Sometimes, shooting just won’t cut it in Kill Team – which is where the Ruststalkers come in. Capable of closing in on the foe at terrifying speed, you’ll be able to turn entrenched foes into coleslaw in a blitz of their transonic blades… Though it would never even occur to the Ballistarii to boast of such kills, their Tech-priest masters ensure their deadly accuracy is well known across the Imperium.

The most blessed of Skitarii pass a point called the "Crux Mechanicus," their body more machine than flesh. Those that reach this stage of mechamorphosis are known as "Skitarii Alphas."Because of this the Skitarii Vanguard are assigned to the most hazardous war zones the galaxy can offer. They bear this duty stoically and in solemn silence, fighting to the last in the name of their inhuman god. Collectively, they have fought alongside the Astra Militarum, the Adepta Sororitas, the Adeptus Astartes, and even the Primarchs of legend. Throughout the millennia the Skitarii Legions have fought with impeccable skill and discipline even when the colossi and ravaging daemons slaughter them in droves. In doing so they have assimilated a functionally infinite amount of information for their masters. Sicarian Ruststalkers were originally devised as cybernetic assassins, sent into the Red Planet's wastes to hunt down feral servitors and other undesirables excommunicated from the Cult Mechanicus. They proved so effective at their task they were repurposed and militarised into groups known as "killclades." Galvanic Casters also field a secondary concealed discharger capable of blinding enemy targets by burning their retinas through the use of Ignis-charges. The weapon may be augmented with a high-intensity capacitor which further compresses the galvanic charge to propel its slugs at supersonic speed with respectable armour-piercing capabilities. Galvanic Casters are primarily used by Secutarii Peltasts.

Some weapons have ‘Blast’ listed in their profile’s abilities. These are referred to as Blast weapons. In addition to the normal rules, the following rules apply to Blast weapons: The glow from the impact guides his unit's next charge even in the fog of war. Within moments, one so marked is assailed by a stampede of titanium-hard feet and high-yield taser weaponry. Regardless of origin, all find a fanatical faith in the Omnissiah soon after their inception. It is then that their true transformation begins.

The Skitarii (sing. Skitarius), also known as the Tech-Guard and the Legiones Skitarii, are the cybernetic military forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus of the Imperium of Man. In this way their soldiers can be remotely augmented, used as eyepieces, forced into suicidal engagements, or even possessed entirely. The ever-devout Skitarii see these incidents as the divine spirit of the Omnissiah entering them and acting through them to the betterment of the Imperium. To the Tech-priests, their minions are little more than electric puppets jerking upon strings of pre-programmed impulse. The tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus revere ancient technology such as the robots of the Legio Cybernetica, which are held in greatest regard, but the same cannot be said for the troops of the Skitarii Legions, who are churned out on uncaring production lines. The distinctive shape of the Ironstrider Ballistarii strikes fear into the heart of xenos, Renegade and Imperial Commander alike. Marksmen beyond compare, the Ballistarii have at their command the anatomical data, defensive capabilities and weaknesses of every race the Adeptus Mechanicus has encountered.