The Imperium is a vast, galaxy-spanning empire in the Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe. There are several armed branches of the Imperium's military and police services, and much of their equipment is common to multiple branches.
The armed forces of the Imperium include, but are not limited to:
- The Space Marines
- The Imperial Guard
- The three Ordos of the Inquisition
- Numerous Planetary Defence Forces
- The Adeptus Arbites
- The Orders Militant of the Sisters of Battle
This list will name the various types of weaponry in use by the various armed branches and significant equipment used.
Weapons
Laser Weapons
Lasguns, the standard-issue weapon for all Imperial Guardsmen, come in so many varieties that the number of known patterns in current use goes into the hundreds, but nevertheless include Standard, Short (for urban warfare) and Mars (original standard issue mark for the Imperial Army) Tanker (Short barrel and folding stock). It uses a small portable power pack which is effective when used en masse, but considerably less effective when used singly. They are, however, powerful enough to remove an unarmored human limb in a single shot; however, these shots are individually not as useful against durable alien bodies or heavy armor.
Lasguns are easy to make and maintain, hence their use throughout the Imperial Guard. Lasgun power cells can be recharged by leaving them in sunlight, or (if totally desperate) in a fire, although this decreases pack-life. Lasguns can also use the overpowered hotshot power cell. This drains and damages the cell and barrel quicker, but gives a more potent and powerful shot. Certain types of lasgun have specific uses, most notably the more powerful long-las which is the catch-all term for sniper variants because they bear longer barrels.
The laspistol is a pistol form of the lasgun, designed for fast wielding rather than firepower or range. It is often taken in conjunction with a close combat weapon by officers.
The lascarbine is a carbine form of the lasgun, designed for special operations and units, usely employed by drop troopers or scout units of the Imperial Guard. It was used by the Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn and the Tanith First & Only.
The needlegun and needle pistol (or needler) are silent and deadly weapons that uses both laser power and poisened needles. The weapon fires a laser bolt like the lasgun, but, nearly simultaneously, it fires the needle. The bolt melts and cuts through armour, leaving the skin (or other vulnerable parts) behind vulnerable for the needle, which knocks out or kills the target. It is a valuable weapon which needs specialised ammo and care, more so than the sniper rifle lasgun, and is therefore usually reserved for more elite troops or outfits.
The multilaser is a rapid-fire heavy weapon, ideal for destroying lightly-armoured vehicles or infantry formations. Due to its power requirements and weight, it is usually mounted on vehicles such as Chimeras or Sentinels.
The more powerful lascannon is one of the favorite weapons of the Imperial Guard. Its high strength and armour piercing ability make it a formidable weapon, especially when mounted on tanks. Also, with so many heavy weapons available in troop squads, it makes up for the guard's average accuracy. It is commonly used for anti-tank attacks, and can be mounted sometimes as twin linked, making it even more deadly. Sentry weapons have been known to be outfitted with lascannons for anti-armour purposes.
Space Marines also make extensive use of the lascannon; it is used in heavy weapon squads (Devestators), Dreadnoughts, Predator Annihilators, and Land Raiders.
More powerful las-weapons can be found throughout the Imperium, including those mounted on Titans, starships, and planetary defence installations. These, the multilaser, and the lascannon are among the few lasweapons that have any real effect on vehicles or other strong creatures, like the Tyranid Carnifex or a C'tan. These creatures are so powerful lasgun fire will rarely, if ever, do more than annoy them.
Hell Weapons
Hellguns and hellpistols are a more advanced form of laser weapon, carried by the elite Storm Trooper or Kasrkin regiments. They pack a slightly harder punch than comparable laser weapons, to get through light infantry armour and to also deal greater damage. However, the higher power output requires either a backpack power source or multiple specialised power cells, and hell weapons often require a higher level of maintenance. Due to this need most Guard regiments aren't equipped with this demanding firearm and use the more reliable and less demanding lasgun.
Melee Weapons
Simple, cheap, effective and quiet (usually), bladed weapons are there when the gun has blown up, been knocked out of reach, has jammed, or just simply run out of ammunition. Bladed weapons have been around for millennia longer than guns and so the art of crafted weapons has become as diverse as any school of art. Knives, arguably the most useful of bladed weapons, can be found in more shapes and sizes than there are worlds in the Imperium. Capable of being used for mundane, menial tasks as well as warfare, a knife is also easy to carry. Assassins proficient with knives can always be found with more than one, of many varieties. Soldiers of the Imperial Guard are also regularly equipped with bayonets for use in close combat, though most troopers loathe and fear the order to fix bayonets.
Swords, larger cousin to the dagger or knife, can be found on any planet in the galaxy. Although good balanced swords are ideal for combat, many Imperial warriors will prefer heavy bladed weapons such as the Catachan 'Devil's Claw' that uses flowing mercury to increase swinging power.
Axes, although more commonly found in the hands of Orks, are used by some low-tech regiments of the Imperial Guard, either because they are more familiar with it than other melee weapons, or because they prefer the kind of damage an axe does to an enemy soldier.
In "Fluff" (Commonly used term by 40kers to refer to the story or background of the game) a melee weapon can be anything. Literally, anything: from a clawed limb of an alien, to a combat knife. Even a good sized rock, a rusty piece of metal, the butt of a rifle, or the soldier's bare hands can be thought of as a melee weapon.
Typically, in game terms, melee weapons are not displayed on many models, but when they are, they usually make themselves known. From ornate swords, Eldar blades, to sleek Catachan machettes, to the graceful spear-sword of the Tau honour blade, and even to the bulky and menacing "Choppas" of the Ork, close combat weapons are meant to give the model a feeling of martial prowess, and can be very fun to model and customize. Although a close combat weapon can be extremely subtle, such as a bayonette shealthed to a soldier's boot. Just like gernades, close combat weapons normally don't need to be displayed, unless they benefit the wielder, or are the only weapons the model carries.
Chain Weapons
A chainsword
A chain weapon is a weapon that has motorised biting teeth that saw and slash through the enemy, in a similar fashion to chainsaws. The teeth themselves are fashioned to be incredibly sharp, in some cases carrying a monomolecular edge, and are capable of slicing through steel bulkheads.
The most common form of chain weapon is the chainsword, frequently carried by assault troops and low-ranking officers of the Imperial Guard and Space Marines (including the Traitor Legions); but it is sometimes seen amongst other races, notably the Striking Scorpions of the Craftworld Eldar. Another common variant is the chain axe, which is usually carried by Chaos Space Marines (normally of the World Eaters Legion) known as Berzerkers of Khorne. Such is the skill of these Berzerkers and the weight of their massive chain axes that the axes are nearly as powerful as the much-feared power weapon (see below).
A larger, extended version of the chainsword, known as the Eviscerator, is usually seen in the hands of religious fanatics such as penitent Sisters of Battle or the zealous and fiery Redemptionists. Eviscerators, being large two-handed weapons, are generally powerful enough to have similar effects to the chainfists frequently seen carried by Terminators.
Other variations of the Chain Weapon are used all over the galaxy. Space Marine Terminators often replace their standard powerfist with the chainfirst for use against enemy armoured vehicles. The Space Wolves chapter of space marines use a chainsword or chainaxe that has been fitted with the teeth of a Kraken, a native beast of their world. This weapon is known as a Frostblade and is more powerful even than a power weapon.
Chain weapons are not just limited to swords and axes though. Existing in the galaxy are chain glaives as well as a multitude of other bladed weapons that have had their blades removed and replaced.
Power Weapons
A typical power sword
Power weapons, by comparison to regular weapons, utilise focused energy fields to penetrate armour with ease rather than mere brute strength. Power weapons come in many forms, from the modification of a melee weapon such as a sword or axe, to the gigantic Powerfists and Lightning Claws. A notable power weapon is the Sword of Secrets carried by the Dark Angels, which is even more powerful than the Frostblade.
The weapon uses a generator that sheathes it in a blueish haze of disruptive energy. A power weapon needs a physical basis for the energy to be wrapped around. Then, the two work together to become extremely effective at carving through enemy armor. The most notabley effective use of a power weapon is the Chainfist, which is a powerfist(Gigantic armored hydraulic gauntlet with above-said generator) mounted with a large chainsaw blade, usually protruding from the back of the hand, just above the knuckles. This weapon is capable of cutting through even the toughest of armor, and is more that capable of dealing with enemy soldiers. *Note: Chainfists are so massive and encumbering, not to mention draining, they are normally only seen on Tactical Dreadnaught Armor (Terminator Armor).*
C'tan Phase Blades
C'tan Phase blades are used exclusively by the agents of the Callidius Assassin Temple. Recent background material suggests that there is only one single Phase Blade in possession by the Callidus Temple, as only one has ever been recovered by the Adeptus Mechanicus (through a Deathwatch Kill-Team) and the technology is impossible to duplicate. They use an alien form of technology that allows them to "materialize" inside their target, allowing nothing for armour or force fields to stop. They are made of Necrodermis (Necron 'Living metal'), and it is said that they are the direct creations of the C'tan. They are not truly in reality until they feel their target, until that point they exist in a 'twilight zone', between the Warp and the material universe. When they feel their targets, they become wholly in the material universe, allowing them to slip through any armour. They also utilize a form of "powering" that is built directly into the blade. Even now, the Adeptus Mechanicus cannot explain exactly how it works.
Force Weapons
These powerful weapons, capable of slaying the opponent in a single hit, are used mainly by Librarians and Grand Masters of the Ordo Malleus. They are designed to channel the Librarian's psyker energies and emotions into the weapon for unimaginable devastation. Force weapons vary in design, but are usually in the shape to some form of bladed weapon, although the force weapon of Tigurius is a staff.
Boltguns
A standard boltgun
The standard weapon of the Space Marines is the boltgun, also known as a bolter. A bolter is a heavy gun that fires rocket-propelled rounds with mass-reactive explosive payloads. Bolters are made in both pistol and rifle form, as well as the machine gun-like heavy bolter.
Bolters, rarely used by normal soldiers of the Imperium, are more effective and more complex than the standard pattern lasgun. They are loaded with mass-reactive self-propelled ammunition that explodes a split second after impact. Bolters are mainly used by the genetically engineered Space Marines due to the logistical problem such an ammunition-craving weapon system would propose for the Imperial Guard.
There are many variants of the bolter; including the Ultima, Crusade, Heresy, Fillienostos, Nostra, Godwyn-Deaz, and Astartes Umbra patterns. Bolters are also highly customisable, and can be equipped with a wide variety of different modifications (used mostly by the Kill-Teams of the Deathwatch). They have even been used as sniper weapons (equipped with the Stalker silenced shells and the M40 Targeter system)
A heavy bolter
The heavy bolter, unlike the bolter, is somewhat common in Imperial Guard armies. It has a high rate of fire and they are relatively cheap to field.
A bolt pistol
The bolt pistol is more common than the boltgun, but is generally only available to officers, seasoned veterans, and Space Marines (especially their assault units). They are commonly used by commissars, both for battling and field executions, leading to pistols being nicknamed, "Bravery Bolters". A bolt pistol is better than the laspistol but is harder to produce, making its use somewhat rare. A standard bolt pistol is capable of housing between 6 and 10 rounds of ammunition, and has a barrel diameter of .75 calibre.
A storm bolter, typically carried by Terminators
The storm bolter is a double-barrelled version of the bolter. As it is heavier and causes more recoil than a normal bolter, it is even more rarely used than the bolter in an Imperial Guard army. Instead, they are usually used with Space Marine Terminators or as a tank's pintle-mounted weapon. They are also used in conjunction with a "nemesis" force weapon by the Grey Knights, the militant wing of the Ordo Malleus. Also, many combi varients exist, such as bolter-flamer, bolter-melta, and bolter-plasma; these combine a bolter with another weapon (ie a combi-flamer combines one with a flamer). While the bolter carries as much ammunition as found in stand-alone bolters the secondary weapon(in the earlier example, the flamer) carries only enough ammunition for one salvo.
The vulcan mega-bolter is a super-heavy version of the bolter, mounted solely on Warhound Titans and other large war machines. It resembles two gatling guns mounted on a large housing.
The Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus have developed many types of bolter ammunition over the millennia. Here are the most common variants:
- Standard Bolts; are comprised of the following components: Outer casing, propellant base, main charge, mass reactive detonator cap, depleted deuterium core, diamantine tip. Spin stabilised at .75 calibre.
- Hellfire Rounds; have devastating results on organic matter, the rounds were developed to fight the Tyranids. The core and tip are replaced with a mutagenic acid vial contained in thousands of needles that chemically eats the target away.
- Stalker Silenced Shells; are a low-signature round for covert fighting. A solidified mercury slug replaces the mass-reactive warhead for high lethality at sub-sonic projectile speed; also a gas cartridge replaces the propellent base and main charge for silent firing.
- Inferno Bolts; are designed to ignite their targets and destroy them with superheated chemical fire. The deuterium core is replaced with oxy-phosphor gel. It should be noted that the Chaos Space Marine Thousand Sons have their own unrelated type of inferno bolts; these release arcane energies that jump from one target to another upon impact. In game this is represented by each hit using the small blast marker, also of note is in the dawn of war expansion pack, winter assault, chaos space marines has access to an upgrade that gives their predators explosive rounds charged with the energies of chaos.
- Ulysess Bolts; are bolts which contain a tracking device. Fired into large targets, it will accurately report the target's relative position to the tracker.
- Metal Storm Frag Shells; are best against multiple lightly-armoured targets. They detonate before impact and spray shrapnel, shredding their victims. A proximity detonator replaces the mass reactive cap, and the diamantine tip and deuterium core are replaced with an increased charge and fragmentation casing.
- Kraken Pattern Penetrator Rounds; are a high-powered armour-piercing round. The deuterium core is replaced by a solid adamantine core and uses a heavier main charge.
- Psycannon Bolts; are used by the Inquisition, primarily the Ordo Malleus; they are very similar in nature to the rounds fired by their namesake, Psycannons (see below).
Psycannons
The Psycannon is a weapon exclusively used by the Ordo Malleus and its Order Militant, the Grey Knights Chapter of Space Marines. It is a more powerful version of the bolter, utilizing psychically charged, ritually inscribed, silver tipped psycannon bolts, and attached to a suspensor, which offsets the weapon's weight and allows it to be fired on the move at reduced effective range. The psycannon is a weapon created specifically to combat the daemon. The psychic charge and ritual inscription blesses every bolt, which results in it ignoring any defensive energy field, whether it be created by Warp spawned energies and psychic powers or high technology.
Auto Weapons
Auto weapons are generally weapons which use solid-slug ammunition, and appear in pistol, rifle or cannon form. They are effectively identical to contemporary firearms. Autopistols and autoguns serve similar purposes to laspistols and lasguns. Some soldiers prefer solid ammunition to lasguns, as solid ammunition will ensure that the enemy will continue bleeding while lasfire immediately cauterizes wounds. In protracted firefights an autogun is more likely to run out of ammunition than a las-weapon, given the same space for spare ammo, as it lacks the recharging ability. Even so, auto weapons are still popular among soldiers of the Imperial Guard; it was the standard-issue weapon of war for them until the 32nd millennium.
While autopistols and autoguns are similar to their las-variants, autocannons are very unlike lascannons. Autocannons are rapid-fire heavy weaponry designed to eliminate heavy infantry or light vehicles, and are often used by heavy weapons teams in battle, due to its versatility and reliability.
There are also sniper rifles which use solid slug ammunition, although, like other auto weapons, these have become less common, gradually being replaced by the long-las.
Flamethrowers
A flamer
The Flamer and Heavy Flamer are flamethrower-type weapons that project an ignited stream of prometheum fuel over a wide area, meaning it can hit many enemies in one shot. Flamers are infantry support weapons, given usually by officers to their most courageous soldiers as a sort of honour, but most troopers carry these with disdain. Heavy Flamers are often used by specialists in dense conditions, such as jungle warfare, or Terminators, who make good use of them in cramped ship-boarding actions. Heavy Flamers are also seen mounted on armoured vehicles as secondary weapons although the Sisters of Battle, use twin-linked Heavy Flamers as primary weapons on the Immolator tank.
More powerful Flamer-type weapons, Inferno Cannons, are available to the Imperial Guard mounted on the Hellhound.
A form of the heavy flamer, known as the Incinerator, is used by the Inquisition, primarily the Ordo Malleus (Daemonhunters). These weapons are fueled by purest consecrated prometheum, and, like psycannons, are useful against supernatural forces.
Assault Cannons
The rapid firng assault cannon
The assault cannon is a six-barrelled, self-loading automatic weapon, effective against infantry targets and light vehicles at close to medium range. The weapon's large size and tremendous fire rate require special means to sustain, so the assault cannon is normally mounted on vehicles or walkers such as Dreadnoughts, or specially damped and fitted to Terminator armour.
Although the assault cannon lacks the range of other rapid-fire guns such as the heavy bolter and the autocannon, its enormous rate of fire enables it to literally shred its way through most targets, punishing them with hundreds of rounds per second. Assault cannons are extremely potent at medium to close range, against armoured infantry and moderately armoured vehicles, while heavy bolters are only effective against lighted armoured targets and auto cannons have a slower firing rate. The assault cannon epitomises the deadliness of elite Terminator squads who teleport behind the enemy's front line and open up on full auto, spreading carnage and terror.
Assault cannons are used by Planetary Defence Forces on rare occasions as a stand-mounted defensive weapon, and are also found on the Destroyer variant of the Marauder bomber.
Plasma Weapons
A plasma gun
Plasma guns, Plasma pistols and Plasma Cannons use magnetic fields to accelerate balls of extremely hot gases (plasma) towards the target. Although the guns themselves are quite temperamental, and technology has been changed or lost (sometimes to the point of near obscurity), plasma weapons find regular use throughout the armies of the Imperium. They are difficult to maintain, but they are worth the risk on the field, as they have a long range and quite high strength. Their power is countered by poor cooling, and they can build up dangerous levels of heat with continuous operation. On these occasions, they will explosively vent the built up heat, killing the operator.
Some variants of the Leman Russ Battle Tank, for example the Demolisher, mount Plasma Cannons as secondary weapons, and one, the Executioner, uses a modified heavy Plasma Cannon as a primary weapon. The largest Plasma Cannons, known as Plasma Blast Guns, are mounted on Imperial Guard Super Heavy Tanks and Titans.
Grenade/Missile Launcher
These launchers fire two types of grenade/missile, Frag and Krak. Frag projectiles (short for fragmentation) are designed to spray an area with shrapnel, making them useful against lightly armored infantry. Krak projectiles are powerful anti-tank shots which are less useful against masses of infantry. Grenades, naturally, are less powerful than missiles, but are easier to fire on the move.
Heavy Stubber
A heavy stubber is a slug firing weapon based upon an old design (aesthetically resembling a .50 caliber machine gun), and is fairly common and reliable. Its high rate of fire makes up for its lack of strength and armour piercing abilities. It is an ideal support weapon for low-tech worlds that cannot look after laser weapons through technological or resource limitations.
Heavy stubbers are often pintle mounted and used as close defence weapons on Imperial vehicles, when the rarer storm bolters are not available.
Melta Weapons
The meltagun and multimelta (also known as 'cookers' or 'vape guns'), as well as the grenade-like meltabomb, are formidable weapons. They have a short range but are very powerful; they are even more powerful the closer they are to their target. A meltagun works by forcing a pyrum petrol fuel mix into a sub-molecular state (a miniature fusion reaction), and then projecting it from the barrel as a blast of incredible heat. The grenade variant's fuel has already been hypercondensed and is no less devastating. These are highly useful against heavily armored units, as they melt the target from within. Multimeltas resemble two meltaguns fused together. They have a longer effective range than a normal melta.
The rarer pistol version is known as an Inferno pistol and can vaporise foes of any kind with usual ease. Lord Dante, Chapter Master of the Blood Angels is the most notable of the few users of the Inferno pistol. Inferno pistols are also used by Ordo Hereticus and by their militant arm, the Sisters of Battle.
Mortar
The mortar has the ability to bombard enemy positions from behind cover. As such the vulnerability of Guardsmen is reduced and they survive longer. The rarer Griffon siege mortar has a rather larger explosive force than its man-portable variants, and is an excellent bunker-buster when equipped with specialist siege shells. It is usually mounted on chimera hulls to provide mobile support.
Shotgun
A shotgun
An old weapon, much the same as the heavy stubber, which fires solid slugs that burst into submunitions to spread out over a wider area. Most Guardsmen that use the shotgun prefer the double-barrelled version, and its reliability makes it the mainstay of the Elysian Drop Troopers, who prefer it over the lasgun when entering hostile drop zones. The Adeptus Arbites also use the shotgun for crowd control and urban conditions and have developed special 'Executioner' shells for them.
Shotguns are commonly used by criminal lowlifes in the lawless regions of most hive cities, where a large variety of specialist ammunition is used, including man-stopper rounds, modified bolt rounds and incendiary shells.
Imperial navy ships carry shotguns for the crew to use during rare boarding actions or, more frequently, against uprisings by crewmen aboard the ship. Space Marine Scout squads are also known to use shotguns in their missions.
Ripper Gun
The Ogryn's weapon of choice is a well-built, sturdy, and heavy shotgun. A ripper gun fires a spray of crude shells at a close range (which helps with the poor aim of the average Ogryn), designed to soften up the enemy before the Ogryns charge to close combat. Ripper guns are also sturdily designed for use as clubs, a use which the dim-witted Ogryns often employ them in. These guns are one of the only guns an Ogryn can use, due to the Ogryn's immense size, stupidity, and tendency to break things.
Vehicle-mounted weapons
Battle Cannon
Battle Cannons, the standard weapon for the Leman Russ Battle Tank, are formidable and can deal significant damage from a long distance. The cannon devastates an area and may be fired from behind cover. The sheer power of this weapon makes it a good choice for most armies.
Vanquisher Cannon
A more complex variant of the Battle Cannon, the technology to create Vanquisher Cannons is held by only a few Forge Worlds. Its most obvious feature is that it is almost twice as long as the standard battlecannon. It uses specialised armour piercing shells to take down enemy tanks from afar. Vanquisher Cannon-armed Leman Russes are often used as command tanks, where the veteran crew's experience can make the best use of the weapon.
Mega Battle Cannon
The Mega Battle Cannon is a larger version of the Battle Cannon and fires rocket propelled ammunition. It is the main armament of the Baneblade tank.
Conqueror Cannon
The Conqueror Cannon is a lightweight alternative to the Battle Cannon used on Leman Russ tanks. Although the cannon has a shorter range and fires smaller shells, the drastic reduction in recoil allows the vehicle to fire with more accuracy on the move. Currently the only Forge World producing them in large numbers is Gryphonne IV.
Demolisher Cannon
Mounted on the Imperial Guard Leman Russ Demolisher and Space Marine Vindicator, the Demolisher Cannon is a weapon designed to get up close and personal before it is fired. It is among the strongest weapons fielded by the Imperial Guard at regiment level, the sheer damage it is capable of doing is enough reason to risk getting so close, as well as the improved armour on the tank to increase its survivability. It is most often used in a bunker-buster role, by driving up close to enemy fortifications and firing into them at very short range, and allowing allied forces to assault through the breach. They are also used in urban areas, where they are aimed at the base of an enemy held building and fired, causing the building to collapse.
Earthshaker Cannon
The Earthshaker Cannon is a very long ranged weapon, capable of bombarding the rear of the enemy camp without having to be anywhere near it. Its shells are packed with powerful explosives that will destroy nearly anything within a sizeable radius. While it is not as strong as the Demolisher Cannon in terms of brute explosive force, its remains an invaluable weapon thanks to its range.
Plasma Destructor
The Plasma Destructor is the largest Plasma weapon capable of being mounted on a Leman Russ Hull, it is an extremely temperamental weapon that due to its massive power requirements, is often criticised by crew for being unable to operate in sustained engagements. However it has the capabilities to penetrate most known armour including terminator armour as worn by the Veteran's of the Adeptus Astartes, its extreme destructive potential is the reason that many imperial guard commanders include at least one Leman Russ Executioner in their armoured formations.
Plasma Annihilator
The Plasma Annihilator is the largest known plasma weapon, second only to the capital ship-mounted nova cannon. It is mounted on the Imperator Titan and delivers sufficient firepower to be considered a "Titan killer". Not much is known about these weapons, beyond their awesome destructive capability.
Whirlwind Missile Launcher
Whirlwind Missile Launchers are turret-mounted multiple-missile launchers used by the Space Marines as mobile artillery. The missile launchers are capable of firing ballistic missile that are effective against both infantry and vehicles, and can also be modified to rapidly deploy minefields via the specialist Castellan missiles.
Whirlwind launchers are always found on the Whirlwind tank used by the Space Marines, although there exists a special Land Raider variant, the Helios, which has been modified to carry a Whirlwind launcher.
Equipment
Armour
Mesh
Mesh armour is a bodysuit usually made from carbon-ceramic polyfibres. Phased out of the Imperial Guard in the 31st millennium, its use is — and always was — far more common in the hive gangs. The gangs preferred them as all a ganger needed to make one was a loom, water, and some powdered bone.
Flak
Made from high-tensile padded fabric, flak armour is usually designed as a vest or a sleeveless jacket which covers the upper torso. It is rather uncomfortable and unpopular although it is cheap to make and generally mass-produced. Really only useful for protection against shrapnel and low calibre weaponry (hellguns, bolters and pulse rifles will invariably pass right through it), the flak jacket may not exactly be the armour of choice for many but, like-it or lump-it, it is the only armour that most Guardsmen have access to.
Carapace
Comprised of rigid plates of armaplas or ceramite, carapace armour is made up of plates that are moulded to (loosely) fit the body. Usually a carapace suit will cover the torso and major joints with separate plates for the limbs along with a helmet, although it is also available in full-body suit form. Most wearers are in a relatively fit condition compared to other flak wearing troopers, due to the armour being so heavy. Unlike flak armour it can realisticly be expected to stop a large variety of mid range weaponry.
Power
Possibly the most prominent feature of the Space Marines is their power armour, a suit of ceramite plates with armoured fibre bundles and servos that replicate the wearer's movements and enhances a Space Marine's already superhuman strength, as well as allows them to easily withstand fire that could kill a normal human. The suit is coupled to the nervous system of the Space Marines via the Black Carapace.
There are eight known versions of power armour in use by the Space Marines:
- Mk1 Thunder Pattern Power Armour; the first Power Armour created for the Space Marines. It was developed from the armour worn by the techno-barbarians that plagued Holy Terra near the end of the Age of Strife. It was used during the Emperor’s campaign to retake and unite the Terran solar system before the Great Crusade. It was by no means unique to the first Space Marines - in fact, the techno-barbarian warriors the Emperor fought during the conquest of Terra wore it too, and the Emperor's forces were wearing it even before the first Space Marines were developed. However, because it was designed with Earth-fighting in mind, it is not fully enclosed, with no means to support the wearer in a vacuum. Only the upper body is powered, due in part to the fact that during the Conquest of Terra, ranged weapons were difficult to make due to technological constraints, and so a warrior's upper-body strength was his most important asset. It takes its name from the thunder symbol the Emperor had before adopting the double headed eagle.
- Mk2 Crusade Pattern Power Armour; was developed towards the end of the Age of Strife and was used during the dawn of the Imperium during the Emperor’s Great Crusade to retake the lost worlds of man. It was designed as a fully enclosed suit with life-sustaining systems that now allowed the Space Marines to fight in deep space and on alien worlds with hostile atmospheres or environments. The armor was made up of circular armor rings fitted under and over each other, making this armor relatively tedious to repair. These precious relics are still used during ceremonial procedures by some chapters and given to champions as battle armour in others. These suits are also referred to as Crusader Armour.
- Mk3 Iron Pattern Power Armour; it was soon realised that fighting in the tight corridors of spaceships was very dangerous. The Iron suit was designed to give greater protection to the Marines. The frontal armour was much thicker (thereby giving greater protection), but the rear armour was thinner to compensate. The wedge-shaped helmet (designed to deflect incoming fire) formed the basis of the distinctive Corvus beak helmet.
- Mk4 Maximus Pattern Power Armour; this armor was to be the replacement for the old Mk2 armor of the Great Crusade; it was the first armor to incorporate many components used in modern armor. However, it was made from rare alien materials, and when the Horus Heresy broke out soon after it was issued, it was discovered that most chapters cut off from supplies could not find the materials needed to make it or repair it, and they often suffered irreparable damage by relatively minor battles.
- Mk5 Heresy Pattern Power Armour; this armour was developed as a solution to the supply problems of the Horus Heresy. It was easily made from the most basic of materials, and it was easy to maintain. Almost all soldiers used spikes to hold the armor layers together, making the studs shown universally on all examples of this armor. In time, it became traditional for the studs to be found on the head, lower legs, and left shoulderpad of the armor. Due to the sub-standard materials used in the construction of this armor variant, it had a tendency to over-heat quickly, and many marines had to endure sub-standard performance by turning down the power output of their backpack to prevent intolerable heat build-ups.
- Mk6 Corvus Pattern Power Armour; this classic variant can be traced back to the time of the Horus Heresy and is still commonly used in contemporary Chapters. It is characterised by the beak-like muzzle on the helmet and a studded Auto-reactive shoulder plate on the left shoulder of the armour. The beak or muzzle led fans to nickname this variant "Womble armour" or "Beakie armor", and a dictionary of the Orkish language in the 2nd Edition Ork Codex listed Marines as "beakies".
- Mk7 Aquila Pattern Power Armour (also known as Imperator armour) is the contemporary variant most commonly used by the Space Marine Chapters. Characterised by the grim looking Vox caster (external vocaliser) on the faceplate, and the plastron displaying the Imperialis (a winged skull), which has given the armour different names such as Armorum Impetor or Eagle Armour ("Aquila" being the name of the two-headed eagle which symbolizes the Imperium).
- Mk8 Errant Pattern Power Armour; this is an update to the Aquila pattern armour, and is distinguished by a raised collar at the front, and armored plating for the torso cables. Full versions of this armor are almost never seen; however, it is common to find parts of it being used by officers and veterans on the battlefield.
One design feature of Mks 6 through to 8 is their adaptability; it is fairly common within most Space Marine chapters to see a suit combining parts originally created for three or four suits, salvaged from dead brothers on the battlefield. Mk 7 armour, in particular, was created with this simple modularity in mind.
The Sisters of Battle and several high-ranking members of the Inquisition also use Power Armour, but they are not directly linked to their suits in the way Space Marines are, which decreases the armour's effectiveness.
Terminator
Tactical Dreadnought ('Terminator') Armour was developed for close-quarters fighting, where staying power was more important than manoeuvrability. The technology was originally developed to enable maintenance crews of space ships to operate in hard vacuum or in other adverse conditions. It was re-designed during the Great Crusade to replace Power Armour, but was relegated to its current role due to a lack of manoeuvrability.
It is manufactured from a ceramite plasteel alloy as an exoskeleton with servo assisted interfaces with the users own neurological and muscular systems to enhance movement. It is the heaviest armour in any Imperial arsenal, is able to withstand tremendous punishment, and serves as a solid heavy-weapons platform in open-field combat. The First Company of each Space Marine Chapter uses Terminator armour extensively, and only those Marines who earn the crux terminatus are permitted to wear it.
Less frequently, high ranking members of the Inquisition have been known to wear Terminator armour. Notably, members of the Ordo Malleus can be seen wearing them.
Jump Pack
Jump Packs are bulky, vectored thrust engines that can be worn by a single soldier, design to be attached to the Space Marine's/Sisters of Battle's existing powered backpack. They are used to make powered jumps across the battlefield, allowing the troopers wearing them to quickly engage their foes. Jump Packs are thus used by assault troops, primarily the Assault Marines of the Space Marine Chapters, and the Seraphim of the Sisters of Battle.
Medi-pack
Varying from a medikit to a diagnostic computer, the Medi-pack, or Narthecium, generally helps a medic to heal wounded or ill troopers in a battlezone. Sometimes in particularly vicious and dangerous warzones, medics will have to scrounge for medical supplies and beg for drugs from aid stations and passing Munitorum cargo transports.
The Narthecium used by Space Marine Apothecaries are automated units. They carry drugs and equipment that is geared for the hardier constitution of a Space Marine, and thus can be dangerous to use on normal humans. They also include a Reductor, which allows the Apothecary to withdraw the precious gene-seed from a fallen Space Marine.
Sister of Battle Hospitallers have a down scaled version of the Space Marine narthecium, useable on normal human anatomy, and in the service of the Inquisition, torture. Many an Imperial servant has had reason to thank the gentle touch of the Hospitaller, and many an Imperial enemy has had bad experiences with the "gentle" touch of the torturer.
Vox-caster
A communications array, similar to a radio, that can be as small as helmet mounted links to massive banks of equipment at the HQ. Usually a squad or platoon will have a link to HQ via one vox unit and smaller relays for trooper-to-trooper communications. Command units usually use more complex versions of vox casters-known as master voxes. These can receive and transmit on multiple frequencies at once, making them ideal for coordinating many squads at once. In absence of any vox communications, troopers are taught to sign to each other when in battle.
Space marines and Sisters of Battle (and high ranking members of the Inquisition, Adeptus Mechanicus) have miniature vox-casters built into their power amour (or cranium in the case of the Adeptus Mechanicus). Most of these are short ranged and used only for squad to squad communication.
Pintle mount
A device used to mount an anti-personnel weapon to an Imperial vehicle. This weapon is used, either by the vehicle's commander or by remote control, to engage secondary targets and immediate threats while the gunner focuses the vehicle's main firepower against enemy armour or major objectives.
Storm Bolters are the most common weapon used with a pintle mount, although Heavy stubbers are also used by the Imperial Guard. The Black Templars deviate significantly from this usage, pintle-mounting multi-meltas to their Land Raider Crusaders.
The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer
A small book issued to all guardsmen in the Imperial Guard that is full of prayers and descriptions of basic tasks an infantryman must perform. Regulations and forms are also part of the book to ensure each trooper has his own book. Troopers are encouraged to read and memorise most of the primer, while disgruntled regiments may use the pages from these books as makeshift toilet-paper. The Primer has been published by Black Library(but went out of print), and some sections appear to be subtle satire against the Imperium itself from a loyal, yet disgruntled guard writer, for example the sections on Duty to Commissars.
Note on Chaos Marines
It should also be noted that much of the weapons and equipment used by the Chaos Space Marine Legions also come from this list— especially the equipment wielded by Space Marines. Since the schism which resulted in the banishment of the Chaos Marines, the Imperium has made some advances in technology; thus much of the Chaos Marines' equipment is of older design, or the Chaos Marines simply have restricted or no access to some of the items listed above.
For example, the Chaos Marines possess plasma weapons - however, their plasma cannons, being much older, are simply too large to be carried by a man; thus they are always vehicle-mounted. Rather than Stormbolters, which were designed around the time of the Heresy, the Chaos Marines possess older combi-bolters — which are essentially two normal bolters combined into a single gun, but the effect is not quite as effective as the Stormbolter. This has, however, given Chaos pintle-mounted combi-bolters a special utility unknown to Imperial vehicles: the weapon can be adapted to consist of a single bolter combined with a single-shot flamer or meltagun.
Further still, the Chaos Marines have extremely limited access to jump packs (which were designed shortly prior to the Heresy), and no access to assault cannons, psycannons or the special ammunition types for bolters (all of which were invented after the Heresy).
However, some equipment is replaced by similar daemonic gear. For example, some Chaos Marines can be seen with mutated wings, which act similar to jump packs. While Chaos Marines do not have Artificer Armor (a type of power armor which is well crafted so that it affords better protection), they can have their armor mutated by the powers of Chaos, creating Daemon Armor, which is similar to Artificer Armor. Lastly, the Iron Warriors Legion is known for salvaging Imperial siege equipment, such as the Imperial Guard Basilisk (an artillery piece which carries the Earthshaker cannon) and the Space Marine Vindicator.
References
- Priestley, Rick (1995). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Imperial Guard, 1st Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1872372929.
- Chambers, Andy; Haines, Pete, and Hoare, Andy (2003). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Imperial Guard, 4th Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1841544108.
- Chambers, Andy (2004). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Space Marines, 4th Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1841545260.
- Johnson, Jervis; Chambers, Andy, and Thorpe, Gav (2000). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Space Wolves. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1841540102.
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