vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Barracuda - Armament: A Barracuda is armed with a nose-mounted, pilot-aimed Ion Cannon. This is the aircraft's primary weapon for use in dogfights, backed up by two Drone-controlled Burst Cannons in the wings which can also be used as effective anti-infantry weapons during strafing runs.For ground attacks, the Barracuda is armed with wing-mounted Missile Pods built into the chassis and can also carry an additional armament of up to four Seeker Missiles which are not controlled by the pilot, but by a Marker Light operator on the ground. Barracudas are also equipped with a Targeting Array as standard for improved accuracy.Different Air Caste Septs have been identified operating slightly different versions of the Barracuda. Some are equipped with Blacksun Filters for night-fighting, whilst others with Disruption Pods and Decoy Launchers for additional protection.All T'au pilots are derived from the T'au Empire's Air Caste. Air Caste members live almost exclusively off-world in orbital space stations and habitats where, over time, their long-term exposure to lower gravity has affected their physiognomy.This means that even when operating in a gravity well, the pilots of the Air Caste have developed superior three-dimensional awareness and marginally better tolerance for high rates of acceleration and extreme gravitational effects at high speeds than that of their human opponents.Physically, this makes a T'au pilot naturally better suited to the rigours of air-to-air combat than a Human pilot, able to make tighter turns and hold them longer while being capable of pushing the gravity envelope further.The Barracuda's design is similar to the general design of most T'au aircraft, being low and thin in height with a relatively large wingspan that deploys weapons such as Missile Pods and mounted drone-controlled Burst Cannons. The aircraft's armour is made of the same unknown nano-crystalline alloy used in many other T'au vehicles and aircraft.The shape of the Barracuda's airframe is highly aerodynamic, which allows it to perform feats of manoeuverability that Imperial aircraft simply cannot match. While this leaves it more fragile than its ground attack counterparts the Sun Shark and Razorshark, it also allows it to engage in aerial duels with enemy fighters very effectively.The Barracuda features advanced electronic and avionic systems that achieve faster target locks than the Imperial Thunderbolt. The T'au aircraft's greater manoeuverability is combined with the natural adaptation of Air Caste pilots to produce a craft that is extremely nimble and agile in flight, providing it an often decisive advantage in aerial dogfights.The design of the Barracuda also includes a built-in escape pod. In the event that the aircraft sustains mortal damage, the pilot can eject. The entire cockpit capsule disconnects and provides limited anti-gravitic mobility that can return the pilot safely to the ground. However, once on the ground, the pilot must look to their own resources to make good their escape and avoid capture or death at the hands of the enemy's ground forces.
Barracuda - Upgrades: Barracudas can also be equipped with any of the following T'au vehicle support systems:Automated Repair System - Automated Repair Systems consist of dispensers which release tiny maintenance Drones which swarm over damaged weapon and drive systems, repairing them in the midst of battle.Advanced Targeting System - An Advanced Targeting System assists the vehicle's gunner by identifying targets of particular value or danger, and plotting fire plans to counter them.Blacksun Filter - Blacksun Filters allow the vehicle's gunners to accurately see and target enemies in low-light conditions.Decoy Launchers - Decoy Launchers are a form of defensive measure that is mounted near the engines. They are capable of firing clouds of reflective strips and sophisticated electronic decoys, which are combined with flare and chaff launchers to protect the vehicle's thruster arrays from enemy missiles.Disruption Pod - Disruption Pods display distorting holographic images in the visual and electromagnetic spectra to make the vehicle harder to target.Point Defence Targeting Relay - Designed to provide superior covering fire for nearby Fire Caste units, a Point Defence Targeting Relay automatically targets and engages enemies that try to assault the vehicle or nearby friendly units.Sensor Spines - Sensor Spines feed data to an advanced ground-following flight control system. This allows the vehicle to avoid hazardous terrain that could otherwise damage the vehicle's drive systems.
Barracuda - Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus Technical Specifications: Serial Number:85673-908461Main Armament:Nose-mounted Ion Cannon, Wing-Mounted Missile PodsDesignation:Air Superiority FighterVehicle Codename:BarracudaSecondary Armament:Two Wing-Mounted Drone Controlled Burst CannonsVehicle Type:Atmospheric AircraftCrew:1: PilotTraverse:0°Weight:7 tonnes (empty)Elevation:+0° to -0°Length:11.4 metresAmmunition:8 Missiles, 8000 RoundsWidth:12.5 metresArmour Type:35 millimetres of Nano-Crystalline Alloy, Composition Unknown to the Adeptus MechanicusHeight:3.25 metresMax Recorded Speed:2100 kilometres per hour at 5000 feet; cruising speed 1400 kilometres per hourSummary:Frontline Combat Aircraft; also carries Seeker Missile racks
Barracuda - Sources: Aeronautica Imperialis, pp. 93-99Apocalypse (4th Edition), pg. 158Codex Tau Empire (6th Edition), pp. 72, 95Codex: Tau (3rd Edition) pp. 13, 15Deathwatch: Rites of Battle (RPG), pg. 192Imperial Armour Aeronautica, pg. 58Imperial Armour Apocalypse (2nd Edition), pg. 80Imperial Armour Update, pg. 30Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pp. 79, 194-197, 213-215, 28Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign (Second Edition), pp. 154-157Warhammer Community - Take to the Skies with the T'au Air Caste
Barradan - Barradan: Barradan is a watch captain of the Deathwatch Chapter who is currently serving in the Fort Excalibris watch fortress in the Imperium Nihilus region of the Segmentum Obscurus.Barradan is one of the few Primaris Space Marines to have risen to that rank so far in the Era Indomitus. He has already distinguished himself in many battles with xenos forces. Such promotionshave proved strategically beneficial, for with their intrinsic understanding of Primaris infantry forces and Repulsor tanks, these watch captains have helped to fully integrate these weapons into the Deathwatch's arsenal.
Barrage bomb - Barrage bomb: A barrage bomb is a type of Imperial voidship weapon used for orbital bombardments of planetary targets. It is essentially the same as an Imperial torpedo which has been modified for the destruction of ground-based targets rather than another voidship in ship-to-ship combat. Barrage bombs are used by the warships of the Navis Imperialis and the Punisher-class Strike Cruiser of the Adeptus Arbites.
Barrier-tech - Barrier-tech: Barrier-tech, also spelled barrier tech, is the name given to the advanced technology employed by the Leagues of Votann that allows those Kin cloned with a psychoactive cloneskein, such as the Grimnyr and the Embyr, to access and manipulate the psychic energies of the Immaterium.The Kin are able to exploit Warpspace in a way few other starfaring peoples would risk, thanks to their hardened souls and the reliable protection offered by their advanced technologies. Even those Kin who carry the psychoactive cloneskein are not literal psykers in the true sense of the word as Humans would understand it. Like a shuttered lantern whose aperture has been opened a little wider, the souls of these psychoactive Kin shine just brightly enough to mesh with barrier-tech, such as Ancestral Warding Staves and Armour Crests known as Ancestral Ward Crests that can project psyker-like abilities.These devices come to life only at these psychoactive Kin's touch, emitting a soft thrum of power and glimmering with cold witchlight. It is through the careful use of barrier-tech devices like these that the Grimnyr and the Embyr manipulate the energies of the Warp to produce manifestations similar to those conjured into realspace by true psykers without facing the same risk of insanity, loss of control of their powers or Daemonic possession.
Barrier-tech - Notable Barrier-tech: Ancestral Ward StaveAncestral Ward Crest
Barrington J. Bayley - Barrington J. Bayley: Barrington J. Bayley was an author for Games Workshop's Black Library imprint.
Barrington J. Bayley - Warhammer 40,000: Eye of Terror (1999, ISBN 1-84154-105-2)Children of the Emperor (Short Story) (1999, collected in Into the Maelstrom (Anthology) and Let the Galaxy Burn (Anthology))The Lives of Ferag Lion-Wolf (Short Story) (2001, collected in Dark Imperium (Anthology), Let the Galaxy Burn (Anthology), and There is Only War (Anthology))Battle of the Archaeosaurs (Short Story) (2001, Collected in Dark Imperium (Anthology) and Let the Galaxy Burn (Anthology))Hive Fleet Horror (Short Story) (2001, Collected in Dark Imperium (Anthology))
Barsapine - Barsapine: Barsapine is an Imperial Hive World located in the Adrantis Nebula Sub-sector within the vast Calixis Sector. The planet is tidally locked and does not rotate. Its magnetic western face is a burnt desert and warm winds sweep across the planet from the west.Barsapine is a dismal world of little importance in the grand scheme of the Calixis Sector, save for the parts for cogitators that its large, isolationist cities produce. The spaceport of Kephistron Altis, Baraspine's primary connection with the rest of the sector, is located along the ridge of the world that separates eternal night from eternal day, and suffers from eternal darkness, its streets warmed only by the fierce, hot winds from the sunward side and illuminated only by reflected light from the Gilded Cathedral. As a result, Kephistron Altis is a quiet, grey place of toil and Imperial religiosity. Barsapine's more interesting aspects are hidden below the surface –- its people are modest and fatalistic, rarely claiming any ambition, and tend to go about masked and cloaked so they can hide themselves from the Emperor's sight and not commit the prideful sin of seeking out His attention. Their true selves are revealed in private and among the planet's countless secret societies.Baraspine possesses seven continents, of which three are populated. Numerous smaller communities make up approximately half of the total population. The northern and southern polar regions typically communicate little with each other and the planet's history has included periods of war between the two.The cultural practices of the Imperial faithful on Barsapine are unique, to say the least. While the climate and solar cycle leave something to be desired by off-world visitors, once one becomes accustomed to the forced twenty-four segment day it becomes somewhat tolerable. Indeed, because there is no natural solar cycle on Barsapine, the local population have instead tied their artificial night and day to that of Terra, in the hopes that they may worship at the correct times. The population spends much of its time beneath the surface or indoors, depending on their location as sunward or starward, respectively. It is currently the fashion for both ladies and gentlemen to wear simple slate grey masks and hoods when in public. These fashions occasionally cycle, but are always characterised by muted colors. The nobility of Baraspine favours elaborate coverings, often bejeweled about the eyes and cheeks. Their hoods are also grey, and are often trimmed with fine gold or silver thread.
Barsapine - Departmento Cartographicae Planetary Database: Principal Cities:Kephistron Altis (Spaceport)Kephistron Inferior (Northern Polar)Skaltine (Planetary Capital)Descrayne (Southern Polar)Governmental Type: Divinatory Thaumocracy. The regional leaders and the Planetary Governorship are decided by the representatives of the Soothsayers' College, who employ divination methods using the Emperor's Tarot.Planetary Governor: His Magnificence Ordus Malinar Vel Coronasse, Chosen of the Soothsayers' College.Adepta Presence: The presence of the official Imperial Adeptas on Baraspine is scant. There are some Arbitrators of the Adeptus Arbites (located in Skaltine and Kephistron Inferior), as well as a small Planetary Defence Force.Economy: Barsapine's principal production is Cogitator parts, which make up the majority of its Imperial tithe. The rest of the tithe consists of raw materials and manpower. Barsapine pottery is considered among the sector's finest and can command high prices from collectors.
Barsapine - Notable Flora: Redux - This powerful psychoactive drug causes its victims to repeat the last moment of their actions until it wears off. The imbiber usually does not even notice that they have done anything odd. Common amongst the Baraspine nobility as a means to embarass their lessers, Redux can be deadly if given in large doses. Redux is distilled from the local sulfuric plant life that grows on the dark side of Barsapine. The plant grows near locations rich in underground magma pools or rivers and is only visible above ground as a single knee-high black reed about as big around as a man's finger. Rumours abound that a beast capable of surviving in the lava feeds upon these plants, but as of yet no expedition has successfully located such a creature. The thin reeds produce toxins as a waste product. Spaced metres apart, they can go unnoticed until it is too late. Large patches of the plant can cause travelers to become lost as they inhale the toxin without knowing it and simply continue to walk without stopping until they do not know where they are. The smell and taste of Redux is extremely potent, overpowering most food or drink. It tastes sweet, however, and in circles where it is used frequently bitter or sour foods become popular. However, once ingested via food it is likely that the target will continue laughing and eating, repeating the last bite until death unless the dose is closely monitored.Fervor - The sunward half of the tidally-locked world of Barsapine is inhospitable to life. The high winds and heat can scorch a man to death in a matter of hours. The only life found in this region, lying deep within the ground, is a winding vine known only to a small cult of Redemptionists. The "Gifted Fervor of the God-Emperor," as they call the plant, is both an ingredient for a potent drug and a right of passage. A devotee who wishes to prove his faith must walk into the wastelands with nothing more than a jar of water. He must return with the jar filled with the roots of the plant. Many attempting to prove their worth to the cult fail, and their bodies serve as grim markers of failure for future faithful. The drug Fervor is distilled from the plant, and taking the drug allows the cultists to move with nearly supernatural grace, as their joints and ligaments bend at unnatural angles.
Barthol Van Voytz - Barthol Van Voytz: Lord General Barthol Van Voytz was one of the senior Imperial military commanders who served under both Warmasters Slaydo and Macaroth during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.
Barthol Van Voytz - History: Barthol Van Voytz was a senior ranking and well-regarded Imperial Guard general officer who served during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. He was instrumental in achieving several key victories during the numerous hard-fought campaigns of that Crusade. Van Voytz recognised the singular talents of the dispossessed Imperial Guard regiment known as the "Ghosts of Tanith," the Tanith 1st Regiment. Experts in stealth and reconnaissance, the Tanith "First and Only" was soon utilised for special operations and stealth insertions throughout the campaigns of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, earning particular distinction at the Battles of Verghast, Hagia and Herodor.Lord General Van Voytz led the Imperial forces at the worlds of Aexe Cardinal, Ancreon Sextus and Phantine with a great deal of success. A somewhat eccentric individual upon first impression, he actually possessed a brilliant tactical mind. He was also known to be a fair but hard man who got along well with his subordinates and treated the troops under his command with kindness and respect. Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt of the Tanith 1st had a special rapport with the Lord General, who once offered the Commissar a promotion to Lieutenant General. The two senior officers were known to have an excellent working relationship and considered one another good friends. However, after Van Voytz ordered the Tanith 1st to hold a fortress on the world of Jago which lead to the regiment sustaining heavy losses, their relationship became somewhat strained.
Basha - Basha: The Basha is a type of light cruiser with different variants found in Ork fleets.
Basha - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 (PC Game)
Basilisk - Basilisk: The Basilisk is the standard self-propelled artillery piece of the Astra Militarum in the 41st Millennium, and is also the most common artillery piece used by the Imperial armed forces across the galaxy. The Basilisk is produced in vast numbers on all of the known Forge Worlds in the Imperium, and almost every Astra Militarum regiment maintains several in their arsenal.The Basilisk uses the same versatile and rugged chassis used by the Chimera armoured personnel carrier, and retains all of its features with the exception of its troop compartment, which is replaced with the Basilisk's main gun and gunnery platform. There are several different patterns of Basilisk tanks produced on different Forge Worlds, such as the Armageddon and Vanaheim Patterns, which offer enclosed crew compartments to help protect the gunnery crew from small arms fire. A Basilisk with an enclosed crew compartment is incapable of firing as far as the open-topped version, due to the recoil restrictions of the enclosed crew compartment.The Basilisk is used to provide direct artillery support for other Imperial units that are fighting on the frontlines. Unlike other Imperial Guard artillery units such as the Griffon and the Bombard, the Basilisk is capable of leveling its weapon at the ground and can directly engage enemy units. The most common role for the Basilisk is the indirect bombardment of enemy units and fortifications, and it is usually held near the rear of the frontline alongside the Medusa and Manticore mobile artillery pieces.When the situation requires it, a Basilisk can be pressed onto the frontline and used as a direct fire tank hunter or assault howitzer, but due to the vulnerability of  the Chimera's chassis to heavy weapons fire and the vulnerability of its crew, the situation will have to be dire indeed for a commander to order his Basilisks into the thick of the fighting.Of all the Astra Militarum's ordnance units, the Basilisk is the most numerous. Like many self-propelled artillery pieces, Basilisks can keep pace with infantry advances, ready to unleash its payload at a moment's notice. Such devastating weapons are not intended to perform the same battlefield role as main battle tanks, however, their lack of ablative armour and exposed crew carriages making them too vulnerable to lead assaults. Instead, Basilisks are fielded in a support role to the front-line regiments.Basilisks can be redirected, reloaded and fired relatively swiftly. The design of the Earthshaker Cannon allows the weapon to be elevated to a steep enough angle for it to fire its shells high over the battlefield and onto concealed enemy targets. Basilisks can therefore deploy out of harm's way where the enemy is powerless to retaliate. The powerful shells fired by the Earthshaker Cannon are capable of smashing apart the enemy lines with ease and are designed to cause catastrophic damage at the impact zone. Targets at the epicentre of such a detonation are immolated immediately, while those in the vicinity are pulverised by the deadly shock wave. The unmistakable shriek of the Basilisks' incoming ordnance is rightly feared by the enemies of the Emperor.
Basilisk - History: The Basilisk was first used by the Imperium during the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium, where it was fielded in great numbers by the Imperial Army and Mechanicum, and in smaller numbers by the Space Marine Legions. The Basilisk artillery pieces used by the Space Marine Legions were usually crewed by the Legion's mortal personnel, but they were  also crewed at times by the Space Marines themselves. The Basilisk, along with the Medusa, saw only limited usage by most of the Space Marine Legions, as the Astartes preferred the more versatile Whirlwind artillery tanks, which were based upon the Rhino chassis and thus were easier for the Legions to repair. There were some Legions that made heavier use of the Basilisk, such as the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists Legions, who specialised in conducting or defending against siege warfare. During these ancient times the Basilisk could be outfitted in much the same way it is in the late 41st Millennium, but the artillery piece could also take on additional upgrades and attachments which have long since been lost to the Imperium.
Basilisk - Armament: The Basilisk's main weapon is an Earthshaker Cannon, a 132 millimetre gun that is capable of firing its shells over 15 kilometres at a velocity of 814 metres-per-second, and is fully capable of destroying enemy tanks and fortified structures with a direct hit. The weapon usually fires High Explosive shells but is also capable of firing Incendiary Shells, Smoke Shells, and Illumination Shells. The tank retains the use of the Chimera chassis' hull-mounted Heavy Bolter, which the vehicle's commander can use when under close-range enemy infantry attack.The Basilisk can also be outfitted with several enhancements including an enclosed crew compartment, Camouflage Netting, Extra Armour Plating, track guards, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, improved communications equipment, rough terrain modifications, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, a Searchlight, and Smoke Launchers. During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras, Basilisk artillery pieces could be outfitted with other upgrades such as an auxiliary drive system and Pintle-mounted twin-linked Bolters. The Basilisk was sometimes also used as a command vehicle for artillery formations.
Basilisk - Known Formations: Emperor's Wrath Artillery Company - An Emperor's Wrath Artillery Company will begin the Imperial Guard's march to war, preceding the troops and vehicles with a thunderous barrage of heavy artillery fire. The battlefield is turned into a smoking, crater-strewn ruin, amidst which the enemy can find no cover or shelter from the death raining down upon them. These bombardments can last for solar hours, days, weeks, or even longer, and few defences can withstand the sheer destruction that is unleashed. These companies usually consist of three ordnance batteries, with each battery composed of up to three Basilisk or Colossus artillery tanks and a single command Chimera tank.
Basilisk - Known Patterns of Basilisk: Standard Pattern Basilisk - The standard pattern Basilisk has an open-topped crew compartment and a forward-mounted gun shield.Armageddon Pattern Basilisk - The Armageddon Pattern Basilisk possesses a fully-enclosed crew compartment.Vanaheim Pattern Basilisk - The Vanaheim Pattern Basilisk is outfitted with an enlarged gun shield that offers additional protection for the gun crew from the front and sides.
Basilisk - Notable Users of the Basilisk: The Imperial Guard - The Basilisk is the main mobile artillery piece of the Imperial Guard and is used by nearly every regiment.28th Valhallan Armoured Regiment9th Dniepr Tank Corps142nd Cadian Armoured Regiment - The Basilisk was used by the 142nd Cadian Armoured Regiment in the defence of Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade of Abaddon the Despoiler.7th Mortant Regiment - The Basilisk was used by the 7th Mortant Regiment during the Sacking of Colonia.27th Konig Armoured Regiment66th Arcadian Armoured Regiment - The 66th Arcadian Armoured Regiment was a part of the Toal III Invasion Force.12th Tallarn Armoured Regiment - The 12th Tallarn Armoured Regiment used many Basilisks during the Taros Campaign.17th Tallarn Armoured Regiment - The 17th Tallarn Armoured Regiment used many Basilisks during the Taros Campaign.331st Tallarn Armoured Regiment - The 331st Tallarn Armoured Regiment used many Basilisks during the Taros Campaign.The Death Korps of Krieg - The regiments of the Death Korps of Krieg used myriad Basilisks during the Siege of Vraks.The Vraksian Traitor Militia - The Basilisk is so ubiquitous amongst Imperial Guard forces that it was also used by the Vraksian Traitor Militia during the Siege of Vraks after large numbers of the artillery pieces were liberated by the Forces of Chaos from Vraks Prime's extensive Departmento Munitorum storehouses.Iron Warriors Traitor Legion - The Iron Warriors Chaos Space Marines often use the Basilisk during sieges.Tyrant's Legion - The Tyrant's Legion used Basilisks against the Loyalist forces during the Badab War.8th Pardus Armoured RegimentKetzok 17th Armoured Regiment
Basilisk - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Basilisk Mobile Artillery TankVehicle Name:BasiliskMain Armament:1 hull-mounted Earthshaker CannonForge World of Origin:All Known Forge WorldsSecondary Armament:1 hull-mounted Heavy BolterKnown Patterns:I - XXVITraverse:3 degreesCrew:1 Commander, 1 Driver, 1 Gunner, 1 LoaderElevation:0 to 59 degreesPowerplant:Vulcanor 16 Twin-Coupled Multi-BurnMain Ammunition:20 RoundsWeight:40 TonnesSecondary Ammunition:300 RoundsLength:7.08 metresArmour:Width:4.86 metresHeight:4.38 metresSuperstructure:100 millimetresGround Clearance:0.45 metresHull:150 millimetresMax Speed On-Road:35 kilometres per hourGun Mantlet:60mm Gun ShieldMax Speed Off-Road:21 kilometres per hourVehicle Designation:0427-941-3011-BA02Transport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:N/AAccess Points:N/ATurret:N/A
Basilisk - Sources: Codex: Astra Militarum (8th Edition), pp. 46, 109Codex: Astra Militarum (6th Edition), "Basilisks," "Heavy Support-Basilisk Battery"Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pg. 78Imperial Armour Update 2006, pg. 2Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, pp. 159-164Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard (Second Edition), pp. 158, 162-167, 263, 267Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pp. 224-228Imperial Armour Volume Five - The Siege of Vraks - Part One, pg. 36Imperial Armour Volume Six - The Siege of Vraks - Part Two, pg. 143Imperial Armour Volume Seven - The Siege of Vraks - Part Three, pp. 58, 126, 134-135, 187Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two, pp. 29Imperial Armour Volume Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus, pg. 204Imperial Armour - The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal, pg. 220Gaunt's Ghosts Omnibus: The Saint (Novel) by Dan Abnett, pg. 57Ghostmaker (Novel) by Dan AbnettOnly War: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 218, 335Wrath & Glory: Core Rules (RPG), pg. 64Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse (6th Edition), pg. 144Dawn of War - Winter Assault (PC Game)Dawn of War - Soulstorm (PC Game)Dawn of War II (PC Game)Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising (PC Game)Dawn of War II - Retribution (PC Game)
Bastion-class Commerce Vessel - Bastion-class Commerce Vessel: Bastion-class Commerce Vessels are common voidships found in the Leagues of Votann Fleets and are considered among the smaller vessels employed by the Kin, though by the standards of the other star-faring races they are quite large, well-armed and more than capable in a fight.More common among the Leagues of Votann than the larger Stronghold-class starship, Bastion-class starships are nonetheless only occasionally sighted by Imperial vessels and other outposts in the great vastness of the Wilderness Space along the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy.Bastion-class vessels appear to be more heavily configured for asteroid mining than the stately Stronghold,  which is known to function as a factory/processor ship for Kin leagues and Prospects like the Demiurg. Presumably resources and finished goods are exchanged between these vessels but there are no eye witness reports of such available to the Imperium of Man.Those Bastion-class vessels that belong to the Demiurg have often been seen travelling alone or allied with the forces of the T'au Empire, though some have also been employed at times as mercenaries by the Imperium.Scattered reports by Rogue Traders operating on the eastern rim of the galaxy indicate that a Bastion-class vessel is crewed by a Demiurg sociopolitical unit known as a "Brotherhood" and that Stronghold-class starships serve as homes to typically 2 or 3 Brotherhoods.It is possible that Strongholds and Bastions form some type of extended affiliation but if this is the case each group must be widely scattered in different star systems many light years apart. The Imperium as yet knows next to nothing about the Demiurg's culture or societal organisation. The one exception to this is when the Demiurg muster for war, which is when two or three Bastion-class vessels gather to protect each Stronghold.As warships, Bastions compare to Imperial cruisers in most respects, though impressive Lance turrets and the firepower of its weapons batteries at close range make them a thorny prospect for many capital class vessels of even larger size to face. As with the larger Stronghold-class, Bastions have the capacity for launching mining craft and prospector probes reconfigured as attack craft and spatial torpedoes.This class of starship, like most Leagues of Votann voidships, also uses an electromagnetic Bussard Scoop to collect stellar hydrogen which it projects through the core of the ship for Newtonian propulsion in realspace, much like its Stronghold-class counterpart. This system also provides the source of fusion power for the laser-based cutting beam the vessel uses to open up asteroids for mining or for puncturing enemy ships' hulls as the circumstances dictate.
Bastion-class Commerce Vessel - Armament: A Bastion-class Commerce Vessel is armed with weapons batteries on its port, starboard and prow sides, Lances to port and starboard, and a laser cutting beam projector on the prow.Its dorsal section maintains launch bays for up to two squadrons of mining craft that can be reconfigured as fighters, bombers, and assault boats or can be doubled up to serve as four torpedo silos.
Bastion-class Commerce Vessel - Canon Conflict: The Bastion-class Commerce Vessel was originally a starship of the Demiurg when they were considered to be a minor xenos race. In 2022 in the 9th Edition Codex: Leagues of Votann, the Demiurg were retconned to become a formerly misidentified Prospect of the Leagues of Votann. The Bastion-class is now considered one of the smaller vessels available to the Leagues of Votann Fleets.
Bastion-class Commerce Vessel - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic: To Unite the Stars - Tau Vessels, pp. 110-111Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 (PC Game)Codex: Leagues of Votann (9th Edition), pg. 13
Bastium - Bastium: Bastium is a superdense alloy used by the Brôkhyr of the Leagues of Votann to create void suits, void armour and other elements of advanced Kin technology that require great durability.During construction, bastium alloy is threaded as a reinforcement into new Kin void suits and fitted with a thermoregulatory, radiation-hardened underlayer. It can also be added to standard suits of void armour to increase their durability and resistance to damage.
Battle Barge - Battle Barge: The battle barge is the largest class of warship used by the Adeptus Astartes and most Space Marine Chapters control two or three of these potent vessels.The term "battle barge" does not refer to a single designation or class of warship as such, but rather is a title given to any variant or retrofit of battleship class hull modified and optimised for use by the ancient Legiones Astartes or present-day Adeptus Astartes, specifically for Space Marine planetary assault and ship-to-ship boarding actions.Battle barges are extremely powerful starships and were designed during the Great Crusade with only one purpose in mind -- assaulting other planets. A battle barge is primarily configured for the close support of planetary assaults and surface landings and carries numerous bombardment turrets and torpedo tubes.A large amount of the starship's hull space is dedicated to launch bays for intra-system spacecraft like Thunderhawks and Drop Pods and up to three Space Marine companies are capable of deploying simultaneously.A battle barge is extremely heavily armoured and possesses heavily reinforced Void Shields so that it can breach planetary defences without harm coming to its precious inhabitants and their lethal cargoes. The battle barge is a literal mobile fortress in any situation in which an opponent seeks to board one with hostile intent.A battle barge is essentially one of the most potent starships deployed by the Imperium of Man, easily equivalent in power to that of an Imperial Navy battlecruiser or even a battleship when the additional power of its Space Marine contingent is added to the equation.
Battle Barge - History: The conduct of the Great Crusade required vessels by the thousands, vessels that could not only carry armies and bring apocalyptic destruction to bear, but that could also endure the perilous transit of Warpspace and endure the titanic forces and hardships of the Empyrean and the Deep Void both.Military vessels were needed, not only to replace losses but meet the ever-expanding demands of the Expeditionary Fleets, the Armada Imperialis and, on a lesser scale, the Rogue Traders and local navies.To satisfy this constant need, a bewildering variety of classes of warship were developed to fulfil an equally bewildering variety of roles. Battle barges, a development of the Great Crusade, were not a single designation or class as such, but rather a term given to any variant or refit of battleship class hull modified and optimised for use by the Legiones Astartes specifically for Space Marine planetary assault and ship-to-ship boarding actions, although purpose-built ships of this role had also been constructed, particularly in the Great Crusade's later years.In common parlance, however, any capital vessel used by the Legiones Astartes exclusively was often referred to as a "battle barge" regardless of the technical truth of the matter.After the Horus Heresy, measures were taken to contain the power of the Space Marine Legions, solemn decrees that would ensure no single individual could ever again command such might in isolation. As is well-documented, the Legions, each numbering thousands of Space Marines, were divided down into smaller warhosts called Chapters; each of only a thousand warriors.What is perhaps of greater importance is that the Space Marines were divorced from the old Imperial military: the new Adeptus Astartes Chapters would no longer hold dominion over vast fleets of battleships or grand regiments of vassal soldiery. If they were to triumph among the stars and stand resolute against the darkness of the void, they would need to work within the Imperium, and as part of it.Since that time, Space Marines have been granted only such warships as are needed to patrol their system borders, and deliver them to battle. To this day, the primary function of their fleets has been to transport battle-ready forces of Space Marines into war.
Battle Barge - Design: Though formidably armed and armoured, the battle barges of the Space Marines are no exception to this rule, and were designed first and foremost to facilitate full-scale planetary assaults. Each has enough hold space to accommodate three full companies of Space Marines, along with their vehicles and support elements.Indeed, the majority of a battle barge's interior hull-space is given over to launch bays, muster decks and transport holds. Housed there are squadrons of Thunderhawk gunships, an array of intra-system craft, and dozens of Drop Pods.With such resources at its command, a battle barge can deploy almost all of its forces simultaneously, putting its entire complement of Space Marines on the front lines within minutes of reaching orbit. The speed and ease with which this is accomplished has caught many a foe off guard, allowing them little time to prepare before the Angels of Death bring fire and vengeance to their door.Considering its size, a battle barge has little in the way of Space Marine crew. The warriors of the Adeptus Astartes are too rare and too valuable to be tasked with performing the myriad mechanical functions required to keep a warship at operational readiness. Instead, they act as officers, overseeing the ranks of servitors and Chapter serfs who carry out other, less critical duties; performing all of the menial and manual tasks unworthy of their Space Marine lords.Yet even these subordinates are too precious to be wasted in the gunnery decks. Loading and calibrating a starship's weapons for firing is a perilous undertaking. Plasma wash, unscheduled detonations and residual radiation keep the attrition rates in these areas high. Those with enough luck and the fortitude to survive such daily toil are soon claimed by combat, beaten past their physical tolerance by a gang-master's whip or obliterated by enemy fire targeted to rob a battle barge of its capacity to attack.With such high mortality rates, the crewing of the gun decks falls to an indentured underclass of slaves and vat-grown dregs. In this way, their worthless lives are given purpose, for even the lowliest may redeem themselves by giving their lives in service to the Emperor and the Imperium.
Battle Barge - Armour and Shields: The magos-architects and master artificers who built the first battle barges knew full well the terrible storm of violence such a vessel would have to suffer. In order to deliver its payload of Space Marines and attack craft, a battle barge needs to enter a planet's orbit, leaving itself open to attack from nearby ships and ground-based orbital defences.Depending on atmospheric and gravitational conditions, successful deployment may require the battle barge to enter a synchronous or low orbital hold, making it even more vulnerable to attack. To compound the problem, the sheer size of the vessel makes it easy to target, and its low engine power-to-mass ratio makes it unable to execute dynamic evades.With deployment complete, a battle barge is then expected to remain defiant in orbit, an immovable object acting as guardian over the Space Marine units below. In short, a battle barge will absorb more fire and weather more damage in a single mission than most warships are capable of withstanding over the course of their service. Fortunately, a battle barge is almost indestructible.Constructed with its unique role in mind, the battle barges' skeletons were forged from an ultra-dense alloy. The rare base mineral can only be mined from the sites of recent volcanic eruptions, and is further hardened by ballast compression tanks situated on high-gravity moons.The pressurised environment hardens the alloy, ensuring the superstructure is as solid as the doors protecting the Emperor's throne room itself. These inner frameworks were then girded in kilometres of hardened plasteel and adamantium, and edged with thick ferrocrete buttresses that surround the main hull like a reinforced rib-cage. Finally, a second and ablative layer of armour was added to each vessel's prow, forging an impenetrable figurehead for the indomitable fury of a battle barge.
Battle Barge - Gellar Fields: Like all Warp-capable vessels, battle barges are protected by Gellar Fields, arcane devices that create a bubble of realspace around a ship as it passes through the tides of the Immaterium. Unlike Imperial Navy warships that are required to spend large portions of their deployment guarding a single system, and who are called upon to travel in the Warp infrequently, battle barges are in constant motion, traveling from one war zone to the next without respite.Such frequent Warp travel puts these prized vessels at great risk, and as such they are frequently outfitted with two inter-connecting Gellar Fields. Should one fail, the other will continue to protect the battle barge from the Warp's hostile environment and the foul entities that dwell there. Yet this extra precaution has not always proven enough. The denizens of that twisted realm are relentless and on at least one occasion have conspired to breach both fields simultaneously.The Novamarines' battle barge Liberator, for example, was found drifting near its last recorded entry point. A stricken hulk, the initial salvage crew found no signs of life aboard. A Grey Knights Kill-team was dispatched to cleanse the ship, plunging into the madness that had enveloped it.Reports of the incident are sealed, but even though their helm-logs reported a mission time of seven solar hours, it was more than a hundred solar days before they emerged from the craft.
Battle Barge - Void Shields: In realspace, battle barges are protected by a group of layered Void Shields, wavering bands of energy that spark around the vessel to create a teardrop of invisible force. These energy barriers are capable of absorbing or deflecting the worst excesses of stellar radiation and meteor showers, and can sustain a succession of weapon hits and explosive impacts before overloading.Once overloaded, the shield generators must be power-cycled in order to let them vent off the excess energy. This is not a simple process -- many slaves and Chapter serfs lose their lives in the resulting plasma fires and sparking energy discharge.The shields protecting a battle barge are, however, among the most sophisticated that the Emperor's armies have at their disposal. Segmented into a series of zones, it is possible for an area of shield to fail without leaving the ship entirely exposed. Further to this, energy can be siphoned from one zone to another, and redirected to where there is the most need of protection.In dire circumstances the shields' energy can be driven up past their normal maximum. This temporarily provides the Battle Barge with greater protection but soon burns out the generators, and renders the shields inert. Long is the list of bold Space Marine Captains who, when faced with overwhelming odds, have used this tactic to close to attack distance, and claim victory from certain defeat.Though often severely damaged, some beyond repair, there are scant recorded reports of battle barges being destroyed outright. Perhaps this is just as well, for each Space Marine Chapter typically has only two or three of them under its command.They are as much prized relics as warships, icons of strength and endurance that echo the might of the Space Marines, and the resources required to build them anew are difficult to come by. The loss of even a single one of these vessels would not only be a great blow to the military capabilities of a Chapter, but would also damage its morale, robbing it of part of its proud warrior history.
Battle Barge - Ship to Ship: The Adeptus Astartes only engage enemy warships on favourable terms, if indeed at all. As has already been noted, battle barges were not built for naval engagements -- they lack the long-ranged firepower of larger capital ships and the maneuverability of light cruisers. In void combat a battle barge will rely on its heavier armour to close with enemy ships and launch devastating boarding actions.As it closes, a battle barge can use the weapons batteries that stud much of its hull to rake the enemy with fire. Rank upon rank of plasma projectors, macro-laser cannons, missile racks and fusion beamers fire in diffuse salvos, a coordinated pattern of shots designed to strip a target's shields and overwhelm its close-range defences.With its shields down, an enemy vessel is left open to a teleport assault. Few ships can survive such an attack, the swift wrath of a squad of Space Marines stalking their corridors and attacking critical systems. It is because of this that an enemy captain will do everything in his power to try and prevent a battle barge from drawing too near to his vessel.If this form of close-range attack is untenable or proves ineffective, a battle barge can always fall back on its Bombardment Cannons. While their primary purpose is as orbital support weapons, they can be used to great effect against enemy warships. Though they lack the range of lance batteries and the fast reload times of standard ship-to-ship weapons, they more than make up for it in raw killing power. When magma shells impact upon another ship, they do not crash down through their hulls as they might with a planet's surface.Instead, they break upon contact, erupting outwards, broiling over the surface of a vessel to strip away its plating and shred its battlements. The immense heat and shrapnel from the resultant explosion confuses automated defence turrets and sensors, allowing the Thunderhawk gunships and boarding torpedoes launched from the battle barge to close unharmed. A series of concurrent blasts is enough to knock an enemy ship off course, and a sustained assault from a bombardment cannon can cripple and blast apart even the largest of capital ships.
Battle Barge - Spaceborne Home: Although most Space Marine Chapters have a fortress-monastery housed on a moon or world, many do not. These Chapters have been forced into the void by war or cruel circumstance as spacefaring fleets.To these Chapters, battle barges play an even more important role, forming bastions that carry the Chapter's legacy and a haven when pressed. Several Chapters are rumoured to possess even larger vessels adapted from the battle barge, or built by some other means.As of 999.M41, the following Chapters are known to be almost entirely fleet-based, though this record is doubtless incomplete: Imperial Fists, Black Templars, Executioners, Black Dragons, Invaders, Charnel Guard, Minotaurs, Fire Hawks, Lamenters, Mantis Warriors, Relictors, Scythes of the Emperor, Carcharodons, Knights of Gryphonne.
Battle Barge - Noteworthy Battle Barge Classes: Ironclad-class Battle BargeLegate-class Battle BargeWarspite-class Battle BargeGloriana-class Battleship