Conversion Beamer
The Conversion Beamer, sometimes called a C-Beam when Forge World wants to get its Bladerunner on, is an Imperial/Squat antimatter weapon from the Dark Age of Technology and fine example of The Good Shit.
Unlike traditional laser-based weapons; the beamer fires an energy beam that converts that matter of its target into pure, explosive energy. Thus, high-density targets like tanks or power-armored infantry would be instantly vaporized in a violent explosion upon contact with a conversion beam.
While powerful, its downside is that Conversion Beamers are incredibly heavy weapons, more so than the likes of the lascannon or heavy bolter, and the user must remain completely still for the beam to be effective while firing (not an easy feat in a universe where close combat is the norm). Additionally, Imperial variants have the added wrinkle of banning AIs, so all the myriad preparatory and in-firing calculations necessary to keep the weapon from vaporizing everything within a six mile radius have to be done by its user. This generally limits its use only to Techpriests, their Space Marine counterparts, and unusually ballsy Inquisitors with about thirty servo-skulls doing the heavy processing.
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Master of the Forge
Imperial Conversion Beamers[edit]
Eradication Pistol[edit]
The smallest of the Conversion weapons, the Eradication Pistol is surprisingly compact for the tech it employs. Being an incredible advantage over its bigger siblings, you'd think it would see widespread use, and that one could find rifle-sized examples of the same... but this is the Adeptus Mechanicus we're talking about, don't fool yourself. Currently, it can only be found in the hands of their Technoarcheologists, that is, that AdMech guy from one of Blackstone Fortress' expansions.
Much like its larger counterparts, it gets more powerful the closer to the target it gets, but considering its maximum range is 12", it's going to be hard to line those MEQs up in optimal distance (that is, within 6"), especially since you can't shoot it in melee, due to it being a Blast weapon. When one does manage, however, it is quite capable of putting a few of them down thanks to its D3, S6, AP-3, D2, Blast shots. Otherwise, beyond that range the pistol does lose one point of AP and D both, which is still quite strong if you need to take care of GEQ blobs.
Eradication Ray[edit]
The bigger cousin of the Eradication Pistol but still smaller than the Beamer.
The Eradication Ray spells death to any caught in its focus of light. Those on the periphery of its cone-like emanations find themselves literally disintegrate Thanos-style. Those unfortunate enough to be close to the muzzle are simply rubbed out of existence Gauss Flayer-style. An Eradication Ray can erase an entire Avenger Strike Fighter from existence if aimed correctly.
They are only wielded by high-ranking member of the AdMech like the Tech Priest Dominus.
Crunchwise on 8th Edition. They are a good weapon for your Dominus to close in; this 24" Heavy D3 S6 AP-2 weapon gains AP-4 and D1d3 at a range of 8", just before the charge. So better make it your charge.
Eradication Beamer[edit]
Basically an upscaled Conversion Beamer. An Eradication Beamer is a specialized weapon utilized exclusively by the warriors of the Skitarii Legion of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Only found mounted on Onager Dunecrawlers, when fired, the thin yellow beam of an Eradication Beamer widens as it projects outwards from the weapon's distinctive muzzle.
Those in further out from the weapon will be ravaged on a molecular level by its impossible technologies, whilst those closer by are simply atomized, their physical forms scattered to the hot winds of war without a sound.
The Eradication Beamer works in the same way as its smaller cousins do. In 8th edition, it is now a Heavy D6 Str8 AP-2 D1d3 gun that allows one to comfortably tackle MEQs and even TEQs like assault terminators from 13"-36", whilst still maintaining its role as a dedicated anti-tank weapon. This is its main range mind you, which makes this a very versatile weapon. At 12" and closer it gains AP-4 and D1d6, but halves its shots to D3, although it is a gamble since the Onager is not known to be a CQC power house.
Heavy Conversion Beamer[edit]
The Heavy Conversion Beamer is a vehicle weapons system used by both the Imperium of Man and the Chaos Space Marines and it is the big brother of the Conversion Beamer. Heavy Conversion Beamers are an ancient relic-weapon of incredible and poorly-understood power. They are very rare and deadly antimatter-based pre-Heresy archeotech weapons most likely developed during the Dark Age of Technology. The Heavy Conversion Beamer is a larger, vehicle-mounted variant of the man-portable Conversion Beamer.
Conversion Beamers are esoteric weapons that are both difficult to construct and highly complex to use, needing skilled calibration to operate as well as dedicated reactor core systems to power, especially the larger variants. As a result of this complexity, Conversion Beamers were primarily used during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia for dedicated siege warfare and anti-armor operations.
In the late 41st Millennium, Conversion Beamers and Heavy Conversion Beamers are incredibly rare pre-Heresy technological artifacts, and their conservation and deployment is typically the responsibility of a Space Marine Chapter's Master of the Forge. The Heavy Conversion Beamer is even rarer in the late 41st Millennium than its smaller counterpart, as it was mostly equipped on the Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought and Deimos Predator Executioner vehicles.
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Contemptor Beamer -
Chaos Beamer -
Deimos Predator Executioner
Conversion Beam Cannon[edit]
The uncle of the Conversion Beamers that is mounted fittingly, on the big cheese of Imperial Knights, the Acastus Knight Asterius. The Conversion Beam Cannon looks like a twin-linked Heavy Conversion Beamer that some Techpriest decided to simply ducktape it and said, "Fuck it! We need an Acastus Knight that could deal with hordes of infantry and tanks!".
Due to the cost and difficulties in making a Conversion Beam Cannon, let alone in factoring the cost and expense in making a new Acastus Knight design, these weapons were pretty darned rare by the turn of the Horus Heresy. It wouldn't be surprising that by the turn of the 42nd Millennium, only a few of these bad boys are left, locked up in the vaults of Mars.
On tabletop, these things are one of the ultimate vehicle tarpit killers. Oh yes, this thing deals with vehicle hordes. With a range of 42-72", this monster of a Conversion Beamer is not only a Ordnance 1 weapon, but it is also a S10, AP1 weapon with a 7" Massive Blast template. It also has Sunder which re-rolls failed AP rolls and Wrecker that deals a +1 damage on fortifications. Oh yeah, did we forget to mention that the Asterius carries two of them!? Anal circumference indeed.
Conversion Beam Dissolutor[edit]
A Titan-class weapon.
Take the Conversion Beam Cannon and then scale-it up to fit an Imperial Titan. That is essentially what the Conversion Beam Dissolutor is. You would already know how fucking ridiculous the Conversion Beam Cannon is on horde armies, so one can imagine something three times the size and firepower.
This beam weapon is usually mounted on the arm of a Warhound Scout Titan or the carapace of a Reaver Battle Titan. The weapon is tremendously powerful but puts intense strain on the Titan's Plasma Reactor.
On the Titanicus tabletop, Conversion Beamers work a bit differently than on 40k or the Horus Heresy. Conversion beams have a unique quirk: they increase in power over distance, manifesting as an increase in strength when fired using their Long Range profile. The Warhound Titan’s Conversion Beam Dissolutor, for instance, jumps from an impressive Strength 9 to an armour-shredding Strength 11.
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Reaver variant
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Warhound variant
Conversion Beam Extirpator[edit]
The big daddy of the Conversion Beamer family that is only appropriately wielded by the biggest of Titans.
The Extirpator Cannon or sometimes known as the Conversion Beam Extirpator is a massive Titan-class conversion beam weapon mounted on the arm of a Warlord Battle Titan and is thus far the largest known example of Conversion Beam technology. The weapon is tremendously powerful but puts intense strain on the Titan's Plasma Reactor like the smaller Dissolutors. When charged to its maximum settings, its power surpasses even that of a Warlord's Volcano Cannon.
So you can imagine, at that size and firepower. It is no longer vaping entire legion's worth of infantry, but entire fleets of armoured vehicles. Due to the fact that they can only afford to fire in long increments per-shot, the fire rate of the Extirpator Cannon is already slow even compared to the slow Dissolutors. However, certain Princeps can feel a bit more daring, maxing out their reactors to increase Strength by two with the Maximal Fire trait. This is where the whole "exceeding the firepower of a Volcano Cannon" comes from, because even in the crunch it does exceeds the strength of a Volcano Cannon. So ouch to any entity standing in its way.
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Alternate view
Squat Conversion Beamers[edit]
SP Conversion Beamer[edit]
The primary Conversion Beamer used by the Leagues of Votann.
Now, what the hell SP is meant to stand for, we have no idea. All we do know is that these C-Cannons are used exclusively by the Brôkhyr Thunderkyn who are the only ones who are experienced enough and knows the inner workings of these weapons to handle them safely. They are notable for its giant-ass lens on the front of the barrel compared to the more traditional raygun gothic of the Imperium, making the Squat versions stand out.
On the tabletop, these are 30" HunTR 1, S7 AP-2 D3, and gets Beam. Proving that conversion beamers aren't dead in the 42nd millennium, this fancy doodad has the added effect of doing an extra hit against targeted units that are wholly greater than 15" away. Beware, if one model in said targeted unit steps one foot closer than 15" you lose this effect, so make sure you stay at range.
SP Heavy Conversion Beamer[edit]
What this weapon is to the Heavy Conversion Beamer like how the SP Conversion Beamer is to the regular old Conversion Beamer.
The much bigger brother of the SP Conversion Beamer. The SP Heavy Conversion Beamer is a superheavy weapon that could only be mounted on the venerable Hekaton Land Fortress as one of its primary weapons. This thing is the big cheese of the horde clearing for the Leagues of Votann.
In terms of the rules, this is the big brother of the Thunderkyn scale SP Conversion Beamer, at 30" HunTR 2, S8 AP-3 D4, with Beam and the same conversion beamer rule of doing an extra hit if you're more than 15" away from a unit you fire at. This is a fine weapon held back by being mounted on something that likes to get closer to enemy units, rendering the benefit of the conversion beamer moot.