vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Thulsa Kane - Wargear: The Ænigmata Ferrum - This sacred tome contains the accumulated battle-wisdom and ancient secrets of the Executioners Chapter culled from many thousands of Terran years of chronicles. A copy of the Aenigmata Ferrum is carried into battle and further added to by every high mortiurge of the Chapter.Grehdalin's Bones - A relic of the Chapter, this Artificer Armour was created from the nigh-indestructible skeletal remains of an ancient xenos beast that once slaughtered an entire colony world's population one-by-one. Slain by one of the greatest of the Chapter's high chaplains in an epic struggle, the armour is said to both shield the flesh of the Chaplain who wears it, as well as remind them constantly of the high standards they are expected to set for the rest of the Chapter.Lifetaker - The Lifetaker is a massive black-bladed Power Axe of archaic design, carried by successive Chapter Masters of the Executioners and given to Thulsa Kane to signify his leadership of the Executioners during the dark days of the Badab War.Plasma PistolRosariusFrag GrenadesKrak Grenades
Thunder's Word - Thunder's Word: The Thunder's Word is a modified Gladius-class Frigate that has served the Deathwatch in the Jericho Reach for over two standard millennia. It is whispered that it was built in the orbital docks above Mars itself under the direct supervision of the Arch-Fabricator Castilus.Compact, heavily armed, and swift beyond anything that might be expected of its class, this warship can only deploy a relative handful of Battle-Brothers into action owing to the internal space given over to its massed batteries and powerful engines.Commanded by the venerable Battle-Brother Pellas, the Thunder's Word has been used in some of the most dangerous operations undertaken by the Deathwatch in the Jericho Reach.Its list of battle honours has become legendary: over three score of raider and xenos ship-kills to its name. Its most lauded mission remains the daring raid in which it slipped past the Chaos fleets above Samech to recover the records from the lost watch station known as the Slaughterhouse.It was also the Thunder's Word that first glimpsed the bio-ships off the moons of Freya and warned of Hive Fleet Dagon's advance through the rimward systems of the Reach.The Thunder's Word remains one of Watch Fortress Erioch's Master of Vigil's favoured instruments should a Deathwatch Kill-team need to be deployed deep inside enemy-held territory.
Thunder Barons - Thunder Barons: The Thunder Barons are a Renegade Chapter of Chaos Space Marines of unknown origin. Formerly a Loyalist Chapter of Astartes, they eventually spat on their oaths to the Emperor of Mankind and instead swore their allegiance to the Chaos Gods, and to the Blood God Khorne in particular. Since their fall to Chaos, the Thunder Barons have become obsessed with looking for amulets and artefacts of arcane power that will enhance their abilities in combat -- and provide more victims for the Blood God's pleasure.
Thunder Barons - Notable Campaigns: Cholercaust Blood Crusade (Unknown Date.M41) - The Thunder Barons joined the massive Khornate force known as the Cholercaust which followed the path of the Keeler Comet and brought war and ruin to the worlds in its path. The Cholercaust Blood Crusade was finally stopped by a small coalition of Imperial forces on the Cemetery World of Certus-Minor. The Thunder Barons and other Traitor Marines took to the field under the command of Lord Umbragg of the World Eaters and participated in the final attack on Obsequa City. The Cholercaust suffered a total defeat and all in its ranks were slain, including the Thunder Barons. It is unknown if the entire Renegade Chapter took part in the Blood Crusade, and whether or not Thunder Baron remnants still exist elsewhere.
Thunder Barons - Chapter Colours: The Thunder Barons' Chapter colours are not currently recorded in Imperial records.
Thunder Barons - Chapter Badge: The Thunder Barons' Chapter badge is not currently recorded in Imperial records.
Thunder Hammer - Thunder Hammer: A Thunder Hammer is a melee Power Weapon often employed by Loyalist Space Marines of the Imperium of Man and by some Chaos Space Marines as well. Thunder Hammers are primarily used by Astartes encased in Terminator Armour when they serve as melee-focused Assault Terminators, though they have also been wielded by those in regular power armour with access to the relevant Armoury. Patterns of Thunder Hammer also exist that can be wielded by unaugmented Humans such as Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus and members of the Adeptus Ministorum.This large warhammer incorporates an energy field emitter within its head that activates only when the hammer strikes its target. This allows the weapon to store a tremendous amount of energy and release it only at the moment of impact, producing a terrific blast of energy and concussive force like the crack of thunder, from which the name of the weapon originates.Many battle-brothers balance the clumsy nature of attempting to parry with a Thunder Hammer by pairing it with a Storm Shield which is surrounded by a glowing blue field of protective energy which emits crackling lightning when the Space Marine parries the blow. The Astartes of the Storm Wardens Chapter are said to be so fond of this combination that some practice a combat style developed specifically around it. The pairing of these two weapons are said to produce the awesome noise of thunder and lightning when used in melee combat.
Thunder Hammer - Thunder Hammer Variants: Astartes Thunder Hammer - An Astartes Thunder Hammer is a massive Power Weapon in the form of a great warhammer utilised by the Space Marines. The furious energy blast released when these weapons strike their target creates waves of booming, concussive force as loud as thunder. Enemies that survive the pulverising blow are likely to be incapacitated by the shockwave that follows.Lathe Pattern Thunder Hammer - The Lathe Pattern Thunder Hammer is a huge warhammer that features an oversized head. Like standard Thunder Hammers, these weapons store energy and then release it in a violent explosion upon impact. The tremendous concussive force released is equivalent to a concentrated grenade explosion, strong enough to punch holes in vehicles and knock those nearby to the ground. Though extremely cumbersome to wield, Lathe Pattern Thunder Hammers are often used by Adeptus Ministorum priests to both smite the wicked and invigorate the faithful. A Lathe Pattern Thunder Hammer is lighter than most other Imperial variants, and is intended for use by unaugmented humans.Daemonhammer - Commonly wielded by Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus, a Daemonhammer is a large, two-handed warhammer crafted from rare ores and composite materials from humanity’s ancient and more technologically advanced past. The haft of a Daemonhammer is covered in hexagramic sigils and seals of warding, while its head is emblazoned with the burning sigil of the Inquisition, from which emanates a crackling power field. Daemonhammers are extremely rare in the Imperium, and their use is granted only to the most trusted and respected Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus and sometimes to various Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes who have defeated a particularly potent Greater Daemon in combat.Nemesis Daemon Hammer - Developed by the Ordo Malleus as the final word in daemonic destruction, the Nemesis Daemon Hammer combines the crushing impact of a more traditional Thunder Hammer with the psychic power of destruction. Few can survive the impact of a Nemesis Daemon Hammer wielded by a psyker in service to the Emperor. Nemesis Daemon Hammers are extraordinarily rare in the Imperium, but they are usually found in the hands of Ordo Malleus Inquisitors and the Space Marines of the Grey Knights Chapter.
Thunder Hammer - Notable Thunder Hammers: Fist of Dorn - The Fist of Dorn is a legendary Thunder Hammer traditionally wielded by the Captain of the Imperial Fists Chapter's elite 1st Company. This ancient and revered Chapter relic is currently wielded by the Chapter hero Captain Darnath Lysander. He received the mighty weapon from his predecessor in command of the 1st Company, Captain Kleitus, during the Siege of Haddrake Tor, after Kleitus suffered an unfortunate teleporter accident, materialising into solid rock. This occurred even with the advent of teleport homers placed by Lysander and his 2nd Company, but the teleport signal was distorted by the eldritch powers caused by the dark rituals performed by Chaos Cultists. Before dying, Kleitus passed on the mighty weapon to Lysander to be its new caretaker.Foehammer - Foehammer is a rune-etched Thunder Hammer and is a considered a revered Chapter relic of the Space Wolves Chapter. This mighty weapon is currently wielded by the Wolf Guard Arjac Rockfist, the personal Champion of the Great Wolf Logan Grimnar. When this weapon leaves Arjac's massive fist, its inbuilt teleporter ensures it will quickly return to his gauntlet ready to be used again.Hammer of Baal - The Hammer of Baal is a master-crafted Thunder Hammer that is a relic of the Blood Angels Chapter. It hums with barely restrained power. Forged millennia ago by master artisans, the Hammer of Baal is one of the most exquisite relics of the Chapter and is currently wielded by Captain Karlaen. Karlaen was entrusted with its care by Commander Dante upon his ascension to the rank of Captain of the Chapter's Veteran 1st Company.Stormbearer - Stormbearer is the Thunder Hammer wielded by Chapter Master Tu'Shan of the Salamanders Chapter. According to Chapter legend, it is made from the same material as that used to create Thunderhead, the Thunder Hammer of Primarch Vulkan. In truth, no one now alive knows who made it, but it is the favoured weapon of Tu'Shan, who as a master smith possesses a vast armoury of hammers, swords, and spears.
Thunder Hammer - Heavy Thunder Hammer: The Heavy Thunder Hammer is the largest man-portable Thunder Hammer that is used by the Adeptus Astartes of the Deathwatch Chapter -- a giant, crushing tool of destruction so heavy even a Space Marine cannot use it one-handed.Swathed by a powerful disruption field, the Heavy Thunder Hammer is capable not only of cracking open a Tyranid Carnifex's exoskeleton, but also of smashing through its midsection to break the creature in two.
Thunder Warriors - Thunder Warriors: The Thunder Warriors, also sometimes referred to in ancient records as the Thunder Legion and the Thunder Regiments, and known in High Gothic as the Legiones Cataegis, were the 20 regiments or legions of genetically-engineered, superhuman warriors of Terra created by the design of the Emperor of Mankind through alchemical augmentation, somatic gene-sculpting and muscle-grafting techniques. Their purpose was to unite the homeworld of Humanity beneath the Emperor's rule during the Unification Wars on Terra in the late 29th and 30th Millenniums.They were the first gene-enhanced warriors created by the Emperor and served as the precursors to the present-day Space Marines, though they were created from adult male supporters of the Emperor rather than adolescents.The Thunder Warriors' legions were commanded by genetically-identical Cataegis warriors of particular skill, intellect and mental stability, who each held the rank of "primarch." Each legion was particularly focused on a particular tactical or strategic specialty similar to the later, more perfected pattern seen among the Legiones Astartes.Wrought to be living weapons, the Thunder Warriors were known to be physically stronger, more savage, more resilient and more potent in combat than the later Astartes, though they were not as long-lived and suffered from often dangerous mental instability and early metabolic collapse when their bodies began to reject their augmentations.Imperial chronicles hold that the last of the legendary Thunder Warriors died heroically during the final battle of the Unification Wars at Mount Arrarat in 669.M30 that reunified Terra beneath the single rule of the Emperor and forged the government that would become the Imperium of Man.The truth of the matter was far different, for the Thunder Warriors' fate was bound up in the terrible price that the Emperor proved willing to pay to secure a better future for Mankind.
Thunder Warriors - Age of Strife: During the turbulent era known as the Age of Strife or "Old Night" on Terra, the Sol System and the other nearby star systems that had been colonised by Humanity during the Age of Technology were effectively cut off from interstellar travel or astropathic communication with each other.This was due to the massive Warp Storms that swept the galaxy as the Immaterium was roiled by the millennia-long gestation of the Chaos God Slaanesh and the turbulence that marked the decay of the Aeldari Empire before The Fall.During the five millennia of anarchy, fear and violence that marked this period, Old Earth's once unified planetary government had completely broken down and been divided into dozens of warring techno-barbarian nations. Continuous warfare raged across the surface of Terra for two and a half thousand years, beginning in the late 27th Millennium.Little remained of the once sophisticated civilisation of Old Earth's glorious past as techno-barbarian warlords and their gene-enhanced warrior-hordes continuously fought over the planet, which became little more than a massive battleground for their apocalyptic wars of attrition over the course of the millennia.It was during this dark time that the Emperor of Mankind developed the first genetically-engineered warriors to serve in His armies. These were the proto-Astartes, who were created like the later generations of true Space Marines from advanced genetic engineering techniques, though these were not as efficient as what was used later to create the Space Marines. Nor was the technology involved as advanced or the geneticists as entirely willing, for some were captives the Emperor had taken during the Unification Wars.The Emperor wrought these proto-Astartes to be faster, stronger and more powerful than any of the feral barbarian gene-sept warriors that claimed fealty over the various techno-barbarian nation-states of Old Earth. These warriors were a gestalt mix of unprecedented superhuman physical power, gene-programmed resistance to environmental and even psychic attack, a warlike spirit and the Emperor's own strategic genius.The twenty Thunder Regiments were an army unlike any that had come before them, and the forces of the powerful tyrants of Old Earth had nothing to match them. These genetically-enhanced soldiers were created to drag their world back from the anarchy into which it had fallen.It was against this backdrop that the mysterious saviour who would become known only as the Emperor revealed Himself -- the raptor's head and lightning banner marching proudly before the unstoppable armies of His Thunder Warriors.
Thunder Warriors - Unification Wars: Emerging from anonymous obscurity in the late 29th Millennium, the Emperor took a direct and public hand in the future of Humanity for the first time in its history, conquering the various warring factions of Mankind's homeworld and establishing his direct rule over Terra during the Unification Wars.The Emperor accepted the deaths of the many innocents that resulted from this conquest with great remorse in order to achieve the greater good of unifying Humanity and protecting it from the manifest predations of the Warp and the more vicious xenos of the galaxy. Unimaginably large, full-scale battles during the Unification campaign would last for weeks on end, with body counts in the millions that sundered mountains and split entire continents.Future Imperial scholars would later dismiss these victories as lurid hyperbole, refusing to believe that such clashes of arms could possibly have been fought, but indeed they were.The Imperial historical chronicles tell of the last battle of the Unification Wars, known as the Battle of Mount Ararat, which was fought in the Kingdom of Urartu in 669.M30. During this final battle the remaining Thunder Warriors were slain to a man. The chronicles recorded that the famed Thunder Warrior Arik Taranis, known as the "Lightning Bearer," raised the Banner of Lightning at the final declaration of Unity which established the rule of the Emperor of Mankind over the entirety of Terra before dying of his wounds. It was a measure of the Thunder Warriors' heroic sacrifice that they had all died to win the last and greatest victory for the Emperor.Unfortunately, this heroic version of events was completely false. The Thunder Warriors had not died to a man during the final battle of the Unification Wars. They had been brutally culled from existence by the Emperor's own servants on His orders. The Thunder Warriors had been destroyed by their own creator, a secret skillfully concealed from the people of the Imperium for more than 10,000 Terran years.
Thunder Warriors - The Culling: To carry out His plans for Humanity, the Emperor accepted that He would have to take certain actions that were essentially immoral in order to achieve the greater good of Mankind.In the years to come, the Emperor needed the people of Terra to unite behind a single, dominant leader in order to begin the future re-conquest of the galaxy during the Great Crusade He intended to unleash next.To create His legend, and unite all of Mankind behind His rule as an enlightened and invincible leader, the official record had to reflect that the Emperor had largely won the war and reunified Terra single-handedly.Additionally, the Thunder Warriors were not like the Astartes who would follow them; they had been created solely for war and were not well-suited to any other activities. Once peace came to Terra, the Thunder Warriors would inevitably pose a risk to the new state's stability through their very existence and the flaws that had resulted in much mental instability and early deaths due to metabolic collapse among their ranks.The Thunder Warriors had been enhanced as mature, adult men and their bodies often rebelled against the genetic changes only a few short Terran decades after the transformation. All this meant that the Thunder Warriors could not be allowed to survive the conflict they had been created to fight.At first the Emperor simply did not replace their numbers as they fell to battle or insanity, but then decided to take more active measures. According to Arik Taranis, the final culling of the Thunder Warriors took place following the victory of the last battle of Unity, and was carried out by the Legio Custodes, the only soldiers in the Imperial armies capable of defeating the Thunder Legions.In truth, the Emperor had been right to be worried about His creations. Another source claims that even before the Unification Wars had ended, the Thunder Warriors at last realised that their creator had cursed them with short lifespans as a result of their imperfect genetic augmentations, and turned upon Him for what they saw as His betrayal.It was a cadre of several hundred Custodians, even then believed to have been led by the legendary Constantin Valdor, and accompanied by several thousand prototype Astartes of the I Legion of the newborn Space Marines, that stood in the Emperor's defence, carrying out a merciless culling of the obsolete and rebellious gene-soldiers.Though some Thunder Warriors successfully escaped the cull, however it happened, the vast majority of those who survived the Unification Wars died at the hands of their own allies.Individually or in small groups -- like the self-stylised Dait'Tar Thunder Warriors present during the Cerberus Insurrection of the early Great Crusade period -- some Thunder Warriors would survive, living mostly anonymous and miserable lives amongst the population of Terra, all honours of the past forsaken, always fearful of being discovered.Fortunately for these survivors, the Imperium, believing the Thunder Warriors all dead, never truly sought to hunt them down, as all efforts were by then concentrated on the progress of the Great Crusade.
Thunder Warriors - Organisation: Like the later Legiones Astartes who would replace them as the Emperor's elite, genetically-augmented, transhuman warriors, the Thunder Warriors were organised into twenty large units known as "legions," each commanded by a general known as a "primarch." However, unlike the later primarchs of the Space Marines, Thunder Warrior primarchs were not physically or mentally different from the warriors they led. Instead they were simply superlative warriors and tacticians who were promoted to the position by the Emperor due to their skill in battle and at commanding their fellows.The Thunder Warriors' legions seem to have been built around tactical roles and specialties identical to those of the later Space Marine Legions. For instance, the IV Legion of the Legiones Cataegis was known as the "Iron Lords" and specialised in sieges, just like the IV Legion of the Space Marines known as the Iron Warriors.
Thunder Warriors - Abilities: The Thunder Warriors were massive supersoldiers, greater in height and girth than even most Firstborn Space Marines. Despite the physical, mental and metabolic deterioration that was their eventual fate, the few Thunder Warriors that secretly survived the end of the Unification Wars were easily more than a match for an Astartes, and had even outperformed some Custodians of the Legio Custodes during certain combat engagements. Even Thunder Warriors who had suffered from solar decades of physical and metabolic decline were still capable of successfully combating multiple Astartes at once.Thunder Warriors were created to be highly resistant to psychic attacks, perhaps because they constantly faced Chaos-corrupted opponents who wielded sorcery during the campaigns of the Unification Wars in the late Age of Strife. Any attempts at unleashing a mental attack upon a Thunder Warrior caused severe pain to the attacking psyker.Thunder Warriors had tremendous upper body strength that was considered to be unequaled by the Emperor's other genetically-augmented supersoldiers, which when coupled with the enhancements provided by their early Mark I Thunder Power Armour made them virtually unbeatable in close, melee combat. The leg strength of even a physically deteriorated Thunder Warrior was still enough to allow one to kick completely through the torso of a normal Human.In addition to their incredible physical strength, the Thunder Warriors' skeletal system had been augmented to be thicker than that of an Astartes. A Thunder Warrior was thus capable of shattering the skull of an Astartes with a  simple headbutt. The Thunder Warriors' reflexes were also greatly enhanced, which allowed one to actually dodge a shot from a Plasma Gun while already engaged in a close-quarters melee with two other Astartes.Yet, for all these incredible physical and martial abilities, the Thunder Warriors' genetic template was notoriously unstable and they were prone to fits of uncontrollable bloodlust and mental instability, including hallucinations. Short-lived and rife with mental and physical health issues, Thunder Warriors were known to suffer from sudden, unexpected death outside of combat or, more dangerously, to stop following their superiors' orders while in the heat of battle.Unlike the Legiones Astartes who replaced them, they were deeply emotional and relished in the power and savagery they felt during combat. Their full Human emotions were not altered, lessened or expunged from them as they were in Space Marines and Custodians, and they were known in the Imperial Army and among the Legio Custodes for their often dry humour.
Thunder Warriors - Mark I Thunder Power Armour: The first pattern of power armour created for the Thunder Warriors and the first true Space Marines was the Mark I Thunder Power Armour, though the name was later assigned by the ancient Mechanicum after the fact and at the time of its use the suit was simply called "power armour."It was developed from the powered combat armour worn by the techno-barbarians that plagued Terra near the end of the Age of Strife. It was used during the Emperor's Unification Wars campaigns to retake and reunite Terra before the Great Crusade.It was by no means unique to the first Space Marines -- in fact, the techno-barbarian warriors the Emperor fought during the conquest of Terra wore it too, and the Emperor's early forces of genetically-enhanced Thunder Warriors were wearing it even before the first true Space Marines were created.However, because it was designed with fighting in a terrestrial environment in mind, it was not fully enclosed, with no means to support the wearer in a vacuum.Only the upper body was powered, due in part to the fact that during the Emperor's conquest of Terra, ranged weapons were difficult to make due to technological constraints, and so a warrior's upper-body strength was his most important asset.It takes its name from the thunder bolt and lightning symbol called the Raptor Imperialis that the Emperor used during the Unification Wars on Terra before He adopted the double-headed eagle known as the Imperial Aquila during the Great Crusade.That emblem gave the suit its most common present-day name -- Thunder Armour. This early armour was produced on a completely local basis. There was no standard design, individual suits varied heavily and their exact designs were often a matter of personal taste.The main part of the armour was the massive powered torso which enclosed the chest and arms. Coiled energy cables beneath the armour plating transmitted energy from the power pack on the back to the arms, greatly increasing the warrior's physical strength.The legs of this mark of armour were not powered at all, but enclosed in tough padded breaches, though simple steel plates were sometimes also used. Although uncommon, the best-equipped warriors sometimes wore armoured greaves and armoured boots.However, this ancient suit of power armour was noticeably noisier than later models, perhaps due to the unpowered legs, making stealth operations nearly impossible in it.
Thunder Warriors - Ranged Weapons: In their earliest days before Imperial science developed ceramite power armour, the Thunder Warriors wore simple metal armor attached with leather strapping and wielded Lasrifles. Later, the Thunder Warriors were armed with an archaic, but large and powerful pattern of what became the standard Astartes bolter.
Thunderbolt - Thunderbolt: The Thunderbolt heavy fighter is one of the two main fighter aircraft patterns used by the Imperial Navy, the other of which is the Lightning air superiority fighter.The Thunderbolt is the mainstay weapon system of Imperial Navy's Aeronautica Imperialis fighter wings and is a rugged, well-armed and armoured heavy fighter with all-around capabilities, a good maximum speed and above-average maneuverability, powerful nose-mounted weapons and hard points located on the wings for missile or bomb load-outs.It is an aircraft that is well-liked by those who fly and service it and it has served the cause of the Emperor for many centuries.The Thunderbolt's primary combat role is as an air superiority fighter. It seeks out and engages enemy aircraft in dogfights or hunts enemy bombers to establish air superiority.The Thunderbolt's greatest strength is its versatility, since it has good performance as a high-altitude escort fighter while it is also serviceable in the roles of a low-altitude fighter-bomber, night fighter or even as a reconnaissance aircraft when necessary.
Thunderbolt - History: A heavy fighter combining devastating strike potential with a high degree of speed and manoeuvrability, the Thunderbolt formed the bulk of the Imperialis Armada's intra-atmosphere fighter aircraft during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras of the 30th and early 31st Millennium.The Thunderbolt was a true workhorse, with a rugged and reliable design, beloved of its crews and feared by its enemies. The Thunderbolt's versatile array of armaments enabled it to tackle all manner of missions, making it ideal for dominating the skies of alien worlds as the Solar Auxilia landed, and supporting them in battle as they advanced.The Thunderbolt could fulfill a range of missions, from hunting tanks and ground strikes, yet its main role was that of an air-superiority fighter, engaging enemy craft in dogfights or hunting down enemy bombers.Its most famous characteristic, however, was sheer resilience and it was not unusual for a Thunderbolt to land riddled with damage that would have downed a lesser craft.
Thunderbolt - Characteristics: Whilst the Lightning air superiority fighter is faster than the Thunderbolt, with a better climb and dive rate, it is also a great deal less well-armoured, less versatile in the same range of situations as the Thunderbolt and far more finicky, demanding a great deal of attention from its maintenance crews.Like the Lightning, the Thunderbolt is equipped with a Promethium-fueled rocket engine, maneuvering thrusters and an ablative ventral surface that provides it with a limited trans-atmospheric operations capability. However, this capability was provided only for transportation and deployment from an Imperial Navy starship into a planetary atmosphere and was not intended for space combat, which means the Thunderbolt is not a true starfighter, a role normally filled by the Fury space superiority fighter.The rocket engine and thrusters allows a Thunderbolt to deploy from an Imperial Navy starship in low planetary orbit into an atmosphere and can then be used at the end of combat operations to allow a Thunderbolt to return to its mothership after using its twin air-guzzling turbofan engines to reach its maximum operational altitude.Because of this operational capacity in a vacuum, all Thunderbolt pilots are required to wear full, vacuum-sealed flight suits and helmets. The fighter's rocket engine is also used to allow the Thunderbolt to make extremely rapid launch rail take-offs from its mothership or a ground base. Once airborne using the rocket, the Thunderbolt engages its turbofans.Imperial Navy fighter wings can possess a wide variability in the number of aircraft or starfighters they contain. They normally consist of between 10-20 aircraft or starfighters although some are much larger.Each Imperial fighter wing, in addition to its numeric designator, also takes a name that is usually that of a real or mythological flying creature. There are thousands of fighter wings in service on the Imperial Navy's myriad starships, space stations and ground bases in use by the various sector and Segmentum battlefleets all across the galaxy.
Thunderbolt - Armament: The Thunderbolt's main armament is carried in its blunt nose with the gun barrels protruding, and consists of two sets of twin-linked Autocannons that are fire-linked together, with two on each side, and a set of twin-linked Lascannons on its forward dorsal area.Compared with the Lightning's single Autocannon and two Lascannons, the Thunderbolt is obviously capable of a much higher total rate-of-fire and a much greater volume-of-fire, resulting in the Thunderbolt being capable of inflicting substantially more damage than its smaller and lighter counterpart.The Lascannons are primarily used in the fighter's ground attack role to punch through the heavy armour of enemy vehicles, whilst the Autocannons are the kinetic weapons of choice for strafing enemy infantry formations and dog-fighting.The heavy fighter can also carry six tactical bombs, four air-to-surface Hellstrike Missiles or six air-to-air Skystrike missiles on its external wing-mounted hardpoints, without sacrificing the use of any of its main weapons, whereas the lighter Lightning fighter must sacrifice a weapon to carry external hardpoints, usually its single Autocannon.A Thunderbolt already has an unusually long operational range for a heavy fighter, but when the situation or mission parameters call for it, a Thunderbolt can be outfitted with external Promethium fuel drop tanks for increased range.
Thunderbolt - Design Features: The Thunderbolt has a heavy, rectangular fuselage rather than a more streamlined tubular body, which is flanked by a thrust tunnel containing a large, turbofan jet engine on either side of the aircraft. The wings are mounted on the thrust tunnels and very slightly forward-swept.The angular cockpit is set about halfway down the fighter, with the remaining back half dominated by the tail section, complete with two tail-planes and a single tail-fin. The whole of the Thunderbolt is armoured with 45 mm of ceramite armour plate.Being a larger and heavier airframe than the Lightning, the Thunderbolt is slower and less maneuverable. However, it is considerably more durable, capable of taking damage that would destroy a Lightning outright. The Thunderbolt also has greater range, thanks to its more powerful engines and larger fuel tanks.
Thunderbolt - Role: Thunderbolts are most commonly used in an air superiority role, where they intercept enemy aircraft and engage in dogfights with them. Thunderbolts are especially effective against enemy bombers as the Thunderbolt's large weapons array can punch through bombers' usually heavy armour, and Thunderbolt armour can withstand -- to a degree -- the withering fire of bombers' multiple turret guns better than its counterpart Lightning fighter.Because of its versatility, the Thunderbolt is also deployed as close air support for Astra Militarum or even Space Marine units.The Thunderbolt can attack enemy armour or infantry on the ground using Hellstrike Missiles, its Lascannons for penetrating the armour of enemy vehicles and its Autocannons for strafing enemy infantry positions.
Thunderbolt - Notable Variants: Kestrel-class Interceptor - The Kestral-class Interceptor is a void-capable version of the Thunderbolt heavy fighter, and was used by Battlefleet Demeter against the Black Legion's incursion into the Pandorax System. This variant eschews the Thunderbolt's standard Autocannon armament in lieu of additional energy cells for its Lascannons. In order to operate in the void of space, the flyer is not propelled by regular combustion turbofan jet engines, which would be useless in vacuum, but instead a power cell-fueled powerplant, whose output can also be directed to supercharge its weapons. Whilst being a void-capable vessel, it still retains some features of its forebear out of respect for the Omnissiah and the fighter's Machine Spirit, chief amongst them being an ejector seat with built-in parachute, a tail rudder, and the hydraulic wing flaps that are only needed for atmospheric flight.Cypra Mundi Pattern Thunderbolt - The Cypra Mundi Pattern is the name given to the basic and most widespread template of the Thunderbolt in use by the Imperial Navy's Aeronautica Imperialis.
Thunderbolt - Notable Thunderbolt Wings: 83rd Imperial Navy Fighter Wing, Eagle Squadron - Served on the Desert World of Quatara-Prime and during the Taros Campaign.386th Imperial Navy Fighter Wing, Falcon Squadron - Served during the Taros Campaign.409th Imperial Navy Fighter Wing, Raptor Squadron - Served on Enothis during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.490th Imperial Navy Fighter Wing, Wyvern Squadron - Served during the Third War for Armageddon.672nd Imperial Navy Fighter Wing, Dragon Squadron - Served in the campaign to recover Rynn's World from the Orks of WAAAGH! Snagrod; commanded by the famous Imperial ace Flight Commander Richter Dagor-Jani.717th Imperial Navy Fighter Wing - Served during the Siege of Vraks.789th Imperial Navy Fighter Wing - Served on Enothis during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.1002nd Imperial Navy Fighter Wing - Served during the Taros Campaign.1019th Imperial Navy Fighter Wing - Served during the infamous "Black Week" on Typha IV against the Tau.1303rd Imperial Navy Fighter Wing, Serpent Squadron - Served on the Ocean World of Tyrama Secundus.1922nd Imperial Navy Fighter Wing - Served during the Raid on Kastorel-Novem.3659th Imperial Navy Fighter Wing, Harrier Squadron - Fought against the Eldar on the world of Lammas.5th Khulan Imperial Navy Fighter Wing - Served during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.XX Phantine Air Corps, "Umbra" Flight - Although they theoretically belong to the Imperial Guard, the Phantine Air Corps are often called upon to fight alongside Imperial Navy wings. Umbra Flight abandoned its Lightning fighters for the heavier Thunderbolt shortly before their deployment to Enothis.101st Imperial Navy Pacificus Elite Wing - The lauded "Apostles" are the elite fighter squadrons of the Imperial Navy. The 101st Apostles served during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade and distinguished itself on the world of Enothis.Betalis III Planetary Defence Forces - Served during the defence of Betalis III against the Eldar of Craftworld Mymeara.
Thunderbolt - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Thunderbolt Heavy FighterTypeHeavy Fighter AircraftOperational Ceiling39,000 Metres w/ Jet EnginesVehicle NameThunderboltMax Speed2,200 kilometres per hourForge World of OriginCypra MundiRange12,000 kilometres in atmosphereKnown PatternsI - XXIMain ArmamentNose-mounted Twin-linked Lascannons, 2 nose-mounted Twin-linked AutocannonsCrew1 PilotSecondary Armament4 Hellstrike Missiles, 4 BombsPowerplant2 F122v Afterburning TurbofansMain Ammunition30 Shot From Battery PacksWeight14 Tonnes EmptySecondary Ammunition400 RoundsLength14.2 MetresArmourWingspan16.06 MetresSuperstructure45 millimetresHeight3.5 Metres w/ Landing Gear DownHull45 millimetres
Thunderbolt - Sources: Apocalypse (4th Edition), pg. 126Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, pp. 223-228Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard (Second Edition), pg. 266Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pg. 92Imperial Armour Volume Six - The Siege of Vraks - Part Two, pg.71Imperial Armour Volume Eight - The Raid on Kastorel-Novem, pg. 46Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, pg. 105Imperial Armour Volume Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus, pp. 25, 206, 208-209Imperial Armour Aeronautica, pp. 9-11, 76-84Aeronautica Imperialis (Rulebook), pp. 6, 9, 12, 20Tactica Aeronauica, pg. 28The Horus Heresy - Book Four: Conquest by Alan Bligh, pg. 275The Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Background Book), pp. 27, 82Double Eagle (Novel) by Dan AbnettPandorax (Novel), by C.Z.Dunn
Thunderbolt - Also See: LightningImperial Guard Vehicles
Thundercoil Harpoon - Thundercoil Harpoon: The Thundercoil Harpoon is one of the primary armaments of the  Dominus-class Knight Valiant, which is a super-heavy Imperial Knight specialised for close combat. The Thundercoil Harpoon is a rather unusual weapon: it is a huge spear of adamantium fitted with pneumatic grapnels and attached by thick chains to an electrothaumic generator, allowing it to be fired then reeled back in time and again.Not only does its impaling mass gouge massive wounds in larger targets while crushing smaller victims outright, but once the harpoon has hit home, the Noble pilot can trigger their generator and send a massive electrical charge through the chain. Arcing electrogheists leap from the harpoon, cooking monstrous beasts from the inside out and overloading the circuitry and power supplies of enemy war engines.
Thunderer Siege Tank - Thunderer Siege Tank: The Thunderer Siege Tank is a close-range infantry support vehicle used by the Astra Militarum that was developed to replace lost Leman Russ Demolisher tanks by using the unused chassis of Destroyer Tank Hunter tanks.While not as effective as the Leman Russ Demolisher due to its lack of secondary weaponry, the Thunderer has found its role in providing potent infantry support at close ranges against fixed targets and for limited times because of its inability to store large amounts of ammunition.The Thunder Siege Tank is produced at Forge Worlds that cannot manufacture the Heavy Laser Destroyer weapon needed for the Destroyer Tank Hunter. As the Thunderer Siege Tank is a replacement vehicle, it is not included in any known Imperial unit's official order of battle.
Thunderer Siege Tank - History: The Thunderer was developed as a field conversion sometime during the 38th Millennium by a Departmento Munitorum field workshop as a replacement for lost Leman Russ Demolisher tanks. Using a Destroyer Tank Hunter chassis and a spare Demolisher Cannon, the field workshop was able to quickly replace lost Leman Russ Demolisher tanks.Due to the advanced technology used in the Destroyer Tank Hunters' Heavy Laser Destroyer being very difficult to repair and costly to manufacture, there are many unused Destroyer Tank Hunter chassis that can be retrofitted with a Demolisher Cannon. After stripping out the Laser Destroyer and its capacitors and batteries and installing the Demolisher Cannon there is only room for 18 rounds, and thus the tank cannot operate for long periods of time.
Thunderer Siege Tank - Armament: The Thunderer Siege Tank is armed with a single forward-firing Demolisher Cannon and no other weapons. The Thunderer has extra armour added to its dorsal surface due to its need for protection from enemies who have fortified themselves within tall buildings during urban combat.The Thunderer can be upgraded with a Pintle-Mounted Heavy Stubber or a Pintle-Mounted Storm Bolter, camo-netting, Extra Armour Plating, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, improved communications equipment, a minesweeper, rough terrain modifications, Searchlights, track guards, and Smoke Launchers.Another unnamed variant of the Thunderer is known to exist, which instead of a Demolisher Cannon is equipped with a Battle Cannon or a Vanquisher Cannon, and is used by armoured regiments when they lack an adequate number of functioning Leman Russ tanks.
Thunderer Siege Tank - Notable Users of the Thunderer Siege Tank: 8th Pardus Armoured Regiment8th Necromundan RegimentArmageddon Steel Legion18th Catachan Jungle Fighters Regiment21st Death Korps of Krieg Panzer Division, "Death's Head"21st Palladius Armoured Regiment4th Vastadt Independent Tank Regiment - Took part in the 2nd Saint Saen CrusadeSkitarii Mars Regiments17th Tallarn Armoured Regiment179th Death Korps of Krieg - The 179th Death Korps of Krieg Regiment made extensive use of the Thunderer Siege Tank during the Siege of Vraks.
Thunderer Siege Tank - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Vehicle Name:ThundererMain Armament:Demolisher CannonForge World of Origin:Field ConversionSecondary Armament:N/AKnown Patterns:I - IITraverse:5 degreesCrew:1 Commander, 1 Driver, 1 GunnerElevation:-3 to 12 degreesPowerplant:HL230 v12 Multi-FuelMain Ammunition:18 RoundsWeight:52 TonnesSecondary Ammunition:N/ALength:7.08 metresArmour:Width:4.86 metresHeight:3.40 metresSuperstructure:200 millimetresGround Clearance:.45 metresHull:150 millimetresMax Speed On-Road:32 kilometres per hourGun Mantlet:150 millimetersMax Speed Off-Road:22 kilometres per hourVehicle Designation:0427-941-2020-LR01Transport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:N/AAccess Points:N/ATurret:N/A
Thunderer Siege Tank - Sources: Imperial Armour, pp. 8-9, 38Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, pp. 73-78Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard (Second Edition), pp. 57-62, 267Imperial Armour Volume Five - The Siege of Vraks - Part OneImperial Armour Volume Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus, pp. 166-202Gaunt's Ghosts Omnibus: The Saint (Novel) by Dan Abnett, pg. 57
Thunderer Siege Tank - Also See: Imperial Guard VehiclesImperial Vehicles
Thunderfire Cannon - Thunderfire Cannon: The Thunderfire Cannon is a colossal, quad-barrelled artillery gun designed to excel in a static point defence role for the Adeptus Astartes. Each is capable of firing and reloading at a punishing rate, unleashing salvo after salvo of high explosive shells, pounding the enemy into oblivion. Only the brave or the foolish dare advance forwards in the face of such overwhelming firepower.Space Marines task forces strike hard and fast, and a unit that cannot maintain a rapid advance swiftly becomes a liability. For this reason, most of their support weapons are mounted on vehicle chassis that can keep pace with the rest of the force, as can be seen with the Vindicator and Whirlwind, but the Thunderfire Cannons are the one exception to the rule.Mounted on rugged track units, Thunderfire Cannons can traverse almost any terrain to reach the optimum firing position. Though they can move under their own power, they are normally deployed from Thunderhawk gunships or by Drop Pod, brought in when Space Marine forces need to crack a foe's strongpoint position or halt a sudden enemy breakthrough in its tracks.Those enemies that get too close will soon be engulfed in a wave of explosions that never seems to cease. Each Thunderfire Cannon is tended to by a single Techmarine Gunner who uses his bulky Servo-harness to reload the artillery piece whilst calculating optimal firing trajectories.The Techmarine manning a Thunderfire Cannon can set its shells to detonate in a variety of different ways, depending on the tactical situation.Surface detonations are employed against numerous enemies in comparatively clear terrain, airburst shells are used to scour a foe from cover, and the Techmarine can even program the shells to burrow deep into the ground before detonating; though the force of the blast from such Tremor Shells is greatly reduced, the resulting shockwave is sufficient to leave the foe sprawling, making them easy prey for his brother Space Marines.
Thunderfire Cannon - Unit Composition: 1-3 Thunderfire Cannons with 1 Techmarine Gunner per cannon
Thunderfire Cannon - Wargear: A standard Thunderfire Cannon is armed and equipped with:Thunderfire CannonA Thunderfire Cannon's Techmarine gunner is armed and equipped with:Bolt PistolFrag GrenadesKrak GrenadesServo-Harness with a built-in Plasma Cutter, Flamer and two Servo-Arms
Thunderfire Cannon - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: The full technical specifications of the Thunderfire Cannon have not yet been made public by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Thunderfire Cannon - Trivia: The Thunderfire Cannon is similar in appearance to the Astartes Quad Launcher found on the Achilles-Alpha Pattern Land Raider and the Rapier Carrier that were once used by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.
Thunderfire Cannon - Sources: Codex Adeptus Astartes - Space Marines (8th Edition), pp. 85, 174Codex Adeptus Astartes - Space Marines (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Thunderfire Cannons"Codex: Space Marines (8th Edition) (Revised Codex), pp. 67, 152Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 93, 175Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 73
Thunderhawk - Thunderhawk: The Thunderhawk gunship is used by the Adeptus Astartes as their primary means of deploying forces for ground combat as well as their primary source of air support. The Thunderhawk gunship is often considered the lynchpin of any Space Marine Chapter, as it is able to fulfill many combat roles.The Thunderhawk is fully capable of functioning as an orbital drop ship, a heavy ground attack gunship, or as a bomber. The aircraft is able to quickly carry Space Marine forces from orbiting starships down into the midst of a battle, while at the same time providing supporting fire against enemy ground or air targets.Even though the Thunderhawk is a large vehicle, it is controlled with a relatively small crew, which includes the Techmarine pilot, co-pilot, gunner, and navigator.