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Luthor Huss

2023-01-24T16:02:48Z

2001:67C:2660:425:3617:EBFF:FEE4:63D5: /* From Humble Beginnings */

[[Category:The Empire]]
'''Luthor Huss''' known by some as the Prophet of [[Sigmar]], is a Sigmarite warrior-priest renowned for his zealotry and willingness to stand up to corruption regardless of its source. He was introduced way back in the 6th edition of Fantasy which unfortunately meant he also appeared in that whole [[Storm of Chaos]] fiasco that Games Workshops pulled before they retconned it out of existence and replaced it with [[The End Times]]. Based on the fact he's willing to take a war hammer even to the heads of other priests who he feels are acting heretical and the fact he's popular among the common folks of [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)| the Empire]] it's more than probable that he was named after two separate real-life would-be reformers of the Catholic Church: Martin Luther and Jan Hus.

==From Humble Beginnings==

Despite his fame in the Warhammer world, Huss' origins are actually a bit murky...in fact, Luthor Huss wasn't even his birth name. All we know about his origins are that one day at a Sigmarite Temple Adso Theiss, the elderly Sigmarite Priest that maintained the Temple, found a young twelve-year-old boy (as opposed to an elderly twelve-year-old boy?) standing outside the Temple doors in the cold and rain. Theiss tried asking the boy's name and when that failed he instead asked what he was doing at the temple, with the nameless boy simply replying that he wished to learn. What caught the Priest's attention as he heard this was the boys piercing brown eyes, which were filled with a grim determination quite unlike anything Theiss had seen from a child. Although reluctant Theiss allowed the boy to live at the temple and as luck would have it the boy soon proved his worth to the old priest. The boy worked from dawn to dusk, aiding Theiss in many errands and impressing the old Priest with his enthusiasm to learn the Sigmarite faith. After a month at the temple, he was reading primers designed for acolytes older than him. After two months he had progressed to the catechisms. After a year he had read the entirety of the "Life of Sigmar" and had begun to wrestle with Uwe Mordecai’s dense and difficult "Thoughts on the Nature of Faith". He surpassed his fellow acolytes in everything, and they hated him for it. Out of jealousy they thrashed and beat the boy, but the boy held his ground and didn't fight back. In time, Theiss decided that calling his student "boy" or "acolyte" was too annoying to do all the time and so the priest asked him to pick out a new name. In response the boy took a book containing the lives of all important saints and heroes of Sigmar's faith and started to rifle through it before he picked out two individuals; Aldrecht Luthor and Bohrs Huss. Thus based on this the priest finally gave the boy a proper name; Luthor Huss.

After nearly four years, Luthor Huss grew ever more powerful and strong, soon towering over every occupant within the very Temple itself. The young man spent every waking moment learning, training, and conditioning himself to become an exceptional priest of the church. Not wanting to raise a mindless zealot, the elderly Father soon began to tutor the young child about the true meaning of faith, and the uniqueness of the human spirit. Ever eager to learn more, Luthor was finally allowed to follow Father Thiess on his journey to bring comfort to the lands around his Temple. As they traveled, Father Theiss finally taught the young lad how to field his war hammer like a true Priest of Sigmar.

After four days, the two eventually reached the village of Hnel, where the old priest began the rites that would bless the inhabitants for some time. It was upon this backwater village that Luthor finally saw the wider world for what it truly was, and it was nothing like how it was described written within the holy tomes of the Temple. Poverty and squalor were everywhere, and the people he was meant to minister, lead, and protect only seemed to make him sick with their weakness. Yet the greatest revelation upon that day was that Luthor finally learned the true extent and limits of his own abilities.

A young yet beautiful girl no more than sixteen years of age was afflicted with Black Fever, and Luthor Huss, in his determination fought hard to bring the girl's soul back from the abyss of death. Through his soul, the young Warrior Priest tried to bring the girl back from the brink, but at the last moment, the soul faded away into darkness. To young Luthor, she was an angel, and his inability to save her stung deep. It was upon the sight of Huss kneeling down, his hands held to his face in grief, that Theiss came upon as he continued his rounds throughout the village. The old Priest tried to comfort Huss telling the young lad that he was no Priest of [[Morr]], nor a healer. He was a Warrior Priest of Sigmar, and his duty is to the living, to give them hope, to remain strong, and to comfort them when no others will. The world Theiss said was full of daemons and angels, and perhaps if Luthor should live long enough, he would soon find another angel again. Taking the lesson to heart a sadder but wiser Huss then left the village with his mentor.

As Luthor grew stronger, his mentor Thiess grew weaker. In time, the old priest could no longer do the proper rites and made Luthor do such things in his stead. Needing a successor to the Temple, the old priest gave the young Warrior Priest one last test before placing the mantle of Priest upon his shoulders. Outfitted with armor and his mentor's war hammer, Luthor Huss traveled to the town of Wiesmund and confronted the foul [[Beastmen]] that had taken residence within the town's chapel. Though the Bray shaman who lead the horde was old and Luthor in the prime of youth, the creature was quick and still powerful. After much struggle, Luthor gathered what was left of his strength and strangled the creature until it lay limp. Yet the poison that it had infected Luthor with during the battle sapped him of his strength, making him fall unconscious. As he finally awoke, he struggled to make his way back to his home Temple, keen on keeping the promise to return for the old priest's last moments of life.

Unfortunately, Huss' return was anything but pleasant as upon returning to the temple he discovered that Theiss fearful of his impending death and pissed at having lived a life of work and drudgery had drunk the [[Chaos]] Koolaid and had undergone a ritual to make himself young again. Worse yet Huss also realized that his mentor was not alone in this debauchery as EVERY SINGLE OTHER ACOLYTE had also gotten themselves wrapped up in this Chaotic nonsense. Needless to say, Huss was rightfully pissed at this mess and proceeded to put down both his teacher and any of the acolytes he could get his hands on with extreme prejudice with the temple burning down in the aftermath. In the wake of this Huss felt the gnawing of a terrible, all-consuming doubt for the first time in his life. He heard the boom and crash of a tower falling in on itself in the temple, and the noise of it struck at his heart. As the fires spread and the remaining inhabitants fled to the forest, Luthor Huss stood like a statue as the last word's of his former tutor ring again and again in his mind.

''"You'll be alone, Luthor. You understand nothing of us. You know nothing of our temptations, for you are never tempted. A priest, oh yes. But a Man? A true Man? Never..."''

From then on, Huss knew he could never understand the weakness of others, and so with that in mind, he decided that he would never allow anyone to be close to him so that they wouldn't suffer the folly of his own blindness. So after Luthor looked to the east for a bit he stood up and walked down the hill, knowing full well that now that he started walking, he would never stop. This would be his crusade, a perpetual fight against evil throughout [[the Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|the Empire]], his penance for his blindness being to remain alone, insulating humanity from his dreadful myopia...or so he thought.

==The Prophet of Sigmar==

In the years following his departure from his former home Luthor Huss would seek out evil throughout the length and breadth of the Empire rooting it out with an unshakable will and almost emotionless expression. Wherever he went the grim and determined figure of zeal roused the faithful to seek the will of holy Sigmar and preached against corruption. Having consigned himself to a life of eternal battle, where he believed he could best pay tribute to his mighty war-god, Luthor had become a living nightmare of every corrupt priest, the scourge of the unfaithful and the bane of those who consorted with the Dark Powers. Many Priest suspected of corruption were found slain by Luthor's feet, and the tales of such grisly acts of righteous justice meted out by his hands drove more than one Arch Lector of the Church to demand his immediate excommunication. However, Grand Theogonist Volkmar refused to listen to such nonsense especially given Huss' undeniable effectiveness and so Volkmar would just greet his petitioners with an enigmatic smile that seemed to say the old man knew something important about Luthor's ultimate destiny...

==An encounter with an angel==

What Volkmar knew none could say but one undeniable fact everyone knew was that no-one, not even Luthor Huss, could run away from their past forever. In Luthor's case, it finally caught up with him in the lands encompassing the Drakwald. During his time there, the lone warrior-priest followed a trail of destruction wrought by a horde of zombies that had recently arisen from the dead. In one such location, upon the ruins of a town called Helgag, the lone warrior-priest stumbled upon a lone survivor, a bruised yet beautiful girl known simply as Mila. When the hordes had dispersed, the lone warrior-priest pressed onward but was unexpectedly followed by the young girl. The girl reminded Luthor too much of the sick girl from his youth many years ago, and he could not bear to relive the experience again. And so Luthor tried to leave her behind, traveling several miles ahead of her before he stopped and realized that she was still continuing to follow him.

In a rare act of kindness, the Warrior Priest went back for her, comforted her, and brought her along on his journey towards the town of Eisenbach. From there, he rallied the townsfolk to the town's defense, rousing the downtrodden into religious fanatics capable of beating back the dark tide. When the Undead Hordes came, the Warrior Priest and his fanatics fought them down to the last. But despite the danger of the battle, the foolish Mila still followed him and Luthor fought all the harder to keep her safe. She soon became precious to him, as if her presence alone gave him hope and happiness that he never felt before. Fearful of the pain he would feel if she lost her life Luthor decided that the only way to keep her safe was to sneak off and so the following dawn after the battle Luthor did just that.

Traveling alone Luthor Huss dove deeper and deeper into the dark heart of the Drakwald forest, facing horrors beyond counting as he did so. Finally, the Priest came upon an abandoned stone temple, and there he fought a bitter last stand against a warband of Beastmen. But just as hope seemed lost out of the thickets, a small Imperial Army led by Witch Hunter Lukas Eichmann crested over a hilltop and fell upon the Beastmen hordes with a fury. Eichmann fought his way through the horde to the temple and found Luthor badly wounded, but alive. But even as the witch hunter dragged him outside, Huss...saw Mila. She rode amid a small group of cavalry, flanked by swordsmen, her blonde hair looking silver in the starlight. She was shouting something, waving her sword around in that clumsy way of hers, just as she had done that night in Helgag. He smiled at that, unconsciously, just as he’d always smiled when she came close to him. Amid all the filth and fear and violence, she was a rare jewel of purity. This time it was she that had come back for him.

He was still smiling when one of the beastmen shot out from the shadows, hidden by the curving line of boulders near the water’s edge. Mila saw it coming, but the creature was far too strong and far too quick. She managed to get her sword up to block the first of the axes, but the second buried itself deep in her chest. Huss started forward at the sight, shaking the hands of the witch hunter from his arms, suddenly choked with horror. Luthor roared Mila's name, and as he tried to run down the hill, his legs failed him and he crashed himself upon the dirt. As tears ran unchecked down the priest's cheeks, Mila gave one last glance and an outstretched hand towards Luthor before her soul left this world. Huss tried to crawl towards her but fell on his face. He dragged himself a yard or two further before he felt hands gripping his armor, hauling him up again. Huss looked up one last time, catching a glimpse of the bloodied tangle of blonde hair in the distance, discarded amid the gore and mud. Then darkness took him.

When he woke up once more, he wasn't the same. He barely spoke, even when the Witch Hunter interrogated him. He never looked up as he walked alongside the army even as they made their wear to the very heart of this dark wilderness; the Gallowsberg...wherein lay a huge horde of Beastmen itching for a fight. The Imperials prepared to clash with the Beastmen but Huss meanwhile was distracted for despite the impending danger he felt something...familiar in this place. Even as the sounds of battle and bloodshed began to echo all around him, Luthor Huss found himself grimly marching towards what he knew what was both the source of this horde...and one of his oldest nightmares. A Bray-Shaman awaited him, but it was no random Beastmen, but rather the same acolyte Luthor hated most of all in his childhood, acolyte Hirsch, the one that lead the group that always beat Huss, hated him, and who had once tried to kill him. And here he was now a Bray-Shaman leading the beastman horde...which is actually really weird to read since humans turned Beastmen are normally considered the lowliest creatures in the Beastmen hierarchy...but then again maybe the whole Hirsch having magic angle got the other Beastmen to listen to him *shrugs*.

As Luthor Huss became ensnared into an unholy ritual circle, his body convulsing in pain, the creature that was once known as Acolyte Hirsch gave Luthor a choice. Join the darkness, abandon the weakness of Humanity and lead the strong against the Empire of Man or die. Even as pain of a seemingly inevitable death seared through his body, even as Luthor felt doubt like he never had before, through the pain and smoke the Priest uttered one reply; No.

Then everything stopped. Luthor was bathed in golden light and he could not see. An angelic voice spoke to him, telling him that he had chosen one of two destinies and that he has passed the test. Luthor said that even if he did he still felt doubt, but the angel reassured him that all men doubt and that he is only human. Then, upon the ground he found a sword lying before him, the one once wielded by the same girl that followed him for so long. The priest suspecting but not daring to believe asked who it was who spoke to him, and all the angelic voice replied was;

''"Why did I come back for you, Luthor Huss? Because once, in another world, you came back for me".''

In an instant, a flash of golden light burst forth and Luthor found himself once more in the forest. Now with eyes glowing with golden fire, Luthor attacked the Bray-Shaman. In one hand Luthor held Mila's time-worn sword while in the other hand he held his mighty war hammer, now shining with golden light. The shaman's staff burst, and the creature was demolished by waves of hammer blows. In that instant, against all hope, the horrors of the Forest were destroyed by Luthor's wrath and the Imperials were victorious. After leading the ravaged army out of the wilderness Huss went on his own way, his last words being to the Witch hunter (who was now thoroughly convinced of Huss' piety):

''"He said that nothing had changed. He said that seeking witches was easy, but that seeking saints was hard, and that his task in that respect was not yet over. I knew then that he wouldn’t come back with us, and could sense his desire to return to the wilderness once his strength had returned. The last thing he said to me was that I should remember where the soul of holiness lay – not in the deeds of noble men spoiled by learning, but in the lives of the simple, the ones for whom the Lord Sigmar had cared when alive. If the Empire was destined for salvation, he told me, then it would come from them."''

And with those last words said, Luthor would continue on his solo journey righting wrongs and smiting chaos wherever he went...

==The End Times==

...at least until [[The End Times]] where after helping to bring [[Valten]] to the attention of [[Karl Franz|Emperor Franz]], Huss ended up getting possessed by the amnesiac spirit of the Arch-Enchanter [[Drachenfels]] who was now fighting on the side of Chaos after losing patience with his former boss [[Nagash]]. Fortunately, this situation was not to last as [[Vlad von Carstein]] of all people rode in to save the day! Well actually he rode into town to try and stop [[Drachenfels]] invasion of Sylvania and get back his mind-controlled wife [[Isabella von Carstein|Isabella]] who happened to be fighting alongside Drachenfels...but semantics. The point is Vlad showed up and after fighting with a Drach-possessed-Luthor for a bit Vlad proceeded to throw a bunch of insults at Huss like saying that Huss is failing Sigmar and whatnot by getting possessed by a chaos follower...which was such an effective insult that it promptly woke the possessed priest's consciousness up and unleashed a firey burst of pure SIGMARITE faith which flash fried Drachenfels out of existence. Vlad and the now freed Huss then proceed to fight together for a bit against the chaos troops before the buddy cop moment is abruptly cut short when a chaos mind-controlled Isabella slits Huss’ throat. Sad...but hey at least he killed that 15,000-year-old bastard for good before he went! So yeah give him that at least!

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Phantine Skyborne

2023-01-17T04:42:51Z

2001:67C:2660:425:3617:EBFF:FEE4:63D5:

[[File:13460820 10154397406983900 1313662640 o.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Phantine Skyborne made from Elysians.]]
{{Topquote|Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die. Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die. Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die, and he ain't gonna jump no more!|Blood on the Risers}}

The Phantine Skyborne are some of the rarest sights in the Imperium, and on the table top since they are the third airborne regiment Game workshops made. With less information than the [[Sable Swords]] or the [[Segmentum Pacificus]], they are perhaps THE most unknown regiment in the Imperium. Heck, even regiments like the Ritterghast or the Janiverden Tunnelrats have some mention in recent codexes. Part of this is that the formation of the unit it self is relatively new. Most of the men tithed to the Imperial guard from Phantine in the past did not serve as infantry, but as pilots in the [[Phantine Air Corps]]. Phantine's can almost be thought of as a reverse [[Barbarus]], toxic gases and corrosive fogs are in the lower atmosphere, so the population lives on the tops of mountains. With no real ground to move and train on it was natural to raise units of pilots to play to the specialty of a population where that was the only way to move from one city to another. But the PDF on the other hand learned how to fight as drop troops and airborne forces as they had to be the boots on the ground in that environment. In times of need these PDF forces can be 'promoted' into Imperial guardsmen which was done during the [[Sabbat Worlds Crusade]] where they become Phantine Skyborne.

Aside from that there is not a lot of information about them. But based on what we do not know they are among the higher quality and better led regiments in the Imperium. We can guess this since we have not seen countless regiments fall in some doomed infantry advance, in some desolate corrupted world for no reason, which means that among the guard, they are likely well trained and well managed regiments in the Imperium. That is no [[Elysian Drop Troops|small]] feat but then again [[Cadia|no]] [[Valhalla|large]] [[Krieg|one]] either.

== S.A.S guard?==

There is a bit of Skub regarding if they were a regiment inspired by the "SAS" british commandos since they're an Airdrop unit, trying to be more distinct from the other two airborn regiments, Elysian and the Warhawks. The Elysian are more traditional paratroopers, while the Warhawks are basically storm troopers which leaves the Skyborn in a bit of an odd position. Since about 1/4 of the real world S.A.S are mountain troops, and they're also known for paradropping the assertion about whether or not they were inspired by the SAS is a logical, if somewhat unsupported given what we know about them, which is again not much. The fact that they are elite paratroops for the Phantine Airborne, which are Battle of Britain RAF IN SPESS, also gives weight to the SAS idea.

The real answer to the question about if they 'are' or 'are not' SAS depends on how one models and converts one's own Skyborne, the Skyborne would be '[[your dudes]]' and if you want to make them based on the SAS, go head.

== Why Play Phantine Skyborne? ==
While there are at least two more widely known air born Imperial Guard Regiments in the form of Elysian Drop Troops and the Harakoni Warhawks, both those guard units have a more set look, feel and appearance. If you want an airborne regiment that you more freely model and convert to fit your backstory, and your reason idea for your army, then the Skyborne are a good choice. The Skyborne are a good fit if you also want to use planes from the Phantine Air Corps and so you can have a fluffy airborn army with close air support.

== Sabbat Worlds Campaign ==
The Phantine Skyborne first appeared in Dan Abnett's Guns of Tanith novel.

{{Template:40k-Imperial-Regiments}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]]

Phantine Skyborne

2023-01-17T04:40:55Z

2001:67C:2660:425:3617:EBFF:FEE4:63D5:

[[File:13460820 10154397406983900 1313662640 o.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Phantine Skyborne made from Elysians.]]
{{Topquote|Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die. Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,He ain't gonna jump no more!|Blood on the Risers}}

The Phantine Skyborne are some of the rarest sights in the Imperium, and on the table top since they are the third airborne regiment Game workshops made. With less information than the [[Sable Swords]] or the [[Segmentum Pacificus]], they are perhaps THE most unknown regiment in the Imperium. Heck, even regiments like the Ritterghast or the Janiverden Tunnelrats have some mention in recent codexes. Part of this is that the formation of the unit it self is relatively new. Most of the men tithed to the Imperial guard from Phantine in the past did not serve as infantry, but as pilots in the [[Phantine Air Corps]]. Phantine's can almost be thought of as a reverse [[Barbarus]], toxic gases and corrosive fogs are in the lower atmosphere, so the population lives on the tops of mountains. With no real ground to move and train on it was natural to raise units of pilots to play to the specialty of a population where that was the only way to move from one city to another. But the PDF on the other hand learned how to fight as drop troops and airborne forces as they had to be the boots on the ground in that environment. In times of need these PDF forces can be 'promoted' into Imperial guardsmen which was done during the [[Sabbat Worlds Crusade]] where they become Phantine Skyborne.

Aside from that there is not a lot of information about them. But based on what we do not know they are among the higher quality and better led regiments in the Imperium. We can guess this since we have not seen countless regiments fall in some doomed infantry advance, in some desolate corrupted world for no reason, which means that among the guard, they are likely well trained and well managed regiments in the Imperium. That is no [[Elysian Drop Troops|small]] feat but then again [[Cadia|no]] [[Valhalla|large]] [[Krieg|one]] either.

== S.A.S guard?==

There is a bit of Skub regarding if they were a regiment inspired by the "SAS" british commandos since they're an Airdrop unit, trying to be more distinct from the other two airborn regiments, Elysian and the Warhawks. The Elysian are more traditional paratroopers, while the Warhawks are basically storm troopers which leaves the Skyborn in a bit of an odd position. Since about 1/4 of the real world S.A.S are mountain troops, and they're also known for paradropping the assertion about whether or not they were inspired by the SAS is a logical, if somewhat unsupported given what we know about them, which is again not much. The fact that they are elite paratroops for the Phantine Airborne, which are Battle of Britain RAF IN SPESS, also gives weight to the SAS idea.

The real answer to the question about if they 'are' or 'are not' SAS depends on how one models and converts one's own Skyborne, the Skyborne would be '[[your dudes]]' and if you want to make them based on the SAS, go head.

== Why Play Phantine Skyborne? ==
While there are at least two more widely known air born Imperial Guard Regiments in the form of Elysian Drop Troops and the Harakoni Warhawks, both those guard units have a more set look, feel and appearance. If you want an airborne regiment that you more freely model and convert to fit your backstory, and your reason idea for your army, then the Skyborne are a good choice. The Skyborne are a good fit if you also want to use planes from the Phantine Air Corps and so you can have a fluffy airborn army with close air support.

== Sabbat Worlds Campaign ==
The Phantine Skyborne first appeared in Dan Abnett's Guns of Tanith novel.

{{Template:40k-Imperial-Regiments}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]]

Phantine Air Corps

2023-01-17T04:35:25Z

2001:67C:2660:425:3617:EBFF:FEE4:63D5:

[[File:Phantine_Flyer.jpg|300px|thumb|right|A rare example of the Phantine Air Corp.]]
{{Topquote|We're going to bomb 'em back to the Jazz Age!|General Crow T. Robot}}

In case you haven't picked up on it by now, the Imperium is full of such heaping amounts of stupid rules that you could write for millenia and still only record a fraction of these fucked up restrictions. Probably because GW wrote 40k and then realized there was no possible way in their setting for the Imperium to have not wiped everyone else out already, so GW had to compensate somehow. One that ''does'' make some relative sense is that the Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy should be kept separate. After the [[Horus Heresy]], you can't risk another self-sufficient force <s>(justifiably)</s> rebelling against the Imperium. Fortunately, this keeps all aircraft under Navy control. It simply wouldn’t do for the Imperial Guard to be able to defend against a ship should the vessel turn traitor, after all. Nothing says “balance of power” like rendering one group utterly at the mercy of the other.

Enter the planet of Phantine, which had an issue: all their population is forced to live at the peaks of their homeworld. This meant there was a problem for the Imperial tithe, since Phantine PDF forces were primarily pilots. Deciding they were already worse hypocrites than most popes, the Imperium decided to disobey the rule that the Imperial Guard shouldn't have an air wing. While deploying them with a dedicated force of drop-troops, the Departmento Munitorum soon revealed their newest regiment: The '''Phantine Air Corps''' had been formed.

Of course, not simply having a dedicated Air Force for the Imperium was proving to be a bad decision. The Admirals tended to remove any air support from their ships - particularly ships dedicated and specifically built for the sole purpose of providing air support for the Imperial Guard (this is technically both normal heresy for violating the ship’s doctrine and tech-heresy for violating the ship’s sacred purpose) - and replace them with attack craft because the Navy always needs more of them, while refusing to just build more dedicated attack craft carriers because they're "useless". Almost as useless as the ship commissars, who for some reason don’t get trigger-happy at this gross [[Heresy|deviance]] from the air support ship’s specific purpose. In fact, why isn’t the Mechanicus pissed at this virtual (pun) raping of these ships’ sacred purpose?

== Why This Was Hated ==

It's already bad when neckbeards find out their favorite armies are getting changed. Imagine how the Phantine were received by the Guard ''and'' the Imperial Navy. For millennia, the Navy had been the go-to force for atmospheric transport and air superiority (pfft, air superiority, riiiiight). Now there was a Guard regiment to take on that role? Never mind that the common guardsman is probably pissed at the Phantines in their nice personal aircraft as they're forced to slog through the mud, blood, and crud that is a 40k battlefield. Although, real soldiers like anyone that brings death from above to kick the shit out of whatever is shooting at them, so the Phantine likely would find themselves quickly accepted after blasting the hell out of artillery, heavy weapons nests, and shredding enemy infantry and tanks for the infantry to mop up. Best of all, the Guard hates the Navy because when they need air support the Navy tells them to go die in a ditch. When they call for air support from the Phantine, they get their damn air support from some of ''the'' best pilots in the entire galaxy.

== Why They Aren't Common ==

Have you fucking seen the prices to buy Imperial fighter models? However, in the new areonautica Imperalis game, you can paint your thunderbolts in Phantine color schemes so it is slightly more common.

== Why They Should Be Common ==

The great part about the Guard is that it's about the common soldier (and his Baneblade) in the face of overwhelming odds, and even in the darkness of 40k this definitely extends to the Phantine. They're the same bog-standard humans as the Guard on the ground, facing down Tyranid flying hives, Eldar super-fighters, titan-sized Tau bombers, Necron anti-aircraft laser spam, Chaos planes that eat other planes (and whose mere wake in the air is corrupting and can cause their aircraft to eat them alive if they fly through said wake), and Orks guzzling jet fuel because they can. The Phantines are the pilots up against the most overwhelming odds, facing death in the skies knowing that their efforts protect the ground forces to do their jobs without being bombed to hell. To attack the enemy behind the lines with precision strikes on vital points and fortifications. To face the same horrors in the sky as their brothers on the ground with little more than their wits and reflexes and a jet strapped to their ass. So that when they land and see that their efforts allowed others to succeed, they may know they are just as much Imperial Guard as any other in the service of the God-Emperor.

It's also worth pointing out that since they just fly air craft as compared to to the 'proper' navy's space craft they don't break the original function of splitting the navy and imperial army, making it harder for rebellions to have both a ground force and a Navy force. So while yes, there is now a risk of rebellions having air support, it won't be able to leave the planet and cause chaos. You additionally gain closer corporation between air and ground forces, useful for naval ships space to surface weapons, vital for weapons which are going to be operating in close support to ground force, and yes that closer ties mean higher chance of a joint air/land rebellion but it may be worth it in this case, (not to mention since there guard you can have Commissars around to BLAM the pilots if need be, though given the cost of training a skilled pilot this may not be as common as it is for the ground-pounding cannon fodder but it is still an option.) So even by Imperial logic it make sense to have more "Imperial Air Corps" like the Phantine's. Cept for that whole "irrationality" which marks the setting. Besides, it isn’t unknown for air groups on ships to turn renegade, anyway.

{{Template:40k-Imperial-Regiments}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]]

T-80

2022-04-13T19:10:36Z

2001:67C:2660:425:3617:EBFF:FEE4:63D5: /* In Real Life */

[[File:TYBX02-03.jpg|300px|right|thumb|'Honour and Glory' - motto, 4th Guards Tank Division]]

{{topquote|The instrument of doom.|Apocalypse Tank, Red Alert 2 }}
The Soviet version of the Bradley's horrible beauracratic design process, the T-80 series was the Soviet's answer to the third generation of Western main battle tanks like the Leopard 2, Challenger and the Abrams. Building on the principle of the T-64 as the premium battle tank of the Soviet shock armies, the T-80 would become defined for its horribly inconsistent gas turbine engine and unreliability while on the move.

==In Team Yankee==

[[File:DE7DA872-887D-4557-9995-2C1EB19C5B66.jpg|thumb|left|300px]] <ref> https://www.team-yankee.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=7057</ref>

The T-80 represents the cream of the crop, the best that the USSR has to offer, and boy is it... one of the tanks ever in the game.
Battlefront chose the T-80U. This model sported the famous 'Kontakt-5' reactive armor package, and image intensification sights in addition to all the classic Russian tank features you know and love. The T-80 is a much closer match to the likes of the Abrams and Leopard, both in points and performance. It comes with some incredibly powerful hard stats: armor 20/10/2; an AT 22, brutal cannon; and a 14" tactical speed with its advanced stabilizer. Where you should be getting suspicious is the price: 7.33-8.8 points each, due to a few important weaknesses we'll discuss below.

The most outstanding feature of this tank is by far its sheer armor protection. For an 8 point tank, armor 20 is nothing to scoff at: by comparison, NATO is paying 11 points for the same levels of protection and that's on a hull that is significantly less mobile. Not only that, but its the first tank in the game with ERA, giving it effectively Chobham protection and making you a far more potent assault tank compared to your lesser Soviet peers. Before you start yelling "Russian bias" or get a raging, stalinium reinforced hard-on, there is a catch; one that Soviet players are more than aware of by now: 3+ to hit. "What does being hit matter if the capitalist swine can't even penetrate my armor?" And to that we reply "They can't penetrate your FRONT armor, tovarisch..."

The second important feature is this tanks sheer mobility. It is one of 2 tanks in the Soviet arsenal with a 14" move and absolutely outstanding dash speeds. The problem is... nothing, actually, there really isn't a catch here. You have a 2+ cross, letting you get through any terrain you need, and that's something not even your mediocre skill can mess up. This mobility will be a great tool for protecting your tanks and letting you keep your armor toward the enemy.

The last, probably least interesting stat on these tanks is the firepower. Once again, we have the classic 125mm 2A46 cannon with AT22, firepower 2+, and brutal. This is a justly feared weapon, capable of facing all but the most advanced NATO tanks pretty well. There are 2 major Achilles heels though, both of which Soviet players will be well aware of: 32" range and RoF 1. To help combat the first weakness, we have the AT-11 "Sniper" missile. This bumps your range to 48", and unlike other tanks with such missiles, it maintains AT 22 to help overcome its loss in firepower. Not only that, but its stabilized and can be fired while moving 14". What's the catch? '''It's a point per tank''' On a regular, 6x4' table, this just isn't worth it, as your mobility and armor let you get within gun range rather fine and +1 AT (only at range) rarely is a decisive difference when you're sacrificing recon, artillery, or infantry to get it. No, 32" range isn't a massive crutch, but RoF 1 is crippling, and what ultimately defines the conditions where you deploy this tank. This may seem odd, since it's fine for other Soviet tanks, but those tanks don't cost as much as an Abrams! For 8 points, you are fielding a relatively expensive tank: A NATO player spamming Leo 1s will easily have 2-3 tanks to your 1, which are harder to hit and only marginally less mobile. For the cost of 2 of these tanks (total of 2 shots), you could have 10 T-55s, which can pump out 5x the firepower.

''side note: notice that we never mentioned the Tandem Warhead feature of the missile. This is because it's that important (It can only be used against fellow PACT tanks for now and is practically useless when it just negates their 6+ save anyway.)''

All this combines to put this tank in a relatively interesting predicament: for the price, you get great protection and mobility, but firepower that is far worse than it should be, not by quality, but quantity (ironically). This has important implications for both your list and the roles the T-80 does well. We'll start with the roles.

The T-80 is probably the worst tank in the game for handling swarms of cheap tanks and IFVs, but its great armor and mobility for the price make it relatively potent for hunting more elite NATO tanks, from Chieftain up. Your armor lets you tank their AT22 shots rather well, and you cost around half the price of the most expensive of them while having similar or superior mobility, allowing you to chase them and flank them rather effectively, where you still have a severe numbers advantage. The other role the T-80 fills rather well is just...being a tank. Once again, the relatively large numbers of them you can bring with that level of armor lets them distract important enemy units and protect objectives better than many other units in your arsenal for the price.

If you really must include T-80s for whatever reason, you need to have a plan. As we discussed, the T-80 is powerful in very specific rolls, but it is absolute trash in others, and your army needs to compensate for this. The real result of this is that, on top of the regular cost of the T-80, you have a phantom cost of the support assets and capabilities required to support them. The first weakness is your firepower: you will need something that can put out a lot more dakka than your T-80s can manage, and fortunately the Red Army has a few options: T-55AMs have AT21 ATGMS and cost a measly 1.8 points a tank max, there are 3 different flavors of BMP you can choose from, which come in large numbers with bonus infantry ''and'' pack ATGMs that can handle hoards rather effectively. The second is your weak flanks. Thanks to objectives and board edges, you can only pull back so far before the hoard catches up with you, and so you need to buy yourself time. Soviet infantry can set tarpits that prevent you from being flanked by bum-rushing M60s, and you have the cheapest recon in the game with the BRDM-2 to help block enemy spearheads and give you room to maneuver. Use these to create space and prevent enemy breakthroughs, then when your flanks are secure, push forward and punish the capitalist aggressors mercilessly!

===T-80 Shock Company===

Representing the best of the best the Soviet army has to offer, the T-80 Shock company is a very different beast from any formation yet seen by Soviet players. It gives the ability to field a small, elite formation as opposed to the massed parking lots so familiar to many. The astute may notice that it is designated as a formation rather than a unit, and this is not a typo. Consisting of an HQ and 2-3 platoons of 2-3 tanks each, it is comparable in size to NATO armoured formations, with all the support options that Soviet formations bring. Available support includes a Shock Motor Rifle company, a Shock BMP 3 scout platoon, a SPAAG platoon of either Shilkas or Tunguskas, a SAM platoon of Gaskins or Gophers, and a Carnation battery. It is noteworthy that the stats discussed below belong only to the tanks, infantry, and scouts: support units have the typical Soviet stat line.

Anything with the “Shock” designation is hit on a 4+, has 3+ Skill, and one better Assault rating than is normal. Different units benefit to varying degrees from the boost to Assault and Skill, but the 4+ to hit is very solid for an army with a universal 3+. The T-80s themselves are still the same tank as the standard version, but now more difficult to hit and able to reliably shoot and scoot to avoid the worst of enemy return fire.

The Shock T-80s take all of the problems and advantages of the regular T-80 to 11. For about 10 points per tank, you get West German levels of training and morale with the same silly armor and mobility of the T-80. The problem is that now you're paying ''ten points'' for a single shot. These could be good as formation support in the same roles as the regular T-80s, but fielding the entire formation is very difficult in a 100 point game: 7 tanks (that's only 7 shots!) only gives you 32 points to field all of the necessary support elements mentioned above as well as the infantry, artillery, and recon that you'll need. Consider pairing them with BMP-1/2s to bump the level of firepower you have and bring infantry concurrently. You will be heavily outnumbered in most situations, and you'll need a solid amount of cheap AT to make up the difference against swarms, even more so than the regular T-80s. Because of the numerical disparity, you will have to play a far more subtle game than is typical for Soviets, and avoid casualties as much as possible. If NATO tactics using Russian equipment are what you’re after, then this is the formation for you! As an added bonus, it can make playing Soviets mercifully cheap in real-life currency.

==In Real Life==
[[File:1280px-4thTankBrigade - T-80U -33.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Soviet Power Supreme]]
[[File:Tank training of Ukrainian Air Assault, December 2018, 03.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Ukrainian Airborne Forces Rockin the T-80]]
Visually similar to the T-72, any Western commander who mistook it as such would be in for a shock: the T-80 was a frighteningly deadly weapon, combining the 125mm cannon with BDD armour superior to the T-64's, reactive armour blocks and the latest tank-killing shells the Soviet Union had to offer. Later versions like the T-80B would even have the ability to fire Kobra missiles, allowing it to outrange the latest Western tanks of the time. As of 1985, T-80U was arguably the best tank around: heavy ERA "Kontakt-5" made it pretty much immune to anything Westerners could reasonably throw at it, while newest munitions had a good chance of penetrating both Leopard-2 and M1A1 Abrams.

Unfortunately, gas turbine engines tend to require a lot of fuel to sustain. The US was able to sustain having those engines in their Abrams due to having ALL THE OIL, but Russia and its dead-in-the-water economy could not. Due to the increased costs of feeding and maintaining said engine, the Russians made the diesel T80UD for its armed forces but eventually decided to stick with the T-72. Eventually the T-72 would evolve into T-72BU or the T-90: a T-72 with better armor, an improved engine, the advanced fire control systems and APS found within the T-80 turret, provisions for ERA and loads of other smaller upgrades that essentially make it an entirely new tank.

Today, the T-80 remains the core of the Russian tank corps alongside heavily modernized T-72s. The T-80 might lack the reliability and fuel-economy of modern T-90 variants, but the Modern Russian Federation has the petroleum infrastructure the Union lacked to feed these gas guzzling monsters and so these tanks can keep up with all but the absolute best armour of the West… but not Javelin ATGM’s, as seen in Ukraine. Ukrainian T-80s/T-84s are taking out a lot of T-72s however.

{{Soviet Forces in Team Yankee}}

[[Category:Vehicles]]

T-80

2022-04-13T19:08:16Z

2001:67C:2660:425:3617:EBFF:FEE4:63D5: /* In Real Life */ file added

[[File:TYBX02-03.jpg|300px|right|thumb|'Honour and Glory' - motto, 4th Guards Tank Division]]

{{topquote|The instrument of doom.|Apocalypse Tank, Red Alert 2 }}
The Soviet version of the Bradley's horrible beauracratic design process, the T-80 series was the Soviet's answer to the third generation of Western main battle tanks like the Leopard 2, Challenger and the Abrams. Building on the principle of the T-64 as the premium battle tank of the Soviet shock armies, the T-80 would become defined for its horribly inconsistent gas turbine engine and unreliability while on the move.

==In Team Yankee==

[[File:DE7DA872-887D-4557-9995-2C1EB19C5B66.jpg|thumb|left|300px]] <ref> https://www.team-yankee.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=7057</ref>

The T-80 represents the cream of the crop, the best that the USSR has to offer, and boy is it... one of the tanks ever in the game.
Battlefront chose the T-80U. This model sported the famous 'Kontakt-5' reactive armor package, and image intensification sights in addition to all the classic Russian tank features you know and love. The T-80 is a much closer match to the likes of the Abrams and Leopard, both in points and performance. It comes with some incredibly powerful hard stats: armor 20/10/2; an AT 22, brutal cannon; and a 14" tactical speed with its advanced stabilizer. Where you should be getting suspicious is the price: 7.33-8.8 points each, due to a few important weaknesses we'll discuss below.

The most outstanding feature of this tank is by far its sheer armor protection. For an 8 point tank, armor 20 is nothing to scoff at: by comparison, NATO is paying 11 points for the same levels of protection and that's on a hull that is significantly less mobile. Not only that, but its the first tank in the game with ERA, giving it effectively Chobham protection and making you a far more potent assault tank compared to your lesser Soviet peers. Before you start yelling "Russian bias" or get a raging, stalinium reinforced hard-on, there is a catch; one that Soviet players are more than aware of by now: 3+ to hit. "What does being hit matter if the capitalist swine can't even penetrate my armor?" And to that we reply "They can't penetrate your FRONT armor, tovarisch..."

The second important feature is this tanks sheer mobility. It is one of 2 tanks in the Soviet arsenal with a 14" move and absolutely outstanding dash speeds. The problem is... nothing, actually, there really isn't a catch here. You have a 2+ cross, letting you get through any terrain you need, and that's something not even your mediocre skill can mess up. This mobility will be a great tool for protecting your tanks and letting you keep your armor toward the enemy.

The last, probably least interesting stat on these tanks is the firepower. Once again, we have the classic 125mm 2A46 cannon with AT22, firepower 2+, and brutal. This is a justly feared weapon, capable of facing all but the most advanced NATO tanks pretty well. There are 2 major Achilles heels though, both of which Soviet players will be well aware of: 32" range and RoF 1. To help combat the first weakness, we have the AT-11 "Sniper" missile. This bumps your range to 48", and unlike other tanks with such missiles, it maintains AT 22 to help overcome its loss in firepower. Not only that, but its stabilized and can be fired while moving 14". What's the catch? '''It's a point per tank''' On a regular, 6x4' table, this just isn't worth it, as your mobility and armor let you get within gun range rather fine and +1 AT (only at range) rarely is a decisive difference when you're sacrificing recon, artillery, or infantry to get it. No, 32" range isn't a massive crutch, but RoF 1 is crippling, and what ultimately defines the conditions where you deploy this tank. This may seem odd, since it's fine for other Soviet tanks, but those tanks don't cost as much as an Abrams! For 8 points, you are fielding a relatively expensive tank: A NATO player spamming Leo 1s will easily have 2-3 tanks to your 1, which are harder to hit and only marginally less mobile. For the cost of 2 of these tanks (total of 2 shots), you could have 10 T-55s, which can pump out 5x the firepower.

''side note: notice that we never mentioned the Tandem Warhead feature of the missile. This is because it's that important (It can only be used against fellow PACT tanks for now and is practically useless when it just negates their 6+ save anyway.)''

All this combines to put this tank in a relatively interesting predicament: for the price, you get great protection and mobility, but firepower that is far worse than it should be, not by quality, but quantity (ironically). This has important implications for both your list and the roles the T-80 does well. We'll start with the roles.

The T-80 is probably the worst tank in the game for handling swarms of cheap tanks and IFVs, but its great armor and mobility for the price make it relatively potent for hunting more elite NATO tanks, from Chieftain up. Your armor lets you tank their AT22 shots rather well, and you cost around half the price of the most expensive of them while having similar or superior mobility, allowing you to chase them and flank them rather effectively, where you still have a severe numbers advantage. The other role the T-80 fills rather well is just...being a tank. Once again, the relatively large numbers of them you can bring with that level of armor lets them distract important enemy units and protect objectives better than many other units in your arsenal for the price.

If you really must include T-80s for whatever reason, you need to have a plan. As we discussed, the T-80 is powerful in very specific rolls, but it is absolute trash in others, and your army needs to compensate for this. The real result of this is that, on top of the regular cost of the T-80, you have a phantom cost of the support assets and capabilities required to support them. The first weakness is your firepower: you will need something that can put out a lot more dakka than your T-80s can manage, and fortunately the Red Army has a few options: T-55AMs have AT21 ATGMS and cost a measly 1.8 points a tank max, there are 3 different flavors of BMP you can choose from, which come in large numbers with bonus infantry ''and'' pack ATGMs that can handle hoards rather effectively. The second is your weak flanks. Thanks to objectives and board edges, you can only pull back so far before the hoard catches up with you, and so you need to buy yourself time. Soviet infantry can set tarpits that prevent you from being flanked by bum-rushing M60s, and you have the cheapest recon in the game with the BRDM-2 to help block enemy spearheads and give you room to maneuver. Use these to create space and prevent enemy breakthroughs, then when your flanks are secure, push forward and punish the capitalist aggressors mercilessly!

===T-80 Shock Company===

Representing the best of the best the Soviet army has to offer, the T-80 Shock company is a very different beast from any formation yet seen by Soviet players. It gives the ability to field a small, elite formation as opposed to the massed parking lots so familiar to many. The astute may notice that it is designated as a formation rather than a unit, and this is not a typo. Consisting of an HQ and 2-3 platoons of 2-3 tanks each, it is comparable in size to NATO armoured formations, with all the support options that Soviet formations bring. Available support includes a Shock Motor Rifle company, a Shock BMP 3 scout platoon, a SPAAG platoon of either Shilkas or Tunguskas, a SAM platoon of Gaskins or Gophers, and a Carnation battery. It is noteworthy that the stats discussed below belong only to the tanks, infantry, and scouts: support units have the typical Soviet stat line.

Anything with the “Shock” designation is hit on a 4+, has 3+ Skill, and one better Assault rating than is normal. Different units benefit to varying degrees from the boost to Assault and Skill, but the 4+ to hit is very solid for an army with a universal 3+. The T-80s themselves are still the same tank as the standard version, but now more difficult to hit and able to reliably shoot and scoot to avoid the worst of enemy return fire.

The Shock T-80s take all of the problems and advantages of the regular T-80 to 11. For about 10 points per tank, you get West German levels of training and morale with the same silly armor and mobility of the T-80. The problem is that now you're paying ''ten points'' for a single shot. These could be good as formation support in the same roles as the regular T-80s, but fielding the entire formation is very difficult in a 100 point game: 7 tanks (that's only 7 shots!) only gives you 32 points to field all of the necessary support elements mentioned above as well as the infantry, artillery, and recon that you'll need. Consider pairing them with BMP-1/2s to bump the level of firepower you have and bring infantry concurrently. You will be heavily outnumbered in most situations, and you'll need a solid amount of cheap AT to make up the difference against swarms, even more so than the regular T-80s. Because of the numerical disparity, you will have to play a far more subtle game than is typical for Soviets, and avoid casualties as much as possible. If NATO tactics using Russian equipment are what you’re after, then this is the formation for you! As an added bonus, it can make playing Soviets mercifully cheap in real-life currency.

==In Real Life==
[[File:1280px-4thTankBrigade - T-80U -33.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Soviet Power Supreme]]
[[File:Tank training of Ukrainian Air Assault, December 2018, 03.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Ukrainian Airborne Forces Rockin the T-80]]
Visually similar to the T-72, any Western commander who mistook it as such would be in for a shock: the T-80 was a frighteningly deadly weapon, combining the 125mm cannon with BDD armour superior to the T-64's, reactive armour blocks and the latest tank-killing shells the Soviet Union had to offer. Later versions like the T-80B would even have the ability to fire Kobra missiles, allowing it to outrange the latest Western tanks of the time. As of 1985, T-80U was arguably the best tank around: heavy ERA "Kontakt-5" made it pretty much immune to anything Westerners could reasonably throw at it, while newest munitions had a good chance of penetrating both Leopard-2 and M1A1 Abrams.

Unfortunately, gas turbine engines tend to require a lot of fuel to sustain. The US was able to sustain having those engines in their Abrams due to having ALL THE OIL, but Russia and its dead-in-the-water economy could not. Due to the increased costs of feeding and maintaining said engine, the Russians made the diesel T80UD for its armed forces but eventually decided to stick with the T-72. Eventually the T-72 would evolve into T-72BU or the T-90: a T-72 with better armor, an improved engine, the advanced fire control systems and APS found within the T-80 turret, provisions for ERA and loads of other smaller upgrades that essentially make it an entirely new tank.

Today, the T-80 remains the core of the Russian tank corps alongside heavily modernized T-72s. The T-80 might lack the reliability and fuel-economy of modern T-90 variants, but the Modern Russian Federation has the petroleum infrastructure the Union lacked to feed these gas guzzling monsters and so these tanks can keep up with all but the absolute best armour of the West… but not Javelin ATGM’s, as seen in Ukraine.

{{Soviet Forces in Team Yankee}}

[[Category:Vehicles]]