Knight Crusader

A Knight Crusader of House Terryn supporting an Imperial Guard regiment

The Knight Crusader pattern of Imperial Knight walker is a mobile fire support platform that provides heavy weapon support for its fellow knights in battle. The Crusader strides forward relentlessly, blasting away with not one, but two main guns. With an Avenger Gatling Cannon and another cannon in combination, the towering war machine is a one-Knight spearhead capable of blowing huge holes in the enemy battle line. Should this other gun be a Thermal Cannon, the Knight Crusader is capable of melting through even super-heavy vehicles at close proximity; if it instead carries a Rapid-Fire Battle Cannon, the Crusader is deadly even at long range. Meanwhile, the gatling cannon churns out rapid shots, stitching lines across enemy formations or obliterating light vehicles. A Heavy Flamer and Heavy Stubber round out the Knight Crusader's firepower, sweeping its forefront clear of encroaching infantry.

History

A Knight Crusader of House Taranis

A Knight Crusader advances to the optimal firing position, braces its mighty legs and lets loose death. Blazing away with two weapons, a Crusader sends forth a fusillade of heavy shells from its avenger gatling cannon, sketching deadly patterns across the foe's frontage. Its other weapon -- a thermal cannon -- causes the very air to sizzle as it hisses out blasts that can reduce a squad of Chaos Terminators to bubbling slag with every shot. With each sector it clears, the Crusader’s steady advance brings new targets under its sights, and it continues to fire with every stride. The priority for a Knight Crusader is to find wide open fields of fire, and if the Noble pilot gives any concern to his own shelter, it is but an afterthought. Each such warrior has long ago learned to trust in the strength of his Crusader's Ion Shield, and his own skill in positioning it to halt the worst of any incoming firepower. Should the enemy press forward too closely, the Knight Crusader bears a heavy stubber, in addition to the considerable crushing power of its stomping gait. Some Knights Crusader opt for a longer-ranged weapon, exchanging their thermal cannon for the rapid-firing battle cannon. House Raven has been known to employ a formation o Knights equipped in this manner, a deadly grouping that can pulverise enemy battle lines at a great distance, saturating them with high explosives.

Wargear

• Avenger Gatling Cannon
• Heavy Flamer
• Heavy Stubber
• Thermal Cannon
• Ion Shield

Optional Wargear

• Meltagun
• Rapid-Fire Battle Cannon
• Heavy Stubber
• 1 Carapace-Mounted Weapon: Ironstorm Missile Pod, Twin Icarus Autocannon or Stormspear Rocket Pod

Canon Conflict

The original incarnation of the Knight Crusader was provided in the supplement found in Titan Legions 2nd Edition. This account of the Knight Crusader's history has largely been superseded by newer canon in accordance to Codex: Imperial Knights (7th Edition). Please note, that this version contains old background information that is no longer considered canon according to the current iteration of the Warhammer 40K universe. For clarity's sake, the original canon has been presented below:

Knight Crusader (Rogue Trader Era)

A Knight Crusader

The Knight Crusader, alongside its counterpart the Knight Castellan, are the heaviest types of Knight manufactured by Mechanicus Forge Worlds. These Knights are slower and less nimble than their kin, but benefit from much heavier weaponry and increased firepower as well as considerably thicker and sturdier armour plate. Because of its great bulk the Castellan cannot move fast enough to generate the charge needed to operate a Shock Lance. Instead they are used in a fire support role, providing heavy weapon cover for the other Knight units to charge in whilst the Crusader picks off threats to the main force from the rear. The common feature of this pattern Knight is the huge shoulder mounted Quake Cannon, a modified Titan weapon that can destroy Titans and buildings alike.

Sources

• Codex: Imperial Knights (7th Edition), pp. 16, 19, 24, 30, 37, 45, 53, 59, 61, 70, 85, 94, 101, 106
• Titan Legions (2nd Edition), pg. 30
• White Dwarf Weekly Issue #66 (May 02, 2015) (UK), "Imperial Knight Crusader," "Parade Ground," pp. 10-12, 18, 57-58
• White Dwarf Magazine #181 (UK), " 'Eavy Metal - Imperial Knights," pg. 42

Gallery

Knight Crusader, Revered Fury, House Hawkshroud

Heraldry of Knight Crusader, Revered Fury, House Hawkshroud (top view)

Knight Crusader, Undeniable, of House Terryn

Heraldry of Knight Crusader, Undeniable, of House Terryn (top view)

Knight Crusader, Unbowed, of House Terryn

Heraldry of Knight Crusader, Unbowed, of House Terryn (top view)

Knight Crusader, Tempered Fury, of House Raven

Heraldry of Knight Crusader, Tempered Fury, of [[House Raven] (top view)

Knight Crusader, Red Might, of House Taranis

Heraldry of Knight Crusader, Red Might, of House Taranis (top view)

Knight Crusader, Redemption of Adamant, of House Krast

Heraldry of Knight Crusader, Redemption of Adamant, of House Krast (top view)

Knight Crusader of Freeblade Mydos Almighty

Heraldry of Freeblade Mydos Almighty (top view)

A Knight Crusader detachment (Rogue Trader era)