Several imperial army regiments in TT mention that their troopers receive gene therapy and surgical enhancements to make them more combat effective.

Will we ever see this in Only War?

And

How would you go about representing it in the crunch?

What regiments and enhancements are you talking about? I do not have the newest codex but the Death Korps comes to my mind where their gene therapy is mostly just vat grown soldiers with some sort of stored/reproduced DNA sequences to a certain degree.

As of my knowledge there are not regular regiments that receive much more of a genetic enhancement besides some Afriel Strain remnants which are quite unstable on their own. Genetics is a rather avoided topic in WH40k and always very close to heresy for its failure rates are extremely high and their techniques a common sight in the hands of heretics, traitors and renegades - always leading to more havoc.

Surgical enhancements like bionics though can happen, depending on background and you are free to go to take them as special wargear int he regiment creation (i think?)

But in the end there are no Guardsman 2.0 around in WH40k. Nothing stable that could actually be considered a real improvement on all the other IG Regiments. (Not counting Skitarii that are associated with the Mechanicus)

I stumbled over a mention of it in an issue of imperial armour, regarding the elysian drop troopers. It comes with distinct drawbacks, and a slew of psychological issues (hyperaggressiveness, for one), and, recalling Krieg's clone soldiers, I figured, it may do well to ask what else is out there.

Well there are Gland Warriors

It should be noted that the Death Korps of Krieg also has some kind of warrant to be allowed to do the cloning, if memory serves. It wouldn't regularly be legal, not remotely.

Are you sure? I remember reading that the Death Korps is only rumoured to be cloning, because it would be illegal even for them.

If I remember right they got some sort of warrant that is described more in the Imperial Armour series. They have some sort of breeding program though I do not remember exactly what it is and it is under strict control and also assisted by the adeptus mechanicus that utilize these breeding programs for a long time in their skitarii forces. In the end this just created normal humans. These humans might be from good genetic material but still human.

Well there are Gland Warriors

_{http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Gland_Warrior}

Interesting. What drawbacks did these gland warriors have for their powers? I'm imagining hyped up hormones for mild efficiency boosts will have some very, very bad long term effects on the human body unless they're somehow kept in check during downtime. I'm curious what Inquisitor had there, if anything.

I imagine there to be no real "drawback" for such implants. Maybe infertility or organ failure in higher age - stuff that is not really important for people that are expected to die soon anyway. All in all their fluff sounds like they got a minor skitarii-level buff up minus the advanced gear.

Also this genetic engineering they received was mostly the implantation of vat-grown organs that were most likely some sort of "common" on that world and issued out of necessity.

If you want, you might be able to pull some inspiration from GW's d100 Inquisitor?

I'd have no trouble envisioning a specialized regiment of gland-warriors (or based on the same idea, anyway). In fact, it sounds like just the thing a Genetor Magos Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus might be involved in and fashion his Skitarii as, or a black-book regiment of an Inquisitor.

I am now imagining a Inquisitor posing as another (now-dead) Inquisitor, ordering a Army of the Galactic Imperium off the books, for use in a coming conflict that he himself is orchestrating, perhaps with his strings pulled by yet another.. I don't know, maybe someone in the Senate...

Sounds like a case for this guy !

Well, Skitarii already do have genetic/bionic improvements and given the fluff some regiments of those can actually be considered real clones with various different "upgrades" to a degree where it is actually quite common - at last for those elite Skitarii Legions that are fielded side by side with the Titan Legions.

The Gland Warriors do look very much like some sort of reinforcement to me that got these implants for the sake of it. Not because the Adeptus Mechanicus is such a nice institutions that now improves IG regiments they have no control of where else their Skitarii Forces are under their full control.

The men and women of the Lostock 23rd were cheap reinforcements, already trained and experienced - ready to get beefed up by some implants and to be send into the fray to get wasted. Imho the inquisition took hold of them because they actually had control over them for they were still IG personnel and hence they could take an insight look onto the capabilities of such warriors.

PS: Including the senate? They have "I-win" buttons! They do not realy need to pull any string unless they plot against another senator leading to a major waste of lifes nobody cares about.^^

Well, Skitarii already do have genetic/bionic improvements and given the fluff some regiments of those can actually be considered real clones with various different "upgrades" to a degree where it is actually quite common - at last for those elite Skitarii Legions that are fielded side by side with the Titan Legions.

The Gland Warriors do look very much like some sort of reinforcement to me that got these implants for the sake of it. Not because the Adeptus Mechanicus is such a nice institutions that now improves IG regiments they have no control of where else their Skitarii Forces are under their full control.

The men and women of the Lostock 23rd were cheap reinforcements, already trained and experienced - ready to get beefed up by some implants and to be send into the fray to get wasted. Imho the inquisition took hold of them because they actually had control over them for they were still IG personnel and hence they could take an insight look onto the capabilities of such warriors.

PS: Including the senate? They have "I-win" buttons! They do not realy need to pull any string unless they plot against another senator leading to a major waste of lifes nobody cares about.^^

If you missed the reference, Lynata's link should totally have made it click for you.

If you missed the reference, Lynata's link should totally have made it click for you.

Actually I did not read it further than "The most awsome 40k Character" for thats how so many army builder blogs go these days but to be frank it was quite clear without it. Now I feel dumb and miss the corner of eternal shame.^^

Does it count that I do not like SW? xD

Well there are Gland Warriors

_{http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Gland_Warrior}

Interesting. What drawbacks did these gland warriors have for their powers? I'm imagining hyped up hormones for mild efficiency boosts will have some very, very bad long term effects on the human body unless they're somehow kept in check during downtime. I'm curious what Inquisitor had there, if anything.

Not sure what Inquisitor game had for drawbacks, but they do also appear in RT: Into the Storm pg 84.

And in that game, these warriors aren't hyper all the time, but if a gland fails it offline d5 days. and you are running Frenzon, Slaught, Stimm and Spur, pus some more stuff

But in the end there are no Guardsman 2.0 around in WH40k. Nothing stable that could actually be considered a real improvement on all the other IG Regiments. (Not counting Skitarii that are associated with the Mechanicus)

Au contraire: I believe he's thinking of Afriel Strain soldiers, though there were genetically engineered IG back in the Great Crusade such as Geno Five-Two Chiliad.

Genetic engineering in the guard is rare, but not unknown. I'm also curious myself why Afriels have not shown up, since the project that's been producing them has been running since at least the death of Macharius.

I can understand Beastmen IG not being in, though I was a bit upset they were not in the abhumans book.

Probably because Afriels are DOOMED . Or something

Probably because Afriels are DOOMED . Or something

You know, we have that as a regimental drawback they can take, right?

But in the end there are no Guardsman 2.0 around in WH40k. Nothing stable that could actually be considered a real improvement on all the other IG Regiments. (Not counting Skitarii that are associated with the Mechanicus)

Au contraire: I believe he's thinking of Afriel Strain soldiers, though there were genetically engineered IG back in the Great Crusade such as Geno Five-Two Chiliad.

Genetic engineering in the guard is rare, but not unknown. I'm also curious myself why Afriels have not shown up, since the project that's been producing them has been running since at least the death of Macharius.

I can understand Beastmen IG not being in, though I was a bit upset they were not in the abhumans book.

I think one of the OW books mentions that the death corps of Krieg are clones. (NO, George Lucas! NO!)

The old Inquisitor game mentioned "Gland warriors" IG with implanted organs to boost strenght and speed, i might make a regiment of the in OW.

Wow Beastman IG. That's some old school 40k! Atleast we can have penal legionaries with bomb harnasess.