Hunting Lance - Hunting Lance Tips: While Hunting Lances are, by far, most commonly fitted with a powerful explosive charge, many variants have been implemented over the millennia. Often, this is due to some quirk of a regiment's homeworld, or, more rarely, the rediscovery of a lost weapon pattern by a Forge World. A Hunting Lance may be equipped with a variety of alternate tips:Inferno Tip - The psychological effects of a cavalry charge are often as great as the physical damage inflicted. The sight of mounted warriors smashing into their lines and running infantry down can break the morale of an enemy force even when tanks and heavy weapons fail. This is doubly true when the charging cavalry leave a trail of flaming devastation in their wake, the raging inferno causing additional casualties amongst the panicking foe. The Hunting Lance Inferno Tip consists of a broad, blunt head, designed to impact as much surface area of the target as possible, rather than to puncture armour. When the lance impacts a target, Promethium canisters affixed below the blade expel their contents in a burst of white-hot flame. Usually, Inferno Tips are designed to break away on impact, leaving the enemy to contend with the burning fuel canister. Though their effects can frighten more skittish mounts, the utter terror they inflict on most enemies makes them more than worth the risks that accompany their use.Krak Tip - Consisting of a shaped charge similar to that of a Krak Grenade, a Hunting Lance Krak Tip explodes with even more devastating effect than the standard Hunting Lance charge, making its use preferable against resilient enemies such as Orks. The additional weight of the dense explosives and the irregular, rounded shape make a Hunting Lance armed with a Krak Tip somewhat less well-balanced than one equipped with a standard charge. Consequently, some of the more traditional Rough Rider regiments look down on their use.Melta Tip - Most enemies would not expect that their heavy vehicles would be targeted by traditional cavalry, giving an edge to Rough Rider squads equipped with Melta-tipped Hunting Lances. Nevertheless, making a frontal charge against enemy armour is dangerous at best, and regiments that employ Melta Tips have a reputation for reckless behaviour and suicide missions. While incredibly devastating to armoured targets, Melta Tips are extremely heavy, and while this is not a problem when used against tanks or fortifications, they are ill-suited to use against smaller or more agile targets.Plasma Tip - Only employed in dire circumstances, and only by regiments hailing from worlds with deep ties to the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Plasma Tip is as rare as it is dangerous. When a Hunting Lance Plasma Tip impacts a target, it triggers a containment breach of the volatile energies stored within. As with all Imperial Plasma Weapons, to be granted the use of a Plasma Tip is something of a dubious honour. Plasma Tips are dangerous to wield at best and considered somewhat suicidal at worst. Wielders must take care to direct their mount away as they strike, lest they be caught by the exploding energies of the plasma charge. The risk is deemed acceptable due to the Plasma Tip's effectiveness against targets so tough or heavily armoured that even the Krak Tip proves insufficient.Poison Tip - Some xenos monstrosities that the Imperial Guard must face are so unnaturally resilient that even the explosive tip of a Hunting Lance is insufficient to incapacitate them on the charge. Against such foes, the virulent toxins of a Poison Tip can prove more effective. When necessary, a Magos Biologis can tailor the toxic payload to a particular creature, ensuring that even a minor flesh wound brings swift death to the abomination.Shock Tip - While unusual, there are situations in which the Imperial Guard seeks to take prisoners, be they xenos specimens for study by the Adeptus Mechanicus or Traitors possessing vital intelligence. Fast-moving cavalry armed with Shock-tipped Hunting Lances provide an excellent means for subduing dangerous, high-priority targets. The Hunting Lance Shock Tip utilises the same technology as other shock weapons, discharging a powerful jolt of electricity on impact, in order to incapacitate a target. Unlike other Hunting Lance tips, a Shock Tip is not destroyed when used, but only temporarily expends its store of energy.