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{{tropelist}}
* [[Abnormal Ammo]]: For low-caliber guns there's expander (hollow-point), dumdum, man-stopper (armor piercing) and bleeder (poisoned with anticoagulant) bullets. For shotguns, aside of the usual shot and slug loads, there are inferno shells (incendiary). Amputator shells (explosive shot) for either, though good luck finding them. Explosive arrow/quarrel and envenomed ones. And that's missing a lot of the best ammunition from ''[[Dark Heresy]]'' and ''[[Rogue Trader]]''.
** And that's missing some of the best ammunition from ''[[Dark Heresy]]'' and ''[[Rogue Trader]]'', like acid shells, poisoned mono-edged flechettes, or snare shells (sticky webber stuff, but for shotgun). Or microburst flasks (that stop Overheating ''and'' increase range of plasma weapons). Or flamer cans laced with nephium (stuff that makes promethium ''even more'' napalm-y).
* [[Badass Normal]]: Emphasis on normal. Usually.
* [[Band of Brothers]]: To be expected in a war-themed RPG.
* [[Brain-Computer Interface]]: A full Mind Impulse Unit is mostly limited to Mechanicum and as such mostly seen on Tech-Priests and Operators <ref>possibly it's not that they make an exception as needed, but the other way around: someone legitimately tech savvy and asdeemed suchacceptable close toby Mechanicum will be assigned as an Operator</ref>. More limited MIU weapon interface or data interface port are nothing unusual.
* [[Cannon Fodder]]: What you and your squad basically are, at character creation, at least.
* [[Church Militant]]: The Ministorum Priest.
* [[Class and Level System]]: Levels are of "soft" versiontype, like in ''[[Dark Heresy]]''. For the obvious reason, this game focuses on Guardsman, so while others are present, most are subclasses of Guardsman. Since many Advancements are common and there are too many specialties for separate charts, Advancement costs are fine-tuned via Aptitudes. A character may switch speciality once in a while, but won't get the starting package of the new subclass for free.
** Guardsmen: Most soldiers.
*** Weapon Specialist: The "typical" Guardsman. Get a lasgun or other weapon (including light support, like grenade launchers, etc), shoot at the Emperor's enemies, try to stay alive. Comrades may carry extra weapons, if more than one is used, but usually just blast away together.
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**** Anti-Armour: Tank-killing.
**** Indirect Fire Support: Light mortars and grenade launchers.
*** Medic: Someone has to run around with bandages and injectors. Under fire. Comrades are "nurses", they help to quickly bandage more people or run a proper field hospital.
*** Operator: Vox-techs, auspex or jammer operators, drivers, field repair specialists and other tech-savvy people whose job mainly involves getting hands on buttons rather than on triggers. Comrades can be gunners (in case of a driver).
*** Sergeant: NCO. Coordinates the squad, shouting as needed <s>so that there's no need to get Commissar involved</s>. [[Drill Sergeant Nasty|Runs drills for green recruits.]] Tend to have close combat gear like Commissar, but sometimes plays light support instead - e.g. the one who gets to carry a lasgun with underslung grenade launcher, if it's not in standard kit. Often is accompanied by a vox-tech (see above).
** Support Specialists: Not quite guardsmen, but part of the regiment and at least occasionally appear on the battlefield. Cannot switch to Guardsman's Advanced Specialities, but may have their own.
*** Commissar: [[Political Officer]] with bolt pistol, [[Chainsaw Good|chainsword]] and [[Nice Hat]]. Usually. Shoots the panicking soldiers. Also, tend to be the one who gets to cajole claustrophobic Ogryn into transport.
*** Ministorum Priest: Inspires the troops with rhetoric, then destroy the enemies of the Emperor personally with Eviscerator or flamer.
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*** Storm Troopers: Tough elite, and often resented for it. Usually are in their own assault infantry regiments anyway. If Storm Troopers are attached to a common unit, they may share some of their elite training with other soldiers while they are at it, or exercise faith in superiority of carapace armor, [[Taking the Bullet]] for someone. <s>And if one of them happens to be a classmate of your Commissar, the latter will have something to do other than breathing over your shoulder.</s>
*** Tech-Priest Enginseer: Someone has to repair all this stuff. Techpriest's "Comrades" are servitors. May learn to use servitor as a waldo when needs to repair something under fire. Or on fire.
** [[Prestige Class|Advanced]] Specialities]]: Guardsman may take only Guardsman's. Support Specialists may take only the ones specifically applicable to their Speciality (except abhumans, withwho exceptionsometimes forcount abhumansas "Guardsman" - (see below).
*** Brawler (Guardsman): Melee combat specialists. Comrades may act as a wolf pack or [[Back-to-Back Badasses]].
*** Breacher (Guardsman): Specialists in demolition and booby traps.
*** Commander (Guardsman): Leaders in the field. May be an officer, may be yet another NCO or just a [[Old Soldier|veteran]].
*** Field Chirurgeon (Guardsman): SometimesBecause nursessometimes aren"first aid" doesn't enough..cut it.
*** Master of Ordnance (Guardsman): Command the artillery and/or calls orbital strikes and other super-heavy fire support.
*** Scout (Guardsman): The sneaks responsible for things like pathfinding, avoiding ambushes, laying ambushes, stabbing the enemy sentinels and so on.
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*** Tank Ace (Guardsman): Not only drivers, this applies to other crewmembers - shooting that cannon on the move isn't cakewalk either.
*** Architectus Magna (Tech-Priest): Specializes in war machines - repair and driving thereof (with the help of [[Brain-Computer Interface|MIU]]). Usually armored units, but may pop up just about anywhere, since scout vehicles and carriers are widespread.
*** Crimson Exemplar (Tech-Priest): Specializes in personally blasting things (i.e. Secutor in an organized unit). Usually form their own Secutor units and act as auxiliaries.
*** Enginseer Prime (Tech-Priest): Specializes in field repair ''([[The Same but More|yes, even more so]])'' and fortifications.
*** Incinerant Priest (Ministorum Priest): [[Pyromaniac|A little too much into]], uh, purifying stuff with holy promethium. May impress the followers with fireworks in process (if they are already in flamer range of an enemy, they probably need it).▼
*** Praecentor of Penance (Ministorum Priest): Specializes in preaching and fixing morale problems... one way or another. Also, surrounded by the flock ready to swarm the enemies.▼
*** Prelate-at-Arms (Ministorum Priest): Prefers to [[The Paladin|deliver the Emperor's wrath in a close and personal manner]] - [[Doom: Repercussions of Evil|rip and tear]]. As such, may inspire by example.▼
*** Rector Erudite (Ministorum Priest): A priest-scholar. Expert on moral treats.threats Expert onand history of the Imperium... which mostly is ''military'' history. Also maintains connections with the Ecclesiarchy, thus occasionally able to pull the strings and obtain [[Holy Hand Grenade]]s beside the Departmento Munitorum, or help with requesting assistance from Sisters of Battle when there are too many heretics to shoot and the Guard is unable to provide reinforcements. It follows that many commanders like to keep one of these around.▼
*** Bone 'ead (Ogryn): Being noticed as somewhat smarter than others, these were given brain boosts and assigned to command other Ogryn. Can count on fingers. May also expand the selection of weapons - that is, learn to not handle bolter like a club.
*** Bulwark (Ogryn): Ogryn Smash!
*** Gun Lugger (Ogryn): Likes blasting away with heavy weapons (Heavy to normal humans, that is).
*** Fixer (Ratling): Is [[The Social Expert|skilled at smoothing friction between Ratlings and Humans]] (who are leery at strange phenotypes even without Ratlings being so lucky to find all the small items they lost). As such, tend to be [[The Face]] of a Ratling unit and may or may not also happen to run gambling and cons.
*** Longshooter (Ratling): IsA evendedicated moresniper of''([[The aSame sniperbut More|yes, even more]])''.
*** Trailblazer (Ratling): IsVery sneaky ''([[The Same but More|yes, even more sneaky]])''. And larcenous ''([[The Same but More|yes, even more]])''.
▲*** Incinerant Priest (Ministorum Priest): [[Pyromaniac|A little too much into]], uh, purifying stuff with holy promethium. May impress the followers with fireworks in process (if they are already in flamer range of an enemy, they probably need it).
▲*** Praecentor of Penance (Ministorum Priest): Specializes in preaching and fixing morale problems... one way or another. Also, surrounded by the flock ready to swarm the enemies.
▲*** Prelate-at-Arms (Ministorum Priest): Prefers to deliver the Emperor's wrath in a close and personal manner - [[Doom: Repercussions of Evil|rip and tear]]. As such, may inspire by example.
▲*** Rector Erudite (Ministorum Priest): A priest-scholar. Expert on moral treats. Expert on history of the Imperium... which mostly is ''military'' history. Also maintains connections with the Ecclesiarchy, thus occasionally able to pull the strings and obtain [[Holy Hand Grenade]]s beside the Departmento Munitorum, or help with requesting assistance from Sisters of Battle when there are too many heretics to shoot and the Guard is unable to provide reinforcements. It follows that many commanders like to keep one of these around.
 
* [[Demihuman]]: Abhumans. They count as specific Support Specialists for basic human units, but in their own regiments count as both their respective Specialist class and Guardsman, and cannot be also Support Specialists.
* [[Design It Yourself Equipment]]: There are rules for variant patterns (for various gear), weapon modifications and personal customizations.
* [[Grappling Hook Pistol]]: Grapnel is a common item that can be a part of issued gear.
* [[Iconic Item]]: "Trademark Item" talent gives some advantages to the commander in possession of a recognizable (and as such probably non-regulation) signature item.
* [[Join the Army They Said]]
* [[Military Science Fiction]]
* [[Mounted Combat]]: Rough Riders. Usually on either heavily modified horses like those Krieg steeds with claws, other genetically and/or cybernetically modified beasts, or [[Horse of a Different Color|something else entirely]], like [http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Mukaali Mukaali]. The weapons are alsobeefedalso beefed up. While mono spear is an option, and there are Poison and Shock tips for Hunting Lance, the latterthough usually isit's employed as a pole bomb. Melta tip can make nice glowing hole through a tank.
* [[Old Soldier]]: The more experienced Guardsmen can pull impressive feats. Also, Veteran advances both have common prerequisites and special circumstances.
* [[Point Build System]]: Regiment Creation points to build custom units. A regiment must have origin/homeworld, basic type and commander personality, and may have up to two doctrines (Equipment or Training) - all this has varied point cost. Taking a drawback gives more points. Unspent points (converted 1:2) are added to the equipment points. Then equipment points are used to add items to regimental kit (beyond the basic kit plus what comes with the type and doctrines), improve the quality of an item already there or add extra Favoured Weapons.
* [[Poisoned Weapons]]: Install tox-dispenser on your war knife today!
* [[Prestige Class]]: Advanced Specialities.
* [[Shotguns Are Just Better]]: Upgrading lascarbine to fullcombat lasgunshotgun (betterin rateStandard ofKit firecosts and10 slightlypoints better- range)for incomparison, Standard Kit costsit 5 points, to combatupgrade shotgunit 10to pointsfull lasgun (forbetter comparison,rate 5of pointsfire canand slightly better range) or give every soldier a [[Grappling Hook Pistol|grapnel]], and 10 give every squad a scanner). And worth it. A good hit (attack roll with fair leeway) gives extra hits, and combat shotgun is semi-auto. There's also single-shot Auxiliary Shotgun, added to one's main weapon [[Bifurcated Weapon|much the same way]] as an underslung grenade launcher. Ogryn ripper gun is large-bore full auto shotgun, raising the standard from "extra messy" to "extra extra messy".
** Naval shotcannon is a man-portable super-shotgun, but matters of shipboard fighting are mostly omitted in '''Only War'''.
** [[Short-Range Shotgun]]: Has the same range as most pistols. On the bright side, it's usually far enough for urban action and more than enough for boarding or similar scenario. AtScatter weapons are nerfed compared to Dark Heresy (where a good hit gives extra hits) and now at long range damage is reduced and shotgun performshit somewhatbecomes worseweaker than autopistol (SMG). AtBut at short range scatter weapons are easier to hit with, and at point-blank range damage increases - you're not going to take many opportunities for this in a row, of course, but combat shotgun is semi-auto, and that bonus to hit also raises the chance for multiple hits.
* [[The Squad]]: Enforced with the specialities you can choose for your guardsmen.
* [[Taking the Bullet]]: There's even "Guardian" talent for this. And one of Storm Trooper's squad abilities - their carapace armor makes it more survivable. Why someone other than Redemption cultists would ''prepare for'' that? - wellWell, some ''are'' redemption cultists,... and for others, whether they like someone or not, having a driver or other operator wounded or killed at a wrong moment can easily lead to TPK or mission failure, and they rarely wear heavy armor, or even full flak.
* [[Tank Goodness]]
* [[Weapon of Choice]]: A regiment has Favoured Weapons - normally one Basic (can be chosen by Weapon Specialist instead of lasgun, flamer or shotgun) and one Heavy (can be chosen by Heavy Gunner instead of missile launcher or heavy machinegun).
 
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