History Characters / Warhammer40000ImperialGuard

-->--Sergeant Joto of the [=XXIInd=] Savlar upon receiving a medal for bravery after the bloodbath at Trenia

-->--Sergeant Joto of the XXII^^nd^^ Savlar upon receiving a medal for bravery after the bloodbath at Trenia

-->--Sergeant Joto of the XXIInd Savlar upon receiving a medal for bravery after the bloodbath at Trenia

* CombatPragmatist: The Jopall Indentured Squadrons are know to make use of underhanded tactics when fighting in order to secure victory, such as poisoning the enemy's water supply with toxic waste or allowing their foes to capture vehicles loaded with explosives that are then detonated remotely when in the enemy camp.

* FragileSpeedster: On a regiment-wide level, the Elysian Drop Troops' use of grave-chutes and quick aerial vehicles makes them some of the fastest and most agile infantry in the Guard. However, it also means that they cannot use heavy vehicles, artillery or support troops that cannot keep up with them. They consequently struggle in protracted engagments and in holding onto captured territory, and need to rely on HitAndRunTactics instead.

* AndIMustScream: As seen in ''WesternAnimation/HammerAndBolter'', [[spoiler:Creed is currently an exhibit in the collection of Trazyn the Infinite, alive but incapable of movement or escape. Trazyn mockingly placed him on a pedestal marked "The Last ''Stand'' of Ursakar Creed".]]

* GasMaskLongcoat: Soldiers of the Death Korps have this as standard uniforms because they come from [[NuclearOption a radiological wasteland]]... and also to disguise the fact that they're {{clon|ingBlues}}es.

* AncestralWeapon: The weapons used by the Firstborn are lovingly crafted masterworks of the weaponsmith's art that have been passed down through generations. To represent this, the 8th Edition rules give the Firstborn the "Heirloom Weaponry" Regimental Doctrine that increases the range of Heavy and Rapid Fire weapons.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: With their tall hats and red uniforms, the Vostroyan Firstborn are based on the Cossacks, complete with the powerful clan ties and the tradition of passing down {{Ancestral Weapon}}s [[BlingBlingBang worth more than the Guardsman wielding it]]. While Vostroyan troopers never return home after mustering, new recruits are usually assigned to the platoons of older family members, allowing them to be taken under the wings of distant uncles and older cousins who will eventually pass their weapons down to them.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: With their tall hats and red uniforms, the Vostroyan Firstborn are based on the Cossacks, complete with the powerful clan ties and the tradition of passing down {{Ancestral Weapon}}s [[BlingBlingBang worth more than the Guardsman wielding it]].
* SinsOfOurFathers: The regiment is made up entirely of the firstborn sons of every Vostroyan family. This is in penance for the planet refusing to help out with the Imperium's War effort (as it would have crippled their economy) which almost led to them being declared traitors. Unlike other regiments, Vostroyans can retire back home after their service is over, which results in them passing down their weapons to their firstborn sons, a rarity among Imperial Guard Regiments.

* YouCantGoHomeAgain: While other Guard regimens can, if rarely, return to their homeworlds once their tours of duty are complete, the Vostroyan Firstborn will never see their homes again after being sent out into the stars.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: By means of their CostumeEvolution, the Death Korps have resembled different armies at different times, although awlays of kinds that would have fit in in one 20th Century European war or another:

->''"Storm Troopers work best under maximum pressure, maximum intensity, and maximum danger. When these things are shared with others, they help form a bond stronger than any tie known in the galaxy."

->"The desert, from a distance, can seem to be little more than a barren waste, devoid of feature or variation. We who know the desert can see past this façade, for the dunes can conceal much of significance. Like the sandstorm, we can rise up swiftly to ravage our foes, and vanish as swiftly, leaving no trace of our presence but the damage wrought. As the burning sun and open sky, to walk before us unprepared is to invite doom. We are the desert, and the desert is merciless."

* {{Expy}}: They're Warhammer's version of the [[Literature/{{Dune}} Fremen]].

->"Quiet, you dogs! Are you weak-willed agri-worlders, or are you first-born sons of Vostroya? If you receive an order, you act as if the Emperor Himself gave it!"

->''We ride like the wind, my brothers -- victory depends on it.''

->''I am an Imperial commissar. I will enflame the weak, support the wavering, guide the lost. I will be all things to all men who need me. But I will also punish without hesitation the incompetent, the cowardly, and the treasonous.''

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000XenoRaces Xeno Races]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000Eldar Aeldari]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000CraftworldEldar Asuryani]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000DarkEldar Drukhari]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Necrons Necrons]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000LeaguesOfVotann Leagues of Votann]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Orks Orks]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000OrksCharacters Characters]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000TauEmpire T'au Empire]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Tyranids Tyranids]]]]-]]]

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: As of the 9th edition, Krieg's design is largely based on that of the French Army during World War I (and, to a lesser extent, their German and British counterparts), with dull blue trenchcoats, gas masks, and helmets with prominent ridges on them. This has not always been so, however: see CostumeEvolution and PuttingOnTheReich.

[[quoteright:582:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/40k_stormtroopers.png]]

* AmmunitionBackpack: Most patterns of hotshot lasgun are powered by a large and bulky power pack carried on the wielder's back and give the Scions of the Militarum Tempestus a distinct silhouette compared to their regular line infantry comrades.
* ArchEnemy:
** Many planets in the Imperium have suffered raids and invasion at the hand of xenos and heretical forces, sometimes for generations, their populations harbouring a deep animosity those who have plagued their worlds. When Astra Militarum regiments are recruited from such worlds, the Guardsmen take their inherited hatred with them and can prove to be especially effective against such foes. While not always represented in the game rules, some editions have represented this by giving Guardsmen from such regiments bonuses against their ancestral foes.
** Sometimes an alien invasion will result in an entire generation of children being orphaned in a single incident and inducted into the Schola Progenium together. Once these orphans graduate, they are often formed into a single regiment of Tempestus Scions as such regiments have been found to produce superior results when facing the xenos that slaughtered their parents[[note]][[GameplayAndStorySegregation this isn't reflected in the in-game rules, however]][[/note]].

* EliteMooks: Stormtroopers, or formally Militarum Tempestus Scions, are orphans or children plucked from nurseries to be trained as fanatically-loyal special forces units. They're outfitted with improved versions of a Guardsman's wargear (such as the fearsome Hellgun, a more powerful automatic lasgun), earning them monikers such as "Toy Soldiers" and "Glory Boys" from the resentful rank-and-file.

* FastRoping: Valkyrie transports are equipped with line spools for precisely this reason. [[EliteMooks Stormtroopers]] in particular tend to train heavily in this technique, and are the most likely to attempt it on the battlefield, forgoing a more cautious insertion when speed of deployment is a priority.

* ShoutOut: The original plastic Storm Troopers and some of the head options for the Tempestus Scion models wear military berets that, in the official colour scheme, are painted dark red. This is a reference to the maroon berets of the British Parachute Regiment who the Storm Troopers/Scions were loosely based on.

* SuperSoldier: Though not the equals of an Astartes, the Tempestus Scions (or "Stormtroopers") are hand-picked from the most capable guardsmen, subjected to rigorous training and given minor cybernetic enhancements, and equipped with the finest weapons available. They are entrusted with delicate operations such as assaults on heavily fortified positions or infiltrating behind enemy lines, usually deployed by Valkyrie gunships. The Cadians, the Catachans and the Krieger might also qualify for different reasons [[note]]Cadians are superbly [[JackOfAllTrades versatile, professional and coordinated]] soldiers ready for anything, the Catachans are from a [[{{Heavyworlder}} high-gravity]] utter DeathWorld and can wage war in nearly any hostile environment]], and the Kriegers ''literally'' [[DeathSeeker fight to hope to die]] for atonement for their planet's past rebellion and are unfazed by all odds.[[/note]].

[[folder:Commissar Tropes]]

%%

* AmmunitionBackpack: Most patterns of hotshot lasgun are powered by a large and bulky power pack carried on the wielder’s back and give the Scions of the Militarum Tempestus a distinct silhouette compared to their regular line infantry comrades.

** Sometimes an alien invasion will result in an entire generation of children being orphaned in a single incident and inducted into the Schola Progenium together. Once these orphans graduate, they are often formed into a single regiment of Tempestus Scions as such regiments have been found to produce superior results when facing the xenos that slaughtered their parents[[note]][[GameplayAndStorySegregation this isn't reflected in the in-game rules however]][[/note]].

* BadassNormal: Their whole schtick. In a setting with super-soldiers so augmented they barely count as human any more, hulking monstrosities that can rip men apart with their bare hands, psychic bullet-dodging ancients who train for centuries in deadly warrior arts, undying alien zombie robots, and unstoppable devouring hordes from beyond the edges of the galaxy, one of the strongest factions is basically a lot of ordinary humans with laser rifles and flak jackets backed up by tanks and artillery. [[HumanityIsSuperior Kinda makes you proud, doesn't it?]] Although, that's only counting for regular Guardsmen and Stormtroopers; Ogryns, Ratlings and psykers obviously don't count, and even some of the more impressive people (like Sgt. Harker and Sly Marbo) [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower do occasionally leave you wondering just how "normal" they are]].

* SuperSoldier: Though not quite the equals of an Astartes, the Tempestus Scions (or "Stormtroopers") are hand-picked from the most capable guardsmen, subjected to rigorous training and given minor cybernetic enhancements, and equipped with the finest weapons available. They are entrusted with delicate operations such as assaults on heavily fortified positions or infiltrating behind enemy lines, usually deployed by Valkyrie gunships. The Cadians, the Catachans and the Krieger might also qualify for different reasons [[note]]Cadians are superbly [[JackOfAllTrades versatile, professional and coordinated]] soldiers ready for anything, the Catachans are from a [[{{Heavyworlder}} high-gravity]] utter DeathWorld and can wage war in nearly any hostile environment]], and the Kriegers ''literally'' [[DeathSeeker fight to hope to die]] for atonement for their planet's past rebellion and are unfazed by all odds.[[/note]].

[[quoteright:269:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lord_solar.png]]

[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e2d4ccde7f2e3c5059bab6b4773963fb.png]]

[[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_chenkov-mini_3394.png]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_alrahem_6607.png]]

Imperial records show that there have been two captains of the Tallarn 3rd 'Desert Tigers' named Al'rahem. The connection between the two or whether, through the vagaries of Warp travel, they are actually the same person is unknown.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_01_7258.png]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yarricknew01_4337.png]]

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8bb0e6db8284e16d5b2bab474e44d76e.png]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pask_model_8279.png]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ursulacreed.png]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arcadian_leontus_40k.jpg]]

----

[[quoteright:175:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/colonelshaffer_2754.png]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/slymarbo.png]]