Tactical Marine - Role: Whether sprinting through the firestorm of no man's land, fighting toe-to-toe with bolters blazing or blasting enemy tanks to scrap, Tactical Marines are tireless and steadfast defenders of the Imperium. A Firstborn battle-brother can join a Tactical Squad only when he has first ascended through the ranks of the Scout, Devastator and Assault Squads, meaning that these courageous warriors are experts in every field of warfare.Led by grizzled sergeants -- many of whom are Veteran Marines seconded from the elite 1st Company -- these squads possess the accumulated wisdom and skill necessary to deal with any situation, no matter how dire. Combined with the array of specialist weaponry they are able to bring to bear, there is no threat in the galaxy over which the Tactical Squads of the Space Marines cannot triumph.Sergeants have the additional options of using a wider variety of weapons in combat, with most opting for a Bolt Pistol and a chainsword. The sergeant may have fought enough battles to qualify as a Veteran of his Chapter, especially if he has been seconded from the 1st Company. Veterans are often promoted to special command duties or transferred to serve in the 1st Company of a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter. Sergeants are normally indicated on the battlefield by a red-coloured helmet. Veteran sergeants also add a white stripe to their red helmets to denote this elite status.In addition to the sergeant, the Tactical Squad is comprised of up to nine other battle-brothers. These Astartes are always armed with the Space Marines' traditional weapon, the bolter. Space Marines have access to all manner of Imperial weaponry but it is with the bolter that they feel most comfortable and with which they have had the most training. Bolters are icons to the Space Marines and feature prominently in the monumental and armorial art of their Chapter. Each weapon is well-cared for. It is blessed and prayed for before combat and competently cleaned and serviced afterwards.Two of the battle-brothers in a Tactical Squad may be chosen to carry other weapons into combat. One Marine may be designated a heavy weapon squad member, and will carry one of the three types of heavy weapons available to the squad. These are the Heavy Bolter, the Lascannon and the Missile Launcher. These options dramatically improve the tactical flexibility of the squad and improve its chances of success in a wide variety of combat situations.This is equally true of the Special Weapon Trooper who may be chosen to carry one of the following weapons: a Flamer, Meltagun, Plasma Gun or Grav-Gun. The whole squad will also usually carry grenades of which the most common types are Frag Grenades (anti-personnel fragmentation grenades) or Krak Grenades (producing an armour-piercing blast, intended for use against vehicles). Other grenade types are occasionally used on special missions but are generally restricted to Space Marine officers and squad leaders.Some of the battle-brothers of a Tactical Squad may eventually fight enough battles to earn Veteran status themselves. These Marines many continue to serve with their original Tactical Squad for a short time but eventually they will be promoted to special duties such as service in the Command Squad or advanced to serve in the 1st Company of the Chapter which is comprised wholly of Veterans. In this way the ranks of that elite company are replenished. To display their status, Veterans of most Chapters commonly wear white helmets.Space Marines are versatile warriors and the Tactical Squad exploits this quality, allowing it to fulfill a wide variety of combat roles for a Chapter. The Tactical Squad organisation delineated here has proven to be extremely effective in whatever combat situation it has encountered across more than ten millennia of vicious interstellar warfare.