And of course there is the starship stuff. Rogue Trader introduces BFG-esque space combat as part of its system, and that is (for me, the tech nerd) a huge draw, because I've long loved Battlefleet gothic and spaceships. Even if they look like giant cathredals from time to time.
The format for Rogue Trader's analysis will follow Dark Heresy and the others. STart with the Rulebooks and work outwards from there. And so we start with part one of the Rogue Trader core rulebook. Enjoy.
As an aside, one thing that has consistently come up about the thread [and may come up here] are the ship masses. I'll deal with those in a separate thread, although I've discussed them before here and here I'll probably add some other comments and do some of my own (rough) comparisons to modern naval ships (closest approximation) and note how variable the densities in those cases can be.
To be fair, I'm neither defending nor condemning the numbers in general per se. I've found a number of calcs throughout the various supplements (the most hilarious being in Frozne Reaches and thin skinned ork Roks) so it is quite possible that some, most, or even all of the ship masses are far lighter than they should be. That said, in my own experience it does not neccesarily translate into a vast inconsistency (EG its within an order of magnitude, which is 'good enough' by sci fi calc standards and certainly by my own) and thus would be fine unless one is unusually draconian in their interpretation of 'approximate.' That does not neccesarily mean ships CAN'T be heavier, either, since one of the key parameters (hull thickness) can be variable in alot of ways (nevermind internal designs), but again that comes down to 'don't treat things as narrowly defined absolutes' - I could quite see 'super light' cruiser designs finding a place alongside 'super heavy' cruiser designs. Perhaps the differences come up to other perfromance traits (acceleration, for example.)
In the end I just emphasize the point - "be flexible" and "don't fall into dogmatic patterns" when it comes to thinking of these things. And just because contradictions do crop up doesn't mean it becomes an end of the world, either/or scenario. More often than not, the problem lies more in HOW you choose to view it, rather than the material itself, and nothing is ever lost by looking at a different perspective. Heck I've even gained some insight by looking at things from ym critics POV (Even if some of them are a bit goofy IMHO.)
Page 17
More death world fluff. Again aside from the dawrinian, sardukar like super regiments it can create, we learn that Death Wrolds are colonized for the important materials they provide. And they can be ionic-storm covered, or raidoacitve or otherwise nasty shitholes.Death worlds, whilst not common within the Imperium, can be found in every segmentum.
...
The inhabitants of these worlds are determined, tenacious people, highly valued for their strength and stamina, and are often drawn upon as recruits for both the Imperial Guard and some Space Marine Chapters. For most death worlds, their inhabitants are their only exports.
Page 18
void born seem to be a minority. How much of a minority we don't know....the products of many generations passed in the darkness between worlds, the void born are relatively few among the teeming multitudes of humanity...
Page 18
Mutation and psychic powers seem more common amongst the void born, although to an extent they seem more tolerant too. One imagines they are lighter G, more innately psychic, etc.Some vessels never make berth, their crews instead raising generations of families in the cold depths of space where gravitational variance, radiation exposure, genetic distortion, and warp anomalies slowly take their toll. What true effect these taints have on individual void born humans is both uncertain and varied, but there is quite evidently something strange about most of them.
Page 18
Other origins for void born. In other words, even if they aren't quite populous, there's alot of orbital facilities kicking around the Imperium.Some void born are raised on huge space stations—asteroid mining installations, Battlefleet Calixis refit stations, or Machine Cult research platforms—but the majority come from a variety of backgrounds aboard an active star vessel.
Page 19
That sounds strangely as if they might be.. oh.. competent... or at least not totally blinkered.Unlike the world born, you are not blinded by ignorance when confronted by psychic phenomena, warp anomalies, and the strange technology of void-ships...
Page 19
forge world stuff. Repeated elsewhere, so only skimmed over...those born and raised on city-sized orbital stations, Mechanicus-administered colonies (often called demesnes), research outposts, and restless explorator fleets, for the rites, rituals, and beliefs of the Omnissiah also govern those places.
...
Forge worlds are far more than the sum of their continent-spanning manufactories, however. Each is blessed with a higher level of technological advancement than the wider Imperium as a whole...
...
..as much as a third of any given forge world’s entire infrastructure consisting of endless scriptoriums, mimetic vaults, info-tombs, and libraria...
Page 20
hive worlds: big cities, shit tons of people.Hive worlds are home to countless teeming billions. The population is so dense that frequently great swathes of the surface of the world are covered with gargantuan cities stretching from horizon to horizon.
Page 20
They produce lots of shit for the Imperium, and they produce alot of soldiers for the Imperium.Hive worlds are vital to the welfare of the Imperium and are the beating heart of its economy and war machine. They are industrial worlds, producing munitions for the Emperor’s armies in vast manufactories, mining valuable minerals, and refining fuel for the Imperial fleet. Innumerable regiments of the Imperial Guard are raised from their massive populations, and legions of Planetary Defence Force troops stand in readiness to protect them from the threat of invasion.
Page 20
Definition of a 'solar hive', but also variations of which exist. Also note the more lenient attitude towards the outer enviorment... 'usally' barren, and only 'sometimes' deadly.Whilst many hive cities are strange and unique, products of the vagaries of history and the nature of the planet they have been founded on, the most common type is the so-called “solar hive,” a vast, super-continental sprawls of cityscape and manufactora which grows to dominate its host world. Beyond the hive city, the worlds which host them are usually barren and hostile, much of the surface commonly becoming inhospitable, or sometimes even deadly to human life after centuries of pollution and exploitation.
Page 20
Hive sizes and numbers. With billions of such hive worlds int he Imperium, we're tlaking quintillions of people, easily. Of course there is that '33,000' hive world figure too, and it could be lower. Hive worlds aren't exactly a fixed definition taking all sources together,Hive cities themselves are astonishingly large—massive urban conglomerations set with spires of adamantine and rockcrete whose roots sink deep into the earth, and that can grow to cover continents and soar for kilometres into the sky. Each major hive houses billions of Imperial citizens and is a nation in its own right..
Page 20-21
Mid-Hive conditions.Below this point lies the vast bulk of the working hive—the hive-city. It is here that the bulk of a hive’s population dwells, a concentration of humanity so great as to require constant monitoring and draconian restrictions on its freedom and movement, or risk the whole system’s collapse into catastrophe. Most mid-hivers know only their own hivecity and do not leave it during their lifetime. They never see the sky or set foot on the surface of their own planet.
Page 21
Hive world Cuisine.Here the water is distilled from the discharge of the upper hive, and food must be supplemented with factory-produced concentrate or, in rare cases where no other sustenance can be gained, spun from corpse starch.
Page 22
Imperial worlds. Note again this is a distinct classification from others, and it encompasses (directly) the million or so worlds. Implying that whilst other world types can overlap definitions, there are worlds in the Imperium that are not, technically speaking, 'Imperial' worlds."You hail from an Imperial world, one of a million planets united by a belief in the immortal God-Emperor of Mankind."
...
Hailing from hyper-technological democratic societies to grimy feudal populations...
Page 22
Proximity affects the technology level, the size and sophistication, and the relative safety of the worlds. (Segmentum solar is one of the safest areas of course.) This is all somewhat relative of course, given the omnipresence of alien races within the borders, theEye of Terror and the maelstrom, and a huge ass hive fleet coming up from below the galactic plane.The closer a world lies to Holy Terra—the home planet of mankind, far from the Calixis Sector—the more important, advanced, and well-governed it is likely to be. Far-flung planets on the fringes, on the other hand, are more likely to be frontier worlds, left to their own devices for much of the time and under the constant threat of physical or spiritual attack. Many worlds have a technological base to match that of Holy Terra, whilst many more have devolved into feudal backwaters with little more than black powder technology. These hardscrabble worlds, as well as those at the periphery of the Imperium, make excellent recruiting grounds for the Imperial Guard, Space Marines, and a Rogue Trader’s low-deck crew...
Page 22
The AdMech's web of technological dominance and how it affects the Imperium. It seems that at least some of the technological inconsistency can be blamed on them (or their contracting/dispensation/licensing practices andMost major scientific advances in the Imperium come from the rediscovery of forgotten secrets from the Dark Age of Technology, and innovation is forbidden—the powerful Adeptus Mechanicus of Mars maintain an iron-handed monopoly on all such matters of high techno-arcana. The reliance on ancient template systems, proven patterns, and a tangled web of contracts and dispensations from the Machine Cult to the planet’s rulers, not to mention the availability of local materials and imports, often creates a bizarre mishmash of tech-use on many Imperial worlds.
trade/import/export practices, or mateiral usage.)
Page 22
Imperial governance.The method of government employed by the diverse Imperial worlds are equally varied at the planetary level, with monarchies, republics, and oligarchies all presents in numerous iterations and forms. Ultimately, however, most Imperial worlds are ruled by a planetary governor (sometimes known as an Imperial Commander) who has final authority over the world as the Imperium’s chosen representative.
Page 23
SPACE NOBILITY. Note teh 'tech assisted breeding' - eg Eugenics if not outright genetic engineering. May be the Famulous stuff, or it may include Famulous stuff.Many noble houses span the stars in an intricate web of kinship, arranged marriages, and political alliances that ensure power and influence will ever continue, even if the fortunes of a single world fail.
The products of centuries—or even millennia—of tech-assisted breeding...
Page 36
"countless trillions"The countless trillions that live amongst the Imperium’s innumerable worlds...
Page 48
Soul binding.....in processions of a hundred at a time, there to undergo a ritual that will kill them, drive them insane, or bind them for all eternity to the Emperor. So intense is the ritual that the supplicants’ sensory organs are almost totally overloaded—leaving them blinded by the experience—with many suffering further nerve damage, incurring loss of smell, touch, or hearing.
Page 48
Relay stations and other astrotelepathic facilities.It is a rare Astropath indeed who rises beyond his given duties and responsibilities in the ranks of the psychic choirs. Of those few who do so, most are placed in charge of Astropathic facilities and relay stations dotted across Imperial space.
PAge 48
'handful' of astropaths in a rogue trader fleet is stypical, but suggests that one per ship on other ships is unusual.Most Rogue Trader fleets are accompanied by little more than a handful of Astropaths, with perhaps only one being stationed on each vessel, and so their position is one of grave responsibility. They provide the only means of viable communication between widely scattered vessels, not to mention across interstellar distances...
PAge 52
The Quest for Knowledge and Explorators. It probably explains a bit of their mindset and why they might be mor radical/progressive than other Mechies.
Explorators undertake their Quest for Knowledge across the stars, seeking out undiscovered data and unrecorded phenomena, forgotten archeotech hoards, and unknown life forms. All Mechanicus research stations, exploration ships, and outposts any distance from a Forge World are likely to be manned by Explorators. It is also the sacred function of these intrepid (or foolhardy) individuals to delve in the unexplored reaches of the galaxy, either as part of great Mechanicus-backed fleets or by attaching themselves to the Rogue Trader houses to carry them into the beyond in search of both the future and, most importantly, the past.
Page 52
AdMech Logic re: their practices.Only by re-learning ancient lore found scattered across the stars and painstakingly piecing it together can Man ever achieve such dizzying heights again. Attempts at improvisation or adaptation are viewed by most followers of the Omnissiah as the height of hubris. Imagining that one can set oneself above the knowledge of the Ancients without risking their deadly sins and the dark fate that led to the horrors of the Age of Strife is pure folly.
Page 52
Quite a few I'd think have 'turned' from more conservative coggie viewpoints. Also, I honestly don't recognize this reference to the Universal Laws... if it's an in joke, or out-universe reference, or what. The only thing I can guess is maybe to Chaos's favorite number being eight.There more than a few Explorators who, in their desire to uncover the secrets of the universe, have fallen prey to some xenos dogma and turned from the rigid doctrine of the eight Universal Laws...
Page 56
Missionaries, being the ones to manipulate and co-opt cults into the greater Ecclesairchy, are by nature more liberal than their politicla, 'civil' collegues.Missionaries must be prepared to witness forms of worship that would drive a Cardinal to declare heresy...
...
It is their task to examine the outlandish faiths practised by the ignorant souls they encounter and formulate a scheme to convert them to the Imperial Creed, mark a world as a target for further attention by their peers, or at worse, with a quill stroke damn them to destruction.
Page 56
Showman, salesman and Inquisitior/spy.The true skill of Missionaries is to recognise when their arts and methods are likely to prove fruitless and when something far more sinister lies at the heart of the locals’ faith.
Page 60
Non-Navigator warp jumps. Computer plotting and stellar charts are vital, and still ridiculously short ranged.Without a Navigator, a vessel is limited to warp jumps of only a few light years at a time, and exact calibration must be undertaken by massive banks of cogitators as even the smallest of errors will have fatal consequences for the vessel and every soul aboard. Without a Navigator, to cross even the smallest of interstellar gulfs without the most detailed and ancient charts is considered a desperate or foolhardy act by most void-farers and suicidal by those who truly understand what horrors lurk beyond the material universe.
Page 60
Navigator perception of the warp.Each Navigator perceives the warp in an entirely subjective manner as a reflection of his own unique nature, for even such as they may not stare into the abyss and face its true form without suffering the utter destruction of mind and soul.
..
As Navigators gain in experience and power, the abstraction fades, and they are capable of observing the true warp through a polarised state—their third eye filtering the horror.
Page 60
The consequences of their powers, more or less.Navigators who have served the longest may become wracked with bodily failure, incipient madness, and possible mutation, and ultimately they become virtual prisoners reliant on the life-sustaining machinery of their sanctums.
Page 68
Implies some sizable populations on some planets.. hundreds of thousands, millions?Vast fleets of military, mercantile, and exploratory spacecraft knit this great realm together, and some of these ships are as large and densely packed with human life as many terrestrial cities...
Page 72
The limited by walls bit is interesting. It may be a function of the materials used (some mateirals innately block psychic phenomena for whatever reason), or it may be game mechanics, or perhaps just a particular quirk of this kind of AStropath. Either way their psychic senses are quite useful.An Astropath Transcendent is blind yet at the same time has a strange ability to perceive without using his physical senses. An Astropath Transcendent is functionally treated as if he can see normally (including seeing colours and being limited by walls, etc.). However, Astropaths Transcendent are not affected by effects that target their vision, such as blind grenades and cameleoline.
Page 84
Psyniscience again.. the psychic skill that isnt psychic.Those with the Psyniscience Skill sense the currents and eddies of the warp. The Explorer can use the Skill to detect the presence or absence of daemons and the use of psychic powers. The Skill also allows detection of psychic phenomena, disturbances, voids, or other areas where the flow of the immaterium has been unsettled or disrupted.
...
Astropaths can also use the Psyniscience skill to block the communications of other Astropaths.
Page 88
Defined as a "trade" Considering some definition of technomates escribe them as being little more than a servitor, its perhpas small wonder there is no understanding,Technomat: Used to maintain and repair technological devices, but through rote memorisation rather than true understanding.
Page 94
The "autosanguine" ability. Micromachine tech.'The ancient and blessed technology of the Mechanicus or some corrupt xeno tech flows through the Explorer’s blood. These miniscule machines repair minor injuries and speed healing.
Page 95
"Chem geld" ability.Either chemical and surgical treatments or sheer will has rendered the Explorer immune to most mundane temptations.
Page 95
"Cleanse and purify" skill, makes it harder for targets to dodge aside basically. How the control is achieved.... good question.The Explorer can control the flow of molten promethium like no other, manipulating flame like an old accomplice.
Page 96
"Divine Minsitration" - aka faith healing. Only it works. My bet would be on some extenrally-applied variation of the 'autosanguine' ability.The Explorer is a vessel for the Emperor’s mercy and beneficence, his faith in his divinity can heal where no mere skill can.
Page 97
"electrical Succour" - Admech-related ability mainly (you need implants like the Potentia coil obviously.) I believe i covered this in Dark Heresy.The Explorer can channel the sacred flow of energy from his Potentia Coil or other energy source to replenish his flesh. Whilst in contact with a functioning, powered machine, or fully charged battery or power cell..
Page 98
Auto-stabilization with enhanced targeting basically.The Explorer’s already impressive bionic body structure is steadied by a gyro-array guided by a targeting system linked to the machine-spirit
Page 99
Another interesting MEchancius related ability... how he 'un jams' it isn't specified.Using the Explorer’s sacred ability to subtly affect ferrous materials, he can un-jam a number of weapons..
Page 99
All the heavy weapons listed can 'vaporize' single foes (explode or reduce to steam take your pick.)Heavy Weapon Training
Talent Groups: Bolt, Flame, Las, Launcher, Melta, Plasma,
Primitive, and SP
The Explorer can employ some of the most devastating weapons of the battlefield, able to vaporise single foes and strike fear into the machine spirits of vehicles everywhere.
Page 100
Noetic learning.The Explorer has been infused with a great wealth of lore and knowledge, either through punishing noetic techniques or by arcane methods kept secret by the guardians of technology and knowledge.
Page 101
Interesting trick. Some osrt of subconscious precog/predictive ability? Pattern recognition?The Explorer has developed a sixth sense about hails of gunfire, allowing him to sense gaps and pauses in the lethal rain.
Page 101
Logis Implant. Not restricted to only AdMech either.The Explorer may use analytical circuits to calculate trajectory and reactions to a preternatural extent. His ability to read possible outcomes lets him anticipate the movement of his opponents.
Page 101
Luminen blast and luminen shock respectively.. ADMech only.The Omnissiah has blessed the Explorer with augmetic conduits that parallel the bones of his arms. By reciting the proper litany, he can channel the energy stored in his Potentia Coil down these channels and direct it at his enemies.
...
The power of the Explorer’s Potentia Coil flows through a network of inductors within his flesh, allowing him to channel this energy into his blows.
Page 102
Basically allows increasd strenght and toughness, makes the dude less agile, and upgrades his offensive weapons mechadendrites.The Explorer has returned to the crèches of the Mechanicus so they can bring him closer to the most holy of forms, adding an extensive machinator array to his existing augmetics.
...
His mass increases to three times that of a normal person, and he may no longer stay afloat or swim in water or similar liquids.
Page 102
Maglev Grace and Transcendance. Allows some levittation (the latter still can float 20-30 cm off the ground still), as well as reducing or negating fall damage.The Explorer stitches augmetic coils throughout the systems or flesh of his legs, granting him the ability to float a short distance above the ground.
...
..the character may hover 20 to 30 centimetres off the ground...
...
The Explorer has proven his devotion to the Machine God by lacing augmetic coils through every portion of his body.
Page 130
Unlicensesd nagivators? Probably renegades, but not neccesarily chaos aligned. It also suggests they need to be licensesd to practice, which is proably a form of taxation by the Administratum (and a means of control)The Explorer was born with the Navigator gene, either of the Navis Nobilite or in the shadowed ranks of the unlicensed. The Warp Eye stares balefully from his forehead, allowing him to perceive the ebbs and flows of the empyrean.
Page 105
Rite of Sanctioning. Is this soul binding or something else? It implies it is something else.The Explorer has been brought before the Emperor and has received a miniscule fraction of His awesome strength, making the character far more resistant to the predations of the Warp.
Page 107
artificially crated perfect memory.Mental conditioning or augmetics enable the Explorer to record and recall great amounts of information, effectively granting him a perfect memory.
Page 113
Trade.A currency consists of whatever objects are a common unit of exchange in a given locale—government coinage, ephemeral ledger-data, ammunition, gold nuggets, or shells picked from a beach. The currencies of mankind are as varied as the worlds of the galaxy, and are only measured in Thrones when it comes time to collect the Imperial Tithe.
Page 113
Given what we learn in Path of the Eldar this is quite likely....the deceitful Eldar of the Expanse do not appear to employ currency at all, and are said to find such human concepts of valuation primitive or debased. Eldar do value certain items—particularly the lost artefacts of their race.
Page 113
The Throne Gelt. Sectors and Segmentums have their own currencies.One of a number of sector and Segmentum based Imperial currencies whose value directly relates to the Administratum’s audits, the worth of Throne Gelt is secured against the massive riches generated by Imperial planetary tithes, and is locally issued in the form of coins known as Thrones.
Page 113
A Rogue trader Implied to be able to afford vortex torps....a Rogue Trader gauges what he can afford to acquire...
...a vortex torpedo...
Page 114
One of the few times I'll quote a stat, and that's to define "weight" normally in regards to suspensors later.Wt (Weight): Represents how much the weapon weighs, normally in kg (kilograms).
Page 114
billions of worlds, all with some measure of industry.The Imperium is vast, and amongst its billions of inhabited worlds there are countless forge worlds, factories, craftsmen, artificers and blacksmiths turning out weapons and armour.
Page 117
Implying something akin to an explosive/mechanical damage mechanism.Las weapons work by emitting short, sharp pulses of laser energy from high capacity fast-discharge generators, with a flash of light and a distinctive snap like the cracking of a whip as the trigger is pulled.
Page 117
Liquid metal core powerpack. As in Dark Heresy, I generally assume a "sodium sulfur" type battery for consrvatism sake, although its more complex than that (it cna recharge via light or heat, which is damn impressive.)...most use a very common Departmento Munitorum sanctioned power pack. The liquid metal core of the pack stores vast amounts of energy, and can be recharged from standard power sources or even via exposure to intense light or heat in a pinch. In emergencies they can even be recharged by placing them in an open fire, though this diminishes the lifespan of the pack and increases its failure rate.
We also know from various sources that laspistols, rifles, carbines, and even lascannon use the liquid metal batteries (4th ed DArk Angels codex specifies the latter) which may give a possible point of comparison. The lascannon power pack in 4th edition (based on the pistol grip) is at least 20-30 cm long and 10-15 cm in diameter (assuming its cylindrical. Since its a flat picture it could be a block.) call it between 1500 and 7000 cubic cm volume, and 55 kg per pack (as per FFG)
We know a Man Portable lascannon is betwen 5 and 6 shots. From the Inferno magazine Demolisher entry, we know lascannons charge at arund 4 mw and may charge for at least 1-2 seconds which is 4-8 megawatts per shot. 20-48 MJ per pack. Which yields between 145-348 kilojoules for a lasrifle powerpack. 55-131 kj for laspistol. 109-262 kj for a lascarbine and 164-394 kj for a long-las. 2.4-5.8 kj per shot for a lasrifle, 1.8-4.4 kj per shot for a laspistol, 2.7-6.55 kj per shot for a lascarbine, 4.1-9.85 kj per shot for a long-las.
The volume comparisons are also interesting. For a 750 cubic cm lasgun power pack 1/2-1/10th and 10-24 MJ for a powerpack to 2-4.8 MJ for a lasrifle powerpack. 167-400 kj per shot, 10-24 MJ. 33-80 kj per shot at 2-4.8 MJ per powerpack.
Page 117
I covered tyhis before to. It still bears remembering of course. IF we stick with the 'sunlight' example and assume a 5x10x15 cm pack (10x5 = 50 cm and 10x15 = 150 cm at .14 watt per sq cm is 7 and 21 watts) Between 12 and 24 timeframe ypou get between 300 and 900 kj for the powerpack, and 600 and 1800 kj for the pack. For 30 shots out of that you get 10 kj to 30 kj per shots for the 12 hour timeframe, and 20 to 60 kj per shot. Which is for a rifle that way, just so we're clearThe time the pack takes to charge is determined by the power output of the source and is ultimately up to the GM, but typically takes several hours. Alternatively, power packs may be charged by placing them in an open flame. This however takes at least a day and permanently reduces the clip size by half (this only occurs the first time it is charged in this way).
There are also several ways to revise the 'fire' calc. On one hand, comparing it to sunlight. Previously I assumed a single facing absorbed sunlight (.14 watts per sq cm) (7 watts for the top or bottom, 10.5 watts for the front and back, and 21 watts for both sides. If we assume at least one side, to all sides we get between 7 and 77 watts if I did the math right. 300 kj for one side.. 600 kj for 24 hours. and at 77 watts we get 3.33 MJ (or 6.66 MJ for 24 hours) At 30 shots its 10-20 kj per shot. which is 111-222 kj per shot.
On the other, analogue to boiling water.
First example was based off this article/video here. I used the pot I found here as a baseline - 1.5-2 liters and about a 17 cm diameter - which fits closely with the estimated size from the vid (based on teh guy's hand size. and the ease of lifting it with the pot lifter. Call it 2 kg of water and a 20 cm diameter pot. It takes 'a few minutes' to simmer and 'a few minutes' for a rolling boil. call it 5-10 minutes. A 'warm' day (call it 75-80F) - call it 300K. call it 306 kj per kg, so 712 kj for the pot within 5-10 minutes, which is 1.2-2.37 kilowatts. Divide that by 20 cm diameter we get between 3.8 and 7.55 watts per square cm.
As an interesting check we can look here at this fun little thing called a Kelly Kettle. The Kettle can boil water in 3-5 minutes, has a diameter of 19 cm at the baes, and boils 1.634 kg of water. At that mass it can take 500 kj to boil. At the diameter (283 sq cm) and the time (180-300 seconds) - 1764 Joules per sq cm, which works out to between 5.9-9.8 watts per sq cm. Which works fairly well.
So, calling it 4-10 watts per sq cm, and a 10x15 cm power pack, or 5x10 for a side (50 and 150 sq cm respectively) we get between 200 and 1500 watts for a given side. For all sides we get 2200-5500 watts. For 200 watts over 12 hours, we get between 8.64 MJ and 65 MJ, and twice that for a full day/night. For 24 hours at 5.5 kw we get over 475 MJ.
Which is.. alot. 143 kj per shot for a 60 shot powerpack, up to 1.08 MJ per shot. At 475 MJ we get 8 MJ per shot. actually it might be double that (halved the ammo capacity). Bear in mind that the above assumes 100% efficiency (or even close to it), and that may not be likely (indeed the fact the pack takes damage tends to argue against it...) If only 15-20% of that energy is 'actually' transferred to the pack, so 'double to triple digit kj' las bolts is more likely an interpretaiton (although single digit MJ is not impossible, esp for heat ray type lasweapons or 'hotshots' or the like..)
Another thing to note is that the 'dangers' of fire charging vary from source to source. The Ghosts/Sabbat Worlds onvels and the Deathworld novel both mention this being a commmon means, which suggests far higher reliability than other sources (like the Munitorum manual) suggest.
Page 118
- Ranged weapons table. Since so many of these cropped up in DH I will skip over most of the basics like the Lasgun or log-las or the laspistol and te like, except to note a few differences. Semi and full auto will list the number of shot fired in parenthesis, since I'm tired of typing it out. Also assuming powerpack is 10% of weapon weight and a sodium sulfur battery for firepower.
Archeotech laspistol has a range increment of 90m, ROF of single and Semi (3). It has an amazing 70 shots per clip but also weighs 4 freaking kilograms. And in game terms has the damage of a lasgun (But with better penetration than a long-las). .4 kg clip 3.1 kj per shot.
Belasco dueling pistol: 45m range increment, 1 shot clip, 1.5 kg weight. 81 kj for single shot.
Lucius pattern Hellpistol has a 35m range increment, ROF of single, and semi(2), 40 shot clip and weighs 4 kg. Lucicus pattern Hellgun has a 110m range increment, ROF of singl eand semi(3), 30 shot clip, and weighs 6 kg. Will be calced later.
Las gauntlets have a 50m range icnrement, single and Semi(4) ROF, 20 shot clip and weigh 3 kg (apiece or together, is not said.) .3 4-8 kj per shot, depending on if the mass is per glove or for the glove together.
Locke pattern Lascarbine is like DH lascarbine, only 2.5 kg mass instead of 3 kg. 3.4 kj per shot.
Solid projectile:: only real differencees is the Ursid pattern heavy stubber having a 40 shot clip, other wise its a heavy stubber. Naval pistol (mars pattern) has 20m range increment, single and semi(3) shot capability, weighs 3 kg, and has a 6 shot clip.
I'm going to skip over calcing solid projectile numbers. Doubt it will vary much and really they just turn out odd.
Bolt weapons: Locke pattern boltgun differs from DH boltgun only in terms of having a Full auto (4) as well as single and Semi(2) capability. Ceres pattenr Bolst pistol is the same.
Storm bolter pecularily has identical qualtiies to Bolt gun (90m range increment, single/semi(2)/full(4) ROF), except weighing 9 kg and having a 60 shot clip and the storm quality. Heavy bolter is identical.
Melta weapons: Inferno pistol and meltagun are the same as in DH core rules. The main difference is there are tow kinds. The Mars pattenr (which is the DH melta), and the Mezoa pattern, which has a 10 shot capacity and weighs 46 instead of 40 kg.
Thermal lance: 10 m range increment, 2 shot clip, and weighs 40 kg. Multi melta (mars pattern) has a 60m range increment, single and semi (3) ROF, a 10 shot clip, and weighs 40 kg. Also has Blast (1) quality.
Plasma weapons: Again mostly the same as in DH, except that the Ryza Pattenr plasma pistol has single and Semi(2) ROF. Mezoa pattern plasma gun has a 40 shot clip (instead of 20), weighs 18 kg instead of 11) and niether have the "recharge" quality (they don't need time to recharge basically.) Mezoa gun also does slighty more damage and is faster to reload it would seem. 6.5 MJ per shot.
Ryza pattenr plasma cannon has a 120m range increment, 16 shot clip, and has the blast (1) quality and weighs 40 kg. 36 MJ per shot.
Flamers are no different from DH. Heavy flamer (locke pattern) is mentioned, with a 30m range increment, and a 10 shot clip. Weighs 20 kg.
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Grenade and missile launchers here. Voss pattern is like the DH grenade launcher, excpet it weighs 12.5 kg. Mezoa pattern grenade launcher is 10 kg, has a single shot clip, and a range increment of 80m.
Locke pattern missile launcher has a 250m range increment, single shot clip, and weighs 12 kg. Retobi pattern Missile launcher weighs 35 kg, a 200m range increment, and a 5 shot clip.
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Hellguns here are defined as also hot shot weapons. As noted before, hotshots are power packs, hellguns are guns. you can combine the two but they aren't neccesarily the same thing. Hellguns are 'rarely' seen outside Storm troopers, but lots of mercanry and subsidiary agencies (Munitorum and commissarial troops, etc.) use them.Sometimes also known as “hot-shot” weapons, hellguns are almost exclusively used by high ranking Imperial officers and elite forces who favour the higher power over regular las weapons. While hellguns are rarely seen outside of elite Storm Trooper units, hellpistols can be seen among many of the officer corps and Inquisitorial agencies....
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Lucius-pattern weapons use a 10 kg backpack power source rather than a standard plug-in pack, even for the smaller hellpistol. Larger power packs mean greater power behind each shot but make reloading more impractical, which is a trade off most are willing to take. Hellguns can also be linked to larger backpack power sources.
The greater power behind each shot with backpack sources may explain discrepancies in firepower and number of shots (200 shot capacity for a Krieg Grenadier hellgun, for example.) 10 kg power pack is 5.4 MJ. 30/40 shots per gun is 135 kj (hellpistol) and 180 kj (hellgun)
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The Archeotech laspistol. If we take the above seriously, this indicates that (Based on ammo pack differences) the archeotech pistol is nearly 2 and a half times more efficient than a standard laspistol. That is, it can do nearly 3 timres more damage for an equal amount of energy, or that the archeotech weapon can inflict the same amount of damage for about 2/5 the energy expenditure of a normal laspistol. This also tends to suggest that mechanical damage plays a significant role over thermal (although other sources have hinted thermal effects play a not-insigifnicant role in damage. We could attribute such discrepancies simply to differences in design, pattern, or how they are configured. Thermal damage will certainly be more desirable against certain targets like Orks, despite the tradeoffs in efficiency over a purely mechanical damage mechanism.)It can be fired like a pistol, though many also can mount folding stocks and longer barrels allow the weapon to be braced two handed for a more accurate shot. It is also more efficient than most las weapons, getting more shots per charge.
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Las gauntlets. Sound alot like the Yeld Rig las weapons from Necromunda.It is still debated whether these devices are of xeno manufacture or an intact pattern from the Dark Age of Technology. Each fits over the forearm with glove controls, and can fire salvos of long raking beams rather than the short crisp blasts of most las weapons.
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long las vs regular lasgun. The freaking thing comes out to be almost 2 m long.. the IIUP lists a lasgun as 90 cm long, and this would make it 180 cm, with the barrel being well over a metre long.. all of which provides (I gather) greater penetration and 50% longer range. The beam might suffer less loss over that range too, I suppose...a long-las also has a much longer barrel than a lasgun both to increase range and prevent overheating. This can make a long-las up to twice as long as a standard lasgun...
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A drum and belt fed pattern both exist, with the drum fed one supposedly easier to 'port and load''. They are (unsurprisingly) less powerful than autocannon, although the way stubbers can go up to 25mm (and autocannon can go down to 20-30mm) there might be some near-overlap or overlap here.Heavy stubbers are popular amongst military forces and gangers alike, as they are one of the more easily maintained heavy weapons available. Though not as powerful as an autocannon, heavy stubbers can lay down a curtain of suppressive fire and cut swaths though light infantry and vehicles alike.
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..the heavy stubber is commonly used hand-held but a bipod mount can be employed...
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The Mars Pattern naval pistol, an officers sidearm. Fragmenting ammo intrinsic to design...a variant of the basic autopistol that uses fragmenting ammunition designed to stop a target dead in its tracks, at the expense of range.
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Shotcannon. Bolter like damage. Shell must be at least a good 40-60 grams in size, perhaps 80-100 grams. Figure 12-40 kg*m/s assuming a 300-400 m/s muzzle velocity.. 1800 J to 8000 J. I'm nmore inclined to go towards the higher end per shot. A shotcannon should be at last 2x the power of a regular shotgun, and 'literally exploding' a man (or at least his torso) is not a trivial effect.. (given the wound pattenr depicted here you could easily expect the shotcannon to be close to an OoM greater (greater velocity probably, since the round is only 2x the mass.)These much larger variants of a regular shotgun fire a huge shell (nearly twice the normal size) and can lay waste to large hordes of attackers. A close range hit from one can literally explode a man into a burst of shredded clothing and flesh. As imagined they generate tremendous recoil and must be mounted down or fired from a braced position to be effective.
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shotgun pistol. Probably loer velocity (200-300 m/s maybe) but similar lethal traits. Quite effective shipboard, especially if you carry and use flechette or fragmenting rounds....this weapon is s squat, brutal looking weapon with an extremely short barrel in a pistol configuration resembling a single-shot hand cannon. It can fire a standard shotgun shell..
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This implies semi-automatic isn't much like a burst mode, but more like a "rapid firing single shot" tpye mode.Unlike the Stub revolver, this pistol weapon also can fire in rapid semiautomatic mode as well as single shots.
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Deplted "deuterium" is the core, this implies the bolter core is some sort of metallic hydrogen. Such hydrogen is under intense pressure. Whether this is the explosive property, or if it comes from some reaction fo the hydrogen itself, we can't say, but I'd bet on the latter (either chemcial or nuclear - I'm betting chemical.)The standard bolter round is .75 calibre with a super-dense metallic core and diamantine tip; other variant shells exist for specialised purposes, such as penetrating armour plating or conducting silent assassinations.
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Lock pattenr boltgun based on old Arbites boltgun design. You have tow onder why they still use shtoguns (or how poweful are shotguns if they are preferrable to bolters?)The Locke-pattern weapon is a variant of an old Adeptus Arbites design....
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Storm bolter.Here, two linked bolters form a single weapon which can shred most foes in a single burst.
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Heavy bolter.Used for anti-infantry and support rolls, they can lay down impressive swathes of fire, able to slaughter enemy troopers and destroy light vehicles with their explosive armourpiercing rounds. Each uses much larger versions of the standard bolt shell with more propellant and greater range.
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The usual flamethrower melta.Melta weapons emit devastatingly intense but short-ranged blasts of heat which can melt through almost any material. Also known as cookers or melters, most types of melta induce highly pressurised gases from an ammunition canister into an unstable sub-molecular state and direct the resulting energies down the barrel. Melta usage is accompanied by a distinctive hissing sound as the beam boils away the water in the air, then a roaring blast as the beam reduces the target to charred scraps or molten slag.
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Inferno pistols are supposedly rare.The inferno pistol represents very specialised and ancient technology, almost impossible to recreate. Mere handfuls might exist in any sector, each jealously guarded.
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Meltaguns come with bakcpack power sources as well as cannisters.It is an ideal weapon for cutting through bulkheads or armour. Most use a builtin fuel canister like the Mars-pattern, but the Mezoa forgeworld version using a backpack is also common.
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Area of effect of multimelta.The largest type of melta weapon is the multi-melta, usually only employed by the Adeptus Astartes or mounted upon Imperial vehicles. This huge weapon carries more fuel, fires at much longer ranges, and creates a larger blast area, cooking several square metres at a time.
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Focused/blowtorch version of melta.The thermal lance is a rare weapon, nearly as large as a standard multi-melta. It fires a more accurate and directed heat beam using a much longer barrel with added directional containment beams to reduce dispersal, at the cost of lowered damage to the target.
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These seem to be non-super soaker/flame thrower type "plasma weapons, more in line with a particle beam. Presumably this means they have similar PB like velocities, which would be consistent with the "solar flare" like description (although that doesnt tell us enough to calc them, of course.) Of course, these could also be a "bullet" type plasma weapon, since 40K plasma can still be weird, even if we assume this isnt a super soaker type weapon, and the "weird" bullet type plasmas need not be nearly so fast as a particle beam.Plasma weapons work using hydrogen fuel suspended in a photonic state in either fuel flasks or backpack containers. As the fuel is fed into the miniature fusion core inside the weapon the hydrogen energises into a plasma state, held in the core by powerful magnetic confinement fields. When fired, the fields dilate open and the plasma is ejected via a linear magnetic accelerator in a bolt of superheated matter akin to a solar flare in appearance and temperature.
Note as well thatn this is evidence for the Imperium having a compact linear accelerator type thing, along with needlers - they have it, it's just not very common and used in specialized ways.
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This has been commented on in DH. the "maximal" setting consumes 3x the energ, but adds penetration and damage and 10m extra range. It also gives them the recharge quality.Plasma weapons can be used in two firing modes—single shot (the normal and safest method), or a higher powered blast with a longer range and higher temperature. The latter though requires a short recharge time to replenish the plasma and bring it to firing levels; this time will vary with the level of precision technology used in construction. Like most Imperial devices the older it is the better it is.
It also notes that "blast" type plasma weapons (EG plasma cannon) gain 2 on their radius (so a maximum power setting has a 6 meter blast diameter, rather than a 2 meter one.)
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Plasma pistol. Armour/bulkhead penetrating capability.It can only hold smaller hydrogen flasks (or sometimes only a single flask) and thus can only fire a handful of shots. They are dangerous to use on board a vessel, as a single shot can penetrate several bulkheads.
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One imagines that armsen only use them in ground actions, since the aformentioned entry mentioned how easily plasma pistols alone penetrate onboard ship.This is a squad-support weapon intended for use by battlefleet armsmen, which has subsequently found extensive use in the private cadres of many Rogue Traders and with renegades and pirates wealthy or fortunate enough to acquire them.
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The "fireball" and radius bits give us some intereting ideas on calcing the output of the weapon. The quick and dirty way is to quote Curtis explosions table on SWTC as far as the energy content of a given fireball diamter. Given a 2-6 m diameter, the output would fall somewhere in the triple digit KJ to single digit MJ, upwards of double digit MJ.The largest portable plasma weapon is the plasma cannon or heavy plasma gun, which is also seen in service on some Imperial war machines. Rather than using attached flasks, the wielder wears a large backpack containing the weapon’s store of hydrogen fuel. This weapon has a much longer range and ammunition supply, and its violent discharges, hurled like miniature suns from the barrel, have a large impact area. It can also be fired in a special Maximal mode which exhausts even more fuel but provides an even larger blast of heat on impact, creating a fireball capable of destroying even armoured targets.
Alternately, we could calculate a "fireball" assuming a specific volume of air for a 1-3 meter radius sphere. yielding between 5-6 kg and 113 kg of mass roughly. Assuming ~1000K temperatuer (roughly cremation temp, which works well enough for my purposes here) that would be bout a megajoule per kg if I recall the specific heat roughly.. so single to triple digit MJ by that method. A third possible option for calcing it is - rather than assuming about the volume, assume that the plasma weapon inflicts 3rd degree burns on a rough surface area equal to the sphere. Surface area in centimeters there is given as between 125,600 cm and 1,100,000 cm square. third degree burns IIRC can be caused by at least 25-30 j per sq cm IIRC (Luke Campbell on Atomic rockets has used 50 cm sq, for example, but I've heard of it being higher depending on severity of burns) which would (assuming I did the math right) give single or double digit MJ possible.
Severl caveats must be made to the above calcs. First and foremost, they are at best order of magnitude estimates, and even then assume a primarily (or totally) thermal damage mechanism. Mechanical (eg grenade like explosive effects) would liekly reduce the yield (in trade for increased # of shots and giving the cooling system a break). Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the calcs assume the plasma weapons behave like a fireball. Whilst these are not Ben Counter Plasma Guns(tm), the FFG material does give cases of "weird plasma" - a good example being Deathwatch RPG's plasma grenade depictions (a persistant, "not fully consumed" plasma "fireball" and in missile can fuse to the hull.) If you wonder why I bothered with the calcs given that... it's hard to say what kind of plasma weapon they are, so they may possibly apply. And even if they don't, it gives a rough order of magnitude stimate for plasma weapons in general, since even if they differ in mechanism, they are broadly similar in capability.
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Flamer promethium.Flame weapons use a fuel generically referred to as promethium, though it can also be homemade concoctions or other chemical brews depending on the local technology level. Most are a mono-propellant fuel which ignites via a smaller pilot flame at the tip of the barrel, though some flamers use binary hypergolic fuels.
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..the barrel creates a torrent of liquid fire, which spreads out in an inferno that burns even underwater...
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Grenade launcherThe common Voss design holds a clip of six rounds, but most find the weapon inaccurate even for a launcher. The Forge World of Mezoa produces what many believe a superior shoulder-mounted weapon with a longer range, for though it is a single shot device it has superior firing systems and is highly accurate.
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Misisle launcher.A missile is fitted with stabilisation and guidance systems to aid in their accuracy, which is excellent at long ranges. Most launchers, like the Locke-pattern, are shoulder mounted tube-like weapons that fire a single round at great accuracy, while the ancient Retobi design holds a huge vertical clip of 5 rounds but is much more awkward to fire and has less precision.
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Sounds like a variation on virus bomb technology to me. Nasty.These grenades release a wide range of toxic and viral agents that quickly reduce almost any type of flora to a foul-smelling muck that deprives the enemy of cover while not seriously harming other materials. Larger versions are also used to create improvised landing zones and clear foliage for quick camp sites or building locations.
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Blind grenades explode with a burst of dense dark grey smoke including IR bafflers and broadband EM spectrum chaff, all designed to block eyesight and even advanced visual detection.
Good old blind grenades.
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Frag grenades seem to come in several varieties of 'fragment' Even rarer can be said to have monomolecular shrapnel!Fragmentation or frag grenades and missiles are filled with shot, heavy wire, or metallic shards to create high velocity shrapnel fragments when they explode...
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Egerian Geode. magic crystal weapons.Recovered from xenos crystalline maze-cities, these grenades are filled with compacted shards of diamantine glass. On detonation the area is showered with cutting projectiles, which can slide through most armour.
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Which may or may not be a shaped charge.Krak grenades and missiles use concentrated explosives to punch holes in armoured targets such as vehicles or bunkers. The powerful detonations do not produce a blast effect however..
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SElf explanatory.Photon flash or simply flash grenades detonate like a small star, blinding anyone nearby and overloading most vision protection systems such as visors
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Again plasma grenades don't seem to be any more rare than plasma ammo supplies, since that is what they are based upon. (It also suggests varying kinds of plasma grenade.) This also means that the grenade (or a plasma gun powerpack) can be an indicator of yield roughly (MJ-GJ range in other words)Plasma: These use a deliberate plasma containment failure, causing a blast of heat and light to burst forth like a miniature sun.
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Smoke grenades 'primit've compared to blind grenades.A primitive version of the blind grenade, these release a dense smoke which only obscures basic eyesight and optical based systems. They do not block detection systems that use heat or other spectral bands outside of normal human eyesight, but are much more widely available and easier to construct.
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Flash bangs, basically. Different from photon flash.Stun grenades use a combination of a loud explosive and a flash of light to momentarily incapacitate targets before an assault is launched. They are designed for non-lethal uses and generally cause no lasting injury.
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Niow these, unlike anti-plant, are definite toxin/virus bomb analogues in a scaled down package.Virus grenades house powerful biological toxins which can break down biological systems in moments before leaping to neighbouring creatures to infect them. They can quickly kill scores of people before mutating into a non-lethal strain or running out of victims near enough to be attacked.
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Identified as "xeno filament" something tells me its borrowing eldar monowire.The exotic filament grenade carries compressed segments of monomolecular wire that expand into a cloud of deadly razor-sharp filaments on detonation, slicing through flesh and bone.
