Plasma Pistol - History: Plasma Weapons have been a part of the Imperium's military arsenal at least since its inception. Despite their drawbacks, plasma pistols have remained part of the Imperium's arsenal for thousands of standard years. Such technology was far better understood during the dawning age of the Imperium, if still somewhat unsafe. By the time of the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium, Plasma Weapon technology was at a dangerous phase in its development.Plasma Reactors were in limited use, and the giant weapons mounted on Titans and space-faring vessels were a simple outgrowth of the systems needed to create reactors. Plasma pistols which could be carried and used by a Space Marine Legionary in power armour were still prone to overheating and leaking energised plasma onto their unfortunate users. Nonetheless the devastating power of plasma weaponry made it too potent to abandon and many Space Marine Legions utilised it in a limited fashion anyway. In the dark days of the Heresy itself the desperate need for ever more potent armaments pushed early plasma weapons to the battle front more and more, regardless of the risks involved.Towards the end of the Heresy the Tech-priests of Mars solved the immediate problems of Plasma Weapons. By slowing the recharge mode of the weapons they found they could maintain the integrity of the magnetic field containing the energising plasma. This prevented catastrophic leaks detonating the whole weapon and the slower recharge cycle also meant that the weapon's coolant system kept overheating to a minimum. The resulting Plasma Weapons were safe and reliable but suffered from a slow recharge rate which limited their effectiveness.Space Marine commanders were far from happy at the compromise but the number of catastrophic meltdowns experienced with the older weapons made plasma too dangerous for the Space Marine Legions to continue using otherwise. As doctrine within the Adeptus Mechanicus changed, the old style Plasma Weapons were branded Fabrus Excommunicata, engines of destruction that had fallen from the approval of the Machine God. Within a few centuries the early plasma weapons had entirely disappeared.Such a light of reason has never shone over the Traitor Legions. They still maintain and use the old, pre-Heresy Plasma Weapons, perhaps revelling in the raw danger of doing so. Given the contempt held for life by Chaos Space Marines it's unlikely they would be willing to trade off less firepower for a safer weapon anyway.In the 41st Millennium, it is an honour to carry a Plasma Pistol into battle, and be trusted to make sure every searing shot counts. Based on the secrets of the sacred STC, it is a design that has never been developed or improved on. Indeed, the very thought of trying to mitigate the flaws of the plasma pistol would be repellent to the followers of the Machine God.By the grace of the Omnissiah, the weapon fulfils a role within the God-Emperor's armies, and to change this role in any way would be to invite mayhem and disorder. So the plasma pistol is crafted just as it has been for untold centuries, each one finding its way into the hands of a resolute Space Marine or an ungrateful guardsman.