav-chutes, and they are taught the rites that keep their gear's machine spirits content. Scion regiments are deployed sparingly, sent where a mission must not fail: assassinating enemy commanders, seizing objectives behind the lines or securing important people and artefacts.

Because they have no home world, Scions have no loyalty except to the Emperor and their regiment. That makes them very hard to corrupt, and Imperial commanders trust them with tasks that might strain the loyalty of planetary regiments.

The Militarum Tempestus is the elite of the Astra Militarum. It was formerly known as Storm Troopers and recast as Tempestus Scions in the sixth-edition codex. Recruits are orphans of Imperial servants raised in the Schola Progenium, which means they have no ties to any home world. They are trained into fiercely loyal, disciplined soldiers. Regiments are named after Greek letters and an animal or image, such as the Kappic Eagles or Lambdan Lions. Tempestor Primes lead them, and they report directly to the High Command, or to the Inquisition when seconded to it.

Appearance & wargear

Scions wear carapace armour with enclosed helmets and rebreathers, in regimental colours. Their standard weapon is the hot-shot lasgun, powered by a backpack. Squads carry plasma guns, melta guns, flamers, hot-shot volley guns and grenade launchers, and their Tempestors carry power weapons and command rods. They often deploy from Taurox Prime transports or Valkyries.

Scions wear carapace armour with fully enclosed helmets and rebreathers. They carry hot-shot lasguns, volley guns and laspistols, along with special weapons such as meltaguns, plasma guns and grenade launchers. Each regiment has its own livery.

Weapons & Vehicles

Standard Armament & Combat LoadoutScions wear carapace armour with enclosed helmets and rebreathers, in regimental colours. Their standard weapon is the hot-shot lasgun, powered by a backpack.

Explore all 48 entries in the Weapons & Vehicles armoury.

Battlefield role & tactics

Scions strike precise targets. They can drop from the sky by grav-chute, appear behind enemy lines and use their hot-shot weapons against armoured foes. Commanders use them for deep strikes, assassinations and objective raids, often from Valkyries.

Scions are deep strike shock troops. They deploy by grav-chute from Valkyries, or from Taurox Primes. They hit high-value targets, seize objectives and support Inquisitors. They are excellent for surgical strikes, but they are expensive for their durability and not suited to wars of attrition.

Munitorum & Ordo Xenos Technical Dossier

Classified under Ordo and Departmento Munitorum threat-index protocols as a primary Scions strike precise targets. They can drop from the sky by grav-chute, appear behind enemy lines and use their hot-shot weapons against armoured foes. Commanders use them for deep strikes, assassinations and objective raids, often from Valkyries. asset of Astra Militarum, Tempestus Scions relies on a tightly coupled symbiosis between operator conditioning and primary armament. Field maintenance and biological recovery logs indicate that extended deployment without liturgical recalibration or bio-stasis rest degrades targeting and metabolic stability by less than 4% per solar week—far outperforming standard sector baselines—while post-engagement recovery teams prioritize the immediate extraction of their core wargear, neural/gene-seed components, or machine-spirit memory cores before enemy scavengers can exploit them.

Notable battles & users

  • Inquisitorial operations: Scion units frequently serve as the strike troops of Inquisitors.
  • Taurox Prime raids: many Scion regiments name their Taurox Primes after victories they have won.

Further reading

Lexicanum · Warhammer 40k Wiki