vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Death Wheel - Armament: The Death Wheel is massive, rising several stories above the battlefield, and covered in large deadly spikes and blades. Inside the Death Wheel is a gyroscope, allowing it to keep its balance without relying on sheer gravity alone. In addition to the spikes, the Death Wheel is equipped with a pair of large Battle Cannons as its main armament.It is a formidable weapon that can deal significant damage from a long distance against both vehicle and infantry targets. It is also equipped with a pair of deadly Reaper Autocannons on both sides, which are capable of a high rate of fire, and is highly effective as an anti-personnel weapon.
Death Wheel - Ordo Malleus Departmento Analyticus Technical Specifications: The Ordo Malleus has not yet determined the technical specifications for this Daemon Engine, if such a thing is even possible.
Death Wheel - Sources: Specialist Games - Epic: Armageddon - Black Legion List
Death World - Death World: A Death World is a planet which has been judged by the Imperium to be too dangerous to support widespread Human settlement due to dangerous environmental conditions or the sheer ferocity of the fauna and flora that make up the planet's biospehere.The types of Death Worlds are varied, ranging from planets that are covered by world-wide jungles that harbour vicious carnivorous plants and animals to barren rockscapes strewn with volcanoes and wracked by ion storms. In at least one case, the planet itself is alive.These worlds are near-impossible to colonise by Mankind due to their environmental conditions or the nature of their biospheres.Nonetheless, many of these worlds have large Human settlements, which are notable for the strength and self-reliance of their people. Many of the people of these worlds are inducted into the Astra Militarum, or recruited by the Space Marines, a fact which is often the sole reason for the continued habitation of those worlds.Some harbour rich mineral, vegetable, animal or gaseous resources that are of such value to the Imperium that a small Human settlement will be maintained despite all the dangers.It has been theorised by the Magi Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus that many Death Worlds are the result of biological seeding by ancient advance hive fleets of the Tyranids that entered the Milky Way Galaxy long ago. Many of the monstrous creatures inhabiting these worlds, such as the Kraken of Fenris and the Catachan Devil of the Jungle World of Catachan, have many features in common with Tyranid organisms, and may in fact be descended from them.Left behind by the hive fleets that seeded these worlds and then moved on, these Tyranid species lost access to the Tyranid Hive Mind and so degenerated into unintelligent yet vicious animal species.
Deathfire (Novel) - Deathfire (Novel): Deathfire is the thirty-second volume in the Horus Heresy series of novels.
Deathfire (Novel) - Synopsis: Deathfire is part of the Imperium Secundus story arc, and is the direct sequel to Vulkan Lives (Book 26) and Unremembered Empire (Book 27). The novel picks up where Vulkan Lives left off, with Vulkan in stasis beneath the Fortress of Hera on Macragge, and many of his gene-sons still refusing to believe that he is truly dead. After a miraculous rescue by the Ultramarines, Artellus Numeon, once captain of the Pyre Guard, urges the other Salamanders on Macragge to leave Imperium Secundus behind and return their primarch's body to the home world of Nocturne -- there to be reborn in the flames of Mount Deathfire. But Numeon grapples endlessly with his doubts and fears for the future of the Legion.
Deathhammer - Deathhammer: The Deathhammer was a super-heavy main battle tank used by the Space Marine Legions of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia. The Deathhammer was developed from the same Standard Template Construct data recovered by the ancient Mechanicum as the Baneblade and Fellblade super-heavy tanks.Unfortunately, little else is known about the Deathhammer pattern in current Imperial records, save that it was considered somewhat inferior to the other two similar designs.
Deathleaper - Deathleaper: Deathleaper is a unique Lictor created by the Hive Mind of Hive Fleet Leviathan as its ultimate assassin, but who the creature was truly hunting for remains elusive.The Deathleaper is an advancement of the Lictor strain specifically created by the Hive Mind to serve as a terror weapon. Possessing an instinctive understanding of how to spread fear through prey populations, it uses its skill in stealth, infiltration and assassination to sow paranoia and dread before the hive fleet arrives at a prey world to attack en masse.
Deathleaper - History: First encountered on the Imperial world of St. Caspelan in 997.M41, this Tyranid terror weapon spread fear and undermined the population's morale, breaking their will to oppose the coming swarm.Far from being a mindless assassin, Deathleaper instinctively knew that the death of St. Caspelan's spiritual leader, Cardinal Salem, would have only created a martyr that would have increased the intensity of the defences on St. Caspelan.Instead, Deathleaper infiltrated the cardinal's bunkers, slaughtered his advisors and hacked through his bodyguard, only to leave the cardinal himself unharmed, covered in the blood and viscera of his closest aides.The vile Lictor continued its brutal psychological torture of the cardinal by repeating this gruesome carnage for ten solar days, bypassing ever-increasing levels of security. Each time, Deathleaper came within a claw's grasp of the cardinal before once again mysteriously fleeing from the bloody scene.The knowledge that the Tyranid assassin could eliminate him at any time was more than the cardinal's sanity could take. His panic-stricken paranoia and broken mind did more to break the morale of the Caspelan Planetary Defence Forces than any mere execution could have accomplished.As terror and confusion reigned free, Hive Fleet Leviathan invaded the world. The swarm of the Great Devourer easily butchered its leaderless prey due solely to the actions of the Deathleaper.
Deathmark - Deathmark: A Deathmark is one of the highly-skilled snipers and assassins of the Necron forces, appearing from apparently nowhere and striking with terrible precision. The name is fitting: once given the "hunter's mark", a Deathmark's targets are almost certain to meet their deaths scant moments later. Like most Necrons, the Deathmarks' technology lies far beyond the realm of human comprehension and they can effectively phase in and out of normal space-time at will.Their victims will assume that they have been ambushed and that the Deathmarks teleported onto the battlefield. The reality is that they were already there, waiting out of phase for just the right moment to slaughter their victims. Few enemy commanders encounter Deathmarks and live to tell the tale.In appearance, Deathmarks are more akin to Necron Immortals in the craftsmanship of their mechanical bodies. They are distinguished by a single, large green-glowing optic sensor and the arcane orbs projecting from their spines. These orbs flare with an unnatural light as a Deathmark utilises its occult powers. In keeping with their role, Deathmarks display a propensity for stealth that is all but unique amongst the Necron ranks. Moving as they do with the eerie silence that is the hallmark of the Necron legions, Deathmarks can be surprisingly stealthy for their slow, deliberate movements.
Deathmark - History: For countless millennia, Necron Deathmark Squads have served the Necron nobility as snipers and assassins. Even when they were beings of flesh and blood, Deathmarks had a reputation for cold-hearted precision and patience. Now, housed in tireless cybernetic bodies of necrodermis, Deathmarks are more deadly than they ever were in the Necrontyr's Time of Flesh.Whilst Deathmarks are as much part of a Tomb World's army as Immortals and Necron Warriors, tradition dictates strict rules concerning their use. As agents of assassination and ambush, ancient codes forbid the deployment of the Deathmarks in wars between the Necron nobility, or against other "honourable" enemies. This provision does not extend to those enemies the Necrons consider "dishonourable", however, and since no other intelligent race could hope to grasp the intricacies of Necron war etiquette, all but the most traditional and hidebound Nemesors see fully fit to unleash the Deathmarks against their alien foes. Such enemies of the Necrons are considered far from worthy until they have had a chance to prove otherwise on the battlefield. An honourable corpse is still a corpse, and little given to benefiting from its newly accorded status.
Deathmark - Wargear: Necrodermis - Like all Necrons, Deathmarks are composed of the living metal called Necrodermis, which allows them to self-repair even catastrophic amounts of damage.Synaptic Disintegrator - This rifle is the primary weapon of the Deathmarks, which fires a compressed leptonic beam of sub-atomic particles that destroys organic neural and synaptic tissue.Dimensional Oubliette - Deathmarks are able to open up a portal to a pocket dimension within 10 metres of themselves, and use this extradimensional space to ambush and hide from their targets. Whilst other creatures can pass through the portal, the dimension beyond is not designed to support life and creatures that enter quickly suffocate due to the vacuum conditions within. Any who withstand this will also have to deal with extreme debilitation to their sensory perception.
Deathmark - Sources: Black Crusade: The Tome of Fate (RPG), pg. 113Codex: Necrons (5th Edition), pg. 36Codex: Necrons (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 47, 153-154Deathwatch: The Outer Reach (RPG), pg. 130
Deathmongers - Deathmongers: DeathmongersChaos Space MarinesSpace MarinesFoundingBrothers of the AnvilEye of TerrorAbyssal CrusadeDuring their sojourn into the Eye, they landed upon the ancient Eldar Crone World of Belial IV and were captured by xenos Kabalites. After enduring horrific torture at the hands of their Drukhari captors the remains of the Brothers of the Anvil slaughtered their way back into realspace, unrecognisable as a formerly loyal Chapter.As the Deathmongers, they have a brutal reputation for causing wanton destruction during their campaigns, even to the point that they will cede a possible victory for the opportunity to cause more death and devastation for its own sake.
Deathmongers - Warband Colours: The Deathmongers wear grey Power Armour with brass trim. They also adorn their armour with the usual spikes, skulls and blasphemous symbols of Chaos to denote their allegiance to the Dark Gods.
Deathmongers - Warband Badge: The Deathmongers warband's badge is a white Mark of Nurgle centred upon a five-pointed Chaos octed, on a field of dreary grey.
Deathshroud - Deathshroud: The Deathshroud, or Deathshroud Terminators, known as the "Pale Harvestmen," the "Scythes of Nurgle" and the "Eyes of Mortarion," are Chaos Terminators of the Death Guard Traitor Legion who serve as the Daemon Primarch Mortarion's elite warriors.Every one of these plague-ridden Heretic Astartes are redolent with a miasma of fear and menace. Such a reputation is richly deserved. Swollen with unnatural power, the Deathshroud tower over their enemies.Rusted gauntlets and squirming tentacles clutch huge battle scythes known as Manreapers, cursed weapons that slice heads from shoulders and limbs from torsos with every swing. Clouds of plague flies boil around the Deathshroud, while vile smog spills from vents in their armour to choke and blind their foes.The warriors of the Deathshroud are sublimely skilled, whirling and striking with a speed that belies their massive, distended frames. Yet it is not merely their abilities in battle that make them so feared. The Deathshroud are the handpicked champions of Mortarion, his dark emissaries, and wherever they go they bear the authority of their gene-sire with them.They rarely speak but to convey Mortarion's commands, and when they do so their voices emerge as a rattling hiss. The Deathshroud fight in ominous silence, uttering no battle cry and rising to no challenge, embodying the faceless, wordless onset of inescapable death as their shadows fall across their enemies.
Deathshroud - History: During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras, the Deathshroud were the elite Space Marines of the Death Guard Legion who served as the Primarch Mortarion's mute Honour Guard.Great secrecy surrounded this elite cadre. Their numbers were chosen from amongst the ranks of the Death Guard Legion and each member was singled out and personally selected by their primarch for the bravery and valour they had displayed in combat.Once chosen, the selected battle-brother would foreswear his former life as a common rank-and-file Astartes of the XIVth Legion, and would swear binding oaths of secrecy as a new member of the secretive Deathshroud.Each member of the Deathshroud would be listed as killed in action to allay any suspicions as to their true identity, and they would forever conceal their faces behind heavy enclosed helmets, masks or hoods. Each Deathshroud Astartes' identity was known only to their primarch himself, even after their deaths.The Deathshroud wore Artificer-crafted Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour of the highest quality, which presented a foreboding appearance. Like their primarch, each member of the Deathshroud wielded a large Power Scythe known as a Manreaper. It was the Deathshroud's sacred duty for at least two of their number to never stray more than forty-nine paces from Mortarion.These stoic warriors' presence was quite intimidating as when not in motion they would stand uniformly at attention, still as statues. But in battle they were equally frightening, for whatever the odds, they always moved inexorably towards their target, as unerring as the automated killing machines employed by the Legio Cybernetica.In battle, when not fulfilling their role as their primarch's bodyguards, Deathshroud squads consisting of two to ten members were typically used to assail the most heavily defended objectives on the battlefield and secure them for the advance of other allied forces. Deathshroud squads sometimes made use of Land Raiders as transports in order to achieve this role.
Deathshroud - Post-Heresy: Mortarion still recruits the Deathshroud in this same fashion, but their battlefield role has changed since his ascension to daemonhood. Now the Deathshroud are his representatives, his iron gauntlet that can be extended to shield or to crush.Though the Deathshroud often still fight at Mortarion's side, bands of them are also despatched to form honour guards for Death Guard Chaos Lords, Plague Surgeons and other Champions of power and importance.Their presence is a mixed blessing at best. The Deathshroud will fight with all their skill and strength in support of their assigned Champion, and prove to be an undeniable asset in battle.Yet all the while the Deathshroud are judging upon their master's behalf. If the Champion is successful, the Deathshroud depart at battle's end, leaving as silently as they came. If their charge fails in his duties, however, the judgement of Mortarion is swift, deadly and utterly inescapable.
Deathshroud - Notable Deathshroud Members: Khorak - Veteran Sergeant Khorak and his squad had the privilege of serving as part of their Primarch's silent honour cohort during the Istvaan V Drop Site Massacre and as such took part in numerous counterattacks against the first wave of the Loyalist assault. The most bitterly fought of these were against the leading edge of the Salamanders Legion attack, where pure flame met noxious chem-cloud in a confrontation that left many Death Guard, but many more Salamanders, slain. At the height of the massacre, Squad Khorak fought beneath the gaze of their Primarch himself, and were girded to redouble their bloody efforts and to redouble them again. In the face of such redoubtable power, not even the elite of the Legiones Astartes could stand.
Deathshroud - Pre-Heresy: Modified Cataphractii Pattern Terminator ArmourHand Flamer with Chem-munitionsManreaper
Deathshroud - Optional Wargear: Melta Bombs
Deathshroud - Post-Heresy: Corrupted Cataphractii Pattern Terminator ArmourPlaguespurt GauntletManreaperPlague Weapon
Deathshroud - Optional Wargear: A Deathshroud Champion may take a second Plaguespurt Gauntlet.
Deathshroud - Sources: Codex: Grey Knights (5th Edition), pg. 15Codex Heretic Astartes - Death Guard (8th Edition), pp. 40, 59, 80Horus Heresy: Collected Visions (Art Book), pg. 229The Horus Heresy Book One: Betrayal (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 129, 263The Horus Heresy Book Two: Massacre (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 49Flight of the Eisenstein (Novel) by James Swallow, pp. 19-20, 30, 57, 59, 67, 72Forge World - Death Guard Deathshroud TerminatorsGames Workshop Online Store: Death Guard Deathshroud BodyguardWarhammer Community - Latest News & Features - Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus, Deathshroud Terminators, and more
Deathskulls - Deathskulls: The Deathskulls, or Death Skulls, are an Ork "klan" that has an unsavoury reputation among their fellow greenskins as inveterate looters, scavengers, borrowers, and scroungers.The Orks of the Deathskull klan have a well-deserved reputation as thieves and filchers. Never ones to pay their fair share or spend teef when an item can be spirited away with a modicum of effort, the Deathskulls are nearly as mistrusted among fellow Orks as their cousins the Blood Axes.Whereas the notoriety of the Blood Axes is completely without merit, the Deathskulls deserve their scabrous reputations to an Ork. When not looting bodies on the battlefield (both Ork and non-Ork), they can be found either fighting or bickering among themselves for scavenged items, or stealing everything that is not nailed down from one another and any other Ork in sight.Some of what they steal they trade or sell to other Orks, or turn into upgraded wargear, but the majority of their loot they simply hoard.Anything "'dat might come in 'andy lata" is put aside and kept in one or more hidey holes, from useful items like weapons and armour to trinkets, lucky charms, and strange gubbins of unknown use or provenance.
Deathskulls - Notable Campaigns: WAAAGH! Planetsmasha (977.M41) - Deathskulls Big Mek Fragrak da Planetsmasha vows he will surpass all other Deathskulls by looting an entire world, jerry-rigging a combination of traktor beams, ramships and city-sized rokkit boosters to push the third moon of Taurabrax out of its orbit, directly onto a collision course with its parent world. The resultant catastrophe renders all life on the thriving Imperial Hive World extinct, fracturing continents, boiling the oceans off into space and burning away the world's atmosphere, finally reducing Taurabrax to a drifting debris field. Satisfied with his work, Big Mek Planetsmasha takes his pick of the choicest of these asteroids, adding thrusters, forcefields and ordnance arrays to turn them into a fleet of Roks with which to spread even more mayhem across the star system.
Deathskulls - Deathskulls Tactics: Deathskulls are superstitious and covetous in the extreme, and believe that various talismans and charms allow them to manipulate their fate upon the battlefield.Deathskulls often possess unexpected weapons, vehicles, and war machines that they have looted, and the sudden appearance of a particularly potent piece of machinery can sometimes turn the tide of a battle.Whether this is part of a clever ruse or mere good fortune brought on by their copious use of blue pigments, as the Deathskulls seem to think, depends entirely on the perspective of the viewer.Deathskulls sometimes try to pilfer weapons, machinery, and other loot, even in the midst of battle. They might sometimes even attempt to steal a particularly interesting vehicle or weapon without destroying it. Deathskull squads are often accompanied by Weirdboyz, whose odd psychic abilities bolster their natural close-combat prowess further.
Deathskulls - Klan Colours: Deathskull livery is dark blue and black with white highlights. Incredibly superstitious, even more so than the adrenaline junkies of the Evil Sunz, the Deathskulls consider blue to be a lucky colour that protects from harm and misfortune.Everything possessed by the Deathskulls, from arms, armour, and vehicles to mundane workaday gear, is slathered in numerous shades of blue in an attempt to court fate. They even paint their proud green skin in shades of blue to ward off attacks, accidents, wounds, and illness.Like every other strange idea espoused by Orkkind, or confounding piece of equipment carried about their persons, painting an item Ork blue does seem to have an effect. The Deathskulls are much luckier than other Orks, and their equipment operates demonstrably better.Skulls and bones feature prominently among their personal adornments. For instance, helmets are often cast or fashioned in the form of a grinning skull. Deathskull Orks are commonly seen festooned with bone amulets of every kind: pendants, talismans, and cherished bits of long-dead enemies. Such things hold power for the Death Skull klan.Some Deathskull warriors wear dozens of enemy ribs laced together to form a kind of breastplate. They often appear in bizarre styles of dress, the spoils of their battlefield plunder of the fallen to augment their own wargear. This results in a rag-tag appearance of various items of armour and coloured clothing, made up of various races' uniforms sewn together.
Deathskulls - Klan Totem: The Deathskulls klan banner is a bone-coloured horned skull on a midnight blue flag with white accents. The pole upon which they hoist their colours is typically made of the lashed-together skulls and bones of their enemies.The Deathskulls clan sigil is added onto anything its Boyz have stolen to establish ownership over it once and for all. Sometimes the totem is depicted as a regular skull with horns or an alternate blue-coloured horned-skull.
Deathskulls - Sources: Codex: Orks (3rd Edition), pg. 23Codex: Orks (4th Edition), pg. 15Codex: Orks (7th Edition), pp. 18, 29, 51-53, 76, 83Imperial Armour Volume Eight - Raid on Kastorel-Novem, pp. 113, 116-117Red Waaagh! Campaign Supplement (7th Edition), pp. 60, 70, 87, 91Knightsblade (Novel) by Andy ClarkWhite Dwarf 349 (UK), "Clan Loyalties," by Phil Kelly, pg. 30White Dwarf 290 (UK) "Chapter Approved: Ork Claz," by Andy Chambers and Andy Hoare
Deathstorm Drop Pod - Deathstorm Drop Pod: The Deathstorm Drop Pod, officially designated the Lucius Pattern Deathstorm Drop Pod, and also known as the Deathstorm Pattern Drop Pod, is a specialised variant of the common Drop Pod used by the Adeptus Astartes for planetary assaults.A Drop Pod is a one-way, sealed, armoured landing craft that is launched from an orbiting voidship onto the planet below. The Drop Pod plummets through the planet's atmosphere at extreme speeds, firing powerful retro-rockets just before touchdown to rapidly slow its descent. Having made what is little more than a controlled crash landing, explosive bolts are released and the armoured doors of the pod open, allowing the enclosed Space Marines to deploy.The Deathstorm Drop Pod is a heavy support variant of the standard Drop Pod, featuring internal weapons systems that deploy upon impact with the ground, and it makes up for the principal disadvantage of any Drop Pod used by the Imperium -- the inability to transport armoured vehicles such as Predators or Vindicators directly to where they are needed most.Where internal seating and support harnesses are found in the infantry pods, the internal space of a Deathstorm is wholly dedicated to transporting either a series of automated Deathstorm Launchers or automated Assault Cannons, and the design of the craft allows for heavy support to be immediately transported to the battlefield with the minimum of delay.Once a Deathstorm Drop Pod has touched down and its assault ramps have slammed open, the weapons within will open fire on anything outside of the craft. These weapons will only fire in the direction of the ramp they are positioned at and will strafe the immediate area with weapons fire until their ammunition is completely expended.The weapons carried by a Deathstorm Drop Pod do not possess any auto-targeting capabilities and will fire indiscriminately at the area around them until all ammunition is expended. By this time further Drop Pods carrying Space Marine assault forces will themselves have begun landing in standard Drop Pods and started disgorging Astartes onto the battlefield to face any enemies that survived the onslaught unleashed by the Deathstorm Drop Pod.The Deathstorm's automated weapon systems do not fire blindly, however, as this would simply be a waste of time and ammunition. They are instead slaved to a basic Cogitator unit that instructs the weapon's Machine Spirit (artificial intelligence) in target selection.Although the weapons are capable of firing upon these selected targets, there is no discrimination between friendly units and the enemy. Once the battle its over, Chapter Techmarines will recover any surviving pod and have it repaired and rearmed for the next battle.
Deathstorm Drop Pod - History: Deathstorm Drop Pods were first conceived and prototyped by the Raven Guard Legion during the Great Crusade, who sought to augment the firepower of their precision-orbital assaults. The Raven Guard's preference for such surgical-strike tactics would, upon occasion, leave them at a disadvantage in the case of both protracted engagements and in assaulting very heavily fortified targets where heavy units such as Legion tanks and artillery could not be used.This opened the Legion up to levels of casualties during some successful Drop Pod assaults that their Primarch Corax would not countenance. The Raven Guard's solution spoke much to their own nature and preferred tactics -- a weapon that would strike with merciless swiftness and expend its force in a lethal fury that left little need for prolonged endurance.Built around a standard Drop Pod chassis, the Deathstorm Pattern used rapid-firing missile launchers known as the Deathstorm Launcher System, similar to the present-day version's Deathstorm Missile Array.The Deathstorm Launcher could be outfitted with either fragmentation or Krak warheads. This enabled the Deathstorm to blast an area in a massive volley of fire upon landing, clearing the way for the Space Marines to assault in their wake.The Machine Spirit-targeted weapons of the Deathstorm would then continue to sweep the landing zone and provide fire support, although at much reduced firepower, the bulk of their ammunition already expended on their arrival.
Deathstorm Drop Pod - Armament: The Deathstorm Drop Pod replaces the interior seating and restraints of the standard Drop Pod with a set of five automated weapon systems, known as a Deathstorm Missile Array or a Deathstorm Cannon Array. These weapons are slave-linked to an onboard Cogitator unit that directs their Machine Spirits (artificial intelligences) to fire upon any target within their range, friend or enemy, until their ammunition is expended.After a successful Deathstorm Drop Pod deployment, regular troop-carrying Drop Pods or Dreadnought-carrying Dreadnought Drop Pods will land to assault the enemy. The Deathstorm Drop Pod's main armament, the Deathstorm Missile Array, consists of five automated Deathstorm Launchers armed with fragmentation warheads. These weapons can be replaced with a Deathstorm Cannon Array, a linked group of five automated Assault Cannons.
Deathstorm Drop Pod - Unit Composition: 1 Deathstorm Drop Pod (41st Millennium Only)1 Legion Deathstorm Drop Pod (31st Millennium Only)
Deathstorm Drop Pod - Wargear: A standard Deathstorm Drop Pod is armed and equipped with:Deathstorm Missile Array - The Deathstorm Missile Array is a system of linked Deathstorm Launchers slaved to a basic Cogitator unit on-board the Deathstorm Drop Po that instructs the weapon's Machine Spirits in target selection. The array contains five linked launcher systems.Inertial Guaidance System - The Drop Pod's Inertial Guidance System is an on-board flight-control system that helps safely guide the Pod to its target, avoiding enemy fire and obstacles.A Deathstorm Drop Pod can replace its standard Deathstorm Missile Array with the following:Deathstorm Cannon Array - The Deathstorm Cannon Array is a system of linked Assault Cannons slaved to a basic Cogitator unit on-board the Deathstorm Drop Po that instructs the weapon's Machine Spirits in target selection. The array contains five linked rotary cannons.
Deathstorm Drop Pod - Horus Heresy Era Wargear: During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy the Deathstorm Drop Pods of the Legiones Astartes featured different loadout options than those still found during the 41st Millennium.A standard Legion Deathstorm Drop Pod is armed and equipped with:Deathstorm Launcher System with Frag Munitions - The Deathstorm Launcher System is a system of linked Deathstorm Launchers slaved to a basic Cogitator unit on-board the Deathstorm Drop Pod that instructs the weapon's Machine Spirit in target selection. The array contains five linked launcher systems. This version is equipped with Frag munitions.Inertial Guidance System - The Drop Pod's Inertial Guidance System is an on-board flight-control system that helps safely guide the Pod to its target, avoiding enemy fire and obstacles.A Legion Deathstorm Drop Pod can replace its standard Deathstorm Launcher System loaded with Frag munitions with the following:Deathstorm Launcher System with Krak Munitions - The Deathstorm Launcher System is a system of linked Deathstorm Launchers slaved to a basic Cogitator unit on-board the Deathstorm Drop Po that instructs the weapon's Machine Spirits in target selection. The array contains five linked launcher systems. This version is equipped with Krak munitions.
Deathstorm Drop Pod - Formations: The following are all known formations that make use of Deathstorm Drop Pods:Iron Cyclone - The Iron Cyclone formation is intended to make short work of even the heaviest of enemy defences and is the favoured Drop Pod deployment of several Space Marine Chapters who prefer the brutality of overwhelming force to destroy and smash aside enemy ground defences and strategic targets. This formation is believed to have been so-named by the Black Templars Chapter who used it repeatedly during the Second Aegisine Crusade against the rebel Drift Worlds of the Mandragora Sector in the 39th Millennium. During this bitter war the Iron Cyclone formation was deployed directly from Black Templars Strike Cruisers under merciless enemy ground-fire to overwhelm their bastions and silence their guns despite suffering heavy loses. It is lauded for breaking a deadlock that had tied up Imperial forces for solar decades, and the use of this tactic rapidly spread to other Adeptus Astartes Chapters that also took part in the Crusade, including the Red Seraphs, Marauders, and the Fire Angels Chapters. This formation starts with an orbital bombardment of the target location followed by two to three Deathstorm Drop Pods to further clear the area and then three to five Dreadnought Drop Pods carrying Dreadnoughts and up to two Terminator Assault Squads to deploy immediately afterwards.
Deathstorm Drop Pod - Variants: There are several variants of the Deathstorm Drop Pod used by the Imperium:Deathwind Drop Pod - The Deathwind variant of the Deathstorm Drop Pod is no longer used by the Adeptus Astartes. This variant, similar in nearly every way to the Deathstorm Pattern that ultimately replaced it, was originally armed with Deathwind Missile Launchers to provide fire support. The Deathwind Pattern was replaced with the Deathstorm variant due to its Deathstorm Missile Launchers being more powerful than Deathwind Missile Launchers and just as easy and cost effective to manufacture.Legion Deathstorm Drop Pod - The Deathstorm Drop Pods used by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras were similar to the present Deathstorm Drop Pods of the 41st Millennium with the exception of their weapon systems, as the Legion Deathstorms made use of only the Deathstorm Launcher System, a similar missile launcher system that was capable of being loaded with either Frag or Krak warheads. Imperial records do not mention if there exists any difference between the Deathstorm Launcher System of the Legion Deathstorm Drop Pods and the Deathstorm Missile Array used by the Deathstorm Drop Pods in the late 41st Millennium.Dominica Pattern Deathwind Drop Pod - The Dominica Pattern Deathstorm Drop Pod is used only by the Adepta Sororitas. This variant makes use of the Dominica Pattern Drop Pod chassis and is armed with either Heavy Bolters or Multi-Meltas.
Deathstorm Drop Pod - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Deathstorm Drop PodTypeOrbital Drop Pod - WeaponsOperational CeilingN/AVehicle NameDeathstorm Drop PodMax Speed12,000 kph descentWorld of OriginLuciusRangeUnlimitedKnown PatternsI - VIIMain Armament5 Whirlwind Missile Launchers or 5 Assault CannonsCrewN/ASecondary ArmamentN/APowerplant1 FV-50-75 Retro-RocketMain AmmunitionUnknownWeight16.5 TonnesSecondary AmmunitionN/ALength5.2 MetresArmourWingspanN/ASuperstructure60 millimetres of armourHeight7.7 MetresHull70 millimetres of armourVehicle Designation:2109-044-8659-DP 013Transport CapacityN/A
Deathstorm Drop Pod - Game History: The Deathstorm Drop Pod was originally known as the Deathwind Drop Pod, and featured nearly the same armament and model. The name was changed to Deathstorm with the release of the Imperial Armour Volume 2 Rules Update (ver. 1.1) by Forge World.No reason for the change was given in the update; however, it may be that the standard Drop Pod model and rules by Games Workshop could be armed with a Deathwind Missile Launcher in place of its Storm Bolter, which is a smaller weapon than needed for a Heavy Support unit, and as such the name was changed and the weapon altered to a Whirlwind Launcher to better reflect that the Deathstorm was meant to possess heavy firepower.
Deathstorm Drop Pod - Sources: Imperial Armour Volume 2 - Space Marines & Forces of the Inquisition, pp. 143, 146-147, 149, 152-153, 253Imperial Armour Volume 2, Second Edition - War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes, pp. 25, 158, 161Imperial Armour Volume 12, Fall of Orpheus, pp. 153Imperial Armour - Apocalypse, pg. 27Imperial Armour - Apocalypse II, pp. 28, 35Imperial Armour Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes (8th Edition), pg. 45The Horus Heresy: Book Two - Massacre (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 201The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Crusade Army List, pg. 49The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Age of Darkness Army List, pg. 61
Deathstorm Launcher - Deathstorm Launcher: The Deathstorm Launcher was an automated Missile Launcher system used by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras of the late 30th and early 31st Millennia.This weapon system was used solely by the Legions' Deathstorm Drop Pods, which were first conceived and prototyped during these times by the Raven Guard Legion which hoped to augment the firepower of its precision orbital assaults.The Raven Guard's preference for such surgical-strike tactics would, upon occasion, leave them at a disadvantage in the case of both protracted engagements and in assaulting very heavily fortified targets where heavy units such as Legion tanks and artillery could not be used.The Raven Guard's solution spoke much to their own nature and preferred tactics -- a weapon that would strike with merciless swiftness and expend its force in a lethal fury that left little need for prolonged endurance.
Deathstorm Launcher - Missile Types: The Deathstorm Launcher could be armed with different types of warheads for its missiles, including:Frag Missiles - Frag Missiles are designed to explode on impact with any surface, raking the immediate area with lethal shrapnel composed of aerodynamic metallic shards. Though Frag Missiles are primarily intended to be used as anti-infantry weapons, they can also be deployed effectively against light vehicles. Frag Missiles are often ineffective against heavily armoured infantry.Krak Missiles - Krak Missiles are primarily intended to serve as anti-vehicle weapons, and contain a high-strength shaped charge with a relatively small blast radius, but causes massive damage to anything it hits with minimal collateral damage. Krak Missiles are also very effective against heavily armoured infantry, bunkers and other armoured or fortified static targets where their concentrated explosives will often punch holes straight through armour. However, a Krak Missile's small blast radius makes them impractical for use against most infantry and moving targets.
Deathstorm Strike Force - Deathstorm Strike Force: A Deathstorm Strike Force is a special tactical formation of the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter and its Successor Chapters intended specifically to combat massive infantry formations that far outnumber a given unit of Blood Angels.Typically only formed by the Chapter when fighting enemy formations troops that vastly outnumber their own, the Blood Angels designed these strike forces with the primary goal of combating mass infantry formations. A Deathstorm Strike Force is tasked with halting the advance of an enemy by way of using heavy automatic weapons fire. This tactic has served the Chapter well in turning back hordes of Orks, Tyranid swarms and hosts of embodied daemons.In such encounters, these irregular units of Blood Angels manage to hold back the large force of numbers with the sheer weight of firepower at their disposal. This firepower is usually supplied by a squadron of Baal Predators that are led by a Land Raider Crusader. This makeup allows Deathstorm Strike Forces to unleash a tremendous rate of fire that is so overwhelming that the vehicles' and Astartes' gun barrels are glowing white with heat as withering attacks leave none unscathed.Entire squads of enemy troops are cut down by a single Assault Cannon, yet the firepower of a Deathstorm Strike Force is enough to shred entire battalions of the foe. Only the bravest will seek to overwhelm such a dedicated strike force of Blood Angels, and even then, the enemy must be prepared to take steep losses and heavy casualties.
Deathstrike Cannon - Deathstrike Cannon: The Deathstrike Cannon is a starship-grade Macrocannon that is fitted on a Warlord-class Titan. A rarely-fielded conversion, it requires the whole head of the Warlord to be removed, and the cockpit to be installed on the top of the Titan's carapace instead. One of the Titan's carapace hard points is then fitted with an advanced fire control system tower. This configuration opens two additional hard points that can be used to mount additional Titan-grade weapons.The cannon's recoil is so powerful that it needs to be mounted along the centre line of the Warlord Titan. Despite the severe limitations this imposes on the Warlord, the Deathstrike Cannon's colossal range and power makes it a useful artillery weapon, able to obliterate fortifications or harass an enemy's rear lines and staging areas at extreme long range.
Deathstrike Missile Launcher - Notable Uses of the Deathstrike Missile Launcher: Battle of Septimius II (Unknown Date.M41) - Only those rare commanders with an intrinsic understanding of ballistic warfare can fully put to use the true obliterative power of a Deathstrike Missile Launcher. One such commander was Zandar At'lan of the Tallarn 115th Armoured Regiment. On Septimius II, his tank companies were engaged with Ork warbands on three fronts spanning several dozen miles. On the verge of being overwhelmed, At'lan ordered all three of his columns to withdraw into the Copper Flats. As the bellicose Greenskins gave chase, the Tallarn armoured companies were instructed to retreat along paths that intersected each other. The launch of the single Deathstrike Missile at At'lan's disposal was timed so that it struck exactly where the pursuing Orks converged. This use of Ordnance Extremis was considered exemplary by an attendant Lord Commissar.Battle for Entymion IV (Unknown Date.M41) - During the battle for the capital city of the world of Entymion IV, Consul Kelchenko of the Adeptus Munitorum, irritated at being relegated to carrying out artillery barrages far from the frontlines, took it upon himself to show his mettle to his Imperial Guard counterparts, and ordered a Deathstrike Missile launched at the presumed position of the Soul Drinkers. This proved to be a catastrophic mistake, however, since it opened a huge hole to the city catacombs, which served as a storage room for the Dark Eldar Prince Karhedros' reserve of Grotesques. These monstrous warriors were subsequently unleashed, along with hordes of Slaaneshi Daemons upon the Imperial defenders.Battle of Baric VI (994.M40) - Ork Lootas infiltrated the 52nd Army Artillery Park and captured one of the three Deathstrike Missile Launchers that was stationed there and the weapon was later deployed against Imperial forces fighting for control of Baric VI from Ork invaders. The cataclysmic explosion of a Deathstrike Missile destroyed two armoured regiments and the command Baneblade, Steel Might, of the 278th Mordian Regiment. After a two-year investigation of how the weapon came to be stolen by the Greenskins, twelve Imperial generals were executed for dereliction of duty.Third War for Armageddon (998.M41) - During the Third War for Armageddon, the Deathstrike Batteries located in Hive Helsreach were able to assist in the defence of Hive Volcanus from the onslaught of Orks, even though they were located on opposite ends of the planet.
Deathstrike Missile Launcher - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: The technical specifications of this vehicle have yet to be released for public consumption by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Deathsworn Pack - Deathsworn Pack: A Deathsworn Pack, known informally as the "Black Cull," was a unique, elite specialist infantry unit utilised exclusively by the Space Wolves Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras during the late 30th and early 31st Millennia.Some warriors born from the genetic deficiencies of the Space Wolves' gene-seed found their minds filled with an all-consuming impulse to kill and kill again.These dark, afflicted souls were attracted to a particular sub-cult of the Fenrisian mythos centred around the wolf-spirit Morkai, a pseudo-deity of death and the dead. Those who followed the Cult of Morkai were gathered together into a specialist infantry unit known as the Deathsworn.The Space Wolves who were attracted to this cult were said to be those who most "felt the breath of the wolf in their bones" and within them the fiery passions of their brethren had chilled to a bleak killing frost and only the prospect of immediate bloodshed could bestir them with feeling once more.Many such warriors who were attracted to this cult were drawn together to form the Packs of the Black Cull, an extermination corps which also specialised in near-suicidal and all-but-unstoppable line breaker attacks, embracing the touch of death as one might a lost friend.
Deathsworn Pack - History: The Deathsworn were the dark heart of the VI Legion and theirs was a curse that was eventually to find its vent in the transfiguration of the flesh. But long before the first "Wulfen" emerged its predatory taint was found within the minds of those born of the Space Wolves' gene-seed.In every Legion it was said there were those for who the horrors of all they had witnessed and all the bloody deeds they had done in the name of the Great Crusade mutilated their soul and damaged their minds to such an extent that they were no longer men, no longer Space Marines in truth, but something hollow and murderous beyond reason.In some Legions, such things might go all but unnoticed, even perhaps mark one for advancement, while in others, the gift of final peace was offered, or perhaps outcast status as one of the so-called "Moritat" or a place in the Destroyer units.But within the Space Wolves, such an all-consuming impulse to kill and kill again was better understood, and the ways of Fenris held the answer to such dark souls in the shape of the Cult of Morkai and its ministers, who ensured that the jaws of the Death Wolf could feast upon the enemies of Mankind with proper reverence.The warriors who gave themselves over became the Deathsworn; marked by their wolf-skull helms, they were the embodiment of the hunger of death in the heart of the VI Legion.The dreams of the Death Wolf consumed the minds of the Deathsworn so that only in killing did they themselves feel anything but the chill of death closing about them. In that moment they cared nothing for their own lives or safety, so long as their enemies were strewn about them broken and lifeless.
Deathsworn Pack - Unit Composition: 5-10 Deathsworn
Deathsworn Pack - Wargear: Artificer ArmourBolt PistolPower AxeFrag GrenadesKrak GrenadesYimira Class Stasis Bombs - Relics of a campaign of purgation and slaughter so dreadful that none but the Wolf King and his innermost circle of priests have been allowed to remember it save in the lingering echoes of nightmare, these arcane weapons actively breach and damage the flow of time around them when they detonate. Merely being in proximity to the blast radius of these terrifying weapons is as perilous as any rad grenade as a sudden time distortion freezes the target. But it does so far from consistently, an effect that can leave its victim frozen out of phase with existence, a trapped echo lost in the void, or shattered like a statue of ice. It can just as easily result in withered flesh and failing organs for the wielder as their own lifeforce is drained away in years and decades from a failing stasis field. Such a fate for the Deathsworn, however, seems of little concern.
Deathsworn Pack - Optional Wargear: For every 5 Deathsworn, 1 may take one of the following options instead of those previously listed:Power FistGreat Frost BladeThunder HammerThe entire squad may take one of the following:Melta BombsRad Grenades
Deathsworn Pack - Dedicated Transport: 1 Rhino, Land Raider Phobos or Land Raider Proteus
Deathsworn Pack - Sources: The Horus Heresy - Book Seven: Inferno by Alan Bligh (Forge World Series), pp. 23, 86, 228Forge World Online Store - Space Wolves Deathsworn PackForge World Online Store - Hvarl Red-blade & Deathsworn Pack
Deathwatch - Deathwatch: The Deathwatch, known also as the "Long Vigil," and the "Long Watch," is a unique Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes comprised solely of Veteran Space Marines that serves the Ordo Xenos of the Imperial Inquisition as its Chamber Militant. They are the warriors of last resort when the Inquisition needs access to firepower greater than that which the Astra Militarum or a team of its own Acolytes or Throne Agents can provide.Across the galaxy there are innumerable hostile alien civilisations that threaten Humanity, from the green-skinned Orks, to the monstrous Tyranids, sadistic Drukhari, spectral C'tan, and undying Necrons.It is the sacred task of the Deathwatch to stand sentry against all of these terrible xenos races and many more besides. They are ready to act when such ancient evils rise to threaten Mankind once more. The Space Marines of the Deathwatch form the first, and often only, line of defence against these inhuman horrors.Unlike other Space Marines, the ones serving in the Deathwatch are not truly a separate Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes; rather, they are a collection of Veteran Space Marines drawn from all of the different extant Chapters who serve together in the Inquisition's service for a discrete period of time.To be chosen by one's Chapter to serve in the Long Vigil of the Deathwatch is a great honour for any Space Marine. Only the most elite and experienced members of a Chapter are ever chosen for this extremely hazardous tour of duty, the specifics of which must be kept secret by Inquisitorial order and sacred oath even from a Deathwatch Astartes' home Chapter.Deathwatch Space Marines do not usually form the standard tactical groups like squads and companies generally used by the Adeptus Astartes. Instead, they operate as small, special forces units in close-knit groups of specialists called "kill-teams."If a xenos threat is particularly dangerous, several kill-teams may be assigned to deal with it, but if the threat is still too much for even the Deathwatch to handle, the Inquisition will be forced to turn to a full Space Marine Chapter or to multiple regiments of the Imperial Guard to deal with it.