Naval Batteries

The most common form of starship weapon is banks of massive cannons, ranging from simple laser weapons to complex gravity weapons. From escorts to the mighty Deus, these batteries form the bedrock of naval warfare. Often compensating for comparatively low accuracy and power per shot with sheer volume of fire, most batteries are capable of maintaining a high rate of fire for days at a time. In Imperial parlance, they are sorted into 4 size categories, Escort, Cruiser, Battleship and Dreadnought. In general, ships will use the size that matches their own weight class, with the exception of heavy cruisers being able to mount battleship weight guns. In general, weapons batteries will be effective against ships in their own weight class and devastating when punching down. In addition to sizes, they can also be specialized for short medium or long-range combat, with shorter range guns trading accuracy for greater punch. While most forms of battery can be designed for any range, some of the more niche guns can only be optimized for a single range bracket.

## Laser Batteries

Laser Batteries are one of the most common forms of weapons batteries. They are the longest ranged and most accurate weapons battery type but cause less damage than the other types. Due to this they are most often used against escorts and other light targets. Like all weapons batteries laser batteries can all be scaled to fit anything from the smallest destroyer to the largest dreadnought.

### Short Ranged Laser Battery

These laser batteries sacrifice the range that is the trademark of most laser batteries for increased firepower and accuracy. While not as damaging as the other short ranged weapons they make up for this by being able to accurately target a chosen segment of a ship, achieving though precision what other weapons use brute strength to do. These are occasionally found on the short ranged brute type warships

### Medium Laser Battery

This is an improved version of the modern laser batteries, getting about 20% more damage, range, rate of fire and accuracy for the same power demand. This is the most common form of laser battery and can be found on nearly any type of ship.

### Long Range Laser Battery

These laser batteries are the longest ranged weapons batteries that you know of, being able to accurately hit enemies from point three of a light second away. On the other hand they are the least dangerous weapons of their size and have trouble damaging any target with good armour.

## Plasma Batteries

Plasma Batteries are another common form of weapon battery. They combine a high damage output with good range but require more power then any other type. They are most often found on the more heavily armoured warships who devote the majority of their reactor output to weapons and shields rather then engines. Like all weapons batteries plasma batteries can all be scaled to fit anything from the smallest destroyer to the largest dreadnought.

### Short Ranged Plasma Battery

These plasma batteries sacrifice range for firepower and are one of the most powerful weapons batteries that you know of. On the other hand they require massive amounts of power to fire and occasionally have overheating problems after sustained use.

### Medium Plasma Battery

This is an improved version of the modern plasma batteries, getting about 20% more damage, range, rate of fire and accuracy for the same power demand. This is the most common form of plasma battery and is found on most forms of warship.

### Long Range Plasma Battery

These plasma batteries sacrifice a portion of their damage output in order to increase their engagement range. Despite being shorter ranged then the longer ranged laser batteries they make up for it by being far more powerful then the laser batteries.

## Macrocannon Batteries

Macrocannon Batteries are the most common form of weapon battery. They require the least amount of power, have a decent damage output, good armour penetration, and the ability to fire different ammunition types. On the downside they require more space due to ammunition storage, are the shortest ranged type of weapons battery and are the only type of weapon battery that is able to run out of ammunition. Like all weapons batteries macrocannon batteries can all be scaled to fit anything from the smallest destroyer to the largest dreadnought.

### Short Ranged Macrocannon Battery

These macrocannon batteries fire massive shells at slower velocities than the longer ranged macrocannons. This limits their effective range significantly but allows them to be the most powerful weapons of their class, particularly when using the rarer ammunition types.

### Medium Macrocannon Battery

This is an improved version of the modern macrocannon batteries, getting about 20% more damage, range, rate of fire and accuracy for the same power demand. This is the most common form of macrocannon battery and is found on most forms of warship.

### Long Range Macrocannon Battery

These macroncannon batteries fire smaller shells at higher velocities. Despite this they are the shortest ranged of the long range weapons batteries, a failing they make up for with the armour penetration that melta shells can provide. This form of macrocannon is most often found on the stealth designs which make full use of the fact that it is harder to locate incoming macrocannon fire than energy attacks.

### Shell Types

#### Plasma Shells

Plasma shells are the standard ammunition of macrocannons. They are moderately effective at penetrating armour and cause a moderate amount of damage. Plasma shells from a macrocannon will generally be effective against anything of the same size class as the macrocannon and all but the most heavily armoured ships one size larger.

#### Melta Shells

Melta shells are the second form of Macrocannon ammunition and are very good at penetrating armour. However they do not cause as much damage as plasma shells do unless they get lucky and start a fire in the target. Melta Shells are usually used against heavily armoured target and are the best way for weapons batteries to damage ships otherwise too well armoured.

#### Haywire Shells

Haywire shells are the third form of Macrocannon ammunition and generally cause more disruption then damage. Each shell is likely to significantly disrupt the ship systems near where it hits, with enough hits often paralysing an entire broadside of the target along with swathes of its point defence.

#### Vortex Shells

These shells the most destructive ammunition that Archmagos Tranth knows of and piece all but the toughest armour with ease making them a valuable weapon. On the downside they are both rather expensive to produce and highly volatile. As such rather then using them as a ships primary weapon it would be better to supply each ship with enough shells for a single volley, allowing them a powerful first strike without being to expensive or creating to much of a vulnerability on the ship.

## Haywire Batteries

These short ranged weapons batteries use massive haywire weapons to disrupt the target. While they cause far less damage than any other form of weapons battery they are unrivaled in disruption, and can often paralyze enemy warships. The more automated the target warship is the more effective haywire attacks are, leading to them being useless against Tyranids and not particularly useful against Orks. These weapons are only found on the Snare Class Defence Cruiser and the Bolas Class Cruiser, which were designed to test them in a battlefield condition.

## Grav-Accelerator Battery

These weapons use gravatic impulses to accelerate a shard of metal to c-fractional speeds. These shots focus massive kinetic energy in a small area, and are even better then melta shells at armour penetration, but occasionally have issues with overpenetration against lighter targets. Grav-Accelerators are expensive weapons, needing similar amounts of energy and ammunition as both plasma weapons and macrocannons respectively, but are also probably the most powerful weapons of their scale in the datacores. Due to their energy demand and cost they are usually found on targer warships and even then not as the primary weapon.