Crucio Siege Tank

### Commentary

The Crucio class has a celebrated history from the DAOT, apparently. The dual-mode siege tank concept that would ultimately give birth to the Crucio-class SIege Tank was a DAOT response to the flexibility of the Goliath combat walker, seeking a tank "hammer" to the Goliath's "rock". Prior to the Men of Iron revolt, work had progressed on a static "final defense" cannon for dealing with more armored and stubborn Atlantean wildlife, but subsequent testing demonstrated the need for mobility. The solution was creative: an existing tank design was modified so that it could operate as a conventional tank in addition to being able to deploy the cannon and become a static artillery emplacement at will.

Mobile siege tanks were in existence several years before the official beginning of the Men of Iron revolt, but proved a popular Atlantean export, Crucio Siege Tanks serving throughout many nearby worlds and systems prior to the Fall. A number of variants were made, but information on said variants is scarce.

### Features

Weapons (Primary): x2 90mm plasma cannons in Tank Mode, x1 180mm Shock Cannon firing superheated tungsten rounds in Artillery Mode

Weapons (Point Defense): x4 mini-uberguns (retracted into hull, 1 on each "corner" of the tank)

Armor: .45 meters of plasteel, ceramite, micro-beading adamantium mix

Shields: integrated energy shields similar to a Tau Energy Shield (Energy Shield - Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum), capable of withstanding .23 kilotons of direct firepower per second before final collapse. Regenerate within 7 seconds of shield collapse back to normal.

Sensors: Half the potency of DAOT hovertank sensors, often partnered with to complement each other.

Reactor: Same dual micro-fusion reactor setup as DAOT hovertank, just 30% larger per reactor, and 200% increased output.

Propulsion: Can travel at 115kph on treads, immobile when in Artillery Mode. Indefinite cruising range.

Crew: 4 trained optimal, 2 minimal for combat use

### Miscellaneous

- The primary munition fired by the Shock Cannon are Maelstrom rounds, which have an adamantium-reinforced armor-piercing tip to the tungsten round that inflicts devastating damage on the primary target. A common upgrade is a "smart shell" upgrade, which enables individual fired shells to scan for allies on impact and adjust its detonation to minimize damage to friendly units. Field tests have shown that this shell reduces friendly fire fatalities by 75%, though due caution is still recommended when walking into a fire zone.

- The treads of the Crucio are made out of modular, heavy-duty ceramite plates. Unlike standard tracked vehicles, the Crucio boasts a multi-track configuration with two extra tracks for added stability. Historically, tracked vehicles have a drawback, for the loss of a single tread segment results in immobilization. To prevent this, engineers have added a series of tubes in the chassis and bogies of the tank that pump a fast-drying gel onto the affected area. Said gel replaces lost tread segments, and allows the Crucio to remain operational after suffering damage that would cripple vehicles lacking this technology.

- In Artillery Mode, the Crucio's main tracks turn outwards and the secondary tracks slide into the hull, while thick hydraulic outriggers (also called legs) deploy from the sides of the tank. Once the legs are locked in, they push against the ground for added stability. The base of the outrigger, known as the pad or foot, is similar to a large claw. It comes with retractable talons that activate on rough terrain, and microscopic weep holes which secrete a rubbery substance for greater grip on metal and pavement. While the system is generally reliable, the legs stick from time to time.

- Smart servos greatly reduce transformation time for equipped units when switching combat modes, rendering a "transforming tank" concept all the more viable.

- There are unconfirmed reports that certain Crucio variants may have been equipped with either vehicle-scale cloaking devices or vehicle-scale jump jets, both providing different version of a devastating first strike capability. Cloaked Crucio variants apparently had to decloak before firing bc of the extreme energy demands, fire, then recloak and transform back into Tank mode to find another spot to fire from. The jump jet model vastly increased siege tank mobility in hilly or mountainous terrain, allowing the Crucio variant to bypass sheer cliffs and other hazardous terrain obstacles. Mechanicus techpriests are digitally salivating at the opportunity of finding either one of these variants hopefully in the near future.

## Research

The Crucio-class siege tank was acquired decades ago, but greater matters had arisen and prevented the proper implementation of such a sophisticated machine. However, the intervening years and development of native industries has massively decreased the cost of manufacturing the Crucio, rendering it not only an ideal item to research, but now imperative.

### Completed

While teething issues over the transformation mechanisms did arise due to said system’s complexity, the tools to mass produce the Crucio have successfully been developed, and every sub-system of the tank thoroughly understood. With the artillery sections of the Atlantean military lacking in tactical development, the advent of the Crucio is considered desperately needed to expand artillery’s role in Atlantean battle tactics. With this in mind, a larger amount of prototypes were produced than was strictly speaking normal, the techpriests anticipating their emergency recruitment into the armed forces. The Cyberius Auxilia has since integrated the small number of delivered Crucio prototypes into their ranks to be used against the Nurglite incursion.

### Rewards

Crucio-class siege tank available for mass production. +5 to artillery roles, +5 to armored regiment roles. Unlocks further actions.