The following rules describe how all of the specialized equipment used by Squats works during a battle. These rules tend to be more detailed than those included in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, and they supersede them if they are different. Any items not listed here function exactly as described in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook.
Carapace Armour (Command Characters): Carapace armour is personal body armour that gives superior protection to the armour that is normally issued to Squats. Carapace Armour may only be purchased by independent characters.
Auspex: An auspex is a short-ranged scanner used by Squats to detect hidden enemy troops. If enemy infiltrators set up within 4D6" of a model with an auspex, then that model is allowed to take a 'free' shot at them (or sound the alarm in a Raid scenario). If the model is part of a unit then the whole unit may shoot. These shots are taken before the battle begins, and may cause the infiltrators to fall back. The normal shooting rules apply.
Bionics: Bionics allow an Squat who has suffered a crippling injury to return to service, but are unlikely to improve or enhance his abilities. However there is a chance an attack or shot will hit a bionic part causing less damage, e.g. a shot that would cripple a leg will only cause mild damage to a bionic leg. To represent this, if a model with bionics is killed, instead of removing it, place the model on its side. Roll a D6 at the start of the next turn: on a roll of a 6 the model is stood back up with 1 wound, but on any other roll it is removed as a casualty.
Combi-weapons: These are basically two weapons joined together, giving the Squat a choice of two weapons to fire instead of one. A Squat who is armed with a combi-weapon may choose which of the weapons he is going to use in the shooting phase. The bolter may be fired any number of times, but the other weapon may only be fired once per battle. Note that you may not choose to fire both weapons at once.
Exo Armour: Due to the powerful exo-skeleton and power sources built into their armour, Squats in Exo armour are capable of moving and firing with heavy weapons. On the other hand, this armour is somewhat heavy and cumbersome so Hearthguard are not able to pursue a more lightly armoured foe when they flee. To represent this, Hearthguard that win a close combat may only consolidate, they will not be able to advance.
A model wearing Exo armour has a 2+ armour save and adds +1 to its A , Attacks characteristic. Also, any model wearing Exo armour can be teleported onto the battlefield, and set up using the Deep Strike rules, but only if the mission allows for Deep Strike to be used. If the mission does not allow troops to use the Deep Strike rules then the model must set up normally with the rest of the army.
Force Weapon: Force weapons are potent psychic weapons that can only be used by a trained psyker such as a Living Ancestor. They are treated as a power weapon, but can unleash a psychic attack that can kill an opponent outright. Roll to hit, to wound and to save as normal. Then, as long as at least one wound has been inflicted, make a Psychic test for the psyker against one opponent wounded by the weapon. The normal rules for using psychic powers apply, and you can not use another psychic ability in the same turn. If the test is passed then the opponent is slain outright, no matter how many wounds it has (but count the actual amount inflicted for determining which side won the assault).
Note that a force weapon has no special effect against targets that don't have wounds, eg Dreadnoughts, vehicles, etc. Also note that you only take one Psychic test no matter how many wounds were inflicted.
Graviton Gun: The graviton gun affects the local gravity field and changes the weight of objects, making them far heavier than normal. This increased gravity will crush the internal organs of any being struck by the effects of the Graviton Gun. It will also crush armour and destroy the internal machinery of vehicles.
The Graviton Gun can be used by Guild troops only.
Holy Relic: A model bearing a holy relic may reveal it once per battle. This may be done at any time, as long as the model with the relic does not move during the same turn it is revealed. On the turn the relic is revealed all Squats within 2D6" get a +1 Attack bonus for the rest of that turn. Note that the relic may be revealed in an opposing player's turn if you wish.
House Banner: House banners combine the effect of a holy relic and a sacred standard (see their entries for details).
Iron Halo: The Iron Halo is a special reward given to Squats who show exceptional initiative or bravery in battle. In game terms it has the same effect as a rosarius, giving the model a 4+ invulnerable save that may be used instead of the model's normal armour save. No more than one model per army may have an Iron Halo.
Lasers: Due to heavy gravity conditions on their worlds, they have developed powerful lasers as both tools and weapons. Squat laser weapons are self-contained, and do not need a backpack power generator. Instead, they use a powerful energy cell that fits into the weapon itself.
Master-Crafted Weapons: A master-crafted weapon follows the normal rules for the weapon, except that you may re-roll one failed to hit roll per turn. Master-crafted weapons are taken as an upgrade for a weapon that is already being carried by a model and should be represented by a suitably ornate weapon on the model itself. Please note that you may not master-craft grenades!
The cost listed in the Wargear section is in addition to the cost of the weapon itself leg a master-crafted power weapon costs 15+15=30 pts). However, only the upgrade costs are taken against the 100 points limit on wargear for a model (so the master-crafted power weapon above would count as 15 points against the 100 points limit, not 30 points).
Plasma Weapons: Squat plasma weapons are the same as Imperium plasma weapons, except that due to their advanced neo-plasma technology they do not overheat.
Psychic Hood: Psychic hoods allow a Living Ancestor to nullify an opposing psychic's power. Declare that you'll use the Psychic hood after an opponent has successfully made a Psychic test, but before they have used the power. Each player then rolls a D6 and adds their model's Leadership value to the score. If the Living Ancestor beats the opposing model's score then the psychic power is nullified and may not be used that turn. If the opposing model's score is equal or higher, it may use its psychic power as normal.
Sacred Standard: Add +1 to the Squats combat resolution score of any assault that takes place within 6" of a sacred standard. However, if the model bearing the standard is slain in close combat, then the enemy model that slew him captures the standard and gets the bonus from then on. It is possible for a standard to change hands several times in a single battle, as long as the model holding the standard is slain in close combat each time.
Servo-Arm: Many Guildmaster Technicians are equipped with a powerful servo-arm that can be used to carry out hasty battlefield repairs. The servo-arm counts as a power fist in close combat. It always hits on a 4+ and is rolled separately from the Guildmaster Technician’s own Attacks. In addition it may be used at the start of any Squat turn to repair an immobilized vehicle that is in base contact with the Guildmaster Technician. On a D6 roll of a 6 the vehicle is repaired and may move normally.
Signum: The signum is a special form of communication device that allows the Guildmaster Technician to access a myriad of useful battlefield targeting information, and then pass it on to his fellow battle brothers. In game terms it allows you, each turn, to re-roll one missed to hit shooting roll for the retinue that the Guildmaster Technician belongs to.
Stabilised Anti-Grav Harness: The Anti-Grav Harness was developed for use of workers on very high-g worlds and was later developed for military use. Troops wearing Anti-Grav Harnesses are counted as wearing a Jump Pack. Troops move from just a few inches to several feet above the ground, and may move over obstacles and difficult terrain without penalty as long as they have the movement left to clear the terrain and/or obstacle.
Squat Bike: Squat bikes are fitted with twin-linked bolters and increase the rider's Toughness by +1 point. Squat characters that have a retinue or are part of a unit may only be given a bike if all of the models in the unit are also on bikes.
Just as with choosing wargear for your Squat troops and characters, the upgrades you choose for your vehicle should be represented on the model itself, e.g. if you choose to upgrade your vehicle with searchlights, then the model of your vehicle should have searchlights on it too. Note that when choosing upgrades no vehicle can have the same upgrade more than once.
Dozer Blade: Vehicles equipped with dozer blades can re-roll a failed Difficult Terrain test as long as they are not going to be moving more than 6" that turn.
Extra Armour: Some Squat vehicle crews add additional armour plating to their vehicles to provide a little extra protection, Vehicles equipped with extra armour count 'crew stunned' results on the Vehicle Damage tables as a 'crew shaken' result instead.
Hunter-Killer Missile: Hunter-killer missiles are a common upgrade for Squat vehicles. They are treated as a krak missile with unlimited range and can only be used once per battle.
Pintle-Mounted Storm bolter: Pintle-mounted storm bolters are fixed to the outside of a vehicle and can either be used by a crewman from an open hatch or by remote control from inside the vehicle. They are treated as an extra storm bolter that can be used in addition to any other weapons the vehicle has. Note that this means that a vehicle that moves can fire one weapon and the pintle-mounted storm bolter.
Searchlight: Searchlights are only of any use in missions where the rules for night fighting are being used. They allow one enemy unit spotted by the vehicle to be fired at by any other Squats that are in range and have a line of fire (the enemy unit has been illuminated by the vehicle's searchlight). However, a vehicle that uses a searchlight can be fired on by any enemy units in their next turn, as they can see the searchlight shining out into the dark.
Smoke Launchers: Some vehicles have small launchers mounted onto them that carry smoke charges (or a more sophisticated equivalent in the case of skimmers). These are used to temporarily hide the vehicle behind concealing clouds of smoke especially if the vehicle is moving out in the open. Once per game, after completing its move, a vehicle with smoke launchers can trigger them (it doesn't matter how far it moved). Place some cotton wool around the vehicle to show it is concealed. The vehicle may not fire in the same turn as it used its smoke launchers, but any penetrating hits scored by the enemy in their next shooting phase count as glancing hits. After the enemy's turn the smoke disperses with no further effect.