Warhammer 40K: The Imperium Is Ignoring A Lot Of STCs Sitting Right Under Their Noses

The Imperium of Man keeps on missing several rare STCs they could get their hands on.

The Imperium of Man is not exactly known for its technological advancements. It’s a stagnant and hidebound place that resists change. Indeed the Imperium is living in something of a dark age. Most of its technology is salvaged from prior human civilizations. It’s this that has driven a lust not for new discoveries, but for re-discovering past knowledge. Despite searching for lost technology the Imperium keeps overlooking some obvious sources. Lets take a look at those.

What Are The STCs?

The single greatest repository of past human knowledge, and the holy grails of Imperial technology are the STCs. These are objects created during the Dark Age of Technology. This was of course, in fact, a golden age, that was ended by… something. An STC or Standard Template Construct represents one of the highest of technological advancements. These generally took the form of massive machines filled with a huge number of “blueprints”. The STC could build any of these blueprints with ease. They were generally used to aid in mankind’s colonization of the galaxy.

An STC can also refer to an individual blueprint or vehicle. This might be part of a larger STC or found on its own. Each one of these is hugely valuable. The Land Raider came from one such STC. The Leman Russ from another. Finding one can change the face of war. Arkhan Land found a small handful of STC blueprints and became known as one of the greatest minds in Imperial History. Wars are waged over a single blueprint. And yet the Imperium seems to ignore a number of rich sources.

The Van Saar STC

If you ever looked at all the crazy stuff House Van Saar gets in Necromunda and wondered why the Imperium doesn’t have it, here is why. You see House Van Saar has access to a near complete set of STCs. It turns out the Van Saar was a colony ship in the Dark Age of Technology. Thanks to Warp stuff it ended up on Necromunda much later than planned. The ship contained a large type STC that was powered by some kind of AI. It’s from this trove of Pre-Imperium technology that Van Saar draws its strength. Despite being active for several thousand years, and clearly displaying very advanced tech the Imperium at large hasn’t really come after them.

It seems a single group of Tech Priests once investigated but vanished. And that’s it. How has the greater Imperium missed this treasure trove? Cawl can find out of random bits of STC hidden away in Necron tomb worlds, but not this one hiding in plain sight? Crazy.

The Votann STCs

Another obvious source of STCs is the Leagues of Votann. The Leagues possess advanced tech and weapons that appear in many ways quite ahead of the Imperium. As abhuman off shoots they also get their tech from the Dark Age of Technology. In fact, it appears that they are even led by STCs. The Leagues are led by the Votann, these are massive gestalt AI’s that are filled with knowledge, including STCs. In fact, they sound like they are just the old large-type STCs and very similar to the one owned by the Van Saar of Necromunda. And it makes sense. These are effectively the cores of old human colonies, sent out to claim squatters’ rights on various planets.

Now the Leagues keep the nature of the Votann a secret… but does the Imperium really not know anything? Or guess? This is a huge and rich trove of knowledge. The Imperium has fought wars before over a single STC blueprint. Would they really ignore the possibility of getting their hands on complete databases? Like the Van Saar the Leagues show of their advanced tech all the time, but the Imperium and, more shockingly, the Adeptus Mechanicus just doesn’t seem to care too much. It’s all a bit odd.

The Dragon of Mars… May Transcend STCs

Don’t even get me started on the Dragon of Mars and what technological secrets it held – in the very bosom of the the Adeptus Mechanicus, and the Imperium of Man. There’s a very good chance the STC’s could be descended from it…

Let us know about any other potential sources of STCs, down in the comments! 

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.