Lasgun Patterns
There are a dizzying number of different Lasguns in the Imperium of Man, often referred to as "Patterns" (an old British terminology for firearm designs, in the 18th century the standard long arm of the British Army was the Land Pattern Musket), as many of them are made from specific design philosophies. In a brief effort to cover the dizzying number of different Lasgun types and a bit of information about each, this article has been made.
Varying Lasgun Types
- Kantrael Pattern Lasgun
- Named for the forgeworld in which it was first built, the Kantrael-pattern Lasgun is considered by many to be the most iconic Lasgun in the Imperium, with its only real rival being the Mars Pattern. The Kantrael Pattern Lasgun was developed specifically for the Cadian Shock Troops and for Kantrael's own PDF, and it shows; the gun has a reinforced frame and was the first Lasgun to feature bayonet lugs as a built-in component. Like the shorter Armageddon pattern, the Kantrael Pattern features a top-mounted rail to allow easy mounting of scopes and other accessories as well.
- Galaxy Pattern Lasgun
- Favored by the Catachan Jungle Fighters and the Armageddon Steel Legion for roughly the same reason, and being the preferred weapon of the former, the Galaxy Pattern Lasgun features a shorter barrel and increased cooling. It lacks the standard bayonet lugs of the Kantreal Pattern (its immediate predecessor), but is both lighter, easier to handle, and still boasts a scope rail. The Galaxy Pattern was the first Lasgun in the Imperium to include an easily swapped barrel, enabling it to be easily converted to a Sniper Rifle (long-las) or cut down carbine (Voss Pattern).
- Voss Pattern Lasgun
- The Voss Pattern is virtually identical to the Galaxy Pattern, and was intended for Chimera and Leman Russ Battle Tank crews - Guardsmen who had need of ample firepower but need to minimize both size and weight. With all the firepower of its big brother but a shorter effective range, the Voss Pattern is essentially a Galaxy Pattern with a shortened barrel and a folding skeletal stock. Like the Galaxy Pattern, it's primarily seen used by the Armageddon Steel Legion and Catachan Jungle Fighters, being the favored Lasgun of the former. Uniquely, the Voss operates only on automatic.
- Lucius Pattern Lasgun
- Made famous by the Death Korps of Krieg, the Lucius Pattern - sometimes called the Number 98 (unsubtle reference[1] when one remembers what the Krieg look like) - is designed for brute force; its power pack operates at a higher charge than many other more common patterns of Lasgun. This gives the weapon more punch, but drains the powerpack after only 25 shots. Another downside: Unlike other Lasguns, the Lucius is semi-automatic only, with a slower recycle rate than other Lasguns. It was judged by the Kriegers that the extra stopping power of the Lucius pattern essentially makes up for this drawback. The barrel of the Lucius is its most distinctive feature; it has a series of heatsinks to dissipate the excessive heat buildup the increased energy output of the Lucius Pattern creates under sustained fire. Even with the heatsinks, the Lucius is prone to dangerous overheating, a risk that the Kriegers consider to be insignificant.
- Triplex Pattern Lasgun
- This is the preferred weapon of the Mordian Iron Guard and Valhallan Ice Warriors. It gets its name from its variable fire-rate settings; whereas most Lasguns simply have semi-automatic or automatic-only fire modes, or, rarely, the ability to swap, the Triplex has both semi-automatic and a three-round burst setting, rare among las-weapons. It also features a "high intensity" mode that can do substantial damage, but renders the weapon unreliable and capable of overheating and exhausting its power pack in record time, making the Triplex a somewhat-sought-after weapon - offset by finicky electronics and a short barrel length making it somewhat less-suited to open-terrain warfare than newer Lasguns.
- Accatran Pattern Lasgun
- Standard issue weapon for Elysian Drop Troops, this Lasgun is semi-automatic and utilizes a bullpup power pack configuration to make it lighter and shorter, perfect for soldiers typically deployed by Grav-Chute. It also includes a carrying handle which doubles as iron sights, similar to the design of most other Accatran pattern weapons like the Melta Gun or Plasma Gun built for Elysian Drop Troops.
- Necromunda Pattern Lasgun
- Made for the horrors of hive warfare and planetary defense, the NPLG is a brute of a lasgun. It can be flipped for semi-auto or automatic fire. Compared to other lasguns, it has a somewhat shorter charge and a shorter range, similar to the Triplex. However, it is far more reliable and compact. For unknown reasons the necromunda pattern also has a diagonal power pack well. It also features a folding stock.
- Mars Pattern Lasgun
- Yep, Mars makes lasguns, too. Specifically, anywhere that doesn't have the options to make a more specialized pattern of lasgun uses the Mars pattern as a base. Also known as "the Guardsman's friend", Mars lasguns are designed for maximum pew-pew; they have a good range, good charge, and fire at full auto. They're used largely for massed laser combat, but their commonality makes sure they show up *everywhere* that resale guns are found. It's also the favoured weapon of the Tallarn Desert Raiders. The stock can also be retrofitted to be more compact, making it a good choice for tank crews.
- Ryza Pattern Lasgun
- Functionally identical to the Mars pattern in performance, the Ryza pattern is made by the eponymous forge world for the guardsman drawn from the local sector. It is most notable for Ryza's raypunk aesthetic giving it a conical, reticulated appearance. This was the lasgun the original Rogue Trader-era Imperial Guard miniatures used.
- Nihilis Pattern Lasgun
- A specialized pattern of lasgun exclusively produced by (and for) House Van Saar. It is said to be much more potent than other lasgun patterns, but has a temperamental machine spirit, cannot accept bayonet attachments, and may irradiate its user.
- Kalibrax V-I Pattern Lasrifle
- Standard armament of the Solar Auxilia during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, the Kalibrax lasrifle has a longer range and more robust construction that other, later lasgun paterns. The weapon is also designed to be able to accept a number of attachments, such as the induction blast-charger, which turns the Kalibrax into a mini-lascannon at the potential risk of the gun exploding in its firer's hands or Collimators which give it longer range (represented in game by turning Rapid Fire 1 at 30' to Heavy 2 at 36' when used). Like plasma, but with lasers. Strictly superior to other lasguns, but more expensive and technologically demanding.
- Vostroyan Pattern Lasgun
- The Vostroyan Lasgun is no normal weapon; it is the mainstay weapon of the Vostroyan regiments. Fine wood-grain stocks replace more modern versions, carefully-tooled barrels replace the mass-production variants used by other factions, and high-quality scopes replace standard optics. Each Vostroyan rifle is practically worthy of being a museum display piece by its lonesome, and a common joke is that their weapons are worth more than the Guardsmen carrying them. Like the Lucius pattern, they are optimized for semi-automatic firing.
- Merovech Pattern Lasgun
- A dual-magazine fed Lasgun designed to maximize fire rate, the surprisingly compact Merovech boasts a phenomenal rate of fire and is also known at the "Persuader." While it burns through energy at an enormous rate, has terrible accuracy, and poor effective range, the sheer volume of energy it hoses out makes it perfect for cramped urban battlefields and trench warfare. It's just as popular among criminals and Hive Gang Leaders.
- Savlar Lasgun
- Proof that humanity can learn a thing or two from the Orks from time to time, this weapon is a product of the Savlar Chem-Dogs. While they normally simply steal their equipment or salvage it from the battlefield, they aren't always able to, and occasionally have to make do with whatever they can find. Technically not a Lasgun pattern at all, the Savlar Lasgun is a Frankenstein's Monster of Lasgun design, cramming together components from basically any weapon they can in order to cobble together a functional weapon. Their performance can vary wildly, and they have a tendency to overload, overheat, or explode. Fittingly, most Savlar kludges are based off the Voss and Galaxy patterns.
- Veteran's Lasgun
- An actual twin-linked lasgun. Forge Worlds and munitions plants of the Imperium rarely stray from their precious STC templates. However, soldiers in the field might alter their weapon of choice for longer range or increased firepower to better fight the enemies of Mankind. The Veteran's Lasgun for example is one of these field modifications having a second barrel installed under the first for increased firepower.