Kastelan Robots

The Kastelan Robots hail from an era when the Imperium made freer use of thinking machines, and their continued existence is a testament to the Mechanicus's careful stewardship of dangerous old technology. Each is a massive walking construct, its frame armoured and its fists capable of crushing power. Because the priesthood distrusts unfettered artificial intelligence, every Kastelan maniple is shepherded by a Cybernetica Datasmith, a specialist Tech-Priest who directs the robots and keeps their limited cognition in check.

Kastelans operate according to combat protocols that their Datasmith can switch mid-battle. Under an aggressive protocol they surge forward to smash the enemy in close combat; under a protective protocol they weather incoming fire with heightened resilience; under a ballistic protocol they pour out a devastating hail of ranged fire from their fists, which can be configured with heavy phosphor blasters or crushing power weapons.

This adaptability makes the Kastelans versatile and terrifying instruments of war. They embody both the might and the anxiety of the Mechanicus creed, potent weapons drawn from the forbidden art of machine intelligence, wielded only under the watchful control of those who fear what they might become if left to their own devices.