Space Marine Scout
Forget all your preconceptions of war, of battle-lines clashing in the churned ground. Your mission is to attack before the foe even realises that the war has begun, to strike hard at those vital weaknesses that all armies possess, but that no commander will admit to. Under my tutelage you will learn how to seek out such fragilities and smite them with every weapon at your disposal. Master these duties and I will have nothing more to teach, and you will truly be a Space Marine.
Scouts are the new recruits of a Space Marine chapter who have advanced far enough in the early stages of their training and biological transformation to take part in battle with the rest of the Chapter.
More lightly armed and armoured than full Battle brothers, their role is to range ahead of the main Space Marine force, preparing the way for the main advance by infiltrating enemy lines, sabotaging and gathering intelligence — causing as much chaos and disruption as possible.[1a][2]
Contents
Training and Deployment
Every Marine belonging to a Codex chapter begins his combat life as a Scout. Over a period of several months, under the tutelage of a Sergeant, the Scout learns the use of all the weapons at the disposal of the Adeptus Astartes, and becomes skilled at every aspect of war[1a].
As part of a Scout Squad, a Scout enters combat for the first time as a skirmisher or infiltrator. Relying on stealth rather than brute force, Scouts slip behind enemy lines, gather intelligence, destroy strategic targets, and capture or assassinate key enemy commanders, then fade away before the enemy has had a chance to react[1a]. Because of their speed and stealth, Scout Squads are often assigned to boarding actions against Tyranid Hive Ships or search-and-destroy missions against key synapse creatures that direct the rest of the Hive Mind. For these missions, their armament often includes Heavy Bolters loaded with Hellfire rounds[1a]. During the final stage of their training, Scouts are trained in the use of Bikes, performing a faster-moving version of the reconnaissance and skirmish roles they fulfill on foot[1b].
Off the battlefield, the scouts train and learn under the tutelage of a veteran Sergeant, taking to heart the lessons and skills that will one day see them elevated to the rank of a full battle brother. A Scout receives his final implant, the Black Carapace, when he is deemed ready to join the Chapter as a full Battle-Brother — the implant marks him as a full Marine and allows him to interface with his suit of power armour[Needs Citation].
Chapter Variations
As set out in the Codex Astartes, neophyte Marines are to be organised into the chapter's 10th Company, composed entirely of Scouts[1a][1d]. However some chapters ignore these teachings. The Wolf Scouts of the Space Wolves, for example, are not neophytes, but instead experienced battle brothers who are loners by temperament, unsuited for the camraderie typical to a Wolf Pack[3]
Likewise, the Black Templars have no specific company for scouts. Instead, each neophyte is apprenticed to a full Battle-brother (known as an Initiate) and accompanies his squad into combat.[Needs Citation]
Equipment
Scouts are fitted with Scout Armour, a type of carapace armour which protects most of their body with rigid plates, but is lighter and less confining that a full suit of power armour[1e]. Scouts also frequently wear Camo Cloaks, which enable them to imitate almost any terrain[1f].
A Scout squad will be equipped according to its designated tactical role, although ordinarily the entire squad will carry bolt pistols and frag and krak grenades, and at least one member will carry an auspex for information gathering[Needs Citation]. Those who fight alongside Tactical squads will likely be armed with bolters or shotguns. Scout squads specialising in close combat will instead be equipped with combat knives. Scouts serving as long-range fire support carry sniper rifles, missile launchers, and/or heavy bolters[1g]. They may be equipped with combat webbing in order to effectively carry their gear, and may also carry specialised or exotic equipment like grapnels or grav chutes[Needs Citation].
Space Wolves employ Wolf Scout squads instead; as they are veterans, rather than neophytes, they are trained in a wider array of weaponry and so may be found carrying alternative equipment to the scouts of more codex-compliant chapters.
Scout bike squads are frequently equipped with cluster mines, grenade launchers, and a locator beacon[1b].
Noteworthy Scouts
- Cyrus of the Blood Ravens
- Naaman of the Dark Angels
- Torias Telion of the Ultramarines
- Oberdeii of the Ultramarines
Images
Scouts with Sniper Rifles (5th Edition)
Scout Bike (5th edition)
Scouts (4th Edition)
Scout Bikes (3rd edition)
Scouts with Sniper Rifles (2nd Edition)[7]
Scouts (2nd Edition)[6]
Scout (1st Edition)
Scout (1st Edition)
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition)
- 2: Codex: Ultramarines, [Needs Citation]
- 3: Codex: Space Wolves (5th Edition), pg. 27
- 4: Imperial Armour Volume Eight - Raid on Kastorel-Novem, pg. 106
- 5: White Dwarf 132 (UK), pg. 35
- 6: Solegends.com (last accessed 10/14/2020)
- 7: Solegends.com (last accessed 10/14/2020)
Uncited
 |
- Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition), pg. 11, paragraph 4
