Pulse Rider Terminators

Pulse Riders are the most elite formation among the Obsidian Wyrms, making use of specially designed Pulsar-pattern suits of Terminator armor to push the limits of what a Terminator unit can do into new frontiers through the use of heavily modified teleportation matrices. Pulse Riders are fearsome foes, even amidst the already formidable and awe-inducing forces of the Legiones Astartes, and boasts a mixture of survivability in battle and tactical flexibility that is matched by few. Unfortunately, their numbers remain relatively small due to the highly advanced technology they use and the extremely stringent standards required to become - and remain - a part of such prestigious units.

## History

The origins of Pulse Rider terminators are intrinsically tied with that of the ashen world of Corusco Parva and the Second Legion's Primarch Elias Dammerung, who can be considered the first Pulse Rider, though at the time no Terminator armor was used. The first prototype teleportation device was constructed during the Corusco Incursion in the opening years of the Imperial Compliance campaign and would later become integrated in the Wyrm's Mantle, Elias' own suit of Terminator armor, which would then become the precursor of the Pulsar Pattern, and with it, Pulse Rider unit.

Initially, there was no plan for such units to be made, but individual warriors of the IInd Legion spontaneously requested training in this highly unusual mode of warfare often enough that Elias had to give it proper consideration. This was especially true of Terminator bodyguards who felt they struggled to keep up and properly accomplish the task of protecting their Primarch whose fury could leave them lagging behind. Elias was hesitant at first, concerned due to the dangers of regular exposure - even if for an infinitesimal instant - of the raw fabric of the Warp upon the warriors of the Legion, but eventually acquiesced and granted the request, setting up the strict training and screening regimens for Pulse Riders that still hold to this day.

Applicants were many, but the training was harrowing, even for the Angels of Death who fought countless battles against unknowable foes. Compounding the matter, each modified teleportation matrix had to be personally handcrafted by Elias until the knowledge was passed down to senior Weaponsmiths of the Obsidian Wyrms. This was done rather quickly as the bottleneck hindered efforts immensely and the Primarch was in too high demand to be spending much time on such tasks. Initially, the problem was not seen as too important as only Elias' personal bodyguards were to be equipped as such, but the increase in effectiveness that was noted as soon as the first unit was formed was enough that there was a push to create more such units for more general purposes. By he time of the height of the Compliance, every Cohort of the IInd Legion had a small number of Pulse Riders as its most elite combatants, to be sent where the fighting was most intense. Yet, they were often held in reserve throughout the battle if no threat justified their deployment as to avoid needlessly exposing these peerless warriors to the touch of the Warp.

## Wargear

Despite the Legion's overall preference for ranged engagements, Pulse Rider Terminators are specialized in close-combat exclusively and are trained to fall upon their targets with charnel brutality, rending apart their will to fight just as utterly as the flesh and bone of their bodies. The weapon most commonly used by Pulse Riders is by far the Lightning Claw, carried in pair and favored for its swiftness and ferocity in dispatching numerically superior foes. It is however not uncommon for Pulse Riders to exchange these for pairs of power mauls or even a two-handed, giant Thunder Hammer, depending on what the tactical situation dictates as most appropriate. Pulse Riders do not carry ranged weapons and rely entirely on their close-combat power.

### Pulsar-Pattern Terminator Armor

The Pulsar pattern is in essence suits of Cataphractii armor that were modified extensively enough to warrant their own designation, but these modifications are largely internal, so Pulsar suits are almost indistinguishable visually from Cataphractii suits, making positive visual identification very difficult and essentially making it so every Cataphractii unit spotted on the battlefield could theoretically be a Pulse Rider unit. In practice, the all-melee distinctive loadout of Pulse Rider units can give a good clue to a keen observer.

The core of the Pulsar Pattern is its teleportation matrix. While standard terminators use theirs to suddenly teleport into the heart of a battlefield from ships in orbit or command posts, the teleportation matrix on Pulsar suits sacrifice this ability of long-range Deep Strike teleportation for the ability to make many short-range 'blinks' in the midst of combat, often in relatively rapid succession. Though the range of these blinks is so short as to be considered point blank by Imperial standards - on average about 10 meters, maybe 20 if pushing it -they provide a wide array of tactical options not normally available to Terminators. A Pulse Rider can with equal ease cross a solid wall or chasm, blink out of the way of an attack dangerous enough to threaten even their formidable protection, or even run down a fleeing foe. The suits are also fitted with wards to help protect the wearer from the touch of the Warp that is inevitable from these repeated teleportations.

## Training

In addition to the rare skills required to build Pulsar-pattern teleportation matrices, prospective Pulse Riders must go through extensive training and undergo regular screening due to the highly unusual characteristics of their fighting style. Even with the improved warding system, there remains a very real chance of mutation from the constant use of the Warp in combat. The above-average resistance of Obsidian Wyrm gene-seed offers an additional degree of protection to such mutations, but vigilant screening is upheld nonetheless, and Pulse Riders who show worrying early signs of genetic degradation are generally honorably discharged from the unit and sent back to a regular one.

Before being accepted into the unit, prospective Pulse Riders must demonstrate two things: The ability to immediately assess their position and surroundings despite severe disorientation and the speed of wits to make judgment calls and decisions in a fraction of a second. For this purpose, large spherical machines composed of concentric rings normally designed for Zero-gravity training are used to purposefully debilitate the human body's regular means of spatial orientation with the candidates being subjected to its forces in complete darkness before being abruptly released into a room down below. These trial rooms are filled with a variety of obstacles, environmental hazards, traps and combat servitors that will immediately attack the trainee upon entry. The layout and nature of the obstacles, hazard and traps are changed between every session, as well as the numbers, locations and weapons of the combat servitors so that it is impossible to simply memorize the threats and their positions. To demonstrate sufficient aptitude, candidates must be able to immediately gather their wits and assess their surroundings in this unknown environment then successfully defeat the combat servitors several times in a row. Only then may they began to train using a Pulsar suit of Terminator armor properly.

## Rules

 2x Lightning Claws

***Pulsar armor** afford a 2+ Armor save and a 3+ Invulnerable save and grants the Bulky and Phantom Terror special rules. Terminators with Pulsar armor cannot Deep Strike without a Dreadclaw dedicated transport.*

 Phantom Terror

***Phantom Terror** - A model with this rule may not run but may make a sweeping advance after winning melee combat. A Unit with this rule ignores obstacles and difficult terrain entirely so long as every model can cross the entire obstacle within its allocated move distance.*

 Any Pulse Rider Terminator may exchange their paired Lightning Claws for one of the following for free:
  ¤ 2x Power Mauls
  ¤ Thunder Hammer