Ancient Marcellus, Ultramarines Legion Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought
The Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought is an Imperial cybernetic combat walker used by the Space Marine Legions during the days of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia.
The Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought served as a cybernetic sarcophagus for an Astartes warrior who had been so badly wounded in battle that his only chance for continued service to the Emperor lay in being interred within the armoured chassis of a Dreadnought.
The Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought, like much of the technology developed at the dawn of the Imperium of Man, is larger and more powerful than the more common Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnoughts used in the 41st Millennium.
History[]
The Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought was developed during the Great Crusade for use by the Space Marine Legions. This pattern was developed as an outgrowth of the same project to improve upon the fusion of Terran and Mechanicum technology which gave birth to the first Legiones Astartes Dreadnoughts, such as the Castraferrum and Lucifer Patterns.
The Deredeo Dreadnought shares many core components and systems with the hugely successful Contemptor class, but rather than a general assault unit, the Deredeo is an expressly designed heavy weapons platform, intended to combine superior firepower with the flexibility and durability of a Dreadnought chassis.
Deployed in limited numbers for each of the Legions, the Deredeo was treated as a specialist unit as it proved highly resource-intensive to produce and maintain, but its undoubted survivability and killing power saw a resurgence in its use after the initial wave of internecine conflict during the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, and was in high demand by Traitor and Loyalist alike from the few Forge Worlds that produced this rare pattern.
Armament[]
The Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought is a dedicated heavy support walker, and though it shares many core components and systems with the more general assault-based Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought, the Deredeo was designed purely for ranged fire support. The Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought, with its formidable carrying capacity and battlefield stability, was used as a test-bed platform for a number of advanced Legiones Astartes weapons systems, created from the wisdom won during the two standard centuries of the Great Crusade.
The standard loadout for the Deredeo consisted of a set of twin-linked Anvilus Pattern Autocannons, known as an Anvilus Autocannon Battery, and a set of carapace-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters. The Heavy Bolters could be replaced with a set of twin-linked Heavy Flamers and an Aiolos Missile Launcher could be mounted atop its carapace.
With its formidable carrying capacity and battlefield stability, the Deredeo was used as a test-bed for a number of advanced weapon systems. Chief amongst its anti-vehicle armaments was the Arachnus Heavy Lascannon Battery. The Deredeo could also be outfitted with Smoke Launchers, a searchlight, and extra armour plating or armoured ceramite plating.
The Deredeo Pattern shares the Contemptor Pattern's system of defensive energy field generators inside its armour plating and is powered by the enhanced Atomantic Power Core within. The Helical Targetting Array's advanced Augur and sophisticated banks of combat-cogitators allow the Deredeo to track and destroy even the swiftest of targets with ease. However, due to the Helical Array's delicacy and ravenous consumption of power, the Deredeo must be immobile while the system is in operation.
The Deredeo also sports the Atomantic Pavaise, a highly experimental system developed by the Clave Nuathac sub-cult magi of the Forge World of Anvilus. The Atomantic Pavaise was created with Zone Mortalis operations in mind, and the idea of turning the Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought into a mobile bulwark against the heaviest enemy weapons fire.
Unit Composition[]
- 1 Relic Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought (41st Millennium Only)
- 1 Legion Deredeo Pattern Dreadnoughts (31st Millennium Only)
Wargear[]
A Relic Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought is armed and equipped with:
- Twin-linked Anvilus Autocannon Batteries (Takes up both weapon arms)
A Relic Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought may replace its set of torso-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters with any of these options:
A Relic Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought may replace its twin-linked Anvilus Autocannon Batteries with any of these options:
- Twin-linked set of Arachnus Heavy Lascannon Batteries (Takes up both weapon arms)
- Twin-linked Hellfire Plasma Carronades (Takes up both weapon arms)
A Relic Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought may also have be equipped with a variety of extra weapons and equipment such as:
Horus Heresy Wargear[]
During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras, the Deredeo Dreadnoughts of the Legiones Astartes featured different weapon loadout options than those still found among the Deredeo relics of the 41st Millennium.
A Legion Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought was armed and equipped with:
- Twin-linked Anvilus Autocannon Batteries (Takes up both weapon arms)
- Twin-linked Heavy Bolters (Torso-mounted)
A Legion Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought may replace its set of torso-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters with:
A Legion Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought may replace its twin-linked Anvilus Autocannon Batteries with either of these options:
- Twin-linked Arachnus Heavy Lascannon Batteries (Takes up both weapon arms)
- Twin-linked Hellfire Plasma Carronades (Takes up both weapon arms)
- Twin-linked Volkite Falconet Battery (Takes up both weapon arms)
A Legion Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought may be equipped with a variety of extra weapons and equipment such as:
Game History[]
An ancient Mechanicum schematic of both the Furibundus and Deredeo Class Destroyer/Attack Support Dreadnoughts; this chassis was utilised for both types of Dreadnoughts respectively, depending on their armament and configuration.
The original Dreadnought classes released by Games Workshop were utilised by both the Space Marines and Imperial Guard armies. These classes included the Furibundus, Deredeo and Contemptor Patterns, each of which possessed different weapon configurations.
There were a selection of arms (single or double Bolter, Lascannon or Missile Launcher) which fitted to the body, "wide" or "narrow" which in turn could have either long or short legs.
The earlier variant of the Deredeo Class Attack Support Dreadnought (codenamed Eddy) carried the standard armament of a Bolter and a Missile Launcher. Each limb had its own targetting program. Both Krak Missile and Frag Missile ammunition was carried as standard.
The Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought also carried a standard sensor package, two defensive power fields and a power field synchroniser.
See Also[]
Sources[]
- Imperial Armour Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes (8th Edition), pg. 29
- The Horus Heresy Book Five: Tempest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 83, 214-215
- The Horus Heresy Book Six: Retribution (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 45, 202
- The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Age of Darkness Army List pp. 78-79
- Warhammer 40,000: Compendium (2nd Edition), "Chapter Approved: Drednoughts," pg. 63
- Forge World - Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought
- Forge World - Deredeo Dreadnought Avilus Autocannon Battery
- Forge World - Deredeo Dreadnought Aiolos Missile Launcher
- Forge World - Deredeo Dreadnought Hellfire Plasma Cannonade
- Forge World - Deredeo Dreadnought with Arachnus Heavy Lascannon Battery
Gallery[]
