hips of the Imperial Navy – by buckX Battleships Apocalypse Class Battleship The Apocalypse class is an ancient design that is generally believed to have been the precursor of the Retribution class battleship millennia ago. The superior technologies used to construct the multiple lance turrets on the Apocalypse have now all but been forgotten and so the small number of examples of this ship can never be replaced. The loss of even one will always be keenly felt. It has been theorised by Naval strategist s that the vessel was specifically created to counter the ever-growing numbers of battleships and grand cruisers that attempted to lead Chaos raiding fleets from within the Eye of Terror . In this duty the Apocalypse has proved itself to be everything the Imperial Navy could h ave wished for. The rows of fearsome lance armament along the broadsides of the Apocalypse are its most distinctive feature. It has been noted that these lance arrays are fully capable of operating at much greater ranges by an engineering p rocess that greatly increases the load- bearing capabilities of their main power relays. However , the array conduits themselves become notoriously unreliable when stressed this far and run-away power drains can easily start to sap energy from the ship’s main drives, making the Apocalypse sluggish in the midst of battle. Thus, almost all existing Apocalypse class battleships keep their lance armament limited to medium ranges. Most Segment um fleets have at least a few examples of the Apocalypse still in battle-worthy condition, though their numbers are gradually dwindling. Crew: 250,000 Speed: 3 Maneuverability: -10 Detection: 25 Hull: 120 Armor: 24 (28 Front) Turret: 4 Ship Points: 90 Armament: Damage trength Crit Range Mounting Lance Batteries 1d10+4 2 3 6 3 Port/3 Starboard Macrocannons 1d10+6 4 5 12 Dorsal Nova Cannon 1d10+4 d5 - 6-30 Prow Components: Jovian Pattern Class 7 Drive, Strelov 4 Warp Engine, Geller Field, Quadruple Void Shield Array, Combat Bridge, Vitae Pattern Life Sustainer, Voidsmen Quarters, M-100 Auger Array, Armored Prow, 6x Titanforge Lance Batteries, Battleship Mars Pattern Macrocannon, Nova Cannon 150 Space, 33 Rema inin g 150 Powe r , 10 Remai ni ng Mounts: 3 Port, 3 Star boar d, Dor sa l, Prow All Power to the Weapons: The Apocalypse Cl ass Battleship can fi re its Lances as if they had doubled range. In order to do this, it must forfeit all movement that turn.
The Apocalypse class is an ancient design that is generally believed to have been the precursor of theetribution class battleship millennia ago! The superior technologies used to construct the multiple lance turretson the Apocalypse have no" all but been forgotten and so the small number of e#amples of this ship can never
be replaced! The loss of even one "ill al"ays be keenly felt! It has been theorised by Naval strategists that thevessel "as specifically created to counter the ever$gro"ing numbers of battleships and grand cruisers thatattempted to lead Chaos raiding fleets from "ithin the %ye of Terror! In this duty the Apocalypse has proveditself to be everything the Imperial Navy could have "ished for! The ro"s of fearsome lance armament alongthe broadsides of the Apocalypse are its most distinctive feature! It has been noted that these lance arrays arefully capable of operating at much greater ranges by an engineering process that greatly increases the load$ bearing capabilities of their main po"er relays! &o"ever' the array conduits themselves become notoriouslyunreliable "hen stressed this far and run$a"ay po"er drains can easily start to sap energy from the ship(s maindrives' making the Apocalypse sluggish in the midst of battle! Thus' almost all e#isting Apocalypse class battleships keep their lance armament limited to medium ranges! )ost Segmentum fleets have at least a fe"e#amples of the Apocalypse still in battle$"orthy condition' though
All 6o"er to the >eapons* The Apocalypse Class Battleship can fire its 8ances as if they had doubled range! Inorder to do this' it must forfeit all movement that turn!
The beron class battleship is an incredibly rare vessel' a very early variant of the %mperor class that has beengradually phased out after the reno"ned successes of its more "ell$kno"n predecessor!
The beron itself "as an attempt to design a battleship that could theoretically deal "ith all manner of threats"ithout the constant need of all e#isting classes to rely on escorting vessels! Though it lacks the sheer blanketcoverage of ordnance that an %mperor class can lay do"n' the beron retains all the fearsome firepo"er of the previous design' "hilst adding t"o devastating long$ranged lance batteries to each broadside!
ften used in dangerous armed patrols "ith little or no escort' the beron is able to utilise its superior sensor probes to allo" a captain to udge the nature of potential threats long before they are a"are of the battleship(so"n presence' a factor that makes the beron superior to most other ships in this role! In combat' the beronlacks the hard$hitting po"er of the etribution and Apocalypse classes and the massive attack craft "ings thatan %mperor can deploy' but it hasconsistently proved itself to be avery capable ship of the line that hasthe potential to defeat any enemy itmay face!
The %mperor class battleships serving in the ?othic Sector are amongst the oldest inBattletleet bscuras! The ancient hull of the 0ivine ight "as recovered from the space hulk Inculcate %vil after its capture near the Charos system in the .:th millennium' The maority of po"er systems "ere found to be still functioning despite a soourn in the "arp estimated to be notless than ten millennia' indicating that its loss must have occurred before the ?reat Crusade!The salvaged vessel "as recommissioned after an e#tensive refit at the orbital docks at Cypra)undi and has patrolled sectors throughout Segmentum bscuras ever since! The 8egatus Stygies "as laid do"n at the Stygies forge "orld in the ulcanis system around the .-th
millennium but "as left incomplete in orbit for over t"o millennia after heretics seiDed the "orldand destroyed the maority of Stygies( manufacturing facilities! >ork is believed to haveresumed some time in the .+nd millennium' but suffered further delays due to "arp storms'accidents and Chaos raids' leading to its commissioning not occurring until the very endof the .+nd millennium! 0espite an inauspicious start to its career' the 8egatus Stygies is reckonedto be a blessed ship by those "ho have served on it and "ith good reason! The vessel survived asuicidal ramming attack in the Battle of Callavell' "as one of the fe" ships to escape destruction atthe disastrous purgation of Elthan#and destroyed the Chaos battleshipBlack 6ain at Arriva!
The t"o etribution class battleships of the ?othic Sector fleet are believed to date from the earliest days of theImperium! The traditional armoured pro" and distinctive multiple$tube plasma engines mark them as productsof the )artian shipyards! The first records of the Bloodha"k state that it fought at the Battle of )erin "here it"as severely damaged by torpedoes! 0uring the Age of Apostasy the Bloodha"k became cut off by the forcesof the renegade Admiral Sehella "hile visiting the fleet bases at &ydraphur! Through heroic efforts and severalrunning battles the Bloodha"k evaded Sehella(s sFuadrons and eventually arrived at Cypra )undi over eightyears later' "here it "as adopted as part of Battletleet bscuras! The Cardinal Boras is kno"n to have led theill$starred e#ploration fleet of rogue trader entunius into the northern rim and "as one of only five ships to
retum! SubseFuently it fought at the Battles of Callavell' ArnotGs 8anding and Horsk' "here its bombardmentforced the capitulation of the rebellious egime of Iron! The Cardinal Boras is a "ell$travelled vessel and has been assigned to eighteen different sector fleets over the past four millennia! It "as finally assigned to the?othic Sector over four hundredyears ago!
The engeance class straddles the line bet"een earlier and later Imperial ship design! The ship can be seen "iththe beginnings of the characteristic armoured pro"' although as yet the e#tra armour had not been added! Todaythe engeance remains part of the Imperial fleet reserve' regarded by most admirals as an old "arhorse' past its best days! engeances have also been identified as part of Traitor fleets' dating back to me mass mutiny thatsplit the Imperial fleet in half during the ?reat Betrayal! Since then Imperial ship design has slo"ly evolved' but"ithin the "arp' "here time does not follo" a linear path' ships can survive untold millennia as if it "ere onlyyesterday!
The active engeance class grand cruisers that are part of the Segmentum bscurus fleet are generally deployedin sFuadrons "hose ongoing mission is to patrol and defend the systems lying around the %ye of Terror in aconstant vigil against Chaos incursions! ther engeances are scattered across imperial fleet reservesthroughout Segmentum bscurus and Segmentum 6acificus as second$line units! replacement sFuadrons andmothballed as "ar reserves!
Several patrolling sFuadrons of engeances have' "hilst engaged in routine duties! strayed into the %ye itselfeither lured there in pursuit of raiders or caught in a sudden and unpredictable flare or e#pansion! Such patrolsare never seen again'although reports ofengeance class grandcruisers supporting renegaderaids and even BlackCrusades have been on theincrease!
Note* The po"erful "eapon systems mounted on the engeance class grand cruiser ta# the plasma engines beyond their ability' and thus can only be used simultaneously if the >arp %ngine 2/1 6o"er5 is po"ered do"n!
The Avenger is a hang$over from earlier days' and earlier fleet tactics! It is a gun boat' designed as a line$ breaker! The sFuadrons of Avengers "ould deploy behind a shield of escort vessels or light cruisers! As thefleets closed the range they "ould accelerate to full speed' racing into the midst of an enemy fleet! nce in theheart of the enemy it "ould sit' its heavy batteries blaDing left and right' trading barrages at point$blank range!The plan called for t"o or three sFuadrons of Avengers to cause 2and usually take5 very heavy damage' but its big batteries could out$shoot most enemies at close Fuarters! The disruption and damage caused by this brutaltactic of close Fuarters slugging "ould leave the enemy fleet in disarray' and easy prey to follo"ing "aves "hocould then mop up!
As tactical doctrine changed so the Avenger(s place in many Imperial fleets became redundant! The Avenger"as relegated from front$line duty )any had their batteries stripped out for use else"here! Some sFuadrons"ere mothballed in fleetreserves' but' "hen hard$ pressed' the Avenger can onceagain be seen racing into theheart of the enemy!
The %#orcist class "as originally developed as a long range patrol vessel' capable of self sufficiency for long periods of time a"ay from fleet support! Esually operating "ith t"o or three sFuadrons of escorts' %#orcists"ere often posted to the far$flung corners of the Imperium to patrol the edges of the %astern 4ringe and into thegalactic halo!
0o"n the years the %#orcist has gradually been replaced by later ship designs' especially the )ars class! Some%#orcists "ere kept on by fleets on the fringes of the Imperium to plough the long lonely patrol routes into thehalo! )any %#orcists "ere used as colonial transports! The entire penal colony of Brandt =:1 "as moved en
masse by %#orcist grand cruisers to populate and "ork Tor Alpha' a "orld beyond the %astern 4ringe'discovered by 2and named after5 the famous ogue Trader 4oul"ay Tor! The %#orcist sFuadron' led by the8ight of Ascension "as then used as convoy escorts for the ore transports returning to the Imperium' and playeda maor part in the defenceof the system "hen it "asattacked and eventuallyoverrun by a Tyranid hivefleet!
The Imperious is one of the fe" surviving e#amples of the )ars class battlecruiser! 6roduction of these vesselsat the )artian shipyards "as discontinued over eighteen centuries before the beginning of the ?othic >ar andthe number of ships in service has declined steadily since then! eckoned to he undergunned by many captains'the )ars class battlecruiser Imperious earned its laurels at the outset of the "ar during a surprise attack on thehive "orld of rar! %arly in the engagement the Imperious managed to get under"ay and scored a devastating
hit on the Slaughter class cruiser Soulless "ith its nova cannon! >hile Soulless "as still reeling from thedamage a salvo of lance hits from the Imperious detonated its plasma core and annihilated it! A "ave ofStarha"k bombers from the Imperious crippled a second Slaughter class cruiser "hich "as subseFuentlydestroyed by rars orbital defences' breaking the back of the Chaos attack "ith minimal damage to Imperialforces! Captain Compel Bast of the Imperious "as subseFuently a"arded the Solar Cluster for the heroic actionsof his ship and cre"!
Based on the Acheron class heavy cruiser design' the verlord class battlecruiser "as built to provide theImperial fleet "ith a cruiser$siDed vessel "ith the long range punch of battleship "eaponry! Because ofdifficulties in po"er transmission the AcheronGs pro" "eapons batteries "ere replaced by standard cruisertorpedo tubes and armoured pro"! &o"ever' this arrangement allo"ed the verlord(s dorsal lance turrets to beupgraded' giving them a range comparable to the vesselGs other long$range laser batteries! 0ifficulties in building the verlord class meant that only limited numbers served in the Segmentum bscuras fleet! eachvessel being painstakingly constructed at the Cypra )undi shipyards! Three vessels served in the sector fleetduring the ?othic >ar* the 4lame of 6urity ' S"ord of etribution and Cypra 6robatii ! The latter "as completed
during the "ar and arrived in the ?othic Sector only after a difficult and haDardous ourney through the "arp'4lame of 6urity and S"ord of etribution operated together for most of the "ar' protecting important starsystems against the Chaos raidersthat plagued the "hole sector!
Tie Armageddon class "as developed in an attempt to rapidly increase the number of available battlecruisers!Almost "ithout e#ception' Armageddon class ships are built from the recovered hulls of crippled 8unar classvessels' making them one of the easiest battlecruisers to construct' though many fleet commanders have provedun"illing to sacrifice large numbers of their main front$line cruiser! The very first e#ample to depart thee#tensive St! <o"enGs 0ock "as the %# Cathedra ! riginally named the rion as a 8unar class' the ship sufferedheavily "hilst engaging Chaos raiders above the "orld of 6yran and' as it limped back to the Armageddonsystem' the decision "as made not only to repair the venerable vessel' but to upgrade it to battlecruiserstandards!
6o"er relays "ere re$routed from the shipGs main plasma reactors to provide a substantial increase in efficiencyfor the e#isting "eapons batteries' "hilst long$ranged lance turret arrays "ere built upon a modified dorsalspine! This alone gave the ship a much greater punch at medium ranges and the ability to engage at distance! Animmediate dra"back became obvious as nearly three and a half thousand e#tra cre"men had to be drafted insimply to man the additional "eapons and to maintain the short$lived relays that po"ered them!
%fficient 6o"er elays* A standard Armageddon class battlecruiser "ill still have the Class 1 drive it usedduring its life as a 8unar class cruiser! Though this produces less po"er than "ould normally be reFuired to po"er its many "eapons' the advanced po"er relays installed lo"er the po"er dra" of any "eapon systeminstalled by +' allo"ing it to make full use of its armament to long as the "arp engines are po"ered do"n! AnArmageddon class built from scratch "ill generally carry the larger class , drive!
The 8unar class cruiser forms the mainstay of Battlefleet bscuras "ith over si# hundred ships servingthroughout the Segmentum and more than t"enty ships fighting in the ?othic "ar! The uncomplicated design ofthis class ensures its enduring utility! enabling vessels to be built at hive and industrial "orlds normally unableto muster the e#pertise to construct a capital ship! 6erhaps the most remarkable e#ample of this is the 8ord0aros ' constructed at the feral "orld of Enloth! The primitive tribesmen d"elling there "ere influenced to mineand smelt metals "hich "ere then presented for GsacrificeG at sky temples established by the 6lanetary 8ord! Thera" materials "ere then lifted into orbit at each vernal eFuino#! After a period of eleven years the tribes "erere"arded for their effort "ith the sight of a bright ne" star moving across the heavens as the 8ord 0aros boosted ut$System to oin Battlefleet bscuras!
To"ards the end of the .3th millennium' the famed Adeptus )echanicus Artisan$)agos &yus NGdai completeda series of ship designs based around the principle of superfired plasma "eaponry! Tlte most common of these'the Tyrant class cruiser' became popular amongst the maor shipyards in the .7th millennium! Its superfired plasma batteries are capable of launching a boosted salvo considerably further than comparable cruiser "eapondecks! yet still deliver virtually the same "eight of fire at close Fuarters! This had eluded ship designers sincethe secrets of building very long range ship "eaponry had been lost after the 0ark Age of Technology! In practice' ho"ever' the TyrantGs long range firepo"er lacks sufficient strength to make it a serious threat toanything larger than an escort$siDed vessel! T"o of the Tyrants assigned to the ?othic sector fleet! Jealous and
0ominion ' "ere eventually upgraded "ith "eapons salvaged from "recked Chaos ships! These pushed theirfirepo"er up to battlecruiser levels' making them very dangerous opponents at long range!
The 0ominator class cruiser is an unusual vessel of a class originally built to act as a fleet support unit for maorengagements and planetary assaults! It "as designed to hang back and use its massive nova cannon to bombardthe enemy at e#treme range! 0ominator class cruisers are far more common to Battlefleet Eltima thanBattlefleet bscuras! the vast maority being built at the fleet base at Har 0uniash' The only 0ominator classvessel serving in the ?othic Sector at the outset of the "ar "as the &ammer of <ustice under the command ofCaptain ?renfeld! Although it had al"ays performed poorly on e#ercises and had an undistinguished priorhistory' the vessel rose to the challenge of full "ar and fought "ith vigour and resolution at every opportunity!The potency of the some"hat cumbersome nova cannon "as ably illustrated by Captain ?renfeld at the 6ort
)a" blockade and the raid on Alios! Indeed' over the course of the "ar a number of other vessels undertookmaor refits to replace their pro" armaments "ith nova cannon!
The po"erful ?othic class cruiser is a familiar sight throughout the Imperium' "ith numerous vessels operatingin each of the Segmentum battlefleets! A potent force in its o"n right! the class carries the heaviest lance arrayof any Imperial cruiser in the ?othic sector' making it a deadly adversary for enemy vessels of all siDes!&o"ever' in the course of the "ar it became apparent that it could only operate successfully in the company ofother vessels' after t"o encounters bet"een the ighteous 4ury and the Chaos grand cruiser Bloodied S"ord ! Ineach case the ighteous 4ury barely escaped after suffering severe damage and scoring only a handful of hits onthe enemy vessel! 6o"erful as the lances "ere' they could not damage an opposing vessel fast enough in duels!A change in tactics' pioneered by Captain &odge of the ighteous 4ury ' sa" ?othic class ships paired "ith their
o"n sFuadron of escorts or another cruiser! They "ould then engage an enemy vessel abeam' "hile itssupporting ships circled to attack from bo" or stern! This used the heavy lance armament to good effect' byknocking do"n the enemyGs shields and allo"ing its consorts to attack' "hile preventing its enemy from movinga"ay! Esing its ne" tactics' the ?othic class cruiser made a valuable contribution to the "ar by destroying theChaos cruisers Cackling &ate and ?lorious Bloodbath in its later stages!
Note* The po"erful lance arrays mounted on the ?othic class cruiser ta# the plasma engines beyond theirability' and thus can only be used simultaneously if the >arp %ngine 2/+ 6o"er5 is po"ered do"n!
0ictator class cruisers are built around 8unar class hulls' "ith the lance decks entirely rebuilt into launch baysfor attack craft! This stop$gap measure "as originally undertaken as a simple method of delivering largenumbers of atmospheric craft' like the Thunderbolt fighter and )arauder bomber' to lo" orbit' for groundsupport operations! &o"ever' successive upgrades to the 0ictator(s communications and detection systemse#panded its capabilities for launching long$range strikes against ships in deep space! They "ere increasinglyeFuipped "ith 4ury class deep space fighters and Starha"k bombers and operated as fleet support vessels andindependent patrol ships throughout the Sector! A single 0ictator "ith a handful of escorts proved ane#ceedingly fle#ible force capable of running do"n pirates and raiding hostile "orlds "ith "aves of attack
craft! f particular note "as the hadamanthine "hich' in concert "ith the Skargul patrol' scored a series ofspectacular successes against pirates in the rar sub sector! 0uring the ?othic >ar 0ictators proved invaluablefor escorting convoys of vulnerable transport ships through areas threatened by Chaos ships! As the demand forsupporting attack craft in maor actions gre"' a number of badly damaged 8unar class cruisers "erereconfigured as 0ictators at the main fleet bases! By the end of the "ar' seven more 0ictators "ere in service'more than compensating for the loss of the hadamanthine and Archon Hort to AbaddonGs fleets!
8ight scouting cruisers like the 0auntless class have al"ays been a feature of Imperial fleets throughout theImperium! An ideal light cruiser carries enough firepo"er to drive off opposing escorts and enough fuel andsupplies to remain a"ay from bases for months at a time! The 0auntless is a popular class' as fast andmaneuverable as a frigate but "ith a ferocious frontal lance armament! 0uring the ?othic >ar' the light cruisersEDiel and Baron Surtur "ere the first to detect >armaster HhuDor(s fleet near the 4ormosa cluster and their
accurate information allo"ed Admiral Sartus to bring the foe to battle!
The %ndeavour class' lacking the speed for anti$pirate operations' is preferred as a convoy flagship or a heavyescort to larger capital ships of the line! Its heavy gun batteries can almost match the firepo"er of larger cruisers
and it is capable of holding its o"n in the midst of a pitched battle! )any %ndeavour class light cruisers "eresent to the Armageddon fleet during the latest rk invasion' "here' during fighting against rk vessels' the%ndeavour(s relative slo" speed for its class "as not found to be a hindrance! The %ndeavour' and its sistervessels' became a staple of the Armageddon fleet as replacements for lost ships!
The %ndurance class is an %ndeavour "ith its "eapons battery refitted to carry lances! A common tacticamongst fleet admirals is to pair up %ndeavours and %ndurances for mutual protection' and a fearsomecombined firepo"er! ?iven that the %ndurance is produced in less numbers' a lack of %ndurances does notal"ays make this possible! It is more likely that a mi#ed sFuadron "ill contain t"o or three %ndeavours and asingle %ndurance in support! perating in this manner' the Ad 8iberis "as responsible for the destruction ofnine rk escorts as the >ar for Armageddon began above the high$g "orld of 6elucidar during a savage three$hour engagement' before their "ithdra"al "as ordered by Admiral 6arol!
Note* The po"erful lance arrays mounted on the %ndurance class light cruiser ta# the plasma engines beyondtheir ability' and thus can only be used simultaneously if the >arp %ngine 2/+ 6o"er5 is po"ered do"n!
The 0efiant is the least common of the oss triumvirate but it is the last piece in the igsa"! A capable carrier'the 0efiant is regarded as too vulnerable to operate "ithout support! 8acking any guns for self defence' the0efiant is usually relegated to a support role' operating behind the main fighting ships' out of the line of fire!
A relatively recent development of the %ndeavour' the light carriers of this class proved to be vital lynchpin ofthe Imperial fleetGs desperate struggle to stem the relentless tide of destruction and death that accompanied therksG massive invasion force into the Armageddon sector! Being more agile than the much larger rk krooDersarrayed against it' these vessels "ere able to push deeply into the vast greenskin host before unleashing their
bombers upon the capital ships of the invasion fleet! Though the 4orebearer and Archangel "ere lost above St!<o"en(s 0ock "hen they "ere overrun "hile struggling valiantly to refuel and rearm their beleaguered attackcraft in the heat of battle' their brave pilots "ere responsible for destroying the kill krooDer ?rimDagGs Ammerand crippling t"o Terror ships!
The venerable S"ord class frigate has ably served Battlefleet bscuras for thousands of years! %very part of thevessel(s design and construction has been tried and tested in innumerable engagements! The S"ordGs laser$based"eapons batteries and substantial turret array have an e#ceptional ready level of 33!+K! Its plasma drives aresimple' sturdy units copied many times on other ships and can be serviced by artificers "ith minimal training! Aclassic escort vessel in every respect' fe" battleships fight "ithout at least a pair of S"ords to guard their backsagainst enemy destroyers and attack craft!
4irestorm class frigates are a comparatively recent innovation "ithin Battlefleet bscuras! The design "ascreated in an effort to balance the maneuverability of escort class ships "ith the hitting po"er of a lancearmament! The 4irestorm is built around a S"ord class hull "ith maor reconfiguration of the central laser cores
to direct po"er to a pro"$mounted cannon! nly five sFuadrons of 4irestorms served in the ?othic "ar andthese "ere all understrength in most of the engagements they fought' due to a lack of available replacementships! The most note"orthy action fought by 4irestorms "as by ?old sFuadron at the Battle of eras! The t"o4irestorms intercepted a group of Infidel raiders flanking the main fleet to attack the %mperor class battleshipIntolerance ! Three of the raiders "ere destroyed for the loss of one 4irestorm' enabling the Intolerance tocomplete the despatch of t"enty four bomber "ings against the Chaos 0esolator class battleship %ternity of6ain !
The oss pattern ship design has also been used on an escort vessel' the 4alchion class! >hen traitors made off"ith the designs for a larger escort ship to fulfil the role for the Cobra destroyer from the )onsk forge "orld in=:/!)1-' the )agos set about reconstructing the records of its design "ith "hat little information "as left behind' and brought it to oss!
By +:/!)1/ the first operational escort sFuadrons based on this ne" design began to ply the stellar void!Though this design is slo"ly being distributed throughout the domains of the Adeptus )echanicus'dissemination has been slo" and many fleets still go "ithout a single e#ample of this type! nly t"o sFuadrons
"ere operational during the early years of the Armageddon >ar' the )ichaelis 4ire SFuadron and theTorchbearer 6atrol !
An all round escort much in the mould of the "idely built S"ord class' the 4alchion is versatile! It is used for patrolling' convoy escorting and as close escorts to the light cruisers' guarding its larger cousins( rear in battle!8ike all the oss pattern ships' being uniFue to that forge "orld' it is not commonly distributed throughoutfleets but those that are eFuipped "ith 4alchions find them a "orthy substitute for the common S"ord class!
Cobra class escorts form a significant proportion of Battlefleet bscuras' their versatility making them afavoured vessel for scouting' patrolling and raiding! The main asset of the Cobra is its great speed' enabling it tocatch the light' fast craft favoured by pirates! This "as most famously illustrated in the ?othic sector by Captain>alker(s Skargul patrol' "hich destroyed seventeen pirate vessels in the t"elve months prior to the ?othic >ar!
Additional >eaponsTorpedo Tubes All Ships X;+ X X;: X /d, $ /+;turn Nova Cannon Cruiser9 /- /- 1 d,;/ /d/-91 $ :$.-8aunch Bays All + 1 / : /d, $ :;turn
0ouble 8aunch Bay Cruiser9 1 3 + /+ /d, $ :;turn
4ighters4or every fighter bay' ship can carry one sFuadron of either 4ury Interceptors or Starha"k Bombers!Interceptors are used to shoot do"n torpedoes' enemy bombers' and boarding parties! %ach sFuadron ofInterceptors adds / to the Turret rating of a ship! A sFuadron of bombers "orks e#actly like a group of :torpedoes "ith a couple important e#ceptions! Starha"ks move much more slo"ly than torpedoes' but have perfect maneuverability' they can travel any path they like until they run out of move! Additionally' bombers"ill have to fly back to the ship that launched them before they can go on another run' making them effectiveonly at relatively short ranges 2This is due to the many turns theyGd need to complete their run' not that they"ould run out of fuel like a torpedo! Bombers carry enough fuel that they "ill not run out over the course of acombat5! The benefit of using bombers is that the pilots can do a much better ob of evading turret fire than
torpedoes! Esing the cre" skill of your ship' each sFuadron makes a outine 29+-5 piloting test! >hile failure
doesnGt mean they do any "orse than torpedoes "ould' a successful piloting check increases the difficulty of thedefending shipGs turret check by /-' plus an additional /- for every degree of success! If any bombers are shotdo"n' the effectiveness of subseFuent bombing runs is reduced accordingly! A bomber may make t"o attacks2on separate turns5 before needing to rearm! Enless an entire sFuadron is shot do"n' assume any losses arereplaced by bombers "aiting on standby once the sFuadron returns to its mother ship!
&eavy Titanforge 8ance Battery4ound on some of the ImperiumGs most advanced ships' this highly accurate lance scores an additional hit forevery + degrees of success instead of the normal .!
Nova CannonA Nova Cannon is an immense Spinal )ounted Cannon that d"arfs a standard lance! Because of its incrediblesiDe and po"er' it can only be mounted in the pro" of a ship so that the plasma engines can compensate for therecoil' and only then on a reasonably large vessel! The Nova cannon fires a large e#plosive proectile at nearlythe speed of light! The detonation is triggered at a preprogrammed distance' not upon impact! Because of thelarge blast radius of the ammunition' the Nova Cannon is never fired at close range 2not under : E5! >henfiring' select a target sFuare! All ships in that sFuare take d, hits from the Nova Cannon 2roll individually5' andall ships / E a"ay take one hit as "ell! The damage from the Nova Cannon skips armor! If a ship is crippled'it "ill no longer be able to fire its Nova Cannon!
Torpedo TubesTorpedoes are a common fi#ture of capital ships in both the Imperium and among the Xeno races! >hile a
single tube "ill only launch one torpedo each combat turn' a ship "ill generally be eFuipped "ith more than onetube! %ach tube "ill take / space and L po"er! 4or an odd number of torpedo tubes' round the po"erconsumption up! Normally' up to : torpedo tubes can be fitted to an individual mounting point' but grandcruisers and battleships can mount up to 7 2Torpedo Tubes take Strength;: ship points! )ost of the time' that"ill be /' but the larger ships "ill take + if they have more than : torpedo tubes mounted5! Normally only one pro" mount point is reserved for torpedoes' but this is merely convention' not a technological constraint!Torpedoes can not adust their speed' and may make + 7- degree turns each round' one after : moves' and oneafter /+! Torpedoes mounted in the pro" can only fire in the fore arc' even if the ship is a light cruiser or larger!0orsal torpedoes can fire port or starboard by rotating the ship' but they can not fire in the fore arc' as that"ould reFuire the ship to change its heading by 7- degrees! This is because torpedoes fire out of long tubes built into the hull' and can not be mounted as turrets! nce a torpedo reaches an enemy ship' roll a outine29+-5 Turret atingM/- check for each torpedo! A success means that torpedo has been shot do"n' a failure
means the torpedo hits and inflicts /d, damage! A torpedo has enough fuel for . turns of movement! These statsrepresent the typical torpedoes used by the Imperium! If you feel like modeling torpedoes from different racesdifferently' youGre "elcome to! 6erhaps %ldar torpedoes move /,;turn' get . 7- degree turns' and increase thedifficulty of the turret check to rdinary 29/-5 but are only generally only mounted in groups of 1! )aybe theship in Fuestion "as cobbled together on a back"ater and only does /d,$/ damage "ith each torpedo!
%#ample* An Imperium 8unar class cruiser and a Chaos )urder class cruiser are trading broadsides! ne of the8unarGs Cobra escorts fires a salvo of : torpedoes at the )urder class cruiser! After the torpedoes reach theirtarget' they get their chance to hit! The )urder class cruiser has a Turret ating of +' so it rolls against a 1- 2+-from routine' and +- from /-Mturret rating5! The )urder class has a bad streak of luck and only shoots do"n /of the incoming torpedoes! The remaining , hit and inflict ,d, damage!
Battleship >eaponryBattleships are very broad abeam' and can mount much longer' more po"erful cannons than a smaller vesselcould! This gives them an advantage in both damage and range over the macrocannons typically seen onCruisers and %scorts! Though there are some smaller ships that mount these huge guns' nothing short of a battlecruiser has any hope of fitting them in! Aside from the changes listed in the table above' they functionidentically to their smaller counterparts!
8arge hip Cre" and )orale damage>hen a very large vessel takes enemy fire' it does not lose as much cre" or morale rating as a smaller vessel"ould! The cre" is much larger' and the loss of ten thousand men doesnGt hamper it as significantly! The cre"also recogniDes that the ship theyGre aboard can take a lot of hits "ithout going do"n' so theyGll less concernedabout every little lance strike! >hen taking hull damage Battlecruisers take + less morale and cre" loss thannormal' ?rand Cruisers reduce the loss by 1' and Battleships reduce the loss by :!
caling up old %Fuipment
In the ogue Trader rulebook' there are a number of components that have both a Transports' aiders' 4rigatesor a aiders' 4rigates version as "ell as a 8ight Cruisers' Cruisers version! The 8ight Cruisers' Cruisers version"ill function identically' but take up / more space and dra" one more po"er! 4or larger vessels' pleasee#trapolate this up! Battlecruisers are only slightly larger than Cruisers' and "ill use the same components!?rand Cruisers "ill add / space and po"er to the cruiser version' and Battleships "ill add + space and po"er tothe Cruiser version! 4or components such as the Ship )asterGs Bridge or the Armoured 6ro"' "hich are onlyavailable for Cruisers' scale them up appropriately as "ell! Appro#imate hip ClassesClass SiDe 6o"er 0ra"0estroyers .,$1- 1,4rigates 1-$1, 1,
0isclaimer*Battlefleet ?othic Images and 4lavor te#t is property of ?ames >orkshop' and is available athttp*;;"""!games$"orkshop!com;g"s;content;article!spcategoryIdOcat/+7-.1.PaIdO1.---++
