Scout Squad

This page is for the Space Marines unit. If you are looking for the page about the D&D class, please see Scout (D&D).

Bolter (& Chainsword) Scouts

Sniper (& Missile Launcher) Scouts,

"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."

– Scout Sergeant Torias Telion of the Ultramarines

"Grass grows, birds fly, sun shines, and brother, I hurt people."

– The Scout from Team Fortress 2

In Space Marine Chapters that follow the Codex Astartes, Scouts are Space Marines in training. They have not yet gained the Black Carapace, the gene-seed organ that allows a Marine to interface with his power armour, so they just lug around in un-powered Scout Armour instead. They are usually organized into squads in the Tenth Company, and are the only Marines that regularly wield Sniper Rifles/Nemesis Bolters or use camouflage (although, in some Chapters and the Deathwatch, full Marines do use both), although sometimes, they can also use an Astartes Assault Shotgun or a regular Bolter if things get hectic. Fittingly, the Raven Guard use a lot of Scouts, since their combat doctrine centers around infiltration and sabotage. Once he serves about ten years as a Scout, the Space Marine receives his Black Carapace and power armour, and is sent off to the Devastator Squads.

They are led by a Sergeant, who is usually a member of a Tactical Squad that chooses to impart his wisdom to a younger generation, but may also be a Veteran Scout who refused the opportunity to become a full-fledged Space Marine. In the case of the Blood Ravens, they are led by Steve Blum voicing an angsty, ineffectual dork, who he hopes one day to teach all the Blood Ravens to be angsty, ineffectual dorks. His most important lesson is to go out of the way to point out problems and question every solution as if it was the most inexperienced idea you've ever heard.

Also, if you even say the word "bonk" within a hundred feet of an Angry Marine Scout with a Power Bat, he will beat you so hard you won't know which end of your sternum you're looking through.

Back in the times of the Great Crusade however, the Space Marine Legions didn't have Scouts at all. Instead they had the even better Legion Reconnaissance Squads. Instead of being made out of simple Neophytes that were to experience their tour of actual combat, Legion Reconnaissance Squads were made out of experts at reconnaissance, intel gathering, guerilla warfare, assassinations and sabotage. If they were fighting along their brethren on the battlefield, then they'd become flankers and wreck havoc and confusion among the enemy's ranks. The Primaris would revive this concept with Eliminators.

A history of stat lines

So how mighty is the Scout, as Junior Marine, on a stat line basis? Well, he has always gotten slightly worse armour, due to not being power armoured.

In 2E's Codex Imperialis and Codex Ultramarines, Scouts had M4 WS4 BS3 S4 T3 W1 I4 A1 Ld7, which made then as good at punching as Space Marines (as Tactical Marines had 4 in all stats besides W and A was the space marine), but not as good at taking punches or shooting shit and they were slightly more prone to breaking when compared to their full brothers. 3rd Edition saw the Scouts get a good buff by becoming nearly-identical statwise to Tacticals, with the exception of their armor and loadouts.

Scouts from the Raptors chapter.

It was only around 5th where the Scout predilection for shooting came to the fore with WS3 and BS4. This made them guardsmen when it comes to punching things but space marines in the wounding. By 6th edition, all scouts/claws had space marine muscles, but had the finesse of a guardsman. When the Space Wolf and Blood Angel codices continued the trend, everyone expected this to hold through the edition. Then the Space Marine Codex dropped. At no point increase on anything, scouts and anything scout related got WS/BS 4. The Dark Angel codex dropped as well, with the same stat line boost as the Space Marine codex, and free access to Grim Resolve (i.e. Chapter Tactics for Dark Angels). This led to half of the Adeptus Astartes books having junior Marines with WS/BS 4. Meanwhile, the Space Wolves' Sky and Blood Claws get Rage and the old statline. It's still full of derp, as this makes their power armor and frothing rabid rage offset their inexperience.

This leads us to 8th. Here, scouts remain equivalent to marines in stats while keeping their sneaky in different ways. Camo Cloak lets them add +2 to their save when they get shot from cover, which gives them durability equal to a similarly concealed marine. Concealed Positions pretty much is the old Scout USR, allowing a Scout unit to deploy anywhere on the board, so long as it's at least 9" away from an enemy unit.

I Can't Believe It's Not A Scout™

Though using Neophytes as Scouts was established when the Emperor formed the Legiones Astartes, not all Chapters utilize them as Scouts:

• Space Wolves Wolf Scout: Scouts in the Space Wolves are bitter, experienced veterans taken from the Grey Hunters (the Space Wolves equivalent of the Tactical Marines); most of them are introverts that find it hard to fit in with the rest of the (incredibly gregarious) Space Wolves and prefer to operate more-or-less alone. New recruits are put in Blood Claw squads instead. As a result, far from being recon-in-force fodder, Wolf Scouts are total operators. They're experts in demolitions, infiltration, sniping, target analysis, and generally sowing chaos in the enemy ranks.

• Black Templars Neophytes: The Black Templars are too cool to use Scouts. Instead, when an Initiate (the Black Templar equivalent of a Tactical Marine) decides he has learned enough, he takes on a Marine-in-training, referred to as Neophytes, which are then mixed into Crusader squads. This is nominally to pass the experience of an Initiate to a Neophyte, but in reality, the Neophytes just make amazing meatshields. And weapons caddies. The best of Neophytes can also be put into a Crusader Squad led by a Sword Brother, where both the Neophytes and Initiates are just meatshields for the said Sword Brother.

Kill Team

Thanks to Kill Team Salvation, the roster of a Scout Squad has been greatly expanded. Currently, the Scout Squad has one of the lowest diversity of troops on the game, with only the Intercession Squad rivalling it. This makes them a pretty squishy and standard unit, but you are rocking up with a squad of snipers, so you play what you get.

Scout Sergeant

For a so-called leader of a scout team. Carrying a big, incredibly noisy chainsword, kind of defeats the purpose of stealth and recon doesn't it?

The leader of a Scout Squad.

Scout Sergeants are the most experienced and decorated members of a Space Marine's Tenth Company, often coming from a chapter's first company and desiring to pass along the knowledge they've gained from years of service. Being the most senior member of a Squad, Scout Sergeants are given the privilege to basically equip themselves with anything they find suitable for their needs. But for the sake of game balancing, they are equipped with more close-combat weapons. Astartes Assault Shotgun, Bolt Pistol, Astartes Boltgun and a Chainsword is standard-issue. Although one would question the practicalities of a goddamn chainsaw given the roles of stealth and subterfuge for a Scout Squad. Chain weapons aren't the most... subtle of weapons lets be frank (Unless its the Striking Scorpions). Scout Armour is a given of course, so he ain't the most durable of transhuman leaders, keep that in mind.

Their Primaris equivalent would be the Infiltrator Sergeant.

Crunchwise, the Sergeant got quite a bit in the update from the Compendium. Not only did they get W11, but now they also get proper AP3, making them a lot more useful for any task you set them on. On top of that, they also have a special power that lets them feed that spare AP to any friendly scout within LOS.

Their combat output isn't drastically different from the stock warrior. Their bolter remains identical, but their shotgun gains the added perk of Balanced to guarantee an additional hit. Their melee loadout similarly only has a bolt pistol for a gun, but their chainsword is a very visible step up from a sword knife with 5 attacks and 4/5 Damage.

Scout Sergeants are categorise under Combat, Marksman and Scout.

Scout Warrior

Fig 1. The basic transhuman noob.

The most basic Space Marine unit.

When you hear Scout Squad, chances are, these are the type of guys you think about the moment that word reach your head. Scout Warriors are the greenest transhumans fit for battle. Their bodies have yet to acclimate with all of their new special organs, so no Black Carapace until several years of duty have been accomplished. Being this green, they are only given Scout Armour, which is still leagues above most non-powered armour.

Equipment-wise, it is pretty modest stuff. Astartes Assault Shotgun, Bolt Pistol, Astartes Boltgun and a Astartes Combat Knife is standard-issue for them. Here, they learn the fundamental basics from their Sergeants on how to shank the enemies of the Imperium to death without drawing too much attention. Pretty useful stuff once they graduate into full Space Marines on missions that require infiltration, subterfuge, sabotage, assassinations and exfiltration.

Their Primaris equivalent would be the Infiltrator Warrior.

On the tabletop, Scouts got a bit of a buff from the Compendium with W10 being default. While they're still as vulnerable as before, they can at least tank a hit more than the average guardsman.

Bolters remain the lone long-range combat option, with shotguns exchanging range for a constant 4/4 damage and that sweet 2+ BS. If you're planning on melee focus, your only option is going bolt pistol and the combat blade, offering 3/5 damage and another attack compared to a mere fist.

Scout Warriors are categorise under Combat, Marksman and Scout.

• 
  "Scouts reporting for duty."

Scout Heavy Gunner

Because sometimes: Stealth is optional

Despite being called "Scouts" and being known for "Sneaking", and "Stealth" and "Being Subtle", Scout squads have been known to bring heavy weapons with them to assist in case the plan of "recon in force" requires more "Force". Scout Heavy Gunners are the support unit of the team that opens up an unrelenting amount of dakka in the opposite direction or drop a missile on it.

This however is not the easiest of tasks. Scouts don't have the Power armor nor even all of there Space Marines Organs. There are examples in 40k of people who can lug a heavy weapons around without power armor, Gunnery Sergeant "Stonetooth" Harker with a heavy bolter, and Trooper "Try Again" Bragg with an autocannon. Presumable the space marine steroids are doing a lot of the heavy lifting to let them lift heavily. Even so, their heavy bolters are the only example of the weapon to be issued bipods presumably because unlike full marines they need to be less mobile when using them. In earlier editions, Space Marine scouts got access to a Unique Hellfire round for their heavy weapon to deal with Tyranids that turned their gun from a machine gun to a small grenade launcher by giving it a small blast template, but that was quietly dropped at some point.

Heavy Gunners equip themselves with either the aforementioned Heavy Bolters or Missile Launchers as their primary weapon. Secondary weapons include the standard Bolt Pistol for a sidearm. 3rd Edition also gave them the option of an Autocannon, but a model was never made for it, and the option was later quietly dropped.

On the tabletop, this guy's gonna be toting along your heavy guns, so you'll need him set up somewhere to cover plenty.

The heavy bolter has P1 so crits can rip through armour. Fusillade lets you re-roll as many hits as you want, allowing you to perhaps turn misses into crits. The missile launcher has two profiles to pick between. The frag missiles do less damage, but get Blast to cover crowds in the open. Krak missiles do more damage and pierce armour with AP1, making it more keyed to nailing enemy marines.

Scout Heavy Gunners are categorised under Marksman and Scout.

• 
  When a "Surprise Motherfuckah!" moment needs to be more explosive.

Scout Hunter

The Reiver Squad's junior.

The Predator of the team.

Scout Hunters are trained to scale-up difficult terrain to best stalk their prey without them noticing. Even amongst a team of Scouts, Scout Hunters are the scoutiest of them all as they are often knee-deep in enemy territory away from the rest of the squad. Likewise, they are also the most CQC-capable of the lot, as their nature means that they are usually quite close to their intended target.

To aid in their traversability, Scout Hunters are equipped with a Grapnel Launcher, a Bolt Pistol and a Astartes Combat Knife. They are unlikely to use their Bolt Pistols unless shit hits the fan. Usually, their Combat Knife should be good enough for the job of locate, stalk and destroy. Their Scout Armour should also aid in their stealth roles more than even their team members.

Their Primaris equivalent would be the Reiver Warrior. If we're going for access to a grappling hook and scaling terrain, then hilariously their green equivalent would be the diminutive Kommando Grot.

Crunchwise, they are your generic pistol+knife scout that comes with Climbing Equipment stock thanks to his grapnel gun. On top of this, he has a special action that lets him charge, gaining Lethal 3+ if he climbs, drops, jumps or moves under a vantage point as he pulls off sick acrobatic skills.

Scout Hunters are categorise under Combat and Scout.

Scout Sniper

The quintessential sniper mascot of 40k. Stick to tradition boys.

The snipers of the team, which is pretty impressive in a squad filled with eagle-eyed deadshots.

Scout Snipers are chosen since they have the best eyesight and situational awareness. The complete opposite of the Scout Hunter. Scout Snipers are situated further back of the team for obvious reasons. Their role is to either assassinate targets in areas too dangerous for even the Scout Hunter to get in close and personal, or provide deadly covering fire if a firefight happens to erupt.

To aid in their killiness, Scout Snipers obviously arm themselves with a Sniper Rifle. Outside of that, they are equipped with special precision goggles to better locate their targets in a variety of vision across the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as a Cameleoline cloak to mask themselves from counter-snipers. For emergencies or close-encounters, a Bolt Pistol should be sufficient.

Their Primaris equivalent would be the Incursor Marksman.

On the tabletop, their rifle's a bit different compared to the one in the Compendium, even if both have Camo Cloaks in order to get an extra save while in cover. While it's still Heavy and Silent with 3/3 damage, this one has a much more lethal MW3, so crits can very easily wipe out GEQ.

Scout Snipers are categorise under Marksman and Scout.

Scout Tracker

"Fuckboy's location is this way. In that penhouse."

The pet dog of the team.

We are being serious here. A Scout Tracker's main role is to provide the entire team with sophisticated situational awareness and to better stalk their targets across dense or busy terrain. To aid in their tracking, they are given advanced auspexes—scanners capable of analysing the battlefield. Thanks to the information such devices provide, Scout Squads can identify targets or rapidly plan deadly ambushes.

In terms of weapons, Scout Trackers are just armed with a Astartes Boltgun and a Bolt Pistol. That's it. They are a important support unit after all, like, the only dedicated support unit in a Scout Kill Team. So protect him at all cost.

Their Primaris equivalent would be the Infiltrator Commsman.

On the tabletop, they are the bolter scout who remembered to pack his auspex. This auspex allows him to spend an action to mark one enemy within 6"/pentagon and treat them as if they're under the Engage order for the activation. They can also spend an action for a scan on an enemy within 6"/pentagon, removing the benefits of cover. This guy will likely see the most use of the sergeant's spare AP since these actions will have the most use for the rest of the team.

Scout Trackers are categorise under Marksman and Scout.

Gallery

• 
  Sergeant and Shotgun-wielding Scouts.
• 
  Scout Gunner and Warrior, carrying a missile launcher and a bolter respectively.
• 
  Scout Warrior (or Hunter) with combat blade and bolt pistol. Alongside a Scout Gunner with a Heavy Bolter.
• 
  Scout Sniper and Hunter.
• 
  A Scout Tracker and alternate Bolter-wielding Warrior.

External Links

• Scout voicelines from Dawn of War I

Playable Factions in Kill Team
Imperium	Adeptus Custodes:	Talons of the Emperor*
	AdMech:	Hunter Clade
	Agents of the Imperium:	Elucidian Starstriders - Exaction Squad - Imperial Navy Breacher - Inquisitorial Agents
	Imperial Guard:	Imperial Guard* (the kill team) - Kasrkin - Veteran Guardsmen
	Sisters of Battle:	Ecclesiarchy* - Novitiate
	Space Marines	Space Marine* - Grey Knight* - Intercession Squad - Phobos Strike Team - Scout Squad - Strike Force Justain
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines:	Traitor Space Marine* - Death Guard* - Legionary Kill Team - Legionary Warpcoven - Nemesis Claws
	Daemons:	Chaos Daemon* - Gellerpox Infected
	Lost and the Damned:	Blooded - Chaos Cult - Fellgor Ravager - Cult of the Unshackled
Eldar	Craftworld Eldar:	Craftworld* - Blades of Khaine
	Dark Eldar:	Commorite* - Hand of the Archon - Mandrakes
	Eldar Corsairs:	Corsair Voidscarred
	Harlequins:	Void-Dancer Troupe
Xenos	Genestealer Cults:	Brood Coven* - Brood Brothers - Wyrmblade
	Kroot:	Cadre Mercenary* - Farstalker Kinband
	Leagues of Votann:	Hearthkyn Salvager - Hernkyn Yaegirs
	Necrons:	Tomb World* - Hierotek Circle
	Orks:	Greenskin* - Kommando
	Tau Empire:	Hunter Cadre* - Pathfinder
	Tyranids:	Hive Fleet*